ch the party had to
pass, and smoothed the way among her own race for the white invaders.
She became very popular with all the members, and deserved the praise
which the leaders gave her.

Six canoes were soon completed. The company made their start April 7,
1805, sixteen going down stream with a barge laden with curiosities of
the region for President Jefferson, while thirty-two formed the
permanent party, which pressed into the great unknown region spreading
out before them. The names of all these explorers are preserved in the
archives of the War Department under the title of "A roll of the men
who accompanied Captains Lewis and Clark on their late tour to the
Pacific Ocean through the interior of the continent of North America,
showing their rank, with some remarks on their respective merits and
services."

Early as was the season, the men suffered much from mosquitoes. Spring
kept company with the expedition. Herds of deer, elk, buffaloes and
antelopes were seen grazing on the rich grass, and there seemed no end
to swans and geese. Passing the alkali regions, the party reached, in
the latter part of April, the mouth of a large river, to which they
gave the name of Yellowstone. Joseph Fields, of Kentucky, ascended it
for eight miles, and was the first white man to do so. Rains, high
winds and cold weather welcomed them into the hills of Montana, and
often the boats had to be dragged along the banks by means of elk-skin
cords. They were thus laboriously making their way when, as has been
shown, they were met by Deerfoot and the Shelton brothers at the mouth
of the Musselshell River.

The story of the Lewis and Clark expedition, therefore, ended for
George and Victor Shelton at the point named. It will not be
uninteresting, however, to sum up the history of one of the most
memorable enterprises connected with the development of the West.
Captains Lewis and Clark gained a great deal of valuable knowledge from
the boys, who had traversed a large part of the region which they
intended to explore. The excellent memories and the marked intelligence
of the youths were admired by the officers.

A few days after the meeting between the two parties Lewis climbed to
the top of the highest elevation north of the river and gained his
first view of the Rocky Mountains, known at that time as the Stony
Mountains. All the numerous streams were described and named. It has
been charged against the explorers that they were lacking