History of the expedition under the command of Captains Lewis and Clark, to the sources of the Missouri, thence across the Rocky mountains and down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean : performed during the years 1804-5-6 by order of the government of the United States; Volume 1

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116 Lewis and Clm·ke's Expedition ]ages of l\landuus near together. IIm·e the ~andans lived when the Uicaras came t.o them for 1n·oteetwn, and ft·om tJJis they moved to their present situation above. In the )ow ground the squaws raised their corn, and the timber, of which thct•e was little near the villages, was supplied from tbe opposite side of the l'iver, '"here it was and still i~ abundant. As we proceeded several I>artics of 1\fandans both on foot and horseback came along the river to view us, and were very desirous that we should land and talk to them: this we could not do on account of the sandbreaks on the shore, but we sent our Rieara chief to them in a periogue. The wind too having shifted to the southwest and being very high it required all our precautions on board, for the river \vas full of sandbars which made it very difficult to find the channel. We got aground several times, and passed a very bad point of rocks, after which we encamped on a sandpoint to the north, above a handsome plain covered with timber, and opposite to a high hill on the south side at the distance of eleven miles. Here we ·were joined by our Ricara chief, who brought an Indian to the camp where he remained all night. 26th. We set out early with a southwest wind, and after putting the Ricara chief on shore to join the Mandans who were in great numbers along it, we proceeded to the camp of the grand chiefs four miles distant. Here we met a Mr. M'Crackcn one of the northwest or Hudson Bay company, \l·ho arrived with another person about nine days ago to trade for horses and butraloe robes. Two of the chiefs came on board with some of their household furniture, such as eartbern pots and a little corn and went on with us; tke rest of the Indians following on shore. At one mile beyond the camp we passed a small m·eek, and at three more a bluff of co~l of an inferior quality on the south. After making eleven miles we reached an old field where the Mandans had culti­vated grain last summer, and encamped for the night on the Up tiLe .Missouri. iii south side, about half a mile below the first village of the Mandans. In tbe morning we had a willow low ground on the south and highland on the north, which occasionally varied in the com·se of the day. rrhcre is but little wood on this part of the river, wLid1 is here subdivided into many channels and obstructed by sandbars. As soon as we arrived a crowd of men, women, and children came down to sec us. Captain Lewis returned with the principal chiefs to the vil­lage, while the others remained with us during the evening; the object which seem<'d to surprise them most, was a corn­mill fixed to the boat which we had occasion to use, and de­lighted them by the ease with which it reduced the grain to powder. Among others who visited us was the son of the grand chief of the Mandans, who had his two little fing~rs cut off at the second joints. On inquiring into this accident, we found that it was customary to CXJ>ress grief for the death of relations by some corporeal suftering, and that the usual mode was to lose two joints of the little fin~ gers, or sometimes the othe1• fingers. The wind blew very cold in the evening from the southwest. Two of the party are affected with rheumatic egmplaiots.