comfortable. The men were busy in filling bed-sacks from the
hay-stacks, and in repairing the cabins and articles of furniture. Ten
head of beef cattle had been turned over to me with the other property
of the camp. I had placed them in charge of a soldier, with orders to
herd them in the valley immediately in front of the opening, where
they could be plainly seen from the parade as well as the guard-house.

At noon two Mexican hunters, father and son, rode up to my door, the
former mounted on a mule and the latter on a burro, or donkey. The
elder said their names were José and Manuel Cordova, of Cañoncito,
that they were looking for deer, and would like permission to make the
camp their place of rendezvous. I gave them permission to do so, and
their animals were turned loose with our stock.

About four o'clock in the afternoon the boy corporals and myself,
tired with our work of repairing and arranging quarters, sat down to a
lunch of broiled grouse.

We were busily picking the last bones when we were startled by loud
shouts. Quickly running to the centre of the parade, where the men
were rapidly assembling with their arms, I saw the soldier-herdsman
coming towards camp as fast as he could run, waving his hat and
shouting. Behind him the steers were running in the opposite
direction, driven by six Indians on foot. They were waking the echoes
with their war-whoops.




II