Hugh Nibley notes that after their hearts are softened, the family of Ishmael are not only willing but they are able to make the trip right then. They don't have to stay six weeks and get ready--settle their affairs, etc. Ishmael was ready to go . . . he was a desert man. . . . This would be out of the question, of course, if the family were a settled family and not used to travel or anything like that, but they had that tradition. [Hugh W. Nibley, Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Semester 1, p. 167]