Nov. 15—While traveling in the night with br. Benjamin L. Clapp and others, a tremend- ous storm of wind and rain overtook us. We came to a creek which had swollen to such an extent by the rain that we could not cross without swimming our horses; several of the company were females. We undertook to head [Column 2] the stream, to ford it, but in the attempt, in the midst of the darkness and the raging of the wind and rain, we were lost in the thick woods, amidst the rain, wind, creeks and fal- len tree tops; we crossed streams nearly twen- ty times. I was reminded of Paul's perils by water; but the Lord was merciful unto us in the midst of our troubles, for while we were groping in the dark, running the risk of killing both ourselves and animals by riding off pre- cipitous bluffs, a bright light suddenly shone round about us, and revealed our perilous situ- ation as were upon the edge of a deep gulf. The light continued with us until we found a house and learned the right road; then the light disappeared, and we were enabled to reach the house of br. Henry Thomas at nine o'clock, all safe, having rode twenty miles, five hours in the storm, and we felt to thank the Lord for our preservation.

I preached in the school house No. 2. the spirit of God rested upon me. I spent the night at Mr John Smith's & I dreamed of seeing the great Draggon or beast with all of his heads and horns to the number of six hundred three score and six. He was about 20 rods in length with many riding upon his back without fear or alarm

The ma jority of the people or public opinion were against us and even their were about seventy men mounted on horseback with firearms gathered together for the intention of comeing against our camp but the God of Israel frustr ated their design for while they were comeing against us the Lord rained upon them rain and great hail so that it was expedient for them to seek shelter from the storm and after the stor m they dispersed and would not go against the camp.

19th This was one of the awful, fearful, dangerous, exciting, affecting, grand, sublime, and interesting, days Journey I ever took in my life. Our boat was drawn out of the canal on cars prepared to run on the railroad to convey us over the Allegany mountain which is a novel scene indeed to see a canal boat taken apart into 4 sections loaded with freight & passengers & hoisted on a rail road by inclin plains into the air 1500 feet over the highest mountains & then desend into the valley below in the same way & evry rod is attended with the greatest danger & what adds dread to the

is having carless men in attendance who seem indiferent bothe to their business & the lives of men, which was apparent during this days scene at least But to the detail. Horses was hiched to our cars drew us four miles & a half then we come to the first incline plaine which we had to rise two cars wer fassened at the top of the plain to the same rope that ours was fassened to at the bottom, the engine was stationed in a build- ing at the top of the plain that drew the cars up & down when all was ready the signal was given by raising a red flag the engine was put in operation & the cars started, this Plain was a half a mile long & raised 180 feet we went up in 2 minutes, & I was truly thankful to reach the top for had the rope broak or fastning untied we should have rolled back to the bottom with a tremen- dious crash, we were then carried on to Plaine No. 2, which raised 125 [feet] in half a mile our boat rocked badly while going up but No accident hapened. we then continued on a level untill we came to the incline plane No 3. this was one mile & a quartr long & raised 320 feet which we went up in 4 minutes before we reached the top the safty car that was attached to our boat was flung from the track which draged many rods & flung the roap of the wheels for 10 or 12 rods I made a signal to the engeneer who stoped & it was replaced, here again we were in danger of breaking the rope which would have sent us back down the mountain more than a mile or turned us

over into the yauning gulf below in eith[er] case we would have been dashed to atoms my hare rose on my head, but having got all things ready we proceded on to plane No 4. 3/4 of a mile long & assended 265 feet we rose this in 3 min but it looked awful to be thus suspended almost in the air with such a wait lives and freight depending upon an not, a twine, a rope a pin an engine, care of a man either of which should give way all would be dashed to atoms unless saved by miracle. we next continued onto plain No 5. 3/4 of a mile long 280 feet rise we were carried up this also in 3 minutes, which brought us on to the summit of the Allegany mountains. The whole 5 incline plains on our assending the mountain are four miles in length which raises us perpendicular 1,170 feet & I felt thankful to God that I was on the top of the mountain alive but we had got to desend in the same way that we assended, we run on the top of the mountain about 5 miles & then began to desend we found snow on the top of the mountain & it was exeeding cold we had 6 incline planes to desend to get to the bottom of the mountain, the whole of which was attended with equal danger and car[e]lessness as we came upon the brink of one of them the Cars being drawn by horses, the men had left the breakers the conductor seeing the cars coming & about to run onto the Horses He hollowed [hallooed] for the men to break but finding no one at the break ers & the cars approaching the incline plain the team- ster liberated his horses as soon as possible & they Just escaped being run over & the conductor sprung to the breaker himself & with great

started on the jour ney untill 12 oclock at night when a tremendious storm & wind arose which made the lake as rough as it could be by the force of wind & such a scenery as quickly followed I nev er before witnessed in all my travels either by sea or land on water or earth. The Captain of the Chesepeak with other officers, hands & passeng ers mostly expected to go to the bottom to have Judged from outward appearances I should think here was twenty chances of being lost to one of being saved yet I did not once expect during the whole scenery to be lost for I expected & felt that the Lord would savae us from a watery grave by some means

President Young arose & said I wish to say a few words upon Principle I desire the brethren and sisters to be taught in all things necessary. There is one thing I want you to realize and that is that God, Angels, & Saints Heaven and all of Gods creation are governed by law and I want the Camp of Israel to understand that we must be and if Heaven was not controlled by law what for a place would it be I would not wish to be there for were we rushed into Heaven without law evry man would be in danger of loosing his rights & having them trampeld upon but all celestial beings are governed by law & perfect order yea the celestial law is a perfect order of things a perfect system of light, law, intelligence exhaltation & glory where evry persons rights are sustained to the fulest extent

I am not a Bishop, but in a Bishops meeting and I feel like saying a few words as President Young has given liberty. It matters not to me whether the lash hits me or you in the reproofs given by President Young, I feel to thank God that we are blessed with a leader who has indipendence of mind sufficient to do the will of God let it reprove or rebuke who it may. He asks no odds of any kingdom, Nations, people person or thing who stands in the way of his doing his duty. It is a Blessing to us that we have a leader who have Eyes to see for us when we are in danger ourselves and if we had not some one to warn us and reprove us when we do wrong we would not be safe. President Young is sustained by the power of God and when he calls upon us to do any thing we ought to do it, and if we withhold we do it to our hurt. the Elders in England have beged of the people, untill they have bound them in chanes and kept them there in poverty if the Elders had pursued a wise course there are thousands who are now in England who would this day have been in Zion, then let us go to & fit out the missionaries and stop there begging from the poor. Bishop made a few remarks & the meeting dismissed

My teaching is to tell the people what to do to be saved to day for if you get out of the path of salvation today you are in danger of being out of it tomorrow & the further you stray from it the more difficulty you will meet with in ever finding it again. it would be folly in me to spend my time in telling the people about the glories of the Millennium while I see them straying from those paths that would lead to those glories now