"Good! good!" exclaimed the Director. "Come with me to the _Cocopah_. We'll steam across, and get the whole party--boys, soldier, ponies, and scamps. Such boys must have the best transportation on the river." * * * * * On the west side of the Colorado Private Tom Clary and the boy sergeants sat by the fire broiling quail, which they seasoned from the supplies of Texas Dick and Juan Brincos, and accompanied by slices of toasted bread from the same source. In the midst of their enjoyment of "quail on toast" a loud "whoof! whoof! whoof!" came across the river. "Hullo," said Henry, "the old _Cocopah_ is starting for the Gulf mighty early. I should think the pilot would find it difficult to keep off the shores when it is so dark." The boys could see by the boat's changing lights that her bow was swinging out into the stream, and expected shortly to see her starboard lights as she headed downward. But she seemed to pause with her furnace fires and pilot-lanterns pointing towards them. "Whoof! whoof! whoof!--patter, patter, patter,"--the noise of the steamboat grew louder and louder, until the boys rose from their seats and stared in surprise at the rapidly growing lights. "I really believe she is coming here," said Frank. "She is, or she nades a dale of space to turn in," observed Tom Clary. Presently two tall smoke-stacks separated themselves from the surrounding darkness and appeared high above the campers' heads. "Ahoy there, boys!" shouted the Captain's voice from the pilot-house. "Ay, ay, sir!" answered Frank. "Get ready to come on board! Below, there--ready with the gang-plank! Lower away!" Down came the plank, and a joyous group of friends walked down to the shore to greet the boys and the soldier. A little time afterwards the boy sergeants led their ponies on board, and Private Tom Clary escorted the prisoners. The Cocopah cleared away and paddled back to the La Paz side, where Texas Dick and Juan Brincos were turned over to the civil authorities, and Sancho and Chiquita to the escort in Mr. Gray's corral. Three days later the boys and I took leave of Mr. Baldwin, who was now in charge of the government store-house, and accompanied by Mr. Gray, started for Fort Whipple. Hanging under the hind axle of the ambulance was a ten-gallon keg, and inside was another. We left La Paz at six in the evening and reached Tyson's Wells at ten. Remaining there until four o'clock the next afternoon, we filled the kegs with water, and drove all night, arriving at Hole-in-the-Plain at sunrise. Remaining all day, the animals grazing without water, we made a second night's drive to Black Tanks; and then a third to Date Creek, where we resumed travelling by daylight. It is an old army custom to make night drives in warm weather over long distances between water. The nights of the far West being invariably cool, the strain is less on man and beast.