Journal of the voyages and travels of a corps of discovery : under the command of Capt. Lewis and Capt. Clarke of the Army of the United States, from the mouth of the river Missouri through the interior parts of North America to the Pacific Ocean, during the years 1804, 1805 & 1806. Containing an authentic relation of the most interesting transactions during the expedition,--a description of the country,--and an account of its inhabitants, soil, climate, curiosities and vegetable and animal productions

Page 36

62 JOURNAL. and twenty-three n1en immediately set out with an jntenlivn of pursuing the murderers. They ' r ent up to the first Yilla s c of the l\Iandans, but th eir war­t i.Jrs did not seem disposed to turn out. Tbcy sug­.. ·cstcd the coldness of the weather ; th.1t the Sioux ~ve re too fur gone to be overtaken ; and put off the o:xpcclition to the spring of the year. C:.1ptain Clarke ~n cl his party r eturned the same evening to the fort. ' y c have been d,,ily visited l>y the T ndians since we c am~ here. Our for t is called Fort :\1andan, and by obser ration is in latitude 47. 2 1. S2 . 8 .* ·~ T he course of the Missour i, and di stances of phces on it un)e::tr to be ve1·y e rroneonsly laid down upon the maps of L oui ,iana g-ener ally. On these tJ.e ,·ill ag-es of the 1\Iandans 2 1 e> l' ':.ced in about 43 1-~ de:;t·Pss of nor·th lat i tude an(l 112 1-2 of west lonp,·itudc from G1·cenv:ch. T h is would l•l.tl'f' thc·m about 500 miles ne:!.rer the r:l'Httl' of the Colum- 1!, o.1 tile P aci fic ocean, than the mot.th d' the J\1issomi : ~. q, 1)rJ~ i ng t lte mouth of the Columbia to be alwnl 1:2-1 de­f. T•'<'s west. 0f L ondoll . But th e nearr;,t prac,ic~d>lc roure fr , lll t l·e Mandan 'ill:tg-c:s to the mouth of the Coltur.hin , ~CC\I:ding to Captain CI~n·ke's est!matl', places them ~S5 1nile.; nearet· the rnotlLh of the M:..,so tl !'i th:m t.h:.t of' the Columbia ; and b) the route :trtually \.[J.ken by the L xpt.di­t i<,n t.> the mouth ofthc Columbia, the: a;·l! 900 mil<.:s n('~l'er t!Je J~1onth of the 1\'I issoUI'i. By C;lptain Lewis's '>h:;ervations thr se Yillages are in lati­t lldl' 47. 21. 32. 8. :11.d :tccord i n:~ to ~de. Mac kC'Ilz~r-, Mr. Thompson a ·t t·onomcr to the North '\\'est compan:,, in the ) c:• r 1 7~ 8, rletermi n<.:d the northern bC'nd of t Le Missouri to be in l atitud~"' 47 . .)2. north , nnd h,n f'!'~luclc 101 25. wec;t. •.) Now tl1i. is probably ncar the long·it tde of the Mand: n vil - 1 ~t;C's ; for a~• it n.ppe :u·s hy the ~bo\'C statement, ::tPd l•y o­ti. er obscnation~ of C!lp tain Le\\ is HlU'eJ' tlw n .outb of' tl.e !\1; souri, that the coms<' up the J'i 'r ei· )s, fo1· a <'OJ,•.:c1eral>le < b~umce, nearly c1uc wrst, an<l alterwards nrar1y clue nor~ l ·, t l1< <.itferencc of long-itmlc al'd btitutk, hetwc·en the mouth of the Missouri and the point ·where Ml'. Thompson took h's Ob C'l'\ Ations, 1TI3)' be added t<'gether, in C;Stimating the <li" tat:ce : and t his will give about 8 1-2 degrees of latitude nd 9 degr ee s of long itude making in the whole 17 1-2 de­~: ces, which. fl'O.m the vet·y m;,rnd1~in~ cour se of the Mti· JO U R~AL. !.~ttunl~uJ ·1st JJcccm{Jer, 1804· . The. day We s p l 'a­i •'nt, ancl w~ bcg:u1 to cut ::uHl carry l ! ~c kct s to ~o m­pletc our fort . O ne of the tl'aders fron1 the orl!l \ Vest (' r)mp:m y C:\m e to the for ~, at~d rel ated t h~1 t the lllllia!1S had b<.;cn troublesome m lus WdY t h r or:g11. l..t1 Jm1ian c am.·~ down from the first l\rdndan viE a~c: , and told us t i1at a g reat number o f the Chien or Do~· nati,)n h ~d arrivecl near tbc 'i ll agc. Swz rftzy 2nd. The cLly was p1.c 1s1nt,_ and t.he SllO \V melt<:d fast. A p atty of t he C ln t.:n I n d tans wnh som.e of th t.: r~1 uHLms came to the fort : they n p pc~t r t.:d c t ­vil 8 i1cl good n atured . ·~'h~ Srcl Hh and 5th we r~ m odct·ate antl "'~.;;can; ­ecl on the wo rk ; h ut the 6th was so cold and ~t o r m: , '\rt.: could do n otbi!1<"', In the n ig·ht th e rin: r· l'rn;,t.: over, nncl in the mgrnin p- was co,·e recl with sulid icc an inch ancl an half thick. F riday 7th . A cl e a~· cold 1norn~n g . ~ l 9 o'c!or i .... , tl1c BiP· -wbi t:.c head cluef, of the hrst vi lla ge of t hl..! 1\bnd;tns, came to our gatTison and told ns th ht t be bufl'aloe wt.: re in the prairie cominp· into the bottom. Captain L cwi <; and eleven 1norc o f ns went out im­m ~J iat c ly , and sa:w the prairie co :·c~·e d with lm,f·",,1oc and the I ndi.ms on hor.;ehack klllm~.; them . i Ley ki,kd 30 or 40 and we t illed clcYen of lbem. They shoot the 1 with bows and arrows, and L:tv\.! tl~e: : l lOl'SCS SO lt'aincd that they wiil <tel \"~111 CC V~l Y l~C~t:· antl sml-.lcnly 'vhccl and fly off in case t he wow c~c l bu iTuloe attempt an attack. !Jaturrlml 8th . In our hunt ol' yestc rcl~y, n~·o i 1 ··1 had llH:ir fe,·t frost-bitten . C:1ptain Clar~~e t. HJ ~. 1C· thcr party w\.!nt out thou g h th · cold w:ts c xt:'t.:;nc, sou!·i, ma• he ntffiric;!t to itH.lucle 1610 mi1..·s of :1. ti" ,··. - '\ . . .,, I ' I" .... T t anre fr,Hl thf' ..,, ~ ~~ 11 to til•' Y.i agl'L', n t, :\' m :.p < ~·· • \ A i.~'l,. C't i1c:l· rl ·d •' c .\11~·' .lc.: om p~: n)i:lf:,' P ii}.-r·J, c: t·~ Ce •; :•nhy, n,, .r 1 ~, · · 1l BJ-J, tili:;p:.!t o,' tin= l','fr~~~ ~~ ··i · .- l .. • • .. .... ,. JW.t· .;prc-.t y ~c . ur ... "_ .i~.l.' · •. n; b,.t dlth:·~l'a1)utl .r ·: - cia:la i11 the s~me s~.;.. ! ~ : ... ·qt:any c:Tonccus w1th any ot11U'. 'J