That night was bitterly cold, for there was a heavy frost, and the ice formed half an inch thick round the edges and in the smooth water.  But the sun rose bright and glorious, and Clark, in burning words, told his stiffened, famished, half-frozen followers that the evening would surely see them at the goal of their hopes.  Without waiting for an answer, he plunged into the water, and they followed him with a cheer, in Indian file.  Before the third man had entered the water he halted and told one of his officers [Footnote:  Bowman] to close the rear with twenty-five men, and to put to death any man who refused to march; and the whole line cheered him again.

Then came the most trying time of the whole march.  Before them lay a broad sheet of water, covering what was known as the Horse Shoe Plain; the floods had made it a shallow lake four miles across, unbroken by so much as a handsbreadth of dry land.  On its farther side was a dense wood.  Clark led breast high in the water with fifteen or twenty of the strongest men next him.  About the middle of the plain the cold and exhaustion told so on the weaker men that the canoes had to take them aboard and carry them on to the land; and from that time on the little dug-outs plied frantically to and fro to save the more helpless from drowning.  Those, who, though weak, could still move onwards, clung to the stronger, and struggled ahead, Clark animating them in every possible way.  When they at last reached the woods the water became so deep that it was to the shoulders of the tallest, but the weak and those of low stature could now cling to the bushes and old logs, until the canoes were able to ferry them to a spot of dry land, some ten acres in extent, that lay near-by.  The strong and tall got ashore and built fires.  Many on reaching the shore fell flat on their faces, half in the water, and could not move farther.  It was found that the fires did not help the very weak, so every such a one was put between two strong men who ran him up and down by the arms, and thus soon made him recover. [Footnote:  Clark’s “Memoir.”]

Fortunately at this time an Indian canoe, paddled by some squaws, was discovered and overtaken by one of the dug-outs.  In it was half a quarter of a buffalo, with some corn, tallow and kettles.  This was an invaluable prize.  Broth was immediately made, and was served out to the most weakly with great care; almost all of the men got some, but very many gave their shares to the weakly, rallying and joking them to put them in good heart.  The little refreshment, together with the fires and the bright weather, gave new life to all.  They set out again in the afternoon, crossed a deep, narrow lake in their canoes, and after marching a short distance came to a copse of timber from which they saw the fort and town not two miles away.  Here they halted, and looked to their rifles and ammunition, making ready for the fight.  Every man now feasted his eyes with the sight of what he had so long labored to reach, and forthwith forgot that he had suffered any thing; making light of what had been gone through, and passing from dogged despair to the most exultant self-confidence.