"On that same day, Sergeant Ordway took six boats and nine men and started down the Missouri to meet Lewis at the Great Falls, or the mouth of the Marias. They made it down all right, and that is all we can say, for no record exists of that run downstream. "Now, get all this straight in your heads and see how they had scattered, in that wild, unknown country, part in boats, part on shore--the riskiest way to travel. All the sergeants are captains now. We have four different companies. "Gass is at the Great Falls, where Lewis split his party. Ordway is on his way down the river from the Three Forks to the Falls. Clark is with the horses now, headed east for the Yellowstone--which not a soul in that party knew a thing about, except the Indian girl, who insisted they would come out on the Yellowstone. And on that river the Clark party divided once more, part going in boats and part on horseback! "Now figure five parties out of thirty-one men. Look at your map, remembering that the two land parties were in country they had never seen before. Yet they plan to meet at the mouth of the Yellowstone, over twelve hundred miles from where we are sitting here! That's traveling! That's exploring! And their story of it all is as plain and simple and modest as though children had done it. There's nothing like it in all the world." He ceased to speak. The little circle fell silent. "Go on, go on, Uncle Dick!" urged Jess. "You've not allowed us to read ahead that far. You said you'd rather we wouldn't. Tell us, now." "No. Fold up your maps and close your journals for a while, here at our last camp on the greatest trail a river ever laid. "We're going fishing now, fellows--to-morrow we start east, gaining two years on Lewis and Clark. When we get down near the Yellowstone and Great Falls country again, going east ourselves, we'll just finish up the story of the map till we reach the Mandans--which is where we left our own good ship _Adventurer_. "To-morrow we head south, the other way. 'This story is to be continued in our next,' as the story papers say. "Good night. Keep all this in your heads. It is a great story of great men in a great valley, doing the first exploring of the greatest country in the world--the land that is drained by the Missouri and its streams! "Good luck, old tops!" he added, as he rose and stepped to the edge of the circle of light, waving his hand to the Divide above them. He stood looking toward the west. "Whom are you speaking to, Uncle Dick?" asked John, as he heard no answer. "I was just speaking to my friends, Captain Meriwether Lewis and Captain William Clark. Didn't you see them pass our camp just now?" CHAPTER XXVII THE UTMOST SOURCE