By the end of January, 1805, the weather had so far moderated that the explorers thought they might cut their boats from the ice in the river and prepare to resume their voyage; but the ice being three feet thick, they made no progress and were obliged to give up the attempt.  Their stock of meat was low, although they had had good success when the cold was not too severe to prevent them from hunting deer, elk, and buffalo.  The Mandans, who were careless in providing food for future supplies, also suffered for want of meat, sometimes going for days without flesh food.  Captain Clark and eighteen men went down the river in search of game.  The hunters, after being out nine days, returned and reported that they had killed forty deer, three buffalo, and sixteen elk.  But much of the game was lean and poor, and the wolves, who devour everything left out at night, had stolen a quantity of the flesh.  Four men, with sleds, were sent out to bring into camp the meat, which had been secured against wolves by being stored in pens.  These men were attacked by Sioux, about one hundred in number, who robbed them of their game and two of their three horses.  Captain Lewis, with twenty-four men, accompanied by some of the Mandans, set out in pursuit of the marauders.  They were unsuccessful, however, but, having found a part of their game untouched, they brought it back, and this, with other game killed after their chase of the Sioux, gave them three thousand pounds of meat; they had killed thirty-six deer, fourteen elk, and one wolf.

By the latter part of February, the party were able to get their boats from the ice.  These were dragged ashore, and the work of making them ready for their next voyage was begun.  As the ice in the river began to break up, the Mandans had great sport chasing across the floating cakes of ice the buffalo who were tempted over by the appearance of green, growing grass on the other side.  The Indians were very expert in their pursuit of the animals, which finally slipped from their insecure footing on the drifting ice, and were killed.

At this point, April 7, 1805, the escorting party, the voyageurs, and one interpreter, returned down the river in their barge.  This party consisted of thirteen persons, all told, and to them were intrusted several packages of specimens for President Jefferson, with letters and official reports.  The presents for Mr. Jefferson, according to the journal, “consisted of a stuffed male and female antelope, with their skeletons, a weasel, three squirrels from the Rocky Mountains, the skeleton of a prairie wolf, those of a white and gray hare, a male and female blaireau, (badger) or burrowing dog of the prairie, with a skeleton of the female, two burrowing squirrels, a white weasel, and the skin of the louservia (loup-servier, or lynx), the horns of a mountain ram, or big-horn, a pair of large elk horns, the horns and tail of a black-tailed deer, and a variety of skins, such as those of the