In addition to the discomforting feeling that at any moment my tent might be blown down, I was worried by the possibility of its falling on the results of our excavations, the pottery and skeletons, which, for safety's sake, I kept in my tent.

The situation was not improved by some indiscreet burro (donkey), who would stray into the camp and get himself entangled in the tent ropes.
On January 30th nearly seven inches of snow fell.

One day a flock of twenty-five turkeys was observed near our camp; but our efforts to get within shooting distance proved futile, as these cunning birds, who apparently move about so unconcernedly, always disappeared as if they had vanished into the ground, whenever one of us, no matter how cautiously, tried to approach them.
News of Apaches was again afloat, and one day a Mexican officer called at the camp obviously in pursuit of Apaches from whom he had recently taken twelve horses: but unfortunately the men had escaped.

The presidente of Casas Grandes had been advised of the killing of two Americans near San Bernardino by some Apaches, and had also ordered some men to look for the miscreants in the sierra.
Having thoroughly investigated the caves, we turned our attention to the mounds, which are very numerous in this part of the country.

They are always covered with grass, and sometimes even trees grow on them.