But early in June, in the full flush of this springtide of promise, it appeared that the Lord was minded to chasten them.  For into their broad, green fields came the ravenous crickets in wide, black streams down the mountain sides.  Over the growing grain they spread as a pall, and the tender sprouts were consumed to the ground.  In their track they left no stalk nor growing blade.

Starvation now faced the Saints.  In their panic they sought to fight the all-devouring pest.  While some went wildly through the fields killing the crickets, others ran trenches and tried to drown them.  Still others beat them back with sticks and brooms, or burned them by fires set in the fields.  But against the oncoming horde these efforts were unavailing.  Where hundreds were destroyed hundreds of thousands appeared.

Despair seized the Saints, the bitter despair of a cheated, famished people—­deluded even by their God.  In their shorn fields they wept and cursed, knowing at last they could not stay the pest.

Then into the fields came Joel Rae, rebuking the frenzied men and women.  The light of a high faith was upon him as he called out to them: 

“Have I not preached to you all winter the way to salvation in times like this?  Does faith mean one thing in my mouth and another thing here?  Why waste yourselves with those foolish tricks of fire and water?  They only make you forget Jehovah—­you fools—­you poor, blind fools—­to palter so!”

He raised his voice, and the wondering group about him grew large.

“Down, down on your knees and pray—­pray—­pray!  I tell you the Lord shall not suffer you to perish!”

Then, as but one or two obeyed him—­

“So your hearts have been hardened?  Then my own prayer shall save you!”

Down he knelt in the midst of the group, while they instinctively drew back from him on all sides.  But as his voice rose, a voice that had never failed to move them, they, too, began to kneel, at first those near him, then others back of them, until a hundred knelt about him.

He had not observed them, but with eyes closed he prayed on, pouring out his heart in penitent supplication.

“These people are but little children, after all, seeing not, groping blindly, attempting weakly, blundering always, yet never faltering in love for Thee.  Now I, Thy servant, humble and lowly, from whom Thou hast already taken in hardest ways all that his heart held dear, who will to-day give his body to be crucified, if need be, for this people—­I implore Thee to save these blundering children now, in this very moment.  I ask nothing for myself but that—­”

As his words rang out, there had been quick, low, startled murmurs from the kneeling group about him; and now loud shouts interrupted his prayer.  He opened his eyes.  From off toward the lake great flocks of gulls had appeared, whitening the sky, and now dulling all other sounds with the beating of their wings and their high, plaintive cries.  Quickly they settled upon the fields in swirling drifts, so that the land all about lay white as with snow.