27th. of Sept. Thursday 1804.—
I rose early
after a bad nights Sleep found the Chief [s]
all up, and the bank as useal
lined with Spectators we gave
the 2 great Cheifs a Blanket a peace, or
rether they took off
agreeable to their Custom the one they lay on and
each one
Peck of corn. after Brackfast Capt. Lewis
& the Cheifs went
on Shore, as a verry large part of their nation was
comeing in,
the Disposition of whome I did not know one of us being
sufficent on Shore, I wrote a letter to Mr. P. Durion & prepared
a meadel & Some Comsns. (Certificates) & Sent to Cap
Lewis at 2 oClock Capt. Lewis Returned with 4 Chiefs
& a
Brave Man (Consids Man)
named War cha pa or on his Guard
when the friends
of those people [the Scioux] die they run
arrows
through their flesh above and below their elbows as a
testimony of their
Greaf.
after Staying about half an hour, I went with them on Shore,
Those men left the boat with reluctience, I went first to the
2d. Cheifs Lodge, where a croud came around after Speeking
on various Subjects I went to a princpal mans lodge from
them to the
grand Chiefs lodge, after a fiew minits he invited
me to a Lodge within
the Circle in which I Stayed with all
their principal Men untill the Dance
began, which was Similer
to the one of last night performed by their women
with poles
(
in
their hands) on which Scalps of their enemies were hung,
Some with
the Guns Spears & War empliments of (
taken by)
their husbands [&
c.] in their
hands.
Capt. Lewis Came on Shore and we Continued
untill we were
Sleepy & returned to our boat, the 2nd. Chief & one principal
Man accompanied us, Those
two Indians accompanied me
on board in the Small Perogue; Capt. Lewis with a guard Still
on Shore, the man who Steered
not being much acustomed to
Steer, passed the bow of the boat & the
peroge Came broad
Side against the Cable & broke it which obliged me
to order
in a loud voice all hands up & at their ores, my preemptry
order to the men and the bustle of their getting to their ores
allarmd. the Cheifs, together with the appearance of
the Men
on Shore, as the boat turnd. The Cheif
hollowaed & allarmed
the Camp or Town informing them that the Mahars
was about
attacking us (them). In about 10 minits
the bank was lined
with men armed the 1st. Cheif at
their head, about 200 men
appeared and after about 1/2 hour returned all
but about 60
men who continued on the bank all night, the Cheifs Contd.
all night with us. This allarm I as well as Capt. Lewis Considered
as the
Signal of their intentions (which was to Stop our
proceeding on our
journey and if Possible rob us) we were
on our Guard all night, the
misfortune of the loss of our
Anchor obliged us to Lay under a falling
bank much exposd.
to the accomplishment of their
hostile intentions. P. C. our
Bowman who cd. Speek
Mahar informed us in the night that
the Maha Prisoners informed him we
were to be Stoped. we
Shew as little Sighns of a Knowledge of their
intentions as
possible all prepared on board for any thing which might
hapen, we kept a Strong guard all night in the boat, no
Sleep
