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Show 50 JOURNAL OV A VOYA(iE whos death the grandn1other had taken it to the brea~t. I lis lodge was made of rushes plaited into ~1ats, after the 1nanner of the Illinois. I was obliged to gtve some meat to all the Indians who arrived at the stockade, at the saml time explaining our situation. The Chien Blapche assured 1ne it should be repaid with interest in the course ~f the winter but that at that time he was without any thmg to eat. In fact, our hunters having killed nothing for several days, we were ourselves on short allowa~cc. . . 8tb December, Sunday.-An invahd Stoux arnvcd with information, that the bands of the Sussitongs and Y anctongs had actually determined to n1ake war on the ChipC'ways, and that they had formed a party of 1.50 or 160 men, but that part of the Sussitongs had refused to go to the war, and would be here on a visit to me the nc..xt day. This occasioned me to delay crossing the river im. mediately, on my voyage to Lake Sang Sue, as it wc.ls possibl<' that, by having a conference with them, I 1night still prevent the stroke intended to be made against the Chipe· ways. 9tb December, Monday.-Prepared to embark. Ex· pecting the Sioux, I had two large kettles of soup made for thenl. Had a shooting-match with four prizes. The Sioux did not arrive, and we eat the soup ourselves. < •r0~sed the river and encamped above the rapids. Wind changQcl. and it grew cold. lOth December, Tucsday.-After arranging our sleds'· and pProquc commenced our march. The sleds on the prairie and the peroque towed by three n1cn. Found it extremely difficult to get along, the snow being tncltcd otl thl: prairie in spots. 'fhc men who had the canoe were • My sleds were such a~ arc frn1uc..ntly seen ahout fanners' yards, calcu!Jt'~ to hold two barrels or 400 \\eight, in which two men wt·rc g••:.ncd ah~c·t~·· TO THE SOURCES OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 51 obliged to wade and drag her over the rocks in many places. Shot the only deer I saw. It fell three times, and ~fter made its escape. 'I'his was a great disappointment, for upon the game we took now we depended for our subsistence. This everting disclosed to my men the real danger they had to encounter. l)istance 5 miles. . 11th December, Wednesday.-It having thawed all mght, the snow had almost melted fro1n the prairie. I walked on until 10 o'clock, and n1adc a fire. I then went back .to look for .the p roque, and at a remarkable rapid in rh~ nver, opposite a high piny island, n1ade a fire and waited for them to come up, when we partly unload~d. I returned ant! met the sleds. \~Then we arrived at the 1 place pitched on for our camp, sent the men down to assist the pC'roque. In the afternoon, from about three o'clock, we heard the report of not less than so guns a-head, and after dusk much shooting on the prajric. I was at a loss to know who they could be, unless they were Sautcaux, and what could be their object, in shooting after dark. Kept a good look out. Distance 5 miles. . 12tb Duember, Thursday.-The snow having almost cntJrely left the prairie, we were obliged to take on but one sled at a time and treble n1an it. In the n1orning Iny in. terprcter came to n1e with quite a tnartial air, and request. cd ~hat he might be allowed to go ahead to discover what .I ndiaus we hc:ard fi1·c I a~ s· t e vem· ng. I gave h n· n perrn·i ss·w n .md away he went. Shortly after, I went out with cor .. poral Bradley and a private, and in about an hour overtook. my partizan, on a botton1 dose to the river; be was huntmg racoons, and had caught five. lVe left him and ·1ft , I · ' • er c lOosmg an encampn1ent, and sending the private bac~, to conduct the party to it, anxious to discover the lnd1ans ' th e corpora1 and n1yself marched on. We ascend. ed tl1e u·· v er .a b out c1· g h t Iru·1 cs; saw no Indians; hnt dt'-'covered tha t t h c n·v er was f rozen over; which |
