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
A great many pertinent questions were asked and answered. The best of
order prevailed and a good feeling was manifested. The priest said he
would study our book and if he could not understand it he was willing
for his people to study, and if they could see good in our doctrine, he
wanted them to have the privilege of receiving it. He said that he was
now getting old; that he had always worked for the good of the people,
and that he did not want to keep any good thing away from them.
Next morning we started back to take up our road for home. We had
turned off at Tejoloquechic. On reaching there the people had gathered
a donation of corn and beans, for us and insisted on our receiving it.
We took some but told them we could not haul much.
The next place where anything of interest occurred was at Namaquipe, a
town on the Upper Santa Maria river. We arrived at this place on Sunday
about ten o'clock, intending to spend the day of rest there. We camped
in the shade of some cottonwoods near a large ranch house, across the
river from the main town.
I went to the house to buy some dried meat. I met an old lady who sold
me the meat giving quite a liberal quantity for twenty five cents. I
made her a present of one of our books, and went back to camp.
Some time after noon this same lady with a very aged companion, came
into camp. The old man looked over one hundred years old. We learned
that he was a hundred and three years.
On being seated the old gentleman said, "You were up to my house this
morning."
"Yes sir."
"You got some meat."
"Yes sir."
"You paid for it."
"Yes sir." I began to think of the _lot_ I had gotten for my money.
"You left a little book."
"Yes sir."
"Did you get pay for it?"
"No sir. I did not want pay for the book. We do not sell these books."
"Yes, but you paid for the meat. That was not right."
Here the old man held the book up and said, "I have been reading this
book. I understand it and know who you are. You are apostles of Jesus
Christ, just the same as Peter, James and John, and I know it. And I
also know this book is true." He then turned to his wife and said:
"Wife have I not been telling our neighbors for two years past that
apostles having the true gospel would come to this land, and that I
would live to see them?"
We were astonished to hear this testimony, so direct and positive.
Don Francisco Vasquez continued and asked us if we intended to return
to the country soon. We told him we did not know but we hoped to. He
said he would like to be baptized and receive the benefit of the gospel
before he died.
Next morning when we passed his home he made us take four sacks of
corn; all we could haul.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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