I landed, I laid down upon the bank
of the river on a side of sole leather.
The Prophet Joseph came along and
looked at me, and said, "You are
starting on your mission." I said
yes, but I look like a poor instrument
for a missionary; I look more fit for
a hospital or dissecting room than a
mission. He replied, "What do you
say that for? Go ahead in the name
of the Lord, and you shall be healed
and blessed on your mission." I
thanked him. A brother came along
with a wagon, and carried me a few
miles on my road. I started without
purse or scrip, and passed by Parley
P. Pratt, who was hewing logs for a
house; he was bare-footed, bare-
headed, without coat or vest on. He
said, "I have no money, but I have
an empty purse; I will give you that."
I went a few rods, and found Elder H. C. Kimball building a log cabin.
He said, "I have one dollar, I will
give you that to put in your purse."
He blessed me, and I went my way,
accompanied by Elder John Taylor.
I had a shake of the ague every other
day, and lay on the bottom of the
wagon while I travelled.
We staid with Samuel H. and Don
Carlos Smith at Macomb, and held a
meeting with the Saints, who contri-
buted $9 to our necessities, and George
Miller gave us a horse. Father Colt-
rin was going east; he took us into
his wagon to help us along. We
spent five days in Springfield, where
Elder Taylor printed fifteen hundred
copies of a pamphlet upon the Mis-
souri persecution. We sold our horse,
and left on the , and continued
our journey. We spent the night of
the with Dr. Modisett, of Terre-
haute.
On the , while travelling, Elder
Taylor fell to the ground as though he
had been knocked down. We admini-
stered to him, and he revived. On
the following day he fell again, and
fainted several times; it seemed as
though the destroyer would take his
life. We travelled with him four days
after he was taken sick. His sickness
proved to be bilious fever. We stop-
ped with him two days at a German
tavern, in Germantown, Wayne county,
Indiana, with a kind family with
whom he was acquainted. Father
Coltrin would stay no longer. I pro-
posed to remain with Brother Taylor,
but as I was sick with fever and ague,
and not able to take care of myself,
brother Taylor advised me to continue
my journey with Father Coltrin, say-
ing, "It is easier to take care of one
sick man than two." I committed
him into the hands of God, and the
family promised to do all in their
power to make him comfortable. I
parted from him with a heavy heart.
—I continued my journey
with Father Coltrin to Cleveland,
Ohio. I there took steamer on the
for Buffalo; had a severe gale,
and did not reach Buffalo until the
. I travelled to Albany on a
canal boat; had the ague daily, was
very sick; had no companions except
sectarian priests, who were daily ly-
ing about the "Mormons." I took
stage at Albany for Farmington, Con-
necticut, on the night of the , and
rode all night and the following day;
suffered severely with fever and ague.
I arrived at my father's house in
Farmington on the , quite sick.
I found my father and family well.
On the , my mater-
nal grandmother, Anna Thompson,
died, aged 84; I was too sick to attend
her funeral. It is a singular incident
that my grandfather, Lot Thompson,
and Anna Thompson his wife, Samuel
Thompson and Mercy Thompson, all
of one family, died in their 84th year.
On the , Adner Hart,
brother to my step-mother, died, aged
43. He requested me to preach his
funeral sermon. I had been sick at
my father's house, with the ague, for
fifteen days, attended with a severe
cough, and the hour appointed for the
funeral was the time for my ague, yet
I attended the funeral and preached,
and I had no more ague for many
days. I left on the , and visited New York, Long Island, and New
Jersey, in very poor health.
—I assisted Elders Clark, Wright and Mulliner, to set sail for England. Elder John Taylor had re-
covered from his sickness, and arrived
in New York on the .
—In company with Elders
John Taylor and Theodore Turley, I
went on board the packet-ship Oxford,
and sailed for Liverpool, where I
I landed, I laid down upon the bank
of the river on a side of sole leather.
The Prophet Joseph came along and
looked at me, and said, "You are
starting on your mission." I said
yes, but I look like a poor instrument
for a missionary; I look more fit for
a hospital or dissecting room than a
mission. He replied, "What do you
say that for? Go ahead in the name
of the Lord, and you shall be healed
and blessed on your mission." I
thanked him. A brother came along
with a wagon, and carried me a few
miles on my road. I started without
purse or scrip, and passed by Parley
P. Pratt, who was hewing logs for a
house; he was bare-footed, bareheaded, without coat or vest on. He
said, "I have no money, but I have
an empty purse; I will give you that."
I went a few rods, and found Elder
H. C. Kimball building a log cabin.
He said, "I have one dollar, I will
give you that to put in your purse."
He blessed me, and I went my way,
accompanied by Elder John Taylor.
I had a shake of the ague every other
day, and lay on the bottom of the
wagon while I travelled.
We staid with Samuel H. and Don
Carlos Smith at Macomb, and held a
meeting with the Saints, who contributed $9 to our necessities, and George
Miller gave us a horse. Father Coltrin was going east; he took us into
his wagon to help us along. We
spent five days in Springfield, where
Elder Taylor printed fifteen hundred
copies of a pamphlet upon the Missouri persecution. We sold our horse,
and left on the 21st, and continued
our journey. We spent the night of
the with Dr. Modisett, of Terrehaute.
On the , while travelling, Elder
Taylor fell to the ground as though he
had been knocked down. We administered to him, and he revived. On
the following day he fell again, and
fainted several times; it seemed as
though the destroyer would take his
life. We travelled with him four days
after he was taken sick. His sickness
proved to be bilious fever. We stopped with him two days at a German
tavern, in Germantown, Wayne county,
Indiana, with a kind family with
whom he was acquainted. Father
Coltrin would stay no longer. I proposed to remain with Brother Taylor,
but as I was sick with fever and ague,
and not able to take care of myself,
brother Taylor advised me to continue
my journey with Father Coltrin, saying, "It is easier to take care of one
sick man than two." I committed
him into the hands of God, and the
family promised to do all in their
power to make him comfortable. I
parted from him with a heavy heart.
—I continued my journey
with Father Coltrin to Cleveland,
Ohio. I there took steamer on the
for Buffalo; had a severe gale,
and did not reach Buffalo until the
. I travelled to Albany on a
canal boat; had the ague daily, was
very sick; had no companions except
sectarian priests, who were daily lying about the "Mormons." I took
stage at Albany for Farmington, Connecticut, on the night of the , and
rode all night and the following day;
suffered severely with fever and ague.
I arrived at my father's house in
Farmington on the , quite sick.
I found my father and family well.
On the , my maternal grandmother, Anna Thompson,
died, aged 84; I was too sick to attend
her funeral. It is a singular incident
that my grandfather, Lot Thompson,
and Anna Thompson his wife, Samuel
Thompson and Mercy Thompson, all
of one family, died in their 84th year.
On the , Adner Hart,
brother to my step-mother, died, aged
43. He requested me to preach his
funeral sermon. I had been sick at
my father's house, with the ague, for
fifteen days, attended with a severe
cough, and the hour appointed for the
funeral was the time for my ague, yet
I attended the funeral and preached,
and I had no more ague for many
days. I left on the , and visited
New York, Long Island, and New
Jersey, in very poor health.
—I assisted Elders Clark,
Wright and Mulliner, to set sail for
England. Elder John Taylor had recovered from his sickness, and arrived
in New York on the .
—In company with Elders
John Taylor and Theodore Turley, I
went on board the packet-ship Oxford,
and sailed for Liverpool, where I
