Forty Years Among the Indians: A true yet thrilling narrative of the author's experiences among the nativesJones, Daniel W. (Daniel Webster)
History
Forty Years Among the Indians: A true yet thrilling narrative of the author's experiences among the natives
Jones, Daniel W. (Daniel Webster)
Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.); Indians of North America; Latter Day Saint pioneers -- Biography
I once noticed a rail road guide book, where General Johnston was
given credit of opening the road down Price Creek canyon. This is not
correct. No road was there until the rail road was worked through.
Captain Seldon took a party up Spanish Fork through a short canyon
to the east of Price Creek. According to the best information in my
possession, the credit is due to Sam Gilson for first penetrating and
passing through Price canyon.
After spending about three weeks I returned to Salt Lake City. The
selections being approved, work on the printing was soon commenced.
There being no one competent to judge of the translation, Brother
Brigham asked me how we proposed to prove to the satisfaction of
the authorities of the Church that the translation was correct. My
proposition was to take a book in English we, Trejo and I, were not
acquainted with, let Trejo translate it into Spanish, then I without
ever seeing the book would take his translation and write it into
English and compare it with the original. Brother Brigham said that
was fair. He asked me if I was familiar with "Spencer's Letters." I
said I was not as I had never read them. He sent me to the Historian's
office to tell Brother G. A. Smith to let Trejo have a copy and do as I
proposed. On furnishing our translation as agreed upon, Brother Smith
laughingly remarked, "I like Brother Jones' style better than Brother
Spencer's. It is the same in substance, but the language is more easily
understood."
Brother Trejo was instructed to carefully re-write the selections
and get them ready for the printers. We were advised to call upon
Apostle Taylor and ask him to advise us as he had been in charge of
the publishing of the Book of Mormon into the French language. Brother
Taylor said he did not think we could do the work; and he would rather
have nothing to do with it. I told him we had been appointed by the
highest authority that there was in the Church to do the work and we
believed we could do it and make as good a translation as any that
had been made. Two others of the apostles were present. Whether they
remember this or not is a question but I am satisfied that Brother
Taylor never forgot my answer.
When the printing was commenced, Brother Brigham told me that he would
hold me responsible for its correctness. This weighed heavily upon my
mind. So much so that I asked the Lord to in some way manifest to me
when there were mistakes.
Brother Joseph Bull allowed us an extra reading of the proof. The
printers did not understand a word of Spanish and could only follow
literally the copy. They soon, however, acquired an idea of the
spelling that made it easier than at first.
The manuscript as written by Brother Trejo, was at times rather after
the modern notion of good style. When I called his attention to errors
he invariably agreed with me. He often remarked that I was a close
critic and understood Spanish better than he did. I did not like to
tell him how I discerned the mistakes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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