Journals of the
Lewis & Clark Expedition

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March 11, 1805
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March 11, 1805

[Clark]

Fort Mandan
11th of March Monday 1805
 

A Cloudy Cold windey day, Some Snow in the latter part of the day, we deturmin to have two other Perogues made for us to transport our Provisions &c.

We have every reason to believe that our Menetarre interpeter, (whome we intended to take with his wife, as an interpeter through his wife to the Snake Indians of which nation She is) has been Corupted by the [blank] Companeys &c. [1]    Some explenation has taken place which Clearly proves to us the fact, we give him to night to reflect and deturmin whether or not he intends to go with us under the regulations Stated.

[Ordway]

 

Monday 11th March 1805.    clear Moderate weather. The head chief of the Water Souix [2] Stayed in the Fort last night.    one of the perogue party who came in last night returned with provisions this morning.    had orders for two more perogues to be made.

1. The captains may have assumed that the Hudson's Bay and North West companies wished to sabotage their expedition in the interests of securing the Indian trade to themselves. To this they attributed Charbonneau's decision to quit (see March 12, 1805, below). Larocque and McKenzie make no reference to such maneuvers, and Larocque gives the impression that he and Bunch (or Budge), the Hudson's Bay man, were far more interested in competing with each other than in forestalling the Americans. It is hard to say whether the captains' suspicions were more than mere Anglophobia. See Wood & Thiessen 137, 238, and passim. (back)
2. Another variation of Watersoon, the Hidatsas. (back)
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