away under shelter of the bank.  The Indians seldom attack determined men, who are on their guard—­unless they are on the war-path with a large force—­and they saw that father was such a man, and gave him no more trouble.  It was on his last trip, in 1864, that the Indian raid occurred, which he mentioned in Chapter XXXI.  On their return they found that armed bands of Indians were still riding about the country.  One afternoon, when they were within a little over a day’s drive of Fort Kearney, they saw a band of Indians prowling about, first in one direction, then in another.  The boys were badly frightened, and wanted to run their teams all night, in order to reach the fort.  The weather was hot, and the oxen already tired, and father feared that such a forced drive would kill them.  So he ordered the boys to camp for the night.  They kept out a strong guard, and were not attacked; but reached the fort in safety the next day.

The District Missionary Society of Northeastern Kansas had held two yearly meetings in the tent at Pardee, in August, 1862, and August, 1863, just after father’s return each year from his summer trips across the plains.  In August, 1864, soon after his return from his last trip, another district meeting was held at Wolf Creek, Doniphan county, which was the home of Bro.  Beeler, and of Brethren Jonathan and Nathan Springer.  Father had held a number of good meetings there, and built up quite a church.  But when the railroads went through there the town of Severance was built up on one side; and Highland, seven or eight miles on the other side, which was already a Presbyterian stronghold, received a new impetus.  So the church at Wolf Creek was broken up, and one was organized at Severance, and one has since been built up at Highland, of which Bro.  Beeler is the leading member.

Bro.  Jonathan Springer—­who has moved to Goffs, where he still maintains his old-time zeal—­relates an incident which occurred a year or two before that district meeting.  Father was holding a protracted meeting, when there came into the neighborhood a young preaching brother from one of the Southern States, running away from the Union soldiers.  Upon learning who he was, father invited him to preach, and they continued preaching together for a week, holding an excellent meeting, and father said not a word to him about the questions dividing North and South.  Bro.  Springer said, “I always thought that Bro.  Butler was a peculiar, a wonderful, and a powerful preacher.”  Speaking of his ability to attract and hold the attention of an audience, Bro.  Springer said, “I once heard him begin a sermon with the question, ‘Are we dogs, or are we men?’” At the district meeting his sermon was on his favorite theme, “Christian Union;” and it was two hours in length, yet he held the close attention of the audience to the end.  Although he often preached on that subject, he always had something fresh to say.  He could not crowd all that he had to say about it into one sermon.  He was constantly reading of the change of sentiment on Christian union among other denominations, and referring to it in his sermons.