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Show .. 21· JOUl{NAL OF A VOYAC.L 1nen astonished me, for at the other camps they never opened their lips ; but here they flocked round us with all their tonrru...:-s o·oing at the same tinlC; the cause of thi~. h \J frccdmn must have been the absence of their lords and masters. Passed the encampment of Mr. Fcrrcbault, who had brok1'1l his peroque and had encamped on the west side of the river, about 3 miles below St. P eters. Vve made our encampment on the N. E. point of the big island, oppo~itc to St. Peters. The Mississippi beca1ne so Yery narrow this clay, that I once crossed in my batteaux with forty strokes of my oars. The water of the l\1ississippi, sine, we passed Lake P epin, has been retnarka. bly red; and where it is deep, appears as black as ink. The waters of the St. Croix and St. Peter s, appear blue ·and clear, for a considerable distance below their con~ .Huencc. I observed a whit flag on shore to day, and on landing, disc )Vered it to be white silk ; it was su~pended ov r a scafrold, on which were laid four dead bodies, two enclosed in boards, and two in bark. T hey were wrap~ ped up in blankets, which appeared to be quite new. They were the bodies, I was informed, of two Sioux women (who had lived with two Frenchmen) one of their chjlJren and some other relative ; two of whom died at St. Peters and two at St. Croix, but were brought her e, to be depo· sited upon this scafrold together. This is 1he manner o1 the Sioux burial, when persons die a natural death ; but when they arc killed, they suffer then1 to lay unburied. This circumstance brought to my recollection, the bones of a man I found on the hills below the St. Croix ; the j a~ bone I brought on board. lie must have been killed on that spot. Distance 24 miles. 22d Sept. Sunday-Employed in the tnoruing, nlea' Uring the river; about 3 o'clock Mr. Frazer and his peroques arrived, and in three hours after, the P etit Corhrau, at the head of his band, arrived with 150 warriors. T< > TilE SOURCES OF TilE MISSISSIPPI. They ascended the hill, in the point between the Mis: 1issippi and St. Peters, and gave us a salute, a Ia mode .wv.z{c, with balls ; after which w c settled the affairs for th--· council the next Jay. Mr. Frazer and myself took a bark canoe, and went up tq the village, in order to s e Mr. ~amero~. We ascenJ ·d the St. P eters to the village, and JuuuJ h1s camp. (No current in the river.) lie engagell to be at thl.! council the next day, anJ pronused to let me have his barge. The Sioux had marched on a war <''{CLLr!:>ion ; but hearing (by express) of my arrival, they returned by land. Vve were treated very hospitably, and halloo 'd after to go inlo every loJ ge, to cat. R eturned to our camp .about ll o'clock. and fotll1d the Sioux and 111y men peaceably encamped. '23d Scj;t. Monday-Prepared for the council, which we commenced about 12 o'clock. I had a bower or shade tnaJ e of my sails, on rhe beach, into which only n1y gen: tlemcn (the traders) and the chiefs entered. 1 then ad~ resscJ them in a speech, which, thoug h long, and to uchu~ g on Inany points, its principal object was, the granting of land at this place, falls of St. Anthony and St. Croix and 1~1aking ~cace with the Chipcways. I was r eplied to b; ,l:c Ftls de Pmcho-w, Le Pt'tit Corbeau, and l'Original L eve. Ihcy ·gave me the land r equired, about 100,000 acres, ( cq ual to 200,000 dollars) and promised me a safe passport, for 1nysclf and any chiefs, I nlight bring down, but opoke doubtfully with respect to the peace. I gave them presents to the amount of about 200 J ollarr., and as soon as the ~ouncil was over, I allowed the traders to present them With some liquor, which, with what I myself gave, was equal to 60 gallons. In one half hour they were all embarked for their r espective villages. The chiefs in the council were: Le Petit Cm·bcau, signed the grant. Le Fils de Pinchow, do. D |