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Jessomme of the Chiefs of the Different Nations I prosent ajar to the Chiefs wife who recved it with much pleasure our men verry Chearfull this evening- we Sent the Cheifs of the Gross Vantres to Smoke a pipe with the Grand Chef of the Mandins in his Village, & told them we would Speek tomorrow.

I had Soon as I landed despatched Shabono to the Minetarras inviting the Chiefs to visit us, & Drewyer down to the lower Village of the Mandans to ask Mr. Jessomme to Come and enterpret for us. Mr.

Jessomme, who lived in this nation 13 years, I got him to interpet & he proceedd on with us we proceeded on to a Centeral point opposit the Knife River, & formed a Camp on the S. S. above the 2d Mandan village & opsd. the Mah-har-ha village- and raised a flag Staff- Capt Lewis & the Intepeters walked down to the 2d Village of Mandans, & returned in about an hour, we Sent 3 Carrotes of tobacco to the other villages & enviting them to come down and Council with us tomorrow, we endeaver to precure Some Knowledge of the principal Chiefs of the Different nations &. well to give my ideas as to the impression thais man makes on me is a Cunin artfull an insoncear he tels me he was once empld. by my brother in the Illinois & of his description I conceve as a Spye upon the British of Michillinicknac & St Joseph,s we think he may be made use full to us & do employ him as an interpeter- no. of Indians bring their wives &c. to the campes of our party on Shore &c.

Jessomme the Interpreter let me have a piece of a lodge and the Squars pitched or Stretched it over Some Sticks, under this piece of leather I Slept dry, it is the only covering which I have had Suffecient to keep off the rain Since I left the Columbia. it began to rain moderately Soon after night.

Jessomme arived and I spoke to the chiefs of the Village informing them that we Spoke to them as we had done when we were with them last and we now repeeted our envitation to the principal Chiefs of all the Villages to accompany us and to the U States &c. &c. the Black Cat Chief of the Mandans, Spoke and informed me that he wished to Visit the United States and his Great Father but was afraid of the Scioux who were yet at war with them and had killed Several of their men Since we had left them, and were on the river below and would Certainly kill him if he attempted to go dow.i.

Jessomme his Squar & child moved to camp, the little Crow loaded his Squar with meat for us also a Roabe, we gave the Squar an ax & &. Cought 2 bever near Camp

I offered to take his little Son a butifull promising Child who is 19 months old to which they both himself & wife wer willing provided the Child had been weened. they observed that in one year the boy would be Sufficiently old to leave his mother & he would then take him to me if I would be so freindly as to raise the Child for him in Such a manner as I thought proper, to which I agreeed &c. we droped down to the Big white Cheifs Mandan Village 1/2 a mile below on the South Side, all the Indians proceeded on down by land. and I walked to the lodge of the Chief whome I found Sorounded by his friends the men were Setting in a circle Smokeing and the womin Crying. he Sent his bagage with his wife & Son, with the Interpreter Jessomme & his wife and 2 children to the Canoes provided for them. after Smoking one pipe, and distributing Some powder & lead which we had given him, he informed me that he was ready and we were accompd to the Canoes by all the Village Maney of them Cried out aloud. as I was about to Shake with the Grand Cheifs of all the Villages there assembled they requested me to Set one minit longer with them which I readily agreed to and directed a pipe to be lit. the Cheifs informed that when we first came to their Country they did not beleive all we Said we then told them. but they were now Convinced that every thing we had told them were true, that they Should keep in memory every thing which we had Said to them, and Strictly attend to our advice, that their young men Should Stay at home and Should no go again to war against any nation, that if any atacted them they Should defend themselves, that we might depend on what they Said, and requested us to inform their great father. the also requested me to tell the Ricaras to Come and See them, not to be afraid that no harm Should be done them, that they were anxious to be in peace with them.

Jessomme and told him to use his influn to provail on one of the Chiefs to acompany us and we would employ him. he informed us soon after that the big white Chief would go if we would take his wife & Son & Jessoms wife & 2 children we wer obliged to agree to do

Gibson, Willard and Collins to hunt in the plains up Corvus Creek for the Antilope and Mule deer Sent out Bratten and Frazier to kill the barking Squirel, and Gave directions to all of them to kill the Magpye if they Should See any of them Several of the men and the Squaws of the enterpreter Jessomme and the Mandan Chief went to Some plumb bushes in the bottom and geathered more plumbs than the party Could eate in 2 days, those blumbs are of 3 Speces, the most of them large and well flavored. our Situation is pleasent a high bottom thinly timbered and covered with low grass without misquitors. at 3 P. M Drewyer and Labeech arived, the latter haveing killd. a Deer of the Common Speceis only. in the evening late all the hunters returned without any Speces of animal we were in want of, they killed 4 Common deer and two buffalow a part of the best of the meat of those animals they brought in. we precured two of the barking Squirels only. as we Could not precere any Mule deer or antelope we concluded to Send the hunters on a head early in the morning and delay untill 10 A. M to give them time to hunt.

Jessomme with his Squar & Children. come Down to live, as Interpter, we recive a hors for our Sirvice, in the evening the Ka goh ha mi or little ravin Came & brought us on his Squar about 60 Wt. of Dried Buffalow meat a roabe, & Pot of Meal &. they Delayed all night- we gave his Squar an ax & a fiew Small articles & himself a piece of Tobacco, the Men were indulged with a Dram, this evening two Beaver Cought This morning- and one Trap Lost