canoes to bid the Long Knife and the Red Head goodby. They stood, and gazed, and made no sign. They would wait, and take care of the white fathers' fort.
"We'll be back," declared the buoyant George Shannon, as he bent to an oar. "Stay where you are, old fort. We'll be back in the fall and light your winter fires again." For the captains thus had figured.
"We locked the gates, but sure the Injuns 'll be climbin' over the fince before we're out o' sight," grunted Sergeant Pat.
The wind was almost dead ahead. With oars and paddles the men settled to their work. Now the party numbered thirty-three, and Peter.
There were the two captains—Captain Meriwether Lewis and Captain William Clark (to each other "Merne" and "Will"), from Virginia and Kentucky; and Sergeants John Ordway, of New Hampshire, Nathaniel Pryor and Patrick Gass; and Privates William Bratton of Captain Lewis's state (Virginia); Alexander Willard from John Ordway's state, and John Shields, of Kentucky, the three smiths; Reuben Fields and Joseph Fields, brothers, John Colter, Joseph Whitehouse, William Werner, who like Pryor and Shields, were from Captain Clark's state, Kentucky; John Collins, of Maryland; John Thompson, the surveyor, from Indiana; Robert Frazier, of Vermont; the handsome, merry George Shannon from Ohio and Pennsylvania both; George Gibson, the fiddler, Hugh McNeal, John Potts, Peter Wiser, all from the same
