VOYAGE DOWN THE MISSOURI. 265 



firmly-fixed snag, which threatens every moment to sink us. I established a strict guard over 

 the dangerous spot, with intentions to rouse all hands if the snag should break through in the 

 night. 



October 9. All hands roused at daylight; the boat still above water, but in a very bad situa 

 tion. We constructed a raft to transport everything ashore in case the boat should be lost, but 

 still persevered to keep the Blackfoot afloat, as a walk from here to St. Louis would be anything 

 but pleasant. Some Gros Ventres came to offer their assistance ; but little could they do to help 

 us, as they had no canoes to come aboard in, and we had no materials to construct a raft to 

 bring them, but only to manufacture a rough raft on which to save ourselves in case the boat went 

 down. The snag is directly under the centre of our boat, and acts as a pivot as we sw r ing 

 the stern backward and forward in our efforts to get her off. At length we happily succeeded 

 in bracing up the bottom of the boat and lifting it off the snag. 



Arrived at Fort Berthold about sunset. We received many visits from the Gros Ventres, 

 and gave them a few presents. The Gros Ventres have a large village of mud houses very un 

 sightly outside, but within warm and comfortable. 



These Indians are fine specimens of the red man. They are industrious, and raise even 

 enough to supply many of their neighbors with bread. They are well disposed towards the 

 whites. The American Fur Company have a trading-post here. These Indians, in common 

 with some other tribes, have a peculiar method of disposing of the bodies of their dead. They 

 are placed upon a scaffold six or eight feet above the ground, enveloped in all the blankets, robes, 

 &c., which belonged to them when alive, with a supply of food, arrows, moccasins, &c., for the 

 use of the deceased in the happy hunting-grounds. The last resting-place of the Indian is as 

 sacred to his friends as the white man s tomb, and whoever should disturb it in any way would 

 expose himself to an Indian s vengeance. 



October 10. I visited some of the lodges of the Gros Ventres, and found them exceedingly 

 comfortable and capable of accommodating comfortably a hundred persons. One part of the 

 lodge is appropriated to their horses, dogs, cattle, and chickens, and another to their own 

 sleeping apartments. They all seemed to live sociably and comfortably together during the 

 long cold winters of this cold latitude. The lodges are built entirely by women, who, in fact, 

 do all the domestic work. The men scorn to labor at all ; and were they to descend to so un 

 dignified and womanly employment, none would have so great a contempt for them as the 

 women themselves. Next to taking the scalp of an enemy, the highest glory of a northwestern 

 Indian is to be an adroit horse-stealer. A brave, or young man, ambitious to win a standing 

 in his tribe, will run any risk to steal a horse from any one, and frequently loses his life in the 

 attempt. We left Fort Berthold early; but, before we had advanced far, were driven ashore by 

 a strong wind, which continued throughout the day. The smoke from the burning prairies is so 

 dense as almost to hide the sun. The fires, burning in every direction, present at night a beauti 

 ful and magnificent, though terrible appearance. 



October 11. Arrived at Fort Clark, or Aricaree s village. It is situated on the top of a very 

 high bluff on the bank of the river. All boats, passing up or down, are obliged to pass directly 

 beneath this bluff; so that the Indians could easily sink any boat undertaking to pass against 

 their will. 



The Rees are not friendly to the whites, and are kept from open hostilities only by fear. They 

 are a large tribe, and on the fertile meadows they occupy, raise a great amount of corn and 

 pumpkins, which they exchange with the Crows and Dacotahs for dried buffalo meat and robes. 

 They exported five thousand bushels of excellent corn this year. The work is done by the 

 women. Twenty-five hundred Dacotahs have just been here to trade. After buying every 

 thing for sale and stealing all they could, they left for the buffalo country, taking care to set the 

 prairies on fire, in order to prevent the buffalo from visiting the Rees country an act of das 

 tardly malignity, as it deprives the Aricarees of the means of support for their horses and cattle. 

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