334 The Winning of the West 



nor conscience, and could not be shocked by any pro- 

 posal. Moreover, Wilkinson much enjoyed the early 

 stages of a seditious agitation, when the risk to 

 himself seemed slight; and as he was at this time 

 both the highest military officer of the United 

 States, and also secretly in the pay x>f Spain, the 

 chance to commit a double treachery gave an added 

 zest to his action. He entered cordially into Burr's 

 plans, and as soon as he returned to his headquar- 

 ters, at St. Louis, he set about trying to corrupt his 

 subordinates, and seduce them from their allegi- 

 ance. 



Meanwhile Burr passed down the Mississippi to 

 New Orleans, where he found himself in the so- 

 ciety of persons who seemed more willing than oth- 

 ers he had encountered to fall in with his plans. 

 Even here he did not'clearly specify his purposes, 

 but he did say enough to show that they bordered 

 on the treasonable ; and he was much gratified at the 

 acquiescence of his listeners. His gratification, 

 however, was over-hasty. The Creoles, and some 

 of the Americans, were delighted to talk of their 

 wrongs and to threaten any course of action which 

 they thought might yield vengeance; but they had 

 little intention of proceeding from words to deeds. 

 Claiborne, a straightforward and honest man, set 

 his face like a flint against all of Burr's doings. 



From New Orleans Burr retraced his steps and 

 visited Wilkinson at St. Louis. But Wilkinson was 

 no longer in the same frame of mind as at Fort 

 Massac. He had tested his officers, to see if they 



