About four o'clock in the afternoon
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 .