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Show A SINGULAR DREAM. 29 me that it was not my calling to shed the blood of the scat-tered remnant of Israel, but to be a messenger of peace to them. It was also made manifest to me that if I would not thirst for their blood, I should never fall by their hands. The most of the men who went on this last expedition, also received an impression that it was wrong to kill these In-dians. On a fourth expedition against them, we again surprised their camp. When I saw the women and children fleeing for their lives, barefooted over the rocks and through the snow, leaving a trail of blood, JI fully made up my mind, that if I had anything more to do with Indians, it would be in a different way. I did not wish to injure these women and children, but, learning that " Old Big Foot" was there, and feeling that he deserved killing, I soon found his trail and followed it. There being snow on the ground, his trail was easily seen. It passed along the highest ridges. As I approached a cedar tree with low, thick foliage, a feeling came over me not to go near it. 1 passed it under the brow of a steep hill. When beyond it, I saw that no trail had passed on. I circled around in sight of the Indian, but he in some way slipped off unobserved. Afterwards, when trying to make peace with these Indians, ' ' Big Foot" told me, that himself and party had laid their plans to kill me and my wife and child, the summer before when in Pine canyon, had we remained there over night. During the same interview he said, placing his finger on his arrow, " If, when you followed me in the cedar hills, you had come three steps nearer the tree where I was, I would have put an arrow into you up to the feather." I thanked the Lord, as I often felt to do, for the revelations of His Spirit. After returning home from the expedition, in which I had followed the trail of " Old Big Foot," I dreamed, three nights in succession, of being out west, alone, with the Indians that we had been trying about three years to destroy. I saw my-self walk with them in a friendly manner, and, while doing so, pick up a lump of shining substance, some of which stuck |
