THE BATTLE AX REMNENT 2

three days later rick pulled up to the corrals at the battle ax. who ever had built them had done a excellent job. the posts were set in solid rock with concrete a loading chute where bob tail trucks or semi cattle trucks could load or unload. enough room in the corrals for maybe 500 head of cattle extra corrals and a sorting ally. rick was impressed. rick had a small desert ranch north of florence where he lived. it was semi isolated , very few people found their way there.he could live there in quiet solidtude. it wouldnt make him a liveing but he ran 100 cows and did enough outside contract work to keep the wolf from the door. he unloaded a good young buckskin horse and snugged up the cinchas. he was going to be sure there were 250 head of steers here before he got contracted to gather them. jason was knowen for some slick deals. claim there was a certain amount and then after you worked your self silly looking for them find out he probably sold them and he was blameing you for not gathering them. fine if the cattle were here. but first rick would make sure of it. sstepping up on the buckskin rick swung a leg over and settled into the saddle. it had been a few years since he had been here. it looked like the cholla was thicker than it had been . a narrow trail led through it just wide enough for a single horse if he was careful. rick had some ideas on how to deal with the cholla, but he knew the goverment folks might frown on it. but it would do nothing but improve the ranch. he would have to find a way to drive the cattle back to the corrals through this prickly hell. as he rode along he didnt see any cattle tracks. he was starting to get a negative thought on the deal when he dropped down into johnny long wash. it was full of tracks and manure. the wash went up behind bronco mesa. rick knew that there was a windmill up high in the canyon. the lower end where he sat now spread out into a big wide sand bed that ran on down to the gila river through a narrow but thick mesquite thicket. rick rode down the wash a ways but didnt find any live cattle. but still lots of fresh evidence. he turned back up country and started up into the canyon to the wind mill. the farther he went the tracks and manure got thicker. that 250 head of steers must all be in this canyon he thought to himself. as he neared the wind mill the breeze was against him, it was strong with the aroma of cattle. rick perked up, the buckskin came wide awake. rick slowed down as they approached the wind mill. when they rounded a slight bend in the wash the wind mill came in site. laying around the base and the water trough was a mass of cattle. rick pulled up to a stop and stared in aw. there were steers, but there was every color sex and size of cow brute you could imagine. the cattle slowley stood and stretched. then single file started walking up the canyon. the best rick could see was the only cattle branded were the steers. they carried the california owners walking 7 brand on the left hip. but the cows, calves and bulls were slick, no brand or ear marks. the cattle didnt seem to perturbed at rick being there, sure eveidence they hadnt been chased or a effort made to gather them. rick sat and watched the cattle amble up the canyon and around a bend at the base of the bronco mesa. it was a tall black volcanic rock that was flat topped. rick knew of a trail going to the top but had never been to it or up it. he had made a rough count of the cattle and came up with 200 steers. enough to make the deal with jason worth while. but what about the slicks? the best he could come up with there was 75 head. if you saw that many, how many was there you wouldnt see? he needed to talk to the texas owner. if he mentioned it to jason he would lay claim to any and all the slicks. rick had a better idea. by law any animal not with its mother that was not branded belonged to the state. that law was put in place before statehood to stop in fighting among ranchers over the mavericks. what everyone did since was brand the maverick and turn them back out until the brand peeled no one contested owner ship then. but a deal like this, there was to many cattle that were un branded. and to be honest about it he needed to make a deal with the texas owner. he turned back the way he had come and ws starting back to his truck. he had seen enough. if jason wouldnt give him the contact info for the texan he would track him down some other way. rick knew there was a small fortune in hairy bank notes liveing in johnny long.