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Show FORTY YEARS AMONG THE INDIANS. 255 if religious. I told him they were. He said he would rather have some good novels ; that he did not care much for religion, but asked what denomination we represented. I told him, " Mormons." At this all three burst into loud laughter, the post master and interpreter making many jesting remarks to the officer, and saying to me, " Yes, he will let you in. You are all right. You will get in." I was a little puzzled, not knowing whether this was favorable or otherwise. Soon the custom officer turned ( as yet I had not spoken a word of Spanish) and said directly to me, " Well, I guess I will have to let you in. I have just been telling these gentlemen that I am a Mormon in principle, and that I wished some of them would come along. That I thought your religion the most sensible of any. You will do good in Mexico, and you shall cross over. I will fix it so you will not have to pay a cent." I now thanked him in his own language and said we would try and act so as to retain the good opinion he had of us and our people. We shook hands as friends. He kept his word entirely, and we crossed over at once, rented quarters and got ready for the winter's campaign. We were the first Mormon missionaries that entered Mexico. This was in January, 1876. |