Point there is a narrow cleft in the rocks which he calls
the Fat Woman's Misery. It received its name several years ago from a
circumstance that happened while he was conducting a party of tourists
along the rim trail. To obtain a better view the party essayed to
squeeze through the opening, in which attempt all succeeded except one
fat women who stuck fast. After vainly trying to extricate her from
her uncomfortable position he finally told her that there was but one
of two things to do, either remain where she was and starve to death or
take one chance in a thousand of being blown out alive by dynamite.
After thinking a moment she decided to try the "one chance in a
thousand" experiment.

A charge of dynamite was procured and the fuse lighted. After the
explosion he returned to the spot and found the result satisfactory.
The blast had released the woman, who was alive and sitting upon a
rock. He approached her cheerfully and said:

"Madam, how do you feel?" She looked up shocked, but evidently very
much relieved, and replied "Why, sir, I feel first rate, but the jolt
gave me a little toothache."

He tells another story of how he once took a drink from the Colorado
river. The water is never very clear in the muddy stream but at that
particular time it was unusually murky. He had nothing with which to
dip the water and lay down on the bank to take a drink. Being very
thirsty he paid no attention to the quality of the water, but only knew
that it tasted wet. The water, however, grew thicker as he drank until
it became balled up in his mouth, and stuck fast in his throat and
threatened to choke him. He tried to bite it off but failed because
his teeth were poor. At last becoming desperate, he pulled his hunting
knife from his belt and cut himself loose from his drink.

Different theories have been advanced to account for the origin of the
Grand Canon, but it is a question whether it is altogether due to any
one cause. Scientists say that it is the work of water erosion, but to
the layman it seems impossible. If an ocean of water should flow over
rocks during eons of ages it does not seem possible that it could cut
such a channel.

Water sometimes does queer things, but it has never been known to
reverse nature. By a fundamental law of hydrostatics water always
seeks its level and flows in the direction of least resistance. If
water ever made the Grand Canon it had to climb a hill and cut its way
thr