They expected to reach home in thirty-eight days, and long in advance of their former comrades on the “horse-boat.” Captain Royce sent a message home by them, and also a letter to Milly Ayer.
He had previously sent word home by two Cincinnati boats; neither of which, however, had been able to forward the message. Nor did the word or letter sent by Corson and his companions come to hand, for the three arksmen never reached the settlement on the Ohio; what became of them is not known. Savages or outlaws may have murdered them; or, owing to dissatisfaction, they may have gone to “East Florida” or the Carolinas to live.
The Milly Ayer, as her youthful captain had chivalrously christened their new keel-boat, was not ready to leave New Orleans for the homeward voyage until January 24th; and still another day was lost, waiting for a passenger who had offered Captain Royce a hundred and fifty dollars to be taken to St. Louis.
This passenger was none other than the waggish Lieutenant Charles Grimsby, who is supposed to have carried a despatch from General Wilkinson to Captain Amos Stoddard, the first American governor of St. Louis. Captain Stoddard, however, did not assume the duties of office until the 10th of March following.
The French settlers of St. Louis, indeed, were still in ignorance of the sale and transfer of the Mississippi Valley to the United States, and the horse-boat of our young arksmen was destined to bring them the first positive intelligence of this event. Like the Creoles at New Orleans, they were awaiting the arrival of a French army to take possession of the country in the mighty name of Napoleon Bonaparte.
On the morning of the arksmen’s departure—January 25th—an old acquaintance returned in great haste and jumped aboard the boat, resolutely bent on rejoining his former messmates. This was none other than Napoleon, the pet black bear, whom they had presented to Doctor Buchat.
When first seen by Lewis, the bear was coming back at a clumsy gallop up the levee, dragging his chain and pursued by a hundred young darkies, who were hastening his flight with stones and clods. Instinct, or keen scent, had brought him to the Milly Ayer. He leaped aboard, whimpering from mingled fear and gladness at recognizing his old friends of the ark.
But they, truth to say, did not want him. Word was at once sent to Doctor Buchat. It then transpired that the worthy savant of Good-Children Street was not desirous of recovering him; in fact, the doctor begged that Captain Royce would make some other disposition of the animal. He had turned cross in his new surroundings, and had been near devouring one of the doctor’s maid servants.
Shadwell Lincoln suggested a rifle-ball as offering an easy way out of the difficulty, but Moses and Lewis would not hear of this. They still retained an affection for their former pet.
Finally, since the bear was aboard and objected strenuously to going ashore, Lieutenant Grimsby proposed that he should take him to St. Louis as a present to the new governor; and with this destination in view, Napoleon began his return voyage up the Mississippi.