{"id":47003,"date":"2004-12-22T14:14:11","date_gmt":"2004-12-22T19:14:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=47003"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:09:13","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:09:13","slug":"47003","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=47003","title":{"rendered":"Ransom at High Noon (by Candyfan)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: When Adam goes looking for a wolf, he finds more trouble than he bargained for as he is captured and held for ransom.
\nRating and Reader Alerts: PG, some violence
\n<\/span>Words:\u00a0 17,300
\n<\/p>\n

\n

The Brandsters have included this story by this author in our project: Preserving Their Legacy<\/a>. 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

\n

RANSOM AT HIGH NOON<\/span><\/strong><\/center> <\/p>\n

~CHAPTER ONE~\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It was a wet, summer morning on the Ponderosa. Virginia City was currently in the process of recovering from its last drought. Joe and Hoss were still in bed, but Ben and Adam were in the barn. They had started cleaning it up earlier that morning, for opened bags of feed had been strewn all over the floor: but now they had put down their rakes and were having a rather agitated conversation. The wild rain hit hard on the wooden roof as they continued an argument they had started the night before.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cPa, why are you being so stubborn about this?\u201d Adam shouted as he turned away from his Pa\u2019s face and rubbed the bridge of his nose with the tips of his fingers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not being stubborn, Adam. I just want you to understand my point of view! You would be gone for four years! We can\u2019t afford to lose you for four years!\u201d Ben countered with the calmest tone he could possibly muster.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cPa, I…\u201d Adam said, slowly calming himself down and lowering his tone of voice. \u201cI don\u2019t have an answer for you, but if I don\u2019t go to college now, I might not get to go at all. You know how much college means to me!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI do Adam, but you have to try to see it through my eyes! You\u2019re twenty-nine Adam. I need you more than ever around the ranch. What if something happened to me? You\u2019re the only one who knows exactly how to handle the ranch without me!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam paused, and turned slowly back around to stare into his Pa\u2019s eyes. For a moment, they locked gazes with each other. Adam\u2019s eyes held a longing in their inner core, and Ben\u2019s eyes silently spoke the sternness and worry of a concerned father: each gazed into the very souls of the other.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Finally, Adam broke the silence and muttered, \u201cI don\u2019t know Pa. I just don\u2019t know.\u201d Then he strode briskly past his unmoving Pa, and emerged through the barn door into the morning rain. The rainwater beaded and slid silently off of Adam\u2019s black leather vest as he rushed to the house and closed the door.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As he usually did when something was upsetting him, he grabbed a book and sat down in his favorite blue velvet chair, so that he could get lost in his own little world, and not have to think about what had happened in the real one.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ben, who was still in the barn holding Adam\u2019s hat, which had been carelessly tossed on the ground, was now kneeling on the ground and praying. \u201cFather, help Adam and I to see each other\u2019s sides. Let us both be open to hear the other\u2019s arguments\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 One long hour later, Ben came in the house. He gingerly set Adam\u2019s hat on the table by the door and placed his coat on the hook. \u201cGood morning Hoss, Joe,\u201d he said in a low, but semi-cheerful tone. Then he walked over to his sons and took his place between them at the head of the breakfast table.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam, who was already seated, would not say a word. He was silent through breakfast, except for an occasional \u201cThanks,\u201d when something was passed to him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When breakfast was over, they all walked over to the desk to decide who would do which chores for the day. There had been a wolf on the loose around the Ponderosa lately and it had gotten a hold of one of the calves, so since it was Adam\u2019s turn to clean the barn, Joe, Ben, and Hoss would watch the herd.\u00a0 Adam went back to his chair, and curled up with his book. Ben sighed, and tossed Adam\u2019s forgotten hat beside his chair before leaving to go saddle up his horse. Hoss and Joe gave one sorrowful glance at their brother before following Ben out to the barn.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When they opened the barn door, both Hoss and Joe\u2019s mouths dropped open in surprise. \u201c Pa! What happened to the barn?\u201d Hoss exclaimed as he looked at the grain strewn about the floor, and the open grain bags in the corner by the loft.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIt seems we had a visitor last night. There have been many wolf rumors going around. I suspect that we just got our chance to spread it around,\u201d Ben answered as he moved into Buck\u2019s stall and hoisted the saddle onto his horse\u2019s back.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIt looks like he tore up darn near every bag of feed in here!\u201d Hoss stated as he searched the mess once more.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cPa, let me ride out and find it,\u201d Joe pleaded.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJoe, I need you to ride herd with me today. Besides, you said that you wanted to visit Mark while you were up there, didn\u2019t you?\u201d Ben questioned.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYeah, but…\u201d Joe said regrettably.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNot another word on the subject.\u201d Ben said as he tightened the girth on the saddle a little.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 There was a long pause of silence as Joe moved toward Cochise\u2019s stall.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHoss,\u201d Ben said in a quieter tone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYeah, Pa,\u201d He answered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHoss, I want you to stay here with Adam. You have a couple of things to do around the house anyway, don\u2019t you?\u201d Ben asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, yes sir. But why do you want me to stay home? I thought you needed me to ride herd with you and Joe today,\u201d Hoss inquired.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAdam\u2019s got something on his mind and I want you to be here if he decides to open up. He talks to you,\u201d Ben explained calmly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOh, all right, Pa. I\u2019ll stay home with him.\u201d And he turned and headed towards the open door.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOh, and Hoss,\u201d Ben added.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYes, sir?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cTry to make him feel better if you can.\u201d Ben said softly, and he and Joe walked their horses out of the barn. Hoss went back up to the house, not exactly sure why his Pa had made such a request.<\/span>
\n\u00a0 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDadgummit!\u201d Hoss exclaimed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat is it, Hoss?\u201d Adam asked slowly, trying to hold back a grin at his brother\u2019s appearance. Hoss strode through the door, shaking the water droplets off of his jacket as he went.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOh, dadburned wolf got into the barn last night and tore open every single one of those new feed bags in there. There\u2019s feed all over the floor. Half of those bags are now almost empty,\u201d Hoss said as he dumped the rainwater from his hat.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, guess I\u2019d better go and find him then,\u201d Adam stated quickly as he grabbed his boots and a rifle and walked briskly towards the door, knowing full well how dirty the barn was and that if he stayed he would have to clean it up. Hoss put out his arm to stop him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWait a minute there, Adam; wasn\u2019t it your turn to clean the barn today?\u201d he asked suspiciously.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam looked at Hoss with the same expression as a child who was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Then he looked down and finished putting on his gun belt.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell\u2026 I\u2026 uh\u2026\u201d came his unsteady answer. He cleared his throat and jerked his head as if coming out of a dream. \u201cIf I\u2019m going to catch that wolf I\u2019d better get started,\u201d he stated in distraction, needing a quick excuse to get out of the house. Then he ducked under Hoss\u2019s arm and through the door, struggling to get his boots tight as he did so.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s what I thought,\u201d Hoss murmured as he grinned and shut the door to keep out the heavy rain.<\/span>
\n\u00a0 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As Adam hurried to the barn he heard the faint cry of a wolf, as if only a few miles away. He quickly saddled Sport and headed that way.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 An hour or so went by. It was now raining harder than ever. The large drops at the house had now become a torrential downpour. The woods around Adam filled his ears with ghostly sounds, and spooked his horse. He now realized that in the rush to get out of the house, he had forgotten his coat, which, he supposed, was still hanging neatly by the door.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam decided to get off of Sport so that he could concentrate on the wolf instead of keeping Sport calm. He tied Sport to a nearby tree, and had a look around. He now wished he had come up with a different excuse to get out of cleaning the barn.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He wandered through the woods for what seemed like ages, though it was only a little while, and he was not very far from Sport. He was about to give up and go back to him when he heard the wolf cry again. He strained to see through the thick blanket of rain as he raised the rifle. He cocked back the hammer, making a small clicking noise as he did so. He found a clearing and stepped to the edge of it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Suddenly, he heard Sport whinny, but when he turned to see what was wrong, Sport was gone! There was someone else in that woods besides the wolf and himself.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He ran to the spot where he had left Sport just moments before, but as he had expected, the hoof prints were difficult to see because of the pounding of the rain on the ground. But he could definitely see two sets of prints, one right next to the other.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Just before he was about to set off, Adam heard growling behind him. He drew his rifle closer to his face and turned around as slowly as his legs would let him, under the circumstances.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 There, standing in the pouring rain, was the wolf. Not a full-bred wolf, but he was a wolf in the places that mattered. The hair on his back was standing straight up, and he was breathing heavily as he showed Adam his large set of razor-sharp teeth.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 For a split second neither of them stirred. Then, the wolf made its move. It lunged at Adam, knocking him to the ground and the rifle out of his hand. Adam had tried to get a shot off, but the wolf had startled him and he missed. Now, he was defenseless against it, save his fists.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Before he knew what had happened, he was lying on his chest with the animal on top of him. The wolf was taking its paws and clawing away at the flesh on Adam\u2019s back and shoulders. Adam let out a long cry of agony, hoping that someone nearby would come to his aid.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He was finally able to roll over, grab the beast and yank it off of him. He didn\u2019t have much time of relief though, for, after recovering from the toss, the wolf lunged for another attack. It bit into Adam\u2019s left arm. Red liquid was now oozing slowly through his muddy white shirt. He let out another cry for help. This time someone had heard him! Adam heard some sort of call from a distant voice, and in the next instant, the wolf ran off into the thick downpour, leaving him wounded to lie in the mud and rain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam felt a sense of gratitude for whoever had called off the wolf, but it was short-lived. Before long, a man appeared through the thin fog that was now forming on the ground. He had a rifle pointed at Adam\u2019s head.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAre you gonna\u2019 come along peacefully, or am I gonna\u2019 have to call him back on ya\u2019?\u201d he asked as he pointed to the wolf-dog beside him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam grimaced in pain at the thought of the deep scratches in his back and shoulders, and the sight of blood now dripping down his left arm.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI thought so,\u201d the man said as he jerked Adam to his feet and led him to his horse.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam managed to grab the reins and hoist himself into the saddle. After seeing that Adam was on all right, the man got on his own horse and rode out, leaving the wolf to follow at Sport\u2019s heels.\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hoss was just scooping up the last of the spilled grain. Suddenly, he heard the splashing of hoofs outside. When the sound stopped, there was a loud splash, and the barn door was yanked open. It was Joe and Cochise. Joe hurried into the barn to get out of the pouring rain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHey Hoss, I thought it was Adam\u2019s turn to clean up the barn! What are you doing in here?\u201d he asked as he led Cochise to his stall.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIt was,\u201d Hoss said in an aggravated tone as he lifted the last of the feedbags onto his shoulder. \u201cJoe, I thought you were going to visit that friend of yours while you were up there with Pa.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI was, but the mine entrance flooded and they needed him to help clear it out. I\u2019ll get over to see him again soon,\u201d Joe answered as he unsaddled his horse and removed the bridle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019s that lazy brother of ours?\u201d Joe asked teasingly as he thought of how Adam might have conned Hoss into doing his work for him this time.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI think he said something about a wolf,\u201d Hoss answered as he played the scene over in his head.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joe had a puzzled look on his face. \u201cI\u2019ll explain it to you later,\u201d Hoss stated as he smiled and heaved the last bag of feed down to the floor next to the others he had piled up. \u201cIn the mean time, Joe, you can help me with cleaning up the feed on this here barn floor.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOh no you don\u2019t. If I remember correctly, Adam got you to do his chores last week, and you tricked me into doing yours. I\u2019m not falling into the same trap twice!\u201d he replied as he backed away from Hoss and out of the barn tipping his hat to him before turning around.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hoss, alone again in the barn, went back to the task of cleaning up the remaining bits of feed. When I get my hands on Adam, I\u2019m gonna\u2019\u2026 He thought menacingly as he contemplated the idea of revenge. Where is old Adam anyway? Hoss wondered. He knew that Adam had not wanted to clean the barn, but he didn\u2019t think that Adam would be out this long. Maybe he found his wolf. Oh, well. If he\u2019s not back by suppertime, I\u2019ll assume that something\u2019s gone wrong, he reasoned. He was starting to worry like his father.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In a couple of hours Hoss had finished the barn and taken care of Cochise, since Joe left in too much of a hurry to rub him down properly, he then went inside to wash up for supper.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He opened the ranch house door, being sure to dump the rainwater from his hat outside, and came inside. Little Joe was sitting in Adam\u2019s blue velvet chair by the fireplace with his feet propped up on the table. He let out a fast, high-pitched giggle at the sight of Hoss in his drenched clothes and couldn\u2019t help but comment on it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIt still raining out there brother? You look a little damp to me,\u201d he said as he tried to stifle his laughter. Then, on a more serious note, he asked, \u201dHey, Hoss, didn\u2019t Adam come home yet? He should have been home ages ago.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hoss, now ringing out his shirt sleeves, answered, \u201cSay, you\u2019re right Joe. Maybe he\u2019s just caught somewhere in the rain and can\u2019t get home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joe nodded in agreement, though he didn\u2019t really believe it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe should let it down on Pa easy. We can\u2019t just go blurt it out. That would make him even more worried,\u201d Hoss said in a reassuring tone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI agree,\u201d Joe added, then he went up to his room, and Hoss went upstairs to get cleaned up.<\/span>
\n\u00a0 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam, his captor, and the wolf trudged on through the pouring rain. It had let up a little, but not much. They took each step with caution as Adam was led through more woods, a rocky area next to a familiar cliff, and finally, another woods. Adam was almost positive that he\u2019d seen the cliff before, but he couldn\u2019t be really sure of his suspicions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 After a while, Adam was especially thankful to reach open areas, for they allowed the raindrops to trickle down his back, somewhat cleansing his white shirt and black vest of the blood that stained them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 During the long ride, Adam used his polite charm and persuasive nature to find out a few interesting things from his captor; whom Adam thought to be not much older than Joe.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSo, who are you anyway? And what do you want from me?\u201d he asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 There was a bit of silence before the man answered, \u201cAnderson, but my brothers call me Andy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAndy, why do you want me?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cMy older brothers came up with this whole thing.\u201d Andy replied, trying to change the subject and get Adam\u2019s mind thinking about something else.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHow many brothers do you have?\u201d Adam questioned as he looked around the woods.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cFour. I\u2019m the youngest, Johnny is twenty-two, Rick is twenty-seven, Dan is thirty-three, and Curt is thirty-six. Curt is sort of our leader; he arranged this whole thing. When Pa went away Curt sort of took control.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Presently, Adam asked, \u201cAndy, where are you taking me?\u201d Andy didn\u2019t answer. He just stared blankly into the distance, hoping that Adam would give up the search for those kinds of answers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In a desperate attempt to help Adam\u2019s mind dwell on other things, Andy looked back at the wolf, patted his leg, and called, \u201dCome Bannock.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam stared watchfully as the wolf pricked its ears up and trotted next to Andy\u2019s horse. \u201cSo, it has a name?\u201d He said aloud.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Pleased that he had succeeded for the moment, Andy looked back at Adam and, after a second of silence, he spoke up. \u201cHis name is Bannock. I found him near a Bannock tribe\u2019s camp. The camp was burned to the ground: I found him tied to a tree with a leather strap. I loosened the strap, and he\u2019s stayed with me to this day.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam glanced quickly at the wolf with pity for a moment, but he soon remembered the deep scratches in his back, and the bite on his arm. He gritted his teeth and sucked the air in quickly as he felt a sharp twinge of pain surge through his wounds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Andy glanced back toward Adam to make sure that he was doing all right when he saw how badly Adam was in pain. He stopped his horse, dismounted, and told Adam to do the same. I wonder what\u2019s going on. Adam thought as he slowly dismounted.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Andy walked back to Sport and checked to see if he could find any cloth in Adam\u2019s saddlebags. There was one shirt, which Andy proceded to tear into strips.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d Adam protested.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m going to wrap your wounds, unless you would like to do it yourself. My brother wanted you alive, so that\u2019s what I\u2019m going to do; keep you alive. Now hold still so I can get this bandage around your arm.\u201d Andy ordered with a sharp stare to Adam.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat makes you think I\u2019d let you get anywhere near my arm or back?\u201d Adam questioned as he pulled himself sharply away from Andy\u2019s grasping hand.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cBecause if you don\u2019t get those wounds covered soon, you\u2019ll get an infection in them, and then I won\u2019t be able to help you at all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam still resisted a little and stayed backed up to Sport.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cMy father was a doctor. I learned a few things from him before he\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Both Adam and his captor fell completely silent. Adam felt that there was a deeper side to this boy, but he couldn\u2019t put his finger on it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat happened to your Pa?\u201d Adam asked, suddenly intrigued by his young captor\u2019s past.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYes. It was about… ten years ago. He was the greatest doctor of all times. But one of his patients died, and someone said he was guilty of murder. My Pa hanged on false charges mister. My Pa was a good man, and a good doctor, too. He would have shown the whole town if they… hadn\u2019t hanged him first.\u201d He said, his voice becoming quieter as he talked more about his father\u2019s death.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam held as still as he could while Andy put the strips of cloth over his cuts, but the pain was unbearable. What little comfort he had on this trip was the feeling of the raindrops on his sores, but with the bandages covering his back and arm no rainwater could reach them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When Andy was done with the bandages, he got Adam on Sport, mounted his own horse, and had Adam follow close behind him. Then they rode on, saying nothing more to each other.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The rain died down for a little while, but soon went back to its original downpour. Sport slipped a couple of times in the mud and rocks and, in those times, Adam had to hold on with all of his strength.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It was pushing suppertime when they rode up to a small cabin in the middle of a wood. The cabin had an old wooden door and one window on the left wall. Right next to the cabin was an even smaller building. It had no windows, but the roof was very rotted and full of holes, so it let in as much light as a window would have. Behind all of this was a barn that was not much bigger than the house. It, too, was old and had holes in its roof, but it looked sturdy enough.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam felt relieved at the site of the cabin, for that meant that the riding was over; but he didn\u2019t feel that comfortable getting off of Sport with Bannock around him. Andy stood next to Adam and waited impatiently for him to dismount.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAre you coming?\u201d he asked in an aggravated tone. Adam gave him a desperate glance and motioned with his eyes that Bannock was still there. \u201cOh,\u201d exclaimed Andy, now realizing what Adam wanted. \u201cI guess I don\u2019t blame you for that- not after what you\u2019ve been through.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 With that, he called for the wolf. Bannock came to Andy\u2019s side, and Adam dismounted, though he still kept a watchful eye on the wolf dog.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As soon as Adam was down from Sport, another young man, Andy\u2019s brother Johnny, rushed outside, grabbed the reins of both of the horses, and disappeared into the nearby barn.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam couldn\u2019t concentrate on much of anything now. His wounds were getting to be more painful and everything was running into a gigantic blur before his eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Andy motioned for Adam to come in front of him into the cabin. Adam quietly obeyed and clutched at his arm as he clumsily pulled on the wooden handle and slowly opened the squeaky door.<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cMister Hoss, Mister Joe!\u201d Hop Sing yelled impatiently. \u201cYou come down! Eat right now!\u201d In less than a second, Hoss came flying around the corner, down the stairs, and was sitting in his seat. Soon, Joe came down the stairs as slowly as he possibly could. He loved to toy with his brother\u2019s mind through his hunger.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cC\u2019mon Joe! Can\u2019t you run down those stairs or something?\u201d Hoss called as he picked up his eating utensils to further his cause. \u201cPa, what are you doing? I\u2019m liable to starve if you two keep going like this!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ben looked up from his work with a smile. \u201cI\u2019ll be done in a minute Hoss. Just wait until I get this timber contract filled out for Mister Hermann.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 With a disgusted look on his face, Hoss turned back to stare at his empty plate and listen to his rumbling stomach.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joe was ready to let out a cackle of laughter, but he restrained himself after looking into his Pa\u2019s stern eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As they dished up their food, Ben asked,\u201d Boys?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYeah, Pa,\u201d Hoss answered before stuffing a rather large bite of roast into his mouth.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cBoys, where is Adam?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joe and Hoss stopped chewing and looked at each other.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, Hoss, wasn\u2019t he with you all day? It was his turn to clean out the barn today. It should have taken him a while,\u201d Ben stated. Hoss and Joe stared at each other each motioning with their eyes for the other one to tell their Pa. \u201cWell, I know he didn\u2019t just vanish into thin air. Where is he?\u201d he asked impatiently, setting down his utensils to concentrate solely on his sons. Finally, Joe spoke up.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou see, Pa, Adam tricked Hoss into doing his work for him this morning, and he made up some excuse about going to find some wolf, and he hasn\u2019t come back yet,\u201d he said in a slightly panicky voice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hoss shot Joe a stare that told him that that was not the right thing to say at that moment. \u201cThat was letting it down easy?\u201d he whispered across the table, leaning over a bit to get his point through to Joe without his Pa hearing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cMaybe he\u2019s just late getting home. It\u2019s raining awfully hard out there. Hardest rain I think we\u2019ve had in a long time,\u201d Ben reasoned, though he was truly worried about his son\u2019s absence. Adam usually told someone if he was going to be late getting home, unless he was caught somewhere. \u201cAre you absolutely sure he was out chasing a wolf? Adam wouldn\u2019t do such a foolish thing alone,\u201d Ben said, almost demanding an answer by the tone of his voice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, he didn\u2019t sound that sure about where he was going. And he left his coat behind. Adam wouldn\u2019t have left his coat here if he had gone out to look for a wolf,\u201d Hoss reassured.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYeah. Maybe he\u2019s just gone to the Smith\u2019s for a while. I do recall that he owed George a favor for helping him with his horse. Maybe he\u2019s just late getting home.\u201d Joe answered. \u201cDo you want Hoss and me to go check after dinner?\u201d he offered. Hoss shot him a look of revenge for volunteering him to go.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThat might be a good idea. Be sure that you\u2019re back in a couple of hours. If Adam\u2019s not there, we\u2019ll go look for him in the morning. And be careful out there. It looks like we might get a storm.\u201d Ben stated as he folded his napkin and placed it gently on the dinner table.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 None of them realized that it was not rain or mud or favors that delayed Adam, but something a lot worse.<\/span><\/p>\n

~CHAPTER TWO~<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam walked slowly into the cabin with the tip of Andy\u2019s gun in his back. Inside there were two men, one of which he assumed was Curt- he was right. The other was Rick.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam stared blankly into Curt\u2019s cold, dark eyes. Curt was firm looking. He was tall, and had a very menacing appearance. He did not look out of shape by any means, but had strong muscles on his arms and chest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rick on the other hand was smaller, stood about five and a half feet tall, and had brown curly hair; just being around him made you feel as though you were being watched like a hawk\u2019s prey.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cFinally, our kid brother is here,\u201d Curt shouted from across the room.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYeah, and he\u2019s got one of those Cartwrights with him,\u201d Rick added with an evil grin.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Johnny, who had just come inside from the barn, saw the bandages on Adam\u2019s back and arm. \u201cWhat happened to him?\u201d he asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat? Where?\u201d Curt demanded. Then he saw Bannock walk through the door. He still had the bloodstain in his fur. \u201cYou let that mutt have him? What were you thinking?\u201d he exclaimed! \u201cDo you realize what could have happened?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Bannock barred his teeth at Curt, who backed away at the sight of them. Bannock only obeyed Andy and the others didn\u2019t like Bannock for that reason. They were all somewhat scared of him, though most of the time they were very good at hiding it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI got him here in one piece. That\u2019s all I had to do,\u201d Andy retorted.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJust barely,\u201d Curt sneered under his breath. He switched his gaze from Andy to Adam. \u201cYou can sleep over there,\u201d he said as he pointed to a makeshift bed in the corner. Adam looked around the room, searching every corner of it to familiarize himself with his surroundings. Finally, his eyes came to rest on a small, wooden chair beneath a window. He looked at Curt as if asking permission, and walked over to sit down. As he seated himself on the chair, his face reflected the pain that he suffered as the skin on his back stretched to the right position.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Andy saw this and remembered that he had some of Adam\u2019s shirt left that he could use to make a fresh bandage. He leapt out the door and returned in a minute with the shirt. Everyone in the room had puzzled looks on their faces. Finally, Curt asked, \u201cWhat are you going to do with that?\u201d Andy glanced up at him thoughtfully.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m going to change his bandages later. Why?\u201d Andy asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cRemember that he\u2019s our prisoner, nothing more. And if you go near him with any bandages while I\u2019m around, you\u2019re gonna get it.\u201d Curt barked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cFine,\u201d Andy replied. \u201cIf you want him to get an infection and die, I won\u2019t touch him,\u201d Andy declared as he raised his hands mockingly in front of his face and backed away from Adam\u2019s side.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Curt thought for a moment, and then replied. \u201cAll right. You can change the bandages. Just do it later. He may need it by then. I have to keep this one alive- at least until we get the other two.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 At the mention of the \u2018other two\u2019 Adam\u2019s face turned pale. The other two must be Hoss and Joe! But how will Hoss and Joe fit into this scheme? I hope they\u2019ll be alright, Adam thought, dismayed at the situation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 At that moment, thoughts unconsciously streamed through his mind about what he had last done with his brothers, and what he had last said to them. How many times had he told his knucklehead brothers how much he loved them? What had been the last thing that he had said to his father? He had gotten into an argument with him over something that morning, but he couldn\u2019t remember what. How many times had he told his father how much he loved him? He certainly hadn\u2019t at all this morning.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When he came back to the somber reality he decided to familiarize himself with his captors.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI thought there were five of you,\u201d He said as he looked up at Curt.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThere are,\u201d Curt grumbled.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam paused and counted all of the men in the room, jokingly closing one eye and pointing his finger at each one of them as he went. \u201cOne\u2026two\u2026three\u2026four\u2026\u201d There was a short pause. \u201cNope, must be something wrong with my eyes then because I only see four men in here. Unless of course you\u2019re counting me, which I don\u2019t think that you w…\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cShut up, will you?\u201d Curt barked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Before anyone could do or say anything else, Curt had his gun out of its holster and pointed at Adam\u2019s skull. Andy tried to plead with him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWait a minute! You can\u2019t kill him; not when we\u2019re this far!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Curt lowered his gun and reholstered it. Then he gave a loud, evil chuckle. \u201cYou live, Cartwright, for now.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 At the ranch, Ben, Joe, and Hoss had finished supper. Joe and Hoss had already saddled up their horses and were heading out of the barn. They hoped to return, with Adam, in about two hours. Racing out of the barn, they galloped out toward the Smith ranch.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ben walked back inside, sat at his desk, and went back to his papers. He prayed that Adam would return that night.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 While they were saddling up their horses, Hoss and Joe had decided that if they couldn\u2019t find Adam at the Smith ranch, they would ask around town the next morning before their Pa even got up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When they reached the ranch house, it was getting quite dark. A small light still showed golden in the windows of the house. Hoss and Joe rode up to the hitching post, tied their horses securely to it, and ran to the door, knocking loudly to make sure they were heard. A young man answered the door. \u201cHoss! Joe! What are you doing out here at this time of night? Come on in!\u201d he said as he ushered them into his front room.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Inside, by a warm looking fireplace, a young woman sat with a sewing basket beside her feet. She slowly turned around. \u201cHoss. Joe. Did you two need something?\u201d she said politely as a warm smile crossed her lips.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYes, ma\u2019am,\u201d Joe said, taking his hat off as he stepped closer to her. \u201cHave either of you seen Adam today? We thought he might have come here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI haven\u2019t,\u201d George said bluntly with a hint of confusion in his reply. Annie, his wife, just shook her head. \u201cI\u2019m sorry Joe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joe looked at the floor. \u201cThank you both. We\u2019ll be goin\u2019 now,\u201d he said as he turned to walk out the door.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 George stopped him. \u201cIs Adam in some sort of trouble?\u201d he asked, now truly concerned for his friend.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s what we mean to find out George,\u201d Joe answered, then he and Hoss left. When they got back to the Ponderosa, they put their horses in the barn and went inside. Removing their hats and coats and placing them on the bureau, they entered to find their Pa sitting on the settee, reading a book.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ben looked up at his two sons with a streak of hope across his face, but seeing only two of his three sons in the doorway, the hopefulness soon left his eyes. Silent and restless, the three Cartwrights went to bed.\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam was not going to sleep so easily.\u00a0 That night, when all was calmer, he decided to lie down and get some rest. He got up slowly from his chair and started to move to his cot on the cabin wall. \u201cWait a minute. Where are you going?\u201d Curt demanded, walking over and putting a firm hand on his shoulder.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI was going to go to sleep. But if you want, I can just stay up all night. But then one of you would have to stay up with me unless you want me to escape.\u201d Adam stated dryly as he pointed to his bed. The cot was nothing more than a short, wooden frame with hide stretched across it and a couple blankets piled on top.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m going on watch first. You make sure nothing happens in here. You got it?\u201d Curt stated harshly as he looked Rick right in the eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGot it,\u201d Rick grumbled as he put his eyes on Adam and left them there.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam walked slowly over to his cot, Rick watching his every move. He reasoned that it would be less painful to lie down on his stomach, and to only pull the blanket up to the bottom of his scratches, using his arms as a sort of pillow. But not long after he got positioned, Bannock trotted over and sat next to him. They stared into each other\u2019s eyes until Curt came in from his turn on watch. Disliking Bannock as much as Adam did, he had Andy handle the dog.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAndy,\u201d he said in a low tone of voice, shaking his little brother violently.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Andy opened his eyes and stretched his arms out. \u201cWhat?\u201d he groaned in an irritated tone of voice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou know how I feel about that mutt. Get him out of here!\u201d Curt ordered. Andy stood up with a little help from the wall, patted his leg twice while making a little clicking noise with his tongue, and walked with Bannock outside to sleep in the shed next door.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 After that was taken care of, Curt walked over to Rick and shook him too. \u201cRick! It\u2019s your turn on watch. I\u2019ll have Johnny relieve you at three o\u2019clock.\u201d Rick unhappily got up and walked over to the door to stand just outside.\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In the morning, the rain had completely stopped, and Adam had not come home. Ben was still asleep, so Hoss and Joe took their opportunity and crept out of their rooms. They sneaked down the stairs one foot after another. They tried to be as quiet as possible, for they knew that Hop Sing got up very early to get things done. Suddenly, the little cook emerged from the kitchen, singing a little ditty in Chinese.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He stopped when he saw them. \u201cMister Hoss, Mister Joe. What you up for so early?\u201d he questioned.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hoss and Joe looked sheepishly at Hop Sing as they continued casually down the steps. \u201cHop Sing. You have to promise not to tell Pa about this. We\u2019ll be back later.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI no tell, but where you go?\u201d Hop Sing demanded as he walked quickly towards them, a black, metal pan in his hand.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Seeing the pan, Joe backed away. He had no desire to be hit by a passing swipe of Hop Sing\u2019s hand. \u201cWe\u2019re just going into Virginia City. If you must tell Pa something, tell him that we…\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWent in for some supplies,\u201d Hoss finished.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYeah. We went in for some supplies,\u201d Joe agreed, then they both walked out the door. They ran out to the barn, saddled their horses, and were in town later that morning.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 By the time they got there, the rain had almost completely stopped. They rode strait to Sheriff Roy Coffee\u2019s office to see if he had seen Adam lately. Splashing hoof beats were heard beneath them as they rode through the muddy streets filled with puddles. They reached the hitching post, tied their horses to it, and walked briskly to the office door. Inside, there was a man talking to Roy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The man was anything but neatly trimmed. He was wearing a slightly torn shirt and a hat that looked like it desperately needed washing off. The man himself was about Adam\u2019s height. He looked as if he was a two-hundred-pound block of rock-hard muscles. His glossy black hair, what they could see under his hat, was shaggy and in desperate need of a trimming.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDo you think you could track him down? I need that money back as soon as possible,\u201d the man told Roy, paying little attention to Joe and Hoss in the doorway.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSure I could. But I\u2019ll need a posse. Which way did you say he went?\u201d Roy asked as he turned to see who was in the doorway. \u201cOh, howdy, boys!\u201d he called from behind his desk, pausing from his previous conversation for a moment.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHowdy, Roy! Don\u2019t worry, we\u2019ll wait until you\u2019re done.\u201d Hoss replied as he and Joe stepped towards the door.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The man turned to face them and stepped aside. \u201cNo, no. You boys look like you\u2019re in a hurry. I can wait. Besides, your little friend here looks like he\u2019s about to bust open at the seams,\u201d he said, shooting a teasing glance in Joe\u2019s direction.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joe turned to punch the man, but Hoss\u2019s outstretched arm prevented him from doing anything. \u201cRemember what we came for Joe,\u201d he said as he gave his little brother a shove in Roy\u2019s direction. Then, turning to the stranger he said, \u201cSorry about that Mister. My little brother here\u2019s just a little worried, that\u2019s all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh? What\u2019s he so worried about?\u201d the man asked, now intrigued by his would-be attacker.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hoss hesitated for a moment, as he looked the man over. He was muddy, like he had ridden through all of the mud from the night before and had not changed his clothes, and he had no horse tied up outside. Hoss assumed that this meant that he was most likely staying at the hotel<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIs there something wrong Mister?\u201d the man asked in a curious tone of voice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hoss turned his eyes toward the man\u2019s face. \u201cOh! No, nothing\u2019s wrong.\u201d There was a hesitant pause. \u201cBy the way, what did you say your name was?\u201d Hoss finally asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t friend. It\u2019s Dan,\u201d came his delayed answer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t you have a last name Mister?\u201d Hoss inquired.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYeah, but that\u2019s not important now. What\u2019s your problem? I\u2019m a drifter of sorts. I may be able to help. Though if it involves lending you money, I\u2019m afraid all of mine has been stolen. Someone stole it from my saddlebag last night while I was sleeping. I was fortunate enough to have the old nag that I do. Otherwise, they might have stolen my horse, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re looking for someone,\u201d Hoss answered in a distracted tone.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cMind telling me who? I might have seen them in my travels.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s Adam Cartwright,\u201d Hoss said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, why are you looking for him? Why not a posse or something? I hear the Cartwrights are pretty well off. Why didn\u2019t the Cartwrights hire someone, or come out to look for him themselves?\u201d Dan questioned mockingly as he put extra emphasis on the last part.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hoss stopped and took a deep breath before answering. \u201cWe\u2019re Cartwrights. Adam Cartwright is our older brother.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOh, sorry, boys. I didn\u2019t mean to joke with you like that. I didn\u2019t know who you were. You know I didn\u2019t mean anything by it, right? Tell you what, you tell me what this brother of yours looks like and I\u2019ll tell you if I\u2019ve seen him or not,\u201d Dan stated as the corners of his mouth turned up into a smile.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hoss carefully described Adam. He told him his name, height, weight, and what he was wearing when he was last seen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 While Hoss was talking to Dan, Joe, now forgetting about the other man and concentrating on finding Adam, stepped up to Roy and asked, \u201cRoy, have you seen Adam come through town in the last couple of days?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Roy stood a moment in deep thought.\u00a0 \u201cNo, can\u2019t say that I have. Why? He missing or in some sort of trouble?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYeah,\u201d Joe replied quietly. \u201cHoss was with him yesterday morning, but he left, and he didn\u2019t come home last night.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDoes your pa know about you two being here?\u201d Roy asked with concern.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo, and we don\u2019t want him to. Unless we find Adam,\u201d Joe replied with a desperate glance into Roy\u2019s eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Roy, realizing how desperate Joe really was, said, \u201cAlright. But if you\u2019re not back before dark, I\u2019ll have to tell your Pa everything. But until then, I won\u2019t say a word.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThanks, Roy,\u201d Joe agreed and was just turning to get Hoss and leave when Hoss grabbed his shoulder and gave him a hopeful smile. \u201cWhat are you so happy about? We\u2019ve gotta get out there and find older brother,\u201d Joe urged.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hoss turned and pointed to Dan standing by the door. \u201cDan thinks that he might have seen Adam! He says we\u2019ve gotta follow him and he\u2019ll take us the same direction that Adam was going!\u201d he exclaimed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joe was so excited that he forgot himself and let out a holler that was so loud that it could have awakened everyone in Virginia City.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019d better get started if we\u2019re going to get to the spot before noon.\u201d Dan urged solemnly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAre you sure it was him? Which way did he go? How long has it been since you last saw him?\u201d Joe asked excitedly, trying as hard as he could not to ask so many questions<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cUh, I\u2019m not sure, northwest, and about twelve hours ago.\u201d Dan answered to Joe\u2019s endless questions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As soon as Hoss and Joe were ready, they said good-bye to the sheriff, and mounted up to follow Dan.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 They got to the edge of town where Dan would ride in the front. They were all silent for a long time as they rode. Joe and Hoss were feeling somewhat relieved at finding someone that had seen Adam. But Joe was starting to get suspicious.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHey, Hoss,\u201d Joe said quietly as he slowed down to make sure that Dan was out of earshot.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYeah, Joe? We\u2019d better speed up a little or Dan will get too far ahead of us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHey, Hoss, do you think this guy has really seen Adam? I mean, I get the feeling that his being there this morning at just the right time was no coincidence,\u201d Joe answered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAw, you\u2019re just a little edgy. He\u2019ll be all right when we find Adam and go home. You\u2019ll see.\u201d Hoss reassured him, although he had been feeling the same thing the whole time. He hadn\u2019t realized until now that this man really could be leading them into a trap of some kind, using the story about Adam as bait. He might not have even seen Adam at all.<\/span>
\n\u00a0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The group at the cabin was getting restless for Dan\u2019s arrival. According to Curt and the others (who always agreed with Curt for fear of what might happen to them if they didn\u2019t) Adam had been making a pest of himself, making smart remarks and asking questions all morning, until he finally pushed it too far. He had made an innocent comment about Curt\u2019s leadership skills.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Curt furiously leaped up from his chair, slapped Adam across his bad arm, and gave him a hard shove towards the door. Adam was sent sprawling, clutching at his arm. Adam\u2019s flying body hit Andy, who had just come through the door, sending both of them to the ground. Curt let out a menacing laugh, seemingly pleased with his work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNext time, Cartwright, it\u2019ll be a lot worse,\u201d he bellowed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Andy lifted Adam off of him and staggered to a stand, still shaken by the unexpected blow. He rubbed the side of his head, which had unexpectedly hit the door so hard it slammed shut.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When he had recovered from the shock, he reopened the door to let Bannock come inside. He had been shut out when Andy and Adam slammed into the door.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam staggered to the wall for ready support. Carefully, he leaned on his good shoulder and placed his head softly on the wall. He opened his lips and breathed quick and shallow breaths through his teeth, making a sort of hissing noise as he caught his breath. His arm felt like fire was crawling across his wounds, and the fall had only served to make his back feel worse. He stayed on the wall for a few moments to ease his pain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Curt was just opening his mouth to tell Andy something when he heard horses outside.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cRick, get over there by the door. I don\u2019t want to take any chances,\u201d he said as he put his gun to Adam\u2019s head and a strong, restraining arm around Adam\u2019s chest, pulling Adam\u2019s arms to his sides. Then talking to Adam, \u201cYou keep quiet. One sound, and I\u2019ll slam the end of this gun into your skull. Got it?\u201d he said sternly. \u201cJohnny. Check and see what it is.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Johnny ran to the window, his pistol drawn, and pulled back a slit in the raggedy curtains. \u201cI think it\u2019s those Cartwright boys,\u201d he said anxiously, returning quickly to his place by Curt\u2019s side.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rick, not wanting to be on Curt\u2019s bad side like Adam, went immediately to the wall beside the door, preparing to slam his gun down on the first head that came through.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Curt looked around. \u201cAndy. You get up there beside Rick. If one of them has a gun, I want to make sure they\u2019re outnumbered.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cRight,\u201d Andy groaned, blinking his eyes quickly to make sure he was focused in on the right object.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The pain in Adam\u2019s arm and back was racing as Curt tightened his grip. All he could do was wait, and hope that his father and brothers would be safe.<\/span>
\n\u00a0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ben, who had unintentionally slept in till about nine o\u2019clock, walked sleepily down the stairs to breakfast. He had told Hop Sing not to cook breakfast as early as usual to give Hoss and Joe some extra sleeping time. But since Hoss and Joe had gone out early that morning, Ben was the only one who had slept in.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing, have you seen the boys yet this morning?\u201d he yawned, still shaking off his morning sleepiness.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The little Chinese cook came out of the kitchen holding a skillet full of bacon and wiping his other hand on his apron. \u201cHop Sing no can tell. Boys say for Hop Sing to finish cooking. They say not tell you were they go.\u201d He stated with a confident smile to Ben.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ben stood in the sitting room, now understanding what Hoss and Joe had done. Then he smelled something terrible coming from the kitchen. His face cringed and Hop Sing\u2019s eyes widened with shock.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing, doesn\u2019t that smell like burning biscuits to you? It does to me,\u201d he said thoughtfully with a grin as he watched the little Chinaman rush back into the kitchen to save the burning biscuits from the stove. Ben chuckled a little at Hop Sing\u2019s reaction to the biscuits. He had a feeling that he knew where Hoss and Joe had run off to, so he got dressed, ate his breakfast as fast as he could, and then saddled Buck. After getting a few idle ranch hands together, he rode out. Since none of that day\u2019s work was crucial, he left his foreman, the young Luke Tennyson in charge of the Ponderosa while he was out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It was about noon when Ben and the hands rode into Virginia City. He and the others searched the perimeter of Virginia City to see if his boys were simply watching for Adam, but they weren\u2019t there.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ben turned in his saddle to look at the four hands he had brought along. \u201cBoys, I think we should split up. Uh… Frank, you and Mark go check the east side of town. Virgil, you and Nick go to the west side of town. Ask around. Get any information you can about the whereabouts of my sons. We can meet back here in about three hours. Ok?\u201d he said with all great certainty. \u201cOh and boys,\u201d he added just before his ranch hands left, \u201ctry not to get into any trouble.\u201d Then he rode off towards the center of town to start looking.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 First, he tried the saloon. Whenever there was gossip to be spread, usually it spread there first. \u201cHowdy Pete!\u201d Ben said cheerfully as he stepped through the swinging doors of the Silver Dollar.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHello, Ben! What brings you into town this time?\u201d The bartender stated as he walked over to him, wiping his hands on his apron as he went.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHave you seen any of the boys around lately? Adam left last night, and Hoss and Joe went out this morning. I figured they came into town early on.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The bartender stood silently a moment, searching his memory for the expected information. \u201cNo. Can\u2019t say as I have. I\u2019ll keep an eye out for \u2018em though. Sorry, Ben.\u201d He said firmly before he went back to washing some glasses.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHmm. Thanks anyway, Pete,\u201d Ben stated as he walked somberly out the doors back to Buck.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Frustrated and baffled by the disappearance of his three boys, he turned to his last hope- Roy Coffee. He rode up to the sheriff\u2019s office about two hours later. He\u2019d had some other stops to make on his way there, so it took him a little longer then expected. Roy was just leaving his deputy to go get some lunch from the hotel restaurant.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cRoy Coffee, just the person I wanted to see,\u201d Ben said as he rode over to the startled sheriff standing in the street.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOh, howdy, Ben. What brings you in town?\u201d Roy asked with a curious smile.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, Roy, this may sound odd, but I seem to have lost my boys!\u201d Ben explained with a somewhat worried, but still reassuring, grin. \u201cYou haven\u2019t seen them have you? I know that they were awfully concerned about Adam last night, but when I got up this morning they had already left the house.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Roy looked sheepishly down at his feet, then looked back up at Ben and said,\u201d I guess you\u2019re going to find out anyway, Ben.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cFind out what, Roy?\u201d Ben asked in an even more worried tone.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cBen, your boys, Joe and Hoss, came into my office this morning wanting to know if I\u2019d seen Adam. I told them that I hadn\u2019t, but another man, Dan I think he called himself, said that he had seen him. They left with him about eight o\u2019clock this morning.\u201d Roy explained.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cRoy, which way were they headed? I\u2019ve got to follow them.\u201d Ben questioned desperately.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, they went that way, Ben.\u201d Roy said as he pointed off towards a group of buildings.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThanks Roy.\u201d He said as he rode away as quickly as he could down the street.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Unfortunately, Dan had taken the boys in that direction as a diversion, in case anyone had wanted to follow them. He led them through a foot of water in a flooded ravine, quickly followed by a thick wood. The woods smelled of wet leaves and dirt. They rode for a long time through the trees without a sound. The only noise was the splashing of the horse\u2019s hooves in the mud.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 They had been riding about an hour already at a fairly slow pace, and Joe was getting impatient.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHey Mister, \u201dhe said rather loudly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHm? Oh, what do you want?\u201d Dan snapped as he glared back at him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHave you seen any signs of our brother anywhere? I\u2019ve not seen a thing since we left Virginia City, except for a deer track or two. Are you sure that you saw him head this way?\u201d Joe asked impatiently.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dan nodded his head. \u201cNo, I haven\u2019t. I\u2019m sure he went this way though. Maybe he headed for cover when it started to rain harder.\u201d He explained. It sounded to Joe as if he wasn\u2019t really sure of anything.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joe was about to come back with a statement, but he was interrupted. \u201cHey, look!\u201d Hoss said as he pointed a large finger to their left.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joe and Dan turned from their discussion to look in the direction Hoss was pointing. In the distance, they saw a small, worn-out cabin with a smaller building next to it, and a barn behind it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDo you think Adam could have slipped in there?\u201d Hoss called out in a victorious conclusion.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joe looked at the buildings in pleasure. \u201cHey, Adam!\u201d he yelled. \u201cAdam! You in there?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dan followed Hoss and Joe as they raced up to the small building and jumped off their horses just outside the door.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

~CHAPTER THREE~<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam and Curt were standing next to the wall across from the doorway. Rick was still next to the door, waiting anxiously for a body to come through it\u2019s opening. There was the sound of horses outside as if they were stopping next to the cabin.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAdam! You in there?\u201d Adam heard Joe\u2019s voice call faintly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He strained to free himself from Curt\u2019s strong grip, but Curt held his prisoner tight in his arm, and cocked the hammer back on his pistol.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The doorknob slowly turned, and the old door creaked as it opened.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJoe, don\u2019t! It\u2019s a trap!\u201d Adam managed to get out before Curt moved his strong hand over his mouth. But it was too late. The door opened wide to reveal Joe, coming inside with his gun out in front of him. Rick reacted quickly, and brought his gun swiftly down upon Joe\u2019s head. Joe fell to the floor, unconscious.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Without a moment to lose, Hoss stepped through the door, his gun also drawn, but also in vane. With another hard swipe of his gun, Rick managed to knock Hoss to the floor to join his brother.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Presently, Dan stepped confidently through the doorway, his gun still holstered at his side. This time Rick stepped back and let him through. Curt took the gun slowly away from Adam\u2019s skull, and took his hand away from his mouth.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam breathed heavily for a moment as he looked at his two helpless brothers lying unconscious on the floor, and Dan, safe and sound, by the door.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell?\u201d he asked sarcastically.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, what?\u201d Curt answered as he slowly released Adam\u2019s body.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIsn\u2019t Rick here going to knock him out too? He seems to be fairly good at it,\u201d he joked as he pointed an accusing finger at Dan.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Both Curt and Dan laughed aloud. \u201cYou remember I told you there were five of us?\u201d Curt restated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam nodded.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, Dan here is number five!\u201d He let out another sinister chuckle.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It was down to the three Cartwright brothers against the five Benson brothers. Adam was feeling a bit outnumbered, but he knew that he had to come up with some sort of plan to get them out of their present situation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It was early in the evening before Hoss regained consciousness. He first noticed that both he and Joe had their wrists tied together behind them. He tried to sit up and rest his back against the wall of the cabin.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cFinally, one of our new prisoners is awake!\u201d Curt said as he raised his gun out of its holster. \u201cWell, what do you think of our humble hideaway? Oh, I know it\u2019s no Ponderosa, but that\u2019ll be taken care of eventually.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hoss and Adam exchanged confused and worried glances.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Johnny, who had been sitting quietly in a corner watching the prisoners, asked,\u201d Curt? Aren\u2019t we going to tie him up too?\u201d as he pointed in Adam\u2019s direction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Curt went over and stood next to Joe. \u201cNope. He won\u2019t do anything we don\u2019t want him to.\u201d He said as he pulled out his gun and cocked it next to Joe\u2019s head.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Curt could see that he was getting his point across to Adam, so he raised his revolver, and put it back into his holster.<\/span>
\n~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ben was having no luck finding a trail of any kind. He had been searching for more than forty-five minutes without a single hoof print. He searched the woods until he decided that it was pointless to search at all until the next day when the mud had dried, so he turned Buck around and headed back to town.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When he got back, he found that all four of his hands were waiting for him. They were quietly talking amongst themselves. Suddenly, one of them noticed him riding up. Soon, all of the men were perfectly silent, concentrating on the look on Ben\u2019s face. \u201cDid you find anything out Mister Cartwright?\u201d Nick asked, breaking the silence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ben shook his head, disappointed, but not about to give up hope. \u201cWhat about you boys? Find anything?\u201d he asked, bringing his head up to gaze into their eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This time it was their turn to shake their heads. They, too, were disappointed.\u00a0 Some even felt that they had let their boss down. Together, they all rode back to the Ponderosa.<\/span>
\n~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam, Joe, and Hoss were still in the cabin when night fell. Adam\u2019s arm and shoulders were not improving, though the pain had lost some of its effect; Joe and Hoss\u2019s hands were tied behind them, and Bannock was watching everything that moved with watchful eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 After a while, Curt got tired of Bannock\u2019s watchful eyes, so Andy was instructed to take Bannock outside and to sleep in the shed with him, while Dan, Rick, and Johnny watched the prisoners.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t until very early the next morning that Joe regained consciousness. He had been hit a lot harder than Hoss, so it took him a lot longer to wake up. When he finally did, he had a severe headache.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The room was still dark, save a little moonlight peeking in through the tattered roof. Joe noticed that his hands were tied in back of him, and that his head was pounding like an Indian\u2019s war drum.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 From what he could tell, it was about 5 o\u2019clock in the morning. No one was up yet, so he decided to search the room with his eyes to see if there was any way of an escape. He didn\u2019t see anything that might serve his purpose, except a single window on the opposite end of the room. Rick was sitting right below it. With that information, he now tried to conjure-up a way of escape.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Curt woke up about an hour later. Joe pretended he was asleep so that Curt wouldn\u2019t suspect anything. First, Curt made sure that Joe\u2019s and Hoss\u2019s hands were still securely tied, and then went over to Rick, who was snoring quite loudly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cRick,\u201d Curt said in an irritated voice as he nudged him roughly with his boot.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rick sat up with a jolt.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGet up. I need you to go into Virginia City and get a few supplies. Here,\u201d he said as he took out a slip of paper from the pocket in his vest,\u201d do everything on that list, and don\u2019t miss a thing.\u201d Then he handed the paper to Rick, who was now standing, and told him to get a horse.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rick went outside, saddled up Cochise, and in another five minutes, he was gone.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joe leaned back against the wall, making it look like he was still sleeping, and tried to come up with a plan. He had to admit that Adam was much better at formulating logical plans in tense situations, and his head was pounding at the moment so he couldn\u2019t think clearly anyway, but he had to try before something happened.\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It was about 10:30 when Rick had finished getting the few supplies from town. When he was done, he had a quick beer, and left. His next stop: the Ponderosa.<\/span>
\n\u00a0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Remembering that he still had a ranch to run, and confident that his boys would show up by dinnertime, Ben was out in the corral with about ten new hands. He was teaching them how to rope and hog-tie cattle faster. It was supposed to be Joe\u2019s chore, but since he wasn\u2019t around, Ben had to do it. After about an hour of painfully trying to get the men ready for the spring round up, Ben was getting more than a little frustrated.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo, no, Sam. You\u2019re trying to chase him down! Cut him off! \u201dHe said as he waved his arms wildly in the frightened calf\u2019s direction. \u201cAll right, take a break, men.\u201d He rubbed his forehead with one hand while he propped it up on his arm. \u201cI\u2019ll go on up to the house and get Hop Sing to fix us some lunch; we\u2019ll try it all again when I get back- starting with you, Sam,\u201d he said patiently as he smiled and mounted Buck. He could still hear the men laughing as he rode away.\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 After about two hours of aimlessly wandering through the woods, Rick rode into the woods beside the house. After making sure that no one was watching, he dismounted Cochise, ran as quietly as he could to the front door, and hammered a small note to it with the butt of his gun. He had just finished posting the note when he heard a horse coming. Seeing a buckskin horse in the distance, he ran back to Cochise, mounted up, and galloped away as fast as he could.\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ben came riding up to the house, swearing to himself that he had just heard a horse ride away moments before. He shrugged it off, thinking that it might have been a hand looking for him, until he saw the note on the door. A worried look plagued his face as he tore the note from the door and read,<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIf you ever want to see your boys alive again, bring $100,000 to the eastern edge of town. We\u2019ll meet you at High Noon tomorrow. No tricks; no lawmen; or your boys die.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ben ripped the note off the door. Then he crumpled it up and put it in his pocket. He kept repeating the last words over and over to himself, \u201cNo lawmen, or your boys die.\u201d It was already about one o\u2019clock when he read the note. He had less than 23 hours to formulate a plan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

~CHAPTER FOUR~<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When Rick arrived back at the cabin everyone was awake. Joe\u2019s head still hurt, Hoss had discovered that his arms were crimped in a somewhat unusual and painful way, and Adam, whose hands had been tied right after Andy left, was trying to get into a more comfortable position.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cCurt, it\u2019s done.\u201d Rick announced as he pulled his hat off, and wiped his forehead.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDid he see it? Are you sure he got it?\u201d Curt asked skeptically.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYeah, he got it. I had to get out of there fast to make sure he didn\u2019t see me,\u201d Rick reassured Curt as he placed his hat back on his head.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGood. It shouldn\u2019t be much longer now.\u201d Curt said slowly with a maniacal grin.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The three of his brothers let out whoops and hollers. Curt just stared at Adam as if he were going to burn him up with his gaze.<\/span>
\n\u00a0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ben walked inside to where Hop Sing was busying himself in the kitchen. \u201cMister Cartwright. You supposed to be with cowboy. What you need?\u201d the Chinaman inquired.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOh, Hop Sing.\u201d Ben said as someone who had just been awakened from a dream.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWho else would be in kitchen?\u201d Hop Sing asked sarcastically.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ben smiled thoughtfully before asking,\u201d Hop Sing, would you make up some sandwiches for the boys at the corral?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hop Sing nodded happily before heading back into his kitchen. About ten minutes later, Ben was taking the paper-wrapped sandwiches out to his horse, and placing them in saddlebags.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ben arrived back at the corral, and passed out the sandwiches. He was tired of thinking about horses or ranching for the day. All of the men could see it, too. A group of the men were waiting for their turn, and talking amongst themselves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDo either of you two notice a change in Mister Cartwright? I\u2019ve been here nearly ten years, and he\u2019s only acted like this a couple of times- only when something has gone wrong,\u201d Bill, one of the more experienced hands said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYeah. I was wondering the same thing. What do you suppose is the matter?\u201d Mitch, a young man in chaps asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know, but whatever it is, it sure is beating him up,\u201d said another.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou think we should ask him about it?\u201d Mitch said with concern.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo. The Cartwrights usually handle their problems on their own. Don\u2019t like us asking a lot a prying questions.\u201d Bill answered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cBu.\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJust let it be. Here he comes.\u201d Bill hushed as he watched Ben walk solemnly up to them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHere you are boys.\u201d Ben said quietly, but firmly.\u201d Mitch, it\u2019ll be your turn to try when Sam is done. And Bill, I need you to work with Hansen over there. I think he\u2019s got it, but I want you to watch his speed,\u201d he added.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mitch and Bill hopped down from the fence where they were sitting, and each went their separate ways.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ben finished passing out the sandwiches, and sat down on a log to eat his own. He only had one thing on his mind. He had to get his boys back, alive. The only plan he could come up with was to give the men what they wanted. But that would mean selling the Ponderosa. He knew that the boys wouldn\u2019t want him to do that, but, at the moment, all Ben cared about was their safety.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Right then and there, Ben prayed. \u201dFather, lead me down the right path. Show me your will, O Lord.\u201d He then finished his sandwich, and went back to work with the hands, all the while planning a trip later that evening to talk to Roy Coffee.<\/span>
\n\u00a0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That evening in the cabin, everyone was there. Curt, Dan, Rick, and Johnny were waiting anxiously for tomorrow morning. And Adam, Hoss, and Joe were dreading its arrival.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201c Hey Curt. What are we gonna do when that old man gets here?\u201d Rick asked.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joe, Adam, and Hoss all turned their heads in worry at the mention of their Pa.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll let you know what to do when the time comes,\u201d Curt stated as he crossed the room and placed his foot arrogantly on the seat of the chair. Then he pulled his gun up to his face as though studying the barrel.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam moved around squeamishly, trying to get into a more comfortable position.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He startled Curt, who swiftly took his foot off the chair and bent down next to Adam and put the gun in his face.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou see this, Cartwright?\u201d Curt asked in a cynical voice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam pushed his head back away from the gun barrel and nodded his head.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGood. Just remember that this gun could go off from anywhere in this room. And I\u2019ll be keeping an eye on you,\u201d Curt added as he jerked the gun up into the air.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam let out a long sigh of relief, and he let his shoulders fall back into their semi-relaxed positions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 After that there wasn\u2019t much talking in the cabin. Later that evening, sleeping arrangements were being decided.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAndy, you and Bannock will sleep in that other building tonight,\u201d Curt commanded.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rick snickered at his younger brother.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cRick, you\u2019ll join them,\u201d Curt added in all \u2018fair\u2019 judgment. \u201cI\u2019ll give you two a prisoner to watch while Johnny, Dan and I watch the other two.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He studdied the prisoners until he found the right one for them to handle. \u201cYou two will take gimpy over there,\u201d he said as he pointed to Adam with the tip of his pistol. \u201cHe seems to get along just fine with your mutt. Then he grabbed Adam off the floor by his tied up wrists, and thrust him in Andy\u2019s direction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hoss and Joe tried to get up and help Adam as they watched their older brother being pushed out the door with no cares to his injuries; but they were shoved down and guarded with rifles by Dan and Curt.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As angry as they were, Joe and Hoss decided to lay low for a couple of hours to let their captors cool down. Then, they would try to come up with a plan of escape.<\/span>
\n\u00a0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam was just situating himself on the cot in the corner of the room when Rick walked in. Andy was finding a good spot on the floor to lie down. \u201cHey, don\u2019t we need to tie him to the bed or something?\u201d Rick asked suspiciously.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cBe my guest,\u201d Andy replied as he placed his hat over his face.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rick shrugged, and grabbed some rope that Curt had given him before he left the cabin. \u201cI\u2019ll take the first watch. I\u2019ll wake you up to relieve me at 2:00,\u201d Rick said before grabbing his gun and getting up to stand next to the door.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Nothing happened all night. Adam was so tired that he fell asleep about twenty minutes after Rick took over. The only time that his wounds didn\u2019t hurt was when he was asleep, so he settled right down on his cot and slept through all of Rick\u2019s watch.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 About 4:00, Adam felt something shaking him. When he opened his eyes he saw that it was Andy. \u201cCartwright. Adam Cartwright. Wake up,\u201d he whispered, still shaking him violently. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to be fast and quiet. Rick\u2019s sound asleep, but you don\u2019t want him to wake up and catch you. Hurry!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam sat up, slightly confused. \u201cWhat are you doing? What do you mean hurry?\u201d he asked in a fervent whisper.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve got to get on a horse and ride fast if you want to catch your father in time. You\u2019ve got to help your brothers. Tell your father it\u2019s a trap.\u201d Andy stated as he untied Adam\u2019s wrists and ankles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re letting me go? Why?\u201d Adam questioned, thinking that it might be a clever trap to kill him when he stepped outside.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow did you…\u201d Adam started, but Andy answered his question before he finished.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI saddled your horse as soon as Rick fell asleep. He\u2019s a heavy sleeper, so I don\u2019t think he heard me. It\u2019s waiting for you outside. I\u2019m tired of they way Curt\u2019s been treating you and your brothers. I\u2019ve only gone along with it because I was afraid of what Curt and the others might do to me if they found out,\u201d Andy answered as if fading into deep thought, and he stood to help Adam quietly to his feet. \u201cYou\u2019d better hurry if you want to get away. It\u2019s a good, hard ride from your place to this cabin.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam stood. \u201cAndy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHm?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThanks,\u201d Adam said with his lop-sided grin.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rick stirred in his sleep. Both Adam and Andy were startled and looked in his direction. Adam then paused to give Andy one last chance to tell him to stay, then headed quietly out the door.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He grabbed Sport\u2019s reins, reassuring his animal to keep him calm, and slid into the saddle. As quietly as he could, he kicked Sport into a walk and left.<\/span>
\n\u00a0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Andy had to make it look as though Adam had escaped, so he rubbed his face with a little mud, tore a hole in his shirt, and picked up a rock, hitting himself on the head just hard enough to make a bump and a bruise. Then he lay down outside to make it appear that he\u2019d been knocked out.\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam and Sport were scrambling through the muddy woods. Adam was doing his best to hold on to Sport as they ran through the trees. They had only been riding about two hours when Sport tripped, sending Adam flying off his back and into the mud.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam lay unconscious for a while, unsure of his surroundings. It lasted almost a full hour, putting a rush on his errand. He slowly stood, holding on to a tree for support. He staggered back to Sport, remounted, and once more started out on his journey.\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ben had made that trip into Virginia City the night before. When he got there, he tied his horse to the post outside, and walked on in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHowdy, Ben,\u201d Roy called from his desk. \u201cSorry I can\u2019t stay, but I\u2019ve got a posse waiting for me at the edge of town. We\u2019re goin\u2019 after a robber. We should be back later tomorrow evenin\u2019. My deputy will be here if you need anything legal to be taken care of,\u201d he concluded as he buckled a gun belt on his waist.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s alright, Roy. I understand,\u201d Ben answered as he watched Roy leave.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe can talk when I get back. See ya\u2019, Ben,\u201d he said in a hurry. Then he mounted his horse and raced off into the streets.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ben, who was feeling somewhat relieved that Roy would not be in town for a few days, went back to his horse and rode away. After running a few errands in town, he left to go back to the Ponderosa.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 On the way back he said a silent prayer that God would keep his sons safe. He felt somewhat comforted that his sons were in God\u2019s hands now, and rode all the way back with a peaceful mind.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ben walked into a quiet house late that evening. Then Hop Sing came out of the kitchen, hopping mad that Ben had eaten in town without telling him not to cook any supper. Now supper was burnt to a crisp and Hop Sing had wasted all that time cooking a supper that would not be eaten! After calming Hop Sing down, Ben decided that it had been a long day, so he went to bed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The next morning, Ben got up about 6:00. He quickly dressed, had breakfast, and went outside for a short ride. He rode out to Marie\u2019s grave. As he stared out over the crystal lake he thought of all the wonderful times he\u2019d had with his sons. As those thoughts overwhelmed him, he started to cry. He was only a mortal man, and there was only so much he could do to protect his sons. He only hoped it was enough.<\/span>
\n\u00a0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam was on his way. His arm was bleeding again, and the pain was almost too much to bear. But the fire in his heart that burned hot for the love of his family was brighter and hotter than the fiery pain in his arm and back. He had to get to his Pa on time.<\/span>
\n\u00a0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In the cabin, everyone was just starting to wake up. Joe and Hoss had only been up for a few minutes, Curt was waking Dan and Johnny, and Rick was just waking up in the spare room.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rick opened his eyes and stretched his arms. When he stood, he noticed that two figures were missing. He looked at the ropes that had tied Adam to the bed. They had been untied and thrown on the floor. Then he looked outside.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAndy!\u201d he shouted, concerned at the sight of his younger brother\u2019s body lying out in the mud. He ran to him and turned him over. \u201cAndy! Hey! You\u2019d better not let Curt catch you like this. C\u2019mon!\u201d he urged as he pulled on his arm.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Slowly, Andy opened his eyes. He felt his jaw as if checking to see if it was broken, then he stood up, using his older brother\u2019s arm for support.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou alright? What happened to that guy we were supposed to look after? He didn\u2019t get away did he? You know what Curt\u2019s gonna\u2019 do to us?\u201d Rick asked all at once.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI must have fallen asleep just long enough for him to untie his ropes. When I saw him he was already out the door and on a horse! I don\u2019t remember anything past that.\u201d Andy stated, being careful of what he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

~CHAPTER FIVE~<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cUntie those two for a minute,\u201d Curt ordered pointing to Joe and Hoss.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat for?\u201d Johnny asked as he stretched his arms lazily behind his head.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019ve got to eat if we want the old man to think we\u2019ve been treating them alright. Otherwise he may not give us all the money.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Johnny still didn\u2019t get it, but he went ahead and untied them anyway while Dan covered them with his shotgun.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hoss and Joe gave each other a short grin. As soon as their hands were untied, they reached up and grabbed Johnny by the neck, puling him to the ground face first. Then Hoss grabbed Dan\u2019s rifle before he could get a shot off at them. Joe went over and gave him a punch right in the ribs. Hoss cocked the gun and held it on Dan and Johnny. Curt was startled by all of this and turned around just in time to get shoved into the wall by Joe\u2019s charging body.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 All of the men inside the cabin were taken care of, but Hoss and Joe forgot all about the two outside the cabin. When they emerged from the cabin, they almost fell right on top of Rick and Andy. That gave Curt just enough time to grab his gun and point it at them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou won\u2019t get away so easily,\u201d he said, holding his stomach.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joe and Hoss held their hands out from their sides and Dan took the rifle back from Hoss.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dan motioned for them to go back inside the cabin. Curt stayed outside to talk to Andy and Rick.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Looking at the mud on Andy\u2019s body and the bruise on his head he asked in a very serious tone, \u201cWhat happened to you? And where\u2019s that prisoner I gave you last night?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, Curt, you see.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhere is he?\u201d Curt demanded.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2026 He\u2026 got away,\u201d Andy said sheepishly, not looking his brother in the eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat? You let him escape?\u201d Curt said furiously.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Andy cowered back a little at his brother\u2019s shouting. Curt carried all of the weight in any and all decisions, and he was afraid of what Curt could do to him. He turned to go inside the extra shed, his back to his brothers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t you turn away from me, you little…\u201d Curt shouted, and he hit his brother right between the shoulders with the gun he was carrying.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Andy fell to the ground. This time his unconsciousness was no trick.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Because Bannock had been shut up in the cabin when Andy went outside, he suddenly emerged from the shed and ran straight to Andy\u2019s body. Seeing that his master would not get up, the dog laid down next to him in the mud and barred his teeth menacingly at Curt.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cC\u2019mon Rick. I\u2019ll need your help with these prisoners, while we still have them.\u201d Curt commanded, and he went inside watching Bannock cautiously until he stepped through the door.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rick took one last look at his little brother, and soon followed as Bannock snarled after him.<\/span>
\n\u00a0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In the cabin, Hoss and Joe were being tied back up. \u201cHey, where\u2019s Adam? Shouldn\u2019t he be here, too?\u201d Joe asked as his feet were being tied.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHe should, but your brother got away last night.\u201d Curt answered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHe got away and he didn\u2019t take us?\u201d Joe added with a hint of teasing in his voice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Curt glared at Joe and resisted the temptation to shoot him on the spot.<\/span>
\n\u00a0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It was almost 8:30 when Ben got back to the Ponderosa. He quickly went inside, grabbed a slip of paper from his desk, and headed back out to Buck.<\/span>
\n\u00a0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 At that very moment, Adam was not far from the house. He was only about an hour\u2019s ride from there. It took all of his strength to stay in the saddle, and the pain from his arm and back grew as the bleeding slowly continued. His torn shirtsleeve allowed for the water dripping off the trees to get to the wound. It felt refreshing, but it was not enough to completely eliminate the pain.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He pushed Sport through the woods. Every minute counted in this race against time.\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 At 9:00, Ben decided he couldn\u2019t put it off any longer, so he mounted Buck, and rode out towards Virginia City. He would get there right on schedule.<\/span>
\n\u00a0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Curt had decided that Rick would go out to meet Ben at the edge of town, so Rick was already out saddling his horse.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cRick will be back in a while, so make yourselves comfortable.\u201d Curt sneered at his prisoners.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joe and Hoss tried to do just that, but wooden floors and walls weren\u2019t the easiest places to get comfortable. But what was really on their minds at the moment was Adam. Where was he? Had he reached their Pa? Or had he collapsed in the middle of the trail?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 They didn\u2019t like to think about it, but they had to consider the possibility that Adam wouldn\u2019t make it.\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 At 9:20, Adam, tired and weary, rode into the yard at the Ponderosa. He wanted to run inside and just lay on his bed, but he had to find his Pa first.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He nearly fell off of Sport and stumbled inside with the help of a few nearby posts to steady himself. \u201cPa!\u201d he yelled as he entered the sitting room.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hop Sing came out of the kitchen. \u201cMister Adam? What you doing here? Why you such big mess?\u201d he inquired with surprise, looking mostly at Adam\u2019s cuts and scratches.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing, where\u2019s Pa?\u201d Adam cried in desperation, paying no attention to the cook\u2019s questions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHe go into Virginia City. He say, maybe not come back. What wrong?\u201d the cook stated in pure confusion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Before Hop Sing had even finished his sentence, Adam was struggling out the door. With great effort, Adam mounted his tired horse, and rode out after his Pa.\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When Ben entered Virginia City, he headed straight for the east side. He combed that side of the outskirts until he found a lone rider standing near a clump of trees. As the rider approached, Ben raised his hands in the air, showing that he wasn\u2019t going to go for his gun. The young man pulled the gun out of its holster, and put it in his own.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou Ben Cartwright?\u201d Rick asked to make sure.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u201d Ben said cautiously.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cCome with me if you want to see your boys.\u201d He said as he motioned for Ben to follow him. They both kicked their horses into a trot, and rode off into the woods.\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam was just getting into town. He was cantering through the streets as fast as he could. With all of this riding, he was starting to get a little dazed, but he held fast to the reins. Suddenly, Sport slowed and stopped. Someone had stepped out in the street and grabbed the reins. It was Doc Martin.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cLands sakes, boy! What on earth happened?\u201d the elderly man inquired, staring intently on Adam\u2019s bloody shirt and muddy appearance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got to get to Pa before it\u2019s too late,\u201d Adam said with a resolute voice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cMy word, he\u2019s delirious!\u201d the Doc stated in dismay, gazing questioningly at the eldest Cartwright boy\u2019s appearance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cPa! Got to get Pa!\u201d Adam cried out, and he grabbed Sport\u2019s reins away from the old man.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Doc Martin stepped back for fear of being trampled and reluctantly watched Adam ride away through the streets.<\/span>
\n~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ben and Rick rode through the woods until they got to the cabin. Rick went on inside, and told Ben to wait out there for a minute.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When Rick came back outside, he motioned for Ben to come on in.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ben walked cautiously to the door and stepped slowly across the threshold.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Inside, Ben saw Joe and Hoss, tied up and sitting next to the far wall; Curt, Johnny, and Dan guarding them, and Rick guarding him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHoss! Joe!\u201d Ben cried, seeing that his boys were all right. \u201cWhere\u2019s Adam? I thought he was here, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDo you have the money?\u201d Curt said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI have a check for the correct amount, yes.\u201d Ben answered as he held out the slip of paper. Curt grabbed it from him and looked it over.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s no signature.\u201d Curt said as he handed the paper back to him. \u201cSign it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ben looked around the room. \u201cI\u2019ll need a pen.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Curt grabbed a knife from the table because it was the only pointed thing available at the moment. \u201cI think there\u2019s an old inkwell by the stove. Johnny, get it.\u201d He handed the knife to Ben, making sure that Rick was holding a gun to his head.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Reluctantly, Ben dipped the knife in the inkwell, and put his signature on the empty line.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGood.\u201d Curt said with a maniacal grin. \u201cWhere\u2019s Andy? I need him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s out in the shed, Curt.\u201d Johnny answered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, bring him back in here!\u201d Curt demanded.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Johnny ran out the door, and into the shed to get Andy. \u201cAndy?\u201d he said timidly as he entered the shack. Inside was his younger brother. Andy had his shirt off and looked like he was trying to look at something on his back.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you want?\u201d Andy asked as he walked over to meet his brother.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cCurt wants you in the cabin for something,\u201d Johnny stated as he looked his younger brother over from head to toe. \u201cYou don\u2019t look so good. Did Curt do that to you?\u201d he asked in concern as he stared at the large black spot on Andy\u2019s exposed, muscular back.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Andy just looked down at the floor, ashamed that anyone else had seen it. This was something he had wanted to keep to himself.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m getting sick and tired of this outlaw stuff.\u201d Johnny muttered quietly. \u201cI only go along with it because of my share of the profits. Besides, we can\u2019t even hold on to all of our prisoners.\u201d And with that, Johnny left the room aggravated and feeling spiteful towards Curt.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Andy tucked his shirt back over his bruise and quickly followed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When he got in the cabin, Curt met him at the door. \u201cI need you to tie up our guest. Dan will grab him, and you tie his wrists together. Don\u2019t mess it up.\u201d He whispered to him quietly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Andy nodded, and went over to stand with his shoulder on the wall of the cabin.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, now that you have the check, when do you let my boys go? I upheld my part of the note, now you hold up yours,\u201d Ben demanded, though Hoss and Joe were somewhat disappointed that the Cavalry didn\u2019t come with him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat note, Mister Cartwright? The way I remember it, you loaned us this money for a while. Isn\u2019t that right, brothers?\u201d Curt said as he gave a little nod to Dan.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dan immediately leaped forward and held Ben\u2019s arms at his sides, while Andy walked over and tied Ben\u2019s hands in front of him. What Curt didn\u2019t know was that Andy had tied Ben\u2019s hands in such a way that the knot could be pulled apart at any time.<\/span>
\n\u00a0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 At this time, Adam was just getting to the edge of town. He figured that since no outlaw would want to be caught in the middle of town where an ambush could take place, the only other reasonable option was the outskirts of town. He walked Sport quickly around the edge of Virginia City, hoping that the outlaws hadn\u2019t gone somewhere else to meet his Pa.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Finally, when he got to the eastern edge, he noted some hoof prints in the mud. Seeing the little pine tree brand engraved in the print, he knew they belonged to Buck. The prints were leading into the woods, so he kicked Sport into a canter, desperately trying to hold on to some mane to keep his balance.\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 While Adam was riding through the woods again, Ben, Joe, and Hoss were being mounted onto their horses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGet them up there,\u201d Curt ordered. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to get this over with so we can go in town and collect our money.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dan just chuckled as he looked at their prisoners\u2019 faces.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAlright, boys, mount up. Dan, you grab the big man\u2019s horse. Rick, you get his Pa. Johnny and Andy, see if you can handle the kid without him escaping,\u201d Curt commanded. And with that, the group of men and horses rode off into the woods.<\/span>
\n\u00a0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam was riding Sport to the point of collapse. Between the freshly uncovered rocks that were sticking up from the ground and the slippery mud, Sport was having a hard time maneuvering through them, and Adam was having a difficult time staying in the saddle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 After a while, they reached the cabin again. Adam slid off of Sport\u2019s back and ran inside. Later he would have realized that this would have gotten him captured, had anyone been there. But now, in the heat of the moment, and out of a deep concern for his family\u2019s lives, getting in that cabin was all that mattered to him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He broke in the cabin door, hoping to have the element of surprise. But the surprise was on him, for the room was empty. On the table was a pistol that he easily recognized as his Pa\u2019s, so he grabbed it and put it in his own gun belt.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam left the cabin, desperate to find his loved ones. He checked the barn, the extra shack, and all of the surrounding grounds; but it was no use.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam, now aware that the pain in his shoulder and back was slowly growing, staggered back to Sport. With some great difficulty, he mounted once more, and started a search for tracks.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He finally found a group of tracks, about seven or eight horses he guessed, leading away from the cabin and into the woods. Adam couldn\u2019t understand. These tracks were not leading to Virginia City, or even toward the Ponderosa. The only thing Adam knew of in that direction was a deathly high cliff called Lover\u2019s Leap.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 With a powerful new fear for his family, he raced Sport through the woods. He knew of a shortcut to Lover\u2019s Leap, so he turned Sport off the trail and headed in a different direction.<\/span><\/p>\n

~CHAPTER SIX~<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 By now Curt and the rest of the group were almost to the deadly cliffs, and they were all getting kind of restless.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cKeep up back there!\u201d Curt barked at Andy and Johnny, who were starting to lag behind. Bannock was doing all he could to keep up with the horses, and Andy was slowing to let him catch up.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHere it is,\u201d Curt said as the area opened up into a clearing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The cliff was about twenty feet away. There was a large, semi-circle shaped clearing with the tree line as a barrier. There was a slow transition from the muddy and grassy wooded terrain to the hard, light brown, rocky terrain of the cliff. If you looked out over the cliff\u2019s edge, there was a large clump of rocks, some of them stained red.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDismount and stand your prisoners over there by that clump of trees,\u201d Curt called out as he pointed to a small group of trees about fifteen feet away.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Johnny, Andy, and Rick forced Ben, Joe and Hoss off of their horses, and shoved them to the trees. Then Andy and Rick walked back to stand near Curt; Johnny stood between Curt and their prisoners, with his back to Curt. Bannock stuck close to Andy, barring his teeth at anyone else.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDan, guard them,\u201d Curt ordered. He was about fifty feet away himself, and he didn\u2019t trust Johnny to get the job done, for he did not much trust his youngest brothers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dan moved over closer to Johnny, though still about ten feet away, and pointed his rifle at their prisoners to keep them in place.\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam rode through the woods as fast as he could. Sport was struggling to dodge the close trees. Eventually, Adam slowed Sport to a walk, and took him around to the right side of Lover\u2019s Leap, where a short hill took them to a small cliff that looked over the open area in front of Lover\u2019s Leap.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam dismounted and tied Sport to a nearby tree. Then he got down low to the ground, and crawled to the edge. He could see everything from up there. There was a lot of brush in front of him, so he could see them, but they couldn\u2019t see him. He would have to figure out how to use this to his advantage.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He heard two voices down below. He recognized them as Curt and Rick.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou got it?\u201d Curt said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I think. Are we really going to go through with this?\u201d Rick asked as he used his gun to point to the Cartwrights.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYes. You\u2019re not getting a conscience at the last minute are you?\u201d Curt said in aggravated tones.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rick shook his head as his eyes dropped to the ground.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGood,\u201d Curt stated with dissatisfaction in his voice. \u201cNow get over there with Dan and help him guard.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cRight, Curt,\u201d Rick answered in a very downtrodden tone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam had to act quickly if he wanted to help his family and he knew it. He pointed his gun very carefully at Dan\u2019s right arm and shot.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dan bent over and clutched at his arm as he dropped the rifle. Johnny ran over to help him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Curt reached for his gun, but he didn\u2019t know where to shoot.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t try it!\u201d Adam called and let out another shot, this time at the trees behind Curt\u2019s head.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Curt cautiously leaned over to whisper something to Rick that Adam couldn\u2019t hear. Then Rick dashed into the woods, too quickly for Adam to get out a shot after him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 After a few moments of making sure that Rick wasn\u2019t coming back with another gun, Adam dropped his pistol and turned to go. He was stopped by Rick\u2019s six-shooter in his face. \u201cMove, Cartwright, and you\u2019re a dead man,\u201d he said in a commanding voice, and he motioned for Adam to start walking down the hill in front of him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam silently obeyed, mentally kicking himself for firing that last shot, alerting his enemies of his position.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As Adam and Rick walked down to the cliff, Ben, Hoss, and Joe were getting ready to carry out their own plan of action.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As Adam turned the corner, Ben noticed his wounds. \u201cAdam! What happened, boy?\u201d He called to his son.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m alright, Pa.\u201d Adam managed to get out, though he really wasn\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhere did you find him?\u201d Andy asked in surprise. He had not expected Adam to return so quickly after escaping… and without a posse.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHe was up in that clump of brush. He was getting ready to run, but I caught him just before he got away,\u201d Rick answered with a hint of pride.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGet him tied up over there with the others,\u201d Curt said as he walked slowly over to Dan. He picked up the rifle that Dan had dropped, and walked back to stand in the open next to the horses.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDan, get out of the way.\u201d Curt commanded. He lifted up the rifle, aiming carefully at Adam, and cocked it. \u201cI\u2019m going to get rid of this one first.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam slowly glanced up at the gun, beads of sweat rolling down his face.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Suddenly, Ben tore his ropes off and pushed Adam out of the way. At the same time the bullet hit the trees behind them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Quickly, Ben loosened the ropes on Hoss\u2019s hands. Before he got to Joe however, Curt shouted, \u201cHold it!\u201d and he let out a shot close to Ben\u2019s head. Everyone stood perfectly still.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m going to do this the way it should have been done.\u201d Curt cocked the rifle once more, and held it up to his eye to look down the barrel.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cCurt! Don\u2019t! You might\u2026\u201d Andy pleaded and he lunged at his brother.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 With one effort, Hoss broke his bonds and shoved his family out of harm\u2019s way.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Johnny, who was right next to where Curt was aiming, tried to get out of the way, but his attempts were futile. The shot rang out, and he fell to the ground. Andy, Rick, and Dan rushed to his side. Blood was seeping through his shirt. His face had turned a deathly white.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Curt stood perfectly still, shocked at what he had done. The rifle slipped from his hand, making a cracking sound as it hit the rock beneath it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWait!\u201d Andy called. \u201cHe\u2019s alive! But we\u2019ve got to get him to a doctor!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAre you sure?\u201d Rick asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOf course he\u2019s sure!\u201d Dan said with hope in his voice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ben quietly walked over and picked the gun up from the ground. \u201cC\u2019mon.\u201d he said quietly as he led Curt to a horse.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Curt put up no resistance, but kept looking at his younger brother\u2019s face as he mounted and let Ben tie his hands.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019d best get into town.\u201d Ben said calmly. \u201cSomeone lift him up into my saddle.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Andy and Rick gingerly lifted their brother into the saddle with Ben.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When they were sure that he was on all right, everyone else mounted up, and they all rode in to Virginia City.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When they reached the outskirts, they divided into two groups. Hoss and Joe would make sure that Curt and Rick got to the sheriff\u2019s office, and Ben would take Johnny, Adam, and Dan over to Doc Martin\u2019s.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cMister Cartwright?\u201d Andy said as he turned to face him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat is it son?\u201d Ben replied.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDo you\u2026 Do you think I could stay with Johnny for a while? Just so he\u2019s not alone,\u201d Andy pleaded.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ben looked down at the sick boy in front of him. \u201cI think that would be just fine, Andy,\u201d he said, and he watched Andy gratefully ride over to be next to his brother.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joe and Hoss turned with their group, and left.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As Ben, Adam, and Andy rode along towards the Doc\u2019s house with Bannock close behind, Adam decided that now was the time to speak.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAndy\u2026 thanks,\u201d Adam said as he shot a quick smile to his former captor.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t mention it,\u201d Andy replied.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When they got to the Doc\u2019s house, Doc Martin was already standing outside with the deputy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cBen Cartwright! What do you mean, letting your boy race through the streets shouting his delirium through the town?\u201d the man said with great disappointment.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAdam?\u201d Ben asked as he shot him \u2018the look\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam just shrugged, and shot a pitiful smile at Doc Martin.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cPaul, I need you to hurry. I\u2019ve got a very sick boy right here. He\u2019s been shot.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOh, my! Bring him in right away and I\u2019ll see what I can do.\u201d The Doc urged.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019ll be alright now, Andy,\u201d Adam reassured.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Once Johnny was taken care of, Dan walked into the room to see about his arm. The Doc looked at it, wrapped it up, and told him it would be fine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 After a while, Adam sauntered into the little room where the Doc stood ready for him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNow, Adam, let\u2019s see about those scratches.\u201d The doc said as he lifted the shirt off of Adam\u2019s back. \u201cWell, there doesn\u2019t seem to be much of an infection. How long have those scratches been there?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAbout four days,\u201d Adam replied.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cFour days?\u201d the doc asked in astonishment. \u201cWho wrapped your arm up like that?\u201d the doc asked insistently.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, I did. Why, is there something wrong with it?\u201d Andy said before Adam had a chance to answer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Doc walked over to Andy and looked him over. \u201cMy boy, wrapping his arm like this is the best thing you could have done short of a liniment. Where did you acquire such knowledge?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, my father was a doctor. I guess I learned from him.\u201d Andy humbly answered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, I\u2019m looking for an assistant to help me out. Would you like to help me out once in a while? I\u2019d be grateful. You wouldn\u2019t do a whole lot at first, but I see great potential in your future. You might even become as good as me,\u201d the doctor offered with a friendly smile.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Andy\u2019s face lit up at the thought of it. \u201cI\u2019d like that sir, but first,\u201d he said, and his face dulled down again,\u201c first there\u2019s this matter with the law that\u2019s got to be taken care of.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, the job\u2019s here whenever you want it,\u201d The Doc said, and he went back to Adam\u2019s wounds.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThank you, sir,\u201d Andy said, and he walked out the door to go see the deputy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYa\u2019 know,\u201d Adam pondered as soon as Andy disappeared through the door. \u201cit\u2019s amazing how different two sets of brothers can be.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 After a minute, Andy and the deputy left for town.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know about that, Adam.\u201d Ben stated as he listened to the hoof beats get softer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you mean, Pa?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve all got something in common.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam looked at him with a confused stare.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou all share a brotherly love.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

THE END<\/span><\/center> <\/p>\n
<\/div>\n

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

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

Summary: When Adam goes looking for a wolf, he finds more trouble than he bargained for as he is captured and held for ransom.
\nRating and Reader Alerts: PG, some violence
\nWords:\u00a0 17,300<\/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_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,1005,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-actionadventure","category-adam-cartwright","category-drama","wpcat-2-id","wpcat-1005-id","wpcat-23-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":461,"today_views":0},"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":46841,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=46841","url_meta":{"origin":47003,"position":0},"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":40802,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=40802","url_meta":{"origin":47003,"position":1},"title":"Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch (A Bonanza Really Short Story) by JC","author":"JC","date":"December 24, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The Cartwright brothers \u2013 you know them, you love them, but let\u2019s face it \u2013 after all these years things have gotten pretty predictable around the Ponderosa. It\u2019s the same old story in a nutshell... Rating: G WC: 563","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\/2022\/11\/The-Saga-of-Annie-O-Toole.jpg?fit=600%2C472&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/The-Saga-of-Annie-O-Toole.jpg?fit=600%2C472&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/The-Saga-of-Annie-O-Toole.jpg?fit=600%2C472&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":45170,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=45170","url_meta":{"origin":47003,"position":2},"title":"Water (by VRON)","author":"Preserving Their Legacy Author","date":"March 25, 2000","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: Just brief musings from Ben. (Written in response to a challenge some time last year.) (actually years ago) Rating:\u00a0 G\u00a0 \u00a0Words:\u00a0 1,045","rel":"","context":"In "Ben Cartwright"","block_context":{"text":"Ben Cartwright","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1004"},"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":45151,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=45151","url_meta":{"origin":47003,"position":3},"title":"Pharoah (by VRON)","author":"Preserving Their Legacy Author","date":"March 24, 2000","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: A young Adam on the trail west has his first pet and learns a valuable lesson. Rating:\u00a0 G\u00a0 \u00a0Words:\u00a0 1,375","rel":"","context":"In "Ben \/ Adam"","block_context":{"text":"Ben \/ Adam","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1016"},"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":45172,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=45172","url_meta":{"origin":47003,"position":4},"title":"You Ain’t My Brother (by VRON)","author":"Preserving Their Legacy Author","date":"March 25, 2000","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: Sometimes it's hard being the eldest! Rating:\u00a0 G\u00a0 \u00a0Words, 1,210","rel":"","context":"In "Brothers"","block_context":{"text":"Brothers","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1009"},"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":46839,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=46839","url_meta":{"origin":47003,"position":5},"title":"Mama’s Angel (by Adamfan16)","author":"Preserving Their Legacy Author","date":"December 4, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 See the Cartwrights through the eyes of a Christmas angel Ben carved. Raging:\u00a0 G Words: 1,325","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":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/12436"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=47003"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47003\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/41001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=47003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=47003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=47003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}