furnished with the printed journal of Lewis and Clarke, it is unnecessary to dwell upon the incidents of their memorable journey across the continent. It is only with its results that we have to deal in this sketch.
One of its results was developed at this early period, or during their stay at the Mandan village: which was, to alarm the North-west Fur Company, and, through them, the English Government, as to the designs of the Americans concerning the northern coast of the Pacific. It has been before stated, that the North-west Company had been compelled reluctantly to resign the posts along the Great Lakes, belonging to the United States, after the Revolutionary War. They still continued to hunt and trap, and had established their trading-posts in all that country lying about the headwaters of the Mississippi; and their employees were scattered throughout the region east of the Missouri, and west of the Lakes—even having penetrated, on one occasion, to the foot of the Rocky Mountains.
It happened that, while Lewis and Clarke were at the Mandan villages, the fact of their visit, and the object of it, which had been explained to the Indians, were communicated to some members of the North-west Company, who had a post about three days' journey from there. So much alarmed was Mr. Chaboillez, who resided at this post, that he wrote immediately to another partner, Mr. D. W. Harmon, a native of New England; and, upon receiving a visit from him, urged Mr. Harmon to set out in the following spring upon the same route pursued by Lewis and Clarke, accompanied by Indian guides, doubtless with the intention of arriving at the head-waters of the Missouri, in advance of the American expedition; but, in this praiseworthy strife for precedence they were in this instance
