The Savior Said, "Therefore whoso heareth these sayings
of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built
his house upon a rock."
How are we doing are we learning about his sayings and
are we doing them? Many times we are not listening or not
understanding the instructions we receive from the Prophets of the
lord. They are the Saviors mouth piece in this day and when they
speak under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost then it is the same as
if the Savior was speaking directly to us. Many times when we hear the
instructions from the President of the Church we think, "That is just
what Brother So and So needs" and we fail to apply it to our own
situation and to our own life. We often fail to hear or fail to heed
instructions from our Bishop or our Stake President. We set at nothing
things that could help us in our lives and things that can protect us
as we go along in our every day work.
Once when our son Sam was living in St. Louise Mis. He
was called to help the Explorers in his ward, He called and arranged a
weeks pack trip into the Sierra Madre Mountains for the boys and their
leaders. We prepared everything and received them here at our home. In
our visit with them the leaders asked us when we were going to go back
to Missouri to live near Zion. I told them that when and if the
President of the Church called me to go back there, then only would I
move from Dublan my place of birth.
The Bishop confided that they had with them a few boys
who were a little rough and had some problems and that they had
persuaded them to come on this trip to try to help them straighten out
their lives. I thought to myself if that is what is going on back in
your ward in Zion as they called it, I will stick with the good old
Colonies in Mexico.
Monday morning we packed up the Van and their four
wheel drive vehicles and drove up the mountain and through Garcia. We
traveled up over the continental divide and crossed the Gavilan River
at the Amarillas and climbed up over the north end of the blues. We
stopped at the first curve on the other side and looked down over the
Diamond Mesa into the distant, blue canyon of Trout Creek. I told them
that down in the middle of that canyon is where we will camp
tonight. They commented that they could not see any road down there. I
assured them that there was no roads and that we would have to go in
horse back.
We arrived at the Cebadilla and found the cowboys
waiting with the horses and the pack mules. It took us about an hour
and a half to get everyone mounted up and the packs ready to go. I
gave all of the boys instruction concerning their horses and what to
watch out for on the rough trail. The Bishop had his little boy with
him so I had to have him put the little boy on behind him. I gave him
Charro one of our best horses who new the trails well and would be a
safe mount for the Bishop. As I put the little boy up behind the
Bishop I cautioned him very plainly to always put the little boy off
first when he wanted to dismount and then he could dismount easily. I
told him that if he left the little boy on alone that Charro would get
scared and jump and throw the little boy off.
We started off in a long string, The cowboys and I were
busy helping the boys get their mounts started on the trail and
showing them how to guide their horses because most of them had never
been on a horse before. Soon we were all lined out with Sam leading
the Pack mules in front. We had about 27 animals all told and
everything was going fine. When we came to the Cold Clear stream that
crosses the trail about half way there I was thirsty. I had not had
any water since morning and I had worked packing the mules and getting
everyone mounted up. I said, This is very good water and it is a good
place to get a drink. While I was down drinking I heard a pounding of
hoofs and looked up to see Charro throw that little boy off into the
grass on the uphill side of the trail. The Bishop had gotten off to
drink water and had left the little boy on. Charro had looked back and
promptly jumped and thrown him off. The little boy was not hurt just
frightened from being thrown off the horse so he soon stopped
crying and got a drink When the Bishop got back on I put the little
boy on behind him and told him to hold tight to his Daddy.
We got into our camp on Trout Creek just before
Sundown. I was busy taking off the packs and preparing to set up camp
I suddenly heard the little boy start to cry and saw him get thrown
off Charro's back from behind the saddle The little boy must have
tightened his feet into Charro's flanks because he sure bucked him
off. The Bishop had gotten off again and left the littte boy on behind
the saddle. I had Anthony with me and he was about the same age as the
Bishop's boy so he went over and comforted the little boy and soon
they were playing around as happy as if nothing had happened.
We soon had the Kitchen Fly up and a big fire going and
every one was busy putting up their tents and getting their beds
unrolled.
After a supper of, hot off the grill, Hamburgers and
hot herb tea we sat around the fire content and glad to have made our
long journey successfully. The boys were asking, "Can we ride
our horses tomorrow". I assured them that we would ride over to The
Gavilan River and take a Swim and come back. They asked, "how far is
it"? I explained that it would take us about three hours over
and three hours back and to add an hour and a half for swimming. That
would get us back to camp about four in the afternoon.
The next morning after Breakfast everyone was mounted
up and eager to get started on our trip over to the Gavilan for a good
swim. We gaily rode down the beautiful canyon trail until we came to
the old Jenkins Cabin. Here we crossed the river. I called
out, "This is the last water until we get to the Gavilan all who want
a drink get it here". Well you guessed it. The Bishop got off again
and left the little boy on Charro behind the saddle and Charro threw
him off again. When I went to put the little boy on again he was still
crying and cried out, "I'm tired of getting thrown off I don't want to
get on again". Finally after the Bishop promised the little boy that
he would not get off and leave him on, the little guy decided to get
back on. The rest of the day went very well and we all enjoyed the
ride and a good swim. We even got to see the "Nutrias" (Mexican
Otter) swimming away under the clear water of the pool.
The next day we got up early and prepared a big
breakfast of hot cakes and freshly caught Rainbow Trout. I finally got
all of those hungry boys filled up. We had big plans to go over to
Black Canyon for a swim and to see the country. Anthony and the little
boy decided to stay in camp and play and fish. One of the cowboys was
staying also and he would take care of them. The Bishop came to me and
confided that he wanted to ride a mule that day. He saw how easy my
mule took all of the hills and the rough trails. We saddled up one of
the pack mules that was also a good saddle mule for him to ride. The
Bishop mounted up and started out after the string of riders that were
leaving the camp. Just before I mounted up to bring up the rear of the
long line of riders I turned in time to see the Bishop's mule kick her
hind feet straight in the air. The Bishop went off head first. He
didn't even put out his hands to catch himself, but fell headfirst
with a clunk! on a half buried big rock. He silently rolled over and
was just coming out of it when I arrived to help him up. He stood
silently for a few minutes then he said in rather subdued tones, "I
don't think I will go today I don't feel very well".
We all enjoyed the ride over and back to Black canyon
and the boys were delighted with the deep pool and the cliff to dive
off from. When we returned Anthony and the Bishop's boy came to meet
us they were riding double on Golondrina with an Aparejo on. As we
came into camp Golondrina went under a low limb and the boys were
scraped off. They were both giggling as they tumbled off in a heap on
the ground. Golondrina was a little mule only about 41/2 feet high so
they thought that was funny to get scraped off.
I still don't know whether the Bishop was just
distracted and didn't pay attention to the instructions that I had
given or even to the peril of the little boy left on behind the saddle
or just willfully not obeying those instructions to show that he knew
what he was doing. Anyway the results were the same every time he got
off and left the little boy on the little guy was thrown off the horse
it was a wonder that he was not seriously hurt in one of those
falls.
On one of our hunts Brother Edwin McClellan was with
us. He was teaching at the JSA at that time and so was I. We took
advantage of the 20th of November, a national holiday to go on a hunt
as it fell on Thursday and they gave us Friday off as well. After a
successful hunt we packed to go home on Saturday morning. We decided
to all take different routes to return down into the Gavilan Ranch
then from there we could all take the well marked trail up to the
truck.
Don Panchitoi Peña took the pack string down the main
trail to meet us at the truck. We sent Brother McClellan down a good
ridge that went straight to the Gavilan Ranch. Claudius and I took a
rough ridge on either side of his. I told Brother McClellan to take
the trail from the Ranch up to the truck and to let his horse show him
the way, he would follow the scent of the mules and he knew the trail
very well.
I followed the ridge down that is called "La Jaqueca" (
the headache) because of the difficult rough ridge to negotiate on
horse back. In the afternoon it began to rain and snow and the ground
soon became white covering the patches of brown in between the
previous light snow of the day before. I had not seen any Deer all day
and was hurrying on down the ridge because it was getting late and I
still had a long way to go. It got so brushy that I got off and was
leading my mule ducking under the low limbs. As I came to an open
clearing near where the trail went down into the river I stopped to
survey the open space before me. I saw a big Wolf coming slowly along
the trail toward me. I crouched down behind a big fallen pine tree and
waited. The Wolf was unaware of me apparently the breeze was coming
from him to me. When he got within about 50 8yards of me I shot him.
He jumped in the air and fell kicking and thrashing as he went over
the edge of the steep side hill. I went over and saw that he had slid
down a very steep water way of solid rock where he lay down at the
bottom. I would have to go down the trail into the river and then find
my way back up rough canyon to look for the Wolf. When I got down to
the River it was Sundown and soon would be dark. I decided that I had
better go on to the ranch and up the trail before dark settled in.
When I got up to the trucks Don Panchito was the only
one there. I was not worried because I thought they will be along
soon. I got a good fire going and prepared a supper using the
Tenderloin of the Deer that I had shot going into camp the first
evening. I had just got started when Cluaduis came into camp with a
nice four point buck behind his saddle. He asked about Brother
McClellan. I asked him if he had not seen him and he said that he had
not seen him all day. We began to worry about him since the night was
very dark and still snowing a little. I went over to the edge of the
mountain and shot three signal shots into the still night air. We
listened carefully but could not hear any answering shots our shouts.
We shouted into the night but we did not get any answer. We decided
that we would have to wait until morning to go look for our lost
companion.
The next morning early we went to look for him and
found him standing around a big Juniper wood fire at the end of the
canyon that came up from the river just under the top where we were
camped. He explained that in the darkness he had lost his way and when
his horse could go no further up the steep end of the canyon he got
off and had spent the night keeping warm by his big fire. He said my
horse kept wanting to go back but I would not let him. I suggested
that his horse was trying to follow the switchback trail and that he
had forced him off the trail into the canyon where he spent the
night.
If Brother McClellan had accepted the guidance of his
horse he would have taken him right along the trail into camp where
the other horses and mules were. Some times we don't allow the
promptings of the spirit to guide us and we go our own way and wander
off the trail that leads to safety. Brother McClellan did not hear or
he did not heed my counsel to let his horse follow the trail and the
scent of the other animals. Many times in the darkness of the night I
let my mule be my guide and invariable he has taken me to the safety
of the camp.. .
May we all hear the Savior's Sayings and do them so we
can be likened unto the wise man and build our house upon a rock. To
do this we must listen to the whisperings of the Spirit and especially
listen to the Prophets of the Lord and do what they ask us to do. Then
we will be founded upon the Rock.