KING NOAH'S SUBJECTS REBEL—GIDEON—THE LAMANITES INVADE LEHI-NEPHI—THE NEPHITES RETREAT—A PART SURRENDER—THE NEW TERMS OF PEACE—NOAH IS BURNED TO DEATH—LIMHI MADE KING—NOAH'S PRIESTS ESCAPE—THEY SEIZE SOME LAMANITE MAIDENS—ANOTHER WAR—THE NEPHITES VICTORIOUS—THE KING OF THE LAMANITES WOUNDED—MUTUAL EXPLANATIONS.

(MOSIAH CHAP. 19 AND 20.)

SOON AFTER the return of Noah's army from their unsuccessful attempt to capture Alma and his people, a great division grew up amongst that monarch's subjects. They were heartily tired of his tyranny and his debaucheries. One of those most dissatisfied was an officer of the king's army named Gideon. We have no reason to believe that he was at that time a wicked man though he did rebel against the king, but rather that he was a good, pure and wise man, for in after life he proved that he possessed all these virtues. In the disturbances that now arose between Noah and his people Gideon sought to slay the king. But Noah fled to the tower near the temple in the city of Lehi-Nephi. Thither Gideon, sword in hand, quickly followed. The king mounted to the top, and there his eye accidentally caught sight of an army of Lamanites in the land of Shemlon. In the terror caused by this unexpected sight, he appealed to Gideon's patriotism and besought him to spare him. Not that the king cared for his people, but he made this excuse for pleading for his own life. Gideon consented, and Noah in mortal terror ordered his people to flee into the wilderness from before the advancing hosts of the Lamanites.

The people obeyed their king's command, and with their wives and children fled into the wilderness. But the forces of the Lamanites, unencumbered by women and children, soon overtook them. Then the coward king commanded the men to continue their flight and leave their wives and children to the mercy of the enemy. Some obeyed and fled, others would not, but preferred to stay and perish with those to whom they were the natural protectors. Those who stayed, in the agony of their terror when the Lamanites drew near, sent their fair daughters to plead with their enemies for their lives. This act saved them. For the dark-skinned warriors of Laman were so charmed with the beauty of the women that they spared all their lives. Yet they took them captives, carried them back to Lehi-Nephi, and gave them permission to retain that land, but under some very hard conditions. These conditions were that they should surrender king Noah into the hands of the Lamanites, and deliver up one-half of everything they possessed, and continue this tribute of one-half of their property year by year.

Gideon now sent men to search for Noah that he might be delivered up to the Lamanites. They found that the men who were with Noah, being ashamed of their cowardly flight, swore that they would return; and, if their wives and children had been killed, they would have revenge. The king commanded that they should not return, at which they grew angry with him, and burned him to death as he had done Abinadi. His priests saved themselves from a like terrible fate by flight. When the men who put Noah to death were about to return to the land of Nephi, they met Gideon and his party, and informed them of the end of Noah and the escape of the priests; then, when they heard the news that Gideon brought, they rejoiced much that their wives and children had been spared by the Lamanites.

Noah being dead, one of his sons, Limhi by name, was made king. It was almost an empty honor, for his people were in bondage to the Lamanites. Still he made a treaty of peace with the king of the Lamanites, and because he could do no better he agreed to pay a yearly tribute of one-half of the increase of the products of his subjects. The Lamanites set guards all around the land, for they were now most anxious that the Nephites should not escape. The latter were to all intents and purposes bond-servants, and the Lamanites obtained all the advantages of their labor without any of the responsibilities that generally fall upon the slave owner. Out of the tribute the guards that held them in bondage were paid. This state of things continued without an outbreak for two years.

In these times there was a romantic spot in the Land of Shemlon, on the Nephite borders, where the Lamanite maidens were in the habit of gathering on pleasure bent. Here they sang, danced and made merry with all the gaiety of youthful innocence and overflowing spirits. One day when a few were thus gathered they were suddenly surprised, and twenty-four of their number were carried off by strange men, who, from their appearance, were unmistakably Nephites.

On learning of this act of treachery the Lamanites were stirred to uncontrollable anger, and without seeking an explanation they made a sudden incursion into the territory held by king Limhi. This attack, however, was not successful, for their movements, though not understood, had been discovered, and their intended victims poured forth to meet them.

With Limhi and his people it was a war for existence; to be defeated was to be annihilated; his warriors therefore fought with superhuman energy and desperation, and eventually they succeeded in driving the Lamanites back. So speedy did their flight become, that in their confusion the Lamanites left their wounded king lying amongst the heaps of slain. There he was discovered by his victors. In the interview between him and Limhi that followed, mutual explanations ensued. The Lamanite king complained bitterly of the outrage committed on the daughters of his people, while Limhi protested that he and his subjects were innocent of the base act. Further investigation developed the fact that some of the iniquitous priests of king Noah, who had fled into the wilderness from the dreaded vengeance of their abused countrymen, were the guilty parties. Being without wives, and fearing to return home, they had adopted this plan to obtain them.

On hearing this explanation, king Laman consented to make an effort to pacify his angry hosts. At the head of an unarmed body of Nephites he went forth and met his armies who were returning to the attack. He explained what he had learned, and the Lamanites, possibly somewhat ashamed of their rashness, renewed the covenant of peace.

This peace, unfortunately, was of short duration. The Lamanites grew arrogant and grievously oppressive, and under their exactions and cruelty the condition of Limhi's subjects grew continually worse, until they were little better off than were their ancestors in Egypt before Moses, their deliverer, arose. Three times they broke out in ineffectual rebellion, and just as often their task-masters grew more cruel and exacting, until their spirits were entirely broken; they cowered before their oppressors, and bowed "to the yoke of bondage, submitting themselves to be smitten, and to be driven to and fro, and burdened according to the desires of their enemies."