THE FAITH OF A LAMANITE BY JOHN W. GRASSE The Faith of a Lamanite In order to understand more fully this story, it is necessary to give an outline of events which happened previous to the time this incident occurred. Nearly fifty years ago, I was foreman of a construction gang building telegraph lines across the Mojave desert in California, along the Southern Pacific Railroad between Tahachapi and Mojave. It was in the spring of the year and the cactus was in bloom. I noticed an unusual color in a cactus flower about one hundred feet from the track and went over to get a closer look. When near the cactus flower, I saw laying under a yucca tree the form of a man and upon getting closer, found it to be an indian. At this point it was many miles to the nearest town and no water except water tanks miles apart along the railroad tracks. I found this man to be an Apache indian with a badly sprained ankle and apparently dying of thirst. I went back to the railroad tracks and got some of my men to carry the indian to our camp a short distance away. We placed a mattress on the floor of the tool car and kept the indian there until he was able to travel. In the meantime I personally rendered first aid reduced the swelling, etc., and gave such aid as a doctor might, had a doctor been available, The injury to the indian's ankle had been agravated by the fact that he had walked a considerable distance after the injury took place. It took so much longer to heal than I thought it would, that I became worried and wrote the company and told them the circumstances and asked their advice in the matter. The result of this was a telegram which read as follows: "Your letter relative indian with sprained ankle in your outfit, use your own judg¬ment." As stated before we took care of the indian until he was able to travel. A year later I was building a telegraph line in Arizona. One day an indian came down the track and when he got to the spot where I was standing, he stopped, walked around me and looked me over thoroughly; then started off in a hurry towards an indian camp about one half mile away from the track. I was puzzled at his actions and in a short time, I saw several indians coming from their camp. I thought we were in for some trouble as the leader had on war paint and eagle feathers around his head. I sent one of my men to our outfit, a short distance away, for my revolver and he returned with it just before the indians reached the tracks. The one with the feathers and war paint turned out to be the chief of this band of indians. He advanced toward me saying, "Hiw" a common greeting among indians. I in turn said "How". He then asked me if I was the Boss-man. I told him I was. He then asked if about twelve moons ago I was on the Majave desert and if I was the Boss-man who found the indian with the bad ankle. I told him I was the man. He then said you take care of him like medicine man and made him well again. I said we did what we could to help him. Then the Chief said - We indians thank Boss-man, you come with us, we make feast. I sai thanks but I have to stay with my men. He said maybe tomorrow you come. He was so earnest, I said yes tomorrow I go to your camp. The result of this visit would take a long time to tell what happened suffice is to say, they made a feast alright and wound up by adopting me into the tribe-too long a story to narrate here. It was evident they looked upon me as a great medicine man and were fully convinced that I saved the indian's life. Now comes my story of "The Faith of a Lamanite." About a week after being adopted into this tribe of Apaches, I saw an indian squaw coming towards the railroad tracks. She came up to me and said, "You Boss-man?" I said, I am. She said my papoose very sick-you come and talk to Great Spirit and he get well. I said, you need a doctor, I am not a doctor and would not know what to do when your papoose so very sick. She said "You come and talk to Great Spirit and I know my papoose not go to happy hunting grounds. He so young." Something in the appeal she made caused me to consent to go with her. When we entered the teepee, there lay a boy of about eight years of age-so sick he paid no attention as we entered. The father was with the boy and so sure was he and the mother that by talking to the Great Spirit, their boy would be made well, that I felt inspired to really pray in earnest for the boy's recovery. I knelt beside the boy-took his hand inmine and uttered a prayer to the effect that the Great Spirit would in His mercy spare this child and make him well again. I had been told it was a custom of these indians that could speak some english, to say, "So mote it be". To my surprise a regular chorus of "So mote it be" fell on my ears and looking around, I beheld six indian braves, kneeling on the ground, who had come in so silently I had no idea they were there. While I know some of these indians did not speak -English, they all said "So mote it be" in English that anyone could understand. I arose from my knees and they all did likewise and we went outside. There the father of the sick boy folded his hands across his chest and looking up into the sky said "Great Spirit be good to white man". Then again they all said in unison "So mote it be". Two weeks later the father, mother and the boy came to where we were working to thank me for talking to the Great Spirit and the mother said "We all thank the Great Spirit for doing what you asked him to do". The boy, although pals and rather thin, was able to play with other boys and was apparently well on the way to complete recovery from his illness. Such was the faith of these Lamanites. Since that time I became a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and am now an active member of that church. I have studied the Book of Mormon and the Bible together with the Doctrine and Covenants and Word of wisdom. In Study¬ing these and other books, I found in the book of Alma, 17th Chapter, the following: "And it came to pass that as Alma was journeying from the land of Gideon southward, behold to his astonishment, he met with the sons of Mosiah. Now the sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him-therefore Alma did re¬joice to see his brethern, and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethern in the Lord and had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth for they were men of sound understanding and had searched the scriptures diligently that they might know the word of God. But that was not all-they had given themselves to much prayer and had taught with power and authority. They had been teaching the word of God for the space of 14 years among; the Lamanites,having had much success in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth. By the power of their words many were brought before the alter of God, to call on His name and confess their sins before Him. There is no doubt in my mind but that the ancestors of the indians mentioned in this story, came in contact with missionaries-who knows but it might have been these same sons of Mosiah or others in days of long ago. The strange part of this story is, how was it possible for an indian I had never seen to recognize me as the man who had taken care of the indian found on the Majave desert. The injured indian must have given a vivid description of me when he returned to his tribe. I should mention the fact that I did not see the indian we had cared for on the Majave desert at this time, he being away on a trip to old Mexico. I have gone into some detail in this story so that a better understanding of the circumstances could be obtained. I do not imagine you will want to use all I have written, but you no doubt know of someone who could rewrite this and condense it somewhat, using any part of these facts necessary to produce a story for publication. John W. Grasse