Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 17.djvu/255

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DIARY 247

salvation in the ears of these red men. I trust in God that I shall yet see many of them rejoicing in hope of the glory of God. Lord hasten the hour and thou shalt have all the praise. 7 o'clock P. M. Felt rather fatigued when Br. Shepard and I arrived in camp with the cows being half an hour behind the horses.

After resting for some time and reading my bible with pleasure retired beside a beautiful rapid in Lewis' Fork (whose waters we reached to-day after an absence of 9 days) and there soothed by the pleasing sound of the swift rolling water, I poured out my soul to God in prayer and did not find it in vain to call upon Israel's God. Felt a rather more than usual spirit of prayer for the universal triumph of Immanual's King- dom and especially for the prosperity of the mission in which we are engaged, and I trust thousands of Christians have been wrestling with God for the same object and this animates me in this literally desert land. Saw two very curious springs on the opposite side of the River. They burst forth from the rocky bank of the river say 50 ft. above it and the impetuous torrent white as the driven snow rushes with a majestic splendour down the nearly naked rocks into the river beneath. They are so perfectly white that at a distance they have the appearance of a snow bank. I judge the distance which the water flows out of the bank or the width of the largest to be at its commencement two rods and the quantity of it discharges at least sixty tons a minute. How astonishing are the works of God; and though we can not comprehend them yet in wisdom has he made them all.

A contemplation of these works is profitable for w[h]ile it tends to show us our own weakness, ignorance and insignifi- cance it gives us more exalted views of the power wisdom and greatness of the Almighty Maker.

Mon. 11. Au. Came twenty miles and camped on the Snake Falls and near a band of the Snake Indians called the Diggers.

They have few horses and no guns and live chiefly on fish and roots hence their name Diggers. They are friendly and