178 BOOK OF A HUNDRED BEARS 



wave his hand at the Lady and the Little Lady 

 far above on the brink of the fall. 



Believe me, I would part with much of what 

 I have gained during the last hundred and fifty 

 years of my pilgrimage to have been able to do 

 that. And he did it and smiled. 



Above me loomed that awful chasm that must 

 be climbed. It hung over me — settled on my 

 spirits. I tried to smile; to admire the falls; I 

 tried to enjoy that wonderful gorge, with its color- 

 ing, its beauty, its charm. I watched an eagle 

 leave his eyrie on the very edge of the caiion and 

 soar above me, wings atilt, without movement, 

 and I led my companions into a discussion of 

 flying machines and the problem of aviation. I 

 drew their attention to a place on the rocks oppo- 

 site, where the continuous spray had mottled 

 its sombre brown with a living green of moss. 



I did everything that would hold their attention 

 and postpone the hour when I must start back. 

 At last, every subject exhausted, the Banker 

 suddenly started upward. From our little cliff 

 that overhung the maelstrom, the path led up a 



