{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_54331/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_54331","id":"gutenberg_54331","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/54331","summary":null,"tags":["Brown, James S. (James Stephens), 1828-1902","Category: Biographies","Category: History - American","Category: History - Modern (1750+)","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Frontier and pioneer life -- United States","Latter Day Saint pioneers -- Biography","Latter Day Saints"],"text":"[Image: James Brown]\n\n\nLIFE OF A\nPIONEER\n\n\nBEING THE\nAUTOBIOGRAPHY\nOF\nJAMES S. BROWN.\n\n\nSALT LAKE CITY, UTAH:\n\nGEO. Q. CANNON & SONS CO., Printers.\n1900.\n\n\n\nPREFACE.\n\nTHE life of a pioneer in Western America always is full of peril\nand hardship; often it has a large share of startling episodes and\nthrilling adventures; not infrequently it is associated with notable\nhistoric events; and the experiences met with develop independence of\ncharacter, firmness of purpose, and, in those whose spiritual nature\nis not dwarfed by unworthy conduct, a sublime faith in God that when\nman puts forth his highest endeavor all things beyond the scope of his\nefforts are ordered for the best by the Great Ruler of the universe.\nWhen to the pioneer's experiences are added those that come from travel\nin foreign lands, perils of the sea, and the hostility of warlike foes,\nthe narrative of such a life cannot fail to be alike profitable and\ninteresting reading to both young and old.\n\nThe subject of the autobiographical sketch in this volume feels that\nhe is not presumptuous in saying that each class of experience named\nin relation to the pioneer and the traveler has been his. The perils\nand hardships of the pioneers in whose work he commingled have been\nthe theme of song and story for half a century; the thrilling and\nadventurous character of his experiences as frontiers-man and Indian\ninterpreter were of a kind notable even in those avocations; his\nassociation with historic events of moment includes the period when\nthe territorial area of the great Republic was almost doubled by the\nacquisition of the Pacific slope and the Rocky Mountain region, and\nwhen the great gold discovery in California was made, since he was\na member of the famous Mormon Battalion and also was present at the\nfinding of gold in California, being the first man to declare--on\ntests made by himself--that the little yellow flakes were the precious\nmetal; and his reliance on Deity is portrayed in his missionary work\nat home and in foreign lands, with civilized people and among savages,\noften in circumstances when life itself apparently was forfeit to duty\nconscientiously performed.\n\nIn the following pages there is no claim to transcendent literary\nmerit. Yet the writer feels that the narrative is presented in the\nplain and simple language of the people, with a clearness and force\nof expression that will be pleasing and impressive to every reader\npossessed of ordinary or of superior educational attainments; while\nthe very simplicity and directness of the language used, far from\nembellishing the events described, prove an invaluable guide in\nsecuring accuracy, that not an incident shall be overdrawn or given\nundue importance.\n\nThe purpose of the writer has been to relate the story of his life, for\nthe benefit and entertainment of his children and friends, and of all\nothers who may read it, and to do so with a strict regard for veracity;\nfor he feels that the numerous thrilling and sensational incidents in\nhis life were sufficiently exciting to bear a toning down that comes\nfrom calm contemplation when the agitation of the immediate occurrence\nhas passed, rather than to need the coloring of a graphic pen. In such\na presentation, too, he feels that the result of his labors in this\nrespect will be a further step in carrying out that which has been the\nleading purpose of his life, namely, to do good to all mankind, to the\nglory of God.\n\nWith a fervent desire and firm confidence that every worthy aim in\npresenting this autobiography shall be achieved, and shall find a\nvigorous and ennobling response in the hearts of those who read it, the\nleading events of his life, and the narration thereof, are respectfully\nsubmitted to his family and friends by\n\nTHE AUTHOR.\n\n\n\nCONTENTS.\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nHome of the Author--A Career of Thrilling Experiences--His Birth\nand Parentage--Early Avocations--Migration from North Carolina\nto Illinois--Life on the Frontier--Dangers to Early Settlers--A\nFrontiersman--Father's Advice--More Settlers Come--Churches and\nSchools--Limited Opportunities--Frozen Feet--Unimpressionable to the\nPreaching of the Time--Talk of a New Religion, Prophets, Miracles,\netc.--Prosecution of the New Church--\"Showers of Stars\"--Popular\nAdverse Views of the Mormons--The Mormons Driven from Missouri\nInto Illinois--Mormon Elder Comes to Preach--Converts Uncle\nJames Brown--Preaches Again--Preparations to Mob the Elder--His\nScriptural Doctrine Disconcerts Enemies and Secures him Friends--His\nDiscourse--Effect on Young James S. Brown of the First Gospel Sermon to\nhim--His Testimony to the Spirit and Truth of the Elder's Message.\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nPersecuted by Playmates--Give Them an Effective Check--Fight\nwith Wild Beasts--Parents Join the Mormons--The Author Holds\nBack--Assassination of Joseph and Hyrum Smith--Mormons Leave Illinois\nfor the West--Exciting Times--My Winter's Work--Father Decides to\nWait a While Before Leaving Illinois--My Determination to go with the\nMormons--Confide a Secret to my Mother--A New Consultation--Change In\nthe Family Plans--Father Prepares to Start--Gives me Permission to\nGo--Thinks of Leaving me because of My Illness--I Feel to Prefer Death\nto Being Left Behind.\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nStart for Nauvoo--Taken Severely Ill--The Lord Answers my Prayer\nfor Relief--Pass through Carthage--In Nauvoo \"The Beautiful,\"\nbut Almost Deserted City--Scene on the Iowa Shore--Cross the\nMississippi--Curious Make-up of the Exiles' Teams--The Bad Roads--Stuck\nin the Mud--Repairing Camps--Good Order Maintained--Unnecessary\nKilling of Game Forbidden--Reach Grand River and Put In a Crop--Learn\nof the Call for the Mormon Battalion--Apostles as Recruiting\nOfficers--Call for Volunteers--Response by the Camp--Received into\nthe church by Baptism--Filled with the Love of the Gospel--Get the\nSpirit to Enlist--Consult my Relatives and Ezra T. Benson--An Elder's\nPromise--Join the Mormon Battalion.\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nStart for the Battalion Rendezvous--A Journey of Hardship--In the\nMormons' Camp on Missouri River--First Experiences in the Army--Blessed\nby Apostles--Prophetic Address by President Brigham Young--The\nBattalion starts on its Long Journey--Doing Camp Duty--Heavy Storms and\nInsufficient Rations--Hard Experiences--At Fort Leavenworth--Mexican\nMules as a Cure for Egotism--Colonel Allen Taken Ill--On the Santa Fe\nRoad--Suffering from Thirst--Sickness among the Troops--Dr. G. B.\nSanderson, a Tyrannical Quack--Army Merchants--Order of Marching.\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nCrossing of the Kaw River--Indian Farmers--Fierce Storm on Stone Coal\nCreek--Crossing a Creek with Precipitous Banks--Ruins of an Ancient\nCity--Wagonload of Sick Upset in a Stream--Sad News of Col. Allen's\nDeath--Dispute over His Successor--Military Rules Disregarded In\nSettling The Question--Troops Dissatisfied--Sickness In Camp--Harshness\nof the New Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Smith--Brutality of the Doctor\n--Doses of Objectionable Medicine in an Old Iron Spoon--In the Comanche\nIndian Country---Abuse from Lieutenant Colonel Smith--Scarcity of\nFuel--Buffalo Chips--Cooking Food under Great Difficulties--Increase of\nSickness--Up the Grand Valley of the Arkansas--Detachment of Sick Sent\nto Pueblo--Mirages--Herds of Buffalo--On the Sick List--Reach the Rocky\nMountains--Prehistoric Ruins--In Mexican Villages--Arrival at Santa Fe.\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nExemplary Conduct of the Mormon Troops--Lieutenant Colonel P. St.\nGeorge Cooke Arrives and Assumes Command--A Welcome Change--Another\nDetachment of Sick, also the Laundresses, Sent to Pueblo--Selecting\nMen to Continue the Journey to California--Reducing the\nBaggage--Difficulties of the 1,100 Miles Journey Ahead--Poor\nEquipment Therefor--Leave Santa Fe--Roads of Heavy Sand--On One-third\nRations--Hardships Increase--Galled Feet and Gnawing Stomachs--More\nSick Men for Pueblo--Leaving the Last Wagons--Mules and Oxen In a Pack\nTrain--In an Unknown Country--Hunting a Pass over the Mountains--Alarm\nof an Enemy--A Beaver Dam--Crossing the Rio Grande Del Norte--Great\nSuffering Among the Troops.\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nPushing to the West--Overhearing a Conversation with Col. Cooke--The\nColonel Fears the Men Will Starve--No Berries, not even Bark Of Trees,\nfor Food--True State of Affairs as to the Outlook Kept from Most of the\nTroops--Hides, Intestines, and even soft Edges of Hoofs and Horns of\nAnimals Eaten--\"Bird's Eye Soup.\"--In a Snowstorm--Relics of Ancient\nInhabitants--Camp without Water--Old Silver and Copper Mines--Hardest\nDay of the Journey--Men Appear as if Stricken with Death--The Writer\nso Ill as to be Unable to Travel Longer, and Expects to Die--Uncle\nAlexander Stephens Comes with Water and Revives Him--Awful Suffering in\nCamp--Reported Sick Next Morning--Brutal Dr. Sanderson Gives a Deadly\nDose of Laudanum, but the Writer Vomits it After Being Made Fearfully\nSick--In Terrible Distress for Days--Healed by the Laying on of Hands\nof the Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\nOn the Summit of the Rocky Mountains--Crossing the Backbone of the\nNorth American Continent--Review of the Journey--Graves Opened by\nWolves--Mutilated Bodies--An Unparalleled Journey of Hardship--The\nProspect Ahead--A Matter of Life and Death--Start Down the Pacific\nSlope--Descending the Cliffs with Wagons--One Vehicle Slips and is\nreduced to Kindling Wood and Scrap Iron--Into a New Climate--Change\nin the Character of Vegetation--Wild Horses and Cattle--Attacked by\nWild Cattle--Several Men Hurt and one Mule Gored to Death--A Number\nof Cattle Killed--Supply of Beef--Reach the Pan Pedro River--Traveling\nThrough a Heavy Growth of Mesquit and Chapparal--Approach the Mexican\nGarrisoned Town of Tucson--News of Approach of a Large American Army\nSent to the Mexicans--Order Issued by Colonel Cooke.\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\nOn the Trail to Tucson--Excitement In the Town--Meet Mexican\nSoldiers--Our Numbers Overrated by the Indians--Mexican Commander\nunder Orders to Oppose us--Colonel Cooke Announces his Wish to Pass on\nWithout Hostilities--Arrest of Corporal Cassaduran, son of the Mexican\nCommander at Tucson, and other Mexicans who are Held as Hostages\nfor the Return of our Interpreter--The Interpreter is Liberated--An\nArmistice Proposed--Surrender of Tucson Demanded--Mexican Prisoners\nReleased--Surrender is Refused--Colonel Cooke orders the Battalion to\nPrepare for Battle--Advance toward the Town--Flight of the Mexicans--At\nthe Gates of Tucson--Our Line of Battle--Address by Colonel Cooke--We\nEnter the Town, and Pass Through to Camp--Purchases of Wheat,\nCorn, etc.--The battalion nearly Starved--Night Alarm of a Mexican\nAttack--Difficulties of Getting into Line--No Enemy in Sight--Start\nAcross the Gila Desert--Agony on the Burning Sands and Alkali\nFlats--Strengthened by the Divine Blessing--Reach the Gila River.\n\nCHAPTER X.\n\nOn the Gila River--Pima Indian Village--Welcome Gifts from the\nPimas--Among the Maricopa Indians--Asleep on the Trail--Visit from\na Bear--Loss of Provisions Through an Attempt to Float a Quantity\nDown the Gila--Hard Traveling--Crossing the Colorado River--Gloom In\nthe Camp--Lower and Upper California--Terrible March over the Tierra\nCaliente, or Hot Lands--Digging Wells for Brackish Water--Advance\nGuard Reach a Mountain Spring--Water Carried back to Revive the\nFainting Troops--Last Spoonful of Flour Used--Dividing the Rations--In\nthe Canyons of the Sierra Nevada--Hewing Roads through Rocks and\nBrush--Feeding on Live Acorns and Green Mustard--News of Victories\nby United states Troops in California--Preparing to Engage the\nRetiring Mexican Army--First House Seen in California--Beef Without\nSalt--Trade for Acorn Mush--Heavy Storm and Flood In Camp--a Few Pounds\nof Flour Secured--Dancing in Mud and Water--Receive Orders to go to\nLos Angeles--Discover a Body of Troops in Line of Battle--Advance\nto the Attack--Supposed Foe Proves to be Friendly Indians--Presence\nof the Mormon Battalion prevents an Intended Attempt by Mexicans to\nRetake California, also an Uprising of Californians Against the United\nStates--On a Battlefield where General Kearney had Fought--Relics\nof the Encounter--Prophecy of President Brigham Young and its\nFulfillment--Source of His Inspiration.\n\nCHAPTER XI.\n\nOrdered to San Diego--First View of the Pacific Ocean--Rumors\nof the Enemy--Complimentary Order, by Lieut. Col. Cooke, on\nthe Achievements of the Mormon Battalion--Reported Hostility of\nCol. Fremont to Gen. Kearney--Living on Beef Alone--Obtain some\nFlour--Routine of the Camp--Ordered to Los Angeles--Damage by an\nEarthquake--Wild Horses and Cattle Driven Into the Sea--Arrival at\nLos Angeles--Rumors of an Attack--Constructing a Fort--Guarding Cajon\nPass--Surrounded by Wild Cattle--Take Refuge In a Ravine--Col. Fremont\nArrested--Site of San Bernardino--Getting out a Liberty Pole--Brush\nwith the Indians--Clearing Los Angeles of Dogs--Wickedness in the\nTown--Brutality of Bull Fights, Horse Racing, etc.--Always Ready for\nan Attack--First Raising of the Stars and Stripes on a Liberty Pole in\nCalifornia.\n\nCHAPTER XII.\n\nTerm of Enlistment Expires--Battalion Members Preparing to Return to\ntheir Families--One company Re-enlists--An Insolent Spaniard--Pistol\nSnapped in the Writer's Face--Almost a Deathblow--Desperate Fight\nStopped by Bystanders--Serious Trouble with Another Spaniard--Learn\nthe Lesson to Avoid those who Gamble or Drink Intoxicants--Spanish\nCharacter--Class of California's Inhabitants in 1847--Condition of the\nCountry--Appearance of the Towns and Villages--Difficulty in Securing\nan Outfit for Members of the Battalion to Journey Eastward.\n\nCHAPTER XIII.\n\nMormon Battalion Mustered out of Service--One Hundred and Fifty\nMembers Organize to Return Fast to the Rocky Mountains--Start on the\nJourney--Difficulties of the Route--Dealing with Wild Horses and\nCattle Stampede of a Pack Animal--Chase Into an Indian Camp--Lost All\nNight in a Swamp--Suffering on the Desert for Lack of Water--Arrive\nNear Sutter's Fort--On the Site of Sacramento Party Decide to Remain\nOver for the Year, and Obtain Employment--Meet Captain J. A. Sutter\nand James W. Marshall--Proposition to Capt. Sutter--Engaged to Work\non a Sawmill--Proceedings at the Millsite--Mill Started Up--The Writer\nEngaged to Direct Indians Laboring at the Tail Race--Conversation with\nMr. Marshall--Marshall Talks About Finding Gold--He and the Writer make\na Search for Gold, but Finding None, Defer the Investigation till Next\nMorning--Marshall's Faith in his Being Successful In Discovering the\nPrecious Metal.\n\nCHAPTER XIV.\n\nArrival of the Members of Mormon Battalion at Sutter's Fort Opens the\nWay for the Discovery of Gold In California--James W. Marshall out\nEarly on January 24, 1848--\"He is Going to Find a Gold Mine\"--Regarded\nas a \"Notional\" Man--\"Boys, I have got Her Now!\"--Testing the Scales\nof Metal--\"Gold, Boys, Gold!\"--First Proclamation of the Great Gold\nDiscovery--Second and Third Tests--All Excitement--Three or Four\nOunces of Gold Gathered--Agree to Keep the Discovery Secret--Find\nthe Precious Metal Farther Down the Stream--How the Secret Leaked\nout--More Discoveries--First Publication of the News made in a\nMormon Paper--Washing out the Metal--First Gold Rocker--Gathering\nGold--Part taken by Mr. Marshall, the Mormons and Capt. Sutter in the\nDiscovery--Misfortunes of Sutter and Marshall--Account of the Gold\nDiscovery Certified to by Several Eye Witnesses\n\nCHAPTER XV.\n\nPrepare to Leave California--Snow in the Mountains Causes a Wait till\nthe Last of June--Discover a Rich Gold Prospect--Leave it to Make the\nJourney over the Mountains--No Regrets at Abandoning the Mines in\nAnswer to a Call of Duty--Camp Organized in Pleasant Valley--Start\non the Trip--Three Members of the Party Ahead, Looking out the\nRoute, Found Murdered by Indians at Tragedy Springs--Covering the\nBodies--Stampede of Animals--Guarding Against Hostile Indians--Crossing\nthe Divide in Snow--The Writer Fooled--Take Two Indians Prisoners--Cutting\na Road--Horses Stolen by Indians--Pursuit to Capture them--In\nCarson Valley--Along Humboldt River--At Steamboat Springs--Over the\nDesert--Member of the Party Wants to Kill Indians--The Writer's\nEmphatic Objection--Indians Wound Stock--Addison Pratt as a Lucky\nFisherman--Writer Trades with an Indian--The Red Man's Trick--Writer\nPursues him into the Indian Camp--Escape from Danger--Journey to Bear\nRiver--Hot and Cold Water Springs--Reach Box Elder--View the Great\nSalt Lake--Arrive at Ogden, where Captain Brown and some Saints had\nSettled--Journey to the Mormon Camp on what is now Pioneer Square, Salt\nLake City--Heartily Welcomed by Relatives and Friends--Rejoicing and\nThanksgiving.\n\nCHAPTER XVI.\n\nContentment Among the Saints in Great Salt Lake Valley--Rude Dwellings\nand Short Rations--Trying Experiences--Rescue of Mormon Battalion\nMembers from Starvation--Carry News of California Gold Discovery to\nthe East--Re-union of Mormon Battalion Members--Addresses by the\nFirst Presidency and Others--Settling a New Country--Organization of\nMinute Men--Cold Winter--The Gold Fever--Tenor of the Preaching and\nProphesyings of those Times--Instructing the People in Industrial\nPursuits--Policy Towards the Indians.\n\nCHAPTER XVII.\n\nScarcity of Food in the Great Salt Lake Valley--Wild Vegetables\nfor Greens--Fair Prospects for Crops--Clouds of Crickets lay\nBare the Fields--People struggle Against the Pests Almost to\nDespair--Vast Flocks of Sea Gulls, as the Clouds of Heaven, Come to\nthe Rescue--Destruction of the Crickets--People Praise the Lord--The\nWriter Invited to a Meeting, Ordained a Seventy, and Called with\nOthers to go on a Mission to the Society Islands--Words of Presidents\nBrigham Young and Heber C. Kimball--Preparations to Travel to\nCalifornia with an Emigrant Company--Description of the Route by\nCaptain Jefferson Hunt--Start on My Mission--Prophecy by President\nWillard Richards--Battle with Indians at Provo Averted by Apostle C.\nC. Rich--Prospects of Utah Valley to Support Population--Overtake the\nEmigrant Company--Discussions at Beaver River--Company Starts for\nWalker's Pass--Turned Back by Scarcity of Water--Experience on the\nDesert--Dissensions in the Company--Futile Attempt to send some of\nthe Members Back--Apostle C. C. Rich Foresees Further Trouble, and\nEndeavors to Save the Mormon Part of the Train by Advising Them to\nReturn to the Old Spanish Trail--Methodist and Campbellite Ministers\nIncite the Company Against their Mormon Guide, Captain Hunt--Main\nCompany Disregards Captain Hunt's Warning of Danger, and Leaves the Old\nSpanish Trail to Search for the Route Through Walker's Pass--Mormons go\nwith Captain Hunt on the Southern Route.\n\nCHAPTER XVIII.\n\nCaught in a Snowstorm--Via the Santa Clara and Rio Virgen to\nthe Muddy--News of Sad Disaster to the Emigrant Company--Making\nCharcoal and Nails--An Apostle as a Blacksmith--Searching for Water\non the Desert--Crossing an Alkali Stream--Discover Gold near Salt\nSprings--Hurrying on over the Desert--Cattle Poisoned at Bitter\nSprings--Killing Animals to Relieve their Sufferings--First Wagon\nover Cajon Pass, going West--Severe Journey to the Summit of the\nPass--All get Over Safely--Sense of Great Relief--Grass and Water\nIn Abundance--Overtaken by survivors of the Emigrant Company--Their\nStory of Terrible Suffering--Divide Provisions with Them--Celebrating\nChristmas, 1849--Continuing the Journey North--Spanish Warning in a\nCemetery to Indians--Cruelty of the Spaniards to the Indians--The\nWriter Placed In Charge of the Company--Directed to go to the Gold\nMines.\n\nCHAPTER XIX.\n\nJourneying Toward the Gold Diggings--Threatened by Wild\nHorses--Difficulties of Traveling--Convocation of the Feathered\nCreation--Rejoin Our Friends--Ferrying Across a River--Strike a Gold\nProspect--On a Prospecting Tour--An Agreement that Failed--Instructed\nto go to San Francisco to proceed on a Mission--Trip to\nStockton--Gamblers, Sharpers and Miners at that Place--A Temptation\nOvercome--Arrive in San Francisco--Welcomed by Saints--Receive Kind\nTreatment--On Hoard a Vessel Bound for Tahiti.\n\nCHAPTER XX.\n\nSailing for the South Pacific--Severe Attack of Seasickness--Becalmed\nin the Tropics--Intense Heat--Marquesas Islands--Cannibals--Reach\nTahiti--Land at Papeete--Meet with Friends--Hearty Welcome--Preaching\nto the Natives--Animosity of Protestants and Catholics Toward the\nMormons--Jealousy of French Government Officials on the Island--Watched\nby Detectives--Six Natives Baptized--Learning the Language--Rumors\nof an Intention to Expel the Mormons--Elders B. F. Grouard and T.\nWhitaker Arrested--Appeal for Aid--Their Release and Return to their\nMissionary Labors--Meet with Brother Pratt Again--Interview with the\nGovernor--That Official Refuses Elders Pratt and Brown Permission to\nVisit Another Island--Scarcity of Food at Huaua--Eating Seasnails and\nBugs--Strange Dishes of Food--Almost Perish from Thirst--Visit to\nTiarara--Acquiring the Language.\n\nCHAPTER XXI.\n\nOffer of Transportation to the Island of Tubuol--Apply to the Governor\nfor Permission to go--Troops on Parade--Suite of Queen Pomere--Call\non the Governor--Conversation in Three Languages--Directed to Come\nAgain Next Day--Put off by the Governor--Latter Refuses the Permission\nAsked--His Prejudice Against the Mormons--Demands a Statement of Their\nDoctrines--Not Required of Other Denominations--Writer's Interview\nwith the Governor--Return to Huaua--Other Elders Requested to Assemble\nthen--Bitterness of Protestant Ministers--Natives comment on Mormons\nLearning Their Language Quickly.\n\nCHAPTER XXII.\n\nVisit to Papeete--Duck-Hunting Trip--A Peculiar Woman--Along a\nPerilous Path--An Opinion of English Ministers--Arrival of S. A.\nDunn--Learn of More Missionaries Arriving at Tubuoi--News from my\nFather and Others--Letters from the First Presidency and Some of the\nApostles--Written Statement Sent to the Governor of Tahiti--Visit the\nGovernor--Our Statement Rejected--List of Questions and Statement\nPresented by the Governor--Reply of Elder A. Pratt--Objections by the\nGovernor--Permission given us to Travel and Preach on the Islands.\n\nCHAPTER XXIII.\n\nReturn to Huahua--Heavy Rainstorms--Refusal of an Offer to be\nCarried Over a Stream--Perilous Swimming Feat--Episode with a Wild\nBoar--Start on a Trip Around the Island--Obtain a Loaf of Bread--People\nnot Desirous of Listening to the Mormon Elders--Customs of the\nNatives--Reputation of Protestant Clergy on Tahiti--With the Chief\nMagistrate of Uairai--Across a Small Bay in a Canoe--French Garrison at\nthe Isthmus--With my Friend Pohe--Review of a Hard Journey--Again at\nHuaua.\n\nCHAPTER XXIV.\n\nScarcity of Food--Traveling In Heavy Rains--Call on a Protestant\nMinister--Arrival of Another Missionary and Letters from Home--Visitors\nfrom Metia--Hold a Sacrament Meeting--Go to Papara--Abused by the\nProtestant Minister--Preach to the People--Young Woman Miraculously\nHealed at Baptism--Great Excitement--Rage of the Protestant\nMinisters--Persecution Instituted--Arrested for Preaching--Released on\nPromising to Return to Huaua--Plenty of Friends--Unintentional Escape\nfrom Gen d'Armes--Arrival at Papeete--Charge on which Officers seek to\nArrest me--Abused by Rev. Mr. Howe--A Quiet Answer Calls Out Cheers\nfrom the Crowd--Tide Turns in my Favor--Excitement Calms Down, and\nEfforts to Arrest Me Cease.\n\nCHAPTER XXV.\n\nSeveral Baptisms--Visit Papara Again--Coldness of the People--Bitter\nEfforts of the Protestant Ministers--Natives Visit Me In\nSecret--Anti-Mormon Mass Meeting--Foolish and Vicious scheme to\nEnsnare the Writer--It is Easily Defeated--Return to Papeete--More\nBaptisms--Departure of Elder Dunn--I am left Alone--Brethren come\nfrom Tubuoi--Elders Appointed to Labor in Different Islands--The\nwriter Assigned to the Tuamotu Group--Leave on the Elders' Schooner\nthe _Ravai_ or _Fisher_--Meet with Contrary Winds--Driven to Various\nIslands--Encounter a Violent storm--In Great Peril--Vessel Beyond\nControl--Storm calms Down--Reach Tubuoi--First Preaching of the Gospel\nthere, in 1844.\n\nCHAPTER XXVI.\n\nHearty Welcome in Tubuoi--Start for Tuamotu--Reach Papeete,\nTahiti--Visit to Huaua--Leave Tahiti--Writer gets Relief from\nSeasickness--Broiled Fish and Cocoanuts--in a School of Whales--Thrown\nonto a Coral Reef--Total Wreck Imminent--Three Persons yet Ashore--Boat\ngoes out to Sea--Wreck of Elder Dunn's Party--Three Days In the Sea,\nClinging to a Capsized Boat--Clothing Torn off by Sharks--Skin Taken\noff by the Sea and Sun--Reach the Island of Anaa--Recognized by a\nMan who had seen me in a Dream--Preaching and Baptizing--Many of\nthe Natives Church Members--Make a Rude Map of the California Gold\nFields--Tell of Having been in the Mormon Battalion--Catholic Priests\nElicit this Information as Part of a Scheme to have me Expelled from\nthe Island.\n\nCHAPTER XXVII.\n\nInvited to Organize Schools--Catholic Priests Displeased at\nMormon Success--Good Attendance at the Schools--Threats by the\nPriests--Discomfiture of the Latter--Feast and Address of Welcome by\nthe Natives to the Writer--Preaching and Baptisms--Catholic Priests\nseize a Schoolhouse Belonging to the Saints--Disturb a Saints'\nMeeting--More Baptisms--Further Annoyance by Catholics--People Decide\nAgainst Them--Town Officials Appealed to--They Uphold the Decision in\nFavor of the Mormons--Priests Write to Governor Bonard, Making False\nCharges Against me--A Peculiar Dream.\n\nCHAPTER XXVIII.\n\nGo to Temaraia--Miraculous Healings--Child Assailed by an Evil\nSpirit--Strange Occurrence--Gift of Sea Biscuits--Perform a Surgical\nOperation--Hammering out Teeth--The Writer as a Surgeon and\nDentist--Roughs Disturbs Meeting--They are Stricken with Death--Fatal\nSickness among the People--Lower Classes of Natives at a Feast--Their\nReverence for Religious Services and Preachers--Two Parties of Natives\nin Battle Array--Fighting Averted by the Writer Addressing the\nContending Factions in Favor of Peace--Wars among the Natives--Some\nof their Practices--Gathering and Keeping Human Heads--Causes of\nCannibalism--Conversation with one who had been a Cannibal--Flavor of\nNative and White Men's Flesh Compared--The Tastiest Part of the Human\nBody.\n\nCHAPTER XXIX.\n\nHold Conference in Putuhara--Instructions to the Saints--Go to\nOtapipi--Opposition at Temaraia--Officials Bribed by Catholic\nPriests--Arrival of a French Warship--The Writer is Arrested while\nExpounding the Scriptures to the Natives--Cause of Arrest is False\nAccusation by Catholic Priests--I Plead Not Guilty--Ordered Taken\nto Tahiti--Painful Prison Experience--Cannibals in Custody--Start\nfor the Ship--Sympathy of the Natives--Hurried into the Ship's\nBoat--In a School of Whales--A Frightened Boat Load--On Board the\nWarship--Uncomfortable Quarters--Questionable French Courtesy--Among\nCockroaches, Filth, and Inconveniences--Soft Side of a Plank for a Bed.\n\nCHAPTER XXX.\n\nVoyage to Papeete--In a Tahitian Dungeon--Cruel Treatment--Write to\nFriends--Kindness of the American Hotel Keeper--Brought Before the\nGovernor--False Charges Read, and Plea of Not Guilty Entered--Perjured\nTestimony Against Me--Forbidden to Look at, or even Cross-Examine\nWitnesses--Secrecy of the Alleged Trial--Demand My Rights as\nan American Citizen--Confusion of the Governor--Returned to My\nCell--American Consul takes up my Case--Gives Bonds that I will Leave\nthe Protectorate--Elders and Friends Call on me--My Visitors Allowed to\nSay but Little, and Sometimes Excluded--Decision of the Governor that I\nmust Leave the Society Islands--Fair Trial Refused me--Letter from the\nAmerican Consul--Taken to the Consul's Office--Advised to Leave--Elders\nDecide that I should go Outside of the French Protectorate--Set Sail\nfrom Papeete.\n\nCHAPTER XXXI.\n\nLeaving Tahiti under the Order of Banishment--Supply of Provisions\nExhausted--Caught in a Calm--Suffering from Lack of Food--Reach\nTubuoi--Go Ashore upon Invitation of the Queen--Sail for Raivavai--Meet\nElder Pratt There--Left Alone on the Island--Savage Character of the\nNatives--The Governor a Friend--Visit from House to House--People\nGenerally Unwilling to Receive the Gospel--Council Decides that I must\nLeave the Island or be Killed--A Time of Excitement--Storm Passes for\na while--Baptize Twenty Persons--Noted Chief and the Heiress to the\nThrone Join the Church--More Bitterness and Excitement--Two Parties of\nNatives Meet to Engage in Battle--Manage to Reconcile Them and Prevent\nBloodshed--Further Threats Against the Mormons--Some Church Members\nfeel to Retaliate but are Restrained--Passengers Arrive with False\nand Scandalous Stories About the Mormons--Persecution Increases--The\nFew Saints on the island Become Sorrowful and Discouraged--Protestant\nMinisters Advise Expulsion of the Saints--Renewal of the Faith and Zeal\nof the Church Members.\n\nCHAPTER XXXII.\n\nPeople Gather at a Feast, and to Decide what to do with the\nMormons--Threats to have Roast Missionary--Saints hold Prayer and\nTestimony Meeting--Kept Awake all Night--Council of Natives Decides\nto Roast and Eat me--Fire is Built--Men Sent to Drag me to the\nCouncil--Promises of Presidents Brigham Young and Willard Richards Come\nto my Mind--All Fear Is Banished--Saints and Their Enemies Ordered\nto Separate--All but Two Mormons Stand by me--Sublime Courage of a\nNative and His Wife--The Charge Against Me--I Appeal to the Bible, but\nour Enemies Refuse to be Guided by the Law of God--Notified of the\nDecision that I am to be Burned--Spirit of the Lord Rests upon me in\nGreat Power, Inspiring me to Defy our Enemies--Spirit of Confusion\nEnters our Foes--They Quarrel and Fight With Each Other--Difficulty In\nRestraining Church Members--Deliverance which the Lord Wrought out for\nme--I am Allowed to proceed Unmolested--Meet a Member of the Council\nwhich Condemned me to Death--His Testimony that a Pillar of Light\nDescended from Heaven and Rested on me, Filling them with Fear--No more\nAnti-Mormon Councils--Natives show no Disposition to Receive the Gospel.\n\nCHAPTER XXXIII.\n\nLong time without News from Home--Letter from Elder B. F.\nGrouard--Released from my Missionary Labors in the Islands--Little\nOpportunity to Leave Raivavai--Natives Build a Schooner--Fast and\nPray to Learn whether I should sail on the Vessel--The Answer--Sail\nfor Rapia--Driven Back to Raivavai--Make a New Start--Arrive at\nRapia--Ridiculous Idea of the People Concerning a Mormon Elder--I am\nForbidden to go Ashore, on Pain of Death--Feeling is Modified Somewhat,\nand I go Ashore--Battle Between the Natives--An Old Man Gives me\nFood--Attend a Meeting, get Permission to Speak a Few Words and am\nOrdered from the Island--Increase of Sentiment of Toleration--Invited\nto Supper at the Governor's--Strange Custom of Women Waiting on\nMen--Rather than Follow it, I Submit to being Called a Heathen.\n\nCHAPTER XXXIV.\n\nDetermine to Preach to the People--Refused a House--Hold an Open-Air\nMeeting--Strange Congregation--Six other Meetings--Visit a Native\nKing--He Commands me to Leave--I do so In Order to Avoid Being Put\nto Death--Watermelons and Other Vegetables--Native Tradition of the\nPeopling of the Islands--Visit of a Protestant Minister--Sail for\nTahiti--In a Heavy Storm--Prayers by Frightened Natives--I am Asked to\nPray with them, but Decline to Follow their Methods--Reach the Harbor\nof Papeete--American Consul Obtains Permission for me to Land--Go\nto Work with a Carpenter--Warned not to be Alone lest I should be\nKilled--Watched by Gen d'Armes--Trouble at Anaa, and Arrest of Native\nMormons--These are Brought to Papeete--How they got Letters to me, and\ntheir Replies--My Former Persecutors of Raivavai Come to Me for Advice,\nand I Return Good for Evil.\n\nCHAPTER XXXV.\n\nWatched Closely by Gen d'Armes--Experience when at Prayer--Take Dinner\nwith the Rev. Mr. Howe--Dining with a Catholic Bishop--Impatience\nof the Governor--Leave Tahiti on the _Abyssinia_--Curiosity of\nPassengers and Sailors--Difficulty in Getting out of the Harbor--Hear\nof More Trouble at Anaa--Captain's comment on Mormon Books--A\nWaterspout--Crossing the Equator--Encounter a Terrible Storm--A\nTidal Wave--Ship Springs a Leak--Panic on Board--All Hands to the\nPumps--Stopping a Leak--Fair Weather Again.\n\nCHAPTER XXXVI.\n\nArrive at San Francisco--A Wrecked Ship--The _Abyssinia_\nCondemned--Gathering Wreckage--Drunken sailors--My Trunk Held for\nHospital Fees--Go Ashore, where all Is Changed and Strange--My\nDilapidated Appearance--Seek Guidance of the Lord--Wander\nAlmost in Despair--Meet an Old Friend--Find a Home--My Trunk\nReleased--Meet Elders Going on Missions--Well Treated by Saints and\nStrangers--Providences of the Lord--Outward Bound Elders Entrusted\nMoney to me for their Families--Engage to Carry Mail to Los Angeles--On\na Steamer for San Pedro--Taken Severely Ill.\n\nCHAPTER XXXVII.\n\nBecome Desperately Ill--Nursed Back to Consciousness--Kindness\nof an Aged Spanish Couple--Belt with Money Entrusted to me\nDisappears--Intense Anxiety--Discover the Money--Great Suffering--Land\nat San Pedro--Left on the Beach--Drag Myself to the Shelter of an Old\nWall--Kindness of a Spaniard and His Wife--A Terrible Night--Seek\na Passage to Los Angeles with Freighters--Refusals--Meet a Kind\nTeamster--Reach Los Angeles--Dumped on the Street--Find Shelter, but\na Chilly Welcome--Start Next Morning, Sick and Hungry, to Find a New\nPlace--So Ill I have to Lie Down in the Street--Two Friends from San\nBernardino--Am Told that I have the Smallpox--My Friends Give me Money\nand start in Search of a House where I can be Cared for--Failing to\nSecure a Room, they Engage the City Marshal to get a Place, and they\nLeave for San Bernardino--I wander for Shelter, but Doors are Closed,\nand People Avoid me--Lodge in a Doctor's Office while the Doctor is\nout--Scare the People by Shouting \"Smallpox!\"--The Doctor Returns but\nLeaves me in Possession.\n\nCHAPTER XXXVIII.\n\nCity Marshal and Doctor Come to Remove me--Taken to a Deserted House,\nwhich had been Used as a Sheepfold--Bedded In Sheep Manure--An Indian\nNurse who Becomes Frightened--Spanish Nurse Sent to me--In a boat with\nPatient Job--My Fever Increases--Attacked by Robbers--Relieved by\nCity Marshal with Posse--Marshal takes the Money I have in my care,\nfor Safe Keeping--Spanish Nurse Scared off--Queer Sailor Nurse--He\nDrinks Whisky, Sings and Dances--His Thoughtful Care of me--Visited\nby my Cousin--Kindness of San Bernardino Saints--Recovering from my\nIllness--My Clothing Burned--Heavy Expense Bill Against me--Tell the\nCity Marshal of my Arrival in California as a United States Soldier in\nthe Mexican War--Kindness of the Marshal--Los Angeles Assumes the Bill\nfor Medical Attention Given me--Start for San Bernardino--Exhausted\non the Journey--Almost Die of Thirst--Relieved by a Party of Spanish\nLadies--Kindness of Spanish Families--Arrive at San Bernardino and Meet\nFriends and Relatives\n\nCHAPTER XXXIX.\n\nReport my Mission--Prepare to Continue the Journey to Utah--Have\nto Remain at San Bernardino for a Time--Sickness among the\nPeople--Instances of Healing by Administration--Engage to Travel\nwith a Pack Train to Salt Lake City--Get a \"Bucking Mule\"--Start on\nthe Journey--In a Hostile Indian Country--Signs of Danger--Prepare\nfor Trouble--Sudden Appearance of an Indian--Our Party Want to\nShoot--I Protest, and make Friends with the Indian--Other Red Men\nAppear--Difficulty of Restraining our Party--I converse with the\nIndians, who tell of a Camp of Mormons and Mexicans a short Distance\nAhead--How I Understood the Indians--Discover the Camp Spoken of--Rest\na Day--Move Toward the Santa Clara--Danger Ahead--A Fire Across our\nPath--We Dash Through It--Hostile Indians--An Exciting chase--Meet\nApostles A. M. Lyman and C. C. Rich--Arrive at Cedar City--Stop\nat Parowan--Journey North, Preaching en Route--Reach Salt Lake\nCity--Settle with the People for whom I have Money--Report to President\nYoung--Preach In the Tabernacle--Released from my Mission--Cost of my\nMission to the Society Islands.\n\nCHAPTER XL.\n\nTravel on Foot to Ogden--Well Received by Relatives and\nFriends--Reply to Inquiries by the People Regarding the Society\nIslands and the Inhabitants Thereof--Called to go to Fort Hall\nOrder Countermanded--Called on a Mission to the Indians--Design of\nthe Mission--Organization of the Company, and Start from Salt Lake\nCity--Hard Work of the Journey--Attacked by Wolves--Fatal Duel at\nFort Bridger--Plans of Desperadoes--We go to Smith's Fork--Build\na Blockhouse--Arrival of More Men and Supplies--Threatening\nAttitude of the Indians--Writer made Sergeant of the Guard and\nQuartermaster--Instructions from Elder Orson Hyde--Life in our\nnew Camp--Cold Weather and Wild Beasts--Learning the Indian\nLanguage--Give Shelter to Indians--Desperado Chief Killed by one of\nhis Men--Animals Perish from Cold and Starvation--Terrific Storms and\nSnowdrifts--Saving our Stock--Shoshone Indians Ask for and Receive\nAssistance--Hunt tor Antelope Falls--A Bachelor's Dance--Raising a\nLiberty Pole--Partitioning out Lands--Plowing and Planting--Arrival of\nand Instructions by Elder Orson Hyde--Selections for a Special Mission\nto the Indians--Organization of Green River County.\n\nCHAPTER XLI.\n\nSet Apart by Elder Hyde for our Special Mission--Blessing Conferred\non the Writer--Discontent In Camp--Unity Again Prevails--Start on our\nJourney--Warned at Green River to go no Farther--Not Deterred from\nPerforming our Mission--Proceed on our Journey--Futile Chase after\nBuffalo--Scarcity of Water--A Welcome Snow Storm--Reach the Camp of\nWashakie, the Shoshone Chief--Received with Caution--Tell the Chief\nthe Object of our Visit--Give him Bread and Sugar--Boiled Buffalo for\nan Epicure Indian Powwow Called--Proceedings at the Council--Objection\nto one of our Propositions, which we were not Annoyed at--Recital of\nhow Government Agents Sought to Supplant Washakie as Chief--Washakie a\nGreat Orator.\n\nCHAPTER XLII.\n\nLeave Washakie's Camp for the Other Portion of the Shoshone\nTribe--Indian Guide Leaves us--Following a Trail--Sight the Other\nCamp--War Songs and Dances--Indians Preparing for War--Chief Gives\nup his Lodge to us, Warning us of Men in his Camp he Cannot Control\n--Indian Braves in War Paint--Surrounded by Fifteen Hundred or Two\nThousand Indians--Learn that L. B. Ryan, a White Desperado Chief, is\nin Camp, and has sworn Vengeance on Mormons Escape seems Impossible,\nbut we Trust in God--Retire for the Night--Ryan and Seven Warriors\nat our Lodge--Ryan Enters and Demands to know where we are from, and\nour Business--He is Told, Threatens us, and Summons his Indian Braves\nInside our Lodge--Though the Enemy are two to one, we are Ready for\nthem--Prepare for a Fight to the Death--Ryan and his Men Leave the\nLodge, War Dance Outside--We Conclude to Sell our Lives as Dearly\nas Possible--War Party Approach the Lodge and Slit it In a Number\nof Places, then suddenly Depart--Our Lives being Spared, we Remain\nin Camp till Next Day--The chief Befriends us, Warning us not to\nReturn the way we Came--Dispute as to the Route of Travel, and how\nit is Settled--Satisfied that Ryan intended to Ambush us--Rainstorm\nObliterates our Tracks--Camp in the Rain--On the Alert for an\nEnemy--Shoot a Buffalo--Ward and Davis give chase, while Bullock\nand I continue on our Route--Camp at a ash--Bullock Taken very\nIll--A Terrible Night--Ward and Davis not Returning by Morning, we\nMove on--Fear that Bullock will Die--Discover our Comrades in the\nCanyon--Being Hungry, we Overeat--Another Night of Sickness--Emerge\nfrom the Canyon--Press Forward to Green River--Welcomed by\nFriends--Three of our Party go on to Fort Supply, and I Remain to meet\nChief Washakie.\n\nCHAPTER XLIII.\n\nEngaged as interpreter--Class of People at Green River--Appointed\nDeputy Sheriff--Drover Threatens to Kill Boatmen Arrest Ordered--Ride\ninto the Outlaws' Camp--Bluffing the Captain--A Perilous Situation\n--Parley with Drovers--Compromise Effected--Dealing with\nLaw-breakers--\"Bill\" Hickman as Sheriff Swimming Cattle Over Green\nRiver--A Drover's Failure--Writer Employed to get Cattle Over--How it\nis done Secret of Success--Arrival of Washakie--The Ferryman Offends\nhim--The Angry Indian Swears Vengeance on the White Man--His Parting\nThreat--In Peril of an Indian Massacre.\n\nCHAPTER XLIV.\n\nConsternation at Washakie's Declaration--People Hurry across the\nRiver--The Writer is Asked to Attempt a Reconciliation--Night too Dark\nto Travel--Chief Washakie and Braves Appear at Sunrise--The Chief\nnotes that the People are Terror-Stricken, and Decides that he will be\ntheir Friend--Troublous Exploits of Mountain Men--Sheriff's plan of\nArrest--How the Scheme Worked--Desperadoes Freed by the Court--Chasing\nan Offender--Surrounded by his Associates--Coolness and Pluck of the\nSheriff Win--Ready to Return Home--A Trying Experience.\n\nCHAPTER XLV.\n\nGo to Fort Supply--Start back to Green River and meet O.P. Rockwell\nat Fort Bridger--He brings me a Trader's License, also Goods to Trade\nto the Indians--Being Late in the Season, We Store the Goods, and go\nto Salt Lake City--Receive the Approval of Governor Young--Move to\nOgden--Accompany Governor Young as Interpreter--My Horse Stolen--Called\non a Mission to the Shoshones--On going to Salt Lake City, I am\nReleased--Ordered to take part In Disarming Indians at Ogden--A\nDifficult Job--Chase to Mound Fort--Hand-to-hand Struggle with a\nPowerful Savage--Indians Disarmed, but Sullen--Chief's Brother Offers\nall his Possessions for his Gun--Precautions Taken to Feed the Indians\nthat Winter--Teach the Indian Language in School--Prosper In Business.\n\nCHAPTER XLVI.\n\nAnother Mission to the Indians--Start for the Shoshone\nCamp--Difficulties of Travel--Near the Crows and Blackfeet--A Dream\ngives Warning of Danger--Discover a Large Body of Indians--No\nOpportunity of Escape--Ride into the Camp of a Hunting and War\nParty--Meet chief Washakie--A Day's March--Situation Critical--Hold a\nCouncil--Present the Book of Mormon--All but Washakie Speak Against us\nand the Book--Awaiting the Chief's Decision.\n\nCHAPTER XLVII.\n\nWashakie's Bold Attitude--Tells his Councilors they are Fools--Says the\nWhite Men, who are Wise, have Books--Tells the Tradition of how the\nIndians fell into Darkness--Great Spirit Angry at the Red Man--Advocates\nthat the Indians live like White People--His Powerful Speech Gains the\nDay for us--Shoshone Tradition--We Start Home--A Hungry Trip--Return to\nthe Indians, Finding them Sullen--Fourth of July Celebration at Fort\nSupply--Return Home.\n\nCHAPTER XLVIII.\n\nAffairs at Home--Start for Fort Supply--Illness of myself and\nFamily--Gift of Healing--Trouble with Indians at Fort Supply--Turbulent\nRed Men--I Help one off my Bed--They Persist In Taking or Destroying\nour Property--We Stop them--One Attempts to Kill me--Indians\nRetire from the Fort--Almost a Conflict--I check the White Men\nfrom Shooting--Indians Withdraw--We send to Governor Young for\nAssistance--Our Stock and Guards Driven in--Indian Agent Appears with\nAnnuities--The Savages Submit--We Guard Day and Night--Indians more\nPeaceful--Reinforcements Arrive from the Governor--Matters Quiet Down.\n\nCHAPTER XLIX.\n\nStart Home from Fort Supply--Camp alone at Needle Rook--Awakened by my\nHorse--Surrounded by Wolves--Flash Powder all Night to keep off the\nWild Beasts--Reach Home--Supplies Short--Hardships of a Grasshopper\nYear--Getting my cattle out of a Canyon--Perils of being Caught in the\nSnow--Great Suffering--Breaking a Snow Road--Business Affairs.\n\nCHAPTER L.\n\nCalled on a Mission to Deep Creek Indians--Short Time for the\nJourney--Prepare for the Trip--Journey in the Desert--Horses\nStolen--Travel on Foot--Saved from Perishing with Thirst--Meet the\nIndians--Could Understand and Speak to them--Indian Agent's Offer--I\nact as interpreter--Preach to the Indians--On the Return Trip--Visit\nGovernor Young with a Delegation of Bannock Indians.\n\nCHAPTER LI.\n\nUtah Militia Organized--Elected Captain of a Company--Hear of\nJohnston's Army--Scouting Party sent out--I am Chosen as Guide--Travel\nto the Bear Lake Country--Cold Nights and Little Food--Complaint in\nthe Party--Prove that I am Right--Reach Lost Creek--Some of the Men\nObject to Double Guard--A Discovery that Removes all Objections--Strike\nthe Trail of Horsemen--Prepare for Action--Take a Camp by Surprise--The\nMen are Friends--Arrive at Ogden--Called to go on an Important\nErrand--Tussle with an Indian--Fail in Getting Desired Information, and\nReturn to Ogden.\n\nChapter LII.\n\nOff on Another Scout--Again on Bear River--Dream of Seeing\nTroops--Dream Fulfilled--Send Word back of Discovery--Five Hundred\nCavalrymen--Heavy Storm--My only Remaining Companion taken Ill--He\nis Healed and I am Stricken Down--Camp in the Snow--My companion,\nExpecting me to die, Prepares to take my Body Home--He Returns, Prays\nfor me and I am Healed--Stricken Down Again--I Direct him to Leave\nme and Return Home--He obeys Reluctantly--I Expect to die--Peculiar\nExperiences--Four Young Men, sent by my Comrade, come to my Relief--\nJourney on--Lighting fire in a Storm--The Young Men Pray for me, and I\nam Relieved--Traveling Homeward--Kind Treatment--Reach Ogden--Act as\nSexton--Guard over Spies--Utah Militia Recalled--Missionary Labors in\nWeber County.\n\nCHAPTER LIII.\n\nMormons Abandon their Homes and Move South--Prepare for the Worst--Go\nto Payson--Affairs Being Settled, Return to Ogden---Called to go\nEast as a Missionary--Journey across the plains--Meet my Parents In\nIowa--Preaching and Traveling--My Father's Testimony--Missionary\nLabors--Called to Missouri--Sent to bring a Herd of Cattle--Return to\nmy Parents' Home--Bid Farewell to Them--Purchasing Cattle.\n\nCHAPTER LIV.\n\nGiven Charge of a Company to Cross the Plains to Utah--Composition\nof the Camp--Start West--Perform Baptisms--Meet a War Party of\nSioux Indians--Place where A. W. Babbitt was Killed--Meet More\nIndians--How Trouble was Avoided--Camp Life and Duties--Enter Salt Lake\nValley--Company Greeted by the Church Authorities--Report to President\nYoung and am Released--Trade at Camp Floyd--Experience with a Thief--Go\nto Work on the Ogden Canyon Road--Hardships Endured.\n\nCHAPTER LV.\n\nCalled on a Mission to Great Britain--Prepare to Depart--Start Without\nPurse or Scrip--Journey to Salt Lake City--Set Apart for the Mission\n--Begin the Journey Eastward--Organization of the Company--My Post as\nChaplain--Overtaken by Apostles A. M. Lyman and C. C. Rich--Traveling\nThrough the Mountains--Snowstorms and Wind--Forage is Scarce--Meetings\nwith the Indians--Captain Reynolds' Exploring Party--Army Deserters in\nour Camp--Mail from Home--Emigrants Westward Bound--Dissatisfaction\nIn Camp--Feeling about Apostles Lyman and Rich--I Resign as Captain,\nbut am Elected again, and Finally Resume Command--Mail Robbery--More\nDisagreeable Storms--Meet a Handcart Company and Apostle George Q.\nCannon--Reach the Missouri River--Visit my Father and his Family--Go to\nSt. Joseph, Missouri--My first View of a Railway Train--At my old Home\nin Brown County, Illinois--Journey Eastward by Rail--Arrive in New York\nfor the First Time--Find Friends.\n\nCHAPTER LVI.\n\nVisit Various Places of Interest in New York and Vicinity--Arrival\nof the Great Eastern--Preach at Williamsburg--New York's Celebration\nof the Fourth--My Thirty-second Birthday--Secure Passports and Ocean\nPassage--Crowded in the Steerage--Foggy and wet Weather--View of the\nIrish Coast--Fleet of British Warships--Land in Liverpool--Assigned\nto Birmingham Conference--In Birmingham--Listen to an Anti-Mormon\nLecture--Visiting from House to House as a Mormon Missionary--Places\nof Interest--Transferred to Nottingham Conference--Preaching and\nVisiting--Mission Travels--Go to London--See Notable Places--News of my\nDaughter's Death--Birth of Another Daughter--Return to Nottingham.\n\nCHAPTER LVII.\n\nAgain at Missionary Labors--Baptisms--Become Quite Ill--Appointed\nPresident of the Nottingham District, Embracing three\nConferences--Visited by Apostles A. M. Lyman, C. C. Rich and\nOthers--Settling Differences among Church Members--Attend a\nPhrenological Lecture--Get a Chart--Go to Liverpool--In Conference\nat Nottingham--My Pastorate Enlarged--Witness a Military\nReview--More Baptisms--Visit Sheffield--Fixing my Name--Poverty in\nNottingham--Invited to take a Trip to Paris--Go to London--Have to\ngive up the Visit to France--In Poor Health--Return to Nottingham--See\nProfessor Blondin.\n\nCHAPTER LVIII.\n\nProlonged Illness--Attend to my Duties with Difficulty--Letter Telling\nof the Battle of Bulls Run--Witness an Execution by Hanging--Visit\nfrom George Q. Cannon, Joseph F. Smith and Others--Death of the\nPrince Consort--Go to Birmingham--Conference of the Priesthood In the\nBritish Mission--Large Meeting In Odd Fellows' Hall, Birmingham--Again\nat Nottingham--Visit Liverpool--Consult a Physician, but get little\nRelief--See the Liverpool Grand National Races--Depravity Among Poorer\nClasses in Liverpool--Again at Nottingham--Released to Return Home--Bid\nthe People Farewell--Display of their Affection for me--Report of my\nLabors Published in the Millennial Star--On Board Ship--Placed in\nCharge of the Company--Sail for America--Driven by Headwinds along\nthe Coasts of the Isle of Man, Wales, Ireland and Scotland--Severe\nSeasickness--Get to Sea--Slow Voyage--Deaths and Burials at sea--Land\nat New York--Guest of Hon. W. H. Hooper--Journey to Florence,\nNebraska--Captain and Guide of Independent Company--Reach Salt hake\nCity--Report to President Young--Again at Home.\n\nCHAPTER LIX.\n\nRemove from Ogden to Salt Lake City at the Request of President\nYoung--Necessity for Preaching among the Saints--In the Employ of\nPresident Young--On Another Mission, this time in Utah---Preaching\nand Lecturing--Build a House--Go to the Canyon to get Finishing\nLumber--Shot in Mistake for a Bear--My Wound very Serious--Taken to\nWanship to Receive Care--My Family Notified and Surgical Assistance\nObtained--Moved to my Home--In Bed Nine Months--Two Surgical\nOperations--Grow Stronger--Employed at the Warm Springs--Dr.\nRobinson--Abscesses in my Wounded Limb--Out of Employment--Go to the\nCalifornia line to Examine a Gold Prospect--Perilous Journey--Indians\non the Warpath--Remarkable experience with a Band of Savages--Gift of\nSpeaking their Language--Unable to work the Gold Claim Because of Lack\nof Water--Return to Salt Lake City--Go to the Gold Discoveries on the\nSweetwater--Discover a Placer claim--An Attempt to Rob me of It--Bush\nfor a Mine--Hold the Claim--Assailed by Hostile Indians--A Race for\nLife--Three Men Killed--We Abandon Camp--Suffer with my Lame Limb--Lose\nthe Mining Claim--Hauling Coal and Produce--Almost Die--Confined to Bed\nfor Months--Amputation of my limb to save my Life--Recovery--Attend to\nmy Nursery--Advent of the Railway--Traveling and Preaching--A Slight\nSunstroke.\n\nCHAPTER LX.\n\nCalled on a Mission to the United States--Journey Eastward--Visit\nRelatives en Route--Reach New York--Measured for an Artificial\nLimb--How It was Paid for--Visit and Preach--Meet Poor\nEncouragement--Go to Boston--World's Peace Jubilee--Bunker Hill--Again\nat New York--Released to Return Home--Back in Utah--Traveling and\nPreaching--Sent for by President Young--Called on a Mission to\nArizona--Directed to Furnish Names of Others--Send the List--President\nYoung adds other Names--Set Apart for our Mission--Difficult to Collect\nMoney due me--Leave my Family Poorly Provided for but Trusting In the\nLord--Placed In Charge of the Mission--Letter of Instructions--Start\nSouth--People Contribute Liberally--Traveling in Storm--Arrive at\nKanab--In Arizona--A Hard Journey--Marriage of my Daughter--Reach Lee's\nFerry on the Colorado--Crossing the River--Reach Moencoppy Wash--Decide\nto Winter There--Explore the Vicinity--Meet Friendly Indians--Building\na House--Exploring the Little Colorado--A Difficult Trip--Description\nof the Route--Find a Place for Another Settlement--San Francisco\nMountains--Fine Forest Growth--Caught in Deep Snow--Through with a\nPerilous Journey--Decide to Return to Salt Lake City and Report--Heavy\nSnow--Trip Homeward--Cordially Greeted by President Young--With my\nFamily.\n\nCHAPTER LXI.\n\nAttend Meetings with the First Presidency and Apostles--More\nMissionaries called to Arizona--Many Inquiries Regarding the\nMission--Outline the Route--Preparations for Travel--Start\nSouth--Aided by Contributions--Reach Moencoppy--Meet Lot Smith\nand Company--Baptisms--Start for the Little Colorado River--Guide\nMissionary Companies to the Place we had Selected for Settlement--Lot\nSmith Refuses to Acknowledge my Appointment from President Young\nas President of the Mission--He Assumes Leadership of the new\nSettlement--I Return with my Party to Moencoppy--Other Companies of\nMissionary Settlers sustain my Presidency--My Health is Poor--Settlers\nDiscouraged--Cheer them up--Work of Frontier Life--Succor a Company\nwhose Water Supply is Exhausted--Taking up Land--Make a Long\nExploring Trip--Introduce Book of Mormon to Navajos--Return to\nMoencoppy--Indians Dissatisfied--Go to Salt Lake City with a Delegation\nof Navajo Chiefs--Their Supposed Grievances Settled--Tell President\nYoung I have come Home to Stay--He Sends me out Again--Directed to\nProcure Volunteers--Letter of Instructions--Lecture, and take up\nContributions--Return Home--My Family Ill--Provide Supplies for\nThem--Conditions Improve.\n\nCHAPTER LXII.\n\nAgain in Arizona--Settling Difficulties Among the People--Our\nReservoir Bursts--News of Notable Events--Prepare to Repel an\nIndian Raid--Indians Quarrel, and the Trouble Passes Over--Funeral\nat Moencoppy--Exploring Trip to the Southeast--A White Indian\nChild--Meet the Head Chief of the Navajos--His Address, and\nProposition to Accompany me to Salt Lake City--Agree on a Date for\nthe Journey--Continue my Trip Over into New Mexico, then Return to\nMoencoppy--Accusation Against me Disproved--Indians Gather to go to\nSalt Lake City--Make the Trip--At President Young's Deathbed--Visit\nthe Indians--Honorable Release from my Mission--Resume Home Missionary\nLabors--In Prison for Conscience Sake.\n\nCHAPTER LXIII.\n\nVisited by President Joseph F. Smith--Called on Another Mission to the\nSociety Islands--Prepare To Respond--A Blessing by Apostle Lorenzo\nSnow--Appointed to Preside over the Society Islands Mission--Attempts\nto Discourage me from Undertaking the Journey--Surprise Party by my\nChildren--Farewell Reception In the Ward Hall--Start on my Mission,\nAccompanied by my Son and Others who had been Called--Voyage to\nTahiti--Madman on Board the Vessel--At Marquesas Islands Strange\nCharacters--Tattooed White Man--His Peculiar Career--Catching Sharks\n--Arrive at Papeete--My Reception There--Meet Native Josephite\nPreachers, who seem Confused--Elders from Utah Greet us--in Poor Health.\n\nCHAPTER LXIV.\n\nFirst Sabbath in Tahiti--Meet Several Persons whom I Knew over\nForty Years Before--How they Remembered me--Seek Permission to hold\nPublic Meetings--Widow of my Old Friend, John Layton, Calls on\nme Other Friends--Preach to the Josephites--Governor Refuses to\nPermit us to Hold Public Meetings--Get Advice of the United states\nConsul--A Lawyer's Counsel--Josephites tell of B. F. Grouard--I\nExplain how he had Turned into the wrong Path--The Church Never\nDisorganized--Missionary Labors--Greeting a French Admiral--Early\nMissionaries to Tahiti--Their Severe Experiences--Sixty-fourth\nAnniversary of my Birth--Learn of Mormons who were Hanged for\nHaving Killed a Policeman in the Trouble when I was Arrested on\nmy First Mission to the Islands--Meet a Native of Pitcairn's\nIsland--His Story--Visit Tautila--Severe Voyage--A Baptism--Sail for\nTubuoi--Among Strangers Celebration of a French Fete Day--Dine with\nthe Governor--People Become less Unfriendly to us--Breaking of the\nClouds--Baptize Twenty-four Persons--Encouraging Results of Missionary\nEfforts.\n\nCHAPTER LXV.\n\nMiraculous Healing--Meet and Confound the Josephites--Further\nMissionary Success--Meet a Native who was Present when I was\nSentenced to be Burned--Elder John Layton's Grave--Arrange to Return\nto Tahiti--Disappointed--Preach a Funeral Sermon--Forbidden to Hold\nPublic Meetings--Blind Woman one Hundred and Twenty Years Old Her\nTestimony--Administer to her for her Eyesight, and she Is Enabled to\nsee a Little--She Praises the Lord--Preaching and Baptizing--Sail\nfor Papeete--An odd Cargo--Hard Voyage--Held by a Calm--Land on\nTahiti--Sail for Avaroa--On a Well-ordered Schooner--Call at Various\nIslands--Lance a Carbuncle--Christmas Day at Sea--Watermelons--A\nBeautiful Residence and Cordial Welcome--Perform Three Marriage\nCeremonies--Conference of Saints in the Tuamotu Islands--Meet a Native\nChilean--Visit Various Places--Public Welcome--Fishing--On the Island\nof Anaa--Visit Where I was Imprisoned--Graves of those Concerned In\nthe Trouble Then--Warrant Served on me--Summoned to the Government\nHouse--Warned Against Creating a Disturbance.\n\nCHAPTER LXVI.\n\nPreaching and Visiting--Pearl Fishing--Place of my Arrest in\n1851--Accident to a Young Man--Incident with the Governor of Anaa--See\na Leper--Capture of an Eel--Conference on Anaa--Time of Dedication\nof Salt Lake Temple--Specially Interesting Meetings--New Elders from\nUtah--Start back to Tahiti--Another Funeral Sermon--Meet the French\nGovernor of the Tuamotu Islands--His Cordial Greeting--Arrive at\nPapeete--Appointments for the New Missionaries--Fall to get a Passage\nto Tubuoi--My Health Very Poor--Learn of the Dedication of the Salt\nLake Temple--Elders Unanimous in the Decision that I should Return Home\nBecause of my Illness--I Demur--Conclude to go--Trouble on Anaa--My\nSixty-fifth birthday--Notable Kindness of a Native child--Sail from\nPapeete--Difficulty In Landing from Small Boats--In the Society\nIslands--Reach San Francisco--Arrive in Salt Lake City--Report the\nSuccessful Opening of the Society Islands Mission.\n\nCHAPTER LXVII.\n\nInvited To the Midwinter Fair, San Francisco, and Accept--Journey to\nCalifornia--Kind Treatment Received--An Honored Guest--Write a Pamphlet\non the Discovery of Gold at Sutter's Mill Race--First Accurate Account\nPublished--Again at Home--Preparing my Autobiography for Publication--A\nGreat Task--Progress of the Work--My History of the First Mission to\nthe Pacific Islands--Utah's Semi-Centennial Jubilee--Not a Utah Pioneer\nof 1847--Pioneer Just the Same--Mormon Battalion Recognized in the Utah\nCelebration--Invited to join In the Parade--Comparative Narrowness of\nCommittee's Courtesy--Letters from California Regarding the Pioneer\nCelebration there in 1898--Invited with three Others of the Mormon\nBattalion, to be Special Guests as the Survivors of the Party that\nDiscovered Gold In California in 1848--Appreciation of the Courtesy\nExtended by Californians.\n\nCHAPTER LXVIII.\n\nTrip to California--Met by the Committee on Reception of the Society\nof California Pioneers--Received with Great Cordiality--Honored Guests\nat California's Golden Jubilee--The Celebration--Courtesies Extended\nto Mormon Battalion Members Present at the Discovery of Gold--Return\nHome--Resolutions by Society of California Pioneers--Report of\nReception committee of California Golden Jubilee--Sketch of\nMarshall's Surviving Companions--Complete my Autobiography--My Son\nHomer Accidentally Killed--The Old Folks--Publication of Life of a\nPioneer--Conclusion.\n\n\n\nILLUSTRATIONS.\n\nPortrait of James S. Brown\n\nFire Prepared to Roast the Missionary--Sentenced to Death\n\nA Typical Tahitian with his Burden of Bread Fruit and Feii\n\nA War Party of Shoshones Dancing around their Prisoners while in the\nChief's Lodge\n\nSurrounded by a Pack of Hungry Wolves\n\nChased By a War Party\n\nMarquesas Fire Dancers\n\n\n\nLIFE OF A PIONEER\nBEING\nTHE AUTOBIOGRAPHY\nOF\n\nJAMES S. BROWN.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nHOME OF THE AUTHOR--A CAREER OF THRILLING EXPERIENCES--HIS BIRTH\nAND PARENTAGE--EARLY AVOCATIONS--MIGRATION PROM NORTH CAROLINA\nTO ILLINOIS--LIFE ON THE FRONTIER--DANGERS TO EARLY SETTLERS--A\nFRONTIERSMAN--FATHER'S ADVICE--MORE SETTLERS COME--CHURCHES AND\nSCHOOLS--LIMITED OPPORTUNITIES--FROZEN FEET--UNIMPRESSIONABLE TO THE\nPREACHING OF THE TIME--TALK OF A NEW RELIGION, PROPHETS, MIRACLES,\nETC.--PERSECUTION OF THE NEW CHURCH--\"SHOWERS OF STARS\"--POPULAR\nADVERSE VIEWS OF THE MORMONS--THE MORMONS DRIVEN FROM MISSOURI\nINTO ILLINOIS--MORMON ELDER COMES TO PREACH--CONVERTS UNCLE\nJAMES BROWN--PREACHES AGAIN--PREPARATIONS TO MOB THE ELDER--HIS\nSCRIPTURAL DOCTRINE DISCONCERTS ENEMIES AND SECURES HIM FRIENDS--HIS\nDISCOURSE--EFFECT ON YOUNG JAMES S. BROWN OF THIS FIRST GOSPEL SERMON\nTO HIM--HIS TESTIMONY TO THE SPIRIT AND TRUTH OF THE ELDER'S MESSAGE.\n\nTHE subject and author of this Life-Sketch of a Pioneer is James\nStephens Brown, now (1900) in his seventy-second year, a resident of\nSalt Lake City, Utah, his home less than a quarter of a mile from and\nwithin the summer morning's shadow of the majestic Temple of the Lord\nerected on that spot which he beheld a barren and desolate wilderness,\non his entrance into the valley of the Great Salt Lake, over half a\ncentury ago. His life has been one of thrilling experiences--more than\nordinarily falls to the lot even of a pioneer settler in the Great\nWest--a life in which hardship and perils by sea and land, among dusky\nsavages and with white men, have contributed largely to the events\nof his career; withal one in which he has had abundant occasion to\nrecognize and acknowledge the power and protecting care of an Almighty\nProvidence.\n\nIt is at the urgent request and advice of valued friends, familiar\nto a considerable extent with my life and labors, that I place this\nautobiography in form to be easily accessible to those desirous of\nperusing it; and I am not unmindful of the fact that this simple\nrecital of events is not only of intense interest in numerous episodes\nwhich it records, but is of historic value in being a plain and\ntruthful narrative of the personal experiences of a western pioneer.\n\nI was born on Independence Day, July 4, 1828, in Davidson County, North\nCarolina, U.S.A. My father was Daniel Brown; he was the youngest son\nof his father's family, and was born in Rowan County, North Carolina,\nJune 30, 1804. My father's father was James Brown, a native of Rowan\nCounty, North Carolina, 1757 being the year of his birth. His wife\nwas the widow of a Revolutionary War soldier named Emerson, who was\nkilled in the war for American independence, leaving his wife and\ntwo children, Margaret and John Emerson. My grandfather James Brown\nmarried the widow Emerson, who bore him nine children--three sons and\nsix daughters--Jane, Polly, Nancy, Susan, Patsy, William, Obedience,\nJames (captain of Company C, Mormon Battalion), and Daniel (my father);\nher maiden name was Mary Williams. All the family had an excellent\nreputation, being upright, thrifty, and good and industrious citizens.\n\nWith these introductory remarks, I will proceed to an account of my\nboyhood's days. I was reared at the farming and stock business, also\nat getting out saw timber and wood for cooperware. My parents had\nmoved from North Carolina to Brown County, Illinois, in the autumn of\n1831, and had purchased an extensive tract of land. We were a large\nfamily; the country was then wild and with very few inhabitants, and\nthe climate was unhealthy; so it was with great effort that father and\nmother succeeded in making a home and gathering about them the comforts\nof life.\n\nWe were frontier settlers, and while father had his pick of land, he\nalso had the hardships and privations of a new country to endure. There\nwere no churches or schoolhouses nearer than ten miles from our home,\nand grist mills and blacksmith shops were equally distant. Thus the\nfamily was reared without the advantage of schools, or of church-going\nreligious training. But we were thoroughly acquainted with border\nlife, with hunting, fishing, and all the sports indulged in by hardy\npioneers, and even learned to shake terribly from the ague, and burn\nwith fever spells, while we were well dosed with quinine and calomel,\nand had enormous doctor's bills to pay.\n\nIn our operations we trained horses and cattle to work, stocked our own\nplows, made our own harrows, rakes and forks, braided our own whips\nfrom the pelts of wild beasts which we ourselves dressed, raised our\nown honey, and made our own sugar, with some to sell. We had a good\nsugar orchard, and plenty of wild fruits and nuts for the gathering. As\nthe first settlers of new countries are more or less subject to dangers\nfrom outlaws, wild beasts, and savage men, we found it important to be\nwell armed, and on the alert day and night to defend life and liberty.\n\nThus we learned the use of firearms and the tomahawk. My father was\nan expert with the old Kentucky rifle, and some of his boys were not\nfar behind him; he trained them always to shoot with a rising sight,\nto keep cool, and always to have their powder dry and plenty of it. He\nalso taught us to tell the truth, and used to say: \"Be honest, stand up\nfor your rights, and fight for your country and friends.\"\n\nIn the year 1835, people began to settle in around us, and then the\ncircuit riders, as they were called--the ministers--commenced to call\naround and hold meetings in private houses. There were Baptists,\nFreewill Baptists, Methodists, Campbellites, and others. From 1836 to\n1838 some small churches and schoolhouses were built, so that we began\nto get spiritual food, such as it was; and also some schooling, with\nthe benefit of the hickory rod that always was kept \"in soak,\" so to\nspeak, and woe to the unruly student when it was called into service!\n\nSo far as the author is concerned, he managed to get along without the\nrod the short time he was permitted to attend school. He was kept close\nat work on the farm in summer, and in the winter months was engaged\ngetting out timber and hauling to market the farm products. Once his\nfeet were frozen so that he lost every nail from his toes. As to the\nreligious teachings of the time, there was a great deal of thundering\nand thundering, but it failed to indicate any lightening of the\nauthor's path, for he fished and hunted on the Sabbath day, just the\nsame.\n\nSome time in the '30s we began to hear a little about false prophets, a\nnew religion, miracles, money-diggers, thieves, liars, miracle-workers,\ndeceivers, witches, speaking in tongues and interpretation of the same,\nwalking on the water, and visits from angels. As time went on, all\nthese things were combined to form a grand excuse for raising mobs to\nexpel the new Church from the borders of civilization. Then came news\nof murder, rapine, house-burning, and destruction of towns and cities\nin Missouri. There were great \"showers\" of stars in the firmament\nabout this time. On popular rumor, and from hearing only one side of\nthe story, almost everybody decided that such a previously unheard-of\npeople as the Mormons ought to be shot or burned at the stake. This was\nthe sentiment to be found on every hand.\n\nAs a culmination of these things came the tidings that the Missourians\nhad driven the Mormons from the state of Missouri into Illinois. A\nlittle later, and a Latter-day Saint Elder named Jacob Pfoutz entered\nthe neighborhood of my Uncle James Brown's home, converted him, his\nwife, and several of the neighbors. This Elder was brought down by my\nuncle to see his two sisters, Aunts Polly and Nancy Brown.\n\nElder Pfoutz was given permission to preach in the schoolhouse about\nthree miles from my father's house. The news spread like a prairie fire\nthat the Mormons had come and would preach on Friday. I think this was\nin the autumn of 1840. I was at my aunt's at the time, and decided to\ngo and hear the strange preacher. Like most of the people, I went out\nof curiosity, more than anything else. I had just turned my twelfth\nyear, and had begun to take some interest in religion, going to every\nmeeting for which I could obtain permission from my parents, yet not\nthinking for a moment but that all religions were right.\n\nAt the first meeting held by the Mormon, the house was pretty well\nfilled. Some who attended did so with the thought that after the\nservices were over they would tar and feather the Elder and ride him on\na rail, as such things had been indulged in in Missouri, and threats\nhad been made freely. Others were going to confound him, and still\nothers wanted to see the fun, as they said.\n\nThe preacher was a plain-spoken man of thirty-five to forty years old,\nof German descent. He was plainly dressed, and without that urbane\npolish which ministers usually have. When he began his discourse,\nhe raised up very calmly and deliberately and read from Matthew,\nseventh chapter, verses fifteen to twenty. He spoke from that text\nand corroborating passages, supporting his argument throughout by\nscripture. At the conclusion of his address, some of the people said\nthey did not want to mob a man who preached like that, while others\n\"sniffed\" their noses and tried to get up a sneering laugh, but failed.\nThe Elder was invited to my aunt's house and was granted permission to\npreach on Sunday in their oak-grove, while several of the religiously\ninclined followed him to his stopping place and plied him with\nquestions.\n\nAs to myself, it seemed that I had not only heard it thunder, but I\nhad seen the lightning and felt it through every fibre of my system,\nfrom the crown of my head to the soles of my feet. I was revived as\nthe showers of heaven revive the parched earth and impart life to\nthe languishing vegetation. Notwithstanding the fact that I knew\nthe Latter-day Saints, or Mormons, were looked upon as filth, in\nfact as even worse than rubbish, that they had been called the very\noff-scourings of the earth, that they were regarded as deserving to be\nput to death, yet from that very day I received their doctrine in or by\nthe spirit.\n\nNow that sixty years have rolled by since the events here narrated;\nthat I have passed through mobbings, robbings, fines and penalties;\nhave been banished and once sentenced to death; Paul-like have fought\nwith wild beasts, have been shipwrecked and almost starved; have\nfamished on thirsty deserts; have had the scalping-knife wielded over\nmy head while the Indian warwhoop saluted my ears and the savage\nwarrior danced with tomahawk in hand, exulting over the victim intended\nto be slain and scalped in trophy of victory; have laid in dungeons\nfor my religion's sake--thanks be to God that I yet live and bear a\nfaithful testimony of the truth and spirit that possessed my soul from\nthat first Gospel sermon I ever heard. I have listened to ministers of\nvarious Christian denominations advocate good and virtuous principles,\nbut I never knew any of them to preach the fullness of the Gospel of\nthe Lord Jesus as did that humble Mormon Elder.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nPERSECUTED BY PLAYMATES--GIVE THEM AN EFFECTIVE CHECK--FIGHT\nWITH WILD BEASTS--PARENTS JOIN THE MORMONS--THE AUTHOR HOLDS\nBACK--ASSASSINATION OF JOSEPH AND HYRUM SMITH--MORMONS LEAVE ILLINOIS\nFOR THE WEST--EXCITING TIMES--MY WINTER'S WORK--FATHER DECIDES TO\nWAIT A WHILE BEFORE LEAVING ILLLNOIS--MY DETERMINATION TO GO WITH THE\nMORMONS--CONFIDE A SECRET TO MY MOTHER--A NEW CONSULTATIONS--CHANGE IN\nTHE FAMILY PLANS--FATHER PREPARES TO START--GIVES ME PERMISSION TO\nGO--THINKS OF LEAVING ME BECAUSE OF MY ILLNESS--I FEEL TO PREFER DEATH\nTO BEING LEFT BEHIND.\n\nFROM the very day my parents entertained the Latter-day Saint Elders in\ntheir house my former playmates in the neighborhood commenced a crusade\non me, calling me a Mormon, and many hard names, whenever they met me.\nWhen we gathered at the mill pond, our usual place of bathing, they\nwould baptize me, as they called it, in the name of Beelzebub; but I\ncalled it drowning, for it seemed to me that when three or four of them\ngot me under the water they never knew when to let me up. Then when I\ngot out of the water they would mockingly \"lay hands\" on me in the name\nof Beelzebub, going through a ceremony and at short intervals calling\n\"Pluck,\" when they would pull my hair with a severe twitch, and would\nspit on me and laugh. Once my clothes were taken and thrown into a bed\nof itching nettles, and when I tried to get them out with a pole I was\npushed in among the nettles. At the gristmill, also, they would punish\nme in a shameful manner. At last I became so provoked that I went after\nthem with a strong jack-knife. Though some of them were eighteen or\nnineteen years old, they ran off, fully convinced that I would have\nhurt them if I could have caught them. The miller interposed and gave\nthem a severe reprimand. From that time they never tried to punish\nme. My medicine had worked well, and thereafter I was looked on as a\nleading boy among them.\n\nDuring this period I had some perilous experiences with wild animals.\nMy father had a pet deer, and a bulldog owned by the family caught\nit by the nose; I tried to get the dog off, when the frightened\ndeer kicked and tore my clothes almost off, lacerating my flesh\nconsiderably. Soon after this the deer was followed, in the woods near\nthe house, by a large buck, which my father shot. The animal's shoulder\nwas broken, and I followed it to the millpond and sprang into the water\nto hold it. As I seized its horn the buck, which had a footing, threw\nme around, lacerating my left hand considerably. For a time my life\nwas in peril from the wild animal, but I struggled and finally used my\npocket knife on its throat. Some time after this episode a man named\nJohn Bos shot and wounded a big buck near our home. It being night, he\ncame to the house for assistance, and father and I went out. The dogs\nreached the buck, which charged on them, and as it was seized by the\nnose by one of them father and I caught the buck's hind feet. It kicked\nus free, and I had a close call from being severely if not fatally\nhurt; but we returned to the attack, and finally secured the game.\n\nAs time went on the older people in our neighborhood took interest in\nthe Mormon Elders, and some of them joined the new Church, while others\nbecame very intolerant and hostile. My parents and my eldest brother\nand sister united with the Mormons; yet I held back, for though fully\nin sympathy with what my relatives had done I did not consider myself\nworthy to join, for I thought that to be a church member I must have\nsome great experience and see great lights, such as I had heard people\ntestify of. Thus I stayed out and watched developments.\n\nFinally, in July, 1844, the news reached us that the Prophet Joseph\nSmith and his brother Hyrum, the Patriarch, had been assassinated\nin Carthage jail by a mob; also, that the Mormons had been ordered\nto leave the state, and were going either to the Rocky Mountains,\nCalifornia, or Vancouver Island. In fact, there were many kinds of\nrumors afloat, and there was great excitement.\n\nIn the fall of 1845 permission was given me to go to a river town five\nmiles from home, to work at a slaughter and packing house, where my\ncousin, Homer Jackson, and I got employment that season. We heard that\nthe Mormons were going to start west the next spring--in fact, their\npurpose was a topic of frequent conversation. We returned home in the\nlatter part of January, 1846, and soon learned that the Church leaders\nwere leaving Nauvoo for a new home in the unknown western wilds, and\nthat every true Mormon was expected to join them as soon as possible.\n\nShortly after this, father called a family meeting to consider what\nto do. It was a great venture to start out with a large family on\na journey of a thousand miles or more into an unknown wilderness,\namong savage tribes; so after long discussion of the matter, it was\ndecided to be too great an undertaking at that particular time. It was\nregarded as inadvisable to take the chances of starving to death in the\nwilderness. Besides, property was very low, and it was folly to sell\nout a good home at so great a sacrifice as seemed necessary.\n\nWhen this decision was reached, father turned to me and said: \"Well,\nJimmy, what do you think about it?\" I answered that where the Mormons\nwent I would go, and where they died I would die. This was the first\ntime I had been asked a question, and as I was not a member of the\nChurch my reply surprised the others. Being inquired of as to how I\nwould go, I suggested that perhaps someone wanted a teamster, or maybe\nthere was some widow who would take a boy for his labor in return\nfor food and clothing. Father asked if I would leave the family and\ngo out west and starve; and he suggested that as I did not belong to\nthe Mormons they would not have me. To this I said I would join them,\nand that my mind was made up to go with the Mormons at all hazards.\nThen father ordered me to keep quiet, saying he would thrash me if I\ntalked of leaving home. This closed the discussion, for in those days\nthrashing was the great panacea for disobedience, whether at home or\nin the school room. But that threat clinched my resolve to go with the\nMormons even at the risk of life, for I was thoroughly satisfied of the\njustice of their cause.\n\nI said no more then, but at the first opportunity told my mother that\nsoon I would come up missing, as I was going with the Mormons, and\nshould hide if searched for, if I had to go among the Indians. Mother\nsaid I would starve, but my reply was that I could live on what others\ndid. My mother was convinced that I would go, and her mother's heart\nwas as so touched that she could not withhold my secret from my father,\nwho believed, too, that I would do as I had said.\n\nOne evening, soon afterward, I overheard them talking of the matter.\nFather said it would break up the family if they did not move west, for\nJim certainly would go; they were satisfied that the Mormon doctrines\nwere true, and thought that perhaps they had better make an effort to\nsell out and move. My heart was filled with joy at these words.\n\nWhen morning came, father set out to buy oxen, and was successful. He\nalso sold his farm but reserved the crop, as he had to wait till after\nharvest for part of his pay for the land. He thought that by fitting\nout two good teams, and providing wagons and tools, he and Alexander\nStephens (mother's brother) and two of his sisters (old maids), and\nmyself could go out into Iowa, where we could put in some corn and\nbuild a cabin or two. Then my uncle and I could do the rest while\nfather returned, took care of the harvest, and brought up the family,\nwhen we would follow the Church as best we could until a resting place\nwas found.\n\nThe way now seemed open. My father felt encouraged, and all went well\nuntil a few days before the time for starting, when I was stricken down\nwith fever and ague, and shook or chilled every other day till the\nfirst of May, at which time all was ready for moving. Efforts were made\nto persuade me that I could not stand the journey, but should allow one\nof the other boys to go in my stead. But I could not see it in that\nlight. While father was talking of the matter to mother I overheard\nhim say, \"We will have to let James go, for he will not be satisfied\nwithout, but he will get enough of it when he has had a few days, and\nhas camped out and shaken a few times with the ague.\" I thought to\nmyself, \"You are mistaken, father, for I would rather die than be left\nbehind.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nSTART FOR NAUVOO--TAKEN SEVERELY ILL--THE LORD ANSWERS MY PRAYER\nFOR RELIEF--PASS THROUGH CARTHAGE--IN NAUVOO \"THE BEAUTIFUL,\"\nBUT ALMOST DESERTED CITY--SCENE ON THE IOWA SHORE--CROSS THE\nMISSISSIPPI--CURIOUS MAKE-UP OF THE EXILES' TEAMS--THE BAD ROADS--STUCK\nIN THE MUD--REPAIRING CAMPS--GOOD ORDER MAINTAINED--UNNECESSARY KILLING\nOF GAME FORBIDDEN--REACH GRAND RIVER AND PUT IN A CROP--LEARN OF THE\nCALL FOR THE MORMON BATTALION--APOSTLES AS RECRUITING OFFICERS--CALL\nFOR VOLUNTEERS--RESPONSE BY THE CAMP--RECEIVED INTO THE CHURCH BY\nBAPTISM--FILLED WITH THE LOVE OF THE GOSPEL--GET THE SPIRIT TO\nENLIST--CONSULT WITH MY RELATIVES AND EZRA T. BENSON--AN ELDER'S\nPROMISE--JOIN THE MORMON BATTALION.\n\nMAY 1st, 1846, was a pleasant day, and we made our start for Nauvoo,\npassing through Versailles to a point some ten miles from home to the\nfirst night's camp. I was encouraged to think I had kept so well, but\nabout ten o'clock the second day I began to shake, and my teeth fairly\nto crack. I prayed earnestly to the Lord to heal me. I was quite weak,\nand all thought me very sick. But that was the last \"shake\" I had, for\nI began to get well from that time.\n\nIt was on May 4th, I believe, that we reached Nauvoo, having passed\nthrough Mount Sterling, the county seat of Brown County, also through\nCarthage, where the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother the Patriarch\nHyrum Smith had been assassinated. We found the roads so muddy and such\nhard traveling that we did not make more than fifteen miles a day. When\nwe came in sight of the Temple at Nauvoo our hearts were filled with\nmingled joy and sorrow--joy that we had seen the Temple of the Lord,\nand sorrow that the Saints had been so cruelly driven from it.\n\nAs we passed through the city we saw many houses which had been\nabandoned--indeed, the city itself seemed almost deserted. At some of\nthe houses stood covered wagons, into which people were packing goods\npreparatory to their flight into the wilderness, they knew not where.\n\nLooking westward across the great Mississippi River, we saw long trains\nof wagons strung out over the high rolling prairie. The country was\nnew, and the roads muddy, so we rested three or four days, visiting the\nTemple and viewing the city that was beautiful for situation, but now\nwas left with few inhabitants. Everything in and about the city that\nformerly hummed with industry and life was now lonely, saddened, and\nforlorn, and silent but for the preparations for flight by the remnant\ntherein.\n\nAbout the 8th of May we crossed the great \"father of waters\" and\njoined the \"rolling kingdom\" on its westward journey. We found friends\nand acquaintances, made up a company of our own, and passed and were\nrepassed on the trip. Climbing an eminence from which we looked east\nand west, covered wagons could be seen as far as the eye could reach.\nThe teams were made up of oxen, milch cows, two-year-old steers and\nheifers, and very few horses and mules. The teamsters were of both\nsexes, and comprised young and old. The people who could walk did so,\nand many were engaged in driving loose stock.\n\nHundreds of teams stuck in the mud, and we had to double-up and help\none another out. Many times we had to wade in mud half to our knees and\nlift our wagons out of the mire. In this the women not infrequently\nwould join their husbands and sons, and the old adage came true in\nnumerous instances--women for a dead lift; when they plunged into the\nmud and put their shoulders to the wheels the men were urged to do\ndouble effort, and the wagon always rolled out and onward, at the rate\nof twelve to fifteen miles per day.\n\nAt every creek we found campers, some repairing wagons, yokes, chains,\netc., doctoring sick cattle, washing clothes, or helping forward\nfriends whose teams were weak. In all this there was excellent order,\nfor the camps were organized in a general way by tens, fifties and\nhundreds. Peace and harmony prevailed all along the line. Evening\nprayers were attended to in each camp. There was much singing, mostly\nof sacred hymns or sentimental songs; and from no quarter could coarse\nsongs be heard. Sometimes the camp would meet in a sociable dance in\nthe evenings, to drive dull care away; and then there always was good\norder and the most perfect friendship and peace.\n\nThe camps were instructed not to kill game of any kind to waste its\nflesh; they were not even to kill a snake on the road, for it was their\ncalling to establish peace on earth, and good will toward man and\nbeast. Thus all went on in peace and order.\n\nAt one of the headwaters of the Grand River, Iowa, we found some\nhundreds of people putting in gardens and field crops (corn and\npotatoes). A few cabins had been built, so father and our party decided\nto stop there. We put in a few acres of corn and garden stuff, then\nfather returned to Illinois to bring up the rest of the family, leaving\nmy Uncle Alexander Stephens and myself to look after the crop and\nstock, which we did faithfully.\n\nAbout the 6th of July we heard that President Young and several of the\nTwelve Apostles had returned from the most advanced companies, and\nthat there would be a meeting held at the white oak grove--the usual\nplace of meeting--the next day. There was also a rumor in camp that a\ngovernment recruiting officer had come to enlist volunteers, for the\nUnited States had declared war against Mexico.\n\nOf course this latter tidings was a great surprise, as the Mormons had\nbeen denied protection against mob violence and had been forced beyond\nthe borders of civilization in the United States, and our camps were\nstretched out in an Indian country, from the Mississippi River to the\nMissouri. Surprised as we were at the government's demand, we were\nstill more so to think that our leaders would entertain for a moment\nthe idea of encouraging compliance therewith. Yet rumor said that\nPresident Young and the prominent men with him had come as recruiting\nofficers as well.\n\nAll who could be spared from the tents went eagerly to the White Oak\ngrove, and there learned that the rumors were true. The United States\ngovernment demanded that a battalion of five hundred men be raised\nby the Mormon Church, then fleeing from mob violence for the want of\nprotection by that government whose right and duty it was to protect\nthem. The men of the moving camp were required to leave their families\nin the wilderness, almost unprotected, and go to a foreign land to\nfight their country's battles.\n\nBut wonders never cease. The leading men among the Mormons--Brigham\nYoung, Heber C. Kimball, Wilford Woodruff, and others of the Twelve\nApostles--stood before the people and called for volunteers to engage\nin the Mexican war, saying that the five hundred men must be raised if\nit took the whole strength of the camp to do it. If the young men would\nnot enlist, the middle-aged and old men would, said President Young;\nthe demand of our country should be met if it took the Twelve Apostles\nand the High Priests.\n\nAt the close of the meeting there were many who were enthused, while\nothers appeared confused and did not seem to catch the spirit of\nthe matter. I was not yet a member of the Church, but all the old\nstories of the war of the Revolution and that of 1812, with the later\nBlack Hawk Indian wars, brightened in my memory so that the spirit\nof the patriots awoke within me, and although I was averse to war\nand bloodshed, I had a desire to serve my country in any legitimate\nway. Yet I felt that, as I was under age, and, as my Uncle Alexander\nStephens had decided to enlist, the responsibility of my father's\naffairs now rested on me.\n\nMy uncle and I were standing by the roadside talking over the\nsituation, when along came Ezra T. Benson, who had been recently\nselected as one of the Twelve Apostles; there also came Richmond\nLouder, one of my associates from boyhood, and Matthew Caldwell.\nRichmond Louder and I had talked previously of being baptized together.\nHe said they were going down to attend to that sacred ordinance, and\ninvited me to accompany them, which I did gladly. We went to the south\nfork of the Grand River, and with Uncle A. Stephens as a witness were\nbaptized. This was on the 7th of July, 1846. Then we went to the house\nof General Charles C. Rich, where we were confirmed, I think under the\nhands of Elders Willard Richards and Ezra T. Benson, in the presence of\nPresident Brigham Young and others of the Twelve Apostles.\n\nThis done, the happiest feeling of my life came over me. I thought I\nwould to God that all the inhabitants of the earth could experience\nwhat I had done as a witness of the Gospel. It seemed to me that, if\nthey could see and feel as I did, the whole of humankind would join\nwith us in one grand brotherhood, and the universe would be prepared\nfor the great Millennial morn.\n\nWhen we returned to camp, my aunts partook of the same feeling that\nhad filled me. Then I got the spirit to enlist, and after a short\nconsultation with those most concerned they advised me to lay the\nmatter before Ezra T. Benson. Accordingly, the next morning Uncle A.\nStephens and I went over to the grove. I told the Elder my feelings,\nand the responsibilities left upon me by my father. Elder Benson said\nthe Spirit's promptings to me were right, and I had started right. He\ntold me to go on, saying I would be blessed, my father would find\nno fault with me, his business would not suffer, and I would never be\nsorry for the action I had taken or for my enlistment. Every word he\nsaid to me has been fulfilled to the very letter.\n\nUncle Alexander Stephens and I then went to a tent where men were\ngiving in their names as volunteers. We handed in our names, and were\nenrolled as members of the historic Mormon Battalion.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nSTART FOR THE BATTALION RENDEZVOUS--A JOURNEY OF HARDSHIP--IN THE\nMORMONS' CAMP ON THE MISSOURI RIVER--FIRST EXPERIENCES IN THE\nARMY--BLESSED BY APOSTLES--PROPHETIC ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT BRIGHAM\nYOUNG--THE BATTALION STARTS ON ITS LONG JOURNEY--DOING CAMP\nDUTY--HEAVY STORMS AND INSUFFICIENT RATIONS--HARD EXPERIENCES--AT FORT\nLEAVENWORTH--MEXICAN MULES AS A CURE FOR EGOTISM--COLONEL ALLEN TAKEN\nILL--ON THE SANTA FE ROAD--SUFFERING FROM THIRST--SICKNESS AMONG THE\nTROOPS--DR. G.B. SANDERSON, A TYRANNICAL QUACK--ARMY MERCHANTS--ORDER\nOF MARCHING.\n\nIT was about one o'clock in the afternoon of July 9 when we bade our\nfriends an affectionate farewell, and started on what we understood to\nbe a journey of one hundred and thirty-eight miles, to join the army\nof the United States at our country's call. We had provisions enough\nput up to last us on our trip. The night previous our old clothes\nhad received the necessary repairs. Our preparations were hasty and\nincomplete, for we had been told (by an unauthorized person, as we\nafterwards learned) that when we got to Sarpy's Point, on the Missouri\nRiver, we would draw uniforms, clothing, blankets, and rations, and\nwould have to cast aside our old clothes.\n\nOur initial trip was begun without a blanket to wrap ourselves in,\nas we thought we could find shelter in the camps along the line of\nmarch. But in this we were mistaken, for everybody seemed to have\nall they could do to shelter their own. The first night we camped on\nthe bank of a small stream, where we fell in with twelve or fifteen\nother volunteers who had not so much as a bit of bread, but plenty of\nassurance in asking for what others had. We divided with them, then\nscraped what leaves we could and laid down thereon, with a chunk of\nwood for our pillow. Next morning we divided our last morsel of food\nwith what we learned later were the very roughest element of the\nbattalion.\n\nFor five days we journeyed, much of the time in heavy rain and deep\nmud, sleeping on the wet ground without blankets or other kind of\nbedding, and living on elm bark and occasionally a very small ration\nof buttermilk handed to us by humane sisters as we passed their tents.\nWe thought our experience was pretty rough, but I do not remember that\nI heard murmuring from the lips of anyone, for we felt that we were in\nthe service of God and our country.\n\nWhen we reached the Missouri River we found that some four hundred men\nhad rendezvoused there. In the camps of the Latter-day Saints, close\nby, there were some thousands of men, women and children; a brush\nbowery had been erected, where the people met for religious worship.\nWe soon found friends who welcomed us to camp, and we were invited to\na social dance and farewell party. We had excellent music, the best\ndinner that the country could afford, and, above all, a spirit of\nbrotherly love and union that I have never seen surpassed. With all on\nthe altar of sacrifice for God and His kingdom and for our country, it\nseemed that everything and everybody looked to the accomplishment of\none grand, common cause, not a dissenting voice being heard from anyone.\n\nJuly 16, 1846, we were mustered into the service of the United States,\nand, under command of Col. James Allen, marched down the bluffs to the\nMissouri bottoms, where we camped in a cottonwood grove. Some flour\nand other provisions were issued to us, and we peeled the bark off\na tree for a bread tray or kneading trough. Some rolled their dough\naround sticks and stuck or held it before the fire, and others baked\ntheir bread in the ashes; for we had not yet drawn any camp equipage.\nWe received one blanket apiece, and had that charged up, the amount to\nbe taken out of our pay.\n\nI am not writing a history of the Mormon Battalion, but am relating my\nindividual experiences in that detachment of the United States army, as\nI recollect them; so it will not be expected of me to tell much of what\nothers saw, or to narrate events as they remember them, but as they\nimpressed themselves upon my mind at the time of occurrence.\n\nJust before our last farewell to friends at the Missouri River, and\npreparatory to taking up our line of march, we were formed into a\nhollow square, and President Brigham Young, with Heber C. Kimball and\nothers of the Apostles, came to our camp, rode into the square, and\ngave us parting blessings and instructions. The words of President\nYoung, as they fastened themselves upon my memory, were in substance as\nfollows: \"Now, brethren, you are going as soldiers at your country's\ncall. You will travel in a foreign land, in an enemy's country; and\nif you will live your religion, obey your officers, attend to your\nprayers, and as you travel in an enemy's land, hold sacred the property\nof the people, never taking anything that does not belong to you only\nin case of starvation; though you may be traveling in an enemy's\ncountry, do not disturb fruit orchards or chicken coops or beehives, do\nnot take anything but what you pay for--although it is customary for\nsoldiers to plunder their enemies in time of war, it is wrong--always\nspare life when possible; if you obey this counsel, attending to\nyour prayers to the Lord, I promise you in the name of the Lord God\nof Israel that not one soul of you shall fall by the hands of the\nenemy. You will pass over battlefields; battles will be fought in your\nfront and in your rear, on your right hand and on your left, and your\nenemies shall flee before you. Your names shall be held in honorable\nremembrance to the latest generation.\"\n\nHeber C. Kimball and other prominent men of the Church confirmed what\nPresident Young had said, and all bade us an affectionate farewell,\nwith \"God bless you and spare your lives.\"\n\nThus we set out in good cheer on our journey of more than two thousand\nmiles in a section of the continent wholly unknown to us.\n\nIn the month of July, from about the 20th, we passed down through the\ntowns and villages along the river, for two hundred miles, to Fort\nLeavenworth. The heat was excessive, and the roads dusty, when we\nstarted out. A great part of the way we had only a small ration of\nfood, for it did not seem to be in the country, and we suffered much\nfrom want. We took regular turns in standing guard around the camp and\nin herding the stock. Heavy rains came on, and for several days we\npressed forward amid such terrible storms as I never had experienced\nbefore. With less than half rations, and that badly or insufficiently\ncooked, from lack of proper utensils and experience, and having to lie\non the ground without any bedding save one blanket each, it is a wonder\nthe entire camp were not down sick instead of a few. But with all this\nhardship there were no desertions and few complaints. Everything seemed\nto move harmoniously among the men.\n\nThe command crossed the river at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and soon\nafterwards we drew a tent to each mess of six men. This afforded us\ngreat relief at nights, protecting us from the dews and rain; but in\nthe daytime the whiteness of the tents seemed to intensify the heat so\nthat there was no comfort in them. While at Fort Leavenworth we washed\nour old clothing and made ourselves as comfortable as possible. Soon we\ndrew camp equipage and rations from the government. We got flintlock\nmuskets, and accoutrements consisting of bayonets, cartridge-boxes,\nstraps and belts, canteens, haversacks, etc., also a knapsack each.\nWe drew our first pay, forty-two dollars each, sent part of it to our\nfamilies, and fitted ourselves out with new clothes and shoes.\n\nWith all the paraphernalia of soldiers, we seemed so burdened as to\nbe able neither to run nor to fight. Then to be obliged to travel all\nday under a broiling sun, or in driving rain or fierce winds, across\nsandy deserts and over trackless mountains, going sometimes sixty to\nninety miles without water, in an enemy's country--kind reader, you\nmay picture such scenes in your imagination, but it is impossible for\nyou to realize the conditions except by actual experience therein.\nIt is equally impossible for me to find language to describe fitly\nthe situation at that time at the United States military post of Fort\nLeavenworth.\n\nThe place being an outfitting station for United States forces in the\nwar with Mexico, all was bustle and activity; steamboats were unloading\nmaterial, and teams filled the streets; many of the new recruits\nwere very rough indeed, and drinking and fighting seemed to be their\npastime; myself and companions were amazed and shocked at the profane\nand vulgar language and vile actions that we were compelled to listen\nto and witness; with all else, squads of soldiers were being drilled,\nthe bugle sound was frequent, as were also the beating of the drum and\nthe playing of the fife; everywhere the men were preparing for victory\nor death, and many were so reckless they did not seem to care which\ncame.\n\nAs our battalion was preparing quietly for the great march before us,\na band of very small Mexican mules was brought in to be used as teams\nin our transportation department. The animals were unaccustomed to\nharness, and very wild, so there was a detail of men from each company\nassigned to do the harnessing. It fell to my lot to engage in the work,\nand great was my surprise to see one of those little mules dragging\nthree to five men about the yards. I thought I was able to handle one\nof the little long-eared animals myself, but had the conceit taken out\nof me in quick order by having my hands burned with the rope, as I\nwas jerked and dragged about in fertilizer in the yards--there being\nan abundance there. But we accomplished our work, with some sport and\nconsiderable cost to our patience and muscular energy.\n\nFrom the 10th to the 15th of August, companies A, B, and C moved out on\nthe Santa Fe road, and in two or three days were followed by companies\nD and E. Our esteemed colonel, James Allen, having been taken ill,\nordered Captain Jefferson Hunt of company A to take command until the\ncolonel should recover and settle up the business of outfitting the\nbattalion.\n\nOur route lay over rolling hills, through some timbered country and\nsome prairie. The weather was warm, and there was much suffering,\nespecially from lack of drinking water, this being scarce. The sick\nfelt the hardship particularly, and there was quite a number down with\nchills and fever; such water as was obtainable was of poor quality,\nwarm and unhealthy, and added to the number of the sick.\n\nEach company had a large wagon and three or four yoke of oxen to haul\nthe tents and camp equipage, and one issue of rations, I think it was\nfor one week. The government had assigned a doctor to our command,\nGeorge B. Sanderson of Platte County, Missouri. He proved to be so\ncruel and tyrannical as to incur the ill-will of every man in the\ncommand. He had immediate charge of the hospital wagons, and no matter\nhow ill a man was, he was not allowed to ride in the company's wagon\nuntil he had reported to this cruel quack, who had to be honored with\nthe title of physician and surgeon. With his permission a man was\nallowed to crawl into his company's wagon, which was filled nearly to\nthe bows with tents and other camp equipage. Sometimes there would be\nfive or six crowded in together, some shaking with ague and others\nburning with fever. Our company wagon was called the Gray Eagle; John\nGilbert was the teamster, and did all in his power to favor those of\nhis comrades who deserved it.\n\nBesides the company and hospital wagons, there were sutlers' or\nmerchants' wagons--speculators that are permitted to follow the army\nfor what they can make off the troops. They carry in stock such\nthings as they know from experience the soldier most needs, and many\nluxuries; they had almost everything to entice the famishing soldier,\nwho had to stand guard over them and their stores. Many times, through\nhardships, we seemed compelled to patronize them. Our suffering was\ntheir opportunity, and they were not slow to take advantage of it.\nTheir prices were enormous, and their bills never failed to reach the\npaymaster by each payday; after these were paid, the soldier came in\nfor the balance, if there was any. Some were very unfortunate through\nsickness, and had to patronize the sutler, or merchant; others were\nunwise in their purchases; and thus the eight dollars a month wages\noften was spent before it was earned.\n\nOur commissary and ammunition department included over a hundred\nwagons; the three or four pieces of artillery followed close in our\nrear, in charge of a wagonmaster and assistants.\n\nThe usual order of marching, as I remember it, was: an advance guard;\nthen the colonel and his staff; next came the body of the command; then\na rearguard, the baggage and hospital wagons, etc. Only on special\noccasions was the main body of the battalion permitted to march at\nwill, as long as it remained between the front and rear guards. When\nthe country was specially rough, and roads had to be made, the road\nhands, or, in military language, the sappers and miners, were allowed\nextra rations, and had to start out very early with the advance guard.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nCROSSING OF THE KAW RIVER--INDIAN FARMERS--FIERCE STORM ON STONE COAL\nCREEK--CROSSING A CREEK WITH PRECIPITOUS BANKS--RUINS OF AN ANCIENT\nCITY--WAGONLOAD OF SICK UPSET IN A STREAM--SAD NEWS OF COL. ALLEN'S\nDEATH--DISPUTE OVER HIS SUCCESSOR--MILITARY RULES DISREGARDED IN\nSETTLING THE QUESTION--TROOPS DISSATISFIED--SICKNESS IN CAMP--HARSHNESS\nOF THE NEW COMMANDER, LIEUTENANT COLONEL SMITH--BRUTALITY OF THE\nDOCTOR--DOSES OF OBJECTIONABLE MEDICINE IN AN OLD IRON SPOON--IN THE\nCOMANCHE INDIAN COUNTRY--ABUSE FROM LIEUTENANT COLONEL SMITH--SCARCITY\nOF FUEL--BUFFALO CHIPS--COOKING FOOD UNDER GREAT DIFFICULTIES--INCREASE\nOF SICKNESS--UP THE GRAND VALLEY OF THE ARKANSAS--DETACHMENT OF SICK\nSENT TO PUEBLO--MIRAGES--HERDS OF BUFFALO--ON THE SICK LIST--REACH THE\nROCKY MOUNTAINS--PREHISTORIC RUINS--IN MEXICAN VILLAGES--ARRIVAL AT\nSANTA FE.\n\nWE crossed the Kaw River about the 17th of August, being ferried over\nin flat boats by some half civilized Delaware and Shawnee Indians.\nWhere we crossed the river it was from three to four hundred yards\nwide. The country in the neighborhood seemed to be well adapted to\nfarming. The Indians had good crops of corn and watermelons, and knew\nas well as white men how to charge for them. These Indians were an\nintelligent-looking people, having log cabins for dwellings.\n\nFrom the Kaw we traveled to Spring Creek, over a beautiful country, and\nthere joined the companies that had preceded us. We met with rainstorms\nthat made it very disagreeable for us at night, when two of us would\nspread one blanket and lie down on it. It would wet through at once;\nand though we had tents over us, we often slept on the wet ground, in\nwet clothes.\n\nMoving onward to Stone Coal Creek, we there endured one of the severest\nstorms of wind and rain that any of us ever had experienced. Nearly\nevery tent was blown down; several government wagons were overturned,\nand others were sent rolling before the wind as though they were\nexpress or stage coaches; many men fell on their faces and held to\nthe shrubbery to avoid being carried away by the violence of the\nhurricane, while others not so fortunate as to be able to catch hold\nof a shrub were driven some rods before the blast. Some were bruised\nand others badly frightened, but none received serious injury; and\nalthough everybody was thoroughly soaked, not even the sick seemed to\nbe unfavorably affected in health by their experience.\n\nThe storm over and our clothing dried, we resumed our march. Coming to\na deep creek with precipitous banks, we had to hold the wagons back\nwith ropes and let them down gradually to the bed of the stream; then\na number of men with ropes, on the opposite side, assisted the teams\nin drawing the wagons up the steep bank. We passed over some very fine\nland to a place we named Allen's Grove, and camped. Next day we came\nto the ruins of a city of the dim, distant past; the stone walls were\nyet visible to the traveler. That night we rested on Beaver Creek. On\nthe 25th or 26th, while traveling through a beautiful country of rich\nsoil, one wagon with five or six people was upset into a creek, and\nthe occupants received a dangerous ducking, though I do not recall any\nserious results following.\n\nIt was on this day that a messenger from Fort Leavenworth overtook us,\nbringing the sorrowful news of the death of our esteemed commander,\nColonel James Allen. It was a sad blow to us, for all had learned to\nrespect, and, indeed, even to love him. Yet I have felt sometimes that\nit was a kind providence to him that he was taken from us, for his\nnature was too kind and sympathetic to have forced his men through what\nthe Mormon Battalion had to endure before reaching its destination.\n\nColonel Allen's death left a vacancy in the command that was not\ndifficult to fill according to military rules, as the next officer\nin rank should have occupied his place. But plain as is the military\nlaw on the subject, there arose a dispute, and much feeling was\nworked up. The council of officers decided that, as Captain Jefferson\nHunt of company A had been placed in charge by Colonel Allen till the\nlatter should rejoin the command, he should continue in that position.\nAccordingly, he led the battalion to Council Grove, where it was\nlearned that Lieutenant Colonel Smith was on the way, intending to\nassume command. Thus the quiet of the camp was again disturbed, and\nmuch feeling manifested. There were many warm discussions between the\nofficers and among the soldiers as well.\n\nIt was at Council Grove that Lieutenant Colonel Smith, Major Walker,\nand G. B. Sanderson overtook us. The question of command was further\ndiscussed, Captain Hunt standing up for his rights. But in the council,\nCaptain Nelson Higgins of Company D (my company) moved that Smith\nshould be recognized as the commanding officer; this was seconded by\nCaptain Davis of Company E; all the officers but three, viz.: Laron\nClark, Samuel Gully, and Wesley W. Willis, voted for the motion, and\nthe question was settled. Lieutenant Colonel A. J. Smith took command,\nto the disgust of the soldiers, a large majority of whom, if not all,\nwere quite dissatisfied. Next day we reached Diamond Springs, where the\nbattalion was inspected by Lieutenant Colonel Smith.\n\nAt this time there was much sickness in camp, chills and fever and\nmumps. This condition was produced by frequent changes of drinking\nwater, and by poorly-cooked food, as many times we had to depend on\ndry weeds for fuel. When a man became sick, it had been the custom for\nhim to crawl into the company wagon. Our new commander soon dropped\non the kindness of the teamster, and put an end to it without mercy.\nThe commander was so rough and ungentle, and had so much pomposity and\nassurance, that the whole command was disgusted, and almost all were\nangry. He ordered the sick out of the wagons, and directed that before\nthey could ride they must be reported by the doctor as unable to walk,\nand had to take a dose of the doctor's drugs from his old rusty spoon.\nWe soon began to realize that we had fallen into bad hands.\n\nThe doctor often talked to the men as though they were brutes. He was\nvery unfeeling, and the men would not respond to his sick call (\"Jim\nalong, Josey\") when it was possible for them to walk alone. When we\nstopped he would sit in front of his tent with his book on his knee, a\nlong chest of medicine before him, a colored man for his body servant,\nand a hospital steward standing in front of the wagon. At sick call,\neveryone who could not walk had to be taken before the doctor's tent,\nand there be seated or laid down, sometimes on the wet ground, then,\nlike going to a mill, wait for his grist, or dose of calomel. There\nwas not much chance to miss it, for, when a man's name was called and\nresponded to, the hospital steward was ordered to give him such and\nsuch a dose, and the old iron spoon, with its contents of we knew\nnot what, was presented in the presence of the doctor. Under these\ncircumstances we began to feel at least the rigors of military rule.\n\nAbout this time we entered the Comanche Indian country, and on\nSeptember 2 camped on Cottonwood Creek. The Indians were said to be\nvery hostile, yet we had no trouble with them. I think it was here that\nwe began to see signs of buffalo, and the prairie dog villages. Timber\nwas very scarce, and the country was more uninviting than that we had\npassed over.\n\nShortly after Lieutenant Colonel Smith took command we were drawn up\nin line, and some military laws were read to us. At the end of almost\nevery sentence there was the word death, as punishment for infraction\nof the law. We were then talked to in a most offensive and domineering\nmanner, until some of us began to wonder what we had done to merit such\nseverity and downright abuse.\n\nWe were tired and footsore, and suffered much from lack of water. The\ncountry showed such a sameness of forbidding features that the journey\nbecame very monotonous and tiresome. Fuel was so scarce that we had to\ndig trenches two or three feet long, and eight or ten inches wide and\na foot deep, fill these with dry grass, and start a fire and pile on\nbuffalo chips, with which to do our cooking. The result was our food\noften was half raw and badly smoked, and many of the men were brought\ndown with severe diarrheal complaints. As many had traveled the road in\nadvance of us, even buffalo chips for fuel were so scarce that often we\nhad to go for miles to gather them.\n\nWhen we reached Pawnee Fork we found it a very difficult stream to\ncross. The wagons had to be let down the steep bank with ropes, by the\nmen, and had to be taken up the opposite bank in the same manner.\n\nThe events narrated here will indicate that it is not all of a\nsoldier's duty when on a long march to tramp all day with musket and\naccoutrements and knapsack, but the soldier on such a journey as we\nhad must push and pull wagons up hill, hold them back when going down\nhill, haul them through deep sands, and help them and the teams out\nof quicksands; he must stand guard and night-herd stock; must press\non, over rough or smooth ground, rain or shine; must wade rivers, and\nwhen crossing streams is not allowed to take off his clothing, but has\nto plunge into the water, and then travel on in wet clothes; besides,\nthere are many other experiences that are far from pleasant.\n\nWe pushed along the best we could to the Arkansas River, through a\nvery uninviting country, in which we began to find brackish water and\nsaleratus. We traveled up the broad river bottoms of the Arkansas\neighty to one hundred miles, the water being poor and unhealthy. Many\nwere added to the corps of \"Jim along, Joseys,\" and had to be led or\ncarried by their comrades to the unfeeling doctor, many times to be\ncursed at by him, and then to take a dose from his nauseating spoon.\nQuite a number of the sick were badly salivated by the drugs given them.\n\nAbout September 15 or 16, we crossed the river where the roads fork,\none going toward Fort Benton, and the other leading to Santa Fe. There\nwe parted with Captain Nelson Higgins, he having been detailed to take\na small squad of men and the families to a Spanish town called Pueblo,\nsome hundred miles away, there to winter. Meanwhile, we pushed our\nway over barren plains and sandy deserts to the Cimmaron River. We\nsaw deceptive rivers, ponds and lakes; we chased after them for miles\nsometimes, till we found that, like jack o' lantern or will o' the\nwisp, we could not get nearer to them. Finally we learned that they\nwere mirages--a peculiar reflection of the sun upon the great plains or\nsandy deserts. It seemed impossible for the inexperienced to discern\nthe difference between the mirage and a body of real water.\n\nIn this barren country we saw immense herds of buffalo; in our long\nmarch we came to ponds of water made perfectly filthy by the buffalo,\nand rendered offensive by the broiling hot sun, the liquid being almost\nas thick as gruel; but we were so terribly famished with thirst that we\nwere glad to get even such foul water.\n\nWhen the Cimmaron River was reached, there was good water, and good\nfeed for our stock, but our rations were reduced one-third, and we were\npretty well worn down.\n\nOn the 18th or 19th of September it was my place to be on guard. I had\nstood the journey very well, but by this time had become affected by\nthe alkali, and that day was so badly afflicted with diarrhea as to be\nalmost unable to drag myself into camp. But rather than march to \"Jim\nalong, Josey,\" I took my place on guard. That night there came on one\nof the most terrible storms I ever have experienced. I had to brace\nmyself with my musket to stand. From that date I have never been free\nfrom pain in the right limb, near the instep, caused by the severe\nexposure. Next day it became necessary to go on the sick list, to\nremain several days.\n\nAbout the 23rd we began to come to timber in the hills, and having been\nfor nine or ten days with nothing but grass and buffalo chips for fuel,\nwe were in a situation to appreciate the change. Soon we were among the\nsandhills, where traveling was hard, and passed the Rabbit Ears (Black\nPeak and Agua Fria Peak), two high mountain peaks. In this mountainous\nregion we found traces of the inhabitants of a past age, in old stone\nwalls and in numerous' irrigation canals long since dry.\n\nOn the 2nd or 3rd of October we came to the Red River. The mountain\nair was bracing, but there were many men who yet remained sick. About\nthis time the command was culled over by Lieutenant Colonel Smith and\nthe doctor, and all who were considered able to stand a forced march to\nSanta Fe were ordered forward on the double quick.\n\nThe sick men were left to take care of themselves as best they could,\nwith the broken down teams of the command to look after. My lot was\nstill with the invalids, and of course I had to remain. Yet we were\nonly about two days behind the strong men who left us in the mountains;\nwe reached Santa Fe on October 12th, having passed through several\nMexican villages, the houses of which were low and flat-roofed, and\ncovered principally with cement and tile. We saw the very small Mexican\nsheep and goats, the people milking the latter, by sitting at the back\nend, in an earthen pot, and there milking regardless of anything that\nmight drop into the vessel intended for milk only.\n\nFrom the appearance of Santa Fe we had no reason to doubt that it was\nbetween three and four hundred years old; for it looked at least that\nfar behind the times. Mexicans and Indians, badly mixed, made up the\npopulation. Their costume, manners, habits, and in fact everything,\nwere both strange and novel to us, and of course were quite an\nattraction. Many of the people looked on us with suspicion, and if\nit had been in their power no doubt they would have given us a warm\nreception; others appeared to be pleased, doubtless because it made\ntrade better for them, and on that account they seemed very friendly.\nThey brought into camp, for sale, many articles of food; the strongest\nof these were red pepper pies, the pepper-pods as large as a teacup, and\nonions (savoyas) as large as saucers, to be eaten raw like turnips.\n\nA few days' rest and change of food at Santa Fe, and the command was\nready to resume its arduous march.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nEXEMPLAR'S CONDUCT OF THE MORMON TROOPS--LIEUTENANT COLONEL\nP. ST. GEORGE COOKE ARRIVES AND ASSUMES COMMAND--A WELCOME\nCHANGE--ANOTHER DETACHMENT OP SICK, ALSO THE LAUNDRESSES, SENT TO\nPUEBLO--SELECTING MEN TO CONTINUE THE JOURNEY TO CALIFORNIA--REDUCING\nTHE BAGGAGE--DIFFICULTIES OF THE 1,100 MILES JOURNEY AHEAD--POOR\nEQUIPMENT THEREFOR--LEAVE SANTA FE--ROADS OF HEAVY SAND--ON ONE-THIRD\nRATIONS--HARDSHIPS INCREASE--GALLED FEET AND GNAWING STOMACHS--MORE\nSICK MEN FOR PUEBLO--LEAVING THE LAST WAGONS--MULES AND OXEN IN A PACK\nTRAIN--IN AN UNKNOWN COUNTRY--HUNTING A PASS OVER THE MOUNTAINS--ALARM\nOF AN ENEMY--A BEAVER DAM--CROSSING THE RIO GRANDE DEL NORTE--GREAT\nSUFFERING AMONG THE TROOPS.\n\nWHILE we were in Santa Fe, Colonel Sterling Price came in with his\ncavalry command, and soon the town prison was filled with them, so that\nit became necessary for a guard from the Mormon Battalion to be posted\nat the prison. I do not recall that any of our command was put into the\nprison, though it is possible one or two might have been, for a few of\nthem got rather too much wine; but it was a very few who acted that\nway. There were many invalids of other commands left to garrison Santa\nFe, and they caused considerable disturbance, many of them getting into\nprison.\n\nIt seems that word had gone ahead to the Mexican town that the Mormons\nwere a very hard class of outlaws, consequently at first we were looked\nupon as \"toughs\" of the very worst kind. But when the people had an\nopportunity to see our superior conduct in contrast with that of the\nother troops, they realized the true situation, and male and female\nthronged our camp in friendly visit.\n\nIt was on October 13, 1846, that Lieutenant Colonel P. St. George Cooke\nassumed command of the Mormon Battalion, having been designated for\nthat purpose, and by this proceeding we were liberated from the little\ntyrant Lieutenant Colonel A. J. Smith.\n\nBy order of Colonel Cooke, Captain James Brown of Company C took\ncommand of all the sick that were unable to continue the journey to\nCalifornia; also of most of the laundresses, and a few able-bodied\nmen, with directions to go north to Pueblo, and join Captain Higgins.\nIn order to determine who were not able to continue the march to\nCalifornia, we were drawn up in line, and the officers and Dr.\nSanderson inspected the whole command. The doctor scrutinized every one\nof us, and when he said a man was not able to go, his name was added to\nCaptain Brown's detachment, whether the man liked it or not; and when\nthe doctor said a man could make the trip, that settled the matter. The\noperation was much like a cooper culling stave timber, or a butcher\nseparating the lean from the fat sheep.\n\nMy desire was very strong to continue the overland journey, and when\nthe doctor neared me, I braced up and tried to look brave and hardy.\nTo the doctor's inquiry, \"How do you feel?\" my answer was, \"First\nrate.\" He looked at me suspiciously and said, \"You look d--d pale and\nweak,\" then passed on, and I was greatly relieved at having gone safely\nthrough the inspection.\n\nIn order No. 8, Colonel Cooke called the particular attention of the\ncompany commanders to the necessity of reducing baggage as much as\npossible; that means for transportation were very deficient; that the\nroad was almost impracticable, much of it being in deep sand, and\nhow soon we would have to abandon our wagons it was impossible to\nascertain; that skillets and ovens could not be taken, and but one\ncamp-kettle to each mess of ten men.\n\nColonel Cooke very properly and correctly pointed out that everything\nseemed to conspire to discourage the extraordinary undertaking of\nmarching the battalion 1,100 miles, for the much greater part of the\nway through an unknown wilderness, without road or trail, and with a\nwagon train. He said the battalion was much worn by traveling on foot,\nmarching from Nauvoo, Illinois; their clothing was very scant, there\nwas no money to pay them, or clothing to issue; the mules were utterly\nbroken down; the quartermaster's department was out of funds and its\ncredit bad; animals were scarce, and those procured were inferior and\ndeteriorating every hour from the lack of forage. All this made it\nnecessary that such careful preparation as could be should be made in\nadvance.\n\nIt can be easily seen from this statement that the condition and\nprospects of the battalion were not very encouraging; yet there\nwere very few of the men who had the least desire to retrace their\nsteps--they knew what they had passed through, but looking ahead they\ntried to hope for the best, realizing, just as they had been told, that\nthe country through which they had to travel was an unknown region.\n\nWith the colonel's orders carried out, we got ready to move, and about\nthe 21st of October we left Santa Fe and traveled six or eight miles\nto a stream called Agua Fria (cold water). Grass for animals was very\nshort, the nights were very cold, and our road was in heavy sand almost\nfrom the start. Our advance was slow, for the best teams had been taken\nfor extra service or express duties in other departments. Besides,\nthere was added to our already overburdened animals the load of sacks,\npacksaddles, lashing-ropes, etc., necessary in the event of being\ncompelled to abandon the wagons, so we would not be entirely without\nmeans of transportation. There was also the burden of sheep pelts and\nblankets to use under pack saddles, and as most of these were bought\nsecond-hand, they were well stocked with the insects commonly called\n\"greybacks.\"\n\nIn a short time we drew near to the mountains, and the weather became\ncolder. Having but one blanket each we began to use the pelts and\nsaddle-blankets to splice out our scanty store of bedding. Thus\nwe proceeded over sandy roads, through the towns and villages of\nSpaniards, Indians and Greasers--the surroundings presented being of\nsuch a sameness that the journey became very monotonous.\n\nSoon after leaving Santa Fe our rations were reduced to one-third\nthe regular amount allowed by law to the soldier. A detail of men\nwas called as a substitute for mules, to move and to lighten the\nloads of the ammunition wagons. Each soldier was required to carry\nsixty-four rounds of cartridges that contained each a one-ounce ball,\nthree buck-shot, and powder enough to send them where they should be,\nbesides the heavy paper they were wrapped in, and extra flints for the\nfirelock--about two hundred ounces added to the already overburdened\nsoldier.\n\nNow the soldier must wade the tributaries of the Rio Grande del Norte,\nsometimes waist deep and more, and is not allowed even to take off his\nshoes, or any of his wearing apparel. An officer, perched on his white\nmule on some point or eminence overlooking the whole command, with a\nhawk's eye for keen military experience, calls to this or that squad of\nmen, with a horrid oath, as if they were brutes; often he curses the\nmen until they long for a battle where perchance someone would remember\nthe tyrant with an ounce ball and three buckshot. And yet, if that\nfeeling were not quenched in the soldier's bosom it would not require\nan engagement with the enemy to accomplish the deed. But, praise God,\nthat feeling quickly passed off as the men marched along, their clothes\nwet, and their thick soled cowhide army shoes partly filled with\nsand--the chafing and galling of the flesh without and the gnawing and\ngrinding of the stomach within defied the mind to dwell upon any one\nsubject for long at a time.\n\nIs it any wonder that under these conditions fifty-five of our comrades\nwore down and collapsed so they had to go on the sick list and it\nbecame necessary for Lieutenant W. W. Willis to take command of that\nnumber of invalid soldiers, and join Captains Higgins and Brown at\nPueblo? This company of sick and exhausted men left us, on their\nreturn, about the 10th or 12th of November.\n\nAbout this time, the quartermaster was ordered to leave the remaining\ntwo heavy ox-wagons, while the company commanders were directed to\nreduce their tent-poles two-thirds; that is, to cast away all the\nupright poles and use muskets instead, and to put gores in the back\npart of the tents so they could shelter nine men in place of six; we\nwere also to leave one-third of the campkettles.\n\nThen came some sport in putting packs on a number of our mules and\nworn-out oxen. Some of these, which did not look as though they could\ntravel a hundred miles further, when the crupper was put in place would\nrear up, wheel around, and kick in a most amusing style; nor did they\ncease until their strength failed them.\n\nWhen this sport, if sport it may be called, was over we began to\nrealize in a small degree the gravity of our situation. Our guides\nwere \"at sea,\" so to speak. We were in an enemy's land, with not a\nsoul in camp who knew anything of the country. Men had been sent ahead\nto hunt a route for us to travel, and every time, on their return,\nthey reported impassable barriers ahead--rough, high, steep mountains,\nwithout springs of water or creeks, or sandy plains, and barren deserts\nthat it would be impossible to cross. In this dilemma we had to bear to\nthe south, along the river, in hopes of finding a pass to the west.\n\nOne night, while camped near the Rio Grande del Norte, we heard a great\nnoise as though a band of horses were crossing the river. This created\nquite an alarm, as there had been rumors of Mexicans revolting. For a\nshort time it was thought it was Mexican cavalry crossing to attack\nus by night, but on the colonel making inquiries of the guides it was\nlearned that the noise proceeded from beaver playing in the river.\nAfter watching and listening for a time, all settled down, contented\nthat there was no enemy at hand.\n\nOn resuming our march next day, we passed through a grove of cottonwood\ntrees, and saw where many of them had been cut down by the beaver. Some\nof the trees were two feet or more in diameter, had been cut off in\nlong sections, and a surprisingly large dam had been constructed by the\nbeaver across the river. This dam had caused to be formed a large pond,\nin which the beaver congregated at certain seasons, for sport. Thus the\nmystery of our midnight disturbance was solved to our satisfaction.\n\nWe passed along the sandy road to a large bend in the river, which\nColonel Cooke decided was the place where we would cross the stream. He\nstationed himself on an abrupt point of rock, from which he could view\nthe whole proceeding. Men were detailed from each company to follow the\nwagons through the river. In order to avoid a rocky ridge the stream\nhad to be crossed twice within quarter of a mile. There were very heavy\nquicksands, and if the teams were allowed to stop one minute it was\ndoubtful whether they could start again; consequently the precaution of\nhaving men close at hand was very important, though the average soldier\ndid not understand the real reason for forcing him into the water\nwithout stripping off at least part of his raiment.\n\nThe crossing was made early in the day, and the water was very cold, as\nI had ample evidence, being one of those detailed to attend the wagons.\nOur comrades took our muskets over the point while we lifted at the\nwagons. As the water was waist deep, when the men would stoop to lift\nit would wet our clothing very nearly to the armpits; our shoes also\nwere filled with sand.\n\nWet and cold, almost chilled, we continued our march through deep\nsands, pushing and pulling at the wagons till our clothing dried on our\nbodies, our shoes became so dry and hard that walking was very painful\nand difficult, and our feet became raw. If this had been all, we might\nhave had less reason to complain; but when an irritated officer (not\nall the officers pursued such a reprehensible course, but a few of them\ndid) swore at us as if we were brutes, when we were already burdened\nalmost beyond endurance, it is no wonder there was an impulsive desire\nto retaliate. For my own part, my feelings never were so outraged,\nand the desire for revenge never ran so high and wild as then. But we\ncooled down, though our physical sufferings were not lessened; as we\ntramped on through the sands we became so weak it was almost impossible\nto keep our ankles from striking together as we walked, and our hard\nand dry shoetops would cut our ankles till the blood came.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nPUSHING TO THE WEST--OVERHEARING A CONVERSATION WITH COL. COOKE--THE\nCOLONEL FEARS THE MEN WILL STARVE--NO BERRIES, NOT EVEN BARK OF TREES,\nFOR FOOD--TRUE STATE OF AFFAIRS AS TO THE OUTLOOK KEPT FROM MOST\nOF THE TROOPS--HIDES, INTESTINES, AND EVEN SOFT EDGES OF HOOFS AND\nHORNS OF ANIMALS EATEN--\"BIRD'S EYE SOUP.\"--IN A SNOWSTORM--RELICS\nOF ANCIENT INHABITANTS--CAMPING WITHOUT WATER--OLD SILVER AND COPPER\nMINES--HARDEST DAY OF THE JOURNEY--MEN APPEAR AS IF STRICKEN WITH\nDEATH--THE WRITER SO ILL AS TO BE UNABLE To TRAVEL LONGER, AND\nEXPECTS TO DIE--UNCLE ALEXANDER STEPHENS COMES WITH WATER AND REVIVES\nHIM--AWFUL SUFFERING IN CAMP--REPORTED SICK NEXT MORNING--BRUTAL DR.\nSANDERSON GIVES A DEADLY DOSE OF LAUDANUM, BUT THE WRITER VOMITS IT\nAFTER BEING MADE FEARFULLY SICK--IN TERRIBLE DISTRESS FOR DAYS--HEALED\nBY THE LAYING ON OF HANDS OF THE ELDERS OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST\nOF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.\n\nIT was but a little while after this that we left the Rio Grande del\nNorte, and pressed on toward the west. One day, while passing up a\nbrushy canyon, my place being with the advance guard, in the rear of\nthe road hands, I had occasion to step into the brush by the roadside.\nWhile there, out of sight, Col. Cooke and staff and guides came along\nand stopped right opposite me, so close that I dared not move lest they\nshould see me. As they came up, the colonel inquired of the guides if\nthere were no fruit or berries that men could live on; the reply was,\nno, not a thing. They were talking about some place ahead that the\nguides were acquainted with. The colonel then asked if there were no\ntrees that had bark something like elm bark, which men could live on\nfor a few days; but the answer was that there was neither fruit, roots\nnor bark, that the country was a barren waste.\n\nUpon receiving this information, the colonel exclaimed, \"What can we\ndo?\" In response, the suggestion was that the guides did not know\nunless some of the stronger men and mules were sent on a forced march\nto the first place in California, where they could get a bunch of beef\ncattle and meet us on the desert with them. There was some further\nconversation, when it was ended by the colonel exclaiming, with a\ndespairing oath, \"I expect the men will starve to death!\"\n\nThe deep gloom of sadness hung over those who knew of the situation.\nAll of the men, however, were not informed of the gravity of the\nposition we were in. At that time we were drawing less than half\nrations. The fresh meat we had was more like glue or jelly than beef.\nThe plan had been adopted of slaughtering the weak cattle first, so\nthat the stronger animals could travel faster. When an animal became\ntoo weak to hold up one end of a yoke, or to carry a packsaddle, it was\nslaughtered, and the flesh issued to the men. Not a scrap of the animal\nwould be left on the ground; the hide, intestines--all was eaten; even\nthe tender or soft edges of the hoofs and horns would be roasted, and\ngnawed at so long as a human being possibly could draw subsistence\ntherefrom. Many times we were without water to wash the offal. The\nbones would be carried along, broken up, and boiled and re-boiled, in\nsome instances as long as there could be seen a single \"bird's eye\"\n(the name given to solitary spots of grease that would come to the\nsurface) of grease rise on the water; then each man was eager for his\nshare.\n\nSometimes cattle became so weak that men were left with them to come\nup to the command after night. On one occasion, when an old ox could\nnot be got into camp and had to be left four or five miles back, men\nwere sent bright and early next morning, to bring him in. It snowed\nthat night, and in camp things generally were disagreeable. The ox was\nbrought in, slaughtered, and issued to us for rations. If any man had\nfailed to get his share of that white ox at that time there might have\nbeen a row, but a fair distribution maintained peace. The place of our\ncamp was called White Ox Creek, and we laid by for one day to rest and\nrefresh ourselves.\n\nFrom there we traveled over a rough country, but one that evidently\nhad been inhabited ages ago, for we found stone walls, pottery by the\nacre, and old and dry canals--their former source of water having\ndisappeared. We found in a rock a deep and large hole with water\nsufficient to supply the command; we secured it by drawing all night,\nuntil everything was watered. Then we moved on, and next night camped\nwithout water. We passed many old mines, supposed to be of silver and\ncopper, and there were said to be gold mines in the vicinity. Late at\nnight we traveled, and were on the march early the following morning.\nAll day we pressed forward as rapidly as possible, there being no\nwater, and late at night the command came to a place called Dry Lake.\n\nThat was the hardest day for me that came in the experience of the\nwhole journey. I had been run down so low with a severe attack of\ndysentery that I could travel no longer, and laid down. My thirst was\nintense, and it did not seem possible that I could live till morning.\nIt seemed that everyone was traveling as best he could, for the\nrearguard passed me without taking any notice. Men went by, looking\nlike death, their mouths black, their eyes sunken till it was difficult\nto recognize them. Some eyes had a staring glare, which looked as if\nthe monster death were close at hand. Yet the men staggered on, their\nfeet hitting each other, tit for tat, as one was dragged past the\nother. The hopes of these men were greater than mine, for I had ceased\nto march. This was the first time I had felt there was little reason to\nhope that I would ever reach camp again, for I supposed that all the\nmen had passed me. The sun's rays faded away on the eastern mountain\ntops, and the bright orb dropped beneath the western horizon. For\na moment I felt that with me the vital spark would soon sink below the\nmortal horizon, as if to accompany the king of day.\n\nJust when my hopes were flickering as does a candle when the wick has\nall but burned out, there came to my ears the sound as of the tinkling\nof a tin can that seemed to keep time with a soldier's step as he\nmarched. Gradually the sound became more distinct until its approach\nwas a certainty. Then my uncle, Alexander Stephens, came in sight. He\nhad been left to bring up an old spotted ox which had failed, and had\ndriven the animal into the shade of a rocky cliff, where the ox laid\ndown, while the driver hunted around and found a dripping of water\nas it seeped from a crevice in the rock. He had quenched his thirst\nand filled his canteen, resting in the meantime, then followed on the\ntrail, pricking the ox with his bayonet.\n\nWhen Uncle Alexander Stephens came up he handed me his canteen, and the\ndraught of water quickly revived me. I did not think myself able to\nrise to my feet, but with a little assistance I got up, and took hold\nof the packsaddle. My knapsack, musket and accoutrements were lashed to\nthe ox, and by a final effort we reached Dry Lake camp, by halting at\nshort intervals along the four miles we had to travel.\n\nWretched, wretched indeed, was the condition of the command that night.\nIt is doubtful whether at any time in the long march the men suffered\nmore than they did then and the forty-eight hours preceding. Next\nmorning, at the doctor's call, many had to be helped by their comrades\nto the place designated for the sick.\n\nFor myself, two men sat me upon the ground, and held me up till my time\ncame to be questioned. Dr. Sanderson called out, \"What is the matter\nwith you?\" When he received the information asked for he remarked\ngruffly: \"I've a d--d great mind not to report you sick. I never saw\nsuch a d--d set of men in my life. They will not report till d--d nigh\ndead.\" I answered that it did not matter to me whether he entered me on\nthe sick list or not, for I could not walk. At this he said sharply.\n\"Not a d--d word out of you or I'll make you walk.\"\n\nThen he ordered the steward to give me a dose of castor oil and\nlaudanum, stating the quantity. The steward, William Spencer, said,\n\"Isn't it a rather heavy dose?\" to which the doctor responded with a\ncurse, telling him to do as he was ordered. At that the dose was poured\ninto a teacup, filling it half full. It was given to me, the steward\nsaying in a low tone of voice. \"If you do not throw it up it will kill\nyou.\" I was assisted back to the company's wagon, and soon vomited the\nmedicine, but not until it had changed my countenance so much that the\nlieutenant of my company, Cyrus Canfield, did not know me. He came and\nordered me out of the wagon, telling me to go to my own company. It was\nsometime before he could be convinced who I really was, then remarked\nthat I looked so near dead that he could not believe it was I. But when\nhe recognized me he was very kind, and was willing to do anything he\ncould for my relief.\n\nFor four days I lay in a dull stupor, when that phase of the disease\nwas checked, and a very high fever set in. My sufferings were so\nterrible that some of my messmates came into the tent, anointed me with\noil, then administered to or prayed for me; and although burning with\na high fever till it seemed that I could not live, I was instantly\nhealed, so that when they took their hands off the fever was entirely\ngone, and I was wet with perspiration. From that time I began to gather\nstrength. That was my first experience with the ordinance of healing by\nthe laying on of hands by the Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of\nLatter-day Saints.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\nON THE SUMMIT OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS--CROSSING THE BACKBONE OF THE\nNORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT--REVIEW OF THE JOURNEY--GRAVES OPENED BY\nWOLVES--MUTILATED BODIES--AN UNPARALLELED JOURNEY OF HARDSHIP--THE\nPROSPECT AHEAD--A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH--START DOWN THE PACIFIC\nSLOPE--DESCENDING THE CLIFFS WITH WAGONS--ONE VEHICLE SLIPS AND IS\nREDUCED TO KINDLING WOOD AND SCRAP IRON--INTO A NEW CLIMATE--CHANGE\nIN THE CHARACTER OF VEGETATION--WILD HORSES AND CATTLE--ATTACKED BY\nWILD CATTLE--SEVERAL MEN HURT AND ONE MULE GORED TO DEATH--A NUMBER OF\nCATTLE KILLED--SUPPLY OF BEEF--REACH THE SAN PEDRO RIVER--TRAVELING\nTHROUGH A HEAVY GROWTH OF MESQUIT AND CHAPPARAL--APPROACH THE MEXICAN\nGARRISONED TOWN OF TUCSON--NEWS OF APPROACH OF A LARGE AMERICAN ARMY\nSENT TO THE MEXICANS--ORDER ISSUED BY COLONEL COOKE.\n\nAT the camp at Dry Lake, which we reached between November 20 and 25,\nwe laid over a day, and a party was sent ahead to cut a road over the\ndivide. I was too weak for four or five days to take much interest in\nwhat passed; and in the meantime the command reached and crossed the\ndivide, or summit of the Rocky Mountains--the backbone of the North\nAmerican continent--where the waters are divided, flowing on either\nside to the Atlantic and Pacific respectively.\n\nFor eighteen hundred miles the Mormon Battalion members had made a hard\nand weary march. Starting from Nauvoo, on the Mississippi River--the\n\"father of waters\"--as exiles, they had passed over a lovely country,\nyet at a season of the year when travel was difficult, to the Missouri\nRiver. At the latter point the battalion was mustered into service, and\nmoved over an excellent country two hundred miles to Fort Leavenworth;\nthence through what is now the state of Kansas, passing over a goodly\nland to the Great Plains, a timberless country, where water is scarce.\nThere they began to be footsore and leg-weary, and to suffer severely\nfrom heat and thirst. Soon they came to the desert, and for nine days\ntried cooking their shortened rations over \"buffalo chip\" fires, with\nfuel even scarcer than it was poor; often having very little water, and\nthat brackish, so that men and hearts began to grow weak and ill.\n\nAt this point in the long journey they commenced passing the open\ngraves of soldiers, many of whom laid down their lives in the advance\ncompanies. Their graves were open for the reason that wolves had dug\nup the dead bodies and devoured the flesh from the bones; the blankets\nin which the bodies were wrapped were torn to shreds, while in some\ninstances the carcass still hung together, except that the fingers and\ntoes had been eaten off by wild beasts. The road was also strewn with\ndead horses and cattle, so that as the battalion advanced the gruesome\nsights became more frequent and therefore excited less comment. And in\nturn the battalion contributed a share of dead to the lonely graves of\nthe plains.\n\nThen, on the sandy roads, there was the rough order to put the shoulder\nto the wheel and help the jaded teams; and the battalion waded creeks\nand rivers with quicksand bottoms, or lifted or pulled at ropes in\nlowering or raising their wagons over rough and precipitous places--in\nwhat appeared at that time a rough and worthless country, which may not\nhave changed greatly since.\n\nAt times they were called forward to tramp sand roads for teams, and\nthen to return and pull at ropes or push at wagons which, without\nassistance, the teams could not control. Then when Santa Fe was passed\nthe journey was proceeded upon with reduced rations, down the difficult\ncountry along the Rio Grande del Norte. Onward the struggle continued,\nover sandy deserts and through a rough, mountainous region, where the\nhardships were intense, and where there seemed no eye to pity and no\nhand to pass even a drop of water to moisten the parching tongue. It\nwas not human capability, it was the divine power that sustained them\nin such extremities as they had to endure.\n\nIt was thus the renowned Mormon Battalion toiled and struggled on their\njourney to the summit of the lofty Rocky Mountain range--the crest\nof the continent--a journey whose details of privation, and peril,\nand patient courage, cannot be told in human words, and never can be\nrealized except by those who experienced it. So many lofty mountain\nspurs had been crossed, that the final ascent seemed quite gradual.\n\nLeaving now this general survey of the past, I recall that from the\nlofty eminence we had reached on our march, the descent was very abrupt\nand difficult, through the rugged defiles to the west. But with the\nbattalion it was a case of life and death. That was no place to remain,\nthere was no earthly help at hand, no way to life open but to trust\nin God and persevere in the onward movement. So with the pick-axe and\ncrow-bar we commenced to clear the most feasible road down by chopping\naway the shrubbery and brush and removing that and the rocks.\n\nAfter much of the baggage had been taken down the mountain one way by\npack animals, long ropes and guy-ropes were attached to the wagons and\nthe descent with them began by another way. The wagons were lowered for\na distance of half a mile or so, men standing as best they could on\nthe mountain side, letting the vehicle down gradually, then holding it\ntill other men could get a fresh footing and lower it still further.\nThus one by one the wagons were let down in safety, all but one. By\nsome mishap that got adrift from the men, and to save their lives they\nhad to let it go until there was nothing of it but scrap-iron and\nkindling-wood. As there was already an abundance of the latter around\nus, no one was desirous of descending to the rugged depths of the\nravine to secure even a relic of that terrible descent.\n\nIt was thought by our commander and guides that it would require from\nsix to eight days to make the descent, but thanks to the tact and skill\nof some of our men who had been accustomed to frontier life, the work\nwas done in two days, and we were again where the wagons could stand on\npartially level ground.\n\nIn a very brief space of time we found ourselves plunged into a warm\nclimate, where we could not see any plant or shrub that we had been\nacquainted with before. There was some small, scrubby ash, sycamore\nand black walnut, but everything, even to the rocks, had a strange\nappearance. We also had entered the land of wild horses and cattle,\nwhich roamed the hills by thousands. The wild cattle became excited at\nthe rumbling wagons, and gathered thickly along our way.\n\nAt last the muskets commenced to rattle, partly through fear, and\npartly because we wanted beef. Finally a herd of wild cattle charged\nour line, tossed some men into the air, pierced others with their\nhorns, knocking some down, and ran over others, attacking one light\nwagon, the hind end of which was lifted clear from the road. One large\nbull plunged into a six-mule team, ran his head under the off-swing\nmule, throwing him entirely over the near one and thrusting his horn\ninto the mule's vitals, injuring our animal so it had to be left on the\nground, where it expired in a few minutes. There were several men and\nmules roughly used and bruised, just the number I do not now recall.\nThe attacking party lost twenty or twenty-five of their number killed,\nwith many others badly or slightly wounded.\n\nWe had plenty of beef for a few days, and might have secured much\nmore. I never understood the reason why we were not allowed to lay\nby and \"jerk\" an abundance of meat for the subsequent use of the\ncommand, but the stop was not permitted. Many of the men felt greatly\ndisappointed and indignant because we were denied the privilege of\navailing ourselves of this splendid opportunity of replenishing our\nscanty rations. We were half starving at the time, and perhaps if we\nhad been allowed to lay by a few days we would have gorged ourselves to\nour injury. It may be that would have been more serious than to have\nstormed, as some did, at being ordered to march on. It is possible this\nwas the view taken by our commander, though we never knew.\n\nContinuing our advance to lower levels, the climate was mild and\npleasant. Our course was northwesterly until we passed a deserted\nranch called San Bernardino, in what is now Arizona, and followed\ndown the San Pedro River. I think this was the south fork of the Gila\nRiver. There was some good country along this lovely stream. It was\nthere we first saw the mescal and mesquit, the former being the plant\nfrom which the Mexicans distil their whisky (pulque), the latter a tree\nsomewhat resembling the black locust, but growing with a very spreading\nhabit, making it difficult to travel among. In many places it had to be\ncut down and cleared away before we could proceed. There was another\nscrubby tree-growth which the Spaniards call chapparal. This brush grew\nvery thick in places, so that in cutting it away travel became very\ntedious.\n\nHere the guides told Colonel Cooke that if we followed along the stream\nit would be a hundred miles farther than if we cut across the bend, but\nif we took the latter route we would have to pass through a Mexican\nfortified town, where a body of soldiers had been left to guard it as\nan outpost. At that time it was impossible for us to learn the strength\nof the place; but it was thought that we might get some supplies of\nprovisions and some animals. At the same time there was considerable\nrisk that we would have to fight, and perhaps get defeated, in which\ncase it would be not only a loss of property but of life as well.\n\nOn December 12 and 13 we followed down the San Pedro, our course\nbeing nearly due north, near the base of a mountain extending towards\nthe Gila River. The guide, Leroux, with others, returned from an\nexploration of the table-land to the west, leading to Tucson. They\nfound a party of Apache Indians and some Mexicans distilling mescal,\nand learned from them that the Mexican garrison at Tucson numbered\nabout two hundred men. The interpreter with the guides, Dr. Foster,\nhad thought it proper to go to Tucson, and Leroux told the Mexicans to\ninform the commander at Tucson that an American army was approaching\nen route to California; that the advance guard numbered about three\nhundred and sixty men, and if it stopped to drill it would give time\nfor the main army to come up; that the strength of the main army could\nbe judged by the size of its vanguard; and that if Foster did not\nrejoin the advance guard by a given time it would be understood that he\nwas a prisoner at Tucson. Upon learning what had been done and said,\nColonel Cooke issued the following order:\n\n\"Headquarters Mormon Battalion, Camp on the San Pedro, Dec. 13, 1846.\n\n\"Thus far on our course to California we have followed the guides\nfurnished us by the general. These guides now point to Tucson, a\ngarrison town, as on our road, and assert that any other course is\none hundred miles out of the way, and over a trackless wilderness of\nmountains, rivers and hills. We will march then to Tucson. We came\nnot to make war on Sonora, and less still to destroy an important\noutpost of defense against Indians. But we will take the straight road\nbefore us and overcome all resistance, but shall I remind you that the\nAmerican soldier ever shows justice and kindness to the unarmed and\nunresisting? The property of individuals you will hold sacred; the\npeople of Sonora are not our enemies.\n\n            \"By order of Lieutenant Colonel Cooke.\n\n                                 \"P. C. Merrill, Adjutant.\"\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\nON THE TRAIL TO TUCSON--EXCITEMENT IN THE TOWN--MEET MEXICAN\nSOLDIERS--OUR NUMBERS OVERRATED BY THE INDIANS--MEXICAN COMMANDER\nUNDER ORDERS TO OPPOSE US--COLONEL COOKE ANNOUNCES HIS WISH TO\nPASS ON WITHOUT HOSTILITIES--ARREST OF CORPORAL CASSADURAN, SON OF\nTHE MEXICAN COMMANDER AT TUCSON, AND OTHER MEXICANS WHO ARE HELD\nAS HOSTAGES FOR THE RETURN OF OUR INTERPRETER--THE INTERPRETER IS\nLIBERATED--AN ARMISTICE PROPOSED--SURRENDER OF TUCSON DEMANDED--MEXICAN\nPRISONERS RELEASED--SURRENDER IS REFUSED--COLONEL COOKE ORDERS THE\nBATTALION TO PREPARE FOR BATTLE--ADVANCE TOWARD THE TOWN--FLIGHT OF\nTHE MEXICANS--AT THE GATES OF TUCSON--OUR LINE OF BATTLE--ADDRESS BY\nCOLONEL COOKE--WE ENTER THE TOWN, AND PASS THROUGH TO CAMP--PURCHASES\nOF WHEAT, CORN, ETC.--THE BATTALION NEARLY STARVED--NIGHT ALARM OF\nA MEXICAN ATTACK--DIFFICULTIES OF GETTING INTO LINE--NO ENEMY IN\nSIGHT--START ACROSS THE GILA DESERT--AGONY ON THE BURNING SANDS AND\nALKALI FLAT---STRENGTHENED BY THE DIVINE BLESSING--REACH THE GILA RIVER.\n\nON the 14th the battalion ascended to the plateau, traveling up hill\nfor eight or nine miles, when it struck the trail leading to Tucson.\nColonel Cooke selected fifty men, with whom he pushed forward. Passing\nthe vanguard, he soon reached water, where he found four or five\nMexican soldiers cutting grass. Their arms and saddles were on their\nhorses near by, easily accessible to our men. But these had no wish to\nmolest them, and the Mexicans appeared to pay little attention to us.\n\nThe colonel learned from a Mexican sergeant that rumors of a large\nforce of American troops coming had reached Tucson, and great\nexcitement prevailed in the town. Of course the colonel, who was\npossessed of generalship as well as a stern sense of discipline, took\nno pains to disabuse the Mexicans' minds, and thus possibly expose\nour little army to unnecessary peril. Indians who had seen us from a\ndistance had overestimated largely our numbers, and thus served to\nimpress the people of Sonora with the accuracy of the statement made by\nthe guides.\n\nThe colonel also learned from the Mexican sergeant that the commander\nof the garrison had orders from the governor not to allow any armed\nforce to pass through the town without resistance. A message was\ntherefore sent to the commander by this same sergeant, saying that the\npeople need not be alarmed, as we were their friends and would do them\nno harm, as we wished merely to purchase supplies and pass on.\n\nThe next day we traveled about twelve miles, passing a distillery, and\ncamped without water. The battalion marched in front of the wagons, to\nprotect the provisions. Here a new (to us) species of cactus proved\nvery troublesome. It was jointed, and when an animal rubbed against the\nthorns it broke loose at the joints, and sections about three inches\nlong would stick fast to the animal. The same variety of cactus is\nfound in southern Utah.\n\nThis day a corporal, the son of Cassaduran, commander of the Mexican\npost at Tucson, and three Mexican soldiers were met with. They showed\nno signs of fear until Colonel Cooke ordered them arrested, when they\nseemed terribly frightened. On arriving at our camp, the corporal was\nquestioned by the commander as to Dr. Foster. He said (and it proved to\nbe true) that Foster was under guard, but had been requested earnestly\nto come with them, and had refused. He had feigned indignation at being\narrested, lest the Mexicans should be suspicious as to our numbers and\nshould get reinforcements and fight us. As he anticipated, his conduct\ninspired them with terror.\n\nOne of the Mexican prisoners was released and sent to the garrison\nwith two of the guides, one of whom took a note to the commander of\nthe post, demanding Foster's release and stating that the other three\nMexicans were held as hostages. About midnight, Dr. Foster was brought\ninto camp by two officers, one of whom was authorized to arrange a\nspecial armistice.\n\nColonel Cooke sent a proposition to the Mexican commander that he\ndeliver up a few arms as a guaranty of surrender, and that the\ninhabitants of Tucson would not fight against the United States, unless\nreleased as prisoners of war. The Mexican prisoners also were released.\nOur camp at this time was about sixteen miles from Tucson; and on our\nadvance the following day, when a few miles out, a cavalryman met us\nwith a note from Captain Cassaduran, declining the proposition to\nsurrender. We were thereupon ordered to load our muskets and prepare\nfor an engagement. We had not traveled far, however, before two other\nMexicans met us, with the news that the garrison at Tucson had fled,\nand had forced most of the inhabitants to leave the town. They also\nhad taken two brass pieces of artillery with them. A little later in\nthe day, about a dozen well armed men, probably soldiers in citizens'\ndress, met and accompanied the battalion to Tucson. But before passing\nthrough the gates a halt was ordered.\n\nThat morning, when we were striking camp for the march into Tucson, Dr.\nSanderson opened up again by remarking that \"every d--d man who could\nstand alone ought to fall into line.\" Our first move was to form ranks\nwith everything in proper order to make an assault or receive a charge.\nThen we moved out in line of battle. When within three or four miles of\nthe fort a stop was made, we were faced to the right, and the command\ncame to forward march, double-quick time. At that the whole column\nmoved on a smart trot. Some of us, at least, thought we were advancing\nupon an enemy that had been discovered by the commander; but when we\nhad gone pell-mell over cobblerock and gullies, through brush and\ncactus, for a distance of nearly three quarters of a mile, we received\nthe command to halt. Then came orders to left face, file left, march.\nThis move brought us back into the road, where we filed to the right\nand marched on to the fort.\n\nAt the gates of the fort. Colonel Cooke made a brief speech, stating\nthat the soldiers and citizens had fled, leaving their property behind\nand in our power; that we had not come to make war on Sonora; and that\nthere must not be any interference with the private property of the\ncitizens.\n\nWe then marched through the town, where a few aged men and women and\nsome children brought us water and other small tokens of respect. We\nmade no halt in the village, which had contained some four or five\nhundred inhabitants, of which number all but about a hundred had fled.\nOur stop was made about half a mile down stream from the place.\n\nIn the town we made purchases of wheat, corn, beans and peas, which we\nparched or boiled. We were so near starved that we could not wait for\nthis food to be more than half cooked before we ate it. There was no\ngeneral supply purchased at Tucson, but each man or mess obtained as\nmuch as could be with the scanty means on hand.\n\nOn the night of December 17, Albern Allen and his son Rufus C. Allen\nhad been placed on picket guard above Tucson, with orders that if any\nbody of men, say ten or more, appeared, an alarm was to be fired, and\nthe guards were to run into camp. Sometime between midnight and two\no'clock a body of Mexicans put in an appearance, and the alarm was\ngiven as ordered. The bugle sounded at the colonel's quarters, and soon\nLieutenant George Oman, who was officer of the day, rushed through the\ncamp, shouting, \"Beat that drum; if you cannot beat the drum, beat the\nfife!\" The drum-major, R. D. Sprague, obeyed the order, and hit the\ndrum. Immediately the stern voice of the colonel shouted to cease that\nmusic. In less time than it takes to tell it, lights sprang up through\nthe camp. Then came the sharp command from the colonel, \"Dust those\nfires!\" and the flames went out; the adjutant rushed through the camp\nwith orders to the officers to form their companies into line, the men\nwere commanded to fall in, and all was rustle and bustle.\n\nThe writer had been up relieving his stomach of half-boiled wheat,\ncorn and peas, and had just got settled back in bed when the alarm\nwas fired, so he heard all that was going on. As we all slept in our\npantaloons, the first thing I thought of in that country of prickly\npears was my boots; and while reaching for these and bumping heads with\ncomrades, some of the men whose muskets were used for uprights for the\ntent thought these the first articles in the emergency and seized them,\nthe tent coming down and the ridge-pole making another bump on heads.\nAt the same time we were all trapped in the fallen tent, which was\npinned down tight. I was trying to get the left boot on the right foot,\nand my footwear being rather small I had no easy job. All being caught\nin the tent-trap, the thought came how easy it would be for a body of\nMexican cavalry in a charge to cut us to pieces, and we soon burst\nthrough the tent and fell into line.\n\nFor the first time in the whole march the writer brought up the rear\nin getting to his place, and received a rebuke from the officer\nin command, George P. Dykes. Right here, however, in that brief\nexperience, I learned a lesson I have never forgotten, namely, order\nin dressing and undressing. We had been in the habit of putting\nour clothing anywhere and each throwing his on top of another's,\nif convenience appeared to suggest it, so that in the dark it was\ndifficult for each to get into his own raiment. I realized then how\nimportant it was to have \"a place for everything and everything in its\nplace;\" hence to put every article of wearing apparel down so that in\nthe darkest hour of night I knew where to place my hand on it, and when\narmed always to have my weapons in the best possible order and where\nthe hand might be laid on them without any mistakes.\n\nNotwithstanding all the confusion, it seemed to me we were in line of\nbattle in very short order, awaiting an attack of Mexican cavalry.\nThere was a few minutes' breathless silence after we were ready for the\nassault, and no enemy appearing, reconnoitering parties were sent out\nto ascertain the true situation. We were held in readiness an hour or\nmore, then learning that everything was quiet, were permitted to retire\nto our tents, but not without some apprehension of danger until the\ndawn of day, which came bright and peaceful, and we began our march out\non what was known as the Ninety-five Mile Desert, which lay between us\nand the Gila River.\n\nAfter the first day's march on that awful stretch of barren waste, we\nbegan to straggle along, and before the Gila was reached the command\nwas scattered along on the clay beds and sand strips for twenty miles.\nWe traveled night and day, not stopping at any one place more than six\nhours.\n\nThe command was in a most deplorable condition on this journey. Many\nwere the men that lay down by the wayside without a hope that they\nwould live to reach water, and often thinking that they were behind the\ncommand. But after they had rested for a few hours and perhaps dozed\nlong enough to dream that they died on the desert, and that the wolves\nthat were howling around were dragging their emaciated carcasses over\nthe sands or perchance in the alkali pools, so strongly impregnated\nwith poisonous stuff that it would consume, in a short time, the flesh\nif not the bones also, then the thought of home and loved ones would\ncome; and what was sometimes last, though not the least, would be the\nmemory of the promises which the servants of God had made when we left\nthe dear ones of home. Then the worn and weary soldier would stagger\nto his feet, survey the surroundings, and perhaps would catch sight,\nin the distance, of some comrade who was staggering and reeling onward\ntoward the setting sun, and would follow in his path.\n\nSo the almost dead soldier would go on, his feet playing pit-a-pat as\nthey dragged past each other, until his limbs would refuse to carry him\nfarther, and down he would go and repeat the agonizing experience of\na few hours previous. He would also chew a buckshot or two to induce\nmoisture in his parching tongue, and would offer an earnest prayer from\nhis humble soul--a further exertion which he would not have brought his\nwearied mind to do if it had not been for the confidence he placed in\nthe promises of God, made through His faithful servants.\n\nThus, dear reader, the renowned Mormon Battalion passed forward across\nthe great Gila Desert, almost without a human reason to hope that they\nwould reach the goal, and only able to accomplish their aim through\ndivine grace. When they succeeded in reaching the banks of the river,\ntheir clothes were so tattered and torn that it was with difficulty\nthey could cover their nakedness.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER X.\n\nON THE GILA RIVER--PIMA INDIAN VILLAGE--WELCOME GIFTS FROM THE\nPIMAS--AMONG THE MARICOPA INDIANS--ASLEEP ON THE TRAIL--VISIT PROM\nA BEAR--LOSS OF PROVISIONS THROUGH AN ATTEMPT TO FLOAT A QUANTITY\nDOWN THE GILA--HARD TRAVELING--CROSSING THE COLORADO RIVER--GLOOM\nIN THE CAMP--LOWER AND UPPER CALIFORNIA--TERRIBLE MARCH OVER THE\nTIERRA CALIENTE, OR HOT LANDS--DIGGING WELLS FOR BRACKISH WATER--ADVANCE\nGUARD REACH A MOUNTAIN SPRING--WATER CARRIED BACK TO REVIVE THE\nFAINTING TROOPS--LAST SPOONFUL OF FLOUR USED--DIVIDING THE RATIONS--IN\nTHE CANYONS OF THE SIERRA NEVADA--HEWING ROADS THROUGH ROCKS AND\nBRUSH--FEEDING ON LIVE ACORNS AND GREEN MUSTARD--NEWS OF VICTORIES\nBY UNITED STATES TROOPS IN CALIFORNIA--PREPARING TO ENGAGE THE\nRETIRING MEXICAN ARMY--FIRST HOUSE SEEN IN CALIFORNIA--BEEF WITHOUT\nSALT--TRADE FOR ACORN MUSH--HEAVY STORM AND FLOOD IN CAMP--A FEW POUNDS\nOF FLOUR SECURED--DANCING IN MUD AND WATER--RECEIVE ORDERS TO GO TO\nLOS ANGELES--DISCOVER A BODY OF TROOPS IN LINE OF BATTLE--ADVANCE\nTO THE ATTACK--SUPPOSED FOE PROVES TO BE FRIENDLY INDIANS--PRESENCE\nOF THE MORMON BATTALION PREVENTS AN INTENDED ATTEMPT BY MEXICANS TO\nRETAKE CALIFORNIA, ALSO AN UPRISING OF CALIFORNIANS AGAINST THE UNITED\nSTATES--ON A BATTLEFIELD WHERE GENERAL KEARNEY HAD FOUGHT--RELICS\nOF THE ENCOUNTER--PROPHECY OF PRESIDENT BRIGHAM YOUNG AND ITS\nFULFILLMENT--SOURCE OF HIS INSPIRATION.\n\nWHERE we reached the Gila River it was a lovely stream, four or live\nrods wide; but the country was covered with alkali grass and mesquit\nbrush. We rested part of a day, then proceeded down the river eight\nor ten miles, coming to a Pima Indian village. The Pima Indians were\nsuperior to any that we had fallen in with heretofore. They were an\nagricultural people, peacefully inclined, and kind and loving toward\neach other. Those in the village appeared the picture of good health.\nThey came and went by twos, the males and females keeping each sex,\nto themselves. They seemed the most affectionate people I had ever\nmet; happy and innocent in appearance--a large and handsome class of\npersons. Each Indian was wrapped in a large home-made blanket.\n\nThe Pimas had corn, wheat, pumpkins, beans, and, I think, peas. Some\nof the Indians noted our wretched and starved condition, and cut up a\nlot of pumpkins--as we cut them for cows. These they boiled, and handed\nto the soldiers as the latter passed by and took the proffered food in\nanything they could get to hold the steaming hot vegetables. The men\nwere indeed thankful for these favors, although they came from Indians.\n\nIt was between the 20th and 25th of December when we left the Pima\nIndian village, and passed down the Gila River to a broad, open,\nfertile valley in the Maricopa Indian country. At the Maricopa Indian\nvillages we met many fine specimens of the native inhabitants. We\ntraded brass buttons for food. One brass button had more purchasing\npower than a five dollar gold piece.\n\nIt was some five or six days before we passed out of the Maricopas'\nfarming country. There was a large bend in the river, and we traveled\nthree days over a rough, sandy country before we came to the stream\nagain. On this march we camped without water. The writer was one of\nthose who stood guard around the stock. The feed was so scarce that\nwe were kept running all night. I was so completely worn out next day\nthat at about eleven a.m. I sought rest by dropping out of the command\nand hiding from the rearguard behind a clump of brush that grew on a\nsand knoll. No sooner had I laid down than I fell into a sound slumber,\noblivious to all danger.\n\nWhen the writer awakened from that sleep the rearguard had passed on\nlong before; the sun had changed position so that the drowsy soldier\nfelt perfectly lost, but gradually he came to realize that it was three\nor four o'clock p.m. Some six or eight feet from where he had been\nlying he found fresh bear tracks, telling him of the wild beast that\nhad been viewing him while wrapt in slumber. He hurried forward on the\ntrail, and reached camp just as the night guards were being posted and\nhis comrades were becoming greatly concerned for his safety.\n\nOur route lay down the river, through deep sand and mesquit brush,\nwhere we had not only to chop and clear away the brush, but had to push\nand pull the wagons until our souls as well as our bodies were worn\nout. We gathered mesquit and a kind of pod to feed our mules. We were\nsix days traveling sixty miles, to the crossing of the Colorado River,\nor Red River, as it was called by some.\n\nThe reader will not wonder that on reaching this point a mountain of\ngloom rested upon the whole command, causing the men almost to despair\nas they, on the 10th day of January, 1847, stood on the banks of the\nswift-flowing Colorado--the stream being half a mile wide at that\nplace--with no alternative but to wade across, pulling and pushing at\nthe wagons, then to cut and burn their way out, through the thick brush\non the bottom land, to the bench or bluff that opened out on a barren\ndesert, known to the Mexicans as Tierra Caliente, or the Hot Lands.\n\nNow the command entered upon another soul-trying march. The route from\nthe crossing of the Colorado was over the northeast corner of Lower\nCalifornia, some sixty miles above the Gulf of California, then into\nthe south-eastern part of Upper California. The stronger men, with a\nlittle extra ration, preceded the main army, to dig wells in the desert.\n\nNo sooner was the almost hopeless march commenced than men began to\nlag behind, so that when the advance guard came to a halt at any part\nof the journey, others were miles behind. The first day we came to a\nwell that General Phil. Kearney and his men had dug, but it had caved\nin so badly that it was almost as much work to clean it as to dig a new\none; and when it was cleaned, our men dug another. The water was scant\nand brackish. We remained at that point only until the rear of the\ncommand caught up, then proceeded on our way, stopping but a short time\nin any one place, until we reached Cariza, a splendid spring near the\nbase of the Sierra Nevada range of mountains. The first men to reach\nwater filled kegs and canteens, lashed them to the stouter animals, and\nhastened back to succor and revive the famishing men who were bringing\nup the rear.\n\nOn that terrible march many of the weaker men despaired of ever\nreaching water. We passed several, who, with sunken and glazed eyes and\nblackened mouths and looking as ghastly as death, stammered to us as\nwe passed them: \"Goodby, I shall never live to reach water. I cannot\ngo a step farther, but shall die on this spot.\" Poor fellows! I verily\nbelieve that if they had not been resuscitated by the water that was\ncarried back, their words would have been painfully true before the\nrising of another sun.\n\nIf it had not been for some fresh mules and beef cattle that we met on\nthis tedious march, we never could have got through with the wagons,\nand possibly would have lost some men, as our flour had given out and\nwe were reduced so near to starvation as to eat every particle of the\nworn-out beef ox; even the tender part of the horns and hoofs, and the\nintestines, were broiled on the coals and eaten, without water to wash\nthem.\n\nIn our mess, the last spoonful of flour was made into a thin gravy by\nstirring it into some water where some of our glue-like beef had been\nboiled. This so-called gravy was divided among the men by spoonfuls,\nthen the pan was scraped with a table knife and wiped into a spoon,\nand with the point of the same knife it was divided into seven parts.\nEach man watched the division; and I do not believe there was one man\nout of the seven but would have fought for his share of that spoonful\nof pan-scrapings. Nor do I believe there was one of them who would\nhave robbed his comrades. For the last three or four hundred miles we\nhad been in the habit of cooking the food, and dividing it into seven\nequal parts. Then one man would turn his back, and the cook or the one\nwho made the division would touch each morsel and say, \"Who shall have\nthat?\" whereupon the one whose back was turned would say, so and so,\ncalling each messmate by name, until all had been \"touched off,\" as we\nused to call it.\n\nFrom our camp at the spring we passed into the canyons of the Sierra\nNevada. The days had been excessively hot on the desert, and it was\nvery cold and frosty in the mountains at night. We soon came to where\nthe canyons were too narrow for our wagons; then with crowbar and\npickaxe and sledge we went at the jagged rocks until the pass was\nsufficiently widened, and with our shoulders to the wheels or by\ntugging at ropes we got our train to the summit.\n\nIt was while passing through this range of mountains that we first saw\nlive-oak acorns. They were bitter as wormwood; yet we ate considerable\nquantities of them, and as we descended the western slope they became\nvery abundant, and served for a change. As we passed down to the\nvalleys we found green mustard, which was boiled and eaten without\npepper or salt.\n\nAbout this time one of our guides or interpreters brought word from\nthe governor of San Diego that several battles had been fought by the\nCalifornia troops and United States forces, and that we might meet a\nlarge Mexican army retreating to Sonora. In consequence of receiving\nthis news, Colonel Cooke ordered a drill. We had secured a few beef\ncattle and some fresh mules, and with this increase of strength and the\nprospect of engaging the Mexicans we were spurred on from one mountain\nsummit to another, pushing and pulling the wagons--a business we were\nwell versed in, from oft repeated lessons.\n\nAt Warner's Ranch, we came to the first house we had seen in\nCalifornia. Mr. Warner hailed from the state of Massachusetts. From him\nthe colonel purchased two or three fat beeves. The beef was good, yet\nwe had nothing to eat with it, not even pepper or salt for seasoning,\nand it did not satisfy the cravings of hunger. We rested a day at the\nranch, and some of us wandered off up the creek in hopes of finding\nwild fruit or game. We came to a small camp of Indians who were engaged\nin hulling and leaching live-oak acorns, then pounding them to a pulp\nin stone mortars; this was boiled to a thick mush in home-made earthen\npots. The writer bantered one of the old ladies for about three or four\nquarts of that cold-ochre mush, by offering her the belt that held\nhis pantaloons in place. She accepted the offer, and he, being without\nproper utensil to receive his purchase, substituted his hat for a pan,\nand the mush was scooped into it. Then when he found himself in the\ndilemma of his pantaloons threatening to desert him, he seized the\nalternative of holding up that portion of his attire with one hand, and\ncarrying his hat and its contents in the other, and proceeded to camp,\nwhere his purchase was divided and devoured as a sweet morsel.\n\nFrom Warner's Ranch we traveled over low hills and camped on a little\nnarrow flat between two hills. In the night it came on to rain\nterribly, and the flat was so flooded that we awoke to find ourselves\nhalf-side deep in water. At dawn one of the boys crawled out of the\nwater and wet blankets, and crowed; for he had learned that the men who\nhad been sent back to recover some flour which had been left in the\nboat had come in with about four hundred pounds. Soon every man in camp\nhad heard the glad tidings of the arrival of this expedition, about\nwhich there had been much anxiety.\n\nIn a short time the writer was called on by the orderly sergeant of\nhis company, D, to go with him and receive the portion of flour to be\nissued to the company. At the door of the tent where the flour was\nbeing divided we met Col. Cooke, who was sitting with his head down, as\nif in deep study. Some of the boys had found a riddle that had fared\nbetter than its owner, and near by one of them struck up the tune\nof \"Leather Breeches Full of Stitches,\" or some similar lively air.\nImmediately a number of men formed a couple of French fours and began\ndancing in water half to their shoe tops. The colonel caught the sound,\nstarted up, and inquired what it was. Some one replied, \"Oh, nothing,\nonly the boys are dancing and making merry over the prospect of getting\na little flour.\" The colonel shrugged his shoulders and remarked, \"I\nnever saw such a d--d set of men before in my life. If they can get out\nsomewhere so they can dry their clothes and have a little flour they\nwill be as happy as gods!\"\n\nDoubtless the colonel could call to mind often having seen us stagger\ninto camp, and perhaps could remember a dozen or so of us rush to where\nhis mule was being fed corn mixed with beans, which the well-fed mule\nwould object to by throwing his head first one way, then the other,\nscattering the half-chewed corn and beans in the sand, where the hungry\nsoldiers would pick it from, rub it in their hands, and eat it raw; for\nto the famishing soldier beans are not so objectionable.\n\nI am reminded at this point in my narrative that three croaking ravens\nhad followed the command nearly all the way from Santa Fe, for the\nbits that escaped the soldier's eye. Surely if it had not been for the\nravens' keener vision they would have left in disgust, and would have\ngiven us a very hard name. Even the wolf might have told his fellows\nnot to follow such a greedy lot, which did not leave a bone till it was\npounded and boiled and re-boiled till it could not be scented, and if\nperchance a bit was found it was too hard for even wolves' teeth.\n\nFrom this camp we moved to the west under orders from General Kearney\nto go to Los Angeles. While on the march toward that point, just as we\nemerged from a canyon, we heard the drum and fife in an open valley.\nSoon we saw a military force forming in line of battle, and as we drew\nnearer we discovered their spears or lances gleaming in the sunlight,\nand officers dashing up and down the lines giving commands. Our advance\nguard slowed up, and we were ordered to form in line of battle. Every\nofficer took his place, the command dressed in proper order, and, as we\nadvanced, comrades looked into each other's faces as if to say, \"How\ndo you feel about it?\" One asked Alexander Stephens the question, and\nreceived a prompt reply, \"First-rate. I had as lief go into battle as\nnot. If we must die, the sooner the better, for it seems that we must\nbe worn till we starve and die anyhow. I do not fear death a particle.\"\nOthers were heard to say as much, and although the ashy look of death\nshone in many faces, from the privations undergone, I do not think\nthere was a tremor in any heart, or a single man who showed the white\nfeather.\n\nAs we drew near the force in our path, there was a dead silence, as if\nawaiting the order to wheel into line and open fire, for we were within\nrifle range. Just then two of the opposite party came out on horseback\nto meet us. The colonel sent two of our interpreters forward, and\nthe command was halted. Soon our guides returned and stated that the\nsupposed foe was a band of Indians which had had a battle with Mexicans\nin the vicinity a few days before, and the Indians had returned to bury\ntheir dead. They had taken us for enemies, but their fears were turned\ninto joy on discovering that we were American soldiers.\n\nWith all our bravery, there was a sigh of relief when we heard the news\nthat our supposed enemies were friends. It was now late in the day.\nand both parties went into camp within a short distance of each other.\nFriendly visits back and forth were made that evening. The Indians were\ndressed in Spanish costume and were armed the same as the Mexicans;\nas I remember them they displayed bravery, and some skill in Mexican\nmilitary tactics.\n\nNext day we proceeded on our way, and passed down a dry wash, the\nbottom of which was mostly lined with a whitish cobblestone, upon which\nthe feet of some comrade showed blood at every step for a hundred yards\nor more. I cannot now recall the man's name. We continued our march\nfrom that place, and afterwards learned that the Mexicans had intended\nto make an effort to regain California, but the timely arrival of the\nbattalion prevented any attempt to execute the movement.\n\nSo far as I can remember, it was between January 23 and 27, 1847, that\nwe passed over a battlefield where General Kearney and his little\ncommand had fought and beaten the Mexicans. There lay broken swords and\nfirearms, and dead horses and mules; and there also were the graves of\nthe slain, while all around the blood-stained soil was plainly within\nour view, fixing the scene upon our memory.\n\nHere came to our minds the words of President Brigham Young, in his\nfarewell address to the battalion, in which he said: \"You are now going\ninto an enemy's land at your country's call. If you will live your\nreligion, obey and respect your officers, and hold sacred the property\nof the people among whom you travel, and never take anything but what\nyou pay for, I promise you in the name of Israel's God that not one of\nyou shall fall by the hand of an enemy. Though there will be battles\nfought in your front and in your rear, on your right hand and on your\nleft, you will not have any fighting to do except with wild beasts.\"\n\nHere I pause and ask: Who on earth dare to make, of himself, such a\npromise, under the circumstances and in the name that this promise had\nbeen made? And yet over three hundred men who heard it could stand\nup after they had filled the time of their enlistment, and before\nhigh heaven and all the world could bear testimony to the literal\nfulfillment of those words spoken eight months before, in the camp in\nMissouri Valley, two thousand miles distant. I ask the honest reader:\nFrom whence came such foresight, if not from the Eternal God, the\nCreator of the heavens and the earth, and all things therein? To Him we\nascribe all honor and glory, power and praise, for our success in that\ngreat, wonderful and unparalleled march of twenty-five hundred miles\nmade by infantry. Who shall say that God had not made bare His arm in\nsupport of that ever memorable Mormon Battalion? But as yet the whole\ntask of the battalion had not been completed.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XI.\n\nORDERED TO SAN DIEGO--FIRST VIEW OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN--RUMORS\nOF THE ENEMY--COMPLIMENTARY ORDER, BY LIEUT. COL. COOKE, ON THE\nACHIEVEMENTS OF THE MORMON BATTALION--REPORTED HOSTILITY OF\nCOL. FREMONT TO GEN. KEARNEY--LIVING ON BEEF ALONE--OBTAIN SOME\nFLOUR--ROUTINE OF THE CAMP--ORDERED TO LOS ANGELES--DAMAGE BY AN\nEARTHQUAKE--WILD HORSES AND CATTLE DRIVEN INTO THE SEA--ARRIVAL AT\nLOS ANGELES--RUMORS OF AN ATTACK--CONSTRUCTING A FORT--GUARDING CAJON\nPASS--SURROUNDED BY WILD CATTLE--TAKE REFUGE IN A RAVINE--COL. FREMONT\nARRESTED--SITE OF SAN BERNARDINO--GETTING OUT A LIBERTY POLE--BRUSH\nWITH THE INDIANS--CLEARING LOS ANGELES OF DOGS--WICKEDNESS IN THE\nTOWN--BRUTALITY OF BULL FIGHTS, HORSE RACING, ETC.--ALWAYS READY FOR\nAN ATTACK--FIRST RAISING OF THE STARS AND STRIPES ON A LIBERTY POLE IN\nCALIFORNIA.\n\nORDERS had been received changing our destination from Los Angeles to\nSan Diego, passing by way of the Mission San Luis del Rey. When we\nreached the San Diego Mission we passed it by and camped between it and\nthe town. It was en route to this place that we came in sight of the\nwaters of the great Pacific Ocean, a view that was most pleasurable to\nus, and which we hailed with shouts of joy, as we felt that our long\nmarch of starvation was about over. We were now drawing five pounds of\nfair beef, without salt or pepper.\n\nAnother day's march, and we had completed the journey over the nation's\nhighway across the continent. We were allowed one day at San Diego,\nwhen we were ordered back to the San Luis del Rey Mission. There\nwas some disappointment, but the order to return was obeyed without\nmurmuring. It was thought we would meet the enemy, as it was said there\nwas a force of about eighteen hundred Californians, under General\nFlores, lurking in the mountains northwest of San Luis del Rey Mission,\nbut we did not see them. At the Mission we were required to do fatigue\nduty, as it was called, which included cleaning up the place, it having\nbeen neglected a long time. At this place the following was issued by\nCol. Cooke:\n\n                                 \"HEADQUARTERS, MISSION OF SAN DIEGO,\n\n                                                    \"January 30, 1847.\n\n\"Lieutenant Colonel commanding congratulates the battalion on its safe\narrival on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, and the conclusion of its\nmarch of over two thousand miles. History may be searched in vain for\nan equal march of infantry; nine-tenths of it through a wilderness,\nwhere nothing but savages and wild beasts are found, or deserts where,\nfor want of water, there is no living creature. There, with almost\nhopeless labor, we have dug deep wells, which the future traveler will\nenjoy. Without a guide who had traversed them, we have ventured into\ntrackless prairies, where water was not found for several marches. With\ncrowbar and pickaxe in hand, we have worked our way over mountains,\nwhich seemed to defy aught save the wild goat, and hewed a passage\nthrough a chasm of living rock more narrow than our wagons. To bring\nthese first wagons to the Pacific, we have preserved the strength of\nthe mules by herding them over large tracts, which you have laboriously\nguarded without loss.\n\n\"The garrison of four presidios of Sonora, concentrated within the\nwalls of Tucson, gave us no pause; we drove them out with their\nartillery; but our intercourse with the citizens was unmarked by a\nsingle act of injustice. Thus marching, half naked and half fed, and\nliving upon wild animals, we have discovered and made a road of great\nvalue to our country.\n\n\"Arrived at the first settlement of California, after a single day's\nrest, you cheerfully turned off from the route to this point of\npromised repose, to enter upon a campaign, and meet, as we believed,\nthe approach of the enemy; and this, too, without even salt to season\nyour sole subsistence of fresh meat.\n\n\"Lieutenants A.J. Smith and George Stoneman of the First Dragoons, have\nshared and given valuable aid in all these labors.\n\n\"Thus, volunteers, you have exhibited some high and essential qualities\nof veterans. But much remains undone. Soon you will turn your strict\nattention to the drill, to system and order, to forms also, which are\nall necessary to the soldier.\n\n                 \"By order of Lieutenant-Colonel P. St. George Cooke.\n\n                                 [Signed.] \"P. C. Merrill, Adjutant.\"\n\nIt is stated by Sergeant Daniel Tyler, in his \"History of the Mormon\nBattalion,\" that February 4th was the date of the reading of the order.\nIts spirit and tone were an agreeable surprise to us, as the general\ntenor of the colonel's course had been so different, apparently, that\nwe did not look for him to do the battalion justice. Yet if he had\nbeen less stern and decisive, it would have been worse for us. We had\nstern realities to deal with, consequently like means were necessary\nto overcome the obstacles we had to contend with. It required push and\nvim to enable the battalion to perform the heroic deeds demanded of it,\nand a sympathy that would have caused the men to shrink back instead\nof seeing that every one stood to his post of duty would have been a\nfatal error. After all, Col. P. St. George Cooke was a good military\ncommander, maintaining excellent military discipline; and for one the\nwriter feels to say, Peaceful be his sleep.\n\nIt was about the 4th or 5th of February when we got back to the\nmission, and the order given, with others, was made known. The other\norders included such directions as to trim the hair so that none came\nbelow the tip of the ear, and shave the beard all but the mustache.\n\nWe were informed that we had no right to think in acting for\nourselves--that the government paid men to think for us, and it was our\nduty to obey orders. We were allowed very little time in which to wash\nour rags and hunt down the insects that had waged a continuous warfare\non us all the way from Albuquerque or the Rio Grande del Norte to the\ncoast; yet we turned on the creeping foe, and never relented till we\nrouted him, nor showed any quarter till the last one was gone. We also\nhad to repel an attack from the nimble flea in great numbers, in which\nwe realized that this impudent insect did not care where he hit.\n\nWhile we were still living on beef alone, without pepper or salt, we\nwere ordered out on squad drill, which seemed to continue about eight\nhours per day. The reason given for this was the supposed threatened\nattack from eight hundred Californians in the mountains; and further,\nthe rumors that Col. John C. Fremont, with eight hundred or a thousand\nmen, claimed it was his right, and not Gen. Kearney's, to dictate\nto the United States forces in California. In fact, it was reported\nthat Col. Fremont was in open hostility to Gen. Kearney, who was\nmilitary governor of California by orders from Washington. Under these\ncircumstances, we were kept in constant readiness, not knowing the\nmoment we would be called into active service.\n\nOur training daily was one hour for each pound of beef issued, the beef\ncosting less than a cent a pound to the government. Sergeant Tyler says\nour rations were five pounds a day, and I say it was not half enough,\nfor we were ravenously hungry all the time. If the reader doubts this,\nlet him try the ration for a little while, and doubt will disappear.\n\nAbout February 25 we obtained bolted flour and some other supplies of\nprovisions that had been brought from the Sandwich Islands, by Major\nSward, to San Diego, and thence to San Luis del Rey by mule team. In\nthe meantime we had received a small amount of unbolted flour, brought\nby Lieutenant Oman and a small detachment of the battalion sent out for\nthe purpose. Then the beef rations were reduced; so that during the\nwhole twelve months' service we did not once have issued to us the full\nrations allowed by the government to the American soldier--if we had\nfull rations in one thing, another was lacking. Either the government\nmade a great saving from regulations in feeding us, or a steal put\nmoney into some contractors' pockets.\n\nDay after day the duties of soldier were performed, drilling, out on\ndetached duty, or marching here, there and everywhere, early and late,\nby day and by night, just to suit the fancy of some of our officers,\nand not always upon real occasion for the movements. It would seem that\nin many respects the soldier's life is much like a faithful wife's; and\nin others much unlike a woman's work. Like hers, in that the task seems\nnever done, busy all day and up at every hour of night in response to\ncalls of first one child, then another, or even to the exploits of\nsome mischievous cat, her rest broken and her life worn away; unlike\nhers, in that she usually has a dry shelter, regular meals, and a\nplace to lie down when she can rest, while the soldier in time of war\nnever knows where he will make his bed at night, often is without food\nand drink, having to move at the word of command over deserts, rocks,\nmountains, plains and rivers--a stranger to the locality he may call\nhis home. But the toils of both are necessary, she to rear the nation's\npride and strength--a soldier in the right; he to protect her and\nhimself, to defend their country's rights and avenge her wrongs.\n\nReturning to the narrative of garrison duty, it appeared to me the\nhours of drill were more than Sergeant Tyler's account will admit of;\nbut I shall not dispute with him, as I write from memory. I do recall\nthat roll call came at daylight, sick call at 7:30 a.m., breakfast call\nat 8:40, drill at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. roll call at sundown, tattoo at\n8:30, and taps at 9 p.m., after which lights must be out except in case\nof sickness. All must be silent then, as the men are supposed to have\nretired for the night.\n\nOn or near the 20th of March, companies A, C, D and E took up their\njourney to the Puebla de Los Angeles. We traveled over a hilly country,\nwhere there were numerous herds of cattle and bands of horses. In some\nplaces we passed down to and along the sandy beach around big bluffs\nover which, so we were told, the Californians, some years previously,\nhad driven thousands of horses and cattle to rid the country of them,\nas they had overrun the place so that all were suffering for food. This\nstory seemed confirmed by the great amount of bones that we saw among\nthe rocks and sands at the foot of deep declivities along the seashore.\n\nOn the way to Los Angeles we passed a stone church that had been badly\nshaken; the walls had been good mason work, but now were mostly broken\ndown. We were told that an earthquake did the damage, and that some\nthree hundred people had been killed. On by the San Gabriel River we\nwent, arriving at Los Angeles in about four days' march from where we\nhad started out. We marched into the main street and stacked our arms\nas if to say, \"We have possession here.\"\n\nMost of the citizens stood aloof, looking as if the cause they had\nsupported was lost, but soon the merchants brought out buckets of\nwhisky and wine, which they set before the command, inviting us to help\nourselves. Some accepted the invitation rather freely, while others\nrefrained from touching the beverages. We returned to the river at\nnight, and camped. In a day or two we were marched about two miles up\nthe stream, and above the town, where we again ran out of provisions\nand had to go hungry; nor did we break our fast till 11 a.m. next day.\n\nAt this time the air was full of alarming rumors. A revolt of Californians\nwas talked of; then it was Fremont who was said to be in\nrebellion against General Kearney's authority; and again, a powerful\nband of Indians was ready to pounce down upon us. It was not very\nunexpectedly, therefore, that we received orders to occupy the most\ncommanding point overlooking the town. Soon after this we learned that\na supply of provisions for the command had been landed at San Pedro,\nabout twenty-one miles distant, and teams and wagons were sent at once,\nunder an escort of soldiers, the writer being one. We returned next\nday, heavily loaded.\n\nAbout this date, the command began the erection of a fort, or rather\nbegan to throw up earthworks. Lieutenant Rosecranz was ordered with a\nsmall detachment to Cajon Pass, a narrow opening in the Sierra Nevada\nrange, about eighty miles east of us. The object was to guard the pass\nagainst the advance of any foe, for, as has been said, there were many\nrumors of impending danger. In a short time, Lieutenant Pace, with\ntwenty-nine officers and men of the battalion--the writer being one of\nthe number--received orders to relieve the detachment of Lieutenant\nRosecranz. Pace's command had just reached the Rosecranz party, finding\nthe latter in the act of striking camp, when a dispatch came by pony\nexpress ordering us to return as well.\n\nOn our march out, the wild cattle, which were there by thousands,\nbecame excited and began to bellow and crowd toward us. We could see\nthem for miles coming on the run. They closed in quickly until we were\nsurrounded by them on three sides, with a deep gulch or very brushy\nravine on the fourth. We retreated in double-quick time to this gulch,\nand were compelled to remain in what shelter it afforded until the next\nday, before we could pass on in safety.\n\nThe unsettled state of the country kept us constantly busy. Our fort\nwas pushed to completion, and we having obtained what artillery Colonel\nFremont had, the twelve or fifteen pieces now in our possession were\nplaced in proper position for defense. Everything was made as complete\nas could be, and the warclouds began to give way. Fremont had been\nplaced under arrest for insubordination or rebellion, I do not recall\nwhich, and this contributed to the peace of the country.\n\nA Spaniard was hired to haul a liberty pole from San Bernardino Canyon,\na distance of eighty miles, and as he dared not undertake the journey\nwithout a military escort, Corporal Lafayette Shepherd and fourteen\nmen, among whom the writer was included, were sent to protect the\nSpaniard and help get the pole down to the fort. On that trip we camped\non the present site of San Bernardino City, then a wild and lonely\nwilderness, with not a house or farm in sight. At that time the country\nabounded in wild cattle, bear, and other wild animals.\n\nJust where we came out on the plain we camped for the night, and in the\nmorning our Spanish friend went out into the hills to see if he could\nkill a deer. Soon he came upon a party of Indians jerking beef, and he\nshot into their camp. They came out, returned his fire, and gave him\nchase. We were getting breakfast when he dashed into our camp, shouting\nthat the Indians were upon us, and for us to get our guns. Of course,\nwe complied, and were ready in short order, but as no Indians came, the\nSpaniard insisted that we go in and rout them, as they were killing the\ncitizens' cattle, and our commander had given a promise of protection\nfrom this. Hastily we saddled our mules and started, expecting every\nmoment to meet the Indians, who were on foot. We found no one before we\ncame to the campfires, around which was strewn considerable beef. Soon\nwe discovered the Indians fleeing up the mountain, and on our jaded\nmules we gave chase, but when we reached the summit the Indians were\ngoing up the opposite ridge. We dismounted and poured a few volleys\ninto the brush above them. They did not fire back. I do not think any\nharm was done. They were fleeing for their lives and did not show\nany opposition to us, and we had no desire to harm them, but simply\nto demonstrate to the Californians that as United States soldiers we\nwere ready to protect them and their property, as was promised by our\nofficers.\n\nWe hastened back to the fort with our charge, the logs in the rough\nbeing about fifty feet each, the two making a pole between ninety and\nninety-five feet long when completed, which was done by the members of\nthe battalion at the fort.\n\nAnother event about this period was an order by Colonel Cooke for a\ndetail of good marksmen and trusty men to go through the town and shoot\nor bayonet all the dogs to be found in the streets. The colonel had\nnotified the town authorities of his intention. Accordingly the detail\nwas made and ammunition issued. The writer was one of the trusted\nmarksmen. We sallied forth in the town of Los Angeles, where the dogs\nwere more numerous than human beings, and commenced our disagreeable\nand deadly work. Muskets rattled in every street and byway, dogs barked\nand howled in every direction, and women and children wept to have\nthe animals spared. But military orders had to be obeyed, for the dog\nnuisance had become intolerable. After that, there were sanitary orders\nsent forth, and the streets were cleared of the dogs and a great amount\nof bones and other rubbish.\n\nWith all this cleaning up, there still was tolerated the greater\nnuisances of liquor drinking, gambling, the most lewd and obscene\nconduct that could be imagined, Sabbath breaking by horse racing, cock\nand bull righting, men righting and knifing one another--indeed, the\nSabbath was the greater day for all these vices.\n\nBull fighting was carried on inside of a square of one to four acres\nsurrounded by one-story adobe flat-roofed houses, on which spectators\nwould climb, and thus have an excellent view of the whole exhibition\nof cruelty and bravado and jeopardy to life. Numbers of the wildest\nand most ferocious bulls were taken, and were brought into the arena\none at a time. The animal was turned loose, and a man would tease him\ninto fury with a sharp lance. A horseman would charge and make thrust\nafter thrust at the maddened bull, striving to pierce him just behind\nthe horns, the aim being to cut the pith of the spinal column at that\npoint. If this were done, the animal would fall dead on the spot. As\na general thing, the bull was more apt to gore the rider's horse, and\ngive the rider himself a very close call; but a number of very expert\nhorsemen were kept in readiness to lasso the bull or cast a blanket\nover his eyes and thus blindfold him until his tormentor got out of\ndanger. In this cruel sport many horses were sacrificed, and sometimes\nthe riders as well. It was not an unusual thing for a hundred or more\nof these wild bulls to be collected at a time, and the bloody sport to\nbe kept up three or four days and perhaps more. Sometimes a grizzly\nbear would be captured and turned loose with a wild bull, the death\nof one and perhaps both being the result. The whole populace seemed\nto enjoy this cruel sport, shouting and screaming thereat all the day\nlong. Males and females, of all ages and conditions, met on a common\nlevel to witness this wild and reckless amusement.\n\nHorse racing took place on the principal streets. One popular part of\nthis pastime was to secure an old male chicken; this was buried all but\nthe head in a hole in the street, the soil being packed in as tight as\ncould be and have the bird live. An Indian stood by to rebury the fowl\nas fast as the horsemen resurrected him by seizing him by the head when\nriding past at full speed. The aim was to swoop down, seize the cock's\nhead, pull the bird out of the hole, and hold to the head to the end of\nthe contest, which was indulged in by a dozen or more. When one rider\ntore the bird from the hole all the others would charge on him and try\nto capture it. The possessor would strike right and left, to hold his\nprize, until the poor fowl was torn to pieces. Often the bird fell to\nthe ground alive, was buried again, and some one else would lead in\nthe dash for it. Just before the rider reached the fowl, a horseman\non either side would lash the horse unmercifully, so that the rider\ncould not slow up to get a better chance at the exposed head. This game\nwould be continued till some one carried the fowl's head to the end in\ntriumph.\n\nIt was said that a scheme existed to draw the attention of the\nAmericans during the most exciting of these sports, and then raid our\ncamp; but if this ever was thought of it failed, for with us everything\nwas kept in readiness for an emergency, and sometimes we lay at night\nwith loaded muskets and fixed bayonets. Besides, we had become very\nproficient in military tactics, and every man had learned well his duty\nas a soldier.\n\nThe fort having been completed, and every reasonable anticipation for\nsurprise in the return of the Mexican forces or for an uprising having\nbeen cut off, on the morning of the Fourth of July, 1847, the Stars and\nStripes was hoisted on the pole in triumph, and floated in the breezes\nfrom the Pacific Ocean--I think the first time that glorious banner\nwaved from a liberty pole in California, although Commodore Sloat had\nraised the American flag at Monterey on July 7, 1846.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XII.\n\nTERM OF ENLISTMENT EXPIRES--BATTALION MEMBERS PREPARING TO RETURN TO\nTHEIR FAMILIES--ONE COMPANY RE-ENLISTS--AN INSOLENT SPANIARD--PISTOL\nSNAPPED IN THE WRITER'S FACE--ALMOST A DEATHBLOW--DESPERATE FIGHT\nSTOPPED BY BYSTANDERS--SERIOUS TROUBLE WITH ANOTHER SPANIARD--LEARN\nTHE LESSON TO AVOID THOSE WHO GAMBLE OR DRINK INTOXICANTS--SPANISH\nCHARACTER--CLASS OF CALIFORNIA'S INHABITANTS IN 1847--CONDITION OF THE\nCOUNTRY--APPEARANCE OF THE TOWNS AND VILLAGES--DIFFICULTY IN SECURING\nAN OUTFIT FOR MEMBERS OF THE BATTALION TO JOURNEY EASTWARD.\n\nTHE members of the Mormon Battalion had been purchasing horses and\nmules and a general outfit for a return to our friends at the close\nof our term of enlistment, which was drawing nigh. At the same time,\nCol. Stephenson, of the New York volunteers, and other commissioned\nofficers, were making strenuous efforts to have us re-enlist for\nanother twelve months, or six months at least, telling us they had\nauthority to impress us if they chose, but they preferred to have us\ncome as volunteers. It had been reported that although the Californians\nhad been whipped, there was not concord, and that as soon as the Mormon\nBattalion left the country the Californians would revolt and make an\neffort to overthrow United States supremacy; but while we remained\nthere was no fear.\n\nNow, as there were many of the battalion who had spent all their\nwages--ninety-six dollars for their year's service--it may have\nappeared to them that the only thing to do was to re-enlist. Horses\ncould be purchased cheaply, and provisions were not high, but some\nmoney was needed. Consequently, one company re-enlisted under Capt.\nDavis of company E, while the rest of the command were busy preparing\nfor their journey east to meet the Saints somewhere, they knew not just\nwhere.\n\nComparatively few of our command had acquired sufficient knowledge\nof the Spanish language to do their own trading, and these acted as\ninterpreters for their comrades. The writer happened to be one of\nthe few who had made some success in picking up the language. On one\noccasion, when hunting the town and adjacent country for such articles\nas we needed in our outfit, he became fatigued and went into a cafe\nfor a cup of coffee. On entering the restaurant he found, besides the\nlandlord, three or four good-appearing Spaniards, who soon began to\nquestion him about the United States and its people. Their questions\nwere being answered in a courteous manner, when the attendant, who was\na tall, fine-looking Spaniard, interposed with the remark that America\nwas a fine country, but her soldiers were cowards and babies. The\nwriter was alone, and scarcely knew how to treat the insult; besides,\nthere was a possibility that it was intended as a joke. Therefore, he\nfelt that it would be improper to be too abrupt in replying, and said,\nquietly, that America was a good country and her soldiers were the\nbravest of the brave.\n\nAt that moment the Spanish-Californian stepped back and brought out\nan American hat that had been cut through on the side by some sharp\ninstrument. Said he: \"Here is one's hat--I killed him in battle. He\nwas a great baby.\" Reaching back, he brought out a dragoon's sword and\na holster, with two iron-mounted U. S. pistols. His eyes flashed, and\nhe mimicked the dying soldier, saying all the Americans were cowards.\nMy blood was up, and I taunted him by asking him how it was, if the\nAmericans were such cowards and babies, and fled from the Spaniards on\nthe battlefield, that the Americans had taken the country. Pointing to\nthe Stars and Stripes floating over the fort on the hill, I said, \"That\nshows where the brave men are; it is the Californians who are cowards\nand babies.\" In an instant a pistol was snapped in my face, and I saw\nthe fire roll from the flintlock. Quick as a flash, I caught a heavy\nknife that was handy, leaped on to the counter, and was bringing the\nweapon down on the head of my assailant, when both of us were seized by\nbystanders, and were disarmed. I started for camp, but was dragged back\nto compromise the affair. When I re-entered the room the proprietor\nwas priming his weapon with mustard seed. He said it was all fun, and\nwe should make up. The spectators were anxious to settle, and offered\nto treat. Some of the Spaniards expressed regret at the occurrence.\nThe matter was dropped, though I never was convinced that that Spanish\nattendant did not have murder in his heart.\n\nOn another occasion I had an unpleasant experience with another\nSpaniard. It was when I was on guard duty at the prison in Los Angeles.\nA very large, well dressed Spaniard came across the street from a\ndrinking saloon and gambling den. He wore a large sombrero worth about\neight dollars. He had been gambling and drinking, but was not drunk.\nSaid he, \"I have lost all my money, and I want to leave this hat with\nyou for four dollars. If I do not bring the money back, you may keep\nthe hat; it is worth eight dollars, and will sell for that any day.\"\nHis offer was rejected, when he showed some displeasure, again\nurging the loan, and promising to bring the money back in a short time.\nFinally he prevailed, left the hat and took the money.\n\nIn two or three hours the Spaniard returned, saying he wanted his\nsombrero, at the same time promising to bring the money next day. Of\ncourse this proposition was rejected, whereupon he showed considerable\ntemper, but at last said it was all right, he would find the money; and\nadded, \"Come over to the saloon and have a drink of wine, and we will\nbe good friends.\" Thinking that would settle the matter, I complied\nwith his request. He had on a long Spanish sarapa, or blanket, and as\nwe neared the door he stepped ahead, leaned over the counter, and said\nsomething to the bartender. As I entered the door I was again asked for\nthe hat, and he in turn was requested to hand over the money. He grew\nangry, threatened, and finally challenged me to fight. As I squared off\nto meet his impending assault, the Spaniard drew a large bowie knife\nfor a thrust at me, but was stopped by some bystanders. I was at the\ntime nineteen years of age, and my young blood was thoroughly aroused.\nI rushed for my musket, which was loaded and had bayonet fixed, and\nwith the hurting end foremost I was quickly back at the saloon,\nforcibly declaring my readiness for the conflict. The bystanders closed\nin and called for peace, the four dollars was soon raised, and the\nsombrero found its way back into the hands of its angry owner, who\ndisplayed considerable effect of the liquor he had been drinking. But I\nlearned an impressive lesson, namely, to avoid the companionship of men\nwho drink intoxicants or who follow games of chance for a livelihood.\nEven if a man does not indulge himself, those who do are liable to\nask favors, and if these are not granted the next thing is insult,\nwhich often ends in bloodshed, or did in those days in California. In\nillustration of the light estimate of human life, I can recall a man's\nfoot being kicked about the street, and no more notice being taken of\nit than if it were an animal's.\n\nAs to Spanish character, the writer can say from a close acquaintance\nthat when the Spaniards are sober and friendly, they are very friendly,\nhospitable and polite, being very good company; in fact, we seldom\nmet with a more wholesouled and agreeable people. Yet it is doubtful\nif there are any people who will resent an insult quicker and more\nseriously than they will. They are brave and manly; yet those who are\nof mixed blood, such as the Greasers, are low, degraded, treacherous\nand cruel. In California there were a few of the higher class, many\nmore of a medium kind, and still more of the lower class; so that in\nsumming up the total of California's inhabitants in 1846-7, the country\nwas only half civilized and thinly inhabited.\n\nAt that time the country was wild, being overrun with wilder horses,\ncattle, sheep and goats. In places, wild oats and mustard abounded,\nin many sections the mustard being as high as a man's head when on\nhorseback, and so dense that a horse could be forced only a few\nfeet through it. In the foothills and mountains wild game was very\nabundant, consisting of elk, deer, bear, and smaller game. Along the\nwater courses and on the lakes waterfowl was plentiful. There were\nmillions of acres of uncultivated land, as good as any on the globe.\nThe climate is scarcely equalled anywhere. The chief products of the\nsoil then were wheat, barley, beans, peas, apples, peaches, plums,\napricots, pears, dates, figs, olives, grapes, black pepper, spices,\nand many fruits not named here. These all seemed to grow very near to\nperfection, especially when properly cared for. The greater part of\nthe labor was performed by native Indians, and that too with the most\nprimitive tools. The buildings were low, being one-story adobe, with\nflat roofs covered with cement, or a natural tar that exuded from the\nearth; sometimes tile was used, but I do not remember seeing one brick\nbuilding or shingle roof in all the land.\n\nUnder the conditions which existed, it was no easy matter for a hundred\nand fifty men to get an outfit together to travel over the mountains\neast, as that number of the battalion intended to do; but having\ncommenced before we were discharged from service--say some time in\nJune--to purchase our horses, saddles, and everything necessary for a\npack train, we were partly prepared for the journey when the day came\nfor us to be mustered out.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIII.\n\nMORMON BATTALION MUSTERED OUT OF SERVICE--ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY\nMEMBERS ORGANIZE TO RETURN EAST TO THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS--START ON THE\nJOURNEY--DIFFICULTIES OF THE ROUTE--DEALING WITH WILD HORSES AND\nCATTLE--STAMPEDE OF A PACK ANIMAL--CHASE INTO AN INDIAN CAMP--LOST ALL\nNIGHT IN A SWAMP--SUFFERING ON THE DESERT FOR LACK OF WATER--ARRIVE\nNEAR SUTTER'S FORT--ON THE SITE OF SACRAMENTO--PARTY DECIDE TO REMAIN\nOVER FOR THE YEAR, AND OBTAIN EMPLOYMENT--MEET CAPT. J. A. SUTTER AND\nJAMES W. MARSHALL--PROPOSITION TO CAPT. SUTTER--ENGAGED TO WORK ON\nA SAWMILL--PROCEEDINGS AT THE MILLSITE--MILL STARTED UP--THE WRITER\nENGAGED TO DIRECT INDIANS LABORING AT THE TAIL RACE--CONVERSATION WITH\nMR. MARSHALL--MARSHALL TALKS ABOUT FINDING GOLD--HE AND THE WRITER MAKE\nA SEARCH FOR GOLD, BUT FINDING NONE, DEFER THE INVESTIGATION TILL NEXT\nMORNING--MARSHALL'S FAITH IN HIS BEING SUCCESSFUL IN DISCOVERING THE\nPRECIOUS METAL.\n\nON the 16th of July, 1847, the close of the Mormon Battalion's term of\nenlistment, we were called into line, and an officer passed along as in\nordinary inspection. Then, without further ceremony, he said. \"You are\ndischarged.\" I do not think one-half of the command heard him, he spoke\nso low. Some of us thought he may have felt ashamed because of his\nconduct toward us on our march to Santa Fe. He was the little bigot,\nLieutenant A. J. Smith.\n\nThus we bade adieu to United States military authority and returned\nto the ranks of civil life. One hundred and fifty of us organized\nourselves into hundreds, fifties and tens, and were soon on our way\nto meet our friends somewhere, as we supposed, in the Rocky Mountains\neast; and still we did not know just where. We sought information as\nbest we could, and the most that we could learn was that by following\nunder the base of the Sierra Nevada range six hundred miles we would\ncome to Sutter's Fort, where we could obtain further information as to\nthe best route to where we supposed we would find our friends.\n\nIt was about the 20th of July when the first company moved out on the\nintended journey; and in three or four days the remaining hundred\nfollowed. We passed Gen. Pico's ranch about twenty miles northward,\nand from there crossed over a mountain so high and steep that it made\nour heads swim, and it was with difficulty that we could sit on our\nhorses. In places, it was impossible for us to dismount, for lack of\nroom. Two mules lost their footing and fell twenty-five or thirty feet\nbefore they could regain a foothold, and it was very hard work to get\nthem back on the trail. We traveled some eighteen or twenty miles from\nPico's ranch to Francisco ranch, where we joined the fifty who had\npreceded the main body, and were waiting for us to come up.\n\nA meeting was held, at which it was decided to purchase forty or fifty\nbeef cattle, which was done at not to exceed four dollars per head. The\ncourse of our journey from this time was northward. The country where\nwe were traveling was a wilderness of hill and dale, deep gorges, and\nbrush, so that the first two days we lost ten or fifteen head of beef\ncattle. It was decided to make sure of the remainder by slaughtering\nand jerking or curing the beef, and next morning there came a battle\nwith the cattle, which had become wild and ferocious, plunging at the\nmen on horseback everywhere, so we had to shoot them down as best we\ncould. After stopping two or three days to jerk the beef, we proceeded\non our journey.\n\nMany of our horses were bronchos, or wild, when we purchased them, and\ngave us much trouble. The packs would get loose and turn under the\nanimals, which would run and kick, scattering things as they went.\nOne day Alexander Stephens, William Garner and I had a horse stampede\nwith its burden. I gave pursuit, and as I had no thought of anything\nbut capturing the animal, I chased it about three miles, right into\nan Indian camp. The Indians must have seen me coming and fled. Their\nfires were burning, pots boiling, and camp equipage laid around. From\nappearances there must have been fifteen to twenty families; their\ntracks were thick and fresh. The runaway horse seems to have been\nso excited that, like its pursuer, it ran in among the camp before\nobserving the danger; then it turned and I secured it with a lasso.\nAt that moment I recognized the peril of my own position, in the\npossibility of being ambushed by Indians. It may be needless to state\nthat I got out of that place in a hurry; although I had lost sight of\nthe camp and was confused for a little time till I found my trail.\n\nUpon returning, I met my two comrades, who had had all they could do\nto take care of the other pack animals, and were very anxious about\nme. It was getting late in the day, and the company had passed out of\nsight. We followed as fast as we could, but darkness overtook us and\nwe soon found ourselves wandering in the bullrushes and marshes of the\neast end of Tulare Lake. Turn which way we would we could not find any\ntrail out. At last we found a spot more solid than the surroundings;\nwe halted and felt around in the darkness; every way we went it was\nmud and water. The night was so dark that we could not see each other\nor the horses, and finally we tied the animals together so we could\nhold them, took off the pack, and waited around till daylight. I do not\nthink either of us slept fifteen minutes that night. We had nothing to\nmake a fire with, and if we had, it would not have been wise to have\nattracted savage Indians with one. Early in the morning we prepared to\nseek a way out, and to our surprise, discovered close by a bullrush\nboat which an aged Indian was pushing through the rushes. The boat had\nbeen made by twisting and braiding the rushes together, and reminded us\nof what the prophet says about embassadors going forth in vessels of\nbullrushes. We could not learn from whence the Indian came or whither\nhe was going, nor yet his errand. We bade him good day, and soon found\nthe trail of our company. After going three or four miles, we met some\nof our men who had been sent in search of us; they had passed the night\nin great anxiety concerning our safety. Thankfully we reached the camp\nto have a bite of food and proceed on our journey, grateful that we yet\nhad our hair on the top of our heads, where the darkey says; \"the wool\nought to grow.\"\n\nOur journey took us over cold mountain streams, some of which we\nforded, carrying our baggage on our heads and making from three to five\ntrips each way; others we built rafts for, by tying dry logs together\nwith our lash-ropes, piling them with baggage, and drawing them over\nor pushing them with poles, the men swimming their horses and often\nthemselves. These streams were quite numerous. Among those I remember\nwere the Tulare, the San Joaquin River, and others. The crossing of\nthese streams was hard on man and beast, the water being cold close to\nthe mountains, and the work hazardous owing to the rapid currents and\nboulders in the channels of the rivers. On this journey we were two\ndays on dry plains, and suffered almost to death; some of our horses\nbecame so thirsty that their eyes turned white as milk and blind as\nbats; they staggered against anything they came to. Some of the men\ngave out entirely, and if it had not been for some of the stronger men\nand horses that pushed forward and then returned to aid the others,\nmany of the latter never would have been able to have reached camp. Men\nhad their tongues swollen and eyes sunken and glazed; some could not\ndrink water when it was brought to them, until their lips and mouths\nhad been bathed and some of the liquid poured into their throats.\nFortunately for the writer, he was one of the stronger ones who went\nahead and returned to his comrades the last day on the desert; the\nscene was terrible beyond the powers of description.\n\nFully five hundred and fifty miles of that journey was made without\nseeing a house, or a white woman or child. There were many Indians\nand their ranches, but the savages gave us no particular trouble. We\npressed forward till August 26, when we came to the American River,\ntwo miles above Sutter's Fort and about a mile and a half from the\nSacramento River, at the point where the city of Sacramento now stands.\nThe locality was then a forest of cottonwood timber and undergrowth.\n\nWhen we reached the vicinity of Sutter's Fort a consultation was held,\nat which it was decided that most of the party would remain until\nnext year, and obtain employment where they could. Captain John A.\nSutter and James Marshall contemplated building a gristmill and also a\nsawmill, but had no skilled workmen to perform the task. Accordingly,\na committee was appointed from our number, who informed Captain\nSutter that we had among us carpenters, blacksmiths, wheelwrights,\nmillwrights, farmers and common laborers; that we were in need of\nhorses, cattle, and a general outfit for crossing the mountains early\nthe next summer, and that if we could not get all money for our pay\nwe would take part in supplies for our journey; the committee also\ninquired what the prospect for employment was. Captain Sutter gave the\ncommittee encouragement, and asked them to call on him again in two or\nthree days.\n\nThe result was, that between August 29 and September 5, from forty to\nsixty of us called on Captain Sutter. Some were employed to work on the\ngristmill; others took contracts on the mill race. The race was seven\nor eight miles long, and was also intended for irrigation.\n\nBetween the 8th and the 11th of September, Alexander Stephens, James\nBerger and the writer started for the site that had been selected by\nMr. Marshall for the sawmill; we were the first Mormons to arrive at\nthe place. Peter L. Wimmer and family and William Scott had preceded\nus a few days, having two wagons loaded with tools and provisions; the\nteams were oxen, and were driven by two of Captain Sutter's civilized\nIndians. Some weeks after we went up, Henry W. Bigler, Azariah Smith,\nWilliam Johnston, and Israel Evans, members of the Mormon Battalion,\ncame to the camp.\n\nUpon our arrival at the millsite, work was begun in earnest. The cabin\nwas finished, a second room being put on in true frontier style. While\nsome worked on the cabin, others were getting out timbers and preparing\nfor the erection of the sawmill. The site was at a point where the\nriver made considerable of a bend, just in the bank of what appeared to\nbe an old river bed, which was lowered to carry the water from the mill.\n\nBetween January 15th and 20th, 1848, the mill was started up. It was\nfound that it had been set too low, and the tail race would not carry\noff the water, which would drown or kill the flutter wheel. To remedy\nthis defect, several new pieces of timber were needed, and all hands\nwere put to work within ten or fifteen rods of the tail race, getting\nout the timbers.\n\nPart of the time I was engaged in directing the labors of a gang of\nDigger Indians, as I had picked up sufficient of their dialect to make\nthem understand me clearly. It had been customary to hoist the gates of\nthe forebay when we quit work in the evening, letting the water through\nthe race to wash away the loosened sand and gravel, then close them\ndown in the morning. The Indians were employed to dig and cast out the\ncable rock that was not moved by the water.\n\nOn January 23, I had turned away from the Indians and was with the\nwhite men. Mr. Marshall came along to look over the work in general,\nand went to where the tail race entered the river. There he discovered\na bed of rock that had been exposed by the water the night before, the\nportion in view in the bottom of the race being three to six feet wide\nand fifteen to twenty feet long. Mr. Marshall called me to him as he\nexamined the bed of the race, and said: \"This is a curious rock; I am\nafraid it will give us trouble.\" Then he probed a little further, and\nadded: \"I believe it contains minerals of some kind, and I believe\nthere is gold in these hills.\"\n\nAt this statement I inquired, \"What makes you think so?\" He answered\nthat he had seen blossom of gold, and upon my asking where, he said it\nwas the white quartz scattered over the hills; on my inquiring further\nas to what quartz was, he told me it was the white, flint-like rock so\nplentiful on the hills. I said it was flint rock, but he said no, it\nwas called quartz in some book he had read, and was an indication of\ngold. He sent me to the cabin for a pan to wash the sand and gravel,\nand see what we could find. I went to a cabin which had been built near\nthe millsite by Alexander Stephens, Henry W. Bigler, James Berger,\nAzariah Smith, William Johnston and myself, and in which we were doing\nour own cooking. I brought the pan and we washed some of the bedrock\nthat we had scaled up with a pick. As we had no idea of the appearance\nof gold in its natural state, our search was unsuccessful.\n\nMr. Marshall was determined to investigate further, but it was no use\nthat night. He rose and said: \"We will hoist the gates and turn in all\nthe water that we can tonight, and tomorrow morning we will shut it\noff and come down here, and I believe we will find gold or some other\nmineral here.\"\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIV.\n\nARRIVAL OF MEMBERS OF THE MORMON BATTALION AT SUTTER'S FORT OPENS THE\nWAY FOR THE DISCOVERY OF GOLD IN CALIFORNIA--JAMES W. MARSHALL OUT\nEARLY ON JANUARY 24, 1848--\"HE IS GOING TO FIND A GOLD MINE\"--REGARDED\nAS A \"NOTIONAL\" MAN--\"BOYS, I HAVE GOT HER NOW!\"--TESTING THE SCALES\nOF METAL--\"GOLD, BOYS, GOLD!\"--FIRST PROCLAMATION OF THE GREAT GOLD\nDISCOVERY--SECOND AND THIRD TESTS--ALL EXCITEMENT--THREE OR FOUR\nOUNCES OF GOLD GATHERED--AGREE TO KEEP THE DISCOVERY SECRET--FIND\nTHE PRECIOUS METAL FARTHER DOWN THE STREAM--HOW THE SECRET LEASED\nOUT--MORE DISCOVERIES--FIRST PUBLICATION OF THE NEWS MADE IN A\nMORMON PAPER--WASHING OUT THE METAL--FIRST GOLD ROCKER--GATHERING\nGOLD--PART TAKEN BY MR. MARSHALL, THE MORMONS AND CAPTAIN SUTTER IN\nTHE DISCOVERY--MISFORTUNES OF SUTTER AND MARSHALL--ACCOUNT OF THE GOLD\nDISCOVERY CERTIFIED TO BY SEVERAL EYE WITNESSES.\n\nIT is my understanding that when Captain Sutter and Mr. Marshall\nwere contemplating the erection of the two mills, an apparently\ninsurmountable obstacle confronted them in the inability to get and\npay for the skilled labor necessary for portions of the work. This\nobstacle was removed by the proposition our committee had made to\nCaptain Sutter at the first interview; and in the two or three days'\ntime asked in August, 1847, by the captain, a decision was reached to\ngo ahead. Therefore, if it had not been for the opportune appearance of\nthe mustered-out members of the Mormon Battalion, the sawmill would not\nhave been built that winter, nor would the discovery of gold have been\nmade at that time. But for the action of those Mormons in connection\nwith the enterprise proposed by Captain Sutter and Mr. Marshall, in\noffering the desired class of labor upon the terms they did, the state\nof California might have waited indefinitely to have been developed and\nto be christened the Golden State, and the entrance to the bay of San\nFrancisco might never have received the title of the Golden Gate.\n\nResuming the narrative of my association with Mr. Marshall on the\nafternoon of January 23rd, I will state further that each of us went\nour way for the night, and did not meet again till next morning. I\nthought little of what Marshall had said of finding gold, as he was\nlooked on as rather a \"notional\" kind of man; I do not think I even\nmentioned his conversation to my associates. At an unusually early hour\nin the morning, however, those of us who occupied the cabin heard a\nhammering at the mill. \"Who is that pounding so early?\" was asked, and\none of our party looked out and said it was Marshall shutting the gates\nof the forebay down. This recalled to my mind what Mr. Marshall had\nsaid to me the evening before, and I remarked, \"Oh, he is going to find\na gold mine this morning.\"\n\nA smile of derision stole over the faces of the parties present. We ate\nour breakfast and went to work. James Berger and myself went to the\nwhipsaw, and the rest of the men some eight or ten rods away from the\nmill. I was close to the mill and sawpit, and was also close to the\ntail race, where I could direct the Indians who were there.\n\nThis was the 24th day of January, 1848. When we had got partly to work,\nMr. Marshall came, with his old wool hat in his hand. He stopped within\nsix or eight yards of the sawpit, and exclaimed, \"Boys, I have got her\nnow!\" Being the nearest to him, and having more curiosity than the\nrest of the men, I jumped from the pit and stepped to him. On looking\ninto his hat I discovered ten or twelve pieces or small scales of what\nproved to be gold. I picked up the largest piece, worth about fifty\ncents, and tested it with my teeth; as it did not give, I held it aloft\nand exclaimed, \"Gold, boys, gold!\" At that, all dropped their tools\nand gathered around Mr. Marshall. Having made the first proclamation\nof the very important fact that the metal was gold, I stepped to the\nwork bench and put it to the second test with the hammer. As I was\ndoing this it occurred to me that while en route to California with the\nMormon Battalion, we came to some timber called manzanita. Our guides\nand interpreters said the wood was what the Mexicans smelted their gold\nand silver ores with. It is a hard wood and makes a very hot fire, and\nalso burns a long time. Remembering that we had left a very hot bed of\nthese coals in the fireplace of the cabin, I hurried there and made the\nthird test by placing the metal upon the point of an old shovel blade,\nand then inserted it in among the coals. I blew the coals until I was\nblind for the moment, in trying to burn or melt the particles; and\nalthough these were plated almost as thin as a sheet of note paper, the\nheat did not change their appearance in the least. I remembered hearing\nthat gold could not be burned up, so I arose from this third test,\nconfident that what had been found was gold. Running out to the party\nstill grouped together, I made the second proclamation, saying, \"Gold,\ngold!\"\n\nAt this juncture all was excitement. We repaired to the lower end of\nthe tail race, where we found from three to six inches of water flowing\nover the bed of rock, in which there were crevices and little pockets,\nover which the water rippled in the glare of the sunlight as that shone\nover the mountain peaks. James Berger was the first man to espy a scale\nof the metal. He stooped to pick it up, and found some difficulty in\ngetting hold of it, as his fingers would blur the water, but he finally\nsucceeded. The next man to find a piece was H. W. Bigler; he used his\njack-knife, getting the scale on the point of the blade, then, with his\nforefinger over it placed it in his left hand.\n\nAs soon as we learned how to look for it, since it glittered under the\nwater in the rays of the sun, we were all rewarded with a few scales.\nEach put his mite into a small phial that was provided by Marshall, and\nwe made him the custodian. We repeated our visits to the tail race for\nthree or four mornings, each time collecting some of the precious metal\nuntil we had gathered somewhere between three and four ounces.\n\nThe next move was to step and stake off two quarter sections, beginning\nat the mill, one running down the river and the other up. Then we\ncut and hauled logs and laid the foundation of a cabin on each of\nthem; one was for Sutter, the other for Marshall. This matter being\nfinished, Mr. Marshall was prepared to dictate terms to us, for every\ntool and all the provisions in that part of the country belonged to\nSutter and Marshall. They had full control, and we were depending on\nthe completion of the mill for our pay. Marshall said that if we would\nstay by him until the mill was completed and well stocked with logs, he\nwould supply us with provisions and tools, and would grant us the first\nright to work on their gold claims. We all assented to his proposition,\nand also agreed that we would not disclose the secret of the gold\ndiscovery until we learned more about it and had made good our claims.\nNot having the remotest idea of the extent of the gold deposits, we\npushed the mill as rapidly as possible; for as yet we had not received\none dollar's pay for our four months' labor.\n\nSoon there came a rainy day, when it was too wet to work. H. W. Bigler\nthought it a good day to hunt ducks, so he put on an old coat, and was\ngone all day. When he returned, we said, \"Where are your ducks?\"\n\nHe said, \"Wait a while, I will show you; I have got them all right.\"\n\nFinally he drew an old cotton handkerchief from his pocket; in the\ncorner of it he had at least half an ounce of gold tied up. For a while\nall were excited, and he was asked a great many questions like the\nfollowing: \"Did you find it on Sutter's claim along the river?\" \"How\nfar is it from here?\" \"All in one place?\" \"Is there any more?\" \"How did\nyou get it, you had no pick or shovel?\" \"Can you find the place again?\"\n\nHe replied that he had found it down below Sutter's claim, along the\nriver where the bedrock cropped out along the bank, and in little rills\nthat came down the hills to the river, indeed, everywhere that he found\nthe bedrock cropping out.\n\n\"Then you found it in more than one place?\"\n\n\"Yes, more than a dozen.\"\n\nIt was now proposed that we keep this discovery a secret, as the\ndiscovery in the race had been kept. So the mill work was pushed with\nvigor to completion. But in the meantime Marshall had felt it his duty\nto inform his partner of the discovery. Accordingly, he wrote a letter\nstating the facts, and sent me out to find a strange Indian who would\ntake it to Captain Sutter, fearing that if he sent it by someone who\nwas acquainted with the circumstances the secret might leak out. About\nthis time Wm. Johnston found that he had some urgent business below and\nmust go there, and did so; he went to the gristmill and along the camps\non that mill race. Then somehow or other the bag came untied and our\nold cat and all the kittens ran out, and to the camps they went, until\neverybody heard of the gold discovery. But, like all great truths,\npeople were slow to believe the story.\n\nIn a short time, however, Sidney S. S. Willis and Wilford Hudson, whose\ncuriosity had been aroused, began to feel that they would like a little\nvenison; and with that for an excuse they took their guns and set out\non foot, having been assured that by following up the river they would\ncome to the sawmill, which they succeeded in doing the first day. I\nthink it was only a thirty-five miles journey. I believe they stayed\none day and two nights with us; then, after a thorough examination of\nthe bedrock, sand and gravel, and the surroundings, they gathered a few\nspecimens, among which was one nugget worth about five dollars--the\nlargest by long odds that had been discovered up to that time.\n\nAs Willis and Hudson passed back on their way home, they discovered\na small ravine or creek in which there was some of the same kind of\nbedrock which they had seen at the mill race, and by picking around\nin the sand and gravel they discovered quite a rich prospect. That\nwas just above what was afterwards called Mormon Island, about twelve\nor fifteen miles above the gristmill, and about the same distance\nbelow the sawmill. Then they returned to the mill, told their story,\nand showed the specimens to the boys. Some of these went to Sutter's\nFort, to a little grocery store kept by a Mormon named Smith, who came\naround Cape Horn to California by the ship Brooklyn. The story of the\nfind was told, and specimens exhibited to Smith, who wrote to Samuel\nBrannan. The latter was publishing a paper in San Francisco at the\ntime; and from that press the news went forth to the world. Brannan was\na Mormon Elder, and the press was owned by a company of Mormons who had\nsailed from New York around Cape Horn, and were presided over by Samuel\nBrannan.\n\nFrom one hundred to one hundred and fifty Mormons flocked to Mormon\nIsland; then people from every part of the United States followed, and\nthe search for gold commenced in earnest. With jack, butcher, and table\nknives, the search was made in the crevices, after stripping the soil\nfrom the bedrock with pick and shovel. Next, we conceived the idea of\nwashing the sand and fine gravel in tin pans, but these were scarce\nand hard to get hold of. Alexander Stephens dug out a trough, leaving\nthe bottom round like a log. He would fill that with sand and gravel\nthat we scraped off the bedrock, and would shake it, having arranged it\nso as to to pour or run water on the gravel; finally he commenced to\nrock the trough, which led to the idea of a rocker. His process caused\nthe gold to settle at the bottom; then he arranged the apparatus on an\nincline so that the gold would work down and also to the lower end of\nthe trough. At short intervals he would turn what was collected into a\ntub of water, and at night it would be cleaned and weighed on a pair of\nwooden scales that Stephens made also, using silver coins for weights,\ncounting the silver dollar equal to one ounce of gold. This rocker led\nto the renowned gold rocker; I am under the impression that Stephens\nmade the first rocker ever used in California.\n\nThe next and last process that we used in gathering gold was to spread\na sheet on the sandy beach of the river, placing some big rocks on the\ncorners and sides to keep it well stretched. We then would fill in the\nrich dirt on the upper edge, and throw on water to wash the dirt down\ninto the river, leaving the gold on the sheet. Occasionally we took\nup the sheet and dipped it into a tub of water, washing the gold off\nthe sheet into the tub. At night we would clean up our day's work,\naveraging from twelve to fifteen dollars each. Our best paying dirt was\ncarried on our shoulders from Dry Gulch, fifteen to sixty rods to where\nwe could find water to wash it. We made buckskin pouches or wallets to\ncarry the gold in; it was not dust, nor yet nuggets, but small scales.\n\nSutter's capital and enterprise and Marshall's shrewd sagacity have\nbeen given the credit of the great gold discovery in California. The\nfacts are, that James W. Marshall discovered the first color; in less\nthan an hour six Mormons found color as well, and within six weeks\nMormons had discovered it in hundreds of places that Mr. Marshall had\nnever seen, the most notable of which was Mormon Island, to where the\nfirst rush was made, and from where the news was spread to the world.\nAs to Sutter's enterprise and capital, he furnished the graham flour\nand mutton, wheat and peas, black coffee and brown sugar, teams and\ntools, while we, the members of the Mormon Battalion, did the hard\nlabor that discovered the metal. It is also true that we were in\nSutter's employ at that date, and that we did not get paid for our\nlabor. I worked one hundred days for the firm, and never received a\nfarthing for it. I heard a number of other men say they never got their\npay. It was our labor that developed the find, and not Marshall's and\nSutter's, and we were never paid for it; when we went for a settlement\nwe were told by Captain Sutter that he could not settle with us, for\nhis bookkeeper had gone to the mines, and his books were not posted. He\ncursed Marshall and the mines, and declared that he was a ruined man;\nthat the discovery was his ruin, for it had drawn off his laborers and\nleft everything to go to rack, and that he was being robbed.\n\nI do not wish it to be understood that I charge Sutter and Marshall\nwith being dishonorable, for I do not. I think they were honorable men\nin a business way. The fact is, they were completely overrun with all\nclasses of people, and were confused, so that the people took advantage\nof them, their business was undermined, and there was a general\ncollapse of their affairs and of every industry and business. The cry\nwas, \"Gold! Gold! More Gold! Away to the gold fields!\" Every other\nenterprise was sacrificed in the rush for gold.\n\nWith due respect to Captain John A. Sutter and James W. Marshall,\nto whom the world has given the credit for the great gold find, I\nbelieve that if they had been taken out and shot to death the day of\nthe discovery, they would have suffered less, and would have met their\nMaker just as pure, if not more honored in this world, than to have\nlived and endured what they did. As far as I am concerned, I say peace\nto their remains, for on this earth they have been greatly wronged, if\nI have read their history correctly. Like a lynching scrape where there\nis an outburst of the people, it is very difficult to find those who\nare responsible for the crime. Regarding the wrongs did these men, it\nseemed as if the whole population of that locality picked on them.\n\nI will add here, that my account of the gold discovery in California\nwas submitted in 1893 to the following members of the party who were at\nthe place in January, 1848, and who were the only survivors within my\nreach at the time: Orrin Hatch and William S. Muir, Woods Cross, Davis\nCounty; George W. Boyd, and H. D. Merrill, Salt Lake City; and Israel\nEvans, Lehi, Utah County, Utah. They united in giving me a certificate\nthat they knew this account to be a true and correct statement of the\ndiscovery of gold in California, at Sutter's mill race.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XV.\n\nPREPARE TO LEAVE CALIFORNIA--SNOW IN THE MOUNTAIN--CAUSES A WAIT\nTILL THE LAST OF JUNE--DISCOVER A RICH GOLD PROSPECT--LEAVE IT TO\nMAKE THE JOURNEY OVER THE MOUNTAINS--NO REGRETS AT ABANDONING THE\nMINES IN ANSWER TO THE CALL OF DUTY--CAMP ORGANIZED IN PLEASANT\nVALLEY--START ON THE TRIP--THREE MEMBERS OF THE PARTY AHEAD, LOOKING\nOUT THE ROUTE, FOUND MURDERED MY INDIANS AT TRAGEDY SPRINGS--COVERING\nTHE BODIES--STAMPEDE OF ANIMALS--GUARDING AGAINST HOSTILE\nINDIANS--CROSSING THE DIVIDE IN SNOW--THE WRITER FOOLED--TAKE TWO\nINDIANS PRISONERS--CUTTING A ROAD--HORSES STOLEN BY INDIANS--PURSUIT\nTO CAPTURE THEM--IN CARSON VALLEY--ALONG HUMBOLDT RIVER--AT STEAMBOAT\nSPRINGS--OVER THE DESERT--MEMBER OF THE PARTY WANTS TO KILL\nINDIANS--THE WRITER'S EMPHATIC OBJECTION--INDIANS WOUND STOCK--ADDISON\nPRATT AS A LUCKY FISHERMAN--WRITER TRADES WITH AN INDIAN--THE RED\nMAN'S TRICK--WRITER PURSUES HIM INTO THE INDIAN CAMP--ESCAPE FROM\nDANGER--JOURNEY TO BEAR RIVER--HOT AND COLD WATER SPRINGS--REACH BOX\nELDER--VIEW THE GREAT SALT LAKE--ARRIVE AT OGDEN, WHERE CAPTAIN BROWN\nAND SOME SAINTS HAD SETTLED--JOURNEY TO THE MORMON CAMP ON WHAT IS NOW\nPIONEER SQUARE, SALT LAKE CITY--HEARTILY WELCOMED BY RELATIVES AND\nFRIENDS--REJOICING AND THANKSGIVING.\n\nIN June, 1848, some thirty-seven members of the Mormon Battalion\nrendezvoused at a flat some six or eight miles from Coloma, California,\nnear where the first gold discovery was made. This assemblage was\npreparatory to crossing the Sierra Nevada mountains at or near the\nhead of the American River; for we had learned that it was next to\nimpossible to take wagons at this time of the year by what was called\nthe Truckee route, and as we had become accustomed to pioneer life it\nwas thought we could find a better route, so it was proposed to open\nup one by the way stated. We had been successful in getting a few\nhundred dollars each from the mines, and had fitted ourselves out with\nwagons and ox teams, seeds and tools; for our protection on the journey\nwe bought of Captain Sutter two brass Russian cannon, one a four\npounder and the other a six-pounder.\n\nSome of the company, eight or ten, had pitched camp at the site\nselected, and were waiting for others who were tardy in getting\ntheir outfit. Early in May, a party consisting of David Browett, Ira\nJ. Willis, J. C. Sly, Israel Evans, Jacob M. Truman, Daniel Allen,\nHenderson Cox, Robert Pixton, and, I think, J. R. Allred, went out\nabout two or three days ahead, and found the country covered with deep\nsnow, so that at that time it was impracticable to go forward with the\nwagons; the party therefore returned to the main camp, and waited till\nthe last of June. During this wait, David Browett, Daniel Allen and\nHenderson Cox, being anxious to be moving, started a second time to\nsearch out the route, and were surprised at night and all were killed\nby Digger Indians. They had been gone some eight or ten days before\nthe main body got together, and about twenty days before we started.\nAlexander Stephens and I, it seems to me, and some two or three others,\ndid not join the party, as I remember, until June 29.\n\nThe day before starting from the gold diggings on our journey was kind\nof an off-day, in which the writer had some spare time and wandered off\nfrom camp, with pick and shovel, up into a dry gulch, where he soon\nstruck a very rich prospect of gold, about a quarter of a mile from\nwater. This was about 11 o'clock a.m. By sundown he had carried the\nrich dirt down in his pantaloons, and washed out forty-nine dollars\nand fifty cents in gold; yet kind reader, strange as it may appear,\nhe, with his partners, hitched up and rolled out the next morning, and\njoined the main camp at what we called Pleasant Valley, but now, I\nthink, known as Dutch Flat. I have never seen that rich spot of earth\nsince; nor do I regret it, for there always has been a higher object\nbefore me than gold. We had covenanted to move together under certain\nconditions, and those conditions existing we were in honor bound to\nmove the next day. We did move, leaving that rich prospect without ever\nsticking a stake in the gulch, but abandoning it to those who might\nfollow. Some may think we were blind to our own interests; but after\nmore than forty years we look back without regrets, although we did see\nfortunes in the land, and had many inducements to stay. People said,\n\"Here is gold on the bedrock, gold on the hills, gold in the rills,\ngold everywhere, gold to spend, gold to lend, gold for all that will\ndelve, and soon you can make an independent fortune.\" We could realize\nall that. Still duty called, our honor was at stake, we had covenanted\nwith each other, there was a principle involved; for with us it was God\nand His kingdom first. We had friends and relatives in the wilderness,\nyea, in an untried, desert land, and who knew their condition? We did\nnot. So it was duty before pleasure, before wealth, and with this\nprompting we rolled out and joined our comrades in Pleasant Valley.\n\nAt our camp in Pleasant Valley we organized with Jonathan Holmes as\npresident, and with captains of tens. Then there were chosen eight or\nnine vaqueros or herdsmen, to take charge of all the loose stock from 4\na.m. till 8 p.m.; but in the main the herdsmen were the chief pioneers\nfor the camp. I remember only a few of them: W. Sidney, S. S. Willis,\nIsrael Evans, Jacob M. Truman, Wesley Adair and James S. Brown.\n\nThe date of our start from Pleasant Valley I cannot now recall, further\nthan that it was between the 25th of June and the 1st of July. We\nmade slow progress, for the road was very rough. About six of us rode\nahead, and looked out and marked the route. We would go ahead half the\nday, and then return to meet the train, often finding them camped, the\nmen working the road, cutting the timber, rolling rock, and digging\ndugways, or mending wagons. Sometimes we had to lay over a day or two\nto make the road passable.\n\nThus we pushed forward on our journey till we came to a place we called\nTragedy Springs, for near a beautiful spring at this place we found the\nremains of the three brethren who had preceded us, they having been\nmurdered by Indians, and buried in a shallow grave. We first found\nbloody arrows, then stones with blood on them, then the nude bodies,\npartly uncovered; these were recognized by Daniel Allen's purse of gold\nnear by. Our feelings cannot be described through the medium of the\npen, therefore I must leave these to the reader's imagination. We built\na wall of rough rock around the grave, then covered it with flat stones\nto protect the bodies from wild beasts. This was the best we could do,\nfor the bodies were so decomposed that we could not do more. The names\nof the deceased and manner of death, with proper dates, were cut in a\nlarge tree that stood near by.\n\nThe night we came to Tragedy Springs was very dark, and our camp\nbeing in a dense forest of large trees, the darkness was intensified.\nGuards were at their posts around stock and camp, when suddenly, from\nsome cause we never knew, the stock stampeded. This raised a great\nexcitement, and before it subsided one of our cannon was discharged;\nas it belched forth its stream of fire, and the sound of the explosion\nechoed in forest and hills, the animals were stampeded still worse,\nonly a few horses that had been securely tied remaining. We were\ncompelled to lay by for two days to get things together, but we finally\ndid so, recovering all our stock.\n\nWe made another start, going to a place we called Leek Springs, because\nof there being so many leeks growing wild. We had to stop over and mark\nour way among rocky ridges. Thence we moved on, musket in one hand, or\nin a handy place to the teamster, with his goad or whip in the other\nhand, the train moving in close order and constantly on the alert for\nan attack by man or beast.\n\nWe ascended a very high spur of the Sierra Nevada range, on the south\nside. When we reached the summit the wind blew as if it were the middle\nof November. As we crossed over we came to a large snowdrift; on the\nnorth side of the mountain our wagons rolled over the snow as if\non marble pavement, but when we came to where the sun had shone in\nthe latter part of the day, our wagons went down to the hub, and four\nwere capsized and some of them badly broken. The others succeeded in\nreaching the bottom in safety. It took us till after dark to pick up\nthe pieces and get them together to be ready to start the next morning.\n\nWe all gathered around the campfire and discussed the subject of\nstanding guard, when the writer remarked that there was no need of\nguards--that he would agree to take care of all the Indians that would\ncome around that night, for it was so cold and disagreeable that he\nsupposed no human being would come there from choice. Just then someone\ninquired what an object on a rock was. Some said it was an owl, others\nthat it was an Indian. Two or three of us took our guns and sallied\nforth to settle the dispute finding to our surprise two Indians with\nfeathered headdresses on, and with long bows, and quivers full of\narrows. They were within easy bowshot of us. The party had the laugh on\nthe writer for once.\n\nWe took the Indians prisoners, disarmed them, and prepared a place\nfor them to sleep, after giving them their supper. The writer was one\ncalled on to guard them, and he promptly complied. The Indians made\ngood company, though they were very nervous, and we had to threaten\nthem frequently to keep them from making a break for liberty. At\nmidnight the guards were changed, and at dawn we made ready to descend\nto the camp below, arriving there just as the Indians moved off; we had\nreleased our prisoners. The Indians soon began to come in from every\nquarter, all armed. We moved in close order, every man well armed.\nThe savages numbered three to our one; they flanked us and we could\nsee them on every hand, in threatening attitude. In this situation\nwe had to chop and roll logs out of the way, move rock, and make\ndugways, lifting at and holding wagons to keep them from turning over.\nConsequently, our progress was slow, and the journey very hazardous.\nFinally, when we had worked our way carefully along the difficult\nroute, passing over the summit of the great Sierras, which divide\nthe waters of the great deserts from those which flow to the Pacific\nOcean, the threatening red men slunk out of sight, and we found a rough\ncamping place, where we lay all night upon our arms, but nothing came\nto alarm us.\n\nWe continued down the canyon and came to a more open country, camping\nby a river bend where there was good feed, water, and fuel. We had\nbegun to feel more safe from the red men, yet that night they stole\nin past our guards and took some of our saddle horses which were tied\nwithin four or five rods of our wagons. The Indians escaped, and were\ndetected only by our guards hearing them cross the river; this was\nabout 4 a.m. Early in the morning we learned more definitely our loss,\nand eight or ten of us gave pursuit, following the trail across a sandy\ncountry and over the foothills, ultimately succeeding in the recovery\nof all our horses but one, and for that we captured an Indian pony that\nhad the distemper, as we discovered after it had been turned into our\nherd. That was one of the hardest day's rides that the writer remembers\nin all his experiences, for we put our horses through all they could\nlive for. Every moment we were liable to ambush, for the Indians\ndivided into three parties and we did the same. One of our party\nsupposed he had killed an Indian, or certainly wounded him, just as he\nentered into the thick brush.\n\nIt was late the next day when we resumed our journey, and that night\nwe camped in Carson Valley, where we looked on an extensive plain or\ndesert. Being unable to discern any evidences of water, we turned to\nthe north, just under the base of the mountains, traveling over a very\nhard route, until we came to the Truckee River, where we entered the\nold emigrant road. We followed that road till we came to the sink of\nthe Humboldt, then called St. Mary's River. The distance was said to be\nforty-five miles; be that as it may, we were twenty-four hours covering\nit, and I do not think we had any rest or sleep during the whole trip.\n\nWe passed the wonderful Hot or Steamboat Springs. I remember seeing\na dog run up to one of them as if to lap the water, and as he did so\nhis feet slipped into the edge of the pool. He was so surprised at the\nheat that he gave one yelp of pain and jumped into the middle of the\nspring, stretched out his legs, and never gave another kick. In a very\nshort time the hair was all scalded off him. The incident reminded me\nof the story of a Dutchman who, when he came to a hot spring, ordered\nhis teamster to drive on, as hell could not be more than a mile away.\nWe did not feel to blame the Dutchman, if the springs were like this;\nfor, from the surroundings, hades did not appear to be far off, and we\npassed on without any desire to linger about the dreadful place. It was\nabout 4 a.m. when, as we approached the Humboldt River, our horses and\ncattle hoisted their heads, began to sniff, and broke into a trot; from\nthat they started into a run, and we had enough to do to keep up with\nthem till they reached the water.\n\nWe had a short rest, and resumed our journey, for there was no food\nfor our stock, and the water was brackish, so we traveled eight or ten\nmiles and camped for the night. As the grazing was still short, we made\na very early start, and were soon joined by two Indians, who remained\nwith us all day and were very friendly. When we camped they stopped\nwith us, and as we had been told the place was a dangerous one for\nIndians, the presence of these two caused a suspicion that they were\nspies, and probably would signal their fellows when to attack the train.\n\nWe had been in camp only a short time when a white horse was led in.\nThe animal had a slight wound on his wethers and a mark of blood some\nsix inches down on his shoulder. This wound had been caused by the\nhorse rolling on some burned willow stumps, one of the men having seen\nhim roll; and there were on the animal the black marks from the charred\nwood. Yet some of the camp insisted that the wounds were from Indian\narrow's. At this time some one came up from the river and caused a\nflame of excitement by saying he had seen an Indian skulking in the\nbrush, although he admitted that it might have been a bird or a wild\nanimal, for, while he saw something move, he was not in a position to\nsay just what it was. The discussion now waxed hot, and one man leveled\nhis gun at one of the Indians, declaring he would shoot him. The writer\nwas standing near by and caught the gun to prevent such an act, and was\nin turn threatened with being shot, when the trouble was stopped by\nothers interfering.\n\nThat night, when the camp was called together as usual, for prayers\nand consultation, and prayers had been said, the same man who had\nthreatened to shoot the Indian moved that we lay by the next day, hunt\ndown all the Indians we could find, and by killing rid the country of\nthe \"d--d black rascals.\" This startling proposition seemed to stun\nthe senses of the men for a moment, for no such spirit had invaded the\ncamp before, our motto being peace on earth, good will to man. The\nproposition was so repugnant to the writer's feelings that he made his\nmaiden speech in strongly opposing the motion, declaring that if such\na cruel step were taken he would be a swift witness against all who\nengaged in the wicked and savage action; he also asserted that he would\ninform on them at the earliest opportunity, for as yet the Indians in\nthat vicinity had done us no harm, and it was as much murder to kill\none of them as to kill a white man. Others sided with the writer and\nthe matter was dropped.\n\nWe passed on up the river until we came to near the narrows or canyon.\nThere some of our stock was wounded by Indian arrows. I do not recall\njust how many were injured or died from their wounds. The Indians who\ndid the damage kept out of our sight.\n\nI must mention Elder Addison Pratt, who joined us at Sutter's Fort, as\nhe was returning from a five years' mission to the Society Islands, in\nthe South Pacific Ocean. He was a great fisherman, and it was along\nthis part of the route that he used to catch the little speckled trout\nin such numbers as to attract both our admiration and our gratitude.\nHe would go where no one else would ever think of finding fish, and\nwould meet with wonderful success. In fact, some of the party were so\nastonished at his good luck that they declared he could catch fish in a\ncow track. He was a good, jolly soul, and made the best of everything.\n\nOur train journeyed on in peace till we came to Goose Creek, where the\nwriter traded a mare to an Indian, for a mule. The red man was given\nseveral articles for the difference. He sauntered around for a little\nwhile, then mounted the mule, and away he went, taking the articles\nwith him. The writer pursued alone for four or five miles, and first\nthing he knew was too near the Indian camp to turn back, so he rushed\nin among them, dismounted, changed the mare for the mule, and rode off.\nThe Indians looked surprised and frightened, and made no resistance. I\nnever realized the hazard I had taken till the danger was over; then I\nwas glad to rejoin my fellow-travelers.\n\nWe crossed Goose Creek Mountains and again struck out into the\ntrackless desert, pioneering our own way, rolling the rocks and cutting\nthe road. We reached the Malad, a very difficult stream to cross, but\nwe succeeded in getting over without serious damage. From there our\nroute lay to the Bear River, which we crossed in safety by blocking up\nour wagon boxes. I think the crossing was made just above where Bear\nRiver City is now located. From there we traveled southward under the\nbase of the mountains to where we found two springs, one of hot water\nand the other of very cold water, within a very few feet of each other;\nthey flowed in the same gulch or ravine. Along this route we had naught\nbut an Indian trail to guide us. When we reached Box Elder we thought\nit the finest place we had seen since leaving Carson Valley.\n\nWhile in California we had learned that the Latter-day Saints had\nsettled near the south end of the Great Salt Lake; and as we had\nbeen in sight, from the mountains, of the north end of the lake for\nsome days, we began to feel that we were nearing a place of rest. We\njourneyed on till we came to the Ogden and Weber rivers, where we found\nthat Captain James Brown, of company C of the Mormon Battalion, and a\nfew of the Saints had settled; the country looked very wild. We still\npursued our way southward, till we reached the present site of Salt\nLake City, entering the Sixth Ward Square--now Pioneer Square--where\nthe Saints had built houses and a stockade. I think the date of our\narrival at this place was the 28th of September, 1848.\n\nWe were heartily welcomed, by relatives and friends, after our long and\ntedious march of near four thousand miles, and our more than two years'\nabsence from those we loved and who loved us. Our meeting and greeting\nwere far more joyous and precious than the glittering gold we had left\nbehind. Neither our friends nor ourselves had any regrets for our\nhaving left the gold fields when we remembered our marching away, over\ntwo years before, to the tune of \"The Girl I Left Behind Me,\" for we\nwere so very glad to find her again, no matter if it were in a desert.\nWe all rejoiced, and gave thanks to God for His protecting care and our\nsafe return to the bosom of friends.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVI.\n\nCONTENTMENT AMONG THE SAINTS IN GREAT SALT LAKE VALLEY--RUDE DWELLINGS\nAND SHORT RATIONS--TRYING EXPERIENCES--RESCUE OF MORMON BATTALION\nMEMBERS FROM STARVATION--CARRY NEWS OF THE CALIFORNIA GOLD DISCOVERY\nTO THE EAST--RE-UNION OF MORMON BATTALION MEMBERS--ADDRESSES BY THE\nFIRST PRESIDENCY AND OTHERS--SETTLING A NEW COUNTRY--ORGANIZATION OF\nMINUTE MEN--COLD WINTER--THE GOLD FEVER--TENOR OF THE PREACHINGS AND\nPROPHESYINGS OF THOSE TIMES--INSTRUCTING THE PEOPLE IN INDUSTRIAL\nPURSUITS--POLICY TOWARD THE INDIANS.\n\nNOTWITHSTANDING the fact of the aspect in the Great Salt Lake Valley\nbeing gloomy, most of the people were contented with their lot,\nalthough the experiences of 1847 and 1848 had been anything but\nencouraging. Some of the inhabitants were living in log cabins, others\nin dugouts, and still others in wagons, while some who did not have\nthe latter had built brush sheds; almost everybody was living on short\nrations, crickets and grasshoppers having destroyed most of the crops.\nThe whole face of the country was brown and dry, except small streaks\nalong the water courses. There was no provender for our stock, and we\ncould only turn them out upon the range, and trust them and ourselves\nto a kind Providence. Timber for fuel was in the mountains, and higher\nup in these there was timber for fencing and building purposes. In\norder to get either, we had to make roads at great expense, building\nbridges and cutting dugways, sometimes going in armed companies to\nprotect ourselves from the threatening Indian tribes. A long brush\nbowery was built in the town; we met there for religious services, and\nfor all other purposes that made it necessary for the people to be\ncalled together.\n\nOctober 6, 1848, a general conference of the Church was held, and the\npeople as a rule felt blessed, although there were a few who were very\nmuch discouraged as the rations grew short and the cold weather pinched\nmore closely.\n\nSome time in October, news reached us that a small detachment of the\nMormon Battalion coming from California was starving to death on the\nwestern deserts. Their old comrades in arms soon gathered supplies and\nfitted up a team, and six or seven of us went out to give assistance.\nWe met the suffering company at the point of the West Mountains, about\ntwo days earlier than we had expected. The men were suffering, but not\nquite so badly as we had been led to believe from the word we had got.\nIt was snowing when we met them, and continued to do so the greater\npart of the night and of the next day, so that we suffered much from\ncold before we reached shelter, for everything was soaked through. The\ncompany brought considerable gold, which was exhibited to many of the\npeople.\n\nSome of our comrades were not so fortunate as to find their families in\nthe Great Salt Lake Valley, so they pushed on to where these had been\nleft, in Iowa or Nebraska. Those men bore the news of the great gold\ndiscovery in California, and, as evidence of the truth of their story,\nshowed the precious metal they had secured. Thus the Mormon Battalion\nnot only was at the discovery of gold in California and took part\ntherein, but bore the news thereof eastward, until it spread to the\nworld, causing great excitement.\n\nThe last detachment of the battalion for the season having arrived in\nthe valley, a feast was prepared, and a re-union of the soldiers and\ntheir friends was called. It was made as grand an affair as could be\nunder the circumstances, Presidents Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball\nleading out with liberal hands. We were welcomed in royal style;\ninteresting speeches were made by the First Presidency of the Church,\nand also by the officers and soldiers of the battalion.\n\nFrom that time things moved quietly, people making roads and getting\nout timber for various purposes, herding stock, fencing, and so on.\nAt length the Indians began to run off and kill the stock. A meeting\nwas called and one hundred men selected to enroll themselves as minute\nmen, the writer being one of the company. We were required each to\nkeep a horse on hand, and to be ready at a minute's warning to march\nto any point of attack. We had to fit out ourselves, as there was no\nquartermaster's department on which officers could issue requisitions\nand have them honored. We had to provide our own provisions, and\neverything necessary for a campaign, at our own expense. Most of the\nyoung men having horses of their own, and many of them having become\nexpert horsemen, a full quota was furnished for the company. We had\nturned over to the Church authorities, for the public defense, our\ntwo brass Russian cannon. The minute men met for drill at regularly\nappointed times.\n\nThe winter of 1848-9 was quite cold. Many people had their feet badly\nfrozen. For one, the writer suffered so severely from this cause that\nhe lost every nail from the toes of both feet. In February and March\nthere began to be some uneasiness over the prospects, and as the days\ngrew warmer the gold fever attacked many so that they prepared to go\nto California. Some said they would go only to have a place for the\nrest of us; for they thought Brigham Young too smart a man to try to\nestablish a civilized colony in such a \"God-forsaken country,\" as they\ncalled the valley. They further said that California was the natural\ncountry for the Saints; some had brought choice fruit pips and seed,\nbut said they would not waste them by planting in a country like the\nGreat Salt Lake Valley; others stated that they would not build a\nhouse in the valley, but would remain in their wagons, for certainly\nour leaders knew better than to attempt to make a stand in such a dry,\nworthless locality, and would be going on to California, Oregon or\nVancouver's Island; still others said they would wait awhile before\nplanting choice fruits, as it would not be long before they would\nreturn to Jackson County, Missouri.\n\nThis discouraging talk was not alone by persons who had no experience\nin farming and manufacturing, but by men who had made a success at\ntheir various avocations where they had been permitted to work in\npeace, before coming west. Good farmers said: \"Why the wheat we grew\nhere last year was so short that we had to pull it; the heads were\nnot more than two inches long. Frost falls here every month in the\nyear--enough to cut down all tender vegetation. More, James Bridger\nand Gudger, who have been in this country ten years or more, say that\ncorn cannot be raised anywhere in these mountains. In fact, Bridger has\ntold President Young that he will give a thousand dollars for the first\nbushel of corn raised in the open air here, for he says it cannot be\ndone.\"\n\nIt was at this time of gloom that President Young stood before the\nwhole people, and said, in substance, that some people had misgivings,\nand some were murmuring, and had not faith to go to work and make their\nfamilies comfortable; they had got the gold fever and were going to\nCalifornia. Said he: \"Some have asked me about going. I have told them\nthat God has appointed this place for the gathering of His Saints,\nand you will do better right here than you will by going to the gold\nmines. Some have thought they would go there and get fitted out and\ncome back, but I told them to stop here and get fitted out. Those who\nstop here and are faithful to God and His people will make more money\nand get richer than you that run after the god of this world; and I\npromise you in the name of the Lord that many of you that go, thinking\nyou will get rich and come back, will wish you had never gone away from\nhere, and will long to come back but will not be able to do so. Some\nof you will come back, but your friends who remain here will have to\nhelp you; and the rest of you who are spared to return will not make\nas much money as your brethren do who stay here and help build up the\nChurch and kingdom of God; they will prosper and be able to buy you\ntwice over. Here is the place God has appointed for His people. We have\nbeen kicked out of the frying-pan into the fire, out of the fire into\nthe middle of the floor, and here we are and here we will stay. God has\nshown me that this is the spot to locate His people, and here is where\nthey will prosper; He will temper the elements for the good of His\nSaints; He will rebuke the frost and the sterility of the soil, and the\nland shall become fruitful. Brethren, go to, now, and plant out your\nfruit seeds.\" Stretching his arms to the east and to the west, with his\nhands spread out, he said: \"For in these elements are not only all the\ncereals common to this latitude, but the apple, peach and plum; yea,\nand the more delicate fruits, the strawberry and raspberry; and we will\nraise the grape here and manufacture wine; and as the Saints gather\nhere and get strong enough to possess the land, God will temper the\nclimate, and we shall build a city and a temple to the Most High God\nin this place. We will extend our settlements to the east and west, to\nthe north and to the south, and we will build towns and cities by the\nhundreds, and thousands of the Saints will gather in from the nations\nof the earth. This will become the great highway of the nations. Kings\nand emperors and the noble and wise of the earth will visit us here,\nwhile the wicked and ungodly will envy us our comfortable homes and\npossessions. Take courage, brethren. I can stand in my door and can see\nwhere there is untold millions of the rich treasures of the earth--gold\nand silver. But the time has not come for the Saints to dig gold. It is\nour duty first to develop the agricultural resources of this country,\nfor there is no country on the earth that is more productive than this.\nWe have the finest climate, the best water, and the purest air that can\nbe found on the earth; there is no healthier climate anywhere. As for\ngold and silver, and the rich minerals of the earth, there is no other\ncountry that equals this; but let them alone; let others seek them,\nand we will cultivate the soil; for if the mines are opened first, we\nare a thousand miles from any base of supplies, and the people would\nrush in here in such great numbers that they would breed a famine;\nand gold would not do us or them any good if there were no provisions\nin the land. People would starve to death with barrels of gold; they\nwould be willing to give a barrel of gold for a barrel of flour rather\nthan starve to death. Then, brethren, plow your land and sow wheat,\nplant your potatoes; let the mines alone until the time comes for you\nto hunt gold, though I do not think this people ever will become a\nmining people. It is our duty to preach the Gospel, gather Israel, pay\nour tithing, and build temples. The worst fear that I have about this\npeople is that they will get rich in this country, forget God and His\npeople, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the Church and go to hell.\nThis people will stand mobbing, robbing, poverty, and all manner of\npersecution, and be true. But my greater fear for them is that they\ncannot stand wealth; and yet they have to be tried with riches, for\nthey will become the richest people on this earth.\"\n\nMy dear reader, the writer stood on the Sixth Ward Square, Salt Lake\nCity, in the year 1849, fifty-one years ago, and heard the foregoing\nspoken by President Brigham Young. Now it is 1900. and I bear my\ntestimony to the literal fulfillment of most of those sayings, and that\nportion which has not yet come to pass I most assuredly believe will do\nso. I entreat the reader of this to pause and reflect. Was there divine\ninspiration in this matter, or not?\n\nAbout the same time, Parley P. Pratt, one of the Twelve Apostles, told\nthe people to save the hides of their cattle, tan them, and make boots\nand shoes for their families. He said that in the mountains there was\nspruce, pine bark, and shumac, with tanning properties; advised that\nthey be gathered, and the beef hides tanned; and predicted that the\ntime would come when leather would be tanned here, and boots and shoes\nwould be manufactured and exported. It was also stated that we would\nraise sheep here, and would manufacture woollen fabrics and export them.\n\nAs the writer walked away from meeting that day, in company with some\nold and tried men, who had been mobbed and robbed, and driven from\ntheir homes, and whom he looked upon almost as pillars of the Church,\none of them said he had passed through such and such trials in the\npast, but that that day, 1849, was the darkest he ever had seen in the\nChurch. The thought of trying to settle this barren land, he said, was\none of the greatest trials he had met. There were some three of the\nparty particularly whom the writer thought were staunch men; one of\nthese asked another what he thought of the preaching that day, and got\nthe reply that it would do \"to preach to d--d fools, but not to men of\nsense\"--that it was insulting to a man's better senses, it was absurd\nto think that it was possible to manufacture anything for export from\na country like this, where we were more likely to starve to death than\nto do anything else. Now, after half a century has passed away, the\nwriter refers to the manufacturing and mercantile establishments in\nthese mountain valleys to establish which were the divinely inspired\nutterances of that day.\n\nOn one occasion in 1849, President Heber C. Kimball, when preaching to\nthe people, exhorted them to be faithful as Saints, to cultivate the\nearth, and let others dig the gold. He said it was not for the Saints\nto dig it, but the time would come when they would learn to use it,\nand not abuse it, or the power that it gives; they would possess it by\nmillions, and the time would come when people would be willing to give\na bushel of gold for a bushel of wheat, when judgments and calamities\nwould be poured out on the nations of the earth. He declared that\npeople would come here by thousands, yea, tens of thousands would yet\nflee to Zion for safety; they would come with their burdens on their\nbacks, having nothing to eat, and the people here would have to feed\nthem; others would bring their gold and silver, and envy the people\nhere their peace and comfort, for God would temper the climate so\nthat the Saints would be able to raise everything they needed. Elder\nKimball further said: \"Brethren, build good, large granaries, fill\nthem with wheat, and keep it against the time when it will be needed.\nSome people think we have passed the day of trial, but let me tell you\nthat you need not fear that, for if you are faithful you shall have\nall the trials you can bear, and if you are not faithful you will have\nmore, and will apostatize and go to hell. Some people have come from\nthe eastern states and the old country and said: \"Brother Kimball, O\nthat we could have been with you in Kirtland, in Jackson county, and\nin Nauvoo, and shared the trials of the Saints with you!\" Brethren,\nhold on a little while, and you shall have all the trials you will\nbe able to stand; for God has said that He will have a tried people,\nso you may prepare yourselves; for before the roof is on the temple\nthat we will build here, the devils will begin to howl, and before\nthe capstone is laid you will begin to have your trials. Your leaders\nwill be hunted as wild beasts; we shall not be with you, and men will\nbe left to themselves for awhile. Then is the time that you should be\nfilled with light, that you may be able to stand through the days of\ntrial. Now, you can leave your bench-tools on the workbench, and your\nplows and farming tools in the field; and can lie down and go to sleep\nwithout locking or bolting your doors; but the time will come when,\nif you do this, your tools will be stolen from you. These mountains\nwill be filled with robbers, highwaymen, and all kinds of thieves and\nmurderers, for the spirit of the old Gadianton robbers lurks here in\nthe mountains, and will take possession of men, and you will have to\nwatch as well as pray, to keep thieves away. Therefore, brethren,\nbegin now to take better care of your tools; attach locks and bolts\nto your doors, and do not wait until the horse is stolen before you\nlock the door.\" Elder Kimball referred to the fact that the young men\nwere becoming restless and did not know what to do; they ran hither\nand thither to the mines, and became rude and uncultivated. Said he:\n\"Let me tell you, boys, what to do. Marry the girls and build homes for\nyourselves. Do not leave the young ladies to take up with strangers\nwho will marry them and then desert them. If you do not marry them,\nI counsel the middle-aged and old men to marry the girls and treat\nthem well, and let them have the opportunity to obey the first command\nof God to man, to multiply and replenish the earth. Brethren, take\nto yourselves more wives; for if you do not, the time will come when\nyou will not be permitted to do so. Seek wisdom by faith and prayer;\nstudy and read all good books; study the arts and sciences; build good\nschoolhouses, and educate your children, that they may be able to\nperform the great work that will come upon them.\"\n\nSome of the most practical and best informed men in the community\nwere called to deliver free lectures on farming, stockraising, etc.,\nfor many of the people had come from manufacturing centers and had\nno experience in agricultural life, consequently these people needed\ninstruction, and it was given in every industrial pursuit that was\npracticable at the time, and that by experienced men. Thus the people\nwere incited in their labors to subdue this wild and then desert\nland--for it was barren and waste in the extreme.\n\nPresident Brigham Young also instructed the people to treat the Indians\nkindly, and divide food with them, \"for,\" said he, \"it is cheaper to\nfeed than to fight them. Teach them that we are their friends. Indeed,\ntreat every man civilly and kindly; treat every man as a gentleman\nuntil you prove him to be a rascal--then let him alone.\"\n\nThe foregoing is the tenor of the teaching and preaching to the people\nin 1848 and 1849, in what is now the State of Utah.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVII.\n\nSCARCITY OF FOOD IN THE GREAT SALT LAKE VALLEY--WILD VEGETABLES FOR\nGREENS--FAIR PROSPECTS FOR CROPS--CLOUDS OF CRICKETS LAY BARE THE\nFIELDS--PEOPLE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE PEST ALMOST TO DESPAIR--VAST\nFLOCKS OF SEA GULLS, AS THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN, COME TO THE\nRESCUE--DESTRUCTION OF THE CRICKET--PEOPLE PRAISE THE LORD--THE\nWRITER INVITED TO A MEETING, ORDAINED A SEVENTY, AND CALLED WITH\nOTHERS TO GO ON A MISSION TO THE SOCIETY ISLANDS--WORDS OF PRESIDENTS\nBRIGHAM YOUNG AND HEBER C. KIMBALL--PREPARATIONS TO TRAVEL TO\nCALIFORNIA WITH AN EMIGRANT COMPANY--DESCRIPTION OF THE ROUTE BY\nCAPTAIN JEFFERSON HUNT--START ON MY MISSION--PROPHECY BY PRESIDENT\nWLLLARD RICHARDS--BATTLE WITH INDIANS AT PROVO AVERTED BY APOSTLE C.\nC. RICH--PROSPECTS OF UTAH VALLEY TO SUPPORT POPULATION--OVERTAKE\nTHE EMIGRANT COMPANY--DISCUSSIONS AT BEAVER RIVER--COMPANY STARTS FOR\nWALKER'S PASS--TURNED BACK BY SCARCITY OF WATER--EXPERIENCE ON THE\nDESERT--DISSENSIONS IN THE COMPANY--FUTILE ATTEMPT TO SEND SOME OF\nTHE MEMBERS BACK--APOSTLE C. C. RICH FORESEES FURTHER TROUBLE, AND\nENDEAVORS TO SAVE THE MORMON PART OF THE TRAIN BY ADVISING THEM TO\nRETURN TO THE OLD SPANISH TRAIL--METHODIST AND CAMPBELLTTE MINISTERS\nINCITE THE COMPANY AGAINST THE MORMON GUIDE, CAPTAIN HUNT--MAIN COMPANY\nDISREGARDS CAPTAIN HUNT'S WARNING OF DANGER, AND LEAVES THE OLD SPANISH\nTRAIL TO SEARCH FOR THE ROUTE THROUGH WALKER'S PAST--MORMONS GO WITH\nCAPTAIN HUNT ON THE SOUTHERN ROUTE.\n\nWHEN seed time came that year, provisions were very scarce. People dug\nsegos and thistle roots, and gathered cow cabbage, as we called a plant\nthat was found in the canyons. We ate these as greens, cooked the hides\nof beef cattle--in fact, gathered everything eatable, and worked hard\nand put in our crops. These started out with fair prospects for harvest\nuntil the grain was from one to six inches high. Then there came down\nfrom the mountains myriads of black crickets, their bodies nearly as\nlarge as a man's thumb. They entered upon wheat and corn fields, and\nswept or ate every green thing before them. Field after field was\ncleared of vegetation. Whole families with their chickens moved out to\ntheir farms and made war upon the crickets. Men, women and children\nfought from morning till night, and still the enemy advanced from field\nto field. Men almost despaired, women wept, and to all human appearance\nour cause was lost. The crickets ate the crops so close into the ground\nthat they could not start again. The people held fast meetings and\nprayed for protection. I am not positive that there were any special\nmeetings for that purpose, but it was customary to fast and pray the\nfirst Thursday in each month.\n\nAlmost everybody was in despair, and the enemy did not seem to be\ndiminished in numbers. With their war cry, or ce-ce, the crickets\nadvanced, and, seeming to call up their reserve forces, with a bold\nfront kept up their march. Then there came from the west and northwest\nwhat seemed to me might be justly called the clouds of heaven, or\nperhaps more properly the clouds of salvation. These were white sea\ngulls, which flew so close together and were so numerous as to form\na cloud wherever they went. They covered almost the whole farming\ndistrict north and southeast of the city--the main farming district\nin Salt Lake Valley at that time; they visited Davis County and other\nplaces as well; and when they lit down the fields looked as though\ncovered with snow. The gulls came at sunrise and returned to the west\nat sundown, after having gorged and disgorged themselves the entire\nday, being tame as chickens. They kept up the work of deliverance day\nafter day, as the crickets continued to come down from the mountains.\nI believe that was the first time this kind of birds had been seen by\nany of the settlers. When they had completed their work of mercy they\nwent away, leaving a grateful people who returned thanks to the Giver\nof every good gift. The Saints in the valley then were united and their\nmeetings were well attended.\n\nOne Sunday, Brother Jedediah M. Grant came down from the stand, took\nthe writer by the arm, and asked him to take a walk. The request was\ngranted readily, and I was led to Brother Lorenzo Young's house on City\nCreek, where we found the First Presidency, some members of the Twelve\nApostles, and some of the first council of the Seventies. There the\nwriter was ordained to the Priesthood of a Seventy, and his name was\nenrolled in the third quorum. Shortly after that he was invited with\nothers to attend a council meeting of the First Presidency and Twelve\nApostles, in President Kimball's schoolhouse. When we got in and were\nseated, President Young said, \"Brethren, if any of you have anything to\nsay, say on.\" There being no response, the president rose to his feet\nand said, \"I move that Elders Addison Pratt, Hyrum Blackwell and James\nS. Brown take a mission to the Society Islands, in the South Pacific\nOcean.\" President H. C. Kimball said, \"I second the motion.\" The\nquestion was put and unanimously sustained, and the president turned to\nme and asked, \"Brother James, will you go?\" The answer was, \"I am an\nilliterate youth, cannot read or write, and I do not know what good I\ncan do; but if it is the will of the Lord that I should go, and you say\nso, I will do the best that I can.\" The president then took a seat near\nme, placing his right hand on my left knee, and said, \"It is the will\nof the Lord that you go, and I say go; I am not afraid to risk you. And\nI promise you in the name of the Lord God of Israel that if you go you\nwill be blessed, and do good, and be an honor to yourself and to the\nChurch and kingdom of God. Although men will seek your life, you shall\nbe spared and return to the bosom of the Church in safety.\"\n\nThis council was on Sunday evening, some time in September, 1849, and\nwe were to start no later than the 10th of October; indeed, we were\ninstructed to get ready as soon as possible, so that we could join a\ncompany of emigrants which was organizing to go through to California\nby the southern route, as it was too late to go by the northern route.\n\nAs Elder Addison Pratt and I had agreed to go sowing wheat together on\nMonday morning, I thought I could speak to him without any notice being\ntaken of it. I said to him, in a low tone of voice, that I guessed we\nwould not sow much wheat next day. President H. C. Kimball jumped from\nhis seat as quick as a flash, and pointing his finger directly at me,\nsaid, \"What is that, Brother Jimmie?\" When I told him what I had said,\nhe continued, \"Jimmie, it is not for you to sow wheat or to reap it,\nbut your calling is to sow the good seed of the Gospel, and gather\nIsrael from this time henceforth. Mind that, now; let others sow the\nwheat.\" From that time I felt a weight of responsibility that I had\nnever thought of before.\n\nWe then went to preparing for our journey, Apostle C. C. Rich had been\ncalled to go through to California, so he and Brother Pratt and I\nfitted up a team, I having a good wagon and one yoke of oxen; they each\nfurnished a yoke of oxen. In a few days we were ready for the start. We\nhad a rodometer attached to our wagon, to measure the distance.\n\nIn the meantime, the emigrants called a meeting before taking their\ndeparture. They had employed Captain Jefferson Hunt of company A,\nMormon Battalion fame, to be their guide, as he had come through that\nroute with pack animals. He was invited to tell them what they might\nexpect. He described the route to them with the roughest side out, lest\nthey might say that he had misled them by making things more favorable\nthan they really were. In concluding his remarks he said: \"From Salt\nSprings, we cross to a sandy desert, distance seventy-five miles to\nBitter Springs, the water so bitter the devil would not drink it; and\nfrom thence away hellwards, to California or some other place. Now,\ngentlemen, if you will stick together and follow me, I will lead you\nthrough to California all right; but you will have to make your own\nroad, for there is none save the old Spanish trail from Santa Fe to\nCalifornia, by the Cajon Pass through the Sierra Nevada Mountains.\"\n\nThe emigrant company consisted of about five hundred souls, and one\nhundred wagons and teams, the latter in poor condition. Feeling in high\nspirits, the company moved out between the 1st and 8th of October. C.\nC. Rich, Francis Pomeroy and I remained to follow up on horseback, in\nthree or four days. Pratt and Blackwell, taking our team, started with\nthe main body. They got to the Cottonwoods, when one of my oxen became\nso lame that they could not proceed any farther. Blackwell returned to\ninform me of the situation, and I went down and traded with John Brown,\nlate Bishop of Pleasant Grove, for another ox, mine having been pricked\nin shoeing. Then they overtook the main company, and all proceeded\ntogether.\n\nOn the 8th we followed. I started out alone, to meet with the others\nat Cottonwood. As I passed the home of Dr. Willard Richards, counselor\nto President Brigham Young, Dr. Richards came out and met me; he took\nme by the right knee with his right hand, as I sat on my horse, and\nsaid, \"Starting out on your mission, I suppose?\" I replied, \"Yes, sir.\"\n\"Well, Brother James, I am glad, and sorry; glad to have you go and\npreach the Gospel, and sorry to part with good young men that we need\nin opening up a new country.\" At that he gave my knee an extra grip.\nStretching his left hand out to the southwest, his chin quivering and\nhis eyes filling with tears, he said, \"Brother James, when you are\nupon yonder distant islands, called to preside over a branch of the\nChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, men will seek your life,\nand to all human appearance, there will be no possible escape; then\nlook unto God, and His angels shall draw near unto you, and you shall\nbe delivered, to return home to this people. Do not stop to write to\nBrother Pratt, your president, to Brother Brigham, or to me, for you\nwill require the immediate protection of God. Then put your trust\nin Him, and He will deliver you; for I promise you in the name of\nIsrael's God that you shall be delivered from your enemy and return\nto this people. Goodbye, and God bless you.\" Need I tell the reader\nthat my mind was greatly impressed by those prophetic words, their\ninspired character being established so vividly in my later experience?\nProphetic I knew them to be, and impressive they were indeed; and the\nimpression has been deep and lasting.\n\nI then went on to Brother Jacob M. Truman's, on Big Cottonwood Creek,\nand stayed with him that night. Next morning I passed on to Brother\nWilliam Bills', where I met with Brothers C. C. Rich and F. Pomeroy,\nand we proceeded on to Provo by the Indian trail, having been joined by\nAlexander Williams, with whom we stayed.\n\nAt Provo we learned that the citizens and Indians had had some trouble,\nand there was considerable excitement, as there were but few settlers\nat that place and the Indians were quite numerous. The latter were\nsinging war songs and working up a spirit of war preliminary to making\nan attack that night or next morning, as was supposed. The people\nwere preparing to receive them as best they could. Guards were posted\naround the camp, and men put on picket duty, so that any enemy might be\ndiscovered readily.\n\nThe Indians made no move until after daylight; but just before sunrise\nthey started from their camps in force, to attack us. We advanced to\nmeet them, so as to prevent their assailing us in the small fort,\nwhere the women and children were. The savages marched up as if to\ngive us open battle. We formed across the road, and each man took his\npost ready for action. I always have believed that if it had not been\nfor the presence of Apostle C. C. Rich, and his cool, conciliatory\naction, there would have been bloodshed, for there were some very\nhot-headed white men, who would have preferred war to peace. Through\nBrother Rich's influence, the cause of the trouble was looked into, a\nconciliation effected, and war averted, so that after breakfast we of\nthe missionary party proceeded on to what was called Hobble Creek--now\nthe city of Springville, with a population of over two thousand souls.\nI remember that we thought the place would be capable of sustaining\neight or ten families, or a dairy, believing there was not enough water\nfor more.\n\nFrom Hobble Creek we passed on from one small stream to another,\nexpressing our opinion as to the capacity of the water supply; and in\nno instance did we suppose that there was water sufficient for more\nthan fifteen families, judging from what we could see then. Again,\nthe barrenness of the country was such that it did not seem that more\nthan seventy-five or a hundred head of cattle could find feed within\nreach of water. Now thousands of head of horned stock and horses are\nsustained at the same places.\n\nWe kept on our way until we overtook the wagon train on Sevier River.\nWe came up with the emigrants just as they were ready to move on, but\ndid not find them so full of glee as they were on the start from the\ncity. Still, we rolled on very peaceably until we came to Beaver River,\nwhere the country began to look more forbidding. Then the ardor of the\nemigrants began to weaken.\n\nAt this place the company was joined by a man named Smith with a pack\ntrain of about seventeen men; also James Flake, with thirty Latter-day\nSaints; besides, there were William Farrer, John Dixon. H. W. Bigler,\nGeorge Q. Cannon, and others, whose names I do not now recall. Smith\nfelt confident that he could find Walker's Pass, in the Sierra Nevada\nMountains. This supposed pass had been spoken of often, but men had\nbeen disappointed as often in finding it, or rather in not finding\nit. Smith's story excited our whole camp so that there was a general\ndesire to try the new route, and go down through the canyon and out on\nto the sandy desert. The whole company except a very few favored the\nidea of leaving the route they had hired a guide for, and they urged\nCaptain Hunt to strike out and look for water. He said, \"Gentlemen, I\nagreed to pilot you through to California on the Old Spanish Route by\nthe Cajon Pass. I am ready to do so, and am not under any obligations\nto lead you in any other way; and if you insist on my doing so you must\nbe responsible, for I will not be responsible for anything. On this\ncondition, if you insist on changing your route, I will do the best I\ncan to find water, but I do not have any reason to hope for success\nwhen I leave the trail.\"\n\nThe company hurrahed for the Walker Pass, and Captain Hunt struck out a\nday ahead while the company shod and doctored their lame and sick stock\nfor one day. Then we moved out ten miles on to the plain southwest of\nwhere Minersville, Utah, now stands, and camped.\n\nSometime in the night Captain Hunt came into camp, so near choked from\nthe lack of water that his tongue was swollen till it protruded from\nhis mouth; his eyes were so sunken in his head that he could scarcely\nbe recognized. His horse, too, for the need of water, was blind, and\nstaggered as he was urged on. Their stay had been thirty-six hours,\non the sands, without water. About 2 o'clock next morning our stock\nstampeded from the guards and ran back to water. Two-thirds of the men\nwent in pursuit, and animals and men did not return to camp till 2\no'clock in the afternoon.\n\nBy this time confusion and discontent abounded in camp. A committee was\nappointed to inquire into the condition of every team, and to ascertain\nthe food supply, with the avowed intention of sending all back who\nfailed to have what were considered the requisites for the journey. I\nthink that one-third of the company, our wagon included, were found\nwanting when weighed in that committee's balances. But when we were\nordered to return, those who gave the command found that they were\nwithout authority and no one would heed them. So the discontent was\npatched up for a time, and we proceeded on to Little Salt Lake Valley,\nwhere we struck the old Spanish trail again. Then the company began to\nsplit up, some going on after night, and others stopping.\n\nBrother C. C. Rich told me that it had been shown to him that there was\ngoing to be trouble, and he felt led to believe that if we would go\nwith the pack train he could at least lead the brethren there back on\nto the trail and save them. This was in the night, as we slept together\nin the wagon. He awoke and asked me if I were awake. Finding that I\nwas, he told me what would befall the company. To save the brethren\nand all who would heed him, he purchased some ponies and went with the\npackers.\n\nAs we passed along the Spanish trail--said to be three hundred and\nfifty years old--on the great desert, we could follow the route by\nthe bones of dead animals in many places. It is said that many fierce\nbattles have been fought between Mexicans and Indians along this trail.\nSo far as we were concerned, although it was known that the Indians\nwere very hostile, they gave us no trouble.\n\nWhen we reached what is called the Rim of the Basin, where the waters\ndivide, part running into the Colorado River and on to the Pacific\nOcean, and part into the Salt Lake Valley, the company called meetings,\nand several made speeches, saying there must be a nearer and better\nroute than that on which the Mormon guide was leading them. One\nMethodist and one Campbellite preacher in the company said that they\nhad started to California, and not hellwards, as the Mormon guide had\nstated at the outset, quoting what Captain Hunt had said just before\nstarting. Others claimed that they had been on the mountains, and upon\nlooking west had seen something green, which they asserted was an\nindication of water. Some of them celebrated the proposed separation\nfrom us by boring holes in trees then filling these with powder and\nfiring them, exploded the trees in symbol of the break-up of the\ncompany.\n\nNext morning all but seven wagons turned off to the right,\ntoward the supposed Walker's Pass. We preferred to follow the guide.\nThe company was thoroughly warned by Captain Hunt of the danger of\ndying from lack of water. In our party there were eleven men, two women\nand three children. The main company expressed pity for us and tried\nto persuade us to go with them, but we felt confident that our course\nwas the safest, notwithstanding their superior numbers. They seemed to\nrejoice at their conclusion, while we regretted it for their sakes.\nThus we separated, the emigrant company heading for Walker's Pass, and\nour small party continuing on the old Spanish trail, or southern route\nto California.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVIII.\n\nCAUGHT IN A SNOWSTORM--VIA THE SANTA CLARA AND RIO VIRGEN TO\nTHE MUDDY--NEWS OF SAD DISASTER TO THE EMIGRANT COMPANY--MAKING\nCHARCOAL AND NAILS--AN APOSTLE AS A BLACKSMITH--SEARCHING FOR WATER\nON THE DESERT--CROSSING AN ALKALI STREAM--DISCOVER GOLD NEAR SALT\nSPRINGS--HURRYING ON OVER THE DESERT--CATTLE POISONED AT BITTER\nSPRINGS--KILLING ANIMALS TO RELIEVE THEIR SUFFERINGS--FIRST WAGON\nOVER CAJON PASS, GOING WEST--SEVERE JOURNEY TO THE SUMMIT OF THE\nPASS--ALL GET OVER SAFELY--SENSE OF GREAT RELIEF--GRASS AND WATER IN\nABUNDANCE--OVERTAKEN BY SURVIVORS OF THE EMIGRANT COMPANY--THEIR\nSTORY OF TERRIBLE SUFFERING--DIVIDE PROVISIONS WITH THEM--CELEBRATING\nCHRISTMAS, 1849--CONTINUING THE JOURNEY NORTH--SPANISH WARNING IN A\nCEMETERY TO INDIANS--CRUELTY OF THE SPANIARDS TO THE INDIANS--THE\nWRITER PLACED IN CHARGE OF THE COMPANY--DIRECTED TO GO TO THE GOLD\nMINES.\n\nWHEN the company had separated the weather was very threatening, and it\nsoon began to snow very fast. We pulled on until late in the afternoon,\nand camped on the mountain. Next day we came to some Indian farms\nwhere the savages had raised corn, wheat and squash. We passed on to\nthe Santa Clara, followed it down for three or four days, and found\na written notice to those who came that way: \"Look out, for we have\nkilled two Indians here.\" With this warning, we felt that we must keep\na vigilant guard all the time. From the Santa Clara we had a very long\ndrive across the mountain and down a long, dry, rocky slope until we\ncame to the Rio Virgen. We went along that stream three or four days;\nwhere we left it we found a cow with an Indian arrow sticking in her.\nWe next passed over a high plateau to a stream well named the Muddy.\nThere we laid by and doctored and shod our lame cattle.\n\nWhile we were on the Muddy, Brother C. C. Rich and party came down\nthe stream to us, bringing sad and heartrending news from the great\nemigrant company, which had broken into factions and become perfectly\ndemoralized and confused. Some had taken packs on their backs and\nstarted on foot, their cattle dying, their wagons abandoned. All were\ndespondent, and unwilling to listen to anybody. I think, from the\nbest information we ever got of them, I would be safe in saying that\nfour-fifths of them met a most horrible fate, being starved or choked\nto death in or near what was afterwards called Death Valley. In after\nyears the miners of Pahranagat found the irons of the wagons very handy\nfor use in their pursuits.\n\nOn the Muddy we burned charcoal and made nails to shoe our cattle,\nhaving to throw the animals down and hold them while Apostle C. C. Rich\nshod them. Brother Rich did his work well, for the shoes never came\nloose till they wore off.\n\nFrom the Muddy I accompanied Captain Hunt and Henry Rollins twelve\nmiles and found some small pools of water about two miles to the right\nof the trail; I went back to turn the packers to it, while Captain\nHunt and Henry Rollins went ahead in search of more pools of water and\nfound some. George Q. Cannon and I stayed there as guides for the wagon\ntrain, and turned them off to the water. When the train arrived, about\n11 o'clock p.m., we had to dip water with cups and water the stock from\nbuckets. Then we pressed on till daylight, made a halt long enough to\ntake breakfast, and pushed on, for there was no feed for our stock.\n\nAbout 2 p.m. we came to the Los Vegas, where we rested a day, then\ncontinued our journey over mountains and across dry deserts from day\nto day until we reached a stream of water about three rods wide. It\nwas so strong with alkali that we dared not allow our cattle to drink\nof it, but put the lash to them so that they could not get a sup as we\ncrossed it twice. Thence we traveled across a very sandy desert for\ntwelve miles to the Salt Springs, where the train went around a point\nof the mountain. A. Pratt and I, with three or four others, followed\non a small trail that passed over a notch of the mountain. While going\nthrough a narrow pass, Brother A. Pratt said it looked as if there\nmight be gold there. At that we went to looking in the crevices of\nthe rock, and in a few minutes one of the party found a small scale,\nand then another. Among the rest, I saw the precious metal projecting\nfrom a streak of quartz in the granite rock. From there we went over\nabout one and a half miles to the Salt Springs, and met with the teams.\nSeveral of the party journeyed back to look further for the gold. I\ntook along a cold chisel and hammer, and chipped out some at the place\nI had found, but as our teams were weakening very fast and there was\nneither food nor water at that place to sustain our stock, we had to\npush on across the sandy desert of seventy-five miles, day and night,\nuntil we came to the Bitter Springs.\n\nThese were the springs that Captain Hunt had told the emigrant company\nabout before they left Salt Lake City, that from thence it was \"away\nhellward to California or some other place.\" It certainly began to\nlook that way now, when our cattle began to weaken and die all along\nthe trail. The springs would have been as properly named if they had\nbeen called Poison Springs, instead of Bitter, for it seemed that from\nthat place our cattle began to weaken every moment, and many had to\nbe turned loose from the yoke and then shot to get them out of their\nmisery.\n\nWe had to shoot one of Brother Pratt's oxen to end its suffering. This\nact fell to my lot. Oh, how inhuman and cruel it seemed to me, to drive\nthe patient and faithful dumb animal into a barren desert, where there\nis neither food nor drink, to goad him on until he falls from sheer\nexhaustion, so that he bears any punishment, to make him rise, that his\nmaster sees fit to inflict, without giving a single moan, then to walk\naround and calmly look him in the face and fire the deadly missile into\nhis brain, then leave his carcass to the loathsome wolves and birds of\nprey!\n\nIn looking back over a period of fifty years since then, the writer\ncannot call to memory a single act in his life that seemed so cruel\nand ungrateful as that; and still there was no earthly means to save\nthe poor creature from a more horrible death, which would have come if\nhe had been left in that driving snowstorm, when his whole frame shook\nwith cold, there to lie and starve--one of the most miserable deaths\nthat the human mind can conceive of. Of the two evils we chose the\nleast by ending the suffering in a moment, when it would have taken\nhours if it had not been for this act of mercy, as we call it after\ntaking in the whole situation.\n\nFrom Bitter Springs our team took the lead to the end of the journey,\nor to Williams' Ranch, being the first team that ever crossed over\nthe Cajon Pass going west, as I remember. Ascending to the first pass\nfrom the Bitter Springs our situation was most gloomy. In mud and\nsnow, with darkness come on, every rod of the road became more steep\nand difficult. The summit was two miles ahead and the nearest team\nhalf a mile back. We moved by hitches and starts, and could only make\nthree or four rods at a time. Two of us pushed at the wagon while the\nother drove. Our guide was a few feet ahead, marking out the road, and\nsaying, \"Crowd up, boys, if possible. Let us wallow on over the summit,\nfor it is our only salvation to cross and try to open the road if\npossible for the weaker teams.\"\n\nFinally, with a shout of triumph, we reached the summit in two feet of\nsnow, at 11 o'clock at night. Our guide told us to go on down and build\nfires at the first place where we could find anything for our stock,\nand he would go back and cheer the rest on as best he could.\n\nThe descent being quite steep, we soon made the distance of three or\nfour miles to where there was but about six inches of snow, and where\nwe found some feed. Our matches were all damp, and we were wet as could\nbe. We split up our spare yoke and struck fire with flint and steel,\ncrawled into the wagon, and started a fire in the frying-pan. Then, as\nthere was plenty of fuel, we made a roaring fire outside, took a bite\nto eat, and turned in for a few moments' rest, being satisfied that the\nothers of the party had halted before they reached the summit, and as\nthe guide was with them we thought they would take a rest and come on\nat daybreak.\n\nThis conjecture proved right, for about 4 o'clock a.m. Captain Hunt\nhallooed to us and called for a cup of coffee. He seemed to be chilled\nto the bone, so we soon stirred the fire and got him something to eat.\nHe told us all the teams would make the riffle, but for us to have\na good fire, for some of the men would be chilled nearly to death.\nThen he directed us to go ahead until we found feed for the stock,\nand he would remain until the company came up. We advanced about ten\nmiles, and halted for our cattle to feed and rest. In the meantime\nwe discovered the company coming down the slope of the mountain. Our\nfeelings, as well as theirs, were much relieved at the sight, as we\nbeheld each other, and when they had rested their teams they came on to\nour camping place for another stop, while we moved ahead to the Mohave\nRiver. When we reached that stream, I presume that we felt as pleased\nas a man liberated from a life sentence in a dungeon, for we had reason\nto feel assured that we would succeed in our journey, as we had only\none more hard scramble of thirty miles, and had pleasant weather and\nplenty of feed and water for our stock, with time to rest in. Some\nshouted: \"Daylight once more; thank God for our deliverance!\"\n\nIt was while we lay here that some of the company which had parted\nwith us at the Rim of the Basin came up to us with packs on their\nbacks, half-starved. The story of the condition of their comrades was\nhorrifying beyond description. Men, women and children suffered death\nalike by thirst and starvation. This painful episode affords one more\ninstance of where the majority had been wrong and the minority right.\nThe new arrivals said that when we parted from them they were sorry for\nus. But now we were more sorry for them than they had been for us.\n\nWe divided our food the second or third time to relieve these starving\npeople, then pursued our course up stream for nine or ten days. There\nwe rested our cattle, did some hunting, and replenished our food supply\nwith wild meat, principally venison, quail and the gray squirrel. We\nfound plenty of wild grapes, and also discovered that the raccoon lived\nin that part of the world.\n\nIt was about the 17th of December when we crossed the Cajon Pass, in\nthe Sierra Nevada Mountains; from thence we moved via the Cocomonga\nRanch to Williams' Ranch, arriving there on December 24th. At Williams'\nwe found C. C. Rich and party; we joined in with them and had a\ngood Christmas dinner. There we traded for new supplies to last us\nup to the gold mines on the Mariposa and the Stanislaus rivers, in\nnorthern California, or the upper country. The writer acted as pilot,\ninterpreter and quartermaster for the company of something like fifty\nmen.\n\nIt was about the 27th of January when we left the ranch, from which\nwe traveled to Los Angeles, thence twenty miles to the north, where\nC. C. Rich and ten or fifteen men left us, and H. Egan took charge of\nthe company as captain. We followed up the Santa Barbara road at the\nrate of fifteen miles per day. The roads were very rough and hilly.\nThe whole country was still in a very wild state. We were frequently\nwarned to be on our guard for bandits, which were said to be roaming in\nthe locality. We passed in peace, however, nothing out of the general\nroutine happening until we arrived at the San Antonio Mission. The\nalcalde invited me into the chapel. To me, at that time, it seemed\nto be very grand, so attractive was the decoration. The alcalde then\nopened the gates of the cemetery, in which I saw a pillar of burnt\nadobes with four Indian skulls on it, for the rest of the Indians\nto see what they might expect if they committed any outrages on the\ncitizens.\n\nFrom all that I have learned about Spain's treatment of the red men,\nit has been very cruel, yet the Spaniards claimed their methods were\nnecessary in order to Christianize the aborigines. At that time the\nIndians in California were more cruelly treated than the slaves in the\nsouth; many of them had scars on their backs ten or twelve inches long,\ncaused by the lash of the Spaniards.\n\nWe continued our journey up towards San Francisco until the 11th of\nFebruary, when we arrived at a town called the Mission San Juan. There\nwe received a letter from Apostle C. C. Rich; it was dated February\n8, 1850. The mission was old and dilapidated, and at that date was\noccupied by a very rough class of men. The surrounding country was very\nbeautiful and fertile.\n\nAbout 7 o'clock that same evening Captain Howard Egan assembled the\ncompany together, and called on the writer to take charge. Then he went\nforward to overhaul the company that had preceded us. Next morning we\ncontinued on our journey, crossing a deep stream of water, and going to\nnear Fisher's Ranch, where we received a few lines from Captain Egan,\nordering us to stop the ox teams and forward the mule teams to San Jose\nto get provisions. We obeyed, and purchased a beef animal and dried the\nmeat.\n\nWhen Captain Egan returned to camp he told me that Apostle C. C. Rich\nthought I had better continue with the company on to the mines, until I\nsaw or heard from him again. Accordingly I did so.\n\nRetracing our steps about four miles, we turned to the left on a trail\nthat led us to Gilroy's Ranch, thence to Rancho Pacheco. There we met\na Frenchman who directed us across the mountains. Meantime our company\nappointed six of us to precede the wagons and mark out the road, as we\nwere again entering into a wilderness with no roads except Indian and\nwild animals' trails.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIX.\n\nJOURNEYING TOWARD THE GOLD DIGGINGS--THREATENED BY WILD\nHORSES--DIFFICULTIES OF TRAVELING--CONVOCATION OF THE FEATHERED\nCREATION--REJOIN OUR FRIENDS--FERRYING ACROSS A RIVER--STRIKE\nA GOLD PROSPECT--ON A PROSPECTING TOUR--AN AGREEMENT THAT\nFAILED--INSTRUCTED TO GO TO SAN FRANCISCO TO PROCEED ON A MISSION--TRIP\nTO STOCKTON--GAMBLERS, SHARPERS AND MINERS AT THAT PLACE---A TEMPTATION\nOVERCOME--ARRIVE IN SAN FRANCISCO--WELCOMED BY SAINTS--RECEIVE KIND\nTREATMENT--ON BOARD A VESSEL BOUND FOR TAHITI.\n\nON the second day of our journey toward the mines we were confronted\nby a band of wild mustang horses. Two of our men who happened to be\nhalf a mile ahead of the other four of us were cut off from us by the\nwild animals, so that the confusion of the situation was such that we\ndid not rejoin them for three days. The band was about three hours\nin passing us, and the trail was one mile in width. We thought it a\nlow estimate to say that there were seven or eight thousand horses.\nThere seemed to be hundreds of the finest animals dashing up and down,\nflanking the main herd, and driving, and shaping the course followed.\nTo save ourselves and our horses from being taken in by them, we tied\nour horses' heads close together, and then stood between them and the\nwild band with our rifles in hand ready to shoot the leaders or any\nstallion that might attempt to gather in our horses, as we had heard\nthat they did not hesitate to attempt to do when out on the open plains\nas we were. We supposed from all that we could learn that they had been\nto the San Joaquin River for water, and were returning over the plains\nto the foothills for pasture. The noise made by them as they galloped\npast us was like distant, heavy thunder, only it was a long, continuous\nroar or rumbling sound; we stood in almost breathless silence, and\nmingled fear and delight, and viewed the magnificent picture. At last\nthe animals passed, and we heaved a sigh of relief.\n\nWe proceeded on for about four hours, when we had to call another halt\nand take similar precautions, and for the same reason, except that\nthere were only about five hundred horses. When they passed we steered\nour course for the lower end of the Tulare Lake, where, so we had\nheard, a ferry had been located a few days before. As there was no road\nto travel, we thought we would go high enough and then follow the San\nJoaquin River down until we came to the crossing.\n\nNight overtaking us, we camped by a slough where bear tracks, large and\nsmall, were in great abundance. For fear of Indians we dared not make\nmuch fire, so we passed a very lonely night, being filled with anxiety\nabout our lost comrades, not knowing what had become of them; for, as\nnear as my memory serves me, this was our second night camp since they\nwere separated from us. To add to our troubles and gloom, the night was\nintensely dark, and a drizzling rain was falling.\n\nSuddenly our horses all broke from us. We followed them by the sound\nof their feet as they ran, and after a long chase through swamps and\nsloughs we succeeded in capturing them. Then the next trouble came. We\nhad lost one man and all our pack, and were without supper. Being out\nof hailing distance, it was by mere chance that we found our man and\ncamp late in the night. Our horses had become so frightened that it was\nnecessary to sit up till morning, to keep them quiet; so that only two\nof us could get a dreamy snooze at a time.\n\nNext morning dawned and our friends were still missing. We journeyed\non, passing down the sloughs to the river. At times it seemed that the\nwhole feathered tribe had met over our heads and all around in one\ngrand carnival, to consult over the advent of the white man into that\nswampy country. We had never before beheld such a grand aggregation of\nwaterfowl, and the writer has never seen its equal since. For a time,\nwe could not understand each other's talk, because of the clatter. Our\nnext surprise was about five hundred elk which passed in front of us,\nbut the deep sloughs between prevented our replenishing our scanty\nstore of rations.\n\nSoon we were pleased at falling in with our lost friends. They had\nfound a lone wagon trail towards the river. We dispatched two of our\nparty to meet the main company, and the rest of us followed the wagon\ntrail to the river, where we found a man named Woods who had got\nthere three days ahead of us, with a rowboat and a small supply of\nprovisions and groceries. Salt pork and hard sea biscuit were selling\nat seventy-five cents per pound, and everything else proportionately\nhigh. The boat had just been launched.\n\nThe next day, when the wagons came in, we took them apart and crossed\nin a boat, all except my wagon; it being heavy and having the rodometer\nattached to it, we got a cable rope and thought to tow the wagon over\nwith the load, but when it had reached the middle of the river, which\nwas about fifteen rods wide, the rope parted and the wagon turned over\nand over. Then Irwin Stoddard jumped in and made the rope fast to the\nhind axle, and as he could not manage the pole of the wagon, I jumped\nin to help him. Between us, we liberated the pole, so that after great\nexertion and hazard of life we finally succeeded in saving the vehicle,\nbut we were thoroughly chilled through. We did not cross our animals\ntill next morning, when we drove them in and they swam over, and we\nwere soon on our way to and up the Merced River. Six of us proceeded\nahead of the teams, traveling on horseback, to see what we could learn\nthat would be of benefit to the company.\n\nOn the third day, I think it was, we came to a small mining camp called\nBurns' Diggings, on the south side of the Merced River. There we struck\na very good prospect, and stopped until the main company came up. As it\nwas evident that we could take from twelve to fifteen dollars per day to\nthe man, we advised the company to begin work there, as the country was\nso muddy and soft that we could not make much headway in traveling\nhigher into the foot hills. They agreed to accept our advice; then came\na quite laughable performance. Those who had been the very worst drones\nin camp were now the first with the pick and washpan. They pitched into\nthe creek as if they expected to scoop up the gold by shovelfuls, leaving\ntheir teams hitched to their wagons; while those who had been on hand\nearly and late, taking a more methodical view of things, first formed\nthe camp, got their dinner, and then went quietly to prospecting up\nand down the creek. By this time our drones decided there was no gold\nthere, and that they would go where there was some. What a lesson we\nlearned there of human nature! The next day, however, things settled\ndown a little more like business, after it was ascertained that some\nhad been making from fifteen to twenty-five and fifty, and some even as\nhigh as one hundred dollars per day, to the man. Next day, Captain Egan\nand five others of our number were elected to go further up into the\nmountains and prospect for the company, while the others dug gold. The\nlatter were to keep an account of all they earned, and when we returned\nthey were to give us an equal share with those who stayed and worked.\n\nOn these conditions six of us set out on horseback and with pack mules.\nWhen we got well into the mountains it began to rain and snow so that\nwe were not able to do much but cut browse for our horses. The snow\nbecame so deep that we had to go ahead of our horses and break the road\nso as to get out. We were soaked to the skin, and our bedclothes were\nall wet. Our provisions were almost gone; so we set out for our camp,\nafter spending ten days in a most miserable condition. We traveled\nin snow two and a half feet deep from 2 p.m. until 6 a.m. before we\nsucceeded in reaching camp, when we found that Apostle Rich had been\nthere, and the men had sent every dollar's worth of gold they had dug\nin our absence to Stockton for supplies of provisions, clothing, tools,\netc., so there was none left to pay us our proportion.\n\nAs Apostle C. C. Rich had brought word that Brother A. Pratt desired me\nto meet him in San Francisco by a certain date, I packed up my effects,\nsold my oxen to Captain Jefferson Hunt for two hundred dollars, and\nbade adieu to the rest of the camp, who owed me one hundred dollars,\nand they yet owe it.\n\nI traveled in company with C. C. Rich and Howard Egan. On the 20th of\nMarch, when we got out of the hills, we took the main road to Stockton,\ncrossing the Merced, Tuolumne, and Stanislaus rivers, all tributaries\nto the San Joaquin River. We arrived in Stockton on March 28th. The\nplace was at that time a point of debarkation where freight was landed\nfor the many mining camps. There were a few trading establishments and\nwarehouses, and three or four large gambling houses in and around which\nwere gathered freighters, packers, and one of the most motley gangs it\nhas ever been my lot to see. Bands of music were in the gambling halls.\nAt one of these I noted twelve tables, four men at each, armed with\nbowie knives and revolvers; and to me it looked as if there were more\ngold and silver exposed on those twelve tables than six mules could\ndraw. On the street and around the door, calling on the passers-by to\ncome in and have a free drink and listen to the music, were men whom I\nsoon learned were called cappers, or ropers-in, to the gambling hall;\nthey would steam men up with drink, get them to gambling, and rob them.\nSometimes men would come in from the mines with their buckskin wallets\ncontaining three to four hundred dollars' worth of gold. They would\nstand around with perfect strangers and drink free whisky until they\nbecame dazed, then would set down their wallets of gold on a card, and\nthe next moment their money would be taken up by the gambler, who would\ncontinue dealing his cards as unconcernedly as he would knock the ashes\nfrom his cigar. The poor, silly miner would turn away with a sickly\nlook, having not even enough left to get him a change of clothing.\nHe would go into the street with his old miner's clothes on, without\na dime to pay for his supper or to get a night's lodging. Sometimes\nthousands of dollars would change hands in a few moments. This was\nin the spring of 1850, when the strong, with revolver and bowie\nknife, were law, when gamblers and blacklegs ran many of the towns in\nCalifornia.\n\nBy this time I imagine that the reader asks what, as a missionary,\nI was doing there. I might answer by quoting the saying of Christ,\nthat it was not the righteous but the sinners that He had come to\ncall to repentance. But I will not offer this excuse, for it was\nnot applicable; and as open confession is good for the soul, I will\nmake one, hoping that it may be not only good for my soul, but be a\nwarning to all who read it. I was twenty-one years old at the time,\nand was alone on the street. I did not know where to go or what to\ndo. My companions had left on business, and as I started along the\nstreet I met with an old time friend who appeared very much pleased to\nsee me. His pleasure was reciprocated. He asked me to go in and have\nsomething to drink; I thanked him and said that I was not in the habit\nof indulging. He said, \"Oh, come in, and have a little wine for old\nfriendship's sake. There is no harm in a little wine; come, go in and\nhear the music, anyway.\" With that I turned in with him to the largest\ngambling den in the town. The place was packed with men of almost every\nnationality. This was the house I have described.\n\nIn the time of great excitement, it must be confessed, the writer was\ntempted to lay down a purse of one hundred dollars, as he had that\namount with him. But the next instant the thought came to him, Would\nyou try to beat a watchmaker or a gunsmith at his trade? The idea\nwas so absurd that he then thought how foolish it was to try to beat\nthese professional gamblers at their own game. Then the disgrace that\nattached to the act became so repulsive to his nature, that he felt\nashamed that he ever had been tempted; and to this day, in a life of\nseventy-two years, he has never gambled. He has always felt thankful\nthat that simple thought came to him at that time and place.\n\nAs soon as I could arrange a little business that detained me at\nStockton, I boarded a steamboat called the _Captain Sutter_, bound for\nSan Francisco, paying twenty-five dollars for a seventy-five mile ride\non the crowded deck. I paid two dollars for a dinner that consisted\nof tough beef, poor bread, and a cup of tea. Such were \"times\" in\nCalifornia in 1850.\n\nWe landed at the great wharf in San Francisco about 8 o'clock that\nevening, April 5th. I went up town, where the streets were crowded,\nthen returned and slept on the deck of the boat. Next morning, I took\nmy trunk to the Boston House, and leaving it there, sought friends.\nI was not long in finding Brother Morris, who directed me to Brother\nCade's, who, together with his good lady, received me very kindly. He\ninquired if I had any place to stop at, and when I told him no, he\nsaid, \"Stop and have dinner with us, then bring your trunk here and\nstay until you can do better, if you can do with such fare as we have.\nWe are old and cannot do very well, but you are welcome to stay with us\nas long as my old lady can cook for us.\"\n\nWith thanks, the writer accepted the kind offer, and from there visited\nthe Saints in San Francisco. I met Amasa M. Lyman and Charles C.\nRich, two of the Twelve Apostles, also found Addison Pratt, my fellow\nmissionary. Brother and Sister Cade were not willing that I should stop\nover night at any other place, or pay for my washing. The good old lady\nsaid she had money enough to last her while she lived and pay for the\nwashing of my clothes. Sister Ivins, who lived near by, sent for my\nclothes and had them well laundered. While I stayed there, Sister Cade\npresented me with five dollars and a nice silk handkerchief, and the\nold gentleman gave me a good inkstand. Sister Patch, who lived near by,\ngave me five dollars and a silk vest, and many of the Saints showed us\nfavors.\n\nOn April 19th we carried our trunks on board the brig _Frederick_,\nCaptain Dunham commanding. The fare was one hundred dollars each, in\nthe cabin. We returned on shore and stayed over night, and having\nreceived our instructions and blessings from Apostles A. M. Lyman and\nC. C. Rich, we boarded the vessel at 6 o'clock a.m., April 20, and\nsailed away to the southwest, for the island of Tahiti, South Pacific\nOcean.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XX.\n\nSAILING FOR THE SOUTH PACIFIC--SEVERE ATTACK OF SEASICKNESS--BECALMED\nIN THE TROPICS--INTENSE HEAT--MARQUESAS ISLANDS--CANNIBALS--REACH\nTAHITI--LAND AT PAPEETE--MEET WITH FRIENDS--HEARTY WELCOME--PREACHING\nTO THE NATIVES--ANIMOSITY OF PROTESTANTS AND CATHOLICS TOWARD THE\nMORMONS--JEALOUSY OF FRENCH GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ON THE ISLAND--WATCHED\nBY DETECTIVES--SIX NATIVES BAPTIZED--LEARNING THE LANGUAGE--RUMORS\nOF AN INTENTION TO EXPEL THE MORMONS--ELDERS B. F. GROUARD AND T.\nWHITAKER ARRESTED--APPEAL FOR AID--THEIR RELEASE AND RETURN TO THEIR\nMISSIONARY LABORS--MEET WITH BROTHER PRATT AGAIN--INTERVIEW WITH THE\nGOVERNOR--THAT OFFICIAL REFUSES ELDERS PRATT AND BROWN PERMISSION TO\nVISIT ANOTHER ISLAND--SCARCITY OF FOOD AT HUAUA--EATING SEASNAILS AND\nBUGS--STRANGE DISHES OF FOOD--ALMOST PERISH FROM THIRST--VISIT TO\nTIARARA--ACQUIRING THE LANGUAGE.\n\nLEAVING San Francisco on April 20, 1850, the wind being fair, we made\nabout eight knots per hour, and soon lost sight of the land over which\nthe Stars and Stripes waves. The writer became very seasick, and\nremained so for the voyage. He was seven days without an action of his\nbowels, and he could not retain any kind of food on his stomach until\nwe got down in the tropics, when two flying fish flew aboard ship at\nnight, and the steward cooked them for the sick man. That was the first\nthing he had a relish for. The captain said that if he had ever heard\nof anybody dying of seasickness he would have had no hopes of getting\nthe writer ashore.\n\nThe monotony of the voyage was broken only by vast fields of seaweed,\nso dense that it greatly impeded our progress. Seabirds and fish were\nvery plentiful, and many times attracted the attention of the voyagers,\nwho caught several kinds of fish, including dolphin, shark and\nporpoise. The fishing afforded some amusing sport, the writer gaining\ncourage enough at one time to crawl out on the jibboom and catch one\nfish.\n\nThe most trying event of the whole voyage was a calm in the torrid\nzone, where we lay for eight days; it was said that in that time we\ngained only eight miles. During that calm all the pitch broiled out of\nthe seams of the deck, making it leak so that it had to be recalked and\nrepitched. It became so hot that a man could not endure his bare feet\non it, and if it had not been for the seamen throwing water on deck\nit seemed that we could not have lived through the terrible ordeal.\nFinally a gentle breeze came to our relief, and we were wafted in sight\nof the Marquesas Islands. We passed so close to these that the captain\nexpressed a fear that we were in danger of being attacked by the\nnatives of Nukahuia, the principal island. He said they were cannibals,\nand that small vessels had been captured by the natives coming off in\nsuch numbers, in canoes, as to overpower the crews. Hence he thought it\ndangerous to be so close with such light winds as we had. The wind soon\nfreshened to a gale, and thus our fears were allayed as we bore down\nclose along to the northward of the Tuamotu group, sighting some of\nthem, to Tahiti, on which we landed on May 24, 1850.\n\nTahiti is the principal island of the Society group; it is said to\nbe eighty miles in length, varying from two miles at the isthmus to\nforty miles in the widest place. The highest mountain summit is said\nto be five thousand feet or more. The capital, Papeete, is in latitude\n17 degrees 32 minutes south, longitude 144 degrees 34 minutes west.\nThe islands were invaded by the French in 1843. In 1847 the war was\nconcluded, but not until much blood had been spilled and the country\nlaid waste. Then a French protectorate was established there, and\nconsequently, at the time we arrived, we found ourselves under the\nFrench flag, and had to apply to Governor Bonard for permission to\ngo on shore. This was granted, but very reluctantly, and we paid the\nsecretary three francs for each of us.\n\nOnce on shore, we found Brother Pratt's old friends, Hamatua and\nPohe, who treated us very kindly and on May 25th got our baggage from\nthe vessel, then took us in their boat around the northeast of the\nisland to their home in a little village called Huaua, where we were\nmet by their families and six or seven Church members. It seemed to\nbe impossible for them to rejoice any more than they did, and under\nthe circumstances we could not be treated with greater kindness. They\nprovided us with the best the land produced, making us cordially\nwelcome.\n\nBrother Pratt preached to them, while I was deaf and dumb, so far as\nthe spoken language was concerned; but the actions of the natives spoke\nlouder than words. When it came to meal time, they spread before us\nroast pig, and fish, taro, fais, bananas, cocoanuts, sweet-potatoes,\npopoie, oranges, pine and vee apples, doavas, bread fruit, etc. We had\nappetites equal to the occasion, and felt no remorse for not having\ndone justice to the table, or to the chest which was a substitute for a\ntable.\n\nWe soon learned that the Protestant ministers and Catholic priest were\nvery much prejudiced against us, and were doing all they could to\nprevent the people receiving us into their houses, advising them not to\nhold any conversation with us, or attend our meetings. We also learned\nthat the government officials were jealous of Mormon influence, and\nthat a watch was kept over us, in other words, the natives said that\ndetectives were on our track, and that a ship of war had been sent\nto Tubuoi for Elders B. F. Grouard and T. Whitaker, who were on that\nisland as Mormon missionaries, and who had been accused of speaking\nagainst the government. It may be imagined, therefore, that in all\nrespects our stay was not so pleasant as otherwise it might have been.\n\nAs it was, however, we made the best of the situation. Brother Pratt\npreached and talked much of the time to a few who gathered around, and\nhe soon baptized six persons. I studied the language by committing a\nfew words to memory, then forming them into sentences, and having them\ncorrected by the natives. Then, when I heard one tell another what to\ndo, I watched what was done. I collected many sentences, and walked\nthe beach till I committed them to memory. At first it seemed a very\ndifficult task to catch the sounds, but in a short time I could begin\nto understand, and then to talk. For a change I would rest myself\nfrom studying the language by practicing reading and writing, having\nprovided myself with copybooks and other necessary material before\nleaving San Francisco.\n\nThe home we had been made so welcome to was situated a few rods from\nthe beach, and between two little streams of water that came tumbling\ndown from the steep precipices in the background into a small valley,\nwhich was heavily timbered. There were some six or seven small huts or\ndwellings and twenty-five or thirty people all told. No business was\ncarried on further than gathering the fruit that grew, uncultivated,\nin abundance for the needs of the population; and with little effort\nthey caught fish as they cared to consume it. As most of the people\nof the village were quiet and peaceable, it will be understood why we\ncalled the place our lonely retreat, or lonely Huaua. We visited other\nvillages occasionally, and tried to interest the inhabitants and preach\nto them, but in vain. They would give us food, and sometimes offered to\nkeep us over night, but as a rule they were very cold and indifferent\ntowards us.\n\nUnder the circumstances the best we could do was to study the language\nand prepare ourselves for future usefulness as the way might open.\nMeanwhile, many rumors were in circulation about the French driving\nthe Mormons out of the country; and the Protestant ministers and\nCatholic priest seemed to spare no pains to spread all the slanderous\nstories they ever had heard about the Mormons. So many rumors were in\ncirculation that we did not know what to believe, so we remained in\nsuspense till July 17, when, to our surprise, Brother Grouard came in\nthrough a heavy rain and told us that he and Brother Whitaker had been\nbrought from Tubuoi, where they had been building a small schooner for\nthe use of the mission. He said they had been arrested on the charge of\nspeaking against the French government. They had landed that morning\nfrom a ship of war, and he had got permission to come and see us, but\nhad to return that evening so as to be at the trial next morning. He\nhad left a horse five miles back, because the road was so rough that he\ncould cover the distance on foot quicker than on horseback, and had no\ntime to lose. He greatly desired that Brother Pratt and I should be at\nhis trial. Said he, \"I am innocent, but I do not know what they will\nprove, and we want you to stand by us.\" So it was agreed that Brother\nHamatua and I should go on foot early next morning, and Brothers Pratt\nand Pohe would come as soon as the wind quieted down, as it was then\ntoo high to venture out in the boat.\n\nBrother Hamatua and I set out early in the morning, in a heavy rain,\nwhich continued to pour down till we reached Papeete, at 11 o'clock,\nwhen we met Brother Grouard coming from his trial, he having been\ndischarged. He said Brother Whitaker would also be acquitted, although\nthe prejudice against them was very strong.\n\nBrothers Grouard and Whitaker thought the government would board and\nlodge them at least till it got ready to return them home again, but\nin this they were mistaken, so they and I did the best we could for\nourselves. We soon learned that the steamship _Sarien_ would leave for\nTubuoi in three or four days, and the brethren would be taken back on\nthat. Brother Grouard sought the permission of the governor for Brother\nPratt and me to go on the _Sarien_ with him. This was refused on the\nground that two Mormon missionaries were enough on that island. The\ngovernor did not wish any more to go until he knew more about them.\n\nThe wind kept so high that Brother Pratt did not reach Papeete until\nBrothers Grouard and Whitaker had been acquitted and had gone. I had\nstarted home, and was overhauled by Brother Grouard, who said something\nhad broken on the ship and they had to stop to repair it; that he\ncould not remain to see Brother Pratt, but would stay with me as long\nas he could. He had only a few moments to stop, so I proceeded about\nsix miles, when I learned that Brother Pratt was on the way by boat.\nUpon obtaining this information I went back to the house where we had\nstayed two or three nights, finding the place barren and uninviting.\nEverything was very lonely with no friends there. I feared that I would\nbe alone that night, but at last Brother Pratt came. The boat had\nstopped, with our bedding and provisions, three or four miles up the\ncoast. Although the night was very dark, and the road lay through the\nwoods and across creeks, Brother Pratt thought we had better try to\nmake the boat for the night, as we had to give up going to Tubuoi.\n\nThis course was followed, and we found our friends and bedding all\nright. Not being satisfied, however, with the situation, we went back\nto Papeete next morning, to see the governor ourselves. When we met\nhim, Brother Pratt asked the reason why we could not be free to go\nwhere we chose. He replied that there had been some trouble with Mr.\nGrouard, and as it was his business to look after government affairs,\nhe wished to inquire into the matter further before permitting more\nAmerican missionaries to go there. Said he: \"While I do not wish to\ninterfere with religion, it is my duty to keep peace, and if you will\ncall again in a month or six weeks, I will let you know more about it.\"\n\nAt this we went to the boat, and with our friends returned to lonely\nHuaua. Indeed, if it had not been for our friends Hamatua and Pohe and\ntheir families, our stay at the place for some time after this would\nhave been very uncomfortable. Food had become very scarce, so that we\nhad to eat seasnails, and bugs that played on the surface of salt water\npools. These bugs were about the size of the end of a man's thumb; in\nform and action they very much resembled the little black bugs found\nalong the edges of our fresh water streams, and called by some people\nmellow bugs. I submit that a dish of these, without pepper or salt, was\na strange sight to present to a white man--their legs sticking out in\nall directions; yet, when a man has gone long enough without food, they\nbecome quite tempting, and he is not very particular about the legs,\neither.\n\nWe also had other strange dishes set before us. When other food failed,\nthe natives would go to the mouths of small fresh water streams, and\ndig in the sands, just where the high tide flowed, and at a depth of\ntwelve to eighteen inches they would find a something that resembled\nyoung snakes more than anything else I can compare them to. They were\nfrom six to ten inches in length, had a snake's mouth, and a spinal\ncolumn, or we should have called them worms; they were without fins, or\nwe might have called them eels. The natives had a name for them, but\nI have forgotten it. When they were boiled in salt water--put a quart\nor two into a pot of cold seawater, then hang them over the fire and\nsee them squirm a few moments--they were ready for the missionary's\nmeal, taken without pepper or salt. When cooked, a person seizes one\nby the head and extracts it from the dish, or the banana leaf, as the\ncase may be. He retains the head between his thumb and forefinger, then\ntakes hold of the body with his teeth, draws it through these, and\nthus strips off the flesh in his mouth. He then lays down the head and\nbackbone, and repeats the operation until he has completed his repast.\n\nJust a moment, my friendly reader; we have another dish for you on the\nSociety Islands, that you may enjoy better. It is a peculiar kind of\nfish, very rare indeed, for they seldom appear more than once or twice\nin a year: then they are present by myriads. They come up out of the\nsea into the fresh water streams so thickly that they can be dipped up\nwith a frying-pan or bucket. Sometimes the natives dip them up with an\nopen bucket, or with a sack having a hoop in the mouth, thus taking\nthem by bushels. These fish are of a dark color, and from half an\ninch to an inch and a quarter long. When boiled they look like boiled\nrice, and a man can eat about as many of them as he can grains of that\nvegetable. When they are eaten with the cream of the cocoanut they are\nquite palatable. This dish is not very common, as I remember seeing it\nin only three or four places.\n\nBesides the dish named, we had a small shellfish called maava. It\nlives in a shell so much like a snail's that we called it a seasnail.\nIt was cooked in the shell, and was quite acceptable for a change in\nhard times. We also had a large shellfish called pahua; again, we had\na jelly-fish which, when taken and laid in a dish, very much resembled\nthe white of an egg; it had neither scales nor bones, and was eaten\nraw, without pepper or salt.\n\nStill another course of food which we had was wild boar from the\nmountains. I can only say that the flesh is hard and tough. Brother\nPratt shot a boar with his shotgun. This pleased the natives very much.\nI also gave chase to one which led me so far away from water that I\nfelt I should die of thirst and heat. On my descent returning, I came\nto a lone cocoanut tree that had plenty of nuts on. I tried in vain to\nclimb the tree; then I clubbed the nuts that were only forty feet or\nso up, but finding that it was impossible to obtain drink in that way,\nI sat down in the shade in despair, and felt for a moment that I could\nnot live to reach water. At last my nerves became somewhat steadied,\nand I took aim at the stem of a nut, it being not so thick as my little\nfinger. The bullet cut one stem entirely away and passed through\nanother close to the nut. Thus two cocoanuts dropped, and hopes of\nlife sprung up anew, only to perish, for I found it impossible to open\nthe nuts. After a brief rest, I started down the mountain again, and\nsucceeded in reaching a cocoanut grove where an old man was throwing\ndown nuts. I told him of my suffering and he hastened down, opened a\nnut, and gave me a drink that was most refreshing. May he receive a\nprophet's reward, for he gave me drink when it seemed that life was\nfast ebbing away. The welcome draught refreshed me so that I gained the\nvillage early, being wiser for the experience of following wild boars\nin the mountains away from water. Although the temptation came to me\nseveral times afterward, I never chased a wild boar again; but at one\ntime I killed one which appeared to be about two years old, without a\nchase. This, and hunting ducks and fishing a little, greatly relieved\nthe monotony of our involuntary stay.\n\nFor a change from our living at Huaua, I went to visit Pohe, nephew\nof my old friend Hamatua, who lived at Tiara, three miles up the\ncoast, making my home with him. I visited among the people there, and\nby hearing none but the Tahitian language spoken, I progressed very\nfast therein; indeed my progress astonished the natives at Tiara, who\nsaid. \"The Lord helps the Mormon missionaries learn our language, for\nin three months they speak it better than other foreigners do in five\nyears.\"\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXI.\n\nOFFER OF TRANSPORTATION TO THE ISLAND OF TUBUOI--APPLY TO THE GOVERNOR\nFOR PERMISSION TO GO--TROOPS ON PARADE--SUITE OF QUEEN POMERE--CALL\nON THE GOVERNOR--CONVERSATION IN THREE LANGUAGES--DIRECTED TO COME\nAGAIN NEXT DAY--PUT OFF BY THE GOVERNOR--LATTER REFUSES THE PERMISSION\nASKED--HIS PREJUDICE AGAINST THE MORMONS--DEMANDS A STATEMENT OF THEIR\nDOCTRINES--NOT REQUIRED OF OTHER DENOMINATIONS--WRITER'S INTERVIEW\nWITH THE GOVERNOR--RETURN TO HUAUA--OTHER ELDERS REQUESTED TO ASSEMBLE\nTHERE--BITTERNESS OF PROTESTANT MINISTERS--NATIVES COMMENT ON MORMONS\nLEARNING THEIR LANGUAGE QUICKLY.\n\nDURING my stay at Tiara, news came to Brother Pratt that a schooner\nfrom Lurutu was at Papeete, and that the captain had proffered to take\nus to Tubuoi free of charge. On receiving this message I returned at\nonce to Huaua. Brother Pratt requested me to visit Governor Bonard, and\nsee if we could get permission to make the trip, it being near the time\nwhen we were to call on him again. It was necessary for us to give him\neight days' notice of our coming, and as the vessel was to sail in ten\ndays, there was no time to lose.\n\nOn August 9th I set out, two native boys accompanying me. When we\nreached Hapape, we saw there about four hundred soldiers. Then we met\nGovernor Bonard and staff, and after them saw Queen Pomere and suite,\nall in their military dress. It was difficult to tell which made the\nfinest appearance. On our arrival in Papeete we were told that the\ntroops had gone out on dress parade and review, preparatory to sailing\nto the island of Huhine, to settle some trouble between the natives\nof that island and some shipwrecked foreigners. It was late when we\nreached Papeete, and we went to the house of a native named Didi,\nstaying over night; he was very kind to us. I also met with the owner\nof the Lurutu vessel, who told me he would take us to Tubuoi free of\ncharge, if we wished to go. He seemed very friendly toward us.\n\nThe next day, August 10th, I went to see the governor. I met a sentinel\nat the gate, who ordered me to halt. Then he called for the officer\nof the day, who told me to wait till he gave notice to the governor.\nThe officer went in, and soon returned and beckoned me forward. I\nadvanced past a second sentinel, when the officer ushered me into the\npresence of his excellency, who rose from his seat and met me. When\nwe had shaken hands, he very politely bade me to be seated, and then\nsaid pleasantly: \"Do you speak English?\" This question being answered\nin the affirmative, he said, \"Me speak lete.\" Then we entered upon a\nconversation. As I understood a little French, and both of us could\nspeak a limited amount of Tahitian, we made a jargon of one-third\nEnglish, one-third French, and one-third Tahitian. Then we laughed\nheartily at each other because of our novel attempts in the three\nlanguages. The governor invited me to call next morning, when his\nFrench captain, who could speak English, would be there. Then, with\nFrench politeness, he bowed me out and off.\n\nNext morning I went, and met the governor going to church. He said he\nhad forgotten it was Sunday, so I would have to wait an hour or two,\nand come again. This I did, being stopped by the sentinel as before,\ngoing through all the ceremonies of the previous visit, and being\nushered into the same room. I met the English-speaking captain, to whom\nI made my business known. Said he, \"The governor declines to grant\nyour request.\" I was not disappointed, for I was well satisfied from\nwhat I had learned the day before that that would be the result, but\nas the talk had not been very conclusive, I had called for a clearer\nunderstanding, hoping the governor might yield when he understood us\nbetter. In this I was mistaken, however, as it seemed the governor was\nthoroughly filled with prejudice against even the name of Mormon Elder.\n\nI asked Governor Bonard his reasons for detaining us where we were. He\nsaid that in the first place he had no proof that we were good men,\nand he wished to know what we would preach, and what our doctrines\nand faith were. I told him that we preached the Gospel which Jesus\nChrist and His Apostles preached, and could produce our credentials,\nif he desired to see them. He said no, he did not wish that of us;\nneither did he wish to interfere with religious matters, but it was\nfor peace in the country that he wished us to stop there; for if we\nand everybody who desired it were allowed to set forth new doctrines\namong the people, and get them divided among themselves, they would\nbe fighting, and it was his place to keep the peace. Said he, \"Before\nyou go from this island, I wish to know more about your doctrine.\" I\ntold him that was what we wished him and every good man to know, and to\nembrace it if he would. Then he said that he desired the Mormon Elders\nto get together, and make a declaration of what they would preach\nand how far they would obey the laws. I replied that that was just\nwhat we wished to do, but if he refused us the privilege of going to\nTubuoi we did not know when we could get together. Said he, \"You had\nbetter write to your friends at Tubuoi, and have them come here. Your\nfaces are strange to me, and you are from a foreign country. We have\nno proof that you are good men. The doctrine you preach is new to me\nand if you will gather all your white brethren, and make a declaration\nof the doctrine you preach, and how far you will obey the laws of the\nland, signing your names to it, then, if I accept of it as being good\ndoctrine, you will have liberty to go anywhere you wish, and have our\nprotection.\" My answer was that we had no objection to acquainting him\nwith our doctrine. I asked him if he made the same requirement of other\ndenominations that he did of us, and received the information that he\ndid not. Upon this, I inquired why he made it of us, and he stated that\nthere had been some difficulty already with B. F. Grouard. \"Well,\"\nsaid I, \"did you not acquit Grouard?\" \"Yes,\" he said, \"but we would\nlike to look further into the matter, and if possible prevent further\ntrouble.\" They had lost two good seamen going after Grouard, and one\nfell overboard on the return trip, but they succeeded in rescuing him.\n\nWhen I found that I could not prevail on the governor to allow us our\nliberty, I left and visited the captain of the _Lurutu_. With him I\nboarded his novel vessel. It was of very frail construction; all the\nstays and braces were made by hand from the bark of a tree called by\nthe natives burson, and resembling somewhat the basswood of the Eastern\nand Middle States. The captain said he sailed by the sun by day, and\nat night by the moon and stars, but in cloudy weather by instinct,\nor guess. I asked if they did not get lost sometimes; he said no,\nthey were well acquainted with the sea. They had been three years\nin building the schooner. It would carry about forty tons. The crew\nconveyed the products of their island three hundred and sixty miles to\nTahiti principally, but occasionally to other islands. To me the vessel\nappeared a frail craft, and wholly without comforts, for white men at\nleast.\n\nHaving satisfied my curiosity about the strange craft, I returned\nto Huaua on August 11, and reported results to President Pratt, who\nwrote immediately to the different Elders to come and sign with us\nthe document the governor had suggested. The mails were so irregular\nand uncertain that we had not the remotest idea when our release\nwould come, for if ever our letters were received by the Elders, it\nmight be three or even six months before they could get a passage to\nTahiti. Thus the reader can see that we were doomed to tarry almost as\nprisoners in the little valley of Huaua, which was only about eighty\nrods wide by one hundred and fifty in length, being bounded on the\nsouth by high, steep mountains, that were almost impossible to cross,\nat least by a white man not accustomed to climbing them; and on the\nnortheast the open sea rolled and surged upon the rocks and the sandy\nbeach, to within fifteen rods of where we slept, our heads being not\nmore than ten feet above high water mark. This was not all; for the\nProtestant ministers were very bitter against us, and so prejudiced\nthat it was useless for us to try to enlighten them in regard to\nourselves or our faith. They seemed to spare no pains in spreading\ntheir venom among the people, and in every way possible intimidated the\nnatives so that our friends were but few, though our enemies had no\npower over them. With the aid of a book, however, we could improve in\nthe language, and did so to the extent that when we had been there five\nmonths the natives who were not of us said, \"Surely the Lord is with\nthe Mormons, for in five months they speak our language better than\nother foreigners do in five years. No one can learn our language like\nthe Mormon Elders unless the Lord helps them.\" Thus encouraged, we bore\nour imprisonment the best we could.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXII.\n\nVISIT TO PAPEETE--DUCK-HUNTING TRIP--A PECULIAR WOMAN--ALONG A\nPERILOUS PATH--AN OPINION OF ENGLISH MINISTERS--ARRIVAL OF ELDER S.\nA. DUNN--LEARN OF MORE MISSIONARIES ARRIVING AT TUBUOI--NEWS FROM MY\nFATHER AND OTHERS--LETTERS FROM THE FIRST PRESIDENCY AND SOME OF THE\nAPOSTLES--WRITTEN STATEMENT SENT TO THE GOVERNOR OF TAHITI--VISIT THE\nGOVERNOR--OUR STATEMENT REJECTED--LIST OF QUESTIONS AND STATEMENT\nPRESENTED BY THE GOVERNOR--REPLY OF ELDER A. PRATT--OBJECTIONS BY THE\nGOVERNOR--PERMISSION GIVEN US TO TRAVEL AND PREACH ON THE ISLANDS.\n\nON September 5th, 1850, I met with the opportunity of going to Papeete\nin a boat that was passing. My friends took me out in a canoe to the\nlarger vessel. I was very seasick. The wind was so high that in two\nhours we were in Taunoa, where we stayed over night. On the 6th we got\nto Papeete, where I received a letter from B. F. Grouard. I answered\nit the same day. We found friends who treated us very kindly; then\nreturned to our lonely retreat, traveling through a heavy rainstorm all\nthe way.\n\nWe continued our studies without anything to vary the monotony until\nOctober 2nd, when President Pratt and Hamatua, and three children from\nthe latter's family, took their blankets and went into the mountains\nfor a change, while I made a visit to my friend Pohe to get my books,\nwhich had been left with him. When I returned I continued my studies\nalone until Brother Pratt and party came back; then, on September 15th,\nI went to Papeno, duck-hunting. As Sister Hamatua had some relatives\nthere, she and her stepdaughter accompanied me, thinking that my stay\nwould be made more pleasant. Sister Hamatua was between fifty and sixty\nyears of age, was well versed in the scriptures, and as true to her\nreligion as anyone I have ever met. She had never had any children of\nher own, and yet she had taken three young babes, from their birth, and\nnursed them at her own breast, and gave them suck and reared them. I\nthink one mother had died at her child's birth, and with another child\nthe young mother had cast it away to die, as it was illegitimate, and\nshe denied its being her child. The third had been promised to Sister\nHamatua before its birth, and at that time she claimed it and took it\nhome the same hour. I saw the children, and the natives bore witness to\nthe truth of the narrative here given. The youngest child was princess\nof Tubuoi, her name was Aura, and at the time I write of she was a\nbright girl of eight years.\n\nWe went on our journey to Papeno, passing down along the cliffs of rock\nand precipitous and deep, dark caverns that were almost impassable.\nThe shrieking and howling of the wind as it was forced up through\nthe crevices in the rocks by the surging waves from the open sea,\ncombined with the dangers of the route, had such an effect on my nerves\nthat I have never desired a repetition of the hazardous trip, though\nI traveled many times on the Brom (state road), parallel with the\nperilous path. I had no desire to pass over or even to think of the\njeopardy we were in on that terrible trail. Suffice it to say, that we\nreached our journey's end in safety, and stayed with the governor of\nthe village, who treated us very kindly. We returned next day, the 16th\nof September. On our way we saw a ship heading for Papeete. This gave\nus hope that we would get some news from the outer world.\n\nSeptember 22nd. Pipitila and I started for Papeete, thinking we would\nmeet with the Elders, or at least get some word from them. All that we\ncould learn was that they were expected in Tubuoi instead of in Tahiti.\nWe stayed in Taunaa, where we met with friends who treated us well. One\nold man said that he had become tired of the English ministers, for\nthey preached one thing and did the opposite. Said he, \"I have been a\nfool that has no eyes all my life. I have belonged to the Protestant\nchurch ever since it has been here, and still I am like a fool, for I\nam black or dark in my heart. I have tried ever since the missionaries\ncame to get light. They came and went back and died, and still I am\na fool, and darkness fills my soul, for I never learned before that\nChrist was baptized. You have given me the first light that I have ever\nhad on the Gospel.\" We returned to our home on September 25th and found\nall well. On October 3rd friends from Tiara came to visit us, and for a\ntime broke the monotony of our island-prison life.\n\nNothing out of the usual happened till November 6th, when I was ready\nto start on a trip of inquiry. A little girl came in and said there\nwas an old white man out at the creek, and that he was asking for\nBrother Pratt. In a few minutes Brother S. A. Dunn came in, and to our\ngreat surprise and joy he brought word that Brother Pratt's family and\na company of Elders had arrived at Tubuoi, all well. He had letters\nfor us, too. I received one from my father--the first word that I had\nhad since 1847. I also had a letter from my old friend and comrade,\nJonathan C. Holmes, stating that my Uncle Alexander Stephens had been\nwounded in a battle with the Ute Indians in Utah County, but that he\nwas getting around again very well.\n\nBrother Pratt received letters from the First Presidency of the Church,\nalso from Apostles Amasa M. Lyman and Charles C. Rich, all bringing\ngood news and words of encouragement to us. Elder Dunn told us that he\nhad called on Governor Bonard, who seemed very pleasant and who told\nhim that as soon as we would get together and make a statement of what\nwe would preach, and signed the same, we would have liberty to go where\nwe chose, and should have the protection of the French government.\n\nNovember 8th we wrote as follows to the governor:\n\n\"Whereas, we, the undersigned, have been requested by his excellency,\nGovernor Bonard, of Tahiti, to make a statement of the intentions of\nour mission to the Society Islands, in compliance therewith we proceed\nto give the following:\n\n\"1st. To preach the everlasting Gospel, which brings life and salvation\nto the children of men. 'For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ,\nfor it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth,\nto the Jew first, and also to the Greek.'--(Romans 1:16.)\n\n\"2nd. To teach the people by precept and by example the habits of\nvirtue and industry, which are so desirable to the happiness and\nprosperity of civilized life.\n\n\"3rd. To observe and keep the laws of every land wherein we dwell,\nso far as it is required of preachers of the Gospel in Christian\ncountries; and to teach and admonish the people to observe and keep the\nlaws of the land.\n\n\"Huaua, Tahiti, November 8, 1850.\n\n                                           \"[Signed] Addison Pratt,\n                                                   \"Simeon A. Dunn,\n                                                   \"James S. Brown.\"\n\nWe started on November 10th to see the governor and present to him\nthe foregoing. Traveling on foot, we went to Papeno, where we were\nvery kindly received by the governor, at whose house we stopped over\nnight. Many of his friends called to see and greet us. On the 11th we\nproceeded to Papeete, arriving there in time to pass the guard and\nbe ushered into the governor's office, where we were received very\ncoldly. The governor was engaged talking with two officers. We stood\nuntil observed, from a side room, by a French officer, who invited\nus (speaking in English) to come in and be seated; he then called an\ninterpreter. When the latter came he looked over the article that we\nhad presented, and rejected it. Then he produced one which the governor\nhad had drawn up, and which he read as follows:\n\n\"On my arrival at Tahiti, two or three persons styled Mormon\nmissionaries were residing either at Tubuoi or at the Pamutus. As\nthey were already there, I thought it proper to allow them to remain,\nconsidering the small number of persons forming the mission, upon\nconditions, however, that they attended strictly to the laws which\ngovern the lands of the protectorate, not interfering in any way with\npolitics or civil matters, but solely religious, with which I have no\nintention whatever to interfere.\n\n\"Now that a large number of persons attached to the Mormon mission\nrequest permission to reside at the Society Islands, tending to create\na sort of church government embracing all the lands of the protectorate\nof France, to create, it might be said, a new existence in the\npopulation of the islands, it is now my duty to interfere.\n\n\"I requested to be informed as to what are the means of the Mormons for\ntheir living.\n\n\"1st. From whence the society of Mormon missionaries derive the power\nof forming themselves into a body?\n\n\"2nd. What are the forms of government and the discipline which govern\nthis society?\n\n\"3rd. What guarantee of morality and good conduct do they require from\nmembers appointed as missionaries for the foreigners?\n\n\"4th. What guarantee do they require before conferring grades and\noffices on natives?\n\n\"5th. What duty do they require either from foreigners or from native\nmembers, not including religious dogmas, with which I shall not\ninterfere?\n\n\"6th. What number of religious services do they hold weekly or monthly?\n\n\"7th. Finally, what morals do the Mormons preach?\n\n\"These questions put, and satisfactorily answered. This is what it is\nmy duty to make known to the Mormon missionaries: As men, they, as all\nforeigners, are permitted to reside in the islands of the protectorate,\nand have a right to French protection by conforming themselves to the\nlaws of the country; as missionaries, with an open pulpit which might\nconsequently give them great influence over the population, and create,\nas it were, a new power, it is my duty to impose conditions that they\nguarantee, consequently:\n\n\"1st. The Mormon missionaries shall bind themselves to preach their\nreligion without interfering in any way or under any pretext with\npolitics or civil matters.\n\n\"2nd. They shall withhold from speaking from the pulpit against the\nreligion established in the islands of the protectorate, or the laws\nand the acts emanating from the authorities.\n\n\"3rd. They shall not exact from the inhabitants of the islands of the\nprotectorate any tax, either in money, labor, provisions or material.\n\n\"4th. They shall not inflict penalties upon any one, either in money,\nlabor, provisions, or material, for failing to comply with the rules of\nthe religion they preach.\n\n\"5th. They cannot acquire land in the name of the society, without the\napprobation of the protectorate government.\n\n\"6th. No person can be allowed to unite himself with them, as a Mormon\nmissionary, in the Society Islands, before having signed that he\nadheres to the present declaration, and whenever proof might be made\nof guilt of an infringement of these articles, it would occasion his\nexclusion from the islands of the protectorate.\n\n\"The persons calling themselves Mormon missionaries, and who sent\na delegate to me whom I could not recognize officially, are hereby\ninformed that before I can authorize them as a society they must reply\ncategorically to the questions which I have put to them; that until\nthen their residence is illegal, and I refuse, as it is my duty to\ndo, all authorization to the Mormon missionaries to take up their\nresidence. Moreover, it is my duty to inform them that when they are\nconstituted a society no meetings, except on days regularly known as\ndays of prayer and preaching, can be held without the permission of the\nauthorities, on pain of being prosecuted according to law.\"\n\nWhen this long and proscriptive roll had been read and strongly\nemphasized, we were handed a copy, and the interpreter said we could\nmake such answers as we saw fit. At this we went to a quiet place, and\non November 12th President Pratt wrote out the following reply:\n\n\"As it has been requested by his excellency, the governor of Tahiti,\nto give answer to certain questions that he has propounded to us, we\nherein comply:\n\n\"1st. First, as it is declared in the New Testament of our Lord and\nSavior Jesus Christ, that they that preach the Gospel shall live off\nthe Gospel, we are sent forth by the authority of the Church to which\nwe belong with expectation that those to whom we preach will contribute\nto our necessities, so far as life and health are concerned, of their\nown free will. Second, we have no authority from those who sent us to\nthe islands to form ourselves into a body compact, either civil or\nreligious, nor have we any intention of so doing. Third, the reason of\nour going to Tubuoi is this: I, Addison Pratt, arrived at Tubuoi in\nthe year 1844, in the capacity of a missionary of the Gospel of Jesus\nChrist. I remained there in that capacity about nineteen months, and\nwhen I was about to leave there I was invited, by the authorities of\nthe island then in power, to return to them with my family, and reside\nwith them as their preacher. They wished also to be instructed in the\narts and sciences of civilized life. After I left Tubuoi, I went to\nAnaa, to assist Mr. Grouard in his missionary labors, having been sent\nfor by request of the people living there. I remained at Anaa about\nnine months, and while there a general conference was held, by the\npeople we had baptized, on the 6th of October, 1846. At that meeting a\nrequest was made by the people of whom Aniipa was head, to send by me\nto our Church, in North America, for more missionaries to assist Mr.\nGrouard and myself, as the Gospel had spread in several islands of that\ngroup. The company that has arrived at Tubuoi are the missionaries who\nhave been sent for, as I returned to North America in the year 1847\nand laid the minutes of the conference held at Anaa, and the request\nof the people of Tubuoi, before the Church. A part of that company\nnow at Tubuoi are preachers of the Gospel, and a part of them are\nmechanics and husbandmen; they have brought with them tools and seeds\nfor carrying out the object for which they were sent.\n\n\"2nd. The forms of government by which the society is governed are\nthose set forth by Jesus Christ and His Apostles, as laid down in the\nNew Testament, to which we have referred.\n\n\"3rd. We request them to be strictly virtuous in every sense of the\nword, observing and keeping the laws of the land wherein they dwell,\nand teaching the people so to do.\n\n\"4th. We request of them all that is contained in the articles.\n\n\"5th. We request of them what is contained in the third article and\nnothing more.\n\n\"6th. We have no stated times for religious services except upon the\nSabbath; we hold semi-annual conferences. Besides these, we are subject\nto the will of the people.\n\n\"7th. We preach to and admonish the people to keep all the commandments\nof God, and strictly obey the laws of the land wherein they dwell.\"\n\nOur answer was signed by Addison Pratt, Simeon A. Dunn and James S.\nBrown, and was presented to his excellency, who objected to the first\nstatement, about our means of support. He said he wished men to get a\nliving in a more honorable way than that. The second paragraph he did\nnot like. He seemed to dislike scripture references. We told him we had\nbeen reared to work, that we still expected to labor for our living,\nand that a part of our people had come to work and a part to preach the\nGospel.\n\nAfter he had interrogated us to his satisfaction, and placed about us\nall the restrictions that seemed possible, the governor told us that\nif we would go with Mr. Dugard, one of his officers, he would give us\npermits to reside among the islands of the protectorate, after we had\nsigned the articles he presented to us.\n\nAs we left the governor's presence, Mr. Dugard told us that, as it was\ngetting rather late, we had better call at his office the next morning\nat 8 o'clock, and he would attend to our case. We complied with his\nsuggestion but did not find him at home. The lady of the house told\nus to call at 2 o'clock and he would be there. In a short time we met\nthe interpreter who advised us to call at 11 o'clock, which we did,\nfinding the official ready to wait on us, as we supposed; but instead,\nhe directed us to go to a certain notary public, who would give us our\npermits. We did as instructed and obtained the documents, paying three\nfrancs each. Thus we were permitted to go as ministers of the Gospel\namong the islands of the French protectorate.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXIII.\n\nRETURN TO HUAUA--HEAVY RAINSTORMS--REFUSAL OF AN OFFER TO BE\nCARRIED OVER A STREAM--PERILOUS SWIMMING FEAT--EPISODE WITH A WILD\nBOAR--START ON A TRIP AROUND THE ISLAND--OBTAIN A LOAF OF BREAD--PEOPLE\nNOT DESIROUS OF LISTENING TO THE MORMON ELDERS--CUSTOMS OF THE\nNATIVES--REPUTATION OF PROTESTANT CLERGY ON TAHITI--WITH THE CHIEF\nMAGISTRATE OF UAIRAI--ACROSS A SMALL BAY IN A CANOE--FRENCH GARRISON AT\nTHE ISTHMUS--WITH MY FRIEND POHE--REVIEW OF A HARD JOURNEY--AGAIN AT\nHUAUA.\n\nAS there were no vessels bound for where we wished to go at this time,\non November 13th we started on our return from Papeete to Huaua, but it\nrained so hard that we had to seek shelter after traveling six miles.\nWe came to a creek about two rods across, and began to take off our\nshoes preparatory to wading it. Just then a sprightly little woman came\nalong and told us she would carry us across on her back. She said,\n\"There are little sharp shells and rocks that will cut your feet, and\nthey will not hurt mine, for I am used to them. My feet are tough, but\nyou are not used to going barefoot like us, and your feet are tender.\nI will gladly carry you over free rather than see you cut your feet.\"\nShe plead with such earnestness and so innocently that it became almost\na temptation, especially as she would have considered it a great honor\nto carry the servants of God, as she was pleased to call us. Said she,\n\"You need not be afraid that I will fall down with you; I can carry you\nwith ease.\" When her very kind offer was declined, she seemed very much\ndisappointed. We tried to console her by telling her how greatly we\nappreciated her kindness, then proceeded on our way, but owing to the\nheavy rain soon called at a native's house, where we were pleasantly\nentertained. He spread the best food he had. This was put on the bed.\nHe also asked us to take seats on the bed, offering as an excuse, \"The\nfleas are so bad we have to get up there to be out of the way, or they\nwill get in the food.\"\n\nWe accepted the situation with thanks, and felt that we were right\nroyally treated. The people from around flocked in until the house\nwas so thoroughly packed with humanity that the fleas had a fine\nopportunity to gorge themselves. The people did not seem to be much\nannoyed by them, but talked and sang till 11, o'clock, when we turned\nin for the remainder of the night, concluding that the fleas had been\nso feasted that they were willing to let us slumber in peace, which we\ndid.\n\nNovember 14th we resumed our journey, only to be driven in by the rain,\nbut not until we were thoroughly drenched. Having met with our old and\nwell tried friend, Hamatua, when the storm subsided we continued our\njourney to Papeno. A call was made on the governor of that district,\nwho told us that the river was so swollen that it was not safe for\nwhite men to attempt to cross. He said the natives could go over\nsafely, but we could not do so, and told the party they were welcome\nto stay with him all night. The writer thought that if a native could\ncross the river he could, so he prepared for the attempt. The stream\nwas about fifteen rods wide. The governor, himself a very large and\npowerful man, said, \"If you go I will go with and assist you, for you\ncannot cross there alone. Two natives have been swept down to the sea\nand drowned. If I go with you we can cross safely, but I am afraid to\nhave you go alone.\" At that both of us got ready to cross. He took\nhold of my right arm close to the shoulder. We waded in till the swift\ncurrent took our feet from under us, then we swam with all our power,\nand finally gained the opposite shore by swimming three times the\nwidth of the river. The governor could have turned and swam back again\nwithout any trouble, but I had quite enough to satisfy my conceit, and\never since have been willing to acknowledge that a native can beat me\nin the water.\n\nBrothers Pratt and Dunn were well satisfied to wait for the water to\nfall before they tried to cross, and by late in the evening the stream\nwas down so that they came over with comparative ease. We stayed with\nsome very good friends, and on the 15th of November reached home. All\nwere well. Things went on as usual until the 28th, when the natives\ncame running and said a wild hog had come down from the mountains and\nwas at the next door neighbor's, with his tame hogs. The people wished\nus to come with bubus (guns) and shoot him. On a previous occasion,\nbefore I could understand the natives, a wild hog had come down and\nwas with the hogs of our host. There was great excitement among the\nnatives, so Brother Pratt hastened and got his shotgun, and went out\nand killed the hog. He told me to hold on with my gun, and would not\nlet me know what the excitement was until it was over. Now, the natives\nshouted that Prita's (Pratt's) gun was the strong one, that he was the\nbrave hunter and knew how to shoot, but that my weapon was too small\na bore--it could not kill if I hit the hog. But on this occasion I\noutdistanced the old gentleman with my small-bore rifle. I shot the\nhog just behind the shoulder; it ran a few jumps and fell in the thick\nbrake. As the animal was out of sight, and the natives could not see\nany evidence of its having been hit, they blamed me for not letting\nBrother Pratt get there first, saying he would have killed the hog and\nwe would have had something to eat. Brother Pratt good naturedly joined\nin with them; they looked disappointed, and tried to laugh me to shame,\nbut in the height of their ridiculing me a lad who had followed the\ntrack a rod or two into the brake shrieked out in terror: \"Here is the\nhog, dead! I was near stepping on him before I saw him!\" The laugh was\nturned.\n\nThe hog was soon dressed, and the natives had to examine my gun. They\nconcluded that both Brother Pratt and I were good gunners, and had good\nweapons. The hog was a boar, a year and a half old or more, and if\nit had been fat would have dressed two hundred pounds. All were well\npleased for it was a time of scarcity of food.\n\nOn December 2nd Brother Dunn and I started to go around Tahiti on foot,\npassing by Papeete. Hametua Vaheni, John Layton's wife, and the two\nsmall girls of the house, went with us to Papeete. We stayed at Faripo\nthe first night, with Noiini, who was very kind to us. Next morning we\nproceeded on our way to Hapape, where we stopped at the house of Teahi,\na relative of Hametua Vaheni. There we took breakfast, and continued\nour journey to Taunoa, where we remained over night with Tamari. There\nwe left our baggage while we went on to Papeete to see what news we\ncould get. We spent most of the day to no purpose, returning to where\nwe had stayed the night before.\n\nNext morning, the 4th, we started without breakfast. On the way we\npurchased a loaf of bread--a rare treat to us, as we had not even seen\nbread for several days. We ate it as we walked along, stopping at a\nsmall brook to get a drink. At Wamau, a man invited us into his house.\nAs it had begun to rain we accepted his kind offer with thankfulness.\nUpon entering the house we were requested to take a seat upon the bed.\nSome very fine oranges were set before us, and soon the house was\nfilled with young people mostly, who seemed very desirous of learning\nwho we were, where we were from, and what our business was. We told\nthem, and they appeared to be very much disappointed. We soon found\nthat they had no use for us, so we went on our way and soon came to a\ncemetery in which was a large monument of masonry with an iron cross on\nit. At one grave there was a candle burning. We were told by some of\nthe people that in the time of the war a great battle had been fought\nthere between the natives and the French, and that the monument had\nbeen built in honor of a great French general who had fallen.\n\nFrom there we passed on through a large cocoanut grove, and in a short\ntime came to a small village called Tapuna. We turned into a house and\nnot finding anyone at home, sat down for a rest. In a little while we\nwere discovered by some of the villagers, who invited us in, and as is\nusual among that people, inquired of us, saying, \"Who are you, where do\nyou come from, where are you going, and what is your business here in\nour land?\" When we informed them that we were ministers of the Gospel,\nthey were very much pleased, but when we told them that our Church\nwas called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly\nknown as the Mormon Church, they almost invariably showed signs of\ndisappointment, and seemed to have less interest in us. Still there\nwere some in almost every village who were kind enough to keep us over\nnight, give us the very best they had, and often go with us a little\nway on our journey the next day. They never failed to have a hymn sung,\nand often a chapter from the Bible read, and would call on us to offer\nprayer. Then the eldest of the young men who had called in--sometimes\nthere were ten or fifteen--would shake hands with us, followed by all\nthe rest, apparently according to age. The young women then would do\nlikewise, observing the same rule, after which the older people would\nfollow, the women coming first in this case, such being their custom.\n\nBefore we left Tapuna, one man desired us to visit his mother, who\nwas sick with consumption. We complied with this wish, but found that\nshe had no faith in the Gospel. From there we passed on to an English\nmissionary's home, the headquarters of one Mr. Chisholm. He was not in,\nso we passed on to the next house, where, according to what the people\nsaid, a very dissipated missionary had lived, and the other had come to\ntake his place. We were told that the newcomer was no better than the\nold one, for both were drunken and lustful and behaved very badly with\nthe women. Such was the general reputation, among the natives, of the\nProtestant clergy at that date.\n\nWe went on till we were called into a house where the people said they\nwished to know what we had to say of religion. As soon as they learned\nthat we differed from their views they displayed no further concern in\nus, and we departed. After wading many streams, and getting very tired\nand hungry, we reached a village called Uairai, where we were invited\nin to have a meal. We had been indoors but a few minutes when the\npeople of the village came running in as if to a dog fight or a monkey\nshow; for it was rarely they saw two white men traveling as we were,\nthey being accustomed to seeing the missionary in a hammock carried by\nfour stout men.\n\nWhen we had been there a short time two men came in with a message from\nthe governor or chief magistrate of the village, desiring us to call at\nhis residence. As soon as we had partaken of refreshments we complied\nwith the request, the whole assemblage of people following us. We found\nhis honor holding some kind of meeting with the more aged people, the\nexact nature of which we did not learn. He invited us in, gave us\nseats, and shook hands with us very warmly. He then stood before us and\nsaid, \"Who are you, where do you come from, what is your business here,\nand where are you going?\" We answered that we were ministers of the\ntrue Gospel of Jesus Christ, and were traveling to preach to all people\nthat were willing or wished to hear the Gospel of salvation. \"Well,\" he\nsaid, \"that is what we want here, but I must see the French governor\nand our ministers before I can give permission for any one to preach.\"\n\nWhen the meeting was over he came to us again and said he would be\npleased to have us stop over night with him. We accepted his kind\ninvitation to visit his house, and all the congregation followed, for\na time seeming very desirous of learning from us the true Gospel. We\nconversed with them quite awhile and there was not one to oppose us,\nbut all seemed very well pleased with what we had to say.\n\nSupper over, we returned to the house of Miapui, where we had left our\nvalises, and where we spent the night, being well treated by our host\nand by all who called on us.\n\nNext morning our host accompanied us on our way until we met his\nbrother, whom he instructed to see us across a small bay that extended\nup to the base of the mountain, which was so steep that we could not\ngo around its head. We were taken across in a canoe, paying a dollar\nand a half. The man said the use of the canoe cost him that amount, but\nhe would take nothing for his services. He then conducted us through a\nthick forest of timber and underbrush to the Brom (state) road.\n\nWe next proceed to the isthmus, to a French fort garrisoned by one\ncompany of soldiers. The isthmus is about one and a half miles across.\nFrom there we turned to the northwest, towards Huaua, as it was too\nrough, steep and dangerous to proceed closely along the coast. We\ntraveled homeward till 1 o'clock p.m., when we came to a little hamlet\ncalled Otufai. There we met a man named Aili, who invited us to dinner.\nWe accepted his courtesy and while there the school-teacher called and\nasked us to go home with him. We also availed ourselves of this kind\ninvitation, finding the teacher, whose name was Tuamau, very friendly.\nWe spent the night with him, being treated well, but he did not evince\nmuch interest in what we had to say on religious matters.\n\nThe following morning it was raining very hard, and for a time it\nseemed that we were weatherbound; but breakfast over, it cleared off,\nand we proceeded on our way to Hitia, where we stopped at the house of\nFenuas and got dinner. Then we went on to Tiara and visited with our\nfriend Pohe (in English, dead), or, as he was sometimes called, Mahena\nToru (third day). He made us feel very much at home. This we were in a\ncondition to fully appreciate, for we had traveled on foot in the hot\nsands and sun about one hundred and fifty miles, until we felt that\nwe were almost parboiled. We had waded many streams of water, which,\nthough very disagreeable, helped to make our journey more tolerable,\nthrough being cooling. The sharp rocks and shells in the water courses\nmade us pay penance instead of pennies for crossing them. Sometimes the\nstreams were so swollen and ran so swiftly as to be very dangerous,\nbecause the crossings were so near the sea that if a man were to lose\nhis footing he was liable to be carried into the billows, from whence\nit would be almost if not quite impossible to escape.\n\nOn the 9th of December we passed down three miles to Huaua, where we\nfound all our friends well, and some prospects of getting an opening to\npreach.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXIV.\n\nSCARCITY OF FOOD--TRAVELING IN HEAVY RAINS--CALL ON A PROTESTANT\nMINISTER--ARRIVAL OF ANOTHER MISSIONARY AND LETTERS FROM\nHOME--VISITORS FROM METIA--HOLD A SACRAMENT MEETING--GO TO\nPAPARA--ABUSED RY THE PROTESTANT MINISTER--PREACH TO THE PEOPLE--YOUNG\nWOMAN MIRACULOUSLY HEALED AT BAPTISM--GREAT EXCITEMENT--RAGE\nOF THE PROTESTANT MINISTERS--PERSECUTION INSTITUTED--ARRESTED\nFOR PREACHING--RELEASED ON PROMISING TO RETURN TO HUAUA--PLENTY\nOF FRIENDS--UNINTENTIONAL ESCAPE FROM GEN D' ARMES--ARRIVAL AT\nPAPEETE--CHARGE ON WHICH OFFICERS SEEK TO ARREST ME--ABUSED BY REV. MR.\nHOWE--A QUIET ANSWER CALLS OUT CHEERS FROM THE CROWD--TIDE TURNS IN MY\nFAVOR--EXCITEMENT CALMS DOWN, AND EFFORTS TO ARREST ME CEASE.\n\nON the 16th of December I set out from Huaua on a short journey to\na small hamlet called Tapuna. Everywhere I went the people were\ncomplaining of the great scarcity of food; still they managed to\nfurnish me with plenty, treating me very hospitably. About the 20th I\nreturned to Huaua and preached to the people. On the 29th and 30th I\nattended to my correspondence.\n\nJanuary 1, 1851, I started for Tarepu, finding the roads quite muddy.\nIt rained heavily, so that all the streams were so swollen as to make\nmy journey very hard and tiresome. The majority of the people were\nrather surly and indifferent, so much so as not to invite me in out of\nthe storm, so I had to pass along to where I found more hospitality.\nThe trip altogether was a hard and ungrateful one. I had to swim some\nof the watercourses, and barely escaped being carried into the sea.\nI got everything I had with me, even to my watch, thoroughly soaked.\nThen I sought a place sheltered from the view of the passers-by, and\nthere dried my clothes. As I was alone almost all the time on this trip\nI felt it to be long and tedious, without any profitable results, as\nfar as I could see. Yet I remembered that my experience was that of a\nfisherman; and as my calling was to fish for men I did not complain,\nbut continued my journey to Hitia. There I called on one Mr. Baff, a\nProtestant minister. I left a copy of the Voice of Warning for him to\nread. When he returned it he sent a note thanking me for the privilege\nof perusing it, but he did not express an opinion of the work. I never\nhad the pleasure of meeting the gentleman again.\n\nHaving been informed that Elders Pratt and Dunn had an opportunity of\ngoing to Tubuoi, I hastened back to Huaua, to find that they had not\nyet engaged their passage. After resting two or three days, Brother\nPratt sent me down to Papeete to secure passage for them on Captain\nJohnson's schooner, which was expected to sail in a few days. I met\nMr. Johnson, with whom I made a contract, and returned next day. Then,\non January 13th, all hands went down to Papeete. We found that Brother\nJohn Layton had come from California, and brought letters for us from\nthe Elders who had been sent to the Sandwich Islands.\n\nMail matters considered and answers written, the program was changed so\nthat Elder Dunn did not go to Tubuoi, and as Brother Pratt had to wait\na few days before he could start, part of the native family that had\naccompanied us remained to see him off, while the others returned with\nBrother Dunn and I to lonely Huaua. In the meantime we learned that\nPriest John Hawkins was expected down from Anaa in a few days, when\nBrother Dunn was to return with him to Anaa.\n\nWhen we were at Huaua without Brother Pratt, the place seemed doubly\nlonesome. On January 30th, I went to Papeete and learned that Brother\nHawkins had arrived with some native brethren from Metia, and that all\nhad started in their canoes for Huaua, to which place I repaired the\nnext day. All were well. The native brethren went back to Papeete, and\nBrother Hawkins and wife stayed at Huaua a day or two; then he also\nwent down, returning to us in eight or ten days, accompanied by Elder\nJoseph Busby, from Tubuoi. The latter said that he had started for\nhome, if it was agreeable to the brethren. He told us that it would\nbe two months before the brethren would come with their new schooner,\nwhich they were building.\n\nMarch 2nd, all hands went to Taunua, to a sacrament meeting. We met in\na house close down by the beach, where we saw the vessel that Brother\nBusby sailed on for home. There were sixty-seven brethren and sisters\nat the meeting, and we had a very good-spirited time. We returned\nto Huaua; and it was on March 12th, when, in company with our old,\nfaithful friend and brother, Hamatua, and family, I set sail in a\nwhaleboat for Papara. We had a fine breeze till we came to a hamlet\ncalled Otura, where we stayed one night and were well cared for by our\nhost, a brother in the Church. On the 13th we continued our voyage by\nsea, having to row most of the time, for there was no wind. We reached\nour destination, Papara, on the 14th, and stopped at the house of\nPurua, a brother of Hamatua, who had died, and his widow had sent for\nHamatua to come and move her and her family to his home. We found our\nfriends here very kind, and well pleased to meet us.\n\nWhile at Papara, many people came in to see us. These manifested a\ndesire to know who I was, and my business there, but showed great\nreluctance in shaking hands with me. I learned that the cause of this\ndiffidence was that they were afraid of the Protestant ministers. For\na while they kept very shy of me. I called on their minister, Mr.\nChisholm, and presented him with a Voice of Warning, which I asked him\nto read; but when I held it out to him he said no, he would not read\nit or anything the Mormons had; \"but,\" said he, \"I want to exhort you,\nand show you that you are deluded.\" I asked what he knew about our\nChurch to cause him to be so excited. He said he had had a letter from\nSimeon A. Dunn, one of our Elders, and that public opinion was enough\nto satisfy him that we were false teachers and deceivers of the people.\nAt that he called one Mr. Davis from a side room. The latter was\ntotally blind, and had spent most of his life on the islands. Both of\nthem reviled at me, and rehearsed many of the old slanders about Joseph\nSmith and the Mormons. I left them in disgust, returning to my friends,\nwhere I found many people congregated. These were quite sociable.\n\nSoon a messenger came from the minister and asked what kind of baptism\nwe believed in. When I said that we believed in immersion, that seemed\nto please the people very much, as I turned to the third chapter of\nMatthew and showed them that Christ was baptized in that manner. From\nthat time the house was thronged with people anxiously inquiring for\nthe doctrines we taught.\n\nOn March 16th I was sent for by a sick man, who wanted to be anointed.\nWhen I told him about the order of the Church, and that he should\nrepent and be baptized for the remission of his sins, and thus become\nentitled to the blessings of the Gospel, he said that it was of no use\nto him for he was a great sinner and could not repent in one day. Then\nhe said, \"I shall have to remain sick.\" He had his own way to look at\nthings, and as we were unable to convince him otherwise, we returned to\nour stopping place.\n\nShortly after this I was called to see a young woman who had been under\nmedical treatment by the Protestant ministers for four months. Her\nname was Maui. She had been reduced to a mere skeleton, and was unable\nto stand alone. When I came, she said she had heard of the doctrine\nthat I had preached to the people, and knew it was true, \"for,\" said\nshe, \"it is all in the Bible.\" She was the foremost scholar of the\ndistrict, and was highly respected by the ministers as well as by the\nwhole people. When it became known that I had been called to see her,\nit aroused an excitement, and many people came together, insomuch that\nthe house could not hold them all. As I talked with her on the first\nprinciples of the Gospel, she would say, \"Yes, that is so, for it is in\nthe Bible;\" and she said, \"I am willing to be baptized now, for I know\nthat what you tell me is the truth.\" I asked the consent of her parents\nand of her young husband, who readily acceded to her desire. Then I\ntold them that if they would take her to a suitable place by the creek,\nI would meet them there and attend to the baptizing. Accordingly, they\ncarried her to the creek, some ten or twelve rods away, where I met\nthem, prepared for the work. There were probably one hundred people\nassembled. After singing and prayer, I went into the water and the\nfriends of the young woman helped her to me, I having to aid in holding\nher on her feet while I said the baptismal ceremony. When she came up\nout of the water she thanked God, saying, \"I am healed of the Lord,\"\nand walked out of the water and home without assistance, although her\nfriends offered aid. This excited the people so much that some of the\nyoung woman's particular friends prepared to come into the water of\nbaptism, but the older ones prevailed on them to wait a while, saying\nmaybe they would all go together.\n\nWhen I had changed my clothing and had gone to where the new convert\nwas, I found her sitting on the bed and praising God, bearing her\ntestimony that she was healed of the Lord, and that we had the true\nGospel. The baptism of this young woman was the first that I had\nadministered, she being my first convert. The house where we had\nassembled was crowded to overflowing, and when I had confirmed her I\nreturned to my stopping place, the people following me. There must have\nbeen at least three hundred of them. Several brought bedding and camped\nunder the trees around the house, while others were preparing a feast\nfor the occasion, in which they roasted eleven big hogs, and gathered\nfish, fruit and vegetables for the roast.\n\nThis was too much for the Protestant ministers, for, as I was sitting\nat a table expounding the scriptures to the people, in came a lusty\nFrenchman in citizen's clothes. He took a seat among the people for a\nshort time, then slipped away and donned his police uniform, with belt,\nsword and pistol; then, with a comrade similarly attired, he reappeared\nat the door and asked me if I had a permit from the governor. I told\nhim I had one at home, but not with me. At that he, in a rather rough\ntone of voice, bade me follow them. Without hesitation I did so, and\nabout a hundred of the people came after us to the mission station,\nwhere I was ushered into the presence of Messrs. Chisholm, Howe\nand Davis. All of them were what were called English or Protestant\nmissionaries. Mr. Howe acted as chief spokesman or prosecutor, while\nMr. Chisholm filled the role of justice, Mr. Davis appearing to be his\nassistant. Thus arrayed, they told me that I had been arrested and\nbrought before them because I had raised a very unusual excitement\namong the people, and I could not produce a permit from the government\nas a resident on the island. They said I was capable of making much\ndisturbance among the people, and the decision they had come to was\nthat if I would not agree to leave the place by 8 a.m. next day I would\nbe locked up in a dungeon until I did agree to leave.\n\nOf course I consented to depart at the appointed time, thinking I\ncould get my permit and return in a few days. Then they told me I\nwas at liberty, but they did not release me until they had scored\nme unmercifully with their tongues for belonging to such a set of\nimpostors as \"Old Joe Smith and the Mormons\" were. Said Mr. Chisholm,\n\"You are a fine young man, capable of doing much good if you had not\nbeen deceived by that impostor, Old Joe Smith.\" They told me to cease\nmy preaching and deceiving the people, and that I had better go home.\nAt that I pocketed their insults and left them. Many of the people\nfollowed me to my stopping place, some of them shouting triumphantly\nfor the young Mormon missionary, and calling shame on the English\nministers.\n\nA house full of people had assembled, and we sat up till a late hour\nthat night talking on the principles of the Gospel. Early next morning\nour boat was filled with the family and provisions, and we sailed at 8\no'clock. I put on a fisherman's suit and took the helm, facing outward\nfrom the shore. I did not have any particular object in view at the\ntime in doing this, yet it seemed to serve a purpose, for we had sailed\nbut a few miles when we saw two mounted gen d' armes come out of the\nwoods to the sandy beach, where they stopped and watched our boat till\nthey seemed satisfied there was no missionary on board, and passed on.\nThen it occurred to us that if I had not been in the unintentional\ndisguise they would have stopped our boat and arrested me, for they\nwere well armed, and could have reached us easily with their firearms.\nAs we afterwards learned, they passed on to where we had come from\nand made a thorough search for me, going through houses, turning up\nthe beds, and scouring the coffee groves and every place the supposed\nMormon missionary could have hidden. Then they and the Protestant\nmissionaries called a meeting of the people and thoroughly warned them\nagainst the Mormons, and especially against young Iatobo (James), as\nthey called me. At this mass meeting Mr. Baff, one of the oldest of the\nEnglish missionaries, appeared with the others I have mentioned.\n\nThere was another incident that seemed to be very providential, though\ndisagreeable at the time. The wind died away to a perfect calm, and\nwhen we came to an opening in the outlying coral reef, we thought that\nby going out through the opening we might catch a breeze, and could\nhoist the sail and make better headway; so we steered for the open\nsea. There we found that we had to row all day before we could get\nback within the reef. Thus we were carried so far from the land that\npassers-by could not discern who we were, and we were kept from the gen\nd' armes till sundown. Then we landed away from the thoroughfare, in\nheavy timber. In that way we escaped our enemies, for next morning we\nwere off and out in the open sea soon after sunrise. We rowed all day\nand till 11 o'clock p.m., then landed in an obscure place, and were up\nand off again by sunrise, putting out to sea and keeping there till we\nreached the western passage to the harbor of Papeete. There we went\nashore near a large American tile establishment's wholesale and retail\ndepartment. Just in front of this lay a large American warship. The\nwater was very deep, so that the vessel was moored to the shore, the\ngangway resting upon the street, where a great many people had gathered.\n\nAs soon as we landed I stepped into the retail department referred to,\non some little errand. In a couple of minutes or so I was confronted by\nthe Rev. Mr. Howe, who has been mentioned before. He was a fine-looking\nEnglish gentleman of thirty-five or forty years of age. He came up and\nshook hands with me, saying, \"Mr. Brown, are you aware that the gen\nd' armes are in search of you? You must have been in hiding somewhere.\nThey have searched Papara for you, and now are searching this town, and\nthere is great excitement over your actions. You had better be cautious\nwhat you are about.\" I could not understand at first what he meant, so\nI asked him what I had done to create such a great excitement as to\nhave the police hunting for me. I said I had not been in hiding at all,\nhad not thought of such a thing. He replied, \"Why, sir, you have gone\nand plunged a young lady head and ears into the cold water, and we have\nhad her under medical treatment for four months, and expected her to\ndie. Now you have endangered her life by plunging her into cold water.\nShe is one of the most talented and smartest women of this island. We\nhave taken great pains to educate her, and she is widely known and\nrespected by everyone who knows her.\"\n\n\"Well,\" said I, \"what harm have I done? She was healed of her sickness,\nas she and her mother testified to me before I left, and every person\nwho was present can bear witness of the same.\"\n\n\"Ah, well,\" said he, \"you have such a fierce countenance and expressive\nvoice as to excite a person under the most excruciating pain until\nthey would not realize they had any suffering at all. She may relapse\nand die, then you will have grave responsibilities to meet for your\nunwarranted act.\" He continued talking, turning to intimidation and\nabusive language until he said it was a great pity that one of my\nnatural endowments lacked in educational attainments, for if I had\nbeen taught in Greek or Latin I would have understood that baptism was\n_baptiso_ in Latin, and meant merely the application of water, and not\nto plunge people head and ears in the shameful and ridiculous manner\nthat he said I had done.\n\nBy this time we were talking so very loud as to attract the attention\nof all around. Finally Mr. Howe said, \"Do you teach the people that\nbaptism is essential to the salvation of man or the soul?\" I told him\nI did. \"Then,\" said he, \"you teach a lie, and I will follow you up and\ntell the people that you are a liar and teach false doctrine.\" As my\ncalling as a missionary would not admit of a violent retaliation, I\nmerely said to him that in my country that would be very ungentlemanly\nlanguage for one minister to use towards another, but I supposed it was\nsome of the Greek and Latin that he had been learned in. Then I turned\naway from him.\n\nMy action brought a tremendous cheer from the Americans on board the\nwarship, and from all who understood the conversation. The people\nassembled hurrahed for the Mormon boy. At that my antagonist turned\nvery red in the face. Some of the natives ran up to him, pointing their\nfingers at him, and shouting, \"Look how red his nose is! The Mormon boy\nhas whipped him!\" They rushed around me to shake hands, and seemed as\nif they would carry me on their shoulders. It should be understood that\nwe talked partly in English and partly in Tahitian, so that all could\nunderstand in a general way what we said, for we had grown very earnest\nif not heated in our discussion.\n\nSoon after this I went up through the town and there learned from\nseveral people that there had been much excitement over my having\nbaptized the sick young lady, and that the police had searched the\nplace over for me. I realized then that if it had not been for the\ncalm weather we had had at sea we would have got into town just at\nthe height of the excitement, and I would have been locked in prison.\nSo, thanks for the calm, although when we were in it we wished for\nwind that we might make better headway; but that delay gave time for\nreflection, and for the news of the young lady's convalescence to reach\nPapeete, so that I could pass on my way without further insult.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXV.\n\nSEVERAL BAPTISMS--VISIT PAPARA AGAIN--COLDNESS OF THE PEOPLE--BITTER\nEFFORTS OF THE PROTESTANT MINISTERS--NATIVES VISIT ME IN\nSECRET--ANTI-MORMON MASS MEETING--FOOLISH AND VICIOUS SCHEME TO\nENSNARE THE WRITER--IT IS EASILY DEFEATED--RETURN TO PAPEETE--MORE\nBAPTISMS--DEPARTURE OF ELDER DUNN--I AM LEFT ALONE--BRETHREN COME\nFROM TUBUOI--ELDERS APPOINTED TO LABOR IN DIFFERENT ISLANDS--THE\nWRITER ASSIGNED TO THE TUAMOTU GROUP--LEAVE ON THE ELDERS' SCHOONER,\nTHE RAVAI OR FISHER--MEET WITH CONTRARY WINDS--DRIVEN TO VARIOUS\nISLANDS--ENCOUNTER A VIOLENT STORM--IN GREAT PERIL--VESSEL BEYOND\nCONTROL--STORM CALMS DOWN--REACH TUBUOI--FIRST PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL\nTHERE, IN 1844.\n\nWE reached our home at Huaua on the 20th of March, and found all well.\nOn the 23rd I baptized Tereino and Maioa, and on the 24th Brother Dunn\nbaptized two other persons besides Brother Hamatua and two of his\nchildren. Then I sailed for Papara, after providing myself with the\npermit that I lacked on our previous visit. We stopped at Taunua the\nfirst night, the 25th, having had to row all the way.\n\nOn the 26th we reached Papara, where the people acted very coolly\ntowards us. There was one friend, however, who dared invite us in and\nprovide us with food and lodging. On inquiry, we learned that the young\nlady who had been ill and was healed at her baptism was sound and well,\nand had been so from the time she was baptized. We also learned that\nMessrs. Howe, Chisholm, Baff and Davis had called the people together\nafter the baptism, inquired of them where I was, had the town searched\nfor me, and had sought diligently to learn if I had spoken against them\nor against the French government; but they failed to learn anything of\nthis kind on which to base an accusation against me and had to content\nthemselves by telling the people all the foul slanders they had heard\nagainst the Mormons and Joseph Smith, and by warning the people against\nus, saying that if they took us in or bade us Godspeed they would\nnot be permitted to partake of the sacrament in their church, and if\nthey went to hear us preach they would be excommunicated. They sent a\ndelegation to the young lady whom I had baptized, to see if she had\nbeen healed, and through being intimidated she said no. Her relatives\nhad quarreled over the matter, some being in favor of her saying that\nshe was not, while others said that she was healed. The report that the\ndelegation made to their masters, however, was that she said she had\nnot been healed; when I went to see her, she ran out to meet me, and\ntold me that she had not been sick one day since she had been baptized.\n\nBy such means as those I have named, the ministers sought to turn the\npeople against us, and strongly forbade them to show us any favors\nwhatever; and when the natives could come secretly and talk with us\nthey would explain, \"Now, if we come openly and investigate your\ndoctrine and are not satisfied with it, then we will be turned out\nof society. For that reason we dare not receive you or come and talk\nopenly with you. Our hearts are good towards you, but we are watched by\nthe police, so that we dare not be friendly with you where we can be\nseen.\"\n\nAs soon as the ministers learned that we had returned, they called\nanother meeting, at which they seemed to take delight in abusing and\nvilifying the Mormons in general and me in particular. When the meeting\nwas over, they called two pretty young women, and privately told them\nto dress themselves as nicely as they could and perfume themselves and\nmake themselves as attractive as possible, then to take their Bibles\nand hymn books and get into conversation with the Mormon missionary,\nIatobo (James). They were to be very sociable and friendly to me.\nThey had been told also that they would learn that the Mormons were\nlicentious deceivers, and that my actions would show that I was a\nlicentious rascal and would lead them astray. Orders were also given\nthem that when they had proved this they were to return and report to\nthe ministers. I came into possession of this information regarding the\nscheme through the spirit of discernment, and by the confession of the\nparties themselves.\n\nThe young ladies came as instructed, and the moment they entered the\ndoor and I inhaled the perfumes I had the discernment of their mission\nand the instructions they were under from their ministers. Nevertheless\nthey were welcomed in and took seats just in front of and close to the\nwriter, on a mat. In the blandest and most pleasant manner they began\nto make scripture inquiries, accepting every answer as final, and\nassenting to all I had to say. They became more and more sociable and\nbold, until at length one of them raised on her knees, and placing her\nopen Bible upon the writer's knee, at the same time looked him squarely\nin the face with her most pleasant smile. He at once moved his chair\nback, and said to them, \"You have not come here with the object that\nyou profess to come with, but your mission is a deceptive one, and you\nhave been sent here by your ministers to try to deceive me, thinking to\nlead me into lewd and wicked practices that I am a stranger to. Now,\nif you wish anything of that kind you must return to your masters who\nsent you, and tell them that if they wish you to be accommodated in\nthat way, they will have to do it themselves, for Mormon Elders are not\nguilty of such practices, though they have proofs that the ministers\nare. And I exhort you to be ashamed and to repent of your sins, and be\nbaptized for their remission, and you will know that what I have told\nyou is true.\"\n\nAt this rebuke, they both confessed openly that every word I had said\nwas true, and that they had been sent for no other purpose than the one\nI have stated. As they had come straight from the minister's house,\nthey wondered how the writer could tell them so directly what their\nministers had ordered them to do, and how he came to read their mission\nso accurately. They said, \"_No te varua tera_\" (that is of the Spirit);\nfor no one else could have told him so correctly. At that they took\ntheir leave, and I heard no more of them or their mission.\n\nThe ministers called another meeting on March 29th. I attended that,\nand after service asked permission to speak a few moments. This being\ngranted by Mr. Davis, I merely gave notice that I was a minister of\nthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there on a mission\nto teach the true Gospel, and if any wished to hear me I was at their\nservice, if they would permit. There was no response, so a hymn was\nsung, and the people dispersed. At night a few came to hear me, but\nseemed to be under such restraint that there was no pleasure in talking\nto them.\n\nWe spent several days at the place without any success, owing to the\ngreat prejudice of the people, and the unwarranted hatred of their\nministers. Then we left for Papeete, starting on April 2nd, and\narriving at our destination at daylight on the 3rd. Having had to row\nall the way, we were very tired, so stopped to get some needed rest.\nIn the evening we baptized one person, Maua. On the 6th we attended\nmeeting with about twenty of the Tuamotu Saints, then the boat and the\nothers of the party went home while I tarried till the next day, going\nhome by land to Hapape, where I found a boat bound direct for Huaua, so\nI took passage on it, and was wafted there speedily.\n\nIt was on April 19th that I started for Otumaro. On the 21st we got to\nthat place, where I stayed while the others of the party made a visit\nto Papara. On their return I joined them and proceeded to Papeete,\nwhere I left the boat again and walked the remainder of the journey.\nThe next day the rest of the party came up by sea; and on the 29th we\nbaptized three more persons.\n\nWhile at Otumaro, some Matia brethren came from Hitia after a\nmissionary or two. Matia is a small island about ninety miles north\nof Tahiti. Brother Dunn, being very tired of Huaua, concluded that\nhe would go with them, they taking his trunk and bedding on their\nshoulders and marching off, apparently in triumph. They insisted that\nI should go with them as well, but having been left in charge of the\nmission on Tahiti, I did not feel at liberty to leave, as Brother Pratt\nhad told me to remain there until the new schooner should arrive.\nTherefore I turned alone to my missionary labors. On the 29th I\nbaptized Tuane; and at Huaua on May 4th I baptized Tafatua and Tafai,\nwho had been baptized by Brother Pratt; they confessed that they had\nbeen led astray, but desired to return to the true fold. The same day I\nadministered the sacrament to twenty-one souls.\n\nJust at dark on May 12th, 1851, we heard a gun fired at sea. We\nhastened to the beach, and, sure enough, it was our long-looked-for\nbrethren on their new schooner, which was named the Ravai (Fisher.)\nBrother John Hawkins having joined us, he and Hamatua went off in a\ncanoe to get the news. They found all well. Next day we joined them in\nthe harbor of Papeete, and remained with them on board the schooner and\nwrote letters.\n\nOn the 15th Brothers Pratt, John Layton, Hawkins and the wives of the\nlast two, as well as some of the native brethren, sailed in a whaleboat\nfor Huaua, while we stopped at Hapape and took a nap, and at 2 o'clock\na.m. started back, reaching our destination at daylight on the 16th.\nWe rested on the 17th, and on the 18th, in council, Elders Thomas\nWhitaker, Julian Moses and two native brethren were appointed to\nlabor as missionaries on Tahiti; Elders John Hawkins, Alviras Hanks,\nSimeon A. Dunn and James S. Brown were appointed to labor among the\ninhabitants of the Tuamotu group of islands.\n\nOn May 19th, Brothers Pratt, Layton and Hawkins set out for Papeete,\nand at 3 p.m. Brothers T. Whitaker and Pohe, with their families,\nstarted for Pueu in a boat belonging to some of their relatives. On\nthe 21st, the schooner--the new one built at Tubuoi, and commanded by\nBenjamin F. Grouard--called with the brethren who went down the day\nbefore on board. She was bound for Anaa, two hundred and ten miles\neast, or nearly so. When they got opposite Huaua, Captain Grouard came\nashore and said they desired me to accompany them, as they intended to\ncall by Tubuoi before returning to Tahiti.\n\nIn fifteen or twenty minutes I was ready, and we soon boarded the\nlittle vessel. She was thirty-five or forty tons burden, had poor\naccommodations on board, and was insufficiently supplied with\nprovisions. We started, but the wind being contrary, we soon had to\nchange our course, so that on the 24th we sighted Riroa, and on the\n25th we touched at Uratua and got some cocoanuts. In consequence of\nthe strong current there, we could not make much headway, but in\ntrying to beat around it we sighted Anutua. On the next tack we came\nto Aunua, where we went ashore and found a small branch of the Church.\nThe Saints were very kind to us, showing every favor they could, and\npressing us to allow one of our number to remain with them. But it was\nnot considered proper to grant the request, so we held two meetings and\npreached to them, giving them all the cheer and comfort that we could,\nand then left. They seemed to appreciate our visit and counsel as only\nLatter-day Saints can.\n\nAgain we sailed for Anaa, but the strong wind and waves prevailed\nagainst us, so that we were driven so far from our course that we\nsighted Faraua on May 31st, and on June 1st we encountered a very\nheavy storm, commencing at 5:30 and continuing till 11 p.m. when it\nseemed to abate a little. At 7 p.m. all sails had been taken in save\nthe foresail, which was close-reefed, and as the vessel was beyond our\ncontrol, our best seamen being willing to admit that they could do\nnothing for us, the helm was lashed down, and all hands went below.\nThe hatch was securely fastened down, leaving only two of our best and\nbravest men lashed on deck with slack rope. Everyone seemed to realize\nour peril, and that we must rely alone on the Almighty to save us from\ndestruction. There was land all around, and the wind and currents\nwere so strong that it was impossible, with the means at our command,\nto direct the course of our little Fisher. I must leave the friendly\nreader to draw his own conclusions as to the condition we were in, for\nI have not the ability to describe it. Suffice it to say that through\nthe mercies of the Lord we were spared to find ourselves perfectly\nlandlocked by three islands, namely, Anutua, Apatai and Aunua. Again\ngetting control of the vessel, we put into the harbor at Apatai, that\nbeing considered the safest place. There we found some Church members,\nand were treated very kindly. We remained there until the 6th, holding\nmeetings and preaching to the people.\n\nApatai is one of the islands of poison fish, and we felt the effects of\nthese slightly before we left. We had a fair wind for Anaa on the 6th,\nwhen we started, but it soon died away and we were left to drift with\na very strong current. On the 7th we found ourselves drifted down by\nthe side of Anutua. Having some natives of that island on board they\nwere sent ashore. Jonathan Crosby went with them, and returned with the\nboat. From thence we had a pleasant voyage to Anutua. There we went\nashore and preached to the people. Brothers Grouard's and Hawkins'\nwives also landed.\n\nWe left them on the 9th. and sailed for Tubuoi. Having a fair and\nstrong wind, we were wafted to Matia, where we left some passengers\nbelonging to that island. We also took in a small supply of provisions,\nas our store was very scanty. Then we continued towards Tubuoi, having\na favorable wind till we got within eighty miles of our destination.\nThen a strong headwind forced us to change our course, so that we put\ninto a small island called Loivivi. This was on the 17th. The island\ndoes not exceed four miles in length and two in width; there were three\nhundred and eighty-three people living on it. They had the wildest and\nfiercest look of any that we had met on our cruise, yet they behaved\nvery well to us. On the 18th we sailed again for Tubuoi, and on the\n20th we cast anchor at that island, which lies between the twenty-third\nand twenty-fourth parallels, south latitude. It is only twelve or\nfifteen miles in length, and from a distance resembles the tops of\nmountains in a plain. Its inhabitants numbered four hundred, all told.\n\nIt was on this island that the Gospel was first preached in this\ndispensation, in the islands of the Pacific Ocean. This preaching was\nby Elder Addison Pratt, July 12, 1844. He was accompanied by Elders\nNoah Rogers and B. F. Grouard, they having been sent by the Prophet\nJoseph Smith, from Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois, U.S.A., in the\nyear 1843. Knowlton Hanks was one of the missionaries who left Nauvoo,\nbut he died on the voyage from Boston to Tubuoi, after the vessel had\nrounded Cape Horn.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXVI.\n\nHEARTY WELCOME IN TUBUOI--START FOR TUAMOTU--REACH PAPEETE,\nTAHITI--VISIT TO HUAUA--LEAVE TAHITI--WRITER GETS RELIEF FROM\nSEASICKNESS--BROILED FISH AND COCOANUTS--IN A SCHOOL OF WHALES--THROWN\nINTO A CORAL REEF--TOTAL WRECK IMMINENT--THREE PERSONS GET ASHORE--BOAT\nGOES OUT TO SEA--WRECK OF ELDER DUNN'S PARTY--THREE DAYS IN THE SEA,\nCLINGING TO A CAPSIZED BOAT--CLOTHING TORN OFF BY SHARKS--SKIN TAKEN\nOFF BY THE SEA AND SUN--REACH THE ISLAND OF ANAA--RECOGNIZED BY A\nMAN WHO HAD SEEM ME IN A DREAM--PREACHING AND BAPTIZING--MANY OF\nTHE NATIVES CHURCH MEMBERS--MAKE A RUDE MAP OF THE CALIFORNIA GOLD\nFIELDS--TELL OF HAVING BEEN IN THE MORMON BATTALION--CATHOLIC PRIESTS\nELICIT THIS INFORMATION AS PAST OF A SCHEME TO HAVE ME EXPELLED FROM\nTHE ISLAND.\n\nWHEN we landed on Tubuoi on May 20th, we found the people feeling well.\nThey were greatly pleased to see us, and we rejoiced to meet with and\npreach to them. We traveled from village to village preaching, and\nvisited the people from house to house, being received everywhere in\nthe most friendly manner.\n\nOn July 1st and 2nd we attended to correspondence, and on the 3rd\neverything was in readiness and we sailed with a cargo of cattle for\nTahiti. Elder A. Hanks and the writer were bound for the Tuamotu group\nof islands. On the 6th, after a pleasant voyage, with the exception of\nseasickness, we landed at Papeete, Tahiti, all well.\n\nOur captain said that he would only remain in harbor a day or two,\nthen would sail for Anaa. As I desired to visit the brethren at Huaua,\nfifteen miles up the coast, I started at 4 p.m., afoot and alone, and\nreached my destination the same evening. I was surprised when the whole\nfamily, men, women and children, leaped from their beds and embraced\nme, and wept for joy. Some refreshments were provided, and we then\nturned in for the remainder of the night.\n\nI stayed there until the 8th, and met with Elders Julian Moses and T.\nWhitaker, who accompanied me to Papeete, where we arrived at 1 o'clock\np.m., and found the vessel being prepared to sail. Brother Hanks was\ndetained in getting his permit until it was too late to get out of the\npassage till the 9th, then the wind came straight into the passage, so\nthat we had to drop anchor till late in the afternoon. We managed to\nget clear that night, but the wind being contrary we did not lose sight\nof land till the 10th; then we had a perfect calm for two days. Late in\nthe evening of the 12th we got a light breeze. This day was the first\ntime in my life that I could say that I was well at sea. Never before\nthat evening had I gone below and enjoyed a meal of victuals; but from\nthat time on I could take my rations with the rest except in a storm.\n\nOn July 13th we sighted and passed Metia, and sighted Tikahau; the\n14th Matea was in view, and we passed along close to the weather end\nof Riroa; the 18th we were near Uratua. There two boats were let down,\none to pull up through the lagoon of the island, twenty miles long, to\nwhere Brother Hawkins lived, and the other to fish. About 11 p.m. we\nneared the village when the natives came and conducted us to the place.\nThey spread some broiled fish and cocoanuts before us; and of course we\nwere thankful to get that, for there was no other food on the island.\nThis was all that some of the inhabitants ever had to eat on their own\nisland, save an occasional pig or a chicken. After the refreshments we\nturned in for the night.\n\nNext morning we were feasted as best the people could do. We preached\nto them, then sailed away; for our schooner was waiting for us. We\nnext headed for Riroa, as we could not get a wind for Anaa, which we\nhad been trying to reach from the time we left Tahiti. On the 21st we\npassed through a school of whales to the harbor. Again we encountered\na strong current coming out of the passage, and a headwind. Then, in\ntrying to beat up into the harbor, our vessel failed to stay, and we\nwere driven into the coral rock, which stood up in the water like\ntree-tops. Crash we went, and the vessel began to quiver and jar. All\nhands and the cook had an awful scare, and for a few moments it looked\nas though our vessel would be a total wreck, and we be all spilled into\nthe raging billows, among crags and rocks. But thanks to the Lord, this\nwas averted. Three of us succeeded in gaining the shore in safety, and\nthe vessel put to sea for the night, coming in on the 22nd to anchor.\n\nOn shore we were feasted on broiled fish, cocoanuts and roast pig. The\npeople seemed overjoyed at our visit. We called a meeting and preached\nto them, encouraging them in their religious duties.\n\nIt was while we were on this island that we heard from Brothers Dunn\nand Crosby, who were well. We also heard from Manahuni and party, who\nleft Tahiti at the same time that we departed on our first cruise. They\nsailed for Anaa, in a small, open boat called the _Anaura_, the same that\nBrother Grouard made many trips in from island to island, and in which\nhe had many narrow escapes. But Manahuni and his party of six brethren\nand sisters had a much severer experience than any former party. Their\nboat capsized in a heavy storm, the same that we had been caught in on\nour former cruise. They lost everything save their lives, and these\nwere preserved only by clinging to the keel of the boat for three days\nand three nights. Finally the boat righted itself, and they drifted to\nthe island of Tikahau, but not till the last rag of clothing had been\ntorn from their bodies by sharks, and much of the skin--all of the\ncuticle--had sloughed off through their being in the salt water and\nhot sun so long. But their lives were spared to them, and they were\nnourished by the kind people of Tikahau, until they were able to reach\nthe island of their destination, Anaa.\n\nA fair wind for Anaa came on July 26th, so we left for that place.\nAt dawn on the 28th we sighted the island, and at 10 o'clock a.m. we\nlanded at Tuuhora. As we neared the shore I was seated in the stern of\nthe boat, when a man came bounding through the water and passed all our\nparty till he came to me. Then he reached out his hand, which had in it\nfive pearls wrapped in a little rag, and said, \"Here! I have seen you\nbefore. You have come to be our president, for you have been shown to\nme in a dream. Welcome, welcome to our land!\" Just then he turned his\nback for the writer to get on, and in this way took me to the shore,\nwhere the people soon prepared a feast of welcome, as is their custom\nwhen their friends come to see them. No feast, no welcome.\n\nThe feasting over, with Brothers Hanks and Hawkins I visited the\nbranches, the three of us traveling together, preaching and baptizing\nthe people, who came forward in large numbers to receive the ordinance.\nAugust 5, 1851, Brother Hanks left for Taroa, and Brother Hawkins\nfor Arutua. I had been appointed to preside on Anaa, and commenced\nmy labors in that duty. On the 6th I was instructed, by Elder B. F.\nGrouard, to travel and preach, to reorganize the branches wherever\nit was necessary, and to organize and teach schools as I might find\nit prudent; in fact, to do all things pertaining to my calling as a\nmissionary. Thus I started out alone.\n\nOne of the first things I found after I began my labors was that there\nwere four Catholic priests on the island, building four stone churches;\nthat they had about thirty natives employed on them, and that no others\nwould attend their religious services; it was claimed that there were\nabout nine hundred persons belonging to the Mormon Church, most of them\nbeing members in good standing. There were no natives there belonging\nto the Catholic church.\n\nOn one occasion soon after my arrival, I was being questioned, in a\nconversation, about California and the gold fields, and also about my\nbirthplace and the city of my residence. I took a sheet of paper and\nsketched a rough outline of the gold fields. One of the natives who\napparently had been greatly interested in the narrative, asked for the\nsketch. It being given to him, he went off and soon returned with a\nlarge sheet of drawing paper, on which he requested me to draw a map,\non a larger scale, showing my birthplace, where Salt Lake City was\nfrom there, and the location of the gold fields. Then the question was\nasked, how I came to be in California at so early a date. I told them\nI went there in the Mormon Battalion, in the service of the United\nStates, during the war with Mexico. Little did I think I was mapping\nout the outlines of a foundation for a wicked and false charge to be\npreferred against me by the Catholic priest. Neither did I have the\nremotest idea that my rude sketch would be used in crediting me with\nbeing a civil engineer of no mean ability, nor that my having been in\nthe army of the United States would entitle me to the dignity of a\nhighly educated military graduate from some United States army school;\nnor was I aware that my walk and carriage were that of an officer in\nthe military establishment of my government. Yet the sequel will show\nthat all this was the case.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXVII.\n\nINVITED TO ORGANIZE SCHOOLS--CATHOLIC PRIESTS DISPLEASED AT\nMORMON SUCCESS--GOOD ATTENDANCE AT THE SCHOOLS--THREATS BY THE\nPRIESTS--DISCOMFITURE OF THE LATTER--FEAST AND ADDRESS OF WELCOME BY\nTHE NATIVES TO THE WRITER--PREACHING AND BAPTISMS--CATHOLIC PRIESTS\nSEIZE A SCHOOLHOUSE BELONGING TO THE SAINTS--DISTURB A SAINTS'\nMEETING--MORE BAPTISMS--FURTHER ANNOYANCE BY CATHOLICS--PEOPLE DECIDE\nAGAINST THEM--TOWN OFFICIALS APPEALED TO--THEY UPHOLD THE DECISION IN\nFAVOR OF THE MORMONS--PRIESTS WRITE TO GOVERNOR BONARD, MAKING FALSE\nCHARGES AGAINST ME--A PECULIAR DREAM.\n\nON August 7th I was solicited by the chief men of Putuhara to assist\nthem in organizing a school. Indeed, the whole people were anxious to\nhave me aid them in this, therefore I took hold as requested. They had\nno school at that time, and were looking for a white Elder to start\none, as they themselves had but a vague idea of the proper order or\nrules to govern such an organization. The writer did not have the\nremotest idea that he would meet with the antagonism of the Catholic\npriests in this matter, as there was a unanimous desire for him among\nthe people, who had rejected the offer of the priest stationed at that\nplace. However, I soon heard that the priest was displeased because the\npeople had rejected him and supported us by sending their children to\nour school, and by feasting me and showing me marked preference in many\nways. Our house was crowded to its full capacity every evening, while\nthe priest sat alone in his studio.\n\nOn August 12th we had thirty-six students; by the 14th the school had\nincreased to sixty-five. The priest came to the door, looked in, then\nturned short on his heel, and went away without speaking, yet showing\nhis displeasure in his manner. Soon he got a house to run opposition\nin school work, but he failed to get pupils. Then he became very cross\nand snarly at every one he came in contact with; at least, so said the\npeople.\n\nIn company with some of my friends, I went to Otapipi on August 15th.\nWe met a man with a letter from the head Catholic priest, for me. It\nwas in the Tahitian language, and began as follows: \"Iarran Iatobo, i\nte Atua\" (James, how do you do in the Lord?) and continued, translated\ninto English: \"This is what I have to say to you: Do not trouble our\nschools, and we will not trouble yours. If you do so again, I will send\nfor the governor's aide de camp, and we will have you tried before\nhim. You must not trouble us any more.\" It closed with \"Tidar Paran\nIaraan ae, Tavara\" (That is all the talk. Good bye to you.) As we had\nnot knowingly interfered with their schools we did not make any reply,\nbut continued our journey to Otapipi, and held a prayer meeting at\nthat place at 3 o'clock p.m. While there I saw a priest and his two\nattendants coming across the lake. They landed, and came straight to\nthe house where we had put up. The priest walked in without hesitation,\nand politely offered to shake hands. We met him as politely, and took\nhis hand. Then he asked if we had received a letter from the priest\nbelow. We informed him that we had. \"Well,\" said he, \"we don't want\nyou to interfere with our schools, and we will not with yours.\" At\nthe same time he threatened me with the governor's authority, if we\ndid not \"walk straight.\" After some discourse, I asked him what kind\nof a God he worshiped. He said a spirit without body or parts; but he\nfailed to find any Scripture to support his belief, and the people\nwho had gathered around laughed at him, making him feel very much out\nof temper. On August 16th he called a few children together and spoke\nbriefly to them in Latin or some language that I did not understand.\nThen he departed for another village.\n\nSoon after this, the people prepared a feast in honor of our visit.\nThe food consisted of roasted fish and fowl. Many little presents were\nalso brought, such as could be made from the fiber of the cocoanut\nhusk, mats, shells, etc. When all was laid before us, the spokesman\nsaid, in substance, in the Tahitian language: \"James, as a token of\nour great love and respect for you, the servant of God, we, the people\nof Otapipi, Anaa, have collected of all the varieties of food that our\nland affords, and a few articles of use. Here is a pig, there is a\nfish, and fowl, and here are cocoanuts. This is meat and drink for us,\nand all that is produced in our land. We wish you to accept it from all\nof us as your true friends, and we wish you to eat and be full. Be our\npresident and teacher in the Gospel, and a teacher of our children; for\nwe are glad to have you come to our land as a father and guide. Our\nhearts are full of gladness that God has sent you to our land, that we\nmay be taught to love the true and living God, for we have always been\nin the dark, and did not know there was a true and living God to love\nand worship. Now we have no more to say. Amen.\"\n\nThe foregoing is a fair representation of the addresses made to us on\noccasions such as that was. That night the house could not hold all\nwho came to search the Scriptures and sing sacred hymns. Three persons\noffered themselves for baptism, and were put off till Sunday, the 17th,\nwhen I preached on faith, repentance, and baptism for the remission of\nsins. At the afternoon services, I exhorted the people to be faithful,\ntold them the conditions on which they could be admitted into the\nChurch, and said that all who felt to accept those conditions might be\naccommodated that evening, as I had three candidates to wait on at the\nclose of the services.\n\nWhen the meeting was over, the whole congregation gathered down by the\nseaside. We sang a hymn and prayed, and I went down into the water and\nremained there until I had baptized thirty-five souls. When these were\nconfirmed, the people remained together to a late hour before they\nwould disperse. On August 18th, agreeable to the request of the people\nand with the approval of the rulers of the village, I opened a school,\nclassified the students, and chose teachers for each class, then laid\ndown rules to govern them. The feasting was continued from day to day\nto August 24th. On Sunday, the 25th, I preached from the second chapter\nof the Acts of the Apostles. At the close of the meeting three persons\npresented themselves for baptism, and we attended to the ordinance.\nOne of those baptized was Mahia, who, forty years later, presided over\nthe entire mission, being, at the latter time, totally blind. Besides\nthe three mentioned, sixteen others were baptized, and all of them\nconfirmed.\n\nOn the 26th, the school was continued in good order. That day the news\ncame that the Catholic priest had taken charge of our meeting house\nat Temarari, although the house was built and owned by the Latter-day\nSaints. The priest claimed the right to control it in the interest of\nhis church; and the Saints requested me to come and help them regain\npossession of the house. With two of the natives, I started on the\n27th, quite a company, male and female, following us. When we arrived\na feast was prepared; the people gave us a perfect ovation. We held\nmeeting that evening, the 28th, and I preached from the twelfth chapter\nof Luke.\n\nAt the close of the meeting the bell was rung for school. In came the\npriest to take charge, but as he had no right to the hour, and the\npeople did not want him to teach, but desired me to take charge, I told\nthem that when they settled the dispute about the house, if it was\ndesired by the whole people and their officers that I should proceed, I\nwould do so. They arranged to settle the matter in a day or two.\n\nOn the 30th I received a letter from Elder T. W. Whitaker, of Tahiti,\nand I wrote to the white Elders. The same evening I had a call from two\nof the Catholic priests, whose names were Tavara and Harara. Evidently\nthey were very much disturbed in their feelings, as the people were\nstill feasting with and showing every respect possible to me, while\nthey passed the priests by with a cold nod.\n\nSunday morning, August 31st, I preached on the attributes of God. At\nthe close of our meeting the priests rang the bell and came marching\nin with their lamps and images, demanding possession of the house. We\ntold them we had business matters to attend to, and were not ready to\ngive up the place. Nevertheless, they piled their things on the table\nin front of me as I sat writing. They had as much as two or three men\ncould carry. They crowded their things right into my way, so I asked\nwhat they meant by such conduct, and who had invited them there before\nwe got through with our business. They replied that it was their time\nfor meeting, and demanded the house, claiming it was a public building,\nand that they had a right to hold their meetings in it. I said that\nit had been built and was owned by the Mormon people, and that we did\nnot propose to be disturbed by the intruders until we had finished our\nbusiness. At that they flew into a rage and threatened us with the law,\nas they had done before, but finally they cooled down, carried their\nthings out, and waited until we were through and had left. Then they\nheld their services. I do not think they had over six persons in their\ncongregation. They dispersed quietly, and at 10 o'clock a.m. we held\nmeeting again. I preached on faith and baptism. One hundred and thirty\npeople attended our meeting. In the evening I baptized and confirmed\ntwenty-five persons.\n\nOn Monday, September 1st, I took up school by request of the people\nand their peace officers. On the 4th we had thirty students. On the\n5th, two native Elders went with me to Tuuhora. We received a call from\na priest; also held a prayer meeting, but few people attended it. On\nSunday we held three meetings, administered the sacrament, baptized\nnineteen souls, and confirmed them. On Monday, the 8th, we organized\na school with fifty students, and with the peace officers selected a\nteacher for each class. The Catholic priest called on me and forbade\nme changing his hours of school. As I had not attempted to interfere\nwith him or his schools, I came to the conclusion that he was seeking\nan occasion against me under the law, as they had threatened me with\nbefore. I knew they were jealous, for where I stopped the people would\nthrong around me and the priests were left alone.\n\nWhen the older people had gone through some morning exercises that\nday, desiring on my part to prevent further trouble with the priest, I\nsent him word that as soon as we got through with the younger classes\nhe could occupy the building, but not before, as he had threatened\nto do. Just as the messenger returned, the priest rang the bell most\nspitefully, and then came rushing into the school room, his eyes\nflashing angrily. Our school was greatly disturbed. I advanced, and\nasked him civilly if he wished to attend our school. He said yes,\nevidently misunderstanding me. I pointed him to a seat, saying we were\nmuch pleased to have our school increase, and would he please give\nme his name. I must confess that I felt a little mischievous, and to\nretaliate slightly for their constant meddling in our affairs. He saw\nthe point, flew into a rage, and sent for the landholders of the place\nto have me put out of the house. The landholders came, and told him\nthey did not wish to have me disturbed, as they had sent for me to come\nand take up a school; that the people preferred me to him; that he was\nthe one who had made the disturbance, not me, and that he must give way\nand cease his interference.\n\nNot satisfied with that decision, the priest sent for the governor\nand chief men of the town, who came, and with them a large crowd of\ncitizens. When the governor had heard both sides, he confirmed the\ndecision of the landholders, and called for a vote of the people to say\nwhich of us should teach school. The vote was unanimous against the\npriest. Then the governor told him that as the people did not want him\nhe must leave the house at once, and not disturb me or my school any\nmore, for none of the people had any use for him, as he had witnessed;\nthey had all voted against him, and all wanted Iatobo.\n\nAt this, the priest took up his books and slates, and after accusing me\nof everything that was mean and low, and calling the Mormon people the\nvilest names, he withdrew. Later, he wrote a letter to Governor Bonard,\nof Tahiti, and circulated it for signatures. We learned afterwards\nthat he got thirty signers. I believe that eleven were French traders,\nand the other nineteen were natives whom the traders had in their\nemployment. We also learned, at the cost of inquiry, that the priest's\nletter contained the charges upon which I was subsequently arrested.\nBut at that time we continued our school in peace.\n\nOn September 12th I was feasted in royal style by non-members of the\nChurch. They called on one of the native Elders to deliver the address,\nwhich he did in a most eloquent manner. I responded in the usual way,\nand accepted their kind offering. The cook disposed of the spread to\nthe great satisfaction of the whole assembly, on such occasions all\npresent being directly interested in the distribution of the eatables.\n\nAbout this time the writer had a remarkable dream. He dreamed that God\nappeared, and told him to go to a field of his earthly father's, and\nreplant where the birds and squirrels had destroyed the grain. Then his\nfather appeared and showed him where to begin the labor. When he had\nbeen furnished with seed and a hoe, he went to work, and the replanting\nwas soon done. Then he was shown a field of wheat that, in the spring\nof the year, was about eight inches high. The ground was quite wet,\nand the grain was growing nicely. While he was gazing on the bright\nprospects, a herd of cattle came in, breaking down the fence. They\nseemed to trample everything they came to. Then he heard a voice say,\n\"Drive them out;\" and as he attempted to do so, a fiery red bull made\na charge toward him so that it seemed impossible for him to escape\nbeing gored to death; but as the animal lowered its head to make the\ndeadly thrust, the writer seized it by both horns and bore its head\nto the earth. The animal was coming with such force that it turned a\nsomersault, both horns being sunk to the head in the earth, and the\nbull's neck being broken. Then a black and white bull, very peculiarly\nmarked, came up in the same fierce manner, only to meet with a similar\nfate. At that the herd cleared the field, but not until much damage had\nbeen done.\n\nWhen he awoke, the writer felt that there was more trouble ahead for\nhim, but he did not know from what source it would come. Of the priests\nwho had given so much annoyance, one had fiery red hair, and another\nwas white and dark spotted, or freckle-faced.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXVIII.\n\nGO TO TEMARAIA--MIRACULOUS HEALINGS--CHILD ASSAILED BY AN EVIL\nSPIRIT--STRANGE OCCURRENCE--GIFT OF SEA BISCUITS--PERFORM A\nSURGICAL OPERATION--HAMMERING OUT TEETH--THE WRITER AS A SURGEON\nAND DENTIST--ROUGHS DISTURB A MEETING--THEY ARE STRICKEN WITH\nDEATH--FATAL SICKNESS AMONG THE PEOPLE--LOWER CLASSES OF THE NATIVES\nAT A FEAST--THEIR REVERENCE FOR RELIGIOUS SERVICES AND PREACHERS--TWO\nPARTIES OF NATIVES IN BATTLE ARRAY--FIGHTING AVERTED BY THE WRITER\nADDRESSING THE CONTENDING FACTIONS IN FAVOR OF PEACE--WARS AMONG\nTHE NATIVES--SOME OF THEIR PRACTICES--GATHERING AND KEEPING HUMAN\nHEADS--CAUSES OF CANNIBALISM--CONVERSATION WITH ONE WHO HAD BEEN A\nCANNIBAL--FLAVOR OF NATIVE AND WHITE MEN'S FLESH COMPARED--THE TASTIEST\nPART OF THE HUMAN BODY.\n\nON September 19th, Nihiru, a native brother, came with his canoe and\ngave the writer a free passage to a village on the east end of the\nisland, called Tematahoa. We arrived in the evening and found a great\ndeal of sickness among the people. Just at dark on the 20th, a brother\nnamed Pasai came from Temaraia with a sick man to have him anointed and\nadministered to. I attended to that and he was healed.\n\nOn the 21st, Sunday, I preached on the signs, gifts of healing, etc.\nThere were about two hundred and fifty persons in the congregation. In\nthe evening I baptized and confirmed eighteen persons. Monday morning I\nopened school with twenty-eight pupils; next day there were forty-one.\n\nOn the following day, September 24th, a man and his wife came to me\nwith a child three and a half months old. They said that a short\ntime before their child had been taken sick in the night, and they\nhad talked to each other of having it anointed. At this, the child\nspoke, and stated in plain words, like an adult, that it would not\nbe anointed. It said many words as plainly as any person could do.\nFrom that time it grew worse to the day it was brought to me to be\nadministered to. The parents said they did not belong to the Church,\nbut desired to be baptized, for they believed the Gospel as the Mormon\nElders taught it. Their names were Tauahi and Taui. We baptized them\nand one other person, then administered to the child, which lay limp\nas if dead. We could not tell whether it was dead or alive. However,\nwhen we took our hands off its head, it opened its eyes and looked as\nif nothing was the matter. Then it nursed as any healthy child might.\nThere were many people gathered there, and all were astonished at what\nhad taken place. Finally the babe went to sleep as if nothing had been\nwrong with it, and the whole company rejoiced at the great change that\nhad come. They said that truly it was the Almighty who had healed the\nchild through His servant.\n\nI turned and gave my attention to some writing that was necessary, and\nthe crowd became unusually quiet. In a few minutes a strong rushing or\nmovement among the people attracted my attention, and as I turned to\nface the people there appeared to be an ashy paleness over the faces\nof the whole assembly. All seemed terrified and speechless. At that\nmoment an aged couple, a man and his wife, entered the door and went\nstraightway to where the sleeping infant lay. They bowed down over it\nand kissed it, and then went through some ancient heathen ceremony that\nI could not understand. Then they walked direct to their canoes and\nsailed across the lake to where they had come from. From that moment\nthe relatives of the child began to mourn and say that it would die;\nand sure enough, inside of an hour it was a corpse. The parents were\nasked why they had lost faith and given up the child. They said the old\npeople who had kissed the babe had power with evil spirits, and had\nafflicted it in the first place; that their power had been broken by\nthe Priesthood, and they could not reunite it with the babe until they\ncould come and touch it; and when they had done that, the parents and\nall concerned lost faith, and could not resist the influence that came\nwith the old pair of witches, as we think they would be called by some\ncivilized people. I must confess it was a strange thing to me. I had\nnever before witnessed anything so strange.\n\nIt was on the 27th of September that the child died. On the same day a\nScotchman came and brought me a few sea biscuits. I was very thankful\nto him for the favor, for bread was such a rarity in that part of the\ncountry as to give a man some satisfaction in seeing it, even though\nhe might not have the pleasure of eating it. Thanks to the benevolent\nScotchman. I regret that I have forgotten his name. The next day I\npreached on the resurrection of the dead, and baptized and confirmed\neighteen persons into the Church.\n\nBefore leaving my reminiscences of this place, I will narrate two\nincidents of some note to me. In one, we were called to see a man\nwho had been confined to his room the greater part of a year with a\nswelling in his hip and thigh. On examination it was found that his\nwhole hip and thigh were filled with a thick and very noxious pus.\nNo one in the village dared to lance it, but when I told him his\ncondition he insisted that I should cut it whether it killed or cured.\nI hesitated to comply with his wish until all his immediate relatives\nhad been consulted, and had given their assent. Otherwise, the\nsuperstition of the people was so great that if in the operation the\npatient succumbed the operator would have the gravest responsibility to\nmeet. But when all concerned had given sanction, and each had assumed\nhis or her responsibility, I performed the operation most successfully,\nthe wound discharging at least six pints of the most offensive matter,\nand the patient being greatly relieved from his terrible suffering. The\noperation was performed with a penknife, for in that country at that\ntime the only surgical instrument ever used for cutting was a shark's\ntooth or a scale from a broken bottle.\n\nIn this case the operation seemed to the people very little less than\na miracle. The news thereof spread all over the island, insomuch that\nthe operator acquired much practice in similar cases, such as swollen\njaws, boils, carbuncles, etc., and though he performed many operations,\nhe never received one cent as pay. If the people had toothache, he was\ncalled on and performed the operation of extraction, in some instances\nusing a rusty nail, or any kind of an old iron, in place of a hammer\nor mallet, to punch the tooth out. His best dentist tool was his rifle\nbullet mold, using both ends for forceps. He never failed to give\nsatisfaction, for there were neither dentists nor surgeons in that part\nof the world.\n\nThe other incident, and a very singular one, which occurred at that\nplace was this: On one occasion seven very rough characters came into\nour sacrament meeting. Some of them were said to be from an adjacent\nisland. They came, took seats at the back of the hall, and behaved\nvery rudely, making loud remarks and threats about the young ladies of\nthe choir. When they partook of the sacrament they said that when the\nmeeting was out they would administer ihe sacrament in a very different\nmanner to that in which the Mormons did it. Sure enough, at the close\nof the meeting they pushed along through the congregation till they\ncame to the young ladies, and made wicked propositions to them, which\nwere very quickly spurned. Then they passed on, still making their\nboasts of what they would do at nightfall. But they failed in carrying\nout their threats, for in a very short time three of them were stricken\ndown with violent cramps, so terrible that all three were corpses\nbefore the next morning. The other four had strong symptoms of the same\ncomplaint, and inside of a week they were dead also. The people said it\nwas the power of evil spirits that had been sent to destroy them, that\nthey might not be permitted to carry out their wicked purposes. The\nwhole people were so excited that they shot off guns, blew horns, built\nlarge fires, prayed and shouted in wild confusion, to drive away the\nevil spirits; and many people were smitten with sickness and some died.\n\nOn the 29th of September we sailed for Putuhara. The wind blew a gale,\nand we had a fearful passage, but succeeded in reaching our destination\nin safety, and in time for evening meeting, when we preached to a large\ncongregation. October 1st, I baptized and confirmed three persons. On\nthe same day the roughest people of the island assembled to feast and\ndance. It seemed that to quarrel and fight was the principal number\non their program, and they appeared to indulge in everything that\nwas wicked. They killed pigs, chickens and dogs, roasted all alike,\nand ate them with great relish. They also ran through the streets\nwith torchlights and firebrands, and the confusion was so great and\nturbulent that it looked more like an actual battle of savages than a\ndance. All ages participated, from the child of tender years up to the\nold grayheaded man and woman, all of them two-thirds naked, and some of\nthe children entirely nude.\n\nI had seen Indians in their warpaint and dances, but this excelled in\nconfused savage deeds anything I ever beheld before. It seemed that\nthey never knew what order meant. Yet, strange to say, at the first\ntap of the church bell they reminded me of a turkey gobbler which,\nwhen in full strut, seeing a dog run at him, drops his feathers so\nsuddenly that he does not look like the same bird. So it was with that\nsavage-looking lot. At the first tap of the bell they became as silent\nas if dead, then retreated to their hiding places, and not another yell\nwas heard from any of them, so great was their reverence for religious\nservices. At one time, though, it did seem that they could not be\nsilenced short of bloodshed, for there were two opposing parties mixed\nup together.\n\nWhen the confusion was straightened out and peace apparently restored,\nthe parties separated, only to come together again later, with more\nroast pigs, chickens and dogs. Then they ate of their feast until full,\nwhen some unwise person of one party made an insulting remark about the\nother party. Quickly the participants in the feast formed for battle,\narmed with clubs and stones. At that moment one man from each party\nran for the ormatua (missionary). I went out and stepped up on to a\nlarge chest, at the same time calling aloud for peace. Strange as it\nmay seem, although their clubs and stones were raised to strike fatal\nblows, and the women and children were shrieking and crying, the moment\nthe natives recognized me among them they dropped their ugly weapons\nand listened, and the spokesman of each party came forward to plead his\nparticular case. I caught the spirit of the situation and addressed\nthem briefly on the subject of peace, order and good will to all, and\nexhorted them to leave their grievances to two or more of their cooler\nand wiser men to settle. This they agreed to do; then they joined\nforces and made an attack on the writer, not for blood, but of love and\nrespect. Men and women seized on to him, embracing him and shaking his\nhands until he was nearly smothered and almost borne to the ground.\n\nI would not have it understood that this great reverence and respect\nwas shown to me for any superiority that I would claim; but it was a\nman's calling as a minister of the Gospel which they held sacred before\nthe Lord. So long as he did not betray their confidence, the minister's\ninfluence was almost unbounded, and with all their faults the natives\nhad many most estimable qualities.\n\nFrom this great excitement, and the accounts that he had heard from\ntime to time, the writer was led to inquire into the manner of warfare,\nthe traditions and the superstitions, as also into the causes for and\ncannibalism of the islanders. Their wars usually had an origin in very\ntrivial causes, such as family quarrels, thefts, politics and disputes\nover land or over fishing waters. At one time the islands had a dense\npopulation, and the strong would go on the warpath for conquest, one\nvillage or island being pitted against another. Their ariis (kings),\nas they call them--I think it would be more proper to designate them as\nchiefs, as the Indians do--attain power through brave and heroic acts,\nand the great havoc they make among their adversaries. Their weapons\nconsisted chiefly of spears made from fish bone and hard wood, stones\nand slings, clubs, and a rudely fashioned glove made by winding bark\nand shark's teeth together in such a way as to have the teeth stand out\nthickly on the inside of the hand. With this latter weapon they would\ngrapple with and tear out each other's entrails. They had rude drums\nand some kind of whistles for musical instruments.\n\nIn war, the two parties approach each other, dancing, boasting and\nthreatening, until within a few feet of each other, when they leap\nat and onto one another in a hand-to-hand conflict, fighting as wild\nbeasts, to a finish. Their mothers, sisters, daughters and aunts\nprepare themselves with strong baskets made from the cocoanut leaf, and\nswing these on their backs; then (each with a sharp rock or a seashell\nin her hand) they enter the battlefield in rear of their nearest male\nrelative. When the latter has dispatched his man or disabled him so\nthat the women can finish him, he engages another adversary, while the\nwoman beheads his victim, puts the head into her basket, swings it on\nher back, and continues to follow her male relative to victory or death.\n\nWhen a war is over, and the victorious party returns home, each family\nhas a place for the captured heads, where they are put in rows, being\nset some six or eight inches below the surface of the ground, and easy\nof access. This was done so that when any question arose as to the\nbravest family, or the member of a family to take the first place as\ndictator or chief, the mori, or place of skulls may be visited and a\ntally made, when the one with the highest number of skulls or heads is\ngiven the coveted position. In these contests they also count the heads\ntaken by their ancestors, as far back as they can find them, no matter\nhow many generations they cover. Thus the family with the most skulls\ngets the place sought, which is generally that of chief or king.\n\nWhen a battle is ended, the victors pass over the ground, often\nbleeding from their wounds, and starved and well nigh exhausted from\nbeing without food. The islanders have a tradition that whatever gives\nthem pain they should eat. So if they are wounded by a sharp stone\nwhich by any means has fastened itself into a man's flesh, or by a\nsliver, they extract and eat it, saying, \"You are my enemy, you never\nshall hurt me more.\" Thus they seem to satisfy the vicious spirit of\nrevenge. This strange proceeding may have had something to do with the\norigin of cannibalism. Still, I am rather inclined to think it had its\nbeginning in starvation, and to that was added the spirit of revenge.\nThus the appetite was cultivated until, with very slight pretext,\nhuman life became sacrificed to a depraved and vicious appetite. These\npractices and others seemed to be justified in their savage minds,\ninsomuch that they did not scruple in gathering up the slain and\nfeeding upon them.\n\nHis curiosity having been awakened in searching into heathen life, the\nwriter made inquiries at the most authentic sources of information for\nfurther light on this custom. In one case he found an old lady who was\nthe last of the fifth generation back. Her intellect seemed bright,\nalthough she could not open her eyes except with her fingers. When\nquestioned in regard to cannibalism, she lifted her eyelids and said,\n\"I have followed my fathers, brothers, husband and sons in battle, and\nwe ate our victims as we would eat pork or fish.\" When asked if she\nhad eaten white man's flesh, she replied, \"Yes; we captured some white\nmen on a small schooner and ate them.\" The next inquiry was whether\nthere was any difference in the taste of the white man's and of the\nnative's flesh. \"Yes,\" said she; \"the white man's flesh is hard, tough\nand salty, while the flesh of the native is sweet and tender.\" Then\ncame the question as to what part of the human body was preferable to\neat. She said the heel and the hand of a fourteen year-old girl were\nthe sweetest morsels of flesh she ever ate. Being asked if she did not\nhave feelings of remorse when they had committed actions like these,\nher answer was: \"Not a bit, it was in our days of heathendom; but now,\nsince the Gospel has come to us, we have no desire for anything of that\nkind, though formerly we took pleasure in our practices, for our minds\nwere very dark.\"\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXIX.\n\nHOLD CONFERENCE IN PUTUHARA--INSTRUCTIONS TO THE SAINTS--GO TO\nOTAPIPI--OPPOSITION AT TEMARAIA--OFFICIALS BRIBED BY CATHOLIC PRIESTS\n--ARRIVAL OF A FRENCH WARSHIP--THE WRITER IS ARRESTED WHILE EXPOUNDING\nTHE SCRIPTURES TO THE NATIVES--CAUSE OF ARREST IS FALSE ACCUSATION BY\nCATHOLIC PRIESTS--I PLEAD NOT GUILTY--ORDERED TAKEN TO TAHITI--PAINFUL\nPRISON EXPERIENCE--CANNIBALS IN CUSTODY--START FOR THE SHIP--SYMPATHY\nOF THE NATIVES--HURRIED INTO THE SHIP'S BOAT--IN A SCHOOL OF\nWHALES--A FRIGHTENED BOAT LOAD--ON BOARD THE WARSHIP--UNCOMFORTABLE\nQUARTERS--QUESTIONABLE FRENCH COURTESY--AMONG COCKROACHES, FILTH, AND\nINCONVENIENCES--SOFT SIDE OF A PLANK FOR A BED.\n\nLEAVING the revolting subject of cannibalism, I will return to our\nmissionary labors. Peace and quiet having been restored, the people\nassembled in Putuhara on October 5th for conference, Elder James S.\nBrown presiding. After reports of the various branches had been made,\nas presiding Elder I reported the condition of the Church generally on\nthe island, made a few opening remarks, and called on the different\nElders to speak. One after another these referred to themselves and the\npeople generally having a desire for me to write home to the Church\nauthorities, to get a missionary to each village. All spoke of their\nlove for the Gospel, and their wish to have it preached on all the\nadjacent islands. There was such enthusiasm among the people that it\nseemed unwise to hold a lengthy conference. The zeal of the people\nthere was such that it well nigh drove them into a frenzy; so after\nthe business of the conference had been done, I addressed them on the\nobject of a house of worship, that it was a place in which to worship\nthe true and living God, and not a dancehouse or a place to have\nlawsuits, quarreling, fighting, and worshiping of idols in, as they had\nbeen doing. A motion was made and carried that our building be kept\nexclusively for a house of worship. Thus everything else was forbidden\nby the landholders. At the close of the conference eight persons were\nbaptized and confirmed.\n\nThe schools of the different villages met on October 6th, to read and\nspell in friendly contest. October 7th, the school in Putuhara had\nincreased to one hundred pupils. That day the rougher element of the\nplace assembled again in their wild dancing; they sold their jewelry\nfor fat dogs and pigs. On the 11th, the non-Mormon women of the place\nprepared a great feast for us, and turned it over with pride, saying,\n\"Here is a token of our love for you, and we desire you to accept it\nand remain in our town and teach us of the Lord.\"\n\nWe preached on Sunday, the 12th, and on that day also baptized and\nconfirmed five persons. Next day, school was opened with one hundred\npupils. A great deal of sickness was reported in the town. On the 14th,\nschool was continued in good order, and we departed in a small canoe\nfor Otapipi, where we found the people pleased to see us. The school\nthere was intact. Next day I wrote to Elder Alviras Hanks that I had\nheard of his having been cast away on another island.\n\nSunday, October 19th, I preached, and baptized two persons. On the\n24th I went to Temaraia, where I met with more opposition from the\nCatholic priest, with regard to school matters, and learned that he had\nbribed Governor Telidha, also Parai, the mouthpiece of the town, as\nhe was called. Having them for his backing, the priest was very bold\nand defiant, and no doubt thought that by keeping up an excitement the\nCatholics would gain some support for the foul and false charges which\nhe had made against me. By the means I have named, the priest got a\ndecision against us, and for the first time we were compelled to yield,\nbut much against the people's desires. Still, all settled down from\nhigh excitement to peace and quiet, till October 28th, when the French\nfrigate _Durance_ made its appearance northwest of the island.\n\nThe warship had on board the governor's aide de camp, who landed at\nTuuhora with his guards. On the 29th he crossed the lagoon to Temaraia,\nwhere we were. At 8 p.m., while I was engaged in expounding the\nscriptures to a few of the natives, in came a French gen d' arme and a\nnative officer. They presented me with a warrant, which, being in the\nFrench language, I could not read. The officers stood for a minute or\nso, when I gave them to understand that I was unable to decipher the\ndocument. Thereupon the native officer said that it meant that I was\nto appear before the governor's aide de camp, down at the stockade, at\n9 o'clock, and if I did not come willingly, they had orders to drag me\nthere like a dog. They being armed with swords and pistols, I thought\nit wisest to go willingly, especially as there was no chance to do\notherwise. The officers were quite haughty, yet somewhat nervous, for\nthey had been told that I was prepared to make a strong resistance. Of\ncourse, I accompanied them readily and without a word, and was soon\nushered into the august presence of the governor's aide. I found him\nseated in a small room, in which were four or five other officers and\na few soldiers armed with muskets and cutlasses. When I entered, the\ninterpreter arose, read a long list of charges, and asked for my plea.\nI answered not guilty to each accusation.\n\nIt will be remembered by the reader that when I first landed on the\nisland I sketched, at the request of some of the natives, a rough\noutline of the United States, pointing out my birthplace, also Salt\nLake City, and where gold had been discovered in California. From that\ntime the Catholic priests had conspired to entrap me, to break my\ninfluence, and to close my schools.\n\nThe charges against me began, as near as I now remember them, and\nwith memory refreshed from brief notes taken at the time, by an\nassertion that I had subverted the laws of the French protectorate;\nhad interfered with government schools; had hoisted the American flag;\nhad enrolled some three thousand men for the American government, to\nbe controlled by the Mormon Church; had armed the men; was a civil\nengineer of no mean ability; had ordered the people to demolish some\nof the towns, and rebuild with better fortifications; that my walk\nand general movements indicated military ability, and undoubtedly I\nhad been brought up at a military school in the United States; that\nI had mapped out plans of defense; had great power with the native\npeople, and was capable of doing much mischief in the country. These,\nand many other charges of a frivolous nature, were in the list, all of\nthem without the slightest foundation in fact, except that I had much\ninfluence with the people.\n\nI stated that I proposed to prove myself innocent of every one of the\naccusations made. To this the officer made answer that they had the\nmost positive proof to establish the charges, which were very serious.\nHe gave me two hours to settle my business, and see friends, when I\nwould have to return to the stockade and stay where the governor's aide\nthought proper. The next day I was to be taken on board the man-of-war.\nand go as a prisoner to Tahiti, for trial.\n\nUpon receiving this information, I claimed the right to be tried where\nI was accused of having committed the offense, and where I had the\nwitnesses in my behalf. \"No;\" said the officer, \"your crime is too\ngreat to be tried before any less authority than the governor.\" I asked\nto have witnesses summoned, and the officer inquired if I had any way\nof taking them to Tahiti. He knew, of course, that I was helpless in\nthat regard, and being so answered, told his men to take me in charge.\nAccordingly, they marched me to where the arrest had been made.\n\nI gathered up some of my effects, bade goodbye to my friends, and\nreturned to the stockade. There I was ordered to a seat under an open\nshed till daylight, being guarded by two lustful police, who took\nunwarranted liberty with some lewd females, behaving most shamefully\nin the prisoner's presence. My friends brought bedding for me and\nattempted to spread it, but were rudely driven away by the guards, who\ntook turns at pacing in front of me, while the other interested himself\nwith the females spoken of, who were void of shame.\n\nThat night I was mortified and disgusted as I never had been before\nwith peace officers. At last the long night wore past, and dawn\nappeared. Then close to my right, in a stockade, I saw about fifteen\nnative cannibals, who could barely hide their nakedness. They had been\ncaptured by French soldiers on some island in the north, and were\naccused of killing, upon different occasions, the white crews of three\nsmall schooners. They were also charged with eating their victims, as\nwell as robbing and scuttling the schooners.\n\nI took my last glance at those fierce-looking monsters just at sunrise\non October 30th, when I was called before the aide de camp to sign my\nname four times in English, and four times in the Tahitian language.\nThen I was ordered into a filthy old boat that was used to collect oil.\nThe boat's crew were rough and dirty, and scoffed and jeered at me and\notherwise made the sail across the lagoon to Tuuhora as disagreeable as\nthey could.\n\nWhen we landed at Tuuhora it was among about one hundred and fifty\nFrench marines. They, too, must jeer, and satisfy their curiosity by\ngathering around and impertinently staring me in the face, jabbering\ntogether and laughing, while the natives met me with sympathy expressed\nin their countenances. Two soldiers kept close to me, however, and did\nnot allow much opportunity for conversation with anyone. I was served\nwith a bowl of fish broth and a small piece of bread, and when this\nwas eaten I was ordered to the landing, to one of the boats from the\nwarship. By this time there were probably five hundred native people\ngathered. These followed to the boat, declaring that where their\nmissionary went they would go, too, and saying, \"It is the Catholic\npriests who have done this, with their lies.\"\n\nThe news of the arrest had been heralded during the night to every\nvillage, and boats and canoes were coming in, laden with sympathizing\nfriends, not only Church members, but full as many that did not belong\nto the Church. They said, \"E mea hama teie\" (a shameful thing, this).\nThe excitement became so general that the guard was increased to about\ntwenty armed men, and the prisoner was urged to hurry into the boat.\nAs the water was from shoe-top to knee-deep between the shore and the\nboat, I attempted to take off my shoes and turn my pants up, but I was\nforbidden to stop, and was crowded into the vessel. When I reached\nit, it was full of sympathizing men, women and children, weeping and\naccusing the Catholic priests. Fully five hundred people lined the\nshore, some with rolls of bedding, while others were laden down with\nbaskets of cocoanuts.\n\nWhen the guards arrived with their prisoner, the boat was ordered\ncleared, and as the native people were rather slow to obey the command,\nthe soldiers pricked them with their cutlasses and bayonets. I was\nurged into the boat, which was soon manned, and the boatmen soon pulled\nfrom the shore, while many scores of people wept aloud, shrieking out\nmy native name, \"Iatobo, Iatobo; no te Catholic te i a ne peapea\"\n(James, James, of the Catholics this trouble). They waved handkerchiefs\nas long as we could see them.\n\nAs the boat was going out to the ship, it ran into what seemed to us to\nbe hundreds or even thousands of whales. For a while the sea seemed to\nbe black with them. At the same time the boatmen took in their oars and\nbecame pale and still as death, lest the monsters should take fright\nand knock us into eternity and the boat into splinters. The oarsmen\nwere better aware of the danger than I was, and were ashy pale. Indeed,\nit may have been the same with me for aught I know, for I did not see\nmy own face as I saw theirs. But I had been where cattle stampeded,\nwhere the wild buffalo was rampant, or wild mustangs were charging by\nthousands on the plains by night and by day; had been surrounded by\npacks of fierce and hungry wolves; had been in the brush when grizzly\nbear were thick around, or when rattlesnake and deadly viper hissed\nin my ears; and I had been chased by savage Indians; still I do not\nremember a time when I felt that every hair on my head was trying\nto let on end more than I did for a few moments as these great sea\nmonsters glided past so near that we could almost put our hands on\ntheir long, black backs, while they shot by swiftly, spouting the briny\nspray almost in our faces. The thought of the loss of the boat did not\nconcern me so much as it did to think how easy it was for a whale, at\none stroke of its monster tail, to make of us convenient shark's food.\nWhile in this truly great peril, minutes seemed hours to us, and when\nit passed we breathed freely again, and soon gained the great warship\nthat was lying off shore, for there was no harbor or anchorage at that\nisland.\n\nI was next required to try a new experiment, to me, that of climbing\na rope ladder up the side of a ship as the latter rolled and pitched\nin the waves. After a struggle I succeeded in reaching the deck in\nsafety, there to be surrounded by the marines as though I had been a\nwild beast. When their curiosity had been satisfied, I was ordered down\non to what was called Swaltses' battery, the gun deck. There I found\nthat as I walked my head came in uncomfortable contact with the beams\nof the upper deck, and at each one I had to duck my head. This greatly\namused the marines, and they got a mopstick, a broomstick, or any kind\nof a stick. Some would press the sticks on the sides of their noses,\nwhile others held theirs back of them, poking their sticks up so as to\nhit the beams above. Then they would form into a squad and march by and\nduck heads with me, while some were giving commands which I supposed\nmeant, \"Left, duck, left duck\"--at any rate, that was the action. Then\nthey would shout and laugh.\n\nSoon meal time came, and I was conducted into the hold of the ship,\nand there assigned to a small, filthy room. There was an old chair in\nit, and a bunk without bedding. The room swarmed with cockroaches,\nwhich seemed to be thicker than flies. I was served with a bowl of fish\nbroth, and one small loaf of bread and a bottle of wine, for the day's\nrations. Then an officer called me to follow him to the upper deck and\nto the bow of the ship, where he made me understand, by unmistakable\nmotions, that I was to use the chains for a water closet. In disgust I\nremembered that I was among Frenchmen, the most stylish, the proudest,\nand the most fashionable people in the world. I was an American,\n\"honored\" with two uniformed and armed French attendants, who never\nleft me alone only when I was in my room, following me everywhere,\nallowing none to obstruct my path, and even being careful to keep me\nfrom falling out through the portholes, as, when I leaned over a big\ngun to look out upon the deep, they would take me by the arm, lead me\naway, and show me the big hole in the deck, and my room.\n\nBy this time the writer began to understand French courtesy, under some\nconditions, and to realize his own situation. He asked himself what the\noutcome would be, he reviewed every action performed on the island of\nAnaa, and could not see wherein he had trenched upon anybody's rights\nor done anything against the law. He failed to discover one intentional\nor other wrong; so he felt to trust in the Lord, and made himself as\ncontented as possible, though he found the boards in the berth as hard\nas American boards, notwithstanding that they were French lumber.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXX.\n\nVOYAGE TO PAPEETE--IN A TAHITIAN DUNGEON--CRUEL TREATMENT--WRITE TO\nFRIENDS--KINDNESS OF THE AMERICAN HOTEL KEEPER--BROUGHT BEFORE THE\nGOVERNOR--FALSE CHARGES READ, AND PLEA OF NOT GUILTY ENTERED--PERJURED\nTESTIMONY AGAINST ME--FORBIDDEN TO LOOK AT, OR EVEN CROSS-EXAMINE\nWITNESSES--SECRECY OF THE ALLEGED TRIAL--DEMAND MY RIGHTS AS\nAN AMERICAN CITIZEN--CONFUSION OF THE GOVERNOR--RETURNED TO MY\nCELL--AMERICAN CONSUL TAKES UP MY CASE--GIVES BONDS THAT I WILL LEAVE\nTHE PROTECTORATE--ELDERS AND FRIENDS CALL ON ME--MY VISITORS ALLOWED TO\nSAY BUT LITTLE, AND SOMETIMES EXCLUDED--DECISION OF THE GOVERNOR THAT I\nMUST LEAVE THE SOCIETY ISLANDS--FAIR TRIAL REFUSED ME--LETTER FROM THE\nAMERICAN CONSUL--TAKEN TO THE CONSUL'S OFFICE--ADVISED TO LEAVE--ELDERS\nDECIDE THAT I SHOULD GO OUTSIDE OF THE FRENCH PROTECTORATE--SET SAIL\nFROM PAPEETE.\n\nON November 3rd, 1851, we set sail for Tahiti, and on the 6th made the\nport of Papeete, having had a rough voyage. When the ship anchored, a\npolice boat came alongside, and the prisoner was ordered to try his\nskill at climbing down the rope ladder. He promptly obeyed orders, and\nsoon found himself locked up in a cobblestone dungeon, six by eight\nfeet, quite damp, and so dark that not a ray of light penetrated it\nanywhere. For his bed he had a board dressed out like a washboard. He\nhad a good mattress and pillows and blankets of his own, but they were\nlocked up in an adjoining room and he was denied the use of them. What\nthe object was he never learned, unless it was done to punish him. He\nremained in that condition fourteen hours out of the twenty-four, and\nwas fed on bread and water that was very filthy. The water was kept\nin a small keg in a corner of his cell, and was thick with a green,\nmoss-like substance. In an opposite corner was a different kind of\nFrench water closet to that he had on shipboard--a keg which was never\nemptied during the prisoner's stay there. Unlike the water keg, it was\nreplenished often. As to the result of such conditions in that hot\nclimate, I leave it to the reader to conjecture; for I had enough of it\nwithout dwelling further on the subject.\n\nOn November 7th I wrote letters to Elders Thomas Whitaker and Julian\nMoses, the brethren who had been assigned to labor on Tahiti. On the\n8th, one Mr. Lampher, proprietor of the American hotel in Papeete,\nsent me a prime dinner. It was received with thanks, and was duly\nappreciated.\n\nOn the 10th I was called out by the turnkey; immediately an armed\nsoldier took position on either side of me, while a sergeant stepped\ndirectly in front, then moved three steps in advance, and gave the\ncommand to forward march. In this order we passed two lines of\nsentinels and went to the governor's mansion, where we met another\nofficer, who commanded a halt, and I was directed to be seated for\nthirty minutes. Then I was called into the governor's office, where I\nwas confronted by his excellency and seven officers. They were in full\nuniform and had sidearms. Each had in his hands what appeared to be\nnotes. I was at once ordered to be seated, and the very profligate son\nof a Protestant professor acted as interpreter, read the long list of\ncharges spoken of, and asked for my plea thereto. I answered not guilty.\n\nThen the trial began. They placed on the witness stand a native named\nTania, who had been admitted recently to the Catholic church. He\nhad been posted in what he should say, but seemingly had some pangs\nof conscience, for when he stood up he turned his eyes toward me,\nthen to the court, and back to me, and answered the questions in\na hesitating way, his confusion being so great that the governer,\nthrough the interpreter, ordered me not to look at the witness, as\nhe said my countenance was so fierce and vivid as to baffle the most\nsubstantial witness. I was not permitted to ask a question, not even to\ncross-examine the witness.\n\nThe next testimony came from a man who had been brought to Papeete\na prisoner, but who had been discharged without the formality of a\nhearing, evidently that they might have him for a witness against\nme. Both he and the preceding witness were put on the stand without\nbeing sworn. Not a single spectator was permitted to be present, so I\nconcluded that if it was a court at all that was trying me it was a\nmilitary court martial.\n\nWhen I saw how onesidedly things were going, I arose and asked the\ncourt what right it had to try me with closed doors, not even allowing\nme the opportunity to defend myself. I told them I was an American\ncitizen, and claimed my rights as such under existing treaties and\ninternational laws. I quoted law that I had never read or heard\nmentioned, for it was given to me of the Lord in the hour that I had\nneed. I can never forget the expression on the faces of those officers.\nNot one of them would look me in the eye. As I spoke, every face was\nturned downward. At the conclusion of my remarks I was marched back to\nthe filthy cell, without another word being said.\n\nAbout this time Mr. W. H. Kelly, the American consul, called on the\ngovernor, and on making inquiries about me and my alleged crime and\narrest, was told that I was a very dangerous man, a man learned in\ntreaties and international laws. \"Why,\" said the governor to Mr. Kelly,\n\"he can quote more of them than my officers, and he has great power\nand influence with the native people. He is undoubtedly a military\nman of no mean ability. For these reasons he cannot be permitted to\ntake up his residence as a minister under the French protectorate.\" I\nlearned the foregoing from Mr. W. H. Kelly, who told me that he had to\nsign bonds to the amount of fifty thousand francs, and that sum would\nbe forfeited if I did not leave the protectorate by the first vessel\nsailing from port, or if I was known to preach another discourse under\nthe French government.\n\nThat evening Elder T. Whitaker called at my cell with two pies for me.\nWe were allowed to speak but few words to each other. When the prison\ndoor had been locked again, I wrote to Elder B. F. Grouard, who, as I\nlearned from Brother Whitaker, had arrived in port. November 11th, my\nold friend Pahe called with a basket of fruit, which was admitted, but\nthe giver was permitted to say scarcely a word.\n\nI had a call on the 12th from Elders S. A. Dunn and Julian Moses. Their\nshort visit gave me much satisfaction, as they brought news from home.\nOn the 13th Elder Grouard and some other friends called with some\nfood, but they were not admitted, the food being passed in to me by a\nmurderer.\n\nOn November 14th I was called before the governor's aide de camp, who\nsaid, \"I suppose you have heard the decision of the governor and his\ncouncil?\" I told him no. He then said, \"They have decided that you must\nleave the protectorate by the first vessel sailing from port, or you\nwill be detained until you are willing to comply with that decision.\"\nI asked if they intended to send me away without a fair trial. He said\nyes; that the governor had it in his power to send out anyone that\nraised a disturbance in the country. I asked him to show that I had\nraised a disturbance. He said, \"It does not need proof, for the Mormon\nmissionaries have caused the government a great deal of trouble, and\nthe decision is that you must go by the first vessel leaving port, or\nremain in prison till you agree to do so.\" With this, I was satisfied\nthat there was no redress for the wrong that was being done me.\n\nI was then marched back to the cell, where I received a letter from W.\nH. Kelly, the American consul. It read as follows:\n\n\"CONSULATE OF THE UNITED STATES, TAHITI,\n\nNovember 14, 1851.\n\n\"_Mr. James Brown_:\n\n\"DEAR SIR:--Having been informed, through the governor of the\nprotectorate, that you are a state prisoner in Papeete, charged with\nthe crime of rebellion and attempting to subvert the laws of the\nprotectorate established on the island of Anaa, I am bound to furnish\nthe honorable secretary of state of the United States with all charges\nand punishments to which the citizens of the United States may render\nthemselves amenable, under the laws of the countries in which they may\nreside.\n\n\"You will therefore oblige me by furnishing me with an unbiased\nand clear statement of the facts connected with your arrest and\nimprisonment. I do not wish to know what has been told to you, or of\nwhat you have heard from others, but simply the truth of the whole\ntransaction.\n\n\"This letter will be forwarded to his excellency, Governor Bonard, who\nwill, through the proper channel, have it forwarded to you.\n\n\"I remain, sir, your obedient servant,\n\n\"W. H. KELLY,\n\n\"United States Consul.\"\n\nElder B. F. Grouard kindly came down and wrote my reply to Mr. Kelly.\nThis was on November 15th. The same day I was called out into the yard,\nwhen a sergeant and two soldiers took me in charge and marched me along\na back alley to the rear of the consul's office. Then the sergeant\nstepped forward and notified Mr. Kelly that they had brought their\nprisoner to him, and without further ceremony the officers disappeared\nby the same alley by which they came.\n\nMr. Kelly welcomed me to his office, and congratulated me on regaining\nmy liberty. Then he told me of his visit to Governor Bonard, the\nconversation they had had, and about his signing the bonds for my\nrelease. He said, \"Mr. Brown, the French authorities are afraid of you.\nThey say that you are a highly educated man, and that you are capable\nof doing much mischief in the country. Now you have your liberty in and\nabout my office, but you must not go off alone in any by-place, for\nthe French are a very excitable people, and they will watch every move\nthat you make, and would shoot you if they could find you alone in the\nbrush or where they could do it without being detected. Now, I have\ngot horses, and will accompany you to any place you may wish to go, to\nvisit your friends or to settle up what business you may have to do.\nBut you must not be caught alone, for the French fear that you could\nraise an army and cause much trouble. As your friends are in town, you\nand they had better have a consultation here in my office, and see what\nyou can do.\"\n\nAccordingly, the Elders came into the consul's office, and together\nwith him said the best thing they thought could be done was that I\nshould go on board the little schooner _Ravai_, and that they get\nit ready for sea as quickly as possible, so as to leave port before\nany other vessel did, for if I did not go the fifty thousand francs\nwould be forfeited. The schooner was the vessel owned by the Saints\nof Tubuoi, and commanded by Captain B. F. Grouard; it was bound for a\ncruise among the Tuamotu group of islands before going to the island of\nRaivavai, four hundred miles southeast of Tahiti, and outside of the\nprotectorate. It was thought that we could make the cruise intended,\nand then go on to Raivavai without any danger of forfeiting the pledge.\nConformably with this conclusion, the vessel was got ready, and on the\n17th we sailed from Papeete.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXI.\n\nLEAVING TAHITI UNDER THE ORDER OP BANISHMENT--SUPPLY OF PROVISIONS\nEXHAUSTED--CAUGHT IN A CALM--SUFFERING FROM LACK OF FOOD--REACH\nTUBUOI--GO ASHORE UPON INVITATION OF THE QUEEN--SAIL FOR RAIVAVAI--MEET\nELDER PRATT THERE--LEFT ALONE ON THE ISLAND--SAVAGE CHARACTER OF THE\nNATIVES--THE GOVERNOR A FRIEND--VISIT FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE--PEOPLE\nGENERALLY UNWILLING TO RECEIVE THE GOSPEL--COUNCIL DECIDES THAT I MUST\nLEAVE THE ISLAND OR BE KILLED--A TIME OF EXCITEMENT--STORM PASSES FOR\nAWHILE--BAPTIZE TWENTY PERSONS--NOTED CHIEF AND THE HEIRESS TO THE\nTHRONE JOIN THE CHURCH--MORE BITTERNESS AND EXCITEMENT--TWO PARTIES OF\nNATIVES MEET TO ENGAGE IN BATTLE--MANAGE TO RECONCILE THEM AND PREVENT\nBLOODSHED--FURTHER THREATS AGAINST THE MORMONS--SOME CHURCH MEMBERS\nFEEL TO RETALIATE, BUT ARE RESTRAINED--PASSENGERS ARRIVE WITH FALSE\nAND SCANDALOUS STORIES ABOUT THE MORMONS--PERSECUTION INCREASES--THE\nFEW SAINTS ON THE ISLAND BECOME SORROWFUL AND DISCOURAGED--PROTESTANT\nMINISTERS ADVISE EXPULSION OF THE SAINTS--RENEWAL OF THE FAITH AND ZEAL\nOF THE CHURCH MEMBERS.\n\nAS we were leaving the Tahitian harbor we encountered a strong\nheadwind, and beat our way against wind and waves until our little\nschooner became somewhat disabled. Provisions began to be scarce, and\neverything seemed to be against us. Finally we changed our course,\nheading for Tubuoi. When we got within about eighty miles of that\nisland, our food supply became exhausted; we had not one mouthful on\nboard, and were in a dead calm for some time. Then a gentle breeze\nsprang up and wafted us to port, where we arrived on November 29th.\nBefore this relief, however, we suffered considerably from lack of food.\n\nI supposed that I had to remain on board the schooner until it was\nready to sail for Raivavai; but when Pitamai Vehene, the queen, heard\nthat I had been banished she came off in her own canoe and invited\nme to go ashore with her, saying, \"This is my island, and the French\nhave no right here. I will be responsible for all the trouble that may\narise.\" As the brethren and general authorities of the island thought\nit was safe to do so, I accepted the invitation, going ashore in the\nqueen's canoe, and remained on the island till December 8th. Then I\nboarded the little schooner again, and we started for Raivavai, where\nwe landed on the 9th, and found President Pratt in good health.\n\nOn December 10th, Elder Pratt sailed away in the schooner, leaving me\nto take his place in presiding over the interests of the Church on the\nisland. Brother Pratt's friends became my friends, and gave me food and\nshelter. There were eight Church members on the island; all the rest of\nthe inhabitants, three hundred and eighty-three in number, opposed us,\nmany of them being the most savage and rudest I had met--in fact, they\nwere scarce removed from cannibalism. Some of them did not hesitate\nto tell of their experiences in eating human flesh, and that they had\nsacrificed infant children to their idols. They showed the coals before\ntheir heathen gods, where they had roasted their babes. Some of them\nfelt proud to relate these things, saying it was in their heathenish\ndays, before the Gospel had come to their land, but now they thought it\nvery bad, and they had no disposition to repeat their evil deeds.\n\nI was shown to the house of Governor Fate, who received me very kindly.\nHe and his wife had received the Gospel on Anaa, and although he was\nthe legal heir to the throne, as they called it, through his joining\nthe Church he had lost much of his influence. But he was a very good\nman, rendering me all the assistance in his power, while I visited\nfrom house to house, trying to make the acquaintance of the people. I\nwent to every home on the island, endeavoring to inform the people on\nthe Gospel, but they were unwilling to give heed, and treated me with\nmarked indifference, often passing by and looking as surly as mad bulls.\n\nThe island was not to exceed fourteen miles in circumference, its high\nand very rugged peaks penetrating the clouds, which nearly always were\nhanging over and about. The mountains were so steep as to defy all but\nthe wild goats, of which there were some hundreds among the cragged\nrocks. It was said that the beginning of the existence of these animals\non the island was that a sea captain had turned three or four pairs of\nthem loose some years before, and they had increased to hundreds.\n\nHaving satisfied my curiosity by traveling over and around the island,\nvisiting the ancient places of worship and seeing the heathen gods and\nplaces of skulls and sacrifice, I again called at every house, trying\nto become more friendly and sociable with the people; but the same\nstolid feelings still prevailed. I attended their meetings, told them\nmy business in the land, and asked the privilege of preaching to them.\nPart were favorable, and part were not. I baptized a few, and that\ncaused much excitement.\n\nA council was called to adopt some way by which the islanders could\nget rid of Mormonism and the American plant, as they called me. Some\nproposed to fasten the \"plant\" on a log, and tow it out to sea, where\nthe sharks would eat it, while others suggested burning or making a\nroast of me.\n\nAt last the matter was carried so far that it was decided that I must\nleave the island or be killed. I learned that they had just about\ndecided on the latter course, so I hastened to go before the council to\ntry and allay their feelings, if possible, and appease their wrath, but\nI found it utterly impossible to reason with them. My presence, instead\nof having a conciliatory effect, created the wildest confusion. I was\nconfronted by a native called Tabate, who was a very stout, heavy set\nman, and who exclaimed, \"I will slay you!\" At that moment my friend,\nGovernor Fate, stepped between us, and some of the more peaceably\ndisposed took hold of Tabate, while my friends insisted that I leave\nthe house to save bloodshed, saying that Tabate was a very desperate\nman, but if I left the room they thought the council could restrain\nhim. Accordingly I withdrew with my friends. The council had a hot time\nof it for awhile, but finally the more consistent party prevailed, so\nthat the matter passed over for the time being. Still, a bad feeling\nrankled in their bosoms, and I could hear threats that the more rabid\nparty was going to have a fat missionary for a roast.\n\nAlthough this bitterness continued with many of the people, I baptized\nsome twenty souls, and blessed several infants. I also administered to\nthe sick, and, as I can now remember, all were healed but one child,\nwhich died of hip disease, it being a mere skeleton when I was called.\n\nOther councils were held to see what could be done to get rid of the\n\"plant Mormonism, from America,\" before it spread over the island and\nbecame master. But the friends and relatives of those who belonged to\nthe Church would oppose any harsh measures, saying, \"Wait until our\nmissionaries of the English church come and we hear what they say.\"\n\nNow, Elder Pratt had baptized one man who was seventy-five or eighty\nyears of age. He was one of the first born, and his feet had never been\nwet in salt water. His name was Tauteni (thousand), because he had\nslain so many people in war, and he could count skulls in his mori or\nplace of skulls, with the best of them. He was well acquainted with the\ntaste of human flesh; had been a great high priest of the natives in\ntheir heathenish days, and was supposed to have great influence with\nthe spirits of men. He had a grand-daughter who was said to be the\nheir to the throne. This girl was brought forward by the old man for\nbaptism. He had reared her, and her parents being willing, I baptized\nher. This created great excitement and another council was held, where\nfeelings ran so high that it was very hard to conciliate our opponents.\nBut the old man told them that it was his and her father's fault, and\nnot the missionary's, that she was baptized. The girl, whose name was\nTeraa, also declared that it was by her wish and not mine that she\nbecame a member of the Church. This cooled them down a little, but\noccasionally local difficulties would arise, and the natives would take\nsides and arm themselves for war. One time I heard the shrieks of the\nwomen, and the warwhoops of and commands given among the men.\n\nAlthough, one day when I was stopping at a village called Tatake, I\nhad heard that there was going to be a battle fought, such rumors were\nso frequent that I did not pay much attention thereto till I heard the\nwarwhoops and shouts. Then I jumped up, ran out, and beheld thirty to\nforty men coming from the upper village, Anatomu. They were armed with\nmuskets, and were in their war costumes, dancing and going through the\nmanoeuvres peculiar to the natives just before going into an action.\nAt the same time another party was approaching from the inland village\nof Atibona. These, too, were ready, and with their drums, whistles and\nshrieks made quite a showing. Still there were some among them inclined\nto conciliation rather than war.\n\nWith my friends, I went out and plead with the two parties to be\nreconciled, and finally we prevailed so that both bodies of men retired\nwithout fighting, and a few of each party met and shook hands, some of\nboth parties seeming friendly to us for a time.\n\nFor a short time after this we had comparative quiet, yet threats came\nabout the Mormons, and there was talk of taxing us for the support\nof the Protestant church. Our brethren claimed rights in the school\nand meeting houses, but were refused these; then they threatened to\nburst open the houses, and came to me to get my sanction to do so;\nbut I could not consent to being a party to such a movement, knowing\nthat would give the enemy the pretext they wanted, in order to carry\nout their threats. My party was not pleased with my position, and\nthreatened to break in the houses anyway, and assert their rights to\noccupancy. I told them that if they did I would disown them; that they\ncould not be my brethren if they indulged in anything of the kind, as\nit was for us to be on the side of peace and defense, and not to be\naggressors. Finally they said they would obey my counsel. Then things\npassed along more smoothly for a time.\n\nSoon a schooner came from the island of Ruruta, with about one hundred\npassengers on board. They brought the alleged news that all the\nAmerican Elders had left Tubuoi, and were going home. These passengers\nalso seemed to have been well posted in all the old slanders about the\nChurch, and with many new ones about the Elders. These slanders were\nindustriously circulated by the new comers, who said that the people\nof Tubuoi were glad that the Mormons had left their land. From these\nstories, and the persecutions the Saints had endured on the island,\nthe few Church members grew sorrowful and discouraged. When I went\nfrom Anatomu to Tatake, I found two of the native brethren and two\nsisters very sad, and as soon as we met they gave vent to their pent-up\nfeelings, wept bitterly, and said that I had to leave the island, and\nthey intended to follow me, no matter where I went. I told them not to\nfear, and tried to pacify them as best I could.\n\nAt our next appointment for a meeting there were but five out of\nthirty attended. This seemed strange, for there always had been a\nfull attendance; but now everyone was sad and gloomy. The spirit of\nmobocracy seemed to thrive on the filthy slanders that had come by\nthe Ruruta schooner. Meetings were called and threats made. Clouds of\ndarkness lowered and filled the atmosphere; the spirit of death seemed\nto hover around, for the boisterousness of the people had given way to\na sullen, murderous disposition, more to be dreaded than when there was\nabundance of noise and threats.\n\nAt this time two young Protestant ministers came and made three or four\ninflammatory speeches, telling the people that they had admitted a wolf\ninto the fold, and if they did not get rid of him the ministers would\nnot call again. \"Drive him off, and pluck up that American plant, or\nit will overshadow your land, and control you,\" said they. Thus the\nwild and heathenish passion was fanned into a lively flame of renewed\npersecution. Yet, strange to say, when the spirit of death seemed to\nrest most heavily upon us, the brethren and sisters returned to me with\nrenewed zeal, and all but two men stood firm thereafter.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXII.\n\nPEOPLE GATHER AT A FEAST, AND TO DECIDE WHAT TO DO WITH THE\nMORMONS--THREATS TO HAVE ROAST MISSIONARY--SAINTS HOLD PRAYER AND\nTESTIMONY MEETING--KEPT AWAKE ALL NIGHT--COUNCIL OF NATIVES DECIDES\nTO ROAST AND EAT ME--FIRE IS BUILT--MEN SENT TO DRAG ME TO THE\nCOUNCIL--PROMISES OF PRESIDENTS BRIGHAM YOUNG AND WILLARD RICHARDS COME\nTO MY MIND--ALL FEAR IS BANISHED--SAINTS AND THEIR ENEMIES ORDERED\nTO SEPARATE--ALL BUT TWO MORMONS STAND BY ME--SUBLIME COURAGE OF A\nNATIVE AND HIS WIFE--THE CHARGE AGAINST ME--I APPEAL TO THE BIBLE,\nBUT OUR ENEMIES REFUSE TO BE GUIDED BY THE LAW OF GOD--NOTIFIED OF\nTHE DECISION THAT I AM TO BE BURNED--SPIRIT OF THE LORD RESTS UPON ME\nIN GREAT POWER, INSPIRING ME TO DEFY OUR ENEMIES--SPIRIT OF CONFUSION\nENTERS OUR FOES--THEY QUARREL AND FIGHT WITH EACH OTHER--DIFFICULTY IN\nRESTRAINING CHURCH MEMBERS--DELIVERANCE WHICH THE LORD WROUGHT OUT FOR\nME--I AM ALLOWED TO PROCEED UNMOLESTED--MEET A MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL\nWHICH CONDEMNED ME TO DEATH--HIS TESTIMONY THAT A PILLAR OF LIGHT\nDESCENDED FROM HEAVEN AND RESTED ON ME, FILLING THEM WITH FEAR--NO MORE\nANTI-MORMON COUNCILS--NATIVES SHOW NO DISPOSITION TO RECEIVE THE\nGOSPEL.\n\nABOUT the 5th of May, 1852, the whole people were called to assemble\nat the village of Tatake and prepare a feast, and at the same time to\ndecide definitely what to do with the Mormon minister and his pipis\n(disciples). Everything was excitement. The young braves came armed\nwith muskets, shouting and yelling, saying they were going to have a\nfat roast for tomorrow, while the old councillors, twenty-five or\nthirty in number, came with slow, quiet steps and grave countenances,\nand filed into the schoolhouse just at dark. Then the people gathered,\nloaded down with roast pig, and fruit, fish and poultry. They kindled\nfires and began shouting, singing and dancing.\n\nSoon the young braves were dancing around the house that they were in;\nfor by this time every member of the Church had come to one place.\nThe mob seemed to be fully enthused with the spirit of murder, as\nthey shouted, \"Tomorrow we will have a fat young missionary for a\nroast!\" Just then they fired a salute, seemingly under the foundation\nor sill of the house--a frame building. Then they commenced to tear\ndown the post and pole fence that enclosed the premises. This fence,\ntogether with other wood, was piled up in a heap, as people in timbered\ncountries stack timber to burn it off their land. Then the natives\ncovered the wood with coral rock, as if they were going to burn a lime\nkiln. They kept up a continual howl all the night long, firing their\nguns, singing their war songs, and burning their camp-fires.\n\nWhile this was going on, we held prayer and testimony meeting, never\nsleeping a moment the whole night. Many times we could hear the crowd\noutside boasting what a fine, fat missionary roast they were going to\nhave enanahe (tomorrow.)\n\nDaylight came, and the village was all alive with people, as in\nAmerica on the Fourth of July, at a barbecue. Soon the feasting began.\nThe council had been all night in deciding what they would do with\nthe Mormons and their minister. The provisions at the feast were\napportioned to each village according to its numbers, and subdivided\namong the families, so that a full allowance was made for the Mormon\npupu (party). They sent to me the portion of ten men, saying: \"Here,\nthis is for you, Iatobo (James), eat it and get fat for the roast,\"\nlaughing contemptuously as they did so. By this time the whole people\nwere in high glee, eating, drinking, talking, laughing and jeering, as\nif all hands were bent on pleasure only. When the feasting was over,\nall became silent, and it seemed as though everybody had gone to sleep.\n\nBy 1 o'clock p.m. all were astir again. Two great ruffians came into\nmy apartment, armed with long clubs. They said they had been sent to\norder me before the council, and if I refused to come they were to drag\nme there. Everybody seemed to be on the qui vive. As quick as thought,\nthe promises of President Brigham Young flashed through my mind; also\nthe promise of Dr. Willard Richards, in which he told me, in the name\nof the Lord God of Israel, that though men should seek my life, yet I\nshould return in safety to the bosom of the Saints, having done good\nand honor to myself and the Church and Kingdom of God. He also gave me\ninstructions what to do; this was when starting on my mission. The next\nthought that came to my mind was: Have I forfeited those promises? The\nanswer that came quickly from the Spirit was no; and this drove away\nall fear. Not a doubt was left in my mind.\n\nWithout hesitation I arose and walked out to the beach, where the\npeople had assembled, the Saints following me. We passed by the log\nheap to the assemblage, at the head of which stood twelve or fifteen\nstout, athletic, young braves, with hair cut close. They were stripped\nnaked to their breechclouts, and were oiled. They stood with folded\narms, and certainly seemed formidable, although they were without\nweapons, for they had a fierce and savage look about them that must be\nseen to be realized in its effect.\n\nAs we came near, the man Tabate stepped out from the crowd and said,\n\"All the Britons stand to the right hand with the sheep, and all the\nMormons stand to the left hand where the goats are.\" Everyone responded\nto the order except two men from the Mormon party, who drew off to\nthemselves and were neutral. At that, one faithful Mormon man named\nRivae and his wife with an eight months old babe in her arms, stepped\nforward, well knowing what the sentence was to be. This brave brother\nsaid, \"If you burn this man,\" pointing to the writer, \"you burn me\nfirst.\" His heroic wife stepped forward, holding her babe at arm's\nlength, and shouted, \"I am a Mormon, and this baby is a Mormon, for\n'nits make lice,' and you will have to burn all of us, or Mormonism\nwill grow again.\" I had told the people the story of the massacre at\nHaun's Mill, Missouri, in which some of the mob shot the children who\nhad crept for safety under the bellows in the blacksmith shop, the\nmurderers saying, as they butchered the innocents, \"Nits will make\nlice\"--Mormons in that instance.\n\nRivae and his wife was ordered to stand back, while as a prisoner I was\ncalled to take a position in the space between the two parties. As I\nobeyed the command, I was confronted by Tabate, the spokesman or judge,\nwho had been the chief promoter of all the trouble from the beginning.\nSaid he: \"Iatobo, you have caused the people of our land to sin by\nhaving them to travel more than a Sabbath day's journey on the Sabbath.\nYou have also taught the people that God is a material God, and that is\nnot lawful to teach in our land.\" To this I answered, \"Show me where\nthe teaching is wrong from the Bible.\" At the same time I opened the\nBible. A strong and determined voice told me to shut the book, and put\nit up, for that was the law of God, and the decision of the landholders\nand authorities was that I should be burned to death, and thus they\nwould rid the land of Mormonism.\n\nPointing to the left and rear of the prisoner, to the log heap, which\nwas then at the zenith of its burning, with haughty demeanor and in an\nexulting voice, Tabate said, \"Look there at that fire. It is made to\nconsume the flesh off of your bones.\" In that moment the Spirit of the\nLord rested mightily upon me, and I felt as though I could run through\na troop and leap over a wall. \"In the name of Israel's God,\" I said,\n\"I defy ten of your best men, yea, the host of you, for I serve that\nGod who delivered Daniel from the den of lions, and the three Hebrew\nchildren from the fiery furnace!\"\n\n[Image: Fire Prepared to Roast the Missionary--Sentenced to Death.]\n\nDear reader, it is impossible for me to describe the power, the cool\nresignation, the unshaken confidence, and the might that overshadowed\nmy soul and body, that thrilled through every fibre of my existence.\nFor there was absolutely not one particle of fear or tremor in my\nwhole being. But I did feel thankful for that great and marvelous\ndeliverance, because in the very moment that I defied the host the\nspirit of division rested upon the judge who had passed the sentence,\nhis counselors, and the executioners, insomuch that the counselors\nfaced the executioners, and they grappled with each other in a sharp\ntussle. From that ensued a fight, until the whole people were mixed up\nin it.\n\nEven two of our old tottering Mormons, Tautene and Hauty, came in with\ntheir clubs, and were so enraged that they actually champed their\nteeth together till the froth filled the corners of their mouths, as\nI have seen it with mad dogs. Both of them had been great warriors\nin their time, and could boast of having eaten human flesh, but at\nthis time they were so old and feeble that I took each of them by\nthe arms and forced them from the fight into the house, where I had\nordered all the Mormons to go. I told them to stay in the house or I\nwould excommunicate them from the Church. As they seemed to be almost\nungovernable, I gave Fute, a priest and a stout man, a club, and told\nhim to keep them in the house if he had to knock them down to do it,\nwhile I went back to the battleground, picked up my Bible and hat, and\nreturned to find my party reconciled to their fate, and feeling more\nlike rejoicing than fighting. In an effort to free himself from her\nclinging embrace Hauty had struck his wife with a club. This was before\nI had got hold of him. She was trying to keep him out of the melee. The\nwoman was very lame for weeks after receiving the blow.\n\nDuring all this time our enemies quarreled and fought with clubs\nand stones, pulled hair and screamed. They did not cease fighting\ntill sundown. Then, with many sore heads, and more sore limbs, they\ndispersed, and I doubt very much if the majority of them knew what they\nhad been fighting for. After they left, a feeling of quiet and safety\npervaded the village, especially in and about our residence, such as\nwe had not before known on the island, and for weeks everything was\nstrangely peaceful. People who once seemed surly and defiant, now had\na tame and subdued expression in their countenances, and appeared to\nprefer passing by unnoticed rather than otherwise.\n\nSome two months later, I was traveling alone in the timber, and at a\nshort turn in the road I chanced to meet one of the old counselors who\ndecided that I should be burned. We were close together before we saw\neach other. At sight of me he turned and ran as hard as he could, and\nI, without any particular object in view, gave chase and ran him down.\nI seized him by the neck, and asked why he ran from me and why he was\nafraid of me. Said he: \"Your God is a God of power, and I was afraid\nto meet His servant.\" I inquired how he knew that my God was a God of\npower, and why they had not burned me when they had decided to do so.\nHe answered: \"At the moment that you defied us there was a brilliant\nlight, or pillar of fire, bore down close over your head. It was as\nbright as the sun. We remembered reading in the Bible about Elijah\ncalling fire down from heaven so that it consumed the captains and\ntheir fifties, and we thought that you had prayed to your God of power,\nand that He had sent that fire to burn us and our people if we harmed\nyou. The young men did not see the light. They were going to burn you,\nand we tried to stop them. So we got into a fight. Now we all know that\nyou are a true servant of God, and we do not like to meet you, out of\nfear.\"\n\nFrom what I was able to learn, that feeling was shared by the whole\ncommunity, and I was treated with great respect ever afterwards. I\nfelt freer and safer when alone than ever before. Indeed, there never\nwas another council meeting called to devise a way to get rid of the\nMormons from that island, while I remained there. But for all that, the\nislanders did not want to learn the Gospel. Yet ever afterward, when\nthey feasted I was always remembered with a very liberal portion of\nthe very best they had. I do not remember baptizing another soul there\nafter that event. There I remained, and part of the time I fished, also\nhunted the wild chickens that abounded in the mountains--fowls of the\ncommon Dominique variety, which had grown wild in the fastnesses of the\nhills, and could fly equal to the sagehen or prairie chicken.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXIII.\n\nLONG TIME WITHOUT NEWS FROM HOME--LETTER FROM ELDER B. F.\nGROUARD--RELEASED FROM MY MISSIONARY LABORS IN THE ISLANDS--LITTLE\nOPPORTUNITY TO LEAVE RAIVAVAI--NATIVES BUILD A SCHOONER--FAST AND\nPRAY TO LEARN WHETHER I SHOULD SAIL ON THE VESSEL--THE ANSWER--SAIL\nFOR RAPIA--DRIVEN BACK TO RAIVAVAI--MAKE A NEW START--ARRIVE AT\nRAPIA--RIDICULOUS IDEA OF THE PEOPLE CONCERNING A MORMON ELDER--I AM\nFORBIDDEN TO GO ASHORE, ON PAIN OF DEATH--FEELING IS MODIFIED SOMEWHAT,\nAND I GO ASHORE--BATTLE BETWEEN THE NATIVES--AN OLD MAN GIVES ME\nFOOD--ATTEND A MEETING, GET PERMISSION TO SPEAK A FEW WORDS AND AM\nORDERED FROM THE ISLAND--INCREASE OF SENTIMENT OF TOLERATION--INVITED\nTO SUPPER AT THE GOVERNOR'S--STRANGE CUSTOM OF WOMEN WAITING ON\nMEN--RATHER THAN FOLLOW IT, I SUBMIT TO BEING CALLED A HEATHEN.\n\nWHEN I had spent seven months alone on the island of Raivavai, without\nany news from the outer world or perhaps it would be more proper to\nsay inner world--for this island and Rapia are as near out of the\nworld as any portion of it can be--I began to wonder when I could hear\nsome tidings of the brethren on the other islands. I had not had an\nopportunity to leave Raivavai in all the time that I had been there;\nnor did I have the slightest idea when it would be possible for me\nto return to the land of my nativity, for the natives told me that\nwithin their memory there had been seven years at a time when they had\nnot so much as seen a sail, and it was not infrequent for from one to\nthree years to pass without a vessel calling. Therefore it will not be\nthought strange when I say that the time became very monotonous.\n\nHere is an extract from a letter received just before I did leave the\nisland; it was from Elder B. F. Grouard, counselor to President Pratt\nin the presidency of the mission, and bears date of Papeete, Tahiti,\nApril 18, 1852:\n\n\"DEAR BROTHER JAMES:--I embrace the present opportunity of writing you\na line, perhaps for the last time before leaving for California, though\nI hope we may be able to arrange matters so that you will be permitted\nto come here and make one of our party across. The governor is now\nabsent, down at Raiatea, consequently nothing can be done about your\ncase until he returns. * * * *\n\n\"Wednesday, 21st.--Mr. Kelly has sent for you on his own\nresponsibility. You must be careful and not go on shore on the\nprotectorate islands, but be sure and come, or rather, he has\nauthorized me to send for you.\n\n\"I have the honor to be, your brother in Christ, and fellow laborer in\nthe Gospel,                    B. F. GROUARD.\"\n\nFrom this it will be seen that I was released from further labors in\nthat mission. I also was without any means in sight to get away from\nthe land that had been so fruitful of troubles to me. It is true that\nthe natives had a schooner of twenty or twenty-five tons burden in\ncourse of construction, but they were so uncertain and tardy in their\nmovements that there was really no dependence to be placed in anything\nof the kind that they undertook. Indeed, it was doubtful whether they\nwould complete the vessel at all, though six or eight weeks was ample\ntime in which to finish it. Besides, they were liable to get into a\nquarrel that would cause delay for many months. Again, so frail was\nthe boat that it did not seem that it ever could be safe to go to sea.\nNearly every stave and brace was made from the bark of the buru tree,\nand twisted by hand. The anchor was a chunk of wood with old scraps of\niron spiked on to it, and for a chain the same kind of material was\nused as for the stays and braces. The galley was only a square box of\ntwo and a half feet, filled with soil and tied down to the deck with a\nbark rope; and as to the helm, it had to be held by hand, taking two or\nthree men to manage it, especially in rough weather. The compass was\nno better than a tin plate; in fact, it could not be of any service\nwhatever--and the sails were almost rotten. But at last the boat was\nlaunched, and leaked so badly that it did not seem possible to make it\nof service; but the natives persevered and baled it out, and it was\nsoaked up until they considered it safe.\n\nThis boat being built, it seemed to offer a possible means for me to\nsee white men's land again. There was no one for me to advise with, the\nvery men who had planned my destruction being the owners and masters\nof the craft. The voyage they anticipated taking was said by them to\nbe seven hundred miles, to the island of Rapia, and from thence a like\ndistance to Tahiti, in all fourteen hundred miles. The food and fresh\nwater supply was also very uncertain. The water had to be carried in\nlarge gourds and cocoanuts. Nor was this all that had to be considered.\nIn those parts there are dense fogs and rainstorms, for days together,\nso that navigation is very hazardous where there is only the sun, moon,\nand stars to depend upon, and these obscured.\n\nThe reader will perceive the gravity of the situation that confronted\nthe writer when he came to decide what to do. As the time drew near for\nthe boat's departure, I retired to a lonely place in the woods, and\nthere fasted and prayed for three days, fasting all the time and going\nto my retreat to pray as often in the three days as I thought proper.\nThis was done in order to ascertain from the divine Source whether or\nnot I should take the risk of going on that vessel at that time. The\nanswer came plain and distinct to my understanding, though not in words\nto the natural senses, yet to my entire satisfaction that all would be\nwell if I went. From that moment I hungered and thirsted, but had not\ndone so before in all the time that I had fasted.\n\nAccordingly, on September 22, 1852, I engaged passage on the Raivavai\nschooner, bound for Rapia. On the 23rd I went aboard, and we sailed\nout, but some of the rigging gave way, and we were bound to return for\nrepairs. On the 24th we tried again, passing out of the harbor with a\nlight breeze, at 5 o'clock a.m. There were sixty-two souls on board,\nall seasick. On the 26th and 27th there was a dead calm. At daylight\non the 28th we found ourselves on the opposite side of the island and\nvery near it, surrounded by hundreds of great whales. Our navigators\nwere so confused that they did not know their own island until they\nwent ashore. Again the rigging gave way, and we had to put into port to\nrepair it and to replenish our food supply.\n\nOn October 4th we sailed once more, and with a strong and fair wind on\nthe 9th we reached the island of Rapia, which has a high and abrupt\ncoast with a good harbor, but a very narrow passage thereto, in which\nwe were hailed by a fisherman who inquired about the white man on\nboard. When the crew told him it was a Mormon Elder, he hastened to the\nshore, ran to the village and told the people that a Mormon Elder was\non the schooner. The people had never seen a Mormon, but had heard the\nmost ridiculous stories about us. They became excited, and frightened\nas well, for they had heard that Mormons had cloven feet and shells\non their backs, and were some kind of mongrel between man and beast.\nThey also had been told that the Mormons were so lustful that it was\nvery difficult for the females to escape from them. This being the\nonly information the people had about the Latter-day Saints, it was\nno wonder that the men armed themselves with muskets and fish spears,\nand came to the landing or lay in ambush, the females keeping at a\nrespectful distance, while the more brave and fearless ventured to come\non board, inspect the \"animal,\" and forbid him to set his foot on shore\non pain of death. Strange as this statement of affairs may appear, it\nis nevertheless true.\n\nAt length a number of the people came on board and spied around as if\nto discover the peculiar features of a Mormon Elder, and they, with\nmy friends, thought that possibly it was safe for me to go ashore;\naccordingly I went in the first canoe. As we neared the landing, six or\nseven men, some with muskets and some with fishing spears, rose up out\nof the brush and tall grass, and peeked and pried, as they afterwards\nsaid, to discern the cloven foot. As they could not discover the\ndeformities which they had expected to find, they said, \"Why, he looks\nlike any other white man or minister; we do not want to kill him.\"\nThere were others who, however, acted very surly, and would not speak\nnor shake hands, but told my friends that I must leave their island or\nI would be killed. Finally we were permitted to go up to the village,\nwhere the people all ran together to see the stranger. None dared\ninvite him into their houses, so he took his seat out on a log, while\nthey feasted. His friends joined with the feasting parties, thinking\nit would be better for him if they were sociable with the people and\nacquainted them with the supposed monster's customs and habits, as also\nwith what he had been teaching the people.\n\nTwo weeks before we landed, the inhabitants of this village had had a\nbattle with the people of another village across the island, and some\nof both parties had been killed, while others were yet suffering from\ntheir wounds. This, I suppose, had something to do with the spirit of\nmurder and bloodshed that hung so thickly around the place. When the\npeople finished feasting, one old man brought me some food on a banana\nleaf, and then slipped away as if he did not wish anybody to see him.\nTo me it seemed a case of root hog, or die, or at least it was to eat\nor starve, so the kind offer was thankfully received. I found the\nadmonition of Paul, wherein he said, eat what is set before you, and\nask no questions, for conscience, sake appropriate in this case.\n\nThe bell was soon rung for meeting, and the people quickly came\ntogether. I met with them, and at the conclusion of their services\nasked the privilege of acquainting them with my business in their\ncountry; for myself and native friends were the first Mormons who had\never been there, and to save the necessity of anyone else coming I felt\nit my bounden duty to offer them the Gospel, as it has to be preached\nin every land and to every people. I succeeded in saying a few words,\nand received for my pains an order from the presiding priest to go out\nof the house and leave the island.\n\nAlthough many of the people seemed to sanction the course of the\npriest, there were a few who did not seem to favor it; but to save\ntrouble I left the house. The people then began to discuss the order\nand to question its justice, as we had been mild and made no display of\nobstinacy. At last they concluded that the Mormon was not quite so bad\nas he had been represented, and that he might come into the governor's\nand have supper at a table which the Protestant ministers had furnished\nfor their own accommodation, and where they had left some dishes and a\nchair; so I was comfortably seated at the table and the food brought\non. Quite a handsome young girl of about sixteen stood by the table,\nand as soon as a blessing was asked, she, with her fingers, tore the\nroasted chicken to pieces, stripped the flesh from off the bones, and\nheld this to my mouth, saying, \"There!\"\n\nI drew back a little, as that was so strange a custom that I did not\nappreciate it. The girl was quite dark complexioned, and some one\nobserved, \"She is so dark that he thinks she is dirty. Let her get some\nsoap and wash before him, and then see if he will eat.\" As the people\nseemed so strange in their actions, I thought there was some trick to\nbe played, so I waited until she had washed her hands and, in obedience\nto orders, stepped up, saying that her hands were clean, \"Look, that is\nmy color, and not dirt.\" Still I felt dubious about taking the bait.\nThen she was told to step back, and another young lady was called for.\nThis one was quite fair, with rather light brown or auburn hair. They\nsaid \"Now he will eat, for he will think she is white,\" but I still\nrefused the courtesy. Then some one who was standing by said, \"Let him\nfeed himself, like a heathen.\" At this the master of ceremonies said,\n\"Why do you not eat?\" I tried to explain to them that it seemed to me\nto be wrong to require so much of the females--that they should prepare\nthe food and then stand or sit by and put it into a man's mouth.\n\"Well,\" said he, \"she was the first to sin, and she ought to wait on\nthe man.\"\n\nAt this an old man who lay flat on his stomach with the Bible before\nhim, opened the book to where Paul said that when he was in Rome he did\nas the Romans did. The old man had his hair bushed, and, apparently,\nthe very brand of heathenism in his face. I would have thought as much\nof looking on a brush heap or in a muskrat house for intelligence as to\nhave anticipated anything smart from him. He said, \"My friend, do you\nbelieve in the Bible?\" I said, \"Yes, and it is good to do as it says.\"\n\"Then,\" said he, \"you are a liar; for Paul said that when he was in\nRome he did as the Romans did, and now you are in Rapia you will not do\nas the Rapians do; for it is our way for the women to put the food into\nour mouths. That is the way we do in this land.\"\n\nSure enough, I learned that this was true; for when the meal is ready\nit is brought into the room in baskets, and the male portion of the\nhousehold get down on their hands and knees, while the females pick\nthe bones from the fish, pork or poultry, as the case may be, and with\ntheir fingers put the flesh into their masters' mouths. To conclude\nwith, the woman dips her hand into a dish of water, and wipes his\nmouth. Then he moves away, and the wife and daughter take the scraps,\nor what may be left. It is considered as great a shame on that island\nfor a man to put food into his mouth as it is in China for a Mongolian\nto have his queue cut off. But to me it seemed so ridiculous that my\nstay there was too short to make it seem even human. I did not adopt\nthe custom, preferring to be called a heathen by those who did practice\nit.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXIV.\n\nDETERMINE TO PREACH TO THE PEOPLE--REFUSED A HOUSE--HOLD AN OPEN-AIR\nMEETING--STRANGE CONGREGATION--SIX OTHER MEETINGS--VISIT A NATIVE\nKING--HE COMMANDS ME TO LEAVE--I DO SO IN ORDER TO AVOID BEING PUT\nTO DEATH--WATERMELONS AND OTHER VEGETABLES--NATIVE TRADITION OF THE\nPEOPLING OF THE ISLANDS--VISIT OF A PROTESTANT MINISTER--SAIL FOR\nTAHITI--IN A HEAVY STORM--PRAYERS BY FRIGHTENED NATIVES--I AM ASKED TO\nPRAY WITH THEM, BUT DECLINE TO FOLLOW THEIR METHODS--REACH THE HARBOR\nOF PAPEETE--AMERICAN CONSUL OBTAINS PERMISSION FOR ME TO LAND--GO\nTO WORK WITH A CARPENTER--WARNED NOT TO BE ALONE LEST I SHOULD BE\nKILLED--WATCHED BY GEN D' ARMES--TROUBLE AT ANAA, AND ARREST OF NATIVE\nMORMONS--THESE ARE BROUGHT TO PAPEETE--HOW THEY GOT LETTERS TO ME, AND\nTHEIR REPLIES--MY FORMER PERSECUTORS OF RAIVAVAI COME TO ME FOR ADVICE,\nAND I RETURN GOOD FOR EVIL.\n\nAS I felt the great need of reform among the people of Rapia, I tried\nagain to get the privilege of preaching to them in their house, but\nfound them unyielding on that point. There were three native brethren\nand their wives who had come with me. I was impressed that we ought\nto make yet another trial to leave our testimony with the islanders,\nso we went out by the side of their meeting house, which was a frame\nbuilding set up on blocks some eighteen inches or two feet from the\nground, the dirt floor being thatched with dry grass. We stood within\nten feet of the house and commenced to sing. Before we were ready to\nread our text, it seemed that everybody in the village had come around,\nbut not in the ordinary way. They crowded into the meeting house and\nsome filled the windows, while others lay down and poked their heads\nout under the sills of the house; still others got down on their hands\nand knees some five or six rods off and crawled along through the\nshrubbery, taking hold of the brush as they drew near, lying flat down\nand drawing themselves along, taking sticks and poking the weeds aside\nso they could get a better view. With this most singular congregation\nbefore us, and the most perfect order (for it seemed as if there was\nnot a whisper,) we read a chapter in the Bible--the third of Matthew,\nI believe--then preached on faith, repentance, and baptism for the\nremission of sins. At the dismissal of our services the whole assembly\nwithdrew, and after that I had lots of food, such as it was.\n\nWe held seven meetings on that little fragment of terra firma, and\nvisited the king in the west village. We found the royal personage at\nhome, sitting Indian fashion on his couch, half naked. He appeared to\nbe a man of unusually strong character, very surly, and did not want\nto talk. When I attempted to tell him the object of my mission to\nhis country, his neck swelled out, and he began blowing through his\nnostrils like a mad bull. He said, \"You leave my country.\" By this time\nmy native friends discovered that danger was gathering around us, and\ntold me that we must not delay one moment, but must get away as quickly\nas possible, for that village had suffered defeat at the hands of the\npeople of the other village, and we could not be friendly with the king\nand his followers if we were to the others.\n\nWe got away, and afterwards it developed that my friends had foreseen\na peril that I had not fully understood, for when the king said we had\nbetter get away from his country, that was his ultimatum, and if we had\nremained longer every one of us would have been slain, as the people\nwere preparing for the slaughter.\n\nOn our retreat I observed a castor oil bean tree loaded with beans.\nIts trunk was as large as a man's body. I began to inspect it when my\nfriends called out, \"Hurry up, or we will every one be killed,\" so we\nhastened to more friendly and hospitable parts, where we came across\na large gourd, or calabash vine, and a watermelon patch. Never having\nseen anything of the kind on any other island where I had been, my\ninquisitive propensities were set to work ascertaining how those things\ncame there. Were they a spontaneous growth? If not, where did they come\nfrom, since this little island is so remote from all others, and the\nnatives tell me that white men seldom visit them? I inquired of the\npeople where they got the seed of the vegetables named. \"Why,\" said\nthey, \"our forefathers brought them here.\"\n\n\"Where did they come from?\"\n\nThe reply was, \"From the rising of the sun.\" On hearing this, I asked\nfrom what country, and was answered, \"We do not know. It was a big\nland, so big they did not know its boundary. It was a land of food, and\nof great forests of big trees, and great fresh waters that were filled\nwith fish.\"\n\nI next inquired, \"How came they to leave such a good land?\" The\nresponse was in these words: \"We do not know, only they said they got\nlost in the fog, and were several days without seeing the sun. Then\nthe strong winds came and blew them over here, and their vessel was\nwrecked on this island. They never could get back to the lands of their\nforefathers, so they stayed here. They increased so fast that all could\nnot live on this land, so they made canoes and tried to get back, but\nthe winds were against them, that they were carried away to the west,\nand for a long time those left here supposed the others were lost in\nthe sea; but after a time it was learned that there were other lands\nwhere the sun goes down. Then our people made canoes and went to them,\nand we think that is the way these islands became peopled, for they are\nthe same kind of people as ourselves.\"\n\n\"Have you any other knowledge of your forefathers?\"\n\n\"No, we do not know anything but that which the fathers have said. They\nused to say that if they could get back to their fatherland they could\nfind metal to make fish spears and hooks with. When the first white\nmen's ship came in sight we tried to go to it, thinking we could get\nsome fishing tackle therefrom. We thought that vessel must have come\nfrom our fathers' land. But the wind was so strong we could not get to\nthe ship, and it was a long time before another one came. Finally we\nreached one, and got such things as our fathers had told us about.\"\n\nRead the Book of Mormon, page 427, 63d chapter, 5th to 9th verses. Was\nthe ship that Hagoth built the same that was wrecked on the island of\nRapia, South Pacific Ocean, about 25 deg. south latitude, and, as near\nas I can find out from French charts, time reckoned from Paris, France,\nin longitude 140 west?\n\nThe reader may form his own conclusions, as I return to my narrative\nof our stay on the island. When we had returned from our visit to the\nsurly king, one man by the name of Mesearee opened his house for us to\nhold meeting in, but very few attended with us.\n\nOctober 17th, the bark _John Williams_ called with one Mr. Platt,\na Protestant minister, on board. This clergyman was a man of fine\naddress. He came ashore and preached, then sprinkled all the infant\nchildren of the village. Though very pleasant, he refused to talk with\nme in the Tahitian language, saying that if we did so on the Scriptures\nit would cause a split among the people. I insisted that he show the\nnatives the scripture for his mode of baptism, but he declined to do\nthat, and boarded his vessel and sailed away.\n\nOctober 27, 1852, we sailed for Tahiti. On the 29th we encountered a\nvery heavy storm, so severe that we lost all of our sails, and had to\nlash two of our strong men on deck with slack rope so that they might\nfasten down the hatch and companion ways. The rest of us had to go\nbelow, for the sea was lashed into a foamy mass as white as snow. It\ndid not seem possible for us to survive the terrible ordeal. As in\nalmost all similar cases, the wicked will pray--that is in times of\ngreat danger, if at no other time--so the natives who went below, some\nfifty-nine in number, divided themselves into three praying parties.\nOne of these occupied the bow, one stationed itself amidships, and one\nwas in the stern of the vessel. Then a man in one party would pray at\nthe top of his voice, and so on with each party in turn. Thus they\nprayed, passing the word back and forth, as long as the sea raged in\nits fury.\n\nIn all of our travels together, those in charge of the vessel had never\nhonored me with a request to attend prayers, or once called me to ask a\nblessing, but now, in our great peril, one of the old priests found his\nway in the dense darkness to my berth, and said: \"Iatobo, you pray to\nyour God of power, to spare us, that we may not die in this great sea.\"\nI told him no, for I had done my praying on land, before I had boarded\nthe schooner, and now I had all that I could do to hold myself in the\nberth, that I might not be thrown out and killed. He returned with\na grunt, and commanded the rest to pray. These conditions continued\nfor six or seven hours, when the wind abated, and the little schooner\npitched and rolled as if she would go to the bottom.\n\nNovember 1, 1852, we sighted a reef called Hereheretue. On the 9th\nwe came in view of Metia, and on the 10th we went into the harbor of\nPapeete, Tahiti. It was on the 11th when, through the intervention\nof Mr. Kelly, American consul, I got permission to land. The same\ngentleman gave me an introduction to one Charles Hill, a carpenter,\nwho was rather a backslider from the Mormon Church. Still, he was very\nfriendly, and said that if I would assist him in carpenter work he\nwould board and lodge me until I could get a passage home. Mr. Kelly\ncounseled me not to be alone anywhere, as a watch would be kept over me\nevery minute I was on the island. He said he would not be responsible\nif I preached or traveled out of the town, as I was liable to be shot\nthe moment that I was found alone. Said he, \"The French are more bitter\ntowards you than ever. They seem to think you would turn everything\nupside down if you were allowed to run at large. I have never seen\nthem so excited over anything as they are about you. They are actually\nafraid of you, for fear that if you were permitted to go among the\npeople again they would revolt at once, and there would be another\nwar.\" He also said that he would arrange matters so that I could go\nwith Mr. Hill to and from his work, and if we kept close together, he\nthought it all safe, as Mr. Hill was well known; but that I had better\nstop in his office till he could see the governor, and I could go out\nto Mr. Hill's in the evening with him, as he lived in the suburbs of\nthe town. Mr. Kelly also told me there had been more trouble at Anaa,\nand a number of our people from there were in prison on Tahiti; and\nfurther, that I was held responsible for all the trouble on that island.\n\nIt having been arranged for me to stop with Mr. Hill, he called for\nme in the evening, and next morning I went to work with him at his\nbusiness. In the meantime the news of my arrival on Tahiti spread very\nfast, and the sons of the prisoners from Anaa, who had followed their\nparents in disguise, and could visit the prisoners one at a time, put\npencil and paper into their hands on the sly, so that they could write\nto me. Five or six of the young men dressed themselves as the regular\n\"toughs\" of the town, and met Mr. Hill and me, one of them bearing a\nnote in his hand. When they got near us they began to dance and sing\nin a very rude manner, acting as if they would not give any of the\nroad to us. Then they pushed the one with the note against me, and\nas he passed it into my hand the rest circled clear around so as to\nobscure me from two gen d' armes who followed us day and night. Then\nthe young men would shout and laugh as if they had done it to annoy me\nin particular. Thus I received letters from the natives. The young men\nwould meet us again, and I would pass to them the answers, while they\nwould appear to the looker-on to be running against me purposely, to\ninsult and annoy me. Sometimes I would try to show my displeasure by\nscolding at them. In this way a regular correspondence was carried on\nbetween the unfortunate prisoners and myself, during my stay. In that\nmanner I learned that there were twenty-three of them in prison, there\nbeing ten Elders, five Priests, four Teachers and four Deacons. On the\n12th there were eight more prisoners brought from the island of Anaa,\nsix brethren and two sisters. All of the thirty-one were put to work on\nthe steep side of a mountain, to make a road up to a fort. The hillside\nwas so steep that some of them fell and were hurt quite seriously.\nSometimes the prisoners were beaten by the guards that attended them.\nTheir provisions were very poor, and they had not even enough of that.\n\nI will again mention my former persecutors of the island of Raivavai,\nwith whom I traveled to Tahiti, for they came to me in great trouble,\nand said their schooner had been so badly damaged in the storm we had\nbeen in that the French had condemned it, and would not allow them to\ngo to sea again. They were four hundred miles from home, without money,\nprovisions or friends. They very humbly asked my advice, which I gave\nfreely, telling them to state their case to the French authorities,\nand these would be bound to find a way to have them returned home and\ngive them support until they did so. This pleased them very much; they\nseemed to appreciate the counsel of one whom they had sat in judgment\nand helped to pass sentence upon, ordering him to be burned. Doubtless\nsome of them had aided in gathering the fuel to make the fire for the\nburning. I condoled with them as much as the conditions would admit\nof; and when I came to part with them they seemed to feel, and in fact\nsaid, that I had been a true friend to them. They wept as though they\nwere my near relatives. Thus returning good for evil brought blessings.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXV.\n\nWATCHED CLOSELY BY GEN D' ARMES--EXPERIENCE WHEN AT PRAYER--TAKE DINNER\nWITH REV. MR. HOWE--DINING WITH A CATHOLIC BISHOP--IMPATIENCE OF THE\nGOVERNOR--LEAVE TAHITI ON THE ABYSSINIA--CURIOSITY OF PASSENGERS AND\nSAILORS--DIFFICULTY IN GETTING OUT OF THE HARBOR--HEAR OF MORE TROUBLE\nAT ANAA--CAPTAIN'S COMMENT ON MORMON BOOKS--A WATERSPOUT--CROSSING\nTHE EQUATOR--ENCOUNTER A TERRIBLE STORM--A TIDAL WAVE--SHIP SPRINGS A\nLEAK--PANIC ON BOARD--ALL BANDS TO THE PUMPS--STOPPING A LEAK--FAIR\nWEATHER AGAIN.\n\nSO far as my own conduct was concerned, now that I was again on\nthe island of Tahiti, I continued with Mr. Hill. Two gen d' armes\nfollowed us or hung around where we were at work all day, and at night\ntramped about the house where we lived. At daylight the night guards\ndisappeared in the brush. One morning I stepped three or four rods into\nthe brush, for my morning devotions, and as I was engaged with my eyes\nclosed I heard a rustling in the leaves. Supposing it was the hogs that\nran around there, I paid no attention until I was through, when I saw\ntwo officers standing within fifteen feet of and in front of me, gazing\nstraight into my face. They were heavily armed, but did not interfere\nwith me, so I returned to the house, while they mounted the fence and\nsat there till we went to work, when they followed us up as usual.\n\nDuring this time I met with Mr. Howe, the presiding official of the\nProtestant mission on the islands. He appeared to feel very sympathetic\ntoward me, and invited me to take dinner with him and his good old\nlady. I accepted the invitation, and he made me a present of a Tahitian\nBible, also of a Tahitian and English dictionary. He is the same Mr.\nHowe spoken of before, when he was so radically opposed to me, but\nnow he seemed charitable and kind. After I left his house, and was\npassing along in sight of the Catholic bishop's office, the bishop\nsent a servant after me, inviting me in to dine and wine. Accordingly,\nI called, finding him a very polite gentleman. He met me at the door\nof his library, took me by the hand and courteously led me to a seat,\nthen set out some wine, saying he was very sorry that he had but one\nglass of wine in the room, though he set out two glasses, but poured\nall the wine into one, which he presented to me. At that moment the\nsaying of the Lord Jesus came to my mind, to be harmless as doves but\nwise as serpents. I adopted as much French politeness as I was capable\nof, divided the wine into the two glasses, presented him the one with\nthe most wine in, telling him that I could not think of drinking\nalone--that he must join me or I should decline his very kind offer. I\nthought that if he could stand to drink the largest half of the wine, I\ncould afford to try the least half, and as I preferred him to drink his\nfirst, I delayed until he had swallowed it, when I drank to his health.\nWe had a sociable chat, and he insisted on my stopping to supper, when\nhe would have plenty of wine. I told him I could not, as my attendants,\nthe gen d' armes, were waiting patiently for me. He next presented\nme two books, telling me that they would show how the priesthood had\ndescended from Peter down to the present pope. The books being in the\nFrench language, were of no use to me, so I bade him good-bye.\n\nI learned from Mr. Kelly that the governor was impatient at my stay\non the island, so I disposed of everything that I could spare, raised\nsixty dollars thereby, and prepared to sail on the English ship\n_Abyssinia_, from Sydney, Australia, and commanded by Captain George\nGordon.\n\nNovember 24, 1852, I boarded the _Abyssinia_, paying sixty dollars\nsteerage passage to San Francisco, California. When I got on the deck,\nthe seamen and some of the passengers crowded around me, and stared at\nme as if I had been a wild beast. When I saluted them with, \"Gentlemen,\nhow are you?\" they looked at each other as much as to say, \"Shall we\nreturn the compliment?\" At last one of the sailors took off his hat,\nmade a bow, and said, \"Please sir, can you speak English?\" I answered,\n\"Yes, sir, a little.\" The next question was, \"And are you a Mormon\nElder?\" My reply was, \"Yes,\" and was followed with, \"Well, pardon me,\nbut I thought a Mormon Elder had a cloven foot and a shell on his back,\nand I expected that you would be brought aboard in a case, as I have\nbeen told that the Mormons were a kind of half beast, fierce, and wild.\"\n\nSome of the others said that they had had the same ideas. A third party\nexclaimed, \"What d--d lies they have told us! We have been anxious\nto see this Elder ever since we heard there was one coming on board,\nand we thought to see you brought in a big cage. We cannot see any\ndifference in you and common men.\" So much for wild and slanderous\nstories afloat in those days and in that part of the world.\n\nShortly the vessel was got under way, but just as we entered the\npassage the wind slackened so that we came very near being crushed\nagainst the reef. Five boats from a French warship came to our aid, as\nwe had cast anchor to save ourselves, and the Frenchmen towed us back\nto a safe location, where we lay until the 26th.\n\nWe tried it again on the 27th, and as we passed out of the harbor we\nwent close to the French warship, which was weighing anchor. On the\ndeck stood the Catholic bishop, who held up his cross and made signs.\nHe said there was trouble in Anaa again, and he was going there.\n\nAfter we sailed, the captain of the _Abyssinia_ asked me to lend\nhim some books on Mormonism. I let him take the Book of Mormon and\nthe Doctrine and Covenants. He returned them on the 29th, saying,\n\"I believe the books and your prayers have made me sick.\" He did\nnot trouble me any more about Mormonism, yet treated me with proper\nrespect, as a rule.\n\nThere were several male and female passengers on board, a portion of\nthe latter being of the lewd class, judging from their actions; and\nthe former were not much better. I loaned all the books that I had to\npassengers and seamen. Nearly all on board treated me in a courteous\nmanner.\n\nOn November 30th a waterspout passed close to our ship, causing much\nexcitement. Its roar was frightful, as it carried a very great column\nof water up into the air, and spread it out into the clouds like a\nwhirlwind on land, but on so much larger scale as to be a dread to\nseamen.\n\nDecember 1st we sighted what the captain called Flint's Island. It was\nlarge and high, and appeared to be inhabited. On the 10th we crossed\nthe equator, where the seamen had some sport at the expense of several\nof the passengers who had not crossed it before. They made preparations\nfor Neptune, and told many stories of his pranks with those who dared\ncross his path without paying penance, or treating the ship's crew.\n\nOn the 20th we encountered a terrific storm, which carried away most of\nour sail, and left us badly damaged. On Christmas day we had something\nlike a tidal wave in a calm sea. The wave was so great that it swept\naway the main topgallant sail and the jib boom. Two seamen were carried\nbelow for dead. The ship sprung a leak in the bow, and the peril became\nso great that all the seamen and the male passengers were called to\nlend a hand. It being in the night, the consternation was so intense\nthat passengers were on the deck in their night clothes, screaming.\nSome shouted to pray, and others did pray with all the fervor at their\ncommand, especially when the carpenter, reporting that the vessel\nwas parting in her beams, called for men to turn the windlass, and\nfor kettles of hot tar, blankets, caulking, chisels, and anything to\nmake repairs. As the wind began to freshen, the boat headed before\nit, without any regard to course. The next order was, \"Down with the\nhatches!\"\n\n\"Aye, aye, sir.\"\n\n\"Then sound her.\"\n\n\"Aye, sir.\"\n\n\"How is she?\"\n\n\"Gaining water, sir.\"\n\nIt was hurry to the pumps, and the carpenter was asked, \"How is she?\"\n\n\"All right, sir.\"\n\n\"Heave away at the windlass! Keep the pumps going!\"\n\nThe carpenter had been pinning timber across the breach, and with\nwindlass power preventing if possible the seam from spreading any more\nuntil he could make it safe. Blankets were dipped in hot tar and driven\ninto the parting. With these efforts and by keeping the pumps going\nsteadily for eight hours, the boat was partly freed from the rolling\nsea, and at length was patched up and put on her course. The captain\nthen said that his greatest fear had been that, as his cargo was coal,\nthe friction of the fuel and the water coming in below would cause the\ncargo to take fire. When we got righted and on our course, we had light\nwinds, and cold and wet weather until the voyage was ended.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXVI.\n\nARRIVE AT SAN FRANCISCO--A WRECKED SHIP--THE ABYSSINIA\nCONDEMNED--GATHERING WRECKAGE--DRUNKEN SAILORS--MY TRUNK HELD FOR\nHOSPITAL FEES--GO ASHORE, WHERE ALL IS CHANGED AND STRANGE--MY\nDILAPIDATED APPEARANCE--SEEK GUIDANCE OF THE LORD--WANDER\nALMOST IN DESPAIR--MEET AN OLD FRIEND--FIND A HOME--MY TRUNK\nRELEASED--MEET ELDERS GOING ON MISSIONS--WELL TREATED BY SAINTS AND\nSTRANGERS--PROVIDENCES OF THE LORD--OUTWARD-BOUND ELDERS ENTRUST MONEY\nTO ME FOR THEIR FAMILIES--ENGAGE TO CARRY MAIL TO LOS ANGELES--ON A\nSTEAMER FOR SAN PEDRO--TAKEN SEVERELY ILL.\n\nON January 8th, 1853, we passed into the bay of San Francisco, where\nwe came close to a big New York clipper ship, fast on a rock in the\npassage. While we were looking at the vessel, the tide came in and\nlifted it up; then it dropped back and was smashed as if it were only a\nmatchbox. Luckily, the ship had been there long enough to be surrounded\nby boats sufficient to save the passengers, and perhaps their baggage.\n\nWe soon dropped anchor from our dismantled bark, which, as I afterwards\nlearned, was condemned as being unseaworthy, and never was allowed\nto go to sea again. The seamen on our vessel went to picking up the\nwreckage from the clipper ship. They chanced to catch a barrel of\nwhisky, when the captain ordered it to be carried below. That made\nthe sailors desperate. They seized an ax, crushed the barrel head in,\nand each seaman dipped with his cup. Within fifteen minutes they were\nwild with drunkenness. They armed themselves with axes, hand-spikes,\nbelaying pins, marlinspikes, and any and everything they could lay hold\nof. Then the officers, and some of the passengers who had incurred\ntheir displeasure, were made to hunt hiding places below in doublequick\ntime. That condition did not last long, however, before a compromise\nwas effected, the captain took his position again, and the men went to\nlanding passengers and baggage. I got my trunk ready to depart, when\nthe captain demanded five dollars of me, for hospital fees, he said. As\nI had not so much as one dollar, I had to leave my trunk and go ashore,\nvery sick and cold.\n\nWhen I reached the streets I found things so changed from when I was\nthere before that I felt lost in the throng of people. It seemed to me\nthat everyone was seeking his own gain, regardless of his fellow-men.\nIt was push, ram, jam, on all sides. I had worn my clothes pretty well\nout, my hat had been so crushed that my hair was showing in the crown,\nand my shoe soles were worn very nearly off.\n\nIn this condition I asked the Lord, in silent prayer, to show me\nwhat I should do. The Spirit said, \"Go up the street.\" I was then on\nCalifornia Street. I obeyed the whisperings, until I got near the top\nof the street. Without any consolation the thought came, What shall I\ndo? The still, small Voice said, \"Go up the street,\" and I obeyed again.\n\nAt last, almost despairing of everything, wholly sick and tired,\nsuffering from lack of some refreshment, and feeling that there was no\nrelief for me, I saw a man start across the street above me, and from\nthe same side. When he neared the center of the street, he stopped and\nseemed to be looking at me. As I advanced, he turned around, and walked\nback two or three steps. By this time I started across toward him, and\nhe came to meet me. It was Redick N. Allred, of the Mormon Battalion.\n\nWe did not recognize each other until we went to shake hands. He said,\n\"How are you?\" I answered, \"Tired, sick, and hungry.\" \"Well,\" said he,\n\"come back across the street with me, to a lunch stand, and we will\nhave something to eat.\" Soon the inner man was comforted, when Brother\nAllred told me there were thirty-six Elders in San Francisco, bound to\nforeign lands on missions. He led me to some of my old friends, and\nI found John Layton, whom I had been acquainted with on the Society\nIslands. He told me that if I would I could come and stop with him, and\nchop the wood and do the marketing; for his wife, being an islander,\ncould not talk English well. I accepted the kind offer, and thus was\nprovided with a home.\n\nI also met with Major Jefferson Hunt. We saw a Captain King, took\nsupper with him, and told him that the captain of the vessel I had come\non had retained my trunk because I had not five dollars to pay the\nhospital fees. Brother Badlam gave me the money to get my trunk, and\nCaptain King gave me a note to a custom officer. I obtained my trunk\nafter I had paid the captain of the _Abyssinia_ the money, and I followed\nhim up to the custom house, to the officer there, to whom I showed\nCaptain King's note. The officer gave the sea captain a look, then said\nsomething to him, and without a word more he returned me the money.\n\nI next visited the Elders, and attended meetings with them. They\nhad arrived several days before me, and had sold their teams in the\nsouthern part of California. They had also taken up some collections\namong the Saints. Brother John M. Horner having been very liberal to\nthem, a number of them rendered me assistance.\n\nOne day, as I was passing Widow Ivins', she called to me, and ran out\nto meet me, saying, \"Here is ten dollars that a lady gave me to hand to\nyou, and here is thirty dollars more that she wishes you to convey to\nthat body of Elders that is in town, to help them on their missions.\"\nI asked the name of the lady, and the reply was, \"I am not at liberty\nto disclose her name.\" She said the lady was not a Mormon, but had\nattended our meetings, and had stated that she was unworthy to be\npersonally known to us; so I never learned who she was.\n\nAt one time, when I was walking along the street alone, I was met by\na stranger, who offered to shake hands with me. As we grasped hands,\nhe pushed a five-dollar gold piece into mine. I said, \"What does this\nmean?\" He replied, \"None of your d--d business. Take it, and bless\nyourself with it. I have money due me, and if I am successful in\ncollecting it, I will see you again.\" At that he dashed away in the\nbusy throng, and I never saw him more, that I am aware of.\n\nOn a still further occasion, I was met by an entire stranger, who put\na dollar in my hand and said, \"Come, let us have some good cider and\ncake.\" I begged to be excused, but he would not listen to it; I had\nto go with him anyhow. We stepped to a lunch stand, where he said,\n\"Let this man have what he calls for; I want to catch that man,\" and\naway he went. The proprietor asked what I would have, and I told him I\nwould await the return of my friend. He said, \"Never mind him, he is\nall right; he may not be back again till tomorrow morning.\" Then he\ninsisted on my order, so I took some crackers and cider; but I never\nsaw my friend again. Thus it seemed to me that great and wondrous\nwere the mysterious providences of the Lord, for I had landed in\nSan Francisco on the 8th of January, 1853, and by the 26th I had\nseventy-five dollars handed to me, much of it by entire strangers\nwhom I had never seen before, nor have I seen them since. It seems\nmysterious to me how my way opened up and my necessities were met.\n\nThe Elders outward bound treated me very kindly. They fitted themselves\nout for their several destinations, paid their passage, and then had\nsome fifteen hundred dollars to send to their families, with their\nphotographs and some small parcels, all of which they entrusted to me,\nwith three small trunks, to take to San Bernardino. Of the money seven\nhundred and fifty dollars in gold was put into a belt and girded around\nmy body; the balance was in drafts or checks.\n\nIn the meantime, some of the Elders had met with Mr. Holliday, overland\nmail contractor. As he had not perfected his arrangements for regular\nmail service, he made some inquiries of the Elders about sending mail\nsacks by chance carrier to Los Angeles. They referred him to me, as\nthey thought there would be something in it for me. He called, and I\nagreed to take charge of three sacks if he would deliver them on the\nsteamer _Sea Bird_, on the morning of the 29th. On that date he sent the\nsacks just as we were putting off. He told me the pay would be all\nright when the sacks were delivered.\n\nI had paid thirty-five dollars for my passage to San Pedro, and we\nsteamed out. On the morning of the 30th we landed at Monterey, and\nlay there till 4 p.m. During that time I had a severe chill, followed\nby a very high fever, which held on till next morning, when a heavier\nchill came on, like the ague, followed by fever. I had made my bed\ndown on some nail kegs that were on deck; for the boat was so crowded\nwith passengers of all classes that there was no possible chance for\ncomfort. It semed that everyone was seeking his own convenience,\nregardless of his neighbor.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXVII.\n\nBECOME DESPERATELY ILL--NURSED BACK TO CONSCIOUSNESS--KINDNESS\nOF AN AGED SPANISH COUPLE--BELT WITH MONEY ENTRUSTED TO ME\nDISAPPEARS--INTENSE ANXIETY--DISCOVER THE MONEY--GREAT SUFFERING--LAND\nAT SAN PEDRO--LEFT ON THE BEACH--DRAG MYSELF TO THE SHELTER OF AN OLD\nWALL--KINDNESS OF A SPANIARD AND HIS WIFE--A TERRIBLE NIGHT--SEEK\nA PASSAGE TO LOS ANGELES WITH FREIGHTERS--REFUSALS--MEET A KIND\nTEAMSTER--REACH LOS ANGELES---DUMPED ON THE STREET--FIND SHELTER, BUT\nA CHILLY WELCOME--START NEXT MORNING, SICK AND HUNGRY, TO FIND A NEW\nPLACE--SO ILL I HAVE TO LIE DOWN IN THE STREET--TWO FRIENDS FROM SAN\nBERNARDINO--AM TOLD THAT I HAVE THE SMALLPOX--MY FRIENDS GIVE ME MONEY\nAND START IN SEARCH OF A HOUSE WHERE I CAN BE CARED FOR--FAILING TO\nSECURE A ROOM, THEY ENGAGE THE CITY MARSHAL TO GET A PLACE, AND THEY\nLEAVE FOR SAN BERNARDINO--I WANDER FOR SHELTER, BUT DOORS ARE CLOSED,\nAND PEOPLE AVOID ME--LODGE IN A DOCTOR'S OFFICE WHILE THE DOCTOR IS\nOUT--SCARE THE PEOPLE BY SHOUTING \"SMALLPOX!\"--THE DOCTOR RETURNS BUT\nLEAVES ME IN POSSESSION.\n\nON the voyage down from San Francisco I grew so desperately sick that\nI lost my reasoning powers, becoming so delirious that afterwards I\ncould only remember removing my coat and vest and turning into bed, on\nthe nail kegs, with my trunks and the mail sacks about me. The next\nthing that I recall was in the after part of the day, February 1st,\n1853, when I began to regain consciousness. There was an old Spanish\ngentleman and his good old \"mahara\" (wife) rubbing my hands and feet,\nwhile a big crowd of the passengers stood around. My first thought\nwas: What does this mean--who am I--where did I come from--where am I\ngoing---how did I come here, and why are these strangers so interested\nin me as to be rubbing my hands? The next thing, the old gentleman\nbrought me some refreshments, with a cup of coffee; and when I finally\nreturned to consciousness I inquired what had been the matter. I was\ntold that I had been a very sick man, but was much better, and would\nsoon be well. When the crowd were satisfied that the worst was past\nthey dispersed, but the old gentleman and lady sat near, as if to\nanticipate any favor I might need. Doubtless the good old couple have\nbeen gathered home to their fathers long ere this writing. If so,\npeace to their ashes; may they in no wise lose their reward, for they\nadministered to the suffering stranger, although they were foreigners,\nwhile my own countrymen passed rudely by.\n\nWith consciousness returned, I remembered the money that I had in\ncharge. I felt about my body, and to my surprise and mortification\nthe belt was gone. The next thought I had was that I had been robbed\nby some one on board, and I wondered what could be done to regain the\nproperty, or, if it could not be recovered, how could I make amends to\nthe poor women and children whom their husbands and fathers had sent\nit to? How could I prove my innocence to them? By this time the mental\nsufferings had overcome the physical pain, and in despair I drew the\nblankets close about me. In so doing I felt the belt of money lying\nat my back, under cover. The buckle had been ripped or cut off, most\nlikely the latter, for, as I learned afterwards, in some way it was\nnoised around that I had money.\n\nThe reaction of the mental faculties was too much for my weak state,\nand I almost swooned away; but when I fully recovered from the shock\nto my nerves, I rolled the belt snugly up, and raised on my knees with\nmy blankets so drawn about my shoulders as to cover the front part of\nthe trunk. Then I placed the belt inside, at the same time taking some\narticle out, so as to divert the observers' attention from my real\npurpose; I then laid down, suffering with a terrible fever, and put in\none night more of great wretchedness.\n\nAbout 3 or 4 p.m. next day, February 2nd, we landed at San Pedro. There\nwas a great rush for the shore, and for the four or five vehicles\nthat were in waiting. The most of the passengers seemed to be without\nbaggage, save a roll of blankets or a satchel, and as the the writer\nhad so much and was sick, he was the last person to land. Every vehicle\nwas gone, and all the passengers were out of sight before he got his\nbaggage ashore. When this did come, it was thrown on the beach just\nabove high water mark.\n\nAt that early date there was not a hotel, boardinghouse, or restaurant\nanywhere in sight from the landing. One wall of an old adobe warehouse\nstood near by, and the only thing for the writer to do was to seek\nwhat shelter that wall afforded. Thither he dragged his effects, then\ndropped down on his bedding exhausted. He lay there until he had\nexcited the curiosity of a Spaniard and his wife who were some distance\naway. They came down and asked what was the matter, and as I did not\nknow, I could not tell them. They saw that my face was swollen and\nthey seemed afraid to come close, but inquired what I wished, and if\nthey could do anything for me. I asked for milk and bread, which they\nsupplied, and left me to my fate for the night.\n\nThe experiences of that terrible night baffle the writer's powers of\ndescription. Suffice it to say, he passed it alone, with the heavy mist\nof the briny deep resting upon him, while the fever and thirst seemed\nto be consuming his body.\n\nAt last the morning light came through a dense fog; but by 8 or 9\no'clock that had partly passed away. Some freight teams came down from\nLos Angeles, and the sufferer felt somewhat encouraged to think there\nwas a prospect of his reaching civilization at the place where he had\nhelped to rear the first liberty pole which was to bear aloft the Stars\nand Stripes on the Pacific coast. He accosted the freighters, feeling\nassured that he would not be denied a passage, as he was prepared to\npay for this accommodation. The first man said no; he had all that he\ncould haul. The second teamster said no, he was not doing a passenger\nbusiness. The third said, \"I don't know. It is too d--d bad to leave\nyou here sick. I guess I can take you. Throw on your things if you can,\nand hurry about it.\" When the writer made an effort to do as invited,\nthe freighter lent him a hand, and when the baggage was aboard the\nteamster said, \"Come, get on here. It's a poor place for a sick man,\naway up on a goods box, among the bows, but it's your only chance with\nme. Up there!\" and away we went on our journey twenty-one miles to Los\nAngeles, where we arrived about 8 p.m.\n\nNear the center of the city, on the sidewalk at a street corner, my\neffects were dumped. I wandered around to find shelter, and at last\nreached Jesse D. Hunter's place. Hunter had been captain of Company B\nin the Mormon Battalion, and I thought I could do no better than stop\nwith him, though I did not meet anything very inviting. I was coldly\ngranted the privilege of dragging my blankets into the kitchen, and of\nbunking down on the dirt floor, after a light supper of bread and milk,\nthe first food I had had since the night before. But I was too ill to\ndo better, and Mr. Hunter was so cool and indifferent that I was glad\nto leave his place next morning without any further accommodations.\n\nI started out alone, and turned so sick and dizzy that I had to lie\ndown in the street on my blankets. While there I was approached by\nDaniel Clark and James Bailey from San Bernardino. They asked if my\nname was Brown, and if I was a returning missionary. I told them yes.\nThey said they had heard of me, and that I had the smallpox, so they\nhad been searching the town for me, and happening to see me lie down in\nthe street, they became satisfied they had found the object of their\nsearch. Each of them threw me ten dollars in gold, and went in search\nof a room or place where I could be cared for. Failing in finding that,\nthey called on the mayor, who started the marshal out to hunt a place.\nWhen Clark and Bailey had done all they could--and they were as kind\nas they could be--they had the mail sacks delivered, but did not find\nthe pay that was to be all right on delivery. Then they went home to\nSan Bernardino, while I did the best I could to find shelter, but my\nface was so terribly swollen that every door was shut against me; and\nwhen the news spread that there was a man around the streets with the\nsmallpox, I could have the sidewalk to myself wherever I went.\n\nAt last I found Dr. Jones' office open, but dark and with no one in it.\nI dragged my bedding through the office to the bedroom, where I spread\nmy blankets and turned in, leaving the door open and lights burning.\nWhen anyone came to the door I would shout \"Smallpox!\" and it was\namusing to hear the people run.\n\nAbout 11 p.m. the doctor came, and I shouted \"Smallpox!\" Said he:\n\"Who is here?\" I answered, \"The man whom you said had the smallpox.\"\nHe responded, \"All right, but I would not have had it happen for five\nhundred dollars. Be quiet, you have done just right. But how did you\nget in?\"\n\n\"Why, the door was open,\" I replied, and he said: \"I never did such a\nthing before in my life. It must have been done on purpose for you, for\nit was not fit for you to be out.\" The doctor then held his breath,\nstepped in over me, took up his bed, and walked away.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXVIII.\n\nCITY MARSHALL AND DOCTOR COME TO REMOVE ME--TAKEN TO A DESERTED HOUSE,\nWHICH HAD BEEN USED AS A SHEEPFOLD--BEDDED IN SHEEP MANURE--AN INDIAN\nNURSE WHO BECOMES FRIGHTENED--SPANISH NURSE SENT TO ME--IN A BOAT WITH\nPATIENT JOB--MY FEVER INCREASES--ATTACKED BY ROBBERS--RELIEVED BY\nCITY MARSHAL WITH POSSE--MARSHAL TAKES THE MONEY I HAVE IN MY CARE,\nFOR SAFE KEEPING--SPANISH NURSE SCARED OFF--QUEER SAILOR NURSE--HE\nDRINKS WHISKY, SINGS AND DANCES--HIS THOUGHTFUL CARE OF ME--VISITED\nBY MY COUSIN--KINDNESS OF SAN BERNARDINO SAINTS--RECOVERING FROM MY\nILLNESS--MY CLOTHING BURNED--HEAVY EXPENSE BILL AGAINST ME--TELL THE\nCITY MARSHAL OF MY ARRIVAL IN CALIFORNIA AS A UNITED STATES SOLDIER IN\nTHE MEXICAN WAR--KINDNESS OF THE MARSHAL--LOS ANGELES ASSUMES THE BILL\nFOR MEDICAL ATTENTION GIVEN ME--START FOR SAN BERNARDINO--EXHAUSTED\nON THE JOURNEY--ALMOST DIE OF THIRST--RELIEVED BY A PARTY OF SPANISH\nLADIES--KINDNESS OF SPANISH FAMILIES--ARRIVE AT SAN BERNARDINO AND MEET\nFRIENDS AND RELATIVES.\n\nEARLY next morning, the marshal and doctor were there with suitable\nrefreshments, and when the patient had made a feint at eating they told\nhim they had secured a room if he could put up with it. Sheep had been\nkept in it, and it was smoked very black, but they assured him that\nthe conditions were favorable to recovery from the disease. Then they\ntook him by his arms and assisted him into an old cart that they had\nstanding at the door; they had an Indian to lead the horse.\n\nThe patient could not see a particle only as he held his eyes open with\nhis fingers. He told them of his trunk, which had been left all this\ntime where the freighter had dumped it when the writer came into town.\nThe trunk was brought, and the Indian led out, the marshal and doctor\nbringing up the rear.\n\nWhen we passed the suburbs, we turned to the right, to an old deserted\nadobe house of two rooms. The front yard had been used as a sheepfold.\nThe doors had been broken down, and the sheep had had free access to\nthe rooms, until the sheep manure was some five or six inches deep on\nthe dirt floor. The rooms were very poorly lighted at best; and to add\nto the darkness, the sheepherders had camped in them till the whole of\nthe inside of the rooms was smoked as black as a stove. The doctor said\nit was the best they could do, adding: \"It is too d--d bad to put you\nin such a place, but if you will put up with it, it will be the very\nbest thing for you in the end. The sheepy smell, and the darkness, with\nsome ointment that I will give you, will prevent your being marked;\nwhereas, if you were kept in a light, clean room, you have got the\ndisease so bad that you would be marked all over. Then again you have\nbeen so badly exposed that you must put up with the treatment in order\nto recover properly, lest something else follows.\"\n\nI told him that my condition was such that I was compelled to submit to\nany treatment they saw fit to give. Then they got some tools, removed\nthe dry, hard packed manure, and placed my mattress down on the dirt\nfloor, so that when the covering was spread ready for me it was just\nlevel with the manure on the front, the foot, head and back being\nagainst the walls.\n\nHaving turned in, I opened my eyes with my fingers, and found myself\nin twilight, with an Indian man for a nurse. The marshal and doctor\nleft, saying that I should be cared for. Then the nurse went off, and\nsoon returned with a custard in a coffee basin; this he said was worth\nfifty cents. He brought it, and an iron spoon to eat the custard, but\nwhen I opened my eyes in such an unnatural way, they appeared so badly\nbloodshot that the nurse took fright and ran away, leaving me to my\nfate until 5 or 6 o'clock p.m. Then an old Spaniard, who was very badly\npox-marked, came and said he had been engaged as a nurse, as the Indian\nwas so frightened at the disease that he would not return. The Spaniard\nseemed to comprehend the conditions. He got a Spanish roll of bread and\na pint of milk for fifty cents, then straightened up the bed and left\nfor the night. Next morning he was on hand to attend to my wants.\n\nThis was on February 6, 1853. The smallpox began to appear in pustules,\nor rather boils; for it so resembled the latter that I began to think\nof patient old Job. I was sore from the crown of my head to the soles\nof my feet, and yet it was only blisters that day, comparatively\nspeaking.\n\nThe Spanish nurse seemed to understand his business, for as I would\nroll and toss, the old gentleman would tuck the bedclothes about me,\nsaying, \"Must not let the air to you. Must keep warm, and have warm\ndrink, and have the bowels moderately easy.\" Then he would apply the\nointment, and be as cheerful as possible, doing all that he could to\ndivert my mind from my sufferings.\n\nNight came on and the blisters enlarged; I became very sick at the\nstomach, and the kind old nurse stayed by me till daylight on the 7th.\nThe fever still raged fiercely. Night again came, and the nurse got\nalarmed at seeing some six or seven rough men, armed, approaching the\nhouse. He hastily gathered his arms full of cobblestones, ran in and\npiled them on the edge of the bed, and cried out, \"Can you fight? The\nrobbers are coming. Murder! murder!\" At that I raised in bed, opened my\neyes in the new way, and took up a cobble rock, the nurse standing by\nthe bed shouting \"Murder!\"\n\nThe next moment three ruffians appeared at the partition door, in the\nhouse, while another presented himself at the window, near the head\nof the bed. So far as I could see, they were armed with revolvers and\nbowie knives. There must have been two or three men at the outside door.\n\nThe shock came so suddenly that I had no time to get thoroughly scared\nuntil I heard men running around the northwest corner of the house.\nThe latter noise was by the marshal and a posse which he had summoned\nhastily, for a party had been in the saloon and had heard the ruffians\nsay, \"Let's go and rob that man who has got the smallpox, for he has\ngot money.\" It must be that some of the party had been the ones who\nhad ripped the belt off of me while on shipboard, where they had been\ndisturbed before they had time to slip it away. Thus they had learned\nabout the money, and when they got to drinking and gambling, they\nprobably had decided on robbing the smallpox man to make a raise, but\nhad talked too loud for the success of their plan. The marshal acted\nso promptly that they were foiled in their plot, for when they heard\nhim and his posse coming, and the nurse shouting \"Murder!\" they fled\nto the southeast and passed over into a dark, deep, brushy ravine,\nout of sight, just as the marshal and party gained the south side of\nthe building. The officer said he saw them, but had not time to shoot\nbefore they disappeared in the brush and darkness.\n\nThe marshal came into the house and informed me of the plot and how he\ncame to hear of it. He said, \"Now, if you have any money or valuable\npapers, you had better send for some trusty friend to come and take\ncare of them. I will send for anyone that you will name.\" I told him\nI did not know of a better friend than the one who had come to my\nrelief, and if he, the marshal, would take care of the valuables, I\nwould be much obliged. He said he would take charge of them and have\nthem deposited for safekeeping till I wanted them. I then handed out\nmy memorandum book, with the names of the men who sent the money, the\namounts, and the names of those to whom it was sent. Then, my eyes\nbeing propped open, I poured the money on to a handkerchief they had\nspread over my lap. As the money was mostly in gold ten and twenty\ndollar pieces, in fifty dollar packages, it was easily and quickly\ncounted, and found to tally with the memoranda. Then the drafts and\nchecks were counted, and all put together in the belt--some fifteen\nhundred dollars--and handed over to the marshal, with Dr. Jones as\nwitness.\n\nWhen the gold was being counted out, some of the would-be robbers\nappeared at the window, and doubtless saw that the marshal was taking\ncharge of the valuables, by which action their plot fell through,\nand I was not troubled any more. But the experience was enough for\nthe Spanish nurse, for the robbers undoubtedly were Spaniards or\n\"greasers,\" and if they could take revenge on him they would do it.\nSome of the marshal's posse stayed till they felt satisfied the danger\nwas all over, then they, with the nurse, left, and next day sent to\nme an old badly pox-marked sailor for an attendant. He came in with a\nbottle of whisky that he said was a hundred years old.\n\nThe first thing the new nurse said was, \"Hello, old chum! What are you\ndoing there? Come, and have a drink with me.\" The next breath he said,\n\"No, no, for I know it would not do for you. I will drink for you. So\nhere goes.\" He then took a liberal draught, and wanted to know what he\ncould do for my comfort. On being told there was nothing I wanted just\nthen, he said, \"Let me sing you a song,\" and he sang a very comical\nditty. Then he said, \"I'll dance a jig for you,\" and at it he went. In\nthe performance he kicked the dry manure pretty nearly all over me and\nmy bed, for he was \"three sheets in the wind and the fourth fluttering\"\n(three-fourths drunk, or more.)\n\nWhen he saw what he had done, he dropped on his knees and begged\npardon, making the most humble apology. Said he, \"Never mind, old chum,\njust lay over to starboard, and I will make it all right.\" He brushed\nand brushed away, then said, \"Now to larboard, and I will fix you all\nright.\" So he pounded away, talking all the time in his sailor phrases.\nFinally he partially sobered up, and it would have been hard to find a\nmore thoughtful and attentive nurse. From that time on he stayed with\nme, told many interesting sea stories, and sang love songs.\n\nOn February 10th my cousin, John M. Brown, who was passing through that\npart of the country, came to the door and called. \"Is that you, James?\"\nAt the same time he threw a ten dollar gold piece on the bed; but not\nhaving had the smallpox, he dare not come in. We had not met before in\neight years. At that date I was suffering intensely, if not the worst\nthat I had done, for I was down so weak that I could not help myself at\nall.\n\nOn the 11th, W. G. Sherwood, of San Bernardino, came in, saying that\nthe Saints had raised some money for me, and had sent him to take care\nof me until I was able to come out to them. Brothers D. Clark and J.\nBailey had told President Seeley of my condition. I felt indeed very\nthankful for the favors shown me.\n\nOn the 14th the smallpox had nearly died away, and by the 19th I was\nconsidered out of all danger, with prudence. On the 20th, the doctor\nand marshal came and ordered all of my bedding and a good suit of\nclothes that I had on when taken down, boots, hat, and all, piled in\nthe yard, and there burned. They said my expenses had been five dollars\nper day for the house, because of the disease and being close to where\nthe landlord and his family lived. The nurses also had to be paid the\nsame amount per day. I told them I had been out on a long mission at my\nown expense, and now had so little money that it would cost me every\ndollar that I had to meet the loss of my clothes and bedding, so it was\nimpossible for me to settle such a bill, one hundred and forty dollars.\nI had paid for every article I had used except a little medicine the\ndoctor had furnished.\n\nThe marshal and doctor said they understood that I had come into the\ncountry as a soldier in the time of the Mexican war. I told them that I\nhad helped to build the fort that overlooked the town, and that I went\nto San Bernardino canyon and helped get down the first liberty pole\nthat ever bore the Stars and Stripes on this western coast. At this\nthey asked a number of questions, as if to satisfy themselves whether\nor not I had told them the truth, and when they became convinced the\nmarshal said: \"Mr. Brown, do not make any trouble, for we will see that\nyou do not have to pay that bill; you are worthy of all the care that\nyou have had, and more too. Los Angeles will pay that, and you are\nfree to go on your way. We are pleased to have made your acquaintance,\nand that you have recovered so well; for your case has been a very\nremarkable one, to have had the disease so badly and after being\nexposed as you were, to have recovered so soon, with scarce a mark left\non you. It has been a most wonderful case, and we congratulate you on\nyour safe recovery, and wish you success on your journey to Salt Lake.\"\nOf course I could not feel otherwise than very grateful to those two\ngentlemen for their kind attention and largeness of soul. Then we bade\neach other good-bye and I am not conscious that we have ever met since\nthat day.\n\nBrother Sherwood and I stored my trunk, put our other effects on his\npoor old stallion, went down town and got my money and some provisions\nand a bottle of old whisky, and were amused to see so many people run\nfrom the smallpox, while others stood afar off and gazed. Finally, on\nFebruary 21st, we set out for San Bernardino, eighty miles, on foot,\none leading and the other punching the old horse, which was so weak\nthat he stumbled wherever the road was a little rough. We only got ten\nmiles that day.\n\nOn the 22nd we proceeded on our journey another ten miles, when it was\nimpossible for me to go any further. I was thoroughly exhausted, and\nhad to lie down or drop. We were ten miles from water, and so thirsty\nthat it seemed that I must die on that arid plain. Brother Sherwood,\nhowever, proved equal to the emergency. He got me on to a pair of\nblankets, led the old horse up so as to cast a shadow over me, then\nhastened to soak a piece of bread in some old whisky. He gave me the\nbread, saying it would slake my thirst, and stimulate me. Strange as it\nseemed to me, it did so, and in a short time I was able to rise alone,\nand sit up.\n\nWe had not been there a great while when we saw a party of Spanish\nladies coming in on another road, that appeared to unite with the one\nwe were on; so by an effort we gained the junction just as they did.\nThey stopped their cart, and asked if we would have some wine. We said\nwe preferred water, and they gave us both. Seeing that I was very ill,\nthey invited me to ride with them, making room so that I had a place\nbetween the two on the front seat and rested my head and shoulders on\nthe laps of the two on the rear seat, while they bathed my head with\nwater, and urged me to take a little more wine. It did seem that if it\nhad not been for this most unexpected kindness I should have died of\nthirst and exhaustion before we could have reached any other source of\nsupport.\n\nBrother Sherwood followed in the rear to where the ladies lived, but\nbefore he came up I was helped on to a bed in a cool room, and had some\nrefreshments, with a cup of chocolate. Oh, how thankful I was to those\nblessed Spanish \"senoritas!\" When their husbands came in, they shook\nhands and seemed to be pleased that their wives had dealt so kindly\nwith the strange American. Brother Sherwood soon arrived, and they\nunpacked his horse and took care of it, while the women supplied him\nwith water to bathe his hands and face, and with refreshments. Then he\nand I retired early.\n\nNext morning, February 23, we were served with chocolate and tortias\n(pancakes) before we were out of bed. Our hosts had only a humble\nhome, but so kind were they in their attentions to us that it aroused\nsuspicions of a large bill to pay, but when we asked them the amount\nthey shrugged their shoulders Spanish fashion, and with a pleasant\nsmile said, in Spanish, \"Nothing; friendship; no more.\" As we bade them\ngood-bye they said they would be pleased for me to allow them to have\nthe little smallpox scab that was on my nose, if we thought it would\nnot leave a mark, so they and Brother Sherwood removed it, and thought\nit would not leave any pit; therefore I allowed him to remove it and\nleave it with them. Still it did leave its mark till this day.\n\nWe proceeded on to a ranch where we met with a fourth cousin of mine,\nJohn Garner, who kindly offered me a seat in his wagon. He was loaded\nand could not start till late, but we could reach his place before\nmidnight, and Brother Sherwood could push on; for when we started\nSherwood would not be able to keep up. I accepted his proposition, and\nwe reached his home at 11 o'clock p.m.\n\nOn the 24th I went to what they called at that time, I believe, Fort\nSan Bernardino. There I found many warm-hearted friends, and a number\nof relatives, among them John M. and Alexander Brown, my cousins. I\nmade my home with the latter, who, with his wife, was very kind to me.\nI also visited many old acquaintances. My trunk I sent for by Sidney\nTanner, and he brought it from Los Angeles free of charge.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXIX.\n\nREPORT MY MISSION--PREPARE TO CONTINUE THE JOURNEY TO UTAH--HAVE\nTO REMAIN AT SAN BERNARDINO FOR A TIME--SICKNESS AMONG THE\nPEOPLE--INSTANCES OF HEALING BY ADMINISTRATION--ENGAGE TO TRAVEL\nWITH A PACK-TRAIN TO SALT LAKE CITY--GET A \"BUCKING\" MILE--START ON\nTHE JOURNEY--IN A HOSTILE INDIAN COUNTRY--SIGNS OF DANGER--PREPARE\nFOR TROUBLE--SUDDEN APPEARANCE OF AN INDIAN--OUR PARTY WANT TO\nSHOOT--I PROTEST, AND MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE INDIAN--OTHER RED MEN\nAPPEAR--DIFFICULTY OF RESTRAINING OUR PARTY--I CONVERSE WITH THE\nINDIANS, WHO TELL OF A CAMP OF MORMONS AND MEXICANS A SHORT DISTANCE\nAHEAD--HOW I UNDERSTOOD THE INDIANS--DISCOVER THE CAMP SPOKEN OF--REST\nA DAY--MOVE TOWARD THE SANTA CLARA--DANGER AHEAD--A FIRE ACROSS OUR\nPATH--WE DASH THROUGH IT--HOSTILE INDIANS--AN EXCITING CHASE--MEET\nAPOSTLES A. M. LYMAN AND C. C. RICH--ARRIVE AT CEDAR CITY--STOP\nAT PAROWAN--JOURNEY NORTH, PREACHING EN ROUTE--REACH SALT LAKE\nCITY--SETTLE WITH THE PEOPLE FOR WHOM I HAVE MONEY--REPORT TO PRESIDENT\nYOUNG--PREACH IN THE TABERNACLE--RELEASED PROM MY MISSION--COST OF MY\nMISSION TO THE SOCIETY ISLANDS.\n\nON February 27th, I was called on by President Seeley of the branch of\nthe Church at San Bernardino, to give a report of my mission, and I did\nso before the congregation. On March 9th, I prepared to come home with\nJohn and Alexander Brown, to Salt Lake City, but for some reason they\ngave up the idea of traveling at that time, and I had to await another\nopportunity. Then we looked about the country, thinking that we would\nmake some improvements, if we did not meet with a better chance to come\nto Utah.\n\nAbout this time there was a great amount of sickness in the place, and\nElder Thomas Whitaker, from the islands, and I had numerous calls to\nadminister to the sick. Many seemed to be possessed of evil spirits;\ncertainly, if they had lived in Mary Magdalene's day it would have\nbeen said of them that they had seven devils in them; for the actions\nwere the same as in those days, and the evil spirits would not come\nout except through fasting and prayer. Consequently, President Seeley\nordered a fast and a prayer meeting for the Saints. It was very well\nattended, and good results followed. Many people were healed of the\ndiseases afflicting them. One incident I will mention: There lived\nin the town a man named John Brown; he had a Spanish wife and one or\ntwo children. One evening, Major Jefferson Hunt's wife called on me\nto come as quickly as possible, for Mr. Brown's child looked as if it\nwere dying. I went in, and found the mother and child in bed together.\nThe little one acted as if it were choking to death, and was fighting\nfor breath; it gnashed its teeth and frothed at the mouth. I anointed\nit with consecrated oil, and as there was no other Elder handy I\nadministered to the child, when every symptom of its trouble left it\nimmediately, but seized on the mother. She raved, frothed and foamed\nat the mouth, gnashed her teeth, cramped, and seemed so ill that she\ncould not live five minutes. Sister Hunt anointed her with oil, and I\nadministered to her. She was healed that moment. An Indian woman was\nsitting there sewing, and the same power that had afflicted the child\nand its mother took hold of the Indian woman. By this time another\nsister had stepped in, and she and Sister Hunt raised the Indian woman\nup, for she had fallen over. They called on me to lay hands on her,\nbut I did not feel to do so at once. I told them to wet her face and\nrub her hands. They did so, and she grew worse every minute, until I\nadministered to her, by laying my hands upon her and praying, rebuking\nthe evil spirits, commanding them in the name of the Lord to come\nout of her and to depart from her and from that house, and from the\nhouses and homes of the Saints, and to get hence to their own home,\nand trouble us no more. That moment the evil spirits left, and did not\nreturn again. The three persons who were afflicted were perfectly well\nnext morning, and I never heard of their being afflicted afterwards.\n\nThere had been a number of cases where persons had been similarly\naffected, and some of them were not healed until they had been baptized\nseven times in succession, when they were permanently cured. Indeed,\nthere were very many remarkable cases of healing in San Bernardino\nabout that time.\n\nOn April 15th, my cousin, John M. Brown, learned that a man named\nLamper was going to start with the mail to Salt Lake City, and had only\nfour men with him. As that was too small a number to be safe, it was\nascertained that if he could have three or four more he would like it\nvery much. He told John M. Brown that if he would raise two or three\nother men, he would wait at the mouth of the Cajon Pass for them.\n\nAs my cousin had never had any experience with pack animals, he told me\nthat if I would go with him and help with the stock and packs, for that\nservice he would furnish everything needed en route, he knowing that I\nhad had experience in that line, and in the handling of wild horses and\nmules.\n\nI accepted the offer, so we made ready, and were off on the 19th of\nApril. We overtook the party in waiting at the place agreed upon. The\nanimal provided for my saddle mule was wild, large and strong, and\ngiven to jumping stiff-legged, or bucking, as it is called. It was a\nhard animal to handle, and was successful in dumping its rider three\ntimes in the fore part of the journey, to the amusement of his five\ncomrades. We had nineteen head of animals, and traveled at the rate of\nfifty miles per day, for the first half of the journey, because our\nroute led us through a hostile Indian country.\n\nWe stood regular turns of guard, and all went well till the last day\nbefore we came to the Muddy. That day we saw danger signs, of Indians.\nI will say now, my friendly reader, if ever you travel in an Indian\ncountry, and come to fresh Indian tracks, yet do not see an Indian,\nthen you may be sure that some red man wants a few horses and some\nplunder, if, indeed, he does not want a scalp or two to hang to his\nbridle-bit or surcingle. That was our danger sign, plenty of fresh\nIndian tracks, where they had rolled large boulders into the narrow\npasses in the road, or gorges where the road passed through. This\nsatisfied us that we were in danger of an unpleasant surprise, so we\nexamined every firelock, made sure there was powder in every tube, good\nwaterproof caps on, ammunition handy, packs securely bound, saddles\nwell girt, and every man prepared to act promptly in case of an attack.\n\nAt this time we were crossing from the Las Vegas to the Muddy. I\nthink the distance without water was sixty-five miles, so there was\nno alternative for us but to press forward to the Muddy River, were\nwe arrived in safety about 4 a.m., watered our stock, and got a hasty\nmeal, giving our animals a very short time for rest and to feed.\n\nAt daylight we began to saddle up for another start. Just as we were\nready to mount, a large, stout Indian raised up out of the willows\nwithin bow-shot, and hallooed. He had his bows and arrows in hand. At\nthat my cousin John leveled his gun on the red man, when I seized it\nand forbade anyone to shoot, as others of the party had made ready for\nthe worst. At that moment the Indian held out his hand and came toward\nus, as if to shake hands. Every man of the party but myself was ready\nand anxious to open fire on the Indian, but I stood between him and\nthem until they had mounted. I told them if there was one shot fired\nevery one of us would be killed. The Indian said to me that he wished\nto be friendly. Then I mounted and the party started, and at the same\ntime twenty-five or thirty Indians, all well armed, raised up out of\nthe brush within easy pistol range. My party again drew their guns,\nwhen I told them to hold on, for the Indians were friendly, and their\nobject was merely to beg some food; but some of my party were hard to\ncontrol.\n\nAs my companions trotted up, I fell back with the Indians, who talked,\nand I began to understand them, although I had not been among them\none day. It was given me to understand them, and I told my companions\nthat I did so. I told them further, that I would stand between them\nand the Indians, if they would not shoot. One said, \"How do you know\nthat they are friendly if you have never been among them before? They\nare following us up. Send them away, if you know so much about their\nfriendship.\"\n\nThe Indians told me that when the sun got to such a position, pointing\nto where it would be at about 9 o'clock a.m., we would come to a large\ncamp of Mormons and non-Mormons, with their families; that they had\nhorses, mules and horned stock, and wagons, also some sheep and goats.\nThere was a lot of Mexicans camped with them, and these had pack-mules.\nThis, and more, was told me in the Indian dialect, and was as plain to\nmy understanding as if it had been spoken in my native tongue; yet my\nparty were slow to believe, and some of them cursed the Indians, saying\nthat if the black rascals were friendly, why did they not go back,\ninstead of following us up. Being fearful that our party could not be\nrestrained much longer, I halted and talked with the Indians, telling\nthem I was afraid my friends would shoot them unless they fell back,\nand ceased to follow up so closely. The Indians replied that I would\nsoon learn that what they had said was true, as they did not talk two\nways.\n\nJust then we saw a Mexican come dashing down the hillside towards us.\nWhen he came to us and shook hands, then confirmed what the Indians\nhad told me, my cousin John said, \"I believe Jim does understand the\nIndians, for he understands the Spanish language, and the Spaniards\nhave told him just what the Indians have said. I believe he is half\nIndian, or he would not be so friendly with and understand them so\nwell.\"\n\nSoon we came to a raise, from which we could see the camps, just as\nthey had been described to us minutely in the morning, by the Indians,\nwho followed us up to the camps, and with pride pointed out to us\neverything they had spoken of, saying, \"We do not lie.\" I believe that\nour party had become satisfied that the Indians had made the signs seen\non the road the day before, and then had laid in ambush to intimidate\nus, that they might get something to eat, for they were very closely\nrun for food; again, it may have been that they meant more serious\nthings and were deterred therefrom by learning of the approach of the\ncompany we found in camp.\n\nAt any rate we felt safer to lay by with the camp one day, and rest\nourselves and stock; then we proceeded over a big dry bench to the Rio\nVirgen, then up that river and across another high plateau to Beaver\nDam. From there we crossed another high rolling country of some forty\nmiles or more, to Santa Clara. When we got half way across we saw\na signal smoke, apparently on the Santa Clara where the road comes\nto that stream, or perhaps a little above. Feeling conscious of our\nweakness, we watched the smoke with no little concern, and as I had had\nconsiderably more acquaintance with the red men than any others of the\nparty, I told them that from the way the fire was managed there was\nmischief ahead, and we must prepare for the worst. Our animals were\nthirsty and well jaded, yet there was no choice for us but to brave the\ndanger ahead. Then the examination of firelocks and the cinching of\nsaddles was in order. That matter, however, was delayed so long as we\nfelt safe.\n\nWhen the preparation was made, and the smoke had grown denser, we\nadvanced and saw that the streak of fire was in the narrows of the\ncanyon. It extended from cliff to cliff, and evidently was made\nin a scheme of plunder or massacre, most likely both. Under the\ncircumstances, we were compelled to run the gauntlet, so it was hastily\ndecided for me to lead the way. I agreeing to do this if the party\nwould obey my orders, and not fire until I did, or gave the command to\nthem. If I gave the warwhoop they were to do the same. The first order\nwas to draw weapons for action, then charge with all possible speed.\nAway we went, and as we neared the flames we chose the most open spot,\nor that which seemed freest of fire. Although there was a continuous\nstream of flames clear across the canyon, some places were freer than\nothers. We chose the place where the least fire was, the flames there\nbeing not more than two or two and a half feet high. If the timber in\nthe canyon had been larger, it might have afforded the Indians a better\nopportunity, but instead of secreting themselves in the bottom of the\nravine, they had chosen the cliffs on either side.\n\nJust before we reached the fire, we urged our animals up to the best\nspeed, and, raising as big a warwhoop as we were capable of, and\nbrandishing our firearms in the most threatening manner, we dashed\nthrough. At the same time, the Indians showed themselves in the cliffs\nwith drawn bows, trying to take aim through the timber. They answered\nour whoop or yell, and gave chase, but they being on foot, and our\nanimals having become thoroughly frightened at the sudden change that\nhad taken place and with the evergoading spurs of their riders, rushed\non ahead. Though very thirsty, our animals never attempted to drink,\nalthough we crossed the stream a number of times. For fully five miles\nwe never slackened our speed, the Indians keeping in sight of us for\nfully that distance, when they gave up the chase. Then our stock and\nourselves quenched our thirst, and we continued on at as good a speed\nas was consistent with our conditions. Finally we met Apostles Amasa M.\nLyman and C. C. Rich, with two or three wagons and twelve or fourteen\nmen, mostly mounted. As it was camp time, we made a joint camp, and\nhad no more trouble. If an arrow had been shot at us, we did not know\nit, though there may have been a hundred or more. We did not think it\nadvisable to try to ascertain, as we felt that our scalps were more\nprecious than this information, or than money or horseflesh. It was\ndistance between us and the scalping-knife of the red men that we were\nhunting for just then.\n\nWe stood double guard that night, and all passed off peacefully. Next\nmorning, each party proceeded on its way in peace, we to Cedar Fort, or\ncity, where we arrived May 5th, and met with many friends. We attended\nmeeting with the people, I was called on to give an account of my\nmission, and did so.\n\nOn May 6th, we proceeded to Parowan, and as it was considered safe from\nthere on, my cousin John M. Brown and I stopped there with friends\nwe had not seen for years. The rest of the party, having the mail in\ncharge, went ahead, and we tarried one week, being royally treated. I\npreached two or three times. We resumed the journey on the 15th. In\npassing along, I preached in most of the towns where we stayed over\nnight.\n\nWhen we came to Lehi, I commenced to settle with the people whom I had\nmoney for, then went on to Little Cottonwood and settled with more,\nthen to Big Cottonwood, where I found still others for whom I had money.\n\nOn May 22nd we arrived in Salt Lake City, and stopped with our uncle.\nAlexander Stephens. On the 23rd, I called at President Brigham Young's\noffice and reported myself and mission. He received me very kindly, and\nwelcomed me home again. I also met Brothers H. C. Kimball and Jedediah\nM. Grant, a number of the Twelve Apostles, and other prominent men. All\nwere very courteous, and expressed pleasure at my safe return.\n\nOn the 24th and 25th, I called and settled with all I had money,\nchecks, or drafts for, and I found them all well, and much pleased to\nget the needed relief, financially. On the 26th, as I desired to go to\nOgden City, I called at President Young's office to bid him good-bye.\nHe kindly invited me to come to the stand in the Tabernacle on June\n7th, to preach. I did so, though it delayed me in my intended visit to\nmy friends and relatives in Ogden City. When I filled that call, I was\nhonorably released from further labors in the missionary field at that\ntime. My mission had occupied three years and eight months, and cost me\nevery dollar that I had when I started out. I was then worth fifteen\nhundred dollars in good property, which I spent; but I never regretted\nit. The experience that I had gained I counted worth much more than the\nmoney expended.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XL.\n\nTRAVEL ON FOOT TO OGDEN--WELL RECEIVED BY RELATIVES AND FRIENDS--REPLY\nTO INQUIRIES BY THE PEOPLE REGARDING THE SOCIETY ISLANDS AND\nTHE INHABITANTS THEREOF--CALLED TO GO TO FORT HALL--ORDER\nCOUNTERMANDED--CALLED ON A MISSION TO THE INDIANS--DESIGN OF THE\nMISSION--ORGANIZATION OF THE COMPANY, AND START FROM SALT LAKE\nCITY--HARD WORK OF THE JOURNEY--ATTACKED BY WOLVES--FATAL DUEL AT\nFORT BRIDGER--PLANS OF DESPERADOES--WE GO TO SMITH'S FORK--BUILD\nA BLOCKHOUSE--ARRIVAL OF MORE MEN AND SUPPLIES--THREATENING\nATTITUDE OF THE INDIANS--WRITER MADE SERGEANT OF THE GUARD AND\nQUARTERMASTER--INSTRUCTIONS FROM ELDER ORSON HYDE--LIFE IN OUR\nNEW CAMP--COLD WEATHER AND WILD BEASTS--LEARNING THE INDIAN\nLANGUAGE--GIVE SHELTER TO INDIANS--DESPERADO CHIEF KILLED BY ONE OF\nHIS MEN--ANIMALS PERISH FROM COLD AND STARVATION--TERRIFIC STORMS AND\nSNOWDRIFTS--SAVING OUR STOCK--SHOSHONE INDIANS ASK FOR AND RECEIVE\nASSISTANCE--HUNT FOR ANTELOPE FAILS--A BACHELOR'S DANCE--RAISING A\nLIBERTY POLE--PARTITIONING OUT LANDS--PLOWING AND PLANTING--ARRIVAL OF\nAND INSTRUCTIONS BY ELDER ORSON HYDE--SELECTIONS FOR A SPECIAL MISSION\nTO THE INDIANS--ORGANIZATION OF GREEN RIVER COUNTY.\n\nON June 9, 1853, I started to Ogden City, afoot and alone. On the 10th,\nI paid out the last quarter of a dollar that I had to the ferryman, to\nset me across the Weber River, at East Weber. From there I crossed the\nhills to my Uncle John Stephens', and found him and his family well and\npleased to see me. I reciprocated the pleasure, had dinner and a short\nvisit, then went on to Ogden City, where I again met with Cousin John\nM. Brown and his father's family, and our two aunts, Polly and Nancy\nBrown; as also more relatives and former friends, all of whom treated\nme with much kindness, and as if the lost had been found.\n\nThe first Sabbath after my arrival in Ogden, I was called on to give\na report of my mission, and to preach. By doing this, there was a\ngreat spirit of inquiry excited about the Society Islands and their\ninhabitants. I found that scarce one in a thousand of the people\nhad the remotest idea of affairs on the islands I had been to. The\nquestions asked and the answers given were about like this:\n\nQ. Where are the islands?\n\nA. In the South Pacific Ocean.\n\nQ. What are they like?\n\nA. The spur of a mountain in a vast plain.\n\nQ. What are the chief products?\n\nA. Cocoanuts, oranges, lemons, limes, citrus fruits, arrowroot, sweet\npotatoes or yams (a species of potato that takes about eighteen\nmonths to mature), coffee, cotton, chili pepper, corn, rice, tobacco,\nsugarcane; a root called taro grows in the swamps and somewhat\nresembles the Indian turnip that grows in the Middle States, and on the\nislands is cultivated for food, being one of the most staple products;\nbreadfruit grows in great abundance; there is a fruit called viapple\nand another called doava, neither of which is of much importance. There\nare also pineapples, bananas, and a fruit called feii which grows on a\nplant like the banana, and is one of the best and most generally used\nfruits there.\n\nQ. Is the soil rich?\n\nA. Yes; but this is limited to small strips along the coasts and the\nwater courses.\n\nQ. What kind of a climate is it?\n\nA. Very hot. Papeete, the capital of Tahiti, is in seventeen degrees\nthirty-two minutes south latitude, and one hundred and forty-four\ndegrees thirty-four minutes west longitude, computed from Greenwich,\nand if it were not for the frequent rains, southerly breezes, and the\nconstant trade winds, it would be almost impossible for human beings to\nlive there.\n\nQ. What kinds of timber grow there?\n\nA. Various kinds of scrubby timber not known in our country, chief of\nwhich is hutu or tamana, an excellent timber for shipbuilding, and for\nfine furniture; there is also sandal wood, the heart being of great\nvalue, as it is used for perfume, and decorating musical instruments,\nwork-boxes, etc.\n\nQ. Having given a brief description of the islands composing the\nSociety group, the Tubuoi and Tubuoimono archipelago, and of their\nprincipal products, the next question was: What kind of people inhabit\nthem?\n\nA. They are very large in stature, are brave, and formerly were very\nwarlike. Their complexion is like that of the American Indian, and\ntheir habits are much the same. They are hospitable to a fault. In\ntheir heathenish days, they were idol-worshipers and very devout.\nOriginally, their government was patriarchal, but as they increased it\nbecame tribal, then confederate. A district of country called monteina\nwould combine for war purposes, and finally would become a monarchy.\nThus they had their kings and queens, and began to have royalty. As\nto other matters, there are no native animals, but of fowls there are\nsuch as sea birds, and the common wild duck; also of reptiles, a small,\nharmless, greenish lizard. The greatest insect pests are the nimble\nflea and the common mosquito, in numberless quantities. Many years ago\nthe people had the smallpox, and as it was a strange disease to them,\nand they were without the knowledge of how to treat it, they died by\nhundreds, if not by thousands. As soon as they learned that it was\ncontagious, the people fled to the mountains, and there hid away until\ntheir swine and chickens went wild, in which state these increased,\nproducing the wild boar and wild chickens, which are frequently\nhunted by the people, and which, but for the rugged fastnesses of the\nmountains, soon would become extinct.\n\n[IMAGE: A TYPICAL TAHITIAN WITH HIS BURDEN OF BREAD FRUIT AND FEII.]\n\nI will leave that subject now and return to my own experiences after\ngetting home. I turned my hand to farm labor, and anything I could get\nto do until the 6th of September. Then Major Moore, having received\norders from Governor Young to raise a company of men and send them\nnorth to Fort Hall, to protect or assist a company there on some\nbusiness, called me to take charge of that company. When we were within\nthree hours of starting, the order to go was countermanded, and I\ncontinued to work for two dollars per day until the 8th of October,\nwhen, at a general conference, I was called, with several others, to\ntake a mission to the Indian tribes east of the Salt Lake valley.\n\nElder Orson Hyde was chosen to lead the company to somewhere in the\nregion of the Green River, select a place, and there build an outpost\nfrom which to operate as peacemakers among the Indians, to preach\ncivilization to them, to try and teach them how to cultivate the\nsoil, to instruct them in the arts and sciences if possible, and by\nthat means prevent trouble for our frontier settlements and emigrant\ncompanies. We were to identify our interests with theirs, even to\nmarrying among them, if we would be permitted to take the young\ndaughters of the chief and leading men, and have them dressed like\ncivilized people, and educated. It was thought that by forming that\nkind of an alliance we could have more power to do them good, and keep\npeace among the adjacent tribes as also with our own people.\n\nIt was known that there were wicked and cruel white men among the\nIndians, working up the spirit of robbery and murder among the savage\ntribes, and against the Mormon people. Our missionary call was to take\nour lives in our hands, as true patriots, and head off, and operate as\nfar as possible against the wicked plots of white men who were trying\nto carry their plans to success through the Indians, and possibly set\nthe savages on the war path, that the government might send troops out.\nand thus make a better market for the schemers' herds of cattle and\nhorses.\n\nFrom the October conference I returned to Ogden City, settled what\nlittle business I had, and prepared for the mission, going to Salt Lake\nCity on the 15th, ready for the work assigned me. There I reported\nmyself, but the majority of the men who had been called at the same\ntime that I was were not ready until the 1st of November, when we met\nin the Council House, and there effected an organization.\n\nIt was in the evening, about 8 o'clock, when we met. There were\nthirty-nine men who reported themselves ready to start next morning.\nNovember 2nd. Elders Orson Hyde, Parley P. Pratt and Ezra T. Benson,\nof the Twelve Apostles, were present, and organized the company by\nappointing Elders John Nebeker president and captain, John Harvey\nfirst counselor and lieutenant and James S. Brown second counselor\nand lieutenant. The captain and lieutenants were so that we might act\nin a military capacity if necessity required it, and the president\nand counselors were for ecclesiastical affairs. The officers were\nblessed and set apart by the three Apostles named. The Apostles told\nthe members of the company that they would be blessed equally with the\nofficers if they would be prayerful, do their duty, and hearken to and\nbe united with their officers. We were also told that some of us might\nhave to take Indian wives.\n\nOn November 2nd twenty wagons, with one hundred and ten head of cattle,\nhorses and mules, were ready for a start. To each man there was three\nhundred pounds of flour, seventy-five pounds of seed wheat, and forty\npounds of seed potatoes. Each man fitted himself up with such other\nprovisions and seed as he chose or could do. We started out at 1\no'clock p.m., and that night camped in Emigration Canyon.\n\nWe crossed the Little Mountain on November 3rd. Having to double teams,\nwe made slow headway, and only got to within four miles of the Big\nMountain. On the 5th, we crossed that, and camped at its eastern base.\nThe road was very bad, so that we made but few miles on the 6th, and\ncamped in the foothills, where our stock was attacked about 3 o'clock\na.m. by a pack of big gray wolves, which were so savage that every man\nhad to be called out to fight them. The night was very dark, and we\nfired guns, built fires in a circle around the stock, and stayed with\nthem till daylight. Yet, with all that, some of the milch cows had part\nof their udders torn off, while others were badly gashed as by a sharp\nknife. By hard work we succeeded in preventing the wolves killing any\nof our animals, and then got an early start on the morning of the 7th.\n\nAs we were heavily loaded, and the roads very rough, we did not reach\nFort Bridger until November 15th. At that place there were twelve or\nfifteen rough mountain men. They seemed to be very surly and suspicious\nof us and the spirit of murder and death appeared to be lurking in\ntheir minds. Many of our party could feel that terrible influence and\nmade remarks about it. It was not long till we were informed by some of\nthe party at the fort that two men there had fought a duel the night\nbefore with butcher knives, and both were killed. The others of the\nparty had dug a hole and had thrown both men into it as they had fallen\nand died--clasped in each other's arms. Thus the gloom and cloud of\ndeath that we had felt so plainly was partially explained. We passed\none and a half miles above the fort, and camped on Black's Fork. That\nnight it snowed about six inches.\n\nWe learned from the men at Fort Bridger that fifteen or twenty mountain\nmen had moved over on to Henry's Fork, and that the Ute Indians were\ncoming over there to winter. That was the place we were heading\nfor, and some of the roughest men of the mountains were claiming\nthat as their country. Our information now being that there was a\nwell-organized band of from seventy-five to a hundred desperadoes in\nthe vicinity of Green River, at the very point that we had hoped to\noccupy with our little company, the situation was serious; and with\nsnow on the ground, to decide what to do was an important matter.\nWe broke camp and passed over the divide to Smith's Fork. There the\nSpirit seemed to forbid us going any farther, and we held a short\nconsultation, which resulted in the appointment of a committee of five,\nof which the writer was one.\n\nThis committee followed up the creek to a point where the water comes\ndown through the foothills, and there, between the forks of the stream,\nselected a spot for winter quarters, and to build a blockhouse. Then\nthey returned and made their report, which was accepted by the captain\nand his men. The camp was moved to the chosen ground on November 27th.\nWe at once pitted our potatoes, the committee named being retained\nto draft and superintend the erection of the blockhouse. The writer\nmade the plans of the blockhouse, which was built with four wings, or\nrooms, of equal size; these, uniting at the corners, formed a center\nroom, which was built two stories high. All the rooms were provided\nwith port holes, the center being used for storage, and the upper for a\nguardhouse, from which the country around could be overlooked. The plan\nbeing accepted, every man went to work with a will, and in two weeks\nthe house was ready for occupancy. This was not an hour too soon, for\nthe weather was very cold and threatening.\n\nOn the 26th, Captain Isaac Bullock came in with fifty-three men and\ntwenty-five wagons. When they joined us our company was ninety-two\nstrong, all well armed; and when our blockhouse was completed we\nfelt safer than ever. The work of building was continued until all\nwere comfortably housed in log cabins, and a heavy log corral was\nconstructed for our stock in case of an emergency.\n\nWe had not been settled down long, when some of the mountaineers paid\nus a visit and applauded our energy and enterprise. Notwithstanding\nthat, we could easily discern a feeling of envy on their part. In\nconsequence, we did not feel any too safe, especially when the snow\nbecame deep between our friends and ourselves, for we frequently\nheard that the Ute Indians, then a very warlike and hostile tribe,\nwere threatening to come upon us from the east, by an open country.\nUnder the circumstances, we could see the wisdom of our military\norganization; and as we had to have a regular guard, we found that\nwe must have a sergeant thereof; accordingly, the author was elected\nto fill that position, and as we had several beef cattle and other\nprovisions in common, a commissary or quartermaster was necessary,\nand the sergeant was called to fill that position also. We further\nperfected our organization by electing a captain for every ten men.\nWe were also instructed to keep our firearms in perfect order, and to\nhave our powder dry, that we might be prepared for any emergency. Thus\nprovided for, we continued to get out fencing limber, and exploring\nparties were sent out, which acted as scouts, and we learned the\nresources of the country, and sought out every advantage.\n\nIt was on December 8 when Apostle Orson Hyde came into camp. He\npreached to us that evening, and gave many words of encouragement. On\nthe 9th he examined our work and defenses. He was highly pleased with\nthe country, and applauded our choice of location; in fact, he seemed\ngenerally well pleased with what we had done. He preached again, and\ngave us much cheer and sound instructions. We prepared our mail in\nanswer to the one he had brought us, and on the 10th he set out on his\nreturn trip, every one feeling blessed by his visit.\n\nIn our religious and social arrangements, we held regular meetings, had\nlectures on different subjects, organized a debating society, and had\nreadings. On December 26, F. M. Perkins and a party returned from Salt\nLake City, bringing much interesting news, and also supplies of food.\nOn the 28th, the weather was so cold that we had to abandon outdoor\nwork.\n\nWolves became troublesome to our stock, so we put strychnine and set\ntraps for the wild beasts, which killed several head of cattle and one\nof the strongest horses in our band. The wolves were very numerous,\nand when they band, as they do sometimes, and did then, it is almost\nimpossible for any kind of stock to escape without some loss. Yet, with\nrifle, trap and poison, we kept about even with our ravenous enemies.\n\nJanuary 1, 1854, the weather was fine. On the 5th cold and storms came,\nand we also heard more threatening news from the Ute Indians; but this\ndid not alarm us much, though it prompted us to increased diligence in\nlooking after our stock. There was some dissatisfaction about guard\nduty, as some thought there was too much of it to suit them, and felt\nthat others should stand two hours to their one; but that was soon\nsettled and we continued our studies in the Shoshone Indian dialect,\nhaving Elisha B. Ward, an old mountaineer and trapper, and his Indian\nwife, Sally, to assist us. Then there was an Indian family of four who\ngot starved out and came to us for help. We took them in, fed them,\nand gave them a room to themselves. Then Sally's brother, Indian John,\nand his wife, Madam, came, so that we took them in and fed them. This\ncondition afforded us increased facilities for studying the Shoshone\ndialect, which we carefully availed ourselves of.\n\nAbout this time, Louis Tromley, a Frenchman, stabbed Samuel Callwell.\nThe affair took place near Fort Bridger. Callwell was said to be at the\nhead of the gang of desperadoes who plied their vocation from Bridger\nto Green River, and back on the emigrant route to Laramie; he was a\nlarge, trim built man, about six feet six inches tall, and very daring.\nBut after a bowie knife was plunged into his vitals he did not survive\nlong, dying in about twenty-four hours from the time he received the\nfatal wound. Tromley was one of Callwell's band, and made his escape.\nIt was thought by some that if his victim had lived he would have made\ntrouble for us, but this quarrel gave the gang something else to do.\n\nWe continued our labors and studies; yet with all the opportunities\nat hand, there were only about six of us out of the ninety-two that\nmade even fair progress in learning the Indian tongue. On February 7,\nwe received more mail. About the 22nd we lost many of our cattle from\nstarvation and cold. Deep snows fell, and drifted so that our houses\nwere completely buried, and from the south side we could walk right\nup on top of our cabins, while on the north the snow drifted to the\ntops of the doors, and packed so hard in one night that it had to be\ncut out with the spade, the large chunks being laid back on the floor\nuntil we could get out far enough to clear the houses. This condition\ncontinued for many days. On March 8, the wind blew fearfully, and the\nsnow drifted so deep that we had to break snow roads, and then drive\nour poor cattle and horses from point to point where the snow had been\nblown off, leaving the grass bare. In this way many of our animals were\nsaved.\n\nOn the 12th of March, a party of fifteen or twenty Shoshone Indians\ncame and pitched camp close to the blockhouse. They were very hungry,\nand we divided bread with them, that being the only kind of food we\nhad left; and in turn their presence afforded us better opportunity\nto study their language and customs, a knowledge of the latter being\nessential to the successful interpreter. On March 18, more hungry\nIndians came. They appeared almost starved, and they begged until they\nbecame a nuisance; yet we divided with them, and ran ourselves short\nbefore our store could be replenished. On the 27th we turned out on a\ngeneral hunt for antelope; at this time we were living on bread and\nwater. Our hunt failed, as it was probable the starving Indians had\nkilled or run off all the game from that part of the country. On the\n29th the weather was still blustery, with heavy snow. We cleared the\nblockhouse, and had a jolly dance, to drive dull care away. There being\nno ladies to join with us, we christened it the bachelor's dance.\n\nApril 1st came, and we cleared the snow and ice from our houses. On the\n5th we received another mail from Salt Lake City, and on the 6th we\nhoisted the first liberty pole that was raised in Green River County\nto spread the Stars and Stripes of the United States of America to\nthe mountain breeze. On the 17th there was continuous snow and rain,\nmaking very disagreeable weather. Committees were appointed to select\nand stake off the farm land, the writer being on one of the committees.\nWe also placed out picket guards and chose men to herd our stock, and\ncorral them at night. On the 18th we started the plows, marking to each\nmess their portion, as the committee had been directed to do. From the\n23rd to the 26th we had cold, snowy weather.\n\nOn the 28th President Nebeker and C. Merkley started for Salt Lake\nCity, and on May 1st D. R. Perkins and some others left for their\nhomes. The rest of the company continued to plow and plant. On the 7th\nit snowed, and on the 8th Apostle Orson Hyde came with twenty-five new\nmen, bringing us a fresh supply of provisions. This supply was very\nmuch appreciated, for we were, and had been for some weeks, living\non bread alone. The new company also brought our mail. I had eleven\nletters, all containing good news from home.\n\nElder Hyde preached to us on the evening of the 9th, and we had good\ncheer; everyone seemed to be encouraged. We also held a council meeting\nto select Elders to go to the Indian camps, and learn as near as\npossible the feeling of the red men, and their movements, and to carry\nout the object of our mission. In that meeting, Elder Hyde called on\nthe council for four or five Elders to volunteer to go east and hunt\nup the Indian camps. There were seven volunteered, namely, E. B. Ward,\nIsaac Bullock, John Harvey, J. Arnold, W. S. Muir, James S. Brown and\none other whose name I have lost. Elder Hyde said that E. B. Ward,\nIsaac Bullock, and James S. Brown were three accepted from that list,\nwhile James Davis was taken for the fourth. The persons named were then\nsustained by the vote of the council, without a dissenting voice. Elder\nHyde gave us some instructions, and said the party would start in one\nweek from that day, or as much sooner as they chose.\n\nThe council meeting then adjourned, and Judge W. I. Appleby organized\nthe county of Green River by appointing the officers therefor, Mr.\nAppleby having been duly commissioned as judge, and authorized to act\nin the capacity in which he did.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XLI.\n\nSET APART BY ELDER HYDE FOR OUR SPECIAL MISSION--BLESSING CONFERRED\nON THE WRITER--DISCONTENT IN CAMP--UNITY AGAIN PREVAILS--START ON OUR\nJOURNEY--WARNED AT GREEN RIVER TO GO NO FARTHER--NOT DETERRED FROM\nPERFORMING OUR MISSION--PROCEED ON OUR JOURNEY--FUTILE CHASE AFTER\nBUFFALO--SCARCITY OF WATER--A WELCOME SNOW STORM--REACH THE CAMP OF\nWASHAKIE, THE SHOSHONE CHIEF--RECEIVED WITH CAUTION--TELL THE CHIEF THE\nOBJECT OF OUR VISIT--GIVE HIM BREAD AND SUGAR--BOILED BUFFALO FOR AN\nEPICURE--INDIAN POWWOW CALLED--PROCEEDINGS AT THE COUNCIL--OBJECTION\nTO ONE OF OUR PROPOSITIONS, WHICH WE WERE NOT ANNOYED AT--RECITAL OF\nHOW GOVERNMENT AGENTS SOUGHT TO SUPPLANT WASHAKIE AS CHIEF--WASHAKIE A\nGREAT ORATOR.\n\nANOTHER meeting was held on the 10th of May, and Elder Hyde preached\nagain. Then he called on those who had been selected for the mission,\ntold us to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves, to be cautious\nand do all the good that we could to the red men, and said that God\nwould bless us. He also said, \"I do not know which to appoint for the\nleader, Brother Brown or Brother Bullock. They are both good men, but\nas Brother Bullock is the eldest, he may have more experience.\" He\nthen blessed us, and promised me in my blessing that angels should go\nbefore me, the visions of the Lord should be open to my view, and no\nweapon that was raised against me should prosper, but that I should go\nforth in the power and demonstration of the Lord God, and be mighty\nin gathering Israel. Then he further instructed the party, and turned\nagain to me, pronouncing more blessings in line with those he had\ngiven. Elder Hyde then started on his return trip home, and we prepared\nourselves as speedily as consistent for our expedition into a country\nmostly unknown to us.\n\nApril 11th and 12th were blustery, and there was snow. A reaction of\nspirit took place among the brethren of the camp, or probably it would\nbe more proper to say that another spirit came upon the camp--a spirit\nof great discontent. For a time it seemed as if it would break up the\nmission, but finally it was overcome, and all went well again.\n\nOn the 13th of April we set out on our journey, and went to Green\nRiver the first day, through rain and sleet part of the time. At\nGreen River we found about thirty of the roughest kind of mountain\nmen, engaged in drinking, gambling and carousing. Some Frenchmen,\nMexicans or \"Greasers,\" Indians, half-breeds, and some Americans of a\nlow class, associated there, and insisted on us dining with them, and\nwere very hospitable. They warned us not to venture any farther in the\ndirection that we were going, saying that if we did so we would not\nreturn alive--that there would not be a \"grease spot\" left of us. This\nstatement corresponded with what we had heard before, yet it did not\ndeter us. There were in the crowd, Joshua Terry, also four Spaniards\nfrom the west, bound for Taos, New Mexico. They joined us, and we\ncrossed the river, which was so deep that it was all that we possibly\ncould do to ford it. The venture was harder than we expected it to be,\nbut we succeeded, and struck out for the head of Bitter Creek, via\nPilot Butte, making all the distance consistent with the condition of\nour animals. When we reached Bitter Creek, we followed up to the head,\nthen bore to the southeast, crossing a high, dry country, for two days\nwithout water, then came in sight of a small herd of buffalo.\n\nThe Mexicans, with Ward and Davis, gave chase to the herd, while\nBullock and I kept on our course with the pack animals, guided across\nthe plains by mountain peaks and openings in the range of mountains.\nThe hunters did not rejoin us until the latter part of the next day.\nThey succeeded in killing one poor buffalo bull, and were so thirsty\nthat they opened the tripe and drank the liquid it contained, to save\ntheir lives, for they were so far gone as not to be able to bring any\nportion of the carcass to camp. That day we came across a shallow pool\nof water, where we rested a short time.\n\nWe had been told that by crossing the country in the direction we were\ngoing we would be sure to strike the Indian trail leading in toward the\nheadwaters of the Platte River; consequently we continued on till we\ncame to the main divide between the waters of the east and the west.\nThere Joshua Terry and the Spaniards parted with us, and we kept along\non the divide, or summit of the Rocky Mountains, between the Platte and\nthe Rio Grande, while they passed over. That night we camped on the\ndivide, and had a snowstorm on us, in which we were fortunate, as by\nthat means we obtained water for ourselves and animals. The next day\nwe struck the trail of a few Indians, and by following it up five or\nsix miles reached another trail which it ran into. This we continued to\nfollow until 3 p.m., when we came to the camp of Washakie, the Shoshone\nIndian chief.\n\nThe first Indian we met would not speak when we accosted him. He shook\nhis head, and pointed to the chief's lodge. That spirit of \"mum\" seemed\nto pervade the entire camp, and when we rode up in front of the chief's\nlodge, that Indian dignitary came out, bowed, and shook hands with each\none of us, but without uttering a word. By gestures he invited us to\ndismount, come in, sit down, and tell the truth regarding our errand to\nhis camp, but no lies. Then he had some clean, nice robes spread for\nus. At the same time his women folks came out, taking our horses by the\nbits. We dismounted, and took seats as invited. The chief and ourselves\nwere all \"mum\" until the horses had been unsaddled, and everything\nbelonging to us had been put under the bottom of the lodge, just to the\nrear of where we sat.\n\nThese proceedings being over, the chief said: \"Who are you, from where\ndo you come, and what is your errand to my country?\" Then, by gestures,\nhe said, \"Tell me the truth; do not tell me any lies, nor talk any\ncrooked talk.\" Here he paused, and, by motions, invited us to reply.\n\nWe told him we were Mormons, from the Salt Lake country, sent by the\nbig Mormon captain, to make the acquaintance of him and his people,\nthat we might talk and be friendly with them, as we wished them to be\nfriendly with us and with all good people, as also with all the Indian\ntribes, for we all had one Peap (father), and it was not pleasing to\nHim to see His children nabitink (fight). We said the Great Father had\ntold our chief many things about all the Indian tribes, and one part\nof our business was to learn better the Indian dialects, manners and\ncustoms, so that we could tell the Indians what the Great Spirit had\ntold our big captain about them. Another part was to warn them that\nit would not be many snows before the game of their country would\nbe killed off or disappear, and we wished to tell them, and to show\nthem how to till the earth, and raise stock, and build houses, like\nthe white man did, so that when the game was all gone their wives and\nchildren would not starve to death. We said that some of us might want\nto come out into his country and marry some of their good daughters and\nrear families by them. We would educate them, so they could read some\ngood books that we had, and from them they could learn more about the\nGreat Father, or Spirit.\n\nWashakie sat and listened very attentively until we were through, when\nhe said, \"Wait a while. My little children are very hungry for some of\nthe white man's food, and they want some sugar.\"\n\nAt that we gave him all the bread and sugar we had. He passed it to\nhis wife, who in turn distributed it to the hungry little ones. Then,\nwithout another word, the chief walked out, but soon returned. His wife\nthen set a camp kettle partly filled with buffalo beef that had been\npartially dried.\n\nIf I should tell the stranger to Indian customs how it was seasoned, I\ndoubt not he would say. \"I could not eat of such food. I know I should\nstarve to death first.\" But stop, my friend, do not be too positive\nabout that. These Indians have a custom among them that when they kill\na buffalo they skin it, leaving the carcass on the hide; then they\nslice the flesh in long strips, remove the bones, turn the contents of\nthe tripe over the meat, thoroughly knead or mix it all through the\nbeef, and, with a slight shake, hang the meat on a horse rope or lay it\non some sticks for a few hours; then they put it into a camp kettle and\nboil it, when it is ready for their guests. Such was part of the life\non the great western plains in 1854.\n\nSupper over, the council of the camp began to file in; the pipe was\nlit, and a rude figure of some of the planets drawn in the ashes of the\nfire that occupied the center of the lodge. Then the old man sitting\non the left of the chief held the pipe, we having been seated on the\nright of the chief. The latter commenced, and told the story of our\nvisit, from the time we came into the lodge up to that moment. It was\ntold without interruption, and then the pipe was started on its way,\nfollowing the course of the sun. Every man except the one holding the\npipe put his hand over his mouth, and sat perfectly silent and still.\nThe one with the pipe took from one to three long draws, allowing the\nsmoke from the last one to escape gradually through his nostrils, at\nthe same time passing the pipe with his right hand to the next person;\nthen, if he had anything to say, he did it in as few words as possible,\nand put his hand over his mouth, thus signifying that he had no more to\nsay. Occasionally some old man, when he took the pipe, made some signs\nabove and in front of him, struck himself on the breast and offered\na few words of prayer. Thus the pipe was whiffed by all the Indians\nof the council, and was then passed into the hands of the white men,\nwho, in turn, took a whiff as a vow of peace and friendship. Then\nthe pipe went to the chief, who glanced around the circle, and, as\nevery man's hand was over his mouth, the chief summed up the subject\nin a few words, but always to the point. There being no appeal from\nthis decision, it is usual at the conclusion of councils for some one\npresent to walk through the camp and cry aloud that portion intended\nfor the public, or if it is an order for the whole camp, they get it in\nthe same way. This crier was called the high ranger of the camp.\n\nIn our case, the only objection that was raised to our proposition was\nwhen we suggested that some of us might want to take some of the young\nIndian women for wives. One old and wise counselor said, \"No, for we\nhave not got daughters enough for our own men, and we cannot afford to\ngive our daughters to the white man, but we are willing to give him\nan Indian girl for a white girl. I cannot see why a white man wants\nan Indian girl. They are dirty, ugly, stubborn and cross, and it is a\nstrange idea for white men to want such wives. But I can see why an\nIndian wants a white woman.\" Then the old man drew a graphic picture of\nthe contrast he was making, and we gave up that point without pursuing\nour suit farther. Chief Washakie, however, said the white men might\nlook around, and if any one of us found a girl that would go with him,\nit would be all right, but the Indians must have the same privilege\namong the white men. With this the council ended.\n\nAt that time Washakie told us that only a few snows before then he was\nchief of all the Shoshones, and the Indians acknowledged him as such,\nbut he was called to Fort Laramie, to have a talk with the agents of\nthe big father at Washington, and to receive blankets and many other\nthings. There the agents called a quiet, unobtrusive man, who never had\nbeen a chief, nor was in the line of chiefs, and designated him as head\nof the Shoshones, telling the Indians they must have him as chief, and\nrespect him as such, and that they, the agents, would recognize him in\nthat position, and through him they would do all government business.\nThen the agents passed out a great quantity of blankets and other\nIndian goods, through their appointed chief. In this act, the Indians\nsaw that the agents had chosen a favorite of their own, so the red men\ncalled him \"Tavendu-wets\" (the white man's child), but never recognized\nhim as chief.\n\nThat act of the government agents was the opening wedge to divide the\nShoshone tribe into discontented factions, and thereby weaken it.\nPossibly that was the purpose in view, for before that the tribe was\nvery powerful, with a chief at their head unexcelled for bravery, skill\nand farsightedness. Chief Washakie was a bold, noble, hospitable, and\nhonorable man. As an orator, I think he surpassed any man I ever met.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XLII.\n\nLEAVE WASHAKIE'S CAMP FOR THE OTHER PORTION OF THE SHOSHONE\nTRIBE--INDIAN GUIDE LEAVES US--FOLLOWING A TRAIL--SIGHT THE OTHER\nCAMP--WAR SONGS AND DANCES--INDIANS PREPARING FOR WAR--CHIEF\nGIVES UP HIS LODGE TO US, WARNING US OF MEN IN HIS CAMP HE CANNOT\nCONTROL--INDIAN BRAVES IN WAR PAINT--SURROUNDED BY FIFTEEN HUNDRED\nOR TWO THOUSAND INDIANS--LEARN THAT L. B. RYAN, A WHITE DESPERADO\nCHIEF, IS IN CAMP, AND HAS SWORN VENGEANCE ON MORMONS--ESCAPE SEEMS\nIMPOSSIBLE, BUT WE TRUST IN GOD--RETIRE FOR THE NIGHT--RYAN AND SEVEN\nWARRIORS AT OUR LODGE--RYAN ENTERS AND DEMANDS TO KNOW WHERE WE ARE\nFROM, AND OUR BUSINESS--HE IS TOLD, THREATENS US, AND SUMMONS HIS\nINDIAN BRAVES INSIDE OUR LODGE--THOUGH THE ENEMY ARE TWO TO ONE,\nWE ARE READY FOR THEM--PREPARE FOR A FIGHT TO THE DEATH--RYAN AND\nHIS MEN LEAVE THE LODGE--WAR DANCE OUTSIDE--WE CONCLUDE TO SELL OUR\nLIVES AS DEARLY AS POSSIBLE--WAR PARTY APPROACH THE LODGE AND SLIT\nIT IN A NUMBER OF PLACES, THEN SUDDENLY DEPART--OUR LIVES BEING\nSPARED, WE REMAIN IN CAMP TILL NEXT DAY--THE CHIEF BEFRIENDS US,\nWARNING US NOT TO RETURN THE WAY WE CAME--DISPUTE AS TO THE ROUTE\nOF TRAVEL, AND HOW IT IS SETTLED--SATISFIED THAT RYAN INTENDED TO\nAMBUSH US--RAINSTORM OBLITERATES OUR TRACKS--CAMP IN THE RAIN--ON THE\nALERT FOR AN ENEMY--SHOOT A BUFFALO--WARD AND DAVIS GIVE CHASE, WHILE\nBULLOCK AND I CONTINUE ON OUR ROUTE--CAMP AT A WASH--BULLOCK TAKEN\nVERY ILL--A TERRIBLE NIGHT--WARD AND DAVIS NOT RETURNING BY MORNING,\nWE MOVE ON--FEAR THAT BULLOCK WILL DIE--DISCOVER OUR COMRADES IN THE\nCANYON--BEING HUNGRY, WE OVEREAT--ANOTHER NIGHT OF SICKNESS--EMERGE\nFROM THE CANYON--PRESS FORWARD TO GREEN RIVER--WELCOMED BY\nFRIENDS--THREE OF OUR PARTY GO ONTO FORT SUPPLY, AND I REMAIN TO MEET\nCHIEF WASHAKIE.\n\nTHE morning after the council, Chief Washakie asked us where we were\ngoing to from his camp. We said we wished to go to White Man's Child's\ncamp of Shoshones. Said he, \"Maybe that is good, maybe not. I don't\nknow. I hear there are bad men over there. I don't know.\" As there\nwas no trail leading to that camp, we asked him to send a guide with\nus. He replied, \"Maybe one go.\" Our horses having been brought up,\nwe saddled them, and after a good friendly shake of the hand of the\nchief and of some of his council, we started to the southeast, with a\nyoung brave on the lead. When we had traveled about twenty miles, our\nguide disappeared over a ridge, but as we had come to a trail it did\nnot matter to us so long as we could see pony tracks to follow. Still\na feeling of mistrust lurked within us, as it had done all day. We\ndiscussed the matter, but could see no other way open than to press\nforward.\n\nSoon we ascended a hill, from the top of which we could hear a drum,\nthen many voices in a war song. As we rounded a little point of the\nhill we saw numerous lodges, and what appeared to be thousands of\nIndians. A large proportion of the latter were dancing and singing\nsongs. About this time we felt a heavy feeling, and were certain that\nthe spirit of murder was in the Indian camp. Everybody we met until we\ncame to the chief's lodge looked as if they were going to war, judging\nby the expression of their eyes.\n\nThe chief came slowly out, coolly shook hands with us, ordered our\nstock taken care of, and a dish of boiled meat set before us. Then his\nfamily left the lodge, taking their effects, leaving only three robes\nfor us. The sun was just setting, and the chief said we could occupy\nhis lodge that night, as he was going away, being afraid to stop there,\nas there were men in camp that he could not control. Then he walked off\nand out of sight.\n\nAt this time three braves came by in their war paint, stepping along\nvery lightly, and stripped and armed as if ready for a fight. They took\na sharp glance at us, then passed on up the creek, to where the singing\nand dancing were going on. Then war whoops rent the air, and we were\nalone around the campfire.\n\nThere we were, surrounded by three hundred Indian lodges, and between\nfifteen hundred and two thousand Indians, principally Shoshones,\nthough there were Cheyennes and Arapahoes mixed with them, for trading\npurposes, we supposed. It was dark, our horses had been taken away, we\nknew not where, and we were between four and five hundred miles from\nany source of protection, so far as we knew. The chief had confessed\nhis inability to control some men in his camp, and had acknowledged\nthat he was afraid to stop in his own lodge, he and his family seeking\nsafer quarters. We were also without food, and the shadow of death\nseemed to hover over and close around us, while the war song and dance\nwere heard plainly. We had also learned that L. B. Ryan, successor to\nSamuel Callwell as chief of the organized band of desperadoes, was\nat that time beating up and organizing a war party to carry on his\nnefarious work of robbery, and that he had sworn vengeance on the first\nMormons that he met. We believed that he was the uncontrollable power\nthat the chief had referred to.\n\nUnder these circumstances, it was a grave question as to what we could\ndo for the best. Escape by flight was impossible, and as for attempting\nto fight three hundred to one, that was folly. Then what should we do?\nPut our trust in God, and go to bed, and if we were killed we wouldn't\nhave to fall. This was our conclusion, so we attended prayers, and\nretired about 8 o'clock.\n\nSoon the drum and some kind of whistle were heard drawing closer to\nus. In a few minutes our outdoor fire was surrounded by L. B. Ryan and\nseven young warriors, all well armed with Colt's revolvers. The Indians\nhad bows and arrows in hand, ready for action. Their paleface companion\nundoubtedly was the leader.\n\nAfter a brief pause, Ryan came into the lodge and squatted down just\nopposite to where Bullock and I lay. He picked up a stick of wood, and\nwith a cutlass chipped off pieces and stirred up the coals, starting\na bright light. Then he said. \"Gentlemen, where do you hail from, and\nwhat is your business here?\"\n\nMr. Bullock being spokesman, informed him that we were from Utah,\nand our business in part was to get acquainted with the Indians, to\nascertain the openings for trade, and to look out the resources of the\ncountry.\n\nRyan continued, \"Gentlemen, if you have got any papers for me, bring\nthem out. I have been robbed by the Mormons of my bottom dollar, and by\nthe eternal gods I am going to have revenge.\"\n\nHe then smote the billet of wood a heavy blow, at which signal the\nseven braves filed into the lodge, and squatted in order, with bows\ntightly corded, and arrows in hand. Ward, Davis, and I, were fully\nprepared to meet the attack as best we could. Bullock having the\ntalking to do, was not so well prepared, until I rubbed his ribs with\nmy bowie knife handle, when he got ready as quickly as possible. There\nwere eight against four, all inside of one Indian lodge, watching for\nthe signal from Ryan, and we would have acted promptly on his signal,\nor that of one of his braves, and without doubt would have got our\nshare of the game, in exchanging lead for arrows. It is possible that\nRyan took the same view, for he suddenly rose up and walked out, the\nwarriors following him. They closed the lodge door behind them, thus\ngiving us the opportunity to consult, while they held their council and\ndanced around the fire and sang.\n\nWe hastily concluded that if they entered again it would be to massacre\nour party, and that if they began to come in we would fire on them the\nmoment they opened the deerskin door. I, being in the most convenient\nposition, was to give the first shot, presuming that Ryan would be\nin the lead, and we would be sure to dispose of him in that way.\nMeanwhile, all the rest would fire into the war party, whose shadows\ncould be seen through the lodge, as they were between it and a big\noutdoor fire. The next move on our part was for Davis, who lay most\nconvenient to the back part of the lodge, to make with his knife as\nlarge an opening as possible in the lodge, that we might escape through\nit into the creek that passed near by, the banks of which were only six\nor eight feet high. Our decision was that the moment we left the lodge\nevery man was to try and if possible make his escape, no matter what\nthe conditions might be, so that if either one of us could get away,\nand tell where he last saw the rest, it might be some satisfaction to\nour friends and relatives. Then each man took the most easy position to\nact his part, made ready his firelock, and held it with finger on the\ntrigger.\n\nJust then the party outside came around in their dance circle, straight\nfor the lodge door, Ryan in the lead. They sang and danced right up to\nthe door, but did not lift it. Next they circled around the lodge, and\nwith their scalping knives, or some other sharp instruments, slit the\nlodge in a number of places. Then, as they came around to the front,\nthey gave a war whoop, and passed up the creek in the direction whence\nthey came. Thus we still lived, and were spared the awful necessity of\nshedding man's blood, even in self-defense, thanks be to God for His\nprotection and mercies. Still the clouds hung so low, and so thickly\naround, that we could not feel safe in an attempt to leave camp.\n\nNext morning the chief sent us some boiled buffalo beef, and called and\ntalked a few moments. He impressed us with the fact that the danger\nwas not yet over, and that we were safer in his lodge and camp than\nwe would be out of it, so we contented ourselves as best we could by\nloitering around, while the drum and the whistling reeds of the war\nparty, and the wild shouts, continued all day. At last night came, and\nwe turned in, as we had done the evening before, with all our clothes,\narms and boots on.\n\n[IMAGE: A WAR PARTY OF SHOSHONES DANCING AROUND THEIR PRISONERS WHILE IN THE\nCHIEF'S LODGE]\n\nNothing occurred that night to mar our peace, but the ever threatening\ndin of the drum and the savage yell of the red man. Again the morning\nlight broke over us, and our scalps were still in place, but the very\nelements seemed to say, \"Stay in camp.\" The Spirit whispered to every\none of us the same thing. We were a unit, and therefore lingered in the\nplace, closely watching every move.\n\nFinally the chief came, and our horses were brought. This was at about\n1 o'clock p.m. Then, as plainly as ever we saw the clouds in the\nfirmament break and scatter, we felt the clouds of death begin to part.\nWe waited no longer; our horses were saddled, packs were put in place,\nand the chief gave us a slight indication, letting us understand that\nit was a good time to move. At that moment Ryan and his allies came up,\napparently changed in their behavior. Ryan inquired of us by what route\nwe intended to return. Mr. Bullock said we expected to go to Washakie's\ncamp, and thence back by the same route we had come on. Immediately the\nchief stepped away into the brush, we mounted, and saying good-bye,\nstarted down the creek.\n\nA few moments later, as we rounded a bend, the chief popped out of the\nbrush just in front of and so as to meet us. Without seeming to notice\nus in the least, he said, \"Do not go the way you said you would, for\nthere are men in my camp that I cannot control.\" Brother Bullock did\nnot catch the idea, but the other three of us did. We understood his\naction as well as his words. Soon we came to where we had got to decide\nwhich course we would take. Brother Bullock was determined to keep his\nword, and go by the route that he had told Ryan he would do, but the\nthree others were a unit in insisting on taking another way. We told\nhim we understood perfectly the chief, that if we went by that route we\nwould be ambushed, and every soul of us would be killed. Still Brother\nBullock insisted on keeping his word with the Indians; and more, he had\npromised Washakie that he would return by his camp. Then Ward and Davis\ncame straight out and said they knew that meant death, and they would\nnot follow on that trail; so they started off another way.\n\nAt this juncture I said: \"Brother Bullock, I never deserted my\nfile-leader in my life, and I will not do it now. I will follow you to\nthe death, for I am certain that path leads there, and if you persist\nin going that way I will follow, and will claim my blood at your hands,\nfor the others, the three of us, see alike.\" Then Ward and Davis turned\nand said that on the same conditions as those I had named they would go\nwith Brother Bullock; but the latter said the price was too great, and\nhe would go with us, but he very much regretted breaking his word with\nthe red man.\n\nEvery minute was precious at that time. We were well satisfied that\nRyan would not shrink to do from ambush what he had hesitated to do in\nthe chief's lodge, and that if he could strike our trail he would do it\nto the death; so we made the best speed consistent with the conditions\nsurrounding us.\n\nAs we were passing up the long slope of the mountain, and while yet\nalmost in sight of the camp, a small, dense, black cloud arose in the\nsouth. It passed in our rear and over the Indian camp, and torrents of\nrain seemed to fall there, while we were caught only in the storm's\nedge. Thus our tracks were completely obliterated. Soon we came into a\ntrail leading along our way, and followed it to quite a bold running\ncreek. As the rain had ceased where we were, to further elude our\nenemies we followed up in the bed of the creek until we came to a rocky\nridge which led us up among the cliffs, where it would be difficult\nfor any one to follow us and make much headway. While there among the\nrocks, Ward and Davis saw an old mountain sheep, which they pursued\nand captured, but he fell in a place so difficult of access, and night\ncoming on, that it was impossible to get but a small portion of him.\nBullock and I kept on our course, and were overtaken by our companions\njust at dark.\n\nWe pushed on as quickly as possible, for the rain was coming on in\ntorrents. At last the night became so densely dark that we could only\nkeep together by the noise of our camp equipage, and by talking. It was\nimpossible to see where we were going, so we camped in a sag. It rained\nso hard that it was with much work that we started a fire, and then it\nwas quite as difficult to keep it going till we could frizzle a morsel\nof the old ram; so each bolted his rations half raw, and having hobbled\nour animals securely, we rolled ourselves in half-wet blankets and laid\ndown or the ground, which already had been soaked to the consistency of\nmud, and we wallowed there until next morning. Then two of us brought\nup and saddled horses, while the other two frizzled a little more of\nthe ram, which was bolted, as before, for it was too tough to chew in\na way anything like satisfactory. We then wrung our blankets, for they\nwere full of water, as in the place where we had laid down the water\nwas half shoetop deep.\n\nBy sunrise we were mounted, feeling satisfied that our track of the\nday before had been covered up, and thirty miles of our flight was\nbehind us. The country was high and barren, but we avoided conspicuous\npoints, and traveled the most secluded way, ever on the alert to catch\nthe first sight of an enemy, or of any kind of game, for our portion of\nflesh of the ram of the Rockies had disappeared.\n\nIn the after part of the day the sun shone. This was while we were\ncrossing the head of an open flat, in a dry country, with a dry gully\ncoursing down through it. This gully was fringed with an abundant\ngrowth of sagebrush, and as we looked down the flat we saw some animals\ncoming out from a bend in the gully. We ascertained to our delight that\nthere were seven buffaloes. Our decision was to spare no efforts in an\nendeavor to secure one of the animals, for this was a rare chance, as\nthe Indians had hunted every bit of game that it was possible for them\nto do in that part of the country.\n\nTo accomplish our most desirable object at this particular time, Ward,\nDavis and I secured our horses, leaving Bullock to guard them and\nthe pack mules. The three of us made our way down the gulch, and as\nthe wind came to us from the buffaloes, there was no danger of them\nscenting us. Thus we secured an excellent position, and waiting a few\nminutes for them to feed to within about sixty yards of us, we decided\non the one that had the sleekest coat, thinking he would be the best\nbeef; for all were very poor old bulls, and we did not wish to injure\nmore than we needed to keep us from starvation. We all took deliberate\naim, and three rifles rang out as one. The only result visible to us\nwas that the game wheeled, and ran directly on the back track, leaving\nus without even a hope of buffalo meat until we followed on their trail\nseventy or eighty rods. There we found where one animal had cast his\ncud, and later we saw some blood splattered about. All felt sure we had\nhit the buffalo, for each knew how his rifle shot, and said he never\ndrew a nicer bead on an animal in his life. Then Ward and Davis got\ntheir horses and gave chase, as the game had run almost parallel with\nour route toward the notch in the mountains for which we were aiming.\n\nBullock and I kept on the course our party had marked out to travel,\nbut before we reached the mountain pass we were heading for, night and\nrain came on, and we had to camp in an open greasewood plain. Coming to\na very deep wash that had good feed in it, we concluded to hobble our\nanimals in the wash. It was difficult to get our stock in, as the banks\nwere very steep, but at last we succeeded in getting them down, and\nfelt that they were tolerably safe for the night, with some watching.\nWe gathered a little greasewood, for there was no other fuel, and tried\nto get a tire started in the rain and darkness.\n\nDuring this time, Bullock began to have cramps, in the stomach and\nbowels, and then in his limbs, and soon he was taken with a heavy\nchill. It seemed that he would die, in spite of all that I could do\nfor him. I rubbed him, prayed for him, and put him in a pack of wet\nblankets, for we had no other, and were without any earthly comfort for\nsuch an emergency. At last I caught some rain in the frying-pan, then\ngot hold of our cracker sack, in which was about two tablespoonfuls of\ncrumbs and dust that had rubbed off the crackers. I heated the water,\nput the crumbs in, and brought the mixture to a boil, stirring it so\nthat it appeared something like gruel, and gave it to the sick man,\nwho became easier. Then I went out, feeling my way, to see what had\nbecome of our stock, and got so far off in the darkness that I had\ngreat difficulty in finding my way back to my sick companion, but after\nmuch anxiety and bother I found him suffering intensely. I set to work\nrubbing him and encouraging him the best I could. I spent the entire\nnight in attending to him and watching the stock.\n\nMorning came, and still the hunters were unheard of. At one time I\nalmost despaired of the sick man's life, and thought, if he died,\nwhat could I do with him, so far away from help. I could not take him\nhome, neither could I put him out of reach of wild beasts, for I had\nno spade, pickaxe or shovel; nor was there timber in sight to cremate\nhim. I had not a mouthful of food, and what had become of our partners,\nWard and Davis, I could not tell. Then came the reaction of the spirit,\nand the thought that I must do the best that I could. It would not do\nto despair. I must pray for the patient, pack up, and get out of that\nplace.\n\nThe patient seemed to rally with the dawn of day, and by sunrise we\nwere on our way, and entered the canyon we had been heading for. We\nsaw no signs of our friends until we reached their camp in the canyon,\nfor it had rained so heavily as to obliterate the horse tracks. As\nthey had gone on, we were not quite sure that it was their camp and\ntracks, and the canyon afforded excellent opportunity for ambush. But\nwe were there and must go through. The sick man held up with wonderful\nfortitude, though suffering greatly. About 2 p.m. we sighted our\ncomrades, the buffalo hunters. They mistook us for enemies and fled,\nuntil they found a convenient place to hide themselves and horses, and\nwhere they watched until they saw the gleaming of the sunlight upon our\nrifle barrels. Then they recognized us, and as we came up we had a warm\ngreeting.\n\nBeing together once more we hid our animals among the cedars, and\nselected our camp with care, as it was night. Our hunters had been\nsuccessful, after a chase of ten miles, in getting the buffalo; they\nhad a hard and hazardous fight with the wounded animal, and it took\nthem till after dark before they could get what buffalo meat they could\ncarry on their horses. They also had a very severe night of it; but\nthe lost were found, and with plenty of buffalo meat in camp we were\nthankful.\n\nWe broiled and ate, boiled and ate and ate raw liver, and marrow out of\nthe bones; for be known that men in the condition we were, with severe\nhunger, do not always realize how much they have eaten until they\neat too much. So it was with us. When we were through with the meal,\nwe prepared to \"jerk\" the remainder of the beef, but before that was\ndone my three companions were attacked with vomiting and purging; then\nfollowed chills and cramps, and for about four or five hours it seemed\nthey might all die. I could not say which would go first, and the\nprevious night's experience was reiterated. I confess that I had been\nguilty of as much folly and unreason as they, but being more robust\nthan the others, I could endure more than they; but I had the very same\nkind of an attack as they did, before the journey was over.\n\nWhen morning came, a sicker and a harder looking lot of men seldom\nis seen in the mountains. Yet we must travel, so passed through that\ncanyon out onto an open plain, leaving the creek to the south of us.\nIn the afternoon we came to a smooth clay grade, on which were fresh\nhorse and moccasin tracks, and four large capital letters, in English;\nI think they were N, W, H and E. We concluded they had been marked out\nwith a sharp stick, but not in a manner intelligible to us, so we were\nsuspicious and cautiously pushed on to a place of shelter and rest.\n\nIt was on the 1st day of June that we reached the Middle Ferry on Green\nRiver, Green River County, Utah. There we met with W. I. Appleby,\nprobate judge, Hosea Stout, prosecuting attorney, William Hickman,\nsheriff, Captain Hawley, the ferryman, and his family and some others.\nThey did not have to be told what we most needed, but supplied with\nliberal hand our necessities, for all were aware that the object of\nour mission had been to protect just such as they, and the innocent\nimmigrants, and their property, from not only the raids of the red men,\nbut also from the more wicked and baser white brigands.\n\nWe rested at Green River until the 4th of June, when my fellow\nmissionaries left for Fort Supply. I remained as interpreter, and to\nfill our appointment with Chief Washakie, who was to be at the ferry by\nJuly 15.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XLIII.\n\nENGAGED AS INTERPRETER--CLASS OF PEOPLE AT GREEN RIVER--APPOINTED\nDEPUTY SHERIFF--DROVER THREATENS TO KILL BOATMEN--ARREST ORDERED--RIDE\nINTO THE OUTLAWS' CAMP--BLUFFING THE CAPTAIN--A PERILOUS\nSITUATION--PARLEY WITH DROVERS--COMPROMISE EFFECTED--DEALING WITH\nLAW-BREAKERS--\"BILL\" HICKMAN AS SHERIFF--SWIMMING CATTLE OVER GREEN\nRIVER--A DROVER'S FAILURE--WRITER EMPLOYED TO GET CATTLE OVER--HOW IT\nIS DONE--SECRET OF SUCCESS--ARRIVAL OF WASHAKIE--THE FERRYMAN OFFENDS\nHIM--THE ANGRY INDIAN SWEARS VENGEANCE ON THE WHITE MAN--HIS PARTING\nTHREAT--IN PERIL OF AN INDIAN MASSACRE.\n\nAS I had become a fairly good interpreter, the ferry company proposed\nto pay my board at Green River while I stayed, as there was no one else\nthere who could converse with the Indians. The country was new and\nwild, and while there were some very good people, the road was lined\nwith California immigrants and drovers, many of them of a very rough\nclass, to say the best of them. They would camp a day or two on the\nriver, and drink, gamble and fight; then the traders and rough mountain\nmen, half-caste Indians, French and Spaniards, were numerous; there\nwere also blacksmith and repair shops, whisky saloons, gambling tables,\nand sometimes there would be a perfect jam of wagons and cattle, and\ntwo or three hundred men. There were quarrels and fights, and often\nmen would be shot or stabbed. As the court had been organized only\nabout two months, it was almost impossible for the sheriff or any\nother officer to serve a writ or order of court, unless he had a posse\nto back him. Sometimes the ferryman at the Upper Ferry would be run\noff his post, and a company of mountain men would run the ferry and\ntake the money, and it would require every man that was on the side\nof law and order to back the officer. In this situation I, though a\nmissionary, was summoned to take charge of a posse of men to assist the\nsheriff in making arrests.\n\nOne time there came a man with four thousand head of cattle. He crossed\nthe river, passed down about four miles and camped under a steep sand\nbluff. He had missed a calf, and sent a man back for it. A small\nparty of Indians, passing along that way, had picked up the animal\nand carried it off, supposing that the drovers had abandoned it. The\nman who had been sent for the calf, not finding it, rode up to the\nferry and demanded the animal of the boatmen. These told him they did\nnot have his calf, whereupon he swore at them, called them liars and\nthieves, and threatened to kill them, at the same time leveling his\ndouble-barreled shotgun at them.\n\nJudge Appleby happened to be standing within a few feet of the boatmen,\nand heard the whole conversation. He ordered the sheriff to take the\nman, dead or alive. The sheriff summoned me to his aid, and we started\nat once for the culprit. When we got to within four rods of him he\ncalled out, \"Do you want anything of me, gentlemen?\" The sheriff said,\n\"Yes; I am the sheriff, and you are my prisoner.\" The man being on\nhorseback, defied the sheriff and fled. We fired two shots in the air,\nthinking he would surrender, but he did not, and the sheriff pressed\ninto service the horses of two immigrants near by, and he and I pursued\nthe fugitive, following him about four miles, where we suddenly came\nupon his camp of twenty-four men, armed with double-barrelled shotguns.\n\nThe man having had considerably the start of us, had time to get the\ncamp rallied and ready for action, telling them that two men had shot\nat and were then in hot pursuit of him. We were not aware of his camp\nbeing there until we reached the brow of the bluff; then our only\nchance was to ride boldly down into the camp, which we did, the sheriff\nshouting, \"Hold on, gentlemen! I am the sheriff of this county.\" The\ncaptain of the camp, being a cool-headed and fearless man, said to his\nmen, \"Hold on, boys, wait for the word.\"\n\nThe moment we got into camp we dismounted, and I presume that at least\na dozen guns were leveled at us, their holders being greatly excited,\nand swearing death to us if we dared to lay a finger on the fugitive,\nor on any other person in the camp. The captain, however, said, \"Hold\non, boys! Let's hear what these men have to say.\" Then the sheriff said\nthe man (pointing to the culprit) had committed an offense against the\nlaw, in threatening the lives of the boatmen, and leveling his gun as\nif to carry out the threat, and the sheriff had been ordered by the\njudge to arrest him, but he had defied the officer and fled. \"But,\"\nsaid the captain, \"you shot at him.\" To this the sheriff replied, \"We\ncalled on him to halt, and as he refused to obey, a couple of shots\nwere fired over his head to make him stop, but he did not do so, and we\nfollowed him to your camp. I now demand him of you as his captain.\"\n\nAt this the captain declared that the sheriff had shot at his man and\nhad scared him almost to death. He pointed to the man, who was shaking\nas if he had a treble shock of the ague, and continued that before\nthe sheriff should take him every drop of blood in the camp should be\nshed. The men brawled out, \"Hear! Hear!\" when the sheriff said, \"All\nright, Captain. You may get away with us two, but we have between\nseventy-five and one hundred men just over the hills here, and in less\nthan twenty-four hours we will have you and every man in your camp, and\nyour stock will have to foot the bill.\"\n\nThereupon the captain made response that he would come and answer\nfor his man, but the sheriff could not take him. Thus the matter was\ncompromised subject to the court's approval. The captain promised to be\nat the judge's within two hours, and was there. So the whole matter was\nsettled without bloodshed.\n\nThis incident is only an illustration of what had to be met every few\ndays, in which men would refuse to yield to the law until they had to\ndo so or die, and many were the times that we had to force them down\nwith the revolver, when, if we had not had \"the drop\" on them they\nwould not have yielded. We met men face to face, with deadly weapons,\nand if it had not been for the cunning and the cool head of \"Bill\"\nHickman, as he was commonly called, blood would have been shed more\nthan once when it was avoided. I speak of \"Bill\" Hickman as I found\nhim in the short time I was with him. In his official capacity he was\ncunning, and was always ready to support the law while I was with him\non Green River.\n\nOne day about 10 o'clock a.m., a herd of four hundred head of cattle\ncame up, and the owners ferried their wagons across the river. Then\nthey tried to swim their cattle over but could not do so. I stood by\nand watched their futile efforts until I observed the reason the cattle\nwould not go across. Then I attempted to tell the captain that he could\nnot swim his stock with the sun shining in their faces. The captain\nbeing one of those self-sufficient men often met with, rather snubbed\nme, saying, \"I have handled cattle before today.\" I turned away,\nremarking that he never would get his cattle across in that manner, and\nsaying that I could put every head over at the first attempt.\n\nSome one repeated to the \"boss\" what I had said, and asked him why he\ndid not get that mountaineer to help, as he understood the business\nbetter than anyone else on the river. \"Well,\" he said, \"we will make\nanother try, and if we do not succeed, we will see what he can do.\" The\ntrial was another failure. Then he came to me and said, \"Cap., what\nwill you charge me to swim those cattle, and insure me against loss?\"\nI answered, \"You have wearied your cattle and fooled them so much that\nit will be more trouble now than at first, but if you will drive your\nstock out on that 'bottom' and call your men away from them, I will\nswim them and insure every hoof, for twenty-five cents a head.\" Said\nhe, \"I will do it, for it will cost fifty cents a head to cross them in\nthe boat. So you will take charge of them on the 'bottom?'\"\n\n\"Yes,\" said I, \"so you do not let them scatter too much.\"\n\nThe river was booming, but I knew of a place where the bank was three\nor four feet higher than the water, and where the stream ran swiftly,\nsetting across to where the cattle would reach a gradual slope. I then\nwent to a camp of Indians near by, and hired four of them to assist\nme. They stripped and mounted their ponies with their robes about\nthem. One went between the cattle and the river, so as to lead, and\nthe others circled around the stock and got them all headed toward the\nplace designated for them to take to the water. Then they caused the\ncattle to increase their speed until they were on the gallop, when the\nIndians gave a few yells and shook their robes, the man in the lead\nleaped his horse into the river, and every hoof took to the water,\nand were across safe and sound within thirty minutes from the time\nthey started. The captain paid without objecting, and would have me\ngo over and take supper with him and his family. He said, \"Aside from\nhaving my cattle across safe and sound, I have the worth of my money in\nvaluable experience.\" Next day he was back over the river, and would\ntell of the incident and say to the drovers he met with, \"There is that\nmountaineer. I am ---- if he can't beat any man swimming cattle that I\never saw.\" And others would tell the drovers the same story.\n\nNow, my friendly reader, I will tell you the secret of swimming horses\nand cattle across a river. It is: Find a place (which you always can\ndo) somewhere in the bends of the watercourse, where you can swim\nyour stock from the sun, and where they take to the water the deeper\nthe better, even if you have to make them jump from the banks. The\nswifter the current the better; then they are not so likely to injure\none another in jumping. Again, see that the outcoming place is on\na grade, and the water is shallow. Then have some good swimmer, on\nhorseback, take the lead; push your stock to a lively gait, and success\nis assured. I had charge of swimming ten thousand head of cattle across\nGreen River, in the months of June and July, 1854, and never lost a\nhoof, yet forced hundreds of them over banks eight to ten feet high,\ninto the water. In such case, the water must be deep, or we might have\nsustained damage. I have found, as a rule, that nearly all men who have\nmuch money or property think that they know it all, and are hard to\nconvince. But some of the drovers learned by object lessons, and almost\nall of them thought they could swim their own cattle; and so they could\nhave done, if they had known the correct plan, or had made the effort\nafter sundown or before sunrise.\n\nAbout the time set for his arrival, Washakie, the great Shoshone\nchieftain, came in with seven of his braves, and quietly walked around.\nFirst, he inspected the boat and its fixtures, or tackle; then he\nwent to the brewery, the bakery, store, court room, whisky saloon,\nblacksmith shops, card tables, saw much money changing hands, and\nobserved that money would purchase about anything the white man had.\n\nWhen the chief had had a friendly visit all around, he went to the\noffice of Captain Hawley, the ferryman. There he saw the captain taking\nand handling considerable money, among the precious metal being two\nor three fifty-dollar gold slugs. He asked for one of these, but the\ncaptain laughed at him, and offered him a silver dollar.\n\nThis action offended Washakie, who walked away, and by some means got\nhold of some intoxicants. Then he began to think what was going on\nin the land of his forefathers, and came to me and said: \"This is my\ncountry, and my people's country. My fathers lived here, and drank\nwater from this river, while our ponies grazed on these bottoms. Our\nmothers gathered the dry wood from this land. The buffalo and elk\ncame here to drink water and eat grass; but now they have been killed\nor driven back out of our land. The grass is all eaten off by the\nwhite man's horses and cattle, and the dry wood has been burned; and\nsometimes, when our young men have been hunting, and got tired and\nhungry, they have come to the white man's camp, and have been ordered\nto get out, and they are slapped, or kicked, and called 'd--d Injuns.'\nThen our young men get heap mad, and say that when they have the\nadvantage of the white man, as they have often, they will take revenge\nupon him. Sometimes they have been so abused that they have threatened\nto kill all the white men they meet in our land. But I have always been\na friend to the white man, and have told my people never to moisten our\nland with his blood; and to this day the white man can not show in all\nour country where the Shoshone has killed one of his people, though\nwe can point to many abuses we have patiently suffered from him. Now\nI can see that he only loves himself; he loves his own flesh, and he\ndoes not think of us; he loves heap money; he has a big bag full of it;\nhe got it on my land, and would not give me a little piece. I am mad,\nand you heap my good friend, and I will tell you what I am going to\ndo. Every white man, woman or child, that I find on this side of that\nwater,\" pointing to the river, \"at sunrise tomorrow I will wipe them\nout\" (rubbing his hands together). He went on: \"You heap my friend; you\nstay here all right; you tell them to leave my land. If they are on the\nother side of my water, all right, me no kill them, they go home to\ntheir own country, no come back to my land. Tomorrow morning when the\nsun come up, you see me. My warriors come, heap damn mad, and wipe them\nall out, no one leave.\"\n\n\"Good-by, you tell him, chief, he mad!\" was Washakie's parting\nexclamation, as he mounted his horse and rode away to his camp on the\nBig Sandy, some fifteen miles back from the Green River.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XLIV.\n\nCONSTERNATION AT WASHAKIE'S DECLARATION--PEOPLE HURRY ACROSS THE\nRIVER--THE WRITER IS ASKED TO ATTEMPT A RECONCILIATION--NIGHT TOO DARK\nTO TRAVEL--CHIEF WASHAKIE AND BRAVES APPEAR AT SUNRISE--THE CHIEF\nNOTES THAT THE PEOPLE ARE TERROR-STRICKEN, AND DECIDES THAT HE WILL BE\nTHEIR FRIEND--TROUBLOUS EXPLOITS OF MOUNTAIN MEN--SHERIFF'S PLAN OF\nARREST--HOW THE SCHEME WORKED--DESPERADOES FREED BY THE COURT--CHASING\nAN OFFENDER--SURROUNDED BY HIS ASSOCIATES--COOLNESS AND PLUCK OF THE\nSHERIFF WIN--READY TO RETURN HOME--A TRYING EXPERIENCE.\n\nAS might have been expected, I lost no time in apprising the people\nof the Indian threat, and the white population promptly complied with\nthe order to move; so that by daylight there was little of value\non that side of the river. There was great consternation among the\npeople, and Captain Hawley was quite willing to send a fifty-dollar\nslug to the chief; but it was late in the evening, and no one to go\nbut myself. There was no telling how much liquor there might be in the\nIndian camp, so it was not a pleasant job for either friend or foe to\napproach the savages on such a dark night as that was. Although I had\nWashakie's promise of friendship, I knew that when the Indians were\ndrunk they were not good company, and I did not care to expose myself\nto unnecessary danger.\n\nIndividually I had nothing at stake, but there were others who had\ntheir families and thousands of dollars' worth of property at the\nmercy of the enraged red men. In this crisis, when I was asked if I\nwould take the risk, and what amount I would give my service for, I\nsaid I would undertake to go that night and attempt a reconciliation,\nand charge fifty dollars, if they would provide me with a good horse.\nThat they agreed to do. The night was so dark, however, that it was\nimpossible to get hold of a horse, so we had to move all of value that\ncould be taken across the river. We also made every preparation for\ndefense that was possible during the night.\n\nNext morning, true to his promise, Chief Washakie, with fifteen well\narmed men, came up, just at sunrise. I went out to meet him, and found\nhim perfectly sober and friendly, as also his men. The chief rode up\nand glanced at the desolate appearance of everything, and saw that\nthe women and children were greatly frightened. His companions sat on\ntheir horses and looked across the river. Finally the noble chief said,\nreferring to those who had left their homes. \"Tell them to come back.\nWe will not hurt them. We will be good friends.\"\n\nThus ended the big scare, and the people returned. But there was\nanother stir to come; for in a few days the ferryman from the Upper\nFerry, ten miles above the Middle Ferry, told Judge Appleby that a\nparty of rough mountaineers had driven him off, threatening his life\nif he did not leave immediately. They had taken charge of the ferry,\nand were running it and pocketing the money. There were twenty-eight\nof them, determined \"cut-throats,\" a part of the desperado band I have\nreferred to before. The judge ordered the sheriff to summon every\navailable man, and go at once and ascertain who the leaders were,\nthen arrest them and bring them before the court. There were only\nfourteen men obtainable for the posse, and this number included the\nferryman. The sheriff delegated me to take charge of the posse and\ngo up on the east side of the river, ahead of him and the ferryman,\nwho would come up on the west side some time after, so as not to\ncreate any unnecessary suspicion. He instructed us to be sociable with\nthe outlaws, treat and be treated, and join in any game that might\nbe engaged in. Said he, \"We will get them drunk and divided among\nthemselves, and then I think we can manage them.\"\n\nThe plan was laid, and every man being well armed, we set out on our\nhazardous mission. We had with us one man who could drink an enormous\namount of whisky and yet not get drunk, for he would turn around and\nput his ringer down his throat and vomit up the liquor before it would\naffect him much. He said, \"Boys, I can make a dozen of them drunk,\nand keep straight myself.\" He was asked how he would go about it, and\nreplied, \"Well, I will offer to drink more whisky than any man on the\nriver, and we will drink by measure; then I will slip out and throw\nit up. To hide the trick you must push me out of doors roughly, as if\nmad. At other times jam me up in a corner, so I can throw up. Thus I\nwill have half of them so drunk that anyone of you can handle half a\ndozen of them at once.\" His statement of his ability to drink and empty\nhis stomach of it being corroborated, he was assigned that part of the\nstrategy. Then another man, who had been a soldier in the Mexican war,\nsaid, \"Well, if you will get them drunk, I will win the money from\ntheir own party to buy the whisky, for I know just how to do it.\" He\nwas given that part, for whisky was fifty cents a drink.\n\nWhen we had perfected arrangements as far as possible, we rode up,\ndismounting as if we had just happened to call and knew nothing of the\ntrouble. Each man took his part, and played it well. To our surprise,\nwe found their leader, L. B. Ryan, apparently in a drunken stupor; he\nwas the same person I had met in the Shoshone Indian camp, five or six\nweeks before. As he and the sheriff had been on good terms, they drank\ntogether and appeared to be quite friendly; but the ferryman and one of\nthe band of outlaws got into a fight, and revolvers and bowie knives\nwere drawn. Twenty-five or thirty of the mountain men, with deadly\nweapons flourishing, rushed into the saloon in front of which the fight\nbegan. One man slashed the other with a knife, and one of them fired\ntwo shots, but some bystander knocked the weapon up, so it did no harm.\nThe prompt action of the sheriff and his supports, together with the\naid of a number of immigrants, stopped the row. If it had not been for\nthat, a dozen men might have been slain in as many minutes. Some of the\nmen were of the most desperate character, and swore and made terrible\nthreats of what they would do.\n\nAt last the combatants drank together, while a number of others got so\nintoxicated they could scarcely stand alone. Then the sheriff called\nRyan to one side and quietly arrested him, placing him under ten\nthousand dollars bonds for his appearance in court on a certain date.\nThe ferryman and some of the more moderate of the outlaws compromised\ntheir difficulties, and business settled down to a normal condition. We\nwent back to the Middle Ferry, and the sheriff made his returns on the\nofficial papers.\n\nAt the time appointed for Ryan to appear in court, he was there,\nwith seven young, well-armed warriors and a number of his band, who\nsauntered around the court room. Ryan was so desperate and so well\nsupported by his clique that the court was glad to let him down and out\nas easily as possible; for it was evident that the court must do that\nor die. So Ryan and his gang returned to their haunts more triumphant\nthan otherwise.\n\nSo we had to deal with desperate men every day or two, and it was\nseldom indeed that we could effect an arrest without a determined show\nof arms. Yet, we were not compelled to use them. The offenders must\nsee that we had them, and had the nerve to use them, before they would\nyield. In one instance I was ordered by the sheriff to take a man who\nhad broken from the officer. The man was running, and I followed,\nrevolver in hand. As the fugitive ran, he drew his weapon and wheeled\naround. I was so near as to place my revolver uncomfortably close to\nhis face before he could raise his weapon. He saw at once that I had\nthe \"drop\" on him, as we used to say, and delivered his revolver to\nme. The next moment the sheriff and posse had their backs together and\nweapons raised, while twenty-four armed men appeared on the scene and\ndemanded the man. But when they looked into the muzzles of fourteen\nColt's revolvers with bright, shining, waterproof caps exposed, and the\nsheriff called out in a firm and decisive voice, \"I am the sheriff of\nGreen River County, and have a writ for this man,\" they paused, though\nsome of them swore the officers could not take the man from camp, and\nadvanced in a threatening manner. Then the sheriff commanded, \"Halt!\nThe first man that advances another step, or raises his weapon, is a\ndead man. Stand! I, as sheriff, give you fair warning.\" At that some of\nthe more cautious said, \"Hold on, boys! We must not oppose an officer,\"\nand all concluded they must give up the man and submit to the law for\nthat time. The offense of the accused was shooting the ferryman's dog,\nwhile the latter was eating something under the table, and while the\nferryman's wife and daughter were standing at the table washing dishes;\nand when the ferryman remonstrated at such conduct, threatening to\nshoot him. Ultimately the matter was compromised, the culprit and his\nfriends paying the costs.\n\nOn the 7th of July, I began preparations to return to Fort Supply, as\nmy real missionary labors seemed to have come to an end in that part,\nand I was glad of it. From May 13 to July 8, 1854, had been one of the\nmost hazardous, soul-trying, disagreeable experiences of my life, for\nthe short period it occupied. I have written a very brief synopsis\nof it in the foregoing account; for it might seem impossible to the\nperson of ordinary experience for so many thrilling incidents as I had\nwitnessed to happen in so short a time.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XLV.\n\nGO TO FORT SUPPLY--START BACK TO GREEN RIVER AND MEET O. P. ROCKWELL\nAT FORT BRIDGER--HE BRINGS ME A TRADER'S LICENSE, ALSO GOODS TO TRADE\nTO THE INDIANS--BEING LATE IN THE SEASON, WE STORE THE GOODS, AND GO\nTO SALT LAKE CITY--RECEIVE THE APPROVAL OF GOVERNOR YOUNG--MOVE TO\nOGDEN--ACCOMPANY GOVERNOR YOUNG AS INTERPRETER--MY HORSE STOLEN--CALLED\nON A MISSION TO THE SHOSHONES--ON GOING TO SALT LAKE CITY, I AM\nRELEASED--ORDERED TO TAKE PART IN DISARMING INDIANS AT OGDEN--A\nDIFFICULT JOB--CHASE TO MOUND FORT--HAND-TO-HAND STRUGGLE WITH A\nPOWERFUL SAVAGE--INDIANS DISARMED, BUT SULLEN--CHIEF'S BROTHER OFFERS\nALL HIS POSSESSIONS FOR HIS GUN--PRECAUTIONS TAKEN TO FEED THE INDIANS\nTHAT WINTER--TEACH THE INDIAN LANGUAGE IN SCHOOL--PROSPER IN BUSINESS.\n\nON July 9, I started for Fort Supply, arriving there on the 11th, where\nI found all well. On the 14th I began a journey back to Green River,\nbut met Porter Rockwell at Fort Bridger. He had a license from Governor\nBrigham Young for me to trade with the Indians; also some two or three\nthousand dollars' worth of Indian goods for me to market. At that time\nthere was no opportunity to trade, as the Indians had disposed of their\nrobes, pelts and furs for the season, so we sent the goods to Fort\nSupply and had them stored there.\n\nI accompanied Rockwell to Salt Lake City, arriving there on July 19. We\nreported conditions to the governor, who received us very kindly, and\napproved of what we had done. On August 15 I went to Ogden City and on\nthe 28th accompanied Governor Young, as interpreter, to Chief Catalos'\ncamp of Shoshones, four miles north of Ogden. This large camp of\nIndians had some grievances to settle, and particularly desired to ask\nfavors and get a better understanding with the white men through their\nbig chief. The Indians claimed that they were friendly to the whites,\nand wanted the latter to be friendly to them; they also wished to have\ntrade brought to them. The governor gave them a liberal present of\nassorted Indian goods, talked friendship, and told them he would leave\nother goods with me to trade. He also advised them to be good people,\nand to live at peace with all men, for we had the same great Father.\nGovernor Young told them it would be good for them to settle down like\nthe white man, and learn of him how to cultivate the land as he did,\nso that when the game was all gone they could live and have something\nto eat and to feed their families on. The Indians said this was \"heap\ngood talk,\" and their hearts felt good; so we parted with them in the\nbest of feelings, notwithstanding that some of their bad Indians had\nstolen my only horse from where I had picketed him on the bottoms. I\ndid not learn the facts in the case in time to get redress, and all the\nconsolation I could obtain was that the thief did not know it was my\nanimal--\"heap no good Indian steal your horse.\"\n\nI returned to Ogden City, and there continued to trade with the Indians\nas they came, until October 10, on which date I received a letter\nfrom Elder Orson Hyde, stating that Governor Young wished me to go on\na mission among the Shoshones that winter. I answered the call, but\nwhen I got to Salt Lake City, on the way, it had been learned that the\nIndians had gone out so far into the buffalo country that it was not\nadvisable for me to follow them; so I returned to Ogden and continued\nto visit and trade with the Indians, and got up my winter's wood.\n\nOn November 20 Wm. Hickman, L. B. Ryan and D. Huntington came up from\nSalt Lake City with an order to Major Moore and the citizens of Weber\nCounty to disarm Chief Little Soldier and his band of Indians, and\ndistribute them among the families in Weber County where the people\nwere best able to feed and clothe them for the winter, and set them\nto work; for they had become very troublesome to the citizens of that\ncounty, by killing cattle, burning fences, and intimidating isolated\nfamilies. On the 30th the major called on me to go with his party to\nthe Indian camp at West Weber. I did so, and with considerable talking\nwe got the Indians to accompany us to Ogden City. Still, they felt very\nwarlike and stubborn, being unwilling to give up their arms.\n\nIn the midst of the parley, the three men from Salt Lake City returned\nto that place, and the Indians were allowed to go with their arms\nacross the Ogden River and camp among the willows near Mound Fort. On\nDecember 1st we went after them, finding them so hostile that we had\nto make a show of arms before they would submit to our proposition of\ndistributing them among the whites, but when we brought a squad of\narmed men they very reluctantly and sullenly complied, so we marched\nthem back to Ogden City, to a location on Main Street, near where the\nold tithing office stood. Almost every man that had side arms was\ncalled to mingle among the Indians, so that each man could command a\nwarrior by disarming him by force if he refused to surrender his arms\nat the command of the major, which command I was required to repeat\nin the Indian dialect. At the word, each man was to take hold of an\nIndian's gun, and I was to tell the aborigines to surrender; but there\nwas not a man who obeyed the order, for what reason I do not know. I\nthen went through the crowd of Indians and took every weapon with my\nown hands. The white men took them from me, and they were stored in the\ntithing office, a guard being placed over them.\n\nJust then a young Indian was observed on horseback, going northward\nas fast as his horse could carry him. Some one said, \"There goes that\nIndian boy to warn a camp over by Bingham Fort!\" Major Moore had one of\nthe fastest animals in the county; he ordered me to \"take her and beat\nthe boy into camp, or run her to death. Don't spare horseflesh. Call\nout the citizens and disarm every Indian you find.\"\n\nI obeyed the order, and found a small party of Indians camped in the\ncenter of what was called Bingham Fort. Just as the Indian boy reached\nthe camp, I entered the east gate of the square, and rode to the west\ngate, shouting to the people, \"To arms! To arms! Turn out, every man,\nand help to disarm the Indians!\" Men turned out quickly and surrounded\nthe camp. I succeeded in reaching the west gate just in time to wheel\nand grab a big Ute's gun as he was trying to pass me. He held to it\nfirmly, and both struggled with a death-like grip. We looked each other\nsquarely in the eyes, with a determined expression. At last his eyes\ndropped, and his gun was in my possession. He was full of wrath and a\ndesire for vengeance. I found him to be one of the strongest men I had\never grappled with anywhere.\n\nI next turned to the camp and disarmed all the Indians in it, placed\ntheir weapons under guard and sent them to Ogden, then vainly tried\nto talk the red men into reconciliation. I next returned to Ogden,\nand there found the whites and Indians on the streets, the latter as\ndiscontented as ever. The major and I tried to pacify them, but they\nwere very stubborn and sullen. At last the chief's brother said, \"Here\nare my wife, my children, my horses and everything that I have. Take\nit all and keep it, only give me back my gun and let me go free. I\nwill cast all the rest away. There is my child,\" pointing to a little\nthree-year-old, \"take it.\" The little innocent held up its hands and\ncried for the father to take it, but he frowned and looked at it as\nwith a feeling of disgust, saying, \"Go away. You are not mine, for I\nhave thrown you away, and will not have you any more.\"\n\nThis spirit was but a reflex of that which animated the whole band;\n\"for,\" said they, \"we are only squaws now. We cannot hunt or defend our\nfamilies. We are not anybody now.\" But finally, though very sullenly,\nthey went home with the whites and pitched their tents in the back\nyards. To us it did seem hard to have them feel so bad, but they had no\nmeans of support for the winter, the citizens could not afford to have\ntheir stock killed off and their fences burned, and it was the better\npolicy to feed the Indians and have them under control. They could husk\ncorn, chop wood, help do chores, and be more comfortable than if left\nto roam; but for all that, they were deprived of that broad liberty to\nwhich they and their fathers before them had been accustomed, therefore\nthey felt it most keenly. As I was the only white man who could talk\nmuch with them, I was kept pretty busy laboring with them.\n\nIn the evening of December 3rd the Indians had a letter from Governor\nYoung. I read and interpreted it to them. Then for the first time they\nseemed reconciled to their situation. Their chief was filled with the\nspirit of approval of the course that had been taken with them, and he\npreached it long and strong. After that, the Indians and the citizens\ngot along very well together, and I continued teaching and preaching to\nthe former.\n\nDecember 5th I took up school and taught the Indian language, or rather\nthe Shoshone dialect. I had about thirty male adults attending. Brother\nGeorge W. Hill, who afterwards became the noted Shoshone interpreter in\nWeber County, was one of them.\n\nI was very much prospered that winter, purchased a city lot and quarter\nof another on Main Street, fenced the lot, closed my trading with the\nIndians, and settled with D. H. Wells for the goods I had had.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XLVI.\n\nANOTHER MISSION TO THE INDIANS--START FOR THE SHOSHONE\nCAMP--DIFFICULTIES OF TRAVEL--NEAR THE CROWS AND BLACKFEET--A DREAM\nGIVES WARNING OF DANGER--DISCOVER A LARGE BODY OF INDIANS--NO\nOPPORTUNITY OF ESCAPE--RIDE INTO THE CAMP OF A HUNTING AND WAR\nPARTY--MEET CHIEF WASHAKIE--A DAY'S MARCH--SITUATION CRITICAL--HOLD A\nCOUNCIL--PRESENT THE BOOK OF MORMON--ALL BUT WASHAKIE SPEAK AGAINST US\nAND THE BOOK--AWAITING THE CHIEF'S DECISION.\n\nAT a general conference held in Salt Lake City, April 6, 1855, I was\nagain called to go east among the Indians, to labor with and for them.\nI was appointed by President Brigham Young to take the presidency of\nthe mission among the Shoshones. At this call I hastened to provide\nas comfortably as possible for my family, and to fit myself for the\nmission assigned me.\n\nI set out on May 8, 1855, in company with four other Elders, going\neast via Salt Lake City. I drove one of the two teams, to pay for the\nhauling of my baggage, as I had no team of my own. On the 10th we\nreached Salt Lake City, and left the same day. On the 11th we overtook\nanother wagon and two of our fellow-missionaries. We arrived at Fort\nSupply on the 17th, having had a pleasant trip. We found seven Elders\nplanting the crop. On the 18th we joined them in the work of plowing\nand seeding, and repairing the stockade and fences. On the 29th, eight\nof us fitted up a four-horse team and wagon and six saddle horses\nand started for the Shoshone camps, which we had heard were on the\nheadwaters of either the Green or the Snake River. On June 1st we came\nto a tributary of the Green River, called the Fontenelle. There we\nrested one day, then moved camp up to the mouth of the canyon.\n\nOn the 3rd of June, E. B. Ward, Joshua Terry and I crossed over the\ndivide between the Green and Snake Rivers, leaving Elder George W.\nBoyd in charge of camp. The three of us went along the western slope,\npassing one lodge of friendly Indians. On the 5th we came to Siveadus'\ncamp of twenty lodges. He and his people were very cool towards us,\nso we proceeded to a stream called Piney, and up that to the top of\nthe divide, from where we could see to the head waters of the Wind\nRiver. Having been told that Washakie and his camp were somewhere on\nthe headwaters of Horse Creek, we made for that point, traveling over\nsnowdrifts that we supposed were fifty feet deep. The descent was very\nsteep, and in some places rather dangerous. That night our coffee\nbasins, that were left standing half or two-thirds full of water, had\nbecome frozen solid; and the weather seemed seasonable for Christmas.\n\nWe suffered much with cold until 10 o'clock a.m., on the 7th of June.\nWe turned northeast, and came onto Horse Creek, camping just below\nits mouth, under a high, steep bluff, in a fine grove of cottonwoods.\nEverything seemed deathly still. We were in the borders of the Crow\nand Blackfeet Indians' country, with jaded horses, so that if we were\ndiscovered it would be impossible to escape. We began to feel a little\nconcern for our scalps, for we were aware that both the Crows and the\nBlackfeet were hostile. We gathered our wood, taking care that no\nbranch or anything connected with our fire would make much blaze or\nsmoke, lest by it we should be discovered. Everything being placed in\nthe best possible position for flight or fight, as might seem best if\nemergency should arise, we rested there that night; and something told\nus we should not go farther north, but that south should be our course\nin the morning.\n\nEarly the following morning, about 3 o'clock, I dreamed that I saw a\nlarge band of Indians come down and pitch camp on the creek above us.\nI was so forcibly impressed that I awoke the other two men, and told\nthem I felt confident that the dream was true, and that we would prove\nit at daylight. They agreed with me, so I told them to make as dark a\nfire as was possible, and to get breakfast, while I would go on the\nhigh bluff that overlooked camp and the country adjacent, where I would\nwatch everything that moved, and if there were friends or foes in the\ncountry we would see them or their lights before they should see ours.\nWe all arose at once, the others preparing the meal and saddling the\nhorses ready for a hasty move, while I went up on the bluff and there\nkept a sharp lookout until the dawn. At the first streaks of daylight I\nsaw a blue smoke creeping up through the willows, perhaps a mile and a\nhalf above me, then another and another, until it was plain there was\na camp of Indians just where I had dreamed they were. Soon the tops of\nlodges appeared, then a band of ponies was driven up. By this time it\nwas fairly daylight.\n\nI reported to the others what I had seen, and we took breakfast. By the\ntime the sun cast his earliest rays over the landscape, we were in the\nsaddle. Then came the question, what shall we do? To flee was folly,\nfor it was not likely that we would escape the ever vigilant eye of\nthe red man, in an open country like that was. We decided to ride out\nboldly on the open bench, and go straight to their camp. No sooner had\nwe done so than we were discovered, and some twenty or more warriors\nstarted to encircle us, but we rode direct for the camp without showing\nany concern.\n\nSoon we were completely surrounded by a score of armed warriors in full\ncostume of war paint; as these closed in their circle, they saluted us\nwith a war-whoop. Some had \"green\" scalps hanging from their bridle\nbits, while others had them suspended from their surcingles. As the\nwarriors drew nearer to us it became evident that they were of the\nShoshone tribe, but we could not recognize any one of them, and they\ndid not appear to recognize us. When we spoke to them and offered to\nshake hands, they shook their heads and pointed us to the camp, while\nthey proudly escorted us there, some going before us and clearing the\nway up to the lodge of Washakie, their chief, who, with some of his\nleading men, stood waiting to receive us. As we rode up, Washakie and\nhis associates stepped forward, and in a very friendly manner shook\nhands. By gestures they said, \"We are moving camp, and you will go\nand camp with us tonight. Then we will hear what you have to say.\nWe fell in with a war party of Crows and Blackfeet yesterday, and\ndefeated them, and now we are fleeing to a safe place for our women\nand children, lest they get reinforcements and come upon us and our\nfamilies;\" then with a motion, the chief said, \"Forward,\" and soon the\nwhole band was on the move.\n\nWe estimated that the Indians numbered about three thousand all told,\nand there was a pony for every soul; they were well supplied with\nrifles, Colt's revolvers, bows, arrows, shields and some cutlasses,\nand large, heavy knives. They were excellently mounted, and their\ndiscipline could not well be improved for the country they were\npassing over and the force they were most likely to fall in with.\nTheir flanking party was so arranged as to act as a front guard, and\nat the same time drive all the game into a circle and thence into a\nsecond circle, so that everything, down to the smallest chipmunk and\nsquirrel, was bagged. This was over a strip of country about eight\nmiles by thirty; and the pack of sagehens and squirrels that was\nbrought into camp was astonishing. The old and middle-aged men formed\nthe rear guard, while the whole female portion of the camp drove the\npack animals. The chief and his most confidential advisers rode just in\nfront of these, and we were called to be a part of the escort.\n\nWhen all was on the move, the camp made quite a formidable appearance.\nIt looked to us as if the shrubbery on our way had changed suddenly\ninto a moving army, what with people and ponies all moving up hill and\ndown, over the rolling country, to the south, between the high Snake\nand Wind River ranges of the great Rocky Mountains. We thought of\nancient Israel, of the Ten Tribes coming from the north country, and of\nthe promises that had been made to the Indians by the prophets of their\nforefathers.\n\nTo us this was a great day of thought and meditation, for at times it\nseemed to us that we could see the opening glories of a better day, and\ncould almost declare, \"Now is the dawn of the day of Israel,\" for we\nhad a letter from that modern Moses, President Brigham Young, to read\nand interpret to the red men, and also the Book of Mormon to introduce\nto them that very evening, for the first time; and the question\nuppermost in our minds was as to whether they would receive it or not,\nfor there were many hard looking countenances in the throng, and we\ncould see plainly from their frowns that they were not at all friendly\nto us.\n\nWhen we had traveled till about 3 o'clock p.m., camp was made in\na lovely valley. The chief's lodge was first pitched, clean robes\nspread, and we were invited to take seats thereon. Our horses, packs\nand all, were taken charge of by the women of the camp, just where we\ndismounted, and we had no more to do with our animals until we had use\nfor them next day.\n\nA little fire having been built in the center of the lodge, the\ncouncilors began to file into their places, each very quietly shaking\nhands with us, some of them very coldly. When all was quiet, the chief\nsaid, by gesture, \"Now tell us what you have to say. Tell it straight,\nand no crooked talk, for we do not want any lies, but the truth.\" It\nseemed to us that they were ready for square work, so, with as few\nwords as possible, we told Washakie we had a letter from the big Mormon\ncaptain to him and his people. Then he said, \"Tell us what it says,\"\nand between the three of us we could tell him every word.\n\nI am sorry that I have not at hand the full text of the letter, but\nit was a very friendly document, and, so far as I can now remember,\ntold them that President Young had sent us to Washakie and his people\nas their friends, that we were truthful and good men, who would tell\nthem many good things about how to live in peace with all people;\nthat President Young and the Mormon people were true friends to the\nIndian race, and wished them to be our friends, that we might live in\npeace with each other, for it would not be many years before all the\ngame would be killed off or driven out of the country, and the white\nmen would want to come and settle in the land; that if the Indians\nwould settle down and build houses like the white man, and cultivate\nthe land as the white man did, when the game was gone they and their\nfamilies would have something to eat. President Young proposed to\nfurnish seed and tools, and some good men to show and help the Indians\nto put in their crops. The letter further said that after a while,\nwhen we understood each other better, we would tell them about their\nforefathers, and about God; that we had a book that told a great many\nthings regarding the Great Spirit's dealings with their forefathers,\nand what He would do for them and their children. Then we presented the\nBook of Mormon to Washakie, while his lefthand man filled the pipe and\ndrew a rude figure of the sun, in the ashes of the smouldering fire;\nhe also muttered a few unintelligible words, smote his chest with his\nhand, took a whiff or two from the pipe, passed it to the next man on\nhis left, and reached for the book; he opened it and said it was no\ngood for them--that it was only good for the white man.\n\nIn that same order the pipe and book passed around the circle\ntwenty-one times, and each time the Indian made a new figure in the\nashes, each representing a different planet. During the whole time only\none man spoke at once. One said, \"This book is of no use to us. If the\nMormon captain has nothing better to send than this, we had better send\nit, his letter, and these men, back to him, and tell him that they\nare no good to us, that we want powder, lead and caps, sugar, coffee,\nflour, paints, knives, and blankets, for those we can use. Send these\nmen away to their own land.\"\n\nAnother of the council, when it came to his turn, said, \"We have no use\nfor this book. If the paper were all cut out and thrown away, we could\nsew up the ends and put a strap on it, and it would do for the white\nman's money bag; but we have no use for it, for we have no money to\nput in it.\" He could not understand what good it was to the Shoshone,\nand said, \"Let the white man take it and go home, and come back with\nsomething that we can eat, or use to hunt with.\"\n\nThese were the sentiments expressed by the members of the council. But\nWashakie had not yet spoken, and we anxiously awaited his decision.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XLVII.\n\nWASHAKIE'S BOLD ATTITUDE--TELLS HIS COUNCILORS THEY ARE FOOLS--SAYS\nTHE WHITE MEN, WHO ARE WISE, HAVE BOOKS--TELLS THE TRADITION OF\nHOW THE INDIANS FELL INTO DARKNESS--GREAT SPIRIT ANGRY AT THE RED\nMAN--ADVOCATES THAT THE INDIANS LIVE LIKE WHITE PEOPLE--HIS POWERFUL\nSPEECH GAINS THE DAY FOR US--SHOSHONE TRADITION--WE START HOME--A\nHUNGRY TRIP--RETURN TO THE INDIANS, FINDING THEM SULLEN--FOURTH OF JULY\nCELEBRATION AT FORT SUPPLY--RETURN HOME.\n\nTHE book passed around the entire circle without a solitary friend,\nand came back to our hands. The chief reached for it, and when he got\nhold of the volume he looked at and opened it, turned leaf after leaf\nas readily as though he had been accustomed to books, then straightened\nto his full height as he sat there, and looked around the circle. \"Are\nyou all done talking?\" he asked. Seeing every man with his hand on his\nmouth, he spoke: \"You are all fools; you are blind, and cannot see;\nyou have no ears, for you do not hear; you are fools, for you do not\nunderstand. These men are our friends. The great Mormon captain has\ntalked with our Father above the clouds, and He told the Mormon captain\nto send these good men here to tell us the truth, and not a lie. They\nhave not got forked tongues. They talk straight, with one tongue, and\ntell us that after a few more snows the buffalo will be gone, and if\nwe do not learn some other way to get something to eat, we will starve\nto death. Now, we know that is the truth, for this country was once\ncovered with buffalo, elk, deer and antelope, and we had plenty to eat,\nand also robes for bedding, and to make lodges. But now, since the\nwhite man has made a road across our land, and has killed off our game,\nwe are hungry, and there is nothing for us eat. Our women and children\ncry for food, and we have no meat to give them. The time was when our\nFather who lives above the clouds loved our fathers who lived long ago,\nand His face was bright, and He talked with our fathers. His face shone\nupon them, and their skins were white like the white man's. Then they\nwere wise, and wrote books, and the Great Father talked good to them\nbut after a while our people would not hear Him, and they quarreled and\nstole and fought, until the Great Father got mad, because His children\nwould not hear Him talk. Then He turned His face away from them, and\nHis back to them and that caused a shade to come over them, and that\nis why our skin is black and our minds dark.\" Stripping up his shirt\nsleeve, he continued: \"That darkness came because the Great Father's\nback was towards us, and now we cannot see as the white man sees. We\ncan make a bow and arrows, but the white man's mind is strong and\nlight.\" Picking up a Colt's revolver, he went on: \"The white man can\nmake this, and a little thing that he carries in his pocket, so that\nhe can tell where the sun is on a dark day and when it is night he can\ntell when it will come daylight. This is because the face of the Father\nis towards him, and His back is towards us. But after a while the Great\nFather will quit being mad, and will turn His face towards us. Then\nour skin will be light.\" Here the chief showed his bare arm again, and\nsaid: \"Then our mind will be strong like the white man's, and we can\nmake and use things like he does.\"\n\nThe chief next drew a strong contrast between the Indian's way of\nliving and the white man's, telling his people that the mode of the\nwhite man was far preferable to that of the Indian. He also told them\nthat the Great Father had directed \"the big Mormon captain to send\nthese men to us to talk good talk, and they have talked good, and made\nour hearts feel very glad, and we feel that it is good for them to come\nand shake hands. They are our friends, and we will be their friends.\nTheir horses may drink our water, and eat our grass, and they may sleep\nin peace in our land. We will build houses by their houses, and they\nwill teach us to till the soil as they do. Then, when the snow comes\nand the game is fat, we can leave our families by the Mormons, and go\nand hunt, and not be afraid of our families being disturbed by other\nIndians, or by anybody else, for the Mormons are a good people. Let\nthese three good men go, and find a good place for us to live, close\nby where they live; and after a while we will come, and they will show\nus how to build houses, for they are our good and true friends, and\nwe wish they would go home, and bring some blankets, powder and lead,\nknives, paints, beads, flour, sugar and coffee, to trade for our furs,\npelts and robes.\"\n\nWashakie spoke thus with great power and wisdom, while his wise old\ncouncilors sat with their heads bowed, and their hands over their\nmouths, only grunting assent to the strong points of his powerful\nspeech, of which this account is only a brief synopsis.\n\nNo vote was taken, but seemingly every man gave his assent to the\nchief's decision, by a grunt of approval. Then each man quietly\nwithdrew, and a kettle of boiled antelope meat was set before us. The\nchief had a separate dish put before him. Then we retired for the night.\n\nThe camp was almost destitute of food, notwithstanding the squirrels\nand sagehens that had been taken the day before. The whole camp was\nhungry, and the last morsel of our provisions was gone, so next\nmorning, June 9th, we left camp, having a very scant breakfast of meat;\nbut we had introduced the Book of Mormon, and had had the pleasure of\nhaving it received favorably by Washakie, the great Shoshone chief, and\nhis council, as the history of their forefathers. The chief said the\nwolves had written that book when they were men, but had since been\nturned into wolves; that being an ancient tradition among the Shoshones.\n\nWe rode hard all day the day that we left the Shoshone camp, and at\nsundown camped by a mountain leek spring, without a bite to eat. Nor\nhad we had anything to eat at dinner time; so we made our supper of\nmountain leeks. Next morning, the 10th, we had leeks for breakfast,\nand at sunrise we were in the saddle, and on our way back to where we\nhad left the other brethren. I was on the lead, with a double-barreled\nshotgun before me. We had not gone very far before a blue mountain\npheasant flew up from under my horse's head, and lit in the trail a few\nyards in front. I shot it so quickly that I never thought of my horse\nbeing frightened. Another man jumped from his saddle, and had the bird\nskinned before the blood had stopped flowing, while the other built a\nfire. The pheasant was broiled and eaten before the animal heat could\nhave gone out of it, if it had been left where it was shot. Then we\ntraveled all that our horses could bear until 3 o'clock p.m., when we\ncame to a flock of sagehens. As I was still on the lead, I shot three\nof them before the rest fled. We broiled one of them, and soon devoured\nit, as we had the other bird, then continued our journey till evening.\n\nAs we traveled along by a small stream of water, I saw a fish about\neighteen inches long, and almost as quick as thought shot at and\nstunned it, so that it turned up at the top of the water long enough\nfor an Indian boy who was traveling with us to shoot an arrow through\nit. With the arrow sticking through it, the fish shot up to where the\ncreek widened out, and I, thinking the water only knee-deep, plunged in\nup to my hips. I caught the fish, we broiled it for supper, and ate it\nas we had done the birds and leeks--without salt or pepper.\n\nOn the 11th we had a bird for breakfast, and traveled till afternoon,\ncounting that we had journeyed about one hundred and twenty-five miles,\nand reached our camp, where we found all well. The boys soon spread\na white man's meal before us, and each of us did our part without a\ngrumble. Then we made a short drive, and on the 12th pushed forward on\nour way to Fort Supply, reaching that place on the 14th. We found all\nwell, and in good spirits.\n\nJune 15th we loaded two wagons with a large assortment of Indian goods,\nas we had agreed to meet the Indians with the merchandise, in twenty\ndays, on the Labarg, a tributary of Green River. On the 20th we reached\nthat stream and as there were no Indians there I sent Joshua Terry, E.\nBarney Ward, and my cousin James M. Brown, to inform the red men that\nwe were on time as agreed. It seemed that after we left them they had\nquarreled and divided into three parties, and came very near righting\namong themselves. They were therefore very different in spirit to when\nwe left them. At last they began to come and lodge in three distinct\ncamps around our wagons.\n\nOn the 28th, all the Indians were very sullen and did not seem to be\nthe same people they were a few days before. Knowing something of their\nnature, we turned out about seventy-five dollars' worth of provisions\nand other goods as a present. Still that did not seem to satisfy them;\nthey wanted all we had. Finally I told them that we had done as we had\nagreed to do, and if they wished to trade we were ready. They continued\nto manifest a very mean spirit, and we were not able to sell more than\nfive hundred dollars' worth of goods out of a stock of three thousand\ndollars.\n\nOn June 30th we left three of our party with the Indians, while the\nrest of us returned to Fort Supply with our stock of goods. The\nIndians felt very bad because we had not given them all we had. It was\nJuly 4th when we arrived at the fort, and found the brethren there\ncelebrating the glorious Independence Day. I was quite ill, but the\nbrethren insisted on my taking the lead of the ceremonies. That being\nmy birthday, I accepted the offer, and we had a very enjoyable time.\n\nFrom July 5th to the 18th we continued our farm labors. Then E. B. Ward\nand three or four other men, including myself, set out on a little\nexploring trip among the hills. We crossed over to Henry's Fork, then\nreturned to Smith's Fork, where we selected a place for the Indians\nto settle when they saw fit. Having thus completed our obligations to\nthem, we returned to the fort, and continued our labors until August\n1st, when we had a recruit of twelve men sent to us, under command of\nJohn Phelps. About August 3rd or 4th I rebaptized all the Elders, and\nbaptized three of the first Shoshone women that ever came into the\nChurch. Their names were Mary, Sally Ward, and Corger. I also baptized\na young Indian man named Corsetsy. From the 5th to the 7th, the Indians\ncame and went, attended our meetings regularly, and felt very friendly\nand somewhat inquisitive. We gave them a few presents. They said\nthey were well pleased to have us locate in their country, and were\nsatisfied with the places we had selected for them to settle and live\nupon as we did. On the 7th of August, Joshua Terry and I started for\nSalt Lake City, each with an ox team and two wagons loaded with furs,\npelts and robes. We arrived in the city on the 11th, and reported our\nsuccess to Governor Young, who was pleased with our efforts. We also\nsettled for the goods we had had of him.\n\nOn the 13th I started for Ogden City, and reached there the next day,\nmeeting my wife and firstborn child, a daughter, who was born August\n10th.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XLVIII.\n\nAFFAIRS AT HOME--START FOR FORT SUPPLY--ILLNESS OF MYSELF AND\nFAMILY--GIFT OF HEALING--TROUBLE WITH INDIANS AT FORT SUPPLY--TURBULENT\nRED MEN--I HELP ONE OFF MY BED--THEY PERSIST IN TAKING OR DESTROYING\nOUR PROPERTY--WE STOP THEM--ONE ATTEMPTS TO KILL ME--INDIANS\nRETIRE FROM THE FORT--ALMOST A CONFLICT--I CHECK THE WHITE MEN\nFROM SHOOTING--INDIANS WITHDRAW--WE SEND TO GOVERNOR YOUNG FOR\nASSISTANCE--OUR STOCK AND GUARDS DRIVEN IN--INDIAN AGENT APPEARS WITH\nANNUITIES--THE SAVAGES SUBMIT--WE GUARD DAY AND NIGHT--INDIANS MORE\nPEACEFUL--REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVE FROM THE GOVERNOR--MATTERS QUIET DOWN.\n\nAUGUST 14, 1855, I went to Salt Lake City, and on September 3rd\nreturned home. On the 5th my family were taken sick with cholera morbus.\n\nNotwithstanding this sickness, I started on my return to Fort Supply,\nfor it was the faith of myself and family that if I went to my mission\nthey would be healed. Just as I mounted my horse to start out, my\nuncle, Captain James Brown, came along and said, \"Jimmie, are you going\noff and leaving your family sick?\"\n\nI told him, \"Yes, sir.\"\n\nSaid he, \"You are cold-hearted, and I would not do it.\"\n\nWhen I told him that they with me believed that if I would go to my\nmissionary labors they would be healed sooner than if I should neglect\nmy duties in that line, he, with uplifted hands, said, \"Jim, you're\nright. Go ahead, and God bless you. Your family shall be healed,\nand not suffer. I will go in and pray for them.\" He did so, and I\nafterwards learned that they were healed the same hour that I proceeded\non my journey. I did not see them again till December 20th, when they\ntold me that they had not been sick one day after I left.\n\nAlthough when I started out I was very ill myself with the same\ntrouble, and had to call at a friend's and get a dose of painkiller,\nand take a rest for an hour or two before I could proceed on my way to\nSalt Lake City, yet on the 13th I started for Fort Supply, and overtook\nthe two wagons which had preceded me the day before. I travelled with\nthem until the 17th, then left them and went on horseback forty-five\nmiles to the fort. I was very sick for five days, so that I had to keep\nmy bed part of the time. I found all well and the wheat harvest ready\nfor the laborers, a heavy frost having injured the crops considerably.\nOn Friday, September 28th, I sent four men to invite Washakie to the\nfort, and on the 29th we learned that Chief Tibunduets (white man's\nchild) had just returned with his band from Salt Lake City. October 1st\nI sent Isaac Bullock and Amenzo Baker to visit him. They found him and\nall of his band feeling very bad and revengeful.\n\nOctober 10th Tibunduets and his band threw down our fencing and came\ncharging up through our field, riding over wheat shocks, and singing\nwar songs. At the same time the warriors from a camp above came into\nthe fort with their weapons in their hands. Our men tried to be\nfriendly and talked peace to them, but it was not what they wanted.\nThey said they were \"heap mad,\" for when they were in Salt Lake City\nthe big Mormon captain had written with blood on their children, and\na number of these had died while they were among the Mormons. These\nIndians refused the seats offered them, but jumped on the beds and\nbehaved very saucily, saying they wanted pay for the death of their\nchildren who had died on the Mormon lands. Of course, we could not\nafford to give presents of that kind, and their demands were rejected.\n\nThree of the hostile Indians went to my room, and one engaging me in\nconversation, the other two jumped on my bed and stretched themselves\nfull length on it. My cousin James M. Brown called my attention to\ntheir rude actions, and I turned around and told them to get off my\nbed, but they answered with a contemptuous laugh. I told them a second\ntime, and they sneered again. I stepped to the side of the bed and told\nthem the third time, and as they refused, I jerked one of them off the\nbed so quickly that it surprised him, and the other one thought he\npreferred to get off without that kind of help, and did so quickly.\n\nTibunduets made heavy demands on us, which we could not comply with. We\ntold him that we were not prepared to do his bidding, and he replied,\n\"You're a wolf and a liar, and you will steal.\" Then the Indians turned\ntheir horses into our fields among our shocks of wheat and oats, while\ntheir women went to digging and sacking our potatoes, the Indians\nthrowing down our fences in many places and ordering our men out of the\nfields. They told us to leave their lands, and continued their insults\nuntil I sent some men out to order their women out of the potato\npatch. The squaws only laughed at our men, who returned and reported\nthe results. Then I went out myself, and as I passed a brush fence, I\ncaught up a piece of brush and started towards the potato diggers, who\nscreamed and ran away before I got near enough to use the stick.\n\nI returned to the house and soon was followed by two young braves, who\nrode up in front of the door and called for the captain. I answered\nin person, when the braves said, \"You heap fight squaw, you no fight\nInjun.\" They continued their insulting words and threats of violence,\nuntil at last I ordered them out of the fort, upon which one of them\ndrew his bow and pointed his arrow at me, within three feet of my\nbreast. At that one of my men pushed the horse's head between me and\nthe arrow. At the same time Amenzo Baker handed me a Colt's revolver,\nand another man covered the Indian with a revolver.\n\nAt that movement the Indians started for the big gate, and as there was\nquite a number of warriors inside the fort I called my men out with\ntheir guns, for the Indians seemed determined on bloodshed. They rushed\noutside, and the white men followed them to where a young chief sat\non his horse, just outside of the gate. There must have been a signal\ngiven to the camp above, for the warriors came running with their\nrifles in hand, until seventy-five to one hundred warriors were on the\nground, while there were only about forty white men. Everybody wanted\nto say something, and in the confusion that followed some ten or twelve\nmen leveled their guns to shoot, being in such close quarters that they\nstruck each other as they brought their weapons into position.\n\nAt that moment I sprang under the guns and held some of them up, and\nforbade the men to shoot. This act seemed to please the young chief,\nand he commanded his men to desist. I ordered my men back and into\ntheir bastions, and to bar the gate. This done, I took a position in\nthe watchtower, where I talked with their chief through a porthole, and\ntold him that we were in a position to do them harm, but did not wish\nto do so, yet they must withdraw in peace and not molest our property,\nfor we should defend it and ourselves to the best of our ability. I\nsaid that if they would withdraw peacefully we would not interfere with\nthem, but to that they would not agree. After considerable parleying,\nhowever, they did withdraw to their camp among the cottonwood timber\nand willows on the creek, and built large fires, around which they\ndanced and sang war songs the greater part of the night, while we made\nevery possible preparation for defense.\n\nAs captain of the fort, I wrote a despatch to the governor and\nsuperintendent of Indian affairs, stating the facts. Then we covered\nwith blankets a slab bridge that had to be crossed near the gates, to\ndeaden the sound of the horse's feet as he went out, and a clever young\nman by the name of Benjamin Roberts speeded away with the note to Salt\nLake City.\n\nOn the 11th all was quiet. A few Indian lodges remained near our fort,\nand the women and children were around them as usual, so Isaac Bullock\nand I went down to learn what the situation was. We found some of them\nfriendly, while others were very sulky. The main part of the Indian\ncamp had gone down the creek, and we thought it safe to turn our stock\nout under a mounted guard, with one man in the watchtower to keep a\nlookout. About 2 p.m. the man at the watchtower sounded an alarm,\nsaying he saw a great dust in the north; and a few minutes later he\nshouted that a large body of horsemen was in sight, coming rapidly from\nthe north, while our horse guards were coming with our band of horses,\nhastening with all speed to the fort. Immediately every man was called\nto take a position for prompt action. I occupied a commanding place,\ngiving instructions to the men not to shoot without my order, and then\nnot unless they felt sure of making every shot tell. They were told to\nsee that every tube was filled with powder, \"for here they come,\" said\nI; \"keep cool boys, for it is a close race with our men and horses.\"\n\nIt was a question of which would reach the fort first, they or the\nIndians. The race was so close that the guards with our band just\nsucceeded in getting in with the animals in time to close the gates\nagainst the Indian ponies, whose riders called out, \"Open the gates!\"\nThey were answered with a positive \"No! not until you give up your\narms.\" They had three mountain men in their party of over one hundred\nwarriors, who shouted that they would be responsible if we would let\nthem in, for the Indian agent, George Armstrong, was a short distance\nin the rear, with two wagons loaded with goods for the Indians.\n\nAs I had not been advised of the agent's approach from any other\nsource, I still refused them admittance. Soon the agent's wagons were\nin sight, and some of his party came up and told the Indians they would\nhave to give up their arms before they could enter the fort, for the\ncaptain was determined not to allow them in with their arms. At last\nthey submitted, and the gate was opened just wide enough for one man to\npass through. I stepped outside, the Indians handed their arms to me, I\npassed them to the other men, and they placed them on a part of a wagon\nsheet. Then the weapons were bound up strongly and taken away and put\nin my room, and a guard placed over them. The Indians were then told\nthat they could enter the fort and pass directly into the blockhouse,\nbut would not be permitted to wander around in the fort.\n\nAbout this time the agent's wagons rolled up and were hastily unloaded.\nThen a friendly smoke took place, and a short council, in which the\nIndians agreed that they would withdraw in peace and go to their\nhunting grounds, and would not molest us any more. They said we might\nremain on their lands let our stock eat grass and drink water in peace;\nthat we might cultivate the lands and use what timber we wanted, and\nthat they would be our friends, and we their friends. The goods the\nagent had for the Indians were then turned over to them.\n\nOn the 13th the red men brought in a report that the Sioux Indians\nhad killed one of Jack Robinson's beeves. This they did to screen\nthemselves, for it was they and not the Sioux who had killed the\nanimal. The agent gave them a beef ox, and they moved down the creek.\nOn the 14th the agent and party returned home, and we kept up a guard\nday and night to prevent being surprised by the renegades of the Indian\ncamps; for we had evidence of their treachery. We had given them back\ntheir arms, and when they obtained all we had for them they said the\nwhite man was \"heap good, Shoshone no kay nabatint Mormon.\" (Shoshones\ndo not want to fight Mormons.) They packed and left, feeling quite\npleased.\n\nGeneral R. T. Burton with a party of twenty-five men were met at Fort\nBridger on the 16th, by myself and a small party. On the 17th I went\nwith them to Fort Supply, while they concluded to send out a scout\nto ascertain whether the Indians really had crossed the Green River\nor not, thinking that if they did we could be satisfied that all was\nright. When our scouts returned and reported that all had crossed the\nriver and gone farther on, General Burton and command returned home,\nwhile myself and men did up our fall work at Fort Supply.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XLIX.\n\nSTART HOME FROM FORT SUPPLY--CAMP ALONE AT NEEDLE ROCK--AWAKENED BY\nMY HORSE--SURROUNDED BY WOLVES--FLASH POWDER ALL NIGHT TO KEEP OFF THE\nWILD BEASTS--REACH HOME--SUPPLIES SHORT--HARDSHIPS OF A GRASSHOPPER\nYEAR--GETTING MY CATTLE OUT OF A CANYON--PERILS OF BEING CAUGHT IN THE\nSNOW--GREAT SUFFERING--BREAKING A SNOW ROAD--BUSINESS AFFAIRS.\n\nTHE writer left Fort Supply December 14, 1855, and started for his home\nin Ogden City on horseback and alone, having placed Isaac Bullock in\ncharge of affairs at the fort. The first night out I camped at a place\ncalled Needle Rock, just east of Yellow Creek. There I selected a spot\nwhere the feed was good, picketed out my horse, set my saddle over the\npicket pin, and spread my blankets so as to lay my head on the saddle,\nlest the coyotes should cut my riata and turn loose the horse.\n\nAs I was alone and yet in an Indian country, I did not make a fire, but\nate a cold lunch, rolled up in my blankets, and soon dropped to sleep,\nto be awakened by my horse snorting and kicking. The animal brushed his\nnose on my head before I was sufficiently awake to understand what he\nmeant by his actions; but no sooner was I aroused than I found that he\nwas surrounded by a pack of large, grey wolves which were growling and\nsnapping at his heels and at each other. The night was so dark that I\ncould plainly see the fierce eyes of my ravenous enemies shining in the\ndarkness all around me.\n\nI had a good Colt's revolver, but having heard that if wolves smelled\nblood when they were gathered in such a pack they would attack man\nor beast, I reserved my fire. I remembered having heard that these\nwild beasts were afraid of the flash and smell of burning powder, so\nI spread some gunpowder on the leathers of my saddle, and with flint\nand steel struck fire, and in that way flashed powder by intervals all\nnight. The wolves would run off, but return in a short time, as if\ndetermined to have flesh. My horse was too weak to attempt to flee,\nand as for myself I had become so chilled and benumbed that it was\nwith some difficulty that I could keep up the flashes till daylight,\nat which time the pack of wolves went away, leaving horse and rider\nto resume their sufficiently hazardous journey without such unwelcome\ncompany.\n\nI crossed over to the head of Echo Canyon, where I found a yoke of oxen\nthat some emigrants had left to die. As the animals had got rested\nup, I thought I could drive them in and save their lives, but had to\nabandon them in Round Valley, Weber Canyon. Then, on a poor, jaded\nhorse, I pursued my way, arriving at home about 9 p.m. on December 20th.\n\n[IMAGE: SURROUNDED BY A PACK OF HUNGRY WOLVES]\n\nI found all well, but winter supplies of food so short that I sold the\nonly respectable suit of clothes I had for breadstuff. I had about worn\nout all the rest of my clothing when I was in the Indian country, so\nthat I had but one old flannel shirt left, and that I had made out of\ntwo old ones. I had one pair of buckskin pants, a rough beaver cap and\na pair of moccasins.\n\nIt will be remembered by the early residents of Utah that the year\n1855 was a grasshopper year, as well as a season of great drought, and\ntherefore one of the hardest years that many of the people had ever\nexperienced, both for man and beast. Hundreds of horses and cattle\nstarved to death, and many of the people barely escaped the same sad\nfate. I could do no better than to let my horses go out on the range to\ndie of starvation and cold, and turn my hand to anything I could get to\ndo to earn an honest dollar.\n\nSoon after arriving home I was called to devote a portion of my time in\ntraveling from settlement to settlement, and preaching to the people;\nalso in visiting the Indian camps along the Weber River and preaching\nand talking to them, for it was a terrible winter for the Indians.\nBefore entering upon these duties, however, I returned to where I had\nleft my cattle to rest for a few days, and where the feed was tolerably\ngood. When I started out it commenced to storm and by the time I\nreached the cattle the snow was eighteen inches deep.\n\nBefore I could get out of the canyon with the animals the snow was two\nand a half feet deep. My horse gave out, and I had to travel on foot,\nbreaking the trail and leading the horse a few rods, then going back\nand driving up the cattle. I continued these efforts until myself and\nstock were exhausted. When I tried to start a fire, my matches were\nall wet. I had left my rifle and shotpouch at home, and in the pouch\nwere my faithful flint and steel, which had never failed me. But for\nthe snow, the night was total darkness. At last I reached a clump of\ncottonwood trees, and for a time I thought I would die of exhaustion\nand thirst. I knew that if I ceased to exert myself I would chill to\ndeath. Finally it occurred to my mind to tear off a piece of my shirt,\nroll it up, hold it in one hand, and with my revolver shoot through it\nand start a fire. I found a large sagebrush, and from it gathered the\ndry bark. This I wrapped around the roll of shirt, then fired a shot\nthrough it, and in that way succeeded in starting a flame. As there\nwas plenty of wood handy, I built and kept up a large fire during the\nnight. The river banks were so steep that it was impossible in the\ndarkness to get water to drink. I was driven almost frantic by thirst,\nbut finally thought to take off my heavy leggings, place them in a\nposition so that they would form a kind of basin, and cover them with\nsnow, so the fire would melt it to water in the leather bowl. In that\nway I obtained water and quenched my terrible thirst. My blankets and\neverything I had on had been soaked thoroughly with the melting snow,\nbut I succeeded in drying all during the night.\n\nThe dawn of day was welcome indeed, but my troubles were not yet over,\nfor I found my animals standing in snow to their necks, and they would\nnot move out of their tracks only as I broke an opening around and\nurged them on. The snow was so wet and heavy that it was an awful task\nto break a road and get those animals through for the first five miles.\nAfter that the snow was not so deep, and with a very great effort and\nhazard of life I succeeded in reaching Ogden, as thankful as I ever was\nin my life to get home--to \"home, sweet home.\"\n\nBeing once more with my family and friends, I got up my winter wood\nand visited the people as a teacher. In the spring I finished a\ntwo-roomed house that I had under way on Main Street. I then moved\ninto it, preparatory to going to Fort Supply again, but was honorably\nreleased by President Young from further missionary labors in that\npart. I rented land, put in corn and potatoes, and spent the fore part\nof the summer at farm labor. Having acquired a fourth interest in\nthree ferries on Green River, I arranged with my three partners, Isaac\nBullock, Louis Robinson and W. Hickman, so that I did not have to go\nthere, as my health was not very good; hence I remained at Ogden.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER L.\n\nCALLED ON A MISSION TO DEEP CREEK INDIANS--SHORT TIME FOR THE\nJOURNEY--PREPARE FOR THE TRIP--JOURNEY IN THE DESERT--HORSES\nSTOLEN--TRAVEL ON FOOT--SAVED FROM PERISHING WITH THIRST--MEET THE\nINDIANS--COULD UNDERSTAND AND SPEAK TO THEM--INDIAN AGENT'S OFFER--I\nACT AS INTERPRETER--PREACH TO THE INDIANS--ON THE RETURN TRIP--VISIT\nGOVERNOR YOUNG WITH A DELEGATION OF BANNOCK INDIANS.\n\nON August 22, 1856, I received a letter from President Young, calling\nme to take a mission of thirty days, west across the desert, to Deep\nCreek, to the Indians in that region. As I did not understand fully\nthe object of the mission, I thought there was some mistake in the\nletter, since the distance that had to be traveled out and back would\nbe about five hundred miles and I was to preach to a tribe of Indians\nI had never seen, much less being able to speak their dialect, and do\nit all with only thirty days' rations. To me it was, to say the least,\na singular call; so I went to Salt Lake City August 23rd, to find out\nthat the letter meant just what it said, no less; only that Geo. W.\nArmstrong, an Indian agent from Provo, was going out to distribute some\ngoods among the Indians, and it would be a good time to send a few\nmissionaries to preach to the red men.\n\nFrom Salt Lake City I returned to Ogden and purchased a splendid mare\nof widow Ruth Stuart, on credit, promising to pay when I could. On the\n27th I joined Mr. Armstrong and twenty-five other men in Salt Lake\nCity, fitting up for the journey, some as guards to the agent and some\nas missionaries. Among those I remember were Seth M. Blair, Oliver\nHuntington, Ormus Bates, John Whitney, J. Cooley, Harrison Sagers,\nHarrison Sevier, and Peter Conover; there were others whose names I do\nnot now recall.\n\nThe company left the city on August 29th, and traveled through Tooele,\nRush Valley, and over Johnson's Pass into Skull Valley. With five\nothers of the party, however, I went around by what is now called\nDugway, and met the rest of the company at the springs in Skull Valley.\n\nOn September 2nd, we reached Granite Rock, sometimes called Granite\nMountain, as it stands out in the midst of the desert. There the\ncompany camped at some alkali springs, where, with cup and bucket, it\ntook all night to dip water for the stock. Next morning we found that\nthe Indians had stolen all the team horses, eight head, so the agent\ncalled on the men to volunteer their saddle horses to take his wagons\nacross the desert. Among the rest, I let my horse go, and eight of us\nset out on foot to cross the desert, while some went after the stolen\nstock. Other horsemen pushed across to water, and the teams brought up\nthe rear.\n\nThe route was brushy and rocky, in some places there was heavy sand, in\nother parts stiff alkali mud, and much of the time without a sign of a\nroad. The writer was taken very sick with a severe bowel complaint and\nwas compelled to turn to one side, so I fell behind my fellow footmen.\nThe teams lagged in the sand and mud till long after dark. I became so\nweak and faint that I could not travel any longer, and I laid down on\nthe damp ground, so tired and thirsty that it seemed impossible for me\nto live until morning without relief. When I had laid down for some\ntime, I heard my bunkmate, Doc. Woodward, shout that he had found water\nand filled his canteen, and was coming back hunting the missed and\nneedy one. When he got near enough for me to answer him, I did so, and\nwith a drink I was somewhat revived. I was helped on my friend's horse,\nand we proceeded on for about five miles to camp and water. One of the\nparty gave me a brandy toddy, spread my blankets, and I turned in, a\nvery grateful sufferer. I was given a cup of coffee, after which I felt\nvery much relieved, and by morning was ready to resume the journey, the\nwagons having come up about 11 p.m. Next morning, September 4th, we\nmoved up five or six miles, to what was called Fish Springs. There we\nfound a number of Indians, and the party pitched camp for a few days.\n\nWhen the animals had been cared for and fires built, the Indians\ngathered around in considerable numbers. As they were talking among\nthemselves, the writer understood and commenced to speak with them\nin their own dialect, at which they were surprised and said one to\nanother, \"Who is this man, that talks our talk? He has never been in\nour country before.\" I was no less astonished myself; and I call the\nreader's attention now to the peculiar feature of a man being called\nto fit himself out with provisions to last him thirty days, travel out\nin the desert two hundred and fifty or three hundred miles, and preach\nto a tribe of Indians in whose country he had never been and whom he\nhad never seen before. Yet when the agent's interpreters failed to get\nthe Indians to understand, the agent asked if I could talk with them. I\ntold him I had never seen these Indians before that hour, \"but,\" said\nI, \"I understand them, and you see they understand me.\" \"Yes,\" said\nthe agent, but I do not see how it is that you can talk with them. I\nhave two men employed as interpreters, but they cannot make the Indians\nunderstand. Now if you can make them comprehend what I wish to tell\nthem, I will pay you three dollars per day from the time that you left\nhome until you return there.\"\n\n\"I do not know whether I can do your talking or not,\" was my response\nto this proposition. \"I came here to preach to this people, and I have\npower given me to do it in their own tongue. But I do not know whether\nI will be permitted to speak for you or not; if I am, I will talk for\nyou.\" \"All right,\" said Mr. Armstrong, \"have them form a circle in\nfront of my wagons, and tell them who I am, and what the great father\nat Washington has sent me here for; that I have brought them clothing\nand blankets as a present from the great father at Washington, and that\nhe expects them to be good people and live in peace with each other,\nand also with other people, and if they will do so the great father\nwill send good men to bring more goods to them.\"\n\nWhen I told them what the agent wanted, they at once formed a circle as\ndesired, to the satisfaction of all present. Then the agent distributed\nthe goods, to the great pleasure of the Indians. He talked very kindly\nto them and gave them much good advice. I interpreted what he said, and\nthen continued to preach to them, telling them about the Book of Mormon\nand their forefathers, and many other things of interest to them. I\nseemed to have perfect liberty of speech as I desired it, in their\ndialect, and they listened attentively to all I had to say.\n\nThe next day Seth M. Blair, Peter Conover, Ormus Bates and myself and\nfour or five other men that belonged to the missionary part of the\ncamp, employed an Indian guide to travel south around the head of Deep\nCreek, to see what natural advantages there were for settlements, but\nwe failed to find anything inviting until we came to Deep Creek, where\nthe country seemed quite suitable for stock raising. About the 11th of\nSeptember the party returned to the agent's camp, where we again met\nwith many of the Indians, who wished us to stop and live with them as\ntheir friends, adding, \"If you will not stop with us, then tell the big\nMormon captain to send some good Mormon men that will tell the truth\nand show us how to make clothes like the white man.\"\n\nIt was the next day, I think, that the party started back to Salt Lake\nCity, the agent having secured his team horses. We traveled north of\nGranite Rock, and around the point of the mountain to the lake, thence\nalong the shore to Grantsville. We tarried one day with Mr. Cooley, and\npartook of the hospitality of himself and family.\n\nAfter our visit to the Deep Creek Indians, some of them claimed to have\nreceived dreams and visions, in which heavenly messengers appeared and\ntold them to go into Tooele and call on the Bishops, who would tell\nthem what to do, and for them to obey the Bishops. Accordingly, scores\nof them went to Grantsville and related their story, when they were\ntold to believe in Christ and repent and be baptized. Many of them\nobeyed this advice, and then a missionary was sent out and located\namong them.\n\nWith our one day's rest at Grantsville, the party continued on to Salt\nLake City, where Mr. Armstrong paid me ninety dollars in cash for my\nservices as interpreter. I returned home and paid the ninety dollars\non the mare I had purchased on credit for the mission. My labors as\na missionary, however, were still called for, and I visited all the\nsettlements in Weber County, also the Indian camps, and acted as a\npresiding teacher in Ogden City, often being called to arbitrate\ndifferences between the white people and Indians. About that time Snag,\nthe Bannock Indian chief, and twelve of his prominent men called on me\nto accompany them to Salt Lake City to see President Brigham Young on\nsome business. They said they wished a friendly talk, and to tell some\nof their grievances and ask some favors of him. The latter constituted\nthe greater part of their business. I accompanied them to President\nYoung's residence, where he received them kindly, furnishing them with\nnecessary supplies of food and fuel. Next day, after they had had a\nvery friendly talk with the President, he gave orders to the Bishops\nin the northern settlements to supply the Indians' wants as far as\npracticable, as it was cheaper to feed than to fight them. Then after\nall the complaints of the Bannocks had been satisfactorily adjusted, we\nleft, they for their homes in the north near Fort Hall, the writer for\nOgden, where I continued my labors.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LI.\n\nUTAH MILITIA ORGANIZED--ELECTED CAPTAIN OF A COMPANY--HEAR OF\nJOHNSTON'S ARMY--SCOUTING PARTY SENT OUT--I AM CHOSEN AS GUIDE--TRAVEL\nTO THE BEAR LAKE COUNTRY--COLD NIGHTS AND LITTLE FOOD--COMPLAINT IN THE\nPARTY--PROVE THAT I AM RIGHT--REACH LOST CREEK--SOME OF THE MEN OBJECT\nTO DOUBLE GUARD--A DISCOVERY THAT REMOVES ALL OBJECTIONS--STRIKE THE\nTRAIL OF HORSEMEN--PREPARE FOR ACTION--TAKE A CAMP BY SURPRISE--THE\nMEN ARE FRIENDS--ARRIVE AT OGDEN--CALLED TO GO ON AN IMPORTANT\nERRAND--TUSSLE WITH AN INDIAN--FAIL IN GETTING DESIRED INFORMATION, AND\nRETURN TO OGDEN.\n\nIN the spring of 1857 I rented some land and put in a crop. Soon after\nthis an order came from Governor Young to the Weber County officials\nto organize the militia of the county, which was done. I was elected\ncaptain of the first company of infantry in the Weber militia district.\nThe company consisted of captain, commissioned and non-commissioned\nofficers, and one hundred men of the rank and file. Chauncey W. West,\nthen the Bishop of Weber County, was commissioned general of the\ndistrict. He appointed days for drill, and four companies came together\nin Ogden City for that service.\n\nAt that time we had not learned of threatened danger from any source\nexcept occasional Indian raids; but no sooner had we got properly\norganized and ready for self-defense than news came from the east to\nGovernor Young that an invading army was coming, with hostile threats\nagainst the citizens of Utah.\n\nAs the governor had not been officially notified of the approach of\nUnited States troops, his official oath bound him to repel any invading\nforces. He accordingly sent out scouts to ascertain the movements of\nthe troops referred to, and soon learned that there was a well equipped\narmy of nearly ten thousand men on their way west, with the avowed\npurpose, it was said, of destroying the Mormon Church and people.\n\nSome time in August General West called out twelve or fifteen men as a\nscouting party, to go over in the Bear Lake country, along the emigrant\nroad, and from there to the head of Lost Creek and down the Weber\nRiver. He had heard of a party going up Lost Creek, and over to the\nBear Lake country. General West appointed Major Monroe to take charge\nof the party, of which the writer was called to be one, as I had been\nacquainted with mountain travel and understood the Indian language.\nGeneral West told the major to make no move of importance without\nconsulting me as to the journey.\n\nThe party proceeded to the divide between North Ogden and Ogden\nValley, where we halted and the major privately told me that he was\nnot accustomed to journeys of that kind, and wished me to lead the\nparty through, for I had more experience than he had. I declined the\nresponsibility, but the major said: \"I will be responsible if you will\nlead.\" so I headed out to Blacksmith Fork and thence to Bear Lake, and\naround the east side thereof to the river. We crossed to the California\nroad near the present site of Montpelier, thence back east to the\nroad where Cokeville settlement is now located. As we failed to learn\nanything of importance, we returned back over the river and struck out\nfor the head of Lost Creek, where it was supposed that we would fall in\nwith the scouts from the approaching army.\n\nThe nights began to be cold, and the food supply was getting low. The\nhorses were somewhat jaded, the route very rough, and the most of the\nparty were young and inexperienced. They began to complain and said\nthat nobody had ever traveled in so rough a country as that, and it\nwas all foolishness to be wearing ourselves out in that way. They\nsaid the writer did not know himself where he was going, and I had\nno business to be on the lead, as that was Major Monroe's place. The\nmajor, however, promptly told the party that I was in the proper place.\nFinally I called a halt and told the party that I knew that we were\ngoing just right and had been on a trail all day, but they did not know\nit. They asked, \"Where is your trail?\" and I again told them that we\nwere on it. They laughed at me when I said, \"I can prove it to you, and\neven tell you the color of the horses that have passed this way.\" But\nthey thought me a fool to talk thus, so I told one of the young men to\njump down and remove the leaves from a root of a tree that stood near\nby a steep bank, as it was plain to the practiced eye that an old trail\npassed there, and when the leaves were removed he would find that the\nbark had been bruised at the roots of the tree by the hoofs of passing\nhorses. He found the trail and the bark off the tree roots, as I had\nsaid. I told the men to look on the tree about the height of a pony's\nside, and they would find hair that would tell them the color of the\nponies that had passed there. They found bay and white horses' hair.\nNext I said to them, \"Look on the point of that snag which projects\nover the trail.\" They did so, and found a duplicate of the hair they\nhad found on the tree. Then they said that I could prove anything I\npleased, and they would not dispute with me any more.\n\nThe party passed on down Lost Creek, to a point where the country was\nmore open. When camping time came we turned into a little creek bottom\nand put out the stock. I remarked to the major that I felt as though we\nshould put on a double guard that night. This was more than some of the\nboys thought they could stand. Several said that I would run the party\nto death, but that they would not submit to any extra guard. Others\nsaid there was no use for any guard, for nobody but Brown would ever\nlead a party there; but just then some one hallooed, and we found, on\nlooking, that no one was missing from camp. One said it was a coyote,\nanother that it was an owl. Again the cry was heard distinctly, and no\ndoubt remained of its being a human voice. Then the order was given to\nget up the stock, ready for whatever might come. The horses were soon\npicketed near camp, and every man thought it was proper to put on a\ndouble guard that night, some of the boys remarking that Brown was not\nsuch a fool as they had thought.\n\nThings settled down for the night, and next morning the party started\nout. We had gone less than a mile when we saw fresh horse tracks made\nby shod horses, and the droppings looked so new that I directed a\nyoung man to ascertain if they were warm. The novel way in which the\nyoung man performed that task created some merriment for the moment.\nThen the party continued on a short distance, when we saw a smoke just\nover the creek bank ahead. Every man was ready to obey orders, and all\ndismounted at command and tightened up their saddle girths. Then came\nthe order to see that every tube was filled with dry powder, and each\nman was assigned his position for action.\n\nThe party was instructed not to halt without orders, and not to let\na horse put his head down to drink. If perchance we saw a blanket,\na handkerchief, or any camp equipage, we were to pass it unnoticed;\nif brush or any obstructions were observed, we might be certain that\nall such signs meant ambuscade. We then advanced cautiously and found\nevidence of a party about our own number, lying encamped at the fire.\nWe pressed forward on the trail, and found several bushes lapped across\nit, so that we felt certain we would soon fall in with those ahead,\nwhom we felt sure could be none other than a scouting party from\nJohnston's army. We prepared for the worst, and as we were moving on\ndouble-quick time we saw a man running towards a grove of cottonwood\ntrees, from a point of the mountain. Next we saw the horses of a party\nof scouts, the top of whose tent was soon discovered.\n\nQuickly capturing the horses, we charged on the tent and surrounded it.\ntaking the men by surprise. As they began to file out of their tent,\nour party leveled their rifles and called on them to surrender. Just\nat that moment one of the surprised party recognized one of our men,\nso that we only required them to acknowledge that they were \"dropped\non,\" a phrase used in those times to express the condition. We were not\nlong in ascertaining that the party was a scout from Davis County, in\npursuit of the same reported detachment we had been sent to intercept.\nBut neither of us had seen or heard anything of the party that was\nsupposed to be in the region of country we had been over. Without much\ndelay, our party hastened home to Ogden City, and joined our regiment,\nfinding much excitement and hearing many rumors.\n\nIt seemed that there was no rest for me, for in a day or two General\nWest called on me to visit the camp of James and Ben Simons, who lived\nabout twenty miles up the Weber River. The men named were Cherokee\nIndians who, it was said, were in possession of some important\ninformation which the general wanted to get. He told me to learn what I\ncould from the Simonses, as they were friendly.\n\nWhen I got to the mouth of the canyon I chanced to meet Ben Simons\ncoming from Salt Lake City. It was evident the Indian had been\ndrinking, and as soon as I met him he drew his Colt's revolver and\nsaid, \"Hold on there!\" threatening to kill me if I was Uncle Sam's man.\nI succeeded in riding close alongside of him, grabbed his pistol and\nheld the muzzle away from me. I tried to persuade him not to shoot, for\nwe must be good friends. He yelled again that if I were a Mormon I must\nfight his old uncle or he would kill me. He was a powerful man, and I\nhad all that I could do to keep the pistol turned from me.\n\nFor ten miles I had to tussle with that Indian, and at times thought\nI would have to shoot him in self-defense; but after the most\ndisagreeable and hazardous ten miles' ride of my whole life, we came\nto Gordon Beckstead's ranch. Simons regarded Beckstead as his friend.\nThe latter persuaded the warrior to dismount and have a drink of whisky\nwith him, and let me go my way, for I was a good friend to both of them.\n\nI went to James Simons' camp but failed to get the information desired.\nSimons was very friendly, and said that if he heard anything of\ninterest he would be pleased to let us know it at once. I then returned\nto my regiment, which was ordered into camp the next day. We bivouacked\non the east bench in Ogden City.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LII.\n\nOFF ON ANOTHER SCOUT--AGAIN ON BEAR RIVER--DREAM OF SEEING\nTROOPS--DREAM FULFILLED--SEND WORD BACK OF DISCOVERY--FIVE HUNDRED\nCAVALRYMEN--HEAVY STORM--MY ONLY REMAINING COMPANION TAKEN ILL--HE\nIS HEALED AND I AM STRICKEN DOWN--CAMP IN THE SNOW--MY COMPANION,\nEXPECTING ME TO DIE, PREPARES TO TAKE MY BODY HOME--HE RETURNS,\nPRAYS FOR ME, AND I AM HEALED--STRICKEN DOWN AGAIN--I DIRECT HIM\nTO LEAVE ME AND RETURN HOME--HE OBEYS RELUCTANTLY--I EXPECT TO\nDIE--PECULIAR EXPERIENCES--FOUR YOUNG MEN, SENT BY MY COMRADE,\nCOME TO MY RELIEF--JOURNEY ON--LIGHTING FIRE IN A STORM--THE YOUNG\nMEN PRAY FOR ME, AND I AM RELIEVED--TRAVELING HOMEWARD--KIND\nTREATMENT--REACH OGDEN--ACT AS SEXTON--GUARD OVER SPIES--UTAH MILITIA\nRECALLED--MISSIONARY LABORS IN WEBER COUNTY.\n\nTHE first night in camp at Ogden, General West and his adjutant, D.\nGamble, called at my tent, and told me I was wanted to take charge\nof a scouting party to go over in the Bear Lake country, and start\nby sunrise next morning. They directed me to choose the men I would\nlike to have accompany me, and they should be released to go home and\nprepare. I made a list of five young, active men, who met me next\nmorning at sunrise, having received their orders. We proceeded to the\nemigrant road across the Bear River, about fifteen miles above the\nlake. There we met with some emigrants, but could not learn anything\nfrom them, so we crossed back to the foot hills, and there camped in a\nsecluded place, where we could overlook the emigrant road. Next morning\nat 4 o'clock I awoke from a dream, in which I had seen two hundred and\nfifty cavalrymen come and pitch camp just across the river from where\nwe were; then I saw two hundred and fifty more come and reinforce the\nfirst detachment; I also saw their baggage and artillery wagons. I was\nimpressed so forcibly with the dream that I called my comrades and told\nthem to prepare for a move, while I went up one of the high points\nand watched developments. At daybreak I saw the camp of the first two\nhundred and fifty men, saw them form in line for roll call, and a\nmounted guard drive their horses across the river towards our camp.\n\nThe main object of our scout was to learn if the army or any portion of\nit was coming down Bear River and into Salt Lake Valley from the north,\nand if we saw any troops on that route to communicate the information\nto headquarters at the earliest moment possible, so that our forces\ncould meet them at the best places on the route, and repulse them.\nThat that end might be served I sent two of my men with a dispatch to\nGeneral West, and as soon as the messengers had gone out of call I\nagain went on the hill. Everything was ready to move as developments\nmight indicate, and just as the first party was saddling its horses I\nsaw the second two hundred and fifty come up and join the first party.\nThen the five hundred cavalrymen proceeded down the river, just as I\nhad seen them in my dream. This necessitated a second dispatch and two\nmore of my men, leaving me only one, with whom I followed up the troops\ntill they camped. It rained and snowed alternately all that day and\nnight. My comrade, James Davis, and I went after dark within the lines\nof the troops, but did not learn of their intentions. Davis was taken\nwith something like a congestive chill, and we were forced to retreat\ninto the hills, where we camped for the night. Davis was so bad that I\nworked in the storm all night with him and prayed for him; at last he\nwas healed and we set out on our way home at daylight.\n\nAbout 8 a.m. the writer came down sick, just the same as my friend had\nbeen, only I also suffered with pleurisy in the right side. I could\nride no further, so we camped in the snow, where it was about eight\ninches deep. Snow was still falling as it can only in the mountain\ncountry. Our clothes were wet as could be, and our blankets were in the\nsame condition. The only food we had was the crumbs and dust from some\ncrackers.\n\nDavis succeeded in making a fire, but by that time I had cramped so\nthat I could not speak. Davis, supposing I was dying, started out to a\nquakingasp grove to get some poles to make an Indian litter or drag,\non which he thought to take my body home. As he went he felt he ought\nto have faith and pray for his comrade, as he had been prayed for the\nnight before; so he fell on his knees and prayed, as he afterwards\nsaid, as he never had done before. Then something said to him, \"Go back\nand put your hands on him and pray again, and he will be healed;\" and\nit was even so.\n\nWe then traveled some fifteen miles, when the sun shone. We partly\ndried our blankets by a fire and the sun, and continued our journey\nfor some ten miles, when I had a second attack of illness, which was\nso severe that I thought I had better die alone in the mountains than\nto allow the enemy to gain the advantage in the country. Consequently,\nI told Davis to make my horse fast by the trail and spread my\nblankets, that I might lie down. This done, I directed him not to\nspare horseflesh, but take the news to our friends as soon as it was\npossible. Davis did not want to leave me in that plight, but was urged\nto go. He started reluctantly, and in tears.\n\nFor a time it seemed that I had rendered my last services to family\nand friends, as I lay down by an Indian trail, sixty miles from any\nwhite man's habitation. While I was pondering the situation, a magpie\ncame flying down over me, and said \"quack,\" then alighted on a willow\nnear by, in plain sight. Next came a raven, which gave its \"croak,\" as\nit settled down near me, and it seemed as though it had found prey.\nBeing aware of the habits of these carrion birds, I wrapped my head\nin blankets, to prevent the birds from picking out my eyes, if the\nworst came to me; yet I knew that my body could not be protected from\nthe wild beasts that roamed in the mountains, such as the bear, wolf,\nwolverine, panther or mountain lion, wild cat and lynx, some of which,\nif not all these various kinds, would be tugging at my carcass inside\nof twenty-four hours.\n\nThen the birds circled over me, as if to say, \"We want an eye,\" or\nsome fragment of my body, I felt that my time was nigh, and unless the\nprovidence of God interposed, I would go the way of all the earth before\nthe rising of the sun. I was chilled to the very bone, and cramped so\nthat it was impossible for me to build a fire. It did not seem possible\nfor me to survive until my companion could ride sixty miles and send\nrelief.\n\nWhile I pondered the situation, four young men who had been sent with\nfresh horses and food supplies came up, they having met Davis, who\nsent them on with all speed. I think the eldest of them was not over\nseventeen years old. They soon built a fire and prepared much needed\nrefreshments, and I was greatly benefited by that special providence of\nGod, as it certainly seemed to me to be. While I partook of the food,\nthe young men saddled my horse, rolled up my blankets, and we rode\neight or ten miles that night, and camped while the rain came down in\ntorrents. The boys soon provided me with shelter by sticking willows in\nthe ground and winding the tops together and spreading blankets over,\nso that it afforded a little protection for me, and I was soon wrapped\nin wet blankets.\n\nThe next thing was to start a fire. Every match had got wet, and the\nboys thought it impossible to make a fire, so they asked me what they\nshould do. I told them to get some cotton out of a quilt if they could\nfind a dry spot in it, then put a small priming of powder in a rifle\nand ram down the cotton on the powder; in the next place, go to the\nheaviest topped sagebrush they could find, and carefully reach under\nand strip the dry bark off the main stalk of sagebrush, and in that way\nget a tinder, then come to my shelter and hold the bark loosely over\nthe muzzle of the gun and fire it off. They got a light, but they had\ntoo much powder and it blew the fire out. They tried repeatedly without\nsatisfactory results, and the case was becoming desperate, as darkness\nwas coming on. Two of them got under cover with me, and I finally\nsucceeded in measuring the powder to them. Then they started a flame,\nand as wood was plenty they made a rousing fire.\n\nIn the meantime I took to cramping and suffered so severely that one\nof the boys remarked. \"Brother Brown will die. O what shall we do?\"\nAnother said, \"Let us pray.\" Then one led in prayer, and he prayed\nmightily. As soon as he was through, one said, \"Let us go in and lay\nhands on him,\" and in a moment they all gathered around me, placed\ntheir hands on my head, and prayed from their hearts. The cramping\nceased and never returned as severe as it was before; yet I suffered\ngreatly from the pain in my side. The writer regrets very much that he\ncannot recall the names of those young lads. I believe they were all\nsent from Willard City, Box Elder County. God bless them, whoever they\nare. Their action showed them to be young heroes, with great faith in\nGod; and but for them I would have died that fearful night.\n\nNext morning, the party was up, and off we went down Blacksmith's\nFork Canyon and across to Wellsville, where I was taken in by Bishop\nPeter Maughan and his good wife, who did all they could to relieve my\nsufferings. The Bishop also saw that the boys were well taken care of.\n\nThe following morning Samuel Obray drove up with a light, covered\nwagon, and a good team, and I was helped into the wagon. Sister Maughan\nhad provided a large canteen full of composition tea. She came to the\nwagon, and without thinking of anything else, she placed it partly\nunder the side where I had the pleurisy pain. Then the team started\nfor Brigham City, and before we had gone five miles the pain had\ndisappeared from my side, thanks to the Bishop and Sister Maughan for\ntheir special kindness, and S. Obray. The latter delivered me into the\nhands of Colonel Smith in Brigham City, where I was cared for until\nnext day, and then the colonel forwarded me to my home in Ogden City,\nwhere I recovered after suffering from a severe cold and cough for a\nfew days.\n\nDuring my absence the regiment had gone to Echo Canyon, and there was\nscarcely an able-bodied man to be found in the city. The women and\nchildren were cutting and hauling wood, and doing all the outdoor work\nas best they could. A great deal of sickness was brought on by exposure\nand hardships. At a Sabbath meeting a general vote of thanks was given\nthe writer for his efforts for the general good of the people and his\nself-sacrifice.\n\nAbout this time there was a very worthy young man named Yough, who\ndied, and I was called on to take the part of sexton and bury the\ndeceased, as well as some small children that had died. Meanwhile,\nthere were four prisoners brought in from the north; they were\nsupposed to be spies. I was called on to be one of the guards to take\nthem to Salt Lake City, where they were turned over to the military\nauthorities. Then I returned home, to learn that the troops my scouts\nand I had seen on Bear River were General R. T. Burton's battalion of\nUtah cavalry, which had been sent out to intercept a detachment of\nJohnston's army which had been discovered in that direction, but had\nreturned to the main body, which went into winter quarters at Fort\nBridger. Then the Utah militia was withdrawn from Echo Canyon.\n\nI was next called to take up my missionary labors in Weber County.\nFrom 1856 to 1859 I baptized and rebaptized four hundred persons, and\nvisited with the catechism from house to house. In that work I spent\nthe winter of 1857-8.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LIII.\n\nMORMONS ABANDON THEIR HOMES AND MOVE SOUTH--PREPARE FOR THE WORST--GO\nTO PAYSON--AFFAIRS BEING SETTLED, RETURN TO OGDEN--CALLED TO GO\nEAST AS A MISSIONARY--JOURNEY ACROSS THE PLAINS--MEET MY PARENTS IN\nIOWA--PREACHING AND TRAVELING--MY FATHER'S TESTIMONY--MISSIONARY\nLABORS--CALLED TO MISSOURI--SENT TO BRING A HERD OF CATTLE--RETURN TO\nMY PARENTS' HOME--BID FAREWELL TO THEM--PURCHASING CATTLE.\n\nSOME time in May, 1858, as I remember, an order came from President\nBrigham Young for everybody living north of Utah County to move south\nand leave their homes prepared for burning; for it had been decided\nthat if Johnston's army came in, as it had threatened to do, with\nhostile intentions, the people would lay waste the country and fight\nto the bitter end. I do not remember that there was a dissenting voice\nfrom this determination.\n\nEverybody moved out to the south, myself and family going to Payson,\none hundred miles from Ogden. There we made a camp, and I cut wild hay\nand hauled it for a livelihood, that being the only employment I could\nfind.\n\nIn the latter part of July, when peace had been re-established, I\nreturned home and made hasty preparations for my family for the winter,\nas I had been called by President Brigham Young to accompany General\nHorace S. Eldredge to Florence, Nebraska, with a company consisting\nof twenty men who were going on business and partly as missionaries.\nI belonged to the latter class. I went into the western part of Iowa,\nbeing assigned to that field of labor, while the others went to their\nseveral destinations.\n\nThe company was to have moved out on the 1st of September, so I. A.\nCanfield and I, fitted with a four-mule team and light wagon, were in\nSalt Lake City ready to start at the appointed time; but the rest of\nthe party would not or could not be ready for ten or twelve days, so we\nreturned home and stayed until the 11th. We then went to Salt Lake City\nand waited until the 14th, and, as the party was still tardy, we moved\nout to the top of the Little Mountain, and there camped. From that\nplace we proceeded to the Weber River, where we were overtaken by John\nNeff and Dusten Arna, who were to join the party when it came up. As\ntheir teams were not in the best of plight for the journey, we traveled\ntogether to Ham's Fork, where we stopped on the 19th, and waited for\nthose yet in the rear to come up. About 8 o'clock that evening H. S.\nEldredge, Jos. W. Young and Horton Haight reached our camp.\n\nOn the 20th, the company having got together, proceeded on the way to\nthe Sweetwater. On the 26th we reached the Platte River, where I was\ntaken very sick with hemorrhoids of the bowels. With that exception,\nall moved smoothly. On the 28th we passed Fort Laramie, and my health\nbegan to improve, though I had been brought almost to death's door, and\nthe company was detained one afternoon in consequence. After that I\nimproved, and the company made rapid headway. October 3rd two deserters\nfrom Fort Laramie passed the party. They had stolen two horses and a\nmule from the government, and, as I remember it, made good their escape.\n\nNothing happened out of the ordinary until October 19th, when the\nparty arrived at Florence, Nebraska, on the Missouri River. From that\npoint each went to his field of labor or to his business, as planned\nbeforehand. Canfield and I crossed the river to L. O. Littlefield's, in\nCrescent City, and stayed over night with him and his family, and on\nthe 20th proceeded on our way to Calhoun, Harrison County, Iowa, where\nmy father lived with his family. We were soon overtaken by Clayton Webb\nand B. H. Dennis, my brothers-in-law. I accepted a seat in their buggy\nand they took me to my father's home.\n\nI had not seen father for eleven years. I was an entire stranger to\nevery one of the family, who kept a hotel. I went in and ate with\nstrangers, and did not make myself known until after all the evening\nwork was done. Then after I was satisfied that they had not the\nremotest idea of my identity, I told them who I was. It was some\ntime before they could realize that what I said was true. To them it\nseemed that the dead had come to life, and the long lost had been\nfound, for they had all given up hope of ever seeing me again. It was\nnot difficult for me to recognize my father and mother, but my elder\nbrother and sister were dead, and the younger ones had all grown out of\nmemory.\n\nWhen I had visited with them a few days, I preached several times in\nthe public schoolhouse, and then traveled and preached. On one occasion\nI had a walk and talk with my father alone. We talked of my absence,\nand he said, \"James, I had given up all hopes of ever seeing your face\nagain, but thanks be to God I have that privilege. You always have\nstood up for the faith and have been a man through thick and thin for\nyour religion.\" Then he said, \"Oh that I had the faith that I once had,\nand felt as I have felt! I would be a happy man if I had the spirit\nthat you have, and that I once had.\" He burst into a flood of tears,\nand exclaimed, \"Oh, my God, I am in the dark and I do not know that I\nshall ever feel as I once felt. Then I could divide the last loaf, yes,\nthe last morsel of food that I had with a Mormon. Talk about heaven!\nThe true spirit of Mormonism is heaven. I thank God that you have kept\nthe faith, though you have had a hard time of it.\" Then he added,\n\"James, stick to it and never give it up; for if there is any salvation\nfor me or any of my family it will be through you, for you are the\nJoseph of my family, and I have known it since before you were born.\"\nHe then seemed as humble as a little child, and continued: \"James, be\nfaithful in the work, but as for me or any of my family going to Utah,\nI don't think we will ever go.\"\n\nI told him he could do no better than to go with his entire family and\nrenew their covenants, for the good Spirit was for all who would seek\nit in the proper way. At last father said that he did not know what\nthey should do yet, the weather being wet and cold.\n\nWe returned into the house and I stayed with the family the first\nmonth, preaching in the public schoolhouse every Sabbath. Then my\nbrother Willis and I traveled around from place to place, and preached\neverywhere we found an opportunity, first to Raglan Township, and then\nto the northeast, forty miles into Shelby County. We preached several\ntimes in Garden Grove schoolhouse, and went from there to a small town\ncalled Monteno, thence to Pottawatomie County. We preached to a full\nhall in Council Bluffs City, then went out on Mosquito Creek, in what\nwas called the Garner settlement. Thus we continued to travel and\npreach from place to place and bear our testimonies, as health and\nopportunity permitted.\n\nIn January, 1859, preached my cousin Ira Johnson's funeral sermon; he\nhad been accidentally shot and killed while out with a surveying party\nin that region of country. The same day I baptized six persons and\nconfirmed them; this was at my father's house, and from that time my\nfather seemed quite changed in his feelings. He said it was all that he\ncould do to keep out of the water, and stated that he had never felt\nbetter in his life than he did on that occasion. Said he, \"James, I\nwant you to preach all the time.\"\n\nOn April 7th I received a letter from General Horace S. Eldredge,\nasking me to come down to Platte County, Missouri, and receive one\nhundred and seventy-seven head of work oxen that he had contracted\nfor with Mr. Lampton and Mr. Thompson, cattle merchants. Having also\nreceived the written contract for the cattle, I started on the 8th,\nand on the 9th I took passage on the steamboat _Satan_, which lay\nat the Council Bluffs landing. I paid ten dollars for passage to\nParkville, Platte County, Missouri. The boat called at all important\ntowns and landings. Nothing out of the ordinary happened except that\nwe were driven under a high sandbank in a short bend of the river,\nby a powerful wind storm, and in trying to extricate the boat, the\nside-wheel next the shore threw the water with such force against the\nbank as to cause it to cave in onto the boat, so that the guards and\nwheelhouse were carried away.\n\nI landed at Parkville on April 13th, stopped overnight, and on the 14th\nproceeded eight miles to Mr. Thompson's. On the 15th I went with him\nto his partner in the contract, Mr. Lampton. The men General Eldredge\npromised in his letter on the 15th to send to help drive and care for\nthe cattle, did not arrive until the 27th, when Eldredge came with five\nmen. He furnished money to pay the expenses, and gave instructions,\nthen returned to St. Louis. On the 28th, 29th and 30th, myself and\nparty received and branded one hundred and seventy-seven head of work\noxen and two valuable mules.\n\nWe started for the north on May 1st, traveling through Rochester,\nMarysvale, Lindon and Sydney, keeping from the river and on the high,\nrolling prairies, through what was called the Platte purchase in\nMissouri. We arrived in Council Bluffs on May 15th, and went from\nthere to Florence, Nebraska, where I delivered up the drove of cattle\nand span of mules, on the 16th, to Bishop Frederick Kesler, who was\nGeneral Eldredge's agent. We lost but one head from among the cattle,\nalthough we had an exceedingly stormy and muddy time of it most of the\nway, having to swim several streams that had been swollen by the heavy\nrains, so that the journey was taken with great hardships, and danger\nas well.\n\nI went to my father's home on the 17th, in Calhoun County, Iowa,\nsettled with my father, who was very kind to me and my brother Willis,\nhelping us to two yoke of oxen to cross the plains with. We bade\nfarewell to the parental home and to the family on the 27th. Father\naccompanied us to Council Bluffs and paid our expenses until the 30th,\nwhen we parted with him. We crossed the river at Omaha, and moved up to\nFlorence, where we went into a camp or rendezvous and waited for others\nto come to make a company strong enough to cross the plains.\n\nThe company had its camp some three miles northwest of Florence, where\nGeneral Eldredge, the Church agent, and Elder George Q. Cannon, agent\nfor the European emigration, both called on me to go out into Nebraska\nand also to cross into Iowa and purchase work cattle for them. Each\nfurnished me with five hundred dollars in gold then, and as it was the\ntime that hundreds of gold hunters were returning from Pike's Peak, I\nhad great success in my purchases, spending a thousand dollars some\ndays in the purchase of cattle, buying whole teams as they stood on the\nroad, sometimes wagons, equipage and provisions. I would hire a trusty\nman to drive them up to Florence, and then I would replenish my pockets\nand go on again. For ten days I traveled early and late, and did\nthousands of dollars' worth of business for the Church and emigration.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LIV.\n\nGIVEN CHARGE OF A COMPANY TO CROSS THE PLAINS TO UTAH--COMPOSITION\nOF THE CAMP--START WEST--PERFORM BAPTISMS--MEET A WAR PARTY OF\nSIOUX INDIANS--PLACE WHERE A. W. BABBITT WAS KILLED--MEET MORE\nINDIANS--HOW TROUBLE WAS AVOIDED--CAMP LIFE AND DUTIES--ENTER SALT LAKE\nVALLEY--COMPANY GREETED BY THE CHURCH AUTHORITIES--REPORT TO PRESIDENT\nYOUNG AND AM RELEASED--TRADE AT CAMP FLOYD--EXPERIENCE WITH A THIEF--GO\nTO WORK ON THE OGDEN CANYON ROAD--HARDSHIPS ENDURED.\n\nON Sunday, June 12th, Elders Eldredge and Cannon visited the camp and\nheld meeting, then organized the company, naming James S. Brown for\npresident and captain, the selection being unanimously sustained.\nGeorge L. Farrell was made sergeant of the guard, William Wright\nchaplain, and John Gordon secretary. A captain was appointed over each\nten wagons, namely: first, Wm. Steel; second, W. Williams; third,\nChristopher Funk; fourth, Newbury; fifth, Kent; sixth, Giddens.\nThese names were suggested by Messrs. Eldredge and Cannon, and were\nunanimously sustained by the company of three hundred and fifty-three\nsouls. The outfit consisted of fifty-nine wagons and one hundred and\nfour yoke of oxen, eleven horses, thirty-five cows, and forty-one\nhead of young cattle that were driven loose. We had provisions for\nseventy-five days.\n\nOn June 13th, 1859, the company set out for Salt Lake City, Utah.\nThere were nine different nationalities of people represented, namely;\nEnglish, Irish, Scotch, Welsh, Danish, Swedish, Norwegians and\nIcelanders; we also had some Americans from the Eastern, Middle and\nSouthern States, all mixed together. Many of them had never driven an\nox one mile in their lives, and the result was almost like herding\na train on the plains. If it had not been for G. L. Farrell, James\nHickson, Samuel Garnet and Willis Brown, all excellent ox teamsters,\nbesides some five or six others that were quite handy, we would\ndoubtless have had most destructive stampedes. As it was, the company\ndid not have any serious mishaps. In a few days the train became\nregulated and we had more system and order in travel. For the first\nfive or six days of the journey the stock seemed in danger of being\ndestroyed by flies and mosquitoes, and the people suffered much from\nthe same cause. On the 18th we passed Captain Rowley with the handcart\ncompany.\n\nOn June 19th the camp stopped on the Loup Fork, a tributary of the\nPlatte River. There was a small town there called Columbus. On the 20th\nthe company moved up the river and camped on a small stream, Looking\nGlass Creek. That afternoon I baptized and rebaptized eighty souls,\nand other Elders confirmed them, while some men of the company bridged\nthe stream. On the 21st we proceeded to Genoa Ferry, where we were\njoined by Captain Walding's company of thirty-seven souls and ten more\nwagons, thus increasing my company to three hundred and ninety persons\nand sixty-nine wagons, with cattle and other property in proportion.\nAt that place we chartered the ferry boat from J. Johnston and did the\nwork ourselves. We paid seventy-five cents a wagon, and it took fifteen\nhours' hard labor to cross. The stock all swam safely over, and the\ncompany camped on the west bank. The handcart company came up that\nnight about 10 o'clock. On the 23rd our company proceeded up the river.\n\nWe met with a company of Sioux Indians on the 24th. These formed a\nline of battle across the road ahead of the company, and sent two men\nto meet us. I was traveling in advance of the company, and although\nI had never been among the Sioux Indians in my life for an hour, nor\nhad I ever been where I had an opportunity to study their language, I\nhad not the slightest difficulty in talking to them, or they to me.\nConsequently I learned at once that these Indians were on the war path,\nand were hunting the Omahas and Poncas. They were hungry and said they\nmust have food from the company; so they were told to form a line\nparallel with the road, and to keep one-fourth of a mile back, so as\nnot to stampede the train or frighten the women and children. They were\nallowed to send two men on foot to spread blankets where the company\ncould put such food as we had to share.\n\nMeanwhile I gave orders to the sergeant of the guard, G. L. Farrell,\nand the several captains to draw up in close order, have every teamster\nin his place, and all the women and children in the wagons, and for\neach man to have his gun where he could lay his hand on it without a\nmoment's delay. Each family was to place some food on the blankets by\nthe roadside. Not one team was to stop without orders. The wagons were\nto be corralled as quickly as possible, if they must be, at the first\nsignal from the captain to do so; for the Indians appeared very warlike\nin their paint and feathers.\n\nWhen the red men learned that it was a company of Mormons they had\nmet, they readily complied with the captain's terms, and a number rode\nup and shook hands with him. As the company passed their lines of not\nmore than one hundred and fifty warriors, there came fourteen buffalo\nin sight, quite close, and attention was turned to them so much that\nthe Indians took what the company had placed on their blankets and we\npassed on without further interruption.\n\nIt was about this date that the teamsters had become acquainted with\ntheir teams and the latter acquainted with their drivers, so that\nthings began to work more orderly than before. The camp was called\ntogether every evening for prayers, and for instructions for the next\nday.\n\nAbout the 26th the company started across from the Loup Fork to Wood\nRiver. That night the stock took fright and gave some trouble before\nthey were recovered; but the next morning the company resumed its\njourney, leaving Wood Birdno to pursue two valuable young fillies, one\nhis own and the other belonging to Captain Brown. Mr. Birdno did not\novertake the company till the fifth day.\n\nOne evening the company camped on a tributary of the Platte River,\nwhere Almon W. Babbitt was killed by the Sioux Indians some eighteen\nmonths or two years before. The company crossed the stream and camped\njust opposite where that terrible tragedy occurred, and just as the\ncattle were being unyoked the Sioux Indians flocked into camp, all\nwell-armed warriors. I saw that it was quite possible that they meant\nmischief, as there were no Indian families in sight; so I called to\nthe company to continue their camp duties as if nothing unusual had\nhappened, but for every man to see to his firearms quietly and be ready\nto use them if an emergency should arise. Then I turned to the chief,\nand it being again given to me to talk and understand the Indians, I\nasked what their visit meant, if it was peace that they go with me to\nthe middle of the corral of wagons and smoke the pipe of peace and have\na friendly talk, as myself and people were Mormons and friends to the\nIndians, and that I wished them to be good friends to me and my people.\n\nThe chief readily responded, and called his peace council of smokers\nto the center of the corral, where they seated themselves in a circle.\nI took a seat to the right hand of the chief and then the smoking and\ntalking commenced. The chief assured me that their visit was a friendly\none, and to trade with the emigrants. I inquired of him why, if their\nvisit meant peace, they all came so well armed. He answered that his\npeople had just pitched camp a short distance back in the hills, and\nnot knowing who we were had come down before laying down their arms.\n\nBy this time it seemed that there were about three Indians to one white\nperson in the camp. I told the chief that it was getting too late to\ntrade, my people were all busy in camp duties, and I was going to send\nour stock to where there was good feed for them. It was my custom, I\nsaid, to send armed men to watch over them, and the guards always had\norders to shoot any wild beast that might disturb them, and if anybody\nwere to come among the stock in the night, we thought them to be\nthieves and our enemies. If they attempted to drive off our stock, the\nguards had orders to shoot, and our camp guards also were ordered to\nshoot any thief that might come prowling around camp at night. I said\nthat, as we did not desire to do the Indians any harm, we wished the\nchief and his men to go to their camp, as it was now too late to trade.\nBut in the morning, when the sun shone on our wagon covers, not when it\nshone on the mountain tops in the west, but when it shone on our tents\nand wagon covers, they could leave their arms behind and come down with\ntheir robes, pelts and furs, and we would trade with them as friends;\nbut he was not to allow any of his men to visit our camp or stock at\nnight.\n\nThe chief said that was heap good talk, and ordered his people to\nreturn to their own camp. They promptly obeyed, to the great relief\nof the company, which had been very nervous, as scarcely one of them\nexcept myself had ever witnessed such a sight before.\n\nNext morning, between daylight and sunrise, the Indians appeared on\nthe brow of the hill northeast of camp. There seemed to be hundreds of\nthem formed in a long line and making a very formidable array. Just as\nthe sunlight shone on the tents and wagon covers they made a descent\non us that sent a thrill through every heart in camp, until it was\nseen that they had left their weapons of war behind, and had brought\nonly articles of trade. They came into the center of the corral, the\npeople gathered with what they had to trade, and for a while a great\nbargaining was carried on. For once I had more than I could do in\nassisting them to understand each other, and see that there was no\ndisturbance or wrong done in the great zeal of both parties.\n\nThe trading was over without any trouble, there was a hearty shaking of\nhands, and the company resumed its journey up the river, passing and\nbeing repassed by numerous companies moving west to Pike's Peak and to\nUtah, California, or Oregon. There were gold seekers, freighters, and a\nhost of families of emigrants; and as the company advanced to the west\nwe met many people going to the east. They were traveling all ways,\nwith ox, horse and mule teams, as well as by pack trains of horses and\nmules; while some were floating down the Platte River in small row\nboats.\n\nI have omitted many dates, but feel that I must say that some time\nin July we came up with Captain Horton Haight, who started two weeks\nahead of us, with a Church train of seventy-five wagons of freight.\nBoth trains passed Fort Laramie that same day. Mine camped seven miles\nabove the fort on the river, where we laid over the next day, and had\nour wagons unloaded and thoroughly cleaned from the dust and dirt;\nthen they were reloaded so as to balance their loading anew. All sick\ncattle were doctored, while the female portion of camp washed and did\nconsiderable baking. The next day we proceeded on to the Black Hills,\nin good spirits, the people generally well and encouraged. The road\nthen began to be rough and gravelly, so that the cattle began to get\nsore-footed, and that changed the tone of feelings of some of the\npeople.\n\nWe went on in peace over hills and dales to the Sweetwater, thence up\nthat stream to what was called the last crossing, where we stopped\none day, and again overhauled our load, doctored sick cattle, baked,\netc. From there we crossed the summit of the great Rocky Mountains to\nPacific Springs, so called because their waters flow down the Pacific\nslope. From that point we traveled over very sandy plains and saleratus\ndeserts, to the Little Sandy, then to what was called the Big Sandy,\nand thence to Green River, the last hundred miles being the most\nsoul-trying of the whole journey, owing to being sandy and poisonous to\nthe stock. We traveled day and night, all that the cattle could endure,\nand in fact more than many of the people did endure without much\ncomplaint and fault-finding.\n\nAfter a day's rest on the Green River, however, and being told that\nthere was no more such country to cross, the train entered on the last\none hundred and fifty miles of the journey, crossing over to Ham's\nFork, then to Fort Bridger on Black's Fork, and on to the two Muddys\nand to Quaking Asp Ridge, the highest point crossed by the emigrant\nroad. From there we went down into Echo Canyon, then to Weber River,\ncrossed it and over the foothills to East Canyon Creek and to the\nfoot of the Big Mountain, where we met Apostles John Taylor and F.\nD. Richards. A halt was called to listen to the hearty welcome and\nwords of cheer from the Apostles. Then the company passed over the Big\nMountain to the foot of the Little Mountain, where we camped. Many of\nthe people were sick from eating chokecherries and wild berries found\nalong the roadside.\n\nNext day we proceeded to the top of Little Mountain. When I saw the\nlast wagon on the summit, I left the sergeant, G. L. Farrell, in\ncharge, and went ahead to report the approach of my company and their\ncondition, as there were one hundred or more without food for their\nsupper. I called first on General H. S. Eldredge, and took dinner with\nhim. He received me very kindly, and accompanied me to President\nBrigham Young's office. The President welcomed us as cordially as a\nfather could. After he had inquired and was told the condition of the\ncompany, he sent word to Bishop Edward Hunter to have the tithing yard\ncleared for the cattle, to have cooked food for all who needed it, and\nto have the company camp in Union Square.\n\nWhen steps had been taken to carry out these orders, I called at my\nfather-in-law's in the Fourteenth Ward, where I learned that my family\nwere well. Then I went back, met the company on the bench east of the\ncity, and conducted it down to the square, where we found Bishop Hunter\nand a number of other Bishops and people of the several wards, with\nan abundance of cooked food for supper and breakfast for the whole\ncompany. Several of the Twelve Apostles were on the ground to bid the\ncompany a hearty welcome, and delivered short addresses of good cheer.\nThis was August 29, 1859.\n\nNext morning, the 30th, Orson Hyde, Orson Pratt, Wilford Woodruff, Ezra\nT. Benson, Charles C. Rich and Erastus Snow of the Twelve Apostles,\nBishop Hunter and other prominent officers of the Church, came to the\ncamp, called the people together, and again bade the Saints welcome to\nour mountain home. They advised the people where to go, and what to do\nto support themselves for the winter.\n\nIt was while yet on the Union Square that Apostle Charles C. Rich told\nme that he and others had been called to take a mission to England,\nleaving home in the spring, and that they would like me to go with\nthem; he thought I had better shape my affairs so that I would be ready\nfor the call.\n\nDuring the day the people found shelter and friends, and I reported\nto the _Deseret News_ office and to President Young, who told me I was\nhonorably released from any further responsibility for the company.\n\nOn our journey across the plains we had two deaths in the company, and\nfive births, and had lost twenty-five head of cattle--a very small\npercentage compared with losses in general.\n\nAfter the interview with President Young, I followed up my brother\nWillis, who had gone ahead with our team. We stopped that night at\nCharles C. Rich's, twelve miles north of Salt Lake City, and on\nSeptember 1st reached my home in Ogden City, where we found all well\nand pleased to meet us again.\n\nAt Ogden many friends and relatives called to see us. In a day or two\nafter our arrival, we went to cutting bulrushes along the slough on\nthe bottom lands, with a scythe, that being the only chance for us to\nwinter our stock. In a short time we purchased a wagon load of butter\nand eggs, and took it to Camp Floyd, forty miles southwest of Salt Lake\nCity. We made a good profit on that load, then made a second trip and\nhad stolen from us one of our mules worth one hundred and fifty dollars.\n\nAs we could not get a trace of the mule, Willis returned to the city to\nget another animal, so we could move our wagon. About 12 o'clock one\nnight, while he was gone and I was sleeping alone in the wagon, the\nmoon shining bright and clear, a thief cut the hind end of the wagon\ncover open, and drew out one of the quilts. As he was taking the second\nI awoke and caught him in the act. I asked what he was doing there,\nand was told it was none of my business, but to get out of his wagon,\nor he would send an officer after me. At the same time he put his hand\non an old fashioned United States holster pistol that he had in his\nbelt, then staggered off, feigning drunkenness. I saw that he went\ninto a corner where he could not pass out, so I hastened and called\nthe landlord, Mr. Kinney, a man about sixty years old, and told him\nwhat had happened. Said he, \"If he went in there he cannot get through\nthat way.\" He peeped into a dark corner, where the buildings were so\nclose that a man could not squeeze through. \"Here he is; come out, you\nthief,\" said he, and the midnight marauder made a break to pass. The\nold gentleman struck at him as he went by, and the next instant I had\nhim by the throat. By that time the thief had got his pistol disengaged\nfrom his belt, but before he could turn it towards me I caught it from\nhis grasp, threw him heavily on the ground, and held him there till Mr.\nKinney brought an officer.\n\nMeanwhile we were surrounded by half a dozen gamblers, one of whom\nsaid to the thief, \"What are you doing down there, Rainbow?\" A second\nordered him to get up. They all seemed to know him, but all were\nstrangers to me. I had passed the pistol to the old landlady, who\nbrought it out, offered it to the officers, and told them she saw the\nthief try to shoot me when I snatched it and passed it to her. At that\nthe thief swore the weapon was not his, but mine, and that I had drawn\nit to shoot him. Then the officers told me to keep the pistol, and they\nlet the thief go to a saloon in a gambling house, where he treated the\ncrowd, and told them that he had an engagement for a woman to meet him\nthere that night, but he found a man instead, and that was all there\nwas of it. At that the officers liberated him, and I concluded that I\nhad got into a den of thieves, so disposed of my load and left for home\nas soon as I could. All the profit that we had made in the first trip\nwas lost in the second, for we never recovered the mule.\n\nThe weather being cold, we threw up that business and took a contract\namounting to two hundred and fifty dollars on the Ogden Canyon road,\nand in the bitter cold weather of winter worked till the job was\ncompleted. That work finished, we took another contract to get out\ntimber for the first county jail in Weber County, and continued to work\nin the canyon until April 1st. The winter had been so long and severe\nthat we sold part of our wearing apparel and bed clothes for hay to\nkeep life in our animals.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LV.\n\nCALLED ON A MISSION TO GREAT BRITAIN--PREPARE TO DEPART--START\nWITHOUT PURSE OR SCRIP--JOURNEY TO SALT LAKE CITY--SET APART FOR THE\nMISSION--BEGIN THE JOURNEY EASTWARD--ORGANIZATION OF THE COMPANY--MY\nPOST AS CHAPLAIN--OVERTAKEN BY APOSTLES A. M. LYMAN AND C. C.\nRICH--TRAVELING THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS--SNOWSTORMS AND WIND--FORAGE\nIS SCARCE--MEETINGS WITH THE INDIANS--CAPTAIN REYNOLDS' EXPLORING\nPARTY--ARMY DESERTERS IN OUR CAMP--MAIL FROM HOME--EMIGRANTS WESTWARD\nBOUND--DISSATISFACTION IN CAMP--FEELING ABOUT APOSTLES LYMAN AND\nRICH--I RESIGN AS CAPTAIN, BUT AM ELECTED AGAIN, AND FINALLY RESUME\nCOMMAND--MAIL ROBBERY--MORE DISAGREEABLE STORMS--MEET A HANDCART\nCOMPANY, AND APOSTLE GEORGE Q. CANNON--REACH THE MISSOURI RIVER--VISIT\nMY FATHER AND HIS FAMILY--GO TO ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI--MY FIRST VIEW\nOF A RAILWAY TRAIN--AT MY OLD HOME IN BROWN COUNTY, ILLINOIS--JOURNEY\nEASTWARD BY RAIL--ARRIVE IN NEW YORK FOR THE FIRST TIME--FIND FRIENDS.\n\nSOME time in February of this year (1860), I received a letter from\nPresident Brigham Young, informing me that I had been selected to\naccompany Apostles Amasa M. Lyman and Charles C. Rich on a mission to\nGreat Britain, starting in April. The letter authorized me to call on\nBishop Chauncey W. West, to have my city and five-acre lots fenced and\ncultivated by labor tithing, for the benefit of my family; also for the\nBishop to furnish my family, from time to time, with such necessary\narticles as they needed and could not otherwise obtain. I called on the\nBishop as authorized, and showed him the letter, but the work he was\ncalled on for never was done, and my family suffered in consequence.\n\nI settled my business and prepared for the mission, and in April\nattended conference in Salt Lake City, where my name was presented and\nsustained with those of many others called to perform missions. On the\n19th of April, I blessed my family and bade farewell to them till I\nshould be released from the duty which now rested upon me of preaching\nthe Gospel among the inhabitants of the British Isles. I had a ham\nand a few articles of food, a light change of clothing, and my rifle.\nThese I put in the wagon of H. Hanson, who was starting to Salt Lake\nCity, on his way to fill a mission in Denmark. Then, with my shot-pouch\nand a new pair of boots across my shoulder, I began my journey from\nOgden, intending to hunt up a yoke of cattle I had on the range, and\ndrive them to Salt Lake City. Not a dollar of money did I have--I was\nentirely without purse or scrip. I found my cattle, drove them to Salt\nLake City, turned them over to my father-in-law, Nathan Tanner, to pay\na debt I was owing and to obtain some flour for food on my journey, and\nI was ready on April 20th, the date appointed, to leave on my mission.\nBut some of the others were not ready, and the departure was postponed\nto April 25th.\n\nOn the last named date, we gathered at the Church historian's office\nin Salt Lake City, to be set apart and receive instructions for our\nmissions. President Brigham Young there gave us counsel never to\nbe forgotten, and our hearts rejoiced therein. Each of us received\na certificate of our missionary appointment, signed by the First\nPresidency, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, and Daniel H. Wells.\nWe were then instructed to meet next day, the 26th, at the mouth of\nParley's Canyon, and to proceed therefrom under command of Joseph W.\nYoung, our baggage being hauled by teams owned by the Church that were\ngoing to Florence, Nebraska.\n\nPresident Young had designated me to take charge of one of the teams,\nwith permission to leave it when Apostles Lyman and Rich overtook us,\nwhich they expected to do in three or four days. Thus I had in my care\nfour yoke of oxen and a large government wagon; and, in company with\nseveral others, went to President Young's mill south of the city. We\ntook on from a thousand to twelve hundred pounds of flour to each\nwagon, and proceeded to the place of rendezvous, where there were\ngathered thirty wagons, with about forty missionaries and the Beebe and\nBuzzard families, who were going back to their farms in Iowa.\n\nOn April 17th, Presidents Young and Wells came out and organized the\ncompany, appointing Joseph W. Young as captain, and John Woolley\nas sergeant of the guard. Myself and two others were selected as\nchaplains. The company was instructed as to necessary duties in\ncrossing the plains, and we started. Our route was up Parley's Canyon,\nthen down Silver Creek to the Weber River, thence up to the mouth of\nChalk Creek. At the Spriggs coal pit a number of us visited the mine,\nthe tunnels of which went straight into the mountain side. Then we\nproceeded across to Bear River, and followed along the Big Muddy. The\nBeebe and Buzzard families and E. D. Woolley and company continued on\nby way of Fort Bridger, while the rest of us made a road across the\nbend of the Muddy.\n\nApostles A. M. Lyman and C. C. Rich overtook us on May 4th, and we all\ncamped together that night. Walter M. Gibson and I were transferred\nto Samuel White's wagon, and on the 5th we bade farewell to Joseph W.\nYoung's company, taking an early leave of them, and proceeded to Ham's\nFork, on which we camped for the night. There I was made captain of the\ncompany, with John Tobin as sergeant of the guard, and W. H. Dame as\nchaplain. Guards were placed out to take care of the stock. That night\nthere was quite a snowstorm.\n\nNext morning, the weather was cold and disagreeable. We made our way\nto Green River, where we met some people who had apostatized from the\nChurch, and were going back to St. Louis; we also met some Shoshone\nIndians who were friendly. We camped on the Big Sandy that night, and\nhad quite a hunt for our animals, which strayed off because there was\nso little grass. But we recovered all of them.\n\nOn May 10th we came to Pacific Springs, where we met Buzzard, Beebe,\nWoolley and company, and received them into our company without any\nchange in organization. That day we crossed over the South Pass and\nthe Sweetwater River, and camped on Willow Creek. Next day we went\nthrough a number of snowdrifts, passed over the Rocky Ridge and to\nthe Sweetwater, following along the river. That night we met a party\nof Shoshone Indians returning from a fight with the Crow Indians. The\nfollowing morning, the 12th, we missed part of our animals, and were\ndetained till 11 o'clock securing them again. We then moved forward on\nour journey, and on the 13th, at the second crossing of the Sweetwater,\nencountered a severe snowstorm.\n\nFrom then till the 18th the wind was very high, and the weather\ndisagreeable. Grass was very scarce. On the 14th we met a band of\nArapahoe Indians on a buffalo hunt, and on the 15th met Captain\nReynolds with a party of explorers. We afterwards heard that the\nentire party were killed by Blackfeet Indians, on the headwaters of\nthe Missouri River. On the 18th, as we were traveling down the Platte\nRiver, Sergeant Min, with a small party of soldiers from Fort Laramie,\nsearched the wagons in our company for three deserters from Camp Floyd.\nThere were two of them in our camp. They had come to us in Parley's\nCanyon, saying they had been discharged. One of them, George Kelly,\nshowed his discharge papers, but he had re-enlisted, and deserted after\nreceiving his bounty. The other was a servant who had stolen a gold\nwatch. His name was Alexander Demster. Both were taken to Fort Laramie.\n\nOn May 20th we arrived within seven miles of Fort Laramie, where we\nrested our animals and attended to necessary work for proceeding\nfarther. We also built a raft and went across to the fort for our\nmail, getting a few letters. There was none for me. We wrote to our\nfamilies, and on the 22nd again moved forward. This time we had two\nother discharged soldiers with us; one of them had a wife and child.\nI had changed from Samuel White's wagon to D. Savage's, and drove his\nsix-mule team most of the way. From the 23rd on we met many people\nbound for California, Oregon, or the Pike's Peak gold mines.\n\nWe passed Chimney Rock on May 25th, and rested that evening at a\nfair camping ground. There had been some dissatisfaction on the part\nof owners of teams because the grass had been short and the animals\nwere not doing well. Fault was found with the camping places, and as\nApostles Lyman and Rich often had been consulted and had suggested the\nlocation for camp, these prominent members of our company felt that\nif there were any blame in making the choice it belonged to them. So\nthe Apostles asked forgiveness for what they had done, and promised\nthey would have no more to do with directing the journeyings of the\ncompany. When I found that I was deprived of the counsel of such men, I\nresigned my office as captain. John Tobin also resigned as sergeant of\nthe guard. That night was passed with the camp in a disorganized state,\nand next morning there was no one to lead out with orders to proceed.\nThe team owners and others found themselves well puzzled, and began\nto realize the mistake that had been made. By advice of Apostle C. C.\nRich, I called the company together, but none knew what to do. Finally,\nElder Rich suggested that they elect as captain someone they would not\nfind so much fault with. The vote was for me, and at the request of\nElder Rich I again assumed command, and we moved on. John Brown was\nselected as sergeant of the guard.\n\nAt Ash Hollow we learned that the St. Joseph and Great Salt Lake mail\ncoach had been robbed on Greasewood Creek, by Shoshone Indians, and\nthat the mail carriers had been killed. We were detained at Ash Hollow\nseveral hours on the 27th, by the severe illness of A. Beebe's wife.\nFor several days thereafter there were high winds, and showers, making\nthe roads very disagreeable, so that it took us till May 31st to reach\nBuffalo Creek, where we saw some buffalo. The next night we camped\nten miles above Fort Kearney. On June 2nd we called at Dr. Henry's\nranch for dinner, and seven miles further on reached the place where\nJoseph E. Johnson and his brother had located, and were publishing a\npaper called the _Mountain Echo_. At this point Nephi Johnson and Daniel\nBabbitt left us, as they had reached the end of their journey. We\ncontinued on four miles further, and camped.\n\nProceeding on our journey, we reached and crossed the Elkhorn River on\nJune 6th, and that night met and camped with a company of Latter-day\nSaints crossing the plains with handcarts. The company was in good\nspirits, and glad to see us, and we spent the evening in singing the\nsongs of Zion. Just as we had gone to bed, Apostle George Q. Cannon;\nwho had charge of the Church emigration that year, came up, in company\nwith Horton Haight and others, and we were glad to arise and shake\nhands with him. He was a particular friend and brother with whom\nseveral of us had traveled many miles and spent many pleasant hours.\nAfter a long talk Elder Cannon turned in with me for sleep.\n\nOn the morning of June 7th, the members of the handcart company were\ncalled together, and Apostles Lyman and Rich gave them some good\ninstructions. Then we bade them good-bye, and proceeded to Florence,\nwhere we met many warm-hearted Saints from Europe. On the 8th, I\nprocured a span of mules from Horton Haight, and a carriage from George\nQ. Cannon, and accompanied by J. C. Rich, crossed the Missouri River\nto Calhoun, Harrison County, Iowa, where we met with my father and his\nfamily. They were well, and greatly pleased to see me. We visited with\nmy relatives till the 11th, when J. C. Rich and I parted at Crescent\nCity, while I returned to Florence, where my father visited me on the\n12th, and invited Apostles Lyman and Rich and myself to take dinner at\nthe finest hotel in the town, which we did. My father promised me there\nthat if he lived and was able to sell his property, he would accompany\nme to Utah when I returned from my mission.\n\nOn June 15th, I went to Omaha in company with J. C. Rich, F. M. Lyman,\nand R. McBride, where we were joined next day by A. M. Lyman, C. C.\nRich, G. Q. Cannon, and John Tobin. We took passage on the steamboat\n_Omaha_ for St. Joseph, Missouri, where we landed on the morning of the\n18th. That day while strolling through the city with Francis M. Lyman,\nI first saw a locomotive and railway train in motion. It was to us a\ngrand sight, and we viewed it with admiration and satisfaction. At 6\na.m., on the 19th, we boarded the train, C. C. Rich, J. C. Rich and\nJohn Tobin going to St Louis, and the rest of us to Quincy, Illinois,\nwhere I left the party and went to Versailles, Brown County. There I\nreceived a hearty welcome from relatives and friends.\n\nI remained in that locality five days, until the 24th, visiting uncles,\nbrother-in-law, cousins, and other relatives, and also the farm on\nwhich I was reared. At Versailles, on the evening of the 21st, I\nlectured, by request, on my travels and experiences. The schoolroom\nbeing too small to accommodate the people, the Methodist church was\nprocured, and was well filled, many of the audience being my old\nschoolmates. They were glad to meet me, as I was to meet them.\n\nI stayed that night with Joseph F. Vandeventer, and next day, in\ncompany with him and his brother Thomas, visited my father's old farm,\nthen owned by William Knox. There were many changes about the place.\nThe cemetery was fenced into a pasture, and I was unable to find my\nbrother's grave. The fruit trees in the orchard were well grown, and I\nwas given some good apples and the best cider I ever tasted, made from\nfruit from trees I had set out with my own hands.\n\nThat day's walk brought to my recollection my youthful days, my hunts\nthrough the woods and my adventures, my toilsome labors in grubbing\nunderbrush and clearing the land, threshing wheat in the hot, autumn\nsun, feeding stock in the cold winter, my cold fingers, benumbed body,\nand frozen toes--once shedding my toenails through frost, and peeling\nthe skin off my feet--in short, I was reminded of much toil on the\npart of my parents, brothers and sisters and myself, and of many days\nof sickness with fever and ague. We returned to Versailles, and next\nevening, the 23rd, after more visiting, I consented to preach, and was\ngiven good attention by a large congregation. On the 24th, I went down\nto the river landing at the mouth of Crooked Creek, with my uncle and\nJoseph F. Vandeventer, but learning that the boats were uncertain, I\nresolved to go to Meridotia and there take train for New York, in order\nto meet Elder C. C. Rich. To do this, it was necessary for me to borrow\ntwenty dollars, which I did of Mr. Vandeventer. At 9 o'clock that\nevening I was on my way, on the Quincy and Toledo line, passing through\nthe great Wabash valley. After several changes of cars, and crossing\nNorth River on a ferry boat, I landed in New York City on June 26th,\nwithout knowing a soul that lived there.\n\nI walked up to Broadway, and took a Sixth Avenue omnibus to\nTwenty-third Street, where I found the residence of Brother Jonas\nCroxall, and introduced myself to his wife, as he was not at home. I\nhad eaten but two meals since I got into the cars at Meridotia, and\nthey cost me seventy-five cents. I had ridden over one thousand miles\non the cars from Illinois, and had ninety-five cents when I reached\nthe end of the journey. My supper that night was provided at Brother\nCroxall's. About 11 o'clock in the evening Brothers Croxall and A.\nM. Lyman came in, they having been on a visit together at Brother\nSchettler's.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LVI.\n\nVISIT VARIOUS PLACES OF INTEREST IN NEW YORK AND VICINITY--ARRIVAL\nOF THE GREAT EASTERN--PREACH AT WILLIAMSBURG--NEW YORK'S CELEBRATION\nOF THE FOURTH--MY THIRTY-SECOND BIRTHDAY--SECURE PASSPORTS AND OCEAN\nPASSAGE--CROWDED IN THE STEERAGE--FOGGY AND WET WEATHER--VIEW OF THE\nIRISH COAST--FLEET OF BRITISH WARSHIPS--LAND IN LIVERPOOL--ASSIGNED\nTO BIRMINGHAM CONFERENCE--IN BIRMINGHAM--LISTEN TO ANTI-MORMON\nLECTURE--VISITING FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE AS A MORMON MISSIONARY--PLACES\nOF INTEREST--TRANSFERRED TO NOTTINGHAM CONFERENCE--PREACHING AND\nVISITING--MISSION TRAVELS--GO TO LONDON--SEE NOTABLE PLACES--NEWS OF MY\nDAUGHTER'S DEATH--BIRTH OF ANOTHER DAUGHTER--RETURN TO NOTTINGHAM.\n\nTHE 27th of June was spent with Apostle A. M. Lyman and J. Croxall,\nwalking about the city of New York. That day F. M. Lyman and Reuben\nMcBride arrived, and next day Apostle Lyman and his son Francis M. left\nfor Boston. With Reuben McBride, I visited the various departments of\nthe place where J. Croxall and his son worked. We then crossed East\nRiver with Thomas Miller, and strolled through Williamsburg. We were\nintroduced to a Brother Stone and family, with whom we stayed all\nnight. On the 29th we were made acquainted with many Latter-day Saints\nin Williamsburg, then crossed over to Brooklyn, where we went through\nthe navy yard and other places; at the first named place we went on\nboard the old ship of war _North Carolina_. That day we heard the salutes\nfired for the _Great Eastern_, as she steamed up the wharf in New York.\nThe ocean monster was hailed with joy and enthusiasm. She had been\nsighted at sea the evening before.\n\nIn New York City, on the 30th, we visited Barnum's museum, Castle\nGarden, the postoffice, and had a view of the _Great Eastern_. I received\na letter from my family reporting all well. The 1st of July was Sunday,\nand we met with the Latter-day Saints in Williamsburg. The speakers at\nthe meetings that day were Apostle C. C. Rich, Elder Walter Gibson and\nmyself. I crossed over to New York that night, and the remainder of our\nstay in the city was the guest of Bernard A. Schettler, who treated me\nvery kindly. During the next few days we visited many factories, ships\nand places of interest, and wrote letters home. On the 4th, which was\nmy thirty-second birthday anniversary, there was a grand celebration.\nThe militia of New York City paraded, passing the George Washington\nmonument in review. There was a grand fireworks display in the evening;\nand in the afternoon we witnessed the aeronaut, Mr. Wise, ascend out\nof sight with a balloon. On the 9th we sent to Washington for our\npassports. W. H. Dame and I were appointed on the 12th to take the\nmoney of our party, secure berths on the steamship _Edinburgh_, of the\nBlackball line between New York and Liverpool, and to purchase articles\nnecessary for the journey across the Atlantic Ocean. We attended to\nthis duty on the 13th.\n\nJuly 14th, our party, thirteen in number, went on board, and at 12\no'clock noon, the vessel left the landing. We paid twenty-five dollars\neach for steerage passage. There were nearly three hundred passengers,\nand the berths were all taken up, so our lot was rather hard. Being\nvery much crowded for room as well, it was plain that our part of the\nvoyage was not to be very pleasant; but we were on board and had to\nmake the best of it.\n\nBy the 18th we were off the banks of Newfoundland, in a dense, damp\nfog, that obscured the sun and made it impossible to see more than a\nfew rods from the ship. The steam siren kept up a constant whistling,\nto warn other vessels of our location and approach. The fog lasted till\nthe 23rd, when it lighted up, but the weather was cloudy, with some\nrain. On the 24th a vessel bore in sight.\n\nNext day we had headwinds, and the sun shone for a short time. We came\nin sight of the southwest coast of Ireland, and at the cry of \"Land!\"\nevery countenance brightened. All were on deck to catch a glimpse of\nthe welcome scene. As this proceeding was going on, we heard the cry,\n\"Sail ho!\" and in a short time there came into full view a fleet of her\nmajesty Queen Victoria's warships, eleven in number. They were steaming\nalong the coast to the south and in advance of us. Suddenly they\nchanged their course and came to meet us. When they drew near, their\nsignal flags were hoisted on the masts, making a beautiful and imposing\nappearance.\n\nThat night at 11 o'clock we ran into Queenstown, the harbor of Cork,\nIreland. There some passengers for Ireland, and mail were taken off,\nand we headed for the coast of England, coming in sight of Wales the\nnext day.\n\nEarly on the morning of the 27th we were on the muddy, dark waters\nof the Mersey, and soon landed in Liverpool, where the dank, smoky,\nmildewed walls looked to us as if they had stood for a thousand years.\nTo our eyes the city had a very dismal and forbidding appearance.\n\nAfter the usual custom house inspection, we sent our baggage to the\nLatter-day Saints' office at 42 Islington, and walked there ourselves,\na distance of a mile and a half. At the office we met Elder N. V. Jones\nand others, who received us very kindly. The following day we were\nappointed to our various missionary fields, J. C. Rich and I being\nassigned to Birmingham pastorate. That afternoon Elder Rich and I paid\na visit to Birkenhead, across the river Mersey, and met with some of\nthe Saints.\n\nSunday, July 29th, we all attended meeting with the Liverpool Saints,\nin their assembly room on Great George's Street. Next day, Elder Rich\nand I took train for Birmingham, passing through a tunnel a mile and\na half long on the route. Arriving at New Street station, Birmingham,\nwe hailed a cab and were taken to No. 163 Burton Place, Spring Hill.\nThere we had expected to find Elder Charles W. Penrose, but he was not\nat home. His sister-in-law met us, and seemed surprised at our call. I\ntold her who we were, and we received a rather mistrustful invitation\nto come in; but after questioning us some she became satisfied of our\nidentity, and provided us with something to eat.\n\nLater, F. G. Blake, who was traveling Elder in that place, came in, and\nwe took a walk with him, meeting Elder Penrose. We all went to West\nBromwich that evening, and heard one Mr. Bird, an old apostate from\nUtah, lecture against the Mormons. He was doing this for money, and the\nlarge hall was full of people. He made many false accusations against\nthe Latter-day Saints, which were loudly applauded by his ignorant\nhearers. After the lecture we returned to Birmingham, and stayed all\nnight at Elder Penrose's.\n\nTo us, Birmingham seemed as dark, smokey and mildewed as did Liverpool;\nbut it was well located. The place was one of the busiest manufacturing\ncenters of the world. The railway lines passing through do not obstruct\nor occupy the streets; on one of the roads, which is built on a series\nof arches, the cars run level with the chimneys on three-story houses;\nand other roads pass beneath the city, running under large houses.\nThe New Street station was one of the best and most commodious I have\never seen; indeed it is now one of the largest in the world, occupying\neleven acres, with a fine iron and glass roof eleven hundred feet long.\n\nAfter visiting from house to house with the Saints on August 1st, we\npreached that evening in the Oxford Street Hall. Next day our visiting\ncontinued, and we found a dull spirit among the people. Trade was\nvery bad, and the working people were extremely poor. Many of them\nwere unable to give us a good meal of victuals unless they suffered\nthemselves in consequence; yet they seemed very kind to us, but\nsluggish in spirit. That night we preached in Hockley Chapel, Farm\nStreet.\n\nOn the 3rd we visited the different markets in the city; on the 4th\nmet Elders A. M. Lyman, C. C. Rich and N. V. Jones; and on the 5th\nwere with the Saints in conference in the Odd Fellows' Hall, where\nlarge congregations assembled. The presidents of the branches in the\nBirmingham conference made favorable reports, and the Gospel was\npreached by Apostles Lyman and Rich and others of the Elders. That\nnight J. C. Rich and I stayed at Brother Acock's. It did not seem\npossible to get the people into the notion of going to bed before\nmidnight; that seeming to be the custom in the English cities.\n\nThe Gillott steel and gold pen factory was the object of an interesting\nvisit by J. C. Rich, F. G. Blake and myself on August 6th. We passed\nthrough the factory, and saw the work from rolling the large bars\nof steel down to finishing the pen ready for use; there were four\nhundred persons employed in the factory. That evening the Elders met in\ncouncil, and J. C. Rich and I were appointed to labor in the Nottingham\npastorate. Next day, in company with several others, I visited the\ngrave of Elder James H. Flanagan, who died while on a mission; his body\nwas interred in the old Birmingham cemetery. In the evening we had a\npleasant sociable at the home of Brother Smith, and next day J. C. Rich\nand I took the train for Nottingham, where we were met at the station\nby Elder Edward Reid, president of the conference, and were conducted\nto No. 24 Promenade, Robinhood Street, where the wife of Elder David\nJohn had dinner waiting for us. We next went to Radcliffe Chapel,\nwhere we met with a goodly number of Saints, and preached to them.\nElder David John presided over the Nottingham pastorate. The day after\nreaching the town I took a severe cold, and had to lay by the next day.\n\nWe found Nottingham a very different place to Liverpool and Birmingham.\nThe town and adjacent country were not so smoky and unhealthful. The\ntown had about one hundred and eighty thousand inhabitants, and was the\ncenter of the silk and cotton lace and hosiery industries.\n\nOn Sunday, August 12th, Elders A. M. Lyman and N. V. Jones (who had\ncome from Liverpool) and I preached to the Saints; on the 13th J. C.\nRich and I went to visit G. Wright, at the request of his niece who\nlived in Utah; his home was at Fisherton, on the river Trent, and after\nan unwelcome greeting there we returned to Nottingham. Next day we went\nto Mansfield with Elder James Payne, passing through the place where\nRobin Hood roamed. That evening we preached to the Saints, then spent\nthe next two days preaching in different villages. At Pixton, on the\n16th, we visited a coal pit.\n\nLeicester, the county seat of Leicestershire, and center of the boot\nand shoe trade, was our destination on August 19th. We preached there\nthat night, and on Monday visited the museum. The rest of the week we\nspent in visiting and preaching in several villages, then returned to\nNottingham. At Loughborough, on the 22nd, our meeting was disturbed\nby several rude young men, who laughed and asked questions in an\noffensive manner. A stone was hurled through the window at me, while I\nwas preaching. It passed just in front of me, but no one was hit. The\nmeeting was dismissed in confusion.\n\nOn the 26th, we went to Derby for a couple of days. My health continued\nto be very poor during this period of my travels. Burton-on-Trent, a\nplace noted for the brewing of malt liquors, was visited on the 28th,\nand that night I preached at Branston, then stayed at the house of a\nchimney-sweep named Doman. He had been in the Church nineteen years.\nNext day we preached in the pottery district, then returned to Derby,\nwhere, on the 31st, we went through Fox & Company's shot factory, going\nto the top of the tower, two hundred and twenty steps. That evening we\nwent to a theatre.\n\nDuring the first part of September, I traveled and preached, visiting\nNottingham, Derby, Belper and several adjacent villages. I attended\nthe Derby races on the 6th; there were about twenty thousand people in\nattendance. On the 12th, I left Nottingham for London in company with\nBrothers J. C. Rich and Blackburn, and Sister Cook and daughter, going\nvia the Midland railway. From St. Pancras station we went to Brother\nJohn Cook's, at No. 30 Florence Street, Cross Street, Islington,\nLondon, where I made my home during my stay in the metropolis. There we\nmet with Elders John Brown, F. M. Lyman, and John Gleason.\n\nI remained in London and vicinity until October 3rd. During our stay\nat the national capital we visited many interesting places, among them\nbeing the tunnel under the Thames, which is reached by a flight of one\nhundred steps, is four hundred yards from end to end, and while we were\npassing through there were some fifteen to twenty ships lying above it,\nand steamboats passing over it up and down the river. We visited the\nBritish hospitals for invalided soldiers and sailors, and went from\nthere to Greenwich, whence is measured longitude east and west, and\nwhere we also saw the standard weights and measures of Great Britain.\n\nThe British Museum; the King's Library; Westminster Abbey, where Great\nBritain's rulers are anointed and crowned by the archbishops of the\nChurch of England; the Parliament buildings, wherein are the House\nof Lords and House of Commons, with the throne and the woolsack;\nBuckingham Palace, the city residence of Queen Victoria; St. Paul's\nCathedral, which was undergoing repairs; National Gallery; Cattle\nMarket; Zoological Gardens, with the giraffe, the hippopotamus, the\nrhinoceros and all manner of beasts and birds; South Kensington Museum;\nHyde Park; White Tower of London, where are the block and ax used in\nbeheading Queen Anne Boleyn and Mary, Queen of Scots, also the royal\nregalia, and much other material of historic value; London Bridge, with\nits vast traffic; Crystal Palace with its tower four hundred and twelve\nsteps to the top, from which can be seen six counties of England;\nAnatomical Museum; Madame Tussaud's Bazar; the Dockyards, and the rich\nresidence portion of London, all were visited by us, and were very\ninteresting and entertaining.\n\nOn September 13th we attended a tea party of the Saints near King's\nCross station. Several times I preached to congregations, both on the\nSurrey side of the Thames, and on the north side. On the 14th, Elders\nA. M. Lyman and N. V. Jones came from Scotland to London. I received a\nletter from home on the 25th, Tuesday, bringing the sad intelligence\nof the death of Deseret Ann, my second daughter, also of the birth to\nher mother, my wife Rebecca, of a daughter. I wrote an answer to that\nletter the same day. During the time I was in London I had a severe\ncold and my health was far from good. I returned to Nottingham on\nOctober 3rd, via the Great Northern railway, and resumed my missionary\nlabors in that conference.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LVII.\n\nAGAIN AT MISSIONARY LABORS--BAPTISMS--BECOME QUITE ILL--APPOINTED PRESIDENT\nOF THE NOTTINGHAM DISTRICT, EMBRACING THREE CONFERENCES--VISITED BY\nAPOSTLES A. M. LYMAN, C. C. RICH AND OTHERS--SETTLING DIFFERENCES AMONG\nCHURCH MEMBERS--ATTEND A PHRENOLOGICAL LECTURE--GET A CHART--GO TO\nLIVERPOOL--IN CONFERENCE AT NOTTINGHAM--MY PASTORATE ENLARGED--WITNESS\nA MILITARY REVIEW--MORE BAPTISMS--VISIT SHEFFIELD--FIXING MY\nNAME--POVERTY IN NOTTINGHAM--INVITED TO TAKE A TRIP TO PARIS--GO TO\nLONDON--HAVE TO GIVE UP THE VISIT TO FRANCE--IN POOR HEALTH--RETURN TO\nNOTTINGHAM--SEE PROFESSOR BLONDIN.\n\nTHE month of October was occupied in traveling and preaching in the\ndistrict where I was assigned to labor as a missionary. In fulfilling\nthis calling I visited, besides the town of Nottingham, which was\nheadquarters, Derby, Leicester, Burton-on-Trent, Radcliffe, Arnold,\nHucknall, Mansfield, Pixton, Ilkiston, Woodhouse, Wirksworth, Mount St.\nBernard, Tutbury and other places, preaching in some of them several\ntimes. On October 23, I visited the Mount Saint Bernard monastery, and\na reformatory for incorrigible boys. The first named was a Catholic\ninstitution.\n\nNovember was occupied similarly to October, and in addition to most of\nthe places visited in the last named month, I was at Belper, Carlton,\nCoalville and other small towns. On the 11th I baptized three young\nwomen, Annie Simpson, Harriet Cadman and Eliza Bates. The weather\nturning cold and stormy, my health was not very good. Apostle C. C.\nRich came on the 24th and on the 28th we went to Sutton, where I had to\nstop for several days, I was so ill.\n\nThe month of December had some very cold and stormy weather, but my\nhealth was somewhat improved. I continued in my missionary district,\ngoing to several new places. I was invited by Sisters Underwood and\nBurrows to take dinner on Christmas. Mr. Burrows was a policeman,\nand was not a member of the Church. I stayed with him at his home\non Christmas night. The next evening we had a meeting in Radcliffe,\nat which an unpleasant spirit was displayed by some. I advised the\nSaints to fast and pray to get the Spirit of the Lord. Brother John\nwas offended with this advice, and remonstrated, and when the meeting\nwas dismissed there was a feeling of dissatisfaction among the people.\nOn the 30th of December I was appointed to the presidency of the\nNottingham pastorate, embracing the Nottingham, Derby and Leicester\nconferences of the Church. I was quite ill at this time, with the\nmumps. My appointment came from Apostles A. M. Lyman, C. C. Rich and\nGeorge Q. Cannon, the presidency of the European mission of the Church\nof Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.\n\nThe opening of the year 1861 found me quite ill, and for the first few\ndays of January I was confined to my bed most of the time. On the 6th\nwe held conference in Nottingham, and on the evening before, Elders\nA. M. Lyman, C. C. Rich, G. Gates, J. Gleason, C. Welsh, A. Orme and\nH. Druce came to meet with us. We had a good time at the conference.\nElders A. M. Lyman and C. C. Rich stayed with us till the 11th, and I\nvisited part of the time with them, going to various villages in the\nneighborhood, where they preached. During the remainder of the month I\ntraveled and preached and attended to the conference books and business\ngenerally. Brother David John came to me on the 28th, being very\nsorry for the unpleasant remarks he had made, and we settled matters\nsatisfactorily to both, parting with the best of feelings. The next day\nhe and his family moved to South Wales. My health continued to be quite\npoor. On the 30th I took a shock from an electric battery, hoping it\nwould do me some good.\n\nMy health was not much improved during the month of February; but I\ncontinued my missionary visits and other duties, writing to my father\nand family, and endeavoring to carry the Gospel message wherever I\ncould. On the 13th, at the urgent request of Sister Mary Wilson, I\nvisited her parents and sick sister at Newark, being kindly received\nand invited to call again. From the 19th to the 23rd, Elder C. C. Rich\npaid a visit to the conference and preached to the people.\n\nOn March 2nd I attended a meeting called at Pinxton to settle a\ndifficulty among some of the members of the Church. It had continued\nabout three years, but after a long meeting we succeeded in arranging\nmatters, and three of the parties concerned agreed to repent and be\nbaptized. My visits to the various branches continued. On the 6th I\nbaptized Wm. Burton, Miss Cadman and Miss Betts. On the 12th I was\nassociated in the confirmation of twelve persons who had been baptized\nby Elder J. C. Rich the evening before. On the 25th of this month I\nattended one of the Fowler and Wells lectures on phrenology, and was so\ninterested that on the 28th I obtained a phrenological chart of myself.\n\nI attended a tea party on April 1st, about two hundred persons being\npresent. The evening was spent pleasantly, in singing, reciting and\nspeech-making and partaking of lunch. The next day I baptized seven\npersons at Nottingham. In the course of my missionary duties, I called\na meeting of the Mansfield branch on April 9, to settle a difficulty\nof long standing. I released from performing any Church official\nduties all who held the Priesthood, because of continual jarring and\ncontention among them. On the 18th I went with some emigrating Saints\nto Liverpool, to assist them, settling their business and getting their\ntickets.\n\nAt Liverpool, on the 19th, I accompanied Apostle C. C. Rich on a\nsearch among the docks for a ship that could be chartered, but we were\nnot successful in finding one. The next day the Saints went on board\nthe ship _Underwriter_, which had been chartered previously for this\ncompany, and I assisted those who had come with me to get settled on\nthe vessel. The next day, Sunday, the presidency of the mission went\non the ship, where the company was organized with Elder Milo Andrus\nas president, Elders H. Duncan and C. W. Penrose as counselors, and\nJohn Cook as steward. The migrating Saints were also given appropriate\ninstructions by Apostles Lyman, Rich and Cannon. Next day the vessel\nsailed, and on the following day, Tuesday, I returned to my missionary\nduties at Nottingham and vicinity. On the 29th, the day after holding a\nconference at Nottingham, I baptized six persons.\n\nIn the early part of May--the 5th--conference was held in Leicester,\nApostle C. C. Rich being in attendance. He remained till the 9th,\npreaching to the people in different places. On the 17th I received a\nletter from Apostle George Q. Cannon, informing me that my district\nhad been enlarged, the Lincolnshire conference being detached from\nElder Joseph F. Smith's district and added to mine, so there were four\nconferences in my pastorate. On the 20th I baptized one man and two\nwomen who had been cut off the Church, but desired to return. Next day\nI was a spectator, with about forty thousand other people, at a review\nof the Nottingham Rifles, before the Duke of Newcastle, at Nottingham\nForest. On the 25th Apostle G. Q. Cannon came from Liverpool, held\nmeetings, and attended to business in conference.\n\nOn June 2nd I attended to three more baptisms, and on the 6th was at\nthe Sheffield conference, which was in charge of Elder Joseph F. Smith.\nDuring my stay there I visited a large manufactory of steel and iron\nware, and called on the Norfolk giant, but he was too ill to be seen.\nOn the 13th I returned to Nottingham, traveling as far as Grantham with\nApostles Lyman and Rich, who went on to London. The remainder of the\nmonth was occupied in my general duties. It was in this month that I\nwrote to the _Millennial Star_, explaining how my name was James Brown,\nand then because of others of the same name I became known as James\nBrown 2nd, then James Brown 3rd, and had concluded to take my mother's\nmaiden name, Stephens, so that thereafter I would have an initial to\ndistinguish me, and be known as James S. Brown.\n\nAt Nottingham, on June 6, many poor people marched through the streets,\nasking and singing for food, or money to buy it. The next day after\nmeeting, I was presented by Sister Elizabeth Wilson with a small\nanchor, cross and heart she had made out of a stone she had picked up\non the beach at Folkestone, England. On the 8th I received a letter\nfrom Apostle C. C. Rich, inviting Elder J. C. Rich and myself to meet\nhim and Apostle A. M. Lyman in London on the 14th, to take a trip to\nParis, France. Accordingly, I arranged the conference business, and we\nwere in London on the date named, attending conference.\n\nOur contemplated visit to France had to be given up, however, as the\nApostles were called to Scotland to attend to some matters there. We\nvisited many places of interest in London, such as the Anatomical\nMuseum, the Polytechnic Institute, Crystal Palace, Bank of England,\nthe Fire Monument, the Docks, Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral,\nSmithfield Market, the Mint, Windsor Castle, and Eton College. On the\n17th, at Crystal Palace, we heard the chorus of three thousand five\nhundred children. At Eton College we found the students inclined to be\nimpudent, throwing pebbles at passers-by and staring rudely at them.\n\nDuring the latter part of my stay in London I was quite ill, and had\nto remain indoors part of the time, once being in all day. I returned\nto Nottingham on the 24th, where the only thing of particular interest\noutside of my missionary duties that I observed during that month was\non the 30th, when I went out to the park and saw Professor Blondin\nperform on the tight rope.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LVIII.\n\nPROLONGED ILLNESS--ATTEND TO MY DUTIES WITH DIFFICULTY--LETTER TELLING\nOF THE BATTLE OF BULL'S RUN--WITNESS AN EXECUTION BY HANGING--VISIT\nFROM GEORGE Q. CANNON, JOSEPH F. SMITH AND OTHERS--DEATH OF THE\nPRINCE CONSORT--GO TO BIRMINGHAM--CONFERENCE OF THE PRIESTHOOD IN THE\nBRITISH MISSION--LARGE MEETING IN ODD FELLOWS' HALL, BIRMINGHAM--AGAIN\nAT NOTTINGHAM--VISIT LIVERPOOL--CONSULT A PHYSICIAN, BUT GET LITTLE\nRELIEF--SEE THE LIVERPOOL GRAND NATIONAL RACES--DEPRAVITY AMONG POORER\nCLASSES IN LIVERPOOL--AGAIN AT NOTTINGHAM--RELEASED TO RETURN HOME--BID\nTHE PEOPLE FAREWELL--DISPLAY OF THEIR AFFECTION FOR ME--REPORT OF MY\nLABORS PUBLISHED IN THE MILLENNIAL STAR--ON BOARD SHIP--PLACED IN\nCHARGE OF THE COMPANY--SAIL FOR AMERICA--DRIVEN BY HEADWINDS ALONG\nTHE COASTS OF THE ISLE OF MAN, WALES, IRELAND AND SCOTLAND--SEVERE\nSEASICKNESS--GET TO SEA--SLOW VOYAGE--DEATHS AND BURIALS AT SEA--LAND\nAT NEW YORK--GUEST OF HON. W. H. HOOPER--JOURNEY TO FLORENCE,\nNEBRASKA--CAPTAIN AND GUIDE OF INDEPENDENT COMPANY--REACH SALT LAKE\nCITY--REPORT TO PRESIDENT YOUNG--AGAIN AT HOME.\n\nDURING the remainder of the year 1861 I was in very poor health, often\nhaving to stay in my room all day, and when I was able to get about,\nmany times it was with great difficulty, as I was quite lame in my\nhips and shoulder. I tried various applications and simple remedies,\nbut to little purpose. I moved around as best I could, however, and\nby determined efforts I was able to attend to my duties, visiting the\nSaints, and preaching the Gospel wherever opportunity offered, whether\nat indoor or outdoor meetings. Sometimes, when I was able to get to\nthe meetings of the Saints, I was too ill to stand up and preach, but\ntoward the latter part of the year my health improved a little.\n\nThe civil war in America was on, having begun after I left; and on\nAugust 5th I received a letter telling of the battle of Bull's Run,\nnear Manassas Junction, which was fought July 21, 1861, and in which\nthe Union forces were defeated. On the 16th of August I went to the\nDerbyshire jail yard in Derby, and there saw a young man named George\nSmith executed by hanging. He had murdered his father. From thirty-five\nto forty thousand people witnessed the execution.\n\nOn the 1st of September Apostle George Q. Cannon was in Nottingham,\nattending conference, and we had large meetings and an excellent time.\nOn October 1st Elder Joseph F. Smith and other missionaries came from\nSheffield on a visit, and remained several days, spending the time\namong the Saints. At Nottingham we had a tea party in the Arboretum, at\nwhich about two hundred persons were present. I was visiting the Saints\nat Pinxton on December 14th, the day that Prince Albert, husband of\nQueen Victoria, died at Windsor Castle.\n\nI started for Birmingham on the 31st of December to attend a conference\nof those in the British Mission who held the Holy Priesthood. This\nconference began on Wednesday, January 1, 1862, and was largely\nattended. We had a most enjoyable time in making reports of our\nexperiences and in receiving instruction and testifying of the\nblessings of the Gospel. The meetings began at 10 a.m. and lasted\ntill 2 p.m., then at 4 p.m. and lasted till 7 p.m. They continued\nthrough Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the presidency\nof the European Mission, Apostles A. M. Lyman, Charles C. Rich and\nGeorge Q. Cannon, being in attendance and directing the meetings. On\nSunday, the 5th, we met with the Saints in Odd Fellows' Hall, the\ncongregation numbering about fifteen hundred persons; an excellent\nfeeling prevailed. Next day the Priesthood meetings were concluded, and\non Tuesday I left Birmingham for Derby, in my own missionary district.\nOn the 27th of January I was in Nottingham, and baptized and confirmed\nElizabeth Hardy.\n\nMy health again became quite bad, but I performed my duties, preaching,\nbaptizing, visiting and conversing with the people on the subject of\nthe Gospel, and attending to the business in my pastorate, until March\n5th, when I took the train for Liverpool. There I consulted Apostles A.\nM. Lyman and G. Q. Cannon, and on the 7th Elder Cannon introduced me to\nDr. Smith, who pronounced my ailment neuralgia, and prescribed turkish\nbaths and the magnetic-electric machine. I remained in Liverpool till\nthe 22nd, occasionally visiting, in company with some of the Elders,\nplaces of interest such as the new park and the botanical gardens. On\nMarch 11th we saw the Liverpool races at Aintree, a suburb. There were\ntwo plate races and the grand national steeple chase. At one hurdle\na horse fell on his rider and the latter was picked up for dead, but\nhe recovered; three other riders were unhorsed. About twenty thousand\npeople were in attendance at these races. It was while in Liverpool, on\nMarch 18th, as I was walking through the northwest part of the town in\ncompany with Elder George J. Taylor, that I saw hundreds of people in\nthe most degraded state in which I ever beheld human beings.\n\nMy health having improved a little, I returned to Nottingham on the\n22nd, Apostle G. Q. Cannon's wife and child accompanying me. Mrs.\nCannon had been very ill, and had been advised to go to Nottingham in\nthe hope of the change benefiting her health. On reaching Nottingham,\nI there resumed my missionary labors. My health again began to fail,\nand early in April I received notice of my release to return home. On\nthe 7th of April Sister Cannon went to Liverpool in company with her\nhusband. I settled business of the conference and went to different\nbranches and bade the Saints good-bye. They exhibited their affection\nfor me by many words and acts of kindness. On April 13th I preached\nmy farewell sermon in Nottingham, and it was with mingled feelings of\nsorrow and joy that I bade the Saints farewell--sorrow to leave them,\nand joy to see the display of love toward me by both members of the\nChurch and numbers of people who were not members. On Monday, April\n14th, I went to Liverpool. The next day I wrote the following, which\nwas published in the _Millennial Star_:\n\n                                        \"Liverpool, April 15, 1862.\n\n\"_President Cannon:_\n\n\"DEAR BROTHER:--I take pleasure in writing to you a brief report of\nmy labors in the ministry of the Nottingham District. On the 7th\nof August, 1860, I was appointed by the presidency here, namely:\nA. M. Lyman and C. C. Rich, to labor as a traveling Elder in the\naforementioned district, where I continued my labors in company with\nElder Joseph C. Rich and under the pastoral charge of Elder David\nJohn, until January 1st, 1861. I then received an appointment to the\npresidency of the Nottingham District, composed of the Nottingham,\nDerby, Leicester and Lincolnshire conferences, where I continued my\nlabors until the 14th instant, when I arrived in Liverpool, having\nreceived your letter of release, with the privilege of returning to our\nmountain home in Utah.\n\n\"I can truly say that I have taken much pleasure in my field of labor,\nfor I have seen my feeble exertions in connection with the Priesthood\nlaboring with me crowned with success. I have witnessed an increase\nof the good Spirit among the Saints. We have not only witnessed these\nsymptoms of increase, but have added by baptism some two hundred and\nfifty souls, besides many rebaptisms; and many misunderstandings of the\nSaints have been corrected, so that, with a few exceptions, the Saints\nare in fellowship with one another.\n\n\"In that district, I think, there have been some four excommunicated\nand five disfellowshiped during the last twenty-one months; and with\nthe present year's emigration, we have two hundred emigrated from\nthat district. Suffice it to say, that the district is in a healthy\ncondition. The Saints are feeling very well, and are full of the spirit\nto emigrate. Many strangers are becoming very much interested in our\nmeetings, insomuch that some of them attend regularly; and on Sunday\nevening, the 13th, after I preached my farewell sermon in Nottingham,\nsome four or five strangers, whom I have no recollection of ever seeing\nbefore,--shook hands with me, saying, 'God bless you,' and at the same\ntime they did not forget to bless me themselves, thus exemplifying\ntheir faith by their works. I find the people in the midland counties\nto be a kindhearted people; and when once you get the crust of\ntradition in which they are encased cracked, so as to feed them with\nthe bread of eternal life, they generally receive it with great joy and\ngladness.\n\n\"Although I have not enjoyed very good health any of the time I have\nbeen in this country, I feel sometimes to regret leaving the mission,\nwhen I reflect upon the memory of so many warm throbbing hearts for\nZion, whose circumstances are rather forbidding at present; yet I\nfeel that if they would arouse with more energy and life, and be\nmore faithful in reading the _Stars_ and _Journals_, attend their\nmeetings, and be more faithful in their duties, and not pore over their\npoverty so much, the time is not far distant when they will be able to\naccomplish that most desirable object of going to Zion.\n\n\"And now I beg to bid good-bye to the Saints of the Nottingham\nDistrict, and say, may the God of Israel bless and preserve them,\ntogether with all the Saints and the honest in heart in all the world.\nAnd as I expect to leave this country on the 21st instant, I bid adieu\nto her majesty's dominions and to all her subjects. I have lifted up my\nvoice and cried aloud, and spared not, till I feel that my skirts are\nclear, so far as this mission to the British nation is concerned.\n\n\"And now with kind regards to yourself, Presidents Lyman and Rich, my\nbrethren and co-laborers in the ministry and the many faithful Saints\nunder their watchcare, I bid all an affectionate farewell, praying God\nto bless and prosper every effort made to advance the interests of His\nkingdom.\n\n            \"I subscribe myself your brother in the Gospel of Christ,\n\n                                                    \"JAMES S. BROWN.\"\n\nI was variously engaged the next two days in preparing for the voyage,\nand in assisting others. On Saturday, the 19th, I went on board the\nship _John J. Boyd_, on which we were to sail. That day a young man who\nresided at Nottingham and who had been courting Miss Mary Oakey, from\nthe same district, came to Liverpool, and the young lady went out with\nhim. They were never seen again by us. We supposed they had eloped.\n\nOn Monday, the 21st, I again went on board. Apostles A. M. Lyman, C. C.\nRich and George Q. Cannon came on the vessel and organized the company\nof emigrating Saints, with the following presidency: James S. Brown,\npresident; John Lindsay and J. C. Rich, counselors. The Apostles gave\nus much good instructions and bade us good-bye, after which we made a\nfurther temporary organization so as to call watches for the night;\nthen, after prayer, we retired, it being about midnight. Next day the\ncompany was organized into nine wards, with a presiding teacher over\neach. There were on board six hundred and ninety-six emigrating Saints,\nand the crew, which made the total up to seven hundred and thirty-five\nsouls.\n\nAt half-past seven o'clock on the 23rd we weighed anchor, and the\nvessel was towed about twenty miles out to sea, and left, in a strong\nheadwind. We beat about the Irish Channel all day, and about 4 p.m.,\ndrew so close to the Isle of Man that we could see the towns and\ndistinguish the houses. Then we tacked about and sailed away along the\ncoast of Wales. Nearly everybody on board was seasick, and one child,\nabout five months old, in a family named Hardy, died. It was buried at\nsea on the 24th. Myself and counselors went among the people, waiting\non them and cheering them.\n\nNext day the heavy headwind continued, and the seasickness seemed very\nsevere. I was affected myself, but still was able to help others. We\nwent along between the Isle of Man and the coast of Ireland, and by the\n26th, when the wind became lighter, we could see the coast of Ireland\non our left and the Scottish hills on the right. We could also see the\nIrish houses, farms and roads quite plainly. It was noon on the 27th\nbefore we passed out of sight of land, the last we saw being a small\nisland off the northwest coast of Ireland.\n\nFrom that time on we experienced all kinds of weather, from a dead calm\nto a heavy gale. On the 1st of May the wind was so strong it carried\naway the jib-boom and fore-top-gallant mast. On the 5th a little boy\nnamed Benjamin V. Williams died from a fall down the hatchway on May\n1st. Taking all things together, however, we got along fairly well.\nOnce we had to complain to the captain of rough treatment by the third\nmate and some of the sailors, and it was checked. On May 21st we\nsighted Sandy Hook, and on June 1st we cast anchor in the bay of New\nYork. On the voyage we had had cases of measles and whooping-cough, and\nthere were seven deaths in our company while we were at sea.\n\nOn landing in New York I received an invitation from Hon. Wm. H. Hooper\nfor the Utah Elders to stay at the Astor House at his expense. Eleven\nof us availed ourselves of the courtesy extended. On June 2nd the\nemigrants were landed and we proceeded west via Niagara Falls and the\nlakes to Detroit, then by way of Chicago, Quincy and Hannibal to St.\nJoseph, Missouri. From that point we went to Florence, Nebraska, by\nsteamboat, and there I turned over my charge to Joseph W. Young, who\nwas conducting affairs at that place.\n\nI was next assigned to an independent company which had its own\noutfit, and was selected as captain and guide. The company consisted\nof two hundred and fifty souls, with fifty wagons and teams. We left\nFlorence in the latter part of June, and arrived in Salt Lake City on\nSeptember 23, 1862. I made my report to President Brigham Young, and\nwas honorably released. I stayed in the city till after the October\nconference of the Church, then hastened home to my family in Ogden\nCity, finding them all well.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LIX.\n\nREMOVE FROM OGDEN TO SALT LAKE CITY AT THE REQUEST OF PRESIDENT\nYOUNG--NECESSITY FOR PREACHING AMONG THE SAINTS--IN THE EMPLOY OF\nPRESIDENT YOUNG--ON ANOTHER MISSION, THIS TIME IN UTAH--PREACHING\nAND LECTURING--BUILD A HOUSE--GO TO THE CANYON TO GET FINISHING\nLUMBER--SHOT IN MISTAKE FOR A BEAR--MY WOUND VERY SERIOUS--TAKEN TO\nWANSHIP TO RECEIVE CARE--MY FAMILY NOTIFIED AND SURGICAL ASSISTANCE\nOBTAINED--MOVED TO MY HOME--IN BED NINE MONTHS--TWO SURGICAL\nOPERATIONS--GROW STRONGER--EMPLOYED AT THE WARM SPRINGS--DR.\nROBINSON--ABSCESSES IN MY WOUNDED LIMB--OUT OF EMPLOYMENT--GO TO THE\nCALIFORNIA LINE TO EXAMINE A GOLD PROSPECT--PERILOUS JOURNEY--INDIANS\nON THE WARPATH--REMARKABLE EXPERIENCE WITH A BAND OF SAVAGES--GIFT OF\nSPEAKING THEIR LANGUAGE--UNABLE TO WORK THE GOLD CLAIM BECAUSE OF LACK\nOF WATER--RETURN TO SALT LAKE CITY--GO TO THE GOLD DISCOVERIES ON THE\nSWEETWATER--DISCOVER A PLACER CLAIM--AN ATTEMPT TO ROB ME OF IT--RUSH\nFOR A MINE--HOLD THE CLAIM--ASSAILED BY HOSTILE INDIANS--A RACE FOR\nLIFE--THREE MEN KILLED--WE ABANDON CAMP--DEFER WITH MY LAME LIMB--LOSE\nTHE MINING CLAIM--HAULING COAL AND PRODUCE--ALMOST DIE--CONFINED TO BED\nFOR MONTHS--AMPUTATION OF MY LIMB TO SAVE MY LIFE--RECOVERY--ATTEND TO\nMY NURSERY--ADVENT OF THE RAILWAY--TRAVELING AND PREACHING--A SLIGHT\nSUN-STROKE.\n\nSHORTLY after my return from my mission to Europe, President Brigham\nYoung was in Ogden, and told me he wished me to locate my family in\nSalt Lake City, preparatory to my going on another mission, if not a\nforeign, a home mission; \"for,\" said he, \"I don't know of any people\non earth that need more preaching to than do the Latter-day Saints\nat home. We send our Elders out to preach and to gather the people\nfrom workshops and factories, then set those people down here in a\nnew country and leave them to do the best they can, without necessary\nexperience; and the result is that many of them get discouraged and\napostatize; whereas, if the Elders would keep the harness on, and\npreach to and encourage them, they would stay and make good Latter-day\nSaints.\"\n\nI moved to Salt Lake City according to President Young's advice, and\nwas about eleven months in his employ. Then, by his appointment, I\ntraveled through the Territory, preaching, and lecturing on my travels\nand experiences. The people in Utah were liberal, giving me much\nassistance, principally in the way of farm products.\n\nIn 1863 I purchased a lot from President Young, began the erection of a\ntwo-story-adobe house, and moved into it in 1864. It was not completed,\nand in August I went into the mountains to get finishing lumber. On the\nnight of the 20th of that month I was shot by a camp mate, in mistake\nfor a bear. The young man who shot me was Alexander Gilbert. The bullet\nentered two-thirds of the way above my knee, on the inside of the left\nthigh, and shattered the bone into many fragments. The weapon was a\nUnited States yauger, and carried a half-ounce ball, which was broken\nto bits, and, with parts of my clothing, including two pieces of a\nbrass suspender buckle, lodged in my limb.\n\nThe accident occurred in Alexander Canyon, about three miles above\nWanship, Summit County, between 11 and 12 o'clock at night. There were\nfour of us in camp at the time. The man who did the shooting ran and\ntold George G. Snyder, who was soon at my side with a team and light\nspring wagon, and with some stimulants. He and my camp mates tenderly\nlifted me on the bed, and conveyed me to the home of my father-in-law,\nNathan Tanner, in Wanship, where I was kindly cared for by him and his\nfamily, and my own family notified of the accident that had befallen\nme. My wound being of a most serious character, the best surgical\nattention procurable at the time was obtained.\n\nThe surgeon advised amputation, but I objected as long as there was any\nhope of saving the limb. I laid there till November, then was moved to\nmy home in Salt Lake City. For nine months I laid on my back, unable\nto move from that position. During that time two surgical operations\nwere performed, taking out parts of shattered bone and the bullet. I\nwas reduced to a skeleton, and became so weak I could not feed myself\nor even lift a sheet of paper between my thumb and finger. After the\nsecond surgical operation, however, I began to improve, and in a few\nweeks could get around with a crutch and a cane.\n\nAs I grew stronger, I was able to work some in my nursery; and when, in\nthe autumn of that year, 1865, the municipality opened the Warm Springs\nto the public I was given charge thereof, and remained in that position\ntill the autumn of 1866. I was there at the time Dr. J. King Robinson,\nwho had had a dispute with the city over the Warm Springs property, was\nkilled, October 22, 1866. When I was brought from Wanship in November,\n1864, after being shot, Dr. Robinson, as associate surgeon in my case,\nwas the first one to do any cutting on my limb.\n\nDuring the time after I was able to move around, subsequent to the\nmonths I had to lie in bed, my wounded limb gave me much trouble.\nAbscesses would form, causing me severe pain, then would burst, and\nwhen the pus was drained the flesh would heal again. But I was able\nto perform only light physical labor, so when, late in the autumn of\n1866, business fell off at the Warm Springs, I was notified that, as I\nwas unable to do all the work required and the bath house did not have\nsufficient patronage to pay two men's wages, my services were no longer\nrequired. While business was good I had purchased a hack, one of the\nfirst in the city, to convey passengers to and from the Warm Springs,\nthe route being to the business part of town, but as traffic fell off I\nhad to dispose of the vehicle. Thus when I was thrown out of employment\nI was left without means of obtaining a livelihood for myself and\nfamily.\n\nI had some specimens of the gold I had discovered near the southeastern\nboundary of California in 1849, when I was going on my first mission to\nthe Society Islands. I showed the specimens to President Brigham Young,\nand in the spring of 1867, with a company which he had authorized me\nto select, started for the California border, our destination being a\npoint in the desert known as Salt Springs. The company included Wood\nBirdno, Lemuel Steele, Dr. Hickman, Robert Egbert and seven others\nbesides myself.\n\nOn reaching Los Vegas, we learned from white men, of whom there were\nabout fifty there, that the Indians were on the warpath. Two of the\nsavages had been killed by the white men, and their tribe was seeking\nrevenge. The red men had challenged the white men to come out of their\nfort and fight; but the challenge was not accepted. We were warned that\nto continue the journey meant certain death, so I told my companions\nthey were at liberty to return, but I proposed to go on. All of the\ncompany elected to do the same.\n\nWe proceeded very carefully, and in going along a narrow canyon we\nobserved fresh Indian tracks. These were noticeable for about five\nmiles, but in that distance we saw no Indians, though we momentarily\nexpected them, and kept a sharp lookout. At last we discovered one\nIndian who claimed to be friendly, but he left us soon--an action which\nwe accepted as an indication of trouble. In the afternoon we selected a\ncamping place on an almost bare knoll, where it seemed impossible for\na man to find shelter enough to hide himself. As I was very tired, my\ncompanions spread some quilts for me to lie down on. Scarce had they\ndone so when a large Indian rose up from a little gully where he had\nbeen hidden. He was within shooting distance, and was well armed. As\nsoon as we saw him, my companions seized their weapons, whereupon I\nshouted \"Hold on!\"\n\nThe Indian made a motion as if to express a wish to shake hands, and\nI threw my hand up and down again, in an involuntary movement, the\nmeaning of which I did not know in Indian sign language. The stranger\nreceived it as a friendly invitation, and came forward and shook hands.\nAgain, as on former occasions, I had the gift of the tongue or language\nwhich the Indians in this vicinity--near Williams' Ranch--spoke, though\nI had never heard it before. I talked to him, and learned that there\nwere other Indians secreted close by. He called to them, and about\nfifteen rose up and came to camp. I was informed that white men had\nkilled some of their number, and that one wounded Indian was lying a\nshort distance away. This one I asked to be brought in and laid near my\nbed, which was done. Dr. Hickman examined his wounds, a shot through\nthe cheek and one in the hip, which he said were not fatal.\n\nI also directed a piece of wagon cover spread out, and told the Indians\nI wanted their weapons laid on that, which was done. Then some of our\ncompany rolled the wagon cover up and tied it, so the guns could not be\ngot at readily if there were trouble. Then, when our guards had been\nset for the night, we laid down and slept in peace and safety. We made\na bargain with the Indians to take care of our animals at a place where\nthere was good grass, and they did so.\n\nThe next day we moved on and met no further trouble or danger. We\nreached our destination in due course, and examined the gold prospect,\nwhich was quite rich. But there was no water within twenty-five miles,\nand it was not practicable to work the mines with the methods within\nour reach in those days. We had to give up and return home, our route\nof travel being by way of the Colorado River as far as Call's Fort,\nthen by the settlements on the Muddy into Utah. I reported the trip and\nits results to President Young.\n\nAt that time there had arisen some excitement over gold discoveries\non the Sweetwater, near South Pass. Fourteen years previous to that\ndate I had related to President Young how the Indians had told me of\ngold in that locality. President Young showed me specimens that had\nbeen brought him from the new discovery, and told me to get a few men\nand see what I could do, as he believed it was a good opportunity for\nme. I did so, and in July, 1867, in company with Foster Curtis, Brower\nPettit, Benjamin Brown and B. Y. Hampton, started for the Sweetwater.\n\nReaching our destination, we prospected for the precious metal. One\nday I went out alone, and at the base of a slope near the Teresa mine\nI discovered free gold. I dug a hole and worked at it, securing dirt\nthat carried fifty to sixty cents per pan. It was a placer claim, and\nI decided that we would occupy it. While I was getting out some of\nthe gold, S. Sharp Walker came along and saw it, and on going to camp\ntold the men. I did not know this till after, but early next morning,\nbefore daylight, I overheard a man in the tent next to our wagon tell\nof a plan to seize the claim. A lot of men were there, Mormons and\nnon-Mormons. I awoke my companions, and it was agreed that they should\ngo and stake the claim, while I should get it recorded. This we did,\nand had the work accomplished before day was fairly on. I reached the\nclaim, to which the others had preceded me, before those who intended\nto jump it arrived at the place, and when the latter came up I was\nprepared to defend it. One man said he had staked the claim before\nus, but as his statement was not true, we stood him off and retained\npossession.\n\nOur party went to work, while I started to find my horses, which had\nstrayed away. As I rode up on a knoll, I discovered a war party of\nseventy-five or eighty Indians, supposed to be Sioux. I had intended to\ndismount and fasten my saddle, but finding I was discovered and that\nabout twenty-five of the Indians were closing in on me with horses much\nfaster than I had. I started for camp with the loose saddle, skurrying\nover rocks and sagebrush. On the way back I found my horses and started\nthem, and they ran directly into camp. In the ride my foot came out of\nthe stirrup, and my lame limb dangled, beyond any power of mine to use\nit. Two Indians ran close up on me and one drew his bow with a fixed\narrow. I straightened up, expecting to receive the missile in my back.\nJust then some of the men who were in our camp, and who had heard my\nshouts, came out and fired, and my pursuer turned to save himself,\nwhile I escaped injury.\n\nAt the camp all was excitement. One man, Corinth Lawrence, had been\nshot and scalped, his body being found some time after I came in.\nIsador Morris had had a narrow escape. That day there were two others\nkilled on their way to camp. They were Anthony Showell, an eastern\nman, and Orson Taylor, from Springville, Utah. Showell was found and\nburied, but Taylor's body never was discovered, that I can recall.\nIn the camp there were George Naylor, Gilbert Webb, Jesse West, John\nPitts, Robert Watson, Jr., George Boyd and many others from Salt Lake\nCity, as well as men who had come from various parts of the country.\nThe man who had tried to jump the claim I had found assumed charge and\ngot the camp together, intending to make a stand in the brush. I knew\nthe danger of such a proceeding with seventy-five or eighty hostile\nIndian warriors near, so, with my companions, withdrew to a better\nposition; soon all the camp followed, and we prepared for defense. The\nintended claim-jumper, whose name I am unable to recall, was a partner\nof Corinth Lawrence, and requested me to take charge of the funeral of\nthe dead man, which I did, and he was buried as carefully as we could\ndo it. That day I suffered greatly with my lame limb, and an abscess\nburst and discharged freely.\n\n[IMAGE: CHASED BY A WAR PARTY]\n\nNext morning we broke camp and returned home, for it was not safe to\nremain there, in a hostile Indian country. Later in the season, Brower\nPettit and Foster Curtis returned to our claim, but it had been seized,\nand was held by parties from California. There was a great rush in\nof people, and the town of South Pass, or Atlantic City, was built.\nThe next spring I went out with more men, but our claim could not be\nregained, so we had to give it up. The parties who seized it took many\nthousands of dollars out of it. The second year, however, the mining\nboom collapsed.\n\nDuring the summer and autumn of this year, 1868, grading for the\nUnion Pacific Railway was going on. I hauled coal from Coalville to\nSalt Lake City, and also hauled tithing produce from Ogden and Logan,\ntaking produce for pay, so that my family was well supplied with\nprovisions. On my last trip from Ogden I was caught in a snowstorm on\nthe sandridge, took a congestive chill, and almost died on the way.\nWhen I reached home I was unable to get off my wagon. I was cared for\nby my family, but suffered greatly, and in addition to the suppuration\nin my thigh, the wound bled so as to endanger my life. Finally, on May\n27, 1869, my left limb was amputated about four inches from the hip\njoint. The surgeons were Dr. W. F. Anderson, Dr. H. J. Richards and Dr.\nJ. M. Bernhisel. Apostles Wilford Woodruff and George Q. Cannon were\npresent also. The operation which I had objected to for nearly five\nyears became necessary to save my life.\n\nIn a few weeks from the time of the amputation I was able to get out\na little, and pruned a few trees. From that time on I worked, though\nit was under many difficulties, till I had pruned my nursery of ten\nthousand trees, and had given them necessary care. I was able to be\npresent at the ceremonies at the entrance of the railway into Salt Lake\nCity, January 10, 1870. During the succeeding two years I attended to\nmy nursery, also traveled and lectured on my experiences and preached\nas a home missionary, from Paris, Idaho, on the north, to St. George,\nUtah, on the south. In the summer of 1871, while working in my orchard,\nI was overcome by heat, having a slight sunstroke, some of the effects\nof which have never left me. Still my health was better than before my\nlimb was amputated, and with crutches I got along fairly well.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XL.\n\nI CALLED ON A MISSION TO THE UNITED STATES--JOURNEY EASTWARD--VISIT\nRELATIVES EN ROUTE--REACH NEW YORK--MEASURED FOR AN ARTIFICIAL\nLIMB--HOW IT WAS PAID FOR--VISIT AND PREACH--MEET POOR\nENCOURAGEMENT--GO TO BOSTON--WORLD'S PEACE JUBILEE--BUNKER HILL--AGAIN\nAT NEW YORK--RELEASED TO RETURN HOME--BACK IN UTAH--TRAVELING AND\nPREACHING--SENT FOR BY PRESIDENT YOUNG--CALLED ON A MISSION TO\nARIZONA--DIRECTED TO FURNISH NAMES OF OTHERS--SEND THE LIST--PRESIDENT\nYOUNG ADDS OTHER NAMES--SET APART FOR OUR MISSION--DIFFICULT TO COLLECT\nMONEY DUE ME--LEAVE MY FAMILY POORLY PROVIDED FOR BUT TRUSTING IN THE\nLORD--PLACED IN CHARGE OF THE MISSION--LETTER OF INSTRUCTIONS--START\nSOUTH--PEOPLE CONTRIBUTE LIBERALLY--TRAVELING IN STORM--ARRIVE AT\nKANAB--IN ARIZONA--A HARD JOURNEY--MARRIAGE OF MY DAUGHTER--REACH LEE'S\nFERRY ON THE COLORADO--CROSSING THE RIVER--REACH MOANCOPPY WASH--DECIDE\nTO WINTER THERE--EXPLORE THE VICINITY--MEET FRIENDLY INDIANS--BUILDING\nA HOUSE--EXPLORING THE LITTLE COLORADO--A DIFFICULT TRIP--DESCRIPTION\nOF THE ROUTE--FIND A PLACE FOR ANOTHER SETTLEMENT--SAN FRANCISCO\nMOUNTAINS--FINE FOREST GROWTH--CAUGHT IN DEEP SNOW--THROUGH WITH A\nPERILOUS JOURNEY--DECIDE TO RETURN TO SALT LAKE CITY AND REPORT--HEAVY\nSNOW--TRIP HOMEWARD--CORDIALLY GREETED BY PRESIDENT YOUNG--WITH MY\nFAMILY.\n\nON the 8th of April, 1872, at the general conference of the Church in\nSalt Lake City, I was called on a mission to the eastern part of the\nUnited States, and hastened to settle my business preparatory to my\ndeparture. At 5 p.m. on May 1st I left Salt Lake City, going by train\nto Ogden, and then east. There were about twenty-five other Elders\nin the company. My companion in the Pullman car was Moroni Brown, of\nOgden. On reaching Missouri Valley Junction, Iowa, I stopped over with\nmy brother-in-law, B. H. Dennis. On May 4th, I went to Calhoun and\npreached in the schoolhouse; returned to Missouri Valley Junction on\nthe 6th, preaching in the courthouse. My father paid the expense of\nsecuring the last-named building.\n\nI continued my journey on the 7th going by way of Chicago,\nPhiladelphia, Newark and Jersey City, to New York. There we met with\nElder Wm. C. Staines, and on the 12th went with him to Brooklyn. On the\n13th I was measured at Mr. Hudson's, 696 Broadway, New York, for an\nartificial limb. The way I came to do this was through Leonard Wines,\nof Salt Lake City. Mr. Wines and I had been good friends in our younger\ndays. In later years he had made some money on the mail line west,\nand meeting me one day on the train the idea struck him that I ought\nto have an artificial leg. The result was that he and some friends\nwhom he called on raised the necessary amount to pay for it, which sum\nhe presented to me, telling of his purpose. Naturally I had a high\nappreciation of his kindness. It was on May 27th that I received the\nartificial limb.\n\nWe obtained lodgings with Brother Isaac Elkington and family, and\nvisited and preached where we could. We met very little encouragement\nfrom the people. On June 13th we left for Boston on a steamer of the\nNeptune Line, going first to Providence, from which place we went by\nrail to Boston, and thence to Portsmouth, N. H. At the latter place I\nvisited my father-in-law, Thomas Lester.\n\nOn the 17th of June we were at the World's Peace Jubilee, in Boston,\nand also visited Bunker Hill and mingled with the vast assemblage\nthere. I paid a visit to the home of Thomas Lester, Jr., about fifteen\nmiles out from Boston, on the 18th, and then returned to New York,\nwhere, on the 19th, we met President George A. Smith of the First\nPresidency of the Church. He told us we were at liberty to return home,\nas the antagonism was so great that there was no chance to preach\nthe Gospel to the people at that time. That evening we filled an\nappointment at Paterson. N. J., staying at the home of W. Dover till\nthe 23rd, when we returned to New York.\n\nHaving been released from our mission, owing to the indifference of the\npeople, we started home the first of July. For some three years after\nmy return I traveled and preached as I had done formerly, in southern\nIdaho, western Wyoming and northern Utah.\n\nOn Wednesday evening, September 29, 1875, on returning from a preaching\ntour in the northern part of Utah County, I was informed by my family\nthat President Young had sent for me to do some interpreting in the\nNavajo language. I had met the Navajo Indians going away from his\noffice, and as I knew my presence was not necessary then, and as I was\nquite ill with a nervous headache, I did not go up till next day.\n\nGoing to see President Young, I met him in front of his office, in\nhis carriage. He said he had wanted me to talk with the Navajos, but\nI was too late, for they were gone, \"but,\" said he, \"I knew you had\nthe spirit of it.\" He then drove off, and his private secretary, Elder\nGeorge Reynolds, invited me into the office, saying the President\nwanted to see me particularly on missionary business. At this I went\ninside and waited. Soon the President came in and after speaking to\nsome others who were waiting for him, came to me and said, \"Oh, Brother\nJames, that I could see you as I have seen you, strong and active! I\nshould like to send you on a mission to those Indians, for you are just\nthe man to go there with a few other good men. The Spirit of the Lord\nis upon them and they need a few men among them who will teach them the\ntruth.\"\n\nTo this statement I replied that I was unable to endure hardships and\nexposure as I had done, for my health was very poor and I was not able\nto wait on myself in camp life. I stated, however, that what the Spirit\nof the Lord directed through him I was willing to try to do to the best\nof my ability; and added, \"You know where to find me; I am just where I\nalways have been, on hand.\"\n\nPresident Young then said. \"Bless your soul, the Spirit does and has\ndictated to me all the time to send you to take charge of a mission\nin that country. You are just the man for it, and if I had sent you\nbefore, we would have had a mission and settlements there now. I think\nthat if we fit you up with a good spring wagon or carriage, and some\ngood brethren to wait on you, that you can go. Just get a list of names\nof good men, and hand them to me--a list of men that will stand by\nyou, but none of your babies. I want good men to go with you on this\nmission, so hand me a list of names.\"\n\nWhen the conversation ended, I returned home, and after much thought\nand prayer for the guidance of the Lord, wrote the following names, my\nown at the head of the list: Daniel B. Roson, John C. Thompson, Seth B.\nTanner, Morton P. Mortenson, Bengt Jenson, Hans Funk, Ernest Tietjens\nand John Davies. The latter got excused, and President Young added the\nfollowing: Andrew L. Gibbons, Luther C. Burnham, Thales H. Haskell, Ira\nHatch, Warren M. Johnson and William H. Gibbons. These were called on a\nmission October 9, 1875, at the general conference. On Monday, October\n11th, we were set apart for our mission.\n\nI found some difficulty in collecting debts due me, over a thousand\ndollars altogether, so that I could not get enough to fit me out\ncomfortably nor to provide for my family. Still I was determined to go.\nWhen it came to parting from my family, it was hard to leave them, with\nonly ten days' supply of fuel and less than fifty pounds of flour in\nthe house, and not knowing where the next would come from. It seemed as\nif they could not endure the separation when they saw me fitted out so\npoorly. But I blessed them in the name of the Lord, and told them that\nif they would live their religion they would not suffer so much want\nwhen I was away as if I had stayed home. Then we separated sorrowfully,\nand on October 30th I went by train to Provo. Some of the company had\npreceded me a day or two. I had in the meantime received much personal\ninstruction from President Young, and was given the following letter:\n\n                               \"SALT LAKE CITY, U.T., October 28, 1875.\n\n\"_Elder James S. Brown. Salt Lake City:_\n\n\"DEAR BROTHER:--You are hereby appointed to take charge of the mission\nabout to go south and southeast of the Colorado River.\n\n\"It will become your duty to found settlements in suitable locations,\nwhere the brethren can congregate in cultivating the earth to bring\nforth substance for the families of the brethren who may feel disposed\nto join you.\n\n\"You will work in harmony with other brethren who are now in the south\nbuilding up new locations, and will in all things seek the welfare of\nthose associated with you, and the building up of the kingdom of God.\n\n\"In the formation of settlements, and in all circumstances that may\narise on your mission, you will seek the wisdom of the Spirit of the\nLord, and be guided by its whisperings in all things from day to day.\n\n\"The brethren with whom you are associated are counseled to act under\nyour directions, that the spirit of union and concert of action may\ncharacterize all your movements. And we call upon all men unto whom\nyou shall come to aid and assist you according to their ability in\npromoting so good and glorious a cause as settling this rugged new,\ncountry.\n\n\"We would counsel you, if you will do it, to sustain each other as\nbrethren, and work together in the holy order that God has revealed.\n\n\"We pray God our Heavenly Father to bless and prosper you and to make\nyou instrumental in accomplishing much good to those with whom you are\ncalled upon to associate, and to labor for on this mission, in the name\nof Jesus Christ. Amen.\n\n\"Your brethren in the Gospel,\n\n                                                     \"BRIGHAM YOUNG,\n                                                     \"DANIEL H. WELLS,\n\n\"First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.\"\n\nFrom Provo I got a ride with a team to Spanish Fork, where, on Sunday,\nOctober 31st, I preached to the people, having great liberty of the\nSpirit. Then Bishop Snell asked the people for a contribution and they\nresponded liberally, raising twenty-two sacks of flour, twenty-six\nbushels of potatoes, and thirteen dollars in money. That night I went\non to Salem and preached, and also received a small donation from the\npeople. I next went to Payson, where I preached on Monday evening, and\nwhere the people subscribed liberally, so that I had thirty-three dollars\nin currency, fifty sacks of flour, and twenty-six bushels of potatoes.\nThus my words to my destitute family were fulfilled, and they were\nprovided for as well as myself.\n\nAt Payson I met some of my missionary companions, and we moved on\nsouthward. Others joined us on the journey, and on November 9th we\nreached Salina, where we pitched our tent and I camped out for the\nfirst time on our trip. At Richfield we received contributions of\nprovisions, and again at Panguitch. Much of our journey between these\ntwo places was in storm--rain and snow--and was far from comfortable.\nOn the 18th we crossed the rim of the Great Basin. We reached Kanab on\nthe 20th, where we were joined by the four brethren who had been called\nfrom the southern settlements.\n\nI left Kanab on November 22nd, going to Navajo Wells. Before leaving\nKanab I had telegraphed to President Young, written to my family, and\narranged with Bishop L. John Nuttall to have our mail sent after us as\nsoon as possible. At Navajo Wells I joined our party, and next day we\nwent on to the Buckskin Mountains, making dry camp that night. On the\n24th we reached House Rock Spring, where we were overtaken with letters\nfrom home. I had one from my eldest daughter. Lydia Jane, stating that\nshe was to be married to Homer Manley Brown on November 22nd. It had\nbeen arranged before I left home that the wedding was to take place\nthis month.\n\nWe traveled steadily on, the country being dry and forbidding. Our\nbeef cattle having run off, Ira Hatch and Luther C. Burnham went to\nfind them. Burnham brought them into camp at Badger Creek, on the\n26th, but it was 2 o'clock on the morning of the 27th when Ira Hatch\ngot in from his fruitless search. That day we went on to Lee's Ferry,\non the Colorado River. We had sent two men ahead to arrange for us to\nbe ferried over the river, but they reported that it was not possible\nto cross that night. I thought differently, and as it was Saturday,\nI determined to get over. Some of the party objected and some were\nwilling, and this division delayed our crossing with the wagons till\nabout 10 p.m.; but we were safely over the stream. Next day our animals\nwere ferried over. At the ferry, Mrs. Lee was out of provisions, and\nwe helped her to some, and also gave her ten dollars, of which I\ncontributed two dollars. Next morning she sent me a Navajo blanket and\na cotton handkerchief.\n\nWe left Lee's Crossing on November 29th, and continued over a dry,\nrough, difficult road till December 3rd, when we reached Moancoppy,\nthe pleasantest spot we had seen since before arriving at Kanab. I was\nimpressed to make this place winter quarters, and designated a site\nfor a fort. We were all pleased to have a rest from traveling, as our\nfeed had given out and our stock was sick with the epizootic. Near this\nplace there were some old Indian farms and a few stone huts laid up\nwithout mortar, but all had been deserted. There were also some springs\nnear by.\n\nThe morning after we had camped there, a small hunting party of Navajos\ncame in, and after we had given them their breakfast they smoked\ntheir corn-husk cigarettes and departed. A. S. Gibbons, Ira Hatch and\nI examined the country around Moancoppy, and found a few ponds of\nwater and a good place for a reservoir to catch the spring rains; we\nalso discovered a fertile spot of a few acres, and two small springs.\nDecember 5th was Sunday. We held a meeting, and all our company,\nthirteen in number, expressed themselves as feeling well and zealous in\nour missions.\n\nOn Monday we explored the vicinity, but found nothing inviting outside\nthe neighborhood of our camp, where we all were satisfied a missionary\nstation should be built, as it was the best we could do. We went to\nwork getting timber and doing other necessary work, my part being\nto guard against hostile Indians. T. H. Haskell and Ira Hatch, our\ninterpreters, went to the Oriba Indian village, some fifty miles away.\nOn their return they reported all was peaceful; they were accompanied\nby Chief Tuba and his wife Telassinimki, who were highly pleased to see\ntheir old Mormon friends.\n\nOn the 8th we laid out a house twenty by forty feet and twelve feet\nhigh, to be built of stone. Our beef cattle having become very wild, we\nhad to kill them and cure the meat.\n\nJ. C. Thompson, Ira Hatch, S. B. Tanner, L. C. Burnham and I started\non December 9th on an exploring trip up the Little Colorado River and\naround the San Francisco Mountains. When we had gone twelve miles,\nbreaking the road through the canyon, we were glad to find some pools\nof water, and to rest for the night. Next day we came to the Little\nColorado River from forty to fifty miles above its mouth. The river\nbottom was about half a mile wide, and the water very low. We continued\nup the river to the Black Falls, where the stream passes over a ledge\nof volcanic rock twelve or fourteen feet high. Four miles farther up\nit ran through a very narrow gorge, and we had to pass over the hills\nthrough deep sand, which our team found it very difficult to cross.\n\nFifteen miles farther on we came to Grand Falls, where the river runs\nover shelving rocks for eighty to a hundred feet. Higher up the stream\nthe bottoms widened out, in some places to four miles, the timber was\nbetter and the stream was larger. We killed two antelope and dried the\nmeat. Our forward journey continued to the old Beel trail, then on to\nSunset Crossing and the old Prescott road. Seven miles above was a mail\nstation, and there, at 9 o'clock on the night of Friday, December 17th,\nthe mail carriers met, and we learned some general news from them. Next\nday we traveled fifteen miles farther, to where some Mexican herders\nwere camped with about four thousand sheep. The water in the river had\nimproved in quantity and quality, and the surroundings were such that\nwe felt we could recommend it as a place for settlement. We were also\nimpressed to return to Moancoppy, and started on that journey on the\n19th. We changed our course and took more to the hill country, heading\nfor the San Francisco Mountains.\n\nThe return trip was very hard. We saw plenty of timber--the finest\nforest growth I ever beheld. On December 24th, when crossing the divide\nbetween the San Francisco Mountains and Mount Hendrick, we encountered\na terrific snowstorm, and had to camp for the night. Next day we\ncontinued on our way, making slow progress in the deep snow. We passed\nbelow the snow line on a very rough country, where sometimes, with\nbrake set, it took the four of us all we could do to keep the wagon\nright side up. We were thankful to reach the river on the 28th and\nMoancoppy on the 29th.\n\nAt a brief consultation that day, it was decided that I should return\nto Salt Lake City and report to President Young the result of our\nexplorations. Next day the bandaging of my artificial leg gave way and\nT. H. Haskell repaired it. On New Year's Day, 1876, J. C. Thompson, W.\nH. Gibbons and I set out for Kanab, where we arrived on January 6th.\n\nI requested Bishop Nuttall to forward me to Orderville, which he did.\nFrom there Bishop H. O. Spencer took his team and conveyed me to\nPanguitch. We met a heavy snowstorm on the road, the snow on the rim of\nthe Basin being up to the wagonbox. From Panguitch I was forwarded to\nMonroe, where I telegraphed President Young that I would be in the city\nby January 15th. I was advanced by team from there to the railroad,\nwhere a pass sent by President Young was ready for me, and I arrived\nin Salt Lake City and reported to him at 6 p.m. on the 14th. At the\nrailway station I was met by my children and the neighbors and two\nvehicles. If I had been President Young's own son he could not have\nreceived me more cordially than he did when I reached his office. After\nour conversation I returned home, where my folks thought I should have\ngone first; but they were overjoyed to see me, as I was to see them,\nall in good health and well provided for. We were highly gratified to\nrealize that the Lord had heard and answered our prayers.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LXI.\n\nATTEND MEETINGS WITH THE FIRST PRESIDENCY AND APOSTLES--MORE\nMISSIONARIES CALLED TO ARIZONA--MANY INQUIRIES REGARDING THE\nMISSION--OUTLINE THE ROUTE--PREPARATIONS FOR TRAVEL--START\nSOUTH--AIDED BY CONTRIBUTIONS--REACH MOENCOPPY--MEET LOT SMITH\nAND COMPANY--BAPTISMS--START FOR THE LITTLE COLORADO RIVER--GUIDE\nMISSIONARY COMPANIES TO THE PLACE WE HAD SELECTED FOR SETTLEMENT--LOT\nSMITH REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE MY APPOINTMENT FROM PRESIDENT YOUNG\nAS PRESIDENT OF THE MISSION--HE ASSUMES LEADERSHIP AT THE NEW\nSETTLEMENT--I RETURN WITH MY PARTY TO MOENCOPPY--OTHER COMPANIES OF\nMISSIONARY SETTLERS SUSTAIN MY PRESIDENCY--MY HEALTH IS POOR--SETTLERS\nDISCOURAGED--CHEER THEM UP--WORK OF FRONTIER LIFE--SUCCOR A COMPANY\nWHOSE WATER SUPPLY IS EXHAUSTED--TAKING UP LAND--MAKE A LONG\nEXPLORING TRIP--INTRODUCE BOOK OF MORMON TO NAVAJOS--RETURN TO\nMOENCOPPY--INDIANS DISSATISFIED--GO TO SALT LAKE CITY WITH A DELEGATION\nOF NAVAJO CHIEFS--THEIR SUPPOSED GRIEVANCES SETTLED--TELL PRESIDENT\nYOUNG I HAVE COME HOME TO STAY--HE SENDS ME OUT AGAIN--DIRECTED TO\nPROCURE VOLUNTEERS--LETTER OF INSTRUCTIONS--LECTURE, AND TAKE UP\nCONTRIBUTIONS--RETURN HOME--MY FAMILY ILL--PROVIDE SUPPLIES FOR\nTHEM--CONDITIONS IMPROVE.\n\nMY stay at home lasted till January 30, 1876. I attended several\nmeetings with the First Presidency, the Twelve Apostles, and other\nleading brethren in the Church. They were consulting as to the best\nmeans of colonizing that part of Arizona we had been exploring, and two\nhundred missionaries were called to go there and settle the country.\nScores of visitors also came to my house to inquire regarding my\ntravels and the place where I had been. I went over to Apostle John\nTaylor's house on invitation, and there George Goddard reported our\nconversation, as I was requested to outline the route to Arizona, which\noutline was afterwards published in the Deseret News. During my stay I\nalso made a brief visit to Ogden.\n\nAs the time drew near for me to start south again, President Young\nloaned me a team and light wagon to travel with. He also advised me to\nfind a boy about sixteen years old to go with and wait on me. I was\nthinking of how I should follow this counsel, when John Reidhead, who\nwas one of those called to the Arizona mission, came in and proffered\nhis son--an offer I was pleased to accept. On Friday, January 28,\nBrother Reidhead and son started south with my team and baggage.\n\nEarly on the morning of Sunday, January 30, I took leave of my family,\nand went by train to Spanish Fork, making an appointment at Springville\nas I passed. I was met at the station at Spanish Fork, and conveyed to\nthe meetinghouse, where I addressed the congregation. That evening I\nreturned to Springville and filled the appointment there. Next morning\nI was met by Brother Reidhead and son, and proceeded to Payson. I\nhad had raised for me, by subscription, a span of small mules, so I\nsent back President Young's team and harness, and went on my journey,\npreaching almost every evening in one or other town on the way. We were\ntreated very kindly. Our route lay through Fillmore, Beaver, Parowan,\nCedar City, Toquerville, and on to Kanab, which we reached February\n23, finding Bishop Nuttall quite ill. We made our home at Bishop Levi\nStewart's.\n\nOn March 2nd we set out from Kanab, and reached Moencoppy on the 8th,\nwhere we found all well. The building constructed by the settlers was\nso far completed as to protect us comfortably from storm and cold; and\na dam had been constructed, with a water ditch three miles long, giving\nus quite a reservoir. Plowing also had been begun, though the weather\nwas very disagreeable.\n\nOn the 11th, J. C. Thompson and A. S. Gibbons went to meet Lot Smith\nand a company coming from Utah. On Sunday, the 12th, we held meeting,\nand a young man named Franklin D. Gillespie, who had fallen in with us,\ndesired to be baptized into the Church, as did Ly and his wife, two of\nthe Oriba Indians. The ordinance was attended to, and I also ordained\nthe chief, Tuba, a Priest.\n\nDuring the next three days I arranged affairs of the company, some\nof the men being directed to locate springs, to act as guides to the\ncompanies coming, attend to our mail, etc., and on the 15th, with S.\nB. Tanner, Ira Hatch, and J. B. Reidhead, set out with six mules and\na light wagon to search a road for vehicles between Moencoppy and the\nOriba village. Hans Funk and E. Tietjens, with a four-horse team, went\nto the top of the hill to haul water for our animals, and from there\nour party proceeded along the Indian trail three or four miles, then\nstruck out over the trackless, sandy plain, to avoid rugged buttes and\ndeep gulches that rendered the trail impracticable for wagons. We went\non about fourteen miles, and camped in the sand; I was quite ill.\n\nNext day we traveled about twenty-five miles in a southeasterly\ndirection, over sandhills and up a long wash, to a divide, where we\nmade dry camp. We met four hunting parties, and two of the hunters\ncamped with us. The following morning we went on seven miles, to the\npools of water where the Oribas were camped with their flocks of sheep\nand goats. Each flockmaster stood guard over his animals, for his turn\nto get at the pools. We passed on three miles to the Oriba village,\nlocated on the crest of a steep bluff. The houses were built close\ntogether, and there were about five hundred inhabitants. Those Indians\nobtained all their water from a well about a mile distant, and the\ncarrying of the precious liquid was going on day and night, while the\nIndians were praying continually for more water.\n\nLeaving the Oriba village, we proceeded onward over a rough and sandy\ncountry, reaching the Mohave Springs, where the Hopees water their\nstock, on the 18th. That night we experienced a fearful windstorm. On\nthe 20th we came to the Little Colorado River, and on the 23rd arrived\nat the place selected on my first trip for a settlement. Between this\ntime and my previous visit five houses had been built there, so our\npurpose was interfered with a little. Next day we chose a place for the\npioneer camp, and S. B. Tanner and I started back to meet the company\nfrom Utah which was to occupy the locality as a settlement, and which\nhad been following us closely. We met the newcomers that day, and\nreturned to the site that had been chosen.\n\nIt was at this place that the first disagreement in the expedition\noccurred. Captains Smith, Lake and Allen had charge of three sections\nof the company. I invited them and others to a meeting to consult\nover what should be done, and there presented to them my letter of\ninstructions from President Young and my appointment as president of\nthe mission. Captain Lot Smith opposed my presidency, and Captains Lake\nand Allen failed to give me support. Things were not pleasant, and\nthe meeting was dismissed. Next day matters in camp were in a rather\nconfused condition.\n\nThe succeeding day was Sunday, March 26th. Lot Smith called a meeting,\nand invited me to speak. I recounted what we had done in searching out\nand selecting this place for settlement, and welcomed the company to\nit; I also gave information and instruction concerning the country.\nWhen I finished, Lot Smith assumed charge of the meeting, and paid no\nfurther attention to me. Next day I invited him, and also Major Ladd,\nto take a walk with me. They came, and I asked Brother Smith what he\nintended doing. He replied that he was going ahead independent of me.\nI told him he had insulted me and trampled upon my God-given right,\nthrough President Young, who had appointed me to preside over the\nArizona mission, and if he would persist in doing wrong he must bear\nthe responsibility. He was very defiant, so we separated. I called\nBrother G. Lake, who had informed me that Lot Smith seemed to think he\nwas in charge of the companies but he (Lake) knew it was my place and\nwould sustain me. I told him he had betrayed my confidence, for when it\ncame to the test he had failed to keep his word. I advised him to think\nthe matter over, and as I had decided to return at once to Moencoppy,\nour party bade good-bye to the newcomers, and we started. This was on\nMarch 27th.\n\nOn the 30th we reached the lower crossing of the river, and camped, the\nstream being too much swollen to cross. S. B. Tanner shot a deer, and\nby about five hours later he and the others brought in two more deer--a\nvaluable addition to our stock of provisions. By Saturday, April 1st,\nthe river had fallen, and other companies having come up, we crossed\nand held a meeting. Next day another meeting was convened, and I called\nDavid E. Fullmer to return with us, which he did. In a meeting held at\nthe old Arizona camp on April 4th, at which there was a large number of\nthose who had recently come from Utah, my letter of instructions from\nPresident Young was read, and the brethren unanimously sustained me as\npresident of the mission. Our party continued the journey, and after\nmuch toil reached Moencoppy settlement on April 7th. I was quite ill at\nthis time.\n\nWe continued the work necessary to establishing a settlement, but\nthere were so many difficulties that some of our company, which had\nbeen increased by additions from Utah, began to feel discouraged. I\nadmonished and cheered them, causing them to feel better. We also\narranged for some of the company, in charge of S. B. Tanner, to go\nup the Little Colorado River and secure twenty-three land claims for\nus. This party started on Monday, April 17th. On the 22nd a Brother\nPhillips came from Moencoppy and said a small company had reached there\nwithout water, and that their teams were so exhausted that they could\nnot travel longer than about noon. We comprehended their suffering\ncondition, gathered all the barrels and kegs we had, and filled them\nwith water--about one hundred gallons--and Brothers Roson and Thompson\nwent to their relief. I then made out some notices to put up, giving\ninstructions so that other companies should not be caught in the same\npredicament as this one had been.\n\nFrom time to time our numbers were augmented by additions from Utah,\nmany having come in and located at the places we had selected. Among\nthose who joined us at Moencoppy was my son-in-law, H. O. Fullmer, and\nmy daughter, Rachel E. On the 17th of May the members of our settlement\nproceeded up the river to where S. B. Tanner and party had taken up\nland for us. There was some dissatisfaction in the company, but after\nprayerfully considering the situation all was made right. Then, on May\n19th, Brothers Tanner, Haskell and I started on an exploring trip. We\nwere gone till July 3rd, and traveled several hundred miles, going\nnorth and east through the country of the Navajos, the Moquis and the\nZunis. We saw the villages of each, and also many ancient ruins. We\npassed over some good country, but much of it was very rough, and our\ntrip was an arduous one.\n\nWhile on this journey we were traveling along the Rio Perco, a\ntributary of the Rio Grande del Norte, when, on June 17th, as we were\nfollowing a trail through a forest, an Indian stepped out from the edge\nof the undergrowth, held up his hand, and said: \"Stop! Who are you,\nwhere do you come from, where are you going, and what is your business\nin the Navajo country?\"\n\n\"We are Mormons from Utah,\" was our response, in Spanish, the language\nin which our interrogator had spoken.\n\n\"Stop your wagon under this tree,\" continued he, indicating a place,\n\"and talk to us; for we hear the Mormons have the history of our\nforefathers. The Americans and Spaniards say you claim this, but we\nknow they often speak falsely, and we wish to learn from your own lips\nwhether you have such a record, and how you came by it. We want you to\nstop here till our people come together, and you can tell us the truth.\"\n\nBy this time another Indian had presented himself. We turned aside as\nordered, and the first Navajo said to the newcomer: \"Show these men\nwhere water is.\"\n\nSeth B. Tanner and Thales H. Haskell unhitched our team, and led\nthem to drink, the Indian going as guide. I was asked to get out of\nthe wagon, and as I was doing so a large number of Indians appeared,\ncoming from all directions. Almost before I realized it, there were\ntwo hundred and fifty to three hundred Navajos there, men, women and\nchildren. My chair was taken out of the wagon, a blanket was spread for\nme, and I sat down, the Indians sitting close around. Two chiefs, whom\nI learned were Juan San Juall and Jualito, sat as near to me as they\ncould, and one of them said, \"If you have the book of our forefathers,\ntell us about God and them, and how you came by the book.\"\n\nI produced a copy of the Book of Mormon, told them it was a record of\nGod's dealings with their fore-fathers, and explained to them how it\nwas revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith by an angel. As I proceeded to\ntell what was in the Book of Mormon, tears came to the eyes of many in\nthe audience, and some of them spoke out, \"We know that what you say is\ntrue, for the traditions of our good old men who never told a lie agree\nwith your story. Our forefathers did talk with God, and they wrote; and\nwhen they became wicked and went to war they hid up their records, and\nwe know not where they are.\"\n\nAt this point the chiefs and about ten other leading men rose up and\nembraced me, saying, \"Continue to tell us of God and our forefathers,\nfor it does our hearts good to hear of them.\"\n\nI talked on for a time, and when I was through, Messrs. Tanner and\nHaskell, who had listened to what had been going on, bore witness that\nwhat I had said was true. We remained with the Indians for dinner,\nand they wanted us to stay longer, but we felt that it was better\nto proceed on our journey. This meeting, one of the most sudden and\nsingular in my experience, occurred in New Mexico, about thirty miles\nnorth of the old mail route from Albuquerque westward. When it was over\nwe continued our journey south and west, turned west to Fort Wingate,\nthen on to Fort Defiance, and through the Moquis villages to our\nsettlement.\n\nOn the day of our return to Moencoppy, July 3rd, Brothers Roson and\nThompson came to meet us with barrels of water--a relief that we\nappreciated greatly. We were highly pleased to learn that all was well\nin the settlement.\n\nSoon after this I released two of the missionaries till October 1st,\nto visit their families in Utah, and five others till November 1st,\nfor the same purpose. During July and the early part of August we\nwere engaged in tending and gathering crops, and the work incident\nto establishing a settlement, which was by no means easy. We also\nvisited and endeavored to keep on good terms with the Indians, and for\nourselves did so; but there were some of the Navajos who seemed bent\non making trouble, and who complained that the settlers on the Little\nColorado had taken some of their animals. Finally, on August 6th, we\nreceived word from the Indian council that a delegation of chiefs\nwould meet with us in three days, to accompany some of us on a visit\nto the \"Mormon Chief,\" to settle the alleged grievances. Ira Hatch and\nI set out that same evening to meet the delegation. I took very ill,\nand it was only through the best care and with great effort that I\ncould travel, but we were determined not to disappoint the Indians. I\nreceived marked attention from Ira Hatch, also from J. D. Lee and wife\nat the Moenabbey, and in a few hours was able to move around again as\nusual. We met the Indians, and made the journey north, reaching Salt\nLake City on the evening of August 22nd, the Indians being lodged at D.\nB. Huntington's for the night.\n\nNext day President Young met the delegation in his schoolhouse,\nand talked over the supposed wrongs of the Mormon settlers to the\nNavajos--for they were only supposed, as it turned out. I acted as\ninterpreter, using the Spanish language. Efforts had been made to find\nsome other interpreter who could talk the Navajo dialect, but in vain.\nEverything was made satisfactory to the red men, who remained in Salt\nLake City four days. At this time a delegation of Shoshones from Bear\nRiver came with George Hill as interpreter, and these met the Navajos\nand the two tribes \"buried the hatchet.\" Then the Navajos received a\nfew presents and returned to their homes.\n\nI had a conversation with President Young, in which I told him I had\ncome from Arizona not to return unless he ordered me to do so. A few\ndays later he met me and said he had been thinking over my mission. He\nintended to press onward in settling Arizona and New Mexico, and as\nI knew what that country was, he thought I had better travel through\nUtah and lecture on the prospects of the work in the southern mission,\nand also call for volunteers to accompany me in returning to Arizona.\nHe told me further that I was to take up collections among the Saints\nfor the support of myself and family, and for an outfit for myself.\nIn pursuance of these instructions he gave me a letter to the Bishops\nand other authorities. This document mentioned my missionary labors in\nArizona, said I was directed to lecture among the Saints on the mission\nwork and take up contributions, and counseled the authorities to render\nme assistance in harmony with the call made of me. It closed as follows:\n\n\"Brother Brown is also authorized to receive the names of those who\nare willing or desirous of helping to build up the Kingdom of God\nin that region. We learn that the brethren are discovering new and\ndesirable valleys in the neighborhood of their present settlements, and\nelsewhere, and it is our intention to keep pushing out and onward as\nfast as prudence and the whisperings of the Spirit of the Lord shall\ndictate.\n\n\"We desire the active co-operation of our brethren in this important\nwork, and shall be pleased to receive a goodly list of volunteers\nthrough Brother Brown, consisting of men who love the Gospel,\nhave faith in the promises of the Father, and have the integrity,\ndetermination and zeal of true Latter-day Saints. We have no fear that\ntoo many will respond to this invitation, as the rich valleys south and\neast of the Colorado offer homes for hundreds of those who desire to\nextend the curtains of Zion in that direction.\n\n\"We are informed that some of the brethren entertain the idea that it\nis better to be called by the authorities to such missions than to\nvolunteer. To such we will quote the saying of the Lord to the Prophet\nJoseph Smith, as contained in the Doctrine and Covenants: 'He that\nwaiteth to be commanded in all things is a slothful servant.'\n\n\"Ever praying for the welfare of Israel, I remain your brother in the\nGospel,\n\n\"BRIGHAM YOUNG.\"\n\nThis letter was dated September 16, 1876.\n\nSoon afterward I went as directed, traveling and lecturing in northern\nUtah, with a visit to Almy, Wyoming; then worked my way southward in\nthe various counties, to Richfield. I lectured sixty-five times, and\nsecured about eighty volunteers, mostly from Sevier County. Ira Hatch\ncame up with me and at Richfield we separated, he taking my team and\ngoing to Kanab, and I returning home to provide for my family and\nthen rejoin him at the town last named. I found several of my family\nquite ill, and there had been one death--my Aunt Polly, who died on\nChristmas day, a few days before my arrival home.\n\nThe opening of the year 1877 found me with my family, who soon began to\namend in health. I was also able to supply them fairly well with what\nthey needed for sustenance during my absence, as the Bishops and Saints\nwhom I had visited had been very kind and liberal, in response to the\ninvitation of President Young to promote the interests of the southern\nmission by rendering assistance to me so I could proceed to that field\nof labor.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LXII.\n\nAGAIN IN ARIZONA--SETTLING DIFFICULTIES AMONG THE PEOPLE--OUR\nRESERVOIR BURSTS--NEWS OF NOTABLE EVENTS--PREPARE TO REPEL AN\nINDIAN RAID--INDIANS QUARREL, AND THE TROUBLE PASSES OVER--FUNERAL\nAT MOENCOPPY--EXPLORING TRIP TO THE SOUTHEAST--A WHITE INDIAN\nCHILD--MEET THE HEAD CHIEF OF THE NAVAJOS--HIS ADDRESS, AND\nPROPOSITION TO ACCOMPANY ME TO SALT LAKE CITY--AGREE ON A DATE FOR\nTHE JOURNEY--CONTINUE MY TRIP OYER INTO NEW MEXICO, THEN RETURN TO\nMOENCOPPY--ACCUSATION AGAINST ME DISPROVED--INDIANS GATHER TO GO TO\nSALT LAKE CITY--MAKE THE TRIP--AT PRESIDENT YOUNG'S DEATHBED--VISIT OF\nTHE INDIANS--HONORABLE RELEASE FROM MY MISSION--RESUME HOME MISSIONARY\nLABORS--IN PRISON FOR CONSCIENCE SAKE.\n\nMY stay at home was brief, and the 26th of January, 1877, found me\nagain at Kanab, ready to proceed southward. Three days later the start\nwas made, and on the morning of February 5th we reached Moencoppy.\nThe people there were in poor spirits, and considerably dissatisfied.\nDuring my absence they had sowed about fourteen acres of fall grain and\nhad built eight log rooms. On my arrival, A. S. Gibbons made complaint\nagainst S. B. Tanner, for they had had a disagreement. Tanner was found\nto be in error, and made the matter right.\n\nThis trouble settled, the work of plowing and planting and setting out\ntrees, was proceeded with. Friendly Navajo and Oriba Indians visited\nus, and as the United Order was being preached to the Church at that\ntime, I gave my views on the subject in an address at the Thursday\nevening meeting, March 8th. Again on Sunday, the 11th, I preached to\nthe Saints, telling them plainly the wrong that was in their neglect\nof duty and disaffection. My remarks had quite a salutary effect, and\nmatters moved more smoothly.\n\nShortly after midnight on the morning of March 23rd, the message was\nbrought that our reservoir had given way. We hurried out, but had to\nwait till daylight before we could do effective work in repairing the\ndam. In the meantime the Indians were greatly excited because the water\nwas injuring their crops, and we had to pacify the red men as best\nwe could, and make good the damage. Two days after this my daughter,\nMrs. Fullmer, became a mother, and I rendered her necessary care and\nattention.\n\nOn March 31st we received mail with the news of the result of the\npresidential election, when Hayes and Tilden were the candidates, also\nof Amasa M. Lyman's death, and of John D. Lee being sentenced to be\nshot. On April 4th we received tidings of Lee's execution.\n\nOur time was well occupied now with the work around the settlement;\nI also engaged in studying the Navajo language, preparatory to an\nextended visit among those Indians. All went well till May 8th, when\nI learned that the Piute Indians intended to steal our animals. Chief\nPatnish was dead, and his people were angry. For the first time in the\nhistory of the mission, we called out a guard, gathered our animals\nand property, and provided against a raid on the part of the savages.\nWe were assisted by some friendly Navajos. At our inspection we\nascertained that we could fire eighty-five shots without stopping to\nreload. On the 17th, two Piute Indians came in and informed us that a\ncouncil had been held to discuss the raid on us, but the vote was six\nto five against molesting us, and the council broke up in a fight. The\nfive Indians who were in favor of attacking us started to seek the\nassistance of the Ute Indians, while the others came to our side. A\nweek later we had a talk with some of the Piutes, and the threatened\ntrouble was averted.\n\nA funeral occurred in the settlement on May 27th--that of Minty, the\nlittle daughter of W. J. Johnston. I preached the funeral sermon. For\nsome time previous to and after this occasion my health was quite poor.\nOn June 1st we had another Indian scare, and made ready for attack, but\nthe alarm was without sufficient cause.\n\nBefore this time several of our company had endeavored to learn the\nNavajo language, but met with little success; so I determined to\nstudy the Indian language and customs myself, that I might be able to\ntalk freely with the red men. Accordingly, on June 4th, I went up the\nMoencoppy Wash to Chief Hustelso's camp, about twenty-five miles. It\nwas arranged that I should be left there alone, except that Ira Hatch's\neight-year old girl was to stay with and wait on me. The Indian camp\nwas located two or three miles from where George A. Smith, Jr. was\nkilled some years before, probably by the same Indians.\n\nH. O. Fullmer and Ira Hatch went with me, and eight Navajos assisted\nin letting my wagon down into the Wash, where I was left. The bed\nof the stream was perhaps three thousand feet below the plain above\non the north side, while the cliffs on the south towered up almost\nperpendicularly about five thousand feet. The Indian camp was in the\ndeep recess, the descent into which was both difficult and dangerous. A\nwagon could not be drawn down or up by team, but for a thousand feet or\nso had to be lowered from one cliff to another with ropes. In one place\nthe Indians had cut eighteen steps, to enable them to get their animals\nup and down; and then occasionally a horse would go over and be killed.\n\nIn this place the first night gave me a decidedly lonesome feeling.\nChief Hustelso was friendly, but not so his people, except a few\nold men. The young men were very surly, and would not talk. Some of\nthem were shooting arrows, and I tried to be friendly and proposed\nto shoot with them, but three of the young braves drew their bows on\nme, as if intending to kill me. I made no headway that night, and I\nrealized the gloominess that had prevented my companions remaining\nthere and learning to speak the Navajo tongue. The next day or two I\nwas threatened and illtreated, the burrs taken off my wagon, and I was\nsubjected to other annoyances. The little girl with me did fairly well,\nfor, being a half-breed Indian herself, she affiliated with the Indian\nchildren without difficulty.\n\nThen the Indians became less offensive in their conduct day by day,\nand I learned rapidly to converse with them, and began to experience\nkindness at their hands. Several strange Indians came from a\nconsiderable distance to see me, and on June 12th, about three hundred\nand fifty Navajos gathered around to hear me tell them of the Book of\nMormon, its discovery and contents. Book in hand I related to them\nthe story of the volume being the history of their forefathers. Some\nlaughed at me and others asked most searching questions, which I was\nable to answer satisfactorily in their own dialect.\n\nThen came the inquiry, \"If it is our book, how did you get it? Did you\nsteal it?\" I was getting pretty well puzzled, owing to my imperfect\nacquaintance with the Navajo language. I told them that the book was\nobtained in the east, about so many days' journey off. But I could not\nexplain to them that it was in a stone box in the Hill Cumorah, and\nthat the writings were on gold plates, for I did not know what terms to\nuse to convey my meaning. One Indian told me the book could not have\nlasted so long as I said, because paper would decay, he knew that.\nIn order to learn what hill was, I made a small hill of sand, and by\ncomparison with the mountains and much explanation I learned the word\nfor hill.\n\nI had noticed, almost up to the plateau above, some slate rock; and\nafter great difficulty I managed to climb and get several pieces\nof slate down, being aided by the little girl. Then I improvised a\nstone box, set it in the sand hill, placed the book therein, and thus\nascertained how to say stone box, in Navajo, and explained that the\nrecord was deposited therein. I was almost beaten to tell of gold\nplates, for I did not know the words to use. At last I bethought me of\na brass suspender buckle, and pointed out that what I was referring to\nwas like that, but was not that; and a little piece was worth several\nsilver dollars. Then one Indian recognized what I wanted to say, and\ngave me the word for gold, on the coins of which he had seen small\nletters. I was thus able to explain that the record was on plates\nof gold; but the way I learned to do it was one of the marvelous\nexperiences of my life, and illustrates the difficulties I had to meet\nin learning the Navajo language.\n\nWhen I reached the point of telling how the Book of Mormon plates were\npreserved and obtained, my audience was quite in touch with me, and\nthey rejoiced and wept while I told them further of its contents. From\nthat time no friendship was too great for me, and before my departure\nI spent a day, by invitation, viewing Indian sports. By June 20, I was\nthrough at Hustelso's camp and ready for a journey of exploration which\nhad been planned.\n\nOn June 21st our exploring party, consisting of six persons, including\nmy son-in-law and his wife and child, started on a trip, the general\ndirection of travel being a little south of east. Our journey led us\nthrough some good country, and some that was very rough. We went a\nshort distance into New Mexico, and obtained considerable knowledge\nof the country and its inhabitants, there being many Indian villages,\nhouses and farms on the route we traveled. As we were crossing over a\nbroad mesa, on June 27, after passing the Fort Defiance road, we met\nwith a strange person among the people. This was a fullblood Indian\ngirl seven or eight years of age, with white hair, blue eyes, and skin\nas fair as the fairest white person.\n\nNext day we reached the camp of Pal Chil Clane, a Navajo chief at\nwhose place a council had been appointed. From there a messenger was\ndispatched to Totoso-ne--Huste, the head chief of the Navajo nation. On\nthe evening of the following day that chief arrived in the camp.\n\nA consultation was held on June 29th with the chieftain, at which we\ninformed him of our desire to settle the country, to teach the Indians\nthe Gospel, and to aid in improving their general condition; we also\ntold of the Book of Mormon, a record of the Indians' forefathers, which\nhad been made known. The chief responded that it was a departure from\nhis usual rule to come and see the white men. Before this, they always\nhad come to him, or he had sent good men to meet the government agents\nand others. This also had been his custom with the Mormons up to that\noccasion. Among other things he said:\n\n\"When I heard that you had come, I quit work and came to see you. My\nheart is glad at the meeting with you, and that I see your wagon there,\nand the brush shade that your men have built. Stop here four days, and\nmany of our best men will come and talk to you, for a great many of\nour people want to go and see the Mormons. We shall have a big talk\nand know what to do. We are glad that you come among us as friends,\nthat you are making a road through our country, and that you have built\nhouses at Moencoppy. We want to live with you in peace and let your\nanimals eat grass in peace. But water is scarce in this country, there\nis barely enough for our numerous flocks and increasing people, and our\ngood old men do not want your people to build any more houses by the\nsprings; nor do we want you to bring flocks to eat the grass about the\nsprings. We want to live by you as friends. I sent some good men with\nyou last year, and they say you talked one talk all the time. The great\nMormon father he talked straight all the time. I think that a good road\nto travel in. I have had two daughters prisoners among the Apaches\nfor many years but have never left my home to search for them, for I\nlove my home and my people, and I do not love to travel. I have sent\ngood and true men to search for my children, and have appealed to the\nAmerican captains in different places, yet my daughters have not been\nbrought back. I am an old man now, and it is hard for me to travel long\nroads, but I wish to see the Mormons and my father their captain. I am\ninclined to go with you. I want twenty-five or thirty men to go with\nme, and one or two women, to see your women and learn how they do. I am\nmuch pleased to see you and your daughter and her baby. I want to see\nmore of your people. The Americans and your people differ in religion.\nThe Mormons say their captain talks with God (Pagocheda), and Americans\nsay God does not talk to men. We do not know what to believe. When God\ntalks to us, then we shall know. Until then we want to live as friends.\"\n\nAfter our talk we separated, he promising to return in three days.\nHe came, and I accompanied him to a Navajo religious feast, where I\nwas introduced to thirteen chiefs and over two hundred other Navajo\nIndians. This was on July 2nd. It was decided that some of them would\ngo to see the Mormons, and be at Moencoppy in thirty-eight days. Then\nwe bade the Indians good-by, and proceeded on our journey, going over\ninto New Mexico, and back to Moencoppy, where we arrived on July 15th.\nThere were quite a number of Navajos, Piutes and Hopees there, and I\nhad to talk with them and three Mexicans till quite late.\n\nA week later, on July 22nd, I declined to administer the sacrament,\nowing to the feeling of dissatisfaction among the people. A. S. Gibbons\nand M. P. Mortensen circulated reports against me, that I had used\nprovisions contributed to the mission, and I had a full investigation\nmade; this showed that the accusation was entirely wrong. Other\nmeetings were held subsequently, and the ill feeling that had arisen\nwas dispensed with. The mission affairs then proceeded smoothly again.\n\nIt was on the morning of August 8th that the Navajo Indian delegation\nbegan to assemble for the journey north, Totoso-ne-Huste among the\nnumber, and by the 10th all were ready for the start. The journey was a\nhard one much of the way, but when we got among the settlements in Utah\nwe were well treated, and the Indians highly pleased. We reached Salt\nLake City August 28, 1877.\n\nThe next day I visited President Young. He was very ill, and I merely\ncalled to see him. The great pioneer and prophet who had done so\nmuch for the opening up and settlement of the Great West was on his\ndeathbed. The magnificent work of his life was over. In half an hour\nafter I left his room, the noble spirit passed from his body, and he\nslept in death, awaiting the resurrection morn.\n\nOn the evening of August 29, the _Deseret News_ published the following\nregarding the Navajo delegation and myself:\n\n\"Indian Delegation.--Last evening Elder James S. Brown arrived from the\nsouth with a delegation of Navajo Indians, one of whom is a woman, the\nfirst female Navajo, we believe, that has ever visited this part of\nthe country. Garanu Namunche, or Totoso-ne-Huste, the former being his\nSpanish and the latter his Indian name, is at the head of the party. He\nis, in fact, the head chief of the Navajo nation. He is accompanied by\ntwo other leading men, Honeco, brother of the former, and Esclepelehen,\nson of the same. In June last Elder Brown and a party of brethren\nvisited the northeastern part of Arizona and the north-western portion\nof New Mexico, and found a strong spirit of inquiry among the Navajos\nrelative to the Mormon people, their methods of farming, manufacturing,\nand in relation to their institutions generally. These inquiries were\nincited by the report of the Navajo delegation which visited this city\na year ago, and these composing the one now here have come to see,\nhear and examine for themselves, that they may be witnesses of the\nsame things. Brother Brown and party held a council with the Indians\nat the camp of Pal Chil Clane, about two hundred men of the tribe\nbeing present on the occasion, including Totoso-ne-Huste, the leading\nchief already mentioned. It was then that the latter proposed to pay\nthe present visit. Manlete, or Pahada Pahadane, is the war chief of\nthe nation, but in the estimation of the tribe is second in rank to\nTotoso-ne-Huste, although the whites, or \"Americans,\" recognize the war\nchief as the head. The delegation are stopping at the house of Brother\nBrown, and have been visiting the leading places of interest in the\ncity today. Elder Brown purposes taking them north to Bear River on\nMonday.\"\n\nOn August 30th, the Indians and I met Daniel H. Wells, who had been\ncounselor to President Young in the First Presidency. At that interview\nPresident Wells told me I had performed a great and good work, and\nto ask me to return to Arizona was too much to require of me. I was\ntherefore honorably released from that mission. Subsequently I received\na formal release from President John Taylor, who succeeded to the\npresidency of the Church.\n\nAfter the funeral of President Young, which was held on September 2nd,\nI accompanied the Indians as far south as Gunnison, Sanpete County,\non their way home. There I bade them goodbye, and returned northward,\nto resume my missionary labors, traveling and lecturing among the\nsettlements in Utah, southern Idaho, and western Wyoming. I also\npurchased a tract of eighty acres of land on the Redwood Road, in the\nwestern part of Salt Lake City, and worked on that in the spring and\nsummer, traveling and preaching in the autumn and winter as President\nYoung had directed me to do.\n\nThus my time was occupied till the spring of 1892 with the exception\nof the months of March, April and May, 1888. With a firm conviction\nthat plurality of wives was a law of God. I had entered into that\nrelationship honorably with a sincere purpose to follow the right. My\nfamily were united with me in accepting this union as of the highest,\nholiest, most sacred character in the sight of the Most High. I\ncould not feel to cast aside my wives whom I had married under these\nconditions, and therefore, on March 12, 1888, I was sentenced to prison\non a charge of unlawful cohabitation, the legal term applied to living\nwith more than one wife, the law being specially directed at one of the\nreligious practices of the Latter-day Saints. The judgment pronounced\nagainst me was three months' imprisonment in the penitentiary and to\npay a fine of one hundred dollars and costs, which amounted in my case\nto twenty-seven dollars and fifty cents. I paid the fine and served the\nterm, less the time allowed for good behavior, and was released May 28,\n1888, having been in prison two months and sixteen days.\n\nAs was the case with other Mormons in my position, our offense was not\nlooked upon even by non-Mormons acquainted with the circumstances as\ncontaining the element of crime; but our incarceration was in fact an\nimprisonment for conscience sake, that being the position in which the\nlaw found us. A term in the penitentiary under those conditions and at\nthat time, while a severe hardship, especially upon one in my state of\nhealth, was by no means a moral disgrace, since those who had to endure\nit were of the better class of men, whose uprightness, honor, integrity\nand sincerity were beyond question in the community where their lives\nwere an open book.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LXIII.\n\nVISITED BY PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH--CALLED ON ANOTHER MISSION TO THE\nSOCIETY ISLANDS--PREPARE TO RESPOND--A BLESSING BY APOSTLE LORENZO\nSNOW--APPOINTED TO PRESIDE OYER THE SOCIETY ISLANDS MISSION--ATTEMPTS\nTO DISCOURAGE ME FROM UNDERTAKING THE JOURNEY--SURPRISE PARTY BY MY\nCHILDREN--FAREWELL RECEPTION IN THE WARD HALL--START ON MY MISSION,\nACCOMPANIED BY MY SON AND OTHERS WHO HAD BEEN CALLED--VOYAGE TO\nTAHITI--MADMAN ON BOARD THE VESSEL--AT MARQUESAS ISLANDS--STRANGE\nCHARACTERS--TATTOOED WHITE MAN--HIS PECULIAR CAREER--CATCHING\nSHARKS--ARRIVE AT PAPEETE--MY RECEPTION THERE--MEET NATIVE JOSEPHITE\nPREACHERS, WHO SEEM CONFUSED--ELDERS FROM UTAH GREET US--IN POOR HEALTH.\n\nON March 30, 1892, President Joseph F. Smith called at my residence\nin Salt Lake City, and handed me a letter written by an Elder who was\non the island of Tahiti. At the same time President Smith asked me\nhow I would like to take another mission to the Society Islands, in\nthe South Pacific Ocean. I told him I did not wish any man to call me\non a mission--that my health was not good, and such a journey as he\nsuggested was a big undertaking for one in my condition. He replied\nthat he would leave the letter for me to read, and would call the next\nday to learn what I thought of it. He came according to appointment,\nand informed me that the First Presidency wanted me to undertake the\nmission. I replied that when properly called I was not afraid to go, as\nI had faith that God would not require of any man more than he would\nhave the ability to do if he were faithful. The day following this\nconversation I visited the First Presidency and learned that they were\na unit in requesting me to go to the Society Islands.\n\nFrom this time I began to settle my affairs to meet the call. On April\n8th, I was set apart for the mission, Elder Francis M. Lyman being\nmouth in the blessing. On the 15th, I went to Ogden on business, and\nwhile on the train met Apostle Lorenzo Snow, who told me he felt the\nspirit of prophecy. He said that the mission I was going on should\nbe one of the greatest I had ever performed; that I would prosper\ntherein and be blessed with more power and influence than ever before;\nthat the Lord would be with me to sustain and comfort me, and that my\nfamily should be provided for. As he spoke I felt a thrill of testimony\nthrough my whole being. When he concluded he took from his pocket\ntwo five-dollar gold pieces, remarking that he had been a missionary\nhimself, and insisted that I should take the money, keep it till I got\nin a close place, and then use it, which I did.\n\nOn April 22nd I received at President Woodruff's office a letter of\nappointment to preside over the Society Islands Mission, which included\nthe Society and Tuamotu groups, comprising from eighty to one hundred\nislands and an area of about fifteen hundred square miles. About this\ntime I had many visitors, a considerable number of whom expressed\nsurprise at my being appointed to such a mission at my time of life\nand in my condition; for I was sixty-four years of age and walked\non crutches and one foot, as I had to abandon my artificial limb in\nArizona, owing to the intense pain it caused me. One man said that\nhe would not go in my situation for ten thousand dollars. But these\ndiscouraging remarks did not raise a doubt in my mind of the propriety\nof the call.\n\nOn the 24th of April I was engaged in writing, when my children\nand grandchildren to the number of sixty-five burst in upon me in\na surprise party. We had a happy time and I gave them a father's\nblessing. Then we repaired to the Seventeenth Ward meeting house, where\nmembers of the ward had assembled, and I preached a farewell sermon and\ntook an affectionate leave of the people.\n\nI sold some of my real estate to pay the expenses of my journey, and\nfor my family; also received contributions in money from a number of\nfriends; and on April 26th I started on my mission, accompanied by my\nson Elando. We stayed over night at Ogden, then continued on to San\nFrancisco, arriving there April 28th. On April 30th we boarded the\nbarkentine _City of Papeete_, which sailed the next day.\n\nThe sea voyage occupied the entire month of May, Tahiti coming into\nview on the evening of the 31st. Our fare, cabin, was seventy-five\ndollars each. The first few days out we had headwinds, and there was\na goodly share of seasickness. On the 10th a native of Tahiti, named\nManhele, commonly known as John Bull, became violently insane, and\nhad to be restrained. On the 12th he freed himself and crawled out on\nthe jib boom, from which he was about to plunge into the sea, when he\nwas secured. It took five men to handle him. At five o'clock on the\nmorning of the 15th it was discovered that the madman had made a fire\nby rubbing two sticks together. Fortunately he was detected in time to\nprevent the ship being set aflame. A few days after this occurrence his\ncondition improved and continued so to the end of the voyage.\n\nIt was at the Marquesas Islands on May 26th, when we sailed into port,\nthat I went ashore with the rest of the passengers, and met a native\nof Rapia, a very uninviting person in appearance. The people warned us\nto beware of him as he was a savage and had killed five men. He told\nme he had seen me forty years before on his native island, and related\ncircumstances of the event that convinced me his statement was true.\n\n[Image: Marquesas Fire Dancers]\n\nThe next man I spoke to ashore was John H. Rumrell of Boston,\nMassachusetts, who was taken prisoner by natives on the Marquesas\nIslands in 1847, and in the following year was tattooed from the tip\nof his nose to just above his eyebrows, and back to his ear on the\nleft side of his face; on the right side the tattooing went from the\nlower part of the nose back to the ear; while above the eyebrow, and\nreaching to the ear, was another strip. The ink was pricked in with\nhuman bone. He said that it was because of this tattooing that he\nwould not return to his people. In his experience he had been without\nclothing for years. He had two sons and one daughter, and lived like\nthe natives in every respect. He related how that on one occasion the\nnatives had killed a white man and cooked and ate him, and at the same\ntime they had killed a colored man, who was eaten raw, before the\nflesh was cold. Mr. Rumrell said he seldom heard from his relatives\nin Boston. He seemed almost oblivious to everything except what was\nimmediately before him; he took as little interest in civilization as\ndid the natives, and I have not found a lower class of people in the\nSouth Pacific than on the five of eleven Marquesas islands which were\ninhabited at the time of this visit.\n\nThe captain of our vessel informed me that the inhabitants of the group\nnumbered about four thousand eight hundred souls, and that there were\nten deaths among the natives to one birth, the chief cause of this\nmortality being the opium habit. The French governor was trying to\nprohibit the use of the drug, but so far had not been successful.\n\nOn the voyage down to the Marquesas we saw many flying fish, whales and\nother varieties of the finny tribe. On May 12th the sailors caught two\nsharks, and after cutting them up threw them overboard. We left the\nport of Taihai, in the Marquesas, on May 28th, and on the 31st sighted\nTahiti, entering the harbor of Papeete on June 1st, after considerable\ntrouble.\n\nI remained on board till the afternoon. Mr. Dorence Atwater, formerly\nUnited States consul there, came on the vessel, and recognizing me told\nme he had an empty room that I was welcome to occupy with my friends\nuntil I could do better. I felt that this courtesy had been offered as\nan answer to my prayers to the Lord. I accepted the invitation and we\nwent to the house he had been speaking of, from where we returned to\nthe wharf, and he bade me good evening.\n\nWhile resting myself a moment near a group of natives I spoke to them,\nwhen one came forward and asked why I was there. I replied that I had\ncome to preach the Gospel. At this he called four of his companions and\nintroduced them as Mormon missionaries of the Reorganized Church of\nLatter-day Saints, or followers of young Joseph Smith, the Prophet's\nson. I told them I did not belong to their organization, but to the\ntrue Church of Saints, the same as when I was on the islands before.\nThey seemed surprised and confused, and after a pause inquired if I\nknew the Josephite missionaries that came from America. I answered\nthat all the true Mormon missionaries came from Salt Lake City and\nvicinity. Then I asked if they knew where I could get a bed, and after\nconsultation one of them said I could go with him. My baggage, however,\nwas not through the custom house, and the captain suggested that I had\nbetter stay on board, so I went back to the vessel.\n\nThat evening Elders Joseph W. Damron and Wm. A. Seegmiller,\nmissionaries from Utah, came on board and asked if there were any\nLatter-day Saints there. I introduced myself, then my son Elando, and\nElder Thomas Jones. Elder Damron insisted that we go on shore with him\nfor the night, which we did, and my son and I were comfortably located\nat the home of Tiniarau, where we remained some time. The other Elders\nwent to a house about three miles distant, but next day moved to Mr.\nAtwater's place. For some days I was very tired and in poor health, and\nremained at the house talking to people who called.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LXIV.\n\nFIRST SABBATH IN TAHITI--MEET SEVERAL PERSONS WHOM I KNEW OVER\nFORTY YEARS BEFORE--HOW THEY REMEMBERED ME--SEEK PERMISSION TO HOLD\nPUBLIC MEETINGS--WIDOW OF MY OLD FRIEND, JOHN LAYTON, CALLS ON\nME--OTHER FRIENDS--PREACH TO THE JOSEPHITES--GOVERNOR REFUSES TO\nPERMIT US TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETINGS--GET ADVICE OF THE UNITED STATES\nCONSUL--A LAWYER'S COUNSEL--JOSEPHITES TELL OF B. F. GROUARD--I\nEXPLAIN HOW HE HAD TURNED INTO THE WRONG PATH--THE CHURCH NEVER\nDISORGANIZED--MISSIONARY LABORS--GREETING A FRENCH ADMIRAL--EARLY\nMISSIONARIES TO TAHITI--THEIR SEVERE EXPERIENCES--SIXTY-FOURTH\nANNIVERSARY OF MY BIRTH--LEARN OF MORMONS WHO WERE HANGED FOR\nHAVING KILLED A POLICEMAN IN THE TROUBLE WHEN I WAS ARRESTED ON\nMY FIRST MISSION TO THE ISLANDS--MEET A NATIVE OF PITCAIRN'S\nISLAND--HIS STORY--VISIT TAUTILA--SEVERE VOYAGE--A BAPTISM--SAIL FOR\nTUBUOI--AMONG STRANGERS--CELEBRATION OF A FRENCH FETE DAY--DINE WITH\nTHE GOVERNOR--PEOPLE BECOME LESS UNFRIENDLY TO US--BREAKING OF THE\nCLOUDS--BAPTIZE TWENTY-FOUR PERSONS--ENCOURAGING RESULTS OF MISSIONARY\nEFFORTS.\n\nOUR first Sabbath in Tahiti (June 5, 1892,) we attended the Josephite\nmeeting. The service was very brief, and the people seemed worried.\nNext day several of the Josephites called on me, and after a lengthy\nconversation told me they knew I spoke the truth to them. I was also\nvisited by a number of friends who were young when I was on the islands\nbefore, but who remembered me. One who came from Anaa said he was\npresent when I first landed on that island, and he knew of my labors\nand my having been arrested by the French. He remembered me by my\nvoice, and said the people who heard me then would know me in the same\nway, if they did not by seeing me. Many natives came and said they were\nglad to see and hear me, though they had been born since I left the\ncountry.\n\nA Mr. Henry, a son of a former minister of the Church of England,\ncalled, and I loaned him a Voice of Warning. He invited me to spend the\nevening with himself and wife, but I had an appointment. I went next\nevening, however, and passed a very enjoyable time, as I did on several\noccasions afterwards. During that week I was visited by very many\npeople. Mr. Atwater gave us the privilege of holding public meetings\nin his house, but we understood it was necessary to get the permission\nof the director and secretary of the interior for the province, so\nMr. Atwater and I called. That official said we were to submit the\napplication to the governor, and he would notify Mr. Atwater of the\nreply. On Saturday evening I talked on the market grounds to a large\nnumber of people, several of whom recognized me as having been on the\nisland forty years before. That evening, at the wharf, I also met with\nan aged man from Anaa, who had known me on my former mission, and who\nsaid that if I would go there the people would follow my teachings.\n\nOn Sunday, the 12th, who should come to see me but Mrs. Layton, a\nnative, the widow of my old friend John Layton. I had seen her in San\nFrancisco. My own sister could not have been more pleased to see me,\nand I was very glad to meet her. She gave me the best history of my\nformer friends on the islands that I was able to obtain. Next morning\nI took a short stroll, then returned to the house. The other Elders\ndistributed tracts among the English-speaking residents of Papeete,\nand I received another call from Mrs. Layton, who brought her little\ngranddaughters and also a man--the son of an old friend of mine--who\nsaid that on my former visit to the island I had named him Iatobo,\nafter my own Tahitian name.\n\nIt was while taking breakfast, on the 14th, with a Mr. Mervin, some of\nwhose children had been blessed in the Church, that an old lady who\ncame up, recognized me, and shook hands so persistently that it seemed\nas if she did not intend to let go, and did not do so for some minutes.\nShe had seen the French officers take me away from Anaa. The old lady\nhad known me on sight, though forty years had passed. The same day I\nmet an aged man who also recognized me from having known me before.\nThat same evening I was given the privilege of addressing the Josephite\nmeeting and told them how and by whom the Gospel had been brought to\nthem, and which was the true Church. I tendered my services to preach\nin their meeting house, but my offer was not accepted.\n\nOn the 16th I started with Elder Seegmiller to visit the old prison\nwhere I had been incarcerated by the French, but the distance being\ntoo great I had to give up the journey. Next day we received from the\ngovernor a reply to our application for permission to hold public\nmeetings. Our request was denied, the reason assigned being that we\nbelieved in polygamy. We had no disposition to let the matter rest\nthere, so we called on the United States consul for advice. He told us\nto make application in writing for permission to preach, and if refused\nto submit it to him. This we did on the 20th, and next day received an\nunfavorable answer. The governor asked what we taught, and we told him.\nWe stated that we did not teach polygamy. The reason he then gave for\nrefusing us the permission desired was that there were enough religions\nthere and he did not want another established. Mr. Atwater suggested\nthat we consult with Mr. Bonett, formerly director and secretary of the\ninterior, and an able lawyer. We did so, and he informed us that it was\nnot necessary to get permission to preach, but that we must notify the\nmayor or justice of the peace of the time and place of our meetings.\n\nTo return a few days: On Sunday, the 19th of June, we attended a\nJosephite meeting, where all were friendly but the presiding officer;\nyet after meeting he told us to come and eat, sent a half-caste to wait\non us, and otherwise was quite attentive. After dinner we talked to\nthe audience, who appeared well pleased. They said B. F. Grouard had\nset native songs to American tunes, and that he had also sent letters\nendorsing the Josephite church; he had been one of the first to preach\nthe true Gospel to their fathers, as I had been, and they were confused\nat my coming, for they could not refute what I had said. I was under\nthe necessity of telling them how that Grouard had turned into the\nwrong path--an action which they admitted was quite possible. After\nour talk this day we felt that we had done our full duty towards those\nJosephites in explaining to them the true condition of affairs.\n\nOn the afternoon of the 20th my old friend Mahana Toro called, but did\nnot seem so friendly as in former times. He was about seventy years of\nage, and very much broken in health. He also had joined the Josephites\nunder the misapprehension that they were of the same Church as I was. I\ntold him the difference, that the Josephite organization was distinct,\nand was not the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which\nnever had been disorganized. He then seemed to feel more kindly towards\nme, and visited me on subsequent occasions, bringing gifts of oranges.\n\nMy health was very poor, and at times I was quite ill. I was able\nmost of the time, however, to get around, and to preach to the\npeople, either those who called on me, or those I had the privilege\nof visiting. My missionary companions were also energetic in their\nlabors. Occasionally we had the opportunity to extend our acquaintance\ninto prominent circles of society. For instance, on June 27th, we\nattended a select party in honor of the French admiral. There was a\ngrand illumination. I also visited captains of vessels engaged in\ntraffic between the islands, and had pleasant chats with them on\nthe principles of the Gospel. I did not fail to talk to the natives\nwhenever occasion offered, and this was frequent. On July 2nd, in the\nmarket square, a large crowd gathered around me as I preached, and\nmost of them acknowledged the truth of the principles I taught. Then,\nlest the police stop me for raising an excitement, I changed to asking\nquestions, as in conversation, so no offense could be taken by the\nofficers.\n\nI learned an interesting bit of missionary history on July 3rd. This\nday, I met Mr. J. S. Henry, who said his father was one of the first\nChristian missionaries on the islands, having come to Tahiti in 1797.\nThey had a very hard time of it. For years their clothing was made of\nthe bark of the bread-fruit tree, and they had gone barefooted for a\nlong time, their shoes and clothing having worn out. They had been five\nyears without receiving any supply from their society. My informant\nwas born on the island. I loaned him a copy of the _Deseret News_, which\ncontained sermons by President Wilford Woodruff and by Elder C. W.\nPenrose, who was editor of the paper at that time.\n\nMonday, July 4, 1892, was the sixty-fourth anniversary of my birth, and\nI was spending it in far off Tahiti. I had but few callers that day,\nand consequently but few congratulations. I continued my efforts to\nmake myself more proficient in the Tahitian language, and from day to\nday proceeded with the duties that rested on me. July 12th an aged man\nTematu called on me, saying that he was from the island of Anaa, and\nhad been my servant on the occasion of my former visit. He told me of\nthe four members of the Church that were hanged by the French; for in\nthe trouble then they had killed a policeman and had wounded severely a\nCatholic priest. The names of the executed men were Tefaitina, Reifara,\nMaru, Mafeuta and Temutu.\n\nAmong the very aged people I met was one who called on me on July 18,\nTimou, aged one hundred and three years. I also met, at a blacksmith\nshop, on July 21st, a native of Pitcairn's island, William Christenson.\nHe was a descendant of one of the mutineers of the British ship _Bounty_.\nHe told the story as follows: The _Bounty_ sailed from England in the\nyear 1689, the company intending to collect plants from the South\nSea Islands. They called at Tahiti, and made their collection, then\ngot some natives and their wives and some other women on board, and\nput out to sea. Fletcher Christenson, first mate, and some of the\ncrew mutinied, getting control of the vessel. They put the captain,\nwhose name was Blythe, and those who wished to go with him, into the\nbest boat, supplied them with such articles as they desired which\nwere at hand, and set them adrift. This party subsequently reached\nEngland, while the first mate and crew ran the ship into a small bay at\nPitcairn's Island, where they wrecked the vessel, taking the supplies\non shore. All went well for a time, till the native men became jealous\nof the white men and killed most of them. Afterwards, at the instance\nof the remaining white men, the women killed the native men who had\nescaped in the former trouble, so there were left but two of the white\nmen and the women. These, and after them, their descendants, lived on\nthe island, which was but a few miles in circumference. The population\nincreased to about four hundred souls, when the British government\nmoved them to Norfolk Island. Some of them returned to Pitcairn's, and\nat that time (1892) there were one hundred and thirty-six souls on the\nisland, every one belonging to the Seventh Day Adventists, and all\nspeaking the English language. Mr. Christenson said that the only names\nof the mutinous crew he remembered besides those of the captain and his\nown progenitor, were John Adams, ---- McKay, John Mills, Isaac Brown and\n---- Yindle. Christenson's story does not harmonize precisely with the\ngenerally accepted history of the affair, but I have given it as he\nrelated it.\n\nFor a considerable time we had endeavored to get passage for some\nof the Elders to the island of Tuamotu, but were unsuccessful, so\nwe divided Papeete into missionary districts, Elder Damron and my\nson Elando taking the east side, and Elders Seegmiller and Jones the\nwestern district. During the latter part of July and the greater\nportion of August, I was quite ill, and was troubled greatly with\nneuralgia. On August 14th, we applied to the Josephites for permission\nto speak in their house, but it was refused, resulting in quite a\ndiscussion among the members of the Josephite congregation, some of\nwhom were quite friendly to us. On the 23rd my son Elando and I left\nPapeete, by invitation, for Tautila, going in a boat in which there\nwere four other men and a woman, the latter being a sister of the owner\nof the craft. When we got off Haapape the wind became so high that the\nmen were obliged to row for the shore, and we found refuge in the home\nof Terumana, a native, who fed us on native food and gave each of us a\ngood bed.\n\nWe had to remain there till 11 p.m. on the 25th, when we started to sea\nagain, the night being pitch dark. The woman made me as comfortable\nas was possible in the small boat, and all went well for a time with\nthe exception of seasickness. Then it came on to rain very hard, and\nwe were all wet. Early in the morning we ran into shore, and the men\nin charge of the boat asked us to pray, which I did. We then proceeded\non our way with a cocoanut each for breakfast, and at half-past eight\np.m., on the 26th, reached the mouth of a river on Tautila.\n\nOur host was Mr. Hiotina, and his wife's name was Teumere. She was\nan invalid, her frame almost a skeleton, but she was a very bright\nwoman intellectually. Her memorizing of Scripture passages was truly a\nmarvel. The next day after our arrival was Saturday, and many people\ncame out of curiosity to see us. On Sunday, the 28th, about sixty\npeople assembled, and our host requested us to hold religious services,\nwhich we did. While I was preaching on faith, repentance, and baptism,\ntaking my text from the third chapter of Matthew, an old lady went\nover to my son, who was near the door, and requested baptism. This was\nthe first application of the kind made to us on the island. The lady\nhad been a member of the Church, but had become negligent. At 5 p.m.\nthat day she was baptized by Elder Elando Brown, and I confirmed her\na member of the Church, there being many people present, among them a\nProtestant minister.\n\nWe stayed on Tautila until September 9th, visiting among the people and\npreaching and talking to them, as opportunity afforded, though we could\nnot get a house to preach in. On the 9th we returned to Papeete, the\nvoyage being very rough and trying. I could hardly stand on my crutches\nwhen we landed, at 10 p.m.\n\nOn the 11th we arranged for four of us to go to Tubuoi, but the\ngovernor informed the captain that he could take but two white\npassengers, so on August 15th Elder Seegmiller and I left on a vessel\nbound for the island named. The voyage lasted till the 20th and was\ndecidedly uncomfortable. We did not have sufficient food, there was no\nbedding, and the water on board was filthy. Worn and exhausted, we were\nglad to get ashore at Tapuai, where we were coldly greeted. We secured\na comfortable lodging room, so far as appearances were concerned, and\nplenty of fleas for bed-fellows. Our room-mate was a young man named\nAlexander Drolett, interpreter for the French captain of a government\nschooner that was lying in the harbor. There we met Tapuni, a native\nJosephite preacher who had been on the island about five months. He\ntried to be sociable, but was ill at ease, apparently being discomfited\nby our arrival. We found the people generally very distant, as if they\ndid not wish us there. Mr. Drolett, however, was kind and sociable, and\nwe had the privilege of explaining to him the nature of our calling on\nthe islands.\n\nSeptember 22, 1892, was the one hundredth anniversary of the first\nFrench republic, and a feast and holiday had been proclaimed. Flags\nwere hoisted, and the people gathered to the feast. We were among those\ninvited, and were seated at the table with the captain of the French\nschooner and his interpreter, and the governor and his wife, also\nTapuni. About ninety persons were at the feast. Dinner was served in\nFrench and native styles blended. This was followed by singing, and by\ndancing and contortions of the old heathen fashion, until I was worn\nout.\n\nThe following day the French schooner left, and Elder Seegmiller and\nI sent a letter to our brethren at Papeete. As we were in the house\na policeman called and gazed at us for a time, then left without\nspeaking. Next came the native governor, Tahuhuetoma, who entered\nwithout noticing me, but I slapped him on the shoulder and asked him\nif he had eyes, whereat he spoke, but had little to say. Then came a\nnative, Tehaheatihi, from the village of Mahu, on the south side of the\nisland. He was very friendly, and said he had joined the Josephites\nbut had discovered his mistake. I was quite ill, so could not accept\nhis invitation to accompany him to Mahu, except on the condition that\nhe furnish a conveyance, which he promised to try to do. Our landlord,\nhowever, told us not to trouble, but to remain till Sunday, when we\nwould all go to Mahu, and could speak to the people there. He said\nTapuni was not pleased, but that made little difference.\n\nNext day was Saturday, the 24th--the occasion of greater kindness to\nus from the natives than previously; for two children aged ten and\ntwelve years brought us some food, as did also the governor's wife. On\nSunday further friendship was displayed, and the people came to ask\nus questions; but we were unable to go to Mahu, and were refused the\nprivilege of speaking at the religious services in the place where\nwe were. On Monday, however, we went to Mahu, where we met twelve to\nfifteen men, with whom we had a pleasant visit, talking to them quite\nfreely.\n\nDuring that week we met a number of people who exhibited a kindly\nfeeling towards us in conversation. Some applied for baptism, but\nI advised them to wait. By the end of the week the clouds over the\nmission began to break. When Sunday came there was a religious feast,\nbut we were not allowed to take part, so, with about five natives, held\nservices of singing, prayer and conversation. Again in the afternoon\nwe had a meeting at which about thirty persons were present, and I\nexplained how the authority had continued in the Church from the\nProphet Joseph to the present organization. At that meeting Elder\nSeegmiller spoke publicly in the native tongue for the first time.\nThere were several applications for baptism, and on the following\nTuesday, October 4th, Elder Seegmiller baptized twenty-four persons,\nwhom I confirmed members of the Church. Thus the missionary work on the\nisland was opened up again, with a fair start for prosperity.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LXV.\n\nMIRACULOUS HEALING--MEET AND CONFOUND THE JOSEPHITES--FURTHER\nMISSIONARY SUCCESS--MEET A NATIVE WHO WAS PRESENT WHEN I WAS\nSENTENCED TO BE BURNED--ELDER JOHN LAYTON'S GRAVE--ARRANGE TO RETURN\nTO TAHITI--DISAPPOINTED--PREACH A FUNERAL SERMON--FORBIDDEN TO HOLD\nPUBLIC MEETINGS--BLIND WOMAN ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY YEARS OLD--HER\nTESTIMONY--ADMINISTER TO HER FOR HER EYESIGHT, AND SHE IS ENABLED TO\nSEE A LITTLE--SHE PRAISES THE LORD--PREACHING AND BAPTIZING--SAIL\nFOR PAPEETE--AN ODD CARGO--HARD VOYAGE--HELD BY A CALM--LAND ON\nTAHITI--SAIL FOR AVAROA--ON A WELL-ORDERED SCHOONER--CALL AT VARIOUS\nISLANDS--LANCE A CARBUNCLE--CHRISTMAS DAY AT SEA--WATERMELONS--A\nBEAUTIFUL RESIDENCE AND CORDIAL WELCOME--PERFORM THREE MARRIAGE\nCEREMONIES--CONFERENCE OF SAINTS IN THE TUAMOTU ISLANDS--MEET A NATIVE\nCHILEAN--VISIT VARIOUS PLACES--PUBLIC WELCOME--FISHING--ON THE ISLAND\nOF ANAA--VISIT WHERE I WAS IMPRISONED--GRAVES OF THOSE CONCERNED IN\nTHE TROUBLE THEN--WARRANT SERVED ON ME--SUMMONED TO THE GOVERNMENT\nHOUSE--WARNED AGAINST CREATING A DISTURBANCE.\n\nIT was on October 6, 1892, that the first case of miraculous healing\nafter our arrival occurred. We were becoming recipients of greater\nkindness from the natives, and that day Roai, the oldest man on\nthe island, was brought to us, shaking violently with a chill. He\nappeared to be dying. Some cocoanut oil was brought--no other was\nobtainable--and we blessed it and anointed and blessed him, when the\nchill immediately left him. He rested well, and next morning was in his\nusual good health.\n\nOn the 7th there was quite an argument among the people as to whether\nthe Josephites or the Mormons should have the meeting house. The\ndecision was in our favor, and we were also offered a house in the\nvillage of Taahuaia. The Josephite preacher, Tapuni, wanted to hold\njoint meetings with us, as we both followed the same form of baptism;\nbut we refused, as we could not make any alliance with him. We\nrepresented the true Church of Jesus Christ, while his organization was\nby persons who had been excommunicated, and had not divine authority.\n\nWhen Sunday came we held three meetings, blessed fourteen children, and\ntook dinner with the policeman. Next day, the 10th, we ordained Ote an\nElder, and added nine persons to the Church by baptism. On the 11th we\nmet a man--the fourth on the island--who was on the island of Raivavai\nwhen the natives had built a fire to burn me, and when I was delivered\nby the power of God. They claimed to have been present when I was\nsentenced, but denied taking any part in the proceedings.\n\nFriday, October 14th, we bade the Saints of Mahu farewell (having, the\nday previous, ordained two Elders, two Priests, one Teacher and one\nDeacon) and went to Taahuaia, where the people were quite indifferent\nto us. From time to time, however, we were able to converse with some\nof them, and baptized several. On the 23rd, the governor gave us\npermission to hold meetings, and we began doing so. I visited the grave\nof Elder John Layton on the 24th, and on the 25th arranged to leave on\na schooner for Tahiti. My health had been quite poor for some time. I\ndid not go on the boat, however, for it was so heavily laden that there\nwas no room, so it sailed on the 27th without me. Monday, October 31st,\nI preached the funeral sermon of a little girl.\n\nOn the 5th of November, the Josephite preacher and his wife called\non me. In the evening a special meeting of the people was held, the\npurpose of which was kept secret from us. That night I dreamed I was\non trial and the judge said he knew I was not guilty, but because of\nthe demand of the people he would have to give judgment against me and\nassess a fine of twenty dollars, which the court would pay. I awoke and\ntold Elder Seegmiller the natives had made a decision against us, as we\nlearned the next day, when the governor withdrew from us the privilege\nof holding meetings.\n\nWe went to Mataura on November 7th, to see a man possessed of a devil.\nThe evil spirit was dumb, and for three years the man had not spoken\nto anyone, but sat or laid around. We also visited the school where\nthere were about thirty students, and the teacher called one pupil to\nthe blackboard, where the exercise in writing required of her was well\ndone. Then we called on Tetuatehiapa, the oldest woman on the island.\nShe was one hundred and twenty years of age, and had been blind for\neight years. The people said she had insisted that she would live till\nthe servants of God came from Salt Lake City. When told who we were she\nrejoiced greatly, and exclaimed, \"I always said you would come again!\nThe Lord has brought you, and has prolonged my life till you came. I\nrejoice exceedingly at the mercies of the Lord!\" On November 8th, we\nbaptized her with seven others, and on the 10th administered to her for\nher blindness by laying hands on her head and blessing her. When we had\nattended to the ordinance she stated that she could see a little, which\nwas more than she had done for eight years. \"God be praised for His\nmercies,\" she said.\n\nSunday, November 13th, I preached twice to large congregations at Mahu,\nwhere we arrived on the 11th. We also had a number of applicants for\nbaptism, and on the 14th eight members were added to the Church by the\nordinance, and we blessed two children. A Catholic priest called on us,\nand I had a pointed discussion with him on authority in the Church, and\nthe true Gospel. We parted good friends, he promising to come again\nnext day, but he did not do so; although he passed by the house, but\nnever looked towards us. On the 16th we added five more souls to\nthe Church by baptism.\n\nOur missionary labors continued in different villages, and on November\n23 Elder Seegmiller baptized the school teacher at Mataura, also two of\nthe governor's daughters. On the 21st the captain of a schooner that\nhad called at the island told us we could go to Tahiti on his vessel,\nstarting on the 24th. Elder Seegmiller aided me in preparing for the\nvoyage, and I bade farewell to the people, who were very much attached\nto us. I shook hands with the governor, when his eyes filled with\ntears, he kissed me, and was so full of emotion that it was difficult\nfor him to speak. In due time the vessel sailed, Elder Seegmiller going\non it to Mataura, three miles down the coast, where he went ashore, as\nwe had agreed, and I was alone so far as a missionary companion was\nconcerned.\n\nAt Mataura the French police justice and his wife, a Marquesas woman,\ncame aboard, and at 6 p.m. we weighed anchor. The schooner was very\nmuch crowded, the cargo including four women, two children, fourteen\nmen, three horses, twenty hogs, one goat, one dog, about one hundred\nchickens, eight or ten turkeys, eleven thousand cocoanuts, and a lot\nof other things. The most comfortable place I could find was on the\ncompanion-way, where I sat, as I was not able to use my crutches on\nthe vessel. The first night out I found I could not sleep in my berth,\nas it was too cramped and the tobacco smoke and foul air were too much\nfor me, so I camped on the companion-way with my blanket, and was very\nseasick. The next night I fared about the same, and it was pretty hard\non me; but the third night, Saturday, I went below before the others\ndid, and obtained a fairly good night's rest.\n\nSunday, November 27, we sighted Tahiti, but a heavy rain and calm\nheld us back over Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. On the last-named\nday the crew caught a shark, and we had some of it boiled for supper.\nThursday, December 1st, we landed at Papeete in a heavy rainstorm, and\nquite exhausted. I was met by my son Elando, and once on shore I was\nrefreshed with palatable food and good news from my family. We spent\nour time the next fourteen days in missionary labors in Papeete, to\nthe best advantage, and on the sixth baptized eight persons into the\nChurch. My health was decidedly poor at this time.\n\nWe had arranged with Mr. Henry Marvin for passage on the schooner\n_Avaroa_ to the Tuamotu islands, sailing on December 15th. We left\non the date named and though we had some headwinds and calms, we had\na good voyage; for the captain (a Hawaiian) and crew were agreeable,\nthe vessel was kept clean and in perfect order, and the table was well\nsupplied with a good variety of food. We sighted several islands, and\non the 20th stopped at Niau, which has a population of one hundred, all\nmembers of the Josephite Church. Their presiding officer and a number\nof his people came on board and gave us six chickens and six baskets\nof cocoanuts as a token of friendship. I talked to them on the Gospel\nmessage I had to deliver as a missionary.\n\nWe went ashore on the island of Apatai on the 23rd, as Mr. Marvin\nhad some business there. The people were rather indifferent to us as\nmissionaries. I visited the governor, who said he had been my servant\non the island of Anaa when I was there forty years before. He was very\nmuch afflicted with a carbuncle on the back of his head and neck, and\ncould move about only by crawling on his hands and knees. I lanced his\ncarbuncle, and he recovered.\n\nChristmas Day, 1892, was spent on the schooner _Avaroa_, and we sought\nthe coolest place we could find and ate watermelons, thinking of our\nmountain home and the loved ones in Utah. Next day we sailed into\nport at Taroa, and were met by Elder Joseph W. Damron and some native\nSaints. I was welcomed to the home of Mr. Mapuhi, a seven-roomed frame\nhouse, built on pillars of coral stone and beautifully furnished in\nAmerican fashion. The place seemed perfectly lovely, and a surprise for\nus in the way of a spring mattress to sleep on was doubly welcome. The\nfollowing day was the 27th, and I had the privilege of preaching to a\ngood audience.\n\nThe 28th of December was Wednesday, and the morning was marked by the\nreceipt of an invitation to a triple wedding and feast to be held\nthat afternoon at the government building. I attended and by request\nperformed the marriage ceremony for the three couples. I also availed\nmyself of the opportunity to address the assemblage briefly on the\nsubjects of marriage and baptism for the dead. This day I had the\nunusual experience of standing in the door of the house where we were\nlodging and viewing a large school of whales pass by.\n\nNew Year's day, 1893, was the time for a conference of the Saints to be\nheld on the island of Faiti, so preparations were made on December 29th\nfor us to leave Taroa. On this date I met a native Chilean, who said\nhe came from San Antonio, about thirty miles south of Valparaiso. When\nI heard this, it called to my mind a statement of Dr. J. M. Bernhisel,\nthat he had learned from the Prophet Joseph Smith that that was near\nthe place where Lehi and his colony, told of in the Book of Mormon,\nlanded in America, on their journey from Jerusalem. In the afternoon we\nstarted, on Mapuhi's schooner, for Faiti, six boatloads of the Saints\ngoing along. Our vessel had twenty persons aboard. The wind was fair,\nand on Saturday, December 31st, we reached Faiti, landing about 9:30\na.m. Our reception was rather cool, as we were ushered into a large\nroom, almost bare save a long table and a few chairs, and were left\nalone much of the time. However, we had good beds at night. In the\nmorning, Sunday, January 1st, we held meeting, and I called for those\nwho had known me on my former mission to stand up. Seventeen persons\narose to their feet, and stated that they remembered and recognized me.\nOur meetings at conference were well attended. The presiding officer of\nthe Church in the Tuamotu islands was a blind man, and he asked me a\nnumber of questions to satisfy himself that I was the same one who had\nbeen there forty years before with Elders Pratt and Grouard. I baptized\nhim at that time. When he was fully convinced he remarked that if I had\nnot come he would not have received the young missionaries, referring\nto Elders Damron, Jones, and my son Elando.\n\nIt was January 4th before the people gave us the public reception that\nwas customary. At the ceremony an aged man related how they had prayed\nthat I might come back to them again, to teach them the true Gospel.\nThat day the French gen d' armes made some charges of irregularity\nagainst the owner of our boat, saying the captain had not the proper\npapers. It was generally understood, however, that the trouble\noriginated with the Catholic priest. Matters were finally settled. Next\nmorning I went fishing with our landlord and caught six nice rock cod,\nwhere the sea was ten fathoms deep. The water was so clear that through\na glass we could see the bottom, with the myriad beauties and great\nvariety of fish at that place. The anchor of the canoe got fast in a\ncoral reef, and our host dived down and released it.\n\nWe continued to hold meetings all the week to give the people a correct\nunderstanding of our mission; then, on January 9th, my son Elando and\nI sailed for the island of Anaa, arriving there at noon that day, and\nbeing warmly welcomed by the people of Tuuhora, where we landed.\n\nOn the 11th, I walked over the ground where I had been held a prisoner\nby the French government, and visited the cemetery where was the grave\nof the policeman who had been killed in an affray subsequent to my\ndeparture. On the afternoon of the 13th, I visited the graves of those\nwho were hanged by the French government for their part in the tragedy.\nUpon my return from the cemetery, a warrant was served on me by a\npoliceman. It was in both French and English, the English translation\nreading as follows:\n\n\"_Monsieur Jacob, Ministre Mormon:_\n\n\"The gen d' arme chief of port at Anaa invites Mr. Jacob (James),\nMormon minister at Tuuhora, to come to the government house at Tuuhora\n(Fare Hau), to listen to a communication which he desires him to hear.\n\n                                                           \"Cy. Cours,\n\n                                       \"The Gen d' arme Chief of Post.\n\n\"Tuuhora, 13th January, 1893.\"\n\nOf course I responded to this invitation from the chief of police, so\nwith my son Elando reported as requested, to listen to an order made\nby the governor of the Tuamotu group of islands. The chief of police\nwarned us particularly that if we caused the slightest disturbance\namong the people over the meeting house, or otherwise, it might result\nseriously to me. This was repeated six times, in an emphatic tone of\nvoice. The officer refused utterly to hear anything from us, saying, \"I\nfollow out my instructions. You must not step your foot inside of the\nmeeting house at Temeraia, nor the house here.\"\n\nFinding it was useless for us to say anything, we bade the chief of\npolice and the interpreter (Mr. Burns, an Englishman) good-bye, and\nleft them to their stench of strong drink.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LXVI.\n\nPREACHING AND VISITING--PEARL FISHING--PLACE OF MY ARREST IN\n1851--ACCIDENT TO A YOUNG MAN--INCIDENT WITH THE GOVERNOR OF ANAA--SEE\nA LEPER--CAPTURE OF AN EEL--CONFERENCE ON ANAA--TIME OF DEDICATION\nOF SALT LAKE TEMPLE--SPECIALLY INTERESTING MEETINGS--NEW ELDERS FROM\nUTAH--START BACK TO TAHITI--ANOTHER FUNERAL SERMON--MEET THE FRENCH\nGOVERNOR OF THE TUAMOTU ISLANDS--HIS CORDIAL GREETING--ARRIVE AT\nPAPEETE--APPOINTMENTS FOR THE NEW MISSIONARIES--FAIL TO GET A PASSAGE\nTO TUBUOI--MY HEALTH VERY POOR--LEARN OF THE DEDICATION OF THE SALT\nLAKE TEMPLE--ELDERS UNANIMOUS IN THE DECISION THAT I SHOULD RETURN HOME\nBECAUSE OF MY ILLNESS--I DEMUR--CONCLUDE TO GO--TROUBLE ON ANAA--MY\nSIXTY-FIFTH BIRTHDAY--NOTABLE KINDNESS OF A NATIVE CHILD--SAIL FROM\nPAPEETE--DIFFICULTY IN LANDING FROM SMALL BOATS--IN THE SOCIETY\nISLANDS--REACH SAN FRANCISCO--ARRIVE IN SALT LAKE CITY--REPORT THE\nSUCCESSFUL OPENING OF THE SOCIETY ISLANDS MISSION.\n\nAFTER the severe warning from the governor, we returned to our\nmissionary labors, preaching to the people as we could find\nopportunity. The Sunday following this occurrence (January 15th) we\nhad three well-attended meetings in a private meeting house, and\non Monday we went in a boat to Putuahara, a town of two thousand\npeople on my first visit but now dwindled down to a place with less\nthan sixty inhabitants. All the ablebodied men were away, engaged in\npearl-fishing. This is the place where the people killed the French\npoliceman and severely beat the Catholic priest, as already stated.\n\nWe conversed with and preached to the inhabitants until the 25th, when\nwe went to Otopipi, but returned that same day, as our friends there\nwere absent from home. Our missionary work in Putuahara continued till\nFebruary 4th, when we again went to Otopipi. Next day being Sunday I\nhad the privilege of preaching to a large congregation. There were\nthirty-one native members of the Church present. Many of the people in\nattendance were Catholics, and my remarks raised quite a discussion\namong them, some of them being for and others against me. Early\non Monday, according to previous arrangement, we sailed around to\nTemeraia, receiving a hearty welcome there.\n\nAt this place we met the granddaughter of John Hawkins, once an Elder\nin this mission and now a Josephite. I also visited the spot where I\nhad been arrested in the year 1851. The house had been cleared away\nsince then, and an old wrecked boat occupied the site. We held meetings\nand had a large attendance, though the weather was intensely hot and\noppressive, and my health quite poor.\n\nOn February 17th a young man named Temia fell thirty-five feet from a\ntree and broke his arm in three places, the bones coming through his\nskin in one place. With such hot weather, and no surgical or medical\nattendance available, it looked as though his chances for recovery\nseemed slight. We visited him again on the 28th, and his case looked\neven more serious. We administered to him, and he ultimately recovered.\nTowards the latter part of the month the people began to feel more\nfriendly to us, and received us more cordially than at first.\n\nWhile we were in meeting on March 1st, the governor passed, and as\nhe was averse to recognizing us then as previously, I called to him\nand asked the reason. His reply was that it was not wise to do so. I\ncontinued to talk with him, and he became more sociable, confessing\nthat it was the darkness of his heart that had caused him to act so\nimproperly. I advised him to repent of his sins and ask the Lord to\ngive him light, and he felt better. Two days after this I beheld the\nunusual sight of a leper, as one passed the house--a painful picture\nto behold. The third day a man and his wife were baptized into the\nChurch. A visit to Tuuhora was made on March 6th. and on the return\nvoyage, while diving for pearls, an eel was discovered under a rock\nin deep water. It took quite a light to capture it, but it was a fine\none--about four feet long. We went to Putuahara on March 13, and during\nthe remainder of the month continued our missionary labors, meeting\nwith no unusual experiences.\n\nOn March 31st, Elders Damron and Jones came from Fakariva, and\nnative members of the Church began to arrive in preparation for our\nconference, which was set for April 6th, 1893. At 7 o'clock that\nmorning we assembled in conference, being the same actual time when\nthe Saints were meeting for the dedication of the Temple in Salt Lake\nCity, Utah--10 a.m. at the latter place. I explained to the Saints in\nconference the nature and importance of the event just named. Elder\nDamron also spoke on temple building, and after the close of our\nmeeting we went to the seashore, where we held a short service, and\nmy son Elando baptized five persons into the Church. We also ordained\nthree native Elders and appointed two of them to preside over branches\nof the Church. The conference continued till Sunday evening, and all in\nattendance had a most enjoyable time.\n\nWe had received word on Saturday that eight Elders had arrived at\nPapeete from Utah, and at the close of conference we decided that we\nhad better return to Tahiti as soon as possible. Next morning we bade\nfarewell to the weeping Saints, and set sail for Tuuhora. From there we\ntook passage for Taroa. On April 12th, we stopped at Apatai, where I\nwent ashore and met a number of people whom I had baptized on my former\nmission. They did not display much of a hospitable feeling, as none\ninvited me to their houses.\n\nTaroa was reached on April 16th, and the hearty welcome there was\nhighly appreciated after a voyage which had been very unpleasant to me,\nas I had been quite ill. We were met by Messrs. Marvin and Mapuhi, and\nescorted to the latters fine residence. It being Sunday, we attended\nmeetings. My son Elando was also called on, on on April 21st, to preach\nthe funeral sermon over a young man who had died of consumption.\n\nOn the morning of April 27th, the schooner _Avaroa_ came into port,\nhaving on board the French governor of the Tuamotu group, also the\nnative governor of Taroa. We had a friendly chat with them, the\nFrenchman saying he had been in Salt Lake City. He invited me to visit\nhim when I went to Fakariva again. Next day the people assembled to pay\ntheir respects to the governor, and we also had another pleasant chat\nwith him.\n\nWe started from Taroa on Monday, May 1st, on the _Avaroa_, but as the\nvessel was going out to sea she struck on a rock which disabled the\nrudder, and it took till evening to repair it. Then we sailed for\nFakariva, reaching there the following afternoon. The French governor\nwent ashore, and later we did the same. Next morning we took breakfast\nwith him, being invited to come again whenever we were on the island.\nThat afternoon we sailed for Tahiti, reaching Papeete harbor on\nSaturday, May 6th, and meeting there Elders Edward Sudbury, Frank Goff,\nFrank Cutler, Eugene M. Cannon, Carl J. Larsen, Thomas L. Woodbury,\nFred C. Rossiter and Jesse M. Fox, all from Utah.\n\nAt a meeting of the missionaries held on May 13th, Elders Carl J.\nLarsen and Thomas L. Woodbury were appointed to go to the Tuamotu\nislands, Elders Frank Goff and Jesse M. Fox to Tubuoi, with my son\nElando and myself and the others remaining on Tahiti for a short time.\nThrough Mr. Marvin we engaged passage on a French man-of-war going to\nTubuoi, the captain giving his permission. But after we had packed\nour trunks and purchased our provisions for the journey, the captain\nsuggested that we had better get a permit from the governor. We tried\nto do so, but that official responded with an abrupt \"No.\" So we had to\nawait another opportunity.\n\nFor some time previous to this date my health had been poorer than\nusual, and it grew worse, so that it was with difficulty I attended to\nmissionary labors and to conducting the mission affairs. I continued\nat work, however, the best I could, and my fellow-missionaries were\ndevoted to their duties. Some of them were in the best of health, but\nothers were not so fortunate; indeed, one of them, Edward Sudbury, was\nunder the necessity of returning home shortly after the date of which I\nwrite. On May 25th we received mail telling us of the dedication of the\nTemple in Salt Lake City, and the notable events connected therewith.\n\nI had tried to get a hall in which to hold meetings for the European\nresidents of Papeete, my last efforts in that line being on June 13th,\nbut I was unsuccessful, so we had to do without, and endeavor to reach\nthem and the natives in other ways. On June 25th we held a council\nmeeting of all the Elders on Tahiti, eight in number, at which methods\nfor the best conduct of the mission were considered. Among other events\nof the meeting was the unanimous expression by my fellow-missionaries\nof the opinion that my state of health was such that I should go home.\nA motion that I do so was put and carried, all but myself voting in\nfavor of my going by the next mail steamer, which sailed July 8th. I\nthought that if conditions improved before that time, I would be at\nliberty to remain longer in the mission field. Elder Sudbury was also\nin such health that he was booked to start home at the same time, and\nmy son Elando was selected to accompany us, and give me the attention I\nneeded.\n\nMy health showing no signs of improvement, passage was secured on\nthe brig Galilee, bound for San Francisco. On June 27th we had seen\ntwo persons from Anaa, who informed us there was trouble there,\nthe missionaries not obtaining their rights to preach. I gave such\nadvice as I felt would be safe to follow, and Elder J. W. Damron, who\nsucceeded me in the presidency of the mission, was left to deal with\naffairs.\n\nOn July 4th, my sixty-fifth birthday, John Hawkins, one of my\nfellow-laborers of forty-two years before, who had apostatized and\njoined the Josephites, called, with others. He was particularly bitter\ntowards the Church. That day little Tapura, between six and seven years\nold, brought me, of her own volition, a large and beautiful bouquet of\nflowers--an act of kindness scarcely to be expected in one so young.\nShe is the daughter of Mr. Topaz, who was very kind to us.\n\nThe day previous to our going on board, the neighbors brought in\nbananas and cocoanuts for our use on the voyage, and we were treated\nwell. We bade farewell to friends and associates, all being sorry at\nthe parting, and on July 8th I sailed for the last time from the harbor\nof Papeete, island of Tahiti. The words of Apostle Lorenzo Snow, spoken\nto me before commencing my journey, had been fulfilled. Though this\nmission had not been so long as some of the others I had filled, it had\nbeen one of the greatest and best I had performed, so far as relates\nto the work I had been the means of accomplishing in reopening and\nestablishing the Society Islands mission.\n\nOur vessel this voyage was very different to those we often had to use\nin our travels from place to place, even in the same island. We also\nbade adieu to the native method of landing from boats, which always\nbrought discomfort and often serious peril. For illustration, it was\nno uncommon thing, when approaching harbor, to have to pass through\nbreakers across a coral reef where there was barely room for the boat\nto glide between the rocks. Sometimes the vessel would be run close\nto the opening, the occupants would spring out on to the rocks on each\nside of the passage, and seizing the boat, would hold it there till\nthe large or \"three-twin-sisters\" wave came along; and then, by its\naid, would drag or push the boat through in safety. In such times as\nthese my lame condition was hindersome to the extent of being more than\nannoying; it was exasperating. But I always got through, though it was\nhard work, and my companions gave the needed assistance with perfect\nwillingness.\n\nThe voyage to San Francisco was without particular event more than is\nusual on such occasions, as was also the journey from San Francisco to\nSalt Lake City by rail. We reached home about the middle of August,\nand were welcomed cordially. I reported to the First Presidency the\ncondition of affairs in the mission, the progress we had made, with the\ndifficulties that were to be met with. Elando and I had been absent for\nsixteen months, and had worked with diligence to perform our part.\n\nOur efforts had been blessed of the Lord, for many people who had been\nastray from the path of life were led to direct their footsteps in the\nstraight and narrow path. The Society Islands mission had been reopened\nsuccessfully, and yet continues to prosper, the membership in the\nChurch there being quite numerous.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LXVII.\n\nINVITED TO THE MIDWINTER FAIR, SAN FRANCISCO, AND ACCEPT--JOURNEY TO\nCALIFORNIA--KIND TREATMENT RECEIVED--AN HONORED GUEST--WRITE A PAMPHLET\nON THE DISCOVERY OF GOLD AT SUTTER'S MILL RACE--FIRST ACCURATE ACCOUNT\nPUBLISHED--AGAIN AT HOME--PREPARING MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY FOR PUBLICATION--A\nGREAT TASK--PROGRESS OF THE WORK--MY HISTORY OF THE FIRST MISSION TO\nTHE PACIFIC ISLANDS--UTAH'S SEMI-CENTENNIAL JUBILEE--NOT A UTAH PIONEER\nOF 1847--PIONEER JUST THE SAME--MORMON BATTALION RECOGNIZED IN THE UTAH\nCELEBRATION--INVITED TO JOIN IN THE PARADE--COMPARATIVE NARROWNESS OF\nCOMMITTEE'S COURTESY--LETTERS FROM CALIFORNIA, REGARDING THE PIONEER\nCELEBRATION THERE IN 1898--INVITED WITH THREE OTHERS OF THE MORMON\nBATTALION, TO BE SPECIAL GUESTS AS THE SURVIVORS OF THE PARTY THAT\nDISCOVERED GOLD IN CALIFORNIA IN 1848--APPRECIATION OF THE COURTESY\nEXTENDED BY CALIFORNIANS.\n\nAS my health was far from satisfactory, I was able to do but little\nafter my return from the Society Islands in August, 1893. I gave my\nfarm some attention, and traveled occasionally among the people. In\nFebruary, 1894, I received an invitation from James H. Love, manager\nfor the concession of the '49 mining camp at the Midwinter Fair, in\nGolden Gate Park, San Francisco, to be present there. The invitation\ncame to me through Israel Evans, of Lehi, Utah, who had been with me in\nCalifornia in 1848. I accepted, and in company with Israel Evans and my\nson James T. Brown, went to California in the month named.\n\nThis visit to California extended about thirty days. We were treated\nwith the greatest kindness. Our place of lodging at the miner's cabin\non the fair grounds was comfortably fitted, and besides viewing the\nmost excellent exhibits of this notable Midwinter Exposition, we also\nvisited most of the places of interest in the locality. We were honored\nguests in every parade, and nothing more could be desired in the way of\ncourtesies to make our stay pleasant.\n\nWhile in California on this occasion I wrote my pamphlet. \"Authentic\nHistory of the First Discovery of Gold in Sutter's Mill Race,\nCalifornia.\" This was the first accurate history of that event I had\nseen in print, all the other accounts having been gathered from hearsay\nand broken narratives, while I had the advantage of being an actual\nparticipant in the historic occurrence.\n\nIn March, 1894, I returned home, and continued my ordinary labors, my\nhealth being considerably improved. At this time I began preparing\nmy journal for publication, having to rewrite it to place it in\npresentable form, as much of it had been noted down under very adverse\ncircumstances; it was also necessary to condense it greatly, many items\nof real interest being abbreviated to a considerable extent.\n\nI believe now that if I had realized at the outset what a great task\nit was, I should not have attempted it, notwithstanding the fact that\nI was fully aware that my life's experience had been filled with\nunusually interesting episodes. But I had not been accustomed to giving\nup a work once undertaken with a good aim; so I have continued to the\npresent, and as I prepare this chapter, the earlier part of the work is\nin the hands of the printer. The only literary experience I have had\nprevious to this work is writing a history of the first mission to the\nPacific Islands and the subsequent progress of events in the Society\nIslands mission up to 1893, the manuscript of which history was filed\nwith and is now a part of the records of the Church historian's office.\n\nIn July, 1897, Utah's Semi-Centennial Jubilee was celebrated, the\noccasion being the fiftieth anniversary of the entrance of the Mormon\nPioneers into the valley of the Great Salt Lake, July 24, 1847. The\nchief ceremonies were in Salt Lake City, July 20th to 25th, and I had\nthe honor and pleasure of being present. I had not the privilege of\nbeing classed as one of the pioneers, for these were limited in the\ncelebration to those who reached Utah in 1847, and I did not arrive\nthere from the west till 1848. With the Mormon Battalion members,\nhowever, I was a Mormon pioneer, in the memorable journey across the\ncountry to the Pacific; I was also a pioneer in California, and later\nin Utah and surrounding places. The committee on the semi-centennial\ncelebration, however, noted the fact that the members of the Mormon\nBattalion were entitled to recognition in connection with the Utah\npioneer band, for the work of both was intimately associated. In\npursuance of this, there was sent to me under date of July 19th, a\nletter containing this announcement:\n\n\"Survivors of the Mormon Battalion, the Nauvoo Legion, Captain Ballo's\nBand, and the Martial Band, are requested to meet at Pioneer Square on\nTuesday next, July 20th, at 9 o'clock a.m., sharp, for the purpose of\nmarching in advance of the original band of Pioneers to witness the\nunveiling ceremonies upon that occasion. Those who are able to walk are\nearnestly requested to do so, but those who are too feeble to walk will\njoin them at the Monument.\n\n\"Hoping to see you with us at the appointed time, I am,\n\n                              \"Yours respectfully,\n\n                                   \"H. F. MCGARVIE,\n\n                                 \"Assistant Director-General.\"\n\nI responded to this limited notice, in common with other members of the\nMormon Battalion at hand. But the summary treatment was in such strong\ncontrast to the consideration and courtesy extended at the Midwinter\nFair, and subsequently at the California Golden Jubilee, that its\neffect was to enhance greatly, in the minds' of those who participated\nin the California and the Utah celebrations, the admiration for the\nCalifornia managers in their broad and thorough comprehension of the\namenities of such historic public events. But I must add here that the\nMormon Battalion members, whose journey west was over another route\nthan that followed by the companies which came direct to the Salt\nLake Valley, were fitly honored in the hearts of Utah's people as of\nthe pioneer band in the great west. December 1, 1897, I received the\nfollowing;\n\n                                  \"1216 HYDE STREET, SAN FRANCISCO,\n\n                                                \"November 29, 1897.\n\n\"_Mr. James S. Brown:_\n\n\"DEAR SIR: The celebration committee of the Society of California\nPioneers, expect, though as yet no formal action has been taken, to\ninvite yourself, Mr. J. Johnston, Mr. Azariah Smith, and Mr. Henry W.\nBigler, who were with Marshall at Coloma on the 24th of January, 1848,\nto come to San Francisco as honored guests of the Society, and at its\nexpense, to participate in the semi-centennial celebration of that\neventful day, on the 24th of January next.\n\n\"If we should send such an invitation to you, will you come and be with\nus? Letters from Mr. Bigler and Mr. Smith lead me to hope that they\nwill accept the invitation.\n\n\"So soon as formal action is taken, you will be informed either by\nmyself or by the secretary of our committee.\n\n                                    \"Yours truly,\n\n                                       \"JOHN S. HITTELL.\n\n                          \"A member of the Celebration Committee.\"\n\nMy response was that if my health would permit, and all things were\nsatisfactory, I should be pleased to accept such an invitation. I\nreceived another letter from Mr. Hittell, under date of December 15th,\nin which he said:\n\n\"_Mr. James S. Brown:_\n\n\"DEAR SIR: This evening the celebration committee of the Pioneer\nSociety adopted a resolution to invite you to attend the Golden Jubilee\nof California, as an honored guest of the Society, which will provide\nyou with first class transportation from and to your home, and take\ncharge of your hotel bill from the 22nd of January till the 31st of\nJanuary, 1898, in this city.\n\n\"Mr. B. H. and Mr. H. B. Luther, brothers, say that they were at Coloma\non the 24th of January, 1848, as boys, with their father and mother.\nDo you know them and remember when they reached Coloma? They say their\nmother, who was with them there, is still living.\"\n\nUnder date of December 25th, Mr. Hittell also wrote me:\n\n\"_Captain James S. Brown:_\n\n\"DEAR SIR: Please let me know the amount of the railroad fare from Salt\nLake to Ogden, so that we may forward the sum to you by letter; we\nexpect to send you a ticket from Ogden to this city, including a lower\nberth in a sleeping car.\n\n\"We hope that you, Bigler, Smith and Johnston will all come in the same\ncar. I have addressed a similar letter to each of the other three.\n\n\"Thanks for your letter of December 20th. I was satisfied that Gregson\nand the Luthers were not at the sawmill on the 24th of January, 1848.\n\n\"I suppose the best train would be the one leaving Salt Lake City at\n9:10 p.m., on January 20th, arriving at San Francisco January 22nd, at\n9:45 a.m. Does that suit you?\"\n\nThe next communication on the subject was as follows:\n\n\"EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, THE SOCIETY OF CALIFORNIA PIONEERS, NO. 5,\nPIONEER PLACE, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA,\n\n                                                   \"January 7, 1898,\n\n\"_James S. Brown, Esq., Salt Lake City:_\n\n\"DEAR SIR: The Society of California Pioneers invites you to attend the\nGolden Jubilee Celebration of our State, and to accept the hospitality\nof the Society in San Francisco, from the 22nd till the 31st of\nJanuary, 1898. Enclosed find a pass from the S. P. R. R. Co., for your\npassage from Ogden to San Francisco and return. We send you today by\nWells, Fargo & Co.'s Express, fifteen dollars in coin to pay for your\nsleeping berth and meals on the way. We have engaged a lower berth for\nyou on the Pullman car which leaves Ogden on the night of Thursday, the\n20th instant.\n\n\"The reception committee will meet you on the Oakland boat on the morning\nof Saturday, the 22nd, and will wear the badge of the Society. Should\nyou miss seeing them you will go to the Russ House, where we have\nengaged rooms and board for you.\n\n\"Should you not be able to come, please return the enclosed railroad\npass, and notify the ticket agent at Ogden that you will not use the\nsleeping berth.\n\n                       \"Yours truly,\n\n                                     \"J. I. SPEAR, Secretary.\n\n\"P. S.--We have arranged to have your railroad pass extended for thirty\ndays if you wish it. S.\"\n\nLike my Mormon Battalion companions who were with me on the memorable\n24th of January, 1848, I could not but feel highly gratified at the\ncourtesy extended, and look forward with pleasure to the commemoration,\nunder so favorable circumstances and with such marvelous progress as\nCalifornia had made in civilization, of the fiftieth anniversary of a\nnotable event, which at the time of its occurrence, came to us in the\nmidst of hardships, fatigue and almost exile from home and relatives,\nyet was a world-wonder in the results which followed the announcement\nto the world of California's great gold discovery.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LXVIII.\n\nTRIP TO CALIFORNIA--MET BY THE COMMITTEE ON RECEPTION OF THE SOCIETY\nOF CALIFORNIA PIONEERS--RECEIVED WITH GREAT CORDIALITY--HONORED GUESTS\nAT CALIFORNIA'S GOLDEN JUBILEE--THE CELEBRATION--COURTESIES EXTENDED\nTO MORMON BATTALION MEMBERS PRESENT AT THE DISCOVERY OF GOLD--RETURN\nHOME--RESOLUTIONS BY SOCIETY OF CALIFORNIA PIONEERS--REPORT OF\nRECEPTION COMMITTEE OF CALIFORNIA GOLDEN JUBILEE--SKETCH OF\nMARSHALL'S SURVIVING COMPANIONS--COMPLETE MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY--MY SON\nHOMER ACCIDENTALLY KILLED--THE OLD FOLKS--PUBLICATION OF LIFE OF A\nPIONEER--CONCLUSION.\n\nIN response to the invitation from the Society of California Pioneers,\nI left Salt Lake City on January 20, 1898, in company with Henry W.\nBigler, Azariah Smith and Wm. J. Johnston, who, like myself, were\nguests of the Society. We reached Oakland, California, January 22,\nand were met by Mr. John H. Jewett, president of the society, and a\ncommittee consisting of Messrs. John S. Hittell, Almarin B. Paul,\nGeneral Wm. H. Pratt, and Misses Anna P. Green and Mary M. Green. The\nladies pinned badges of the Society of California Pioneers on the\nlapels of our coats. We were received with the greatest cordiality, and\nwere taken to the Russ House, San Francisco, where we were comfortably\nlodged, being shown special consideration by the proprietor and\nhis amiable wife, and from that time on we were given the best of\nattention. Nothing that could be done was too good for us, and language\nfails to express our high appreciation of the courtesy and kindness\nbestowed.\n\nWhenever we attended any of the functions of California's Golden\nJubilee Celebration, or desired to visit a place, carriages were at our\nservice. January 24th was the fiftieth anniversary of the discovery\nof gold at Sutter's mill race, and there was a magnificent pageant in\ncelebration of the event. We occupied the post of distinction in the\nprocession, our carriage bearing the legend, \"Companions of Marshall.\"\nWe were the only survivors of that notable occasion, fifty years\nbefore. The place of honor was also accorded to us at the celebration\nceremonies in the evening at Wood's Pavilion, and on the 27th we were\nat a reception in Pioneer Hall, and greeted the multitudes, old and\nyoung, anxious to see and shake hands with us; and at the Mining Fair\nour treatment was characterized by the same cordial and distinguished\nwelcome. The celebration ceremonies lasted the entire week. When at our\nhotel we were besieged by reporters, and hundreds of people called to\nsee us, and get our autographs. Our photographs also were taken for the\nSociety of Pioneers.\n\nOutside of the celebration proper, there was the same magnanimous\nkindness. I could not name all the citizens who extended to us marked\ncourtesies, but feel that I must specially mention Captain John T.\nMcKenzie of the steamer _San Rafael_, who was very attentive, also Hon.\nIrving Scott, manager of the great Union Iron Works, at which place we\nhad a particularly interesting visit and entertainment.\n\nTwo of my companions started home on January 31st, and the third on\nFebruary 2nd. I stayed a few days longer, visiting my brother at\nPetaluma. I also went to many other places of interest, then returned\nhome, all expenses of my journey being provided. A few days later I\nreceived the following:\n\n\"EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, THE SOCIETY OF CALIFORNIA PIONEERS, NO. 5,\nPIONEER PLACE, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA,\n\n                                                  \"February 9, 1898,\n\n\"_James S. Brown, Esq., Salt Lake City, Utah:_\n\n\"DEAR SIR: I have the honor of advising you that at the monthly meeting\nof the members of the Society held at Pioneer Hall on Monday, February\n7, 1898, the following resolutions were unanimously adopted:\n\n\"_Whereas_, The Golden Jubilee just passed marks the second grand event\nas connected with the first discovery of gold in California, and as all\npioneers feel gratified at the universal desire of the people to pay\ntribute to the pioneer days, now be it\n\n\"_Resolved_, That the Society of California Pioneers tenders its\nthanks to the press generally; to the state and city officials; to the\nmilitary as a body; to the various mining associations; to the Native\nDaughters and Native Sons of the Golden West, and to the many other\norganizations that participated in making the grand pageant of January\n24th a splendid success. And be it further\n\n\"_Resolved_, That the thanks of this society are also tendered to\nHenry W. Bigler, James S. Brown, Wm. J. Johnston and Azariah Smith,\nthe companions of Marshall, in lending their presence for the Jubilee;\nand especially do we appreciate the efforts and labors of the\nexecutive committee of the Golden Jubilee, and we also return thanks\nto the Southern Pacific Company for complimentary passes to the four\ncompanions of Marshall to and from San Francisco and Ogden, also for\nits liberal contribution to the Golden Jubilee held under auspices of\nthe society; and also to Irving M. Scott on part of the Union Iron\nWorks, for the invitation to the companions of Marshall and members of\nthis Society to visit the works, and the placing at our disposal their\ntug for the trip, and further for the many courtesies extended to all\nby the several officers connected with the works while there.\n\n                                    \"J. H. JEWETT, President.\"\n\nOn February 20th this note came:\n\n                                  \"1316 HYDE STREET, SAN FRANCISCO,\n\n                                                \"February 18, 1898.\n\n\"_Mr. James S. Brown:_\n\n\"Dear Sir: Your letter of the 16th inst, with the news that you\nhad arrived safely at home, has given me pleasure. I felt some\nresponsibility for my part in bringing four old men so far away from\nhome, but now that I know all have arrived in good health at Salt Lake,\nI congratulate myself that events have turned out so favorably. I have\nhad no letter from Mr. Bigler or Mr. Smith, but they will write to me.\n\n\"I spoke promptly to Mr. Spear, the secretary, about sending fifteen\ndollars to pay for the expenses of your return trip, and I understood\nhim to promise that the money would be transmitted to you by check.\n\n\"The Pioneer Society will long preserve a pleasant recollection of\nthe participation of the four companions of Marshall in our Jubilee\ncelebration, and personally I shall always be glad to hear of their\nwelfare.\n\n                                \"Yours truly,\n\n                                              \"JOHN S. HITTELL.\"\n\nHere is the closing communication in relation to my latest visit to\nCalifornia and the occasion which caused it:\n\n                                        \"San Francisco, March 9, 1898.\n\n\"_Mr. James S. Brown, Salt Lake City:_\n\n\"DEAR SIR: Enclosed please find a copy of the report of the reception\ncommittee of the Golden Jubilee:\n\n\"_To John H. Jewett, President of the California Pioneers:_\n\n\"The reception committee appointed by the Society to receive its guests\nattending the celebration of the Golden Jubilee on the 24th of January\nlast, begs leave to report that its task has been completed.\n\n\"On the morning of January 22nd all the members of the committee\nreceived and welcomed the four companions of Marshall on the overland\ntrain at Oakland, and escorted them to the Russ House, where, under\nthe direction of President John H. Jewett, they were provided with\ncomfortable accommodations.\n\n\"These four men, the only survivors of those who were with Marshall at\nColoma when he discovered gold there on Monday, the 24th of January,\n1848, are:\n\n\"I. Henry W. Bigler, born in Harrison County, West Virginia, August\n28th, 1815, who in his diary made the only written record of the gold\ndiscovery on the day of its occurrence. He is now a resident of St.\nGeorge, Utah.\n\n\"2. Azariah Smith, born at Boylston, New York, on the 1st of August,\n1828, who, on the first Sunday after the discovery, wrote in his diary\nthat gold had been found in the preceding week.\n\n\"3. James S. Brown, born in Davison County, North Carolina, on the 4th\nof July, 1828, who recollects that on the evening of January 24th,\n1848, H. W. Bigler said he would write in his diary that something like\ngold had been discovered, as it might be important some day. He resides\nin Salt Lake City.\n\n\"4. Wm. J. Johnston, born near New Baltimore, Ohio, on the 21st of\nAugust, 1824, and now resides in Ramah, New Mexico.\n\n\"These four men are all clear in mind, and for their years, strong and\nactive in body.\n\n\"In the procession on the 24th they occupied a carriage marked\n'Companions of Marshall.' On the evening of that day, they were\nentertained in our hall with special honor, and two days later they\nheld a reception in the same place. Various members of our Society,\nand especially Captain McKenzie, showed them much attention. They\nwere guests of honor at the Mining Fair on the opening evening. Hon.\nIrving M. Scott, manager of the Union Iron Works, gave them a special\nentertainment at his shipyard; and other citizens contributed to make\ntheir stay in our city pleasant. The whole Jubilee week was a round of\nfestivity for them.\n\n\"Messrs. Bigler and Smith were escorted to their returning train at\nOakland on the 31st of January. Mr. Johnston two days later, and Mr.\nBrown in the next succeeding week. They all reached their homes safely,\nand all have written to members of the committee acknowledging the\nattention and honor shown to them by the Society of California Pioneers.\n\n\"As they are the only persons now living who saw gold in the days of\nits discovery, their attendance at our semi-centennial celebration\nconnected our Jubilee in a highly interesting manner with the great\nevent which it commemorated. We may add that personal acquaintance with\nthese venerable men has been a source of pleasure to all members of\nthis committee, as well as to many other Pioneers.\n\n                    \"Respectfully submitted,\n\n                                      \"JOHN S. HITTELL, Chairman.\n                                      \"ALMARIN B. PAUL,\n                                      \"W. H. PRATT.\"\n\nUpon my return home, I again gave attention to this autobiography,\nwhich proved no light task, as my health has been far from good.\n\nOn the 14th of December, 1899, a keen sorrow came to myself and family.\nMy son Homer, in his twenty-sixth year, died on that date, as a result\nof injuries received at a cave-in at the Silver King mine, Park City,\nUtah, three weeks before. When war broke out between Spain and the\nUnited States in 1898, he enlisted in response to President McKinley's\ncall for volunteers, and became a member of Troop C, Utah Volunteer\nCavalry. After his return from California, where the cavalry was sent,\nhe was married, the event occurring two months before the accident\nwhich cost him his life. On December 19, he was buried in Salt Lake\nCity, the funeral services being held at the Seventeenth Ward assembly\nrooms.\n\nIn the summer of 1898, I was added to the list of Utah's Old Folks,\nattending the excursion to Lagoon, Davis County, in July, 1898, to\nGeneva, Utah County, in July, 1899, and again at Lagoon on July 6,\n1900. The Old Folks include all people over seventy years of age,\nindependent of creed, race or color; these are accorded receptions,\nexcursions, and similar happy courtesies, as marks of honor and respect\nto the aged. The central committee having this highly appreciated\nundertaking in charge has for its chairman the Presiding Bishop of the\nChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.\n\nBy the close of 1899, I had completed the preparation of my life's\nhistory for publication in a neat volume, and soon thereafter arranged\nfor the printing, which at this date, July, 1900, is accomplished. Now\nthat I have reached the seventy-second annual milestone of my life, I\nrealize that the period for especially notable or thrilling events in\nmy mortal career is past; and in the publication of my autobiography, I\nsincerely trust that this humble final extended labor on my part will\nachieve the principle aim of its performance, that of doing good to\nthose who live after me, in the witness its record bears of the mercy,\npower, and goodness of God, and the latter-day progress of His great\nand loving design for the blessing and salvation of His children. With\nthis attainment, the influence of the record, LIFE OF A PIONEER, will\nbe in accord with the sincere desire and earnest effort of my soul\nthroughout life.","title":"Life of a Pioneer: Being the Autobiography of James S. Brown","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":178038}