Friday 8.  A fair pleasant morning, with S.E. winds.  Pocopsahe came down to the fort with a bow, and apologized for his not having finished a shield which he had promised captain Lewis, and which the weather had prevented him from completing.  This chief possesses more firmness, intelligence, and integrity, than any Indian of this country, and he might be rendered highly serviceable in our attempts to civilize the nation.  He mentioned that the Mandans are very much in want of meat, and that he himself had not tasted any for several days.  To this distress they are often reduced by their own improvidence, or by their unhappy situation.  Their principal article of food is buffaloe-meat, their corn, beans, and other grain being reserved for summer, or as a last resource against what they constantly dread, an attack from the Sioux, who drive off the game and confine them to their villages.  The same fear too prevents their going out to hunt in small parties to relieve their occasional wants, so that the buffaloe is generally obtained in large quantities and wasted by carelessness.

Saturday 9.  The morning was fair and pleasant, the wind from the S.E.  Mr. M’Kenzie from the N.W. company establishment visited us.

Sunday 10.  A slight snow fell in the course of the night, the morning was cloudy, and the northwest wind blew so high that although the thermometer was 18 degrees above 0, the day was cooler than yesterday, when it was only 10 degrees above the same point.  Mr. M’Kenzie left us, and Chaboneau returned with information that our horses loaded with meat were below, but could not cross the ice not being shod.

Monday 11.  We sent down a party with sleds, to relieve the horses from their loads; the weather fair and cold, with a N.W. wind.  About five o’clock one of the wives of Chaboneau was delivered of a boy; this being her first child she was suffering considerable, when Mr. Jessaume told captain Lewis that he had frequently administered to persons in her situation, a small dose of the rattle of the rattlesnake which had never failed to hasten the delivery.  Having some of the rattle, captain Lewis gave it to Mr. Jessaume who crumbled two of the rings of it between his fingers, and mixing it with a small quantity of water gave it to her.  What effect it may really have had it might be difficult to determine, but captain Lewis was informed that she had not taken it more than ten minutes before the delivery took place.

Tuesday 12.  The morning is fair though cold, the mercury being 14 degrees below the wind from the S.E.  About four o’clock the horses were brought in much fatigued; on giving them meal bran moistened with water they would not eat it, but preferred the bark of the cottonwood, which as is already observed forms their principal food during the winter.  The horses of the Mandans are so often stolen by the Sioux, Ricaras, and Assiniboins, that the invariable rule now is to put the horses every night in the same