With both Ponce and Chie now a part of the mission, Tom Jeffords must have felt reasonably confident that his friend Cochise would allow them to approach his encampment in safety -- but he could not have been 100% sure of it.  He was well aware that Cochise was ready for an end to hostilities, but he was equally aware of the chief's deep resentment of Americans in general and soldiers in particular, and that Cochise was by nature an extremely cautious man.  We can assume that Jeffords, too, approached the journey with ingrained sagacity, never taking for granted the group's safety.  Sladen makes it abundantly clear in his journal that their Indian guides were vigilant from the first step of the long march, and became more and more wary as they drew closer to their intended goal.  The young Apaches would run ahead, scanning the surrounding vistas, sometimes making peculiar calls as if to test for replies.  At times, they would receive them, in the form of coyote or bird sounds.  As this behavior became frequent, the effect on Sladen's peace of mind was devestating and he more than once suggested to General Howard that perhaps the risk they were taking was imprudent.  Howard would always reassure his faithful assistant that God was with them and would protect them.

     Jeffords apparently was unsure at this time where they would find Cochise, but he must have had great faith in Ponce and Chie, and he knew that the Apaches had a network of communication that served them well.  He trusted the guides to lead them in the right direction, and he could not have been surprised as the route unfolded and it became clear that they were heading toward the Dragoon Mountains in Arizona -- Cochise's favorite and most oft used "stronghold".  It is likely that Jeffords had been there many times before as his close friendship with the great Apache chieftain blossomed.  Indeed, if Jeffords' claims to the writer Thomas Farish were true, it is quite possible that Jeffords and Cochise first met in the Dragoon stronghold (though, as stated earlier, this seems less likely than the prospect of their having met at Cañada Alamosa).

     The march to Cochise's stronghold would be long and harsh, taking place during a time of the year when the daytime temperatures can still soar into the hundreds and the nighttime can bring a chilling cold.  All in all, the group, as they departed the Cañada Alamosa region, consisted of seven souls:  Howard, Sladen, Jeffords, Ponce, Chie, Zebina Streeter (packer), and Jacob May (hired to act as a Spanish interpreter).  Howard had sent their original driver, a man named Bloomfield, to procure supplies at Fort McRae, where he was to also enlist an escort of soldiers to accompany him and the supplies to Fort Bowie -- where Howard planned to meet him (a plan that would meet with some amendment as events unfolded).

     This fairly compact party was however not yet complete, as upon their arrival two days later at Fort Bayard, New Mexico they hired a cook and packer named J. H. Stone.  Now numbering eight, the party was soon to be cut back to just five -- a move that may well have saved the success of Howard's mission.