Clark; the warriors spread right and left, jerked arrows from quivers and fitted them to strung bows. Out whipped Captain Clark's bright sword—the long knife; and Chief Tor-to-hon-ga dodged. Captain Clark's face was redder than his hair. He acted like a great chief.
"Watch out, Sergeant!" he cried, to Patrick Gass. "Rally on the boat; never mind the rope. Face them and stand together, men!"
Captain Lewis's voice rang high and stern, from the barge. Out of the white pirogue a dozen men plashed into the shallows and wading and plunging, hastened to reinforce the red pirogue. Corporal Warfington and the six St. Louis soldiers who had been sent along to help as far as the Mandans were with them.
"Steady!" warned Captain Lewis. "Look sharp, Will." And now the black muzzle of the cannon in the bows of the barge swung full at the shore. Behind it stood Gunner Alexander Willard, with lighted match.
This was enough. Head Chief Black Buffalo shouted an order, and his men left the cable and the pirogue and fell back. The "medicine" of the great father at Washington was, they realized, strong medicine.
To show that he was not afraid, and that he wished to be friendly, Captain Clark offered to shake hands with Black Buffalo and Partisan; but they surlily refused. So the captain laughed, and ordered the red
