three more missionaries to this immense portion of his vineyard, where the needs are indeed great and where you will be received with open arms by our dear brothers in Christ.
You ask me for information upon the continuation of my voyage to the Rocky Mountains. I will give you here briefly the details of my last two long voyages to those remote missions
In 1863 I tried to return to Benton by steamer with a large cargo for the missions in the mountains, at the special desire of our dear missionaries in these places. The water in the upper part of the Missouri was low this year and the steamer was obliged to discharge all her cargo and put the passengers off in a forest about 300 miles from Benton. An express was sent to Benton and I wrote to the Reverend Fathers Giorda and Imoda, then in the mission of St. Peter among the Blackfeet, to come and take care of the cargo and the charge of two Italian Brothers. We waited about three weeks for a response amidst the greatest dangers from savage bands, enemies of the whites. Every day we were on the alert and in an attack from a large number of Sioux, two of our men were severely injured.
I finally received a response from our reverend and dear Fathers, who announced to me that it was an impossibility to send me help. I was obliged then to do my best to get the effects to them and to accompany the two good Brothers to the mission of St. Peter.
The season advancing, and not wishing to return by way of the Missouri because of the great dangers from the Indians, I was obliged to take the sea voyage of the Pacific, pass the Isthmus of Panama and return by way of New York to St. Louis.
My journey this year, as far as the stage of water is concerned, was more favorable. We reached Benton where I hoped to find Father Giorda or some one of the Fathers to take care of a precious cargo that I had made great ef