{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_46733/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_46733","id":"gutenberg_46733","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46733","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Latter Day Saint churches","Latter Day Saints","Sunday school literature"],"text":"A STRING OF PEARLS,\n\nSECOND BOOK OF THE\n\nFAITH-PROMOTING SERIES.\n\n\nDesigned for the Instruction and Encouragement of Young Latter-day\nSaints.\n\n\nSECOND EDITION.\n\n\nJUVENILE INSTRUCTOR OFFICE,\n\nSalt Lake City,\n\n1882.\n\n\n\nPREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.\n\nThe first book of this, the \"FAITH-PROMOTING SERIES\"--_My First\nMission_--which was published some months since, has been so well\nreceived by the public that we are encouraged to continue the\npublication of works of a similar character.\n\nWe herewith give \"A STRING OF PEARLS\" to our readers, feeling assured\nthat they will find the contents of this little work of inestimable\nvalue.\n\nProbably no people in the world possess so rich and varied an\nexperience as do the Latter-day Saints, and especially the Elders who\nhave labored in the ministry in various lands. Contributions from them,\ngiving a relation of their personal experience, are most profitable to\nyoung people to peruse.\n\nThe present age is one of doubt and unbelief. Faith in God, in His\nwillingness to hear and answer prayer, and in the gifts of the gospel,\nhas almost vanished from the earth. As a people we have this to contend\nwith. Our children, not having had experience themselves, have to be\ncarefully watched, lest they, too, should partake of the leaven of\nunbelief. We feel that it is a duty that we owe to them to place within\ntheir reach the evidences that their fathers and their mothers have\nreceived of the existence of God, of His willingness to hear and answer\nprayer, and to bestow His gifts upon those who seek for them in the\nright way.\n\nGod has wrought as marvelously in behalf of the Latter-day Saints as He\ndid in former days in behalf of His people.\n\nWe hope that this little volume will prove of great value to those who\nread it, by inspiring them with faith, and furnishing them a foundation\nupon which to build and obtain knowledge from the Lord.\n\nWe also indulge in the hope that its publication may stir up others--of\nwhom there are so many hundreds, and perhaps thousands, in our Church\nwho have had valuable experience--to take the time and trouble\nnecessary to commit incidents of this character to paper, that they\nmay not die with themselves, but that they may live to speak hope and\nconsolation unto, and to inspire confidence in, those who shall come\nafter them.\n\nWith an earnest hope, therefore, that the contents of this little\nvolume may prove a help to those who may read it, by inspiring them\nwith faith in the Almighty and His promises, we modestly publish it,\nand give it the expressive title which it bears. G. Q. C.\n\nOctober, 1880.\n\n\n\nPREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.\n\nIn publishing this, the second edition of the STRING OF PEARLS, it\nis only necessary to add that the first edition of 5,000 copies is\nexhausted, and we are induced by the continued demand for the book to\nre-issue it. It is very gratifying to notice the taste which has been\ndeveloped during the past few years, among the youth of our community,\nfor such reading matter as the FAITH-PROMOTING SERIES contains. We hope\nto see a continued growth in this direction, and that our brethren and\nsisters of experience will be prompted by it to write for publication\nsuch sketches from their lives as will point a moral and convey a\nlesson to the minds of future generations who may peruse the same.\n\nWe see no reason why the six volumes of the FAITH-PROMOTING SERIES\nalready published, as well as those which may follow, should not be\nregarded in the future as standard works of the Church, and used for\nhome reading or Sunday school class books when their authors and those\nof whose history they treat shall have passed to another sphere of\naction.\n\nJune, 1882. THE PUBLISHER.\n\n\nCONTENTS.\n\n\nAMONG THE PONCAS.\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nStart for the Mountains--Experience as a Cobbler--Indian Mission\nAbandoned--Caching Property--Ponca Indians--A Prophecy and its\nFulfillment.\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nGoing with the Poncas--Buffalo Meat--Camped for the Winter--Council\nwith the Indians--A War Dance--Selected to go with the Poncas on a\nWinter's Hunt.\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nGrand \"Peace\" Smoke--Table Etiquette--No Dish Washing--White Friends\nDiscouraged.\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nLast two Brethren leave me--Home-sick--Tonsorial\nExperience--\"Whadee-Shipper,\" a New Name for me--Kindness of the\nIndians.\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nA Buffalo Hunt--A Thrilling Sight--Conversation with the\nIndians--Scurvy--Answer to Prayer.\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nStrength in Time of Need--Afflicted like Job, with Boils--Scraping with\na Potsherd Pleasant--My Prayer Room--Dressing Buffalo Robes--Dining on\nCottonwood Bark--Indian Self-Denial.\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nPolice Regulations--A Moral People--Marriage Customs--Invitation to a\nFeast--Skunk Meat at Midnight--Indians Cheated by White Traders.\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\nSymptoms of Death--No Hopes of Living--Ponca Manner of Burying the\nDead--Dread of Having my Body Mangled by the Wolves--Decide to Bargain\nwith the Indians to Cut up my Body and Take it to my Friends--Happy\nAssurance that I should Live, etc.\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\nVisit from the Brules--Feast on Dog Meat--Seat of Honor on the\nPillow--Return Journey--Opening Caches--Shooting Fish--Curious Manner\nof Cooking Fish.\n\nCHAPTER X.\n\nChosen to go as an Envoy to the Camp of the Saints--A Solitary\nJourney--Surrounded by Thousands of Wolves--Providential\nDeliverance--Happy Sight, a Yoke of Oxen--Tears of Joy--Meet two of my\nFriends--Safe Return to the Camp of the Saints.\n\n\nANECDOTES OF ELDER GRANT.\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nReputation as a Ready Speaker--Putting him to the Test--Sermon from a\nBlank Text--Enthusiasm at the Close of it--A Collection Proposed--The\nMinister Objects to Passing the Hat--They Compel him to--Handsome\nCollection--Discussion with a Great Baptist Preacher--Preacher\nNonplussed by Elder Grant's Repartee.\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nCurious Coincidence--Impression upon Miss Floyd--Her\nAcknowledgment--Challenged by Mr. Ruby--Meeting by Chance--Elder\nGrant's Estimate of Mr. Ruby--The Preacher Cowed.\n\n\nWAR HILL.\n\nElder J. M. Grant Challenged to Debate--Boone's Hill Chosen as the\nPlace--His Antagonist gets Six Ministers to Help him--Demoralized\nMinisters send for Another to Assist them--Inglorious Defeat of the\nEight--One of them Absent-Minded--Change of Name to \"War Hill.\"\n\n\nSIGN-SEEKING.\n\nPersecuting the Missionaries--A Discussion--Not Content with Bible\nProof-;--A Sign Demanded--No Signs Promised the Unbelievers--Warned to\nRepent, or Endure the Curse of God--The Result.\n\n\nMISSIONARY INCIDENTS.\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nA Busy Mission--A Rich Harvest of Souls--Judgments upon our Opponents.\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nVisit to a Baptist Meeting--Abuse of the Various Churches, Especially\nthe \"Mormons\"--Boasted Bible-name and Religion--Return to the\nText--\"Hard-Shell\" Wail--Reply to False Assertions--Their \"Bible-name\"\nDisproved--The True Scripture Name Pointed out.\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nMinisters Appoint a Meeting to Expose \"Mormonism\"--We Appoint one for\nthe Same Purpose, and the Same Day--Ministers Fail to Appear--Others\nPreach Instead--We Follow--A Baptist Attempts to Reply--His\nContradictory Statement--Fellow-Preacher's Chagrin--The Preacher's\nConcession.\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nMy First Sermon--Remarkable Instance of Help from the Almighty.\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nMy Second Sermon, which was not a Sermon--Confidence in\nCommencing--Subsequent Chagrin--The Lesson I Learned.\n\n\nJOURNEY ACROSS THE PLAINS.\n\nSurrounded by Indians--Prepare for an Attack--Sign of Peace--A\nLetter--Pipe of Peace--Three of us Accompany the Indians to their\nCamp--Chagrin at the Repulse--Road Swept Clear of Snow--Missouri River\nFrozen over--We Cross on the Ice, which Breaks as the Last Wagon Leaves\nit.\n\n\nSTORY OF A HAT.\n\nElder Phillips in Need of a Hat--Brother Hobbs told in a Dream to\nProvide one for him--His Trouble at not being able to do so--The Hat\nProvided in an Unexpected Manner.\n\n\nA PROPHECY AND ITS FULFILLMENT.\n\nElder Taylor's labors in Liverpool--Visit to McGaffey's House--A\nProphecy Concerning Mr. Tait--Visit to Ireland--McGaffey gets\nDrunk--The Prophecy Fulfilled.\n\n\nGUIDED BY PROVIDENCE.\n\nElder Lisonbee's Mission--Urged by the Spirit to Travel on--Finds a\nListener--Invited to Preach--A Protest against it--Success--His Great\nWork--His Death.\n\n\nFULFILLMENT OF PROMISE.\n\nThe Lord's Promises Sure--An Elder in want of a Pair of Shoes--He Prays\nfor them--The Prayer Answered--Case of Healing.\n\n\n\"YOU SHALL NOT BE CONFOUNDED.\"\n\nSent out to Preach when a Boy--First Experience in\nPreaching--Questioned by an Infidel--Answer given by the Lord.\n\n\nAN EFFECTIVE PLEA.\n\nArrested on a Novel Charge--Elder Parrish's Defense--Elder Patten's\nIndignation--Consternation Produced by his Speech.\n\n\nA LIFE SKETCH.\n\nLack of Education--Early Marriage--Resisting Temptation--Grain\nIncreased by the Power of God--Answers to Prayer--Large Family--Result\nof Early Marriage.\n\n\nCASES OF MIRACULOUS HEALING.\n\nGreat Assembly of Indians--Baptizing them--The Sick Instantly\nHealed--Curious Actions of Indians Affected with Evil Spirits--The Old\nChief's Faith--Child Cured of Fever--The Dead Revived.\n\n\nANSWER TO PRAYER.\n\nEarly Experience in Calling upon the Lord--Prayers Answered--Faith\nDeveloped--A Pocket-Book Lost--Found in answer to Prayer.\n\n\nJOSEPH SMITH'S FIRST PRAYER.\n\n\n\nAMONG THE PONCAS.\n\nBy W. C. S.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nSTART FOR THE MOUNTAINS--EXPERIENCE AS A COBBLER--INDIAN MISSION\nABANDONED--CACHING PROPERTY--PONCA INDIANS--A PROPHECY AND ITS\nFULFILLMENT.\n\nA few days after the organization of the \"Mormon\" Battalion, and\nwhen it had left Council Bluffs for Fort Leavenworth, it was decided\nin the council of the authorities of the Church that Brother George\nMiller (Bishop) should raise a company and endeavor to cross the Rocky\nMountains that fall.\n\nAt this time I was traveling and living with the family of Bishop\nMiller. I had been suffering with fever and ague for two months\nprevious, but a few days before we arrived at Council Bluffs the fever\nleft me, when my legs commenced to swell and finally broke out into\nsores, some of which were over an inch deep. I had five on my right and\nfour on my left leg. These caused me much pain; but the Lord blessed me\nwith His Spirit, and I did not feel in the least discouraged.\n\nI had brought some shoemaker's tools along, so that I could mend my\nshoes when they needed it. I had them in use every time we stopped,\nmending shoes for the camp. I soon learned to be a pretty good cobbler,\nespecially in patching up the sisters' shoes.\n\nSome four of Bishop Miller's teamsters left to join the Battalion.\nBrother Henry G. Boyle was the one who drove the team I traveled in,\nbut now I had to be teamster. We left with sufficient breadstuff\nto last a year, consisting of flour, corn meal, etc., but no meat,\nas we hoped to find plenty of game on our journey. In this we were\ndisappointed, as we were without meat for several weeks, with the\nexception of fish when we could catch them.\n\nWhen about twenty miles east of the Pawnee village and mission we met\nseveral white men, who had been in charge of the mission, under the\nsuperintendence of an Indian agent appointed by the government. These\nmen had been employed at building houses, fencing in land, sowing\ngrain, etc., and endeavoring to teach the Indians to do likewise; but\nthe Indians for some cause had become exasperated and had killed two of\nthe white men, one of whom was a blacksmith.\n\nAs soon as this party learned of our numbers and intentions they wished\nto return to the mission and cache some government property, such, as\niron, steel, blacksmith tools, farming implements, etc., which they\nleft in a hurry when fleeing from the Indians. On arriving at the\nmission and village, we found that all the Indians had left, fearing,\nI presume, that they would be punished if they were caught by the\ngovernment troops.\n\nThe brethren helped these men to cache all the property, which they\ndid by digging a large hole in the ground, in a dry place, putting the\ngoods into it, covering them with the soil taken out of the hole, and\nbuilding a large fire over the place, that the ashes might cover up all\ntraces of the digging.\n\nOne of the men of this party joined the Church, and emigrated to the\nvalley with us.\n\nWe found several fields of grain ready for harvesting, with potatoes,\nturnips and sweet corn, as well as a large quantity of wheat, barley\nand oats already threshed and housed. This was all handed over to our\ncamp.\n\nWe remained here a couple of days, when we received a letter from\nPresident B. Young's camp, advising us to winter on Grand Island, which\nwas well timbered, and where there was good feed also This island was a\nfew miles west of us, on the Platte River.\n\nThe letter also stated that a company had left President Young's camp,\nwho would winter with us and give us sufficient strength to guard\nagainst an attack from Indians.\n\nThe day following eight Ponca chiefs came to our camp, stating that\nthey had come from their nation to make peace with the Pawnees,\nand appeared much disappointed when they learned they had left, in\nconsequence of their trouble with the men who had charge of the mission.\n\nThese Ponca Indians who came to our camp were large, fine-looking men.\n\nBishop Miller asked them to stay with us a few days, which they did,\nand appeared much pleased. They soon learned where we expected to\nwinter, and were very anxious to have us all go to their village and\nstay. They represented that they had a good country, well timbered, and\nplenty of good pasture and shelter for our cattle.\n\nThe next day the company sent to join us, consisting of thirty men with\ntheir families, arrived. As soon as they had rested, a meeting was\ncalled, to know what should be done--winter on Grand Island, without\nthe consent of the Pawnee Indians, who owned the land and timber there,\nor go with the Ponca chiefs, where we would be welcomed by the whole\nnation.\n\nThe council decided to go with the Poncas, and the next day we fitted\nup our wagons for the journey.\n\nThe next thing was to load up with as much grain and potatoes as we\ncould get into our wagons, for these were the first we had been able to\nobtain since leaving Nauvoo in the spring.\n\nAfter we got every corner in our wagons filled with eatables we left\na great many bushels of grain and vegetables upon the land to waste,\nliterally fulfilling a prophecy uttered by Bishop Miller, a few days\nbefore we started. When speaking to the camp, he said he hoped all who\nwere going in that company were \"true Latter-day Saints, full of faith\nand good works,\" and added:\n\n\"All of you who have been with us have seen the power of God manifested\nin behalf of the traveling camps of Israel, in protecting our leaders\nfrom our enemies, and providing food for the Saints, who number\nthousands. Some may say, 'We were then traveling through a country\nwhere we found an occasional farm, from the owner of which we could\npurchase what we required; but to-day we have left all these, and have\nnothing but a wilderness before us, without farms, houses or grain.'\n\n\"Let me say, as I have before said, you shall be blessed in the future\nas you have been in the past.\n\n\"What, with food? Yes; I tell you yes! I promise you all, this day,\nin the name of the Lord, that you shall see the time while upon this\njourney, that you shall have more grain than you can load in your\nwagons, and leave many bushels behind you to waste upon the ground.\"\n\nThis, my readers, was fulfilling prophecy to the very letter. How often\nI have seen the sayings of our leaders fulfilled in like manner since I\nstarted upon this journey!\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nGOING WITH THE PONCAS--BUFFALO MEAT--CAMPED FOR THE WINTER--COUNCIL\nWITH THE INDIANS--A WAR DANCE--SELECTED TO GO WITH THE PONCAS ON A\nWINTER'S HUNT.\n\nBrother James Emmett, one of our party, understood a little of the\nSioux language, and one of the Ponca chiefs could converse in this\nlanguage. Brother Emmett was asked to find out how far the Poncas lived\nfrom the camp. The chief told him three sleeps, or, as he understood\nit, three days' travel for our cattle: but we afterwards learned that\nthe chief meant three days' and nights' travel with horses (one hundred\nand fifty miles).\n\nThe country over which we traveled the first three days was very rough\nfor our wagons.\n\nThe name of the chief of the Poncas was _Ta-nugar-number_, which means,\ntwo buffalo bulls. He was thus named because he once killed two bulls,\nwhile they were running through the village.\n\nOn the fourth day this chief came to us, saying he and the party had\nkilled three buffaloes. Brother Miller ordered the camp to stop near\na small stream close by, and send for the dead animals, that we might\nhave buffalo meat for dinner. This was the first time we had had meat\nfor ten weeks.\n\nA team was sent, and the meat soon arrived, and was distributed through\nthe camp.\n\nIt was a novel scene, I assure you, to see us each with a stick and a\npiece of meat stuck on the end of it, toasting, or broiling it, before\nthe fire. This was the first buffalo meat we had ever eaten, and we all\nthought it the sweetest and best meat we ever tasted.\n\nWe remained here until two o'clock, p. m., the next day, when but\nlittle remained of the buffaloes, except the bones. Several more were\nkilled before we reached the village. The meat of some was dried, but\nall the prime pieces were eaten.\n\nOn the eleventh day we camped within two miles of their village, and\nthree miles from where we located for the winter. No sooner had we\nunyoked our cattle than we were visited by nearly all the nation, old\nand young. All wanted to see us. Many of them had never seen an ox\nbefore, and but few had seen many white men.\n\nA council of the chiefs and braves, or warriors, was called, to meet\nwith our brethren. The chief told his people that he had invited us\nto stay on their land during the winter. That we wanted timber for\nbuilding houses and for fuel, and pasture for our cattle. He said they\nhad plenty of both--more than they or we needed--and he wanted his\nbraves to say that we could have it. In return, he told them we would\nbuild them houses, plow and plant some land for their squaws, and give\nthem some flour. He then asked for an expression of their feelings.\n\nSeveral of the old men spoke, and all said we were welcome to come and\nget what we wanted.\n\nThe Poncas numbered about two thousand souls.\n\nAfter the meeting dismissed some thirty of the braves, or soldiers,\nfavored us with a war dance.\n\nThe musical instrument used for this was used at all the dances I ever\nsaw while with them. It was like a tambourine, and about the same size.\nThis is beaten as you would beat a drum. The braves formed in a circle,\nand at every beat of the instrument (and there were perhaps seventy\nstrokes to the minute) they would jump up, at the same time bending\nforward in a half-stooping position, and passing around as they jumped,\nyelling and hallooing in a most frightful manner.\n\nAll they lacked at this dance to make it a perfect war dance, were the\nscalps of some whom they had killed in battle.\n\nThis drumming, yelling and jumping continued for about fifteen minutes,\nwhen all the Indians left the camp for their own village.\n\nWe were about one mile from the Missouri River, and near the mouth of\nSwift or Running-Water River, and where the Indians raise a little corn.\n\nThe next day the whole village turned out to visit us. They wanted\nus to trade with them by giving them flour, sugar, coffee, etc., for\nmoccasins, buckskins, etc. A great many exchanges were made, to the\nsatisfaction of both parties. The Indians, however, had by far the best\nof the bargains, as we found out the next morning, for many of us were\nminus an ax, a kettle, pan, cup, knife or something that was used daily\nabout our camp; and all these things we learned had been taken by our\nIndian visitors.\n\nAs soon as this was known to the chiefs, they ordered all who had these\narticles to return them to our camp. A few tin cups, saucepans, milk\npans and such things were brought back, but not a tithe of what were\ntaken.\n\nAfter this but few were allowed to visit us. The chief appointed two\nIndians to be at our camp every day, to keep the others away, or keep\nthem from stealing.\n\nIn about three weeks a number of houses were ready for the Saints to\noccupy, and about two-thirds of our people were housed for the winter.\n\nWhile this was being done I had been kept busy, shoe-mending; and very\noften I would be called upon to mend an Indian's bridle or his bullet\npouch, which I did cheerfully, and to their satisfaction.\n\nAbout the first of October the Ponca chief came to Brother Miller, and\ninformed him that they were about to start for their winter hunting\nground, to hunt buffalo, elk and deer, to get robes and meat, and\nwished to have a few of our young men accompany them. He mentioned me,\nstating that I was good and kind to his people, mending bullet pouches,\netc., for them. That same evening, after several of our young men had\nproposed to go with the Indians on their hunt, Bishop Miller said,\ncalling me by name, \"I would like you to go with them if you had not\nthose fearful sores on your legs. The chiefs and some braves have taken\nquite a liking to you, and I feel, Brother S--, as though you would do\nmuch good by going among them on this journey, but I dare not ask you\nto go with such legs.\"\n\nA peculiar feeling came over me while he was speaking, and I was led to\nsay, \"Brother Miller, if you say I can accomplish good by going with\nthose Indians, I will go. I have no fears about my legs or myself; if\nanything should occur, that I should never return, I have no relatives\nin camp to mourn my loss. This weak, deformed body of mine can be\nbetter spared than those who are able bodied, all of whom are needed\nfor the protection of the camp.\"\n\nHe there and then appointed me to go, and blessed me in the name of the\nLord. He said that I should do much good, and have exceeding faith in\nthe God of Israel, who would guide and direct me in a marvellous manner.\n\nThe next day we started. Our company consisted of Brother John Kay, who\nwas going to do a little trading with and gunsmithing for the Indians,\nFrederick Bainbridge, his teamster, four young brethren and myself,\nwith the Ponca nation which numbered two thousand souls, with all their\nlodges, camp kettles, etc.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nGRAND \"PEACE\" SMOKE--TABLE ETIQUETTE--NO DISH-WASHING--WHITE FRIENDS\nDISCOURAGED.\n\nTwo hours before the Indians left for their winter hunting ground a few\nof the chiefs came to Bishop Miller to smoke the pipe of peace with him\nand our camp. This pipe of peace had been smoked with us many times\nbefore; and, as it may be a question how this is done, I will explain\nit to my young readers. When there is a sufficient number to form a\ncircle, they always do so. The chief who invites the party fills his\nlarge pipe with tobacco (more than one pipe is used when the company\nis large). As soon as it is filled, the chief holds the bowl of the\npipe upwards, and says a few words appropriate to the occasion, calling\nalways upon the Great Spirit, whom they call \"Wurconda.\"\n\nThese speeches were always made at feasts of importance, or councils,\nand at every \"big smoke,\" or when they send off a war party, and when a\nparty goes to make peace with another nation.\n\nI was at a meeting once where a number of chiefs were in council, and\nwere about to send off a peace party, consisting of four young braves\nand a chief, all of whom were present during the ceremony. The pipe was\nfilled, and the head chief held the bowl upwards, made a short speech\nand passed it to the next chief, who said a few words and handed it to\nthe next. After all had received it and spoken, the chief, who presided\nlit the pipe, and all smoked. A small, dried bladder was produced after\nthis by the chief. This was passed around with the same ceremony as\nthe pipe was. Some very fine grass was next handed around in the same\nmanner. After this the marrow from a large bone of the buffalo and a\npiece of plug tobacco were each served in the same manner as the other\narticles. The pipe, tobacco, grass and marrow were then placed in the\nbladder and tied up. When this was done the young chief who had charge\nof the party was asked to step into the circle of chiefs. The bladder\nand its contents were then held up by the presiding chief, who made a\nfew remarks and handed it to the young man, and he handed it to each\nchief in turn. After some remarks by the head chief the party started\nupon their important mission.\n\nDuring this ceremony no one spoke but those in council. It was as\nquiet as any religious meeting I ever attended. Each speech was like a\nprayer, and was delivered in a very solemn manner.\n\nAfter this peaceable smoke the Indians shook hands with their white\nfriends and jumped into their saddles and left.\n\nIt was a novel scene to us, and I am sure it would be to my young\nreaders, to see this Indian nation on the move. In advance could be\nseen the chiefs and some of their braves on horseback. Next came the\nsquaws, leading horses packed with their lodges and camp-equipage. Next\ncame the old men and old women, with their lodges packed and drawn by\ndogs with poles strapped on their backs. With these were young men and\nmaidens, all on foot. Those who had babies strapped them upon a board,\nand carried them as the Utah Indians do.\n\nAll the young men and boys had bows and arrows; and when traveling they\nhad a good time, testing their skill by shooting rabbits and small\nbirds. When in camp a great deal of their time was spent in shooting at\na mark.\n\nThe first day we traveled about eight miles.\n\nWe had been invited to stay in one of the chief's lodges, he having\nthree of them and three wives. At sunset the chief invited us to\nsupper, which consisted of dried buffalo meat, boiled, and put into one\nlarge, wooden bowl with the liquor it was boiled in. One large horn\nspoon was provided with which to eat, and the meat was cut up into\nsmall pieces.\n\nThe chief took a spoonful of meat and liquor, then handed the spoon\nto the one next to him, who did likewise, and so the spoon was passed\naround until all had used it, and partaken of as much food as they\nwanted. The meat was as tough as leather and about as palatable, and\nwas truly the hardest and toughest meat I ever ate.\n\nWe slept in the tent that night, and rested well. My legs pained me\nsome, but I felt that the Lord was with us.\n\nBrother John Kay had a little flour with him, and on the following\nmorning, he invited us to breakfast on cakes fried in fat, which we ate\nwith a relish.\n\nAbout nine o'clock, a. m., one of the chiefs went through the village,\ntelling the people that they were going to a certain place that day,\nand that they could prepare for the journey as soon as they pleased.\n\nThe women commenced immediately to pack up their things, and take down\ntheir lodges, while the men started for their horses.\n\nThe women among the Indians have most of the work to do. They put up\nand pull down the lodges, get the wood, cook, make and mend their\nclothes, and dress all the robes and skins, for their own use and for\nthe market.\n\nThe men hunt, look after their horses, fight, if necessary, smoke, eat\nand sleep.\n\nWe traveled on in this way, eating the same kind of meat, only broiled\nat times for a change (which was far preferable) instead of being\nboiled. You may ask if the meat and the dish or bowl we ate from were\nclean.\n\nI thought not, for the meat, the bowl and kettle were carried in dirty,\ngreasy sacks. In fact, all the eatables and cooking utensils were in\nthese sacks, packed upon the backs of horses, when traveling, and when\nin camp, thrown around a dirty and dusty lodge.\n\nI scarcely ever saw a piece of meat, a kettle or a bowl washed by them\nwhile I was with them.\n\nAt first we partook of our meals with but little relish, but after a\nweek's travel, we found our appetites improved.\n\nUp to this time we traveled near the Running Water River, without\nseeing any buffalo, or game of any kind. Here our young brethren became\nperfectly discouraged, not finding game nor immediate prospects for\nany, and they concluded to leave.\n\nWe were then about fifty miles from our camp. I was asked to accompany\nthem, but declined, feeling that I had not accomplished my mission.\n\nThis far we had crossed a number of small, clear streams, from three to\nseven feet wide, and often three feet deep. In crossing these I found\nthe water gave relief to my sore and painful legs, and, as often as\nI could, I bathed the sores and found relief. Three of the sores had\nentirely healed, and for this I thanked the Lord.\n\nWe parted here with our young brethren, wishing them a pleasant\njourney, while we marched on and camped again near the same stream.\n\nSoon after we had partaken of our evening meal, two Indians came riding\ninto camp, bringing good news, that buffaloes were a few miles west of\nus.\n\nThis filled the Indians with joy, so much so that bonfires were built\noutside the lodges to give light, so that the young folks could dance,\nand the old men might smoke and talk over things of the past.\n\nIt was a very interesting sight to me, to see some eight or ten circles\nof young men and women, dancing in the same way, and to the same music,\nthat I have described before, as a \"war dance.\" And let me here say\nthat women join the men in a real, genuine war dance, (when they have a\nscalp of some unfortunate Indian who has crossed their path,) and seem\nto enjoy it quite as well as the men; for they jump as high, and as\noften, and do a great deal of horrible yelling.\n\nWith this dancing by the young folks, and the smoking by the old men,\n(women never smoke) and the multitude looking at the dancers, it was a\nhappy time for all.\n\nAfter enjoying these pleasures about three hours the whole company,\nexcept the guard, retired to their lodges, many, no doubt, to dream of\nthe good time coming--of killing buffaloes and eating fresh meat.\n\nAt day-break a chief notified the camp to prepare to move. No sooner\nwas the word given, than the people commenced to pack up, and take down\nlodges, and in one hour we were again on the move.\n\nAt the time the chief gave the word for the Indians to prepare to move,\nanother chief was giving orders to those who had hunting horses to\nprepare and leave for the slaughter. By the time we reached a small\nstream about five miles ahead, we found these hunters with ten fine\nbuffaloes ready for the two thousand hungry souls. Lodges were soon up,\nfires lighted, and the whole camp busy cooking and eating fresh meat. I\nhad an invitation, with my brethren, to cat roast or broiled buffallo,\nwhich I accepted and enjoyed it very much. I believe I ate two pounds\nof solid meat before I slept that night, without feeling the least\ninconvenience. We had no bread nor potatoes with it, which, of course,\nmakes a great difference.\n\nThe camp was up early the next morning and moved on about four miles,\nwithout breakfast, when we stopped, hoping our hunters, who were ahead\nof us, would find more game. At sunset, four Indians brought in two fat\ndeer, and soon others came, bringing two buffaloes. Shortly after the\ndeer arrived, we were invited to dine on deer meat, which we found very\ngood. At first I found it rather strange to eat so much meat and no\nbread with it; but I soon got used to it. I had been ten weeks living\non bread without meat, and if any one had asked me at the time which I\nwould prefer of the two, if I could have but one, I should have chosen\nbread; but after I had lived on meat a few weeks, I would have said,\ngive me meat, rather than bread alone.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nLAST TWO BRETHREN LEAVE ME--HOME-SICK--TONSORIAL\nEXPERIENCE--\"WHADEE-SHIPPER,\" A NEW NAME FOR ME--KINDNESS OF THE\nINDIANS.\n\nThe part of the country we were traveling in was so rough and hilly\nthat it was impossible to travel with a wagon, so Brothers Kay and\nBainbridge concluded to leave, which they did that morning.\n\nI have not forgotten the time when we parted, and I saw them for the\nlast time passing over the top of a high hill, each swinging his hat as\na token of good by and good wishes.\n\nHow different our positions! They were going to their families and\nfriends, while I was to remain with a few Indians, or wild men of the\ndesert.\n\nI must confess that for awhile I felt a little homesick. I started for\na deep ravine near by, out of sight of the village, where I knelt down\nand prayed to the Lord for strength and an increase of faith, that I\nmight accomplish the work before me with cheerfulness of heart.\n\nAfter this I felt better, and went to the chief's lodge and got out my\njournal to write. No one else was in the lodge at the time, but just as\nI was about to commence writing, a couple of young squaws entered the\nlodge and sat down beside me. The eldest asked me, as I understood, for\nmy comb, and I took it from my pocket and offered it to her, thinking\nthey wished to comb their hair; but, to my surprise, she leaned her\nhead towards me, asking and making signs for me to comb and braid her\nhair, as our white women did theirs. At first I concluded something\nevil was intended, and they were sent to prove me; but I soon changed\nmy mind, and believed them innocent of any wrong. I was somewhat\nconfused, I assure you, in making the attempt to dress a lady's hair,\nand blushed considerably when I commenced, which they observed, and\nboth laughed.\n\nAs soon as I had finished one side I handed my comb over to her\ncompanion, for her to do the other side, which she did, and much better\nthan I had done. When this was done, lady No. 1 combed and braided the\nhair of lady No. 2, very nicely. She then returned the comb to me. This\nwas the first and last hair-dressing I was called upon to perform while\nwith them. The next day many of the young women had their hair arranged\nin the same style.\n\nI remained in the same lodge and with the same chief as when I started\nwith them. This same evening several Indians came to his lodge, and,\nafter talking awhile, sent for an old Frenchman who had been with them\na number of years, and could speak some English. They told him they\nwere pleased that I was going to remain with them. It was good, and I\nwas a _sargey morie tongar_, [1] which is \"hardy American,\" and they\nwould give me the name of their fire steel (one they use with a flint,\nto strike fire with, which they call _whadee shipper_). This was my\nIndian name from that time. This was soon known by the Indians in the\nvillage, for the next day all who met me called me by my new name.\n\nI continued to pass through every stream we came to, and after awhile I\nfound myself almost free from sores. For this I felt truly thankful and\nmuch encouraged.\n\nOne day two Indians came to the village who had been visiting their\nsister, who was married in the Sioux nation. These men informed the\nchief that a band of the Yankton Sioux were short of meat and robes and\nhad but little game on their land, and had been driving off buffalo\nfrom the Poncas' lands, which was the cause of not finding buffalo\nsooner than we did.\n\nWe took early starts in the morning, traveling sometimes until two or\nthree o'clock in the afternoon without food. All Indians that I saw on\nthis trip preferred traveling before breaking their fast, and after\nawhile I concluded it was better than starting off after eating a\nhearty meal.\n\nThis was the beginning of November; the nights were frosty but the days\nwere very pleasant. We were now in a bleak and cold country, with but\nlittle grass or timber. By this time my legs were quite healed, for\nwhich I gave thanks to the Lord.\n\nFive weeks had passed since I left our camp to accompany the Indians,\nand thus far I had enjoyed myself.\n\nThe Indians were very kind to me, and all were anxious that I should\nlearn their language. While traveling, the young men would walk with\nme, show me the \"cut off,\" or nearest way to a certain point we would\nhave to pass, and every day I would learn a new word or two.\n\nI started with one pair of old shoes, which lasted me but two weeks,\nwhen one of the chiefs presented me with a new pair of buckskin\nmoccasins. For this kind act I blessed him in the name of the Lord. I\nfound them very easy to my feet, and could walk much better with them\nthan with shoes. After a time, though, they began to show signs of\nwear, and one day when walking with the son of a chief, he looked at my\nfeet and saw my toe sticking through my moccasin. He immediately said,\n_pashee_ (which means \"no good,\") pulled off his own moccasins and\nhanded them to me, telling me to put them on, which I did, and he put\non mine. His were new, but he appeared quite pleased that he had them\nto give to me.\n\nFootnotes\n\n1.--_Morie-tongar_, is the name they give to all Americans. _Morie_ is\nknife, and _Tongar_ is large knife. The first Americans they ever saw\nall had swords, which they called large knives; hence their name.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nA BUFFALO HUNT--A THRILLING SIGHT--CONVERSATIONS WITH THE\nINDIANS--SCURVY--ANSWER TO PRAYER.\n\nAt this time we had an abundance of buffalo, deer and elk meat, killing\nfrom five to forty buffaloes in one day, and as I have witnessed\nseveral of these buffalo hunts, I will tell my young readers how the\nIndians proceed in hunting and killing them.\n\nIn the first place, there is a chief or president over every company\nstarting out to hunt, so that good order may be kept; otherwise the\nbuffaloes would be frightened away, and perhaps only one or two of a\nlarge herd be killed.\n\nThe chief in charge, when first in sight, calculating the number there\nare, and the distance from them, gives his orders, telling who must\nfollow next to him, and who next, and so on until about twenty of those\nwho have good horses are chosen to follow him. After these, all who\nhave horses follow if they choose to do so.\n\nSometimes it is better to keep at a distance from the buffaloes, until\nthe chief and his chosen men scatter the band, when those behind follow\nthe buffaloes and soon kill them.\n\nThe chief and party start off, walking their horses, and on the lee\nside of the buffaloes, until they are seen by the game, which sometimes\ndoes not occur until they ride within a few rods of them. As soon as\nthe buffaloes see these horsemen they run from them.\n\nThe chief, riding in among them, first picks out the best and fattest\nanimal he can find, and kills it. Then follow the others, each doing\nlikewise. By this time the herd is scattered. These men load their guns\nagain and follow them, killing as many as they can. In a short time\nas many as fifty Indians are after them on horses, and the buffaloes\nscatter all over the country. They can be seen in twos, threes, or in\nlarger numbers, with Indians trying to catch up with them. Those having\nthe best horses kill the most buffaloes.\n\nIf the hunt is near a village, which is often the case, the old men and\nwomen go out and skin the animals killed, and help themselves to as\nmuch meat as they can pack. The robe belongs to the party who killed\nthe animal.\n\nAt one hunt there were about 400 buffaloes, the largest number I ever\nsaw together while with the Indians.\n\nThis was the best and most exciting hunt I ever saw, and I know of\nno scene that I ever witnessed, either before or since, that was so\nexciting and interesting to me. I saw a sham fight in 1838, when 20,000\nBritish troops were engaged for three hours, and were viewed by Queen\nVictoria, the Duke of Wellington, Lord Hill, Marshal Soult, and other\nnotables. The troops were well drilled, equipped in splendid style,\nrode fine horses, and when moving in masses from one place to another\nwith their glittering accoutrements, breastplates, helmets, etc., they\npresented a grand appearance; yet it was not to be compared for real\ninterest to the spectacle presented by this buffalo hunt.\n\nEach Indian had nothing but a blanket or robe around his loins, and\ncarried only a bow and a quiver of arrows (but few having guns) for his\nweapons.\n\nTo see those Indians galloping at full speed, with their hair flying in\nthe wind, after the black, wild animals, in a wild and desert country,\nwith only nature for their instructor, was to me the most thrilling and\nsoul-stirring sight I ever beheld in my life, and one I shall never\nforget. Old as I am (62 years), I would go farther to see another such\na hunt, than I would to see a sham fight, such as the one mentioned.\n\nFifty buffaloes were killed in this hunt, and after it was over we\nremained in camp for three weeks, to give the women a chance to dry the\nmeat and dress the robes, as we had no means of carrying them in their\ngreen state.\n\nBy this time I had learned considerable of their language and was able\nto converse tolerably well with them; and, when sitting in the evening\nwith some of the chiefs, they would ask me to talk to them about our\npeople, wishing to know where we were going, and why we were going so\nfar from our white brethren, etc.\n\nAn old Frenchman interpreted for us as I talked, he knowing that I\ncould understand enough of their language to detect it if he did not\ntranslate my words correctly. I gave them a brief history of the\nChurch, the principles taught by the Prophet Joseph, his and his\nbrother Hyrum's death, and also of the Book of Mormon (having one with\nme, which I showed them). I also told them where their forefathers\ncame from, where they first landed, and how they, like us, had been\nscattered and driven from the rising almost to the setting sun.\n\nThese conversations were many, and always very interesting to them. I\nmay here mention that, when I left the nation, the chief with whom I\nstayed asked me for the Book of Mormon, and told me he would keep it as\nlong as he lived, and his son would keep it after him; for he wanted\nto have the book that could give the history of their fathers always\nwith them. I handed it to him, and he thanked me, kissing the book, and\nsaying it would be good medicine for his people, for he should feel as\nthough his fathers were with them when he had the book.\n\nEating, as I had, so much fresh meat without vegetables or bread, and\nhaving but little exercise, I did not feel as well as I had done,\nand found a kind of scurvy breaking out on my right side. I had seen\nsomething of the kind on some of the Indians, but nothing so bad as\nmine. All I could do was to apply buffalo fat to the parts affected.\n\nThe time came when we had got our robes dressed and meat sufficiently\ndried to cache, so that we could leave the next morning. My leg was\nswollen, and I feared if it continued it might get so bad that I could\nnot walk.\n\nI prayed at night that the Lord would cause the swelling to go down,\nand give me sufficient strength that I might be able to walk the next\nday.\n\nThe next morning the swelling was gone, and I was able to walk nine\nmiles.\n\nHere we killed more buffaloes, and stayed a few days to dry meat, which\nwe did by cutting it about an inch thick, and putting it upon sticks\nabove the fire in the lodges.\n\nWe next moved on to the upper forks of Running Water River, and very\nnear to the extent of the Poncas' hunting ground. Beyond theirs were\nlands belonging to the Brules, a tribe of the Sioux.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nSTRENGTH IN TIME OF NEED--AFFLICTED LIKE JOB, WITH BOILS--SCRAPING WITH\nA POTSHERD PLEASANT--MY PRAYER ROOM--DRESSING BUFFALO ROBES--DINING ON\nCOTTONWOOD BARK--INDIAN SELF-DENIAL.\n\nI suffered much pain at times with the sores that covered my right\nside, from my face all the way down to my ankle; but, strange to say,\nthe swelling on my knee, which would increase after each day's travel,\nso that I could scarcely walk across the lodge, would go down when we\nhad occasion to travel, so that I could walk from one camping place to\nthe next.\n\nSome of my readers may think I imagined this to be the case, but it was\nno imagination of mine, for this continued for several weeks just as I\nhave stated.\n\nAfter remaining a few days in camp, I was one mass of boils, from the\nsize of a pea to that of a small marble, and so close together that\nthey touched each other. At times I suffered a great deal of pain, and\nat other times I suffered with itching, which was terrible. This was\nwhen the sores were partially healed, and the surface had become hard,\nand while in this state I often, on a fine day, would go where I could\nnot be seen, get on the sunny side of a hill, strip off my clothes,\nand, with a flat stick, scrape my sores.\n\nI had read of Job scraping his boils with a potsherd, and pitied him,\nbut if he took as much comfort as I did in scraping mine, he had no\nneed of pity; for to me it was a great pleasure to get rid of the\nitching, and the scraping tended to relieve me in this respect. The\nboils, however, would only remain healed about a week, when they would\nbegin to swell for a few days, giving much pain, and then break out\nagain, which caused me to feel faint and weak.\n\nNotwithstanding this affliction I felt blessed of the Lord, and was not\ndiscouraged. A short distance from the village there was a large patch\nof plum bush, about two acres in area, with deer tracks through it, and\na large space clear of brush in the center. This I chose for my prayer\nroom during my stay there. I asked the Lord to bless and sanctify it\nfor this purpose, which I feel assured He did. I went there three times\na day for prayer, and I felt many times, when praying, that the Lord\nwas there.\n\nThis was about the last of November; the weather was very cold, and\nthere was some snow on the ground.\n\nIt was a busy time for the women, who were all engaged in drying meat,\nand dressing robes and skins for sale. We had killed up to date, 1,500\nbuffaloes, besides other game.\n\nIt takes from two to three days to dress a robe. In the first place,\nthey scrape it on the flesh side until it becomes thin, then they\nsoak some of the buffalo's brains in warm water, and put this liquor\non the flesh side until it will not retain any more. The brain of an\nanimal is sufficient to dress its skin or robe, and sometimes more than\nsufficient. After the robe or skin has become well soaked through with\nthe brain liquor, it is stretched tight upon sticks, with the skin side\nto the sun, if the weather be fine, and if cloudy, a fire is made to\ndry it. While the drying process is going on, the party dressing it\nrubs it on the flesh side with a piece of sandstone about the size of a\nbrick. This is continued until it is perfectly dry and soft. All robes\nand skins are dressed in this manner except small skins, which are\nrubbed with the hands.\n\nOn a fine day, I have seen as many as 70 squaws at work at one time,\ndressing robes. These robes and skins are their harvest, as much so\nas a good crop of grain is to the farmer, as they sell all they do\nnot need to traders, who are licensed to purchase from the Indians\nby the government. A good robe was worth about two dollars in cloth,\nammunition, coffee, sugar, salt, etc. Sometimes the Indians would give\nthree or four robes, or even more for a blanket, which was thought to\nbe much better to wear around them than a buffalo robe. The Indians\nwho could afford to wear a blanket, considered themselves much better\ndressed than their fellows.\n\nThe lodges were all made of buffalo skins; it took from five to\neighteen skins, according to the size, to make one lodge. These were\nall made by the squaws.\n\nDuring our lengthy stay at the place last mentioned, the weather was\nvery cold and stormy, and the feed for our horses was very poor; but\nthere was considerable cottonwood timber growing on the banks of the\nriver, and a good many of the young trees were cut, and the under bark\nused to feed the horses. They were very fond of it, and I was informed\nby the Indians that this bark, during the winter months or before the\nbuds burst in spring, was nearly as good for them as corn.\n\nI may here mention that I remember testing the value of this bark as\nfood, myself, during our return journey. We had no meat for three days,\nexcept one deer, which was killed when we were a few miles from our\nmeat caches. We had hoped to find game on our journey, but finding\nnone, we were compelled to go without. The third day I felt very faint,\nand it struck me that if the under bark of the cottonwood tree would\nfeed horses and they could live on it, that it might also serve to\nstay my hunger. I got some young branches, and scraped off a lot of\nthe bark, cutting it fine. I then asked the Lord to bless and sanctify\nit to my use. I took a mouthful, and, after chewing it for some time,\nswallowed the juice. I was about to swallow the bark, also, when it was\nsuggested to me not to do so, that if I did it would clog my system,\nbut that the juice would not. I therefore merely chewed the bark, and\nswallowed a few mouthfuls of the juice, from which I found relief. For\nthis, and the suggestion not to swallow the bark, I thanked my Heavenly\nFather.\n\nWhen the deer was killed upon this journey, it was cut up into small\npieces, and distributed to as many as it would supply.\n\nSoon after this, I was invited to eat at the lodge of a young chief\nand his wife. As soon as I reached the lodge, a piece of this deer\nwas handed to me, about the size of one's hand. This was broiled, and\nintended for me alone. I knew they both had been without meat as long\nas I had, and I did not think they had partaken of bark juice as I had,\njust before.\n\nI therefore cut a small piece off for myself, and asked them to eat the\nremainder.\n\nThe chief said: \"No! Indian eat once in three days--good! If not, can\nbuckle up his belt tighter\" (which he did); \"but white man, or _morie\ntonger_, needs to eat three times a day.\"\n\nNeither he nor his wife would take it, so I ate it.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nPOLICE REGULATIONS--A MORAL PEOPLE--MARRIAGE CUSTOMS--INVITATION TO A\nFEAST--SKUNK MEAT AT MID-NIGHT--INDIANS CHEATED BY WHITE TRADERS.\n\nThe lodges, during our stay on the Upper Forks of the Running Water\nRiver, were made comfortably warm by banking up dry sod three feet high\naround them. Inside of the lodges, the floor, to within about three\nfeet of the fire, all around, was covered with half-dressed robes, at\ntimes four deep, which made it good to sleep upon.\n\nWe had the best of order in our village. Four Indians were appointed\nevery day to act as police. These had their faces blackened when on\nduty. Fresh ones were appointed daily to guard and see that everything\nwas orderly in the village.\n\nI had been informed while in the States that all Indians were very\nlicentious and degraded in their character and habits. It may possibly\nbe the case with some tribes, but from the first day I traveled with\nthe Poncas up to the last, which was six months, I never saw anything\nthat would cause a lady to blush, either in the actions of a male or\nfemale. If there had been anything of the kind I would have seen it,\nfor I was at all their feasts of dancing and eating, and attended three\nof their weddings.\n\nIf a young Indian wants to marry, and finds a squaw who is inclined to\nreceive his addresses, he goes to the father of the young woman and\nlearns from him the worth of the lady. He also finds out whether he\nwould be acceptable to him as a son-in-law. If the match is agreeable\nto the parent, he will perhaps ask three horses as the price of her,\nsometimes more, sometimes less. The price depends somewhat on the\nsmartness of the girl. If she can braid well, and dress robes and skins\nfirst rate, and is well qualified for the labors required of her, she\nis worth more horses than one who is not so smart.\n\nWhen the price is settled and the amount paid, the next thing for the\nyoung Indian to do is to prepare a home for his bride. He either hires\npart of a lodge, purchases one or furnishes the skins for his intended\nbride to make one. When this is done he goes out and hunts game,\nbrings what he kills to the lodge of her father, and hands it over to\nthe young woman, who cooks some and gives it to him to eat. She also\nmakes him a present either of a robe, pair of leggings or a pair of\nmoccasins. Thus he proves on his part that he is willing to hunt and\nprovide for her; and she, on the other hand, shows her willingness to\ncook and make what clothing he wishes. This is all that is needed to\nbecome husband and wife.\n\nIt often happens that a young Indian, when wanting to marry, is poor,\nand does not own any horses. In such a case he promises to help his\nfather-in-law to hunt until he gets a horse, or horses.\n\nSometimes there are a number of young Indians wanting to marry, but\ncannot do so for want of horses to pay for the young ladies. When\nsuch is the case, they occasionally lay their plans (unknown to their\nchiefs) for a raid on the horses of other tribes or nations, to steal\nwhat they need for the purchase of their wives.\n\nThis occurred once while I was with them. Eight young Indians were gone\ntwenty-three days, and returned without any, finding the horses were\ntoo well guarded.\n\nAt times, when the Indians have had horses stolen by marauding parties\nfrom other nations, the chiefs call a council of the braves, and choose\na number to go to the aggressors as a war party, and get back their\nhorses that have been stolen, or steal some better ones from them. This\nparty are all fighting men, and often have to fight before they return,\nwhether they get any horses or not.\n\nThe war parties of the different tribes are continually active; and\neach tribe has to be on the watch, to prevent its horses being stolen\nwhile in herds near its villages.\n\nAll foreign war parties are looked upon as enemies, and whenever the\nIndians see them they shoot them and bring their scalps to camp, for\nthe young folks to dance around at their evening entertainments.\nSending out these war parties was often the cause of the different\nnations going to war, and it is the same to this day.\n\nWhen traveling, we would often see a foot track in the sand, or an\narrow or moccasin by the way. As soon as an Indian saw any of these\nhe knew by what tribe they had been left. When I asked them how they\nknew this, they informed me that each nation made shoes, or moccasins,\ndiffering somewhat in shape from those of other nations. They also had\ndifferent colored arrows, so that those of each nation could be easily\nidentified by any one acquainted with the various peculiarities. The\nvarious Indian nations are distinguished by the colors of their arrows\nin the same way that civilized nations are by the colors of their flags.\n\nWhen a chief prepares a feast for some of his friends, an Indian is\nsent around to inform the party invited. This is sometimes done before\nthe food is prepared, so that they may have a smoke and a talk first.\nThe Indian who goes to invite the guests does not go into their lodges\nto do so, but calls out their names, and tells what they will have to\neat, as he passes their lodges. These are the words they would use\nif they were inviting me: \"_Ah-how Whadee-shipper, moningahow munga\nwar-rattah Wayger-sippeys teah!_\" which means: \"Oh S----! Walk off! Skunk\nfood at the chief's lodge!\"\n\nThey think skunk meat very fine food. I have been called up at midnight\nto go to a skunk feast. When dressed and cooked properly the meat is\ngood; if not cooked properly it is very strong, so much so that one can\ntaste it the next day after eating it.\n\nI ate quite a variety of food while with them, consisting of fish of\nvarious kinds, buffalo, elk, deer, antelope, beaver, otter, dog, wolf,\nskunk, turkey, duck, crow and pigeon.\n\nIt was near Christmas, and I had been two months alone with this\nnation. During this time I had suffered much pain of body, but in\nspirit I had felt well, and never felt the least discouraged, or even\nsorry I had left the camp of the Saints. I had learned considerable\nof their language, and had become acquainted with their customs and\nmanners of life, all of which I knew would be useful to me, and to the\ncamps of Israel, when traveling through the Indian nations, if I lived.\n\nI had looked upon these Indians of the desert as the enemies of the\nwhite men, and believed they would rob and kill them whenever found.\nHow different my feelings are towards them to-day! No nation or people\ncould have treated me with more kindness. I lived in the best house,\nor lodge, in the village. I had the best seat (a good pillow) at their\ncouncils. I had the best food the nation afforded to eat, and was\ntreated by the chiefs, soldiers, braves and people, both old and young,\nas though I was their king. I always found they wished to be friendly\nwith the white men if they would treat them aright; but the Indians\nhad been deceived by them in trade and treaty, and for this they had\nrebelled at times.\n\nThe old chiefs always taught their young men to be good, and be\nat peace if others wished peace, and only fight when others were\ndetermined to fight with them.\n\nThey informed me, I am sorry to say, that white men had often been sent\nto trade with them for their robes and skins, and had cheated them by\ngiving less and poorer goods for their things than they had promised;\nthus getting their robes for little or nothing, and telling them that\nthey would send them horses, and then never doing it.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\nSYMPTOMS OF DEATH--NO HOPES OF LIVING--PONCA MANNER OF BURYING THE\nDEAD--DREAD OF HAVING MY BODY MANGLED BY THE WOLVES--DECIDE TO BARGAIN\nWITH THE INDIANS TO CUT UP MY BODY AND TAKE IT TO MY FRIENDS--HAPPY\nASSURANCE THAT I SHOULD LIVE, ETC.\n\nOn Christmas day my knee and right side were badly swollen. I had been\nsuffering much pain for two days, and I feared if it continued the\ndisease would strike inwardly, and that if so, I could not live. At\nnoon my knee was nearly as large as my head; but it did not hurt me to\nwalk slowly, and I concluded that I would go and pray, believing it\nwould be the last time I would be able to do so, for my faith about\nliving had left me, and I felt that I could not live twenty-four hours\nlonger.\n\nI had always felt very indifferent about what might become of my body\nafter death, but now I felt quite the reverse.\n\nThe Ponca Indians bury their dead in a shallow hole, packing a mound of\nsward over the body. The ground was so deeply frozen that if I died and\nthe Indians tried to give me a decent burial, they could not possibly\ndig up much sod to put over me, not enough to protect me from the\nwolves, which were very numerous around the camp. The idea of my body\nbeing pulled limb from limb, and scattered all over the country, caused\nme to feel very sad, for you must know I felt sure I should die, and\nthat too in a few hours.\n\nIt was a most horrible feeling, for I could almost fancy I saw my body\nbeing pulled to pieces and my bones picked clean of flesh and sinew,\nand scattered all over the country.\n\nWhile these horrible thoughts were passing through my mind I was\nsteadily nearing my prayer room, where, on arriving, I knelt down and\nprayed as I never had before.\n\nIn presenting myself to the Lord, I stated my feelings as I have\ndescribed them, asking Him to spare my life if it was His will, for\nI was anxious to see the Saints again; but if not, I said, \"O Lord,\nThy will be done!\" I asked Him to protect my body, when buried, from\nthe wolves, that it might not be scattered to the four winds. I said,\n\"spare it, oh, my Father, and let it rest in peace, until it is Thy\nwill to visit some of my brethren with dream or with vision, that they\nmay know of my death, and the location of this poor feeble body.\"\n\nMuch more was said by me, for the Spirit of God was upon me. After\nthis, and while walking to the village and thinking of what had passed;\nit was suggested to me that I need not be buried there at all. I had\ngot a good double barrelled gun, and a good suit of clothes at the camp\nof the Saints. All I need do was to tell the chief that I was sick, and\nexpected to die, and when dead I wanted him to cut into quarters my\nbody, pack it, and send it to my chief (Bishop Miller), that I might\nbe buried with the Saints; and for doing this, I would give him all I\npossessed.\n\nNo sooner had this thought suggested itself to me, than I felt it was\nan answer to my prayer, and I there and then praised the Lord for His\ngoodness and kindness towards me.\n\nAs soon as I reached the lodge, I got out my journal to write in it, as\nI supposed, for the last time (for I was suffering much pain inwardly,\nand gradually becoming weaker), and also to write a note to Brother\nMiller, authorizing him to give up my clothes, etc., to the party who\npresented my body to him.\n\nI got out my book, tore out a leaf to write this note, dipped my pen (a\ncrow's quill) in the ink, when I felt impressed to speak as follows:\n\n\"Thus saith the Lord unto you, my servant; thy prayers have been heard\nand accepted of me, and from this hour thou shalt commence to recover,\nfor thou shalt live and not die; thou shalt return in due time to the\ncamps of Israel; thou shalt be gathered to the place I have appointed\nfor the gathering of my people; thou shalt be blessed with a home and\nhabitation with my Saints; and thou shalt travel much and again see thy\nsister in the flesh.\"\n\nMuch more was at the same time manifested to me by the Spirit. I had no\nsooner received this than I closed the book, believing all the Spirit\nhad said.\n\nI assure all who may read this, that this day's experience was worth\nmore to me than any amount of this world's goods that I could possibly\npossess. I surely rejoiced that day in the God of my salvation as I had\nnot known how to do before.\n\nIt is true I had received many testimonies, with promises that I\nshould live, and had in different ways been convinced of the existence\nof a God, and the truth of the gospel as taught by Joseph Smith, the\nprophet, but this day's testimony was under different circumstances\nand feelings. I had given up all thoughts of living; I had no fear\nof dying; my only trouble was about my body being removed and torn\nto pieces after burial. But here, when doing my last work, as I then\nbelieved (writing a note and the last record in my journal), the\nSpirit of the Lord rested upon me, and I received the glad tidings\nthat I should live and not die. I was assured that I should again see\nmy friends and brethren in the Church, that I should visit my sister\nwho was (as is now) in England; that I should travel much, and have a\nhome and habitation with the Saints, etc. This, to me, was a greater\ntestimony than anything I had ever before received.\n\nAll of this has been fulfilled to the letter. I have lived; I have seen\nmy sister three times since then; I have traveled much (for many years\npast from six to twenty thousand miles in a year), and I have a home\nand a habitation.\n\nHow little the outside world know of these things, or of the faith of\nthe Latter-day Saints! It is these testimonies that give strength and\nfaith to us when away from our friends on missions. Had I not been with\nthose Indians as I was, alone and sorely afflicted, I might never have\nhad this testimony.\n\nIt is so with all who are faithful and who go upon missions. They may\nmeet with trouble and be persecuted, but the Lord will pour out His\nSpirit upon them to such a degree, that they will rejoice in their\nafflictions, and be glad afterwards that they have passed through such\ntrials.\n\nThe Lord has thus blessed thousands who have been sent upon missions,\nand He will so bless many thousands more, and even more abundantly as\nour works and faith increase.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\nVISIT FROM THE BRULES--FEAST ON DOG MEAT--SEAT OF HONOR ON THE\nPILLOW--RETURN JOURNEY--OPENING CACHES--SHOOTING FISH--CURIOUS MANNER\nOF COOKING FISH.\n\nSoon after Christmas we had a visit from a party of Brules. The chief\nof this nation was a fine-looking man, about sixty years of age. He has\ndied since then. His name was _Wah-bah-hooter_, or \"long-mane\" (long\nhair). Only a small portion of the nation came, the others being on a\nbuffalo hunt. Their hunting ground adjoins that of the Poncas on the\nsouth, and continues as far as old Laramie Fort, which the Saints used\nto pass when traveling to Salt Lake Valley. Some nine of the chiefs\naccompanied this Sioux chief and his band. This visit was for business\nas well as for pleasure, and considerable trading was done on both\nsides in robes, skins, blankets, horses, and tobacco. While some were\nattending to business, others were visiting and feasting, and many of\nthe young men and women were dancing.\n\nHere I took my first meal of dog, this being the first great feast of\nthe season (harvest feast, if you please).\n\nAll the visiting chiefs were invited as well as the ruling chiefs of\nthe Poncas, twenty-two in number.\n\nThe old Frenchman came to me that morning and informed me of the grand\n\"dog feast\" in contemplation.\n\nI told him I could not eat dog meat, and should go off from the village\nuntil all was over.\n\nHe advised me not to do that, as it would be sure to make the chiefs\nangry at me, for I would soon be invited. He also informed me that the\ndogs they cook and eat are not the common ones.\n\nThis edible dog is fed and raised especially for the table. It is a\nkind of poodle. I had often seen the squaws carrying little curly pups\nin bags at their backs, and had also seen them being fed on boiled\nmeat and broth. These, I now learned were being raised for the \"grand\nfeasts.\"\n\nAbout noon, a chief passed around the village inviting the guests,\ntelling us the feast consisted of _shanoodah warratta_ (dog food).\n\nI found on entering the lodge all the visiting chiefs present, all of\nwhom were seated on each side of the Ponca chief. On his right was a\nlarge feather pillow or cushion, the chief, _War-bah-hoota_ sitting\nupon one end of it.\n\nAs soon as I entered, and was introduced to him and the other chiefs,\nhe and they shook me by the hand, saying, _Ah how cuggee?_ which is,\n\"How do you do, friend?\" I was then invited to sit on the other half of\nthe cushion.\n\nThe pipe of peace was next in order, while our dog dinner was being\ncooked in a large kettle before us.\n\nI well remember my feelings while this was going on, and glad indeed\nwould I have been if I could have fasted instead of feasting.\n\nOur smoke ended, the kettle was removed from the fire and the contents\n(four dogs) were put into the same large bowl I first ate out of. The\nchief, our host, carved them, giving each a piece, and after a long\ngrace had been said, the eating commenced.\n\nI had pictured to myself the eating of dog a great many times, but\nnever expected to engage in the actual practice; but here I was with\ntwo nations of people who were dog-eaters, at a dog feast, and, to see\nthem eat, one would certainly think they were \"dogged\" hungry.\n\nThe chief had cut me a piece off the hind quarter, that being a choice\npart. I placed a piece of it in my mouth, expecting it would be very\nstrong; but in this I was agreeably disappointed, for I found the\nflavor very much like that of a small roast pig, and, as I was hungry,\nI ate most of what was offered to me.\n\nAfter this, another smoke and a talk occurred, when I was asked a\nnumber of questions about our people's history, travels and religion,\nall of which I answered as I had done when questioned by the Poncas.\n\nThe Brules seemed to listen attentively, and appeared pleased with my\nanswers, and invited me to visit them some time.\n\nBoth parties appeared to have a good time, and after the trading was\ndone the Brules left for their hunting grounds, while we packed up\nand started back for the camps of the Saints, about two hundred miles\ndistant.\n\nIt was now the middle of January, 1847. The disease with which I was\ntroubled had almost left me, though I still had some sores upon my\nright side, about the size of the palm of one's hand.\n\nWe continued to travel, stopping occasionally by the way to open our\ncaches, and get out the meat and half-dressed robes we had deposited\nas we passed up. Both robes and meat we found in excellent condition,\nbeing free from mold of any kind. These _balls_ of meat, as they are\ncalled, were large, weighing from seventy to one hundred pounds each,\nand consisted of layers about three-fourths of an inch thick, which had\nbeen dried over the fire or in the sun.\n\nThe prime pieces, when broiled or raw, are very good eating; the coarse\npieces are pounded fine on a rock prepared for the purpose, and eaten\nwith the marrow taken from the bones of buffalo and elk. This marrow,\nwith the dry pounded meat, is very palatable.\n\nFrom the middle of the month the weather was fine and dry, and very\ngood for hunting and the dressing of robes and small skins, although\ngame of all kinds was scarce.\n\nWhen traveling near the river, the young braves, who were very expert\nwith the bow and arrow, could frequently be seen shooting fish. I have\noften seen them standing in the water, shooting the fish as they passed\nby them, and have known one Indian (the best shot in camp) to kill from\nfour to seventeen good-sized fish in two hours. This was to me very\ninteresting sport.\n\nThe Indians' method of cooking fish is very different to ours. After\nmaking a good wood fire and getting a quantity of hot ashes, they wrap\nthe fish in clean, wet grass, put it under the hot ashes, add more wood\nto the fire, and so let it remain until the fish is cooked, which takes\nfrom one to two hours, according to size.\n\nThis may appear a very strange way of cooking to my readers, but it\nproved to me a very good one, and the fish is much sweeter, I think,\nthan when fried in lard or butter according to our custom.\n\nDigressing from my narrative, I may remark that I remember when in camp\nin Echo Canyon, one of the brethren brought a beef's head to our mess,\nand when asked by the cook what he was going to do with it, said, \"Cook\nit for breakfast in the morning.\"\n\nWe supposed he would boil or fry the meat, but when asked a short time\nbefore breakfast how he proposed cooking the \"joint,\" that we might\ntest his skill in the culinary art, he told us it would be roasted and\nready when the cook was ready to serve breakfast. He was as good as his\nword, for as soon as the cook removed the fried meat, biscuits, etc.,\nfrom the fire, our friend took a fire shovel, scraped the ashes from\nthe fire, and lifted the head, well wrapped and well cooked, from under\nthe ashes. He had been ox guard during a part of the night, and had\nplaced it there at midnight. It was better cooked and sweeter than any\nI had ever eaten before.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER X.\n\nCHOSEN TO GO AS ENVOY TO THE CAMP OF THE SAINTS--A SOLITARY\nJOURNEY--SURROUNDED BY THOUSANDS OF WOLVES--PROVIDENTIAL\nDELIVERANCE--HAPPY SIGHT, A YOKE OF OXEN--TEARS OF JOY--MEET TWO OF MY\nFRIENDS--SAFE RETURN TO THE CAMP OF THE SAINTS.\n\nAbout the middle of February we had traveled to within ninety miles\nof our brethren's winter quarters, and about sixty miles from where\nthe Poncas always did their trading with the Frenchmen who were in the\nemploy of Mr. Sarpee, the only licensed trader for the Indians in the\ncountry west of the Missouri River.\n\nThese men were to meet the Indians about the 1st of March, and two\nIndian runners had been sent to meet these traders with their goods,\nand inform them where and when the Indians would be prepared for\nbusiness. Some of the chiefs were very anxious to have our brethren\npurchase goods and trade with them at the same time, and, in order that\nthey might know the time and place, they requested me to go and inform\nthem. This I was quite willing to do, for I felt that I had done all I\ncould so far as my mission with them was concerned.\n\nAt sunrise the next morning, I started with a small piece of dried\nbuffalo meat, a small buffalo robe and my gun. The day was fine. I\ntook the Indian trail all the way, and most of the time kept near the\nbanks of the Running Water River. I traveled about thirty miles, and\nabout sunset concluded to look for a secluded place to sleep. About\nhalf a mile from the trail I found a small ravine in which there was a\nquantity of dry leaves under some large trees. After broiling a piece\nof meat I ate my supper, and, thanking the Lord for His protecting care\nover me, lay down upon the leaves and soon fell asleep. I did not wake\nuntil day-break, when I left my comfortable bed of leaves, washed, and\npartook of another small piece of meat. I called upon the Lord for\nprotection and strength for the day's journey, and left at sunrise with\na light heart and a determination to walk thirty miles before sleeping\nagain.\n\nThe day was fine but the roads were heavy on account of the melting\nsnow, which I found in large drifts.\n\nAbout noon I was startled by hearing the howling of many wolves to\nthe right of me. I looked in that direction and saw, as I estimated,\nthousands of them coming directly towards me, and only about a quarter\nof a mile from me.\n\nI felt very much alarmed, for they appeared as though they were coming\nto devour me.\n\nI first thought I would fire at them and frighten them, but feared if I\ninjured any of them they might become desperate and seek revenge.\n\nI hurriedly asked the Lord to spare my life, and by this time they were\nwithin forty yards of me. I then commenced to yell with all my might\nand for dear life, for I feared that if they attacked me I should not\nlive a minute.\n\nNo sooner did I yell than they all stopped and looked at me, and I at\nthem. All fear of them had left me, and they and I continued to look at\neach other.\n\nAfter taking a good look at me, they divided, half passing to the right\nand half to the left, all looking at me as they passed.\n\nAs soon as they had all left me I thanked my Heavenly Father for this\ngoodness towards me in preserving my life. This was the largest pack of\nwolves I ever saw or heard of.\n\nI soon passed on, but with very peculiar feelings, which I must leave\nthe reader to imagine, for it would be impossible for me to describe\nthem. Indeed, I think it would be somewhat difficult for a person to\nimagine how I felt, unless he had been placed in similar circumstances,\nwhere death, in a most horrid form, seemed imminent one minute, and the\ndanger past almost in the next.\n\nA little before sunset that day, I felt as though I had walked my\nthirty miles, or perhaps more, and that I had better look out quarters\nfor the night, that I might rest well, and get an early start in the\nmorning, as I hoped to reach the camp of the Saints the next day.\n\nWhile walking up a small ravine, searching for a secluded place to\nsleep, I was greatly surprised at seeing a yoke of cattle grazing on\nthe hill near by. I could scarcely believe my eyes, when I soon found\nthem to be not only tame oxen, but actually belonging to my brethren.\n\nThis was such an unexpected pleasure, that, foolish as it may appear,\nI cried for joy. I believed that the owners of the cattle were not far\noff, so I climbed a hill, and saw, at a short distance, a wagon and the\nsmoke from a camp fire.\n\nI looked no further for a sleeping place, but started for the wagon.\n\nI had not gone far before I met two brethren, named respectively,\nMathews and Foutze. They were somewhat startled at seeing me, and,\nafter the first exclamation of surprise, Brother Mathews said, \"Why,\nBrother S----, is it you? You are like one raised from the dead; for\nwe were informed by the Indians that you were killed before last\nChristmas.\"\n\nBoth brethren shook me heartily by the hands, and thanked the Lord that\nI was alive.\n\nTheir supper was ready; and here I ate bread for the first time for\neighteen weeks. I ate but little else, and soon found that I had taken\ntoo much, and I suffered a great deal of pain during the night as a\nconsequence.\n\nAfter this meal I ate but little bread at a time, until I could digest\nit without pain.\n\nThe next evening we reached the camp or winter quarters of the Saints.\n\nThe news of my arrival was soon known, and before I could get out of\nthe wagon I was met by a number of old traveling companions, all of\nwhom gave me a hearty welcome, and such a shaking of the hands as I\nnever had before or since.\n\nA number of my brethren invited me to their houses, but I preferred\nto go to a log house kept for Indians, until I had thoroughly washed\nmyself and changed my clothes.\n\nAt this time I was free from all sores, except a small patch upon my\nright side.\n\nThus ended my Indian mission, which (although at times I suffered much)\nwas to me a very interesting part of my life.\n\nThrough my experience upon that mission, I became better acquainted\nwith the dealings of the Lord with His servants when alone. I know\nassuredly that He will hear and answer our prayers, at all times, and\nunder all circumstances, if we do and ask aright.\n\nBefore I close, let me say to those who have read this reminiscence,\nnever allow your faith to fail you, but trust in the Lord and continue\nto pray to Him, and He will answer you. If He should not at first,\npray again, and again, and exercise faith, and I do know you will be\nanswered and blessed of the Lord.\n\n\n\nANECDOTES OF ELDER GRANT.\n\nBY T. B. LEWIS.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nREPUTATION AS A READY SPEAKER--PUTTING HIM TO THE TEST--SERMON FROM A\nBLANK TEXT--ENTHUSIASM AT THE CLOSE OF IT--A COLLECTION PROPOSED--THE\nMINISTER OBJECTS TO PASSING THE HAT--THEY COMPEL HIM TO--HANDSOME\nCOLLECTION--DISCUSSION WITH A GREAT BAPTIST PREACHER--PREACHER\nNONPLUSSED BY ELDER GRANT'S REPARTEE.\n\nWhen on a mission to the State of Virginia, a few years since, it\nfell to my lot to labor in that portion of the State which had been\nvisited some twenty-five or thirty years previous by the late President\nJedediah M. Grant.\n\nFrom what I could learn of him then, he certainly was a most remarkable\nman. He seemed to live fresh in the memories of all classes; and\nthey never grew tired of relating to me many reminiscences connected\nwith his fruitful labors in their midst; and I never became weary of\nlistening to these most interesting narrations. His career there, as\nelsewhere, was marked with abundant evidences in proof of his claim\nto be \"a servant of God, with a divine commission.\" Through the power\nof God existing with him, and the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, he\nwas not only prepared to propagate the principles of the gospel, as\nrestored, but also to meet the powerful enemies of the truth that\narrayed themselves against him and the Church, as they were wont to do\nin the early history of the work.\n\nThinking the young Latter-day Saints would be interested in a narration\nof some of these events, I will give them as they were given me, as\nnear as I can recall them after a lapse of ten years.\n\nIn the early part of President Grant's ministry in that country, he\ngained quite a reputation as a ready speaker, frequently responding to\ninvitations to preach from such subjects or texts as might be selected\nat the time of commencing his sermon, by those inviting him.\n\nIn time it became a matter of wonder with many as to how and when he\nprepared his wonderful sermons. In reply to their queries he informed\nthem that he _never_ prepared his sermons as other ministers did. He\nsaid, \"Of course, I read and store my mind with a knowledge of gospel\ntruths, but I never study up a sermon.\"\n\nWell, they did not believe he told the truth, for, as they thought,\nit was impossible for a man to preach such sermons without careful\npreparation. So, in order to prove it, a number of persons decided to\nput him to the test, and asked him if he would preach at a certain time\nand place, and from a text selected by them. They proposed to give him\nthe text on his arrival at the place of meeting, thus giving him no\ntime to prepare.\n\nTo gratify them he consented.\n\nThe place selected was Jeffersonville, the seat of Tazewell County, at\nthat time the home of the late John B. Floyd (who subsequently became\nsecretary of war), and many other prominent men.\n\nThe room chosen was in the court house. At the hour appointed the house\nwas packed to its utmost capacity.\n\nMr. Floyd and a number of lawyers and ministers were present, and\noccupied front seats.\n\nElder Grant came in, walked to the stand and opened the meeting as\nusual. At the close of the second hymn, a clerk, appointed for the\noccasion, stepped forward and handed a paper (the text) to Elder Grant.\n\nBrother Grant unfolded the paper and found it to be blank. Without any\nmark of surprise, he held the paper up before the audience, and said:\n\n\"My friends, I am here to-day according to agreement, to preach from\nsuch a text as these gentlemen might select for me. I have it here in\nmy hand. I don't wish you to become offended at me, for I am under\npromise to preach from the text selected; and if any one is to blame,\nyou must blame those who selected it. I knew nothing of what text they\nwould choose, but of all texts this is my favorite one.\n\n\"You see the paper is blank\" (at the same time holding it up to view).\n\n\"You sectarians down there believe that out of nothing God created all\nthings, and now you wish me to create a sermon from nothing, for this\npaper is blank.\n\n\"Now, you sectarians believe in a God that has neither body, parts nor\npassions. Such a God I conceive to be a perfect blank, just as you find\nmy text is.\n\n\"You believe in a church without prophets, apostles, evangelists, etc.\nSuch a church would be a perfect blank, as compared with the church of\nChrist, and this agrees with my text.\n\n\"You have located your heaven beyond the bounds of time and space. It\nexists nowhere, and consequently your heaven is blank, like unto my\ntext.\"\n\nThus he went on until he had torn to pieces all the tenets of faith\nprofessed by his hearers; and then he proclaimed the principles of the\ngospel in great power.\n\nHe wound up by asking, \"Have I stuck to the text, and does that satisfy\nyou?\"\n\nAs soon as he sat down, Mr. Floyd jumped up and said: \"Mr. Grant,\nif you are not a lawyer, you ought to be one.\" Then, turning to\nthe people, he added: \"Gentlemen, you have listened to a wonderful\ndiscourse, and with amazement. Now, take a look at Mr. Grant's clothes.\nLook at his coat! his elbows are almost out; and his knees are almost\nthrough his pants. Let us take up a collection.\"\n\nAs he sat down, another eminent lawyer, Joseph Stras, Esq., still\nliving in Jeffersonville, arose and said:\n\n\"I am good for one sleeve in a coat and one leg in a pair of pants, for\nMr. Grant.\"\n\nThe presiding elder of the M. E. church, South, was requested to pass\nthe hat around, but replied that he would not take up a collection for\na \"Mormon\" preacher.\n\n\"Yes you will!\" said Mr. Floyd.\n\n\"Pass it around!\" said Mr. Stras, and the cry was taken up and repeated\nby the audience, until, for the sake of peace, the minister had to\nyield. He accordingly marched around with a hat in his hand, receiving\ncontributions, which resulted in a collection sufficient to purchase\na fine suit of clothes, a horse, saddle and bridle for Brother Grant,\nand not one contributor a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of\nLatter-day Saints, though some joined subsequently. And this from a\nsermon produced from a blank text.\n\nAt another time, Elder Grant was challenged by a very eminent Baptist\npreacher, named Baldwin, to a discussion.\n\nBrother Grant consented.\n\nThe place chosen was the fine, large church of his proud and imperious\nantagonist.\n\nMr. Baldwin was described to me, as a man who was overbearing in his\nmanner--a regular brow-beater.\n\nWhen the time came for the discussion, the house was densely crowded.\n\nUmpires were chosen, and everything was ready to proceed, when Brother\nGrant arose and said, \"Mr. Baldwin, I would like to ask you a question\nbefore we proceed any further.\"\n\n\"Certainly so,\" said Baldwin.\n\n\"Who stands at the head of your church in South-West Virginia?\"\n\nMr. Baldwin very quickly and austerely replied, \"I do, sir; I do.\"\n\n\"All right,\" said Brother Grant; \"I wished to know that I had a worthy\nfoe.\"\n\nMr. Baldwin looked a little confused for a moment, and then said:\n\n\"Mr. Grant, I would like to ask you who stands at the head of _your_\nChurch in South-West Virginia?\"\n\nBrother Grant arose and with bowed head replied, \"Jesus Christ, sir.\"\n\nThe shock was electrical. This inspired answer completely disarmed the\nproud foe, and the humble servant of God again came off victor.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nCURIOUS COINCIDENCE--IMPRESSION UPON MISS FLOYD--HER\nACKNOWLEDGEMENT--CHALLENGED BY MR. RUBY--MEETING BY CHANCE--ELDER\nGRANT'S ESTIMATE OF MR. RUBY--THE PREACHER COWED.\n\nIt was the good fortune of Elder Grant to be the first to open the door\nof salvation to the people of South-Western Virginia, upon whom he made\nan impression that time does not seem to remove. This impression was\nthe result of his honesty and truthfulness, and his readiness to meet\nthe foes of truth, added to his peculiar clearness, force and power\nin preaching the divine principles of the gospel. He was an earnest\nworker. Through his earnestness, sincerity and practical common sense,\nhe was often thrown into the society of men and women of the highest\nculture and intelligence that the State contained.\n\nIn this connection a rather singular coincidence is related.\n\nAbout the time of his first appearance in Burke's Garden Tazewell\nCounty, Virginia, he held his meetings, generally, at the residence of\nColonel Peter Litz, a man of considerable wealth and influence at that\ntime.\n\nAt one of these meetings, I think about the second, a very large\nconcourse of people had assembled, and it was decided, on account of\nthe size of the congregation, to hold the meeting in the orchard, there\nbeing a beautiful blue grass lawn beneath the trees.\n\nIt was the Sabbath day. That morning, a Miss Floyd, sister of the late\nJohn B. Floyd, who lived a few miles distant, was reading the Bible,\nand accidentally turned to the passage, \"Prove all things; hold fast\nthat which is good.\"\n\nShe arose immediately, ordered her carriage, and said: \"Inspired by\nthat injunction, I will go and hear what that 'Mormon' has to say.\"\n\nWhen she arrived at the place of meeting, she gave orders for her\ncarriage to be driven around to a position where she could remain\nseated in it, and still be able to hear the remarks of the speaker.\n\nThe moment her carriage stopped, Elder Grant arose and announced his\ntext: \"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good,\" from which he\npreached a most powerful sermon.\n\nColonel Litz told me he never heard anything so clearly set forth as\nthe principles of the gospel were on that day. The evidence adduced as\nto the divine authenticity of the doctrines preached by the Saints was\noverwhelming, and the testimony borne was most powerful.\n\nAt the close of the meeting, Miss Floyd alighted, walked up and\nintroduced herself to Elder Grant, and invited him home with her.\n\nMiss Floyd was a lady of rare qualities of mind, and had taken\nadvantage of every opportunity for intellectual advancement. Her\ninformation was vast, and of a solid nature. She was the best\ngenealogist in the country, and was thoroughly posted in religious\nmatters.\n\nShe was so deeply impressed by the sermon, that she made the remark to\nthe Elder after the close of it:\n\n\"Mr. Grant, I am a Catholic; and if Catholicism is not true,\n'Mormonism' is. I am fully persuaded that 'Mormonism' is next to\nCatholicism.\"\n\nShe was ever afterwards a true friend to Brother Grant.\n\nThat and other discourses of the same kind did a powerful work, and\nlaid a foundation upon which Elders are building up branches of the\nChurch in that region to-day.\n\nElder Grant had not the advantage of a collegiate education, and\nnaturally had a dread of meeting with men who were highly educated. He\noften expressed this feeling to others. But when he came in contact\nwith men of that type, they seemed to be mere pigmies in comparison\nwith him, when discussing the principles of the true gospel.\n\nOne very amusing incident was told me, which shows the peculiar way\nBrother Grant had of testing the material with which he had to deal.\n\nThe Lutheran church in Burke's Garden had a minister, the Rev. Ruby,\nwho was a very fine scholar in the Latin and Greek languages, and was\nconsidered a thorough theologian.\n\nA certain man in the place, who was very fond of fun and debate, urged\nthe Rev. Ruby to challenge Elder Grant to meet him in discussion on\nreligion, stating to him that Elder Grant was uneducated and ignorant,\nand by so doing he would expunge the \"delusion\" from the community and\ndo a great good.\n\nThus urged, the challenge was given and accepted.\n\nThe two, Rev. Ruby and Elder Grant, had never met, nor even seen each\nother.\n\nA few days before the time appointed for the discussion, the two\nparties chanced to meet at a public gathering of some kind, and the\nwaggish instigator of the discussion was there also. The latter stepped\nup to Elder Grant and said:\n\n\"Mr. Grant, allow me to introduce you to the Rev. Mr. Ruby, the\nLutheran preacher.\"\n\nBrother Grant stepped back and gave the reverend gentleman a thorough\ninspection, and then said:\n\n\"Did I understand you to say _preacher?_\"\n\n\"Yes, sir.'\n\n\"Well, well! if I was secreted in the bushes along the side of the\nroad for the purpose of waylaying a preacher, and Mr. Ruby should pass\nalong, I wouldn't even snap a cap at him.\"\n\nThe reverend gentleman was completely thunderstruck. He had no more use\nfor Elder Grant, and remarked: \"If that is the kind of a man he is, I\ndon't want to have anything more to do with him.\"\n\nIt was enough; there was no discussion. Thus, Brother Grant disarmed\nhis foe, and marched on triumphantly to victory, scattering the seeds\nof eternal truth, which have taken root in the hearts of many and\nsprung up, and in their turn produced fruit.\n\nIt can be truly said of Elder J. M. Grant that he has left \"footprints\non the sands of time,\" for I saw them and took courage.\n\nMay the sons of this noble man emulate the glorious traits of a father\nwho was so honored of heaven.\n\n\n\nWAR HILL.\n\nBY J. MORGAN.\n\nELDER J. M. GRANT CHALLENGED TO DEBATE--BOONE'S HILL CHOSEN AS THE\nPLACE--HIS ANTAGONIST GETS SIX MINISTERS TO HELP HIM--DEMORALIZED\nMINISTERS SEND FOR ANOTHER TO ASSIST THEM--INGLORIOUS DEFEAT OF THE\nEIGHT--ONE OF THEM ABSENT-MINDED--CHANGE OF NAME TO \"WAR HILL.\"\n\nTraveling through the State of North Carolina, I met with many\nreminiscences of President Jedediah M. Grant, who performed a mission\nthere many years ago, making a vivid impression on the minds of the\npeople, and converting quite a few to the truth.\n\nAn old gentleman, who is not a member of the Church, but who was a\nwarm friend and ardent admirer of Elder Grant, relates a graphic\nand interesting account of a debate that the latter held with some\nministers, in what is now Surry County.\n\nUpon the advent of the \"Mormon\" preacher into that particular locality,\na minister of one of the denominations challenged him to debate, which\nchallenge was promptly accepted, and the necessary preparations were\nimmediately made. A chairman and judge were selected, rules adopted\nto govern the discussion, and the well-known locality of Boone's Hill\nwas chosen as the place to hold the debate. It was the birthplace\nand former home of Colonel Daniel Boone, the first white settler of\nKentucky, and the building located there was known far and near as\nBoone's Hill Church.\n\nAfter the preliminaries had been arranged, the minister appeared to\nhave become a little nervous, and requested the privilege of bringing\nin a friend to assist him.\n\nElder Grant's reply was, \"Yes, as many as you wish.\"\n\nThe result was that when the day came, he found seven sectarian\npreachers pitted against him.\n\nHe claimed and obtained the privilege of replying to each speaker\nconsecutively.\n\nThe church proved much too small to accommodate the people; so a\nplatform was erected at the rear of the building, and the people seated\nthemselves under the shade of the trees.\n\nThe discussion opened, and the polemical battle waxed hot, and\nhotter, as hour after hour of debate went by. The Elder followed them\nwhithersoever they saw proper to lead, and, with Bible quotations\nand historical facts, he struck blows so rapid and strong that his\nopponents became demoralized on the second day, and posted a runner\non horseback off eighty miles, to bring to their assistance a noted\ndivine. By a rapid journey, this theological Hercules soon reached the\nappointed place, and by his presence revived the drooping spirits of\nhis friends.\n\nBut the Elder, after four days of continuous debate, only seemed to\nhave got fairly into a condition to talk well, and doubly astonished\nthe priests and people by the hurricane of thought, truth and logic\nthat came rushing through his lips with such force as to sweep away\ntheir arguments and sophistry, holding spell-bound the audience, while\nhe contrasted the man-made system of modern theology with the grand and\nglorious truths of God's revealed religion. He portrayed the sublimity\nof holy writ in its forecast of the glorious work of the latter days;\nthe restoration of the gospel; the visitation of angels; the believer\nblessed with the gifts and signs following; the building up of the\nkingdom of God; the redemption of the human family and of the earth;\nuntil, at last, turning to the crowd of ministers who had been opposing\nhim, he called upon them to turn from their erroneous doctrines and\naid him in the promulgation of the true gospel, that must \"be preached\nin all the world for a witness.\" He promised that if they would do so\nthey should reap eternal life. Raising his hands towards heaven, he\ndeclared that he had spoken the truth to the people, that his hands\nwere washed clean of their blood, and that his testimony was recorded\nin the archives of heaven, to be brought forth on the great day of\nGod's judgment; and said, \"you ministers, and you people, will meet it\nthere that day.\"\n\nAt the close of this remarkable scene the men who had been opposing him\nbegan hurriedly leaving the platform. So excited were they in their\nmovements, that the leading one of them left his Bible, cane and hat\nbehind him.\n\nNoticing these articles left behind, Elder Grant called and requested\nsome one to carry them to the absent-minded owner, and one of the\nbystanders did so.\n\nElder Grant then dismissed the congregation, and from that day to this,\nBoone's Hill has been called _War Hill_, in memory of the religious\nbattle fought there.\n\n\n\nSIGN-SEEKING.\n\nBY J. H. VAN NATTA.\n\nPERSECUTING THE MISSIONARIES--A DISCUSSION--NOT CONTENT WITH BIBLE\nPROOFS--A SIGN DEMANDED--NO SIGNS PROMISED TO UNBELIEVERS--WARNED TO\nREPENT, OR ENDURE THE CURSE OF GOD--THE RESULT.\n\nIn the year 1841, three Elders--James M. Adams, James M. Emmett and\nHiram Page--were traveling in Erie Country, Pennsylvania, preaching\nthe gospel. The opposing power, which is always ready to contest the\nground with the Elders, inch by inch, manifested itself there in a most\nviolent manner. As usual, this opposition came from those who professed\nto be Christians. A Baptist minister and his sons disfigured Elder\nEmmett's pony by clipping off its hair, daubing tar on it, etc., and\nthe Elders were also threatened, though the threats were not put into\nexecution.\n\nThe Elders were finally challenged to debate with a number of\npreachers, on the subject of the gospel.\n\nThe challenge was accepted on condition that the preachers would\nconfine their arguments to Bible proofs, which they agreed to do.\n\nThe discussion accordingly opened by Elder Adams preaching a discourse\non the first principles of the gospel. He spoke in such a plain,\npointed and forcible manner, that the opponents to the truth were\ndisconcerted. When their turn to speak arrived, they laid aside the\nvolume of inspiration which they had agreed to take as their guide, and\ncommenced reading from Howe's \"Mormonism Unveiled,\" a book written by\none D. P. Hurlbut. This book contained the most glaring falsehoods and\ninconsistent ideas that wicked men could invent.\n\nThe umpires informed the preachers that they must not deviate from\ntheir written contract, but confine themselves to Bible proofs, as they\nhad agreed to do. If the \"Mormon\" doctrine was false, it must be proved\nso from the Bible.\n\nAfter the old preachers had tried in vain to produce any scripture\nproofs, or logic either, to sustain their false views, and the\npowerless form of religion which they held to, they were reinforced\nby a young Free-will Baptist preacher, named Solon Hill. It was soon\nevident that he could offer nothing in the way of argument, for he soon\ndrifted into the same strain of slander and vituperation in which the\nothers of his party had sought to indulge Finally, however, he hit upon\na plan which he seemed to think would enable him to come off victor.\n\nTurning to Elder Adams, he said, \"If you are a servant of God, as you\nboldly say you are, I demand a sign of you, to convince me that you are\ngenuine.\"\n\nElder Adams told him that he had taken a dangerous stand; that signs\nfollowed believers, but did not go before them; that signs came by\nfaith, not faith by signs. He informed him who the first sign-seeker\nwas--Satan, whose children had always been faithful in following his\nexample. He testified that the truths of heaven had been plainly laid\nbefore them, that the Spirit had given unmistakable evidence of its\ntruth, and that unless he repented of his sins, rendered obedience to\nthe gospel and lived up to its requirements, the curse of God would\nrest upon him.\n\nThe meeting was dismissed without the preachers being able to disprove\nany of the truths advanced by the Elders; the people were left to\nreflect at leisure upon what they had listened to, and the preacher,\nHill, to accept the consequence of disobeying the servant of God.\n\n* * * * * * *\n\nAfter a lapse of sixteen years from the time of the events just\nnarrated, I happened to be in the same part of Pennsylvania upon a\nmission.\n\nCalling one day at a house to water my horse, I saw one of the most\ndeformed and repulsive looking beings I ever beheld.\n\nOn arriving at my destination, I informed my brethren of the hideous\nsight I had met with, when I was told that the being I had seen was\nwhat was left of the man who had demanded a sign from a servant of God.\n\nIn 1878, Elder Butler, of Ogden, was on a mission to the same place,\nand I wrote to him for information concerning Hill. His reply was, \"He\nis still alive, and an object of charity.\"\n\nThere are two ways of knowing the truths of the gospel. One is to\nobey and live up to them. The antediluvians took the other way and\nwere overwhelmed; and the man who wanted a sign also took it, and, as\na consequence, had to drag out a long and most miserable existence,\nmanifesting by his appearance to every beholder, that the curse of the\nAlmighty was certainly resting upon him.\n\n\n\nMISSIONARY INCIDENTS.\n\nBy H. G. B.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nA BUSY MISSION--A RICH HARVEST OF SOULS--JUDGMENTS UPON OUR OPPONENTS.\n\nI am writing from a place (Mount Airy, Surry County, N. C.) that I\nvisited as a missionary first in 1868. Then I labored in company with\nHoward K. Coray, in this and Stokes Counties, N. C., and in some three\nor four Counties of Va., for two years and three months, during which\ntime we baptized nearly three hundred souls, one hundred and sixty of\nwhom accompanied us home to Utah. It is of some of the incidents of\nthis mission that I wish to write.\n\nI remember very well, that after laboring some months in Virginia, and\nbaptizing some thirty persons, we left Burke's Garden, Va., the 20th of\nJanuary, 1868, reaching this point after three days' travel. We were\nabsent from Burke's Garden just two months to a day, and during that\ntime we held fifty-four public meetings, baptized thirty persons, and\norganized them into a branch of the Church. In addition to our public\nmeetings, we visited from place to place among the people, constantly\nteaching, both day and night, often till after midnight.\n\nIt was generally understood where we were to visit, each day and night,\nfor a week ahead, and at each of these places, crowds of the neighbors\nwould assemble, coming from their homes, guided through the darkness of\nthe night by their pitch-pine torch-lights.\n\nWhen, on these occasions, we met with the people, we had to do a vast\namount of teaching and singing (Elder Coray being an excellent singer),\nand answer hundreds of questions. What one could not think of another\nwould. And thus we had to teach and explain and answer the demands made\nupon us day after day, and night after night, until our instructions in\nthis manner covered hundreds of discourses, and until we were so nearly\nworn out, that we had sometimes to retire to the woods and hide, to get\na little respite from our too-constant labor.\n\nWe indeed literally sowed the seed in tears and in peril, in the midst\nof opposition and bitter persecution. But the Lord fully magnified His\nname, His cause, and His servants, in all that we had to do and to bear.\n\nThe new Methodist church in this place, which was denied us to preach\nin, was, two days afterwards, struck by lightning, and so nearly\ndemolished that, I am told, it was never repaired. A man, who was a\nclass leader, who abused his sister for going to our meetings, and\nshamefully lied about Elder Coray and myself, and said all manner of\nevil, falsely, against the Latter-day Saints and the gospel, was found\nby his wife, the next morning, dead by her side; and because his body\ndid not get cold like ordinary corpses, he was not buried for nearly a\nweek after his death.\n\nTwo wealthy and prominent men, who used their influence and the power\nof their wealth and position-to retard the work of the Lord here, met\nwith sudden and unexpected deaths.\n\nMany other incidents of like nature might be mentioned that occurred\nhere during our stay. So many of them, in fact, occurred, that great\nfear came upon the people.\n\nWhile we labored in poverty, in all humility, contrite in spirit,\nreaching out in our weakness after the honest-in-heart, many souls\nwere added to the Church. The poor had the gospel preached to them,\nthe Lord giving us a harvest of sheaves. The people hung upon our\nwords as the words of life; every expression and every movement was\nnarrowly watched. They read their Bibles as they had never read them\nbefore; \"They that erred in spirit came to understanding, and they that\nmurmured learned doctrine;\" and they rejoiced in the Holy One of Israel.\n\nHow faithful then ought we messengers of the gospel to be, in the trust\nthat is reposed in us, to carry this glad message to our poor, fallen\nbrethren and sisters in humanity!\n\nIn conclusion, I wish to offer a little advice to the boys and young\nmen who may read this: Be very diligent in storing your minds with\nall useful knowledge--with all the truths of the new and everlasting\ngospel. Live pure lives in the sight of heaven, and the angels that\nconstantly watch every act of your lives. Be truthful, honest, sober,\nvirtuous and faithful in all things. The Almighty wants you, with your\ninnocence and purity and strength, to redeem the nations that sit in\ndarkness. And you may yet stand before rulers, kings, emperors, and the\ngreat of all nations of the earth, when they will tremble and quail\nbefore you, because of the power of God that will rest upon you.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nVISIT TO A BAPTIST MEETING--ABUSE OF THE VARIOUS CHURCHES, ESPECIALLY\nTHE \"MORMONS\"--BOASTED BIBLE-NAME AND RELIGION--RETURN TO THE TEXT--THE\n\"HARD-SHELL\" WAIL--REPLY TO THE FALSE ASSERTIONS--THEIR \"BIBLE-NAME\"\nDISPROVED--THE TRUE SCRIPTURE NAME POINTED OUT.\n\nWhile Brother H. K. Coray and I were laboring as missionaries in North\nCarolina, we attended a Baptist meeting, rather on his account than\nmine, as he had never been to such a meeting.\n\nIt was on Saturday, and the meeting was held in a bowery in the edge of\na wood, in Stokes County.\n\nShortly after our arrival, the meeting was opened in the usual way,\nby the minister, the Rev. Mr. Mourning, the leading preacher of that\ndenomination. He arose and read his text from the Song of Solomon,\n8th chapter and 8th verse: \"We have a little sister, and she hath no\nbreasts,\" etc., after which, the preacher launched out in a discourse\nmade up from abuse and slander of other denominations.\n\nFirst he commenced a tirade against the Methodists, by saying:\n\n\"There is the Methodist church; I do not read in the Bible of the\nMethodist church; therefore, that church cannot be the true church.\nNeither do I read of the Presbyterian church; it is, therefore, not\nGod's church. Nor do I read anything in the good book about the\nLutheran church; nor does the scriptures say anything about the\nCampbellite church, nor the Catholic church, nor the Quaker church.\"\n\nThus he went on, mentioning all the leading sects of the present day,\nsaying none of these could possibly be the true church, because the\nBible was silent as to their names.\n\nHe seemed to take some pains to save the \"Mormons\" till the last, so\nas to be thoroughly warmed up, that he might be the better able to do\njustice to their case.\n\nAfter awhile, getting all the steam on--mustering all his force,\nhe opened his battery upon the \"Mormon\" Church, saying the \"Mormon\"\nChurch was not mentioned anywhere in the scriptures, nor the \"Mormon\"\nreligion; neither the \"Mormon Bible,\" nor \"Joe\" Smith, nor Brigham\nYoung, not even the word \"Mormon\" was mentioned there.\n\nHe finished up his abuse of the \"Mormons\" by saying they were the most\ndangerous, and altogether the worst of the whole bad lot.\n\n\"But,\" said he, referring to the Baptist church, \"ours is the Primitive\nBaptist church--a Bible name. Ours is a Bible church, a Bible\nreligion,\" etc.\n\n\"Sometimes,\" he added, \"we are called 'Iron Jackets,' sometimes, 'Hard\nShells,' but these are nicknames. Our true Bible name is 'Primitive\nBaptists.'\"\n\nBy this time he had been talking an hour, and had not once referred\nto the text. But having apparently satisfied himself and a few of his\nhearers in abusing other denominations in general, and the \"Mormons\" in\nparticular, he suddenly assumed the old \"Hard Shell\" wail, or preaching\ntune, and drawled out:\n\n\"But my dear friends and breethring-ah, we have a little sister-ah,\nand she hath no breasts-ah. I am very much afraid, my dear friends and\nbreethring-ah, that in that great day when we shall be spoken for-ah,\nthat some of us will be brought into that awful presence-ah, and there\nfind we have no breasts-ah. And oh, my dear friends and breethring-ah,\nwill not this be an awful condition to be found in-ah?\"\n\nHonestly, this is no exaggeration! Thus he held forth for an hour\nlonger, expressing no two sentences without the phrase, \"my dear\nfriends and breethring-ah,\" being sandwiched in between.\n\nI am very sorry I cannot give my readers the music, for it would be a\nrich treat.\n\nAs he was about to close the meeting, I asked for permission to speak\nfor a few minutes.\n\n\"Not,\" said he, \"till we dismiss our meeting; then if the people wish\nto hear you I have no objection.\"\n\nWhen he had dismissed his meeting, all the congregation sat down again,\nthus giving me to understand they wished me to talk to them.\n\nI commenced by stating to the audience that I wished to correct some\nmistakes made by Mr. Mourning, relative to the name of the Church to\nwhich I belonged. We were called the \"Mormon\" Church, which was a\nnickname given us by our enemies, the true and legal name being, the\nChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; also that there could be\nno other appropriate name for Christ's church. Churches that are not\nHis, should always be called by some other name than His, illustrating\nto them that the church of Christ was never called by any man's name.\nChrist's church in the days of Noah was not called Noah's church.\nNeither was His church called the church of Abraham in his day, nor the\nchurch of Moses when Moses lived. Nor was it ever called the church of\nJohn the Baptist in the day that he was upon the earth. I closed by\nsaying that I never in the Bible had read anything about a \"Primitive\nBaptist church.\"\n\nIn the absence of anything better to say, he asked me if I did not like\nJohn the Baptist.\n\nI answered \"Yes,\" and that he was called the Baptist because he had\nbaptized the people in all Judea and Jerusalem, and the region round\nabout Jordan, as Mr. Cloud (referring to a man that sat near me) had\nmade shoes for all the people near where he lived, and on that account\nwas called a shoemaker, but it did not follow that those for whom he\nhad made the shoes were also called shoemakers.\n\nI requested him, if there was any evidence in the scriptures to\nestablish the Bible name of his church, to open his Bible and read it\nto the people.\n\nThis he could not do, for the simple reason that there was no such\nevidence in the Bible. Nor do I believe that this great Baptist\nminister ever knew, till I brought this fact to his notice, that there\nwas no evidence in the scriptures to establish a \"Baptist\" church.\nAnd the members of his church seemed to be disappointed and utterly\nastonished that he was unable to produce the proofs asked for.\n\nTo prove that ours was a scriptural name, I referred to, and quoted\nMatt. xvi. 18; Col. i. 18; Acts xx. 28; I. Cor. xiv. 33, and other\npassages.\n\nWhen I concluded my remarks, a large number of the assemblage gathered\nabout me, that is, the portion that were not Baptists, manifesting\ntowards me in various ways their good feelings. They were like their\nprototypes, the Pharisees and Sadducees of old.\n\nWhen the Savior overthrew some pet dogma of the Pharisees, as He often\ndid, the Sadducees would gather about Him, feeling very much elated;\nand when He, in like manner, demolished some tenet of the Sadducees, as\nvery often happened, then the Pharisees rejoiced. But in the end all\nthe parties united against the Savior.\n\nSo it is in these days. The only thing in which the sects of this\nday are united, is in their opposition to and persecution of the\nSaints--the true followers of Christ.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nMINISTERS APPOINT A MEETING TO EXPOSE \"MORMONISM\"--WE APPOINT ONE FOR\nTHE SAME PURPOSE, AND THE SAMEDAY--MINISTERS FAIL TO APPEAR--OTHERS\nPREACH INSTEAD--WE FOLLOW--A BAPTIST ATTEMPTS TO REPLY--HIS\nCONTRADICTORY STATEMENT--FELLOW-PREACHER'S CHAGRIN--THE PREACHER'S\nCONCESSION.\n\nIn Surry Co., N. C., in 1868, Elder H. K. Coray and I had made out our\nappointments ahead for the first, second, fourth and fifth Sundays in\nAugust, but failed to get out an appointment for the third Sunday,\nalthough we had made every effort to do so.\n\nOn the morning of the first Sunday, Esquire William Hill came to us and\nreported that some Methodist ministers had given out an appointment\nfor the bowery, at Cross Roads, at eleven o'clock a. m., on the third\nSunday of that month, for the purpose of \"exposing 'Mormonism.'\"\n\nThe squire seemed very anxious for us to make an appointment for the\nsame day and place, at two p. m., which, after due deliberation, we\ndid, referring to the other meeting and its purpose, and then stating\nthat we would, at our meeting, continue the exposition of \"Mormonism.\"\n\nThe news of these appointments soon spread far and wide, as connected\ntherewith was also the idea of a discussion.\n\nArriving at the place a little before eleven o'clock a. m., we found\nthe people had filled up the bowery, and the woods also seemed to be\nalive with them.\n\nBut those ministers, after hearing that we would reply to their slander\nin the afternoon, failed to put in an appearance.\n\nHowever, four others, two Methodists and two Missionary Baptists,\nattended the meeting.\n\nDiscourses were delivered by two of these divines, one of each\ndenomination, neither of whom alluded to our people, or doctrines; but\neach, at the close of his sermon, gave liberty to any other minister to\nreply to any doctrines that had been advanced.\n\nNo one replying, their meeting closed at half-past one o'clock, at\nwhich time we announced that there would be a recess for thirty\nminutes, when our meeting would commence.\n\nThe intermission afforded them time for all to take dinner, as nearly\nall had brought lunch from their homes.\n\nDuring the forenoon meeting, crowds of people were strolling through\nthe adjacent woods, among the carriages, wagons and horses, and\ncrowding about the well. But when our meeting commenced, all gathered\nin and about the bowery, into a vast and compact assemblage.\n\nThe contrast was apparent to all, and especially was it gratifying to\nus.\n\nThe Rev. Mr. Cordell, a Baptist, took his seat upon the stand with us.\nThe Rev. Mr. Gray, a Methodist, sat in front and near the stand tilting\nhimself back in his chair, with both thumbs inserted in the arm holes\nof his vest, looking as if he thought St. Paul's overcoat too small to\nmake a vest pattern for him. The two others sat near Mr. Gray.\n\nOur meeting opened. The discourse was upon the first principles of the\ngospel--faith, repentance, baptism, the bestowal of the Holy Ghost, the\ngifts and blessings enjoyed by the members, and the organization of the\nChurch with Apostles, Prophets, etc.\n\nQuotations from the Bible, in abundance, were brought forward to fully\nprove these points of doctrine.\n\nThe preachers and many of the people seemed to be very much astonished\nthat it was such an easy matter to establish these doctrines by the\nscriptures. Especially did the Rev. Mr. Gray forget all his assumed\ndignity, and, leaning forward in his chair, looked as amazed as he\ncould be, evidently realizing that he, for the first time in his life,\nwas listening to the gospel.\n\nAt the close of the discourse, liberty was extended to any person\npresent to make remarks upon the doctrines we had set forth.\n\nThe Rev. Mr. Cordell arose, and said, \"I have belonged to the\nMissionary Baptist church for thirty years, and have been a minister\nof that church for twenty-five years of that time, and I have just\nlistened to a discourse, setting forth the doctrines I have always,\nduring that time, believed in and preached. Yet, I will not believe\nexcept Mr. Boyle will work a miracle, and, even then, I will not go to\nUtah.\"\n\nNow this great preacher (for as such was he esteemed by the people\nwho knew him), when he arose to his feet, was white as a ghost, and\ntrembled from head to foot, really not knowing what he was saying.\n\nI must confess that I was surprised at what he said, and so were\nnine-tenths of those present.\n\nI could see the people all through the audience exchanging glances\nof astonishment, and many were really chagrined, and some actually\nlaughing at the absurdity of what he was saying.\n\nAll knew what he said was false, when he asserted that he had always\nbelieved in and preached what he had just heard.\n\nWhen he sat down, I called the attention of the people to the\ninconsistency of calling for a miracle, to make him believe what he\nprofessed to have believed and preached for twenty-five years. As to\nwhether he had really made a truthful statement, I said I would leave\nthem to decide, as they were all acquainted with his reverence and I\nwas not. I also referred to the idea he seemed to entertain, that some\none wished him to go to Utah. I was sure I had not invited him to go to\nUtah, neither did I believe any of my friends had.\n\nHis brother preacher remarked, next day, to Squire Hill, that he would\nnot have had \"Brother Cordell\" so disgrace himself for five hundred\ndollars out of his own pocket.\n\nThe result of the meeting was good. The report of it went far and wide,\nand helped us to a great extent in our subsequent labors. A great many\nwere soon afterwards baptized in that section, among them 'Squire Hill\nand five or six of his family.\n\nWe afterwards looked upon it as providential that we did not get out an\nappointment sooner for the third Sunday in August, 1868.\n\nApropos to this incident, I may mention that when I was in North\nCarolina, recently, I was informed by a number of persons that Mr.\nCordell often asserts that the Latter-day Saints can prove all their\ndoctrines by the scriptures, and that he never speaks evil of them.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nMY FIRST SERMON--REMARKABLE INSTANCE OF HELP FROM THE ALMIGHTY.\n\nNever shall I forget the first time I was called upon to make an effort\nto preach the gospel. It was in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, in the\nmonth of June, 1844.\n\nI had been ordained an Elder and set apart to take a mission to\nVirginia, in company with Elder Sebert C. Shelton.\n\nMy extreme youth prevented me from realizing the responsibilities of a\nmission. Being a beardless boy, it never occurred to me that I would be\ncalled upon to preach. Up to that time I never had been upon my feet to\nsay a word in public.\n\nAt a meeting which had been advertised for two weeks, at the Methodist\ncamp meeting ground, in a grove, in the County before mentioned, were\ngathered an assemblage of six or seven hundred men, women and children,\npriests, doctors and lawyers, the largest meeting I had ever witnessed\nup to that time.\n\nI came to this meeting from one part of the County, and Elder Shelton\nwas expected to come from another quarter. But the time to commence\nmeeting had arrived, and Elder Shelton had not.\n\nThe audience was impatient. A party of three or four of the leading\ncitizens waited upon me, to know if I would not address the meeting.\nThere never had been a \"Mormon\" meeting in that County before, and they\ncould not afford to be disappointed.\n\nI was sitting near the center of the meeting (not realizing that the\nstand was my place) when these men made the inquiry.\n\nIf a battery of artillery had been discharged in our midst, I do not\nthink it would have so startled me, as did this request.\n\nFor the first time I began to realize that it was my duty to try to\nadvocate the religion I professed.\n\nJust as I was going to answer that I would make an effort, Elder\nShelton walked upon the stand, and this seemed to lift a mountain from\nmy shoulders.\n\nBrother Shelton looked wearied and sick, but opened the meeting with\nsinging and prayer, and sang again before he discovered me in the\naudience. Then he immediately called upon me to come to the stand and\npreach, as he was too sick and feeble to attempt it.\n\nTo say I was scared, would scarcely convey a proper idea of my\ncondition. I was in a tremor from head to feet, and shook like a leaf\nin a storm, scarcely knowing what I did.\n\nI took up Elder Shelton's Bible which lay upon the front board, and\nwithout any premeditation, I opened at the third chapter of John, and\nread the fifth verse.\n\nBy the time I had finished reading, all my trembling had left me, and\nI felt as calm and collected as the quiet that succeeds the storm. The\nsubjects of the first principles of the gospel were opened to me like\nprint, only plainer and more powerful.\n\nFaith, repentance, baptism for the remission of sins and the laying on\nof hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost, came to me in succession\nand in their order. And those priests, doctors, lawyers and people did\nnot appear to me more formidable than so many butterflies.\n\nNo miracle ever performed by the power of God, could have had a more\nconvincing effect upon me, than did the help that came to me through\nthe power of the Holy Ghost on that occasion. And I am fully convinced\nin my own mind that never since have I preached a more effective\ndiscourse, nor one accompanied by more of the power of God.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nMY SECOND SERMON, WHICH WAS NOT A SERMON--CONFIDENCE IN\nCOMMENCING--SUBSEQUENT CHAGRIN--THE LESSON I LEARNED.\n\nAfter delivering my first sermon or discourse I indulged in some very\nextravagant reflections and ideas relative to my great success.\n\nI thought it easy enough for a \"Mormon\" to be a preacher. I considered\nit no wonder that Brother Jedediah M. Grant was such a splendid\nspeaker. I never afterwards expected to have any trouble so far as\npreaching the gospel was concerned.\n\nIt never occurred to me that there was any chance for a failure. As the\npower and inspiration enabling me to preach came from God, it was, I\nthought, simply impossible for there to be any failure.\n\nHowever, in this I was never more disappointed, as I will show:\n\nIn a few days after I preached my first sermon, and in the same\nneighborhood, we held another meeting, when Brother Shelton called on\nme again to preach. And when, in obedience to the call, I arose to my\nfeet, it was with all the confidence and assurance possible. But to my\nsurprise and chagrin, I could scarcely utter a word.\n\nI was spiritually, mentally, and almost physically blind, and the power\nof darkness seemed to have complete control over me.\n\nAfter struggling with this power for a few minutes, I sat down in\nconfusion and shame, not having been able to speak one connected\nsentence.\n\nImmediately, something seemed to say to me, \"Now you have learned two\nimportant lessons: what you can do when the Lord helps you, and what\nyou cannot do, without His help.\"\n\nNo doubt some of my young friends are ready to ask, \"Why did you fail?\"\nIt may have been that I was not sufficiently humble, and perhaps had\nnot given God the glory to that extent that I should.\n\nThe best reason, however, I think, was that the Lord designed to teach\nme a valuable lesson, which I am proud to say I have never forgotten;\nand to this day, when I arise to preach the gospel, I say: \"O! my\nFather, help me on this occasion by Thy Holy Spirit.\"\n\n\n\nJOURNEY ACROSS THE PLAINS.\n\nBY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR.\n\nSURROUNDED BY INDIANS--PREPARE FOR AN ATTACK--SIGN OF PEACE--A\nLETTER--PIPE OF PEACE--THREE OF US ACCOMPANY THE INDIANS TO THEIR\nCAMP--CHAGRIN AT THE REPULSE--ROAD SWEPT CLEAR OF SNOW--MISSOURI RIVER\nFROZEN OVER--WE CROSS ON THE ICE, WHICH BREAKS AS THE LAST WAGON LEAVES\nIT.\n\nIn the latter part of October, 1849, a number of missionaries started\nfrom Salt Lake Valley to go to the States, among whom were several of\nthe Twelve, who were going to introduce the gospel to foreign lands.\nElder Erastus Snow was appointed to Denmark, Lorenzo Snow to Italy,\nmyself, in company with John Pack and Curtis E. Bolton, to France, and\nFranklin D. Richards to England. We were accompanied to the States by\nElder Jedediah M. Grant, Bishops Edward Hunter, A. O. Smooth, Edwin\nD. Woolley, Joseph Heywood and a number of other Elders and brethren.\nSeveral merchants also accompanied the expedition.\n\nWhile journeying, we had a variety of singular adventures, and\nexperienced some remarkable interpositions of providence during the\ntrip, some of which I will relate.\n\nWhen we arrived at a point some distance west of Laramie, as we turned\nout our horses, at noon, suddenly a large body of Indians, amounting in\nnumber to a hundred or a hundred and fifty, appeared in sight.\n\nThey were evidently on the lookout for a body of Crows, a hostile tribe\nof Indians, who had hovered around us for some time on our journey.\n\nAs they first came in sight they swept along with all the abandon of\nthe red man, and their appearance was really very imposing. They were\nperhaps a mile from us when we first saw them.\n\nI was very much interested in their appearance, as they came dashing\ndown upon us on their fiery steeds, in warlike costume.\n\nThe manes and tails of their horses were painted various colors; and\nthe Indians themselves, painted and arrayed in their richest and gayest\nstyles, prepared for war, presented a magnificent aspect.\n\nBut our personal safety soon led us to other reflections.\n\nWhile a part of the company immediately gathered up the horses, another\npart attended to our firearms; and before the Indians reached us, we\nhad formed a line for defense, with our guns and pistols all prepared\nfor anything that might transpire.\n\nThe Indians rode to within about two rods of us, and then made a halt;\nand as we had our guns leveled at them, they immediately assumed a\nhostile attitude. Some of them having flint-lock guns, commenced\npecking their flints and making ready for firing, and others wet their\nfinger ends and placed their arrows in their bows, preparatory to an\nencounter.\n\nWhile thus engaged on both sides, waiting for anything that might\ntranspire, a fat, jolly-looking Indian came lumbering up on horseback,\nnot having been able to keep pace with his more youthful companions. He\nheld up both hands, and, as I understood this was a sign of peace, and\nthat he evidently desired to avoid any collision, I went out to meet\nhim. He then produced a paper, which stated that these Indians were\npeaceable and friendly. It was signed by a Major Sanderson, who was\nthen commanding at Fort Laramie.\n\nAlthough their attitude did not bespeak the most pacific intentions,\nwe, of course, received the statement with as good a grace as possible.\n\nWhile waiting, several Indians attempted to pass us on the flank. When\nhe saw this, Brother Grant, who had assumed command of the company for\nthe time being, ordered a number of men to level their guns at them,\nwhich caused them to remain.\n\nAs we could not talk with them nor they to us, and as no interpreters\nwere present, we had to judge by signs as best we could.\n\nThey pointed out to us several sentinels placed on the tops of\nmountains in different directions, and intimated by signs that they\nwanted these men to go to them, so we permitted them to pass.\n\nThe chief then touched his mouth or tongue, and we supposed that they\ndesired something to eat. I made a motion for the chief to move his\nmen back, which he did. They sat down and we furnished them with beef,\ncrackers, tobacco, etc.; but we found that they were not hungry, and\nthat they were anxious to talk with us.\n\nWe smoked the pipe of peace with them, and then harnessed our horses\nand prepared to start, when they formed a line on each side of us; each\nof our men, as a precautionary measure, taking his gun in his hand as\nhe drove his team.\n\nThe chief expressed a desire to have some of us go to his camp, which,\nhe informed us by signs, was not far off. Lorenzo Snow, Bishop Hunter\nand I accompanied him, and our train moved on its course.\n\nThe camp, which was about three miles from our own encampment, we\nfound to be very large. The Indians were very well-formed, athletic\nmen, and good specimens of their race. There were a great many\nrespectable-looking lodges, and I should suppose about three thousand\nhorses grazing about.\n\nWhen we met them the chief seemed somewhat chagrined, and we thought\nthat the repulse of his men by us was the cause.\n\nThere was a Frenchman at the camp, who acted as interpreter during our\ninterview. In our conversation the chief asked us why we had assumed a\nwarlike attitude towards his people.\n\nWe told him that we were not acquainted with them, and thought it best\nto be prepared. We did not know but that they were some of the Crows,\nwho had been hovering around us.\n\nThey were anxious to know about the Crows, having heard that they\nwere going to steal some horses from them. After a short and pleasant\ninterview, we left and joined our camp.\n\nThat night we put out a strong guard around our horses, and the same\nnight the Crows stole a good many horses from these Indians, as well\nas the horses of some trappers who were in the immediate vicinity; but\nours were not molested.\n\nOn reaching Fort Laramie we were very courteously received and kindly\ntreated by Major Sanderson.\n\nAs it was late in the fall, the snow began to descend and the whole\ncountry was covered to about twelve inches in depth.\n\nImmediately after we crossed the south fork of the Platte River we met\nwith a very remarkable circumstance which we were led to look upon as\na providential occurrence and the interposition of the Almighty in our\nbehalf. Along the road that we traveled all the way from there to Fort\nKearney, the snow had been blown from the road the entire distance, as\nif swept by a broom, leaving a clear track for us to travel upon.\n\nIt was very difficult to find nutritious food for our animals, the\ngrass having been killed by the frost, and before we reached the\nMissouri River many of them failed and a number died.\n\nThe very last day before we arrived, we encountered a very severe snow\nstorm, which made it extremely difficult for the animals to move, and\nmany of them gave out. After much difficulty we arrived at an old\ndeserted fort, on the Missouri River, parties bringing in the wearied\nanimals as best they could.\n\nAlthough an old deserted log house, with large openings between the\nlogs, and without windows and doors, was the only shelter afforded us,\nI am not aware of any time in my life when I experienced a greater\nsense of providential interposition and relief than I did with that\ntemporary refuge from the storm.\n\nWe stayed there the next day and found a family, in the immediate\nvicinity who cooked and provided for us. We found that the ice was\nrunning very strong in the Missouri River, and that it was impossible\nto ferry across.\n\nThe succeeding was one of the most severely cold nights I ever\nexperienced, and in the morning some of our party went down to the\nriver and found that the floating ice had lodged and formed a bridge\nacross.\n\nA company was selected to see if it was safe, and they returned and\nstated that they thought the ice, though very thin, would bear us.\n\nWe immediately made preparations to cross the river, and, although it\nwas very rough, we took our wagons over without much difficulty; but\nfound that towards the last it began to be shaky and uncertain.\n\nMr. Kinkead, a merchant, who was along, having a lot of gold dust in\nhis possession, was afraid his team would sink before he got over, and\nhe carried it over on his shoulders, leaving his man to bring the team\nover as best he might.\n\nAfter using all the energy we could to get our teams over, the last one\nhad only just crossed the river when the ice gave way and floated down\nthe stream, thus exhibiting another remarkable manifestation of the\nprovidence of God towards His Elders who were going forth on missions\nto proclaim the gospel of salvation to the nations of the earth.\n\nMany people would be apt to look upon these things as natural\noccurrences; I ascribe them to the power of that Being who says the\nhairs of our heads are numbered, and that a sparrow cannot fall to the\nground without our Father's notice.\n\n\n\nSTORY OF A HAT.\n\nELDER PHILLIPS IN NEED OF A HAT--BROTHER HOBBS TOLD IN A DREAM TO\nPROVIDE ONE FOR HIM--HIS TROUBLE AT NOT BEING ABLE TO DO SO--THE HAT\nPROVIDED IN AN UNEXPECTED MANNER.\n\nThe following incident in the life of Elder Thomas Phillips, of Scipio,\nshows how mindful the Lord is of His servants, even in what may be\ndeemed small things. We will give it in Brother Phillips' own words.\n\n\"I have witnessed the providences of the Lord in various ways, while\ntraveling without purse or scrip, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ,\nand have realized that to such, when faithful, the Lord has manifested\nHis loving kindness, and that His watchful care over them is sensible\nto their understanding.\n\n\"One item, although it may appear small, is of particular interest to\nme. It is as follows:\n\n\"I was traveling in the towns and villages in a part of the County of\nSurrey, England, preaching the gospel as revealed from the heavens\nthrough the ministry of holy beings. Under these circumstances, food\nand raiment were sometimes hard to obtain; consequently, at one time I\nhad a hat that was very much the worse for wear.\n\n\"In a village called Hersham, in that county, lived a brother by the\nname of William Hobbs, whose house at I sometimes visited, and received\nfood and lodgings.\n\n\"One night Brother Hobbs dreamed that a personage came to him and told\nhim that Brother Phillips would be at his house on a certain day,\nnaming the time, which I think was four or five days from the time he\ndreamed. He was further told that he must get a new hat for Brother\nPhillips; for the one he wore was very shabby.\n\n\"This dream was very much impressed on the mind of Brother Hobbs, and\ntroubled him sorely, for it found him without money and some miles from\nany town where he could buy a hat.\n\n\"Brother Hobbs was the overseer of a small number of men, whose work\nwas to keep some miles of railroad in repair for the safety of the\ntrains.\n\n\"When the day came that I was to be at his house in the evening, he\nwent to his work very low-spirited, not having obtained the hat. While\nat work on the track, a long train of cars came along, and when passing\nthe place where Brother Hobbs and his hands were at work, a hat,\nsuitable for the finest gentleman in the land, flew out of one of the\nwindows.\n\n\"Brother Hobbs shouted, 'That's the hat for Brother Phillips! Thank\nGod!'\n\n\"When Brother Hobbs came home in the evening, I was there, it being the\ntime specified in the dream.\n\n\"He walked up to me and said:\n\n\"'Brother Phillips, I was to give you a hat, and here it is.'\n\n\"To our surprise, it fitted me well.\n\n\"As a matter of course I was anxious to know who was so thoughtful for\nan Elder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; and, in\nanswer to my questions, Brother Hobbs told me the dream.\n\n\"Then I knew, and still know, that the providences of our Heavenly\nFather were, and are, working in favor of the servants and Saints of\nthe Most High.\"\n\n\n\nA PROPHECY AND ITS FULFILLMENT.\n\nELDER TAYLOR'S LABORS IN LIVERPOOL--VISIT TO M'GAFFEY'S HOUSE--A\nPROPHECY CONCERNING MR. TAIT--VISIT TO IRELAND--M'GAFFEY GETS\nDRUNK--THE PROPHECY FULFILLED.\n\nWhen the Twelve Apostles, under the presidency of President Brigham\nYoung, went to England, it fell to the lot of Elder John Taylor (now\nPresident Taylor) to go to Liverpool to labor. At that town he was the\nmeans, in the hands of the Lord, of raising up a branch of the Church.\n\nAmong others who were baptized was a man by the name of McGaffey, an\nIrishman. Sometime after his baptism he invited Elder Taylor to make\na visit to his house, which he did. He met there a man by the name of\nTait, also an Irishman, whose home was in Ireland, but who had come to\nLiverpool on some business or a visit.\n\nThe conversation was kept up till a late hour in the evening, the\nprincipal topic, of course, being the gospel.\n\nWhen Elder Taylor arose to depart, Brother McGaffey accompanied him\nto the door, with a light, to show him the way out. While standing\nthere making the parting remarks, and taking leave of each other,\nElder Taylor felt suddenly led to predict to Brother McGaffey that his\nfriend, Mr. Tait, would be the first man baptized into the Church of\nJesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ireland.\n\nHe had no sooner made this prophecy than he became startled at what he\nhad said, for at that time there were no Elders in Ireland, and none\nhad been there, and, so far as Elder Taylor knew at the time, none were\nlikely to go there. Yet the Spirit of the Lord inspired the prophecy,\nand the Lord prepared the way by which it would be fulfilled. It was a\nprediction which a man could not fulfill, without God had inspired it\nand arranged circumstances to bring it to pass.\n\nTime rolled on, and Brother McGaffey desired to make a visit to his old\nplace of residence in Ireland, and he was anxious that Elder Taylor\nshould accompany him. He had received the gospel himself, and whatever\nhis own weaknesses might be, he valued it then, and wanted his kindred\nand acquaintances in Ireland to have it also.\n\nSo it was arranged they should go together, and they repaired to a town\ncalled Newry.\n\nIn that country, and there are others very like it in this respect,\nwhen friends have been long separated, there are some who think\nthat the best way to manifest good feeling and joy, at the reunion,\nis to drink whisky together, and they think these meetings hardly\nsatisfactory unless they can get drunk.\n\nMcGaffey had a good many neighbors and friends, and he had, or thought\nhe had, to drink with them. The consequence was he got drunk, not once,\nbut several times.\n\nProbably the first time he got drunk he was so ashamed of his conduct,\nhe a man professing to be a Latter-day Saint, that he got drunk the\nnext time to hide his shame. There are people, of whom we have heard,\nwho take just such a foolish, ridiculous course as this.\n\nBut whatever his motives were, he got intoxicated, and the people of\nthe town knew it.\n\nThis would have been bad enough under any circumstances; but worse\nwhen it was known that he was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ\nof Latter-day Saints, for, drunk as he was, he had taken pains to let\neverybody whom he met know what Church he belonged to.\n\nThis is a habit that many drunken people have. He not only told them\nwhat he was, but you may be sure he did not fail to tell them that he\nwas accompanied by one of the Twelve Apostles, and he boasted about\nhim, how eloquent he was and what a knowledge of the scriptures he had,\nand told many other things of a similar character.\n\nThis, you will readily understand, was scarcely the way that Elder\nTaylor wanted the gospel introduced for the first time to a people or a\nnation, and, we doubt not, he was terribly mortified at the ridiculous\nconduct of his companion. But he was there, and he had to make the best\nof it.\n\nThey succeeded in obtaining, what in that country is called the\n\"Sessions House,\" which we would call the \"Court House,\" to hold\nmeetings in, in which he preached and gave out another appointment for\nthe next evening.\n\nThe people, knowing probably of McGaffey's conduct, were very uneasy\nand restless, and kept going out and coming in, so much so that Elder\nTaylor told them that he did not feel like talking to them. He had\nplenty of appointments to fill, and abundant opportunities of speaking\nto people who would be glad to listen to him, he said, and as they\nseemed so indifferent about paying attention, he would not speak at\nthat time. He added, however, that if there were any there who wished\nto ask questions, or to converse with him, they would find him at a\ncertain place, mentioning to them the number of the house and the name\nof the street where he stopped.\n\nAfter this, they went out into the country, and held meeting in a large\nbarn.\n\nThis was well attended by the people and good order prevailed.\n\nAmong others who were present, were a number of young men who were\nbeing educated at a college in that vicinity, who had many inquiries to\nmake about the principles of the gospel.\n\nIn taking the route back to where they could get a conveyance to carry\nthem into Lisburn, they had some little distance to walk, and Elder\nTaylor had his valise with him, which he had to carry.\n\nOn the road they passed near the farm of the Mr. Tait, whom Elder\nTaylor had met at McGaffey's in Liverpool. Brother McGaffey thereupon\nproposed to Elder Taylor that they call upon him.\n\nThey found him at home, and when they arose to pursue their journey, he\naccompanied them, and insisted upon carrying the valise.\n\nThe conversation, we may naturally suppose, was upon the gospel and its\nprinciples.\n\nThey had not gone very far when they came to a \"loch,\" the name which\nis given to a lake in that country. Upon nearing this, Mr. Tait spoke\nout to Elder Taylor, in the language of the eunuch to Philip (_ Acts\nviii._, 36): \"See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?\"\n\nElder Taylor replied: \"If thou believest with all thine heart, thou\nmayest.\"\n\nMr. Tait answered: \"I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and\nI believe also the principles which you teach.\"\n\nAnd right there, Elder Taylor baptized him, and confirmed him a member\nof the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and ordained him a\nPriest.\n\nThus did the Lord bring about the fulfillment of the prediction which\nhe had inspired His servant to make, and Mr. Tait was the first man\nbaptized in Ireland, in this dispensation, by the authority of the holy\nPriesthood.\n\n\n\nGUIDED BY PROVIDENCE.\n\nBy JOHN MORGAN.\n\nELDER LISONBEE'S MISSION--URGED BY THE SPIRIT TO TRAVEL ON--FINDS A\nLISTENER--INVITED TO PREACH--A PROTEST AGAINST IT--SUCCESS--HIS GREAT\nWORK--HIS DEATH.\n\nAmong the Elders selected to go upon missions in the fall of 1875, was\nJames T. Lisonbee. He was assigned to the Southern States, and went\nto the State of Mississippi. There he met a few relatives, whom he\nvisited, and sought an opportunity to preach the gospel to the people,\nbut found no opening.\n\nAfter a brief visit, he packed his books and clothing into a valise\nand started afoot across the country northward, intending to go to\nTennessee and join Brother D. P. Rainey, whom he found, after a long\nand weary journey, almost bedfast with chills and fever.\n\nAfter spending only a day and night with him, Elder Lisonbee started\nfor the mountains of Northern Alabama, seemingly urged on by a spirit\nthat would not let him rest.\n\nHe had no idea where he was going, or what he would find. Day by day\nhe walked on, footsore and weary, without money and in a land of\nstrangers. He often had to travel till a late hour in the night, before\nobtaining a place to sleep or a little supper.\n\nHe met rebuffs and then kindness; was sometimes well-cared for, and\nagain hungry; and was often refused food and shelter.\n\nHe did not feel to stop by the wayside to preach, but pushed steadily\nahead. He crossed the Tennessee River, climbed Sand Mountain, and one\nnight found shelter with a man who sat up and talked till a late hour\nwith him on the principles of the gospel.\n\nWhen morning came Elder Lisonbee was putting his books back into his\nvalise, preparatory to another start, when his host suggested that he\nstop and preach to them, which was readily assented to, on condition\nthat a place could be obtained and anyone would provide for him during\nhis stay.\n\nBoth of these things the man said he would attend to, and for the first\ntime in several weeks he lay by for a rest.\n\nA log church was secured, the people notified, and on Sunday a goodly\ncrowd gathered to hear the new, strange doctrine that was to be\npreached.\n\nClose attention was paid, and after the meeting, when he was again\npacking his books, preparatory to continuing his journey, one of his\naudience asked him to dinner, and suggested that some of the people\nmight want to talk with him on the Bible.\n\nAccompanying his newly-found friend home, which, by the way, took\nhim in the direction he wanted to go, he found quite a few gathered\ntogether to hear something new. A lengthy and interesting fireside talk\nwas held during the afternoon, and he was urged to hold another meeting.\n\nAn appointment was made for Tuesday night, at a private residence,\nwhere the room was filled, and still another appointment was made.\n\nA general desire began to be evinced to learn what the Latter-day\nSaints taught.\n\nThe ministers became alarmed, and besought the people not to hear\nhim, and a mass meeting of the law-abiding (?) citizens was called to\nprotest against the Elder being allowed to teach any longer.\n\nHe continued, however, to hold his meetings. Friends sprang up on every\nside. He soon found some who desired baptism, and eventually succeeded\nin baptizing about thirty people, who immediately made preparations\nto emigrate. They disposed of their property, combined their means\ntogether and thereby helped the poor, and the Elder had the privilege\nof leading out, by the same road he traveled coming up the mountain, a\ngoodly company, numbering some sixty or seventy souls.\n\nThese people eventually located in San Luis Valley, Colorado, and are\nbecoming good and prosperous Latter-day Saints. They will doubtless\nrecognize, in this little sketch, a history of the manner in which the\ngospel came to them.\n\nIt will also serve to call to mind many incidents connected with the\nwise, prudent and unselfish labors of Elder Lisonbee, who was called\nupon to pass beyond the vail while on his return from his mission.\n\nWhile upon that mission he performed a work that will add to his glory\nwhile eternities shall endure, and set an example to young Elders every\nway worthy of imitation.\n\n\n\nFULFILLMENT OF PROMISE.\n\nBy M. F. COWLEY.\n\nTHE LORD'S PROMISES SURE--AN ELDER IN WANT OF A PAIR OF SHOES--HE PRAYS\nFOR THEM--THE PRAYER ANSWERED--CASE OF HEALING.\n\nThe people of the world generally have no faith in the promises made\nto the Saints, on condition of their obedience to God's commandments,\nand when they witness the fulfillment of those promises they prefer to\nattribute it to some other than the real cause. The Latter-day Saints,\nhowever, like saints of former days, have been placed in positions to\ntest the truth of these promises, and know that they are indebted to\nthe Almighty, and to no one else, for their fulfillment. Especially is\nthis the case with the Elders who go upon missions to the nations of\nthe earth and faithfully discharge their duties.\n\nThose who have learned the ways of the sectarian churches know that\ntheir ministers are supported by salaries, given them for preaching;\nthat is, they \"preach for hire and divine for money,\" in fulfillment\nof Micah's prediction. But the Lord has, in our time, agreeable to the\nancient pattern, called men to \"go into all the world and preach the\ngospel to every creature,\" \"without money and without price.\"\n\n\"Freely ye have received; freely give!\" is the injunction, with a\npromise that if they respond to the call and put their trust in God, He\nwill provide for their wants by raising up friends unto them, who will\naid them in their travels and give them food and shelter.\n\nHundreds of Elders could testify that they have realized the\nfulfillment of these promises while traveling among the nations of the\nearth without \"purse and scrip.\"\n\nWhen in want they have petitioned the Lord by the humble prayer of\nfaith to aid them in the hour of need, and He has never forsaken them.\n\nA young Elder in one of the Southern States, not long since, when his\nboots were the worse for wear and his toes in danger of protruding,\nasked the Lord, in a very plain and simple style, to provide him with a\npair of shoes.\n\nA day or two later, at the close of a meeting, a gentleman came to the\nElder and asked him to accept of some money which would aid him in\nobtaining a pair of shoes.\n\nThe following day a shoemaker, who had made the acquaintance of the\nElder, happened by where he was stopping, and having discovered that\nthe Elder needed some shoes, told him that he had just made a pair\nfor himself, but through some mistake they would not fit him, as they\nwere too small, and asked the Elder if he would not accept them as a\npresent. He did so with gratitude, and found them to be as good a fit\nas if they had been made for himself.\n\nThus he received a literal answer to his prayer and more too. Yet\nneither of these people had he asked for money or for shoes.\n\nThis is one example among numberless instances of a similar nature that\nhave occurred in the experience of scores of Elders.\n\nBy such means, also, the Elders learn who are their friends, and will\ngive a favorable account of such people before the Lord, and they will\nreceive at His hands a just reward.\n\nThe people, also, who befriend the servants of God, have been\nremarkably blessed, not only temporally, but in many instances have\nbeen raised from beds of sickness by the power of God.\n\nAn instance may be cited which occurred not long since in one of the\nSouthern States.\n\nA lady, whose husband and herself had treated the Elders with kindness,\nwas taken quite sick, and the affliction soon proved to be very serious\nindeed. Three physicians were called to attend her, which they did for\nseveral weeks, with little or no prospect of her recovery. Finally they\ngave her up.\n\nThe Elders having returned to that neighborhood from a tour in another\nCounty, this lady sent for them to come to administer to her the\nordinance of the gospel for the healing of the sick. She had heard\nthem allude to such an ordinance in their preaching, and found that\nwhat they taught agreed with the pattern given in the New Testament.\nThey laid their hands upon her, at her earnest request, and after\nrepeating the ordinance several times, with prayer and supplication,\nshe arose from her bed of sickness to which she had been confined for\nten months. She requested baptism, and soon after rode a horse to a\nstream of water, and was baptized and confirmed by the servants of God.\nNumbers of astonished witnesses were present and she was looked upon\nas a living miracle. She and her husband, with others, soon afterwards\ngathered with the Saints in Southern Colorado.\n\nAnother instance of healing was in the case of a little girl who had\nbeen seized with fits, in which her limbs were drawn up and caused to\nquiver, and her eyes turned back as if she were dying. The Elders,\nbeing present, administered to her, and, through the ordinance of the\ngospel and the prayer of faith, she was healed by the power of God.\n\nScores of similar manifestations occur in the travels of the Elders\nabroad in answer to the humble prayer of faith. Such instances, and the\nremarkable way in which God preserves and provides for His messengers\nwho are sent to proclaim the everlasting gospel to the nations, confirm\nthe faith and increase evidence to the testimony of the Elders of\nIsrael, and when studied with honest and prayerful hearts by the youth\nof Zion, tend to promote faith in their minds and prepare them to\nassist in building up the kingdom of God upon the earth.\n\nMany who are now young and inexperienced will probably soon be called\nto bear the gospel message to the nations, and they should prepare\nthemselves for the noble work.\n\n\n\n\"YOU SHALL NOT BE CONFOUNDED.\"\n\nBY BEFF.\n\nSENT OUT TO PREACH WHEN A BOY--FIRST EXPERIENCE IN\nPREACHING--QUESTIONED BY AN INFIDEL--ANSWER GIVEN BY THE LORD.\n\nOne of the most astonishing attestations of the promise which the Lord\nmakes to His servants, that they \"shall not be confounded,\" that I have\never heard, was related to me by an experienced missionary, in whom I\nplace great confidence, and for whose character I have great respect.\n\nThe incident and attendant circumstances, as nearly as I can\nrecollect, were as follows, and I am sure I give the same in a manner\nsubstantially as related to me:\n\nBrother A--first heard the gospel when a youth, in his native\ncountry--England. He was soon convinced of its truth, was baptized at\nthe age of eighteen, and immediately after his baptism was ordained\nan Elder, and sent forth to preach the gospel. He was an unlettered,\nunsophisticated, bashful youth, one of the last, it would have been\nthought, to be selected to preach the gospel.\n\nHe started forth and arrived at a strange village, where, at a late\nhour, and after some interesting adventures, he was taken in by a\nkind-hearted man and his wife, who made him very comfortable.\n\nOn the next day he conversed with them upon the gospel.\n\nThey thought it remarkable to see such a boy as he was, out as a\nmissionary of a new religion, became interested, and asked him to hold\na meeting in their house.\n\nHe had never preached in public, but he said he would do the best\nhe could. The appointment was spread, and the house was full at the\nappointed hour. The young Elder astonished himself at the ease with\nwhich he preached a long discourse on the first principles of the\ngospel.\n\nAmong those who had come to meeting was a hardened infidel, who was a\nvery cunning reasoner, and who had made it a practice for many years\nto argue against the divinity of the scriptures. Nothing pleased him\nmore than to draw some minister into a debate, and then to present some\nof his \"unanswerable\" arguments against the Bible. He had vanquished\nevery minister in the village, and every itinerant preacher who had\nheld meetings there for years, whom he could succeed in drawing into a\ndebate.\n\nWhen the young missionary had ceased preaching, some of the audience\ncommenced to ask him questions. Presently the infidel, evidently\nthinking to easily vanquish so weak an adversary, commenced with his\nusual routine of questions, and at length asked:\n\n\"So you believe the flood actually drowned all the animals in the world\nexcept those in the ark?\"\n\n\"Yes, sir,\" answered the Elder.\n\n\"We know that, not very long after the flood, many kinds of animals\nwere found in various parts of the world at a great distance from\nwhere the ark landed, and even upon islands of the sea, far from the\nmainland, and under such circumstances as would render the theory of\ntransportation by human means an absurdity. Now, how did those animals\ncome to exist in the different and distant islands and continents?\"\n\nThis question was the infidel's \"trump card.\" At the right juncture in\nhis debates he always asked it, and had never yet met with a minister,\nor any other Bible believer, who could satisfactorily answer it.\n\nThe young missionary felt his utter inability to answer this question.\nIn trying to frame a reply, he sat gazing abstractedly at the ceiling\nof the room. The audience who remained knew that this was the great\nargument of the infidel, and did not, for a moment, suppose that the\nboyish preacher could meet it.\n\nSuddenly there appeared before the young missionary's eyes, as if\nit were suspended in the air, a scroll. On the scroll appeared, in\nbrilliant golden letters, these words: \"In the days of Peleg the\nearth was divided.\" (_Gen. x._, 25). Instantly an explanation of the\ninfidel's problem burst upon his mind.\n\nHe calmly and deliberately proceeded to explain that, prior to the days\nof Peleg, this whole earth was one vast continent, inhabited in its\nvarious portions, with different kinds of animals; that in the days of\nPeleg this vast continent was broken up into smaller divisions of land,\nislands, etc., and that, in this manner, the animals upon its surface\naccompanied the land in its divisions.\n\nThe infidel was confounded, the multitude astonished, and the young,\nilliterate missionary triumphant. Several remembered the passage of\nscripture, and none could gainsay the missionary's explanation. The\nlatter, however, had no knowledge of any such a passage in the Bible,\nas he had read but very little of it, and, had the answer not come to\nhim by revelation, he would have been confounded.\n\nThe scroll was so plainly visible to him that it seemed as though\nothers could see it, but they did not.\n\n\n\nAN EFFECTIVE PLEA.\n\nARRESTED ON A NOVEL CHARGE--ELDER PARRISH'S DEFENSE--ELDER PATTEN'S\nINDIGNATION--CONSTERNATION PRODUCED BY HIS SPEECH.\n\nIn the early history of the Church, Apostle David W. Patten and Elder\nWarren Parrish were traveling, in the State of Tennessee, preaching the\ngospel and organizing branches of the Church.\n\nIn one locality, where considerable interest had been manifested and\nthe usual opposition met with, the latter culminated in the arrest\nof the two missionaries upon the charge of being prophets, which was\npreferred by some of the people, when they were actually carried before\na committing magistrate to be tried on the accusation.\n\nThe court was called, a jury summoned, and a great crowd of people\ngathered to see the result of so remarkable a trial.\n\nElder Parrish was somewhat of a lawyer, in addition to being a good\npublic speaker, and begged the privilege of pleading his own case and\nthat of his fellow-prisoner, which the court readily granted, and,\nafter some preliminary work, the trial opened.\n\nWitnesses were examined as to the teaching of the two Elders, much\ncontradictory evidence was given in and a great amount of wrangling\nindulged in by the prosecuting attorney in trying to make a case\nagainst the prisoners.\n\nAfter the prosecution had made up its case and the attorney had\nconcluded his speech, Brother Parrish replied in quite a lengthy\n_sermon_ on the first principle of the gospel, and then taking up the\nlegal bearings of the case, he claimed immunity from prosecution on the\nground of constitutional right to free speech.\n\nDuring his speech it was quite evident that he had changed the popular\nfeeling very much, and that many of the audience were in sympathy with\nthe Elders.\n\nApostle Patten seems not to have relished the entire proceedings,\ndoubtless looking upon it as equal to or worse than a farce, and\nconsidering that it was a disgrace to the courts of a free country.\n\nAs the defense closed and rested the case, he arose to his feet, and\nwith a look of indignation on his face, turned full upon judge and\njury; he raised aloft an immense walking stick, and in a voice of\nalmost superhuman force, he exclaimed:\n\n\"If the Lord Almighty will turn this stick into a sword, I will cut\nheads off faster than He ever rained quails on Israel in times of old.\"\n\nThe judge dodged from his chair, the jury tumbled off the jury bench,\nthe nearest bystanders sought safety by increasing the distance between\nthemselves and the indignant Elder, and general consternation prevailed\nin the midst of the panicstricken crowd.\n\nTurning to Elder Parrish, Brother Patten said, \"Follow me,\" and both\nof the Elders walked out of the court room, mounted their horses and\nquietly rode away, not a word being said or a hand raised to stop their\nprogress.\n\n\n\nA LIFE SKETCH, CONTAINING A FEW MORAL LESSONS.\n\nBy W. B.\n\nLACK OF EDUCATION--EARLY MARRIAGE--RESISTING TEMPTATION--GRAIN\nINCREASED BY THE POWER OF GOD--ANSWER TO PRAYER--LARGE FAMILY, RESULT\nOF EARLY MARRIAGE.\n\nThinking some incidents from my experience might be of interest to the\nyoung Latter-day Saints, I submit them for their perusal.\n\nI was born in the year 1835, was reared in the Church of Jesus Christ\nof Latter-day Saints, and shared in its persecutions. At the age of\nthirteen, in 1848, I drove a team from Winter Quarters to Salt Lake\nValley without any accident worth mentioning. The team consisted of\nfive cows and one ox, making three yoke of cattle.\n\nAfter we arrived and got fairly settled, my parents died, and left me\nwithout an education, as was the case with many more young folks who\nwere driven with the Saints, and on this account deprived of schooling.\n\nIn this condition, I concluded to make a home for myself.\n\nBefore I was seventeen, it being the counsel to marry young, I went to\nPresident Young, as I was well acquainted with him, and told him what I\nthought of doing.\n\nHe advised me to get married.\n\nI took his counsel, got married and lived with my wife's folks for a\nshort time, as they requested.\n\nNow, my young readers, we had not the value of fifty dollars, all\ntold. I imagine, too, you think this was rather young for such and\nundertaking.\n\nIt was then, and is now the counsel to marry young--of course, at\na proper age--and I bear my testimony to the good effect of early\nmarriages.\n\nMy vocation was that of a farmer. The drawbacks we had in consequence\nof crickets, grasshoppers, drouth, alkali, etc., can be better imagined\nthan described. A few circumstances will suffice to show how my wife\nand I were blessed by the Lord.\n\nIn the spring of 1855, seed wheat and bread-stuff were very scarce. I\nhad none; but a neighbor of mine owed me a few bushels of wheat, and\nI went to collect it. He was absent from home, but his wife, being\nacquainted with me, sent me to the granary alone to help myself.\n\nWhen I had put up all the wheat that was due me except the last half\nbushel, and while in the act of filling that, the temptation came\nto me to steal some of my neighbor's wheat. He had plenty and I had\nnone, except the little I was then getting. I might take it without\nbeing detected, and he would never miss it. The thought had scarcely\ngot through my mind when I knew it was from the evil one; and, as a\npunishment to myself for entertaining the temptation, I emptied part of\nthe half bushel that was then in my hand back into my neighbor's bin,\nand did not take all that was my just due.\n\nI took my wheat home. It was not as much as I wished to sow, but I was\nsatisfied, and thankful for it. I placed it in a room adjoining the one\nI lived in, got my ground ready, and, as fast as I required it, I took\nwheat from my small store to sow it with.\n\nI sowed all the ground I wished to, and sowed it thickly, as I wanted a\ngood crop at harvest time. I afterwards noticed that I still had some\nsacks with wheat in left. I saw that they were my sacks, and it must be\nmy wheat. I called my wife's attention to the matter, and then it was\nthat the Spirit of the Lord rested upon us and convinced us that it had\nbeen increased by Him for our good.\n\nI got the remaining wheat ground, and we had flour to last us till\nharvest, for which we gave God the glory; and I bear testimony that\nmy wheat at that time was increased by the power of the same God that\nincreased the widow's oil in ancient times.\n\nIn those days, most people that had teams had to depend upon the range\nfor food for them. This was the case with me, and it often took me till\nten or twelve o'clock in the day to find my team. When I found it I\nwould return, tired out, and go to work. On one occasion I could not\nfind my team. I knelt down and asked the Lord to direct me where to\nfind it. After arising, contrary to my former intention, I went home. I\nfound my horses tied up. They had come up themselves.\n\nThese things taught me to rely upon the Lord, and to ask Him when I\nneeded help.\n\nOn another occasion I lost my team. I was satisfied it had been stolen.\nI was in Salt Lake City a short time after the occurrence, and was\nspeaking to my uncle about my team being lost. He advised me to go to\nan old lady close by, and she would tell me where it was by means of\ncards. I told him I would do without the cards.\n\nWhen I returned home my wife and I knelt down and prayed that the\nperson who took my team might be prevented from taking it out of the\ncountry, and that we might get it again.\n\nThe team was taken in the summer, and in the fall of the same year a\nman came to me, in my field, and asked me if I knew of any person that\nhad lost such and such animals, describing my horses. I told him they\nbelonged to me. He then directed me where I should go to find them.\n\nI thanked him for his information, and asked him how he happened to\ncome to me, as we were strangers to each other, and my horses were not\nbranded.\n\nHe said he did not know, only that he felt impressed to ask me.\n\nEarly next morning I started after my horses. That night I found them\nin charge of a man who told me that a person came to him in the summer\ntime and desired to stop with him over night. The fellow had a band of\nhorses which his host believed he had stolen. In the morning, as they\nwere both looking at the horses, he said to the man who brought them\nthere, \"Here are two stray horses; I will take charge of these and get\nthem to the owner.\" He accordingly left my two horses and took the rest\nof the band with him.\n\nYou can see, my young readers, how literally our prayers were answered.\nWe recovered our horses in good condition, and thanked the Lord.\n\nThese, with many other blessings, served to keep us humble and faithful\nto our covenants.\n\nNow, the result of our early marriage is this: my family numbers\ntwenty-four. I am the father of nineteen children, four of whom are\nmarried, and I have seven grand-children, and my present age is\nforty-four. I have filled many positions of trust, and I think to the\nentire satisfaction of my superiors. I am now a Bishop in Zion, and I\nthink I have the faith and prayers and confidence of the Saints over\nwhom I have the honor to preside.\n\nI mention this to show what can be done by being faithful and observing\nthe counsel of those whose right it is to guide and direct.\n\n\n\nCASES OF MIRACULOUS HEALING.\n\nBY G. W. HILL.\n\nGREAT ASSEMBLY OF INDIANS--BAPTIZING THEM--THE SICK INSTANTLY\nHEALED--CURIOUS ACTIONS OF INDIANS AFFECTED WITH EVIL SPIRITS--THE OLD\nCHIEF'S FAITH--CHILD CURED OF FEVER--THE DEAD REVIVED.\n\nI have witnessed a great deal more of the power of God in my\nadministration with the Indians then I ever experienced with any other\npeople. In quite a number of cases I have seen Indians who were sick\nhealed instantly, when the ordinance for the healing of the sick was\nperformed in their behalf by the Elders.\n\nI remember several cases of healing that occurred on August 1st, 1875.\n\nA large party of Indians had come in from Wind River, to see what our\nIndians were doing, as they had heard that I was working with them,\ntrying to teach them the principles of the gospel, as also how to live\nas the more civilized man does, by cultivating the earth.\n\nThey were very anxious to find out whether an Indian would be allowed\nto settle down and cultivate the earth as other people do. They also\nwished to ascertain what our religious views were that we were teaching\nto those Indians, as they were interested with them, because they not\nonly belonged to the same nation, but were related to each other as\nwell.\n\nOn the date mentioned I was holding a meeting with them. Our bowery\nwas filled to overflowing. There were from four to five hundred\nSho-sho-nees from Wind River, from one hundred and fifty to two hundred\nBannocks from the far north, and our local Indians; in all probably\nabout one thousand present.\n\nDuring our services, Elder Lorenzo Snow, Sister Eliza R. Snow, and\nquite a number of the authorities from Brigham City came to pay us\na visit, and were surprised to see us engaged preaching to so large\nan audience. They came into the bowery, and all took their seats as\nquietly as they could except Sister E. R. Snow, who continued to stand\nup, that she might have a better opportunity of seeing the effect the\npreaching had on the congregation.\n\nBrother Lorenzo Snow spoke to us a short time; the rest preferred to\nlook on. I expect they thought it was a queer spectacle to see a man\ntrying to preach to a congregation such as I had. But a more attentive\ncongregation I never saw, nor one that paid more respect to the speaker.\n\nAfter the meeting was dismissed, the cases of healing to which I\nreferred took place.\n\nThe Indians hurried me to the water, as there were so many that wanted\nto be baptized. I did not stop to visit with the brethren and sisters\nwho came to see us, but went immediately to the river.\n\nI baptized over three hundred before I came out of the water.\n\nAmong the number were several who were sick. Some had been sick for a\nlong time, and all, without an exception, on being baptized for their\nhealth, were healed.\n\nThere was one man who had been sick a long time. He had been so bad\nthat he was unable to walk a step for four or five months. It took\nthree men to carry him into the water to be baptized. I baptized him\nfor his health and for the remission of his sins, when he walked out of\nthe river with one man walking on each side of him to steady him, and\nhe got well immediately.\n\nThere were in this company of Indians, some eight or nine persons that\nwere possessed of the evil one, or something of that kind. The first of\nthese was a large, strong woman.\n\nNow an Indian is no more afraid of water than a duck is; but when I\nraised this woman out of the water, she wilted and dropped on my arm,\nas lifeless, to all appearance, as if she had been dead a week.\n\nThe old chief was standing on the bank of the river, preaching to the\nIndians all the while I was baptizing. When he saw this, he shouted\n\"one!\" the second chief also shouted \"one.\"\n\nI did not know what this meant, but the old chief, noticing my\nembarrassment, said, \"Do not be in a hurry, father, she will soon be\nall right.\"\n\nIn about a minute her breath returned to her, and she walked out of the\nriver all right.\n\nAs I said before, I baptized eight or nine of such cases that day, the\nold chief keeping count all the time.\n\nHe told me that they had been practicing their witchcraft and working\nwith their black art so much, that he did not expect anything else of\nthem; but it caused me to reflect a great deal.\n\nSome of those that were operated upon in this way were men, and when\nI would raise them out of the water they would hang upon my arm\nbreathless, and as limber as a half-filled sack of wheat.\n\nThe old chief took sick about a week after he was baptized, and\ncalled for baptism for his health. I baptized him, and he got well\nimmediately. The power of God was made manifest in his case to such an\nextent, and made so much impression upon him, that, on being taken sick\nlast summer, he started to come a distance of between two and three\nhundred miles on horseback to be baptized for his health.\n\nNow, if he had never been healed himself, nor seen anybody else healed,\nhe would never have started that distance on horseback to have that\nordinance performed.\n\nThe Lamanites are very much like other people; some of them have great\nfaith, and will be healed of any sickness, no matter how severe the\nattack, while others will not seem to be benefitted in the least.\n\nI have frequently administered to them when they were burning up, as it\nwere, with mountain fever, and before I would get my hands off their\nheads, their faces would be covered with large drops of sweat, and the\nfever would be entirely gone.\n\nI remember one case of this kind among many others that took place on\nSalmon River, in the fall of 1855.\n\nA band of Indians came in from their hunt, with a little girl, very\nsick of mountain fever. Their relatives told them that we practiced the\nordinance of laying on hands for the healing of the sick.\n\nWhen the father came after me, I told him that we did not make a\npractice of administering to those who did not belong to the Church;\nand if we went and administered to the child, and it recovered, I\nshould expect him to be baptized. He said it was a bargain.\n\nAccordingly I took David Moore, of Ogden, and B. F. Cummings, Sen.,\nwith me, and we anointed the child and laid our hands upon her. When we\ntook our hands off her head, her face was literally covered with large\ndrops of sweat; the fever was gone, and the child got well immediately.\n\nOn the Sunday following, I baptized fifty-six, her father being the\nfirst in the water.\n\nLest I should weary your patience, I will relate but one more instance.\nOn August 11, 1875, the soldiers had, through the instigation of the\npeople of Corinne, come up to Corinne, to drive the Indians from the\nfarm where they made their first start, in the spring of that year, to\ncultivate the earth and settle themselves.\n\nWhen the officers and I had got through with our talk, and were getting\nready to return, an Indian by the name of Tattoosh, came for me to go\nand administer to his child, telling me to hurry or it would be dead.\n\nI took some Indians with me and went. When I got to his place, I found\nthe child's mother sitting out in the sun, trying to warm it in that\nway. The child seemed to be dying; its flesh was cold and clammy, and a\ndeath sweat was upon it.\n\nWe anointed it, and while administering to it I seemed to see the child\nat different stages until it was grown. I blessed it, accordingly, to\nlive, and told its mother it would get well.\n\nThe child seemed to remain in the same condition until the next day\nabout three o'clock.\n\nThe major had come up and changed the orders of the previous evening,\nwhich were for me to tell the Indians to go on with their harvesting,\nas he would not disturb them. Now the orders were if the Indians had\nnot broken camp by 12 o'clock the next day, and started for some\nreservation, he should use force and drive them to one.\n\nAs I was going to the camp to get the Indians to leave, I met\nTat-toosh, who told me that the child was dead. I said, \"No, I cannot\nbelieve it!\" He repeated that it was, and that its mother and friends\nwere crying about it.\n\nI had no time to go and see it, as I had to hurry to the camp. They had\nno opportunity to bury the child there, consequently, they wrapped it\nup in its blankets, and packed it upon a horse, intending to carry it\nuntil they could find time to bury it.\n\nIt took some three hours to get the camp on the move, and after\ncarrying the child in that way some ten miles, they discovered that it\nwas alive. This was on Thursday, and on the Sunday following I saw its\nfather in Cache Valley. He said he never saw a child get well so fast\nin his life; and it is now quite fat and hearty.\n\n\n\nANSWER TO PRAYER.\n\nEARLY EXPERIENCE IN CALLING UPON THE LORD--PRAYERS ANSWERED--FAITH\nDEVELOPED--A POCKET-BOOK LOST--FOUND IN ANSWER TO PRAYER.\n\nIn proof of the fact that the Lord hears and answers \"the prayer of\nfaith,\" the writer has had abundant evidence.\n\nNot only has he known the sick to be healed in almost numberless\ninstances, when anointed and prayed for by the Elders of the Church,\nbut he has had his own prayers answered in regard to other things very\nmany times.\n\nThese answers have sometimes come, too, in such a signal manner as to\nleave no room for supposing that they were the result of chance.\n\nFrom childhood he was taught by his parents to have faith in the Lord,\nand to appeal to him for help when in trouble. In doing so he ever\nexperienced such relief and comfort, that it seemed the most natural\nthing for him to do when in need of help.\n\nWhen a small boy, as was the case with most other boys who grew up in\nthese valleys years ago, he was occasionally required to herd cows.\nSometimes his cows would wander off and get lost, and he would be\nfilled with dread at thoughts of going home without them. At such\ntimes, if he could get off alone, where no other person could see him,\nhe always liked to kneel in humble prayer and ask the Lord to prompt\nhim to go in the right direction to find the missing animals.\n\nIn looking back now at those early experiences, he cannot recall to\nmind a single instance in which he failed to have his prayers answered.\n\nThus in his early years an acquaintance with the Lord was cultivated,\nand he grew to regard Him as his best friend--a friend whom he could\nappeal to, without anyone else knowing it, with perfect confidence\nof having his requests granted. This was a great comfort to him, for\nhe was a very bashful boy, and could not have asked favors of others\nwith so much freedom as he did of the Lord. Indeed, he never dared,\nwhen a boy, to let anyone know how he prayed to the Lord when beset by\ntrouble, and how his prayers were answered. He would even shrink from\nsaying anything about it now, were it not that he hopes an account of\nhis experience may tend to inspire some others with faith in the Lord.\n\nOn one occasion when riding on the range on the west side of the Jordan\nriver he lost a pocket book, containing a considerable amount of money\nand valuable papers, from his pocket.\n\nWhen he discovered his loss he had traveled perhaps about twenty\nmiles, and had no idea where he had lost it. Much of the distance he\nhad traversed was over the rough prairie where there were no roads and\nwhere sage and rabbit brush grew in abundance.\n\nAny person acquainted with the condition of that region of country when\nin its wild state, can understand how fruitless a search for so small\nan article as a pocket book would be likely to prove on the Jordan\nrange. One might almost as well hunt for a needle in a haystack.\n\nHowever, with many anxious forebodings, caused principally by the fact\nthat much that the pocket book contained was not his own, and that he\ncould not replace it, if lost, he mounted a fresh horse and started\nupon his search.\n\nHe made his way as nearly as he could judge, without any track to\nguide him, over the same route he had first traveled till he got some\ndistance out on the range. There, when far out of sight of human eyes,\nhe knelt and called upon the Lord in earnest prayer. He asked with all\nthe faith that he could command, that he might be led to the place\nwhere the lost treasure had fallen.\n\nMounting his horse again, with a hopeful feeling, he allowed the animal\nto choose his own course, when, imagine his joy, after going a short\ndistance, to see the pocket book lying directly in front of his horse.\nWith a light heart and full of gratitude to the Almighty, he returned\nhome, feeling that a more direct answer to his prayer could scarcely\nhave been given him.\n\n\n\nJOSEPH SMITH'S FIRST PRAYER.\n\nBY G. M.\n\n  Humbly kneeling, sweet appealing--\n    'Twas the boy's first uttered prayer--\n  When the power of sin, assailing,\n    Filled his soul with deep despair;\n  But, undaunted still, he trusted\n    In his Heavenly Father's care.\n\n  Suddenly a light descended,\n    Brighter far than noonday sun,\n  And a shining glorious pillar\n    O'er him fell, around him shone;\n  While appeared two heavenly beings,\n    God the Father and the Son.\n\n  \"Joseph, this is my beloved!\n    Hear Him!\" Oh! how sweet the word!\n  Joseph's humble prayer was answered,\n    And he listened to the Lord.\n  Oh! what rapture filled his bosom,\n    For he saw the living God.","title":"A String of Pearls: Second Book of the Faith-Promoting Series. Designed for the Instruction and Encouragement of Young Latter-day Saints","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":31917}