October 8, 1833
Gray and cloudy sky early in the morning; calm weather; not cold. At seven thirty, 46°F (7.8°C). The Indians’ dogs had killed some chickens belonging to the fort last night. They are like wolves and foxes; when starved, nothing is safe from them. The fort’s dogs barked all morning long. They seem to be of some European mixed breed. I have only heard Indian dogs howl.
Today they worked on the foundation where the fort’s new pickets were to be set. [The line] will be pushed outward much farther and therefore much space [will be] gained. Mr. Chardon is closely overseeing all these jobs and strictly controls the workers. Other people transported wood, especially firewood, from the nearby forest with small wagons.
Deschamps told me today that, in our absence, the lower Assiniboines had made peace with the Gros Ventres (Minitarris) [Hidatsas]. Their principal chief, Uahktähno (Celui Qui Tué), had attended the peace ceremony at the place of the Hidatsas. The French call this chief la Lance. Deschamps brought his wife, a Cree woman, to have her picture drawn by Mr. Bodmer.
She is a pretty woman, tattooed below [and at the sides of] her mouth toward her chin with three bluish black lines. After ten o’clock, the sun came through and the weather turned nice. Chardon told me some words of the Osage language and the Osage division of time. Deschamps told me a few Assiniboine words.
I went onto the prairie and found a single prairie hen (Tetrao phasianellus) in the small bushes 500 to 600 paces from the fort. However, it did not stay. From there I went to my right over the hills and into a bushy dale. I did not see any other wildlife except for crows and common ravens. I watched for holes in the ground [and] small striped susliks but did not see any. I found no recently occupied burrows. But in a few of them, I saw where the animal had carried in seeds of varied grasses, scattered everywhere. Cacti stood on the prairie, some very fresh and green looking, their fruit dried out. These plants are always fresh and green here and are said to remain so throughout the whole winter. At one o’clock, 50°F [10°C]; the thermometer of the fort also indicated 50°F. Weather calm and pleasant. In the afternoon, gray sky; it felt humid. The drawing of Deschamps’ wife continued. He himself told me words of the Cree language. In the afternoon no rain, but humid and very cloudy.
