_August 11._--Camped to-night a few miles east of Fort Davis, preferring to arrive there at breakfast to-morrow morning. Our mules were suffering yesterday and to-day from the effects of drinking the sulphur waters, which mineral impregnates nearly all the springs and creeks from the Pecos to Fort Davis. We are now rapidly ascending the table land of western Texas, where copious rains have been falling for some time. The grass is abundant and excellent in quality, but rather young for working mules that are compelled to make speed. The grass, combined with the sulphur water, compelled us for a day or two to be cautious not to overwork our stock. We avoid trouble by shortening our drives. We made only 34 miles to-day. _August 12._--At 3 a. m. this morning, accompanied by two men, I took the mail on to Fort Davis in my own light carriage, drawn by four mules, leaving the three heavy coaches and stock to come on at their leisure. Fort Davis is about 4,500 feet above the ocean; and before getting so far on my road even as this post, I had found the coaches, of which we had purchased eleven for the line, so heavy as to be unfit for the service. [The continual ascent of the roads, together with the weight the mules were compelled to haul, had fatigued them so much that I deemed it necessary to change them, if possible. To borrow some government mules for the trip to El Paso seemed to be an excellent plan, if I could procure such a privilege. I would then leave those I had here to be used as relays for the next up mail. From the information I had obtained, I had not the least doubt but that I could purchase plenty of mules in El Paso to use in stocking the upper portion of our road. I made application to Colonel Sewall, the commanding officer at this post, who, upon reflection, decided to loan me the mules I wanted. I made an arrangement which I considered a very favorable one, and it certainly was a great advantage at the time, but it afterwards proved a prolific source of trouble to me. To sustain my application for mules, I represented to Colonel Sewall my exact position; that I was the superintendent of the road and also sole agent for the contractor; that I was engaged in stocking and putting in running order this pioneer mail. I further took the liberty of stating how great an interest your department felt in the enterprise. I proposed to leave my forty-two mules at the fort, and that he should loan me thirty-six of theirs to take our coaches to El Paso. I stated to him my plan of purchasing on the Rio Grande all the mules I needed, and that I would return his at once with the first down mail. To this arrangement he assented, sending a corporal and two men with me to take charge of the mules.