Fort Mandan, North Dakota — John Ordway: December 7, 1804

went out eairly a hunting about 9 o. C. the head chief of the
l3t vil1 of the Mandans called the Big White came to our Garri-
son in Great haste on horse back & Informed us that the Buffalow
were comming towards the River in large Gangs and that the
praries a little back was covered with Game. Cap* Lewis Imme-
diately Started with 12 men in order to hunt with the natives,
they had not been Gone long before we Saw Some buffalow in
cite ab° the Garrison near the bank of the River two of our men
& Several of the natives were Shooting at them, they Shot three
& run one off a Steep bank in to the River which we got out with
a chord, and hailed it down on the Ice to our landing as the
River Shut up last night the Ice had not Got Strong enofe to bear
the Buffalow out in the middle of the R. but we dragged sd buf°
down near Shore & dressed it. it was a cow with calf our In-
tepreters Squaws eat the calf, the 2 men who went out this morn-
1 The Assiniboine.
170 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS [Dec. 8
ing came in & Informed us that they had killed Six buffaloe out in
the prarie besides those 4 they had killed in pos* with the natives,
the horses were got up & Several men Sent with them out for the
meat, but they found that the Savvage had carried off 3 of them.
the 4 horses came in loaded with meat also the most of the men
they Said that the Savvages had killed upwards of 20 buffalow &
our men killed ab* 12 one of them very fat. Som of them cows
& Some calfs or yearlins. they Saw also large flocks of Goats in
the praries & could See the prarie black with buffaloe at a dis-
tance aiming to come into the bottoms on the River, the prarie
being covered with Snow and extreamly cold. 2 of our men Got
their feet frost Bitten & one Got his Ear frost bitten this day by
being exposed in the praries. a half Gill of Taffee gave to the
men by our officers this evening.1