| 603 mission as possible and therefore nothing would deter him from his course. When I saw his feeble state and knew the privations he would naturally have to suffer by a sea voyage, I could not help speaking discouraging to him on the subject, and told him of all the privations he would have of necessity to undergo, but nothing would discourage him; I believe the reason he would never betray any fear of not living, was because if he did so, our faith for him might fail, and this was what he depended on to carry him to the last extremity.-Indeed it was so, the mate of the ship (not knowing the cause) observed to me, he was the strongest constitutioned man he ever saw in his life, for he never saw a man live so long that was so reduced.
After we left New Bedford, we had rough weather, and there was but 2 or 3 days we thought it prudent to take him on deck. He kept his berth most of the time, we took the best care possible of him, daily rubbing him with flannels and annointing [anointing] him in the name of the Lord; when he was afflicted with pains in any part of his system, we used to administer to him by the laying on of hands and he never failed of receiving immediate relief, but to approach the root of the disease, we never had power to affect it, but kept its regular march reducing him from day to day till I could clasp with my hand within one fourth of an inch the calf of his right leg, making it but a little larger than my wrist, though his appetite continued good he coughed and raised continually.
Soon after we sailed he got so weak that if he slept too long, he would get into a profuse sweat, and we found it necessary to watch him, we accordingly divided the night into watches of 3 hours each and kept it up; he continued regular till the first of November then his cough took a different turn, it was hard for him to raise and his lungs seemed stuffed up. I had no apprehensions of him till the 2nd, at low 12-I was called by Brother Rogers to relieve him and stand my regular watch with Brother Hanks, I then had fearful apprehensions his dissolution was near at hand. At 10 o'clock A. M. his extremities were cold, and the large drops of cold sweat covered his emaciated system. It was with great difficulty he could raise strength enough to throw off from his lungs the rattling phlegm that was continually threatening to strangle him, at that moment as I stood watching him. He made a violent struggle to throw up the obstacle, but through weakness was not able, and in the struggle he lost his breath, his eyes rolled up in his head and I thought he had left us forever. I flew to Brother Grouard (who from unwearied attention had laid down to take a little repose) but before he could spring to his feet, Brother Hanks, caught his breath again and revived a little, soon after some of the cabin passengers came in to see him. Doct. Winslow recommended a little wine and water, after taking that he revived so much that he wished to be shaved and his hair combed; after this was done, I talked with him some time about his departure; his mind was clear, calm and perfectly resigned; I told him it was a great satisfaction to me that he had visited the place of my nativity he had been in the house my father had built; was acquainted with his companion, (my mother) was acquainted with the surviving brothers and sisters of those who had gone to the world of spirits before them; he had seen the portrait of my brother Marshal, I asked him if he thought he should know him, he said if he looked like that, he should. I told him it was taken very correctly. I sent word by him to those I had been baptized for, and those I intended to be baptized for when I returned to Nauvoo. He then adjusted some of his temporal affairs, between 12 and 1 o'clock P. M. he had another strangling turn, this reduced his strength, he could only speak in whispers after, between 8 and 10 he fell into a drowse.
After he awoke he whispered to me and said I dreamed a dream, do you wish to hear it? I told him I did. He said I dreamed I went to the spirits in prison; it was an immense space. I looked to the east and to the west, and saw immense multitudes of people, that looked just like people in real life. I said can these be spirits? I was assured they were. I looked to the north and saw a stand, somebody had just been preaching there and they were dispersing from around it. I saw no children among them. I looked to see if there was any body that I knew, but saw none. I thought they were coming together again in a few minutes and I should be there; then I should see people I knew, I then awoke. About 11 o'clock he had another dream, he heard the last trump sound, and saw the multitude which John saw, that no man could number, small and great, stand before God, (they were small and great in capacity) for there were no children there, he awoke before he saw any farther. As I thought it my last opportunity with him, I sat up about 6 hours, I then called Brother Rogers, I laid down and in about 2 hours he called me and said he is dying. I heard the death-rattling in his throat
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