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I saw her do it many times in the months to come. The twelve poles

raised and attached at the top in almost no time, other poles leaned in,
the leather covering thrown over to make a cone. Inside that buffalo-
skin lodge, your uncle Captain Lewis, George Drouillard, and I slept
toward the front. At the back of the lodge, across the fire from us, were

you, your father, and your mother. We were a little family within that
lodge, and no man in our party ever showed anything less than perfect
respect to your mother, though she was the only woman with us.
Those sleeping arrangements were exactly as they would be for almost

every night from then on until we reached the ocean.
44 The next day we set out very early. I was onboard the white pirogue,
which carried our most precious things. In that white boat were our
astronomical instruments, our best trade goods, our portable desks for

writing, our medicines, much of our gunpowder, and all our journals
and field notes. Six paddlers propelled us up the river. Yes, you and your
father and your mother rode with me in that very boat. Captain Lewis
was so restless to be on the way that he felt the need for exercise and

walked along the shore that first day—as he would in many of the days
to come. He reached our first destination well ahead of us.

45 We reached the point of land where he awaited us by noon. It had
not been easy, for the wind had been hard against us. One of the small

canoes had filled with water, ruining a quantity of biscuit and some
thirty pounds of powder. This was a serious thing, though it proved our
wisdom in packing the rest of our powder in tins that were watertight.
Though there had been some difficulty, all in all that first day was a

good one. We were on our way toward the undiscovered country.

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