We were far from others of our kind, and could expect no help if trouble developed. The Spanish and the Indians had villages not too far off, but we were seven men alone, as if on another planet.
Yet there is a strength implicit in such a situation, for having no one on which to rely, we relied upon no one. Our problem was our own, and what must be done we would do ourselves, and looking about me, I decided that had I selected each man, I could have done no better.
These men were typical of what I had seen among those floating down the Ohio, crossing the Alleghenies or the Appalachians, coming west by whatever means… they were men who had chosen themselves. Each in his own mind had made the decision to go west. No king, no queen or general or president had said “Go west,” but each man in his own way had decided, and finding what they faced had not turned back.
Looking upon these men, I knew that I, who had attended lectures at the Sorbonne and Heidelberg, who had himself lectured at Cambridge and William and Mary, I who had lunched with President Jefferson, who was a friend to Captain Meriwether Lewis, Henry Dearborn, Dr. William Thornton, Gilbert Stuart, and Count de Volney, I had at last come home. These were my people, this was my country.
Isaac Heath turned his head to me. “Is that true, Chantry? Is there no border?” “None has been defined. That’s one reason for the Lewis and Clark expedition. Not only to see what lies out there, but to establish our presence in the area.” Davy Shanagan appeared at the edge of the firelight. “Somebody comin’,” he said softly.
“Five or six, maybe.” His words were spoken over an empty fire, for each of us vanished ghostlike into the surrounding darkness. I, fortunately, had the presence of mind to retain my coffee. With the Ferguson rifle in my right hand, I drank coffee from the cup in my left.
A voice called out… in Spanish, and I replied in the same tongue, stepping quickly to the right as I did so. No shot was fired, and we heard the riders coming nearer. Two Spanish men, and four Indians.
Stepping into the firelight, I invited them to dismount. They did so, striding up to the fire. The man in the lead looked at me coolly. “I’m Captain Luis Fernandez!” he said. “I’m an officer of Spain.” I bowed slightly. I could see he was somewhat surprised at my garb. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, se@nor,” I replied, “so far from home. On behalf of the American people, I welcome you to our country.” There was nothing to be lost, I decided, in landing the first blow. That he was shocked was obvious.
“Your country?” he exclaimed indignantly.
“But this is Spanish territory!” The others of my party moved in from the shadows, all except Shanagan and Bob Sandy, who wisely remained on watch.
“Will you join us in some coffee, captain?” I suggested. Then I added, “I wasn’t aware that your king’s claims extended so far. In any event, the Louisiana Territory has been sold to the United States by the Emperor Napoleon.” He stared at me in total disbelief. Yet my assurance left him somewhat uncertain, as he accepted the coffee. Glancing from one to the other of us, he suddenly burst out, “I don’t believe it! It’s impossible!” “It’s true,” I replied, and then added, “Under other conditions, captain, I’d resent your disbelief, but I’ll overlook it under the circumstances.” Before he could continue, I went on. “By the secret Treaty of San Ildefonso, the territory was returned to France. My government learned of this and began negotiations with the emperor. As you know, the slave revolt in Haiti and impending war with England left him in need of funds. The Senate approved the treaty and on the twentieth of December 1803, my government took formal possession.
“To repeat, Captain Fernandez, we welcome you as our guest.” His face flushed with irritation. Ebitt was grinning openly, and both Kemble and Talley had difficulty in restraining their amusement.
“Nonsense!” he exploded, then added quickly, “In any event, this isn’t a part of the Louisiana Territory. It’s administered from Santa Fe.” “I understand your surprise, captain,” I replied gently. “In such wide open country, one often rides farther than one realizes, but you’re now well within the territory of the United States.” The captain was not pleased. He had come, I was sure, to order us out of the country or to place us under arrest. Communication was slow and must come by sailing ship from Spain to Mexico, from Mexico City to Santa Fe, and no doubt Fernandez had been absent several weeks.
“I believe none of this,” he said sharply, “and in any event, you’re under arrest. You’ll be taken to Santa Fe where your case will be disposed of.
in due time.” I smiled at him. “Under arrest, captain?
I could as easily arrest you, but the offense is trivial. I’m sure the amount of grass your horses have eaten will not cause us to suffer too much, but as for arresting us, you cannot. And captain, we will not be arrested.” He threw his cup to the ground. “You’ll surrender, or be taken by force!” “Take us, then.” Solomon Talley spoke quietly. “Take us, captain.” “I have forty men!” Fernandez threatened.
“Surrender at once or we’ll kill you all!” I smiled at him, then glanced at Kemble and Talley. “Forty? The number won’t divide evenly, Kemble, so I guess it will be first come, first served.” “I’ll get my share,” Ebitt said.
Fernandez turned abruptly and strode to his horse. The others had said nothing, but as he turned to go, one of them lifted a pistol.
“I wouldn’t,” Heath warned, his rifle on its target. “I just wouldn’t at all.” The pistol was lowered, slowly, carefully. Then they rode away into the darkness.
“I hate to leave such a good camp,” I said.
“Leave it? You don’t figure on runnin’?” Ebitt demanded.
“No, I don’t. Right yonder”–I pointed back of us–“ab forty yards back there’s a few big, old cottonwood deadfalls. They fell just right for a breastwork. I ran upon it while I was gathering firewood.
“There’re several living trees, and there’s room inside for ourselves and our horses, a kind of natural fort. I think it might be wise to leave our fire burning and just pull back.” We did just that, and at the lower end of our natural redoubt, we found the ground fell away slightly in an area where the thick branches of two trees met. There was room enough to hide our horses there, out of sight and safe from stray bullets. In a matter of minutes, we had moved, added fresh fuel to our fire, and settled down behind our breastwork.
“Better get some sleep,” Talley advised. “I’ll stand watch.” The advice was good and we accepted it, stretching out on the ground. It was thickly bedded with leaves from the fallen trees and those that leaned above us, and we were soon asleep.
Just before I fell finally asleep, I heard Ebitt saying to Kemble, “I never knowed all that about treaties and such. I heard about the purchase … that’s why I left Illinois to come west.
How’d he know all that?” “Comes of being a scholar,” Kemble said.
And we all went to sleep.
CHAPTER 5
Awakening in the chill of the hour before dawn, I lay quite still looking up at the stars. At this hour, the sky seems unnaturally clear, and the stars close above. For a moment, lying there, I thought about all that I had seen and much that I had learned from the talk of the men with whom I traveled.
The mind that is geared to learning, that is endlessly curious, cannot cease from contemplating and comparing.
To many the grasslands over which we had been riding were simply that, but for me there was much to see, much to learn. No doubt the Indian knew all I was learning, and accepted it as a simple facet of his world.
The tall grass we had left needed moisture, and no doubt during dry years it fell back toward the east with its rivers and its greater rainfall. Then the low-growing grasses invaded, took over, and retained a hold on the earth until once more the wet years brought back the tall bluestem and its companions of the soil.
The buffalo grazed wherever there was grass, into Georgia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Tennessee, but they seemed to like the open country best, out where the long wind blew and the sun was hot upon the low rolling hills.
A whisper snapped me to attention. It was, Shanagan. “I believe we’re to have comp’ny,” he said softly.
Rolling out, I swiftly brought my blankets together, tied them into a neat bundle, and took them to my saddle. My Ferguson was under my arm, but I hastily completed dressing by pulling on my boots and hitching my knife into xs proper place.