104 The Winning of the West 



weather, gave new life to all. They set out again 

 in the afternoon, crossed a deep, narrow lake in 

 their canoes, and after marching a short distance 

 came to a copse of timber from which they saw the 

 fort and town not two miles away. Here they 

 halted, and looked to their rifles and ammunition, 

 making ready for the fight. Every man now feasted 

 his eyes with the sight of what he had so long 

 labored to reach, and forthwith forgot that he had 

 suffered anything; making light of what had been 

 gone through, and passing from dogged despair to 

 the most exultant self-confidence. 



Between the party and the town lay a plain, 

 the hollows being filled with little pools, on which 

 were many water-fowl, and some of the townspeo- 

 ple were in sight, on horseback, shooting ducks. 

 Clark sent out a few active young Creoles, who suc- 

 ceeded in taking prisoner one of these fowling 

 horsemen. From him it was learned that neither 

 Hamilton nor any one else had the least suspicion 

 that any attack could possibly be made at that sea- 

 son, but that a couple of hundred Indian warriors 

 had just come to town. 



Clark was rather annoyed at the last bit of in- 

 formation. The number of armed men in town, 

 including British, French, and Indians, about quad- 

 rupled his own force. This made heavy odds to 

 face, even with the advantage of a surprise, and in 

 spite of the fact that his own men were sure to fight 

 to the last, since failure meant death by torture. 

 Moreover, if he made the attack without warning, 



