Maximilian, Prince of Wied's, Travels in the Interior of North America, 1832-1834, part 3 and appendix
by Prinz von Maximilian Wied · English · Gutenberg #48235 · 739,116 chars · public domain (US)
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Maximilian, Prince of Wied's, Travels in the Interior of North America, 1832-1834, part 3 and appendix
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online
at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States,
you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located
before using this eBook.
Title: Maximilian, Prince of Wied's, Travels in the Interior of North America, 1832-1834, part 3 and appendix
Author: Prinz von Maximilian Wied
Editor: Reuben Gold Thwaites
Illustrator: Karl Bodmer
Translator: Hannibal Evans Lloyd
Release date: February 11, 2015 [eBook #48235]
Most recently updated: October 24, 2024
Language: English
Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/48235
Credits: E-text prepared by Richard Tonsing, Greg Bergquist, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive/American Libraries (https://archive.org/details/americana)
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MAXIMILIAN, PRINCE OF WIED'S, TRAVELS IN THE INTERIOR OF NORTH AMERICA, 1832-1834, PART 3 AND APPENDIX ***
Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this
file which includes the original illustrations.
See 48235-h.htm or 48235-h.zip:
(https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/48235/pg48235-images.html)
or
(https://www.gutenberg.org/files/48235/48235-h.zip)
Images of the original pages are available through
Internet Archive/American Libraries. See
http://www.archive.org/details/earlywesterntrav24thwa
Transcriber's note:
Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).
Text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=).
Early Western Travels
1748-1846
Volume XXIV
Early Western Travels
1748-1846
A Series of Annotated Reprints of some of the best
and rarest contemporary volumes of travel, descriptive
of the Aborigines and Social and
Economic Conditions in the Middle
and Far West, during the Period
of Early American Settlement
Edited with Notes, Introductions, Index, etc., by
Reuben Gold Thwaites, LL.D.
Editor of "The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents," "Original
Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition," "Hennepin's
New Discovery," etc.
Volume XXIV
PART III OF MAXIMILIAN, PRINCE OF WIED'S, TRAVELS IN THE
INTERIOR OF NORTH AMERICA, 1832-1834
[Illustration]
Cleveland, Ohio
The Arthur H. Clark Company
1906
Copyright 1906, by
The Arthur H. Clark Company
All Rights Reserved
The Lakeside Press
R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company
Chicago
CONTENTS OF VOLUME XXIV
[Part III of Maximilian's Travels in the Interior of North America]
CHAPTER XXVIII--Winter Sojourn at Fort Clarke, from
November 8th to the end of 1833 11
CHAPTER XXIX--Continuation of our Winter Residence
at Fort Clarke, till our Departure, from January 1st to
April 18th, 1834 55
CHAPTER XXX--Return from Fort Clarke to the Cantonment
of Leavenworth, from April 18th to May 18th 84
CHAPTER XXXI--Voyage from the Cantonment of Leavenworth
to Portsmouth, on the Mouth of the Ohio River,
from May 18th to June 20th 116
CHAPTER XXXII--Passage of the Ohio Canal and Lake
Erie to the Falls of Niagara, from the 21st to the 30th of
June 146
CHAPTER XXXIII--Return on the Erie Canal and the River
Hudson to New York--Voyage to Europe 177
APPENDIX (combination of German and English editions)--
I--Vocabularies of some of the Tribes of Northwestern
America. Translated for the present edition from the
original German edition (Coblentz, 1839), by _Asa Currier
Tilton_
(a) Introduction 199
(b) Vocabularies: Arikkaras, Assiniboins, Blackfeet,
Chayennes, Crows, Dacota Yanktonans, Dacota
Tetons, Fall Indians, Flatheads, Kickapus, Konsa,
Krih, Kutanä, Mandans, Minnitarris, Musquake,
Ojibuä, Omaha, Otos, Pahni, Puncas, Saukis, Snake,
Wasaji [Osage] 210
(c) Indian Sign Language 300
II--On the Origin of the Otos, Joways, and Missouris; a
tradition communicated by an Old Chief to Major Bean,
the Indian Agent. From the London edition, 1843 313
III--Sale of Land by the Indians--Extract from the published
Contract. From the London edition 315
IV--Treaty of Peace between the American Fur Company
and the Blackfeet. From the London edition 317
V--Meteorological Observations at Fort Union and Fort
Clarke on the Upper Missouri. Summarized from the
original German edition, by _Asa Currier Tilton_ 318
VI--Bird Calendar for the Region of the Mandan Village,
for the Winter of 1833-34. Translated from the original
German edition, by _Asa Currier Tilton_ 320
VII--Catalogus Plantarum in Monte Pocono (North Hampt.,
Pennsylvaniæ), observatarum a L. D. Schweinitz. From
the London edition 323
VIII--Systematic View of the Plants brought back from my
Tour on the Missouri, drawn up by President Nees von
Essenbeck, at Breslau. From the London edition 326
IX--Catalogue of Birds, observed in the months of November,
December, January, and February, at the mouth of
the Wabash. Translated from the original German edition,
by _Asa Currier Tilton_ 345
ILLUSTRATIONS TO VOLUME XXIV
(The following are text cuts in original)
Plan of Minitaree medicine feast 25
Club, with carved head 25
Plan of Mandan hut 37
Mandan, in bull-dance costume 37
Heads of sledge dogs 37
Double rainbow 59
Little Soldier (Tukan Haton), a Sioux chief 59
Plan of Niagara Falls 169
Harpoon for dolphins 169
PART III, AND APPENDIX, OF MAXIMILIAN, PRINCE OF
WIED'S, TRAVELS IN THE INTERIOR OF NORTH AMERICA
The Text, a reprint of chapters xxviii-xxxiii of the London edition,
1843; the Appendix, a combination of the Appendices of the London and
German (Coblentz, 1839) editions.
TRAVELS IN THE INTERIOR OF NORTH AMERICA, IN THE YEARS 1832, 1833, AND
1834
[PART III]
CHAPTER XXVIII[1]
WINTER SOJOURN AT FORT CLARKE, FROM NOVEMBER 8TH TO THE END OF 1833
Present State of Fort Clarke--Mr. Mc Kenzie's Journey--Peace
between the Mandans and the Yanktonans--Ravages of the Cholera
on the Lower Missouri--Mato-Topé--Sih-Chida--Return of my
People to Fort Union--Sih-Sa--Narrative of Dipauch--Completion
of our New Dwelling--Visit to a Winter Village of the
Manitaries--The Great Buffalo Medicine Fête--Juggleries
of the Manitari Women--Visit to the Winter Village of the
Mandans--Festivity on the Sale of the Dance of the Half-shorn
Head--Hunting Excursion--Cold Snow-storms--Accounts from St.
Louis--Dance of the Ascho-Ochata--Violation of the Peace
by the Sioux--Christmas Festivals--Dance of the Women of
the White Buffalo Cow--News from Fort Union--Scarcity of
Provisions--Employment of the Dogs for drawing Sledges--Dance
of the Half-shorn Head in the Fort--Departure of Mr. Kipp to
Fort Union--Increase of the Cold.
No important change had taken place at Fort Clarke during our absence.
We found there, besides Mr. Kipp the director,[2] and his family,
two interpreters, Belhumeur for the Mandan language, and Ortubize
for the Sioux; the former was a half-breed Chippeway, and did not
speak the Mandan language as well as Mr. Kipp.[3] Besides these men
and their families there were in the fort only six white _engagés_,
one of whom was a smith: some of them were married to Indian women.
We unfortunately missed Mr. Mc Kenzie, who had left only four days
before to return to Fort Union.[4] We had received, through him, a very
welcome packet of letters from Germany, which I found here. As I had
written to Mr. Mc Kenzie, requesting him to provide us with a winter
residence at Fort Clarke, in order more closely to study the Indian
tribes in the neighbourhood, instead of accepting his invitation to
pass that season with him at Fort Union, where we should have been
accommodated in a far more comfortable and agreeable manner, he had
had the kindness to give orders for completing a new building at Fort
Clarke, in which we were to reside. This order unfortunately came too
late, and it was necessary to finish the work in a hurry in the month
of November, when the frost was very severe, particularly during {413}
the nights, so that our dwelling, being very slightly built, afforded
us, in the sequel, but little protection from the cold. The large
crevices in the wood which formed the walls, were plastered up with
clay, but the frost soon cracked it, so that the bleak wind penetrated
on all sides. Our new house, which was one story high, consisted of two
light, spacious apartments, with large glass windows; we inhabited one
of these rooms, while the other served for a workshop for the carpenter
and the joiner. Each room had a brick chimney, in which we burnt large
blocks of green poplar, because, for want of hands, no stock of dry
wood had been laid in for the winter. The consequence was, that we were
obliged to send men every morning, with small carts or sledges, for
some miles into the forest, to fetch wood for the daily consumption,
which in the intense cold was a truly laborious task. An _engagé_ who
was employed in our service brought the wood covered with ice and snow
into our room, which considerably increased the cold which we already
experienced.
As our lodging was not habitable for some time after our arrival, and
there was no other room in the fort, Mr. Kipp received us in the small
apartment which he himself inhabited with his family, and, though
our beds were removed in the morning, yet our presence made it more
difficult and troublesome to find accommodation for the numerous Indian
visitors who came every day. The stores of the fort were at this time
well filled; there were goods to the value of 15,000 dollars, and, in
the loft, from 600 to 800 bushels of maize, which a great number of
Norway rats assiduously laboured to reduce. Some changes had taken
place among the Indians in the vicinity of the fort. At the time of my
first visit, in the summer of 1833, the Yanktonans[5] had expressed
a wish to make peace with the Mandans and the Manitaries, in which
they did not succeed at that time, but accomplished it in September.
Two hundred tents of those Sioux had then been pitched in the prairie
behind the village; they remained there three or four days, and some
traces of their camp still remained. There had been feasting and
dances, and Fort Clarke was crowded the whole day with Indians of the
three tribes. At this time the prairie in the neighbourhood of the
fort was desolate and deserted; part of the Indians had already gone
to their winter villages in the forest; many, however, remained in the
summer villages, and we had plenty of Indian visitors during the whole
winter.
Unpleasant news was received from the United States. The cholera had
again broken out at St. Louis, and carried off a great number of
persons. It had been brought, by the steam-boats, to the trading-posts
on the lower Missouri; at Bellevue, Major Dougherty's post, seven of
the ten white inhabitants had died in a few days.[6] The major himself
had been very ill, but had happily recovered. Several persons were
likewise carried off at the post of Major Pilcher, formerly that of
Mr. Cabanné.[7] This dangerous disease had not penetrated to that part
of the country where we were; but, as there was too much reason to
apprehend that it might extend so far, Mr. Mc Kenzie had taken a young
physician with him to Fort Union.
{414} Our first employment was to go on hunting excursions into
the prairies round the fort, which afforded us an opportunity of
collecting the seeds of the dried plants of the prairie. On one of
these excursions, when Mr. Bodmer and Mr. Kipp had gone out together,
they happened to separate, when a couple of Indians approached the
former with their bows bent, and uttering the war-whoop; he cocked his
double-barrelled gun and prepared to defend himself, when Mr. Kipp came
up, and relieved him from these unwelcome visitors, the Indians taking
flight as soon as they perceived him. Fresh scaffoldings for the dead
were erected in the vicinity of Mih-Tutta-Hang-Kush, several Indians
having died of the hooping-cough, which was very prevalent. Every day
we saw inhabitants of the summer villages removing, with much baggage,
laden horses and dogs, to the winter villages. Among other things they
carried the strange dresses belonging to the several bands, such as the
buffalo heads of the band, Berock-Ochata, and a live owl, which they
keep as a fortune-teller. Other Indians dragged dead dogs by a strap,
probably as a bait to catch wolves or foxes. We heard, in the village,
loud lamentations, and saw the women working at the erection of a
scaffold for a woman who had just died.[8]
On the 13th of November, early in the morning, several Indians arrived,
who related, with much gravity, that in the preceding night they had
observed an extraordinary number of falling stars, all moving in a
westerly direction, which they said was a sign of war, or of a great
mortality, and asked Mr. Kipp what he thought of it. Many other Indians
visited us, of whom several were in mourning, that is, rubbed over
with white clay, and all of them spoke of the ominous phenomenon. They
were much pleased with Mr. Bodmer's Indian drawings, and asked us many
questions about their enemies, the Blackfeet. Among our most constant
visitors were the distinguished chief, Mato-Topé, and Sih-Chida (the
yellow feather). The former came with his wife and a pretty little
boy, to whom he had given the name of Mato-Berocka (the male bear).
He brought his medicine drum, painted red and black,[9] which he hung
up in our room, and so afforded Mr. Bodmer an opportunity of making
a drawing of it. Sih-Chida, a tall, stout young man, the son of a
celebrated chief now dead, was an Indian who might be depended on,
who became one of our best friends, and visited us almost daily.
He was very polished in his manners, and possessed more delicacy of
feeling than most of his countrymen. He never importuned us by asking
for anything; as soon as dinner was served he withdrew, though he
was not rich, and did not even possess a horse. He came almost every
evening, when his favourite employment was drawing, for which he had
some talent, though his figures were no better than those drawn by
our little children. Ortubize, the interpreter, had moved, with his
family, to the post of Picotte, a trader among the Yanktonans, where
he was to pass the winter.[10] The people who had been sent thither
returned, on the 14th of November, with the information that the Sioux
were dispersed in the prairie, and that they had made capital bargains
with them for beavers' skins. At our post we had to encounter the
mercantile opposition of Messrs. {415} Soublette and Campbell, whereby
the price of the buffalo skins was very much raised.[11] As our armed
men now consisted of seventeen _engagés_, Mr. Kipp went to work and had
my Mackinaw boat drawn to land, and secured from the ice, a task which
the people had much difficulty in accomplishing. The 15th of November
was the first day we saw ice in the Missouri; the sand banks were
covered with a wide, thick sheet of ice and the river was still open,
no aquatic birds had been seen for a long time; while, on the other
hand, small flights of _Fringilla linaria_, which travels southward in
the winter appeared in the prairie.
On the 16th November Mr. Kipp sent the men who had come down with me
back, on foot, to Fort Union. They took with them two dogs, which
drew well-laden _travails_ (sledges), and hoped to arrive there in
about nine days. We had a visit from the wolf chief, Charata-Numakshi,
accompanied by half-a-dozen Manitaries,[12] among whom was a tall,
stout fellow, named Tichinga; his hair was tied in a thick knot on
his forehead; to this was attached a piece of leather, so ornamented
with fringes that his eyes were almost concealed, and he could hardly
see. At midday, I saw the first flight of the snow bunting (_Emberiza
nivalis_), on the Missouri. They pass the winter here in the prairie
bushes, and live upon such seeds as they can pick up. Sih-Sa (the red
feather), the young Mandan Indian who, during the day, takes charge
of the horses belonging to the fort in the prairie, came back to-day,
having painted his whole body with spots of white clay. I asked him why
he had done this? to which he replied, that he was thereby enabled to
run faster. We likewise received a visit from a Mandan of half French
extraction, named Kipsan-Nüka (the little tortoise), whose father was
a French Canadian. He affirmed that he had formerly spoken both French
and English, but he had entirely forgotten both. Neither his features
nor his colour differed materially from the other Indians, whose
manners, customs, and dress he closely followed. Every evening brought
me a visit from Dipauch, who came to tell me all the legends and
traditions, as well as the religious views of his people--conversations
which interested me much, and which frequently lasted till late at
night. Among his auditors were several young people, who sat listening
with the most riveted attention to the disjointed sentences of our
narrator; while Mr. Kipp, with great patience, performed the office of
interpreter.
On the 17th of November we were visited by an old chief, Ahda-Miga (the
man without arms), who, however, has no longer any influence among
them. The bowl of his tobacco-pipe was made of an old iron gun-barrel.
Mr. Kipp had many similar bowls made by the smith, which he sold to the
Indians for six dollars. Dipauch and his friend, Berock-Itainu (the
bull's neck), who was his inseparable companion, were presented with
bowls of this kind, made in the form usual among the Indians. In the
evening a white wolf approached so closely to the fort, that he was
fired at from the gate, and attacked by our dogs.
On the 22nd of November we took possession of our new apartment,
which was now completed, except that the whitewashed walls were still
damp, and the constant wind generally {416} filled it with smoke. We
were, however, thankful to have space to carry on our labours, to
which we now applied with great assiduity, to make up for the time we
had lost. The large windows afforded a good light for drawing, and
we had a couple of small tables and some benches of poplar wood, and
three shelves against the walls, on which we spread our blankets and
buffaloes' skins, and reposed during the night. The room was floored;
the door was furnished with bolts on the inside, and the fire-wood,
covered with frozen snow, was piled up close to the chimney. We all
felt indisposed soon after we took up our abode in this lodging, and
were obliged to have recourse to medicine, but this was, probably,
to be ascribed principally to the way of living and the state of the
weather; for Sih-Sa and other Indians had bowel complaints, catarrh,
and violent coughs, for which Mr. Kipp gave them medicines. I examined
all the medical stock of the fort, and found neither peppermint nor
other herbs, which would have been serviceable at this time; only a
handful of elder flowers, and rather more of American camomile, which
has a different taste to the European. There were some common remedies,
but unfortunately we were without a medical man. Snow-storms, with a
high west wind, had set in, and on the 23rd the country was covered
with snow, and the Missouri froze for the first time on that day, below
the village of Mih-Tutta-Hang-Kush, and it is remarkable that it was
frozen on the very same day in the preceding year. We saw the Indian
women, as soon as the river was covered with ice, break holes in it,
to wash their heads and the upper part of their bodies. The Indians
had brought many beaver skins for sale, of which Mr. Kipp purchased
eleven large ones, in exchange for a horse and some red cloth; the
remainder, for which they demanded another horse, they took back with
them. We had a visit from a young Mandan who had a bag made of the skin
of the prairie dog, containing some pieces of a transparent selenite
from which these Indians extract a white colour by burning it in the
fire. Mato-Topé had passed the evening with us, and, when we went to
bed, laid himself down before the fire, where he soon fell asleep. On
the following morning he rose early, washed himself, but left his two
buffalo skins lying carelessly on the floor, for us to gather them up,
these Indians taking every opportunity to be waited on by the Whites.
As we were molested during the night by numerous rats, we put my little
tame prairie fox into the loft above us, where some maize was kept,
and here he did excellent service. This pretty little fox afforded us
much amusement during the long winter evenings. He was nearly a year
old, but still liked to be caressed and played all kinds of antics to
attract notice.
Several wolves, which the Indians had brought to me, were laid down
near the fort, after they had been stripped of their skins, but we did
not succeed in alluring one of their species by this bait. Dreidoppel,
on his excursion, had killed a couple of wolves, which he allured by
imitating the voice of a hare, and then shot with his fowling piece.
The hares had now put on their white winter coats, and could scarcely
be distinguished from the surrounding snow. They {417} were seen
sitting singly on the hills, and we took them for buffaloes' skulls
when there was no snow on the prairie.
On the evening of the 25th of November we were alarmed by information
that some hostile Indians were near the fort. Dipauch and
Berock-Itainu, who were called the soldiers of the fort, immediately
took their arms, cautiously opened the gate, and discovered a Manitari,
who was concealed near one of the block-houses, from which he was soon
driven rather roughly. At this time, Charbonneau came to invite us to a
great medicine feast among the Manitaries, an invitation which I gladly
accepted.[13]
On the morning of the 26th we had fine weather and a clear sky, very
favourable for our expedition. At nine o'clock, Bodmer, Charbonneau
and myself set out, on foot, with our double-barrelled guns and the
requisite ammunition, accompanied by a young Manitari warrior. We
proceeded up the Missouri in a direction parallel with the river,
leaving Mih-Tutta-Hang-Kush on our right hand, and taking the way to
Ruhptare which runs along the edge of the high Plateau, below which
there is a valley extending to the Missouri, covered with the maize
plantations of the Mandans, with some willow thickets and high reeds.
On the left hand the prairie extended to the hills: it was covered
with low, withered, yellowish grass, and presented a barren, desolate
appearance. After proceeding about an hour, we came to a stone,
undoubtedly one of those isolated blocks of granite which are scattered
over the whole prairie, and which the Indians, from some superstitious
notion, paint with vermilion, and surround with little sticks, or rods,
to which were attached some feathers. This stone, and many similar
ones in the prairie, are considered, by many Indians, as medicine; but
I was not able to learn what ideas they entertain concerning the one
here described. A little farther on, in a small ravine which crosses
the path, there was an elm, the trunk of which was painted in many
places with vermilion; rags, stained with vermilion, were suspended
from it, together with a little bag containing some of the same colour,
as a sign that the tree was sacred or medicine. A covey of prairie
hens rose, with loud cries, from this ravine. At this spot 1000 or
1200 Sioux had attacked the united Mandans and Manitaries thirty years
before, but lost 100 of their people. One of those Indians was afraid
to proceed on this path, because he suspected that a wolf-pit, or trap,
might be in the way; but the partisan, or chief, wishing to shame
him, went before, and actually fell into such a pit, with sharpened
sticks at the bottom, by which he was killed. From this place we came,
in about half an hour, to the Mandan village, Ruhptare, which is now
totally abandoned. The construction of the huts and medicines, the
stages for the dead, everything, in short, is just the same as at
Mih-Tutta-Hang-Kush, only a much greater number of the stages stood
near the huts, and flocks of ravens sat upon them. To the left of the
village there is a little hill, which was quite covered with these
strange erections, and poles with offerings suspended from them.
{418} We went through the village, in the centre of which there is a
circular space, with the representation of the ark of the first man,
and the figure of Ochkih-Hadda on a pole before the medicine lodge. We
soon came to the bank of the river, and saw three Indians attempting
to cross the ice of the Missouri, which had scarcely been frozen
over twenty-four hours. Charbonneau went first, and we followed him
on the path marked out by some poles stuck in the ice. While we were
proceeding, carefully examining the ice with the butt-end of our guns,
we were overtaken by the old Mandan chief, Kahka-Chamahan (the little
raven), who wore a round hat, with a plume of feathers, and who now led
the way.[14] After we had passed the Missouri we met, on the beach,
some elegantly dressed Mandans, with whom we did not stop to converse.
We turned to the close willow thicket which skirted an extensive
forest on the north bank of the river: the path led through it, in
many windings, till we reached the winter village, Ruhptare, which
is closely surrounded by a thicket of willow, poplar, ash, cornus,
and elm. Here the chief took leave of us, as we could not accept his
invitation to his hut. We saw the women everywhere busy in tanning
skins, and carrying wood. Most of the high trees in the forest had been
cut down; but there was a shrub-like symphoria, with rounded elliptical
leaves, and small bunches of whitish-green berries, which, when quite
ripe, are of a bluish-black colour. This plant grows in great abundance
as underwood in all the forests in these parts. Vitis, celastrus, and
clematis, were entwined about some of the trees, but the wild vine was
nowhere thicker than a little finger. There are many open spots in the
wood, covered with thin grass and other kinds of plants, and also reeds.
We followed the winding path through this intricate wilderness, to
the hills, which bound the prairie, at the foot of which we proceeded
parallel to the Missouri: they are partly clay hills, of angular
forms, from which marshy springs issue in many places, all which were
at this time frozen over. Several of these places were covered with
extensive thickets of reeds, and at the foot of the hills there were
some bushes, among which the Indians had set fox-traps, which they
endeavour to conceal with brushwood and buffaloes' skulls laid on it.
We here saw some Indians, and heard the report of their guns. At the
foot of the hills we saw the foot steps of the Virginian deer, but
we observed only a few birds, chiefly crows, ravens, snow buntings,
and the coal titmouse. When we had gone about half an hour, the hills
receded from the river, and as soon as the wood terminates, the wide
prairie extends along the Missouri, where we lately visited, on our
arrival, Ita-Widahki-Hischa (the red shield). We proceeded for several
hours through the desolate plain, which was covered with yellow,
withered grass, now and then broken by gentle eminences, where bleached
buffaloes' bones, especially skulls, are scattered about. We met with
a couple of Indians, heavily laden with skins, resting themselves,
who immediately asked us for tobacco. We had here an opportunity of
seeing the wolf pits, in which the Indians fix sharp stakes, and the
{419} whole is so covered with brushwood, hay, and dry grass, that it
cannot be perceived. As our feet began to be very painful, we sat down
to rest near a stream, now almost dry, bordered with high grass, which
at this time was lying on the ground. As I was no longer accustomed to
such long journeys on foot, I had asked Mr. Kipp for horses for this
journey, but there were none in the fort at that time. Our European
boots and shoes had wounded our feet, and it was with much pain that
we ascended the pretty steep hills which now again came nearer to the
river. I obtained from Charbonneau a pair of Indian shoes, in which I
found it easier to walk, but the thorns of the cactus, which grew on
the hills, pierced through them, and caused me pain in another way.
Towards evening, when we descended from the hills to the river, we
again came to an extensive wood on the banks, in which one of the
winter villages of the Manitaries is situated. We had, however, to
walk several miles along a very winding path before we reached it.
Being extremely tired, and our feet sore and wounded, it cost us some
exertion to get over fallen trunks of trees, sharp stones, &c., in the
way. The scenes which are inseparable from the dwellings of the Indians
soon appeared; slender young men, galloping without saddle, who were
driving their horses home from the pasture; women cutting or carrying
wood, and the like. A young Indian joined us, who immediately offered,
out of civility, to carry my gun, which I did not accept. He was an
Arikkara, who had been captured, when a child, by the Manitaries--a
good-tempered, well-behaved young man. He was tall and slender, with a
pleasing countenance, long, narrow eyes, and a slightly curved nose.
[Illustration: Plan of Minitaree medicine feast]
[Illustration: Club, with carved head]
It was nearly nightfall when we reached the Manitari village, the
large huts of which were built so close to each other that it was
sometimes difficult to pass between them. We heard loud lamentations
as we approached, and learnt that a child had just died, and that a
corpse had been deposited, a few days before, on poles placed in the
boughs of a tree. At the farther end of the village was the residence
of Mr. Dougherty[15] a long, low, log-house, divided into three
apartments, of which that in the centre was used for a storehouse,
the northern apartment being assigned to the family, and the southern
to the _engagés_. We were received with much kindness, and, being
thoroughly tired by a fatiguing journey of, at least, nine leagues, we
were truly glad to rest our weary limbs before a blazing fire. A number
of Manitari Indians were assembled, who, however, gradually retired
whilst we took some refreshment, not having tasted anything since we
breakfasted at Fort Clarke. It being reported that herds of buffaloes
were at no great distance, a party of Indians resolved to give them
chase on the following day, and to implore the blessing of heaven upon
their undertaking by a great medicine feast. Notwithstanding the pain I
suffered in walking, the prospect of witnessing so novel a scene was so
exciting that I immediately set out about seven o'clock in the evening,
accompanied by Dougherty and Charbonneau, to see the Indian ceremony,
which was instituted by the women. Between the huts, in the centre of
the village, an elliptical {420} space, forty paces or more in length,
was enclosed in a fence, ten or twelve feet high, consisting of reeds
and willow twigs inclining inwards.[16] An entrance was left at _a_;
_b_ represents the fence; _d_ are the four fires, burning in the
medicine lodge, which were kept up the whole time. At _e_ the elder and
principal men had taken their seats; to the right sat the old chief,
Lachpitzi-Sihrisch (the yellow bear); some parts of his face were
painted red, and a bandage of yellow skin encircled his head. Places
were assigned to us on the right hand of the yellow bear. At _f_,
close to the fence, the spectators, especially the women, were seated:
the men walked about, some of them handsomely dressed, others quite
simply; children were seated around the fires, which they kept alive by
throwing twigs of willow trees into them. Soon after Charbonneau had
introduced us to this company, six elderly men advanced in a row from
the opposite hut, and stopped for a moment at the entrance of the great
medicine lodge.
They had been chosen, by the young men, to represent buffalo bulls,
for which they afterwards received presents. Each of them carried a
long stick, at the top of which three or four black feathers were
fastened; then, at regular intervals, the whole length of the stick
was ornamented with small bunches of the hoofs of buffalo calves, and
at the lower end of the stick were some bells. In their left hand
they carried a battle-axe, or war club, and two of them had a stuffed
skin which they called a badger, and used as a drum. They stood at
the entrance, rattled their sticks incessantly, sang alternately,
and imitated, with great perfection, the hoarse voice of the buffalo
bull. They were followed by a tall man, whose physiognomy strikingly
resembled that of a Botocudo. He wore a cap, trimmed with fur, because
he had been formerly scalped in a battle. He represented the director
of the ceremony and the leader of the old bulls, behind whom he made
his appearance. The bulls now entered the medicine lodge and took
their seats at _c_, near the fence, behind one of the fires. In front
of them they laid the badger, which is equivalent to what is called
the tortoise in the Okippe of the Mandans.[17] Each of the bulls fixed
his weapon in the ground before him; two of them had clubs, with a
head, on which a human face was carved.[18] Several young men {421}
were now employed in carrying round dishes of boiled maize and beans,
which they placed before the guests. These dishes were handed to each
person successively, who passed them on after tasting a small quantity.
Empty wooden dishes were frequently brought and placed at our feet, the
reason of which I could not, at first, comprehend, but soon learned
from my neighbour, the Yellow Bear. As soon as the provision bearer--a
tall, handsome, very robust, and broad-shouldered man, wearing only
his breechcloth, ornamented at the back with long tufts of hair--came
to take away one of these empty dishes, the old chief held his hands
before his face, sang, and made a long speech, which seemed to me to
be a prayer uttered in a low tone of voice, and then gave him the
dish. These speeches contained good wishes for success in hunting the
buffalo, and in war. They invoke the heavenly powers to favour the
hunters and the warriors. In this manner two dishes were sometimes
placed before us, and we also exerted ourselves in uttering good wishes
in the English and German languages, which the Indians guessed from our
motions, though they could not understand our words. If the speech was
lengthy, they were specially gratified; the provision bearer stopped,
listening very attentively, nodded his satisfaction, and passed his
hand over our right arm from the shoulder to the wrist, and sometimes
over both arms, and then again spoke a few words expressive of his
thanks. In this manner the ceremony of the repast lasted above an hour;
every person present partook of it, and offered up their good wishes
for a successful buffalo chase. Meantime, the young men, in the centre
of the space, prepared the tobacco pipes, which they brought first to
the old men and the visitors; they presented the mouth-piece of the
pipe to us in succession, going from right to left: we each took a
few whiffs, uttered, as before, a wish or prayer, and passed the pipe
to our next neighbours. Among those who carried the dishes and pipes,
there was another young man who had been scalped, and who also wore a
cap; he had received many wounds in the attack made by the Sioux on
the Manitari villages, and had been left on the field as dead. The
pipe bearers often turned their pipes towards the cardinal points,
and performed various superstitious manœuvres with them. The six
buffalo bulls, meantime, sitting behind the fire, sang, and rattled
the medicine sticks, while one of them constantly beat the badger
skin. After a while they all stood up, bent forward, and danced; that
is, they leaped as high as they could with both their feet together,
continuing to sing and rattle their sticks, one of them beating time
on the badger. Their song was invariably the same, consisting of loud,
broken notes and exclamations. When they had danced for some time, they
resumed their seats.
The whole was extremely interesting. The great number of red men, in a
variety of costumes, the singing, dancing, beating the drum, &c., while
the lofty trees of the forest, illumined by the fires, spread their
branches against the dark sky, formed a _tout ensemble_ so striking
and original, that I much regretted the impracticability of taking a
sketch of it on the spot. When the ceremony had continued a couple of
hours, the women began to act their part. A {422} woman approached her
husband, gave him her girdle and under garment, so that she had nothing
on under her robe; she then went up to one of the most distinguished
men, passed her hand over his arm, from the shoulder downwards, and
then withdrew slowly from the lodge. The person so summoned follows
her to a solitary place in the forest; he may then buy himself off
by presents, which, however, few Indians do. This honour was offered
to us, but we returned to the lodge, after having made a present, on
which pipes were again handed to us. The fires already burnt dim, many
Indians had retired, and we asked the old chief, whether we might be
permitted to do the same? At first he refused, but, on our repeating
the question, he gave us leave. On other occasions, when circumstances
allow all the inhabitants of the village to unite, many additional
ceremonies take place; more dances are performed, and each of the
bands dances that which is peculiar to itself, which could not be
done to-day. The dance of the old buffalo bulls, with entire buffalo
skulls, is said to be very interesting. This festival always continues
for four successive nights, and, even on this occasion, the rioting and
noise continued uninterruptedly throughout the night.
On the following morning, the 27th of November, the weather continued
bright and clear. I observed in the thickets near the dwelling of
Dougherty, large numbers of the little coal titmouse, but no other bird
except the _Picus pubescens_. A number of Indians congregated very
early around our fire, one of them having even ventured to take up his
night's quarters with us. The Yellow Bear and the man who was scalped
came early, the former to beg for some coffee; he looked miserable and
faint, as if he were in want of food, and had a black silk handkerchief
tied round his head. The scene outside was very animated: we observed
many very handsome young men, in fine new dresses, some of whom
were playing the game called billiards, and on the river, which was
now quite frozen over, many children and young people were amusing
themselves with sliding and other gambols. Some women were bringing
wood from the forest, others cutting holes in the ice to procure water,
and some playing with a leathern-ball, which they flung upon the ice,
caught it, and then threw it into the air, catching it as it fell. At
noon the thermometer was at 47°, but a high wind arose, and we were
obliged to pass the whole day under shelter of Mr. Dougherty's roof,
where we witnessed many very interesting scenes, the apartments being
visited by a succession of Indians throughout the day.
The following day was spent in the same manner. The younger people,
half naked, again played upon the ice, and I paid a visit, accompanied
by Charbonneau, to the Yellow Bear. Mr. Dougherty had formerly resided
in the hut which he now inhabited, and for which he had to pay 80 or
100 dollars. The beds, consisting of square leathern cases, were
placed along the sides of this spacious hut, and the inmates sat
round the fire variously occupied. The Yellow Bear, wearing only his
breechcloth, sat upon a bench made of willow boughs, covered with
skin, and was painting a new buffalo robe with figures in vermilion
and black, having his colours standing by {423} him, ready mixed, in
old potsherds. In lieu of a pencil he was using the more inartificial
substitute of a sharp pointed piece of wood. The robe was ornamented
with the symbols of valuable presents which he had made, and which
had gained the Yellow Bear much reputation, and made him a man of
distinction.
About twenty Manitaries had gone to hunt buffaloes, and as we had no
meat, we waited with no small degree of impatience for their return.
Our fast was of longer duration than we liked, for it was late before
a few of our hunters arrived, and the scalped man brought us some
meat, so that we did not get our meal till evening. At nightfall, a
handsome young man came to us, accompanied by two girls, it being the
custom of the Indian youths to stroll about in this manner. They had
not been long in our room, when somebody knocked at the door, on which
the two girls crept into Charbonneau's bed to hide themselves, as they
suspected it was some of their friends come to look after them; but it
proved to be only a messenger from Charbonneau, who, wishing to procure
us a pleasant diversion for the evening, let us know that the women in
a certain hut were about to perform a medicine dance; and, availing
ourselves of the intimation, we hastened to the spot without loss of
time.
On the left hand of the wooden screen at the door of the hut a fire was
burning, and before it were spread out skins upon some hay, on which
five or six men were seated in a row, one of whom beat the drum, and
the other rattled the schischikué. They were more than usually vehement
in the performance of this music; the drummer especially exerted
himself to the utmost, and all the rest accompanied him with singing.
Some elderly women were seated near the wall; a tall, robust woman,
however, especially attracted our attention; she was standing in the
centre of the hut; her dress consisted of a long yellow leather robe,
trimmed with a quantity of fringes, and ornamented with pieces of red
and blue cloth. We took our places to the right of the musicians, just
in front of a number of spectators, consisting of women and children,
who were prevented from pressing forward by a young man, who made use
of the official dignity of a stick, with which he was invested for the
occasion. The woman standing in the centre pretended that she had a
head of maize in her stomach, which she would conjure up, and again
cause to disappear. We had come rather too late, for the ear of maize
had already disappeared; but Charbonneau spoke to the people, to whom
we gave ten carrots of tobacco, and the trick was repeated. Our tobacco
was thrown on a heap of roasted buffalo ribs, which were piled up on
willow boughs, and there it remained till the end of the ceremony, the
object of which was to procure a good crop of maize in the succeeding
year. The din of the music now recommenced with renewed vehemence, and
four women began to move. They waddled like ducks, making short steps,
with their feet turned inwards, and keeping time to the quick beat of
the drum; while their arms hung down motionless by their sides. The
medicine woman danced alone near the fire, to which she {424} sometimes
put her hands, and then laid them upon her face. At length she began to
totter, to move her arms backwards and forwards, and to use convulsive
motions, which became more and more violent. Now, as she threw her head
backwards, we saw the top of a white head of maize fill her mouth, and
gradually came more forward, while her contortions greatly increased.
When the head of maize was half out of her mouth, the dancer seemed
ready to sink down, when another woman advanced, laid hold of her and
seated her on the ground. Here, supported by her companion, she fell
into convulsions, and the music became overpoweringly violent. Other
women brushed the arm and breast of the performers with bunches of
wormwood, and the head of maize gradually disappeared; on which the
juggleress rose, danced twice round the hut, and was succeeded by
another female. After this second woman had danced in the same manner,
a stream of blood suddenly rushed from her mouth over her chin, which,
however, she extracted from a piece of leather that she held in her
mouth. She, too, was cured of her convulsions as she lay on the ground,
and then danced around the fire. Other women came forward and danced
behind one another, which concluded the ceremony.
Almost all these people pretended that they had some animal in their
stomach; some a buffalo calf, others a deer, &c. The scalped man told
us that he had a buffalo calf in his left shoulder, and often felt it
kick. Another, who pretended that he had three live lizards in his
inside, complained to Charbonneau that these animals gave him pain, on
which Charbonneau gave him a cup of coffee, but as this remedy did not
relieve him, a cup of tea was given him, and this produced the desired
effect. Notions of this kind are so common among the Indians, and they
are said to have so firm a hold on the faith of the people, that it
would be labour lost to attempt to convince them of their folly.
On the 29th of November, during which we continued in the Manitari
village, the whole forest was covered with hoar frost; all the woods
on the banks were clothed in white, and the red youths were sporting
on the ice; the whole forming an interesting and animated scene. Mr.
Bodmer painted several animals and birds for the Indians, such as
cocks, eagles &c., which they pretended would make them proof against
musket balls. In the evening Mr. Bodmer and Dougherty again went to the
medicine feast, but the women did not, on this occasion, make their
appearance, for which nobody, not even Charbonneau, who was so well
acquainted with the Indians, could assign any reason. After dark our
house-door was twice forced open, and we again observed how much more
rude and savage the Manitaries are than the Mandans. Dougherty, who
did not yet possess a fort, and was obliged to live among the former,
suffered greatly from their importunity and rudeness; he was afraid
even to give them a refusal, lest he might thereby bring upon himself
greater inconveniences, for a continued and close intercourse with
these people is always attended with danger. We had not been able to
borrow horses to {425} return to Fort Clarke; but, on the 30th, Mr.
Dougherty succeeded in obtaining one, and Durand, a clerk of Messrs.
Soublette and Campbell, who had arrived on horseback, returned with us,
and allowed Mr. Bodmer to ride with him.
At nine o'clock we took leave of our kind hosts, Dougherty and
Charbonneau, and set out on our return. In the forest-village belonging
to the inhabitants of Ruhptare, we stopped at a hut, in which Garreau,
an old trader of Messrs. Soublette and Campbell, resided.[19] There was
an abundance of meat hanging up in this hut, as they had had a very
successful buffalo hunt. From this place I sent back my horse; but
Durand, though with great difficulty, got his across the frozen river;
the poor beast was nearly exhausted, it often slipped, and sometimes
fell down. At twilight we reached Fort Clarke, where, during our
absence, good news had been received of the cessation of the cholera in
St. Louis and the neighbourhood.
During November the weather had, on the whole, been tolerably pleasant:
a few days were stormy, with some snow and slight frost; and this kind
of weather continued at the beginning of December. A high stage of
strong posts was erected in our court-yard, where a part of the stock
of maize was deposited, thereby to protect it from the voracity of the
rats. It was defended from the rain by the leather covering of Indian
tents.
The Mandan village near the fort was now entirely forsaken by the
inhabitants. The entrances to the huts were blocked with bundles of
thorns; a couple of families only still remained, one of which was
that of Dipauch, whom Mr. Bodmer visited every day, in order to make
a drawing of the interior of the hut.[20] Instead of the numerous
inhabitants, magpies were flying about, and flocks of snow buntings
were seen in the neighbourhood about the dry plants of the prairie,
where the Indian children set long rows of snares, made of horsehair,
to catch them alive.
Belhumeur had been sent several times to the prairie, and had brought
back buffaloes' flesh; but the animals were so far off that we could
not always be supplied, and were forced to live on hard dried meat
and boiled maize; our beverage consisted of coffee and the water of
the Missouri. Dreidoppel had killed several wolves, prairie dogs, and
prairie hens; the Indians had brought me some white hares and other
smaller animals. One of our dogs was shot in the foot by an Indian,
with an arrow. Neither the motive nor the perpetrator of this hostile
act could be discovered.
[Illustration: Heads of sledge dogs]
[Illustration: Plan of Mandan hut]
[Illustration: Mandan, in bull-dance costume]
Having been invited by the Indians to the winter village, to be
present at a great medicine feast, we proceeded thither, on the 3rd
of December, in the afternoon. Mr. Kipp took his family with him,
and Mato-Topé and several other Indians accompanied us. We were all
well armed, because it was asserted that a band of hostile Indians
had been seen among the prairie hills on the preceding day. Our
beds, blankets, and buffalo skins were laid on a horse, on which Mr.
Kipp's wife, a Mandan Indian, rode. Thus we passed, at a rapid pace,
through the prairie, along the Missouri, then below the hills, which
are pretty high; and I cannot deny that, in the valleys and {426}
ravines, through which some small streams that we had to pass flowed,
our whole company looked anxiously to the right and left to see
whether any enemies would issue from their ambush. We had to pass a
narrow gorge behind a little thick copse, where many Indians had been
killed by their enemies. After proceeding about an hour and a half
we reached the village in the wood, which is the winter residence of
the inhabitants of Mih-Tutta-Hang-Kush. We stopped at the hut of Mr.
Kipp's father-in-law, Mandeek-Suck-Choppenik (the medicine bird), who
accommodated us with a night's lodging. The description of this hut may
serve for all the winter huts of these Indians.[21] It was about twenty
paces in diameter, and circular: _h_ is the fence or wall of the hut,
supported inside by strong, low posts, on which rests the vaulted roof,
which has a square hole to let the smoke escape; _g_ is the entrance,
protected by two projecting walls covered above. At _f_ is the door,
consisting of a piece of leather stretched on a frame. At _d d_ there
is a cross wall of considerable height, made of reeds and osier twigs
woven together, to keep off the draught of air. At _e e e_ there is
another cross wall, only three feet high, behind which the horses
stand; _a_ is the fireplace, round which, at _c c c c_, are the seats
of the inmates, consisting of benches formed of basket-work, covered
with skins; _b b b b_ are four strong pillars which bear the roof, and
are very well united above by cross beams. At _i_ there was a large
leather case for the beds in which the family slept. A chain, with a
large kettle, was suspended from the roof over the fire, to cook our
supper, consisting of very pleasant flavoured sweet maize. The master
of the hut was absent, but his wife, daughter, and son-in-law, received
us very kindly. We had still a little time before the commencement of
the medicine feast, which consisted of the dance of the half-shorn
head, which the soldiers sold to the raven band. This feast was to last
forty nights, and the son-in-law of our host was among the sellers. We
sat around the fire and smoked, while the drum was beat in the village
to call the two parties together. After seven o'clock we repaired to
the medicine lodge; it was entirely cleared, except that some women
sat along the walls; the fire burned in the centre, before which we
took our seats, near the partition _d d_, with several distinguished
men of the band of the soldiers. At our left hand, the other soldiers,
about twenty-five in number, were seated in a row; some of them were
handsomely dressed, though the majority {427} were in plain clothes.
They had their arms in their hands, and in the centre were three men,
who beat the drum. On the right side of the fire stood the young men of
the raven band, who were the purchasers; they were obliged to satisfy
the soldiers, who were the sellers, by making them valuable presents,
such as horses, guns, powder and ball, blankets of different colours,
kettles, &c.; to continue the feast forty nights; to regale them, for
that time, with provisions and tobacco, and offer their wives to them
every evening. The soldiers had consented to these terms, and the
festival took place every evening in the following manner:--
We had all taken our seats before the band of the sellers arrived; but
we soon heard them singing, accompanied by the drum, and they entered
with their insignia; these consisted of four poles, or lances, seven
or eight feet long, the iron points of which resembled sword blades,
and were held downwards; the rest of the instrument was wrapped round
with broad bands of otter-skin, like that of the Blackfeet,[22] and
decorated at the point and other places with strips of skin: two of
these poles are curved at the top. The others were a club with an iron
point, painted red and ornamented with feathers; then three lances,
decorated alternately with black and white feathers;[23] and, lastly,
a very beautifully ornamented bow and quiver. These nine insignia
were brought in, the soldiers, however, stopping, at first, near the
door behind the cross wall. When they had remained for some time in
this position, singing and beating the drum with great violence, they
entered, placed the lances against the wall, and fixed the club in the
ground near one of the pillars that supported the hut; after which
they all took their seats near the wall. While the singing and dancing
were continued alternately for some time, the purchasers filled their
pipes and presented them to all of us in succession. We took one or two
whiffs; they did the same, and carried the pipe round to the left hand,
but offered it only to the visitors and to the sellers. This smoking
continued a long time, during which each of the guests received a small
cake of sweet corn baked in fat. In about half an hour two of the
soldiers rose and danced opposite each other. One of them was a tall,
powerful man, with a weak, effeminate voice. He wore nothing but his
robe and leggins, but without any ornaments; he took the club and held
it firmly in his left hand; his right hand hung straight down; he bent
his body forwards and danced, that is, he leaped with his feet close
together, keeping time with the music. The head and legs of the other
dancer were very handsomely ornamented, but the breast and shoulders
were bare. He took one of the first four lances, which he held in both
hands, and the two men then danced, or leaped, opposite each other. In
a few minutes the first dancer put the lance aside and sat down, while
all the other members of this band uttered the war-whoop, accompanied
by the quick beating of the drum, now and then shouting aloud. Silence
then ensued; the man with the club addressed the purchasers, called
them his sons, and enumerated some of his exploits; after which he
presented to them the war club. One of the purchasers called him his
father, passed his hand along his arm, took {428} the weapon from
his hand, and put it in its place again. The other dancer again came
forward, did the same, spoke of his exploits, and presented the lance
to a man or son of the other band, who received it with the same
ceremony, and put it also in its place again. There were singing and
dancing in the intervals, but no schischikué was heard. Two other
soldiers then rose, related their deeds, how they had stolen horses,
taken a medicine from the enemy, and the like, and presented two of
the insignia to the purchasers. When this had been done four or five
times, the women of the raven band rose; four of them threw aside their
robes, snatched up the lances, carried them successively out of the
hut, and, some time after, brought them in again. They hastened to
pass by us, and some of them appeared to feel ashamed. This ceremony
was repeated twice: these women then came, passed their hands down the
arms of the strangers and of the fathers, took up their robes and went
out, in the same manner as has been related in the medicine feast of
the Manitaries. When they returned the second time, Mr. Kipp rose to go
away, and I followed him. Some of the women were fat and corpulent,
others very young, and one but little past childhood.
This feast was continued in the same manner forty nights. During the
purchase of the dance of the half-shorn head, the buffalo medicine
feast, which continues four nights, was celebrated in another hut. We
retired to the hut of the Medicine Bird, smoked our cigars, and lay
down in our clothes to sleep on buffalo skins spread on the floor. The
weather was frosty, and it was very cold even in the hut; the Indians
set a watch, during the night, that they might not be surprised by
their enemies.
On the 4th of December, early in the morning, we left the village;
we did not keep along the hills, but took another path through the
thickets, which led in some places over frozen marshes, which were
partly covered with reeds. The wood, which was spangled with hoar
frost, is very much cleared, and contains but few large trees. A
high, cold southeast wind blew in the prairie, and afterwards became
violent. At eight o'clock we reached the fort, where we much enjoyed
a hot breakfast. Several Mandans came to see us, among whom was the
strongest man of this nation, named Beracha-Iruckcha (the broken
pot), whom no one had yet been able to overcome in wrestling, though
he had been matched with white men, negroes, and Indians, remarkable
for their strength. Sih-Chida and Maksick-Karehde (the flying eagle),
also visited us; the latter was the tallest man among the Mandans, and
belonged to the band of the soldiers.[24]
Snow had already set in, yet still the buffaloes did not come nearer,
and we were in want of fresh meat, and of tallow to make candles;
and all the meat we could get was obtained from individual Indians
returning from the chase. In the environs of the fort there were,
at this time, wolves, foxes, and a few hares, and during the night
we heard the barking of the prairie wolves (_Canis latrans_, Say),
which prowled about, looking for any remnants of provisions. In our
excursions {429} we everywhere met with wolves, foxes, hares, weasels,
and mice, especially on the banks of the streams, and set snares of
iron wire, in order to learn what species of mice could bear this
winter weather. Our snares were often carried away by the wolves and
foxes, but we frequently caught the _Mus leucopus_, which is especially
the prey of the weasel. If any one imitate the voice of the hare, in
order to attract the wolves, a number of magpies immediately come
and settle in the neighbourhood. Scarcely any kinds of birds were
found in the forest but _Pica hudsonica_, _Picus pubescens_, _Parus
atracapillus_, _Fringilla linaria_, and _Tetrao phasianellus_, of which
several were shot.
On the 10th of December, Charbonneau returned to the service of the
American Fur Company, and took up his quarters in the fort, which gave
me an opportunity to have much conversation with him respecting the
Manitaries, with whom he was well acquainted. On the 11th, Dreidoppel,
with his rifle, shot a prairie wolf (_Canis latrans_) on the ice of the
Missouri, which crept into a burrow, where he could not get at it. He
was returning to the fort, when a couple of Indians called after him,
who had dragged the animal alive from its retreat, and brought it to
our lodging, when Mr. Bodmer made a sketch of the head.[25] On the 13th
of December, when Fahrenheit's thermometer was at 17°, several birds of
the species _Bombycilla garrula_ were brought to us: they are found in
these parts during the summer also, and are said to breed here, which I
think is doubtful. I obtained many wolves from the quite white to the
perfectly grey, common variety, which the Indians sold for two rolls of
tobacco a-piece. They also often caught ermines in horsehair snares,
which they sell dear. As we continued to be in want of fresh meat and
tallow, we had to send people for these necessaries to the Indian
villages, and Mr. Kipp likewise went thither in his sledge, in order
to trade. On one occasion his horse broke through the ice, so that it
remained for an hour in the water, and was quite benumbed. An extremely
cold storm from the north had blown away the wooden screen from our
chimney. On the 15th of December, and on the preceding evening, we had
a heavy fall of snow, which ceased when the wind veered a little to the
north. At eight o'clock the mercury in Fahrenheit's thermometer was at
14°. The appearance of the prairie at this time was very remarkable,
resembling the sea agitated by a terrible storm. The extensive surface
of the snow was carried by the wind in a cloud; it was scarcely
possible for the eye to bear the cold blast which drove the snow before
it, and enveloped us in a dense cloud, above which the sky was clear,
and the tops of the prairie hills were visible. We were, therefore, the
more sensible of the enjoyment of our bright fire, seated about which
we passed our time agreeably in various occupations. About this time
the enemy had stolen six horses from the Manitaries. We had been for
some time without meat, when the Indians, hunting at a considerable
distance, at the forks of Teton River,[26] killed fifty-five buffaloes.
On this occasion, Mr. Kipp's horse was lost, which, bridled and saddled
as it was, had joined a herd of buffaloes; and two foals had perished
in the cold.
{430} On the 16th the mercury was at 2°, Fahrenheit, below zero.
For some time past the water in our room was frozen every day,
notwithstanding the large fire which we kept up. Towards the 19th of
December, the weather was again fine; in a few days there was snow,
and the Missouri rose so high that it partly overflowed the ice that
covered it. Some of Mr. Soublette's people arrived from St. Louis,
which they had left on the 14th of October, and confirmed the accounts
which we had already received of the cessation of the cholera. They
told us that, in October, the snow was fifteen inches deep on the
banks of the Konzas River, and that the party escorting the caravan
from Santa Fé had been so closely hemmed in by the Indians (probably
Arikkaras), that they had been compelled, by want of provisions, to
slaughter fourteen of their horses.[27]
On the 22nd of December, a number of white maggots were found under
a piece of poplar bark, which were completely enclosed in ice, but
all came to life when they were warmed at the fire. On the 23rd, the
mercury was at 10° Fahrenheit, above zero; the sky was bright and
clear, the wind blew from the east, the icy covering of the river
smoked and the woods were covered with hoar frost. The ravens came near
to the fort to pick up food; the wolves, in consequence of our frequent
excursions, had retired to a greater distance.
On this day, at noon, we heard the drums of the Indians, and a crowd
of their people filled the fort. At their head were fourteen men of
the band of the bulls, from Ruhptare, distinguished by their strange
costume.[28]
{431} The whole head was covered with a wig, consisting of long plaits
of hair, which hung down on every side, so that even the face was
completely concealed. The appearance of these men was very singular in
the cold weather, for their breath issued from between the plaits of
hair like a dense vapour. They wore in their heads feathers of owls,
ravens, and birds of prey, each of which had at the tip a large white
down feather. One of them had a very handsome fan of white feathers on
his head, doubtless the entire tail of a swan, each of the feathers
having at the tip a tuft of dyed horsehair. They were closely enveloped
in their robes, and had bow-lances ornamented with feathers, coloured
cloth, beads, &c., and most of them had foxes' tails at their heels.
Some of these men beat the drum, while they all formed a circle, and
imitated the bellowing of the buffalo bulls. After they had danced
awhile, some tobacco was thrown to them, and they proceeded to the
village in the forest further down the river, taking off their wigs.
The frozen Missouri was covered with Indians on this occasion, and
presented an interesting scene. At this time the Sioux stole from the
prairie thirty-seven horses belonging to the Mandans. On this day
Dreidoppel had dragged the entrails of a hare about the prairie, and
then concealed himself; he soon saw six wolves follow the scent and
approach him; but it was so cold that he could not wait for them. Our
cook, a negro, had a violent dispute with an Indian from Ruhptare, who
had taken a piece of meat out of his pot, and the affair might have led
to unpleasant consequences. The Indians of that village are the worst
of the Mandans. Several articles had been stolen, which was nothing
uncommon among our worthy neighbours, for even the wife of Mato-Topé
had pilfered something in our room.
On the 24th of December, and on the preceding night, there was a very
strong cold wind from the northwest (Fahrenheit's thermometer +12½°),
which blew all the hoar frost from the trees. Many Indians knocked
violently at our door, and attempted to force it, as we did not open
it immediately. About four o'clock Papin and three other _engagés_,
with seven horses, arrived from Picotte's post among the Yanktonans,
which they had left two days before, and told us that they had there
found 200 tents of the Yanktonans. At midnight the _engagés_ of the
fort fired a volley to welcome Christmas day, which was repeated in the
morning: the 25th of December was a day of bustle in the fort. Mr. Kipp
had given the _engagés_ an allowance of better provisions, and they
were extremely noisy in their Canadian jargon. The poor fellows had had
no meat for some time, and had lived on maize, boiled in water, without
any fat. Pehriska-Ruhpa, a robust Manitari, who had long lived among
the Mandans, visited us, and soon afterwards Mato-Topé, but they took
no notice of each other, as they were not on good terms, and the former
immediately withdrew. He promised to have his portrait taken in his
handsome dress.[29]
At noon there was a concourse of Indians in the fort: the woman's band
of the white buffalo cow came to perform their dance.[30] The company
consisted of seventeen, mostly old women, {432} and two men, with the
drum and schischikué; the first of these two men carried a gun in
his hand. A stout elderly woman went first; she was wrapped in the
hide of a white buffalo cow, and held, in her right arm, a bundle of
twigs in the form of a cornucopia, with down feathers at the top, and
at the lower end an eagle's wing, and a tin drinking vessel. Another
woman carried a similar bundle. All these women wore round their
heads a piece of buffalo's skin in the form of a hussar's cap, with a
plume of owl's or raven's feathers in front, some of which were dyed
red; only two of them wore the skin of a polecat; all the men were
bare-headed. The women were uniformly painted; the left cheek and eye
were vermilion, and they had two blue spots on the temple near the
right eye.[31] All except the first wore painted robes, and two of them
only had the hairy side outwards. When they had formed a circle the
music began in quick time; the men sung, and the women who were dancing
responded in a loud shrill voice. In their dances they rock from side
to side, always remaining on the same spot. After they had been dancing
for some time there was a pause, when the dance recommenced. Only the
oldest of these women, most of whom were exceedingly plain, had the
tattooed stripes on the chin which are peculiar to this band.
They had scarcely left us, after receiving a present, when three
_engagés_ arrived with letters from Fort Union. They informed us that
Mr. Mc Kenzie had built a new fort at the mouth of the Rivière aux
Trembles, which he had called Fort Jackson, and appointed Mr. Chardon
director.[32] Up to the 15th, when these messengers left Fort Union,
the weather had been very mild; the river was quite free from ice,
and no snow had fallen. Mr. Mc Kenzie invited me to visit him at Fort
Union, but the inclemency of the weather rendered such a journey
extremely unpleasant. The wind had blown down all the pickets at Fort
Union, and some Indians, probably Gros Ventres des Prairies, had shot
a white man on the Yellow Stone. Information had been brought by some
Indians that Doucette, when on a journey from Fort Mc Kenzie to the
Kutanas, had been shot by the Blood Indians.[33]
On the 26th of December the wind blew the snow into the air and
obscured the sky. With a temperature of 12°, Fahrenheit, early in
the morning we observed a rainbow among the clouds of snow, with a
parhelion in the centre. We dispatched a number of letters, which were
forwarded on the 27th by _engagés_, from station to station, down the
river. Four men, with two sledges, and a number of horses, were sent
from the fort, two of whom were to receive a supply of fresh meat
for use at the trading post of the Yanktonans, from which they were
expected to return in four days. Sih-Chida brought us the paper which
his father, at that time the first chief of the Mandans, had received
from General Atkinson and Major O'Fallon, several years before, when a
treaty of friendship and commerce was concluded with the Indians.[34]
This document was written on large paper in the English and Manitari
languages. Most of the Indian names, which were doubtless given by
Charbonneau, were incorrectly written. As we had now {433} no meat,
our breakfast consisted of coffee and maize bread, and our dinner of
maize bread and bean soup. Our people caught an Indian dog in the fort,
intending to put him in a sledge, but he was so wild and unruly, bit
and howled so furiously, that it was long before they could obtain the
mastery. An _engagé_ then knelt upon him to put on the harness, but
when this was done he discovered that he had killed the poor dog.
These dogs, if they are not broken in, are quite unfit for the sledge;
when, however, they are accustomed to the work, they draw a sledge
over the snow more easily than the best horse. If the snow is frozen,
they run over it, where the horse sinks in, and they can hold out much
longer. They can perform a journey of thirty miles in one day; and if
they have rested an hour on the snow, and had some food, they are ready
to set out again. A horse must have sufficient food, frequent rest, and
a good watering place, and when it is once tired it cannot be induced
to proceed. I have been assured by some persons that they had made
long journeys, for eight successive days, with dogs, during which time
the animals did not taste any food. In the winter, when the Indians
go to hunt the buffalo, they drive, in light sledges, over the frozen
snow, into the midst of the herd; the Indian, with his bow and arrows,
sits or kneels down in the sledge; and dogs that have been trained,
cannot be held back when they perceive the buffalo herd. In the north
three good dogs are seldom to be purchased for less than 100 dollars.
A single dog, when it is very good and strong, costs sixty or seventy
dollars; on the Missouri, however, they are by no means so dear.
On the 28th December, about noon, we again heard the Indian drums:
several soldiers announced the band which had lately purchased the
dance of the half-shorn head. The whole company, very gaily and
handsomely dressed, soon afterwards entered the fort, followed by a
crowd of spectators. About twenty vigorous young men, with the upper
part of the body naked (having thrown off their robes which they wore
at their entrance), painted and ornamented in the most gaudy manner,
formed a circle in the court-yard of the fort. Their long plaits of
hair were covered with reddish clay. One eagle's feather, or several
other feathers, were fixed transversely in the hair; others had a long
plait hanging down, with five or six brass rosettes, in the manner
of the Sioux; several had a bunch of owl's feathers hanging down,
necklaces of bears' claws and otters' tails, wolves' tails at their
heels, red cloth or leather leggins, often painted, or with bells
fixed to them; they had a looking-glass suspended from the wrist, or
the waist, and carried the several insignia of the dance, such as the
long hooked sticks, or rods, adorned with otter's skin and feathers,
the straight rod, covered with red cloth[35] &c., and had guns or
bow-lances in their hands. One of them wore a long feather cap, with
horns and strips of ermine on his head; another sat on horseback, and
was daubed with yellow clay, and bleeding wounds were painted on his
body: he carried a bow and arrows, without a quiver; his leggins were
of red cloth, trimmed with a row of bells. His horse was likewise
painted, {434} and the bridle ornamented with red and black cloth. The
three musicians belonged to the band of the soldiers. They were dressed
in shabby blanket robes. As soon as the drum was beat, the dancers bent
their bodies forward, leaped up with both feet together, holding their
guns in their hands, and the finger on the trigger, as if going to
fire. In this manner they danced for about a minute in a circle, then
gave a loud shout, and, having rested a little, began the dance again,
and so on alternately. Some tobacco was thrown on the ground before
them, after which they soon broke up, took up their robes and went to
Ruhptare, where they danced and passed the night, and then exhibited
their performances among the Manitaries.[36]
Mr. Kipp had received orders from Mr. Mc Kenzie to go to Fort Union,
and he accordingly made the necessary preparations for this winter's
journey. He purchased, from the Indians, eighteen dogs; and the
getting sledges in readiness caused some bustle in the fort.
On the 29th of December, the thermometer, at eight o'clock in the
morning, was at 19° Fahrenheit, and the high northwest wind was
so cutting that we could not hold it out long in the prairie.
Notwithstanding this, the dogs were collected, and harnessed with
considerable difficulty, as they made much resistance. Mr. Kipp
travelled with five Indian sledges, with a sufficient number of
well-armed _engagés_. Charbonneau accompanied him on what is called a
cariole (a convenient wooden sledge, drawn by one horse), in order to
purchase meat for us of the Indians. The appearance of the caravan was
very amusing, for many of the dogs, not trained to this service, jumped
from one side to the other and could not be brought into order but by
the use of the whip. The three dogs which drew the principal sledge
had, on their collars, a large double bow, covered and ornamented with
red, yellow, blue, and white fringe, to which a bell was suspended.[37]
About noon the snow storm increased, and it was so cold in our
apartment that, notwithstanding a good fire, we were unable to work.
The high wind drove the snow through the crevices in the walls and the
doors, and the whole place was filled with smoke. The thermometer at
noon was 14° Fahrenheit. The night, too, was stormy, and on the 30th
the hurricane from {435} the west roared exactly as at sea; a great
deal of snow lay in our room, and the water was frozen. In the prairie
we could not keep our eyes open on account of the excessive glare:
exposure to the weather was painful both to man and beast. It was
hoped, however, that it would soon cause the herds of buffaloes to come
nearer to us; but this expectation was not realized though it was said
that there were many at the post of the Yanktonans. Our horses were
obliged, during this dreadful weather, to walk about the whole night in
the court-yard of the fort, with a mass of ice and snow on their backs.
As Gautier, an old _engagé_, was bringing wood into the room, and the
door remained open a short time, Mr. Bodmer's colours and pencils
froze, so that he could not use them without hot water. Writing, too,
was very difficult, because our ink was congealed; and, while the side
of our bodies which was turned to the fire was half roasted, the other
was quite benumbed, and we were often forced to rise in order to warm
ourselves. The cook had his ears frostbitten in going to the river to
fetch water.
To add to our chapter of misfortunes, news was received that the
Yanktonans had stolen some horses from the Mandans, and killed several.
This was the fourth time that these Indians had broken the peace
concluded in the preceding September, and the Mandans were so incensed
at their treachery that they were disposed to recommence the war.
This day Mr. Kipp got no further on his journey than the Manitari
village, because some of his dogs had broken loose and run away, and
several of his people had their faces frostbitten. The last day of the
year was clear and cold: at eight o'clock in the morning the mercury
was at 16½°, by Reaumur's thermometer, below freezing point: a vapour
rose from the river. Towards noon the wind again blew high, the frozen
snow crackled, and no animals, not even wolves or ravens, were to be
seen. Before this weather set in, the Indians had ridden fifteen miles
into the prairie, where many of them were almost frozen to death, but
were recovered by being wrapped up in blankets, and laid before the
fire.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Part III of our reprint of Maximilian's _Travels_ begins with
chapter xxviii of the original London edition (1843).--ED.
[2] For Fort Clark and its custodian, James Kipp, see our volume xxii,
p. 344, note 317, and p. 345, note 319.--ED.
[3] Simon Bellehumeur, probably this interpreter's father, was in
1804 a North West Company's voyageur on upper Red River. One of the
same name also acted as express and scout in the time of General
Alfred Sully's campaign (1864) through the Little Missouri Bad Lands.
See Montana Historical Society _Contributions_, ii, pp. 314-330; and
_Larpenteur's Journal_, ii, p. 362.--ED.
[4] For Kenneth Mc Kenzie, see Wyeth's _Oregon_, in our volume xxi, p.
45, note 25. Fort Union is noticed in our volume xxii, p. 373, note
349.--ED.
[5] See our volume xxii, p. 305, note 263, for account of the Sioux
bands, of which the Yanktonai was one of the largest. They were
inclined toward peace with the United States although tradition relates
that one of these bands participated in the sieges of Forts Meigs and
Stephenson in the War of 1812-15. Their habitat was the Upper James
River, above the Yankton. They are divided into two bands, Upper
and Lower Yanktonai, the former being now located on Standing Rock
reservation, North Dakota, the latter near Crow Creek agency, South
Dakota.--ED.
[6] For Major Dougherty, see our volume xiv, p. 126, note 92; for
Bellevue, xxii, p. 267, note 221.--ED.
[7] Pilcher is noted in our volume xiv, p. 269, note 193; Cabanné, in
volume xxii, p. 271, note 226.--ED.
[8] For burial customs, see our volume xxiii, p. 360, note 329.--ED.
[9] See Plate 81, figure 17, in the accompanying atlas, our volume
xxv.--ED.
[10] Honoré Picotte was a French-Canadian who came to the Missouri
about 1820, and entered the Columbia Fur Company. Afterwards (1827-30)
he was a member of the French Fur Company; and when that was merged
in the American Company he became a partner in the Upper Missouri
Outfit. He had much influence with the Sioux, among whom he married,
and for many years was stationed at Fort Pierre (see our volume xxii,
p. 315, note 277). Audubon met him at this post in 1843; and in later
years he had charge of the annual voyage of the trading steamer to
the upper river. In 1846 Father De Smet was his guest at Fort Pierre.
About two years later Picotte retired from the active business of the
company, and removed to St. Louis. In the early days of the trade, he
had a brother associated with him; and his half-breed son, Charles F.
Picotte, was a noted figure in early Dakota history. See South Dakota
Department of History _Collections_, ii, pp. 246-248.--ED.
[11] For Sublette and Campbell, and the rivalry of their company with
that of the American Fur Company, see our volume xxiii, p. 198, notes
154, 155.--ED.
[12] For this chief, see our volume xxii, p. 345, note 318.--ED.
[13] A sketch of Charbonneau is found in our volume vi, p. 32, note 3;
consult also _Original Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition_,
vii, pp. 329, 330; see also index to that work.--ED.
[14] Lewis and Clark made (1804) this Mandan second chief of the
village of Ruhptare. Upon the return voyage of the explorers, two years
later, he agreed at first to accompany them to the United States, but
later, through jealousy of another Mandan chief, refused. See _Original
Journals_, i, pp. 212, 216; v, pp. 341, 343.--ED.
[15] Joseph Dougherty, for whom see our volume xxiii, p. 218, note
167.--ED.
[16] See p. 25, for plan of Minitaree medicine feast. See also our
volume xxiii, p. 334.--ED.
[17] For this instrument, see our volume xxiii, p. 325, note 293.--ED.
[18] See p. 25, for illustration of club with carved head.--ED.
[19] Garreau settled among the Arikara Indians at an early day (about
1785), being probably the first white settler in South Dakota. Lewis
and Clark found him in the Arikara villages on both their outward and
return journey--_Original Journals_, i, pp. 7, 272; v, p. 355. His son
Pierre was a noted interpreter, being for many years located at Fort
Berthold. See _Larpenteur's Journal_, i, p. 124, for his portrait; see
also Boller, _Among the Indians_, pp. 181, 182, 245-248.--ED.
[20] See Plate 52, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.
[21] See accompanying ground-plan of Mandan hut.--ED.
[22] See our volume xxiii, p. 113, for Blackfeet badge of Prairie-dog
band.--ED.
[23] See our volume xxiii, p. 113, for badge of Raven band.--ED.
[24] See Plate 53, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv; the
figure in the background represents Maksick-Karehde (the Flying Eagle);
that in the foreground, Sih-Chida (the Yellow Feather).--ED.
[25] See our volume xxiii, p. 247, for head of this animal.--ED.
[26] Teton River, so named by Lewis and Clark from that tribe of Sioux
Indians, was originally called by the Dakota Watpa Chicha, a term
translated into the modern Bad River. It is a South Dakota prairie
stream, between White and Cheyenne rivers. Its forks were probably at
the entrance of Frozenman's Creek, its largest northern tributary.--ED.
[27] For the Santa Fé trade, see preface to our volume xix; the caravan
for 1833 went out under the leadership of Charles Bent, and brought
back large returns. See _Niles' Register_, xliv, p. 374.--ED.
[28] See p. 37, for portrait of a Mandan, in bull-dance costume. For
an account of this band or company, see our volume xxiii, pp. 294,
295.--ED.
[29] See Plate 56, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.
[30] See previous mention of this union in our volume xxiii, p.
297.--ED.
[31] For a representation of this costume, see Plate 28, in the
accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.
[32] Fort Jackson was built by Chardon (for whom see our volume xxiii,
p. 188, note 144) in December, 1833. It was sought thereby to intercept
the Assiniboin and Cree tribesmen who came from the Saskatchewan
Valley, thus getting possession of their furs before they reached the
rival traders of Sublette and Campbell's opposition. Chardon took
twenty men with him from Fort Union, and built a post fifty feet
square, naming it in honor of the president of the United States.
The post was not long maintained. In 1845 Larpenteur made a camp on
Poplar River, but does not mention any preceding fur-trade station
thereon.--ED.
[33] For this expedition, see volume xxiii, pp. 153, 154.--ED.
[34] For a brief account of this expedition of 1825, see our volume
xxiii, p. 227, note 182. The treaty is given in _Treaties between the
United States and the Several Indian Tribes 1778 to 1837_ (Washington,
1837), pp. 356-359. Sih-Chida was son of the chief known commonly as
Four Men.--ED.
[35] See badges of Prairie-Dog and Raven bands in our volume xxiii, p
113.--ED.
[36] For the dance of this band, see Plate 25, in the accompanying
atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.
[37] See illustration, p. 37, for heads of sledge dogs.--ED.
CHAPTER XXIX
CONTINUATION OF OUR WINTER RESIDENCE AT FORT CLARKE, TILL OUR
DEPARTURE, FROM JANUARY 1ST TO APRIL 18TH, 1834
Increase of the Cold in the beginning of January--The
Arrival of our People from Picotte--Parhelia--Changes
of Temperature--Sih-Chida's Prayer--My Thermometer
stolen--Reconciliation of Mato-Topé and
Pehriska-Ruhpa--Consecration of a Medicine Son at
Ruphtare--Visit of some Yanktonans--Hunting of the Indians in
the severe Cold--Dance of the Women of the White Buffalo Cow at
Ruphtare--Mr. Kipp's Return--Scarcity of Provisions--Enemies
in the Indian Village--Rapid Thaw--The Mandans kill an
Assiniboin--Cunning and Boldness of the latter--The Scalp Dance
of the Manitaries--Superstition of the Indians--They remove to
their Summer Village--The Arikkara, Pachtuwa-Chta--Dance of
the Meniss-Ochata--Blindness caused by the Snow--Commencement
of my Illness--Arrival of the Spring Birds--The Mad Dogs'
Dance in the Fort--Dance of the Ischoha-Kakoschochata in the
Fort--Breaking-up of the Ice in the Missouri--Dance of the
Berock-Ochata--Arrival of the People entered for my Service--My
Recovery by the use of Green Herbs--Preparations for our
Departure.
January set in with increasing cold, which at eight in the morning was
18° Reaumur, and on the 2nd, at the same hour, 25°, Reaumur, below
freezing point. On the 3rd the mercury sank into the ball, and was
frozen; it remained there on the 4th, but on the 5th it rose, and
at eight in the morning was 9° below zero. During these cold days,
some of our woodcutters had their noses and cheeks frostbitten. The
horizon was hazy; the river smoked; neither man nor animal was to be
seen; yet a party of Mandans, with their wives, were in the prairie
hunting buffaloes, of which they killed forty. At night the cold was so
intense, that we could not venture to put our hands from our bodies,
lest they should be frozen. In the morning we could scarcely endure the
severity of the weather, till we had a blazing fire, for the bleak
northwest wind penetrated through all the seams of the building. We
received information that Mr. Kipp had remained with the Manitaries
till the 2nd of January, and had not proceeded on his journey till
the cold had somewhat abated. Almost all his people had some part of
their body frostbitten, and eight of his {437} dogs had run away. Some
Indians who visited us presented rather a novel appearance, having
their hair, and even their eyelashes, covered with hoar frost and
icicles. In our own room, the boots and shoes were frozen so hard in
the morning, that we could scarcely put them on; ink, colours, and
pencils were perfectly useless. During this cold we were visited by
a deaf and dumb Mandan, who had no covering on the upper part of his
body under his robe. On the 3rd of January, at noon, when the sunbeams,
shining on the frozen snow, were extremely dazzling, the thermometer
being at 24° below zero, I saw no living creatures in the neighbourhood
of the Indian village, except flocks of the snow-bunting, and a few
ravens, two species of birds which are capable of enduring the severest
cold. The Yanktonans, and the people whom we had sent to Picotte,
returned, on the 4th of January, with dried meat, as well as tallow for
candles: they said that, during the two coldest days, they had halted
in the forest, but that, in the night, the wolves had carried off part
of their meat. On the 5th of January the air was misty, and at one
o'clock there were two parhelia at a considerable distance from the
sun; they were, however, faint and rather irregular. It was scarcely
possible to obtain water from the river, and the water-casks in our
room were frozen to the bottom. Unfortunately, too, our woodcutters
brought us only driftwood, which had lain so long in the water that it
would not burn. Picotte had sent a small cask of wine by our people, as
a present from Mr. Mc Kenzie for the Mandans, which was delivered to
the chiefs for distribution.
At eight o'clock in the morning of the 6th, there was a fall of snow;
the temperature in the open air was 29° Fahrenheit, in our room only
25°. The wind blew from the west, and at noon the snow was mixed with
rain, so that the water dripped on our books and papers from the loft,
which was covered with snow. The robes and hair of the Indians were
wet, and they very unceremoniously, therefore, came to dry themselves
before our fire; this was not very agreeable, nevertheless we were glad
that we could resume our usual occupations. At noon the temperature
was 39½° Fahrenheit, and in the evening it became considerably warmer,
so that we could leave our hands at liberty during the night, without
their being affected by the cold. The night, however, was very stormy,
and Sih-Chida laid himself down to sleep on the ground before our fire.
These changes of temperature were very remarkable. On the 7th we again
had cold, with a tempestuous west wind; at noon, the thermometer stood
at 12°, and in the afternoon it again snowed. Sih-Chida once more
passed the night with us, and, when all was silent, made a long address
to the lord of life, in which he besought him to send buffaloes, that
they might not starve. He spoke in a rapid half-suppressed tone of
reproach, and without any gesticulation.[38] On the following day,
Dreidoppel went into the forest in quest of game, but could not proceed
on account of the drifted snow; he only saw some flocks of prairie
hens. At noon, when I went to look at the thermometer, I found that it
had been stolen by the Indians. Our {438} friend Sih-Chida immediately
ran out, and discovered the instrument concealed by a woman under
her robe, and, to my great joy, brought it back to me. Bidda-Chohki
(generally called La Chevelure levée, the scalped man), visited us, and
gave me some words of the Manitari language, but he was not in a very
good humour, because he could not get any brandy. The next day this man
dressed himself very handsomely in order to have his portrait taken,
but the mercury was again 20° below zero, and it was too cold in our
room to paint, for colours and pencils were frozen, though standing
close to the fire, and had to be thawed in hot water. We calculated
that we should burn in our chimney at least six cords of wood in a
month if this cold continued. Mato-Topé had become reconciled to
Pehriska-Ruhpa, and purchased a green blanket, which he showed to us,
as a present for him. We heard that a wolf had attacked three Indian
women in the forest, who had been obliged to defend themselves with
their hatchets.
On the 14th of January, the cold was only 8° below zero, but there was
such a high, piercing wind, that our woodcutters complained more than
when the cold was more severe. In these prairies it is, for the most
part, the wind which makes the cold intolerable; and though persons who
ventured out wore woollen caps which left only the eyes exposed, yet
their faces were frostbitten. Our provisions were very bad, for Picotte
had sent us only tough, hard, stale meat, besides which we had nothing
but maize and beans, and the water of the river. Mato-Topé, in his
finest dress, accompanied by many Indians, visited us. He wore a large
hood of red cloth, adorned with forty long eagles' feathers, and was
going to Ruhptare, where a medicine son was to be adopted.
[Illustration: Double rainbow]
[Illustration: Little Soldier (Tukan Haton), a Sioux chief]
In the night of the 14th, the wind blew with such violence, that it
scattered the heap of ashes from the fire place all over the room, so
that our beds, benches, and clothes were completely covered with them.
Mato-Topé returned on this day from Ruhptare, and told us, with great
satisfaction and self-complacency, that he had enumerated all his
exploits, and that no one had been able to surpass him. Old Garreau,
who was constantly with our _engagés_ in the fort, complained to me,
that, for a long time, he had lived on nothing but maize boiled in
water; and this was really the case with many persons at this place,
as game became more and more scarce. When Garreau first came to these
parts, game abounded, and beavers were heard in all the streams,
striking with their tails; now, however, even the Indians are often
reduced to want of food. On the 21st of January, while the Indians
passed the night without fire, in the prairie, in order to hunt, the
thermometer was at 30° below 0 (27½° Reaumur); the wind was easterly,
and pretty high. The land and the river were covered by a dense mist,
through which the sun penetrated when just above the horizon; on either
side was a large crescent, which rose as high as the upper surface
of the mist, the eastern one extending to the frozen surface of the
river. They were at some distance from the sun, {439} and, like it,
appeared of a light yellowish-white through the misty vapour.[39]
Sometimes we observed, in the light misty clouds on the horizon, two
short, beautifully coloured rainbows, at some distance from the sun,
which, being interrupted by the upper stratum of clouds, did not rise
to any great height. The snow was now frozen so hard, that it could
be broken into large pieces, which emitted a clear sound when struck
with the foot. In the sunshine the atmosphere sparkled with innumerable
particles of floating ice. The Indians had cut some holes in the ice on
the Missouri, to procure water, and fenced them round with poles and
brushwood covered with buffalo hides, as a protection against the cold
wind. At noon the weather was rather milder, the temperature being 10½°
below zero. Three Yanktonans came to the fort with a view to persuade
the Mandans to join in an expedition against another tribe.
Mr. Bodmer took a very excellent likeness of Psihdje-Sahpa, one of the
three Yanktonans.[40]
On the 23rd of January information was brought that a herd of buffaloes
was only six miles from the fort; accordingly, three _engagés_, with
the Arikkara, were sent in pursuit of them, and returned at night with
two cows and a young bull, two of which were given to the fort. The
Mandans had killed about fifty of this herd: our hunters had almost all
their fingers frozen, but they knew well how to restore circulation by
rubbing the limbs with snow. The Indians did not visit us so frequently
at this time, because they were well supplied with meat: the Arikkara,
however, came to us to attend a feast in Belhumeur's apartment, where
we were to be regaled with buffalo flesh. On the 29th, the women of
the band of the white buffalo cow, from Ruhptare, came to the fort to
perform their dance, on which occasion they were dressed in the same
manner as the women from Mih-Tutta-Hang-Kush, only they had not the
bundles of brushwood. The musicians were three men, who wore caps of
white buffalo skin. Knives, tobacco, and glass beads were laid on the
ground as presents for them, after which they proceeded to the lower
Mandan village, from which they came back, the following day, in grand
procession, over the frozen river. Mr. Kipp soon afterwards arrived
from Fort Union, with three or four dog sledges, and six men: they were
completely covered with ice, their noses and cheeks were {440} livid,
and they appeared quite frostbitten. Besides staying four days with
the Manitaries, Mr. Kipp and his party had been twelve days on their
journey to Fort Union. At the beginning they had nothing to eat; and
the poor dogs had been so completely starved for nine days, that they
could scarcely crawl along, so that no burden could be laid upon them,
and the party were obliged to travel the greater part of the way on
foot, in deep snow. They encountered a war party of nine Assiniboins,
some of whom ran away, but the others were sent by Mr. Kipp to hunt,
by which means he procured meat, and the _engagés_, too, succeeded
in killing a few elks and deer. It was affirmed that the mercury of
Fahrenheit's thermometer had been for a whole fortnight at 45° below
zero (77° below freezing point), at Fort Union. No buffaloes had
appeared in the vicinity, nor any Indians, who remained farther down
the river. The hunters of Fort Union had been absent nearly a month, in
which time they killed only two bulls, two cows, and a calf. Except in
some few places, provisions were extremely scarce this winter on the
whole of the Missouri, from Fort Clarke upwards. No accounts had been
received from Fort Mc Kenzie. I had wished to receive several articles
from Fort Union; but Mr. Hamilton was not able to send them, the sledge
being too heavily laden; he, however, promised to forward them without
fail, in the spring, with the people who were to be sent to conduct
us down the Missouri to Fort Pièrre. Mr. Kipp had been eleven days on
his journey back, and had again been obliged to perform a considerable
part of it on foot. The dogs had had nothing to eat for three days, and
now the poor beasts were fed with hides cut in pieces, for we had no
meat. Numbers of the fowls in the forest perished in the cold. On the
last day of January there was a change in the weather; at eight in the
morning, with a west wind, the mercury was at 22° Fahrenheit, and we
could scarcely bear the warmth of the fire in our apartment. Towards
noon a complete thaw set in, and the mild weather immediately brought
us a number of Indian visitors.
On the 1st of February, Mr. Kipp sent three _engagés_, with two dog
sledges, down the river, to the post among the Yanktonans, which
was under the superintendence of Picotte, to procure meat, for we
subsisted entirely on maize broth and maize bread, and were without
tallow for candles; the dogs that were sent with the _engagés_ howled
most piteously when they were harnessed, their feet being still sore
and bleeding from the effects of their late journey. On this day news
was received from Mih-Tutta-Hang-Kush, that three hostile Indians
(Assiniboins), had been in the village during the night, for the
purpose of shooting somebody, for in the morning the place where they
had concealed themselves was discovered, from one of the party having
left his knee-band behind. They had not been able to fire through the
wall of the hut, and had retired at daybreak without attaining their
object; traces were also found of some hostile Indians, who had come
over the river.
On the 2nd of February, one of the sledges sent to Picotte came back,
having been broken on the way. The man who came with it fell in with
the Mandans, who were going to hunt {441} buffaloes, and detained him,
lest he should frighten the animals away. In the preceding night, the
Assiniboins had stolen three horses from the Manitaries, 150 of whom
immediately mounted their horses to pursue and kill them.
At eight o'clock on the morning of the 3rd, the thermometer stood at
39°; the face of the country had assumed quite a different aspect;
large tracts of land were wholly free from the snow, which was fast
melting away, and only the hills were partially covered; yet, with this
rapid thaw, the ground had not become wet, for it was immediately dried
by the continual wind; but there was a considerable quantity of water
on the ice which covered the river. The ravens and magpies again flew
about in the prairie in quest of food.
In the afternoon news was received that the Manitaries, who had gone
in pursuit of the Assiniboins, had overtaken a small party, and killed
a young man, whom they had found asleep, cruelly awakened with whips,
and then murdered in cold blood. These Assiniboins are very daring,
and often approach the villages of the Mandans and Manitaries, either
singly or in small parties, and sometimes surprise individuals and
shoot them. Thus an Assiniboin suddenly fired at a number of young
people who were standing near the palisades of the village, and killed
one of them. The others raised an alarm, while the murderer took the
scalp of the youth he had killed, fled down the steep bank of the
river, where many persons were bathing, and made his escape through the
very midst of all these people. Other Assiniboins stole eleven horses
from a Manitari hut, and were not even perceived till they were in the
act of leading off the last of the animals. They stole four horses
from a hut in which Charbonneau was sleeping, and made their escape
with their booty, without being seen by any one. To-day arrows were
found sticking in the huts and posts of the village, which they had
discharged at random during the night in the hope of killing one of
their foes.
On the 4th and 5th, the weather was mild; the horses were again sent
out to graze in the prairie, our waggons went to fetch grass, and,
towards noon, the day was really quite warm. We were still without
meat, none of the parties whom we sent out having been able to procure
any. Our stock of tallow, too, was exhausted, and we were obliged to
content ourselves with the light of the fire. For several succeeding
days, the weather being still mild, we were much interested in watching
the activity of the Indians on the river; among them a number of women
brought heavy burdens, especially of wood, from the lower forest
village, to Mih-Tutta-Hang-Kush. They had to pass, opposite the fort, a
channel formed through the midst of the frozen river, which was covered
with a thin coat of ice; this they broke very deliberately with their
long poles, and then waded through. Some carried their small leathern
boats to the channel, in this they deposited the wood, and then
pushed it along. The manner in which they took up the heavy burdens
was remarkable. A woman lay down on her back, upon the bundle of wood,
while another raised her with the burden till she was able to bend
forward, and then stand upright with her load. A great many women were
thus {442} occupied, for the Indians were desirous of going to their
summer village, because they were now too much scattered to be safe
while the enemy was so near at hand.
On the 9th of February the inhabitants of Ruhptare had all removed
from their winter to their summer quarters; they were evidently afraid
that the ice would break up early, and the water of the Missouri rise
considerably.
On the 10th, two of our people came from Picotte, with a sledge
drawn by two dogs, and informed us that there were many buffaloes in
the neighbourhood, consequently our fear of want of provisions was
dispelled. At Fort Pièrre, on the River Teton, the cold had been more
intense than had been known for many years, the mercury having remained
for a considerable time between 30° and 40° below zero. Three of Mr.
Laidlow's people,[41] who were travelling at the time, had suffered
so severely from the frost, that their lives were despaired of. The
ice of the Missouri had, for a few days, been very unfavourable for
travelling, as it was covered to some depth with water, and our people,
consequently, had suffered much. In the afternoon of that day, the
Manitari chief, Lachpitzi-Sirish (the yellow bear), arrived, bringing
on his horse a small supply of meat, and a young buffalo calf, which he
presented to us, this disgusting little black animal being reckoned a
great dainty by them. His robe was painted with suns, and on his back
he carried his bow, with a beautifully ornamented quiver of panther's
skin. Charbonneau immediately accommodated him in his bed room. On
the following day we sent a couple of our hunters to Fort Union, with
letters to Mr. Mc Kenzie. The fort was crowded with Manitaries who
wished to perform before us the scalp dance, in commemoration of having
slain an enemy on the preceding day. A number of tall, handsomely
dressed men, having their faces blackened, soon filled every apartment.
Itsichaika (the monkey-face), and the other chiefs, had arrived, and
these Indians, who are not nearly so well behaved as the Mandans, very
deliberately took possession of all our seats and fireplaces. We bolted
the door of our own apartment, where we quietly remained, permitting
only a very few of the Indians to enter.
At two o'clock the Manitari women arrived in procession, accompanied
by many children and some Mandans. Eighteen women, marching two and
two in a close column, entered the court-yard of the fort, with a
short-measured, slow pace. Seven men of the band of the dogs, having
their faces painted black, or black striped with red, acted as
musicians, three of them having drums, and four the schischikué. They
were wrapped in their buffalo robes, and their heads were uncovered,
and ornamented with the feathers of owls and other birds. The faces
of some of the women were painted black, others red, while some
were striped black and red. They wore buffalo dresses, or blankets,
and the two principal were enveloped in the white buffalo robe. The
greater part of them had the feather of a war eagle standing upright,
and one only wore the large handsome feather cap. In their arms they
carried battle-axes or guns, ornamented with red cloth and short black
feathers, which, during the dance, they placed with the butt-end on
the {443} ground; in short, while performing this dance, the women are
accoutred in the military dress and weapons of the warriors. The right
wing was headed by the wife of the chief, Itsichaika, who carried in
her hand a long elastic rod, from the point of which was suspended
the scalp of the young man slain on the preceding day, surmounted by
a stuffed magpie with outspread wings;[42] lower down on the same rod
hung a second scalp, a lynx skin, and a bunch of feathers. Another
woman bore a third scalp on a similar rod. The women filed off in
a semicircle; the musicians, taking their stand on the left wing,
now commenced a heterogeneous noise, beating the drum, rattling the
schischikué, and yelling with all their might. The women began to
dance, waddling in short steps, like ducks; the two wings, or horns
of the crescent, advanced towards each other, and then receded, at
the same time singing in a shrill tone of voice. It was a complete
caterwaul concert. After awhile they rested, and then recommenced, and
continued dancing about twenty minutes. The director of the fort now
caused tobacco, looking-glasses, and knives, from the Company's stores,
to be thrown on the ground in the middle of the circle. Hereupon the
women once more danced in quick time, the musicians forming themselves
into a close body, and holding their instruments towards the centre.
This concluded the festivity, and the whole band retired to the Mandan
forest village.
There was a heavy fall of snow during the night, and the morning of the
12th again presented the landscape clothed with its white covering. Mr.
Bodmer had taken an excellent portrait of Machsi-Nika, the deaf and
dumb Mandan, in his war dress. He came to our residence to-day with
angry gestures, and evidently greatly enraged against us, so that I was
afraid that this half-witted, uncivilized man would attack the artist.
Mr. Kipp was requested to clear up the matter, and it appeared that his
anger had been caused by a malignant insinuation of the perfidious old
Garreau, who had pointed out to him that Bodmer had drawn him only in
a mean dress, while all the other Indians were represented in their
handsomest robes. This ill-natured insinuation completely exasperated
the poor man, and we in vain endeavoured to pacify him, by assuring
him that we intended to make him known to the world in a truly warlike
costume. Mr. Bodmer then thought of an expedient: he quickly and
secretly made a copy of his drawing, which he brought in, tore in half,
and threw into the fire, in the presence of the Indian. This had the
desired effect, and he went away perfectly satisfied.
In the afternoon the Manitaries returned from the Mandan village, and
again took deliberate possession of the various apartments of the fort.
The Monkey-face, a cunning, perfidious Indian, who wore a new red
felt hat, is the chief who now takes the lead among the Manitaries.
Accordingly, as soon as he took leave, all the Indians followed him.
One of the chiefs, with his family, sat a long time in our room, and
were much interested with Mr. Bodmer's drawings, and astonished and
delighted with our musical box. A Mandan who was present thought
that a little white man, who was making this pretty music, must be
concealed in it. All of them asked for presents, {444} and they would
certainly have pilfered many things if we had not kept close watch
over them. At length our door was opened, and a tall, heavy man, with
a blackened face, entered, and, like all the rest assembled there,
demanded something to eat. We, however, gave him to understand that we
had nothing to give them, as we were supplied by Mr. Kipp, and with
this answer they were obliged to be satisfied. Towards evening our
provision store was replenished by three sledges, laden with meat, sent
by Picotte, which arrived in the fort.
On the following day, a very high, cold wind arose, which blew the snow
off from the ice that covered the river, and the Indian women, carrying
their burdens, frequently fell down on the slippery surface. The
Mandans had found a dead buffalo cow in the prairie, and, although it
was in part decayed, they greedily devoured it.
On the 17th, at eight in the morning, with a temperature of 1° below 0,
the woods were covered with hoar frost; the wind blew from the south,
and veered to the southwest; the river had risen considerably, and, in
some places, overflowed its banks. The sledges had much difficulty in
crossing the river without getting into the water, and the ice broke
under one of them. At noon, the temperature was 10°, and afterwards
there was a fall of snow. Dreidoppel shot a beautiful red fox in the
prairie, but had no success against the wolves. The Mandans told us,
that they had gone, some days before, to hunt buffaloes, and had driven
a herd of them towards the mountains, where there is a good opportunity
to use the bow and arrows; they had, therefore, pursued the animals
rapidly, but, on reaching them, they found but a very few buffaloes,
the others, as they affirmed, having sunk into the ground: they had,
doubtless, taken refuge in the nearest ravines. They assigned, as
the cause of this sudden disappearance of the buffaloes, that their
party was headed by a man who, in the preceding year, had caused five
Assiniboins, who had come to them as messengers of peace, to be killed,
and that, on account of this unjust act, he was now always unsuccessful
in hunting.
The mercury remained now a little above or below zero, but at noon
the sun had much power, and the reflection from the snow was very
dazzling, which induced our hunters to make for themselves wooden snow
spectacles, in the manner of the Esquimaux. The dumb Mandans had been
successful in hunting, and brought several horse-loads of meat, which
we bought of them. In the afternoon, when the temperature was 8° or 9°,
I heard an Indian child crying at the door of our room; it had touched
a piece of iron with its tongue, and the skin immediately came off.
At daybreak, on the 27th, in the morning, the mercury was at 26°,
Fahrenheit, below zero, or 59° below freezing point; and at 8 o'clock,
when the sun shone brightly, at 11° below zero, with a west wind.
During the night, the horses had broken a window in Mr. Kipp's room, so
that we had a very cold breakfast there. In our apartments everything
fluid was frozen, and the quilts on the beds were covered with hoar
frost. We had now some fresh meat, but our stock of sugar was at an
end, and we had to sweeten our coffee with treacle. We were visited
by the three {445} deaf and dumb Mandans, whose fourth brother,
Berock-Itainu, whom we have before mentioned, is not so afflicted:
there is, likewise, a deaf and dumb child in the village. Kiasax, the
Blackfoot, who had accompanied us to Fort Union, visited us to-day for
the first time, and we showed him the portraits of his countrymen, with
which he was much pleased. The Indians were busy in conveying many
things to the summer village, though the prairies were covered with
snow; and numerous horses were seeking a scanty subsistence by scraping
it away with their hoofs to get at the dry grass.
On the 27th of February, Mr. Kipp had pieces of ice hewn on the river
to fill his ice cellar. A high west wind increased the cold, but the
snow melted away because the thermometer was at 38° at noon. We saw the
Indian boys pursue and catch the snow-buntings, of which there were
large flocks in the neighbourhood of the villages; and the prairie
wolves now prowled about in couples: in the evening there was a heavy
fall of snow. The Indians removed to their village: all their horses,
even the foals, were loaded: they likewise cut blocks of ice from
the river, which the women carried home on their backs, in leather
baskets, in order to melt them to obtain water. The Indian children
amused themselves with ascending the heaps of snow, and gliding down
on a board, or a piece of the back-bone of a buffalo, with some of
the ribs attached to it. Mato-Topé paid us a visit in a very strange
costume; his head-dress was much more suitable for an old woman than
for a warrior. His head was bound round with a strip of wolf's skin,
the long hairs of which stood on end, and which hung down behind. Some
feathers, standing upright, were placed among the hair, which, except
at the tip, were stripped, and painted red. This chief, indeed, had on
a different dress almost every time he came to see us. Sometimes he
wore a blue uniform, with red facings, which he had obtained from the
merchants. Mr. Bodmer took the portrait of a handsome Manitari partisan
to-day.[43] He was not pleased that we intended to keep his portrait,
as he was going on a military expedition, and said that Mr. Bodmer
ought, at least, to give him a copy of the drawing. This being refused,
he drew a portrait of the artist, and his performance showed that he
possessed some talent for the art.
On the evening of the 28th of February, Picotte sent up the letter-bag
from St. Louis, and I had the pleasure of receiving despatches from
Germany, with very agreeable intelligence. This post was forwarded,
on the 2nd of March, to Fort Union, by two of the _engagés_ in
dog-sledges. Bodmer drew the portrait of an old Manitari, whose proper
name was Birohka (the robe with the beautiful hair), but the Mandans
called him "Long Nose," on account of the prominence of that feature.
He wore a cap of white buffalo skin, and an ample brown robe painted
with wreaths of feathers; before he would suffer his portrait to be
taken, he demanded a black silk neckerchief as a recompense, which
was given him.[44] As all the Indians had now removed to their summer
village,{446} Mr. Kipp took the usual complement of soldiers into the
fort, four of whom served as a guard against the importunities of the
women and children; they were Mato-Topé, Dipauch, Berock-Itainu, and
another whose name I do not know. The first never smoked his pipe in
another person's room, if anybody stirred from his place or looked at
him. We had some interesting conversations with several sensible and
inquiring Indians, especially with the soldiers of the fort.
On the morning of the 5th of March, the mercury being at 29°, we had
a very severe snow storm from the north, which continued till near
ten o'clock. On the following day, Mato-Topé introduced to us a tall,
robust Arikkara, named Pachtuwa-Chta, who lived peaceably among the
Mandans. He was a handsome man, but not to be depended upon, and was
said to have killed many white men.[45] Another tall man of the same
nation frequently visited us, generally observing that he was not like
Pachtuwa, as he had never killed a white man. Mato-Topé, after repeated
solicitations, prevailed on Mr. Bodmer to paint for him a white-headed
eagle, holding in his claws a bloody scalp, to which he, doubtless,
attached some superstitious notion, but I could not see exactly what it
might be. Mato-Topé gave me very accurate information respecting his
own language, and that of the neighbouring Indian nations, and took
great pleasure in communicating to me some words of the Mandan and
Arikkara languages, the latter of which he spoke fluently.
On the 7th of March, the band of the Meniss-Ochata (dog band), from
Ruhptare, danced in the medicine lodge at Mih-Tutta-Hang-Kush. Mr.
Bodmer went to see the dance, and met Mato-Topé, who, however, puffed
up by his high dignity as a dog, would not notice him. Sih-Chida, who
also belonged to this band, went into the lodge, where he discharged
his gun. In the afternoon the band approached the fort, and we heard
the sound of their war pipes at the gates. A crowd of spectators
accompanied the seven or eight and twenty dogs, who were all dressed
in their handsomest clothes. Some of them wore beautiful robes, or
shirts of bighorn leather; others had shirts of red cloth; and some
blue and red uniforms. Others, again, had the upper part of their body
naked, with their martial deeds painted on the skin with reddish-brown
colour. The four principal dogs wore an immense cap hanging down upon
the shoulders, composed of raven's or magpie's feathers, finished at
the tips with small white down feathers. In the middle of this mass of
feathers, the outspread tail of a wild turkey, or of a war eagle, was
fixed. These four principal dogs wore round their neck a long slip of
red cloth, which hung down over the shoulders, and, reaching the calf
of the leg, was tied in a knot in the middle of the back. These are
the true dogs, who, when a piece of meat is thrown into the fire, are
bound immediately to snatch it out and devour it raw.[46] Two other
men wore similar colossal caps of yellow owl's feathers, with dark
transverse stripes, and the rest had on their heads a thick tuft of
raven's, magpie's, or owl's feathers, which is the badge of the band.
All of them had the {447} long war pipe suspended from their necks. In
their left hand they carried their weapons--a gun, bow and arrows, or
war club; and in their right hand the schischikué peculiar to their
band. It is a stick adorned with blue and white glass beads, with
buffalo or other hoofs suspended to it, the point ornamented with an
eagle's feather, and the handle with slips of leather embroidered with
beads.[47]
The warriors formed a circle round a large drum, which was beaten by
five ill-dressed men, who were seated on the ground. Besides these,
there were two men, each beating a small drum like a tambourine. The
dogs accompanied the rapid and violent beat of the drum by the whistle
of their war pipes, in short, monotonous notes, and then suddenly began
to dance. They dropped their robes on the ground, some dancing within
the circle, with their bodies bent forward and leaping up and down with
both feet placed close together. The other Indians danced without any
order, with their faces turned to the outer circle, generally crowded
together; while the war pipe, drum, and schischikué made a frightful
din.
On the 10th of March, two _engagés_, sent by Picotte, arrived, with
letters and a sledge laden with dried meat. One of these men was
blinded by the snow, a circumstance very usual in this month, from the
dazzling reflection of the sun from an expansive surface of snow. He
was obliged to get his companion to lead him by taking hold of the end
of his stick.
On the 11th of March I felt the first symptoms of an indisposition,
which daily increased, and soon obliged me to take to my bed. It
began with a swelling in one knee, and soon extended to the whole
leg, which assumed the colour of dark, extravasated blood. A violent
fever succeeded, with great weakness, and, having neither medical
advice nor suitable remedies, my situation became daily more helpless
and distressing, as there was nobody who had any knowledge of this
disorder. The other inhabitants of the fort were likewise indisposed,
and our provisions were very bad and scanty. To economize our stock
of coffee we were forced to make it wretchedly weak, and, for want
of sugar or treacle, to sweeten it with honey, of which we had about
twenty pounds. Our beverage was, generally speaking, the water from
the river; and, as our supply of beans was very low our diet consisted
almost exclusively of maize boiled in water, which greatly weakened our
digestion.
The man blinded by the snow was so far recovered on the 13th, that
he was able to return to Picotte. The first wild ducks were seen on
this day, flying up the Missouri, and Mr. Kipp immediately set about
making shot, to go in pursuit of these birds, which we had been most
anxiously expecting. On the 14th, a store (_cache_) of maize was opened
in the fort, the contents of which were perfectly dry, and in good
preservation. Pehriska-Ruhpa spent several days with us, in order to
have his portrait taken in his dress of one of the chiefs of the dog
band. When the sitting was over, he always took off his ponderous
feather cap, and rubbed it twice on each side of his head, a charm or
precaution which he never neglected. He then seated himself {448} with
his friend, Mato-Topé, by the fire-side, when both took their pipes,
the latter, however, always turning round first, and making everybody
in the room sit down. During the tedium of my confinement to bed, I was
enlivened by the frequent visits of the Indians, and I never neglected
to continue my journal, which, from fever and consequent weakness, was
often very fatiguing. Mr. Kipp kindly sent me some new-laid eggs every
day, as well as rice, which he had reserved for me, and from which I
derived great benefit. The inmates of the fort had nothing to eat but
doughy maize bread and maize boiled in water; but Mr. Kipp, who did not
like the latter, was obliged to fast.
On the 16th of March, the first wild swans were seen flying towards
the northwest. Ducks were in the pools of water in the maize
plantations of the Mandans; and Dreidoppel had observed the _Fringilla
Canadensis_, as a harbinger of spring. Violent storms from the
northwest had prevailed for some days; the Missouri was much swollen,
but the breaking-up of the ice could not yet be expected, and we had
repeated falls of snow. Mato-Topé and Pehriska-Ruhpa, who had gone out
to hunt, succeeded in killing five buffaloes, and from them we obtained
some meat; for, to show their liberality, they gave away a great deal
of it, together with several coloured blankets. The first white-headed
eagle (_Aquila leucocephala_) was seen to-day; and I received the first
prairie dog, which was also a sign of the approach of spring, as these
animals leave their burrows at this season. On the 27th of March,
the band of the mad dogs danced in the fort; and, towards evening,
an Indian from Ruhptare, who had had a dispute with Mr. Kipp about a
beaver skin, revenged himself by breaking a pane of glass in our room.
Our people pursued, but could not overtake him. As it was feared that
he might commit greater acts of violence, the soldiers of the fort were
sent to Ruhptare on the 28th, to protect a fur trader who resided there.
On the 30th, the first flock of fifteen or twenty wild geese passed
over: the wind was high, and, on the following day, a good deal
of ice broke up in the river. On the 1st of April the wind blew
stormy, with a thermometer of 33° at noon. On the 2nd, the women at
Mih-Tutta-Hang-Kush celebrated the spring corn feast, of which Mr.
Bodmer made a sketch. This feast is always observed on the return of
the wild geese, which are the messengers of the old woman who never
dies. The Indians had already killed some of these birds. The festival
was over at eleven o'clock in the forenoon, but some of the women
remained the whole day, reclining near the offerings hung up in the
prairie. Great numbers of young men were running races, and all was
animation about the village.
On the 3rd of April, the band of the Ischoha-Kakoschochata, eighteen
in number, danced in the fort, led by Mato-Topé, on horseback, in full
dress, wearing his splendid feather cap. The ice broke up so rapidly
in the river, that it was necessary to set a watch over our boats
during the night, lest the rising water should carry them away. On
the following day the icy covering of {449} the river gave way, but
soon froze again, only leaving a channel across the middle. Many ducks
and geese, as well as a plover, appeared on the ice. On the 5th of
April, the weather being stormy in the morning, and the temperature
59½° Fahrenheit, the river had risen about a foot, and towards noon
it suddenly rose between three and four feet more, so that, at twelve
o'clock, the ice on the surface began to move, the temperature being
68°. But in the night the river again fell a foot, and there was a
slight frost. At nine in the evening the temperature was 55°, and we
had a storm of thunder and lightning.
On the 7th of April there was but little floating ice on the river,
which had fallen during the night. We saw several swans. On the 8th the
Manitaries danced the scalp dance in the fort, and the Indians amused
themselves in the prairie with races and various games. At one o'clock
in the afternoon, the ice in the upper Missouri suddenly broke up, and
brought down many trunks of trees, which endangered our boats. The
Indians immediately availed themselves of this opportunity to land a
good deal of the wood; they also brought ashore a drowned elk, which,
though already in a state of decomposition, they actually ate, and the
smith of the fort, a Canadian, did not disdain to partake of it with
them. Some dead buffaloes likewise floated by, and the Indians followed
them, for the same purpose. In the evening, though the quantity of ice
was considerably diminished, yet some people who were to have gone down
the river were obliged to defer their voyage.
The morning of the 9th of April being fine and serene, and the ice
having almost entirely disappeared from the river, seven men were sent
down to Picotte in Indian leather boats. The grass began to sprout,
and some young plants appeared in the prairie, even a pulsatilla,
with purple blossoms, apparently the same as the _P. vulgaris_ of
Europe; the Indians call this plant the red calf-flower. At noon
the thermometer stood at 65°, with a northeast wind, and the river
was free from ice. Towards evening, nine men of the band of the
buffalo bulls came to the fort to perform their dance, discharging
their guns immediately on entering. Only one of them wore the entire
buffalo head;[48] the others had pieces of the skin of the forehead,
a couple of fillets of red cloth, their shields decorated with the
same material, and an appendage of feathers, intended to represent
the bull's tail, hanging down their backs. They likewise carried
long, elegantly ornamented banners in their hands. After dancing for
a short time before us, they demanded presents. Besides the strange
figures of this dance, Mr. Bodmer painted the chief, Mato-Topé, at
full length, in his grandest dress. The vanity which is characteristic
of the Indians induced this chief to stand stock-still for several
days, so that his portrait succeeded admirably.[49] He wore on this
occasion a handsome new shirt of bighorn leather, the large feather
cap, and, in his hand, a long lance with scalps and feathers. He has
been so often mentioned in my narrative, that I must here subjoin a few
words respecting this eminent man, for he was fully entitled to this
appellation, being not only a distinguished warrior, but possessing
many fine and noble traits of character. {450} In war he had always
maintained a distinguished reputation; and on one occasion, with great
personal danger, he conducted to Fort Clarke a numerous deputation of
the Assiniboins, who had come to Mih-Tutta-Hang-Kush to conclude peace,
while his countrymen, disregarding the proposals, kept firing upon
the deputies. Mato-Topé, after having in vain exerted himself to the
utmost to prevent these hostilities, led his enemies, with slow steps,
amidst the whistling balls and the arrows of his countrymen, while he
endeavoured to find excuses for their culpable conduct. He had killed
many enemies, among whom were five chiefs. He gives a facsimile of a
representation of one of his exploits, painted by himself, of which he
frequently gave me an account.[50] He was, on that occasion, on foot,
on a military expedition, with a few Mandans, when they encountered
four Chayennes, their most virulent foes, on horseback. The chief of
the latter, seeing that their enemies were on foot, and that the combat
would thereby be unequal, dismounted, and the two parties attacked
each other. The two chiefs fired, missed, threw away their guns, and
seized their naked weapons; the Chayenne, a tall, powerful man, drew
his knife, while Mato-Topé, who was lighter and more agile, took his
battle-axe. The former attempted to stab Mato-Topé, who laid hold of
the blade of the knife, by which he, indeed, wounded his hand, but
wrested the weapon from his enemy, and stabbed him with it, on which
the Chayennes took to flight. Mato-Topé's drawing of the scene in
the above-named plate, shows the guns which they had discharged and
thrown aside, the blood flowing from the wounded hand of the Mandan
chief, the footsteps of the two warriors, and the wolf's tail at their
heels--the Chayenne being distinguished by the fillet of otter skin on
his forehead. The buffalo robe, painted by Mato-Topé himself, and which
I have fortunately brought to Europe, represents several exploits of
this chief, and, among others, in the lower figure on the left hand,
the above-mentioned adventure with the Chayenne chief.[51]
The 10th of April was warm and fine, the thermometer at noon at
80°, the wind south, and the river had fallen three feet. Several
of our Indian friends, among whom was Sih-Chida, had taken leave,
intending to assist a large party of Manitaries and Mandans in a
military expedition. They set out on their march about this time,
and we afterwards learnt that a war party of the Manitaries had
completely plundered a couple of beaver hunters, white men; and that
their partisan, whose name was Pierce Iron, had acted the principal
part on this occasion. On the other hand, the Assiniboins had stolen
thirty-four horses from the Manitaries, who shot one of the thieves.
On the afternoon of the 14th of April, the people whom Mr. Mc Kenzie
had promised to send to accompany me down the river to Saint Louis,
at length arrived from Fort Union. There were, however, many others
with them, and the whole party amounted to twenty men, among whom
were Belhumeur and Mr. Chardon as leader. The violent storm on the
preceding days had hindered them from travelling, and they were obliged
to halt. They brought us letters from {451} Fort Union, and news
from Fort Mc Kenzie. As my people could now be spared, I looked daily
for the arrival of Picotte, who, with many men, was to go up to Fort
Union, as, without the help of his men, my Mackinaw boat could not
be caulked. A main point now was my recovery, which was singularly
rapid. At the beginning of April I was still in a hopeless condition,
and so very ill, that the people who visited me did not think that
my life would be prolonged beyond three or, at the most, four days.
The cook of the fort, a negro from St. Louis, one day expressed his
opinion that my illness must be the scurvy, for he had once witnessed
the great mortality among the garrison of the fort at Council Bluffs,
when several hundred soldiers were carried off in a short time; of
this there is an account in Major Long's expedition to the Rocky
Mountains.[52] He said that the symptoms were in both cases nearly
similar; that, on that occasion, at the beginning of spring, they had
gathered the green herbs in the prairie, especially the small white
flowering _Allium reticulatum_, with which they had soon cured the
sick. I was advised to make trial of this, recipe, and the Indian
children accordingly furnished me with an abundance of this plant and
its bulbs: these were cut up small, like spinage, and I ate a quantity
of them. On the fourth day the swelling of my leg had considerably
subsided, and I gained strength daily. The evident prospect of speedy
recovery quite reanimated me, and we carried on with pleasure the
preparations for our departure, though I was not yet able to leave my
bed.
On the 15th of April, Picotte arrived with about twenty men, and had
his boat laden with maize, which he was to carry to Fort Union. They
immediately set about preparing the Mackinaw boat for our voyage down
the river, and Picotte set out on the 16th, notwithstanding a heavy
rain. Every preparation was completed on the following day; the boat
was brought to the landing-place, furnished on the deck with a spacious
Indian tent covering, and all was made ready for our voyage, Mr.
Chardon resolving to accompany me to Fort Pièrre on the Teton River.
On the 18th of April, at noon, the boat was loaded; and, after we had
partaken of our last frugal dinner at Fort Clarke, we took a cordial
farewell of Mr. Kipp, with whom we had passed so long a time in this
remote place, and who had done everything for me that was possible
in his circumscribed condition. Accompanied by the inhabitants of
the fort, and many of our Indian friends, among whom was Mato-Topé
and Pehriska-Ruhpa, all of whom shook hands at parting, we went on
board our boat. The weather was favourable, though there was a strong
wind from the southwest. Some cannon-shot were fired by the fort as a
farewell salute, and we glided rapidly down the beautiful stream of the
Missouri.
FOOTNOTES:
[38] Compare with this the invocations of the Omaha, given in Dorsey,
"Siouan Cults," U. S. Bureau of Ethnology _Report_, 1889-90, p.
373.--ED.
[39] See p. 59, for illustration of a double rainbow.--ED.
[40] See Plate 45, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.
[41] For sketch of this trader, see our volume xxii, p. 316, note
279.--ED.
[42] See Plate 50, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.
[43] The second figure from the left, in Plate 50, in the accompanying
atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.
[44] This portrait is in Plate 50, the third figure from the left,
atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.
[45] See Plate 27, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.
[46] A "very admirable likeness of Pehriska-Ruhpa in this strange
costume" is represented in Plate 56, in the accompanying atlas, our
volume xxv.--ED.
[47] For a description of this dance among the Minitaree, see our
volume xxiii, pp. 314, 315.--ED.
[48] See Plate 51, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.
[49] See Plate 46, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.
[50] See Plate 55, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.
[51] See Plate 54, figure 1, in the accompanying atlas, our volume
xxv.--ED.
[52] See our volume xiv, pp. 282, 283.--ED.
CHAPTER XXX
RETURN FROM FORT CLARKE TO THE CANTONMENT OF LEAVENWORTH, FROM APRIL
18TH TO MAY 18TH
Violent Storms and Bad Weather--Arikkara Villages--Meeting with
two Fur Boats--Fort Pièrre, and our Stay there--The Mauvaises
Terres--Sioux Agency--Cedar Island--Punca Island--Melone's
Insubordination--Meeting with Punca Indians--L'Eau qui
Court--Meeting with the Assiniboin Steamer--Melone's Mutiny
and Punishment--Gardner as Pilot--Council Bluffs--Visit to
Major Pilcher's Trading House--Belle Vue--Beauty of the
Environs--Caterpillars--Nishnebotteneh--Roubedoux House on
the Black Snake Hills--The Otos and Missouris--Village of the
Kickapoos--The Cantonment of Leavenworth--Stay there--Dr.
Fellowes.
Spring had but partially clothed the surrounding prairies with new
verdure, even the willow bushes, which are generally the most forward,
had scarcely assumed a slight tint of green; and, though some solitary
ducks appeared as heralds of the fine season, the chilly temperature
reminded us that winter was still lingering. On the 18th, we lay to on
the right bank, on the other side of Goose-egg Lake,[53] and, on the
following morning, encountered a very violent storm, and I discovered
that my pretty prairie fox had escaped during the night, a loss which
I the more regretted, as this rare animal has, probably, never been
brought alive to Europe, whither I had fondly hoped to carry it. We had
now made all our arrangements for the voyage, and my people had taken
their respective posts. Our steersman, Fecteau, was very unskilful, and
our three rowers, Melone, an American from the lower Missouri (whose
real character we did not learn till some time after), Bourgua, a
Canadian, and an old Pole, who had roamed half the world over, but was
still the most industrious of the whole, all proved very indifferent
workmen. Having partaken of our breakfast which was prepared on the
shore, we passed the Butte Carrée[54] at seven o'clock; here we saw a
troop of twelve elks, and many white cranes, swans, wild geese, and
ducks of various species. At twelve o'clock we reached Heart River,
where we found great numbers of wild geese. Our thermometer stood at
61°. At three o'clock we stopped at Picotte's winter post {453} among
the Yanktonans, to which we had so often sent from Fort Clarke for
supplies of meat, &c., but the house was now deserted.[55] In the
neighbourhood is a pond, to which our hunters immediately bent their
steps, to shoot water-fowl. In the vicinity they saw prairie hens,
woodpeckers, thrushes, turkey-buzzards, and birds of prey, also a
couple of swans, one of which they wounded, but did not succeed in
securing, and brought back only a few ducks. In the evening twilight,
when we were about to lay-to, a troop of ten or twelve elks came
down to the river to drink, but one of my people, firing his piece
prematurely, frightened them away, and we thus lost our chance of
taking one of these large animals. During the night a tremendous storm
of rain came from the north; on the 20th of April the whole country
was covered with snow, and at nine in the morning the thermometer had
fallen to 35°. The storm obliged us to remain at the spot where we had
passed the night, and my people, who always lighted a fire on shore,
found but slight protection from the storm among the willow bushes. The
thermometer, at noon, was at 41°. The hunters had seen some game, but
shot only a prairie hen, which had a strong taste of garlic, the chief
food of this, bird. The snow ceased to fall at about four o'clock; the
night was cold, and the men who slept near the fire were aroused by
some wild animal, which made them conjecture that Indians were near, on
which Chardon, who had lived many years among the Osages, set a watch
for the rest of the night.
On the 21st we passed the mouth of Cannonball River.[56] The hills
were sprinkled with snow, and not a vestige of verdure was to be seen,
though, the preceding day, the willows and rose-bushes had a tinge of
green. Our hunters again set out on an excursion towards a neighbouring
lake, where they saw many cranes and water-fowl, but shot only a few
ducks. Some cabris crossed the river right in front of us, but, in
spite of the exertions of our rowers, we could not overtake them. We
were equally unsuccessful with a herd of buffalo cows and some bulls.
The following day was again so stormy that we were not able to proceed
on our voyage, and the wind threatened to rend our leathern tent on
deck; the country was covered with snow: towards evening the wind
abated, the night was pleasant, and the next morning opened upon us
calm and cheerful. The poplar and other thickets were beginning to bud,
and some of the willow bushes were quite green. Cabris were seen in the
prairie, vultures in the air, and pigeons on the bank.
At noon we reached the abandoned Arikkara villages, and landed a little
further down.[57] While our dinner was preparing, Mr. Bodmer and
Chardon, well armed, made an excursion to the forsaken Indian huts,
in order to procure for me some skulls and prairie bulbs. They found
the graves partly turned up by the wolves, and the bodies pulled out,
wrapped in their blankets and robes. They brought two well preserved
male skulls, which I added to my collection; one of these is now in
the anatomical museum of the university of Bonn, and the other in
the collection of Mr. Blumenbach at Göttingen.[58] At half-past four
o'clock, when we had proceeded about ten miles from the villages, and
were opposite the mouth of the Grand River,[59] we {454} were again
visited by so heavy a storm, that we were compelled to lay-to, and
light a fire for our people to warm themselves. While here, a couple
of flocks of more than 160 pelicans passed over us in their way up
the river, but we did not succeed in obtaining any of these fine
birds. Towards evening the storm and rain, mingled with snow, were so
extremely violent, that our boat was driven by the waves against the
stones on the bank, and became leaky. Our people on shore found no
protection under their blankets; they were kept awake throughout the
night, and were frequently obliged to bale the water out of the boat.
Towards midnight there was a frost, and on the morning of the 24th the
country was again covered with snow. Our effects, which had, in the
first instance, been completely soaked by the water, were frozen quite
stiff. At eight o'clock the thermometer was at 33°, with a northwest
wind. We saw a good deal of game, and Dreidoppel wounded, at a great
distance, a cabri, in the midst of a troop of eighteen or twenty of
those animals, but unfortunately brought us back nothing but a prairie
dog. In the evening we lay-to at a steep bank opposite the mouth of
Little Chayenne River.[60]
Early in the morning of the 25th we perceived a couple of fires burning
on the bank, which must have been just left by some persons, and
shortly afterwards we saw, in our van, two leather boats, which we
succeeded in overtaking in about an hour's time. The people had halted
to make a fire, and I therefore stopped to hold some conversation with
them. They were Picotte's men, among whom were Ortubize, with his
family, and Papin the hunter, returning to Fort Pièrre from the winter
post, with the furs which had been obtained during that season. While
we were conversing with them, Dreidoppel collected prairie bulbs.
Papin gave me a part of a cabri; and the clerk who directed the boat,
and whose name was likewise Papin, gave me a beautiful swan, but the
large wing feathers were unhappily pulled out. The weather being very
warm and fine, we rested here till eleven o'clock, and I then received
into my boat a couple of women and a man named Crenier, who had been
severely wounded. We passed the mouth of Big Chayenne River, and halted
in the evening fifteen or twenty miles above Fort Pièrre. The heavily
laden leathern boats having likewise come up, and set up their tents
on the bank, we bivouacked together, and supped magnificently upon our
roasted swan.
About two o'clock of the afternoon of the following day (the 26th),
after our boat had several times run aground, we reached the
landing-place at Fort Pièrre. Here there was still snow in the ravines
of the mountains, and the bushes were but just beginning to bud.
Several Sioux Indians, who were on the bank, shook hands with us.
Mr. Laidlow, with some clerks of the Company, came to meet us, and
conducted us to the fort, amidst a salute of several cannon-shot.
Fort Pièrre was in excellent condition.[61] The whole surrounding plain
was covered with scattered tents of the Sioux, mostly of the Teton
branch, and a few Yanktonans. Mr. Laidlow very kindly accommodated
us, and assigned to us a spacious dwelling: I caused my boat to be
{455} unladen, as it was hinted that the vicinity of the half-starved
Indians might prove dangerous to my bears. We found Fort Pièrre in
great want of fresh provisions, no buffaloes having been seen during
the whole winter, and the inmates of the fort, as well as the Indians,
being very numerous. I could easily have taken on board, at Fort
Clarke, a considerable cargo of maize for Fort Pièrre, but we had not
been informed that there was any scarcity existing here. For his own
table, consisting of ten or twelve persons, Mr. Laidlow had generally
bought dogs of the Indians, but these were now scarce, and consequently
very dear: twelve dollars were paid for the dog destined for our
repast to-day. There were, however, many superior provisions in the
fort, which we enjoyed at Mr. Laidlow's table, after having long been
deprived of them: one of these luxuries was new wheaten bread, and
there were also potatoes, cabbages, carrots, several kinds of preserves
and pickles, as well as coffee, sugar, tea, &c. I found here, also, a
part of my stock of provisions which I had brought from St. Louis last
year, such as coffee, sugar, brandy, candles, &c., which would have
been invaluable to me at Fort Clarke. The brandy had, however, been
almost exhausted, and the cask filled up with water.
We were soon invited, with Messrs. Laidlow, Chardon, Papin, and the old
interpreter, Dorion,[62] to the tent of one of the Sioux. After we had
taken our seats on a new blanket ornamented with porcupine quills, the
flesh of a dog was taken from the kettle, and handed to the company.
It was very fat, about the colour of mutton, but the taste was really
so excellent, that we speedily surmounted our prejudice and antipathy.
Other Indians continued coming in, and, ranging themselves in a circle,
commenced smoking, but they suddenly started up, and left the tent. Mr.
Laidlow received as a present the robe upon which he had sat. Before
we commenced our meal, the host made a formal address to his visitors,
in which he spoke of his attachment to the Whites, for which Mr.
Laidlow returned thanks through the interpreter. We went back to Mr.
Laidlow, where another fat roasted dog was served up. Mr. Laidlow's
spacious sitting apartment was filled the whole day with a large party
of Indians, whose chief motive for coming was to see us. Among them
was our old acquaintance, Wah-Menitu,[63] who was rejoiced to see us
again. Generally speaking, it was not Mr. Laidlow's custom to admit the
Indians into his own room.
A high wind prevailed throughout the day, and my people slept on
board the boat. The two bears, which were brought into the fort,
attracted great attention from the Indians, many of whom were
constantly assembled about the animals to look at them. The prairie in
the environs of the fort was already green, and several small early
plants were in flower. I much regretted that I could not remain long
enough to visit the interesting tract of the Mauvaises Terres, which
is some days' journey from hence. Mr. Laidlow, who had been there in
the winter, gave me a description of it. It is two days' journey,
he said, southwest of Fort Pièrre, and forms, in the level prairie,
an accumulation of hills of most remarkable forms, looking like
fortresses, churches, villages and ruins, and doubtless consisting
of the same sand-stone as the conformations near the Stone Walls. He
further stated that the bighorn abounds in that tract.[64]
{456} On the 27th of April I visited the stores of the Fur Company,
which contained goods to the amount of 80,000 dollars. In the afternoon
some hunters arrived, with twenty horses, who had been absent about
three weeks on a buffalo chase, but returned with only one horse-load
of meat. From their appearance I should certainly have taken them for
savages. In the afternoon I took a walk in the prairie, though my
strength was not fully restored, and the sight of the verdant plain
was most refreshing to my mind. No birds were to be seen except the
starling (_Sturnella ludoviciana_), which enlivened me with its short
whistling note. Below the ridge which bounds the low bank of the river,
the wild plum was covered with its snowy blossoms, which appear at
the same time with the leaves; the scent is exactly like that of the
flowers of our blackthorn. A small pink flower of the class _Tetra
dynamia_ covered the prairie. The beautiful yellow blossom of the
_Hyerochloa fragrans_ was likewise open. The Indian horses, which graze
here, had now abundance of food, and quickly recovered from the effects
of their fast in the severe winter. I visited the tents of the Indians,
of whom, at least, fifty had gone away this morning on account of the
scarceness of provisions. I was much struck with the difference of the
physiognomy of the Sioux, after living so long among other tribes.
Their features are much less agreeable, the cheek-bones more prominent,
and their stature is lower and less vigorous than that of the Mandans,
Manitaries, Arikkaras, and Crows. On the other hand, the expression
of their countenances is more frank and good-tempered than that of
those tribes. By way of comparison, I subjoin a woodcut of the Little
Soldier, our former travelling companion, who, at this time, was absent
on an expedition.[65]
{457} Mr. Bodmer took several views of the country, and also made a
sketch of the stage of a distinguished Sioux warrior, whose remains had
been brought from a great distance with much pomp, and were covered
with red cloth. Groups of Sioux were in the vicinity.[66] My people
erected a new awning with large tent coverings for our voyage down the
river; and I received, by the kind care of Mr. Laidlow, many fresh
provisions of different kinds, which greatly contributed to the perfect
re-establishment of my health. On the 29th Mr. Laidlow sent some men
with pack-horses, under the direction of La Chapelle the interpreter,
to Fort Clarke, in order to obtain a supply of maize from Mr. Kipp.
A heavy storm, accompanied with rain, retarded our departure for some
hours, but towards evening the weather improved, and about six o'clock
I was able to take leave of Mr. Laidlow and the inmates of the fort.
The crew of my Mackinaw boat now consisted of ten persons, for I had
obtained an able rower, named Dauphin, from Carondelet, near St. Louis,
who was, at the same time, a better steersman than Fecteau. A man named
Descoteaux,[67] who intended to sell his beaver skins, of which he
possessed about 200, in the United States, requested me to give him a
passage, in return for which he promised to work. I likewise took on
board a sickly young man, who was too weak for the service of the Fur
Company.
We glided rapidly down the Missouri, and soon passed the mouth of Teton
River, which is about two miles and three quarters distant from Fort
Pièrre in a south-easterly direction. At this place, Messrs. Soublette
and Campbell, the opponents of the American Fur Company, had built a
fort, at which I was not able to stop.[68] We lay-to, at night, about
six miles from Fort Pièrre.
On the 30th of April we had a heavy rain throughout the day, so that
the poor men at the oars were wet through. Descoteaux, who had remained
behind, and had run along the banks through the whole night in order to
overtake us, made his appearance at eight o'clock, thoroughly soaked.
The weather was so very unfavourable on this day that we found it
necessary to stop repeatedly and kindle a fire, that the people might
dry and warm themselves. We therefore lay-to a good deal earlier than
usual in the evening, near a very fine wild forest of old red cedars a
foot and a half in diameter. In the evening the rain ceased, and the
night was calm. On the morning of the 1st of May the weather was very
cool: at about six o'clock we reached the Big Bend, where Dreidoppel
and Dauphin landed to seek for game, while the boat made the great
_détour_ on the river.[69] They found a number of impressions of shells
on the burnt hills, and saw a large village of prairie dogs, one of
which they shot; in the dry bed of a stream they found several tents
of the Sioux, the inmates of which met them on horseback, and had
some amicable conversation with them. At noon the weather was warm,
the thermometer being at 64°, and at three o'clock we arrived at
Sioux Agency, the post of Major Bean.[70] Here we found Cephir, the
interpreter, and three white men, who were suffering greatly from want
of provisions. No buffalo herds {458} had been seen here during the
winter, and the men had lived on salt pork and the flesh of the cabri.
The Sioux constantly pursue this animal, and on our arrival sent one
to the fort. They were impatiently expecting the Company's steam-boat,
with which Major Bean was to return. Thirteen Sioux tents were at this
time near the fort; others had been here waiting for the steamer, but
the want of provisions had forced them to disperse. It was not long
before we received a visit in our boat from Wahktageli, whose portrait
Mr. Bodmer had before taken, and who now repeated the assurance of
his great attachment to the white men. We took advantage of the fine
evening to prosecute our voyage, and then lay-to on the north bank.
Dreidoppel had shot a duck, and several good-sized catfish were caught.
The croaking of the frogs and howling of the wolves were our vesper
song.
The following morning (2nd of May) was very cool, and a thick fog hung
over the river. We soon passed the mouth of White River, but the wind
becoming too high compelled us to lay-to on the south bank, where the
waves drove the boat with such violence against the rocky bank, that
it sprung a leak, and let in much water. We found it necessary to cut
down a couple of trees, and fasten the boat to them, in order to make
it more steady. Meantime we made an excursion to the ravines and hills.
Cactus and yucca grew here in abundance, and some plants of the prairie
were already in flower; and on the banks of the stream the young
foliage was partly eaten away, which was said to have been done by the
porcupines. We found prints of the footsteps of some game, and, in the
dry bed of a brook, traces of the musk-rat, one of which Mr. Bodmer had
killed. We likewise saw some black-tailed deer, and small hares (_Lepus
Americanus_), the beautiful yellow-headed oriole, the sparrow-hawk, the
turkey-buzzard, and several other kinds of birds. We left this place
about noon on the 3rd of May, but made little progress on account of
the storm and rain, and lay-to in the evening on the north bank, not
quite a mile beyond Bijoux Hills.[71] The storm became very violent
during the night; most of the people slept on land, as they were afraid
that a tree which was standing very obliquely might give way to the
storm and fall on our boat: nothing but the state of weakness, caused
by my illness, could have made me so indifferent to this danger that
I did not attempt to avoid it. The tree, however, did not fall. The
wind abated towards the morning, and was succeeded by such torrents of
rain, that on the following day (the 4th) we saw the water pour down
from the left bank like cascades, the greater part of the neighbouring
prairie being overflowed. Opposite to Bijoux Hills we were for a long
time aground on a sand bank. Here we saw the first swallows returning
to the north for the summer. In the afternoon we reached Cedar Island,
and, proceeding a little further, lay-to for the night on the north
bank.[72] Vegetation was pretty forward; but no birds had yet come;
only the woodpecker and titmouse, which brave the winter, were to be
seen. On the 5th, the wind being favourable, a sail was hoisted, but
at eight o'clock the wind increased so much that we were obliged to
stop at a large and beautiful island (Punca Island), where, having
secured the boat, {459} we dispersed in search of game. When I returned
to the boat I learned that Dauphin had killed an elk calf, and most
of my people had gone with him to the place where the animal lay, in
order to secure the prize. We waited an hour and a half by the fire
till they returned, when I wished immediately to proceed on our voyage;
but Melone, one of my rowers, stepped forward, and positively declared
that he would not go on board till he had had his fill of the venison,
though he had taken a sufficient portion of meat in the morning. A
violent altercation ensued; the obstinate fellow was compelled to go
on board; but I was now aware of the character of this troublesome
American, who was so much addicted to drinking that it was necessary
to keep a watchful eye over him. We proceeded through the channel near
the island, but at the further end the wind suddenly caught the vessel,
so that it was quite unmanageable, and the sail was rent. We crossed
over to the south bank, and lay-to near an extensive thicket of willow.
It was so full of climbing plants and trees, that we could scarcely
penetrate into it, and tracks of wild animals were everywhere to be
seen. All the birds had sought refuge from the storm in the thickest
recesses of the wood, and scarcely a living creature was visible. We
here found, as on our first visit, the beautiful _Sylvia coronata_
(Latham), and shot a turkey-buzzard, the crop of which Fecteau took
out, affirming that it was an effectual remedy for the bite of venomous
serpents. Towards five o'clock, as the storm abated, we proceeded on
our voyage, passed the mouth of Punca River, and soon after sunset
came to three tents of the Punca Indians on the south bank, where the
trader, Dixon, with several _engagés_ from Fort Pièrre, was at that
time residing. Primeau, the Punca interpreter, who, in the preceding
year, when on board the steam-boat, had communicated to me some words
of the Punca language, was also with these people.[73]
We were informed that the Fur Company's steamer was near at hand, on
its way up the river, intelligence which was very agreeable to me.
The Punca Indians whom we saw here had a miserable, dirty appearance,
and they, too, had suffered from want of provisions. They had their
hair cut short in the nape of the neck and across the forehead. Their
leather tents, some of which were painted, stood on a narrow green
plain at the foot of steep hills, where the wood had been felled and
burnt. I here procured the skin of a skunk, which differed from all
the animals of this kind that I had hitherto seen. It was all over of
a blackish-brown colour, with only a small white stripe on the upper
part of the neck. From this place I crossed the river, and we kindled
our fire in the willow thicket before the steep rocky hills. This
place was directly opposite the mouth of L'Eau qui Court. At daybreak
on the following morning (the 6th of May) we heard the note of the
wild turkey, but did not stop. A large flock of pelicans flew up the
Missouri, and numbers of blackbirds were on the banks. We passed
Rivière à Manuel,[74] and towards eleven o'clock saw the Assiniboin
steamer, which lay still on the north bank for want of water. We were
hindered by the sand banks and the high wind from getting up to the
Assiniboin, {460} and therefore lay-to on the south bank, directly
opposite. At this place there was a dense thicket of willows, and
behind it an extensive forest. The woodcutters of the steam-boat
happened to be engaged in felling wood, under the direction of a
clerk, about a mile higher up, and, having observed our fire, came
to us towards noon. A boat was afterwards sent to fetch them, which
brought me a note from Captain Bennet, commander of the Assiniboin,
in which he invited me to make haste to come on board, as they were
impatient to see me again, after so long an absence. Captain Bennet
also sent a number of men to row my boat across the stormy river, and
with their aid we reached the Assiniboin at noon. We were received with
much joy by our former travelling companions, Messrs. Sanford, Bean,
Bennet, &c., and our accounts and news from the upper Missouri filled
up a good part of the day. We also found on board our Indian friend,
Schudegacheh, the Punca chief, who was extremely glad to see me again.
There was likewise another chief, and several Indians. Schudegacheh's
dress was remarkably handsome. His shirt was of beautiful otter skin,
with a red cloth collar: he wore a cap of otter skin, and a tobacco
pouch of the same material. This dress was extremely becoming to this
fine man. The other chief wore a robe painted with red figures. They
had a long conference with their agent, Major Bean, after which they
took off all their clothes, and laid them on the ground before him,
as a present, so that they sat quite naked, except the breechcloth.
Major Bean at first declined accepting these things, but Schudegacheh
would not take back his otter garment. The village of these Indians,
consisting of nearly 100 tents, was about four days' journey up L'Eau
qui Court.[75]
After spending the afternoon and evening on board the steamer, we took
leave of our friends, and returned to our boat, intending to proceed
early on the following morning; but, to my no small vexation, I found
my people in a very excited state, and partly drunk; Dauphin alone
seemed to know what he was about.
On the following morning (the 7th of May), Fecteau, Descoteaux, and
Melone were still intoxicated, so that our departure was delayed, and
I had to bear the noise and disorderly conduct of these men. We got
over a dangerous place, where there were many snags; passed, at eleven
o'clock, the mouth of the Rivière à Jacques, and then, the wind being
very high, lay-to on the right bank.[76] My hunters went to a lake,
about a mile off, in the hope of shooting some water-fowl, but did not
succeed. I made my way, through the willow thicket, to the extensive
verdant prairie, where a red fox sprang up before me. I saw many
birds of various kinds--swallows, woodpeckers, finches, sylvias, and
a couple of falcons (_Falco cyaneus_, Cuiv.); likewise butterflies,
among which, _Papilio plexippus_, and many _Libellalœ_, in very warm
places, sheltered from the wind. When I returned to the fire, I found
my people asleep on the grass, in consequence of their excesses on the
preceding day: Melone, however, was busy in bringing his trunk and
other things from the boat to the land; after which he stepped forward
and declared that "he {461} would not go any further with us, and that
his comrades, the other rowers, had agreed with him to leave us;" so
that we Europeans would have been left alone in this wilderness. The
news of this plot, arranged by the men in their drunken fit, during
my absence yesterday, surprised me not a little. I called the other
people, and asked them if this was really their intention; but they had
now thought better of it, and protested that they would not leave us.
Melone, enraged at their want of resolution, broke out into violent
abuse; so I told him that, conformably to his wish, he might remain
here by himself. On this he suddenly changed his tone, spoke civilly,
and at length begged for a passage to his native place, Liberty; but
I kept him to his word: we went on board, and left him alone in this
wilderness. This evil-disposed man, who had formerly been a soldier in
the service of the United States, and was much addicted to drinking,
had exchanged his rifle, on board the Assiniboin, for a considerable
quantity of provisions, a hatchet, brandy, &c., and thus sufficiently
proved his intention of leaving me in this shameful manner. As he
was skilful in the use of the hatchet, and had a sufficient stock of
provisions, it would be easy for him to make a boat of large poplar
stems, and reach the neighbouring post of Le Roi.
On this day we proceeded twelve or fifteen miles. The country was flat,
and the banks, in some parts, clothed with fine forests. At sunset
we lay-to at a convenient place on the right bank, where a narrow
strip of lofty, verdant wood filled the space between the river and
the steep white hills: there was an undergrowth of the red willow
(_Cornus sericea_), which was just coming into flower. The _Fringilla
Pennsylvanica_ was numerous, and fresh tracks of wild animals appeared
in all directions. At twilight a great many of the whip-poor-wills flew
round the fire within three paces of it, and quite stunned our ears by
their cries. A couple of them were shot, the first of these birds that
I had seen.
On the following morning (the 8th of May), we passed some extensive
sand banks, on which we observed the avoset, and many wild geese.
Towards ten o'clock we reached the mouth of Vermilion River,[77] where
many Sioux Indians were at that time assembled: here commence the lofty
forests, which are peculiar to the banks of the lower Missouri, and in
which the note of the whip-poor-will resounds in the evening.
I had been informed, on board the steamer, that a man named Gardner,
one of the best pilots on the whole course of the Missouri, and, at
the same time, thoroughly acquainted with the Indian wilderness from
his having been long engaged in hunting beavers, had gone down the
river a short time before me, and I was advised to overtake him, and,
if possible, to engage him as pilot, as our steersman was unskilful,
and the snags in many parts of the river very dangerous.[78] We soon
perceived Gardner's miserable flat leather boat, with a cargo of skins,
before us, and presently overtook it. I immediately offered to take his
furs into my boat, which was more secure, if he would act as steersman,
to which he most readily agreed. His boat was very unsafe and bad,
and at the same time was so heavily laden, that its edge was scarcely
above the water, {462} and it proceeded very slowly. He was on his
return from hunting beavers on the Upper Yellow Stone, and had two men
with him. We lay-to, and, while the people were transferring the cargo
of Gardner's boat to ours, we made an excursion into the interesting
country. The chain of hills was clothed with young verdure, and covered
and surrounded with tall trees and forests; beautiful thickets, mixed
with cedars, grew on the banks; all appeared in the fresh loveliness
of spring. In the hollow upper boughs of the lofty, colossal trees,
numbers of the purple swallow (_Hirundo purpurea_) had built their
nests; flocks of blackbirds were among the high grass, between the
trunks of the trees, where the little wren (_Troglodytes aedon_) poured
forth its cheerful song; the sparrow-hawk was sitting at the end of
a high branch; and on the ground, among the roots of the trees, we
descried what we thought was a mouse running along, which, however,
proved to be a little bird; it was too near to be fired at, and we
could not make it rise on its wing. At length, however, we killed
it, and found it to be the pretty little finch called, by Wilson,
_Fringilla candacuta_. The ash-grey finch (_Fringilla hyemalis_), the
snow-bird of Wilson, who represents this bird larger than it is in
nature, built its nest here.
Towards one o'clock in the afternoon we reached Le Roi's plantation,
and lay-to at the sand bank opposite to it, the wind being very high.
We dispersed in order to try our fortune with our fowling-pieces,
but found on the bank an intricate thicket full of burs, so that we
could scarcely penetrate it. Numbers of birds animated this thicket,
the cormorant (_Carbo_) sat on the tall trees on the bank, the
whip-poor-will uttered its plaintive note, and bats hovered over the
river. We passed the evening sitting round our fire, when Gardner told
us anecdotes of his many adventures and combats with the Indians.
He gave me a particular account of the death of Glass, the old
beaver-hunter whom I have already mentioned, and which particularly
interested me, because I possessed the scalp of one of the two Arikkara
Indians who were killed by Gardner on account of that murder. The
following were the circumstances of that event. Old Glass, with two
companions, had gone from Fort Cass to hunt beavers on the Yellow
Stone, and, as they were crossing the river on the ice further down,
they were all three shot, scalped, and plundered by a war party of
thirty Arikkaras who were concealed on the opposite bank. These
Indians, who are most dangerous enemies to the Whites, went then to
the sources of Powder River, and it happened that Gardner, with about
twenty men, and thirty horses, was in the neighbourhood.[79] As it was
dark when they were seated about several fires, the Indians suddenly
appeared, addressed them in the Manitari language, surrounded the
fire, and dried their shoes. Gardner, being well acquainted with the
character of the Indians, immediately took some precautions, which
was the more necessary, as a Manitari woman, who was with his party,
told him that the strangers were Arikkaras. He gradually collected
his people round one of their fires, with their arms in readiness to
act. He was also afraid for his horses, which were scattered in the
prairie, and some of which were actually missing, and he had already
sent some of his men to {463} erect in the neighbourhood what is
called a fort, of trunks of trees, for the night. The Indians are
accustomed, when they intend to steal horses, suddenly to give a
signal, on which they all jump up, scatter the horses, and drive them
away with them. Gardner, aware of this, watched the enemy closely,
and when, on the signal being given, they all withdrew, three of them
were seized, thrown down and bound. When the Arikkaras perceived this,
several of them came back, pretended to be innocent of the stealing
of the horses, and begged for their captive comrades; but Gardner
declared to them that, if they did not immediately deliver up all
the horses, the prisoners must die; one of whom, however, had cut the
cords with which he was bound, and escaped. The Indians entreated for
a long time, but were refused. The others seeing that they must die,
commenced their death-song, related their exploits, and affirmed that
they were distinguished warriors. One of them had old Glass's knife,
and his rifle also had been seen in the possession of these Indians.
The horses, however, were not brought, and the prisoners, alleging
a pressing necessity, were taken aside; but in the thick copse they
attempted to escape, on which one of them was stabbed, and several
shots fired at the other, who was then killed with the knife. They were
both scalped, and I received one of the scalps as a present, which
was unfortunately lost in the fire on board the steamer. Gardner, by
way of precaution, had all the fires put out, and passed the night in
the fort, which was now completed. They were not disturbed during the
night, and found, in the morning, that the Indians had retired with
their booty, leaving the prisoners to their fate. The Arikkaras had
begged for one of them in particular, who was a celebrated warrior, and
had even brought back three horses, which they tied up near at hand, to
exchange them for the prisoners; but Gardner did not attend to their
request.
On the 9th of May we reached the mouth of Joway River, and at three in
the afternoon that of Big Sioux.[80] The heat was pretty considerable;
and we saw the great heron (_Ardea herodias_), and a flock of pelicans,
some of which were grey, go up the river. We then came to Floyd's
Grave, and at a bend in the river reached a spot, to the northwest of
which there was a village of the Omahas, of about fifty huts. I wished
much to visit these people, but we could not well stop, because our
provisions were getting low, and we had already lost too much time
through the continued storms. In the evening we stopped for the night
on the left bank opposite the mouth of Omai Creek.[81]
On the following morning the weather was fine and warm, the thermometer
at eight o'clock being at 72°. Wood-ducks in pairs, and flocks of wild
geese and pelicans, attracted our attention, till we reached, about ten
o'clock, the beautiful green hills of Waschinga-Saba's grave,[82] where
we saw some deer and wolves, and found the tracks of these animals
in all directions. The rising wind afterwards obliged us to lay-to,
because there was a very dangerous place, with many snags, just before
us; but when the wind abated Gardner steered my boat very skilfully
between the snags. About sunset we passed the mouth of Little Sioux
River, and lay-to three miles {464} below it, on the opposite bank. On
the 11th we were very frequently obliged to stop, and meanwhile amused
ourselves with looking at the beautiful birds in the thickets. At six
o'clock we reached Soldier's River, and lay-to in a safe bay on the
left bank. The weather was cool on the 12th. When we set out, one of
my hunters shot a cormorant with his rifle. At ten o'clock we passed
the ruins of the old fort of Council Bluffs, and in the afternoon
reached Boyer's Creek, just before which we saw the first plane tree
on the Missouri.[83] From this spot this species of tree becomes more
and more common as you descend the river, which is very winding. We
landed, between one and two o'clock, at Major Pilcher's trading house,
formerly belonging to Mr. Cabanné.[84]
Mr. Pilcher gave us a very cordial reception after so long an absence,
and we passed the whole day with him. A lawyer, of the name of
Randolph, was at this time here to investigate a criminal case which
had lately occurred; an _engagé_ had shot his comrade, as was supposed
in cold blood. There were not many Indians at the trading house at this
time; however, there were some Otos, Missouris, Omahas and a couple of
Joways, and Ongpa or Onpa-Tanga (the big elk), the principal chief of
the Omahas, was daily expected;[85] I would gladly have waited to see
him, had time permitted my doing so. Mr. Bodmer took the portraits of
an Omaha and an Oto Indian. These two tribes do not differ in their
manners, dress, and personal appearance. They wear their hair short,
nay, sometimes the head is completely shorn, except a tuft behind, and
in front; the upper part of the body naked, and strings of wampum in
their ears.
At this time there was more order and cleanliness in Mr. Pilcher's
house than during our former visit, and the store had been removed
into the upper floor. It contained a large quantity of skins, among
which were 24,000 musk-rats, which are sold at twenty-five cents a
piece. The packs of these latter were very regularly piled up in a
square. There was also a good stock of buffalo and beaver skins. Mr.
Pilcher presented me with a very beautiful skin of a large dark brown
wolf, which had been killed on the upper part of Boyer's Creek; it is,
however, not a species, only a variety.
After dinner I took an excursion to the neighbouring finely wooded
hills, which were now flourishing in the greatest luxuriance. Birds of
various kinds were very numerous in a beautiful gently sloping valley,
through which the Omahas pass when they go to their villages. Among the
many kinds of trees and shrubs, I observed cratægus, or pyrus, twenty
feet in height, covered with white blossoms, oaks, elms, &c. Near the
house very fine cattle were grazing, and numbers of swine, all of
which roamed at liberty in the woods. There are extensive plantations
of maize and fields of potatoes, and Mr. Pilcher was so good as to
furnish me with a supply of provisions from his store. This place had
likewise been visited by the cholera in the preceding summer, but it
had not carried off so many persons as at Dougherty's agency at Belle
Vue, because Mr. Pilcher had a better stock of medicines. At nightfall
we took leave of Mr. Pilcher, and went on board our boat, intending
to proceed early the next morning, the 13th of May. During the night
a dog stole a part of our stock of meat, the {465} door of the cabin
not having been very well secured. Towards eight o'clock we lay-to on
the right bank of the river, at a lovely verdant prairie covered with
thickets and tall insulated trees. There we found many beautiful birds;
among them were numbers of the red-breasted _Fringilla ludoviciana_; we
shot a good many of them, but they were so fat that we had considerable
difficulty in preserving the skins. We had a fruitless chase after some
wild turkeys. Towards noon we arrived at Belle Vue, Major Dougherty's
agency,[86] which is about thirty-four miles from Pilcher's trading
house, and lies at the foot of the wooded chain of hills on which Mr.
Pilcher's residence is situated. We landed, but unfortunately found
only a few _engagés_, for Major Dougherty was absent at St. Louis,
and was not expected to return till the middle of July. The majority
of the persons whom we had seen here on our first visit had died of
cholera, during the preceding summer, seven of ten persons having been
carried off in the short space of twenty-four hours. They had all been
buried by one man, who was now here, and who himself was ill when he
was obliged to perform this last office for the dead. The disease had,
however, quite passed away, and the fort was now healthy. The environs
of Belle Vue presented great attractions to the naturalist at this
season. The richly wooded hills, with their deep shady ravines and wild
glens, were animated by the cuckoo, and a number of splendid birds,
while innumerable bright winged butterflies fluttered about over the
strawberry blossoms, the magnificent azure phlox, and a variety of
other beautiful flowers.
After we had luxuriated in this romantic spot, we returned to take in
a stock of provisions, and, being refreshed by that great rarity, a
glass of new milk, we continued our journey. Towards noon we reached
the mouth of the river La Platte, which is about six miles distant from
Belle Vue. At sunset we passed Fife-Barrel Creek, and stopped opposite
an island of the same name on the right bank of the Missouri. As soon
as we landed I set out with my gun in my hand, and, passing through
a lofty avenue of willows, came to a narrow marsh, quite overgrown
with typha. The ground was swampy, but the raccoons had trod a regular
footpath. The morass was bounded by hills covered with trees and bushes
of the loveliest verdure, enlivened by the baltimore and the green
icteria. The latter incessantly poured forth its song, which contains
a strophe similar to that of the nightingale. It is remarkable that
the cheerfulness and activity of these birds increase greatly towards
evening. The whip-poor-wills were very numerous in the willow copse on
the bank, and in the evening twilight their notes resounded on every
side.
The morning of the 14th opened brightly upon us, and we set out early
and passed Weeping-water River, landing several times to pursue the
wild turkeys, whose note attracted us to their retreats.[87] We often
saw these proud birds in the lofty trees, perched up beyond the reach
of small shot. The most beautiful birds of this country select for
their resort the airy summits of the woods, especially of the fine
primeval forest on the bank, where we lay-to at ten o'clock. This
noble forest comprises all the varied trees of this climate, with an
undergrowth of prickly {466} ash, hazel-bushes, cornus, &c., entwined
with _Vitis hederacea_ and other parasitic plants. The stems are tall,
straight, and closely crowded together; many were lying on the ground
decayed, covered with moss and lichens, which frequently impeded our
progress. Here we soon shot a variety of birds, and saw some parrots,
which Gardner had already observed on Weeping-water River. In short we
might have found here ample employment for a long time. A particular
species of caterpillar abounded to such a degree in these forests, that
all the branches of the trees, especially the willows and poplars, were
thickly loaded with them. As soon as we entered the copses our clothes
were covered with these caterpillars and their webs. We lay-to for the
night about a mile below Little Nemawha Creek, where Dauphin caught a
catfish weighing 15 lbs.
On the 15th we were about five miles from our night's quarters to the
mouth of the Nishnebottoneh, which we reached at eight o'clock. In
the fine forest at this spot our hunters shot only one rabbit, and
wounded a deer, which we did not obtain. At noon we lay-to on the
right bank, Gardner having promised to look for some wild honey. I may
remark by the way, that though the bee was not known in America till
it was introduced by the Europeans, it is now spread over the whole
continent. The Indians are said to call it "the white man's fly." It is
now common far up the Missouri, where the honey is eagerly sought for
by both Whites and Indians, who cut it out of the hollow trunks of the
trees. The spot where we rested and prepared our dinner was below the
beautiful verdant wooded hills, and was shaded by high trees, inhabited
by the most brilliant birds, which afforded much sport to our hunters.
Along the bank and distant hills extended a splendid forest, through
which winded a solitary Indian path, where the grey squirrels were
very numerous. We found much recreation in this solitary wilderness,
but here, too, the caterpillars annoyed us greatly; they were of a
bluish-green colour, with a double row of green and yellow spots.
We afterwards passed the Grand Nemawha, and lay-to, for the night,
opposite Solomon's Island, six miles above Wolf River.[88]
On the 16th of May the river was covered with a thick fog, which
prevented our proceeding on our voyage as early as usual. At half-past
seven o'clock we were opposite the mouth of Wolf River, where we saw
a herd of six or seven deer, and lay-to at nine o'clock on the right
bank. The lofty forest here had a thick undergrowth of box-alder and
cornus, which was completely covered with caterpillars and their webs.
At noon we reached Nodaway River, and were charmed with the prospect of
the sublime forest scenery of the banks, and the picturesque islands in
this river.[89] Luxuriant woods appeared on every side, covered to the
summits of their highest branches with graceful light green climbing
plants, so that the trunks looked like verdant columns.
Their foliage was shining and juicy, like the whole of the luxuriant
vegetation that surrounded them. Even from our boat we could see, in
the dark forest, the scarlet plumage of the beautiful red tanagra,
which the French on the Mississippi call the pope, the splendid
cardinal, and the bright red baltimore. The meridian sun shed a
glorious effulgence over this magnificent scene; where, {467} however,
the red-bud, and the other early blossoming trees, had already lost
their flowers. Most of the trees of these forests on the lower
Missouri have not the beautiful large flowers common to those of
Brazil, but, with a few exceptions, have only catkins. For the first
time after a long interval we saw the kingfisher on the bank. Towards
four o'clock in the afternoon we reached the beautiful chain of the
Black Snake Hills, and, not long after, Roubedoux's trading house
in the neighbourhood of the Joways and Saukies, or Sacs.[90] The
forest-covered hills, as well as the prairie stretched at their foot,
were now adorned with the most lovely verdure. The two houses at this
spot were painted white, which, when seen from the river, gave them
a very picturesque appearance amid the surrounding green. Behind the
dwelling houses were extensive fields of maize, protected by fences,
and very fine cattle were grazing in the plain. Mr. Roubedoux, the
owner of the house, and his son, were from home, and some ignorant
_engagés_ could not comply with my desire to obtain fresh provisions,
and to pay a visit to the Indians in the vicinity, to accomplish
which I requested them to provide me with horses. About thirty Oto
and Missouri Indians had been here a couple of days, and had just
gone to the neighbouring Indians to purchase brandy. About six miles
from hence lies a village of the Joway Indians, and at about the same
distance down the Missouri, one of the Saukies. These Indians are able
to obtain as much brandy as they please at the extreme settlements of
the Americans, about fifteen miles from this place, who, at their own
risk, pass the limit of the Indian country, fixed by the government in
the latitude of the Cantonment of Leavenworth. This great facility of
procuring cheap and bad spirits is extremely ruinous to the Indians,
and accelerates the destruction of their race. We were dissuaded from
visiting these two Indian tribes, because they had, for several days,
been indulging in the immoderate use of whisky, and were in a dangerous
state of excitement. A great number of Oto Indians gradually assembled
near Roubedoux's house: many of them were quite intoxicated, and nearly
all had four or five casks of this fatal draught fastened to their
horses.
The Oto, Missouri, and Joway Indians, at least the young people, had
their hair shorn in the manner of the Saukies and Foxes: several,
however, especially the elder men, wore their hair short in the neck. I
saw one of the Missouris with his hair hanging half-way down his back.
Their dress and customs are said not to differ from the Saukies. They
had holes in their ears, in which they wore bunches of wampum: some
young men had red cloth tied round their heads, and one of them wore
a cap made of the entire skin of a bear's head, with the ears, which
gave him a very grotesque appearance. All these Indians were weaker,
and of lower stature, than those of the upper Missouri, especially the
Manitaries, Mandans, and Crows. The Otos and Missouris intended to go
to-day with their stock of whisky to their villages on the other side
of the river, and wished us to set them over, to which, however, I was
not disposed to accede. Mr. Bodmer took the portrait of an athletic
Missouri youth. This tribe was formerly numerous and {468} powerful,
but, being defeated by the Foxes, Saukies, and Osages, it lost its
independence, and the few that remain have intermingled with the Otos.
We made some little excursions in the neighbourhood, and found in the
prairie and the lofty trees many beautiful plants and fine birds; the
day was hot, and the evening remarkably pleasant; a numerous company
of Indians, who were not a little troublesome, visited us in our boat,
and stopped till ten o'clock. We left our night's quarters early on the
following day, the 17th, and proceeded down the river, the banks of
which were clothed with tall forests. The thermometer at noon was at
75°, but the wind was high, and compelled us to lay-to; we therefore
took advantage of the delay to go ashore, and make some addition to our
collection of plants and birds. About four in the afternoon, though the
wind was still high, we were enabled to pursue our course. We were not
long in making Cow Island, about nine miles from Leavenworth, where
a good deal of cattle belonging to the military post were grazing. A
little before sunset we came to the isolated dwelling of a white man,
and saw several Indians, there being a settlement of the Kickapoos, who
were removed from the eastern provinces, at a short distance from the
river. We lay-to for the night on the right bank, and several of my
people went on before us to Leavenworth. On the 18th, during a heavy
rain, we made the three miles to the post; we heard some musket-shot, a
signal that the guard was relieved, and soon reached the landing-place
of the Cantonment. The sentinel informed us that we must immediately
appear before the commanding officer, and compelled us, in an imperious
manner, to keep close and march before him. We arrived like prisoners
at the house of the commander, where Major Ryley received us with
tolerable politeness, and supplied me with the provisions, meat, bread,
&c., which I required, taking care, however, to be well paid for
them.[91]
The Cantonment of Leavenworth is pleasantly situated; ten or twelve
neat and spacious buildings, surrounded with a gallery or verandah, are
occupied by two companies of the 6th regiment, not more than eighty
men, with ten officers, who were detached from Jefferson Barracks, near
St. Louis. Dr. Fellowes, the military physician, who in the preceding
year travelled with us to this place, received me with much cordiality,
and gave me a good deal of information respecting this interesting
country. He had been very successful with his cholera patients, for,
out of a great number, one only had died, because he always attacked
the disorder at its very commencement.
The heavy rain had converted the surrounding country into a swamp, so
that we could not conveniently visit the environs of the Cantonment.
The soil is very fruitful, and the whole country clothed in rich
verdure. About four miles from this place, down the river, the Indian
line meets the Missouri at right angles; this is the frontier of the
Indian territory, which the Cantonment is destined to protect. Near
this post is the village of the Kickapoos, inhabited by a poor and
rather degenerated race. Major Morgan,[92] who kept a large store
of provisions and other {469} necessaries, had a share in Gardner's
fur trade; the latter accordingly quitted me at this place. To
celebrate his happy return the people drank rather too freely, and
were endeavouring to make Descoteaux do the same, in order to induce
him to sell his beaver skins below their value, but I would not suffer
this, and took him with me. The people here have a sufficient number
of cattle and swine, as well as plenty of milk, butter, and cheese. My
collections were here enriched with many interesting specimens. Dr.
Fellowes had the kindness to give me a goffer (a large field-mouse),
undoubtedly _Diplostoma bulbivorum_. Unfortunately the specimen was not
complete.
FOOTNOTES:
[53] Not the lake of that name noted in our volume xxii, p. 368, note
344, but one between Knife and Heart River, North Dakota.--ED.
[54] For the location of Butte Carré (Square Butte), see our volume
xxii, p. 340, note 312.--ED.
[55] This post was probably at or near Apple Creek, which by its
connection with the lakes east of the Missouri furnishes communication
with the upper James, the usual habitat of the Yanktonai.--ED.
[56] See our volume xxii, p. 338, note 306.--ED.
[57] For the site of these villages, see our volume xxii, p. 335, note
299.--ED.
[58] See our volume xxii, p. 173, note 87.--ED.
[59] Grand River, the Weterhoo of Lewis and Clark (_Original Journals_,
i, p. 183; vi, p. 49), rises near the sources of the Little Missouri in
northwestern South Dakota, and flows east into the Missouri in Boreman
County. It is a prairie stream paralleling Cannonball and Cheyenne
rivers, and largely destitute of timber.--ED.
[60] For this stream, see our volume xxii, p. 334, note 295.--ED.
[61] For Fort Pierre, see our volume xxii, p. 315, note 277.--ED.
[62] See, for this man, Bradbury's _Travels_, our volume v, p. 38, note
7.--ED.
[63] For the visit of this Teton Sioux, see our volume xxii, p.
329.--ED.
[64] This tract was the area later famous as the Bad Lands of White
River. Had Maximilian been able to visit this region, he might have
antedated the discoveries made by J. V. Hayden and F. B. Meek, which
awakened much interest in the scientific world. This area, extending
nearly five hundred miles in each direction, lies between Cheyenne and
White rivers east of the Black Hills. It is a tertiary formation of
indurated sands, clays, and marl, cut up into ravines and cañons by
streams and climatic action. In certain places it takes on the form of
a gigantic city in ruins. To the scientist, however, the chief interest
is its fossils, immense numbers of which are imbedded in the formation.
The first descriptive account was that of Dr. H. A. Prout, who visited
the region in 1847, given in the _American Journal of Science_, iii, 2d
series, pp. 248-250. Two years later, Dr. John Evans went through this
district, and the next year it was visited by Thaddeus A. Culbertson in
the interest of the Smithsonian Institution. A thorough examination was
made in 1853 by J. V. Hayden and F. B. Meek; the former passed through
again in 1857, the results being embodied in American Philosophical
Society _Transactions_, xii, new series (Phila., 1863). The fossil
remains were described by Professor Joseph Leidy in _Contributions to
Extinct Vertebræ Fauna_ (Washington, 1873). Hayden made still another
visit to this region in 1866, the results of which were published in
his _Geographical and Geological Survey of the Territories_. The White
River Bad Lands are still difficult of access, and not as yet visited
by tourists.--ED.
[65] See p. 59, for portrait of Little Soldier (Tukan Haton), a Sioux
chief. Consult also our volume xxii, pp. 311-313, for Maximilian's
relation of this chieftain's visit.--ED.
[66] See Plate 44, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.
[67] In the early part of the nineteenth century there was a
free-trader of this name on Minnesota River, where he was later
murdered by his Indian wife. See _Henry-Thompson Journals_, p. 941.--ED.
[68] The opposition post had been built since our author ascended
the river. It was begun October 17, 1833, a "little below old Fort
Tecumseh." According to Maximilian it was directly at the mouth of
Teton River, probably in the northern angle. It was occupied only
about a year, then being sold with all its effects to the American Fur
Company. See Chittenden, _Fur-Trade_, iii, p. 956.--ED.
[69] See our volume xxii, p. 313, note 272.--ED.
[70] For the agency and agent, see our volume xxii, p. 235, note 171,
and p. 304, note 261.--ED.
[71] For Bijoux Hills and White River, see our volume xxii, pp. 301,
302, notes 258, 259, respectively.--ED.
[72] For Little Cedar Island, see our volume xxii, p. 296, note 257.
Maximilian here intends the present island of that name.--ED.
[73] For Primeau and Ponca River, see our volume xxii, p. 286, note
248, and p. 291, note 253. The trader was William, half-breed son of
Colonel Robert Dickson, who had been agent for the British government
among the Northwestern Indians during the War of 1812-15. William's
mother was a Sioux, and he assisted his father during that war, being
still in the pay of that government in 1817; see _Wisconsin Historical
Collections_, xi, p. 350. By 1821 he was established in trade on Lake
Traverse, whence one of his letters (written in French) shows traces of
considerable education; _ibid._, x, p. 140. He accompanied a delegation
to Washington in 1824 as interpreter for the United States (consult
_Minnesota Historical Collections_, vi, p. 205), and two years later
was licensed as a trader. Some time before 1832, he crossed to the
Missouri River and entered the employ of the American Fur Company, for
whom he had a post called by his name, near the mouth of Petit Arc
Creek in South Dakota. There Larpenteur met him in 1838, and states
that he shortly after committed suicide. Compare also E. D. Neill,
_History of Minnesota_ (Minneapolis, 1882), p. 452.--ED.
[74] For Niobrara River (l'eau qui court), see our volume v, p. 90,
note 54. Emanuel Creek (Rivière à Manuel) is noted in volume xxii, p.
290, note 251.--ED.
[75] For the Ponca Indians, see our volume v, p. 96, note 63. When
Lewis and Clark ascended the river (1804) the village of this tribe
was on the stream called by their name, not on the Niobrara. The name
of the chief Schudegacheh signified Smoke, and Catlin speaks (_North
American Indians_, i, p. 212) of him as "a noble specimen of native
dignity and philosophy."--ED.
[76] For James River (à Jacques), see our volume xxii, p. 282, note
238.--ED.
[77] See our volume vi, p. 87, note 31.--ED.
[78] For this trapper, see our volume xxiii, p. 197, note 153.--ED.
[79] For the earlier adventures of Hugh Glass, see our volume xxii, p.
294, note 255. Powder River, called Red Stone by Lewis and Clark, is
the most easterly of the great southern affluents of the Yellowstone.
It rises in Central Wyoming, on the eastern slopes of the Big Horn
Mountains and south thereof, near the sources of the Big Cheyenne
and North Fork of Platte. The valley of Powder River was a favorite
rendezvous of trappers, for it afforded both game and pasturage in
abundance.--ED.
[80] For these streams, see our volumes xxii, p. 280, note 236; and vi,
p. 85, note 30, respectively.--ED.
[81] For Floyd's grave, see our volume v, p. 91, note 56. Omai is now
Omadi Creek, in Dakota County, Nebraska.--ED.
[82] See Plate 12, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv. For this
noted chief, known in English as Blackbird, see Bradbury's _Travels_,
our volume v, pp. 84-86.--ED.
[83] These are all three Iowa streams, the last two entering the
Missouri in Harrison County, and Boyer's in Pottawattamie County. See
our volume xxii, p. 275, note 231, for the fort at Council Bluffs.--ED.
[84] For Cabanné and his post, see our volume xxii, p. 271, note 226.
Cabanné had been obliged to return to St. Louis to defend himself
against the legal action of Le Clerc. See Chittenden, _Fur-Trade_, i,
pp. 346-350. A brief sketch of Joshua Pilcher is in our volume xiv, p.
269, note 193.--ED.
[85] For this chieftain, see our volume v, p. 90, note 52; also, our
volume xiv, pp. 258-262, where Big Elk holds council with the officers
of Long's expedition.--ED.
[86] For a brief history of Bellevue, see our volume xxii, p. 267, note
221.--ED.
[87] For the geographical places mentioned in this paragraph, see our
volume xxii, p. 264, note 217.--ED.
[88] For the rivers mentioned, see our volume vi, pp. 72, 73, notes 23,
24. Both Solomon's Island and Wolf Creek are mentioned by Lewis and
Clark (_Original Journals_, i, pp. 72, 73); the former has been swept
away by the river. For Wolf Creek, see our volume xiv, p. 181, note
150.--ED.
[89] Nodaway River is described in our volume v, p. 37, note 5.--ED.
[90] For this trader and his post, see our volume xxii, p. 257, note
210.--ED.
[91] See our volume xxii, p. 253, note 204, for the persons and places
mentioned in this paragraph.--ED.
[92] The eastern boundary of the Indian country, which was also the
western boundary of Missouri, consisted of a line running directly
north and south through the middle of the channel of the mouth of
Kansas River. In 1824 commissioners were appointed to survey the
western and southern line of Missouri, an
Showing first 200,000 characters. Full text: gutenberg.org/ebooks/48235