Summary:  Adam and Little Joe are held for ransom.
Rating:  G   8,430 words

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Ransom

 

‘That him?’  The man leant against the post and studied the young men dressed in black across the street as he came out of the bank.

 

‘Yep,’ said his companion and then spat into the gutter. ‘Looks like today might be the day eh?’  He sneered. ‘I reckon Ben Cartwright ain’t gonna know what hit him when he gets our note.’

 

The first man glared at him. ‘Don’t get cocky,’ he snarled. ‘It ain’t done yet.’  He thought for a moment. ‘I’m still not sure that we shouldn’t go fer the kid though.’

 

‘Look Mort, we’ve been through this. We said we’d take the first one that we can and that kid’s over in the schoolhouse.’  He indicated the building at the bottom of the street with his thumb. ‘Why wait when we’ve got this one right here fer the picking now?’  His eyes narrowed as he added. ‘Sides, looks like we’ll get two for the price of one.’

 

Mort looked over to where his companion was staring. The young man in black was motioning for a little boy to follow him. ‘He’s got the brat with him,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘That could prove to be quite useful.  All right then, we’ll go for him.’  He shook his head at his companion as he stood straight. ‘It ain’t gonna be two for the price of one though Clem.  I reckon we’ll get our money’s worth if we can grab two of Ben Cartwright’s three sons.’

 

‘You got the letter?’ asked Clem as he followed Mort to their horses.

 

Mort patted his pocket. ‘In here,’ he said. ‘Now let’s get up the trail a bit and take our place like we practised.  The two men mounted up and turned their horses towards the western side of the street, giving Adam Cartwright an appraising stare as they rode past him.

 

Adam didn’t even see the men leave town, as he was too busy trying to get his little brother to mind him. ‘I told you to come on,’ he said in a frustrated tone. ‘Hurry up, will you?’

 

Little Joe beamed up at his older brother, oblivious to the tone of his voice. ‘Are we gonna wait fer Hoss Adam?’ he asked. ‘Are we riding home with Hoss too?’

 

Adam shook his head. ‘No,’ he said as he lifted the little boy onto his horse. ‘Hoss won’t be out of school for a couple of hours yet. Besides …’ he added as he mounted up and settled his brother on the saddle in front of him. ‘It’s time we got home.’  He turned his horse towards the western side of the street and began to ride slowly away from the bank.

 

‘Can I hold the reins Adam?’ pleaded Little Joe. ‘I can do it good.’

 

‘When we get out of town,’ said Adam firmly. ‘I’m not having a repeat of what happened when we rode in.’

 

‘Weren’t my fault,’ declared Little Joe indignantly. ‘Sport got spooked.’

 

‘Sport got spooked because you kicked him,’ said Adam crossly. ‘Now stop squirming before I regret taking you off Pa’s hands for the afternoon.’

 

Little Joe looked up at his brother with a puzzled expression on his face. ‘I weren’t sitting on Pa’s hands,’ he said. ‘Sometimes you say funny things Adam.’

 

Adam shook his head slightly. ‘It means … oh never mind,’ he said. ‘Stop squirming!’

 

‘But you said I could hold the reins when we got out of town and we’re out of town now,’ insisted Little Joe. ‘Please?’

 

Adam held out the reins to his little brother, keeping one hand on the ends of them.  Little Joe sat up proudly in the saddle in front of his brother and hitched them up. ‘Careful,’ warned Adam.

 

‘I am careful,’ boasted Little Joe. ‘I can ride real good now.  Do ya reckon Pa will get me my pony for my birthday like he said he might Adam?’

 

Adam raised an eyebrow at his brother’s question, knowing full well that the said pony had already been picked out and was only waiting for the appropriate day to be presented to his new master. ‘You’ll have to wait and see,’ he said. ‘Depends on how good you are.’  He looked at Little Joe sternly. ‘Your performance at the church picnic yesterday didn’t do much to help your cause though.’

 

Little Joe frowned. ‘Weren’t my fault,’ he declared. ‘Dumb old girls!’

 

Adam tried to keep a straight face. ‘One day you’ll like girls,’ he said smugly.

 

‘No I won’t!’ declared his brother. ‘I only like ta kick girls!’

 

‘Which is precisely why you get into trouble,’ replied Adam. ‘You’ve got to stop kicking things buddy.’

 

‘I’m a good kicker,’ said Little Joe. ‘I’ve been practising … wanna see?’

 

‘No I don’t.  You have to …’ Adam stopped in mid sentence, causing his little brother to look up at him.

 

‘I have to what?’ he asked.

 

Adam clutched hold of the reins as two riders approached them from the side of the road.  He tipped his hat and then held onto Joe around his waist, causing his little brother to squirm even more than he’d been doing. ‘Afternoon,’ said Adam.

 

‘Afternoon,’ said one of the men and then spat into the road, causing Little Joe’s eyes to widen.

 

‘Hey Adam,’ he said. ‘Did ya see what …’

 

‘Be quiet,’ said Adam, not taking his eyes off the men.  He hitched up the reins to continue past them when one of the men reached out and held onto them, effectively stopping him. ‘Can I help you?’ asked Adam, his heart beginning to quicken it’s pace in spite of his brain telling him that there was nothing to worry about.

 

‘Hope so,’ said the man who’d grabbed hold of the young man’s reins. ‘You’d be one of Ben Cartwright’s boys, ain’t that right?’

 

‘Yes,’ said Adam, clutching hold of Joe even tighter while his little brother tried unsuccessfully to disengage his brother’s grasp on him.

 

‘Then you can certainly help us,’ said the second man, pulling out a pistol and pointing it directly at the two Cartwright brothers. Little Joe stopped squirming and stared the man while Adam held his brother still and tried to face the men without flinching.

 

‘What’s all this about?’ he asked finally.

 

‘Just hand over that gun of yours sonny,’ said the first man. ‘Get it from him Clem.’

 

The man called Clem reached over and took Adam’s gun from his holster.  ‘Hey!’ said Little Joe indignantly. ‘That’s my brother’s gun!  You give that back!’

 

‘Shut that brat up,’ snarled Clem. ‘Now get going sonny.’  He motioned with his hand and Adam turned his horse around without a word.

 

‘Hey!’ shouted Joe twisting around in the saddle to face his brother. ‘We’re going the wrong way Adam.’

 

‘Be quiet,’ said Adam in a low voice. ‘Just sit still Joe.’  He watched the two men out of the corner of his eye and noticed one of them getting down from his horse and placing Adam’s gun on the ground at the side of the trail, with a piece of paper under it.  He swallowed again, clutching his little brother to him as he followed the first man, the second quickly catching up behind them.  As the three riders disappeared into the brush at the side of the road, Little Joe’s voice could still be heard, objecting to the direction they were taking.

 

 

==========

 

 

Ben Cartwright straightened up and dug the pitchfork into the bale of hay beside him as he smiled at the boy riding into the yard. ‘Have a good day son?’ he asked.

 

Hoss made a face as he dismounted. ‘Not really,’ he said and then shrugged. ‘Ain’t no day good when ya gotta go ta school Pa.’

 

Ben put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. ‘One day you might look back on your school days and think they weren’t too bad,’ he said with a chuckle.

 

‘I don’t think so Pa,’ said Hoss mournfully as he began to lead his horse into the barn.

 

Ben looked across the yard expectantly. ‘Aren’t your brothers with you?’ he asked.

 

Hoss stopped. ‘Nope,’ he said. ‘Didn’t know they was in town.’

 

Ben frowned. ‘Adam rode in after lunch to go to the bank for me and took Little Joe with him,’ he said. ‘They should have been back well before now.’

 

Hoss shook his head. ‘I didn’t see em,’ he said. ‘Adam probably stayed in town ta do something else Pa.’

 

Ben tried to smile at his son. ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘You’re probably right Hoss.  You go and get your chores done now son.’  He stared across the yard, willing himself to believe that this could be the case.  However, his mind kept telling him that Adam would never have kept his little brother out so late. He picked up his pitchfork again, determined to work while he waited.  There was nothing like a bit of hard work to ease anxiety, he knew that from experience.

 

 

==========

 

 

Adam looked over at Clem who was sitting cleaning his gun on the other side of the fire. His eyes quickly scanned the small clearing, looking for any information that he could store away to perhaps help him later. ‘Ain’t no use boy,’ said Mort, sneering at him. ‘Ain’t about to let you outta our sight, so you may as well get any thoughts of escape outta your mind.’  He leant forward and stirred the stew in the pot that hung over the fire.

 

Adam didn’t reply, but continued to scan the area in the ever-decreasing light. He looked down when he felt a tug on his sleeve. ‘Its getting dark Adam,’ said Little Joe anxiously. ‘Pa’s gonna be awful mad if we’re late fer supper.’  Adam nodded and patted the child on the head absently.

 

Clem chuckled. ‘Your Pa’s got more ta be mad at than that kid,’ he said in an amused tone.

 

Little Joe glared at him. ‘You’re a mean man,’ he said accusingly. ‘I don’t like you!’

 

‘Ya don’t say?’ chuckled Clem. ‘Ain’t worrying me none.’  He put his gun back into his holster and smelt the air. ‘Stew bout ready Mort?’ he asked. ‘I’m hungry enough ta eat … a horse I reckon.’  Little Joe’s eyes widened at the man’s words and Clem laughed even louder at the expression on the child’s face. ‘Ain’t ya never et a horse kid?’ he said. ‘They’s mighty tasty.’

 

Little Joe looked up at Adam his brother’s reaction to Clem’s words, but Adam merely shook his head slightly at the boy to quiet him.  His tactic, however, didn’t work.

 

‘You ain’t never et a horse!’ declared Little Joe indignantly.

 

Clem leant forward and looked into the child’s face. ‘No?’ he said nastily. ‘Well if you don’t shut up then I might kill your brother’s horse and then eat it ta prove that I can.  How would ya like that kid?’

 

Little Joe swallowed and leant back against Adam who put his arm protectively around his brother’s shoulder. ‘Are we gonna go home soon Adam?’ the child asked nervously.

 

‘Not yet kid,’ said Mort nastily. ‘Maybe we’ll never let ya home … what do ya think about that eh?’

 

Little Joe sat up straight again. ‘You better let us go home now!” he shouted. ‘Else my Pa will come looking for us and he’ll pound ya both!’

 

‘You shut that brat up,’ said Clem to Adam. ‘I’m getting sick of his smart mouth real quick!’

 

Adam pulled his brother towards him. ‘Be quiet Joe,’ he said in a low voice. Little Joe looked up at his brother for a moment and then shut his mouth firmly.

 

‘Here,’ said Mort, handing Clem some stew. ‘It ain’t horse right enough, but it’ll stick to ya ribs the same I reckon.’

 

Adam swallowed at the smell of the stew, wondering if he and Joe were to be offered any.  He hoped so, for even though he’d done without meals many times in his life, Little Joe would need the sustenance. Mort looked over at him watching the stew and dished up two more plates before handing them over. ‘Here,’ he said. ‘You ain’t no use to us starving, I guess.’

 

Adam took the plates gratefully, although he didn’t say a word.  He put one on his lap and the other on the ground in front of Little Joe. ‘Eat your supper,’ he said quietly.

 

Little Joe stared at the stew and wrinkled up his nose. ‘I don’t like it,’ he said.

 

‘You haven’t even tasted it yet,’ said Adam between mouthfuls. ‘Eat it.’

 

‘I wanna go home ta supper,’ whined Little Joe. ‘Hop Sing was cooking fried chicken for tonight.  He done told me so this morning.’

 

‘Shut that brat up!’ shouted Clem.

 

Adam drew Joe closer to him and bent down so that his face was next to that of his brother’s. ‘This is all you’ll get for supper,’ he whispered. ‘These men aren’t going to like it if you don’t eat it, so be a good boy and have some. OK?’

 

Joe glanced over at Mort and Clem who were noisily slurping their stew. ‘OK,’ he said reluctantly.

 

‘Good boy,’ said Adam and began to eat his own stew again. By the time he’d finished what was on his plate, Little Joe had eaten about one third of what was on his plate and Adam was satisfied that the child would survive on that for the night.

 

‘Picky eater ain’t he?’ snarled Clem as he took the plates back. ‘What’s the matter kid?  Ya want some horse ta eat instead?’  He chuckled at his little joke and laughed even harder as Joe glared at him.  Adam held onto his little brother and patted him on the head to distract his attention from the man.  His own mind was whirling with the possibilities about what could befall himself and his brother. He had a fairly good idea what had been in the note that Mort had left underneath his gun and it didn’t bode well for either of them if they were being held for ransom as he suspected. By himself he might have had some kind of chance of sneaking away, but with Little Joe to watch over at the same time his chances of getting out of this were virtually nil.

 

Adam scanned the small clearing again in the hopes of seeing something … anything … that he might have missed before. ‘Adam?’

 

He looked down to see Joe tugging at his sleeve. ‘Yes?’ he said.

 

‘I gotta go.’  Joe had the pained expression on his face that he always got when he needed to use the outhouse and Adam knew from experience that his little brother’s needs had to be met quickly or they would all pay the price for it. He sat up straight, causing Mort and Clem to both glance in his direction.

 

‘You keep still there boy,’ warned Mort.

 

‘It’s my little brother,’ explained Adam. ‘He has to pee.’

 

Clem laughed. ‘Ya don’t say?’ he sneered. ‘So what?’

 

Joe by this time was holding onto himself and watching Adam with a decidedly pained expression. ‘I gotta go Adam!” he whispered in a voice that they could all hear. ‘Now!’

 

Mort waved his gun towards a rock behind him. ‘Over there kid,’ he said. ‘Hurry up!’

 

Little Joe looked at Adam again, who nodded. ‘Go on buddy,’ he said. ‘It’s OK.’  The little boy scampered off behind the rock to do his business while everyone waited. He emerged after a few moments straightening up his clothing, went straight over to Adam again and sat down.

 

‘You too,’ said Mort, motioning with his gun. ‘If ya need ta go, now’s the time sonny.  I’ll be watching the kid here in case ya get any notions in that head of yours though.’  He grinned nastily.

 

Adam didn’t answer, but stood up and began to walk towards the rock.  He figured he’d better take advantage of the man’s generosity now, not knowing how long it would last for. Before he’d gone two steps though, Little Joe let out a howl. ‘Adam!’ he shouted. ‘Come back! Don’t leave me!’

 

Adam turned, steeling himself to be firm as he gazed down at the horrified look that his little brother was giving him. ‘I’m not going anywhere,’ he said calmly. ‘Just be quiet and wait for me.’

 

‘Adam!” shouted Joe again and stood up to run after his brother. ‘Come back!’

 

Clem reached out and grabbed the little boy, flinging him onto the ground. ‘You sit still kid!’ he shouted. ‘Shut up!’

 

Adam turned again. ‘Leave him alone!” he said. ‘He’s just a little boy and doesn’t understand.’

 

‘Ain’t my problem,’ said Clem as he began to pick his teeth with his fingernail and watched the sobbing child on the ground beside him. ‘Brat!’ he snarled and spat into the dirt.

 

Adam hesitated and then quickly walked behind the rock, emerging a minute later to bend down and pick up his little brother.  He sat down and placed him on his knee, soothing him as he stroked his curly hair. ‘Shh,’ he said gently. ‘I’m back now.  It’s all right.’

 

‘I thought you was leaving me by myself,’ sniffled Joe into his brother’s shoulder. ‘I thought you was going home without me.’

 

‘I wouldn’t do that,’ said Adam. ‘I was just going behind the rock like you did buddy.  It’s all right now.  I won’t leave you with these men by yourself.’

 

Joe drew back from his brother and looked at him intently in the dim light. ‘Promise?’ he said.

 

‘Promise,’ said Adam with a wink. ‘As if I would!’  He hugged the child closer to him as he stared into the flickering fire beside them.

 

 

==========

 

 

‘Eat your fried chicken son,’ said Ben as he strapped on his gun belt and put on his hat.

 

Hoss gave his father an anxious look. ‘I ain’t hungry Pa.  Can’t I come with ya?’

 

Ben put his hand on his son’s shoulder and patted him. ‘We’ve been through this Hoss.  You’re staying here with Hop Sing in case they come home, remember?  I need you to do that for me.’

 

‘Yeah but supposing they do,’ said Hoss. ‘What will I do then?’

 

‘Adam will come and tell me,’ said his father reassuringly. ‘Tell him I’m going back towards town and searching the trail along the way.’

 

Hoss stood up from the table. ‘Something’s happened to em Pa,’ he said. ‘I know it has.’

 

Ben tried to smile at his son, although his own heart told him the same thing. ‘We don’t know that Hoss,’ he said. ‘It could be a lot of things that has kept them late.’  He turned to the kitchen. ‘Hop Sing!  I’m going now!’

 

Hop Sing came out of the kitchen and gave Hoss a worried look before replying to Ben. ‘We look after each other here,’ he said meaningfully. ‘Have supper ready for other sons when you bring home.’

 

‘Thank you Hop Sing,’ said Ben gratefully. ‘And try and get this one into bed will you please?’

 

‘Pa!’ declared Hoss. ‘You can’t expect me ta go ta bed!’

 

Ben pointed a finger at Hoss. ‘You do as Hop Sing tells you,’ he said. ‘I know you’re worried but …’ He smiled. ‘Well try and get some rest on the sofa at least while you wait.’  He turned and left the room abruptly, his heart and his brain aching with the worry of what could have happened to his two sons.  He mounted up in the dim light, turning the lantern up in his hand as he slowly turned his horse out of the front yard and back towards the trail that led to Virginia City.

 

He’d been riding about half an hour, slowly checking each side of the trail along the way when his eyes caught something gleaming in the lantern light on the trail.  With fear in his heart, Ben got down from his horse and picked up Adam’s gun, the note underneath it fluttering in the early evening breeze.  He tucked the gun into his belt, held the note next to the light of the lantern and began to read.

 

 

==========

 

 

‘I’m cold,’ whined Joe, snuggling closer to Adam. Adam hugged his little brother closer and scrunched over so that he was closer to the fire. He watched Mort and Clem across the other side of the small clearing, their heads huddled together as they whispered. ‘Adam… I’m cold,’ said Little Joe again.

 

‘Is it OK if I get our coats from the horse?’ asked Adam suddenly.

 

Mort and Clem looked over at him. ‘Huh?’ said Clem.

 

‘Our coats,’ repeated Adam. ‘It’s getting chilly.’

 

Clem motioned with his gun. ‘The brat can get em,’ he said. ‘You stay where you are.’

 

‘Joe, go on over to Sport and get our coats,’ said Adam, nudging his little brother. ‘Go on.’  He stood the little boy up on his feet and gave him a slight shove towards the horse.

 

Little Joe nodded, trotted over obediently to where his brother’s horse was tied and tried to reach up to grab their coats which were strapped onto the back of the saddle. ‘I can’t reach em,’ he said after a minute. ‘They’re too high Adam.’

 

Adam looked at Mort and Clem who simply stared back at him. ‘Can I help him?’ he asked at last.

 

Mort stood up and walked over to the horse and grabbed the coats. ‘Here,’ he said. ‘Now sit down and shut up kid.’

 

Little Joe picked the coats up from the ground and took them back to Adam who put his straight on and then helped Joe on with his. ‘That better?’ he asked.

 

‘Yep,’ said Joe, snuggling into his brother’s side again. ‘Adam?’

 

‘Yes?’

 

‘Why won’t those men let us go home?’

 

Adam hesitated, not wanting to cause his little brother undue anxiety, but also knowing that he needed to be honest with the child. ‘They want to keep us here so that Pa will give them money,’ he said at last.

 

Clem chuckled as he heard Adam’s words. ‘You’re darn right we do,’ he said. ‘I hope your Pa’s got enough ta pay for you both.’

 

Joe frowned at the man. ‘My Pa’s got plenty of money!’ he declared.

 

Clem looked quite amused at the child’s words. ‘I hope for your sake he does kid,’ he said.

 

‘We got money too!’ said Joe, his eyes getting bigger as a thought occurred to him. ‘We could give you our money and then we could go home.’

 

Adam put his hand over his little brother’s mouth, but not before he saw the look in the men’s eyes. ‘Yeah?’ said Mort, leaning close to the child. ‘Where’s your money kid?’

 

‘Adam’s got it … don’t ya Adam?’ said Little Joe, wriggling free of Adam’s hand. ‘He got it at the bank today.  Show him Adam.’

 

Adam shushed the boy as Clem and Mort’s eyes lit up even more. ‘That’s right,’ said Mort thoughtfully.  ‘You was coming out of the bank this afternoon now that I think of it, weren’t you?’ Adam said nothing, but merely stared at the man silently. ‘Hand it over boy,’ said Mort.

 

‘Give it to him Adam,’ piped up Little Joe excitedly. ‘Then we can go home.’

 

‘Be quiet!’ hissed Adam.

 

Little Joe looked hurt. ‘But I only said that …’

 

‘That’s it kid,’ sniggered Clem. ‘You tell him to give it to us … else we might just have to take it, mightn’t we?’  He fingered his gun meaningfully and looked directly at Little Joe, who stared back at him, his eyes wide.

 

Adam swallowed and then slowly reached into his coat pocket and withdrew a fat wallet. He held it out to Mort who grabbed it and whistled as he opened it to reveal a large wad of bills. ‘Well lookee here,’ he said. ‘A little bonus on top of what your Pa’s gonna give us later,’ he said gleefully. ‘Thanks kid.’

 

‘Can we go home now?’ asked Little Joe hopefully.

 

‘Reckon not,’ said Clem with a grin at Mort. ‘Seems like we’ll all be spending the night together.  Now shut up!’  He picked up a bottle of whiskey and pulled the cork out with his teeth before taking a gulp.

 

Little Joe frowned. ‘But you gotta let us go!” he declared.

 

‘Joe be quiet,’ said Adam, trying to pull his brother towards him. ‘Sit down.’

 

Little Joe wriggled free of his brother and stood up to face the two men, his little fists clenched and his face a mixture of frustration and fury. ‘You give us back our money!’ he shouted. ‘You can’t keep it iffen ya don’t let us go!’

 

Clem laughed as he took another swig of whiskey. ‘Kid’s got spunk,’ he said casually to Mort.

 

‘He’s annoying,’ said Mort with a frown. ‘You shut him up boy if you know what’s good for you both.’

 

Adam tried to pull Joe towards him again, but Joe stood firm. ‘You give us back our money!’ he shouted.

 

Mort reached out and struck the child on the face, making him stagger backwards with the force of the blow. ‘Shut up!’ he yelled.

 

Adam pulled his little brother and clasped him tightly. ‘Leave him alone,’ he shouted. ‘He’s only a little boy!’

 

‘He’s a little brat,’ snarled Mort. ‘Now keep him quiet unless you want me to take him behind those bushes and get rid of him permanent like.’

 

Adam swallowed and hugged the now-crying child to his chest as he murmured to him. ‘It’s OK little buddy,’ he said. ‘It’ll be OK.’  He wished with all his might that there were someone to say those words to him as well.

 

 

==========

 

 

Ben handed the note to sheriff Roy Coffee and waited while the man read it. ‘$10 000,’ whistled Roy when he’d finished. ‘Well whoever they are, they don’t do things by halves, do they?’

 

Ben banged his fist on the desk. ‘The amount doesn’t matter!’ he shouted. ‘The important thing is getting back my boys Roy!’

 

‘Now calm down Ben,’ said Roy. ‘We’ll get your boys back safe and sound.  You say you found this … where?’

 

‘On the trail … about four miles from the house,’ said Ben. ‘I tried to track the prints from there, but they went straight down to the Truckee River and then disappeared.  I had no way of knowing whether they went upstream or downstream.’

 

Roy fingered his chin. ‘And no chance of tracking them in the dark even if you did,’ he said. ‘There’s not a lot we can do until morning Ben.  I’ll get some men together and we’ll be ready to ride out at first light.’

 

‘Didn’t you read the note?’ shouted Ben. ‘They’ll kill my boys if I bring anyone with me … I can’t risk it Roy!’ He ran his hand through his silver hair in a frustrated gesture. ‘I have to do this by myself Roy … can’t you see that?’

 

‘What I can see is that you and your boys are likely to get hurt or worse if we do it your way,’ said Roy firmly. ‘Ben these men are serious by the sound of that note.  You can’t just give them the money and expect that that will be that.’

 

‘What else can I do?’ asked Ben desperately. ‘You read it … I have to be at the old Forthon mine by noon or else they’ll kill Adam and Little Joe. What would you suggest I do?  If I don’t turn up by myself they’ll kill the boys for sure.’

 

‘And if you don’t, then they’ll probably kill them anyway Ben,’ said Roy firmly. ‘You know as well as I do that they aren’t going to leave any witnesses behind.’ Ben sat down and put his hands over his face.  There was silence for a few moments and then Roy stood up and walked around to the other side of the desk.  He put his hand on Ben’s shoulder. ‘Ben I don’t want to upset you any more than I have to,’ he said in a gentler tone. ‘But my job is to make sure that we get those boys of yours back alive.  I’m sorry, but I had to say what I did.’

 

‘I know,’ said Ben in a weary voice. ‘What do you suggest?’

 

‘I’ll get a few men … six at the most,’ Roy added as he saw the look on Ben’s face. ‘We’ll stay well back I promise you Ben, until we can see that the boys are safe. They said they’d bring them?’

 

‘Yes.’

 

Roy nodded. ‘As soon as you hand over the money we’ll make our move,’ he said. ‘Ben I’ve been a sheriff for a long time … I know what I’m doing.  Now you need to go and wake up Tom and get him to open the bank and get that money together. I’ll go and round up a few men and bring em back here to brief em.  We’ll ride out after sunup.’

 

Ben nodded. ‘I just can’t understand how they could do this,’ he said. ‘Two of my boys … and one of them not much more than a baby.’ Roy put his hand on Ben’s shoulder again and there was silence between them.

 

 

==========

 

 

Adam moved his arm slightly to ease the numbness that had settled there and shifted his little brother’s body so that the child was lying on his legs instead of propped up onto his shoulder.  Little Joe murmured slightly in his sleep as he moved and Adam traced a line with his finger down the little boy’s face where the red mark still lingered from Mort’s slap.  He looked over to where the two men were still sharing their bottle of whisky and chuckling together.  He had hoped when they first started drinking that they might have passed out after a while, but it seemed that the alcohol was only making them belligerent instead of sleepy.

 

‘Whatcha looking at?’ demanded Clem as he realised that Adam was staring at them.

 

‘Nothing,’ said Adam, looking away.

 

‘Yes ya were,’ said Clem. ‘You think you’re high and mighty, don’t ya kid?  Ya think you’re too good fer the likes of us, don’t ya?’  Adam said nothing, but stared into the fire as he hoped that the man would turn his attention to something else. ‘Ya think you’re one tough kid, don’t ya?’ sneered Clem.

 

‘No.’

 

‘Well ya ain’t!’ he shouted. ‘You and your old man are gonna realise that ya ain’t tough at all.  No sir!  Old Ben Cartwright is gonna rue the day he heard of Clem and Mort Higgins.’

 

‘Higgins?’ said Adam in spite of himself.

 

‘Yeah … Higgins!  Bring back memories, does it kid?  Remember the time your old man sent the two of us ta jail for five years, do ya?’

 

‘If I remember correctly you both deserved it,’ said Adam.  ‘You should have got a lot more than five years for robbing that bank.’

 

‘Well if your old man hadn’t seen us coming out of the alley that day we wouldn’t have even got that,’ said Mort smugly. ‘I reckon five years in jail is worth the $10 000 he’s gonna pay us tomorrow.’

 

Adam’s eyes widened. ‘$10 000?’ he said. ‘You can’t be serious.’

 

Mort chuckled. ‘So you don’t think you’re worth $10 000?’ he said. ‘What about the brat there?  He ain’t worth it either, huh?’  He indicated Little Joe, sleeping on Adam’s lap and then fingered his gun. ‘Well if your Pa don’t reckon you are, we’ll have to try and think what to do with you both, won’t we?’ Adam swallowed and was silent. Little Joe stirred again in his sleep and he placed a protective hand on the child’s head. ‘Maybe we could get rid of you somewhere,’ Mort continued. ‘There’s bound ta be plenty of clipper ship captains who’d pay for your services on board a ship about to sail from San Francisco, but the brat here … well that’s another matter.’  He fingered his gun again. ‘Never could stand kids myself.’

 

‘You touch my little brother and I’ll kill you,’ said Adam in a low voice.

 

Clem leant forward. ‘Well now it seems to me that you ain’t in any fit state to be giving threats like that,’ he said menacingly. ‘If I were you I’d shut my mouth … for your sake and the brat’s.’  He sat back again and took another swig of the whiskey bottle, looking at Adam over the top of it. ‘I’m sure looking forward to that high and mighty Ben Cartwright begging us not ta kill you two tomorrow,’ he added nastily. He chuckled at the very thought of it while Adam continued to stare morosely into the fire.

 

 

==========

 

 

‘Now remember,’ said Roy firmly. ‘We’re staying well back until Ben has those boys safe. We’re not making a move while there’s any danger to Adam or the little’un.’  He looked over as Ben approached them, a bag in his hand. ‘You get the money with no trouble Ben?’ he asked.

 

Ben shook his head, his expression showing his concern. ‘They didn’t have that much on hand,’ he said. ‘I got what I could though … less than $9 000.’

 

Roy chewed on his moustache. ‘Well they probably won’t count it,’ he said. ‘I’m sure it’ll be all right.’

 

‘It’ll have to be,’ said Ben, looking up at the sun. ‘I don’t have time to ride to Carson City to get any more.  We’ll just have to pray that they’ll be satisfied with what I could get.’  He looked around at the half dozen men who were standing next to their horses. ‘I sure do appreciate you helping out,’ he said sincerely. ‘Only …’

 

‘I’ve explained everything Ben,’ interrupted Roy. ‘You don’t have to worry … we’ll stay well back until you have the boys safe.’

 

Ben nodded. ‘Thank you,’ he said. ‘The money isn’t important at all … the only thing that matters is getting those boys back safely.’

 

‘We know,’ Roy assured him. ‘And we won’t do anything to jeopardise that.’

 

‘Thank you,’ said Ben as he swung up onto his horse. ‘Let’s ride!’

 

 

 

==========

 

 

Adam stretched in the morning light and felt the child on his lap squirm with the movement.  Little Joe opened his eyes and stared up at his brother with a puzzled expression on his face. ‘What you doing in my room Adam?’ he asked.

 

‘Wake up sleepy head,’ said Adam gently.  He propped the little boy up and sat him on his lap, watching as Little Joe rubbed his eyes with his knuckles and gave a great yawn.  He looked all around before staring back up at his brother again. ‘We’re with those mean men, ain’t we?’ he asked. ‘I forgot.’

 

‘Ya sure are kid,’ said Mort from across the other side of the fire.  He threw some dirt onto it and watched as the fire began to die.

 

Little Joe merely glared at the man and then turned back to Adam again. ‘Are we going home now?’ he asked.

 

‘Soon,’ said Adam absently, stroking the boy’s curls.

 

‘Yeah,’ added Clem. ‘Real soon kid, if ya Pa pays up like we told him to.’ He cocked his gun in Adam’s direction. ‘Get up,’ he said. ‘On ya feet sonny.’ Adam stood up slowly, grateful for the chance to stretch his muscles again.  He set Little Joe on his feet next to him and patted the boy on the head reassuringly. ‘On ya horse,’ instructed Clem, with a wave of his gun in that direction. ‘We’ve got a-ways to go.’

 

‘Ain’t we having breakfast first?’ whined Little Joe. ‘I’m hungry!’

 

‘Move!’ said Clem and Adam clutched his brother to him as he walked towards the horses.  He picked up Little Joe and put him on the front of the saddle before mounting up himself and looking down at Clem and Mort. ‘Now you just behave yaselves today and we’ll soon be rid of each other,’ said Mort as he mounted up as well. He picked up one of Adam’s reins and began to lead the way, Clem bringing up the rear.

 

Within an hour or so, they had reached the shoreline of the lake and Mort turned his horse to the west towards the old Forthin mine. ‘Hey!’ shouted Little Joe indignantly. ‘We’re going the wrong way!  Our home’s down that way!’  He waved in the opposite direction where the trail ran around the shoreline towards The Ponderosa ranch house.

 

‘Ya don’t say,’ sneered Clem without slackening his pace.

 

‘Yeah I do say,’ said Little Joe eagerly, oblivious to the man’s sarcasm. ‘We can go down that way and see my Pa.’

 

‘Your Pa’s gonna come and see us sonny,’ said Mort from up in front. ‘Ain’t no need us going to see him.’

 

Little Joe frowned. ‘But …’ he began.

 

‘Shut that brat up!’ shouted Clem from behind.

 

Adam put his hand over little Joe’s mouth and bent down close to him, noticing as he did so the large bruise that was forming on the boy’s cheek where yesterday there had been a red mark. ‘Be quiet Joe,’ he said. ‘Pa’s not at home at the moment.  We’re going to meet him somewhere else.’

 

Joe pulled on Adam’s hand and loosened his brother’s grip on his mouth. ‘Where?’ he asked.

 

‘I’m not sure,’ admitted Adam in a low voice. ‘But he’ll find us soon.’

 

Joe looked at both the men. ‘Why don’t we just ride away Adam?’ he said. ‘I could kick Sport and he’ll run away fast.’

 

Adam held up a warning finger. ‘Don’t you dare,’ he hissed, a vision of what the men would do if they tried it.  There was no way that he was going to endanger his little brother’s life any more than he had to and he wasn’t going to give either man the opportunity to take a shot at them both. ‘You just sit still and wait,’ he said.

 

‘Sensible advice,’ said Mort, turning around in the saddle and looking at them. ‘You listen to ya big brother kid.’  He fingered his gun. ‘Else we might be forced to hand only one of ya over to ya Pa.’

 

Adam clutched Little Joe to him tightly, ignoring the boy’s indignant cries. ‘Let me go Adam! I can’t breathe properly if ya hold me so tight!’

 

Adam loosened his grip a little. ‘Sit still!’ he warned his brother as they approached the abandoned mine. ‘Do as you’re told.’  He thought about how clever Mort and Clem were to have chosen this spot.  Not only was it situated in a clearing where they could keep an eye on things in all directions, but it was also backed right up to a cliff face and the mine itself would provide them with protection should anything untoward happen.  He hoped with all his heart that this was going to be a straightforward exchange … himself and Joe for the money his father would be bringing … but in case it wasn’t, he began to immediately scan the area for anything that would help him keep his little brother out of danger should the moment arise.

 

They all dismounted and Clem motioned for Adam to go towards the entrance of the mine.  He stopped him just outside and told him to sit in the shade of a large rock, Little Joe as usual by his side.  Both men then positioned themselves on either side of them, each covering the trail that led to the disused mine while they waited.

 

Adam pulled his little brother close to him and turned his face so that they were looking into each other’s eyes. ‘Joe I want you to listen to me,’ he said.

 

Little Joe stared at his brother. ‘OK,’ he said.

 

‘See the mine behind us?’  Little Joe nodded. ‘If there is any trouble I want you to crawl up there and hide inside,’ Adam said. ‘Do you hear me?’

 

‘What kind of trubble?’ asked Little Joe, his eyes wide at the very thought of it.

 

Adam hesitated. ‘If anyone starts shooting,’ he said. ‘Or if I … I get hurt and can’t tell you what to do.  OK?’

 

‘Why would you get hurt?’ asked Little Joe anxiously. ‘Are them mean men gonna hurt you?’

 

Adam put his hand on the child’s head. ‘No of course not,’ he reassured the boy. ‘Only … when Pa comes there might be a bit of … well … things might be a bit confusing for a few minutes,’ he said. ‘If those men start shooting then I …’

 

‘Who are they gonna shoot at?’ asked Little Joe, clutching his brother’s sleeve. ‘They ain’t gonna shoot at Pa, is they?’

 

‘No,’ said Adam. ‘Pa is going to bring some money to give them and then they’ll let us go,’ he said, wishing that it would be that easy. ‘But if something goes wrong they might get angry.’

 

‘They’re already angry,’ said Little Joe, glancing over at them. ‘They’re mean angry men.’

 

‘Just promise me that you’ll crawl up into the mine,’ said Adam. ‘OK?’

 

‘Why do I have to crawl?’ asked Little Joe. ‘Why can’t I run?’

 

‘You have to get down near the ground,’ explained Adam, trying to be patient. ‘If there’s any bullets you’ll be less likely to be hit.’

 

Little Joe was silent for a few moments while he digested this piece of information. ‘OK,’ he said at last. ‘But will you crawl up there too?’

 

‘If I can,’ said Adam. ‘Maybe we won’t have to, huh?’  He ruffled his little brother’s hair, wanting desperately to wipe the concerned look off the child’s face.  He looked towards the trail where his father would ride up shortly, hoping against hope that soon they would all be riding down it again together.

 

 

==========

 

 

‘OK Ben,’ said Roy. ‘Looks like this is as far as we go. We’ll be behind these trees.’  He held out his hand to the other man to shake. ‘Good luck.’

 

Ben returned the handshake and nodded. ‘Thanks,’ he said. ‘Remember, two shots means come up the trail.’

 

‘And if we don’t hear anything after half an hour, then we’re coming anyway,’ Roy reminded him.

 

Ben nodded and spurred his horse forward, the moneybag bouncing on the side of his saddle.  He rode directly into the clearing near the old mine and squinted in the sunlight as he emerged from the trees. ‘Stop right there Cartwright,’ said a low voice and Ben turned in the saddle to see a man emerging from the shadow of the large rock to his left. He stopped and was still.  ‘You got the money?’  Ben nodded and handed the bag over to him.  The man grabbed it and opened it frowning slightly. ‘Don’t look like it’s all there,’ he snarled. ‘Where’s the rest of it?’

 

Ben hesitated before replying. ‘Where are my sons?’ he asked abruptly. ‘I want to see them.’

 

The man pointed his rifle directly at Ben. ‘I said where’s the rest of the money?’ he asked.

 

‘That was all I could get,’ replied Ben. ‘There’s close to $9 000 there … it was all the bank had. Now where are my boys?’

 

The man glared at him before signalling above his head with a wave.  Ben turned to see Adam and Little Joe emerge from behind a rock across the other side of the clearing near the entrance of the mine and he took a step forward. ‘Hold it Cartwright,’ snarled the man. ‘I asked ya where the rest of the money was.’

 

‘I told you that was all I could get,’ said Ben abruptly without taking his eyes off Adam and Little Joe. ‘Are you all right?’ he shouted.

 

Adam waved at him, one hand firmly grasping the arm of his little brother who was wriggling to get free. ‘We’re fine Pa,’ he shouted.

 

‘Let them go,’ demanded Ben.

 

The man shook his head. ‘I gotta think about this,’ he said. ‘You hold tight Cartwright while I consult with my partner.’  He walked backwards across the clearing towards Adam and Little Joe where Ben noticed a second man emerge from behind the boys.

 

Adam was having a difficult time keeping his little brother still, his thoughts focussed on keeping everything calm and giving his father a chance to negotiate with Clem and Mort.  As Clem approached them however, Little Joe began to wriggle even more …excited by the sight of his father.  ‘Pa! Pa!’ he shouted. ‘We’re over here Pa!’  Adam held onto him, desperately trying to shush him at the same time.

 

Clem opened the bag and thrust it under Mort’s nose. ‘He ain’t got it all,’ he snarled. ‘Says the bank didn’t have enough.’

 

Mort looked into the bag.  ‘Seems like your Pa don’t think enough of ya to pay it all sonny,’ he said sarcastically to Adam. ‘Shame bout that, ain’t it?’ Adam stared at the man, trying desperately to keep his emotions in check. ‘Well what are we gonna do bout it?’ said Mort nastily. ‘Maybe we’d better keep hold of ya until he comes up with some more, huh?’

 

‘You said that you’d let us go when you got the money,’ said Adam tersely.

 

‘Yeah!’ shouted Little Joe, still trying to wriggle out of Adam’s grasp. ‘You said you’d let us go! You’re a mean man!’

 

Mort motioned with his hand to Clem. ‘Take the money and get these two back up on their horses,’ he instructed. ‘We’re taking em with us.  I’ll tell Cartwright he owes us more money.’

 

Adam grabbed the man’s sleeve. ‘Let my little brother go,’ he pleaded. ‘You don’t need both of us.’

 

‘Shut up and get on them horses,’ snarled Mort nastily.

 

‘But he’s only a little boy,’ pleaded Adam. ‘Let him go and …’ Mort struck the young man on the face and sent him reeling back a step. ‘I said to shut up!’ the man yelled at him. ‘Now get on that horse and get that brat up there with you!’ He turned towards Ben again and shouted across the clearing to him. ‘Nice try Cartwright!’ he yelled. ‘Now you owe us twice as much! Another

$10 000 by tomorrow sundown or you won’t ever see these two again!’

 

Ben’s heart lurched as he took a step forward. ‘No!’ he shouted. ‘Let them go!’

 

Mort chuckled nastily and turned to punch Adam in the stomach so hard that the young man staggered and fell to his knees, pushing Little Joe back away from him as he did so. ‘See that?’ Mort shouted down to Ben. ‘Now you back outta here or there’ll only be one of your boys left fer ya to pay for!’  He looked down at Adam and chuckled again. ‘Get on ya feet sonny,’ he said. ‘Hurry up!’

 

Adam looked up at him and began to slowly get to his feet.  He was halfway there when he stared at the barrel of the rifle right in front of him and made a grab at it, taking Mort by surprise and toppling the man off his feet as well. Ben saw what was happening and immediately reached for his own gun, but before he could get it, Clem appeared and pointed his rifle at both Adam and Ben. ‘Drop it!’ he ordered. Adam dropped Mort’s rifle and Ben dropped his gun, both of them staring at Clem in dismay.

 

Suddenly Clem let out a howl and dropped his rifle onto the ground beside Adam, both hands clutched around his shin and yelling at the top of his voice.  Behind him, Little Joe grinned at his brother as Adam seized the rifle. ‘Told ya I’ve been practicing kicking,’ said the little boy proudly. ‘It really hurts when ya do it on the ankle.’

 

Ben bent down and picked up his gun and shot it twice into the air before pointing it at Mort who was still on the ground. Beside him Adam had the rifle pointed at Clem and they were still standing like this when Roy and his companions rode into the clearing a minute later. ‘We’ll take care of em now Ben,’ said the sheriff firmly as he strode over.

 

It was only when he could see that Roy and the others had Clem and Mort firmly under control that Ben turned to Adam and put both arms around his son, hugged him tightly.  Little Joe leapt forward and hugged his father around the leg happily. Ben bent down to pick the child up, one son encircled in each arm. ‘Are you both all right?’ he asked anxiously, looking at them both carefully.

 

‘We’re fine Pa,’ Adam assured him and then turned to look at Little Joe sternly. ‘I thought I told you to crawl into the mine if anything went wrong?’ he said.

 

Little Joe returned Adam’s stern look with a non-committal one of his own. ‘But that man was being mean again,’ he said. ‘Did ya see me kick him Pa?’ he added proudly to his father. ‘I did it really hard.’

 

‘You certainly did,’ said Ben, unable to keep a straight face in his relief.

 

‘I should have known that you never do as you’re told,’ muttered Adam under his breath.

 

‘Now Adam,’ said Ben, hugging his son around the shoulder. ‘It turned out all for the best, didn’t it?’

 

Adam’s face broke into a grin. ‘I suppose so,’ he said.

 

Ben hugged both his sons again. ‘Well I think I need to get you both home,’ he said. ‘Roy and the others will take these two back to town.’

 

‘And the money,’ said Roy, picking up the bag. ‘I’ll get it back to the bank for you Ben. You get these two home.’

 

‘We ain’t had no breakfast yet,’ Little Joe informed his father. ‘Them mean men wouldn’t give us any.’

 

‘Well we’ll have to get you some then, won’t we?’ said Ben.

 

‘Bet Hoss never done left us any fried chicken from last night’s supper neither,’ added Little Joe sadly.

 

‘I wouldn’t be too sure about that,’ said Ben as they walked towards their horses. ‘Your brother for once didn’t seem to have too much of an appetite last night.  I think there might just be some chicken if you’re lucky.’

 

‘All I want is a hot bath and a bed,’ said Adam wearily.

 

‘Not me,’ declared Little Joe as his father lifted him up onto his saddle. ‘I want some chicken … and a pee,’ he added seriously.

 

Ben laughed as he mounted up behind Little Joe and hugged his little boy to his chest. ‘Well let’s get all of the above for you then,’ he said as he turned his horse around. ‘Come on boys …. home.’

 

 

 

The End