DELBERT BRIGGS 13

delbert sat on his favorite mount cracker and was stareing at the gate he had repaired just a few days earlier. the gate stickwas broken into more peices than you could count and the wire twisted into a mess. tracks were thick going back into the pasture. what ever animal that was doing this was determined to not live anywhere else but in this pasture. he reined cracker through the gate and fell to following the tracks. he knew it would do no good to bring the cattle back out at this time but he wanted to get a handle on just how many were back in this pasture. as he rode along he he thought back on the past few days. the brand inspecter had returned and wrote out the papers needed to ship the branded cattle. he had stayed on top of the fence while the cattle were put past him in a rush del didnt believe for a moment he had a firm count or had seen the brand on every anumal, but he still wrote out the papers. bob had set up two trucks to haul the drug crazed cattle to the auction barn at marana. it had been a wild , harem scarem event loading the wild eyed cows on the trucks . but they were gone and the sale barn had accepted them as just wild cattle. delbert knew there was some cattle left in the pasture where the drugged lick tubs were. and now these cattle that keep tearing this gate down.. after loading the trucks and sending them down the road bob and he had put the unbranded cattle through a squeeze chute and branded everyone of them. the young bulls they had casterated. when released from the chute some of the animals had turned back and charged the men. it took all afternoon and part of the next morning to get them all branded. they had turned the bunch into a holding trap next to the corrals. delbert was hopeing the effects of the drugs would wear off over time. they needed to settle some what before they went to the auction. cracker trudged on up the trail to the top of the ridge where del had always found the cattle before.sure enough on top of the ridge the thirty some head were scattered along the top. delbert rode cracker through the cattle until he was on the out side of the bunch. he had made a quick count and made a note of the number branded. he sat his mount there looking at the cattle and out over the surrounding country. big thunder heads were building above. blue forked lightning shot from the clouds time to time. a rumble of thunder could be heard. delbert took it all in as a starving man would a four coarse meal. he never tired of it. the problems with the bank and the drug crazy cattle were small at this time. a cool breeze whispered by his face. this bunch of cattle didnt try to run away or even showed the slightest intrest in the man on the horse. delbert decided to leave them alone for the time being. he rode on back down the ridge to the gate his mind on the problem of the bank. he needed to go see his lawyer mr. jenson. he would know what to do. he and bob had picked up the drug laced lick tubs and buried the contents. then washed the tubs with soap and water. that was one thing that done. later when he rode back into the yard at his house he found his truck sitting on two flat tires, the side walls slashed. he sat his horse looking at them " well it starts i suppose." he told cracker.