Prof.brought back also an American flag for each boat with the name of the boat embroidered in the field of blue on one side while the stars were on the other.

We all admired these flags greatly, especially as they had been made by Mrs.
Thompson's own hands.
We had with us a diary which Jack Sumner had kept on the former voyage, and the casual way in which he repeatedly referred to running through a "hell of foam" gave us an inkling, if nothing more, of what was coming.
Our careful preparations gave us a feeling of security against disaster, or, at least, induced us to expect some degree of liberality from Fortune.

We had done our best to insure success and could go forward in some confidence.

A delay was caused by the non-arrival of some extra heavy oars ordered from Chicago, but at length they came, and it was well we waited, for the lighter ones were quickly found to be too frail.
Our preparations had taken three weeks.

Considering that we were obliged to provide against every contingency that might occur in descending this torrent so completely locked in from assistance and supplies, the time was not too long.