“That was what we began to fear, Captain,” Dick continued, “and we believed it only right to let you know what happened to us. We hope you will send some of the Indians, and one of our men, for the canoe. It could be brought secretly to the camp and examined, without the guilty one knowing about it.”
“A good idea, my boy, and one I shall act upon at once. Say nothing to a single soul concerning this outrage. If we expect to catch the traitor napping, he must not be put on his guard. But none of us could feel safe, knowing we had a snake in our midst. Depend upon it, the truth is bound to come out, and, when once we learn his identity, the traitor will be kicked out of the camp, if nothing worse happens to him.”
With this assurance the two boys rested content. They knew Captain Lewis was a man of his word, and felt sure that the man who had sold his loyalty for a sum of money offered by the French trader would before long rue the evil day he allowed himself to be thus tempted.
Soon afterward they saw Captain Clark and his companion officer in conference, after which the former went over to the Mandan village, and, later on, vanished in the dense forest accompanied by two stalwart braves. They had gone, the boys knew to secure the hide canoe that told the story of treachery in the camp.
CHAPTER VI
STALKING THE BUFFALO
On the following day orders were given to prepare to start once more in the direction of the beckoning West. There was not much to be done, for, knowing that their departure would soon be ordered, the men had for some time past been getting things in readiness.
Dick and Roger had looked their few possessions over, and were ready to move on short notice. It gave the boys a little feeling of distress to realize that they would be thus placing additional ground between themselves and those dear ones left at home near the mouth of the Missouri.
“But we have embarked on the trip,” said Dick, when his chum was speaking of this as something he did not like very much, “and must see it through now. When we do get back home again, if we are so fortunate, think of all the wonderful things we shall be able to describe.”