Page:The Rocky Mountain Saints.djvu/290

256 Nothing of special interest occurred on the journey of the pioneers beyond what has been common to all travel over the plains ; still, it is never to be forgotten that the Saints claim to have "made the roads, bridged the streams, and killed the snakes."

Before reaching Salt Lake City the pioneers met with the renowned "Jim" Bridger, who did anything but encourage them with hopes of finding a fruitful land in Salt Lake Basin, and, with the usual liberality of the West, "Jim" was prepared to give a thousand dollars for the first ear of corn that Brigham could raise there.

Jim had lived in wigwams with squaws for half a long lifetime, far away from the abodes of the "pale-faces," and up to that hour he had not heard of the wonders of the modern gospel. Brigham knew what faith was going to do his kind of faith and he prophesied liberally to Jim about what he and his squaws would yet live to see. Jim could not comprehend how that the summer-parched soil, with a rainless sky overhead, was going to sustain any body of civilized people, as those now approaching from the East, and advised the Mormons to travel on. He had "trapped" all over the country for a score of years, and knew every green sward that dotted the banks of the rivers, and had counted the verdure-clothed springs that were few and far between, and small even then. But the more that the future of Zion was doubtful in Jim's mind, the more Brigham abounded in grace and prophesied. Jim had never seen the heavens dropping rain "only very occasionally!" Brigham had studied irrigation. Jim was looking for favours from above. Brigham was counting on the labours of below.

Before the pioneers reached Salt Lake Valley they were met by elder Brannan, who had sailed from New York, in the Brooklyn, to San Francisco. He had made the journey overland to report to Brigham that California was a rich country and a glorious place for the future gathering of the Saints. But Brigham did not like the report. He preferred the desert. A choice and rich land would attract the Gentiles, and the Saints would soon be overwhelmed and rooted out, as they had been in Missouri and Illinois. He wanted to locate where there