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such place! They were going to take me in the open. Just as my legs started to go, I heard—
    "
Caw! Caw! Caw!
"
    White Feather swooped down upon us. At the time I wasn't certain if he was trying to help the wolves or hinder them, but his sudden appearance caused the leader to stumble, which threw the other wolves off the chase for a moment. And a moment was all I needed, because the next thing I heard were men's voices.
    It was the Fields brothers.
    "
Caw! Caw! Caw!
"
    White Feather flew right to them, and my weak legs followed without breaking stride.
    Startled at my sudden arrival, a couple of the Otos raised their war axes.
    "Friend!" Drouillard shouted. "Friend! It's the Captain's dog."
    I turned around, but the wolves were nowhere to be seen. Nor was White Feather.
    "I wondered where you'd got off to," Joe said. "If I came back without you, the Captain would hang me along with our friend here."
    I looked at Reed, as pleased as I ever would be to see
him, but it was clear he didn't feel the same way about me. His hands were tied behind his back and he looked as if he had been towed through a dry streambed.

    As soon as we got back to camp, the court-martial commenced. Reed pleaded guilty to desertion and stealing a rifle, a shot pouch, powder, and balls. He was convicted and sentenced to run the gauntlet four times. He was also discharged from the permanent party. And for the rest of the summer he would travel in one of the pirogues with the French voyagers, with whom he would be sent back to Saint Louis in the spring. I was glad to hear this, as I wouldn't have to put up with him after that.
    Captain Lewis, through Drouillard, explained the punishment to Little Thief and the other chiefs. "The men will form two lines facing each other, holding sticks. Private Reed will run this gauntlet four times while the men beat him with the sticks."
    The chiefs were offended at the severity of the punishment and asked that Reed be pardoned. The captains stepped off by themselves to discuss the request.
    "If we let him off this early in our journey," Captain Clark said, "I'm afraid it will set a poor example for the other men."
    Captain Lewis nodded. "We are in for even harder times ahead. We must maintain discipline."
    They walked back over to the chiefs and Drouillard.
    "Tell the chiefs that desertion is our most serious offense," Captain Lewis said, so all the men could hear. "By his desertion Private Reed has not only jeopardized this expedition and wasted valuable time, he has also betrayed his fellow soldiers. Under our laws we could hang or shoot him for this. Running the gauntlet is the smallest penalty we can impose under the circumstances."
    Little Thief and the other chiefs seemed to accept this. The men lined up in two rows.
    I disliked Moses Reed, but watching him run the gauntlet was horrible. After his first time through, I slipped away, but I stayed within running distance of camp in case I met up with that pack of wolves.

August 19, 1804
After meeting with Chief Little Thief we are proceeding on. Reed is in the white pirogue, no doubt suffering greatly. Although he deserved every stroke, I still feel some measure of pity for him.
    At the moment my greatest concern is Sergeant Charles Floyd, who is gravely ill. I am in the keelboat at his side as I write this. Captain Clark spent the entire night tending him and I am now doing what I can. He has a great deal of pain in his stomach region and all our attempts to relieve him have failed....
    THROUGHOUT OUR journey all the men suffered from various stomach ailments, but it was clear that Sergeant Floyd's sickness was something worse than a common bellyache.
    Captain Lewis came out of the cabin and told the men to row the keelboat to shore.
    "Start a fire and heat some water. I want to give Sergeant Floyd a warm bath to see if it will help him."
    Captain Clark and York carried Floyd to shore and laid him next to the fire. "You'll be just fine," Captain Clark told