The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-04-19
CHAPTER XI,
The Threshold of the West.

' IT tICS, uOW duUI0SSGu u1u1SCll LO
 J another and did so with care and thoroughness. A few of his men, part of his outftting, he found al- ready assembled at Harpers Ferry, up the Potomac. Before sunset of the first day the little band knew they had a leader.
 There was not knife or a toma- hawk of the entire equipment which he himself did not examine-not a rifle which he himself did not person ally test. He went over the boxes and bales which had been gathered here and saw to their arrangement in the transport wagons. He did all this without bluster or oficiousness, but with the quiet care and thoroughness of the natural leader of men.
 In two days they were on. their way across the Alleghenies. A few days more of steady travel suficed to bring them to Pittsburgh, the head of navi- gation on the Ohio river and at that time the American capital in the upper valley of the west. At Pittsburgh Captain Lewis was to build his boats, to complete the details of his equip ment, to take on additional men for his party, now to be officially styled the volunteers for the discovery of the west. He lost no time in urging forward the necessary work.
 The young adventurer found this in- land town half maritime in it's look. It's shores were lined with commerce suited to seaport. Schooners of con- siderable tonnage. lay at the wharfs, others were building in the busy ship yards. The destination of these craft obviously was down the Mississippi {; to the sea. Here were vessels bound l for the West Indies, bound for Phila- delphia, for New York, for Boston, carrying the products of this distant and little known interior
 i As he looked at this commerce of the great west, pondered its limitations, saw it's trend with the down slant of the perpetual roadway to the sea, there came to the young officers mind with greater force certain arguments that had been advanced to him.
 He saw that here was the heart of | insistence of all these hardy. western men upon the free use of the Missis- sippi and it's tributaries. He easily could agree with Aaron Burr that had the fleet of Napoleon ever sailed from Haiti-had. Napoleon ever done other wise than to cede Louisiana to us then these boats from the Ohio and rhe Mississippi W ould at this very mo nent perhaps be carrying armed men down to take New Orleans, as so ofter they had threatened.
 Now, too, he had news-good news fortunate news, joyous news-none less than the long delayed answer of h1s friend. Captain William Clark, to his proposal that he should associate him self with the Volunteers For the DIS covery of the West. Misspelled scrawled, done in the hieroglyphics which marked that remarkable gentle man. William Clark letter carried joy to the heart of Meriwether Lewis. Il cemented one of the most astonishing partnerships ever known among men one of the most beautiful friendships of which history leaves note. l give the strange epistle in Clarks own spell ing:
 Dear Merne-Yours to hand touching up pon the Expedishon into the Missouri Country, & send this by special bote Ill the river to nete you at Pts'brSh, at tn Foarks. You convey a moast welcome an appreciated invitation to join you Ill al Enterprise conjenial to my Every though and Desire. It will in all likelyhood re ouire at least a year to make the journe! out and Return, but although that mean certain Sacrifises of a personal sort nol' such far less than the pleasure to enlls with you wh. indeed hold to be my dut. also.
 need not say how content l am to Q associated with the man nloast of all m acquaintance apt to achieve Success Ill al undertaking of so difficult and perlous na ture. AS you know, it is in the wildernss men are n1oast sevearly tried ard ihcr we know man. I have seen you so tried and I Know what you arc. l am prou that you apeare to hold me and my ow
 qualities in like confident trust and belief and shall hope to merit no alteration i
 your Judgment.
 There is no other man l would 50 Wit on such an undertaking, nor consider seriously, although the concern of m
 family largely has been with things mll tary and adventurous, and We are no I new to life among Savidges. Too we'll
 know the dangers of bad leadership |