Beautiful night and morning, somewhat cool early [in the day]. On the left bank, we navigated past a creek that Lewis and Clark called Bull Creek. The region is very pleasant and pretty. Somewhat distant, behind the prairies along [the] shore, rose distinct, gray, table mountains with many kinds of strange ledges; before them one sees woodlands all around that enclose the river. At six o’clock we reached the mouth of the Judith River, which discharges on the left side and at [that time] had several rather wet outlets. Its banks were partially overgrown with woods. Just before the river mouth, there is an island off the right bank and beyond; in the prairie along the right bank, a large prairie dog village. It is the [first] one Mr. Mitchell has ever seen this far upstream. Here there were now ten to twelve turkey buzzards perched on isolated, dried-up trees, proof that the Indians must have killed some kind of animal here. Today we will reach the camp of the Gros Ventres des Prairies, which is found on the left bank. Just yesterday our hunters found [the] fresh remains of buffalo the Indians had killed.

At 7:30 we put in at the right bank so that the crew could have breakfast. The thermometer [read] 70°F [21.1°C]. At this moment we saw five reddish brown figures coming around a hill in the prairie through the whitish Artemisia bushes along the left bank; they were Indians. Their rifles flashed in the bright morning sun. They fired their guns and sat down near the forest opposite us. Mr. Mitchell went over to them with Doucette and Deschamps. Several women also arrived with a dog, which was pulling on a frame (dog train). After conversing with [men of our party] for a while, the Indians went along with [the men] in the dinghy, and Mr. Mitchell brought them to our boat. There were four men and a woman, who carried a thick club in her hand. The men were rather tall and well built, not significantly different from the Assiniboines. They wore their hair hanging down to their shoulders in several queues, sometimes four or five of them braided; several had [their hair] bound together in a tuft in front. Most of them wore one or two big, thin iron rings of 2 1/2 inches diameter in their ears. Their buffalo hides were painted reddish brown on the flesh side, as is the case with all these northern Indians. Their weapons were guns and bows and arrows. They wore leather leggins; their upper bodies were bare. They sat in the cabin, smoking. Each of them was given a glass of whiskey, which is always mixed with water.

After they had been on ship for half an hour, and the roughly twenty-seven Indians on shore had been greeted with a cannon shot, [our guests] were put ashore again and a chief was brought back in turn; [he] had bound his hair in a knot in front, something only medicine men may do. He spoke Piegan or Blackfoot somewhat, and thus Doucette could converse with him. While we advanced with a good sailing wind and twenty-seven men on the cordelle, the Indians along shore moved faster than we. Some rode ahead swiftly to inform the rest of their nation of our arrival. Those on foot ran more swiftly than we could sail. The reddish brown men, with their weapons, looked most unusual in the prairie overgrown with bluish Artemisia. They sometimes sat down in groups and viewed the ship; then they fired again and moved on.

Sizable hills overgrown with grayish green grass and scattered conifers rose along the left bank, whereas on the right bank, our men on the cordelle had to climb a steep, treacherous bank, over which they had to hurry swiftly because of the sailing wind—a troublesome chore! To the right the region becomes more open; here a prairie overgrown with Artemisia extends outward. Mr. Bodmer sketched the chief, who had a substantial bullet wound on his right arm under the shoulder; another one had a similar wound and a thick swelling on the back part of the jaw where he had fastened a wire. Everywhere under individual shady trees along the bank, one saw groups of Indians sitting who were resting. They enlivened the whole region. They had also already overhunted the entire region, and our hunters did not need to go out. They said that to reach the buffalo, they would have to sleep one night on the way there. They call the bighorn hottéh, the buffalo euáhkiä (‘e’ half [=ә]). The Indians again sat everywhere in the grass on the hills to the left. Their big wolflike dogs ran around them; some of [the dogs] were partly whitish, others whitish and reddish brown on top, others black or blackish brown; they barked at us.

The Indians told us that their entire nation was assembled several miles upstream, about [——] hundred [tipis]; they were assembled here to await the keelboat. Actually, we were not very glad to see them here, because they did not own many articles for trade and yet wanted to have goods. Not much good can be expected from any of these peoples; they are rather false and treacherous. Besides, a keelboat cannot easily escape them. If an exchange of words or dissatisfaction arises among them, eight to nine hundred Indians can easily massacre the fifty men on our boat. A favorable wind was of great benefit to us, for it swiftly drove us and helped us to get away from this dangerous band.

An hour and a half later, we reached a stony place on the left bank where there were several Indian women with at least twenty dogs, some of which were pulling loads. Opposite, on the right bank, there were low sandbars, completely covered with rocky debris; behind them, individual trees along the edge of the prairie. The river deepened into a narrow gorge, where one saw a snow-white mountaintop, opposite which a group of reddish brown Indians sat on a conical hill. The river was barely 80 paces wide here, and the poles had to be used. Another Indian swam through the river to the ship. He was completely naked except for a woolen breechcloth. No one could understand his conversation with the chief. Along the left bank, steep, high hills on which dark green patches of Juniperus prostrata spread out.

The Indians had picturesquely grouped themselves in a row. The Indian [man] who had come last had marked his whole arm from top to bottom with big incisions (scars), which were parallel, one above the other. These scars represent offerings to the Lord of Life (Great Spirit) when they intend some serious [undertaking]—for example, to steal horses or to go to war. They tell [the Lord of Life] that he may eat the cut-off piece of flesh. The chief and many Indians had cut off a piece of the little finger, which is a sign of mourning for the loss of a relative. The former undid the knot in front of his forehead, and the hair, anointed with reddish brown clay, hung in long strands halfway down his back. On the bank one saw large groups of Indians on foot and on horseback. One of their most famous chiefs was riding a dun-colored horse.

The river turned left; here it is about [——] paces wide. On the right shore, the banks and slopes were completely white and shone in the sunlight. On the right bank, several more Indians had arrived; we were nearly aground and had to work vigorously with poles. The sight of the reddish brown persons was most interesting. In their hands they were holding the thighs and meat of a bighorn. Through their chief, Mr. Mitchell indicated to the Indians that they should go to their village; we would put in there. The shouting in this completely strange language had a very odd ring. The other Indian received a present of tobacco, which was fastened to his hair; he then plunged into the river and swam to the left bank. His swimming was exactly like that of the Brazilians ([for example,] Quäck), with both arms reaching from front to back one after another. He swam very swiftly. Mr. Mitchell indicated to the chief that he would land the boat not at the village but on the other side. He wished to send them the dinghy with several presents, which would consist of powder, lead, and some whiskey and tobacco. He could not open the trade goods here; they did not trust these people. Behind the promontory to the left, several tall, projecting peaks rose; before them along the bank lay a narrow border of old cottonwood groves. On the right bank, three Indians were carrying meat. One of them carried a black-tailed deer; he was exceptionally lean [and wore] leggins that went only a few handsbreadth above the knee, like [an] old-fashioned German knight’s boots. In addition to his lean figure, he had just one eye. His hair was bound up in front in a small knot. Over his shoulders hung a deerskin, and on the right shoulder he wore his gun sheath, which was decorated with fringes and red stripes.

On the right bank we reached the snow-white walls, apparently of clay, which stood vertically along the water. The Indians climbed over [these] hills, where their brown figures stood out attractively. Our men with the cordelle clambered on the same wall behind which, at 11:45, black storm clouds were coming up. Everywhere one saw Indians crouching by the water to drink; it was a warm day. Right above the white wall appeared several strange hills, one like a regular quadrangular pyramid and others with irregular shapes. Opposite, on the left bank, [there were] high, domed hills, dark, and beautifully silhouetted against the clouds: an interesting landscape. Wind and light rain began.

We put in on the right bank by a rocky area of sand to let the thunderstorm pass. At twelve o’clock, 76°F [24.4°C]. A band of Indians was sitting alongshore near our men [and] also along the other bank beneath the ravines of the hills. Thunder roared in the mountains. The air had cooled off. The contrary wind delayed us significantly. While we lay at anchor, a group of the Indians, underneath [and] along the edge of the bank opposite us, moved in twos or threes back to their camp, which was no longer very distant; others were just now riding up to see us. The chief alone remained in the boat; [he] was bored and yawned hugely. Light rain continued, as did the unfavorable, excessively strong wind. Our patience was put to the test.

Suddenly the wind shifted; the sails were hoisted. Two Indians with a horse came swimming over to us; one held on to the tail, the other one from time to time [to] the mane. They were strong men with characteristic faces. The Indians’ horses grazed on the other side below the ravines. At one o’clock the wind resumed its old direction again. We shoved off from shore and sailed ahead along the prairie overgrown with Artemisia. One of the Indian swimmers entered the cabin, but Mr. Mitchell told him to leave, because just the chiefs had been sent for. Later someone gave him whiskey and tobacco, and he was admitted. The color of these men was an extraordinary reddish brown, certainly enhanced in part by red dye. The wind delayed us, and the crew clambered over the white stone walls. Several Indians also pulled on the rope. Others walked or rode alongside us.

When we came around the promontory, a very picturesque and interesting scene appeared. To the left was a high jagged, blackish mountain with whitish gorges, patches of grass, and bushes; single plants [grew] on the variously shaped foothills, where troops of horses of all colors grazed. To the right along the river, rather unusual high white walls of sandstone and clay. Before us the river vanished in a picturesque gorge, as the Rhine in the Rheingau frequently does. Near the gorge [and] far to the left, a lone, fork-shaped mountain; a green prairie gently extended [from there] down toward the river, [ending] with a steep bank. On [the prairie] stood a large camp, over two hundred leather [tipis] of the Gros Ventres des Prairies, or Fall Indians. The chief ’s [tipi] stood near the front; in the center beside it [was] a tall flagpole with the American flag, which fluttered briskly in the wind. The entire plain was covered with reddish brown figures, groups, innumerable dogs, and single riders and horses, a charming, most unusual sight.

We fired the cannon often, and the Indians fired individually. The keelboat, [its] flag also waving, landed opposite the beginning of the village. About forty men were lined up on shore; [they] fired off a running volley, while the cannon were set off once more. Mr. Mitchell, with the interpreter Doucette, climbed into the dinghy and went over. No one was armed; he was the only one who had pistols. Alongshore the red multitude of Indians formed a tightly crowded line. The chiefs sat completely alone on a mound below near the river. Mr. Mitchell sat down beside them and after twenty minutes returned with eight chiefs. They took their places in our cabin and smoked the pipe. Most of them were big, strong men with expressive faces. They wore their hair hanging down long, like the Mandans and Gros Ventres (Minitaris) [Hidatsas], in many braids pasted with reddish clay. Several had a thick, huge, wrapped braid in back. Their faces were painted red, and several had streaked their foreheads and a few stripes [over] the red dye with the bluish metallic ore that is found in the Rocky Mountains and of which the Blackfoot and other tribes near the mountains make use. The Mandans and Hidatsas procure it from them through barter. In their ears many wore from one to six or eight big iron or brass rings [and] also pieces of shell; in their hair some wore the thin long bones and glass bead ornaments of the Mandans and Hidatsas. Apart from nice moccasins, they did not wear any fine clothing. One carried a war club made of elk horn, which I bought from him. Their pipes, of Dacota fabrication, were made from red stone. Some of their tobacco pouches were attractive; one of them had [a pouch] made from the hide of a quite young bighorn, which he was not willing to sell.

Among these chiefs were several very good men, but one in particular, with a deceitful countenance, was known to Mr. Mitchell as a bad Indian whom he chased out of the fort, because [this Indian] had wanted to shoot him. Now [this man] assumed a friendly bearing and shook hands, even though in his heart he was scarcely so well disposed. He had tied his hair together in a thick knot on the front of his head.

Scarcely were these men on board when a most interesting scene developed. Although it was cold and raw, all the men and young men came swimming through the river; and in a short time the ship was so full of slender young Indians that we and our crew no longer had room. They all wanted tobacco, powder, [and] bullets but particularly whiskey, and [they] brought along [to trade] whatever they owned in the way of furs, tanned hides, dried meat, and the like. Those who had nothing to exchange begged. One saw very handsome young men completely naked except for a woolen or leather flap (breechcloth) in back and in front. Thus, they came out of the water snorting and trembling from the cold. Others swam over with their horses; still others had canoes made from old [tipi] hides or buffalo skins, which they had pulled together with straps on the edge and [then] loaded with articles for exchange, with one pulling on a strap while the other pushed. Soon we were crowded so close together that someone had to suggest to the chiefs that they should clear the ship. The Indians complied for the most part. Many jumped into the water and swam away, but most climbed onto the ship again at the other end if they were driven away from one. Fortunately, everything proceeded without an accident incident.

The boat, or the dinghy, had remained on land to carry on some trade there. The Indians had completely surrounded it and apparently did not want to let it go. Mr. Mitchell wanted to move on. Repeatedly they called for the dinghy’s return, but it remained there for a very long time. Finally it arrived, loaded with Indians, and the men pulled on the cordelle; perhaps as many as fifty Indians pulled along with them. The whole population moved alongside [us], and the boat was so full that it was moving low in the water. The chiefs, who in the meantime had heavily partaken of grog, often had to make room, but for the most part, this helped for just a short time.

With this strange and unusual company, we navigated through a most interesting region. Steep, high walls intermittently enclosed the river on both sides. They are the beginning of the region that is called Stone Walls. Some of the tall mountains of white clay or sandstone have most unusual jagged peaks, like figures and old ruins, and again one saw the strange figures like pillars that support a stone slab on top, as related earlier.

Because the Indians did not want to give way, Mr. Mitchell told the chiefs that the dinghy was ready to bring them to land, and after much talking back and forth, they were carried away in two loads. As presents they had been given two casks of whiskey (mixed with water) and tobacco. They were not satisfied with the first of these, [as] it was too little, whereupon someone suggested to them that they should come to the fort, where they would get more.

Finally, we breathed more easily. Mr. Mitchell drove the rest of the Indians from the boat and, when we put in on the right bank at dusk, drove all the Indians ashore. The women, in significant numbers, were already hidden in the beds of our crewmen. They were driven away; the boat had to be clear. Several of the crew were now missing things: one was missing a wool blanket, another something else. The Indians lit four fires on shore, near which they lay completely naked in the very cool night. Various things had been traded; we, too, had acquired a few trifles. Far more had been given than received. The watch was strengthened by just one officer. Our supper consisted of Indian dried meat, a large amount of which had been obtained through barter.