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 captains' collection. Wait till I draw a bead on him."

"No! That's a dog, Pat!" And George whistled. "Don't shoot."

The black animal crept toward George, stomach to earth, tail wagging.

"Assiniboine dog," pronounced Chaboneau. "He sled dog. Draw ze sled in winter, an' ze travois—ze lodge pole, in summer. He from dat ol' camp we see yesterday. Mus' be los', poor leetle dog."

"He's only a puppy, and nigh starved," said George, patting him.

So the black shaggy little dog was taken along.

That night at camp Lepage and Chaboneau consulted together.

"I never been up-river furder dan dees," announced Baptiste. "I t'ink once I stop right at dees spot, an' turn back. Chaboneau, he stop once 'bout t'ree mile below."

"Then it's our own trail from here on," spoke John Shields.

Where North Dakota and Montana meet, George Drouillard was sent out to explore south up the Yellowstone River. He returned with report of many sandbars and much coal.

Beyond the mouth of the Yellowstone, in the morning of October 26, while the boats were slowly sailing on up the Missouri, Captain Lewis suddenly appeared, at a clear spot on the bank, and signaled with a rifle-*shot.