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Show .Lewis and Cla•·ke's Expeditiou been about ninety miles distant, and procuretl from the in~ habitants some meat and grease, with which they loaded the Jwrses. He informs us that tl1e agent of the Hudson bay company at that place,.had been endeavouring to make unfavourable impressions with regard to us on the mind of the great chief, and that theN. W. company intend building a fort there. The great chief had in consequence spoken slightly of the Americans, but said that if we would give him our great flag he would come and see us. Monday 14. 'l'he Mandans continue to pass down the ·l'ivcr on their hunting party, and were joined by six of our men. One of those sent on Thursday returned, with information that one of his companions had his feet so badly frostbitten that he could not walk home. In their excursion they had killed a buffaloe,.a wolf, two porcupines and a white hare. The weather was more modct·ate to-day, the mercury being at 16° below o, and the wind from the S. E. we had however some snow, aftet• which it remained cloudy. Tuesday 15. The morning is much warmer than yesterday, and the snow begins to melt, though the wind after being for some time from the S. E. suddenly shifted toN. W. Between twelve and three o'clock A.M. there was a total eclipse of the moon, from wl1ich we obtained a part of the observation necessary for ascertaining the longitude. We were visited by four of the most distinguished men of the Minnetarees, to whom we showed marked attentions~ as we knew that they had been taught to entertain stron~ prejudices against us; these we succeeded so well in removing, that when in the morning, Wed~esday 16, about thh·ty Mandans, among whom six were ch1efs came to see us, the Minnetarces reproached them with their falsehoods, declaring that they were bad men and ought to hide themselves. They had told the Minnetarees that we would kill them if they came to the fort, yet on the contrary tl1ey had spent a night there and been Up the .jlfissout•i. u•eated with kindness by the whites, who had smoked with them and danced for their amusement. Kagohami visited us and brought us a little corn, and soon afterwards one of the flrst war chiefs of the Minnetarees came accompanied by his squaw, a handsome woman, whom be was desirous we should use during the night. He favoured us with a more RcceptabJe present, a draft of the Missouri in his manner, and informed us of his intention to go to war in the spring against the Snake Indians; we advised him to reflect seriously before he committed the peace of his nation to the hazards of war; to look back on the numerous nations whom war bas destroyed, that if he wished his nation to be happy he should cultivate peace and intercourse with all his neighbours, by which means they would procure more horses, increase in numbers, and that if lw went to wat• he would displease his great father the president, and forfeit his proteetioa. We adde•l that we had spoken thus to all the tribes whom we had met, that they had all opened theil· cars, and that the president would compel those who did not voluntarily listen to his advice. Although a young man of only twenty-six years of age, tbis discourse seemed to strike him. He observed that if it would be displeasing to us he would not go to war, since he had horses enough, and that he would advise all the nation to remain at home, until we had seen the Snake Indians, and discovered wlJCtlJer their intention~ were pacific. The party who went down with tlu~ horses for the man who was frostbitten rctut•ncd, and we are glad to find his complaint not serious. Thursday 17. The day was very windy from the nortb; the morning clear and cold, the thermometer at sunJ'isc being at 0: we had several Indians with us. Friday 18. The weather is floe and modcr·ate. !.fcssrs. Laroche and M' Kenzie, two of theN. ,V. company's tl'ade•·s, visited us with some or the Minncta1·ees. In the afternoon two of our hunters returned, having killetl four wol res ant! a blaireau. |
