Year: 1866

our sole dependence for conveyance, aud
they to gather their own subsistence the
whole route By grazing few minutes
in every nigh. and guarded by regular
watch with sleepless vigilance. The
American Fur Company had checrfully
agreed to convey our ladies and effects
with their owa goods in their steamer to
Council Bluffs, and bad offered US the
protection Of their caravan to the noun
tains, aud this to be under constant guard
day and night The whole distance lay
through wild countries inhabited by saw
age tribes constantly at war with each
other. and many of them at war with the
whites. The innumerable rivers to be /
swan, forded or RATED on bundles of
bull-rushes liable TO be overtaken at any
time by terrific thunder and hail storms,
against which the strongest tent is only so |
much paper Men had been knocked
down in these hail storms, and one man
had been knocked down three times in
one storm in the mountains. These
storms sometimes filed the dry gulehes
in few minutes with raging, impossible


torrents. Much of the way through
broiling sand-deserts covered with worm


wood, without tree or green thing to re-


lieve the eye, except the small acre of


grass on the streams of water or springs,


scarcely enough often for camps; our


daily food to be asked of God and obtain


ed by the skillful hunters from tke wild


band of buffalo. We were to take food


sufficient to last to the Buffalo ranges.


and the least possible supply of clothing,


seeds, books, implements and medicines,


and to depend on God and wild skins for


the future. After the American Fur


Company should leave US at the rendez-


vous ON Green river, only half way, we


were to look to God for guides and a


convoy either down the sand plains of the


Snake river or through the Wind river.
Beaver Head and Bitter Root mountains.
Doctor Whitman was determined to re-


move all romance from the subject and
present nothing but the cold facts so far


as they had come under his observation or


obtained them from mountain men. But


hardy mountain trapper is very differ
ent person from a feeble woman. We


bowed in humble prayer to God to give


US wisdom to decide according to his will.


| observed to my angel wife, My dear,


will leave YOU to make the decision, and


Doctor Whitman and myself walked out


The Doctor had told us that several par


ties had been stripped of their horses


and left on foot to traverse half the con-


tinent barefoot, as Hunts and Stewards
parties, Some had starved to death !;


some had perished in the SHOWS; others
from haadships. aud others by the Indians
Every mountain traveller pronounced it
| impossible for a white woman to live out
the hardships and dangers. He alone
thought otherwise. My own mind was


made up. | felt there could be but one


answer in the case of my wife, She was


very feeble, and had not yet recovered


from severe sickness. aud could not walk


half mile. But what was my surprise.


on entering the room with DIR Whitman.
a few minutes afterward to hear her say.
aud with a calm countenance, more oi
: heaven than Of earth, 81 have made vi
my mind to go" Ny blood chilled and
my frame shook, and | could only STAN.
mer out: But, my dear, your health y
But she instantly replied, and Oh that
smile of satisfaction that could come ONLY
from heart unreservedly conseerated
and worth more to me even now than all
f the gold of California: 81 like the com.
mand just as it stands: $50 We into all
the world and preach the gospel to every
creature no exceptionsfor poor health .
: Recovering a little. but half frenzied. for
: getting myself and thinking only of hel
certain death in those distant wilds. ex.
{ claimed ''But, my dear, have you real
! ly considered the superhuman work be-
t fore you; journey of 5000 miles
. through that great and terrible wilder
ness, where so many strong men have
perished from starving, from hardships
: and by the savages; to be perhaps two
} years, and to winter in the SHOWS of the
Rocky Mountains sick or well, to be
compelled to travel on; the cold earth
or snow, or rocks your pillow at night
5 and the heavens your curtains; without
house to shelter you from the terrific hal
t or thunder storms, or single civilized
? family to comfort you. To do without
bread the whole distance and until We
could raise it, if ever, in the unknown
| country to which we go to depend upor
S the wild bands of Buffalo for our daily


food the raging, bridgeless rivers tht
4 frightful precipiccs the scorching sand
e plains; death by starvation, or prisonel
c for life among the savages to bid adiel
f forever to parents, home and the civilized
world to depend for success upon th,
endurance of the single animal, the horse
: to hold out the 8, 900 miles, to be coutin
o ually under the saddle the ten or eighteel
c months, or at the picket, with only tw,
d hours, morning, noon and evening, t
!. feed. The vast distance one succession
t of snow-capped mountains, dark gorge


or endless sand d-plains, with scarcely
e green thing to relieve the eye, and wher
Y yet the foot of the white woman has neve
It trod, and liable every moment the Who'll
n distance to be pounced upon by some 0
: those sleepless bands of savage robbers
i who ever hang upon caravans, ready t
7, take advantage of the first unguarde,
G moment to drive off the horses and team
/, beyond the reach of hope, or perhap
If scalp the men and take our wives prison
o ers."


d But with the same heavenly calmnes
e she replied "What mean ye to wee
g and to break my heart, for | am ready t
5, die at Jerusalem or on the Rocky Noun
y tains for the sake of the Lord Jesus
d duty is mine, but my life, my strengt
e and the dangers of the way are His, VIII
it has already given His life for me, and
d am happy to give mine as now do unit
,fl Him -