But Brigham’s reply was an order to pass the new governor through Echo Canon.  According to the terms of this order he was escorted through at night, in a manner to convince him that he was passing between the lines of a mighty and far-flung host.  Fires were kindled along the heights and the small force attending him was cunningly distributed and duplicated, a few of its numbers going ahead from time to time, halting the rest of the party and demanding the countersign.

Joel Rae found himself believing that he could now have been a fiercer Lion of the Lord than Brigham was; for he would have fought, while Brigham was stooping to petty strategies—­as if God were needing to rely upon deceits.

He was only a little appeased when, on going to Salt Lake City, he learned Brigham’s intentions more fully.  The new governor had been installed; but the army of Johnston was to turn back.  This was Brigham’s first promise.  Soon, however, this was modified.  The government, it appeared, was bent upon quartering its troops in the valley; and Zion, therefore, would be again led into the wilderness.  The earlier promise was repeated—­and the earlier threat—­to the peace commissioners now sent on from Washington.

“We are willing those troops should come into our country, but not stay in our city.  They may pass through if need be, but must not be quartered within forty miles of us.  And if they come here to disturb this people, before they reach here this city will be in ashes; every house and tree and shrub and blade of grass will be destroyed.  Here are twenty years’ gathering, but it will all burn.  You will have won back the wilderness, barren again as on the day we entered it, but you will not have conquered the people.  Our wives and children will go to the canons and take shelter in the mountains, while their husbands and sons will fight you.  You will be without fuel, without subsistence for yourselves or forage for your animals.  You will be in a strange land, while we know every foot of it.  We will haunt and harass you and pick you off by day and by night, and, as God lives, we will waste your army away.”

This was hopeful.  Here at least was another chance to suffer persecution, and thus, in a measure, atone for any monstrous wrong they might have done.  He hoped the soldiers would come despoiling, plundering, thus compelling them to use the torch and to flee.  Another forced exodus would help to drive certain memories from his mind and silence the cries that were now beginning to ring in his ears.

Obedient to priestly counsel, the Saints declined, in the language of Brigham, “to trust again in Punic faith.”  In April they began to move south, starting from the settlements on the north.  During that and the two succeeding months thirty thousand of them left their homes.  They took only their wagons, bedding, and provisions, leaving their other possessions to the mercy of the expected despoiler.