26 February: Sky dark toward the southeast, clear toward the north and the west; very strong wind out of the west, rather warm. At seven thirty, 38°F [3.3°C]. Many snow buntings flew near Mih-Tutta-Hangkusch. The Indian children attempted to catch them. Today two men had to cut ice on the river for the ice cellar. Many women dragged loads on the ice. Dreidoppel went across the ice into the forest beyond to shoot. The wind out of the west turned stormlike and raw. The sun hid behind the clouds—an unpleasant day. Mató-Tópe came for a moment to get paints; he was drawing something for me.

Dreidoppel came back about noon; [he] had not seen anything. The wind was too severe. He tracked game; the schähä́ckä [tracks] were always in pairs. On his way there, the ice was still dry, [but] at noon there was already much water on it. At twelve o’clock, 38 1/2°F [3.6°C]. Wind from the west, very strong. The snow melted very much. In the afternoon whole Indian families moved back to the village. They all had three to four horses—even the foals—saddled, and some of them were loaded. On some, boxes were visible; they probably [had] received [those] from the whites. The wind turned very raw and cold, [and] it snowed, too. The ground was muddy [where it] had thawed. In the afternoon it was very unpleasant and slightly colder, too, because of the severe wind. In the evening, strong wind it continues to thaw. At nine o’clock, about 30°F [−1.1°C]. It started to snow heavily. Stormy night.