Show TRAVELING difficulties belen quitman county miss february 27 1898 after our conference which was held january and 1898 in ponto loc county miss elder L martin and myself were assigned to labor in quitman county miss we thought we were somewhat favored in being appointed to labor together as we both came in the mission fiela together when we reached the edge of our county we found that we had eighteen miles of bottoms or swamps to cross before we could get to where the people lived and that it was very muddy and dangerous crossing this time of the year if a storm should come up we might have to climb a tree and take chances on a boat corning coming along and picking us up which has been the case more than once with people who have got caught in a storm in these overflowed districts but we hoped that providence would not permit us to run into too great danger wit without hoxit forewarning us so we made the start into the woods and swamps we were quite particular fat at first about getting our feet wet but presently we splashed through the mud and water over our shoe tops till I 1 in the afternoon when we came to a bayou the other side of which we could not beach without swimming we could not do that and keep our clothes dry so we started back on a different road to what we went in on after traveling it about four miles it intercepted another road we decided that this was our road and that we had been lost this revived us somewhat and we made another start after traveling all day on a somewhat better croaa to that of the morning we came to captain william halls who served in the cavalry under general Xo forester rester although he was crowded for room having ten men building new houses for his hie tenants yet he took us in and made us welcome we stopped with him till atter after dinner the next day and made an earnest investigator vesti gator of him we left him tracts and a voice of warning and he promised to purchase a book of mormon as soon as he gets settled in his new house after dinner we again made our way through slush and mud for tour four mues miles when we came to the mouth of cold water river the ferry boat was partly sunk having sprung a leak the night h t be before fa re but the ferryman was ve very y generous generou and put us over the river in a skiff free of charge we then t made our way up the river four miles to a settlement where we stopped for three days and held meetings distributed tri buted tracts and sold a number of books we again followed up the river four more miles to the next settlement river side formerly the county seat of this county here we found one of the finest plantations we have seen in the south something over four miles in length and two miles wide owned by a jew a rich planter lepolian marks mr marks received us very kindly and appeared to know more about our mode of traveling than most people of the south who are accustomed to our elders though he had never seen any of them before when we informed him of our business he granted us the use of a fine church building in which he owned a half interest he also said that he would see that it was properly prepared for us with lights and fire he paid our bill at the hotel for six days while we preached the gospel to the people and disposed of much literature our next place was the county seat amt we first called on the sheriff who granted us the use of the court house before we applied for it this is a very fine brick building recently built court convenes the first monday in next month when a great many people will be in the city from the surrounding country when we expect to begin our meetings we then called at the residence of mr john A cooper the mayor whose welcome guests we we are at the present time JAMES A LEE north Ala alabama baina conference |