Saturday, November 17.  Last night was very cold, and the ice in the river to-day is thicker than hitherto.  We are totally occupied with our huts, but received visits from several Indians.

Sunday, November 18.  To-day we had a cold windy morning; the Black Cat came to see us, and occupied us for a long time with questions on the usages of our country.  He mentioned that a council had been held yesterday to deliberate on the state of their affairs.  It seems that not long ago, a party of Sioux fell in with some horses belonging to the Minnetarees, and carried them off; but in their flight they were met by some Assiniboins, who killed the Sioux and kept the horses:  a Frenchman too who had lived many years among the Mandans, was lately killed on his route to the British factory on the Assiniboin; some smaller differences existed between the two nations, all of which being discussed, the council decided that they would not resent the recent insults from the Assiniboins and Knistenaux, until they had seen whether we had deceived them or not in our promises of furnishing them with arms and ammunition.  They had been disappointed in their hopes of receiving them from Mr. Evans and were afraid that we too, like him, might tell them what was not true.  We advised them to continue at peace, that supplies of every kind would no doubt arrive for them, but that time was necessary to organize the trade.  The fact is that the Assiniboins treat the Mandans as the Sioux do the Ricaras; by their vicinity to the British they get all the supplies, which they withhold or give at pleasure to the remoter Indians:  the consequence is, that however badly treated, the Mandans and Ricaras are very slow to retaliate lest they should* lose their trade altogether.

Monday 19.  The ice continues to float in the river, the wind high from the northwest, and the weather cold.  Our hunters arrived from their excursion below, and bring a very fine supply of thirty-two deer, eleven elk, and five buffaloe, all of which was hung in a smokehouse.

Tuesday 20.  We this day moved into our huts which are now completed.  This place which we call Fort Mandan, is situated in a point of low ground, on the north side of the Missouri, covered with tall and heavy cottonwood.  The works consist of two rows of huts or sheds, forming an angle where they joined each other; each row containing four rooms, of fourteen feet square and seven feet high, with plank ceiling*, and the roof slanting so as to form a loft above the rooms, the highest part of which is eighteen feet from the ground:  the backs of the huts formed a wall of that height, and opposite the angle the place of the wall was supplied by picketing; in the area were two rooms for stores and provisions.  The latitude by observation is 47 degrees 21’ 47”, and the computed distance from the mouth of the Missouri sixteen hundred miles.