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Show JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE. men astonished me, for at the other camps they ~ever opened t h e1. r 11' ps ., b u there they flocked round us With al. l their tongues going at the same time ; the ~ause of this freedom nlust have been the absence of therr lords and nlasters. Passed the encampment of Mr. Ferrebault, who had broken his peroque and had encamped on the west side of the river, about 3 miles below St. Peters .. ~ e made our encampment on the N. E. point of the big ISland opposite to St. Peters. The Mississippi becarne so very' narrow this day, that I once crossed in my battea~x with forty strokes of n1y oars. ~he water of the M~ssissippi, since we passed Lake Pepm, has been rema:kably red ; and where it is deep, appears as black as mk. The waters of the St. Croix and St. Peters, appec~r blue and clear, for a considerable distance below their confluence. I observed a white flag on shore to day, and on landing, discovered it to be white silk; it was su ~pended ()Ver a scaffold, on which were laid four dead bodies, two enclosed in boards, and two in bark. They were wrapped up in blankets, which appeared to be quit~ new. They were the bodies, I was informed, of two S10ux women (~o had lived with two Frenchmen) one ?f their children and some other relative; two of whom d1ed at St. Peters and two at St. Croix, but were brought here, to be deposited upon this scaffold together. This is the manner of the Sioux burial, when persons die a natural death ; ~ut when they are killed, they suffer them to lay unbuned. This circumstance brought to my recollection, the bones of a man I found on the hills below the St. Croix ; the jaw bone I brought on board. He must have been killed on that spot. Distance 24 miles. 22d Sept. Sunday-Employed in the morning, measuring the river; about S o'clock Mr. Frazer and. his pe· roques arrived, and in three hours after, the P et1t ~or· beau, at the head of his band, arrived with 150 warnors. 1'0 THE SOUHCES OF THE 1\IISSISSIPPI. They ascended the hill, in the point between the M is.sissippi and St. Peters, and gave us a salute, a Ia mode .ra·vagc, with balls ; after which we settled the affairs for the council the next day. Mr. Frazer and myself took a bark canoe, and went up to the village, in order to sec Mr. Cameron. W c asccnJcd the St. P eters to the village and found his camp. (No current in the river.) lie en~ gaged to be at the council thl'\ next day, and promised to let me have his barge. 'l'he Sioux had marched 011 a war excursion ; but heari11g (by rxprc ·s) of my arrival, they returned by land. _YVe were treated very hospitably, and hallooed after to go mto ev ry lodge, to cat. R eturned to our camp about 1 J o'clock and t()une.l the Sioux and my rncn peaccabl y cncampctl. 2:3d Sept. Monday-Prepared for the council, which 11·c com~ncnced about 1 ~o'clock. 1 had a bower or shade, made oi my sails, on the bm ·h, into wl1ich only my gcntlem~ n (the traders) and the chiefs entered. I then ad~ lrcssed the1n in a sp"''cch, which, though long, and tonchlllg" on many. points, h:'> principal object was, the granting of land ~t th" plac ', fall~ of S1. Anthony <l!ld St. Cmix, and •.naking peace with the Chipeways. I was replied to by ,f~c lds de Pincho'lo, Le Petit Corbeau, and /'Original L e·vc. lhey gave me the land required, about 100,000 acres, (equal_ to 200,000 dollars) and promised me a safe passport, lor myself and any chiefs, I might brino· down but spoke doubtfull.'' with respect to the peace. I gave ;h rn presents to the amount of about 200 dollars, and as soon 'lS th 'J · · e ~ounc1 was over, I allowed the traders to present lhenl wuh some liquor, which, with what I myself g-ave ~va~ equal to GO ?allons. .In Olle half hour they were ali ·t:tnba,r~cd fo.r ~1e1r respective villages. 1 he duels in the council were : Le l~.etit Corbeau, signed the grant. Le l• ds de Pinch ow, do. n • |