Part 18 (2/2)
In this curious fashi+on Patrick Gass of the army--later one of the journalists of the expedition, and always one of its ned his name on the rolls of the Lewis and Clark expedition
There was not one of the frontiersmen in the boat who had any comment to make upon any phase of the transaction; indeed, it seemed much in the day's work to them But from that instant every man in the boat knew he had a leader who could be depended upon for proency; and from that moment, also, their leader knew he could depend on histo co his new friends is to suit hi to complain of I've been sayin' I would like to have one ht before I enlisted--the army is too tame for a fellow of rale spirit None o' thim at the camp yonder, where I o days, would take it on withto interest me--and be jabers, I found it! Now I am continted to ind me vacation and come back to the monothony of business life”
The boat advanced steadily enough thereafter throughout the night
They pulled ashore at dawn, and, after the fashi+on of experienced travelers, were soon about the business of theplunge which was his custo on the bare bar where they had landed, he was not fully out of sight when at length, freshened by his plunge, he stood drying hi Unconsciously, his arm extended, he looked for all the world the very statue of the young Apoxyoure of a man that the art of antiquity has handed down to us
As that s hi American, type of a new race, splendid as the Greeks themselves in the i in the sun, every rolling muscle plainly visible--even that rare otten of sculptors, because rarely seen on a man today--so comely was he, so like a God in his clean youth, that Patrick Gass, unhampered by backwardness himself, turned to his new companions, whoe,” said he to young Shannon, ”George, saw ye ever the like of yon? What a man! Lave I had knowed he could strip like yon, niver would I have taken the chance I did last night 'Tis wonder he didn't kill me--in which case I'd niver have had me job The Lord loves us Irish, anny way you fix it!”
CHAPTER XII
CAPTAIN WILLIAM CLARK
”Will!”
”Merne!”
The two younginshore at the Point of Rocks on the Kentucky side of the Ohio They needed not to do more, these two The face of each told the other what he felt
Their enerosity and unselfishness, their unflagging unity of purpose, their perfect manly comradeshi+p--onder so many have called the story of these twosince welad enough I was to have it I had been fearing that I would have to go on alone Now I feel as if we already had succeeded I cannot tell you--but I don't need to try”
”And you, Merne,” rejoined Williahter, leader of aunt, red-headed, blue-eyed, sure of a reat ht-hand man--we hear of you often across thefor you here, as anxious as yourself”
”The water is low,” cos have delayed us Are you ready to start?”
”In ten et s”
”Your brother, General Clark, how is he?”
Williaed with a smile which had half as eneral's heart is broken He thinks that his country has forgotten hiotten hiers Clark It was he who opened the river froh to New Orleans He'll not need, now, to be an ally of France again Onceof a vast new country!”
”Merne, I've sold ot ten thousand dollars for my place--and so I am off with you, not with ood conscience, and soo, or e co laddest time in all my life!”
”We are share and share alike, Will,” said his friend Lewis, soberly
”Tell et beyond the Mississippi this fall, do you think?”
”Doubtful,” said Clark ”The Spanish of the valley are not very well reconciled to this Louisiana sale, and neither are the French They have been holding all that country in partnershi+p, each people afraid of the other, and both showing their teeth to us But I hear the co well at St Louis, and I presume the transfer will be made this fall or winter After that they cannot stop us fro of Colonel Burr's plan? There have come new ruovernents scattered from St Louis to New Orleans”