Clark: January 1, 1805

Fort Mandan on the N E bank of the Missouries 1600 miles up January the
1st 1805 Tuesday The Day was ushered in by the Discharge of two Cannon, we
Suffered 16 men with their musick to visit the 1st Village for the purpose
of Danceing, by as they Said the perticular request of the Chiefs of that
village, about 11 oClock I with an inturpeter & two men walked up to
the Village (my views were to alay Some little miss understanding which
had taken place thro jelloucy and mortificatiion as to our treatment
towards them) I found them much pleased at the Danceing of our men, I
ordered my black Servent to Dance which amused the Croud verry much, and
Some what astonished them, that So large a man Should be active &c.
&.

I went into the lodges of all the men of note except two, whome I heard
had made Some expressions not favourable towards us, in Compareing us with
the trabers from the northThose Cheifs observed what they Sayed was
in just & lafture.just as I was about to return the 2d Chief
and the Black man, also a Chief returnd from a mission on which they had
been Sent to meet a large party 150 of Gross Ventres who were on their way
down from their Camps 10 Miles above to revenge on the Shoe tribe an
injurey which they had received by a Shoe man Steeling a Gross Venters
Girl, those Chiefs gave the pipe turned the party back, after Delivering
up the girl, which the Shoe Chief had taken and given to them for that
purpose. I returned in the evening, at night the party except 6 returned,
with 3 robes, an 13 Strings of Corn which the indians had given them, The
Day was worm, Themtr. 34° abov 0, Some fiew Drops of rain about Sunset, at
Dark it began to Snow, and Snowed the greater part of the night, (the
temptr for Snow is about o) The Black Cat with his family visited us to
day and brought a little meet