第54章

And this，added Elder William Hitch，this is why the jealousy of Congress has been aroused against us！Why have the soldiers of the Union invaded the soil of Utah？Why has Brigham Young，our chief，been imprisoned，in contempt of all justice？Shall we yield to force？Never！Driven from Vermont，driven from Illinois，driven from Ohio，driven from Missouri，driven from Utah，we shall yet find some independent territory on which to plant our tents.And you，my brother，continued the Elder，fixing his angry eye upon his single auditor，will you not plant yours there，too，under the shadow of our flag？

No！replied Passepartout courageously，in his turn retiring from the car，and leaving the Elder to preach to vacancy.

During the lecture the train had been making good progress，and towards half-past twelve it reached the north-west border of the Great Salt Lake.Thence passengers could observe the vast extent of this interior sea，which is also called the Dead Sea，and into which flows an American Jordan.It is a picturesque expanse，framed in lofty crags in large strata，encrusted with white salt，-a superb sheet of water，which was formerly of larger extent than now，its shores having encroached with the lapse of time，and thus at once reduced its breadth and increased its depth.

The Salt Lake，seventy miles long and thirty-five wide，is situated three miles eight hundred feet above the sea.Quite different from Lake Asphaltite，whose depression is twelve hundred feet below the sea，it contains considerable salt，and one quarter of the weight of its water is solid matter，its specific weight being 1170，and，after being distilled，1000.Fishes are of course unable to live in it，and those which descend through the Jordan，the Weber，and other streams，soon perish.

The country around the lake was well cultivated，for the Mormons are mostly farmers；while ranches and pens for domesticated animals，fields of wheat，corn，and other cereals，luxuriant prairies，hedges of wild rose，clumps of acacias and milk-wort，would have been seen six months later.Now the ground was covered with a thin powdering of snow.

The train reached Ogden at two o'clock，where it rested for six hours.Mr Fogg and his party had time to pay a visit to Salt Lake City，connected with Ogden by a branch road；and they spent two hours in this strikingly American town，built on the pattern of other cities of the Union，like a checker-board，with the sombre sadness of right angles'as Victor Hugo expresses it.The founder of the City of the Saints could not escape from the taste for symmetry which distinguishes the Anglo-Saxons.In this strange country，where the people are certainly not up to the level of their institutions，everything is donesquarely'，-cities，houses，and follies.

The travellers，then，were promenading，at three o'clock，about the streets of the town built between the banks of the Jordan and the spurs of the Wahsatch Range.They saw few or no churches，but the prophet's mansion，the court-house，and the arsenal，blue-brick houses with verandas and porches，surrounded by gardens bordered with acacias，palms，and locusts.A clay and pebble wall，built in 1853，surrounded the town；and in the principal street were the market and several hotels adorned with pavilions.The place did not seem thickly populated.The streets were almost deserted，except in the vicinity of the Temple，which they only reached after having traversed several quarters surrounded by palisades.There were many women，which was easily accounted for by thepeculiar institution'of the Mormons；but it must not be supposed that all the Mormons are polygamists.They are free to marry or not，as they please；but it is worth noting that it is mainly the female citizens of Utah who are anxious to marry，as，according to the Mormon religion，maiden ladies are not admitted to the possession of its highest joys.These poor creatures seemed to be neither well off nor happy.Some-the more well-to-do，no doubt-wore short，open black silk dresses，under a hood or modest shawl；others were habited in Indian fashion.

Passepartout could not behold without a certain fright these women，charged，in groups，with conferring happiness on a single Mormon.His common sense pitied，above all，the husband.It seemed to him a terrible thing to have to guide so many wives at once across the vicissitudes of life，and to conduct them，as it were，in a body to the Mormon paradise，with the prospect of seeing them in the company of the glorious Smith，who doubtless was the chief ornament of that delightful place，to all eternity.He felt decidedly repelled from such a vocation，and he imagined-perhaps he was mistaken-that the fair ones of Salt Lake City cast rather alarming glances at his person.Happily，his stay there was but brief.At four the party found themselves again at the station，took their places in the train，and the whistle sounded for starting.Just at the moment，however，that the locomotive wheels began to move，cries ofStop！Stop！were heard.

Trains，like time and tide，stop for no one.The gentleman who uttered the cries was evidently a belated Mormon.He was breathless with running.Happily for him，the station had neither gates nor barriers.He rushed along the track，jumped on the rear platform of the train，and fell exhausted into one of the seats.

Passepartout，who had been anxiously watching this amateur gymnast，approached him with lively interest，and learned that he had taken flight after an unpleasant domestic scene.

When the Mormon had recovered his breath，Passepartout ventured to ask him politely how many wives he had；for，from the manner in which he had decamped，it might be thought that he had twenty at least.

One，sir，replied the Mormon，raising his arms heavenward，-one，and that was enough！