For Captain Lewis: Sergeant Pat, Joe Fields and Reuben Fields, Drouillard, the hunter, William Werner, Rob Frazier, Hugh McNeal, John Thompson and Si Goodrich.
Then where was Peter? Nobody seemed to want him. But Sergeant Pat made a scrape and a salute.
“Beg your pardon, sorr,” to Captain Lewis; “but are we to lave Peter here till we come ag’in?”
“’Pon my word!” exclaimed the captain. “No! He’s to come along with us, of course. He’s in your charge, Pat, remember.”
“Yis, sorr. Thank ye, sorr,” answered Pat.
And Peter was glad.
So the parties separated, Captain Clark to the south, and the place where the canoes and goods had been left last August; Captain Lewis to the east and the Great Falls.
“Good luck, boys,” was the final word. “We’ll all meet at the Missouri. Then down we’ll go, for home.”
The Pierced Noses who had guided across the mountains went with Captain Lewis a short distance still, to show him the shortest route along the Road-to-the-Buffalo. Before they quit, in order to look for their friends the Oo-tla-shoots or Flat-heads, the captain gave them presents of meat, and exchanged names with the leader, who was a young chief.
The young chief was henceforth to be known as the Long Knife, and Captain Lewis was to be known as Yo-me-kol-lick, or White Bear-skin Unfolded.