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Show THE MORMON LION bank to where the train captain was idly bobbing a fish-line in the river. After the responsibility of bringing his train all the long and difficult journey across the Great Plains and the Rockies, he had sought out the most peaceful and restful of diversions. As I sprang ofi beside him, be looked up, smiled and rose to his feet. ' " Captain Fancher," I introduced myself "my name is Ford, David Ford." ' " Glad to meet you, Mistah Fohd," he responded and he bowed with Southern courtliness. ' " I fear you'll not be glad for long," I said. "To my very smcere regret, I am required by Brigham Young to tell you that your train must break camp and journey on." " Break camp? " he inquired. " Foh why should we break camp, suh? " " Because the Mormons are enraged at the Governm~ nt for ordering troops sent to end the power of Bngham Young. Bngham has a mmd to vent his spleen on your party. You come from the East. That gives him the pretext to regard you as Government spies." He stared in astonishment. " That sut'nly is most unjust, suh. Give you my wohd, suh, we didn't even have infohmation that theah wah any trouble between the Govah'ment and yoah people.' " There is also the fact that your party is from Arkansas, the State in which Apostle Parley P. Pratt was killed." " Befoah God, suh, none of us had a thing to do with that." " When the .wolf accused the lamb of muddying the brook, did 1t help the lamb any when he pointed out that he was downstream? " I asked. The Arkansan was quick to catch the point. " Lohd help us! Our cattle need rest .Pow'ful bad and we ah mighty shoht of food. But if its ohdahed_: Reckon you aha G~ptjle yohself, the way you put it." THE MORMON LION 229 " I am an- - But it does not matter what I am All I ca~ tell is that I wish to warn you to obey Bngham s order. Matters here are in a state undreamed of by outsiders. Even many of the Mormons do not realize the worst. A nod from the Prophet would bring certain destruction upon your party. I ?.eg you to obey his order without delay." Sub, I thank you foh yoab wabning. We wHI sut'ny roll out in the mohning. I will call a meeting at once. May I ask you to infohm them of the ohdah?" "First, I wish to beg a great favour of you as a Chnsban and a man," I rcphed. "A friend of mine, one of the larg~st mer~hants of the city, has just been murdered. H1s mece 1s m danger of being forced into polygamous marnage w1th Bngham- to become his e1ghteenth or twentieth wife. The young lady is my promised w1fc. If I brought her to you disguised, would you take her w1th your party to California? I w1ll pay you any pnce you ask, within my means.· . "Foh the good Lohd!" he exclaimed. "You msult me, suh. If what you say is true- and I take yoah wohd foh it, suh-I welcome the chahge of the la~y fob nothing- foh nothing, suh I " The Mormons along your way south will be certain to double their prices on all they sell to your party," I argued. "As the lady's promised husband you will let me pay at least five hundred dollars. i may not be able to follow her until after the troops have reached the Valley and put an end to this state of affairs. At pre~nt it would cost me my life to attempt to leave w1thout th~ consent of Brigham." The captam expressed Jus md1gnant astonishment at this, b~t refused to accept my money until after much ms1stence on my part. He was a Southern gentleman. . When at last we had come to terms, he hastened With me back to the camp and called a meeting. I addressed the emigrants briefly, giving Brigham's |