316 IN THE OLD WEST 



day, bringing some buffalo-meat and dressed deer- 

 skins, and were invited to be present at one of 

 these festivals. 



Arrived at the temple, they were rather taken 

 aback by finding themselves in for a sermon, which 

 one of the elders delivered preparatory to the 

 " physical exercises." The preacher was one 

 Brown — called, by reason of his commanding a 

 company of Mormon volunteers, " Cap'n Brown " 



— a hard-featured, black-coated man of five-and- 

 forty, correctly got up in black continuations, and 

 white handkerchief round his neck, — a costume 

 seldom seen at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. 

 The Cap'n, rising, cleared his voice, and thus 

 commenced, first turning to an elder (with whom 

 there was a little rivalry in the way of preach- 

 ing) : " Brother Dowdle " (brother Dowdle blushed 

 and nodded, he was a long tallow-faced man, with 

 black hair combed over his face), " I feel like 

 holding forth a little this afternoon, before we 

 glorify the Lord, — a — a — in the — a — holy 

 dance. As there are a many strange gentlemen 

 now — a — present, it's about right to tell 'em 



— a — what our doctrine just is; and so I tells 

 'em right off what the Mormons is. They are 

 the chosen of the Lord; they are the children of 

 glory, persecuted by the hand of man: they flies 

 here to the wilderness, and, amongst the Injine 

 and the buffer, they lifts up their heads, and 

 cries with a loud voice, * Susannah, and hurray for 



