THE VERENDRYE EXPLORATIONS

111 hundred men for the journey; in a short time all hastened to bring me some. I made all our people take what they wished, which was done in a very short time. Having provided for all that our people needed, I as- sembled the chiefs and principal Mandans, made them a present of powder, balls, and several trifles, which they greatly value, owing to their need for them. I gave the head chief a flag, gave him a leaden plate, which I had ornamented with ribbon at the four corners. It was put into a box to be kept in perpetuity, in memory of my taking possession of their lands, which I did in the king's name. It will be preserved from father to son, better than if I had put it in the ground, where it would have run the risk of being stolen. I made them understand as well as I could, that I left them that mark in memory of the Frenchmen who had come upon their lands. I very much desired I could have made them understand, in order to tell them many things which might have been very useful to them and to us, which to my regret and to theirs I could not do. I had wrought with so much diligence, that on the evening of the eighth everything was ready for our departure, which I calculated to accomplish sooner than I had given notice of. During the night, be- tween the 8th and 9th, I was taken ill, and in a very short time was very ill; I did not know what to think of it. I kept my bed for three days. Finding myself better on the fourth, I prepared to set out the next day. I gave the two men enough to defray their expenses liberally, and even to pay a guide, if need were to bring them to our fort; informed them once again of the cause which obliged me to leave them there. So soon as they could make them- selves understood, they were to neglect nothing to learn what was this nation of whites, what metal they worked with; if there were any mines to their knowledge; what nations were above, going up the river; if they knew a height of land—in a word, to neglect nothing to obtain all possible information respecting the country. |||'>1