Many thought that, as the roads were all blocked, and carefully watched by the troops, when we came in the vicinity of the army we would be under the necessity of burning or abandoning our wagons and everything that we could not pack on our animals. Among the brethren was a man whose name was Pope; he had a wife and two or three small children. They were very anxious to accompany us, and, although the perils we were about to encounter were of a serious nature, they could not be induced by anything that could be said to them to remain behind. A council of the Elders was held upon their case, and it was agreed to permit Brother Pope to accompany us, as well as four brethren who proposed walking the entire distance to the Valley. It was a time that required faith to be exercised, for the affairs of the Saints were in a critical condition. We knew, however, that God had delivered us when we had relied upon Him, and we united with great zeal in imploring His blessing, that He might overrule everything in such a manner that we could return in safety to the society of our families and friends. After leaving Winter Quarters we traveled on without interruption until we drew near to Fort Kearny. Our road was on the north side of the Platte, and Fort Kearney was on the south side. There were troops at the Fort and they were on the alert to prevent companies of men or any kind of aid passing over the road to help the "Mormons" in Utah; for they pretended to look upon our people as public enemies. It was our custom at such times to hold a council, and take into consideration the best course to pursue. The Elders all came together and we prayed to the Lord, and asked Him to bestow upon us His Holy Spirit and to lead and guide us in our operations. When we unitedly decided in council upon pursuing a certain course we always felt that that was the mind and will of the Lord unto us. It was decided at this council that we should avoid attracting the attention of the people of the Fort by passing it in the night. Unfortunately, as it seemed at the time, it rained heavily that evening and we were only able to travel until a little past midnight. By that time ourselves and our animals were so thoroughly fatigued and the night was so dark that we were compelled to stop and tie up for the night. Our reflections were not very pleasant, because we felt sure that when morning dawned upon us we would be in full sight of the fort, and undoubtedly would receive a visit from the officers and troops. We awoke with the dawn of day, and instead of being able to see the fort, or its occupants being able to see us, we found our camp enveloped in a fog, the mist being so dense that it was with difficulty we could see each other. We traveled on in the fog until afternoon, by which time we were out of sight of the fort.