,,helpful ,,visions4 ,,the ,,fourteenth ,,book ,,of ,,the ,,faith-,,promoting ,,series4 ,intended for the ,instruction and ,encouragement of ,young ,latter-day ,saints4 ,,juvenile ,,instructor ,,office1 ,,salt ,,lake ,,city1 ,,utah4 #ahhg4 ,,combined ,,faith-,,promoting ,,series1 ,nos4 #a-e1 #a4ce1 ,nos4 #f-aj1 #a4be4 ,,contents4 ,a ,,terrible ,,ordeal4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,remarkable ,spiritual ,manifestations--,thrilling ,experience of ,elder ,david ,p4 ,kimball1 as ,narrated by himself4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,account of ,patten ,kimball and ,others1 ,regarding the ,search for and ,finding of his ,father4 ,,briant ,s4 ,,stevens4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,briant ,stringham ,stevens ,becomes a ,missionary to ,his ,associates and ,brings ,four ,boys to ,belief and ,baptism--,a ,good ,child who ,passed ,amidst the ,daily ,temptations of ,life ,unscathed4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,accidents to ,briant--,he is ,ordained to the ,priesthood--,patient ,endurance of ,his ,sufferings--,he is ,blessed to be an ,elder and then ,slumbers in ,death4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,a ,helpful ,vision to ,briant's ,stricken ,father--the ,comforter ,brings the ,peace which ,passes ,all ,understanding--,the ,funeral of the ,little ,missionary--,his ,work ,lives after ,him4 ,,finding ,,comfort4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,called to ,australasia--,the ,modern ,imitators of ,job's ,friends--,our ,special ,instruction is to ,build up the ,kingdom of ,god in those ,lands--,a ,disappointment ends in a ,blessing--,promises by an ,apostle which were ,literally ,fulfilled--,we ,reach ,sydney1 ,i am ,separated ,from my ,companion4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,labor which ,brought ,little ,compensation--,a ,mysterious ,call to ,new ,zealand--,attacked by an ,evil ,spirit--,the ,visitation ,thrice ,repeated--,meeting the ,brother of a ,friend--,on ,board the ,wakatipu ,bound for ,new ,zealand4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,an ,irreverent ,company of ,passengers--,sickness and a ,horror of ,life ,fall ,upon ,me--,a ,helpful ,vision--,only be ,true--,invoking the ,name of ,christ--,a ,jolly ,singer and a ,jolly ,song--,landing at ,port ,littleton--,strange ,recognition of ,brother ,nordstrand--,his ,dream ,concerning ,me4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,reason for my ,sudden ,call to ,leave ,sydney--,the ,little ,old ,lady of the ,wakatipu--,she had ,waited a ,generation to ,renew her ,covenants--,another ,helpful ,vision--,a ,mysterious ,half-,sovereign--,saved from ,death in a ,swift ,river4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,some ,old ,members of the ,church--,the ,spirit ,prompts ,promises to ,them which are ,literally ,fulfilled--,help from a ,catholic ,who is ,suddenly ,converted and ,who as ,suddenly ,apostatizes--,a ,spontaneous ,prophecy--,the ,journey ,home--,a ,careful ,observer--,safe in ,zion4 ,,traitors4 ,solemn ,warnings--,a ,traitor can ,never be ,anything but ,despicable--,examples of the ,past4 ,,preface4 ,the very encouraging reports we are constantly receiving from various parts of the country concerning the vast amount of good accomplished by these small publications1 induces us to issue the fourteenth book1 with the sincere hope that it may not be less interesting or instructive than those which have preceded it4 ,the ,visions here recorded will again prove that truth is stranger than fiction1 and we trust that a perusal of these manifestations will lead our young people to seek for the guidance of the ,lord in all things1 and make ,him their constant friend4 ,the article on traitors is very appropriate reading matter for the present season1 and will1 it is hoped1 cause everyone to look upon the men of this class with the contempt they so justly merit1 and sustain everyone in shunning as they would poison1 any traitorous act4 ,our great desire is that this little book may assist in the education and elevation of the young people and others who may peruse it4 ,,the ,,publishers4 ,a ,,terrible ,,ordeal4 ,,by ,o4 ,f4 ,,whitney4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,remarkable ,,spiritual ,,manifestations--,,thrilling ,,experience ,,of ,,elder ,,david ,p4 ,,kimball1 ,,as ,,narrated ,,by ,,himself4 ,the following narrative of the experience of the late ,david ,patten ,kimball1 who was lost on the ,salt ,river desert1 ,arizona1 in the latter part of ,november1 #ahha1 is taken by permission from a letter written by him to his sister1 ,helen ,mar ,whitney1 of this city1 on the #hth of ,january1 #ahhb4 ,brother ,kimball was then a resident of ,jonesville1 or ,lehi1 three miles from ,mesa1 where the letter was written4 ,the events described took place while he was returning home from a trip to ,prescott1 the capital of that ,territory4 ,the experience related was of so remarkable a character as to meet with dubiety on the part of some1 especially those inclined to be skeptical regarding spiritual manifestations4 ,some went so far as to ascribe the sights and scenes through which the narrator claimed to have passed1 to the fevered fancy of a mind disordered by strong drink4 ,that such should have been supposed1 particularly by those who are ignorant of spiritual things1 is not surprising1 when it is remembered that even the ,apostles of ,christ1 on the day of ,pentecost1 were accused of being drunken with new wine1 when the power of the ,spirit fell upon them and they spake with tongues and prophesied4 ,what is here presented is the plain and simple testimony of an honest man1 who adhered to it till the day of his death1 which occurred within two years from the date of his letter1 and was in literal fulfillment of certain things which he said were shown him in vision1 and of which he frequently testified while living4 ,for the benefit of such as may not have known ,brother ,david ,p4 ,kimball1 we will state that he was the fourth son of the late ,president ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 whose wonderful encounter with evil spirits1 on the opening of the ,british ,mission in #ahcg1 has become a matter of ,church history4 ,here is the excerpt from ,david's letter3 ,on the #dth of ,november1 ,i took a very severe cold in a snow storm at ,prescott1 being clad in light clothing1 which brought on pneumonia or lung fever4 ,i resorted to ,jamaica ginger and pepper tea to obtain relief and keep up my strength till ,i could reach home and receive proper care4 ,on the #acth ,i camped in a canyon ten miles west of ,prescott1 my son ,patten being with me4 ,we had a team of eight horses and two wagons4 ,that night ,i suffered more than death4 ,the next night we camped at ,mr4 ,mc,intyre's1 about twenty miles farther on4 ,i stopped there two nights and one day1 during which time ,i took nothing to drink but pepper tea4 ,on the #afth we drove to ,black's ranch1 twenty-eight miles nearer home1 and were very comfortably located in ,mr4 ,black's house4 ,about #aa p4 m41 ,i awoke and to my surprise saw some six or eight men standing around my bed4 ,i had no dread of them but felt that they were my friends4 ,at the same time ,i heard a voice which seemed to come from an eight square 7octagon7 clock on the opposite side of the house4 ,it commenced talking and blackguarding1 which drew my attention1 when ,i was told to pay no attention to it4 ,at this point ,i heard the most beautiful singing ,i ever listened to in all my life4 ,these were the words1 repeated three times by a choir3 ',god bless ,brother ,david ,kimball4' ,i at once distinguished among them the voice of my second wife1 ,julia ,merrill1 who in life was a good singer4 ,this1 of course1 astonished me4 ,just then my father commenced talking to me1 the voice seeming to come from a long distance4 ,he commenced by telling me of his associations with ,president ,young1 the ,prophet ,joseph1 and others in the spirit world1 then enquired about his children1 and seemed to regret that his family were so scattered1 and said there would be a great reformation in his family inside of two years4 ,he also told me where ,i should live1 also yourself and others1 and a great many other things4 ,i conversed freely with father1 and my words were repeated three times by as many different persons1 exactly as ,i spoke them1 until they reached him1 and then his words to me were handed down in a like manner4 ,after all this ,i gave way to doubt1 thinking it might be only a dream1 and to convince myself that ,i was awake1 ,i got up and walked out-doors into the open air4 ,i returned and still the spirit of doubt was upon me4 ,to test it further ,i asked my wife ,julia to sing me a verse of one of her old songs4 ,at that1 the choir1 which had continued singing1 stopped and she sang the song through1 every word being distinct and beautiful4 ,the name of the song was1 ',does ,he ,ever ,think of ,me4' ,my eyes were now turned toward the south1 and there1 as in a large parquette1 ,i beheld hundreds1 even thousands1 of friends and relatives4 ,i was then given the privilege of asking questions and did so4 ,this lasted for some time1 after which the singing commenced again1 directly above me4 ,i now wrapped myself in a pair of blankets and went out-doors1 determined to see the singers1 but could see nothing1 though ,i could hear the voices just the same4 ,i returned to my couch and the singing1 which was all communicative and instructive1 continued until the day dawned4 ,all this time the clock ,i have mentioned continued its cursing and blackguarding4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,black were up in due time and got breakfast4 ,i arose and made my toilet1 plain as it was1 and took breakfast with my host and hostess4 ,when my boy got ready to start1 ,i went to pay my bill1 and to my surprise heard a voice say or communicate3 ',david ,kimball has paid his bill4' ,when ,i got into the wagon1 my guards1 or those who were around my bed during the night1 were still with me4 ,my father had told me that he and ,president ,young and others would visit me the next night4 ,we drove on until about #aa a4 m41 when a host of evil spirits made their appearance4 ,they were determined to destroy me1 but ,i had power of mind to pay no attention to them1 and let them curse all day without heeding them any more than possible4 ,five times they made a rush en masse to come into the wagon1 the last one1 where ,i was1 but were kept off by my friends 7spiritual74 ,about #b p4 m4 ,i told my boy to stop and we would water our horses4 ,we used for this purpose barrels that we had along with us4 ,after this ,i walked to the west side of my wagons1 and looking to the east1 ,i saw and heard the evil spirits floating in the air and chanting curses upon ,brigham ,young4 ,i saw two other groups of the same kind1 but did not hear them4 ,then ,i looked to the south and the whole atmosphere was crowded with fallen spirits1 or those who had not obtained bodies4 ,others who tried to torment me were spirits who had lived upon the earth4 ,having seen so many and being complimented by my guard for seeing so well1 ,i became a little timid and asked my spiritual friends if they had any help4 ,the answer was1 ',yes1 plenty4' ,i now told my boy to drive on--he was entirely oblivious of all that was taking place with me--and soon after ,i was so exhausted that ,i fell into a troubled sleep and must have slept quite a little while4 ,after ,i awoke ,i seemed to be left alone1 and was lying on my back1 when1 all at once1 ,i saw an old man and two young girls4 ,this vision coming on me so suddenly1 ,i was startled1 and finding my guard gone1 ,i jumped out of the wagon and got up on the spring seat beside my boy4 ,but ,i could not get away from them4 ,i was told in a coarse1 gruff voice that the devil was going to kill me1 and that he would follow me night and day until he destroyed me4 ,i remembered the promise father had made me the night before--that he intended to visit me the next evening--and ,i nerved up and tried to pay no attention to my persecutors1 but ,i must confess ,i was frightened4 ,we arrived at ,wickenburg just at sundown4 ,the old man and the girls were tormenting and tantalizing me all the way1 but never coming very near to me4 ,we got supper and ,i took a room at ,peeple's hotel and retired about #aj p4 m4 ,when everything was quiet my spirit friends1 eight in number1 returned and my tormentors were required to leave4 ,soon after1 a glorious vision burst upon me4 ,there were thousands of the ,saints presented to me1 many who had died at ,nauvoo1 in ,winter ,quarters1 on the plains and in ,utah4 ,i saw ,brother ,pugmire and many others whom ,i did not know were dead4 ,when my mother came to me it was so real and ,i was so overjoyed that ,i exclaimed aloud4 ,so powerful was this vision that ,i asked ,president ,young1 who seemed to be directing matters1 three times to relieve me1 or ,i would faint4 ,a great many others passed in regular order2 and ,i recognized nearly all of them1 and was told the names of all ,i did not know4 ,my father sat in a chair with his legs crossed and his hands clasped together1 as we have often seen him4 ,those who passed along had hidden him from my view till then4 ,this scene vanished1 and ,i was then taken in the vision into a vast building1 which was built on the plan of the ,order of ,zion4 ,i entered through a south door and found myself in a part of the building which was unfinished1 though a great many workmen were busy upon it4 ,my guide showed me all through this half of the house1 and then took me through the other half1 which was finished4 ,the richness1 grandeur and beauty of it defied description4 ,there were many apartments in the house1 which was very spacious1 and they differed in size and the fineness of the workmanship1 according to the merits on earth of those who were to occupy them4 ,i felt most at home in the unfinished part1 among the workmen4 ,the upper part of the house was filled with ,saints1 but ,i could not see them1 though some of them conversed with me1 my father and mother1 ,uncle ,joseph ,young and others4 ,my father told me many things1 and ,i received many reproofs for my wrong-doings4 ,yet he was loth to have me leave1 and seemed to feel very badly when the time came for me to go4 ,he told me ,i could remain there if ,i chose to do so1 but ,i plead with him that ,i might stay with my family long enough to make them comfortable1 to repent of my sins1 and more fully prepare myself for the change4 ,had it not been for this1 ,i never should have returned home1 except as a corpse4 ,father finally told me ,i could remain two years1 and to do all the good ,i could during that time1 after which he would come for me2 he mentioned four others that he would come for also1 though he did not say it would be at the same time4 ,on the #ahth of ,november1 about noon1 we left ,wickenburg 7which is twenty-two miles from ,black's ,ranch where we stopped the previous night7 on our journey home4 ,i was exhausted from what ,i had experienced1 and could feel my mind fast giving away1 but ,i had confidence that ,i would reach home alive4 ,there were no ,elders to administer to me and no kind friends to look after my wants except my son1 who had all he could do in looking after eight horses and two wagons4 ,as my mind wandered and grew weaker1 ,i was troubled and led by influences over which ,i had no power1 and my friends1 the good spirits1 had all left me4 ,we drove about twenty miles that afternoon1 camping about eight miles from water1 on the ,salt ,river desert1 which is about fifty miles across4 ,during the fore part of the night ,i heard the horses running as though they were frightened4 ,my son was asleep1 but ,i got up and put my overcoat across my shoulders and went out where they were and got them quieted down4 ,i was about to return to the wagon1 when that same old man with gray whiskers1 who had tormented me before1 stepped between me and the wagons4 ,he had a long knife in his hand4 ,i was frightened and fled1 he pursuing me and telling me he was going to kill me4 ,what ,i passed through ,i cannot describe1 and no mortal tongue could tell4 ,i wandered two days and three nights in the ,salt ,river desert1 undergoing the torments of the damned1 most of the time1 which was beyond anything that mortal could imagine4 ,when my mind was restored1 and the fever which had raged within me had abated1 ,i found myself lying on a bleak hill-top1 lost in the desert1 chilled1 hungered1 thirsty and feeble4 ,i had scarcely any clothing on1 was barefooted1 and my body full of cactus from head to foot4 ,my hands were a perfect mat of thorns and briars4 ,this1 with the knowledge that no one was near me1 made me realize the awful condition ,i was in4 ,i could not walk4 ,i thought ,i would take my life1 but had no knife or any thing to do it with4 ,i tried to cut an artery in my arm with a sharp rock ,i had picked up1 hoping ,i might bleed to death1 but even this was denied me4 ,the wolves and ravens were hovering around me1 anxiously awaiting my death4 ,i had a long stick and ,i thought ,i would dig a deep hole and cover myself up the best ,i could1 so the wolves would not devour my body until ,i could be found by my friends4 ,on the night of the #bast1 ,i could see a fire about twenty-five miles to the south1 and felt satisfied that it was my friends coming after me4 ,i knew the country where ,i was2 ,i was about eight miles from houses where ,i could have got plenty of water and something to eat1 but my strength was gone and my feet were so sore ,i could not stand up4 ,another long and dreary day passed1 but ,i could see nothing but wolves and ravens and a barren desert covered with cactus1 and had about made up my mind that the promise of two years life1 made by my father1 was not to be realized4 ,while in this terrible plight1 and when ,i had just about given up all hope1 my father and mother appeared to me and gave me a drink of water and comforted me1 telling me ,i would be found by my friends who were out searching for me1 and that ,i should live two years longer as ,i had been promised4 ,when night came ,i saw another fire a few hundred yards from me and could see my friends around it1 but ,i was so hoarse ,i could not make them hear4 ,by this time my body was almost lifeless and ,i could hardly move1 but my mind was in a perfect condition and ,i could realize everything that happened around me4 ,on the morning of the #bcrd1 at daylight1 here they came1 about twenty in all1 two of my own sons1 my nephew ,william1 ,bishop ,e4 ,pomeroy1 ,john ,lewis1 ,john ,blackburn1 ,wiley ,jones and others1 all friends and relatives from the ,mesa1 who had tracked me between seventy-five and one hundred miles4 ,i shook hands with them1 and they were all overjoyed to see me alive1 although in such a pitiable plight4 ,my own feelings ,i shall not undertake to describe4 ,i told them to be very careful how they let me have water1 at first4 ,they rolled me up in some blankets and put me on a buck-board and appointed ,john ,lewis to look after me as doctor and nurse4 ,after ,i had taken a few swallows of water1 ,i was almost frantic for more1 but they wisely refused to let me have it except in small doses every half hour4 ,i had about seventy-five miles to ride home4 ,we arrived at my place in ,jonesville on the afternoon of the #bdth of ,november1 when my wife and family took charge of me and ,i was tenderly and carefully nourished4 ,in a few days ,i was around again4 ,i told my experience to ,president ,mc,donald1 ,bishop ,pomeroy1 ,c4 ,i4 ,robson and others1 and most of them believed me1 but my word was doubted by some4 ,the report had gone out that ,i had been drinking and was under the influence of liquor4 ,this was an utterly false report4 ,i told them ,i had just two years to live1 so they could tell whether it was a true manifestation or not4 ,now1 ,sister ,helen1 during the last twelve years ,i have had doubts about the truth of ',mormonism1' because ,i did not take a course to keep my testimony alive within me4 ,and the letter ,i wrote you last ,august1 ,i suppose caused you to feel sorrowful1 and you prayed for me and ,god heard your prayers4 ,and our father and mother plead with the ,lord in my behalf1 to whom ,i will give the credit of this terrible but useful ordeal through which ,i have passed and only in part described1 an ordeal which but few men have ever been able to endure and relate what ,i have seen and heard4 ,now1 my dear sister1 you have a little of your brother ,david's experience1 and let who will think that ,i had been drinking4 ,i know these things were shown to me for my own good1 and it was no dream but a glorious and awful reality4 ,my story is believed by my brethren who have respect for me4 ,i will console myself with the knowledge ,i have obtained4 ,let the world wag on1 and let hell and the devil keep up their warfare against the ,saints of ,god4 ,i know for myself that ,mormonism is true4 ,with ,god's help1 while ,i live1 ,i shall strive to do good1 and ,i will see you before long and tell you all1 as it never will be blotted out of my memory4 ,with kind regards1 in which my wife and children join1 ,i remain1 as ever1 ,your ,affectionate ,brother1 ,david ,p4 ,kimball4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,account ,,of ,,patten ,,kimball ,,and ,,others1 ,,regarding ,,the ,,search ,,for ,,and ,,finding ,,of ,,his ,,father4 ,the following account is furnished by ,elder ,solomon ,f4 ,kimball1 brother of ,david ,p4 ,kimball1 who was in ,mesa at the time of the occurrence described and thoroughly conversant with the facts3 ,on the morning of ,november #aith when ,patten arose and missed his father he thought probably he had gone out to hunt for the horses1 and felt no uneasiness concerning him4 ,he made a fire1 prepared breakfast and waited some time1 but could not see or hear him anywhere4 ,the horses came strolling into camp and were tied up1 fed and watered4 ,patten then ate his meal and saddled a horse and rode back towards ,wickenburg1 until he came to a small place called ,seymour on the ,hassayampa but could find out nothing of his father's whereabouts4 ,he went back to the wagon and hunted the country close around camp but found nothing but his father's overcoat1 which was a few hundred yards from the wagon4 ,it being an old camp-ground1 it was impossible to find his tracks4 ,he finally came to the conclusion that he had gone towards home1 so he hitched up his team and drove homeward until he came to ,mr4 ,calderwoods at ,agua ,fria4 7,cold ,water74 ,at this place there was a well dug on the desert about twenty miles from ,salt ,river4 ,patten had traveled about twenty-two miles before reaching this point1 but was disappointed in not hearing anything of his father4 ,he had traveled all night and ,mr4 ,calderwood was up and around when he arrived4 ,he related his story to him and was advised by him to leave his team there and take the best pair of horses1 and hitch them to his buck-board and go on to the ,mesa4 ,here he could get help to come and hunt for the missing man4 ,the distance was forty miles1 which would take all the rest of the day 7the #bjth74 ,he acted on the advice1 however1 and arrived at his destination at #i p4 m4 ,the news was circulated1 and in less than two hours1 twenty of the best and most experienced men at ,mesa and ,jonesville were on the road1 taking ,patten back with them4 ,they also took a wagon to carry water and provisions1 but most of them were on the best of horses4 ,they had sixty miles to ride1 before beginning the search1 which was accomplished by daylight next morning4 ,after feeding their horses and eating a lunch they held a consultation and agreed to abide by the following rule4 ,if any one of the party found his tracks he was to make a smoke and this would call the others in that direction4 ,they then started out in different directions4 ,they scoured the country until about noon1 when ,sern ,sornson and ,charles ,rogers found his tracks4 ,they supposed they were about twelve miles from where he was lost1 and about ten miles from ,agua ,fria1 close to the main road on the south side4 ,they soon gathered some brush and started a fire1 putting on plenty of green weeds1 etc41 to cause a smoke1 and soon attracted the attention of their comrades4 ,his tracks were followed4 ,they wound round and round1 going in no particular direction4 ,some places he would cross his tracks eight or ten times in going one hundred yards1 which made it quite difficult to follow4 ,after spending a part of the afternoon trailing him up1 the tracks finally took a direct course leading to the north4 ,by this time all the searching party were together4 ,another meeting was held and the plan adopted was for eight horsemen1 four on each side of his tracks1 to ride at a considerable distance apart1 so as to cut off the track if it turned to the right or left1 and two or three of the best trailers to keep on the tracks1 while the buck-board and wagon followed up4 ,these were out of sight most of the time1 as very good time was made by the trailers after this plan was adopted4 ,the ground was quite soft1 and those on the trail would gallop their horses for miles1 but darkness soon put an end to their work for this day1 a good thing for both men and animals4 ,they had traveled upwards of one hundred miles in about twenty hours4 ,they were working men and had plenty of strength to carry them through under all circumstances4 ,they camped on the highest ground that could be found close by1 and made a large fire which was kept up all night by those on guard4 ,as soon as it was light enough to see the tracks1 every man was at his place moving as fast as he could under the circumstances4 ,this was the morning of the #bbnd4 ,one great drawback they met with that day was that when they would come to a deep ravine where water had run during rainy weather1 the tracks would follow up sometimes for miles and then continue in the former direction4 ,places would frequently be found in the sand where the lost one had dug down for water with his hands4 ,now and then they would find a piece of his clothing and see places where he had run into the fox-tail cactus1 cat's-claw and other thorny bushes4 ,one place was found where he had broken off the limb of a tree for a walking stick4 ,the party followed his tracks all day without stopping1 only as they were obliged to1 on account of losing the trail or from some other cause4 ,darkness overtook them again1 but nothing could be heard or seen of the missing man4 ,they slept on his tracks1 keeping up a fire all night as before4 ,his sons and others could not rest1 and followed his tracks after dark by striking matches and putting them close to the ground to see if they might possibly find him4 ,some thought they could hear a sound but it was so indistinct they could not discern the direction from which it came4 ,it was indeed he who called1 for they were then only a few hundred yards from him1 but he was too hoarse to make them hear4 ,on the morning of the #bcrd at daylight his anxious friends were on his tracks1 and had gone but a short distance when ,charles ,peterson saw him4 ,he had a long staff in his hand1 and had raised up as high as he could get1 being on one knee and the other foot on the ground1 and was stretching himself as far as he could and looking eagerly for their arrival4 ,the crowd made a rush1 and in a few seconds were with him1 ,bishop ,e4 ,pomeroy being the first4 ,he was in his right mind and knew all present1 and was glad to shake them by the hand1 calling each by name4 ,he was in good spirits and joked the boys frequently and gave them instructions to be careful in giving him water1 etc4 ,there was no water except in a canteen that had been reserved for his especial use4 ,the company suffered themselves for want of water4 ,they had traveled upwards of one hundred and fifty miles in less than forty-eight hours4 ,david had dug a deep hole with his stick and had used his hands to move the dirt4 ,he said he was digging his own grave4 ,he was rolled in blankets and put on the buck-board4 ,all drove to the nearest houses1 seven or eight miles distant1 on the ,hassayampa1 where all refreshed themselves with water and something to eat4 ,soon they were on the road homeward4 ,they drove to ,mr4 ,calderwood's1 which was about thirty miles1 and stayed all night4 ,he was very kind to all and told them to help themselves to any thing he had1 such as hay1 grain and food4 ,he acted the gentleman in every respect4 ,a large number of men had also left ,phoenix in search of ,david1 among them being the ,u4 ,s4 ,marshal1 and others4 ,men and ,indians were riding over the desert in every direction4 ,next morning the company drove to ,jonesville1 forty miles distant1 where they arrived about #c p4 m4 ,david was carried into his house where he was surrounded by his loving wife and children4 ,when he recounted his experience1 he said that one thing that kept him from choking to death for want of water1 was the damp pebbles which he dug from low ravines and held them in his mouth4 ,the ,indians said that no human being could walk as far as he did1 go without water and live four days and five nights4 ,the party that found him said he must have walked at least seventy-five miles1 some said one hundred4 ,he testified that on the afternoon of the #bbnd1 his father and mother came and gave him water and told him that his friends would find him4 ,his clothing was all gone except his under garments1 which were badly torn4 ,before leaving home on his trip to ,prescott1 ,david had worked several days fixing up his books and accounts1 and burning up all useless papers1 after which he told his wife that he felt different in starting on this trip from anything he had ever felt before4 ,he said it seemed to him that he should never return4 ,he told her that if this proved to be the case1 he had fixed his business up in such a shape that she would have no trouble1 and would know as much about it as himself4 ,she frequently spoke of these curious remarks1 and felt considerably worried4 ,when the news came that he was lost1 all was plain to her1 and she never expected to see him come home alive4 ,nothing could comfort her and she watched night and day until he was brought home4 99 99 99 99 99 ,in the ,fall of #ahhc1 ,elder ,david ,p4 ,kimball paid a visit to ,salt ,lake ,city1 to see his sister ,helen and others1 to whom he confirmed by his own lips all that his letter contained1 and told some other things in relation to his marvelous experience4 ,he declared solemnly to her that he was perfectly sober when he passed through the trying ordeal related1 and bore a powerful testimony to the truth of ,mormonism4 ,he seemed a little reticent to most of his relatives1 and talked but little of his strange experience1 feeling pained that so many seemed to doubt his word1 and being unwilling to make himself obtrusive4 ,when he bade his friends farewell1 there was something about him which seemed to say that he was taking leave of them for all time4 ,this visit was no doubt made with that prospect1 for it was almost two years from the time he was lost on the desert4 ,he returned home to ,st4 ,david1 ,cochise ,county1 ,arizona1 and almost the next news that came from there was the tidings of his death4 ,a letter from his nephew1 ,charles ,s4 ,whitney1 who was then living with him1 written home on the #bbnd of ,november1 #ahhc1 contained this3 ,uncle ,david died this morning at half-past six1 easily1 and apparently without a bit of pain4 ,shortly before he died1 he looked up and called1 ',father1 father6' ,all night long he had called for ,uncle ,heber4 ,you remember hearing him tell how grand-pa came to him when he was lost on the desert1 and how he plead for two more years and was given that much longer to stay4 ,last ,saturday1 the day he was so bad1 was just two years from the day he was lost1 and to-day is just two years from the day his father and mother came to him and gave him a drink of water1 and told him that his friends would find him and he should live two years longer4 ,he knew that he was going to die1 and bade ,aunt ,caroline good-by day before yesterday4 ,,briant ,s4 ,,stevens4 ,a ,little ,savior in the ,midst of ,his ,young ,companions4 ,,by ,,kennon4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,briant ,,stringam ,,stevens ,,becomes ,a ,,missionary ,,to ,,his ,,associates ,,and ,,brings ,,four ,,boys ,,to ,,belief ,,and ,,baptism--,a ,,good ,,child ,,who ,,passed ,,amidst ,,the ,,daily ,,temptations ,,of ,,life ,,unscathed4 ,if there is anything that will endure ,the eye of ,god because it still is pure1 ,it is the spirit of a little child1 ,fresh from ,his hands1 and therefore undefiled4 ,nearer the gate of ,paradise than we1 ,our children breathe its airs1 its angels see2 ,and when they pray ,god hears their simple prayer1 ,yea1 even sheathes ,his sword1 in judgment bare4 ,these thoughtful words of the poet always recurred to my mind when ,i met little ,briant ,stevens4 ,we notice1 with most children1 how quickly they grow away from the absolute and perfect purity of childhood into the heedlessness of youth2 and often1 too often1 with their experience of life comes experience of wrong4 ,of all the boys that ,i ever met1 who had reached years of accountability1 ,i think ,briant ,stevens bore in his face and manner the most evidence of a retention of that saintliness which is the endowment of each of ,god's little ones4 ,not that he seemed too solemn for earth3 but because there was a fearless grace1 and yet a tenderness1 which showed that the inherent beauty of his young life was still unsoiled4 ,you hear that boy laugh8--you think he's in fun2 ,but the angels laugh1 too1 at the good he has done2 ,the children laugh loud as they troop to his call1 ,and the poor man that knows him laughs loudest of all6 ,this was the boy1 ,briant ,stringam ,stevens4 ,often have ,i seen strangers when passing him in the street pause and make inquiry concerning him4 ,his demeanor was so admirable that they could not restrain a desire to know something of him4 ,distinctly ,i can remember the first time ,i ever saw him--when he was about ten years old4 ,he had his books under his arm1 and was evidently going to school4 ,his appearance was so attractive that ,i felt impelled to stop him and ask his name4 ,without the slightest embarrassment1 he lifted his hat and answered me politely and cordially4 ,from that time ,i never met him without receiving his gentlemanly salutation4 ,those of our people who knew him can all conscientiously speak of him as ,the ,little ,saint2 scores of worldly people who knew him call him ,the ,little ,gentleman4 99 99 99 99 99 ,briant ,stringam ,stevens was the son of ,thomas ,jordan ,stevens and ,maria ,stringam ,stevens1 and the grandson of ,briant ,stringam4 ,he was born ,december #bdth1 #ahgc1 in the ,thirteenth ,ward of ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,he died ,february #crd1 #ahhg1 at ,ogden4 ,few people who have barely lived to enter their fourteenth year have done so much that is worthy of record and emulation as this little boy4 ,after he had obtained membership in the ,church through baptism1 he became deeply impressed with the desire to bring the same blessings to others4 ,among his playmates were several boys who were his own age and some who were older than himself2 and whose parents had failed--either through carelessness or intention--to have their children baptized4 ,without a hint from any person1 little ,briant took upon himself the duty to convince these children and their parents of the necessity of baptism4 ,what anxious hours the little fellow spent in devising means to influence his playmates1 no one living now can tell2 but the subject seemed ever present with him1 and after months of labor among his companions he had converted four of the boys at least one of whom was older than himself1 to a belief in the ,gospel1 and to desire for membership in the ,church of ,christ4 ,briant asked his father to administer the ordinance to these little converts2 but ,brother ,stevens informed the child that he could not baptize any of the boys without the consent of their parents4 ,still of his own volition1 and without instruction or advice from anybody1 ,briant visited the homes of his playmates1 and began a missionary labor with the parents4 ,nothing could discourage him2 he went bravely to the people and pleaded with them on behalf of their sons4 ,and1 after patient and hopeful waiting1 ,briant gained the consent which he so earnestly sought4 ,it was a happy day for him when he went with his father to the bank of the ,ogden ,river and saw his companions1 who were most truly his little brethren1 emerge from the water and receive their confirmation for the gift of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,but ,briant's guardianship of these boys did not end when their baptism was accomplished4 ,with a gravity beyond his years1 he visited them one after another at their homes1 and instructed them concerning the responsibilities which they had assumed1 and the necessity of purity of conduct becoming to ,saints of ,god1 if they wished to derive blessing from their obedience to the holy requirement4 ,whenever and wherever he met them1 he was always ready and able to counsel them2 and yet he did not trouble them with long sermons1 but spoke to them with so much feeling and good-fellowship that they were led day by day to a greater detestation of evil1 and to a greater love for good4 ,he persuaded them to attend ,sunday ,school1 and to take part in the exercises of the ,preceptor ,class2 never permitting them to wander very long or very far without giving them his admonition4 ,older persons who have had experience in this matter will readily understand that his work1 even with his four young converts1 was a daily one4 ,it was not sufficient to bring them into the ,church2 but1 with all the distracting influences which surrounded them1 it was necessary that they should learn to love the truth and to understand it for themselves4 ,one of these boys1 who lived near to ,briant's home and was his frequent companion1 became anxious to hold the ,aaronic ,priesthood4 ,he had arrived at years which justified that wish1 and he talked with ,briant upon the subject4 ,briant consulted with ,brother ,stevens and learned that it would be possible for his companion to receive the desired ordinance1 but that consent must be gained from the boy's parents4 ,again ,briant took upon himself the responsibility of gaining that permission2 but the opportunity did not come in this life4 ,he was extending his little missionary labors up to the very hour that he was stricken4 ,several other boys had aroused his interest1 and sometimes he confided to his father that he hoped to see these companions do much good1 though their ways were not always becoming to children who believed in the gospel4 ,on more than one occasion when he found these boys lapsing into wrong-doing or carelessness1 he confessed to his father a fear that he would not be able to do them any good1 and that he must cease his association with them4 ,and yet he always returned to the labor with renewed hope and courage4 ,it is a dangerous experiment to trust one good boy with a number of playmates who are not what they should be2 because1 as a rule1 he learns to partake with them4 ,but ,brother ,stevens gives a marvelous testimony to the worth of his son when he says3 ,i never felt the slightest fear for ,briant4 ,in this matter ,i knew that he was led by a good ,spirit1 and ,i trusted him implicitly and without requiring him to account for his conduct4 ,he seemed in all matters of goodness to be easily impressed2 but evil appeared1 if not incomprehensible1 at least entirely unattractive to him4 ,the teacher of the ,preceptor ,class which ,briant attended was ,brother ,austin ,c4 ,brown2 he says that the questions which ,briant propounded to him occasioned great marvel in his mind4 ,the clearness with which the young boy spoke of the principles of the gospel1 the perfect understanding which he seemed to gain1 almost intuitively1 of the truth1 were as surprising as they were gratifying4 ,in other matters the boy was very precocious4 ,he attended the academic department of the ,central ,school of ,ogden1 and was the youngest1 though not the last1 in his class4 ,he early developed a talent for drawing and painting1 and his parents and friends are now in possession of some exquisite little gems produced by him4 ,before he received the ,priesthood he was a constant attendant upon the meetings of his young brethren1 the ,deacons2 and he anxiously awaited the time when he could be deemed of sufficient age and worth to receive an ordination to this calling4 ,he had the highest reverence for the ,priesthood1 and he believed most firmly in the power of the gospel4 ,whenever he was in pain or illness1 his sole desire was for the blessing of his father or other ,elders of the ,church4 ,several times he was instantly healed from infirmities under the administration of the servants of ,god4 ,at home he was perpetual sunshine4 ,from the hour that he was #aj years old he never permitted his father to attend to any of the labors in the garden or with the stock which his young hands could perform4 ,he was so kind to the horse and the cow1 and the other domestic animals1 that they learned to know him and to love him perfectly4 ,even the cat would follow him through the garden1 and run to rub her head against his leg4 ,the parrot1 when released from its cage1 would follow him about the house like a dog4 ,it would mount to his shoulder and kiss his cheeks or lips daintily and tenderly2 while with everybody else it showed the crossness for which parrots are proverbial1 biting1 scolding and clawing at the slightest attempt at familiarity4 ,briant kept many pigeons--often as many as fifty at one time4 ,they knew him and flocked about him fearlessly4 ,he gave many of them away to his young friends1 but never without exacting a promise from the boys that they would be kind to the birds and would not sell them to anyone who would abuse them4 ,he had a great horror of the cruelty of pigeon-shooting matches1 and would not sell one of his doves for such a purpose under any circumstances1 or for any amount of money4 ,if strange boys came to him to buy pigeons1 he invariably enquired for what purpose they were purchased4 ,and unless the buyers would give him a faithful promise not to sell the birds for shooting-matches1 he would not part with his pets4 ,whenever he received money from the sale of pigeons1 he carried it to his father1 and offered it with the remark that he cared nothing for it1 and wanted his father to use it for the best purpose4 ,he had but one extravagance with money--and that was to give it to the poor4 ,not only would he part with his last dime for this purpose1 but often he borrowed money from his relatives and friends to give to the needy4 ,about four years before ,briant's death1 his little brother1 ,jordan1 died4 ,the two had been inseparable--brothers in the fullest sense4 ,they shared all their possessions equally2 and one never felt content without the presence and happiness of the other4 ,when ,jordan passed from earth1 ,briant said to his father3 ,i know that my dear little brother is happy and well2 but ,i cannot help feeling lonesome4 ,he gathered up ,jordan's share of the toys and books which had belonged to them1 and put them sacredly away4 ,to this hour they remain in the place and in the order where they were put by his loving little hands4 ,a few months before ,briant was stricken he lost a favorite pigeon4 ,it was a snow-white bird which had belonged to ,jordan4 ,when ,briant found that it was surely gone he shed some tears1 and said to his mother3 ,i would have preferred to lose all my other pigeons than to have lost ,whitey1 for that was little ,jordie's pet4 ,then he drew a perfect picture of the lost bird and placed it in a nook in the barn1 underneath these words3 ,whitey1 nine years old4 ,with all the many virtues and the thoughtfulness of this little boy1 he was not mawkish in his manner4 ,at times1 when deeply impressed1 he was solemn in word and look2 but he was full of healthy sentiment1 and was bubbling over with energy and brightness4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,accidents ,,to ,,briant--,,he ,,is ,,ordained ,,to ,,the ,,priesthood--,,patient ,,endurance ,,of ,,his ,,sufferings--,,he ,,is ,,blessed ,,to ,,be ,,an ,,elder ,,and ,,then ,,slumbers ,,in ,,death4 ,in ,october last1 #ahhf1 with a number of companions ,briant was playing on a trapeze at the house of a friend1 when he fell and broke his right arm4 ,after the accident1 ,briant did not hurry to his home1 which was only a block away2 but an hour later his father found him at the doctor's office1 where the arm had been set4 ,briant was perfectly composed2 and1 instead of crying as most boys do when a new sympathiser comes1 he gave his first thought to his mother1 who had been quite ill and had not yet entirely recovered4 ,he said to his father3 ,i hope mamma does not know of this4 ,if not1 then we will keep it from her2 because she would worry a great deal1 and the anxiety might make her worse4 ,when they went home ,briant bounded into the house with a smile on his lips1 and in reply to his mother's anxious questions he said3 ,nothing serious1 mamma4 ,i have strained my arm2 but it will be well in a few days4 ,he kissed her and then ran laughing from the room1 although at the time he must have been suffering excruciating pain4 ,some time elapsed before his mother knew the truth2 and then she did not learn it from ,briant4 ,he had recovered from the outward appearance of his injury to his arm1 but it was not yet strong1 when he met with another and more serious accident4 ,with two of his companions he was jumping from a low roof1 when his foot caught and he fell headlong to the ground4 ,the weak arm received the weight of the shock2 the old break was re-opened and the bones were split in a new place1 and one of them protruded from a bleeding wound in the wrist4 ,he had fallen upon a heap of sand1 and when he rose to his feet he found that in the gash made by the broken bone the sand and dirt had penetrated4 ,he sat down and wiped his wrist and the bone clean1 put back the bone inside the flesh of his arm1 and then started for the doctor's office4 ,as in the other instance1 his home was only a block away1 but he did not wish to alarm his folks4 ,failing to find the doctor he went to a drug store1 and1 explaining his injury1 asked that the physician be sent for4 ,an hour later ,brother ,stevens found ,briant sitting1 pale but complacent1 in the doctor's office1 awaiting treatment4 ,the necessary operation was long and painful1 and at its close ,briant was very weak4 ,he whispered to his father3 ,i am all right1 papa1 and will soon be well2 but ,i hope that we can get home quickly1 because ,i want you to administer to me4 ,this second serious accident occurred on the #ahth of ,january1 #ahhg2 a week later--on the #beth day of the month--lock-jaw set in1 and his suffering became intense4 ,brother ,stevens went on the day following to ask the assistance of ,elders ,george ,w4 ,larkin and ,moroni ,poulter in watching with ,briant2 and these two brethren remained alternately at the child's bedside1 day and night1 until he closed his eyes in death4 ,on the morning of the #bfth of ,january1 before the visit of ,brother ,stevens1 ,elder ,larkin said to his family3 ,i had a strange and sad dream about little ,briant ,stevens last night4 ,i wonder if the boy is sick4 ,half an hour later ,brother ,stevens called with the sorrowful message2 but ,elder ,larkin1 though amazed at the coincidence1 would not relate the nature of his dream1 for fear of rending the father's heart4 ,but the dream was later fulfilled to the letter1 and was then fully stated4 ,bishop ,stratford had selected ,briant1 a few weeks before the second accident1 as a proper subject for ordination to the ,aaronic ,priesthood2 but the ordinance had not yet been attended to4 ,and while ,briant was prostrated1 he was comforted by receiving this blessing under the direction of the proper authorities4 ,at the same time he remembered his promise to his young convert and companion1 and he so impressed his anxiety upon his father's mind that--on the very day of ,briant's funeral--,brother ,stevens visited the other little chap and made an arrangement for his ordination4 ,when the more serious affliction of lock-jaw came upon ,briant1 he expressed but one regret3 he feared that his misfortunes were bringing trouble and annoyance upon his parents and friends4 ,beyond this source of anxiety1 all was peace with him4 ,he never expressed the slightest fear for himself4 ,he was always1 according to his hopeful words1 in a state of improvement3 never needing anything except the blessing of ,god2 never enduring much pain2 but quite content if the ,elders were present to administer to him and to talk with him about the things of ,god4 ,one day he called his father and mother to his bedside and said to them3 ,i am not afraid to die2 for there is nothing in death of which ,i have any dread4 ,only ,i want to take part in the building of the temple to ,god in ,jackson ,county4 ,on another occasion he said to the ,elders who were watching with him3 ,i shall get better soon1 and then ,i shall be able to repay you for your great kindness4 ,i want to see the coming of our ,lord ,jesus2 ,i want to go back to ,jackson ,county to help to build the temple there for ,him4 ,and ,i know that ,i will aid in this work4 ,one of the brethren was moved upon by the ,spirit of ,god to administer to ,briant and to promise that this hope should be fulfilled2 that the boy should see the coming of ,christ and be with the ,saints in ,jackson ,county when they should build the temple4 ,night after night the ,elders came and watched with ,briant1 blessing him and ministering to his wants4 ,they esteemed it not a task1 but a pleasure2 because1 as they all stated1 they never before felt such a constant power and influence of the ,spirit as they encountered at this boy's bedside4 ,so peaceful and joyous was the manifestation to them that everyone felt that no death was in the house4 ,but the night before ,briant died one of the ,elders who had attended at the bedside1 fell asleep while thinking about the sick child4 ,he dreamed that himself and three of his companion ,elders1 who had also waited on ,briant1 went upon a journey into a distant and beautiful country4 ,they seemed to have some definite object in view1 but during their travel this object was not present to their minds4 ,when they reached the fair land of their destination1 they saw a superb building1 which they at once divined to be a temple of the living ,god4 ,it was not yet completed2 but it had assumed such proportions as to show the utmost grandeur4 ,it was constructed of white1 shining stone1 seemingly as hard as granite4 ,many workmen appeared to be engaged in the building2 and one of them1 clothed in a white robe1 with his head and hands and feet bare1 stood upon the ground near the entrance to the structure4 ,in the white outer wall1 at one side of the mighty arched doorway1 and at the height of a man's head1 a monogram seemed to be newly set into the stone4 ,it was composed of three letters2 the top one being ,b1 clearly distinguishable2 and the other two being fainter4 ,at once the sojourners knew that this was what they had come after4 ,the ,elder who dreamed1 thought that he reached forward and attempted to take it from its place4 ,but the white robed workman stayed his hand1 saying3 ,you cannot take it4 ,it has been set here by order of the ,master1 as an ornament to this temple4 ,the ,elders then walked around the building1 and entered the interior through a magnificent portal1 and saw that much workmanship of fine patterns was being used in the adornment of the structure4 ,they walked out and once more essayed to pluck the monogram from its place in the glittering wall4 ,but again the voice of the guardian workman stayed their hands4 ,for the second time they walked around the temple1 entered through the archway and gazed at the magnificent interior4 ,then they said3 ,let us try once more4 ,the third time the ,elder stretched out his hand to take the monogram2 but1 as on the other occasions1 he was told to desist4 ,the workman had spoken to him each time in perfect kindness1 but in a decided tone4 ,on this final effort a voice sounding like a trumpet descended from the top of the building1 saying3 ,brother calling him by name1 you must go back2 your wish cannot be granted4 ,then they withdrew4 ,soon the ,elder awoke1 and he felt certain that the prayers which had been offered concerning ,briant ,stevens--though they had reached the throne of the ,eternal ,father--were powerless to change the decree which had been made in heaven concerning the boy1 and that ,briant must speedily pass from earth4 ,the next day this ,elder was sitting in ,fast meeting1 when the dream recurred to his mind2 and instantly he felt that ,briant should be ordained to the ,melchisedec ,priesthood before his death4 ,the ,elder would have gone to the house1 but a sudden impression came to him that he need have no anxiety1 for the matter was already receiving attention4 ,on the morning of the #crd of ,february1 which was ,fast-day1 ,brother ,stevens was prompted to ordain ,briant to the ,melchisedec ,priesthood2 but he endeavored to banish the thought from his mind4 ,it constantly recurred to him1 each time growing more imperative4 ,he was not alone in this feeling1 for several ,elders who had watched with ,briant felt the same influence at the same time1 although they were not all present4 ,but one of them1 who was sitting at the bedside1 said3 ,brother ,stevens1 ,i have felt for several hours that ,i ought to speak to you about ordaining ,briant to be an ,elder in the ,church4 ,i think that you ought to do this at once4 ,brother ,stevens admitted that the same feeling had been in his mind2 but that he had hesitated1 for fear that such a course might seem like giving up a hope of ,briant's recovery4 ,but after such admonitions he could no longer neglect the warning1 and he sent for the ,bishop4 ,the messenger1 on his way to the ,bishop's place1 met ,president ,shurtliff and spoke to him of ,briant2 and the ,president seemed to have entertained the same thought1 for he said that he was led to believe that ,briant should receive the ,melchisedec ,priesthood4 ,when this holy ordination was conferred upon him1 ,briant became serene1 though he had been in great pain for some time preceding1 and he sank at once into an easy slumber4 ,he woke not in this world4 ,in an hour his breathing ceased and his spirit left the tortured clay to undergo the transition of nature1 while the noble life went to another realm to perform its destined mission4 ,elder ,george ,larkin was in the room when ,briant died2 and to him was entrusted the sad duty of preparing the wasted body for its burial4 ,when his solemn task was completed he burst into tears and said to ,brother ,stevens3 ,now my dream is fulfilled4 ,the night before you called for me1 a vision came in my slumber4 ,i saw ,briant lying dead in this room1 and mine was the dread duty to wash and dress his deserted tabernacle and place it in the coffin4 ,and so it has come to pass1 exactly according to my dream4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,a ,,helpful ,,vision ,,to ,,briant',s ,,stricken ,,father--,,the ,,comforter ,,brings ,,the ,,peace ,,which ,,passes ,,all ,,understanding--,,the ,,funeral ,,of ,,the ,,little ,,missionary--,,his ,,work ,,lives ,,after ,,him4 ,there was but one thought produced in the minds of all who knew of the last scene at this good little ,briant's bedside3 it was that in all the spasms and torture of his dread disease he had been kept alive to receive the power of this ordination2 and as soon as the administration was effected1 the purpose of his mortal life was fulfilled1 and he passed from a peaceful slumber on earth into a glorious waking beyond4 ,the night after ,briant died1 ,brother and ,sister ,stevens were crushed with woe4 ,they were not entirely disconsolate2 they did not mourn as those who have no hope1 and yet they seemed unable to reconcile themselves to the loss of their pride and joy4 ,brother ,stevens himself said to a friend at this hour3 ,i know that ,briant is at peace4 ,i know that he is a treasure and a joy to his ,god wherever he is2 and ,i do not repine at the decree which has taken him away1 after so many years of blessing in his society2 but when ,i remember that in every nook about our home there is some evidence of his handiwork2 when ,i think of all the comfort he has been--,i cannot hold back this feeling of agony4 ,that night ,brother ,stevens prayed that the ,lord would give consolation2 and make manifest something of ,his glory to banish the overwhelming sorrow which was in that stricken home4 ,when ,brother ,stevens fell asleep he dreamed2 and it became a dream within a dream3 ,he thought that he went to bed and dreamed that ,briant was dead4 ,the friends and relatives who flocked around were moaning in anguish and asking in agonized tones what they could do to bring little ,briant back to life4 ,the father retired to a room and fell upon his knees1 and asked the ,lord what should be done in the matter2 and the voice of the ,spirit came to him1 saying3 ,,cover ,,briant',s ,,body ,,with ,,clay2 ,,and ,,then ,,patiently ,,await ,,my ,,purpose4 ,,if ,,you ,,will ,,obey ,,this ,,command1 ,i ,,will ,,show ,,you ,,the ,,glory ,,now ,,possessed ,,by ,,briant4 ,while he still knelt this command was repeated2 and he rose to his feet4 ,entering the room where the little white-robed figure lay1 he said to the weeping attendants3 ,i know now what ,i shall do4 ,you need worry no more2 because ,god has told me1 and ,i will fulfill ,his design4 ,the father lifted the body in his arms from the bed whereon it lay in dread repose1 and laid it upon the floor4 ,he took clay and with his hands covered the marble form deeply1 until there was visible no semblance of the body4 ,and then he sat down to await ,god's purpose4 ,a long time and patiently he seemed to sit2 and at length he saw a light and in this light was little ,briant1 standing in the air1 robed in snowy whiteness1 with a face transfigured in its light and beauty4 ,the boy smiled at him and moved his hands as if in loving recognition4 ,this ethereal form of ,briant moved about in the room without effort4 ,a single inclination of the shining head seemed to project the body in any desired direction4 ,while the father watched and marvelled and felt great joy1 he dreamed that he awoke from his dream and found his little ,briant still convulsed and tortured by the power of the ,destroyer4 ,and then he seemed to weep in agony because of his boy's suffering2 for now instead of a familiar face yet transfigured in lovely happiness1 he saw a countenance strange and distorted by pain4 ,he wished and prayed that ,briant's torture might cease1 and that the boy might be translated to heavenly radiance4 ,but soon in reality the father awoke1 and sensed that ,briant was surely dead4 ,and back came to his soul the feeling of patient hope and unrepining trust which had seemed to pervade the inner dream4 ,he sincerely and submissively praised ,god's holy name4 ,he told his wife what he had seen in this vision of the night1 and together they took comfort2 and through all the tribulation and loneliness which have followed the loss of their eldest boy1 they have felt a comfort and sustaining power which nothing on earth can give1 and nothing on earth can take away4 ,they know that1 having covered ,briant's body with clay1 they have now but to patiently await ,god's purpose1 and ,he will sometime restore to them the glorified1 the redeemed1 the happy child4 ,the funeral of this little ,elder of the ,church was held in the ,ward ,meeting ,house in ,ogden on ,sunday1 ,february #fth1 #ahhg1 and was attended by some hundreds of people1 ten of ,briant's young companions acting as pall bearers4 ,it was the remark of the majority of those who were present that the ,spirit of ,god seemed to fill the meeting-house and make its abiding-place in every heart4 ,among the speakers were the ,elders who had attended ,briant in his final act of suffering4 ,they paid a glorious tribute to his patience and to his integrity4 ,all felt that it was in fulfillment of ,god's own purpose that ,briant had been called from earth2 and that the agony which he had endured was but the doorway through which he entered into the ,eternal ,presence4 ,the ,elder who had promised in a holy administration to ,briant that the child should have his hope fulfilled and engage in the building of the temple with the ,saints in ,jackson ,county1 addressed the congregation in a most feeling manner4 ,it was he who had dreamed of the temple and the monogram of ,briant's name4 ,and he knew that the hand of ,god was in the event of the boy's death4 ,while this ,elder spoke1 his face shone with the ,spirit of ,god1 and his words thrilled every heart4 ,out of the hundreds who were present1 probably there were no ,saints who did not see a direct manifestation of the ,holy ,ghost on this occasion4 ,the ,elder renewed the promise which he had made to ,briant during the child's lifetime2 and he did it1 unquestionably1 by the inspiration of the ,almighty4 ,he said3 ,it seems strange to our natural senses that this child should be lying here1 stilled in death1 and yet we should entertain a belief--nay1 a knowledge1 that he will be with the ,saints in his own dear person1 at the building of the temple in ,jackson ,county4 ,and yet1 my brethren and sisters1 ,i know that the promise made to him will be fulfilled4 ,we are drawing nearer to that great day when wondrous things shall be manifested unto us2 the veil between us and the eternal abode of our ,almighty ,father is growing thinner day by day4 ,it is almost ready to burst4 ,elders ,rodney ,c4 ,badger and ,robert ,f4 ,neslen1 of ,salt ,lake1 also addressed the congregation4 ,elder ,neslen1 in referring to the missionary work performed by ,briant ,stevens1 turned to a number of old veterans of the ,church who were sitting upon the stand1 and said3 ,this dear little boy by his own efforts brought four souls into a belief in the everlasting gospel4 ,his converts are here to day1 sincere believers1 full of promise and devotion to the work1 and now ,i doubt whether some of the rest of us whose forms are bowed1 and whose hair is gray1 with all our wanderings up and down the face of the earth1 can truly say that we have done more than he4 ,the little form of ,briant ,stevens was laid away in the cemetery2 but his work did not end with the vanishing of his form from its daily associations4 ,of him truly it may be said that his work lives after him4 ,some of his former companions have been changed from the hour that they learned of his death2 and if there be any prospect in human life which can be deemed certain of fulfillment1 these children will be his imitators in all that was good4 ,word has come to his parents1 even from distant points1 that children who knew him have said since his death1 we will try to live like little ,briant ,stevens1 so that if we should die we can be remembered4 ,and two of his daily associates--one of them being ,fred ,j4 ,bluth1 was with him on each occasion when he broke his arm1 and the other being ,edgar ,peterson1 one of ,briant's converts1 have received a power and manifestation concerning him which is not unworthy of mention4 ,briant and ,fred attended the ,central ,school together2 and each night ,briant1 who was the earlier released from his classes1 waited at the gate for ,fred4 ,in the second night after ,briant was buried1 ,fred had a dream which he relates almost exactly in the following words3 ,i thought that ,briant was waiting for me at the gate as usual--only he was dressed in white raiment1 like that in which he lay in the coffin4 ,when ,i came near him1 he sprang to my side and threw his arms around my neck4 ,he took my hand1 and said3 ',come1 ,fred1 with me4' ,hand in hand1 we ran up town together4 ,we came to a house in which a baby lay dead4 ,we entered the room and looked at the little one4 ,still hand in hand1 we came out1 and a large wagon stood before the door4 ,the driver came down from his seat1 and we got in and drove to a building like a granary4 ,briant opened the doors4 ,and then ,i heard a voice saying3 ',you must fill the wagon with corn4' ,briant and ,i began to shovel corn into the wagon2 but soon he stopped4 ,i asked3 ',is it enough8' ,and he answered3 ',not yet4' ,i worked a little longer1 and again ,i called to him3 ',is it enough1 ,briant8' ,and once more he replied3 ',not yet1 ,fred4' ,after a still longer time1 during which ,i worked diligently1 ,i asked him for the third time3 ',is it enough8' ,and ,briant replied3 ',yes1 it is enough4 ,now you must come with me1 ,fred4' ,i climbed into the wagon with him2 and then we drove away together4 ,at once ,i awoke4 ,little ,fred felt startled by this dream4 ,he related it to ,edgar ,peterson1 when the latter asked3 ,do you know the meaning of your dream8 ,no4 ,then ,i will give you the interpretation4 ,it means that your earthly work is not yet finished and that when it is done1 ,briant will call for you4 99 99 99 99 99 ,my young brethren and sisters1 doubtless you all have ambitious moments in which you sigh to be noble1 and to do some heroic action4 ,think of little ,briant ,stevens4 ,he learned the secret of true greatness4 ,he lived in purity1 in faith and in prayer to ,almighty ,god4 ,,finding ,,comfort4 ,the ,experience of a ,young ,missionary in a ,lonely ,field1 #aj1jjj ,miles from ,home4 ,,by ,,thomas ,a4 ,,shreeve4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,called ,,to ,,australasia--,,the ,,modern ,,imitators ,,of ,,job',s ,,friends--,,our ,,special ,,instruction ,,is ,,to ,,build ,,up ,,the ,,kingdom ,,of ,,god ,,in ,,those ,,lands--,a ,,disappointment ,,ends ,,in ,a ,,blessing--,,promises ,,by ,,an ,,apostle ,,which ,,were ,,literally ,,fulfilled--,,we ,,reach ,,sydney1 ,,and ,i ,,am ,,separated ,,from ,,my ,,companion4 ,if a relation of my missionary experience can give to my young brethren and sisters one tithe of the strength and blessing which that experience itself imparted to me1 ,i shall be more than repaid in relating it4 ,from the reading of similar accounts by other ,elders ,i have derived much benefit myself2 but ,i realize that words are powerless to convey a full description of the events which befall every missionary of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,no man can serve his ,savior faithfully in distant lands1 among strangers1 without receiving and keeping constantly the ,spirit of holiness1 and without experiencing miraculous interpositions in his behalf4 ,at the time of their occurrence they are subjects of wonder and thankfulness2 but as years pass by1 it becomes extremely difficult to put them into words so expressive that they do not seem either too fanciful for reality1 or too cold to be interesting4 99 99 99 99 99 ,at the ,general ,conference on ,april #hth1 #ahgh1 in company with ,elder ,fred4 ,j4 ,may1 of ,salt ,lake1 ,i was called to fill a mission in ,australasia1 comprising ,australia1 ,tasmania and ,new ,zealand4 ,a strange circumstance attended this calling4 ,for a week previous to the time that the public announcement was made1 some of the authorities who had the matter in charge1 and who had my name with the names of other missionaries1 had been looking vainly for me1 or for someone who knew me4 ,three separate times my name was called in public meeting1 and a request for my attendance at the ,president's office was made known4 ,i heard nothing of the matter1 although probably scores of my friends and intimate acquaintances were present4 ,but each one thought that ,i had either heard the notice myself1 or would be told by someone else4 ,at last1 on ,saturday evening1 ,april #fth1 #ahgh1 ,i was informed that a meeting was to be held at the ,council ,house1 and that my presence was desired4 ,i was then engaged in the old ,big ,boot shoe store in ,salt ,lake2 and ,i dropped my work and hastened to the appointment1 reaching the ,council ,house just at the appointed hour4 ,i found ,brother ,john ,van ,cott there1 and asked him what was wanted of me4 ,wanted of you8 he asked1 in surprise4 ,yes1 ,i was told that inquiry had been made for me in two or three meetings1 and that ,i was wanted here to-night4 ,oh1 are you the man8 ,we have been hunting for you for a week4 ,i have known you for years1 but ,i had forgotten entirely who you were4 ,we want to know if you are willing to take a mission4 ,are you8 ,yes1 sir4 ,at that moment ,uncle ,joseph ,young came in2 and ,brother ,van ,cott turned to him and said3 ,uncle ,joseph1 here's the man we've been looking for so long4 ,after ,president ,joseph had looked at me for a moment1 he said3 ,young man1 we want to know if you are willing to take a mission4 ,if you have any excuses to make1 though1 you may take them to the ,president's office4 ,i replied1 ,brother ,young1 ,i have no excuses to make4 ,i will endeavor to go whenever ,i am wanted4 ,i have since been led to marvel1 and to thank my ,heavenly ,father1 that the authorities did not drop my name from the list of missionaries at that time1 instead of persisting in the search for me4 ,no doubt it has shaped my life1 and given me a blessing which will endure beyond this mortality4 ,i could not be present in the ,tabernacle on the following ,monday when the call was made1 and therefore did not know to what mission ,i was assigned1 until some over-zealous friends rushed into the place where ,i was employed1 and informed me that ,i was called to ,australasia1 and offered me their sympathy4 ,during the remainder of the week ,i was the recipient of innumerable condolences4 ,one brother said to me3 ,that is the hardest mission in the world4 ,no ,elders are there now1 and some of the men who were last called to labor in that field--educated and experienced preachers--returned in ten months utterly discouraged1 and reported that no satisfactory result could be accomplished in that region4 ,another brother said3 ,i would rather be called to go into ,montana and preach to the miners4 ,another said3 ,as good a ,mormon as ,i am1 ,i would rather go to ,purgatory and preach to the spirits in prison there than to take your mission1 ,thomas4 ,and finally another one 7who has since suffered martyrdom in the penitentiary7--a prominent business man of ,salt ,lake1 by the way--said3 ,the kind of missionary needed in that land is a man like ,orson ,pratt2 implying very strongly that inexperienced persons like myself might better stay at home than to make a useless attempt to convert the cold and skeptical people in ,australia and ,new ,zealand to a knowledge of the gospel4 ,while ,i had made up my mind to endeavor1 by the help of the ,lord1 to perform my duty2 remarks of this kind could not help but make me despondent4 ,i had been very much surprised1 and somewhat shocked1 ,i will confess1 when the announcement was made to me of the nature of my mission2 and these injudicious condolences intensified my self-distrust1 and made me feel as if my trip would be anything but pleasant to myself and advantageous to the cause4 ,but happily all my friends were not of this class4 ,after a few days1 and when ,i was beginning to feel considerably cast down1 ,elder ,john ,van ,cott met me1 and said3 ,thomas1 ,i hear that you have been having some of ,job's friends to comfort you4 ,never mind1 my boy2 go and fill your mission1 and you will be blessed in your labor4 ,when ,i was called to go to ,scandinavia ,i and others felt that it would be a hard mission for me--if not a useless one4 ,but the ,lord has wrought it into a blessing for me2 because ,i can travel through the length and breadth of this ,territory1 and in every settlement ,i can find a friend4 ,within a week after the time we were called1 ,brother ,may and myself went to the ,council ,house to be set apart for our labor4 ,fifty-two ,elders1 ,i think1 were there the same day to obtain their blessing4 ,we were among the last4 ,in fact all the others had received their ordination and had gone before any attention was paid to us4 ,apostles ,charles ,c4 ,rich1 ,orson ,pratt and ,lorenzo ,snow were there attending to this labor3 and when the last of the other missionaries had departed1 ,brother ,rich turned to me and said3 ,well1 ,thomas1 you are going to quit selling shoes1 and going to preach the gospel1 are you8 ,i answered1 ,yes1 sir2 ,i shall try4 ,they enquired unto what mission we were called2 and learning that we were going to distant and abandoned ,australasia1 they all expressed great interest in our welfare1 and they sat down with us and talked very kindly for some little time4 ,i had watched the blessings of the other missionaries1 and had noticed that the ,apostles each took his turn in ordaining the young ,elders to their calling4 ,i was acquainted with ,apostles ,rich and ,pratt1 but not with ,apostle ,snow2 and ,i earnestly desired that one of the two former should bless me4 ,so ,i had located myself in the position where ,i thought ,brother ,rich would reach me in his turn4 ,however1 their visit with us had disarranged their plan2 and when the conversation was ended one of them enquired3 ,whose turn is it to ordain this ,elder8 ,the result was that ,brother ,snow was called upon to ordain me4 ,at the moment ,i was disappointed2 for ,i realized how grave a responsibility ,i was going forth to meet1 and ,i fancied ,i could gain greater strength and blessing under the hands of one of the ,apostles with whom ,i had been acquainted for years1 than under the hands of a stranger4 ,but the result banished that disappointment4 ,brother ,snow sensed our peculiar situation1 and he blessed me with a power and spirit which thrilled my whole being4 ,before he had concluded his words the tears were coursing down my cheeks like rain4 ,as if the words were uttered yesterday1 ,i remember some promises which he made to me3 ,from the moment that you leave these valleys until you return1 the angels of the ,almighty shall be with you4 ,when you travel by land or by sea1 though dangers may beset you on the right hand and on the left1 the power of the ,almighty shall protect you4 ,though death may stare you in the face1 the angels of the ,lord will warn you and shield you4 ,though the enemies of the truth may plot against you1 their evil designs shall be made known to you by the angels of the ,lord1 and if you heed their warning you shall be protected4 ,when even your brethren shall desert you and turn against you1 and your way shall seem to be hedged up1 you will find a blessing given you from the ,lord1 for ,he will be your friend4 ,and you will see the day when you will have no friend with the power to aid you1 other than your ,heavenly ,father1 in all the land where you are sojourning4 ,but we promise you that because of your faith you shall be brought triumphant through these tribulations1 and shall be brought to your home again in safety and with the approbation of the ,priesthood and the blessing of the ,almighty4 ,and you shall live to see the day when your labors in that far-off land will bear good fruit4 ,every word of that prophetic blessing has been fulfilled in a most wonderful manner4 ,i believe that the ,lord put these things into ,brother ,snow's mind1 and that ,he gave me these promises to comfort and sustain me2 and that in the little disappointment which ,i felt at not receiving my blessing under the hands of ,apostle ,rich or ,apostle ,pratt1 the ,lord had really ,his own wise purpose to accomplish4 ,a week previous to the date fixed for our departure we were at ,president ,taylor's office to learn if he had any special instruction for us4 ,we hoped and expected that he would outline our work or that we might have some particular rule of guidance in that distant and lonely land4 ,but the ,president's only word was3 ,yes1 brethren1 we want you to go to ,australasia1 and build up the ,kingdom of ,god there4 ,three times we asked our question3 ,are there any special instructions for us8 ,and three times we received the answer in the ,president's well-known impressive manner3 ,yes1 brethren1 we want you to go to ,australasia1 and build up the ,kingdom of ,god there4 ,elder ,may looked at him with amazement in his eyes2 and certainly if my face indicated my feeling1 it betrayed the utmost surprise4 ,was this all8 ,president ,taylor was the ,prophet of ,god on earth2 and we were inexperienced ,elders going to a land nearly ten thousand miles away from home1 to labor in a mission which had been abandoned by older and more learned men than we were4 ,naturally1 we expected to hear what we must do when we reached ,australia2 how we must live2 how approach the people2 and how apportion our time to the various districts of that vast field4 ,and yet our interview was ended4 ,president ,taylor's manner and words--though very kind1 and even fatherly1 were decisive2 and we withdrew in some disappointment4 ,when we got out on the street we looked at each other in a most woe begone manner4 ,i do not know when ,i felt more forlorn or helpless than at that hour4 ,but we lived and learned to bless that significant sentence1 which ,president ,taylor uttered in his wisdom1 and by the inspiration of the ,spirit4 ,it became to us better1 far better1 than a book full of the special instructions which we had coveted4 ,whenever we were discouraged1 or torn by doubt1 or oppressed by fear2 we had our guide3 ,build up the ,kingdom of ,god in those lands6 ,and prayer to ,god invariably showed us the right means to reach that result4 ,if we had been dependent upon a certain method of gospel presentation1 and less dependent upon our ,heavenly ,father1 ,i am sure that we would not have been so greatly blessed as we were in our labors4 ,we left ,zion on ,tuesday1 ,may #gth1 #ahgh2 and sailed from ,san ,francisco on ,monday1 ,may #acth1 #ahgh1 on the steamer1 ,city of ,sydney4 ,we took steerage passage1 and found ourselves in a motley crowd4 ,there were about fifty white passengers and one hundred and twenty-five ,chinamen in this part of the ship1 and we had a perfect ,babel4 ,the ,chinamen kept up their own interminable chattering4 ,and among the whites were ,welshmen1 ,irishmen1 ,scotchmen1 ,jew1 ,gentile1 ,infidel3 representatives of every race and of every sect4 ,we even had a dynamiter on board--a person who claimed friendship with the notorious ,o',donovan ,rossa of ,new ,york4 ,the first port we made was ,honolulu2 where we met ,elder ,henry ,p4 ,richards1 of ,salt ,lake1 and ,elder ,woodbury1 of ,st4 ,george4 ,they took us to the houses of the ,saints1 and we had a dinner of poi and salt fish1 luxuries which ,i tried my best to appreciate4 ,on ,sunday1 ,june #bnd1 we passed ,sunday ,island1 in the ,south ,pacific4 ,that night we retired to rest about ten o'clock4 ,after eight hours sleep we arose--and found that it was ,tuesday morning at six o'clock4 ,we had sailed across the line which marks the beginning of the day1 and had lost our twenty-four hours4 ,i greatly regretted this loss of ,monday1 and never felt entirely reconciled to it during the two years that ,i was away4 ,fortunately for my peace of mind1 on our return we made two ,fridays on the same spot2 and ,i allowed my gain of ,friday to cancel my loss of ,monday4 ,we entered ,auckland harbor on ,wednesday1 ,june #eth2 and sailed into ,sydney ,bay at half past two o'clock on ,wednesday morning a week later4 ,we remained in the lower bay during quarantine examination2 and later in the morning the ,city of ,sidney steamed up to the central quay1 arriving at her birth about eleven o'clock4 ,several hundred people were on the shore awaiting the arrival of the steamer4 ,they were all complete strangers to me1 and ,i did not expect anyone to meet us4 ,but ,i saw in the crowd one man whom ,i instantly knew to be a member of the ,church4 ,i turned to point him out to ,brother ,may1 but found my companion absent4 ,however1 ,i watched this man attentively1 feeling certain that he had come to find us1 and that he was one of our brethren4 ,the event proved my supposition to be correct4 ,when he came on board the vessel he asked the steward for two passengers by the name of ,may and ,shreeve4 ,as soon as he spoke ,i stepped up to him and told him that ,i was one of the persons wanted4 ,we shook hands2 and ,i found him to be ,brother ,j4 ,nichols4 ,we went to his house in ,sydney1 and were very kindly received4 ,during the next several days we were engaged in a reorganization of the branch1 which had become somewhat demoralized by neglect and by inattention of members4 ,on the #afth day of ,july1 ,elder ,may went to ,melbourne2 and we did not meet again for more than two years4 ,it was not in our original plan to be separated for so long a time2 but subsequent circumstances made that lengthy separation apparently necessary4 ,when we looked over the field after reorganizing the ,sydney ,branch we discovered that it was entirely too large for us to cover within a reasonable time1 if we remained together2 and1 though we disliked to part company1 we felt that by taking separate fields we could cover twice as much ground in a given length of time as by both traveling together4 ,we therefore arranged that ,brother ,may should go down to ,melbourne1 where he had some relatives1 and thence to ,tasmania2 while ,i should remain in ,new ,south ,wales until the following ,december4 ,about the close of the year we should both go to ,new ,zealand and together visit the branch of the ,church there1 and endeavor to enlarge the work in that locality4 ,but this plan1 for good reasons1 was never consummated entirely2 and ,i was parted from the companion whom ,i had learned to love1 and who was the only close friend that ,i could hope to have on earth in that ,hemisphere--from the time of his departure from ,sydney until the hour when ,i set foot on the steamer's deck to return home4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,labor ,,which ,,brought ,,little ,,compensation--,a ,,mysterious ,,call ,,to ,,new ,,zealand--,,attacked ,,by ,,an ,,evil ,,spirit--,,the ,,visitation ,,thrice ,,repeated--,,meeting ,,the ,,brother ,,of ,a ,,friend--,,on ,,board ,,the ,,wakatipu1 ,,bound ,,for ,,new ,,zealand4 ,i felt very lonely after ,brother ,may's departure4 ,the next day1 feeling extremely despondent1 ,i walked out to ,bondi1 a point overlooking the great ocean4 ,there ,i knelt down among the rocks and prayed most fervently to the ,lord for comfort and help through all my trials4 ,i derived such consolation from the communion with my ,heavenly ,father that ,i have ever since felt anxious to advise my younger brethren who go on missions1 to frequently seek retired spots and there offer devotion to ,god and supplication for ,his blessing4 ,i then engaged in the work of visiting in ,sydney and its suburbs2 and succeeded in finding several persons who had once been members of the ,church4 ,it was our hope to reunite these persons with the ,church and get them to renew their covenants and prepare sometime for emigration to ,zion2 but the majority of them were hardened4 ,the people of ,new ,south ,wales had no desire to hear or obey the gospel4 ,many of those who had once had membership in the ,church had become ,josephites1 and these and all the others felt that they needed no rebaptism at our hands1 for they were quite good enough without4 ,although ,i labored willingly1 and even anxiously1 in this region1 ,i never felt peaceful and contented in the city of ,sydney4 ,the very hour that ,i landed there1 ,i felt a weight upon my shoulders as if something were pressing me to the earth4 ,i was as conscious of that weight as if it had really been something physically tangible2 and even when ,i was at the house of ,brother ,nichols1 where we received very kind treatment1 ,i could not rid myself of this sensation4 ,it was only when ,i could get away from the city itself that ,i could feel at all light-hearted4 ,i often wondered why ,i felt so ill at ease in ,sydney1 and why ,i could not gain greater contentment when visiting with the family of ,brother ,nichols there2 but this matter was later solved to my understanding1 if not to my satisfaction4 ,not long after ,i was left alone ,i had a strange dream concerning my labors4 ,i thought that ,i was called to take a mission to the ,east4 ,the idea was very vivid in my mind1 though no steps or time seemed to have been made clear to me4 ,when ,i awoke1 ,i thought upon the matter1 and interpreted it as meaning that1 after my return to ,zion1 ,i should have another mission--probably to ,europe4 ,with this view ,i attempted to dismiss the matter from my mind2 but ,i found the effort futile4 ,the idea remained persistently with me for three or four days2 and then one afternoon when ,i took up a book and sought to read1 suddenly the printed lines were blurred from me1 and these words started out from the page3 ,you must go to ,new ,zealand4 ,i rubbed my eyes1 astonished1 and looked again4 ,the words had disappeared1 and for a few moments ,i was able to read the book4 ,but again these words came upon the page1 shutting out the printed lines from my sight3 ,you are wanted in ,new ,zealand4 ,this strange thing was repeated again and again4 ,but ,i did not permit myself to accept it as a requirement2 because ,i remembered the definite understanding which ,i had made with ,brother ,may concerning my labors in ,new ,south ,wales1 and the date of our mutual journey to ,new ,zealand in ,december or ,january following4 ,i dropped the book for a time1 and then picked it up again4 ,the strange appearance of this command was repeated4 ,not only on this day and with this book did ,i experience this wondrous manifestation2 but day after day with any book or newspaper which ,i attempted to read1 was the appearance repeated4 ,not understanding that this was a command to me which ,i ought to obey2 and feeling in a measure bound by my agreement with my companion1 ,i could not1 despite all these repeated instructions1 bring myself to a compliance with it4 ,but soon the warning took another and a stronger form1 and hastened my departure1 while explaining to me the strange weight which ,i had felt upon me in ,sydney4 ,one day ,i went to ,ashfield1 one of the environs of ,sydney1 to visit ,brother ,william ,armstrong1 who resided there with his family4 ,i returned in the afternoon1 feeling somewhat weary1 and lay down upon a lounge in the front room of ,brother ,nichols' house4 ,his wife was gossiping with a neighbor in her jocular ,irish way1 and ,i felt somewhat amused in listening to her4 ,suddenly ,i felt myself borne down by a strange and awful power4 ,it weighed upon my bosom and seemed to be crushing me1 while it pressed also upon my mouth and threw my head over the top of the lounge4 ,the pressure upon my face was as distinct as if it had been made by a sinewy hand pressing a cloth tightly over my mouth and nose4 ,in the first excitement my heart beat very rapidly1 and then stopped1 motionless4 ,i struggled to release myself1 even reaching out with one hand and seizing the edge of the lounge1 intending to draw myself down to the floor4 ,every effort was unavailing1 and it seemed to me that ,i was losing myself and must soon die1 if ,i could not obtain relief4 ,then the thought came to me to pray1 and ,i cried in my inmost soul3 ,oh1 ,lord6 help me6 ,no sooner had this petition passed in thought through my mind than ,i was instantly released4 ,i sprang to my feet1 trembling with fear and suffering1 but ,i made no cry and gave no explanation to those who were present4 ,the sensation which ,i experienced at the time ,i was in the grasp of this power was as distinctly painful as any physical suffering ,i ever endured1 and more intense than any ordinary physical pain can be4 ,i wondered at it1 as ,i had not been subject to such attacks2 ,i even bit my finger to see if ,i were really awake1 thinking that possibly ,i might be in a dream4 ,but ,i found it all too real4 ,searching my mind for some explanation1 ,i concluded that as ,i had returned to the house hungry and worried1 ,i had possibly taken too much dinner4 ,and with this unsatisfactory explanation ,i forced myself to be content for the time4 ,a few days later ,i determined to fast2 and in the course of the day ,i went to the ,botanical ,gardens4 ,upon my return1 feeling somewhat faint and tired1 ,i again lay down upon the couch4 ,in a few minutes the awful influence once more seized me--this time with even greater power than before4 ,i was affrighted and helpless4 ,in the midst of my dreadful physical pain and mental torture came the realization that ,i was in the grasp of an evil spirit4 ,this sudden knowledge intensified my torture4 ,for some seconds--it seemed to me an age1 my heart stood still4 ,i felt myself slipping away1 but could not move nor cry aloud4 ,once more the inspiration came to me to pray1 and ,i called upon my ,heavenly ,father for help4 ,at once the influence departed1 and ,i sprang to my feet weak and trembling4 ,i felt every hair on my head standing upright4 ,i recalled the description given by ,joseph ,smith of the darkness which enveloped him when he first prayed in the woods for light2 and ,i knew that ,i had experienced in some slight degree the same torment which he encountered on that occasion4 ,i remembered that the ,prophet spoke of giving up under the torture that he was suffering1 and of his being saved by the power of ,god just at the moment when he felt himself slipping away into death and perdition4 ,this1 though undoubtedly in a greatly moderated degree1 was my own experience4 ,after this the feeling that ,i must go to ,new ,zealand was borne irresistibly4 ,the last emphatic warning had shown me that ,sydney was no place for me at this hour1 and that ,i must heed the commandments which were given to me4 ,accordingly1 ,i purchased a ticket for ,port ,littleton1 distant about twelve hundred miles from ,sydney4 ,the steamer by which ,i was to sail would not leave for a week1 but ,i could not rest easy until ,i had secured my passage4 ,the vessel was called the ,wakatipu1 from two ,maori words1 waka1 meaning canoe1 and tipu1 meaning goods2 the union signifying a canoe or ship to carry goods4 ,after purchasing this ticket the feeling of anxiety and unrest which had possessed me departed1 and ,i felt quite content in the full consciousness that ,i was now in the line of my duty2 but ,i still had a dread of the evil influences which ,i now knew abounded in ,sydney and inhabited the house at which ,i was staying4 ,when now ,i took up a book or a newspaper ,i could see the words as distinctly as ever1 and was no more visited by the commandment which had been so manifest on other occasions4 ,the couch on which ,i had lain when seized by these dark powers was my own bed at night1 and ,i had not been troubled in the evening4 ,but from the hour of the second seizure ,i religiously avoided sitting or reclining upon the lounge in the day-time4 ,i had a strong horror of sleeping upon this couch at night1 but ,i had no alternative2 and solaced myself by constant prayer and humility before the ,lord1 asking to be protected from the assaults of the adversary4 ,previous to taking my departure for ,new ,zealand ,i went out to ,ashfield to bid ,brother ,armstrong and his family farewell4 ,again ,i returned late in the evening4 ,i thoughtlessly threw myself upon the couch1 and almost in the very second ,i was seized by the destroyer4 ,the experience was the same as on the other occasions1 except that it was much more powerful and painful4 ,i believed for a moment that ,i must die2 but once more ,i was restored by my prayer to heaven4 ,the sensations ,i suffered in these seizures ,i never can forget4 ,to speak of them even at this hour causes a chill of horror to pass over my being1 and as a rule ,i feel a dreadful pain attacking my heart4 ,i did not speak of these experiences to anyone in ,sydney1 nor to anyone else for a long time4 ,i was inexperienced in these matters1 and ,i thought it wise to keep my own counsel4 ,but nearly a year afterward ,i received a letter from ,brother ,may1 who had returned to ,sydney and had stopped at the house of ,brother ,nichols1 while ,i was in ,new ,zealand4 ,he had occupied as a bed the couch whereon ,i had slept2 and he informed me that he had been seized by evil spirits in the night1 dragged from his bed1 and tortured4 ,after this reinforcement of my own views ,i wrote to ,brother ,may1 informing him of what had occurred at the house on three separate occasions when ,i was lying upon that couch4 ,i felt then that not only was the city of ,sydney an oppressive place for the ,elders1 but that the house where we had stopped1 though occupied by a man who professed the faith1 offered a welcome to evil influences4 ,such an opinion was substantiated later when ,nichols and his wife turned ,brother ,may out of the house1 and then apostatized and joined the ,josephites4 ,although they had treated me very kindly ,i always felt under a restraint when ,i was on their premises2 and the event showed that they preferred association with the powers of darkness to the friendship and company of the ,elders of the ,church4 ,mrs4 ,nichols and her eldest son are dead2 and the man1 if alive1 leads what ,i imagine must be a lonely and unsatisfactory life4 ,i am convinced that he knows the gospel to be true2 for ,i have had proof that he possesses this knowledge4 ,realizing this1 ,i imagine that his mind must be in a dreadful state of remorse and anxiety4 ,the day before ,i was to take the steamer ,wakatipu ,i went to the post office at ,sydney to mail some letters4 ,while standing at the stamp window a man walked quickly up through the crowd1 thrust a paper under my face into the window1 and cried3 ,foreign stamp--quick1 please6 ,he laid the paper down1 and ,i saw the address upon it4 ,to my amazement it was3 ,,john ,,alford1 ,salt ,lake ,city1 ,utah ,territory1 ,u4,s4,a4 ,i looked at the gentleman and said3-- ,i beg pardon1 sir2 but do you know the gentleman to whom you are sending this paper8 ,yes1 sir4 ,my brother1 sir4 ,do you know him8 ,yes1 sir4 ,meet me here at twelve o'clock4 ,and with these words he was gone like a flash4 ,it was then eleven o'clock and ,i had an hour to wait4 ,i strolled around for a short time1 and promptly at twelve o'clock ,i was on the veranda of the post office1 awaiting the coming of the very abrupt gentleman4 ,on the stroke of the hour he dodged between the pillars of the veranda1 rushed through the crowd1 and beckoned me to him4 ,then he started at a rapid rate down the street1 and ,i followed4 ,after going a short distance he turned and asked me3 ,had your dinner8 ,no1 sir4 ,come along1 then4 ,we entered the ,free ,mason ,hotel1 the dining room of which was crowded4 ,seating ourselves at a table he gave his order for a beefsteak2 and ,i was too good a ,britisher to refuse the same4 ,while we were waiting1 he asked if ,i were acquainted with his brother4 ,i answered that ,i was1 having worked for the same institution which employed him1 for a number of years4 ,at his request ,i gave him such information as ,i possessed about ,brother ,john ,alford and his family1 and by this time the steaks were ready1 and he proceeded to eat his hurriedly4 ,i saw there was no time for talking1 unless ,i wished to lose my dinner1 so ,i plied knife and fork vigorously4 ,when we were through he paid the charge1 and we walked out4 ,then he asked how long ,i had been in ,australia4 ,i answered3 ,about two months4 ,how long shall you stay8 ,until to-morrow at one o'clock1 when ,i leave for ,new ,zealand by the steamer ,wakatipu4 ,are you a ,mormon ,elder8 ,yes1 sir4 ,do you travel like my brother did when he was preaching in ,england what you folks call the gospel--without purse or scrip8 ,yes1 sir4 ,it is a very strange faith you people have4 ,he never did any work while he was in ,england preaching1 but he could go anywhere he wanted to go--while ,i1 who was always working1 never had either time or money to go anywhere4 ,curious1 isn't it8 ,yes1 sir--our faith is a strange one to the world4 ,but we are placed in such a position that we have learned to rely upon ,god1 our ,eternal ,father1 whose gospel we are preaching4 ,we know that while we are executing ,his commands1 ,he will provide the means4 ,mr4 ,alford shook his head incredulously1 and muttered3 ,queer faith--strange faith--,i can't see it4 ,i am busy now4 ,come to-morrow at twelve o'clock4 ,i will meet you at the post office4 ,i want to see you4 ,i replied3 ,i must leave at one o'clock4 ,i will scarcely have time to meet you4 ,nonsense6 ,come4 ,that steamer won't sail before four or five o'clock4 ,promptly at the appointed time the next day ,i was at the post office1 and again met ,mr4 ,alford4 ,he shook me warmly by the hand and said3 ,i expect1 young man1 you haven't got very much money4 ,you are right1 ,i answered4 ,in purchasing my ticket to ,littleton ,i had expended my last shilling4 ,my destination was the town of ,rangiora1 some distance from ,port ,littleton1 and ,i needed means to pay my fare to that place4 ,mr4 ,alford pressed ten shillings in my hand1 at the same time saying3 ,i do not understand how you folks can travel without purse or scrip4 ,i could have explained to him how his ten shillings had relieved me1 and enabled me to fulfill the commands of my ,master2 but ,i saw that he was a business man--skeptical and unapproachable to the message which ,i was bearing to the world1 and ,i made no attempt to encroach further upon his time4 ,i went on board the vessel during the afternoon1 and felt that ,i was obeying the sacred behest which had been so often and so mysteriously repeated to me in ,sydney4 ,but the adversary seemed determined to cling to me and to fill my mind with evil thoughts4 ,i tried to banish sadness by gazing from the deck of the moving vessel at the beautiful city of ,sydney and the still more beautiful bay4 ,but the effort was vain2 my prevailing emotion was one of despondency4 ,the ship1 the receding lands1 the sea into which we were passing--all seemed so vast2 and ,i seemed such a lonely mite1 that ,i could not find comfort in that hour4 ,gradually1 as the night came on1 the shores grew indistinct4 ,only a myriad of lights twinkled out to show where the city lay4 ,from vessels riding at anchor or moving up the bay to moor after their long voyages1 came shouts of masters and songs of men4 ,the azure depths of sky and sea held each its countless stars4 ,but the beauty of the scene only made me more impressionable to melancholy2 and ,i took one long farewell look at the light-dotted city and the light-dotted bay--lovely beyond description--and then went below4 ,i have never seen ,sydney since that lonely hour4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,an ,,irreverent ,,company ,,of ,,passengers--,,sickness ,,and ,a ,,horror ,,of ,,life ,,fall ,,upon ,,me--,a ,,helpful ,,vision--,,only ,,be ,,true--,,invoking ,,the ,,name ,,of ,,christ--,a ,,jolly ,,singer ,,and ,a ,,jolly ,,song--,,landing ,,at ,,port ,,littleton--,,strange ,,recognition ,,of ,,brother ,,nordstrand--,,his ,,dream ,,concerning ,,me4 ,on board the ,wakatipu was a large company of worldly people1 representing nearly all professions and stations in life4 ,the majority of the people were extremely sociable1 and very soon after we got out into the open water a number of passengers gathered in the cabin with musical instruments1 to while away an hour and to banish sadness4 ,they made a great medley of their pleasures2 and some of them were decidedly irreverent4 ,a portion of the party wished to dance1 and the man who supplied the music claimed to know but one tune4 ,this was3 ,sweeping through the gates of the ,new ,jerusalem1 ,washed in the blood of the ,lamb4 ,and to this very strange schottische some of them danced a merry-go-round4 ,notwithstanding the gaiety on board1 the feeling of dread grew upon me4 ,it seemed to possess my very soul4 ,probably ,i had given way too much to sadness in gazing upon the distant lights of ,sydney1 and now ,i could not banish the evil thoughts which thronged my mind4 ,all manner of gloomy forebodings oppressed me4 ,while ,i remained in ,sydney1 ,i felt that there was some tie between myself and my companion2 but now ,i felt that ,i had cut myself adrift even from him4 ,this was the first time in my life that ever ,i felt how completely alone a man can be when surrounded by joyous company4 ,i tried to think of comfort and companionship at the end of my voyage2 but the reflection proved to be an unfortunate one1 because ,i knew no soul in all ,new ,zealand4 ,death must actually be something to dread for any person to whom it will bring the appalling loneliness which possessed me at this hour4 ,i retired to my berth1 as you may imagine1 in no pleasant frame of mind4 ,the next morning1 ,friday1 ,i awoke and found myself in a raging fever4 ,i was not sea-sick1 and1 though ,i am subject to this trouble1 during this entire voyage ,i felt no touch of it4 ,the fever increased during the day1 until it seemed as if my whole body were being consumed in a furnace4 ,no one came to enquire for me1 or to offer aid2 for ,i was not only a total stranger1 but a steerage passenger--two things which1 united1 shut me out from help or sympathy4 ,on ,saturday morning ,i was worse4 ,my tongue was swollen until it filled my mouth2 it was as dry as a piece of tinder4 ,with the intense heat of my body my teeth crumbled at a touch4 ,on ,sunday morning ,i was worse2 though probably the fever had not increased in intensity1 because it could not2 but ,i was very much weaker4 ,that afternoon a passenger came to the berth1 and offered me a glass of water4 ,i took it gratefully2 and this was the sole attention ,i received during four days4 ,naturally ,i felt dispirited4 ,i had not even the advantage of delirium1 which accompanies most serious fevers2 ,i was constantly awake to the full appreciation of the torture which my mind and body were enduring4 ,tempted by the destroyer1 ,i felt that death would have been a welcome release from my pain4 ,the horror was almost unbearable4 ,on ,sunday night1 the entire company of passengers1 with the exception of myself1 gathered in the main cabin1 upon invitation of a jolly doctor1 who held what he called3 ,a ,saturday ,night at ,sea4 ,to every person who could sing or make a speech1 some part was assigned for the general amusement4 ,from my berth in the steerage--by drawing away the curtains1 ,i could look out upon the festive scene1 in which ,i could bear no part1 for ,i was helpless and speechless4 ,the doctor had been a surgeon in the hospitals of ,england1 and also in the ,crimean ,war1 and he opened the entertainment by a lecture upon the strange experiences of a ,british army surgeon and hospital physician4 ,while he was talking upon this suggestive subject1 my mind was led to a contemplation of death4 ,i felt with a kind of listlessness that ,i would soon be beyond the reach of earthly physicians1 unless something could speedily be done for my relief4 ,after a severe struggle ,i so far overcame the dreadful feeling with which the adversary had filled my heart that ,i was able to call upon the ,lord in prayer4 ,as ,i silently communed with ,him1 ,i gained power2 my faith was restored1 and my hope for life was quickened4 ,i asked ,him in the name of the ,lord ,jesus to be merciful unto me2 ,i felt then at perfect liberty to speak to ,him as a son would talk with a good earthly father4 ,i said that ,i had come into this distant region--not to fulfil my own worldly wish1 but at the behest of ,his servants1 to proclaim ,his gospel1 and to build up ,his ,kingdom4 ,my companion was hundreds of miles distant from me1 and ,i was beyond the reach of earthly help or earthly sympathy4 ,it was my earnest desire to be restored to life1 that ,i might fulfil the mission to which ,i had been assigned by ,his representatives on earth2 and to this end ,i asked that some aid might be given me to rebuke the devil1 and to banish the horrors which ,i felt would soon1 if allowed to work their way1 bring dissolution4 ,when my prayer was ended1 ,i heard the doctor still talking2 but under the sound of his voice ,i fell asleep4 ,i dreamed that ,i was back in ,sydney1 sick in bed4 ,brother ,may was at a table in the room1 and we were conversing4 ,across the room1 to the right of my bed1 was an open door1 which ,i could see without lifting my head from the pillow4 ,while ,i lay there listening to the words of ,brother ,may1 a personage clothed in a white robe entered the room4 ,he appeared to be a young man1 and had a very pleasing countenance4 ,this personage passed around the bed and stood near the table4 ,brother ,may rose and offered the visitant a chair1 and then withdrew4 ,the young man seated himself at the table and opened a book4 ,he said3 ,are you ready to report the ,sydney ,branch8 ,yes1 sir1 ,i responded4 ,then proceed4 ,i gave him an account of all our doings in ,sydney1 beginning with our first effort of reorganizing1 and closing with my last act previous to sailing--for all these things seemed plain to my mind4 ,the recital seemed to occupy me several minutes1 and ,i continued to speak freely4 ,he wrote in the book rapidly1 and never once interrupted me4 ,i felt that he was taking every word ,i uttered4 ,when ,i stopped1 he asked3 ,have you anything more to say8 ,no1 sir1 ,i answered4 ,then he turned the leaves back1 and seemed to read from the beginning4 ,he said3 ,very well4 ,now where are you going8 ,to ,new ,zealand4 ,he recorded my answer in the book1 and then signed his name--,i could not see the words of his name1 but ,i felt that he was writing his own signature4 ,he closed the book and walked around to the right side of the bed1 shook hands with me1 and said3 ,good-by2 ,i will be there before you4 ,he passed from the room1 and then ,i saw the figure of a little child standing at the foot of the bed4 ,i looked closely and recognized my little brother ,teddy1 who had been drowned nearly twenty years before4 ,i seemed to know that he had come from the spirit world1 and in my anxiety ,i sprang from the bed1 and1 resting one knee upon the floor1 ,i gazed intently at him4 ,he stepped near me1 and ,i took one little arm in my hand4 ,although a spirit1 he seemed palpable to my touch4 ,i said3 ,i think you are my little brother ,teddy2 but it is so long since ,i saw you that ,i had almost forgotten how you looked4 ,then the thought came into my mind that ,i must ask him some question4 ,i said3 ,teddy1 have you seen our ,heavenly ,father yet8 ,he answered in the sweet voice of a child3 ,no--but ,i shall see ,him4 ,i noticed that he was trembling1 and that from his eyes there went a glance of fear to the open door4 ,i asked again3 ,have you brought any message to me8 ,to this question he answered1 ,yes1 shaking at the time more violently with fear2 but he turned his glance from the door and his eyes looked straight into mine1 and he came nestling into my arms4 ,he lifted the fore finger of his right hand toward my face and said3 ,only be true6 ,he turned his head1 still with that frightened glance1 at the open door1 and this time ,i also looked4 ,and ,i saw an evil spirit standing just outside and shaking its fist at the little one1 and bearing on its face a demoniacal scowl4 ,its whole bearing and gesture implied the words1 ,don't you dare to give that message6 ,when ,i saw this1 ,i said to ,teddy3 ,have no fear--,i know how to drive him away4 ,for even in my dream ,i seemed to understand what power the evil one possessed and how he could be rebuked4 ,and ,i seemed now to have got back my faith and the power of my calling4 ,i strode to the door and stood close to the wicked spirit4 ,i raised my arm to the square1 with my hand open and the palm extended toward him1 saying at the same time3 ,in the name of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ of ,nazareth1 the ,son of the living ,god1 ,i command you to be gone4 ,he looked at me with a hateful glare1 but slowly walked three or four steps down the stairway which was there4 ,then he stopped1 folded his arms1 and1 looking at me defiantly1 cried3 ,i will not go6 ,i will not go6 ,i will not go6 ,i said3 ,you will go4 ,and then ,i followed him down1 again standing close to him4 ,again ,i brought my arm to the square and repeated my solemn adjuration4 ,he walked down the stairs and took refuge in a corner4 ,this time he assumed a most resolute mien4 ,his face expressed intense malice and hatred4 ,he cried3 ,i will not go--you shall not drive me away6 ,for the last time ,i invoked that supreme name of our ,lord ,jesus1 and then the demon--shaking his hands at me still in a threatening manner1 fled with a look of baffled rage on his hideous countenance4 ,i returned to the room and found that ,teddy was gone4 ,weak and exhausted ,i climbed back into my bed and seemed to fall asleep2 and at the very instant when ,i seemed to lapse into slumber ,i awoke with a start and heard the sound of a jolly song4 ,instead of the dry parched feeling which had enveloped my whole being when ,i fell asleep1 ,i was now in a delicious perspiration4 ,from my face the sweat was rolling in little streams4 ,this seemed as pleasant to me as a flood of water to a thirsty desert4 ,the singing came from the cabin4 ,the man who was giving the song in a full1 manly voice1 was so near to my berth that ,i could have reached out and placed my hand upon his shoulder4 ,the chorus of his song went to my heart2 and ,i afterward learned that the young man had not been invited to sing1 but had been seized with a sudden impulse1 unaccountable even to himself4 ,to this hour ,i have treasured in my recollection the comforting words of that chorus4 ,they were3 ,never1 boys1 give way to sorrow1 ,but be up and act like men6 ,look with hope for joys to-morrow-- ,sunny days shall come again6 ,when again ,i fell asleep ,i was comparatively happy4 ,the following morning when ,i awoke ,i was well1 except for great weakness4 ,many hours subsequently1 while ,i lay wide-awake and comfortable in my berth--lulled by the swirl of waters against the ship--,i saw1 standing on a step-ladder by the side of my berth and looking down upon me1 a little old lady4 ,she was short and stout1 and pleasant-looking4 ,her eyes gleamed with kindness1 and she smiled in a most friendly fashion4 ,how she came there ,i knew not1 but she seemed to feel perfectly at home4 ,when my eyes met hers1 she began to nod at me4 ,she continued her droll recognition for several moments1 and then she spoke in a jolly tone3 ,i know you2 ,i know you6 ,and you shall know me when we meet again4 ,then she disappeared as suddenly as she had come4 ,but her face and figure1 her smile and twinkling eyes1 and her good-natured voice remained long with me as a pleasant memory4 ,before ,i had been a very long time in ,new ,zealand1 ,i saw her again2 but this next time her presence was more than a fleeting fancy4 ,at ten o'clock on ,tuesday morning we sighted ,new ,zealand4 ,at eight o'clock that night we arrived at the port of ,wellington4 ,it was in the ordinary time of the steamer that we should leave at four o'clock the next morning on the voyage across ,cook's ,strait to ,littleton1 my destination--#age miles distant4 ,instead1 however1 of our getting away ,wednesday morning at four o'clock1 at that hour a furious gale was coming up the strait4 ,so terrific was its power that the captain could not entertain the thought of going out of port2 so we remained over twenty-six hours1 and left ,wellington at six o'clock on ,thursday morning4 ,on ,friday morning1 about six o'clock1 we reached ,port ,littleton1 from which place ,i had learned that a train started for ,christchurch1 on the way to ,rangiora1 an hour later4 ,it was my intention to go on shore with my luggage and take a seat in this train before seven o'clock4 ,but1 as ,i was about to set foot upon the gangway1 ,i felt a sudden prompting1 as distinct as if it were a voice1 speaking to me3 ,don't go ashore now4 ,you must wait for a time4 ,i learned that another train would leave during the morning1 and then ,i went back into the cabin with my luggage and remained nearly an hour4 ,while waiting ,i seemed to hear a voice as of someone speaking behind me3 ,now is your time to go ashore4 ,i took all my luggage on my shoulders and in my hands1 and walked across the deck and gangway1 and was just setting foot on the quay1 when a man rushed up to me and said3 ,excuse me1 sir2 but do you know of anyone by the name of ,shreeve on board this vessel8 ,i dropped my luggage1 reached out my hand1 and said3 ,you are ,brother ,nordstrand6 ,he replied3 ,yes2 and you are ,brother ,shreeve6 ,allow me to welcome you to ,new ,zealand4 ,i did not know at the time why ,i said ,brother ,nordstrand4 ,of course ,i had never seen the man before1 and the only possible acquaintance ,i could have had with his name1 was1 that ,i had glanced once or twice1 some weeks previous1 at a report which contained the names of the ,new ,zealand ,saints4 ,paying but little attention to this matter at the time1 ,i did not remember that ,nordstrand was among these names1 even if ,i saw it4 ,i had no idea that any person would come to meet me4 ,and yet ,i spoke his name and reached out my hand to him with as much confidence as if we had been old acquaintances1 only separated for a year or two4 ,if this experience on my own part seemed marvelous to me1 upon reflection1 ,i was still more surprised when ,brother ,nordstrand related the events which caused him to meet the ,wakatipu at ,port ,littleton4 ,he said3 ,i live at ,styx4 ,this morning in a dream1 a personage--a young man of pleasing appearance1 clothed in a white robe--visited me and instructed me to go to ,port ,littleton this morning and meet the steamer ,wakatipu1 and find among her passengers a man named ,shreeve1 who was a ,mormon ,elder coming to visit the ,saints in ,new ,zealand4 ,the vision was so vivid that ,i was roused from my sleep2 and1 when it was ended1 ,i sprang out of bed and looked at the clock4 ,i found the hour to be #d ,a4 ,m4 ,two hours later ,i saddled my horse and rode to ,christchurch1 a distance of six or seven miles4 ,there ,i took train for ,port ,littleton1 nine miles away1 and arrived here to meet you4 ,the sole information and instruction upon which ,brother ,nordstrand acted was that conveyed to him in this dream4 ,in a later conversation ,i learned that in the same vision he had been shown all the consequences which would attend upon my ministration in ,new ,zealand4 ,the event proved that this dream to ,brother ,nordstrand was one of the greatest blessings of my life4 ,i encountered much tribulation in ,new ,zealand2 no more from the bigotry of the world than from the perfidy of my own brethren4 ,but through all the trouble ,brother ,nordstrand was my devoted friend4 ,he had never a moment of doubt1 because all which happened had been by him foreseen4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,reason ,,for ,,my ,,sudden ,,call ,,to ,,leave ,,sydney--,,the ,,little ,,old ,,lady ,,of ,,the ,,wakatipu--,,she ,,had ,,waited ,a ,,generation ,,to ,,renew ,,her ,,covenants--,,another ,,helpful ,,vision--,a ,,mysterious ,,half-,,sovereign--,,saved ,,from ,,death ,,in ,a ,,swift ,,river4 ,elders ,william ,mc,lachlan1 ,thomas ,steed1 ,charles ,hurst and ,fred4 ,hurst had been the last ,utah ,elders to labor in the ,new ,zealand missionary field previous to the date of my landing there4 ,they had rendered good service to the cause1 and ,i discovered that the foundation which they had laid was broad and deep1 and cemented in gospel truth4 ,after a few days visit with ,brother ,nordstrand at ,styx1 ,i went to ,southbrook1 where ,i found ,elder ,james ,burnett ,jr41 the young man who had been left in charge of the mission by the brethren about a year before4 ,with him and with others ,i labored up and down the country in that locality1 and in the ensuing three months twenty-five souls were brought into the ,church in the ,canterbury ,province4 ,one of my first meetings was held at ,prebbleton4 ,while speaking there1 ,i felt led to detail the strange succession of circumstances attendant upon my coming so early to that field4 ,when ,i sat down a good sister named ,mortensen arose and said3 ,brother ,shreeve1 ,i can tell you why you received the command to come to ,new ,zealand immediately4 ,it was in answer to our fervent prayer4 ,for more than three months previous to your arrival here we had been anxiously supplicating the ,lord to send us an ,elder from ,utah4 ,about two months after ,i landed in ,new ,zealand ,i was traveling in company with ,brother ,john ,walker1 when he said to me3 ,there is a woman living in this neighborhood1 who1 ,i understand1 once belonged to the ,church4 ,i am acquainted with her husband4 ,let us go over and see her4 ,i assented to his proposition and went to the house designated4 ,when we entered we saw a little old woman sitting by the stove1 smoking a pipe4 ,she arose with some embarrassment at receiving visitors4 ,but the moment she fully confronted me1 ,i saw that she was the little old woman who had visited me in imagination on board the ,wakatipu1 while sailing across ,cook's ,straits4 ,i learned that her name was ,sister ,emmas1 and in conversation she stated to me that she had become a member of the ,church a generation before1 in the town of ,bristol in ,england4 ,it was there that the miracle of restoration of sight was performed under the administration of ,elder ,john ,hackwell1 upon the eyes of the children of ,william and ,elizabeth ,bounsell4 ,sister ,emmas had been an eye witness to this miracle4 ,she was then firm in the faith2 but the young man whom she married--being anxious to get her away from the influence of the hated ,mormons had carried her to this remote nook in ,new ,zealand1 thinking that he had separated her from the ,church forever4 ,she had often prayed to be visited by members of the ,church and to be united with her people4 ,some years before ,i met her a man had worked for her husband for a brief time1 and then departed4 ,after he was gone she learned that he was a ,mormon4 ,he had interested her greatly while he labored for her husband1 and she had been unable to account for the interest she took in him4 ,after he was gone the matter was explained to her satisfaction2 and she looked anxiously for his return--but in vain1 for she never saw him after that hour4 ,in later conversations ,i spoke to her of her appearance to me on board the ,wakatipu1 and by comparison of dates ,i learned that on or about the very day when she appeared to me1 she had been praying most earnestly that the ,lord would bless her with a visit from a ,mormon ,elder4 ,she had often sat by her window and looked out with straining eyes and anxious heart for someone to come to her1 and bring a renewal of the glad tidings which she had heard thirty years before in ,england4 ,while ,i remained in that region ,sister ,emmas was very kind to me4 ,she frequently helped me with money1 and ,i was always a welcome visitor at her house4 ,she loved to talk about the things of the gospel1 but ,i found that she was but a child4 ,she had heard nothing of the teachings of the ,church except those earliest taught in ,england1 and the sublime doctrines of baptism for the dead1 and other things revealed to the ,saints later than her day in the ,church were entirely new and strange to her4 ,often when ,i was talking she would clasp her hands1 and look at me with the utmost surprise1 saying3 ,well1 well6 ,now1 they didn't teach that when ,i joined the ,church--,i didn't understand it that way4 ,but she seemed always willing to learn1 and was indeed a faithful soul4 ,her husband1 however1 continued bitterly opposed1 and after some time both she and ,i agreed that for the sake of her peace it would be better if my visits to their house ceased4 ,but before we finally parted the good old lady said to me3 ,you will know when ,i am dead--,i will let you know2 and then1 if there is anything which you can do for my eternal blessing1 ,i pray you to do it4 ,on the #bgth of ,february1 #ahgi1 ,i went to the ,north ,island1 in the hope to do some successful labor there4 ,at ,wellington ,i stopped at a hotel kept by a ,mr4 ,daville1 a relative of ,brother ,c4 ,w4 ,carter of ,salt ,lake4 ,on the night of my arrival ,i retired to my room1 wet and cold4 ,i was wearied1 but wakeful1 because of my anxiety4 ,i knew that several efforts had been made in times past to open the work in this region2 but they seemed all to have been unsuccessful1 and ,i doubted my own ability to accomplish any good4 ,i felt prayerful1 but still despondent4 ,while ,i lay1 wide awake1 in my bed ,i suddenly saw a hand and arm1 clothed in a white sleeve which extended down midway between the elbow and the wrist1 and holding a torch in its hand--thrust out from the side of a dark fireplace which was in the room4 ,at first there was but a spark of light at the top of the torch1 but gradually the flame grew greater and the light stronger1 until it filled the whole room2 and then from out the darkness behind the arm and torch stepped the figure of a little girl4 ,i recognized it instantly as that of my young sister ,sophia1 who had died six years before in ,england1 while ,i was in ,utah4 ,at the time of her death she was eight and a half years old1 and had but recently been baptized into the ,church4 ,she came toward the bed1 and ,i saw that she was dressed in beautiful white raiment4 ,from her whole person a pleasing light seemed to emanate4 ,she approached the bed and leaned over it1 placing her arms around my neck and kissing me upon the lips4 ,then1 still with her hands clasped1 she leaned back and looked intently into my face1 saying at the same time3 ,tom1 don't be afraid6 ,whenever you are in danger ,i will come to warn you4 ,she bent forward and kissed me again2 afterward leaning back to take another look at my face4 ,repeating the same words as before1 once more she kissed me2 and then slowly withdrew her arms and moved back from the bed4 ,she approached the arm1 which still held the torch1 and as she did so ,i saw that the light of the torch paled before the greater glory which surrounded her person4 ,when she neared the fireplace the arm stretched out around her1 and she stepped back into the darkness4 ,she waved her hand three times with a farewell gesture toward me4 ,soon she was enveloped in the darkness of the fireplace1 and the light of the torch grew for a moment brighter2 then suddenly it vanished and ,i found myself leaning upon my elbow in the bed and gazing fixedly at the blank darkness where the glorious presence and the light torch had disappeared4 ,so real and certain had been the presence of my sister that after she was gone ,i still felt the pressure of her warm arms around my neck4 ,i remained in that region for a time1 but could not find any opening2 and therefore concluded to return to the ,south ,island4 ,at the time ,i greatly regretted the necessity for this step1 for it seemed like a desertion of the field2 but ,i was later led to thank ,god for the guidance of the ,spirit for taking me away from the ,north ,island4 ,it had been my purpose to obtain an opening among the ,maories1 and proclaim to them the gospel2 but two weeks after my return to the ,south ,island serious trouble broke out between the government and the ,maori tribes which ,i had intended to visit on the west coast4 ,this trouble continued for a considerable time1 and during it1 whenever my mind recurred to the subject1 ,i thanked the ,lord that ,i had been led away from that locality2 because the people of that region would have been only too glad to attribute the ,maori uprising to the incendiary presence of a ,mormon ,elder4 ,one day after my return1 myself and a companion had been baptizing at ,alfred ,forest and it was our desire to reach ,templeton as speedily as possible4 ,we were very tired1 having walked thirty-two miles that day1 and we concluded to ride from ,rakaia to ,templeton1 provided we had enough money for the purpose4 ,we emptied all our pockets very carefully4 ,i took especial care to feel in every corner of my clothing1 and ,i gave all ,i had to my companion1 who said that with his little stock this was barely sufficient to purchase the tickets4 ,when we arrived at ,templeton we learned that ,brother ,walker was quite ill at his home in a little town two or three miles distant4 ,when ,i arose to dress the next morning1 ,i happened to put my hand in my vest pocket2 and to my amazement ,i drew forth a half-sovereign in gold4 ,how it came there ,i know not to this day3 ,i was possessed of such a coin so infrequently in those days that ,i had certainly not placed it in my pocket and forgotten it2 besides only the night previous at ,rakaia ,i had searched my pockets carefully and had given every penny possessed to my fellow-laborer4 ,at the request of my companion1 who was too weary to attempt the journey1 ,i trudged down that morning to ,brother ,walker's house--although ,i myself had been so tired that ,i thought ,i could not walk a furlong4 ,when ,i reached the house ,i found ,brother ,walker was indeed very sick2 and that1 owing to the confinement occasioned by his sickness1 his business had been neglected1 and his folks had been unable to leave him while they made collections of money due him1 and they were for the moment in a very needy state1 not having a penny in the house4 ,when ,i found the situation in which they were placed ,i said to ,sister ,walker3 ,i have found a half-sovereign this morning1 which came to me in some unknown way for some unknown purpose2 and now ,i shall be glad to let you have it for your needs4 ,she thanked me1 and told me that she would be grateful if ,i would hitch up their horse and drive over to ,christchurch and purchase some bread and medicine4 ,i did as she requested4 ,i hitched up the horse and went immediately to ,christchurch1 a distance of three or four miles4 ,arrived there ,i went to the baker's shop and asked for two shillings and sixpence worth of bread1 giving the baker in payment my half-sovereign1 or ten shilling piece4 ,he gave me the proper change ,i am sure1 because ,i watched it carefully4 ,i placed this change of silver in the empty purse which ,i had in my hand1 and then went to the chemist's shop4 ,here ,i purchased medicine to the amount of two shillings1 and took that much money from the purse and paid the chemist4 ,then ,i hastened back to ,brother ,walker's1 and when ,i entered the house ,i gave the folks the bread and the medicine1 and tossed the purse1 containing as ,i supposed1 five shillings and sixpence in change1 to ,sister ,walker4 ,she emptied the money into her lap1 counted it1 and then said3 ,you did not pay for the bread and medicine which you got at ,christchurch4 ,i replied that ,i had paid for them1 certainly2 because1 being unknown to the baker and chemist1 they would not have trusted me4 ,but1 she replied1 you have brought back ten shillings and four pence--which is more than you carried away with you4 ,i answered that ,i could not help that--,i had certainly paid for the bread and the medicine and had received my exact change from the baker1 who broke the money for me4 ,but whatever ,i might say1 there was the money--four pence more than ,i had carried away1 although ,i had spent four shillings and sixpence4 ,some time afterward ,i was requested by ,jeppe ,c4 ,jeppeson to go to ,alfred ,forest to perform for him and his family the ordinance of baptism4 ,i was then at ,prebbleton1 and ,alfred ,forest was more than seventy miles away4 ,the second day of my journey ,i had thirty-two miles to travel on foot from the ,rakaia ,river to ,alfred ,forest4 ,my way lay for ten miles along the bank of the ,rakaia2 and thence along a level stretch for twenty miles1 to the ,north ,ashburton ,river4 ,this ,i would be obliged to cross1 and from the crossing to travel for two miles to the residence of ,mr4 ,jeppeson4 ,the ,rakaia is a broad river flowing between high and steep banks4 ,the day was extremely hot1 with a north-west wind blowing4 ,this north-wester as it is called in that region is something like the desert simoon--it dries the sap out of everything4 ,it is intensely hot and parching in its nature1 and quickly enervates any person exposed to its influence4 ,especially is this the case with a person unaccustomed to the climate4 ,whenever ,i wanted to moisten my lips ,i had considerable difficulty in descending to the stream and reascending the steep and high bank4 ,but ,i was soon spared this annoyance2 because when ,i began to cross the plain ,i found no water whatever4 ,there was not a drop to be found for a stretch of nearly fifteen miles4 ,several times during this painful journey ,i lay down1 feeling utterly exhausted2 and once or twice ,i felt that death would be a relief4 ,about a mile before ,i reached the north fork of the ,ashburton1 ,i saw a stick about six feet long and two inches thick1 lying across my path4 ,i passed it by1 but could not help feeling greatly surprised at seeing it there2 because ,i had not1 during the whole time that ,i was walking across this plain seen any tree or shrub or even a willow of any kind4 ,after ,i had gone some distance1 ,i felt an impression that ,i ought to turn back and get the stick4 ,i endeavored to put this idea from my mind1 but without avail2 and so ,i returned and picked up the stick and carried it with me4 ,when ,i reached the river ,i expected to find someone there to meet me2 because ,mr4 ,jeppeson had promised that his son would await me on the north side of the river with a horse1 and help me across4 ,but ,i found no one there4 ,the sun had long gone down1 and darkness was swiftly descending upon the earth4 ,the river was rapidly rising for the north-wester was the warning of a storm which had been raging in the mountains4 ,this branch of the ,ashburton was about a furlong in width1 and was naturally a rapid though not deep stream4 ,its fall was so great that an immense quantity of water could be carried with a shallow depth4 ,as with many other ,new ,zealand rivers1 for a single person to cross on foot was a dangerous experiment1 because the water flows so rapidly that one is easily lifted off his feet2 and once down he could never get up again4 ,i was debating in my mind whether ,i should pass the night on the north bank of the river1 or run the risk of death in crossing1 when ,i saw a rift like a triangle open in the clouded sky to the south4 ,from this rift sufficient light came to enable me to see the surface of the stream4 ,i looked from the roadway and saw that at various points in the river were shifting sand bars1 which ,i could detect by the rippling over them of the rising waters4 ,i knelt down and prayed for guidance from my ,heavenly ,father1 and when ,i arose it was with a determination to cross the stream4 ,i descended into the water1 but some influence immediately forced me back to shore4 ,this influence was so powerful that it lifted me back to the bank like a cork4 ,then ,i bent over and looked at the stream1 and by the aid of the light from the open space in the sky ,i saw that where ,i intended to enter the river was a deep1 dark current4 ,higher up ,i could see that the light shone on a line of ripples1 betokening sand bars1 extending almost entirely across the stream4 ,i ascended to a favorable point and saw that here the light shone at its brightest2 and ,i took this line for my ford4 ,i had the stick which ,i had providentially picked up1 and this ,i put into the water down stream from me1 and grounded it on the bottom1 and then ,i entered without fear4 ,i leaned up stream as far as ,i could without falling1 and1 although the stream was only up to my knees1 the pressure of the swift current against my body threw it as high as my waist4 ,as soon as ,i could gain a firm footing upon the bottom1 ,i moved my stick from point to point2 and in this way progressed safely to the first bar4 ,then ,i stepped into a hole with my right foot1 and caught myself just as ,i was going down4 ,a cold sweat broke out on me1 because1 while ,i had not had much experience with ,new ,zealand rivers1 ,i knew perfectly well that to lose my footing was to die4 ,i stood a moment to breathe and to recover my composure1 and then ,i started on4 ,guided by the light1 and supported by my stick1 ,i was able to zig zag from one bar to another1 until ,i was within twenty yards of the south bank4 ,then again ,i missed my footing1 and was whirled around and nearly cast down4 ,the stick once more saved me1 and in a few minutes ,i was safely landed on the shore4 ,wet1 exhausted with the long battle in crossing the river1 my shoes full of sand and my feet raw2 ,i sank down upon the ground1 wearied but joyful4 ,i thanked ,god for the preservation of my life through the struggle with the fierce river4 ,when ,i rose from my knees ,i looked up at the sky1 and saw that the providential light 7which had undoubtedly been the means of saving my life7 had disappeared4 ,i felt convinced from this that there were no more streams2 and the result proved the correctness of that idea4 ,i walked on two miles and found the house of ,mr4 ,jeppeson2 but it was closed up1 all the people having retired to bed4 ,when ,i found that they had preferred to retire1 rather than to fulfill their engagement with me1 ,i went to the house of ,brother ,olsen1 who kindly gave me supper and a bed4 ,a few days later1 ,mr4 ,jeppeson came to me with profuse apologies1 and at his request ,i baptized him and his family4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,some ,,old ,,members ,,of ,,the ,,church--,,the ,,spirit ,,prompts ,,promises ,,to ,,them ,,which ,,are ,,literally ,,fulfilled--,,help ,,from ,a ,,catholic ,,who ,,is ,,suddenly ,,converted ,,and ,,who ,,as ,,suddenly ,,apostatizes--,a ,,spontaneous ,,prophecy--,,the ,,journey ,,home--,a ,,careful ,,observer--,,safe ,,in ,,zion4 ,one day while visiting at a little village called ,greytown1 ,i met a lady whose name was ,mrs4 ,reid4 ,she had belonged to the ,church fifteen or sixteen years before1 when she was a girl in ,england4 ,she had been quite a devoted member of the ,church1 and some of the ,elders promised her that through her faithfulness and her kindness she should be enabled to gather to ,zion with the ,saints4 ,this was the dearest wish of her heart1 and she fondly anticipated the time4 ,but she was courted by a man whom she subsequently married1 and he came into the ,church for the purpose of gaining her hand4 ,the time was almost set for her departure to the ,valley2 but he insisted that they should be married in ,england4 ,the ,elders advised her to wait until she and her affianced could reach ,zion2 but she was persuaded by the pleadings of ,mr4 ,reid1 and married him in ,england4 ,no sooner were they united than he took her to another part of the country1 and later he carried her to ,new ,zealand4 ,he had not been sincere in his protestations of faith1 but had merely joined the ,church for the purpose of gaining her hand4 ,she had repented bitterly this error of her life1 and when ,i saw her she was a most lonely and miserable creature4 ,her mother and sisters were in ,utah1 but she had no hope of ever seeing them4 ,her husband was a besotted wretch who made her life one continued agony4 ,she unfolded to me all the troubles of her life4 ,she recalled clearly all that had been promised to her by the ,elders1 and she wept when she thought of how she had robbed this sacred promise of its fulfillment by her own lack of fidelity4 ,she blamed no one but herself1 but she said to me very sorrowfully before we parted3 ,i know that my husband will not permit me to be rebaptized4 ,he is angry because you come here2 for he thinks that the ,mormons have again hunted me out4 ,but before you go away ,i want you to bless me and my children4 ,i complied with her request1 and when my hands were on her head ,i felt led to promise her1 in the name of the ,lord1 that she should be released from her trouble1 and that very shortly4 ,a few months later ,i learned that she was dead4 ,i did not understand the full significance of the promise which ,i gave1 at the time4 ,i only spoke the words in obedience to the inspiration of the ,spirit2 but ,i am satisfied that this was the only relief which could come to this poor1 oppressed woman1 and ,god sent it in answer to her humble and faithful prayer1 and her reliance on the promise which was made by an ,elder of ,christ4 ,a similar experience occurred to me at ,koroira1 at which village ,i found an old man named ,eagles4 ,years before he had lived in ,salt ,lake with his family2 but his wife and children grew dissatisfied1 and1 in fact1 apostatized4 ,they departed for ,new ,zealand1 and the old brother followed them away from ,salt ,lake in the hope to bring them back into the ,church1 and induce them to return to ,zion4 ,but his effort had been in vain2 and now he was old and fast failing and was the object of their contempt and persecution4 ,they refused to permit him to observe1 even in the simplest matters1 the religion to which he was honestly and irrevocably devoted4 ,i had heard that there was such a man in the neighborhood1 though ,i had not seen him1 and one day when ,i was passing along the road ,i met him4 ,i knew that it was he at once4 ,i called him by name1 and then explained that ,i was a ,mormon ,elder from ,utah4 ,brother ,eagles expressed great gladness and soon told me his troubles4 ,i asked3 ,you came away without any counsel8 ,he responded that he had left ,utah without counsel2 although he had made two or three vain efforts to get a conference with ,president ,young4 ,but he confessed that he had been in too great a hurry2 and that it had been a bitter misfortune for him that he had ever left ,utah without having counseled with the proper authorities and learned the right thing for him to do4 ,i was a ,sunday school teacher in ,huntsville1 and ,i labored on the ,temple ,block in ,salt ,lake2 and there among the ,saints ,i was well respected--but here ,i am treated like a dog4 ,i am very sorrowful and unhappy4 ,i saw that he was wearied and despondent1 and ,i said to him3 ,never mind1 ,brother ,eagles4 ,do not feel bad about your troubles4 ,the ,lord is looking down upon you in mercy4 ,he sees your afflictions1 and ,he will soon release you4 ,i am very sorry that you came without counsel2 but you will be rewarded for the faith that you have had and the labors you have performed4 ,he answered me that he really hoped the ,lord would soon release him1 for his burden was very heavy4 ,we parted and ,i walked away2 and after traveling a short distance ,i felt a sudden regret that ,i had spoken to the old gentleman in this way4 ,i thought to myself that he would feel bad1 and my words might increase his despondency4 ,i turned around to look for him1 and ,i saw that he had mounted nearly to the crest of a hill1 and that he had stopped by the roadside and was leaning upon his stick4 ,the loneliness and the unhappiness of the old man came fully to my mind4 ,i thought to go back and recall what ,i had said2 but the moment ,i started towards him the voice of the ,spirit came to me distinctly1 saying3 ,proceed with your journey4 ,let the old man alone4 ,i went to ,alfred ,forest1 but returned a few days later2 and on my return to ,christchurch ,i called at the post office4 ,the first letter ,i received was from a friend at ,koroira4 ,he stated that on the ,monday following my conversation with ,brother ,eagles the old man had taken to his bed4 ,he had not seemed to suffer any bodily pain1 nor to be afflicted in mind4 ,he quietly sank away1 apparently in perfect peace and contentment1 until the following ,saturday1 when he died4 ,after nearly two years of labor in ,new ,zealand1 ,i was preparing to return home4 ,my release was expected every mail4 ,i had not the money with which to pay my fare from ,christchurch even to ,auckland2 but ,i knew that the way would open and ,i trusted the ,lord implicitly4 ,i had been directed to proceed northward and perform my final labors in the region of ,wellington and ,hawkes ,bay1 and ,i needed the means with which to perform this labor4 ,the ,saints in the vicinity of ,christchurch were poor4 ,besides1 they had just assisted one missionary with the means to carry him home1 and ,i could neither ask anything1 nor were they in a position to give4 ,the last ,sunday but one before ,i was to start northward1 ,i preached in ,christchurch on the restoration of the gospel4 ,one listener was a man named ,brownrigg1 who was not a member of the ,church4 ,he was a man of considerable means and a ,catholic4 ,a day or two later ,i went up the country a short distance to bid the folks farewell1 and then returned to ,christchurch4 ,i found that in the meantime ,mr4 ,brownrigg had become ,brother ,brownrigg1 having requested and received baptism at the hands of the ,elders during my absence4 ,on the last ,sunday of my stay in that region ,i again preached in ,christchurch and bore my testimony to the assembled ,saints4 ,brother ,brownrigg was there--an attentive listener4 ,the next day he called me into his business establishment and told me that he had been converted by the sermon which ,i had preached on the restoration of the gospel4 ,he enquired what my means were1 and when ,i answered that ,i was without money1 he said3 ,you cannot travel without means4 ,here are five pounds for you4 ,this amount will help you some4 ,on the following ,friday 7the day before ,i was to start away7 he again called me into his store1 and this time presented me with an additional sum of three pounds--making a total of eight pounds1 or #dj1 which he had given me within a week4 ,this circumstance impressed me very seriously4 ,there was not a ,saint in that mission who was able to give me the money needed for my journey until ,brownrigg became a member of the ,church2 and he was so quick and generous with his gift that ,i was enabled to sail on the day appointed1 without any further trouble or annoyance4 ,but if ,i were impressed at this time1 imagine my feeling when ,i learned shortly after that no sooner was ,i gone than ,mr4 ,brownrigg apostatized1 and called the whole system of the gospel a pack of nonsense6 ,i then felt ready to admit that ,i had converted ,mr4 ,brownrigg by the sermon on the restoration of the gospel2 because if the ,lord had converted him1 he would not have been so ready to deny the truth4 ,i do not like to call such a sordid matter as this a miracle1 and yet it seems little short of miraculous that this man should have come into the ,church1 have given me the money necessary for the fulfillment of the ,lord's direction to me--and then have apostatized4 ,he was a ,catholic and would not have given me the money without joining the ,church4 ,i reached ,auckland in due time2 and on the last ,sunday in ,june1 #ahhj1 ,i preached in ,orange ,hall1 in ,newton1 ,auckland1 my farewell sermon in the ,australasian ,mission4 ,i was greatly moved in delivering this final message of truth2 and in the course of my address ,i bore a sincere testimony to the truth of the gospel1 and then the spirit prompted me to give to the people assembled a solemn warning4 ,i said3 ,other ,elders will come to you2 but you shall reject their testimony as you now reject mine4 ,but after that1 and before six years shall pass away other testimonies will be sent by the ,almighty1 which you can neither reject nor gainsay4 ,these testimonies will be the testimonies of earthquakes and famines and pestilence2 and they will continue to afflict you until but few of you shall live4 ,while uttering these words ,i felt so strongly impressed1 so confident of their truth1 that ,i told the people to write my utterance down1 and watch for its fulfillment4 ,but when ,i had finished and the ,spirit had left me to my own thoughts1 ,i felt almost horrified at the nature of the prophecy which ,i had almost unconsciously made4 ,i felt my humility and my weakness most vividly1 and ,i also felt almost ashamed1 and certainly very fearful concerning the fulfillment of what ,i had said4 ,that feeling of doubt and almost anger with myself came upon me during the years following1 whenever the subject recurred to my mind4 ,in ,june1 #ahhf1 ,i received a visit from a brother who had recently come from ,new ,zealand4 ,we were talking about the experiences of my mission1 and ,i said to him3 ,it is now just six years since ,i left ,auckland on my return4 ,no sooner were the words uttered than there flashed through my mind a recollection of the strange prediction which the ,spirit had uttered through my lips in ,orange ,hall2 and ,i thought to myself3 ,i must have been misled4 ,i have watched the papers carefully1 and there is no sign of any such disaster as that which ,i predicted4 ,if those people did as ,i requested--if they wrote down the prophecy as it was uttered1 some of them now will say1 ',there is a falsehood which a ,mormon ,elder told4' ,this thing worried me for a week1 but before ten days had elapsed ,i saw by the newspapers that a few days before the term of six years had expired a mighty and destructive earthquake occurred at ,lake ,rotomahana4 ,the effects of this earthquake had been to sink the famous pink terraces of ,lake ,rotomahana2 to substitute for the lake itself a mud volcano and five or six vomiting volcanoes sending forth streams of mud1 dust1 hot water and other debris which covered the country round about for miles in every direction to a prodigious depth2 to destroy lives and to extinguish one village with most of its inhabitants4 ,i sailed from ,auckland on the steamer ,zealandia1 on the #bhth day of ,june1 #ahhj4 ,on this ship ,i had the pleasure of rejoining my dear friend and companion ,elder ,may1 from whom ,i had been so long separated4 ,he was on his way home from ,australia bringing with him a family of ,saints4 ,on board the ,zealandia were three members of the new ,south ,wales commission1 who were going to ,england on political business4 ,they were1 ,hon4 ,alexander ,campbell1 ,captain ,st4 ,john and another whose name ,i did not obtain4 ,mr4 ,campbell was a gentleman of great suavity of demeanor1 fine appearance and wonderful intelligence and information4 ,as soon as he found that ,mormons were on board he became deeply interested in them4 ,in conversation with us he said3 ,i have given some study to your question for the last thirty years4 ,i have watched the course of your people2 and ,i am satisfied that you are working out great social problems4 ,to grapple with these problems successfully has been puzzling to the wisest of statesmen for centuries4 ,i am not one of those who look with contempt upon people who profess strange beliefs4 ,i understand that your community is largely composed of the ,anglo-,saxon race2 and ,i know that you cannot find a place on the face of the earth where an enduring community of this kind has been built up for the purposes of lust4 ,your enemies say that this is your motive1 but ,i am convinced to the contrary4 ,the ,anglo-,saxons never descend to that4 ,when they unite in great movements they have a grand object in view4 ,a few days later when we were crossing the line he came from the cabin with a newspaper in his hand1 sat down alongside of me1 and said3 ,mr4 ,shreeve1 ,i understand from your jubilee report that you have about #ej1jjj children enrolled in your ,sabbath ,school ,union8 ,i answered1 ,yes sir--,i believe that is about the number4 ,he said1 then1 ,do you know if these children are trained aright that you have growing up in your mountain community a power which the world has not seen since ,adam stepped out of the ,garden of ,eden8 ,i assure you that it is so4 ,these children have not the tradition of ages to combat1 but their minds are unhampered and pure1 and you can mould them to the fulfillment of a great purpose4 ,i repeat it1 you have growing up with these children a power which the world has not seen since father ,adam stepped out of the ,garden of ,eden4 ,mr4 ,campbell stopped a brief time in ,san ,francisco2 and had intended to make a lengthy stay in order to be in ,salt ,lake on the occasion of the grand celebration to be given there on ,pioneer's ,day4 ,he succeeded in reaching our beloved city in time1 and he was an admiring witness of the exercises in which thousands of the young ,saints participated4 ,mr4 ,campbell watched with sparkling eyes1 and he drew a long breath as he said to a companion3 ,my friend1 the half of this people's greatness has not been told4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i reached my home in ,july1 of the year #ahhj4 ,only returning ,elders can understand my joy4 ,by the favor of ,god ,i had been enabled to perform my duty2 and every blessing pronounced upon my head had been literally fulfilled4 ,i would not to-day exchange the experience and the ,helpful ,visions of my mission for the wealth of the world4 ,,traitors4 ,solemn ,warnings--,a ,traitor can ,never be ,anything but ,despicable--,examples of the ,past4 ,by ,ben ,e4 ,rich4 ,the traitor is the moral cannibal4 ,he feasts on the mental worth1 the social reputation1 the political welfare and the earthly life of his trusting and betrayed friend4 ,he is the human serpent1 which nurses and revives at the fire of charity1 and then darts his strengthened venom at the bosom of his benefactor4 ,what the grub is to the heart of oak1 the gnawing rat to the ship's timbers1 the flaw to the diamond1 the poisonous asp to the sheltering flower--all that1 aye1 and more1 is the traitor to mankind4 ,no cause is so sacred1 no being is so exalted as to be free from the pollution of his betraying touch4 ,even the celestial legions had their archtraitor4 ,earth1 from the day of ,eden1 has never been free from his treacherous kiss4 ,since the hour when man first learned to owe allegiance to his fellow-man1 profane1 rebellious betrayers have worked their insidious way1 like devastating worms1 through all the pillars upholding holy men and noble causes4 ,the traitor is the worst of all thieves2 for he steals sacred freedom from his trusting associates4 ,the traitor is the worst of all murderers2 for he plunges the assassin's knife into the back of his believing friend4 ,two soldiers are standing at the picket post--in the dark night1 the silent forest4 ,they are sworn and trusted comrades4 ,the army of the foe surges around them2 and they know that ghastly death is grinning at them from every glade which opens from the dark center to the blacker depths beyond1 and whispering to them upon every wind that stirs the odorous branches4 ,but they fear no blow from a foeman's shaft--that noble death is but the chance of war4 ,secure in mutual confidence1 they tremble not4 ,they speak of country1 home2 of wives and little1 prattling babes4 ,and yet1 while the words of soft1 pathetic love are on the lips of one1 the other plunges a traitorous knife1 hilt-deep1 into a friendly1 loyal heart4 ,and then the assassin sweeps like the shadow of a lost soul over the face of the betrayed sentinel2 he creeps across tender moss and between the trunks of mighty trees--everywhere leaving the crimson1 accusing stain--until he reaches a distant campfire2 and at the feet of the waiting enemy he lays down his reeking knife and takes his purse of gold4 ,this is the traitor4 ,and when the moon comes up1 stealing amidst the rustling leaves1 he looks upon the cold1 white face of a betrayed friend1 whose last word was of confident love told to the ear of a hired assassin4 ,two men are joined in a patriotic cause4 ,to the maintenance of the principle of just freedom they pledge their lives1 their fortunes and their sacred honor4 ,history will call the men who are true to this cause loyal and brave4 ,the tyrant whom they seek to overthrow calls them conspirators4 ,they meet in a darkened room1 with curtains closely drawn4 ,soft mats hush the sound of the firm footfall4 ,stern voices1 more used to the vast circumference of the field or the resonant heights of the forum1 are stilled to a woman's whisper4 ,these two men are meeting to sign and yield to each other1 for distant comrades1 the pledge of mutual fidelity4 ,the one who is master of the house places his guest at a table and spreads before him for final execution the plans of insurrection1 the lists of friends and confederates1 the oaths of reciprocal fealty4 ,as the visitor attaches his name to the solemn instruments1 he sighs and says3 ,oh1 trusted friend6 ,i yield to this cause not only my life1 my fortune and my sacred honor2 but ,i pledge to it and to the integrity of you and our allies my sweet wife and my only son--both at once my present pride and future joy6 ,while the words are uttered1 the bold and noble hand traces its way in affirmatory signature across parchment and paper4 ,scarcely has the thrilling whisper of the patriot ceased to agitate the damask curtains1 when the hangings are parted by the vulture hand of the other conspirator2 and between their open folds steal the soldiers of the tyrant4 ,these warlike hands grasp the shoulders of the patriot2 and as they drag him forth to dungeon and to death1 the betraying host cries3 ,bind him fast1 lest he should escape and slay me6 ,the coward1 muffled in a cloak1 soon steals from the sombre chamber to the palace of the minister and lays before that waiting officer his trophies of broken plans and fatal lists4 ,he gets in return his patent of rank1 his gift of confiscated estates1 his pledge of his personal security4 ,this is the traitor4 ,and when the sun of the third day shall rise1 its first pitying beams will fall upon the gory block1 the black executioner1 the basket with its dread burden1 and the headless trunk of the patriot whose trust and hope had been in a false friend4 99 99 99 99 99 ,two men are joined with others in proclaiming an unpopular but holy doctrine4 ,hand in hand they go through the earth testifying to men1 to cities1 to nations1 the mighty truths4 ,they say to all lands and to all peoples3 ,we know that this is the living1 burning truth4 ,god has spoken from the heavens1 and we are ,his witnesses4 ,to each other--in all the sacred friendliness of long association1 of missionary labor1 and of a communion together when every human law and hand seemed against them--they speak in faithful hope of the glorious cause which they espouse1 and of the divine necessity which they are under to be faithful to ,god and their brethren4 ,their views are not in accord with public sentiment and suddenly they are dragged before a cruel tribunal and charged that they are teaching crime4 ,but the law of the land says3 ,no man shall be punished because of his sincere religious views or practices4 ,and the judge before whom they are arraigned calls to them3 ,continue to declare that ye are doing the will of ,god1 and in prison ye shall rest4 ,but acknowledge that ye are proclaiming a man-made system1 and pledge that ye will cease1 and ye shall go free4 ,and one of them who are arraigned says3 ,oh1 judge6 ,i acknowledge thy supremacy4 ,i will obey thy law4 ,i will not advise others to break it4 ,so long as thou and thy masters shall command1 ,i will worship the graven image4 ,and then he takes his seal of amnesty1 bought at the price of a people's freedom1 and creeps from the presence of the court a man--nay1 a creature--inviolable of his fellows1 but haunted ever by the shadow of ,judas4 ,this is the traitor4 ,and when the other prisoner is arraigned he cries3 ,this is my religion6 ,god gave it to me6 ,ye may take my earthly life1 but ye cannot sap my manhood nor strangle my conscience4 ,then the judge1 who has a mission to learn if these people are sincere1 answers to the prisoner and for the far-off masters of the court3 ,thou canst not come within the law2 because thou canst not claim sincerity4 ,thy brother and fellow-laborer hath just now recanted1 and this is proof that thou art not sincere1 but wickedly obstinate4 ,if thy brother had with thee remained firm and immovable ,i might have believed in thy cause4 ,but what man hath done man can do again4 ,therefore1 recant or rest thou within the cold and lonely walls4 ,and the sun and moon of another month1 stealing through iron-bound chinks of rock1 see the patriot pacing a dismal cell4 ,the traitor calls himself a reformer4 ,he is merely a coward4 ,and of all the wretches whose presence taints the air of earth and heaven1 the coward is the worst4 ,great ,caesar said3 ,the coward's fears make him die many times before his death4 ,the valiant never taste of death but once1 ,of all the wonders that ,i yet have heard1 it seems to me most strange that men should fear seeing that death1 a necessary end1 will come when it will come4 ,the traitor professes to believe that his act of betrayal will disrupt the cause which he deserts4 ,this is the coward rebel's wish4 ,how abjectly and miserably he fails6 ,sometimes the traitor lops from the sturdy trunk a straggling branch2 but does the tree thrive less for that8 ,nay4 ,the other twigs only bear blossoms the more redolent and fruit the more rosy4 ,sometimes the traitor tears away a cracked1 a seamed1 a shaling stone from the half-completed structure4 ,what if a measure of disaster follow8 ,cannot the builder renew8 ,and does he not choose better rock to bear the weight of his fair edifice8 ,sometimes the traitor only hastens the success which he seeks to avert2 sometimes he delays the triumph against which he rebels4 ,but always ultimately the car of destiny moves to its appointed end4 ,and the cowardly betrayer who thought to stop its career by holding back with his puny arms is dragged by it to his miserable end1 while his associates--dead or alive go with it to the day of triumph4 99 99 99 99 99 ,there was once a man of mighty prowess1 endowed from his first breath with a wondrous strength4 ,when he grew to manhood1 brutes1 men and even armies fell in the dust at his feet4 ,it had been divinely promised of him that he should be a marvel of strength1 and that he should begin to deliver ,israel out of the hands of the ,philistines1 and men and chains1 and bolts and gates could not prevail against his manly1 heroic lustiness4 ,but there came a woman1 with her soft1 betraying touch4 ,she caressed him and begged for love of her that he would reveal the secret of his miraculous strength4 ,in a foolish moment he yielded2 and then were his ,jove-like locks shorn from his head2 and he became a blind lackey1 the serf of the ,philistines4 ,delilah1 the betrayer1 with her traitorous kiss upon ,samson's lips1 and her traitorous whisper through the tent to his waiting enemy1 could do what no thousand of open foes could accomplish4 ,she made the proud1 superb1 perfect lion a weak1 whining whelp4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a mighty king had a well-beloved son to whom he had given and forgiven more than is usually bestowed upon one of human kind4 ,and yet the son traitorously plotted the downfall and even the murder of his royal sire1 and the usurpation of the throne4 ,he might have succeeded in his cruel1 parricidal treason1 but that he himself was in turn betrayed and finally slain4 ,and when the grand1 great-hearted1 poetic monarch learned that ,absalom1 the sweet1 the beautiful1 the dearly-beloved1 was dead1 he wept before all ,israel1 and as he went his sorrowful way thus he said3 ,o1 my son ,absalom6 ,my son1 my son ,absalom6 ,would ,god ,i had died for thee1 ,o1 ,absalom1 my son1 my son6 ,if that arrow-pierced heart of the betraying and betrayed ,absalom could have quickened but for one moment1 how much sharper than the physical death-thrust would it have felt ,king ,david's cry of infinite forgiveness6 ,but the past was irrevocable4 ,israel's lordly king1 the beloved of ,god1 was moaning in anguish at the gate of the city2 and the beautiful ,absalom1 with the fatal hair1 the beloved of his royal sire1 was lying dead in the pit in the deserted wood1 with ignoble stone crushing his lifeless body4 ,war1 murder1 exile were powerless to bring such desolation to these royal hearts2 but when ,absalom1 the forgiven murderer1 became a betrayer infinite woe fell around the name of the dead prince and the bowed head of the living king4 ,but though the great tenderness of the psalmist could compass remission for the crime of ,absalom1 the nation and history must be more harsh4 ,when a subject1 for self-agrandizement1 rises against a king1 he is a traitor2 but he is a thrice-damned traitor when that monarch against whom he rebels is his own father4 99 99 99 99 99 ,women are often false to their lovers2 subjects to their sovereigns1 and even sons to their sires4 ,divinity itself is no invulnerable shield against betrayal4 ,a merciful ,christ came to save mankind from torment and lift them into eternal radiance4 ,he chose and trusted ,his apostles4 ,he ministered to them and with them4 ,they each could give a testimony that their ,master was the anointed ,savior1 the ,son of the living ,god4 ,persecution came upon ,him like the storm cloud lowers upon the snowy mountain and enfolded ,him in a gloomy embrace4 ,the prospect of suffering with this ,god-like ,master1 whom he had served as purse-bearer when the danger was not great1 made ,judas weak unto betrayal4 ,cowardice and avarice worked together in the traitor heart4 ,he kissed and cried3 ,master1 master6 ,hail1 master6 ,then he took his thirty pieces of silver2 and with them he accepted a hatred of all mankind4 ,the compassionate ,redeemer of the world hung upon the cruel cross with drops of agony upon ,his radiant brow1 while his lips were wreathed in a pained but forgiving smile4 ,and ,judas1 the traitor1 already tasting the infernal torments1 called in vain to stay the progress of his dread act4 ,the black-hearted deed was done4 ,the mocking trial had passed1 sentence had been pronounced and executed2 and then the betrayer groaned and flung the money from him as a sinful1 burning thing which had no worth4 ,upon the bloody field he cast himself and his bowels gushed forth in useless contrition4 ,he died upon the spot which his blood-money purchased for the burial of strangers and criminals in the land4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a brilliant general fell into disgrace with his military superiors and with the civil government of his country4 ,he was impetuous and impatient of restraint4 ,he was proud even to arrogance2 he was extravagant even to the furthest limit of honesty4 ,other men had been advanced to higher posts--he felt himself degraded4 ,his disbursements upon one of his heroic expeditions were still unsettled--he felt himself defrauded4 ,a tyrant foe invested his country and sought to subjugate her people4 ,he listened to the voice of ignoble avarice1 of proud passion1 of offended arrogance4 ,with deliberate humiliation he sought a place of vast trust among the defenders of his country4 ,he was appointed to the command of a great river fortress--the key to the interior1 the storage house of munitions dearly bought1 highly prized and absolutely necessary for the repulse of the invaders4 ,he sold his rank1 his honor and his interest in his native land4 ,just at the hour when his bargain was to be decided1 his old friend and admirer1 the noble commander-in-chief1 said to him3 ,my dear ,arnold1 ,i am now forming my army for active operations in the field4 ,i want a fighting general4 ,come1 ,i offer you the command of the left wing1 at once the post of danger and of honor4 ,the traitor's face flushed with shame4 ,he pleaded an old wound as reason why he should not go into the battle-field4 ,then he went to meet ,andre and give the last assurance to his ,british masters that he was theirs1 body and soul4 ,by the interposition of ,america's sublime destiny his plot was discovered and foiled4 ,arnold1 the traitor1 crept away to escape a betrayer's death4 ,he received his ,british uniform1 his ,british gold1 his ,british sword4 ,he even came back with his mercenary horde to ravage1 burn1 destroy the little town in ,connecticut where first he saw the light4 ,years later1 the great ,frenchman1 ,talleyrand1 met a distinguished-looking man at an ,english country inn4 ,the two gentlemen were total strangers to each other2 but they soon engaged in conversation upon the great question of ,democracy4 ,when they were about to part1 ,talleyrand said to his companion3 ,from your knowledge of all that relates to the ,united ,states1 ,i am sure that you must be an ,american2 my name is ,talleyrand1 and ,i am about to visit that country2 perhaps you will be kind enough to give me letters of introduction to some of your friends there4 ,when the illustrious diplomat had finished his request1 the other gentleman bowed low2 and when he looked up his face1 even to his lips1 was gray as ashes4 ,in a voice which sounded weird and cheerless as the moan of a ,november wind across a deserted marsh1 he answered3 ,yes1 ,i am an ,american4 ,i was born in ,america4 ,i have spent nearly all my life there4 ,but ,i am probably the only ,american living who can say1 ',i have not one friend in my native land4' ,no1 not one4 ,sir1 ,i am ,benedict ,arnold4 ,talleyrand turned away from ,arnold with a shudder1 while the miserable traitor crept silently from the room4 ,when the unhappy wretch was dying in the midst of contempt and poverty he grew delirious4 ,at the last moment of his ruined life he called to the devoted wife who had been the sharer of all his woe3 ,bring to me1 ,i beg you1 the epaulettes and sword knots which ,washington gave me4 ,let me die in my old ,american uniform1 the uniform in which ,i fought my battles4 ,may my ,god forgive me for ever having worn any other6 99 99 99 99 99 ,the greatest army which the world ever saw was gathered at ,thermopylae more than two thousand years ago4 ,this was the ,persian host assembled to do battle to the little band of ,spartans4 ,so intrepidly did the ,greeks defend that sacred defile which gave entrance to their beloved land that ,xerxes became out of all hope of forcing his way through the ,spartan ranks4 ,this was the moment for the traitor4 ,before the proud ,xerxes could withdraw his myriads1 the betrayer came--a ,greek1 a native of the sublime country4 ,with servile words he flung himself at the feet of the gorgeous ,persian4 ,he offered to lead the invaders to an eminence overlooking the heroic defenders of ,greece4 ,his coward wish was granted2 and when the next morning dawned ,leonidas and his followers saw the spears and helmets of their foes flashing at them from the heights4 ,the rest is the most sublime tragedy of profane history4 ,and the traitor who betrayed the noblest souls of ,greece to their death received his gold and precious stones4 ,he might have died in the honest obscurity in which he was born and reared1 but for his coward act4 ,ah6 such notoriety is purchased at too high a price4 ,it would be better for a man to stand modestly and firmly before his country's foe2 to fall unrecognized and without praise2 to fill a grave over which the words shall stand cut into ineffaceable granite1 ,an unknown soldier1 who died in defense of his country4 ,ah1 yes6 far better thus to fall and fill an unknown grave--to be unremembered forevermore of men--than to win a name of infamy1 to fill the pages of history and be recollected of all human-kind while men shall hate a traitor4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a prophet of ,almighty ,god came in the full sunlight of this great nineteenth century to lead men back to the glory of their ,creator4 ,his open enemies sought his life2 but for years their murderous effort was in vain4 ,he continued his sacred ministry upon the earth1 with a power which was divine1 until the hour for the traitorous kiss4 ,when ,bennett sinned and then through hate betrayed1 the shadows of martyrdom began closing around our grand ,prophet and ,patriarch4 ,when the ,laws and the ,higbees1 the ,fosters and the ,cowles1 became traitors and gave their efforts to aid the assassin persecutors of their sworn brother and leader2 then1 indeed1 was the fate of ,joseph and ,hyrum sealed4 ,a governor of a sovereign ,state betrayed them to a cruel death2 and ,carthage repeated the divine tragedy of ,calvary4 ,the ,prophet and ,patriarch have passed to their glorious immortality2 their names shall fill a thousand hymns of praise on earth and welcome in the heavens4 ,but the traitors--miserable reptiles--will be scorned through countless ages4 ,it is always the same--prince or peasant1 apostle or soldier--if a man be a traitor he is remembered for that and nothing more4 ,if his station be lowly1 he will seek in vain to hide his shame in his native obscurity2 for it will burst forth in lurid1 bloody letters to the sight of all the ages that shall come4 ,if his station be exalted he may try and try again1 but vainly1 to cover his treason with the glory of his rank or wealth2 for it will blacken all his brilliance and leave his place a plague spot2 his fame1 a grinning skeleton of dead despair2 his career1 an undying infamy4 ,but whatever may be the varied circumstances and results attending the wretched lives of traitors1 there is this lesson which all humanity may draw3 ,successful or unsuccessful in their treason1 betrayers are always execrated2 successful or unsuccessful in their treason1 they always live long enough to repent2 successful or unsuccessful in their treason1 they may never in this life know a waking moment when their own coward fears do not make them doubt the fidelity of every soul about them2 successful or unsuccessful in their earthly treason1 when they shall stand in that other world face to face with their betrayed friends1 they will know that the blackest of all offenders are cowardly1 assassin traitors4 ,at that great day ,judas ,iscariot will not be the only traitor to cry3 ,it had been good for me that ,i had not been born6 ,every crisis at every period and with every nation exposes traitors just as it exalts to view patriots4 ,this ,church has seen at every critical point of its career1 the betrayer as well as the savior springing to the front4 ,the present emergency with the people of ,utah is no exception to this rule4 ,just as there are men sacrificing comfort and earthly prosperity to the cause1 and men who are willing to give life itself to defend ,god's work from the attacks of its enemies2 so there are people who will sell their own sacred heritage and the freedom of the community1 for wealth1 popularity or personal safety4 ,and more than this--the people are surrounded by men placed here to represent the government who are false to every trust1 and whose opposition can be estimated in dollars or coerced by bigotry4 ,we have some traitors to ourselves within our homes2 we have more traitors to truth and justice outside our walls4 ,less than two thousand years ago the great ,roman republic was at the zenith of its power4 ,some of the free and enterprising citizens of that mighty land emigrated into the cold1 mountainous regions of the north and established a colony which they called ,beville4 ,they set up the ,roman standard1 and claimed the territory in the name of their country4 ,after overcoming untold difficulties1 they sent messengers to ,rome asking for recognition2 and saying that1 inasmuch as they had given a grand1 rich domain to their beloved mother land1 they should be placed upon an equal footing with their free-born fellow-citizens4 ,but the politicians at ,rome would not listen to this request2 and ,beville was kept in the vassalage of a conquered province4 ,all the governors1 judges and many of the local officers were sent from some other part of the republic2 and they treated the people of ,beville with the most dreadful severity1 while they dispatched to ,rome the most vicious and cruelly false reports concerning the honest citizens of the province or colony unto which they had been sent to govern and to judge4 ,many of them were most contemptible knaves and traitors4 ,they once had a governor who traitorously violated his oath to give a certificate of election to a man who had one vote in a dozen1 and whose only claim to consideration was his wealth and willingness to make loans on desperate political titles2 a governor who deprived a good public unsectarian university of its needed support and then declared that the people of ,beville opposed education2 a governor who broke his plighted word in order that he might leave upon the fair land the espionage of an unjust and unaccountable commission2 a governor who basely betrayed the consul that maintained him in office by saying with egotism which is bleached white with concentrated lye3 ,i wrote all of such and such portions of the consul's message2 a governor who was called a thief upon the floor of the ,senate2 a governor who had a list of wildcat1 highway-robbery mining stocks which bore his name and title--all for sale under the glare and glamor of his civil position2 a governor whose brains were rattling chestnuts1 whose heart was infinitesimal1 bearing proof that a single atom can exist1 and whose beauty--his only virtue--was that of the painted harlot and the whitened sepulchre4 ,then they had one judge1 a man who should now be where ,deacon ,bitters was supposed to be years ago--measuring sulphur to make orthodox hell fire2 a judge whose class-meeting morality was so dreadfully shocked by an advocate's grand conduct that the advocate was disbarred from practice because he refused to cast off and make a wanderer of the wife who had loved and honored him1 and who had borne him sweet1 confiding children2 a judge who could then send lechers forth from his court crowned with bay and laurel and bearing their edicts of license in their hands2 a judge who practically said to the libertine1 ,go your way rejoicing4 ,prey upon virtue without stint4 ,bring ruin into your own home1 and then spread disease and deadly desolation wherever else you can gain an entrance4 ,you are free to come and go4 ,my thunderbolts of justice1 forged at the fire of fanaticism and fanned by the wind of protection for my own son1 all these shafts are for our over-scrupulous opponents1 the people of ,beville2 a judge whose brain was honeycombed with the devious turnings of treacherous thoughts1 whose heart was an icicle1 and whose alleged moral desire--his only virtue--was the great enfolding cloak which could cover every prostitute and paramour in the land4 99 99 99 99 99 ,they had another judge3 a creature whose miserable physical appearance was but the photograph of the horrid1 ugly soul within2 a judge who was willing to slay women and children1 and to tread over their corpses to gain his nomination2 a judge who became known within one brief year as an infamous wretch1 who practiced cruelty with most ,satanic ingenuity2 a judge whose brain was a tape-worm lie1 with five hundred self-sustaining and specie-propagating joints4 ,whose heart was a pain in his stomach caused by a vacuum1 and whose ability to sermonize1 his only virtue1 was an adulterous union of vanity and falsehood4 99 99 99 99 99 ,these men were all traitors--traitors to ,god1 to their country and to the parents who vainly tried to endow them with manhood4 ,but to-day we in ,utah have a few traitors a little nearer home4 ,there are men who say3 ,i once loved the cause well enough to die for it2 but now ,i hate the work and the people1 because a leading man once did me an injury4 ,i will become an informer4 ,there are still others--the careless traitors--the men and women who cover their thoughtless treason with a joke1 and clothe unmeant betrayal with a smile4 ,these are the people who learn the sacred secrets of a friend1 a brother1 and then tattle the forbidden words here1 there and everywhere4 ,and when the careless gossip reaches the ears of our persecutors--as it does all too often--it becomes1 not friendly joking1 but a stern1 almost tragic accusation4 ,and when the victim is brought to sad disaster1 the very people who have helped the wicked betrayal are among the first to say3 ,i am not surprised that he should come to grief2 he is so careless4 ,the great wonder is that it did not happen before1 because everybody has been talking about his affairs4 ,ah6 to-day we see ,delilah who betrays her husband2 and ,absalom1 who is traitorous to his father2 and ,judas1 who is traitorous to his father2 and ,judas1 who would betray his master for gold or popular approval2 the ,arnold who says1 ,it is a losing cause1 and ,i may as well desert while there is yet time4 ,yes1 there are cowards and traitors in the land4 ,well1 let there be1 then1 since such are necessary to make the sum of human existence--let them live as hyenas do4 ,grand ,harry the ,v41 of ,england--superb1 glorious ,harry--stood once upon the shore of ,france with his little band of soldiers to face the countless legions of his hereditary foe4 ,he heard a murmur as of fear2 and turning to his nobles he looked at them from flashing eyes and spoke these very significant words3 ,he which hath no stomach to this fight1 ,let him depart1 his passport shall be made1 ,and crowns for convoy put into his purse3 ,we would not die in that man's company1 ,that fears his fellowship to die with us4 ,i speak not this as doubting any here6 ,for1 did ,i but suspect a fearful man1 ,he should have leave to go away betimes2 ,lest1 in our need1 he might infect another1 ,and make him of like spirit to himself4 ,if any such be here1 as ,god forbid6 ,let him depart1 before we need his help4 ,transcriber's ,note ,some obvious printer's errors in the original1 including numerous words with missing1 substituted1 or extra letters1 have been corrected as seemed appropriate4 ,chapter ,,iii of ,briant ,s4 ,stevens was missing from the table of contents in the original4