In the central region of the North American continent, there is a large area of ​​desolate and arid desert. For many years, it has always hindered the progress of civilization and restricted the development of culture. From the Sierra Nevada Mountains all the way to Nibraska, from the Yellowstone River in the north to

Colorado in the south is a completely lifeless area. However, in this desolate and terrifying area, the natural scenery is also rich and colorful. There are snow-covered mountains and steep mountains, as well as dark and gloomy deep valleys.

There are rapid rivers rushing between canyons formed by mountains and rocks, and there are endless wastelands, covered with snow in winter, and gray salt-alkali land in summer. Although the scenery is so colorful, the main feature is that there is no grass growing, desolation and desolation.

There is no human habitation in this vast expanse of land. Only the Pawnee and Blackfeet occasionally pass by in groups, heading for hunting areas. Even the bravest and most determined people are looking forward to leaving early.

After finishing this terrible and lifeless wasteland, return to the beautiful prairie. There are only mountain wild dogs walking through the jungle, giant eagles flying leisurely in the sky, and clumsy grizzly bears looking for food in the gloomy and dark valleys.

, they are the only sojourners in this wilderness.

There is no area on earth that is more desolate and desolate than the northern foothills of the Sierra Blanca. Looking in all directions, you can only see small pieces of salt-alkali land separated by dwarf oak trees;

At the end, the snow shimmers with silver light, and the mountains are undulating. There is neither life nor anything related to life in this area. There are no birds flying under the iron-blue sky, and there is nothing moving on the gray earth.

In a word, it is desolate. If you listen closely, there is no sound in this vast and vast land, only the complete and despairing desolation and death.

Some people say that there is nothing related to life in this vast wilderness. This statement is not 100% accurate. Looking down from the heights of the Blanca Mountains, you can find a small winding road.

It winds through the desert and finally disappears on the horizon. The formation of this road is attributed to the rolling of countless oxcarts and the trampling of many adventurers. However, there are white things scattered everywhere, and there are a lot of white things here.

, there are piles of bones shining brightly in the sun, which look dazzling on this monotonous salt-alkali land. When you get closer and take a closer look, you can see that there are piles of white bones. Cow bones are thick and large, while human bones are relatively small. People

As we travel this terrifying 1,500 miles, we will use the bones of our predecessors lying on the roadside as our guides.

On May 4, 1847, a lonely traveler overlooked this desolate scene from the mountain. Judging from his appearance, he was really an elf in this dead and desperate situation. Even people with good observation skills,

It is not easy to guess whether he is in his late teens or in his sixties. His face is haggard and thin, and his brown skin is like dry sheepskin, tightly wrapped around a handful of hard bones. His long brown hair is already graying, and his eyes are deep.

His eyes were sunken and his eyes were dull. The hand holding the rifle had no more muscles than his skeleton. When he stood, he had to use the gun to support his body. However, his burly physique and tall and thin figure showed that he had been

A strong man. However, now his thin face and the clothes covering his skinny limbs are like a big bag, which is enough to show his old age. He is on the verge of death due to hunger and thirst.

He had endured countless pains and trudged along the canyon, and now he was struggling to climb up to this small highland. He had a vague hope that he could find a small water source. However, all he could see before his eyes was an endless expanse.

There was no sign of a single tree in the salt-alkali land and the rolling barren mountains far away in the horizon. Where there were trees, there was likely to be water. There was no hope in this vast wilderness. He opened his eyes and was confused.

And with almost crazy eyes, he looked to the north, west and east. After looking, he knew clearly: his wandering years had come to an end, and he was about to be buried on this desolate cliff.

"What's the difference between dying here like this and dying on a big bed with goose down quilt 20 years later?" He said to himself while sitting in the shadow of a large protruding stone.

Before he sat down, he had already placed the rifle on the ground, and then put down the large bundle wrapped in a large gray shawl on his right shoulder. It seemed that his energy had long been exhausted and he could not carry much.

When he put down the big bundle, it fell heavily on the ground. From the big gray bundle, first a cry came out, and then a frightened little boy with bright brown eyes came out.

face, and stretched out two chubby little fists with shallow dimples and freckles.

"You hurt me when you threw me!" a child complained.

"Really?" The man explained: "I didn't mean it."

As he spoke, he opened the big gray bag and took out a beautiful little girl. The little girl was about five years old. She had a pair of exquisite shoes, a nice pink top, and a linen scarf.

It can be seen from her dress that her mother takes good care of her. Although the little girl's face is a little pale, her strong arms and calves indicate that the suffering she has experienced is not as severe as this.

There are many men.

"How are you now?" he asked anxiously, because the little girl was rubbing her golden hair on the back of her head.

"Kiss here and I'll be fine!" the little girl said seriously. She pointed out the place where her head was touched and said, "Mom always does this. Where is mom?"

"Your mother is gone now, but I think you will see her soon."

The little girl said: "What, mommy is gone? It's really strange, she hasn't said goodbye to me yet! In the past, she always had to say goodbye to me every time she went to her aunt's house for tea. But this time

She has been gone for three whole days. I am very thirsty and hungry. Is there nothing to drink or eat here?"

"No, nothing! My dear, please be patient for now, and you will be fine after a while. Lean your head on me, so you will feel more comfortable. My mouth is also very dry, and it is difficult to speak, but

I'd better tell you the real situation, what is it you are holding in your hand?"

The little girl picked up two mica flakes and showed them to him, and said excitedly: "How beautiful they are! As soon as I get home, I will give them to my little brother Bob."

The man said: "Soon, you will find something more beautiful than this. Just now, I was about to tell you about the river we left. Do you remember it?"

"Remember." the little girl said.

"Well, we expected to hit another river soon. Do you understand? But we didn't know what was wrong. Was it the map, or the compass, or something else, so we went again.

The river was nowhere to be found. The water was almost gone, and there was only a tiny bit left, which can only be left for children like you to drink. Later... later..."

"You can't even wash your face." The little girl said seriously. At the same time, she raised her head to look at his dirty face.

"Not only could I not wash my face, I even had no water to drink. Later, Mr. Bender died of thirst first, then the Indian Pinter, then Mrs. McGregor, Johnny Hons, and then, my dear,

That’s your mother.”

"Is mother dead too?" the little girl cried, covering her face with a scarf and crying uncontrollably.

"Yes, they are all dead, and now you and I are the only ones left. I thought maybe I could find water here. So, I carried you on my shoulders and took you step by step. Now

It seems that the situation has not improved. Our hope of survival is very slim."

The little girl stopped crying, raised her face full of tears, and asked, "You mean, we are going to die too, right?"

"I think that's about it."

The little girl actually said happily: "Why didn't you tell me earlier? You scared me. You see, as long as we die too, I can be with my mother again, right?"

"Yes, we can definitely be together, little darling."

"You will also see your mother. I want to tell my mother that you are very good to me. I dare say that she will greet us at the door of heaven, carrying a large pot of water and many buckwheat cakes.

With the heat, both sides are browned, just like how Bob and I like to eat. But how long will it take for us to die?"

"I don't know - but it won't be long!" At this time, the man said while staring at the northern horizon. It turned out that under the blue sky, three small black dots appeared first, and then black

The dots were getting bigger and bigger, coming quickly and fiercely. In a blink of an eye, they could see three big brown birds. They were hovering above the heads of the two wanderers, and then they landed on a big rock above them. This was

The three large eagles are bald eagles in the American West. Their appearance is often a precursor to death.

"Cock, hen." The little girl pointed at the three big eagles and screamed happily. She kept clapping her little hands, trying to scare them and make them fly. She asked: "Is this place also created by God?"

"Of course, it was created by God." The man replied. But she asked him so suddenly, which surprised him.

The little girl continued: "Illinois over there was created by God, and Missouri was also created by God. But I think it must have been created by other people. Because it was not well made, and even the water and trees were forgotten.

Out."

The man suggested: "How about we pray?"

The little girl replied: "It's not evening yet!"

"It doesn't matter. There doesn't have to be any specific time for prayer. Don't worry, God won't blame us. Just pray now, just like we did every night in the caravan as we passed through the wilderness."

The little girl asked strangely: "Why don't you pray?"

He replied: "Because I don't remember the prayer. I haven't prayed since I was half as tall as that gun. But I think it's not too late to pray now. Read out the prayer first."

, and then I will recite it with you."

The little girl spread the bundle on the ground and said, "Well, you have to kneel down, and I will kneel down too. You have to raise your hands, so you will feel better."

Except for the three large eagles, no one saw this rather strange scene: In this narrow place, two wanderers were kneeling side by side, one was a rugged adventurer and the other was an innocent little girl. His face

The thin and haggard black face and her chubby little round face looked up at the cloudless sky together, praying devoutly to the awesome God who was with them. These were two different voices, and the little girl's voice was clear and crisp.

But Xiao Xiao, her companion's voice was hoarse and low, and they prayed together, asking God for mercy and forgiveness of sins. After praying, the two sat down again in the shadow of the big stone, and the little girl leaned against her protector.

He gradually fell asleep in his chest. He stared at her for a while and fell asleep. In the end, he could not resist the force of nature, because he had not closed his eyes for three days and three nights and had never had a good rest. His eyelids gradually drooped,

Covering his sleepy eyes, his head slowly lowered to his chest, his gray beard mixed with her golden curly hair, and they both fell into sleep.

If this wandering adventurer had slept half an hour late, he would have seen this scene: at the far end of this salt-alkali land, a puff of smoke began to rise. At first, the smoke was very light and faint, but from a distance, it looked very bright.

It was not easy to separate from the mist in the distance. However, later, the smoke became higher and higher, and the scope became wider and wider, finally forming a dense cloud. Obviously, only a large group of people and horses flying can roll up such a huge amount of smoke and dust.

.If this is a place with fertile land, it can be concluded that this is a large group of cattle and sheep grazing on the grassland, and they are moving here. However, in this area where there is no grass growing, it is obvious that this cannot be the case.

The billowing smoke and dust gradually moved closer and closer to the cliff where the two trapped people fell asleep. In the smoke and dust, a caravan with a canvas roof and the figures of armed soldiers appeared. It turned out that this was

A large group of caravans marching to the west, what a mighty group! The vanguard has reached the foot of the mountain, while the rear group is still invisible on the east horizon. In this vast and vast wilderness, four-wheeled vehicles

, two-wheeled vehicles continued in succession, many men were riding on horseback, and many men were walking, forming a long procession. There were also many women carrying heavy burdens walking slowly on the road, and many children were following them.

Running beside the caravan, there were also some children sitting on the caravan, looking out from the white caravan. Obviously, this was not an ordinary group of immigrants, but an entire powerful nomadic people, who were migrating because of the environment.

Looking for paradise again. In this early morning air, horses neighed, people roared, and cars rumbled. On the surface, it was a complete mess. Even such a shocking noise did not wake up the two tired people in distress on the cliff.

About 20 men on horseback with serious expressions and determination were marching at the front of the column. They were all wearing simple clothes, made of hand-woven cloth, and they were holding rifles. They came to the foot of the mountain and stopped temporarily.

We came down and had a very brief discussion for a short time.

A rider with gray hair, clean shaven and tight lips said: "Go to the right, there is a well, brothers."

Another rider said: "Following the right side of Monte Blanca we will reach Ogrande."

The third rider shouted: "Don't worry about the lack of water. God, who can draw water from rocks, will not abandon his chosen people."

"Amen! Amen..." they said in unison.

When they were about to start on their way, suddenly, a sharp-eyed young man pointed to the cliff above them and screamed. When they took a look, it turned out that there was a pink thing floating on the cliff, and it was floating on the gray rock.

It looked particularly vivid against the background. As soon as this thing was discovered, they reined in their horses and raised their guns. At the same time, more riders galloped up from behind, and many of them were heard shouting together: "There is

Red man!”

"Red people? Impossible!" said the man who seemed to be an older leader. "We have passed the Pawnee red people's residential area. There will be no other red people tribes until we pass through the mountains ahead.

Already."

One of the young riders said: "Let me go up and investigate, okay? Brother Stangerson."

"I'm going too! I'm going too..." More than 10 young riders shouted in unison.

The leader ordered: "Leave your horses here! We will meet you here!"

More than 10 young riders immediately dismounted and tied their horses. Then, they climbed along the steep ridge towards the target that aroused their curiosity.

They moved forward quietly and quickly, showing the calm and vigorous movements of time-tested investigators. The people at the foot of the mountain saw them moving quickly among the rocks, and soon they reached the cliff. Which one was the first?

The young man who noticed the situation walked at the front. Suddenly, the young men following him saw him raise his hands and looked surprised. They stepped forward to take a look, and the scene in front of them stunned them.

On a small piece of flat land on the top of this cliff, there is a single large round stone. Lying next to the stone is a tall man with long beard and hair, a haggard appearance, and a serious appearance. According to his tranquil appearance

From his expression and his even and gentle breathing, it could be seen that he was sleeping soundly. A little girl was sleeping next to him. Her little arms were white and round, hugging his thin and black neck. Her blond hair was

Her little head was leaning on the man's chest; her red mouth was slightly open, revealing neat white teeth, with an innocent and lively smile on her childish face. On her fat and white calves

, wearing white socks, very clean shoes, and the buttons on the shoes are shining, all of which are in sharp contrast with the long and thin limbs of this man. On the rocks above the heads of this strange pair of figures, guarding three large

Eagles, as soon as they discovered that more than 10 uninvited guests had arrived, they cried out and flew away in panic.

The cry of the big eagle finally woke up the two sleeping poor people. They looked at the more than 10 uninvited guests in front of them with confusion. The man stood up unsteadily and looked down the mountain. When the Sandman came to him

, the road down the mountain was still desolate and uninhabited, but now it was filled with horses neighing and people screaming. He showed an expression of disbelief, raised his skinny hand and put it on his brow to help observe, and said to himself: "I am

Aren't you crazy?" The little girl stood beside him, tightly tugging at the corners of his shirt. She didn't say anything, but looked at everything around her with the curious eyes unique to children.

The people who came to rescue them soon convinced them that the appearance of the large group of people was not their hallucination. One of the young men picked up the little girl and put her on his shoulders, while the other two young men supported the weak man.

Let's go down the mountain together.

The man introduced himself to his home and said to the person who was helping him: "My name is John Ferrier, there are 21 of us, and now this little guy and I are the only ones left. In the south, they all died because they had no food or water."

.”

A young man asked: "Is she your child?"

"I think, yes." The man admitted boldly, and said: "Now, she is considered my child, because I have always taken care of her, and no one can take her away. From today on, she will

My name is Lucy Ferrier. But who are you?" He looked at these tall, burly, dark-skinned saviors curiously, and asked: "Are there many of you?"

A young man replied: "There are almost tens of thousands of us. We are the persecuted children of God and the chosen ones of the angel Melona."

The man said humorously: "I haven't heard of this angel's great deeds, but she seems to have chosen you right subjects who are not bad."

"You are not allowed to talk about God's things casually, and you are not allowed to joke." Another young man said solemnly, "We believe in the 'Book of Mormon.' The scriptures are written in Egyptian characters on gold leaves. In Palma

La, the scriptures were entrusted to the holy Joseph Smith. We came from Nauvoo, Illinois, where we once built our own church. Now we run from that tyrannical Smith and those godless people.

People. Even if we wander in the desert, we are willing to do so."

When the city of Nauvoo was mentioned, Ferrier remembered it and said, "I understand, you are Mormons."

"Yes, we are Mormons!" they said in unison.

"So, where are you going now?"

"We don't know it ourselves. But God guides us through the prophet. You must go to the prophet first, and he will tell you how to resettle you."

At this time, their group had arrived at the foot of the mountain. A large group of immigrants immediately surrounded the little girl and the man. There were fair-skinned and gentle women, strong and playful teenagers, and sincere expressions.

Men. They saw these two strangers. The little girl was so young and the man was so weak. Everyone felt pity for them. However, the young people escorting did not stop. They moved forward through the crowd, and behind them

Following a large group of Mormons, they came to a large carriage. This carriage was the tallest and ornately decorated, which was completely different from other carriages. It had as many as six horses, while other carriages generally had

Two horses, or at most four horses. Next to the coachman, sat a man who was no more than 30 years old, but with his huge head and extremely determined expression, it was clear at a glance that he was the leader of this group of immigrants.

One of the characters. He was flipping through a book with a brown cover. When this group of people escorted the two people to him, he put the book aside temporarily and listened to the report of the young people escorting them.

After listening, he stared at the two victims and said solemnly: "You can only go together if you believe in our religion. Our sheep will never allow wolves to come in. Rather than let two rotten spots

In the end, if the entire fruit is destroyed, it would be better to have your bones exposed in this wasteland. Are you willing to accept this condition?"

"Of course we are willing to go with you, and we are willing to accept any conditions!" Ferrier said with emphasis. All the respected elders laughed heartily, but only this leader still maintained a solemn and solemn expression.

The leader said: "Brother Stangerson, just take him in and give him something to drink and eat. Oh, and also give it to this kid. You are also responsible for teaching him our doctrine." He told the crowd again.

Said, "We have been delayed for a long time. Let's set off and march towards Mount Sion!"

"Go to Sion! Go forward! Go forward!" The Mormons shouted together. The leader's voice of command was like a wave, passed down from one believer to another, and gradually, the human voice disappeared in the distance behind.

The whips crackled and the carriages rumbled. The large group of people quickly moved into action, and the long procession meandered again. The two victims were taken to his carriage by an elder named "Stangerson"

Here, drinks and food have been prepared for them.

Elder Stangerson said: "You will live with me. Soon, your physical strength will be restored. From now on, you will always remember: you are believers in our religion. Brigham Young revealed this
Chapter completed!