And they had a lot to
make them afraid, too. You see no one ever knew, when his boat got caught
in the currents or whirlpools, whether there might be ahead o' him some
great underground passage where the river had cut its way and the boat
might be carried in there and never get out. Then too when they started on
a swift current no one could tell when the water got rougher and swifter
whether they were goin' head on for some great, roarin' cataract. Yes,
sir, it was a very ticklish trip that Major Powell took, and what made it
still worse for him was the fact that he had only one arm."
"What did he do with the other one?" inquired Fred.
"Had it shot away in the Civil War. I tell you he had more nerve than any
man that ever came out to these parts. Unless p'raps it was Bill Williams,
whose grave is away over yonder more than fifty miles beyond the Grand
Canyon."
"Did the men who were with Major Powell come through all right?" asked
Fred.
"All those that stayed with him did. There were four that got discouraged,
and cleared out and left the very day when Major Powell floated clear of
the Grand Canyon. It's strange about that.
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