A String of Pearls

They were anxious to know about the Crows, having heard that they were going to steal some horses from them. After a short and pleasant interview, we left and joined our camp.

That night we put out a strong guard around our horses, and the same night the Crows stole a good many horses from these Indians, as well as the horses of some trappers who were in the immediate vicinity; but ours were not molested.

On reaching Fort Laramie we were very courteously received and kindly treated by Major Sanderson.

As it was late in the fall, the snow began to descend and the whole country was covered to about twelve inches in depth.

Immediately after we crossed the south fork of the Platte River we met with a very remarkable circumstance which we were led to look upon as a providential occurrence and the interposition of the Almighty in our behalf. Along the road that we traveled all the way from there to Fort Kearney, the snow had been blown from the road the entire distance, as if swept by a broom, leaving a clear track for us to travel upon.

It was very difficult to find nutritious food for our animals, the grass having been killed by the frost, and before we reached the Missouri River many of them failed and a number died.

The very last day before we arrived, we encountered a very severe snow storm, which made it extremely difficult for the animals to move, and many of them gave out. After much difficulty we arrived at an old deserted fort, on the Missouri River, parties bringing in the wearied animals as best they could.

Although an old deserted log house, with large openings between the logs, and without windows and doors, was the only shelter afforded us, I am not aware of any time in my life when I experienced a greater sense of providential interposition and relief than I did with that temporary refuge from the storm.

We stayed there the next day and found a family, in the immediate vicinity who cooked and provided for us. We found that the ice was running very strong in the Missouri River, and that it was impossible to ferry across.

The succeeding was one of the most severely cold nights I ever experienced, and in the morning some of our party went down to the river and found that the floating ice had lodged and formed a bridge across.

A company was selected to see if it was safe, and they returned and stated that they thought the ice, though very thin, would bear us.

We immediately made preparations to cross the river, and, although it was very rough, we took our wagons over without much difficulty; but found that towards the last it began to be shaky and uncertain.

Mr. Kinkead, a merchant, who was along, having a lot of gold dust in his possession, was afraid his team would sink before he got over, and he carried it over on his shoulders, leaving his man to bring the team over as best he might.

After using all the energy we could to get our teams over, the last one had only just crossed the river when the ice gave way and floated down the stream, thus exhibiting another remarkable manifestation of the providence of God towards His Elders who were going forth on missions to proclaim the gospel of salvation to the nations of the earth.

Many people would be apt to look upon these things as natural occurrences; I ascribe them to the power of that Being who says the hairs of our heads are numbered, and that a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without our Father's notice.

STORY OF A HAT

ELDER PHILLIPS IN NEED OF A HAT – BROTHER HOBBS TOLD IN A DREAM TO PROVIDE ONE FOR HIM – HIS TROUBLE AT NOT BEING ABLE TO DO SO – THE HAT PROVIDED IN AN UNEXPECTED MANNER.

The following incident in the life of Elder Thomas Phillips, of Scipio, shows how mindful the Lord is of His servants, even in what may be deemed small things. We will give it in Brother Phillips' own words.

"I have witnessed the providences of the Lord in various ways, while traveling without purse or scrip, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, and have realized that to such, when faithful, the Lord has manifested His loving kindness, and that His watchful care over them is sensible to their understanding.

"One item, although it may appear small, is of particular interest to me. It is as follows:

"I was traveling in the towns and villages in a part of the County of Surrey, England, preaching the gospel as revealed from the heavens through the ministry of holy beings. Under these circumstances, food and raiment were sometimes hard to obtain; consequently, at one time I had a hat that was very much the worse for wear.

"In a village called Hersham, in that county, lived a brother by the name of William Hobbs, whose house at I sometimes visited, and received food and lodgings.

"One night Brother Hobbs dreamed that a personage came to him and told him that Brother Phillips would be at his house on a certain day, naming the time, which I think was four or five days from the time he dreamed. He was further told that he must get a new hat for Brother Phillips; for the one he wore was very shabby.

"This dream was very much impressed on the mind of Brother Hobbs, and troubled him sorely, for it found him without money and some miles from any town where he could buy a hat.

"Brother Hobbs was the overseer of a small number of men, whose work was to keep some miles of railroad in repair for the safety of the trains.

"When the day came that I was to be at his house in the evening, he went to his work very low-spirited, not having obtained the hat. While at work on the track, a long train of cars came along, and when passing the place where Brother Hobbs and his hands were at work, a hat, suitable for the finest gentleman in the land, flew out of one of the windows.

"Brother Hobbs shouted, 'That's the hat for Brother Phillips! Thank God!'

"When Brother Hobbs came home in the evening, I was there, it being the time specified in the dream.

"He walked up to me and said:

"'Brother Phillips, I was to give you a hat, and here it is.'

"To our surprise, it fitted me well.

"As a matter of course I was anxious to know who was so thoughtful for an Elder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; and, in answer to my questions, Brother Hobbs told me the dream.

"Then I knew, and still know, that the providences of our Heavenly Father were, and are, working in favor of the servants and Saints of the Most High."

A PROPHECY AND ITS FULFILLMENT

ELDER TAYLOR'S LABORS IN LIVERPOOL – VISIT TO M'GAFFEY'S HOUSE – A PROPHECY CONCERNING MR. TAIT – VISIT TO IRELAND – M'GAFFEY GETS DRUNK – THE PROPHECY FULFILLED.

When the Twelve Apostles, under the presidency of President Brigham Young, went to England, it fell to the lot of Elder John Taylor (now President Taylor) to go to Liverpool to labor. At that town he was the means, in the hands of the Lord, of raising up a branch of the Church.

Among others who were baptized was a man by the name of McGaffey, an Irishman. Sometime after his baptism he invited Elder Taylor to make a visit to his house, which he did. He met there a man by the name of Tait, also an Irishman, whose home was in Ireland, but who had come to Liverpool on some business or a visit.

The conversation was kept up till a late hour in the evening, the principal topic, of course, being the gospel.

When Elder Taylor arose to depart, Brother McGaffey accompanied him to the door, with a light, to show him the way out. While standing there making the parting remarks, and taking leave of each other, Elder Taylor felt suddenly led to predict to Brother McGaffey that his friend, Mr. Tait, would be the first man baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ireland.

He had no sooner made this prophecy than he became startled at what he had said, for at that time there were no Elders in Ireland, and none had been there, and, so far as Elder Taylor knew at the time, none were likely to go there. Yet the Spirit of the Lord inspired the prophecy, and the Lord prepared the way by which it would be fulfilled. It was a prediction which a man could not fulfill, without God had inspired it and arranged circumstances to bring it to pass.

Time rolled on, and Brother McGaffey desired to make a visit to his old place of residence in Ireland, and he was anxious that Elder Taylor should accompany him. He had received the gospel himself, and whatever his own weaknesses might be, he valued it then, and wanted his kindred and acquaintances in Ireland to have it also.

So it was arranged they should go together, and they repaired to a town called Newry.

In that country, and there are others very like it in this respect, when friends have been long separated, there are some who think that the best way to manifest good feeling and joy, at the reunion, is to drink whisky together, and they think these meetings hardly satisfactory unless they can get drunk.

McGaffey had a good many neighbors and friends, and he had, or thought he had, to drink with them. The consequence was he got drunk, not once, but several times.

Probably the first time he got drunk he was so ashamed of his conduct, he a man professing to be a Latter-day Saint, that he got drunk the next time to hide his shame. There are people, of whom we have heard, who take just such a foolish, ridiculous course as this.

But whatever his motives were, he got intoxicated, and the people of the town knew it.

This would have been bad enough under any circumstances; but worse when it was known that he was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for, drunk as he was, he had taken pains to let everybody whom he met know what Church he belonged to.

This is a habit that many drunken people have. He not only told them what he was, but you may be sure he did not fail to tell them that he was accompanied by one of the Twelve Apostles, and he boasted about him, how eloquent he was and what a knowledge of the scriptures he had, and told many other things of a similar character.

This, you will readily understand, was scarcely the way that Elder Taylor wanted the gospel introduced for the first time to a people or a nation, and, we doubt not, he was terribly mortified at the ridiculous conduct of his companion. But he was there, and he had to make the best of it.

They succeeded in obtaining, what in that country is called the "Sessions House," which we would call the "Court House," to hold meetings in, in which he preached and gave out another appointment for the next evening.