rilliant that the whitest clouds looked dark beside
them. The magnificence of the scenery made every one an artist, from the
captain to the cook, who produced a very beautiful drawing of three
snow-covered peaks, which he called "The Three Sisters."

Everybody grew very impatient; and at length, one night, the captain
said he would try it the next morning, although he had never before been
up when the water was so high. A heavy rain came on, lasting all night,
so that it seemed rather desperate to attempt going through, if the
river was too high the night before; and I could hardly believe it, when
I heard the engineer getting up the steam to start. The wildest weather
prevailed at this time, and on all important occasions. As soon as we
went on board the boat, in first starting, a violent thunder-storm came
on, lightning, hail, and rain; and a great pine-tree came crashing
down, and fell across the bow of the boat. A similar storm came again
the first time we tried to enter the canyon; and the drift it brought
down so interfered with the steering, that it led to the accident before
mentioned. On this last morning, there were most evident signs of
disapproval all about us,--the sky perfect gloom, and the river
continually replenishing its resources from the pouring rain, and
strengthening itself against us. But we steamed up to the entrance of
the canyon. Then the boat was fastened by three lines to the shore, and
the men took out a cable six hundred feet in length, which they carried
along the steep, slippery rocks, and fastened to a great tree. One of
them rolled down fifty feet into the water, but was caught by his
companions before he was whirled away. They then returned to the boat,
let on all the steam, and began to wind up the cable on the capstan.
With the utmost power of the men and steam, it was sometimes impossible
to see any progress. Finally, however, that line was wound up; and the
boat was again secured to the bank, and the cable put out the second
time. This part of the passage was still more difficult; and, after the
line was arranged, two men were left on shore with grappling-irons to
keep it off the rocks,--a great, fine-looking one, who appeared equal to
any emergency, and a little, common one, with sandy hair and a
lobster-colored face and neck. We watched them intently; and, as we drew
near, we saw that the line had caught on something beneath the surface
of the water, so that they could not extrica