12 February: In the morning, heavily overcast sky. Snow covered the area anew. The wind [was from the] east, cold, and strong. At seven thirty, 16°F [−8.9°C]. At this time it began to snow again heavily, but [it] soon stopped and the clouds parted a little. Old Garrot, a deceitful old man, asked the deaf-mute Mandan why he let himself be portrayed dressed so poorly, since all the other Indians who were [painted] were dressed up. This upset [his] limited mind. He came and complained about it with violent gestures. All our efforts to make him understand that we wanted to draw him in his simple warriorlike attire were in vain. I told Garrot the plain truth, and Bodmer made a copy of the drawing that he intended to show the Indian, tear up, and throw into the fire to pacify him.

This morning for the first time in four weeks I saw a small flock of finches near the fort, without doubt Fringilla linaria. About ten o’clock, all [the] rooms of the fort filled with Hidatsas, who were on their way back [from the Mandan village]. The chiefs and the most respected men sat in Kipp’s room, where they smoked and ate. Almost none of them could speak the Mandan language. Monkey Face, a sly, deceitful Indian, wore a red, round white man’s hat with a broad, white metal band around [the crown?]. He is the leader now, and when he left, almost everyone else followed him. Around noon the weather was rather mild, wind [from the] south. Between twelve and one o’clock, 19°F [−7.2°C]. Petit Pare-flêche Rouge [and] his family sat in our room. They looked at the drawings and listened to Bodmer’s music box. Every one [of them] demanded something, and they would have stolen all kinds [of things] if we had not watched them constantly. The last one to enter was a big, heavy man with a black face. All of them demanded [something] to eat. We directed them to Kipp, as we had nothing to eat ourselves, whereupon they went home. In the afternoon it began to snow again. The wind was cold and rather strong; the whole area [was] in its winter dress, monotonously covered with snow. In the afternoon some Hidatsas came again, among them the tall, [Page 3:149]handsome man we had seen at Dougherty's [place] in the forest village. His name is le Jeune Boeuf Cheffre (Ahschüpsa);M11He is not called that but [rather] le Cheffre de la Corne Pointue, Ahschüpsa-Masihichsi (last word short,
strong stress on ‘Ah’). His comrade, the other tall partisan,
is called le Fer Percé, Óhwassa-Hóchpisch. He is also called
Sitting Eagle Owl. his hair hung down below the hollow of his knees. The drawings, especially the Indian portraits, greatly entertained them. They did not stay long. Soon afterward, three sleds with meat from Picotte arrived. De l'Orme and Papin had changed their minds and stayed downriver. About four o’clock, the wind [came] from the south hora 4 west. Kipp wrote his letters to Picotte. There are still individual Indians in the fort. The two partisans returned to the lower Mandan village, where they [intended] to stay overnight. Tomorrow they will come back; [they] want to be drawn—both on one sheet [since they are] inseparable comrades. Only two Hidatsas slept in the fort. The evening was starlit; at nine o’clock a severe wind arose.