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Show Ltwii rutd Clctt'kt'8 Expedition The stock of meat which we had procured in November and December being now nearly exhausted, it became necessa· ry to renew our supply; captain Clarke therefore took eighteen men, and with two sleighs and three horses descended the river for tb~ purpose of hunting, as the buffaloe has di~appeared from our neighbourhood, and the Indians a:e themselves suffering for want of meat. Two deer were kll. led to-day but they were very lean. Tuesday 5. A pleasant fair morning with the wind from northwest: a number of the Indians come with corn for the blacksmith, who being now provided with coal has become one of our greatest resources for procuring grain. '!,hey seem particularly attached to a battle axe, of a very inconvenient figure: it is made wholly of iron, the blade extremely thin, and from seven to nine inches long; it is sharp at the point and five or six inches on each side, whence they converge towartls the eye, which is circular and about an inch in diameter, the blade itself being not more than an inch wide, the handle is straight, and twelve or fifteen inehes long; the whole weighing about a pound. By wa~· of ornament, the blade is perforated with several circular boles. 'The length of the blade compared with the shortness of the handle render it a weapon of very little strength, particularly as it is always used on h?rscback: there ii still bowevet• another form which is even worse, the same sort of handle being Hxcd to a IJladc resembling an espontoon. Wednesday, FeiJruary 6. 'l"'he morning was fair and plea· sant, the wind N. W. A numbet· of Indian chiefs visited us and withdrew after " 'e had smo)(cd with them contrary to their custom, for after being once introduced into our apartment they a1·c fond of lounging about during the remainder af the day. One of the men killed three antelopes. Our blacksmith has his time comp1etcly occupied, sG great is the demand for utensils of different kinds. The Indians are part icularly fond of sheet iron, out of which they form points for arrows and instruments for seraping hides, and when lip the Mi~som·i. 159 the blacksmith cut up an old cam bouse of that metal, we obtained fo1• every I,iece of four inches square seven or eight gallons of corn from the Indians, who were delighted at the exchange. Thursday 7. The morning was fair and much wat•mer than for some days, the thermometer being at 18° above o, and the wind from the S. E. A number of Indians continue to visit us; but learning that the intm·preter's squaws had been accustomed to unbar the gate during the night, we ordered a lock put on it, and that no Indian should remain in the fort all night, nor any person admitted during the hours when the gate is closed, that is from sunset to sunrise. Friday 8. A fair pleasant morning, with S. E. winds. Pocopsahe came down to the fort with a bow, aml apologized for his not having finished a shield which he had promised captain Lewis, and which the weather had prevented him from completing. This clricf possesses more firmness, intelligence, and integrity, than any Indian of this country, and he might be rendered highly serviceable in our attempt!~ to civilize the nation. He mentioned that the Mandans are very much in want of meat, and that he himself had not tasted any for several days. rro this distress they arc often reduced by their own improvidcmce, or by their unhappy situation. Their principal article of food is buffaloc-meat, their. corn, beans, and other grain being reserved for summer, or as a last resource against what they constantly dread, an attack from the Sioux, who drive o1fthe game and confine them to their villages. The same fear too prevents their ;oing out to hunt in small parties to relieve their occasional wants, so that the buffaloe is generally obtained in large ~uantities, and wasted by carelessness. Saturday 9. The morning was fair and pleasant, the wind from the S. E. Mr. M'Kenzie from the N. W. company establishment visited us. Sunday 10. A slight snow f'cll in the course of the night, tho m.orlliJJg was cloudy, and the north west wind blew so |