[Illustration: The Lewis and Clark Expedition Working Its Way Westward.]
The next March, as soon as travel was safe, they gladly turned their faces
homeward, and after a fatiguing journey of about three months, reached the
Great Plains.
Then the party separated for a time into two companies, Clark following
the course of the Yellowstone River, and Lewis the Missouri, planning to
meet where the two rivers united.
This they succeeded in doing, though both parties were troubled somewhat
by Indians. The Crow Indians stole horses from Clark's party, and eight
Blackfoot warriors attacked Lewis and three of his men. But Lewis got the
better of them and captured four of their horses.
The explorers suffered no further injury, and in September, 1806, about
two years and four months after starting out, they were back in St. Louis,
with their precious maps and notes. They had successfully carried out a
magnificent undertaking, and you may be sure they received a joyful
welcome from their friends. I wonder if any of you can tell which of our
world's fairs commemorated the leaders of this expedition.
Through the efforts of these explorers the highway across the continent
became an established fact.
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