(The creation of this chapter took me a lot of time. I originally planned to narrate it in the subjective tone of Master Mao, but after several attempts, I felt it was inappropriate. After all, this is not a pleasant story... In the end, I decided to use the third person
This chapter is written from a perspective.
Of course I will not completely copy Mr. Conan Doyle's original text, because the original text is really long, accounting for nearly one-third of the entire length of "A Study in Scarlet", so I will just repeat it as briefly as possible, but
It still has to be divided into two chapters to complete.
Maybe this story will make you feel ambiguous, dissatisfied, or even hostile to some religions, but I believe this is not Mr. Conan Doyle’s original intention. In the final analysis, a novel is just a novel...)
May 4, 1847, central North America.
There is a desert abandoned by civilization, from the Sierra Nevada Mountains to Nebraska, from the Yellowstone River in the north to Colorado in the south. You can see countless dead bones on the road and bald eagles circling in the sky all year round.
On this day, a lonely traveler walked on this grassless and infinitely desolate land. His face was haggard and thin, and his protruding bones were covered with brown skin like dry sheepskin.
He endured hunger for several days and nights, trudged through a valley, and finally struggled to reach this small piece of highland. At this moment, his eyes had already lost all light...he was looking forward to the slim hope of finding water.
Disillusioned.
He threw the rifle to the ground, then put down the big gray bundle on his back, and sat down against the stone. A little girl poked her head out of the bundle. She had bright brown eyes and looked about five years old.
Wearing a beautiful pink top and linen bib. From this outfit, it can be seen that her mother loves and cares for her in every possible way.
It's a pity that the little girl's mother is already a withered skeleton in the desert...
She asked: Where has mom gone?
He replied: I think you will see her soon. If you are thirsty, just endure it for the time being and you will be fine after a while.
He could only answer this. In fact, he thought he would leave this world soon.
The little girl picked up two pieces of mica stone and showed them to him: "How beautiful! It's so good! I will give it to my little brother Bob when I get home."
The adult replied confidently: "Soon you will see something more beautiful than this, just wait a while..."
This man's name is John Ferrier. He is an explorer. A few days ago, not too long ago, he was in a horse team. He could drink clean fresh water and eat enough food rations every day. But now, everyone
They were all dead, and only he and little Lucy were left.
In fact, this little girl had nothing to do with him. He could have thrown her down or even eaten her... but he did not do so because he still believed in heaven.
The vulture had landed in front of them, eagerly waiting to enjoy the feast. John Ferrier said: "Let's pray."
The little girl replied: "It's not evening yet."
"It doesn't matter. There is no fixed time in the first place. Don't worry, God will not blame us."
The prayers began, but they were all too tired and soon fell asleep leaning on stones...
If John Ferrier went to bed half an hour later, he would have seen a strange scene. At the far end of the alkaline land, a cloud of smoke and dust was rising. At first, looking from a distance, it was not clear whether it was dust.
It was still fog, but gradually, the smoke became higher and wider, until it formed a dense cloud.
This is an extremely large convoy. Amidst the smoke and dust, canvas-topped caravans and heavily armed riders are moving towards the west. The front group has reached the foot of the mountain, and the rear group is still out of reach on the horizon.
This mighty team is a group of immigrants who are migrating and are looking for a new home and paradise.
Several riders who were exploring the road ahead discovered two tiny black spots on the rugged cliff. They asked a figure who seemed to be a leader for instructions. The elder said: "Leave the horses down, we will
I’ll meet you right here.”
So, several young people picked up their rifles and came to the high ground where John Ferrier was...
Half an hour later, the two dying travelers were taken into the largest tent in the convoy. They were fortunate enough to see a great leader-Brigham Young.
"My name is John Ferrier, and this little guy and I are the only ones left in the team of twenty-one. The others have no food or water in the south, and are all dead..."
"Is she your child?"
He boldly admitted: "I think...she is my child now. I saved her and no one can take her away. From today on, she will be called Lucy Ferrier."
The big man said sternly: "Only if you believe in our religion, we can take you with us. We will not allow wolves to mix into our flock. Rather than letting two rotten spots destroy the entire fruit in the future, it is better to do it now."
Let your bones be exposed in this wilderness. Are you willing to accept this condition and come with us?"
"I'm willing to follow you, no matter what the conditions are." Ferrell said in a serious tone. Some of the steady elders around him were amused by the explorer. Only the big man Brigham Young still maintained a solemn and solemn look.
.
He said: "Brother Stangerson, take him in, give him food and drink, and give it to the child. You will also be responsible for teaching him our doctrine. We have delayed for too long. Get up and go to Sion."
(The place name of Jerusalem, the holy land of Christianity, here refers to the place where Mormons will soon choose to settle) Move forward!”
"Forward, toward Sion!" the Mormons shouted together. The order spread through the ranks like waves, and the voices gradually disappeared in the distance. The whips crackled, the cars rumbled, and the large group of horses and horses
Taking action, the entire convoy meandered forward again.
Elder Stangerson brought the two victims to his car, where food had been prepared. He said: "You will live here, and you will recover soon. From now on, you must always remember that you
They are our believers. This is what Brigham Young instructed. His words were spoken in the voice of Joseph Smith (the founder of Mormonism, known as God’s prophet in the world), that is,
Communicate God’s will.”
…………
Many years later, when we look back at the experiences of these immigrants, we may be able to write a whole book. They relied on their indomitable spirit to overcome the savages on both sides of the Mississippi River and to the western foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
Beasts, hunger, thirst, fatigue, disease and all the obstacles God can send.
Finally, when they saw the vast Utah Valley beneath their feet bathed in sunshine, and heard their leaders declare that this virgin land was the promised land given to them by God and would belong to them forever, they all knelt down.
, sincere worship.
The immigrants settled down, dug ditches, built fences and boundaries, and cultivated and cultivated crops, creating a prosperous scene. By the second summer, the entire countryside was covered with thousands of hectares of wheat, and it was golden.
John Ferrier was also allocated a piece of land that belonged to him here, where he built a solid wooden house. This wooden house was expanded year by year and gradually became a spacious villa.
This adventurer is a very pragmatic man, he is shrewd and good at skills, and his body is very strong, which allows him to work tirelessly on the land from morning to night. Therefore, his farm is very
Prosperous, within three years, he surpassed his neighbors; six years later, he was very rich; nine years later, he was as rich as anyone; twelve years later, the entire Salt Lake City (the capital of Utah, USA, located on the shore of the Salt Lake),
Its original pioneers were these Mormons). There are fewer than five or six people who can be compared with John Ferrell. He has become a well-known figure.
But there was one thing. Ferrier hurt the feelings of his fellow believers. No matter how he argued with him or tried to persuade him, Ferrier refused to marry and start a family in the "way" of his companions.
He never gave a reason for his repeated refusals, he just remained unwavering in his opinion.
In this way, John Ferrier lived a strict celibate life. Apart from this, he was still committed to the religion of this emerging colony. He was recognized as a man of Orthodox faith and decent behavior.
Lucy Ferrier grew up in such a land. She was John Ferrier's only adopted daughter, helping her father with everything. The fresh air of the mountains and the fragrance of the pine forests were like a loving mother.
He raised this young girl like a child. As the years passed, Lucy had grown into a graceful girl.
Her cheeks became more and more beautiful, and her gait became lighter and lighter. When passers-by passed by the Ferrier family farm, they couldn't help but stop and look at this beautiful angel. The slender girl's figure was riding her father's horse, as if
Like a boy from the western United States, he walked through the wheat fields with a vigorous and skillful posture. Even the Indians who transported leather and always had expressionless faces would be very surprised and relaxed when they saw this extremely beautiful fair-skinned girl.
Their faces were always dull. If she was the most beautiful American girl in the entire mountainous area along the Pacific coast, no one would raise any objection.
The first person to feel that a girl has grown up is not her father. This kind of thing is rarely noticed by the father. This mysterious change is very subtle and takes place very slowly. It cannot be measured in time. However,
The hardest thing to notice is the girl herself, until she hears someone's words or touches someone's hand, and she feels a little rush in her heart, creating a mixture of pride and fear. At this time
, she will understand...
This year, Lucy met another young man, his name was Jefferson Hope, an explorer, gold digger, and excellent hunter. He rescued Lucy from a herd of out-of-control cattle.
The seeds were planted in each other's hearts, but neither of them could have guessed the ending...
