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He heard and saw things among the men that pained him and he longed to officiate in services proper to a missionary but found no opportunity. The record on the second Sunday out is typical:

"Sun, [May] 11. Decamped early this morning, but lost the trail; came to a stop about 11 o'clock. Capt. Thing took an observation and found we were [in] 40°, 18" N. Lat. This [day] has been spent in a manner not at all congenial with my wishes. Traveling, labouring to take care of the animals by all and cursing and shooting, &c., by the Company. Read some Psalms and thought truly my feelings in some measure accorded with David's when he longed so much for the House of God. I have found very little time for reading, writing or meditation since I reached Liberty, for I was almost momentarily employed in making preparations previous to leaving the civilized world, and we now find constant employment from daylight till it is time to decamp, and then I am engaged in driving cows till we camp; to pitch our tent and make all necessary arrangements for the night fills up the residue of the day. But still we find a few moments to call our little Family together and commend ourselves to God."

Again when spending a Sunday at Fort Laramie he writes:

"We have very little prospect of doing any good among those with whom we journey, our time while in camp being almost entirely taken up in taking care of our things, horses, cooking, etc., so that it is with difficulty we find time to write a little in the journal."

What Jason Lee the man was, however, came out at the crisis when the company arrived at the rendezvous. He writes:

"We call this the Rendevous or the place where all the companies in the Mountains, or in this section of them, have fixed upon to meet for the transaction of business. Some of the Companies have not come in, yet most of them are a mile above us on the same creek. They threatened that when we came 'they would give them Missionaries hell,' and Capt. W. informed us and advised us to be on our guard and give them no offense and if molested to show no symptoms of fear, and if difficulty did arise we might depend upon his aid for he never forsook any one who had put himself under his protection. I replied I was much obliged to him. I feared no man and apprehended no danger from them when sober and when drunk we would endeavour to [be] out of their way. I judged it best, however, to go immediately to their camp and get introduction to them while sober, and soon as possible