CHAPTER XVII
THE FRIENDS
Allied in fortunes as they had been in friendship, Meriwether Lewisand William Clark went on side by side in their new labors in thecapital of that great land which they had won for the republic. Theiroffices in title were distinct, yet scarcely so in fact, for eachhelped the other, as they had always done.
To these two men the new Territory of Louisiana owed not only itsdiscovery, but its early passing over to the day of law and order. Noother men could have done what they did in that time of disorder andchange, when, rolling to the West in countless waves, came the whitemen, following the bee, crossing the great river, striking out intothe new lands, a headstrong, turbulent, and lawless population.
A thousand new and petty cares came to Governor Lewis. He passed fromone duty to another, from one part of his vast province to another,traveling continually with the crude methods of transportation of thatperiod, and busy night and day. Courts must be established. Thecompilation of the archives must be cared for. Records must beinstituted to clear up the swarm of conflicts over land-titles.Scores of new duties arose, and scores of new remedies needed to bedevised.
The first figure of the growing capital of St. Louis, the new Governorwas also the central figure of all social activities, the cynosure ofall eyes. But the laughing belles of St. Louis at length sighed andgave him up--they loved him as Governor, since they might not as man.Wise, firm, deliberate, kind, sad--he was an old man now, though stillyoung in years.
Scattered up and down the great valley, above and below St. Louis, andharboring in that town, were many of the late adherents of Burr'sbroken conspiracy. These liked not the oncoming of the Americangovernment, enforced by so rigid an executive as the one who now heldpower. Threats came to the ears of Meriwether Lewis, who was hated bythe Burr adherents as the cause of their discomfiture; but he, whollydevoid of the fear of any man, only laughed at them. Honest andblameless, it was difficult for any enemy to injure him, and no mancared to meet Meriwether Lewis in the open.
But at last one means of attack was found. Once more--the lasttime--the great heart of a noble man was pierced.
"Will," said he to his friend, as they met at William Clark's home,according to their frequent custom, "I am in trouble."
"Fancied trouble, Merne," said Clark. "You're always finding it!"
"Would I might call it fancied! But this is something in the way offacts, and very stubborn facts. See here"--he held out certain papersin his hand--"by this morning's mail I get back these billsprotested--protested by the government at Washington! And they arebills that I have drawn to pay the expenses of administering my officehere."
"Tut, tut!" said William Clark gravely. "Come, let us see."
"Look here, and here! Will, you know that I am a man of no greatfortune. You also know that I have made certain enemies in thiscountry. But now I am not supported by my own government. I amruined--I am a broken man! Did you think that this country could dothat for either of us?"
"But Merne, you, the soul of honor----"
"Some enemy has done this! What influences have been set to work, Icannot say; but here are the bills, and there are others out in otherhands--also protested, I have no doubt. I am publicly discredited,disgraced. I know not what has been said of me at Washington."
"That is the trouble," said William Clark slowly. "Washington is sofar. But now, you must not let this trouble you. 'Tis only somesix-dollar-a-week clerk in Washington that has done it. You must notconsider it to be the deliberate act of any responsible head of thegovernment. You take things too hard, Merne. I will not have youbrooding over this--it will never do. You have the megrims oftenenough, as it is. Come here and kiss the baby! He is named for you,Meriwether Lewis--and he has two teeth. Sit down and behave yourself.Judy will be here in a minute. You are among your friends. Do notgrieve. 'Twill all come well!"
This was in the year 1809. Mr. Jefferson's embargo on foreign tradehad paralyzed all Western commerce. Our ships lay idle; our cropsrotted; there was no market. The name of Jefferson was now in generalexecration. In March, when his second term as President expired, hehad retired to private life at Monticello. He had written his lastmessage to Congress that very spring, in which he said of the peopleof his country:
I trust that in their steady character, unshaken by difficulties, in their love of liberty, obedience to law, and support of the public authorities, I see a sure guarantee of the permanence of our republic; and retiring from the charge of their affairs, I carry with me the consolation of a firm persuasion that Heaven has in store for our beloved country long ages to come of prosperity and happiness.
Whatever the veering self-interest of others led them to think or doregarding the memory of that great man, Meriwether Lewis trustedThomas Jefferson absolutely, and relied wholly on his friendship andhis counsel. Now, in the hour of trouble, he resolved to journey toMonticello to ask the advice of his old chief, as he had always done.
In this he was well supported by his friend Dr. Saugrain.
"You are ill, Governor--you have the fever of these lands," urged thatworthy. "By all means leave this country and go back to the East. Goby way of New Orleans and the sea. The voyage will do you much good."
"Peria," said Meriwether Lewis to his French servant and attendant,"make ready my papers for my journey. Have a small case, such as canbe carried on horseback. I must take with me all my journals, my maps,and certain of the records of my office here. Get my old spyglass; Imay need it, and I always fancy to have it with me when I travel, aswas my custom in the West. Secure for our costs in travel somegold--three or four hundred dollars, I imagine. I will take some in mybelt, and give the rest to you for the saddle-trunk."
"Your Excellency plans to go by land, then, and not by sea?"
"I do not know. I must save all the time possible. And Peria----"
"Yes, Excellency."
"Have my pistols well cared for, and your own as well. See that mysmall powder-canister, with bullets, is with them in the holsters. Thetrails are none too safe. Be careful whom you advise of our plans. Mybusiness is of private nature, and I do not wish to be disturbed. Andhere, take my watch," he concluded. "It was given to me by a friend--agood friend, Mr. Wirt, and I prize it very much--so much that I fearto have it on my person. Care for it in the saddle-trunk."
"Yes, Excellency."
"Do not call me 'Excellency'--I detest the title! I am Governor Lewis,and may so be distinguished. Go now, and do as I have told you. Weshall need about ten men to man the barge. Arrange it. Have our goodsready for an early start tomorrow morning."
All that night, sleepless, fevered, almost distracted, MeriwetherLewis sat at his desk, writing, or endeavoring to write, with whatmatters upon his soul we may not ask. But the long night wore away atlast, and morning came, a morning of the early fall, beautiful as itmay be only in that latitude. Without having closed his eyes in sleep,the Governor made ready for his journey to the East.
Whether or not Peria was faithful to all his instructions one cannotsay, but certainly all St. Louis knew of the intended departure of theGovernor. They loved him, these folk, trusted him, would miss him now,and they gathered almost _en masse_ to bid him godspeed upon hisjourney.
"These papers for Mr. Jefferson, Governor--certain land-titles, ofwhich we spoke to him last year. Do you not remember?" Thus Chouteau,always busy with affairs.
"These samples of cloth and of satin, Governor," said a dark-eyedFrench girl, smiling up at him. "Would you match them for me in theEast? I am to be married in the spring!"
"The price of furs--learn of that, Governor, if you can, while on yourjourney. The embargo has ruined the trade in all this inland country!"It was Manuel Liza, swarthy, taciturn, who thus voiced a generalfeeling.
"Books, more books, my son!" implored Dr. Saugrain. "We are growinghere--I must keep up with the surgery of the day; I must know the newdiscoveries in medicine. Bring me books. And take this little case ofmedicin
es. You are ill, my son--the fever has you!"
"My people--they mourn for me as dead," said Big White, the Mandan,who had never returned to his people up the Missouri River since therepulse of his convoy by the Sioux. "Tell the Great Father that hemust send me soldiers to take me back home to my people. My heart ispoor!"
"Governor, see if you can get me an artificial limb of some sort whileyou are in the East."
It was young George Shannon who said this, leaning on his crutch.Shannon had not long ago returned from another trip up the river,where in an encounter with the Sioux he had received a wound whichcost him a leg and almost cost him his life--though later, as hasalready been said, he was to become a noted figure at the bar of theState of Kentucky.
"Yes! Yes, and yes!" Their leader, punctilious as he was kind, agreedto all these commissions--prizing them, indeed, as proof of theconfidence of his people.
He was ready to depart, but stood still, looking about for the tallfigure which presently he saw advancing through the throng--a tall manwith wide mouth and sunny hair, with blue eye and stalwartframe--William Clark--the friend whom he loved so much, and whom hewas now to see for the last time.
General Clark carried upon his arm the baby which had been named afterthe Governor of the new Territory. Lewis took him from his father'sarms and pressed the child's cool face to his own, suddenly tremblinga little about his own lips as he felt the tender flesh of the infant.No child of his own might he ever hold thus! He gave him back with alast look into the face of his friend.
"Good-by, Will!" said he.