It was the guide's opinion that the party which had besieged me in the
cabin had been to the valleys to see what chance there was of running
captured stock through there. Their report must have been favorable,
for Cordova said a detachment of forty-seven Navajos was now encamped
in Los Vallecitos, apparently intending to pass us the following night
with a large number of cattle, horses, mules, and sheep.

I began at once to make preparations to retake the stolen stock and to
capture the Navajos.

That the Navajos, if they were watching our movements, might not
surmise we knew of their presence near us, I ordered the scouting
party and huntsmen not to go out next morning, and all the men to keep
within the limits of the parade.

The next evening I marched all the company, except the guard,
including the boy corporals, by way of the reserved trail into the
valley of St. Anthony, and entered La Puerta from the western end.
This was done for fear some advance-guard of the redmen might witness
our movement if we went by the usual way, and because so large a party
might leave a trail visible to the keenly observant enemy even by
starlight, and there would be moonlight before we could cross the
valley.

It was my intention to make an ambush in La Puerta. In the narrowest
part of that cañon, where it was barely fifty yards wide, the walls
rose perpendicularly on each side. A hundred yards east and west of
this narrowest portion of the pass were good places of concealment. I
placed Sergeant Cunningham and thirteen men at the western end, and