A Cycle of the West · Chapter
II: The Up-Stream Men explained
Major Henry leads Ashley's band of a hundred men up the Missouri River, facing harsh labor, changing seasons, and encounters with the Rees.
What happens
Major Henry leads Ashley's band of a hundred men up the Missouri River, facing harsh labor, changing seasons, and encounters with the Rees. The chapter introduces the three friends—Will Carpenter, Mike Fink, and Frank Talbeau—and describes their journey, a horse raid, a burial, a sudden storm, and the eventual construction of a fort at the river junction.
Themes in this chapter
Heroic Individualism and Epic Scale
The chapter celebrates the strength, endurance, and camaraderie of the up-stream men, framing their journey as a heroic endeavor.
Nature and the Wilderness
The changing seasons, the river, the prairie, and the storm are vividly depicted, emphasizing the power and indifference of the natural world.
Loss and Nostalgia
Moments of remembrance for fallen comrades and longing for home contrast with the adventurous spirit, highlighting the cost of frontier life.
Characters to notice
- Major Andrew Henry
Leads Ashley's band up the Missouri River.
- Will Carpenter
One of the three friends; a tall, lean, powerful man with a childlike smile.
- Mike Fink
One of the three friends; a jocular, pugnacious rogue with a love for jest and fight.
- Frank Talbeau
One of the three friends; part of the doughty trio.
- William H. Ashley
Organizer of the expedition; expected to come up with his band later.
Key passages
“So through the days of thunder and of sun They pressed to northward. Now the river shrank, The grass turned yellow and the men were lank And gnarled with labor.”
They pushed north through storms and heat, the river narrowing and the grass fading as the men grew gaunt and toughened from the work.
Describes the physical toll of the journey.
“And whisky went hell-roaring through the nights Among the lodges of the fuddled Rees.”
Whisky fueled wild, chaotic nights in the Rees' village, leaving them drunk and disorderly.
Highlights the destructive impact of alcohol on the tribe.
“For O how many a lad Would see the face of Danger, and go mad With her weird vixen beauty; aye, forget This girl’s face, yearning upward now and wet, Half woman’s with the first vague guess at woe!”
Many young men would become enamored with the thrill of danger, abandoning the tearful girls they left behind.
Foreshadows the transformative and often tragic allure of the frontier.