Reaching the Great Divide Summary and Analysis

On August 11, Lewis` sees a man on a horse two miles away, coming toward them down the plain. Flanked at a distance by Shields and Drouillard, the captain walks in his direction and signals his friendly intentions using his blanket. However, as Lewis gets closer, the horseman turns and rides away. The party follows the horse tracks in the hope of finding a village; they find more horse tracks, but no Indians and decide to camp out for the night. On August 12, the men travel miles down a valley along the river stream; they eventually find the furthest fountain, the point of origin of the mighty Missouri River. Lewis drinks from the source and climbs the dividing mountain. On the other side, he finds a similar source which he identifies as a source of the...