dampness; but the frame of the iron canoe was all right, and so were the cottonwood wagon-wheels.
"Gass, I'm going to leave you in charge, here," said the captain. "You will wait till the Ordway party come with the canoes; then you will move the canoes and baggage, by the portage trail, to the foot of the falls, and proceed on down the river. I shall take Drouillard and the two Fields, scout northward and strike the Maria's River, which I wish to follow down to the Missouri. I will meet you at the mouth of the Maria's River on the fifth day of August—if all goes well."
"Sure, Cap'n, do ye think three men'll be enough for ye?" blurted Pat. "Ye're goin' up where the bloody Big Bellies live. Give me Peter alone, an' take the rist. Peter an' I are plenty for this camp, till Ordway comes."
"With Drouillard and the two Fields I'll stand off the Blackfeet," laughed Captain Lewis. "Eh, lads?" And he sobered. "If my life is spared, Pat, I'll meet you on August 5. But if you don't hear from us, you wait till the first day of September. Then if there's no word, you will proceed on to Captain Clark at the mouth of the Yellowstone. Tell him that my directions as commanding officer are for him to carry out our program and return to the United States, for I and my party have been destroyed. He already knows that I have planned this side trip to the Maria's."
Pat saluted.
