CHAPTER XI.
An Island Park and a Split Mountain--The White River Runaways--Powell Goes to Salt Lake--Failure to Get Rations to the Dirty Devil--On the Rocks in Desolation--Natural Windows--An Ancient House--On the Back of the Dragon at Last--Cataracts and Cataracts in the Wonderful Cataract Canyon--A Lost Pack-Train--Naming the Echo Peaks.
With one of the boats from the camp in Echo Park Powell went up the Yampa to see what might be there.

Though this stream was tranquil at its mouth, it proved to be rough farther up, and the party, in the four days they were gone, were half worn out, coming back ragged, gaunt, and ravenous, having run short of food.

The Monday following their return, our boats were again carefully packed, life-preservers were inflated, and we went forth once more to the combat with the rapids.

A few minutes' rowing carried us to the end of Echo Rock, which is a narrow tongue of sandstone, about half a mile long and five hundred or six hundred yards thick, and turning the bend we entered Whirlpool Canyon; the cliffs, as soon as the other side of Echo Rock was passed, shooting up into the air and enfolding us again in a canyon embrace.

The depth was quickly a couple of thousand feet with walls very close together till, in three or four miles, we came to a violent rapid.