BAD ROADS AND COLD WEATHER.
three months in traveling in wagons, through rain, mud,
snow and frost. It was such a trial as I never before had
attempted during my experience as a minister of the gospel.
On our arrival at we were joined by Elder . We traveled each day as far as we could go, and
camped wherever night overtook us.
On the 13th of October, while crossing the , I was attacked with something resembling the .
I was very sick. I stopped at a house for about two hours,
but the Elders administered to me, and I revived.
On the 24th I was again taken sick, and my and
were also stricken down. We also had several others sick in
the company, through the exposure of the journey.
On the 31st we had our first snow storm, and the horses
dragged our wagons all day through mud, snow and water.
On the 2nd of November Elder Milton Holmes left us, and
took steamer for ; and two days afterwards a little
boy of , about six years of age, died, and
we had to bury him at .
The roads finally became so bad and the cold so severe that
Nathaniel Thomas and concluded to stop for
the winter. We parted with them on the 21st of November,
near , Ohio.
On the 23rd of November my wife, Phoebe, was attacked
with a severe headache, which terminated in brain fever.
She grew more and more distressed daily as we continued our
journey. It was a terrible ordeal for a woman to travel in a
wagon over rough roads, afflicted as she was. At the same
time our child was also very sick.
The 1st of December was a trying day to my soul. My wife
continued to fail, and in the afternoon, about 4 o'clock, she
appeared to be struck with death. I stopped my team, and it
seemed as though she would breath her last lying in the
wagon. Two of the sisters sat beside her, to see if they could
do anything for her in her last moments.
I stood upon the ground, in deep affliction, and meditated.
I cried unto the Lord, and prayed that she might live and not
be taken from me. I claimed the promises the Lord had
made unto me through the prophets and patriarchs, and soon
