Ten Who Dared (1960) - full transcript
By 1869, most of the USA had already been mapped and charted with the exception of the Colorado River region. Therefore, the U.S. government sends geologist and ex-Union Army Major John Wesley Powell to map it. Major Powell, who's missing a hand since the Civil War, needs assistants but trustworthy skilled men are hard to find after the war. The Major has to accept any volunteer he can find and he assembles a team of nine men. The team departs from Green River, Wyoming, in four rowboats and is made up of men of different ages, backgrounds, personalities and motivations for joining up. In one rowboat there are two former army officers who fought on opposing sides during the Civil War. In another rowboat, one man is a recovering alcoholic and the other is a boozing Englishman who constantly taunts the abstinent. Second-in-command is Major Powell's brother, Walter, whose abrasive personality constantly offends the team. The Major excuses his brother's frequent violent outbursts by explaining that Walter's psyche was damaged during the war in a POW camp. Trapper and frontier scout William Dunn joined the team to be away from civilization. Billy 'Missouri' Hawkins joined to cook for the team but some men suspect him of being on the lam. Brothers Oramel and Seneca Howland complete the team. At first, the men are enthusiastic and their spirits are high but as the voyage unfolds their conflicting personalities are leading to frequent clashes. Moreover, the team has to deal with treacherous river rapids, bad weather, water and food shortages, unforeseen accidents, rugged river banks, poisonous rattlers and murderous Ute Indians. Also, a presumed gigantic waterfalls awaits at the river's end for any unwise traveler foolish enough to venture down the Colorado river.
*
(exuberant orchestral music)
(exuberant orchestral music)
- by the year 1869,
the map of the united states
was nearly complete.
Trappers, explorers,
and government survey parties
had scouted practically
every corner of the continent.
Yet even as late as '69
there remained one major area
that was unknown
and uncharted.
This was the territory
through which
the Colorado river
made its way.
1,000 miles
of trackless wasteland.
Here was mystery,
beckoning the adventurous,
calling to the bold
in spirit.
The man who answered
the challenge
was john wesley powell,
scientist,
one-time schoolteacher,
and former officer
in the union army.
Major powell was
determined to risk the rapids
that were said to lie in wait
in these deep gorges,
and he found
nine other hearty souls
willing to run them
with him.
And so our story
is a tale of ten men,
ten who dared the unknown.
It's an authentic account
taken from the major's
own records
and told now
in his own words.
- I decided to embark
at a point
near green river city,
Wyoming.
Accordingly I fitted out
four sturdy boats.
With the help of some
like-minded companions
I loaded these
with provisions and equipment,
enough to last
for several months.
On the day
of our departure,
the good people of the town
turned out to see us off.
Motivated more,
I'm sure, by curiosity
than by any conviction
that we might succeed.
- are you major powell?
- that's right.
Mcspadden
of the cheyenne leader.
Now major,
would you mind telling me
why you think
you can lick this river
when nobody else has?
- well, I'm a geologist,
Mr. Mcspadden.
I believe in science.
And I've made
careful calculations.
- what's the chair for,
major?
- that's my
look-out station.
I can direct the boats
with signal flags from there.
Now if you'll excuse me,
I said we'd start
at 1:00 sharp.
- well, you can't
just up and leave like that.
I ain't even got
the names of your men.
- ask them.
Ready, men?
- you in the bow!
Who are you?
- jack sumner.
Chief sportsman.
- who's the man
in the back?
- tell the man
your name, william.
- bill dunn.
- are you a geologist?
- nope.
- then why are you going?
- 'cause I can get
away from people.
- hey, you in the bow
of the kitty clyde's sister,
what's your name?
- he's captain
walter powell.
- any relation
to the major?
- brother.
- what's your handle?
- george bradley.
- hey, maid of the canyon,
will you give me
your monikers?
- I'm oramel howland.
- how do you
spell "oramel"?
- ask any of the boys
on the rocky mountain news.
I'm a newspaper man too.
This is my brother
seneca howland.
We hail from Vermont.
And that's andrew hall.
- I bet you "dinnah ken"
Where I come from.
- hey, no-name,
you run out of names?
- yep.
- well, what's yours?
- I've run out too.
- ain't you got
a "name de plume"?
- you just say Missouri
went along to do the cookin'.
- put me down
as frank goodman, old boy.
- are you an englishman?
- naturally.
- why are you
making this trip?
- oh, to carve one's name
in the temple of fame.
That sort of thing,
you know.
- there's ten other names
you should've had.
- who?
- next of kin.
- at last our
expedition was afloat.
For these first few days
we would have
smooth water
and easy running,
and a chance to master
the techniques
of river travel.
The problems that had plagued
our departure
were behind us.
Ahead lay the challenge.
The only difficulty now
was the river,
and this I was confident
we could conquer.
- sure is mighty
fine-looking country.
Say, walter, this is
fine-looking country.
- I'll bring you
more tonight.
- you mad, boy?
You can't have a dog along.
- he's only a wee tyke.
- well, the major
won't let you keep him.
- you'll no tell him.
- no, but he'll
hear barking.
- jarvie doesn't bark.
- let's have
a look at him.
- jarvie, huh?
He ain't much
of a purebred, is he?
- he's a purebred
american.
(both laugh)
- put that stuff away.
- oh, now don't
get goody-goody with me,
Mr. Billy hawkins.
- my name's Missouri.
- well, I must have
mistakened you
for a certain
billy hawkins from creed.
I--i heard he'd do anything
to get a drink.
Anything.
- my name is Missouri,
and don't you forget it.
- don't give it
another thought, dear boy.
(chuckles)
You know, hawk--
uh, Missouri,
the major planned everything
about this expedition
down to a gnat's heel,
as you fellows would say.
But why he picked
some of us,
including your obedient
servant, I will never know.
- we were all he could get.
- what're you doing
with that contraption, major?
- I'm shooting
a star, seneca.
I can establish our position
with this sextant here.
You see, I take
a meridian observation,
then I check to see
whether it--
my dead reckoning
plot agrees
with this astronomic
determination.
- well, I'll be dipped.
I'm a student of the stars
myself, major.
- oh?
- sure. See there?
Raphael's prophetic messenger
for 1869--
"man's fortune foretold
by the influence
of the stars."
Say, uh... Tsst.
What's that--
what's that word
right there by my thumb?
- propitious.
The moon is in propitious
aspect with mars.
- now does that mean
she's good or bad?
- that means she's good.
- ahh,
well, I'd say we got
a good week ahead of us,
then.
Oh, but you got to look out
for the tenth, major.
- oh?
- yes, sir.
On the tenth,
satan is gonna be
in the square of sagittarius.
- thank you, Mr. Dunn.
We'll watch out
for the tenth.
- you best,
'cause you're gonna be
treading
on dangerous ground.
(bird chirps)
Oh, and ain't
that pretty?
(bird chirping)
- ah...
There's a pleasure
in the pathless woods.
There is rapture
on the lonely shore.
- there's wood to be brung in
if you want me to keep
the coffee hot.
- I go, my lord.
There is society
where none intrudes.
By the deep sea,
and music in its roar.
I love not man the less,
but nature more.
- ain't there no way
to bring him
back down to earth again?
He's in your boat, ain't he?
Can't you do nothing?
- well, maybe I could
drown him.
- maybe we could
drown him out.
How 'bout a song, walter?
Aw, come on, now.
When you've been blessed
with a fine voice,
you ought to use it.
- how 'bout that old tune,
ten jolly rovers there,
seneca?
(all agree)
- (strums guitar)
- * Oh
* We Are Ten Jolly Rovers
all: * ROVERS, ROVERS
- * But Willy Peck,
He broke his neck *
* And Now We're
Rovers nine *
all: * NINE, AND NOW
We're rovers nine, yo! *
- * We Are Nine
Jolly rovers *
all: * ROVERS, ROVERS
- * But Tim Mcgee
Drew a gun on me *
* And Now We're
Only eight *
all: * EIGHT, AND NOW
We're rovers eight, yo! *
- * We Are Eight
Jolly rovers *
all: * ROVERS, ROVERS
- * But Jim Betrayed
An indian maid *
* And Now We're
Rovers seven *
all: * SEVEN, AND NOW
We're rover's seven *
- hee hee hee!
- * We're Seven Jolly Rovers
all: * ROVERS, ROVERS
- * But Andy Hall
Was too darn small *
* And Now
We're only six *
all: * SIX, AND NOW
We're rovers six, yo! *
- rovers, eh?
Ah...
Maybe you recall the immortal
words of lord byron.
We'll go no more a-roving
so late into the night...
(others groan and yawn)
Though the heart
be still as loving
and the moon
be still as bright.
- that does it.
- though the night
was made for loving,
and the day
returns too soon.
(clattering pots and pans)
We'll go no more a-roving
by the light of the moon.
- good night, goodman.
- saw the dog.
You know the rules.
Take him out
and get rid of him.
Come on.
- major, sir, we--
- I told you to
get rid of him.
What're you waiting for?
- he eats very dainty, sir.
Very dainty.
We can get along fine
on just my share.
- it isn't the food, andy.
But when we're
running rapids,
a dog could become
a serious problem.
I'm sorry.
- I was wondering when
you were gonna
open your mouth.
You'd have been better off
keeping it shut.
- why, you big galoot...
- never mind, walter.
- what do you mean,
"never mind"?
Said you wanted
a good right arm.
If you can't enforce
your rules, I will.
- now, you let me
try him, major,
and I'll find out what kind of
right arm you got there.
- there'll be
no fighting, Mr. Dunn.
- oh. All right.
- he's had time enough.
- no, walter.
I made the rules.
- I'm the one
to blame, jarvie.
I am, surely.
You know I can't turn you
loose for the wolves to eat.
And you might drown
like a kitten in the burn.
You can see
for yourself it--
it would be better to die
by the hand of someone
who loves you.
Turn your wee face away.
- andy.
I'm sorry, andy.
I'm truly sorry.
Give me that.
(un-cocks gun)
You go back to camp.
Go on.
(cocks gun)
- (whimpers)
- now...
None of that, now.
- (whimpers, barks)
- I hadn't met you
when I made that rule.
Just got to find something
for you to do, that's all.
Come on.
(adventurous music)
*
I had warned the men that
we'd eventually come
to rapids.
And at the first
fast water, I was pleased
to see them share
my own excitement.
We continued
to make good progress,
on some days traveling
as much as 60 miles.
Our stops were chosen
with an eye to a good
campsite.
But sometimes
the men picked a spot
as a likely-looking place
to pan for gold.
- what's wrong, oramel,
you too lazy to get rich?
- I wouldn't waste
my time around here.
Wait till we get down
to little Colorado.
You'll see me picking up
nuggets the size
of your thumb.
- how you know?
- newspaper man
hears things.
- (chuckles)
- who said you could
use my basin?
- I'm sorry, walter,
I didn't think you cared.
- from now on, keep your
filthy hands off my things.
- crazier than a loon.
What'd the major
bring him along for, anyhow?
- I don't know.
I reckon to straighten
him out.
- he messes with me,
I'll flatten him out.
- I'll tell you
something about walter.
Was in the army.
My old artillery gun mate.
Was all right
as long as he was fighting.
Then he got himself captured
and thrown into...
Andersonville.
He broke out once.
Was hiding in
the malarial swamp for days.
When they recaptured him there
he was just raving.
It all made him
pretty savage.
- yeah, I reckon
being a prisoner of war
ain't much sweetening
for a man's nature.
I have no
hard feelings, sir.
- yah! Biscuits is made!
Come on!
- come on, walter,
it's time for bacon and coosh.
- bacon and coosh?
- yeah, let's eat.
- * John Brown's Body Lies
A moldering in the grave *
* John Brown's Body Lies
A moldering in the grave *
* John Brown's Body Lies
A moldering in the grave *
* His Soul
Goes marching on *
Hey bradley,
how do those words go
about hanging jeff davis?
- I don't remember.
- you were in the army,
weren't you?
- yep.
- why don't you
know those words?
- why don't you know 'em?
- I do.
Every northern soldier
knows 'em.
But I never heard
a northern soldier
call flour gravy "coosh."
I heard lots of southerns
say that, though,
when I was a prisoner.
You wouldn't be
a johnny red, would ya?
- the war's over, walter.
- it is for some.
I guess all of these boats
have got
their own little secret.
But I like ours the best.
(ominous music)
*
- you sure you won't
change your mind?
- told you to keep that
out of my sight.
- of course, dear boy.
Though you'll
permit me to say so,
the river seems an odd sort
of place to take the cure.
Now, wouldn't it
be more logical
to drink whilst you're here
with friends,
and refrain from drinking
at creed, shall we say?
(chuckles)
I tell you what we'll do.
You keep the paddles chugging
and I'll stoke the boiler.
- how 'bout
a little drink for tonight?
- of course, dear boy.
Good for a scorpion bite.
(rushing water)
- hand me my flag,
will you, Mr. Dunn?
- yes.
- rapids ahead!
- let me have some of that.
- you've got a flask
in your pocket.
- that's for tonight.
Let me have a drink of that.
- you've had
enough already.
- I said I want a drink.
(suspenseful music)
*
- hey, goodman! Missouri!
Come on back to shore!
They'll smash on the rocks.
Come on.
*
- listen, you drunken fool,
get back to your oars!
I've already--
look out! Look out!
*
- thank you, Mr. Sumner.
Nice bit of boating.
Why didn't you
follow my signals?
- we didn't see 'em.
- you didn't see them?
- I was having
a drink of whiskey.
- whiskey?
Your whiskey
just cost us a boat.
All right.
We're ten men
and only three boats now.
Another 800 miles to go.
And about 1/4
of our provision is gone.
What do you think, men?
Are we good for it?
- why, of course, major.
- yes, sir.
- fine. I'll take
some measurements now.
Bring me my instruments,
will you, Mr. Bradley?
- I'm sorry, major,
I'm afraid I put them
in the no-name this morning.
- why, you stupid,
dim-witted--
- here, here,
come on, walter.
- major, the boat
broke right in two,
and both ends
were water-tight.
If we look along the
bank there a little ways,
we might find it.
Isn't that right, oramel?
- well, we could
take a look.
- well, let's go.
- all right, let's go back
and lie down the boats.
- aw, shucks, major.
We can run that rapids.
I did it alone.
With bill's help here,
we can make her, easy.
- how 'bout it, Mr. Dunn?
- well, sir, them are
your boats and you own 'em,
but I feel it's my duty
to warn you again
that today is the tenth.
It says,
"take no risks whilst
the lunar aspects are bad."
There she is,
right there in
black and white.
- let's defy
your stars, Mr. Dunn.
We're grown men.
We make our own good luck.
- (clears throat)
Just a minute now, major.
Work out something here...
If we was to wait till
"piscus" was in its
"descendency,"
Be along about
day after tomorrow.
- hey!
Hey, I found 'em!
There you are, major.
It's all I could find.
- thank you, seneca.
Put 'em over here, hmm?
- oh, for instance,
uh, now, as--
like, right now,
"aquias" is in "descendency."
That means
this is a good time
for unforeseen,
un-foretold events.
- well, what does
all that mean?
- well, it means,
like, a surprise.
- oh.
- (cheers)
Yoo!
Look, a half a keg.
Let's have a drip of wine.
Ha ha.
- sarge is never wrong.
(men laughing, babbling)
- pass it over here.
Hey, bill, you're drinking
all that liquor.
- get it off him,
george, pass it over here.
- pass it over.
- give me that.
- oh, no.
- give that to me.
- now see here, major,
we're with you all the way,
but the boys
ain't in uniform anymore.
(laughs)
And I never was.
And you would find
it don't do
to come between the types
slinging this whiskey,
so if you'll just
turn your back
we'll dispose of that jug
in no time at all.
- let me have it.
(laughing)
Give me that.
(men taunting)
- hey, give me that!
- no! No!
- come on!
- wait!
- ahh!
- he's crazy!
- no!
- no! No!
You're gonna sink it!
- just like potting
johnny reds, eh, george?
The loss of the no-name
was bad enough.
And now another difficulty
seemed to be developing.
I could see
that bradley and walter
weren't hitting
it off too well.
And this disturbed me
because I knew
that bad blood in the party
could only bring trouble.
I'm afraid, however,
that I let my mind
be distracted
from these personal matters
by the sheer magnificence
of the changing panorama.
Around every bend
of the river
there seemed to be
some new surprise.
One night,
directly opposite our camp,
we discovered a canyon wall
with remarkable acoustics.
We named it echo cliff.
- yahoo!
(echoes)
(dog barks)
(echoes)
- (plays guitar)
(echoes)
- my name's howland!
(echoes)
What's yours?
(echoes)
- (chuckles)
Jack sumner,
what's yours?
(echoes)
- my name's hawk--
my name's Missouri,
what's yours?
- jim baker!
(echoes)
- hey.
(laughing)
- why, it is jim baker!
Baker! Well.
- hi, jim.
- john.
- what brought you
down here?
- well, me and my woman
stayed the winter.
Right now I'm on my way
to the ute indian agency
to pick up some horses
to get my pelts out of here.
- oh...
- you all better
come along with me.
Might be your last chance
to walk out of here alive.
- you know, major,
since the last time
I run acrosst you scouting out
them canyons last winter,
I been asking some questions
about that river too.
- oh?
- I been picking up
all the information
I can from the indians,
and they know just about
everything there is to know
about that river,
and they say it can't be run.
- why not?
- well, as far
as I can gather,
way down below there
there's a big falls.
Bigger than niagara.
A real sharp gully
going right between
the cliffs.
So a man can't turn around
when he gets down there
and he can't climb out.
- I doubt that, jim.
There shouldn't be any niagara
in a heavily silted river.
It's against science.
- maybe.
- they tell you where
this here niagara is at?
- no, they don't even
like to talk about it.
That river's bad medicine
to the indians.
But my woman
can tell you about it.
(speaks Ute)
- (speaks Ute)
- she says a long time ago
there was an indian chief.
Had a wife named "numa."
- (speaks Ute)
- and when she died,
this chief mourned
and grieved so much
that the god "tawods"
Took him to see her
way off down yonder
in a beautiful garden
paradise.
- (speaks Ute)
- so when this chief saw
that his wife was happy
in this paradise,
the god tawods
led him back home,
but he told him that
he couldn't tell
what he'd seen.
So just to make sure,
the god tawods filled
his trail with a roaring,
raging river
so that no man could ever
find the end of that trail.
And she says no man
ever has.
- thank you.
That's a very beautiful
legend.
- it's more than
just pretty, major.
- you don't
believe it, do you?
- no, I don't believe
that paradise garden part.
But there's bound to be
a little bit of truth in it
somewheres down the line.
Do you think
if any of them shoshones
ever try going down
that river
it's probably
the bad medicine?
- not to my recollection.
- mind if I asked her?
- no, go right ahead.
- (speaks Ute)
- aha.
(speaks Ute)
- yeah, she said
some of them try,
but they never
come back up again.
- reckon you'll change
your mind, major?
- well, I won't.
As for the others,
it's up to them.
- major, it, uh, might be
just as well if I walked out.
- no.
I will.
Missouri didn't bring
that whiskey.
I did.
I took advantage of him.
- well, now that you've
told me the truth,
Mr. Goodman,
I'd be sorry to lose you.
- come on, goodman,
stay with us.
- thank you, sir.
- don't go.
- you don't have to go.
- and you chaps.
But I've seen
danger enough already.
I'm walking out
with baker in the morning.
- well, now, I didn't
mean to break up your party.
I want you all
to give it up.
- oh, don't you worry.
You believe my mind.
If the river
is bad medicine,
at least we won't
have to worry
about any unfriendly
indians, will we?
Now what do you think, men?
Are you with me?
- yeah.
- we sure are.
- with you, major.
- sure.
- we're with you, major.
- so the die was cast.
There was no turning back.
Secretly, though,
I was worried.
One boat was gone,
the other three overloaded.
Only the thickness
of their planking
stood between
us and death.
But what concerned me most
was water.
Though we lived
with death constantly,
an even greater threat
to our safety
existed in the unpredictable
person of my own brother.
- Missouri,
you were in the army.
Ever hear one of those
southerns brag
that one red
could lick ten yankees?
- walter, I'm sick of your
harping about the war.
The war.
If you've got so much breath
to waste, grab an oar.
- give me orders,
you drunken jailbird.
- hey, watch it there.
Pulling into shore.
- better watch out
for those rocks, Mr. Dunn.
- look out for the rock bed.
All right.
Ease him up. Go ahead.
Careful, Mr. Sumner.
There we go.
- hey, you got yourself
quite a dunking.
- yeah, that wasn't
enough, either.
I had to go
and lose my watch too.
- oh, I'm sorry
about that, bill.
- so am I.
Cost me a dollar six bits.
- (chuckles)
- well, even if you don't
find it,
it's not a total loss.
- how's that?
- you got a bath,
didn't you?
That's the only way
you'd ever take one.
- what?
(yells)
(growls)
I've got ya.
Now get under there
and stay.
Get back down there
and stay there.
That's right, swallow a lot
of that good old muddy water.
It's good for ya!
Get back down
under there.
(men shouting)
- let him loose, bill,
you'll drown him.
- that's just
what I had in mind.
- ah!
- all right, fine,
get him out of here.
Go on.
Clean now?
- now just a minute,
walter.
We've all took a lot off
of you on account
of the major.
But we're not
taking any more.
- you dirty reb, I'll--
- now, just a minute.
- who's a dirty reb?
- no, bill,
this is my fight.
I'm the one
he's got it in for.
We might as well get this
thing over with right now.
- all right. Go on.
- come on.
- aw, watch it, george!
Get your dukes up, boy!
Ahh...
(laughs)
- (laughs)
How 'bout that?
- attaboy, george!
Knock him into the middle
of next week!
(laughs)
- hey, enough of that.
Let's keep this thing
sociable here.
- attaboy, baby!
- nice going, george!
Well, now,
that's more like it.
That's what I call
a fight.
- yeah, baby!
(laughs)
- look out for the oar!
- low bridge!
Man overboard!
(laughs)
Oh, that's a beaut, george!
(chuckles)
Now you got him
where you want him.
Now put him down under there
and sit on him!
Now, don't let him up for air!
Drown him again!
- come on, george,
get up! Attaboy!
Come on, now!
- whup him, boy,
he can't lick us.
Oh, that's the way,
now hit him again!
- yah!
- (laughs)
- how 'bout that?
- ah, there's nothing
like a good, clean fight.
Always entertaining.
(laughs)
- Mr. Dunn.
- hmm?
- stop them!
- what for?
Two's company.
- walter!
- now, three ain't even
necessary at all, major,
leave them alone, now.
- I do not want it!
Walter!
- it's none of your business,
you cripple, you!
- I was sick at heart
for poor walter.
Though I tried
not to show it.
The men too went
about their business
as though nothing
had happened.
Walter continued to sulk.
My apology hadn't
seemed to help any.
I had hoped so much
to see this trip
bring him out of his shell.
But in spite of everything,
he seemed to persist
in his antagonistic attitude
toward the world in general,
and george bradley
in particular.
Huh.
Walter, the old maps
don't show the junction
of the grand
and green rivers
within 100 miles of
this spot.
And yet we're right here.
I'll have to--
- it's like I always said.
The war's over.
- what's wrong
with the major?
- he's worrying
about bradley and walter.
- oh, they'll show up.
- come on, major,
you're not eating your share.
- hello!
- that was walter.
- no, sounded
more like bradley.
- how 'bout
some of them vittles?
- we waited for you.
- (chuckles)
- biscuit?
- yeah.
- ready?
- well, here we are
with good food
and a good fire.
Doesn't that call
for a song, seneca?
- sure, major.
What'll ya have?
- home, sweet home.
- how 'bout jeanie with the...
- light brown hair.
- yeah.
- sourdough mountain.
- george,
what's your favorite?
- I like roll along.
- roll along?
- yeah, it's an
old southern tune.
- I don't reckon any of these
yankees would know it.
- I know it, walter.
(plays guitar)
- * Roll Along
* Oh, Lonely Water
* Many Sons
* And Many Daughters
* Hear Our Mother
* Softly Calling
* Roll Along
* Unto The Sea
* Roll Along
* In Wayward Laughter
* Restless Then
* Forever After
both: * HEAR OUR MOTHER
* Softly Calling
* Roll Along
* Unto The Sea
* You And The River
* The River And Me
* Lonely And Homeless
* Rolling On
Toward the sea *
* Roll Along
* My Lonely Brother
* Take My Hand
- (humming)
both: * I NEED NO OTHER
* Hear Our Mother
* Softly Calling
* Roll Along
* Unto The Sea
- what a relief
it was to know that
my brother had finally
come to his senses.
Now I could turn
my thoughts again
to scientific
investigation.
When we reached the junction
of the little Colorado,
oramel howland joined
the others
in the search for gold.
This was the place
where the nuggets
were to be
as big as his thumb.
- well, this here's
your little Colorado, oramel.
Where's them big gold nuggets
you was talking about?
- yeah, we ain't
licked yet.
Boys, what did the major do
when we first started out?
In an exploring line,
I mean.
- well, we measured
the depths of these canyons.
- yeah, they charted
this river too.
- yeah, but what's
he been doing lately?
- same thing.
- yeah.
- then why does he carry
a bag and a pick?
- yeah.
- and he used to take
andy and seneca with him.
But now he always
takes walter.
He's keeping it
in the family.
(dramatic music)
*
- look at that, walter,
just look at that.
Will ya?
- well, hello, gentlemen.
- major.
Are you gonna share?
- share what?
- I never heard of a geologist
who wasn't hooked up
to a mining concern
somewhere.
I got an idea
you haven't been
studying them rocks
for the fun of it.
- no, not just
for the fun of it.
Although there is
a world of enjoyment in it.
I'll try
to explain it to you.
- well...
(clears throat)
We'd, uh,
like to have a look at
what you got in that bag
there.
- well, wouldn't it be
a little more friendly
if I did
the explaining first?
- well, we'd just as soon
look first.
- I give you my word.
There's no gold in that bag.
- how come you don't
just open it up, then, major?
- you think
I'd lie to you?
- oh...
- if it served your purpose.
- the rest of you
share that opinion?
- well, now, we could
take your word, major,
but we'd always
be wondering why you didn't
open up that bag
and settle the matter.
- yes.
- all right.
I've been doing nothing more
than collecting fossils.
Crinoids, trilobites,
brachiopods.
- oh.
- for a museum.
Walter, give me
that last one.
Now, look.
This is a trilobite.
It's the fossilized remains
of a prehistoric kind of fish.
- (sniffs)
- this--this is
from the paleozoic era.
And finding it here
means that this--
this place we're
standing right now
was once covered
by a shallow inland sea.
When you see
the rest of my treasures,
you'll understand why
I can't be bothered
hunting for gold.
Walter, spread 'em all out
so they can see them
on the ground, huh?
- oh, I don't think
that'll be necessary.
Will it, oramel?
Looks like
the joke's on you, oramel.
- well,
what about you, sumner,
did you come out here
to look for fossils?
- you coming, wes?
- in a little while.
- all right.
- well, here--
here's your thing.
Say, major.
- hmm?
- any reason why
the rest of us can't go
looking for them...
Trail-o-whatchamacallits too?
- well, no, not if you know
what to look for.
Would you like to learn?
- well, sir, that depends.
How much you get for one
of them things on
the old market?
- oh, they're much too
precious to sell, Mr. Dunn.
You give 'em away
to a museum.
- I would?
- sure. To help pay
your debt to mankind.
- I ain't got
no debt to mankind.
I don't owe
nobody nothing.
- well, even so,
over here there's a place--
(rattlesnake rattles)
- look out, there!
- (rattling)
- look at that,
ain't he a beauty?
- (rattling)
(rattling intensifies)
- you're
a beautiful thing.
- watch out!
- you sassy,
beady-eyed old devil.
You'd like to take one little
step further, wouldn't you?
(spits)
Go on!
(giggles)
- stop that, dunn.
You hear me?
- whoo!
(laughs maniacally)
- stop it!
Stop that, dunn!
You hear me?
- (hollering)
- don't you ever
do that again.
- you wouldn't--
you wouldn't interfere
with man's little
pleasures, would ya?
- I would if it means
risking your life.
- well, now,
it's my life, major.
- eight other men
have a stake in that life,
and you have
the same stake in theirs.
I've been
counting on you, Mr. Dunn.
You take care of yourself.
The day we entered
the granite gorge,
I felt a tremendous
sense of excitement.
It was as though we had
reached the bottom
of the world.
Here was the archean rock,
the oldest on the planet.
Antedating
even life itself.
Here was the whole pageant
of the earth's creation,
spread out before my eyes.
My companions didn't
share my enthusiasm.
In fact, it came
as something of a shock to me
to discover that jim baker's
wild tales
had had their effect.
Now the men
were visibly fearful
of an unknown and terrible
niagara lying somewhere ahead,
waiting for us...
Between
these sheer canyon walls.
- just in time
for the beans, bradley.
- took you long enough, andy.
- let's get 'em going here.
- get some plates out here.
- get some plates out there,
will you, walter?
- (rattles)
- well, good morning,
thorn tail.
Ah...
Ain't you a pretty thing?
(spits)
Now let's see
how fast you are.
Yeah, come on.
(giggles)
- (rattling)
- old scary eyes.
(spits)
(laughs)
Can't close your lips,
can you?
Look out, now.
Here I come.
(cackling)
- soggy, sour bread.
Bitter coffee.
I'd rather starve.
- you will.
I opened the last sack
of flour this morning.
- what?
- hey!
(yells)
- what's the matter, dunn?
- rattler.
- give me your knife.
- heat that up red-hot.
Flame her out.
- (spits)
- (playing guitar
and humming)
*
- (coughs)
*
(thunderclap)
- water.
(spits)
Ah...
Well, go on. Spit it out.
- all right.
Were you taking
chances again,
tormenting the snake
like that other time?
- yup, and I'll do it again.
- Mr. Dunn, I thought
I told you I was--
- I'm tired of being
told what to do, major.
Oramel.
Give me some water.
- Mr. Sumner, we may have
to stay here for several days.
- yes, sir.
- a sick man is a double
liability in the boats.
- liability.
What do you think you are?
(coughs)
(thunderclap)
(rain pouring)
- in a couple of days,
the weather cleared.
Bill dunn was his old self
and able to pull an oar again,
and our journey
was resumed.
Now we found ourselves
entering a world
that was both
grim and beautiful.
The cliffs towered above us
for thousands of feet.
At one point we passed
a wall of crystallized lava--
striking evidence
that rivers of molten rock
had once poured
into this gorge.
And farther along,
the landscape was carved
even more magnificently
by eons of geologic change.
Fantastic erosion.
Pull into shore, Mr. Sumner,
I have to have a closer look.
- something's got to be done
about these stops.
- look, oramel, it's too bad
you didn't find any gold,
but the major told us all
when we started out
on this trip
it was being made
for the purposes
of scientific exploration.
- no more stops.
- trying to be leader,
oramel?
- all I say
is no more stops.
How much more flour
is there?
- not much.
- how much?
- maybe enough for this noon.
- what?
- I couldn't reach
those formations,
but I got
a good look ahead,
and if we pull in
about a mile farther down
I think I can climb up to them
through a side canyon.
- no more stops.
- there's only enough food
left for one more meal, wes.
- well, then we'll fish.
- we ain't caught
one of them
droopy-snooted mud suckers
in two weeks.
- shove off, Mr. Dunn.
- just a minute.
We want a few things
understood.
- I think it's
about time you got
a few things understood too,
Mr. Howland.
We are going to accomplish
what we set out to do.
And after this I'll stop
only long enough
to get the latitude
and longitude
of any river that's
not already known.
Shove off, Mr. Dunn.
I felt badly about
having lost my temper.
In my heart I couldn't
blame the men.
We were all beginning
to feel the strain.
I had every intention
of pushing on,
but we'd hardly
gotten started again
when we sighted
a fearful, great rapids.
Was this jim baker's
niagara?
Its narrow channel
seemed hardly wide
enough for our boats,
but its angry roar
grew in volume
as we approached.
- thunder a-ragin'.
Ain't he gonna stop?
- I thought you
didn't want him to.
- well, we ought
to scout them rapids.
- he's turning in.
- what I want to know is
how much more of this
have we got to take?
- well, I haven't plotted our
position in the last day
or so,
but we're roughly
right here.
Now here's the town
of St. George.
That's known to be 58 miles
from where we should come out.
So I estimate--
I'm guessing, roughly--
about another
40 miles of river.
- 40 miles?
Rapids maybe all the way.
- no, no, I can't conceive
of another 40 miles
of continuous fast water.
- well, we gonna
run it now or eat first?
- we got enough for one more
batch of biscuits
and that's all.
- all right, let's eat 'em.
My belly can't
hold out no longer.
- all right, Missouri,
then get 'em ready.
- yes, sir.
(dramatic music)
*
- wes.
Where you going?
- I'm gonna have a closer look
at those formations.
- another side trip?
- I'll be back
in less than an hour.
- that'll be 1:00.
Bear with me.
We're leaving at 1:00.
(majestic, sweeping music)
*
- now here was something
for my journal.
But how could any man
describe
these works of titanic art?
The giant hand
that carved these monuments
from solid rock used
only the wind, and sand,
and the raindrops
of unreckoned ages.
(suspenseful music)
*
Walter!
Help!
- (whimpering)
(barks)
(barking)
(whimpering)
- don't think something
could've happened
to the major, do you?
- help!
- hold on,
wes, I'm coming!
- walter! Hurry it up!
- go back
and get some help.
- hurry! Walter!
- well, it's 1:00.
- eat your biscuit.
He'll be along.
- he's incompetent,
and he's insane.
- oramel! Sumner! Dunn!
Get some rope, quick,
the major's in trouble.
- what is it, andy?
- he must've slipped
off the edge of a cliff.
He's hanging
by his one hand.
- let's go.
- help! Oh...
- wait a minute.
All right, I got ya.
All right, turn loose.
Just turn loose.
- here I come.
Oh...thank you, walter.
- all right, wes?
- yeah.
- there they are!
- where?
- let down the rope.
- get the rope down.
Careful now.
(men chattering)
- all right.
Take it away.
- easy. Careful, now.
Careful there.
Easy.
(men chattering)
- thank you, men.
All of you.
But I'm sorry I was
the cause of this delay.
- you needn't be, major.
We can thank you for
showing us the way
out of here.
We can climb out of here.
You know that, Missouri?
- well, I don't know.
I'd just as soon drown
as roast up there.
- you don't have to.
I have it
on good authority
that the town of St. George
is within walking distance.
- hmm. He's right.
Oramel's right.
- come on, men.
Let's pack our duffel
and get out of here.
What do you say?
- I'm with you,
I'm with you.
Let's eat
them biscuits first.
- jarvie!
- grr, you...
(growls)
Eat that!
- bill, you know
the desert.
How long would it take us
to go, say, 50 or 60 miles?
- days, maybe.
- and another day
to climb out of here.
- you've had
your chance, major.
It all boils down to this--
there's food up there
even if it's nothing
more than a prairie dog,
but not down there.
Maybe we can
ride out the rapids.
But if we hit
any snag on that river,
even a few more days of falls
and rapids with nothing to eat
and we'd all be
too weak to climb out.
- now, look, Mr. Howland.
Travelers seldom die
of starvation in this country,
but they do die of thirst.
The desert is
an unknown quantity,
but the river isn't.
Let me take our bearings
tonight
and I'll tell you
in the morning truthfully
whether St. George
or the river will be shorter.
- I'm hungry enough
to eat a rat.
I had some dog, once,
with indians.
It wasn't bad, either.
Dog's life ain't near
as important as a man's.
(sighs)
- better get
some sleep too, wes.
- hunger was our problem now.
I knew we had to get through.
And soon.
I worked at my maps
most of the night.
I had promised the men
an honest answer,
and I wanted it to be
an accurate one.
I was sure they'd listen
to reason.
But only
if my calculations
could be made
completely convincing.
Walter.
Walter. Hey.
- hmm?
- walter.
I got it all figured out.
I have the facts now.
It's 75 miles to St. George.
- that far, huh?
- yeah, but it's only 28 miles
to the grand wash.
In a straight line,
that is.
And even adding 1/3
for the bends in the river
we've still got only
a little under 40 miles to go.
40. That's against 75.
Only thing is...
In the morning
I'll have to...
In the morning,
help me persuade the men,
will you, walter?
They respect you now.
But they--they doubt me.
They don't seem
to understand
the importance
of what we're doing.
- just want to stay alive,
that's all.
- I'll bring them through.
- they think you're mad.
- you sound as though
you thought so too.
Huh? Do you?
- I was mad.
There's no reason
you can't be.
Wes.
I think you're gonna
have to ask yourself
a question.
- what's that?
- just how much
are you thinking
about the lives
of these men here?
Or is it that you'd rather die
and let them die with you
than climb
out of here to safety
and admit that there's
some part of this canyon
you couldn't whip?
- good morning, gentlemen.
- major.
- did walter tell you about
what I found out last night?
- yes, he did,
but we're gonna go anyway.
- what?
- it's no use
to argue with them, wes,
they've made up
their minds.
- right.
- why, you stubborn,
mule-headed fools.
You want to get
yourselves killed?
Who's gonna chart
your course for you?
Dunn with that
almanac of his?
You must be
out of your minds.
- well, now, you don't suppose
we're gonna leave you here
to die all by yourself,
do you, major?
Now you best get
your compass and your sextant
'cause you're coming
with us.
- now just a minute,
Mr. Dunn.
And your canteen, your rifle,
plenty of ammunition.
- wes!
- I'm with the major too.
- hey!
- come on, george!
- hey, we're shoving off!
- wait a minute, george.
- give me a hand,
Missouri.
- come on, grab an oar.
- jarvie.
Jarvie!
(whistles)
- (barks)
- please, bill,
let him down!
Let him go!
- (whimpering)
- please, bill,
let him go!
Come here, jarvie.
Come here.
Come on, laddie.
Keep swimming.
Come here, jarvie.
Come here,
jarvie, come on.
men: COME ON, JARVIE.
Hey!
- god bless you,
bill dunn!
- come on, boys.
Man that other boat
and come along!
So we parted,
separated at last by fear
of the unknown.
I was sorry
to leave these men.
They were good companions,
and they'd gone through
a lot for my sake.
My way or theirs,
either one was a gamble.
At this moment
only the fates could decide
who was to reach civilization
and ultimate safety.
- that's quite
enough of that.
- he said
we couldn't do it.
- I guess that'll
show the major.
- (coughs)
Let's get going.
- I believe we're headed
too far west for St. George.
- well, once we get up
on top of that butte
we'll be able to see it,
most likely.
- well, the major would've
headed direct over land.
- hey, quit your
bellyaching, seneca.
- well, what do
the stars say, william?
- (clears throat)
It says, "make the most
of new opportunities.
"Good luck will attend the
traveler to far-distant
places,
"but keep thy council
and do not--
do not discuss thy affairs
with strangers."
Now, couldn't be much plainer
than that, could it?
I've been studying the stars
for a good many years.
I never have seen
such good omens.
We ought to start
making tracks.
- what are they?
Navajos?
- no, them are utes.
- friendly?
- just a hunting party.
They ain't gonna give us
no trouble.
- hey, uh...
(clears throat)
Peace to my brothers
from the setting sun
and, uh, the great chief
of the utes.
- hey, what're you doing?
- will you shut up, oramel?
- thought you said
they was friendly.
- uh, listen, now,
we're friends.
(speaks Ute)
- (speaks Ute)
- oh, no, you got that
all wrong, chief.
We ain't the men.
- what are they saying?
- would you shut up
and quit acting scared?
Make you look guilty, now.
- guilty of what?
- some white men killed
one of their women
and they think
it was us that done it.
- you know we didn't.
Tell him, tell him.
- I know we didn't,
and I'm gonna tell him if
you give me a chance, will ya?
(speaks Ute)
- (speaks Ute)
- oh...
(speaks Ute)
- (speaks Ute)
- wouldn't go so far
as to say that.
- (speaks Ute)
- what's he saying?
- they don't believe
we come up out of that canyon.
- well, threaten them
with the cavalry.
- tell 'em we're
on government business.
- would you shut up?
(clears throat)
(speaks Ute)
...Fort defiance.
- (speaks Ute)
- (speaks Ute)
- (speaks Ute)
- down. Point it down.
(speaks Ute)
There. Get out of here.
Ain't nobody following us.
Well, you handled that
pretty slick.
- well, you think that
old major would've
been proud of me?
- I know one thing the major
would've been proud of.
You defied your stars.
- how's that?
- discussing your affairs
with strangers.
- oh, gosh, I did, too.
- rapids ahead.
It can't be much further.
This one just has to
be the last one.
Rapids ahead!
(thrilling music)
*
Look, gentlemen!
We're through!
(victorious music)
*
- pretty good looking
old world, george.
- I forgot how big it is.
- that's not
a bad thing to remember.
- so ended one
of the great sagas
of the west.
The Colorado, conquered.
Erected by the congress
of the united states
to major john wesley powell,
first explorer
of the grand canyon,
who descended the river
with his party in rowboats,
traversing the gorge
beneath this point,
august 17th, 1869.
It wasn't until a year later
that the fate of bill dunn
and the two howlands
was known.
Theirs was a bitter end--
treachery, ambush, and death
under a shower
of indian arrows.
Yet they too had been
part of the great adventure.
(exuberant orchestral music)
(exuberant orchestral music)
- by the year 1869,
the map of the united states
was nearly complete.
Trappers, explorers,
and government survey parties
had scouted practically
every corner of the continent.
Yet even as late as '69
there remained one major area
that was unknown
and uncharted.
This was the territory
through which
the Colorado river
made its way.
1,000 miles
of trackless wasteland.
Here was mystery,
beckoning the adventurous,
calling to the bold
in spirit.
The man who answered
the challenge
was john wesley powell,
scientist,
one-time schoolteacher,
and former officer
in the union army.
Major powell was
determined to risk the rapids
that were said to lie in wait
in these deep gorges,
and he found
nine other hearty souls
willing to run them
with him.
And so our story
is a tale of ten men,
ten who dared the unknown.
It's an authentic account
taken from the major's
own records
and told now
in his own words.
- I decided to embark
at a point
near green river city,
Wyoming.
Accordingly I fitted out
four sturdy boats.
With the help of some
like-minded companions
I loaded these
with provisions and equipment,
enough to last
for several months.
On the day
of our departure,
the good people of the town
turned out to see us off.
Motivated more,
I'm sure, by curiosity
than by any conviction
that we might succeed.
- are you major powell?
- that's right.
Mcspadden
of the cheyenne leader.
Now major,
would you mind telling me
why you think
you can lick this river
when nobody else has?
- well, I'm a geologist,
Mr. Mcspadden.
I believe in science.
And I've made
careful calculations.
- what's the chair for,
major?
- that's my
look-out station.
I can direct the boats
with signal flags from there.
Now if you'll excuse me,
I said we'd start
at 1:00 sharp.
- well, you can't
just up and leave like that.
I ain't even got
the names of your men.
- ask them.
Ready, men?
- you in the bow!
Who are you?
- jack sumner.
Chief sportsman.
- who's the man
in the back?
- tell the man
your name, william.
- bill dunn.
- are you a geologist?
- nope.
- then why are you going?
- 'cause I can get
away from people.
- hey, you in the bow
of the kitty clyde's sister,
what's your name?
- he's captain
walter powell.
- any relation
to the major?
- brother.
- what's your handle?
- george bradley.
- hey, maid of the canyon,
will you give me
your monikers?
- I'm oramel howland.
- how do you
spell "oramel"?
- ask any of the boys
on the rocky mountain news.
I'm a newspaper man too.
This is my brother
seneca howland.
We hail from Vermont.
And that's andrew hall.
- I bet you "dinnah ken"
Where I come from.
- hey, no-name,
you run out of names?
- yep.
- well, what's yours?
- I've run out too.
- ain't you got
a "name de plume"?
- you just say Missouri
went along to do the cookin'.
- put me down
as frank goodman, old boy.
- are you an englishman?
- naturally.
- why are you
making this trip?
- oh, to carve one's name
in the temple of fame.
That sort of thing,
you know.
- there's ten other names
you should've had.
- who?
- next of kin.
- at last our
expedition was afloat.
For these first few days
we would have
smooth water
and easy running,
and a chance to master
the techniques
of river travel.
The problems that had plagued
our departure
were behind us.
Ahead lay the challenge.
The only difficulty now
was the river,
and this I was confident
we could conquer.
- sure is mighty
fine-looking country.
Say, walter, this is
fine-looking country.
- I'll bring you
more tonight.
- you mad, boy?
You can't have a dog along.
- he's only a wee tyke.
- well, the major
won't let you keep him.
- you'll no tell him.
- no, but he'll
hear barking.
- jarvie doesn't bark.
- let's have
a look at him.
- jarvie, huh?
He ain't much
of a purebred, is he?
- he's a purebred
american.
(both laugh)
- put that stuff away.
- oh, now don't
get goody-goody with me,
Mr. Billy hawkins.
- my name's Missouri.
- well, I must have
mistakened you
for a certain
billy hawkins from creed.
I--i heard he'd do anything
to get a drink.
Anything.
- my name is Missouri,
and don't you forget it.
- don't give it
another thought, dear boy.
(chuckles)
You know, hawk--
uh, Missouri,
the major planned everything
about this expedition
down to a gnat's heel,
as you fellows would say.
But why he picked
some of us,
including your obedient
servant, I will never know.
- we were all he could get.
- what're you doing
with that contraption, major?
- I'm shooting
a star, seneca.
I can establish our position
with this sextant here.
You see, I take
a meridian observation,
then I check to see
whether it--
my dead reckoning
plot agrees
with this astronomic
determination.
- well, I'll be dipped.
I'm a student of the stars
myself, major.
- oh?
- sure. See there?
Raphael's prophetic messenger
for 1869--
"man's fortune foretold
by the influence
of the stars."
Say, uh... Tsst.
What's that--
what's that word
right there by my thumb?
- propitious.
The moon is in propitious
aspect with mars.
- now does that mean
she's good or bad?
- that means she's good.
- ahh,
well, I'd say we got
a good week ahead of us,
then.
Oh, but you got to look out
for the tenth, major.
- oh?
- yes, sir.
On the tenth,
satan is gonna be
in the square of sagittarius.
- thank you, Mr. Dunn.
We'll watch out
for the tenth.
- you best,
'cause you're gonna be
treading
on dangerous ground.
(bird chirps)
Oh, and ain't
that pretty?
(bird chirping)
- ah...
There's a pleasure
in the pathless woods.
There is rapture
on the lonely shore.
- there's wood to be brung in
if you want me to keep
the coffee hot.
- I go, my lord.
There is society
where none intrudes.
By the deep sea,
and music in its roar.
I love not man the less,
but nature more.
- ain't there no way
to bring him
back down to earth again?
He's in your boat, ain't he?
Can't you do nothing?
- well, maybe I could
drown him.
- maybe we could
drown him out.
How 'bout a song, walter?
Aw, come on, now.
When you've been blessed
with a fine voice,
you ought to use it.
- how 'bout that old tune,
ten jolly rovers there,
seneca?
(all agree)
- (strums guitar)
- * Oh
* We Are Ten Jolly Rovers
all: * ROVERS, ROVERS
- * But Willy Peck,
He broke his neck *
* And Now We're
Rovers nine *
all: * NINE, AND NOW
We're rovers nine, yo! *
- * We Are Nine
Jolly rovers *
all: * ROVERS, ROVERS
- * But Tim Mcgee
Drew a gun on me *
* And Now We're
Only eight *
all: * EIGHT, AND NOW
We're rovers eight, yo! *
- * We Are Eight
Jolly rovers *
all: * ROVERS, ROVERS
- * But Jim Betrayed
An indian maid *
* And Now We're
Rovers seven *
all: * SEVEN, AND NOW
We're rover's seven *
- hee hee hee!
- * We're Seven Jolly Rovers
all: * ROVERS, ROVERS
- * But Andy Hall
Was too darn small *
* And Now
We're only six *
all: * SIX, AND NOW
We're rovers six, yo! *
- rovers, eh?
Ah...
Maybe you recall the immortal
words of lord byron.
We'll go no more a-roving
so late into the night...
(others groan and yawn)
Though the heart
be still as loving
and the moon
be still as bright.
- that does it.
- though the night
was made for loving,
and the day
returns too soon.
(clattering pots and pans)
We'll go no more a-roving
by the light of the moon.
- good night, goodman.
- saw the dog.
You know the rules.
Take him out
and get rid of him.
Come on.
- major, sir, we--
- I told you to
get rid of him.
What're you waiting for?
- he eats very dainty, sir.
Very dainty.
We can get along fine
on just my share.
- it isn't the food, andy.
But when we're
running rapids,
a dog could become
a serious problem.
I'm sorry.
- I was wondering when
you were gonna
open your mouth.
You'd have been better off
keeping it shut.
- why, you big galoot...
- never mind, walter.
- what do you mean,
"never mind"?
Said you wanted
a good right arm.
If you can't enforce
your rules, I will.
- now, you let me
try him, major,
and I'll find out what kind of
right arm you got there.
- there'll be
no fighting, Mr. Dunn.
- oh. All right.
- he's had time enough.
- no, walter.
I made the rules.
- I'm the one
to blame, jarvie.
I am, surely.
You know I can't turn you
loose for the wolves to eat.
And you might drown
like a kitten in the burn.
You can see
for yourself it--
it would be better to die
by the hand of someone
who loves you.
Turn your wee face away.
- andy.
I'm sorry, andy.
I'm truly sorry.
Give me that.
(un-cocks gun)
You go back to camp.
Go on.
(cocks gun)
- (whimpers)
- now...
None of that, now.
- (whimpers, barks)
- I hadn't met you
when I made that rule.
Just got to find something
for you to do, that's all.
Come on.
(adventurous music)
*
I had warned the men that
we'd eventually come
to rapids.
And at the first
fast water, I was pleased
to see them share
my own excitement.
We continued
to make good progress,
on some days traveling
as much as 60 miles.
Our stops were chosen
with an eye to a good
campsite.
But sometimes
the men picked a spot
as a likely-looking place
to pan for gold.
- what's wrong, oramel,
you too lazy to get rich?
- I wouldn't waste
my time around here.
Wait till we get down
to little Colorado.
You'll see me picking up
nuggets the size
of your thumb.
- how you know?
- newspaper man
hears things.
- (chuckles)
- who said you could
use my basin?
- I'm sorry, walter,
I didn't think you cared.
- from now on, keep your
filthy hands off my things.
- crazier than a loon.
What'd the major
bring him along for, anyhow?
- I don't know.
I reckon to straighten
him out.
- he messes with me,
I'll flatten him out.
- I'll tell you
something about walter.
Was in the army.
My old artillery gun mate.
Was all right
as long as he was fighting.
Then he got himself captured
and thrown into...
Andersonville.
He broke out once.
Was hiding in
the malarial swamp for days.
When they recaptured him there
he was just raving.
It all made him
pretty savage.
- yeah, I reckon
being a prisoner of war
ain't much sweetening
for a man's nature.
I have no
hard feelings, sir.
- yah! Biscuits is made!
Come on!
- come on, walter,
it's time for bacon and coosh.
- bacon and coosh?
- yeah, let's eat.
- * John Brown's Body Lies
A moldering in the grave *
* John Brown's Body Lies
A moldering in the grave *
* John Brown's Body Lies
A moldering in the grave *
* His Soul
Goes marching on *
Hey bradley,
how do those words go
about hanging jeff davis?
- I don't remember.
- you were in the army,
weren't you?
- yep.
- why don't you
know those words?
- why don't you know 'em?
- I do.
Every northern soldier
knows 'em.
But I never heard
a northern soldier
call flour gravy "coosh."
I heard lots of southerns
say that, though,
when I was a prisoner.
You wouldn't be
a johnny red, would ya?
- the war's over, walter.
- it is for some.
I guess all of these boats
have got
their own little secret.
But I like ours the best.
(ominous music)
*
- you sure you won't
change your mind?
- told you to keep that
out of my sight.
- of course, dear boy.
Though you'll
permit me to say so,
the river seems an odd sort
of place to take the cure.
Now, wouldn't it
be more logical
to drink whilst you're here
with friends,
and refrain from drinking
at creed, shall we say?
(chuckles)
I tell you what we'll do.
You keep the paddles chugging
and I'll stoke the boiler.
- how 'bout
a little drink for tonight?
- of course, dear boy.
Good for a scorpion bite.
(rushing water)
- hand me my flag,
will you, Mr. Dunn?
- yes.
- rapids ahead!
- let me have some of that.
- you've got a flask
in your pocket.
- that's for tonight.
Let me have a drink of that.
- you've had
enough already.
- I said I want a drink.
(suspenseful music)
*
- hey, goodman! Missouri!
Come on back to shore!
They'll smash on the rocks.
Come on.
*
- listen, you drunken fool,
get back to your oars!
I've already--
look out! Look out!
*
- thank you, Mr. Sumner.
Nice bit of boating.
Why didn't you
follow my signals?
- we didn't see 'em.
- you didn't see them?
- I was having
a drink of whiskey.
- whiskey?
Your whiskey
just cost us a boat.
All right.
We're ten men
and only three boats now.
Another 800 miles to go.
And about 1/4
of our provision is gone.
What do you think, men?
Are we good for it?
- why, of course, major.
- yes, sir.
- fine. I'll take
some measurements now.
Bring me my instruments,
will you, Mr. Bradley?
- I'm sorry, major,
I'm afraid I put them
in the no-name this morning.
- why, you stupid,
dim-witted--
- here, here,
come on, walter.
- major, the boat
broke right in two,
and both ends
were water-tight.
If we look along the
bank there a little ways,
we might find it.
Isn't that right, oramel?
- well, we could
take a look.
- well, let's go.
- all right, let's go back
and lie down the boats.
- aw, shucks, major.
We can run that rapids.
I did it alone.
With bill's help here,
we can make her, easy.
- how 'bout it, Mr. Dunn?
- well, sir, them are
your boats and you own 'em,
but I feel it's my duty
to warn you again
that today is the tenth.
It says,
"take no risks whilst
the lunar aspects are bad."
There she is,
right there in
black and white.
- let's defy
your stars, Mr. Dunn.
We're grown men.
We make our own good luck.
- (clears throat)
Just a minute now, major.
Work out something here...
If we was to wait till
"piscus" was in its
"descendency,"
Be along about
day after tomorrow.
- hey!
Hey, I found 'em!
There you are, major.
It's all I could find.
- thank you, seneca.
Put 'em over here, hmm?
- oh, for instance,
uh, now, as--
like, right now,
"aquias" is in "descendency."
That means
this is a good time
for unforeseen,
un-foretold events.
- well, what does
all that mean?
- well, it means,
like, a surprise.
- oh.
- (cheers)
Yoo!
Look, a half a keg.
Let's have a drip of wine.
Ha ha.
- sarge is never wrong.
(men laughing, babbling)
- pass it over here.
Hey, bill, you're drinking
all that liquor.
- get it off him,
george, pass it over here.
- pass it over.
- give me that.
- oh, no.
- give that to me.
- now see here, major,
we're with you all the way,
but the boys
ain't in uniform anymore.
(laughs)
And I never was.
And you would find
it don't do
to come between the types
slinging this whiskey,
so if you'll just
turn your back
we'll dispose of that jug
in no time at all.
- let me have it.
(laughing)
Give me that.
(men taunting)
- hey, give me that!
- no! No!
- come on!
- wait!
- ahh!
- he's crazy!
- no!
- no! No!
You're gonna sink it!
- just like potting
johnny reds, eh, george?
The loss of the no-name
was bad enough.
And now another difficulty
seemed to be developing.
I could see
that bradley and walter
weren't hitting
it off too well.
And this disturbed me
because I knew
that bad blood in the party
could only bring trouble.
I'm afraid, however,
that I let my mind
be distracted
from these personal matters
by the sheer magnificence
of the changing panorama.
Around every bend
of the river
there seemed to be
some new surprise.
One night,
directly opposite our camp,
we discovered a canyon wall
with remarkable acoustics.
We named it echo cliff.
- yahoo!
(echoes)
(dog barks)
(echoes)
- (plays guitar)
(echoes)
- my name's howland!
(echoes)
What's yours?
(echoes)
- (chuckles)
Jack sumner,
what's yours?
(echoes)
- my name's hawk--
my name's Missouri,
what's yours?
- jim baker!
(echoes)
- hey.
(laughing)
- why, it is jim baker!
Baker! Well.
- hi, jim.
- john.
- what brought you
down here?
- well, me and my woman
stayed the winter.
Right now I'm on my way
to the ute indian agency
to pick up some horses
to get my pelts out of here.
- oh...
- you all better
come along with me.
Might be your last chance
to walk out of here alive.
- you know, major,
since the last time
I run acrosst you scouting out
them canyons last winter,
I been asking some questions
about that river too.
- oh?
- I been picking up
all the information
I can from the indians,
and they know just about
everything there is to know
about that river,
and they say it can't be run.
- why not?
- well, as far
as I can gather,
way down below there
there's a big falls.
Bigger than niagara.
A real sharp gully
going right between
the cliffs.
So a man can't turn around
when he gets down there
and he can't climb out.
- I doubt that, jim.
There shouldn't be any niagara
in a heavily silted river.
It's against science.
- maybe.
- they tell you where
this here niagara is at?
- no, they don't even
like to talk about it.
That river's bad medicine
to the indians.
But my woman
can tell you about it.
(speaks Ute)
- (speaks Ute)
- she says a long time ago
there was an indian chief.
Had a wife named "numa."
- (speaks Ute)
- and when she died,
this chief mourned
and grieved so much
that the god "tawods"
Took him to see her
way off down yonder
in a beautiful garden
paradise.
- (speaks Ute)
- so when this chief saw
that his wife was happy
in this paradise,
the god tawods
led him back home,
but he told him that
he couldn't tell
what he'd seen.
So just to make sure,
the god tawods filled
his trail with a roaring,
raging river
so that no man could ever
find the end of that trail.
And she says no man
ever has.
- thank you.
That's a very beautiful
legend.
- it's more than
just pretty, major.
- you don't
believe it, do you?
- no, I don't believe
that paradise garden part.
But there's bound to be
a little bit of truth in it
somewheres down the line.
Do you think
if any of them shoshones
ever try going down
that river
it's probably
the bad medicine?
- not to my recollection.
- mind if I asked her?
- no, go right ahead.
- (speaks Ute)
- aha.
(speaks Ute)
- yeah, she said
some of them try,
but they never
come back up again.
- reckon you'll change
your mind, major?
- well, I won't.
As for the others,
it's up to them.
- major, it, uh, might be
just as well if I walked out.
- no.
I will.
Missouri didn't bring
that whiskey.
I did.
I took advantage of him.
- well, now that you've
told me the truth,
Mr. Goodman,
I'd be sorry to lose you.
- come on, goodman,
stay with us.
- thank you, sir.
- don't go.
- you don't have to go.
- and you chaps.
But I've seen
danger enough already.
I'm walking out
with baker in the morning.
- well, now, I didn't
mean to break up your party.
I want you all
to give it up.
- oh, don't you worry.
You believe my mind.
If the river
is bad medicine,
at least we won't
have to worry
about any unfriendly
indians, will we?
Now what do you think, men?
Are you with me?
- yeah.
- we sure are.
- with you, major.
- sure.
- we're with you, major.
- so the die was cast.
There was no turning back.
Secretly, though,
I was worried.
One boat was gone,
the other three overloaded.
Only the thickness
of their planking
stood between
us and death.
But what concerned me most
was water.
Though we lived
with death constantly,
an even greater threat
to our safety
existed in the unpredictable
person of my own brother.
- Missouri,
you were in the army.
Ever hear one of those
southerns brag
that one red
could lick ten yankees?
- walter, I'm sick of your
harping about the war.
The war.
If you've got so much breath
to waste, grab an oar.
- give me orders,
you drunken jailbird.
- hey, watch it there.
Pulling into shore.
- better watch out
for those rocks, Mr. Dunn.
- look out for the rock bed.
All right.
Ease him up. Go ahead.
Careful, Mr. Sumner.
There we go.
- hey, you got yourself
quite a dunking.
- yeah, that wasn't
enough, either.
I had to go
and lose my watch too.
- oh, I'm sorry
about that, bill.
- so am I.
Cost me a dollar six bits.
- (chuckles)
- well, even if you don't
find it,
it's not a total loss.
- how's that?
- you got a bath,
didn't you?
That's the only way
you'd ever take one.
- what?
(yells)
(growls)
I've got ya.
Now get under there
and stay.
Get back down there
and stay there.
That's right, swallow a lot
of that good old muddy water.
It's good for ya!
Get back down
under there.
(men shouting)
- let him loose, bill,
you'll drown him.
- that's just
what I had in mind.
- ah!
- all right, fine,
get him out of here.
Go on.
Clean now?
- now just a minute,
walter.
We've all took a lot off
of you on account
of the major.
But we're not
taking any more.
- you dirty reb, I'll--
- now, just a minute.
- who's a dirty reb?
- no, bill,
this is my fight.
I'm the one
he's got it in for.
We might as well get this
thing over with right now.
- all right. Go on.
- come on.
- aw, watch it, george!
Get your dukes up, boy!
Ahh...
(laughs)
- (laughs)
How 'bout that?
- attaboy, george!
Knock him into the middle
of next week!
(laughs)
- hey, enough of that.
Let's keep this thing
sociable here.
- attaboy, baby!
- nice going, george!
Well, now,
that's more like it.
That's what I call
a fight.
- yeah, baby!
(laughs)
- look out for the oar!
- low bridge!
Man overboard!
(laughs)
Oh, that's a beaut, george!
(chuckles)
Now you got him
where you want him.
Now put him down under there
and sit on him!
Now, don't let him up for air!
Drown him again!
- come on, george,
get up! Attaboy!
Come on, now!
- whup him, boy,
he can't lick us.
Oh, that's the way,
now hit him again!
- yah!
- (laughs)
- how 'bout that?
- ah, there's nothing
like a good, clean fight.
Always entertaining.
(laughs)
- Mr. Dunn.
- hmm?
- stop them!
- what for?
Two's company.
- walter!
- now, three ain't even
necessary at all, major,
leave them alone, now.
- I do not want it!
Walter!
- it's none of your business,
you cripple, you!
- I was sick at heart
for poor walter.
Though I tried
not to show it.
The men too went
about their business
as though nothing
had happened.
Walter continued to sulk.
My apology hadn't
seemed to help any.
I had hoped so much
to see this trip
bring him out of his shell.
But in spite of everything,
he seemed to persist
in his antagonistic attitude
toward the world in general,
and george bradley
in particular.
Huh.
Walter, the old maps
don't show the junction
of the grand
and green rivers
within 100 miles of
this spot.
And yet we're right here.
I'll have to--
- it's like I always said.
The war's over.
- what's wrong
with the major?
- he's worrying
about bradley and walter.
- oh, they'll show up.
- come on, major,
you're not eating your share.
- hello!
- that was walter.
- no, sounded
more like bradley.
- how 'bout
some of them vittles?
- we waited for you.
- (chuckles)
- biscuit?
- yeah.
- ready?
- well, here we are
with good food
and a good fire.
Doesn't that call
for a song, seneca?
- sure, major.
What'll ya have?
- home, sweet home.
- how 'bout jeanie with the...
- light brown hair.
- yeah.
- sourdough mountain.
- george,
what's your favorite?
- I like roll along.
- roll along?
- yeah, it's an
old southern tune.
- I don't reckon any of these
yankees would know it.
- I know it, walter.
(plays guitar)
- * Roll Along
* Oh, Lonely Water
* Many Sons
* And Many Daughters
* Hear Our Mother
* Softly Calling
* Roll Along
* Unto The Sea
* Roll Along
* In Wayward Laughter
* Restless Then
* Forever After
both: * HEAR OUR MOTHER
* Softly Calling
* Roll Along
* Unto The Sea
* You And The River
* The River And Me
* Lonely And Homeless
* Rolling On
Toward the sea *
* Roll Along
* My Lonely Brother
* Take My Hand
- (humming)
both: * I NEED NO OTHER
* Hear Our Mother
* Softly Calling
* Roll Along
* Unto The Sea
- what a relief
it was to know that
my brother had finally
come to his senses.
Now I could turn
my thoughts again
to scientific
investigation.
When we reached the junction
of the little Colorado,
oramel howland joined
the others
in the search for gold.
This was the place
where the nuggets
were to be
as big as his thumb.
- well, this here's
your little Colorado, oramel.
Where's them big gold nuggets
you was talking about?
- yeah, we ain't
licked yet.
Boys, what did the major do
when we first started out?
In an exploring line,
I mean.
- well, we measured
the depths of these canyons.
- yeah, they charted
this river too.
- yeah, but what's
he been doing lately?
- same thing.
- yeah.
- then why does he carry
a bag and a pick?
- yeah.
- and he used to take
andy and seneca with him.
But now he always
takes walter.
He's keeping it
in the family.
(dramatic music)
*
- look at that, walter,
just look at that.
Will ya?
- well, hello, gentlemen.
- major.
Are you gonna share?
- share what?
- I never heard of a geologist
who wasn't hooked up
to a mining concern
somewhere.
I got an idea
you haven't been
studying them rocks
for the fun of it.
- no, not just
for the fun of it.
Although there is
a world of enjoyment in it.
I'll try
to explain it to you.
- well...
(clears throat)
We'd, uh,
like to have a look at
what you got in that bag
there.
- well, wouldn't it be
a little more friendly
if I did
the explaining first?
- well, we'd just as soon
look first.
- I give you my word.
There's no gold in that bag.
- how come you don't
just open it up, then, major?
- you think
I'd lie to you?
- oh...
- if it served your purpose.
- the rest of you
share that opinion?
- well, now, we could
take your word, major,
but we'd always
be wondering why you didn't
open up that bag
and settle the matter.
- yes.
- all right.
I've been doing nothing more
than collecting fossils.
Crinoids, trilobites,
brachiopods.
- oh.
- for a museum.
Walter, give me
that last one.
Now, look.
This is a trilobite.
It's the fossilized remains
of a prehistoric kind of fish.
- (sniffs)
- this--this is
from the paleozoic era.
And finding it here
means that this--
this place we're
standing right now
was once covered
by a shallow inland sea.
When you see
the rest of my treasures,
you'll understand why
I can't be bothered
hunting for gold.
Walter, spread 'em all out
so they can see them
on the ground, huh?
- oh, I don't think
that'll be necessary.
Will it, oramel?
Looks like
the joke's on you, oramel.
- well,
what about you, sumner,
did you come out here
to look for fossils?
- you coming, wes?
- in a little while.
- all right.
- well, here--
here's your thing.
Say, major.
- hmm?
- any reason why
the rest of us can't go
looking for them...
Trail-o-whatchamacallits too?
- well, no, not if you know
what to look for.
Would you like to learn?
- well, sir, that depends.
How much you get for one
of them things on
the old market?
- oh, they're much too
precious to sell, Mr. Dunn.
You give 'em away
to a museum.
- I would?
- sure. To help pay
your debt to mankind.
- I ain't got
no debt to mankind.
I don't owe
nobody nothing.
- well, even so,
over here there's a place--
(rattlesnake rattles)
- look out, there!
- (rattling)
- look at that,
ain't he a beauty?
- (rattling)
(rattling intensifies)
- you're
a beautiful thing.
- watch out!
- you sassy,
beady-eyed old devil.
You'd like to take one little
step further, wouldn't you?
(spits)
Go on!
(giggles)
- stop that, dunn.
You hear me?
- whoo!
(laughs maniacally)
- stop it!
Stop that, dunn!
You hear me?
- (hollering)
- don't you ever
do that again.
- you wouldn't--
you wouldn't interfere
with man's little
pleasures, would ya?
- I would if it means
risking your life.
- well, now,
it's my life, major.
- eight other men
have a stake in that life,
and you have
the same stake in theirs.
I've been
counting on you, Mr. Dunn.
You take care of yourself.
The day we entered
the granite gorge,
I felt a tremendous
sense of excitement.
It was as though we had
reached the bottom
of the world.
Here was the archean rock,
the oldest on the planet.
Antedating
even life itself.
Here was the whole pageant
of the earth's creation,
spread out before my eyes.
My companions didn't
share my enthusiasm.
In fact, it came
as something of a shock to me
to discover that jim baker's
wild tales
had had their effect.
Now the men
were visibly fearful
of an unknown and terrible
niagara lying somewhere ahead,
waiting for us...
Between
these sheer canyon walls.
- just in time
for the beans, bradley.
- took you long enough, andy.
- let's get 'em going here.
- get some plates out here.
- get some plates out there,
will you, walter?
- (rattles)
- well, good morning,
thorn tail.
Ah...
Ain't you a pretty thing?
(spits)
Now let's see
how fast you are.
Yeah, come on.
(giggles)
- (rattling)
- old scary eyes.
(spits)
(laughs)
Can't close your lips,
can you?
Look out, now.
Here I come.
(cackling)
- soggy, sour bread.
Bitter coffee.
I'd rather starve.
- you will.
I opened the last sack
of flour this morning.
- what?
- hey!
(yells)
- what's the matter, dunn?
- rattler.
- give me your knife.
- heat that up red-hot.
Flame her out.
- (spits)
- (playing guitar
and humming)
*
- (coughs)
*
(thunderclap)
- water.
(spits)
Ah...
Well, go on. Spit it out.
- all right.
Were you taking
chances again,
tormenting the snake
like that other time?
- yup, and I'll do it again.
- Mr. Dunn, I thought
I told you I was--
- I'm tired of being
told what to do, major.
Oramel.
Give me some water.
- Mr. Sumner, we may have
to stay here for several days.
- yes, sir.
- a sick man is a double
liability in the boats.
- liability.
What do you think you are?
(coughs)
(thunderclap)
(rain pouring)
- in a couple of days,
the weather cleared.
Bill dunn was his old self
and able to pull an oar again,
and our journey
was resumed.
Now we found ourselves
entering a world
that was both
grim and beautiful.
The cliffs towered above us
for thousands of feet.
At one point we passed
a wall of crystallized lava--
striking evidence
that rivers of molten rock
had once poured
into this gorge.
And farther along,
the landscape was carved
even more magnificently
by eons of geologic change.
Fantastic erosion.
Pull into shore, Mr. Sumner,
I have to have a closer look.
- something's got to be done
about these stops.
- look, oramel, it's too bad
you didn't find any gold,
but the major told us all
when we started out
on this trip
it was being made
for the purposes
of scientific exploration.
- no more stops.
- trying to be leader,
oramel?
- all I say
is no more stops.
How much more flour
is there?
- not much.
- how much?
- maybe enough for this noon.
- what?
- I couldn't reach
those formations,
but I got
a good look ahead,
and if we pull in
about a mile farther down
I think I can climb up to them
through a side canyon.
- no more stops.
- there's only enough food
left for one more meal, wes.
- well, then we'll fish.
- we ain't caught
one of them
droopy-snooted mud suckers
in two weeks.
- shove off, Mr. Dunn.
- just a minute.
We want a few things
understood.
- I think it's
about time you got
a few things understood too,
Mr. Howland.
We are going to accomplish
what we set out to do.
And after this I'll stop
only long enough
to get the latitude
and longitude
of any river that's
not already known.
Shove off, Mr. Dunn.
I felt badly about
having lost my temper.
In my heart I couldn't
blame the men.
We were all beginning
to feel the strain.
I had every intention
of pushing on,
but we'd hardly
gotten started again
when we sighted
a fearful, great rapids.
Was this jim baker's
niagara?
Its narrow channel
seemed hardly wide
enough for our boats,
but its angry roar
grew in volume
as we approached.
- thunder a-ragin'.
Ain't he gonna stop?
- I thought you
didn't want him to.
- well, we ought
to scout them rapids.
- he's turning in.
- what I want to know is
how much more of this
have we got to take?
- well, I haven't plotted our
position in the last day
or so,
but we're roughly
right here.
Now here's the town
of St. George.
That's known to be 58 miles
from where we should come out.
So I estimate--
I'm guessing, roughly--
about another
40 miles of river.
- 40 miles?
Rapids maybe all the way.
- no, no, I can't conceive
of another 40 miles
of continuous fast water.
- well, we gonna
run it now or eat first?
- we got enough for one more
batch of biscuits
and that's all.
- all right, let's eat 'em.
My belly can't
hold out no longer.
- all right, Missouri,
then get 'em ready.
- yes, sir.
(dramatic music)
*
- wes.
Where you going?
- I'm gonna have a closer look
at those formations.
- another side trip?
- I'll be back
in less than an hour.
- that'll be 1:00.
Bear with me.
We're leaving at 1:00.
(majestic, sweeping music)
*
- now here was something
for my journal.
But how could any man
describe
these works of titanic art?
The giant hand
that carved these monuments
from solid rock used
only the wind, and sand,
and the raindrops
of unreckoned ages.
(suspenseful music)
*
Walter!
Help!
- (whimpering)
(barks)
(barking)
(whimpering)
- don't think something
could've happened
to the major, do you?
- help!
- hold on,
wes, I'm coming!
- walter! Hurry it up!
- go back
and get some help.
- hurry! Walter!
- well, it's 1:00.
- eat your biscuit.
He'll be along.
- he's incompetent,
and he's insane.
- oramel! Sumner! Dunn!
Get some rope, quick,
the major's in trouble.
- what is it, andy?
- he must've slipped
off the edge of a cliff.
He's hanging
by his one hand.
- let's go.
- help! Oh...
- wait a minute.
All right, I got ya.
All right, turn loose.
Just turn loose.
- here I come.
Oh...thank you, walter.
- all right, wes?
- yeah.
- there they are!
- where?
- let down the rope.
- get the rope down.
Careful now.
(men chattering)
- all right.
Take it away.
- easy. Careful, now.
Careful there.
Easy.
(men chattering)
- thank you, men.
All of you.
But I'm sorry I was
the cause of this delay.
- you needn't be, major.
We can thank you for
showing us the way
out of here.
We can climb out of here.
You know that, Missouri?
- well, I don't know.
I'd just as soon drown
as roast up there.
- you don't have to.
I have it
on good authority
that the town of St. George
is within walking distance.
- hmm. He's right.
Oramel's right.
- come on, men.
Let's pack our duffel
and get out of here.
What do you say?
- I'm with you,
I'm with you.
Let's eat
them biscuits first.
- jarvie!
- grr, you...
(growls)
Eat that!
- bill, you know
the desert.
How long would it take us
to go, say, 50 or 60 miles?
- days, maybe.
- and another day
to climb out of here.
- you've had
your chance, major.
It all boils down to this--
there's food up there
even if it's nothing
more than a prairie dog,
but not down there.
Maybe we can
ride out the rapids.
But if we hit
any snag on that river,
even a few more days of falls
and rapids with nothing to eat
and we'd all be
too weak to climb out.
- now, look, Mr. Howland.
Travelers seldom die
of starvation in this country,
but they do die of thirst.
The desert is
an unknown quantity,
but the river isn't.
Let me take our bearings
tonight
and I'll tell you
in the morning truthfully
whether St. George
or the river will be shorter.
- I'm hungry enough
to eat a rat.
I had some dog, once,
with indians.
It wasn't bad, either.
Dog's life ain't near
as important as a man's.
(sighs)
- better get
some sleep too, wes.
- hunger was our problem now.
I knew we had to get through.
And soon.
I worked at my maps
most of the night.
I had promised the men
an honest answer,
and I wanted it to be
an accurate one.
I was sure they'd listen
to reason.
But only
if my calculations
could be made
completely convincing.
Walter.
Walter. Hey.
- hmm?
- walter.
I got it all figured out.
I have the facts now.
It's 75 miles to St. George.
- that far, huh?
- yeah, but it's only 28 miles
to the grand wash.
In a straight line,
that is.
And even adding 1/3
for the bends in the river
we've still got only
a little under 40 miles to go.
40. That's against 75.
Only thing is...
In the morning
I'll have to...
In the morning,
help me persuade the men,
will you, walter?
They respect you now.
But they--they doubt me.
They don't seem
to understand
the importance
of what we're doing.
- just want to stay alive,
that's all.
- I'll bring them through.
- they think you're mad.
- you sound as though
you thought so too.
Huh? Do you?
- I was mad.
There's no reason
you can't be.
Wes.
I think you're gonna
have to ask yourself
a question.
- what's that?
- just how much
are you thinking
about the lives
of these men here?
Or is it that you'd rather die
and let them die with you
than climb
out of here to safety
and admit that there's
some part of this canyon
you couldn't whip?
- good morning, gentlemen.
- major.
- did walter tell you about
what I found out last night?
- yes, he did,
but we're gonna go anyway.
- what?
- it's no use
to argue with them, wes,
they've made up
their minds.
- right.
- why, you stubborn,
mule-headed fools.
You want to get
yourselves killed?
Who's gonna chart
your course for you?
Dunn with that
almanac of his?
You must be
out of your minds.
- well, now, you don't suppose
we're gonna leave you here
to die all by yourself,
do you, major?
Now you best get
your compass and your sextant
'cause you're coming
with us.
- now just a minute,
Mr. Dunn.
And your canteen, your rifle,
plenty of ammunition.
- wes!
- I'm with the major too.
- hey!
- come on, george!
- hey, we're shoving off!
- wait a minute, george.
- give me a hand,
Missouri.
- come on, grab an oar.
- jarvie.
Jarvie!
(whistles)
- (barks)
- please, bill,
let him down!
Let him go!
- (whimpering)
- please, bill,
let him go!
Come here, jarvie.
Come here.
Come on, laddie.
Keep swimming.
Come here, jarvie.
Come here,
jarvie, come on.
men: COME ON, JARVIE.
Hey!
- god bless you,
bill dunn!
- come on, boys.
Man that other boat
and come along!
So we parted,
separated at last by fear
of the unknown.
I was sorry
to leave these men.
They were good companions,
and they'd gone through
a lot for my sake.
My way or theirs,
either one was a gamble.
At this moment
only the fates could decide
who was to reach civilization
and ultimate safety.
- that's quite
enough of that.
- he said
we couldn't do it.
- I guess that'll
show the major.
- (coughs)
Let's get going.
- I believe we're headed
too far west for St. George.
- well, once we get up
on top of that butte
we'll be able to see it,
most likely.
- well, the major would've
headed direct over land.
- hey, quit your
bellyaching, seneca.
- well, what do
the stars say, william?
- (clears throat)
It says, "make the most
of new opportunities.
"Good luck will attend the
traveler to far-distant
places,
"but keep thy council
and do not--
do not discuss thy affairs
with strangers."
Now, couldn't be much plainer
than that, could it?
I've been studying the stars
for a good many years.
I never have seen
such good omens.
We ought to start
making tracks.
- what are they?
Navajos?
- no, them are utes.
- friendly?
- just a hunting party.
They ain't gonna give us
no trouble.
- hey, uh...
(clears throat)
Peace to my brothers
from the setting sun
and, uh, the great chief
of the utes.
- hey, what're you doing?
- will you shut up, oramel?
- thought you said
they was friendly.
- uh, listen, now,
we're friends.
(speaks Ute)
- (speaks Ute)
- oh, no, you got that
all wrong, chief.
We ain't the men.
- what are they saying?
- would you shut up
and quit acting scared?
Make you look guilty, now.
- guilty of what?
- some white men killed
one of their women
and they think
it was us that done it.
- you know we didn't.
Tell him, tell him.
- I know we didn't,
and I'm gonna tell him if
you give me a chance, will ya?
(speaks Ute)
- (speaks Ute)
- oh...
(speaks Ute)
- (speaks Ute)
- wouldn't go so far
as to say that.
- (speaks Ute)
- what's he saying?
- they don't believe
we come up out of that canyon.
- well, threaten them
with the cavalry.
- tell 'em we're
on government business.
- would you shut up?
(clears throat)
(speaks Ute)
...Fort defiance.
- (speaks Ute)
- (speaks Ute)
- (speaks Ute)
- down. Point it down.
(speaks Ute)
There. Get out of here.
Ain't nobody following us.
Well, you handled that
pretty slick.
- well, you think that
old major would've
been proud of me?
- I know one thing the major
would've been proud of.
You defied your stars.
- how's that?
- discussing your affairs
with strangers.
- oh, gosh, I did, too.
- rapids ahead.
It can't be much further.
This one just has to
be the last one.
Rapids ahead!
(thrilling music)
*
Look, gentlemen!
We're through!
(victorious music)
*
- pretty good looking
old world, george.
- I forgot how big it is.
- that's not
a bad thing to remember.
- so ended one
of the great sagas
of the west.
The Colorado, conquered.
Erected by the congress
of the united states
to major john wesley powell,
first explorer
of the grand canyon,
who descended the river
with his party in rowboats,
traversing the gorge
beneath this point,
august 17th, 1869.
It wasn't until a year later
that the fate of bill dunn
and the two howlands
was known.
Theirs was a bitter end--
treachery, ambush, and death
under a shower
of indian arrows.
Yet they too had been
part of the great adventure.