Colonel Clark fidgeted in his chair. “I know you aren’t afraid, Jim, but I wouldn’t think of letting you go back alone. You’d be a perfect target for Indians. They haven’t all signed treaties, remember. Even so, I don’t trust these redskins too far. Now if your parents——” “But, sir,” Jim interrupted, “I don’t know if my parents——” “I know, lad. It’ll be time enough for you to go back to your farm when we locate your father and mother. I have asked every man who has gone out from here to be on the lookout for the Hudsons. They are to ask in every settlement if any one has seen or heard of them. It’s a slow sort of grapevine method, I know, but word gets around that way. We’ll find them, Jim, some day.” Jim’s blue eyes misted with tears. “Oh, Colonel Clark, you think of everything. No wonder you’re such a good military leader.” “You can stay on at headquarters with me, Jim. That will give you a roof over your head and three meals a day.” He stared at Jim for a moment and then grinned. “I’ll have to find a buckskin outfit for you too, lad. Even if you are Jim Long-Knife, that ragged blue outfit you’re wearing must be replaced.” Jim laughed. “These are the clothes the Potawatomis gave me. I have no others. The Shawnees took the ones my mother was taking to Harrodsburg.” “And you’ll need some work to do, Jim, to keep you out of mischief.” “I can get a job, I’m sure. Willie told me he could get work for me with Monsieur Gabriel Cerré, the wealthy merchant here. Willie works for him.” Colonel Clark frowned. “Willie? Who’s Willie?” Jim seemed surprised. “Willie Watson, sir. The boy we found in the boat the night we took Kaskaskia.” Clark nodded. “To be sure. I remember you told me about him, but I didn’t notice him that night. What does he do for Monsieur Cerré?” “He sorts fur pelts and counts them. I saw him yesterday and he has already started the fall work.” “It sounds like a good job, Jim. Ask Willie to take you to see Monsieur Cerré.” “Yes, sir. I’ll go over now and see Willie.” Jim started over to the fur depot to find Willie, but on the way he saw him coming. “Oh, Willie.” “Hello, Jim. Still running errands for Colonel Clark?” “No. I guess my work with him is over. I was just coming to see if you could get me a job with Monsieur Cerré.” Willie smiled. “Sure. Just today the men were saying they needed another boy to sort pelts this fall.” “Can we go tomorrow?” Willie shook his head. “There isn’t going to be any work tomorrow. The men have to wait for some supplies coming up from New Orleans. I’ll be glad to take you as soon as the depot opens again. I’ve just been talking to Father Gibault about getting the beeswax and honey from that bee tree I marked for him.” “Haven’t you been across the river since that night?”