Saturday 2.  The day is fine:  another deer was killed.  Mr. Laroche who has been very anxious to go with us left the fort to-day, and one of the squaws of the Minnetaree interpreter is taken ill.

Sunday 3.  The weather is again pleasant:  disappointed in all our efforts to get the boats free, we occupied ourselves in making iron spikes so as to prize them up by means of long poles.

Monday 4.  The morning fair and cold, the mercury at sunrise being 18 degrees below 0, and the wind from the northwest.  The stock of meat which we had procured in November and December being now nearly exhausted, it became necessary to renew our supply; captain Clarke therefore took eighteen men, and with two sleighs and three horses descended the river for the purpose of hunting, as the buffaloe has disappeared from our neighbourhood, and the Indians are themselves suffering for want of meat.  Two deer were killed to-day but they were very lean.

Tuesday 5.  A pleasant fair morning with the wind from northwest:  a number of the Indians come with corn for the blacksmith, who being now provided with coal has become one of our greatest resources for procuring grain.  They seem particularly attached to a battle axe, of a very inconvenient figure:  it is made wholly of iron, the blade extremely thin, and from seven to nine inches long; it is sharp at the point and five or six inches on each side, whence they converge towards the eye, which is circular and about an inch in diameter, the blade itself being not more than an inch wide, the handle is straight, and twelve or fifteen inches long; the whole weighing about a pound.  By way of ornament, the blade is perforated with several circular holes.  The length of the blade compared with the shortness of the handle render it a weapon of very little strength, particularly as it is always used on horseback:  there is still however another form which is even worse, the same sort of handle being fixed to a blade resembling an espontoon.

Wednesday, February 6.  The morning was fair and pleasant, the wind N.W.  A number of Indian chiefs visited us and withdrew after we had smoked with them contrary to their custom, for after being once introduced into our apartment they are fond of lounging about during the remainder of the day.  One of the men killed three antelopes.  Our blacksmith has his time completely occupied, so great is the demand for utensils of different kinds.  The Indians are particularly fond of sheet iron, out of which they form points for arrows and instruments for scraping hides, and when the blacksmith cut up an old cambouse of that metal, we obtained for every piece of four inches square seven or eight gallons of corn from the Indians, who were delighted at the exchange.

Thursday 7.  The morning was fair and much warmer than for some days, the thermometer being at 18 degrees above 0, and the wind from the S.E.  A number of Indians continue to visit us; but learning that the interpreter’s squaws had been accustomed to unbar the gate during the night, we ordered a lock put on it, and that no Indian should remain in the fort all night, nor any person admitted during the hours when the gate is closed, that is from sunset to sunrise.