hundred men for the journey; in a short time all hastened to bring me some. I made all our people take what they wished, which was done in a very short time.
Having provided for all that our people needed, I assembled the chiefs and principal Mandans, made them a present of powder, balls, and several trifles, which they greatly value, owing to their need for them. I gave the head chief a flag, gave him a leaden plate, which I had ornamented with ribbon at the four corners. It was put into a box to be kept in perpetuity, in memory of my taking possession of their lands, which I did in the king's name. It will be preserved from father to son, better than if I had put it in the ground, where it would have run the risk of being stolen. I made them understand as well as I could, that I left them that mark in memory of the Frenchmen who had come upon their lands. I very much desired I could have made them understand, in order to tell them many things which might have been very useful to them and to us, which to my regret and to theirs I could not do. I had wrought with so much diligence, that on the evening of the eighth everything was ready for our departure, which I calculated to accomplish sooner than I had given notice of. During the night, between the 8th and 9th, I was taken ill, and in a very short time was very ill; I did not know what to think of it. I kept my bed for three days. Finding myself better on the fourth, I prepared to set out the next day. I gave the two men enough to defray their expenses liberally, and even to pay a guide, if need were to bring them to our fort; informed them once again of the cause which obliged me to leave them there. So soon as they could make themselves understood, they were to neglect nothing to learn what was this nation of whites, what metal they worked with; if there were any mines to their knowledge; what nations were above, going up the river; if they knew a height of land—in a word, to neglect nothing to obtain all possible information respecting the country.
