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Show Lewis and Cla1•kc's E~'Pedilion Sunday, November 18. To-day we had a cold windy morning; the Black Cat came to see us, and occupied us for a l.ong time with questions on the usages ofourcountt>y: lie mentwned that a council had been held yesterday to dehbera&e on the state of their alfairs. It seems that not long ago, a pat·ty of Sioux fell in with some horses belonging to the Minnctarces, and carried them off; but in their flight they were met by some Assiniboins, who killed the Sioux and kept the horses: a F•·enchmau too w bo had lived many yca•·s among the ~Ian dans, was lately killed on his route to the B•·itislt f.actot·y on the Assiniboin; some smaller differences existed between the two nations, all of which being discussed, the eouncil decided that they would not resent the recent insults fl'om the Assiniboins and Knisteoaux, until they had seen whether we had deceived them or not in our promises of furnishing them with arms and ammunition. 'l~hey had been disa(>pointed in their hopes of receiving them f1·om Mr·. Evans and were afraid that we too, like him, might tell them what was not true. 'Ve advis<ld them to continue at peace, that supplies of every kind would no doubt arrive for them, but that time was necessary to organize the trade. The fact is that the Assiniboins treat the Man dans as the Sioux do the Ricaras; by their vicinity to the British they get all the SUJ)plies, which they \vithhold or give at pleasure to the remoter Indians: the consequence is, that however badly treated, the ~landaus and Ricaras are very slow to retaliate lest they ~hold lose their tt·adc altogether. Monday 19. 'rhe icc continues to float in the river, the wind high from the northwest, and the weather cold. Our hunters arrived from theh· excursion below, and bring a very fine sup1•ly of thirty-two deer, e~even elk, and five buffaloe, all of which was hung in a smokehouse. Tuesday 20. We this day moved into our buts which are now completed. This place which we call Fort Mandan, is situated in a point of low ground, on the north side of the Missouri, covered with tall and heavy cottonwoot1. The Vp. the JJ'Iissouri. 1:t9 work!J consist of t.wo rows of huts or sheds, forming an angle where they joined each other; each row containing four rooms, of fom·teen feet square an(} seven feet high, with plank eicling, ami the roof slanting so as to form a loft above the rooms, the highest pa•·t of which is eighteen feet f1·om the ground: the backs of the lJUts formed a wall of that height, ami opposite the angle the place of the wall was supplied by picketing: in the area were two rooms for stores and provisions. 'l'he Iatidude by observation is 4.7° 21' 4,7", and the computed distance . fl·om the mouth of the Missouri sixteen hundrcc.I miles. In the course of the day several Indians came down to partake of om· f1·csh meat; among the rest, three ehief.li of the second Mandan village. They inform us that the Sioux on the 1\fissouri above the Chaycnne river, threaten to attack them this winter; that these Sioux arc much irritated at the Ricaras for having made peace tlarough our means with the Mandans, anc.llunc lately ill treated three Ricaras who car·ried the pipe of peace to them, by beating them and taking away tbeh· ho1·ses. 'r e gave them assurances that we would protect them fl'om all their enemies. November 21st. ,.I'he weathel' was this day fane: the river clear of ice and rising a little: we arc now settled iu our new winter habitation, and shall wait with much anxiety the fi1•st return of sp•·ing to continue our journey. 'I'he villages near which we are established are five in number, and are the residence of tha·ce distinct nations: the )landans, the Ahnahaways, and the 1\'linnetarees. The history of the Mandans, as we received it from our interpreters and from the chiefs themselves, and as it is attested by existing monuments, illustrates more than that of any othe1• nation the unsteady movements and the tottering fortunes oC the Amet·ican nations. 'Vi thin the recollection of living witnesses, the Mandans were settled forty years ago in nino villages, the ruins of which we passed about eighty miles VOL. J • s |
