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Show 42 THE MORMON LION heed of all else. But in the midst of a verse she stopped short and pointed to the crest of the pass. ' Listen Brother Dav1d 1- the shouts above the singing I Those who went first - they see the Land of Promise I " Others than ourselves had heard the hosannahs of those who had gone up before us. The singers in the wagons ahead of us were checking their melodies to cry out in anticipation. Unable to wa1t upon the slow plodding of the over-strained teams, everyone who could walk leaped out and hurried up the hill, panting and shouting. I would have preferred to remain in my wagon. But Lucy was one of the first to catch the fever of excitement. I could not hnger wh1le she went on. Hand in hand, we clambered up the st eep, snowcovered slope, in the midst of the throng. Even my slow blood was stirred and my heart-beat quickened by the rush and outcry about us and the wild hosannahs and hallelujahs of our companions at the summit. Yet more, I felt and responded to the ecstasy of anticipation with which Lucy quivered. At last we came up past the scraggy, wind-blown pines to the round of the summit, and looked out into the vast expanse of the Great Basin. Over the tops of the snow-covered hills below us, I saw an almost illimitable stretch of alkaline desert set with broken mountain ranges. Like the grand peaks about us, these isolated masses of rock were barren at the base but covered on their crests and shoulders with snowladen pines and firs. In the midst of the tremendous landscape - its nearest shore nearly forty miles away, though seemingly less than ten - lay an immense silver mirror, the Great Salt Lake. Lucy joined me in exclaiming the grandeur of that awe-inspiring scene. We ran over the top of the pass to where our fellow travellers were dancing and praying and shouting in a frenzy of joy, They could not see Zion, the holy city, but far below the THE MORMON LION 43 pass was a partial view of the Valley, running down to the shore of the inland sea. Lucy pressed in among the worshippers and drew me down beside her to kneel and bow our faces to the trampled snow. While we returned thanks for the dangers that we had escaped, a sudden impulse seized the half frantic crowd about us. In the crystal-clear air of the Basin the Valley seemed only a very little way below us. Overcome with desire to reach the Zion of their hopes, the strongest of our fellows st arted to run down the long slope. Others scrambled into the wagons first brought up the ascent. The lead teams were being hitched to these as fast as the wagons of the rear rounded the summit. The first outfit ready for the descent was William Chilcott's. When it came alongside the rocky ridge where Lucy and I still knelt, the wagon was already filled to overflowing. But Chilcott reined in his mules and beckoned to me. " Come on, Dave," he called. " Hop aboard- you and the girl. I'll clear off the seat for you." Lucy bent towards me. " Please, Brother David," she whispered, "I'd rather not go with him." I waved Chilcott to drive on. "Much obliged for the offer, but we'll come on after. You've a full load already." "Come on along," he insisted. "We'll be among the first to pull in." "No, no I " begged Lucy, shrinking closer to me, away from his admiring gaze. " What's that ? " he demanded, quick to note her manner, though he could not hear her words. "Not afra1d we'll go too fast downhill, is she ? Don't be scared, Sister Lucy. You can sit between me and Dave. We'll see you don't jolt off. Count on me to hold you on." " The excitement has been a little too much for |