The morning dawned bright and sunny. The chill of the night air quickly dissipated in the early morning sunshine. Over breakfast the conversation returned to the dispute about the intended route.

“Joe, you know as well as l, old trails cannot be relied upon to remain usable.” Joe gave a heavy sigh and puffed out his cheeks at Adam’s words. “Come on, truthfully, when was the last time, if ever you used that trail?” Adam was still fighting his corner but Joe could feel a crack in his brother’s armour. Why would he be questioning? Normally with Adam it was a firm NO and that was it…finito. Joe had to chip away very carefully. All he had wanted was for a question to be asked.  Any question would suffice, and Adam had obliged.   Joe had in fact never taken the old trail.  He had only been told about it.  He kne though that big brother Hoss had.

“You know very well l aint never taken it, but Hoss has, and only last year. All that l’m asking is just let me check it out? Let me ride ahead? If it’s not usable or passable, well, we just turn around and take the usual, long way home. That aint too much to ask…it aint being unreasonable is it?”

“The kid’s got a point Adam. Iffun we can cut out a few days. It will give yer some resting time at home before you have to head off to San Francisco.   Look it don’t matter much ta me whether or which way we go, jes lets get on the way. Why don’t we jes get to Turner’s Cross an then see how the land lies?” It was difficult for Joe to restrain himself from not going over to give his big brother a hug. Hoss had driven a wedge through the crack in Adams shield. It was funny how it never bothered Little Joe if Hoss called him kid. Yet, when Adam called him kid it set his hackles in motion. Joe reckoned it must be the way Hoss put it. Hoss didn’t make it sound like a dirty word.

Having broken camp, Hoss and Adam gave the area a final look over. Making sure that nothing had been left behind and that they had left the space in ship, shape order.  Also that the fire was well and truly out.  Little Joe, knowing that his brothers would make sure everything was OK,  was already mounted and raring to be off.

“Little brother l hope you take care of all this stuff when you break camp?” rolling his eyes and sighing with boredom Joe turned to his elder brother.

“Sure l do elder brother.”

“How come it don’t trouble you to do it now…an don’t you roll your eyes at me boy.”

“Aint hardly worth it when l got my two gran-mothers along with me, is it?”

“Boy, you sure got a short memory,” Adam hauled himself up on his horse.  He knew he was niggling in at Joe, but his back was niggling in at him an Hoss was too big to take his bad humour out on. Joe was still feeling irate about yesterdays prank and he wasn’t about to let his brothers forget it. Jerking the reins a little to harshly prompted Cooch to half rear and almost pirouette at the same time. He immediately patted her neck and shoulder in apology.

“Oh..ho, no l haven’t. An you better not forget that elder brother.” He flashed his eyes in anger toward Adam and Hoss, but anything else he was thinking he left unsaid.

“Ease up you two, we aint got time for this,” Hoss mounted and rode off leaving his brothers to catch him up. Within minutes the three were making their way toward Turner’s Cross.  Where the final decision would be made. To Joe’s mind there was no decision to be made. He had gotten his way.

Whether it was the fineness of the day, the warmth of the sun or just pure youthful optimism and exuberance. Joe’s anger cooled. He felt good. He knew that his elder brother was on the way down from his Ivory Tower and that he could at last see the sense in taking a chance on the old trail.

Cooch, sensing her riders excitement was jigging and bouncing.  Pleading for a loose rein. Joe turned to his brothers, they were happy loping along. He told them that he was going to blow some steam off of his pony and he would meet them at Turner’s Cross. Hoss and Adam were more than happy to let him go, as the pinto’s unruliness was becoming a distraction to their own mounts.

Trotting ahead Joe waited until he had rounded a bend in the trail. Out of sight of his brothers and their animals. Leaning forward,  he stretched out an arm and scratched at one of the horses twitching ears. She immediately knew she had gotten her way. The pair streaked away into the sun drenched horizon. Flattened as he was to the animals neck, it would have been easy to think that the horse was riderless.  But no, Joe Cartwright was very much there. So in tune with the animals movement, they were as one.  Exhilarated by the pure power and speed.  Joe relished in the energy he was controlling between hand, seat and thigh. He blinked tears of wind blown joy, as they sped as if on winged heels. His left hand entwined in the black and white mane.  Caressing the horses neck, he whispered words of encouragement, urging her evermore forward and faster.

Approaching the cross roads, Hoss and Adam seeing no sight of their little brother. They assumed that Joe had taken it upon himself to scout the trail. Shaking their heads, they shared a sigh of resignation. Cochise’s soft whinny to her stable mates, alerted the brothers to the error of that assumption. They both saw him at the same time.  Off to the side of the trail they spied the black and white horse.  Nose down nibbling at the sparse greenery. Their brother was sat his back resting against a tree, his hat pulled down obscuring his face. They both dismounted.  Figuring it was as good a place to rest as any. The three horses softly snorted and whinnied, happy to be once more in each others company.

“Yer take a look?” Hoss prodded Joe’s foot as he questioned. Joe pushed back his hat. Crossed his arms over his chest and stared wide eyed and innocent, as if butter wouldn’t melt. Or that he would have the audacity to even think to take it upon himself to do anything without his brothers first giving him permission.

“Nope, figured l’d leave it to the experts.”

“OK, OK, have it your way…,” before he could finish Joe leaped to his feet and Adam received a friendly slap across the chest.

“There that wasn’t too hard was it elder brother?”

“It wasn’t hard at all little brother, it was and still is against my better judgement.”

“Well don’t feel so bad about it. You know big brother is the better judge of tracks and trails…l’m the better judge of female and horse flesh and that leaves you elder brother the better judge of everything else left in the whole wide world.” Joe nimbly evaded the back hand swipe that he knew was aimed in his direction. Smiling happily he swung athletically into the saddle, “well then come on, what are we waiting for?”

“Hang on shortshanks, l sees a couple a bushes over there that look kinda parched.”

Rolling his eye’s Joe leaned forward and rested his elbow on the saddle horn. Patience wasn’t a virtue Joe Cartwright had an abundance of. He reckoned though as he earlier also had to irrigate the parched undergrowth he’d best keep his thoughts and any snippy remarks to himself.

Squinting his eyes up to the sun he remembered he had some serious thinking to do in connection with his brothers. Lowering his head he pulled his hat down and scratched at the back of his neck, where the straggling curls were already familiarising themselves with the collar of his shirt. He knew that his Pa, if he saw him would be dragging him to the nearest scalper, in the nearest town. For him it was another valid reason for taking the old trail and thereby avoiding Turner’s Cross. A town which was now never called by it’s original name of Turner’s Town.  But which Joe knew from the last time he came through it.  It had a barber who had, as far as Joe was concerned, learned his trade at the hands of a myopic, stubby fingered, arthritic Apache brave. The further Joe Cartwright stayed from Turner’s Cross the better Joe Cartwright liked it.

At last they were at the turn off to the old trail. It was a mite overgrown,  but looked to be travel worthy. It wasn’t as if they were now in too much of a hurry. Joe, deciding that his brother’s were riding like a couple of old women, went on to scout ahead. He would report back at regular intervals. If he came across a problem they could just turn around and go back the way they came. Adam and Hoss being comfortable with keeping to a walk or lope agreed, but warned Joe to keep to a steady pace. Joe sighed in disbelief that they would think he would endanger Cochise in any way. He tipped his hat in salute and urged Cooch forward.

Relishing the warmth of the day, Hoss and Adam kept their animals to a striding walk. They took to discussing the recent successful drive to the rail-head. A little over two thousand beeves delivered. The profits banked and the hands paid off. Candy and Griff were taking back the remuda along with some of the regular hands. Leaving any men who wanted to work on at the Ponderosa to make their own way back. Some would be happy to go back to work for the Cartwright’s.  They knew that with the family they had good pay and the best of working conditions. Some, they would probably never see again.

The brothers were making their own way home with cash money in their pockets and a feeling of satisfaction of a job well done in their minds. It was on Hoss’s idea though to take a look at a seed bull he had heard was for sale. A notable breeder from around Turner’s Cross way. Which was the reason they had taken a different route home.

“Did yer send Pa the wire?” Adam nodded a reply to his brothers question, “he sure will be pleased. That’d be a tidy profit, gonna help get us through the winter,” It wasn’t usually a concern of Hoss’s to worry regarding the finances of the ranch.  He left that very much to Pa and Adam. It was no secret to anyone that the last two dry summers and hard winters had taken their toll. Some small ranchers having to up sticks. The Ponderosa was more fortunate, having not just to rely on cattle. What with their mining and lumber interests, and now also apart from the regular army contracts for good green broke horses.  Little Joe’s new, but steadily growing set up in horse breaking and breeding for private buyers. The Cartwright’s had managed to soak up some of the hard times. Even so the family was still feeling the pinch. Which was the reason for leaving their Pa back at the ranch with a skeleton crew. The successful outcome of this large drive, which had taken the three brothers to manage was of great importance.

“It will at that,” agreed Adam, stroking Sport’s silky neck as he spoke, “and what with the timber contracts waiting renewal we will be more than sitting pretty for the next two years.”

It still niggled at Adam’s mind this decision to take the old trail.  He felt he was being a bit selfish. For him the extra days before heading off to San Francisco would be more than a bonus. It would allow him time to rest up before he had to make the long and tiring Stagecoach journey. Secretly Adam was looking forward to some time to himself. He was hoping that the business he had to deal with.  The signing of the lumber contracts, could be completed speedily and without any hitches. Leaving him time to enjoy the City and also time away from the distractions of the ranch and family so that he could give more thought to his future. These past few weeks, sleeping rough and the long arduous drive had played hell with his back but strengthened his reserve. He had already come to the decision that he was not willing any more to accept the life of a rancher…he suddenly became aware that Hoss was speaking to him…

“Penny for ’em?”

“Brother you’d be wasting your money…sorry, what is it you were saying?”

“l was figuring on who’d ya think would be coming back,”

Pleasantly and idly they chatted.  Laying bets on certain hands and discounting others.   Joe, as he had promised had been checking back and so far all was well. This had settled their minds.  Particularly Adam’s, that he had in fact made the correct choice. It was just past noon when they decided that on Joe’s next check, they would stop for a quick break, stretch their legs and and a have a brew of coffee.

The shrill, shrieking, a loud whinnying cry of an animal in panic.  Coupled with the sudden ascent of a flock of screeching, flapping, dark winged birds startled both riders and horses. As one Hoss and Adam glanced up at the moving, squawking black bodies above them…their eyes darted back to each others shocked faces…without any hesitation they spurred their animals forward. A single thought only was shared by both men…Joe and Cochise.