Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-02-19
BY EMERSON HOUGH,
A Stirring Story of the Northwest.

he maps of this new world that first
came back to civilization were copies
Of Indians drawings made with a
pointed stick upon the earth or with
a coal on a whitened hide.
She knows. Will" said Lewis
See. this place she marks near the
mountain summit, where the two
streams are close--some time we
must explore that crossing"
m sure I'd rather trust her map
than this one here of old Jonathan
Carver" answered Clark, the map
maker His idea of this country is
that four great rivers head about
where we are now. He marks the
river Bourbon-which 1 never heard
of-as running north to Hudson bay,
but he has the St. Lawrence rising
near here, too-and 1t must be fifteen
hundred or two thousands miles OFF
to the east. The Mississippi, too, he
THINKS heads about here. at the
mouth Of the Yellowstone, and yonder
runs the Oregon river, which l pre-
sumo is the Columbia. 'Tis all very
simple on Carver's maps, but perhaps
not quite so easy if we fellow that
than any of use ever dreamed"
And greater and more beautiful in
every way" assented his companion
They stood and gazed about them
lat the scene of wild beauty. The
river ran in long curves between bold
and sculptured bluffs, among groves
OF native trees, now softly green.
Above, on the prairies. lay carpet
of the shy wild rose most beautiful
iof the prairie blossoms. All about
were shrubs and flowers, now putting
forth their claims in the renewed
life of spring.
! On the plains fed the buffalo. far
as the eye could reach. Antelope,
deer. the shy bighorn, all these
might be seen, and the footprints of
the giant bears along the beaches.
1t was the wilderness, and it was
theirs--they owned 1t all!
Thus far they had seen no sign of
any human occupancy. They did not
meet a single human being, red or
white, all that summer. A vast.
silen unclaimed land. beautiful and
Astounding, lay waiting for occu-
pancy. There was no map of it
none save that written on the soil
now and then by an Indian girl six
lteen years of age.
They plodded on now. taking the
tright-hand stream, with full conf
dence in their guidance, forging on
ward little every day. between the
high banks of the swift river that
came down from the great noun
,tains. April passed, and May.
soon we see the mountains" in
And at last. two months out from
the Mandans Lewis looked westward
from little eminence and saw a
low, broken line, white In spots, not
ito be confused with the lesser
eminences of the nearby landscape.
IL is the mountains" he exclaimed.
There lie the Stonies. They do
exist! We shall surely reach them!
We have won't"
Not yet had they won. These shin
in ,f.afv y.
the westward; and yet other ques-
ttfons were to be settled ere they
might be reached
| Within a week they came to yet
another forking of the stream. A
strong river came boiling down from
!similar to that Of the Missouri they
had known. On the left ran a less
turbulent and clearer stream. Which
was the way?
! The north wan. she'll be the right
wan, Capitane," said Cruzatte, him
! SCI Il sUuu toya.tur.
| Most of the men agreed with him.
| The leaders recalled that the Man
dams had said that the Missouri after
time grew clear in color, and that
| 1t would lead to the mountains.
Which, now, was the Missouri?
They found the moccasin of an In
dian not far from here.
| "Blackfoot" said Sacajawea, and
pointed to the north. shaking her
head.
She insisted that the left-hand
river was the right one; but, unWill-
ing as yet to rely on her fully, the
leaders called a council of the men,
and listened to their arguments.
| They knew well enough that a
wrong choice here might mean the
failure of their expedition. Cruzatte
! had many adherents. The men be-
| gan to mutter.
IF we go up that left-hand stream
we shall be lost among the noun
tains." one said. we shall perish
when the winter comes!"
I'VE will go both ways" said Meri-
wether Lewis at length. Capt. Clark
go up the right-hand stream. We
will meet here when we know the
truth
SO Lewis travelled two days Jour-
| ney up the right-hand fork before
he turned back. thoughtful.
II have decided. said he to the men
who accompanied him. This stream
| will lead us far to the north. into
the British 5isho country. It cannot be the
Maria's river, after my cousin in Vir-
ginia, Maria Woods. / shall not call
1t the Missouri"
He met Clark at the fork of the
river and again they held a council.
Clark had advanced some distance up
the left-hand stream.
We must. prove it yet further"
said Meriwether Lewis. Capt. Clark,
do you remain here. while / go on
ahead far enough to know absolutely
whether we are right or wrong. If
we are not right in our choice, It is
as the men say-we shall fail! But
will ask her once more"
Sacajawea was ill; she was in a
fever. She could not talk to her hus-
band; but to Lewis she talked, and
by, big falls-um-m-m. UNI -m-m!
Guard her WELL" said Lewis anx-
go on ahead"
He took the French interpreter.
: tuckfans, and started on up the left
! hand stream with one boat. The cur
rent of the river seemed to stifren.
i 1t cost continually increasing toll to
get the boat upstream. They were
came back from them.
! Meantime, at the river forks. Will
liam Clark was busy. It was obvious
that the explorers must tighten the
to cache all the heavy goods with
! which they could dispense-their
tools, the extra lead and powder tins,
some of the -four. all the heavy stun
which "ouIu incuHpeT tnem most
seriously. Here, too, was the end of
, the journey of the red pirogue from
st. Louis-they hid it in the willows
of an island near the mouth Of
Maria's river.
| Lewis himself, weak from toll, fell
! i'll on the way. but still he would
not stop. He came to a point from
which he could see the mountains
plainly on ahead. The river was mar
row, flowing through a canyon.
The next day they came to the
foot of the great falls of the Mis-
souri,, alone, majestic here in the
wilderness. soundless save for their
GaS oh