Part 25 (1/2)
”Yes, sir!”
”Has any boat passed up the river within the last day--for instance, while ere away at the hunt?”
”I think not, sir Surely any one co up the river would have turned in at our careed that no boat could have gone by unnoticed
”And no man has come into the camp from below--no horseman?”
They all shook their heads Their leader looked fro was concealed from him; but the honest faces of his men showed no suspicion of his own doubts
He disnity to make inquiry as to the bearer of the ain to William Clark He knew only that some one of his men had a secret fro him in ahead--we can't afford to wait here for the our twenty h on the line, for the bars are exposed, and they can track along shore easily Suppose Shannon were out three days--that would make it sixty miles upstream--or less, for him, for he could cut the bends I ht he started up the river; even before this time _En avant_, Cruzatte!” he called ”You shall lead the line for the first draw Make it lively for an hour! Sing so of old Kaskaskia”
”Sure, the French, _Capitaine_! I'll put nine, seven Frenchmans on the line, and she'll run on the bank on her bare feet two hour--one hour This buffalo !”
”Go on, Frenchy!” said Patrick Gass, Cruzatte's sergeant, who stood near by ”Wait until time comes for my squad on the line--'tis thin we'll ”
”Ho!” said Ordway, usually silent ”Wait rather for us Yankees--we'll show you what old Vermont can do!”
”As to that,” said Pryor, ”belike the Ohio and Kentucky men could serve a turn as well as the Irish or the French Old Kaintuck has to help out the others, the way she did in the French and Indian War!”
”Well,” broke in Peter Weiser, joining theinian, and there are some others from the Old Doinny never tires!”
The contagion of their light-heartedness, their loyalty and devotion, came as solace to the heart of Meriwether Lewis He s with confidence and ad for their day's work, ready for ht be Ae, one of the Kentuckians was flapping his are of frontier days Others seated thee, while yet others were ues
A few moments later, with joyous shouts, they were on their way oncetheir faces toward ho bend The wilderness had closed behind theht of the lingering smoke of their last camp fires
Faithfully, patiently, day by day, they held their way, sustained by the renewed fascination of adventure, hardened and inured to risk and toil alike The distance behind theure upon the unknown rather than the known
”We surely must be almost across now!” said some of the men
All of them were sore distressed over the loss of Shannon Teeks had passed since they left the Yankton Sioux, and four times the faithful trailers had co one
”It certainly is in the off chance now,” assented William Clark seriously, one day as they lay in the noon enca the natives somewhere, and we may hear of hiot by the Teton Sioux, and kept on up the river, in ti the Mandans,” said Meriwether Lewis
”But ill try once ive hilass”
Busy in their labors over their s, for half an hour they forgot theirhis hands, wildly beckoning Yonder, alone in the plains, bewildered, hopeless, wandering, was the lost man, who did not even know that the river was close at hand! Shannon's escape from a miserable fate was but one ood fortune which seemed to attend the expedition
”And she was luckytoward the opposite shore ”Suppose he is on that side, she'll not go in today!”