(Man)Allright, men,
time to go wolfhuntin'.
How's it look?
( Both Chattering )
- (Fiddle )
- (Man Singing, Indistinct )
This is the song
theysing
Hey, get along
Get alongJosey
Hey, get along
Jim alongJoe
Hey, get along
Get alongJosey
Hey, get along
Jim alongJoe
Watch your turns.
( Continues )
Ladies, bow.
Gents, you know how.
Do-si-do
and aroundyou go.
Sure was nice ofyou
and your father to come
over tonight, Miss Webb.
Oh, It was nice ofyou
asking us.
We been intendin'to-- Ma has,
I mean-- to come visiting,
you bein'new folks here.
Well, we've been
wishing you would.
(Skillet Scraping)
( Continues )
Looks like the Kents
are merrymaking.
Let's see ifwe can't
help 'em celebrate.
( Continues )
( Caller)
Oh,yeah!
- Stop the music.
- (Music Stops )
( WolfHowling)
( Growls )
That's what
we've been told not to do.
Now put that back...
and get your mother
and the otherwomen and children
down into the storm cellar.
- (People Chattering)
- Dad, what is it?.
- Mr. Webb, would you go to
the barn and let the horses out?.
- Certainly.
( All Shouting,
Indistinct )
- Ma!
- ( All Talking At Once )
( Chattering )
Be careful now.
Don't--
- ( Ma ) Be careful ofthose steps.
- What is it?.
- It's a raid.
- But why?.
- They hate us. We're Mormons.
Go on. Hurry now.
- Mormons?.
Hey! Here's one!
- Come on out, Mormon.
- Get out here and find out...
what the state of Illinois
thinks ofyou.
Come on, come on.
- (DoorSlams )
- (Footsteps )
Cut me some firewood.
Has-Has anything
like this ever happened before?.
Fiveyears ago in Missouri.
Just becauseyou people
are Mormons?.
Just because
we're Mormons.
- ( Crying )
- No.
(Gunshot)
(Gunshots )
I got one oftheir Mormon bibles.
Let's make 'em spit on it.
- Make him spit on it.
- Spit on it.
- Stuffit down his throat.
- Go on! Spit on it!
""Blessed beye when men revile
you and say all manner of evil
things aboutyou for my sake."
Don't ""blessed" us!
Come on
out ofthere!
- Ma, they set the house on fire.
- Oh!
Now hide in the fields
until they're gone. Hurry! Quick!
This is whatyou can expect
ifyou don't clear outta here.
Why areyou doing this?.
We onlywant to live
in peace with everyone.
( Grunts )
( Ma )
Oh!
Caleb!
Oh, Caleb.
Dad!
Dad!
( Crying )
( Screams )
My father, Caleb Kent.
- How?.
- Beaten to death.
(Man )
JasperPalmer.
- How?.
- Beaten.
Well, what are you gonna
do about it, stand back and pray...
while they drive us
out of another state?.
The Lord works
in strange ways.
Sure, but that didn't
prevent him turning Samson loose...
on those Philistines
with the jawbone of an ass, did it?.
What those fellas need
is a little lead in their bellies.
- Ifyou saytheword, I'll--
- Tearthem limb from limb. I know.
- That's what they're itching for.
- Our people have had
enough troublewithout that.
They can't stand much more,
Joseph. They can't stand to
pull up stakes and move again.
Let's settle this
the wise way then.
Give them the political
power theywant. Vote
the way they say to vote.
(Man ) Yeah.
Let them use that powerto destroyus.
The authorities will protect us
ifwe do as they say.
I wouldn't trust them
any further than I can chuck a mule.
We can't take
any more chances, start all over.
We've got the biggest
city in Illinois to protect.
Promise them anything theywant,
only let's have peace.
What doyou say, Hyrum?.
A man has a right
to fight for his own life.
And you, Heber?.
Seems like
we'll have to.
Otherwise they'll drive us clear
out ofthe United States.
All my life, I've asked only
one thing of my neighbors--
to be left alone in peace.
We've stuck to that in every
state we've been in.
- But I guess it won't work.
- What?.
You may be right, Angus,
but perhaps it's time...
for us to show
a different kind of courage...
and do something besides
be killed forwhat we believe.
Tell the people
I said to arm themselves.
- That's treason.
- That ifthere's anymore raiding...
we're going to fight back.
Tell them I'm going
to lead them myself.
Ifthey haven't got guns,
get guns for them.
Tell them we're through
turning the other cheek.
Hallelujah!
What's the difference
between a white man
and a Mormon?.
- Blamed ifl know.
- About 50 wives.
( All Laughing )
(Man )
There he is...
the man thatsays
he talks to God.
A man so eaten
with pride andambition...
that even the word "treason'"
holds no horror for him.
A prophet and sai nt
who wal ks up to God...
anytime he feels like it,
whispers in his ear...
and gets talked back to--
Joseph Smith.
Now, gentlemen,
you've heard the evidence.
Ofall that,
I needsayno more.
However...
I would hold myself
no better than a skunk...
if I did not
bring up a matter...
which is the very heart
and core ofthis case--
to wit,
the teachings ofJoseph Smith.
( All Shouting, Indistinct)
Quiet down!
Quiet! Quiet!
Order!
Go ahead, Pete.
Joseph Smith,
a half-educated boy
just likeyou or me...
brought up
in a two-by-four town called Palmyra...
in New York state...
has the unmitigated nerve
to stand up and say...
God told him
to rewrite the Holy Bible...
because
it's full of errors--
errors, mindyou--
and to go out andpreach...
that all churches
are an abomination
in the sight ofthe Lord...
except this one...
that God told hi m
personally...
to go out and get
an army to run.
Give him a trumpet, and I bet
he'd say he's Gabriel hisself.
- ( Shouting, Indistinct )
- Oh, wait a minute!
Go on and sit down.
And remember,
this is a court oflaw and justice.
The self-respectin'
people ofthree states--
New York, Ohio and Missouri--
God bless 'em...
have already told Joseph Smith
to pack up and git.
But has that stopped him?.
Oh, no!
He's come all the way
here to Illinois to save us.
And what does he do?.
He buys himselfa swamp hole
for almost nothing...
and builds himself
a town called Nauvoo...
and sends his missionaries
all overtheworld to tell people...
God set our land aside
as their inheritance.
Before long, they'll own
every stick and stone in Illinois...
fill every public office,
run every church and school...
unless we get rid ofthem!
Your Honor,
the prosecution rests.
( All Cheering )
Order in the court!
- ( Crowd Chattering)
- Has the defense anything
further to offer?.
Your Honor, if there's no objection,
I'd like to say something.
- ( Shouting, Indistinct )
- (Bell Clanging)
I saywe all let him say
what he's got to say!
Letyourself go, Brigham.
Your Honor,
my name is Brigham Young.
- I'm not a lawyer, but--
- Never mind that. Go ahead, talk.
All right.
Go ahead.
Gentlemen, it looks to me like there's
been a little mistake made here.
The lawyer for the other side
has been so busy...
trying to pin every crime
on the calendar on Joseph Smith...
he clean forgot to mention
that us folks was the victims
of all those outrages...
he was talking about,
not the ones that were doing them.
Sure, we finally got around
trying to protect ourselves.
You push even a coyote up in a corner,
and he'll snap back atyou.
That's the first time
I everheard it called treason though.
I n other words,
the whole point is...
whetherJoseph Smith or
any other American citizen...
has a right to worship God
as he chooses.
So that's why I figured
I'd like to tell you
a little bit aboutJoseph Smith.
Now, me,
I'mjust an ordinaryeverydayfellow.
I used to farm a little,
do a little carpentrywork...
painting-- anything
to make a living.
But all that time, I was trying
to find the right church...
for me and for my family, and I was
willing to give them all a try.
But somehow none ofthem
hit mejust right.
I'm not saying, gentlemen,
therewas anything wrong
with them for other people.
I'm just saying
they didn't suit me.
One day I picked up
The Book of Mormon...
and Isaid to myfriend
HeberKimball...
""Heber, let's go out to Ohio
and see this prophet.
Let's see what he's got
to say for himself."
I remember it was about noon
we came up to Joseph Smith's house...
and his wife Emma
came to the door.
and his wife Emma
came to the door.
Excuse me, ma'am, is this
whereJoseph Smith lives?.
- Yes.
- We'd like to talk to him, please.
You'll find him outyonder,
the other side ofthe lake,
chopping wood.
Thankyou, ma'am.
That sounds kind offunny
for a prophet to be out swinging an ax.
- Don't seem just right.
- Prophet ought to act like a prophet.
Can't expect to build a church
ifhe acts like a farmhand.
Good morning.
How doyou do, sir?.
I'm Brigham Young.
- This is my friend Heber Kimball.
- I'm glad to meetyou.
We've come
a long ways to seeyou.
Wewant to askyou some questions
aboutyour church.
Gladly. I'd like to tell you about it.
Won'tyou sit down?.
What's this aboutyou folks
calling yourselves saints?.
Well, we believe
that any man, dead or alive...
who keeps
the Ten Commandments is a saint.
You don't pretend to be
the Lord himself, doyou?.
No. I'm just a mortal man,
same as you oryour friend here.
Well, this plan ofyours
you call the United Order,
what's that?.
It's not my plan.
It's the Lord's.
Well, whose ever it is,
what is it?.
Well, I-- I suppose
you'd call it the law of nature.
You see, it's his idea
that the land ofzion will
be sort oflike a beehive...
or like that anthill
overthere...
with everybody doing
his share ofthe work...
and getting his part
ofthe profits.
A place where everybody
will have everything
he can eat and use.
There'll be great storehouses
to keep food and things in...
There'll be great storehouses
to keep food and things in...
for the sick and the poor,
the old folks.
You see, under
a brotherhood plan I i ke that...
it'll be impossible for any one man
to pile up a lot of goods...
or have power
over his neighbors.
That'll mean there'll be
no social distinctions...
no caste,
no special privileges.
any more than, I take it,
there is in that anthill over there.
We had it once, but somehow
we've all but lost it.
We've got to get back
to it again.
Well, that--
That sounds all right.
But then there'll
always be lazy people,
ambitious people.
There'll be some honest ones
and some dishonest ones.
What I'm telling you,
Brother Brigham, is
a revelation from the Lord.
It's up to us
to work it out.
This isn't an easy religion.
Well, I'm not looking
for an easy religion.
I'm looking for one
I can bring myfamily up decent in.
Joseph.
Dinneris ready.
Won'tyou stay
and have dinnerwith us?.
( Young )
Well, thankyou. We'd be glad to.
All right.
Come on.
Now, gentlemen,
I'm not asking you to believe...
a single thing
Joseph Smith said...
but I do askyou--
let him believe it.
Let me believe it
ifwewant to.
Yourforefathers and mine
came to this country
in the first place...
for one great reason--
to escape persecution
for their beliefs...
and to build a free country
where everybody might
worship God as he pleased.
That's what brought
the Puritans to Massachusetts...
the Quakers
to Pennsylvania...
the Huguenots to South Carolina,
the Catholics to Maryland.
And when they found
what theywere after...
they fought a great war
to hold on to it...
and they drew up one
ofthe noblest documents everwritten--
the Constitution
ofthe United States--
to govern free men.
And the very first words
they put on that piece of paper...
guarantees to every man...
the right to worship God
as he pleases...
and prohibits Congress
or anybody else...
from ever doing anything
to take away that right.
You can't convict
Joseph Smith just because...
he happens to believe
something you don't believe.
You can't go against
everything your ancestors
fought and died for.
And ifyou do, your names--
notJoseph Smith's--
will go down in history
as traitors.
They'll stink
in the records...
and be a shameful thing
on the tongues ofyour children.
Thankyou, sir.
Thejury can go out now
and decide.
( Whispering )
( Man, Shouting )
Hey,Joe!
Hey,Joe!
Give it to 'im!
- What areya waitin' for?.
- (People Chattering)
We don't have to go out,
Your Honor. He's guilty.
- ( All Cheering, Clamoring )
- ( No Audible Dialogue )
- (Clamoring Continues )
- ( Gavel Banging)
(Judge )
Order! Order!
- (Banging Continues )
- ( Clamoring Continues )
Order!
Sheriff, take charge
of the prisoner.
- Have him here tomorrow morning
at 1 1 :00 for sentence.
- Yes, sir.
-Joseph, ifyou'll say the word--
- You'll do nothing ofthe sort.
- I'm going with you,Joseph.
- So am I.
Come on.
Joseph, I'm going too.
This is the end.
I wantyou to stay and
take care ofmy people.
Don't look so solemn,
Brigham.
Onlythe Lord God
oflsrael can whip us...
and I don't think
he's in cahoots with the sheriff.
(Man )
There he is!Here comes HolyJoe!
( Crowd Laughing,Jeering )
(Man )
How about a couple
ofmiracles,Joe?
( Shouting,Jeering )
( Shouting,
I ndistinct )
- (Man ) There goes HolyJoe!
- (Man #2 ) String him up!
(Shouts,Jeers Continue )
- ( Singing Hymn, I ndistinct )
- (Mob Shouting)
- ( Singing Hymn, I ndistinct )
- (Mob Shouting)
- Shh.
- (Stops Singing)
( Shouting, Indistinct )
They're coming.
Ask the Lord
to save you,Joseph.
(Shouts Continue )
The Lord God of Israel
has spoken.
Verily I say unto you
that one will be raised up
to take my place...
endowed with courage,
farsightedness, common sense--
( Glass Shatters )
He will lead my people...
even as Moses led
the children of Israel
across the wilderness.
(Pounding)
- (Pounding Continues )
- (Shouting Continues )
(Pounding)
( Groans )
O Lord, my God!
( All Shouting, I ndistinct )
(Knocking On Door)
We thought we'd
just come over and see
how you were getting along.
Won't you come in?.
- I'm going away.
- Where to?.
You see, I have an aunt
back in New York-- not really
my aunt, but just by marriage--
- and I wrote her and asked her--
- We came hopin' you'd
come over and staywith us.
Oh, thanks just the same,
but I-- I'm afraid I couldn't do that.
We'd sure like
to haveyou ifyou could.
We thought, seeing
you lostyour father had
something to dowith us--
- Oh, but I'm not a Mormon.
- That wouldn't make any difference.
But I--
I just don't understand.
It's been so terrible,
all this hating and killing.
- Itwon't always be like that, zina.
- I couldn't stand it.
I'vejust got to get away.
( Sobbing )
Oh, well. Now, now.
You come over
and staywith us.
( Crying )
I don't know hardlywhat to do.
Well, now, you can stay
for a little while.
And then a little later, after
you're getting to feeling better...
then you can decide.
( Crying )
(Rooster Crows )
(Hammering)
I'm afraid you folks
are making a sad mistake...
fixin' to run off
and leave a fine farm like this...
when there's
no sense to it.
Brigham Young thinks there's
sense to it. Gettin' ready
to leave by spring.
What Brigham Young thinks
and what the Lord says
are two different things.
Brother Duncan has been picked
to takeJoseph's place as prophet.
- Duncan?.
- He's had a revelation.
What does Brigham Young
say aboutyour being
head ofthe church?.
As I told you before,
what Brigham Young says
and what the Lord says...
are two different things.
Everyone knows thatJoseph
wanted me to take his place.
I was his chief counsel
long before Brigham Young
ever came along.
- I stood up for him.
- Like Brigham stood up
for him in courtyou mean?.
He'd never have been in court
in the first place ifhe hadn't
listened to fool advice.
I warned him what would happen
raising an army
instead of compromising.
""Compromising"?.
Listen.
I stood right here in this yard
and saw my father--
who'd never hurt anybody
in all his life-- beaten to death...
zina's father shot down
in cold blood.
And you sit there
and talk about compromising.
I'dratherbe shot down
than go crawling on mybelly...
asking a lot ofmurderers
to let me alone.
And I don't believe that the Lord said
anything to you at all.
If he picked anyone to be head
of this church, it was Brigham Young.
And if Brigham tells me to stay here
and fight, that's what I'm gonna do.
And ifhe tells me to pack up
and go on somewhere else,
that's what I'm gonna do.
And there's nothing you or anybody
else can say that'll stop me.
Can't anything stop me any more
than it could stop my father...
from saying he believed
in Joseph Smith even ifhe
knew he'd be killed for it.
Ifyou're in such a hurry
to talk about compromising...
you'd better get on yourway
right now.
Come on, Ma.
Eliza, I've always thought
a lot ofyou and your husband...
so I won't hold this
againstyou.
Good day.
(Hammering Metal)
Young fella's got
quite a temper, ain't he?.
Brigham Young put him up to it.
You mark mywords.
Who's that girl there
with 'em?.
I never saw her before.
Must be an outsider.
Jonathan!
Jonathan! Look!
They're headed
for Nauvoo.
You'd better get out
the backway.
Looks like
our runnin' days are over.
- Hallelujah.
- (Knocking On Door)
- Brigham Young?.
- Yes, sir.
- Come right in.
- Thankyou.
Young?.
- How doyou do, sir?.
- How doyou do?.
I've come over here
to warn you.
You'd better
getyour people out ofhere
just as fast as you can.
- Why?.
- Because I've held off
those mobs as long as I'm able.
From now on,
I can't be responsible.
You mean you want us to leave
everything we fought all our lives for?.
I mean, ifyou don't go
and go quick...
blood's going to run
like water in the streets...
and nothing I can do
will stop it.
We're not budging
one inch.
I am sorry
that's your answer...
but I'm afraid the law
can't helpyou much.
The law?.
What law?.
The law that lets
a pack ofscoundrels come in here...
and hunt us down
like wild animals?.
Burn ourhomes,
ruin our crops?
Arrest our leader
on trumped-up charges...
and then looks the otherway
when a mob breaks in and murders him?.
They call that law,
let 'em keep it.
We don't want
any more ofit.
I appreciate this warning, Major,
but, no, this time...
we're going to stand up
for our rights ifit kills us.
You tell that bunch ofhoodlums
that I said...
ifthey come over here again,
we're going to fight...
clear down to our boots
and up to our necks in blood.
You mean that, don'tyou?.
- Doyou doubt it?.
- No.
Then I guess that's all
we've got to say to each other.
- Good day, sir.
- Good day.
Funny thing that major
taking it for granted that
I was the head ofthe church.
Why didn't he go
to Angus Duncan?.
He's been going around
from house to house...
telling everybody
he's been picked to run things.
Still, ifI'm the head,
why doesn't the Lord tell me so?.
One thing's certain-- somebody's
got to be head pretty soon...
or there won't be
any church left to be head of.
(ThunderRumbling)
(ThunderRumbling)
(Thunder Continues )
You'd better put this
around you.
Brigham, they're over
at the council hall meeting--
Duncan and Crum
and the others.
They found out that
the raids are gonna start
all over again tonight.
Duncan says they're
not gonna listen toyou anymore.
They're gonna make peace
with those people over in
Carthage anyway they can.
Well, maybe he is head ofthe church.
Maybe it's up to him.
Brigham.
I stood here in Joseph's footprints.
I knelt where he did...
trying as hard as I know how
to get an answer...
but the Lord
won't talk to me.
He won't tell me what to do
one way or the other.
He didn't sayyou were
not to head the church, did he?.
He didn't say anything.
Brigham,
when you asked me ifl loved you...
I didn't
say anything either...
but that didn't mean
I didn't loveyou.
Sometimes silence is the best answer
you can give a person.
Mary Ann,Joseph told me
to run this church...
and I'm going to run it
theway it ought to be run
until the Lord says no.
(ThunderRumbles )
(Duncan ) We're headedfor
the worst trouble we've
everhad this verynight...
unless we act
and act quick.
( Man ) Minute they heard what
Brigham said about fighting,
they started organizing.
( Duncan )
I wish I 'd have been
there to hear hi m.
I 'd have shut him up
quick enough.
He's acting as if
the Lord chose him to run this--
How else should I act?.
I hearyou've been making
some sort ofa deal with
those rats over in Carthage.
Whatever it is, you're not
going through with it...
because I'm taking
the bull by the horns and
spitting in both his eyes.
- We're leaving here tonight.
- Tonight?.
- We're crossing into Iowa.
- You can't bluster
yourway into power.
It might doyou some good
to know that the Lord said--
- We cross the river
into Iowa tonight.
- Was it a revelation?.
Yes.
That's a lie.
Angus, I'd like awfullywell
to seeyou live to a ripe old age.
Maybeyou will
ifyou hold your tongue.
- But the river is frozen over.
- How else could we all
cross it in one night?.
- But it's fixin' to storm.
- They'll never expect us to start.
- We couldn't get our things.
- The lighterwe travel,
the better time we make.
Don't listen to him.
We can't run off now
and leave everything.
- I've got my granary to think about.
- And my store.
Every cent I've got
in the world is right here.
Maybe we're getting
too interested in granaries
and stores and things.
Remember how when Joseph
started out, he had an idea
about nobody getting rich...
but everybody
sharing alike?.
Somehow his idea
seems to have got sidetracked.
- I figure it's time we got back to it.
- But I've worked hard.
- I've saved and scrimped.
- If a little money means more
toyou than this church...
you'd better stay here.
Heber, put some fellas on horses.
Tell them to spread the word.
Tell everybody to come
just as they are.
We've got to put the river
between us and Nauvoo by morning...
or there won't be enough
of us left to worry about.
( Duncan )
No, no. Wait a minute.
Don't pay any attention to him.
You're making a mistake.
Think ofyour homes.
You'll just be run out of
this state like we've been
run out of every other state.
Listen to me.
You're making a mistake.
(DoorSlams )
Here he is.
Theywon't compromise.
Theywon't do anything.
They're leaving.
- Leavin'?.
- Where are they going?.
- They're crossing the river
into Iowa tonight.
- You're lyin'.
It's the truth. Brigham Young's
making them leave.
- And good riddance.
- Nowyou won't have to raid.
You better get over there
and see that they don't
change their minds.
- We'll fix it so that
they'll never come back.
- You won't hurt my property.
- I did my best. I played fair.
- You're no better
than any other Mormon.
Look, there's plenty else.
What about that promise?.
You're not gonna
destroy my granary.
It's full of Mormon wheat,
ain't it?.
- (PulleySqueaking)
- (Man ) Take it easy.
- (PulleySqueaking)
- (Man ) Take it easy.
Let 'ergo.
Come on!
(Man )
Get on! Hyah!
All right, Mary Ann.
I'll meet you
down at the river.
Lord, Brigham's
a great and good man.
I'm his wife, and I know.
I've known him
longer than anybody
butyou and Heber Kimball.
Only sometimes
he's so sure ofhimself.
Sometimes he's bullheaded
and thinks nobody else
knows a thing but him.
But he's onlytrying
to dowhat's right.
Sowon'tyou
look after him...
maybe speak to him?.
Because this is an awful thing
he's asking us to do.
And right now,
in his heart...
he's not halfas sure ofhimself
as he makes out to be.
Everybody meet
on the other side ofthe river.
Get together on the other
side ofthe river. Everybody.
(Men Whistling,
Shouting)
Jonathan. Meet at Sugar Creek
on the other side of the river.
Right.
(Man )
Giddap there!
Giddap! Hah!
Giddap there!
Ho!
All right, go ahead.
Keep moving.
Supposin' the ice
breaks through?.
I'll get my horse.
Let me try.
( Bleating )
Ho! Hie!
( Gunshots )
Hyah!
( Gunshots Continue )
Come on!
Get those wagons across the ice!
- ( Gunshot)
- (Man ) Getyour children
in the wagons!
- Eliza!
- Henry! Henry!
( Gunshots Continue )
Come on! Hurry up!
Watch where you're going.
Keep driving.
Get those wagons
across the ice!
Well, ifyou ask me,
it looks like the end
ofthe Mormon Church.
Come on.
Mary Ann, look.
Looks like we've burned
our bridges behind us.
Couldn't turn back now
even ifwe wanted to.
- Getyour tuba.
- Tuba?.
And get hold ofthe rest ofthe band.
Tell them I said to start playing.
Yes, sir.
- Where are we going?.
- Well, wherever it is,
we'll get there.
(Band Plays Hymn )
( Continues )
( Muttering,
Indistinct )
Don't take it so hard,
Porter.
We'll build another city
someday.
Who gives a hoot about a city?.
My gun jammed.
I didn't get to kill
even one ofthem.
(Rifle Clatters
On Ground)
( Cattle Lowing)
Brigham, there ain't no sense
tryin' to hide the truth.
Folks are as mad as wet hens,
cussin' you all over the camp...
claimin' you're to blame
for gettin' them in all this misery.
Everywhereyou turn,
they're gettin' ready to pull out.
- Where to?.
- Well, anywhere but here.
They don't seem to know,
but they say they're awful fools...
pullin' up stakes and leavin'
everything they got...
to come out here and squat
in the mud and slop till they freeze.
- That's enough, Mary Ann.
- It's high time somebody did
some thinkin' around here.
Why, there ain't 50 families
in camp ain't got somebody
sick or hurt or already dead.
It's true, Brigham.
I've been out all mornin'...
and it pret' near breaks your heart
just to look at 'em.
And they've got to know
whatyou're gonna do about it.
Mary Ann, you and Clara
get Emmaline and Lucy
and some ofthe others...
and helpyou take this stuff
around to those that need it
just as soon as you can.
Well, what areyou
gonna do about it?.
Well, I've got an idea,
but they're gonna need...
some ofthis hot composition
in their bellies before they
hear about it.
( Exhales Loudly)
What in tarnation's that?.
It's one of Brigham's
remedies to put down colds and ague...
and fever and rheumatism
and such.
What's in it
besides fire?.
Hot water and cinnamon bark
and ginger root...
and cayenne pepper
and anything else that's hot.
Throw the stuff out. Ain't folks
sufferin' enough without
burnin' their insides out?.
- Feel better?.
- I'm all right, thanks.
- (BabyCrying)
- You better give her to me.
- It's past her feeding time.
- Oh, butyou're not strong enough to.
She's hungry.
(Fire Crackling)
- How's Ma?.
- She's feeding the baby now.
Hmm. Doc Richards
said he'd be over in a minute.
Plenty more hurt.
I wish he'd hurry up
and come.
zina, there's a family fixin'
to pull out today...
and I've arranged
thatyou can go with them.
No, I'm not going. I couldn't
leaveyour mother and the children...
whatwith her hurt
and everything.
- Butwe got no call on you.
- No, I-- I'll stay.
That's nice ofyou,
zina.
Ma will appreciate that.
- How's your mother?.
- You know Ma.
She doesn't complain.
She's a fine woman.
- New convert?.
- No, sir. I'm not a Mormon.
- What are you doing here?.
- Her fatherwas killed
the night they raided our place...
and she's been
staying with us ever since.
Well, I guess we can
feed one more mouth.
Thankyou, but that doesn't mean
I'm going to be a Mormon.
- You don't seem to like Mormons.
- No, it isn't that.
But, well, it's just
that I'm a Christian.
- So am I.
- Well, I mean, I've got
my own religion.
I wouldn't change that
for anything or anybody.
And besides--
- ""Besides" what?.
- Well, there must be something
wrong when there's so much hate...
people being tortured,
killed...
everything they've got in the world
taken away from them.
A lot offolks seem to think it
worth going through all that for.
( All Chattering )
You folks have been doing
a lot ofworrying...
and wanting to know
what we're going to do next.
Well, in the first place,
we're gonna start acting like
we've got some common sense.
We're gonna build
some strong new wagons,
gather in all the food we can...
get enough guns and ammunition,
warm clothes and whatever else
we need...
and then we're gonna
get out ofhere.
And we're gonna keep going
until we're clear out of
the United States...
across the RockyMountains
into Mexico.
- Hallelujah.
- Mexico?. Across the Rocky Mountains?.
When it's got to the place
a man can't stay in the United States...
and believe what he wants to,
then he's got to get out.
- (Man ) That's 1,500 miles.
Take us fouryears to get there.
- ( Young)Just about.
It took Moses 40 years
to get where he was going.
- (Man )
But 1,500 miles! We'dstarve!
- ( All Chattering )
Doggone you, Brigham Young.
We've stood for all your
foolishness we're aimin' to.
I'm through, through with
the whole dang setup.
I'm quittin'. You understand?.
Quittin' you and the church.
I'm goin' someplace
where me and myfamily can live.
( All Chattering )
I know. I know it's not
an easy thing I'm asking you to do.
But we can do it
ifwe've got faith enough.
There's good stock
here, Lord.
They're about as fine
a bunch of men and women as ever lived.
All they need
is a little bucking up...
and a kick in the right direction so's--
so's they'll know their own strength.
And then you'll see how soon
they'll stop all this infernal whining...
and all this talk about running off,
quitting the church.
First thing you know,
they'll be letting their beards grow.
They'llbe getting dirt
undertheirfingernails...
and calluses on theirhands
as big as hoecakes.
And they'll be ready to whip
the tar out ofthe first fellow...
that says
we'l I never make it.
I f there's anybody here
doubts that, they'd better
haul tail right now...
because we don't want 'em.
We'll build ourwagons,
and we'll scratch for our food.
We'll shiver, and we'll
go hungry ifwe have to.
And maybe some of us
will keel over and die in ourtracks...
but that won't
stop us neither.
Because the rest of us
will keep going,
and we'll never stop.
Never, not until
we've found the place.
(Young's Voice )
Well, Lord, we're on ourway.
Just as faras the eye can see,
theykeep comin'.
I doubt ifthere's been
anything to equal this...
since the children oflsrael
set out across the Red Sea...
andyou--
you had to open up the waters
to let 'em through.
And talk about miracles.
Just take a look at the way
some ofthese wagons
have hung together.
Ofcourse, it took
plenty ofscurrying around
to get together what we did.
But I knew that as soon
as we stopped arguin'...
and grumblin'about
what had to be done...
and started findin' ways
to do it, that we'd manage all right.
Some ofour folks aren't really
in shape to travel.
Some, like Eliza,
with bullet holes in 'em.
Everybody, young or old,
has his or her work cut out.
The women are busy
sewing, mending, weaving...
or taking care ofthe babies,
doing the cooking.
And the men
who don 't have to drive
or look after the livestock...
are turning out new shoes
and seeing that
our harnesses hold out.
And we don 't aim to let
our children get far behind
in their lessons either.
Classes are being held
every foot ofthe way
so 's it'll never be said...
that a Mormon
can 't read and write
with the best ofthem.
( Woman )
Seventy-two--
Yes, sir, we're on our way.
Load your wagons
and get ready to start.
There's only about
five feet ofwater.
(Man )
Ho there!
It's all right,Jonathan.
We can make it.
It's only about five feet deep.
Take care ofhim.
It's only about five feet deep.
Come on!
( Cattle Lowing )
- Can you swim?.
- No.
- You will.
- ( Screaming )
(Woman Screams )
( Screams )
Whoa, boy!
(Jonathan ) All right.
Now straighten it out.
- There. All right.
- We should've built
arks instead ofwagons.
Ifwe had, we could've floated
clear to the Rocky Mountains.
Has this wagon
grown roots?.
Angus, I didn't know
you were here.
- Yep. In the mud with the rest of us.
- It's my church too, Brigham.
Sure it is.
Ifwe all push together,
we'll get someplace.
- All right. All together.
- All together.
Heave! Heave!
(Young)
Lord, the waythese sisters
swing an ax is a caution.
Theygo at it as iftheyhad
the devil himselfon the ground...
fixin' to lop offhis tail.
In the meanwhile,
we keep jogging along...
putting plenty
ofgood Iowa mud between us...
and those scoundrels
back in Carthage.
It's rough country
we're going through...
and it's just as hard
on the wagons as it is
on them inside.
zi na, come here.
What do you want?.
I want her to drive, Ma.
I want to find Brigham.
Tell him we're gonna
drop out for a little while.
We can catch up later.
- All this jolting--
- You keep going.
Ifyou let one stop, then somebody else
will want to stop too.
Then a third and a fourth,
and, beforeyou know it...
the whole shootin' match
will be fallin' out.
I don't want it said
that we were the first to give up.
Not for anything.
Understand?.
zina, you go and sit
with Jonathan.
It ain't right
you cooped up in here...
and all that springtime
outside.
Go on now, dear.
(Young)
We've beenseeing Indians, Lord,
forseveral days now.
Sometimes there'sjust one.
Sometimes
there's two or three.
Sometimes a whole tribe
just lookin'.
Porter Rockwell says that...
their main village
is up ahead at Council Bluffs...
and there must be a couple
ofthousand around here
and with more comin '.
Kind ofgives you
a creepy feelin '...
knowing they've got
their eyes on you.
Some ofour folks are getting
downright uneasy...
but I tell them,
""Indians can 't be any worse...
than some Christians
I know. '"
Till we find out
a little bit more about them...
we mean to trust
in you, Lord...
and to keep
our powder dry.
zi gzaggi ng. That means
he wants to talk in peace.
You zigzag out
to meet him.
My name's
Brigham Young.
We folks have been run
out of our homes...
and some of us
are pretty tired and sick.
We'd like to stop
in Council Bluffs for a while.
My people knows
ofyour coming.
We know whyyou are here.
As Superintendent oflndians,
my advice is to say no.
Not manyyears ago,
we were driven out of our homes.
You are welcome here.
Chief, those are the first words
of real welcome...
we've heard
in 1 6 years.
And don't think
we're going to forget them.
You can count on us
for anything you want.
( Young )
We're welcome here!
We can stay here
as long as we want to.
Unhookyour oxen,
turn them out to graze.
Clara. Mary.
We're welcome here.
We can stay as long as we want to.
Oh, I'm so glad,
Brigham.
Tell everybody to unhook
their oxen and horses.
Theycan hunt too.
This countryis running
overwith wild game.
Look, Brigham,
good, rich earth.
Sure.
Anything would grow here.
I think I'll let the main body
stay here and raise a crop.
The rest of us will push on
and find someplace to settle in.
They can follow us later
and bring whatever they've raised.
Tell the people the band's
going to play tonight.
Tell them we're going
to sing and dance like we used to.
Firstyou tell us
we can rest.
Nowyou say
we have to dance.
I bet I've lost a foot ofbelly
since we started out.
- It's good for the figure.
- It looks good.
I'm going to take a bath,
even ifl muddy up
the whole dang river.
You'd better go now,
because this afternoon
you're going to be awful busy.
- Buryin'.
- Buryin'?.
There's quite a few...
counting the old folks,
babies.
- Eliza Kent went this morning.
- Eliza?.
Jonathan.
Why didn'tyou tell me
about Eliza?.
She didn't want me to.
None ofthem did.
She told me
to tell you, Brigham...
that even though
we might be the lastwagon...
we'd never be
the first to fall out.
I just couldn't go away
without leaving her
some kind of marker.
You know,
Ma used to say...
that a good wheel
always sings.
Ma would've loved
those flowers.
I never saw a body
so crazy about 'em.
Dandelion, ragweed,
any of'em.
Sonny,
will you hold him?.
- Hi.
- Howdy.
- Mind if I get a drink?.
- Nope.
You one of them
Mormon fellas?.
- Yes, we're Mormons.
- I heard you was coming.
Leaving offthe ""mister"'
my name is Jim Bridger.
- What mightyours be?.
- Leaving offthe ""mister"'
Brigham Young.
- Say, how many--
- Twelve!
Hmm. How about a chaw
to oil your tongue with?.
No, thanks.
I never use it.
How come?.
What's the matterwith you?.
- You see this?.
- Mm-hmm.
I've been carrying that
now for 1 5 years.
Whenever I feel myselftempted,
I hold it up and say...
""Am I stronger than this tobacco or is
this tobacco stronger than me??'
And Iput it back
in mypocket.
I'll be doggoned.
( Children Shouting )
- Little more?.
- No, thanks.
You?.
Yes, sir.
It's all over California, I tell you.
And some ofthem nuggets
are as big as the hub on a cart wheel.
Sounds like
tomfoolery to me.
My brother ain't the tomfoolin' kind.
He wrote me all about it.
All you got to do
is yank up a pea vine...
scrape the ground
with your finger and there it is.
Gold-- anywayyou turn,
pretty and yellow...
- ready to buy anything you want.
- Don't go blabbing it around.
We don't want people
talking about how rich she is...
Ieastwise until
we get California
into the United States...
now that we've been dragged
into this warwith Mexico.
( Chuckles )
Don't worry about us
talkin'.
See thatyou don't talk
to our people about it
and get them upset.
We're not searchin'
for gold.
We're searchin'
for a place to live.
You don't have to worry
about us either.
Well, thanks.
Good-bye.
- Bye.
- Bye.
What's the matter
with you?.
Have you gone
out ofyour mind?.
I don't think so.
I had to hush
those fellas up.
I've just had
a revelation.
There's gold
in California.
Well, this is a revelation,
and I think the church...
is about to find
a new leader.
As captains, each ofyou
are in charge of 1 00 people.
It's up to me and you to see
that the Lord's will be done.
Ifthere's all that gold
out in California...
it seems strange and peculiar
nobody's heard about it before.
The Lord chose
when he wanted it known...
and who he wanted
to know it.
Nowyou brothers get busy.
Each ofyou know who you
can trust in your own companies.
What's Brigham Young gonna say
when he finds out about this?.
The Lord will handle
that too.
zina.
- zina, areyou asleep?.
- Uh-uh. Aren'tyou?.
No.
Ifyou were asleep...
I bet I could tell you what
you'd be dreaming about.
- What?.
- All that gold in California.
( Sighs )
Just imagine, zina.
Chunks ofit
as big as oranges.
Wish I had an orange
right now.
I'd cut a hole in the stem
forthe babyto suck.
About the best thing
there is for colic.
Gold.
You know, next to the Lord
and maybe the land...
I reckon it's about
the most powerful thing there is.
Hmm.
What would you do
with all that gold?.
Oh, about
a million things.
I'd get a new saddle.
And I figure that thewagon
needs a new doubletree.
Baby ought to have
a cradle to rock in.
And you--
I'd getyou
a new dress and a hat.
Lots ofboats come into California
from China and everyplace...
full of silk and things.
I'd getyou a parasol
and shoes to match...
prettyfingerring--
Iots ofthings, Zina.
All you got foryourself
was a saddle.
Well, maybe I'll get me
a horse to go under it.
Jonathan, suppose
Brigham Young doesn't want
to go to California.
He couldn't help it.
It's--
It's just like
the promised land.
zina?.
You knowwhat I've been
thinking about?.
Sounds funny, but...
I've been lying here
thinking about the time...
before I got
into long pants.
All the talking
I used to do about...
what I was gonna do
as soon as I got
into grown-up britches.
Now, I don't know, I--
I don't even care anymore.
Reckon the only thing
I care about is...
having somebody like me...
Iikin' them and...
just always
bein' with 'em.
zina.
zina, seein' as you're so crazy
about the children...
and they're
so crazy aboutyou--
Well,
I was just wondering if--
Course, I mean,
afterwe get settled...
and I get a crop goin'
and some ofthat gold
I was talkin' about.
Well, I was sort ofhopin' that
maybeyou and me could, uh...
( Inhales, Exhales
Slowly)
get married.
Hmm?.
I told you to let me
cook that stew.
- Sure was good stew though.
- Henry, shut up and go back to sleep.
- ( Crowd Clamoring )
- ( Shouting )
Ladies and gentlemen!
Ladies and gentlemen!
For the championship of Fort Bridger,
a frog-jumping contest...
between
the defending champion...
- Jim Bridger...
- ( Cheers, Applause )
and the challenger...
- PorterRockwell!
- ( Cheers, Applause )
- I'll bet you Porterwins.
- Bet what?.
Oh, that new silk dress
I'm gonna get against
the horseyou're gonna get.
Sounds like a fair bet.
(Man Stuttering)
G-G-Getset!
T-T-T-Tickle 'em!
( Onlookers Shouting )
Come on, Bridger!
Looks like you're not gonna get
that dress you haven't got yet.
(Shouting, Cheering
Continue )
Dang saints, listen to 'em.
Gambling.
- They're only tryin'
to have a little fun.
- Fun?.
There's whiskey
bein' drunk.
Porter Rockwell
is chewing tobacco again.
- Since when did he ever stop?.
- I'm not going to put up with it.
- I'll not have the devil
flipping his tail in my face.
- Brigham.
Why doyou lie toyourself?.
You'reworried about
all this talk of gold...
and going to California.
Day and night,
that fella Duncan has been at 'em...
with his talk
about gold.
That all you do is stick a seed
in the ground, and it pops up
beforeyou can turn around.
You're dead set against
California, aren'tyou?.
You know human nature.
Take a crowd of people
to a place of milk and honey...
and in six months' time,
theywon't be worth shooting.
Our only chance
is to find someplace...
that nobody else
has even put foot on.
Sometimes I think
I'm being punished...
for saying
the Lord told me to take charge.
I don't think so.
Not afterwhatyou've done
to hold us together.
(People Chattering)
If I only knew for sure
where we're heading.
You set out to find a place
across the Rocky Mountains...
where we could live in peace
according to Joseph's plan.
That's what the people
trusted you to do.
I wouldn't
disappoint 'em.
Mary Ann, you're as fine a wife
as a man ever had.
Sometimes, I don't know
what I'd do withoutyou.
Always the same,
never complaining.
You're neverjealous
ofthe others.
No, Brigham.
Sometimes, I think the Lord
has been almost too good to me...
just letting me take care
ofa fine man likeyou.
That's funny.
When folks have been together
as long as we have, it's--
it's kind ofhard to say
what's in your heart...
about lovin' a person.
I know.
Remember
when I was courtin' you...
how we used to sit out just
like this on moon-bright nights?.
( Chuckles )
Mm-hmm. I remember.
Supposeyou had to do it
all over again?.
Would you still have me...
knowing all
you do about me...
and all thatyou've
had to go through?.
Yes, Brigham.
I'd do it exactly the same.
(Young)
Well, Lord, here we are again.
All I keep hearing
is talk ofgold in California.
So far I haven't said anything,
that is, the way I feel about it...
figuring that as long
as we 're heading west,
they'll be satisfied.
I can 't
keep that up forever.
I'm not feeling
very well myself.
I don 't seem to be able
to eat or sleep.
And then I'm all cold inside,
kind ofshaky.
I must have got hold
ofsome bad water back yonder.
Maybe it's a touch
ofmountain fever...
from eating that
rabbit stew the other night.
You've got to help me
find the right place, Lord...
and find it quick.
Because I can't go on
like this much longer.
( No Audi ble Dialogue )
I tel I you, Mary Ann,
ifwe lose him, we're done for.
Well, they're leavin'.
They're goin' to California.
- Leavin'?.
- It's that white-livered skunk Duncan.
- Didn'tyou talk to him?.
- Talk to him?. Sure.
That doesn't do any good.
- Theycan't leave him like this.
- That Duncan's so shrewd...
he's got people thinking everything
he's doin' is to help Brigham.
Go hitch up the horses
and help me get him into the wagon.
- You're not takin' him?.
- I am.
He's not able to move.
He'd never forgive me
oryou either ifwe let
the people go on without him.
- Woman, he'll die.
- He can't stand it.
I know the risk
I'm takin'.
But if Brigham has to die,
it'll bewith his people.
You'd want it thatway,
wouldn'tyou, Clara?.
It'll kill him.
I'll hitch up the horses.
You get him ready.
Come on.
- Where arewe?.
- High up in the mountains, Brigham.
What's that strange noise
I keep hearing?.
It's an echo. The wagons
sound like a lot ofhammers goin'.
Porter set to whistlin' a while
back. You'd have thought it was
a dozen flutes playin'.
Look out and tell me
whatyou see.
There's nothing
but mountains.
Overyonder's one
a mile high.
No, not there.
Look south.
The mountains
suddenly fall away?.
- Over here they do.
- You can see, maybe...
a hundred miles
straight off.
Yes, I can.
Pull up.
This is the place.
We'll build our homes
down there.
It was a revelation.
He knew it
before we even got here.
It was a revelation.
- ( Whispering )
- It was a revelation.
I thought we were going
to California.
So did I.
You said that Brigham Young
himselfwould want to go.
Well,
I thought hewould.
This isn't the place.
This isn't the place!
Lookat it.
It's nothing but a lot ofdesert!
Just a lot ofsand and rock!
We'll shrivel up
and die like rats.
We're going to California,
doyou understand?.
- We're going to set up our own church.
- Areyou?.
Yes, we are.
We letyou drag us away from Nauvoo.
We left every cent,
everything we owned in the world.
We've watched you mark every
foot ofthe way up here...
with the bodies
of ourwomen and babies,
and we haven't said a word.
But when it comes to stopping
and settling in a place like that--
the most desolate country
we've seen yet--
with California just up ahead waiting
for us, it's time to call a halt.
He says God told him
this is the place.
But I say it was
the devil talking.
And as far as I'm concerned,
the devil can keep it!
- We're going on!
- All right, Angus.
That's the way
to California.
I'm not
going to stopyou.
I wouldn't lift
my little finger to hold you...
or anybody else
that feels the same way.
Moses went up in the hills
like this once...
and right away the devil
started putting in his licks.
Remember how he got the people
to build a golden calf
and to start worshipping it?.
You rememberhowmad
Godand Moses got...
andhow close Godcame
to washing his hands
ofthe whole business?
I don't claim
to be a Moses...
but I say to you just what
he said to the sons of Levi:
""Who is on the Lord's side,
let him come unto me."
Well, you can have
your desert. I'm going
to California.
( Angus ) Come on.
You said you were comin', didn'tyou?.
You're goin',
aren'tyou?.
Well, areyou comin'
ornot?
Think ofyourfamily
andyour children.
What's the matter withyou?
You're not gonna buildyour home
down in that desert, are you?
You'l I al I starve to death.
Come on. Get up and get goin'.
You said you were comin' with me.
Think ofyour family!
Our hearts...
are mighty humble
and mightythankful.
Lord, we'll make
this desert blossom.
There'll be hamlets
and cities...
vineyards and orchards...
with every kind
oftree there is.
There'll be no filth
in our cities.
There'll be no ugliness
ofany sort but...
broad, clean streets
with flowing water.
Andthe law ofthe valley
shall be that...
no man maybuy orsell land...
forall land
will be held in common.
It'll be measured off
to him, both in the city
and for farming.
And any man may have
as much as he can till...
but he's got to take care
ofall he gets.
All wood and timber will
belong to the community, too...
as well as ditches
and canals.
Anyperson caught
trying to take greedy advantage
ofthese materials...
will be run
out ofthe valley.
Now, as to the city itself...
it shall be built in
blocks often acres each...
with streets
eight rods wide...
and with gardens and lawns
on both sides.
Right in the middle,
I'm setting aside ten acres
for the temple...
which we 'll start building
the day we get our first crop
in the ground.
We 're going to establish
Joseph 's idea ofthe United Order...
and build
a mighty empire here...
based on labor and love
and fellowship.
And this time,
doggone it...
I mean to see
that we stick to it.
( Brass Band)
- ( Continues )
- zi na. Come on. We have to hurry!
( Continues )
- ( Ends )
- I t's a nice sight
to see you people...
come up here to put your food
in a common storehouse...
to be rationed out
to everybody alike
during the coming winter.
Joseph Smith
would be proud ofyou.
It's not just a tithe
we're giving this time...
although that's the law
ofthe church...
but everything we've got.
If one eats,
we'll all eat.
And if one starves,
we'll all starve.
Now, we're gonna have
our hands full to make this food
last until spring.
So don't waste anything.
Eat regular...
but don't let me
catch anyofyoupeople
putting on weight.
Now it's up to us men
to fish and hunt and lay in stores.
Andyou boys get out
and see how many rabbits
you can layyour hands on.
But don't eat 'em.
Pen 'em up and give 'em
time to multiply...
- I i ke good sai nts.
- ( Chuckles )
Al I ri ght, you fel las i n the band,
let's hear... ""Come, Come Ye Saints"'
while everybody takes their food
over to the storehouse.
And play it good and loud,
especially loud.
Leah.
Well, all right, dear. Martha.
John. Harriet.
( Continues )
Oh,Jonathan. I'd like foryou to go
with Porter back to Council Bluffs.
Tell the people there
to harvest their crops...
but that they must stay there
through the winter.
Then they can join us in the spring
and bring whatever food's left.
Well, I--
I'll look after them.
- Will you do it?.
- Why, yes, sir.
- When can you start?.
- I'll be ready to leave
by tomorrow morning.
Thankyou,Jonathan.
- That all right with you, Porter?.
- Fine. Seeyou in the morning.
Good.
How long
areyou gonna be gone?.
Four or five months,
I guess.
He has no right
to askyou to go.
You've got a family
to look after.
Besides, there are plenty of others
who can go in your place.
You know how it is here.
Everybody has his job to do.
- This is mine, and I've got to do it.
- Brigham-- Brigham Young.
Don'tyou care what
anybody else thinks or feels?.
- He's head ofthe church.
- Even ifhe is, he isn't God.
- He can't run everything.
- He'll look afteryou
and the children.
I can look after the children,
and I'm notworrying about me.
It's just that--
Oh.
I'm sorrythatyou
had to go and get mad.
- I'm not mad.
- 'Cause ifyou hadn't been mad...
I had it in my mind
to tell you about something.
I'm not mad!
Well, ifyou'd been
in smilin' good humor,
I meant to talkabout it.
- Talk aboutwhat?.
- What I was gonna talk about...
ifyou hadn't got mad.
Maybeyou had
a revelation.
Well, you might
call it that.
We ought
to get married right away.
- Right away?.
- Well, in the spring...
soon as I get back.
Well, I don't see any sense
in puttin' it offany longer than that.
Oh, butyour Brigham Young'll
wantyou to marry a Mormon girl,
won't he?.
- Several ofthem.
- Several?.
Ifyou're gonna be rich,
you'll have to have
a lot ofwives, won'tyou?.
I've been wonderin' howyou're
gonna go about askin' 'em--
one at a time or all together.
Maybe it would be easier ifyou said,
""Sisters, will you kindly marry me??'
- zina!
- Then afteryou've married
20 or 30 ofthem...
supposeyou get to lovin'
one more than
all the rest put together?.
Then there's poorJonathan,
loving one and divided by 30.
Now, zina, you're
just talking nonsense.
There they'll be, all darning
the same socks and cooking
for the same man...
and all talking about
their husband.
Just imagine, 30 wives
combing your beard!
You haven't answered
my question yet
about our being married.
Oh, well, it--
It isn't spring yet.
Well, figure it out
foryourself.
Say every man's
got 20 wives.
- There aren't that manywomen.
- Oh, we can get 'em.
Women convert easy. And say
everywife's got ten children.
That's 200 children apiece.
And say every one
ofthose 200's got 20 wives.
That's 4,000. And say
they got ten children apiece.
So that'll giveyou
40,000 grandchildren.
Figurin' 5,000 men to startwith.
Well, that's 200 million.
Quite a settlement.
Ifarithmetic'll doyou any good,
I'm willin' to call you grandpa now.
Oh, I'm aimin'
to do my share.
(Young) I don't remember,
Lord, everseein'a winter
to equal this one.
Started out mild enough,
but now it's hit forsure.
It'sjust one blizzard
after another.
Snow is so deep that game
has run clean out ofthe hills.
( Lowi ng )
And even what little cattle
we had left are lost...
or they're frozen to death
where we can 't get at 'em.
I've had to cut rations
three times already...
till there 's hardly enough
to keep body and soul together.
The babies look mighty hungry
and peaked to me.
The women and the old folks
are just hangin ' on...
Iivin ' on roots or whatever
they could lay their hands to.
Well,just the same,
we 're gonna hold out till spring...
when the winter wheat
and the new corn come through.
I don 't know how
we 're gonna do it...
but we 're going to,
Lord, somehow.
( Cryi ng )
Mary.
Mary, dear.
- Would you I i ke to play
a game with me?.
- What kind of a game?.
Well, it hasn't any name,
but here's the wayyou play it.
Now first,
open up your apron.
Why, that's it.
Now, see the sun in it?
- Yes.
- All right. Nowfoldyourapron back.
Quickly.
Catch the sun.
That's right.
Got it?
All right.
Now bring it over here
to me and the baby.
Careful.
Don't drop it.
All right.
Now open your apron and let's see it.
Oh, it's gone. You've lost it.
You had it just a minute ago.
I sawyou catch it.
Look. There it is.
It's still over there on the floor.
Hurry up.
Get it.
zina, I--
I don't feel like playing.
I-- I'm hungry.
( Weeping )
Oh, don't, darling.
Don't.
- ( Sniffling, Sobbing )
- Now, don't cry, sweetie.
( Mary Crying )
Jonathan!
Jonathan,
I'm hungry.
Hungry?.
- zina, what happened?.
- ( Sobbing )
( Crying )
Tablespoon
every hour.
Now there's no use playing possum
any longer, Miss zina.
Anybody as pretty as you are
can't be very sick.
That girl in there, there's no telling
how long it's been...
since she's had
anything to eat.
- She probably gave everything
to the children.
- Yes.
And she isn't the only one
who's done that.
- She'll be all right, though,
won't she, Doctor?.
- I hope so, son.
Now--
Come on now. I'd hate
to have to hold your nose and pour.
zina, Doc Richards said
you have to eat something.
Careful.
It's hot.
You'll never
be hungry again.
I promiseyou that, zina.
Never again
as long as you live.
Open.
There.
You know, all the time
I was gone, I kept thinking about...
well, how soon
it was going to be spring.
One day...
it was
just about noontime...
but I made old Porter
stop and camp...
right on the spot
where ourwagon stood that night.
Remember?.
You almost promised to marry me...
butyou fell asleep.
Remember?. I asked you again
before I went away.
You told me it wasn't spring yet.
Well, it's here now.
Oh, ifthinking could've helped
to make the time go quicker...
spring would've come
an awful lot earlierthis year.
It's no use.
We'll never be able
to get married now.
zina,
you couldn't mean that.
( Sobs )
I tried to believe.
I almost did once.
Not anymore.
I can't.
There's nothing left
to believe in.
- What areyou doing?
- Well, the boys are eatin' 'em...
and-and the Indians
eat 'em and--
You kids get in the house.
Go on. Hurry up.
Get!
Jonathan!
Hello,Jonathan.
I'm glad to seeyou.
- What's the matter?.
- You promised to take care ofzina.
She's so sick over there,
she hasn't even got
the strength to eat.
She doesn't care
whether she lives or dies.
I don't believe God
would let that happen.
- God?. What's he got to do with it?.
-Jonathan!
Ifthere is a God,
where has he been?.
Where is he now?.
-Jonathan!
- You said you'd take care ofher.
You said a heap of other
things, too, butyou sayin' 'em
didn't make 'em so.
But me, I believed 'em
just because it was you sayin' 'em.
Ifyou'd told meyou was
God Almighty himself...
I reckon I'd
have believed that too.
But not now,
not anymore.
Pa dead. Ma dead.
Everything that I ever loved dead.
Just becauseyou said God
wanted it that way.
And now zina.
We were plannin' to go
to California like the others.
I told herwe would.
We had it all fixed up
between us, but no.
You wouldn't let us go.
You said God wanted us
to come down here.
He wouldn't let us starve.
And I thoughtyou meant it.
I thought God was talkin'
toyou every step ofthe way.
God talkin'toyou--
Maybeyou andhim
don'tspeak the same language.
I know you and I don't,
not anymore.
Why did you do it?.
Why didn't you leave us alone?.
Why did you have to take
everything that we love--
even God?.
Brigham!
Brigham!
Brigham, come on. There's bugs--
crickets-- millions of'em!
- Where?.
- Comin' down the mountain.
They're in the wheat already.
- They're eating the wheat.
- Halfthe fields are covered already.
Crickets in the fields!
Hurry!
(Pounding)
Hurry! The crickets
are ruining the wheat!
( Man Shouting )
Come on! The fields
are full of crickets!
What areyou gonna do?.
I don't know.
Go on out
to the grain fields.
Listen, people!
Don't wasteyour time here!
Let's save the grain!
Come on!
Here, you children, get away
from there. Let's hope we can
find your ma. Come on.
( Banging )
- Food?.
- Run and get some wood
and start a fire.
Mary, you get
some clean water in a pot.
Honey, a plague
has struck the place.
Crickets are overrunning
the fields.
As soon as you get
your strength back,
we're gonna get out ofhere.
We're going to California
like I promised.
Brigham!
Brigham! Look!
Millions andmillions--
the hills are black with 'em!
They're too much for us, Brigham.
It's no use.
Might as well try to push back
the ocean with a broom.
I told you what would happen
ifwe stopped in this valley...
butyou wouldn't
listen to me!
You ran offwith a false prophet!
That's why this happened!
It's true.
We're all gonna die!
You brought us out
into this place to starve,
you--you devil you!
But we've one chance!
Repent and throw him out ofhere!
- It's true. You ought
to be run out ofhere!
- Yes, you!
( Angry Shouting )
I wouldn't do that
ifl was you!
And I'll plug
the first one ofyou that moves!
( Inhales Deeply)
It's true.
I lied to 'em, Lord.
I told them thatyou said
I was to run things.
Butyou and I know
you didn't.
Do anything
you want to me, but--
but save them, especially now
when they need you most.
Onlyyour strength
is left.
I'm licked.
I'm all done in.
From now on,
it's up toyou.
What am I going to do,
Mary Ann?.
I meant to do
so much for them.
I've got to tell 'em
the truth...
even if
they kill me for it.
I've got to tell 'em.
(Bell Ringing)
(Ringing Continues )
( People Murmuring )
- ( Murmuring Continues )
- ( Young ) Listen to me, people.
You've a right
to know the truth.
I told you that the Lord
wanted me to run this church.
I said he wanted you to build
your homes in this valley.
And Ipromisedyou in his name
thatyou wouldn't starve...
that no harm
would come toyou.
- I used the Lord's name.
- ( Gulls Squawking)
( Man )
Seagulls!
- (Squawking Continues )
- ( Excited Chatter)
The sky is black with seagulls.
They're headed toward the fields.
Look!
They're eating the crickets!
( Excited Chatter)
- Oh, our crops are saved!
- Look at them eat!
There are more coming!
Hallelujah.
- What is it?.
- zina, you'll have
to see it foryourself.
You see, Brigham?.
He was talkin' toyou
all the time.
Maybe that's
theway it is.
Maybe he's ready to say
something anywayyou turn...
ifyou only know
how to listen.
Maybe talk--
speech like we use--
maybe that's
not his language at all.
I know
whatyou're thinking.
Maybe we were both wrong.
There is something
to live for.
(Young)Andsomeday, good Lord,
we'llbuilda great cityhere...
on the shores ofSalt Lake.
And when we do,
we'll erect a monument...
to the glory ofGod...
and to the symbol
ofhis benevolence--
the seagull.