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Show Lewis ttn d Cla•·ke' s Ex-pedition is opened by devoting the goods of the master of the feast to his medicine, which is represented by a head of the animal itself, or by a medicine bag if the deity be an invisible being. The young women then begin the dance, in the intervals of which each will prostrate herself before the as! lembly to challenge or reward the boldness of the youth, who are often tempted by feeling or the hopes of distinction to achieve the adventure. Wednesday 9. The weather is cold, the thermometer at sunrise 21 o below o. K.agohami breakfasted with us, and <mptain Clarke with three or four men accompanied him and a party gf Indians to hunt, in which they were so fortunate as to kill a number of buffaloe: but they were incommoded by snow, by high and squally winds, and by extreme cold: several of the Indians came to the fo1•t nearly frozen, others are missing, and we are uneasy, for one of our men who was separated from the rest during the chase has not returned~ In the morning, Thursday 10, however, he came back just as we were sending out five men in search of him. The night had been excessively cold, and this morning at sunrise the mercury stood at ·!.0° below o, or 72 below the freezing point. He bad, however, made a fire and kept himself tolerably warm. A young Indian, about thirteen years of age, also came in soon afte1·. His fathet· who came last night to inquit·c after him very anxiously, had sent him in the afternoon to the fort: he was overtaken by the night, and was obliged to sleep on the snow with no covering exce.pt a 1,air of antelope skin moccasins and leggings a.nd a bulfal&e robe: llis feet being frozen we put them into cold water, and gave bim e,·et•y attention in our power. About the same time an Indian who had also been missing returned to the fort, and although his dress was very thin, and he had slept on the snow without a fire, he had not suffered the slightest inconvenience. We have indeed obset·ved that these Indians support the rigom ·s of the season in a way which we bad hitherto tbonght Up tile .,lJissoUJ·i. 153 impossible. A more pleasing reflection occurred at seeing the warm interest which the situation of these two persons had excited in the village, the hoy had been a prisoner and adopted from charity, yet the distress of the father proved that be felt for him the tenderest affection, the man was a person of no distinction, yet the whole village was full of :enxiety for his safety, and when they eamc to us, borrowed a sleigh to bring them home with ease, it' they survived, or to carry their bodies if they had perished. F'riday if. 'Ve despatched three hunters to join the same numbm: whom we had sent below about seven miles to hunt elk. Like that of yesterday the weather to-day was cold and clear, the thermometer standing at 38° below o. Poseopsahe and Shotabawrot·a visited us, anti past the night at the fort. Saturday 12. 'l'he weather continues very cold, the mercury at sunrise being 20° below 0. Three of the hunters returned, having killed three elk. Sunday 13. 'Ve have a continuation of clear weather, and the cold has increased, the mercury having sunk to 3-1~ below o. Nearly one half of the l\1andan nation passed down the river to hunt for several days; in these excursions meu, women and children, with their do.gs, all leave the villa~ together, and after discovering a spot convenient for the game, fix their tents; all the family bear their part in the labour, and the game is e(}ually divided among the families of the tribe. w·hen a single hunter returns from the chace with more than is necessary for his own immediate con sump· tion, the neighbours are entitled by custom to a share of it: they do not however ask for it, but send a squaw, who without saying any thing, sits down by the door of the lodge till the master understands the hint, and gives her gt·atuitously a part for her family. Chaboneau who with oue man had gone to some lodges of Minnetarees near the rrurtle moun~ aio, retu~ned with their faces much frostbitten. Tlaey had VOL. 1. X |