turned. Which of your men,
Ordway, will best serve to find Shannon and meet us up the river?"

"Myself, sir," said Ordway, "if you please."

"No, 'tis meself, sor," interrupted Patrick Gass.

Pryor, with hand outstretched, also claimed the honor of the difficult
undertaking.

"You three are needed in the boats," said the leader. "No, I think it
will be better to send Drouillard and the two Fields boys. But tell
me, Sergeant Ordway----"

"Yes, sir!"

"Has any boat passed up the river within the last day--for instance,
while we were away at the hunt?"

"I think not, sir. Surely any one coming up the river would have
turned in at our camp."

Lewis turned to Gass, to Pryor; but both agreed 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 from one to the other
keenly, trying to see if anything was concealed from him; but the
honest faces of his men showed no suspicion of his own doubts.

He dismissed them, feeling it beneath his dignity to make inquiry as
to the bearer of the mysterious letter; nor did he mention it again to
William Clark. He knew only that some one of his men had a secret from
his commander.

"The men will find Shannon and bring him in ahead--we can't afford to
wait here for them. The water is falling now," said Clark. "We are
doing our twenty miles daily. The men laugh 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 make no doubt that when he
found himself out for the night 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 some song,
Cruzatte, if you can--some song of old Kaskaskia."

"Sure, the Frenchmans, she'll lead on the line this morning,
_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
meat, she make Frenchmans strong like nothing!"

"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 make the elkhide hum! There's a few of the Irish along."

"Ho!" said Ordway, usually silent. "Wait rather for us Yankees--we'll
show you what old Vermont can do!