This done, he prays for Zion, Jerusalem, Judah, Israel, the Church, the Holy Priesthood, the resurrection of the just, the kingdom and coming of Messiah, the end of war, and sin, and death, and wrong, and oppression, and sorrow, and mourning, and tears; and for earth, and Heaven, and God, angels and men, to be joined forever in the bonds of eternal peace, and love and truth.
This done, he commends himself, the vessel and his all on board to God, and to the guardianship of his good angel. Amen. Walks the deck a few minutes, examines the sails, the speed of the vessel, the course of the wind, and then retires to rest to dream of home.
October 5th.—Coast of Peru, S. A., lat. 3 deg. 30 m. S. A month passed on the ocean; much head wind, some calms, and more or less sickness has attended us by turns until the present. We have not been able to read, write, or study much, therefore the time has passed off very tediously indeed.
We have a miser for a captain, who thinks more of a sixpence than he does of our lives or even of his own. He will not suffer the steward to cook potatoes, bread, pies, puddings or any other wholesome food, but keeps us on hard, mouldy bread, full of bugs and worms, and on salt beef and pork—the pork being rotten. He has flour, potatoes and good pork, but will not allow it to be used; thus you will readily perceive that we ate truly in unpleasant circumstances.
Last evening we came near a shipwreck, having run near the land without knowing it, and it fell calm. The ship became unmanageable, and was drifting on to the shore, but we cast anchor and awaited the light of morning, when we got under weigh with much labor, and stood again to sea.
FRENCH HOTEL, Valparaiso, Chili, S. A.,
November 9th.
Dear Friends: After a most disagreeable and tedious passage of sixty-four days we have at length arrived in port, in tolerable health. We landed yesterday at noon, and took lodgings and board at a French Hotel, where we have a great variety of good eating, and a front parlor to ourselves—price four dollars per day for three of us. The proprietor speaks French, the clerk French, with a little English, the landlady German, the waiter Spanish, and ourselves English, with a little Spanish.
So you see we have a little Babel of our own, independently of Nimrod or the great tower.
We find the country in the midst of revolution and civil war. Two persons and their adherents fighting for power and rule. Business is dull, living high, and doubt and uncertainty characterizing every transaction in the various business departments.
On Sunday we attended a meeting in a very large building. We saw thousands of both sexes, and of all classes and ages, throng the place, bow down on their knees and worship certain images and paintings with much apparent devotion. No instructions were given in any language, no music, no voice or sound, except a low, plaintive voice in the far end of the room, not addressed to the people, neither sufficiently loud or distinct to be understood by them.