17 December: Early in the morning, mild; at seven thirty, 18°F [−7.8°C]. Overcast sky, wind east. The Mandans had returned from their hunt. Someone brought us meat. They had gone as far as the forts on the Teton River [and] had shot fifty-four buffalo. Mr. Kipp’s horse, which his father-in-law kept in the village, had been lost on this occasion—[it] joined a herd of buffalo, [wearing] its saddle and bridle. Two foals had died [in] the bad weather. After eight o’clock the wind was stronger and cold, a bitterly snowy air. The water had frozen a long time ago in the bucket in our room. It seemed as if it would snow today. I went out; the snow was in many places very deep and drifted. I saw no animals except some very shy snow buntings and a few Fringilla linaria; I could not get close to either [of them]. An old male had an excellent red breast. Mató-Tópe visited us with his wife and child. The wind blew rather strongly from the south. In the afternoon at one o’clock, 24°F [−4.4°C], wind southeast. Mr. Kipp had traveled to the Mandan village to buy meat. La Rivière from the upper Mandan village ate lunch with us. In the afternoon an Indian brought another white weasel; [this was] the same Indian who had caught the two previous ones. Mr. Kipp came back in the afternoon with meat and tallow bought at a high price. About dusk a very severe storm rose from the east-southeast [and] caused a tremendous cold in our room, with [its many] open cracks. We could endure it only close to the fireplace. In the night the wind blew very strongly.