31^st July 1804

  We are now next to the Platte River, we follow the river whatever it goes at the north-west and not just at the west. We have to reach the Famous Pacific Ocean.

The last 12^th we have met Sioux(s) who are a First Nations people in North America. Before this meeting, we were a little bit scared of an any Indian attack so during the nights there was always one of us who kept an eye on it.

The leader of Sioux understand English a bit so we explained our mission to him and he have not been angry. And in this way we had no problems.

We have also met a Canadian named Dorion and he has joined us with its sons.

After that we passed the Kansas Rivers. And the 20^th, some of our soldiers suffered of Dysentery. But they are tonight fine.

23^th September 1804

  I have a disappointing thing to write tonight, I would love to have not to write it, but I have to.

The last 20^th, the sergeant Charles Floyd died in cause of an appendicitis...

I hope sincerely that it will be the only dead.

But I have to write other things to make me think about other things :

_We have discovered 300 huts blazed, we do not know anything about that so we have pursue our way.

_The sergeant Pryor has been send the last 27^th August to meet Sioux Yanktons who gave him some dog to eat. I am not accustomed to eat this kind of food but we have ate it anyway.

In fact, there are seven parts/tribes. And this tribe advise the sergeant Pryor

of the threat of another tribe : Sioux Tetons.

Nowadays, we were wondering Sioux Tetons could do to us. And we now know : to let us go further, we have to give them a boat.

We have met them today and they have told us this.

We will accept their demand, we cannot do in any other way...

_I have just realized that I have not wrote about our documentations, the principal point of our expedition : so I have documented my findings. In a book I have wrote some things, in another I have draw the maps/plans of the rivers and all of it for the boats and in another I have draw the animals and plants/vegetation that I do not knew.

I can see far away for the first time of my life the Rocky Mountains, we will not pass across but next to.

27^th October 1804

  Recently, we have met others Indians :

we were wondering how will be the meeting with them and we were scared of any attack, but in fact we had not to. We will pass the following winter here at Fort Mandan (North Dakota) with Indians.

We will settle down for a time that I still do not know how longer it will be.

There is also a Canadian men who is married with an Indian women named Sacagewea. She is pregnant . It would be for this reason (that a Canadian is married with one of them) that the Indians are welcoming us.

27^th december 1804

  We are here with the Indians and Sacagewea for months :

some of us can repair the equipment which is broke, some can hunt with the Indians. The Indians have a way to hunt that I did not expect at all : they make the fire at the pasture and it makes the bisons scared. Anyway, me, I am not a hunter.

Me, during this time, I make the most of this period of time to fill in the documentation : the landscape is beautiful in winter with the snow, now I document and draw the landscape to take in memory the map. I have already drew for the plants and I still drawing for the plants which are presents in winter. And I will draw again when it will be no longer snowing if I find new vegetation. And finally, day by day, I write no just a diary but a journal where I write the mot important things.

There is a thing that I do not have to write in the journal, but I have to write it in this diary:

Sacagewea has give birth to an adorable boy.

We will stay here until the end of the winter, we will take walking after.