"You have declared that your mission is from Heaven, that you are a servant of God; and I believe it. Now I demand baptism at your hands. If you are a servant of God, don't shrink from your duty."
I looked at her for a moment, and said: "Sister, if you have faith enough to be baptized under these circumstances, I have faith enough to try it."
Some personal friends who lived in the little village accompanied us to the water, a short distance above the usual place of baptizing, and were present during the performance of the ordinance. They advised her to return home immediately, with her two servants, and never let on that anything had happened.
For myself, I started for the house of my friend, carrying my boots in my hand. It was now dark. As I got to the top of a high fence and cast my eyes about me, I luckily saw a man with a double-barreled shotgun in his hands, or what I supposed was such. He was within ten steps of me, or nearer. I recognized Col. Tucker.
Having heard of his threats, I was induced not to tempt him too far. I placed my hands on the fence and leaped over it, alighting on the other side, near a cross fence which separated the garden from a field of corn. As quick as thought I got among the corn, which was at full height. I was within twenty feet of Tucker and could hear all that was said. I heard him rave, and demand with oaths what my friends, who came up, were doing there. Had they been baptizing his wife? I recognized the voice of the parson's lady with whom I was stopping. She had the wet clothes of Mrs. Tucker.
"Tell me," said Tucker, "if my wife has been baptized, or I will blow your brains out." The reply was: "She has been baptized."
"Where is that infernal Mormon preacher?" demanded the Colonel; "I will put a load of shot through him."
"He is in that cornfield," was the reply.
The Colonel raved the more. Finally some of his friends persuaded him to return home, and not disgrace himself. He pretended to do so, but it was only a feint to get me out.
After waiting until all was quiet I returned to the house of my friend, and passing through the door went out on the porch. I sat down and was slipping off my socks, to put on dry ones, when I heard a rustling in the room behind me. The next moment Col. Tucker had his gun leveled on me, but it flashed in the pan. He then whirled up the butt of it to fell me to the earth.