Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 26.djvu/123

 boine. But here was the height of misfortune, as we could only make ourselves understood by signs and demonstrations. If I had suspected my interpreter, who every day assured me he would always remain with me and never abandon me, I would have taken advantage of the time I had him with me to make the demands on the Mandans I wished to make. But flattering myself that I had a man on whom I could rely, I put off till after the departure of the Assiniboines.

All day I was greatly embarrassed; all that I wanted to know and the few questions I had put were asked in the evening after everyone had retired; such as, if there were many people along the river going down, and what nations; if the places at a distance were known. I was answered that there were five forts on the two banks of the river, belonging to their nation, much larger than that in which we were; that at a day's journey from the last of their forts were the Pananas, who had several forts; then the Pananis; that these two nations who held much of the country were now at war for four years, had always from all time been closely united and in alliance together; that he would tell me afterward the causes which had set them at variance. The Pananas and Pananis made their forts like them. In summer they grew wheat and tobacco on the lower part of the river, which was very wide, land not being visible from one shore to the other; the water bad for drinking. All these lands are inhabited by whites like us, who work in iron. The word iron among all the nations here means all sorts of metals which they call iron; that they only marched on horseback, both for hunting and war; that these men could not be killed by arrow or musket, being covered with iron, but that by killing the horse the man could be caught easily, as he could not run; that he had a shield of iron very clear, fought with lances and sabres, with which he