{"id":14053,"date":"2001-10-01T21:00:23","date_gmt":"2001-10-02T01:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=14053"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:05:15","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:05:15","slug":"out-of-mind-by-diana-g","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=14053","title":{"rendered":"Out of Mind (by Diana G)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: <\/strong> When Adam is found with a bullet in his back, Roy’s explanation is unbelievable.<\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 T\u00a0\u00a0 (20,720 words)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Out of Mind<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chapter One<\/p>\n

Adam Cartwright was sitting beside his campfire in the forest high above the north pastures, looking west into the setting sun.\u00a0 The sky was red and purple and blue, the magenta clouds outlined with the brightest gold, all reflected in the snow remaining on the tops of the mountains.\u00a0 He thought to himself that he had seldom seen a more perfect sight, and he relaxed his powerful, slim, black clad body against the tree behind him as he let out a long sigh.\u00a0 His mind went back to the conversation that he had had with his father that morning, which had sent him up here.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell someone\u2019s got to go and hunt for that mountain lion, and I have elected you,\u201d said Ben Cartwright with finality, hands on hips, facing his son.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cBut I don\u2019t want to go,\u201d said Adam heatedly, also with his hands on his hips, in unconscious imitation of his father.\u00a0 \u201cYou still need me here.\u00a0 I don\u2019t care how fit you say you are, you have been very ill, and I think it\u2019s too soon for you to take on the ranch again without me here to help you.\u201d\u00a0 Adam was concerned for his father, who had been ill for several weeks and was only just recovering.\u00a0 His normally robust father was looking decidedly frail, his face had only a little more colour than his grey hair, and there were dark circles beneath his ebony eyes.<\/em><\/p>\n

When Ben was ill, or away, it was Adam who would take on the responsibilities of the ranch in his father\u2019s place.\u00a0 He was Ben\u2019s eldest son, and at thirty four he was more experienced at running the ranch than his two younger brothers, Hoss and Joe, respectively six and twelve years his junior.\u00a0 But Ben\u2019s illness had struck at a particularly bad time, coming as it did just before the start of round up, and when they were short handed on the ranch as the result of rumours about another big silver strike on the Comstock lode, which had taken many of the men in search of their fortunes, including their foreman.<\/p>\n

And then to make matters worse, Hoss broke his leg.\u00a0 Joe did his best to help, but Adam had to send him to San Francisco to deal with some timber buyers.\u00a0 Though this would be the first time that Joe had dealt with negotiating contracts on his own, Adam had no choice but to let him go.\u00a0 Joe had done well, and had returned with a good deal that would make a handsome profit for the family.\u00a0 Adam was proud of his young brother, and for once had told him so.\u00a0 Joe had been gone for nearly three weeks and had only just returned.\u00a0 Adam was working outdoors all the hours of daylight and at night he would do the books and work on new contracts.<\/p>\n

Ben could tell that Adam was exhausted, to the extent that his father was becoming concerned that he might start to make some rash decisions.\u00a0 Ben saw the hunt for the mountain lion as a chance for Adam to get away and rest, while still feeling that he was doing something useful.\u00a0 Adam would feel guilty if he just stopped work for a while, so Ben was going to send him away for a few days.\u00a0 Adam loved the mountains with their towering tops and beautiful wooded valleys, they were quiet, undemanding, and expected nothing of you except that you treat them with respect.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m perfectly capable of managing.\u00a0 The round up is finished and we do not start the logging for another week yet.\u00a0 Joe can help me if I need it, and Hoss is on the mend.\u00a0 So you go and find that mountain lion and don\u2019t come back until you do,\u201d Ben said forcefully.<\/em><\/p>\n

Adam knew perfectly well what his father was up to, and he appreciated the thought behind it, but he was still worried that his father might not be able to manage.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cPa, do I\u2026?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, if you don\u2019t go soon you will get me so upset that I will make myself ill again.\u00a0 Is that what you want?\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 He had made his decision and was not prepared to back down, Adam needed to get away from the responsibilities of the ranch, and Ben was going to make certain that he did.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, all right,\u201d Adam said raising his hands in surrender, he had decided that he might as well give in.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll go, but only as long as you promise me that you will take it easy.\u00a0 Let Joe run around for you, the exercise will do him good.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Adam stirred from his remembering and sat up to put another log on the fire.\u00a0 His father had been right, of course, he was mentally and physically completely drained, and each day that passed he had found it increasingly difficult to make even simple decisions.\u00a0 It seemed weeks since he had had a good night\u2019s sleep.\u00a0 He would go to bed exhausted and wake after being asleep for only a short time, thinking about the day just gone, planning for the day to come, and all the time he was desperately worried about his father, who would normally have shaken off quickly any illness.\u00a0 But Adam supposed it was a sign of advancing years that this time it had taken Ben so long to recover.\u00a0 Now he was forgetting all that, putting it behind him.<\/p>\n

The nights in the mountains could be cold, and he moved closer to the fire for warmth.\u00a0 He was reaching out for his coat when he thought he heard a movement behind him, and being aware of the reason he was in the mountains, reached past his coat for his gun, which he had put to one side.\u00a0 He stood up slowly, and cautiously went to the edge of his campsite but saw nothing.\u00a0 As he turned to go back to the fire, he caught sight of a movement out of the corner of his eye.\u00a0 Before he could be sure that he had seen anything, he felt a crushing blow on the back of his head, and lost consciousness before he hit the ground.<\/p>\n

Chapter Two<\/p>\n

Adam came round slowly.\u00a0 His eyelids felt heavy and he did not bother to try to open them, but explored his body with his mind.\u00a0 He was aware of an all-encompassing pain, which settled down to a throbbing in his head and an excruciating pain in his back.\u00a0 He tried to collect his thoughts, but nothing made sense.\u00a0 The last thing he remembered was sitting by his campfire in the mountains, now it seemed that he was lying on a bed.\u00a0 The memory of the campfire was expanded and he remembered it was evening and he was settling down for the night, now he could see brightness through his eyelids, it must be daylight.\u00a0 What had happened in between?<\/p>\n

Adam tried to move to ease the pain in his back but that just made it worse and a groan escaped his lips.\u00a0 He felt a touch on his arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cEasy, son, you\u2019re safe,\u201d said a voice, which Adam instantly recognised as his father\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Adam forced his eyes open until he was looking through his lashes, and tried to turn his head to look at Ben, but a wave of nausea overtook him.\u00a0 He closed his eyes again and tried desperately to control it.\u00a0 He really did not want to be sick at that moment, it simply involved too much movement, but the feeling was too strong and he turned and leant over the side of the bed and vomited.\u00a0 The movement caused a searing pain to shoot through him, starting in his head, meeting the agony in his back, and continuing to his feet.\u00a0 He screamed and retched in turn.\u00a0 His father held him, trying to comfort him, but the torture continued until Adam, in his suffering, wished he were dead.\u00a0 Finally, he lapsed into unconsciousness, and Ben eased him back onto the bed, trying to make him comfortable.<\/p>\n

Ben sat with Adam for several hours, occasionally wiping away the sheen of sweat that formed on his son\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 He remembered the previous afternoon when he had heard Adam ride into the yard.\u00a0 He waited for him to come into the house, but when Adam had not appeared after a few minutes, Ben went outside to see why.\u00a0 As he opened the door, he saw Adam lying motionless on the ground beside Sport, his horse.\u00a0 He called desperately to Hoss and Joe who came at a run and helped get Adam into the house.\u00a0 As they lifted Adam from the ground, Ben stared at the bloodstained dirt where his son had been lying, and a cold hand of fear gripped his heart.\u00a0 From then on life had seemed like a nightmare become reality.\u00a0 Finding Adam like that, with a bullet in his back and blood streaming from a cut on the back of his head where he had hit the ground, and not knowing how he had got hurt, and not knowing how to help his eldest son.<\/p>\n

Eventually Adam moaned softly, the pain hitting him as he awoke.\u00a0 Again the nausea came, but the memory of what had happened the last time he was conscious made him determined that he did not want to go through it again, and he fought to control the feeling.\u00a0 Slowly the sickness passed and he opened his eyes cautiously.\u00a0 He found it difficult to focus on anything, so he stared at the wall opposite until his eyes obeyed his brain and he could make out details, which told him he was lying in his own bed at home!\u00a0 He turned his head and screwed his eyes up with the pain that shot through his skull, the sickness threatening to return.\u00a0 He opened his eyes just enough to be able to see the face of his father, who was sitting on a chair at the side of the bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, how did I get here?\u00a0 What happened?\u201d he asked slowly, his voice not above a whisper.\u00a0 His head hurt so much that he was afraid to speak too loudly in case it exploded.\u00a0 He put his left hand to his forehead and pressed his temples between fingers and thumb.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t help, so he lowered his hand to cover his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were hoping that you might be able to tell us that,\u201d said Ben keeping his voice low in deference to the headache that he suspected his son was suffering.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026I don\u2019t remember.\u201d\u00a0 Adam let his hand drop onto his chest and looked at his father.\u00a0 There was concern written in every line of that strong face.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all right, son.\u00a0 Rest now, we\u2019ll talk later.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam closed his eyes again and the pain took him into blessed darkness.<\/p>\n

Ben looked to the other side of the bed where Doctor Paul Martin was standing.\u00a0 He raised his eyebrows in question.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, Ben.\u00a0 The bullet in his back is very close to his spine.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to try to remove it until he is stronger and made up some of the blood loss, perhaps tomorrow.\u00a0 In the meantime he must not move it will only make things worse if he does.\u00a0 But one thing you must be aware of, the operation to remove the bullet may leave him without the use of his legs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stood, stunned.\u00a0 His own legs felt weak, he had believed that once the bullet was out Adam would be able to get well again, now the doctor was telling him that Adam might be crippled.\u00a0 He staggered from the room.<\/p>\n

Ben went downstairs to the large living room, where Hoss and Joe were waiting for news.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, how is he?\u201d asked Joe, his eyes full of concern beneath his mop of curly hair.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs he gonna be OK?\u201d enquired Hoss anxiously.<\/p>\n

Ben held up his hands defending himself from his son\u2019s questions.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s too soon to tell.\u201d\u00a0 Ben stopped speaking, not sure whether to tell them the rest of what the doctor had said, then decided that they deserved the truth.<\/p>\n

\u201cPaul says that he will take the bullet out tomorrow.\u201d\u00a0 Joe and Hoss looked at each other and smiled thinly, but something in Ben\u2019s attitude brought their attention back to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s more, isn\u2019t there?\u201d asked Joe, fearful of what their father was going to add.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d\u00a0 Ben hesitated, not wanting to repeat what Paul had said to him, as though not saying it would stop it happening.\u00a0 \u201cPaul also said that the operation to remove the bullet may leave Adam crippled.\u201d\u00a0 Ben turned away, tears starting in his eyes as he said the word.\u00a0 He turned back as he felt a touch on his arm.\u00a0 Hoss was standing close to him, Joe at his shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t fret yourself Pa.\u00a0 The first thing is to get Adam well again, and then we\u2019ll deal with whatever lies ahead together.\u00a0 If Adam cain\u2019t walk then we\u2019ll have to help him get over that and face the future.\u00a0 You know how strong he is inside.\u00a0 I think that you\u2019ll find he\u2019ll be able to cope,\u201d said Hoss.\u00a0 Ben\u2019s middle son was a big, powerful man, but his size hid a soft heart and it pained him to see his father so upset.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes Pa, whatever happens we\u2019ll be there for him,\u201d said Joe taking Ben\u2019s arm and leading him to his chair beside the fireplace.\u00a0 He went to a small table and poured his father a glass of brandy, which Ben took from him and drank without noticing.<\/p>\n

Joe turned to Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cIf I find who did this to Adam I\u2019m goin\u2019 to kill him,\u201d stated Joe quietly, but with a chilling certainty.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow Joe settle down.\u00a0 The sheriff knows about the shooting and will be looking for the varmint that did it.\u00a0 You know that if you try to go after \u2018em Pa\u2019ll be upset, and I think he\u2019s got about as much on his plate as he can handle right now.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss knew his younger brother was fiercely protective of his family and felt any injury to one of them as though it had been done to him.\u00a0 His mercurial temper would send him seeking revenge, and sometimes it was only the wise council of his brothers that would stop him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right,\u201d Joe said taking a deep breath to calm himself.\u00a0 \u201cBut Roy had better come up with something soon\u201d<\/p>\n

Doc Martin, coming down the stairs, saw the three of them sitting in silence and knew that Ben had told Hoss and Joe the news.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoys, I need you to be with Adam when he wakes up again.\u00a0 He must not move until I get the bullet out, and it may take two of you to keep him quiet.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to have to sedate him because he may have a skull fracture.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss and Joe looked up at the doctor and nodded.\u00a0 Joe walked past his father and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, then went up the stairs with Hoss following slowly behind him, a limp the visible reminder of his still healing leg.<\/p>\n

The doctor poured another drink for Ben and one for himself, and they sat in silence, each with their own thoughts.\u00a0 While Ben was concerned for Adam, Paul was thinking about the operation he would have to perform the following day, and the repercussions of failure.\u00a0 He was also worried about Ben.\u00a0 He was still recovering from his recent illness and this shock could set him back.\u00a0 They had been sitting there silently for some time when there was a knock at the door.\u00a0 Neither of them moved and the knock came again.\u00a0 Paul rose and answered it, to find Sheriff Roy Coffee standing there.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome in, Roy.\u00a0 I suppose you have come about Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUm\u2026yes.\u201d said Roy with a hesitation that Paul could not understand.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d like a word with Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n

He crossed the room to where Ben was sitting.\u00a0 The elderly sheriff started to speak but quickly realised that he wasn\u2019t being heard, so put a hand on Ben\u2019s shoulder to get his attention.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen\u2026Ben.\u201d\u00a0 Slowly Ben lifted his head and looked at the sheriff.\u00a0 He shook himself and stood.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoy, what are you doing here?\u201d he asked, getting to his feet, then answered his own question, \u201cOf course, you want to see Adam, about who shot him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell not exactly.\u00a0 I do want to see Adam, but I think I know who shot him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou do?\u00a0 That\u2019s good.\u00a0 Adam can\u2019t remember anything at the moment.\u201d\u00a0 Ben thought that at least Roy had brought some better news.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, no, it\u2019s not exactly good.\u00a0 Ben sit down while I tell you what happened.\u201d\u00a0 Ben sat and waited<\/p>\n

\u201cYesterday morning the Reno stage was robbed and the guard was killed.\u00a0 They took seventy thousand dollars, which was being brought to the bank in Virginia City.\u201d\u00a0 Ben was about to interrupt but Roy held up his hand, he wanted to get this over with.\u00a0 \u201cLet me finish.\u00a0 There were five passengers on the stage.\u00a0 Mr and Mrs Kennedy, you know, from the general store, Mr Bailey the bank manager, Sally Henderson from the Bucket of Blood, and a man called Hunt who is a Wells Fargo investigator.\u00a0 The Kennedys, Bailey and Sally all identified the man who shot the guard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey all knew him?\u00a0 Was it someone from round here?\u201d asked Ben interested, forgetting for a moment his worry about Adam.\u00a0 Then Roy continued, and as he did so, Ben\u2019s world slowly disintegrated.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it was.\u00a0 They said the man made no attempt to hide his identity, no mask or anything.\u201d\u00a0 Roy walked away and then turned back to his friend.\u00a0 He hesitated and was unable to look Ben in the eye.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was\u2026they said it was Adam.\u201d\u00a0 Roy paused, the sentence hanging in the air between them.<\/p>\n

Ben just stared at him unable to take in what he was hearing.\u00a0 He stood slowly, then he went over to Roy and grasped his shoulders forcing the sheriff to look at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that\u2019s ridiculous, there must be some mistake.\u00a0 Adam was up in the mountains hunting.\u00a0 He was nowhere near the stage road.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps that was where he was meant to be, but the witnesses are certain it was him.\u00a0 The Kennedys even recognised Sport,\u201d said Roy, referring to Adam\u2019s horse.\u00a0 He shook his head sadly, knowing what the news must be doing to his friend.<\/p>\n

Ben started to speak again, but then found that there was nothing to say.\u00a0 He was aware that the Kennedys had known Adam for close on twenty years, and while George Bailey had not known him for more than two years, he was not a man given to flights of fancy.\u00a0 How well Sally knew him was anybody\u2019s guess!<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the two men took the strong box they rode off.\u00a0 As they did so, the driver took a shot at them.\u00a0 He told me he thought that he had hit one of them.\u00a0 He said that he shot the taller, dark haired one in the back.\u00a0 Hunt took off after them on his horse, which he had hitched to the back of the stage, but he couldn\u2019t find any trace of them.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been out with a posse yesterday afternoon and this morning looking for signs of them.\u00a0 The tracks lead here, onto the Ponderosa, but we kept losing them, they got over ridden too many times.\u00a0 I left it till now to come to you, I was trying to make sure one way or the other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy stopped speaking; there was really nothing else to say at that moment.\u00a0 He waited for a reaction from Ben but none was forthcoming.\u00a0 Ben returned to his chair unsteadily, unable to take in all that the sheriff was telling him.\u00a0 Roy turned to Doc Martin, who went over to Ben and knelt in front of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen, Ben listen to me.\u00a0 You and I, and Roy, we all know that Adam wouldn\u2019t do anything like that.\u00a0 It can\u2019t be true.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben looked at Paul, \u201cBut they have four eye witnesses.\u00a0 How can you argue against that?\u00a0 And Adam\u2026Adam\u2019s up there with a bullet in his back.\u00a0 And he can\u2019t tell us how it happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben remembered that when he had suggested that Adam get away one of the reasons for it was that he felt Adam\u2019s judgement was slipping.\u00a0 Was it possible that he had underestimated the extent of his son\u2019s exhaustion, and the effect it was having on his thinking?<\/p>\n

Paul stood and took the sheriff to one side, out of Ben\u2019s hearing.
\n\u201cI have just told Ben that I will operate on Adam tomorrow to remove the bullet.\u00a0 I had to tell him that there are no guarantees, that Adam may lose the use of his legs, the bullet is very close to his spine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh no!\u00a0 And then I come in here with this.\u00a0 You going to operate tomorrow?\u201d\u00a0 Paul nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThen I\u2019ll come back day after, Adam\u2019s not going anywhere in the meantime.\u00a0 I\u2019d better go, look after both them won\u2019t you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul showed Roy out and went back to Ben; on the way he poured them both another drink.\u00a0 Paul was worried about the older man.\u00a0 Ben was still recovering from his own illness, and the shock of Roy\u2019s revelation could put him back in bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere Ben, I think you could do with this, I know I could.\u201d\u00a0 Paul sat on the settee near Ben and waited.\u00a0 After a few minutes Ben lifted his head and looked at his friend, the drink in his hand untouched and forgotten.<\/p>\n

\u201cPaul, is it possible\u2026?\u201d\u00a0 Ben paused, hesitating to share his thoughts.\u00a0 He was thinking of Adam\u2019s best friend, Ross Marquette, and how he had seemed to go from sanity to madness in such a short space of time, because no one had noticed the symptoms.\u00a0 A gentle man normally, but his madness had driven him to kill his wife.\u00a0 He had also tried to kill Adam, who had in the end been forced to shoot his friend, killing him.\u00a0 It had taken Adam a long time to recover from shooting someone who had meant so much to him.<\/p>\n

Ben started again.\u00a0 \u201cI sent Adam away because I thought that he needed to rest, he was mentally and physically exhausted.\u00a0 Is it possible that in that state he could see robbing the stage as a viable course of action for some reason?\u00a0 Surely not.\u00a0 But then how did he get shot, is it just too much of a coincidence?\u00a0 Even if I could stretch my imagination far enough to accept that Adam would rob the stage, I can\u2019t by any means think that he would shoot the guard in cold blood, but then there are witnesses.\u00a0 They can\u2019t all be wrong.\u201d\u00a0 Ben stopped and shook his head, there were too many questions and no answers.<\/p>\n

It was a long time later that Joe appeared at the top of the stairs,\u00a0 \u201cPa, Adam\u2019s awake.\u201d\u00a0 Ben did not react but Paul said that he would be up directly.
\nChapter Three<\/p>\n

It was dark outside when Adam woke, and the lamps which lit the room gave off a soft light that did not hurt his eyes as the sunlight earlier had.\u00a0 He looked around and saw both his brothers were in the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth of you keeping an eye on me?\u201d he asked softly, his strained voice reflecting his pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey Joe, he\u2019s woken up at last,\u201d Hoss called to Joe, who was standing, staring out of the window.<\/p>\n

\u201cCould you be a little quieter, please?\u201d begged Adam, squeezing his eyes shut.\u00a0 Every sound seemed to send shafts of pain through his head, and he was barely managing to stay conscious.\u00a0 Joe left the room to get his father.\u00a0 Hoss sat on the chair beside the bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow is it?\u201d he asked softly<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had better days.\u201d said Adam slowly, opening his eyes, and tried to move to ease the pain, without success.<\/p>\n

Hoss put his hand on Adam\u2019s shoulder, \u201cThe doc said that you mustn\u2019t move at all until he\u2019s taken the bullet out.\u00a0 That\u2019s why Joe and I are both here to keep an eye on you.\u00a0 Makes a change for us to be able to tell you what to do.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss smiled at his brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat bullet?\u201d Adam asked confused, he couldn\u2019t remember getting shot.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe one in your back, \u2018course,\u201d explained Hoss.<\/p>\n

Adam thought about this for a minute, trying to remember, but soon gave up.\u00a0 Concentrating just made his head hurt more.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan Paul take it out?\u201d Adam asked despondently.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said he would do it tomorrow, when you\u2019re stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam closed his eyes and tried to take a long steadying breath, but the movement only served to increase the pain in his back.\u00a0 He had thought that all he had to do was lie there and get better, but now it seemed that he was going to have to face an operation first.\u00a0 Well so be it, he would cope with things as they happened.\u00a0 At that moment Ben and the doctor appeared.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam,\u201d Paul said, \u201cCan you hear me, do you understand what I am saying?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d said Adam still distracted by the thought of an operation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bullet is still in there.\u00a0 I can\u2019t remove it until you are stronger, you have lost too much blood, and I think you may have a fractured skull, which is why your head hurts so much.\u00a0 Tomorrow we\u2019ll see how you are and I\u2019ll take it out as soon as I can.\u00a0 Do you understand?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood.\u00a0 I\u2019ll stay here tonight,\u201d Paul looked towards Ben who just nodded his agreement, \u201cSo I\u2019ll be here with you if you need me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d Adam said on a whisper.\u00a0 Every word made his head hurt, and was reflected in the pain in his back.<\/p>\n

Ben came to stand beside the bed.\u00a0 He looked down at his son.\u00a0 He looks so pale and weak, Ben thought.\u00a0 He found himself trying to imagine Adam beside a stagecoach, shooting the guard and threatening the passengers.\u00a0 While his instinct rejected the image, his logic saw Adam lying there, with a bullet in his back.\u00a0 Adam became aware of his father standing there not saying anything.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2026what\u2019s the matter?\u201d he asked softly, getting worried about what Ben was thinking but not saying.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing son, nothing.\u00a0 I was just thinking that you look a bit pale, but time will take care of that.\u00a0 Can you tell me what is the last thing you remember?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked at the ceiling, his brow furrowing as he tried to concentrate.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t really want to talk, but his father was obviously worried.\u00a0 \u201cI think\u2026I remember leaving here yesterday, going into the mountains\u2026making camp, eating supper\u2026and sitting by the fire.\u00a0 Then\u2026then I was here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou left here the day before yesterday,\u201d said Ben sadly, \u201cDo you remember yesterday at all?\u00a0 Perhaps you remember waking up in camp, or setting out after that mountain lion.\u00a0 Did you go hunting?\u201d\u00a0 Ben wanted to know.\u00a0 He desperately wanted Adam to remember what he did yesterday, and hoped to jog his memory with questions.<\/p>\n

Adam started to shake his head, but even the thought of movement seemed to increase the pain he was feeling so he just whispered \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben was disappointed that Adam could apparently remember nothing between then and now, but he patted his son\u2019s arm comfortingly.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t worry, it will come back to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The strain of concentrating was obvious in Adam\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 He seemed to be slipping into unconsciousness again so Ben did not press him, although he desperately wanted to make Adam remember what he had been doing that morning, to prove that he could not have robbed the stage.\u00a0 Ben knew that he couldn\u2019t say anything about the hold up until after Paul had operated, and Adam was on the mend.\u00a0 If he had no memory of what he had been doing the previous day, Adam would not be able to help, and at the moment Ben was only concerned that Adam should live, nothing else mattered.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust try to get some sleep,\u201d he said, and Adam closed his eyes and returned to the painless peace of oblivion.<\/p>\n

As he sat watching his son sleep, Ben had a very different thought.\u00a0 If Adam died he would be spared the accusations made by the sheriff, and the repercussions, as would they all.\u00a0 Adam would not have to face a trial, nor the enmity of the town.\u00a0 His family would not have to watch him hang.\u00a0 Ben stood and started to pace back and forth, trying to clear such thoughts from his mind, he wanted Adam to live, no matter what he may have done.<\/p>\n

The following afternoon Paul decided that Adam was strong enough to withstand an operation.\u00a0 It was a difficult decision but he did not want to delay any longer.\u00a0 Leaving the bullet untouched for another day might cause more damage, but he was worried that if Adam was to stay unconscious too long after the operation, he might never wake up again.\u00a0 Paul decided that he would give Adam the minimum amount of medication to keep him asleep during the operation and try to rouse him as soon as possible afterwards.\u00a0 Joe volunteered to help him and Paul gratefully accepted.<\/p>\n

After more than two hours, Paul came down the stairs, seeing Ben and Hoss waiting silently for him.\u00a0 He sat on the sofa, facing Ben, and waited until the other man looked up, and Paul knew he had his attention.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen I\u2019ve finished, and Joe is sitting with Adam.\u201d\u00a0 Ben was about to interrupt but Paul stopped him, knowing what he was going to say.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s too soon to tell anything.\u00a0 I got the bullet out and he is resting as comfortably as may be expected.\u00a0 He did stir briefly, so I\u2019m not too worried about his head.\u00a0 Barring any complications, and it is far too early to rule out something like infection, he will recover from the shooting.\u00a0 I won\u2019t know any more for a few days, let\u2019s take it slowly.\u00a0 Bear in mind that even if Adam can\u2019t move his legs at first it could just be a reaction to the operation, and not permanent.\u00a0 So we will just have to wait and see.\u00a0 The best you can do now is take care of Adam and help him to recover.\u00a0 I must go in to town for a few hours, but I will be back as soon as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul stopped speaking, waiting for Ben to react.\u00a0 \u201cThank you, Paul.\u00a0 I know that you have done the best you can and I am grateful, whatever the outcome.\u00a0 I think I\u2019ll go and sit with him far a while.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right Ben, but don\u2019t look for any reaction from him.\u00a0 Adam will be unconscious for quite a while, I expect.\u00a0 But if he shows any sign of stirring, I want you to encourage him wake up.\u00a0 I would like to see him conscious again, if only for a short time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben rose and went slowly upstairs, the strain of the last forty-eight hours beginning to show in his weary gait.\u00a0 Too many thoughts had been going through his mind.\u00a0 Was Adam crippled?\u00a0 Did he rob the stage and kill the guard?\u00a0 Was Adam going insane?\u00a0 Had he lost forever the son he knew?\u00a0 If the answer to any of these questions was \u2018yes\u2019, Ben knew that the heart would be ripped out of his family.\u00a0 Yesterday Ben had prayed that Adam would not lose the use of his legs.\u00a0 Now that prayer seemed irrelevant, Adam had been seen killing a man, and beside that nothing else mattered.<\/p>\n

Ben went into Adam\u2019s room and sent Joe downstairs, and then he sat on the chair beside the bed, looking down at his son.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you still the boy I raised, or have you become something altogether different?\u201d he asked the man lying motionless before him.\u00a0 Ben put his head in his hands and wept, for his son, for his family, and for himself.<\/p>\n

After several hours sitting with Adam, the sleeplessness of the previous night began to catch up with Ben.\u00a0 He felt his head sink onto his chest and his eyes close.\u00a0 He thought that he would just stay like that for a few minutes, but it was nearly an hour later that he was startled awake by Adam\u2019s voice.\u00a0 He instantly leant towards his son.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2026could I have\u2026some water?\u201d asked Adam.\u00a0 He had woken just minutes before to find his father asleep at his side.\u00a0 Adam didn\u2019t want to wake him, but his mouth was dry and he could not swallow.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d said Ben and poured some from the jug on the bedside table.\u00a0 He lifted Adam\u2019s head gently so he could drink, and then lowered it again onto the pillow.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow is it, son?<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, I don\u2019t know,\u201d Adam said quietly, and Ben could see from his distracted look that he was mentally exploring his body.\u00a0 \u201cMy head hurts but I can\u2019t feel anything else.\u00a0 No pain in my back at all.\u00a0 Did Paul get the bullet out?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes he did.\u201d\u00a0 Ben paused not wanting to ask the next question, dreading the answer.\u00a0 \u201cCan you move your legs?\u201d<\/p>\n

A look of deep concentration came over Adam\u2019s face, and after a few seconds he took a deep breath.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

They looked at each other in silence, both thinking of the consequences of that single word.\u00a0 Into the silence came Joe and Hoss.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow is it brother?\u201d asked Joe immediately.\u00a0 Hoss could sense the tension in the room and did not have to ask what had happened.<\/p>\n

Adam looked at his brother, young, fit and\u2026whole, and found that he could not answer.
\nChapter Four<\/p>\n

The following day Joe was sitting with Adam trying to get him to eat something, when Ben came into the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam when you woke up and found me looking at you, you asked if there was something wrong, and I told you there was not, do you remember?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded, wondering what was coming.\u00a0 The movement did not cause the pain he had felt before.\u00a0 The doctor had told him there was no fracture to his skull, and his headache was slowly fading.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell I was not being exactly honest with you.\u00a0 Joe, go and get Hoss will you.\u00a0 I think you had all better hear this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was now distinctly worried.\u00a0 \u201cPa does it have anything to do with my getting shot?\u201d he ventured.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d was all that Ben said.<\/p>\n

They waited in silence for Joe and Hoss to come back and then Ben told them what Roy Coffee had said about the stage hold up.\u00a0 There was not a sound in the room as they digested the story, then Joe and Hoss tried to speak at the same time.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Adam wouldn\u2019t\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere must be some mistake\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam just lay motionless, too stunned to speak.\u00a0 He tried desperately to remember what he had been doing since making camp, but there was nothing.\u00a0 No memory at all between sitting by his fire and waking up in his room.\u00a0 But he had a nagging thought at the back of his mind that he needed to tell his father something, he had a feeling that what he was trying to remember was important.\u00a0 Maybe because of the hold up?\u00a0 But it was no use; whatever he wanted to tell him would have to wait.<\/p>\n

He could not believe what his father had said, but was it possible that he had indeed robbed the stage and then just wiped it from his memory?\u00a0 He had heard of such things happening, the brain rejecting memories that were too painful.\u00a0 But it just did not feel right.\u00a0 No, he was sure that he would have remembered, but his father had said that there were witnesses who had seen him do it.\u00a0 Nothing made sense.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa,\u201d said Adam, and his father and brothers turned to him as he continued slowly, \u201cPa, I don\u2019t remember what I did, but I\u2019m sure that I would not rob the stage, and absolutely convinced that no matter how skewed my thinking may have been, as you have suggested, through overwork, that I would shoot someone in cold blood.\u00a0 But if I did do those things\u2026 then I deserve to be hanged.\u201d<\/p>\n

This last sentence brought protests from his brothers, who had not thought that far ahead, but Adam had.\u00a0 It was the only outcome possible under the law.<\/p>\n

\u201cSon, I don\u2019t want to believe you did it, but we have to be able to prove it.\u00a0 The sheriff has four eye witnesses and we have to get absolute proof of your innocence, and that\u2019s going to be difficult if you can\u2019t remember what you were doing that morning,\u201d said Ben.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen we will just have to get the proof some other way,\u201d stated Joe as though it was going to be easy to find.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd just how do you suppose we do that?\u201d asked Hoss.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d admitted Joe, \u201cbut if Adam didn\u2019t do it then someone else did.\u00a0 And someone else shot him,\u201d he stated reasonably.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d said Hoss, \u201cAnd they are long gone.\u00a0 While we\u2019ve been waiting for Adam to get stronger they\u2019ve got clean away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow just a minute.\u00a0 The sheriff has had a posse out looking for the other man,\u201d Ben told them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell we can\u2019t just sit here and do nothing!\u201d exclaimed Joe pacing up and down the bedroom floor.<\/p>\n

Hoss was standing quietly by the bed.\u00a0 Then he looked eagerly at his father.\u00a0 \u201cWe could go to Adam\u2019s campsite and look round, see if we cain\u2019t find some tracks or somethin\u2019,\u201d he suggested.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a good idea, you better leave it till the morning though,\u201d said Ben, and Joe and Hoss decided they would to get to bed early that night so they could be gone by day break.<\/p>\n

At the door, Joe turned to Adam.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t worry, big brother, we\u2019ll find something,\u201d he said and was gone before he could hear Adam\u2019s whispered, almost desperate \u201cI hope so, little brother, I hope so.\u201d<\/p>\n

That evening Adam had insisted that Ben go to bed, promising he would call if he needed anything.\u00a0 Adam could see how tired and drawn Ben was becoming; he was worried that his father would become ill again if he did not rest.\u00a0 Ben went reluctantly, but could see the sense in it.<\/p>\n

The house was quiet when Adam woke.\u00a0 It was still dark outside and he lay deep in thought.\u00a0 He shifted in the bed; he had lain there so long he was getting stiff.\u00a0 As he moved, he felt a pain low down in his back.\u00a0 He stayed motionless for a moment as the implication of that feeling sank in to his brain.\u00a0 He moved again, and again the pain was there.\u00a0 Then he was aware that he could feel the bedclothes lying on his legs, something he had not felt since Paul had removed the bullet.\u00a0 He tried to move the toes on his right foot.\u00a0 Yes!\u00a0 There was definite movement, not much but enough to tell him that he could.\u00a0 Then he tried his left foot and again felt the movement.\u00a0 He took a deep breath to call out to his father, then changed his mind and let the breath out slowly.\u00a0 No, he wouldn\u2019t mention it to anyone until he had spoken to the doctor.\u00a0 It was possible that it might be temporary and he did not want to get anyone\u2019s hopes up, least of all his own.<\/p>\n

When Paul Martin appeared, just after breakfast the next morning, Adam asked if he could speak to him alone.\u00a0 Ben was reluctant, wondering what Adam had to say to the doctor that he did not want his father to hear, but left them alone as he had requested.\u00a0 During the night and into the daylight Adam found that he had more movement and could now move his legs, though the pain it caused in his back made him cautious about trying it too much.<\/p>\n

\u201cPaul, I can move my legs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Doc Martin looked down at him and smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI hoped that the paralysis might be temporary, as a result of the swelling caused by the operation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you think it might be a permanent improvement?\u201d asked Adam warily.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u00a0 Once the movement comes back there is very little chance of a relapse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam just lay there.\u00a0 He was never one to show his emotions too openly and felt that if he gave in to the desire to express what he felt at that moment he might not be able to control himself.\u00a0 What he felt was a mixture of joy, relief and sadness.\u00a0 Sadness because he thought that he might have regained his mobility only to have his life snatched away from him, if they could not prove that he had not robbed the stage.\u00a0 But at least he would be able to walk to the gallows.\u00a0 Strangely, he found some small comfort in that thought.<\/p>\n

\u201cCould you get Pa?\u00a0 I\u2019d like to tell him,\u201d Adam asked the doctor.<\/p>\n

Adam told Ben of the improvement.\u00a0 His father bent over him and, taking the face of his beloved eldest son in both hands, kissed him gently on the forehead.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so glad for you.\u00a0 Now all you have to do is get well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot quite all Pa.\u00a0 I must try and remember where I was that morning.\u201d\u00a0 He turned to the doctor, \u201cPaul is there any way you can help me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no magic wand I can wave to make you remember.\u00a0 Your memory may come back by itself, you may see or hear something that will help you to remember, or it may never come back.\u00a0 We\u2019ll just have to wait and see.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Paul was speaking, they heard the hoof beats of many horses in the yard outside.\u00a0 Ben went to the window to see who it was.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the devil\u2026\u201d he said, and left the room quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho is it?\u201d asked Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201dIt looks like Abe Newman and about a dozen others, your Pa\u2019s out there talking to them,\u201d said Paul looking out of the window.\u00a0 \u201cI wonder what they want.\u201d\u00a0 As he watched, Abe and one other, Jake Ashley, dismounted and after talking to Ben for a few minutes the three of them came into the house.\u00a0 Soon they appeared in Adam\u2019s bedroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere you are, I told you Adam was bed-ridden.\u00a0 Paul will you please tell these\u2026 \u2018gentlemen\u2019 of Adam\u2019s condition.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you want.\u201d\u00a0 Paul turned to the two men.\u00a0 \u201cI have removed a bullet from Adam\u2019s back.\u00a0 He was paralysed for a short time but has now regained the use of his legs.\u00a0 In time he should make a full recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow much time?\u201d demanded Abe.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s difficult to say.\u00a0 He should remain lying flat for at least another week, and then gradually start to move about.\u00a0 He ought to be back on his feet in about three weeks, all being well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight.\u00a0 We\u2019ll be back then.\u00a0 But don\u2019t think we are going to let you get away with this just because you\u2019re a Cartwright,\u201d Abe said, addressing Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cI assume you are talking about the robbery,\u201d said Adam and Abe just nodded.\u00a0 \u201cWell I would not expect to \u2018get away with it\u2019 as you put it, but you should know that I had nothing to do with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s eye witnesses that say different.\u00a0 And we want to see justice done.\u00a0 So don\u2019t you think you are above the law.\u00a0 There\u2019s a hanging due for this and we aim to see someone pay.\u00a0 We\u2019ll be back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s enough.\u00a0 How dare you come into this house and threaten my son.\u00a0 I\u2019ll ask you to leave, now,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 He could feel the anger rising inside him.\u00a0 He would dearly like to have struck down these men, but knew that would only cause Adam more trouble.<\/p>\n

Abe and Jake left with a backward glance at Adam that told him they would be waiting for him to recover.\u00a0 Adam knew then that he had already been tried and sentenced by the populace of Virginia City.\u00a0 He hoped that his brothers could find some clue to what had happened.
\nChapter Five<\/p>\n

Joe and Hoss had arrived at the site of Adam\u2019s camp.\u00a0 They found his gun and coat lying where he had left them.\u00a0 Some animal had raided the supply of food he had brought with him, but otherwise nothing had been disturbed.<\/p>\n

While Joe searched the area around the fire and where Adam\u2019s bed had been, Hoss was looking where Sport had been tied.\u00a0 Suddenly he called out to Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, come \u2018ere.\u00a0 Look at this.\u201d\u00a0 Joe went quickly over to his brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u00a0 Have you found something?\u201d he enquired anxiously.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, look at this.\u00a0 You can see where someone stood beside Sport, and by the footprints, it weren\u2019t Adam.\u00a0 See where the man\u2019s foot turns over to the outside?\u00a0 Adam don\u2019t walk like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you think that someone else saddled Sport?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLooks that way, but why didn\u2019t Adam do it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe and Hoss stood in silence trying to conjure up a reason for someone else to saddle Sport.\u00a0 They both came up with that reason at the same time.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe couldn\u2019t because\u2026\u201d started Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026someone had shot him,\u201d finished Hoss.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut if he was shot here then he could not have been shot by the stage driver,\u201d shouted Joe excitedly.\u00a0 \u201cWe better get back and tell Pa and Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWait a minute Joe, hadn\u2019t we better follow these tracks and see where they lead?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know where they go; they go back to the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Sport brought Adam back home after he was shot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, well I still think we should follow them, we might find out who saddled Sport.\u00a0 If they were the ones who shot Adam then I want to meet them.\u00a0 If they were helping Adam then I want to thank them.\u00a0 Though since they didn\u2019t come to the house with him, I think it more likely that they were the ones who shot him.\u00a0 Yessir, I\u2019d sure like to meet them.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss had a hard look in his eyes that had Joe worried.<\/p>\n

Usually it was Joe who had to be controlled by his brothers in a situation like this.\u00a0 But it seemed that it might be Hoss who would have to be held back if they came across the people who had attacked Adam, and Joe knew that he did not have the physical strength to restrain his brother, who was six inches taller and 100 pounds heavier than his young brother, all of it muscle.\u00a0 It was bad enough to have one of his brothers under threat of the gallows, but two would be unbearable.\u00a0 Joe hoped for Hoss\u2019 sake that they would not find anyone.<\/p>\n

They mounted their horses and, with Hoss leading, followed the trail.\u00a0 There were two other horses beside Sport, and the trail was easy to follow over the dusty track.\u00a0 Slowly the track wound down the mountain and through the forest until it passed beside a small stream.\u00a0 At a clearing in the woods near the stream, the horses had halted.\u00a0 Hoss and Joe also stopped and dismounted, and Hoss hunted round the site with Joe watching.\u00a0 His brother was an expert tracker and Joe did not want to get in his way, but he was impatient for Hoss\u2019 interpretation of events as revealed in the marks on the ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell?\u201d asked Joe anxiously.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell as far as I can tell the horses stopped here.\u00a0 But only two men dismounted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean, did one ride off again?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, all three horses stayed right here.\u00a0 But there are only two sets of footprints.\u00a0 Wait a moment,\u201d said Hoss and started to trace where the two men had gone once they left the horses.\u00a0 Again, Joe waited eagerly for his brother to come up with some answers.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, I don\u2019t like what I\u2019m seeing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me, let me see if I come to the same conclusion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOK.\u00a0 Follow me.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss took Joe through what he thought had happened, showing him the clues as he did so.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe two men got off their horses and took the third man from his an\u2019 carried him, see how one of \u2018em\u2019s walking backward?\u00a0 Now, since neither of the two footprints matches Adam\u2019s I suppose he was the one they were carrying.\u00a0 If he\u2019d been shot then he might need carryin\u2019, but then the tracks lead to that tree over there.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss pointed to a sturdy pine tree and walked over to it and knelt down, with Joe following his every move.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, you can see where someone has been sittin\u2019 in front of this tree.\u00a0 If it was Adam they was carryin\u2019 from his horse then it was probably Adam who was here.\u00a0 But there\u2019s no blood on the tree, so had Adam been shot then?\u00a0 Probably not.\u201d\u00a0 He held up his hands to stop Joe asking any questions until he had finished, there was more to tell him yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf ya look at the back of the tree, can ya see some marks a few inches off the ground?\u201d\u00a0 Joe nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI think that they were made by a rope, as though someone had been tied to this tree.\u00a0 I think that whoever it was attacked Adam at his campsite, probably knocked him out, put him on his horse an\u2019 brung him here as their prisoner.\u00a0 What that don\u2019t tell us is who or why, or how Adam got shot.\u00a0 What d\u2019ya think?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe stood for several seconds and then looked up at his brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I think is that we had better get home and tell Pa what we\u2019ve found, then tell the sheriff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben was sitting with Roy Coffee in front of the fireplace, deep in conversation.
\n\u201cI\u2019ll make sure that either I am here or one of my deputies.\u00a0 As Adam\u2019s under arrest there should be someone here to watch him anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you have his assurance that he will not try to leave.\u00a0 He gave you his word,\u201d said Ben, upset that Roy would think he could not trust Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen, if he had given me his word for something last week I would have staked my life on his keeping it.\u00a0 But now\u2026well would you expect me to trust him?\u00a0 If he did rob the stage, I mean.\u00a0 If he did shoot the guard then he is not the man I knew a week ago.\u00a0 But whatever the rights and wrongs of this I won\u2019t have a lynching on my territory, so someone will be with him all the time.\u201d\u00a0 Ben was about to reply when the front door opened and his two younger sons rushed in.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey Pa, we found something,\u201d started Hoss but stopped when he saw the sheriff.\u00a0 He was not sure that he wanted Roy to hear what they had found until they had told their father.\u00a0 He turned to Joe and raised a quizzical eyebrow.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah Pa, we found those stray cattle.\u00a0 Oh, hi sheriff,\u201d Joe finished lamely.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell that\u2019s great.\u00a0 I\u2019ll talk to you about it later, meantime go and wash up for supper.\u00a0 You might look in on Adam as well, the sheriff here wants to stay to keep an eye on him.\u00a0 Frightened that he might run off,\u201d Ben said bitterly.<\/p>\n

While he appreciated the sheriff staying to watch out for any trouble the folks in Virginia City might be planning, he resented the implication that Adam could not be trusted.\u00a0 But as he thought about it reason overtook his thinking, and he recognised that of course Roy was right.\u00a0 If Adam was indeed guilty of robbery and murder then he was not the man Ben knew as his son, and they had no reason to trust what he had become.<\/p>\n

Joe and Hoss were glad that their father had caught on to their subterfuge in not telling the sheriff what they had found, and went upstairs.\u00a0 They were soon changed and in Adam\u2019s room telling him about their discoveries.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait a moment,\u201d said Adam, \u201csay all that again, but in as much detail as you can, don\u2019t miss out anything.\u201d\u00a0 His eyes took on a far away look as though he was no longer with them.\u00a0 He was deep in thought.\u00a0 Joe let Hoss go over the details once again, only interrupting if he thought that Hoss had missed something.<\/p>\n

Suddenly Adam gasped and shivered.\u00a0 Joe hurried to his brother\u2019s side and held his shoulders tight, green eyes looking deep into brown.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it, what\u2019s the matter?\u201d he enquired anxiously.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026I don\u2019t know, just a feeling when you said about being tied to the tree.\u00a0 I felt\u2026fear, very real and very deep fear.\u201d\u00a0 Adam looked away from his brothers for a moment, uncomfortable at admitting any feelings of that sort to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you tell why?\u201d asked Joe, trying to prompt Adam into remembering.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 It\u2019s just a feeling.\u00a0 Like when I woke up, I knew that I had to tell Pa something important but didn\u2019t know what.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe looked over at Hoss and raised his eyebrows enquiringly.\u00a0 But Hoss had no answers either.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, if it\u2019s not too painful for you, just keep going over in your mind what we found, it may come back to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded, not sure that he wanted to experience the feeling again, but of course Joe was right.\u00a0 Was it possible that he could remember what he had been doing?\u00a0 He had to grasp this slight chance, even if the memory was an unpleasant one for him.<\/p>\n

Roy came into the room with Ben, \u201cAdam, because of the visit you had from the good people of Virginia City I am going to have someone here all the time to guard you, either myself or one of my deputies.\u00a0 I won\u2019t have people taking the law into their own hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks Roy,\u201d said Adam, truly grateful that the responsibility for his safety would not fall entirely on the shoulders of his family.\u00a0 He found that he was feeling very vulnerable, lying there not able to move as he was accustomed to.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe also doesn\u2019t want you making off before he can take you to jail,\u201d said Ben bitterly.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow Ben, you know my responsibilities in this, I don\u2019t have a choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, I know but it doesn\u2019t make it any more pleasant.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell you don\u2019t have to worry on that score,\u201d said Adam trying to defuse what was obviously a previous argument between these two old friends, \u201cI am not going anywhere for a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll have Hop Sing bring you some supper,\u201d said Ben shortly and left, not looking at the sheriff.<\/p>\n

Joe and Hoss followed their father down the stairs and told him of their findings.\u00a0 Ben was excited.\u00a0 \u201cSo it looks as though Adam was attacked by someone.\u00a0 Perhaps the same someone who robbed the stage.\u00a0 Perhaps, somehow, they forced Adam to help them rob the stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow Pa,\u201d said Hoss, \u201cyou cain\u2019t jump to that sort of conclusion just on what we found.\u00a0 All it means is that Adam was taken from his camp and kept tied up in the clearing.\u00a0 And Adam ain\u2019t goin\u2019 to commit murder just because someone told him to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I know.\u00a0 But it does mean that something out of the ordinary happened, and now we must find out what and why.\u201d\u00a0 Ben started to pace the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou two must go back to that clearing and see if you can find anything else, any clue as to what happened there.\u00a0 You said that Adam felt fear when you were telling him what you found.\u00a0 There must be a reason for that and perhaps you can find out what it was.\u00a0 I\u2019ll tell Roy what you have found so far.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next morning, while the sheriff was downstairs eating breakfast, Hoss came into Adam\u2019s room.\u00a0 \u201cWe heard what happened here yesterday.\u00a0 I think you\u2019d better have this.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss reached under his shirt and came out with a gun in his hand, which he passed to Adam, who took it cautiously, not sure that things wouldn\u2019t look worse for him if it was found.<\/p>\n

\u201cYa need to be able to protect yourself,\u201d Hoss said reasonably.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t care what they say you\u2019ve done, I don\u2019t believe it, I still trust ya to have this, and use it wisely if you need to.\u00a0 You\u2019re my big brother and I have always looked up to you.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 He smiled at the remark since he was a good three inches taller than his older brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, ever since I was old enough to notice you and what you was like, I\u2019ve respected and admired you and tried to live up to the standards you set for both me an\u2019 Joe.\u00a0 I know how you\u2019ve looked after both of us all through our lives.\u00a0 I know how Pa relies on you and the responsibilities he puts on you.\u00a0 He wouldn\u2019t do that if he didn\u2019t trust ya.\u00a0 I cain\u2019t believe that you\u2019ve changed so much.\u00a0 Take the gun an\u2019 keep yourself safe, please.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss stopped.\u00a0 He was looking down at his boots because he couldn\u2019t look at his brother.\u00a0 He had never said these things before and he was embarrassed at saying them now, but he felt they needed saying.\u00a0 It was right that Adam should know how he felt and know that he had support in his family.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you.\u201d\u00a0 Those two words expressed everything Adam could say in reply to what Hoss had said and done.<\/p>\n

Adam put the gun under his pillow where he could get at it easily should he need to.\u00a0 Hoss just nodded and left, they were both close to tears.<\/p>\n

Hoss and Joe again set out.\u00a0 This time they went straight to the clearing by the stream.\u00a0 It had rained hard during the night and the signs they had found earlier were mostly washed away.\u00a0 They both said a silent prayer that they had been there the day before.\u00a0 Still they looked around, examining the ground and surrounding trees carefully for any slight sign that might help them.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Joe, get over here,\u201d ordered Hoss excitedly, and Joe came to where Hoss was crouched down on the ground off to one side of the clearing examining the grass underneath a log with his fingertips.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure, see what you think.\u00a0 See here, this patch of grass seems to be discoloured.\u00a0 If I use some imagination I might suppose it\u2019s blood.\u201d\u00a0 He looked at Joe who also bent down to examine the grass.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah I see what you mean, but the rain has washed most of it away, it\u2019s difficult to tell.\u201d\u00a0 Joe wanted to be certain before he went to Ben with any new evidence.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe this is where Adam was shot,\u201d he said distractedly, thinking of Adam\u2019s reaction to their mention of the clearing.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s go and look some more.\u00a0 See if there isn\u2019t something else.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two brothers spent the rest of the day searching the area but could find no other clues that would help their oldest brother.\u00a0 Finally, as it was getting dark they gave up and returned to the house to tell their father of their failure.\u00a0 They mentioned the blood but impressed on him that they were far from certain that that is what it was, and they could find nothing to raise his spirits.<\/p>\n

Ben was pacing the floor as he spoke, \u201cWe still don\u2019t have any clear evidence that Adam didn\u2019t rob the stage.\u00a0 Everything you have found only tells us that Adam was probably in that clearing at some time, with some other people.\u00a0 They might be the ones who robbed the stage, but we can\u2019t prove it wasn\u2019t Adam.\u201d\u00a0 Ben stopped pacing and stood, feeling helpless.\u00a0 It was not a feeling he was used to and he was not happy that he was unable to help his son.\u00a0 A sudden knock on the door was answered by Hoss.\u00a0 A man Hoss recognised as Frank Tate, one of Roy\u2019s deputies stood there.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve come to relieve the sheriff,\u201d he said a little awkwardly.\u00a0 He did not know if he would be welcome under the circumstances but Ben, knowing that whole situation was now out of his control, told him to come in and sent Joe to get the sheriff.<\/p>\n

Roy showed the deputy to Adam\u2019s room and returned downstairs.\u00a0 \u201cBen, don\u2019t worry, Frank\u2019s a good man.\u00a0 He will take care of Adam.\u00a0 I\u2019m going back to town, the posse is ready to go out again.\u00a0 There were two men who robbed the stage and if we can find the other one then\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He shrugged and left the sentence unfinished.\u00a0 They all knew that there was little hope of finding the other man, but if they could then, perhaps, they could get to the bottom of what had happened.
\nChapter Six<\/p>\n

It was mid morning, eight days after he was shot, that Adam was allowed to venture down into the sitting room for a short time.\u00a0 Paul Martin had not been too happy about him being on his feet so soon, but Adam had convinced the doctor that it would do him good, and promised that he would go back to bed after a couple of hours.<\/p>\n

Adam had dressed in his usual black shirt and pants to make himself feel as though he was getting back to normal, but putting on his boots had proved too much of a challenge, and he went barefoot.\u00a0 He walked gingerly down the stairs, leaning heavily on his father on one side, and the sheriff on the other.\u00a0 He was still uncertain that his legs would support him, and by the time his father settled him on the sofa in front of the fire he could feel himself shaking from the effort.\u00a0 Ben hovered round Adam, tucking a blanket round his knees and making sure that he had everything he wanted close to hand, never letting Adam reach for anything, but leaping to his feet at the first sign of need.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor heaven\u2019s sake Pa, stop fussing, I\u2019m fine.\u00a0 It feels good to be on my feet again, but you\u2019re making me feel more like an invalid every minute.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dI\u2019m sorry son, I just don\u2019t want you straining yourself.\u00a0 It is good to see you up and about again.\u00a0 I just don\u2019t want you doing too much, too soon and making yourself ill again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOk, I promise I won\u2019t overdo it.\u00a0 If you want to do something, pass me a book, and get me a cup of coffee, then sit down yourself.\u00a0 I\u2019ve seen how you\u2019ve worn yourself out these past days, and I think you could do with a rest as well.\u00a0 I expect Roy could do with a cup while you\u2019re making it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked towards Roy Coffee who had settled himself in the chair to the left of the fireplace.\u00a0 Adam had got used to having a \u2018watchdog\u2019 with him all the time, he did not like it but understood the reason for it.\u00a0 There had been a number of different deputies assigned to the task, but as the search for the other man who had held up the stage lost it\u2019s urgency, the men who had been deputised for the duration went back to their normal occupations.\u00a0 There was only so much time that they could spend in what had become a fruitless search.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, a coffee would be good, thanks Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n

They sat in silence for ten minutes.\u00a0 Adam had a book open on his lap but he wasn\u2019t paying much attention to it.\u00a0 His thoughts kept returning to what was going to happen when he was well enough to travel, and Roy would take him to jail in Virginia City.\u00a0 His brothers had not found any more clues that would point towards his innocence, or guilt, and Adam was continually dogged by the thought that he was going to be convicted of the murder of the stage guard, and the inevitable sentence that would follow.\u00a0 Adam could not talk to his father about it; he hoped that seeing him getting better would make Ben forget, for the moment, the very short future in prospect for his son.<\/p>\n

Ben was quiet for much the same reason, and he found it difficult to talk about it to Adam.\u00a0 He hoped that by not mentioning it Adam would be able to put it at the back of his mind, and concentrate on getting better.\u00a0 Ben was also finding it difficult to talk to his old friend Roy Coffee; he still resented the continual presence of a guard for Adam.<\/p>\n

Roy was quiet because he could not find it in himself to make casual conversation with Adam, knowing what was facing him, and he knew that Ben was offended by his presence there.<\/p>\n

Eventually Ben could stand it no longer and rose saying that he had to go out to check on the men who had started work at the logging camp.\u00a0 Adam knew that this was merely an excuse to get away from an awkward situation.\u00a0 The men did not need checking on at that moment and Joe had said that he would look in on them later in the day.\u00a0 Ben went out saying that he would return in time for lunch, leaving Roy and Adam to their silence.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour father still doesn\u2019t like me being here, does he?\u201d said Roy, as he came back from the kitchen with another cup of coffee for them both.\u00a0 He handed one to Adam and sat down again.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d said Adam, taking the cup from Roy.\u00a0 \u201cHe just can\u2019t get over the fact that you don\u2019t trust me.\u00a0 Though I get the feeling that he isn\u2019t entirely convinced of my innocence either,\u201d Adam said a little sadly, hoping it was not true.\u00a0 He sipped his coffee thoughtfully<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, it\u2019s not that I don\u2019t trust you, but I would be failing in my duty if I didn\u2019t have someone here to keep an eye on you.\u00a0 Would you expect me to let anyone else who was charged with murder go around unsupervised?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, of course not, but he thinks, as I do, that you should be out there trying to find who was responsible.\u00a0 He thinks you\u2019re taking the easy way out by assuming it was me.\u201d<\/p>\n

A knock came on the front door and Roy put his cup down on the table and rose to answer it, finding Frank Tate standing there.\u00a0 \u201cHi, Frank, come in.\u00a0 What are you doing here?\u201d asked Roy.\u00a0 Tate glanced over at Adam and looked uneasy.<\/p>\n

\u201cEr, can I have a word with you outside.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam listened with interest to this short exchange, wondering if Frank\u2019s reluctance to speak in front of him meant that he had some news about the hold up.\u00a0 Roy followed the deputy outside.\u00a0 There he saw Jacob Hunt, the Wells Fargo man, sitting on his horse, waiting.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it, Frank?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Sheriff, it seems that we may have got a lead on the second man involved in the hold up.\u00a0 I had a couple of men in the office today from the Circle J.\u00a0 They said that they had just come back from Placerville, and there they heard about a man who had suddenly come into a lot of money.\u00a0 You know, spending more than he should have.\u00a0 Playing poker and drinking, and treating the saloon gals.\u00a0 They had a fella point the man out to them, and then came back here to tell you.\u00a0 They say they are willing to go back to Placerville to bring him back, if you go with them.\u00a0 Knowing that you wanted a guard on young Cartwright, I tried to find someone to come here but couldn\u2019t, then Mr Hunt offered.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know if I did the right thing\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Tate finished uncertainly.<\/p>\n

Roy thought for a moment.\u00a0 He had come to know Hunt because of the robbery, and felt that he could trust the man.\u00a0 Also, he did not need Hunt to testify at Adam\u2019s trial because of the other eyewitnesses.\u00a0 He seemed the perfect choice.\u00a0 He was not at all sure that Adam would see it that way though.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Hunt are you willing to look after Adam Cartwright, protect him from anyone who may come here?\u201d queried Roy.\u00a0 \u201cI understand how you might feel seeing as how he is accused of robbing a stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSheriff my only interest is in seeing justice done, no more, no less,\u201d said Hunt reasonably.<\/p>\n

\u201cVery well.\u00a0 But you\u2019d better let me go talk to Adam first.\u201d\u00a0 Roy went back into the house.\u00a0 He returned after a few minutes.\u00a0 \u201cCome in,\u201d he invited, and Hunt dismounted and followed him into the house.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, this is Jacob Hunt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam turned to look at the man who had entered.\u00a0 He was short and stocky, and as Hunt removed his hat Adam could see his thick fair hair, and piercing blue eyes.\u00a0 A man of intelligence Adam decided.\u00a0 \u201cI gather you are my new guardian,\u201d said Adam and turned back to his book.<\/p>\n

Roy and Hunt looked at each other and Roy shrugged.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll leave you to it then,\u201d said Roy and turned to go.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope you find him, Roy.\u00a0 I need his testimony,\u201d said Adam over his shoulder.\u00a0 The sheriff had explained to him his need to leave.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll do our best.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jacob Hunt sat in the chair recently vacated by the sheriff.\u00a0 He looked at Adam, considering.\u00a0 \u201cI gather that you insist that you did not rob the stage.\u201d\u00a0 Hunt said into the silence.<\/p>\n

Adam looked up sharply.\u00a0 A silent shiver went through him when he heard the man\u2019s voice.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 What was it about this man, who he had only met minutes before, which unsettled him?\u00a0 Something about his voice, where had he heard it before?\u00a0 Adam closed his eyes trying to capture an elusive thought.\u00a0 What was it that he had felt when he heard the voice?\u00a0 Suddenly Adam knew; it was fear.\u00a0 The same fear that he had felt when Hoss mentioned the clearing and the tree.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t insist anything.\u00a0 I can\u2019t remember where I was that morning, but it just doesn\u2019t feel right.\u00a0 Anyone in Virginia City will tell you that it is so far out of character for me to have done such a thing, that I cannot imagine myself in that position.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam needed to keep this man talking.\u00a0 He needed to hear that voice until he could place it.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut they have eye witnesses, who are certain it was you they saw,\u201d Hunt reminded Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes I know.\u00a0 That makes it hard to prove my innocence.\u00a0 I will have to be able to prove that either I was somewhere else, or that someone else did it.\u00a0 Since I was supposed to be up in the mountains hunting, I would have been alone.\u00a0 So there would be no one who could say that they were with me at the time.\u00a0 My only hope is Roy finding the men who did it.\u00a0 Or the jury taking the word of any character witnesses.\u00a0 It\u2019s a slim hope, but possible.\u201d\u00a0 Adam stared into the fire thinking that if the man they had gone to seek in Placerville was indeed one of the robbers, then he might have a chance.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you remember anything at all about that day?\u201d probed Hunt.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are flashes but nothing definite.\u00a0 Hoss and Joe found evidence that I might have been attacked and taken to a clearing at some point, and I have a vague memory of that, but again I can\u2019t prove it.\u00a0 But we know something strange happened that day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Suddenly it all came back.\u00a0 Like lightning flashing in his brain, Adam remembered what had happened to him, and who had caused it.
\nChapter Seven<\/p>\n

Adam had come round after the blow to his head, to find that it was nearly dawn.\u00a0 He was sitting on the ground, his hands tied round the pine tree behind him.\u00a0 There were two men with him, one stretched out on the ground asleep, the other sitting beside a campfire, poking at it with a stick.\u00a0 The man became aware of Adam watching him.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you want some coffee?\u201d the man asked and Adam nodded, slowly.\u00a0 His head hurt where he had been struck.\u00a0 He felt sick but thought some coffee might help.\u00a0 The man poured some into a cup, walked over to Adam, and held it so that he could drink.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d said Adam.\u00a0 The dark, bitter liquid had made him feel a little better.\u00a0 He looked around the clearing and thought that he recognised the area.\u00a0 It seemed that he was still on the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat am I doing here?\u00a0 What do you want?\u201d he asked between mouthfuls.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll find out soon enough.\u00a0 Meantime I suggest that you just sit quiet,\u201d said the man.\u00a0 He was a little older than Adam and by the look of his deeply tanned face, used to an outdoor life.\u00a0 Adam tried to get the man to talk, but he said nothing more, just looked at Adam and then sat opposite him by the fire.<\/p>\n

Eventually the sleeping man stirred and rose.\u00a0 He was younger and shorter than the first man, but with the same tanned face.\u00a0 These men looked like they may have worked on a ranch, or at least they were used to being out in the open.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo he\u2019s awake, eh?\u201d the second man said, looking across at Adam.\u00a0 He poured some coffee and helped himself to some beans that the older man had prepared.\u00a0 They did not offer any to Adam.<\/p>\n

The two men seemed to be waiting for something, as occasionally one of them would pull a watch from his pocket to check the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo sign of them yet,\u201d said the younger of the two.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s too early.\u00a0 Stage don\u2019t leave \u2018till eight,\u201d said the other, and they lapsed into silence.<\/p>\n

Adam lost track of time as he sat there.\u00a0 He remembered that he had been going to put on his coat when he had been attacked and now the chill dawn air was cutting through him, the discomfort adding to the pain in his head.\u00a0 The combined effects made him sleepy and occasionally he closed his eyes, then jerked his head up painfully as he realised that he had dozed off.\u00a0 It was some hours later that they heard hoof beats coming towards them.\u00a0 Two mounted men appeared, one of them supporting the other, who was bent over in the saddle.<\/p>\n

Adam sucked in a breath as he saw that the injured man was riding Sport, who pranced nervously at the feeling of the unaccustomed rider.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened?\u201d asked the older man as the newcomer dismounted.\u00a0 He was carrying a strong box that he dropped on the ground.<\/p>\n

The two who had been guarding Adam helped the injured man from the saddle, and laid him on the ground.\u00a0 When Adam saw the man\u2019s face, he froze.\u00a0 It was like looking in a mirror, same dark hair and eyes, same high forehead, same curl to his mouth, the dark clothing completing the picture.\u00a0 Adam could have been looking at himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe driver had a gun hidden under his seat.\u00a0 He took a shot at us as we rode off.\u00a0 Got Mike in the back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow what are we going to do?\u201d the older man asked, looking towards Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Boss said that we would have to shoot him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u00a0 Kill him?\u201d asked the younger man, clearly worried by the prospect.<\/p>\n

Adam sat, transfixed by this exchange, realising that he was in mortal danger.\u00a0 If they decided to shoot him, there was nothing he could do about it.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d replied the man, \u201cjust like Mike has been shot, gotta look the same.
\nThey\u2019ve gotta think it was him.\u00a0 Boss says you mustn\u2019t kill him though.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dOK, let\u2019s get on with it then,\u201d said the older man, and they all three walked over to Adam.<\/p>\n

The older man and the newcomer stood in front of Adam with their guns drawn, while the third went behind the tree and untied the ropes which were restraining him.\u00a0 Adam brought his arms round in front of him and rubbed at his wrists.\u00a0 The ropes had not been tight and there was not a mark on him, but his hands felt stiff from lack of movement.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet up,\u201d ordered the older man.\u00a0 Adam reluctantly got to his feet, and leant back against the tree, desperately looking for a means of escape, but there was no way out.\u00a0 He was outnumbered and unarmed.<\/p>\n

Adam thought about running, but before the thought had time to register, the newcomer put his gun away, and he and the younger man came up beside Adam and took hold of his arms.\u00a0 He struggled against them, trying to break free, but the third man, who still had his gun drawn, hit Adam in the stomach with his fist.\u00a0 Adam doubled over trying to drag air into his lungs.\u00a0 The men turned him around, and forcing him to stand up straight, stretched his arms either side of the tree.<\/p>\n

They pulled on his wrists so that Adam was pinned to the tree unable to move, his face rubbing against the rough bark.\u00a0 Adam heard another horse approach.\u00a0 He tried to turn to see the new arrival, but the two holding him just pulled harder on his wrists, preventing any movement.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sure you want to do this?\u201d asked the older man.\u00a0 There was silence, but the rider must have given him some indication, because the older man said, \u201cOK, go ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam knew what was about to happen, and in a perverse way was grateful for the support of the men holding him.\u00a0 His legs had gone weak, and his heart was pounding.\u00a0 He knew that these men were about to shoot him, and he was terrified.\u00a0 He had been shot before but not like this, so deliberately, in cold blood.<\/p>\n

Adam surmised that they had robbed a stage somewhere, and it looked as though they were making certain that the blame would be laid squarely on him.\u00a0 His thoughts turned to his family.\u00a0 These men might not mean to kill him, but when you shoot someone in the back, it wasn\u2019t easy to be sure it would not be fatal.\u00a0 He might die, and his family would believe that he had robbed the stage!\u00a0 He desperately did not want that to happen.\u00a0 He tried and failed to pull his arms back, to get free any way he could, but he could not move, he was helpless and at their mercy.\u00a0 He heard the shot and felt the bullet at the same moment.\u00a0 It was just as though someone had hit him low in the back with a fist.\u00a0 Then the pain came and it left him breathless.<\/p>\n

The men holding Adam brought his arms back round the tree and supported him as his legs gave way, pulling his arms over their shoulders.\u00a0 He tried to lift his head to look at the man who had shot him, but his eyes refused to focus properly.\u00a0 Adam suddenly found that his head had become too heavy to support, and his chin dropped onto his chest.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet him on his horse and take him back.\u00a0 Leave him near enough to his home that his horse will take him there,\u201d said the man.<\/p>\n

The three men dragged Adam over to where Sport was tethered, and between them they managed to get him mounted.\u00a0 Then they were on their horses beside him, and were all four moving away.<\/p>\n

The ride was a blur to Adam.\u00a0 Somehow, the three men managed to keep him on Sport, and then suddenly he was alone.\u00a0 He knew that he had to stay in the saddle; if he fell he would never be able to remount, and would probably die where he dropped.\u00a0 His legs were going numb and he held on desperately to the pommel to keep himself upright.<\/p>\n

Adam didn\u2019t know where he was when his horse came to a standstill, but Sport had found his way home and come to a halt in front of the house.\u00a0 Adam looked sideways and saw the familiar outline of his home.\u00a0 The relief was so great that tears formed in his eyes.\u00a0 Adam knew that he could not stay in the saddle any longer, and felt himself slowly slipping sideways.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2026Pa,\u201d he called faintly.\u00a0 \u201cHelp me.\u00a0 Pa, it wasn\u2019t me\u2026\u201d\u00a0 And he fell from his horse and hit the ground with a sickening thud.\u00a0 He thought that he heard his father\u2019s voice, but then the world disappeared.
\nChapter Eight<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you all right?\u201d Hunt asked concerned.\u00a0 Suddenly the young man in front of him had gone pale and seemed to be shaking, his eyes wide and staring.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes\u2026yes,\u201d said Adam faintly.\u00a0 \u201cCould you get me a drink of water from the kitchen, please?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hunt rose and went in the direction Adam pointed.\u00a0 As soon as he was alone Adam got shakily to his feet, and struggled to his father\u2019s desk in the office alcove at the back of the room.\u00a0 He hastily opened the top drawer of the desk and reached for the gun that was always kept there.\u00a0 His heart was beating wildly in case it was missing, but his fingers closed over the butt and he drew it out as Hunt returned.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you doing over there, you\u2019re not supposed to be moving about,\u201d said Hunt with a look of concern on his face.\u00a0 Then he saw the gun in Adam\u2019s hand.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you think you are doing, young man?\u201d he asked in an aggrieved tone, as though addressing a naughty schoolboy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know where I was that morning,\u201d Adam said roughly.\u00a0 \u201cAs soon as I heard your voice it came flooding back.\u00a0 You shouldn\u2019t have spoken unless you were sure that I couldn\u2019t hear you.\u00a0 You made a big mistake there.\u00a0 I know that it was you who organised the hold up, and it was you who shot me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll never be able to prove it, and no one is going to believe you.\u00a0 I have spent the past week making myself acceptable in Virginia City.\u00a0 They will never believe that I was involved in any hold up,\u201d Hunt said confidently, but Adam\u2019s next words had him worried.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo?\u00a0 Well just remember that I have spent the last twenty five years being accepted in Virginia City so I don\u2019t think that a few days are going to count for much, do you?\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s voice was shaking with the effort he was making to hold the gun on Hunt.<\/p>\n

Adam was leaning on the desk needing the support of the sturdy wooden furniture.\u00a0 His legs were trembling, and he was not sure that he could stand much longer.\u00a0 He was breathing heavily as he made his way to the front of the desk and sat on it.\u00a0 He did not know what he was going to do next.\u00a0 He had Hunt under his gun but could barely move.\u00a0 If Hunt wanted to he could run for it, Adam would not be able to stop him.\u00a0 Perhaps he could wound Hunt and prevent him from leaving.\u00a0 Ben should be home soon, Adam remembered, if he could just hold on, his father could take over.<\/p>\n

While Adam was trying to decide on his next move, Hunt had been easing towards the door preparing to make his escape.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t move any further.\u00a0 Just go back and sit down,\u201d ordered Adam.\u00a0 Hunt stopped, considering.\u00a0 He knew that if he waited long enough Adam would eventually collapse.<\/p>\n

\u201cSit down or I shoot.\u00a0 And don\u2019t think that I won\u2019t, just remember what you did to me.\u201d\u00a0 Hunt realised that Adam was serious.\u00a0 He shrugged and sat down in the chair he had recently vacated.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do we do now?\u201d he wanted to know.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst you tell me why.\u00a0 Why did you want to shoot me, and not kill me?\u00a0 Then you tell me why you let me go.\u00a0 Why did you stay in Virginia City?\u00a0 You could have been long gone by now.\u201d\u00a0 Adam desperately wanted to close his eyes and sleep.\u00a0 As he blinked he had to force his eyelids apart, and tried to concentrate on aiming the gun, which was becoming too heavy for him to hold.\u00a0 Hunt knew that he only needed to keep talking for a few more minutes and Adam would collapse.<\/p>\n

\u201cVery well.\u00a0 Whatever I say to you I will deny later.\u00a0 They know it was you who robbed the stage, and that you might be desperate enough to invent some story to save your hide.\u201d\u00a0 Hunt paused and sat back in the chair, seemingly relaxed.<\/p>\n

\u201cA few weeks ago I travelled through Virginia City on my way to Sacramento.\u00a0 I saw you in the street and a few discrete questions enabled me to find out who you were.\u00a0 As soon as I saw you, a plan began forming in my mind.\u00a0 All my life I have had to struggle against people like you.\u00a0 The rich, the powerful.\u00a0 People always looking down at me, keeping me from my true destiny.\u00a0 People who could not see what I could be, if only they would give me the chance.\u00a0 This was my opportunity to get back at them, by bringing the name of Cartwright into disrepute.\u00a0 Having others turn away, whispering when they saw your family.\u201d\u00a0 Hunt paused.\u00a0 He was enjoying explaining his plan to this man, seeing the look of horror and disgust, and knowing that he had succeeded.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou see, I knew a man who looked just like you.\u00a0 I figured that if I got this man to rob the stage, and he was identified as you, the law would not look too hard for anyone else in connection with the robbery.\u00a0 I paid the man well, and then I just had to wait for the right moment.\u00a0 As an employee of a stage line, it was not too hard to find out when a large shipment was being made on any other line.\u00a0 It was just your misfortune, and my good luck, that the shipment and your being away from your family happened at the same time.\u00a0 Saved me having to get you away from here.\u00a0 You would not be able to prove where you were; the fact that you had lost your memory was an unexpected bonus.\u00a0 I stayed at first just to make sure that it was you they blamed for the hold up.\u00a0 Then I worked to make sure that it became more important to the people of Virginia City to see you brought to justice than to look for anyone else.\u00a0 And it worked, the sheriff searched for the other man but I suspect without any great enthusiasm.\u00a0 Certainly the posse with him were far from enthusiastic about it and gave up quite soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hunt stopped and was looking at Adam, studying his face.\u00a0 It was clear that Adam was having trouble keeping the gun pointed at Hunt.\u00a0 He was sweating and the gun was wavering as his hand shook.\u00a0 Hunt continued to talk, watching as Adam grew weaker.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was quite concerned when your brothers started nosing about, but then even they had to admit there was no evidence to support your innocence.\u00a0 As you can see from my presence here, I even fooled the sheriff into trusting me.\u00a0 I was able to keep up with his progress, or lack of it, in looking for the other man.\u00a0 I think everything will work out fine.\u00a0 I would like to live round here and I can\u2019t see anything to stop me.\u00a0 With the money from the hold up I could live very comfortably for the rest of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAren\u2019t you forgetting something?\u00a0 I know what you did,\u201d Adam reminded him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes you do, but as I said, I will deny that I told you anything.\u00a0 If your father returns and finds you holding a gun on me, I shall tell him you were trying to escape.\u00a0 He\u2019ll believe me; I know from Sheriff Coffee that Ben Cartwright is having a hard time believing in your innocence in the face of the evidence against you.\u00a0 Then when they hang you I will have nothing to worry about.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father\u2019s words came back to haunt Adam.\u00a0 \u2018I don\u2019t want to believe you did it.\u2019\u00a0 Did that mean that Ben thought him guilty?\u00a0 What Hunt had said about his father not believing in his innocence had shaken him.\u00a0 Adam had suspected that his father had his doubts, but he had hoped that he was wrong.\u00a0 Now Hunt had confirmed it.<\/p>\n

\u201cHanging me won\u2019t make you safe.\u00a0 My brothers will come after you, and no matter where you hide they will find you, and make you pay for what you have done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hunt was uneasy.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s words had shaken him, would people believe Cartwright?\u00a0 Maybe he had made a mistake in not killing him straight away.\u00a0 Perhaps it would be better to get him out of the way permanently, and this was the perfect opportunity.\u00a0 He could say that he had killed in self-defence.\u00a0 Hunt started to ease his hand under his coat.\u00a0 Adam noticed the movement.<\/p>\n

\u201cPut your hands back where I can see them,\u201d he ordered but Hunt took no notice.\u00a0 Suddenly a gun appeared in his hand and he shot at Adam, who seeing the gun, fired at the same time.<\/p>\n

Hunt\u2019s bullet took Adam in the right shoulder.\u00a0 He crashed back across the desk, and then rolled off onto the floor landing heavily on his back.\u00a0 He groaned as the familiar pain returned, then he welcomed his old friend oblivion, and lay still.\u00a0 Hunt sat in the chair, but his eyes stared sightlessly in front of him.\u00a0 The hand holding the gun slowly slipped onto his lap, the lifeless fingers still gripping the butt.\u00a0 A red stain was spreading over the front of his crisp white shirt.
\nChapter Nine<\/p>\n

Ben had been to the logging camp and there he had met Hoss and Joe, and they returned home together to have lunch with Adam.\u00a0 They all felt that they might not have too many opportunities left to enjoy a meal together.\u00a0 They were about half a mile from the house when they heard gunshots in the distance.\u00a0 They looked at each other, knowing that they all had the same thoughts.\u00a0 Had the mob from town come back to wreak their vengeance for the murder of the guard, or was there some darker reason?<\/p>\n

Without a word, they spurred their horses towards the house.\u00a0 They galloped together into the yard and leapt from their horses, running towards the front door.\u00a0 Ben was the first into the big room and saw a man sitting in the chair by the fire.\u00a0 He glanced round but saw no one else.\u00a0 He was about to speak to the visitor when he noticed the gun in his lap.\u00a0 Then, as he approached, he saw the telltale stain on his shirt.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the devil\u2026?\u201d said Ben moving to the man\u2019s side and feeling for a pulse.\u00a0 He found nothing.\u00a0 He searched the pockets of the corpse looking for some clue to his identity, and found a wallet that announced the man as \u2018Jacob Hunt, Wells Fargo Investigator\u2019.\u00a0 Ben stood stunned looking at the visiting card he had found.\u00a0 Wild thoughts went through his head.\u00a0 Had Adam gone mad?\u00a0 Had he shot Hunt and made his escape?\u00a0 Had Roy been right all along?<\/p>\n

Hoss had entered behind him and was equally shocked at the sight that greeted them.\u00a0 He went to stand beside his father, who turned to look at him, his eyes filled with fear.<\/p>\n

\u201cDear God, what\u2019s he done?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked, terrified of the answer.<\/p>\n

Hoss knew what his father meant.\u00a0 He felt a tight knot form in his stomach remembering that it was him who had given Adam a gun.\u00a0 Had he used it to shoot Hunt?\u00a0 Had his trust in his brother been misplaced?\u00a0 No, Hoss wouldn\u2019t believe that, there must be some other explanation.<\/p>\n

Joe was the last to enter.\u00a0 He came up behind his father and Hoss, looking down at the man sitting in the chair by the fireplace, and as he approached, he saw the blood.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened?\u00a0 Did Adam\u2026?\u201d No.\u00a0 Even as the thought entered his head, he knew he didn\u2019t believe it.\u00a0 He started pacing back and forth trying to make sense of what he was seeing.\u00a0 As he turned by the staircase, he looked towards the office alcove.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, look.\u00a0 Adam\u2026\u201d he was calling as he ran towards the desk, and round it.\u00a0 Ben and Hoss looked towards him and, without understanding what he was shouting about, followed him.<\/p>\n

Joe was standing, staring down at Adam who was lying unconscious on the floor behind the desk, the blood seeping from his shoulder forming a thin film, which gradually advanced towards Joe\u2019s feet across the highly polished floorboards.\u00a0 Joe glanced up as Ben approached.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t tell whether his brother was dead or alive, and suddenly he did not have the courage to find out.\u00a0 Ben knelt down and held Adam\u2019s wrist looking for a pulse, then he bent to put his ear to Adam\u2019s chest.\u00a0 Letting out a breath he hadn\u2019t realised he was holding, Ben sat back on his heels.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank God, he\u2019s alive.\u00a0 Joe go for the doctor, quickly.\u201d\u00a0 Joe left at a dead run not saying a word, wanting to get into town as fast as he could.\u00a0 He ran into the yard and vaulted onto Cochice\u2019s back, and had the horse into a gallop before his feet were properly in the stirrups.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, inside the house, Ben examined the wound in his son\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 Hoss hurried to the kitchen for some cloths, and between them he and Ben tried to stop the bleeding.\u00a0 Then they gently lifted Adam and took him back up to his room.\u00a0 Adam showed no reaction to being moved, he was a dead weight in their arms.<\/p>\n

It was nearly four hours later that Paul Martin appeared.\u00a0 It had been four of the worst hours of Ben\u2019s life.\u00a0 He did not know what had happened and he did not know how to help Adam.\u00a0 All he could do was to try to stop the bleeding, and pray.\u00a0 He did both with determination.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen what happened.\u00a0 I just took a look at Hunt, he\u2019s been shot as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPaul, I don\u2019t know.\u00a0 I assume that Adam and Hunt shot each other, but I just don\u2019t know why.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul had moved to the side of the bed and had begun to examine his patient.
\n\u201cI must get the bullet out, he wasn\u2019t strong before this.\u00a0 You know I did not really want him to get up, but he persuaded me that it would do him good.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the doctor said this Ben suddenly had an unsettling interpretation of events.\u00a0 Had Adam asked to be allowed downstairs with the idea of making his escape?\u00a0 Would he have shot Roy if he had been there?<\/p>\n

\u201cBen, you must realise that he is in real danger.\u00a0 He\u2019s only just starting to recover from the wound in his back.\u00a0 If I don\u2019t get the bullet out and stop the bleeding, well\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Ben looked up at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoy is on his way here,\u201d Paul continued.\u00a0 \u201cHe was going to Placerville, and left Hunt looking after Adam, but he\u2019s coming here first instead.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t you go down and wait for him?\u00a0 I can take care of this on my own.\u201d\u00a0 And with this, Paul ushered him from the room.<\/p>\n

Ben went downstairs where he saw Hoss and Joe looking up at him, then his eyes went to the blanket covered form of Hunt, still in the chair.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake the body out to the barn, boys.\u201d\u00a0 Ben couldn\u2019t bear for it to be in the house, with all that it might mean.<\/p>\n

\u201cShouldn\u2019t we wait for Roy?\u201d asked Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I don\u2019t want it here.\u00a0 Get it out,\u201d said Ben harshly, and Joe and Hoss moved to do their father\u2019s bidding.<\/p>\n

When they had finished, they returned to find Ben staring out of the window behind the dining table.\u00a0 They looked anxiously at each other; they did not know how to help him.\u00a0 Joe went up behind his father and put a hand on his shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, it\u2019s going to be all right you\u2019ll see.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure Adam wouldn\u2019t have shot Hunt just with the idea of escape.\u00a0 There has to be some other explanation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss came to his father\u2019s side.\u00a0 \u201cSure Pa,\u201d he said taking his father\u2019s arm and turning him to face them, \u201cIf Adam shot Hunt then there must have been some very good reason.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike there was a good reason for him to rob the stage?\u201d\u00a0 Ben said sharply.<\/p>\n

Ben looked at his sons.\u00a0 He hoped against hope that they were right.\u00a0 He put his arms up and embraced both of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I\u2019m sure you\u2019re right.\u00a0 It\u2019s just that it\u2019s a bit difficult at the moment to think of a reasonable explanation, but I\u2019m sure there is one.\u00a0 We\u2019ll just have to wait and see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss made some coffee and they were sitting drinking it when they heard a horse outside.\u00a0 Joe got up and went to open the door.\u00a0 Roy Coffee finished tying his horse to the hitching rail and approached.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello, Roy, come in,\u201d said Joe and turned back into the house.\u00a0 The sheriff followed him in and, taking off his hat, approached Ben who was sitting in the chair opposite the one in which Hunt had earlier died.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen, I\u2019m sorry to have to come back here under these circumstances.\u00a0 I had hoped to be half way to Placerville by now.\u00a0 We had a lead on the other man in the robbery, but I\u2019ve wired the sheriff there so they ought to be able to handle things.\u00a0 Now tell me what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst tell me what Hunt was doing here,\u201d demanded Ben<\/p>\n

\u201cI left him looking after Adam.\u00a0 As I said I was going to Placerville and Hunt offered his services.\u00a0 I asked Adam if he objected to Hunt being here, and he said that he didn\u2019t mind.\u00a0 With the eyewitnesses I have for the robbery I didn\u2019t need him to testify, so I didn\u2019t think it would matter if he spent time with Adam.\u00a0 Now, tell me what happened.\u201d\u00a0 Roy sat beside Hoss and Joe, on the end of the sofa.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d said Ben flatly.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on Ben, I need your help if I am going to get to the bottom of this,\u201d said Roy, exasperated at Ben\u2019s lack of cooperation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe weren\u2019t here,\u201d said Joe, \u201call three of us were coming back from the logging camp when we heard shots which sounded as though they came from this direction.\u00a0 When we got here Hunt was dead and Adam was lying on the floor unconscious, with a bullet in his shoulder.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the way of it, Roy,\u201d added Hoss, \u201cwe don\u2019t know no more than that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo Adam and Hunt were alone?\u00a0 Did you see any sign of anybody having been here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 \u201cAlthough there may have been, we weren\u2019t paying much attention to anything except Adam after we found him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy was thoughtful for a moment.\u00a0 \u201cThen I\u2019ll have to wait for Adam to wake up and see what he has to say.\u201d\u00a0 Roy paused then asked \u201c Ben can I wait here?\u201d\u00a0 Roy looked up at Ben unsure of the reply.\u00a0 He had not been the most popular man at that house recently.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, Roy.\u00a0 We just want to find out what happened.\u00a0 If Adam shot Hunt with the idea of escaping, then we need to know.\u00a0 It just proves his guilt,\u201d Ben said sorrowfully.<\/p>\n

\u201cDadburn it Pa, all that would prove is that Adam was desperate enough to try anything.\u00a0 He knew he couldn\u2019t prove that he wasn\u2019t involved and maybe he felt cornered.\u00a0 Perhaps he didn\u2019t take to the idea of dying for something he didn\u2019t do,\u201d Hoss said angrily.<\/p>\n

Ben stared at Hoss, surprised by the vehemence of his statement, then he started pacing the floor, waiting for Paul to finish treating Adam.\u00a0 It seemed to him that the doctor was taking far too long, perhaps something had gone wrong.\u00a0 Ben was just about to go upstairs to see what had happened when Paul appeared.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen, I\u2019ve finished.\u201d\u00a0 Paul came down the stairs as he spoke.\u00a0 He was looking across at Ben, and could tell how anxious he was.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow is he?\u00a0 Did he say anything?\u201d Ben asked, the answer to both questions equally important to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s very weak.\u00a0 I won\u2019t beat around the bush with you Ben, we\u2019ve known each other far too long for me to try to tell you less than the truth.\u00a0 Adam is a very sick young man.\u00a0 The bullet hit the top of his shoulder blade, I\u2019ve had to take several pieces of it out of the wound.\u00a0 You know that he was out of bed this morning against my better judgement, but I felt that a quiet couple of hours sitting down here wouldn\u2019t hurt him.\u00a0 Now he\u2019s opened up the wound in his back again, and with that and the bullet he took in his shoulder he\u2019s lost a lot of blood, and he\u2019s in shock.\u00a0 I need someone with him all the time.\u00a0 You must keep him warm, and try to get as much liquid into him as you can.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go,\u201d said Joe and hurried up the stairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoy, he hasn\u2019t said anything and is not likely to for some considerable time,\u201d said Paul turning to the Sheriff.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen I\u2019ll just have to wait until he does.\u00a0 Let\u2019s hope he can remember it this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben thought that the last remark was hitting below the belt, but he let it pass.\u00a0 Instead, he sent Hoss into the kitchen to tell Hop Sing, the Cartwright\u2019s cook and housekeeper, that there would be an extra guest for supper.\u00a0 Hop Sing told Hoss that he would prepare a hot meal, but that he would also be there should they need anything through the night.\u00a0 The canny Chinaman knew that no one was going to get much sleep that night, including himself.<\/p>\n

Through the dark hours Hoss, Joe and Roy had taken their turns at sitting with Adam, watching over him, each one wanting him to awaken and tell them what had happened.\u00a0 But he had not stirred, and now it was Ben\u2019s turn.\u00a0 He had been sitting with his motionless son for the past hour, and was getting stiff from the inactivity.\u00a0 He stretched and yawned, how much longer would it be before Adam woke up?\u00a0 Ben was desperate for some answers, which only his son could provide.\u00a0 Answers that he might not want to hear, but there would be no going back once he had them.<\/p>\n

Dawn was just breaking as Ben looked out of Adam\u2019s bedroom window.\u00a0 The pale light falling on his face highlighted the effects of the past days, the lines etched deeper than normal.\u00a0 He placed his hands on the windowsill and leant his forehead against the cold glass.<\/p>\n

\u201cDear Lord, please let my son be all right.\u00a0 Please don\u2019t take him from me yet, I\u2019m not ready to lose him.\u00a0 His brothers need him, I need him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you need me Pa?\u201d said a quiet voice.\u00a0 Ben turned to look at Adam.\u00a0 He returned to the chair beside the bed, and took Adam\u2019s hand in his.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, son I do.\u00a0 I need your strength, and your support.\u00a0 I need your love and your understanding.\u00a0 And your brothers need your wisdom and your guidance.\u201d\u00a0 The two men looked at each other for a long time neither saying anything, each with their own thoughts that they could not share.<\/p>\n

Eventually Ben reached out for the tumbler that was sitting on the bedside table.\u00a0 Paul had said that Adam needed to drink plenty, and Ben was not going to miss this opportunity to get some water into his son.\u00a0 Adam had closed his eyes, he was so tired he could not even raise his head, and Ben gently put his hand under Adam\u2019s head to help him drink.\u00a0 Adam groaned as he was moved, his back was aching from his old wound, and sharp pains were shooting through his shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if I\u2019m a murderer?\u201d Adam said as he sank back on the pillows.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d asked Ben taken aback by the question.<\/p>\n

\u201cHunt told me that you thought I was guilty.\u201d\u00a0 Adam opened his eyes and looked straight at his father, he saw the expression that crossed Ben\u2019s face and he knew, with a sick feeling in his heart, that Hunt had been right.\u00a0 Ben lowered his head and took several deep breaths, working out what to say in reply.\u00a0 He raised his eyes to meet his son\u2019s<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t deny that I find it difficult, with the evidence to hand, to see how you could not have robbed the stage.\u00a0 You say you don\u2019t think you did it, and I will try with every fibre of my being to support you, and believe in you.\u00a0 But my belief does not count for much with the law, we have to find some evidence that will convince a jury.\u201d\u00a0 Ben paused, he could see that Adam was tiring.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you didn\u2019t immediately believe me?\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s face reflected the difficulty he was having in keeping up this conversation.\u00a0 But it was important for him to have the answers he was looking for.<\/p>\n

Ben hesitated.\u00a0 He looked at his son knowing he might not survive this latest attack on him, and decided that he deserved the truth, however painful that might be.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I didn\u2019t.\u00a0 Adam we need to talk about what happened, you and Hunt.\u00a0 Did you shoot each other or was it someone else?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, I have a lot to tell you\u2026but I don\u2019t think I can do it now.\u201d\u00a0 Adam paused, and took a deep breath, \u201cIt\u2019s gonna be all right\u2026 I know what happened, I\u2019ve rememb\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 Adam had closed his eyes again, and without realising it, had drifted off to sleep.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean \u2018it\u2019s going to be all right\u2019?\u00a0 What have you remembered?\u201d\u00a0 Ben put his hand on Adam\u2019s uninjured shoulder and shook it gently, but he got no response.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s sleep was deep and dreamless; it would be many hours before he stirred again.<\/p>\n

Ben sat for some time just looking at his first-born child.\u00a0 So peaceful now, sleep ironing out the lines of his face.\u00a0 Now Ben had a ray of hope.\u00a0 Had Adam been trying to tell him that he could prove his innocence?\u00a0 Ben dared to believe.
\nChapter Ten<\/p>\n

Roy Coffee was sitting at the dining table watching his old friend pacing the floor.\u00a0 Ben had not eaten much supper and had got to his feet as soon as Hop Sing had cleared the table.\u00a0 He had been restless all day, waiting for Adam to awaken and tell him what he meant by his enigmatic remark.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen, for goodness sake sit down.\u00a0 You\u2019re going to wear yourself out.\u00a0 Not to mention what you are doing to the rug.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRoy, when is he going to wake up?\u00a0 I can\u2019t bear not knowing what he wants to tell us,\u201d Ben said, perching on the arm of a chair for ten seconds before getting to his feet and resuming his pacing.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019ll wake in his own good time.\u00a0 If you try to rouse him sooner he won\u2019t be able to tell you anything, and Paul will take it out of your hide.\u201d<\/p>\n

At that moment, Paul Martin knocked and entered.\u00a0 He had been coming and going all day, he wanted to be there when Adam woke.\u00a0 He knew that all present were anxious that Adam should be able to speak to them, but Paul was going to make sure that he didn\u2019t kill himself in the process.\u00a0 He helped himself to a cup of coffee and sat down.<\/p>\n

\u201cI take it by your pacing that Adam is still unconscious?\u201d Paul asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d was all Ben said, not breaking step.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen, I know you want him awake, but the longer he sleeps the better.\u00a0 He\u2019s getting stronger all the time.\u00a0 When he comes round, he should be able to talk to you.\u00a0 But don\u2019t rush it, it will happen when Adam\u2019s body decides it can cope, not before.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, I know but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, he\u2019s awake,\u201d said Joe excitedly, running half way down the stairs, then turning to run back up them, not waiting for any reply.\u00a0 The three men looked after him, and for a heartbeat did not move, then all three made for the stairs.<\/p>\n

Outside Adam\u2019s room Paul stopped and blocked the way.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow listen you two.\u00a0 I\u2019m going in to see how he is.\u00a0 If I think he\u2019s strong enough to talk then you can come in.\u00a0 If not, you will wait until I say you can see him.\u00a0 Do I make myself clear?\u201d\u00a0 Paul looked at Ben and Roy from under stern eyebrows, and it would have been a brave man who would challenge him at that moment.\u00a0 He got wordless nods in response.<\/p>\n

Now it was Roy\u2019s turn to pace, and he did so outside the door with Ben watching.\u00a0 They could hear low voices coming from the room, but could not make out any words.\u00a0 After what seemed like no more than a lifetime, Paul emerged and told them that they could come in.<\/p>\n

Joe and Hoss were already in the room.\u00a0 They had been watching over Adam when he woke and they wanted to be there when he spoke to their father.\u00a0 So they tried to melt into the background in case Paul decided there were too many people present.\u00a0 But Paul simply glanced at them, he understood.<\/p>\n

\u201cOK, Adam wants to speak to you, but if I think he\u2019s overdoing it I\u2019m going to throw you all out.\u201d\u00a0 Paul went to stand protectively on the far side of the bed, hovering over his patient like a guardian angel.\u00a0 But in truth he was worried, he had managed to pull Adam back from the edge twice in recent days, and he wasn\u2019t going to lose him now.<\/p>\n

Ben pulled a chair up to the side of the bed and sat down.\u00a0 He took Adam\u2019s hand in his and squeezed it gently.\u00a0 Adam looked at Ben and smiled, he hoped that he was about to make his father very happy and he was going to enjoy every moment.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s voice was soft when he spoke, and they could all see the effort it was costing him.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, I have a lot to tell you, please just listen and don\u2019t interrupt.\u00a0 I want to be able to tell you all of it now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded his agreement and looked round at Roy, who was standing behind him and also nodded.\u00a0 \u201cCarry on son, I\u2019m listening.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam told them the story that Hunt had related to him, about finding Adam, plotting the robbery, and laying the blame on him.\u00a0 About shooting him when his double was shot, and being willing to let Adam hang for the murder of the guard.\u00a0 Then he told them how Hunt had tried to kill him, when it became clear that Adam might be able to persuade the law that Hunt, and not himself had been the perpetrator of these crimes.\u00a0 How Adam had shot Hunt in self-defence.<\/p>\n

It took Adam nearly an hour to tell his story, he had to stop often for Ben to
\ngive him sips of water, and at one point Doc Martin stopped him and was on the verge of clearing the room, but Adam insisted that he wanted to finish his account of what had happened.\u00a0 With his story told he was exhausted and closed his eyes, but did not sleep again.\u00a0 His mind was racing, thinking about Hunt and what he had done, and what might have been the outcome, but for the man\u2019s audacity in coming to the ranch.<\/p>\n

Ben still held Adam\u2019s hand in his.\u00a0 He felt that he had been given his son back, and he wasn\u2019t about to let go of him.\u00a0 His gaze went to his other sons and they smiled at each other in relief.\u00a0 At last they could get on with their lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust a minute.\u201d\u00a0 It was Roy who broke the spell.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s all very well for Adam to tell us all this, but with Hunt dead you have absolutely no proof.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2026?\u201d\u00a0 Ben was astounded.<\/p>\n

Roy spread his hands and shrugged his shoulders, \u201cBen, he could have made it all up.\u00a0 He can\u2019t prove any of it.\u00a0 Now, I reckon he\u2019s telling the truth, but I\u2019m not the one he has to convince.\u00a0 Think about it.\u00a0 I have four eyewitnesses who will testify that it was Adam who robbed the stage.\u00a0 You only have Adam\u2019s word for what Hunt told him, and you expect a jury to believe that when Adam found out it was Hunt who had set it all up, he shot him, the only other person who knew the truth?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam had opened his eyes and was staring astounded at the sheriff; it had not occurred to him that he couldn\u2019t prove what he was saying.\u00a0 He had not had a lot of time to think about it, but of course Roy was right, it was his word against a dead man, a man he, himself, had shot.<\/p>\n

Roy moved closer to the bed and looked down at his prime suspect.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, I believe what you are telling us but somehow we have to get some evidence.\u00a0 Now we know what we are dealing with we may be able to come up with something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRoy, I appreciate your position,\u201d Adam said slowly, his voice was fading with his strength.\u00a0 He had talked too long and was paying the price.\u00a0 He was going to say more, but Paul interrupted him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s enough, he needs rest.\u00a0 Out, all of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul turned to Adam, who was trying to object to his father leaving.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, in the last eight days I have taken two .38s out of you.\u00a0 You cannot expect to be able to just carry on as normal.\u00a0 It\u2019s going to take you several more days before you begin to feel anything but exhausted.\u00a0 So just lie back and rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Paul was speaking, Roy and Ben had begun following Hoss and Joe out of the room.\u00a0 Roy stopped so suddenly that Ben ran into the back of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d Roy asked, turning back slowly into the room and staring wide eyed at the doctor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said it was going to take Adam several days before he begins to feel better.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not that, before that.\u00a0 About the bullets.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dWhat?\u00a0 Oh, you mean the two .38s.\u00a0 I said I took two .38s out of Adam in the last eight days.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 What\u2019s wrong?\u201d\u00a0 Paul was puzzled, it all seemed quite straightforward to him.<\/p>\n

Roy went to the end of the bed and leant on the footboard.\u00a0 He looked at Adam and smiled broadly.\u00a0 Adam was totally confused, he was not thinking too clearly as tiredness overtook him, and he could make no sense of what was going on around him.\u00a0 He was not alone, everyone else in the room also looked at Roy in complete confusion.<\/p>\n

Roy could not hide his excitement as he spoke, \u201cAdam, that\u2019s it.\u00a0 I know now that you are innocent, and so will the rest of town by the time I get through telling them.\u00a0 There should never have been any doubt about it.\u00a0 I just didn\u2019t have all the facts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRoy,\u201d said Ben exasperated, \u201cwill you please tell us what you mean.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRoy, what do you know now that you didn\u2019t know five minutes ago?\u201d whispered Adam softly.\u00a0 His strength had deserted him, and if it hadn\u2019t been for Roy\u2019s excitement he would have lapsed into unconsciousness, but he was fighting not to let that happen until he found out what this was all about.<\/p>\n

\u201cPaul said \u2018two .38s\u2019.\u00a0 The stage driver had a .45.\u201d\u00a0 Roy looked round at the men in the room, who were staring, stunned by the simplicity of the statement.\u00a0 He looked down at Adam.\u00a0 \u201cDo you understand, there\u2019s no doubt about it?\u00a0 The driver didn\u2019t shoot you.\u00a0 It proves that you did not rob the stage.\u00a0 Hunt used a .38.\u00a0 It proves that what you say is true.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam lay motionless.\u00a0 He had gone completely numb.\u00a0 Was it all over, had that simple fact cleared him of the charges brought against him?\u00a0 It appeared so.\u00a0 He searched for his father\u2019s face, and when he found it, they exchanged such a look of relief that it brought tears to both their eyes.\u00a0 Adam blinked slowly, and then found that he was unable to open his eyes again.\u00a0 Blackness overtook him and he slipped into a peaceful sleep.
\nChapter Eleven<\/p>\n

Two days after Paul\u2019s revelation about the bullets, Sam Whittaker, who had a ranch about fifty miles east of the Ponderosa, drove his buckboard into the front yard.\u00a0 Ben went out to greet him warmly, not having seen him for some months.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowdy Sam, what brings you way out here?\u201d\u00a0 Ben extended his hand and Sam took it.\u00a0 But the look on his face told Ben that something was very wrong.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is it Sam, what\u2019s the matter?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBen I\u2019m sorry to be the one to do this to you, but I have something here you should see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam went to the back of the buckboard where a tarpaulin covered the load he was carrying.\u00a0 Sam pulled the edge of the tarpaulin aside, and Ben paled as he saw what it had concealed.\u00a0 It was Adam, dead!\u00a0 Ben quickly recovered; Adam was safe in the house tucked up in bed, his wounds healing.<\/p>\n

\u201cSam don\u2019t worry.\u00a0 That\u2019s not Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all right.\u00a0 Come in the house and I\u2019ll tell you all about it.\u00a0 I\u2019ll get one of the hands to take the body into Virginia City.\u201d<\/p>\n

And with that, Ben took Sam in and showed him Adam, alive, and told him what had happened.<\/p>\n

At about the same time, the sheriff in Placerville was trying to arrest a man who had been accused of cheating in the Silver Dollar saloon.\u00a0 The man decided to shoot his way out of it, but hadn\u2019t reckoned on the sheriff getting the better of him.\u00a0 He was killed, and when the sheriff went to search his room at the hotel, he found four thousand dollars in a bag labelled \u2018First Virginia City Bank\u2019.<\/p>\n

The sheriff immediately contacted Roy Coffee and informed him of the shooting, also sending a description of the man.\u00a0 Roy came out to the Ponderosa to see Adam.\u00a0 He described the man in Placerville, and Adam confirmed that it sounded like the man who had been sitting by the fire guarding him, when he woke up in the clearing.<\/p>\n

Nothing was heard of the other men involved in the robbery, or of the rest of the money.\u00a0 Hunt had been right when he said that getting Adam involved would draw attention away from the rest of the gang.
\nChapter Twelve<\/p>\n

Adam Cartwright was sitting by his campfire in the forest high above the north pastures, looking west into the setting sun.<\/p>\n

It was only four weeks since he had sat in this same spot looking at the sunset, and he was thinking about his life and the way it had changed since then.<\/p>\n

He had been cleared of all charges against him, and was at last beginning to feel strong again.\u00a0 He shifted his position slightly to relieve the aches in his back and shoulder.\u00a0 The physical wounds were healing, but he still felt tired at the end of the day, and the ride up here had taken more out of him than he cared to admit.\u00a0 His father had been reluctant to let him go alone into the mountains, but Adam had eventually persuaded him, by allowing that Hoss and Joe could come and ride back with him tomorrow.<\/p>\n

The long ride had probably been a mistake.\u00a0 By the time he arrived, his back was hurting with every step Sport took, and the pain in his shoulder was making it difficult to move his arm.\u00a0 But Adam ignored it all, he knew he had to get out on his own.\u00a0 The very thought of being alone up here had filled him with dread, but he knew that if he didn\u2019t do it he might never again be able to roam freely about the ranch.<\/p>\n

Now he felt relaxed for the first time in weeks.\u00a0 His fears had left him, and he felt at peace with himself.\u00a0 Now he had some decisions to make.<\/p>\n

While he was charged with the killing of the stage guard, and was facing the gallows, he had reflected on what he had done with his life, and what he still wanted to do.\u00a0 He had always wanted to see more of the world, and thought he was going to die with that desire unfulfilled.\u00a0 Now he had been given his life back he determined that, given the same circumstances, he wanted to face death with no such regrets.<\/p>\n

He had stayed with his family because he felt that they needed him, indeed his father had said as much.\u00a0 But now he knew it was time for him to think about what he wanted.\u00a0 Hoss and Joe were men now and his father did not need his help with them, and they were both old enough to look after Ben and the ranch without him.<\/p>\n

Adam had been deeply hurt by the fact that his father believed him capable of the things he had been charged with, and no matter how logical it had been for Ben to think him guilty, Adam was disappointed that his father had not been more certain of his innocence.\u00a0 Roy had said that there would have been no doubt of his innocence if they had known about the first bullet.\u00a0 Adam felt that his father should have known him well enough to know he was innocent without that proof.\u00a0 But his father had doubted him.\u00a0 This was what was tipping the balance.\u00a0 Adam thought that if he went away for a time his relationship with his father might again return to the confidence that they once shared in each other.<\/p>\n

Without his father\u2019s knowledge, he had written to his cousin, Matthew Stoddard, who had taken over his grandfather\u2019s shipping business, and offered his services as an agent for the company.\u00a0 His cousin had written back saying that he needed someone who could travel to foreign ports, sorting out the problems they had, and Adam told him that he would be willing to take on that role.<\/p>\n

Now all he had to do was tell his father.\u00a0 Ben would be upset, but Adam knew that he would not stand in his way, especially if Adam promised him that he would return.<\/p>\n

Adam knew he would miss this country, the wide open spaces and the freedom of their land, but there was so much more that he wanted to see and do, and it, and his family, would still be here when he returned.\u00a0 He settled down for the night knowing in his heart that he was making the right decision.\u00a0 A new chapter in his life was about to open and he was content.<\/p>\n

The End<\/p>\n

October 2001<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tags:<\/strong> Adam Cartwright, Ben Cartwright, Hoss Cartwright, Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright, mistaken identity<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

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Summary: When Adam is found with a bullet in his back, Roy’s explanation is unbelievable.<\/p>\n

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