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The crew of the Canonita placed themselves where they could carefully watch our fortunes, and we pulled up the river very close to the right-hand wall in slack current, for about a quarter of a mile, when we turned the bow out and struck for the middle, heading there straight for the descent.
There is nothing like having the inner man fortified for exertion, therefore with a few bits of driftwood a fire was built, by means of which Andy prepared dinner. When this had been disposed of operations were begun. The Canonita was to remain here till our boat was well through.
Twice the stretcher had to be swung along by ropes where there was no footing, and twice had to be perpendicularly lifted ten or fifteen feet. No one was injured. Nims was taken to Lee's Ferry and left with W. M. Johnson, who had been a member of our land parties during the winter of 1871-72, and who had come with the Canonita party through Glen Canyon. Nims was in good hands.
Our oars had fortunately remained in the rowlocks, and grasping them, without waiting to haul in the hundred feet of line trailing in the current, we made for the left wall, where I managed to leap out on a shelf and catch the rope over a projection, before the Canonita, unharmed, dashed up to the spot; her only mishap was the loss of a rowlock and two oars.
The walls had rapidly grown in altitude, and near the river were vertical so that climbing out at this place was a particularly difficult undertaking. The river was still very high, but not at the highest stage of this year, which had been passed before the Canonita party had come down to the Paria from Fremont River.
The men of the Canonita took positions where they could observe and profit by our movements. Then out into the current we pushed and were immediately swept downward with ever-increasing speed toward the centre of the disturbance, the black walls springing up on each side of the impetuous waters like mighty buttresses for the lovely blue vault of the September sky, so serenely quiet.
This was at a talus on the right where the entire cargo was spread out on the rocks to dry in the sun which now cheered us by its warm rays, and the leak in the boat was stopped. The Canonita soon came down safely. She was of a slightly better build than the Dean, and, with one less man in her, was able to ride more buoyantly.
The men and their assignment to the boats were these: J. W. Powell, S. V. Jones, J. K. Hillers; F. S. Dellenbaugh the Emma Dean; A. H. Thompson, J. F. Steward, F. M. Bishop, F. C. A. Richardson the Nellie Powell; E. O. Beaman, W. C. Powell, A. J. Hattan the Canonita. Jones had been a teacher in Illinois. He went as a topographer.
No sign of any living thing could be discovered as we peered up the rapid, which from below had the appearance of an almost vertical fall. Presently at the top of the foam a white speck moved, clearly seen against the dark background. It was the Canonita on the edge of the fall. I can see her yet, pausing for an instant, apparently, and then disappearing completely amidst the plunging waters.
We rushed into the water as far as we dared, and they pulled with a will till they came to us, when they all jumped into the water and we tugged the boat ashore, just in time to plunge in again and help the Canonita in the same way. Dinner over, the rapid was examined and it was discovered that by pulling straight out into it clear of the rocks, we could easily get through.
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