One of Don Francisco’s men rode up, separated his two cattle from the others and drove them to one side. The rest of that bunch belonged to Don Secundini, so they drove the calves into a corral where they could be branded. The old ones they drove off in another direction.
As the second bunch came near them, Yappa saw a little calf running along with one of Don Secundini’s cows. The calf had a white spot on its forehead and one on its left hip. Yappa gave Shecol a pull and said, “There it is.”
“Where?” asked Shecol.
Yappa pointed it out, but Shecol said, “That can’t be our calf. That’s the way our calf looked last year. It will have grown to be very large by this time, and besides, father branded it with Don Secundini’s brand. This calf has no brand yet.”
They looked over every bunch that came by, hoping to find their calf. At last, as their eyes were beginning to get tired, Shecol said, “Don Secundini, look at that calf at the head of the bunch that is coming. That’s ours.”
Don Secundini looked at the calf, then he said, “Yes, Shecol, it is yours. You have won the calf.”
The herders kept on bringing up bunch after bunch of cattle and letting each owner pick out those that belonged to him. The cattle had been running wild for so many months that those from the different ranches were all mixed.
There were so many to look over that their herds were not nearly sorted out by evening, so, while some of the men drove home the neighbors’ cattle, others prepared to keep the main herd together all night.
“And now how are you youngsters going to get home?” asked Don Secundini, as he gathered up his bridle-reins ready to ride back to the house.
“Aren’t they going to drive the cattle away from here?” asked Shecol.