The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1888-02-02
CHAPTER ~.


There was six hundred on US, men VIM
men, an childrcn," continued the gray old
Mormon, s'an' we sot out in fever OF Joy
an zeal. But some seemed to feel what
was acomin' an'their feet dragged from the
start. My Catharine was heavy and droopy
a good share of the time; seemed like she
was never herself after we left them two
little graves in Tennessee, but amost on US
was shoutin'y an -singin' an apraisin' the
Lord cs we went on'ard fer the fust two er
three days. Every night after the tents
was planted we HID meetin' an there was
preachin' M cxhoftin', Some Of the elders
said no matter IL winter did come the Lord
would save us, no matter If we got sick
the Lord would heal us, fer President
Young, tho Lords mouth piece, had Bald so.
Sometimes felt Q little dubious, I kent
hep sayin' pine blank, fer it Uas turrible
labor draggin' loaded hand-cart day after
day, with yo'r feet AM hands blistered an
the sun streamin' down on ye. Then there
was thousand mile to walk, six hundred
oft desert an four hundred barren, ,injun-
hanted mountings. Itwas q awful under
takin'l Then the carts was pore things
made Of unseasoned timber with bearin's
all Of wood, an they broke down am wore
out, but still the host Of the Lord went
alaborm' on'ard into the desert.
'Thorc was twenty Of tho carts to every
hundred folks, the -four on beddin' an
coolxn' fixins fer five folks in every cart,
an, five tents fer every hundred hauled in
wagon with three yoke of steers to 1t.
Over half Of every hundred was wimmin
an children, an ole folks an puny ones, so
ye see what the strong ones had afore 'emi
But none of us wasn't stout long. o, what
days them wasj What tired, long, feverish,
dusty, awful dnyst Mile after mile we
dragged on'ard, hour after hour, day after
day, an, never seemed one step furder to-
'ards the end. Two of the apostles an
some elders was with us till we got across
the river at Council Bluffs, then the apos-
ties ami most of the elders left us. They
had three er four cerriges amongst 'em,
an two spring wagons with horses to haul
their provisions, an %. asQuad Of cavalry
wss goin' to Fort Laramie, they went along,
an was in Salt Lake slong a1cre the snow
Jew.
"But what had we afore us but work an
suferin' am the plains stretchin' furever
and furever away In front Of usa We
I couldn't make fur ina day, not more'n ten
er fifteen mile. Our shoes wore through
onto our feet, an our feet wore into holes,
an, oyr hands was blistered an cracked an
raw from pullin' on the carts. Then our
provisions begun to run low, fer we didn't
hev enough wen we started, an wc TUX to
suherin' from hunger an most Of the time
from thirst. Most on US prayed an seemed
| to keep up faith, but all on us begun to git
holler-eycd and silent. We seed that life
| an death was afore US with life the furd-
est away, an we strained forreds day after
day with our teeth set prayin' under our
breath an sufferin'.
- s.All through August the sun come up
| out Of the plain to the east es red es blood
an went blazin' on over our heads es we
toiled on'ard through the sand, an red es
blood sunk into the plain in the west, an it
seemed like we'd scurcely moved. Then
| we'd be too wore out to pitch the tents, an
| would Jest drap down onter blankets er the
bare ground, on lay there tell that burnin'
| ball Of blood come blazin' onto ~ agin
| from the east, am we'd eat q little somethin'
| am stagger on. u was turriblei Sometimes
| one er two Of the puny ones ID be dead when
| mornin' come, an we'd bury 'em in the
| sand an leave 'cn. It seemed like 1t was
furever drouth in that desert; dry, dry,
dead-dry, an always the waves Of heat
4 that seemed q million wrinkles Of hot melt
in glass, would hover an hover, an quiver
| an burn an beat tell ones eyebslls was
red, en- some slRve-ed ut the mouth an
i mumbled Of water an shade an rest, an
l wandered In their minds. An sometimes,
1 away up in the stagnant air we'd see the
bodies OF insects a1oatin' like fakes Of
ashes, an they'd flicker an glimmer an
4 drap down onto u nothin' but deed SHELLS
i like bits Of tinscl An the stream we wss
tryin' TO foller got to be nothin' more'n Q
strnG Of green pools sprinklcd with scales
M dry fish-eyes, am we'd creep down TO II
an sip at it with cracked bps, an stagger
4 on agin.
"But ct last we drawed out of that part Of
the desert, iesvin' our pore dead behind,
but IL was the last of September sfore the
mountings hove In sight, an the sun sunk
down for week amongst the snow-covered
peaks; remember, afore we reached 'em
i We YVES 20 sick am lame an wore out
mind that all them days my head seemed
goin' round an round 90 pulled. an the
bioed KEEP abuszin' in my ears, an some.
timcs I'd get blind an couldn't zee nary
thing afore me. but = sorter clear sense
kep alive in my hesd. too, Ter death was
1 shorely efore u II we gin up A good MANS
did gin up, especial the ole ~ puny ones,
| On, we'd seldom leave , camp ground n the
mornins without two or three hed y b
huria1. Il M, taygih1et We 46Hf looa
&o9A nR elah eflePe 1ae& - - MN.
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