Alexandria Daily Advertiser

Extract of a letter from Nathaniel Pryor to gen. Clarke, Indian Agent, dated St. Louis, 16th October, 1807.

"The escort under my command, for the conveyance of the Mandan chief to his nation, has been compelled to return to St. Louis, without accomplishing that object. You will expect to be informed of the untoward circumstances which have contributed to this failure.

We arrived at the lower villages of the Ricaras at 9 o'clock on the morning of the 9th Sept. These people as soon as we came opposite their village, fired several guns, the shot of which came very near us. The sub-agent, Dorion, enquired in the Sioux language "what they meant" they replied, "Put to shore, we will supply you with corn and oil." From their hospitalities to our party on a former occasion, I thought it prudent to shew a confidence in those friendly professions, and ordered the boats to land at the village.

Several of the Sioux, the upper bands of which associated with the Ricaras in this affair, immediately came to the beach. From them we learned that the Ricaras and Mandans still carried on war with each other, and that two of the former had been lately killed at the river Big Belle.

In a very short time the bank was crowded with about 650 Indians, all of whom were armed with guns, and many of them with additional warlike weapons. A Mandan woman, who had been a captive for many years, came on board, from whom I obtained information, which could probably have been derived from no other quarter.

She informed me that Daniel Lisa, a St. Louis trader, had passed up some time before. That he had given the Ricaras, thro' compulsion, I conjecture, a number of guns, with a considerable quantity of powder and ball. This man you recollect obtained a license from Mr. Bates before your arrival, and before the plan which the government had adopted with respect to the Mandan was known at St. Louis: He was however still at St. Charles, and it is not forgotten that Mr. Bates having occasion to visit that village, informed him of the change of arrangement for the upper country, and desired him to remain until my boats should be equipped, that he might accompany the expedition.

This, we understood, he had consented to do and his failure in those engagements has probably obliged him to divert the storm, which threatened his own boat, by directing the attention of the Ricaras to ours.

He told them, as we learn from this woman, that two boats might be very soon expected, that we had the Mandan chief on board, and that we were to remain for the purposes of trade at their villages. On this they pillaged him of about the half of his goods, and suffered him to pass on, determining in their councils at the same time to kill him on his return, and to lose no time in preparing to murder the Mandan and his escort, as soon as we should arrive. Being thus completely apprized of their sanguinary purposes, as respected the Mandan in particular, I directed him to secure himself in the cabin, by building in front a breastwork of trunks and boxes. My men were prepared for action, and the Indians about the picketed villages and breast works appeared to be putting themselves in readiness to commence it, they were observed chewing their bullets and driving away their women and children.

The chief to whom you desired me to present a medal, at length approached my boat, I had no doubt of his wish to serve us, and as he was known to possess influence with his nation, I felt desirous to conciliate him. He presented me a letter from Courtney, who had previously to the arrival of Lisa, been cruelly treated by these barbarians, and informed us that he alone had been friendly to that unfortunate trader, who owed his safety and ultimate release to his friendly offices.

This chief discovered much uneasiness while conversing with us, and after professing his regard for the Mandan and myself, rejoined his blood thirsty companions, by whom his advice was in the sequel overruled. My interpreter was in the mean time employed in persuading the chiefs to meet in council, and at length succeeded in collecting all of them, except the chief of the upper village.

I should have made a further effort to procure the attendance of this refractory man, but found that if we consumed the day in fruitless conferences, we would, as soon as it was dark, fall a more easy sacrifice. I therefore determined to meet them, and proceed to the upper villages as expeditiously as possible. My interpreter here was an old Spaniard, whom you probably may not have forgotten: To employ a mediator in whom we had no confidence, in such circumstances as this, was sufficiently embarrassing, but I was obliged to make use of mine on this occasion from the absolute impossibility of obtaining another.

I addressed them somewhat in this manner, "Your great American father has sent me with a few of his soldiers, to conduct the Mandan chief to his nation. In our long and laborious journey, we have met with many nations of red people, by all of whom we have been treated with hospitality and kindness--I have repeated to them the talk of their great father, whose councils they will in future pursue. We are not strangers to you. On a former occasion you extended to Lewis and Clarke the hand of friendship. We feasted in your villages and exchanged mutual benefits. As a proof of the confidence of your great father, in continuance of your pacific dispositions, and as an evidence of his personal friendship for your chief, he sends him a large medal, the devices of which may continually remind you of the amicable intercourse which ought always to subsist between his people and yours."

I then suspended the medal to the neck of Grey Eyes, as is usual in such occasions.

To this address they made no reply. and in fact from a variety of suspicious circumstances, I scarcely calculated on a friendly answer.

We separated, it being understood that we would stop at the upper village, to pay our respects to the chief, who perhaps from motives of etiquette had refused to attend the council below.

Our boats proceeded on--Dorion and the interpreter Jessaume went by land to endeavour to see the chief of the upper village, and prepare him to receive us peaceably. The Indians followed in a body, using threats and menaces.

On our arrival, about four o'clock in the afternoon all the indians were collected on the beach; they appeared in violent rage. It was necessary as I conceived to see the chief. It was besides my duty to take on board Dorion and Jessaume. My men were kept prepared for an attack, and it was doubtless as prudent to meet it on the beach, as to be followed into a river, filled with irregular sand bars. We put to shore and were directed by the indians, to proceed up a narrow channel near the beach. Their views in this could not be mistaken and we declined compliance.

[To be continued]"