“He is my guest once in Louisiane, mon general,” Monsieur Auguste explained; “my family knows him.”

“You know the Sieur de St. Gre, Davy?” said the General again.

“Yes, I know him,” I answered, I fear with some brevity.

“Podden me,” said Auguste, “I am now Citizen Captain de St. Gre.  And you are also embark in the glorious cause—­Ah, I am happy,” he added, embracing me with a winning glance.

I was relieved from the embarrassment of denying the impeachment by reason of being introduced to the other notables, to Citizen Captain Sullivan, who wore an undress uniform consisting of a cotton butternut hunting shirt.  He had charge on the Bear Grass of building the boats for the expedition, and was likewise a prominent member of that august body, the Jacobin Society of Lexington.  Next came Citizen Quartermaster Depeau, now of Knob Licks, Kentucky, sometime of New Orleans.  The Citizen Quartermaster wore his hair long in the backwoods fashion; he had a keen, pale face and sunken eyes.

“Ver’ glad mek you known to me, Citizen Reetchie.”

The fourth gentleman was likewise French, and called Gignoux.  The Citizen Gignoux made some sort of an impression on me which I did not stop to analyze.  He was a small man, with a little round hand that wriggled out of my grasp; he had a big French nose, bright eyes that popped a little and gave him the habit of looking sidewise, and grizzled, chestnut eyebrows over them.  He had a thin-lipped mouth and a round chin.

“Citizen Reetchie, is it?  I laik to know citizen’s name glorified by gran’ cause.  Reetchie?”

“Will you enter, citizens?” said the General.

I do not know why I followed them unless it were to satisfy a devil-prompted curiosity as to how Auguste de St. Gre had got there.  We went into the room, where the General’s slovenly negro was already lighting the candles and the General proceeded to collect and fill six of the glasses on the table.  It was Citizen Captain Sullivan who gave the toast.

“Citizens,” he cried, “I give you the health of the foremost apostle of Liberty in the Western world, the General who tamed the savage tribes, who braved the elements, who brought to their knees the minions of a despot king.”  A slight suspicion of a hiccough filled this gap.  “Cast aside by an ungrateful government, he is still unfaltering in his allegiance to the people.  May he lead our Legion victorious through the Spanish dominions.

“Vive la Republique!” they shouted, draining their glasses.  “Vive le citoyen general Clark!”

“Louisiana!” shouted Citizen Sullivan, warming, “Louisiana, groaning under oppression and tyranny, is imploring us with uplifted hands.  To those remaining veteran patriots whose footsteps we followed to this distant desert, and who by their blood and toil have converted it into a smiling country, we now look.  Under your guidance, Citizen General, we fought, we bled—­”