reaching Santa Fe Col. Philip St. John Cook took
command of the battalion. The soldiers were paid off, and Howard
Egan, who had accompanied me, was given one-half the checks and
money donated by the soldiers for Brigham and Heber C. Kimball,
and the remainder was given to me to carry back to winter
quarters. I remained in camp ten days to recruit my mules,
because I could not purchase any there. The army had taken
everything.

Lieut. Gully desired to return with me, and it was necessary to
obtain permission for him to resign before he could do so. I went
to the commander, stated the situation to him, and asked that
Lieut. Gully be permitted to resign. The commander granted my
request. The Lieutenant had been acting Commissary of Subsistence,
and had to make up his papers before he could start. I waited
until he was ready to go with me. I also took Russell Stevens
with me, as he had been discharged on account of ill health.

While thus waiting I was troubled with Egan, for he got drunk
every day, and I feared he would be robbed. I had Stevens watch
him most of the time. By closely guarding him I kept him and the
money safe. Col. Doniphan said I should have a guard to protect
us through the Indian country, but animals could not be procured.
I took the necessary trouble and got as good a team as I could to
start back with. With the consent of the commander I bought a
large mule, which after much trouble was able to work with one of
my own.

While we were in camp at Santa Fe the doctor was robbed. His
trunk was stolen, carried out of camp, and broken open. Two gold
watches and some money were taken from it. Two mules were also
stolen the same night. I knew nothing of this, nor who did it,
until long afterwards. After we had started for home, Stevens
suddenly brought in the mules. He brought them to camp and said
they were his. Stevens and Egan robbed the doctor, but they never
acknowledged it to me.

About the 11th of October, 1846, we started for home over a
wilderness twelve hundred miles wide, every foot of it infested
with Indians. We camped in the mountains at Gold Springs, where
little particles of gold can be seen on the bottom of the
streams. Egan and Stevens did not join us until we were fifty
miles from Santa Fe. They had the doctor's mules and a Spanish
horse with them when they came up.

When we had traveled ninety miles I discovered that my mules were
failing. The little flesh that was on them was sof