Page:A Brief History of South Dakota.djvu/63

Rh river, Manuel Lisa and his party were seen coming around the bend. This threw Hunt and his party into a new terror, but Manuel greeted them civilly and for two days continued to travel in their company, showing no disposition to pass them, though they feared that he would go on and excite the Rees against them.

On the 5th of June both parties were encamped on the site of the present city of Pierre. It was a wet, disagreeable day, and they had decided to lie over for rest until the weather cleared up. From the moment of Lisa's arrival Pierre Dorion had kept aloof and regarded him most sullenly. During this day in camp the wily Spaniard decided to make up with Dorion, and invited him on his boat. After regaling him with whisky Lisa asked him to quit the service of Hunt and return to him. This Pierre refused to do. Finding that Pierre could not be moved by soft words, Lisa called to his mind the old whisky debt and threatened to carry him off by force in payment of it. A violent quarrel occurred between him and Lisa, and he left the boat in great anger and went directly to the tent of Mr. Hunt and told him of Lisa's threat.

While Dorion was telling Hunt his story, Lisa entered the tent, pretending that he had come to borrow a towing line. High words followed between him and Dorion, and the half-breed struck him a hard blow. Lisa immediately rushed to his boat for a weapon; Dorion snatched up a pair of pistols belonging to Mr. Hunt and placed himself in battle array. The loud voices aroused the camp, and every one pressed up to know the cause. Lisa reappeared with a knife stuck in his girdle. Dorion's