THE BLUE FEATHER
391
It took almost an hour and twenty minutes for the entire
massive herd to go through the Portal door. Finally, Tital,
Bardala, and Kuó could be seen pushing the last of the stragglers
up to the archway. Ek Chuah swept the last group of small burros
through. Then Jonathan finished by pushing his bubble of
pronghorn antelope to the front of the door, Ek Chuah finished
by pushing them through just before closing the door.
“This is certainly a beautiful National Park, some day in the
future it would be nice to come back here and camp out,”
Bardala said to Tital, as she dismounted Belleza.
“I am sorry the project is taking up all our time,” Tital replied.
“Some things are just too important to sit back and let
nothing positive happen. What would a country become, if
everyone just sat around and let the other guy do it? I am proud
of you, and the whole crew. I see now, why you all were
chosen,” Fernándo told them, putting his hard-working hand on
Tital’s shoulder.
“You aren’t going to believe this one!” Jonathan exclaimed as
he took off his iPod.
“They’re selling fifteen hundred horses and two hundred
burros at the Southwest Livestock and Auction in Albuquerque,
New Mexico, tomorrow evening.”
“That sounds like a positive to me for the horses and burros.
To sell them to people who want to own them for their ranches,”
Ricárdo said, while dismounting his horse, Estrella.
“But, they won’t sell many. It was maybe a total of a hundred
animals. Why is the United States government always trying to
sell something that already belongs to the people, back again to
the people?” Tital pondered.