THE LAND OF PROMISE—A MONARCHY ESTABLISHED—THE KINGS OF THE JAREDITES FROM ORIHAH TO OMER—AKISH—THE DAUGHTER OF JARED.

WHEN the members of the little colony set their feet upon the shores of America, they humbled themselves before the Lord, and shed tears of joy because of the multitude of his tender mercies over them. Then they went forth and began to till the earth, and soon grew strong in the land, being a righteous people, taught directly from on high.

Before long the question of government arose, and the people desired a king. This thing was grievous to their divinely inspired leaders, for they saw that it would lead to captivity; but perceiving the determination of the people, they consented. It was difficult to find any suitable man who would consent to occupy the royal position; at last the youngest son of Jared, named Orihah, consented, and he was anointed king.

It appears altogether probable that this choice was taken as a precedent, for among this people there seems to have prevailed a custom entirely opposite to that of most other nations—that of having one of the younger, generally the very youngest son, instead of the eldest, succeed his father on the throne. As the Jaredites were a very long-lived race, full of vitality, often having sons born to them to the end of their days, the number of generations mentioned during the period embraced in their history is much fewer than the general average for the same number of centuries, notably so where the eldest son succeeds to the rank and title of his sire.

The kings of the Jaredites, in the order of their succession were Orihah, Kib, Corihor, Kib restored, Shule. In the days of Shule, the kingdom was divided, Noah, the son of Corihor, establishing a separate monarchy over a portion of the land. After his death he was succeeded by his son Cohor, who was slain in battle by Shule, when the whole kingdom again returned to its allegiance to the last named.

Shule was succeeded by his son Omer, who was deposed and imprisoned by his son Jared, but two other sons afterwards defeated Jared and restored the kingdom to their father. In this civil war between Omer and his son Jared, when the latter had been defeated by his brothers, they only spared his life on condition that he recognize the right of his father to the throne.

Jared became very sorrowful at his defeat, as he had set his heart upon being king. While in this state of mind, his daughter, who was exceedingly fair, came to him, and, learning the cause of his discontent, made a most extraordinary and villainous proposition to him, which showed she was as conscienceless as her father. It was that he should invite a friend, named Akish, to visit him; when he came she would dance before him and use her charms to captivate his heart. If her plan succeeded and Akish desired her to wife, Jared was to grant his request on condition that Akish brought him the head of his father Omer. To enable him to accomplish this, the daughter of Jared reminded her father of the signs and covenants of the ancients, whereby they entered into compact, one with another, for mutual aid and protection in carrying out any great wickedness they might desire to commit.

Her plan was accepted and proved in every way a success. After the manner she suggested, Akish gathered his kinsfolks, and persuaded them to swear, with terrible oaths, that they would be faithful to him in all that he might require of them. By these wicked combinations the kingdom of Omer was overthrown. But he, being warned of the Lord, escaped to a distant land called Ablom. Then Jared was anointed king, and he gave his daughter to Akish for a wife.

But Akish was not satisfied; he plotted with his associates, and they slew Jared, as he sat on the throne, and Akish reigned in his stead. But after committing these crimes, he became suspicious of his partners in sin, and grew jealous of one of his own sons, whom he shut up in prison and starved to death. Before long other sons of Akish seduced the people from their allegiance to their father, a civil war of the utmost magnitude ensued, which ceased not until all the people were slain except thirty, and those who had fled to Omer in the land of Ablom. After this, Omer returned and reigned over the few souls that remained.