30th.. of November Friday 1804—
This
morning at 8 oClock an Indian called from the other
Side and informed that
he had Something of Consequence to
Communicate, we Sent a perogue for him
& he informed us
as follows. Viz: "five men of the Mandan nation out
hunting
in a S.W. derection about Eight
Leagues, was Suprised by
a large party of Seeoux
& Panies, one man was Killed and two
wounded with arrows & 9
Horses taken, 4 of the We ter
soon nation was missing, and they expected
to be attacked by
the Souex &c. &c. we thought it well to Show a
Disposition
to ade and assist them against their enemies, perticularly
those
who Came in oppersition to our Councels; and I Deturmined
to
go to the town with Some men, and if the Seeoux were
comeing to attact the
Nation to Collect the worriers from each
Village and meet them, those
Ideas were also those of Capt
Lewis, I crossed the
river in about an hour after the arrival
of the Indian express with 23 men
including the interpeters
and flankd the Town &
came up on the back part. The
Indians not expecting to receive Such Strong
aide in So Short
a time was much supprised, and a littled allarmed at the
formadable appearence of my party. The principal Chiefs
met me Some
Distance from the town (say 200 yards) and
invited me in to town. I
ord[ered] my pty into dift. lodges
&c. I explained to the nation
the cause of my comeing in
this formadable manner to their Town, was to
assist and Chastise
the enemies of our
Dutifull Children, I requested the
Grand Cheif to repeat the
Circumstancies as they hapined,
which he did as was mentioned by the
express in the morning.
I then informed them that if
they would assemble their warrers
and those of
the Different Towns, I would [go] to meet
the Army of
Souex &c. chastise them for takeing the blood of
our dutifull Children &c. after a conversation of a fiew minits
amongst themselves, one Chief. the Big Man (Cien) (
a
Chayenne).
Said they now Saw that what we
hade told them was the
trooth, when we expected the enemies of their
Nation was
Comeing to attact them, or had Spilt their blood [we] were
ready to protect them, and kill those who would not listen to
our
Good talk. his people had listened to what we had told
them and cearlessly
went out to hunt in Small parties believing
themselves to be Safe from the other nations, and have
been killed
by the
Panies & Seauex, "I knew Said he that
the Panies were liers, and told the old Chief who Came with
you (to
Confirm a piece with us) that his people were
liers and
bad men and that we killed them like the Buffalow, when we
pleased,
we had made peace several times and you Nation
have always commenced the
war, we do not want to kill you,
and will not Suffer you to kill us or
Steal our horses, we
will make peace with you as our two fathers have
derected,
and they Shall See that we will not be the Ogressors, but we
fear the Ricares will not be at peace long. "My father those
are the
words I spoke to the Ricare in your presents. you
See they have not opened
their ears to your good Councels
but have Spuilt our blood." two Ricaries
whom we sent
home this day for fear of our peoples killing them in their
greaf, informed us when they came here Several days ago, that
two
Towns of the
Ricares were makeing their Mockersons,
and that we had best take care of our horses &c." a numbers
"of
Seauex were in their Towns, and they believed not well
disposed towards
us. four of the
Wetersoons are now absent
they were
to have been back in 16 days, they have been
out 24 we fear they have
fallen. My father the Snow is deep
and it is cold our horses Cannot travel thro the
plains, those
people who have Spilt our blood have gone back? if you
will go with us in the Spring after the Snow goes off we will
raise
the warriers of all the Towns & Nations around about
us, and go with
you."
I told this nation that we should be always willing and
ready
to defend them from the insults of any nation who
would dare to Come to
doe them injury dureing the time
we would remain in their neighbourhood,
and requstd. that they
would inform us of any party
who may at any time be discovered
by their
Patroles or Scouts; I was sorry that the
snow in the Plains had fallen so
Deep Sence the Murder of
the young Chief by the Sieoux as prevented their
horses from
traveling. I wished to meet those Seeoux & all others who
will not open their ears, but make war on our dutifull Children,
and let you see that the Wariers of your
Great father
will chastize the enimies of his dutifull Children the
Mandans,
Wetersoons & Winetarees, who have opend.
their ears to his
advice. you say that the Panies or Ricares were with the
Seeaux, some bad men may have been with the Seeaux you
know there is bad men in all nations, do not
get mad with
the recarees untill we know if those bad men are Counternancd.
by their
nation, and we are convsd those people do not
intend
to follow our Councils. You know that the Seeaux
have great influence over
the ricarees, and perhaps have led
Some of them astray you know that the
Ricarees, are Dependant
on the Seeaux for
their guns, powder, & Ball, and it
was policy in them to keep on as
good tirms as possible with
the Seaux untill they had Some other means of
getting those
articles &c. &c. You know yourselves that you are
compelled
to put up with little insults from the Christinoes & Ossinaboins
(or Stone Indd.) because if you go to war with those people,
they will
provent the traders in the North from bringing you
Guns, Powder & Ball
and by that means distress you verry
much, but whin you will have certain
Supplies from your
Great American father of all those articles you will
not Suffer
any nation to insult you &c. after about two hours conversation
on various Subjects all of which
tended towards their
Situation
&c. I informed them I should return to the fort,
the Chief said they
all thanked me verry much for the fatherly
protection which I shewed
towards them, that the village had
been crying all the night and day for
the death of the brave
young man, who fell but now they would wipe away
their
tears, and rejoice in their fathers protection, and cry no
more.
I then Paraded & Crossed the river on the ice and Came
down on the N. Side, the Snow So Deep, it was verry
fatigueing
arived at the fort after night, gave a little Taffee[30]
(dram to my party), a cold night the river rise to its former
hite. The Chief frequently thanked me for comeing to protect
them—and the whole village appeared
thankfull for that
measure
