k up my cross and chose
the latter. I sold out and moved to Far West. I took leave of my
friends and made my way to where the Saints had gathered in Zion.
Our journey was one full of events interesting to us, but not of
sufficient importance to relate to the public. While on the
journey I sold most of my cattle on time to an old man, a friend
of Stewart's - took his notes, and let him keep them, which, as
the sequel shows, was fortunate for me.

We arrived at Far West, the then headquarters of the Mormon
Church, about the 4th day of June, 1838. The country around there
for some fifteen or twenty miles, each way, was settled by
Mormons. I do not think any others lived within that distance.
The Mormons who had been driven from Jackson, Ray, and Clay
counties, in 1833, settled in Caldwell and Daviess counties.

The night after our arrival at Far West there was a meeting to be
held there. Stewart said to me:

"Let us go up and hear them speak with new tongues and interpret
the same, and enjoy the gifts of the gospel generally, for this
is to be a prayer and testimony meeting."

"I want no signs," I said. "I believe the gospel they preach on
principle and reason, not upon signs - its consistency is all I
ask. All I want are natural, logical, and reasonable arguments,
to make up my mind from."

The Sunday after, I attended church in Far West Hall. The hall
was crowded with people, so much so that I, with others, could
not gain admittance to the building. I obtained standing room in
one of the windows. I saw a man enter the house without
uncovering his head. The Prophet ordered the Brother of Gideon to
put that man out, for his presumption in daring to enter and
stand in the house of God without uncovering his head. This
looked to me like drawing the lines pretty snug and close;
however, I knew but little of the etiquette of high life, and
much less about that of the Kingdom of Heaven. I looked upon
Joseph Smith as a prophet of God - as one who held the keys of
this last dispensation, and I hardly knew what to think about the
violent manner in which the man was treated who had entered the
house of God without taking his hat off. But this did not lessen
my faith; it served to confirm it. I was fearful that I might in
some way unintentionally offend the great and good man who stood
as God's prophet on the earth to point out the way of salvation.

We remained at the house of Elder Joseph Hunt, in Far West,
several days.