Consider (and this time there is no subsequent question!):

// {20120404}
include "consolewindow"

begin globals
dim as str255 gC1,gField
dim as short pPos

end globals

gC1 = "1234p23r876s986p2r987s876p654r432s44p11r22s33p44t44r55s66p77r88s99p234"

print gC1

local fn GetOneVal as str255//gets here with header
dim as short LPos
dim as str255 LField
gC1 = mid$(gC1,2)//header gone
LPos = 0
do//find next header
LPos ++
until gC1[LPos] > asc("9")
LField = mid$(gC1,1,Lpos-1)//fish out the number
gC1 = mid$(gC1,LPos)//get rid of all the digested stuff
end fn = LField

do
pPos = 0
do
pPos ++
until gC1[pPos] > asc("9")

select pPos
case >1//doesn't start with a header
gC1 = right$(gC1,len(gC1)-pPos+1)

case =1//starts with a header

select gC1[1]
case = asc("p")
print "P ";
gField = fn GetOneVal
print gField

case = asc("r")
print "R ";
gField = fn GetOneVal
print gField

case = asc("s")
print "S ";
gField = fn GetOneVal
print gField

case = asc("t")
Print "T ";
gField = fn GetOneVal
print gField

case else
print gC1[1]

end select

case else
print "pPos" = ";pPos

end select

until len(gC1) < 5

print "Leftover - ";gC1

**

Thanks all around! What a crew you are!

t