poke their own
language. The name of Grosventres, or Bigbellies is given to these
Minnetarees, as well as to all the Fall Indians. The inhabitants of
these five villages, all of which are within the distance of six miles,
live in harmony with each other. The Ahnahaways understand in part the
language of the Minnetarees: the dialect of the Mandans differs widely
from both; but their long residence together has insensibly blended
their manners, and occasioned some approximation in language,
particularly as to objects of daily occurrence and obvious to the
senses.

November 22. The morning was fine, and the day warm. We purchased from
the Mandans a quantity of corn of a mixed colour, which they dug up in
ears from holes made near the front of their lodges, in which it is
buried during the winter: this morning the sentinel informed us that an
Indian was about to kill his wife near the fort; we went down to the
house of our interpreter where we found the parties, and after
forbidding any violence, inquired into the cause of his intending to
commit such as atrocity. It appeared that some days ago a quarrel had
taken place between him and his wife, in consequence of which she had
taken refuge in the house where the two squaws of our interpreter lived:
by running away she forfeited her life, which might have been lawfully
taken by the husband. About two days ago she had returned to the
village, but the same evening came back to the fort much beaten and
stabbed in three places, and the husband now came for the purpose of
completing his revenge. He observed that he had lent her to one of our
serjeants for a night, and that if he wanted her he would give her to
him altogether: we gave him a few presents and tried to persuade him to
take his wife home; the grand chief too happened to arrive at the same
moment, and reproached him with his violence, till at length they went
off together, but by no means in a state of much apparent love.

November 23. Again we had a fair and warm day, with the wind from the
southeast: the river is now at a stand having risen four inches in the
whole.

November 24. The wind continued from the same quarter and the weather
was warm: we were occupied in finishing our huts and making a large rope
of elk-skin to draw our boat on the bank.

Sunday, November 25. The weather is still fine, warm and pleasant, and
the river falls one inch and a half. Captain Lewis went on an excursion
to the villages accomp