“Extry pay an’ 320 acres of land do we each get,” repeated Patrick Gass. “An’ we’ve earned it. It’s glad I am not to be with John Colter this minute, trapsin’ for the Yellowstone ag’in.”
“What’ll you do, Pat, after we get to St. Louis?”
“Faith, have my whiskers trimmed an’ get my journal published.”
“I’ve sold my journal to the captains for ten dollars!” boasted Sergeant Ordway. “It’s more’n you’ll make with yours, Pat.”
“I mean to try for an officer’s commission, in the army,” said Sergeant Nat Pryor.
“As soon as I get cleaned up, I’ll strike straight for old New Hampshire, and spin my yarns to the home folks,” said Ordway.
“I intend to study law. Think I’ll go to college,” said George Shannon.
“I stay at San’ Loui’ for wan time. Den mebbe I haf money to enter de fur trade,” said Drouillard.
“Captain Clark will send me to school,” piped Peter.
“That’s right, Peter,” encouraged George. “You and I’ll go to school.”
Those were long twenty miles. First, the captains did not leave St. Charles until mid-morning, because of the rain and the entertainments. Then, three miles below, was found a big camp of other United States soldiers, and here the captains stopped for the day, at the log house which was the principal quarters.
They took Sha-ha-ka ashore; and when he was next seen by the company, he had been dressed in new clothes――white man’s clothes! Of these he was very proud. He strutted more than York had strutted among the Sioux and the Arikaras and Mandans.
“An’ why shouldn’t he?” demanded Pat. “He’s better dressed for polite sassiety than the rist of us!”
Seventeen miles to go! The start was made soon after an early breakfast. All eyes strained ahead; the men pulled lustily on the oars. Houses and small settlements were passed. People ashore cheered. Toward noon another large river was sighted, ahead; its course was marked by lines of trees. The Missouri emptied into it.
“The Mississippi!” cried the men. And then――――
The captains stood up in the white pirogue. Captain Clark looked back, at the canoes, and waved his hat, and smiled. Before, on the right, was a great collection of houses set amidst trees――and at the river bank, near where the two rivers joined, loomed a huge (at least, to Peter it seemed huge) whitish stone fort, flying the United States flag. Many boats plied the current. St. Louis!