Moroni had now spent nearly thirty-five hazardous, lonely years since the terrible slaughter of the Nephites at Cumorah.1 Moroni seems to be rather amazed that he has survived this long. He says he dare not allow the Lamanites to know of his existence or they would mobilize an army and hunt him down until he was captured and killed. After he had completed his summary of the history of the Jaredites, Moroni says:
"Apparently the Lamanites were fighting among themselves to determine which of the tribes could set up a military dictatorship over the rest of the people. In the process they were hunting down every light-skinned individual to determine whether they were Nephites and if so to make ceratin they had denounced the Christ."