21st.. October Sunday 1804—
a verry Cold
night wind hard from the N.E. Some rain
in the night which frosed as it
fell at Day light it began to
Snow and continued
all the fore part of the Day passed just
above our camp (1) a Small river
on the L. S. called by
the Indians Chiss-che-tar [Chisshetaw—
BIDDLE] this river is
about 38 yards wide containing a good Deel of
water[47]
Some
distance up this River is Situated a Stone which the Indians
have
great faith in & say they See painted on the Stone, all
the Calemetes
& good fortune to hapin the nation & parties
who visit it. a tree
[an oak] which Stands [alone] near
this
place [about 2 miles off] in the open prarie
which has withstood
the fire they pay Great respect to make Holes and tie
Strings
thro [the skins of their] their necks and
around this tree to
make them brave [Capt. Clarke saw this tree] (all this is the
information
of Too ne [is a whipperwill] the
Cheif of the Ricares
who accompanied us to the Mandins, at 2 Miles (2)
passed
the 2nd. Village of the Mandins which was in
existance at the
same time with the 1st. this Village
is at the foot of a hill on
the S.S. in a butifull & extensive plain,
(nearly opposite is another
village in a bottom the other side
of Missouri) at this time covered
with Buffalow. a cloudy afternoon,
I killed a fine Buffalow,
we camped on the L. S. (
below
an old Mandan village having
passed another up a Creek 3 miles below on
Sd. S. verry cold
Ground covered with Snow. one
orter [otter] killd.
Course Distance
& reffers.—21st.
Oct.
| S.80°. E. |
2 |
miles to the
place the Mandans had a village formerly
at the foot of a riseing part of
the plain. (1) on
the S. S. passed a river |
| N.
16°. W. |
1 1/2 |
miles to a grove on the S.
S. |
| N. 40°. W. |
3
1/2 |
Miles to a pt. on the S. S. river wide and
sand bars a
large willow
Island. |
|
7 |
|
