To the leaders such prophesying was merely reckless, inviting further chastisements from heaven, and calculated to cause a loss of faith in the priesthood.
And yet, wild as it was, they saw this latter prophecy fulfilled; for now, so soon after the birth of this new empire, while it suffered and grew weak and bade fair to perish in its cradle of faith, there was made for it a golden spoon of plenty.
Over across the mountains the year before, on the decayed granite bed-rock of the tail-race at the mill of one Sutter, a man had picked up a few particles of gold, the largest as big as grains of wheat.

The news of the wonder had spread to the East, and now came frenzied hordes of gold-seekers.

The valley of the mountains where the Saints had hoped to hide was directly in their path, and there they stopped their richly laden trains to rest and to renew their supplies.
The harvest of '49 was bountiful in all the valley; and thus was the wild prophecy of Joel Rae made sober truth.

Many of the gold-seekers had loaded their wagons with merchandise for the mining' camps; but in their haste to be at the golden hills, they now sold it at a sacrifice in order to lighten their loads.

The movement across the Sierras became a wild race; clothing, provisions, tools, and arms--things most needful to the half-clad, half-starved community on the shores of the lake--were bartered to them at less than half-price for fresh horses and light wagons.