Fort Mandan, preparing for departure — John Ordway: February 16, 1805

got lame and turned back, the Indians all returned also, we pro-
ceeded on about 6 mh to where their was Some lodges where Mr
Gravelleens men was Robed last fall by some of the Mandanes.
when we came in Site we Saw a Smoak which we expected that
they were all their waiting for another oppertunity to S[t]eel more
horses or to attack us. we then went up the bank of the river a
considerable distance above the place in to the bushes, left the
horse, sled & baggage [and] even our blankets. Cap1 Lewis Sent
182 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS [Feb. 17
a Serg* with a part of the men a little back from the River with
orders to advance immadiately after hearing the horn Sound which
would be the Signal for us to fire in case of an attack. Cap* Lewis
went with the rest of the party down the bank of the River untill
we came to the lodges, where we found that they had left [the]
place 24 hours before that. & had set 2 of the largest lodges on fire
which caused the Smoak. I then Sounded the horn [and] the other
party came up, we found they had tore down the meat pen which
our men had built & left 2 Elk in it. they took the meat all away,
except a fiew small peaces of buffalow meat which they left in the
small lodge which they broiled, we found that they had left the
River here and took up a steep bluff in to the praries we con-
cluded not to follow them any further, but to turn in to hunting.
Some proceeded on down the River 4 men went down this
bottom to hunt, we marched about 10 miles and camped at the
upper end of a bottom on S.S. the hunters came up one of them
had killed a Deer which he brought in with him 2 or 3 men of the
hunters went out towards evening, one of them killed a deer &
a wolf.