Class F~5 7 3 
 
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 INCIDENTS OF 
 
 %xM u& %k\\\m in % far SStsL 
 
yailatiMl 
 
 
 Colonel Fremont and the Author taking Astronomical 
 Observations. — P. 129. 
 
INCIDENTS 
 
 TRAVEL AND ADVENTURE 
 
 FAR WEST; 
 
 COL. FREMONT'S LAST EXPEDITION 
 
 ACROSS THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN'S : INCLUDING TIIREE MONTHS' RESIDENCE TN 
 UTAH. AND A PERILOUS TRIP ACROSS THE 
 
 GREAT AMERICAN DESERT, 
 
 TO THE PACIFIC. 
 
 BY S. N. CARVALHO, 
 
 ARTIST TO THE EXPEDITION. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 DERBY <fc JACKSON, 119 NASSAU ST 
 
 CINCINNATI : H. W. DERBY * CO. 
 
 186V. 
 

 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1856, by 
 
 DERBY & JACKSON, 
 
 Iu the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the Southern District of New York. 
 
 W. H. Tinson, Stereotyper. Gkobge Russell & Co., Printers. 
 
TO 
 MRS. JESSIE BENTON FREMONT 
 
 THIS BOOK 
 IS, BY PERMISSION, MOST RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 In preparing this volume for publication, I have not followed 
 any established system of arrangement. 
 
 The incidents are most of them transcripts from original let- 
 ters, written in the familiar style of friendly correspondence. 
 
 The description of a journey from Great Salt Lake City to 
 San Bernandino, is an exact copy from my journal, written after 
 many days of wearisome travel. 
 
 The Mormon Episodes, I have rendered almost verbatim from 
 personal relations by the parties themselves, and not from " hear- 
 say." 
 
 While the Latter-day Saints publicly adopt every opportunity 
 to openly avow and zealously propagate the System of Poly- 
 gamy — i n direct opposition to the established and acknowledged 
 code of morality, as practised by all civilized nations— I but 
 exercise my prerogative in exposing some of its abuses, which I 
 consider destructive to morality, female delicacy, and the sanctity 
 of marriage. 
 
Till PREFACE. 
 
 To prove the correctness and authenticity of my statements, 
 with regard to the moral and ecclesiastical views of the Latter- 
 day Saints, I have appended to the end of this volume, several 
 discourses and addresses, some of which were delivered during 
 my sojourn in Utah, by President Brigham Young and his apos- 
 tles, and reported by G. D. Watt, Esq. of Great Salt Lake City. 
 
 For the rest, I submit myself to an indulgent public. 
 
 The Author. 
 
 Baltimore, Md., September, 1856. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 First Introduction to Col. Fremont — Author's previous Opinion of Him — His Impulsive 
 Resolution to accompany Col. Fremont, as Artist of the Exploring Expedition across 
 the Rocky Mountains, 17 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Preparations for the Journey — Daguerreotype Outfit — Scientific Knowledge required 
 — Departure from New York — Alden's Preserved Food — Esteem of Col. Fremont's 
 former Companions for him — Arrival at St. Louis — Steamboat F. X. Aubrey — Com- 
 pagnons de Voyage — Arrival at Kansas, 20 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Landing of Camp Equipage — Westport — First Camp Ground — Preparations — Extortion 
 — Author and Companions — First Daguerreotypes — Rain Storm — Distribution of Arms 
 and Ammunition — Engagement of Delaware Chiefs — Branding of Animals — California 
 Saddle-Horses — Selects his Pony — Becomes his own Ostler — Description of Catch- 
 ing a Mule on the Mountains — Examination of Camp Equipage — Trial Start — First 
 Camp, 23 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Shawnee Mission — Indisposition of Col. Fremont — He returns to Westport — The 
 Expedition proceeds onward — Sunrise on the Prairies — Meeting of our Delawares 
 — Pottawatomie trading Post — Author turns Carpenter — Expediency — A Kansas 
 Blacksmith — " Astonishment " — Quarter Master — Persecution — Success against Con- 
 spiracy 29 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Letter to W. H. Palmer— Col. Fremont's Return to St. Louis, and Increased Illness — 
 Expedition under charge of Delawares — Camp Proceeds to "Smoky Hills" — Fort 
 Riley— Solomon's Fork — First Buffalo — Barometers go on a Buffalo Hunt — Encamp- 
 
 1* 
 
X CONTENTS. 
 
 ment on " Salt Creek "—Indian Method of Cooking Buffalo Meat— 011a Pudrida— 
 Wasting of Provisions— Kinnikinick— Havana Segars— Indian Amusements— Camp 
 Life — Hewers of Wood and Drawers of Water — Author's Opinion of Col. Fremont — 
 He Nominates him for the Presidency, 34 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Kansas Territory — Arkansas and Kansas Rivers — Tributaries — Timber — River Bottoms 
 — Varieties of Came — Cereals — Coal — Geological Formation — Adventure in the Woods 
 — Wild Grapes — Indian Method of procuring them — Brandy vs. Poison — Return of 
 the Author's Brandy-flask — He turns Washerwoman — Novel Mode of Mangling Clothes 
 — Lost Mule — Beaver Trappers — Rifle Practice, .. ^ .... 4,0 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Delaware Medicine Man— Illness of Oapt. Wolff— Author turns Doctor — Empty Com- 
 mi sarial — Expedition to Fort Riley for Fresh Supplies — Professor Espy's Theory of 
 Rain — Indians on Kansas Prairies — Sleet and Snow Storm — Tent Blown Down- 
 Approach of Cold Weather — " Pony Missing," 46 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Author's First Buffalo Hunt — Pursuit — Perilous Situation— Mode of Attack by the 
 Indians — Solitary and Alone — Pony killed for Food — An 111 Wind that blows Nobody 
 any Good — Incredulity of Indian Hunters — Return to Camp — Prairies on Fire — 
 Suffocating Smoke — Mr. Egloffstein on a Wolf Hunt— Fire Light and Moonlight — 
 Camp surrounded by Fire — Dangerous Situation — Arrival of Colonel Fremont — 
 Preparations to resume our Journey — Escape through the Blazing Element, . 50 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Walnut Creek — Necessity of strict discipline — Neglect of duty— Horses sto'.en— Chey- 
 enne Indians — Thieves overtaken — Watchfulness of Col. Fremont — Immense herds 
 of Buffalo — Buffalo hunt on a large scale — Buffalo chips — Prairie dogs, Owls, &c. — 
 Indians in camp — Raw Antelope liver, 62 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Cheyenne Indian Village — " Big Timber" — Daguerreotypes — Indian Papoose — Author 
 is Suddenly Changed into a Magician — Silver and Brass Bracelets — Portrait of Indian 
 Princess — " Presto, pass .'" — Moccasins — Cheyennes and Pawnees at War — Grand 
 Scalp-dance — Col. Fremont a Spectator — Dinner with the Chief— Rosewood Carved 
 Furniture not in Use — Duties of Indian Women — Employment of the Men, . 67 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 Bent's Trading Post — Purchase Fresh Animals— Buffalo Robes— Immense Lodge — Fre- 
 mont's Lodge— Doctor Ober — His Scientific Knowledge— Attachment of the Author 
 to him -His Preparation to return to the States — Arkansas River— Giant Cotton 
 Woods — Islands in the Arkansas — Bent's Fort destroyed by Indians— Preparations 
 to cross the Mountains— First View of the Rocky Mountains — Bid adieu to Doctor 
 Ober, 71 
 
CONTENTS. XI 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Journey up the Arkansas — Bent's Fort — Huerfano River and Valley — Description of the 
 Country — Huerfano Butte — Behind Camp — Daguerreotypes — Scientific Observations — 
 Approach of Night — Trail Lost, and Encampment in the Woods — Buffalo Robes and 
 Blankets — Col. Fremont sends to find us — Bear Hunt — Roubidoux Pass — Emotion of 
 Col. Fremont when Looking upon the Scene of his Terrible Disaster on a Former Expe- 
 dition — Found a Half Starved Mexican — Col. Fremont's Humanity — His Skill in Pistol 
 Shooting, 75 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Sand-hill Pass — San Louis Valley — Natural Deer-park— Smoked Venison — Last sight 
 of Game — Rio Grande del Norte — Sarawatch — Cochotope Pass — First Snow in Moun- 
 tains — Gunnison's Wagon Trail — Summit of Pass — Waters commence to flow 
 towards the Pacific — Encampment — Immense Rugged Mountain — Impracticability of 
 ascent by Mules — The Author ascends on Foot — Col. Fremont accompanies him — 
 Daguerreotype Panorama from its Summit — Col. Fremont's Consideration for his Men 
 —Sublimity — First View of Grand River — Reflections — Return to Camp, . . 80 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Intense Cold — Author's First Journey on Foot — Immense Mountains of Snow — Escape 
 of his Pony — Lose Sight of Companions — Arrival at top of the Mountain — Pony 
 Recovered — Revolution of Feeling— Indian Gratitude Exemplified — Horse Steaks 
 Fried in Tallow Candles — Blanc Mange — New Year's Day — Dangerous Ascent of 
 a Mountain — Mules tumble Down — Animals Killed— Successful Attempt Next Day 
 — Camp in four feet of Snow — Coldest Night — Sleep out in open Snow, . . 84 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Descent of Snow Mountains — Gun for a Walking-stick — Indian Tracks — Examination 
 of Arms— Predicament of the Author — Lecture from Col. Fremont— Wild Horse Killep 
 by Indians — Utah Indian Village — Encampment — Trade for Venison — Camp at Night 
 Surrounded by armed Indians — They Demand Payment for the Horse Killed by the 
 Indians — Col. Fremont's Justice — Indians want Gunpowder — Their Demand Refused 
 — Massacre of the Party Threatened — Defiance — Pacification — Author Trades for a 
 Horse— He Leaves his Colt's Revolver in Camp— Runaway Horse — Author Finds 
 himself in a Sage Bush — Pistol Recovered — Trouble in Perspective — Exchanges Horses 
 — Lame Horse — Author on Foot — Regrets that he was not Educated for a Horse- 
 Breaker, 89 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Grand River — Descent of Mounted Indians into Camp — Military Reception — Their de- 
 mands — Trouble Expected — Excitement of the Author — Exhibition of Colt's Revolvers 
 — Col. Fremont's Knowledge of Indian Character — The Great Captain in his Lodge — , 
 Alarm of the Indians — Quadruple Guard— Departure of Indians — Vigilance the price of . 
 Safety— Crossing of the Grand River — Horse Killed for Food — Review of Our 
 Position — Impressive Scene — Cold Night — Mr. Fuller — Whites without Food — Beaver 
 Shot — The Camp under Arms — False Alarm, 96 
 
Xll CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Divide between Grand and Green River— Capt. Gunnison's Trail— Without Water — 
 Formation of the Country— Castellated Bluffs — Green River Indians — Crossing of the 
 Green River — Interview with Indians — Disappointment — Grass-seed — Manner of 
 Preparing it for Food — Horse Purchased — Starving Condition of the Whites — Incident 
 Exhibiting the Moral Dishonesty of one of the Men — Name not Published — Dinner 
 on Porcupine — "Living Graves" — Tempestuous Night — Reflections on Guard — No 
 Grass — Frozen Horse Liver — Blunted Feelings, 1U4 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Careless Packing of Animals — Mule Missing — Their value as Roadsters — Col. Fremont's 
 Horse gives out — His Humanity Exemplified — Wolf killed for Food — Raven Shot — 
 River Bottom — Original Forest — Large Camp Fires — Terrible Rain Storm — Disagree- 
 able Bed — Darkness — Fires Extinguished — Value of Rain — Glorious Sunrise — Contrast 
 with Home Comforts, Ill 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Crippled Condition of the Party — Mr. Oliver Fuller — Mr. Egloffstien — Mr. Fuller gives 
 out — His Inability to Proceed — Mr. Egloffstien and the Author continue on to Camp 
 for Assistance — Col. Fremont sends Frank Dixon after him— Sorrow of the Camp- 
 Mr. Fuller's Non-Appearance — Delawares sent out to Bring the Men in — Return of 
 Frank Almost Frozen — Restoration of Mr. Fuller — Joy of the Men — Serious Thoughts 
 — The Author Prepared to Remain on the Road — His Miraculous Escape, . 117 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Author nearly gives Out — Family Portraits — Fresh Courage — Dangerous Situation — 
 Lonely Journey — Darkness— Snow Storm — Arrival at Camp — " Col. Fremont's Tent" 
 — Interview with Col. Fremont — " Cache " — Men on Foot — Daguerreotype Appara- -. 
 tus buried in the Snow — Sperm Candles — Men Mounted on Baggage Animals — 
 Seveir River Beaver Dams — Modus Operandi of killing Horses for Food — Entrail' 
 g 0U p — Hide and Bones Roasted — Influence of Privation on Human Passions, 122 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Unsuccessful Attempt to Force a Passage in the Mountains — Delawares sent out to 
 Explore — Their Return — Col. Fremont, Capt. Wolff, and Solomon in Council — ■ 
 Unfavorable Report of Capt. Wolff— Col. Fremont's Determination — Astronomical 
 Observations at Midnight — Col. Fremont's Correctness and Skill Illustrated — Tre- 
 mendous Mountains of Snow — Successful Ascent o'n Foot, without Shoes or Mocca- 
 sins — Tribute to the Genius Of Fremont — Col. Fremont's Lodge at Meal-Time — Mr. 
 Oliver Fuller's Death — Sorrow of his Companions — His Last Hours — His Virtues — 
 Indian Camp — Arrival at Parowan — Burial of Mr. Fuller — Author's Physical Condi- 
 tion — Mormon Sympathies — Mr. Heap and his Wives — Mormon Hospitality, . 128 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Sojourn at Parowan — Colonel Fremont refits his Expedition — Illness of the Author — 
 His Inability to Proceed— Takes Leave of Col. Fremont — Mr. Egloffstien and the 
 Author leave to go to Great Salt Lake City in a Wagon — Col. Fremont's Departure — 
 
CONTENTS. XI II 
 
 Mormons for Conference— Arrival at Salt Lake City— Massacre of Capt. Gunnison— 
 Interview with Lieut. Beciwith— Mr. Egloflfetien appointed Topographical Engi- 
 neer—Painting Materials— Kinkead and Livingston— Brigham Young— Governor's 
 Residence— Apology for Mormonism among the Masses— Their previous Ignorance of 
 the Practice of Polygamy, 139 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Governor Brigham Young— Author's Views on Polygamy— Baptismal Ceremony— Doc- 
 trines and Covenants, 14(j 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 Grand Ball at Salt Lake City— Etiquette— Culinary Preparations— Cost of Entertain- 
 ment—Author opens the Ball with one of the Wives of the Governor— Beautiful 
 Women— Waltzing and Polkas Prohibited— Mrs. Wheelock— The " Three Graces"— 
 Extraordinary Cotillion— Mormon Wedding— Spiritual Wives— Favorable Impression 
 of the Public Social Life o f the Mormons, .... ... 155 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 "Golightly"— His Occupation and Character— Author Patronizes Him— Mrs. Goliglitly 
 —She thinks Shakspeare did not understand the Passions of Men— "Oh ! Frailty, thy 
 Name is Man 1" — Affecting Incident, . ic,o 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 Extraordinary Abuses of the Spiritual Wife System— Fanny Littlemore— The Writer 
 paints her Port rait— Her early Life— Attempt by her Parents to force her to marry her 
 Uncle at Nauvoo— Her Escape to St. Louis — She writes to her Lover— Terry Littlemore 
 —Marriage— Extraordinary Letter— Fanny's Mother exchanges Husbands with her 
 Aunt— Her Father also exchanges Wives with her Uncle— Fanny's journey to Salt 
 Lake— Terry Littlemore becomes a Mormon— Fanny opposed to Mormonism— Her 
 two Sisters become spiritual Wives of a distinguished Mormon— She meets her Father 
 and Mother in Salt Lake— The Writer becomes acquainted with her Mother and Uncle— 
 His Journey to Parowan with them— Verification, 166 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 Arrival of the California Mail— Murder of Mr. Lamphere by Indians on Santa Clara— Hoi 
 
 Springs— Singular Phenomenon — Hot and Cold Springs— Mica — Sulphur — Plumbago 
 
 Rock Salt— Death of Willard B. Richards— Heber C. KembaU— Welsh Colony— Lieut. 
 Beckwith's Departure for California, 175 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 Departure from Great Salt Lake City— Equipments for the Journey— Author Paints 
 Portraits of Gov. Young and Apostles— His Restoration to Health— Snow Storm- 
 Cotton Wood Settlement— Willow Creek— Lehigh— Utah Lake— Snow Storm— Pleas- 
 ant Grove — Provost — Payson, jgg 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 Join Governor Young and Parley Pratt — Hospitality of the Mormons — Apostle Benson — 
 Petetnit — Nephi — Wakara (Indian Chief) — Wakara's Camp Ground — Brigham Young's 
 Wife — Long Caravan — Arrival at Wakara's Camp — His Refusal to meet the Governor 
 —Treaty of Peace not Concluded— Presents of Cattle, etc., to Wakara — Grand Coun- 
 cil of Indians and Mormons — Speech of an Old Chief — Address of a " San Pete Chief" 
 — Wakara Refuses to Speak — He Dissolves the Council — Reassembling of the Council — 
 Brigham Young's Address — Speech of "Wakara" — Peace Proclaimed — Calumet 
 Smoked — Indian Capture of Children — Brigham Young's Residence, . . 185 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 Portrait of Wakara — Indian chiefs, to accompany the Expedition to Harmony City — 
 Seveir River— Swollen Waters — Wagons ferried over— Col. Fremont — Fillmore City — 
 Massacre ofCapt. Gunnison — Parowan Indians — Kanosh— Capt. Morris — His conduct 
 justified — Author trades for a Horse — Extraordinary Phenomenon of Insects, 195 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 Corn Creek — Meadow Creek — Exploration of Vinegar Lake — Mephitic Gas — Sulphuric 
 Acid — Sulphur — Alum — Volcanic Appearance of the Country — Beaver River Val- 
 ley — Lieut. Beale's Pass into the Valley of the Parowan — Col. Fremont's Pass 
 in the same Valley — Author crosses his own Trail made three Months before — His 
 Feelings on the Occasion — Red Creek Canon — Hieroglyphics — Granite Rocks — 
 Remains of a Town — Arrival at Parowan — Brigham Young — Old Acquaintances, 202 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 Description of Parowan — Cedar City — Fish Lake — Iron Ore — Bituminous Coal — Future 
 Destiny of Cedar City — Henry Lunt — Affecting Incident — Portrait of a dead Child — 
 A Mother's Gratitude — Harmony City — Parley Pratt — Piede Indians — Personal Priva- 
 tions of Mormons — Bid Adieu to Gov. Young — Letter of Introduction to President of 
 San Bernandino 209 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 On the Road to California — Iron Springs— Meadow Springs— Entrance to Las Vegas de 
 Santa Clara — Prairie Flowers — Rim of the Basin— Santa Clara River — Difficulty of 
 Crossing with Wagons — Wounded Indian — Serpentine Course of the River — Waterfall 
 —Natural Cave, 215 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 Romantic Pass— Rio Virgin Valley— Sterile County— River Bottoms— Acacia Groves — 
 Abrupt Descent — Formation of the Country — Pah Utahs — Indian Bow and Arrows — 
 Orange color Berries — Effect on the System — Digger Indians — Baptized into Mormon 
 Faith — Steep descent — Divide between Rio Virgin and Muddy Rivers — Difficult tra- 
 velling—Muddy River described— Author lends his Horse— Approach to the " Great 
 Desert," 220 
 
CONTENTS. XV 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 Preparations to Cross the Jornada — Fifty-five Miles without Water or Grass — Deserted 
 Wagons on the Road — Dead Oxen and Mules — Emigrant Part}' — Clouds of Dust — 
 Oasis — Delicious Water — Extraordinary Fresh Water Buoyant Spring — Impossibility 
 for a Man to sink in it — Never before Described — Another Jornada of Forty Miles — 
 Col. Reese's Train— Detention — Reese Cut off— Snow-Capped Mountains — Bad Roads 
 — Mineral Springs — My Mule in Harness'— Animals giving out, .... 228 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 Peg-leg Smith — Gold Explorers — Enter upon the Desert — Road strewn with Dead 
 Oxen — Poisoned Atmosphere — Deserted Wagons and Horses — Howling Wilderness — 
 Excessive Heat — Bitter Springs — Polluted by Dead Animals — Bunch Grass — Reflec- 
 tions — Mohahve River — Deserts Surmounted — Horses give Out — On Foot — Dig for 
 Water in the Sand — Pleasant Weather — Snowy Mountains — Crossing of the Mohahve 
 River — Agave Americana — Cajon pass Sierra Nevada — Descent into the Valley of 
 San Bernandino — Arrival at San Bernandino — Variations of the Compass, . 234 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 Journey to Los Angeles — Catholic Missions — Fields of Mustard — California Ladles — 
 Morals of the People — Gamblers — Description of a " Hell " — Climate of Los Angeles 
 — Delicious Fruit — California Wine — Don Manuel Domingues — RanchO — Menada — 
 Breaking a Horse — Portraits of Domingues — Salt Lake— Asphaltum Lake — Hot 
 Springs of San Juan de Campestrano — Analysis — Geological Examination — Remains 
 of a Mastodon- — Don Pio Pico — Ground Squirrels — Strychnine — Brothers Labatt — 
 Their Example worthy to be Imitated, 242 
 
 SPIRITUAL WIFE SYSTEM. 
 
 A Revelation on the Patriarchal order of Matrimony, or Plurality of Wives. Given to 
 Joseph Smith, the Seer, in Nauvoo, July 12th, 1843, 251 
 
 CELESTIAL MARRIAGE. 
 A Discourse delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, .... 262 
 
 INDIAN HOSTILITIES AND TREACHERY. 
 
 Consequences of Obedience and Disobedience — Policy towards the Indians — Vigilance. 
 An Address delivered at the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, by Brigham Young, 289 
 
 USE AND ABUSE OF BLESSINGS. 
 An Address delivered by Brigham Young, at the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, 311 
 
 MORMONISM. 
 A Discourse delivered by Parley P. Pratt, in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, 829 
 
 LEGITIMACY AND ILLEGITIMACY. 
 A Sermon delivered at the General Conference, Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, 354 
 
CARVALHO'S TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 First Introduction to CoL. Fremont — Author's previous Opinion of Him — His Impulsive 
 Resolution to accompany Col. Fremont, as Artist of the Exploring Expedition across 
 the Rocky Mountains. 
 
 On the 22d August, 1853, after a short interview with 
 Col. J. C. Fremont, I accepted his invitation to accom- 
 pany him as artist of an Exploring Expedition across the 
 Rocky Mountains. A half hour previously, if anybody 
 had suggested to me, the probability of my undertaking 
 an overland journey to California, even over the emi- 
 grant route, I should have replied there were no induce- 
 ments sufficiently powerful to have tempted me. Yet, 
 in this instance, I impulsively, without even a consulta- 
 tion with my family, passed my word to join an ex- 
 ploring party, under command of Col. Fremont, over a 
 hitherto untrodden country, in an elevated region, with 
 the full expectation of being exposed to all the inclem- 
 encies of an arctic winter. I know of no other man to 
 
18 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 whom I would have trusted my life, under similar cir- 
 cumstances. 
 
 Col. Fremont's former extraordinary explorations, his 
 astronomical and geographical contributions to the use- 
 ful sciences, and his successful pursuit of them under 
 difficulties, had deeply interested me, and aided in form- 
 ing for him, in my mind, the beau ideal of all that was 
 chivalrous and noble. 
 
 His conquest of California, appointment as Governor 
 by Commodore Stockton, the jealousy and persecution 
 by General Kearney for not acknowledging him instead 
 of Commodore Stockton as commander-in-chief, his 
 court-martial and subsequent finding of the court, are 
 matters of American history, and they reflect no dis- 
 honor on the individual who was a distinguished exam- 
 ample of the ingratitude of republics. 
 
 The recognition of his claims on the American public 
 by the citizens of Charleston, S. C, who presented him 
 with an elegant sword and golden scabbard, satisfied me 
 that I had formed no incorrect estimate of his character, 
 and made me feel an instinctive pride that I, too, drew 
 my first breath on the same soil that gave birth to heroes 
 and statesmen. 
 
 Entertaining these feelings, the dangers and perils of 
 the journey, which Col. Fremont pointed out to me, 
 were entirely obscured by the pleasure I anticipated in 
 accompanying him, and adding my limited skill to facili- 
 tate him in the realization of one of the objects of the 
 expedition — which was to obtain an exact description of 
 the face of the country over which we were to travel. 
 
 The party consisted of twenty-two persons ; among 
 them were ten Delaware chiefs ; and two Mexicans. 
 The officers were : Mr. Egloffstein, topographical en- 
 
HEMBEKS OF THE EXPEDITION. 10 
 
 neer ; Mr. Strobel, assistant ; Mr. Oliver Fuller, assis- 
 tant engineer ; Mr. S. N. Carvalho, artist and daguerreo- 
 typist ; Mr. W. H. Palmer, passenger. 
 
 The expedition was fitted out, I think, at the indivi- 
 dual expense of Col. Fremont. 
 
20 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 CHAPTER H. 
 
 Preparations for the Journey — Daguerreotype Outfit — Scientific Knowledge required 
 — Departure from New York — Alden's Preserved Food — Esteem of Col. Fremont's 
 former Companions for him — Arrival at St. Louis — Steamboat F. X. Aubrey — Com- 
 pagnons de Voyage — Arrival at Kansas. 
 
 The preparations for my journey occupied about ten 
 days, during which time I purchased all the necessary 
 materials for making a panorama of the country, by 
 daguerreotype process, over which we had to pass. 
 
 To make daguerreotypes in the open air, in a tempera- 
 ture varying from freezing point to thirty degrees below 
 zero, requires different manipulation from the processes 
 by which pictures are made in a warm room. My profes- 
 sional friends were all of the opinion that the elements 
 would be against my success. Buffing and coating 
 plates, and mercurializing them, on the summit of the 
 Rocky Mountains, standing at times up to one's middle 
 in snow, with no covering above save the arched vault 
 of heaven, seemed to our city friends one of the impos- 
 sibilities — knowing as they did that iodine will not give 
 out its fumes except at a temperature of 70° to 80° 
 Fahrenheit. I shall not appear egotistical if I say that 
 I encountered many difficulties, but I was well prepared 
 to meet them by having previously acquired a scientific 
 and practical knowledge of the chemicals I used, as well 
 as of the theory of light : a firm determination to sue- 
 
DAGUERREOTYPES ON THE MOUNTAINS. 21 
 
 ceed also aided me in producing results which, to my 
 knowledge, have never been accomplished under simi- 
 lar circumstances. 
 
 While suffering from frozen feet and hands, without 
 food for twenty-four hours, travelling on foot over 
 mountains of snow, I have stopped on the trail, made 
 pictures of the country, re-packed my materials, and 
 found myself frequently with my friend Egloffstien, 
 who generally remained with me to make barometri- 
 cal observations, and a muleteer, some five or six 
 miles behind camp, which was only reached with 
 great expense of bodily as well as mental suffering. 
 The great secret, however, of my untiring perseverance 
 and continued success, was that my honor was pledged 
 to Col. Fremont to perform certain duties, and I would 
 rather have died than not have redeemed it. I made 
 pictures up to the very day Col. Fremont found it neces- 
 sary to bury the whole baggage of the camp, including 
 the daguerreotype apparatus. He has since told me 
 that my success, under the frequent occurrence of what 
 he considered almost insuperable difficulties, merited 
 his unqualified approbation. 
 
 I left New York on the 5th September, 1853, having 
 in charge the daguerreotype apparatus, painting mate- 
 rials, and half a dozen cases of Alden's preserved coffee, 
 eggs, cocoa, cream, and milk, which he sent out for the 
 purpose of testing their qualities. There was in them 
 sufficient nourishment to have sustained twenty men for 
 a month. I purchased a ticket by the Illinois River to 
 St. Louis, but the water was so low in the river that it 
 wa3 deemed advisable to cross over to Alton by stage, 
 as I was afraid of being detained. The cases of instru- 
 ments were very heavy, and the proprietor of the stage 
 
22 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 refused to take tliein-; it being night, I remonstrated 
 with him, telling him of the importance that they should 
 arrive at St. Louis; he peremptorily refused to take them. 
 I, of course, had to succumb, and remarked inadver- 
 tently how disappointed Col. Fremont would be in not 
 receiving them. At the mention of Col. Fremont's 
 name, he asked me if those cases were Fremont's ? I 
 told him, yes. He sang out for his boy to harness up 
 an extra team of horses, and stow away the boxes. " I 
 will put them through for Fremont, without a cent ex- 
 pense. I was with him on one of his expeditions, and a 
 nobler specimen of mankind does not live about these 
 parts." I was put through in good time, but he would 
 not receive a cent for my passage, or freight of the 
 boxes, which together would have amounted to eight 
 dollars. 
 
 I arrived at St. Louis at twelve o'clock. Col. Fre- 
 mont was at Col. Brant's house, where I immediately 
 called. The Colonel was very glad to see me ; he had 
 telegraphed several times, and I had been anxiously ex- 
 pected. We left that same afternoon in the steamer 
 F. X. Aubrey, for Kansas. On board, I found Mr. 
 EglofTstien, the topographical engineer, Mr. Oliver Ful- 
 ler, and Mr. Bomar, the photographist. Our journey 
 was somewhat protracted by the shallowness of the 
 water in the river, and we did not arrive at Kansas 
 until the 14th. 
 
ARRIVAL AT KANSAS. 23 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Landing of Camp Equipage — Westport — First Camp Ground — Preparations — Extortion 
 — Author and Companions — First Daguerreotypes — Rain Storm — Distribution of Anns 
 and Ammunition — Engagement of Delaware Chiefs— Branding of Animals — California 
 Saddle-Horses — Selects his Pony — Becomes his own Ostler — Description of Catch- 
 ing a Mule on the Mountains — Examination of Camp Equipage — Trial Start — First 
 Camp. 
 
 When we landed, we met Mr. Palmer and several of 
 the men who were to accompany the Expedition as 
 muleteers, etc. The equipage of the camp that had 
 been previously shipped from St. Louis, had arrived 
 safely. As soon as our baggage was landed, it, together 
 with the rest of the material, was transported by wagons 
 to camp near Westport, a few miles in the interior. 
 
 Our tents were raised, and active preparation for our 
 journey was immediately commenced. Several droves 
 of mules came in next day from which Col. Fremont 
 selected a few. Very near two prices were exacted by 
 the owners ; it being necessary that we should proceed 
 without delay, we were obliged to submit to extortion. 
 
 Mr. Egloffstien, Mr. Bomar and myself, found com- 
 fortable quarters at a hotel where we put up, in order 
 to be ready for the journey, our various apparatus. 
 
 Mr. Bomar, proposed to make photographs by the 
 wax process, and several days were consumed in pre- 
 paring the paper, etc. I was convinced that photo- 
 graphs could not be made by that process as quickly as 
 
24 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 the occasion required, and told Col. Fremont to have 
 one made from the window of our room, to find out 
 exactly the time. The preparations not being entirely 
 completed, a picture could not be made that day ; but 
 on the next, when we were all in camp, Col. Fremont 
 requested that daguerreotypes and photographs should 
 be made. In half an hour from the time the word was 
 given, my daguerreotype was made ; but the photograph 
 could not be seen until next day, as it had to remain in 
 water all night, which was absolutely necessary to de- 
 velop it. Query, where was water to be had on the 
 mountains, with a temperature of 20° below zero ? To 
 be certain of a result, even if water could be procured, it 
 was necessary by his process, to wait twelve hours, 
 consequently, every time a picture was to be made, the 
 camp must be delayed twelve hours. Col. Fremont 
 finding that he could not see immediate impressions, 
 concluded not to incur the trouble and expense of trans- 
 porting the apparatus, left it at Westport, together with 
 the photographer. The' whole dependence was now on 
 me. Col. Fremont told me if I had the slightest doubts 
 of succeeding, it were better to say so now, and he would 
 cancel the agreement on my part, and pay me for my 
 time, etc. 
 
 On the night of the 20th, all hands slept in camp, 
 a heavy rain-storm drenched us completely, giving 
 to the party an introduction to a life on the prairies. The 
 necessity of India-rubber blankets became evident, and 
 I was dispatched to Westport to procure them. There 
 were none to be had. I sent a man to Independence to 
 purchase two dozen ; he travelled thirty miles that 
 night, and by ten next morning I had them in camp. 
 They were the most useful articles we had with us ; we 
 
ENGAGEMENT OF DEL A WAKES. 25 
 
 placed the India-rubber side on the snow, our buffalo 
 robes on the top of that for a bed, and covered with our 
 blankets, with an India-rubber blanket over the whole — 
 India-rubber side up, to turn the rain. We generally 
 slept double, which added to our comfort, as we commu- 
 nicated warmth to each other, and had the advantage 
 of two sets of coverings. During the whole journey, 
 exposed to the most furious snow-storms, I never slept 
 cold, although when I have been called for guard I often 
 found some difficulty in rising from the weight of snow 
 resting on me. 
 
 The distribution of arms and ammunition to the men 
 occupied a portion of the next day. Each person had a 
 rifle and Colt's revolver. Some of the Delawares had 
 horsemen's pistols also. The messenger Col. Fremont 
 sent to the Delaware camp returned, with a number of 
 braves, some of whom had accompanied Col. Fremont 
 on a former expedition — he selected ten, among whom 
 was a chief named Solomon, who had been with him 
 before, and for whom Col. Fremont felt a great friend- 
 ship. They were entertained with dinner, and after a 
 smoke, each had a small quantity of the brandy we 
 brought for medicinal purposes. They left us, to make 
 preparations for the expedition, and to join us near the 
 Kansas Eiver, about one hundred miles westward. 
 
 A most amusing scene, although attended with some 
 pain to the animals, was enacted to-day ; it was the 
 process of branding them with a distinctive mark. We 
 had an iron made with the letter F, which we used to 
 designate ours from those belonging to others. 
 
 A long rope with a noose and slip knot was fastened 
 round the neck of the mule, the other round a tree ; 
 two men with another rope twisted it about its legs, 
 
 2 
 
26 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 when with a sudden jerk it was thrown to the ground ; 
 the red hot iron is now applied to the fleshy part of the 
 hip — a terrible kicking and braying ensues, but it was 
 always the sign that the work was done effectually. 
 
 In California, the most beautiful and valuable saddle 
 horses are branded with a large unseemly mark on some 
 prominent part of the body or neck, which would in this 
 locality depreciate the value of the animals. I selected 
 an Indian pony for myself; he was recommended as 
 being a first rate buffalo horse ; that is to say, he was 
 trained to hunt buffaloes. This animal was given into 
 my own charge, and I only then began to realize that I 
 had entered into duties which I was unqualified to per- 
 form. I had never saddled a horse myself. My seden- 
 tary employment in a city, never having required me 
 to do such offices ; and now I was to become my own 
 ostler, and ride him to water twice a day, besides run- 
 ning after him on the prairie for an hour sometimes 
 before I could catch him. This onerous duty I finally 
 performed as well as my companions. But, dear reader, 
 follow me to a camp on the mountains of snow, where 
 I exchanged my horse for a mule, at daylight, with the 
 thermometer 20° below zero. Do you see, far away 
 on the hill-side, an animal moving slowly ? that is my 
 mule ; he is searching among the deep snows for a bite 
 of blighted grass or the top of some wild bush to break 
 his fast on. How will you get him ? I will go for him ; 
 watch me while I tramp through the frozen snow. My 
 mule sees me, and knowing that my errand is to pre- 
 pare him for his day's journey, without first giving him 
 provender to enable him to perform it, prefers to eat 
 his scanty breakfast first, and moves leisurely along ; 
 his lariat, about thirty feet in length, trails along the 
 
CATCHING A MULE. 27 
 
 ground. I have reached it, and at the moment I think 
 I have him securely, he dashes away at a full gallop, 
 pulling me after him through the snow ; perfectly 
 exhausted, I loose my hold ; my hands lacerated and 
 almost frozen. I lie breathless on the icy carpet. I 
 am now a mile from camp, and out of sight of my com- 
 panions. I renew my exertions, and gently approach 
 him ; this time he stands quiet, and I gather the rope 
 in my hand, and pat him for a few minutes, and then 
 mount him bare backed. The life and activity he pos- 
 sessed a few moments before, is entirely gone ; he stands 
 like a mule in the snow, determined not to budge a 
 step. I coax, I kick him. I use the other end of 
 the rope over his head ; he dodges the blow ; but his 
 fore-feet are immovably planted in the snow, as if they 
 grew there. I, worn out, and almost frozen, remain 
 chewing the cud of bitter reflection, until one of my 
 comrades comes to seek and assist me ; he goes behind 
 the mule and gives him a slight touch a posteriori ; 
 when, awakening from his trance, he starts at a hard 
 trot into camp, quietly submits to be saddled, and looks 
 as pleasantly at me as if he were inquiring how I liked 
 the exercise of catching him. Similar scenes occurred 
 daily ; if it were not with myself it was with another. 
 " Stubborn as a mule," is an o'er true adage, as I can 
 fully testify. 
 
 A general examination of the equipage resulted in the 
 knowledge that everything requisite for our journey, 
 had been procured, and scales were in requisition to 
 apportion the weight of luggage ; 65 to 901b. for each 
 mule. The personal luggage of the men was restricted 
 to a certain number of pounds — and all useless apparel, 
 books etc., etc., were packed up and sent back to town. 
 
28 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 "We intended to pack on mules all the way, and it was 
 necessary to take as little as possible of what we did 
 not absolutely require. 
 
 A trial start was made, and the cavalcade started in 
 excellent order and spirits, and we camped at the 
 Methodist mission, about six miles from "Westport. 
 
INDISPOSITION OF COL. FEEMONT. 29 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Shawnee Mission— Indisposition of Col. Fremont— He returns to Westport— The 
 Expedition proceeds onward— Sunrise on the Prairies— Meeting of our Delawares 
 —Pottawatomie trading Post— Author turns Carpenter— Expediency— A Kansas 
 Blacksmith—" Astonishment "—Quarter Master— Persecution— Success against Con- 
 spiracy. 
 
 We remained at the Methodist Mission until the next 
 day, when we proceeded to the Shawnee Mission, a few 
 miles further, and camped for the night. It was at this 
 spot that Mr. Max Strobel made his appearance. He 
 had been attached to Col. Stevens' expedition, but had 
 left it on account of some misunderstanding with the 
 officer in command. He requested Col. Fremont to 
 allow him to accompany his expedition as a volunteer 
 and he would contribute his services as assistant topo- 
 grapher, &c. Col. Fremont hesitated, as his company 
 was complete, but finally yielded to his continued 
 entreaties. Col. Fremont, who had been slightly indis- 
 posed during the day, finding himself worse, decided to 
 return to Westport, requesting us to continue on our 
 journey until we met the Delawares, and then to encamp 
 and await his return. The Col. returned to Westport, 
 accompanied by Mr. Strobel, for whom it was necessary 
 to purchase an outfit. 
 
 24th. — We travelled during this day on the open 
 prairie. The weather was hazy and considerable rain 
 
30 TEAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAK WEST. 
 
 fell during the last twenty- four hours ; we camped on the 
 open plains for the first time. At dawn of day I was 
 up ; I found the weather perfectly clear ; and in breath- 
 less expectation of seeing the sun rise, I saddled my 
 pony, determined to ride away from the camp — made 
 my way through the long grass, for a considerable dis- 
 tance, before I perceived any inclination on the part of 
 the majestic king of day to awake from his royal couch. 
 Gradually the eastern horizon assumed a warmer hue, 
 while some floating clouds along its edge, developed 
 their form against the luminous heavens. The dark 
 grey morning tints were superseded by hues of the 
 most brilliant and gorgeous colors, which almost as 
 imperceptibly softened, as the glorious orb of day com- 
 menced his diurnal course, and illumined the vault 
 above ; a slight rustling of the long grass, caused by a 
 deliciously pleasant zephyr, which made it move in 
 gentle undulation, was all that disturbed the mysterious 
 silence that prevailed. I alighted from my pony, and 
 gave him the range of his lariat. I perceived, that he 
 preferred a breakfast of fresh grass, to the contempla- 
 tion of the sublime scene around me, to which he seemed 
 totally indifferent. 
 
 My heart beat with fervent anxiety, and whilst I felt 
 happy, and free from the usual care and trouble, I still 
 could not master the nervous debility which seized me 
 while surve3 r ing the grand and majestic works of nature. 
 "Was it fear ? no ; it was the conviction of my own 
 insignificance, in the midst of the stupendous creation ; 
 the undulating grass seemed to carry my thoughts on 
 its rolling surface, into an impenetrable future ; — glori- 
 ous in inconceivable beauty, extended over me, the 
 ethereal tent of heaven, my eye losing its power of dis- 
 
REFLECTIONS ON THE PRAIRIE. 31 
 
 tant vision, seemed to reach down only to the verdant 
 sea before me. 
 
 There was no one living being present with whom I 
 could share nry admiration. Still life, unceasing eternal 
 life, was everywhere around me. I was far away from 
 the comforts of my home, not even in sight of a wig- 
 wam of the aboriginal inhabitants of the forests. 
 
 A deep sigh of longing for the society of man wrested 
 itself from my breast. Shall I return, and not accom- 
 plish the object of my journey? No. I cannot; does 
 not the grass, glittering in the morning dew in the un- 
 broken rays of the sun, beckon me a pleasant welcome 
 over its untrodden surface. I will onward, and trust to 
 the Great Spirit, who lives in every tree and lonely 
 flower, for my safe arrival at the dwelling of my fellow- 
 men, far beyond the invisible mountains over which my 
 path now lies. 
 
 27th. — To-day we met our Delawares, who were 
 awaiting our arrival. A more noble set of Indians I 
 never saw, the most of them six feet high, all mounted 
 and armed cap-a-pie, under command of Captain "Wolff, 
 a " Big Indian," as he called himself. Most of them 
 spoke English, and all understood it. "Washington," 
 " Welluchas," "Solomon," "Moses," were the names of 
 some of the principal chiefs. They became very much 
 attached to Col. Fremont, and every one of them would 
 have ventured his life for him. 
 
 Near the principal town of the Pottawatomies we 
 remained encamped until the end of September, await- 
 ing Col. Fremont. Two or three stores with no assort- 
 ment of goods, and about thirty shanties make up the 
 town. I went to every house in the place for a break- 
 fast, but could not get anything to eat except some 
 
32 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAB WEST. 
 
 Boston crackers, ten pounds of which (the whole supply 
 in the town) I bought. My ride into the town was for 
 the purpose of having strong boxes made to carry my 
 daguerreotype apparatus. The baskets in which they 
 had been packed being broken and unfit for use. There 
 was not a carpenter, nor any tools to be had in town. 
 There . was a blacksmith' s about ten miles from town, 
 where it was likely I could procure them. It being 
 absolutely necessary that I should have the boxes, I 
 induced one of our Delawares to accompany me, carry- 
 ing on our horses a sufficient quantity of dry goods box 
 covers and sides to manufacture them. When we ar- 
 rived at the blacksmith's house, the proprietor was ab- 
 sent. His wife, an amiable woman, prepared dinner for 
 us, and gave us the run of the workshop, where I found 
 a saw and hatchet ; with these instruments I made the 
 boxes myself, and by the time they were finished, the 
 blacksmith returned. He refused to receive pay for 
 my dinner, but charged for the nails, raw hide, etc., I 
 covered the boxes with, and the use of his tools. The 
 lady told me I was the first white man she had seen, 
 except her husband, in three years. I gave some silver 
 to the children, and mounting our horses, with a huge 
 box before us on our saddles, we slowly retraced our 
 way to camp, where we arrived at dark. Nobody 
 in camp knew my errand to town, and I never shall 
 forget the deep mortification and astonishment of our 
 muleteers when they saw my boxes. All their bright 
 hopes that the apparatus would have to be left, were 
 suddenly dissipated. The expenses attendant on the 
 manufacture of the boxes, and the material, were nearly 
 five dollars, which I requested our quarter-master to 
 pay, as Col. Fremont left him money for disbursements ; 
 
CARELESS PACKING OF THE MULES. 33 
 
 he refused, at first, but was finally induced to do so 
 under protest. I have every reason to believe that rny 
 baskets were purposely destroyed ; and but for my 
 watchful and unceasing care, they would have been 
 rendered useless. The packing of the apparatus was 
 attended with considerable trouble to the muleteers, 
 and also to the officer whose duty it was to superintend 
 the loading and unloading of the mules ; and they all 
 wanted to be rid of the labor. Hence the persecution 
 to which I was subjected on this account. Complaints 
 were continually being made to Col. Fremont, during 
 the journey, that the weights of the boxes were not 
 equalized. Twice I picked up on the road the tin case 
 containing my buff, &c, which had slipped off the 
 mules, from careless packing — done purposely; for if 
 they had not been fortunately found by me, the rest of 
 the apparatus would have been useless. On one occa- 
 sion, the keg containing alcohol was missing ; Col. Fre- 
 mont sent back after it, and it was found half emptied 
 on the road. 
 
 I am induced to make these remarks to show the 
 perseverance and watchfulness I had to exercise to pre- 
 vent the destruction of the apparatus by our own men. 
 
 9* 
 
34: TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Letter to W. n. Palmer— Col. Fremont's Return to St. Louis, and increased Illness- 
 Expedition under charge of Delawares — Camp Proceeds to " Smoky Hills " — Fort 
 Riley — Solomon's Fork — First Buffalo — Barometers go on a Buffalo Hunt — Encamp- 
 ment on "Salt Creek" — Indian Method of Cooking Buffalo Meat — Olla Podrida — 
 Wasting of Provisions — Kinnikinick — Havana Segars — Indian Amusements — Camp 
 Life — Hewers of Wood and Drawers of Water — Author's Opinion of Col. Fremont — 
 He Nominates him for the Presidency. 
 
 After remaining at this camp two clays, Mr. Strobel 
 arrived with a letter from Col. Fremont to Mr. Palmer, 
 stating that his increasing illness made it necessary that 
 he should return to St. Louis for medical advice, and 
 directed us to proceed as far as Smoky Hills, and en- 
 camp on the Saline fork of the Kansas River, where 
 there were plenty of buffalo, and remain there until he 
 joined us, which he hoped would be in a fortnight. 
 
 The expedition, during encampment, was to be under 
 the supervision of Mr. Palmer. Accordingly, we con- 
 tinued our journey, and crossed the Kansas River at its 
 junction with the Republican, within half a mile from 
 Fort Riley, thence to Solomon's Fork, in crossing which 
 creek, some of the baggage of the camp became satu- 
 rated with water. 
 
 Immediately after crossing Solomon's Fork, we saw 
 our first buffalo. As soon as he was discovered, our 
 Delawares gave a whoop, and they all started, heifer 
 skelfor, the omV'.Ts air] muleteers following, Leaving the 
 
BAROMETEKS ON A BUFFALO HUNT. 35 
 
 baggage animals to take care of themselves. Our engi- 
 neer, Mr. Egloffstien, after the first excitement had 
 passed, suddenly drew rein — I did so likewise. 
 
 He remarked, " I have been at full speed for a mile, 
 with both barometers slung across my back." 
 
 I never saw any one look so alarmed as he did. I 
 had exchanged ponies, to give him an easy-going animal, 
 so as not to shake the instruments, and now his rashness 
 had probably injured them. He alighted and examined 
 them ; luckily, they were well packed with cotton, and 
 they were not at all disarranged. Our buffalo was soon 
 killed ; and that night we made an encampment on a 
 beautiful site near Salt Creek, and about four miles from 
 the Kansas Kiver, with buffalo steaks for supper. 
 
 [Extract from a Letter.] 
 
 Dear S : 
 
 We are now encamped, as it were, for a pleasure 
 excursion, for all the day is employed in hunting, gun- 
 ning, shooting at a mark with rifles, and preparing buf- 
 falo meat in all the modes in which it is said to be 
 good. 
 
 I was much amused, the first day we encamped here, 
 to see the Indians go into the woods on the creek, and 
 bring out straight green sticks, the size of a small walk- 
 ing-cane, and proceed to divest them of their outer 
 peeling — also pointing them at both ends. 
 
 I soon discovered their use : they cut the buffalo meat 
 in strips about an inch thick, four wide, and twelve to 
 fifteen long. The stick is then inserted in the meat, as 
 boys do a kite stick ; one end of the stick is then stuck 
 in the ground, near the fire, and the process of roasting 
 is complete — the natural juice of the meat is retained, in 
 
36 TKAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAK WEST. 
 
 this manner, and I think it the most preferable way to 
 cook game. The breast of a fat antelope prepared thus 
 is a most fitting dish for a hungry man. 
 
 Several kinds of game were brought into camp this 
 evening, buffalo, antelope, and deer, by the Indians, 
 and our most successful gunner, Mr. Fuller, brought in 
 two wild turkeys, three ducks, a rabbit, and a prairie 
 hen, the result of his day's sport. Our cook for the 
 nonce is making a splendid Olla Podrida. This is our 
 first week in camp, and we are living sumptuously — 
 coffee, tea, and sugar three or four times a day. 
 
 I have no control of the commissariat department, but 
 I very much fear that we shall want some of the good 
 things which are now being inconsiderately wasted. 
 Our quarter-master is determined to enjoy himself — his 
 motto is " dum vivimus vivamus." 
 
 While I am writing, I am smoking a pipe filled with 
 " Kinnikinick," the dried leaves of the reel sumach ; it 
 is pleasant and not intoxicating— a very good substitute 
 for tobacco. The Delawares have been preparing some 
 for their journey. They smoke it mixed with tobacco. 
 
 My quarter-box of Havanas are all gone, already; 
 they were the only ones in camp, and every time I took 
 out my pouch, I of course handed it round to my com- 
 panions, which soon diminished my store. I close this 
 letter by giving you a description of an Indian game, 
 which our Delawares participated in last night. 
 
 A large fire of dried wood is brightly burning — around 
 it sit, cross-legged, all our Delawares ; behind them are 
 the rest of us, standing looking on. I contributed the 
 article (which was a large imitation seal ring, several 
 of which I bought to exchange with the Indians for 
 moccasins) with which they amused themselves. One 
 
INDIAN GAMES. 37 
 
 of them took the ring, and while the rest are chanting 
 Highya, Highya, he makes sundry contortions of his 
 limbs, and pretends to place it in the hands of the one 
 next to him. This one goes through with the same 
 antics, until all have had it or are supposed to have had 
 it. The first one then guesses who has the ring ; if suc- 
 cessful, he wins the ring ; if not, he contributes tobacco 
 for a smoke ; a pipe is filled, which is generally a toma- 
 hawk with a bowl at the butt-end ; the handle is hollow, 
 and communicates with the bowl, thus forming a weapon 
 of war, as well as the calumet of peace ; each one takes 
 two or three puffs and then passes it around. 
 
 Dear S : 
 
 The duties of camp life are becoming more 
 onerous as the weather gets colder. It is expected that 
 each man in camp will bring in a certain quantity of 
 fire-wood ! My turn came to day, and I am afraid I 
 shall make a poor hand in using the axe ; first, I have 
 not the physical strength, and secondly, I do not know 
 how. I managed by hunting through the woods to find 
 several decayed limbs, which I brought in on my 
 shoulder. I made three trips, and I have at all events 
 supplied the camp with kindling wood for the night. 
 
 I certainly, being a " Republican," do not expect to 
 warm myself at the expense of another ; therefore, 
 arduous as it is, I must, to carry out the principle of 
 equality, do as the rest do, although it is not a very 
 congenial occupation. 
 
 * * * ■* % * 
 
 'Tis very strange how fallacious ideas of mankind 
 obtain stronghold in the minds of those who should 
 know better. The night previous to leaving home, 1 
 
38 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 was asked how I could venture my life with such a man 
 as Col. Fremont ? " A mountaineer " — " an adven- 
 turer " — " a man of no education." 
 
 During my voyage up the Missouri, I had continual 
 opportunities of conversing with Col. Fremont. 
 
 If you ever see Mr. and Mrs. , please say to 
 
 them, that the character of Col. Fremont as a gentle- 
 man of " high literary attainments," " great mental 
 capacity," and " solid scientific knowledge," is firmly 
 established in my own mind. 
 
 These personal observations, added to the knowledge 
 I gained of him from report, has brought me to the con- 
 clusion that he is not only a " man of education," but a 
 " man of genius and a gentleman." One would sup- 
 pose that the " conqueror of California," " the successful 
 commander and governor," would have a little to say 
 about himself — some deeds to vaunt of — some battle to 
 describe. I found him reserved, almost to taciturnity, 
 yet perfectly amiable withal. No one, to see him, 
 would ever imagine that a man of great deeds was 
 before him. 
 
 My estimation of character is seldom wrong. I may 
 have been imprudent in undertaking this journey, which 
 already " thunders in the index," and on which I shall 
 have to encounter many personal difficulties; but, if 
 I felt safe enough to impulsively decide to accompany 
 him, without personally knowing him— how much safer 
 do I now feel from the short time I have known him ! 
 
 All the men in camp have the same opinion of him. 
 
 Yesterday, while discussing the merits of the most 
 prominent men who were likely to be placed before the 
 people for the " next President," I mentioned the 
 name of " Col. Fremont." It was received with ac- 
 
col. fkemont's nomination. 39 
 
 clamation, and he is the first choice of every man in 
 camp. So you see I am safe enough with the man — it 
 is only the mountains which are the " stumbling blocks." 
 Yet I have full faith that I shall return once more to 
 you in safety. 
 
40 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Kansas Territory— Arkansas and Kansas Rivers— Tributaries— Timber— River Bottoms 
 —Varieties of Game— Cereals— Coal— Geological Formation— Adventure in the Woods 
 —Wild Grapes— Indian Method of procuring them— Brandy vs. Poison— Return of 
 the Author's Brandy-flask— He turns Washerwoman— Novel Mode of Mangling Clothes 
 — Lost Mule — Beaver Trappers — Rifle Practice. 
 
 Kansas lies between the thirty-seventh and fortieth 
 degrees of north latitude. The Indian Territory bounds 
 it on the south, Utah and New Mexico on the west, 
 Nebraska on the north, and Missouri on the east. 
 
 There are numberless streams of water in the Ter- 
 ritory. The Arkansas which rises in the Rocky Moun- 
 tains, runs nearly six hundred miles through it. Kansas 
 River, which empties into the Missouri near Kansas 
 City, has many forks of considerable size, viz., the 
 Republican, Solomon Fork, Grand Saline Fork, Vermil- 
 ion, Little Vermilion, Soldier Creek, Grasshopper 
 Creek, Big Blue, Pawnee Fork, Walnut Creek, "Waka- 
 rusa, and several others. The country is well watered, 
 and on all the rivers grows timber of large size and in 
 great variety. The river bottoms are very fertile, being 
 covered with an alluvial black soil from twelve to 
 twenty-four inches deep. These bottoms vary in width 
 from four to seven miles. 
 
 Another bottom over which the waters must have once 
 flowed, is elevated about sixteen feet from the river, 
 and high up some sixty to seventy feet, lies the immense 
 
PRODUCTIONS OF THE COUNTRY. 41 
 
 undulating prairie, teeming with buffalo, blacktail, deer, 
 antelope, sage, and prairie chickens. Thousands of 
 cayottes — a small wolf, make night hideous with their 
 shrill discordant bark. The large white wolf is also 
 found in great numbers on the rivers. We killed wild 
 turkeys and ducks. The second bottoms are studded 
 with groves of timber. The various kinds of oak, 
 maple, elm, red-flowered maple, black walnut, locust, 
 beech, box, elder, wild-cherry, and cotton-wood, attain 
 a large size, and are to be found on the Kansas River 
 and its many tributaries in quantities. 
 
 Grasses of a hundred different kinds, some of them 
 rank and high, but the most of them possessing highly 
 nutritive qualities, grow spontaneously on the prairies, 
 and afford nourishment to immense quantities of game. 
 
 The water of the Kansas partakes in color of the 
 character of the soil over which it passes. It is, I am 
 inclined to believe, always turbid. I found it quite 
 unfit for daguerreotype purposes, and had to preserve 
 many of my plates until we approached the crystal 
 streams from the Rocky Mountains, to finish them. 
 During our long camp on Salt Creek, our topographical 
 engineer and myself explored the country for miles. 
 Coal in abundance is to be obtained with but little exer- 
 tion ; in many instances it crops out on the surface of the 
 ground. The general character of the formation of this 
 country is the same as Missouri — a secondary limestone. 
 
 Dear S : 
 
 To-day we had a delightful jaunt through the 
 woods which fringe the forests of Salt Creek. Cotton- 
 wood, oak, elm, ash, hickory, grow luxuriously, some 
 of them to an immense height. Our Delaware that 
 
42 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 accompanied Egloflstien and myself suddenly stopped, 
 and pointed upward. There, at a height of over one 
 hundred feet, suspended between two oaks, were grape- 
 vines loaded with rich luscious looking fruit. 
 
 How were we to obtain them ? I could not climb so 
 tall a tree. Mr. Egloffstien declined, and we both de- 
 pended on our Delaware. He looked very grave 
 and said : " Suppose Delaware want grapes, he know 
 how to get them." 
 
 By this time our desire increased to obtain the prize, 
 which seemed to say, " Come and take me." I com- 
 menced climbing one tree, and my friend the other. 
 "When we had exerted ourselves, and had reached the 
 first limb, on which we stopped to rest, we heard a grunt 
 from our Delaware, and almost at the same moment, 
 the whole vine came tumbling down on his head. 
 
 He purposely waited until we were in the trees, to 
 see how " white men gathered grapes." He took hold 
 of the grape vine, and with one tremendous pull, 
 down it came ; when we descended, he was quietly stow- 
 ing away the choicest bunches in his hunting shirt. I 
 never would have dreamed of destroying such a noble 
 vine, to gratify my appetite. 
 
 The grapes were small, but sweet and well flavored. 
 I ate a great many of them. I had been without 
 fruit or vegetables for four weeks, and they were very 
 grateful to me. I hope I shall not suffer for my impru- 
 dence. Good night. 
 
 BRANDY VerSUS POISON. 
 
 Previous to leaving New York, I had two tin flasks 
 made, to contain about a quart each, which I intended 
 
THE STOLEN BRANDY. 43 
 
 to have filled with alcohol for daguerreotype purposes. 
 At "Westport, I purchased a quart of the best quality 
 of old cognac, filled one of them for medicinal pur- 
 poses, and carefully packed my flask in my daguerreo- 
 type boxes. One day during our camp at Salt Creek, 
 one of our Indians being ill, I opened my flask and pour- 
 ing out about an ounce, replaced it. I noticed, however, 
 that a chemical action had taken place, turning the 
 brandy exactly the color of ink. One of our mess saw 
 me open my box and appropriate a portion of the contents 
 of the bottle ; I am not certain but that I tasted it myself. 
 
 The next day I had occasion to go to my box, when 
 to my utter astonishment, my flask of brandy was gone. 
 I immediately suspected the very person who afterwards 
 proved to be the thief. Keeping my loss a secret, at 
 dinner I carefully watched the countenances and actions 
 of the whole party, and the effects of liquor were plain- 
 ly visible on the person of this man. 
 
 " How excellent," said I, " would a bottle of old cog- 
 nac be as a digester to our tough old buffalo bull. — 
 Gentlemen, how would you like a drop ? " " Bring it 
 forward by all means, Carvalho. You have, I verily be- 
 lieve, Pandora's box ; for you can produce everything 
 and anything at a moment's notice, from a choice Ha- 
 vana to old brandy." 
 
 ""With your leave, gentlemen, I will procure it. I 
 have two flasks exactly alike ; one contains poison, a mix- 
 ture of alcohol, and some poisonous chemicals for mak- 
 ing daguerreotypes ; the other contains the best brandy 
 to be had on the Kansas River." 
 
 I went to my box, and turning up my hands with an 
 exclamation of surprise, announced to the mess that the 
 " bottle containing the poison, and which I laid on the 
 
44 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 top of my box last night, is missing." Like Hamlet I 
 looked into the face of the delinquent, and I never shall 
 forget his expression when I remarked that " the liquid in 
 the purloined flask was poison, and perfectly black, and 
 although it would not kill immediately, an ounce will 
 produce certain death in 48 hours." 
 
 " Gentlemen ! I shall, in consequence, have to reserve 
 the brandy to make another similar mixture, to substi- 
 tute for alcohol ; therefore I am sorry I cannot treat 
 you as I intended." 
 
 Of course the innocent parties felt indignant that my 
 flask had been stolen, and that one of their party was 
 suspected. 
 
 The thief was discovered, although he nor any one 
 else knew that I detected him. The next day I went to 
 my box again, and in its proper place, I found my brandy 
 flask about half full. Our friend had taken several strong 
 pulls during the night and morning, and likely enough 
 he looked at the contents, and finding them black as ink, 
 believed all about the poison, and fearing to die, 
 replaced the flask, without detection. When I discov- 
 ered it, I showed it around and also the color of the con- 
 tents, and told them it was not poison but " good old 
 brandy." I tasted a little, and divided it among the 
 party. 
 
 The man that took it knew I suspected him, and his 
 whole conduct to me during the journey, was influenced 
 by that event, although I never taxed him with it. 
 
 Dear S : 
 
 Yesterday being a fine, mild clay, I thought I 
 would examine my wardrobe, and have such articles as 
 I had worn during the last three weeks washed. I col 
 
AUTHOR HIS OWN WASHERWOMAN. 45 
 
 lected three shirts, as many pairs of stockings, together 
 with handkerchiefs and drawers ; I made up a dozen 
 pieces ; and I assure you, that how or by whom they 
 were to be washed, never entered into my mind. I 
 offered some compensation to one of our muleteers if 
 he would wash them, but he was perfectly independent 
 of the necessity of earning money in that way. I soon 
 discovered, that I would have to become my own 
 washerwoman ; and obtaining some soap from the 
 quarter master, I gathered up my duds, and made my 
 way down the banks of the creek, to a convenient place, 
 and there I entered upon my novitiate. I rubbed the 
 skin off my hands during the operation, but after con- 
 siderable application, I succeeded in cleansing them, 
 and hung them out to dry. I doubled them up, and 
 laid them carefully under my buffalo robe couch, last 
 night ; and this morning they are as smooth as if they 
 had been " mangled." To-day I employed myself 
 making a pair of buckskin mitts and moccasins, as I 
 shall require them before many weeks ; most of the 
 Indians and muleteers are out, looking for a large black 
 mule, the finest animal in the collection, which was 
 missing last night. 
 
 Yesterday two beaver trappers came into the Dela- 
 ware camp, and traded for sugar and coffee with the 
 Delawares. I have my suspicions that our mule con- 
 veyed them away, as they are no longer on the creek 
 where they set their traps yesterday. 
 
 I must leave off my journal, as it is my usual hour for 
 rifle practice ; I have become quite an expert ; at one 
 hundred paces, I have hit the " bull's eye " twice in 
 five times, which is not bad shooting, considering I have 
 had no practice since I was a member of a rifle volun- 
 
 tpp.r nnmnnnv in fThnvloatrm ormid twontv vpavj ncrn 
 
46 TEAYEL8 AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Delaware Medicine Man— Illness of Capt. Wolff— Author turns Doctor— Empty Com- 
 missariat — Expedition to Fort Riley for Fresh Supplies— Professor Espy's Theory of 
 Rain— Indians on Kansas Prairies— Sleet and Snow Storm — Tent Blown Down — 
 Approach of Cold Weather — " Pony Missing." 
 
 DELAWARE MEDICINE MAN. 
 
 For several clays, Capt. Wolff, the chief of our Dela- 
 wares, had been ailing, this morning I noticed some 
 unusual preparations in their camp, on inquiring I was 
 told that, in the woods, Capt. Wolff, who was very sick, 
 was undergoing the Indian ceremony of " incantation," 
 by one of the tribe, who was " a great medicine man." 
 The ceremony was conducted in secret, but I found out 
 afterwards the place, and from the mode which was ex- 
 plained to me, I understood the rite perfectly. A small 
 lodge, composed of the branches of trees, high enough 
 for a man to sit upright in, was built ; in this the patient 
 was placed in a state of perfect nudity. " The Medicine 
 Man," who is outside, takes a " pipe," filled with " kin- 
 nikinick and tobacco," and hands it in to the patient. 
 While the Medicine Man recites the " all powerful 
 words," the patient puffs away until the lodge is filled 
 with smoke ; when the poor devil is almost suffocated, 
 and exhausted, he is taken out, wrapped in his blankets, 
 and conveyed to his own lodge. 
 
 Feeling anxious about him, I went in to see him 
 
AN EMPTY CUPBOARD. 47 
 
 about an hour afterwards ; I found him in a high state 
 of febrile excitement, which had, no doubt, been in- 
 creased by his extraordinary treatment ; he complained 
 of dreadful headache and pain in his back. He thought 
 he was going to die. I told him if he would submit to 
 my advice I thought I could cure him — he consented, 
 and I administered ten grains of calomel, and four hours 
 afterwards half oz. of Epsom salts. He is now consider- 
 ably relieved ; and I think by the morning he will be 
 well. Indigestion was the cause of his suffering. I 
 made him some of the arrowroot, which thanks to your 
 usual foresight I found stowed away in my trunk. I 
 shall reserve it for similar occasions. 
 
 Col. Fremont has not yet arrived. 
 
 Our quarter master has suddenly discovered that his 
 commissariat is empty, and talks of sending to Fort 
 Riley for fresh supplies to-morrow ; if he does I will for- 
 ward a package of letters to you, which please preserve 
 from public eye. 
 
 Two Delawares and a muleteer are now preparing to 
 go to " Fort Riley " for supplies. Capt. Wolff is better; 
 by evening I hope he will be perfectly well. I think 
 if I had not treated him he would have probably died. 
 Another "incantation" would certainly have killed him. 
 I shall continue to write to you. Most probably we 
 shall be detained here a week longer ; it is now the 20th 
 October, and I am afraid Col. Fremont is seriously ill ; 
 you will, of course, have heard of his return, and I shall 
 look forward to receive by him happy tidings from all 
 those I love. 
 
48 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 PROFESSOR ESPY'S THEORY OF RATN. 
 
 I have had occasion to observe that the immense 
 clouds of smoke which filled the atmosphere continually 
 during the time the prairies were on fire, were con- 
 densed during the cold of the night, sometimes form- 
 ing rain, but always heavy dew, which I did not observe 
 before the prairies were burning. 
 
 I think Prof. Espy says that artificial rain, can 
 be produced by smoke from large fires, and from the 
 observations I have made I coincide in that theory. 
 
 It is not unlikely that the Indians, who have from the 
 earliest knowledge of the prairie country annually set the 
 high rank grass on fire, did it to afford artificial mois- 
 ture for the immense tracts of buffalo grass plains, on 
 which subsist hundreds of thousands of buffalo, elk, and 
 deer. No rain falls at certain seasons, and without dew 
 the grass would be all burnt up by the scorching heat 
 of the sun. 
 
 The Indians, I believe, practically put into operation 
 the theory of Espy — knowing from experience that 
 smoke is condensed into dew. 
 
 On the Kansas River the dew fell very heavily. I 
 found it necessary while doing guard to cover myself 
 with my India-rubber poncho, to prevent my clothes 
 from becoming saturated with water. 
 
 ******* 
 
 Last night our camp was visited with a heavy storm 
 of rain and sleet ; it was bitter cold. It rained con- 
 siderably yesterday, but the temperature was not lower 
 than 65°. The wind increased during the night, and 
 one sudden gust blew our cotton tent completely over, 
 exposing us to the peltings of the merciless storm of 
 
A PLEASANT TIME. 49 
 
 sleet. Several of us essayed to raise the tent, but the 
 ground had become saturated with moisture, and afforded 
 no hold for our tent-pins, and we consequently lay clown, 
 wrapped ourselves in our India-rubber blankets, and 
 bewailed our fate. 
 
 We presented an interesting picture when the day- 
 light came. Many of our clothes, which were lying 
 loosely in the tent, were blown some distance from camp, 
 and we were all drenched to the skin. The weather 
 cleared off at sunrise, and around a large camp-fire we 
 dried our clothes and passed jokes on each other's dis- 
 tressing appearance. Winter seems to have suddenly 
 set in ; the thermometer indicated, at sunrise, 34° ( u j>or 
 peccados" as the Spaniards say.) Many of our animals 
 pulled up their picket-pins, and sought shelter in the 
 woods. My pony is missing, among others, and on 
 myself and on no one else devolves the delightful duty 
 of finding him. I have put on, for the first time, my 
 waterproof boots, as I have a wet road, and, probably, a 
 long distance to walk, before I find my horse. He is 
 safe enough on the creek ; the Indians saw him while 
 hunting up theirs. 
 
50 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 CHAPTER YIII. 
 
 Author's First Buffalo Hunt— Pursuit— Perilous Situation— Mode of Attack by the 
 Indians— Solitary and Alone— Pony killed for Food— An 111 Wind that blows Nobody 
 any Good— Incredulity of Indian Hunters— Return to Camp— Prairies on Fire — 
 Suffocating Smoke— Mr. Egloffstein on a Wolf Hunt— Fire Light and Moonlight- 
 Camp surrounded by Fire— Dangerous Situation— Arrival of Colonel Fremont- 
 Preparations to resume our Journey— Escape through the Blazing Element. 
 
 MY FIRST BUFFALO HUNT. 
 
 At daylight, on the 25th October, the hunters were 
 at breakfast. At our mess, feats of daring and gallant 
 horsemanship were being related, while our roast was 
 preparing. Weluchas, a most successful hunter, and as 
 brave and daring an Indian as ever fashioned a moc- 
 casin or fired a rifle, approached me, remarking, " What 
 for you no hunt buffalo — got buffalo pungo ? " (horse.) 
 I had, while at breakfast, almost made up my mind to 
 go — this, however, determined me. In quick time I 
 had my horse saddled, and, fully equipped with rifle, 
 navy revolver, and sheath knife, was all ready for a start. 
 On this occasion our party consisted of eight Delawares 
 and four white men, besides myself. I rode out of 
 camp, side by side with Weluchas, who seemed gratified 
 that I accompanied him. The buffaloes, from having 
 been daily hunted for several weeks, had gone South 
 about fifteen to twenty miles, and we had to ride that 
 distance before we saw any game. 
 
A BUFFALO HUNT. 51 
 
 DISCOVERY OF A HERD. 
 
 After about three hours' gentle trotting, one of the 
 party started a cayote, and we chased him until he dis- 
 appeared in the brush. "When we reached the brow of 
 a hill, Weluchas ejaculated, in deep, low tones, " Buf- 
 falo," "big herd" — "plenty cow." I turned my eyes, 
 and, for the first time, beheld a large herd of buffaloes 
 occupying an extensive valley, well wooded and watered, 
 and luxuriant with the peculiar short curled grass, called 
 " Buffalo grass " {Lysteria Dyclotoides), on which this 
 animal principally feeds. I gazed witli delight and 
 astonishment at the novel sight which presented itself. 
 There must have been at least 6,000 buffaloes, including 
 cows and calves. It was a si^ht well worth travelling 
 a thousand miles to see. Some were grazing, others 
 playfully gambolling, while the largest number were 
 quietly reclining or sleeping on their verdant carpet, 
 little dreaming of the danger which surrounded them, 
 or of the murderous visitors who were about to disturb 
 their sweet repose. 
 
 THE FOE DISCOVERED BY THE SENTINEL THE HERD EST 
 
 MOTION. 
 
 Taking the word of command from Capt. "Wolff, one 
 of the finest proportioned men I ever beheld, we kept 
 silent, to await the direction which the herd would take 
 when they discovered us. An old bull was stationed 
 several hundred yards in advance of the herd, as senti- 
 nel : they invariably follow him, as leader, even into 
 danger. He soon espied us ; and suddenly, as if by 
 
52 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAK WEST. 
 
 magic, the whole herd was in motion. We occupied 
 such a position that they passed within rifle shot. 
 
 THE PURSUIT. 
 
 At a signal, the whole party, except myself, galloped 
 after them. I was intensely absorbed by this mighty 
 cavalcade passing with majestic stride, as it were, in 
 review before me. My pony, anxious for the chase, 
 fretted and champed at the bit. I singled out "what I 
 thought a fat cow (the bulls are tough and hard, and 
 are only hunted by the Indians for their robes — their 
 flesh never being eaten when cows can be obtained), 
 and in a few seconds, I was riding at full speed. It 
 requires a very fleet horse to overtake a buffalo cow. 
 A bull does not run quite so fast. After a chase of 
 about two miles, I was near enough to take sight with 
 my rifle, by stopping my pony. I fired and wounded 
 him in the leg — reloaded, and started again at full speed, 
 the buffalo running less swiftly. I fired again, but this 
 time without effect. Not wishing him to get too far 
 ahead of me, I took out my revolver, and got within 
 pistol shot, when I discovered I had chased an old bull 
 instead of a cow. 
 
 PERILOUS SITUATION. 
 
 I fired my pistol four times at full speed, and was 
 endeavoring to sight him again, when the bull suddenly 
 turned upon me, within five yards of my horse. My 
 well-trained pony instantly jumped aside. The bull, 
 in turning, got his wounded leg in a painful position, 
 and stopped, which gave me time and opportunity to 
 
INDIAN MODE OF SHOOTING BUFFALOES. 53 
 
 save my life ; for, with my total inexperience, I should 
 not have been able to have mastered him. My horse 
 jumped aside without any guiding from me, having 
 been trained to this by the Indian from whom we pur- 
 chased him. I reloaded my rifle, and took deliberate 
 aim at a vital part. When dying, I approached the 
 monster that had given me such a fright, when he 
 turned his large black eyes mournfully upon me, as if 
 upbraiding me with having wantonly and uselessly shot 
 him down. 
 
 MODE OF ATTACK BY THE DELAWAKES. 
 
 A Delaware Indian, in hunting buffaloes, when near 
 enough to shoot, rests his rifle on his saddle, balances 
 himself in his stirrup on one leg ; the other is thrown 
 over the rifle to steady it. He then leans on one side, 
 until his eye is on a level with the object, takes a quick 
 sight, and fires while riding at full speed, rarely missing 
 his mark, and seldom chasing one animal further than 
 a mile. 
 
 SOLITARY AND ALONE. 
 
 After recovering from my fright, and the intense 
 excitement incidental to the chase, other sensations of a 
 different character, although not less disagreeable, imme- 
 diately filled my mind. I discovered that I was entirely 
 alone, in an uninhabited, wild country, with not a 
 human being in sight. I had chased my bull at least 
 five miles. My companions had taken a different direc- 
 tion, nor was a single buffalo to be seen. My mind was 
 fully alive to the perils of my situation. I had left my 
 pocket compass in camp, and I did not know in what 
 
54 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 direction to look for it. I mounted my horse and 
 walked to the top of a hill to see if I could find any 
 traces of the party. I discovered looming in the dis- 
 tance, Smoky Hills some twenty miles off. My mind 
 was in a slight degree relieved, although I was almost 
 as ignorant of my geographical position as I was before. 
 I did not despair, but unsaddling my horse, I gave him 
 an hour's rest ; the grass was fresh, and he appeared 
 totally unconcerned at my situation. 
 
 PONY KILLED FOR MEAT. 
 
 Poor fellow! Little did I think that day, as he car- 
 ried me, so full of life and high spirit, that in a few weeks 
 he would be reduced to a mere skeleton, and that I 
 should be obliged, in order to save my own life on the 
 mountains of snow, to partake of his flesh. I shed tears 
 when they shot him down, and I never think of his 
 generous, willing qualities, but I lament the stern neces- 
 sity that left his bones bleaching on the mountains. 
 
 IT S AN ELL WIND THAT BLOWS NOBODY GOOD. 
 
 I re-saddled my pony, and turned his head in the 
 direction of Smoky Hills, fervently hoping to fall in 
 with some of our party ; nor was I disappointed, for 
 after riding about an hour, I discovered to the left of my 
 course a horse without a rider. As I approached it, I 
 recognized the animal, and in a little while I saw its 
 owner, my friend Weluchas, walking slowly, with his 
 eyes intently fixed on the ground. He told me he was 
 looking for his tomahawk pipe, which he had dropped 
 while hunting. I joyfully assisted him in finding it, 
 
author's skill in hunting doubted. 55 
 
 after a persevering search of an hour. He had been at 
 least an hour on the spot before I came up. To this 
 lucky circumstance I attributed my arrival in camp that 
 night, for when we resumed our journey, he took a 
 course some six points variation from the one I was tra- 
 velling. On our way we fell in with Capt. Wolff and 
 another Delaware, who were busily engaged cutting up 
 a fine fat cow. I was soon at work, but I gave up after 
 an ineffectual attempt to cut the liver, which is very 
 delicate eating, my knowledge of human anatomy not 
 being of any service to me in dissecting buffaloes. 
 
 THE incredulity of the Indian hunters. 
 
 While journeying campwards I related to the party 
 my adventure with the old bull. I, of course, finished it 
 by stating I had slain him. Capt. Wolff looked at me 
 with a most quizzical and incredulous smile, and empha- 
 tically remarked, in his broken English, " Carvalho no 
 kill buffalo." I insisted that I had left him dead on the 
 field. At this the whole party laughed at me. I felt 
 annoyed, but soon found it was no use to contend with 
 them. Weluchas, who was really my friend, and to 
 whom I had rendered several services, such as bleeding 
 him and curing him of fever, could not believe the 
 statement I had made. Capt. Wolff, seeing me look 
 offended, said, in these exact words: — " When Capt, Wolff 
 kill buffalo, he cut out the tongue. Indian shoot buffalo, 
 bring home tongue. Carvalho no bring buffalo tongue ; 
 he no kill buffalo." This was powerful argument, and 
 the inference perfectly logical ; and I soon changed the 
 subject. Gentle reader, do you think I was equal to 
 cutting out, by the roots, a tongue from the head of 
 
56 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 an old buffalo bull, after telling you that I did not suc- 
 ceed in getting out the liver of a young cow, after the 
 animal was opened ? Surely I was not ; but even if I 
 had been, the alarming situation I found myself in, at 
 the time he fell, prevented me from attempting it, if I 
 even had known it was the hunters' rule to do so. 
 
 RETURN TO CAMP. 
 
 My messmates, to whom I related my adventure, had 
 not the slightest idea that I had lost my way in the chase. 
 I came into camp with the rest of the party, that night, 
 about seven o'clock, tired and hungry. After eating a 
 hearty supper, I wrapped myself up in my blankets and 
 was soon asleep, dreaming of the disputed honors I had 
 gathered in my maiden hunt after a buffalo bull. 
 
 PRAIRIE ON FIRE. 
 
 Oct. 30. — During the day, the sun was completely 
 obscured by low, dark clouds ; a most disagreeable and 
 suffocating smoke filled the atmosphere. 
 
 We were still encamped on the Saline fork of the Kan- 
 sas River, impatiently awaiting the arrival of Col. Fre- 
 mont, who had not yet returned from St. Louis. His 
 continued absence alarmed us for his safety, and the cir- 
 cumstance that the prairies were on fire for several days 
 past, in the direction through which he had to pass to 
 reach us, added to our anxiety. 
 
 Night came on, and the dark clouds which overhung 
 us like an immense pall, now assumed a horrible, lurid 
 glare, all along the horizon. As far as the eye could 
 
ENGINEER ON A WOLF HUNT. 57 
 
 reach, a belt of fire was visible. We were on the prairie, 
 between Kansas Kiver on one side, Solomon's Fork on 
 another, Salt Creek on the third, and a large belt of 
 woods about four miles from camp on the fourth. We 
 were thus completely hemmed in, and comparatively 
 secure from danger. 
 
 Our animals had been grazing near this belt of woods, 
 the day before, and when they were driven into camp 
 at night, one of the mules was missing. At daylight a 
 number of our Delawares, Mr. Egloffstein, our topo- 
 graphical engineer, and myself, sallied out in search 
 
 of it. 
 
 After looking through the woods for an hour, we dis- 
 covered our mule lying dead, with his lariat drawn 
 close around his neck. It had become loose, and, trail- 
 ing along the ground, got entangled with the branches 
 of an old tree, where in his endeavors to extricate him- 
 self he was strangled. 
 
 We were attracted to the spot by the howling of 
 wolves, and we found that he had been partially 
 devoured by them. Our engineer, who wanted a wolf- 
 skin for a saddle-cloth, determined to remain to kill one 
 of them. 
 
 I assisted him to ascend a high tree immediately over 
 the body of the mule, untied the lariat, and attaching 
 his rifle to one end of it, pulled it up to him. 
 
 The rest of the party returned to camp. About four 
 o'clock in the afternoon, he being still out, I roasted 
 some buffalo meat and went to seek him. I found him 
 still on the tree, cmietly awaiting an opportunity to kill 
 his wolf. 
 
 A heroic example of perseverance on an eminence 
 smiling at disappointment. 
 
 3* 
 
58 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 Mr. Egloffs'tein declined to come down ; I told him of 
 the dangers to which he was exposed, and entreated him 
 to return to camp. Finding him determined to remain, 
 I sent him up his supper, and returned to camp, expect- 
 ing him to return at sundown. 
 
 About this time the prairie was on fire just beyond the 
 belt of woods through which Col. Fremont had to pass. 
 
 Becoming alarmed for Mr. Eglolistein, several of us 
 went to bring him in. We found him half-way to camp, 
 dragging by the lariat the dead body of an immense 
 wolf which he had shot. "We assisted him on with his 
 booty as well as we could. 
 
 My " guard " came on at two o'clock. I laid down 
 to take a three hours' rest. When I went on " duty," 
 the scene that presented itself was sublime. A breeze 
 had sprung up, which dissipated the smoke to wind- 
 ward. The full moon was shining brightly, and the 
 piles of clouds which surrounded her, presented magni- 
 ficent studies of " light and shadow," which " Claude 
 Lorraine " so loved to paint. 
 
 The fire had reached the belt of woods, and seemingly 
 had burnt over the tree our friend had been seated in 
 all day. 
 
 The fire on the north side had burned up to the 
 water's edge, and had there stopped. 
 
 The whole horizon now seemed bounded by fire. 
 
 Our Delawares by this time had picketed all the 
 animals near the creek we were encamped on, and had 
 safely carried the baggage of the camp down the banks 
 near the water. When day dawned, the magnificent 
 woods which had sheltered our animals, appeared a 
 forest of black scathed trunks. 
 
 The fire gradually increased, yet we dared not change 
 
col. fremont's ajrrivai,. 59 
 
 our ground ; first, because we saw no point where there 
 was not more danger, and, secondly, if we moved away, 
 " Solomon," the Indian chief, who after conducting us 
 to the camp ground we now occupied, had returned to 
 guide Col. Fremont, would not know exactly where to 
 find us again. 
 
 We thus continued gazing appalled at the devouring 
 element which threatened to overwhelm us. 
 
 After breakfast, one of our Delawares gave a loud 
 whoop, and pointing to the open space beyond, in the 
 direction of Solomon's Fork, where to our great joy, we 
 saw Col. Fremont on horseback, followed by " an 
 immense man," on " an immense mule," (who after- 
 wards proved to be our good and kind-hearted Doctor 
 Ober ;) Col. Fremont's " cook," and the Indian " Solo- 
 mon," galloping through the blazing element in the 
 direction of our camp. 
 
 Instantly and impulsively, we all discharged our 
 rifles in a volley. 
 
 Our tents were not struck, yet we wanted to make a 
 signal for their guidance. We all reloaded, and w r hen 
 they were very near, we fired a a salute. 
 
 Our men and Indians immediately surrounded Col. 
 Fremont making kind inquiries after his health. 
 
 ]STo father who had been absent from his children, 
 could have been received with more enthusiasm and 
 more real joy. 
 
 To reach us he had to travel over many miles of 
 country which had been on fire. The Indian trail 
 which led to our camp from " Solomon's Fork," had 
 become obliterated, rendering it difficult and arduous 
 to follow ; but the keen sense of the Indian directed 
 
60 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 hini under all difficulties directly to the spot where he 
 had left us. 
 
 During the balance of the day, the camp was put in 
 travelling order. 
 
 With the arrival of Col. Fremont, our commissariat 
 had received considerable additions of provisions, 
 more, in fact, than he had any good reason to suppose 
 we had consumed during his absence. 
 
 The reverse was exactly the truth. The provisions 
 intended for our journey had been lavishly expended, 
 and surreptitiously purloined. 
 
 Twice it became necessary to send to Fort Riley to 
 procure supplies. 
 
 The season had advanced, and it became imperatively 
 necessary to continue onwards — we should have plenty 
 of game until we got to Bent's Fort, where there always 
 were kept large supplies of provisions, and where Col. 
 Fremont intended to refit and replenish. 
 
 At midnight, the fire crossed the Kansas River. I was 
 in a great state of excitement. I mounted my horse 
 and rode out in the direction ot the Kansas, to see if the 
 fire had actually crossed; I suppose I must have 
 advanced within half a mile, before I discovered that 
 the prairie was on fire on this side of it. I turned round, 
 and galloped as I thought, in the direction of camp, 
 but I could not descry it. I continued onwards ; but 
 as there were woods all around Salt Creek, I had lost 
 my landmarks, and was in a terrible quandary. I how- 
 ever reached Salt Creek, and with great difficulty 
 returned to camp, after an absence of three hours. 
 
 At daylight, our animals were all packed, the camp 
 raised, and all the men in their saddles. Our only 
 escape was through the blazing grass ; we dashed into 
 
ESCAPE THROUGH BURNING PRAIRIES. 61 
 
 it, Col. Fremont at the head, his officers following, while 
 the rest of the party were driving up the baggage ani- 
 mals. The distance we rode through the fire, could not 
 have been more than one hundred feet, the grass which 
 quickly ignites, as quickly consumes, leaving only 
 black ashes in the rear. 
 
 We passed through the fiery ordeal unscathed ; made 
 that day over fifteen miles, and camped for the night on 
 the dry bed of a creek, beyond the reach of the devour- 
 ing element. 
 
62 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Walnut Creek — Necessity of strict discipline— Neglect of duty— Horses stolen— Chey- 
 enne Indians — Thieves overtaken — Watchfulness of Col. Fremont — Immense herd3 
 of Buffalo— Buffalo hunt on a large scale— Buffalo chips — Prairie dogs, Owls, &c. — 
 Indians in camp — Raw Antelope liver. 
 
 The cold was intense during our last encampment at 
 Walnut Creek. About an hour after the midnight 
 watch had been relieved, and while the last watch were 
 warming their benumbed limbs before a large fire, one 
 of the men on horse guard left his duty, and came into 
 camp to warm himself — Col. Fremont, who was always 
 on the " qui vive," suddenly appeared at the camp-fire. 
 This was not unusual, that he should personally inspect 
 the guard, but he took such times, when he was least 
 expected — in order to see if the men did their duty 
 properly. 
 The Colonel accosted the officer of the watch, and 
 
 enquired if Mr. had been relieved ? He replied 
 
 that he had not, but gave as an excuse, the coldness 
 of the weather. Col. Fremont lectured the officer, and 
 had another man immediately sent out to take his place. 
 He was highly displeased, and as a punishment, told 
 
 Mr. ■ that he expected he " would walk," during the 
 
 next day's travel. I had been relieved a short time 
 before, and I knew how cold I was, and that it was 
 necessary to move about continually, to keep up the 
 
NECESSITY FOR STRICT DISCIPLINE. 63 
 
 circulation of the blood ; under the circumstances, I 
 thought the punishment disproportionate to the offence. 
 
 I was a novice in camp life among Indians, and was 
 not aware of the stern necessity required for a strict 
 guardianship of the animals ; but the sequel proved, 
 that the " slight dereliction " from duty, as I thought it, 
 involved the most serious consequences. 
 
 At day-light, when the animals were driven in to be 
 loaded and packed for the day's journey, five of them 
 were missing. The camp was, in consequence, delayed, 
 while the animals were sought ; half the day was lost in 
 an ineffectual search. Our Delawares reported having 
 discovered moccasin prints on the snow, and at once 
 decided they were made by Cheyenne Indians, from 
 their peculiar form. 
 
 The next day we followed a track made by " shod 
 horses," which convinced us we were on the right scent. 
 The Indians do not shoe their horses. 
 
 On the " divide," near the Arkansas Eiver, we saw 
 one of our mules grazing, but so worn out by the hard 
 drive, that he was unable to continue, and the Indians 
 left him on the prairie. 
 
 It took us several days to reach the village, which was 
 situated on the part of the Arkansas River known as 
 Big Timber, near Mr. Bent's house. 
 
 At this village we found the rest of the animals, and 
 some of the thieves. On examining them, they con- 
 fessed that they had watched our camp during the 
 night, for an opportunity to run off our animals, but 
 found them guarded, until one man left his watch, and 
 went to warm himself at the camp fire, during which 
 time they stole five of them, and if they had had an 
 hour longer time, they would have stolen a great many 
 
64 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 more. They went so far as to point out the very man 
 who went to the fire. 
 
 Mr. submitted to the walk with as good a grace 
 
 as possible. "We had a long journey that day, but he 
 manfully accomplished it ; and I heard him say, after- 
 wards, that he richly deserved it. 
 
 Imagine twenty odd men, 600 miles from the fron- 
 tiers, at the commencement of a severe winter, deprived 
 of their animals, on an open prairie, surrounded by 
 Camanches, Pawnees and other tribes of hostile Indians. 
 I am fully convinced that but for the "watchfulness" 
 of Col. Fremont, we should have been placed in this 
 awkward predicament. 
 
 IMMENSE HERDS OF BUFFALO. 
 
 On the divide, between Walnut Creek and the Ar- 
 kansas River, Ave travelled through immense herds of 
 buffalo ; at one time there could not have been fewer 
 than two hundred thousand in sight. 
 
 All around us, as far as the eye could reach, the 
 prairie was completely black with them ; they at times 
 impeded our progress. We stopped for more than an 
 hour to allow a single herd to gallop, at full speed, 
 across our path, while the whole party amused them- 
 selves with singling out particular ones, and killing 
 them. 
 
 I essayed, at different times, to daguerreotype them 
 while in motion, but was not successful, although I 
 made several pictures of distant herds. 
 
 On this " divide " I saw numbers of prairie dogs, 
 they ran to their holes on our approach ; a small sized 
 owl, most generally stood as sentinel near the hole. 
 
BUFFALO CHIPS. 65 
 
 Our Delawares told me that the prairie dog, the owl, and 
 the rattlesnake always congregate together — a strange 
 trio. 
 
 The prairie after you pass Pawnee Fork, and also on 
 the divide between Walnut Creek and the Arkansas 
 River, is covered with a short grass, called buffalo grass. 
 
 Firewood or timber, only grows on the creek, and the 
 artemisia entirely disappears. 
 
 We camped one night on the open prairie, without 
 wood, near Pawnee Fork, a tributary of the Kansas. 
 The thermometer was below freezing point, and there 
 was no vestige of wood or timber to be seen. 
 
 I was busily engaged making my daguerreotype views 
 of the country, over which I had to travel the next day. 
 On looking through my camera I observed two of our 
 men approaching over a slope, holding between them a 
 blanket filled with something ; curious to know what it 
 was, I hailed them, and found they had been gathering 
 " dried buffalo chips," to build a fire with. This mate- 
 rial burns like peat, and makes a very hot fire, without 
 much smoke, and keeps the heat a long time ; a pecu- 
 liar smell exhales from it while burning, not at all 
 unpleasant. But for this material, it would be impossi- 
 ble to travel over certain parts of this immense country. 
 It served us very often, not only for cooking purposes 
 but also to warm our half frozen limbs. I have seen 
 chips of a large size — one I had the curiosity to mea- 
 sure, was two feet in diameter. 
 
 Our first camp on the Arkansas Was visited by a num- 
 ber of Indian hunters, with the product of their skill, 
 in the use of their bows and arrows, hanging across their 
 horses. One of them borrowed my jack-knife, and cut- 
 ting a piece of the raw antelope liver, deliberately ate 
 
66 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 it. I remember the peculiar feeling this exhibition 
 excited in my bosom. I considered the Indian little 
 better than a cannibal, and taking back my knife, 
 turned from him in disgust. 
 
 I got bravely over it, however, in the course of my 
 journey, as a perusal of these pages will show. 
 
THE AUTHOR A MAGICIAN. 67 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Cheyenne Indian Tillage — " Big Timber" — Daguerreotypes — Indian Papoose — Author 
 is Suddenly Changed into a Magician — Silver and Brass Bracelets — Portrait of Indian 
 Princess—" Presto, pass /" — Moccasins — Cheyennes and Pawnees at War— Grand 
 Scalp-dance — Col. Fremont a Spectator — Dinner with the Chief — Rosewood Carved 
 Furniture not in Use — Duties of Indian Women — Employment of the Men. 
 
 The Cheyenne village, on Big Timber, consists of about 
 two hundred and fifty lodges, containing, probably, one 
 thousand persons, including men, women and children. 
 
 I went into the village to take daguerreotype views 
 of their lodges, and succeeded in obtaining likenesses 
 ^ of an Indian princess — a very aged woman, with a 
 papoose, in a cradle or basket, and several of the 
 chiefs. I had great difficulty in getting them to sit 
 still, or even to submit to have themselves daguerreo- 
 typed. I made a picture, first, of their lodges, which yY 
 I showed them. I then made one of the old woman 
 and papoose. When they saw it, they thought I was a 
 " supernatural being ;" and, before I left camp, they 
 were satisfied I was more than human. 
 
 The squaws are very fond of ornaments ; their arms 
 are encircled with bracelets made of thick brass wire — 
 sometimes of silver beaten out as thin as pasteboard. 
 The princess, or daughter of the Great Chief, was a 
 beautiful Indian girl. She attired herself in her most 
 costly robes, ornamented with elk teeth, beads, and 
 colored porcupine quills — expressly to have her likeness 
 taken. I made a beautiful picture of her. 
 
68 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 The bracelets of the princess were of brass ; silver 
 ones are considered invaluable, and but few possess them. 
 
 After I had made the likeness of the princess, I made 
 signs to her to let me have one of her brass bracelets. 
 She very reluctantly gave me one. I wiped it very 
 clean, and touched it with " quicksilver." It instantly 
 became bright and glittering as polished silver. I then 
 presented her with it. Her delight and astonishment 
 knew no bounds. She slipped it over her arm, and 
 danced about in ecstacy. As for me, she thought I was 
 a great " Magician." 
 
 My extraordinary powers of converting " brass into 
 silver" soon became known in the village, and in an 
 hour's time I was surrounded with squaws entreating 
 me to make "presto, pass /" with their " armlets and 
 brass finger-rings." 
 
 Some offered me moccasins, others venison, as pay- 
 ment ; but 1 had to refuse nearly all of them, as 1 had 
 only a small quantity of quicksilver for my daguerreo- 
 type operations. 
 
 My " Inciter matches," also, excited their astonish- 
 ment ; they had never seen them before ; and my fire 
 water, "' alcohol," which I used, also, to heat my mer- 
 cury — capped the climax. 
 
 They wanted me to live with them, and I believe if I 
 had remained, they would have worshipped me as 
 possessing most extraordinary powers of necromancy. 
 
 I returned to camp with a series of pictures, and 
 about a dozen pairs of moccasins, some elaborately 
 worked with beads ; all of which I stowed away in my 
 boxes, and had the great gratification of supplying my 
 companions with a pair, when they were most required, 
 and when they least expected them. 
 
GKAND SCALP DANCE. 69 
 
 The Pawnees and Cheyennes were at deadly war, at 
 this time. During our visit to the Cheyenne camp, 
 a number of warriors returned from a successful battle 
 with the Pawnees, and brought in some twelve or fifteen 
 scalps as trophies of their prowess. On the night of 
 their arrival, they had a grand scalp-dance ; all the men 
 and most of the women were grotesquely attired in wolf, 
 bear, and buffalo skins ; some of them with the horns of 
 the buffalo, and antlers of the deer, for head ornaments. 
 Their faces were painted black and red ; each of the 
 chiefs, who had taken a scalp, held it aloft attached to a 
 long pole. An immense fire was burning, around which 
 they danced and walked in procession, while some of the 
 women were beating drums, and making night hideous 
 with their horrible bowlings and discordant chantings. 
 This was so novel and extraordinary a scene, that I 
 rode into our camp, about three miles off, and induced 
 Col. Fremont to accompany me to witness it. Mr. 
 Egloffstien, succeeded in writing down the notes of their 
 song ; they have no idea of music ; they all sing on the 
 same key. I did not notice a single second or bass voice 
 amongst them. We returned to camp about 12 o'clock, 
 and left them still participating in the celebration of their 
 bloody victory. I accepted an invitation to dine with the 
 chief; his lodge is larger, but in no other respects differ- 
 ent from those of the others. We dined in it, on buffa- 
 lo steaks and venison ; a fire was burning in the centre ; 
 around the fire, were beds made of cedar branches, covered 
 with buffalo robes, on which his two wives and three chil- 
 dren slept. They use no furniture of any kind ; there 
 are hiding places under their beds, in which they place 
 their extra moccasins and superfluous deer-skin shirts. 
 
 The women make the bows and arrows, and all their 
 
70 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 moccasins, dress and prepare their skins and buffalo 
 robes, take down and put up their lodges when they 
 move their villages, which is three or four times a year, 
 and all the servile and hard work of the canrp. The 
 men hunt, fish, and go to war. 
 
 The Cheyennes possess a large number of fine horses, 
 some of which they raise, while the most of them are 
 stolen and taken as prizes in their forays with other 
 tribes of Indians. 
 
bent's trading post. 71 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 Bent's Trading Post — Purchase Fresh Animals — Buffalo Robes — Immense Lodge — Fre- 
 mont's Lodge — Doctor Ober — His Scientific Knowledge— Attachment of the Author 
 to him — His Preparation to return to the States — Arkansas River — Giant Cotton 
 Woods — Islands in the Arkansas — Bent's Fort destroyed by Indians— Preparations 
 to cross the Mountains— First View of the Rocky Mountains — Bid adieu to Doctor 
 Ober. 
 
 Bent's House is built of adobes, or unburnt brick, one 
 story bigh, in form of a hollow square, with a court- 
 yard in the centre. One side is appropriated as his 
 sleeping apartments, the front as a store-house, while 
 the others are occupied by the different persons in his 
 employ. He has a large number of horses and 
 mules. 
 
 Col. Fremont procured from him fresh animals for all 
 the men, leaving behind us those which were thought 
 unable to go through. At this time Mr. Bent had but 
 a small quantity of sugar and coffee ; he supplied us, 
 however, with all he could spare, and a considerable 
 quantity of dried buffalo meat, moccasins and over- 
 shoes for all the men ; a large buffalo-skin lodge, capa- 
 ble of covering twenty-five men, and one small one for 
 Col. Fremont ; buffalo robes for each man besides stock- 
 ings, gloves, tobacco, etc. 
 
 I breakfasted with Mr. Bent and Doctor Ober, on 
 baked bread, made from maize ground, dried but* 
 
72 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 falo meat, venison steaks, and hot coffee ; a treat that I 
 had not enjoyed for a very long time. 
 
 Col. Fremont having entirely recovered his health, 
 decided not to take the doctor over the mountains, but 
 made arrangements with Mr. Bent to send him home 
 by the first train of wagons ; one of our white men, a 
 Mr. Mulligan, of St. Louis, also remained, as an assistant 
 to the doctor. I had formed quite an attachment to 
 Doctor Ober ; he was a gentleman of extensive informa- 
 tion, and his intellectual capacity was of the highest 
 order. I have ridden by his side for many a mile, 
 listening to his explanations of the sciences of geology 
 and botany. When we passed a remarkable formation, 
 he would stop and compare it with others of similar 
 character in different parts of the world. I regretted 
 very much the necessity there was for his remaining 
 behind, but it was well for him that he did so ; his age 
 and make would have incapacitated him from enduring 
 the privations and hardships which we had to en- 
 counter. 
 
 The weather continuing so cold I found it inconve- 
 nient to use my oil colors and brushes ; accordingly I left 
 my tin case with the doctor, who promised to take charge 
 of them for me to the States. 
 
 When the weather is very clear, you can see the 
 snowy peaks of the Rocky Mountains from Bent's house, 
 which is seventy miles distant. Our friend the doctor 
 wanted to obtain a nearer view of them, and proposed 
 that I should accompany him. We started on a clear 
 morning, for that purpose. I took my apparatus along ; 
 we rode thirty miles, but the weather becoming hazy, 
 it entirely shut out our view of the mountains. We 
 returned to camp late at night, after a tiresome day's ride. 
 
EXPEDITION JREFITTEL.. 73 
 
 The Arkansas River where we first struck it, which was 
 at the crossing of the Santa Fe trail, is almost entirely 
 hare of timber; the trunks of several giant Cottonwood 
 trees, which had probably been landmarks for early tra- 
 vellers to Mexico, still reared their enormous heads high 
 into the Heavens, defying alike the storms of winter, 
 and the axe and fire of the liungry pioneer, who in vain 
 attempted to hew and burn them down. I measured 
 one of them, its circumference was eighteen feet. We 
 travelled up the river a great many miles, without see- 
 ing any timber at all, and relying for firewood on the 
 drift logs, we found along the banks. 
 
 There are a great many islands in the Arkansas River, 
 on which some few young cottonwoods are growing. 
 We frequently encamped on these islands. 
 
 At "Big Timber," there is a considerable quantity 
 of oak, and cotton wood of large growth. Game of all 
 kinds abounds in it. 
 
 Bent's house is a trading post. Indians of the different 
 tribes bring in their venison, buffalo meat, skins, and 
 robes, which are exchanged for various descriptions of 
 manufactured goods. Mr. Bent also receives the annual 
 appropriation from Government, for the neighboring- 
 tribes of Indians which are distributed at this point. 
 Bent's Fort, which is situated about thirty miles further 
 up the Arkansas, was recently destroyed by the Indians, 
 and has not been rebuilt, from the scarcity of timber 
 in its vicinity. All the material saved from the fort, 
 was removed to Mr. Bent's house, on Big Timber. 
 After a sojourn of a week, near Bent's trading house, 
 the whole of which time was employed in refitting and 
 preparing proper camp equipage for the journey over 
 
 4 
 
74 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES UN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 the mountains, we bade an affectionate adieu to our 
 worthy doctor ; and started in high spirits, the lofty 
 summit of Pike's Peak in the distance glittering in 
 the mornino; sun. 
 
VALLEY OF THE UUEKFANO. 75 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Journey up the Arkansas — Bent's Fort — Huerfano River and Valley — Description of the 
 Country— Huerfano Butte — Behind Camp — Daguerreotypes — Scientific Observations — 
 Approach of Night — Trail Lost, and Encampment in the Woods — Buffalo Robe3 and 
 Blankets — Col. Fremont sends to find us— Bear Hunt — Roubidoux Pass — Emotion of 
 Col. Fremont when Looking upon the Scene of his Terrible Disaster on a Former Expe- 
 dition — Found a Half Starved Mexican — Col. Fremont's Humanity — His Skill in Pistol 
 Shooting. 
 
 We travelled up the Arkansas, and passing the ruins, 
 of Bent's Fort on the opposite side of the river, struck 
 the mouth of the Huerfano ; we followed that river to 
 the Huerfano Valley — which is by far the most romantic 
 and beautiful country I ever beheld. Nature seems to 
 have, with a bountiful hand, lavished on this delightful 
 valley all the ingredients necessary for the habitation 
 of man ; but in vain the eye seeks through the magnifi- 
 cent vales, over the sloping hills, and undulating plains, 
 for a single vestige to prove that even the foot of an 
 Indian has ever preceded us. Herds of antelope and 
 deer roam undisturbed through the primeval forests, 
 and sustain themselves on the various cereals which 
 grow luxuriantly in the valley. 
 
 But where are the people ? 
 
 Were there ever any inhabitants in this extraordina- 
 rily fertile country ? 
 
 Will the progress of civilization ever extend so far in 
 the interior? 
 
 At present, not even the smoke from an Indian wig- 
 
 
76 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 warn taints the pure air which plays around, and 
 imparts healthful vigor to my frame. 
 (After crossing the Huerfano Kiver, we saw the 
 immense pile of granite rock, which rises perpendicu- 
 larly to the height of four or five hundred feet, from a 
 perfectly level valley. It appeared like a mammoth 
 sugar loaf, (called the Huerfano Butte).* Col. Fremont 
 expressed a desire to have several views of it from 
 different distances^ 
 
 The main party proceeded on the journey, leaving 
 under my charge the mules which carried our apparatus, 
 and also the blankets and buffalo robes of the whole 
 camp ; it being necessary in equalizing the weight, to 
 distribute the different boxes on three or four animals. 
 Mr. Egloffstein, Mr. Fuller, and two Delawares, re- 
 mained, with me. 
 
 To make a daguerreotype view, generally occupied 
 from one to two hours, the principal part of that time, 
 however, was spent in packing, and reloading the ani- 
 mals. When we came up to the Butte, Mr. Fuller 
 made barometrical observations at its base, and also 
 ascended to the top to make observations, in order to 
 ascertain its exact height. The calculations have not 
 yet been worked out. 
 
 If a railroad is ever built through this valley, I 
 suggest that an equestrian statue of Col. J. C. Fremont, 
 be placed on the summit of the Huerfano Butte ; his 
 right hand pointing to California, the land he con- 
 quered. 
 
 When we had completed our work, we found that we 
 were four hours behind camp, equal to twelve miles. 
 
 * " The Orphan." 
 
INABILITY TO EEACH CAMP. 77 
 
 We followed the trail of our party, through the immense 
 fields of artemisia, until night overtook us, trav- 
 elling until we could no longer distinguish the trail. 
 
 Our arms were discharged as a signal to the camp ; 
 they answered it by firing off their rifles, but the wind 
 being then high, w r e could not determine their exact dis- 
 tance or position. Then, taking counsel together, we 
 determined to encamp for the night, on the side of a 
 mountain covered with pines, near by. 
 
 We soon had a large fire burning, for the weather was 
 intensely cold and disagreeable. Upon unloading our 
 animals we found that we had with us all the bajrs-ao-e 
 
 Do o 
 
 and buffalo robes of the camp, but nothing to eat or 
 drink ; the night was so dark that although not more than 
 half a mile from a creek, we preferred to suffer from 
 thirst rather than incur fresh danger which might lurk 
 about it. 
 
 I had with me three tin boxes, containing preserved 
 eggs and milk, but I preferred to go supperless to bed, 
 rather than touch the small supply which I had, unknown 
 to the rest, carefully hid away in my boxes, to be used 
 on some more pressing occasion. 
 
 Our absence was most keenly felt by the camp, for 
 they had to remain up, around their fires all night, not 
 having any thing to sleep on. 
 
 We also watched all night, fearful that our animals 
 should stray away, or that we should be attacked by 
 Indians. 
 
 At day dawn we reloaded our animals, found our lost * 
 trail, and soon met some of our party whom Colonel 
 Fremont had sent to look for us. 
 
 When we got to camp, they were all ready for a start, 
 and waiting for us. A delicious breakfast of buffalo and 
 
7 b TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 venison had been prepared, and we discussed its merits 
 with an appetite sharpened by a twenty-four hours 
 fast. 
 
 At the very base of the Rocky Mountains, while we 
 were approaching the Sand-hill Pass, fresh bear track 
 were discovered by our Delawares, who determined to 
 follow in search of the animal. Diverging a little 
 from our line among the trees on the side of the moun- 
 tain, our bruin was "first seen. "A bear hunt! a bear 
 hunt!" was quickly re-echoed by the whole company. 
 The baggage animals were left to themselves while 
 Colonel "Fremont and the whole party darted off" at full 
 speed to the chase. 
 
 Two of our Delawares who first spied him, were half 
 a mile in advance, for they gave the reins to their 
 animals the instant they saw the bear. Llis bearship 
 seeing strangers approaching at full speed, and being 
 unused to their ways, thought it most prudent to make 
 himself scarce ; he turned and slowly descended the hill 
 in an opj)osite direction ; our loud huzzas finally alarmed 
 him and off he went in full tilt, the whole party sur- 
 rounding him ; the first shot from the Delaware brought 
 him to his knees. Three shots killed him. 
 
 He was an enormous black bear, and very fat ; 1 
 partook of but small quantities of it, it being too luscious 
 and greasy for my palate. The meat was brought into 
 camp and served several days for food for the whole 
 party. 
 
 The next day I accompanied Col. Fremont into the 
 Roubidoux Pass, from the summit of which I had the 
 first view into the San Louis Valley, the head waters of 
 the " Rio Grande del Norte." On the opposite side forty 
 miles across are the " San Juan Mountains," the scene 
 
/// 
 
 col. fkemont's benevolence. 79 
 
 of Col. Fremont's terrible disaster on a former expedition. 
 He pointed out to me the direction of the spot and with 
 a voice tremulous with emotion, related some of the 
 distressing incidents of that awful night. I made a 
 daguerreotype of the pass with the San Louis Valley and 
 mountains in the distance. 
 
 While exploring in the pass we accidentally came 
 upon a Mexican, almost naked, who had deserted or 
 been left behind by some hunters. Col. Fremont, whose 
 great heart beats in sympathy for the suffering of his 
 fellow men, made him follow to camp, and although he 
 knew that this man would be an incubus upon the party 
 from his inability to walk, allowed him to accompany 
 the expedition, and supplied him with a part of his own 
 wardrobe. This man subsequently proved perfectly 
 worthless. 
 
 On our way down from the pass, Col. Fremont took 
 out his revolver, and at a distance of about twenty 
 paces killed a small, white, delicately formed animal, 
 very like an ermine. This was an excellent shot with a 
 sightless pistol. 
 
SO TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE EAR WEST. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Sand-hill Pass— San Louis Valley— Natural Deer-park- Smoked Venison— Last sight 
 of Game — Rio Grande del Norte — Sarawatch— Cochotope Pass — First Snow in Moun- 
 tains— Gunnison's Wagon Trail— Summit of Pass— Waters commence to flow 
 towards the Pacific — Encampment — Immense Rugged Mountain — Impracticability of 
 ascent by Mules— The Author ascends on Foot— Col. Fremont accompanies him — 
 Daguerreotype Panorama from its Summits— Col. Fremont's Consideration for his Men 
 —Sublimity— First View of Grand River— Reflections— Return to Camp. 
 
 "We entered the San Louis Valley through the Sand- 
 hill Pass, and camped at the mouth. Travelling 
 up the valley about twenty miles, we ascended one of 
 the verdant and gentle slopes of the mountains, along 
 which meandered a stream of living water, fringed 
 on its banks with cottonwood and elms. We selected a 
 camp-ground in an immense natural deer-park, and 
 raised our tents under the shelter of wide-spreading 
 cedars. 
 
 Scarcely were we comfortably fixed, when a herd of 
 black-tail deer came down the mountain to water within 
 sight of our camp. Cautiously our Indian hunters sal- 
 lied out, and ere many minutes, the sound of one, two, 
 three — a dozen rifles were heard in quick succession. 
 Every shot brought down a fine fat buck, and our sup- 
 per that night, consisted of as fine roast venison as ever 
 graced the table of an epicure. 
 
 Col. Fremont determined to remain here for several 
 days in order to Lave a quantity of the meat cured for 
 our use in the mountains. I exercised mv skill in rifle 
 
CAPT. GUNNISON CUTS CROSSES ON TREES. 81 
 
 shooting for the last time at this camp. Game of all 
 kinds which had hitherto been plentiful, disappeared 
 almost entirely after we left it. 
 
 We travelled up the San Louis Valley, crossing the 
 Kio Grande del Norte, and entered the Sarawatch 
 Valley through a perfectly level pass. Our journey 
 continued along the valley until we came to the Cocho- 
 tope, where we camped. 
 
 That night it snowed on us for the first time. The 
 snow obliterated the wagon tracks of Capt. Gunnisous 
 expedition, but Col. Fremont's unerring judgment con- 
 ducted us in the precise direction by a general ascent 
 through trackless, though sparsely timbered forests, until 
 we approached the summit, on which grew an immense 
 numbers of trees, still in leaf, with only about four 
 inches of snow on the ground. 
 
 As we approached this dense forest, we soon perceived 
 that the axe of the white man had forced a passage 
 through for a wagon-road. Many of the larger trees on 
 both sides of the track were deeply cut with a cross, as 
 an emblem of civilization, which satisfied us that Capt. 
 Gunnison and Lieut. Beale had penetrated through to 
 the other side. In this forest, we were surrounded 
 by immense granite mountains, whose summits were 
 covered probably with everlasting snow. The streams 
 from them whieh had previously been running towards 
 us, now took the opposite direction, supplying us with 
 the gratifying proof that we had completed our travel 
 to the summit, and were now descending the mountains 
 towards the Pacific. After issuing from these woods 
 we camped on the edge of a rivulet. 
 
 At this camp Col. Fremont exhibited such unmis- 
 takable marks of consideration for me, that it induced 
 
82 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 my unwavering perseverance in the exercise of my 
 professional duties subsequently, when any other man 
 would have hesitated, and probably given up, and 
 shrunk dismayed from the encounter. 
 
 Near by our camp, a rugged mountain, barren of trees, 
 and thickly covered with snow, reared its lofty head 
 high in the blue vault above us. The approach to it 
 was inaccessible by even our surefooted mules. From 
 its summit, the surrounding country could be seen for 
 hundreds of miles. Col. Fremont regretted that such 
 important views as might be made from that point, 
 should be lost, and gave up the idea as impracticable 
 from its dangerous character. I told him that if he 
 would allow two men to assist me in carrying my appa- 
 ratus up the mountain, I would attempt the ascent on 
 foot, and make the pictures ; he pointed out the difficulties, 
 I insisted. He then told me if I was determined to go 
 he would accompany me ; this was an unusual thing for 
 him and it proved to me, that he considered the ascent 
 difficult and dangerous, and that his superior judgment 
 might be required to pick the way, for a misstep 
 would have precipitated us on to the rugged rocks at its 
 base ; and it also proved that he would not allow his 
 men or officers to encounter perils or dangers in which 
 he did not participate. 
 
 After three hours' hard toil we reached the summit 
 and beheld a panorama of unspeakable sublimity spread 
 out before us ; continuous chains of mountains reared 
 their snowy peaks far away in the distance, while the 
 Grand Eiver plunging along in awful sublimity through 
 its rocky bed, was seen for the first time. Above us the 
 cerulean heaven, without a single cloud to mar its 
 beauty, was sublime in its calmness. 
 
REFLECTIONS 83 
 
 Standing as it were in this vestibule of God's holy 
 Temple, I forgot I was of this mundane sphere ; the di- 
 vine part of man elevated itself, undisturbed by the 
 influences of the world. I looked from nature, up to 
 nature's God, more chastened and purified than I ever 
 felt before. 
 f Plunged up to my middle in snow, I made a pano- 
 rama of the continuous ranges of mountains around us. y 
 Col. Fremont made barometrical and thermometrical 
 observations, and occupied a part of his time in geological 
 examinations. We descended safely, and with a keen 
 appetite, discussed the merits of our dried buffalo and 
 deer meat. 
 
84 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 CHAPTEK XIV. 
 
 Intense Cold — Author's First Journey on Foot — Immense Mountains of Snow — Escape 
 of his Pony — Lose Sight of Companions — Arrival at top of the Mountain — Pony 
 Recovered — Revolution of Feeling— Indian Gratitude Exemplified — Horse Steaks 
 Fried in Tallow Candles— Blanc Mange— New Year's Day — Dangerous Ascent of 
 a Mountain — Mules tumble Down — Animals Killed — Successful Attempt Next Day 
 — Camp in four feet of Snow — Coldest Night — Sleep out in open Snow. 
 
 Eating, sleeping, and travelling, continually in the open 
 air, with the thermometer descending, as we gradually 
 ascended the immense slopes of country between the 
 frontiers of Missouri and the Rocky Mountains, until 
 X have found myself in a temperature of 30° below 
 zero, prepared my system for the intense cold, which 
 we endured during our journey through that elevated 
 country. Twice only did our party find it too cold to 
 travel longer than half an hour, without stopping and 
 making a large fire to keep ourselves from freezing. 
 "We were all mounted at the time, but we found it neces- 
 sary to walk a greater part of the way, to keep up a 
 circulation of the blood. 
 
 It is judiciously ordained by a kind Providence, that 
 the cold as well as heat, gradually increases in intensity. 
 
 If the human body at a temperate heat, say 80° 
 was suddenly exposed to a temperature of 30° below 
 zero, in which we travelled without any extra clothing, 
 no ill effect resulting, we should not have been able to 
 exist for an hour 
 
A SERIOUS DILEMMA. 
 
 Let us then humbly acknowledge that to the great 
 Omnipotent, we owe our being and all the benefits we 
 receive. 
 
 MY FIRST JOURNEY ON FOOT. 
 
 It was a very cold day in December; the snow 
 covered the immense mountain, over which we had to 
 travel, and right merrily we all followed each others 
 footsteps in the deep snow. 
 
 When we arrived at the foot of the rugged mountain, 
 it was found necessary to dismount, and lead our ani- 
 mals along the intricate and tortuous path. As usual 1 
 was at the rear of the cavalcade ; I threw the bridle over 
 my pony's head, and followed slowly behind him. 1 
 plunged frequently up to my neck in chasms of snow 
 My efforts to extricate myself cost me some time, and 
 when I regained my footing, I discovered my pony 
 about fifty vards ahead, trying to regain the party 1 
 redoubled my exertions to reach mm-I halloed 
 all to no purpose— I sank down exhausted on a rock, 
 with the dreadful reality that I was alone, and on foot 
 on the mountains of eternal snow, with a long day s 
 
 - iourney before me. 
 
 Gathering fresh strength and courage from the seri- 
 ous position I found myself in, I scrambled up that 
 mountain with a heart palpitating so loudly, that 1 
 could count its pulsations. In this manner, alternately 
 resting I reached the top. On looking on the other side 
 the only indication of 'the party, was their deep trail 
 in the frozen snow. 
 
 I commenced descending, and at considerable distance 
 below me, I fancied I saw a moving object under a tree ; 
 continuing in the track, slipping at times a distance of 
 
86 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 ten or fifteen feet, until some disguised rock brought me 
 up, I reached the bottom, where I found my pony tied 
 to a tree, immediately on the trail. 
 
 "No shipwrecked mariner on beholding the approach 
 of a friendly vessel to deliver him from certain death, 
 ever felt greater joy than I did, when I realized that it 
 was my horse which I saw. 
 
 This incident was most injurious to me, and I felt its 
 effects for several days, both in body and mind. I 
 mounted my pony, and arrived in camp at dark, some 
 four or five hours after the rest of the party. 
 
 Captain Wolff saw my pony riderless, and suspecting 
 that he had escaped from me, caught and tied him up 
 in the place where he was sure to be found ; thus 
 repaying me a hundred fold for my medical advice and 
 attendance on Salt creek. 
 
 ****** 
 
 HORSE STEAKS FRIED IN TALLOW CANDLES, AND BLANO 
 MANGE FOR DESSERT. 
 
 At Bent's Fort, Col. Fremont had several pounds 
 of candles made out of buffalo tallow ; the want of 
 convenient boxes to convey them, resulted in many of 
 them being broken to pieces, so as to render them use- 
 less as candles. On the first of January, 1854, our 
 men were regaled by unexpected, though not unwelcome 
 luxuries. 
 
 I had reserved with religious care, two boxes contain- 
 ing one pound each, of Alden's preserved eggs and 
 milk. — (The yolks of the eggs were beaten to a thick 
 paste with a pound of loaf sugar, the milk was also pre- 
 pared with powdered sugar, and hermetically sealed in 
 
HORSE STEAKS AND BLANC MANGE. 87 
 
 tin cases.) — These two tins I had stowed away in my 
 boxes, being the remains of the six dozen which had 
 been wantonly destroyed at our six weeks camp on Salt 
 Creek. 
 
 Nobody knew I had them. A paper of arrow root, 
 which my wife had placed in my trunk, for diet, in case 
 I was sick, I had also reserved. These three comestibles, 
 boiled in six gallons of water, made as tine a blanc 
 mange as ever was manged on Mount Blanc. This 
 " dessert" I prepared without the knowledge of Col. 
 Fremont. 
 
 Our dinner, in honor of "New Year's Day," consisted, 
 besides our usual " horse soup," of a delicious dish of 
 horse steaks, fried in the remnants of our " tallow 
 candles." But the satisfaction and astonishment of the 
 whole party cannot be portrayed, when I introduced, 
 as dessert, my incomparable blanc mange. " Six gal- 
 lons of bona fide" nourishing food, sweetened and 
 flavored ! It is hardly necessary to say. that it disap- 
 peared in double quick time. The whole camp had a 
 share of it ; and we were all sorry that there was " no 
 
 more left of the same sort." 
 
 ***** 
 
 Several days after we came down from the Cocho- 
 tope Pass, it became necessary to ascend a very high 
 and excessively steep mountain of snow. When we 
 were half way up, one of the foremost baggage mules 
 lost his balance, from his hind feet sinking deep in the 
 snow. Down he tumbled, heels-over-head, carrying 
 with him nearly the whole cavalcade, fifty odd in num- 
 ber, several hundred feet to the bottom. 
 
 It was a serious, yet a most ludicrous spectacle, to 
 witness fifty animals rolling headlong down a snow 
 
88 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 mountain, gaining fresh impetus as they descended, 
 unable to stop themselves. The bales of buffalo robes, 
 half buried in the snow, lodged against an old pine tree, 
 the blankets scattered everywhere ; my boxes of da- 
 guerreotype materials uninjured, although buried in the 
 snow. Considerable time was occupied in searching 
 after them. 
 
 I found myself standing up to my eyes in snow, high 
 up the mountain, witnessing this curiously interesting, 
 although disastrous accident; for, when we collected 
 ourselves and animals together, we found that one mule 
 and one horse were killed. This scene made a deep 
 impression upon me. Night came upon us before we 
 were ready to leave the spot. We camped on the same 
 place of the night before. 
 
 A snow storm commenced raging, which detained us 
 in this situation for another day ; when, determined to 
 cross the mountain, we all recommenced the ascent, and 
 successfully arrived, though much exhausted, without 
 further accident, at the top, and encamped on its sum- 
 mit in snow four feet deep. 
 
 That night the thermometer sank very low, and the 
 men stood to their waists in snow, guarding the animals 
 to prevent their running away in search of grass, or 
 something to eat. 
 
 We descended the mountain the next day. Our tent 
 poles, belonging to the large lodge, were broken by 
 their contact with the trees in the winding path. The 
 lodge, afterwards, became useless, and the men, myself 
 among them, had to sleep out upon the open snow, with 
 no covering but our blankets, etc. 
 
DELAWARES KILL A WILD HOUSE. 89 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Descent of Snow Mountains — Gun for a Walking-stick — Indian Tracks — Examination 
 of Arms— Predicament of the Author — Lecture from Col. Fremont — Wild Horse Killed 
 by Indians — Utah Indian Village — Encampment — Trade for Venison — Camp at Night 
 
 x Surrounded by armed Indians — They Demand Payment for the Horse Killed by the 
 Indians — Col. Fremont's Justice — Indians want Gunpowder — Their Demand Refused 
 — Massacre of the Party Threatened — Defiance — Pacification — Author Trades for a 
 Horse — He Leaves his Colt's Revolver in Camp — Runaway Horse — Author Finds 
 himself in a Sage Bush — Pistol Recovered — Trouble in Perspective — Exchanges Horses 
 — Lame Horse— Author on Foot — Regrets that he was not Educated for a Horse- 
 Breaker. 
 
 After descending a very steep mountain, on the snows 
 of which we passed the coldest night I experienced 
 during the journey, the thermometer, at daylight, being 
 30 degrees below zero, we camped on a creek fringed 
 with willows and interspersed with cotton-wood. The 
 country indicating that there might be game about, our 
 Delawares sallied out in quest of some. 
 
 We at this time were on rations of meat-biscuit,* 
 and had killed our first horse for food. Towards night, 
 our hunters returned, and brought with them the choice 
 parts of a fine fat, young horse that they had killed, 
 lie was one of three or four wild ones which they dis- 
 covered grazing some four miles from camp. 
 
 Our men, in consequence, received a considerable 
 addition to their stock of provisions, which, when cooked, 
 
 * A preparation made bj saturating flour with the juices of boiled beef, 
 
 and then baked into biscuit. 
 
90 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 proved much more palatable than our broken down 
 horses. 
 
 The Delawares also discovered recent footprints of 
 Utah Indians. This information caused Col. Fremont 
 to double the guard and examine the arms of the whole 
 party, who hitherto had been warned by him of the 
 necessity there was for keeping them in perfect order. 
 
 Suddenly it occurred to me that my double-barrel 
 gun might be out of order: I had used it as a walking- 
 stick, in descending the mountain that day ; the snow 
 was so deep that I was obliged to resort to that course 
 to extricate myself from the drifts. 
 
 I quietly went to the place where I had laid it down, 
 and attempted to fire it off; both caps exploded, but the 
 gun did not go off, the barrels being filled with frozen 
 snow. The quick ear of Col. Fremont heard the caps 
 explode. He approached me very solemnly and gave 
 me a lecture, setting forth the consequences which might 
 have ensued from a sudden attack of the Indians on our 
 camp. " Under present circumstances, Mr. Carvalho," 
 said he, " I should have to fight for you." His rebuke 
 was merited, and had its effect throughout the camp, 
 for all the men were most particular afterwards in keep- 
 ing their arms in perfect order. 
 
 "We travelled that day nearly twenty mile's, and en- 
 camped outside of a Utah Indian village, containing a 
 large number of lodges and probably several hundred 
 persons. 
 
 The men were mostly armed with rifles, powder- 
 horns, and also with their Indian implements of war- 
 fare. On our mules was packed the balance of our 
 " fat horse " of the night before. 
 
 These Indians received us very kindly, and during the 
 
col. fbemont's justice. 91 
 
 evening we exposed our wares, viz. : blankets, knives, 
 red cloth, vermilion, etc., etc., which we brought along 
 to conciliate the Indians, and also to trade with them for 
 horses and venison. 
 
 "We made several purchases, and traded for several 
 small lots of fat \;enison. 
 
 About nine o'clock, after placing double guard 
 around our animals and while we were regaling on fat 
 deer meat in Col. Fremont's lodge, we heard loud noises 
 approaching the camp ; voices of women were heard in 
 bitter bewailment. I thought it was a religious cere- 
 mony of Indian burial, or something of the kind. Col. 
 Fremont requested me to see from what it proceeded. 
 I found the whole Indian camp in procession assembled 
 around our lodge. The warriors were all armed, headed 
 by a half-breed, who had been some time in Mexico, 
 and had acquired a smattering of the Spanish language ; 
 this man acted as interpreter. Understanding the 
 Spanish language, I gleaned from him that the horse 
 our Delawares had killed the evening before, some 
 twenty miles away, belonged to one of the squaws then 
 present, who valued it very highly, and demanded pay- 
 meut. 
 
 On informing Col. Fremont, who denied himself to 
 the Indians, he remarked that " we had no right to kill 
 their horse without remunerating them for it." The 
 man in charge of the baggage was deputed to give them 
 what was a fair compensation for it. 
 
 The Indians having seen our assortment, wanted a 
 part of everything we had, including a keg of gun- 
 powder. 
 
 To this demand Col. Fremont gave an absolute refu- 
 sal, and/ at the same time emphatically expressed his 
 
92 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAE WEST. 
 
 desire that the men should not sell, barter, or give away 
 a single grain of gunpowder, on pain of his severest 
 displeasure. 
 
 The Indians then threatened to attack us. Col. Fre- 
 mont defied them."* After considerable parleying, we 
 succeeded in pacifying them. 
 
 As it was the intention of Col. Fremont to leave camp 
 at an early hour, I unpacked my daguerreotype appara- 
 tus, at daylight, and made several views. 
 
 While engaged in this way, one of the Utah Indians 
 brought into camp a beautiful three-year-old colt, and 
 offered to trade him with me ; he was a model pony — 
 dark bay color, in splendid order, sound in wind and 
 limb, and full of life and fire. My poor buffalo Pungo 
 had, three days before, been shot down for food, and in 
 consequence I was literally on foot, although I was 
 using one of the baggage animals for the time. 
 
 With permission of Col. Fremont I traded for him ; 
 I gave him in exchange one pair of blankets, an old 
 dress coat, a spoiled daguerreotype plate, a knife, halt 
 an ounce of vermilion and an old exhausted pony, which 
 we would have been obliged to leave behind ; previous 
 to the trade, I had never mounted him, but I saw the 
 Indian ride him, and his movements were easy and 
 graceful. The Indian saddled him for me, as I was 
 otherwise engaged, and did not notice him during the 
 operation. By this time the rest of the party were all 
 mounted, and I never jumped on him until the last mo- 
 ment ; he winced a little under the bit, the first one he 
 ever had in his mouth, but cantered off at a round pace, 
 I would not at that moment have taken $500 for him. 
 I considered myself safely mounted for the rest of the 
 journey. 
 
THE AUTIIOK IN A SAGE BUSH. 93 
 
 After we had proceded about two miles, my pony 
 prancing and caracoling to the admiration of the whole 
 party, I discovered that I had left my Colt's navy revolver 
 in camp. I told Col. Fremont of my carelessness, and 
 he smilingly sent one of the men back with me to look 
 for it. I must confess I had not the slightest hopes of 
 finding it, nor had he. 
 
 At the time we started, there must have been two 
 hundred Utah men, women, and children at our camp, 
 and if one of them had picked it up, it was most unlikely 
 I should ever receive it again. They had shown some 
 hostility, and although I was not afraid to go back, 
 I thought some danger attended it — Frank Dixon ac- 
 companied me. 
 
 My pony finding his head turned homeward, com- 
 menced champing at his bit, and working his head and 
 body, endeavoring to get away. I prided myself on 
 being a good horseman, but this fellow was too much for 
 me. 
 
 lie got the bit between his teeth and off he started at 
 a killing pace for camp. In less than five minutes I 
 found myself in a wild sage bush on the road ; the sad- 
 dle had slipped round his body, which was as smooth as 
 a cylinder, while I, losing my balance, slipped off. 
 
 My pony was quietly grazing in the Indian camp, 
 when I, riding double with Frank, arrived there. The 
 most important thing, was my pistol ; I proceeded 
 immediately to the spot, and, hidden in the long grass, 
 where I laid it down, I found it. 
 
 With the assistance of the Utahs, my pony w r as cap- 
 tured, and doubling the saddle-blanket, I attempted to 
 draw the girth tightly — he resisted, and gave considera- 
 ble trouble; but I was finally mounted, and away we 
 
94 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURKS IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 cantered after our party, which we overtook after a 
 couple of hours' ride. 
 
 This animal continued to trouble me every morning 
 afterwards. On one occasion, I was saddling him, to 
 perform which operation, I had to tie him to a tree, if 
 one was at hand ; at the time I now describe, he was 
 tied to a tree, and in vain I endeavored to place the 
 saddle on him, finally, he reared, and planted both feet 
 on my breast, and I barely escaped with my life, yet 
 my pride never suffered me to complain about it. Some- 
 times one of my comrades would assist me, but on this 
 occasion, Col. Fremont saw my predicament ; in a few 
 minutes, his servant, " Lee," came to me, and said, " he 
 was more accustomed to break horses than I was," and 
 offered to exchange with me, until mine was more 
 manageable. 
 
 This man rode a cream colored pacer, which Col. Fre- 
 mont wanted to take through to California, if possible, 
 as a riding horse for his daughter. I need not say how 
 gladly I accepted this offer. I rode out of camp that 
 morning much lighter in spirits, although suffering 
 somewhat from the bruises I received. The horse I 
 exchanged for, was a pacer, he had no other gait ; and 
 unaccustomed to it, I did not notice, until one of the 
 Delawares pointed out to me, that there was any defect 
 in him. 
 
 Captain Wolff was riding by my side during the day, 
 and expressed in his Indian manner, how surprised he 
 was that I had exchanged my fresh pony for a lame 
 pacer, " one day more, that horse no travel, Carvalho 
 go foot again!" 
 
 His prognostications proved, alas, too true, for on. the 
 second day, he was so lame that I could not ride him, 
 
IHE AUTHOR REGRETS. 95 
 
 and I remained on foot, while my beautiful pony was 
 gallantly bearing the cook. 
 
 3 The horse, he said, was not lame when he gave him 
 to me, and I could not prove that he was, so I was con- 
 strained to submit, but I never saw this man galloping 
 past me, while 1 was on foot, that I did not regret I was 
 not brought up as an " ostler and professional horse- 
 breaker." 
 
96 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Grand River — Descent of Mounted Indians into Camp — Military Reception — Their de- 
 mands — Trouble Expected — Excitement of the Author — Exhibition of Colt's Revolvers 
 — Col. Fremont's Knowledge of Indian Character — The Great Captain in his Lodge — 
 Alarm of the Indians — Quadruple Guard — Departure of Indians — Vigilance the price of 
 Safety — Crossing of the Grand River— Horse Killed for Food — Review of Our 
 Position — Impressive Scene — Cold Night— Mr. Fuller — Whites without Food — Beaver 
 Shot — The Camp under Arms — False Alarm. 
 
 When we left the Utah village, we travelled a long 
 day's journey, aud camped on the Grand River, thirty 
 miles from the last camp ; my pony behaved admirably 
 well on the road, and I would not have parted with 
 him on any account. 
 
 While at supper, the guard on the look-out gave the 
 alarm that mounted Indians were approaching, the word 
 was given to arm and prepare to receive them. 
 
 About fifty or sixty mounted Utah Indians, all armed 
 with rifles, and bows and arrows, displaying their powder 
 horns and cartouch boxes most conspicuously, their 
 horses full of mettle, and gaily caparisoned, came gal- 
 loping and tearing into camp. 
 
 They had also come to be compensated for the horse 
 we had paid for the night before ; they insisted that the 
 horse did not belong to the woman, but to one of the 
 men then present, and threatened, if we did not pay . 
 them a great deal of red cloth, blankets, vermilion, 
 knives, and gunpowder, they would fall upon us and 
 massacre the whole party. 
 
THE " SIX SHOOTERS." 97 
 
 Ou these occasions, Col. Fremont never showed him- 
 self, which caused the Indians to have considerable 
 more respect for the " Great Captain," as they usually 
 called him ; nor did he ever communicate directly with 
 them, which gave him time to deliberate, and lent a 
 mysterious importance to his messages. Very much 
 alarmed, I entered Col. Fremont's lodge, and told him 
 their errand and their threats. He at once expressed 
 his determination not to submit to such imposition, and 
 at the same time, laughed at their threats ; I could not 
 comprehend his calmness. I deemed our position most 
 alarming, surrounded as we were by armed savages, and 
 I evidently betrayed my alarm in my countenance. 
 Col. Fremont without apparently noticing my nervous 
 state, remarked that he knew the Indian character per- 
 fectly, and he did not hesitate to state, that there was 
 not sufficient powder to load a single rifle in the pos- 
 session of the whole tribe of Utahs. "If," continued 
 he, " they had any ammunition, they would have 
 surrounded and massacred us, and stolen what they now 
 demand, and are parleying for." 
 
 I at once saw that it was a most sensible deduction, 
 and gathered fresh courage. The general aspect of the 
 enemy was at once changed, and I listened to his direc- 
 tions with a different frame of mind than when I first 
 entered. 
 
 He tore a leaf from his journal, and handing it to me, 
 said : here take this, and place it against a tree, and at 
 a distance near enough to hit it every time, discharge 
 your Colt's Navy six shooters, fire at intervals of from 
 ten to fifteen seconds — and call the attention of the 
 Indians to the fact, that it is not necessary for white men 
 to load their arms. 
 
 5 
 
98 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 I did so ; after the first shot, they pointed to their 
 own rifles, as much as to say they could do the same, 
 (if they had happened to have the powder), I, without 
 lowering my arm, fired a second shot, this startled 
 them. 
 
 I discharged it a third time — their curiosity and amaze- 
 ment were increased : the fourth time, I placed the pistol 
 in the hands of the chief and told him to discharge it, 
 which he did, hitting the paper and making another 
 impression of the bullet. 
 
 The fifth and sixth times two other Indians discharged 
 it, and the whole six barrels being now fired it was time 
 to replace it in my belt. 
 
 I had another one already loaded, which I dexterously 
 substituted, and scared them into an acknowledgment 
 that they were all at our mercy, and we could kill them 
 as fast as we liked, if we were so disposed. 
 
 After this exhibition, they forgot their first demand, 
 and proposed to exchange some of their horses for blan- 
 kets, etc. 
 
 We effected a trade for three or four apparently sound, 
 strong animals ; " Moses," one of the Delaware chiefs, 
 also traded for one, but in a few days they all proved 
 lame and utterly useless as roadsters, and we had to kill 
 them for food. 
 
 The Indians with the consent of Col. Fremont, 
 remained in camp all night; they had ridden thirty 
 miles that day, and were tired. On this occasion, eleven 
 men, fully armed, were on guard at one time. 
 
 The Indians who no doubt waited in camp to run 
 our horses off during the night, were much disap- 
 pointed in not having an opportunity. They quietly 
 departed the next morning, while our whole camp listen- 
 
col. fkemont's intrepidity. 99 
 
 ed to the energetic exclamation of Col. Fremont, that 
 the "price of safety is eternal vigilance." 
 
 The crossing of the Grand Biver, the eastern fork of 
 the Colorado, was attended with much difficulty and 
 more danger. The weather was excessively cold, the 
 ice on the margin of either side of the river was over 
 eighteen inches thick ; the force of the stream always 
 kept the passage in the centre open ; the distance be- 
 tween the ice, was at our crossing, about two hundred 
 yards. I supposed the current in the river to run at the 
 rate of six miles an hour. The animals could scarcely 
 keep their footing on the ice, although the men had been 
 engaged for half an hour in strewing it with sand. The 
 river was about six feet deep, making it necessary to 
 to swim our animals across ; the greatest difficulty was 
 in persuading them to make the abrupt leap from the 
 ice to the roaring gulph, and there was much danger 
 from drowning in attempting to get on the sharp ice on 
 the other side, the water being beyond the depth of the 
 animals', nothing but their heads were above water, con- 
 sequently the greater portion of their riders' bodies were 
 also immersed in the freezing current. 
 
 To arrive at a given point, affording the most facilities 
 for getting upon the ice, it was necessary to swim your 
 horse in a different direction to allow for the powerful 
 current. I think I must have been in the water, at least 
 a quarter of an hour. The awful plunge from the ice 
 into the water, I never shall have the ambition to try 
 again ; the weight of my body on the horse, naturally 
 made him go under head and all ; I held on as fast as a 
 cabin boy to a main-stay in a gale of wind. If I had 
 lost my balance it is most probable I should have been 
 <ln>\vned. I was nearly drowned as it was, and my 
 
100 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 clothes froze stiff upon me when I came out of it. Some 
 of the Delawares crossed first and built a large fire on 
 the other side, at which we all dried our clothes standing 
 in. them. 
 
 It is most singular, that with all the exposure that 
 I was subjected to on this journey, I never took the 
 slightest cold, either in my head or on my chest ; I do 
 not recollect ever sneezing. While at home, I ever was 
 most susceptible to cold. 
 
 The whole party crossed without any accident ; Col. 
 Fremont was the first of our party to leap his horse into 
 the angry flood, inspiring his men, by his fearless exam- 
 ple to follow. 
 
 " Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon with an immense 
 army ; streams of blood followed in his path through 
 the countries he subdued, to his arrival at the Eternal 
 City, where he was declared dictator and consul." 
 
 On a former expedition, Col. Fremont crossed the 
 Grand River with a handful of men ; but no desolation 
 followed in his path. With the flag of his country in 
 one hand and the genius of Liberty resting on his brow, 
 he penetrated through an enemy's country, converting 
 all hearts as he journeyed, conquering a country of great- 
 er extent than Cassar's whole empire, until he arrived at 
 San Francisco, where die became military commandant 
 and governor in chief of California, by the simple will 
 of the people. Fremont's name and deeds, will become 
 as imperishable as Caesar's. 
 
 At last we are drawn to the necessity of killing our 
 brave horses for food. The sacrifice of my own pony 
 that had carried me so bravely in my first buffalo hunt, 
 was made; he had been running loose for a week unable 
 to bear even a bundle of blankets. It was a solemn 
 
A SOLEMN SCENE. 101 
 
 event with me, an<l rendered more so by the impressive 
 scene which followed. 
 
 Col. Fremont came out to us, and after referring to 
 the dreadful necessities to which we were reduced, said 
 " a detachment of men whom he had sent for succor on 
 a former expedition, had been guilty of eating one of 
 their own number." He expressed his abhorrence of 
 the act, and proposed that we should not under any cir- 
 cumstances whatever, kill our companions to prey upon 
 them. " If we are to die, let us die together like men." 
 He then threatened to shoot the first man that made or 
 hinted at such a proposition. 
 
 It was a solemn and impressive sight to see a body 
 of white men, Indians, and Mexicans, on a snowy 
 mountain, at night, some with bare head and clasped 
 hands entering into this solemn compact. I never 
 until that moment realized the awful situation in which 
 I, one of the actors in this scene, was placed. 
 
 I remembered the words of the sacred Psalmist, 
 (Psalm cviii. -t-7) and felt perfectly assured of my 
 final deliverance. — "They ivandered in the wilderness 
 in a solitary way : They found no city to dwell in. 
 
 " Hungry and thirsty their souls fainted within them. 
 Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he 
 delivered them out of their distresses. 
 
 " And he led them forth by the right way that they 
 might go to a city of habitation. 
 
 " Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his good- 
 ness, and for his wonderful works to the children of 
 men." 
 
 It was a clear, cold night, on the Eagle Tail Kiver, 
 after a long fast, and a dreary walk, our men had 
 returned supperless to sleep on their snowy bed, and 
 
102 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 with no prospect of anything to eat in the morning, to 
 refresh them for another day's tramp. It was a standing 
 rule in camp that a rifle discharged between the set of 
 watch at night until daylight, was a signal that Indians 
 were approaching, and this rule had been strictly 
 observed, as a safeguard to the party. I have seen our 
 camp on Salt Creek surrounded with wolves — they even 
 came within its precincts and stole our buffalo meat, 
 but our Delawares would never allow an arm to be dis- 
 charged. On this occasion, Mr. Fuller was on guard, 
 and it was a few days before he gave out. We bad been 
 twenty-four hours without a meal, and as may be sup- 
 posed, he was as hungry as the rest of us ; while patrolling 
 up and down the river on the banks of which we were 
 encamped, his keen eye discovered a beaver swimming 
 across the stream; he watched it with rifle to his shoul- 
 der, and as it landed, he fired and killed it. 
 
 The sudden discharge of a rifle during a still night, 
 under overhanging mountains, and in the valley of the 
 river where we expected to find Indians, made a tre- 
 mendous explosion. The sound reverberated along the 
 rocks, and was re-echoed by the valley. Instantly the 
 whole camp was on duty. Col. Fremont who had been 
 making astronomical observations, had but a few mo- 
 ments previously retired to rest. He rushed out of his 
 lodge, completely armed, the party assembled around 
 it and all were filled with the utmost anxiety and alarm. 
 "We did not know the number or character of the 
 enemy, but we were all prepared to do battle to the 
 death. In a few moments, one of the Delawares ap- 
 proached camp dragging after him an immense beaver, 
 which he said Mr. Fuller had killed for breakfast. The 
 sight of something to eat, instead of something to fight, 
 
A FALSE ALARM. 103 
 
 created quite a revolution of feeling; and taking into 
 consideration the extremity, which caused Mr. Fuller 
 to break through the rule, Col. Fremont passed it off 
 quietly enough. Poor Fuller did not realize the excited 
 condition of the camp, until he was relieved from duty. 
 Our beaver was dressed for breakfast, when Fuller told 
 Col. Fremont that he was so anxious and delighted at 
 seeing the beaver, that he entirely forgot the rule of 
 the camp. 
 
104 TRAVELS AND ADVENTUKKS IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Divide between Grand and Green River— Capt. Gunnison's Trail— Without Water- 
 Formation of the Country— Castellated Bluffs— Green River Indians — Crossing of the 
 Green River— Interview with Indians — Disappointment — Grass-seed — Manner of 
 Preparing it for Food — Horse Purchased— Starving Condition of the Whites— Incident 
 Exhibiting the Moral Dishonesty of one of the Men — Name not Published — Dinner 
 on Porcupine — "Living Graves" — Tempestuous Night — Reflections on Guard — No 
 Grass — Frozen Horse Liver — Blunted Feelings. 
 
 The divide between Grand River and the Green 
 River, (the eastern and western forks of the Colorado) 
 is barren and sterile to a degree. At the season 
 that we crossed, there was no water between the two 
 rivers, a distance of about forty miles. Capt. Gunni- 
 son's wagon trail was still plainly visible at the crossing 
 of a gully, now however without water. 
 
 That party must have had great difficulty in transport- 
 ing their wagons across it. From its appearance, a tre- 
 mendous body of water must have forced a passage 
 through the gully, at that time. Dwarf artemisia grows 
 sparsely on this sandstone formation. 
 
 At the roots of the artemisia still remained small 
 quantities of dry powdered snow. To allay my thirst, I 
 have put my head under the bush, and lapped the snow 
 with my tongue. The descent into the valley of the 
 Green River was over most dangerous projections of 
 different strata of rock, thrown into its present state by 
 some convulsion of nature. 
 
GRASS-SEED FOR FOOD. 105 
 
 When we arrived at the river, we saw on the high 
 sand bluffs, on the opposite side, several Indians, whose 
 numbers soon increased. As our party was much ex- 
 hausted for want of wholesome food, we were buoyed 
 up with hopes that we could obtain supplies from them. 
 
 We crossed the river, and were conducted by the In- 
 dians to a fertile spot on the western bank of it, where 
 their village was. We found that they lived on no- 
 thing else but grass-seed, which they collected in the 
 fall. Their women parch it, and grind it between 
 stones. In this manner it is very palatable, and tastes 
 very much like roasted peanuts. 
 
 This, their only article of food, was very scarce, and 
 we could procure only a small supply. I parted with 
 everything out of my daguerreotype boxes that I did 
 not require, and several articles of necessary clothing, 
 for about a quart of it. It is very nourishing, and very 
 easy of digestion. The quantity I had, lasted me for 
 three days. I made a hearty meal of it the night we 
 camped among them. 
 
 To the sustaining proporties of this cereal, I firmly 
 believe, I owe the strength which enabled me to un- 
 dergo the physical exertion that was required to reach 
 the settlements. 
 
 Each man procured a more or less quantity. 
 
 Col. Fremont purchased a lame horse, in very good 
 condition, which was slaughtered at this camp ; and an 
 incident occurred which proved to me the real character 
 of one of my companions. 
 
 At the killing of this horse, nearly all the men were 
 
 present. They had not tasted food for nearly two days, 
 
 and were, consequently, ravenous, and thought of 
 
 nothing else but satisfying the cravings of hunger. 
 
 5* 
 
106 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 As soon as the horse was slaughtered, without excep- 
 tion, every one cut off a piece, and roasted it at the 
 different camp fires. This was contrary to camp dis- 
 cipline ; and, a complaint was made to Col. Fremont, 
 
 by one of the Delawares, of what was going on, Mr. 
 
 was among the first to cut off pieces from the meat, 
 and he devoured larger quantities than the rest of us. 
 When Col. Fremont was approaching, he took his 
 pencil and paper out of his pocket, and seating himself 
 by the fire, appeared to be deeply absorbed in his occu- 
 pation. The rest of us remained where we were, par- 
 taking of the roast. Col. Fremont lectured us all for 
 not waiting until supper, to eat our respective shares, 
 and pointed this " gentleman" out as an exception, and 
 as one who exercised " great self-denial." At the same 
 moment, he had a piece of meat, covered up in the 
 cinders, at his feet ! 
 
 This " gentleman," instead of avowing his complicity, 
 encouraged the mistake of Col. Fremont, by his con- 
 tinued silence. If lie ever reads this journal, he will re- 
 cognize himself, and, probably, not thank me for with- 
 holding his " name" from the public. 
 
 One -of the most tiresome and unpleasant of duties 
 devolves on those of the party who are at the end of 
 the cavalcade. This duty is, driving up the animals 
 which, either from exhaustion or other causes, linger on 
 the road. Stopping on the trail to make daguerreo- 
 types, generally placed me in the rear ; and I have often 
 overtaken the muleteers with a dozen lazy or tired 
 animals, using, in vain, all their endeavors to make 
 them go ahead. As a rule, I always assisted them, 
 sometimes on foot, and in the earlier part of the journey 
 on horseback. When a mule takes a stand, and deter- 
 
RELIEVE THE GUARD. 107 
 
 mines not to budge a step, it requires a man with an 
 extraordinary stock of patience to wait upon his mule- 
 ship's leisure. 
 
 The idea frequently suggested itself, that I should 
 change my professional card-plate, and add instead, my 
 name with " M. D." attached, as significant of my new 
 office. 
 
 DINNER ON PORCUPINE. 
 
 A large porcupine was killed and brought into camp 
 to-day by our Delawares, who placed it on a large fire 
 burning off its quills, leaving a thick hard skin, very 
 like that of a hog. The meat was white, but very fat, 
 it looked very much like pork. My stomach revolted 
 at it, and I sat hungry around our mess, looking at my 
 comrades enjoying it. The animal weighed about 
 thirty pounds. 
 
 RELIEVE THE GUARD. 
 
 I was awakened one night by a rude push from the 
 officer of the guard, who was a huge " Delaware." 
 " Carvalho, go watch horse." " Twelve o'clock." I 
 put my head out of my buffalo robe, and received a pile 
 of fresh snow upon me. I had laid myself down on a 
 snowbank, before a scanty fire of artemisia. I had my 
 clothes on, and wrapped in my buffalo robe, I had 
 sought a few hours sleep until my turn to guard arrived. 
 
 I came into camp exhausted, from a ten mile travel 
 on foot, over an irregular and broken road. I had 
 stopped to make daguerreotypes.; in consequence, I was 
 detained, and did not get to camp until near eight 
 
108 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 With some difficulty I threw off the heavy snow 
 which enveloped me, and soon discovered that a north- 
 east snow storm was furiously raging. The fire was 
 extinguished, and six inches of snow now lay on the 
 ashes. I took hold of my gun from under my buffalo 
 robe, and asked the Delaware, " where the animals 
 were." 
 
 He pointed in the direction, and replied, — " horses on 
 the mountain, one mile away." I looked out, but could 
 not see ten feet ahead. I thought of the remark my 
 good old mother made on a less inclement night, when 
 I was a boy, and wanted to go the play. " I would not 
 let allow a cat to go out in such weather, much less my 
 son." 
 
 Dear soul ! how her heart would have ached for me, 
 if she had known a hundredth part of my sufferings. 
 
 I followed in the direction given me, and succeeded 
 in finding the animals. I relieved my companion, and 
 walking in snow up to my waist, around the animals 
 for two hours, formed my sole occupation. 
 
 There was no grass. The horses and mules were 
 hungry, and whenever they could steal a chance, they 
 would wander out of the corral, and give us trouble to 
 hunt them back ; on this night they were very restless, 
 and gave the guard continual exercise, which was also 
 necessary to keep the life within them ; it was compara- 
 tively easy to walk around in the track ; but when one 
 went astray, every step you took, jdunged you two feet 
 deep in the snow, making it a most tiresome and 
 arduous task. The two hours seemed at least six, before 
 I was relieved, when groping my way down the moun- 
 tain side, I followed the trail to camp ; by this time the 
 last guard had made a fresh fire of artemisia, which 
 
FK0ZEN HOUSE LIVER. 109 
 
 consumes quickly, and burns brightly while consuming. 
 I laid on a fresh pile, and by its light I saw the li vino- 
 graves of my companions; there they lay, with snow 
 underneath them for a bed, and the " cold mantle of 
 death," as it were, above them for a coverlid. 
 
 Cold, tired and hungry, I rested myself before the 
 fire, and warmed my frozen limbs. 
 
 Some little distance from the lire, now covered with 
 snow, lay the frozen meat of the horse we had killed the 
 night before; all in the camp were fast wrapped in 
 sleep. I was the only one awake. Taking out my jack- 
 knife, I approached the pile of meat intended for the 
 men's breakfast, and cutting about a half pound of the 
 liver from it, I returned to the fire, and without waiting 
 to cook it, I consumed it raw — the finer feelings of my 
 nature were superseded by the grosser animal propensi- 
 ties, induced most probably from the character of the 
 food we had been living upon for the last forty days. 
 
 I filled my pipe, and sat wrapped in my robe, enjoy- 
 ing the warmth of my fire, determined to remain by it 
 until my tobacco was consumed. 
 
 The wind, which had been blowing from the N.E., 
 now chopped round to the N.W., dissipating the snow- 
 clouds. The glorious queen of night shone forth in 
 resplendent brilliancy. With the change of wind came 
 an increase of cold — the thermometer, at daylight that 
 morning indicated 20° below zero. One of my feet 
 which was much blistered became numbed, and gave 
 me intense pain. I took off my moccasin, and rubbing 
 my foot in the snow to create circulation, I partially 
 relieved it. 
 
 Finding it more comfortable, lying down, I crept 
 
110 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR "WEST. 
 
 under the snowy robe, and made the comparison of the 
 warm rooms, feather beds, and silken canopies of the 
 St. Nicholas wedding-chamber, with our snow-wreathed 
 pillows, airy rooms, and the starry canopy of heaven. 
 
CARELESS PACKING OF THE MULES. Ill 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Careless Packing of Animals — Mule Missing — Their value as Roadsters — Col. Fremont's 
 Horse gives out — His Humanity Exemplified — Wolf killed for Food — Raven Shot — 
 River Bottom — Original Forest — Large Camp Fires — Terrible Rain Storm — Disagree- 
 able Bed — Darkness — Fires Extinguished — Value of Rain — Glorious Sunrise — Contrast 
 with Home Comforts. 
 
 CARELESS PACKING OF THE MULES. 
 
 From careless packing of the mules, many of our party 
 were often detained on the road. A bale of blankets 
 or buffalo robes, would be displaced while descending 
 some steep mountain ; the mule, finding himself free 
 from his load, would dart off in an opposite direction 
 at full speed ; a chase eusued, sometimes for over an 
 hour before he could be captured, repacked, and again 
 placed on the trail. 
 
 After performing a most arduous and difficult day's 
 journey of fifteen miles, over continuous ranges of 
 snowy ridges, we discovered that the mule on which 
 was packed the bales of red cloth and blankets, intended 
 for trading with the Indians, was missing. The mule- 
 teers did not remember to have seen him during the 
 day. The animal was well trained, and was considered 
 as one of the most willing and docile mules in the lot. 
 ■Two men were sent back to look for him ; it was easy to 
 see if he had left the track, for the snow was unbroken, 
 except on the trail make by our own party. 
 
 The men not returning in good time, we became 
 
112 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 alarmed ; they, however, made their appearance late in 
 the night, with our lost mule ; he was found standing, 
 exactly in the same place where he was packed, behind 
 a tree. 
 
 When the animals were driven out of camp, he was 
 partly out of sight, escaped the vigilance of the men, 
 and remained stationary, until our men found him in 
 the evening ; a lapse of at least twelve hours. 
 
 This incident is related to show the value of Mexican 
 mules as faithful beasts of burthen, on which a great 
 deal of dependence can always be placed. I consider 
 them much preferable for travelling over the plains and 
 mountains ; they possess greater powers of endurance 
 under privations. A mule will thrive on provender, 
 that would starve a horse. If a mule gives out from 
 exhaustion ; with a day's rest, and a good meal, he will 
 start on his journey, and appear as fresh as he ever was ; 
 but if a horse once stops and gives up, it is over with 
 him, he is never fit for travel again. I suppose the noble 
 and willing spirit of the horse, incites him to work until 
 he is incapable of further exertion. 
 
 col. Fremont's horse. * 
 
 Col. Fremont started from Westport with a splendid 
 dark bay horse ; he was the pride of the party ; he was 
 always at the head of the cavalcade, and would some- 
 times look around, as it were disdainfully on his more 
 humble companions. He felt his breeding, and I have 
 no doubt, knew that he was carrying a gallant officer 
 on his back. The Indians on the plains would have 
 stolen him, and the Indians of the mountains would have 
 given half-a-dozen mustangs for him. Mr. Palmer's 
 
col. Fremont's horse. I 1 3 
 
 horse gave out, and, was consequently on foot. AVe 
 had at this time, the Doctors mule, which we called 
 " the Doctor," after he left us at Bent's Fort — run- 
 ning loose, as a spare animal, to cany the scientific 
 apparatus. Col. Fremont the next day, rode the Doc- 
 tor, and mounted Mr. W. II. Palmer on his own horse, 
 which he continued to ride for ten days, until he was so 
 exhausted for want of food, that he stopped on the road, 
 and could not he brought into camp. Mr. Palmer came 
 into camp on foot, and told Col. Fremont that his horse 
 was left about five miles on the road, that it was impos- 
 sible to bring him in. 
 
 I shortly afterwards heard Col. Fremont give orders 
 to the Delaware camp, to send out a couple of men to 
 find the horse and shoot it through the head. He 
 had too much affection for the noble animal, to allow 
 him to become a living sacrifice to the voracious 
 wolves. The finer feelings of his heart seemed to 
 govern all his actions, as well towards man as beast. 
 
 When it became necessary to slaughter our animals 
 for food, I refrained from eating it in the vain hope of 
 hilling game, until exhausted nature demanded recu- 
 peration. I then partook of the strange and forbidden 
 food with much hesitation, and only in small quantities. 
 The taste of young fat horse meat is sweet and nutty, 
 and could scarcely be distinguished from young beef, 
 while that of the animal after it is almost starved to 
 death, is without any flavor ; you know you are eating 
 flesh, but it contains no juices — it serves to sustain life, 
 it contains but little nutritive matter, and one grows 
 poor and emaciated, while living on it alone. Mule 
 meat can hardly be distinguished from horse meat, I 
 never could tell the difference. Dunns: one of the inter- 
 
114 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 vala when we were, from our own imprudence, entirely 
 without food, a Delaware killed a cayotte, brought 
 it into camp, and divided it equally between our messes — 
 my share remained untouched. I had fasted 24 hours, 
 and preferred to remain as many hours longer rather 
 than partake of it. The habits of the horse and mule 
 are clean ; their food consists of grass and grain ; but I 
 was satisfied that my body could receive no benefit from 
 eating the flesh of an animal that lived on carrion. 
 Those who did partake of it were all taken with cramps 
 and vomiting. 
 
 An old raven that had been hovering around us for 
 several days, "to gather the crumbs from the rich 
 man's table," paid at last the penalty of his temerity by 
 receiving a rifle ball through his head. One of the men 
 picked the feathers from its fleshless body and threw the 
 carcass on the ground before us. It lay there unde- 
 vourecl when we left camp. I have no doubt if subse- 
 quently gave employment to a brother raven. 
 
 A RAIN STORM. 
 
 At the close of a long day's journey we descended 
 into a fertile, although unknown, narrow valley, covered 
 with dense forests of trees ; a clear stream of water 
 glided over its rocky bed, in the centre, and im- 
 mense high sandstone mountains enclosed us ; we 
 chose a camp near the entrance of the valley, having 
 deviated from our course, which was over the table land 
 500 feet above us, to obtain wood and water. 
 
 It is not at all improbable that our party were the 
 first white men that ever penetrated into it — it was in 
 reality a primeval forest. Our feet sank deep into the 
 
TEEKIBLE RAIN STORM. 115 
 
 bed of dead leaves, huge trunks of trees in all stages of 
 decay lay strewed around us, while trees of many kinds, 
 were waving aloft their majestic limbs covered with 
 spring foliage, shading our pathway. On the margin 
 of the river grass of good quality grew in abundance, 
 which afforded a delightful meal for our wearied animals. 
 Although there was no snow visible around us, still the 
 weather was cold and raw, the heavens were filled 
 with floating clouds which seemed to increase as the 
 night advanced. Large camp fires were soon burning, 
 and another of our faithful horses was shot for food. 
 
 Selecting as I thought a comfortable place for my 
 sleeping apartment, I made up my bed, placing as usual 
 my India-rubber blanket on the decayed leaves. After 
 supper I laid myself down to rest my exhausted body. 
 
 I had been on foot all day, travelling over a rugged 
 country of volcanic formation, with an apology for 
 moccasins on my lacerated and painful feet. I slept 
 soundly until twelve o'clock, when I felt the cold 
 water insinuating itself between my clothes and body. 
 I uncovered my head, over which I had my robe and 
 blankets, to find it raining fast and steadily. In an 
 hour, I found myself laying in water nearly a foot deep. 
 I could not escape from my present situation. Wrap- 
 ping my India-rubber closely around me, I remained 
 perfectly passive, submitting to the violence of the 
 heaviest and most drenching rain-storm I experienced 
 on the whole journey. 
 
 Darkness reigned supreme. Our camp-fires were 
 extinguished, and but for the occasional ejaculations of 
 our men, only the furious raging of the tempest, and 
 the roar of the streams that came bounding in torrents 
 from the table land above, could be heard. My blank- 
 
116 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 ets and robe became saturated with water, while my 
 clothes were wet to the skin. 
 
 I had ample time to reflect on my position ; but while 
 I experienced much personal inconvenience from the 
 storm, the parched earth, over which we had travelled 
 miles without a drop of water, received fresh sustenance 
 from the refreshing shower. The dry and withered 
 grass on our forward path, would be replaced by young 
 tender shoots for our animals to sustain themselves. It 
 is a happy thing for ns that futurity is impenetrable, 
 else my fond and fragile friends at home would endure 
 more anguish than they do now, in their ignorance of 
 the situation their husband and son is placed in. 
 
 Morning at last dawned, and with it appeared the 
 sun, dissipating the clouds. Our camp equipage was 
 all soaked. The daguerreotype apparatus was unhurt ; 
 my careful precaution always securing it against snow 
 or rain. My polishing buffs I used the next day, when 
 we ascended the mountain ; I found them perfectly dry, 
 and worked successfully with them. We remained late 
 in camp the next morning to dry our blankets, etc. 
 This was the first and only real storm of rain, we en- 
 countered in a six months' journey. 
 
MR. OLIVER FULLER GIVES OUT. 117 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Crippled Condition of the Party — Mr. Oliver Fuller— Mr. Egloffstien — Mr. Fuller gives 
 out — His Inability to Proceed — Mr. Egloffstien and the Author continue on to Camp 
 for Assistance — Col. Fremont sends Frank Dixon after him— Sorrow of the Camp- 
 Mr. Fuller's Non-Appearance — Delawares sent out to Bring the Men in — Return of 
 Frank Almost Frozen — Restoration of Mr. Fuller — Joy of the Men — Serious Thoughts 
 — The Author Prepared to Remain on the Road — His Miraculous Escape. 
 
 Mr. Eglofi'stien, Mr. Fuller, and myself were generally 
 at the end of the train, our scientific duties re- 
 quiring us to stop frequently on the road. Mr. Fuller 
 had been on foot several days before any of the rest of 
 the party, his horse having been the first to give out. 
 On this occasion, we started out of camp together. We 
 were all suffering from the privations we had endured, 
 and, of the three, I was considered the worst off. One 
 of my feet became sore, from walking on the flinty 
 mountains with thin moccasins, and I was very lame in 
 consequence. Mr. Fuller's feet were nearly wholly ex- 
 posed. The last pair of moccasins I had, I gave him a 
 week before ; now his toes were out, and he walked 
 witl i great difficulty over the snow. He never com- 
 plained when we started in the morning, and I was sur- 
 prised when he told me he had " given out." 
 
 "Nonsense, man,'' I said; "let us rest awhile, and 
 we will gather fresh strength." We did so, and at every 
 ten steps he had to stop, until he told us that he could 
 go no further. 
 
118 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 Mr. Fuller was the strongest and largest man in 
 camp when we left Westport, and appeared much bet- 
 ter able to bear the hardships of the journey than any 
 man in it. I was the weakest, and thought ten days 
 before that I would have given out, yet I live to write 
 this history of his sufferings and death, and to pay this 
 tribute to his memory. 
 
 The main body of the camp had preceded us, and 
 they were at least four miles a-head. Both Mr. Egloff- 
 stien and myself offered our personal assistance ; Mr. 
 Fuller leaned upon us, but could not drag one foot after 
 the other — his legs suddenly becoming paralyzed. When 
 we realized his condition, we determined to remain with 
 him ; to this he decidedly objected — "Go on to camp," 
 said he, " and if possible, send me assistance. You can 
 do me no good by remaining, for if you do not reach 
 camp before night, we shall all freeze to death." 
 
 He luckily had strapped to his back his blue blank- 
 ets, which we carefully wrapped around him. In vain 
 we hunted for an old bush or something with which to 
 make a lire — nothing but one vast wilderness of snow 
 was visible. Bidding him an affectionate farewell, and 
 promising to return, we told him not to move off the 
 trail, and to keep awake if possible. 
 
 Limping forward, Egloffstien and myself resumed our 
 travel ; the sun had passed the meridian, and dark clouds 
 overhung us. The night advanced apace, and with it an 
 increase of cold. We stopped often on the road, and 
 with difficulty ascended a high hill, over which the trail 
 led ; from its summit I hoped to see our camp-fires ; my 
 vision was strained to the utmost, but no friendly smoke 
 greeted my longing eyes. The trail lost itself in the 
 dim distance, and a long and weary travel was before 
 
COL. FREMONT SENDS BACK FOR FULLER. 119 
 
 us. Nothing daunted, and inspired by the hope of 
 being able to render succor to our friend, we descended 
 the mountain and followed the trail. 
 
 It now commenced to snow. "We travelled in this 
 manner ten long hours, until we came upon the camp. 
 
 Mr. Egloffstien and self both informed Col. Fremont 
 of the circumstance, and we were told that it was im- 
 possible to send for Mr. Fuller. 
 
 Overcome with sorrow and disappointment, I fell 
 weeping to the ground. In my zeal and anxiety to 
 give assistance to my friend, I never for a moment 
 thought in what manner it was to be rendered. I had 
 forgotten that our few remaining animals were abso- 
 lutely necessary to carry the baggage and scientific 
 apparatus of the expedition, and that, with a furiously- 
 driving snow-storm, it was almost folly to attempt to 
 find the trail. 
 
 While we were speaking at our scanty fire of the 
 unfortunate fate of our comrade, Col. Fremont came out 
 of his lodge, and gave orders that the two best animals 
 in camp should be prepared, together with some cooked 
 horse-meat. He sent them with Frank Dixon, a Mexi- 
 can, back on the trail, to find Mr. Fuller. We supposed 
 him to have been at least five miles from camp. 
 
 There was not a dry eye in camp that whole night. 
 We sat up anxiously awaiting the appearance of Mr. 
 Fuller. Col. Fremont frequently inquired of the guard 
 if Mr. Fuller had come in ? 
 
 Day dawned, and cold and cheerless was the prospect. 
 There being no signs of our friend, Col. Fremont re- 
 marked that it was just what he expected. 
 
 Col. Fremont had allowed his humanity to overcome 
 his better judgment. 
 
120 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 At daylight, Col. Fremont sent out three Delawares 
 to find the missing men ; about ten o'clock one of them 
 returned with Frank Dixon, and the mules ; Frank had 
 lost the trail, he became bewildered in the storm, and 
 sank down in the snow, holding on to the mules. He 
 was badly frozen, and became weaker every day until 
 he got to the settlements. Towards night, the two Dela- 
 wares supporting Mr. Fuller, were seen approaching; he 
 was found by the Delawares awake, but almost senseless 
 from cold and starvation; he was hailed with joy by 
 our whole camp. Col. Fremont as well as the rest of us, 
 rendered him all the assistance in our power ; I poured 
 out the last drop of my alcohol, which I mixed with a 
 little water, and administered it to him. His feet were 
 frozen black to his ancles ; if he had lived to reach 
 the settlements, it is probable he would have had to suf- 
 fer amputation of both feet. 
 
 Situated as we were, in the midst, of mountains of 
 snow, enervated by starvation and disease, without 
 animals to carry us, and a long uncertain distance to 
 travel over an unexplored country ; could any blame be 
 attached to a commander of an expedition, if he were 
 to refuse to send back for a disabled man ? I say, no, 
 none whatever. Twenty-seven of our animals had been 
 killed for food, and the rest were much reduced, and 
 without provender of any kind in view. If this event 
 had occurred six days later, there would have been no 
 animal strong enough to carry Mr. Fuller into camp. 
 
 But suppose he had been disabled while in camp, and 
 unable to proceed, could blame attach to his com- 
 rades if he were deserted, and left to die alone ? This 
 frightful situation was nearly realized on several oc- 
 casions. I again answer, no, not any — the safety of the 
 
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 121 
 
 whole party demanded their immediate extrication 
 from the dangers which surrounded them ; every hour, 
 every minute, in these mountains of snow, but increased 
 their perils; on foot, with almost inaccessible rugged 
 mountains of snow to overcome, with no prospects of 
 food except what our remaining animals might afford — to 
 stop, or remain an indefinite time with a disabled com- 
 rade, was certain death to the whole party, without 
 benefiting him ; his companions being so weak, that 
 they could not carry him along. I made up my mind 
 on one occasion, not to leave camp, my exhausted con- 
 dition reminded me of the great difficulty and bodily 
 pain which I endured, to reach camp the night before. 
 I was fully prepared to remain by myself, and await my 
 fate. I probably should have done so, but for the fond 
 links which bound me to life, exercising a magic influence 
 which inspired me with fresh courage, and determination. 
 If such had been the case, might not my friends, in the 
 excess of their grief have exclaimed, " Alas ! for my 
 poor son, who was left by his companions to perish in 
 the mountains of snow." It would have been difficult 
 to have persuaded my old parents, of the utter impos- 
 sibility of preventing it. They would have attached 
 cruelty, and neglect, to the whole party, and laid their 
 son's death at the door of their leader. 
 
 How is it in war, when the superior force of the enemy 
 demands an immediate retreat by the opposing army, 
 without permitting time to carry the wounded off the 
 field ? How is it with a man who falls overboard during 
 a storm, when imminent peril to the vessel and crew 
 would follow an attempt to rescue him? The life of 
 one must be sacrificed for the safety of the whole. 
 
 6 
 
122 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Author nearly g ; ves Out— Family Portraits— Fresh Courage— Dangerous Situation- 
 Lonely Journey— Darkness— Snow Storm— Arrival at Camp—" Col. Fremont's Tent' 
 —Interview with Col. Fremont— '■ Cache "—Men on Foot — Daguerreotype Appara- 
 tus buried in the Snow— Sperm ( andles— Men Mounted on Baggage Animals- 
 Seveir River Beaver Dams — Modus Operandi of killing Horses for Food — EntraU 
 Soup — Hide and Bones Roasted— Influence of Privation on Human Passions. 
 
 After we crossed the Green Piver, the whole party 
 were on foot. The continued absence of nutritious food 
 made us weaker every day. One of my feet was badly 
 frozen, and I walked with much pain and great diffi- 
 culty ; on this occasion my lameness increased to such a 
 degree, that I was the last man on the trail, and my 
 energy and firmness almost deserted me. Alone, dis- 
 abled, with no possibility of assistance from mortal man 
 I felt that my last hour had come ; I was at the top of 
 a mountain of snow, with not a tree to be seen for 
 miles. Night approached, and I looked in vain in the 
 direction our party had proceeded, for smoke or some 
 indication that our camp was near. Naught but a 
 desert waste of eternal snow met my anxious gaze — 
 faint and almost exhausted, I sat down on the snow- 
 bank, my feet resting in the footsteps of those who had 
 gone before me. I removed from my pocket the minia- 
 tures of my wife and children, to take a last look at 
 them. Their dear smiling faces awakened fresh energy, 
 I had still something to Live for, my death would bring 
 
author's enervated condition. 123 
 
 heavy sorrow and grief to those who looked to me alone 
 for support ; I determined to try and get to camp, I dared 
 nol rest my fatigued body, for to rest was to sleep, and 
 sleep was that eternal repose which wakes only in 
 another world. Offering up a silent prayer, I prepared 
 to proceed. I examined my gun and pistols, so as to be 
 prepared if attacked by wolves or Indians, and resumed 
 my lonely and desolate journey. As the night came 
 on, the cold increased ; and a fearful snow storm blew 
 directly in my face, almost blinding me. Bracing 
 myself as firmly as I could against the blast, I followed 
 the deep trail in the snow, and came into camp about 
 ten o'clock at night. It requires a personal experience 
 to appreciate the intense mental suffering which 1 
 endured that night; it is deeply engraven with bitter 
 anguish on my heart, and not even time can obliterate it. 
 
 Col. Fremont was at the camp fire awaiting my arri- 
 val. He said he knew I was badly off, but felt certain 
 I would come in, although he did not expect me for an 
 hour. 
 
 My haggard appearance sufficiently indicated what I 
 suffered. As I stood by the fire warming my frozen 
 limbs, Col. Fremont put out his hand and touched my 
 breast, giving me a slight push ; I immediately threw 
 back my foot to keep myself from falling. Col. Fremont 
 laughed at me and remarked that I had not "half given 
 out," any man who could act as I did on the occasion, 
 was good for many more miles of travel. He went into 
 his tent, and after my supper of horse soup, he sent for 
 me, and then told me why he played this little joke 
 on me ; it was to prevent my telling my sufferings 
 to the men ; he saw I had a great deal to say, and that 
 no good would result from my communicating it. He 
 
124 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 reviewed our situation, and the enervated condition of 
 the men, our future prospects of getting into settlements, 
 and the necessity there was for mutual encouragement, 
 instead of vain regrets, and despondency ; the difficulties 
 were to be met, and it depended on ourselves, whether 
 we should return to our families, or perish on the moun- 
 tains ; he bade me good night, telling me that in the 
 morning he would endeavor to make some arrangements 
 to mount the men. 
 
 The next day, he called the men together and told 
 them that he had determined to " cache " all the super- 
 fluous baggage of the camp, and mount the men on the 
 baggage animals, as a last resource. Nothing was to be 
 retained but the actual clothing necessary to protect us 
 from the inclemency of the weather. 
 
 A place was prepared in the snow, our large buffalo 
 lodge laid out, and all the pack saddles, bales of cloth 
 and blankets, the travelling bags, and extra clotles of 
 the men, my daguerreotype boxes, containing besides, 
 several valuable scientific intruments, and everything 
 that could possibly be spared, together with the surplus 
 gunpowder and lead, were placed in it, and care- 
 fully covered up with snow, and then quantities of brush 
 to protect it from the Indians. I previously took out six 
 sperm candles from my boxes, and gave them to 
 Lee, the Colonel's servant, in charge; they were subse- 
 quently found most useful. A main station was made 
 at this place, so as to be able to find it if occasion de- 
 manded that w r e should send for them. 
 
 The raon now were all mounted ; a large mule was allot- 
 ted to me, and we again started, rejoicing in having 
 animals to carry us. After this, every horse or mule 
 that gave out, placed a man on foot without the possi- 
 
MANNER OF DIVIDING nORSE MEAT. 125 
 
 bility of procuring others, and it was necessary in 
 consequence of the absence of grass, to allow the 
 mules to travel as light as possible; we therefore re- 
 lieved them frequently by walking as much as we were 
 able. 
 
 BEAVER DAMS ON THE SEVEER RP7ER. 
 
 "When we got to the crossing of the Seveir River, I 
 was almost certain I was within the precincts of civili- 
 zation. I saw numberless large trees cut down near the 
 roots, appearing to have been hewn with an axe ; some 
 of them laid directly across the river ; in one place 
 there wevo three trees lying parallel with each other, 
 evidently intended, I supposed, as a bridge across it; 
 at this spot, the stream was not more than thirty 
 feet wide ; no other indication of civilization being 
 around us, I supposed we occupied an old camping ground 
 of Indians. I was doomed to disappointment again; 
 the beavers had constructed the dams, and cut down the 
 trees, and not until I had closely inspected the work, 
 could I believe that they were not the work of men. 
 
 MANNER OF DIVIDING THE HORSE MEAT. 
 
 "When an animal gave out, he was shot down by the 
 Indians, who immediately cut his throat, and saved the 
 blood in our camp kettle. (The blood I never partook 
 of.) The animal was divided into twenty-two parts as 
 follows: — Two for Col. Fremont and Lee, his cook; 
 ten for the Delaware camp, and ten for ours. Col. 
 Fremont hitherto had messed with his officers ; at 
 this time he requested that we should excuse him, as it 
 
126 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 gave him pain, and called to mind the horrible scenes 
 which had been enacted during his last expedition — he 
 could not see his officers obliged to partake of such dis- 
 gusting food. 
 
 The rule adopted was, that one animal should serve 
 for six meals for the whole party. 
 
 If one gave out in the meantime, of course it was an 
 exception, but otherwise on no consideration was an 
 animal to be slaughtered, for every one that was killed 
 placed one man on foot, and limited our chance of 
 escape from our present situation. 
 
 If the men chose to eat up their six meals in one day, 
 they would have to go without until the time arrived for 
 killing another. 
 
 It frequently happened that the white camp was 
 without food from twenty-four to thirty-six hours, while 
 Col. Fremont and the Delawares always had a meal. 
 
 The latter religiously abstained from encroaching on 
 the portion allotted for another meal while many men 
 of our camp, I may say all of them, not content with 
 their daily portion, would, to satisfy the cravings of 
 hunger, surreptitiously purloin from the pile of meat at 
 different times, sundry pieces thus depriving themselves 
 of each other's allowance. 
 
 The entrails of the horse were well shaken (for we 
 had no water to wash them in) and boiled with snow, 
 producing a highly flavored soup, peculiar to itself, and 
 readily distinguished from the various preparations of 
 the celebrated " Ude" of gastronomic memory. The 
 hide was roasted so as to burn the hair and make it crisp, 
 the hoofs and shins were disposed of by regular rota- 
 tion. 
 
 Our work was never done. When we got to camp 
 
FIFTY DATS ON HORSE MEAT. 127 
 
 all the men off duty, were dispatched to gather firewood 
 to burn during the night. One might be seen with a de- 
 ca} T ed trunk on his shoulder, while a half dozen others 
 were using their combined efforts to bring into camp 
 some dried tree. 
 
 Col. Fremont at times joined the men in this duty — 
 when it was peculiarly difficult in procuring the neces- 
 sary material to prevent us from freezing while we were 
 in camp. 
 
 One night we camped without wood, the country 
 around was a waste of snow ; we laid down in our blank- 
 ets, and slept contentedly till morning, and re-com- 
 menced our journey without any breakfast. 
 
 I have been awakened to go on " guard" in the morn- 
 ing watch, when, looking around me, my companions ap- 
 peared like so many graves, covered with from eight to 
 ten inches of snow. 
 
 Some of our animals would eat the snow, others would 
 not. To keep them alive we had to melt snow in camp 
 kettles and give it them to drink, which process was at- 
 tended with much fatigue and trouble. 
 
 We lived on horse meat fifty days. The passions of 
 the men were so disturbed by their privations, that they 
 were not satisfied with the cook's division of the hide ; 
 but one man turned his back, while another asked him 
 who was to have this piece, and that, and so on, until 
 all was divided, and the same j)rocess was gone through 
 with in the sharing of the delectable horse soup. 
 
128 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 CHAPTER XXL 
 
 Unsuccessful Attempt to Force a Passage in the Mountains — Delawares sent out to 
 Explore — Their Return — Col. Fremont, Capt. Wolff, and Solomon in Council — 
 Unfavorable Report of Capt. Wolff — Col. Fremont's Determination— Astronomical 
 Observations at Midnight — Col. Fremont's Correctness and Skill Illustrated — Tre- 
 mendous Mountains of Snow— Successful Ascent on Foot, without Shoes or Mocca- 
 sins — Tribute to the Genius of Fremont — Col. Fremont's Lodge at Meal-Time — Mr. 
 Oliver Fuller's Death — Sorrow of his Companions — His Last Hours — His Virtues — 
 Indian Camp — Arrival at Parowan — Burial of Mr. Fuller — Author's Physical Condi- 
 tion — Mormon Sympathies — Mr. Heap and his Wives — Mormon Hospitality. 
 
 Four days before we entered the Little Salt Lake Val- 
 ley, we were surrounded by very deep snows ; but as 
 it was necessary to proceed, the whole party started, to 
 penetrate through what appeared to be a pass, on the 
 Warsatch Mountains. The opening to this depression 
 was favorable, and we continued our journey, until the 
 mountains seemed to close around us, the snow in the 
 canon got deeper, and further progress on our present 
 course was impossible. 
 
 It was during this night, while encamped in this deso- 
 late spot, that Col. Fremont called a council of Capt. 
 Wolff and Solomon of the Delawares — they had been sent 
 by Col. Fremont to survey the canon, and surrounding 
 mountains, to see if a passage could be forced. On their 
 return, this council was held ; Capt. Wolff reported it 
 impossible to proceed, as the animals sank over their 
 heads in snow, and he could see no passage out. The 
 mountains which intercepted our path, w r ere covered 
 
ool. Fremont's determination. 129 
 
 with snow four feet deep. The ascent bore an angle of 
 forty -five degrees, and was at least one thousand feet 
 from base to summit. Over this, Captain Wolff said 
 it was also impossible to go. "That is not the point," 
 replied Col. Fremont, " we must cross, the question is, 
 which is most practicable — and how we can do it." 
 
 I was acting as assistant astronomer at this time. After 
 the council, Col. Fremont told me there would be an oc- 
 cultation that night, and he wanted me to assist in making 
 observations. I selected a level spot on the snow, and 
 prepared the artificial horizon. The thermometer indi- 
 cated a very great degree of cold ; and standing almost 
 up to our middle in snow, Col. Fremont remained for 
 hours making observations, first with one star, then with 
 another, until the occupation took place. Our lantern 
 was illuminated with a piece of sperm candle, which I 
 saved from my pandora box, before we buried it ; of 
 my six sperm candles this was the last one. I take 
 some praise to myself for providing some articles 
 which were found most necessary. These candles, for 
 instance, I produced when they were most required, 
 and Col. Fremont little thought where they were pro- 
 cured. 
 
 The next morning, Col. Fremont told me that Paro- 
 wan, a small settlement of Mormons, forty rods square, 
 in the Little Salt Lake Valley, was distant so many 
 miles in a certain direction, immediately over this 
 great mountain of snow ; that in three days he hoped 
 to be in the settlement, and that he intended to go over 
 tlic mountain, at all hazards. 
 
 We commenced the ascent of this tremendous moun- 
 tain, covered as it were, with an icy pall of death, CoL 
 Fremont leading and breaking a path ; the ascent was so 
 
 6* ^ 
 
130 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAK WEST. 
 
 steep and difficult, that it was impossible to keep on our 
 animals ; consequently, we had to lead them, and travel 
 on foot — each man placed his foot in the tracks of the 
 one that preceded him ; the snow was up to the bellies of 
 the animals. In this manner, alternately toiling and rest- 
 ing, we reached the summit, over which our Delawares, 
 who were accustomed to mountain travel, would not of 
 themselves have ventured. When I surveyed the dis- 
 tance, I saw nothing but continued ranges of mountains of 
 everlasting snow, and for the first time, my heart failed 
 me — not that I had lost confidence in our noble leader, 
 but that I felt myself physically unable to overcome 
 the difficulties which appeared before me, and Capt. 
 "Wolff himself told me, that he did not think we could 
 force a passage. We none of us had shoes, boots it 
 was impossible to wear. Some of the men had raw 
 hide strapped round their feet, while others were half 
 covered with worn out stockings and moccasins ; Col. 
 Fremont's moccasins were worn out, and lie was no 
 better off than any of us. 
 
 After we were all rested, Col. Fremont took out his 
 pocket compass, and pointing with his hand in a certain 
 direction, commenced the descent. I could see no mode 
 of extrication, but silently followed the party, winding 
 round the base of one hill, over the side of another, 
 through defiles, and, to all appearance, impassable 
 canons, until the mountains, which were perfectly bare 
 of vegetation, gradually became interspersed with trees. 
 Every half hour, a new snow scape presented itself, and 
 as we overcame each separate mountain, the trees in- 
 creased in number. 
 
 By noon, we were in a defile of the mountains, 
 through which was a dry bed of a creek. We followed 
 
col. fkemont's skill in astronomy. 131 
 
 its winding course, and camped at abont two o'clock in 
 a valley, with plenty of grass. Deer tracks were visible 
 over the snow, which gave fresh life to the men. The 
 Dela wares sallied out to rind some. Col. Fremont 
 promised them, as an incentive to renewed exertions, 
 that he would present to the successful hunter, who 
 brought in a deer, a superior rifle. 
 
 They were out several hours, and Weluchas was seen 
 approaching, with a fine buck across his saddle. 
 
 He received his rew r ard, and we again participated in 
 a dish of wdiolesome food. 
 
 We had now triumphantly overcome the immense 
 mountain, which I do not believe human foot, whether 
 civilized or Indian, had ever before attempted, from its 
 inaccessibility; and on the very day and hour previously 
 indicated by Col. Fremont, he conducted us to the small 
 settlement of Parowan, in Little Salt Lake Valley, which 
 could not be distinguished two miles off, thus proving 
 himself a most correct astronomer and geometrician. . 
 
 Here was no chance work — no guessing — for a devia- 
 tion of one mile, either way, from the true course, "would 
 have plunged the whole party into certain destruction. 
 An island at sea may be seen for forty miles ; a navi- 
 gator makes his calculations, and sails in the direction 
 of the land, which oftentimes extends many miles ; 
 when he sees the land, he directs his course to that por- 
 tion of it where he is bound ; he may have been fifty 
 miles out of his way, but the well-known land being 
 visible from a great distance, he changes his course 
 until he arrives safely in port. 
 
 Not so with a winter travel over trackless mountains 
 of eternal snow, across a continent of such immense 
 
132 TKAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 limits, suffering the privations of cold and hunger, and 
 enervated by disease. 
 
 It seems as if Col. Fremont had been endowed with 
 supernatural powers of vision, and that he penetrated 
 with his keen and powerful eye through the limits of 
 space, and saw the goal to which all his powers had 
 been concentrated to reach. It was a feat of scientific 
 correctness, probably without comparison in the records 
 of the past. His firmness of purpose, determination of 
 character, and confidence in his own powers, exer- 
 cised under such extraordinary circumstances, alone 
 enabled him, successfully, to combat the combination 
 of untoward and unforeseen difficulties which sur- 
 rounded him, and momentarily threatened the annihila- 
 tion of his whole party. 
 
 It is worthy of remark, and goes to show the differ- 
 ence between a person " to the manor born," and one 
 who has " acquired it by purchase." That in all the 
 varied scenes of vicissitude, of suffering and excitement, 
 from various causes, during a voyage when the natural 
 character of a man is sure to be developed, Col. Fre- 
 mont never forgot he was a gentleman ; not an oath, 
 no boisterous ebullutions of temper, when, heaven 
 knows, he had enough to excite it, from the continued 
 blunders of the men. Calmly and collectedly, he gave 
 his orders, and they were invariably fulfilled to the 
 utmost of the men's abilities. To the minds of some 
 men, excited by starvation and cold, the request of an 
 officer is often misconstrued into a command, and resis- 
 tance follows as a natural consequence ; but in no 
 instance was a slight request of his received with any- 
 thing but the promptest obedience. He never wished 
 
BILL OF FAEE. 133 
 
 Lis officers or men to undertake duties which he did not 
 readily share. When we were reduced to rations of 
 dried horse meat, and lie took his scanty meal by him- 
 self, he was, I am sure, actuated by the desire to allow 
 his companions free speech, during meal time ; any 
 animadversion on the abject manner in which we were 
 constrained to live would, no doubt, have vibrated on 
 his sensitive feelings, and to prevent the occurrence of 
 such a thing, he, as it were, banished himself to the 
 loneliness of his own lodge. 
 
 Col. Fremont's lodge, at meal time, when we 
 had good, wholesome buffalo and deer meat pre- 
 sented quite a picturesque appearance. A fire was 
 always burning in the centre ; around it cedar bushes 
 were strewn on which buffalo robes were placed. Sit- 
 ting around, all of us on our hams, cross-legged, with our 
 tin plates and cups at each side of us, we aw T aited pa- 
 tiently the entrance of our several courses ; first came the 
 camp kettle, with buffalo soup, thickened with meat- 
 biscuit, our respective tin plates were filled and replen- 
 ished as often as required. Then came the roast or 
 fry, and sometimes both ; the roast was served on sticks, 
 one end of which was stuck in the ground, from it we 
 each in rotation cut off a piece. Then the fried venison. 
 In those days we lived well, and I always looked for- 
 ward to this social gathering, as the happiest and most 
 intellectually spent hour during the day. Col. Fremont 
 would often entertain us with his adventures on differ- 
 ent expeditions ; and we each tried to make ourselves 
 agreeable. 
 
 Although on the mountains, and away from civiliza- 
 tion, Col. Fremont's lodge was sacred from all and every 
 thing that was immodest, light or trivial ; each and all 
 
134 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES EST THE FAR WEST. 
 
 of us entertained the highest regard for him. The 
 greatest etiquette and deference were always paid to 
 him 4 although he never ostensibly required it. Yet his 
 reserved and unexceptionable deportment, demanded 
 from us the same respect with which w T e were always 
 treated, and which we ever took pleasure in recipro- 
 cating. 
 
 MR. FULLER'S DEATH. 
 
 The death of Mr Fuller filled our camp with deep 
 gloom ; almost at the very hour he passed away, succor 
 was at hand. Our party was met by some Utah 
 Indians, under the chieftainship of Amnion, a brother 
 of the celebrated Wakara, (anglicized Walker) who con- 
 ducted us into the camp on Red Creek Canon. At 
 this spot our camp was informed by Mr. Egloffstien, 
 that our companion in joy and in sorrow, was left to 
 sleep his last sleep on tb^e snows. The announcement 
 took some of us by surprise, although I was prepared 
 for his death at any moment. I assisted him on his 
 mule that morning, and roasted the prickles from some 
 cactus leaves, which we dug from the snow, for his 
 breakfast ; he told me that he was sure he would not 
 survive, and did not want to leave camp. 
 
 A journey like the ouo we had passed through, was 
 calculated to expose the thorough character of indivi- 
 duals ; if there were any imperfections, they were sure 
 to be developed. My friend, Oliver Fuller, passed 
 through the trials of that ordeal victoriously. No vice, 
 or evil propensity made any part of his character. His 
 disposition was mild and amiable, and generous to a 
 fault. Slow to take offence, yet firm and courageous as 
 
 4* 
 
TRIBUTE TO HK. FULLEK. 135 
 
 a lion ; lie bore his trials without a murmur, and per- 
 formed his duties as assistant astronomer and engineer 
 to the hour he was stricken down. After he was unable 
 to walk, he received the assistance of every man in 
 camp. 
 
 His companions who were suffering- dreadfully, though 
 not to such an imminent degree, voluntarily deprived 
 themselves of a portion of their small rations of horse 
 meat to increase his meal, as he seemed to require more 
 sustenance than the rest of us. His death was deeply 
 regretted. 
 
 Not having any instruments by which a grave could 
 be dug in the frozen ground, Col. Fremont awaited his 
 arrival at Parowan, from which place he sent out sev- 
 eral men to perform the last sad duties to our lamented 
 friend. 
 
 I was riding side by side with Egloffstien after Mr. 
 Fuller's death, sad and dejected. Turning my eyes on 
 the waste of snow before me, I remarked to my com- 
 panion that I thought we had struck a travelled road. 
 He shook his head despondinglv, replying " that the 
 marks I observed, were the trails from Col. Fremont's 
 lodge poles." Feeling satisfied that I saw certain indi- 
 cations, I stopped my mule, and with very great diffi- 
 culty alighted, and thrust my hand into the snow, when 
 to my great delight I distinctly felt the ruts caused by 
 wagon wheels. I was then perfectly staisfied that we 
 were ''saved!" The great revulsion of feeling from 
 intense despair to a reasonable hope, is impossible to be 
 described ; from that moment, however, my strength 
 perceptibly left me, and I felt myself gradually breaking 
 up. The nearer I approached the settlement, the less 
 energy I had at my command ; and I felt so totally 
 
136 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES EST THE FAR WEST. 
 
 incapable of continuing, that I told Col. Fremont, half 
 an hour before we reached Parowan, that. he would 
 have to leave me there ; when I was actually in the 
 town, and surrounded with white men, women and 
 children, paroxysms of tears followed each other, and I 
 fell down on the snow perfectly overcome. 
 
 I was conducted by a Mr. Heap to his dwelling, 
 where I was treated hospitably. I was mistaken for an 
 Indian by the people of Parowan. My hair was long, 
 and had not known a comb for a month, my face was 
 unwashed, and ground in with the collected dirt of a 
 similar period. Emaciated to a degree, my eyes sunken, 
 and clothes all torn into tatters from hunting our ani- 
 mals through the brush. My hands were in a dreadful 
 state ; my fingers were frost-bitten, and split at every 
 joint ; and suffering at the same time from diarrhoea, and 
 symptoms of scurvy, which broke out on me at Salt 
 Lake City afterwards. I was in a situation truly to be 
 pitied, and I do not wonder that the sympathies of the 
 Mormons were excited in our favor, for my personal 
 appearance being but a reflection of the whole party, 
 we were indeed legitimate subjects for the exercise of 
 the finer feelings of nature. When I entered Mr. 
 Heap's house I saw three beautiful children. I covered 
 my eyes and wept for joy to think I might yet be re- 
 stored to embrace my own. 
 
 During the day I submitted to the operation of hav- 
 *ing my face and hands washed, and my hair cut and 
 combed. Our combs might have been lost, and this 
 would account for the condition of our hair, but how 
 about the dirty faces? Alas, we had no water, nothing 
 but frozen snow; and although we laved our faces with 
 it, we had no towels to wipe with, and the dirt dried in. 
 
ME. HEAP AND HIS THREE WIVES. 13 T 
 
 Mr. Heap was the first Mormon I ever spoke to, and 
 although I had heard and read of them, I never contem- 
 plated realizing the fact that I would have occasion 
 to be indebted to Mormons for much kindness and 
 attention, and be thrown entirely among them for 
 months. 
 
 It was hinted to me that Mr. Heap had two wives ; 
 I saw two matrons in his house, both performing to inter- 1 
 esting infants the duties of maternity; but I could 
 hardly realize the fact that two wives could be recon- 
 ciled to live together in one house. I asked Mr. Heap 
 if both these ladies were his wives, he told me they 
 were. On conversing with them subsequently, I dis- 
 covered that they were sisters, and that there originally 
 were three sets of children ; one mother was deceased, 
 and she was also a sister. Mr. Heap had married 
 three sisters, and there were living children from them 
 all. I thought of that command in the bible, — "Thou 
 shalt not take a wife's sister, to vex her." But it was 
 no business of mine to discuss theology or morality with 
 them — they thought it right. 
 
 These two females performed all the duties which de- 
 volve on a country home. One of them milked the cow, 
 churned the butter, and baked the bread ; while the 
 other cared for the children, attended to the making, 
 washing, and ironing of the clothes. Mr. Heap was an 
 Englishman, and his wives were also natives of London. 
 Mr. Heap was a shoemaker by trade, and a preacher 
 by divine inspiration. Mammon was the god he wor- 
 shipped, for he gave away nothing without an equiva- 
 lent — not even a piece of old cloth to line a pair of 
 moccasins with. His wives differed from him in this 
 respect, daily they furnished " Shirt-cup," the "Utah," 
 
138 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 with everything edible, for numbers of miserable Indians 
 who surrounded their door. The eldest in particular, 
 was a kind-hearted woman ; they all, however, showed 
 me as much attention as they could afford, for one 
 dollar and fifty cents a day, which amount Col. Fremont 
 paid for my board while with them, a period of fourteen 
 days. 
 
60J0TTRN AT PAE0WAN. 139 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Sojourn at Parowan — Colonel Fremont refits his Expedition — Illness of the Author — 
 His Inabillity to Proceed— Takes Leave of Col. Fremont — Mr. Egloffstien and the 
 Author leave to go to Great Salt Lake City in a Wagon — Col. Fremont's Departure — 
 Mormons for Conference — Arrival at Salt Lake City — Massacre of Capt. Gunnison — 
 Interview with Lieut. Beckwith— Mr. Egloffstien appointed Topographical Engi- 
 neer — Painting Materials — Kinkead and Livingston — Brigham Young — Governor's 
 Residence — Apology for Mormonism among the Masses — Their previous Ignorance of 
 the Practice of Polygamy. 
 
 I remained from the Stli to the 21st February at Pa- 
 rowan. I was very ill during the whole time ; I was so 
 much enervated by diarrhoea, that my physician advised 
 me not to accompany the expedition ; the exertion of 
 riding on horseback would have completely prostrated 
 me, my digestive organs were so much weakened, and 
 impaired, by the irregular living on horse meat, without 
 salt or vegetables, that I was fearful that I should never 
 recover. Col. Fremont was very anxious for me to con- 
 tinue, but yielded to the necessity of my remaining; he 
 supplied me with means to reach home, and on the same 
 day lie bade me farewell, to continue his journey over 
 the Sierra Nevada, I left for great Salt Lake City, in a 
 wagon belonging to one of a large company of Mormons. 
 who were on their way to " Conference." I was so weak, 
 that I had to be lifted in and out like a child. To the 
 kind attentions of Mr. Henry Lunt, President of Cedar 
 City, Coal Creek, ami his lady, I was indebted for some 
 necessaries, viz. — sugar, tea and coffee, which it was im- 
 
140 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAB WEST. 
 
 possible to purchase ; they also offered me the use of 
 their wagon, which was better adapted to an invalid, 
 than the one I occupied. Mr. Egloffstien also accom- 
 panied me ; his physical condition being similar to my 
 own, he could not continue with Col. Fremont ; he 
 successfully managed, notwithstanding his illness, to 
 make topographical notes all the way to Great Salt 
 Lake City, a distance of three hundred miles, which 
 we accomplished in ten days, passing through all 
 the different Mormon settlements on the road, par- 
 ticulars of which I shall give in my journal, from 
 Salt Lake City. We arrived at Great Salt Lake City 
 on the night of the 1st of March 1851, and took lodg- 
 ings at Blair's hotel ; in the morning I learned that 
 Lieut. Beckwith and Captain Morris, with the rem- 
 nant of Captain Gunnison's expedition, were hyber- 
 nating in the city. I called on Lieut. Beckwith, 
 who invited me and my friend to mess at their table, 
 at E. T. Benson's, one of the Mormon apostles, which 
 I gladly accepted, and that night I found myself once 
 more associating with intelligent gentlemen. The arri- 
 val of my friend Egloffstein, proved very timely; the 
 massacre of the lamented Captain Gunnison and his 
 officers, deprived Lieut. Beckwith of the services of 
 their topographical engineer, to which situation Mr. 
 Egloffstein w T as immediately appointed, and Lieut. 
 Beckwith generously invited me to accompany the 
 expedition, free of any expense, which I respectfully 
 declined, as I intended to reach California by the 
 Southern route, over the trail of Colonel Fremont, 
 in 1813. To the kindness of Lieut. Beckwith 1 was 
 also indebted for a supply of painting materials, which 
 I could not have procured elsewhere, and by the use of 
 
SALT LAKE CITY. 141 
 
 which, I was enabled to successfully" prosecute ray 
 profession, during my residence in that city. 
 
 Messrs. Kincaid and Livingston, cashed Col. Fremont's 
 bills on California, without any discount, and contribu- 
 ted many luxuries which were not on sale, and I feel 
 deeply grateful to them for their disinterested friendship. 
 After I was comfortably settled, I called on Governor 
 Young, and was received by him with marked attention. 
 He tendered me the use of all his philosophical instru- 
 ments and access to a large and valuable library. 
 
 The court-house of the city of the Great Salt Lake 
 lies in 40° 45' 44" K Lat. Ill 26' 31" W. Longitude, 
 and the city covers an area of four square miles, it is 
 laid out at right angles. The principal business streets 
 run due north and south, a delicious stream of water 
 flows through the centre of the city, this is subdivided 
 into murmuring rivulets on either side of all the streets. 
 The water coming directly from the mountains, is always 
 pure and fresh, affording this most useful element in 
 any quantity, and within reach of every one, besides 
 creating a healthful influence in the city. Cotton-wood 
 trees grow on the main stream, and saplings had just 
 been planted while I was there, on the sides of the 
 streets. Most of the dwelling houses are built a little 
 distance from the side-walk, and to each dwelling is ap- 
 propriated an acre and a quarter of ground, for garden- 
 ing purposes. 
 
 Salt Lake Valley runs east and west, and the city is 
 immediately at the base of a high range of mountains. 
 An adobe wall, twelve feet high, six feet at the base, 
 tapering upwards to 2-J feet, entirely surrounds the city, 
 enclosing an immense area of ground for pasturage, etc., 
 thus protecting the people aud cattle fr-^u the aggressions 
 
142 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 of Indians. The Timpanagos mountains are near the 
 city: "Emigration Canon" is the gate (a low de- 
 pression in the mountains) through which the great tide 
 of emigration flows into the Valley of Great Salt Lake. 
 
 The River Jordan runs through the valley and. 
 empties into Great Salt Lake. The city is thirty miles 
 from the Lake, and the valley is entirely surrounded 
 with high mountains topped with snow, winter and 
 summer. 
 
 The governor's residence, a large wooden building of 
 sufficient capacity to contain his extensive family — nine- 
 teen wives and thirty-three children, was nearly finished. 
 I made a daguerreotype view of it, and also a drawing. 
 
 The court house is a large square building, on the 
 east side, opposite the Temple square. 
 
 The post office occupies the corner on the south side. 
 
 The Tabernacle, an unpretending one story building, 
 occupies a portion of the Temple square. 
 
 The Temple is in course of building — the foundation 
 is laid — and I was allowed to see the plan projected by 
 a Mr. Angell, who by inspiration has succeeded in pro- 
 ducing an exact model of the one used by the Mel- 
 chizedek Priesthood, in older times. 
 
 The theatre, a well built modern building, is opposite 
 to the governor's house on the north, and is the property 
 of the church as are all the public buildings. I may 
 say all the real estate in the valley is the property of 
 the church, for proprietors have only an interest in 
 property so long as they are members of the Mormon 
 Church, and reside in the valley. The moment they 
 leave or apostatize, they are obliged to abandon their 
 property, and are precluded from selling it, or if they 
 do give the bill of sale it is not valid — it is not tenable 
 
MORALITY OF THE MORMONS. 143 
 
 by the purchaser. This arrangement was proposed by 
 the governor and council, at the conference which took 
 place during my residence among them in 1854, and 
 thousands of property holders subsequently deeded their 
 houses and lands to the church, in perpetuity. 
 
 Under the operation of this law, nobody but Mor- 
 mons can hold property in Great Salt Lake City. There 
 are numbers of citizens who are not Mormons, who rent 
 properties ; but there is no property for sale — a most 
 politic course on the part of the Mormons — for in case 
 of a railroad being established between the two oceans, 
 Great Salt Lake City must be the half way stopping 
 place, and the city will be kept purified from taverns 
 and grog shops at every corner of the street. Another 
 city will have to be built some distance from them, for 
 they have determined to keep themselves distinct from 
 the vices of civilization. During a residence of ten 
 weeks in Great Salt Lake City, and my observations in 
 all their various settlements, amongst a homogeneous 
 population of over seventy-five thousand inhabitants, it 
 is worthy of record, that I never heard any obscene or 
 improper language ; never saw a man drunk ; never 
 had my attention called to the exhibition of vice of any 
 sort. There are no gambling houses, grog shops, or 
 buildings of ill fame, in all their settlements. They 
 preach morality in their churches and from their stands, 
 and what is as strange as it is true, the people practise 
 it, and religiously believe their salvation depends on ful- 
 filling the behests of the religion they have adopted. 
 
 The masses are sincere in their belief, if they are in- 
 credulous, and have been deceived by their leaders, the 
 sin, if any, rests on them. I firmly believe the people 
 to be honest, and imbued with true religious feelings, — 
 
144: TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 and when we take into consideration their general char- 
 acter previously, we cannot but believe in their sin- 
 cerity. Nine-tenths of this vast population are the 
 peasantry of Scotland, England and Wales, originally 
 brought up with religious feelings at Protestant parish 
 churches. I observed no Catholic proselytes. They 
 have been induced to emigrate, by the offers of the Mor- 
 mon missionaries to take them free of expense, to their 
 land flowing with milk and honey, where, they are told, 
 the Protestant Christian religion is inculcated in all 
 its purity, and where a farm and house are bestowed 
 gratuitously upon each family. Seduced by this inde- 
 pendence from the state of poverty which surrounds 
 them at home, they take advantage of the opportunity 
 and are baptized into the faith of the "latter day 
 saints," and it is only after their arrival in the Valley 
 that the spiritual wife s} T stem is even mentioned to them. 
 Thousands of families are now in Utah who are as much 
 horrified at the name of polygamy, as the most carefully 
 educated in the enlightened circles of Europe and 
 America. More than two-thirds of this population (at 
 least, this is the ratio of my experience) cannot read or 
 write, and they place implicit faith in their leaders, who, 
 in a pecuniary point of view, have fulfilled their promise ; 
 each and all of them are comfortably provided with land 
 and tenements. The first year they, of course, suffer pri- 
 vations, until they build their houses and reap their 
 crops, yet all their necessities in the meantime are pro- 
 vided for by the church, and in a social point of view, 
 they are much happier than they could ever hope to 
 have been at their native homes. From being tenants 
 at will of an imperious and exacting landlord, they sud- 
 denly become land holders, in their own right — free 
 
APOLOGY FOE MORMONISM. 145 
 
 men, living on free soil, under a free and enlightened 
 government. 
 
 Their religious teachers of Mormonisra, preach to 
 them, as they call it, " Christianity in its purity." With 
 their perfect right to imbibe new religious ideas, I have 
 no wish to interfere, nor has any one. All religions are 
 tolerated, or ought to be, in the United States, and I 
 offer these remarks as an apology for the masses of 
 honest men, many of whom have personally told me, 
 that they were ignorant of the practice of polygamy 
 before their arrival in the Valley, and surrounded as 
 they are, by hostile tribes of Indians, and almost unsur- 
 mountable mountains of snow, they are precluded from 
 returning home, but live among themselves, practicing 
 as well as they know how, the strict principles of virtue 
 and morality. 
 
146 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Governor Brighain Young — Author's Views on Polygamy — Baptismal Ceremony — Doc- 
 trines and Covenants. 
 
 I received a good deal of marked attention from his 
 excellency, Governor Young ; be often called for me to 
 take a drive in his carriage, and invited me to come 
 and live with him, during the time I sojourned there. 
 This invitation I refused, as I wished to be entirely in- 
 dependent to make observations. I told Brigham Young 
 that I was making notes, with a view to publish them. 
 He replied, " Only publish ' facts,' and you may publish 
 as many as you please." I shall, in the succeeding 
 chapters, give personal relations of facts, with altera- 
 tions of names only, not wishing to bring the real actors 
 before the public. I offer them to show up the abuses 
 which a polygamous life must be subjected to, when 
 human passions are allowed free scope, and not subject 
 to laws, either social or moral. I hope to live to see a 
 more wholesome feeling, in this respect, among the 
 leaders of the Mormon Church. A continuation of their 
 present practice must inevitably lead to confusion. 
 
 CEREMONY OF BAPTISM. 
 
 March 30th.-— The weather is very cold, and snow 
 lies on the ground to the depth of six inches. 
 
CEREMONY OF BAPTISM. 147 
 
 A stream of living water, twelve feet wide, fresh from 
 the mountains, runs along between the sidewalk and 
 the road — the Temple Block. Seeing a crowd assem- 
 bled, I approached the spot, and found twelve persons, 
 some of whom had already undergone the ceremony of 
 baptism, and others patiently awaiting. The first im- 
 mersion I saw was of a lady about 18 years of age. The 
 priest who officiated, was standing up to his waist in 
 the stream, with his coat off, and his sleeves rolled up 
 to his elbows. The lady was handed in, and I noticed 
 the shock on her system which a sudden plunge into 
 cold freezing water must naturally have produced. The 
 baptizer placing one hand on her back, the other on her 
 head, repeated the following words: "I am commis- 
 sioned by Jesus Christ to baptize you, in the name of 
 the Father, and Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen." 
 
 He then pushed her over on her back, allowing the 
 water to cover her. She struggled to get out of the 
 water, but her husband remarked that the whole of her 
 head had not been submerged, and insisted that "his 
 wife should be properly baptized." She was conse- 
 quently dipped effectually a second time, and the poor 
 woman finally made her escape, almost frozen. 
 
 The next subject was an old lady of seventy-five 
 years. She tottered into the stream by the aid of her 
 crutch, and underwent the same ceremony. Query : 
 would persons submit to those extraordinary tests if 
 they did not possess faith? 
 
 The third person was a young man of about twenty 
 years, with a calm, placid countenance. He underwent 
 the operation without flinching. His face was the im- 
 personation of faith and purify. I should have liked to 
 have painted him as a study for a " St. John." They 
 
148 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 went each on their respective ways, many of them, I 
 
 dare say, with the seeds of consumption sown at this 
 
 moment, fully determined to live a life of piety and 
 
 virtue. 
 
 * * * * * * 
 
 The men, after baptism, are elders, and are empow- 
 ered to perform the ceremony upon others. They wear 
 an under-garment with distinctive marks upon it, in 
 imitation of the Jews, "who all wear fringes on the 
 borders of their garments, that they may look upon 
 them and remember the commandments of the Lord to 
 do them." — Deuteronomy. 
 
 There are two priesthoods in the Mormon Church : 
 the Melchizedek and the Aaronic, including the Leviti- 
 cal. The office of an elder comes under the Melchize- 
 dek priesthood. It holds the right of presidency, and 
 has power over all the offices in the Church, in all ages 
 of the world, to administer in spiritual things, and has 
 a right to officiate in all offices of the Church. 
 
 The second priesthood is called the Aaronic, because 
 it was conferred upon Aaron and his seed, throughout 
 all their generations. It is secondary to the Melchize- 
 dek, and has power to administer outward ordinances. 
 
 The bishopric is the presidency of this priesthood, 
 and holds the keys or authority of the same. 
 
 No man has a right to this office, to hold the keys of 
 this priesthood, except he be a literal descendant of 
 Aaron. But, as a high priest of the Melchizedek 
 priesthood, he has authority to officiate in the office of 
 bishop, when no literal descendant of Aaron can be 
 found — provided he is called, set apart, and ordained by 
 the presidency of the Melchizedek priesthood. 
 
 The power and authority of the higher, or Melchize- 
 
POLITY OF THK MOKMON CHURCH. 1 !9 
 
 dek, is to hold the keys of all the spiritual blessings 
 of the church — to have the privilege of receiving the 
 mysteries of the kingdom of heaven — to have the 
 heavens opened unto them — to commune with the gene- 
 ral assembly and church of the first born, and to enjoy 
 the communion and presence of God, the Father, and 
 Jesus, the Mediator of the New Covenant. 
 
 The power of the Aaronic priesthood, is to hold the 
 keys of the ministering angels — to administer outward 
 ordinances — the letter of the Gospel — the baptism of 
 repentance, for the remission of sins, agreeable to the 
 covenants and commandments. 
 
 Of necessity, there are presidents growing out of, or 
 appointed from among, those who are ordained to the 
 several offices in these two priesthoods of the Melchize- 
 dek. 
 
 Three presiding high priests, chosen by the body, 
 appointed, ordained and upheld, by the confidence, 
 faith and prayer of the church, these form a quorum of 
 the presidency. There are also twelve apostles, or tra- 
 velling counsellors, especial witnesses of the name of 
 Christ, in all the world ; thus differing from other offices 
 in the church, in the duties of their calling. They also 
 form a quorum equal in authority, to the " three presi- 
 dents." 
 
 The " seventy," are also called to preach the Gospel, 
 and to be the especial witnesses unto the Gentiles, and 
 in all the world, thus differing from other officers in the 
 church, in the duties of their calling. They also form 
 a quorum, equal in authority to the "twelve apostles," 
 and the " three presidents." 
 
 Every decision made by either of these quorums, 
 
150 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 must be by the unanimous voice of the same — that is, 
 every member in each quorum must be agreed to its 
 decisions, in order to make their decisions of the same 
 power or validity, one with the other : a majority may 
 form a quorum, when circumstances render it impossible 
 to be otherwise. These decisions are to be made in 
 righteousness, in holiness and lowliness of heart, meek- 
 ness and long suffering, and in faith, virtue, and know- 
 ledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly-kind- 
 ness and charity. 
 
 In case of an unrighteous decision, it must be brought 
 before a convention of the several quorums, which con- 
 stitute the spiritual authorities of the church — otherwise 
 there is no appeal. 
 
 The Gospel is first to be preached unto the Gentiles, 
 secondly, to the Jews. 
 
 If a president of the high priesthood transgress, he 
 shall be tried before twelve counsellors of that body, 
 and their decision concerning him shall be bind- 
 ing. Thus none shall be exempted from the justice, and 
 the laws of God, that all things may be done according 
 to truth and righteousnes. The duty of the President 
 (Brigham Young), is to preside over the whole church, 
 and to be like Moses. Behold here is wisdom ! to be a 
 seer — a revelator — a translator — and a prophet — having 
 all the gifts of God, which he bestows upon the head of 
 the Church. 
 
 These form a principal part of the ecclesiastical polity 
 of the Mormon Church of latter day saints. 
 
 The above are extracts from the " doctrines and 
 covenants " of the Mormons. 
 
 Polygamy is practised to very great extent among 
 
authok's views on polygamy. 151 
 
 the high-priests and officers of the church. There are 
 thousands of the Mormons, however, who reprobate, 
 and disapprove of it. 
 
 The following questions seem to suggest themselves 
 as bearing upon the polygamy practised by the Mormons. 
 What is their rational plea from revelation as true be- 
 lievers ? Is such a system in conformity thereto — with 
 right reason, and with the requirements of civilized 
 society? "Will it improve the physical powers of man; 
 impart additional mental energy, and increase the pe- 
 riod of human existence % Is it calculated as a wise 
 providence intended, to perpetuate his species ? Does 
 it harmonize with the requisites of peace and justice, 
 and the good order essential to the happiness of all ? In 
 my limited reading of the Scriptures, I find nothing to 
 sanction such a course ; on the contrary, there stands at 
 the offset of the creation a negative prohibition in 
 Gen. ii. 22: "And the rib* which the Lord God 
 had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought 
 her to the man." Verse 23d of same chap. — " And 
 Adam said, this is bone of my bone, and flesh of my 
 flesh, she shall be called woman, because she was taken 
 out of man." 24th : " Therefore shall a man leave his 
 father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, 
 and they" {the two) "shall be one flesh." It is plain, 
 that if more had been required for the purposes of true 
 connubial love and happiness, and of procreation, it 
 would have been given him, or so advised. Let us look 
 at the 13th verse, Oth chap, of Gen. — " In the self same 
 day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ilain, and Japhet, 
 
 * Let them give a rib for every additional wife. 
 
152 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 the sons of 'Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives 
 of his sons with them, in the ark." It is plain, at least, 
 in this instance likewise, that Christian bigamists have 
 but little cause for exultation, for it is doubted whether 
 actions of a similar character to that which the Mor- 
 mons profess, was not one of the prominent vices that 
 occasioned the Deluge. See 6th chap. Gen. from 1st to 
 7th verses, inclusive. Yet they say that they have Scrip- 
 ture authority ! Why, King Solomon had TOO wives 
 and 300 concubines ! But was this evil habit sanc- 
 tioned by any requisite as regarded his standing as a 
 wise King of Israel ? or was it done for the service of 
 the Most High ? for we read in Deut, xvii. 14 : " When 
 thou art come unto the land which the Lord thy God 
 giveth thee, and shall j)ossess it, and shalt dwell therein, 
 and shalt say I will set a ruler over us." 17. " Then 
 shalt this ruler not multiply wives to himself, that his 
 heart turn not away : neither shall he multiply unto 
 himself silver and gold." 
 
 " King Solomon's wives turned his heart." " That his 
 heart was not perfect with the Lord his God." They 
 can have Scriptural authority (another mantle of purity 
 for their profound consideration) for King David's adul- 
 tery with Bethsheba — but, alas ! for human frailty. If 
 we look to those nations where bigamy, or plurality of 
 women prevails, we see men both physically and consti- 
 tutionally enervated — effeminacy of character, and lit- 
 tle or no desire to cultivate those sciences which it is de- 
 signed that the human mind should grasp. They stand 
 still, and have done so for centuries. In contemplating 
 its natural results, and its unhappy tendencies, we are 
 brought to consider the causes that originated, or, more 
 
CONSEQUENCES OF POLYGAMY. 153 
 
 properly, engendered the evil, and we are not at a loss 
 to see that it proceeds from habitual and pampered in- 
 dolence, unreasonable and carnal indulgences, unbri- 
 dled passions, and the consequent inability of the intel- 
 lect to discover this moral failing. What would be the 
 consequence, if all the numerous classes of animated 
 beings (other than man), in the particular of regenera- 
 tion, were unrestricted by the wise ordination of their 
 instinct f The answer would be — frightful havoc and 
 total extinction of their identity. So would it be with 
 man, if his reasoning faculties had not been vouchsafed 
 to him. Thus is he endowed with that quickening 
 judgment to know right from wrong ; and we have 
 demonstration that these powers of the mind are ren- 
 dered lanquid, and often totally destroyed, by the brutal 
 excesses of the sensualist; and no better term can be 
 applied to the bigamist. 
 
 "0 ! had they but the instinct of the dove, 
 And could love as well." 
 
 We will suppose for an instant that this evil was pre 
 valent throughout the earth ; and, for example, let us 
 take a community of 50,000 men and 50,000 women, and 
 class them at a very low estimate, and let us see how it 
 would work ; we take it for granted that the number 
 of the two sexes are equally divided : 
 
 2,000 men take 10 wives each, 20,000 women, which together are 22,000 
 2,000 " 5 " 10,000 " " " 12,000 
 
 1,000 " 2 " 2,000 « " " 8,000 
 
 18,000 " 1 " 18,000 " " " 86,000 
 
 23,000 50,000 73,000 
 
 Here we have, by this moderate calculation of the 
 
 1* 
 
154 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 above community of 100,000, 27,000 men wifeless. The 
 natural consequence of such a state of things will lead, 
 in the first place, to discontent, which would grow into 
 jealousy ; to tumult, ensanguined and civil controversy, 
 moral depravity, and disorganization of all its elements. 
 It might be said that a very great augmentation will en- 
 sue with the growing offspring, but the fair presumption 
 is, that male and female will be equally divided. The 
 27,000 men would, in any case, have to wait for their 
 chance of getting a wife, or wives, until the young folks 
 become marriageable, which would be at the least fif- 
 teen or twenty years (something to try their patience), 
 and most likely then be forestalled by the more youth- 
 ful swains. 
 
 And it is here, in its midst, we must look for confu- 
 sion and the clashing of that near consanguinity, or 
 relationship of blood, which is considered both a divine 
 and moral impediment to marriage ; and in such a 
 motley community, where could be found the purity of 
 domestic intercourse — the sanctity of true affection — 
 the pillow of female delicacy ? 
 
 In every view we take of polygamy, it is a false and 
 vicious system, neither to be reconciled with revelation, 
 with nature, or with reason. It is destructive to society, 
 and to all human progress. 
 
BALL AT SALT LAKE CITY. 155 
 
 CHAPTEK XXIY. 
 
 Grand Ball at Salt Lake City — Etiquette— Culinary Preparations — Cost of Entertain- 
 ment — Author opens the Ball with one of the Wives of the Governor — Beautiful 
 Women — Waltzing and Polkas Prohibited — Mrs. Wheelock — The " Three Graces" — 
 Extraordinary Cotillion — Mormon Wedding — Spiritual Wives — Favorable Impression 
 of the Public Social Life of the Mormons. 
 
 BALL AT SALT LAKE CITY. 
 
 Towards the end of April, 1854, about ten days previous 
 to the departure of Governor Brigham Young, on his 
 annual visit to the southern settlement of Utah, tickets 
 of invitation to a grand ball, were issued in his name. 
 I had the honor to receive one of them. 
 
 If the etiquette of dress, which is a necessary prelimi- 
 nary to the " entre" of her Majesty's drawing-room, had 
 been insisted on in the vestibule of Gov. Young's ball- 
 room, the relation of the following incidents would never 
 have emanated from my pen. 
 
 When I arrived at the great city of the Mormons, I 
 was clad in the tattered garments that I had worn for 
 six months, on the journey across the Rocky Mountains. 
 In vain I applied to every store in Salt Lake City for 
 suitable clothes ; a pair of black pants or a broadcloth 
 coat was not to be purchased. I, however, succeeded 
 in having a pair of stout cassimere pants made for my 
 intended journey to California ; and a gentleman by the 
 name of Addoms, a merchant from Cedar street, K. Y. 
 
156 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES EST THE FAR WEST. 
 
 contributed a new coat from his wardrobe. I was 
 indebted to him also for a great deal of kindness and 
 attention during my illness. 
 
 With my striped cassimeres, black frock coat, and a 
 white vest borrowed for the occasion from Capt. Morris, 
 " en regie''' — I was as fashionably attired as any one whom 
 I met during the evening. My friend, Egloffstien, was 
 also invited, but there were no clothes in the city of Salt 
 Lake to fit him ; he had grown so fat and corpulent, 
 that ready-made clothes of his size, would have been 
 unsaleable, consequently, he declined going. 
 
 During the day, extensive culinary preparations were 
 being made at Mr. E. T. Benson's house, where we 
 messed. Mr. Benson had four wives; they were, on 
 this occasion, all engaged ; one making pastry and 
 cakes, another roasting and preparing wild geese and 
 ducks, and garnishing fat hams, etc., while the others 
 were selecting the garments which were to be worn by 
 the ladies on this interesting occasion. 
 
 I could not exactly perceive why such extensive 
 cooking preparations were making ; on enquiry, I 
 learned that in this isolated city, thousands of miles 
 from civilization, and buried, as it were, in the moun- 
 tains, it was a very expensive thing to prepare a supper 
 for a large company, at the cost of a single individual. 
 Sugar was worth 75 cents per pound, and very scarce ; 
 sperm candles, $1.50 per pound, and everything else in 
 proportion. It was expected, and understood, that all 
 families who were invited, should bring their own pro- 
 visions, candles, etc., and contribute for the music. The 
 Governor furnished the ball-room only. 
 
 Strangers, of course, were exceptions to the rule. 
 
 At the appointed hour T made my appearance, chap 
 
AUTHOR OPENS THE BALL WITH MRS. YOUNG. 157 
 
 eroned by Got. Young, who gave me. a general intro- 
 duction. A larger collection of fairer and more beautiful 
 women I never saw in one room. All of them were 
 dressed in white muslin ; some with pink, and others 
 with blue sashes. Flowers were the only ornaments in 
 the hair. The utmost order and strictest decorum pre- 
 vailed. Polkas and waltzing were not danced ; country 
 dances, cotillions, quadrilles, etc., were permitted. 
 
 At the invitation of Gov. Young, I opened the ball 
 with one of his wives. The Governor, with a beautiful 
 partner, stood vis-a-vis. An old fashioned cotillion was 
 danced with much grace by the ladies, and the Gover- 
 nor acquitted himself very well on the " light fantastic 
 toe." 
 
 I singled out from among the galaxy of beauty with 
 which I was surrounded, a Mrs. Wheelock, a lady 
 of great worth, and polished manners ; she had vol- 
 unteered her services as a tragedienne, at different times 
 during my visit to Salt Lake, at the theatre, where she 
 appeared in several difficult impersonations ; I think she 
 excels Miss Julia Dean in her histrionic talent. I 
 had the pleasure of painting Mrs. Wheelock's portrait 
 in the character of " Pauline," in " Claude Melnotte." 
 She was the first wife of her husband, whom she 
 married in England, about eight years before ; her 
 parents, who are estimable people, came over after they 
 had embraced Mormonism. When this lady married, 
 the spiritual wife system, had not yet been revealed. 
 
 Mr. Wheelock is a president of the seventies, and has 
 travelled a great deal in the capacity of missionary ; he 
 had, at this time, three wives, the last one visited the 
 ball as a bride ; I was introduced by Mrs. Wheelock 
 senior, to all of them ; they looked like the three graces 
 
158 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 as they stood in the room, with their arms enfold- 
 ing each other like sisters ; they dwelt together in 
 one house, and the most perfect harmony and affection 
 seemed to exist between them. The last wife was a young 
 girl of seventeen, well educated, and possessing great 
 personal advantages ; her parents and brothers reside 
 in the city. I was invited to the wedding, but was 
 prevented attending from the reason I have before 
 assigned. I requested permission to dance with one 
 of them ; Mr. Wheelock took his new bride, and the 
 cotillion was formed of his three wives and another lady, 
 with their respective partners. It was a most unusual sight 
 to see a man dancing in a cotillion with three wives, 
 balancing first to one, then to the other ; they all enjoyed 
 themselves with the greatest good humor. 
 
 The particulars of the wedding, I had from a lady 
 who was present. It seems that it is necessary before 
 a man can take a second wife, that his first wife should 
 give her consent ; if she refuses, he is prohibited from 
 taking another. In this case, the first wife's consent 
 was obtained ; I will not presume to say whether 
 willingly or unwillingly ; Mrs. W., the elder, possessed 
 great good sense, and her mind was highly cultivated. 
 It may be, she made a virtue of necessity, and yielded 
 the assent on which her future domestic happiness 
 depended, with a good grace. 
 
 She acted as godmother, and gave away the bride. 
 I think on this occasion the Governor performed the 
 ceremony. The second Mrs. Rose Wheelock is a trans- 
 cendently beautiful woman. There is nothing prepossess- 
 ing in the appearance of her husband, and it is a 
 mystery to me, how he could have gained the affec- 
 tions of so many elegant women. Mr. W. was appointed 
 
IMPRESSIONS OF MORMON SOCIETY. 159 
 
 to a mission to Great Britain previous to bis last 
 "sealing,"* and left for the States the day after the ball, 
 he only enjoyed his last wife's society about four days — 
 a very short honey-moon ! 
 
 The lady could have married a more eligible man — 
 She must return to her parents' house to reside, for 
 the three years her husband would be absent ; yet she 
 preferred to be the third wife of a man she loved, and 
 who bore a high character for moralit}', etc., to being 
 the first and only wife of an inconsiderate youth. 
 
 After several rounds of dancing, a march was played 
 by the baud, and a procession formed. I conducted 
 my first partner to the supper room, where I partook of 
 a fine entertainment at the Governor's table. There 
 must have been at least two hundred ladies present, and 
 about one hundred gentlemen. I returned to my 
 quarters at twelve o'clock, most favorably impressed with 
 the exhibition of public society among the Mormons. 
 
 * Sealing is the ceremony of spiritual marriage. 
 
160 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 MORMON EPISODES. 
 
 " Golightly " — His Occupation and Character— Author Patronizes Him— Mrs. Golightly 
 — She thinks Shakspeare did not understand the Passions of Men—" Oh ! Frailty, thy 
 Name is Man !" — Affecting Incident. 
 
 tiie old lady's tale. 
 
 There resided in Great Salt Lake City, in the year 1854, 
 a jolly old Scotchman, who rejoiced in the cognomen 
 of " Golightly," he was a baker by trade, a musician 
 by nature, and a good Mormon by practice. He made 
 first-rate bread, biscuit, and cakes, and cooked to order 
 splendid beefsteaks and mutton chops, as my fellow 
 traveller Egloffstien and myself can fully testify, for we 
 patronized him daily in all the branches of gastronomy, 
 for which he was famous. 
 
 His bakehouse was attached to his shop ; a small 
 house about a rod on one side, was his dwelling, and 
 immediately back of the oven, in the open yard, 
 was a covered wagon, which was used as the parlor 
 and bedchamber of his old wife, and three daughters, 
 aged respectively thirteen, fifteen, and seventeen, and a 
 son of eleven years. 
 
 This old lady I frequently met in my visits to Go 
 lightly's shop, sitting carefully wrapped up, on an old. 
 travelling chest near the fireplace ; she appeared to be 
 
" GOLIGHTLT." 161 
 
 in very bad health, and seldom spoke, yet she often 
 gave expression to deep drawn sighs. The three daugh- 
 ters assisted the father in making biscuit, cakes, etc. 
 
 Golightly was a well informed man, he had been 
 a deist, a methodist, and was now a Mormon from con- 
 viction. I think I may say, that he firmly believed 
 in the tenets of Mormonism, and in the many con- 
 versations I had with him, 1 inferred that his conduct 
 was actuated by principle. He was an active member 
 of a musical association, and performed well on the 
 Kent bugle. 
 
 It was on an occasion when his professional services 
 were required to attend the funeral procession of Bro- 
 ther Willard Richards, editor of the " Deseret News," 
 that I happening in to partake of my usual lunch, I 
 found the old lady sitting in her accustomed place, 
 alone, and she appeared very much depressed ; I asked 
 her the cause of her sighs, etc., when she related to me 
 the following incidents in her life. She was a native of 
 Scotland, and had been married to her husband for a 
 quarter of a century — had borne him twelve children, 
 four of whom were still living. Her husband followed 
 the trade of baker, in Edinburgh, where they lived 
 very happily. She possessed in her own right the snug 
 little house in which they carried on business ; they 
 owed no one, and were well to do in the world. One 
 night her old man went to hear some strange Mormon 
 missionaries preach ; from that hour her troubles com- 
 menced, and they had steadily increased up to the pre- 
 sent time. 
 
 Golightly becoming indoctrinated with the princi- 
 ples of Joseph Smith, had been baptized'. In vain he 
 tried to make his wife change her faith, presbyterian, in 
 
162 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 which she had been brought up. Finding that she 
 would not consent, Golightly determined to emigrate 
 to the valleys of Ephraim, the " laud flowing with milk 
 and honey." To this step also his wife refused to 
 accede, whereupon he sold out his bakery and accumu- 
 lating all the ready money he wanted for his purpose, 
 left his family (not in want, for they had an income suf- 
 ficient to live on), but without a protector, and took 
 passage, along with many others, in a vessel from Liver- 
 pool, bound direct to New York. 
 
 After his arrival in New York, the company pro- 
 ceeded to St. Louis, up the Missouri to Independence, 
 and thence, overland to Salt Lake City, where he 
 arrived in good condition, and with the small means at 
 his command, he built the shop and house in which I 
 found him. He liked his new residence, and made 
 arrangements for his family. He wrote to his wife, 
 requesting her to sell off the property, and come over 
 to the Valley, among the mountains, and join him, as he 
 intended to spend the remainder of his days there. 
 
 When the old lady received this letter, she determined 
 to brave all the dangers of a long voyage across the At- 
 lantic, the perils of the mountains and prairies, and 
 rejoin her beloved old man, with whom she had spent 
 so many hours of happiness, and with whom she deter- 
 mined to end her life. "With the assistance of kind 
 friends, all her effects were converted into money, and 
 she had just £200 with which to commence the jour- 
 ney. 
 
 Her three daughters and a young son accompanied 
 her. Passing over her terrible sea-sickness and difiicul- 
 ties which attended her sea-voyage, she arrived in due 
 time at New York, where she purchased " through " 
 
" MRS. GOLIGHTLY." 163 
 
 tickets for herself and children from one who styled him- 
 self an agent of the Railroad Company. After paying 
 her money and taking seats in the cars, she found 
 she had been cheated by the counterfeit agent, her 
 tickets were perfectly worthless ; the kind-hearted con- 
 ductor, in consequence, gave her free passage to St. 
 Louis, at which place she embarked on board the 
 steamboat for Independence, to join a caravan of immi- 
 grants, who were also on the way to the " Valley." 
 
 At Independence she purchased two good horses and 
 the wagon which was then at the door, together with all 
 the necessary provisions and clothing for a five-months' 
 journey. Her outfit cost her nearly all the money 
 she had left ; but not requiring to spend more before 
 she got to the Valley, she made herself easy on that 
 score. The continual state of excitement which she had 
 been in from the time she sold out at Edinburgh, with 
 her illness on board ship, superinduced by old age, etc., 
 gave her the dropsy. Her daughters took it by turns 
 to drive the team, and her kind fellow-travellers har- 
 nessed up the horses, and attended to the arduous duties 
 of camp-travelling. 
 
 Suffering in mind and body, the caravan arrived at 
 " Fort Laramie," where they met some teamsters who 
 were on their return to the States. Our old lady, whose 
 anxiety to embrace her husband increased, the nearer 
 she approached the place he was in, was induced to 
 inquire of one of these teamsters if he knew Mr. Go- 
 lightly, in Salt Lake City ? He answered, that he did, 
 he had purchased his bread and crackers from him only 
 a month ago. " Golightly and his wife were both well, 
 and liimg very comfortably !" 
 
164 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR "WEST. 
 
 " Surely, toon, you mak a mistake ; ' Golightly ' has 
 na itlier wife but me." 
 
 The man insisted that he had taken a spiritual wife. 
 
 " A ' spiritual wife ' — I dinna ken the kind." 
 
 Our old lady had of course never heard, that poly- 
 gamy was practised as a part of the religion of the Mor- 
 mons. She treated the report of the teamster as a 
 mistake, and supposed he meant that Golightly had 
 hired a servant girl, to do the work ot the house. 
 Under this impression, she resumed her journey. Bat, 
 poor woman, what was her sorrow and agony, to find on 
 her arrival at Salt Lake that the husband of her 
 youth, he for whom she had just submitted to such an 
 unheard-of sacrifice of personal comfort, at her age ; the 
 father of her children, should have broken faith, and 
 repudiated her ! Heart-broken, and prostrated with dis- 
 ease she fell back in her wagon — in a swoon. Our old 
 Trojan quickly applied restoratives, and endeavored to 
 lift her into the house. " Na, na. my foot shall never 
 cross the threshold of the house that contains anither 
 wife ; this wagon shall be my house, and my children's 
 house ; in that, during the bowlings of the winter's 
 blast, or the scorching heat of the summer, will I abide, 
 until death takes me away." All the affection and love 
 of Golightly, returned on again seeing his old wife, he 
 fondled her, and prepared all the nourishment for her 
 with his own hand, and succeeded in pacifying the old 
 lady to submit to circumstances, which, when she found 
 it was a part of the religion, she became more recon- 
 ciled to. 
 
 But the old lady asked me, " Who do you think he 
 married ? Surely nabodie but our auld cook from Edin- 
 
"O FKAILTY, THY NAME IS MAN !" 165' 
 
 burgh ; a dirty wench that I turned out of my house for 
 impertinence ; she followed the old man, and induced 
 him to marry her, telling him that I never intended to 
 come out to him. I have never set my eyes upon her, 
 for she takes good care not to come where I am. It is 
 now more than two years since I arrived, and the 
 preachers have told me that if I would be baptized, I 
 would feel perfectly contented." To please the old man, 
 whom she still loved, she consented, and was immersed 
 in water over her head, on a bitter cold day — but she 
 resumed : " I canna see ony different now, I am only 
 the worse in the body." 
 
 Her daughters are kind and affable girls, they are the 
 sole companions of the mother, who never goes any 
 where out of her wagon, but into the shop. 
 
 I saw Golightly several times after the revelation 
 of his wife, he said it was an " o'er true tale," but his 
 wife ought to know that he did not desert her, he sent 
 for her, and loved her now more than ever, that he only 
 took a spiritual wife, to ensure her eternal salvation ; 
 and also in accordance with his firm convictions, that 
 he was doing right. I took the physician who was 
 attached to the Gunnison expedition to see her, but he 
 pronounced her case hopeless ; and I would not be sur- 
 prised, if ere this she is in that happy country, " where 
 the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at 
 rest." 
 
166 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 MORMON EPISODES. 
 
 Extraordinary Abuses of the Spiritual Wife System — Fanny Littlemore — The Writer 
 paints her Portrait — Her early Life — Attempt by her Parents to force her to marry her 
 Uncle at Nauvoo — Her Escape to St. Louis — She writes to her Lover- — Terry Littlemore 
 — Marriage — Extraordinary Letter — Fanny's Mother exchanges Husbands with her 
 Aunt — Her Father also exchanges Wives with her Uncle — Fanny's journey to Salt 
 Lake — Terry Littlemore hecomes a Mormon — Fanny opposed to Mormonism — Her 
 two Sisters become spiritual Wives of a distinguished Mormon — She meets her Father 
 and Mother in Salt Lake — The Writer becomes acquainted with her Mother and Uncle — 
 His Journey to Parowan with them — Verification. 
 
 The following facts were related to me by a lady residing 
 in Salt Lake City, being interwoven with her life. I give 
 all except the real names of the parties. This history 
 was volunteered during the time I was occupied in 
 painting her own, and her husband's portrait ; I was not 
 bound to secrecy, the parties immediately interested, are 
 all residing at present in Utah. I became afterwards 
 personally known to them, on my journey to Parowan. 
 
 Fanny Oldham, the heroine of our story, was one of 
 several daughters. Her parents were originally presby- 
 terians, to which faith she had been brought up. A few 
 years previous to the commencement of this tale, her 
 parents, as well as other members of her family, became 
 Mormons. The scene opens in Nauvoo, in the year 1842. 
 
 " My parents resided in Nauvoo; my aunt being con- 
 fined, at her own house, with a newly born infant, per- 
 mission was requested of my parents, that I should go 
 
ABUSES OF POLYGAMY. 167 
 
 there on a visit, to assist in the domestic duties of the 
 family, during her illness ; they consented, and I, favora- 
 bly impressed with my aunt's former kindness, willingly 
 went. At this time, I was in my seventeenth year, 
 and although surrounded by Mormons, and hearing 
 nothing else but Mormonism preached, I still retained 
 the religious views in which [ had been educated, and 
 refused to be baptized in their faith. 
 
 " Several days elapsed, after I was domiciled in my 
 aunt's residence, during which time, most marked atten- 
 tions were shown me by my uncle, my aunt's husband ; 
 he would affectionately kiss me for good night, and 
 morning, and I returned his embraces with the affection 
 of a niece. One morning, after my duties had been 
 completed, I went into the parlor, and seated myself on 
 the sofa ; shortly afterwards my uncle came in, and 
 taking a seat next to me, placed his arm rather familiarly 
 around my waist, and pressed me towards him. This 
 unusual demonstration annoyed me, and I endeavored 
 to extricate myself from him, but he held me the tight- 
 er, and attempted to kiss me. Highly indignant at this 
 proceeding, I asked him how he dared to treat me thus ? 
 he replied, ' that as I was to be his little wife, he thought 
 himself privileged to kiss me/ I had never heard of 
 the spiritual wife system, and I could nut but believe 
 he was joking; but he told me in earnest, ' that I was 
 destined by the Almighty to become his wife." I rushed ■ 
 out of the room in tears, and putting on my bonnet, 
 hurried home, as fast as I could. My father, was a man 
 of high temper, and quick to resent an offence ; he was 
 at In line when I got there, but, not daring to tell him of 
 the insult, which had been pul upon me, I went to my 
 mother's chamber, and bursting into tears, revealed to 
 
168 TRAVELS AND ADVENT UKES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 her the scene which had just been enacted at my aunt's 
 house." 
 
 Terry Littlemore was a cousin of Fanny, there had 
 been a reciprocity of sentiment existing between them 
 for years, and their troths were pledged to have been 
 married ere this, but from the opposition they had 
 received from Mr. and Mrs. Oldham, Fanny's parents. 
 Terry was well to do in the world, his moral character 
 unexceptionable, and he could not conceive the reason 
 that he was refused the hand of his cousin Fanny. 
 Finding that his business required his services in a town 
 in Missouri he bade adieu to Fanny, promising to return 
 in a few weeks and marry her even without the consent 
 of her parents. It was during his absence that the 
 scene I have related, took place. 
 
 Mrs. Oldham quietly listened to her daughter, and 
 then told her that " the Prophet Joseph Smith had re- 
 ceived a revelation from Heaven, that certain Mor- 
 mon priests, were to take to themselves spiritual 
 wives, in addition to the one wife they might have. 
 Joseph Smith had lately seen Mrs. Oldham, and had ap- 
 proved of her daughter Fanny, as a wife for Mr. Wilson, 
 Fanny's uncle, and believing as she did in the truth of 
 Joseph Smith, she also approved of the marriage, and 
 forbade her ever to think any more of her cousin, Terry 
 but to prepare herself to marry her uncle in a few days. 
 
 Fanny became horror struck. She had hoped, on the 
 bosom of a fond mother to have wept away the recol- 
 lection of the unnatural and revolting proposal that had 
 been made to her, but what was Fanny' s dismay at 
 hearing: such a decision from her mother. As a last re- 
 sort she sought her father, and on her knees begged him 
 to interfere and prevent the dreadful sacrifice which was 
 
PERSECUTION. 169 
 
 awaiting her. Her father, stern and inflexible with fan- 
 atic zeal, gave her no hope. lie also approved of the 
 marriage, and commanded her to submit, or he would 
 use force. Poor Fanny had just time to reach her 
 chamber when she fell fainting on the floor. When she 
 recovered from her swoon her youngest sister was bend- 
 ing over her, applying restoratives. Neither of her 
 parents had been near her for the two hours she had re- 
 mained insensible. 
 
 Fanny, at the time I saw her, was the most beautiful 
 woman in Utah. Her eyes were dark hazel, a classical 
 nose, high forehead and luxuriant black hair. Her teeth 
 were beautifully white, while her lips and mouth were 
 " rich with sweetness living there." She was the 
 mother of two children, and was 28 years of age. Still 
 she w r as an elegant woman — what must she have been 
 at the commencement of our story? 
 
 This melancholy and horrible scene had passed so 
 rapidly before her, that she had scarcely time to realize 
 her situation. She determined to fly. It was therefore 
 with an aching heart that she surveyed her beautifully 
 arranged chamber for the last time. 
 
 There were no tasseled curtains, or luxurious carpets, 
 no hanging chandeliers, or gilded looking-glasses, but 
 her bed was covered with linen as pjire as her own spot- 
 less breast, and the primitive furniture was adorned with 
 embroidered covers made by her own hands. A sweet 
 little canary, the gift of dear Terry, sent forth a burst of 
 melody when she approached his cage. 
 
 Unbidden tears streamed down her pallid cheeks, and 
 witli an unnatural composure she arranged a little 
 bundle of clothing, which she required on her voyage. 
 Swallowing a cup of tea which her sister had brought 
 
 8 
 
170 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 to her, she nerved herself for the trials she was about to 
 encounter from the wide world. She intended to claim 
 the protection of a married sister, who had lived at St. 
 Louis. She told her young sister, who was ignorant of 
 what had transpired, that she intended returning to 
 her aunt's, and kissing her affectionately, she bade her 
 adieu. 
 
 When she got out of the house, it was near ten o'clock 
 at night ; turning towards the steamboat wharf, she flew 
 down to the boat, and entering the cabin, she told the 
 captain, who was well known to her, that some urgent 
 business demanded that she should go by the first oppor- 
 tunity to St. Louis, and requested him not to inform her 
 family that she was on board. The steamer left the 
 next day, and in good time she arrived at St. Louis. 
 
 Fanny, on reaching St. Louis, immediately repaired 
 to her sister's, who was astonished and unprepared for 
 her arrival. She pressed Fanny to her heart, and wept 
 from very sympathy. Poor Fanny, resting on her 
 sister's bosom, related what had transpired at Nauvoo. 
 Her sister determined to protect her at all hazards, and 
 save her from the horrible fate that awaited her. 
 
 With the sanction of her sister, Fanny the next day 
 wrote to her lover, Terry Littlemore, requesting him to 
 come immediately to St. Louis. In the mean time, she 
 applied herself to her needle, and earned a sufficiency 
 to support herself. 
 
 In the course of a week, Terry Littlemore arrived at 
 St. Louis, and hastening to his cousin Louisa's house, 
 was soon in the arms of his beautiful betrothed. She 
 •related to him the occasion of her flight from ISTauvoo, 
 and then told him she was ready to become his wife, at 
 any moment. Terry, fearing that his uncle would pur- 
 
EXTRAORDINARY DEVELOPMENTS. 171 
 
 sue Fanny so St. Lonis, as soon as he knew her where- 
 abouts, determined to marry immediately, and the next 
 morning they were united in the bonds of wedlock. 
 
 Terry Littlemore was advised to commence business 
 in St. Louis, which he did. He opened a grocery store 
 in partnership with another man, and furnishing a house 
 comfortably, he took home his lovely bride. Fanny 
 Wrote to her parents, after her marriage, informing them 
 of the fact, that they as well as her uncle might know 
 that she was under a husband's protection. 
 
 Fanny and her husband lived happily and comfort- 
 ably. In course of time she presented him with a son. 
 
 After they had been married some time, she received 
 the following letter from her mother : 
 
 Dear Fanny : 
 
 You will be surprised to hear that after living 
 twenty years with your dear father, and bearing him 
 nine children, that we should be separated forever in 
 this world. It was "revealed to both your father and 
 myself by an angel from heaven," that we should 
 separate, as he could not secure my eternal salvation ! 
 Your uncle, whose wife you ought to have been, has 
 been " sealed," to me, as my Spiritual husband, and your 
 father has been " sealed " to your aunt. I have the future 
 care of your uncle's children, and he has the charge of 
 your father's. Both of our families are now making ar- 
 rangements to go across the plains, into some valley 
 beyond the mountains, to seek a future and permanent 
 home, where I hope to see you some of these days. I 
 pray you to receive the farewell of 
 
 Your affectionate mother. 
 
172 TEAVELS AND ADVENTUEES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 On receipt of this extraordinary epistle, Fanny- 
 hastened to her sister Louisa, who had also received a 
 letter, conveying the same intelligence. They threw 
 themselves into each other's arms, and wept over the 
 infatuation and fanaticism, which had branded their 
 parents' names with infamy. 
 
 Terry Littlcmore was offered the lucrative situation 
 of wagon-master, to conduct one hundred wagons and 
 teams, laden with merchandize, etc., from Indepen- 
 dence to Salt Lake. Terry decided to go, and leaving 
 his wife and child in the care of his cousin Louisa, and 
 his business in the joint charge of his wife and partner, 
 took command of this expedition, and after a long jour- 
 ney, arrived safely in Great Salt Lake City, where 
 another uncle held a high position in the church of the 
 latter day saints. Here the future prospects for Terry 
 were bright, and a fortune seemed within his grasp ; he 
 was offered by his uncle, that if he would bring his 
 family out, that he would build him a flour mill, and 
 give him a large tract of ground, besides stock, etc. 
 This offer was most tempting to Terry ; he determined 
 to accept it, and making the necessary arrangements 
 with his uncle, returned home for his family. Fanny at 
 first declined going, but an offer having been made of a 
 very lucrative character, to her sister's husband, which 
 they determined to accept, Fanny not wishing to remain 
 alone, and her husband being resolved to go, she made a 
 virtue of necessity, and acquiesced in his wishes, although 
 she had her fears that she was taking a wrong step. 
 
 Terry Littlemore dissolved partnership, and found 
 he had sunk half the amount he had put in his business, 
 by the carelessness and mismanagement of his partner. 
 
FANNY ARRIVES AT SALT LAKE CITY. 173 
 
 Both families made preparations to travel, and early 
 in the spring of 1849 they started, and with the usual 
 adventures of a journey across the plains, arrived 
 safely in Great Salt Lake City. 
 
 When Fanny arrived, her uncle and family called on 
 her, and conducted her to a comfortable residence. 
 
 She was some months in the city before she would 
 consent to see her mother, who was residing with her 
 Uncle Lorenzo, as husband and wife. Her father, hav- 
 ing had some disagreement with this spiritual wife, left 
 her, and when Fanny arrived he was very badly off. 
 At the time Mrs. Littlemore related to me these extraor- 
 dinary episodes in her life, her father was caring 
 horses and cattle on the pasturage beyond the River 
 Jordan, in the Salt Lake Valley. She is now on affec- 
 tionate terms with her mother. Her husband, Mr. 
 Terry Littlemore, became a Mormon, and was baptized 
 into the faith of the latter day saints. Mrs. Littlemore 
 never became one. She told me her husband will never 
 bring home a spiritual wife while she lives. Her two 
 sisters are spiritual wives of their uncle, who is one of 
 the great lights of the Mormon church. She seemed 
 happy and contented, and enjoys herself. She has all 
 the comforts, and many of the luxuries of life, and her 
 husband is devoted to her ; they live on Mill Creek, 
 some few miles from the city, and Terry is proprietor of 
 a flour mill, and as well-cultivated a farm, as fine teams 
 of horses, as choice stock, and as beautiful and lovely a 
 wife, as any man in Utah. 
 
 I subsequently learned some of the above facts from 
 other sources. Mrs. Littlemore told me very nearly the 
 words and substance of the foregoing, voluntarily. I 
 
174 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 think I remarked that I would write a romance, but the 
 recital of the facts are as tragic, and as improbable as 
 the most improbable romance that ever was written. 
 * Truth is stranger than fiction." 
 
MASSACRE OF LAMPHERE. 175 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 Arrival of the California Mail — Murder of Mr. Lamphere by Indian9 on Santa Clara — Hot 
 Springs — Singular Phenomenon — Hot and Cold Springs— Mica — Sulphur— Plumbago — 
 Rock Salt— Death of Willard B. Richards— Heber C. Kemball— Welsh Colony— Lieut. 
 Beckwith's Departure for California. 
 
 April 16th. — This morning, Messrs. Atwood and Mur- 
 ray arrived with the California mail. They report that 
 one of their party, a Mr. George Lamphere of Chicago, 
 was shot by the Indians, between the Santa Clara and 
 Rio Virgin (Virgin River). It seems that Atwood and 
 Murray saddled their horses and prepared for their day's 
 journey, before Mr. Lamphere had finished his break- 
 fast. They mounted and started, intending to ride 
 slowly along. About an hour after leaving camp, they 
 saw Lamphere's horse galloping, riderless, towards 
 them ; as he approached, they perceived three arrows 
 sticking in his side. They immediately suspected that 
 their companion had been ruthlessly murdered by the 
 Indians. They succeeded in catching the frightened 
 horse, and secured him to a tree ; afterwards they gal- 
 lopped at full speed towards their late camp. They 
 were well armed, and although they were ignorant of 
 the force of the enemy which might be in ambush wait- 
 ing for them, nothing daunted, they dashed forward, 
 and found the dead body of their friend and compan- 
 ion on the road, pierced with a dozen arrows, com- 
 
176 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 pletely stripped of all his clothing. Mr. Lamphere had 
 a large amount of money with him, besides valuable 
 specimens of gold, which he had obtained in Califor- 
 nia — a gold watch, etc. Everything had been stolen 
 by the Indians of the Santa Clara. 
 
 The situation of Murray and Atwood was most criti- 
 cal, as evidently a large force of Indians were in the 
 neighborhood. They recommenced their journey, and 
 travelled at full speed until noon ; encamped, and rested 
 their animals until dark. They made a large fire, so as 
 to show the Indians where their camp was, and, at a 
 killing pace, journeyed all night. The Indians followed 
 them at a distance, with a view to massacre them during 
 the night. When they saw the smoke of the camp fire, 
 they also encamped; and as their usual hour of sur- 
 rounding a camp was just before day, when men are 
 supposed to sleep soundest, they also rested from their 
 fatiguing ride ; but the next morning the birds had flown, 
 and were forty miles distant from them. These gentle- 
 men arrived at Parowan, with their animals perfectly 
 lame, and useless for continuing their journey to Great 
 Salt Lake City. They there procured fresh ones, and 
 arrived safely. From their own lips, I heard the recital 
 of the above melancholy catastrophe. 
 
 I was about to travel over this same road, and was 
 fully alive to the dangers which might beset me; but I 
 had to get to the sea-board, and as the party with 
 whom I intended to travel were well armed, and com- 
 posed of twenty-three able-bodied men, I felt just as 
 secure as I would have felt on any other line of road. 
 
MINERALS OF UTAH. 
 
 177 
 
 PHENOMENON OF A HOT AND COLD LAKE. 
 
 About ten miles north of Salt Lake City, there are 
 two springs close together, one salt and cold, the other 
 fresh and hot; these springs unite at some distance, and 
 form a lake of 400 feet in diameter— one portion of the 
 water is hot, and the other cold, and is so all the year 
 round. 
 
 It was said by the gentleman who described them to 
 me, that he bathed in this lake, and that one part of his 
 body was in the cold water, while the other was in 
 water quite hot. 
 
 ******* 
 In the mountains around Salt Lake City, mica is 
 found in large masses. I saw one block in the city, 
 several feet "square, which was perfectly transparent. 
 It is used as a substitute for window-glass, in some of 
 the houses of the Mormons. 
 
 Plumbago of superior quality is found on Coal Creek ; 
 and saleratus is procured in quantities from Juab Val- 
 ley. Alum and sulphur abound in the different valleys 
 
 of Utah. 
 
 ******* 
 The death of Willard B. Eichards, one of the chief 
 members of the presidency, and editor of the Deseret 
 News, threw a gloom over the whole community. I 
 attended his funeral. His excellency the Governor, was 
 too unwell to officiate, but several funeral sermons were 
 preached at the house. He was one of the earliest, and 
 most valuable members of the church of the latter day 
 saints. 
 
 Mr. Richards left quite a number of widows, I could 
 8* 
 
178 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR "WEST. 
 
 not ascertain exactly how many, but I was credibly 
 informed by a Mormon lad}'-, that she knew six. 
 
 Heber C. Kimball, the next in rank to Brigham 
 Young in the church, is a noble looking man, over six 
 feet, and well proportioned, he speaks fluently, his lan- 
 guage is inornate, and indicates an original mind, with- 
 out cultivation. He is said to have more wives than 
 any man in Utah — the Governor not excepted. 
 
 I learned from a niece of the Governor's, that she 
 knew personally nineteen of his wives, although he had 
 many more. 
 
 The Governor had at the time I was in the city, 
 thirty-three children, including several grown men and 
 women, by his first wife, who is still living with him. 
 I was introduced by his excellency, to eleven of his 
 w T ives, at the different times I visited his residence — all 
 of them are beautiful women. Parley Pratt introduced 
 me to his household, I numbered five or six females, I 
 think he has but six wives. 
 
 Ezra T. Benson, one of the apostles with whom I 
 boarded, has four wives, three are living in the same 
 house with him, and one in a small house, a couple of 
 rods away. He has children by all of them, and they 
 all seemed to live very harmoniously together. I had 
 several conversations with these ladies on the spiritual 
 wife system, they submit to it because they implicitly 
 believe it to be necessary to their salvation. They 
 argue, " Cannot a father love six children? why can he 
 not love six wives ?" I must say, that during a sojourn 
 of near three months in Salt Lake City, I never 
 observed the slightest indications of improper conduct, 
 or lightness, amongst them — neither by conversation or 
 otherwise. Their young ladies are modest, and unas- 
 
LIEUTENANT BECKWTTh's EXPEDITION. 179 
 
 Burning, while their matrons are sedate and stately. 
 Polvgamy is by no means general, there are hundreds 
 of Mormons who have only one wife. 
 
 WELSH SETTLEMENT IN THE MOUNTAINS. 
 
 Indian Walker, an Utah chief, relates, that on two low 
 mountains, situated between the Red and Grand Rivers, 
 there is a colony of white people, who live in rougli 
 stone houses, two stories high, with no windows in the 
 lower story, and accessible only by a ladder. 
 
 These people have an abundance of sheep, and some 
 cattle; they raise grain on the base of the mountain — 
 this statement is corroborated by other Indian testimony. 
 
 Briffham Young says, in reference to the above, that 
 he believes them to have been originally Welsh families, 
 who emigrated many years ago, before the settlement 
 of this country. He told me that he intended to send a 
 company of Mormons to search for the colony. 
 
 May 6th. — The exploring expedition of the late Capt. 
 Gunnison, now under the command of Lieut. Beckwith, 
 with an escort of twenty-four mounted dragoons, under 
 the command of Capt. Morris with orders from the 
 government, left this morning, to explore for a pass in 
 the Sierra Nevada Mountains, on a parallel with Great 
 Salt Lake City. 
 
 My old comjxignon de voyage, Egloffstien, accompa- 
 nied them as engineer. 
 
180 TRAVELS AND ADVENTUKES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 Departure from Great Salt Lake City — Equipments for the Journey — Author Paints 
 Portraits of Gov. Young and Apostles— His Restoration to Health — Snow Storm — 
 Cotton Wood Settlement— Willow Creek — Lehigh — Utah Lake — Snow Storm — Pleas- 
 ant Grove — Provost — Payson. 
 
 Having determined to go to California by the Southern 
 route from Great Salt Lake City, through the settle- 
 ments, and over the trail of Col. Fremont of 1843, 
 which I wanted to illustrate with views, etc., I took 
 advantage of the opportunity which offered on the 6th 
 May, 1854. 
 
 Twenty-three Mormon missionaries, under command 
 of Parley Pratt, were about to proceed over this route 
 to San Bernandino, thence to San Pedro, and the Sand- 
 wich Islands ; at which latter place their religious labors 
 were to be exercised to convert those benighted island- 
 ers to the truths of Mormonism ! It was the season that 
 his excellency the Governor usually paid his annual 
 visit to the different settlements at the South. He had 
 also made extensive preparations for a treaty of peace 
 with the Indians under the chieftainship of Wakara. 
 He proclaimed his intention of accompanying Parley 
 Pratt and his missionaries to Cedar City, the most 
 southern settlement, a distance of 300 miles from Great 
 Salt Lake City. 
 
 At the invitation of Gov. Young, who seemed anxious 
 that I should have a safe escort across the desert, I 
 
AUTHOR STARTS FOR CALIFORNIA. 181 
 
 completed my arrangements, and decided to proceed 
 with this party. 
 
 I purchased a superior riding mule for which I paid, 
 including his shoes, saddle and bridle, etc., one hundred 
 and sixty dollars. My provisions consisted of six boxes of 
 sardines, and one hundred pounds of crackers, made ex- 
 pressly for me by my eccentric friend, Golightly. Luxu- 
 ries, such as butter, eggs, etc., I intended to procure at 
 the settlements below. To the kindness of Mrs. Benson, 
 the elder, I was indebted for four pounds of brown 
 sugar, for which I paid one dollar per pound ; and two 
 pounds of ground coffee, at the same price, — this was a 
 favor, for I could not have procured any at ten dollars 
 a pound elsewhere. My wardrobe had received con- 
 siderable additions at corresponding prices — four dollars 
 for white shirts, two dollars for striped cotton shirts — 
 about four hundred per cent, on prices for the same 
 goods at home. I determined to provide myself with 
 all necessaries. I had some fifteen hundred miles to 
 travel before I reached San Francisco. I found my 
 Pandora's box most valuable on my last journey, and 
 everything that I might require, I put in now, unmind- 
 ful of the cost. On referring to my memorandum when 
 I arrived at San Francisco, I summed up $350 as expen- 
 ses of the journey. I painted several portraits in Great 
 Salt Lake City ; among them w T ere two of Gov. Brig- 
 ham Young; one of Lieut. General Wells, General Fer- 
 guson, Attorney General Seth Blair, Apostle Woodruff, 
 Bishop Smoot, Col. Ferrimore Little and lady, Mrs. 
 AVlieelock, and several others. 
 
 The Governor's party consisted of a large number of 
 wagons, mounted horsemen, etc. They left on the 5th 
 of May, 1854. 1 not being quite ready, having to finish 
 
182 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 a picture, was not able to leave with them. Brigham 
 Young promised to wait for me at Provost City. 
 
 On the 6th of May I mounted my mule, (having pre- 
 viously sent my baggage, provisions, etc., in one of the 
 wagons), and fully armed, and equipped with pocket 
 compass, thermometer, drawing materials, etc., I re- 
 commenced my journey, over the route I had travelled 
 in wagons as an invalid, three months before. I was 
 completely restored to health — I gained the enormous 
 increase of sixty-one pounds. When I arrived at the 
 city I weighed one hundred and one pounds, my usual 
 weight was one hundred and forty-five ; I therefore lost 
 forty-four pounds on the journey, and regained it, with 
 nearly twenty pounds extra. After travelling three miles 
 I was overtaken by a severe snow storm. I stopped at 
 the residence of Bishop Smoot, where I remained all 
 night, and was hospitably entertained by him. It con- 
 tinued snowing until ten o'clock the next morning, when 
 I resumed my journey, and arrived at Cottonwood 
 Settlement. 
 
 This town is eight miles from Great Salt Lake City. 
 It contains one hundred families, who own considerable 
 stock, etc. 
 
 Ten miles further is Willow Creek settlement, con- 
 taining about seventy-five families. Ten miles further 
 south is Lehigh, a fine town, with six hundred inhabi- 
 tants, three hundred head of cattle, one hundred horses, 
 etc. Ten miles distant, is Lake City, on the American 
 fork in Utah Valley, containing one thousand inhabi- 
 tants, five hundred head of cattle, two hundred horses, 
 and one hundred sheep. 
 
 I have taken lodgings here, and feel rather tired with 
 my long day's ride of thirty-five miles. 
 
UTAH LAKE. 183 
 
 Utah Valley is the next, south of Great Salt Lake 
 Valley, and presents a magnificent spectacle from the 
 summit of the pass by which you enter. 
 
 Utali Lake, which you can als<rsee from the heights, 
 is forty -tive miles long, and twelve miles broad. The 
 lake is situated on one side, to the west of the valley. 
 The scenery, which is enlivened by the glistening waters, 
 although grand and sublime in stupendous mountains, 
 flowering vales, abrupt rocky descents, etc., is without 
 timber, except on the creeks which meander from the 
 mountains and entirely surround the valley. Sparse 
 growths of young cottonwood are the only trees I have 
 seen, except in the canons of the mountains, on which 
 grow pines, cedars, and a species of mahogany. 
 
 May 8th. — I awoke this morning and found another 
 snow storm raging, and very disagreeably cold ; but if 
 I allow these trifles to detain me, I shall not be in 
 time to meet the Governor. 
 
 After breakfast I mounted my mule, and in an hour I 
 arrived at Pleasant Grove, containing 300 inhabitants. 
 Passing through, without stopping, I continued my 
 journey, the snow blowing in my face the whole way, 
 until I rode into Provost, a distance of ten miles from 
 Pleasant Grove. I w T as disappointed in finding that his 
 Excellency had departed that morning for " Petetnit," 
 nineteen miles further. I stopped there to dine, gave 
 my mule a good feed, and after warming my almost 
 frozen feet, I jumped into my saddle, determined to ride 
 the nineteen miles before dark. Onward I went, putting 
 my mule to his mettle. He, not minding a gallop, tried 
 to create a circulation. In a couple of hours it cleared 
 up, and at six o'clock I rode into Petetnit. 
 
 Provost City is a large settlement, containing about 
 
184 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 eight hundred and sixty families, equal to five thousand 
 inhabitants, two thousand head of cattle, three thousand 
 sheep, five hundred horses, several woollen manufac- 
 tories and carding machines, shingle machines, two saw- 
 mills, a seminary and several schools, pottery, tannery, 
 etc. Here are five hundred men capable of bearing 
 arms. 
 
 Provost City is built on Provost River, which abounds 
 in salmon trout of delicious flavor and large size. 
 
 Evan M. Green is mayor ; Elias Blackburn, bishop. 
 There are four bishops to this city. 
 
AUTHOR JOINS GOV. YOUNG'S PARTY. 185 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 Join Governor Young and Parley Pratt — Hospitality of the Mormons — Apostle Benson — 
 Petetnit — Xephi — Wakara (Indian Chief) — Wakara's Camp Ground — Brigham Young's 
 Wife — Long Caravan — Arrival at Wakara's Camp — His Refusal to meet the Governor 
 — Treaty of Peace not Concluded — Presents of Cattle, etc., to Wakara — Grand Coun- 
 cil of Indians and Mormons — Speech of an Old Chief — Address of a " San Pete Chief" 
 — Wakara Refuses to Speak — He Dissolves the Council — Reassembling of the Council — 
 Brigham Young's Address — Speech of " Wakara" — Peace Proclaimed — Calumet 
 Smoked — Indian Capture of Children — Brigham Young's Residence. 
 
 Governor Young and party were encamped at the 
 edge of thet own of Petetnit ; when I rode up, I saw the 
 commanding person of the Governor, tow r ering above 
 the crowd of men by whom he was encircled. As soon 
 as he saw me, he approached ; I alighted to greet him, 
 he received me as he always did, in a most cordial 
 manner. After selecting a person to take my mule, he 
 gave me in charge to Mr. Ezra Parrish, with a request to 
 take the best care of me until we were ready to start 
 in the morning. I supped, and then went to the meet- 
 ing, where I heard an elocpiient and feeling exhortation 
 to the people, to practise virtue, and morality. Apostle 
 Benson also preached a sermon on the restoration of 
 Israel to Jerusalem, which would have done honor to a 
 speaker of the Hebrew persuasion ; they call themselves 
 " Ancient Israelites of the order of the Melchizedek 
 priesthood." 
 
 These Mormons are certainly the most earnest 
 
186 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 religionists I have ever been among. It seems to be 
 a constant self-sacrifice with them, which makes me 
 believe the masses of the people honest and sincere, 
 -x- * * * * * 
 
 9th. — This morning I was invited to breakfast with 
 Governor Young and lady. On leaving the hospitable 
 house where I had slept, the host refused to take payment 
 for my supper and lodgings, or for the care of my mule. 
 
 I made arrangements with Parley Pratt's company, to 
 take my provisions and bag of clothes to San Bernandino 
 in a wagon, for " thirty dollars." The day was fine, and 
 we started with an accession of five wagons, and several 
 horsemen to the party. The town of Payson, or Petet- 
 nit, contains one thousand inhabitants, five thousand head 
 of cattle, one hundred and fifty horses, five hundred and 
 fifty sheep, two saw-mills, flour-mill, etc. It is organized 
 as a city, enclosed with a high wall ; the houses are 
 generally built of logs and "adobes,' 1 one story high. 
 We left Payson at nine o'clock, on the 10th May, and 
 camped at noon, on a creek twelve miles S. S. W. from 
 town. 
 
 The country around looks beautifully verdant, brilliant 
 colored flowers cover the plain, and the grass is excel- 
 lent. At five o'clock P. M. we camped before Nephi, 
 which is a large town, containing six hundred men, 
 women, and children; one hundred and fifty men bear- 
 ing arms, six hundred head of cattle, and six hundred 
 sheep, flour-mills, saw-mills, etc. Jos. L. Heywood, 
 president, Josiah Miller mayor. 
 
 The Governor and party, were met by the authorities 
 of the city, I was introduced to the old Patriarch Win. 
 Cazier, who invited me to the hospitalities of his house. 
 Nephi is twenty-six miles from Payson. I attended 
 
INDISCRIMINATE KEVENGE OF THE INDIANS. 187 
 
 meeting tin's morning, and Governor Young addressed 
 the people, exhorting them to be kind and friendly to 
 the Indians, etc. To-morrow we are to have an inter- 
 view with Walker, the Utah Chief. A portion of the 
 cattle intended for him was obtained at this place. 
 The massacre of Captain Gunnison, by the Parvain 
 Indians, caused great excitement among the inhabitants 
 of the villages. The various tribes of Indians, who had, 
 at different times, been wantonly and cruelly shot down, 
 like so many wild beasts, by the American emigrants to 
 California, were now incited to revenge. The first 
 principle inculcated among them was life for life ; it 
 made no difference whether, in their wrath they mas- 
 sacred an innocent, or an unoffending man ; "a white 
 man slew my brother, my duty is to avenge his death, 
 by killing a white man." Their first open demonstration, 
 was the massacre of Gunnison ; and the allied troops of 
 Utahs, Pahutes, Parvains, and Payedes determined to 
 continue in open hostility, both to the Mormons, and 
 Americans. The inhabitants of the different settlements 
 withdrew within the walls of their towns, and vigilant 
 watchers, well armed, patrolled them all night. Major 
 Biddell, the sub Indian agent, was sent to parley with 
 the chief of the tribes, and succeeded in obtaining a 
 truce, until the Governor could personally make ar- 
 rangements for a treaty of peace. Preliminaries being 
 settled, the chiefs of the tribes were to meet Governor 
 Brigham Young, at the camp of the Wakara. We left 
 Kephi, and arrived at noon, on the road opposite to 
 Wakara's camp, twelve miles from town. 
 
188 TRAVELS AND ADVENTUKES IN THE FAE WEST. 
 
 TREATY OF PEACE WITH THE TTTAHS. 
 
 The camp-gromid or village where "Wakara perma- 
 nently resides, when not travelling, is situated about 
 one mile off the main road, from the city of Nephi, to 
 the Seveir River. Gov. Young made extensive prepa- 
 rations for this treaty. A large cavalcade accompanied 
 him from Great Salt Lake City, composed of Heber, C. 
 Kimball, Woodruff, John Taylor, Ezra T. Benson, 
 Lorenzo Young, Erasmus Snow, Parley Pratt, (his apos- 
 tles and advisers), together with about fifty mounted 
 men, and one hundred wagons and teams filled with 
 gentlemen, with their wives and families. This was an 
 imposing travelling party, all following in regular suc- 
 cession ; taking the word of command from the leading 
 wagon, in which rode Gov. Brigham Young. One of 
 his wives, an accomplished and beautiful lady, who 
 made her husband's coffee, and cooked his meals for 
 him at every camp, thus making herself a most useful ap- 
 pendage to the camp equipage, as well as an affectionate 
 and loving companion to her spiritual lord while travel- 
 ling. I sometimes formed a third party on the road, and 
 frequently had my seat at their primitive table, which 
 was, in fine weather, a clean white cloth, spread over the 
 grass ; or, in rainy weather, a movable table was 
 arranged in the wagon. Venison, beef, coffee, eggs, pies, 
 etc., were served at every meal. 
 
 I have often stopped at the top of some commanding 
 eminence, to see this immense cavalcade, lengthened 
 out over a mile, winding leisurely along the side of a 
 mountain, or trotting blithely in the hollow of some of 
 the beautiful valleys through which we passed, to the 
 
ARRIVAL AT WAKARA's CAMP. 189 
 
 pound of musical choruses from the whole party, some- 
 times ending with 
 
 " I never knew what joy was 
 Till I became a Mormon," 
 
 to the tune of " bonny breastknots." Certainly, a more 
 joyous, happy, free-from-care, and good-hearted people, 
 I never sojourned among. When the cavalcade arrived 
 on the road, opposite to Walker's camp, Gov. Young 
 sent a deputation to inform Wakara that he had arrived, 
 and would be ready to give him an audience at a cer- 
 tain hour, that day. 
 
 Wakara sent word back to say, "If Gov. Young 
 wanted to see him, he must come to him at his camp, 
 as he did not intend to leave it to see any body." 
 
 When this message was delivered to G«.»v. Young, he 
 gave orders for the whole cavalcade to proceed to 
 Wakara's camp — "If the mountain will not come to 
 Mahomet, Mahomet must go to the mountain." 
 
 The Governor was under the impression that Walker 
 had changed his mind, and intended to continue the 
 war, and for that reason declined to meet him. But old 
 Wakara was a king, and a great chief. He stood upon 
 the dignity of his position, and feeling himself the re- 
 presentative of an aggrieved and much injured people, 
 acted as though a cessation of hostilities by the Indians 
 was to be solicited on the part of the whites, and he felt 
 great indifference about the result. 
 
 Gov. Young, at the expense of the people of Utah, 
 brought with him sixteen head of cattle, blankets 
 and clothing, trinkets, arms and ammunition. I ex- 
 pressed much astonishment, that arms and ammunition 
 shouM be furnished the Indians. His excellency 
 
190 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 told me that from their contiguity to the immigrant 
 road, they possessed themselves of arms in exchange and 
 trade, from American' travellers. And as it was the 
 object of the Mormons to protect, as much as possible, 
 their people from the aggressions of the Indians, and 
 also from the continual descent upon their towns — beg- 
 ging for food, and stealing when it was not given, he 
 thought it more advisable to furnish them with the 
 means of shooting their own game. The Utali Indians 
 possess rifles of the first quality. All the chiefs are pro- 
 vided with them, and many of the Indians are most ex- 
 pert in their use. 
 
 When we approached Wakara Camp, we found a num- 
 ber of chiefs, mounted as a guard of honor around his 
 own lodge, which was in the centre of the camp, among 
 whom were Wakara and about fifteen old chiefs, 
 including Ammon, Squash-Head, Grosepine, Petetnit, 
 Kanoshe, (the chief of the Parvains), a San Pete chief, 
 and other celebrated Indians. The Governor and council 
 were invited into Wakara's lodge, and at the request of 
 his excellency, I accompanied them. Wakara sat on his 
 buffalo-robe, wrapped in his blanket, with the old chiefs 
 around him ; he did not rise, but held out his hand to 
 Gov. Young, and made room for him by his side. 
 
 After the ceremony of shaking hands all round was 
 concluded, our interpreter, Mr. Huntington, made known 
 the object of the Governor's visit, and hoped that the calu- 
 met of peace would be smoked, and no more cause be 
 given on either side, for a continuation of ill-feeling, etc. 
 
 For five minutes intense silence prevailed, when an 
 old grey headed Utah chief got up, and in the effort, 
 his blanket slipped from his body, displaying innumera- 
 
INDIAN WAK SPEECHES. 191 
 
 ble marks of wounds and scars. Stretching aloft his 
 almost fleshless arm, he spoke as follows: — 
 
 " I am for war, I never will lay down my rifle, and 
 tomahawk, Americats have no truth — Americats kill 
 Indian plenty' — Americats see Indian woman, he shoot 
 her like deer — Americats no meet Indian to light, he 
 have no mercy — one year gone, Mormon say, they no 
 kill more Indian — Mormon no tell truth, plenty Utahs 
 gone to Great Spirit, Mormon kill them — no friend to 
 Americats more." 
 
 The chief of the San Pete Indians arose, and the 
 tears rolled down his furrowed cheeks as he gave utter- 
 ance to his grievances : 
 
 " My son," he said, " was a brave chief, he was so good 
 to his old father and mother — one day Wa-yo-sha was 
 hunting rabbits as food for his old parents — the rifle of 
 the white man killed him. When the night came, and. 
 he was still absent, his old mother went to look for her 
 son ; she walked a long way through the thick bushes ; 
 at the dawn of day, the mother and the son were both 
 away, and the infirm and aged warrior was lonely : he 
 followed the trail of his wife in the bush, and there he 
 found the mother of his child, lying over the bod} T of 
 Wa-yo-sha, both dead from the same bullet. The old 
 woman met her son, and while they were returning 
 home, a bullet from the rifle of Americats shot them 
 both down." lie added, " old San Pete no can fight 
 more, his hand trembles, his eyes are dim, the murderer 
 of his wife, and brave Wa-yo-sha, is still living. San 
 Pete no make peace with Americats." 
 
 The old warrior sank down exhausted on his blanket. 
 
 Wakara remained perfectly silent. 
 
 Gov. Young asked him to talk, he shook his head, 
 
192 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 " No," after the rest had spoken, some of whom were 
 for peace, Wakara said, " I got no heart to speak— no 
 can talk to-day — to night Wakara talk with great spirit, 
 to-morrow Wakara talk with Governor." 
 
 Gov. Young then handed him a pipe, Wakara took it 
 and gave one or two whiffs, and told the Governor to 
 smoke, which he did, and passed it around to all the 
 party ; this ended the first interview. 
 
 An ox was slaughtered by the orders of Gov. Young, 
 and the whole camp were regaled with fresh beef that 
 evening. I made a sketch of Wakara during the time 
 that he sat in council. I also made a likeness of 
 Kanoshe, the chief of the Parvain Indians. 
 
 The next morning the council again assembled, and 
 the Governor commenced by telling the chiefs, that he 
 wanted to be friends with all the Indians ; he loved 
 them like a father, and would always give them plenty 
 of clothes, and good food, provided they did not fight, 
 and slay any more white men. He brought as presents 
 to them, sixteen head of oxen, besides a large lot of 
 clothing and considerable ammunition. The oxen were 
 all driven into Wakara's camp, and the sight of them 
 made the chiefs feel more friendly. 
 
 Wakara, who is a man of imposing appearance, was, 
 on this occasion, attired with only a deer-skin hunting 
 shirt, although it was very cold ; his blue blanket lay at 
 his side ; he looked care-worn and haggard, and spoke 
 as follows : 
 
 " Wakara has heard all the talk of the good Mormon 
 chief. Wakara no like to go to w T ar with' him. Some- 
 times Wakara take his young men, and go far away, to 
 sell horses. When he is absent, then Amerecats come 
 and kill his wife and children. Why not come and 
 
PEACE WITH THE INDIANS CONCLUDED. 193 
 
 fight when "Wakara is at home ? Wakara is accused of 
 killing Capt. Gunnison. Wakara did not ; Wakara was 
 three hundred miles away when the Merecat chief was 
 slain. Merecats soldier hunt Wakara, to kill him, but 
 no find him. Wakara hear it ; Wakara come home. 
 Why not Merecats take Wakara ? he is not armed. 
 Wakara heart very sore. Merecats kill Parvain Indian 
 chief, and Parvain woman. Parvain young men watch 
 for Merecats, and kill them, because Great Spirit say — 
 ' Merecats kill Indian ;' ' Indian kill Merecats.' Wakara 
 no want to fight more. Wakara talk with Great Spirit ; 
 Great Spirit say — ' Make peace.' Wakara love Mormon 
 chief; he is good man. When Mormon first come to 
 live on Wakara's land, Wakara give him welcome. He 
 give Wakara plenty bread, and clothes to cover his wife 
 and children. Wakara no want to fight Mormon ; 
 Mormon chief very good man ; he bring plenty oxen 
 to Wakara. Wakara talk last night to Payede, to 
 Kahutah, San Pete, Parvain — all Indian say, 'No fight 
 Mormon or Merecats more.' If Indian kill white man 
 again, Wakara make Indian howl." 
 
 The calumet of peace was again handed around, and 
 all the party took a smoke. The council was then dis- 
 solved. 
 
 Gov. Young intended to visit all the settlements 
 south, to Harmony City. Wakara told his excellency, 
 that "he and his chiefs w T ould accompany him all the 
 way and back, as a body-guard." Grosepine, Ammon, 
 Squash-head, Wakara and his wife, Canoshe and his 
 wife, and about thirty Indian young men, all mounted 
 on splendid horses, got ready to accompany the Gover- 
 nor's party. During the day, a great many presents 
 were distributed among the tribe. 
 
 9 
 
194 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 When I returned to our camp, I saw a crowd around 
 the Governor's wagon. I approached, and found that 
 his excellency had just concluded a purchase from the 
 Utahs of two children, about two to three years of age. 
 They were prisoners, and infants of the Snake Indians, 
 with whom the Utahs were at war. When the Gover- 
 nor first saw these deplorable objects, they were on the 
 open snow, digging with their little fingers for grass- 
 nuts, or any roots to afford sustenance. They were 
 almost living skeletons. They are usually treated in 
 this way — that is, literally starved to death by their cap- 
 tors. Gov. Young intended to send them to Salt Lake 
 City, and have them cared for and educated like his own 
 children. I never saw a more piteous sight than those 
 two naked infants, in bitter cold weather, on the open 
 snow, reduced by starvation to the verge of the grave — 
 no, not the grave ; for if they had died, they would 
 have been thrown on the common for the wolves to 
 devour ! 
 
CROSSING THE SEVEIK RIVER. 195 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 Portrait of Wakara — Indian chiefs, to accompany the Expedition to Harmony City— 
 Seveir River — Swollen Waters — Wagons ferried over — Col. Fremont— Fillmore City — 
 Massacre of Capt. Gunnison — Parowan Indians — Kannsh — Capt. Morris — His conduct 
 justified — Author trades for a Horse — Extraordinary Phenomenon of Insects. 
 
 We remained in camp, near Wakara's village until 
 next day ; I induced Wakara, to sit for his portrait ; also 
 Squash-head, Baptiste, Grosepine, Petetnit, and Kanoshe 
 the chief of the Parvain Indians. 
 
 12^A. We all started this morning, for the Seveir 
 river ; we arrived at the crossing at 4 o'clock P. M. 
 and found the stream very high, and unfavoralle. 
 There had been a bridge built, a year before, but 
 the swollen and rapid stream, carried it away ; on the 
 bank of the river, were piled up several of the planks 
 saved from the wreck. All hands went to work to con- 
 struct a raft, which they completed in an hour, and by 
 8 o'clock P. M., 41 wagons (the rest remained behind,) 
 were ferried over in safety ; we camped on the 
 other side of the river. 
 
 By invitation, supped with Brigham Young: I convers- 
 ed through an interpreter with Wakara, the Utah chief. 
 He states that he supplied Jose, the Mexican, whom 
 Col. Fremont found in the mountains, and who 
 left at Parowan, with a mule, to go with several 
 Indians, back on Col. Fremont's trail, to find the " cache," 
 (the goods buried in the snow,) about 100 miles from 
 
196 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 Parowan ; he had been absent 30 clays, yet nothing had 
 been heard from them. He also told me of his interview 
 with Col. Fremont, some years before, and showed me 
 the place where Col. Fremont crossed the Seveir River, 
 which was a short distance from where we crossed it. 
 He remembered Col. Fremont, as the "great Americats 
 Chief." "While the men were constructing their raft, I 
 occupied myself in making drawings of the surrounding 
 country. 
 
 lBth. We left the Seveir for Fillmore City, (called 
 after the President of the U. S.,) which is 35 miles south 
 of ns. After travelling ten miles, we camped "to noon," 
 giving an opportunity for the animals, to enjoy the luxu- 
 riant grass, which grows abundantly in this valley. 
 (" Pound Valley.") We arrived at Fillmore City, in 
 Parvain Valley, Millard county, at 5 o'clock. This val- 
 ley is sixty miles long and fifty miles wide ; the Seveir 
 Lake is forty miles from Fillmore. Within ten miles 
 of the city, to the west, four fresh water lakes are to be 
 found. Fillmore City, contains one hundred and fifty 
 families, one thousand head of cattle, three hundred 
 sheep, saw-mills, and flour-mills, etc., etc. A wall of 
 adobes is built all round the city, protecting the inhabi- 
 tants from the Indian aggressions. 
 
 Capt. Gunnison's party were encamped at Cedar 
 Spring, in this valley, at the time of their massacre. 
 
 This afternoon, accompanied by two interpreters and 
 several other gentlemen, we proceeded to the Parvain 
 Indian's camp, to see their celebrated chieftain, Kanoshe, 
 whose portrait I was anxious to obtain. I found him 
 well armed with a rifle and pistols, and mounted on a 
 noble horse. He has a Roman nose, with a fine intelli- 
 gent cast of countenance, and his thick black hair is 
 
THE MASSACRE OF CAPT. GUNNISON. 11m 
 
 brushed off his forehead, contrary to the usual custom 
 of his tribe. He immediately consented to my request 
 that he would sit for his portrait ; and on the spot, after 
 an hour's labor, I produced a strong likeness of him, 
 which he was very curious to see. I opened my port- 
 folio and displayed the portraits of a number of chiefs, 
 among which he selected "Wa-ka-ra, the celebrated ter- 
 ror of travellers, anglicised Walker, (since dead). Pie 
 took hold of it and wanted to retain it. It was, he said, 
 " wieno," — a contraction of the Spanish " bueno " — 
 very good. I also learned from him, through the inter- 
 preters, the following facts, relating to Gunnison's massa- 
 cre. 
 
 " There were about thirty Parvain Indians, encamped 
 six miles, N. W. of Gunnison's camp, on Cedar Spring. 
 Potter, a Mormon guide, and one of the exploring party 
 went out to shoot ducks ; one of the Parvains was also 
 shooting rabbits, and hearing the explosion of fire-arms, 
 he marked the direction, and followed the men to their 
 camp. This Indian was the son of a Parvain Chief, who 
 was killed by a party of emigrants, under command of 
 Capt. Hildreth, about two weeks before. Marking the 
 spot, he repaired to his own camp, and commenced to 
 make inflammatory speeches to his tribe ; he made a fic- 
 titious scalp out of horse hair, attached it to a pole, and 
 elevating it, commenced the war dance ; the rest of the 
 Parvains continued dancing until midnight. 
 
 They were incited to revenge, for the unprovoked mur- 
 der of their old chief; who, together with some women 
 and young men, went into Hildreth's camp merely to beg 
 food. They were ordered out, and force was used to 
 take away their bows and arrows ; in the scuffle, one of 
 the Americans got his hand cut with an arrow-head, 
 
198 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 when they were fired upon with rifles, and several per- 
 sons killed ; among them this old chief. 
 
 The Parvains, before day, started for Gunnison's camp, 
 surrounded the party who were breakfasting under cover 
 of the willows which grew on the banks of the creek. 
 Capt. Gunnison was the first man who had finished his 
 breakfast ; he arose, and while speaking to his men, the 
 Indians with a tremendous yell, fired upon them. Capt. 
 Gunnison raised his hands and beckoned them to stop. 
 The men immediately fled, only one man fell by the first 
 fire on the spot. The men's first endeavors were to 
 reach their horses ; the Indians pursued them, and shot 
 them from their horses. The American party never 
 fired a gun, the last man fell three miles from camp. 
 
 Kanoshe, the chief, was sixteen miles away from the 
 scene of the massacre, and knew nothing about it. One 
 of the tribe brought a horse into camp, and told Ka- 
 noshe what had transpired. Kanoshe took the horse to 
 the Mormon settlement, (Fillmore), and gave it up to 
 the authorities. He then proceeded to the Indian camp 
 for the purpose of procuring the property of the slain, to 
 render it up to the Americans. The Parvains were exas- 
 perated at his interference, and several arrows were 
 aimed at him to kill him. 
 
 His indomitable courage alone saved him. He finally 
 persuaded them to give up the papers and effects of the 
 slain, which he delivered to the proper authorities. 
 The Mormon guide was also slain. 
 
 The remains of the bodies of those who were mur- 
 dered, were afterwards interred by the Mormons. 
 
 When the alarm was given to the main body of Capt. 
 Gunnison's party by one of the men who escaped from 
 the Indians, Capt. Morris and a detachment of his 
 
CAPT. MOKRIS, U. S. A. 199 
 
 dragoons, instantly galloped to the scene of action, 
 thirty miles off; they were totally unprepared for any- 
 thing but offensive warfare. 
 
 They arrived on the spot, and found the mutilated 
 remains of their comrades, but no signs of Indians. The 
 weather was very cold, and the ground frozen hard ; 
 they had nothing with them but their swords, to dig into 
 the frozen earth, and were thus compelled to leave 
 them, until they could send from camp, men with pick- 
 axes, etc. ; besides, they were among treacherous and 
 hidden enemies. The living men at the main camp, 
 claimed the first duty of Capt. Morris, and as he could 
 do no good to the dead by remaining, he retraced his 
 steps to the main camp, to protect it from a like aggres- 
 sion, if attempted. He did not know but that the whole 
 of the Indians were in warlike array around him, se- 
 cretly hid away among the willows on the creek. 
 
 Some blame seems to have attached to Capt. Morris ; 
 I read an article at Salt Lake City, in a late American 
 paper, in which his conduct was censured. I showed 
 him this paper, and he personally explained the situa- 
 tion he was placed in, and told me that his duty as an 
 officer, was to protect the lives of his surviving party, 
 at the expense of the fraternal feelings and sympathies 
 which he entertained for the lamented dead. I have no 
 hesitation in saying that, from my knowledge of the cir- 
 cumstances of the case, Capt. Morris was perfectly 
 
 justified in acting as he did. 
 
 * * * * 
 
 At Fillmore I renewed my acquaintance with Mrs. 
 Webb, who kindly entertained me when I passed 
 through this place three months ago. 
 
 14^/t. To-day I made a trade with Wakara, for a 
 
200 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 horse ; I gave him my double-barrel gun and a blanket 
 in exchange, I have now a relief for my mule — we have 
 a long journey before us, and I must give him as much 
 liberty as possible. My sole dependence is on him, for 
 crossing those dreaded jornadas* of over two hundred 
 miles in extent. 
 
 I made several views and sketches to-day. Fillmore 
 is 33 miles S. S. E. from the Seveir River, latitude 
 38° 59' 
 
 The Parvain Indians are a dirty degraded set of be- 
 ings, scarcely deserving the name of human. They are 
 much inferior to the Utahs, both in mind and appearance. 
 
 The Utahs have a large number of horses, and when 
 mounted for a journey they are caparisoned with bells 
 and gaudy trappings. The men paint their faces with 
 vermilion, except when they go to war — they then paint 
 them black. They are curiously attired in buckskin 
 shirts, leggings, and moccasins, beautifully marked with 
 beads and porcupine quills. They generally travel 
 bare-headed, with sometimes a single feather in their 
 hair. They are very fond of red and blue blankets, and 
 use them in the manner of a Roman Toga. 
 
 PHENOMENON OF INSECTS RESEMBLING GUNPOWDER. 
 
 Riding leisurely along, at the extreme end of the cara- 
 van, I noticed on the ground, what I supposed to be 
 gunpowder. I knew that Gov. Young had a considerable 
 quantity with him to give the Indians, and every man 
 had more or less, a pound — I attributed it to the acci- 
 
 * A journey : the absence of water and grass, makes it necessary to 
 continue across the desert without stopping. 
 
GUNPOWDER BEETLES. 201 
 
 dental breaking of a keg, as the wagon jolted along, it 
 might have lost through the crevices. I also noticed 
 that the powder was only in the ruts made by the 
 wheels of the wagons. The quantities seemed to in- 
 crease, and determining to prevent, if possible, any fur- 
 ther waste, I galloped to the other end of the train, and 
 called Gov. Young's attention to it. The caravan was 
 stopped, and I dismounted to obtain a specimen of it to 
 show the Governor, when I discovered that they were 
 minute living insects of the beetle tribe, but no larger 
 than a grain of rifle gunpowder, and at the distance of 
 a foot it was impossible to tell the difference. When 
 the heaps were closely examined, they appeared a mov- 
 ing living mass ; on the road, ahead of the wagon there 
 were none to be seen ; the weight of the wheels seemed 
 to have pressed them through the snow, with which the 
 whole valley was covered. The contrast of these min- 
 ute, black insects on the dazzling snow was remarkable ; 
 for ten miles, it appeared as if two continuous trains of 
 gunpowder, from three to live inches wide, were laid the 
 whole length of the Parvain Valley. Neither the Gov- 
 ernor nor the gentlemen who accompanied the expedi- 
 tion, had ever remarked a similar phenomenon before, 
 although they had frequently travelled over the same 
 road. 
 
 9* 
 
202 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 CHAPTEE XXXI. 
 
 Corn Creek— Meadow Creek— Exploration of Vinegar Lake — Mephitic Gas— Sulphuric 
 Acid — Sulphur — Alum — Volcanic Appearance of the Country — Beaver River Val- 
 ley — Lieut. Beale's Pass into the Valley of the Parowan — Col. Fremont's Pass 
 in the same Valley — Author crosses his own Trail made three Months before — His 
 Feelings ou the Occasion — Red Creek Canon— Hieroglyphics — Granite Rocks — 
 Remains of a Town — Arrival at Parowan — Brigham Young— Old Acquaintances. 
 
 May 15th. On rising this morning I found a snow storm 
 raging on the mountains ; in the valley it was raining, 
 and the temperature 38°, cold enough to make great 
 coats desirable. We left camp at 8 o'clock, and after 
 travelling ten miles, crossed a fine stream of water 
 called Meadow Creek, banked with willows; two miles 
 further we crossed another rivulet, also fringed with 
 willows and a few cotton wood trees. 
 
 The soil in Parvain Valley is rich and highly produc- 
 tive ; the earth is covered with parterres of beautiful 
 wild flowers, which are quite refreshing to the eye, 
 contrasted with the snowy mountains all round us. 
 
 At 6 o'clock we camped on Corn Creek, 33 miles from 
 Fillmore City ; this is the only water from Meadow 
 Creek, a distance of twenty-one miles. 
 
 The whole country in this neighborhood is of vol- 
 canic origin. Black cinders abound on the mountains, 
 and a kind of grey pumice stone is found in the valleys. 
 Sulphur in large quantities lies on the open ground in 
 the ravines. 
 
LAKE OF SULPHUKIC ACED. 203 
 
 Mountains of pure solid transparent rocksalt rear 
 their majestic heads in Juab Valley, a few miles 
 south. 
 
 16th. Wakara, the Utah chief, one of the Indians 
 who accompanied us, informed me that a few miles from 
 our present camp there was a most extraordinary vine- 
 gar lake, where all bad spirits dwell ; a place where a living 
 animal never was seen, and near which there was no 
 vegetation. Our interpreter told me he had heard be- 
 fore of such a lake, but he placed no faith in it. Wa- 
 kara said he would go along and show us the place. 
 Being anxious and determined to explore, and make 
 some discovery which might benefit science, if any was 
 to be made on this journe}'-, I induced several Mormons 
 to make up a party sufficiently large to insure us against 
 an Indian surprise. The next morning we left the main 
 trail, and proceeded about two miles in an easterly di- 
 rection towards the base of the Warsatch range. Our 
 path was covered with large quantities of obsidian, and 
 presented every indication that the lake we were ap- 
 proaching was of volcanic origin. Before the lake was 
 in sight, the atmosphere gradually became unpleasant to 
 inhale, leaving a sulphurous taste on your palate. The 
 approach to the lake was, for the last five hundred yards, 
 over limestone rock, carbonized evidently from great 
 heat, at some remote period. The air was greatly 
 charged with sulphuric hydrogen gas, which caused me 
 to feel an inclination to vomit. It affected the rest of 
 the party in a similar manner. Being determined to 
 examine further, we descended the lime formation for 
 about one hundred feet ; this brought us immediately 
 on the spot. Its appearance indicated from the charac- 
 ter of the surrounding country, that it evidently had 
 been n lake; it now looked like the dry bed of what 
 
204 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 was once a lake. The surface was covered with an ef- 
 florescence to the depth of a foot, more solid, however, as 
 you dig into it, composed of impure alum, and most 
 probably formed by the action of sulphuric acid on 
 feldspathic rock. Further towards the base of the 
 mountain which bounded it on the east side, I found 
 large quantities of pure crystalized alum, and also pure 
 sulphur. This efflorescence which covers the lake, 
 might be composed by the spontaneous evaporation of a 
 mixture of sulphate of iron, and tersulphate of alumina, 
 excess of sulphuric acid being present. 
 
 We with great caution commenced to walk over this 
 surface, and discovered that it undulated with the 
 weight of our bodies. I felt as if walking on thin ice, 
 which bent, without breaking beneath my weight. As 
 we approached the centre, we heard a roaring, which our 
 Indian said was caused from "big fire below." I put 
 my ear close to the earth, and was almost sure it pro- 
 ceeded from the escape of either gas or the passage of 
 water. With a pickaxe, brought for exploring purposes, 
 an orifice about a foot in diameter was dug. The axe 
 was suddenly driven through, when a yellow, muddy 
 liquid gushed forth in a continued stream. I tasted the 
 liquid, when to my surprise, it was a strong acid, which 
 immediately set my teeth on edge. Sulphuric acid in 
 large proportions was present ; this crust of over a mile 
 in diameter, was resting on the surface of this immense 
 body of diluted sulphuric acid. Oxide of iron in large 
 quantities is to be found cropping out of the base of 
 the mountains ; sulphur in large quantities is also 
 present. These materials, acted upon by volcanic heat, 
 will produce a white powder, which partakes of the 
 character of the substance, forming the covering to the 
 lake. In the neighborhood of some volcanoes, sulphuric 
 
BEAVER RIVER VALLEY. 205 
 
 acid is found impregnated with lime and baryta, both of 
 which are abundant on the margins of this wonderful 
 lake. The roaring is evidently produced by the force of 
 the liquid through some subterranean cavern ; over this 
 vast field of efflorescent sulphate of oxide of iron, there 
 are no signs of vegetation. 
 
 On the mountains, and towards its southern boundary, 
 some few Norway pines and cedars grow. The sulphur- 
 etted hydrogen gas which impregnates the atmosphere, 
 prevents birds or animals from inhabiting or resorting 
 near its neighborhood. This gas I judge to be generated 
 by the action of diluted sulphuric acid, on proto-sul- 
 phate of iron, all which ingredients are to be found 
 here. Feeling ill effects from inspiring this gas, I 
 finished my examinations quickly, and sought a purer 
 atmosphere. I made a drawing of the lake, and sur- 
 rounding mountains. This extraordinary place had 
 probably never before been examined by a white man. 
 None of the many Mormons who were present, and to 
 whom I related the particulars, ever explored it. It lies 
 directly at the base of the Warsatch Mountains, in about 
 38° 26' latitude, and the same longitude as Fillmore City, 
 and nearly 35 miles south of it. "We rejoined our 
 caravan at their noon camp. 
 
 About one o'clock we resumed our ride, and after a 
 gentle ascent through a beautiful pass in the mountains, 
 we emerged into a large and fertile valley called " Bea- 
 ver Valley." We camped on Beaver River, thirty 
 miles from Corn Creek. This stream is twenty-five feet 
 wide, and two feet deep at the crossing; it rises and 
 sinks alternately to the Seveir Lake, into which it 
 empties. Only small willows grow on its banks. Bea- 
 
206 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 ver River abounds in wild ducks, snipe, and other 
 water-fowl. 
 
 ITth. — This morning, at daylight, there was a severe 
 frost — water froze in camp half an inch thick. We left 
 camp at half past seven, and after a drive of six hours, 
 the caravan camped on Little Creek canon — the pass 
 through which Lieut. Beale entered Little Salt Lake 
 Yalley, a few months previously. 
 
 "We harnessed up again, and in an hour crossed 
 the trail which Col. Fremont and our party made on 
 entering this valley from the Warsatch mountains, on 
 the 6th of February preceding. 
 
 Under what different circumstances I travelled the 
 same road at that time ! When I turned to survey the 
 snowy mountains among which we had suffered so 
 much, and from the dangers of which we had been so 
 miraculously preserved, tears involuntarily flowed from 
 my eyes — I was completely overcome. 
 
 I made a drawing of this pass, and also of Lieut. 
 JBeale's. 
 
 On Red Creek canon, six miles north of Parowan, 
 there are very massive, abrupt granite rocks, which rise 
 perpendicularly out of the valley to the height of many 
 hundred feet. On the surface of many of them, appa- 
 rently engraved with some steel instrument, to the 
 depth of an inch, are numerous hieroglyphics, represent- 
 ing the human hand and foot, horses, dogs, rabbits, 
 birds, and also a sort of zodiac. These engravings pre- 
 sent the same time-worn appearance as the rest of 
 the rocks ; the most elaborately engraved figures were 
 thirty feet from the ground. I had to clamber up the 
 rocks to make a drawing of them. These engravings 
 evidently display prolonged and continued labor, and I 
 
HIFK0GLTPHIC8. 207 
 
 judge them to have been executed by a different class 
 of persons than the Indians, who now inhabit these val- 
 leys and mountains — ages seem to have passed since 
 they were done. 
 
 When we take into consideration the compact nature 
 of the blue granite and the depth of the engravings, 
 years must have been spent in their execution. For 
 what purpose were they made ? and by whom, and at 
 what period of time ? It seems physically impossible 
 that those I have mentioned as being thirty feet from 
 the valley, could have been worked in the present posi- 
 tion of the rocks. Some great convulsion of nature 
 may have thrown them up as they now are. Some of 
 the figures are as large as life, many of them about one- 
 fourth size. 
 
 On Red Creek canon, a mile further down the val- 
 ley, there are the remains of a town, built of adobes ; 
 ancient articles of housekeeping have been found there. 
 These remains were remarked by the first " Mormons" 
 who came in the valley. Indians never live in adobe 
 houses ; their lodges are always of umbrageous foliage, 
 or skins of animals. 
 
 As soon as our party were descried from the observa- 
 tory at Parowan, the authorities of the town, and num- 
 bers of other gentlemen, came out to welcome the 
 arrival of his excellency, Governor Young ; and I never 
 could have imagined the deep idolatry with which he is 
 almost worshipped. There is no aristocracy or presum- 
 ing upon position about the Governor; he is emphati- 
 cally one of the people ; the boys call him Brother 
 Brigham, and the elders also call him Brother Brigham. 
 They place implicit confidence in him, and if he were to 
 say he wanted a mountain cut through, instantly every 
 
208 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 man capable of bearing a pick-axe would commence the 
 work, without asking any questions, or entertaining ex- 
 pectation of payment for services. 
 
 He must certainly possess some extraordinary quali- 
 ties, which could inspire such unlimited confidence in 
 two hundred thousand Mormons. 
 
 We entered Parowan about five o'clock. I was affec- 
 tionately greeted by those persons who administered to 
 my sufferings some few weeks before. I had changed 
 so much, and grown so fat, that not one of them knew 
 me. 
 
 Mrs. Heap, my old landlady, could not believe I was 
 the ugly, emaciated person whose face she washed only 
 three months before. 
 
PAKOWAN. 200 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 Description of Parowan — Cedar City — Fish Lake — Iron Ore — Bituminous Coal — Future 
 Destiny of Cedar City — Henry Lunt — Affecting Incident — Portrait of a dead Child — 
 A Mother's Gratitude — Harmony City — Parley Pratt — Piede Indians — Personal Priva- 
 tions of Mormons — Bid Adieu to Gov. Young — Letter of Introduction to President of 
 San Bernandino. 
 
 Parowan is situated immediately under a very high 
 range of irregular, rugged mountains, fringed with tim- 
 ber. A fine stream of water runs through the city, 
 which is sixty rods square, surrounded with a wall, 
 six feet at the base, and tapering upwards to two and a 
 half feet, the wall is twelve feet high, and extends back 
 from the town six miles. 
 
 " The valley of the Parowan, or Little Salt Lake Yal- 
 ley, is about sixty miles east of the meadows of Santa 
 Clara, between 37° and 38° of north latitude, and 
 between 113° and 114° west longitude ; elevation above 
 the sea, five thousand feet." (Fremont's letter.) 
 
 It contains one hundred families, five hundred head 
 of cattle, one hundred and fifty horses and mules, and 
 three hundred sheep. 
 
 Provisions of all kinds, are very scarce and high ; 
 their supplies are procured either from Salt Lake City, 
 three hundred miles north, or San Bernandino, five hun- 
 dred miles over the deserts to the south. C. V. L. 
 Smith is president ; Lewis, bishop ; John Steele, mayor. 
 
210 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 18th. — The whole party left this morning at ten 
 o'clock, for Cedar City, Coal Creek ; we arrived there at 
 two o'clock — eighteen miles to the south of Parowan. 
 
 Mr. Henry Lunt, a well informed, and generous 
 hearted Englishman, was, it is supposed, the first white 
 man who ever entered this valley, or the river of the 
 Great Basin. With twenty-two men he arrived at the 
 present site of the city, two years and a half ago to 
 form a settlement. 
 
 Cedar City now contains one thousand inhabitants, 
 who possess fifteen hundred head of cattle, besides a 
 large number of horses, mules, and sheep. The city is 
 half a mile square, and completely surrounded by an 
 adobe wall twelve feet high, six feet at the base to two 
 and a half at the top ; the building of the wall was 
 attended by a great deal of labor; the persevering 
 industry of these people is unsurpassed. A temple 
 block is in the centre of the city, covering twenty acres 
 of ground, the building lots are each twenty rods by 
 four rods. 
 
 Twenty miles to the eastward of Parowan, there is a 
 fresh water lake, formed by a stream from the Warsatch 
 Mountains, which is filled with salmon trout ; out of this 
 lake comes the Seveir River, which flows north into the 
 Seveir Lake. 
 
 Immediately in the vicinity of the city, is an exten- 
 sive bituminous coal mine. 
 
 Iron ore of superior quality, eighty per cent, pure 
 iron, is found in great quantities ; four miles from the 
 city are two mountains of solid ore. 
 
 Iron works are in successful operation, all the railroad 
 iron necessary to complete a road from there to San 
 Bernandino, can be procured here. 
 
AFFECTING INCIDENT AT CEDAR CITY. 211 
 
 This city is destined to become a great place of busi- 
 ness, and, in case the Pacific Railroad does not come 
 through or near Great Salt Lake City, it will be the 
 channel through which all importations for the Ter- 
 ritory of Utah will come, it being only about four 
 hundred and fifty miles from San Diego, on the Pacific 
 coast ; a distance frequently travelled in ten days. 
 
 I renewed my acquaintance with the president, Henry 
 Lunt, with much pleasure, I remained at his house 
 during my stay, and to himself and kind lady, (they are 
 among those who deprecate the spiritual wife system), I 
 was indebted for many little attentions and civilities. 
 
 Mr. Lunt was about visiting the city of New York, 
 on his way to England, and I gave him a letter of intro- 
 duction to my family, which he delivered afterwards in 
 person, before I arrived at home. 
 
 The morning after my arrival, I arose very early, and 
 taking my sketch-book along, I sauntered around the 
 city ; in the course of my peregrinations, I saw a man 
 walking up and down before an adobe shanty, appar- 
 ently much distressed ; I approached him, and inquired 
 the cause of his dejection; he told me that his only 
 daughter, aged six years, had died suddenly in the 
 night ; he pointed to the door, and I entered the dwell- 
 ing. 
 
 Laid out upon a straw mattrass, scrupulously clean, 
 was one of the most angelic children I ever saw. On 
 its face was a placid smile, and it looked more like the 
 gentle repose of healthful sleep than the everlasting 
 slumber of death. 
 
 Beautiful curls clustered around a brow of snowy 
 whiteness. It was easy to perceive that it was a child 
 lately from England, from its peculiar conformation. I 
 
212 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 entered very softly, and did not disturb the afflicted 
 mother, who reclined on the bed, her face buried in the 
 pillow, sobbing as if her heart would break. 
 
 Without a second's reflection I commenced making a 
 sketch of the inanimate being before me, and in the 
 course of half-au-hour I had produced an excellent like- 
 ness. 
 
 A slight movement in the room caused the mother to 
 look around her. She perceived me, and I apologized 
 for my intrusion ; and telling her that I was one of the 
 Governor's party who arrived last night, I tore the leaf 
 out of my book and presented it to her, and it is impos- 
 sible to describe the delight and joy she expressed at its 
 possession. She said I was an angel sent from heaven 
 to comfort her. 
 
 She had no likeness of her child. 
 
 I bid her place her trust in Him " who giveth and 
 taketh away," and left her indulging in the excitement 
 of joy and sorrow. I went out unperceived by the 
 bereaved father, who was still walking up and down, 
 buried in grief. I continued my walk, contemplating 
 the strange combination of events, which gave this 
 poor woman a single ray of peace for her sorrowing 
 heart. 
 
 When I was about starting the next day, I discovered 
 in the wagon a basket filled with eggs, butter, and 
 several loaves of bread, and a note to my address con- 
 taining these words — " From a grateful heart." 
 
 ldt h. — The Governor and a portion of the party pro- 
 ceeded to-day, to the city of Harmony, twenty-two 
 miles farther south. 
 
 Parley Pratt and the party with whom I intended to 
 
MORMONIZED INDIANS. 213 
 
 travel to California, remained behind to complete their 
 outfit of provisions. 
 
 At this point, the road to San Bernandino branches out 
 thirty miles to the westward. We shall proceed on our 
 journey, on the return of Brigham Young from Har- 
 mony. 
 
 The Payides, or Piedes, were considered the most 
 degraded set of Indians in the Territory, living on rep- 
 tiles, insects, roots, etc., and going about in a state of 
 nudity. 
 
 Since the settlement of Cedar City, they have become 
 more civilized ; many of them live within the walls of 
 the city. The Mormons have supplied them with 
 clothes, and proper food. The Indians have become of 
 very great assistance in ploughing and reaping. Several 
 acres of ground have been placed under cultivation, and 
 appropriated for the use of the Indians. They are now 
 acquiring the arts of agriculture and husbandry. 
 
 A large number of them have been baptized into the 
 Mormon faith. 
 
 It is really astonishing to see the sacrifices and per- 
 sonal privations to which these people willingly, and 
 uncomplainingly submit. Hundreds of families who 
 formerly lived more comfortably at home, are now con- 
 tented with a mud hut, twelve to fifteen feet square, 
 with a single room, in which they cook, eat, and sleep. 
 In some of them I have seen eight j>ersons, including 
 children, yet they are perfectly happy in the plan of 
 salvation held out to them by the religion tlrey have 
 embraced. 
 
 21st. — The Governor and party arrived this evening 
 from Harmony. 
 
 He has appointed the following gentlemen to take up 
 
214 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 a permanent residence with Wakara's band of Utahs, 
 viz. : — 
 
 Porter Rockwell, James A. Bean, interpreter ; John 
 Murdoch, and John Lott. These persons will follow 
 them in their wanderings, and will, most probably, pre- 
 vent many depredations and murders. 
 
 22nd. — Our party intend starting for California, some 
 time during this day. I breakfasted with Gov. Young ; 
 he has given me a letter of introduction to the President 
 of San Bernandino, and all Mormons everywhere. He 
 says I have but to show it, and it will procure me all I 
 require, at any time. I have just taken leave of him 
 and his lady, as well as of the rest of the party. 
 
LAS VEGAS DE SANTA CLAKA. 215 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 On the Road to California— Iron Springs— Meadow Springs— Entrance to Las Vegas de 
 Santa Clara — Prairie Flowers — Rim of the Basin— Santa Clara River — Difficulty of 
 Crossing with Wagons — Wounded Indian— Serpentine Course of the River — Waterfall 
 — Natural Cave. 
 
 At three o'clock, our party, consisting of twenty-three 
 Mormons, missionaries to the Sandwich Islands, under 
 command of Parley Pratt, started on their journey. We 
 have six wagons and teams. A woman who is going to 
 her husband at San Bernandino, has permission to ac- 
 company us. She also has a wagon and team, but her 
 horses look as if they would not travel fifty miles. She 
 is an encumbrance, and I anticipate trouble with her. 
 We proceeded twelve miles, and camped at Iron Springs, 
 with good water. 
 
 22c?. — At seven this morning, we were on our road, 
 travelling due west, until two o'clock, when we camped 
 on Penter Creek, twenty-five miles distant from last 
 camp. 
 
 The road, now forms an elbow, and heads to the 
 south. We followed the course, until we came to Mea- 
 dow Springs, the entrance to Las Yegas de Santa Clara, 
 noted on Fremont's map — distance twelve miles from 
 noon camp. 
 
 This stream is clear and cool. The meadows abound 
 in good grass and rushes, while the surrounding moun- 
 
216 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST 
 
 tains would afford sustenance to thousands of cattle and 
 sheep. 
 
 23d. — The weather last night was cool and delightful. 
 This morning we left camp at half past seven o'clock, 
 and followed the road in the centre of the valley mea- 
 .dow, to the base of a picturesque mountain, studded 
 with large cedars and umbrageous foliage. 
 
 The meadow formed a perfect carpet of various 
 colored flowers, among which were larkspurs, lupines, 
 and many varieties of wild flowers which I have never 
 before seen. I have gathered and preserved specimens 
 of those I considered most valuable. 
 
 The contrast of the colors of prairie flowers, as they 
 are thrown carelessly on nature's carpet, is truly won- 
 derful ; the greatest harmony prevails — you see the 
 yellow and purple, green and red, orange and blue, 
 arranged always in juxtaposition, producing the primi- 
 tive colors of a ray of light, through which medium only 
 we are able to distinguish them. 
 
 The ancient masters always produced harmony in their 
 pictures because they closely studied nature ; at the 
 same time, they could not have known the science of 
 colors, as there is no work extant on the theory of colors, 
 when Raphael or Titian lived. Modern researches have 
 discovered the reasons why nature is thus harmoniously 
 beautiful in all her varied dresses. 
 
 The works of modern artists, therefore, should be 
 always correctly delineated, as they not only have the 
 same nature to study from as the ancients had, but 
 science has assisted them with theoretical problems, 
 founded on scientific investigations, in the different 
 branches of Natural Philosophy. 
 
SANTA CLARA KIVEK. 217 
 
 The road continued through a romantic pass, which 
 wound around the foot of the mountains. 
 
 When we reached the divide where the waters flow 
 towards the Gulf of California, the scene that presented 
 itself was grand and sublime. 
 
 "We camped on the hanks of a beautiful stream, the 
 Santa Clara, on the margins of which I observed the 
 rose-tree, in full bearing, also cottonwood, ash, besides 
 shrubs of different kinds, all in bloom. The air was 
 filled with fragrance, and the scene presented a harmo- 
 nious and refreshing landscape. This paradise is with- 
 out a solitary living human inhabitant. These plants 
 and flowers are literally 
 
 " Wasting their sweetness on the desert air." 
 
 We travelled twenty miles this morning, when, after 
 giving our horses a resting-spell, we continued on our 
 journey through this luxuriantly beautiful valley, cross- 
 ing and re-crossing the Santa Clara six times. This 
 river runs in a serpentine direction, almost due south, 
 the waters of which were, at tliis time, much swollen. 
 At the last crossing, my mule went in over his head, 
 and I got a wetting as the price of my ferriage. 
 
 The wagons had to be pulled over quickly, with all 
 the horses attached to them, by long ropes ; the current 
 was so strong as nearly to overturn them. Almost 
 everything at the bottom of the wagons was wet. 
 
 The east side of the river, is a continuation of pictur- 
 esque, abrupt rocks, very much the appearance of the 
 canons on Grand River, except that the formation is 
 a black ironstone rock, while that of the Grand River 
 is sandstone. 
 
 The Santa Clara River, has no connection with the 
 10 
 
218 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 Seveir River, as was formerly supposed, but is one of the 
 tributaries of the Great Colorado, emptying into the 
 Gulf of California, while the Seveir River empties into 
 Seveir Lake. 
 
 We camped on this romantic stream, and at night I 
 took a refreshing bath in its crystal waters. 
 
 24:th. — At an early hour this morning, our camp was 
 visited by a number of Paiede Indians ; they were almost 
 in a state of nudity ; we supplied them with food, and 
 some few clothes. One of them, who walked lame, said, 
 he was shot by an exploring party, about ten years ago — 
 corresponding with Col. Fremont's first expedition over 
 this country. With those Indians Col. Fremont had 
 several skirmishes, and I have no doubt, he was wounded 
 in attempting to waylay that expedition. One of the 
 men told him, I was an American, in contradistinction 
 to Mormon. " Ha ! " said he, pointing to his wound, 
 "I got that from Mericats " — he looked very savagely at 
 me, and I have no doubt, would have taken delight in 
 making me a target for his arrows : if I had told him I 
 was one of Col. Fremont's men, I am pretty sure I 
 would have had to give him satisfaction. This man 
 followed our camp on foot several days afterwards. 
 
 We left camp at eight o'clock, our road lay through 
 scenery similar to that presented yesterday. We 
 crossed the Santa Clara, six times to-day, making twelve 
 crossings, in as many miles. Box, elder, cottonwood, 
 honey locust, grow luxuriantly all along the river, about 
 a mile from the end of the valley where we left it. 
 There is a romantic fall of water on this stream. The 
 fall is twelve feet ; on the opposite side of the road 
 there is a natural cave, formed in the red sandstone, 
 which overhangs the road, of nearly fifty feet in depth, 
 
ROMANTIC CAVE. 219 
 
 and thirty feet high. I explored it, and found only the 
 remains of some Indian articles. 
 
 It was about this spot where Lamphere was killed a few 
 weeks before, a description of whose murder I gave in 
 my notes of Salt Lake City. We exercised great vigi- 
 lance while in camp, and also while travelling through 
 the dense undergrowth of many parts of this river. I 
 looked for enemies in every tree, and was truly re- 
 joiced when we reached the open country again. 
 
220 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 Romantic Pass — Rio Virgin Valley — Sterile County — River Bottoms — Acacia Groves- 
 Abrupt Descent — Formation of the Country — Pah Utahs — Indian Bow and Arrows- 
 Orange color Berries — Effect on the System — Digger Indians — Baptized into Mormon 
 Faith — Steep descent — Divide between Rio Virgin and Muddy Rivers — Difficult tra- 
 velling — Muddy River described — Author lends his Horse — Approach to the " Great 
 Desert." 
 
 "We slowly ascended some sloping hills, which brought 
 lis after an hour's ride, on the broad table land. The 
 view then back towards the valley, was sublime beyond 
 description. I made a sketch of it on the spot. Con- 
 tinuing our travel for two hours we halted at a spring 
 of clear water, impregnated with iron. We w T atered 
 our animals, as it was the last water we should see, 
 until we arrived at the Bio Virgin (Virgin River), 
 twenty-five miles distant ; an hour was allotted for the 
 animals to crop some (of the anomaly of this country), 
 bunch grass, which abounded near the spring. We 
 then started for the Rio Virgin, the approach to which, 
 was through the most beautiful and romantic pass I 
 ever saw : it is a natural gorge, in a very high range of 
 mountains of red saudstone, which assume, on either 
 side, the most fantastic and fearful forms ; many look as 
 if they were in the very act of falling on the road below 
 them. 
 
 The valley of this pass is narrow, but abounds in the 
 most luxuriant grasses and delicate-tinted flowers ; a 
 
VALLEY OF THE KIO VIRGIN. 221 
 
 flowering shrub, growing to the height of fifteen feet, 
 exhaling delightful perfume, abounds along the road. 
 Pines and cedars start out from among the rocks, on 
 the sides of the pass, towering one above the other, like 
 Ossa upon Pelion. I have travelled through the beauti- 
 ful passes in the Rocky and Warsatch Mountains, but I 
 have seen nothing that could excel this, either for the 
 facilities of a railroad, which could be constructed 
 through it without grading, or for the magnificence of the 
 combinations which are requisite to produce effect in a 
 grand landscape. This pass is about six miles through. 
 Suddenly, as you are about to emerge from this pass, 
 through the opening of the mountains, I beheld the 
 valley of the Rio Virgin at sunset, bursting upon me in 
 all the glory and sublimity of a perfect picture. The 
 view in the distance is unbroken for many miles ; gener- 
 ally the scene is blocked in by mountains at short 
 distances. 
 
 We descended gently into an extensive valley, sterile 
 to a degree, which seemed to be peculiarly adapted to 
 the growth of a species of palm, called in the West Indies 
 the Spanish needle ; this and a dwarf species of artemisia, 
 was the only vegetation visible. The soil is sandy, and 
 embroidered as it were, artificially, with parterres of 
 small pebble stones, arranged with amazing regularity, 
 for many miles, over which our wagons rattled, and 
 bounced amusingly enough to those, who preferred a 
 ride on horseback, to a seat in them. At eight o'clock 
 in. the evening, we camped on the banks of the Rio 
 Virgin, the waters of which were also very high. I 
 expect great difficulty in crossing with the wagons to- 
 morrow. Thermometer at noon 90.° 
 
 25th. — We left camp this morning, at half-past seven 
 
222 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 o'clock. Our road led over a sandy bluff, which was 
 most tiresome to our animals. After a stretch of three 
 miles, we abruptly descended some two hundred feet 
 into the bed of the river, which we crossed with much 
 difficulty, as the water was over the bottoms of the 
 wagons. 
 
 The road led through a continuous grove of acacias 
 {spirolobeum odoratum), in full bloom, interspersed 
 with a few cottonwoods. We found this road, also, to 
 assume a serpentine course, which created the necessity 
 to recross it seven times, by noon camp. 
 
 I noticed on this river a beautiful tree, covered with 
 white flowers hanging in tassels like the flowers of the 
 locust ; it resembles the willow, with its long narrow 
 leaves. It is about as large as the weeping willow ; it 
 is, certainly, the most beautiful ornamental tree I ever 
 saw. 
 
 There are two species of acacias, one closely resem- 
 bling the opoponax, the other bearing long white blos- 
 soms and spiral seed vessels. 
 
 These trees abound with doves, which, with the mock- 
 ing-bird, are the only kinds of the feathered tribe I 
 noticed. 
 
 The formation on both sides of the river is a conglom- 
 erate, or pudding-stone, with layers of sandstone. 
 
 Thousands of party-colored flowers cover the dry, 
 sandy bottoms. It seems a marvel to me how the 
 loose dry sand can yield nourishment sufficient to 
 enable them to grow so luxuriantly. 
 
 "We travelled twenty miles to-day, along the river, 
 and camped at six o'clock on the road, with good bunch 
 grass on the hills around. 
 
 A number of Pahutes came into camp this evening ; 
 
DEGRADED STATE OF THE INDIANS. 223 
 
 they were friendly, and also hungry. We gave them 
 supper. I procured from one of them a bow, made of a 
 single horn of the big horn sheep, covered on the out- 
 side with deer-sinew, which they chew until it forms the 
 consistency of thick glue ; they then cover the back of 
 the bow with it to increase its strength. I also procured 
 from them a quiver full of steel and obsedian pointed 
 arrows, in exchange for some articles of clothing. 
 
 26th. — We left camp this morning at eight o'clock ; 
 our road lay through a complete forest of bushes about 
 three feet high, covered with an orange-colored berry. 
 The Indians, who followed our camp, said, they were 
 good to eat. 
 
 Nearly all of the party partook of them, as they 
 tasted well. A short time after eating them I fell sick, 
 and. they affected me in the same manner as if I had 
 taken an emetic. All the camp were affected in the 
 same manner. No other unpleasant consequences fol- 
 lowed our imprudence. 
 
 The scenery around is uninteresting. We camped at 
 noon, for luncheon, after having crossed the river five 
 times to-day. The sun is very hot, and riding exposed 
 to its influence is not very pleasant. 
 
 After resting our animals and satisfying the inner 
 man, we resumed our journey, and camped on the river, 
 having crossed and recrossed it fifteen times. 
 
 The high bluffs imtnedately over our camp, are 
 covered with Indians, all armed. 1 hardly think they 
 will have the temerity to attack us. We travelled to-day 
 twenty miles. 
 
 The most degraded and lowest in the scale of human 
 beings are the Digger, or Piede Indians, of the Iiio 
 Virgin and Santa Clara Ilivers. Our camps were fre- 
 
224 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 qnently visited by them. I have often observed them 
 with lizards, and snakes, frogs and other reptiles, strung 
 on a stick over their shoulders, endeavoring to sell or 
 trade for articles of clothing. At certain seasons they 
 dig for roots to subsist on. They go about perfectly 
 nude, with the exception, sometimes only, of a piece of 
 deer-skin around their loins. They are expert thieves, 
 and great vigilance must be used to prevent them from 
 robbing you before your very eyes. 
 
 The Indians on the Muddy River are a little higher 
 in the scale of civilization. At one of their villages at 
 which I rested, I found corn and wheat under excellent 
 cultivation, the women grinding it between stones. 
 This improved state is owing to the Mormons, who 
 travel continually on this route to and from San Ber- 
 nandino. From them they obtained the seed, and several 
 implements of agriculture. The chief and half-dozen 
 others in this village had been baptized in the Mormon 
 faith. The Mormons have acquired the Piede lan- 
 guage, and have collected many of the words and sen- 
 tences, which they have printed. 
 
 The following is an illustration of a few sentences 
 arranged in the Piede dialect : 
 
 Cot-tam-soog-away, I don't understand. 
 
 Huck-ku-bah-pe-qua? Where are you going? 
 
 Im-po-pe-shog-er, What are you hunting ? 
 
 Cot-tam-nunk-i, I don't hear. 
 
 Koot-sen-pungo-pe-shog-er, .... I am hunting cattle. 
 
 Huck-ku-bah-pah '? Where is the water? 
 
 Pah-mah-ber-karry, The water is over yonder. 
 
 Topets-karry, There is a spring there. 
 
 Huck-ku-bah-kah-bah-poni-koe, . Where did you see the horse? 
 
 Kah-ponikee-kan-e-gab, ■< 
 
 I saw the horse at the foot of 
 the mountain. 
 
PIEDE DIALECT. 225 
 
 NUMBERS. 
 
 Soos, 1 
 
 We-ioonc, 2 
 
 Pi-oone, 3 
 
 TVol-soo-ing, 4 
 
 Shoo-min, 5 
 
 Nav-i, 6 
 
 Nav-i-ka-vah, *7 
 
 Nan-ne-et-soo-in, 8 
 
 Shoo-lcoot-spenker-mi, 9 
 
 Tom-shoo-in, 10 
 
 Wam-shoo-in, 20 
 
 Pi-oone-shoo-in, 30 
 
 Wol-so-i-mi-shoo-in, 40 
 
 Shoo-mo-mo-shoo-in, 50 
 
 Nav-i-me-shoo-in-ny, 60 
 
 Nav-i-kah-mi-sho-in, 70 
 
 Nan-ne-et-soo-e-mi-shoo-in, 80 
 
 Shu-cut-spinker-mi-shoo-in, 90 
 
 Wah-kut-spinker-mi-shog, 100 
 
 27th. — At eight o'clock to-day, we were on the road, 
 which turned towards very high bluffs. We found the 
 ascent so steep that it was necessary to unharness all the 
 horses from the wagons, and attach them all to one 
 wagon, making fourteen animals dragging one vehicle 
 up this difficult eminence — the men also assisted. This 
 ascent was about 400 yards, and an angle of 35 degrees. 
 "We were busily occupied three hours, in taking all our 
 wagons to the table land above. Our course then lay 
 over a barren desert, due west. 
 
 The road was covered with a loose fossilliferous rock, 
 very flinty, and painful for our animals to travel. We 
 travelled over the same character of road for twenty 
 miles, and then descended into the valley of the Muddy 
 River, through a deep, irregular canon of at least 
 
 10* 
 
226 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 three miles in length. We reached the river at five 
 o'clock, after a toilsome and most disagreeable day's 
 travel. 
 
 "We found excellent grass for our animals on its 
 hanks; the temperature was 00° Fahrenheit, which is not 
 much above the average of the coldest weather. This 
 river, supposed to be the Bio de los Angeles, vulgarly 
 called Muddy, takes its rise from hot springs in the 
 mountains. The Indian name is " Moap." The Indian 
 name of the Santa Clara is "Tonequint" — Bio Virgin, 
 is " Paroos." The water is clear and pleasant to the 
 taste, and by no means deserves the name of Muddy. 
 
 As soon as my mule was unsaddled, I was in the 
 water, and enjoyed a delightful bath, which was re- 
 freshing after such a long hot ride. 
 
 We intend to encamp here for a day, to recruit our 
 animals, and make some little preparation for our tra- 
 vel over the dreaded Jornada, a distance of fifty-five 
 miles, without a drop of water or a blade of grass for 
 the animals. Jornada means a journey, viz. : a jour- 
 ney on which you cannot stop ; for your animals, if 
 they rested without food or water for such a distance, 
 would go mad ; therefore, it is necessary to continue, 
 and push right through, on one stretch, for fifty-five 
 miles. It is most serious to contemplate, but " no hay 
 remedia." 
 
 My mule is in good order, and I trust to him to 
 carry me safely over it. Yesterday I found it necessary 
 to lend my horse to the woman who accompanies us ; 
 one of her horses gave out, and my horse was the only 
 spare animal. It is just what I expected; but as she is 
 along with us, we must assist her at all hazards. The 
 
PAH-UTAH8. 227 
 
 camp is filled with Diggers; Fremont calls them Pah 
 Utalis, i.e., U talis living on the water. 
 
 The>e Indians, we find are great thieves; they appear 
 friendly, and. we put up with their peccadilloes for 
 policy's sake. 
 
228 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN TEE FAR WEST. 
 
 CIIAPTEB XXXV. 
 
 Preparations to Cross the Jornada — Fifty-five Miles without. Water or Grass— Deserted 
 Wagons on the Road — Dead Oxen and Mules — Emigrant Party — Clouds of Dust — 
 Oasis— Delicious Water — Extraordinary Fresh Water Buoyant Spring — Impossibility 
 for a Man to sink in it — Never before Described — Another Jornada of Forty Miles — 
 Col. Reese's Train— Detention — Reese Cut off — Snow-Capped Mountains — Bad Roads 
 — Mineral Springs — My Mule in Harness — Animals giving out. 
 
 %Sth. — At about three o'clock, the order was given to 
 fill up the water cans, as we were about to traverse this 
 immense desert where water was not to be had ; every 
 vessel that could possibly be used, was immediately 
 put in requisition — canteens, kegs, bottles, cans, etc. 
 
 At four o'clock, having harnessed up the horses, and 
 saddled my mule, we were on the road, which led 
 through a loose stony ravine, with much sand; it was 
 very heavy travelling, and our animals moved through 
 it with a great deal of difficulty. 
 
 "We travelled thus for eleven miles, and then gradually 
 ascended the table land, on a harder and better road. 
 
 We commenced our journey in the afternoon, that we 
 might have the benefit of the night air to travel in ; a 
 cool, north wind tempered the atmosphere, and we con- 
 tinued the journey through this sterile, bare, and 
 uncovered country, until midnight, when we halted and 
 refreshed our animals with water from our reservoirs. 
 After a rest of three hours, we resumed our journey, and 
 at ten o'clock in the morning of the 29th, we had 
 
DESEKT STKEWN WITH DEAD ANIMALS. 229 
 
 crossed this dreaded Jornada without any accident, and 
 camped on a narrow stream of deliciously cool water, 
 which distributes itself about half a mile further down, 
 in a verdant meadow bottom, covered with good grass. 
 
 This camp ground is called by the Mexicans, Las 
 Vegas. Once more, we had plenty of grass for our 
 fatigued animals, and we determined to rest here, during 
 the day and night. 
 
 We passed a number of deserted wagons on the road ; 
 chairs, tables, bedsteads, and every article of housekeep- 
 ing, were strewn along our path. The emigrant party 
 who had preceded us about ten days, from Parowan, to 
 lighten their wagons, threw out first one article and 
 then another, until everything they had, was left on the 
 road. It was not difficult to follow their trail ; in one 
 hour I counted the putrid carcasses of nineteen oxen, 
 cows, mules and horses; what a lesson to those who 
 travel over such a country, unadvised and unprepared. 
 
 A strong north wind blew during the morning, which 
 raised clouds of dust, completely and unresistingly 
 filling our eyes with a fine white dust, although I used 
 goggles to prevent it. 
 
 The delightful and refreshing water of this oasis, soon 
 purified me, and now, having crossed the desert, bathed 
 and breakfasted, I feel more comfortable, both mentally 
 and physically. 
 
 Mezcpiite, (alga robia) are the only trees growing near 
 this stream. 
 
 30th. — We remained at camp all day yesterday, and 
 left this morning at ten o'clock. 
 
 We followed up this delicious stream for about three 
 miles ; I was curious to see from whence it flowed, the 
 general character of the country indicating that we 
 
230 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 were not far from its source. Several of us turned from 
 the road, and at a short distance,we found its head waters. 
 It was a large spring, the water bubbled up as if gas 
 were escaping, acucias in full bloom, almost entirely 
 surrounded it — its was forty-five feet in diameter; we 
 approached through an opening, and found it to con- 
 tain the clearest and purest water I ever tasted ; 
 the bottom, which consisted of white sand, did not 
 seem to be more than two feet from the surface. 
 
 Parley Pratt prepared himself for a bathe, while I 
 was considering whether I should go in, I heard Mr. 
 Pratt calling out that he could not sink, the water was 
 so bouyant. Hardly believing it possible that a man 
 could not sink in fresh water, I undressed and jumped in. 
 
 What were my delight and astonishment, to find all my 
 efforts to sink were futile. I raised my body out of the 
 water, and suddenly lowered myself, but I bounced 
 upwards as if I had struck a springing-board. I walked 
 about in the water up to my arm-pits, just the same as 
 if I had been walking on dry land. 
 
 The water, instead of being two feet deep, was over 
 fifteen, the depth of the longest tent pole we had with 
 us. It is positively impossible for a man to sink over 
 his head in it ; the sand on its banks was fine and white. 
 The temperature of the water was T8 , the atmosphere 
 85°. 
 
 I can form no idea as to the cause of this great phe- 
 nomenon ; Col. Fremont made observations on the spot 
 in 1845, and marked its existence on his map as Las 
 Vegas ; but he has since told me he did not know of its 
 bouyant qualities, as he did not bathe in it. In the 
 absence of any other name, I have called it the Buoy- 
 ant Spring. 
 
BUOYANT SPRING. 231 
 
 Great Salt Lake possesses this quality in a great 
 degree, but that water is saturated with salt; this is deli- 
 ciously sweet water ; probably some of the savans can 
 explain the cause of its peculiar properties. We 
 lingered in the spring fifteen minutes. Twenty-three 
 men were at one time bobbing up and down in it endea- 
 voring to sink, without success. 1 made drawings of 
 this spot, and the surrounding mountains. 
 
 If it were not for this " blessed water," it would be 
 almost impossible for man to travel across these deserts ; 
 the next water is at Cottonwood Springs, twenty miles 
 distant. 
 
 Twenty miles S. S. W. of us, is a high range of 
 mountains ; the two centre ones were covered with snow. 
 We travelled through them by a romantic pass ; the 
 road was level although heavy, being composed of small 
 pebbles, and loose sandstone. I perceived no vegetation, 
 but the usual desert shrubs. In the bosom of these 
 mountains we came to a spring of clear cold water, 
 near which grew luxuriantly, cottonwood, acacias, and 
 a kind of willow in full bloom. We encamped on 
 tolerably good grass. 
 
 We have before us another Jornada of forty miles 
 for to-morrow's work. 
 
 I collected from the acacias about an ounce of good 
 "gum arabic." I think it is to all appearance the same 
 tree which produces it in the West Indies. 
 
 Slst.—We made an early start this morning, and 
 commenced ascending to a high pass, in a rocky range 
 of lofty mountains, studded with pine, and cedars ; the 
 road was very heavy, with loose cobble-stones, and sand. 
 The ascent occupied four hours. We halted at about a 
 
232 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR "WEST. 
 
 mile on the other side, and found a spring of good 
 water. 
 
 We met encamped here. Colonel Heese's train, from 
 San JBernandino, bound for Great Salt Lake City. They 
 were in a most distressed state. They had lost a great 
 many of their animals on the desert, and were unable 
 to proceed with the whole expedition. Their wagons 
 were loaded with necessaries and merchandise for the 
 settlements ; they had to send to Cedar City for fresh 
 animals to enable them to continue. 
 
 I purchased a small quantity of sugar and tea from 
 them, for which I paid a high price — fifty cents per lb. 
 for brown sugar. 
 
 We gave our animals a good rest, and started for 
 the Jornada by a new cut off, discovered by Col. 
 Reese. 
 
 We travelled over most uncomfortable roads, the soil, 
 instead of sand as heretofore, is an impalpable white 
 powder, very much like pulverized limestone, sown 
 with large rocks ; my eyes, although protected with a 
 vail and goggles, suffered very much the whole way. 
 The old road was south south east, this cut off led south 
 south west. It is said, by this route, forty miles of 
 travel is saved, and you escape the salt and bitter springs. 
 
 The country is an extensive barren waste, we con- 
 tinued on it until midnight, without finding a blade of 
 grass. We camped until four o'clock, A. M. 
 
 June 1st. — We started at day dawn, and have, by our 
 calculation, travelled over forty miles. The snow capped 
 mountains, observed on the 30th, as bearing S. S. W. 
 now bear directly north. 
 
 At three o'clock, we camped at a spring, at the foot 
 of a range of high hills of pudding-stone. 
 
WARM MINERAL SPRINGS. 233 
 
 The last twenty miles of tins clay's work, lias had 
 a decidedly bad effect on our animals. My mule has 
 been in harness yesterday and to-day, to assist the 
 Mormon lady. One might, as it were, see the flesh go 
 off his body — he has lost at least thirty pounds in the 
 last forty-eight hours. One of our horses gave out, and 
 was shot on the road, a wagon also broke down and was 
 left on the road. 
 
 On examining the spring, I found it to be strongly 
 impregnated with sulphur and iron ; it is a very pleasant 
 mineral water, although very warm ; the thermometer 
 indicated a temperature of 90,° while, when exposed to 
 the atmosphere, it sunk to 65° — at six o'clock, P. M. 
 
 2d. — Our road, during the last twenty miles, lay 
 along the dry bed of a creek, until we came to a high 
 range of volcanic rock, where we pushed our way through 
 an intricate pass to the spring which is on the road, 
 immediately after emerging from the canon. 
 
 The ground on which the spring is situated, is rather 
 elevated, the earth is elastic to the tread, and almost 
 any where near it, you can get water by digging eighteen 
 inches. This water is also slightly impregnated with 
 iron. 
 
234: TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXYI. 
 
 Peg-leg Smith — Gold Explorers — Enter upon the Desert — Road strewn with Dead 
 Oxen — Poisoned Atmosphere — Deserted Wagons and Horses — Howling Wilderness — 
 Excessive Heat — Bitter Springs — Polluted by Dead Animals — Bunch Grass — Reflec- 
 tions — Mohahve River — Deserts Surmounted — Horses give Out — On Foot — Dig for 
 Water in the Sand — Pleasant Weather — Snowy Mountains — Crossing of theMohahvo 
 River — Agave Americana — Cajon pass Sierra Nevada — Descent into the Valley of 
 San Bernandino — Arrival at San Bernandino — Variations of the Compass. 
 
 While encamped on this spot we met a party of gold ex- 
 plorers from Los Angeles. They had been down on the 
 Colorado, looking for gold, but had been unsuccessful. 
 They were under the command of a man with one leg, 
 known as " Peg-leg Smith," a celebrated mountaineer. 
 
 He told me he had been several times across the con- 
 tinent, and had been in this part of the world for some 
 years. 
 
 He sa} T she crossed the Rocky Mountains in 1824 — 30 
 years ago. He is a w T eather-beaten old chap, and tells 
 some improbable tales. They are on their way back, 
 and w r ill travel with, us ; they comprise ten men, all 
 mounted on males. 
 
 To-day two more of our horses gave out ; one of them 
 belongs to the wagon which contained my baggage. 
 Mr. Peg-leg Smith tells me these are called Kingstone 
 Springs. I made drawings of the mountains which are 
 near them ; they are curiously formed land marks, and 
 may be useful to future travellers. We have another 
 terrible Jornada to pass, a distance of fifty miles. 
 
ON THE DESERT. 235 
 
 I hardly think we shall get over it without leaving some 
 of our animals. 
 
 At 3 o'clock we started ; our course was south west, 
 over a new country. Reese's train was the first who 
 had ventured ; none of our party had ever been over, 
 and I never want to traverse it again. 
 
 In travelling over the vast prairies and mountains it is 
 well that the range of our vision has certain limits. If 
 we could take within scope of our sight, the whole ex- 
 tent of the distance to be travelled, we should most proba- 
 bly give up the original intention as one of the impo- 
 sibilities; a "wise Providence has ordained otherwise. 
 The distance is bounded frequently by high ranges of 
 mountains, which cut off the perspective, or the atmo- 
 sphere between the eye and the object produces an aerial 
 effect, which obscures like a curtain, the far spread waste, 
 inspiring the wearied traveller with fresh and renewed 
 energy. 
 
 " So doth the untrod distance still delude us." 
 
 This was decidedly the worst ground I had ever travel- 
 led. After 20 miles ride, I saw in the distance, what I 
 took to be a lake, and none of the party knew better. It 
 was an extensive bed of pure white sand, probably fif- 
 teen miles in diameter, and may have been once the bed 
 of a lake. Our road lay directly over it, and we proceed- 
 ed slowly, and with much difficulty ; at midnight we 
 rested ourtmimals. 
 
 3rd. At 4 o'clock we were on the road again. Car- 
 casses ot dead horses and oxen, strewed the way. Some 
 were left to die, and others still warm, although dead. In 
 the space of one mile 1 counted 40 dead oxen and cows ; 
 the air was foully impregnated with the effluvia arising 
 
236 TEAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 from them. We also passed six deserted wagons, chairs, 
 tables, and feather beds which were left on the road in 
 greater quantities than on the first desert. 
 
 At noon we arrived at Bitter Springs, the grounds 
 about which are strewn with dead animals, and the pol- 
 luted atmosphere at this time, one o'clock, P. M., ranges 
 at 95° in the shade of our wagons, and is nearly 
 unbearable. 
 
 This is a howling, barren wilderness ; not a single tree 
 or shrub for the last fifty miles, nor is there one in sight 
 now. I did not observe during the last day's travel, a 
 lizard or any sign of animal or insect life. There was 
 plenty of food for wolves, but they dare not venture so 
 far from water. 
 
 These springs are not bitter, but possess a brackish 
 taste. There are small springs in different places ; the 
 largest admitted one horse at a time to drink, the rest 
 would have to wait until the water was replenished from 
 the earth. 
 
 While I write of the sterile and barren desert, over 
 which I have travelled, I cannot but contemplate w T ith 
 admiration the goodness of the Almighty, in placing at 
 intervals, food and water for the sustenance of our ani- 
 mals. 
 
 Along the whole road there is not a blade of grass for 
 a distance of fifty miles ; but in the immediate vicinity of 
 this spring there are hundreds of acres of the best 
 quality of bunch grass ; there is, apparently^ the same 
 sandy barren soil, not deriving any nourishment from 
 the spring, which is a mile away. 
 
 Without the watchful care of Divine Providence, man 
 would be unable successfully to traverse these deserts. 
 
 June Mh. — We left camp at 5^ P. M., and camped at 
 
APPKOACH TO CIVILIZATION. 237 
 
 8 o'clock this morning: 5th, encamped on the Mohahve 
 River. We made 31 miles since last evening. 
 
 I return grateful thanks to the Omnipotent for con- 
 ducting me safely over the mountains of snow, and the 
 dangers of the desert wilderness. 
 
 We may now consider the real perils of the journey 
 past. San Bernandino is ninety miles S. W. of us. In 
 .four days, I trust we shall arrive in good health and con- 
 dition. 
 
 Yesterday two horses gave out. Our Mormon lady 
 is the sub-tenant of one of our wagons ; her own was so 
 heavy as to wear out the animals, she was obliged to 
 leave it on the road. My poor mule is only a shadow 
 of himself, I walked about fifteen miles yesterday, to 
 relieve him. He has now good grass for his supper. 
 
 When we struck the Mohahve River, it appeared to 
 be only a dry bed of sand, with a few pools of water 
 about six inches deep. We were very grateful that we 
 found any at all, as our animals were suffering very 
 much for the want of it. 
 
 Cottonwood and willows grow abundantly near the 
 banks. The sight of vegetation is refreshing, and indi- 
 cates our approach to a country more adapted for the 
 purposes of man. 
 
 We left camp at four o'clock, in hopes of finding a 
 better camp-ground. 
 
 We travelled thirteen miles through loose deep sand, 
 when, turning again to the river, we found a large slug- 
 gish pool of water, twenty-five feet in diameter, and one 
 foot deep in the bed of the river, which sinks and rises 
 in the sand for many miles. 
 
 Good bunch grass was here in abundance, and our 
 animals are faring sumptuously. 
 
238 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 ,.The flowering willow (a dwarf), is the only tree now 
 visible. Thermometer, at day-light, 60°. A strong gale 
 of wind is blowing from the north. 
 
 We have been highly favored with pleasant weather 
 during our journey across these deserts, with the excep- 
 tion of a few hours at mid-day : the temperature has 
 been delightful, quite opposite to what I had anticipated. 
 
 6th. — We left camp this morning, and continued along 
 the dry bed of the Mohahve River for fifteen miles, 
 when we halted. We dug holes in the sand, and found 
 good pure water. 
 
 Our camp-ground is surrounded with fine large cotton- 
 woods, and plenty of bunch grass on the benches near. 
 
 1th. — We were on the road at an early hour this 
 morning. We struck across a sandy desert, of about ten 
 miles, and approached the river again, but found no 
 water. We continued along, and at noon halted about 
 five miles further up, with clover, grass, and water in a 
 little pool on the road. 
 
 The thermometer at daylight this morning, was 
 down to 40°. Large fires were very comfortable. In 
 the last forty-eight hours, there has been a variation 
 of 60° of the thermometer, in the shade. 
 
 The weather is more like October than June. 
 
 Two high snowy mountains, bearing S. S. W., almost 
 immediately on our course, indicate our approach to the 
 Nevada Mountains. 
 
 At five o'clock, we encamped within five miles of the 
 crossing of the Mohahve River. Abundance of good 
 red clover, grass and plenty of water. 
 
 We travelled thirty miles this day. 
 
 8th. — At daylight this morning our camp was in 
 active preparation for departure. The temperature 
 
CAJ0N PASS IN THE SIEEEA NEVADA. 239 
 
 55°, and delightful weather. After an early breakfast, 
 we rode through a beautiful grove of cotton wood, with 
 willow undergrowth. Rose trees in full bloom, with 
 hundreds of other beautiful flowers. This is a fairy land, 
 indeed. What a contrast to the desert of a few hours 
 ago ! Grape vines hang gracefully from the branches 
 of lofty trees, while the air resounds with the songs of 
 birds.' I noticed numbers of doves, a species of quail 
 with a topknot (the California quail), herons, and 
 ducks in great numbers on the river. 
 
 We crossed the river, which at this place was a run- 
 ning stream, about two hundred yards wide, and fringed 
 with cottonwood and willow trees. After leaving the 
 river, we commenced to ascend gradually to another 
 desert, of seventeen miles. The last five miles was 
 through a forest of muskale {Agave Americana), which 
 grow to an immense size ; some as large as the greatest 
 oak tree I ever saw. This is a curious tree, the trunk is 
 cylindrical, as if it were turned ; its limbs are leafless, 
 except at their extremities, on which grow long narrow 
 leaves, with a sharp prickle at the end. These trees 
 assume the most fantastic forms. At noon we arrived 
 at the summit of the Cajon Pass, in the Sierra Nevada 
 the descent from which is on a saddle or spur of the 
 mountain, on an angle of thirty-live degrees, and the 
 length of the descent is a quarter of a mile, then it 
 becomes more gradual for a mile, until you reach the 
 valley below. 
 
 The view from the top of the pass, is grand beyond 
 description — from it, you can see the San Bernandino 
 Mountains, and numberless valleys; from this eminence 
 the Tulara Pass is in view. 
 
 The descent of our wagons occupied considerable 
 
240 TEAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 time ; the team was in front, but the whole force of the 
 men were attached to long ropes at the end of the 
 wagon, to prevent its too rapid descent; the surface of 
 this saddle is perfectly smooth, and a good team of 
 horses easily draws up a wagon over it to the top. 
 There would be no difficulty for two steam engines to 
 propel a train of cars up this natural inclined plain, 
 while the road from Great Salt Lake to San Bernandino, 
 eight hundred and fifty miles, could be laid without any 
 grading ; the passes through the mountains being per- 
 fectly level, and well adapted for railroad purposes — 
 while the deserts are almost perfect plains. 
 
 After descending into the valley, the road to San Ber- 
 nandino leads through a wide level canon, in which 
 grow spontaneously abundance of wild oats. We 
 encamped, after journeying ten miles through it, with 
 good water and grass. We travelled thirty-two miles 
 this day. 
 
 9th. This morning at daylight the thermometer was at 
 35°. We left camp early, and continued through the 
 canon, which was well timbered for twelve miles, we then 
 emerged into the San Bernandino Valley, and at one 
 o'clock, P. M. we all arrived safely at San Bernandino. 
 I collected and preserved numerous specimens of wild 
 flowers, which are yet unclassified. 
 
 My mule is in tolerable condition, the last few camps 
 where good clover and grass were obtained, improved 
 him greatly. The horses have all come in very poor 
 and many of them lame and broken down. 
 
 I was kindly received by Gen. Rich, the president of 
 San Bernandino, who showed me many civilities. 
 
 San Bernandino Valley, is a tract of most fertile coun- 
 try ; it was the seat of a Catholic Mission some years 
 
VARIATION OF COMPASS. 241 
 
 before, but recently purchased by the Mormons for a 
 settlement. 
 
 San Bernandino City, contains about one thousand 
 inhabitants, the church owns saw-mills and flouring 
 mills, it is a great agricultural country. Being desirous 
 of reaching the sea-board, I only remained three days 
 here. I mounted my trusty mule, and rode into Los 
 Angeles in twelve hours, a distance of forty-five miles, 
 pretty well for an animal that had just come off the 
 deserts. 
 
 Variation of compass: — 
 
 at Great Salt Lake City, . . 15 ' 20 " W. 
 
 " Fillmore City, . . . . 16 ' " 
 
 "Parowan, 19' 40" " 
 
 " San Bernandino, . . . .13' 40"" 
 " Los Angeles, . . . . 13 ' SO " " 
 
 Immediately in the vicinity of Parowan, there are 
 several mountains containing magnetic iron, which 
 accounts for the great variation in that place. 
 
 11 
 
24:2 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 Journey to Los Angeles — Catholic Missions — Fields of Mustard — California Ladles — 
 Morals of the People — Gamblers — Description of a " Hell " — Climate of Los Angeles 
 — Delicious Fruit — California Wine — Don Manuel Domingues — Rancho — Menada — 
 Breaking a Horde — Portraits of Domingues — Salt Lake — Asphaltum Lake — Hot 
 Springs of San Juar de Campestrano — Analysis — Geological Examination — Remains 
 of a Mastodon — Don Pio Pico — Ground Squirrels — Strychnine — Brothers Labatt — 
 Their Example worthy to be Imitated. 
 
 FIELDS OF MUSTARD. 
 
 From San Bernandino to Los Angeles, a distance of forty- 
 five miles, the road lay over one continuous field of 
 wild mustard, covering the whole breadth of the valley 
 of Los Angeles, and extending far up into the moun- 
 tains ; it was ripe at the time I travelled through. 
 Millions of acres producing many thousands of bushels, 
 annually go to waste. If coal is ever found in this 
 country, a mustard mill could be profitably worked. At 
 present there is no water power to turn a mill, or fuel 
 to propel an engine for steam works. 
 
 CATHOLIC MISSION LOS ANGELES. 
 
 To-day I met Mr. Hildreth, one of the brothers who 
 commanded a large emigrant party, and whose unpro- 
 voked and fatal attack upon the Parvain Lidians, near 
 
CALIFORNIA LADIES. 243 
 
 Fillmore, caused that tribe to murder Capt. Gunnison 
 and officers, a description of which I have already given. 
 Mr. Hiklreth says that his brother (the commander), and 
 himself had left camp to hunt, and when they returned 
 they were informed of the unfortunate and premature 
 attack of some of his people upon the Indians. It seems 
 that a small number of Parvain Indians came into camp 
 armed with bows and arrows, begging food and clothing 
 at sundown. They were ordered out of camp, they re- 
 fused. They were told if they gave up their bows and 
 arrows they might remain, and one of the men used 
 force to obtain the bow from an Indian. In the scuffle 
 the American was wounded, whereupon, without any 
 further provocation, a number of rifles were discharged 
 at the Indians, killing several, among whom was an old 
 chief. Capt. Hildreth at once raised camp and proceeded 
 on his journey for fear of the consequences. This fatal 
 event would not have occurred if Capt. Hildreth had 
 been in camp, and he lamented the occurrence. 
 
 The California ladies are generally brunettes ; some 
 of them with whom I became acquainted were most 
 beautiful and accomplished. Bonnets are unknown. 
 During the morning their magnificent tresses are 
 allowed to hang at full length down their backs. I 
 have seen suits of hair at least three feet long, waving 
 gracefully around a well-formed neck. In the evening 
 a great deal of care and pains are taken to curl and plait 
 it. When they go out, a simple mantilla of black satin 
 or silk, sometimes of colored silk, is gracefully thrown 
 over their heads ; they invariably carry a large fan. 
 The most costly material is used for dresses, and the 
 richest and most expensive shawls may be seen worn by 
 the ladies in Los Angeles. Society is very select among 
 
244: TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 the better classes, although there are but few American 
 families residing there. 
 
 Alas ! for the morals of the people at large ; it was 
 the usual salutation in the morning, " "Well, how many 
 murders were committed last night ?" — " Only four — 
 three Indians and a Mexican." Sometimes three, often 
 two, but almost every night while I was there, one mur- 
 der, at least, was committed. It became dangerous to 
 walk abroad after night. A large number of American 
 gamblers frequented the principal hotels, and induced 
 the Californians to risk their money at all the famous 
 games of monte, roulette, poker, faro, etc. 
 
 When I arrived at San Francisco, I had the curiosity 
 to enter one of the most frequented " hells," to see the 
 process of winning and loosing money. The building 
 selected by the gentleman who accompanied me, was a 
 celebrated one in Clay street. An orchestra of thirty-five 
 musicians, were performing fashionable operatic airs ; 
 following the sound, we were introduced into the saloon, 
 which was brilliantly illuminated ; it was truly an impos- 
 ing sight. There must have been over fifty tables, at 
 which presided most beautiful women, dealing out cards, 
 or whirling around a roulette table ; at some might have 
 been seen old gentlemen with white hair, to all ap- 
 pearance respectable, and whose proper place seemed 
 to me, to be a magistrate's bench, or a judge's forum. 
 Few or no words are spoken at the table ; men silently 
 place their gold on a card, and before a second expires, 
 it is swept away ; once out of many times, it is doubled by 
 the player ; it remains and he wins : a second time fortune 
 favors, it doubles again ; the insatiate vice of selfishness, 
 not satisfied with eight times what he originally staked, 
 leaves his pile, building castles in the air with the itn- 
 
FRUITS OF LOS ANGELES. 245 
 
 aginary proceeds of his winnings — when in the twinkle 
 of an eye, a gentle sweep from the smiling syren, 
 dissipates his dreams of fortune, and he retires from the 
 hell penniless in reality. Hundreds of men who have 
 acquired by hard work and industry, a little fortune at 
 the mines, and come to town to purchase a bill of 
 exchange to send to their families, are induced to visit 
 one of these places, and in an hour he has lost the labor 
 of months, leaving his family anxiously awaiting re- 
 mittances which they are doomed never to receive. 
 
 These native Californians have been known to borrow 
 money at the enormous rate of six per cent, a month, 
 compound interest, and give their ranchos as collaterals, 
 on purpose to gamble with ; many who once were rich, 
 are now reduced to beggary from this cause ; the com- 
 pound interest accumulating so fast, that unable to meet 
 it, the mortgage is foreclosed, and a valuable property 
 sacrificed to the usurious practices of those who call 
 themselves men, for one twentieth part of its real 
 value. 
 
 The climate is delightful. The pine-apple, grapes, 
 figs and oranges of the tropics, grow alongside of the 
 pears, peaches and apples, of the temperate regions. 
 The most delicious grapes I ever tasted, are cultivated 
 in large quantities in Los Angeles. Hundreds of tons are 
 annually shipped to San Francisco ; peaches, delicious 
 pears, etc., and, in fact, the fruit is cultivated purposely to 
 ship. It yields a good profit and a large income. The 
 vineyards are set out in drills six feet apart, each vine 
 is trained to an upright position supported by rods, until 
 they acquire age. The usual price for grapes was three 
 dollars a hundred pounds as they are on the vines, to be 
 plucked and boxed at the expense of the purchaser, 
 
24:6 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 otlier fruit is also sold by the pound on the tree. 
 Many proprietors have permanent engagements with 
 San Francisco merchants, to sell annually the produce 
 of their vineyards and orchards. 
 
 Wine of a superior kind is made in Los Angeles, 
 it is white and dry like the Hockhiemer or Rhenish. 
 A superior article is worth twenty-five dollars for 
 eighteen gallons. 
 
 Don Manuel Domingues, a noble specimen of a Span- 
 ish gentleman, owns a very large tract of land in Los 
 Angeles county. The San Gabriel, and Los Angeles 
 Rivers run through it, making the property very valua- 
 ble. It adjoins the large rancho of Mr. Stearns. It 
 was confirmed by the United States government during 
 my short residence at his hospitable mansion, and I 
 painted a large portrait of him to celebrate the event, 
 with the letters patent of his property in his hand. I 
 was prostrated at this gentleman's house by a severe 
 attack of brain fever, superinduced by exposure in travel- 
 ling over the hot deserts of sand, between Salt Lake and 
 San Bernandino. His good, kind-hearted wife, Donna 
 Gracia, paid me all the attentions and devotion of a 
 mother. For ten days I was delirious, during that time 
 she hardly left my bedside. Doctor Brinkerhoff who 
 resided with them, volunteered his medical advice. To 
 their combined skill and care I owe my final recovery. 
 
 I was taken ill the very day I got out to their ran- 
 cho. If I had been ill in Los Angeles, where I had been 
 residing previously, I should have died for want of at- 
 tentions which money could not have procured. 
 
 I also painted the portraits of Donna Gracia, and one 
 of her daughters. 
 
 Don Manuel has several brothers, living at short dis- 
 
DON MANUEL DOMINGUES. 247 
 
 • 
 
 tances from each other ; they have all large families of 
 grown sous and daughters, who meet alternately at 
 each other's houses, when music and dancing is indulged 
 in with unalloyed pleasure. Young gentlemen from 
 town often drive out to spend an evening, and the four 
 weeks I spent there, speaking Spanish and dancing with 
 the beautiful senoritas, conduced much to restore me 
 to the habits of civilized lite, which a voyage of nine 
 months, across the continent had almost made me 
 forget. 
 
 Dan Manuel has an immense number of oxen, sheep 
 and horses. His menada is said to contain the 
 finest riding animals in California ; and it is only by 
 great persuasion that he will sell a choice horse. While 
 I was there, I saw the process of breaking a horse to the 
 saddle. A native Californian lassoes the animal he 
 intends to break, and brings him out of the menada. 
 One end of the lasso he ties around the nose of the horse ; 
 a blanket is strapped on his back by a strong surcingle ; 
 he then jumps on him, and introducing his knees under 
 the surcingle, he is now firmly seated. On his feet are 
 immense spurs; he touches the horse with them, and 
 off he bounds with the speed of the wind, his rider 
 guiding him with perfect ease. Now he plunges — see 
 him rearing ! but his master is on him, and his efforts to 
 dismount him are unavailing. After he is exercised in 
 this manner for an hour, he is turned into pasture, 
 picketed, and not suffered to run with the menada after- 
 wards. 
 
 The mares are of comparatively little worth ; they 
 are never used as beasts of burthen, or for riding ; they 
 are kept fur breeding purposes. I have seen a magnifi- 
 cent animal sell for forty dollars, while geldings, not 
 superior in quality, brought two hundred dollars. 
 
248 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 On this rancho, towards San Pedro, is a salt lake, 
 which was being worked by a company of gentlemen. 
 The salt is of superior quality, and brings a good price 
 in Los Angeles. 
 
 On this same place, near the shores of the Pacific 
 Ocean, there is a lake of bitumen or asphaltum, used 
 almost altogether in Los Angeles, as covering for the 
 roofs of houses. In winter it does very well, but the 
 dropping of hot pitch from the eaves of the houses in 
 hot weather, is not agreeable. Large quantities of it are, 
 in consequence, on the side- walks, which, in warm wea- 
 ther, acts like bird-lime ; for if you meet a friend, and 
 stop accidentally on it, there you both are fixed for the 
 moment. Gentlemen's clothing is frequently spoiled 
 by this material. It is highly inflammable ; an excellent 
 gas might be obtained from it. I have seen it used on 
 steamboats, to get up steam quickly. 
 
 The mission of San Juan de Campestrano is not far 
 from this rancho. Near it are the celebrated hot springs 
 of that name. 
 
 For the following analysis, I am indebted to Dr. Win. 
 P. Reynolds, whom I met on the steamer to San Fran- 
 cisco : — 
 
 Sulphur, 40 
 
 Nitre, 11 
 
 Ammonia, . 7.5 
 
 Potassa, 9.3 
 
 Lime, 7.2 
 
 Phosphorus, fi 
 
 Iron, 13 
 
 Soda, 6 
 
 100 
 
 These hot springs of San Juan de Campestrano excel 
 all others in the neighborhood (and there are many), in 
 regard to their medicinal virtues, both from their chemi- 
 
AUTHOR DISCOVERS REMAINS OF A MASTODON. 249 
 
 cal combinations and the results obtained by tlieir heal- 
 ing qualities in all those diseases for which the chaly- 
 beates are reported to cure. 
 
 In making geological examinations on Domingues' 
 land, I had the curiosity to dig into a mound of earth 
 raised up several feet from the surface, and not fifty 
 yards from the dwelling-house. I found several pieces 
 of large size petrified bone, too colossal for horses or 
 oxen. Procuring a pick-axe, I penetrated further, and 
 was gratified in exhuming portions of a mastodon. 
 I collected four perfect teeth ; the largest weighed six 
 pounds. I destroyed several with my axe, before I 
 realized their value. Portions of the tibia I also got 
 out perfect. These interesting antediluvian relics I took 
 with me to Los Angeles, where I met Mr. Trask, the 
 State geologist of California. At his request I presented 
 two specimens of the teeth to the State Geological 
 Society, the rest Mr. Trask took charge of for me, to 
 deliver in California. I have never seen a report of my 
 present to the society, and when I met Mr. Trask at 
 San Francisco, they had not yet been shipped from Los 
 Angeles. I regret very much that I allowed them to 
 leave my own possession, as I promised one of the teeth 
 to Col. Fremont, and, in consequence, have not been 
 able to fulfill it. 
 
 These huge animals are granivorous, and must have 
 consumed trees on the mountains ; around Los Angeles 
 there is no sign of a tree, and on the vast plains in the 
 centre of which I found these petrified remains, there is 
 nothing but short grass and mustard. Query, how came 
 the mastodon in the place I found it? did it die there? 
 or was it washed down from the mountains? I leave this 
 interesting investigation to more scientific minds. 
 
 11* 
 
250 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAK WEST. 
 
 At Los Angeles, I painted the portraits of the ex-gov- 
 ernor, Don Pio Pico, and several other gentlemen. 
 
 The whole country of Southern California, especially 
 in Los Angeles countv, is infested with millions of 
 ground squirrels, which destroy vegetation, and are 
 great nuisances to farmers, as well as to the community; 
 they domesticate themselves in houses, and I have seen 
 them jump on the dinner-table, overturning tumblers, etc. 
 The country is overrun with them ; various methods have 
 been suggested to destroy them, but without effect ; the 
 most successful, however, is strychnine — large quantities 
 of which are imported into California, for this express 
 purpose. This virulent and active poison, for this rea- 
 son, becomes an important article of trade. 
 
 These squirrels, form the principal food of the numer- 
 ous bands of degraded Indians, who live near the settle- 
 ments. 
 
 To the brothers Samuel and Joseph Labatt, mer- 
 chants of Los Angeles, I am indebted for many acts of 
 kindness ; men who anticipate the necessities of their 
 fellow-man, and spontaneously offer money advances to 
 a perfect stranger, I have not often met with, " but when 
 found, I make a note of it." 
 
 With the view of not interrupting the incidental part 
 of this book, I have preferred to place at the end of it, 
 several sermons, illustrating the oratorical' powers of 
 Brigham Young, and some of his aposHes and counsel- 
 lors, as well as the " Revelations to Joseph Smith, on 
 the patriarchal order of matrimony, or plurality of 
 wives," (presented to the author by his excellency), 
 which is the basis of the spiritual wife system, as now 
 practised by the Mormons. 
 
SPIRITUAL WIFE SYSTEM. 251 
 
 SPIRITUAL WIFE SYSTEM. 
 
 A REVELATION ON THE PATRIARCHAL ORDER OF MATRIMONY, 
 OR PLURALITY OF WIVES. 
 
 Given to Joseph Smith, the Seer, in Nauvoo, July 12th, 1843. 
 
 1. Yerily, thus saith the Lord unto you my servant 
 Joseph, that inasmuch as you have inquired of my hand, 
 to know and understand wherein I, the Lord, justified 
 my servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ; as also Moses, 
 David, and Solomon, my servants, as touching the 
 principle and doctrine of their having many wives and 
 concubines : Behold ! and lo, I am the Lord thy God, 
 and will answer thee as touching this matter : Therefore, 
 prepare thy heart to receive and obey the instructions 
 which I am about to give unto you ; for all those who 
 have his law revealed unto them, must obey the same ; 
 for behold ! I reveal unto you a new and everlasting 
 covenant, and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye 
 damned ; for no one can reject this covenant, and be 
 permitted to enter into my glory ; for all who will have 
 a blessing at my hands, shall abide the law which was 
 appointed for that blessing, and the conditions thereof, 
 as was instituted from before the foundations of the 
 world : and as pertaining to the new and everlasting 
 covenant, it was instituted for the fullness of my glory ; 
 and he that receiveth a fullness thereof, must and shall 
 
252 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR "WEST. 
 
 abide the law, or he shall be damned, saith the Lord 
 God. 
 
 2. And verily I say unto you, that the conditions of 
 this law are these : All covenants, contracts, bonds, 
 obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, as- 
 sociations, or expectations, that are not made and 
 entered into, and sealed, by the Holy Spirit of promise, 
 of him who is anointed, both as well for time and for 
 all eternity, and that too most holy, by revelation and 
 commandment, through the medium of mine anointed, 
 whom I have appointed on the earth to hold this power 
 (and I have appointed unto my servant Joseph to hold 
 this power in the last days, and there is never but one 
 on the earth at a time, on whom this power and the 
 keys of the priesthood are conferred), are of no efficacy, 
 virtue, or force, in and after the resurrection from the 
 dead : for all contracts that are not made unto this end, 
 have an end when men are dead. 
 
 3. Behold ! mine house is a house of order, saith the 
 Lord God, and not a house of confusion. Will I accept 
 of an offering, saith the Lord, that is not made in my 
 name ? Or, will I receive at your hands, that which I 
 have not appointed ? And will I appoint unto you, 
 saith the Lord, except it be by law, even as I and my 
 Father ordained unto you, before the world was ? I am 
 the Lord thy God, and I give unto you this command- 
 ment, that no man shall come unto the Father, but by 
 me, or by my word which is my law, saith the Lord ; 
 and everything that is in the world, whether it be 
 ordained of men, by thrones, or principalities, or powers, 
 or things of name, whatsoever they may be, that are 
 not by me, or by my word, saith the Lord, shall be 
 thrown down, and shall not remain after men are dead, 
 
SPIRITUAL WIFE SYSTEM. 253 
 
 neither in nor after the resurrection, saith the Lord your 
 God : for whatsoever things remaineth, are by me ; and 
 whatsoever things are not by me, shall be shaken and 
 destroyed. 
 
 4. Therefore, if a man marry him a wife in the world, 
 and he marry her not by me, nor by my word ; and he 
 covenant with her so long as he is in the world, and she 
 with him, their covenant and marriage is not of force 
 when they are dead, and when they are out of the 
 world ; therefore, they are not bound by any law when 
 they are out of the world ; therefore, when they are out 
 of the world, they neither marry, nor are given in mar- 
 riage, but are appointed angels in heaven, which angels 
 are ministering servants, to minister for those who are 
 worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal 
 weight of glory ; for these angels did not abide by law, 
 therefore they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately 
 and singly, without examination, in their saved con- 
 dition, to all eternity, and from henceforth are not Gods, 
 but are angels of God for ever and ever. 
 
 5. And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry 
 a wife, and make a covenant with her for time, and for 
 all eternity, if that covenant is not by me, or by my 
 word, which is my law, and is not sealed the 
 Holy Spirit of promise, through him whom I have 
 anointed and appointed unto this power, then it is not 
 valid, neither of force, when they are out of the world, 
 because they are not joined by me, saith the Lord, 
 neither by my word ; when they are out of the world, 
 it cannot be received there, because the angels and the 
 Gods are appointed there, by whom they cannot pass; 
 they cannot, therefore, inherit my glory, for my house 
 is a house of order, saith the Lord God. 
 
254 TEAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN '1HE FAR WEST. 
 
 6. And again, verily I say nnto you, if a man marry 
 a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new 
 and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by 
 the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, 
 unto whom I have appointed this power, and the keys 
 of this priesthood, and it shall be said unto them, ye 
 shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be 
 after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection ; and 
 shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and pow- 
 ers, dominions, all heights and depths, then shall it be 
 written in the Lamb's Book of Life, that he shall commit 
 no murder whereby to shed innocent blood ; and if ye 
 abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby 
 to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all 
 things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in 
 time, and through all eternity, and shall be of full force, 
 when they are out of the world ; and they shall pass 
 by the angels, and the Gods, which are set there, to 
 their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been 
 sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fullness 
 and continuation of the seeds for ever and ever. 
 
 7. Then shall they be Gods, because they have no 
 end ; therefore shall they be from everlasting to ever- 
 lasting, because they continue ; then shall they be above 
 all, because things are subject unto them. Then shall 
 they be gods, because they have all power, and the 
 angels are subject unto them. 
 
 8. Verily, verily I say unto you, except ye abide my 
 law, ye cannot attain to this glory ; for straight is the 
 gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the exaltation 
 and continuation of the lives, and few there be that find 
 it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye 
 know me. But if ye receive me in the world, then 
 
SPIKITUAL WIFE SYSTEM. 255 
 
 shall ye know me, and shall receive your exaltation, 
 that where I am, ye shall be also. This is eternal life, 
 to know the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ 
 whom he hath sent. I am He. Receive ye, therefore, 
 my law. Broad is the gate, and wide the way that 
 leadeth to the death ; and many there are that go in 
 thereat ; because they receive me not, neither do they 
 abide in my law. 
 
 9. Verily, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a 
 wife according to my word, and they are sealed by the 
 Holy Spirit of promise, according to mine appointment, 
 and he or she shall commit any sin or transgression of 
 the new and everlasting covenant whatever, and all man- 
 ner of blas}3heinies, and if they commit no murder, 
 wherein they shed innocent blood, — yet they shall come 
 forth in the first resurrection, and enter into their exalta- 
 tion, but they shall be destroyed in the flesh, and shall 
 be delivered unto the buffetings of Satan, unto the day 
 of redemption, saith the Lord God. 
 
 10. The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, which shall 
 not be forgiven in the world, nor out of the world, is in 
 that ye commit murder, wherein ye shed innocent blood, 
 and assent unto my death, after ye have received my 
 new and everlasting covenant, saith the Lord God ; and 
 he that abideth not this law, can in now T ise enter into 
 glory, but shall be damned, saith the Lord. 
 
 11. I am the Lord thy God, and will give unto thee 
 the law of my Holy Priesthood, as was ordained by me, 
 and my Father, before the w r orld was. Abraham received 
 all things, whatsoever he received, by revelation and 
 commandment, by my word, saith the Lord, and hath 
 entered into his exaltation, and sitteth upon his throne. 
 
 12. Abraham received promises concerning his seed, 
 
256 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 and of the fruit of his loins, — from whose loins ye are, 
 viz. : my servant Joseph — which were to continue, so 
 long as they were iu the world ; and as touching Abra- 
 ham and his seed, out of the world, they should con- 
 tinue ; both in the world and out of the world should 
 they continue as innumerable as the stars ; or, if ye were 
 to count the sand upon the sea-shore, ye could not num- 
 ber them. This promise is yours also, because ye are of 
 Abraham, and the promise was made unto Abraham ; 
 and by this law are the continuation of the works of my 
 Father, wherein he glorifieth himself. Go ye, therefore, 
 and do the works of Abraham : enter ye into my law, 
 and ye shall be saved. But if ye enter not into my law, 
 ye cannot receive the promises of my Father, which he 
 made unto Abraham. 
 
 13. God commanded Abraham, and Sarah gave Ha- 
 gar to Abraham, to wife. And why did she do it? 
 Because this was the law, and from Hagar sprang many 
 people. This, therefore, was fulfilling, among other 
 things, the promises. Was Abraham therefore, under 
 condemnation? Verily, I say unto you, Nay', for I 
 the Lord, commanded it. Abraham was commanded to 
 oner his son Isaac ; nevertheless, it was written, Thou 
 shalt not kill. Abraham, however, did not refuse, and 
 it was accounted unto him for righteousness. 
 
 14. Abraham received concubines, and they bare him 
 children, and it was accounted unto him for righteous- 
 ness, because they were given unto him, and he abode 
 in my law : as Isaac also and Jacob did none other 
 things than that which they were commanded ; and 
 because they did none other things than that which 
 they were commanded, they have entered into their 
 exaltation, according to the promises and sit upon 
 
SPIRITUAL WIFE SYSTEM. 257 
 
 thrones , and are not angels, but are Gods. David 
 also received many wives and concubines, as also 
 Solomon, and Moses my servant ; as also many others 
 of my servants, from the beginning of creation until 
 this time ; and in nothing did they sin, save in those 
 things which they received not of me. 
 
 15. David's wives and concubines were given unto 
 him, of me, by the hand of Nathan, my servant, and 
 others of the prophets who had the keys of this power ; 
 and in none of these things did he sin against me, save 
 in the case of Uriah and his wife ; and therefore, he hath 
 fallen from his exaltation, and received his portion ; 
 and he shall not inherit them out of the world ; for I 
 gave them unto another, saith the Lord. 
 
 16. I am the Lord thy God, and I gave unto thee, my 
 servant Joseph, an appointment, and restore all things ; 
 ask what ye will, and it shall be given unto you, ac- 
 cording to my word ; and as ye have asked concerning 
 adultery, verily, verily I say unto you, if a man re- 
 ceiveth a wife in the new and everlasting covenant, and 
 if she be with another man, and I have not appointed unto 
 her by the holy anointing, she hath committed adultery, 
 and shall be destroyed. If she be not in the new and 
 everlasting covenant, and she be with another man, she has 
 committed adultery ; and if her husband be with another 
 woman, and he was under a vow, he hath broken his 
 vow, and hath committed adultery ; and if she hath not 
 committed adultery, but is innocent, and hath not bro- 
 ken her vow, and she knoweth it, and I reveal it unto you, 
 my servant Joseph, then shall you have power, by the 
 power of my Holy Priesthood, to take her, and give her 
 unto him that hath not committed adultery, but hath 
 
258 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 been faithful, for he shall be made ruler over many ; for 
 I have conferred upon you the keys and power of the 
 priesthood, wherein I restore all things, and make known 
 unto you, all things in due time. 
 
 17. And verily, verily I say unto you, that whatsoever 
 you seal on earth, shall be sealed in heaven ; and what- 
 soever you bind on earth, in nry name, and by my word, 
 saith the Lord, it shall be eternally bound in the hea- 
 vens ; and whatsoever sins you remit on earth, shall be 
 remitted eternally in the heavens ; and whoseever sins 
 you retain on earth, shall be retained in heaven. 
 
 18. And again, verily I say, whomsoever you bless, I 
 will bless ; and whomsoever you curse, I will curse, saith 
 the Lord ; for I, the Lord, am thy God. 
 
 19. And again, verily I say unto you, my servant 
 Joseph, that whatsoever you give on earth, and to 
 whomsoever you give any one on earth, by my word, 
 and according to my law, it shall be visited with bless- 
 ings, and not cursings, and with my power, saith the 
 Lord, and shall be without condemnation on earth, and 
 in heaven ; for I am the Lord thy God, and will be with 
 thee even unto the end of the world, and through all 
 eternity : for verily I seal upon you your exaltation, and 
 prepare a throne for you in the kingdom of my Father, 
 with Abraham, your father. Behold, I have seen your 
 sacrifices, and will forgive all your sins ; I have seen 
 your sacrifices, in obedience to that which I have told 
 you : go, therefore, and I make a way for your escape, 
 as I accepted the offering of Abraham, of his son Isaac. 
 
 20. Verily, I say unto you, a commandment I give 
 unto mine handmaid, Emma Smith, your wife, whom I 
 have given unto you, that she stay herself, and partake 
 not of that which I commanded you to offer unto her ; 
 
SPIRITUAL WIFE SYSTEM. 259 
 
 for I did it, saith the Lord, to prove you all, as I did 
 Abraham ; and that I might require an offering at your 
 hand, by covenant and sacrifice ; and let mine hand- 
 maid, Emma Smith, receive all those that have been 
 given unto my servant Joseph, and who are virtuous 
 and pure before me ; and those who are not pure, shall 
 be destroyed, saith the Lord God ! for I am the Lord thy 
 God, and ye shall obey my voice ; and I give unto my 
 servant Joseph, that he shall be made ruler over many 
 things, for he hath been faithful over a few things, and 
 from henceforth 1 will strengthen him. 
 
 21. And I command mine handmaid, Emma Smith, 
 to abide and cleave unto my servant Joseph, and to none 
 else. But if she will not abide this commandment, she 
 shall be destroyed, saith the Lord ; for I am the Lord 
 thy God, and will destroy her if she abide not in my 
 law ; but if she will not abide this commandment, then 
 shall my servant Joseph do all these things for her, even 
 as he hath said ; and I will bless him, and multiply him, 
 and give unto him an hundred fold in this world, of 
 fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, houses and 
 lands, wives and children, and crowns of eternal lives 
 in the eternal worlds. And again, verily I say, let mine 
 handmaid forgive my servant Joseph his trespasses, and 
 then shall she be forgiven her trespasses, wherein she 
 lias trespassed against me ; and I the Lord thy God will 
 bless her, and multiply her, and make her to rejoice. 
 
 22. And again, I say, let not my servant Joseph put 
 his property out of his hands, lest an enemy come and 
 destroy him, for Satan seeketh to destroy ; for 1 am the 
 Lord thy God, and he is my servant ; and behold ! and 
 lo, I am with him, as I was with Abraham thy father, 
 even unto his exaltation and glory. 
 
260 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 23. Now as touching the law of the priesthood, there 
 are many things pertaining thereunto. Verily, if a 
 man be called of my Father, as was Aaron, by mine 
 own voice, and by the voice of him that sent me, and I 
 have endowed him with the keys of the power of this 
 priesthood, if he do anything in my name, and accord- 
 ing to my law, and by my word, he will not commit 
 sin, and I will justify him. Let no one, therefore, set 
 on my servant Joseph ; for I will justify him ; for he 
 shall do the sacrifice which I require at his hands, for 
 his transgressions, saith the Lord your God. 
 
 24. And again, as pertaining to the law of the priest- 
 hood : If any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse 
 another, and the first give her consent ; and if he espouse 
 the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no 
 other man, then is he justified ; he cannot commit adul- 
 tery, for they are given unto him ; for he cannot commit 
 adultery with that that belongeth unto him, and to none 
 else ; and if he have ten virgins given unto him by this 
 law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him ; 
 and they a~e given unto him — therefore is he justified. 
 But if one, or either of the ten virgins, after she is 
 espoused, shall be with another man, she has com- 
 mitted adultery, and shall be destroyed ; for they are 
 given unto him to multiply and replenish the earth, 
 according to my commandment, and to fulfill the pro- 
 mise which was given by my Father before the founda- 
 tion of the world ; and for their exaltation in the eternal 
 worlds, that they may bear the souls of men ; for herein 
 is the work of my father continued, that he may be 
 glorified. 
 
 25. And again, verily, verily I say unto you, if any 
 man have a wife who holds the keys of this power, and 
 
SPIRITUAL WIFE SYSTEM. 261 
 
 he teaches unto her the law of my priesthood, as per- 
 taining to these things ; then shall she believe, and 
 administer unto him, or she shall be destroyed, saith the 
 Lord your God ; for I will destroy her ; for I will magnify 
 my name upon all those who receive and abide in my 
 law. Therefore, it shall be lawful in me, if she receive 
 not this law, for him to receive all things whatsoever I 
 the Lord his God, will give unto him, because she did 
 not believe and administer unto him, according to my 
 word ; and she then becomes the transgressor, and he is 
 exempt from the law of Sarah, who administered unto 
 Abraham according to the law, when I commanded 
 Abraham to take Hagar to wife. And now, as per- 
 taining to this law : Yerily, verily, I say unto you, I 
 will reveal more unto you, hereafter ; therefore, let this 
 suffice for the present. Behold, I am Alpha and Omega. 
 Amen. 
 
262 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 CELESTIAL MARRIAGE. 
 
 A DISCOURSE DELIVERED BY ELDER ORSON PRATT, IN THE 
 TABERNACLE, GREAT SALT LAKE CITY. 
 
 It is quite unexpected to me, brethren and sisters, to be 
 called upon to address you this forenoon ; and still more 
 so, to address you upon the principle which has been 
 named, namely, a plurality of wives. 
 
 It is rather new ground for me ; that is, I have not 
 been in the habit of publicly speaking upon this subject ; 
 and it is rather - new ground to the inhabitants of the 
 United States, and not only to them, but to a portion of 
 the inhabitants of Europe ; a portion of them have 
 not been in the habit of preaching a doctrine of this 
 description ; consequently, we shall have to break up 
 new ground. 
 
 It is well known, however, to the congregation before 
 me, that the latter-day saints have embraced the doc- 
 trine of a plurality of wives, as a part of their religious 
 faith. It is not, as many have supposed, a doctrine 
 embraced by them to gratify the carnal lusts and feelings 
 of man ; that is not the object of the doctrine. 
 
 We shall endeavor to set forth before this enlightened 
 assembly, some of the causes why the Almighty has 
 revealed such a doctrine, and why it is considered a part 
 and portion of our religious faith. And I believe that they 
 
CELESTIAL MARRIAGE. 263 
 
 will not, under our present form of government (I mean 
 the government of the United States), try us for treason for 
 believing and practising our religious notions and ideas. 
 I think, if I am not mistaken, that the Constitution gives 
 the privilege to all the inhabitants of this country, of 
 the free exercise of their religious notions, and the free- 
 dom of their faith, and the practice of it. Then, if it 
 can be proven to a demonstration, that the latter-day 
 saints have actually embraced, as a portion of theii 
 religion, the doctrine of a plurality of wives, it is consti- 
 tutional. And should there ever be laws enacted by 
 this government to restrict them from the free exercise 
 of this part of their religion, such laws must be uncon- 
 stitutional. 
 
 But, says the objector, we cannot see how this doc- 
 trine can be embraced as a matter of religion and faith ; 
 we can hardly conceive how it can be embraced only as 
 a kind of domestic concern, something that pertains to 
 domestic pleasures, in no way connected with religion. 
 In reply, we will show you that it is incorporated as a 
 part of our religion, aud necessary for our exaltation to 
 the fullness of the Lord's glory in the eternal world. 
 Would you like to know the reasons ? Before we get 
 through, we will endeavor to tell you why we consider 
 it an essential doctrine to glory and exaltation, to our 
 fullness of happiness in the world to come. 
 
 We will first make a few preliminary remarks in 
 regard to the existence of man, to his first existence in 
 his first estate ; and then say something in relation to 
 his present state, and the bearing which it has upon his 
 next or future state. 
 
 The "Mormons" have a peculiar doctrine in regan* 
 to our pre-existence, different from the views of the 
 
264: TRAVELS AND ADVENTUKES IN THE FAB WEST. 
 
 Christian world, so called, who do not believe that man 
 had a pre-existence. It is believed, by the religious 
 world, that man, both body and spirit, begins to live 
 about the time that he is born into this world, or a little 
 before ; that then is the beginning of life. They believe 
 that the Lord, by a direct act of creation, formed, in the 
 first place, man out of the dust of the ground ; and they 
 believe that man is possessed of both body and spirit, by 
 the union of which he became a living creature. Sup- 
 pose we admit this doctrine concerning the formation of 
 the body from the dust, then how was the spirit formed ? 
 Why, says one, we suppose it was made by a direct act 
 of creation, by the Almighty Himself; that He moulded 
 the spirit of man, formed and finished it in a proper like- 
 ness to inhabit the tabernacle He had made out of the 
 dust. 
 
 Have you any account of this in the Bible ? Do the 
 Scriptures declare that the spirit was formed at the time 
 the tabernacle was made ? No. All the tabernacles of 
 the children of men that were ever formed, from remote 
 generations, from the days of Adam to this time, have 
 been formed out of the earth. We are of the earth, 
 earthy. The tabernacle has been organized according 
 to certain principles and laws of organization, with 
 bones, and flesh, and sinews, and skin. Now, where do 
 you suppose all these tabernacles got their spirits ? 
 Does the Lord make a new spirit every time a tabernacle 
 is made ? If so, the work of creation, according to the 
 belief of Christendom, did not cease on the seventh day. 
 If we admit their views, the Lord must be continually 
 making spirits to inhabit all the tabernacles of the 
 children of men ; He must make something like one 
 thousand millions of spirits every century ; He must be 
 
CELESTIAL MAEKIAGE. 265 
 
 working at it every day, for there are many hundreds 
 of individuals being born into the world every day. 
 Does the Lord create a new spirit every time a new 
 tabernacle comes into the world? That does not look 
 reasonable, nor God-like. 
 
 But how is it, you inquire ? "Why the fact is, that 
 being that animates this body, that gives life and en- 
 ergy, and power to move, to act, and to think : that be- 
 ing that dwells within this tabernacle is much older 
 than what the tabernacle is. That spirit that now 
 dwells within each man, and each woman, of this vast 
 assembly of people, is more than a thousand years old, 
 and I would venture to say, that it is more than five 
 thousand years old. 
 
 But how was it made ? when was it made ? and by 
 whom was it made ? If our spirits existed thousands of 
 years ago — if they began to exist — if there were a be- 
 ginning to their organization, by what process was this 
 organization carried on ? Through what medium,- and 
 by what system of laws ? "Was it by a direct creation 
 of the Almighty ? Or were we framed according to 
 a certain system of laws, in the same manner as our 
 tabernacles ? It' we were to reason from analogy — if we 
 admit analogical reasoning in the question, what would 
 we say ? We should say, that our spirits were formed by 
 generation, the same as the body or tabernacle of flesh 
 and bones. But what says revelation upon the subject ? 
 We will see whether revelation and analogy will agree. 
 
 We read of a certain time when the corner stones of 
 the earth were laid, and the foundations thereof were 
 made sure — of a certain time when the Lord began to 
 erect this beautiful and glorious habitation, the earth ; 
 then they had a time of joy. I do not know whether 
 
 12 
 
2f)6 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAK WEST. 
 
 they had instruments of music, or whether they were 
 engaged in the dance; but one thing is certain, they 
 had great joy, and the heavens resounded with their 
 shouts ; yea, the Lord told Job, that all the sons of God 
 shouted tor joy, and the morning stars sang together, 
 when the foundations of this globe were laid. 
 
 The sons of God, recollect, shouted for joy, because 
 there was a beautiful habitation being built, so that 
 they could get tabernacles, and dwell thereon ; they ex- 
 pected the time — they looked forward to the period ; 
 and it was joyful to them to reflect, that the creation 
 was about being formed, the corner stone of it was 
 laid, on which they might, in their times, and in their 
 seasons, and in their generations, go forth and receive 
 tabernacles for their spirits to dwell in. Do you bring 
 it home to yourselves, brethren and sisters? Do 
 you realize that you and I were there? Can you 
 bring it to your minds that you and I were among that 
 happy number that shouted for joy when this creation 
 was made? Says one, I don't recollect it. No wonder! 
 for your recollection is taken from you, because you are 
 in a tabernacle that is earthly ; and all this is right and 
 necessary. The same is written of Jesus Christ himself, 
 who had to descend below all things. Though he had 
 wisdom to assist in the organization of this world ; 
 though it was through him, as the great leader of all 
 these sons of God, the earth w r as framed, and framed too, 
 by the assistance of all his younger brethren — yet we 
 find, with all that great and mighty power he possessed, 
 and the great and superior wisdom that w r as in his 
 bosom, that after all his judgment had to be taken 
 away; in his humiliation, his reason, his intelli- 
 gence, his knowledge, and the power that he was for- 
 
CELESTIAL MAEEIAGE. 267 
 
 merly in possession of, vanished from him as lie entered 
 into the infant tabernacle. lie was obliged to begin 
 down at the lowest principles of knowledge, and ascend 
 upward by degrees, receiving grace for grace, truth for 
 truth, knowledge for knowledge, until he was filled with 
 all the fullness of the Father, and was capable of ruling, 
 governing, and controlling all things, having ascended 
 above all things. Just so with us; we that once lifted 
 up our united voices as sons and daughters of God, and 
 shouted for joy at the laying of the foundation of this 
 earth, have come here and taken tabernacles, after the 
 pattern of our elder brother : and in our humiliation — 
 for it is humiliation to be deprived of knowledge we 
 once had, and the power we once enjoyed — in our hu- 
 miliation, just like our elder brother, our judgment is 
 taken away. Do we not read also in the Bible, that 
 God is the Father of our spirits? 
 
 We have ascertained that we have had a previous ex- 
 istence. We find that Solomon, that wise man, says 
 that when the body returns to the dust, the spirit re- 
 turns to God who gave it. Now all of this congrega- 
 tion very well know, that if we never existed there, we 
 could not return there. I could not return to Califor- 
 nia. Why? Because I never have been there. If 
 you never were with the Father, the same as Jesus was 
 before the foundation of the world, you never could 
 return there, any more than I could to the West Indies, 
 where I have never been. But if we have once been 
 there, then we can see the force of the saying of the 
 wise man, that the spirit returns to God who gave it 
 — it goes back where it once was. 
 
 Much more evidence might be derived in relation to 
 thi3 subject, even from the English translation of the 
 
268 TEAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 Bible ; but I do not feel disposed to dwell too long upon 
 any particular testimony ; suffice it to say, that the 
 Prophet Joseph Smith's translation of the fore part of 
 the book of Genesis is in print, and is exceedingly plain 
 upon this matter. In this inspired translation we find 
 the pre-existence of man clearly laid down, and that the 
 spirits of all men, male and female, did have an exis- 
 tence, before man was formed out of the dust of the 
 ground. But who was their Father ? I have already 
 quoted a saying that God is the Father of our spirits. 
 
 In one sense of the word, there are more Gods than 
 one ; and in another sense there is but one God. The 
 scriptures speak of more Gods than one. Moses was 
 called a God to Aaron, in plain terms ; and our Saviour, 
 when speaking upon this subject, says, " If the Scrip- 
 tures called them Gods unto whom the word of God 
 came, why is it that you should seek to persecute me, 
 and kill me, because I testify that I am the son of God ?" 
 This in substance was the word of our Saviour ; those to 
 whom the word "of God came, are called Gods, accord- 
 ing to his testimony. All these beings of course are 
 one, the same as the Father and the Son are one. The 
 Son is called God, and so is the Father, and in some 
 places the Holy Ghost is called God. They are one in 
 power, in wisdom, in knowledge, and in the inheritance 
 of celestial glory ; they are one in their works ; they 
 possess all things, and all things are subject to them ; 
 they act in unison ; and if one has power to become the 
 Father of spirits, so has another ; if one God can pro- 
 pagate his species, and raise up spirits after his own 
 image and likeness, and call them his sons and daugh- 
 ters, so can all other Gods that become like him, do the 
 same thing ; consequently, there will be many Fathers, 
 
CELESTIAL MARRIAGE. 269 
 
 and there will be many families, and many sons and 
 daughters; and they will be the children of those glo- 
 rified celestial beings that are counted worthy to be 
 Gods. 
 
 Here let me bring for the satisfaction of the saints, 
 the testimony of the vision given to our Prophet and 
 Revelator Joseph Smith, and Sidney liigdon, on the 
 25th day of February, 1832. They were engaged in 
 translating the New Testament, by inspiration ; and 
 while engaged in this great work, they came to the 
 29th verse of the 5th chapter of John, which was given 
 to them in these words — " they who have done good, in 
 the resurrection of the just ; and they who have done 
 evil in the resurrection of the unjust." This being 
 given in different words from the English translation, 
 caused them to marvel and wonder ; and they lifted up 
 their hearts in prayer to God, that He would show them 
 why it was that this should be given to them in a differ- 
 ent manner ; and behold, the visions of heaven opened 
 before them. They gazed upon the eternal worlds, and 
 saw things before this world was made. They saw the 
 spiritual creation who were to come forth and take upon 
 themselves bodies; and they saw things as they are to 
 be in the future ; they saw the celestial, terrestrial, and 
 telestial worlds, as well as the sufferings of the ungodlj r ; 
 all passed before him in this great and glorious vision. 
 And while they were yet gazing upon things as they 
 were before the world was made, they were commanded 
 to write, saying, " this is the testimony, last of all, 
 which we give of him, that he lives; for we saw him, 
 even on the right hand of God ; and we heard the 
 voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the 
 Father ; that by him, and through him, and of him, the 
 
270 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 worlds are and were created; and the inhabitants 
 thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God." 
 Notice this last expression, " the inhabitants thereof are 
 begotten sons and daughters unto God," (meaning the 
 different worlds that have been created and made). 
 Notice, this does not say, that God, whom we serve and 
 worship, was actually the Father Himself, in His own 
 person, of all these sons and daughters of the different 
 worlds ; but they " are begotten sons and daughters unto 
 God ;" that is, begotten by those who are made like 
 Him, after His image, and in His likeness ; they begat 
 sons and daughters, and begat them unto God, to 
 inhabit these different worlds we have been speaking of. 
 But more of this, if we have time, before we get 
 through. 
 
 We now come to the second division of our subject, 
 or the entrance of these spirits upon their second 
 estate, or their birth and existence in mortal taberna- 
 cles. We are told that among this great family of 
 spirits, some were more noble and great than others, 
 having more intelligence. 
 
 Where do you read that ? says one. Out of the Book 
 of Abraham, translated from the Egyptian papyrus by 
 the Prophet Joseph Smith. Among the great and 
 numerous family of spirits — " the begotten sons and 
 daughters of God " — there are some more intelligent 
 than others ; and the Lord showed unto Abraham " the 
 intelligences that were organized before the world was ; 
 and among all these there were many of the noble and 
 great ones." And God said to Abraham, " thou art one 
 of them, thou wast chosen before thou wast born." 
 Abraham was chosen before he was born. Here then, 
 is knowledge, if we had time to notice it, upon the doc- 
 
CELESTIAL MARRIAGE. 271 
 
 trine of election. However, I may just remark, it does 
 not mean unconditional election to eternal life of a cer- 
 tain class, and the rest doomed to eternal damnation. 
 Suffice it to say, that Abraham and many others of the 
 great and noble ones in the family of spirits, were cho- 
 sen before they were born, for certain purposes, to 
 bring about certain works, to have the privilege of 
 coming upon the stage of action, among the host of men, 
 in favorable circumstances. Some came through good 
 and holy parentages, to fulfill certain things the Lord 
 decreed should come to pass, from before the foundations 
 of the world. 
 
 The Lord has ordained that these spirits should come 
 here and take tabernacles by a certain law, through a 
 certain channel ; and that law is the law of marriage. 
 There are a great many things that I will pass by ; I 
 perceive that if I were to touch upon all these princi- 
 ples, the time allotted for this discourse would be too 
 short, therefore I am under the necessity of passing by 
 many things in relation to these spirits in their first 
 estate, and the laws that, governed them there, and come 
 to their second estate. 
 
 The Lord ordained marriage between male and female 
 as a law through which spirits should come here and 
 take tabernacles, and enter into the second state of exis- 
 tence. The Lord Himself solemnized the first marriage 
 pertaining to this globe, and pertaining to flesh and 
 bones here upon this earth. I do not say pertaining to 
 mortality; tor when the first marriage was celebrated, 
 no mortality was there. The first marriage that we 
 have any account of, was between two immortal beings 
 — old father Adam and old mother Eve ; they were 
 immortal beings ; death had no dominion, no power 
 
272 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 over them ; they were capable of enduring for ever and 
 ever, in their organization. Had they fulfilled the law, 
 and kept within certain conditions and bounds, their 
 tabernacles would never have been seized by death ; 
 death entered entirely hy sin, and sin alone. This mar- 
 riage was celebrated between two immortal beings. 
 For how long ? Until death ? No. That was entirely 
 out of the question ; there could have been no such 
 thing in the ceremony. 
 
 "What would you consider, my hearers, if a marriage 
 was to be celebrated between two beings not subject to 
 death ? Would you consider them joined together for a 
 certain number of years, and that then all their cove- 
 nants were to cease for ever, and the marriage contract 
 be dissolved ? Would it look reasonable and consistent ? 
 No. Every heart would say that the work of God is 
 perfect in and of itself, and inasmuch, as sin had not 
 brought imperfection upon the globe, what God joined 
 together could not be dissolved, and destroyed, and torn 
 asunder by any power beneath the celestial world, con- 
 sequently it was eternal ; the ordinance of union was 
 eternal ; the sealing of the great Jehovah upon Adam 
 and Eve was eternal in its nature, and was never insti- 
 tuted for the purpose of being overthrown and brought 
 to an end. It is known that the " Mormons " are a 
 peculiar people about marriage ; we believe in marry- 
 ing, not only for a time, but for all eternity. This is a 
 curious idea, says one, to be married for all eternity. It 
 is not curious at all ; for when we come to examine the 
 Scriptures, we find that the very first example set for 
 the whole human family, as a pattern instituted for us 
 to follow, was not instituted until death, for death had 
 no dominion at that time ; but it was an eternal bless- 
 
CELESTIAL MARRIAGE. 273 
 
 ing pronounced upon our first parents. I have not time 
 to explain further the marriage of Adam and Eve, but 
 will pass on to their posterity. 
 
 It is true, that they became fallen, but there is a 
 redemption. But some may consider that the redemp- 
 tion only redeemed us in part, that is, merely from some 
 of the effects of the fall. But this is not the case ; every 
 man ami woman must see at once that a redemption 
 must include a complete restoration of all the privileges 
 lost by the fall. 
 
 Suppose, then, that the fall was of such a nature as to 
 dissolve the marriage covenant, by death — which is not 
 necessary to admit, for the covenant was sealed previous 
 to the fall, and we have no account that it was dissolved 
 ■ — but suppose this was the case, would not the redemp- 
 tion be equally broad as the fall, to restore the posterity 
 of Adam back to that which they lost ? And if Adam 
 and Eve were married for all eternity, the ceremony 
 was an everlasting ordinance, that they twain should be 
 one flesh for ever. If you and I should ever be account- 
 ed worthy to be restored back from our fallen and 
 degraded condition to the privileges enjoyed before the 
 fall, should we not have an everlasting marriage seal, as 
 it was with our first progenitors? If we had no other 
 reasons in all the Bible, this would be sufficient to settle 
 the case at once in the mind of every reflecting man and 
 woman, that inasmuch as the fall of man has taken away 
 any privileges in regard to the union of male and female, 
 these privileges must be restored in the redemption of 
 man, or else it is not complete. 
 
 What is the object of this union? is the next question. 
 We are told the object of it: it is clearly expressed; 
 for, says the Lord unto the male and female, I command 
 
 12* 
 
274 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 you to multiply and replenish the earth. And, inasmuch 
 as we have proved that the marriage ordinance was 
 eternal in its nature, previous to the fall, if we are 
 restored back to what was lost by the fall, we are restor- 
 ed for the purpose of carrying out the commandment 
 given before the fall, namely, to multiply and replenish 
 the earth. Does it say, continue to multiply for a few 
 years, and then the marriage contract must cease, and 
 there shall be no further opportunity of carrying out 
 this command, but it shall have an end ? No, there is 
 nothing specified of this kind ; but the fall has brought 
 in disunion through death ; it is not a part of the original 
 plan ; consequently, when male and female are restored 
 from the fall, by virtue of the everlasting and eternal 
 covenant of marriage, they will continue to increase and 
 multiply to all ages of eternity, to raise up beings after 
 their own order, and in their own likeness and image, 
 germs of intelligence, that are destined, in their times 
 and seasons, to become not only sons of God, but gods 
 themselves. 
 
 This accounts for the many worlds we heard Elder Grant 
 speaking about yesterday afternoon. The peopling 
 of worlds, or an endless increase, even of one family, 
 would require an endless increase of worlds ; and if one 
 family were to be united in the eternal covenant of 
 marriage, to fulfill that great commandment, to multiply 
 his species, and propagate them, and if there be no end 
 to the increase of his posterity, it would call for an end- 
 less increase of new worlds. And if one family calls for 
 this, what would innumerable millions of families call 
 for? They would call for as many worlds as have 
 already been discovered by the telescope ; yea, the 
 number must be multiplied to infinity in order that 
 
CELESTIAL MARRIAGE. A i 5 
 
 there may be room for the inheritance of the sons and 
 daughters of the Gods. 
 
 Do } T ou begin to understand how these worlds get 
 their inhabitants? Have yon learned that the sons and 
 daughters of God before me this day, are His offspring 
 ■ — made after His own image ; that they are to multiply 
 their species until they become innumerable. 
 
 Let us say a few words, before we leave this part of 
 the subject, on the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, 
 and Jacob. The promises were, Lift up your eyes, and 
 behold the stars ; so thy seed shall be, as numberless as 
 the stars. What else did He promise ? Go to the sea- 
 shore, and look at the ocean of sand, and behold the 
 smallness of the particles thereof, and then realize that 
 your seed shall be as numberless as the sands. Now let 
 us take this into consideration. How large a bulk of 
 sand would it take to make as many inhabitants as there 
 are now upon the earth? In about one cubic foot of 
 sand, reckoning the grains of a certain size, there would 
 be a thousand million particles. Now that is about the 
 estimated population of our globe. If our earth were to 
 continue 8,000 years, or eighty centuries, with an aver- 
 age population of one thousand millions per century, 
 then three cubic yards of sand would contain a greater 
 number of particles than the whole population of the 
 globe, from the beginning, until the measure of the 
 inhabitants of this creation is complete. If men then 
 cease to multiply, where is the promise made to Abra- 
 ham ? Is it fulfilled? No. If that is the end of his 
 increase, behold, the Lord's promise is not fulfilled. 
 For the amount of sand representing his seed, might all 
 be drawn in a one-horse cart ; and yet the Lord said to 
 Abraham, thy seed shall be as numerous as the sand 
 
276 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 upon the sea-shore ; that is, to cany out the idea in full, 
 it was to he endless ; and therefore, there must be an 
 infinity of worlds for their residence. We cannot 
 comprehend infinity. But suffice it to say, if all the 
 sands on the sea-shore were numbered, says the Prophet 
 Enoch, and then all the particles of the earth besides, 
 and then the particles of millions of earths like this, it 
 would not be a beginning to all thy creations ; and yet 
 thou art there, and thy bosom is there ; and thy curtains 
 are stretched out still. This gives plenty of room for 
 the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham, and 
 enough to spare for the fulfillment of similar promises 
 to all his seed. 
 
 We read that those who do the works of Abraham, 
 are to be blessed with the blessing of Abraham. Have 
 you not, in the ordinances of this last dispensation, had 
 the blessings of Abraham pronounced upon your heads? 
 O yes, you say, I well recollect, since God has restored 
 the everlasting Priesthood, that by a certain ordinance 
 these blessings were placed upon our heads — the bless- 
 ings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Why, says one, I 
 never thought of it in this light before. Why did you 
 not think of it? Why not look upon Abraham's bless- 
 ings as your own, for the Lord blessed him with a 
 promise of seed as numerous as the sand upon the sea- 
 shore ; so Avill you be blessed, or else you will not 
 inherit the blessings of Abraham. 
 
 How did Abraham manage to get a foundation laid 
 for this mighty kingdom? Was he to accomplish it all 
 through one wife? No. Sarah gave a certain woman 
 to him whose name was Ilagar, and by her a seed was 
 to be raised up unto him. Is this all ? No. We read 
 of his will- Keturah, and also of a plurality of wives and 
 
• CELESTIAL MAEKIAGE. 277 
 
 concubines, which he had, from whom he raised up 
 many sons. Here, then, was a foundation laid for the 
 fulfillment of the great and grand promise concerning 
 the multiplicity of his seed. It would have been rather 
 a slow process, if Abraham had been confined to one 
 wife, like some of those narrow, contracted nations of 
 modern Christianity. 
 
 I think there is only about one-fifth of the population 
 of the globe, that believe in the one-wife system ; the other 
 four-fifths believe in the doctrine of a plurality of wives. 
 They have had it handed down from time immemorial, 
 and are not half so narrow and contracted in their minds 
 as some of the nations of Europe and America, who 
 have done away with the promises, and deprived them- 
 selves of the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 
 The nations do not know anything about the blessings 
 of Abraham ; and even those who have only one wife, 
 cannot get rid of their covetousness, and get their little 
 hearts large enough to share their property with a 
 numerous family ; they are so penurious, and so narrow 
 and contracted in their feelings, that they take every 
 possible care not to have their families large ; they do 
 not know what is in the future, nor what blessings they 
 are depriving themselves of, because of the traditions of 
 their fathers ; they do not know that a man's posterity, 
 in the eternal worlds, are to constitute his glory, his 
 kingdom, and dominion. 
 
 Here, then, we perceive, just from this one principle, 
 reasoning from the blessings of Abraham alone, the 
 necessity — if we would partake of the blessings of 
 Abraham, Isaac, ami Jacob — of doing their works ; and 
 In- that will not do the works of Abraham, and walk in 
 his footsteps, will be deprived of his blessings. 
 
278 TKAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 Again, let us look at Sarah's peculiar position in 
 regard to Abraham. She understood the whole matter ; 
 she knew that, unless seed was raised up to Abraham, 
 he would come short of his glory ; and she understood 
 the promise of the Lord, and longed for Abraham to 
 have seed. And when she saw that she was old, and 
 fearing that she should not have the privilege of raising 
 up seed, she gave to Abraham, Hagar. Would Gentile 
 Christendom do such things now-a-days ? O no ; they 
 would consider it enough to send a man to an endless 
 hell of fire and brimstone. Why ? Because tradition 
 has instilled this in their minds as a dreadful, awful 
 thing. 
 
 It matters not to them how corrupt they are in female 
 prostitution, if they are lawfully married to only one 
 wife ; but it would be considered an awful thing by 
 them to raise up a posterity from more than one wife ; 
 this would be wrong indeed; but to go into a brothel, 
 and there debauch themselves in the lowest haunts of 
 degradation all the days of their lives, they consider 
 only a trifling thing ; nay, they can even license such 
 institutions in Christian nations, and it all passes off 
 very well. 
 
 That is tradition ; and their posterity have been fos- 
 tered and brought up in the footsteps of wickedness. 
 This is death, as it stalks abroad among the great and 
 popular cities of Europe and America. 
 
 Do you find such haunts of prostitution, degradation, 
 and misery here, in the cities of the mountains? No. 
 Were such things in our midst, we should feel indignant 
 enough to see that such persons be blotted out of the 
 page of existence. These would be the feelings of this 
 community. 
 
CELESTIAL MARRIAGE. 279 
 
 Look upon those who committed such iniquity in 
 Israel, in ancient days ; every man and woman who 
 committed adultery were put to death. I do not say 
 that this people are going to do this ; but I will tell you 
 what we believe — we believe it ought to be done. 
 
 Whoredom, adultery, and fornication, have cursed 
 the nations of the earth for many generations, and are 
 increasing fearfully upon the community; but they must 
 be entirely done away from those who call themselves 
 the people of God ; if they are not, woe ! woe ! be unto 
 them, also ; for " thus saith the Lord God Almighty," 
 in the Book of Mormons, "Woe unto them that commit 
 whoredoms, for they shall be thrust down to hell!" 
 There is no getting away from it. Such things will not 
 be allowed in this community ; and such characters will 
 find that the time will come, that God, whose eyes are 
 upon all the children of men, and who discerneth the 
 things that are done in secret, will bring their acts to 
 light; and they w T ill be made an example before the 
 people ; and shame and infamy w T ill cleave to their pos- 
 terity after them, unto the third and fourth generation 
 of them that repent not. 
 
 How is this to be prevented ? for we have got a fallen 
 nature to grapple with. It is to be prevented in the 
 way the Lord devised in ancient times ; that is, by 
 giving to His faithful servants a plurality of wives, by 
 which a numerous and faithful posterity can be raised 
 up, and taught in the principles of righteousness and 
 truth ; and then, after they fully understand those prin- 
 ciples that were given to the ancient Patriarchs, if they 
 keep not the law of God, but commit adultery, and 
 transgressions of this kind, let their names be blotted 
 
280 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 out from under heaven, that they may have no place 
 among the people of God. 
 
 But again, there is another reason why this plurality 
 should exist among the latter-day saints. I have 
 already given you one reason, and that is, that you 
 might inherit the blessings and promises made to Abra- 
 ham, Isaac, and Jacob, and receive a continuation of 
 your posterity, that they may become as numerous as 
 the sand upon the sea-shore. There is another reason, 
 and a good one, too. What do you suppose it is ? I 
 will tell you ; and it will appear reasonable to every 
 man and woman of a reflecting mind. Do we not be- 
 lieve, as the Scriptures have told us, that the wicked 
 nations of the earth are doomed to destruction ? Yes, 
 we believe it. Do we not also believe, as the Prophets 
 have foretold, concerning the last days, as well as what 
 the new revelations have said upon the subject, that 
 darkness prevails upon the earth, and gross darkness 
 upon the minds of the people ; and not only this, but 
 that all flesh has corrupted its way upon the face of the 
 earth ; that is, that all nations, speaking of them as na- 
 tions, have corrupted themselves before the Most High 
 God, by their wickedness, whoredoms, idolatries, abomi- 
 nations, adulteries, and all other kind of wickedness ? 
 And we furthermore believe, that according to the Jewish 
 prophets, as well as the book of Mormon, and modern 
 revelations given in the book of doctrine and cove- 
 nants, that the sword of the vengeance of the Almighty 
 is already unsheathed, and stretched out, and will no 
 more be put back into the scabbard until it falls upon 
 the head of the nations until they are destroyed, except 
 they repent. "What else do we believe ? We believe 
 that God is gathering out from among these nations 
 
CELESTIAL MAKKIAGE. 281 
 
 those who "will hearken to his voice, and receive the 
 proclamation of the Gospel, to establish them as a peo- 
 ple alone by themselves, where they can be instructed 
 in the right way, and brought to a knowledge of the 
 truth. Very well : if this be the case, that the right- 
 eous are gathering out, and are still being gathered from 
 among the nations, and being planted by themselves, 
 one thing is certain — that that people are better calcu- 
 lated to bring up their children in the right way, than 
 any other under the whole heavens. Oh yes, says one, 
 if that is the case — if you are the people the ancient 
 Prophets have spoken of, if you are the people that are 
 guided by the Lord, if you are under the influence, 
 power, and guidance of the Almighty, you must be the 
 best people under heaven, to dictate the young mind : 
 but what has that to do with the plurality of wives ? I 
 will tell you. I have already told you that the spirits 
 of men and women, all had a previous existence, thou- 
 sands of years ago, in the heavens, in the presence of 
 God ; and I have akeady told you that among them are 
 many spirits that are more noble, more intelligent than 
 others, that were called the great and mighty ones, re- 
 served until the dispensation of the fullness of times, to 
 come forth upon the face of the earth, through a noble 
 parentage that shall train their young and tender minds 
 in the truths of eternity, that they may grow up in the 
 Lord, and be strong in the power of His might, be 
 clothed upon with His glory, be filled with exceeding 
 great faith ; that the visions of eternity may be opened 
 to their minds ; that they may be prophets, priests, and 
 kings to the Most High God. Do you believe, says 
 one, that they are reserved until the last dispensation, 
 for such a noble purpose? Yes; and among the Saints 
 
282 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 is the most likely place for these spirits to take their 
 tabernacles, through a just and righteous parentage. 
 They are to be sent to that people that are the most 
 righteous of any other people upon the earth ; there to 
 be trained up properly, according to their nobility and 
 intelligence, and according to the laws which the Lord 
 ordained before they were born. This is the reason why 
 the Lord is sending them here, brethren and sisters ; 
 they are appointed to come and take their bodies here, 
 that in their generations they may be raised up among 
 the righteous. The Lord has not kept them in store for 
 five or six thousand years past, and kept them waiting 
 for their bodies all this time, to send them among the 
 Hottentots, the African negroes, the idolatrous Hindoos, 
 or any other of the fallen nations that dwell upon the 
 face of this earth. They are not kept in reserve in 
 order to come forth to receive such a degraded parent- 
 age upon the earth; no, the Lord is not such a being; 
 His justice, goodness, and mercy will be magnified 
 towards those who were chosen before they were born ; 
 and they long to come, and they will come, among the 
 Saints of the living God ; this would be their highest 
 pleasure and joy, to know that they could have the 
 privilege of being born of such noble parentage. 
 
 Then is it not reasonable, and consistent that the 
 Lord should say unto Llis faithful and chosen servants, 
 that had proved themselves before Him all the day 
 long, that had been ready and willing to do whatso- 
 ever His will required them to perform ; — take unto 
 yourselves more wives, like unto the patriarchs, Abra- 
 ham, Isaac, and Jacob, of old — like those who lived in 
 ancient times, who walked in my footsteps, and kept 
 my commands? Why should they not do this? Sup- 
 
CELESTIAL MARRIAGE. 283 
 
 pose the Lord should answer this question, would He 
 not say, I have here in reserve, noble spirits, that have 
 been waiting for thousands of years, to come forth in 
 the fullness of times, and which I designed should come 
 forth through these my faithful and chosen servants, for 
 I know they will do my will, and they will teach their 
 children after them to do it? Would not this be the 
 substance of the language, if the Lord should give us an 
 answer upon this subject? 
 
 But then another question will arise; how are these 
 things to be conducted? Are they to be left at ran- 
 dom? Is every servant of God at liberty to run here 
 and there, seeking out the daughters of men as wives 
 unto themselves without any restriction, law, or condi- 
 tion? No. We find these things were restricted in 
 ancient times. Do you not recollect the circumstance 
 of the Prophet Nathan's coming to David? He came 
 to reprove him for certain disobedience, and told him 
 about the wives he had lost through it; that the Lord 
 would give them to another; and he told him, if he had 
 been faithful, that the Lord would have given him still 
 more, if he had only asked for them. Nathan the 
 Prophet, in relation to David, was the man that held 
 the keys concerning this matter in ancient days; and it 
 was governed by the strictest laws. 
 
 So in these days; let me announce to this congrega- 
 tion, that there is but one man in all the world, at the 
 same time, who can hold the keys of this matter; but 
 one man has power to turn the key to inquire of the 
 Lord, and to say whether I, or these my brethren, or 
 any of the rest of this congregation, or the Saints upon 
 the face of the whole earth, may have this blessing of 
 
284 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 Abraham conferred upon tliem; lie holds the keys of 
 these matters now, the same as Nathan, in his day. 
 
 But, says one, how have you obtained this informa- 
 tion? By new revelation. "When was it given, and to 
 whom? It was given to our Prophet, Seer, and Reve- 
 lator, Joseph Smith, on the 12th day of July, 1843; 
 only about eleven months before he was martyred for 
 the testimony of Jesus. 
 
 He held the keys of these matters; he had the right 
 to inquire of the Lord; and the Lord has set bounds 
 and restrictions to these things; He has told us in that 
 revelation, that only one man can hold these keys upon 
 the earth at the same time; and they belong to that 
 man who stands at the head to preside over all the 
 affairs of the church and kingdom of God in the last 
 days. They are the sealing keys of power, or in other 
 words, of Elijah, having been committed and restored 
 to the earth by Elijah, the prophet, who held many 
 keys, among which were the keys of sealing, to bind 
 the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the chil- 
 dren to the fathers ; together with all the other sealing 
 keys and powers, pertaining to the last dispensation. 
 They were committed by that angel who administered 
 in the Kirtland Temple, and spoke unto Joseph the 
 prophet, at the time of the endowments in that house. 
 
 Now, let us enquire, what will become of those indi- 
 viduals who have this law taught unto them in plainness, 
 if they reject it? [A voice in the stand, "they will be 
 damned."] I will tell you: they will be damned, saith 
 the Lord God Almighty, in the revelation he has given. 
 Why ? Because where much is given, much is required ; 
 where there is great knowledge unfolded for the exalta- 
 
CELESTIAL MAERIAGE. 285 
 
 tion, glory, and happiness of the sons and daughters of 
 God, if they close up their hearts, if they reject the 
 testimony of His word, and will not give heed to the 
 principles he has ordained for their good, they are 
 worthy of damnation, aud the Lord has said they shall 
 be damned. This was the word of the Lord to His 
 servant Joseph the prophet himself. With all the 
 knowledge and light he had, he must comply with it, 
 or, says the Lord unto him, you shall he damned; and 
 the same is true in regard to all those who reject these 
 things. 
 
 "What else have we heard from our President? He 
 has related to us that there are some damnations that 
 are eternal in their nature ; while others are but for a 
 certain period, they will have an end, they will not 
 receive a restoration to their former privileges, but a 
 deliverance from certain punishments: and instead of 
 being restored to all the privileges pertaining to man 
 previous to the fall, they will only be permitted to 
 enjoy a certain grade of happiness, not a full restora- 
 tion. Let us inquire after those who are to be damned, 
 admitting they will be redeemed, which they will be, 
 unless they have sinned against the Holy Ghost. They 
 will be redeemed, but what will it be to? Will it be to 
 exaltation, and to a fullness of glory? Will it be to 
 become sons of God, or Gods to reign upon thrones, and 
 multiply their posterity, and reign over them as kings? 
 No, it will not. They have lost that exalted privilege 
 for ever; though they may, after having been punished 
 for long periods, escape by the skin of their teeth; but 
 no kingdom will be conferred upon them? What will 
 be their condition? I will tell you what revelation 
 says, not only concerning them that reject these things, 
 
286 TEAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 but concerning those that through their carelessness, or 
 want of faith, or something else, have failed to have their 
 marriages sealed for time and for all eternity; those that 
 do not do these things, so as to have the same ordinances 
 sealed upon their heads by divine authority, as was 
 upon the head of old Father Adam — if they fail to do it 
 through wickedness, through their ungodliness, they 
 also will never have the privilege of possessing that 
 which is possessed by the Gods that hold the keys 
 of power, of coming up to the thrones of their exalta- 
 tion, and receiving their kingdoms. Why? Because, 
 saith the Lord, all oaths, all covenants, and all agree- 
 ments, etc., that have been made by man, and not by 
 me, and by the authority I have established, shall cease 
 when death shall separate the parties; that is the end; 
 that is the cessation; they go no further; and such a 
 person cannot come up in the morning of the resurrec- 
 tion, and say, Behold, I claim you as my wife; you are 
 mine; I married you in the other world before death; 
 therefore you are mine: he cannot say this. Why? 
 Because he never married that person for eternity. 
 
 Suppose they should enter into covenant and agree- 
 ment, and conclude between themselves to live together 
 to all eternity, and never have it sealed by the Lord's 
 sealing power, by the holy priesthood, would they have 
 any claim on each other in the morning of the resurrec- 
 tion ? No ; it would not be valid nor legal, and the 
 Lord would say, It was not by me ; your covenants 
 were not sealed on the earth, and therefore they are not 
 sealed in the heavens ; they are not recorded on my 
 book ; they are not to be found in the records that are 
 in the archives of eternity ; therefore, the blessings you 
 might have had, are not for you to enjoy. What will 
 
CELESTIAL MARRIAGE. 2S7 
 
 be their condition? The Lord has told us. He says 
 these are angels ; because the}^ keep not this law, they 
 shall be ministering servants unto those who are worthy 
 of obtaining a more exceeding and eternal weight of 
 glory ; wherefore, saith the Lord, they shall remain 
 singly and separately in their saved condition, and shall 
 not have power to enlarge themselves, and thus shall 
 they remain forever and ever. 
 
 Here, then, you can read their history ; they are not 
 Gods, but they are angels or servants to the Gods. There 
 is a difference between the two classes ; the Gods are 
 exalted ; they hold keys of power ; are made kings and 
 priests ; and this power is conferred upon them in time, 
 by the everlasting priesthood, to hold a kingdom in 
 eternity that shall never be taken from them worlds 
 without end ; and they will propagate their species. 
 They are not servants ; for one God is not to be a ser- 
 vant to another God ; they are not angels ; and this is 
 the reason why Paul said, know ye not, brethren, that 
 we shall judge angels? Angels are inferior to the saints 
 who are exalted as kings. These angels who are to be 
 judged, and to become servants to the Gods, did not 
 keep the law, therefore, though they are saved, they are 
 to be servants to those who are in a higher condition. 
 
 What does the Lord intend to do with this people ? 
 He intends to make them a kingdom of kings and 
 priests, a kingdom unto Himself, or in other words, a 
 kingdom of Gods, if they will hearken to His law. 
 There will be many who will not hearken ; there will be 
 the foolish among the wise, who will not receive the new 
 and everlasting covenant in its fullness ; and they never 
 will attain to their exaltation ; they never will be 
 counted worthy to hold the sceptre of power over a 
 
288 TEAVELS AND ADVENTUKES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 numerous progeny, that shall multiply themselves with- 
 out end, like the sand upon the sea shore. 
 
 We can only touch here and there upon this great 
 subject, we can only offer a few words with regard to 
 this great, sublime, beautiful and glorious doctrine, 
 which has been revealed by the Prophet, Seer, and 
 Revelator, Joseph Smith, who sealed his testimony with 
 his blood, and thus revealed to the nations, things 
 that were in ancient times, as well as things that are tc 
 come. 
 
 But while I talk, the vision of my mind is opened ; 
 the subject spreads forth and branches out like the 
 branches of a thrifty tree ; and as for the glory of God, 
 how great it is! I feel to say, Hallelujah to his great 
 and holy name ; for He reigns in the heavens, and He 
 will exalt His people to sit with Him upon thrones of 
 power, to reign forever and ever. 
 
INDIAN HOSTILITIES AND TREACHERY. 289 
 
 INDIAN HOSTILITIES AND TREACHERY— MOR- 
 MON POLICY TOWARDS THEM. 
 
 AN ADDRESS DELIVERED BY PRESIDENT BRIGHAM YOUNG, IN 
 THE TABERNACLE, GREAT SALT LA!KE CITY. 
 
 I wish to say a few words to the latter-day saints this 
 morning, as there seems to be considerable excitement 
 in the feelings of the people, and many inquiring what 
 will be the result of the present Indian difficulties. 
 
 I will give you my testimony, as far as I have one on 
 the subject, concerning these difficulties in this territory, 
 north and south, pertaining to our brethren, theLaman- 
 ites. My testimony to all is — it is right, and perfectly 
 calculated, like all other providences of the Lord, of the 
 like nature, to chasten this people until they are willing 
 to take counsel. They will purify and sanctify the 
 Saints, and prepare the wicked for their doom. 
 
 There has nothing strange and uncommon to man, yet 
 occurred ; nothing has yet happened out of the ordinary 
 providences of the Lord. These common dealings of our 
 great Head with His people have been manifested from 
 days of old, in blessings and chastisements "Wars, com- 
 motions, tumults, strife, nation contending against na- 
 tion, and people against people, have all been governed 
 and controlled by Him whose right it is to control such 
 matters. 
 
 13 
 
290 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 Among wicked nations, or among Saints, among the 
 ancient Israelites, Philistines and Romans, the hand of 
 the Lord was felt ; in short, all the powers that have heen 
 upon the earth, have been dictated, governed, controlled, 
 and the final issue of their existence has been brought to 
 pass, according to the wisdom of the Almighty. Then 
 my testimony is, it is all right. 
 
 There seems to be some excitement among the people, 
 and fears are arising in the breasts of many, as to the 
 general safety. Some person has been shot at by the In- 
 dians, or some Indians were seen in a hostile condition. 
 And away go messengers to report to head quarters, 
 saying, " What shall we do ? for we cannot tell, but we 
 shall all be killed by them ; they have stolen our horses 
 and driven off some cattle, which has created a great ex- 
 citement in our settlement," etc ; when, perhaps to-mor- 
 row, the very Indians who have committed these depre- 
 dations will come and say, Hoio do you do? We are 
 friendly, cannot you give us some " Chitcup f " * They 
 will shake hands, and appear as though it were impos- 
 sible for them to be guilty of another hostility. And 
 what is the next move? Why, our wise men, the elders 
 of Israel, are either so fluctuating in their feelings, so 
 unstable in their ways, or so ignorant of the Indian 
 character, that the least mark of friendship manifested 
 by these treacherous red men, will lull all their fears, 
 throw them entirely off their guard, saying, "It is all 
 right ; wife, take care of the stock, for I am going to 
 the canon for a load of wood." 
 
 Away he goes, without a gun or a pistol to defend 
 himself in case of an attack from some Indian ov In- 
 
 * Indian language for something to eat. 
 
INDIAN HOSTILITIES AND TREACHERY. 201 
 
 dians, to rob him of his cattle and perhaps his life. 
 Herds of cattle are driven upon the range, the feelings 
 of the people are divested of all fear by this little show 
 of Indian friendship, and their hearts are at peace with 
 all mankind. The} 7 lie down to sleep at night with the 
 doors of their houses open, and in many instances 
 with no way to close them if they were willing, only by 
 means of hanging up a blanket. Thus they go to sleep 
 with their guns unloaded, and entirely without any 
 means of defence, in case they should be attacked in the 
 night. On the other hand, they no sooner discover an 
 Indian in an hostile attitude, than the hue and cry is 
 " We shall all he murdered immediately" That is the 
 kind of stability, the kind of unshaken self-command, 
 the style of generalship and wisdom manifested by el- 
 ders in Israel. To-day all are in arms, war is on hand ; 
 " we are going to be destroyed, or to fight our way 
 through," is in every mouth. To-morrow all is peace, 
 and every man turns to his own way, wherever the com- 
 mon avocations of life call him. No concern is felt as 
 to protection in the future, but " all is right, all is safety, 
 there is no fear of any further trouble," is the language 
 of people's thoughts, and they lie down to sleep in a 
 false security, to be murdered in the night by their ene- 
 mies, if they are disposed to murder them. 
 
 I can tell you one thing with regard to excitement and 
 war. You may take Israel here, as a community, witli 
 all their experience, and with all they have passed 
 through in the shape of war, and difficulties of various 
 kinds, and these wild Indians arc actually wiser in their 
 generation in the art of war than this people are. They 
 lay better plans, display greater skill, and are steadier 
 in their feelings. They are not so easily excited, and 
 
292 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 when excited, are not so easily allayed, as the men who 
 have come, to inhabit these mountains, from where they 
 have been trained and educated in the civilization of 
 modern nations. You may not believe this assertion ; if. 
 is, however, no matter whether you do or do not, the 
 fact remains unaltered, as well as the conviction of my 
 own mind regarding it. 
 
 I have been frequently asked, what is going to be the 
 result of these troubles? I answer — the result will be 
 good. What did you hear, you who have come to these 
 valleys within the last few years, 'previous to your leav- 
 ing your native country? You heard that all was 
 peace and safety among the Saints in these regions ; that 
 the earth yielded in her strength, giving an abundance 
 of food ; and that this was a splendid country to raise 
 stock. Your determination was then formed to go up 
 to the valleys of the mountains, where you could enjoy 
 peace and quiet, and follow the avocations of life undis- 
 turbed. When the people arrive here, many of them 
 come to me and say, " Brother Brigham, can we go 
 here or there to get us farms ? Shall we enter into this 
 or that speculation ? We have been very poor, and we 
 want to make some money, or we want the privilege of 
 taking with us a few families to make a settlement in 
 this or that distant valley." If I inquire why they can- 
 not stay here, their answer is, " because there is no 
 room, the land is chiefly taken up, and we have a considera- 
 ble stock of cattle, we want to go where we can have 
 plenty of range for our stock, where we can mount our 
 horses, and ride over the prairies, and say, I am lord of 
 all I survey. We do not wish to be disturbed, in any 
 way, nor to be asked to pay tithing, to work upon the 
 roads, nor pay territorial tax, but we wish all the time to 
 
INDIAN HOSTILITIES AND TREACHERY. 203 
 
 ourselves, to appropriate to our own use. I want you, 
 brother Brigliam, to give us counsel that we can get the 
 whole world in a string after us, and have it all in our 
 own possession by and by." If there is light enough 
 in Israel, let it shine in your consciences, and illuminate 
 your understandings, and give you to know that I tell you 
 the truth. This is the object many have, in wishing to 
 settle and take in land that is far distant from the main 
 body of the people. I have not given you the language 
 of their lips tome, but the language of their hearts. 
 
 Elders of Israel are greedy after the things of this 
 world. If you ask them if they are ready to build up 
 the kingdom of God, their answer is prompt — " Why', to 
 be sure we are, with our whole souls; but we want first 
 to get so much gold, speculate and get rich, and then we 
 can help the Church considerably. We will go to Cali- 
 fornia and get gold, go and buy goods and get rich, trade 
 with the emigrants, build a mill, make a farm, get a 
 large herd of cattle, and then we can do a great deal for 
 Israel." When will you be ready to do it? "In a few 
 years, brother Brigham, if you do not disturb us. We 
 do not believe in the necessity of doing military duty, in 
 giving over our surplus property for tithing; we never 
 could see into it ; but we want to go and get rich, to ac- 
 cumulate and amass wealth, by securing all the land ad- 
 joining us, and all we have knowledge of." If that is 
 not the spirit of this people, then I do not know what 
 the truth is concerning the matter. 
 
 Now I wish to say to you who are fearing and trem- 
 ling, do not be afraid at all, for it is certain if we should 
 be killed off by the Indians, we could not die any 
 younger ; this is, about as good a time as can be for us 
 to die, and if we all go together, why, you know, we 
 
291 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 shall have a good company along with us ; it will not be 
 lonesome passing through the valley, which is said to 
 have a vail drawn over it. If we all go together, the 
 dark valley of the shadow of death will be lighted up 
 by us, so do not be scared. But there will not be enough 
 slain by the Indians at this time to make the company 
 very conspicuous in that dark valley. Do you begin to 
 secretly wish you had stayed in the States or in England 
 a little longer, until this Indian war had come to an end ? 
 There is a mighty fearing and trembling in the hearts of 
 many. I know what men have done heretofore ; when 
 they have seen the enemy advancing, they have skulked, 
 they were sure to be somewhere else than on hand when 
 there was fighting to do, although, upon the whole, I 
 have no fault to find with the latter-day saints, or with 
 the Elders of Israel upon that subject, for they love to 
 fight a little too well. If I were to have fears concern- 
 ing them, it w T ould not be that they w T ould make war, 
 but in the case of war being made on them, I should 
 have more fear in consequence of the ignorant and fool- 
 ish audacity of the elders, than of their being afraid. 
 I should fear they would rush into danger like an un- 
 thinking horse into battle. So I will not find fault with 
 regard to their courage. On that point I am a coward 
 myself, and if people would do as I tell them, I would 
 not only save my own life, but theirs likewise. 
 
 Suppose, now, that we should say to this congregation, 
 and to all the wards of this city, the time has come for 
 us to fort lip / do you not think a great many persons 
 would come immediately to me, and inquire if I did not 
 think their houses quite safe enough, without being put 
 to that trouble and expense ? Yes, my office would be 
 crowded with such persons, wanting to know if they 
 
INDIAN HOSTILITIES AND TREACHERY. 295 
 
 might not live where they were now living, " for," they 
 would say, " we have got good houses, and well finished 
 off, besides, such a course will ruin them, and our 
 gardens will go to destruction ; we really cannot fort 
 up. " Would there not be a great amount of hard feel- 
 ings upon the subject? I think so, whether you do or 
 not. I think I should want as many as a legion of 
 angels to assist me to convince every family it was 
 necessary, if it actually was so. 
 
 I do not know but that the time may come, and that 
 speedily, when I shall build a fort myself in this city, 
 and those who are disposed can go into it with me, while 
 the rest can stay out. When I see it is absolutely neces- 
 sary to do this, I shall do it. If the people of Utah 
 Territory would do as they were told, they would always 
 be safe. If the people in San Pete county had done as 
 they were told, from the beginning of that settlement, 
 they would have been safe at this time, and would not 
 have lost their cattle. The day before yesterday, 
 Friday, July 29th, the Indians came from the mountains, 
 to Father Allred's settlement, and drove off all the 
 stock, amounting to two hundred head. If the people 
 had done as they were told, they would not have suffered 
 this severe loss, which is a just chastisement. 
 
 I recollect when we were down at Father Allred's 
 settlement last April, they had previously been to mo 
 not only to know if they might settle in San Pete, but 
 if they might separate widely from each other, over a 
 piece of land about two miles square, each having a live 
 acre lot for their garden, near their farms. They were 
 told to build a good subs: mtial fort, until the settlement 
 became sufficiently strong, and not live so far apart, and 
 expose themselves and their property to danger. Father 
 
%96 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR "WEST. 
 
 Allred told me they were then so uigli together, they 
 did not know how to live ! I told him they had better 
 make up their minds to be baptized into the Church 
 again, and get the Spirit of God, that each one might 
 be able to live in peace with his neighbor in close quar- 
 ters, and not think himself infringed upon. They 
 wanted to know if they were to build a fort. " Why, 
 yes, " I said, " build a strong fort, and a corral to put 
 your cattle, that the Indians cannot get them away from 
 you." "Do you think, brother Brigham, the Indians 
 will trouble us here ?" they inquired. I said, " It is 
 none of your business whether they will or not, but you 
 will see the time that you will need such preparations."' 
 But I did not think it would come so quickly. There 
 will more come upon this people to destroy them than 
 they at present think of, unless they are prepared to de- 
 fend themselves, which I shall not take time, this morn- 
 ing, to dwell upon. I said also to the brethren at Utah, 
 " Do you make a fort, and let it be strong enough, that 
 Indians cannot break into it." They commenced, and 
 did not make even the shadow of a fort, for in some 
 places there was nothing more than a line to mark where 
 the approaching shadow would be. They began to set- 
 tle round upon the various creeks and streamlets, and 
 the part of a fort that existed was finally pulled up, and 
 carried away somewhere else. I have told you, from 
 the beginning, you would need forts, where to build 
 them, and how strong. I told you six years ago, to 
 build a fort that the Devil conld not get into, unless you 
 were disposed to let him in, and that would keep out 
 the Indians. Excuse me f. r saying devil ; I do not 
 often use the old gentleman's name in vain, and if I do 
 it, it is always in the pulpit, where I do all my swearing. 
 
INDIAN HOSTILITIES AND TREACHERY. 207 
 
 I make this apology because it is considered a sin to say 
 devil, and it grates on refined ears. 
 
 I told the settlement in San Pete, at the first, to build 
 a fort. They did not do it, but huddled together beside 
 a stone quarry, without a place of common shelter where 
 they could defend themselves, in case of an Indian 
 difficulty. They had faith they could keep the Indians 
 off. "Well, now is the time to call it into exercise. 
 They did, after a while, build a temporary fort at San 
 Pete, which now shields them in a time of trouble. 
 
 When the brethren went to Salt Creek, they wanted 
 to make a settlement there, and inquired of me if they 
 might do so. I told them, no, unless they first built an 
 efficient fort. I forbade .them taking their women and 
 children there, until that preparatory work was fully 
 accomplished. Has it ever been done ? No, but families 
 went there and lived in wagons and brush houses, per- 
 fectly exposed to be killed. If they have faith enough 
 to keep the Indians off, it is all right. 
 
 From the time these distant valleys began to be set- 
 tled, until now, there has scarcely been a day but what 
 I have felt twenty-five ton weight, as it were, upon me, 
 in exercising faith to keep this people from destroying 
 themselves ; but if any of them can exercise faith 
 enough for themselves, and wish to excuse me, I will 
 take my faith back. 
 
 The word has gone out now, to the different settle- 
 ments, in the time of harvest, requiring them to build 
 forts. Could it not have been done last winter, better 
 than now ? Yes. Do you not suppose people will now 
 wish they had built forts when they were told ? If they 
 do not, it proves what they have been all the time, shall 
 I say fools ? If that is too harsh a term, I will say they 
 
 13* 
 
298 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 heave been foolish. It is better for me to labor in build- 
 ing a house or a fort, to get out fencing timber, and 
 wood to consume through the winter, when I have 
 nothing else to do, and not be under the necessity of 
 leaving ray grain on the ground to do those things. 
 Harvest is no time to build forts, neither is it the time 
 to do it when we should be plowing and sowing. 
 
 Now the harvest is upon us, I wish to say a few words 
 concerning it. I desire you to tell your neighbors, and 
 wish them to tell their neighbors, and thus let it go to 
 the several counties around — now is the time for women 
 and children to assist in the harvest fields, the same as 
 they do in other countries. I never asked this of them 
 before ; I do not now ask it as a general thing, but those 
 employed in the expedition south, in the work of defend- 
 ing their brethern from Indian depredations, who have 
 heavy harvests on hand, rather than suffer the grain to 
 waste, let the women get in the harvest, and put it 
 where the Indians cannot steal it. And when yon go 
 into the harvest field, carry a good butcher knife in your 
 belt, that if an Indian should come upon you, supposing 
 you to be unarmed, you would be sure to kill him. 
 
 Tell your neighbors of this, and go to work, men, 
 women, and children, and gather in your grain, and 
 gather it clean, leave none to waste, and put it where 
 the Inelians cannot destroy it. 
 
 Does this language intimate anything terrific to you ? 
 It need not. If you will do as you are told, you will be 
 safe continually. Secure your bread stuff, your wheat, 
 and your corn, when it is ripe, and let every particle of 
 graiu raised in these valleys be put where it w T ill be 
 safe, anel as much as possible from vermin, and espe- 
 cially from the Indians, and then builel forts. 
 
INDIAN HOSTILITIES AND TREACHERY. 29D 
 
 Let every man and woman who lias a house make 
 that house a fort, from which you can kill ten where 
 j6u now only kill one, if the Indians come upon yon. 
 " Brother Brigham, do you really expect Indians to 
 come upon us in this city?" This inquiry, I have no 
 doubt, is at this moment in the hearts of a few, almost 
 breathless with fear. Were I to answer such inquirers 
 as I feel, I should say, it is none of your business ; but 
 I will say, you are so instructed, to see if you will do 
 as you are told. Let your dwelling house be a perfect 
 fort. From the day I lived where brother Joseph 
 Smith lived, I have been fortified all the time so as to 
 resist twenty men, if they should come to my house in 
 the night, with an intent to molest my family, assault 
 my person, or destroy my property; and I have always 
 been in the habit of sleeping with one eye open, and if 
 I cannot then sufficiently watch, I will get my wife to 
 help me. Let an hostile band of Indians come round 
 my house, and I am good for quite a number of them. 
 If one hundred should come, I calculate that only fifty 
 would be able to go to the next house, and if the Saints 
 there used up the other fifty, the third house would be 
 safe. 
 
 But instead of the people taking this course, almost 
 every good rifle in the Territory has been traded away 
 to the Indians, with quantities of powder and lead, 
 though they waste it in various ways when they have 
 got it. The whites would sell the title to their lives, for 
 the sake of trading with the Indians. 
 
 They will learn better, I expect, by and by, for the 
 people have never received such strict orders as they 
 have got now. I will give you the pith of the last 
 orders issued — " That man or family who will not do aa 
 
300 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 they are told in the orders, are to be treated as stran- 
 gers, yea, even as enemies, and not as friends." And 
 if there should be such a contest, if we should be called 
 upon to defend our lives, our liberty, and our posses- 
 sions, we would cut such off the first, and walk over 
 their dead bodies to conquer the foe outside. 
 
 Martial law is not enforced yet, although the whole 
 Territory is in a state of war, apparently, but it is only 
 the Utah [Indians] who have declared war on Utah 
 [Territory]. Deseret has not yet declared war ; how 
 soon it will be declared is not for me to say ; but we 
 have a right, and it is our duty, to put ourselves in a 
 state of self-defence. 
 
 The few families that settled in Cedar Valley, at the 
 point of the mountains, were instructed to leave there, 
 last spring. They have gone back again, upon their 
 own responsibility, and now want to know what they 
 must do. They have been told to do just as they have 
 a mind to. 
 
 Those who have taken their wives and children in 
 the canons to live, have been told to remove them into 
 the city ; and if you want to make shingles, or do any 
 other work that requires you to remain there, have your 
 gun in a situation that an Indian cannot creep up and 
 steal it from you before you are aware, that you can be 
 good for a few Indians if they should chance to come 
 upon you. 
 
 If I wished to live away from the body of the people, 
 my first effort should be directed towards building a 
 good and efficient fort. When new settlements were 
 made in the eastern countries, they built them of tim- 
 ber, and they were called " block-houses." I would 
 advise that every house in a new settlement should be 
 
INDIAN HOSTILITIES AND TKEACHERY. f3<<l 
 
 made good for all the Indians that could approach it, 
 with an intention to tear it down. If I did not do that, 
 I would go to where I could be safe, I would take up my 
 abode with the body of the people. I would take my 
 family there at least. By taking this course, every per- 
 son will be safe from the depreciations of the Indians, 
 which are generally committed upon the defenceless 
 and unprotected portions of the community. 
 
 I know what the feelings of the generality of the 
 people are, at this time — they think all the Indians in 
 the mountains are coming to kill off the latter-day 
 saints. I have no more fear of that, than I have of the 
 sun ceasing to give light upon the earth. I have studied 
 the Indian character sufficiently to know what the 
 Indians are in war, I have been with them more or less 
 from my youth upward, where they have often had wars 
 among themselves. Let every man, woman, and child, 
 that can handle a butcher knife, be good for one Indian, 
 and you are safe. 
 
 I am aware that the people want to ask me a thous- 
 and and one questions, whether they have done it or 
 not, touching the present Indian difficulties. I have 
 tried to answer them all, in my own mind, by saying, it 
 will be just as the Lord will. 
 
 How many times have I been asked in the past week, 
 what I intend to do with Walker. I say, let him alone, 
 severely. I have not made war on the Indians, nor 
 am I calculating to do it. My policy is to give them 
 presents, and be kind to them. Instead of being 
 AValker's enemy, I have sent him a great pile of tobacco 
 to smoke when he is lonely in the mountains. lie is 
 now at war with the only friends he has upon this earth, 
 and I want him to have some tobacco to smoke. 
 
302 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES LN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 I calculate to pursue just such a course with the 
 Indians, and when I am dictated to by existing circum- 
 stances, and the Spirit of the Lord, to change my course, 
 I will do it, and not until then. 
 
 If you were to see Walker, do yon think you would 
 kill him ? You that want to kill him, I will give you a 
 mission to that effect. A great many appear very hold, 
 and desire to go and bring me Walker's head, but they 
 want all the people in Utah to go with them. I could 
 point out thousands in this Territory who would follow 
 these Indians, and continue to follow them, and leave 
 the cattle to be driven off by the emigrants, and the 
 grain to perish, and thus subject the whole community 
 to the ravages of famine, and its consequent evils. I 
 have been teased and teased by men who will come to 
 me and say, " Just give me twenty-five, fifty, or a hun- 
 dred men, and I will go and fetch you Walker's head.'" 
 I do not want his head, but I wish him to do all the 
 devil wants him to do, so far as the Lord will suffer 
 him, and the devil to chastise this people for their good. 
 
 I say to the Indians, as I have often said to the mob, 
 go your length. You say you are going to kill us all 
 off, you say you are going to obliterate the latter-day 
 saints, and wipe them from the earth , why don't you 
 do it, you poor miserable curses ? The mob only had 
 power to drive the Saints to their duty, and to remember 
 the Lord their God, and that is all the Lidians can do. 
 This people are worldly-minded, they want to get rich 
 in earthly substance, and are apt to forget their God, the 
 pit from which they were dug, and the rock from which 
 they were hewn, every man turning to his own way. 
 Seemingly the Lord is chastening us until we turn and do 
 His will. What are you willing to do ? Would you be 
 
INDIAN HOSTILITIES AND TEEACHEEY. 803 
 
 willing to build a fort, and all go in there to live? I 
 tell ymi, you would have a hell of jour own, and devils 
 enough to carry it on. Do you suppose you will ever 
 see the time you would do that, and live at peace with 
 each other, and have the spirit of the Lord enough to 
 look each other in the face, and say, with a heart full of 
 kindness, " Good morning, Mary," or "How do you do, 
 Maria ?" You will be whipped until you have the Spirit 
 of the Lord Jesus Christ sufficiently to love your breth- 
 ren and sisters freely, men, women, and children ; until 
 you can live at peace with yourselves, and with every 
 family around you ; until you can treat every child as 
 though it were the tender offspring of your own body, 
 every man as your brother, and every woman as your 
 sister ; and until the young persons treat the old with 
 that respect due to parents, and all learn to shake hands, 
 with a warm heart, and a friendly grip, and say, "God 
 bless you !" from morning until evening; until each per- 
 son can ^ty, " I love you all, I have no evil in my heart 
 to any individual, I can send my children to school with 
 yours, and can correct your children when they do 
 wrong, as though they were my own, and I am willing 
 you should correct mine, and let us live together until 
 we are a holy and sanctified society." There will always 
 be Indians or somebody else to chastise you, until you 
 come to that spot ; so amen to the present Indian trouble, 
 for it is all right. I am just as willing the rebellious of 
 this people should be kicked, and cuffed, and mobbed, 
 and hunted by the Indians, as not, for I have preached 
 to them until I am tired. I will give no more counsel 
 to any person upon the duties of self-preservation ; you 
 can do as you please ; if you will not preserve yourselves, 
 I may reason with you until my tongue cleaves to the 
 
30Jr TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 roof of rny mouth, to no avail. Let the Lord extend 
 the hand of benevolence to brother "Walker, and he will 
 make you do it by other means than exhortations given 
 in mildness. 
 
 This very same Indian Walker has a mission upon 
 him, and I do not blame him for what he is now doing ; 
 he is helping me do the will of the Lord to this people, 
 he is doing with a chastening rod what I have failed to 
 accomplish with soft words, while I have been handing 
 out my substance, feeding the hungry, comforting the 
 sick. But this has no effect upon this people, at all, my 
 counsel has not been heeded, so the Lord is making 
 brother Walker an instrument to help me, and perhaps 
 the means that he will use will have their due effect. 
 
 Do you suppose I want to kill him ? No. I should 
 be killing the very means that will make this people do 
 what we wanted them to do years ago. 
 
 There are hundreds of witnesses to bear testimony 
 that I have counselled this people, from the beginning, 
 what to do to save themselves, both temporally and 
 spiritually. 
 
 In one of our orders issued lately, the southern settle- 
 ments were advised to send their surplus cattle to this 
 valley. No quicker had the news reached them, than 
 our ears were greeted with one continued whine, which 
 meant, " We are afraid you want them." So we did, to 
 take care of them for you. 
 
 When Father Allred was advised to adopt measures 
 to secure themselves and their property, he replied, " Oh, 
 I do not think there is the least danger in the world ; 
 we are perfectly able to take care of our stock, and pro- 
 tect ourselves against the Indians." All right, I thought, 
 let circumstances prove that. 
 
INDIAN HOSTILITIES AND TREACHERY. 305 
 
 Now, as difficulties surround tliem, they say to me, 
 " Why, brother Brigham, if you had only told us what 
 to do, we would have done it. "Were we not always 
 willing to take your counsel ?" Yes, you are a great 
 deal more willing to take it, than to obey it. If people 
 are willing to carry out good counsel, they will secure 
 themselves accordingly. 
 
 I have thought of setting a pattern, by securing my- 
 self; but were I to build a fort for myself and family, I 
 should want about a legion of angels from the throne of 
 God, to stay nine months with me, to get my folks wil- 
 ling to go into it. But I am so independent about it, I 
 care not the snap of my finger for one of them. If my 
 wives will not go into a place of security with me, it is 
 all right, they can stay out, and I will go in and take 
 my children with me. I say, I do not know but I may 
 take a notion to set a pattern by building a fort ; if I do, 
 some one in in this city may follow my example, and 
 then somebody else, etc., until we have a perfect city of 
 forts. 
 
 " Brother Brigham, do you really think we shall ever 
 need them ?" Yes, I do. All the difficulties there is in 
 the community this year, is not a drop in comparison to 
 the heavy shower that will come. " Well, and where is 
 it coming from ?" From hell, where every other trouble 
 comes from. " And who do you think will be the 
 actors V Why, the Devil and his imps. [W. W. Phelps 
 in the stand. We could not do very well without a 
 Devil.] No, sir, you are quite aware of that ; y<>n know 
 we could not do without him. If there had been no 
 devil to tempt Eve, she never would have got her eyes 
 opened. We need a devil to stir up the wicked on the 
 
306 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE EAR WEST. 
 
 earth to purify the saints. Therefore, let the devils 
 howl, let them rage, and thus exhibit themselves in the 
 form of those poor, foolish Lamanites. Let them go on 
 in their work, and do you not desire to kill them, until 
 they ought to be killed, and then we will extinguish the 
 Indian title, if it is required. 
 
 Did you never feel to pity them, on viewing their 
 wretched condition? Walker, with a small band, has 
 succeeded in making all the Indian bands in these moun- 
 tains fear him. He has been in the habit of stealing 
 from the Californians, and of making every train of emi- 
 grants that passed along the Spanish trail to California 
 pay tithing to him. He finally began to steal children 
 form those bands to sell to the Spaniards ; and through 
 fear of him, he has managed to bring in subjection 
 almost all the Utah tribes. 
 
 I will relate one action of Walker's life, which will 
 serve to illustrate his character. He, with his band, 
 about last February, fell in with a small band of Payedes, 
 and killed off the whole of the men, took the squaws pris- 
 oners, and sold the children to the Mexicans, and some 
 few were disposed of in this Territory. This transaction 
 was told by Arapeen, Walker's brother, though he was 
 not at the affray himself. 
 
 The Indians in these mountains are continually on 
 the decrease ; bands that numbered 150 warriors when 
 we first came here, number not more than 35 now ; and 
 some of the little tribes in the southern parts of this 
 Territory, towards New Mexico, have not a single squaw 
 amongst them, for they have traded them off for horses, 
 etc. This practice will soon make the race extinct. 
 Besides, Walker is continually, whenever an opportu- 
 
INDIAN HOSTILITIES AND TREACHERY. 307 
 
 nity presents itself, killing and stealing children from 
 the wandering bands that he has any power over, which 
 also has its tendency to extinguish the race. 
 
 Walker is hemmed in, he dare not go into California 
 again. Dare he go east to the Snakes % ISTo. Dare he 
 go north? No, for they would rejoice to kill him. Here 
 he is, penned up in a small compass, surrounded "by his 
 enemies ; and now the elders of Israel long to eat up, 
 as it were, him and his little band. What are they ? 
 They are a set of cursed fools. Do you not rather pity 
 them ? They dare not move over a certain boundary, 
 on any of the four points of the compass, for fear of 
 being killed ; then they are killing one another, and 
 making war upon this people that could use them up, 
 and they not be a breakfast spell for them if they felt 
 so disposed. See their condition, and I ask you, do you 
 in it pity them ? From all appearance, there will not be 
 an Indian left, in a short time, to steal a horse. Are 
 they not fools, under these circumstances, to make war 
 with their best friends ? 
 
 Do you want to run after them to kill them ? I say, 
 let them alone, for peradventure God may pour out His 
 Spirit upon them, and show them the error of their ways. 
 We may yet have to fight them, though they are of the 
 house of Israel to whom the message of salvation is 
 sent ; for their wickedness is so great, that the Lord Al- 
 mighty cannot get at the hearts of the older ones to 
 teach them saving principles. Joseph Smith said we 
 should have to fight them. He said, " When this pe< >ple 
 mingle among the Lamanites, if they do not bow down 
 in obedience to the Gospel, they will hunt them until 
 there is but a small remnant of them left upon this con- 
 tinent." They have either got to bow down to the Gos- 
 
308 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 pel or be slain. Shall we slay them simply because 
 they will not obey the Gospel ? No. But they will 
 come to ns and try to kill ns, and we shall be under the 
 necessity of killing them to save our own lives. 
 
 I wished to lay these things before the people this 
 morning, to answer a great many questions, and allay 
 their fears. Yesterday, brother Kimball heard at his 
 mill, ten miles north, that I had sent word to him, that 
 the mountains were full of Indians, and he and the 
 families with him were to move into the city ; so they 
 immediately obeyed this report. Brother Kimball came 
 to me and inquired if I had sent such orders. I said, 
 no. But it is all right, for I wanted the women and 
 children from there. This shows the excited state of 
 the people. 
 
 One thing more. I ask you men who have been 
 with Joseph in the wars he passed through, and who 
 were with him at the time of his death, what was'it that 
 preserved us, to all outward appearances ? It is true, 
 in reality, God did it. But by what means did He keep 
 the mob from destroying us ? It was by means of being 
 well armed with the weapons of death to send them to 
 hell cross lots. Just so you have got to do. 
 
 And for this people fostering to themselves that the 
 day has come for them to sell their guns and ammuni- 
 tion to their enemies, and sit down to sleep in peace, 
 they will find themselves deceived, and before they 
 know, they will sleep until they are slain. They have 
 g< >t to carry weapons with them, to be ready to send their 
 enemies to hell cross lots, whether they be Lamanites, 
 or mobs who may come to take their lives, or destroy 
 their property. We must be so prepared that they dare 
 not come to us in a hostile manner without being assured 
 
INDIAN HOSTILITIES AND TREACHERY. 309 
 
 they will meet a vigorous resistance, and ten to one they 
 will meet their grave. 
 
 The Lord will suffer no more trouble to come upon us 
 than is necessary to bring this people to their senses. 
 You need not go to sleep under the impression that it is 
 the north and south only that is in danger, and we are 
 all safe here. Now mind, let this people here lie down 
 to sleep, and be entirely off their watch, and the first 
 thing they know, they are in the greatest danger. You 
 must not desert the watch tower, but do as I do — keep 
 some person awake in your house all night long, and be 
 ready, at the least tap of the foot, to offer a stout resis- 
 tance, if it is required. Be ready at any moment to kill 
 twenty of your enemies at least. Let every house be 
 a fort. 
 
 After the cattle were stolen at San Pete, a messenger 
 arrived here in about thirty hours to report the affair, 
 and obtain advice. I told brother Wells, "you can 
 write to them, and say, 'Inasmuch as you have no cows 
 and oxen to trouble you, you can go to harvesting, and 
 take care of yourselves. ' : If you do not take care of 
 yourselves, brethren, you will not be taken care of. I 
 take care of them that help themselves. I will help 
 you that try to help yourselves, and carry out the maxim 
 of Doctor Dick — " God helps them that help them- 
 selves. " 
 
 I am my own policeman, and have slept, scores of 
 uights, with my gun and sword by my side, that is, if I 
 slept at all. I am still a policeman. Now is the day to 
 watch. It is as important for me to watch now, as well 
 as pray, as it ever has been since I came into this king- 
 dom. It requires watching, as well as praying men; 
 take turns at it, let some watch while others pray, and 
 
810 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 then change round, but never let any time pass without 
 a watcher, lest you be overtaken in an hour when you 
 think not ; it will come as a thief in the night. Look 
 out for your enemies, for we know not how they will 
 come, and what enemy it will be. Take care of 
 yourselves. 
 
 Again, let me reiterate to the sisters, do not be afraid 
 of going into the harvest field. If you are found there 
 helping your, sons, your husbands and your brethren, to 
 gather in the harvest, I say, God bless you, and I will 
 also. 
 
 Take care of your grain, and take care of yourselves, 
 that no enemy come to slay you. Be always on hand 
 to meet them with death, and send them to hell, if they 
 come to you. May God bless you all. Amen. 
 
USE AND ABUSE OF BLESSINGS. 311 
 
 USE AND ABUSE OF BLESSINGS. 
 
 AN ADDRESS DELIVERED BY PRESIDENT B. YOUNG, IN THE 
 TABERNACLE, GREAT SALT LAKE CITY. 
 
 I feel disposed to say a few words on the present 
 occasion. It is said, that " at the sight of the eyes the 
 heart is made to rejoice." This is truly the case with 
 me this afternoon, when I look upon the congregation. 
 to see this spacious hall filled with the Saints of the Most 
 High, for the purpose of partaking of the Sacrament of 
 the Lord's Supper. It is a sight which I have not had 
 the privilege of seeing before, only on Conference days. 
 This morning I looked round to see how the house was 
 crowded, which was packed to that extent, that scores 
 could not be seated. I looked if peradventure I could 
 designate any person that did not belong to the Church, 
 that did not profess to be a Saint ; but I could not see 
 a single person of that description, that I knew of. I 
 thought, why not be as diligent to attend the afternoon 
 meetings, to partake of the Sacrament of the Lord's 
 Supper, as to attend the morning meetings? Hitherto 
 it has not been the case, but my heart rejoices to see the 
 house so well filled this afternoon. I feel in my heart 
 to bless you : it is full of blessings and not cursings. It 
 is something that does not occupy my feelings to curse 
 any individual, but I will modify this by saying those 
 
t312 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES EN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 who ought not to le cursed. Who ought to be ? Those 
 who know their master's will, and do it not ; they are 
 worthy of many stripes ; it is not those who do not know, 
 and do not do, but those who know it, and do not do it — 
 they are the ones to be chastised. 
 
 While the brethren have been speaking upon the 
 blessings the Lord bestows upon this people, my mind 
 has reflected upon many of the circumstances of life, and 
 upon certain principles. I will ask you a question — 
 Do you think persons can he blessed too much f I will 
 answer it myself. Yes, they can, they can be blessed to 
 their injury. For instance, suppose a person should be 
 blessed with the knowledge of the holy Gospel, whose 
 heart is set in him to do evil. We esteem this as a 
 blessing, and would not the Lord consider it a blessing 
 to bestow His favors and mercies upon any individual, 
 by giving him a knowledge of life and salvation ? But 
 suppose He bestowed it upon persons whose hearts were 
 set in them to do evil, who would by their wickedness 
 turn these blessings into curses, they would be blessed 
 too much. It is possible to bless people to death, you 
 can bless them to everlasting misery by heaping too 
 many blessings upon them. Perhaps this is what is 
 meant by the saying — It is like heaping coals of fire 
 upon their heads ; it will injure them, consume them, 
 burn them, destroy them. Suffice it to say, that people 
 can be blessed too much. Can you bless a wise man too 
 much ? a man who knows what to do with his blessings 
 when they are bestowed upon him? No, you, cannot. 
 Can you bless a wise people too much ? No, it is im- 
 possible, when they know how to improve upon all 
 blessings that are bestowed upon them. But the Lord 
 does and will bless the inhabitants of the earth with 
 
USE AND ABUSE OF BLESSINGS. 313 
 
 such great and inestimable blessings, in the proclamation 
 of the Gospel, that they will be damned who reject 
 them, for light brings condemnation to men who love 
 darkness rather than light. 
 
 Have this people been blessed too much ? I will not 
 positively say, but I think they have, inasmuch as their 
 blessings in some instances have been to their injury. 
 Why ? Because they have not known what to do with 
 their blessings. 
 
 While the brethren were speaking of the liberal hand 
 of Providence in bestowing abundantly the products of 
 the earth, it occurred to me, that this people, to my 
 certain knowledge, had felt that they had too much, and 
 they esteemed it as good for nothing. It is true what 
 brother Jedediah Grant said with regard to wheat, and 
 other grains, for I have seen it myself. I have seen 
 hundreds, and thousands, and scores of thousands of 
 bushels of grain lying to waste and rot, when it has not 
 brought a great price. Many of this people have 
 thought, and expressed themselves in language like this 
 — " I can go to California, and get so much gold, or I 
 can trade and make so much gold, I cannot therefore 
 spend time to take care of wheat, nor to raise it ; let it 
 lie there and rot while I go and accumulate riches," 
 They were then wealthy, for their granaries and barns 
 were full of the blessings of the Lord, but now they are 
 empty, because they did not know what to do with their 
 blessings. 
 
 I can tell this people how to dispose of all their bless- 
 ings, if they will only allow me time enough ; and if I 
 cannot tell them how, I can show them. For instance, 
 you who have fields of wheat, beyond the limits of grass- 
 hoppers, will have considerable crops when it is harvest- 
 
 14 
 
314 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 ed and perhaps so much that you will not know what to 
 with it. I know what you ought to do with it ; you 
 ought to say to your poor brethren — " Come and help 
 take care of my grain, and share with me, and feed 
 yourselves and your families. " If you have so much 
 that you cannot take care of it, and your neighbor is 
 not without bread, tell Bishop Hunter that you have got 
 so many hundred bushels to lay over in the store, and 
 you will have the benefit of it on your tithing. That is 
 what I recommend you to do with your blessings, when 
 you have more than you can take care of yourselves. I 
 say, hand it over and let your neighbors take care of it 
 for you. 
 
 This makes me think of what 1 saw the first year I 
 came into this valley, the same year I moved my family, 
 which was the next season after the pioneers arrived 
 here. It was late in the season when I arrived, but from 
 the ground where this house now stands, there had been 
 two crops of wheat. They had harvested the first crop 
 very early, and the water being flooded over, it again 
 started from the roots, and produced a fair crop, say 
 from ten to twelve bushels to the acre. That was har- 
 vested, and it was coming up again. I said to the 
 brethren, " Let these my brethren who have come with 
 me gather up this wheat, " but they would not suffer 
 them to do it. Some of the brethren had gathered their 
 crops of grain, and left a great deal wasting on the fields, 
 I said, " Let the poor brethren, who have come in from 
 abroad, glean in your fields. " You can bear me wit- 
 ness that a great many widows and poor men came here, 
 and brought but very little with them, and there never 
 was a man, to my knowledge, ever expressed a desire to 
 let them glean in his field. " All right, " I said, " we 
 
USE AND ABUSE OF BLESSINGS. 315 
 
 can live on greens," while at the same time there was 
 more wasted that season than to make up the deficiency, 
 that all might have been comfortable. Late in the fall 
 I saw one man working among his corn ; he had a large 
 crop, more than a single man could take care of. I saw 
 he was going to let it go to waste ; I said to him, " Bro- 
 ther, let the brethren and sisters help you to husk your 
 corn, to gather it and put it safely away, for so much it 
 will benefit them and help you. u O, " he replied, 
 " I have nothing to spare, I can take care of it myself." 
 I saw it wasting, and said to him, " Brother, get your 
 corn husked immediately, and let the brethren do it, 
 and pay them with a portion of it." He replied, "I 
 cannot spare a bit of it." I have no question of it at 
 all in my mind, but three-fourths of his corn went into 
 the mud, and was trampled down by the cattle ; and 
 women and children went without bread in consequence 
 of it. That man had no judgment, he knew not what 
 to do with his blessings the Lord had bestowed upon 
 him. 
 
 ^Vere I to ask the question, how much wheat or any- 
 thing else a man must have to justify him in letting it 
 go to waste, it would be hard to answer; figures are 
 inadequate to give the amount. Never let anything go 
 to waste. Be prudent, save everything, and what you 
 get more than you can take care of yourselves, ask your 
 neighbors to help you. There are scores and hundreds 
 of men in this house, if the question were asked them 
 if they considered their grain a burthen and a drudge to 
 them, when they had plenty last year and the year 
 before, that would answer in the affirmative, and were 
 ready to part with it for next to nothing. How do they 
 feel now, when their granaries are empty ? If they had 
 
316 TRAVELS AND AD VENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 a few thousand bushels to spare now, would they not 
 consider it a blessing ? They would. Why ? Because 
 it would bring the gold and silver. But pause for a mo- 
 ment, and suppose you had millions of bushels to sell, 
 and could sell it for twenty dollars per bushel, or for a 
 million of dollars per bushel, no matter what amount, 
 so that you sell all your wheat, and transport it out of 
 the country, and you are left with nothing more than a 
 pile of gold, what good would it do you ? You could 
 not eat it, drink it, wear it, or carry it off where you 
 could have something to eat. The time will come that 
 gold will hold no comparison in value to a bushel of 
 wheat. Gold is not to be compared with it in value. 
 Why would it be precious to you now ? Simply because 
 you could get gold for it ? Gold is good for nothing, 
 only as men value it. It is no better than a piece of 
 iron, a piece of limestone, or a piece of sandstone, and 
 it is not half so good as the soil from which we raise our 
 wheat, and other necessaries of life. The children of 
 men love it, they lust after it, are greedy for it, and are 
 ready to destroy themselves and those around them, 
 over whom they have any influence, to gain it. 
 
 When this people are blessed so much that they con- 
 sider their blessings a burden and a drudge to them, you 
 may always calculate on a cricket war, a grasshopper 
 war, a drought, too much rain, or something else to 
 make the scales preponderate the oilier way. This peo- 
 ple have been blessed too much, so that they have not 
 known what to do with their blessings. 
 
 What do we hear from the inhabitants of the different 
 settlements? The cry is — "I do not wish to live out 
 yonder, for there is no chance to speculate and trade 
 « ith the emigrants.'' Have you plenty to eat ? Have 
 
USE AND ABUSE OF BLESSINGS. 317 
 
 you plenty of wheat, fowls, butter, cheese, and calves ? 
 Are you not raising stock in abundance for flesh meat 
 of different kinds ? What use is gold if you get enough 
 to eat, drink, and wear without it ? What is the matter? 
 " Why, we are away off, and cannot get rich all at 
 once." You are lusting after that which you do not 
 know what to do with, for few men know what to do 
 with riches when they possess them. The inhabitants 
 of this valley have proved it. They have proved it. 
 by their reckless waste of the products of the earth, by 
 their undervaluing the blessings conferred upon them 
 by the emigration, which has administered clothing and 
 other necessaries to them. We can see men who can 
 clothe themselves and their families easily, go into the 
 canons in their broad cloth pantaloons to get wood, or 
 you may see them take a horse, and ride bare-backed 
 until they tare them to pieces, that they are not fit to 
 come to meeting in. They do not know how to take 
 care of good clothing. Again, if we were digging in a 
 water-ditch to-morrow, that required all hands, in con- 
 sequence of the rising of the water, I have no doubt 
 but you would see what I saw the other day — one of our 
 young dandies, who was perhaps not worth the shirt on 
 his back, came to work in a water-ditch, dressed in his 
 fine broad-cloth pantaloons, and a fine bosomed shirt, and 
 I have no doubt he would have worn gloves too if lie 
 had been worth a pair. You would see men of this 
 description, who are without understanding, whole 
 hearted, good fellows, and ready to do anything for the 
 advancement of the public good, commence to dig in 
 the mud and wet, in their fine clothes, and go into the 
 water, up to their knees, with their fine calf-skin boots. 
 This is a wanton waste of the blessings of God, that can- 
 
318 TEAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAK WEST. 
 
 not be justifiable in His eyes, and in the eyes of prudent, 
 thinking men, under ordinary circumstances. If pru- 
 dence and economy are necessary at one time more than 
 another, it is when a family or a nation are thrown upon 
 its own resourses, as we are. But you may trace the 
 whole lives of some men, and it will be impossible for 
 you to point out a single portion of time, when they 
 knew how to appreciate and how to use even the com- 
 mon comforts of life, when they had them, to say nothing 
 of an abundance of wealth. 
 
 Again, there have been more contention and trouble 
 between neighbors, in these valleys, with regard to sur- 
 plus property, which was not needed by this people, 
 than any other thing. For instance, a widow woman 
 comes in here from the United States, and turns out on 
 the range beyond Jordan, three yoke of oxen and a few 
 cows, for she considers she is too poor to have them 
 herded. Again, a man comes in with ten yoke of oxen ; 
 he also turns them out to wander where they please. 
 If he is asked why he does not put them in a herd, he 
 will tell you, " I do not want to pay the herding fee." 
 Another comes on with three or four span of horses, and 
 twenty or thirty yoke of cattle. Has he any for sale ? 
 No, but he turns them all out upon the range and they 
 are gone. By and by he sends a boy on horseback to 
 hunt them, who is unsuccessful in finding them after a 
 week's toil. The owner turns out himself, and all 
 hands, to hunt up his stock, but they also fail in finding 
 them, they are all lost except a very few. He was not 
 able to have them herded, he thought, though he pos- 
 sessed so much property, and knew nothing more than 
 to turn them out to run at large. Thus he consumes his 
 time, running after his lost property. He frets his feel- 
 
USE AND ABUSE OF BLESSINGS. 319 
 
 ings, for his mind is continually upon it ; he is in such 
 a hurry in the morning to go out to hunt his stock, that 
 he has no time to pray ; when he returns home late at 
 night, worn out with toil and anxiety of mind, he is 
 unfit to pray ; his cattle are lost, his mind is unhinged 
 and darkened through the neglect of his duty, and 
 apostacy stares him in the face, for he is not satisfied 
 with himself, and murmurs against his brethren, and 
 against his God. By and by some of his cattle turn up 
 with a strange brand upon them ; they have been taken 
 up, and sold to this person or that one. This brings con- 
 tention and dissatisfaction between neighbor and neigh- 
 bor. Such a person has too much property, more than 
 he knows what to do with. It would be much better 
 for a man who is a mechanic, and intends to follow his 
 business, to give one out of two cattle which he may 
 possess, to some person, for taking care of the other. It 
 would be better for those who possess a great quantity 
 of stock, to sell half of them to fence in a piece of 
 land, to secure the other half, than to drive them all out 
 to run at large, and lose three-fourths of them. If there 
 are half-a-dozen men round me, and I can put a cow in 
 their way or anything else that will do them any good, 
 for fencing up a lot for me, the property I thus pay is 
 not out of the world, but is turned over to those men 
 win) had not a mouthful of meat, butter, or milk; it is 
 doing them good, and I am reaping the profit and bene- 
 fit of their labors in exchange. If I did not do this, I 
 must either sec them suffer, or make a free distribution 
 of a part of what I have among them. 
 
 It is impossible for me to tell you how much a man 
 must possess to entitle him to the liberty of wasting any- 
 thing, or of letting it be stolen and run away with by 
 
320 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAK WEST. 
 
 the Indians. The surplus property of this community, 
 as poor as we are, has done more real mischief than 
 everything else besides. 
 
 I will propose a plan to stop the stealing of cattle in 
 coming time, and it is this — let those who have cattle 
 on hand join in a company, and fence in about fifty 
 thousand acres of land, make a dividend of their cattle, 
 and appropriate what they can spare, to fence in a large 
 field, and this will give employment to immigrants who 
 are coming in. When you have done this, then get up 
 another company, and so keep on fencing until all the 
 vacant land is substantially enclosed. 
 
 Some persons will perhaps say — " I do not know how 
 good and how high a fence it will be necessary to build 
 to keep thieves out. I do not know either, except you 
 build one that will keep out the devil. Build a fence 
 which the boys and the cattle cannot pull down, and I 
 will ensure you will keep your stock. Let every man 
 lay his plans so as to secure for his present necessities, 
 and hand over the rest to the laboring man ; keep mak- 
 ing improvements, building, and making farms, and 
 that will not only advance his own wealth, but the 
 wealth of the community. 
 
 A man has no right with property, which, according 
 to the laws of the land, legally belongs to him, if he 
 does not want to use it ; he ought to possess no more 
 than he can put to usury, and cause to do good to him- 
 self and his fellow-man. When will a man accumulate 
 money enough to justify him in salting it down, or, in 
 other words, laying it away in the chest, to lock it up, 
 there to lie, doing no manner of good either to himself 
 or his neighbor? It is impossible for a man ever to do 
 it. No man should keep money or property by him 
 
USE AND ABUSE OF BLESSINGS. 321 
 
 that lie cannot put to usury for tlie advancement of that 
 property in value or amount, and for the good of the 
 community in which he lives ; if he does, it becomes a 
 dead weight upon him, it will rust, canker, and gnaw 
 his soul, and finally work his destruction, for his heart 
 is set upon it. Every man who has got cattle, money, 
 or wealth of any description, bone and sinew, should 
 put it out to usury. If a man has the arm, body, head, 
 the component parts of a system to constitute him a 
 laboring man, and has nothing in the world to depend 
 upon but his hands, let him put them to usury. Never 
 hide up anything in a napkin, but put it forth to bring 
 an increase. If you have got property of any kind, 
 that you do not know what to do with, lay it out in 
 making a farm, or building a saw mill or a woollen fac- 
 tory, and go to with your mights to put all your pro- 
 perty to usury. 
 
 If you have more oxen and other cattle than you 
 need, put them in the hands of other men, and receive 
 their labor in return, and put that labor where it will 
 increase your property in value. 
 
 I hope you will now lay your plans to set men to 
 work who will be in here by and by, for there will be a 
 liost of them, and they will all want employment, who 
 trust to their labor for a subsistence ; they will all want 
 something to eat, and calculate to work for it. In the 
 first place keep the ground in good order to produce 
 you plentiful crops of grain, and vegetables, and then 
 take care of them. 
 
 Let me say to the sisters, those who have children, 
 never consider that you have bread enough around you 
 to suffer your children to waste a crust or a crumb of it. 
 If a man is worth millions of bushels of wheat and corn, 
 
 14* 
 
322 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 he is not wealthy enough to suffer his servant girl to 
 sweep a single kernel of it into the fire ; let it be eaten 
 by something, and pass again into the earth, and thus 
 fulfill the purpose for which it grew. Some mothers 
 would fill a basket full of bread to make a plaything for 
 their children, but I have not had flour enough in the 
 time of my greatest abundance, to let my children waste 
 one morsel of bread with my consent. No, I would 
 rather feed the greatest enemy I have on the earth 
 with it, than have it go into the fire. JRemember 
 it, do not waste anything, but take care of every- 
 thing ; save your grain, and make your calculations, so 
 that when the brethren come in from the United States, 
 from England, and other places, you can give them 
 some potatoes, onions, beets, carrots, parsnips, water- 
 melons, or anything else which you have, to comfort 
 them, and cheer up their hearts, and if you have wheat, 
 dispose of it to them, and receive their labor in return. 
 Raise enough and to spare of all the staple necessaries 
 of life, and lay your plans to hire your brethren who 
 will come in this fall to fence your farms, improve your 
 gardens, and make your city lots beautiful. Lay your 
 plans to secure enough to feed yourselves, and one or 
 two of the brethren that are coming to dwell with us. 
 
 When we first came into the valley, the question was 
 asked me, if men would ever be allowed to come into 
 this Church, and remain in it and hoard up their pro- 
 perty. I say, no. That is a short answer, and it is a 
 pointed one. The man who lays up his gold and silver 
 who caches it away in a bank, or in his iron safe, or 
 buries it up in the earth, and comes here, and professes 
 to be a Saint, would tie up the hands of every individu- 
 al in this kingdom, and make them his servants if he 
 
USE AND ABUSE OF BLESSINGS. 323 
 
 could. It is an unrighteous, unhallowed, unholy, covet- 
 ous principle ; it is of the devil, and is from beneath. 
 Let every person who has capital, put it to usury. Is 
 he required to bring his purse to me, to any of the 
 twelve, or to any person whatever, and lay it at their 
 feet ? No, not by me. But I will tell you what to do 
 with your means. If a man comes in the midst of this 
 people with money, let him use it in making improve- 
 ments, in building, in beautifying his inheritance in 
 Zion, and in increasing his capital by thus putting out 
 his money to usury. Let him go and make a great farm, 
 and stock it well, and fortify it all around with a good 
 and efficient fence. What for? Why for the purpose 
 of spending his money. Then let him cut it up into 
 fields, and adorn it with trees, and build a fine house 
 upon it. What for ? Why for the purpose of spending 
 his money. What will he do when his money is gone ? 
 The money thus spent with a wise and prudent hand, is in 
 a situation to accumulate and increase a hundred fold. 
 When he has done making his farm, and his means still 
 increase by his diligent use of it, he can then commence 
 and build a woollen factory, for instance, he can send and 
 buy the sheep and have them brought here, have them 
 herded here, and shear them here, and take care of them, 
 then set the boys and girls to cleaning, carding, spinning, 
 and weaving the wool into cloth, and thus employ hun- 
 dreds and thousands of the brethren and sisters who have 
 come from the manufacturing districts of the old coun- 
 try, and have not been accustomed to dig in the earth 
 for their livelihood, who have not learned anything else 
 but to work in the factory. This would feed them, and 
 clothe them, and put within their reach the comforts of 
 life; it .would also create at home a steady market for 
 
324 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 the produce of the agriculturist, and the labor of the 
 mechanic. When he has spent his hundred and fifty 
 thousand dollars, which he began business with, and fed 
 five hundred persons, from five to ten years, besides 
 realizing a handsome profit from the labor of the hands 
 employed, by the increased population, and consequent 
 increased demand for manufactured goods, at the end 
 of ten years his factory would be worth five hundred 
 thousand dollars. Suppose he had wrapped up his hun- 
 dred and fifty thousand in a napkin, for fear of losing it, 
 it would have sent him down to perdition, for the princi- 
 ple is from beneath. But when he puts forth his money 
 to usury, not to me or any other person, but where it 
 will redouble itself, by making farms, building factories 
 for the manufacture of every kind of material necessary 
 for home consumption, establishing blacksmiths' shops 
 and other mechanical establishments, making extensive 
 improvements to beautify the whole face of the earth, 
 until it shall become like the garden of Eden, it be- 
 comes a saving blessing to him and those around him. 
 And when the kings, princes, and rulers of the earth 
 shall come to Zion, bringing their gold, and silver, and 
 precious stones with them, they will admire and desire 
 your possessions, your line farms, beautiful vineyards, 
 and splendid mansions. They will say — ' ; We have got 
 plenty of money, hut we are destitute of such posses- 
 sions as these.'''' Their money loses its value in their 
 eyes when compared with the comfortable possessions 
 of the Saints, and they will want to purchase your pro- 
 perty. The industrious capitalist inquires of one of 
 them — "Do- you want to purchase this property? I 
 have obtained it by my economy and judgment, and by 
 the labor of my brethren, and in exchange for their 
 
USE AND ABUSE OF BLESSINGS. 325 
 
 labor I have been feeding and clothing them, nntil they 
 also have comfortable situations, and means to live. I 
 have this farm,- which I am willing to sell to enable me 
 to advance my other improvements." " "Well," says the 
 rich man, " how much must I give you for it?" "Five 
 hundred thousand dollars," and perhaps it has not cost 
 him more than one hundred thousand. He takes the 
 money and builds up three or four such farms, and em- 
 ploys hundreds of his brethren who are poor. 
 
 Money is not real capital, it bears the title only. True 
 capital is labor, and is confined to the laboring classes. 
 They only possess it. It is the bone, sinew, nerve, and. 
 muscle of man that subdue the earth, make it yield its 
 strength and administer to his varied wants. This 
 power tears down mountains and fills up valleys, builds 
 cities and temples, and paves the streets. In short, 
 what is there that yields shelter and comfort to civilized 
 man, that i3 not produced by the strength of his arm 
 the making elements bend to his will ? 
 
 I will not ask the question again — How much must 
 a man possess to authorize him to ivaste anything f 
 Three or four years ago money was of little value in 
 this country ; you might go round exhibiting a back 
 load of gold, and hold out a large piece to a man, I was 
 going to say, almost as big as this Bible, and ask him to 
 work for you, but he would laugh at your offer, and tell 
 you he was looking for some one to work for him. He 
 would then hail another man who had been in Nauvoo, 
 and passed through the pinches there, and had scarcely 
 a shirt to his back, but he would reply — " I was looking 
 for some man to work for me." Gold could not pur- 
 chase labor, it was no temptation whatever, but those 
 times are passed. It is not now as it was then. I con- 
 
32G TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 sequently alter my counsel to the brethren. I used to 
 command you to hand over your surplus property, or 
 that which you could not take care of, to me, and I 
 would apply it to a good purpose, but now I counsel 
 you to put it into the hands of men who have nothing 
 at all, and let them pay you for it in labor. 
 
 I have never been troubled with thieves stealing my 
 property. If I am not smart enough to take care of 
 what the Lord lends me, I. am smart enough to hold my 
 tongue about it, until I come across the thief myself, and 
 then I am ready to tie a string round his neck. 
 
 I have not the least hesitation in saying that the loose 
 conduct, and calculations, and manner of doing busi- 
 ness, which have characterized men who have had pro- 
 perty in their hands, have laid the foundation to bring 
 our boys into the spirit of stealing. You have caused 
 them to do it, you have laid before them every induce- 
 ment possible, to learn their hands, and train their minds 
 to take that which is not their own. Those young men 
 who have been taken up the past season and condemned 
 to ignominious punishment, may trace the cause of their 
 shame to that foundation. Distribute your property. 
 The man that thinks he requires ten yoke of cattle, and 
 can only use one yoke, is laboring under a mistake, he 
 ought to let nine yoke go to the laboring community. If 
 every man would do this with the property which he is 
 not using, all would be employed and have sufficient. 
 This would be the most effectual means of bringing the 
 vile practice of stealing cattle and other property to a 
 termination, which, as I have already said, has been en- 
 couraged by covetous, selfish men, who have refused to 
 use their property for their own good, or the communi- 
 ty's. 
 
USE AND ABUSE OF BLESSINGS. 327 
 
 Let us hold before our mind the miser. If the people 
 of this community feel as though they wanted the whole 
 world to themselves, hate any other person to possess 
 anything, and would hoard up their property, and place 
 it in a situation where it would not benefit either them- 
 selves-aor the community, they are just as guilty as the 
 man who steals my property. You may inquire — 
 " What should be done with such a character ?" Why, 
 
 CUT HIM OFF FKOM THE ChUKCII. I WOuld disfdloivship 
 
 a man who had received liberally from the Zo?'d, and re- 
 fused to put it out to usury. We know this is right. 
 
 I recollect well the days brother Grant was telling of, 
 when it was so hard to raise fifty dollars for brother Jo- 
 seph. I also remember we had a man for trial before the 
 high council, a man who had plenty of money, and re- 
 fused to loan it, or use it for the advancement of the 
 cause of truth. He would not put his money out to 
 usury. I was going into the council when he was making 
 his plea, and he wept and sobbed. His name was Isaac 
 Mc Withy, a man about fifty-three years of age. I knew 
 him when he lived on his farm in York State. He told 
 them, in his plea, what he had done for the cause, that 
 he had always been a Christian, and had done so much 
 for the churches, and for the priests, and been so liberal 
 since he had been in this church, which was between 
 three and four years. Some of the brethren said — 
 "Brother McWithv, how much do you suppose you 
 have ever given for the support of the Gospel ?" The 
 tears rolled down his cheeks, and he said, " Brethren, I 
 believe I have given away in my lifetime two hundred 
 and fifty dollars." I spake out and said, " If I could not 
 preach as many months each year in this kingdom as 
 you have been years in this Church, and give no more 
 
328 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 than two hundred and fifty dollars, I should be ashamed 
 of myself." 
 
 On one occasion, brother Joseph Young and myself 
 had travelled more than two hours among snow, and in 
 a piercing cold, to preach in his neighborhood one even- 
 ing. Having had no dinner or supper, we went home 
 with him, and he never asked us to eat a mouthful of 
 supper, though he did muster courage enough to go into 
 the cellar with a little basket, he came up with the tears 
 almost running down his cheeks, and said with some 
 difficulty — " Brethren, have some apples." He held out 
 the basket to us, and when we were about to help our- 
 selves, his niggardly soul made him draw it back again, 
 for fear we should take any. I saw he did not intend 
 us to have any apples, so I put my hand on the basket, 
 and drew it out of his hand, saying — " Come here." I 
 took it on my knees, and invited brother Joseph to eat 
 some apples. He did make out to give us some break- 
 fast in the morning, and even then he got up from the 
 table before we had time to half finish our breakfast, to 
 see if we would not give over eating. Said I — " Never 
 mind, I shall eat what I want before I stop." 
 
 I am happy to say, through your trustee in trust, that 
 the latter-day saints, in the capacity of a church and 
 kingdom, do not owe near as much money as they have 
 on hand. A year ago last April conference, we owed 
 over sixty thousand dollars, but we do not now owe a 
 single red cent. 
 
 May God bless us, that we may always have enough, 
 and know what to do with what we have, and how to 
 use it for the good of all, for I would not give much for 
 property unless I did know what to do with it. 
 
MORMONISM. 329 
 
 "MORMONISM." 
 
 A DISCOURSE DELIVERED BY PARLEY P. PRATT, IN THE 
 TABERNACLE, GREAT SALT LAKE CITY. 
 
 I noPE the congregation will lend us their undivided 
 attention, and exercise their faith and prayers for those 
 that speak, that the truth may be drawn out to the edi- 
 fication of all. 
 
 I always feel diffident to address the assemblies of the 
 people of God, at the seat of the government of the 
 Church, knowing that there are many that can edify 
 and enlighten our minds better than I can. I always 
 feel that I would sooner hear than speak. Bat neverthe- 
 less, I feel it my duty to impart my testimony, and 
 exercise my gift among my brethren, according to my 
 calling; I therefore shall address you for awhile this 
 morning. 
 
 There may be many strangers assembled with us at 
 this season of the year ; many are passing through this 
 city from different parts of the world. The members 
 of the Church need not complain, if I should address 
 myself to the people as if they were all strangers, on the 
 principles that are sometimes designated " Mormonism ;' ? 
 and confine myself to some of the plain, simple, intro- 
 ductory principles of that system. It will refresh the 
 minds of those acquainted with them, and perhaps 
 edify them, and at the same time edify others. 
 
880 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 Suppose I were to ask a question this morning, as a 
 stranger, " What is Mormonism ?" I suppose it is known 
 to most men at all conversant with principles classed 
 under that name, that it, is a nickname, or a name 
 applied to the public, and not used officially by the 
 Church so called. Mormon was a man, a prophet, an 
 author, a compiler, and a writer of a book. Mormon 
 was a teacher of righteousness, holding certain doctrines. 
 The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints are 
 agreed with Mormon, as well as with many other 
 ancient writers, and hold to the same principles ; there- 
 fore their neighbors have seen fit to call those principles 
 they hold, " Mormonism." They might as well have 
 called them, Ahrahamism, Enochism, or Isaiahism / 
 because the ancient prophets, patriarchs, and apostles, 
 held to the same truths in general terms, only differing 
 in circumstances, in distant countries and ages of the 
 world, and acted upon the same general principles, 
 according to the particular circumstances that surrounded 
 them. But the world, out of all the ancients, have 
 selected one called Mormon, and all the principles 
 held by all good inspired men of all ages and countries 
 they have seen fit to sum up, and call " Mormonism." 
 Well, it is as well as anything else, for aught I know ; 
 name does not affect the principles. 
 
 The word of God, as written in the good old Book, 
 designates the people of God by the name of Saints ; 
 which name is almost or quite as ancient, as any 
 writings extant. Saint was spoken of by Enoch long 
 before the flood. The same term was applied to the 
 people of God by the prophets, the psalmist, and by 
 the writers of the New Testament. 
 
 Not only was this term applied to saints in ancient 
 
M0RM0NISM. 331 
 
 days, but the patriarchs, prophets, and apostles applied 
 it prophetically, speaking of the people of God in the 
 latter days, when the kingdom should be given to the 
 people of God, and the principles of God should bear 
 rule over all the earth. Daniel and the other prophets, 
 in speaking of this subject, always call them the saints 
 of the Most High. They do not call them " Mormon- 
 ites," Methodists, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, 
 Jews, Pagans, or Mohammedans, nor yet Catholics ; but 
 the language of the apostles and prophets is, that the 
 Saints of the Most High shall prevail — prevail over the 
 world, establish a true order of government, and, in 
 short, rule the lower world ; and that all the nations shall 
 bow to him who is at their head, and to the principles 
 held by them. 
 
 "Why not this be continued and sustained, Oh ye peo- 
 ple of Christendom, and, letting these party names go 
 by the board, and be classed among the things that 
 were in the darker ages, come to the proper and correct 
 Scripture language, and when we speak of the people 
 of God, call them Saints of the Most High ? 
 
 "Well, then, such is the name that the Church which 
 I represent, do their business in. As such, they are 
 known on their own records, and on the records of hea- 
 ven, inasmuch as they are recognized there. But we 
 know what the world mean when they say "Mormon- 
 ism," and " Mormon." What are the principles called 
 '• Mormonism?" You may ask those who profess to be 
 instructors of the people abroad in the States, and else- 
 where — and very few of them will give you one correct 
 idea in regard to the doctrines of the latter-day saints. 
 Indeed, they have not informed themselves, but remain 
 in ignorance on the subject; and when they would 
 
332 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 show others, of course, they cannot inform them correctly 
 on that subject. But you will generally be informed, 
 that " Mormonism " is a new religion, that it is some- 
 thing new under the sun, and of course is an innovation 
 — a kind of trespass on Christianity, on the Bible, or on 
 the good old way. " Oh," say some of the editors that 
 ought to be the most enlightened, and that jn'ofess to be, 
 " if Mormonism prevails, Christianity will come down." 
 
 Now suppose that we examine, principle by principle, 
 some of the fundamental principles of " Mormonism," 
 and see whether there is one item that is new, or that is 
 in any way an innovation on Christianity. 
 
 What is the first start towards an introduction of these 
 principles in this age, and the organization of a people ? 
 What is it that first disturbed the world, or any part of 
 it, or called the attention of the people towards it, giv- 
 ing rise to the system now called " Mormonism ?" It 
 was the ministration of angels to certain individuals ; or 
 in other words, certain individuals in this age enjoyed 
 open visions. 
 
 Now we will stop, right at this point ; it is called 
 " Mormonism." Let us dwell on it. Is that a new prin- 
 ciple ? Is it adding something to Christianity, or taking 
 something from it? Do not let our modern notions 
 weigh anything, but come right to the fact of the mat- 
 ter. If Peter the apostle were here to-day, and a per- 
 son were to relate to him a vision wherein an ano;el 
 appeared to him and said something to him, would Peter 
 call together the rest of the apostles, and sit in council 
 on that man's head for error ? Would they say to that 
 man, " Sir, you have introduced something here in your 
 experience that is derogatory to Christianity, and con- 
 trary to the system of religion we have taught, and in- 
 
MOKMONISM. 333 
 
 troduced into the world ?" I need not answer this 
 question, neither need I bring Scripture to show what 
 were the teachings and experience of Peter and the rest 
 of the apostles on this subject. The Bible is too com- 
 mon a book, too widely circulated in the world, and the 
 people of the United States, especially, are too well read 
 in its contents to suppose, for a moment, that Peter or 
 the rest of the apostles would condemn a man because 
 he believed in the ministration of angels, because he re- 
 lated an experience wherein he had had a vision of an 
 angel. 
 
 Now that was the principle that disturbed this genera- 
 tion, in the commencement of the introduction of that 
 which is now called " Mormonism" — a principle as com- 
 mon in the ancient church as the doctrine of repent- 
 ance. I "will say more — it is a principle that has been 
 common in all dispensations ; it is a principle which was 
 had before the flood, and fully enjoyed by the ancient 
 saints, or at least held to by them ; a principle that was 
 common among them ; not that every man attained to 
 it. 
 
 But where can we read, under the government of the 
 patriarchs, before the flood or after it ; before Moses or 
 after him ; before Christ or after Christ — where can we 
 read in sacred history of a people of God by whom the 
 doctrine of visions and ministering of angels would be 
 discarded, or be considered erroneous ? It was common 
 to all dispensations, it was enjoyed by the patriarchs and 
 prophets under the law of Moses, before it and after it, 
 and by the people of God among the ten tribes, and 
 among the Jews. We will carry it still further. It was 
 enjoyed among the Gentiles, before there was a people 
 of God fully organized among them in the days of 
 
334: TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 Christ. Cornelius had the ministering of angels before 
 he became a member of the Christian Church, or under- 
 stood there was a crucified and risen Redeemer. He 
 prayed to the living God, and gave alms of such tilings 
 as he had. He was a good man, and an angel came to 
 him and told him his prayers were heard, and his alms 
 had come up as a memorial before God. 
 
 It is astonishing then, to me, that the modern Chris- 
 tian world consider this a new doctrine, an innovation — 
 a trespass on Christianity. No ! it is as old as the world, 
 and as common among the true people of God, as His 
 every day dealings with man. We will leave that point, 
 and say, it is the Christian world, and not the latter-day 
 saints, that have a new doctrine, provided they discard 
 that principle. 
 
 What next? Why, that man, by vision, the minister- 
 ing of angels, and by revelation, should be called with 
 a high and holy calling — commissioned with a holy mis- 
 sion to preach, and teach, and warn, and prophesy, and 
 call men to repentance. That was one of the first prin- 
 ciples introductory to what is now called " Mormonism" 
 in this age. 
 
 Is there anything new about that, anything strange, 
 anything that differs from the patriarchal ages, from 
 the Jewish economy, the Mosaic dispensation, or from 
 the dispensation called Christian ? Similar things hap- 
 pened before Moses, in his day, and after his day ; and 
 among the prophets, and in different ages. Were not 
 such things common in the clays of Jesus Christ, and 
 after that in the days of the apostles ? Was not John 
 the Baptist thus commissioned? Was not Jesus thus 
 commissioned. And were not His apostles, elders, and 
 seventies? After his resurrection and ascension into 
 
MORMONISM. 335 
 
 heaven, were not others called, and ordained under the 
 hands of those who were thus commissioned, and called 
 sometimes by visions and revelations directing them to 
 those who were thus commissioned in order to be or- 
 dained ? That was no new doctrine, no innovation on 
 Christianity, no perversion of the Scriptural system, nor 
 was it anything new, unless you call the old principle 
 new. 
 
 Well, then, that the man thus commissioned should 
 call upon others to turn from their sins ; and that an in- 
 dividual, a government, a house, a city, a nation, or a 
 world of people should perish unless they did turn from 
 their sins — is that anything new ? No. Every one con- 
 versant with the Bible will say, that such things took 
 place frequently under all the different dispensations. 
 The heathen were warned in this way. Individuals, 
 households, cities, nations, and the world have to be 
 warned in this way, and especially under the Christian 
 dispensation. So there was a special commission given 
 to the servants of God, to go to all the world, and call 
 upon everybody to repent, or whole nations should be- 
 come disfranchised, scattered, and millions be destroyed, 
 as for instance the Jews at Jerusalem, because they 
 would not hearken to it. It is nothing new, to cry to 
 all men to repent, and warn different cities and nations 
 of wars coming upon them, or that they will be damned 
 if they do not repent. This is one of the early princi- 
 ples called " Mormonism." Is there anything new in 
 this ? Is there anything strange or unscriptural ? No ; 
 no sensible professing Christian will maintain such a 
 point for a moment. 
 
 Suppose that some people should hearken, when the 
 ministering of angels takes place. Among many men 
 
336 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 one certain man is commissioned by revelation to preach 
 the Gospel, and cry repentance. Suppose that some per- 
 sons should hearken and repent, and he should take them 
 and walk down to the water, and bury them in the water 
 in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
 Holy Ghost, and raise them again out of the water, to 
 represent the death and burial of Jesus Christ, and his 
 resurrection from the dead ; and to represent the faith 
 of the individual thus ministered to, that he does believe 
 in Jesus Christ, that he died, and that he did rise from 
 the dead, and that he, the individual, does put his trust 
 and confidence in him for the remission of sins and eter- 
 nal life — is that anything new ? Would that be new to 
 Peter ? Suppose some person was to relate before Peter 
 and Paul to-day, and the Christians with them, that lived 
 when they lived — suppose they were all present, and 
 this person told them that a man came along preaching 
 repentance, and he called upon us to believe in Jesus 
 Christ, and we did so, believing their testimony, and 
 they took us and buried us in water, and raised us again 
 out the water unto newness of life — would Peter or John 
 blame him ? Would Paul say, " It is something new ?" 
 Or would he say, " Brother, thousands of us received the 
 very same thing in ancient clays ?" 
 
 The Catholic Church profess to be the true church — 
 the ground and pillar of the truth, handed down by 
 regular succession from the ancient church, of which 
 they are still members ; and their priesthood and apos- 
 tles are now of the very same church which the New 
 Testament calls the true Church at Pome. These 
 Roman Catholics of modern times profess to be members 
 of that very same church that Paul wrote that epistle 
 to. If they are, I will show you to demonstration, if the 
 
MOKMONISM. 337 
 
 Scriptures be true, that this doctrine called " Mormon- 
 ism " is not a new doctrine, Paul, writing to that church, 
 of which they profess to be members, says, Know ye 
 not, brethren, ye Romans, that as many of you as have 
 been baptized into Christ have been baptized into his 
 death, being buried with him by baptism into death, 
 that like as Christ rose from the dead, even so ye may 
 walk in newness of life ? Now this epistle containing 
 this doctrine was written by Paul to the Church at 
 Rome, and which these modern people called Roman 
 Catholics profess to be members of. If they are what 
 they profess to be, every one of them have been buried 
 with Christ in baptism, and have risen again to newness 
 of life. We will, however, leave them to describe 
 whether that is really the case, or whether they are con- 
 tented to sprinkle a few drops of water on an infant's 
 face and call that a burial ! Paul said that was a prin- 
 ciple of the true Church of Rome that had been buried 
 with Christ by baptism into death, and had risen to new- 
 nesa of life. Have these modern Roman Catholics gone 
 forward repenting of their sins, and been buried in 
 water, in the likeness of Jesus Christ according to this 
 pattern ? If they have not, they are a spurious Church 
 of Rome, and not real. Therefore, if they be the real 
 Church of Rome, it will be no new thing to them when 
 the latter-day saints inform them upon being buried 
 with Christ in the likeness of his death, etc. If this is 
 a new doctrine to them, they had better be looking 
 about them to see if they have not got up a counterfeit 
 Church of Rome, for Paul knew of only one, and the 
 members of it were all buried with Christ in baptism. 
 
 If 500 persons hen- were to say they came repenting 
 of their sins, and went down and were buried in the 
 
 15 
 
338 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 waters of baptism, and had risen again to walk in new- 
 ness of life, Paul would say, if lie were here, " It is just 
 what we used to do in ancient times; and I wrote to the 
 Church of Rome, telling them that as many as were 
 baptized into Christ were baptized into his death, buried 
 with him by baptism into death," etc. 
 
 Now if this doctrine is new to the Church of Rome, 
 then that is that church, that priesthood, and those 
 members that have introduced something new, who are 
 departing from the old Christian religion, and not the 
 " Mormons." 
 
 This reasoning applies just the same to the Church of 
 England. They have just as good a right to have a 
 Church in England as anywhere else — to have a national 
 Church of England by law established, but if they are 
 a true Church of God, all of them have been buried 
 with Christ in baptism, etc., or the apostle must have 
 been mistaken, or there are two different kinds of Gos- 
 pel. 
 
 Now if I were speaking to the state Church of Eng- 
 land, or the state churches of the Catholic world, I 
 would tell them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ 
 to repent of their new doctrine, and come back to the 
 old standard spoken of by the Apostle, when he says, 
 " though we or an angel from heaven preach any other 
 Gospel unto you than that which we have preached 
 unto you, let him be accursed," etc. 
 
 I need not go through with this same application 
 upon the Lutherans, upon the Presbyterians, upon the 
 Methodists, and others, for all these peojile sprinkle 
 infants ; for the principle once carried out will apply to 
 the whole. If they are Christians according to the due- 
 trine of the ancient church, they hold the doctrine of 
 
MOKMONISM. o39 
 
 1lie apostles, they have repented of their sins, after 
 believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, and have been 
 btjkied with Christ by baptism into death, etc. If 
 not, they may judge themselves, for I will not judge 
 them. If they have got a new doctrine, different from 
 that believed by the apostles, and the latter-day saints 
 have got the old one, why not say, then, "If sectarian- 
 ism prevails, Christianity, as held by the Mormons will 
 be in danger," instead of saying the opposite? Why 
 not turn the thing right about? If we have no one new 
 principle in our religion, why are we considered innova- 
 tors, and opposed to Christianity ? And why is Chris- 
 tianity in the world in danger if " Mormonism " prevails ? 
 It is because that floating Christianity, called so by the 
 world, is a spurious one ; they have departed from the 
 doctrine of the apostles. Then, I ask again, why say, 
 " If Mormonism prevails, Christianity is in danger?" for 
 if it is a false Christianity, the quicker it falls the better. 
 A\ r e have examined three general principles, to see if 
 there is anything new in " Mormonism." First, the 
 ministering of angels. Second, the commission of min- 
 isters, apostles, prophets, and elders to administer in 
 holy things, by revelation and the authority of heaven. 
 Third, that all those that hear them, believe their words, 
 and repent of their sins, shall go down into the waters 
 of baptism, and be immersed or buried in the name of 
 the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and 
 thus show that they do believe in a crucified and risen 
 Redeemer, and in the remission of sins through His 
 name. So far, I think, we have fairly stated some of 
 the first principles of what the world calls "Mormon- 
 ism ;" and every one who has heard us, must decide that 
 there is nothing new in these principles, but rather, that 
 
340 TKAYELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 those who have departed from them, are justly charge- 
 able with introducing new things, and innovations on 
 Christianity. 
 
 Now suppose that one, two, or a dozen, or a hundred 
 thousand, or even millions of individuals thus baptized, 
 should all come together, in their several congregations, 
 and should unite in earnest prayer, and a man commis- 
 sioned in the ministry of Jesus Christ should rise and 
 lay his hands on them, praying the Almighty God to 
 give the Holy Spirit, and it be given as in days of 
 old, and he confirms that promise upon them according 
 to the pattern in the New Testament — would that be 
 something new? Would it be an innovation upon 
 Christianity ? Would it be right to say " this is Mor- 
 monism, come to do away with Christianity ?" Why, 
 no ! Every sensible man at all acquainted with the 
 Holy Scriptures, would laugh at the idea. If the 
 ancient saints were here, they would tell you it was 
 their ancient manner ; they would ask you if you had 
 not read over their history, which describes how the 
 Holy Spirit was administered in days of old. Every 
 man who has read the Bible, knows it. 
 
 Well, then, the different sections of what is called 
 Christianity, never do this, and call it something new. 
 When the " Mormons " do it, they are at once charged 
 with innovation ; and yet we have not got anything 
 new in that respect, but simply a restoration of that 
 which was. They are the persons chargeable with new 
 doctrine, and not the latter-day saints. 
 
 Well, then, suppose that after this ordinance, the Holy 
 Spirit falls upon these congregations, or upon these in- 
 dividuals thus baptized and confirmed, and fills them, 
 and enlightens their minds, and bears testimony to them 
 
MORMONISM. ?Al 
 
 of the truth which they have received, and confirms 
 them in the faith of it, and fills them with the spirit of 
 utterance and prayer, and with gifts whereby they pro- 
 phesy, or speak in tongues, lay hands on the sick and 
 they recover, in the name of Jesus, or whereby they are 
 filled with the spirit of any gift, renewed in their utter- 
 ance, strengthened in their powers of intellect, so as to be 
 able to speak with eloquence to the edification of others by 
 the word of wisdom, knowledge and prophecy ; or perad- 
 venture some one, two, or three of them have a heavenly 
 vision, and happen to relate it — is this something new ? 
 Are these things an innovation on Christianity ? 
 
 Let the apostles of the ancient church come up now, 
 and be judges, not these innovators. Oh yes, saints of 
 ancient days, are these things new to you ? " No, " 
 they reply, " but just exactly what we used to have 
 among us ; and. you who have read the New Testament 
 know* it is so. " If this, then, is Mormonism, it is no- 
 thing new, but simply that which should have been in 
 the world in order to constitute true Christianity. 
 
 Now suppose, after all these have been established, 
 the people organize on them ; and that in the enjoyment 
 and cultivation of them, this people unite their efforts, 
 both temporally and spiritually, to build up themselves 
 as a people, and each other as individuals, in righteous- 
 ness upon the earth ; and the Spirit of the Lord God 
 into which they were all baptized, should make them 
 very great in union — in union of effect, in counsel, in 
 operation, in fellowship, in temporal things in a great 
 measure, and in spiritual things, by which they are all 
 of one heart and mind to a great degree, and growing 
 in it every day — is this something new, because it is 
 "Mormonism?" Or is this the very doctrine which 
 
34:2 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 was inculcated in days of old by the apostles of Jesus 
 Christ ? 
 
 It was the main object for which the Holy Spirit was 
 given, that they might all grow up in union, in fellow- 
 ship, in co-operation, in holiness in the Lord. No man 
 who has read the New Testament, will say this is new, 
 when we say that the great object of the Gospel is, that 
 we may all become one in Christ Jesus — one in know- 
 ledge, and in the love and practice of the peaceable 
 things of God. Is it anything new ? No. Well, it is 
 a part of what the world calls " Mormonism ; " and I 
 would to God it was more perfected among this people 
 than it is. 
 
 If any one of these principles in practice, should pre- 
 vail over the whole world, it would be nothing new ; 
 but the world only hold this last as a theory ; as to the 
 practice of it, they are strangers. 
 
 We have examined five or six general principles, 
 called " Mormonism," and found nothing new in them. 
 " But," says one, "I heard you had got a new Bible ; 
 that is certainly an innovation." But stop ; suppose, on 
 inquiry, you become as much surprised and disappointed 
 as many have who have asked for a " Mormon Bible," 
 and when we have presented them with one, behold it 
 is King James' translation of the Scriptures, the stand- 
 ard we read, containing the covenants, predictions, and 
 hopes of the ancients, and the doctrines of Jesus Christ, 
 jnst as we believe them, and hope for their fulfillment. 
 Is that anything new ? 
 
 "Well, if you have not a new Bible, you have 
 certainly got a new book." Is that any thing strange ? 
 Have not other societies got new books ? The Church 
 of England have not only the Scriptures, but the book 
 
MOKMONISM. 343 
 
 of Common Prayer, and the time was when they did 
 not have such a book, therefore when they made that, it 
 was something new. They are not alone in that, how- 
 ever, for the Methodists have a new book called the 
 "Methodist's Discipline." One hundred and twenty 
 years ago there was no such thing in existence. If 
 having a new book be an innovation, then all are guilty 
 of it as well as the " Mormons." 
 
 " But those other people do not profess that their 
 books are inspired, and we have learned that you have 
 a book that you believe is inspired. What is it, any 
 how ? " This is all a fact, and if it is wrong we will 
 cheerfully plead guilty. . We have got another book 
 besides the Bible, that was an ancient book, and profess 
 that it was inspired, and was written by prophets, and 
 men that enjoyed the ministering of angels, more or less 
 of them, and had communion with the heavens, and the 
 spirit of prophecy. And moreover, we profess that this 
 ancient book was restored to the knowledge of the 
 modern world by inspiration, and the ministering of 
 angels. Is that something new ? It may be new to the 
 world in its history, and in its bearings; in that respect 
 it may be new to them ; but suppose, after all, it should 
 contain no new doctrine, no new principle, no new pro- 
 phecy, that is differing from or doing away that which 
 is already extant in the Bible ? Well, then, I do not 
 say that it would be a new doctrine. Men had books 
 revealed in the days of old. 
 
 " If it is no new doctrine, and if its predictions do not 
 differ from those contained in the old and new Testaments, 
 what is the use of it ? " The same question was inves- 
 tigated in ancient times. A great conqueror had taken 
 possession of an ancient library, when there were no 
 
344 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 printing presses, containing one hundred thousand 
 volumes, all in manuscript, comprising more history 
 than was in any library extant in the ancient world. 
 The conqueror was a Mahommedan. He wrote to the 
 head of the department to know what he would do with 
 this library. It was invaluable in its cost and intrinsic 
 worth. " What shall I do with it ? " The reply was, 
 " If it agrees with the Koran, we have no use for it ; and 
 if it does not agree with the Koran, it is false anyhow ; 
 so in either case burn it." 
 
 "Now if these latter-day saints have a book extant 
 among them, and it agrees with the Bible, there is no kind 
 of use for it," says the opposer, " for the Bible contains all 
 that is necessary ; if it does not agree with the Bible, it is 
 false anyhow; so in either case burn it," This was a 
 principle of Mahommedanism, and may be a principle of 
 what is called modern Christianity. I hope not, however. 
 
 " What is the use of the book in question, anyhow ? " 
 Why, in the first place, it differs in its history from the 
 Bible. The Bible is a history of things that took place 
 in Asia principally, and a little of what took place in 
 Europe and Africa. The book of Mormon is a history 
 of things in another hemisphere. The one book is the 
 ancient history of the eastern hemisphere, in part ; and 
 the other is a history of the western hemisphere, in 
 part. Shall we say, because we have the history of one 
 part of the world, that the history of the other part of 
 the world is good for nothing ? Could the rulers of na- 
 tions realize that fact, and could they only have a copy 
 in their libraries at the cost of $100,000, they would 
 appropriate it for this history of the western hemi- 
 sphere. 
 
 Discredit it as you will, we have it in genuineness 
 
MORMONISM. 345 
 
 and in truth, written by the ancient prophets that lived 
 upon this land, and revealed in modern times by the 
 ministering of angels, and inspiration from the Almighty. 
 It is in the world, and the world cannot get it out of the 
 world. It is in the world in six or seven languages of 
 Europe. It is as important in its history as the Bible, 
 and it is just as interesting and as necessary for men to 
 gel an understanding of the ancient history of America, 
 as it is for them to get an understanding of the history 
 of Asia. 
 
 " But are the merits of history all that it is good for?" 
 It is good in doctrine also. If two or more writers, one 
 living in Asia, and the other in America, and cotempo- 
 rary, have the same doctrine revealed to them, and 
 both bear record of the same plan of salvation, who 
 is he that shall say that the record of one is of no 
 worth \ 
 
 Is it not a satisfaction to sit down and read that a 
 country tar removed from Bible scenes, from that part 
 of the stage on which figured the patriarchs of old, 
 with Moses and the Jewish prophets, John the Baptist, 
 Jesus Christ, and the apostles, was also the theatre of 
 revelation, prophecy, visions, angels, of the ministration 
 of the doctrine of Christ, of the organization and gov- 
 ernment of his true church ? that there too were angels, 
 that there too were apostles, that there too was the 
 word of God, that there too faith came by hearing, and 
 salvation by faith ? Shall we say that such things and 
 such good news are worth nothing, when that very news 
 corroborates the song of the heavenly hosts, when they 
 declared to the shepherds of Judea, in joyful songs, that 
 they brought glad tidings of great joy, that should be 
 to all people ! And here comes a book informing us 
 
316 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 that these glad tidings were also to another hemisphere 
 at the same time. 
 
 Now, stop a moment, and let ns reason. Suppose 
 yourself an angel of God at that time, full of benevo- 
 lence, full of joy, full of a soul-inspiring hope, full of 
 charity for poor, ignorant, perishing mortals, and you 
 felt so full of poetry, and song, and gladness, that you 
 could scarcely hold your peace. Suppose you had a 
 bird's eye view of our little, dark, benighted world, by 
 soaring above it, and in a moment you could light 
 down upon any part of it. You come to Palestine, in 
 Asia ; that part of the globe is rolling under your feet ; 
 you visit it, and sing to the shepherds the glorious 
 tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people : " for 
 unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour 
 which is Christ the Lord." The earth rolls on about 
 half way round, you look down again with a bird's eye 
 view, and you discover the western hemisphere, and it 
 is full of people ; I wonder whether your soul would 
 still swell with the same glad tidings — or would your 
 charity have become exhausted ? "Would you not fly 
 and declare these glad tidings to them also, and sing 
 them a song of joy, and tell them what day the Saviour 
 was born, that would reach their case as well as the 
 case of those who dwelt .upon the continent of Asia? 
 " Yes," you reply, " if I were an angel, and had liberty 
 to tell these glad tidings, I would never tell them to one 
 part of the earth and go to sleep there, while the other 
 part rolled under my feet unnoticed." 
 
 Were those angels commissioned and endow r ed to bear 
 glad tidings to all people, that the Saviour was born ? 
 I say that the choir of angels which sang that song, had 
 full liberty, not only to tell the plan of salvation to 
 
M0EM0NI8M. 347 
 
 chosen vessels of the Lord in one country, but also to 
 another country — not only that the Saviour was born, in 
 general terms, but the place where, and the time when, 
 he was born. These were the tidings, "Go to all peo- 
 ple." An angel must be a limited being, or be very 
 ignorant in geographical knowledge, or partake largely 
 of sectarian feelings of heart, to bear such tidings to one 
 half of the globe, and not to the other. 
 
 I knew an infidel once, that did not believe in the 
 Christian religion, nor in the New Testament, nor in the 
 .Saviour of the world. I asked him why he did not be- 
 lieve this. " Because," says he, " according to the New 
 Testament the manifestation of such an important affair 
 was so limited. Here was halt' of the world, according 
 to the New Testament, that never heard of it. A mes- 
 sage so important should have been made more public.'" 
 
 " Well," said I, " if I will produce you a record, and 
 a history, as well authenticated as the New Testament, 
 showing that angels, the risen Saviour, holy inspired 
 prophets and apostles, ministered in the western hem- 
 isphere, and preached the gospel to every creature, and 
 handed it down, to ages, will you then believe?" 
 "Yes," he answered, "I will." I presented him the 
 Book of Mormon, which he perused. I inquired if he 
 now believed. " Yes." he said, " I do ;" and he has 
 lived a Christian until now, for ought I know. I have 
 seen him in this congregation, and he may be here to- 
 day. His name is Alger. 
 
 AVhat objection have you to the hope of eternal life 
 being as widely developed as the ravages of death, sor- 
 row, and mourning ? AVhat objection have you to the 
 angels of God, apostles of God, the Son of God, or to 
 the Holy Spirit of prophecy being poured out in more 
 
348 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 countries than one ? You may say the keys of the Gos- 
 pel were given to the Jewish apostles, but they were 
 so far off as not to be able to reach the western hemis- 
 phere, even if they had had a knowledge of it. Were 
 there ships and steam vessels to bear them to this coun- 
 try? No. Was there any communication kept up, or 
 was this country known to them ? No. But the waves, 
 and winds, and elements, and the great depths that in- 
 tervened, even the unexplored ocean, said to the ancient 
 apostles, " Thus far shall ye go, and no further." This 
 ocean, however, was no barrier to the fleet-footed angel of 
 God, to the risen Jesus, and to immortal man. They 
 could come to this hemisphere, and reveal the things of 
 heaven to the people, and could rejoice in the same 
 glad tidings, whether it was here or in Jerusalem, or 
 if it were in the uttermost parts of the earth. 
 
 Though Peter was crucified at Rome, and Paul suf- 
 fered in the same manner; though saints of the .Most 
 High were slaughtered by thousands and tens of thou- 
 sands, and bled at the feet of Roman altars ; yet a cruci- 
 fied and risen Redeemer, angels of God, and the Holy 
 Spirit of truth that fills all things, were not thus cur- 
 tailed and limited, but could minister truth to the utter- 
 most bounds of the universe of God, where intelligences 
 were mourning in darkness ; wherever the ravages of 
 death had spread sorrow, wherever there was a broken 
 heart to be bound up, or wherever there was a despair- 
 ing mortal to be inspired with hope, they could go and 
 tell the glad tidings of life and salvation. The Book ot 
 Mormon says they did come to this continent. It is a 
 history of their coming, and contains the doctrine 
 taught to the people here by the risen Jesus, and by his 
 predecessors. In short, the doctrine taught and prac- 
 
MOKMONISM. 349 
 
 tised in ancient America is there portrayed, together 
 with the history of the people. 
 
 Again, is this book of no interest with regard to the 
 prophetic value ? It reveals many things not noticed 
 by the Jewish prophets. Did the old prophets touch 
 upon every item that pertains to man in other countries? 
 Ho, they did not, only in general terms together with 
 the rest of the world. These other prophets portrayed 
 many things not in their hook, though agreeing with it 
 ;w far as it goes, but touching events on which their 
 book is silent. 
 
 Has any person any cause to say that there has not 
 been a multiplicity of revelations, testimony, prophecy, 
 history and doctrine, developed in various countries by 
 the same Spirit of God, and by angels? And is not all 
 this of great worth, to compare, in order to blend it to- 
 gether, that we may see more clearly the principles of 
 the doctrines of salvation, and understand prophecy 
 more extensively, especially in an age when the mind 
 has been obscured by priestcraft. 
 
 If these are the principles of " Mormonism," where 
 can you point out an innovation on Christianity? But is 
 this all ? No, this is not all, and I shall not tell it all to- 
 day. I do not know it all yet. I have been twenty- 
 three years learning " Mormonism," and I know but 
 little of it. If any one expects to learn all the doctrines 
 of " Mormonism," he must learn more than twenty-three 
 years. For be it known unto you all, that " Mormon- 
 ism," instead of being confined to a few dogmas or gen- 
 eral truths, opens the flood-gates of all truth and knowl- 
 edge, and teaches mankind to retain all the truth they 
 can already comprehend, and comprehend as much more 
 as they can all the time. 
 
350 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 " Have you not other books ?" Yes, we have histo- 
 ries and compilations of the dealings of God with us as 
 a people. We keep a record, if you must know, not 
 only individually some of us, but as a church, as a body, 
 or community. We have revelation penned, revelations 
 and visions penned, we have revelation and prophecy 
 penned, we have knowledge penned, we have knowledge 
 and principle penned, we have principle and history 
 penned ; the history comprising but a small portion, such 
 as can be written, revealed to us latter-day saints, and 
 practised upon ; so that our modern books are like the 
 ancient books — a mixture of revelation, prophecy, his- 
 tory, and doctrine. Has any person any objections to 
 this? I ask, should an angel administer to this or that 
 man, or suppose an open vision was manifested to him, 
 revealing many precious truths, would he not be a sim- 
 pleton not to write it? If the power of God, and the 
 ministering of God, and the visions of the Almighty are 
 extant in the world, these will be written. The practi- 
 cal part of history will be written, for if all were writ- 
 ten, the world would not contain the books. The an- 
 cient apostles and prophets wrote a few of the items re- 
 vealed to them, and a history of the practical workings 
 of the system over which they presided. Do we differ 
 from them ? No. 
 
 " Well," says one, " to be plain with you, Mr. Speaker, 
 we have been taught to believe that the one book, called 
 the Bible, contains all the revelations that God ever re- 
 vealed to man, therefore it is an innovation to offer any- 
 thing else to the world as a revelation." This is a tra- 
 dition of your own, so I have nothing to do with it. The 
 Bible never taught that to you, nor angels, neither did 
 any minister of God ever teach it to you ; and if it is a 
 
MORMONISM. 
 
 351 
 
 modern sectarian tradition, it is calculated to bind men 
 into a cast iron creed, and the sooner you break the fet- 
 ters the better; burst them asunder, and come out into 
 liberty and freedom, and know and understand that 
 there is no such doctrine in the broad principles of eter- 
 nal truth, that heaven is full of knowledge, and the earth 
 ought to be full of prophets, heaven and earth full of 
 angels, and both full of inspiration; and if the inhabit- 
 ants of all the worlds of the universe were scribes, 
 every blade of grass a pen, and every ocean ink, they 
 could not write all the doings of the Almighty, of His 
 servants, and of His angels. If I were to live for mil- 
 lions of years to come, and then millions of millions 
 more, I expect there would always be some being ready 
 to reveal something new, and somebody would write it. 
 The art of writing will never cease. We may not have 
 pens and ink, but we may have something better. Suf- 
 fice it to say, that the arts and sciences will not come to 
 an end, yet man may have been traditionated to believe 
 that one small book contains all that God ever said or 
 did. Such persons are to be pitied, and not to be rea- 
 soned with. 
 
 What is "Mormonism?" It is a restoration by new 
 revelation, by the authorities of heaven, by the minis- 
 tration of angels, by the ordination of prophets and 
 apostles, and ministers or elders, by their testimony 
 and ministry on the earth, by the organization of saints, 
 by the administration of ordinances, by the operations 
 of the Holy Spirit ; it is a restoration of these ancient 
 principles revealed from heaven, for the government of 
 man. 
 
 Says one, " You have said you are not going to tell 
 the whole system to-day." I do not know it all, and I 
 
352 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAK WEST. 
 
 shall not state the half I do know. What I have said 
 are a few every day items, a few of the first principles 
 of the Gospel of Christ, as believed and practised by the 
 " Mormons." 
 
 I will tell one more before I close. " Yonr marria- 
 ges," says the objector, " are founded upon principles 
 entirely new, and different from the Christian world." 
 I say, without any hesitancy, I defy the world to estab- 
 lish that assertion. I say our marriage relations are 
 nothing new at all. There is no man, or set of men, or 
 nation of men, where the Bible is extant, and they are 
 readers, but what know that the institutions of marriage 
 contained in the Bible, and the organization of families, 
 differ widely from modern Christianity. We differ from 
 modern Christianity, but not from the Bible. Patri- 
 archs of the remotest ages, that obeyed the Lord God in 
 regard to their marriages and family organizations, have 
 not disagreed with us, nor we with them, so far as we 
 and they have obeyed the law of God. If there is any 
 difference at all, it was more developed among them 
 than it is among us, we being in our infancy. If it 
 should happen to be, that the whole modern world dif- 
 fer from the Bible — have done away with the law of 
 God, and we have come in contact with them, instead 
 of with the word of God, then the boot is on the other 
 foot, and in reality what is said to us applies to them. 
 It is like the farmer and the lawyer. A certain fanner 
 came to a neighboring lawyer, and frankly confessed 
 that his bull had had the misfortune to kill one of his 
 (the lawyer's) oxen. The lawyer replied, " Thou art a 
 very honest fellow, and will not think it wrong that I 
 have one of thy oxen in return." "But," said the far- 
 mer, " I am mistaken, it was thy bull that killed my 
 
MORMONISM. 353 
 
 ox." " O," replied the lawyer, " that alters the case, 
 and if — if — i-f — ." 
 
 Now, then, if it is the whole Christian world, from 
 Catholicism down to the latest of her daughters, that 
 have made void the law of God, and trampled under 
 foot the institutions of heaven, the holy principles of 
 matrimony and family government, and have made them 
 void also, by their traditions, and introduced that which 
 God never did ; and " Mormonism" has restored the law 
 of God, in theory and practice, then it is the so-called 
 Christian world, and not us, that are wrong. Whether 
 it regards family organization, the law of God, patriar- 
 chal government, ordinances, principles and prophecy, 
 I know of nothing new, or of nothing wherein we are 
 innovators. 
 
 As I said before, and I am able to maintain it when 
 called upon, "Mormonism" is a system which was un- 
 derstood and enjoyed by the ancients, and restored unto 
 us by revelation. And if carried out, what will it do ? 
 It will simply fulfill the sayings of the prophets, both 
 ancient and modern, put down all wickedness, abuse, 
 proscription, misrule, oppression, ignorance, darkness, 
 and tyranny, and restore mankind to righteousness, 
 truth, liberty, law and government, in which the Lord's 
 will will be done on the earth as it is in heaven. That 
 is what "Mormonism" will do, when carried out. 
 
 May God bless you all. Amen. 
 
3^4 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 LEGITIMACY AND ILLEGITIMACY. 
 
 A SERMON DELIVERED BY ELDER JOHN TAYLOR, AT THE 
 
 GENERAL CONFERENCE, IN THE TABERNACLE, GREAT 
 
 SALT LAKE CITY. 
 
 It rejoices my heart to hear the principles that have 
 been advanced this day by our President, because they 
 have their foundation in truth, and based upon the prin- 
 ciples of equity, and are calculated to promote the hap- 
 piness, well-being, exaltation and glory of man, in 
 time, and throughout eternity. They lead us back into 
 eternity : they existed with us there, and in all the vari- 
 ous stages of man's existence they are calculated to ele- 
 vate and ennoble him, and place him in a proper 
 position before God, angels and men. They will put 
 him in possession of his legitimate right, save him from 
 the grasp of the adversary, from every subtle strategem 
 of the powers of darkness, and place him in his proper 
 station in time and in eternity. 
 
 I have been much pleased with and edified by the 
 remarks that have been made upon this stand during the 
 conference. Wisdom has been displayed in them ; from 
 them the intelligence of heaven have beamed forth, the 
 mysteries of eternity have been spread before our minds, 
 and v;a have had a view of heavenly things, that has 
 fir -jur hearts with joy and our mouths with praise. 
 
LEGITIMACY AND ILLEGITIMACY. 355 
 
 Tt has made ns feel as though we were upon the thresh- 
 old of eternity; as though we were eternal beings, and 
 had to do with eternal things ; as though the things of 
 this world were short, fleeting and evanescent, not 
 worthy of a thought when compared with those things 
 that are calculated to exalt and ennoble us in time and 
 in eternity. 
 
 The principles of justice, righteousness, and truth, 
 which have an endless duration, can alone satisfy the 
 capacious desires of the immortal soul. We may amuse 
 ourselves like children do at play, or engage in the fri- 
 volities of the dance. We may take our little enjoy- 
 ments in our social assemblies, but when the man comes 
 t<> reflect, when the Saint of God considers, and the 
 visions of eternity are open to his view, and the unal- 
 terable purposes of God are developed to his mind — 
 when he contemplates his true position before God, 
 angels and men, then he soars above the things of time 
 and sense, and bursts the cords that bind him to earthly 
 objects ; he contemplates God and his own destiny in 
 the economy of heaven, and rejoices in a blooming hope 
 of an immortal glory. 
 
 Such have been some of our feelings, while our minds 
 have been carried away from the things of earth to con- 
 template the things with which eternal beings are asso- 
 ciated, and the glories that await us in the everlasting 
 mansions of the Gods. 
 
 The principles that we have to do with, then, are 
 eternal, and not simply to play a game upon the checker 
 of mortality, on which people can win and lose for the 
 time being. We have to do with that which shall con- 
 tinue 
 
 "While life, and thought and being last, 
 Or immortality endures." 
 
356 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 We seek not to build our hopes upon tilings that are 
 evanescent, fleeting and transitory. 
 
 It is not he that can play the best game at checkers, 
 that can take the most advantage of his neighbor, that 
 can grasp the most earthly good, or that can put him- 
 self in possession of anything his heart desires pertain- 
 ing to time, that is the most happy ; but it is he who 
 does to that which will last, live and continue to abide 
 with him while " immortality endures" and still be on 
 the increase, worlds without end. 
 
 If we can possess principles of this kind, then we are 
 safe, everything else amounts to an illusion or a delusion, 
 which cannot satisfy the desires of the mind, but, as the 
 prophet says, it is like a thirsty man who dreams he is 
 drinking, but when he awakes, he is faint, and his soul 
 is thirsty ; he dreams that he is eating, and when he 
 awakes his soul is empty. This is the true situation of 
 all men who are without God in the world; and nothing 
 but a knowledge of eternal principles, of eternal laws, 
 of eternal governments, of eternal justice and equity, 
 and of eternal truth, can put us right, and satiate the 
 appetite of the immortal soul. 
 
 If w r e make not a just estimate of these things, it is in 
 vain that we attempt to say, " Lord, Lord," because we 
 do not the things which he says. Every thing associa- 
 ted with the Gospel of salvation is eternal, for it existed 
 before the " morning stars sang together for joy," or this 
 world rolled into existence. It existed then, just as it 
 exists now with us, and it will exist the same when 
 time with us is no more. It is an eternal principle, and 
 every thing associated with it is everlasting. It is like 
 the priesthood of the Son of God, "without beginning 
 of clays or end of years." It lives and abides for ever. 
 
LEGITIMACY AND ILLEGITIMACY. 357 
 
 If there is any principle that is not eternal, it is not a 
 principle of the gospel of life and salvation. 
 
 There are many changes and shifting scenes that may 
 influence the position of mankind, under different circum- 
 stances, in this state of mortality ; but they cannot influ- 
 ence or change the gospel of the Son of God, or the eter- 
 nal truths of heaven; they remain unchangeable; as it 
 is said very properly by the Church of England, in one 
 of their homilies, " as it was in the beginning, is now, 
 and ever shall be, worlds without end." If nothing else 
 they say is true, that is, and I can say amen to it with 
 all my heart. All true principles are right, and if pro- 
 perly understood and appreciated by the human family, 
 to them they are a fountain of eternal good. 
 
 The principle of " heirship," which President Young 
 preached about to-day, is a principle that is founded on 
 eternal justice, equity and truth. It is a principle that 
 emanated from God. As was said by some of our 
 brethen this morning, there maybe circumstauces arise 
 in this world to pervert for a season the order of God, 
 to change the designs of the Most High, apparently, for 
 the time being, yet they will ultimately roll back into 
 their proper place — justice will have its place, and so 
 will mercy, and every man and woman will yet stand in 
 their true position before God. If we understand our- 
 selves correctly, we must look upon ourselves as eternal 
 beings, and upon God as our Father, for we have been 
 taught when we prayed to say, "Our Father, which art 
 in heaven, hallowed be thy name." We have fathers in 
 the flesh, and we do them reverence, how much more 
 shall we be in subjection to the Father of Spirits and 
 life. I need not enter into any proof in relation to this, 
 for it is well understood by the Saints that God is the 
 
858 TRAVELS AND ADVENTDEKS IN THE FAB WEST. 
 
 Father of our spirits, and that when we go hack into 
 His presence, we shall know Him, as we have known 
 our earthly parents. We are taught to approach Him 
 as we would an earthly parent, to ask of Him such 
 blessings as we need ; and He has said, " If a son ask 
 bread of his father shall he give him a stone, or if he 
 ask for fish, a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know 
 how to give good gifts unto your children, how much 
 more will your Heavenly Father give His holy Spirit 
 to them that ask Him." 
 
 We have a Father, then, who is in heaven. He has 
 placed us on this earth for some purpose. We found our- 
 selves in posession of bodies, mental faculties, and reason- 
 ing powers. In a word, we found ourselves intelligent 
 beings, with minds capable of recalling the past and 
 launching into the unborn future with lightning speed ; 
 and were it not for this earthly tabernacle, this tenement 
 of clay, they would soar aloft and contemplate the un- 
 veiled purposes of Jehovah in the mansions of the 
 redeemed. We found ourselves here with minds capa- 
 ble of all this and more. God, who has ordained all 
 things from before the foundation of the world, is our 
 Father. He placed us here to fulfill His wise and uner- 
 ring counsels, that we might magnify our calling, honor 
 our God, obtain an exaltation, and be placed in a more 
 glorious, exalted and dignified position than it would 
 have been possible for us to enjoy if we had never taken 
 upon us these bodies. This is my faith ; it is the faith 
 of this people. 
 
 I have no complaints to make about our father Adam 
 eating the forbidden fruit, as some have, for I do not 
 know but any of us would have done the same. I find 
 myself here in the midst of the creatures of God, and 
 
LEGITIMACY AND ILLEGITIMACY. 859 
 
 it is for me to make use of the intelligence God has given 
 me, and not condescend to anything that is low, mean, 
 grovelling and degrading — to anything that is calcula- 
 ted to debase the immortal mind of man, but to follow 
 after things that are in their nature calculated to exalt, 
 ennoble and dignify, that I may stand in my true posi- 
 tion before God, angels and men, and arise to take my 
 seat among the Gods of eternity. 
 
 We will now come to the principles of legitimacy, 
 which was the text given out this morning — to om 
 rights, privileges, priesthoods, authorities, powers, domin- 
 ions, etc., etc. And as some of us are Scriptorians, 
 and all profess to believe the Bible, I feel inclined to 
 quote a text from it. Paul, when speaking of Jesus 
 Christ, gives us to understand that he is the first-born of 
 every creature, for by him were all things made that 
 were made, and to him pertains all things ; he is the 
 head of all things, he created all things, whether visible 
 or invisible, whether they be principalities, powers, 
 thrones, dominions ; all things were created by him and 
 for him, and without him was not anything made that 
 was made. If all things were created by him and for 
 him, this world on which we stand must have been 
 created by him and for him ; if so, he is its legitimate, 
 its rightful owner and proprietor; its lawful sovereign 
 and ruler. "We will begin with him, then, in the first 
 place, in treating on the subject of legitimacy. 
 
 But has he had the dominion over all nations, kindreds, 
 peoples and tongues ? Have they bowed to his sceptre, 
 and acknowledged his sway ? Have all people rendered 
 obedience to his laws, and submitted to his guidance? 
 Echo answers "JSTo!" Has there ever been a kingdom, 
 a government, a nation, a power, or a dominion in this 
 
360 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 world that has yielded obedience to him in all things ? 
 Can you point out one ? 
 
 We read of the Jews who where a nation that sub- 
 mitted only in part to his authority, for they rebelled 
 against his laws, and were placed under a schoolmaster 
 until the Messiah should come. "We read also, in the 
 Book of Mormon, of some Nephites that dwelt upon 
 this land, who kept the commandments of God, and 
 perhaps were more pure than any other nation that his- 
 tory gives an account of. But, with these exceptions, 
 the nations, kingdoms, powers, and dominions of the 
 world have not been subject to the law, dominion, rule 
 or authority of God ; but, as it is expressed by one of 
 the ancients, the prince and power of the air, the god of 
 tilt's world has ruled in the hearts of the children of dis- 
 obedience, and led them captive at his own will. Where 
 is the historian, the man acquainted with ancient lore, 
 who can point me out one government, nation, power 
 or dominion, that has been subject to the rule of God, 
 to the dominion of Jesus Christ, with the exception of 
 those Jews and ]STephites which I have referred to ? If 
 there has been any such nation, the history of it has 
 escaped my notice. I have never been able to obtain 
 such information. 
 
 What has been the position of the world for genera- 
 tions past ? They have been governed by rulers not ap- 
 pointed by God ; if they were appointed by Him, it 
 was merely as a scourge to the people for their wicked- 
 ness, or for temporary rulers in the absence of those 
 whose right it was to govern. They had not the 
 legitimate rule, priesthood, and authority of God on the 
 earth, to act as his representatives in regulating and 
 presiding over the affairs of His kingdom. 
 
LEGITIMACY AND ILLEGITIMACY. 36l 
 
 Perhaps it may be well, at this stage of my remarks, 
 to give you a short explanation of my ideas of govern- 
 ment, legitimacy, or priesthood, if you please. The 
 question, " What is priesthood ? " has often been asked 
 of me. I answer, it is the rule and government of God, 
 whether on earth, or in the heavens ; and it is the only 
 legitimate power, the only authority that is acknow- 
 ledged by Him to rule and regulate the affairs of His 
 kingdom. "When every wrong thing shall be put right, 
 and all usurpers shall be put down, when he whose 
 right it is to reign shall take the dominion, then nothing 
 but the priesthood will bear rule ; it alone will sway 
 the sceptre of authority in heaven and on earth, for 
 this is the legitimacy of God. 
 
 In the absence of this, what has been the position of 
 nations ? You have made yourselves acquainted with 
 the political structure and the political intrigues of 
 earthly kingdoms ; I ask, from whence did they obtain 
 their power ? Did they get it from God ? Go to the 
 history of Europe, if you please, and examine how the 
 rulers of those nations obtained their authority. De- 
 pending upon history for our information, we say those 
 nations have been founded by the sword. If we trace 
 the pages of history still further back to the first nation 
 that existed, still we find that it was founded upon the 
 same principle. Then follow the various revolutions 
 and changes that took place among the subsequent na- 
 tions and powers, from the Babylonians through the 
 Medo-Persians, Grecians, Romans, and from that power 
 to all the other powers of Europe, Asia and Africa, of 
 which we have any knowledge : and if we look to 
 America from the first discoveries by Columbus to the 
 present time, where are now the original proprietors of 
 
 16 
 
362 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 the soil ? Go to any power that has existed upon this 
 earth, and you„will find that earthly government, earthly 
 rule and dominion, have been obtained by the sword. 
 It was the sword of men that first put them in possession 
 of this j)Ower. They have walked up to their thrones 
 through rivers of blood, through the clotted gore and 
 the groans of the dying, and through the tears and 
 lamentations of bereaved widows and helpless orphans ; 
 and hence the common saying is " thrones won by 
 blood, by blood must be maintained." By the same 
 principle that they have been put in possession of ter- 
 ritory, have they thought to sustain themselves — the 
 same violence, the same fraud and the same oppres- 
 sion have been made use of to sustain their illegiti- 
 macy. 
 
 Some of these powers, dominions, governments and 
 rulers, have had in their possession the laws of God, and 
 the admonitions of Jesus Christ; and what have they 
 done to his servants in different ages of the world, when 
 he has sent them unto them ? This question I need not 
 stop to answer, for you are already made too familiar 
 with it. This, then, is the position of the world. Au- 
 thority, dominion, rule, government has been obtained 
 by fraud, and consequently is not legitimate. They say 
 much about the ordination of kings, and their being 
 anointed by the grace of God, etc. What think you of a 
 murderer slaying hundreds and thousands of his fellow- 
 creatures because he has the power, and while his sword 
 is yet reeking with human blood, having a priest in sac- 
 erdotal robes to anoint him to the kingship ? They 
 have done it. "What think you of the cries of the wid- 
 ows, the tears of the orphans, and the groans of the 
 dying, mingling with the prayers and blessings of the 
 
LEGITIMACY AND ILLEGITIMACY. 363 
 
 priest upon the head of the murderer of their husbands 
 and their fathers ? 
 
 It is impossible that there can be any legitimate rule, 
 government, power or authority, under the face of the 
 heavens, except that which is connected with the king- 
 dom of God, which is established by new revelation from 
 heaven. 
 
 In a conversation with some of our modern reformers 
 in France, one of their leaders said, "I think you will 
 not succeed very well in disseminating the principles of 
 your religion in France." I replied, " you have been 
 seeking to accomplish something, for generations, with 
 your philosophy, your philanthropic societies, and your 
 ideas of moral reform, but have failed; while we have 
 not been seeking to accomplish the thing that you have, 
 particularly, and yet have accomplished it." We began 
 with the power of God, with the government of heaven, 
 and with acknowledging His hand in all things ; and 
 God has sustained us, blessed and upheld us to the pre- 
 sent time ; and it is the only government, rule and do- 
 minion under the heavens that will acknowledge His 
 authority. 
 
 Brethren, if any of you doubt it, go into some of those 
 nations, and get yourself introduced into the presence 
 of their kings and rulers, and say, "Thus saith the Lord 
 God." They would at once denounce you as a madman, 
 and straightway order you into prison. What is the 
 matter ? They do not acknowledge the legitimacy, the 
 rule and government of God, nor will they inquire into 
 them. They receive not their authority from Him. Na- 
 tions honor their kings, but they do not honor the au- 
 thority of their God in any instance, neither have they 
 from the first man-made government to the present 
 
364: TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 time. If there has been such a nation, or if there is at 
 this time such a government, it is a thing of which I am 
 ignorant. 
 
 The kings and potentates of the world profess to be 
 anointed by the grace of God. But the priests who 
 anoint them have no authority to do it. No person has 
 authority to anoint a king or administer in one of the 
 least of God's ordinances, except he is legally called and 
 ordained of God to that power ; and how can a man be 
 called of God to administer in His name, that does not 
 acknowledge the gift of prophecy to be the right of the 
 children of God in all ages ? It is impossible. These 
 men have been grasping after power, and for this they 
 have laid waste nations and destroyed countries. Some 
 of them possessed it for awhile, and others were on the 
 eve of getting it when they were cut off, and down they 
 went. What became of them afterwards? Isaiah in 
 vision saw the kings of the earth gathered together as 
 prisoners in a pit, and after many days they were to be 
 visited. 
 
 Having said so much in relation to other governors 
 and governments, we will now notice the difference be- 
 tween them and Abraham of old. Abraham was a man 
 who contended for the true and legitimate authority. 
 God promised to him, and to his seed after him, the land 
 of Canaan for their possession. " The Lord said unto 
 Abraham, after that Lot was separated from him, lift 
 up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou 
 art northward, and southward, and eastward, and west- 
 ward ; for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I 
 give it, and to thy seed for ever." What did Stephen 
 say generations afterwards ? That God " gave him none 
 inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on ; 
 
LEGITIMACY AND ILLEGITIMACY. 3G5 
 
 yet he promised that he would give it to him for a pos- 
 session, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no 
 child." Ezekiel's vision of the dry bones explains this 
 seeming contradiction. The Lord said to him, " Son of 
 man, can these bones live?" etc. Who are they? "We 
 are told, in the same chapter, that they are the whole 
 house of Israel, and that they shall come out of their 
 graves, bone come to its bone, and sinew to sinew, and 
 flesh come upon them, and they shall become a living 
 army before God, and they shall inherit the land which 
 was given to them and their fathers before them. The 
 measuring line shall again go forth upon those lands, 
 and mark out the possessions belonging to the tribes of 
 Israel. 
 
 Abraham was a man who dared fear God, and do 
 honor to His authority, which was legitimate. God 
 tried and proved him, the same as He has tried many 
 of us, and felt after his heart-strings, and twisted them 
 round. When He had tried him to the utmost, He 
 swore by Himself, because He could swear by no greater, 
 saying, "That in blessing I will bless thee, and in mul- 
 tiplying I will multiply thy seed." "And in thy seed 
 shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." Abraham 
 obtained his dominion by legitimate authority ; his 
 priesthood was obtained from God ; his authority was 
 that which is associated with the everlasting Gospel, 
 which was, and is, and is to come, that liveth and abid- 
 eth for ever. And the promises made to him will rest 
 upon him and his posterity, through every subsequent 
 period of time, until the final winding up scene of all 
 things. Will lie ever obtain them ? Yes. For we are 
 eternal beings, and I am now talking as though we were 
 in eternity. We shall wake up in the morning of the 
 
366 TEAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 resurrection, attain to all the blessings which have been 
 promised to us, and strike hands with Abraham, and see 
 him inherit the promises. Abraham and all his children 
 will then inherit the promises, through the principle of 
 legitimacy. And there are many of the sons and daugh- 
 ters of Abraham among us at the present time ; these 
 will be baptized for their dead brethren and sisters, and 
 by this means bring them unto Christ, beginning on the 
 outside branches of the tree, and so progressing to the 
 main stock, and from that to the root. And it shall 
 come to pass that all Israel shall be saved. "Why? Be- 
 cause it is their legitimate right. And they are Israel 
 who do the works of Abraham. 
 
 Thus it is, then, with Abraham. The old man feels 
 perfectly easy about the matter ; and if he does see 
 many of his descendants existing as a cursed race on ac- 
 count of their transgressions, many of them enjoying no 
 higher avocation than crying "old clothes," still the 
 time of their redemption will come, and by means of 
 the eternal Gospel and priesthood, they with ns will be 
 made perfect, and we with them. "While the faithful 
 are operating in heaven to bring this about, the saints 
 are operating on earth; and by faith and works we will 
 accomplish all things, we will redeem the dead and the 
 living, and all shall come forth, and Abraham will stand 
 at the head of his seed as their ruler. This is his legiti- 
 mate position. 
 
 "We will now notice those men who are contending 
 for it without any authority, and make a contrast 
 between the two. We see them gathering their forces, 
 and using their influence to destroy the poor among 
 men. How long will the kings and rulers of the earth 
 do this? Until they are dead and damned. And what 
 
LEGITIMACY AND ILLEGITIMACY. 367 
 
 then ? They will be cast down into a pit. Isaiah saw 
 them there, along with many other scoundrels, murder- 
 ers and scamps. After many days they will be visited, 
 but they have got to lie in prison a long time for their 
 transgressions. The one is legitimacy, and the other is 
 illegitimacy ; the one is the order of God, and the other 
 is the order of the devil. 
 
 Such is the position of things in relation to the world, 
 to legitimacy and illegitimacy, in regard to things that 
 are right, and things that are wrong. Jesus Christ crea- 
 ted all things, and for him were they made, whether it be 
 principalities, powers, thrones or dominions. Now the 
 question is, is he going to be dispossessed of his right, 
 because scoundrels exist in the world, and stand in 
 power and dominion ; because his subjects have rebelled 
 against him from time to time, and usurpers have taken 
 his place, and the dominion is given to another? Verity, 
 no. But the time will come when the kingdom and the 
 greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven will 
 be given to the saints of the Most High, and they will 
 possess it for ever and ever. 
 
 "We will now notice some of the acts of God, and 
 some of the acts of those who have been under the 
 dominion of Satan, those who have had dominion over 
 the world — the proud and haughty usurpers, and the 
 shedders of innocent blood. These are they that have 
 lived in the world, and possessed all the good things of 
 it. And what has been the situation of the saints in 
 every age ? All those who d;\rcd acknowledge that God 
 lived, that this kingdom belonged to Ilim, that it was 
 His right, and that He would without doubt possess it, 
 have been trodden under foot, persecuted, cast out, 
 hated, killed ; " they wandered about in sheep-skins and 
 
368 TKAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAK WEST. 
 
 goat skins; being destitute, afflicted and tormented." 
 As one of old says, in speaking of the Jews, which of 
 the prophets have not your fathers killed, who testified 
 before the coming of the Just One ? 
 
 This was the case in ancient days, and has been car- 
 ried on in modern times. I have, with my own eyes, 
 seen holy prophets expire, who were killed by the hands 
 of a murderous gang of blood-thirsty assassins, because 
 they bore the same testimony that the holy prophets did 
 in days of old. How many more of their brethren who 
 dared to acknowledge the truth, have fallen beneath the 
 same influences — have been shot, whipped, imprisoned, 
 and put to death in a variety of ways, while hundreds 
 of others, driven from their homes in the winters, have 
 found their last bed ; they were worn out with suffering 
 and fatigue, the weary wheels of life stood still ; they 
 were obliged to forsake the world, in which they could 
 no longer remain, because of the persecution heaped 
 upon them by the enemies of the truth. 
 
 The reason of all this vile outrage upon innocent men } 
 women and children, is because there is no legitimate 
 rule upon the earth. God's laws and government are 
 not known, and His servants are despised and cast out. 
 
 Legitimacy and right, whether in heaven or on earth, 
 cannot mix with anything that is not true, just and 
 equitable; and truth is free from oppression and injus- 
 tice, as is the bosom of Jehovah. Nothing but that will 
 ultimately stand. What has been the position of the 
 world generally, among themselves ? You see men 
 marshalling armies, and making war with one another 
 to destroy each other, and take possession of their terri- 
 tory and wealth. One man who is in possession of 
 wealth, power and authority, sees oppression exercised by 
 
LEGIITMACY AND ILLEGITIMACY. 369 
 
 kings ; so he follows the example, as do rulers who 
 exercise authority under their sovereign ; then others in 
 a still lower degree do the same ; thus oppression treads 
 upon the heels of oppression, and distress follows dis- 
 tress. You will find this to exist in a great measure 
 through every grade of society, from the king on his 
 throne, down to the match-maker or the chimney- 
 sweep. 
 
 To ameliorate the condition of man, there are a great 
 many institutions introduced into the world in the shape 
 of Tract Societies, Bible Societies, and many more too 
 numerous for me to name. Many of them are founded 
 by sincere men, but commencing on the wrong founda- 
 tion, they keep wrong all the time, and fail to accomplish 
 the object desired. If any one of these different insti- 
 tutions were to carry out their own principles, they 
 would not only fail in accomplishing the object they 
 have in view, but ultimately destroy themselves. 
 
 There are Peace Societies among the rest ; their 
 object is to bring peace into the world, without the 
 Spirit of God. They see plainly that peace is desirable, 
 but they wish to graft it on to a rotten stock. In 
 Europe they had a " Peace Congress," and sent their 
 representatives to all parts of the world ; and of course 
 this " Congress of Peace " wished to regulate the world, 
 make an end of war, and bring in universal peace. 
 
 Talk about peace, when rancorous discord makes its 
 nest in the councils and cabinets of all nations, and the 
 hearts of their statesmen are steeped in hatred one to 
 another ! Jealousy, animosity and strife, like the influ- 
 ence of a deadly contagion, may be found in almost 
 every family ; brother rising up against sister, sister 
 against brother, the father "against the mother, and the 
 
 16* 
 
370 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 mother against the father, etc. We can find discord 
 reigning even in the " Peace Society " itself. 
 
 Jesus Christ says, " My peace I give unto you ; not 
 as the world giveth, give I unto you," etc. Wherever 
 this peace exists, it leaves an influence that is comfort- 
 ing and refreshing to the souls of those who partake of 
 it. It is like the morning dew to the thirsty plant. This 
 peace is alone the gift of God, and it can only be 
 received from Him through obedience to His laws. If 
 any man wishes to introduce peace into his family or 
 among his friends, let him cultivate it in his own bosom ; 
 for sterling peace can only be had according to the legiti- 
 mate rule and authority of heaven, and obedience to 
 its laws. 
 
 Everything is disordered, and in confusion in the 
 world. The reason is, because no legitimate authority 
 has been known or acknowledged on the earth. Others 
 have been trying to build up and establish what they 
 supposed to be the kingdom of God. The socialists of 
 France call themselves religious people, and they also 
 expect to bring about a reign of glory through a species 
 of Robespierreism. I was told by a man well acquainted 
 with matters of fact in relation to these things, that if 
 they gained the ascendancy in France, their first object 
 would be to erect a statue to Eobespierre. They were 
 going to cut off thousands of j>eople, to accomplish their 
 designs ; and had not Napoleon taken active measures 
 to head them, bands of men were ready on a moment's 
 warning to cut off the heads of thousands, and among 
 these, I was informed, fifty thousand priests were 
 doomed. 
 
 These are some of the principles and ideas that exist in 
 the world, among the various nations and institutions of 
 
LEGITIMACY AND ILLEGITIMACY. 371 
 
 men, ■which are framed according to illegitimate princi- 
 ples. A change of government changes not the condition 
 of the people, for all are wrong, and acting without 
 God. 
 
 Our ideas are, that the time has come to favor God's 
 people ; a time about which prophets spoke in pathetic 
 strains, and poets sung. These men of God looked 
 through the dark vista of future ages, and being wrap- 
 ped in prophetic vision, beheld the latter day glor y — the 
 time of the dispensation of the fullness of times, spoken 
 of by all the holy prophets since the world began ; for 
 they all looked forward with joyful anticipations to the 
 things which have commenced with us ; they all had 
 their eye upon the time when legitimacy would obtain 
 its proper place upon the earth, in the shape of the 
 kingdom of God established in the world, when all false 
 rule and dominion would be put down, and the king- 
 doms of this world would become subject to God and 
 His Christ. These are the ideas that they had, and 
 these are the things we are seeking to carry out. 
 
 If we look at what illegitimacy has done in former 
 times, we shall see the absolute necessity of the restitu- 
 tion spoken of by the prophets, for it has filled the earth 
 with evil, it has caused the world to groan in bondage, 
 laid millions in the cold embrace of death, and caused 
 disease to spread its pestiferous breath among the na- 
 tions, leaving ruin, misery and desolation in its path, 
 and made this fair earth a howling wilderness. And 
 nothing but the wisdom and intelligence of God can 
 change it. The kingdom of God will establish truth and 
 correct principles — the principles of truth, equity and 
 justice ; in short, the principles that emanate from God, 
 
372 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 principles that are calculated to elevate raan in time and 
 through all eternity. How shall this be ? It will be by 
 a legitimate rule, authority and dominion. 
 
 Who have we for our ruling power ? "Where and how 
 did he obtain his authority ? Or how did any of this 
 Church and kingdom obtain it ? It was first obtained 
 by a revelation from the Lord of the universe, by the 
 opening of the heavens, by the voice of God, and by the 
 ministering of holy angels. It is by the voice of God 
 and the voice of the people, that our present President 
 obtained his authority. Many people in the world are 
 talking about mis-rule and mis-government. If there 
 is any form of government under the heavens where we 
 can have legitimate rule and authority, it is among the 
 Saints. In the first place, we have a man appointed by 
 God, and, in the second place, by the people. This 
 man is chosen by yourselves, and every person raises his 
 hand to sanction the choice. Here is our President, 
 Brigham Young, whom we made choice of yesterday, 
 who is he ? He is the legitimate ruler among this 
 people. Can anybody dispossess him? They cannot, 
 because it is his legitimate right, and he reigns in the 
 hearts of the people. He obtains his authority first 
 from God, and secondly from the people ; and if a man 
 possesses five grains of common sense, when he has a 
 privilege of voting for or against a man, he will not 
 vote for a man that oppresses the people ; he will vote, 
 according to the dictates of his conscience, for this is the 
 right and duty of this people in the choice of their Presi- 
 dent, and other leading officers of the kingdom of God. 
 While this is being done here, it is being done in every 
 part of the world, wherever the Church of Jesus Christ 
 
LEGITIMACY AND ILLEGITIMACY. 273 
 
 of latter-day saints has a footing. Is there a monarch, 
 potentate or power under the heavens that undergoes a 
 scrutiny as fine as this ? No, there is not ; and yet this 
 is done twice a year, before all the saints in the world. 
 Here a*;s legitimacy and rule. Yon place the power in 
 their hands to govern, dictate, regulate and put in order, 
 the affairs of the kingdom of God. This is Vox Dei 
 voxpojmli. God appoints ; the people sustain. You do 
 this by your own act ; very well, then, it is legitimate, 
 and must stand, and every man is bound to abide it if 
 it takes the hair off his head. I know that there are 
 things sometimes that are hard, tough and pinching ; 
 but if a man is a man of God, he has his eyes upon 
 eternal things, and is aiming to accomplish the purposes 
 of God, and all will be well with him in the end. 
 
 "What advantage is there, then, between this govern- 
 ment and others ? Why we have peace, and as eternal 
 beings we have knowledge of eternal things. While 
 listening to the remarks made on this stand, what have 
 we not heard — what have we not known ? The curtains 
 of heaven have been withdrawn, and we have gazed as 
 by vision upon eternal realities. While, in the profess- 
 ing world, doubt and uncertainty throw their dark 
 mantle over every mind. 
 
 Let us now notice our political position in the world. 
 What are we going to do? We are going to possess 
 the earth. Why ? Because it belongs to Jesus Christ, 
 and he belongs to us, and we to him ; we are all one, 
 and will take the kingdom and possess it under the 
 win ile heavens, and reign over it for ever and ever. 
 Now, ye kings and emperors, help yourselves, if you 
 can. This is the truth, and it may as well be told at 
 this time as at anv other. 
 
374: TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 " There's a good time coming, Saints, 
 A good time coming, 
 There's a good time coming, Saints, 
 Wait a little longer." 
 
 Having said so much on this point, we will return to 
 the principle of legitimacy. God is our legitimate Fa- 
 ther, and we are His children, and have- a claim upon 
 Him, and He has a claim upon us. We have come into 
 this world to accomplish a certain purpose, and we have 
 come in the dispensation of the fullness of times, when 
 God decreed to gather all things together into one, 
 whether they be things in heaven or on earth ; and 
 everything that has been in existence in any age of the 
 world, or that is, or will be, which is calculated to 
 benefit and exalt men, we shall have ; consequently, it 
 is for us to look after anything and everything that ever 
 has been true, or that ever has been developed in any 
 period of the history of man, for it all belongs to us, and 
 has got to be restored, for restitution means bringing 
 back that which was lost. If the antedeluvians enjoy- 
 ed anything that was good, true and eternal, which is 
 not yet made known to us, it has to be restored ; or if 
 anything existed among the ancient patriarchs and pro- 
 phets, that has been lost, it has to be restored. If there 
 are any people of God upon any detached part of this 
 world, they with it have got to be restored. God's word 
 will also be gathered into one, and His people and the 
 Jews will hear the words of the Nephites, and the ten 
 tribes must hear the words of the Jews and ISTephites, 
 and God's people be gathered and be one. All things 
 will be gathered in one, and Zion be redeemed, the 
 glory of God be revealed, and all flesh see it together. 
 God's dominion will be established on the earth, the 
 
LEGITIMACY AND ILLEGITIMACY. 375 
 
 law go forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from 
 Jerusalem, and the kingdoms of this world will become 
 subject to God and His Christ. 
 
 As eternal beings, then, we existed with our Father 
 in the eternal worlds. We came on to this earth, and 
 obtained tabernacles, that through taking possession of 
 them, and passing through a scene of trial, and tribula- 
 tion, and suffering, we might be exalted to more glory, 
 dignity and power, than would have been possible for 
 us to obtain had we not been placed in our present 
 position. If any of you do not believe this, let me refer 
 you to a passage of Scripture or two. How was man 
 created at first ? "We are told that God made man a 
 little lower than the angels ; then says Paul, " Know ye 
 not that we shall judge angels." What through ? It is 
 through the atonement of Jesus Christ, through the 
 taking of our bodies, the powers of the holy priesthood, 
 and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, that we shall 
 obtain a higher exaltation than it would have been 
 possible for us to enjoy, if we had not fallen. To do 
 right in our present state, then, we must carry out the 
 principle of legitimacy according to a correct rule, and, 
 if we profess to be subjects of the kingdom of God, we 
 must be subject to the dominion, rule, legitimacy, and 
 authority of God. Xo person can escape from this un- 
 less he apostatizes, and goes to the devil, like a fool. 
 He must be a fool who would barter away eternal life, 
 thrones, principalities and powers in the eternal world, 
 for the paltry trash which exists in the shape of wealth 
 and worldly honor ; to let go his chance of heaven and 
 of God, of being a king and priest unto Him, of living 
 and reigning for ever, and standing among the chiefs of 
 Israel. I cannot help calling such men fools, for they 
 
376 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 are damned now in making such choice, and will be 
 hereafter. 
 
 I will say a little more on legitimacy and right to 
 rule. What would be the position of a man who would 
 take a course to rob his neighbor, or take advantage of 
 him in the case of his legitimacy, which you have heard 
 of this morning ? Such a man must be a greater fool 
 than the other. For instance, a good man dies, who has 
 served God in righteousness all his days ; the weary 
 wheels of life stand still, and he goes to the world of 
 spirits. He believed in the principles of justice, equity, 
 righteousness, and truth, and that his rights would be 
 held sacred to him by his brethren after he was gone. 
 But some professed man of God comes to his widow, 
 and wants to steal her away from him ; he would rob 
 the dead with impunity, under the ostensible garb of 
 justice to her and her dead husband ; he will tell her he 
 is doing it out of pure love to them both, and he is going 
 to exalt them in the kingdom of God. We read of the 
 kingdom of God suffering violence ; if violence is ever 
 attempted, it is in a case of this kind. It is bad enough 
 to steal from a man his earthly property ; his oxen, his 
 cow, his horse, his harness, his wagon wheels, and other 
 paraphernalia ; but what think you of a man that would 
 rob the dead of a treasure which he holds the most dear, 
 and prized as the most precious thing he possessed on 
 earth — his affectionate wife ! Such a person will assur- 
 edly miss his figure. 
 
 You will find in the ancient laws of Israel, there were 
 proper rules in relation to these matters ; one was, that 
 if a man died without a child, his brother or the nearest 
 relation of the husband should take the widow, and raise 
 up seed to the husband, that his name might be continued 
 
LEGITIMACY AND ILLEGITIMACY. 377 
 
 in Israel, and not be blotted out. Where did these laws 
 come from? "We are told they came from God. Bnt 
 instead of doing this, suppose he should try to steal this 
 woman away, and rob his brother — how would he get 
 along, I wonder, with such a case against him, at the bar 
 of justice? The laws and ordinances that exist in the 
 eternal world have their pattern in the things which are 
 revealed to the children of men on earth. The priest- 
 hood as it exists on the earth is a pattern of things in 
 heaven. As I said in a former part of this discourse, 
 priesthood is legitimate rule, whether on earth or in 
 heaven. When we have the true priesthood on earth, 
 we take it with us into the heavens ; it changes not, but 
 continues the same in the eternal world. 
 
 There is another feature of that ancient law which I 
 will mention. It was considered an act of injustice for 
 the nearest relation not to take the wife of the deceased ; 
 if he refused to do it, he was obliged to go before the 
 elders of " Israel, and his brother's wife shall loose his 
 shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall an- 
 swer and say, So shall it be done unto the man that will 
 not build up his brother's house ; and his name shall be 
 called in Israel, The house of him who hath his shoe 
 loosed." If the restitution of all things is to be brought 
 to pass, there must be a restitution of these things ; 
 everything will be put right, and in its proper place. 
 
 There is another thing which is most grievous, afrlict- 
 ing and distressing so contemplate. When a man takes 
 to himself a woman that properly belongs to another, 
 and defiles her, it interferes with the fountain of life, 
 and corrupts the very source of existence. There is an 
 offspring comes forth as the fruit of that union, and that 
 
378 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 offspring is an eternal being — how can it be looked 
 upon ? To reflect upon it, wounds the finest feelings of 
 human nature in time, and will in eternity. For who 
 can gaze upon the degradation of their wife, and the 
 corruption of their seed, without peculiar sensations ? 
 How much more is this feeling enhanced when the 
 wronged man considers that he has been robbed by one 
 who professed to be his friend ? This thing is not to be 
 trifled with, but is of the greatest importance ; hence 
 the necessity of the sealing powers, that all things may 
 be pure, chastity maintained, and lasciviousness be 
 rooted out from among the saints. "Why so ? That we 
 may have a holy offspring, that shall be great, and 
 clothed with the mighty power of God, to rule in His 
 kingdom, and accomplish the work we propose they 
 shall fulfill ; and that when we go to sleep, we may sleep 
 in peace, knowing that justice will be administered in 
 righteousness. We shall know that we have a claim 
 upon our own in the first resurrection ; we shall know 
 that our wives and our children will be there to join us, 
 justice will be administered, and we shall have a claim 
 upon them in the eternal world, and that no unprincipled 
 scoundrel will be permitted to set his foot on another, or 
 rob him of his just claims. "Why is a woman sealed to 
 a man for time and all eternity ? Because there is legi- 
 timate power on earth to do it. This power will bind 
 on earth and in heaven ; it can loose on earth, and it is 
 loosed in heaven ; it can seal on earth, and it is sealed in 
 heaven. There is a legitimate, authorized agent of God 
 upon earth ; this sealing power is regulated by him ; 
 hence what is done by that, is done right, and is record- 
 ed. When the books are opened, every one will find 
 
LEGITIMACY AMD ILLEGITIMACY. 379 
 
 his proper mate, and have those that belong to him, and 
 every one will be deprived of that which is surreptitiously 
 obtained. 
 
 Let us do righteously, and you who would seek to in- 
 jure another, and take advantage of one who was just 
 and faithful to his God in his day, how would you like, 
 when you get a few years older and drop into eternity, 
 for somebody to come and serve you the same? You 
 could not expect anything else, you could not die with- 
 out being menaced by this supposition, and your dying 
 pillow would be made unhappy, you would know you 
 had done wrong, and would expect somebody to meas- 
 ure to you the same measure pressed down, shook to- 
 gether, and running over. 
 
 We have been told to preach confidence; correct 
 principles and just dealings alone will inspire it. If a 
 man speaks that which is not true about another, can 
 you have confidence in him ? No. If a man defrauds 
 another, can you have confidence in him ? ISTo. But if 
 you would, through a principle of covetousness, seek to 
 sap the foundation of another's happiness, by trying to 
 wrench from him those sacred rights which pertain to 
 his interest in the eternal world, how much greater will 
 be your condemnation? Nothing but truth, integrity, 
 virtue, honor, and every pure principle, will stand in the 
 great day of God Almighty. If such a person happens 
 to get through this world, he will find barriers in the 
 next, and probably miss a chance of obtaining a place 
 in the first resurrection. Nothing contrary to the au- 
 thority, rule, and government of heaven, will stand in 
 time or in eternity ; and if any man wants to be blessed 
 and honored, and to obtain a high place in the eternal 
 world, let him pursue a course of honor, righteousness, 
 
380 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 and virtue before his God; and if he wants to find him- 
 self amongst usurpers, defranders, oppressors, and those 
 in possession of illegitimate claims, let him take an op- 
 posite course. If time would permit, much more might 
 be said about social, family and individual legitimate 
 rights ; but as time hastens, I forbear for the present. 
 Well, brethren and sisters, may God bless you. Amen. 
 
 THE END. 
 
J. C. r.EKCV'S PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 THE LIFE AND SAYINGS OF MRS. 
 PARTINGTON, 
 
 AND OTHERS OF THE FAMILf. 
 
 BY B. P. SniLLABER. 
 
 1 elegant 12mo., 43 Illustrations. Price $1 25. 
 
 "'Hang the books!' said an appreciative examiner, to whom we handed a copy for 
 Inspection, ' I can't afford to buy them, but I can't do without this ;' and laughirg until 
 the tears ran, he drew forth the purchase-money. It is just so, reader ; you can't do 
 without this book. It is so full of genial humor and pure human nature that your wife 
 ind children must have it, to be able to realize how much enjoyment may be shut up 
 within the lids of a book. It is full of human kindness, rich in humor, alive with wit, 
 mingled here and there with those faint touches of melancholy which oft-times touch 
 Mirth's borders." — Clinton Courant. 
 
 "She has caused many a lip to relax from incontinent primness into the broadest kind 
 of a grin — has given to many a mind the material for an odd but not useless revery — has 
 scooped out many a cove on the dry shores of newspaper reading, and invited the mariner 
 reader to tarry and refresh himself. 'Ruth Partington ' is a Christian and a patriot. 
 Such a book will go everywhere — be welcomed like a returned exile — do good, and cease 
 not." — Buffalo Express. 
 
 " If it is true that one grows fat who laughs, then he who reads this book will fat up, 
 even though he may be one of Pharaoh's ' lean kine.' That it does one good to laugh, 
 nobody doubts. We have shook and shook while running through this charming volume, 
 until it has seemed as though we had increased in weight some fifty gounds, more or 
 less."- '■Massachusetts Life Boat. 
 
 " A regular Yankee institution is Mrs. Partington, and well deserves the compliment of 
 a book devoted to her sayings and doings. She is here brought before the public, which 
 Is so greatly indebted to her unique vocabulary for exTiaustless stores of fun, in a style 
 worthy of her distinguished character." — JV. T. Tribune. 
 
 " There is a w^rld of goodness in her blessed heart, as there is a universe of quiet fun 
 in the book be. "e us. 'A gem of purest ray serene' glitters on almost every page. 
 Everybody shou) buy the book; everybody, at least, who loves genial, quiet wit, which 
 never wounds, but always heals where it strikes." — Independent Democrat. 
 
 " It is crammed full of her choicest sayings, and rings from title page to ' finis ' with hei 
 unconscious wit. It is just the book for one to read at odd moments — to take on the cars 
 or home of an evening — or to devour in one's office of a rainy day. It is ar. excellent 
 antidote for the blues." — Oneida Herald. 
 
 " Housewivos who occasionally get belated about their dinner, should have it lying 
 round. It will prevent a deal of grumbling from their ' lords,' by keeping them so well 
 employed as to make them forget their dinner."— New Hampshire Telegraph. 
 
 " Her ' sayings ' have gone the world over, and given her an immortality that will glitter 
 and sparkle among the records of genius wherever wit and humor shall be aporeclated.'- 
 — Woi cester Palladium, I 
 
J. C. DERBY'S PUELICArlONS. 
 
 "Bell's sketches are instinct with life, they sparkle with brillianta, are gem- 
 med with wit, and address themselves to almost every ehord of the human 
 heart." — Zottisville (Ky.) Bulletin. 
 
 BELL SMITH ABROAD. 
 
 A Handsome 12mo. volume. Price $1 00. With Illustrations by Ilealy, 
 Walcutt, and Ovcrarclio 
 
 " The readers of the Louisville Journal need 110 introduction from us to Bell Smith. 
 Her own brilliant pen, and her own sparkling, witching and delightful style have so often 
 graced the columns of this paper, and have made so many friends and admirers for her, 
 that we need say but little toward creating a demand for this charming volume. But 
 Bome tribute is nevertheless due to Bell Smith for the real pleasure she has imparted in 
 every chapter of her book, and that tribute we cheerfully pay. Iler admirable powera 
 seem so much at home in every variety and phase of life, that she touches no subject 
 without making it sparkle with the lights of her genius." — Louisville Journal. 
 
 " She is ever piquant in her remarks, and keen from observation ; and the result is 
 that her ' Abroad' is one of the most interesting collections of incident and comment, fun 
 and pathos, seriousness and gossip, which has ever fallen under our notice." — Boston 
 Evening Traveller. 
 
 "It is dashing and vigorous without coarseness — animated with a genial humor — 
 showing acute and delicate perceptions — and sustained by a bracing infusion of common 
 sense." — 2f. T. Tribune. 
 
 "There are many delicate strokes, and not a little of that vivacity of description 
 which entertains. The author shows her best side when matters of home-feeling and 
 affection engage her pen." — N. T. Evangelist. 
 
 " History, art and personal narrative are alike imprinted in your memory by the asso- 
 ciations of anecdote, merry and grave, and you feel that you are listening to the magical 
 voice of ' Bell Smith' at home. Such volumes enrich and honor American literature." — 
 Philadelphia Merchant. 
 
 " This is a capital book ; full of life, spirit, vivacity and information — thoroughly lady- 
 like, and telling precisely what everybody wants to hear, so far as the author knows." — 
 Salem Gazette. 
 
 " Spirited and artistic ! Bell Smith sparkles, and dashes on, amusing and interesting 
 A capital book for a leisure hour or railroad travel, or for those seasons when you want 
 to be pleased without effort." — Cleveland Leader. 
 
 " We like Bell Smith and Bell Smith's book. A lively, free, dashing style, she talks 
 on, and nothing is wanting but the merry laugh we know she is owner of to make us 
 think we are listening to a very interesting woman." — Chicago Journal. 
 
 "Lively, gossiping, chatting, witty, sparkling Bell Smith, we must confess your book 
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 " In freshness, piquancy, and delightful episodes, illustrative of foreign life »id man- 
 ners, they have rarely been equalled."— National Era. 
 
J. c. derby's publications. 
 
 THE HIDDEN PATH. 
 
 A NOVEL. 
 BY MARION BARLAND. 
 
 AUTHOR OF "ALONE." 
 
 12mo. Price $1 25. 
 
 "High as has been the reputation acquired by the many authoresses of our country, 
 we shall be mistaken if the writer of 'Alone ' and of 'The Hidden Path ' does not take 
 ere long, place and precedence. She combines as many excellences with as few fault* 
 as any one we can at the present writing call to mind. There is an originality in her 
 thinking which strikes one with a peculiar force, and he finds himself often unconsciously 
 recurring to what has had such a powerful effect upon him. She is emphatically aB 
 authoress not to be forgotten ; her works are no short-lived productions, for they have 
 In them a genius, a power and a purpose." — Boston Evening Gazette. 
 
 "It forms a series of delightful home pictures, changing from place to place, but 
 chiefly confined to Virginia, the writer's native State, and she paints its beauties with a 
 master hand. She loves her native State, and has paid it no mean tribute in her book. 
 We congratulate the young and gifted authoress for having produced a work so remark- 
 able for its delicacy, purity and general worth, and prophesy for her a brilliant and 
 successful career in the world of letters." — Old Colony Memorial, Plymouth, Mass. 
 
 "It will every way sustain the praise so worthily won by the author's first effort. I» 
 exhibits the sinie healthful sentiment and beautiful feeling, the same truthful simplicity 
 and yet charming elegance, the same just appreciation of different phases of social and 
 domestic life. The tale is one of American life, and is most aptly and gracefully 
 wrought." — N. Y. Courier and Enquirer. 
 
 "'The Hidden Path' is a work of originality and genius, full of striking thoughts, 
 "»eautKul descriptions, and graceful conversation, and just interesting enough as a story to 
 carry the reader through a volume from the perusal of which one rises better at heart and 
 with a more genial, kindly feeling toward humanity in general." — Boston Daily Journal. 
 We have read ' The Hidden Path ' with unmingled pleasure. It is one of the best 
 novels of the day. The promise given by Miss Harland in her ' Alone ' has been fullj" 
 met. She takes rank among the best writers of fiction of this age. The story is interest 
 lng; the language pure, often eloquent; the plot natural and interesting; and the mora 
 excellent." — New York DaUy News. 
 
 "We take the liberty of confidently commending it to our readers as one e? tbos» 
 gentle, earnest books which will be found acceptable to all pure hearts, and become, w« 
 sincerely trust, an especial favorite with the women readers of America." — Philadelphia 
 Evening Bulletin. 
 
 " Home, sincerity and truth, are Invested with most attractive charms, and their value 
 enhanced by painful contrasts. While engaging the imagination by its well-conceived 
 plot, it makes all submit to its moral impression, and enlists the reader's approbation 
 exclusively with the virtuous and true." — New York Evangelist. 
 
 " Its great charm, like that of ' Alone,' consists in ihe sincerity which pervades it, and 
 in the delicate sentiments of love and friendship which, in all their unadulterated §we«t> 
 ness, throw a magic grace over the whole volume." — New York Day Jteok. 
 
 3 
 
J. c. derby's publications. 
 
 A BOOK OF BARE HUMOR! 
 
 THE WIDOW BEDOTT PAPERS 
 
 BY FRANCIS M. WniTCREB 
 
 WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY ALICE B. NEAL. 
 
 One volume 12mo., with 8 spirited illustrations by ©alias and Orr 
 Price $1 25. 
 
 Extract from a Letter to the Author by the late Joseph C. Neal 
 
 "Our readers talk of nothing else, and almost despise 'Neal' if the 'Widow' be not 
 there. An excellent critic in these matters, said to me the other day, that he regarded 
 them as the best Yankee papers yet written, and such is indeed the general sentiment. 
 I know, for instance of a lady who, for several days after reading one of them, wa§ 
 continually, and often at moments the most inopportune, bursting forth into fits of violent 
 laug) r, and, believe me, that you, gifted with such powers, ought not to speak disparag- 
 ing f the gift which thus brings wholesome satire home to every reader." 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 H ,zekiah Bedott. 
 
 The Widow Essays Poetry. 
 
 Widow Jenkins' Animosity. 
 
 Mr. Crane Walks in. 
 
 The Widow Discourses of Pumpkins. 
 
 The Widow Loses her Beau. 
 
 Mr. Crane about to Propose. 
 
 Mr. Crane Walks out. 
 
 The Widow " Sets her Cap." 
 
 The Widow Resolves to leave Wiggletown. 
 
 The Widow Trades with a Pedlar. 
 
 ""he Widow and Aunt Maguire Discourse on 
 Various Topics. 
 
 The Widow having Heard that Elder Sniffles 
 is Sick, Writes to him. 
 
 The Widow Resorts to Elder Sniffles for 
 Religious Instruction. 
 
 The Widow concludes to Publish. 
 
 The Widow Prepares to Receive Elder Snif- 
 fles on Thanksgiving-Day. 
 
 The Widow Retires 10 a Grove in the rear 
 of Elder Sniffles' House. 
 
 The Widow Writes to her Daughter, Mr, 
 Jupiter Smith. 
 
 The Rev. Mrs. Sniffles Abroad. 
 
 The Rev. Mrs. Sniffles at Home. 
 
 The Rev. Mrs. Sniffles Expresses her Senti- 
 ments in Regard to the Parsonage. 
 
 Aunt Maguire's Experience. 
 
 Aunt Maguire's Description of the Donation 
 Party. 
 
 Aunt Maguire Treats of the Contemplated 
 Sewing Society at Scrabble Hill. 
 
 Aunt Maguire Continues her Account ofi 
 the Sewing Society. 
 
 Aunt Maguire's Visit to Slabtown. 
 
 Visit to Slabtown Continued. 
 
 Mrs. Maguire's Account of Deacon Whip- 
 ple. 
 
 Mrs. Mudlaw's Recipe for Potatoe Pud- 
 ding. 
 
 Morning Calls ; or, Every Body's Particular 
 Friend.