Made out of our large United States flag, a few old
clothes trimmed with ribbons, and one artillerist's uniform coat
and hat, which probably Captain Clark will never wear again.
We have to depend entirely upon this meagre outfit for the purchase
of such horses and provisions as it will be in our power to obtain -
a scant dependence, indeed, for such a journey as is before us."
One of their last acts was to draw up a full list of the members
of the party, and, making several copies of it, to leave these
among the friendly Indians with instructions to give a paper
to the first white men who should arrive in the country.
On the back of the paper was traced the track by which the
explorers had come and that by which they expected to return.
This is a copy of one of these important documents: -
"The object of this list is, that through the medium of some civilized
person who may see the same, it may be made known to the informed world,
that the party consisting of the persons whose names are hereunto annexed,
and who were sent out by the government of the U'States in May,
1804, to explore the interior of the Continent of North America,
did penetrate the same by way of the Missouri and Columbia Rivers,
to the discharge of the latter into the Pacific Ocean, where they
arrived on the 14th of November, 1805, and from whence they departed
the 23d day of March, 1806, on their return to the United States
by the same rout they had come out."
Curiously enough, one of these papers did finally reach the
United States.
