Story Summary:  When Ben goes to a Military fort to see an old friend, he meets a young boy named Candy who lives there now that his parents are dead.
Rating and Reader Alerts:  PG for violence
Words:  10,000

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The Brandsters have included this story by this author in our project: Preserving Their Legacy. To preserve the legacy of the author, we have decided to give their work a home in the Bonanza Brand Fanfiction Library.  The author will always be the owner of this work of fanfiction, and should they wish us to remove their story, we will.

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A Long PartingMarie Cartwright walked slowly up to her husband, two-year-old Little Joe wrapped warmly in her arms. It was about five thirty in the morning, and Ben was in the barn getting his horse saddled up for the long ride to Fort Delaney to see John Mitchell, an old friend of his from the 116th division. 

As Ben walked somberly out into the cold, morning air, his horse following behind him, he glanced up at his beautiful wife. Suddenly his face lit up like the sun on a warm summer day. Marie smiled as she rocked back and forth and stroked the back of her youngest son’s neck. 

“It’ll only be for a couple of weeks. You’ll be fine.” Ben reassured his wife as he combed his fingers through her brown curls.

“I know Ben, but what if…” She started, but Ben put a tender hand to her lips.

“Everything will be fine Marie. You’ll see. I’ll get back and nothing will have gone wrong, and then you’ll feel silly for worrying so much.” He said with a short grin. Then he kissed her affectionately on the cheek and touched his lips to Little Joe’s forehead, and walked back to his horse.

“Goodbye Ben.” Marie whispered loudly as she watched her husband turn and walk away.

“Goodbye Marie. I’ll be back before you know it.” He said before mounting his horse and riding away. He hated to leave his wife for so long, but he was confident that all would be fine while he was gone.

After a few hours of riding, he reached a cool river near an open plane. He stopped by the river to let his horse rest while he ate some lunch. He dismounted his horse and let it drink for a while. Then he pulled a sandwich out of his saddlebag and started eating. It was a bright and sunny day as he sat under an old oak tree eating his lunch. A slight wind was blowing through the grass and the birds and insects were being as noisy as they could. Marie liked these kinds of days the best. Thoughts and memories suddenly flooded through Ben’s mind. He remembered picnics with Marie, Adam, Hoss and baby Joe. Hoss and Adam would play out in the field and he and Marie would sit and talk while they watched their boys. 

Without realizing it, Ben had let his eyes close. He was reliving those fond memories in his mind. He had been sitting there for almost thirty minutes. Soon his horse was done drinking and it came and nuzzled its nose against his shirt. Feeling his shirt suddenly wet against his skin, Ben came back to the present. He didn’t know how long he had been asleep, but he knew that it was probably too long and that he should probably get back on his way.

When he rode up to the fort, it was around six o’ clock that evening. Ben rode right up to the large, wooden gate. A guard was standing in front of it. 

“Stop right there mister. What’s your business here?” the man asked as he raised a gun to point it at Ben.

“I’m here to see John Mitchell.” Ben answered.

“Does he know you’re coming?” the man questioned, slowly lowering his gun.

“Well, yes.” 

“Wait here a minute.” And he rushed off behind the gate. In a couple of minutes he returned. “Alright. Mitchell confirmed your story. Come on in, but go straight to Captain Faraday’s office. He’ll check you in.” Then he stepped aside to let Ben into the fort.

Ben rode on through the gate and straight to a large building in the corner of the fort. As he rode through the street, he could hear all sorts of noises. There were loud shouts, orders being barked out, shots from a firing squad nearby and the sound of horses’ hoofs on the dirt.

While Ben was busy listening to these sounds, a raggedy little boy ran in front of him. Ben’s horse reared and almost threw him off. Ben looked on after the little boy, wondering what a boy of his age was doing in a Military fort. Ben watched the little boy rush across the road. He was holding a stick out in front of him and making shooting noises as he ran after pretend bandits. 

Ben smiled at this and continued towards the Captain’s office. He tied his horse outside and walked through the door. Inside, the Captain was sitting at his desk doing some paperwork. “Excuse me sir. The guard outside told me to check in with you.” 

The Captain looked up at Ben. “You here to volunteer?”

Ben smiled at the misunderstanding. “No sir. I’m just here visiting a friend.”

“Oh? Who?”

“John Mitchell. Why?” Ben asked with curiosity.

“Just wondering. I like to keep up with my men. You know.” The Captain said. “What’s your name mister?”

“Ben Cartwright…”

Suddenly the door burst open and the little boy from before ran in, his stick in his hand. The little boy had a big black hat on his head. It would have covered his eyes if he had let it, but he had it tipped back on his head so that his short, black curls could flip over his forehead. “BANG!” he shouted as he pointed the stick at Ben.

Ben smiled, but before he had time to react accordingly to the situation and play dead, the Captain spoke up. “Candy! How many times have I told you not to interrupt me while I’m working? Now get back outside young man.” He barked.

The little boy’s head sank a little and he stared at the floor. Then he turned around and was just about to leave when Ben walked over and knelt down beside him. “Candy.” He said softly, placing a firm hand on the boy’s shoulder.

The five-year-old turned around, wiping his tear-filled eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. “Yeah?” He answered, facing Ben.

“Why don’t you wait outside for me while I finish up with the Captain? Ok?” he said as if he was talking to one of his own sons. 

“Alright.” Candy said with a little grin; then he raced out the door to wait for the kind man. 

“Is that your son?” Ben asked, referring to Candy.

“No. I sort of look out for the boy. His mother died about a year ago, and his father is in Southern California with one of our details.”

“Well, how old is he?” Ben inquired.

“He’s five years old. Five and a half if you ask him.”

“Five years old.” Ben muttered to himself in astonishment. “And he stays here on the base? Doesn’t his father ever come home?”

“Mister Cartwright, his father stays out on duty for months at a time. He’s a drunkard and we keep him out on details so he’ll break the habit, but it doesn’t seem to be doing any good. Somehow he always finds somebody to buy it from. Normally I wouldn’t even be telling you this, but ever since his mother died, Candy has kept to himself a lot. He just doesn’t seem to get along with anybody. You’re the first person he’s approached that he doesn’t know since his mother died.” The Captain explained.

“So who looks out for him while his father’s away?” Ben asked, genuinely concerned for this boy. 

“He’s in my care for now. His father wanted it that way. I’m not too fond of the little monster myself, but I am his legal guardian, for the time being.” The man answered. 

Ben sighed heavily as he looked out the window at the little boy outside. In a way, Ben felt sorry for the boy. This youngster would never grow up to know what it was like to have a real family, or a real home. All of a sudden, Ben’s thoughts went to his own family. He thought of how lucky he was to have a home for his boys. 

“Mister Cartwright. We have an extra bunkhouse we use for out of state Captains and such when they come into town. You can sleep in there if you want.”

“That’ll be just fine.” Ben said as he jerked his mind away from his previous thoughts and put them on the Captain. “I’ll get moved in right away.”

“Good. Sergeant Broyals will show you to your quarters. Tell Candy to help you find him.” The Captain said as he picked up his pen and went back to his paperwork. 

“Thank you sir.” Ben said, and he turned around and walked out the door to his horse. 

Outside, the little boy was sitting on the ground drawing pictures in the dirt with what was his gun before. Ben tipped his hat back on his head and bent down to look Candy in the eyes. “Candy? The Captain told me that you could help me find Sergeant Broyals. Is that right?” he asked, putting his hands on his knees.

Little Candy looked up, his sky blue eyes staring gleefully into Ben’s.  he had a wide grin on his face. “Yeah, I can help ya. I know everybody in this camp.” He answered as he pointed proudly to himself. 

Ben smiled at the little boy’s confidence. “I’m sure you can!” he grinned, then he mounted his horse. “Do you want to ride on my horse?” Ben asked the little boy as he held out his hand to help him up.

Candy nodded happily as his eyes sparkled with happiness. Then he reached up his hand as high as it would go. Ben put a firm grasp around it and hoisted the little boy in front of him in the saddle. 

“Go that way.” Little Candy said as he pointed his whole arm in one direction. Ben smiled, and, trying very hard to see over Candy’s huge lack hat, walked his horse in that direction. 

“How long have you lived here Candy?” Ben asked, trying to strike up a conversation with the boy.

“I been here a long time. Ever since ma…” the little boy’s voice trailed off into tearful memories. Trying as hard as he could not to show what he was feeling, Candy sniffed and wiped the tears from his eyes.

Looking around, trying to change the subject, Ben spotted the corral in the center of the fort. “There are a lot of horses in that pen over there. Is one of them yours?” he asked as he tightened his grip around the boy.

In a wavering voice Candy answered, “Not yet, but I’m gonna get me a horse one day. It’s gonna be big and black and I’ll ride it wherever I go.” 

Ben laughed a little to himself. “When are you going to get this horse of yours?” he asked. 

“I dunno.” Candy replied plainly as he shrugged his little shoulders. 

Soon, a bunkhouse was upon them. “Here we are!” Candy shouted excitedly and he swung his leg over before the horse had even stopped and hopped down. His bare feet made a pitter-patter on the soft dirt as he ran to the door and opened it. When he came back out, he had a young man, looked to be about 23, walking behind him. He had a kind but somewhat stern face. 

“I’m Sergeant Broyals.” He said, offering his hand to Ben. 

Ben, who had dismounted while Candy was inside, took it and replied, “Ben Cartwright. I was told that you would help me find my quarters.”

“Oh yes, the civilian. See that building about two down from this one?” Ben nodded his head. “Well, that’s the officer’s quarters. You’ll go through that door and into another door inside. Your bunk will be back there.”

“Thank you sir.” Ben replied with certainty. Then he turned to look at the boy. “Candy, why don’t you show me where it is? I’m sure I won’t be able to find my bunk on my own.” Ben smiled.

Candy grinned very proudly. “Yeah! C’mon!” he shouted and he ran off towards the door to the officer’s quarters, his large hat bouncing loosely on his head. 

Ben and the Sergeant smiled as Ben mounted and rode on down to the building. When he got there, Candy was waiting for him. Ben dismounted, grabbed what gear he had, and walked inside with Candy right in front of him. They walked into a modest sized room with benches and chairs around a table. There was a lamp on the table and there were windows on either side of the room. There were two doors in the back of the room. The one on the left led to one sleeping area, and the one on the right led to the other sleeping area. Ben was to sleep in the room on the right. 

Candy grabbed Ben’s bedroll and went through the door, his face beaming with pride. Ben slipped through the door right behind Candy and entered a small room. There were three beds in this room. Then Ben noticed that one of them was made up like it was being used. This confused Ben, for he hadn’t remembered the Captain saying anything about officers currently using the room.

“Candy, is anyone else using this room other than me?” he asked, hoping to get an answer. 

The little boy turned around to face Ben as he placed the bedroll on one of the mattresses. “O’course! That’s my bunk over there. I guess they didn’t know where to put me, so they put me here. C’mon, I’ll show ya around.” He said as he bounded off back towards the door to the outside.

Ben put the rest of his things down on the bed, and followed the excited little boy. After his grand tour of the fort, Ben, dog tired after the long ride up and racing after a five-year-old for the last hour, walked back to his bed in the officer’s quarters. He walked back to his room and sat down on his bed, groaning as he did. It was late and he was looking forward to getting some sleep. 

Suddenly, the door burst open and little Candy came, almost literally, hopping into the room. “G’night!” he chirped as he jumped into his bed and pulled the covers over his head. Expecting more to come, Ben kept his eyes open so he wouldn’t be surprised when it came. He stayed up for an extra ten minutes, but no more came. Soon, heavy breathing came from the bunk across the room. It was Candy. Smiling to himself, Ben blew out the candle next to him on a table, and went to sleep.

When he woke up, the sky was blue-gray and the sun was peeking out from behind some clouds. Ben rolled out of bed, got dressed, and went outside to breath in some fresh, morning air. As he stood there in the doorway, peering out at the new day’s sky, a noise startled him and he turned around quickly to see what it was. 

“G’morning!” Candy said cheerfully as he walked over to stand next to Ben. Ben relaxed and watched the little boy run outside to got to breakfast. Ben soon followed Candy to a small building on the other side of the fort. Inside, the smells of coffee and beef stew reached Ben’s nose as he stepped slowly through the door into the busy room. All around him were men in uniform, hustling about to get their breakfast. Ben walked up to a couple of men at the front of the room. There was a large pot in front of them. One was dishing the stew onto the plates that the other handed him. 

Ben got his plate of stew, then headed back to a table at the back of the room to eat it. On his way to the back of the room, a strong arm reached out and grabbed his, almost making him spill his stew.

“Ben Cartwright! How ya doin’ you old goat?” the man greeted him as he stood up excitedly. 

“John! John Mitchell! Well, I’ve been fine! Look at you, a Sergeant now! Moving up in the ranks eh?” Ben replied very glad to see his old friend again. “Let’s go outside where we can hear each other.”

“Alright.” John agreed and they walked outside to stand near the door. As they ate their breakfast they talked about different things that had happened to them. Ben told of how he had decided to marry again and now had three sons, and John told of how he became a Sergeant by saving the life of his commanding officer in the heat of battle. “I see you’ve met the youngest of our personnel.” He smiled as he looked kindly down at Candy, who was now standing beside Ben while he ate his breakfast. 

Ben, not realizing that Candy was there, looked down and picked the hat up off of Candy’s head. Candy looked up at him and grinned, then Ben set the hat back down over the boy’s face. High-pitched giggles could be heard through the black, leather hat. Candy grabbed the hat with both of his hands as he placed the hat on the back of his head, a smile stretched across his face from one ear to the other. 

John smiled at the little boy for a moment. “Ben, I’m off duty this afternoon. How about we go for a ride outside the walls? I’ve seen enough of the inside of this fort to last me the rest of my days,” he laughed with a warm smile.

Ben laughed a little and put a firm hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Alright. You’ve got yourself a deal, friend.” He answered, looking the man in the eyes. 

Candy, switching his gaze to each of the men as they spoke, finally looked up at Ben and backed up a few steps. “Can I come too? Can I come too?” he pleaded as he jumped up and down, hat flopping down over his eyes, and his arms tensed up at his sides. 

Ben put a restraining hand on Candy’s head and pushed down. “Alright, Candy! Alright! You can come along if you want to! Just please… stop jumping before you make me dizzy!” he grinned; turning to John to make sure it was alright with him if they had a threesome. John smiled back, giving approval through his face.

Soon, John left to go to his post, and Ben and Candy left to go for a walk. Candy scurried off ahead of Ben and came back out of a building with a bag in his hands. “Hey Mister, you wanna play with my marbles? Sergeant Ordy gave em to me.” Then he opened up the leather bag and spilled its contents not too carefully on the ground. 

Ben kneeled down next to the boy and picked up one of the small ones. “No, no!” Candy shouted, a hint of panic in his tone, “You can’t shoot with the little ones! You gotta shoot with one ‘a these!” Then he picked up one of the larger marbles and swapped Ben for the little one. 

“Oh.” Ben nodded, then he watched as Candy used his finger as a pencil to draw a circle in the dirt, and pushed the marbles into it with his palms.

After four games of marbles, all of which Ben lost miserably, Candy decided that he was done beating him every time. “You wanna see sompthin’?” he asked, quickly jerking toa stand. 

“What is it?” came Ben’s question. He wondered what this little boy was up to. 

“It’s the most secretest place in the whole world! Nobody knows about it but me!” Candy replied proudly, his voice getting lower and lower with every word until he was whispering in Ben’s ear. The way he said it made it sound extremely important that no one else knew. 

“Well, I’d love to see this place, Candy. Where is it?” Ben inquired, making it sound as though he was dying to find out where it was that Candy was telling him about.

“I gotta lead you there, but you can’t ever tell anyone else ‘bout it. Ok?” the little boy reaffirmed, putting extra emphasis on the latter part. 

“Oh, ok,” Ben promised, “cross my heart.” And he did just that with one finger. 

Candy nodded in approval and he took Ben’s hand and jerked him off towards the officer’s quarters. Ben, having to steady himself after being yanked up like that, tried as best he could to keep up with the quick-footed little boy. Candy stopped running when he reached the officer’s quarters. 

Ben was very puzzled. What could be so secret about this place? Everyone knows it’s here, He thought as he followed Candy to the boy’s bed. “Candy, I don’t see…” Ben started, but he stopped short as he watched Candy release his hand and scurry under the bed. “Candy…I…”

Suddenly, Candy came out from under the bed and shot to a stand. “ Push the bed back a little.” He commanded, sounding as much as possible like one of the Colonels on the base. 

Ben did what he was told and pulled the bed back away from the wall a little. Now revealed in the wall was a trap door. It had a long rope that would hook under the bed to keep it shut, and a couple of leather straps on the side to let it swing into the room. It was not very tall, but it was as wide as the head of the bed so that it could be concealed from normal view. 

“C’mon!” Candy said excitedly as he crawled through the hole in the wall. Ben, still standing in amazement at what this five-year-old had come up with, thought, Of course! This building is part of the outside wall! But how did this boy come up with such a thing? 

Candy peered back through the hole. “You commin’?” he asked impatiently.

As if coming out of a dream, Ben was taken back to reality and answered, “Oh, yes. Now, let me see if I can fit through this hole.” He got down on his stomach, for that is what it took to get him through, and shuffled through the opening. 

On the other side, Ben got up and dusted himself off. Then Candy shut the little door and hooked it with a piece of rope on the outside. Ben wondered where Candy was going to take him next.

“C’mon.” Candy said quietly as he ran down the length of the wall, being sure to stay close so the guards wouldn’t catch him. Be followed, doing the same as the little boy until they reached the corner and Candy stopped abruptly. The little boy looked almost straight up and cupped his hands around his mouth. “Mister Ordy!” he called as quietly as he could.

A head peered around the edge of the wall at them and nodded. Then he disappeared. When he came back a moment later, he nodded again and went back to his normal duties. 

Candy looked back at Ben. “C’mon, it’s safe now.” He said as he ran carelessly into the open, rocky desert area. Ben looked cautiously around him, and soon followed. Candy had this whole thing worked out, and every detail planned to perfection. 

~~~~~

“Hey Colonel,” Sergeant Ordy called to his superior officer.

“Yes Sergeant?” the man said as he crossed the floor of the Western watchtower. 

“You remember that Indian raiding party we spotted a couple of days ago?” he asked with a hint of concern in his tone. 

“Yes. I thought they were gotten rid of. What about it?” the officer asked, now also concerned. 

“Well, sir, I think we’ve just spotted them on the Southwestern horizon. Take a look sir.” He said as he pointed out towards the desert. The colonel squinted his eyes and peered out into the skyline. In the far distance, a low cloud of dust covered the horizon. Suddenly, intense worry struck his face. 

“Sergeant, alert the men. That war party’s grown at least two times since we last saw it!” he exclaimed as he pushed the sergeant out of the way so he could get a better look. 

“How many would you say there are now, sir?” Ordy asked, trying to hold back the fear inside him. He had only dealt with Indians on one account- when they wiped out his whole detail and left him for the buzzards.

“It’s hard to say. Four hundred maybe. Probably closer to five hundred, but it’s difficult to say for sure.” Then, turning to the sergeant, he said, “Sergeant Ordy, go alert the men. Tell them what’s coming, then report back to me in the ammo supply room. Got it?” he barked in a rough voice, trying to sound as sure of anything as he possibly could. 

Ordy raced down the ladder to the tower, and ran across the open yard to where the other men were standing watch on the wall.

~~~~~

“Candy, where are you taking me?” Ben asked with a smile as he kept close behind the little boy in front of him. Candy just jogged ahead, looking around as if for some point or landmark. Suddenly he stopped by a clump of fair-sized rocks. 

“C’mon! It’s over here!” he shouted, then he jumped behind the rocks and disappeared.

Stunned for a moment, Ben walked over to the rocks. When he reached them, he found that it was a ring of rocks with a ditch in the middle. Candy was standing in the ditch waiting for him. “Here it is!” the boy smiled proudly. “What d’ ya think of it?” he asked as he sat down on the warm sand, legs crossed in front of him. 

Ben looked around over the top of the rocks, then he seated himself down across from Candy. “Well, Candy. I like it. Did you dig this pit yourself?” he asked as he patted the walls of the ditch.

Candy got a twisted smile on his face. “O’course I did!” Then leaning in closer to Ben he added, “But I had to get a shovel from the supply wagon before I could. Don’t tell on me, please. I put it back in their dumb ole’ wagon when I was done with it.” He pleaded.

Ben put a finger to his lips. “Not a word,” he smiled. 

For about an hour and a half, Ben and Candy sat in the pit, talking and playing with one another. Candy enjoyed the company, for he did not often get to play with someone else; and Ben was intrigued by this boy and wanted to get to know him better. 

After a long time of sitting, Ben stood up and stretched. Suddenly, he stopped and stood perfectly still, his eyes fixed in one place. Then he ducked down quickly, pulling Candy down with him. “Candy, stay down until I tell you, and be as quiet as you can.”

A frightened Candy, and startled Ben, ducked behind the dirt wall of Candy’s pit, pressing their bodies to the bottom of it. Hoof beats, screeches, and cries of war rang out over the desert as Ben kept them both as close to the ground as possible. Candy started to whimper faintly as the Indians galloped past them, not far away from the rocks surrounding the pit. Ben put a strong hand around Candy’s shoulders to quietly let him know he was there and that he wasn’t leaving him. 

The sounds got farther away, but they did not quit. In fact, they got even more barbaric. The sounds of deathly screams and horses neighing wildly reached Candy’s ears and he shuddered. Ben was now clinging onto Candy like a child with his favorite toy. Both of them sat in the ditch in anxiety. The sounds continued for what seemed like ages. The death cries, the gunshots, and the victory chants, all meshed into one massive blast. Then they got louder as they passed by again, and then disappeared into the distance. After a moment of silence, Ben stood up slowly. 

“Keep down Candy.” He commanded as he stood up to see that all was clear. Candy, still down at the bottom of the pit, obeyed Ben’s order. 

Ben peered over the tops of the rocks, and what he saw troubled him in the depth of his heart. He couldn’t see everything, but he could see enough. “C’mon Candy. There gone.” He said firmly and quietly as he took the boy’s arm and hoisted him to a stand. 

Candy’s knees were knocking, making it hard for him to stand steadily on the ground. As best as he could, he climbed feebly out of the pit and over the rocks and followed Ben as they trekked back to the fort. 

When they reached the main gait, Ben stopped abruptly. Bodies were lying on the ground and in the watchtowers, guns were thrown about as if dropped in a hurry, and horses were running wildly about the camp, looking for a way of escape from the destruction. 

Candy took one long look around the fort, and then cried uncontrollably. He knew most of the men at the base, and losing any of them was like losing a good friend. Ben kneeled down to comfort him and he buried his head in Ben’s shoulder and sobbed. Pretty soon, Ben’s eyes were tearing up. He grasped the boy and held him tight. Soon, Ben pulled Candy away from him and spoke softly to him. 

“Candy, I need you to stay right here for a minute.” Candy sniffed and shook his head violently. 

“No! I wanna go with you,” he cried, sniffing up the rest of his tears. 

Ben saw that there was no way around it, so he agreed to let him come, and they headed into the carnage together. The sights all around them made them sick, but they kept on walking. Ben was looking for survivors, but Candy just wanted to be close to someone.

Suddenly, Candy saw Captain Russell, a man he knew very well, and ran to him. The Captain was lying on a crate by the barracks. He’d been stabbed. “Candy!” Ben shouted, but it was too late. 

Candy reached the Captain and pushed him repeatedly. “Mister Russell! Mister Russell! C’mon! You’ve gotta wake up! You’ve just gotta!” he shouted, starting to cry again at the reality of the man’s death. 

Ben ran over to him and pulled him away with firm hands. Candy resisted at first by kicking and screaming at him, but he soon turned and wrapped his arms tightly around Ben.

Suddenly, Candy released him and ran like a madman down towards the officer’s quarters. “Sergeant Ordy! Sergeant Ordy!” he called out desperately. As he ran he jerked his head from side to side, expecting his friend to pop out of any one of the corners safe and sound. “Sergeant Ordy! Where are you?” He ran frantically from one building to the other in search of his friend. Suddenly, he heard coughing in one of the watchtowers. He raced to the ladder and scaled it quickly. When he got to the top, he was frightened, yet somewhat relieved. “Sergeant Ordy!” he shouted as he walked closer to the wounded man. Ordy’s pale features made him look like a ghost, but the blood seeping through his uniform was very real and cause for panic. The Sergeant had taken an arrow in the left shoulder. 

Candy turned and looked back down on the ground. “Mister! Sergeant Ordy’s hurt real bad! You gotta help him!” he called. Then turning back to Sergeant Ordy, he said, “You can’t go away yet. You can’t. I won’t let you!” he sobbed. 

Ben climbed the ladder as quickly as he possibly could, and soon stood at the top with Candy and the wounded Sergeant. A look of relief crossed Ordy’s face when he saw another man with him. “I’m glad to see you, sir,” he coughed.

“Don’t speak. I’ve got to get that arrow out of there. It doesn’t look too deep, so it won’t be as hard to do, but it’ll still hurt.” He said.

Sergeant Ordy looked at Ben, then at Candy. “Can’t hurt much more comin’ out than it did goin’ in.” 

Candy turned his head while Ben removed the arrow. The Sergeant contained his cry of pain to be brave for little Candy. Candy turned his head back around and watched Ben toss the arrow over the wall. Then Ben turned to Ordy. “I’ll need you to help me take your shirt off. I can use it as a bandage until we can find an aid kit somewhere.” He explained. With a lot of help from Ben and Candy, Ordy sat up and helped them unbutton his shirt. Then they turned his dusty, blue uniform inside out and used the clean side for the bandage. 

When Ordy’s shoulder was completely wrapped up, Ben and Candy went back down the ladder to se if they could find some medicines and bandages. They searched everywhere they could think of for the bandages, but no luck. Finally, Ben and Candy headed down to the mess building to look for a back room or something. “We might as well check in here too,” Ben said as he opened the door and walked inside. 

Suddenly, an Indian jumped out behind him and was getting ready to throw his knife at him, when Candy called out, “Mister! Look out behind you!” Ben quickly turned around and saw the Indian. Out of sheer reaction to the moment, he dropped to the ground and put a bullet through the brave’s chest.

When he got up, his heart was pounding, and his adrenaline was pumping. “Thank you Candy for warning me. I hate to think what would’ve happened if you hadn’t been there.” He said, smiling in relief at the boy in the doorway. Candy smiled weakly, but he was still thinking about Captain Russell’s death, and about Ordy’s hurt shoulder. 

Ben noticed this, so he asked, “Why don’t we see if we can find that medicine, hm?” 

Candy walked over to him and ran past him into the next room. He came back out shouting at the top of his lungs, “I found it! I found it!” He was holding a white box at arm’s length as he ran into the main room. 

“Whoa there!” Ben said as he put out an arm and wrapped it around the boy’s chest as he went by. Candy halted and turned to Ben, a gleeful smile on his face. 

“Let’s take it to Sergeant Ordy now!” he said with a happy tone. 

“Wait a minute,” Ben said as if he was calming down an exited stallion, “shouldn’t we look inside to make sure we have what Ordy needs?”

Candy sat down and opened up the box. Inside was a bottle of rubbing alcohol, painkiller, and a roll of bandages. He looked up at Ben, Ben nodded in satisfaction, and Candy closed the box back up and leapt to his feet. Together, he and Ben walked outside, and back up to the watchtower. 

“Sergeant Ordy! We got sompthin’ for ya,” Candy yelled as he climbed the last wrung in the ladder and scuffled to the top of the tower. The Sergeant was lying there with his hand clutching at his wound and his head resting against the wall. He was taking very shallow breaths. 

Candy tossed the box next to the wall and jerked the top off of it. Just then, Ben crawled over the top of the ladder. “Candy, you’d better let me do that. Why don’t you sit down for a minute while I fix up his shoulder, alright?” he asked calmly as he watched the little boy back away from the box and sit down next to Ordy’s good shoulder.

Ben smiled at Candy’s loyalty, and started unrolling a bandage. When he had done that, he tossed it around his neck and took out the bottle of rubbing alcohol. He cleaned the wound and carefully wrapped it up with the bandage. “There. That should do it. Do you think you can climb down the ladder with one arm, soldier?” Ben asked, looking straight into Ordy’s hazel eyes. 

Ordy looked in the direction of the ladder, then back at Ben. “Yes, sir. I think I can. I’ll help you look for some of the men if you want.” He offered calmly. 

“You’ll do nothing of the kind. I don’t know what our situation is down there, but you’re in no shape to be walking around more than you have to. I’m only giving you permission to climb down that ladder because I want to get you to a bed of some sort.” Then turning to the little boy he said, “Candy, I want you to look out for Sergeant Ordy here. Take him to my bed and don’t let him get up. Got it?” he asked quietly into Candy’s ear as he pointed to Sergeant Ordy. Ordy looked in their direction with a suspicious grin on his face, straining to hear what they were saying. Candy leapt up and Ben slowly stood. Ben put one arm under Ordy’s good shoulder and hoisted him to a stand. Ordy clinched his teeth as the sharp pain shot through his shoulder and up to his neck. 

“Alright, easy does it.” Ben said calmly as he climbed down the ladder, and then instructed Ordy on how to get to the ground safely. Once Ordy and Candy were both down, Ben gave Candy one last order. “Candy, I’m going to go check out our room and make sure it’s safe. You and the Sergeant stay here until I come back out, alright?” 

Candy nodded his head and raised his hand to his forehead in salute. “We’ll be right here when ya get back.” Candy reassured as he grabbed Sergeant Ordy’s arm and held on to it. 

Ben smiled and walked off towards the officer’s quarters, his pistol out in front of him. When he reached the door, he kicked it in, expecting anything to happen. But it was not a bloodthirsty Indian inside this time. It was five soldiers, all with drawn guns. They all relaxed a little when they saw Ben. 

“What happened out there? It sounded like hell-on-earth!” one of them said shakily. “We fought for a little while, then they shoved us in here and bolted the door. We thought they was gonna burn us er something, but they never did.”

Ben looked around at the men. All but one seemed to be without many wounds. He walked over to a young man lying in the dirt. “What’s your name soldier?” he asked in a smooth, but commanding voice. 

“Captain Tucker, sir.” He answered, trying not to let his leg-wound get the better of him. He had been stabbed and it was bleeding profusely. 

Looking up at the soldiers in the room he said, “You two, help Captain Tucker into the room. We’ll put him on one of the beds.” Then he looked up at another of the men. “You go outside and tell Candy and Sergeant Ordy to come on in, and grab the medical kit from the Western watchtower. Hurry!” 

Then the three men rushed off to do their jobs. The only one left was the one who had asked the first question. He stepped up to Ben and watched him stand up before asking “How many are left, sir?”

Ben turned to face him in the eyes. “Not many. As of now, it’s you five, Sergeant Ordy, and myself. I found that a few horses and saddles were missing from the stable, so I figure a few ran out before the fighting started. Other than that, it’s one huge burial ground out there.” 

“And the Colonel? Did he make it?”

A confused look crossed Ben’s face. “The Colonel?” he asked in pure confusion. “I thought that Captain Faraday was in charge here.”

“Colonel Purcell is in command. Captain Faraday was put in charge while the Colonel visited his wife and daughter in town. He got back just a couple of hours ago actually. Right before the raid hit.”

“No, I don’t think I’ve seen him. I’ll keep an eye out for him though. What part of the base would he have been in at the time of the raid?” Ben asked. 

“Oh, anywhere. The Colonel is known for wandering around the base all the time. He could have been anyplace.”

Just then, Candy, Sergeant Ordy, and the private returned with the medical kit and set it down next to Ben. “Good! Now, private, I want you and Candy to make sure that the Sergeant gets into one of the beds. Is there a doctor anywhere near here?”

“Not close enough, sir. Placerville would be the closest place, and that would take two days hard riding to get there.” The young man replied.

“Well, isn’t there a doctor here at the base?” Ben questioned. 

“There is, sir. Well… there was. He was killed right before we got shoved in here. You’ll find his medicine bag by his body over near the Colonel’s office.” The soldier’s face went blank, as if he was replaying the horrific scene in his mind.

A stern look came upon Ben’s face as he stared thoughtfully at the ground. Then, looking back up at the private, he answered, “As soon as you get the Sergeant to a bed, make sure that the Captain is alright, then I want you to ride out.”

“Ride out? Out where, sir?” the private asked.

“I want you to ride to Placerville and get the doctor. Bring him back here as quickly as you can, these men depend on you.” 

“But, sir! What if those Indians come back? You’ll…”

“Private! Every minute we spend talking is another minute for these men without a doctor! Now get going.” Ben interrupted harshly. 

Straightening up sharply, the young man saluted and went to help the Sergeant. In a few more minutes, he was saddled and on his way. 

As the horseman rode through the front gate, one of the other soldiers, Private Fenton, walked up behind Ben. “You know he’s right. If those Indians do come back, we’re gonna need all the help we can get.” 

Ben paused, then turned to the man behind him. “Then I suggest we go looking for more survivors like yourself, private,” then he walked out the door and strode out into the deserted-looking fort, the reluctant private behind him. 

Suddenly, quick, little beats could be heard behind them in the dust. “Mister! Hey, Mister!” Candy called out as he waved his arms in the air, hat bobbing up and down over his eyes. Ben stopped and turned to watch the little boy come to him and wrap his arms around his waist. A little pair of sky blue eyes was peering up at him from under a head of thick, black curls. “I wanna go too!” Candy shouted, almost bouncing up and down to put emphasis on his plea. 

Ben put both of his hands on Candy’s shoulders and pushed him away a little. “Alright! Alright! You can come along, but it won’t be fun and games this time Candy. Do you understand?” he said solemnly as he looked the boy in the eyes. 

“I understand.” Candy replied in an equally solemn tone. 

“Good. We’ll start by checking over there by the ammunitions room. Maybe there are some men in there.” Ben stated as he and Candy strode on to the building. Ben carefully opened the door, telling Candy to stay outside. After looking at all of the corners, he moved inside, pistol drawn. Little Candy waited patiently outside while Ben looked around. Ben peeked his head out the door and looked straight at Candy. “Candy, go get the private and tell him to bring a couple more men with him.” He said with a hint of hope in his tone. 

Candy saluted sloppily, his hat falling down over his eyes, and then he ran off to get the private. Ben smiled and went back into the ammunitions room. Inside he saw many boxes of bullets, a crate full of cannon balls, some gunpowder, and a small cannon in the corner with all of its equipment next to it. Ben grabbed a box of bullets, opened it and stuck a few in his shirt pocket. Then he placed the box back down on the pile and waited for the men. 

When they came in, smiles crossed their faces as they gazed upon the remaining ammo. “Those dadblame Indians must’ve missed his room or somethin’,” one of the men said gleefully. 

“Yeah. Let’s get this stuff moved over to the officer’s quarters for now. That can be our main retreat.” Ben remarked. 

After getting a lot of the ammunitions moved to the officer’s quarters, they went in search of men and supplies. With two wounded men, and only three left that could fight, they knew they would need help. The rest of that day was devoted to finding other men. By the end of the day, they had found seven more men. All were all right physically, but some were new to the army and were broken in spirit. 

That night in the officer’s quarters, Candy was sitting on his bed next to Sergeant Ordy, a couple of men were taking care of the wounded, and Ben was briefing the newfound men on their present situation. 

In the middle of his explanation, a horse was heard outside. Ben and Private Fenton walked up to either side of the door while the other men drew their side arms. On the signal of three, Ben shoved open the door, and they all put their aim on the man outside. To their surprise and relief, it was Colonel Purcell. 

“At ease, men.” He commanded in a stiff voice. Slowly, like the officer that he was, he strode inside and looked at the men that were left from that day’s attack. “Only eleven left? There were forty men here when I left this morning! Are we no stronger a base than that?” he demanded as he gazed at each man around the room. 

Every man went silent. Colonel Purcell was a hard man. He had seen and done some difficult things. He had been through battle after battle with Indians, and that is what made him such a good soldier. When he spoke to you, it seemed as though he was gazing right through you. He had a presence in a room that made him seem ten feet tall, making big men shudder, and small men want to run and hide. 

Candy jumped in from behind. “I’m here! You’ve got me!” he shouted as he pointed to himself. The Colonel blew Candy off with an irritated shrug. Candy went over and stood beside Ben. Ben put a hand affectionately on his shoulder. 

When he got no answer from the men, he spoke again. “I’ll take over from here.” Then turning to Ben he said, “I’m sorry Mister…”

“Cartwright. Ben Cartwright.”

“Mister Cartwright. I hate to involve citizens in military affairs, but I’m going to have to ask you to stay here until we get back on our feet again, so to speak,” he asked, his voice softening a little. 

“You didn’t even have to ask Colonel,” Ben said with a sense of duty in his tone. 

“Good.” Turning back to his men he said, “Men, we’ve got to rebuild this fort before those red skins come back.” Then, pointing a long finger towards a couple of the men, he commanded, “Johnson! You take Fenton and Penske and go scout the area for some building supplies- wood, nails, hammers, anything.” All three men saluted stiffly, then headed out the door. 

Then, turning to the rest of the men, he appointed five of them guards and sent them out to watch for anything suspicious. The other man would stay behind to help Ben take care of the wounded. 

For the next three days they watched and waited. Anxiety and fear was growing in the men, and Ben knew it. While the rebuilding and fortifying of the base was in motion, Ben and Candy grew closer to one another. Candy helped with different tasks around the base like taking messages between men, or helping with the wounded men. He had no realization of what the real danger was. 

On the night of the fourth day, spirits were very low. The soldier and the doctor were hours overdue, and hope was fading for the men at the fort. In the West watchtower, Johnson was standing guard. He peered out into the open desert. His eyes did not deceive him. Out in the open, sitting high atop his mount, was a single Indian warrior. “Colonel! I see one! He’s out on the horizon, Sir!” he shouted. Then he watched as the Indian circled around and doubled back to where he came from. 

Something was coming. They didn’t know when, or how bad, but it was coming. Colonel Purcell walked briskly to each of the men, telling them the current situation. Then he went quickly to the officer’s quarters. 

Ben and Candy were wrapping a new bandage around Captain Tucker’s leg, and talking as they did. “Candy, do you like it here at the base?” Ben asked. 

“Sure. I got lots of friends here, like Sergeant Ordy, and Captain Tucker, and Private Bordell, and Captain Russ…” Candy’s voice stopped abruptly, and tears started forming in his eyes. He wiped them away tenderly with his sleeve. “I just got lotsa’ friends.”

“Candy, would you like to come visit me some time? I’ll bet you would get along real well with my son Hoss.”

“You got a son?” Candy asked with a smile. 

“Uh, hu, three of ‘em. There’s Adam- he’s fourteen years old; and Hoss- he’s almost eight; and Little Joe- he’s just two years old. I’ll bet they’d love to have you come stay with us sometime,” he said with a glint of hope in his eye as he tied off the bandage on the Captain’s leg. 

“Mister Cartwright, can I talk to you for a moment? Without Candy,” he asked as he motioned to Candy with his eyes. 

Ben looked back at Candy, who was standing there with a grin on his face and hope in his eyes. “Candy, would you wait in the other room for a minute?” he asked, and then watched as the little boy turned and ran out of the room and closed the door. 

The Captain looked back at Ben and said solemnly, “He doesn’t know what we’re up against. He deserves better than to have to stay here and watch this go on.”

Ben sighed deeply. “Yes, he does. It’s what I’ve been thinking ever since we got back here.”

“You’ve got to send him away. Whether now or later, it has to be done. He can’t continue to stay here. I’m afraid of what might happen to him if he does.”

“Alright. I’ll….” Ben started, but he was cut off when the door burst open and Colonel Purcell appeared in the doorway. 

“We’ve got no time to spare. Mister Cartwright, help Captain Tucker to a post and get both of these men a gun. We can’t spare any men,” he commanded.

“What’s happened?” Ben asked with great concern. 

“Johnson’s spotted an Indian. Grab your gun and help Tucker,” he said sharply, then he was back out the door. 

After helping the wounded men to their assigned posts, Ben went and saddled a horse and put him by the gate.  Then, he went to find Candy. 

All night they waited for an attack. None came. The desert stayed unusually still that night. They saw no signs of any attack groups, for the Indians had lit no fires that night to keep themselves concealed. 

At the fort, all was also calm. All of the men sat at their posts. Four were at the watchtowers, Ben and the Colonel at the canon, and the rest stationed all around on the ground, just waiting for an attack. 

A few hours before dawn, an Indian showed back up on the desert horizon. This time he was not alone. The men in the fort went into immediate action. Ben grabbed the ramrod and prepared the cannon for the first firing. He drew the ramrod back out of the BARREL, and turned around, his hands over his ears. The Colonel lit the fuse and did the same. A loud blast was heard and the cannon ball was hurled into the gathering of Indians. It was a direct hit, but the fierce braves kept coming. The battle had begun. 

They fired a couple more cannon balls just as the sun rose, hoping to warn their attackers off without the loss of too many lives. But it would not be so today. Up through the desert the Indians persisted. There fifty warriors at first glance, and more to come later. 

The redskins were now only five hundred yards away. The exchange of arrows and bullets between enemies was frightening. The Cannon roared as the enemy got closer. Soon, there were only a few cannon balls left. 

Ben pushed off from the cannon and ran to where Candy was sitting huddled up in a corner. “Candy. You’ve got to go! Hurry!” he shouted as he grabbed Candy by the hand and pulled him to the horse he had saddled earlier. 

“No! I don’t wanna leave! I don’t wanna!” Candy shouted, but to no avail. He pulled strong against Ben and tried to plant his feet in the ground, but it did no good. Ben was driven by a selfless love only a father could understand. He felt like a father to Candy, and he knew this had to be done. He pulled Candy up into the saddle and placed Candy’s hands around the reins and the saddle horn. 

Tears rolled softly down Candy’s cheeks as Ben slapped he back of the horse. His horse jerked into a canter, and he started crying as he watched the fort and the ones he had grown fond of get smaller behind him.

Ben pulled himself away from the scene and went back to the Colonel.

“Grab a rifle Cartwright! Those Indians are closing in on us!” the Colonel shouted. Ben reached down and seized the rifle next to him. Then he and the Colonel took their positions by the gate. 

The sounds of rifles being fired filled their ears as they fired their own into the sea of enemies. One by one, Indians fell to the ground. One by one, arrows flew past the soldiers’ heads, barely missing their skulls. 

All of a sudden, the Indians split apart, some of them going to the left, and some going to the right. The soldiers came down from their lofty positions and found barriers on the ground. They could hear the pounding of the horses’ hooves all around them and then stop at the gate. There was a short pause, though it seemed like forever to the men inside the fort. Soft pounding outside told the men that the Indians were preparing for a full-thrust attack. 

Suddenly, there was a loud cry, followed by what seemed like hundreds of others, and then an excruciatingly loud crash as the gate to the fort swung open to its full extant. Then the sound of rifle fire was added once again to the conglomeration of noise as Indians poured through the gate and rushed the soldiers inside. Soon, as the Indians got too close for bows and arrows, the battle became an all-out knife fight. Each Indian close enough drew his knife and either threw it, or tried to stab it into his opponent.  The soldiers who were out of ammo, did likewise. 

Eventually, Johnson became desperate. He got up and started using his rifle as a club. He started making his way to the gate, but he didn’t make it very far before an Indian stabbed him in the gut and he fell to the ground. 

Sounds grew louder and more gruesome as death surrounded the men in the fort. Soon, more sounds were added. There were more horses outside. The men knew this would be the end. All hope had been lost. 

Then, gunshots were heard outside! And loud shouts filled the air. The Private had returned with a hundred or more soldiers from another fort! All hope was not lost! All of a sudden, a new kind of adrenaline pumped through the men of Fort Delaney. And they grabbed their guns and used the bayonets on them with great force and a new hope behind them. Rifles fired from all directions, with an arrow returning the shot.

Ben and the Colonel fought even harder than ever. Together with their new strength they were impenetrable. Sergeant Ordy and Captain Tucker shot their rifles from their lofty point in the watchtower. And the other soldiers on the ground threw their knives at their enemies, filled with energy and might they had never before experienced. 

Soon, some of the braves turned and ran from the onslaught of soldiers. Eventually, between the Indians who fled and the dead lying on the ground, there were none to be seen in or near Fort Delaney. They had won their battle!

As the troops rode in, Ben saw three people that stuck out to him. At the front of the group rode the Private he had sent for help all those days ago. Behind him rode the esteemed and very welcome Doctor from Placerville. And at the very back, riding short and proud on his black mount, was little Candy. He was wearing the biggest smile on his face Ben had ever seen. 

“Hey Mister!” the little boy shouted joyfully.

Ben raised his rifle and waved it victoriously as he watched Candy leap down from his horse and run towards him. Ben dropped his rifle and embraced the boy as Candy embraced him. 

Just then, the Private walked up behind Ben and said, “Candy ran into us about a mile back. He told us what was going on so we raced all the way here. I’m glad we made it on time.”

Ben looked up at the Private. “Not early enough, for us, but… on time,” he smiled. 

Everyone pitched in on rebuilding the fort. For the rest of the day, the men rebuilt the walls and buried the bodies of the dead soldiers. After which, Ben watched Candy hop into bed once more, and then he went to bed himself. 

Bright and early the next morning, Ben got up and saddled his horse. Slowly he led his horse to the gate. He looked back at the officer’s quarters and then mounted. 

Suddenly, he heard the familiar pitter-patter of feet running behind him. He looked back and dismounted his horse quickly and opened his arms out wide. Candy ran into the open arms and started sobbing. 

He sniffed and buried his forehead into Ben’s shoulder. “I don’t want you to go away!” he cried. 

“I won’t go away forever. We’ll meet again someday.” Ben took Candy out in front of him and looked him in his sparkling blue eyes. 

Candy sniffed again and wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. “Promise?”

Ben smiled fondly. “Promise.” Then he turned, mounted his horse and walked out the gate. It was the longest parting he’d ever been through, but it wouldn’t be his last. 

THE END