December 29, 1833
Toward morning, a severe wind. At daybreak, cloudy sky; severe, cold, northeast wind presaged snow. At seven thirty, 19°F [−7.2°C]. The dogs howled all night long. Early in the morning, they were caught [amidst] loud shouting. Then the Indian dogsleds were readied and packed. Finally, at nine o’clock they got away, after they had worked a long time [on packing] and hitching them. The wind was icy and very severe. Mr. Kipp [departed] with five Indian sleds accompanied by Charbonneau (the latter on a horse sled). It was funny to watch them rush by Mih-Tutta-Hangkusch. Mató-Tópe visited us with his wife, who wore a very beautifully painted buffalo robe. Mató-Tópe’s heroic feats were portrayed on it; he killed five Indian chiefs. It snowed rather heavily. At twelve o’clock it was the same cold, stormy weather. The smoke hovered so in our rooms that we could hardly work. The snow blew through the [faulty] windows and the door into the room. Several Indians sat in our room and prevented us from doing anything. At twelve thirty, 14°F [−10°C], wind the same. The afternoon was like the morning, but it snowed more. Much snow penetrated into our room. Mató-Tópe went home with his wife. He [wore his] buffalo robe with the hair toward the outside and his little boy on his back. His wife draped the robe around him and tied it firmly to his body. She placed blue cloth, a blanket, and tobacco, which she had bought, around herself and put on her robe. Then she hung her husband’s bow and arrows [over her shoulders], and they left. This man has a very handsome, strong child, whom he loves very much. Because it was very cold in Kipp’s room, all of us parted after supper and went right away to our own rooms.
Our little fox entertained us greatly with his friendly play. It is an extremely cute and lively animal with nothing false in its nature. Especially at night, it works at getting into all kinds of things and continually tries to get close to the fire, which we prevent by putting [the animal] on a chain during the night. The night was stormy and it snowed; at the same time, very cold. We were freezing in our beds.