gton. Should we be lost among the tribes east of
here, perhaps some ship may take that word to Mr. Jefferson."

So now, between them, they formulated that famous announcement to the
world, which, one year after their safe arrival home overland, the
ships brought around by Cape Horn, to advise the world that a
transcontinental path had been blazed:

The object of this list is that through the medium of some
civilized person who may see the same, it may be made known
to the world that the party consisting of the persons whose
names are hereunto annexed, and who were sent out by the
government of the United States to explore the interior of
the continent of North America, did penetrate the same by
the way of the Missouri and Columbia Rivers, to the
discharge of the latter into the Pacific Ocean, where they
arrived on the 14th day of November, 1805, and departed the
23rd day of March, 1806, on their return trip to the United
States by the same route by which they had come out.

This, so soon as they knew their starting date, they signed, each of
them, and copies were made for posting here and there in such places
as naturally would be discovered by any mariners coming in. And today
we--who can glibly list the names of the multimillionaires of
America--cannot tell the names of more than two of those thirty-one
men, each of whom should be an immortal.

"Boats now, Will!" said Meriwether Lewis. "We must have boats against
our start in the spring. These canoes which brought us down from the
Kooskooskie were well enough in their way, but will not serve for the
upstream journey. Again we must lift up the entire party against the
current of a great river. Get some of the Indians' seagoing canoes,
Will--their lines are easier than those of our dugouts."

Need was for skilful trading now on the part of William Clark, for,
eager as the natives were for the white men's goods, scant store of
them remained. All the fishhooks were gone, most of the beads,
practically all the hats and coats which once had served so well. When
at length Clark announced that he had secured a fine Chinook canoe,
there remained for all the return voyage, thousands of miles among the
Indians, only a half-dozen blankets, a few little trinkets, a hat, and
a uniform coat.

"You could tie up all the rest in a couple of handkerchiefs," said
William Clark, laughing. "But such as it is, it must last us bac