The Major sitting in his arm-chair on the middle boat read aloud selections from _The Lady of the Lake_ which seemed to fit the scene well.

Steward and Andy amused themselves by swimming along with the boats and occasionally diving under them.
From our noon camp in a grove of cottonwoods opposite the mouth of Vermilion River, we could plainly see the great portal a mile or two away, the Gate of Lodore, where all this tranquillity would end, for the river cuts straight into the heart of the mountains forming one of the finest canyons of the series where the water comes down as Southey described it at Lodore, and the Major gave it that name.

Before night we were at the very entrance and made our camp there in a grove of box-elders.

Every man was looking forward to this canyon with some dread and before losing ourselves within its depths we expected to enjoy the letters from home which Mr.Harrell was to bring back from the railway for us.

Myriads of mosquitoes gave us something else to think of, for they were exceedingly ferocious and persistent, driving us to a high bluff where a smudge was built to fight them off.