ing with the savages, who were
trying to wrench their rifles from them.

"Curse you, turn loose of me!" cried Reuben Fields.

He fought for a time longer with his brawny antagonist, till he saw
others coming. Then his hand went to the long knife at his belt, and
the next instant the Blackfoot lay dead at his feet.

Drouillard wrenched his rifle free and stood off his man for a moment,
shouting all the time to his leader that the Indians were trying to
get the horses. Lewis saw the thieves tugging at the picket-ropes, and
hastened into the fray, cursing himself for his own credulity. A giant
Blackfoot engaged him, bull-hide shield advanced, battle-ax whirling;
but wresting himself free, Lewis fired point-blank into his body, and
another Indian fell dead.

The Blackfeet found they had met their match. They dropped the
picket-ropes and ran as fast as they could, jumped into the river,
swam across, and so escaped, leaving the little party of whites
unhurt, but much disturbed.

"Mount, men! Hurry!" Lewis ordered.

As quickly as they could master the frightened horses, his men obeyed.
With all thought of further exploration ended, they set out at top
speed, and rode all that day and night as fast as the horses could
travel. They had made probably one hundred and twenty miles when at
length they came to the mouth of the Maria's River, escaped from the
most perilous adventure any of them had had.

Here again, by that strange good fortune which seemed to guide them,
they arrived just in time to see the canoes of Gass and his men coming
down the Missouri. These latter had made the grand portage at the
falls, had taken up all the caches, and had brought the contents with
them. The stars still fought for the Volunteers for the Discovery of
the West.

There was no time to wait. The Blackfeet would be coming soon. Lewis
abandoned his horses here. The entire party took to the boats, and
hurried down the river as fast as they could, paddling in relays, day
and night. Gaunt, eager, restless, moody, silent, their leader neither
urged his men nor chided them, nor did he refer to the encounter with
the Blackfeet. He did not need to, with Drouillard to describe it to
them all a dozen times.

At times it was necessary for the boats to stop for meat, usually a
short errand in a country alive with game; and, as was his custom,
Lewis stepped ashore one evening to try for a shot at some near by
game--elk, buffalo, antelope, whatever