Part 18 (2/2)

Sheathed the sword and furled the banner.

The battle won, the fortress stormed and taken.

For a little season, rest and change, ere again the trumpet sounds, and the warrior is resummoned to the fray.

It was indeed a campaign of victory from which the Elders were returning. The laurel wreath was theirs, bravely and fairly earned.

Yet not for worldly honors and applause had they been striving. These, to the true servant of Christ, are ever the last consideration. The praise of man they neither expected nor desired. Their reward was with them, a reward never wrongly bestowed; the approval of a good conscience and the favor of their Maker; meed only of worthy motives, and of duty well performed.

Again on board the _Garrick_, upon the bosom of the heaving main.

It was on the 20th of April, 1838, that the Elders embarked for home.

”Soon after we left Liverpool,” says Heber, ”a great storm came on, with a head wind, which continued without cessation for several days, and did considerable damage to the vessel; the bowsprit was broken twice, by the force of the wind, with only the jib sail set; the boom likewise came down with great force, near where the captain was standing, but he fortunately escaped; several other parts of the rigging were much torn and injured. During the continuance of the storm, Brothers Hyde and Russell were very sick. After this we had more favorable weather.

”When we had been on the water two weeks, I asked permission of the captain for one of us to preach, which request was cheerfully complied with, and the second cabin was prepared for the occasion. Brother Russell preached, after which Brother Hyde made some observations; they were listened to with great attention, and the congregation appeared very much satisfied.

”The Lord gave us favor in the eyes of the captain and pa.s.sengers, who treated us with respect and kindness. One reason for obtaining this universal favor of the s.h.i.+p's company was, the steward of the s.h.i.+p had charge of a fine Durham cow, which was larger than the medium size of our oxen; the cow became sick and the steward was very sorry, because she was their only dependence to supply the cabin pa.s.sengers with milk. I went and looked at the cow and discovered that she could not raise her cud. I told the steward to cut for me a half dozen slices of fat pork, as large as my hand, which he did; and I gave them to the cow, when she soon got well. From that time forth the steward sent us turtle soup, wine, and every luxury the s.h.i.+p afforded, and made us many presents.

”May 12th, we came in sight of New York, and in the evening secured a landing, after a pa.s.sage of twenty-two and a half days.”

It will be remembered that the _Garrick_, on its first voyage, bearing these Elders to England, won a wager of ten thousand dollars, arriving at Liverpool a few lengths ahead of the packet s.h.i.+p _South America_, both vessels having left New York at the same time, and keeping in sight of each other during the whole of the way. Another victory was now scored by the _Garrick_ in arriving at the port of New York.

Was it because these Mormon Apostles were again on board, returning themselves from a great spiritual contest, in which G.o.d had given them the victory? Judge, reader, for yourself. Here is the Apostle Heber's record of the event:

”There was a wager made at Liverpool whether the _New England_ or the _Garrick_ would arrive in port first. When we pa.s.sed Sandy Hook the _New England_ was four or five miles ahead of us; some of our officers remarked she would go in before us, but I told them she would not, as I had said at Liverpool we would go in first. At this time neither of the s.h.i.+ps were sailing more than three knots an hour, when suddenly the wind left the sails of the _New England_, and a fair wind struck our sails, and we ran in one hour ahead of her.”

Continuing, the prophet Heber says:

”We landed and went into the city of New York with several of the pa.s.sengers, who purchased some refreshments, and after we returned, bade us partake with them, and we all rejoiced together; we then bowed before the Lord and offered up the grat.i.tude of our hearts for all His mercies, in prospering us on our mission, and bringing us safely across the mighty deep, to behold once more the land of our nativity, and the prospect of soon embracing our families and friends.

”Sunday, 13th, we went in search of Brother Fordham, whom we found after some trouble. He was glad to see us, and immediately took us to the house of Brother Wandel Mace, where we were glad to see our beloved brother Orson Pratt, who was then laboring in that city, and who, with his brother Parley P. Pratt, had been instrumental in bringing many into the kingdom there. And now I had the pleasure of witnessing the fulfillment of the prophecy I delivered to Brother Fordham when I started for England.

”We accompanied Brother Orson Pratt to the house where the Saints a.s.sembled to wors.h.i.+p. We found about eighty persons a.s.sembled, all of whom had recently joined the Church. After singing and prayer, I was requested to give an account of our mission to England, which I did.

In the evening Elders' Russell and Hyde preached; afterwards some came forward and offered themselves as candidates for baptism. The short time we were in New York was spent very agreeably with the Saints.

”On the 14th we bade adieu to the brethren, and continued our journey by steamboat, railroad and ca.n.a.l, and arrived at Kirtland May 22nd, having been absent eleven months and nine days.

”I found my family in good health, and as comfortably situated as I could expect; our joy was mutual. The Saints likewise welcomed us home, for which I felt thankful to my heavenly Father.

”But my journey was not yet ended; for soon after my arrival in Kirtland I commenced making preparations to move my family to the State of Missouri, where Brother Joseph and the greater part of the authorities of the Church, and almost all the members who had any faith in Mormonism, had already removed. The cause of their removal to the west was the persecutions to which they were subject in Kirtland.

The brethren who yet resided there, although very kind and affectionate, were weak in the faith, in consequence of trials and temptations. This caused us to grieve exceedingly, and we resolved to cheer them up as much as we possibly could. We preached in the house of the Lord a few times, recounted our travels and the great success that had attended our labors; also the marvelous work which the Lord had commenced in England. They began to take courage, their confidence increased, their faith was strengthened, and they again realized the blessings of Jehovah.

”About the 1st of July I commenced my journey with my family, accompanied by Elders Orson Hyde, Erastus Snow and Winslow Farr, two brothers by the name of Badger, and the widow Beeman, with their families, numbering about forty souls. We took wagons to Wellsville, on the Ohio River, about a hundred and thirty miles; then took steamboat to St. Louis, also thence to Richmond on Missouri River.

Elder Hyde stayed at Richmond several days. We there procured wagons and went to Far West, where we arrived in safety on the twenty-fifth of July, and had a happy meeting with Joseph, Hyrum and Sidney, some of the Twelve, and numbers of our friends and brethren, some of whom were so glad to see us, that tears started in their eyes when we took them by the hand.

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