We kept on the trail for a few miles, and overtook them in their camp, and camped with them over night.

We told them we considered our outfit entirely too small for the purpose intended, which was to bring two women and four children out of the desert, but that being the best we could get, we were taking this help to them and hoped to save their lives.

Our mission became well known and one man offered to sell us a poor little one-eyed mule, its back all bare of covering from the effect of a great saddle sore that had very recently healed.

He had picked it up somewhere in Arizona where it had been turned out to die, but it seemed the beast had enough of the good Santa Ana stock in it to bring it through and it had no notion of dying at the present time, though it was scarcely more than a good fair skeleton, even then.
The beast became mine at the price of $15, and the people expressed great sympathy with us and the dear friends we were going to try to save.
Another man offered a little snow-white mare, as fat as butter, for $15, which I paid, though it took the last cent of money I had.

This little beauty of a beast was broken to lead at halter, but had not been broken in any other way.