me on,
and they were obliged to drop back about half a mile to make a camp.
Wheeler was weary and dispirited, though he maintained an outward show
of cheerfulness toward the men, and the next morning the Dragon was
faced again. They tried to find some remnant of the lost cargo, but it
had completely vanished. Everything had been swept away forever. All the
party were despondent, one boat was badly damaged, and the diminution of
the rations made the outlook gloomy. The damaged boat was therefore sent
with a crew back to the place at the mouth of the canyon where the barge
had been left. With the exception of Wheeler and Gilbert none of the
party believed the cataracts now ahead could be surmounted.

"Mr. Gilbert and myself," writes Wheeler, "propose to reassure the men
by taking the first boat across the rapids. Portage of the stores is
made to the wash at the head of the rapids, which consumes the greater
share of the day, and half an hour before twilight a rope is stretched
and the emergency prepared for. The entire force is stationed along the
line, and the cast-off is made. In five minutes the worst part of the
rapid is over, and just as the sun sinks gloomily behind the canyon
horizon, the worst rapid is triumphantly passed amid the cheers and
exultations of every member of the party."

The following day, October 13th, they reached the narrowest part of the
river, a channel less than fifty feet wide, but the canyon on top is, of
course, very broad. With many portages and other arduous toil the party
slowly climbed up the river, sometimes making less than three miles,
sometimes a little more. The rapids grew worse and worse, and the smooth
stretches in between shorter and shorter. On the 15th Gilbert's boat
broke away, and he and Hecox were swept so far down the stream that the
rest could not reach them. They were obliged to remain where they were
through the night with nothing to eat. The main camp was at a place
where there was barely room for the men to sleep amongst the rocks. They
were all gloomy enough, and starvation was beginning to show its dreaded
shadow amidst the spray. On the 16th they were compelled to carry
the tow-line fully a hundred feet above the water to get it ahead. At
another portage the rope broke and the boat was instantly thrown out
into the rapid by the fierce current. Fortunately she was not capsized,
and they managed again to secure her and make a second attempt, which
succeeded. Climbin