isions gave out.
Death by starvation stared them in the face once more. Weakened by
hunger and about to give up, they spied at the base of a cliff two
mountain sheep.

Now, mountain sheep, which roam among the rugged crags, are exceedingly
difficult to catch. One of the sheep darted into a cleft. With a quick
movement born of desperation Torrence rushed before the opening, but
scarcely had he reached the spot before the frightened sheep, in
attempting to escape, jumped into his arms.

Realizing that his life and that of his companion depended upon securing
the animal, he succeeded in killing it with his knife after a fierce
struggle. The meat obtained saved their lives and sustained them until
they reached a ranch fourteen miles from the place from which they
emerged from the end of the canyon. In making the perilous journey they
had swum across the river seventy-four times.

Although their instruments and most of the other articles which they had
taken were lost, yet the valuable data, sought for and recorded in the
engineering book, were safely brought out and contained enough
encouraging information to lead the government to take up the project of
diverting the waters of the Gunnison River to the Uncompahgre Valley.

Salt River Valley, one of the most fertile sections of Arizona, has been
settled for many years, but the lack of a sufficient supply of water for
extended irrigation has caused a large portion of this rich desert land
to remain dormant. To meet the demand for more water in this valley the
United States Government has just completed one of the greatest water
impounding reservoirs in the world, the construction of which called for
the greatest engineering skill and cost nearly nine million dollars.

Salt River enters the valley after a tumultuous passage through a deep
and rugged canyon forty miles long. It derives its name from the
saltness of its waters, which results from the discharge of salt springs
into the main stream as it courses through the gorge.

Though unsuited for drinking purposes the water does not contain enough
salt to make it detrimental for irrigation, and the soil, stimulated by
the water, produces marvellous crops. Here extensive farming can be
carried on with the greatest success. Six crops of alfalfa, averaging
eight tons per acre, are harvested yearly. The oranges, dates, figs,
lemons, grape fruit, olives, and peaches grown upon these lands are of
superior quality and flavor