Hunt. From this place he despatched the messenger in question, trusting
to his overtaking the barges as they toiled up against the stream, and
were delayed by the windings of the river. The purport of his letter was
to entreat Mr. Hunt to wait until he could come up with him, that they
might unite their forces and be a protection to each other in their
perilous course through the country of the Sioux. In fact, as it was
afterwards ascertained, Lisa was apprehensive that Mr. Hunt would do him
some ill office with the Sioux band, securing his own passage through
their country by pretending that he, with whom they were accustomed
to trade, was on his way to them with a plentiful supply of goods. He
feared, too, that Crooks and M'Lellan would take this opportunity to
retort upon him the perfidy which they accused him of having used, two
years previously, among these very Sioux. In this respect, however, he
did them signal injustice. There was no such thing as court design or
treachery in their thought; but M'Lellan, when he heard that Lisa was on
his way up the river, renewed his open threat of shooting him the moment
he met him on Indian land.
The representations made by Crooks and M'Lellan of the treachery they
had experienced, or fancied, on the part of Lisa, had great weight with
Mr.
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