rk went
through," John replied to him. "People had been all through here. The
_Journal_ keeps on mentioning this creek and that--all the names were
already on the country."

"Shall we get as far as Charette to-day, Uncle Dick?" asked Jesse.

"Hardly, this country has changed a lot in a hundred years and I don't
know just where we are. I'm only guessing, doing dead reckoning on our
motor speed. But we ought to see the place I've got in mind, before
plumb dark."

"See what, Uncle Dick? What is it?"

"Never mind. I'll tell you if we make it."

However, Uncle Dick was shrewd in his map work and his guessing. Toward
dark the boys began to get anxious as the shadows fell along the deep,
powerful river, but they had no sign to land until it was well after
sunset. Then Uncle Dick began to whistle cheerfully.

"All right, Rob," he called. "Hard a-lee! Get across. That creek on the
right is the Femme Osage. There were forty families settled there, six
miles up the river, and one of those farmers was--who do you think?"

"I know!" exclaimed John. "It was Daniel Boone! I've read about his
moving in here from Kentucky."

"Right you are, son! He had a Spanish land grant in here and lived here
till 1804. He died in 1820, at the town called Femme Osage, as you know.

"Well now, here we are! In under the rocks, Rob--so! Now quick, Jesse,
make fast at the bow!"

"Well, what do you know!" exclaimed Jesse. "Regular cave, and
everything!"

"Yes," smiled his uncle, "a regular cave and all. Lucky to hit it so
well and to find it still doing business--at least part way--after a
hundred years!"

They scrambled up the bank to the opening of the cavern which made back
into the bold rocky shore, finding the interior about twelve feet wide
and running back for forty feet, with a height of some twenty feet. It
was blackened with smoke in places, and many names were cut in the rock.

"Hard run up the swift chutes to get here," said Uncle Dick, "but I'm
glad we made it. This old cave was called the 'Tavern,' even before
Lewis and Clark, and all the river men used to stop here. Quite homey,
eh?

"We are lucky to have done in a day what it took Lewis and Clark nine
hard days to do. They made only nine miles the last day, and found the
water 'excessively swift.' Well, so did we; but here we are."

With the swiftness born of many nights in camp together, the four now
unpacked the needful articles, not putting up any tent, but spreading