134 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL, 77 
protection “In the winter huts they place, at the inside of the door, 
a high screen of willow boughs, covered with hides, which keeps off 
the draught of air from without, and especially protects the fire.” 
And Maximilian related how, about the middle of November or be- 
fore, the Indians removed to their winter huts which were in a tim- 
bered area, and thus more protected from the winds and storms of 
winter. There they remained until the latter part of February, or 
the beginning of March, being governed by the climatic conditions. 
Thus about four months of the year would be spent in their winter 
village. As the greater part of their possessions would be deposited 
in underground caches they made frequent trips between their vil- 
lages to get what was desired—food, clothing, skins, and other sup- 
plies. In the winter, when the frozen prairie was covered with ice 
and snow, they made use of sledges drawn by dogs to transport their 
goods from place to place. The sledges were “ made of a couple of 
thin, narrow boards, 
nine or ten feet in 
length, fastened to- 
gether with leather 
straps, and with four 
cross-pleces, by way 
of giving them firm- 
ness.” 
On the evening of 
November 30, 1833, 
Maximilian returned 
to Fort Clark from a visit of a few days to the villages a short dis- 
tance above. They passed through “the forest-village belonging to 
the inhabitants of Ruhptare,” referring to the winter village of the 
people of the smaller Mandan town. They entered one of the winter 
lodges, and “there was an abundance of meat hanging up in this hut, 
as they had had a very successful buffalo hunt.” After returning to 
Fort Clark Maximilian wrote: “The Mandan village near the fort 
was now entirely forsaken by the inhabitants. The entrances to 
the huts were blocked with bundles of thorns; a couple of families 
only still remained, one of which was that of Dipauch, whom Mr 
Bodmer visited every day, in order to make a drawing of the in- 
terior of the hut. Instead of the numerous inhabitants, magpies 
were flying about, and flocks of snow buntings were seen in the 
neighbourhood about the dry plants of the prairie, where the In- 
dian children set long rows of snares, made of horsehair, to catch 
them alive.” (Op. cit., p. 425.) The drawing made by Bodmer of 
the interior of the lodge proves to be one of his most interesting 
pictures. It was reproduced as plate xrx, and is here shown in 
plate 40, 
Fic. 7.—Ineclosed bed. 
