After spending two nights (Wednesday and Thursday) in Catskill, the deputies again headed for the Vermejo to finish their business. They stayed with a rancher Friday night and by eleven o'clock Saturday morning passed the old Garnett Lee ranch. Half a mile below at the mouth of Salyer's Canyon was an old ranch that the company had purchased from A. J. Armstrong, occupied by a Mexican, his wife, and an old trapper. There were three houses in Salyer's Canyon just at the foot of a low bluff, the road winding along the top, entering above, and then passing down in front of the houses, thence to the Vermejo. To the west of this road was another low bluff, forty or fifty feet high, covered with scrub oak and other brush. As they were riding along this winding road on the bench of land between the two bluffs, a volley of rifle fire suddenly crashed around the two officers. Not a bullet touched Cook who was nearer the ambush, but one hit Russell in the leg and another broke his arm, passing on through his body.

With the first reports, Russell's horse wheeled to the right and ran towards the buildings while Cook, followed by a hail of bullets, raced towards the arroyo of Salyer's Canyon immediately in front of him, just reaching it as his horse fell. Grabbing his Winchester from its sheath, Cook prepared to fight from behind the arroyo bank. Bullets were so thick, throwing sand in his face, that he found it difficult to return the fire. Noticing Russell's horse in front of the long log building, he assumed his friend had slipped inside and would be able to put up a good fight, so he began working his way down the ditch to join him. At a very shallow place, two Mexicans rushed into the open for a shot. Dropping to one knee, Cook felled one, and the other struggled off with his comrade, sending no further fire in his direction. Just before leaving the arroyo where he was partially concealed, he did hear shots down at the house.