We got on a steamboat and went up the Mississippi to the mouth of Red river, and up that river to a landing called the New Springs. There we paid our passage and went on shore, each with his pack and his double-barrel gun. We stopped at a house about one mile from the river, where we called for our dinner, which we got, and we all remained there until next day, during which time we sold a considerable amount of our goods at that house and in the neighborhood, which made our packs much lighter. We left next day, stopping at all houses, and selling our goods, which we did at a rapid rate, as we had stolen them and were not sufficient judges of their value to know what price to ask, and in consequence we often sold them at one-half their value, and so soon got rid of them. Having disposed of the principal part of our goods, about the fourth day after we left the New Spring landing, we were approaching the prairie county on the Texas border. We provided ourselves with bread and salt; we had ammunition. Shortly before night, we came to a small piece of woodland, by a ravine. There was a large drove of cattle of all sizes there; McGrath shot a very fat two-year old heifer; we skinned the hind quarters and tenderloin; we built up a fire, salted some of our meat and roasted it by the fire and feasted sumptuously. The wolves came near our camp and made a dreadful noise, but at daybreak we shot and killed three and the balance ran off. They had devoured all the heifer’s meat, but we had provided sufficient for our journey that day. We set out and traveled in a direction to find a settlement, then made about twenty-five miles south of Shreveport. That was the place where Welter had told Wages that the negroes were, that we were after. We traveled about thirty miles that day, and suffered very much for water. We reached a settlement a little before night, on some of the waters of the Sabine River. It was the residence of some stock keepers; there were some three or four families, and some fifteen or twenty Mexican drovers, and horse thieves; they had just been to Natchitoches, and had a full supply of rum; a few of them could speak English. We quartered with them, and that night we opened the little remnant of our goods and jewelry, and had a general raffle. By the next day we had realized from our raffle, sufficient to purchase each of us a good Spanish saddle and bridle, and a good Texas horse. We learned from one of these Mexicans the residence of the man who owned the negroes that we were after, and we also learned that he and his family were strict members of the Methodist Church. Now it was that one of us had to turn preacher, so as to reconnoiter around the place. Wages and I put that on McGrath. We all mounted our horses and started, having procured plenty of lassoes, &c., McGrath being an Irishman and his tongue tipped with plenty of blarney.