I may as well mention here that, on reaching El Paso, I found myself in a position where, in consequence of inability to purchase mules, I had either to stop the mail until I could collect them in the towns up and down the valley and over the river, or else to take some of these Fort Davis mules further on my journey. Believing myself justified, under the circumstances, in deviating my promise as to the time of returning the mules, I took fourteen of them with me to Tucson; the balance, twenty-two in number, I returned at once to Fort Davis by the corporal. Of these fourteen so taken, seven were returned to Fort Davis during the period of my stay on the Pacific, while the other seven were replaced from our own herd, by virtue of an agreement which allowed Colonel Sewall to take such of ours as he wanted, to replace any of his mules which might be missing. Colonel Sewall was so indignant at my not sending back the whole number of his mules at once, that he wrote to all the posts along our line, requesting them to refuse me any favor, alleging, as his reason, my bad faith to him. He further desired the officers to continue such refusal until the mule transaction should be settled to his satisfaction. This request gave the line considerable trouble at Fort Fillmore, during my absence. On my return to Fort Davis I was unable to appease Colonel Sewall, though I explained to him the whole transaction, as I have endeavored to do here. He refused to order the quartermaster to withdraw his offensive letter to the posts on the line, although this was the point I particularly urged for his consideration, as injurious to our interests. I feel now, as I did at the time of taking the mules--which I did not do without reflection--that the circumstances justified my course; that the interest of the overland mail to the government was above the value even of the whole number of mules borrowed, and that, under these circumstances, I should have been forgiven for not keeping my promise.] _August 13._--Left Fort Davis at 5.40 a. m. Early this morning I met the mail from Santa Fé, and, in accordance with the agreement between Mr. Giddings and myself to incorporate our two stocks, so as to perform the tri-monthly service, I sent back a portion of my own party, with orders to return as far as Fort Clarke. One great advantage of this additional force to the party going down was the greater protection the mail would receive in passing through that portion of the Indian country so recently the scene of depredations. Made 29 miles to-day. _August 14._--Our government mules, fresh and corn-fed, took us along at a much more rapid pace than we have been in the habit of travelling during the course of the past week. We made 60 miles to-day.