Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 16.djvu/432



404 EZRA FISHER

reach Iowa so soon by some weeks as I expected in con- sequence of the extremely bad traveling. Your appointment was here some time before my arrival. I consequently re- ported from the time I commenced labor in the territory and not from the time of the date of the commission, and when I received the commission of the 1st of May I finished the six months' service before I commenced reporting under that commission, and I suppose there is the place where originated all our misunderstanding. I therefore supposed my former reports had been acceptable, hence I supposed you would not expect a quarterly report before the 15th of March. Had I known your expectations I should most cheerfully have reported the 1st of February. You sent me a draft of $41.67, yet according to my calculation but $31.70 would be my due up to the present date and but $29 up to the 1st of April. As the expense of my outfit has been much greater than I ex- pected and the sum I will have to take with me after the making of the outfit is so small, I concluded to order the whole paid and will be willing to make the deduction from the next appointment's salary, should your Board request it. I shall start from this place with about $240.00 and we shall be at about $50 charges in getting to Independence. In view of my pecuniary situation the friends in this place gave me a collection for my personal benefit amounting to about $8.70, after preaching a sermon on the subject of the Oregon Mission, and after a similar manner the people in Davenport raised me about $11.60, as a token of sympathy for me in the sacrifice they regard me now making. I name this that you may see that our friends here approve of our undertaking and bid us God speed. I regret exceedingly that Br. Johnson will not go this year.

Yours, EZRA FISHER.

N. B. I trust I shall soon have a fellow laborer, and that I now have the prayers of all the members of the Board. I feel often greatly to distrust my adaptation to so important