miry swamps, they climbed up and down almost perpendicular ledges,
and cut their way through canebrakes with a hatchet. When they had
creeks to cross they swam their horses. At night they camped, often
in the rain and sometimes without food. More than once they were
serenaded by Indian war-whoops and the howling wolves. Stopping at
town or settlement they were made cordially at home in hut and cabin.
In some places they perceived bright prospects, the germs of future
cities, and were often urgently besought to stay and preach the
gospel permanently.

They found everywhere the Sabbath profaned, only a few good people in
any one place, and Bibles rare possessions. In some places the people
were longing for the Gospel. In all the leading towns they formed
Bible societies, and everywhere preached and distributed Bibles,
which were gladly received.

From Nashville they went down the Cumberland and Mississippi with
General Jackson and fifteen hundred volunteers. In New Orleans they
gained the consent of Bishop DeBury to distribute the Scriptures in
French to the French Romanists, who made up three-fourths of the
population of the state. They found no Protestant church in the city.
They here organized a Bible society, and remained several weeks to
preach and to hold prayer-meetings.

CHAPTER VII.

MILLS' SECOND TOUR.

In the year 1814 Mr. Mills having obtained the assistance of some of
the eastern Bible societies, and having chosen as companion the Rev.
Daniel Smith, started on another tour through the South and West.
They went laden with Bibles and the prayers of Christian friends.
They went through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri.
In all these states they found the people "exceedingly destitute of
religious privileges," and a "lamentable want of Bibles and
missionaries." They found "American families who never saw a Bible,
or heard of Jesus Christ." There was only one minister to ten
thousand people if equally placed; but there were districts
containing from twenty to fifty thousand "without a preacher." These
men were light-bringers to this "valley of the shadow of death," as
Mills called it. They found English soldiers, French Romanists,
colored slaves, our own dear countrymen, greedy for the bread of
life.

They traveled more than six thousand miles; they passed through a
variety of climates; they endured "perils in the city, perils of the
wilderness, perils on the rivers and on the s