The waters of Sebus were a watering place in the land of Ishmael where the Lamanites drove their flocks (Alma 17:26). King Lamoni ruled the area, and it was the practice of some Lamanites to stand at Sebus and scatter the flocks of others so they could drive the strays back to their own land, a form of plunder among them (Alma 18:7). Lamoni had slain a number of his servants whose flocks had been scattered there (Alma 18:6).
While Ammon2, a son of Mosiah2, served Lamoni, marauders scattered the king’s flocks at Sebus. The other servants feared Lamoni would kill them as he had their brethren (Alma 17:28), but Ammon rallied them to gather the animals back to the water (Alma 17:27-29). When the attackers stood to scatter the flocks again, Ammon had the servants encircle the flocks while he fought the men: he killed six with his sling and slew their leader with his sword, cutting off the arms of those who lifted clubs against him until the rest fled (Alma 17:34-39). The servants carried the severed arms to the king and testified to what Ammon had done, and Lamoni concluded that Ammon was more than a man (Alma 18:1-3). Lamanites who later quarreled over Ammon traced the trouble to the king’s killing of his servants and to the men who had scattered the flocks at the waters of Sebus (Alma 19:20-21).