ide and never entering the boats at all except where
absolutely necessary.* Thus they were greatly hampered in their
movements. With our boats we never gave the crossing of the river
a thought, and were in them continually, except where a portage was
demanded. We could therefore always choose our course with as much
freedom as is possible. But it must not be forgotten that the Brown
party were in Cataract Canyon about the time of high water, while we
passed through at a lower stage. This would make a difference, low water
being in all the canyons far safer, though the work is harder on the men
and the boats. By the 15th of June all provisions had disappeared except
a sack and a half of flour, presumably one hundred pounds to the sack,
a little coffee, some sugar, and condensed milk. The flour was all
baked and divided equally, each man receiving two and one half pounds of
bread, one pound of sugar, and four ounces of coffee. At one point they
fortunately found a barrel of cut loaf-sugar amongst the driftwood. This
had been lost from some army-supplies crossing at Gunnison Valley up
the Green, or up Grand River, and they also found, a little below
this, pieces of a waggon with the skeleton of a man. These also had,
of course, come from at least a hundred miles above the Junction on the
Green, or sixty miles up the Grand, as no waggon could get to the river
at any place nearer to Cataract Canyon. The waggon-box had probably
acted as a raft, bearing its gruesome passenger all these long miles
into the heart of the mighty gorge, where the dragon stored his prize,
and for many a year treasured it among the deep shadows.

* Mr. Stanton has called my attention to the fact that as he was
running a railway survey DOWN ONE SIDE, he wanted to keep to that side
the left side.

They had still fifteen miles of Cataract Canyon and the ten miles of
the more kindly Narrow before them, and Brown was now to hurry along and
attempt to reach some placer mines at Dandy Crossing, near the mouth of
Fremont River, where there were a few miners and where some food might
be obtained. Ancient dwellings were seen all along the gorge in the side
canyons, some completely ruined, others in a fair state of preservation,
but the inhabitants had gone long ago, and no help could be hoped for in
this direction. Most of the men now became thoroughly discouraged at
the dismal prospect and wished to abandon immediately and entirely the
enterprise, bu