As a young man, Cowles was spellbound by tales of danger and daring from those who had ventured into the famed "Dragon's Mouth. " In 1946, just prior to the Communist takeover, Cowles, along with a Chinese professor and an Army pilot-engineer, set out to experience the gorges firsthand. For 19 days they immersed themselves in the life of the river, along side 65 crewmen aboard a 95-foot junk.