Only a few days before and they could scarcely have believed it possible to find a spot so lovely.
But to hungry, more than half starved men, points of artistic beauty and sober reflections over the terrors of the past found little place, and their first thought was to satisfy the cravings of hunger which were assuredly none the less when they beheld the numerous fat cattle all around them.

There was no one to ask or to buy from and to kill and eat without permission might be wrong and might get them into difficulty, but one might as well ask a starving wolf to get permission to slay and eat when a fat lamb came across his path as to expect these men to take very much time to hunt up owners.

When life or death are the questions that present themselves men are not so apt to discuss the right or wrong of any matter.
Tom Shannon and a couple of others did not wait long at any rate, but crawled down the creek bed till they were opposite a few fine animals and then crept up the bank very near to them.

Two or three shots rang out and as many fine cattle were brought down.

The live cattle ran away and the hungry men soon had the field to themselves.