Page 101 - La Société canadienne d'histoire de l'Église catholique - Rapport 1961

REPORT ON THE PICTURE GALLERY. 97
assiduity, the construction of the trading-house, he dispatched
the hunters and trappers of his party in a canoe, to makc their
way up the river to the original place of destination, therc to
busy themselves in trapping and collecting pcltries, and to await
his arrival at some future period.
As soon as thc detachment had had sufficient time to ascend
beyond the hostile country of the Sioux, Mr. CKOOICS suddenly
broke up his feigned trading establishment, embarked his men
and effects, and, after giving the astonished rcar-guard of sava-
ges a galling and indignant message to take to their countrymen,
pushed down the river vitll all speed, sparing neither oar nor
peddle, day nor night, unt#il fairly beyond the swoop of these
river hawks.
What increased the irritation of Nessrs. CROOI~S and
MCLELLAN, at this mortifying check to their gainful enterprise,
was the infornlation that n rival trader was at the bottom of it;
the Sioux, it is said, having been instigated to this outrege by
Mr. MANUEL LISA, the leading partner and agent of thc Rlissouri
Fur Company. This intelligence, whether true or false, SO
roused the fiery temper of MCLELLAN, that he swore, if he ever
fell in with LISA in the Indian country, he would shoot him on
the spot; a mode of redress perfectly in unison wit11 thc char'
acter of the man, and the code of honor prevalent beyond the
frontier. If CROOKS and MCLELLAN had been exasperated by
the insolent conduct of the Sioux Tetons, and the loss which it
had occasioned, those freebooters had been no less indignant at
being outwitted by the white mcn, and disappointed of their
anticipated gains.
In 1809, when Joas JACOB ASTOI~, formed the plan of estab-
lishing a chain of trading posts on the Missouri to the Rocky
Mountains, and thence to the Pacific, Mr. CROOKS was induced
to relinquish his business, and join the party of traders and
trappers, which startcd ii-on1 St. Louis, under thc charge of the
late WILLIAM PI~ICE IITDT, as Mr. ASTOR'S agent, mho was
appointed for a tcrm of five years, and was to reside at the
principal station established on the North-West coast. Another
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