Summary: It was supposed to be a simple five-day trip home via a stage coach for Adam and Joe.

Rating:  T  WC 12,500

 

The Wild Ride 

The stage jolted over the rough terrain, violently bouncing the passengers inside. One of the passengers, a slender, green-eyed young man of around 18 slammed into the side of the older man sitting next to him. The dark-haired, dark-eyed man sighed heavily. He glanced in sympathy at the younger man, and smiled slightly. “Tough trip, huh, Joe?” he murmured.

 

Adam and Joe Cartwright had been on the stage for two days now, returning home from a round of contract negotiations and cattle buying. The stagecoach they were traveling on was very old, and seemed to find each rut and pothole in the road and magnify them. The two men were the only passengers on the stage and they were both heartily tired of the trip. They had tried sitting on opposite sides of the stage, but had found that the violent jolting was worse when seated alone. Bumping into each other was preferable to bouncing off the hard walls of the stage itself.

 

Little Joe Cartwright grinned back at his older brother and ruefully rubbed his sore shoulder. “Sorry, Adam” he responded lightly. “I think every bone in my body hurts. I can’t wait to get home.”

 

Adam sighed again. “Three more days of this,” he said mournfully. “I don’t think I’m going to make it.”

 

Another rut in the road sent Adam careening into Little Joe this time. Joe grunted at the impact, and pushed his brother off of his arm. He glanced up at Adam, and the two men started laughing. Some of the journey’s tedium seemed to slip from the pair, and their sense of comradeship deepened.

 

Adam and Little Joe Cartwright loved each other deeply. Either man would have cheerfully given his life for the other, but their temperaments caused them to mix like oil and water. Adam was solemn, contemplative, and introspective. His outlook on life was tinged by the tragedy of losing three mothers. Little Joe, on the other hand, had grown up as the petted, spoiled baby of a doting family. He was like quicksilver. One minute cheerful, laughing his infectious giggle, the next scowling and lashing out in a fierce anger. His moods flitted in and out at lightening speed. Sometimes it was hard for his family to keep up with them.

 

Adam had enjoyed this trip with Joe. For once, the brothers hadn’t argued about anything. They had finished all the business chores their father had assigned to them, and had spent a lot of time just talking and enjoying each other’s company. The bone-jarring stagecoach ride couldn’t put a damper on the contentment felt by the two men.

 

“Hey, Adam.”

 

Adam was jolted out of his reverie by his younger brother’s questioning look. He sent an inquiring look in his brother’s direction.

 

“What do you suppose was in that box they loaded on the stage at the last stop?” Joe asked. “They had three men guarding it at the station, but then they didn’t get on the stage with it.” Joe pulled a canteen off the seat next to him, uncapped it and took a drink before passing it on to his older brother.

 

After a swallow of the tepid water, Adam replied, “I don’t know Joe.” He wiped his hand across his mouth, a considering look on his face.  “It’s obviously something pretty valuable, but why the guards didn’t stay with it is a mystery.  I wondered if they were hoping people wouldn’t think the box was on this stage if the guards weren’t on the stage either.  It seems like a risky move to me.  If the thing in that box is that valuable then it should have a guard with it.”  Adam shook his head.

 

“I’d sure like to get a look at what’s in the box, wouldn’t you?” Joe asked, a cheeky grin on his face.

 

“Not on your life, little brother,” Adam replied, grinning back at him. “I just hope that we get home in one piece. I could care less what they have stowed in the baggage of this stage coach.”

 

Just then the stage hit another rut, and Adam was flung into the side of the coach, then bounced back onto his brother. The two men burst out laughing, thoughts of the mysterious box forgotten.

 

*************

 

The stage continued its jolting ride, but exhaustion prevailed and Adam and Joe finally slept. The sound of shots from behind the coach jolted Adam awake. He peered out the window of the stagecoach, and could just make out a band of four men pelting after the stage on horseback, firing wildly as they rode.

 

Adam drew his own weapon and fired back at the riders. The driver whipped the horses to greater speed, frantically working the reins and shouting at the horses. Joe, hearing Adam’s shot, woke as well, and making a quick appraisal of the situation drew his gun and leaned out of his window. He took aim at the distant riders and began firing. A shot pinged off the coach just by Joe’s head, and he rapidly ducked back into the interior of the coach. Adam pulled his head in at the same time, and took a quick look at his brother. “I think someone knows that box is on this stage, Joe.” Adam said ironically.

 

Joe just grinned and nodded, then stuck his head out of the window again. He fired off another couple of rounds, but failed to hit anyone. Adam reloaded his gun, and then also took aim at the pursuing men. Suddenly, the driver of the stagecoach cried out in pain as a bullet found him, his body arching backwards, his hands loosening on the reins. He slipped sideways and fell from the moving vehicle, his body hitting the roadway with a sickening thud. The horses feeling the lack of a driver careened around a bend in the trail, the coach weaving from side to side as it was towed along.

 

“We’ve got to stop the horses,” Joe yelled to Adam. “Cover me!”

 

Joe pulled himself through the small window, clinging precariously to the frame of the stagecoach while Adam fired at the men behind them. Adam tried to keep an eye on his brother at the same time he was aiming at the men who were chasing them. He sucked in his breath as he saw Joe slip and then clutch frantically at the top of the stage to keep himself from falling. Saying a silent prayer he sent a furious hail of bullets towards their pursuers.

 

Joe finally managed to reach the roof of the stagecoach. He crawled along the top of the coach and then dropped onto the driver’s seat. He grabbed the reins, and frantically tried to pull the horses to a halt. Calling out to the horses, and sawing on the leather lines, he began to get the animals under control. The stagecoach was still moving too fast as it took the next curve, and almost went over on its side, but Joe hung onto the reins. Finally gaining complete control over the horses, he got the speed of the coach down to a manageable level. He urged the horses to continue forward, but at a safer speed while his brother continued firing his weapon. The four men behind them pulled their winded and spent horses to a halt, and watched in obvious anger and frustration as the stage pulled away from them.

 

Joe kept the horses moving for several more miles before he finally pulled them to a stop. He sat limply on the seat of the stagecoach, his arms aching from the strain of trying to restrain the team. Adam climbed from the stagecoach and hurried to look up at his little brother. “Are you okay, Joe?” he called anxiously, seeing that his brother wasn’t moving.

 

Joe drew a shaky breath, wiped his hand over his forehead and called back, “I’m fine, Adam. Just a little shaken up, I think.” He stood up slowly, and climbed down from the driver’s seat. “I think we need to look in that box, Adam. Those men aren’t gonna give up. As soon as their horses are rested, they’ll be coming for us.”

 

Adam nodded his agreement, and together the brothers lifted the crate from the top of the stage. It was lighter than they had expected, and they eagerly worked to pry the lid from the box. Resting inside the wooden crate was a smaller box. Adam drew the smaller box into his lap, and worked to take the top off of it. Joe gasped as the lid was drawn aside. Nestled on a bed of velvet, gleaming like stars in the nighttime sky, lay a necklace of diamonds. The diamonds were graduated in size, from tiny splinters adjacent to the clasp to a huge center stone. Joe had never seen anything like it. He reached out and reverently touched the shimmering stones, letting out a soft whistle of amazement.

 

“Well, big brother, I think I see what all the shooting was about.” he breathed.

 

“Yeah,” Adam responded. He gazed into the distance, scanning the horizon for a sight of their pursuers. It appeared they were safe for the moment. “Joe, we’ve got to get out of here, and fast. You’re right. Those men aren’t going to give up, if this is what they’re after.” Adam carefully replaced the diamonds in their velvet nest, as he spoke. Closing the box tightly he sat back on his heels and pushed his hat back on his head.

 

“What do you think we should do, Adam?” Joe asked, as he watched Adam with worried eyes. “We’re out in the middle of nowhere. It’s at least a half day’s trip to the next way station, and the nearest town must be at least a two day ride.”

 

“Let’s unhitch the horses from the stage.” Adam directed. “We’re going to have to ride bareback, but we’ll make better time than if we try to drive that stage ourselves.” He was up and moving as he spoke, rapidly assessing the situation and issuing orders as he walked.

 

Little Joe followed behind his older brother casting an anxious look at the horizon. He hurried to help unhitch the horses from the stage. As he and Adam gathered together a few of their possessions, including their saddlebags, he couldn’t help but wonder if they were going to ever see their home again. Thinking about his father and brother waiting at home did little to dispel Little Joe’s unease.

 

Adam grabbed the canteen from the seat of the stagecoach and looped it over his shoulder. He stowed the smaller box containing the necklace in one of the saddlebags and draped the bag over the back of one of the horses. He pulled himself up on the horse, and watched as Joe mounted another. After a brief discussion, they turned the two additional horses loose to run wild. They had all they could handle without trying to lead two more horses. The brothers urged their mounts into a trot and set off down the trail.