Adam only paused at home long enough to write a letter to Colonel Adamson before he left again, hoping to fulfill his promise to Mike with it. After spending more than a week in the northern reaches of the Ponderosa, living off the land, sitting on the mesa watching the sun rise and set, Adam Cartwright walked through the door of his father’s house. He hung his hat on the rack hanging on the wall. He carefully wrapped his gun belt around the holster, placing it on the cabinet. Then he walked to the massive fireplace, propping one foot up on the hearth, looking into the fire.

His father watched the routine he had not seen since Adam had returned from Death Valley. He stayed in the leather chair next to the fireplace patiently waiting.

“She was only seventeen; a child. I understand now, Pa.”

“What is it that you understand, Son?”

“How you feel; why you worry when one of us is late getting home or hurting emotionally or in physical pain. I understand why you sit next to our beds when we’re ill until you know we’re alright.”

Ben smiled. After a quiet moment he said, “A telegram came for you while you were gone. It’s from Colonel Adamson.”

Adam turned, took the letter, and sat on the hearth. He looked at the envelope for a moment, then opened it and read the letter. When he was finished, he smiled, refolded it and put it back in the envelope.

“The lead mines have been shut down. The Captain at Fort Mojave has been imprisoned. The Shoshoni will be allowed to stay in their village at Furnace Creek. When an accounting was made of all the Shoshoni, they were told that only one Shoshoni, a man called Tsiishchili, was not with them. Medicine will be provided to them and the Aha macave at Fort Mojave and at the Colorado River Reservation. He said the remaining Aha macave went to Fort Mojave on their own. A man named Quaskette howa reported that other than one man and one woman, there were no more Aha macave in the desert. He couldn’t confirm whether a man called Homar huwhen and woman named Chacha hoda were dead or alive.”

“Do you know these people?” asked Ben.

“Chacha hoda means ‘beautiful ear of corn’. That was Mike’s Aha macave name. Adam smiled. Tsiishchili means ‘curly haired.’ Homar huwhen means ‘hairy man with short hair’.” He rose from the hearth. “Good night, Pa.”

Ben smiled knowingly as he watched Adam climb the stairs. “Good night, Son.”

===================
<center><i>When you were born, you cried
and the world rejoiced.
Live your life
so that when you die,
the world cries and you rejoice.
White Elk</i></center>
<b>The End </b>