The Lincoln County leader. [volume] (White Oaks, Lincoln County, N.M.) 1882-189?, 1884-03-22
p II.
BY II X A SEA.

old days by nose VINO passed that
way. The River Jordan still holds
its biblical name, so do many of.
the passes, springs, valleys, and
mountain peaks surrounding Salt
Lake.
My father wa, more puzzled as
to who this strange nan might be,
after taking his hand and hearing
him talk in his quiet unselish, and
learned fashion, than ever before.
Was he indeed a DANTE, or only
some poor Mormon, a sort of in
sane man, doing penance as he pro-
fessedl
1t is a great mistake to say that
only dishonest, ignorant, and i'm
pure men are fanatics in religion.
l frequently recall, when thinking
of these things, the gaunt, lean fig
ure of the old learned Caliph who
sat on his red camel outside the
gates of Jerusalem, demanding the
keys of the doomed city. | see
him dine, as he sits there, on two
dried figs and a drink of water
from the leathern bottle at his belt.
l see him die at last, after all the
wealth of the east had passed un-
touched through his hands, with
face lifted radiant in hope to the
gatea of heaven, that his followers
were ignorant, bad at heart, is true,
They could not even plead redeem
ing industry.
Pardon this depression. One is
tempted into noting parallels Of re-
ligious tanaticism, folly, and mad
mes by the singular similarity OF
the physical characteristics OF the
two lands-Syria and this Mormon
region now known as Utah.
1t was a tired, dusty, disheart-
sncd little party that touched the
salt-white shore of the dead sea in
the heart Of the great desert and
wilderness of this continent more
than thirty years ago.
The silent and melancholy man
in the long black barrow, was quite
we'll enough, after the nights rest
which followed my fathers visit,
to creep on after his coffin the next
morning ; and he kept up, hover
ing on our border, keeping only a
little way in the rear, camping only
a little way off, living in singular
life all by himself, as before, till
we reached the shores Of the inland
sea.
1t is to be confessed that there
was not one of our little train that
did not hope, expect, almost pray,
that here this man would leave us
this nightmare, shadow, and
cloud this bird of evil omen, rise
at last and fly away. Not so.
The coffin took up position not
five hundred yards away on the
bank of the brawling little stream
which swept into the great black
lake, with Its cleaning border o,
cryatal-white salt. The grass wa;
long and strong here. Some will
lows cast Il cooling shade. Here
the tall and hideous giant with tho
hollow eyes sat and read all day
alone. But where was he at night
We children did not ii h in tina.
stream once during the whole weel
of rest here, while purchasing tresl
supplies from Salt Lake City, onl,
a few miles away to the south
We stepped high and hurried il
the tall grass if by chance any o
the cattle went too close to tina
mysterious shape. and we had t.
60 there to drive them back anC
nearer camp.
My father had been very anIiou
all the journey to hear from tn
Lanes. He often asked men VIII
had slow teams like IL own 1.-THE.
had seen this party pass. The.
had been seer often. AT the sci
Element of Salt Lake he asked 70
them in vain.