THE RUNNING IRON 9

when mike had driven the last post and tied the last wooden stave in the section of fence he was working on he stepped back and took a long look. " no one is going to kick that fence down. he wants his lion he can come around.!" mike started picking up his tools and getting ready to start back down to the ranch house aand corrals. emily came rideing up from her circle smilling big. "that looks so good i bet i can get you a contract building fence some where." mike wagged his finger at her" i only work on this ranch. so dont go hireing me out!" as mike started to his horse he had to cross over the ground that brooks horse had tore up bucking looking down he noticed a peice of metal sticking out of the dirt. reaching down he picked it up and shakeing the dirt from it realized it was peice of pipe with a steel rod stuck inside. he banged it on a handy rock to knock the dirt out of it.emily sat watching a curious look on her face" what is that mike?" she asked. mike had found the steel rod was threaded and screwed to the inside of the short pipe. he unthreaded it and pulled the rod out of the handle. one end was threaded and the other end was bent in a j configureation." this is a running iron, a pretty handy one. ole brooks horse when he was bucking must have shook it loose. time was nearly every one carried this or at least a steel cinch ring you build a fire and heat theem you can draw just about any brand you want if you know what your doing" mike took the steel rod and was screwing it onto the end of the pipe. the pipe worked as a handle." not many folks range brand anymore so some body carrying one of these will be under suspition." " we will just take this on home for safe keeping."mike was chuckling. as they were rideing home emily explained she hadnt seen hardly any cattle. it was like some on or something had driven them off the mountain side. mike rode along with his head bowed listening. when she got through he said; "i dont think ol brooks would be back working here. i wonder if that lion he shot isnt laying around up here some place? " i didnt see any sighn of him but i wasnt really thinking about him either." emily said. as they started crossing the lower ground they started seeing more cattle most with calves. after a bit they rode up on a cow with a swollen bacg. there was no calf around that they could see. when they got close to the cow she turnned and s tarted walking into the brush lowing. mike turned and s tarted following the cow. soon she came to a clearing in the brush and there lay the remains of a good size calf. mike looked back to emily." lion kill" was all he said. the calf was ear marked but when mike rolled the carcass over there was no brand on him. mike looked up at emily" he was sleepered. not many people know how that works." emily had the question on her lips when mike continued" you catch a unbranded calf then all you do is ear mark him. when the owner comes by and see s the ear marked calf he automaticly assumes its branded. then when the calf is old enough to wean the crook comes back and catches it and takes it home. its a old dodge. our neighbor know s all the tricks i think." mike remounted his horse. " we better look at every calf , both sides from here on out. and keep a eye peeled for that cat! we will come back tomorrow and try to stir him up." mike booted his horse on toward home. emily trailing trying to assimilate all the information mike had told her.

THE RUNNING IRON 8

mike and emily were un cinching the pack saddles on their pack horses while brooks explained about the laid down fence, the lion and the bucking horse that tore up the ground and strained the ligaments in his right arm. mike kept his head down while he listened. emily stood back behind him listening. when brooks got through he stood there waitting for a response. finaally mike looked up, " ok brooks, i appreciate you comming over to tell me. but i dont know what the vet will say now about the quarantine. . but what ever it is we will deal with it." brooks stood there a few more moments then turned to his truck. he looked back and said " ill be laid up a while, ill be at the house if you need something." mike just waved at him and pulled the uncinched pack saddle from the horse it ws on and carried it into the saddle room. when he came out emily was standing there with the one she had. he took it from her and put it on a rack. as he stepped out side emily asked "do you believe that story?" " if your talking about the lion and the bucking horse i guess so, there was no cow tracks there. the pulled ligaments i dont know. i dont know how he would have strained them rideing a bucking horse unless he was clawing at the saddle horn. i dont know. but tomorrow we better go lion hunting we dont need him feasting on our calf crop."mike mused. later that afternoon, right before dark the vet victoria rolled into the yard.when she got out of her truck it was plain to see she was mad. mike was feeding his horses and finished what he was doing before addresing her. " hi doc, you look to be on the war path." " yep, its a wide war path too! your neighbor, when he hauled that pair back home might have created a problem. when last you saw the calf do you think we got the worms killed?"victoria had her hand on her hip ready for war while she talked. " the wound had scabbed over partially and there was no blood showing. yeah i think they were killed off. we didnt know he was comming after them. we were up on a fence line repairing it when he did." ' OK ill lift the quarentine on your outfit but keep a eye peeled. ime going to lock his place up. he even turned the pair back out after jenson told him not to! that guy acts like he is trying to hide something." the vet was flabbergasted. the next morning mike and emily left the barn horseback. each of them carried a rifle. when they reached the spot where brooks had torn down the fence mike tied his horse to one side. "you go make a circle and check the cattle. keep a eye out for that lion." mike turned to a pile of fence material they had packed up the day before. he picked up a tee post and the post driver and went to the fence when he got through there wouldnt be any more kicking the fence over for what ever reason. as he started driveing the post into the ground emily rode off.