THE MISSOURI RIVER JOURNALS 



35 



the beauty and fashion " would be skipping about in less 

 than no time. There was no alternative; we all got up, 

 and in a short time were amid the beau monde of these 

 parts. Several squaws, attired in their best, were present, 

 with all the guests, engagh, clerks, etc. Mr. Culbertson 

 played the fiddle very fairly; Mr. Gu^pe the clarionet, 

 and Mr. Chouteau the drum, as if brought up in the army 

 of the great Napoleon. Cotillions and reels were danced 

 with much energy and apparent enjoyment, and the com- 

 pany dispersed about one o'clock. We retired for the 

 second time, and now occurred a dispute between the 

 drunkard and another man; but, notwithstanding this, 

 I was so wearied that I fell asleep. 



June 15, Thursday. We all rose late, as one might 

 expect ; the weather was quite cool for the season, and it 

 was cloudy besides. We did nothing else than move our 

 effects to an upstairs room. The Mackinaw boats arrived 

 at the fort about noon, and were unloaded in a precious 

 short time; and all hands being called forth, the empty 

 boats themselves were dragged to a ravine, turned over, 

 and prepared for calking previous to their next voyage 

 up or down, as the case might be. The gentlemen from 

 these boats gave me a fine pair of Deer's horns; and to 

 Mr. Culbertson a young Gray Wolf, and also a young 

 Badger, which they had brought in. It snarled and 

 snapped, and sometimes grunted not unlike a small pig, 

 but did not bite. It moved somewhat slowly, and its 

 body looked fiattish all the time; the head has all the 

 markings of an adult, though it is a young of the present 

 spring. Bell and Harris hunted a good while, but pro- 

 cured only a Lazuli Finch and a few other birds. Bell 

 skinned the Wolf, and we put its hide in the barrel 

 with the head of the Buffalo cow, etc. I showed the 

 plates of the quadrupeds to many persons, and I hope 

 with success, as they were pleased and promised me 

 nuch. To-morrow morninp: a man called Black Harris 



