While I was looking up toward the mountain top, and along down the rocky wall, I saw a smooth place about fifty feet above where the great rocks had broken out, and there, painted in large black letters, were the words “Ashley, 1824.”  This was the first real evidence we had of the presence of a white man in this wild place, and from this record it seems that twenty-five years before some venturesome man had here inscribed his name.  I have since heard there were some persons in St. Louis of this name, and of some circumstances which may link them with this early traveler.

When we came to look around we found that another big rock blocked the channel 300 yards below, and the water rushed around it with a terrible swirl.  So we unloaded the boat again and made the attempt to get around it as we did the other rocks.  We tried to get across the river but failed.  We now, all but one, got on the great rock with our poles, and the one man was to ease the boat down with the rope as far as he could, then let go and we would stop it with our poles and push it out into the stream and let it go over, but the current was so strong that when the boat struck the rock we could not stop it, and the gunwale next to us rose, and the other went down, so that in a second the boat stood edgewise in the water and the bottom tight against the big rock, and the strong current pinned it there so tight that we could no more move it than we could move the rock itself.

This seemed a very sudden ending to our voyage and there were some very rapid thoughts as to whether we would not safer among the Mormons than out in this wild country, afoot and alone.  Our boat was surely lost beyond hope, and something must be done.  I saw two pine trees, about two feet through, growing on a level place just below, and I said to them that we must decide between going afoot and making some canoes out of these pine trees.  Canoes were decided on, and we never let the axes rest, night or day till we had them completed.  While my working shift was off, I took an hour or two, for a little hunting, and on a low divide partly grown over with small pines and juniper I found signs, old and new, of many elk, and so concluded the country was well stocked with noble game.  The two canoes, when completed were about fifteen feet long and two feet wide, and we lashed them together for greater security.  When we tried them we found they were too small to carry our load and us, and we landed half a mile below, where there were two other pine trees—­white pine—­about two feet through, and much taller than the ones we had used.  We set at work making a large canoe of these.  I had to direct the work for I was the only one who had ever done such work.  We worked night and day at these canoes, keeping a big fire at night and changing off to keep the axes busy.  This canoe we made twenty-five or thirty feet long, and when completed they made me captain of it and into it loaded the most valuable things, such as provisions, ammunition, and cooking utensils.  I had to take the lead for I was the only skillful canoeist in the party.  We agreed upon signals to give when danger was seen, or game in sight, and leading off with my big canoe we set sail again, and went flying down stream.