BRADLEY GOES OVER THE FALLS. 101 
Here the basalt is broken down again, so it seems to us, and I direct the 
men to take a line to the top of the cliff, and let the boats down along the 
wall. One -man remains in the boat, to keep her clear of the rocks, and 
prevent her line from being caught on the projecting angles. I climb the 
cliff, and pass along to a point just over the fall, and descend by broken 
rocks, and find that the break o the fall is above the break of the wall, so 
that we cannot land ; and that still below the river is very bad, and that 
there is no possibility of a portage. Without waiting further to examine 
and determine what shall be done, I hasten back to the top of the cliff, to 
stop the. boats from coming down. When I arrive, I find the men have let 
one of them down to the head of the fall. She is in swift water, and they 
are not able to pull her back ; nor are they able to go on with the line, as 
it is not long enough to reach the higher part of the cliff, which is just 
before them; so they take a bight around a crag. I send two men back 
for the other line. The boat is in very swift water, and Bradley is standing 
in the open compartment, holding out his oar to prevent her from striking 
against the foot of the cliff. Now she shoots out into the stream, and up as 
far as the line will permit, and then, wheeling, drives headlong against the 
rock, then out and back again, now straining on the line, now striking 
against the rock. As soon as the second line is brought, we pass it down 
to him ; but his attention is all taken up with his own situation, and he does 
not see that we are passing the line to him. I stand on a projecting rock, 
waving my hat to gain his attention, for my voice is drowned by the roaring 
of the falls. Just at this moment, I see him take his knife from its sheath, 
and step forward to cut the line. He has evidently decided that it is better 
to go over with the boat as it is, than to wait for her to be broken to pieces. 
As he leans over, the boat sheers again into the stream, the stem-post breaks 
away, and she is loose. With perfect composure Bradley seizes the great 
scull oar, places it in the stern rowlock, and pulls with all his power (and 
he is an athlete) to turn the bow of the boat down stream, for he wishes to 
go bow down, rather than to drift broadside on. One, two strokes he makes, 
and a third just as she goes over, and the boat is fairly turned, and she goes 
down almost beyond our sight, though we are more than a hundred feet above 
the river. Then she comes up again, on a great wave, and down and up, then 
