As I was passing through a wide, wild and trackless prairie, I lost my landmarks, and night coming on, I had to camp out solitary and alone, and without any weapons, on the edge of a strip of timber fringing Jones' Creek. Kindling a fire at the foot of a tree, and taking my saddle blankets for my bed, my saddle for my pillow, and my umbrella for my pavilion, I quietly laid me down and thought of Jacob at Bethel, when journeying to Padam Aram, he laid himself down to sleep and dreamed about the ladder set upon the earth, and whose top reached unto heaven. Jacob slept, and dreamed a pleasant dream; but there was no sleep, nor pleasant dream for me--for just as I was endeavoring to compose myself to sleep, suddenly the wolves and panthers began a serenade, which grated horribly upon my ear. Springing to my feet, and seizing a fire-brand, I rushed towards the place whence these unwelcome sounds proceeded, and making all manner of outrageous noises, I did what I could to drive my uninvited serenaders far away. In this I partially succeeded; but did not think it prudent to sleep, as the howling of the wolf and the cry of the panther were heard at intervals during the whole livelong night; and there was danger, particularly of the panthers springing upon me when defenceless and unprotected upon the ground.

Truly, that was a long and dismal night to me; especially as towards morning it began to cloud up and threaten to rain. A few drops fell, but, happily for me, with the shades of night passed away the clouds from the face of the sky; and the next morning, early enough, your supperless missionary, taking down his pavilion, and rising from his couch, resumed his cheerless and lonely way; and now came a dark, dark time indeed. True, the sun was shining brightly, and many deer, as yet unacquainted with men, were bounding merrily and gracefully on every hand; but bewildered in the wild and trackless prairie, I was lost, lost, lost!

After wandering about in every direction, myself and horse without water for some thirty hours, I began seriously to think that I should at last have to lie down and die in this untraveled wilderness, far away from my family and the habitation of man, without a friend to close my eyes, or dig my grave! The idea of dying in this lonely place, and then being devoured by wolves and panthers, I confess was very dismal to me. But, God be thanked, whilst I was thus bewildered and lost, and knew not what to do--whilst despair was every moment deepening its gloom around me--having turned in another direction, and nearly the opposite of that in which I was going, I saw in the distance a white flag waving upon a pole to mark the entrance of a foot-path into the timbered bottoms of the Colorado. O, that flag!--that beautiful white flag! I thought it was the prettiest thing I had ever seen in all my life. My heart leaped for joy, and I was ready to exclaim aloud, "Blessings upon the man that put it there!" It made me think very sweetly of the Star of Bethlehem; that blessed and only star of hope to a dying world. Certainly I shall not forget this matter, when, in the sacred desk, I shall speak of the Cross of Christ, which marks out to sinners, bewildered and lost, their only pathway to heaven.