have liked very much to take the latitude at that place; but our astrolabe had been out of order since the beginning of our journey, the *ring being broken.
Finding ourselves without news of our Frenchmen when the month of April came and being urged on by the guides whom I had engaged to conduct us to the Mantanes, and our horses being in good condition, I prepared to leave and offered several gifts to the chiefs of the tribe, who had always guarded us and treated us well while we were with them, as well as to a number of the most important of our good friends. I suggested to the chiefs that if, by chance, the Frenchman to whom I had written should come to their fort, shortly after our departure, he could find us with the Mantanes, since we expected to remain there for a time. I should have been glad to get him away from among the Indians. I assured the chief of the tribe that I would take very great care of the three young men whom he gave us as guides, and that, although the Mantanes were their enemies, they would have nothing to fear while with us.
We departed on April 2nd, much lamented by the whole tribe. They entreated us urgently to come to see them again. On the 9th, at mid-day, we came to a village of twenty-five lodges of the Gens de la Fleche collèe, otherwise called Prairie Sioux. We passed along among the women and baggage. We stopped a very short time. They showed us great friendliness and pointed out to us the place where they were going to make their camp. We settled down for the night in sight of their village, expecting that some of them would come over to us, and we remained on our guard all the time. No one came.
The next day we continued on our route, sometimes north northeast and sometimes northwest, as far as the country of the Mantanes, without meeting anyone. We arrived there on May 18th. I sent our guides back after having settled with them to their satisfaction.
