September 5, 1833
Morning, pleasant, sunshine, somewhat cool. At 7:30, 66°F [18.9°C]. During the second night watch, Deschamps had ridden off with his men and horses; nine horses still remained here in the fort. Early in the morning, several Piegans were in the fort. Soon la Dépouille de Boeuf and Celui Qui Nomme l’ Aigle (Blood Indians), as well as the Blackfoot Ihkas-kinne, also arrived. Mr. Mitchell got up late. He only mentioned that during the night he had much work getting the horses across the Missouri. One had to herd them far down the river, and several escaped again to the left riverbank, but they were found again and then driven across.
Old Dupuis, who was recently wounded in the foot by an arrow, had left here yesterday on his beaver hunt with Kutonä́pi’s band. Our body of men was now greatly reduced. Apart from us three Germans, it consisted of [the following]:
- Mr. Mitchell
- Mr. Culbertson
- Berger
- Harvey
- Morrin
- Loretto
- Saucier
- Latresse
- Guyon
- Rondin
- Benoit
- Bourbonnais
- Desnoyers
- Desjardins
- Ladéroute
- Dauphin
- L. Maréchal
- J. Maréchal
- Maxant
- Marcereau
- Potdevin
- Shoutts
- Smith
- Pierrot Chouquette
- P. Torique
- P. Beauchamp
- D. Beauchamp
- Tabeau
- Joyal
- B. Boyer
- Chouquette.
- M. Champagne
- Chabux
- Ledoux
- Narcisse Daignaux
- L. d’Apron
- Hamelle
- Martin
- Vincenneau
- L. Taurique
- Lonicio
- Desrois
YoungLaramie- Bolduc
- Carifelle
- Derogers
DaughuisMaréchal- I. d’Apron
- Garnier
- Jaqueman
- Lacompte
- F. Touchette
- I. Touchette
- Trudelle
- Thiébault
At 9:45 three Gros Ventres des Prairies arrived; [they] declared they had eaten nothing in three days. They were allowed in, and they smoked and rested in the mess hall and were then given something to eat. We showed them some portraits of several Gros Ventres, whom they also seemed to recognize, since they were delighted and clapped their hands, but we could not understand what they said. Their language was very difficult, [being] faint [and] indistinct; [it] consisted of short, barely audible, faint sounds; and there was no interpreter for them. Most leading persons of this nation spoke Blackfoot, but the three men who were here today did not know it very well.
Several Indian wives had deserted; those of Berger and Culbertson came back again, after it had long been believed that they, too, had run away. Today Mr. Mitchell had the men dig a new cutting pit, where wood is to be sawed. It was finished in the afternoon. At three o’clock Mr. Mitchell gave Dreidoppel and Bodmer horses, so that they could visit the hills that range behind the fort. They wanted to look for a good vantage point there. They soon returned, and we agreed to choose a closer one.
Toward evening dark clouds arose, and it rained a few drops; there was also a little wind. At the place where the Indian [tipis] had stood, I found numerous remnants of the yellow mosses with which they stain their porcupine quills. The evening was pleasant. Today, for the first time [in] a long while, the gates were openagain open again and one could go out. During the night there was no officer but rather just two men on guard duty.