Day 6, Monday
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L D Harrow - Day 6, Monday
22 August 1763 — I slept little last night. Whenever I would start to drift, some stray sound would rise from the ravine and stir the strange thoughts in my head.
I am awake with the sun... as far as I can tell, no-one else has risen yet. I think I hear some stirring from the porters, but I cannot tell for sure.
I am going to rouse Mr Sterling now...
L D Harrow - A few minutes later...
22 August 1763 — Mr Sterling is now performing his morning rituals.
I'm sitting, watching a herd of elk pass in the distance.
R T Sterling - Backtracking
22 August 1763 — Harrow had awakened me this morning after having a none-too-restful night himself, it seems.
As we began to prepare for our descent into the ravine, our guide made as though he would have us descend first and be the first ones, since that ill-fated expedition so many years ago now, to enter the canyon. We took no special note of this at the time--we should have heeded Harrow's misgivings!
Mr Harrow descended first, with his musket strapped to his back, and I next, after he had safely reached the bottom.
I was half-way down that crude rope ladder and looked up to see if the guide and porters were preparing to descend. I was startled to see that the guide had a large knife in hand and was swiftly cutting through the rope, while the porters were nowhere to be seen. I called out to Harrow just as the first side of the ladder broke. He looked up in time to see
the porters, now with guns in their hands, on the edge of the ravine, and ran under the edge, where he would be somewhat protected from their fire.
I, for my part, dangling precariously from the now unstable ladder, tried to increase the speed of my descent before the guide could finish cutting that final strand, which stood between me and a terrible plunge into the abyss below. I was about one quarter of the way from the bottom, when I heard a snap which signaled the completion of his diabolical task.
Grasping for anything I could, I tumbled down into the canyon, only vaguely aware of the sound of gun shots from above and the answer from Harrow's own musket.
I do not know how I survived the fall, but I picked myself up the best I could, and we ran, losing several valuable items in our haste, but gaining our lives.
Now we are resting by Swan Creek, out of range of the porters' guns for the present.
Harrow is making an inventory of what is left to us.
L D Harrow - Evening...
22 August 1763 — The men above have finally left.
We have made no progress today, but instead have spent the day taking stock of our meager possessions and planning our course of action. We have no known path out of the canyon. Our gear consists of what we were carrying when we descended the rope-ladder:
- My musket
- A small quantity of powder and shot for said musket
- Two hunting knives
- Two canteens
- Sterling's tinder-box
- Sterling's machete
- A small supply of pemmican
- A small, shallow frying pan
We must determine what direction we will travel when morning comes. But first, we need to deal with the fact that night is coming, and we've no blankets!
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