The soil in this neighborhood is excellent. Already this enterprising pioneer has contracted with a party of Mexicans to build a main irrigating ditch from the Gila, with branches sufficient to enable him to cultivate several hundred acres of land. The Mexicans are now at work. I made such arrangements for him, by writing to an agent at Fort Yuma, as would secure the necessary barley for seed, making at same time a conditional purchase of all his crop. He felt confident of gathering a good harvest the present season. Peterman originally came up here from Fort Yuma to execute a contract for several tons of mezquit beans, made with the parties who are contractors for hauling the ore of the Arizona Copper Mining Company to Fort Yuma. From the fort this copper ore is carried by steamer to the mouth of the Colorado river; thence by sailing vessel to San Francisco. Had conversations with two other men to-day, who said they were half determined to open stations on the Gila for our accommodation; they anticipated also the chance of selling supplies to emigrants, and trading for cattle. _November 11._--Came this morning to the ford where the road usually crosses the Gila. One of our men stripped and swam across the river. I could see plainly that the current was too swift and the volume of water too great to justify the risk of attempting to cross our coaches without unloading them. We preferred making a long detour over the hills rather than attempt fording. The bottom of the river at these fords is a sort of quicksand, likely to prove troublesome when the river is swollen by rains, as it is now. _November 12._--Came to the other ford of the Gila at Oatman flat, but preferred not to attempt to cross. _November 13._--To-day we were on the _jornada_ between Tezotal and Maricopa station; found plenty of water, the rains having been recent and very heavy. _November 14._--Beached our station at the Maricopa Wells to-night, after getting bogged in the mud and having to send to the station for assistance. No one could see the road, for the night was very dark. The sagacious instinct of my mule here did me good service. Giving her the reins, she took me through mud holes, around pools of water, on the road direct to the station, where she remembered having been fed with corn a few weeks before. At the station to-night we numbered so large a party that many of us had to sleep out of doors; what with mail men waiting to go to Tucson, mail men waiting to return to Fort Yuma, Maricopa agent, our herdsman, three passengers for Tucson, seven through passengers, cook, and one or two travellers who always make our station their stopping place, added to my own party, and all of us particularly well armed, we felt ourselves to be rather formidable enemies to the Apaches.