at little old _Journal_, Billy!"

"Why shouldn't I? It's one great book, son. More I read it, the more I
see how practical those men were. Now, those men were all fine rifle
shots, and they'd go against anything, though along here there wasn't
many grizzlies, and all of them shy, not bold like the buffalo grizzlies
at the Falls. But they didn't hunt for sport--it was meat they wanted.
Once in a while a snag of venison; antelope hard to get; no buffalo now,
and very few elk; by now, even ducks and geese began to look good, and
trout.

"The ducks and geese and cranes were all through here--breeding grounds
all along. That was molting time and they caught them in their hands.
They killed beaver with the setting poles, and one day the men killed
several otter with their tomahawks, though I doubt if they could eat
otter. You see, as Clark's notes say, the beaver were here in thousands.
I suppose when so big a party went splashing up the creek the beaver
and otter would get scared and swim out to the main stream, and there
some one would hit them over the head as they swam by."

"One thing," said Jesse, "I don't think they flogged any of the men any
more. I don't remember any since they left the Mandans."

"Maybe they didn't need it, and maybe their leaders had learned more.
Ever since Lewis picked the right river at the Marias forks, I reckon
the men relied on him more. Then, he'd be poking around shooting at the
sun and stars with his astronomy machines, and that sort of made them
respect him. Clark was a good sport. Lewis, I reckon, was harder to get
along with. But they both must have been pretty white with the men. They
tell of the hardships of the men, and how game and patient they are--not
a whimper about quitting."

"I know," said Jesse, hauling out his worn copy of the _Journal_ from
his bed roll and turning the leaves; "they speak of the way the men
felt:

"'We Set out early (Wind N.E.) proceeded on passed Several large
Islands and three Small ones, the river much more Sholey than below
which obliges us to haul the Canoes over those Sholes which
Suckceed each other at Short intervales emencely laborious; men
much fatigued and weakened by being continually in the water
drawing the Canoes over the Sholes, encamped on the Lard Side men
complain verry much of the emence labour they are obliged to
undergo & wish much to leave the river. I passify them, the weather
Cool, and noth