{"id":47247,"date":"2004-12-31T16:30:44","date_gmt":"2004-12-31T21:30:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=47247"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:09:12","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:09:12","slug":"the-box-by-val","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=47247","title":{"rendered":"The Box (by Val)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Story Summary:\u00a0 Hoss is included in a posse that must track down cattle rustlers, and finds himself at cross purposes with some of his neighbours.
\nRating and Reader Alerts: PG, mild curse word and mature theme
\n<\/span>Words: 9,700
\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

The Box<\/span><\/strong><\/center>Prologue\u2026<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

My name is John Stephens, but folks have most always called me Jack.\u00a0 I\u2019ve heard it said that when wind moves through grass it whispers.\u00a0 Maybe it\u2019s the sound of a whisper and maybe not.\u00a0 I\u2019ve had that sound in my ears, and all the others off the range, for so long now I\u2019ve got to not thinking too much about it.\u00a0 There\u2019s a danger to ignoring anything, I s\u2019pose, but there\u2019s so many other sounds to be heard out there that it\u2019s pretty easy to get distracted.\u00a0 I reckon you could say that sounds on the range abound.\u00a0 There\u2019s the sounds of birds singing from their perches.\u00a0 There\u2019s the sounds of flies buzzing and crickets chirping. There\u2019s the sounds of coyotes and wolves howling.\u00a0 In a good year, there might even be the sound of water.\u00a0 Most important, there\u2019s the sound of cattle. This land ain\u2019t much for farmin\u2019 but it\u2019s good for grazin\u2019, so cattle is a constant concern and a constant part of the scenery.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Weren\u2019t quite so constant when I first come out here, but there was work for the likes of me all the same.\u00a0 That was a long time ago.\u00a0 I\u2019d come from the east along the California Trail intending to make for Sacremento, but once I hit the Sierras, I kinda lost interest in moving on.\u00a0 Them trails were a hard life, and plenty that took \u2018em at the start never did see the other end of \u2018em for one reason or another.\u00a0 Lots of those folks died or went back where they comed from.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Cattle ranching was just coming on in the west back then.\u00a0 The mines were coming into their own too, but working in a hole never was anything I could want, even with all that money to be had.\u00a0 I started here as a cowboy and I been the same with one outfit or another all the 30 years since, and I still work along, though I\u2019m not quite so spry any more.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

When I first come out here, I worked a place called \u201cPonderosa\u201d in the Carson Valley.\u00a0 It was a big spread and they hired on cowhands the likes of me and treated us all fair and square, so long as you did your job.\u00a0 Them that owned that place was the Cartwrights.\u00a0 The old man came out west quite some years before me, and before just about everyone else too.\u00a0 Mr. Ben Cartwright and his two little \u2018uns be the only ones in that wilderness for a long time.\u00a0 That was when Nevada weren\u2019t a state and was still part of New Mexico.\u00a0 Those were changeable times with all that squabbling and manoeuvring politicians like to do.\u00a0 You didn\u2019t have to take a step before you\u2019d find yourself standing first in New Mexico, then Utah Territory and then Nevada.\u00a0 Anyhow, Ben Cartwright brought his sons with him, bought up his place, and built up one of the richest spreads on some of the best land in the territory.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

I never did set eyes on the sons until they were grown men or close to it, but I remember them well enough.\u00a0 There was three of \u2018em when it was all said and done. The oldest son and the old man were hand-in glove on running things, you might say.\u00a0 I was closest in age to the youngest, but I am reminded of that middle boy the best because he was a real hand with animals, and I stuck to him thinking he could learn me the most.\u00a0 He could be cowboy one minute, farrier the next, and doctoring whatever critters come along, whether they were ranch-bread or wild; he could track man or beast through any kind of land.\u00a0 Some people is just like that and can do anything they set their minds to.\u00a0 After a while, I found out I was pretty much just an ordinary cowboy, but I stayed close to that middle son all the same \u2018cause of the three, he had the easiest way about him.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

I told you what a concern cattle was for folks here.\u00a0 It was a real source of wealth for folks like the Cartwrights, just like gold and silver were for other folks.\u00a0 Where there is a source of wealth, you can pretty much guarantee there\u2019ll be someone around who\u2019s just greedy and low enough to try and steal it rather than earn their own way.\u00a0 One of the things you learn the quickest out here is that there\u2019s a code in the west concerning horses and cattle, and it don\u2019t always have a lot to do with courts and judges and lawyering and the like.\u00a0 You can sum it up real quick and simple too:\u00a0 you don\u2019t take what ain\u2019t yours and if you do take what ain\u2019t yours you risk being caught and discovering the terrible consequences.\u00a0 There was very little regard for rustlers, and they pretty much got strung up where they was caught.\u00a0 That was a lot less courtesy than what was given to more respectable criminals, such as your murderers and your regular bank-robbing type of thieves.\u00a0 But even in these kinds of matters, things don\u2019t always work out in just the way you think they\u2019re goin\u2019 to.\u00a0 I mind this story, when I worked out Ponderosa way\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/i>
\nPart I:\u00a0 At the ranch\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

A grey-haired rider sat his horse straight and proud, watching.\u00a0 His gaze started with the cattle, and then went past them to a corral, and then to a large house set back against the horizon.\u00a0 Watching.\u00a0 A good part of the job was watching. Ben Cartwright had told each of his sons this at one time or another.\u00a0 Today, however, his own attention drifted; his gaze was contemplative.\u00a0 Cattle rustling had always been a problem, but lately it had worsened and more than a couple of ranchers were frustrated by the efforts of what was clearly an organized association of thieves.\u00a0 Hearing the sound of horse\u2019s hooves from behind him, he shifted his weight in the saddle and turned just slightly to see his oldest son ride up.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPa, as far as we can tell, we\u2019ve lost about 50 from the north herd all told,\u201d the son reported.\u00a0 \u201cGarrod Lindsay and Thomas McCleary rode out from their places to meet me; they\u2019ve lost a lot too.\u00a0 I tell ya, Pa, when these boys are caught, there\u2019s gonna be trouble.\u00a0 Garrod was shaking he was so angry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRustling happens all the time.\u00a0 It\u2019s a part of ranching that\u2019s never going to go away.\u00a0 Between one thing and another, we\u2019ve had cattle go off in bigger numbers than we\u2019ve lost this time around.\u00a0 But it\u2019s the smaller ranchers, like Garrod Lindsay, that are going to suffer through this and I can\u2019t blame them for being angry.\u00a0 Those thieves have been rustling a little bit from all directions over a period of time, probably thinking they\u2019ll be inconspicuous.\u00a0 Problem for the thieves is that when you\u2019re stealing slow and steady like that, you gotta have some place to put them \u2018til you\u2019ve got enough and you\u2019re ready to move out.\u00a0 They\u2019ve got too many now to hide \u2018em for any great length of time.\u00a0 They\u2019ll have to drive \u2018em out soon.\u201d\u00a0 Ben removed his watch from his vest pocket and glanced down at it.\u00a0 \u201cDid you see Hoss on the way in?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam smiled, \u201cYup, and he had his shadow with him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben laughed and looked out across the landscape again.\u00a0 \u201cThat boy has found his mentor in Hoss.\u00a0 Although I\u2019m not entirely sure that Hoss appreciates tripping over the lad the way he\u2019s had too!\u00a0 Let\u2019s go.\u201d Both men turned their horses and rode toward the house.<\/span><\/p>\n

~~~–~~~–~~~<\/span><\/p>\n

People are often over-quick to judge another person by what is on the outside.\u00a0 Hoss Cartwright\u2019s sheer size won him some friends and gained him some enemies.\u00a0 Fair-weather friends admired his physical strength and occasionally used it to their own advantages. It was not uncommon for Hoss to find himself helping with heavy loads or bailing these friends out in their petty squabbles.\u00a0 His position as a Cartwright fuelled their affections, for who would not want the friendship of a man whose protection was easily tapped through his good nature, and who had the additional quality of family wealth and position?\u00a0 The gaze of his enemies, on the other hand, was tinted green; they saw the same things in this man that the friends saw, and hated him for having them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019s closest friends and his family recognized that there was a bigness to him that went beyond his physical size.\u00a0 He was as capable and had all the same capacities as his brothers and his father, and this placed them in accord with one another, but it was their separate emphasis on one thing over another that made each a little bit different from the others.\u00a0 His approach to life was much more intuitive than his father\u2019s or his oldest brother\u2019s, but more sedate and reflective than his younger brother\u2019s.\u00a0 Like all of the Cartwrights, he had a deep sense of right and wrong and strong faith.\u00a0 He was compassionate, loving and gentle, but in all truth, he also enjoyed a good fist fight or wrestling match.\u00a0 Hoss took pleasure in the company of other people, but was less disturbed, confounded and perplexed by the natural world.\u00a0 He would often read the headlines of the Territorial Enterprise in astonishment that men and women could treat each other so badly, but then he would turn his mind over to what mattered to him the most:\u00a0 the land and his family.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Like his father, Hoss also gazed out across the Ponderosa on this day and quietly contemplated the circumstances he and his family now found themselves dealing with.\u00a0 A young man, not much more than a boy, was beside him.\u00a0 He was a little younger than Hoss\u2019s brother Joe, and if asked, Hoss would have noted that this boy had the additional quality of being a good deal quieter.\u00a0 \u201cWell, it\u2019s the darndest thing,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 \u201cI cain\u2019t make head nor tail of it.\u00a0 I know Pa\u2019s thinking on this.\u00a0 He\u2019s convinced they\u2019re hidin\u2019 out and the Ponderosa being so big and spread out, there\u2019s challenge enough in keepin\u2019 an eye on all its corners, never mind helpin\u2019 to watch out for the sake of our neighbours.\u00a0 I have to get down to stretch.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss dismounted and walked a few steps while he ran his hand along his horse\u2019s side.\u00a0 He crouched down and sifted sandy soil between his fingers and then stood and looked up into the sun.\u00a0 \u201cNope,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI just cain\u2019t figure on how they\u2019ve managed to get clean away.\u00a0 I\u2019ve tracked and I\u2019ve trailed, and everything comes up a dead-ender.\u00a0 But we\u2019ll get \u2018em soon enough.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou reckon they\u2019re from hereabouts, Mr. Hoss?\u201d asked the young man.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI reckon that if they are, they\u2019re not going to be from hereabouts for too much longer.\u00a0 If they want to get away, they\u2019re gonna have to move on soon,\u201d said Hoss.\u00a0 He climbed back up onto his horse.\u00a0 \u201cLets git along then, Jack.\u00a0 We\u2019ve some distance to ride before either of us sees dinner or a warm blanket.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As they rode back to the ranch house, Hoss thought over the young man\u2019s question.\u00a0 Were they locals, and who would be so desperate that they would steal from their neighbours?\u00a0 It had happened in the past.\u00a0 The west could be a hard place to live, and circumstances could make or break men quickly.\u00a0 As an early arrival to the territory, his father had chosen land wisely and with little competition.\u00a0 The Ponderosa had water and it had graze and forage.\u00a0 Other ranchers were raising cattle on land that was much less ideal, and they struggled.\u00a0 On the other hand, outsiders might be easily tempted.\u00a0 As strangers they could blend into a town the size of Virginia City, and if they were spending their time on the range, then they could hide themselves or lose anyone looking for them with little effort.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss was no farther along to a solution when he reached the house than he was when he and his companion had ridden across the range.\u00a0 He tied his horse up, walked to the door and squeezed the latch open.\u00a0 As he opened the door and stepped into the great room, he could feel the warmth cast from the fireplace and the stove.\u00a0 His hands and his face tingled with the change in temperature.\u00a0 The sight of that fireplace was always one of the most welcoming things on the Ponderosa to Hoss.\u00a0 From the time that he was a little boy, it meant comfort and security.\u00a0 Hoss\u2019s brothers sat one on each side of it. His father stood at the front of the hearth poking at the logs, pushing the embers down and making an open space to feed more wood to the flame.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou fellers are lookin\u2019 mighty comfortable, like you been settin\u2019 there a spell.\u00a0 Did you git out to do anything today, or am I the only Cartwright earnin\u2019 his keep?\u201d Hoss grinned as he shrugged out of his jacket and hung it and his hat on the pegs by the door.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHoss!\u201d laughed Ben, \u201cI was beginning to wonder where you\u2019d go to.\u00a0 What took you so long comin\u2019 back in?\u201d\u00a0 Ben laid the poker in its stand by the hearth.\u00a0 \u201cWe were just discussing our disappearing cattle problem.\u00a0 Joseph, get your feet off the table!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe Cartwright quickly touched his feet to the floor.\u00a0 Adam and Hoss could not help but notice the cheeky grin and slight blush on Joe\u2019s face.\u00a0 They had long since become accustomed to the idea that any conversation that included Ben and their younger brother was likely to be peppered with the occasional \u201cJoseph!\u201d followed by whatever reprimand Joe had earned.\u00a0 Even as a young adult, Joe was mischievous and Adam was convinced that his antics were often an intentional attempt to stir things up a bit rather than accidental misdeeds.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd are the three of you any closer to a solution than you were when you first cozied up to that fire?\u201d Hoss sat down with his family.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, we didn\u2019t manage to figure anything out,\u201d said Adam, \u201cbut we have had some visitors who are just as anxious as we are to clear this little problem up.\u00a0 Some of the other ranchers, including the Lindsays and the McClearys, have had as much of this as they\u2019re willing to take, and they\u2019re planning on organizing a search to track the cattle rustlers down.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cWe have been trying to track \u2018em, but anytime we\u2019ve come across a trail that we think ain\u2019t one of ours, we\u2019ve lost the dad burned thing.\u00a0 They only take a few beef at a time, drive \u2018em through scrub, double back, sometimes more than once, and then brush parts of their trails.\u00a0 There\u2019s no rhyme or reason to the direction they seem to head off into either, \u2018cause its different just \u2018bout every time.\u201d Hoss looked around at his father and his brothers.\u00a0 What are these boys figurin\u2019 on doing to catch up with the rustlers?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor one thing,\u201d smiled Joe, \u201cthey want the best tracker in Nevada to join them!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Little Joe, if I run into him I\u2019ll let him know.\u00a0 What else?\u201d Hoss sat down on the settee and stretched out his legs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey want a commitment from us for men and horses\u201d Ben said.\u00a0 I\u2019m inclined to give them both, plus the best tracker in Nevada!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Pa, gettin\u2019 everyone together for the job may be the best way of goin\u2019 about it, but we\u2019ve got a lot of land to cover and there\u2019s no tellin\u2019 where to start.\u201d Hoss stretched his legs out a little farther towards the fire.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam got up and stood above a map lying on the table in front of the fireplace. \u201cWell there may be some tellin\u2019 where to start.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss leaned forward to see as Adam crouched down and ran his finger along the map line that delineated the Ponderosa\u2019s northern boundary.\u00a0 \u201cGerrod thinks they may very well have come close to running into the rustlers a couple of nights ago,\u201d said Adam.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s two small spreads that meet our boundary in the northwest: Gerrod\u2019s and Thomas McCleary\u2019s. They started posting night guards on their property lines.\u00a0 We haven\u2019t got much cattle up there now, except for what has spread out and strayed.\u00a0 Once you get off the downside of the rim and start moving northeast, the land gets quite a bit more rugged.\u00a0 There\u2019s no real graze up there, but there\u2019s enough forage to hold them for short periods of time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen I reckon we can start right about where your finger is, Adam.\u201d Hoss leaned back against the settee for what was to be the last peaceful evening he was to experience for some time to come.\u00a0<\/span>
\nPart II:\u00a0 On the trail\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Ben was generous in his responses to them that called for help.\u00a0 He set the posse up with whatever supplies were needed, and a remuda so that they could track and trail steady with fresh horses.\u00a0 Mr. Hoss was for keepin\u2019 the posse small.\u00a0 Less conspicuous, he said, but there ended up to be thirteen of us altogether.\u00a0 That surely is an unlucky number.\u00a0 Mr. Hoss, old Hallelujah and me went from the Ponderosa. There was Mr. Lindsay, Mr. Andrews, Mr. McCleary and Mr. Patrick, and couple of the other ranchers from about and some of the hired hands.\u00a0 There were eleven men out ridin\u2019 including Mr. Hoss, and then me and Hallelujah followin\u2019 behind.\u00a0 Hallelujah went along as camp cook and Mr. Ben let me go out to look after the horses.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Those first few days didn\u2019t go on too well.\u00a0 That land up where we was is a bit less hospital than what you get closer to the Tahoe.\u00a0 It was hot and windy.\u00a0 That\u2019s not good for finding and keeping to a set of tracks.\u00a0 The wind fills in the steps and the heat dries out the dung real quick so as you can\u2019t easily guess how long has passed since either was left behind.\u00a0 But as soon as we picked up their trail, we were doggin\u2019 them thieves the whole time, and they soon came to realize that.\u00a0 Pretty soon they wasn\u2019t stealin\u2019 anymore, they was on the run only they were also greedy and didn\u2019t want to give up their herd.\u00a0 Mr. Hoss said that was what made them vulnerable.\u00a0 I weren\u2019t too sure what \u2018vulnerable\u2019 meant but it didn\u2019t sound good for the rustlers.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The company we was keepin\u2019 wasn\u2019t real comfortable.\u00a0 Men get real edgy-like when they\u2019re onto their quarry and they can all but taste it.\u00a0 Now that I think on it, those last days didn\u2019t go on too well either.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Hoss dismounted and looked at the ground in front of him.\u00a0 They had spent the first day sorting out which tracks belonged to ranchers and ranch hands, which tracks probably belonged to the rustlers and how long it had been since the tracks had been laid down, and which direction the posse should be heading off in. These were not easy tasks and the weather conditions had not contributed to making it any easier.\u00a0 On the third day, the wind had died and the temperatures were cooler.\u00a0 The tracks were talking to Hoss in ways they hadn\u2019t since this whole thing began.\u00a0 These tracks told Hoss that the men they were chasing weren\u2019t as focused on hiding as they were before.\u00a0 There were no broken spots where the trail had been rubbed out, and no trails leading in circles.\u00a0 \u201cThese are running-away tracks,\u201d thought Hoss.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d said Garrod.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you think?\u201d Garrod Lindsay had long since stopped hopping down off his horse every time Hoss did.\u00a0 He had also stopped trying to second-guess Hoss\u2019s interpretation of the trail.\u00a0 He had always heard that this man was better than most at finding and sticking to a set of good tracks, and now he knew it for certain.\u00a0 He waited patiently while Hoss looked around.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cStill the same.\u00a0 Three horses and about five beeves.\u201d said Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cThey figure they\u2019ve earned their gold collectin\u2019 and drivin\u2019 them cattle, and they mean to make good on \u2018em. The five they have with them now is just a small part of what they\u2019ve managed to get away with so far; they\u2019ve gotta be sittin\u2019 tight in the vicinity.\u00a0 The land is good enough to support the cattle for the time they\u2019re going to be here, but rough enough to hide in.\u00a0 It\u2019s almost like they know the area well enough to have figured on all of that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell Hoss, I kinda get the feelin\u2019 you think these rustlers are local boys,\u201d said John Patrick.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re not gonna suggest that one of our good neighbours is a thief, are you?\u00a0 That\u2019s a strong accusation, Hoss.\u201d\u00a0 Patrick was an acquaintance of Ben Cartwright\u2019s, and Hoss had never spent much time with him outside of Ben\u2019s company.\u00a0 Hoss knew that his father had conducted some business with this man, but there had never been any more than commerce between the Patrick family and the Carwrights.\u00a0 In keeping with his nature, Hoss put his own indifference to John Patrick down to a lack of common interests, and assumed that this often-sullen rancher was as good and well-meaning as most other folks.<\/span><\/p>\n

John Patrick had not had much to say on this trip, and the tone of his voice as he spoke now was unpleasant.\u00a0 Hoss looked over at him in surprise.\u00a0 \u201cI ain\u2019t accusin\u2019 anyone of anything, Mr. Patrick, but I ain\u2019t seen or heard of cattle being grazed or driven through here that don\u2019t appear to belong to one outfit or another.\u00a0 All them stolen steer can\u2019t have just disappeared into thin air.\u00a0 These boys we\u2019re chasin\u2019 have got five head with them and they know we\u2019re after them, and they appear to be sure of where they\u2019re heading.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss got back up onto his horse.\u00a0 This wasn\u2019t the first time he had felt uncomfortable with this group of men on this particular trip.\u00a0 What he wanted right now was to think quietly by himself so that he could reflect on everything.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re losing the light; we may as well camp back there by that spring where we left Hallelujah and Jack.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThem rustlers will get too far ahead of us.\u201d Garrod looked towards the setting sun.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re losing the light too.\u00a0 They ain\u2019t going anywhere in a hurry.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss turned his horse south and rode back, with the rest of the posse following him. John Patrick and Garrod Lindsay lagged slightly behind the others.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou think he\u2019s right about these rustlers?\u00a0 You think they\u2019re hidin\u2019 out near somewhere, or that maybe it\u2019s someone who knows the land or is getting a little help from local folks,\u201d Garrod looked over at Patrick.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got that part wrong, I\u2019m sure. Can you honestly tell me that there\u2019s a neighbour of ours you\u2019d care to accuse?\u00a0 We ain\u2019t got time to waste with theories and riding around in circles.\u00a0 We owe it to ourselves to catch up with these thieves and see justice done and end this thing.\u00a0 After two hard winters in a row, there\u2019s plenty of ranchers who are in a tight spot.\u00a0 The Cartwrights can afford to absorb their losses.\u00a0 But how many of us can?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll admit, I\u2019ve been strugglin\u2019.\u00a0 The bank pretty near owns me as it is and if I lose too much more of my herd to these thieves, I\u2019ll be completely done.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got a family to worry about.\u201d\u00a0 The look of concern was etched into Garrod Lindsay\u2019s weathered face like engraved lines on gold jewellery.\u00a0 There was a similar look on John Patrick\u2019s face too, and his concerns were no less weighty than the ones that were driving Garrod Lindsay, but John Patrick\u2019s worries were of a different kind.\u00a0 The focus of both men, however, was survival.<\/span><\/p>\n

~~~–~~~–~~~<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright had provided the services of one of the finest trail cooks in Nevada.\u00a0 Hallelujah could cook up a storm just about anywhere he found himself with even the most meagre of supply caches.\u00a0 That evening, the members of the posse enjoyed their dinner and the hospitality of the Cartwrights, and then settled in for the evening.\u00a0 Warbags and bedrolls were carried over to the campfire as each man found a spot to bed down for the night.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is as much comfort in a campfire for cowboys as there is in the hearth of a house for most other people.\u00a0 The campfire is a place to gather at the end of the day, to eat the evening meal and share each other\u2019s company.\u00a0 It is a place to discuss the day\u2019s events, to play music and sing, and for yarning.\u00a0 Occasionally a man who knew his letters would read aloud by whatever light there was, but many of the stories came from the memories and the imaginations of the tellers.\u00a0 Some of the stories were true stories of the town, the trail and the range passed from one neighbour to the next. Some were designed as jokes, and some were meant to send chills down the spines of the listeners, and some were just plain gossip.<\/span><\/p>\n

On this particular evening, as a whiskey jug made its way around the campfire and each man splashed a dram or so into his tin cup, the conversation drifted from topic to topic.\u00a0 Initially talk was focused on the economics of cattle ranching, the bad winters, water supplies, the damage inflicted on the land by the mines and the other challenges that ranchers in Nevada were facing.\u00a0 Soon, as part of the natural flow of conversation, the topic became their current problem and the reason this posse was riding together in the first place.\u00a0 The subject of the rustlers opened a floodgate of wrath that surprised Hoss with its vengeful nature.\u00a0 It was clear to Hoss that there was more than the thieving motivating these men to seek out those who had stolen from them.\u00a0 It was also clear that the original accusation of \u201ccattle thieves\u201d was being expanded such that every setback these ranchers had experienced over the last 24 months was directly attributable to the cattle thieves.\u00a0 It made Hoss extremely uncomfortable, and he and Hallelujah exchanged a quick glance of concern.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHey Garrod,\u201d said Hallelujah, changing the subject,\u00a0 \u201cI heard Jim Delaney died.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYup.\u00a0 He drowned.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDrowned!\u00a0 How\u2019d he manage to do that?\u00a0 There ain\u2019t moren\u2019 a thimble full of water up to his place.\u201d John Patrick called across the fire.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s how I heard it, and that\u2019s all I know,\u201d Garrod said as he unrolled his blankets.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI heard of a feller who nearly drowned in these parts,\u201d said Hallelujah.\u00a0 \u201cIt was Donald Bradley over Carson City way.\u00a0 He had just brung his cattle in and had the horses up to the troughs for a drink.\u00a0 He took one step back without havin\u2019 a look behind him and his foot landed on the pointed end of a spade.\u00a0 Well the handle flipped up and smacked him in the back of the head.\u00a0 Knocked him out cold and he fell face down into the trough.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat saved him?\u201d asked Jack.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh well, them horses was real dry after being out on the range all day and they drank enough water quick-like out of the trough to save Donny from gettin\u2019 his lungs full.\u201d Hallelujah plopped down by the fire and began to pick his teeth with a splinter of wood.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIs that a true story, Hallelujah?\u201d Jack looked at the old man incredulously.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s as true a story as many you\u2019ll hear around a campfire, boy,\u201d laughed Hoss.\u00a0 At that, the rest of the men smiled or chuckled softly.\u00a0 \u201cAnyway,\u201d Hoss continued, \u201cJim Delaney weren\u2019t home when he drowned.\u00a0 He was fishing up to Lake Tahoe,\u201d said Hoss as he too settled by the fire.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI heard ol\u2019 Jim was burried with a pick and a shovel in his casket.\u201d Thomas McCleary took a sip from his cup and leaned back on his elbows.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWas he a miner?\u201d asked Jack.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh no, boy!\u201d laughed Carl Andrews. \u201cA few years back Jim read a bunch of strange accounts in one of them eastern newspapers of folks who were thought dead but weren\u2019t really, and then they got buried alive – Jim had a right unnatural fear of ending up the same way ever since.\u00a0 He had it put down on paper by a real lawyer that when he died they should put a pick and shovel in with him, just in case he weren\u2019t as dead as everyone figured on and he needed to get out of his grave.\u00a0 I\u2019m surprised his widow agreed to do it for him, even if it was his last request.\u00a0 Seems kind of blasphemous and she\u2019s a good God-fearin\u2019 woman.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s any blaspheme in it, Carl, just foolishness.\u00a0 But then, Jim always was a might scatter-brained,\u201d said McCleary.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJim was one of the early settlers out here, like we was, Hoss.\u201d Garrod Lindsay stood up as he was speaking.\u00a0 He paced around the outside of the circle of men gathered around the campfire.\u00a0 \u201cBut I reckon you don\u2019t remember too much of those days.\u00a0 When we got out here, your Pa was as poor as the rest of us.\u00a0 All he had was the wagon he was drivin\u2019 and you two young \u2018uns.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI remember some of the early years, sir, but I was just a little shaver when Pa and Adam and me got to the Ponderosa.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It was as though Garrod had not even heard Hoss speak.\u00a0 \u201cAnd just look at your Pa now,\u201d Garrod stooped, picked up the whiskey jug and poured more into his cup.\u00a0 \u201cPowerful man, your Pa is.\u00a0 I reckon he\u2019s one of the most powerful men in the Carson Valley.\u00a0 What\u2019s more, I reckon he\u2019s probably one of the most powerful men in Nevada Territory.\u00a0 And rich too.\u00a0 Powerful and rich.\u201d\u00a0 The men around the fire grew very quiet and all eyes were on Garrod Lindsay.\u00a0 His speech was slightly slurred and the tone of his voice had a bitter edge to it.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re an heir to all of that, Hoss.\u00a0 I wish I could say I was leavin\u2019 behind for my sons even a fraction of what you and your family has got.\u201d Garrod looked into his cup, but instead of drinking from it, he poured the liquor onto the ground.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m gonna turn in now.\u201d\u00a0 He tossed his cup into a bucket and stumbled slightly as he walked towards his bedroll.<\/span><\/p>\n

~~~–~~~–~~~<\/span><\/p>\n

It was still dark when the men of the posse began to rise in the morning.\u00a0 The smell of bacon cooking and coffee brewing was enough to stir most of them, and those who were not so easily disturbed were awakened by their neighbours.\u00a0 Hoss rose as soon as Hallelujah did.\u00a0 As he wound his pocket watch, he considered the conversations he had heard and over-heard during the course of the last few days.\u00a0 There had been these moments of tension similar to the one the evening before throughout this trip.\u00a0 It was clear to Hoss that he had been singled out as someone who was needed, but not necessarily wanted.\u00a0 He did not understand the root of it all; he did not know that there was a subversive force working its way through the posse, whispering into the ears of each man, planting thoughts of fear, discontent and retribution.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know that John Patrick had a vested interest in ensuring that this gang of rustlers was either never found, or that it was caught red-handed and its membership shown quick summary justice so that the thieves had as little time as possible to tell their own stories.<\/span><\/p>\n

The men were mounted and on their way just as soon as the sun began to peak over the horizon.\u00a0 They rode for about half an hour before they picked up the trail again, and about twenty minutes after that, Hoss stopped and checked the trail.\u00a0 They\u2019re back to hidin\u2019 their tracks,\u201d said Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cBut they\u2019re not being quite as careful about it.\u00a0 They\u2019re trying to get us to keep headin\u2019 north, but by the looks of things, they\u2019re movin\u2019 northeast up this other trail.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou sure about that?\u201d asked John Patrick \u201cIt just looks to me like they\u2019re really going north.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure,\u201d said Hoss positively.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sure on the direction, and I\u2019m sure we\u2019re pretty close behind \u2018em.\u00a0 That\u2019s why they stopped to clear the trail and tried to redirect us, and that\u2019s why they made such a poor job of it.\u00a0 They wanted to try and throw us off, but they\u2019re nervous and they didn\u2019t get it done right.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

All eyes went to Garrod Lindsay.\u00a0 \u201cHoss ain\u2019t been wrong yet.\u00a0 I say we take the trail northeast.\u201d\u00a0 There was general agreement among the men.\u00a0 \u201cSuit yourselves,\u201d John Patrick said.\u00a0 Hoss marked the trail for Hallelujah and Jack, and then the posse rode on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As the morning passed, the excitement among the posse members grew.\u00a0 There was a sense that success was impending, and that sense drove those men to ride hard through a series of relatively low hills and shallow valleys.\u00a0 After two hours, they rode around a bend and found themselves on the height of a slope where they stopped short. Five cows stood grazing on the height.\u00a0 For a moment, the men in the posse sat looking at those cows without speaking or moving. They were surprised into inertia by the very thing they were looking for.\u00a0 Garret Lindsay was the first to move.\u00a0 He turned his horse\u2019s head so that he could look out over the valley.\u00a0 There they were-three men on horseback-just as Hoss had said there would be. \u201cThat\u2019s them,\u201d called Garrod pointing towards the riders in the valley.\u00a0 \u201cWe got \u2018em now!\u201d\u00a0 Garrod snapped his reins hard and started his horse down the slope.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The rest of the men were immediately behind him, all except Hoss.\u00a0 Hoss hesitated, but just for a moment, and then he prodded Chubb in the sides so that they too could begin their descent towards the valley floor. He had the most horrible stomach clenching feeling.\u00a0 He was part of the chase, and he wanted all of this to end, but he wanted it to end with the rustlers getting away, and staying away forever.\u00a0 He never wanted to have to think about this again, but in his heart he knew that he would be remembering and re-thinking these days for a long time to come.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As he rode down towards the rest of the posse, Hoss felt like he and Chubb were separate from everything else around them, as though he was watching the whole thing from far away.\u00a0 Hoss could see that the three rustlers were riding hard toward the pass leading out of the valley.\u00a0 He could see the ten other riders of the posse speeding towards the outlaws.\u00a0 By the time Hoss caught up, they were very nearly through the pass and out of the valley.\u00a0 It was no surprise to anyone in the posse that the three men they were chasing split up as soon as they hit flat open ground.\u00a0 \u201cCarl!\u201d shouted Garrod Lindsay, \u201cYou take three men and ride down the feller heading west; John you take three more men and go after the one straight ahead.\u00a0 Hoss you and me and my foreman will give chase eastwards.\u00a0 We meet back here.\u201d\u00a0 Lindsay barely finished his sentence and he was off and away with Hoss and the foreman right behind him.<\/span><\/p>\n

The landscape became quite rugged again.\u00a0 The horseman ahead of them had gained in distance during the time that Garrod Lindsay had issued his directions, but the rustler was at a distinct disadvantage.\u00a0 The members of the posse had been changing their mounts fairly regularly, and in what was little more than a race, horses that hadn\u2019t been ridden for a day were difficult to beat.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s headin\u2019 into a box canyon!\u201d shouted Hoss. \u201cHe\u2019s as good as caught now.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Part III:\u00a0 In the box\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

The three men brought their horses to a stop at the entrance of the canyon.\u00a0 \u201cMike,\u201d Garrod said to his foreman, \u201cYou head on back to that last pass we come out from, rendezvous with the rest of the posse and tell \u2018em our situation here.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think Hoss and I will have any trouble ferreting this feller out on our own.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As the foreman rode off, Garrod and Hoss began to approach the open pass of the canyon.\u00a0 \u201cYou sure it\u2019s a box?\u201d asked Garrod.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPositive.\u201d said Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cI was up here last spring to help with a map-maker-feller Pa hired out from California to survey in our new lines.\u00a0 I know every dip and every rise on this end of the Ponderosa, just like I know the back of my own hand.\u00a0 There\u2019s a whole mess of them little box canyons along here and he\u2019s in one of \u2018em.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf he\u2019s armed, he\u2019s likely to pick us off as we try and get in there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen I guess we better convince him that it would be a better idea just to give hisself up.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss nudged Chubb with his heals and rode to the entrance of the canyon.\u00a0 \u201cYou in there!\u201d he shouted.\u00a0 \u201cThere ain\u2019t no way you\u2019re gonna get out of this.\u00a0 There\u2019s more men on the way and so you may as well give yourself up peacable-like.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss and Garrod listened carefully.\u00a0 Neither of them wanted to even breathe lest they miss something.\u00a0 There was no response to Hoss\u2019s call.\u00a0 All that they could hear was horse\u2019s hooves against the hard ground and the jingling of metal as that lone horseman rode back and forth inside the box.\u00a0 \u201cHe ain\u2019t gonna shoot us,\u201d said Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s too busy trying to find his way out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss rode between the steep, vertical walls of the pass into the canyon.\u00a0 At the other end of the short, narrow box was a man pacing his horse back and forth, looking for an exit that didn\u2019t exist.\u00a0 Hoss rode quietly toward him with Garrod Lindsay about 20 feet behind.\u00a0 \u201cSteady now.\u00a0 You\u2019re trapped in here and there\u2019s no way out so you might as well settle down.\u201d Hoss spoke as quietly and as gently as he could.\u00a0 The rider wheeled the horse around frantically.\u00a0 Hoss was shocked.\u00a0 This was no man; this was a boy and probably younger than Joe and Jack.\u00a0 He had a wild look in his eyes.\u00a0 His fear was almost tangible.\u00a0 \u201cYou hold up now, boy.\u00a0 We need to talk to you.\u201d Hoss\u2019s voice was soft and low.\u00a0 He\u2019d seen plenty of animals with the same look of panic, and he knew how to handle them. \u201cYou armed, boy?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t gotta gun!\u201d the boy\u2019s voice quavered and his body was visibly shaking.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss got down off of Chubb.\u00a0 \u201cWell then, you might as well come down off that horse real gentle like.\u00a0 You ain\u2019t goin\u2019 anywhere, and that poor mare is getting tuckered walking back and forth like that.\u00a0 You wouldn\u2019t want her to suffer any, would ya?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want her to do that.\u201d The young man paused for a moment, looking as though he might actually fall off of the horse rather than dismount properly.\u00a0 He gingerly leaned left, swung his right leg back over the horse\u2019s body and touched his foot down.\u00a0 For a moment more, he paused with his left foot still in the stirrup, and then both feet were on the ground.\u00a0 The boy held onto the saddle for support and turned his head just enough to look at the two men in front of him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s your name, and how old are you, boy?\u201d Garrod asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy name is Bo Smith, and I ain\u2019t too sure, but I think I\u2019m 16 or so.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSixteen!\u201d Garrod nearly shouted.\u00a0 Just as he uttered his surprise at the youth of this particular rustler, the rest of the posse rode into the box.\u00a0 \u201cWhat happened?\u201d shouted Garrod.\u00a0 \u201cYou lose them other two?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne got clean away, and the other is dead.\u201d John Patrick leaned forward in his saddle.\u00a0 \u201cNow look what we have here. Seems like you managed to catch yourself a no-good cattle thief, Garrod.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t no thief.\u00a0 Them other men come on me a couple weeks back while I was on my way to the Comstock and I was near starvin\u2019.\u00a0 They told me they needed an extra hand to drive cattle, and as I had some experience from afore they said I could be their man.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know they were drivin\u2019 stolen cows, not until we started getting chased across the countryside.\u00a0 They told me if I tried to ride off they\u2019d kill me before I managed to break the first mile.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a likely story,\u201d John Patrick dismounted his own horse. \u201cWhy\u2019d ya keep ridin\u2019 when you could see us right behind you if you aren\u2019t as guilty as the others?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was afraid that you would think just as you are.\u00a0 That I was with them in this all the way.\u00a0 But it was just I couldn\u2019t get away.\u00a0 I was afraid.\u201d Bo Smith\u2019s voice had dropped to a near whisper.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou were afraid.\u201d John Patrick growled the words as looked around at the rest of the posse.\u00a0 He grabbed the boy by the front of the shirt and then shoved hard enough to knock Bo down.\u00a0 Then Patrick walked over to the boy\u2019s horse and pulled down the saddle bags.\u00a0 He turned them both upside down, emptying their contents out onto the ground:\u00a0 a bible, some food, a box of matches, some papers tied together with a string, a small knife, a wooden spoon that the boy had probably carved for himself, a tin plate and a tin cup.\u00a0 Then Patrick grabbed the boy\u2019s warbag and his bedroll.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWait a minute, Mr. Patrick.\u00a0 Just hold on there.\u00a0 We haven\u2019t heard everything this boy has to say.\u00a0 Maybe he\u2019s telling the truth.\u201d Hoss had grabbed John Patrick\u2019s left arm gently, but Patrick shook him off and continued to pull Bo Smith\u2019s possessions off of the horse.\u00a0 As he pulled the bedroll down, three heavy objects slid out from the centre of the roll and hit the ground with a clang and a thud.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou think he\u2019s telling the truth now?\u201d shouted John Patrick as he turned and looked at the rest of the posse.\u00a0 \u201cIf he\u2019s innocent, why is carrying a set of running irons hid in a bedroll.\u00a0 He\u2019s a damn cattle thief, that\u2019s why!\u00a0 He\u2019s been stealin\u2019 our property, making beggars of us all while he and his partners live high off our hard work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Carl Anderson had picked the boy up and was holding him up by his arm.\u00a0 \u201cI ain\u2019t no thief.\u00a0 I swear I ain\u2019t no thief.\u201d\u00a0 Bo Smith was crying now, the tears smeared with the dirt on his face.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou ain\u2019t no thief?\u00a0 Well you been keepin\u2019 company with thieves, and you got the equipment of a thief and as far as I can tell you\u2019re a thief.\u201d John Patrick moved to his own horse, grabbed a rope off of the saddle and began to wind the end into the shape of a noose.\u00a0 \u201cThis is what rustlers earn when they\u2019re caught, boy.\u201d\u00a0 At the sight of that rope, Bo fell to his knees in spite of Carl Anderson\u2019s support.\u00a0 His hands were clutched together and he shook with his terror and his sobs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNow you wait a minute, mister!\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 \u201cThis boy is going back to Virginia City.\u00a0 He\u2019s going back to have a trial with a judge and a jury so that they can hear all the evidence and then he\u2019ll get whatever the court says he gets as a punishment.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh sure.\u00a0 We\u2019re s\u2019posed to all do your say-so \u2018cause you\u2019re a Cartwright.\u00a0 I\u2019ve heard your Pa and your older brother spouting off on what they think is right, and what they think the rest of us should be doin\u2019.\u00a0 \u2018Holier than thou\u2019 you Cartwrights are about it too.\u00a0 And all the while you got the sheriff in your back pocket and the judge as a regular guest to dinner.\u201d John Patrick sneered as he looked over at Hoss, and then he returned his attention to the rest of the posse.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a liar mister, on all but one count.\u00a0 You\u2019re right that my Pa has said this, Adam has said it, and I\u2019m saying it too:\u00a0 What chance have we got for justice and order in this territory if we run around takin\u2019 the law into our own hands?\u00a0 You\u2019re ready to condem this boy with hardly moren\u2019 a whisper of evidence!\u201d Hoss was now just as angry as John Patrick was uncompromising.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cListen, the rest of you!\u201d John Patrick turned away from Hoss and was shouting out to the men of the posse.\u00a0 \u201cThis thief has taken the food out of the mouths of your own kin.\u00a0 We\u2019re none of us rich like the Cartwrights; they can afford to take a couple of bad years in row.\u00a0 But the rest of us, we\u2019re all just hard working ranchers who can\u2019t make a go of it \u2018cause of the likes of him.\u201d\u00a0 Patrick pointed at Bo Smith.\u00a0 \u201cAnd there are more just like him ridin\u2019 around out there, ready to take what\u2019s yours.\u00a0 Well, we\u2019ll show them all what\u2019ll happen to them if they decide to try and steal away what they don\u2019t rightly own.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss stared in amazement at the men he once thought he knew.\u00a0 There was no doubting the expressions on most of the faces gathered around Bo Smith.\u00a0 They were angry, and angry enough to act on impulse. They were frustrated and tired, but the source of their discomfiture exceeded this particular hunt for cattle rustlers.\u00a0 Times were hard, and they were afraid of foreclosure and poverty.\u00a0 They were afraid for their wives and for their children and for themselves.\u00a0 They were beginning to lose hope.\u00a0 Who do you rail at when the weather turns bad?\u00a0 Where do you turn when it seems as though your prayers have been unanswered?\u00a0 Who was to blame?<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss knew that some of these ranchers were close to the edge of ruin, and he was more than aware that there had been moments during this search when all of that anxiety and fear and hopelessness would rise to the top.\u00a0 Until that instant, Hoss had been unable to ascertain what was triggering those moments.\u00a0 But he was beginning to see that John Patrick may well have been the catalyst, and right then, Patrick was very easily leading them into believing that the answer to at least some of their problems was to hang Bo Smith.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAlright then, let\u2019s get this over with.\u201d McCreary grabbed the rope from Patrick, walked past Bo Smith without even looking at him and threw the rope over the branch of a cottonwood.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou wait right there, Mister.\u00a0 This ain\u2019t no lynchin\u2019 party.\u00a0 If you plan on takin\u2019 this boy, you\u2019re gonna have to go through me.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss planted himself squarely in front of Bo.\u00a0 His arms hung loosely at his sides; he was ready to do whatever he felt he had to do.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHoss,\u201d said Garrod, \u201cHe\u2019s a cattle rustler, and we gotta right to do justice here.\u00a0 He\u2019s guilty and he as much said so himself.\u00a0 There ain\u2019t no good reason to waste everyone\u2019s time and money on a court.\u00a0 You tell me why we shouldn\u2019t do what\u2019s going to get done eventually anyhow.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe didn\u2019t say anything of the kind; you\u2019re hearin\u2019 what you wanna hear.\u00a0 And what\u2019s more, you don\u2019t know what a judge or jury would have to say about this, cuz they ain\u2019t here!\u00a0 Once a thing like this is done it can\u2019t be undone, and then you have to try and sleep at night.\u00a0 Will you rest well enough tonight, Garrod?\u201d Hoss looked at the older man.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll rest fine, thank-you very much, for knowing my family is safer and my property secure from the likes of him.\u00a0 \u2018Bad enough to steal\u2019 is usually a sign that someone is bad all the way through.\u00a0 God only knows what murdin\u2019 and riotin\u2019 he\u2019s done or will do if he\u2019s let, and I ain\u2019t about to lose any more sleep than I already have over his kind.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou ain\u2019t?\u00a0 I\u2019ve known you all my life.\u00a0 You\u2019re a good man, least ways, you\u2019ve always been a good man.\u00a0 I don\u2019t figure that you\u2019re gonna rest as easy as you think you will.\u00a0 Why did you ride all the way out here?\u00a0 Did you come out here to solve a problem, or were you lookin\u2019 for a pound of flesh.\u00a0 Is that pound of flesh gonna be the cure to everything else that\u2019s gone wrong for you?\u00a0 I don\u2019t think so.\u00a0 This boy ain\u2019t responsible for the bad times.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t blow in them cold winters and bring the black-leg onto your cattle, or dry your streams up and starve \u2018em to death.\u00a0 What\u2019s more, we gotta think beyond the walls of this canyon on to what\u2019s going to happen the next time and the time after that.\u00a0 What happens when it\u2019s nothin\u2019 moren\u2019 petty squabbles behind accusations and them accusations sit unproved.\u00a0 Are you just gonna lynch whoever you think deserves that kind of justice just on one man\u2019s say-so?\u00a0 What are you gonna do if someone just up and accuses one of your boys, Garrod.\u00a0 You gonna hand him over to Mr. Patrick so that your son gets what Mr. Patricks says he\u2019s earned?\u201d Hoss looked at the circle of men standing around him.\u00a0 \u201cWhat about the rest of you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m with Hoss on this!\u201d Carl Anderson was now cradling Bo Smith in his arms.\u00a0 \u201cWe can\u2019t hang a boy for things that some folks have only thought up in their heads to blame him for.\u00a0 We don\u2019t know for sure that he\u2019s done anything except choose his company poorly and hold the irons for them other men.\u00a0 Since when do we hang a man just for being stupid?\u201d Carl Anderson moved beside Hoss as he spoke.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAre you gonna listen them?\u201d Patrick shouted. \u201cYou\u2019ve done what we needed you to do, Cartwright, and now you and Anderson are both gonna stay out of this!\u201d John Patrick could see that he had lost control of this group of men, but perhaps not completely.\u00a0 He knew he had to try and sway them back over to his side.\u00a0 He knew that if he didn\u2019t they might eventually find out that the two cattle thieves who had ridden off were hired-men of his.\u00a0 Who knows what they had said in front of Bo Smith.\u00a0 He had to silence the boy, just as he had silenced one of the men who had run from the posse.\u00a0 The other would know where to find him, and then Patrick would settle up with him too, one way or the other.\u00a0 In the meantime, to be on the safe side, he had to get rid of Bo Smith.\u00a0 Unfortunately, Hoss Cartwright was becoming a problem.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy are you so dad-burned set on hangin\u2019 someone, Mr. Patrick?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss\u2019s feeling about John Patrick\u2019s responsibility for stirring the other men of the posse up were beginning to ring more and more true for him.\u00a0 \u201cMr. McCleary,\u201d Hoss turned to the rancher.\u00a0 \u201cOne of them rustlers got a way and one is dead.\u00a0 How\u2019d that man die?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

John McCleary looked at the rope hanging down from the cottonwood. \u201cJohn shot him.\u00a0 He had ridden hard after that man and they boy disappeared outta sight for a bit.\u00a0 By the time the rest of us had caught up to them, that rustler was already dead on the ground.\u00a0 John said that the rustler was about to draw on him and woulda killed him if John hadn\u2019t fired first.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou check the body, to see about his gun?\u201d Hoss asked.\u00a0 John Patrick\u2019s eyes narrowed as he looked at Hoss.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 By the time I got there, John had already picked up that man\u2019s gun and had it in his hand.\u201d Thomas McCleary swallowed hard.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s exactly the way it happened,\u201d said John Patrick.\u00a0 \u201cThere ain\u2019t nobody who can say different.\u00a0 If you\u2019re plannin\u2019 on accusin\u2019 me of something, then spit it out.\u00a0 But I\u2019m here to tell you it was a fair draw, that thief is dead and justice is served.\u00a0 Now we\u2019re gonna see to it that his partner meets the same end.\u201d\u00a0 Patrick knew that Hoss was onto him, but he also knew that Hoss was likely unaware of the full truth and couldn\u2019t prove anything at that moment.\u00a0 But John Patrick was anxious to end this and be on his way, and he was arrogant enough to think he could still force the issue.\u00a0 He drew his gun from his holster.\u00a0 \u201cYou move outta the way now, Hoss, and let us handle this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMister, you done made one of the biggest mistakes you\u2019ll ever make.\u00a0 I ain\u2019t movin aside, and I ain\u2019t gonna draw my gun.\u00a0 If you kill me, then you\u2019ll have committed a murder, and these men will have a much better reason for using that noose than the one they got now.\u201d Hoss put his hand on Bo Smith\u2019s head.\u00a0 \u201cNow this boy is comin\u2019 back to Virginia City with me, and he\u2019s gonna have a real trial with a real judge and he\u2019s gonna face whatever consequences the court decides on.\u00a0 If you try to stop me, I reckon there\u2019ll be consequences to those kinds of actions too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The only answer Hoss got was the wind swirling around in the box.\u00a0 It rustled the grass and blew dust up into the air. It whistled through crevices.\u00a0 It stirred the manes and tails of the horses and flapped the straps on the rigs.\u00a0 It lifted the brims of hats and the tie ends of bandannas.\u00a0 It blew strands of hair against sweaty foreheads, sweaty cheeks, sweaty necks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Suddenly, there was a new sound:\u00a0 The sound of horses\u2019 hooves on the hard ground.\u00a0 Hallelujah, followed by Jack, rode cautiously between the walls of the pass and into the box.\u00a0 \u201cWhat in blazes is goin\u2019 on in here!\u201d he shouted.\u00a0 \u201cY\u2019all look as desperate as a bullfrog in a drought.\u201d\u00a0 It was enough to break whatever spell the wind had cast on the men in the box.\u00a0 Their eyes, once locked intently on Hoss\u2019s face, were now cast down at the ground.\u00a0 Those eyes looked anywhere but into a face that would shame them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cWe was uh\u2026\u201d Garrod swallowed hard and his voice was weak and uneven in its tone.\u00a0 \u201cWe was just gettin\u2019 ready to bring this boy here to the sheriff in Virginia City.\u201d Garrod Lindsay looked over at Hoss and then at John Patrick. McCleary pulled the rope down from the cottonwood branch.<\/span><\/p>\n

John Patrick walked to his horse and mounted up.\u00a0 He threw Hoss at look that could have burned paper it was so full of fire.\u00a0 \u201cYou and I ain\u2019t done.\u201d He said quietly as he rode past Hoss and out of the box.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNope,\u201d said Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t reckon we are.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Carl Anderson helped Bo Smith stand.\u00a0 \u201cYou may not feel it right now, boy, but lady luck is ridin\u2019 on your shirttails, and she appears to be taking her orders from Hoss Cartwright.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss closed his eyes, bowed his head, and silently thanked God.<\/span><\/p>\n

Epilogue\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

The tension was so thick in that box canyon, well you coulda cut the air with a knife.\u00a0 I recollect poor Mr. Hoss couldn\u2019t sleep and wink that night and I don\u2019t believe anyone else closed their eyes for moren\u2019 a few minutes at a time either.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Mr. Patrick and his man didn\u2019t come back with us at all, but went their own way.\u00a0 It weren\u2019t the end of him though.\u00a0 He continued to be mixed up in one thing or another for years to come, and he held the grudge he built up in that box not just against Mr. Hoss, but all the Cartwrights.\u00a0 He was a dangerous man and I\u2019d not be the least surprised if he and the Old Nick didn\u2019t converse on a regular basis, if you know what I mean.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

First order of business was to turn Bo Smith over to the sheriff in Virginia City. Mr. Hoss, Mr. Lindsay and Mr. Anderson went and done that while the rest of us went back to our places.\u00a0 Mr. Hoss put in a good word for Bo at his trial and I think it was his say-so that got that boy a pretty light sentence.\u00a0 I always did admire Mr. Hoss for what he done for Bo, and I\u2019m pretty sure that kid knew just how close a shave he got that day.\u00a0 I run into him a few times after he done his time and he was a hard worker, quiet and real observant of rules.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

After Mr. Hoss got home and reported all the events to his Pa, Mr. Cartwright made sure that them ranchers who were strugglin\u2019 got some assistance.\u00a0 The thing about that man, all the Cartwrights for that matter, is that they could help you out without even you known\u2019 you\u2019d been helped.\u00a0 Sort of gave you a hand and then left you alone so you could keep your pride.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

There\u2019s plenty more stories I could tell you about the west and when I was working on the Ponderosa.\u00a0 After sittin\u2019 around a few of them campfires I learned to yarn with the best of \u2018em.\u00a0 But that\u2019s enough blathering for now.\u00a0 I\u2019d rather just set a spell and remember them stories by myself.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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

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

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

Story Summary:\u00a0 Hoss is included in a posse that must track down cattle rustlers, and finds himself at cross purposes with some of his neighbours.
\nRating and Reader Alerts: PG, mild curse word and mature theme
\nWords: 9,700<\/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":[23,1006],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-hoss-cartwright","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-1006-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":191,"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":45736,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=45736","url_meta":{"origin":47247,"position":0},"title":"The Golden Rule (by Judy)","author":"Judy","date":"April 17, 2000","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 To do the right thing, Joe must disobey his father. Rated:\u00a0 PG Word Count:\u00a0 16,555","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"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":5284,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=5284","url_meta":{"origin":47247,"position":1},"title":"No Flash in the Pan (by Cowgirl8)","author":"Cowgirl8","date":"April 30, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0This is\u00a0a story that I wrote for my English class. My teacher really liked it. It's about the boys while Ben is out of Town. There is foreshadowing. And we weren't supposed to have blood and Gore so nothing gruesome in this story. Any spelling or grammar errors\u00a0are my fault.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Bonanza24.jpg?fit=526%2C372&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Bonanza24.jpg?fit=526%2C372&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Bonanza24.jpg?fit=526%2C372&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":45170,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=45170","url_meta":{"origin":47247,"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":6742,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=6742","url_meta":{"origin":47247,"position":3},"title":"Grazed (by Jayne)","author":"Jayne","date":"May 4, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0When Adam finds a slightly injured Joe, they share a strangely special moment. \u00a0A Young Cartwright short story. \u00a0 Rated:\u00a0K+ \u00a0WC \u00a0767","rel":"","context":"In "Adam \/ Joe"","block_context":{"text":"Adam \/ Joe","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1091"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/bonanza7.jpg?fit=720%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/bonanza7.jpg?fit=720%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/bonanza7.jpg?fit=720%2C477&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/bonanza7.jpg?fit=720%2C477&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":46841,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=46841","url_meta":{"origin":47247,"position":4},"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":45172,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=45172","url_meta":{"origin":47247,"position":5},"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":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47247","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=47247"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47247\/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=47247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=47247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=47247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}