myself down on a box for a few hours.

July 14, 1857.
Visited Sister Rachel Hanham. Found her feeling pretty well. Preached reformation to her. After leaving her house, I overtook my Father on the road. I asked him how he was. "Rough," he said. "Where have you been? Where are you bound for now?" I told him. He then said "I would rather be sitting by the side of the road breaking stones at six-pence a day, then be traveling round the country like you are doing." I told him I would not, therefor, he and I differed in our opinions. He said: "They have sent the troops" - meaning the U.S. troops - "to drive it" - meaning Mormonism - "out of the country." My reply was: "If they send all the armies of the earth against them, they cannot drive them away. this work is established by the Almighty. He stands at the head of it, and has pledged Himself for the issue. They could not destroy it when its members numbered 6, and they cannot do it now the number is hundreds of thousands. The powers behind the vail are controlling the affairs of this kingdom." He said it would make no difference to him whether they were destroyed or not, and my reply was: perhaps not. We arrived at his House. He got Lloyds (London) Newspaper, and showed us an account troops being sent through New York and Erie on their way to Utah. I told them - Father, stepmother and two sisters - the U.S. could do nothing against the saints, only that which would tend to build up the Kingdom of God on the earth. Dinner being ready, I was asked to dine. My sister drew some beer and offered me. I declined to take it. Some sneering remarks were made. Before commencing to eat I asked the privledge of asking a blessing on the food. Father replied: "No. No mormon shall ever ask the Lord to bless anything I am going to eat." I then asked him if I may bless what I was going to eat. He said: You may do as you like, but you shall not ask him to bless what I eat." I asked the Lord to bless what I was about to partake of. Father then said, in substance: "If I would not as soon here a pig grunt or a dog howl, as hear that." I told him and the family to go ahead, I knew what I was doing. I knew I was serving the God of Israel, and the time would come when they and I would have to stand before the bar of God, there they would know that what they were doing was wrong, and I was right. After having endured their sneers, I bore a faithful testimony to them of the truth of the great latter-day work, and took my departure. Walked to Kilmington. Instructed and prayed with Sister Lappan. Then walked to Bourton, and found Sister Alford weak, but much better than when I left there on the 10th. Slept there.