“B’gorry, give me wan chance at him an’ I’ll close his other eye,” besought Pat; and all the men murmured angrily, while poor Cruzatte shivered with fright.
“I no mean to shoot my capitaine,” he babbled.
“Never mind, men,” said the captain. “It was an error. My leather breeches are just the shade of an elk hide, remember. Let’s dress the wound. I doubt if it’s serious.”
The ball had passed clear through his left thigh, and had furrowed the right; but it seemed not to have touched the bone or any artery. After the wounds had been dressed and lint stuffed into the holes, the canoes with the other elk hunters arrived; and not waiting to explain much the captain insisted upon them all pushing along, to catch up with Captain Clark.
Now that he himself was laid up, this was more necessary than before. All he could do was to rest, half sitting, in the stern of the white pirogue. His leg had so stiffened that he could scarcely move it.
XXI
THE HOME STRETCH
Captain Clark was safe and well, with all his men, and only a short distance down river! This was learned the next day from two white trappers—the first Americans met in over a year. Their names were Hancock and Dickson. They had left Illinois, of the United States, in the summer of 1804, and had been trapping in the upper Missouri country ever since.
They said that Captain Clark’s party had passed them yesterday, but had lost all the horses, by Indians, and were traveling in two wooden canoes and two hide canoes. The captain had the idea that Captain Lewis and party were ahead of him.