The Wicked Lamanites' Incompetence

[webbles]

I think another scripture that might be useful for understand what happened is: http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/22/27#27. That verse talks about a Zarahemla and Nephi being separated by a narrow strip of wilderness. If they are calling it a wilderness and they live and know the area, I'm going to assume that it was difficult terrain to cross. That needs to be taken into account when talking about Limhi's escape and the army getting lost.

[Uncle Dale]

I think another scripture that might be useful for understand what happened is: http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/22/27#27. That verse talks about a Zarahemla and Nephi being separated by a narrow strip of wilderness. If they are calling it a wilderness and they live and know the area, I'm going to assume that it was difficult terrain to cross. That needs to be taken into account when talking about Limhi's escape and the army getting lost.

If an entire city-state of inhabitants, along with their possessions

and animals, can escape the detection of warriors who (at least in

parts of the story) are famous for hunting the beasts of the forest,

then some other explanation needs to be supplied, than just that the

tracks left by the traveling multitude faded away on hard ground,

or in "difficult terrain."

If we postulate 10,000 Nephites with at least 10,000 animals, trudging

through the jungle for at least twelve days (probably more), then I

think we must also postulate a broad trail of evidence left in their wake.

I've already mentioned animal droppings -- which would be practically

impossible to clean up and dispose of. My cat can detect the spray of

the neighbor cat, on a tree fifty yards away, a week after it was left.

There is no way that a traveling multitude could cover up that sort

of animal evidence. Even if the Lamanite armies only had a couple of

hunting dogs in attendance, the trail should not have become invisible.

Then there would be the weak, the sick, the elderly, the pregnant,

the infants, the toddlers, the mentally challenged, the lame -- a

multitude can only travel as quickly as its slowest member. And yet

the text does not admit that the lumbering Nephites lost so much

as a single chicken -- not a turkey left along the track for the

Lamanite pursuers to stumble upon.

I recall years ago, working on the Boise National Forest during

forest fire season -- myself and a few others had to locate a

squad of traveling fire-fighters. We followed them, a day behind,

just by looking for their discarded candy-bar wrappers, cigarette

butts, campfires, unburied latrines, and the occasional boot-print.

But, there are a zillion possible explanations for Limhi -- and I

think this thread has covered most of the more likely ones.

UD

.

[urroner]

If we postulate 10,000 Nephites with at least 10,000 animals, trudging

through the jungle for at least twelve days (probably more), then I

think we must also postulate a broad trail of evidence left in their wake.

Where did you come with with the number 10,000? How many cities at that time even had 10,000 people living in or around them?

[Uncle Dale]

Where did you come with with the number 10,000? How many cities at that time even had 10,000 people living in or around them?

OK -- we can cut it back to 8,000 Nephites with 12,000 animals.

Eventually we get to the point of hundreds of thousands of

Nephites and Lamanites fighting each other -- and cities

spread all across the face of the earth (after Mosiah). The

land could support millions of Jaredites a couple of centuries

earlier.

But, just to be sure, what population level does reputable

preColumbian cultural anthropology assign to the Book of Mormon

lands during this period? One inhabitant per square kilometer?

Less? More?

John C. Kunich has explored BoM population sizes -- so perhaps

we should ask him.

UD