started west from here to cross the
summit?"

"Yes."

"All right. You can see why he went up this upper creek--it was the one
that led straight to the top. The Red Rock River, as they now call the
stream below what they call the Beaverhead River--it's all one
stream--bends off sharp south. The Horse Prairie Creek takes you
straight up to Lemhi Pass, which ought to be called the Lewis Pass, but
isn't, though he was the first across it. Lewis was glad when he got to
what they called the source, the next day after that.

"Now, he didn't find any Indians right away. I allow he'd followed an
Indian road toward that pass, but the tracks faded out. He knew he was
due to hit Columbia waters now, beyond yon range, but what he wanted was
Indians, so he kept on.

"Now all at once--I think it was August 11th, the same day he left camp
here--about five miles up this creek, he saw an Indian, on horseback,
two miles off! That was the first Indian they had seen since they left
the Mandans the spring before. But Mr. Indian pulled his freight. That
was when Lewis was 'soarly chagrined' with Shields, who had not stayed
back till Lewis got his Indian gentled down some; he had him inside of
one hundred yards at one time. He 'abraided' Shields for that; he says.

"But now, anyhow, they knew there was such a thing as an Indian, so they
trailed this one, but they couldn't catch him, and Lewis was scared
he'd run all the other Indians back West. But on the next morning he ran
into a big Indian road, that ran up toward the pass. There was a lowish
mountain, running back about a half mile. The creek came out of the foot
of that mountain----"

"I know," interrupted John, who had his _Journal_ spread before him.
"Here's what he said:

"'At the distance of 4 miles further the road took us to the most
distant fountain of the waters of the Mighty Missouri in surch of
which we have spent so many toilsome days and wristless nights.
thus far I had accomplished one of those great objects on which my
mind has been unalterably fixed for many years, judge then of the
pleasure I felt in all(a)ying my thirst with this pure and ice-cold
water which issues from the base of a low mountain or hill of a
gentle ascent for 1/2 a mile. the mountains are high on either hand
leave this gap at the head of this rivulet through which the road
passes.'"

"Go on, Billy," said Uncle Dick. "That's all he says about actually
c