Volume 1

RENE JUSSOMME—PAWNEE EMBASSY. 333
yvere treated with a very palatable dish of pounded peas
and parched corn
; but it is customary for invited guests,
on leaving, to present the master of the hut with a few
inches of tobacco, for which he always appears very thankful.
We paid a visit to Gros Blanc, whom we had slighted
in not taking up our residence in his hut, and who kept the
flag flying in honor of our arrival until sunset. However,
we made him ample amends, and presented him with some
tobacco, ammunition, etc., as a remuneration for assisting
us over. He appeared highly pleased with the presents,
but said he would have been very happy to
have accommodated
at least some of our party.
We found in this village a Canadian named [Ren6] Jussaume,"'
who accompanied Captains Clark and Lewis the
ensuing autumn to Washington on their return from their
voyage to the Pacific Ocean, as interpreter for the Mandane
chief, Gros Blanc. This man has resided among the Indians
for upward of 15 years, speaks their language tolerably
well, and has a wife and family who dress and live
the natives.
like
He retains the outward appearance of a Christian,
but his principles, as far as I could observe, are much
worse than those of a Mandane ; he is possessed of every
superstition natural to those people, nor is he different in
every mean, dirty trick they have acquired from intercourse
with the set of scoundrels who visit these parts—some to
trade and others to screen themselves from justice, as the
laws of their own country would not fail to punish them for
their numerous offenses.
Soon after our arrival a great uproar was occasioned by
the unexpected visit of six Pawnees from their own village,
about 60 leagues below on the same river. They had been
sent on an embassy to treat for peace.
It appears that last
spring some of these people accompanied a war party of
Sioux " who came here and killed five Mandanes ; the
" Of whom much is said in L. and C, as on pp. 180, 181, iSg, 232, 1178,
1184, which see.
"Compare the Sioux raid noted by L. and C, Nov. 30th, 1805, at p. 204.