Captain Whiting overtook the Indians and recaptured nearly all our mules, though many of them we found were ruined for stage purposes. The accident was rather a disagreeable one to come upon us, in the outset of our enterprise. It seemed to place a number of great obstacles in my way. I hardly knew how to prevent its being repeated, or whether such attacks were to be of common occurrence. I knew not where to look for mules to replace those stolen, as good stage animals were not plenty in or about San Antonio. That which seemed another risk presented itself in the fact that Captain Skillman was only a few days behind Wallace’s train; this naturally suggested the thought that perhaps the Indians would remain concealed among the cañons of Devil’s river until he came along, and cut him off. On the other hand there seemed a chance that they would let a mail party like his pass unmolested, preferring to try us because we had a large _mulada_, and presented a temptation worth fighting for. However, I consoled myself with this fact that I had left a good outfit in San Antonio for the mail of August 9, and that furthermore I had then with me a strong party of men, sufficient, in my opinion, to guard the relays and property under my charge. I had time to consider as to my course before passing Fort Clarke. Commending my discomfited conductor to a surgeon at once, and promising to send such instructions from Fort Clarke as were rendered necessary by his loss, we went on our way. Our route to-day has been over an excellent road passing through a country adapted to grazing, or capable of being cultivated to advantage, in seasons when rain enough falls to insure a crop. We camped at midnight five miles this side of “Uvalde.” Made a distance of 58 miles to-day. _August 3._--Left our camp at 5 a. m. During the morning we passed a government train under charge of Captain John E. Pope, topographical engineers. Captain Pope is _en route_ for the Llano Estacado, near the 32d parallel of latitude, to experiment as to the practicability of procuring water there by means of artesian wells. [When I returned over this portion of our road in January, I found that Captain Pope was at his camp near the mouth of Delaware creek. I consider it an excellent thing for this section of country that our government should undertake to establish or disprove the opinions expressed by many scientific men upon the question of obtaining water by means of artesian wells in the Llano Estacado of Texas, and on the high table lands of Arizona and New Mexico. I refer to this matter again in treating of the present watering places on our route, and in presenting my ideas of the proper method of securing an adequate supply of water at intermediate points.]