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Show JOURNAL ()1<' A VOYAGE 1st December, Sunday.-Snowed a little .in the mic~dle of the day. Went out with my gun, but ~lled nothmg. 2d December, Monday.-Sparks arnved from the party below, and informed 1ne they could not kill any ga1ne, but had started up with the little peroque :-also, that Mr. Dickson and a }t'renchman had passed n1y detachment about three hours before. Ile left then1 on their march to the post. Sparks arrived about 10 o'clock at night. . . 3d December, Tuesday.-Mr. Dickson, w1th one en-gagee and a young Indian, arrived at the fort. I recc~vcd him with every politcnes$ in my power, and after a scnous conversation with him on the subject of the information given me on the 29th ult. was induced to believe it, in part, incorrect. ric assured me that no liquor was ~old by him, nor by any houses under his direction. Ile gave me much useful information relative to my future route, which gave me great encouragement as to the certainty of my accomplishing the object of my voyage, to the fullest extent. l-Ie seemed to be a g(~ntleman of general commercial knowledge, and possl ssing n1uch geographical information of the western country, of op 'n, frank, manners. He gave me many assurances of his good wishes for the prosperity of 1ny untlertaking. 4th December, Wcdnesday.-My tnen arrived with one t:anoe only. Calculated on returning them two days after. 5th December, Tbursday.-Mr. Dickson, with his two men, departed for their station, after having furnished me with a letter for a young man of his house, in Lake de Sable, and a carte blancbe as to my commands on him. Weather mild. 6tb December, Friday.-! dispatched my men clown, to bring up the other peroque with a strong sled on which it was intended to put the canoe about one third, and to let ' TO THE SOURCES OF TilE MISSISSIPPI. 49 the end drag on the ice. Three families of the Fols · ~ voins arrived and encamped near the fort :-also, one SIOux, who pretended to have been sent to me, from the ~ens des Feui!les, to inform me that the Y anctongs and S nsSitongs (two bands of Sioux from the head of the St. Peters and the Missouri, and the n1ost savage of them) had c~mme?ced the war-dance and would depart in a few days, m whtch case he cone ived it would be advisable for the Fols Avoins to keep close under my protection· that making a stroke on the Chipeways would tend to Injure ~he grand object of my voyage, &c. &c. Son1e reasons mduced me to believe he was a self-created envoy; however, I offered to pay him, or any young Sioux, who would go to those bands and carry my word. l-Ie promised to ~ake known my wishes upon his return. My men r eturned In the evening without my canoe, having been so unfortu~ at~ as to .split her in carrying her over the rough hilly ICC ~ the npples below. So many disappointments almost weaned out my patience; but, notwithstanding, I intended to embark by land and water in a few days. ~th December, Saturday.-An Indian (by the name of Chien Blanche) of the Fols Avoin tribe, with his family and .connections, arrived and encamped near the stockade. He mformed me that he had wintered here for ten year.cpast, that the sugar camp near the stockade was wh ·re he .~ade suga1-. l-Ie appeared to be an intdligen( man. I VISited his camp in the afternoon, and found him seated amidst his children and grandchildren, am0unting. in all to ten H' ·c . • IS WIJ.e, although of an advanced age, was suck .. hng two children, that appeared to be about two years old. I should have taken them to be twins, had not one been much fairer than the other. Upon enquiry, however, I found that the fairest was the daughter of an Englishman, by one of the Indian's daughters, lately deceased; since r, |