Government business up the river was still very good, but competition for it was getting closer, as other lines of steamboat trade declined, and Captain La Barge failed to secure a contract. He went to work, however, for the successful bidder and did a paying business during the summer. He returned to St. Louis in September and made two trips to New Orleans, when the boat was laid up until the spring of 1870. He then entered into a contract with the government to transport Colonel Gilbert and 480 men with over 400 tons of freight to Fort Buford. It was a low-water season and the trip was slow and tedious; but the boat got through all right. After his return Captain La Barge ran in the lower river the balance of the season. But the profits were small, for the railroads had thoroughly gotten the upper hand. There was no longer any money in the lower river trade. [Sidenote: AN OPEN BAR.] “I recall a little incident that amused me somewhat while on this summer’s trip,” said the Captain. “Colonel Gilbert was a strict disciplinarian, yet withal much liked by his men. When he came on board he told me that I need not close the bar on the boat unless I chose to do so. If any of his men wanted a drink and had money to pay for it, let them have it. ‘That’s something very unusual,’ said I, for generally when troops were in transport I had to close the bar. ‘All right, I’ll take my chances,’ he replied. ‘If any of them get drunk, they will not get drunk again.’ I noted throughout the trip that there was not a single drunken soldier, although the bar was open all the time. [Sidenote: COLONEL AND LIEUTENANT.] “It was customary whenever we stopped to have a guard posted near the gangway, and this was done on our arrival at Fort Randall. A guard from the post was also ordered down, presumably to prevent the post soldiers from getting on the boat. The young lieutenant in charge made his way on board past Colonel Gilbert’s guard, on telling who he was. He inquired of me for Colonel Gilbert, and I took him up and introduced him. After a few minutes’ conversation he noticed the open bar on the boat and some soldiers there, drinking. He said to Colonel Gilbert that he would like to have the bar closed, as such were his orders. ‘Why don’t you have it closed, then?’ said Colonel Gilbert bluntly. ‘Well, I don’t like to order it when you are aboard with troops.’ ‘It suits me to have it open,’ returned the Colonel. The lieutenant explained that they were afraid that some of the post soldiers would get aboard and get drunk. ‘You have a guard out there, haven’t you?’ asked the Colonel. ‘Yes, sir.’ ‘Well, if they get past your guard they won’t mine,’ and he turned and walked off, leaving the lieutenant quite crestfallen at the encounter.