5 January: In the morning, clear sky, moderately strong wind from the northwest hora 7. About eight o’clock, −9°F [−22.8°C]. It [felt] far colder in our room than outside. The thermometer indicated 18°F on the inside. The tall Mandan Máhchsi-Karéhde was measured; he is 5′ 10″ 2‴ Parisian measure in height. A flock of snow buntings stayed beside the fort. Today is Sunday, but not a chip of wood is in stock, so despite [the day], the men have to go out [to hunt for some]. [At] midday, 12:30, −5°F [−20.6°C]. Wind as in the morning.

At one o’clock [we saw] two sun dogs fairly distant from the sun in the hazy air. They were weak and irregular. The facilities in the fort were so bad that thisSunday no drinking water was available. The water [in the] barrel in our room was frozen solid down to the bottom. The woodcutters brought only driftwood today; [it] had lost its [heating] power from being so long in the water. Many Mandans showed up at noon today during lunch, including Old Bear, who had painted his whitish gray hair red in such a way that we could not see its true color. Mr. Picotte had sent upriver, from the Yanktonai post, a small barrel of wine for the Mandans as a present from Mr. McKenzie. It was handed over to the chiefs for distribution. The view of the Missouri on these cold days was wild and desolate. [There] was only a small open line of river water on the other side, not far from the bank opposite the fort. But it was hardly 100 paces long. We saw no living beings except ravens (Corvus corax L.) and snow buntings (Emberiza nivalis), two bird species braving the severest cold.

The Mandans wanted to hunt buffalo tomorrow. For that purpose they had seized two horses from the fort without asking, [and in the] dark, Síh-Sä was sent after them. In the evening old de l’Orme told me words of the Ojibwe language. The French call this nation Sauteurs or Sauteux. In the [illegible], a severe storm raged that blew our smoke screen from the chimney.