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Show FORTY YEARS AMONG THE INDIANS. 263 I did very well with my saddle work, earning enough to assist some little in keeping up expenses. The brethren with me were all diligent and acted in a manner to create a respect for our people and religion. We had meetings quite often on the American side of the river, that were generally well attended, and good order prevailed during the whole winter, with one excep-tion. We were informed one Saturday that there was a crowd of Irish Catholics that intended to rotten egg us the next day, Sunday, if we attempted to preach in Franklin. I told our informers that we expected to preach and hoped the Irishmen would change their minds. There was an old acquaintance of mine, Tom Mas-sey, who knew me in Santa Fe. Tom told these Irish-men that he did not know what religion had done for me, but unless it had done more than is common, they would not meet with much success, and advised them not to try it. Massey was a saloon keeper and gambler, and was considered authority on all questions that had to be settled with the knife and pistol, and I think his advice had some effect. However, next morning when meeting opened there was quite a large audience. About the time I com-menced speaking the Irish gents came in, sat down near the door, and soon began groaning. I walked down near them and told them that I was capable of making all the noise necessary, provided the audience wished to hear my noise, but if they preferred theirs to mine they could say so, and I would give them the floor. Several in the audience called for me to go on and told the disturbers to keep quiet. They made no more |