blanket, buffalo robe, and a supply of provisions. I had
heard tell of deck passage—I had read of deck passage, but
when I experienced deck passage, with its peculiar make-up,
on this voyage, I could truly say, with the Queen of Sheba,
"the half had not been told;" and I felt assured that the
other half never could be told. And, after all, the almost
unbearable discomfort I experienced on the voyage was not
attributable particularly to deck passage, but to the unpleasant
peculiarities of the situation. I was surrounded with a
huddled crowd of rough, uncouth people, very filthy in their
appearance and habits. We had a long passage of about six
weeks, in which we encountered storms and tempests, and
suffered much for want of fresh water, and also a sufficient
supply of food. For further particulars I transcribe the
following letter written to my aunt in Ohio:
My Dear and Highly Respected Aunt:
With pleasure I improve the present opportunity in fulfilling
the promise made at our last interview. You see by
this heading, I am in the city of London, the great metropolis
of the British empire. The thought that I am between four
and five thousand miles from the home of my childhood and
all of my early, fond associations, very naturally prompts the
question, Why am I here? To me, a question of no small
magnitude—one, the results of which probably lie far in the
future. In answer to the foregoing I would say, I am here
because God has spoken, and raised up a Prophet, through
whom He has restored the fulness of the everlasting Gospel,
with all its gifts, powers, ordinances, and blessings; with a
proclamation to all peoples, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven
is at hand." In the providence of God, I have been called as
an ambassador, to bear this message to the nations of the
earth, which I realize devolves on me a great responsibility
which I cannot discharge without the aid of the Almighty.
