Pete, the guide, a silent, bronzed man of thirty, openly scoffed at the
idea that any discovery worth while would follow their attempts to find
the spot indicated in the diary of the lost prospector.
"Nobody knows," declared Pete, "whether you found the bones of Simon
Moultrie or not."
"That doesn't make any difference," declared Fred sturdily, "if we can
only find the place he spoke of. Zeke says he knows where Thorn's Gulch
is--"
"Huh!" interrupted Pete. "I guess ev'rybody in this part o' th' country
knows where Thorn's Gulch is."
"But," continued Fred, winking at John as he spoke, "he doesn't know where
Two Crow Tree is nor just where Tom's Thumb is located. Of course you
know, so we came back to the camp."
"If I don't know I can find 'em, I guess," assented Pete sturdily.
"That's just what Zeke said," laughed Fred. "What we're looking for isn't
somebody who can _find_ them, but somebody who knows where they are."
"Don't you worry none about that," said Pete. "We'll find the spot if
there's any such place."
The camp was located in a most attractive spot, high above the roaring
river. It was on the sloping side of the towering border. A natural
pathway lead to the plateau above, while a spring of clear water was
conveniently near for their needs.
In spite of the July day the air was cool and the smoke of their camp-fire
was carried swiftly down the canyon. The sublime sight of the Grand Canyon
was before them, although from their camp they were unable to see the
largest of all the great gulches.
The sides of the various canyons, which the swiftly flowing Colorado had
made, were carved and fretted almost beyond belief. The various strata of
rock and soil that had been exposed to view by the centuries of action of
the mighty river were marvelously tinted. Indeed, George declared that the
blues, the grays, and reds and mauves were only less impressive than the
overwhelming size of the Grand Canyon itself. Grant, however, was positive
that the sculptured sides of the vast hole were equal in interest to the
coloring and the glory of the canyon itself.
With every changing angle of the sun the colors and shadings also changed.
Again and again the boys had marked the shadows formed every morning and
evening and they laughingly announced and described the various
resemblances which they had traced.
The Grand Canyon itself is only a part of the long canyon, in places a
mile deep and in certain places a score of miles from side to side,
through which the mighty river has forced its way.
The Colorado River starting in Southern Utah is formed by the junction of
the Green and the Grand Rivers. The former rising in Northern Utah,
traverses also a part of Wyoming, while the latter river traces the
western Rockies in Colorado.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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