The Price of Friendship
It was the smoke curling above the trees that caught the posse’s attention. “Look over there” shouted Adam Cartwright, pointing toward the smoke.
“I see it, Adam,” answered Sheriff Roy Coffee.
“Do you reckon he’s hit another place?” Hoss Cartwright asked his brother.
“I don’t know,” answered Adam grimly. “I hope not.”
“If he has, that four places in the last two weeks,” said Joe Cartwright.
"We’d best go check it
out,” said the sheriff. “Boys, let’s head toward that smoke,”
he shouted to the dozen or so men sitting on their horses around him. The
posse turned their horses, and headed in the direction of the smoke. The posse
moved slowly through the thick growth of trees and bushes. The men were in the
hill country, where the natural growth was dense. They had been resting on the
crest of a bluff when Adam spotted the smoke. Now they headed down into the
woods below them, carefully guiding their horses around the tall pines. It look
the posse almost an hour to reach
the source of the smoke. When they arrived, they knew they were too late.
A small area of land had been cleared of trees and brush, and what was
once a cabin sat on the edge of the clearing. Near the structure, a corral stood
empty. The cabin was burning and obviously had been for some time. All that was
left was the stone chimney and a few pieces of the frame. The rest of building
was now smoking logs and ashes. Flames licked through the wood. Scattered in
front of the burning cabin were a few of its owner’s possessions. A bible laid
open on the ground, it’s pages flickering in the wind. A wooden keg with its
top smashed was a foot or so from the bible. A small iron chest laid open
nearby.
“This is Fred Thompson’s place, isn’t it?” asked Sheriff Coffee
as the men rode up to the cabin.
“Yes,” answered Adam, looking around. “I don’t see him any place,
though.”
“If he’s like the others, he’ll be tied up in the woods,” said
Hoss.
“A couple of you boys put that fire out,” ordered the sheriff. “The
rest of you spread out and start searching the area. Look for a man tied up.
Also look for tracks.”
Three men dismounted and started throwing dirt on the burning cabin. The
rest of the posse scattered back into the woods, moving slowly.
“Whoever is doing this really likes destroying things,” remarked Joe
as he headed into the woods with his brothers.
“It’s got to be one man,” insisted Adam. “He’s only hitting the
small places. And there’s only been one set of tracks leading away from each
place.”
“Yeah, but those tracks keep petering out,” said Hoss. “We ain’t
never found enough of a trail to follow.”
“Well, whoever it is, he’s looted and burned four places now,”
continued Joe. “I wonder how long he’s going to keep this up.”
“Just keep your eyes peeled for Thompson,” said Adam. “He’s the
important thing now. We can wonder about who
did it later.”
“Right,” replied Joe in a serious tone.
The Cartwrights hadn’t ridden very far when Hoss saw the red-shirted
arm sticking out of the thick green foliage. “There he is,” said Hoss,
pointing at the splash of red. The Cartwrights quickly guided their horses
toward the patch of red Hoss had spotted. They dismounted and pushed aside the
bushes. A man about 40 laid on the ground. He was wearing a patched red shirt and
brown pants held up by thick suspenders. His hands and feet were tied with
rawhide strips, and a blue bandanna was wrapped around his mouth. The man’s
eyes were closed, as if he were sleeping.
Adam quickly pulled a pocket knife from the front pocket of his pants. He
unbent the knife and sliced the strips from the man’s hands and feet. Hoss
untied the gag from the man’s head, and slowly turned the face toward him.
Hoss could see a small area of blood matting the man’s thick black hair.
“Is he alive?” asked Joe as he stood watching his brothers.
Hoss felt the man’s neck. “Yeah,” he answered. “Get me some
water, Joe.”
Joe hurried back to the horses and grabbed a canteen off his saddle. He
walked back to his brothers, tossing the canteen to Hoss when he got there.
Hoss was cradling the man’s head and shoulders in his left arm. He
picked up the canteen that had landed at his feet, and pulled the top off with
his teeth. He began trickling water down the man’s face.
For a few seconds, the man had no reaction. Then a low groan escaped from
his lips. Hoss put the canteen back on the ground as the man began moving slowly
and moaning louder.
“Take it easy, Fred,” said Adam as he crouched near Hoss.
The man moaned again and then his eyes flickered open. He blinked several
times, as if trying to clear his vision. “Cartwright?” he said in a weak
voice.
“Yeah, it’s Adam Cartwright,” answered Adam.
The man groaned once more and then sat up. He grabbed his head and
squinted in pain. “What happened?” Thompson asked.
“That’s what we were going to ask you,” said Hoss.
Thompson shook his head. “Don’t know,” he replied. “I heard a
banging on the door and I went outside to look. That’s the last thing I
remember.”
Adam glanced up at Joe. What Thompson had described was exactly the same
thing as the other three men who were attacked had said.
“What brought you boys up here?” asked Thompson. “Not that I
ain’t grateful, but this isn’t exactly your normal stomping grounds.”
Joe looked at Adam, who nodded slightly. “We were riding with the posse
and saw the smoke,” Joe said.
“Smoke? What smoke?” asked Thompson.
“From your cabin,” said Hoss as gently as he could.
“My cabin!” cried Thompson in alarm. He scrambled to his feet but
stopped as his knees began to buckle. Hoss rose and grabbed his arm.
“Take it easy, Fred,” Hoss
said. “You got quite a lump on your head.”
“Never mind that,” Thompson spat out. “I got to get to my cabin.”
He brushed off Hoss’ hand and started walking unsteadily through the woods.
The Cartwrights watched him for a minute. “He’s not going to like
what he’ll find,” said Hoss in a grim tone.
“Come on,” said Adam. “Let’s follow him.”
Adam, Hoss and Joe walked back to their horses and grabbed the reins.
They walked the animals slowly through the woods, following Thompson’s trail.
They emerged from the woods a few minutes later.
Adam walked up and put his hand on Thompson’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,
Fred,” he said. “It was like this when we got here.”
“Who’d want to do this to me?” moaned Thompson.
“I don’t know,” said Adam. “We think the same man hit three other
places. The same thing happened. The owners were tied up and dragged into the
woods. The cabins were looted and burned to the ground.”
“But why?” Thompson said. “I don’t have much. Maybe forty dollars
and a rifle with some silver scroll my father gave me. The rest, it couldn’t
be worth more than twenty, thirty dollars.”
“I don’t know,” Adam repeated. He looked over his shoulder toward
his brothers. “You’d better signal the rest of the posse.”
Joe nodded and pulled his gun from his holster. He fired twice into the
air. Hoss walked up to Thompson. “We’ll help you rebuild it,” Hoss said
in a comforting tone. Thompson shook his head. “No, I ain’t gonna stay here,” the man
answered. “I can’t stay here. Everything I owned was in that place.” He
looked around. “That buzzard even took my horse.”
Hoss looked at Adam. Adam shrugged his shoulders. “What will you do?”
asked Hoss.
“Guess I’ll go to Virginia City,” said Thompson in a discouraged
voice. “Find me a job and make some money. Then I’m getting out of this
territory.”
The sound of horses drew the Cartwrights’ attention. The rest of the
posse rode out of the woods from several directions.
“See you found him,” said Roy Coffee as he rode up. “You all right,
Fred?”
“No, I ain’t all right,” answered Thompson in a low voice.
Coffee looked at Adam in surprise. Adam quickly told the sheriff
everything Fred had said.
“You find any tracks?” asked Joe.
Coffee shook his head. “Same as before,” he answered. “We found the
tracks of one man riding a horse and leading another. We followed them for
awhile but they disappeared. Looks like they were brushed out. We headed in the
same direction, but the ground got hard and rocky. No way to follow any tracks
after that.”
Adam glanced at the sky. “It’s getting late,” he said, looking at
the sun. “We’d better head back to the ranch.” He turned to Thompson.
“You’re welcome to stay with us for a while, if you want.”
“Thanks, Cartwright, but I’d rather not,” replied Thompson. “I
just want to get as far away from this place as possible.” He turned toward
Roy Coffee. “Sheriff, can I ride into town with you?”
“Sure thing,” said Coffee. “You can climb on behind Andy there. His
horse can carry two.”
Thompson nodded his thanks and started toward a man on a big gray horse.
As Thompson mounted, Joe hurried toward the cabin. He picked the bible off the
ground and walked toward the gray horse.
“Here,” said Joe, handing the Bible to Thompson as the man settled on
the back of the horse.
Joe nodded in sympathy.
“I’ll have a posse out here again tomorrow,” Coffee said as the men
started to ride away. “Adam, will you and Hoss and Joe meet us here?”
Adam nodded grimly. “We’ll be here,” he said. “We’ll meet you
here about ten o’clock. We’ve got some chores to take care of at the ranch
first.”
Coffee nodded. “Ten o’clock, it is,” he said. “Thank you for the
help.” The sheriff turned his horse and followed the rest of the posse.
The Cartwrights stood in silence for a few moments, watching the riders.
Finally, Adam sighed. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s head for home.”
***************
Ben Cartwright was coming out of the barn when his sons rode into the
yard in front of the ranch house. He yelled a greeting
and hurried toward them.
“Did you have any luck?” Ben asked.
“Yeah, all bad,” answered Hoss. “We didn’t find a trace of that
yahoo who has been causing all the trouble. And Fred Thompson’s place was
robbed and burned.”
“Fred Thompson?” said Ben in alarm.
“Is he all right?
“Well, he’s not hurt,” answered Adam. “But he lost everything.
Like the others, he’s going to pack up and clear out.”
“Why would he go after
Thompson?” said Ben with a frown. “I wouldn’t think he had much worth
stealing.”
“He didn’t,” replied Adam. “About forty dollars and a rifle with
some silver on it.”
Ben shook his head. “I don’t understand,” he said. “Whoever is
doing this can’t be getting much. He’s hit two small farms, a mine which was
barely producing, and now a hunter without much money. Why would he do it?”
“I don’t know, Pa,” said Adam with a sigh. “I just can’t figure
it out.”
The snicker of a horse drew the four men’s attention. They turned to
see a rider coming slowly toward the house. The rider was a big man, wearing a
buckskin shirt trimmed with fringe and dark pants. The man had a gray beard, and
long gray hair which curled over the collar of his shirt.
A black hat with a wide brim was perched firmly on his head. Ben looked at the man curiously. “Can I help you?” he asked as the
rider neared the house.
“Ben Cartwright, I’m surprised at you,” the man said. “I thought
you’d recognize an old friend. I didn’t know you’d gone soft in the head
in your old age.”
Ben stared at the man for a moment with a puzzled expression. Suddenly,
his face cleared. “Josh!” Ben shouted with glee. “Josh Bodine! Is it
really you?”
The man grinned and dismounted. “Yeah, it’s me, Ben,” he said.
“Still alive and kicking.”
Ben rushed forward and grabbed the man’s hand. “Josh,” he said with
a huge smile on his face. “I can’t believe it. It’s good to see you
again.”
“Good to see you, too, Ben,” Josh replied. He looked around. “You
really did a nice job building up this spread. Last time I saw it, it weren’t
more than a few acres with a shack.”
“It’s because of you that the Ponderosa even exists,” said Ben.
“If you hadn’t helped me get started and showed me how to get through the
winter, I would have never made it here.”
“Looks like you learned pretty good,” said Josh.
“The Ponderosa is the biggest --
and best – ranch in Nevada,” Ben said proudly. “Thanks to you.”
Josh just nodded.
Ben turned back to his sons who were watching the two old friends in
amazement. “Boys, come over here and say hello to Josh Bodine, the best
mountain man in the West. When I first got out here, Josh helped me settle this
land and showed me how to find good grazing. He also taught me a lot about
hunting and fishing.”
Adam hurried forward. “I remember, “ he said with a smile. “I’m
Adam.”
Josh squinted at him. “Adam?” he said. “Little Adam? You sure have
grown up. Last time I saw you, you were skinny little kid who always had his
nose stuck in a book.”
“Well, I still read a lot,” Adam said with a grin. “But I also hunt
and fish like you taught me.”
Ben gestured toward Hoss. “And this is Hoss. He was hardly more than a
toddler when you left,” said Ben.
Josh looked in amazement at the big man who walked toward him. “Hoss!
This can’t be that chubby kid who was always following me around,” the
mountain man said.
“Yep, it’s me,” said Hoss with a grin. “I never forgot you, Josh.
I played with that toy bear you carved for me for years. I always told Pa I
wanted to be big and strong like you when I grew up.”
Josh looked Hoss up and down. “Looks like you passed me up and then
some,” he said with a laugh.
Joe approached the group almost shyly. He had heard stories about Josh
Bodine all his life, but the man was more like a legend than a flesh and blood
human being to him. Joe found it hard to believe he really existed.
“And this is my youngest, Joseph,” Ben said, putting his arm around
Joe’s shoulders. “He was born after you left.”
Josh studied Joe carefully. “The runt of the litter, heh,” Josh said
in a dismissing tone. “Didn’t know you’d married again, Ben.”
Ben felt Joe stiffen. He knew how sensitive Joe was about being younger
and smaller than his brothers. Josh’s comment was sure to get Joe’s back up.
“Yes, I married again,” Ben said abruptly, trying to prevent Joe from
saying anything his son would regret later. “Joe’s mother was killed in an
accident soon after he was born.”
“Must have been a puny thing,” Josh said, turning away from Joe.
Ben felt Joe’s shoulders tighten. He squeezed Joe’s shoulder as a
warning. “Josh, what brings you back here?” Ben asked quickly. Ben could
feel the anger building in his youngest son.
“Just passing through, Ben,” Josh answered, unaware of the dark look
on Joe’s face. “Been in California for the last couple of years, but it’s
gotten too crowded there. Why, you can’t ride for more than a day without
running into someone. So I decided to look for someplace where a man can live on
his own. Since I was passing this way, I thought I’d stop and visit for a
spell.”
Ben squeezed Joe’s shoulder again and then released his son. “Josh,
why don’t you come into the house,” Ben said. “Dinner will be ready soon.
And maybe we can find some good whiskey for you to sip in the meantime.”
“Well, thank you, Ben,” Josh said with a grin. “I was kinda of
hoping you’d ask.” Josh tossed the reins of his horse in Joe’s direction.
“Here, boy, why don’t you put up my horse. I don’t expect a young ‘un
like you is much interested in whiskey.”
Joe stood glowering Bodine. He let the reins fall to the ground and made
no attempt to pick them up.
“Adam, Hoss, why don’t you take Josh in the house,” Ben said
hastily. “I’ll join you in a minute.”
“Sure,” said Hoss, aware of the angry look on Joe’s face. He felt
bad about Josh’s comments, but was sure the man hadn’t meant to be cruel.
“Josh, follow me.”
The mountain man strolled toward the house with Adam and Hoss, ignoring
Joe as he passed him. Ben watched in dismay. Ben turned to Joe. “Joe, I’m
sorry about what Josh said,” Ben said softly. “I’m sure he didn’t mean
them the way they sounded.”
Joe said nothing for a moment, then looked at Ben. “So that’s Josh
Bodine,” he said. “He’s not exactly what I expected. I thought he’d be
at least ten feet tall.”
“I guess we have been building him up over the years,” admitted Ben.
“But, Joe, he is one of my oldest friends. I owe him a lot. Adam and Hoss and
I would have never made it through that first winter here without him.”
Joe just nodded.
“He’s a rough mountain man,” Ben continued. “Says and does
whatever he wants and doesn’t care what people think about him. He doesn’t
always realize how he’s hurting people. He gave me many a tongue-lashing when
I first came out here.”
A wry smile appeared on Joe’s face. “I would have loved to have seen
that,” Joe said.
Ben grinned. “I’m just glad you weren’t around to see all the
mistakes I made when I got here,” he said. Then Ben turned serious. “Joe, I
would appreciate your forgetting what Josh said.”
Joe looked at his father. “All right,” he said grudgingly. “For
your sake, I’ll try.”
Ben patted Joe on the back. “Thank you,” he said. “Would you mind
putting up Josh’s horse?”
Joe nodded. “Yeah, I’ll take care of the horse,” Joe said. He
grinned suddenly. “Maybe you can find me a sasperilla when I’m done.”
“Oh, I think we can do a little better than that,” replied Ben with a
smile. “And, Joe, thank you again.”
Joe walked back to the house slowly after stabling Josh’s horse. He had
taken his time caring the for horse, reluctant to join the men inside the house.
As Ben asked, he tried to forget the mountain man’s earlier comments, but it
rankled Joe to be dismissed as a kid. He had just turned twenty, and considered
himself grown. Josh’s comment about his mother bothered him also. Joe tried to
make himself like the man who was obviously highly thought of by his father and
brothers. But he knew it would be difficult. He had already decided Josh Bodine
was someone he didn’t care to be around. Joe entered the house and saw that Josh was sprawled in Ben’s favorite
chair by the fire. The mountain man had a glass of whiskey in his hand. Ben was
standing near the fireplace, with a glass in his hand also. Adam and Hoss were
sitting on the sofa. They looked over their shoulders as Joe walked in.
“Joe, how about joining us for a whiskey?” Ben said pointedly as Joe
strolled over to the group.
Josh raised his eyebrows in surprise as Joe walked over to the low table
in front of the fireplace. But he said nothing as Joe poured himself a small
drink of whiskey from the bottle on the table.
“Josh was just telling us about California,” Hoss said as he watched
Joe settle himself into the blue chair near the stairs. He hoped Josh wouldn’t
say anything more to upset Joe. He wanted his younger brother to like the
mountain man as much as he did.
“What part of California were you in?” Joe asked politely, sipping
his drink.
“All over,” Josh said. “Saw the ocean more times than you can
imagine. Also saw some trees that were as wide as this house and over a hundred
feet tall.”
“You’re making that up,” said Adam with a grin.
“No, I ain’t,” Josh said. “They’re big redwood trees, hundreds
of years old.” Then Josh shook his head. “Course, folks have cut some
down,” he added in disgust. “It ain’t right the way some people just come
in and spoil what nature took a hundred years to make.”
“Well, it’s unfortunate that some of the land has to be cleared,”
said Ben. “But I guess that’s the price of progress.”
“Progress!” Josh spat out. “Ain’t progress, Ben. Just laziness.
People don’t care what they do to the land.”
“Where you headed?” said Hoss, trying to change the subject.
“No place in particular, “ Josh said. “I was thinking about staying
around here for a spell, but don’t think I’ll do that now.”
“Why not?” asked Adam.
“Seen what’s happened to this part of the country,” said Josh.
“Don’t like it much. Too many people.”
“You’re going to have a hard time finding someplace without
people,” said Joe wryly. “There’s new settlers coming all the time.”
“I know,” said Josh wearily. “Them tenderfoots are the worst. They
cut down trees and mess up the land. Then, when they decide they don’t like it
or they can’t make it work, they move on. And leave the spoiled land
behind.”
“Do you still do much hunting?” asked Ben.
“When I can,” said Josh. “Not much game left. Things have been
pretty slim for me over the past couple of years. That’s why I’m trying to
find someplace where I can hunt like I did before.”
“Well, I hope you’ll plan on spending a little time with us,” said
Adam.
Josh looked at him and smiled. “I guess I can spare a few days,” he
said.
Dinner was a lively affair for most of the Cartwrights. Josh kept them
laughing with stories of his adventures over the years. Ben added to the gaiety
by telling them stories of his first few years in Nevada, and all the problems
he had. Josh added a few stories of his own about the early days. Joe sat quietly during dinner, saying nothing and only occasionally
joining in the laughter. He still didn’t feel good about Josh Bodine. Josh,
for his part, ignored Joe completely.
“Josh, I hope you’ll stay with us,” said Ben as dinner ended.
“Well, I’ll stay tonight since it’s getting late. But I got a
little camp set up in the woods,” said Josh. “Got a few furs and other
things up there. Don’t want to leave it alone too long.” Josh turned to Adam
and Hoss. “You boys want to go hunting with me tomorrow?”
“Joe’s a pretty good hunter, too,” said Hoss hastily. Josh looked
at Joe and just nodded.
“We can’t go hunting anyway,” added Adam. “We have to ride with
the posse tomorrow.”
“Posse?” Josh said in surprise. “What’s that all about.”
“Somebody has been raiding the small places in the hills,” said Ben
grimly. “Looting the places and then burning them. We’re trying to help the
sheriff catch whoever is doing this.”
“You are?” said Josh. “Wouldn’t think that would be any of your
concern.”
“It is,” said Ben. “These are our neighbors, Josh. And one of the
things you taught me was you help each other out around here.”
Josh nodded thoughtfully.
“Hey, Josh, why don’t you come with us tomorrow?” asked Hoss.
“That’s a good idea,” said Adam. “We could use somebody who
really knows how to track. We haven’t had much luck finding a trail.”
“Maybe Josh would prefer to hunt tomorrow,” said Joe quietly. He was
dismayed at the thought of having Bodine ride with them.
“Nah, that’s all right,” said Josh. “Ain’t much hunting around
here. I already seen that. I’ll go with you boys and see what I can do to
help.”
“Great!” said Ben with a grin. “I’ll feel better if you’re
along to watch over my sons.”
“Ben, I’ll watch ‘em like a hawk,” promised Josh.
**********
Joe was up early the next
morning. He wanted to eat breakfast and start work before the others came down.
Mostly, he wanted to avoid having to spend more time with Josh Bodine. He knew
his dislike of the man was unreasonable, but something about the mountain man
rubbed him the wrong way. His father and brothers liked and admired Josh, and
Joe wished he felt the same way. But
he didn’t. So he decided the best course of action was just to avoid the man
as much as possible. He didn’t want to spoil what seemed to be a happy reunion
for the others. Joe was finishing repairing a
bridle in the tack room when he heard Hoss calling his name. “In here,” Joe
shouted as fixed the last straps of leather on the bridle. Hoss came into the
tack room a few minutes later.
“There you are, little
brother,” Hoss said. “I’ve been looking all over for you. We’re getting
ready to leave.”
“I’ll be with you in a
minute,” said Joe. He pulled on the bridle one more time to make sure the
repairs would hold and then hung it on a peg.
“We missed you at
breakfast,” said Hoss as he watched Joe.
“I had a lot to do,”
replied Joe with a shrug. “I wanted to get everything done before we rode
out.”
“You’re not still upset
over what Josh said yesterday, are you?” asked Hoss. When Joe didn’t answer,
Hoss continued. “He didn’t mean anything by it, Joe. That’s just his
way.”
Joe merely nodded.
“Josh is a good man,” Hoss
added. “And one of Pa’s oldest friends. I was hoping you’d like him.”
Joe brushed his hands on his
pants. “We’d better get going,” he said and walked past Hoss out the door.
Hoss sighed and followed his brother. Two hours later, the posse was
searching the hills for some sign of the man who had burned the four cabins.
Sheriff Coffee had been delighted when Adam introduced Josh to him and explained
who he was. He had heard stories about Josh Bodine over the years, and was happy
to have his help. The other men in the posse also knew of Josh Bodine. They
greeted the mountain man with respect.
The posse was spread out in
the hills, and Joe was riding by himself. He searched the ground carefully,
looking for tracks. So far, he had seen nothing suspicious. Joe pulled his horse
to a stop when he spotted some broken branches tossed carelessly into the
bushes. He dismounted and carefully studied the ground. The ground was swept clean, as
if someone had dragged the branches over their tracks.
Joe followed the marks of the branches, carefully guiding his horse
behind him so the animal wouldn’t walk on the brushing. He followed the marks
for several yards and was about to give up when he saw some hoof prints in a
patch of mud. The branches hadn’t wiped out the prints. More importantly, he
could tell the rider had doubled back and headed off to Joe’s right, into the
woods.
Joe pulled his gun from his
holster and fired two shots into the air. If the man they were seeking had made
the tracks, Joe knew it wasn’t a good idea to go after him alone. Joe waited patiently and soon
the rest of the posse joined him.
“Did you find something?”
asked Hoss as he rode up.
Joe nodded. “Found some
tracks,” he said. “Looks like someone tried to brush them out, but he missed
the ones in the mud. Not only that, but the man doubled back.” Joe pointed
into the woods. “Looks like he rode off in that direction.”
“Let me take a look,” said
Josh, dismounting. Josh walked over to Joe and knelt down, peering closely at
the tracks in the mud. After a minute, the mountain man stood.
“Them ain’t the tracks you
want,” he said, shaking his head. “Those are old tracks, maybe a week or
so.”
“They look pretty fresh to
me,” said Joe doubtfully.
“I’ve been tracking for
more than forty years,” Josh said indignantly. “I think I can tell fresh
tracks when I see them.”
Joe looked at the tracks
again. They still seem pretty fresh to him. “Maybe we ought to follow them
anyway,” he said. “Just to be sure.”
“Waste of time, boy” Josh
said. “More than likely just a hunter, maybe the fellow that got burned
out.”
“I still think we ought to
follow them,” Joe insisted.
“Joe, if Josh says those
aren’t the tracks we want, then they aren’t,” Adam said. He was sitting on
his horse, a few yards away.
“How can you be sure?”
argued Joe. “You haven’t even seen them.”
“Because Josh here is one of
the best trackers I know,” said Adam patiently. “Come on, we’re wasting
time. While we’re arguing, that outlaw could be getting away.”
“I agree with Adam,” said
Roy Coffee from his horse. “Let’s forget these tracks.”
Josh walked back to his horse
and mounted. “I’ve been thinking,” he said. “I think we should try the
other side of the ridge. There’s some places there where a fellow could hole
up. We ought to check those out.”
“Good idea,” said Coffee.
“Josh, why don’t you lead the way.”
The men in the posse turned
their horses and started away, following Josh through the trees. Hoss stopped
his horse and looked back at Joe. Joe was still staring off into the woods.
“Coming, little brother?” he asked.
Joe hesitated. He was sure he
was right and Josh was wrong about the tracks. But no one else agreed with him.
But he wasn’t confident enough to follow the tracks on his own. Finally, Joe
shrugged his shoulders and mounted his horse. “Yeah, I’m coming,” he said
reluctantly. The posse spent the rest of
the day searching out caves and clearings that Josh showed them. They found no
sign of anyone hiding there. Finally, Roy Coffee called a halt to the search.
“We’re getting nowhere,”
said the sheriff. “I think we’ll have to give it up.”
“We could go back and check
those tracks I found,” said Joe.
“Joe, will you quit about
those tracks!” said Adam heatedly. “Josh already told you that those were
too old.”
“But we haven’t found
anything else,” Joe argued. “It couldn’t hurt to look again.”
“Boy, I done told you those
weren’t the tracks we want,” Josh said.
“I agree with Josh,” said
the sheriff. “Joe, those tracks don’t mean a thing.”
“You didn’t even see
them,” Joe said bitterly.
“No, I didn’t,” replied
Coffee, his voice rising in anger. “I didn’t need to. If Josh Bodine says
those aren’t the tracks, that’s good enough for me.” The sheriff turned
back to the rest of the posse. “Thank you for looking,” he said. “I’ll
let you know if we find anything else. But for now, I’m going to call off the
search.”
The men nodded and started to
drift away. Coffee turned back to Bodine. “Josh, I appreciate your help,” he
said.
“Anytime,” the mountain
man said.
Coffee nodded and rode away.
Adam turned to Josh. “How
about having supper with us?” he asked.
Josh shook his head. “No,
I’d better go check on my camp,” he said. He looked at Joe, who was still
glowering. “Besides, I don’t think I’d be too welcome tonight.”
Hoss shifted uncomfortably in
his saddle. “Josh, you’re welcome anytime,” he said. “Ain’t that
right, Joe?”
Joe looked up at his brother
with a startled expression. He knew how much his brothers and father liked Josh.
Joe chewed his lip for a minute, then mumbled, “Yeah, you’re welcome to come
with us.” Joe didn’t wait for the mountain man’s reply. He turned his
horse and rode off.
“Don’t think that boy
likes me much,” Josh remarked as he watched Joe ride away.
“Aw, Joe just gets hot
sometimes,” said Hoss. “He’ll get over it.”
“How about it, Josh?”
pressed Adam. “Want to join us?”
Josh shook his head. “No, I
really do need to check on my camp,” he said. “And I want to do some hunting
tomorrow.” He grinned at Adam. “Want to come with me? As I recall, you were
a pretty good shot.”
Adam sighed. “I wish we could,” he said regretfully. “But riding
with the posse has really put us behind at the ranch. We have a lot to do
tomorrow.”
“Josh, how about joining us for dinner tomorrow night?” asked Hoss.
“I’ll bet I can talk Hop Sing into fixing some chicken and dumplings.”
“Chicken and dumplings, eh?” said Josh with a smile. “Why, Hoss, I
think I’ll just take you up on that. I really like chicken and dumplings.”
“Not as much as Hoss does,” said Adam with a wry smile. “He’ll
use any excuse to get Hop Sing to cook that meal.”
“Well, then, you’d better tell your cook to make a lot,” Josh said.
“Because between Hoss and me, there ain’t gonna be much left for the rest of
you.”
The men laughed. “See you tomorrow,” Hoss said with a wave. He and
Adam turned their horses and rode off. Josh watched them thoughtfully for a
minute, then turned his horse and rode in the other direction.
***********
The dinner table seemed quiet that night. It really wasn’t any quieter
than usual, but without Josh’s booming voice and amusing stories, the meal
seemed awfully tame. Hoss and Adam told Ben about the posse’s fruitless search
while Joe ate in silence. Ben shook his head. “It’s too bad that Josh couldn’t find any sign
of that man,” Ben said. “If Josh couldn’t find anything, my guess is the
fellow has pulled out.”
“We didn’t check out those tracks I found,” said Joe quietly.
“Joe, will you let up about those tracks,” said Adam in exasperation.
“What tracks?” asked Ben.
“I found some tracks near Willow Ridge,” explained Joe. “They
showed where someone doubled back and then rode off into the woods.”
“Why didn’t you follow them?” Ben asked.
“Pa, Josh said those tracks were too old,” replied Hoss. “He said
they had been there more than a week. Fred Thompson’s place was burned
yesterday.”
“I still think we should have followed them,” Joe said.
“Joe, if Josh said the tracks were too old, you would have been wasting
your time,” said Ben.
“I don’t think those tracks were a week old,” Joe said.
“Joe, why don’t you just admit you were wrong,” said Adam.
“Because I’m not wrong,” insisted Joe.
“You’ve had your back up about Josh ever since he got here,” said
Hoss. “You’re still mad about what he said.”
“No, it’s not that,” said Joe.
“Josh is one of the best trackers in the country,” said Ben. “I
find it hard to believe he could be wrong.”
“Pa, he could have made a mistake,” said Joe. “He’s not a young
man any more. Maybe his eyes aren’t as good as they used to be.”
“He’s not that much older than me,” said Ben, bristling at the
comment.
“Yeah, but your eyes are real good,” said Joe with a grin. “Too
good, sometimes.”
Ben laughed.
“It’s not just the tracks,” Joe continued, his voice growing
serious. “You heard what he said about people messing up the land.”
“What’s that got to do with anything?” asked Adam.
“We haven’t been able to figure out why someone would be burning out
those places,” said Joe. “Maybe it’s someone who has a grudge against
those people for spoiling the land.”
“You’re not saying Josh is doing this?” said Ben in alarm. “Joe,
I’ve known him for a long time. Josh isn’t the kind of man who would do
something like this.”
“Little brother, I think you’re letting your hot head get the better of you,” added Hoss.
“You’d better not say
something like that without proof.”
“I don’t have any proof,” admitted Joe. “Just a feeling.”
“Well, I think you’d better keep your feelings to yourself,” said
Ben in a stern voice. “I won’t have you accusing a guest of mine based on a
feeling.”
“Josh won’t take kindly to your calling him a thief,” added Adam.
“I’m not calling him a thief,” said Joe, his voice rising in anger.
“But I do think he was acting kind of strange today.”
“Strange?” said Adam, his voice also rising. “Why? Just because you
didn’t agree with him about the tracks. Don’t you think that’s a bit of a
stretch?”
“Joe, you don’t know those tracks were fresh,” added Hoss.
“Oh, now you’re getting in on it,” shouted Joe. “You didn’t
even bother to look. You just took the word of the mighty, can’t-do-anything
wrong Josh Bodine.”
“That’s enough!” Ben boomed. He slammed his hand on the table. “I
want you all to be quiet!”
Adam, Hoss and Joe all looked at their father. When he used that tone of
voice, they knew he meant business.
“Now, Joe,” Ben said, his a calmer voice. “You don’t know for
sure that Josh was wrong about those tracks.”
“But….”Joe started
“I said be quiet,” Ben said sternly. “You’ve had your say. Now
it’s my turn. You say you think Josh had something to do with those raids. But
you have no proof. Until you have something more substantial than a
‘feeling’, you will not say anything to anyone about this. Is that clear?”
“Yes sir,” Joe said in a low voice.
Joe lowered his eyes and stared at his plate.
“If you are finished eating, you may leave the table,” Ben continued,
his voice displaying his displeasure with his youngest son.
“Yes sir,” Joe repeated. He wiped his mouth with his napkin, and
threw the cloth on the table. Then he pushed back his chair and marched out of
the room. Ben watched Joe leave the table and climb the stairs to his bedroom. He
shook his head. “Joe really has it in for Josh, doesn’t he?” Ben said
sadly.
“He sure does,” said Adam.
“Aw, you know Joe,” Hoss said in a conciliatory voice. “He’ll get
over it.”
“Joe usually likes everyone,” Ben said. “I really thought he’d
like Josh, too. I don’t understand how he can accuse Josh of these raids.
Maybe it’s because he doesn’t know Josh as well as we do. If he did, he’d
see how outrageous his suggestion is that Josh might be involved.”
“Well, Joe can be stubborn sometimes,” said Adam. “Josh hurt his
feelings. Joe isn’t willing to forgive him.”
“I owe Josh a lot for helping us get started here,” said Ben firmly. “I’m not going to let Joe tarnish our friendship with his wild accusations. His friendship is too important to me.”
**********
The next day, Joe managed to find some work to do away from his father
and brothers. He was still fuming over the argument last night, feeling that he
had been treated unfairly. He decided that taking his anger out on fixing fences
was better…and wiser…than taking it out on his father. He pounded the nails
into the fence harder than usual, and with each stroke, felt his anger fading.
By the time he returned home in the middle of the afternoon, his temper had
cooled considerably. Joe rode back to the house, prepared to apologize to his family for his
outburst. However, he was surprised to Sheriff Coffee standing in the yard,
talking to Ben, Adam and Hoss when he rode in. Joe pulled his horse to a stop
and dismounted, looping the reins around the hitching post in front of the
house. Then he walked over to the men.
“Roy, what are you doing here?” he asked curiously.
“Hello, Joe,” Sheriff Coffee said. “I was just telling your Pa that
another place got hit by that outlaw today.”
“Another place?” Joe said in surprise. “Where?”
“Ed Brown’s place,” replied Coffee. Joe frowned, trying to remember
who Ed Brown was.
Coffee saw the frown. “He’s got a small farm up in the hills,”
explained the sheriff. “Been here only about a month or so. Just started
clearing the land.”
“Was it the same way as before?” asked Hoss.
“Same way,” said Coffee. “Ed was hit on the head as he came out of
his cabin. He woke up in the woods, tied up and gagged. Took him a couple of
hours to get loose. When he got back to the cabin, the place was burned to the
ground.”
Adam shook his head. “I just don’t understand it,” he said. “Who
could be doing this?”
“I don’t know, Adam,” admitted the sheriff. “Ed just got to town
a little while ago and told me about it. It’s too late to go looking for
tracks now. It’d be dark by the time we got out there. I was hoping you boys
would go with me tomorrow.”
“We’ll be there,” said Hoss. “Josh Bodine is coming to dinner
tonight. I’ll ask him to join us.”
“Good, we can use him,” said Coffee. He didn’t see the look of
distaste that crossed Joe’s face.
“Well, I’d better be getting back to town,” the sheriff said as he
walked toward his horse. “I’ll meet you boys up by Wilson’s Glen tomorrow
morning.” Adam and Hoss nodded.
Ben waved as Roy rode off, then turned to his sons. “You’d better get
cleaned up for dinner,” he said. “And Joe, I expect you to be civil to
Josh.”
Joe nodded and walked into the house.
“Pa, you don’t think Josh had anything to do with this, do you?”
asked Hoss in a worried voice.
Ben shook his head. “No, I don’t,” Ben said firmly.
Joe kept his promise and said nothing to upset the Cartwright’s guest
at dinner. In fact, he said nothing at all during the meal. He listened to Josh
boast of his hunting exploits and tell stories of his travel. He ate in silence
as Adam and Hoss tried to outdo each other with tales about Josh when they were
little. Ben added a few stories of his own. By the time the meal was over,
everyone except Joe was smiling. Josh finally noticed that Joe wasn’t joining in the merriment.
“What’s the matter, boy?” he asked. “Cat got your tongue?”
“Joe had a hard day,” said Ben quickly, tossing a meaningful look at
his youngest son. Joe just shrugged.
“Josh, we need you to go out with the posse again tomorrow,” Adam
said, changing the subject hastily.
“Oh?” said Josh. He waited for Adam to continue.
“Another farm in the hills was attacked today,” said Adam. “We’re
going with the posse tomorrow to look for tracks.”
“We could sure use you,” added Hoss.
“Sure, I’ll come for awhile,” said Josh. “I was planning on
leaving tomorrow, but I can spend the morning with you fellas if you want.”
“It’s too bad about those places in the hills,” Joe said pointedly.
“All those people are leaving. They got wiped out. And after they all spent
time working the land.”
“Serves ‘em right,” Josh said. “Spoiling the land, like that.
They deserve to get burned out.”
“Josh, I’m surprised to hear you say that,” Ben said. “I mean,
you helped me clear the land for the Ponderosa.”
“You’re different, Ben,” replied Josh. “You only cleared the
bottom land, not the hills.”
“But we have a timber operation in the hills,” said Adam.
“Yep, I’ve heard about it,” said Josh. “Every time you cut down a
tree, you plant another. These yahoo’s, they just cut down the trees and tear
up the hills. They don’t replace nothing.”
“Josh, you wouldn’t do anything about it, would you?” asked Hoss
with a frown.
“Me?” Josh said. He seemed startled that Hoss would ask such a
question. “No, I wouldn’t, Hoss,” Josh said quickly.
Hoss looked at Joe with a I-told-you-so expression. Joe gazed back as his
brother with a steady look in his eye.
“Josh, I’m sorry to hear you’re leaving,” said Ben, his voice
tinged with sadness.
“Got to, Ben,” he said. “I got to find me a place where I can hunt
and trap. Ain’t any place like that around here. Not any more, leastwise.”
Ben nodded. “You’re right about that,” he said. “But I was hoping
you’d visit with us a bit longer.”
“Been here for long enough, Ben,” answered Josh. “We’ll have a
nice long chat tonight, and tomorrow, I’ll ride out with your boys. I’ll try
and help them, then be on my way.”
“I’m sorry to see you go,” said Ben.
“Me, too,” replied Josh. “It’s been a real interesting visit.”
**********
Joe stayed in the barn while Ben was saying his farewells to Josh the
next morning. He knew how his father felt about the mountain man, and he
didn’t want to spoil things. He also knew he was happy to see Josh leaving.
Joe brushed his pinto hard, waiting for his brothers and Josh to leave.
He had decided not to go with them this morning and told Hoss to leave with out
him. Joe had other plans. Joe looked up as he heard the barn door open. Ben walked in and looked
around.
“Joe?” said Ben. “Are you in here?”
“Over here, Pa,” Joe answered from the stall.
Ben walked over to the stall, and looked in. He frowned as he saw Joe was
brushing his horse. “I thought Hoss said Cochise had a stone bruise,” he
said. “He said you were staying behind to take care of it.”
“That’s what I told Hoss,” answered Joe, as he put the brush on the
edge of the stall. He picked up a saddle and blanket and threw them over the
pinto. Then he started buckling the girth.
“I don’t understand,” Ben said. “If your horse has a stone
bruise, why are you saddling him?”
Joe turned to Ben. “I told Hoss a little white lie,” he admitted.
“Cochise is fine. I just didn’t want to ride with the posse today.”
“Because of Josh,” Ben said, not really asking a question.
Joe nodded.
“Joe, I wish you would get it out of your head that Josh is somehow
mixed up with these attacks,” Ben said.
“Pa, I know how you feel about him,” answered Joe. “But I know how
I feel, too. There’s just too many coincidences.”
“Coincidences?” said Ben.
“The attacks didn’t start until Josh showed up,” said Joe.
“That’s not true,” said Ben. “He arrived at the Ponderosa after
the Thompson place was attacked.”
“We don’t know when Josh got here,” said Joe. “He said he had
some furs from hunting. He could have been here for weeks before he came by the
house. He deliberately led the posse away from those tracks I found. And
yesterday, when he wasn’t with us, the Brown place was burned.”
“Joe…” Ben started.
“Pa, I know what you’re going to say,” Joe interrupted. “Josh
Bodine is a fine man. He helped you get started. He’s your friend, as well as
Adam’s and Hoss’. And I don’t have any proof. Well, I’m going up to
Willow Creek and follow those tracks I saw. Maybe that will lead me to some
proof.”
Ben shook his head. “Joe, I think you’re wrong,” he said. “I’ve
known Josh Bodine for a long time. He would never do something like this.”
“And you haven’t seen him for more than twenty years,” replied Joe.
“Pa, people change. You heard Josh at dinner last night, what he said about
those people getting what they deserve.”
“Yes, and I also heard him say he wouldn’t do anything like this,”
Ben said.
“You don’t expect him to admit it, do you?” Joe said. “He’s
said a couple of times how much he resents people tearing up the land. You heard
Adam say he couldn’t figure out why this fellow is raiding the small places. I
think it’s because he resents the homesteaders taking away his wilderness. The
way Josh resents them.”
Ben hesitated. He didn’t know what to say.
Joe led his horse out of the stall. “I’m going up to Willow Creek and
look around,” he said. “Maybe I’ll find nothing. But maybe I’ll find
something to show you that you’re all wrong about Josh Bodine.”
Ben watched as Joe led his horse out of the barn, and mounted in the
yard. He was thinking about what Joe said as his son rode off. Ben frowned. Joe
is wrong, he thought. I’m sure Joe is making a mistake. However, a small seed of doubt
had been planted in Ben. But what if he’s not, Ben thought. He quickly
dismissed the thought. He was convinced he knew Josh Bodine well enough to know
he couldn’t be involved in these raids. Suddenly, another thought
struck Ben. What if Josh and Joe ran into each other up on Willow Ridge? Ben
knew that Josh would react badly if Joe accused him of attacking those small
holdings. The confrontation could get ugly. Ben knew how tough the mountain man
was. He had seen Josh Bodine take on five men single handed and beat them all.
Joe wouldn’t stand a chance against him alone.
*************
Joe rode rapidly to Willow Creek, wanting to get there while Josh was
still with the posse. He felt bad about what he had said to his father, but only
because it distressed Ben. He was sure he was right about Josh Bodine. He hoped
he could find something to tie Josh to the attacks. If so, he wanted to have a
posse with him when they arrested Bodine. He had no desire to try and take the
man in all by himself. Joe quickly found the muddy patch where he had seen the tracks. He
started off into the woods, in the direction the tracks pointed. The tracks
disappeared after a few feet, but Joe wasn’t surprised. If Bodine was making
the tracks, he would try to hide them. Joe kept riding further into the woods, looking for signs. He was about
to admit defeat when he saw some new tracks. It was apparent no one tried to
hide these markings. Probably the rider thought no one would follow him this
deep into the wilderness. Joe followed the tracks for almost half a mile. He pulled his horse to a
stop when he saw the camp ahead of him. A small shelter, open on three sides, was built into the hill. A large
piece of canvas, supported by two tall poles, covered the rough lean-to.
The remains of a campfire sat a yard or so in front of the shelter.
Joe dismounted and tied his horse to a branch. He pulled his gun from his
holster and looked around cautiously. The camp seemed deserted. Joe walked slowly toward the shelter, looking around as he walked. No one
seemed to be in the camp. Joe could see two bundles of furs, a canvas sack, and
a rifle inside the shelter. He crept closer, his senses alert for any sound.
Joe ducked inside the shelter, and put his gun back in his holster. He
picked up the rifle and looked at it carefully. The rifle has some silver
scrolls on the stock…just like Fred Thompson had described his rifle. Joe put
the rifle down and knelt beside the canvass sack. He pulled it open and started
looking through the things inside. It was filled with camping gear – a plate,
cup, coffee pot -- and what looked
like some bags of coffee and beans.
Joe dug further into the sack and pulled out a small leather pouch, the kind
with a flap coming over the top to close it. Joe opened the flap. Inside were
some papers and some money. Joe pulled the papers out and started looking
through them. All were receipts for the sale
of a horse to a stable over in Gold Hill. There were five receipts in all. Joe
remember that each of the five places that were ransacked had horses stolen. He
looked at the names on the bills of sale. Each bill of sale had the named Josh
Bodine as the individual who had sold the horse. Joe smiled in satisfaction. He stuffed the papers inside his jacket and
put the pouch back into the sack. Then he picked up the rifle. Joe felt he had
the proof he needed to have Josh Bodine arrested.
Joe stood and walked out of the lean-to. He was heading back toward his
horse when he heard the sound of a rifle being cocked. He was starting to pull
his gun out of his holster when the shot rang out. Joe felt a blow to his ribs
that spun him around. He felt a searing pain in the left side of his chest as he
hit the ground. He pushed his right hand against the dirt, trying desperately to
get to his feet, but fell back to the ground as a wave of intense pain radiated
through him. Joe wanted to get into the safety of the bushes, knowing his
attacker must be near. He tried again to move his body. But the pain was too
great. He struggled against the feeling of weakness which was beginning to
overwhelm him but the effort was futile. Finally, he gave up the struggle and
let himself sink into a pool of blackness.
Josh Bodine pushed the branches aside and walked out of the woods. He
walked slowly toward Joe, looking around for anyone else who might be with Joe.
Satisfied that Joe was alone, he walked over to the body on the ground. Joe was
sprawled on his back, and his eyes were closed. Blood was oozing out of a wound
in the area of Joe’s ribs. Josh nudged Joe with his toe and was surprised to hear a small groan.
Must be getting old, he thought. Used to be he could count on only needing one
shot to kill his prey. Josh aimed his rifle at Joe’s head and levered a bullet
into the chamber. I’ll finish this once and for all, and then head out, he
thought.
“Hold it!” a voice cried as Josh aimed his rifle at Joe’s head.
Josh looked up in surprise. Ben Cartwright was standing about ten yards away,
his pistol cocked and aimed directly at Josh.
“Drop it, Josh!” Ben shouted. “Drop it right now!”
Josh continued to stand over Joe, rifle aimed downward.
“I don’t think so, Ben,” said Josh evenly.
“Drop the rifle or I’ll shoot,” Ben shouted.
“We have an interesting situation here, Ben,” Josh said. “The
question is, can you kill me before I pull this trigger. Because if you don’t,
I’m going to blow your son’s head off.”
Ben hesitated, not sure what to do. He didn’t even know if Joe was
still alive.
“If you shoot me, I swear I’ll kill him,” Josh continued. Josh nudged Joe with his foot.
Joe groaned softly. “He’s
still alive, Ben, but he won’t be if you shoot,” Josh said in a even tone.
“If you want your son to stay alive, you drop your gun.”
Ben continued to hesitate. “If I drop my gun, you’ll kill Joe
anyway,” Ben said.
“No, I won’t,” Josh replied. “You drop your gun, and I won’t
shoot. But if you fire, I swear
I’ll kill the boy.
Ben looked at Joe, lying on the ground, bleeding and helpless. “How do
I know you won’t kill him anyway?” Ben asked.
“I give you my word, Ben,” Josh said. “You drop your gun, and I
promise I won’t shoot him again. I may be a lot of other things, but I ain’t
a liar. My word is still good. I ain’t sunk so low as to go back on that.”
Ben continued to hesitate, still
unsure what to do. He was afraid if he dropped his gun, Josh would kill Joe. But
he also knew if he fired and didn’t kill Josh instantly, Josh would also fire
his rifle…right into Joe’s head.
“What we got here is a Mexican stand-off,” Josh said. “Now as far
as I’m concerned, we can stand here all day. But your boy is bleeding pretty
bad. While we’re standing here talking, he could bleed to death.”
Ben looked closer at Joe. He could see a large patch of dark red
spreading over Joe’s shirt. Ben knew he had no choice. He slowly uncocked his
gun and laid it on the ground. Josh pulled the rifle up and pointed it at Ben. Ben wondered if Josh were
going to kill him. Josh looked as if he was considering the idea for a minute,
then he gestured with the rifle.
“All right, Ben, you can come over here to your boy,” Josh said.
Ben rushed forward and knelt next to Joe. He pulled Joe’s shirt open and winced at the bullet hole high up on Joe’s side. Ben untied the bandanna from around his neck and quickly covered the wound. He put pressure on the wound, hoping to stop the bleeding. Joe moaned softly as Ben pressed down. Josh watched Ben for a minute as Ben tended to his son. Then Josh turned and walked rapidly to the lean-to. He grabbed the canvass sack and slung it over his shoulder. He stopped briefly to pick up the rifle Joe had dropped and then walked back to Ben.
“All right, Ben, that’s enough,” said Josh. “You’re coming with
me. I want to make sure that posse don’t give me any trouble.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Ben said, not bothering to turn around.
“I’m going to stay and help Joe. You go on and get out of here.”
Josh shook his head. “Sorry, Ben, but I need you,” he said. With a
quick motion, he crashed his rifle into the back of Ben’s head. Ben crumpled
to the ground.
Ben
lay unconscious in the saddle, his head resting on the buckskin’s
neck and his arms on either side of the mane. Josh looked at him for a moment,
making sure Ben was still out, then walked back into the woods to get his own
horse. He saw Joe’s pinto tied to a tree. He untied the horse and slapped it
on the rear, sending the animal running down the trail. Then he walked over to
his own horse and led it back to the camp. He picked up the canvass sack and the
rifle decorated with silver, and tied both to the back of his saddle.
**********
The dark mists swirling around Ben slowly faded away. His head hurt; it
hurt more than he could ever remember. Ben squeezed his eyes, trying to get his
vision into focus. He felt dizzy, and his stomach felt queasy. Ben took several
deep breaths, and gradually, the dizziness began to fade. His eyes began to
focus. Ben was aware that his hands were tied and he was sitting astride a
moving horse. Ben lifted his head and looked around. For a moment, he was confused
about where he was. Then he saw Josh’s big black hat and buckskin shirt on the
horse ahead of him. Suddenly, everything came back to Ben in a rush.
“Josh!” Ben shouted looking around. “Where’s Joe?”
Josh pulled his horse to a stop and turned the animal to face Ben.
“So you’re finally awake,” Josh said. “I was afraid I hit you too hard.”
“Where’s Joe?” Ben
repeated, his voice in a panic.
“I left him back at the camp,” Josh said.
“Left him?” Ben said incredulously. “You mean, you just rode away?
You left him there to die?”
“I promised I wouldn’t shoot him again, Ben,” said Josh. “And I
kept my word. I never said I wouldn’t leave him.”
Ben began to struggle on the saddle. “Josh, we have to go back!” Ben
shouted. “We have to help Joe.”
“Ben, we can’t go back,” said Josh. “That posse is getting close.
I saw some smoke awhile back, a lot of smoke. The only thing I can figure is the
posse is on my trail.”
“Then, let me go back,” Ben pleaded. “I promise I won’t send the
posse after you. Please, let me go to my son.”
“Sorry, Ben,” Josh said with a shake of his head. “I can’t do
that. I need you in case that posse catches up with me. I need you to make sure
that posse don’t take me back.”