Fort Mandan, preparing for departure — Patrick Gass: April 3, 1805

and cold from the N. W. We took all our goods, stores and
baggage out, divided and put them aboard our craft, that we
might be ready to continue our voyage.
If this brief Journal should happen to be preserved, and
be ever thought worthy of appearing in print : some readers
will perhaps expect, that, after our long friendly intercourse
with these Indians, among whom we have spent the winter;
our acquaintace with those nations lower down the river and
the information we received relative to several other nations,
we ought to be prepared now, when we are about to renew
our voyage, to give some account of the fair sex of the Mis-
souri : and entertain them with narratives of feats of love as
72 GASS’S JOURNAL OF THE
well as of arms. Though we could furnish a sufficient num-
ber of entertaining stories and pleasant anecdotes, we do not
think it prudent to swell our Journal with them ; as our views
are directed to more useful information. Besides, as we are
yet ignorant of the dangers, which may await us, and the diffi-
culty of escape, should certain probable incidents occur, it
may not be inconsistent with good policy to keep the Journal
of as small and portable a size as circumstances will make
practicable. It may be observed generally that chastity is not
very highly esteemed by these people, and that the severe and
loathsome effects of certain French principles are not uncommon
among them. The fact is, that the women are generally con-
sidered an article of traffic and indulgencies are sold at a very
moderate price. As a proof of this I will just mention, that
for an old tobacco box, one of our men was granted the hon-
our of passing a night with the daughter of the head-chief of
the Mandan nation. An old bawd with her punks, may also
be found in some of the villages on the Missouri, as well as
in the large cities of polished nations.
LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION 73
CHAP. VII.