{"id":46908,"date":"2003-12-21T09:53:06","date_gmt":"2003-12-21T14:53:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=46908"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:08:43","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:08:43","slug":"an-arabic-tale-by-amg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=46908","title":{"rendered":"An Arabic Tale (by AMG)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Synopsis : Sheikhs, Arabs, and Cartwrights in the middle of it all
\nRating and Reader’s Alerts : PG; alerts depend on how vivid your imagination is
\nWords:\u00a0 8,830<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Brandsters have included this story by this author in our project: Preserving Their Legacy. To preserve the legacy of the author, we have decided to give their work a home in the Bonanza Brand Fanfiction Library.\u00a0 The author will always be the owner of this work of fanfiction, and should they wish us to remove their story, we will.<\/p>\n

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An Arabic Tale\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/center>An Arabic Tale, or: The incredible Arabic adventures of Eve Dansford, as written down by (here words obscure) based on her own true memoirs and those of her family, to be found stored at the Ponderosa ranch, Nevada, United States of America.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chronicler\u2019s note: The memoirs being sometimes incomplete, the faithful chronicler has opted for filling Miss Eve Dansford\u2019s story with fragments of diaries and memoirs of her family, who have been faithful companions to her in her unbelievable story. Not one word written in English that was to be found in the memoirs has been altered; the Arabic\/French fragments from Khaled\u2019s memoirs have been translated as faithfully and truthfully as possible, in order to show the reader the exotic ideas and way of thinking, for entertainment as well as education. The story is definitely true and that fact has convinced the chronicler to share his knowledge with the rest of the civilised world for their enjoyment, and whilst also warning of the dangers one may encounter in one\u2019s life.<\/span><\/p>\n

17.10. (the memoir of Joe Cartwright)<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m glad I\u2019ve decided to join Cpt. Dansford on this journey, if for no other reason but the fact that Eve became very depressed..<\/span><\/p>\n

Who could know that the sea would claim the Captain so suddenly? I thank the Lord that Father was spared the pain he would have endured if Sarah or I went down… I remember all too clearly as he was telling us when we were leaving \u2013 \u201cI\u2019ve lost one son to the sea \u2013 don\u2019t the sea dare to take another.\u201d Adam\u2019s drowning has affected him greatly \u2013 all of us, but him the most of all. The parent-child relationship is of different nature than the one of siblings; and it\u2019s unnatural for the younger to go first.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always thought of Eve Dansford as a lively girl, if something spoiled. She worries me greatly now as she sits silently in her cabin and stares at the wall. Not even Sarah can get through her stupor at times. I hope she can overcome it soon and busy herself with something \u2013 that frees the mind from too many painful thoughts. I must find a good guide to fill her with information about the city and its antiquities while we\u2019re sightseeing. If she gets the least interested, her mind will go in a different direction, away from the pain and memories.<\/span>
\n20.10. \u2013 possibly (Sarah Cartwright)<\/span><\/p>\n

What dreadful \u2013 I don\u2019t even know how to name that thing. My thoughts are all jumbled as I try to organise them. One moment we were walking through the crowded market square, in the next some people grab us, pack on animals like rolled blankets and ride out into the unknown, in the desert, with us two as their booty. Their hands were dreadful, their faces were dreadful, their voices were dreadful. They pulled us with them like slaves day and night, looked us over as though we were little better than some horses or what…<\/span><\/p>\n

I still don\u2019t know where those two men came from. I saw two horses gallop straight into us, spooking the horses and unnerving the camels, then some force grabbed me upon one of them as Eve was lifted on the other one just as suddenly, and the horses carried us to safety.<\/span><\/p>\n

Or so we thought. I\u2019ve prayed for help from dear, dear Father \u2013 what must he be enduring! \u2013 but it doesn\u2019t seem as though they are taking us to him. The younger of the men is called Khaled, the older one is Ahmed. We are sitting in a tent, I and Eve. By some chance, I have both our diaries. Eve is too shaken to write. Beside the capture and the inhuman treatment before, Khaled began kissing her when they\u2019d brought us here. I wouldn\u2019t let him hurt her so I hit him like Dad had taught me. That Ahmed pushed me to the ground, and then, when I was ready to fight both of them \u2013 silly, I know, but what else was I to do? \u2013 they thankfully left.<\/span><\/p>\n

Eve is very shaken, so am I. There must be some way to escape and find Father, there must be at least one way and I\u2019ll find it, not yet, not today maybe \u2013 but I\u2019ll find it.<\/span>
\n[20.10.] (Khaled)\u00a0<\/span>
\n[the date is chronicler\u2019s supposition, original dates given according to a different calendar]\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Today we saw slave dealers; they kept two white women with them. I don\u2019t like slave dealers. We took the women away before they could stop us and we brought them to our camp and in our tent.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ahmed had the dark-haired one, and I the blond one. She looked so vulnerable in my arms that I kissed her. She tastes sweet and her body feels good. It was created to lie in my arms, it fits so perfectly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then someone pulled my arm away and a fist hit my chin. I saw stars as bright as the sun when my head hit the ground. I heard angry voices and I saw Ahmed throw the dark-haired woman on the ground. It was she who hit me. There is fire in her eyes. She has the spirit of a fighter.<\/span><\/p>\n

I moved towards the blond woman again and she cowered from me. I didn\u2019t want to hurt her. The dark-haired woman shielded her, holding her fists ready. Ahmed said they were scared of us and they should be left to rest. So I left them. We made a small new tent for ourselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tonight I cannot sleep. I think of the blond woman and how well she fits in my arms. She would feel good by my side now.<\/span><\/p>\n

I think of white women, European women. Some of them said it is indecent to hold a woman like I held the blond one. Indecent was wrong. They spoke of respect, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

Women like beautiful things. They like it when a man says they are beautiful. I can give her very many dresses, jewellery and camels; I can show her respect. I want to have her without force. I want her to come to me by herself.<\/span>
\nSecond day with Khaled \u2013 probably 21.10.(Sarah)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, he came into our tent again. I wasn\u2019t about to allow him to hurt Eve further. I must have looked funny, now that I think of it \u2013 standing there with my fists clenched and my dress dirty and torn. He had a funny look on his face, anyway. The good thing was that he stopped and didn\u2019t try to approach us. He said something in his language and Ahmed came in. He brought some kind of oriental dresses, and Khaled gestured for us to take them. All the dresses looked suspiciously, well, uncovering, only one or two of them more decent. Honestly, I\u2019d prefer something of the kind that he had on. It must have protected from the wind, the sand and surely from the scorching sun.<\/span><\/p>\n

Khaled eyed me with amusement, and I must say I didn\u2019t trust that look. He said something to Ahmed; the big man reached for something and produced a fabric similar to that of Khaled\u2019s clothes. Khaled smiled at me and indicated each part of the cloth, saying \u201cpour t\u00eate\u201d, \u201chaut\u201d, \u201cinf\u00e9rieure part\u201d. As far as I know my French, he must have meant the turban for the head, top part and trousers. The language can be our chance for communication.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He chose a dress \u2013 the most decent one, to give him the benefit of the doubt \u2013 and handed it to Eve. She stayed behind my back and looked distrustful, so I decided to take the dress for her. Khaled looked hesitant but handed it to me, gazing intently at Eve. He seemed to stop smiling from then on, and soon left the tent with Ahmed. After a moment, some of the women came in. I still suppose it\u2019s a kind of harem that Khaled keeps. Ahmed looks like a eunuch to me; that only confirms my suspicions.<\/span><\/p>\n

It turned out that the women came to help us change. Obviously the kind of clothes Khaled wore were indeed meant for me. Eve\u2019s dress was fairly light, but covered decently all the right places. It felt embarrassing to have to change in front of these women, but it had to be, I guess.<\/span><\/p>\n

They paid special attention to making Eve beautiful. I felt almost like a female Arabic warrior; truth be told, the clothes were quite comfortable. The women treated me differently, showed me a different kind of respect than they showed Eve. They might have seen her as Khaled\u2019s favourite, which thought scares us.<\/span><\/p>\n

Later we were led out of the tent. They seemed to strike camp. Khaled approached us, his eyes smiling; his face was covered, but he pulled the fabric aside. Eve stepped behind me; in fact, I was a bit scared myself, but at least I had the freedom of movement to fight him. He showed no intention of being aggressive, however; he showed to the horses and asked, \u201c \u2019orse? Camel?\u201d His English is dreadfully tortured with the French accent, but rather understandable. I preferred a horse, and asked for one for Eve. He shook his head and argued that a camel would be preferable for her; he showed us a pretty litter secured on the camel\u2019s back and repeated, \u201cCamel,\u201d indicating Eve. Unsure as to what he may have in mind, I resigned myself to a camel, too. I\u2019d rather not that they part us.<\/span>
\nBefore we were brought up on the camel, Khaled managed to somehow get around me to Eve and held her chin, then touched her hair. \u201cBeauty,\u201d he said to her and turned to me. \u201cBeauty,\u201d he repeated with a smile, bowing his head to me. \u201cVous \u00eates tr\u00e8s belle.\u201d [\u201cYou (both) are very beautiful\u201d \u2013 chronicler\u2019s annotation] Then we set out.<\/span><\/p>\n

We don\u2019t know where he is taking us.<\/span>
\nThird day with Khaled \u2013 22.10. (Sarah)<\/span><\/p>\n

He gave me a horse today, although I protested. All right, it IS more comfortable for me than reclining in the litter up on the camel all day, at least I feel I\u2019m on the move and in control of the horse. Thankfully, we stayed beside Eve\u2019s camel, so I could keep an eye on her. Surprisingly, Khaled started a conversation with me. He asked our names, wanted to know about our families and where we were from. He himself gives no more details on his name than we already know; he claims Ahmed to be his family, but once I asked for details, he said Ahmed were his servant. I\u2019m not sure I understand his thinking in this respect. I wanted to know where he came from, but the answering gesture of his hand was \u2013 vague, to say the least. His eyes are like two black gems in black exotic setting; Europeans don\u2019t tend to have such. He claims he\u2019s not French, although it took a moment of hesitation on his part; neither does he admit being an Arab; my next detailed questions as to his origin are answered with a single \u2018ailleurs\u2019 \u2013 elsewhere. A mysterious guy, I say. On the other hand, he wants to know a lot about Eve: family, friends, steady friends, character, favourite activities, abilities \u2013 I\u2019m not sure what he wants of her, but dadgum it if I don\u2019t stand up and stop him once he tries anything. And nothing stops a Cartwright once she makes up her mind; just let him think of trying…<\/span>
\ndate obscure (Eve)<\/span><\/p>\n

Wherever I go, sadness follows me. I wonder if it made a difference if we stayed with our former captors; I can see Khaled wants me. He hasn\u2019t done anything after kissing me once in the beginning but the intensity of his gaze alone scares me. Since father is no more, disaster and calamity go my way. I only wish Sarah weren\u2019t here. It seems to me I\u2019m pulling her in this drowning whirlpool without knowing, without wanting. Sadness overpowers me. It renders me incapable of action, fearful and lost. I feel cold inside. I hope no one can see that in me. Sarah would be under more strain; Khaled would use it. What would be there to stop him?<\/span>
\nno date (Eve)<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, a sandstorm came. Storms begin to scare me. The sea storm took father, the sandstorm left me at Khaled\u2019s mercy. They got me down from the camel and we were headed for some shelter, when the wind hit with such force that we fell \u2013 Khaled and I, for he was at my side. I felt something wrap my head away from the outside world, and I thought my heart would stop. I felt Khaled beside me.<\/span><\/p>\n

I felt cold and hot all at the same time. I suppose that is what true fear does to you. Khaled\u2019s robe was covering my head and I could only see those intense eyes glisten next to me. The force of the wind began subsiding, or the sand around us made it feel so. I suddenly knew we were buried under it, and the thought suffocated me. Khaled began shushing me through the cloth on his face and stroked my cheek. He said in French that it was fine; he whispered it a couple of times, \u201cC\u2019est bien, c\u2019est bien,\u201d the sounds soothing in themselves. I felt silly realising I was behaving like one of those damsels in distress from dime novels. Khaled lived here, he knew what to do, don\u2019t lose your head, I told myself. That would only encourage him to take advantage. I had to stay calm. Khaled kept stroking my cheek and shushing me gently; surprisingly, he did nothing else. Then something tore the fabric up away from Khaled\u2019s grasp, and we saw Ahmed and Sarah above us. They had succeeded in digging us out. I caught the immense relief in Khaled\u2019s eyes, only this making me realise just how lucky we\u2019ve been to have been found, and I had to sit down in the sand again for a moment.<\/span>
\nTonight when we retired, Ahmed brought me a different bedding and took the old one; I don\u2019t know why. This one is warmer than the old one, anyway; there is a barely retraceable scent about it, familiar yet I can\u2019t name it. It\u2019s silly, but it makes me feel both anxious and safe.<\/span>
\n[between 23.-27.10.] (Khaled)<\/span><\/p>\n

I watch the white women constantly. The one named Sarah has a fighter\u2019s constitution. Eve, however, is pale and she seems weak. Today a sandstorm overcame us and I held her under my robe to shelter her. I wanted to eat her up alive. I saw that she was scared; I think she can be ill, too. I knew I would hurt her if I held her too close, so I only calmed her until they found us. Luckily.<\/span><\/p>\n

I want her with my body and soul.<\/span><\/p>\n

I have sent Ahmed to her with my bed. It is warmer and it will do her good in the night. I don\u2019t want her to be ill. Ahmed brought me the bed we had given to her before.<\/span><\/p>\n

It smells of her, the bed. I want her. I\u2019m going crazy for her. I won\u2019t sleep tonight.<\/span>
\n29.10. (Sarah)<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m sitting at the window and hoping to catch a glimpse of Eve in the crowd. Maybe I\u2019m just cheating myself with the hope…<\/span><\/p>\n

We arrived at the seaport yesterday. That day, Khaled\u2019s women left us. It turned out that he was helping them get home to their families. Then we were heading towards the market, when suddenly we heard shouting and what sounded like a fight. There wasn\u2019t time to learn what was going on, we were soon surrounded by yelling, fighting, enraged men. Khaled pointed to a group of men in what looked like uniforms, and told us to run there. When I reached them \u2013 thankfully, they WERE soldiers \u2013 I turned to see Eve, but there was no sign of her, and no chance of getting back for her into the middle of the crowd. Now as I recall the happenings, I\u2019m quite sure I heard a shot \u2013 there was some shooting, generally \u2013 and right then Eve cried out. Didn\u2019t sound like a cry of pain, but I\u2019m not sure of anything right now, having mulled it over for hours. Maybe I\u2019m imagining things. Hours have passed until everything calmed down, and then it was hard to find any traces. No familiar bodies were found, either. It gives some hope.<\/span><\/p>\n

I hear Father outside the door. Whether it was the Lord\u2019s Will or coincidence \u2013 whatever you call it \u2013 Father was the first person I ran into after reaching the soldiers\u2019 headquarters. I name it the Good Lord\u2019s Will. He is good, he will help Eve.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I told them to look for Khaled and Ahmed, as well. They were the last to see Eve…<\/span><\/p>\n

Father came in and just shook his head again. He looks tired, although you\u2019d think he got ten years of his life back once he saw me. He\u2019s ageing a little again in his concern for Eve.<\/span><\/p>\n

Maybe I should look more closely at the passing crowd. Just maybe.<\/span>
\n1.11. (Sarah)<\/span><\/p>\n

I can\u2019t bear to leave shore, yet I can\u2019t bear to stay. The ship is to leave in a moment. Dear Lord, watch over Eve and bring her safely home. Watch over me and dear, dear Father. He\u2019s had far too many worries on this journey. Lead us home safely, to our family, and let us appreciate them the more for all that has happened here. May this damned land never have existed.<\/span>
\nDate obscure (Khaled\u2019s diary; Eve\u2019s hand; in French)<\/span><\/p>\n

Eve sits by my side and writes for me. I cannot write with my injury. I don\u2019t really remember getting injured. I remember people around me.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the scuffle, I rediscovered my mother. There is also a man. A man I don\u2019t know but my mother and Ahmed tell me that he is my father. I like him. I trust him and that surprises me. I don\u2019t trust people, usually.<\/span><\/p>\n

Eve argues that I should use words which she knows, not from Arabic or my mother\u2019s tongue. Now she laughs at my words but she writes them. I like it when she sits with me.<\/span><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t remember getting injured but I remember that Eve shot at one of the men, and I was already injured then. It is strange. I remember how calm she was. I also remember that I was afraid when I woke up, afraid that she would be gone. She could have left me and she didn\u2019t. I never was so much afraid as then, when I thought I could lose her.<\/span><\/p>\n

I love her.<\/span>
\nKhaled went to sleep. The dictation tired him; he\u2019s still very weak. I do remember how he got injured, and hard as I may try, I cannot wipe the image out of my mind, him bleeding all over the ground, as it seemed to me, then the man trying to kill him, and the fear that forced me to grab a pistol and possibly take a life. I was so afraid for him. Afraid of losing him.<\/span><\/p>\n

He is my only family now. I don\u2019t know what happened to Sarah, I can only hope she had reached the group of soldiers that was our aim.<\/span><\/p>\n

Khaled\u2019s parents treat me very naturally, as though I were one of them. His father is white, possibly American, but I can mistake here. Either he hasn\u2019t used English for a longer time, or he has just learned it somewhere. Sometimes sailors speak a couple of languages, none perfectly but most of them understandably, some just\u00a0 enough for a simple conversation. He has a gift of talking about the most important or most painful things in the softest, calmest, most reasonable and convincing way, regardless of the language he uses. I told him of my father, and talking alone seemed to help \u2013 his words so much more. He must have endured a lot of pain himself in his life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Khaled\u2019s father is a handsome man \u2013 has passed that on to Khaled, obviously \u2013 with a white beard and trustworthy eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Khaled\u2019s mother speaks little. She doesn\u2019t need to. You always know what she wants of you. She\u2019s not Arabic, but I\u00a0 don\u2019t think she is from somewhere near Europe. She has gentle eyes and a patient smile. When she heard of my father, she just hugged me tight and let me cry it all out. It was the first time since the event that I could cry for him.<\/span>
\nThey call Khaled: John.<\/span><\/p>\n

Khaled stirs in his sleep, but is probably still too weak to shift. He\u2019s still pale, but the fire is back in his eyes and voice, and I know he will be fine. Still, today\u2019s dictation has tired him quickly. He needs his rest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is strange and silly how difficult it is to speak to someone directly about certain things. Yet he just needed to say \u2018I love you\u2019 to the page to strike my heart. Then, as I turned to him, he began showering my hands with kisses with both such intensity and gentleness in his eyes… The skin still tingles with the sensation.<\/span><\/p>\n

I love him. I can\u2019t say that directly to him either and that is so silly. It feels even more silly as I know he will read it for I write it in his diary. I suppose that\u2019s why I write it here.\u00a0<\/span>
\nI think he knows anyway.<\/span>
\n15.11. (Joe)<\/span><\/p>\n

I prefer novels to experiencing pirate fights first hand. Those are cruel men, animals I\u2019d call them but the God\u2019s creatures have nothing in common with this murderous locust. Two men dead, five severely injured. Had it not been for the other ship, we might not have made it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We thought at first it may be another pirate ship, and my heart sank. In face of imminent danger, however, you don\u2019t put down your gun and let anyone kill you just like that. The time we fought without hope, however, was not lost, as the other ship opened fire to the pirates, and soon new figures jumped on board of our ship, pushing the pirates in-between us and them. Soon, it became apparent that the newcomers, clad in Arabic fashion and thus easy to spot, were even harder on the pirates than we. Obviously \u2013 allies.<\/span><\/p>\n

My heart rose, more so when I spotted a small cloud of smoke from the cabin door, slightly ajar. Sarah was definitely a Cartwright. I gave a her a lecture later, of course \u2013 the men could have easily ripped the door out of the doorframe, and her with it \u2013 but I can\u2019t say I\u2019m not proud of her. Then a pirate appeared at my elbow unexpectedly, as though from the depths of hell \u2013 yelled a war curse in language unknown \u2013 and fell like a cut-down tree at my feet. I only saw two burning, oriental eyes from the folds of the Nomadic-like, dark blue turban, and my ally turned to fight off another attacker. I could swear he was still very young \u2013 but his face was covered with the blue fabric his clothes were made of. I wonder if he\u2019s an Arab. The others don\u2019t look Arabic, despite clothing. We only know they are our allies here and now.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the last of the pirates was caught and put in the empty cargo hold to bring them to justice as soon as possible, most of the strangers were already back on board of their own ship. I saw one of them exchange a few words with our Cpt. Johnson, who was shaking hands with him and nodding. Then the Captain ordered his men to take care of the dead, the injured and \u2013 a thing I didn\u2019t understand right then \u2013 to find old, spare clothing.<\/span>
\nIt turned out that the Arabic clad men wanted to change their clothes to something more Western. I gave the Captain some clothes for them, too, but I didn\u2019t want money, although they were paying handsomely for the things to the crewmembers. Clothing is the least we could give them to thank for their help, I think. The sailors don\u2019t seem to share my point of view, sadly.<\/span>
\nTomorrow we should reach land.<\/span>
\n16.11. (Joe)<\/span><\/p>\n

We sat at dinner when they announced the captain of the other ship. Captain Johnson rose to greet him properly. In response to the greeting, the man who came in shook his head. \u201cI\u2019m not… we don\u2019t have a captain\u201d, he said hoarsely. I still have the feeling I know this voice; I hear every word in my head; the voice reminds me of something that I cannot grasp \u2013 it\u2019s an infuriating feeling.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In answer to Cpt. Johnson\u2019s query, the man said, \u201cI was the commander of those people.\u201d When? Many years ago, as he claims. He is well-built, but looks somewhat emaciated. His complexion is olive-grey, there is bruising around his eyes, and all in all he looks weary.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

They plan to stay in the port for a couple of days; the men are tired from the journey and from the long absence from home. From the fight with pirates, as well. The man is wearing some of the clothes they had bought from the crew; the others are also wearing them. The clothes don\u2019t fit, and mostly the men look sorry and miserable in them. They plan to buy some more fitting ones today or tomorrow, as I\u2019ve heard. The man doesn\u2019t want to immerse in the matter of how they ended up on an undermanned ship with scarce clothes. He doesn\u2019t even want to explain who they are. \u2018We were sailors\u2019 was all he said to Cpt. Johnson. Cpt. calls him Commander. He doesn\u2019t look very official in the too small shirt and loose-fitting trousers, but he has a natural air of authority around him, and I\u2019m inclined to believe that he had indeed been a Commander. It\u2019s a man to give orders, not take them. His eyes bother me. He hadn\u2019t exactly looked at me, he just spoke with the Cpt. and didn\u2019t pay much attention to anyone but the crew; he soon left. He came only to thank for the clothes and say they were staying here a couple of days. Cpt. Johnson decided to stay as well, even if only to accompany them; I was about to suggest it myself. They helped us, after all, and their ship is terribly undermanned even for a layman\u2019s \u2013 i.e. my \u2013 eye. The Commander expressed his gratefulness, although he sounded only polite, and left. His eyes still bother me. The eyes and the voice. I don\u2019t know what it is about them, and it drives me mad not to know. I intend to find the man tomorrow, maybe visit his ship. I need to find out what it is about him.<\/span>
\n18.11. (Joe)<\/span><\/p>\n

I went on the other ship and sought the Commander\u2019s cabin. The people already wear their new clothes, and look much better, cleaner, more civilised. In the Commander\u2019s cabin I found a woman (which is not a common sight on a ship, unless it\u2019s a passenger ship) and the young Arab I thought I had seen during the fight with the pirates.\u00a0 I could see his face now, and then it was again, the unsettling familiarity of the eyes, though exotic, the lips, the expressions, the movements. The cabin was full of rich Arabic clothes and some chests; one of them was open, revealing a dazzling treasure of gold, silver, precious jewels and other riches.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The woman was still a handsome one; she wasn\u2019t pretty \u2013 she was attractive in this other special way: more serious, calmer, more classic than most of the girls and women I\u2019ve met. The young man could be her son; there were similarities. He was displeased with my arrival, and shut the chest with a challenging look. It was then that the Commander entered.<\/span><\/p>\n

He was saying something as he came in, but stopped at the sight of me. I faced him, and he looked at me as though a lightning had struck him. Then he called my name and that sound brought everything home, which felt like a roaring avalanche to my poor mind. I thought I\u2019d go crazy, and that maybe I already had. We held each other as tight as we could and I cried like a baby in his arms. The emotion was too great to describe.<\/span>
\nThat was yesterday. He has found some men, as he tells me, that can join his crew, and possibly we\u2019ll sail home together with Cpt. Johnson. I don\u2019t want to risk getting parted by any caprice of nature, and aim to move our things over to a free cabin next to them. His wife\u2019s name is Abisha; he sometimes calls her Ahava, though. Told me it meant \u2018beloved\u2019. His son\u2019s Christian names are John Abdiel. And he, John that is, is not a Nomad, although he used to dress like one. The big Arab I have seen earlier on the ship is called Ahmed; he was introduced to me as a friend of the family. The crew, when they learned who I was, hastened to exchange greetings and shake hands; their respect and love to their Commander is staggering, and encompasses all that are connected with him. Tonight, I will bring Sarah there. I haven\u2019t told her anything yet.<\/span>
\n18.11. (Sarah)<\/span><\/p>\n

Father invited us to the other ship, the one under the Commander. I didn\u2019t even know the man\u2019s name; all call him Commander. For some reason \u2013 although I have never seen the man \u2013 his eyes seemed familiar, and that made me uneasy. Tonight I\u2019ve learned the reason. I was told I was in for a big surprise, but what happened, surpassed all imagination.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the beginning, we were led to a cabin to have supper there; the crew were so respectful and polite that I didn\u2019t know what to make of it. Then the host came; his wife was with him, and behind them stood no one else but \u2013 Khaled, with that infuriating smirk on his face. Beside him there was Eve. My mind and my heart stopped.<\/span>
\nFather began the introductions, but barely had he said a few words when there was complete chaos and confusion. My head is still spinning from all the news and revelations. Maybe tomorrow I\u2019ll be able to put all the puzzles in place and grasp the whole picture. There was too much of it at once.<\/span>
\n18.11. (Khaled) [original date, Western calendar]<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve never seen so much confusion at once. I was surprised to see Sarah, true; but she was very shocked to see me and Eve. I don\u2019t know the sight of which one of us was more shocking for her.<\/span><\/p>\n

It began with the first introduction; all the things we did not know. I\u2019m sorting it out in my mind; my father and Sarah\u2019s father are family and only they knew that, and they\u2019ve learned it yesterday. So Sarah and I are cousins. She didn\u2019t know I was my father\u2019s son \u2013 her uncle\u2019s son \u2013 and it was the first shock. Sarah thought that Eve was lost to them and therefore she was again shocked, and we had to tell of our accidental meeting with my father. She heard that I took care of Eve and she was shocked again; I think she thought I would hurt Eve, but I never would. Her father \u2013 Joe \u2013 was shocked as well; he did not know that I was THE Khaled about whom Sarah told him. I saw his face and eyes and I don\u2019t think she had told him something nice about me. He was also shocked that I helped Eve and that she was safe. My father didn\u2019t know that Sarah\u2019s father knew Eve, and he was shocked, too. It was funny. At some point my father began to laugh and it was pleasant to hear that. His laughter sounds pleasant. I don\u2019t remember him laughing; but I don\u2019t know him much yet and I don\u2019t remember him at all. When he laughed, everybody laughed after him and we could have supper in peace. I must ask my father who is the guardian of Eve if she has no family.<\/span>
\n20.11. (Joe)<\/span><\/p>\n

Although they are new to the crew, the men Adam had hired seem to work well and know their place on the ship. It is strange \u2013 no one wears any kind of clothes or symbols to show their rank and yet nobody questions the authority of the higher ranked man. Adam explained to me they had once or twice met with some of the men, so they aren\u2019t complete strangers, and his old crew remember who was who and share the knowledge with the newcomers. Adam acts as the leader \u2013 he refuses to be called captain \u2013 and the people follow him with some kind of love. No one wants to tell me what had happened to them while we thought they were gone; Adam and the crew don\u2019t seem to hear my questions in that matter, and Khaled only smiles at me. I\u2019m not sure if I can talk to Adam\u2019s wife, her culture may not allow that, even if Adam laughs when I say so.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Khaled, or John, as they call him now, is a very interesting young man. He often pretends not to understand me when he doesn\u2019t want to answer some questions, yet I\u2019m sure he knows exactly what is being said. He speaks a curious mixture of French, Arabic, English, Hebrew and Aramaic \u2013 at least these are the languages Adam is able to enumerate. John seems still confused in the matters of language, and doesn\u2019t mind substituting French or Arabic words or phrases for English ones. Adam is working with him on his English, and on dividing his knowledge into particular languages. His mother teaches him as well, as she knows more Arabic than Adam and certainly more Hebrew.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Eve is staying with them. She works with John a lot, talking about religion, language and culture. They spend a lot of time together and seem to have taken to each other; when I hint at that, Adam shrugs his shoulders. He seems to think that it\u2019s completely normal and that there\u2019s nothing wrong with that. Ahmed laughed at me when he heard of my problem; he adores John and thinks whoever John chooses to have should belong to him. Adam smiles bitterly when he says he can\u2019t bring Ahmed to think differently than in terms of ownership. Ahmed, in turn, is trying to be more \u2018western\u2019 when in Adam\u2019s presence. It feels as though Adam is averse towards the Arabic culture, and Ahmed knows it, but I don\u2019t know what may have caused that.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is some kind of bond between Ahmed and Adam, not quite one of servant and master, although this is how Ahmed addresses Adam often in private. Something brought the two quite close together.<\/span><\/p>\n

From what I have learned and deduced, Ahmed is a eunuch.<\/span>
\n25.11. (Joe)<\/span><\/p>\n

Yesterday John came to me and gave me some papers to read. I recognised Adam\u2019s handwriting; John kept smiling at me in his smug manner, and only said, \u201cYou ask.\u201d<\/span>
\nOnce I started reading, I couldn\u2019t stop before I\u2019d read all. It was about Adam\u2019s life after the ship went down.<\/span>
\nI\u2019m starting to sort it out, now that I have calmed down. I read the night through, and cried \u2013 no, HOWLED the night through as well. It may sound silly as I write it now, I know, but whatever kept Adam going through all this cruelty \u2013 I can\u2019t understand, I can\u2019t grasp.<\/span><\/p>\n

The shipmate associated with pirates. The desperate fight. The Arabic market \u2013 I never did and I never will understand how can someone sell PEOPLE \u2013 and how Adam must have felt. He writes the worst thing was the separation from his crewmates \u2013 he was bought (I hate this word, but this is the one Adam uses) by an Arabic sheikh by the name of Abdullah. The man seemed to \u2018like\u2019 him in some sick way, kept him like a pet, for pleasure.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ahmed was his warden, and, indeed, he was a eunuch. Adam was given anything Abdullah could think of \u2013 rich clothes, golden jewellery \u2013 rings, chains, anything possible \u2013 pets, women. Then the first pet he really liked, Abdullah had it beaten to death in front of Adam. Adam writes the lesson was never to value anything or anyone higher than his master. Other than this one pet, he hated to use what he was given, wear the clothes, put on what was rich or adorned, never wore signet rings unless Abdullah forced him to; then, in fact, Ahmed forced the rings on his hands, almost breaking Adam\u2019s fingers in the process; he never paid attention to the pets he was given, or the women offered to him. There is so much hatred and bitterness on those pages that, as much as I wouldn\u2019t believe it, I still could \u2013 I know it sounds stupid, but I can\u2019t express it otherwise \u2013 when I read the letters in black red saying that he had just slashed his wrists. The next page said they have managed to save him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Abisha was the one exception to the rule of ignoring the women. He writes about her as though it was most natural that she was there. They fell in love, the child was born. All Adam writes at that time is filled with apprehension and outright fear of Abdullah. It was painful to learn how right he had been. One day, Ahmed just took her and the boy away, leaving Adam hateful, vengeful, and bitterly grateful he wouldn\u2019t witness their death, as he knew Ahmed had the order to get rid of them \u2013 and that meant only one thing. The next page says that they have saved him again. For some time, he fell into disgrace by Abdullah for doing that. His writing is more relaxed then, when he expects to die soon and so be free. He didn\u2019t die.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam never really explains in his notes how he came to Mohammed\u2019s palace. Mohammed was another sheikh, and another \u2018master\u2019 of his. Most of Adam\u2019s notes relate to the time at Mohammed\u2019s palace; he seems to have spent there most of the years he\u2019s been thought dead.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There were mentions of a business nature from time to time, then more frequently \u2013 either Adam was remembering Ponderosa business relations or procedures, or calculating things he observed. His life seemed to have toned down emotionally. He is calmer, and his writing is not so upsetting.<\/span><\/p>\n

Up till the end of his life there, Adam stubbornly kept declining anything offered to him as a gift, and eventually Mohammed brought him to a group of slaves, telling him to decide on their fate. Adam recognised his old crew.<\/span>
\nWhat scared me most, was the sick logic in Adam\u2019s reasoning, taught to him by Abdullah: if he tells Mohammed to free them, they\u2019ll be killed for Mohammed\u2019s pleasure; if he tells him to kill them, the same happens. So he only asked for the same to happen to him as would happen to them. He admitted being their leader, and feeling responsible for them. Now I understand why they love him so.<\/span><\/p>\n

He was consequently brought with them into where they stayed. One night they were given some food and drink, and the next thing they knew, they woke up on a ship. The ship was deserted but for them. They had clothes (although Arabic), food and water. Utter disbelief continued even after they found Mohammed\u2019s letter. The sheikh admitted to admiring Adam\u2019s courage, and let them go wherever they wanted to \u2013 free. I suppose all I\u2019ve seen in Adam\u2019s cabin \u2013 the clothes, the riches \u2013 comes from Mohammed. Here end the notes.<\/span>
\nI have to see Adam.<\/span>
\nOnce Adam learned I\u2019d read the notes, he opened up a little. Otherwise, I suppose, he would have to do a lot of additional explaining, and I\u2019m sure he wouldn\u2019t like to remember it all in such detail.<\/span><\/p>\n

I found him in his cabin with Abisha; John was on deck with Eve and Sarah. Adam was slightly surprised when I showed him the notes, but didn\u2019t seem angry at John for showing them to me. He looked through them with a bitter smile. He supposes the notes from Abdullah\u2019s palace were taken by Ahmed, as he had left them there; he agreed to fill in the gaps as well as he could.<\/span><\/p>\n

Abdullah\u2019s palace was raided one night; everyone scrambled away into the dark. Adam was caught by Mohammed\u2019s people when running out of the burning part of the palace. He admits with a smile that it was less disgraceful than being bought like a horse after standing three hours in the scorching sun on display on the marketplace \u2013 his own words. He admits that Mohammed wasn\u2019t as bad as Abdullah; yet he couldn\u2019t bring himself to trust the man. He had acted in the manner of a kind of business advisor, however, hence the notes. He supposes that was the reason why the sheikh had kept him for so long and in such good conditions. He now admits he had been lucky in that respect. I can\u2019t see it that way.<\/span><\/p>\n

He shows me Mohammed\u2019s letter and jokes that the sheikh was kind enough to use mostly the words which Adam knew. It looks like child\u2019s scrambling to me, but hey, I don\u2019t read Arabic!<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam confirms that all that is there on the ship, including the ship itself, came from Mohammed. They were given Arabic clothes, however, and longed to have some more familiar ones. \u201cWith all the fortune here I could buy Massachusetts, not just some clothes,\u201d declares Adam, but to my eye he could buy the whole New England with what he had there, and still would have some of the fortune left. He shows me everything with an indulgent smile. He\u2019s seen far greater riches.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some time after they woke on the ship, they heard some commotion from the port. Adam describes it all rather vaguely; anyway, they all met at some point in midst of the scuffle: Adam, Ahmed, John, Abisha, Eve. It turned out that Ahmed had not got rid of the woman and child in the usual ultimate way. He had just brought them to a white settlement \u2013 French, that\u2019s why John speaks the language. After some years, already after Abdullah was gone, some unrest caused Abisha and John to be parted. Ahmed stayed with John, whom he had come to love as a son. For some reason, however, he still wouldn\u2019t see himself as a part of the family but rather as a servant.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From that point on, John led a Nomadic life, acquiring probably more Arabic; then at some point he met Sarah and Eve, but lost the sight of Sarah in the scuffle in the port. Eve stayed with him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam briefly told me how they nursed the injured John to health, put out to sea, then saw our fight with the pirates and helped a bit. Then he asked about home.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure I\u2019ve told him some of the stories already a couple of times, but he doesn\u2019t seem to be bored. He could listen to them for hours. He visibly can\u2019t wait to get back home. It is Ahava, however, (she lets me call her so) who asks most questions. Her English is smooth, though the accent clearly foreign. I suspect she comes from somewhere in the Middle East, but I haven\u2019t asked. I ask if John would like to hear it, but Adam supposes that Sarah and Eve are sharing the knowledge with him on the deck, anyway. Maybe tomorrow. He admits they are both still learning about each other, John having no recollection of his father, Adam having known him only as a baby. Abisha and Ahmed are a kind of bridges. Ahava is a truly remarkable woman, intelligent, warm, patient. Ahmed, as far as I can read him, has a soft spot for both Adam and John, and considers them his masters; he also treats Ahava rather warmly, especially for an Arab. Adam sees him as a friend, particularly because Ahmed saved his family, and he understands Ahmed had a tough life and nothing compelled him to change like he\u2019s trying to change for Adam.<\/span><\/p>\n

I want to see them home, on the Ponderosa, by the fireplace, at Pa\u2019s side. The news of Adam\u2019s death had cost him more than enough; he needs to get him back. We all need that.\u00a0<\/span>
\n26.11. (Sarah)<\/span><\/p>\n

Strange how the obvious isn\u2019t so obvious anymore. Whatever story I tell, Khaled \u2013 still can\u2019t think of him as John \u2013 asks questions which would have never crossed my mind. He was surprised that we have to follow the law just as everyone else, and that the law is actually represented by the sheriff. \u2018Mais vous \u00eates riche,\u2019 he said. He didn\u2019t want to believe me when I said everyone on the ranch had to work. \u2018Mais vous \u00eates riche\u2019. He can also hardly pass over the fact that we have no servants. \u2018Mais vous \u00eates riche\u2019. Hard-headed like a true Cartwright, my word. And when I spoke about the work with the cattle, his expression slowly changed, until he offered, \u2018Mais vous \u00eates riche,\u2019 in a strange voice, clearly disgusted. Only after Eve and Uncle Adam confirm it, his doubts seem to be somewhat fading. Although, once Eve did try to pull his leg and convince him of something untrue \u2013 but he asked Uncle Adam as his final oracle. He calls him Abba \u2013 it means Daddy; Father is Ab. I think the word is Hebrew. It has a special sound from his lips.<\/span>
\n27.11. (Khaled)<\/span><\/p>\n

I went to Abba with his notes. Now I have seen Eve and Uncle Joe read them and I want to see him read them, too. He was surprised, but he never dismisses me. Even when he says no, it is for a reason. He went through the notes with me, and I saw what I thought I would see in him, and much more. It is the only way to understand. He is not like the people I know.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I showed him the other papers, too. I don\u2019t read English. He began reading them to me, those they call poetry, and he translated me some of the ones he calls \u201cepic\u201d. My French is better than his. We laughed about it.<\/span><\/p>\n

We need to find a tongue we both use equally well. Abba speaks English and some French and Arabic. Maman speaks Arabic and her home tongues, and French, and some English. I speak French and Arabic, but it unnerves me to know so little of English words that Eve does not understand me. Uncle Joe claims I speak a chaotic language of many languages. But I\u2019ll learn, they\u2019ll see, I\u2019ll show them I can. Abba laughs; I believe him when he says he is the same. I feel he understands.<\/span>
\nHome is my parents. I lived in many places, and places don\u2019t count. Home is when I feel good. I feel good when Abba holds me like that at his heart. Like maman. It is not a thing a man yearns for, but something a child would want, but it is also something a man likes to remember in his heart. Abba couldn\u2019t give it to me when I was a child, so he gives it to me now. It is our secret.<\/span><\/p>\n

Abba wanted to know how I got out of the difficulties at the French place. Ahmed brought me away after I hid somewhere in a dead end street. He knew me, he came a couple of times to our place. I think he lived nearby. I feel Abba is grateful to him. They are very different; it is difficult to feel genuinely positively about someone so different. Abba can. I will learn, too.<\/span>
\n26.12. (Ben Cartwright)<\/span><\/p>\n

Christmas without Joe and Sarah. Hopefully the only one. Their letter made it home, and they are hoping to get back in the second half of January or the beginning of February, with some late Christmas surprise Joe is boasting of impossibly; with luck, they\u2019ll be here even around the middle of the month. Lord bring them home safely.<\/span>
\n26.12. (Joe)<\/span><\/p>\n

Wish we were home already. The time drags on like a stray cow stuck in the mud. Christmas isn\u2019t the same without Pa, Hoss and Barb, the kids, the Ponderosa. Adam awfully wanted to be home for Christmas, but as a sailor he understands that he can\u2019t hurry the ship or change the weather. We\u2019re making good time, though.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m glad there was someone to read from the Bible on Christmas day. It\u2019s not like anyone can read it in any way. Everything is special on that day. I was always more accustomed to Pa reading, but truly never has anyone read it like Adam yesterday. Goodness, how I had missed his reading voice.<\/span><\/p>\n

I promised we\u2019d make ourselves real Christmas once we were home, be it the middle of January. At least John will know some of our traditions by then, and will be able to join in more fully.<\/span>
\nHome, home, home, home, home. Home, sweet home.<\/span>
\n16.01. (Hoss Cartwright)<\/span><\/p>\n

Dear Lord, I must tell You \u2013 You know it anyway, I guess \u2013 but I have to tell You, You sure know how to get someone the best Christmas present ever. Touched me right there in the heart with your own finger. I felt it. You know I trust You and I bless You each day of my life, but right now I wanna explode, with this gratefulness and awe and all those things You know better than me how to name. You be blessed for all time, I can only say, but You know what\u2019s in me and in those words. You know they ain\u2019t just words for me. Oh \u2013 You know.<\/span><\/p>\n

I thought I\u2019d pass out there and then, and Pa right with me. And Joe\u2019s introduction \u2013 \u2018the world\u2019s most famous sheikh of all Arabia\u2019 \u2013 I think the kids did believe him at first. No wonder, with Adam clad in that white Arabic gown or robe, or whatever that was, with all those rings and the golden chain and the jewels, and John in that strange dark blue clothing \u2013 Nomadic, they say \u2013 Abisha with that yashmack thing or whatever you call it, and Ahmed… All Joe\u2019s idea, of course. Where did he find him? how? \u2013 everything is still a blur with all the emotion, they will have to tell the story again, and again, and again, and again –\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dear Good Lord, be blessed once again. You know I\u2019m bursting with thanks and all \u2013 You know. I know You do.<\/span>
\n16.01. (Ben)<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m a truly happy man. The missing third of my life has been restored to me. Lord be blessed.<\/span><\/p>\n

THE END<\/span><\/center> <\/p>\n

Chronicler\u2019s note: This thrilling story, dear reader, brings also a moral with it for you to follow \u2013 [Author\u2019s voice, interrupting: Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah……….]<\/span>
\nAuthor\u2019s notes:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAbba\u201d (Hebrew) is a diminutive of \u201cab\u201d \u2013 father and so is a counterpart of English dad\/daddy.\u00a0 From Ks. Tomasz W cBawski, Abba. S Bowo pierwsze, sBoso ostatnie, the last fragment of the book Wobec Boga Ojca.\u00a0 The term Arab has been used in late 19th century also as a euphemism for Jew, the terms Hebrew and Israelite being occasional pompous circumlocutions; to avoid ambiguities, however, the words are used here in their contemporary sense (from \u201cEuphemisms. Over 3.000 ways to avoid being rude or giving offence\u201d, John Ayto, Bloomsbury, 1994).<\/span><\/p>\n

Abisha\/Ahava\u2019s name was taken from the site http:\/\/www.20000-names.com\/ with the meaning of \u201cGod is my father\u201d and \u201cloved one, dearly loved\u201d respectively; Khaled is an Arabic name I know, and I found it\u2019s meaning to be \u201c~eternal\u201d; I am not fully certain of the data on the site, judging by the Polish names they give; however, these names are probable (Abisha, Ahava) and certainly existing (Khaled\/Khalid).<\/span><\/p>\n

Nomads are all peoples who don\u2019t have one place to live, but lead their lives travelling from place to place; as far as I know, it was also a name of one specific tribe (who indeed lived that way).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Arabic countries described here are a kind of Aladdin\u2019s magic land, fully justified in tales of the mythical, oriental and exotic. You haven\u2019t believed the chronicler that the story is true, have you?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Or is it true, and just disguised as a tale? What do YOU think?<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

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

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Synopsis : Sheikhs, Arabs, and Cartwrights in the middle of it all\u00a0
\nRating and Reader’s Alerts : PG; alerts depend on how vivid your imagination is\u00a0
\nWords:\u00a0 8,830<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12436,"featured_media":41001,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2,7,23,1008],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-actionadventure","category-a-u","category-drama","category-family","wpcat-2-id","wpcat-7-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-1008-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":242,"today_views":1},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":49277,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=49277","url_meta":{"origin":46908,"position":0},"title":"The Cartwright Family (by LindaBl)","author":"Preserving Their Legacy Author","date":"May 22, 2002","format":false,"excerpt":"Synopsis:\u00a0A cute new song about the Cartwrights Rating:\u00a0 G\u00a0 Words:\u00a0 270","rel":"","context":"In "Family"","block_context":{"text":"Family","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1008"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":46841,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=46841","url_meta":{"origin":46908,"position":1},"title":"The First Day of Spring (by Adamfan16)","author":"Preserving Their Legacy Author","date":"December 6, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0This is an expanded Bonanza Bit I did this spring, to the title prompt. Adam deals with homesickness while away at college. Rating:\u00a0 G Words:\u00a0 550","rel":"","context":"In "Adam Cartwright"","block_context":{"text":"Adam Cartwright","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1005"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":49274,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=49274","url_meta":{"origin":46908,"position":2},"title":"Little Joe’s Island (by LindaBl)","author":"Preserving Their Legacy Author","date":"May 22, 2002","format":false,"excerpt":"Synopsis:\u00a0Little Joe has another crazy dream. All the Cartwrights and Hop Sing are aboard the Dixie I when it is shipwrecked. [It is a comedy parody which combines Bonanza and Gilligan's Island]. There's even a song you can sing along :-) Rating:\u00a0 G\u00a0 \u00a0Words: 1730","rel":"","context":"In "Crossover"","block_context":{"text":"Crossover","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=24"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":47606,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=47606","url_meta":{"origin":46908,"position":3},"title":"Responsibilities (by MeiraB)","author":"Preserving Their Legacy Author","date":"August 9, 2002","format":false,"excerpt":"Synopsis:\u00a0A brief epilogue to Loss and Legacy, which attempts to clarify Adam's reasons for his life choices. 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