It had been raining very hard for several days, and soon after they left the house a large rock on the mountain side, loosened by the storm, came rolling down at a terrific speed, striking and demolishing the house they had just vacated. The inmates fled, in terror from the house, but not in time for all to escape injury, as one man was killed and several others more or less hurt. The lives of the Elders were doubtless saved by their acting promptly on the warning of the spirit, for had they remained where they were a few minutes longer they would have been crushed. Elder West also subsequently met the captain of the "Hiega," who insisted upon knowing why the two Elders had abandoned the ship after engaging their passage. Elder West told him it was because of a dream he had of the vessel being wrecked. The captain then asked why he did not tell him of the dream. Elder West replied that he did not believe the captain would have had any faith in the warning that the dream conveyed to him, but would probably have denounced him as a fool for believing in it. The captain admitted that he was probably right in his conclusion. The Elders soon found another chance of engaging passage to California, and arrived safely in San Francisco on the 7th of September, 1854. CHAPTER II. ELDER JAMES LAWSON INSPIRED TO QUIT A STEAMBOAT ON WHICH HE WAS A PASSENGER--JUMPED ON A FLATBOAT--A FEW MOMENTS LATER THE STEAMBOAT SANK, AND MOST OF THE PASSENGERS WERE DROWNED. Elder James Lawson, a well known resident of the 16th Ward of this city until a few years since, narrowly escaped drowning in the Mississippi river by acting promptly upon the warning of the Spirit under the following circumstances.