“Peace! peace! peace! to the inhabitants of the earth, now the ‘Mormons’ are driven!”

The poor Saints had to get away as fast as they could.  Some went north, some south, but most of them crossed the river and camped on the low bottoms of the Mississippi in Iowa.  I shall not attempt to tell you of the sufferings of these poor people; weak, sick hungry, cold, and wet.  It would make your heart ache to see the picture, one of the saddest in all our history.

At this time, when it seemed as though these people would starve to death, a strange thing happened.  Great flocks of quail came flying into camp.  They flew against the wagons with such force that they were killed or stunned, so that they could be picked up.  They also alighted all over the camp and were so tame that they could be taken by the hand.  Thus the Lord sent food to his hungry children.

If you wish to read a very interesting account of this removal from Nauvoo, read Colonel Kane’s lecture, found in many of our larger histories.[2]

Topics.—­1.  Nauvoo after the main body of Saints had left. 2.  The Battle of Nauvoo. 3.  The remnant driven out.

Questions and Review.—­1.  About how many Saints were left in Nauvoo? 2.  Who were the “Jack Mormons?” 3.  Tell of the mob’s doings. 4.  Who was John Carlin? 5.  What did he do? 6.  Who was Major Parker? 7.  What did he have orders to do? 8.  Describe the mobbing party. 9.  Tell about the Nauvoo volunteers. 10.  Who were William and Augustus Anderson? 11.  How long did the defenders hold out? 12.  What was agreed upon in the treaty of peace? 13.  Describe the actions of the mob in Nauvoo. 14.  To where were the Saints driven? 15.  What was their condition? 16.  How were they fed? 17.  Who wrote an interesting account of this exodus?

CHAPTER XXVII.

WESTWARD.

The moving of a nation!  What a task it must have been!

Most of you have had some experience in moving, it may be only a family moving from one house to another, and you know what a lot of worry and work there are in such a small affair; but here was a nation moving!

This great exodus was very much like the time when the children of Israel went from under the oppression of Egypt out into the wilderness to journey to the promised land.  When at Nauvoo, Brigham Young said to the Saints:  “To your tents, O Israel,” they knew they had another Moses to lead them from their persecutors.

The camp at Sugar creek grew larger every day through the arrival of exiles from Nauvoo.  Many did not bring provisions enough with them, so that they were forced to go to the neighboring farms and settlements and work for corn.

The first move the camp made was on March 1, 1846, when four hundred wagons started forward.  Five miles only was traveled that day, and when they camped, the snow had to be shovelled away where they pitched their tents.