The Henson Journals

[82]

Friday, June 18th, 1909.

We were called at 5.30 a.m. The Bishop & I went out to take a farewell view of the Cañon & Waterfall before breakfast. Here a disaster happened to my camera. I had taken out the spool of films which had been used, & aspired to replace it with an unused spool: by an act of incredible stupidity I actually took the spool which had just been taken out, &, of course, the thing didn't act. Finally I got it so unrolled & messed about that I judged it irreparably injured. So the 12 photographs taken of the geysers went into the cataract, & I went back to the hotel mightily ill–pleased.

The drive back to Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel was mainly over old ground. We suffered considerably from the dust; & from the melancholy consciousness that we were leaving the Yellowstone behind us. Our circumstance, however, gave distinction to the drive: we saw a bear moving about quite close to the road. The Bishop asserted that he saw a beaver leap into a stream by the way–side: & this statement was confirmed by a tourist in another coach. A curious growth of 'twin trees' counts also as a curiosity of this drive.

We arrived in the Hotel about 4 p.m. simply covered with dust. Then, after an interval, the Manns went off to Fargo.

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