Most of the men now became thoroughly discouraged at the dismal prospect and wished to abandon immediately and entirely the enterprise, but Stanton was not of that mind.

The difficulties showed him how hard it would be to do this part over again, and he resolved to stay and finish the work as far as possible now.

His first assistant, Hislop, G.W.Gibson, the coloured cook, and the coloured steward, H.C.
Richards, volunteered to stand by him, and the next morning the eleven others pushed on, leaving a boat for these five to follow with.

For six days this determined little crew worked along at the rate of about four miles a day, with a ration of one small scrap of bread, a little coffee, and some condensed milk for breakfast and supper, and three lumps of sugar for dinner.

Stanton says there was not a murmur of discontent from the men "carrying the survey over the rocks and cliffs on the side of the canyon, and handling the boat through the rapids of the river.