Louisiana and Aaron Burr 365 



bly associated with the West. His two voyages of 

 exploration, one to the headwaters of the Missis- 

 sippi, the other to the springs of the Arkansas and 

 the Rio Grande, were ordered by Wilkinson, with- 

 out authority from Congress. When Wilkinson's 

 name was smirched by Burr's conspiracy the lieu- 

 tenant likewise fell under suspicion, for it was be- 

 lieved that his southwestern trip was undertaken in 

 pursuance of some of Wilkinson's schemes. Un- 

 questionably this trip was intended by Pike to throw 

 light on the exact nature of the Spanish boundary 

 claims. In all probability he also intended to try 

 to find out all he could of the military and civil situ- 

 ation in the northern provinces of Mexico. Such 

 information could be gathered but for one purpose; 

 and it seems probable that Wilkinson had hinted to 

 him that part of his plan which included an assault 

 of some kind or other on Spanish rule in Mexico; 

 but Pike was an ardent patriot, and there is not the 

 slightest ground for any belief that Wilkinson dared 

 to hint to him his own dislo'yalty to the Union. 



In August, 1805, Pike turned his face toward 

 the headwaters of the Mississippi, his purpose being 

 both to explore the sources of that river, and to 

 show to the Indians, and to the British fur traders 

 among them, that the United States was sovereign 

 over the country in fact as well as in theory. He 

 started in a large keel boat, with twenty soldiers of 

 the regular army. The voyage up-stream was un- 

 eventful. The party lived largely on game they 

 shot, Pike himself doing rather more hunting than 



