s course through the country of the Sioux. In fact, as it was
afterwards ascertained, Lisa was apprehensive that Mr. Hunt would do him
some ill office with the Sioux band, securing his own passage through
their country by pretending that he, with whom they were accustomed
to trade, was on his way to them with a plentiful supply of goods. He
feared, too, that Crooks and M'Lellan would take this opportunity to
retort upon him the perfidy which they accused him of having used, two
years previously, among these very Sioux. In this respect, however, he
did them signal injustice. There was no such thing as court design or
treachery in their thought; but M'Lellan, when he heard that Lisa was on
his way up the river, renewed his open threat of shooting him the moment
he met him on Indian land.

The representations made by Crooks and M'Lellan of the treachery they
had experienced, or fancied, on the part of Lisa, had great weight with
Mr. Hunt, especially when he recollected the obstacles that had been
thrown in his way by that gentleman at St. Louis. He doubted, therefore,
the fair dealing of Lisa, and feared that, should they enter the Sioux
country together, the latter might make use of his influence with that
tribe, as he had in the case of Crooks and M'Lellan, and instigate them
to oppose his progress up the river.

He sent back, therefore, an answer calculated to beguile Lisa, assuring
him that he would wait for him at the Poncas village, which was but a
little distance in advance; but, no sooner had the messenger departed,
than he pushed forward with all diligence, barely stopping at the
village to procure a supply of dried buffalo meat, and hastened to leave
the other party as far behind as possible, thinking there was less to be
apprehended from the open hostility of Indian foes than from the quiet
strategy of an Indian trader.

CHAPTER XVIII.

Camp Gossip.--Deserters.--Recruits.--Kentucky Hunters.--A
Veteran Woodman.--Tidings of Mr. Henry.-Danger From the
Blackfeet.--Alteration of Plans.--Scenery of the River.--
Buffalo Roads.--Iron Ore.--Country of the Sioux.--A Land of
Danger.-apprehensions of the Voyageurs.--Indian Scouts.--
Threatened Hostilities.--A Council of War.--An Array of
Battle.--A Parley.--The Pipe of Peace.--Speech-Making.

IT was about noon when the party left the Poncas village, about a league
beyond which they passed the mouth of the Quicourt, or Rapid Rive