CHAPTER I.

ELDERS CALLED HOME FROM THE SANDWICH ISLANDS--NATIVE ELDER LEFT TO PRESIDE--GIBSON'S ARRIVAL IN SALT LAKE--JOINS THE CHURCH--ASKS FOR A MISSION TO THE SANDWICH ISLANDS--HIS DEEP-LAID SCHEME--LEADING ASTRAY THE HAWAIIAN SAINTS--FIVE ELDERS SENT TO INVESTIGATE--ARRIVAL AT THE SANDWICH ISLANDS--ATTEMPT TO GO ASHORE IN A BOAT--CAPSIZED IN THE SURF--ELDER LORENZO SNOW LOST--AFTER A LONG SEARCH, FOUND UNDER THE BOAT--EFFORTS TO RESUSCITATE HIM--RESTORED TO LIFE ONE HOUR AFTER BEING DROWNED.

In the summer and autumn of 1857, a United States army was marching towards Utah, evidently with hostile intentions towards its people. It was thought wisdom, by the authorities of the Church, to concentrate the strength of the Saints for any emergency, by calling home the Elders that were on foreign missions.

When the last of the Elders from Utah left the Sandwich Islands, on the 1st of May, 1858, the care of the Saints on each of the islands was entrusted to a native Elder. Kailihune was appointed to preside over the gathering place on Lanai. He was among the first fruits of the labors of the Elders, and for a long time had been very efficient and faithful.

During our difficulties with the government Walter M. Gibson, an adventurer, came to Utah. His ostensible object was to induce President Young, and the general Church authorities, to remove our people _en masse_, to the East India Islands. He painted, in glowing colors, the splendid facilities and opportunities those islands offered for immigration and colonization, by an enterprising and industrious people like the Latter-day Saints.

In his ignorance, he supposed that the object of the founder and leaders of the Church was to found a powerful and independent nation. The object of these schemes was, evidently, his own personal aggrandizement.

It had, no doubt, been a favorite project of his, for years, to found a government somewhere on the islands of the Pacific Ocean. Failing in his scheme for the removal of the Church, some other plan must be devised for the accomplishment of his cherished purpose.

He professed to become a convert to our faith, and was baptized into the Church. He then requested to be sent on a mission to the Polynesian Islands. He desired a roving commission from the Presidency of the Church, authorizing him to travel and preach, on any or all of the islands, in the Pacific Ocean.

Before leaving Salt Lake City, Mr. Gibson made it a specialty to converse with the Elders who had lately returned from the Sandwich Islands. He sought to be well informed on the general condition of the islands, the customs, traditions, and general character of the natives, and, especially did he seek to be well informed as to the numbers, organization, location, and general condition of the native Saints. His object, in this, developed afterwards.

When he left Utah he went directly to the Sandwich Islands. He soon found some of the Saints, and represented to them, that he had been sent by President Young, not only to take charge of the mission on those islands, but to preside over all the churches that might be raised up on any of the Pacific islands, and, in that capacity, that he was equal to, and entirely independent of President Young.

The native Saints had been left about two years to themselves. They were naturally simple and credulous, and it was easy to impose upon them.

As soon as Mr. Gibson acquired some knowledge of the native language, he commenced traveling among the branches of the Church, and grafted on to the gospel, many of the old traditions and superstitions of the Hawaiians. He reorganized the Church, or, more properly speaking, reconstructed it in accordance with his own notions, throughout the islands.

He was one of those characters, of whom the apostle Peter warned the Saints in his day, "and through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you." He ordained twelve apostles, and charged them one hundred and fifty dollars each for initiating them into the office, and charged High Priests, Seventies, etc, proportionately, according to the presumed importance of the offices.

By this and other impositions, he succeeded in raising sufficient means for the purchase of one half of the island of Lanai. Some years before the Elders had leased the same tract of land, of Halelea, a native chief, for a temporary gathering place for the Saints.

Mr. Gibson represented to the Saints that he was securing the land for them, but that it would have to be deeded to him for them.

For the accomplishment of his purpose, concentration and organization were necessary. He continued to gather the Saints to Lanai. There he organized all the males, old and young, into companions, and daily drilled them in the art of war. He informed them that, as soon as they were properly disciplined, it was his intention to build or purchase a vessel, equip it, and sail for one of the South Sea Islands. He would seek a favorable opportunity, conquer the natives, leave some of his disciplined men in charge of the conquered territory, and fill up his depleted ranks with raw recruits.

In this way, he designed to conquer one island after another, until he organized a large fleet, and subjugated all the Polynesian Islands. Thus he hoped to realize his wildest dreams by organizing, as he expressed it, "_One great grand empire_," that would be able to take its place among the leading nations of the earth.

His every act from the time of his arrival in Utah, had been designed for his own aggrandizement. He had learned nothing of the spirit and power of the gospel. The Lord is establishing His kingdom, and he was fighting against it. If he has not already done so, he will yet realize the truth of the saying of the Savior, in his teachings, when, on his earthly mission, he likened the Kingdom of God to a stone, and said, "And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it may fall, it will grind him to powder."

Notwithstanding the Saints had been gradually led astray by Mr. Gibson, they felt that his teachings and practices were not the same as those of the Elders who had labored among them before his coming.

Fearing they might be deceived, some eight of the native Elders wrote to brethren in Utah who had labored for many years among them. They stated some of the facts concerning Mr. Gibson's course, and asked for advice. This communication was translated and submitted to President Young.

The First Presidency decided that Apostles E. T. Benson and Lorenzo Snow should visit the islands, and that Elders Joseph. F. Smith, Alma L. Smith, and myself, who had previously been on missions to the islands and understood the native language, should accompany them.

We arrived at Honolulu, the capital of the islands, about the 27th of March, 1864. On the 29th we sailed for Lahaina, on the schooner, _Nettie Merrill_, Captain Fisher, for the island of Maui, a distance of about ninety miles from Honolulu. On the morning of the 31st of March, we came to anchor about one mile from the mouth of the little harbor of Lahaina.

Apostles Ezra T. Benson, Lorenzo Snow, Brother Alma L. Smith, and myself, got into the small boat to go ashore. Brother Joseph F. Smith, as he afterwards stated, had some misgivings about going in that boat, but the manifestation was not sufficiently strong to indicate any general accident. He preferred to remain on board the vessel, until the boat returned.

The boat started for the shore. It contained some barrels and boxes, the captain, a white man, two or three native passengers, and the boat's crew, who were also natives.

The entrance to the harbor is a very narrow passage between coral reefs, and when the sea is rough it is very dangerous, on account of the breakers. Where the vessel lay the sea was not rough, but only presented the appearance of heavy swells rolling to the shore.

As we approached the reef it was evident to me, that the surf was running higher than we anticipated. I called the captain's attention to the fact. We were running quartering across the waves, and I suggested that we change our course so as to run at right angles with them. He replied, that he did not think there was any danger, and our course was not changed. We went but little farther, when a heavy swell struck the boat and carried us before it about fifty yards. When the swell passed it left us in a trough between two huge waves.

It was too late to retrieve our error, and we must run our chances. When the second swell struck the boat, it raised the stern so high that the steersman's oar was out of the water, and he lost control of the boat. It rode on the swell a short distance, and swung around just as the wave began to break up. We were almost instantly capsized, into the dashing, foaming sea.

I felt no concern for myself about drowning, for while on my former mission I had learned to swim and sport in the surf of those shores.

The last I remembered of Brother Snow, as the boat was going over I saw him seize the upper edge of it with both hands. Fearing that the upper edge of the boat, or the barrels, might hit and injure me as the boat was going over, I plunged head foremost into the water. After swimming a short distance, I came to the surface without being strangled or injured.

The boat was bottom upwards, and barrels, hats, and umbrellas were floating in every direction. I swam to the boat and as there was nothing to cling to on the bottom, I reached under and seized the edge of it.

About the same time, brother Benson came up near me, and readily got hold of the boat.

The natives soon appeared, and swam about quite unconcerned for their own safety. Brother Alma L. Smith came up on the opposite side of the boat from brother Benson and myself. He was considerably strangled, but succeeded in securing a hold on the boat.

A short time afterwards the captain was discovered, about fifty yards from us. Two of his sailors swam to his assistance, and, one on each side, succeeded in keeping him on the surface, although life was apparently extinct.

Nothing yet had been seen of Brother Snow, although the natives had been swimming and diving in every direction in search of him. We were only about one fourth of a mile from the shore. The people, as soon as they discovered our circumstances, manned a life boat and hurried to the rescue.

We were taken into the boat, when the crew wanted to row for the shore, and pick up the captain on the way. We told them that one of our friends was yet missing, and we did not want to leave, as long as there was any possibility of a chance to render him assistance. We discovered that a second boat had left the shore, and could reach the captain as soon as the one we were in. Seeing this, the crew of the boat we were in, consented to remain and assist us.

The captain was taken ashore, and, by working over him for some time, was brought to life.

The life of Captain Fisher would not, probably, have been much endangered, except for a sack of four or five hundred dollars in silver which he held in his hand. This he clung to with great tenacity. When the boat capsized the weight of it took him at once to the bottom. The natives dove and brought him up, still clinging to the sack. When his vitality was restored, the first thing he inquired about was the money; intimating to the natives, with peculiar emphasis, that it would not have been healthy for them to have lost it.

Brother Snow had not yet been discovered, and the anxiety was intense. The natives were, evidently, doing all in their power.

Finally, one of them, in edging himself around the capsized boat, must have felt Brother Snow with his feet and pulled him, at least partly, from under it, as the first I saw of Brother Snow was his hair floating upon the water as the native was dragging him through the water around one end of the capsized boat. As soon as we got him into our boat, we told the boatmen to pull for the shore with all possible speed. His body was stiff, and life was evidently extinct.

Brother Alma L. Smith and myself were sitting side by side. We laid Brother Snow across our laps, and, on the way to shore, we quietly administered to him and asked the Lord to spare his life, that he might return to his family and home.

On reaching the shore, we carried him a little way, to some large empty barrels that were lying on the sandy beach. We laid him, face downwards, on one of these, and rolled him back and forth until we succeeded in getting the water that he had swallowed out of him.

During this time, a number of persons came down from the town; among them was Mr. E. P. Adams, a merchant. All were willing to do what they could. We washed Brother Snow's face with camphor, furnished by Mr. Adams. We did not only what was customary in such cases, but also what the spirit seemed to whisper to us.

After working over him for some time, without any indications of returning life, the bystanders said that nothing more could be done for him. But we did not feel like giving him up, and still prayed and worked over him, with an assurance that the Lord would hear and answer our prayers.

Finally we were impressed to place our mouth over his and make an effort to inflate his lungs, alternately blowing in and drawing out the air, imitating, as far as possible, the natural process of breathing. This we persevered in until we succeeded in inflating his lungs. After a little, there were very faint indications of returning vitality. A slight wink of the eye, which, until then, had been open and deathlike, and a very faint rattle in the throat, were the first symptoms of returning life. These grew more and more distinct, until consciousness was fully restored.

When this result was reached, it must have been fully an hour after the capsizing of the boat. A Portuguese man, living in Lahaina, who, from the first, rendered us much assistance, invited us to take Brother Snow to his house. There being no Saints in the place, we gladly accepted his kind offer.

Every possible attention was given to Brother Snow's comfort.

Persons in danger and excitement, often see things a little differently. The following is Apostle Snow's account of the capsizing of the boat:

"As we were moving along within some half a mile from the point where we expected to land, my attention was suddenly arrested by Captain Fisher calling to the oarsmen, in a voice which denoted some alarm, 'Hurry up! hurry up!' I quickly discovered the cause of alarm.

"A short distance behind us, I saw an immense surf, thirty or forty feet high rushing towards us swifter than a race horse. We had scarcely a moment for reflection before the huge mass was upon us. In an instant our boat, with its contents, as though it were only a feather, was hurled into the briny water, and we were under this rolling, seething, mountain wave.

"This was certainly unexpected. It took me by surprise. I think, however, that I soon comprehended the situation: that we were in the midst of the turbulent waters, a quarter of a mile from the shore, without much probability of receiving human aid.

"I felt confident, however, that there would be some way of escape; that the Lord would provide the means, for it was not possible that my life and mission were thus to terminate. This reliance on the Lord banished fear, and inspired me with hope up to the last moment of consciousness.

"Having been somewhat subject to fainting spells, I believe that after a few moments in the water, I must have fainted, as I did not suffer the pain common in the experience of drowning persons. I had been in the water only a few moments, until I lost consciousness.

"The first I knew afterwards, I was on shore receiving the kind and tender attentions of my brethren. The first recollection I have of returning consciousness, was seeing a very small light, the smallest maginable. This soon disappeared, and I was again in total darkness. Again it appeared, much larger than before, then sank away and left me, as before, in forgetfulness. Thus it continued to come and go, until, finally, I recognized, as I thought, persons whispering, and soon after I asked in a feeble whisper, 'What is the matter?'

"I immediately recognized the voice of Elder Cluff, as he replied, 'You have been drowned; the boat upset in the surf.' Quick as lightning, the scene of our disaster flashed upon my mind. I immediately asked, 'Are you brethren all safe?' The emotion that was awakened in my bosom by the answer of Elder Cluff, will remain as long as life continues: 'Brother Snow, we are all safe.'

"I rapidly recovered, and very soon was able to walk and accompany the brethren to our lodgings."

As soon as Brother Snow was out of danger, it occurred to me that I had better return to the vessel.

As I reached the deck, by the rope ladder over its side, I saw, at a glance, that Brother Smith was under great anxiety of mind.

We were both under an intensity of feeling, which men usually experience only a few times in their lives. Brother Smith had been informed by a native that the captain and an elderly white man were drowned. The latter, he supposed to be Brother Benson, hence his great anxiety.

My own nervous system was strung up to an extreme tension by the events of the past two hours. When I told Brother Smith that all were safe, the sudden revulsion of feeling almost overcame him. We rejoiced together that through a merciful Providence, and the faith that had been bestowed upon us, we were all alive.