224 
The Colorado River 
of descent still remained ahead. They hoped, however, that 
the worst was behind. They now carefully divided evenly 
among the boats the little stock of flour, so that, in case of 
disaster, all of it should not be lost at once. Notwithstanding 
all the difliculties and the dark outlook, Powell never failed in 
his wonderful poise of mind and balance of nerve. But he 
was anxious, and he sang sometimes as they sailed along till 
the men, he once told me, he believed thought he had gone 
crazy. Of course the singing was more or less a mask for his 
real feelings. 
On the 19th the pioneer boat, running some distance ahead 
of the others, was again upset by a wave. As usual the men 
succeeded in clinging to the upturned craft, the closed com¬ 
partments always keeping the boat afloat, and were carried 
down through another rapid. The companion boats were de¬ 
tained by whirlpools and could not quickly go to the rescue, 
but when they finally did reach the Dean, she was bailed out, the 
men climbed on board of her again, and they all went on with¬ 
out even trying to land. The next day, in one hour, they 
ran on a wild dashing river ten miles without stopping, and, 
what was to them most important, they ran out of the granite. 
The bright colours of the sedimentary rocks put new cheer 
into them. On they ran, down the narrow canyon, now about 
three thousand feet deep, always on swift water, but for a 
time there were no bad rapids. On August 25th they reached 
a fall where the river was once dammed up for a great height 
by an overflow of lava from craters. on and near the brink. 
One of the craters was plainly visible from below. The canyon 
appeared to have been once filled by the lava to the depth of 
fifteen hundred feet. They named the descent Lava Falls and 
made a portage. Not far below this they found a garden 
which had been planted by the Shewits Pai Utes living on the 
plateau above. The corn was not ripe, though some squashes 
were, and helping themselves to a few of these they ran on to 
a comfortable place and had a feast. 
So well did they now get on, running rapids and making fine 
time, that they began to look forward with great hope to a 
speedy termination of the canyon. When therefore the river 
