96 The Winning of the West 



own energy and power. He first equipped a row- 

 galley with two four-pounders and four swivels, and 

 sent her off with a crew of forty men, having named 

 her the Willing. 22 She was to patrol the Ohio, and 

 then to station herself in the Wabash so as to stop 

 all boats from descending it. She was the first 

 gunboat ever afloat on the Western waters. 



Then he hastily drew together his little garrisons 

 of backwoodsmen from the French towns, and pre- 

 pared for the march overland against Vincennes. 

 His bold front and confident bearing, and the 

 prompt decision of his measures, had once more 

 restored confidence among the French, whose spirits 

 rose as readily as they were cast down ; and he was 

 especially helped by the Creole girls, whose enthu- 

 siasm for the expedition roused many of the more 

 daring young men to volunteer under Clark's ban- 

 ner. By these means he gathered together a band 

 of one hundred and seventy men, at whose head he 

 marched out of Kaskaskia on the 7th of February. 23 

 All the inhabitants escorted them out of the village, 

 and the Jesuit priest, Gibault, gave them absolution 

 at parting. 



The route by which they had to go was two hun- 

 dred and forty miles in length. It lay through a 

 beautiful and well watered country, of groves and 

 prairies ; but at that season the march was necessarily 

 attended with the utmost degree of hardship and fa- 



22 Under the command of Clark's couisn, Lt. John Rogers. 



23 Letter to Henry. The letter to Mason says it was 

 the 5th. 



