their messenger, until
a shout called their attention. He was waving his 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 more
instance of the almost miraculous good fortune which seemed to attend
the expedition.

"And she was lucky man, too!" said Drouillard, a half-hour later,
nodding toward the opposite shore. "Suppose he is on that side, she'll
not go in today!"

"Two weeks on his foot!"

They looked where he pointed. Red men, mounted, were visible, a dozen
of them, motionless, on the rim of the farther bank, watching the
explorers as they began to make ready for their journey. Lewis turned
his great field glass in that direction.

"Sioux!" said he. "They are painted, too. I fancy," he added, as he
turned toward his associates, "that this must be Black Buffalo's band
of Tetons you've told us about, Drouillard."

"_Oui, oui_, the Teton!" exclaimed Drouillard. "I'll not spoke his
language, me; but she'll be bad Sioux. _Prenez garde, Capitaine,
prenez garde pour ces sauvages, les Sioux!_"

And indeed this warning proved well founded. More Indians gathered in
toward the shore that afternoon, riding along, parallel with the
course of the boats, whooping, shouting to the boatmen. At nightfall
there were a hundred of them assembled--painted warriors, decked in
all their savage finery, bold men, showing no fear of the newcomers.

The white men went about their camp duties in a mingling of figures,
white and red. Lewis lined up his men, beat his drums, fired the great
swivel piece to impress the savages.

"Bring out the flag, Will," said he. "Put up our council awning. I'll
have a parley with their head man. Can you make him out, Drouillard?"

"He'll said he was Black Buffalo," replied the Frenchman. "I don't
understand him very good."

"Take him these things, Drouillard," said Lewis. "Give him a lace coat
and hat, a red feather, some tobacco, and this medal. Tell him that
when we get ready we'll make a talk with him."

But Black Buffalo and his men were not in the mood to wait for their
parley. They crowded down to the bank angrily, excitedly, even after
they had received the presents sent them. Lewis, busy about the barge,
which had not yet found a good landing-place, turned at the sound of
his friend's voice, to see Clark struggling in the grasp of