OCR Text |
Show Lewi:~ and Clarke's Expedition a cold night. We pt·oc\n·cd to.day a buffaloe and an otter only. The river is wide ami the sandhars numerous, and a low island ncar our encampment. Monday 22. In the morning we }Jassed an old Mamlao village on the south, ncar our camp; at four miles anothet• on the same side. About seven o'clock we came to at a camp of eleven Sioux of the rreton tribe, who are almost perfectly naked, having only a Iliccc of sldn or cloth round the middle, though we at•e suftering from the cold. From their appearance, which is warlike, and ft·om their giving two different accounts of themselves, we believe tl1at they are either going to or returning ft·om the Mandans, to which nations the Sioux frcquentl)' make excursions to steal horses. As their conduct displeased us, we gave them no. thing. At six we reached an island about one mile in length, at the head of which is a l\'landan village on the north in ruins, and two miles beyond a bad sandbar. At eight miles are remains of another Mandan village on the south; and at twelve miles encamped on the south. rrhe hunters brought in a buffaloe bull, aml mentioned that of about three hundred which they had seen, there was not a single female. The beaver is here in plenty, ami the two Frenchmen who at·e returning with us catch several every night. These villages which arc nine in number are scattered along each side of the river within a space of twenty miles; almost all that remains of them is the wall which surrounded them, the fallen heallS of earth which covered the houses, and occasionally human skulls and the teeth and bones of men, and difterent animals, which are scattered on the sur· face of the ground. Tuesday 23. 'rhe weather was cloutly and we bad some snow; we soon arrived at five lodges whet·c the two French· men had been I·obbed, but the Indians had left it lately as we found the fires still burning. The country consists as usual of timbet'e(l low g•·ounds, with gra(Jes, rushes, and great quantities of a small red acid fruit, known among the UjJ the JJiissouri. 11& lndians by a name signifying rabLitberries, and caUed by the :French gt·aisse de l.nrfHc or buffaloe fat. The river too, is obstr·ucted by many sandbat·s. At twelve miles we passed an old village on the not·th, which was the forme•· residence of the Ahnahaways who now live between the Man dans and Minnetarccs. After making thirteen miles we encamped on the south. Wednesday ft.)... 'l'he day was again dark and it snowed a little in the mor·ning. At three miles we came to a point on the south, where the river by forcing a channel across a former bend has formed a large island on the north. On this island we found one of the grand chiefs of the Mandans, who with five lodges was on a hunting excursion. Ile met his enemy the Uicara chief, with great ceJ•emony and appo.rent cordiality, and smoked with him. After visiting his lodges, the grand chief and his brother came on hoard our boat for a short time; we then proceeded and encamped on the north, at seven miles from our last night's station and below the old village ofthe Mandans and Ricaras. Here four Mandanscamcdownfroma camp above, and ourRical'aehief returned with them to their camp, fl'om which we aug·ur favourably of their pacific views towards each other. 'l'he land is low and beautiful. and covm·cd with oak and cottonwood, but has been too recently hunted to afi(H'd much game. 25th. 'l'he morning was cold and the wind gentle from the southeast: at three miles we passed a handsome l1igh prairie on the south, and on an eminence about fot·ty feet above the watct• and extending back f'ot• several miles in a beautiful plain, 'vas situated an old vilJage of the Mandan nation which has been deserted fm· mauy years. A short distance above it, on the continuation of the same r·ising ground are two old villages ofRical'as, one on the top of the hill, the othet· in tl'e level plain~ which have been deserted only five ycat•s ago. Above these viJlages is an extensive low ground for several miles, in which at·e situated, at three or four miles from the Rica1·a villages, three old vii- |