It Was Agreed
That He Need Not Be Thus Delayed More Than Two Weeks, And Should Be Able To
Rejoin His Companions At Lee's Ferry, A Mormon Settlement Of Three
Families, One Hundred And Forty Miles Below Hite, Within Twenty-One Days.
Russell and Monett Start.
Accordingly, Russell and Monett pushed ahead, and
put in many days prospecting along the shores of Glen Canyon. After
forty-three days of waiting at Lee's Ferry, Russell and Monett decided that
if they were to complete the trip before their now rapidly decreasing
supply of provisions was exhausted, they must start on without Loper, for
whom they had waited more than twice the time agreed on. Friday, December
13, had no terrors for the intrepid pair, and on the morning of that day
they started on down the river, with the sixty-six miles of Marble Canyon
in front of them, an introduction to the two hundred and seventeen miles of
the Grand Canyon below.
Their Remarkable Nerve. In telling of this stage of the journey, Russell
seemed to lose sight entirely of the remarkable nerve both men showed in
starting down through what is admittedly the wildest stretch of continuous
bad water in the whole river. And that, too, without the third companion,
who at the outset had been considered absolutely indispensable to the
success of the party. Instead, he emphasized rather his belief that Loper
had elected to face no more dangers, and had voluntarily remained behind at
Hite.
First Seven Days Passed in Safety.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 314 of 322
Words from 83604 to 83857
of 85893
