After a minor argument with Little Joe over which horse he was riding into town, the Cartwrights were on their way.  Joe, unhappy over having to ride his too-tame pony, managed to pout for the first ten minutes, to make sure that everyone recognized his displeasure, but soon the excitement of going to Virginia City with his father and brothers overcame his bad mood and he resumed his usual nonstop talking.   Hoss and Adam, after bearing the brunt of the conversation for several minutes, decided they had enough and they rode ahead faster than Joe's pony could go.  Joe tried to keep up with them, but his father started talking to him to head off a temper tantrum.  "Joe what do you want to do in town today?" He asked his young son.  "I want to go help Sheriff Coffee in the jailhouse, Pa and see if he has any bad men in the jail." He said excitedly.  Ben smiled at his son, "All right, Joseph, that can be arranged, I need to talk to Sheriff Coffee anyhow."  

When the Cartwrights came into town,  Adam and Hoss went off to do their separate chores, and Ben and Joe headed down the street.  "This way to the jailhouse, Pa" Joe said impatiently as his father headed in the opposite direction.  "Why are we going this way?" Joe asked, turning around to give his father a confused look.  "Before we go to see Sheriff Coffee, we have to go to the barber shop."  The words "barber shop" made Little Joe a little nervous--he hated to get his hair cut.  He was hoping his father just wanted a haircut or a shave, but he was afraid to ask. He figured if he asked, it might remind his father to get him a haircut, too and hoped that if he didn't say anything, his father wouldn't think of it.   

When they arrived at the barbershop, the barber was reading the Virginia City newspaper.  "Good morning, Mr. Cartwright.  Hello there, Little Joe" the barber greeted them.  "What can I do for you this morning?"   "Well, Hank, I 'd like a shave and a haircut." Ben replied.  Joe breathed a sigh of relief, but it was too soon.  His father continued, "And this young man needs a haircut, too, Hank."  Joe let out an exasperated, exaggerated sigh and protested, "Pa, I don't need a haircut!"  His father fixed him with a stern stare and said, "Joseph, this is not open for debate."   

Hank said, "Mr. Cartwright, why don't we start with Little Joe?"  Ben knew that the barber wanted to start with Little Joe so that Ben would be able to help keep him occupied and sitting reasonably still for his haircut, which he couldn't do if he was waiting for his shave.  Ben reached down and lifted Joe high into the air, causing him to give out a delighted squeal; then he plopped him into the barber's chair.  Joe looked at himself in the mirror and as the barber started to work, he crossed his arms in front of his chest and scowled.  He carefully issued instructions about how much for the barber to cut throughout the haircut, although the barber ignored his instructions and cut his hair according to his father's instructions.  When the barber finished, Joe asked for the mirror and used it to look at the back of his head and complained, "Now my hair is as short as Hoss'!"   

Fortunately, Ben had arranged for Adam to come by the barbershop about that time, so he could take over watching Little Joe for him, so that Ben could get his shave and haircut.  They all knew from experience that if left unattended for even a short period of time, Little Joe was liable to get into mischief.  Adam walked in and when he saw Little Joe's hair, he whistled and said, "Joe, they practically scalped you!" with a smile and a wink at his father.  Joe turned around and scowled at the barber and his father, and said, "See there.  I told you it was too short."  The men in the barbershop all laughed, despite the angry expression on Joe's face.   

"Come on, Buddy, let's go over to the general store and turn in the supply order." Adam said, taking Joe by the hand and leading him out the door.  "Pa, we'll either be in the general store or at Sheriff Coffee's." Adam said with a nod toward his father.  "Thanks, Son.  Little Joe, you behave now and mind Adam.  You hear me?"  "Yes, Pa" Joe said automatically.   

Adam enjoyed taking Little Joe around Virginia City, since the girls just seemed drawn to him like a magnet.  All the pretty girls Adam knew thought Little Joe was the cutest little boy and they naturally thought it was very mature and responsible for Adam to be taking him with him, so he usually had pretty good luck with the ladies with his younger brother around.  Adam used this to his advantage today, because he wanted to ask Mary Ann to the Saturday night dance.  He knew she wouldn't likely turn him down anyway, but it never hurt to have "security", even for a sure thing.  

As soon as they entered the General Store, Mary Ann smiled and called out a welcome, "Hello Adam, Hello Little Joe.  Little Joe how is my best boy friend?" she asked the curly haired little boy, running her hands across his forehead, pushing the soft curls off his face.  "Oh, you just got a haircut, didn't you, Little Joe?" 

 "Adam said I just got scalped" he replied.  

 "Oh, it doesn't look scalped at all, Little Joe.  Adam was just teasing you. It's a very nice haircut."    She was wishing her hair had that natural curl and softness that this little boy's hair did. "What brings the Cartwrights into town this morning?" Mary Ann asked, looking at Adam.  Before Adam could reply, Little Joe responded, "Our horses, silly," and they all three laughed.  

"Little Joe you can pick out some candy and I'll buy it for you.  But you can't eat it until Pa says so, understand?"  "Sure Adam" Joe grinned and ran over to the candy counter, leaving Adam and Mary Ann to discuss the upcoming dance.  Little Joe picked out sourballs and red hots and licorice sticks for him and Hoss and lemon drops for Hop Tseng.  Adam paid for the candy, after Mary Ann accepted his invitation to the dance, and he and Little Joe headed over to Roy Coffee's jailhouse office.    

When they entered the door, Sheriff Coffee called out a warm greeting, "Hello, boys, how are you doing today?"  "Hi, Sheriff Coffee" Joe said, "Have you got any outlaws in jail?" He asked, looking toward the jail cells.  "Why as a matter of fact, I am expecting some, Little Joe."   Little Joe looked interested and excitedly asked, "Who is it Sheriff?  Is it the James gang?" remembering hearing his brothers talking about some famous bank robbers.  "No, but I am going to be getting me a train robber, Little Joe."  "A train robber?  Really, Sheriff Coffee, a real train robber?  Can I see him?"  "Well, he is not here yet, Joe, but if you hang around a few minutes, you can see him when they bring him in."  "Can we stay, Adam?" Joe asked.  "Well, we are supposed to meet Pa here, so we have to wait for him."  Roy, figuring out that Adam was babysitting Joe until his father got there, volunteered, "Adam, if you want to, you can leave Joe here with me 'til your Pa comes.  I want to try to beat him at a game of checkers anyhow." Roy said with a twinkle in his eye.  "You sure you don't mind, Roy?  I'd like to meet Hoss over at the Silver Dollar.  Pa should be right along."  Adam said.  "You go on, me and Little Joe will be jest fine." Roy said, waving Adam on.  "Alright, then, Roy.  Joe, you behave yourself and don't give Sheriff Coffee any trouble."  "I won't Adam" Joe said automatically.  

Sheriff Coffee was once again being beaten at checkers by the seven years old little boy, when the office door was pushed open and a group of men entered the jail.  There were three armed sheriff's deputies and a deputy US Marshall escorting one man in handcuffs.  "Sheriff Coffee, this is James Rivers, one of the Rivers Brothers that has been robbing the trains.  The Federal Marshall should be here tomorrow or the day after to pick him up for trial.  Did you get word about this?"  "Yes, sir, I sure did and I am happy to oblige you.  Put him in that first cell right there."  

Little Joe was fascinated by the man.  He was almost as big as his own brother, Hoss.  But he didn't look like Hoss at all.  Hoss had kind, blue eyes and a happy face.  This man had dark, mean eyes in a face that made Little Joe shiver.  But he found himself drawn to him; he couldn't stop looking at him.   "What're you staring at, Kid?" the man asked when he noticed Little Joe.  "How'd you get that scar on your face, Mr.?." Little Joe asked, indicating a long red jagged gash across the man's face.  Ben Cartwright entered the jail about this time, and not knowing what was going on, he rushed in and scooped up his son in his arms.  The prisoner continued to stare at Little Joe and said, "My woman did that little boy, but you should have seen what I did to her!" and laughed.  The Sheriff and the other law officers all said, "That'll be enough out of you, Rivers." And moved him into his cell.  The man continued to laugh and say loudly, "You shoulda seen what I done to her, yessiree, you shoulda seen what I done to her. I might do the same to you one day."  Ben saw Joe's eyes get wide, so he said, "Joseph that man can't hurt you."  

"What's that about, Roy?" Ben asked as the deputies settled the prisoner into his cell and locked the door.  Sheriff Coffee went behind them and closed the door into the jail cells, blocking the view of the prisoner.  "That's one of the River's gang that has been robbing the trains here of late.  The Marshall is coming here to pick him up for trial in a couple of days."   "He looks like a bad one, Roy, be careful." Ben cautioned.  "Oh, I will, you know that I am a cautious man, Ben.  Besides, those deputies are staying 'til the Marshall gets here.  They are just using my jail."  

"I ran into Adam, he told me he left Joe with you.  I trust he was no trouble?" Ben asked, eyeing his son.   "Not unless you count beating me in three games of checkers trouble, Ben." Roy chuckled.  "How about joining me for some lunch down at that new cafe at the train depot?  I hear tell the food is real good." Roy asked.  "That sounds like a good idea, Roy.  Hoss and Adam were meeting some friends at the International House , so Joe and I are on our own.  Let's give it a try.  Are you hungry, Little Joe?"  "Sure Pa, I'm starved." Joe said excitedly.  Roy, surprised that Ben didn't want to have lunch with Adam and Hoss offered, "Ben, if you want to, we can go to the International House instead."  Ben smiled and shook his head, "Probably not a good idea, considering what happened the last time we ate there with Joseph along."  "What happened, Ben?" Roy asked, his eyes twinkling and a smile forming.  "Well, let's see, first off, Joseph insisted on the most expensive item on the menu, which he of course, wouldn't touch, then he turned over a glass of milk, and for good measure, pitched a tantrum because I wouldn't let him order dessert." Ben said.  As Ben related this information, Joe was watching the people on the street, oblivious to his father's conversation. If his father hadn't reached out and grabbed him, he would have walked right out in front of a horse and carriage as he was hurrying to get a closer look at a boy and a dog on the other side of the street.  "Joseph, please watch where you are going!" Ben said sternly.  "Yes, sir" Joe answered automatically.  

The new cafe was built right into the train depot, giving a view of the arriving and departing trains.  Of course that made it a little noisy when the trains came or went; however, since there were no more than three arrivals and departures daily, that was not a major problem.  The men let Little Joe pick their seat and he chose one with a direct view of the platform where the train would stop, although there was no train there at the time.  The waitress came to take their order and told Joe that her little girl was a friend of his.  She and Joe chatted for a few minutes and then she took their order.  Ben and Roy just raised their eyebrows at each other.  Ben had no idea that Little Joe had even known the waitress's daughter.  Ben was always surprised at the seeming ease with which Little Joe made conversation with adults---especially women.  

The waitress had just brought their food and they had just begun to eat when the train pulled into the station.  Little Joe immediately jumped up and ran to the window to get a closer view of the train.  His father, right behind him, brought him back to the table and told him to eat his lunch.   "But, Pa, I'm not hungry." Little Joe said, still watching the train, fascinated by the thick black smoke pouring out from the engine.  "I thought you said you were starving, Joseph." Ben said.  "That was before, now I am not hungry, Pa.  Can't I just go watch the train, Pa?"  "Joseph, you have to eat your lunch; you didn't eat your breakfast.  You can look at the train after you eat."  Ben said, sternly.   "Please Pa?" Joe pleaded.  "Joseph, turn around in your chair and eat your lunch,  Don't make me have to speak to you again." Ben said.   

Joe sighed, and made a big deal about turning around.  He picked up his fork, as if it weighed a thousand pounds and began to look at his food as if it were the most unappetizing thing he had ever seen.  "Alright, Pa." He said resignedly.  He made a pretense of eating for a few minutes, then turned around and stared at the train again.  Ben, noting this said, "Joseph, eat your lunch and then I may let you go see the train."  Hearing this, Joe brightened and turned around and began to eat rapidly.  "Joseph, chew your food before you swallow it, please." Ben admonished, shaking his head at Roy.   

When Joe had finished about half the food on his plate, he asked "Pa, may I be excused now, please and go see the train?"  "Is that all you are going to eat, Joe?"  "Yes, sir, I am as full as Hoss, Pa."  Ben and Roy chuckled at that, knowing that Joe would never be as full as Hoss. "Alright, Son."  "Pa, can I go out and watch the train?"  "When Sheriff Coffee and I finish, Son, we will go out with you."  "Pa, the train may be gone by then.  I can go while you finish eating. You can see me through the window, Pa.  Please, Pa, you said I could when I finished eating."  Joe asked in a pleading voice.  "Alright, Joe, you can go right out there as long as you stay right where I can see you from right here.  You hear me?  Don't you move out of sight at all."  Ben said.  Joe hurriedly reached over and gave his father a big bear hug, his unwiped hands leaving sticky places on Ben's neck.  "Thanks, Pa." Joe said and turned and ran out the door to see the train.  

Ben and Roy were enjoying a cup of coffee and apple pie, Ben keeping a close eye on Little Joe through the window.  Several Virginia City businessmen entered the cafe and stopped to speak to Ben and Roy about local politics.  Although the men were partially obstructing Ben's view, he could still see a glimpse of Little Joe's white shirt through the window.  As Joe watched the train, trying to get a peek inside, a conductor came to the door and seeing his interest, asked him if he needed a step up to get onto the train.  Seeing his hesitation, the conductor asked him if he was with his parents.  Joe said "I'm with my Pa."  "Where is your Pa, Son?" the conductor asked.  "He's over there," Joe said, pointing in the general direction of the cafe.  The conductor, looking where Joe was pointing, thought Joe was pointing to a train passenger.  The conductor reached down his arm and said, "Come on up, then Son."  Joe hesitated a split second, then glancing behind him, and not seeing his father, he reached up and took the man's arm and hopped on the train.  "I'll just look real quick and Pa won't even know." he told himself.  The conductor asked if he would like to see the engine.  Joe couldn't turn that down, so he quickly accepted the man's offer.  The conductor took Joe to the engine and showed him the inner workings of the train, the engineer asked him if he would like to blow the whistle.  Joe excitedly agreed and the engineer held him up and said, "Are we all ready, George?" talking to the conductor.  "All ready" he said.  "Okay, son, give it three long blasts."  Joe enthusiastically pulled on the rope, three strong pulls, blowing the whistle, unaware that that was the signal that indicated the train was leaving the station.   

Just as the train whistle blew, there was a loud explosion heard from the direction of the town and the sounds of shouting and gun fire.  Ben and Roy and the other patrons of the cafe, jumped up to see what had happened.  There was a temporary panic and many people who were outside the cafe poured inside.  Little Joe, inside the engine of the train, paid no attention to the explosion---he was far more interested in the train engine.   Ben immediately ran to the train platform to retrieve his son, but as he came outside the platform, there were many people there, but no Little Joe Cartwright.  Ben thought that perhaps Joe had been caught up in the throng of people who had rushed into the cafe when the explosion was heard, so he went back inside and looked carefully for his son.  Not seeing him inside the cafe, he rushed out the front door of the cafe to see if he were out there, and again, his son was no where in sight.  Ben ran back to the train platform and asked the people who had come back out there if they had seen Joe.  "Excuse me, did you see a small dark-haired little boy?" he asked everyone he saw.  Most of the people shook their heads or said "No, sorry."  One woman though, said, "Was he wearing a white shirt and tan pants and did he have dark curly hair and about this tall", indicating an approximate height.  "Yes, yes, that is my son--did you see where he went?" Ben asked frantically by this time.  "Yes, the conductor helped him up onto the train, right before it departed" she replied.  Ben's face lost all color as he looked down the tracks at the rapidly disappearing train, visible only by the slight trace of smoke from the chimney.   

Ben's first inclination was to go directly to his horse and follow the train, but he knew he should first go tell Hoss and Adam what happened.  He also remembered the explosion and knew he had to investigate to find the cause of that.   He remembered to pay their lunch bill, leaving a large bill on the table, he then practically ran toward the Sheriff's office.  As he neared the jail, he could tell that whatever had happened, must have happened either in or near the jail, due to the size of the crowd that had gathered there.   Coming into the crowd, he was relieved to see Hoss and Adam.  "What happened, Hoss?" he asked as he came up to him.  "There was a jailbreak, Pa."  Some gang dynamited the back of the jail and freed the prisoner, and killed the three deputies."  Hoss said, grimly.   "Adam and I were going to go out with the posse, Pa."  About this time, Adam noticed that Little Joe was not with his father and he had a premonition of something bad.  "Pa, where is Little Joe?" he asked, somehow knowing he wouldn't like the answer.  

Ben sighed, "It seems Little Joe decided to take a train ride, boys."  "I guess it's my fault, I took my eyes off him for a minute in the panic of the explosion.  Joe somehow got onto the train and was still in it when it departed."  "Pa, we have to go after him" Hoss said, almost in a panic.  "Yes, we will Hoss.  You go get the horses. Adam, go find out where the next stop for that train is and wire ahead and tell them what happened, in case it gets there before we do.  I am going to go tell Roy where we are going and that we can't join the posse."  "I'll bring the horses here and meet you in about 15 minutes, Pa." Hoss said.  "I'll come help you after I send the wire, Hoss" Adam said.  

Ben went into the jail and saw that the entire back wall of one cell was gone, leaving a gaping hole.  Doctor Martin was just finishing putting a bandage on the arm of the third guard.  Reports that all three guards had been killed had been inaccurate, only two were killed and the third merely injured.  Sheriff Coffee looked up when he saw Ben, "Ben, they broke that fella out before he had been in my jail for an hour---and look what a mess they left.  Thank goodness there wasn't anyone else in here." He said.  "Can you and Adam ride with the posse to try to round 'em up?"  "Roy, Hoss and Adam and I have to go after that train that just left the station first." Ben explained.  "What for?" Roy asked, giving his friend a confused stare.  "Roy, Joseph is gone.  One woman told me she saw the conductor lift him onto the train right before the explosion and the train departed at the same time as the explosion.  He must have still been on the train." Roy's face had turned from one of confusion to one of understanding and sympathy.  Roy Coffee knew how much his sons meant to Ben Cartwright.  He also knew that Little Joe was prone to get into dangerous situations.  Ben would not rest until he had his son back safe and sound.  "Ben, you and the boys go on and get Little Joe back.  I'll get  some body else to ride with the posse."  "Roy, if you need more men, go out to the ranch and ask Charlie to round you up some of the hands." Ben said.  

Chapter Two

Little Joe, enthralled by the excitement of blowing the whistle and then watching the train start moving faster and faster, didn't think about his predicament for several minutes.  When the engineer turned to the conductor and said, "You better take him back to his seat," Joe realized he was in trouble.  The conductor didn't notice the look of alarm on the boy's face.  He held out his hand to Little Joe and said, "Come on Son, I'd better get you back to your Pa before he gets worried 'bout you."  Joe thought to himself, "I wish I was with Pa."  He didn't say anything, but started walking with the conductor.  When they came to the first car, the conductor asked, "Is your Pa in this car?"  Joe shook his head, and the conductor continued on to the next car and several cars, asking the same question, and getting the same negative reply.  Finally, they came to the last car and the conductor, just looked at Little Joe, without saying anything, Joe shook his head and said.  "No.  My Pa is not on the train."  With a little bit of a tremor in his voice.  

The conductor knew in an instant what had happened; it was not an uncommon experience. Little boys just seemed to love trains and this little boy wasn't the first one to get on unaccompanied.  He knelt down beside the boy and asked him where was his Pa.  "He is in the cafe, I was supposed to stay right there 'til he came out."  Joe said in a small, scared voice.  The conductor saw the beginnings of tears in his eyes,  so he patted him on the shoulders and said, "Well, don't you worry, Son, the railroad will see that you get back to your Pa."  Joe brightened, "Can we turn around and go back?"  "No, Son, trains can't exactly turn around, but we will stop at the very next stop and notify your Pa and arrange for you to get home.  Don't you worry about a thing."   

Just at that time, a tall, attractive woman approached from the rear of the car and said softly, "Little Joe, what is wrong?"  Little Joe turned and was surprised to see one of their family friends, Mrs. Blake.  "Hi, Mrs. Blake.  I kinda got on the train by accident and my Pa is going to be worried about me." Joe said in a quiet voice.  "Oh, no, Little Joe, you didn't get on this train without your Pa or brothers, did you?"  "Yes, Mam, but it was an accident."  Joe said.  "Sir, I am a friend of the family.  This young man is Joseph Cartwright. His father owns the Ponderosa Ranch.  I will be happy to look after him until we can notify his father."  The conductor, relieved, said, "That would be most helpful, Mam.  We will make arrangements to notify his family when we get to the next stop, which is Indian Falls."  "Indian Falls, but that is a good six hours away" she said alarmed.  "Yes, Mam, but that is the next station since they closed the one at Red Rock.  There ain't no telegraph station before that."  "Well, Joseph, your Pa will be fit to be tied, that's for sure.  I imagine after your Pa does catch up with you, you won't be going on any train rides for a long time." She said with a smile.  "Come along, we might as well be comfortable." She said and led him back to her seat.  For the first few minutes Little Joe was quiet as he worried about what Mrs. Blake had said.  He knew she was right--his Pa was going to be really mad at him for disobeying him and there was no way he was going to get out of that.  Pa could forget many things, but if he told him not to do something and he did it anyway, like getting on this train, his father would be very, very mad.  Joe thought about this for a while, but gradually as the view of the countryside began to change as they raced past, Joe decided that there was nothing he could do about it now, so he might as well enjoy the train ride.  He had only been on a train a few times, always with his Pa and brothers and they wouldn't let him do any exploring.  

Joe began to watch the other passengers and try to figure them out.  He noticed that there was a family with three children sitting on the opposite side of the train aisle.  He looked them over carefully and smiled at them.  There was a little girl about his size with pretty long dark hair, he smiled at her and she smiled back. Their father looked like a banker or something. He had on a suit like his Pa's Sunday suit.   He noticed that there was a man who must be a preacher, cause he was holding a Bible and reading from it.  There were two young women that must be sisters, they spoke a language that he didn't understand. It was similar to Hop Tseng's language, but it wasn't quite the same.  He couldn't make out all the words, but he could make out some of them.  They were talking about their new country.  He laughed out loud when he heard one of them say something about the big fat man who was snoring in the front of the car.  They looked at him, surprised that he laughed and wondering how he knew what they said.  

Mrs. Blake was beginning to doze off.  She looked down at Joe and said, "Joseph, I am getting a little sleepy.  Would you mind if I doze off for a few minutes?  When I wake up, we will have some refreshments.  Is that okay, Little Joe?"  "Yes, Mam."  With that, she put her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes.  Joe watched her and soon saw that she was indeed sleeping.  He sat there for a while, but eventually he became bored and decided to use this opportunity to explore a little bit.  He told her he wouldn't leave the car, so he would have to stay in this car, but he didn't have to stay in the same seat, he thought to himself.  He eased out of his seat and started walking up the aisle of the train.  The three children from across the aisle, were also getting fidgety.  He stopped and said, "Hello, I am Joe Cartwright.  What's your name?" The three children and he talked for a while, and he shared his candy with them; then he decided he wanted to walk around some more before Mrs. Blake woke up.  He went up and down the aisle several times.  One thing he noticed during one of his trips was that two men in the front and one man in the back had pistols under their jackets.  The man in the back looked kind of familiar to Joe, and he was trying to think of where he might have seen him before when Mrs. Blake woke up and called out "Joseph Cartwright, you come here right now.  Goodness, Joe, I can understand why your Pa has such a hard time keeping up with you.  You gave me a fright.  I thought I told you not to leave the seat."  She said.  "No, Mam, you just told me not to leave this car and I didn't." He explained.  He could never understand grownups.  They tell you not to do one thing and then expect you not to do something altogether different, he thought to himself.    "I am going to have to be much more sympathetic to Ben Cartwright from now on", she said out loud, to Joe's puzzlement.  

Chapter Three

Adam and Hoss brought the horses to the Sheriff's office about the same time that Ben came outside.  "Did you send the wire to Red Rock, Adam?" Ben asked his oldest son.  "Pa, the train doesn't stop at Red Rock anymore" Adam explained, "the next stop is Indian Falls."  "Indian Falls?  When I get my  hands on that little brother of yours, I'm going to ...." Ben didn't finish his sentence, because he really couldn't think of anything except how badly he wanted to get his hands, in fact his arms around his youngest son.  "Well I guess we will just have to go to Indian Falls, boys."   

"Pa, it will take us half a day to get to Indian Falls, what's going to happen when that train gets there if we ain't there to pick up Little Joe?" Hoss asked, concern for his younger brother apparent on his face.  "I know a way we can cut down the time to get there, Pa." Adam said, an idea forming in his mind.  "How Son?"  "We could cut across the Rimrock Mountains."  Ben considered this and said, "Adam, that is pretty rough country, but it would shave several hours off the time to get to Indian Falls."  "Yeah, Pa, if we did that, we could probably beat the train to Indian Falls or at least get there about the same time." Hoss said enthusiastically.  

Ben thought about it for a very short period of time, his concern for his little boy overcoming the concerns about the rough terrain they would be going through.  "Okay, boys let's do it.  Let's go get some extra canteens and trail supplies, though, just in case."    "Pa, probably better let Sheriff Coffee know which way we are going, just in case." Adam pointed out. "Right, Son, I will go do that while you and Hoss go to the mercantile and get those supplies---I will meet you there in 5 minutes."  With a plan in mind, Ben felt more at ease about his son.  He tried to console himself thinking that Joe was relatively safe on that train.  After all, how much trouble can one 7 year old little boy get into on a moving train? He asked himself.  Immediately upon asking the question, his eyes opened wide and his heart began to race again.  If that 7 years old little boy was Little Joe Cartwright, there was no end to the trouble he could get into.  Ben knew that about the only time Little Joe was not likely to get into trouble was when he was sound asleep in his own bed.  He berated himself for his decision to let Joe go outside the cafe to watch the train---what was he thinking?  He resolved to never let the boy out of his sight again when they found him.  He wouldn't allow himself to consider any possibility that they wouldn't get him back again.  He quickly told the Sheriff of their plans and went across the street where Adam and Hoss were just finishing packing away the extra water and trail supplies.  The three of them looked at each other and without saying a word, headed out of Virginia City to find one lost little boy.  

Chapter Four

"Well, young man.  If I'm going to be responsible for you, then we're going to have to come to an understanding about some rules."  Little Joe sighed.  "Joseph, I am not the one who got on this train by mistake.  If you would prefer the conductor take care of you, that can be arranged." Ms. Blake spoke louder than she intended and certainly more sharply than she really felt.  Still, she felt she had to get the young boy's attention.  

"No, ma'am.  I'm sorry."  

Mrs. Blake smiled.  "Little Joe," she tried to soften her words.  "I expect you to stay with me unless you ask my permission to leave your seat.  If you are to be in my care, then I must know where you are at all times.  Do you understand how important that is?"  

"Yes, ma'am."  Joe hoped the little girl seated with her parents wasn't hearing this exchange.  He hated getting a dressing down at any time, but especially he hated it in public.  He fidgeted, staring at his feet, hoping he could soon sit back in his seat and get out of center stage, here in the aisle way of the train car, but Mrs. Blake wasn't finished.   

"Do I have your word that you'll stay in your seat unless you've talked with me first, to get my permission?  Look at me, Joseph."  

"Yes, ma'am." Joe mumbled, raising his face that was already turning red to look at the woman..  He was sure everyone in the train must be staring at him, thinking he was just a kid instead of already being seven years old.   

"Then please take your seat."  She patted the seat by the window that Little Joe had vacated earlier.  Sighing, the boy moved back beside his father's friend.   

Mrs. Blake picked up her knitting, checking again to be sure Joe was occupied.   He seemed to be fine, watching the scenery outside the train.  For a few minutes, Joe was satisfied with this...at least he wasn't being chastised in front of the whole train.  Still, Joe was not used to being a passive participant in life's adventures, and having to sit quietly beside Mrs. Blake was beginning to annoy him.   

"Mrs. Blake, may I get up and walk around the train?"  

"You most certainly may not.  You've explored this car as much as needs be and the rest of the train is off limits to you without my being with you."  Noticing how her young charge looked away, his lower lip trembling, she softened her stance.  "Joseph, I must finish this sweater for my granddaughter in Denver."  

"Yes, ma'am," Joe's reply was almost inaudible.  Why hadn't he stayed outside the cafe? Without the security of his family, Joe was beginning to feel a little frightened and very alone. Partly, he was worried about what his father would do to him, but, if he could admit to himself, which at his age he couldn't, Joe was worried abut what was going to happen to him on this trip.  What had started out as such an adventure was gradually losing its appeal.  Hoss being here would have changed everything.  It would have been great fun to explore the train with his older brother.  Even Adam would have been fun, his older brother sharing tales of train rides he'd taken.  And, Joe was certain, Adam would have shown him all the trappings of the train, explaining how everything  worked together.   If he could put it into words, without his family's support,  Joe was feeling homesick.    

Rocking him gently, the train lulled Little Joe to sleep by the window.  Mrs. Blake, recognizing a chance to relax herself, drifted off beside him.  About an hour later, Little Joe was awakened by a shifting of the train's cars.  Joe looked about, wondering what had happened.  The train itself seemed to have slowed down and Joe was eager for this leg of the trip to be over.  Funny, he was used to the bustle of activity that marked the depot in Virginia City.  There didn't seem to be much activity outside.  In fact, Joe noted, he wasn't even sure where the train station was.  Glancing about, Joe's sense of unease increased.  Standing by the only exit from this car was that man, the one he vaguely remembered having seen somewhere...the gun in his hand held up against the skull of the banker-looking man sitting with the three children.   

Chapter Five

The first part of the trail across Rimrock Hills was fairly flat and open.  As the Cartwrights rode along, Ben's mind did a quick inventory of the supplies they had with them, determining they had sufficient food, water and blankets for any expected and most unexpected contingencies.  That completed, he reflected on possible scenarios they could encounter on this trip.  Option 1 was for the family to reach Indian Falls before the train so they could meet Little Joe as he got off the train.  Ben would like to have dwelt on that for the duration of this trip, but, while that was the preferred option, it was a long shot at best.  They just had too much ground to cover.  

Reluctantly,  Ben turned his mind to the most likely scene.  The train would surely reach Indian Falls at least an hour, maybe two before they got there.  Hopefully, Adam's message would reach the train station and someone would board the train, find Joe and take him to the main office to wait the family's arrival. There were two unfortunate aspects of that happening, though.  First of all, it required that someone take responsibility for looking for Joe on the train, which would be facilitated if the conductor had realized that the little boy really was a stowaway.   Assuming all went well, Ben decided not to dwell on the second unfortunate possibility...mainly he hated to think what mischief his youngest son could get into while waiting at the train station for almost two hours before his family arrived.   

Hmmm.  What would happen if no one realized Little Joe wasn't supposed to be on the train?  Would Joe think to get off the train at Indian Falls?  Ben was pretty sure he would do that, but, if Ben were worried about the trouble Little Joe could get into even when he was supervised, Ben cringed thinking of what Joe might find to do if he were unsupervised for that long.  By the time Ben planned to be done with him, that boy would think long and hard before he pulled such a crazy stunt again.  One way or another, Little Joe was going to learn that disobeying his father was fraught with perils.   

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Ben pulled his mind back from his reverie to the overland trail as he followed his sons along the wide trail.  So far, everything seemed to be fine.  The weather was as beautiful as the country they were traversing.  At any other time, Ben would have enjoyed this ride.  In the afternoon sun, the reds and purples of the sandstone were highlighted in the steep outcroppings and were in breathtaking contrast to the yellow sand. As it was, he was beside himself with worry, wondering what would come of all this.  The more he thought about this entire situation, he angrier he became.  It wasn't until his horse stumbled because Ben had been paying no attention and the ground was getting rockier, that the Cartwright patriarch realized he'd have to push such thoughts to the back of his mind and attend to his riding.  Sighing, he looked ahead, not looking forward to the rougher terrain he could see in front of them.  

At a split in the road, Adam stopped to get his bearings.  "Pa, which trail do we take?  It's been a long time since I've been out this way."  

"At any split, take the left fork up until we reach the hog back. Then, we follow east 'til we cross the main road into Indian Falls.  We're maybe 1/4 of the way there."

"Do we cross that new railway spur goin' this way?" Hoss wondered. 

Ben thought about that for a moment.  "Hmmm,  I haven't been out this way since they built that track, but I believe we do, just before we head up that hog back.  In fact, it may be easier to follow that new track into Indian Falls than it will be to take the hog back trail.  We'll have to check when we get closer.  Come on, boys, let's get moving."  With that, Ben Cartwright took the lead, spurring his horse forward at a fast pace.

Giving his brother a knowing look, Adam waited until his father was ahead then, sitting straight in the saddle, waved his arm forward like a Calvary Sargent. "Forward, ho-o-o-o," he drawled, kicking his horse into a lope to catch up with his father.  Laughing, Hoss followed behind, unaware of the drama that would greet them at the hog back.

Chapter Six

About the same time that Little Joe saw the man with the gun, other passengers saw him too.  The man's wife screamed and the children began to cry.  The man who had been snoring jumped up and started to head towards the man with the gun, but immediately one of the two other men with guns, hit him hard over the back of the head with his gun.  The man crumpled back into his seat, with blood starting to trickle down the back of his head.  At the same time, the other armed man pulled his gun out and aimed it in the general direction of all the passengers on the train.  He said, "Now unless you want to die, you people better just sit right there in your seat until we tell you to move" with a very scary voice. The women and children on the train were crying by this time and the men were looking around at each other, unsure of what to do. Joe wished his Pa and brothers were there, they would know what to do.  Joe looked at Mrs. Blake, who was just now waking up from her nap.  She sat up alarmed at what she saw, but not making any sound.  She reached for Joe and pulled him close to her.  He was glad for the momentary security that made him feel.

The man at the back of the train started issuing orders to the other two. "Go see how James wants to handle this.  Tell him what we got in this car and the car in the front."  "Okay, Luke" the man said and turned to go to the car behind him.  Joe saw that there was another man with a gun right outside the door of the train car.  The man with the gun that looked familiar was getting agitated, "Shut up that noise right now or I am going to shut you up" he said pointing to the banker's wife.  The banker, though obviously scared, tried to calm his wife down.  "It's okay, Eleanor, just sit down and keep the children quiet" he said, pleading with his eyes for her to obey.  With great effort, she was able to stifle her cries, and turned the children away from their father and made them face the front of the train. 

"That goes for the rest of you people, sit down and shut up!" the man yelled. Tired of holding his weapon against the man's head, he roughly pushed him back towards his seat.  The man stumbled and Joe reached over to help him steady himself.  "Watch it, kid, sit back down and don't move again or I am liable to shoot you 'fore I think about it."  Mrs. Blake reached over and again grabbed Joe and hugged him to her side tightly.  Wide-eyed, Joe watched the man, sure that the man meant what he said.  The people in the car had suddenly gotten very quiet, the shock of what was happening to them finally sinking in. 

Just then two more men came into the train car, both of them had their guns drawn and they were two of the meanest looking men Little Joe had ever seen.  "Alright, listen up everybody, this is what we are going to do.  I want all you people to get out your valuables and pass them along to my brother back there and be quick about it.  He ain't the most patient man you ever met and if I was you, I wouldn't cross him neither."  As he said this, the man began to come down the aisles to collect valuables.  Mrs. Blake sighed but took off her jewelry and handed it over.  The two Chinese women apparently didn't understand the directions and they didn't move quickly enough to suit the man who slapped the younger one hard across the face.  Little Joe tried to get up, but Mrs. Blake held him firmly, saying "Joseph, sit down."  Joe couldn't get out of her grip, but he got the girl's attention and said something to her in Chinese.  The girls quickly gave the man bracelets and necklaces.  Mrs. Blake looked at Joe quizzically, but didn't say anything.  The man looked back at Joe and said, "Woman if that boy moves again, I am going to shoot him.  Ya hear?"  Mrs. Blake tightened her grip on Joe, practically cutting off the circulation in his arms.

After all the jewelry had been collected, the man in the front said, "Alright, now I want all the adults to move to the back of the train and I want all the children to move to the front of the car.  Children first."  For a brief period, nothing happened, the adults still holding onto their children.  The man, wanting to set an example, motioned to the man in the back.  The man reached over and grabbed Little Joe by the arms, trying to yank him out of Mrs. Blake's grasp.  But Mrs. Blake was still gripping Little Joe with all her might, saying "Please don't take him, let him stay with me. I will keep him still."  The man reached over and cocked his pistol and pointed it directly at Little Joe's head, "Mam you gonna turn him loose or am I gonna shoot him right here?"  Mrs. Blake turned him loose.  She looked directly into Little Joe's green eyes and said as calmly as she could, "Joseph, you go with this man and you just do everything he says and you will be okay."  Her heart went out to the frightened little boy, who was trying so hard to be brave.  She knew this was one day he wished he had listened to his father.  "Please don't hurt him, he is just a little boy." She said to the men.  Two of them laughed.

"Alright, now the rest of you children, get up here, now."  The adults grimly sent their children to the front of the train to stand by Little Joe.  Then the men made the adults move to the back of the train and sit down.   Another man moved into the train car and held the door open to go between the car and the car in front of it.  Looking at the adults he said, "Alright we are moving the children into another car.  If you ever want to see them again, you will listen carefully and do everything you are told.  I will tell you a secret, my other brother, the one you haven't even met yet---well he don't like children.  It won't take much to make him decide to git rid of 'em.  I wouldn't give him no reason to, iffen I was you."  With that, he motioned for the man in front to move the children out.  The men and women in the car began to beg and plead with them not to hurt the children.  The men paid them no attention. 

"Why don't you go first, little hot shot?" the man said, looking at Little Joe.  He pushed him forward, Joe stumbled, but regained his balance and looking back at Mrs. Blake one last time, he went forward and out of the car.  Mrs. Blake closed her eyes as soon as he was out of sight and began to pray for him and the other children and for all the other passengers.  Nothing happened for at least 30 minutes.  The men guarding them continued to keep a close eye on them for any sign of movement.  The adults had been convinced that the men would indeed have no qualms about harming the children, so they sat still waiting and watching.  Mrs. Blake began to think about what Ben Cartwright would do when he found out that the train his son had gotten onto "by mistake" was being robbed.  "Heaven help those robbers if they harm Little Joe" she thought.

After about thirty minutes, another man came back into the car. He was not one of the other men, though he did favor the one they called Luke.  This man was tall, had dark black hair, and wild-looking eyes, but his most distinguishable characteristic was a long jagged red scar on his face. Mrs. Blake wanted to be able to describe all the men involved if she ever got the chance, so she methodically noted their features.  She knew she would never forget this man, that was for sure.   The man came to the middle of the train and spoke loudly, "Alright this is what we are going to do.  If any of you ever want to see any of those children again, you will do just as we say.  We are going to take the children for a little ride. You ain't going, cause you are just too much trouble.  If we don't have no problems, then we'll let them youngun's live.  But if we are bothered with any lawmen 'fore we leave, we'll kill everyone of 'em.  Now when you get back to town, you'd best tell that to the sheriff and you'd best make 'em believe it.  Cause it don't matter none to me whether you get them brats back or not.  Ya hear?" 

"Sir, surely you are not going to take the children?" Mrs. Blake said incredulously.  The man looked at her and said, "That's it, Mam, you ketch on real fast."  "Alright, Luke, you and the others go get that engine fired up.  We will be moving out in jest a few minutes."  The other men left the train and soon they heard the engine starting up.  By this time the snoring man had regained consciousness and hearing their plan, decided that they had to do something right then or lose the children.  He quietly rose and started towards the man with the gun.  The man with the gun heard him move, turned around looked at him for several seconds, then shot him right in the middle of the chest.  Then he laughed as he turned to the other passengers and said, "Any more heroes on this train?" 

Soon the door to the car opened and "Luke" came back in and said, "We're ready, James."  "Alright, let's go", saying this he backed slowly out of the car, keeping the gun pointed at the passengers.  When he got to the door, he quickly jumped out and over to the other car, which had already started moving.  The passengers sat there, stunned for a few moments, then the men jumped up and went to look out the door where the rest of the train could be seen moving down the tracks, leaving them sitting miles from nowhere in an isolated train car. 

Chapter  7

Joe and the other children were roughly ushered into the adjoining train car.  One of the other children tripped and fell and one of  the men yanked him up by the arm and pushed him forward.  The little boy cried out in pain when his arm was yanked, the man who had done it said, “Shut your mouth, boy.”  Somehow the child, no more than 5 or so, was able to quiet himself, but the look of terror in all the children’s eyes intensified. 

“Alright, you young’uns, sit down right over there on the floor and don’t make any  noise or sudden moves, if you know what is good for you.” the man said, pointing to the right side of the train car, along the wall in front of the seats.  “We are goin’ for a little ride and if you don’t bother me, then I won’t bother you none.” He said.  Little Joe and the other children, seven in all, sat down quickly and leaned against each other and the wall, trying to look as invisible as possible.  Of the seven children, the two Chinese girls were the oldest, probably 14 or maybe even 15.  The brown-haired girl appeared to be about Joe’s age, the other children seemed be younger, ranging from about 5 years.

One man sat down in the back of the train and another sat down in the front of the train.  They talked about what they were going to do with their share of  the split, although they didn't know what, the children were sure that they were stealing something.  Joe knew that sometimes there were gold shipments on the train because he had heard Pa and Adam talk about it.  He figured maybe that was what the men were stealing.  He hoped that they would hurry and take the gold and then maybe they would leave. For approximately half an hour, nothing much seemed to happen.  Several men with guns and mean faces came back and forth through that train car to the car behind them.  After about half an hour, the door opened to the front of the car and another man walked through.  Joe’s face froze when he got a good look at the man.  It was the man with the scar on his face that he had seen in Sheriff Coffee’s jail that morning--the man that said he may do to him what he did to the woman who cut him.  Again Joe wished that he had listened to his father.  Thinking of his father gave him a boost of courage, because he knew that his father and brothers would be looking for him.  He was confident that no matter how angry his father would be at him for getting on the train without permission, his father wouldn’t stop until he found him.  Realizing that his family was probably already looking for him made him feel better.

One of the little girls that he had talked to earlier that day, looked at him and whispered, “What do you think they are going to do with us?”  Joe looked at her and summoning every bit of courage he had, he responded, “My Pa and brothers are gonna come get us.  We don’t have nothin’ to worry about.”  The little girl looked dubious, but she smiled at him. Joe noticed that she was maybe a little taller than he was, but she had a pretty smile, pretty brown hair, and freckles across her face.  “What’s your name?” Joe asked her, returning her smile.  “My name is Melody Spooner and this is my sister, Beverly and my brother, Richard, and that is my cousin, Libby.”  she said indicating the three other children with her .  “Only we call them Bev and Richie.  My Daddy told me you are Little Joe Cartwright and you live on the Ponderosa.” She said.  “How did your Daddy know who I was?” he asked, surprised, since he hadn’t recognized her.  “Well I think my Daddy knows your Daddy or something.” She said.  That was no surprise actually since Pa seemed to know just about everybody in the whole territory of Nevada.

The children realized that the train was slowly starting to move, then all the men who had been in the other car quickly came into the car. The man with the scar on his face strode through to the other car, barely glancing at the children.  Joe breathed a sigh of relief, he was terrified that the man would remember him. One of the younger children started crying when they realized the train was moving and Joe and Melody  did their best to quiet him.  The man at the back of the train said, "Shut that kid up." The man sitting closest to the children just looked at them but didn't say anything.

The younger children were becoming increasingly restless and harder to console, despite Joe's and Melody 's efforts to quiet them.  The two older Chinese girls tried to help but they seemed to be as terrified or even more terrified than the other children.  Joe spoke to them in Hop Tseng's language trying to see how much they understood of what was going on.  They understood some of what he said, but he wasn't sure how much.  The youngest children, Bev and Richie were becoming louder and louder and were beginning to cry for their mother.  "Melody , I am hungry" Bev said plaintively.  "I want my mommy." Richie echoed.  Joe wished that they hadn't mentioned being hungry, as he had realized that he was hungry too.  Being hungry made him think of Hop Tseng, and thinking of Hop Tseng made him even more homesick.  He wondered where his Pa and brothers were now. He hoped they were looking for him.  He had a fleeting thought that maybe this time his Pa would be so mad at him for disobeying that he wouldn't come after him.  This thought was rapidly chased away by the memory of his father's bear hugs---his Pa would come for him. He was sure of it.

The door to the car opened and two more men came in and told the other two men that they would stay there so they could go get some grub and coffee.   The two men who had been there got up and left hurriedly through the door.  The children didn't know it, but the two who just left had been the nicest of the whole gang.  The two who replaced them both sat down at the front of the train and stared at the children.  When one of the younger children made a sniffling noise, the man sitting next to them, snarled at him, and said, "Shut up afore I throw you off the train." This naturally made the all three of the younger children start to cry.  Both men laughed.  They seemed to take pleasure in scaring the children.  "I hear tell there is a good price to be had from selling children to the Piautes."  One said to the other one, loudly.  "Especially the lit 'uns, they make a stew out of 'em I hear."  Upon hearing this the three younger children all started to cry for their mothers, again making the men laugh.  Melody  tried to quiet the children, talking to them quietly, but she was crying herself and seeing her crying, made them cry even louder.  "I thought I told you to shut up" the man yelled, coming toward them as if he were going to kick one of them.  Joe, unable to stand the man being so mean to the little children, stood up and got in front of the children, "You leave them alone, Mr." He said, standing between the children and the man.  Hearing this, the other man laughed out loud, which seemed to further enrage the other man.  He looked closely at Joe for the first time and said, "And who do you think you are, you little pipsqueak? With a snarl in his voice.   "You just leave them alone." Joe repeated, a little more loudly this time.  The other children were fascinated by  Joe's actions, they stopped crying and watched him in fear of what the man would do.  The man continued to stare at Joe, who stood there staring back into the eyes of the man, despite the rapid beat of his heart.  The man suddenly took a step back and then swiftly kicked Joe with his left foot, sending him flying across the train into the wall beside the other children.  Hitting the wall of the train, Joe was momentarily stunned and didn't move.  The man came over as if to kick him again, but instead, he got down right into his face and said, "I'll bet the Piautes will pay top dollar for you, boy.  I aim to find that out."  With that, he turned and went back across the aisle and sat down and stared at the children.

"Joe, are you alright?" Melody  moved over to where Joe was lying.  The man had kicked him in the abdomen, and he was lying there, trying to get his breath.  He nodded his head, blinking back the tears in his eyes, unable to speak for several minutes.  Finally, he said, "I'm okay, Melody , it didn't hurt much."  The younger children had started whimpering again and despite the efforts of Melody  and the Chinese girls, and seeing what had happened to Joe, they were unable to stop.  As Joe was lying on his side, he became aware that he was lying on  something in his jacket pocket.  He reached in to see what it was and found the bag of candy that Adam had bought for him that morning.  It seemed like it had been such a long time ago then.  Joe pulled the candy out and gave it to Melody  and said, "Here, give 'em a piece of candy."  Melody  took the proffered candy and said, "Thanks, Joe, that will help keep 'em quiet."  "I know" Joe said, "when my brother wants to talk to a girl, he buys me candy so I won't bother 'em." He said with a smile.

As the children were eating the candy, the door opened again and another man came into train car.  Joe looked up and saw the man---it was that giant man with the mean eyes and the ugly red scar on his face.  Joe felt a chill run along his body at the sight of the man.  The man's words from this morning repeated in his mind, "You shoulda seen what I done to her, yessiree, you shoulda seen what I done to her. I might do the same to you one day."  Joe hoped that the man wouldn't notice him, but he found himself unable to take his eyes off of his face.  The man spoke with the other two men about something that Joe couldn't understand.  Something about poker he thought, though it didn't make sense.  The man kept pointing towards the children and saying something about an ace in the hole.  Although he didn't know how to play poker, he had lately started hanging out at the bunkhouse whenever he could get away without his father seeing him to watch the ranch hands play poker.  That is why he thought they were talking about poker, he kept saying something an ace in the hole.  Joe didn't understand though because he couldn't see anyone playing poker and why did he keep pointing at them.

The men were talking louder and louder, obviously one of  the men disagreed with what the big man was saying.  Everyone's attention was on the two men arguing.