side of the towering border. A natural
pathway lead to the plateau above, while a spring of clear water was
conveniently near for their needs.

In spite of the July day the air was cool and the smoke of their camp-fire
was carried swiftly down the canyon. The sublime sight of the Grand Canyon
was before them, although from their camp they were unable to see the
largest of all the great gulches.

The sides of the various canyons, which the swiftly flowing Colorado had
made, were carved and fretted almost beyond belief. The various strata of
rock and soil that had been exposed to view by the centuries of action of
the mighty river were marvelously tinted. Indeed, George declared that the
blues, the grays, and reds and mauves were only less impressive than the
overwhelming size of the Grand Canyon itself. Grant, however, was positive
that the sculptured sides of the vast hole were equal in interest to the
coloring and the glory of the canyon itself.

With every changing angle of the sun the colors and shadings also changed.
Again and again the boys had marked the shadows formed every morning and
evening and they laughingly announced and described the various
resemblances which they had traced.

The Grand Canyon itself is only a part of the long canyon, in places a
mile deep and in certain places a score of miles from side to side,
through which the mighty river has forced its way.

The Colorado River starting in Southern Utah is formed by the junction of
the Green and the Grand Rivers. The former rising in Northern Utah,
traverses also a part of Wyoming, while the latter river traces the
western Rockies in Colorado.

Of this wonderful stream Major Powell, the first to descend the river,
wrote, "Ten million cascade brooks unite to form a hundred rivers. Beside
that, cataracts and a hundred roaring rivers unite to form the Colorado, a
mad turbid stream."

One distinguished writer, describing the mighty canyon, said it is "most
mysterious in its depth than the Himalayas in their height. It is true
that the Grand Canyon remains not the eighth but the first wonder of the
world. There is nothing like it."

Our special interest, however, is in the four boys and their two guides,
who now were assembled in the camp. Every boy was bronzed and toughened by
his exposure and labors. Packs were to be seen which had been brought into
camp on the backs of the various members of the party. Each pack contained
about sixty pounds of