That evening Loper told us his story of their canyon expedition.  He felt a little bitter about some newspaper reports that had been published concerning this expedition, these reports giving the impression that his nerve had failed him, and that for this reason he had not continued on the journey.  We mollified his feelings somewhat, when we told him that his companions were not responsible for these reports; but rather, that short telegraphic reports, sent out from the Grand Canyon, had been misconstrued by the papers; and that this accounted for the stories which had appeared.  His companions had remained at the Grand Canyon for two days following their arrival at Bright Angel Trail.  They gave Loper credit, to our certain knowledge, of being the only one of the party who knew how to handle the boats in rough water when they began the trip, and had stated that he ran all the boats through certain rapids until they caught the knack.  They could not know of his reasons for the delay, and at that time had no knowledge of his arrival at Lee’s Ferry, after they had gone.  Naturally they were very much puzzled over his non-appearance.

It got quite cold that night, and we were glad to have shelter of Hite’s hospitable roof.  In our trip down the river to this point we had seemed to keep even with the first cold weather.  In all places where it was open, we would usually find a little ice accompanied by frost in the mornings, or if no ice had frozen the grass would be wet with dew.  In the canyons there was little or no ice, and the air was quite dry.  Naturally we preferred the canyons if we had a choice of camps.

Loper looked as though he would like to accompany us as we pulled away the next morning, after having landed him on the south side of the stream.  We, at least, had full confidence in his nerve to tackle the lower Colorado, after his record in Cataract Canyon.  The five scattered peaks of the Henry Mountains were now to the north-northwest of us, rugged and snow-capped, supreme in their majesty above this desolate region.

Signs of an ancient Indian race were plentiful in this section.  There were several small cliff dwellings, walled up in ledges in the rocks, a hundred feet or so above a low flat which banked the river.  At another place there were hundreds of carvings on a similar wall which overhung a little.  Drawings of mountain-sheep were plentiful; there was one representing a human figure with a bow and arrow, and with a sheep standing on the arrow—­their way of telling that he got the sheep, no doubt.  There were masked figures engaged in a dance, not unlike some of the Hopi dances of to-day, as they picture them.  There were geometrical figures, and designs of many varieties.  A small rock building half covered with sand and the accumulations of many years stood at the base of the cliff; and quantities of broken pottery were scattered about the ruin.  Farther down the river a pathway was worn into the sandstone where countless bare and