The morning very fine and pleasant. Brother Egan commenced washing
very early on the banks of the river. He kindly volunteered to wash my
dirty clothing which I accepted as a favor. After breakfast President
Young, Elders Kimball, Richards, Pratt, Woodruff, Smith and Benson and
Lyman walked out to view Bluff Ruins and returned at half past eleven.
A while ago I went out a little distance to view an adder which George
Billings had discovered. It was a dark brown color about 18 inches
long and three quarters of an inch thick through the body. They are
represented as very poisonous. About eleven o'clock Nathaniel Fairbanks
came into camp having been bitten in the leg by a rattlesnake. He went
on the bluffs with Aaron Farr and Brother Rolf and as they jumped off
from the bluff, the snake bit him, the others having jumped over him
farther. He said that in two minutes after he was bitten his tongue
began to prick and feel numb. When he got to camp his tongue and
hands pricked and felt numb as a person feels their feet sometimes
when they are said to be asleep. The brethren immediately applied
some tobacco juice and leaves, also turpentine, and bound tobacco on
his leg which was considerably swollen. We laid hands on him and Luke
Johnson administered a dose of lobelia in number six after he had taken
a strong drink of alcohol and water. The lobelia soon vomitted him
powerfully. He complains much of sickness at his stomach and dimness
in his eyes. He appears to be in much pain. While the brethren of the
quorum of the twelve were on one of the high detached bluffs they found
the skeleton of a buffalo's head. Brother Woodruff wrote the names of
all the quorum of the twelve present and set it upon the southwest
corner of the bluff. John Brown also wrote his name on it. Elder Pratt
took the altitude of the bluff and found it to be 235 feet above the
surface of the river. He did not calculate the height above the sea,
owing to the state of the atmosphere. He, however, predicted wind from
the same cause. At twelve o'clock the camp was called together for
meeting, and after singing and praying we were addressed by Elder Snow,
followed by President Young. The latter said there were many items of
doctrine which he often felt like teaching to the brethren, but as
to administering sealing ordinances, etc., this is no time or place
for them, they belong to the house of God and when we get located we
shall have an opportunity to build a house, etc. He expressed himself
satisfied with the conduct of the camp in general. He is pleased to
see so much union and disposition to obey council among the brethren
and hoped and prayed that it may continue and increase. He wants the
brethren to seek after knowledge and be faithful to acknowledge God in
all things but never take his name in vain nor use profane language.
If all the knowledge in this camp were put together and brother Joseph
were here in our midst, he could comprehend the whole of it and wind it
around his little finger. And then think of the knowledge of angels,
and above that, the knowledge of the Lord. There is much for us to
learn and a faithful man who desires eternal glory will seek after
knowledge all the time and his ideas never suffered to rust but are
always bright. He will not throw away the knowledge of small things
because they are familiar, but grasp all he can and keep doing so and
by retaining many small things he will thus gain a large pile, etc.
He expressed his feelings warmly towards all the brethren and prayed
them to be faithful, diligent and upright, for we are now sowing seed,
the fruit of which will be plucked in after days whether good or
bad. G. A. Smith made a few remarks, also several others of the
brethren. The president then stated that on Sunday next he wants the
brethren to understand that there will be meeting at eleven o'clock and
the sacrament administered, and he wants the brethren to attend, all
that can, and not ramble off and fatigue themselves but use the Sabbath
as a day of rest. He enjoined it upon Bishops T. Lewis, S. Roundy,
J. S. Higbee and A. Everett to see that the proper necessities
were prepared for the sacrament. The meeting was then dismissed. A
while after meeting I walked out with Elder Kimball a piece from
the camp. We sat down and I read to him my journal of the last four
days, with which he seemed well pleased. We then knelt down together
and poured out our souls to God for ourselves, the camp and our dear
families in Winter Quarters. While we were engaged in prayer the wind
rose suddenly from the northwest, a heavy cloud having been gathering
from the west all the afternoon. A sudden gust struck Elder Kimball's
hat and carried it off. After we got through, his hat was nowhere in
sight, but following the direction of the wind we soon saw it at a
distance on the bottom of the prairie still flying swiftly. We both ran
and chased it about three quarters of a mile and caught it a little
from the river. While we were out together I remarked that the buffalo
gnat had bitten us very severely. Elder Kimball said they bit him very
badly last evening. Their bite is very poisonous, and although they
are extremely small, they punish a person very much with an itching,
aching pain like a mosquito bite. About five o'clock the wind blew a
perfect gale and continued till seven when it commenced to rain very
heavily, large drops descending, accompanied with hail, which however,
did not continue very long but the wind continued nearly all night.
The lightning and thunder continued some time but not very severe. We
saw the necessity of having good stout bows to our wagons, and the
covers well fastened down, for the very stoutest seemed in danger of
being torn to pieces and the wagons blown over. When the wind commenced
blowing so strongly it turned very cold and long before dark I went to
bed to keep warm. Brother Fairbanks seems considerably better. This
evening President Young, Kimball and Benson laid hands on him and he
seemed much better afterwards.