October 22, 1833
Beautiful morning, sky slightly overcast. No frost. A crowd of Indians [were] in the fort very early. White Buffalo Cow came and wanted to be paid for the drawing and leave right away. The Indians wanted to cross the river today to hunt for buffalo. At seven thirty, 40°F [4.4°C] (both thermometers the same). About 30 Indian [tipis] had been put up near the fort overnight. Indian dogs ran around in large numbers. Many of them came into the fort, and [their] howling and biting in front of our windows drove us crazy.
The people worked hard on the pickets behind the fort. My boat was being caulked. In the company store I bought a beautiful blackish wolfskin for half a dollar and a small Crow bow made from a bighorn for 3 dollars. This morning I completed the [packing] of the herbarium.
Mr. Bodmer finished the drawing of White Buffalo Cow (Pteh-Skah), to whom he gave a neckerchief, in addition [to other items]. At twelve thirty, 57°F [13.9°C]. Moncravie bought an Indian woman today; after long bartering [he] paid perhaps 250 dollars for her. In the afternoon a group of relatives of the woman he bought could be seen in a circle in the Indian camp, drunk and singing. In the morning and in the afternoon, Indians [were] continually ferried across the river, and soon the smoke from their [tipis] went up [on that side].
We went outside in the afternoon. Mr. Bodmer and I roamed through the prairie. I found interesting seeds, among them those of the Yucca angustifolia, which grows on barren prairie hills.
I bought a very beautiful war whistle from an Assiniboine. The reddish brown leather of the neckband was decorated in horizontal lines with white glass beads. On each side of the pendant, thirteen round thin threads were woven of the same leather. In the middle they were connected by a leather strip, where the whistle was attached. The whistle itself was nine and a half inches long, wrapped with bluish green and beautiful yellow feather quills. The colors alternated in connecting links. Below the whistle the pendant extended [another] nine inches, [with] bluish green [stripes? strips?] at the end.
A true ornament on the brown skin of an Indian warrior. The same man also had an especially nice, colorfully adorned chichikué [rattle], which he did not want to sell, because it came from his fallen friend. In the fort there was singing everywhere. Some Indians were drunk. White Buffalo Cow visited us again and smoked at our place.
Weather warm and very pleasant. Dreidoppel went onto the prairie to pick sage (Artemisia), which he wanted to pack together with the birds, because of the scent. We had crates made. The boat was caulked and will be on the river tomorrow. It will be equipped with a tent and a small oven, or stove. My [Fort McKenzie] boat will remain here in its place. Mr. Hamilton was very indisposed today. He suffers from a liver ailment.
This afternoon I saw how the poor dogs of the Indians are mistreated. A lame dog had to pull a loaded travois and could not move. He [was beaten] at times and howled pitifully. He was as emaciated as a skeleton. Another dog lay dead beside a [tipi]; without doubt he had died of hunger. These dogs gnaw on old hides, hard as wood, and nothing is safe from their hunger. The chickens of the fort were in constant danger.
The billy goat of the fort, which had no female companion, created very comical scenes, paying court to a female dog, then to a horse or a mule. It stood in front of them [and] pushed out its tongue, licking, and making the funniest noises. Recently I saw it doing the same thing to a young female elk that was walking around in the fort here. The scene was very comical. Mr. Bodmer made a sketch of it. White Buffalo Cow saw my tobacco laid out to dry and showed interest in it by pointing and saying, “Ohta” (much). Afterward he pulled out a bottle, drank the last brandy from it, and wanted more. I directed him to Mr. Hamilton. He still wanted to leave this evening to sleep on the other side of the river and hunt buffalo in the morning. The chief (General Jackson) showed us his wounds. He had [received] a bad shot through his arm and an arrow [wound] below his chest from the Piegans; both healed very well.
One could see the most comical scenes in the fort. A drunken Indian was sitting on the ground [while] two others hugged and kissed him. They probably reciprocally [put] brandy into each others’ mouths. The Indian drums could be heard in their camp until late in the evening. The night was warm and windy.