tree--not the small bushes we had seen at the Little Colorado. All the
growth was changing as we neared the lower altitudes and the mouth of
the Grand Canyon, being that of the hot desert, which had found this
artery or avenue leading to the heart of the rocky plateaus and had
pushed its way into this foreign land.

Even the animal life of the desert has followed this same road.
Occasional Gila monsters, which are supposed to belong to the hot
desert close to the Mexico line, have been found at Diamond Creek, and
lizards of the Mojave Desert have been seen as far north as the foot
of Bright Angel Trail.

But we saw little animal life at this time. There were occasional
otters disporting themselves near our boats, in one instance unafraid,
in another raising a gray-bearded head near our boat with a startled
look in his eyes. Then he turned and began to swim on the surface
until our laughter caused him to dive. Tracks of the civet-cat or the
ring-tailed cat--that large-eyed and large-eared animal, somewhat like
a raccoon and much resembling a weasel--were often seen along the
shores. The gray fox, the wild-cat, and the coyote, all natives of
this land, kept to the higher pinon-covered hills. The beaver seldom
penetrates into the deep canyons because of the lack of vegetation,
but is found in all sections in the open country from the headwaters
to the delta in Mexico.

We went out by this canyon on January the 5th, and returned Sunday,
January the 8th, bringing enough provisions to last us to the end of
the big canyon. We imagined we would have no trouble getting what we
needed in the open country below that. We sent some telegrams and
received encouraging answers to them before returning. With us were
two brothers, John and Will Nelson, cattle men who had given us a
cattle man's welcome when we arrived at Peach Springs. There was no
store at Peach Springs, and they supplied us with the provisions that
we brought back. They drove a wagon for about half the distance, then
the roads became impassable, so they unhitched and packed their
bedding and our provisions in to the river. The Nelsons were anxious
to see us run a rapid or two.

We found the nights to be just as cold on top as they ever get in this
section--a little below zero--although the midday sun was warm enough
to melt the snow and make it slushy. I arrived at the river with my
feet so swollen that I had difficulty in walking, a condition brought
on by a prev