Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 6.djvu/405

399 MERIWETHER LEWIS. 399 Great Falls, where he left with four men to explore the Maria's River. On this trip Lewis met a party of roving Minnetarees near the north boundary line of Montana. They camped together, the Indians undertook to steal their guns and horses, a fight ensued ; Fields killed one Indian with a knife, and Lewis killed another with his revolver. They recovered their guns and lost one horse, but captured four of the Indian horses in exchange. Lewis, fearing more trouble, started towards the Missouri and made one hundred and twenty miles in the remark- able time of thirty-six hours. Soon after this experience Lewis was taken for an elk by one of his men, and shot through the thigh. After this incident the party proceeded down the river to the mouth of the Yellowstone, where they found a note from Clark, who had passed down some time before. A few miles below the Yellowstone the party was united and proceeded down the river to the Mandan country,' where they parted with Charboneau and Sacajawea, and con- tinued on their way and arrived at St. Louis on the 23d of September, 1806. The actual travel by land and water was 8,270 miles, not counting the side trips, very nearly one third of the distance around the world. Their route was mostly through an unknown land. None but Indians had as- cended the Missouri as far as the Great Falls. No white man had ever crossed the Rocky Mountains within the boundary lines of the United States. None had ascended the Columbia River to the head of tide water. The du- ration of the expedition was two years and four months. The story of their adventure stands alone, as the most successful and important ever accomplished ; they joined the highlands and the Oregon to the Louisiana Purchase. On their return to Washington they were received with tears of joy by the President and were warmly welcomed