February 6, 1834

Sky fairly clear. Weather calm, a little frost. At seven thirty, 30 1/2°F [−0.8°C]. Wind north hora 8 west. A thin layer of ice had frozen over the small water channels on the river. Durand was in the fort early. About nine o’clock the wind turned and blew anew out of the north; dark clouds rose in that direction. Soon the whole sky was cloudy, and it became raw. A tall, handsome Mandan (la grande noirceur, or Great Darkness) came to us and was willing to be drawn right away. [His visage] was captured extremely well. Later Mató-Tópe came, too. At twelve o’clock, 31 1/2°F [−0.3°C]. Wind north, cold. In the evening, dark, not cold. At nine o’clock, 21°F [−6.1°C]. From our room we heard the loud, high-[pitched] bark of schähä́ckäs beside the fort. This evening Kipp wrote to Picotte at the Yanktonai post, [asking him to] send us meat and fat for candles as soon as possible. It seems [that] today we used almost the last [of the] tallow candles. We can get these things [from Picotte] in four to five days at the earliest.

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