It was midnight before we could get them all satisfied with their knowledge of our experience.
[Illustation: Leaving Death Valley .-- The Manly Party on Foot After Leaving Their Wagons.] It was quite a treat to us to sleep again between good blankets, arranged by a woman's hand, and it was much better resting than the curled up, cramped position we had slept in while away, with only the poor protection of the half blanket for both of us, in nights that were pretty chilly.
We had plenty of water here, and there being no fear of the mule going astray we turned her loose.

As the party had seen no Indians during our absence we did not concern ourselves much about them.

At breakfast we cautioned them about eating too much bread, remembering, our own experience in that way.
They said they had about given up our coming back a week before, and had set about getting ready to try to move on themselves.

Bennett said he was satisfied that they never could have got through alone after what we had told them of the route and its dangers.

He said he knew it now that not one of them would have lived if they had undertaken the journey alone without knowledge of the way.
They had taken off the covers of the wagons to make them into houses for the oxen, so they could be used as pack animals.