" Even then the wagon went down so fast that most
of the Brethren lost their footing and rolled and tumbled
pell-mell. But Faith makes little of such mishaps: "No harm was
done and we thanked the Lord that he had so graciously protected
us, for it looked dangerous and we thought at times that it could
not possibly be done without accident but we got down safely...
we were all very tired and sleepy and let the angels be our
guard during the night." Rains fell in torrents, making streams
almost impassable and drenching the little band to the skin. The
hammock was empty one night, for they had to spend the dark hours
trench-digging about their tent to keep it from being washed
away. Two days later (the 10th of November) the weather cleared
and "we spent most of the day drying our blankets and mending and
darning our stockings." They also bought supplies from settlers
who, as Brother Grube observed without irony,
"are glad we have to remain here so long and that it means money
for them. In the afternoon we held a little Lovefeast and rested
our souls in the loving sacrifice of Jesus, wishing for beloved
Brethren in Bethlehem and that they and we might live ever close
to Him.... Nov. 16. We rose early to ford the river. The bank
was so steep that we hung a tree behind the wagon, fastening it
in such a way that we could quickly release it when the wagon
reached the water.
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