...15 of the party went up to the 1^st village of Mandans.... carried with us a fiddle & a Tambereen & a Soundren horn.... a frenchman danced on his head and all danced round him for a Short time....

   a cold day Some Snow.... I employ my Self Drawing a Connection of the Countrey from what information I have recvd. a Buffalow Dance.... for 3 nights passed in the 1^st Village, a curious Custom the old men arrange themselves in a circle & after Smoke a pipe.... the young men who have their wives back of the Circle go (each) to one of the old men with a whining tone and request the old man to take his wife (who presents [herself] necked except a robe) and - (or Sleep with her) the Girl then takes the Old Man (who verry often can scarcely walk) and leades him to a convenient place for the business, after which they return to the lodge.... (We Sent a man to this Medisan Dance last night, they gave him 4 Girls)     all this to cause the buffalow to Come near So that they may Kill them

...the river fell 1 inch.... the 3 men returned from hunting, they kill^d , 4 Deer.... I continue to Draw a connected plott from the information of Traders, Indians & my own observation & ideas. from the best information, the Great falls is about (800) miles nearly West,

   a Cold Clear Day (great number of Indians move Down the River to hunt)     those people Kill a Number of Buffalow near their Villages and Save a great perportion of the Meat, theer Custom of makeing this article of life General leaves them more than half of their time without meat    Their Corn & Beans &c they keep for the Summer, and as a reserve in Case of an attack from the Soues, (of) which they are always in dread.... Chaboneu informs that the Clerk of the Hudson Bay Co. with the Me ne tar res has been Speaking Some fiew express^ns unfavourable towards us....

...G. Shannon came in this evening and informed us that Whitehouse had his feet frost bit & could not come in without a horse

   quite warm for the time a year & pleasant    the Snow melted fast.    I came to the fort & 2 more men with me    my feet got Some easier.

...one of the 1^st War Chiefs of the big bellies (Gros Ventres) nation Came to see us to day with one man and his squar to wate on him (requested that she might be used for the night) (his wife handsome) We Shot the Air gun, and gave two Shots with the Cannon which pleased them verry much....
   This War Chief gave us a Chart in his Way of the Missourie, he informed us of his intentions of going to War in the Spring against the Snake Indians    we advised him to look back at the number of Nations who had been distroyed by War, and reflect upon.... if he went to War against those Defenceless people, he would displease his great father, and he would not receive that pertection & care from him as other nations who listened to his word. This Chief who is a young man 26 y^r old replied that if his going to war... would be dipleasing to us he would not go, he had horses enough....

   a fine Day    Mess^rs Le rock & M^cKinzey returned home

   2 men Sent with three horses down the River for meat to the hunting Camps, which is about 30 miles distant from the Fort. the way they go (is) on the Ice.

   Some men went up to the villages.... when they had done eating they (Mandans) gave a bowl of victuls to a buffalows head which they worshiped, & S^d Eat this So that the live ones may come in that we may git a Supply of meat. Some of them & indeed the most of them have Strange & uncommon Ideas, but verry Ignorant of our forms & customs, but quick & Sensible in their own way & in their own conceit &c &c.

   a fine day, attempt to Cut our Boat and Canoos out of the Ice, a deficuelt Task I fear as we find water between the Ice, I bleed the man with the Plurisy to day & swet him, Cap^t Lewis took off the Toes of one foot of the Boy who got frost bit Some time ago....

   We attempted another plan for getting our water-craft disengaged from the ice: which was to heat water in the boats, with hot stone, but in this project we failed, as the stones we found would not stand the fire, but broke to pieces.

   Some cloudy. Serg^t Gass Sent up the River to an other bluf in order to look for another kind of Stone that would not Split with heat    he brought one home & het it.... as soon as it was hot it bursted asunder    So we Gave up that plan.

...visited by many of the natives who brought a considerable quantity of corn in payment for the work which the blacksmith (Pvt. John Shields) had done for them    they are pecuarly attached to a battle ax formed in a very inconvenient manner in my opinion. it is fabricated of iron only....

...this evening one of the wives (Sacajawea) of Charbono was delivered of a fine boy.... M^r Jessome informed me that he had freequently administered a small portion of the rattle of the rattle-snake.... to produce the desired effect, that of hastening the birth of the child.... he administered two rings of it to the woman broken in small pieces with the fingers and added to a small quantity of water.... I was informed that she had not taken it more than ten minutes before she brought forth    perhaps this remedy may be worthy of future experiments, but I must confess that I want faith as to it's efficacy.

...Cap^t Lewis.... after finding that he could not overtake the Soues War party, (who had in their way distroyed all the meat at one Deposit which I had made & Burnt the Lodges).... hunted two day Killed 36 Deer & 14 Elk.... the meet which he killed and that in the lower Deposit amounting to about 3000^lb was brought up on two Slays    one Drawn by 16 men had about 2400^lb ob it

...the Sioux Savvages who Robed our men of the 2 horses... was 106 in nomber and... they had a mind to kill our men & that they held a counsel... but while they were doing that our men were off and got clear.... M^r Tabbo (Antoine Tabeau, Arikara trader) a frenchman... Sent a letter up to the commanding officers & Mandan chiefs to keep a good lookout for he heared the Souix Say that they Should Shurley come to war in the Spring against us and Mandanes....

...Smoked a pipe (the greatest mark of friendship and attention) with Chief (Le Borgne).... the Manetarree Chief.... recived of Captain M. Lewis a Medel Gorget armbands, a Flag Shirt, scarlet &c... 2 guns were fired for this Great man.

...on my return to day to the Fort I came on the points of high hills,    Saw an emence quality of Pumice Stone on the Sides & foot of the hills and emence beds of Pumice Stone near the Tops... with evident marks of the Hills haveing once been on fire....

   Mr. La Rocque and I (of the North West Company)... became intimate with the gentlemen of the American expedition, who on all occasions seemed happy to see us, and always treated us with civility and kindness. It is true, Captain Lewis could not make himself agreeable to us. He could speak fluently and learnedly on all subjects, but his inveterate disposition against the British stained... all his eloquence. Captain Clarks was equally well informed, but his conversation was always pleasant, for he seemed to dislike giving offense unnecessarily....

Dear Sir (Wm. Henry Harrison)
...The trade of the nations at this place is from the N.W. and Hudsons bay establishments on the Assinneboin river, distant about 150 miles; those traders are nearly at open war with each other, and better calculated to destroy then promote the happiness of those nations to whom they are latterly extended their trade, and intend to form an establishment near this place in the course of this year.

...we are all day engaged packing up Sundery articles to be sent to the President of the U.S.

...some readers will perhaps expect... when we are about to renew our voyage, to give some account of the fair sex of the Missouri; and entertain them with narratives of feats of love, as well as of arms. Though we could furnish a sufficient number of entertaining stories, and pleasant ancedotes, we do not think it prudent to swell our Journal with them; as our views are directed to more useful information. Besides... we are yet ignorant of the dangers which may await us.... It may be observed generally that chastity is not highly esteemed by these people, and that the severe and loathsome effects of certain French principles are not uncommon among them. The fact is, that the women are generally considered as article of traffic, and indulgencies are sold at a very moderate price. As proof of this, I will just mention, that for an old tobacco-box, one of our men was granted the honour of passing a night with the daughter of the head chief of the Mandan nation. An old bawd with her punks, may also be found in some of the villages on the Missouri, as well as in the large cities of polished nations.

Dear Sir (President Jefferson):    Herewith inclosed you will receive an invoice of... 67. specimens of earths, salts and minerals; and 60 specimens of plants....
   You will also receive herewith inclosed a pert of Cap^t Clark's private journal.... we have encouraged our men to keep journals, and seven of them do so....
   I have transmitted... information relative to the geography of the country which we possess, together with a view of the Indian nations....
   I can foresee no material or probable obstruction to our progress, and entertain therfore the most sanguine hopes of complete success.... At this moment, every individual of the party are in good health, and... act with the most perfect harmoney. with such men I have every thing to hope, and but little to fear....

...at 4. P.M. completed every arrangement necessary for our departure.... Our vessels consisted of six small canoes, and two large perogues. This little fleet altho' not quite so rispectable as those of Columbus or Capt. Cook, were still viewed by us with as much pleasure as those deservedly famed adventurers ever beheld theirs; and I dare say with quite as much anxiety for their safety and preservation. we were now about to penetrate a country at least two thousand miles in width, on which the foot of civilized man hed never trodden.... the picture which now presented itself to me was a most pleasing one. entertaining as I do, the most confident hope of succeeding in a voyage which had formed a darling project of mine for the last ten years, I could but esteem this moment of my departure as among the most happy of my life....

...we all went on board fired the Swivel and Set off on our journey....

...the wind blew hard against us, from the N. W. we therefore traveled very slowly. I walked on shore, and visited the black Cat,    took leave of him after smoking a pipe as is their custom, and then proceeded on slowly by land about four miles.... we took dinner at this place, and then proceed on to oure encampment, which was on teh N. side opposite to a high bluff....

...three beaver taken this morning.... the men prefer the flesh of this anamal.... I eat very heartily of the beaver myself, and think it excellent; particularly the tale, and liver....

...I could not discover the junction of the rivers immediately, they being concealed by the wood; however, sensible that it could not be distant.... we encamped on the bank (Glass's Bluffs) of the yellow stone river, 2 miles South of it's confluence with the Missouri.

...I proceeded down the river with one man in order to take a view of the confluence of this great river with the Missouri.... joined the party at their encampment on the point of land formed by the junction of these rivers; found them all in good health, and much pleased at having arrived at this long wished for spot, and in order to add in some measure to the general pleasure which seemed to prevade our little community, we ordered a dram to be issued to each person; this soon produced the fiddle, and they spent the evening with much hilarity, singing & dancing, and seemed as perfectly to forget their past toils, as they appeared regardless of those to come.

...The river Jaune (Yellowstone) is shallow, and Missouri deep and rapid. In the evening Captain Lewis with his party joined us; and had brought with a them a buffaloe calf, which followed them seven or eight miles....

at day light it began to Snow and blow So that we did not Set off this morning... the men who was out a hunting found Several peaces of red cloath at an Indian camp, where we expect they left last winter for a Sacrifice to their maker as that is their form of worship, as they have Soe knowledge of the comprihention they call big medicine....

...the country in the neighbo of this river, and as far as the eye can reach, is level, fertile, open and beatifull beyond description....

...Capt. Clark killed... 2 buffaloe, I also killed one buffaloe which proved to be the best meat... we saved the best meat, and from the cow I killed we saved the necessary materials for making what our wrighthand cook Charbono, calls boudin (poudingue) blanc, and immediately set him about preparing them for supper; this white pudding we all esteem one of the greatest delicacies of the forrest.... About 6 feet of the lower extremity of the large gut of the Buffaloe is the first morsel... the mustle lying underneath the shoulder blade next to the back, and fillets are next saught, these are needed up very fine with a portion of kidney suit; to this composition is then added a just proportion of pepper and salt and a small quantity of flour... all is compleatly filled with something good to eat, it is tyed at the other end, but not any cut off, for that would make the pattern to scant; it is then baptised in the missouri with two dips and a flirt, and bobbed into the kettle; from whence, after it be well boiled it is taken and fried in bears oil until it becomes brown, when it is ready to esswage the pangs of a keen appetite, or such as travelers in the wilderness are seldom at a loss for....

clear and pleasant. we Set off at Sun rise and proceeded on   about 9oC. we halted to take breakfast.... the Game is getting So pleanty and tame in this country that Some of the men has went up near enofe to club them.... the country for Several days back is pleasant, the Soil is good....

...About 5 P.M. my attention was struck by one of the party runing at a distance towards us and making signs and hollowing as if in distress... I immediately turned out with seven of the party in quest of this monster (grizzly), we at length found his trale and persued him about a mile by the blood... these bear being so hard to die reather intimedates us all; I must confess that I do not like the gentlemen and had rather fight 2 Indians than one bear; there is no other chance to conquer them by a single shot but by shooting them through the brains.... the fleece and skin were as much as two men could possibly carry. ...directed the two cooks to render the bear's oil and put it in the kegs which was done. there was about eight gallons of it.

...by 4 o'Clock in the evening our Instruments, Medicine, merchandize provision &c, were perfectly dryed, repacked and put on board the perogue... our medicine sustained the greatest injury.... the Indian woman to whom I ascribe equal fortitude and resolution... caught and preserved most of the light articles which were washed overboard.

...Capt. Clark narrowly escaped being bitten by a rattlesnake in the course of his walk, the party killed one this evening at our encampment....

...the Missourie is getting clear and gravelly bottom, & Shore    we passed no falling in banks as we did below the pitch pine hilly country. a pleasant warm afternoon....

...I saw two large Owls with remarkable long feathers on the sides of the head which resembled ears....

...the high country in which we are at present and have been passing for some days I take to be a continuation of what the Indians as well as the French Engages call the Black hills. This tract of country so called consists of a collection of high broken and irregular hills and short chain of mountains sometimes 120 miles in width and again becomeing much narrower, but always much higher than the country on either side; they commence about the head of the Kanzas river... passing the river platte above the forks and intercepting the Yellowstone river near the bigbend and passing the Missouri at this place and probably continuing to swell the country as far North as the Saskashawan river.... the black hills in their course northwardly appear to approach more nearly to the Rocky Mountains....

...the bottoms between hills and river are narrow and contain scercely any timber. The appearence of salts, bitumun still continue. we saw a polecat to day being the first which we have seen for some time past. The Air of this quarter is pure and helthy. the water of the Missouri will tasted not quite so muddy....

   Set out at an early hour and proceeded principally by the toe line.... Capt. Clark walked on shore this morning and ascended to the summit of the river hills he informed me on his return that he had seen mountains.... In the after part of the day I also walked out and... thought myself well repaid for my labour; as from this point I beheld the Rocky Mountains for the first time.... while I viewed these mountains I felt a secret pleasure in finding myself so near the head of the heretofore conceived boundless Missouri; but when I reflected on the difficulties which this snowey barrier would most probably throw in my way to the Pacific, and the sufferings and hardships of myself and the party in thim, it in some measure counterballanced the joy I had felt in the first moments in which I gazed on them; but as I have always held it a crime to anticipate evils I will believe it a good and comfortable road until I am compelled to believe differently.... on my return to camp I trod within a few inches of a rattle snake but being in motion I... fortunately escaped his bite, I struck about with my espontoon being directed in some measure by his nois untill I killed him... The appearances of coal in the face of the bluffs, also of birnt hills, pumice stone salts and quarts continue as yesterday. This is truly a desert barren country and I feel myself still more convinced of it's being a continuation of the black hills....

...I crossed a Deep holler abd assended a part of the plain elevated much higher... from this point I beheld the Rocky Mountains for the first time with certainty.... those points of the rocky Mountain were covered with Snow and the Sun Shown on it in such a manner as to give me a most plain and satisfactory view.

...the bluffs are very high steep rugged, containing considerable quantities of stone and border the river closely on both sides; once perhaps in the course of several miles there will be a few acres of tolerably level land in which two or thre impoverished cottonwood trees will be seen....

...the bluffs are composed of irregular tho' horizontal stratsa of yellow and brown or black clay, brown and yellowish white sand, of soft yellwoish white sandstone and a hard dark brown freestone, also... irregular seperate masses of a hard black Iron stone, which is imbeded in the Clay and sand. some little pine spruce and dwarf cedar on the hills, some coal or carbonated wood still make it's appeatance in these bluffs.... the country more broken and barren than yesterday if possible, about midday it was very warm to this high bluffs and narrow channel of the river no doubt have contributed greatly....

...the most dismal country I ever beheld....

...the river spreads to more than 3 times it's former width and is filled with a number of small and handsome Islands covered with cottonwood some timber... the land again fertile. these appearances were quite reviving after the drairy country through which we have been passi ng.... we camped on Star opposite to the entrance of a small Creek...

   Last night we were all allarmed by a large buffaloe Bull, which swam over from the opposite shore and coming along side of the white perogue, climbed over it to land, he then allarmed ran up the bank in full speed directly towards the fires, and was within 18 inches of the heads of some of the men who lay sleeping before the cehtinel could allarm him or make him change his course, still more alarmed, he now took his direction immediately towards our lodge, passing between 4 fires and within a few inches of the heads of one range of the men as they yet lay sleeping, when he came near the tent, my dog saved us by causing him to change his course a second time, which he did by turning a little to the right, and was quickly out of sight, leaving us by this time all in an uproar with our guns in our hands, enquiring of each other the cause of the alarm, which after a few moments was explained by the centinel; we were happy to find no one hirt....

...I walked on shore and ascended this river about a mile and a half in order to examine it.... the bed was formed of gravel and mud with some sand... it was more rappid but equally navigable; there werre no large stone or rocks in it's bed to obstruct the navigation; the banks were low yet appeared seldom to overflow; the water of this River is clearer much than any we have met with   great abundance of the Argalia or Bighorned animals in the high country through which this river passes. Capt. C. who assended this R. much higher than I did has thought proper to call (called) it Judieths (Big Horn) River. the bottomsof this stream as far as I could see were wider and contained more timber than the Missouri; here I saw some box alder intermixed with the Cottonwood willow; rose bushes and honeysuckle with some red willow constitute the undergrowth.

...we came too for Dinner opposit the enterence of a small river.... and as we were in a good harbor & small point of woods on the Star Side, and no timber for some distance above, induced us to conclude to stay all night. we gave the men a dram, altho verry small it was sufficent to effect several men....

...many circumstances indicate our near approach to a country whos climate differs considerably from that in which we have been for many months. the air of the open country is asstonishingly dryas well as pure.... I also observed the well seasoned case of my sextant shrunk considerably and the jointsopened. The water of the river still continues to become clearer... than it was a few days past. this day we proceded with more labour and difficulty than we have yet experienced... the banks and sides of the bluff were more steep than usual and were now rendered so slippery by the late rain that the men could scarcely walk.... the earth and stone also falling from these immence high bluffs render it dangerous to pass under them, the wind was also hard and against us. our chords broke several times today but happily without injury to the vessels....

...We discover in several places old encampments of large bands of Indians... we believe to be the Blackfoot Ind^s. or Menitares who inhabit the heads of the Saskashowin & north of this place. and trade a little in the Fort de Prarie (Edmonton, Alberta) establishments. we camped in a grove of cotton trees on the Star Side, river rise 1 1/2 In.

...the toe rope of the white perogue... gave way today at a bad point... it was very near overseting; I fear her evil gennii will play so many pranks with her that she will go to the bottomm some of those days...
   The hills and river Clifts which we passed today exhibit a most romantic appearance. The bluffs of the river rise to the hight of from 2 to 300 feet and in most places are nearly perpendicular; they are formed of remarkable white sandstone... two or thre thin horizontal stratsa of white freestone... on which the rains or water make no impression, lie imbeded in these clifts of soft stone near the upper part of them...

...the earth on top of these Clifts is a dark rich loam, which forming a graduly ascending plain extends back from 1/2 mile to a mile where the hills commence and rise abruptly to a hight of about 300 feet or more. The water in the course of time in decending from those hills and plains on either side of the river has trickled down the soft sand clifts and woarn it into a thousand grotesque figures, which with the help of a little imagination and an oblique view, at a distance are made to represent eligant ranges of lofty freestone buildings, having their parapets well stocked with statuary....

...collumns of various sculpture both grooved and plain, are also seen supporting long galleries in front of those buildings; in other places on a much nearer approach and with the help of less immagination we see the remains or ruins of eligant buildings, some collumns standing and almost entire with their pedestals and capitals; others retaining their pedestals but deprived by time or accident of their capitals, some lying prostrate an broken others in the form of vast pyramids of connic structure bearing a serees of other pyramids on their tops becoming less as they ascend and finally terminating in a sharp point. nitches and alcoves of various forms and sizes are seen at different hights as we pass. a number of the small martin which build their nests with clay in a globular form attached to the wall within those nitches, and which were seen hovering about the tops of the columns did not the less remind us of some of those large stone buildings in the U. States.
...the thin stratas of hard freestone intermixed with the soft sandstone seems to have aided the water in forming this curious scenery. As we passed on it seemed as if those seens of visionary inchantment would never have end; for here it is too that nature presents to the view of the traveler vast walls sometimes run parallel to each other, and at other times intersecting each other at right angles, having the appearance of the walls of ancient houses or gardens....

...I walked on shore this evening and examined these walls minutely and preserved a specimine of the stone... on these clifts I met with a species of pine I had never seen....

...Cap^t Lewis... collected some of the stones off one of the walls which appears to be a sement of Isin glass (and) black earth      we camped on the Star^d Side in a small timbered bottom above the mouth of a Creek on the Star^d Side....

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