Summary: while trying to help some friends Adam becomes trapped in a mine, no one knows he’s there, he faces death ..alone.<\/p>\n
Rating K+ (15,575 words)<\/p>\n
The final page contains reviews\/comments from the Old Bonanaza Brand Library<\/p>\n
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Alone<\/strong><\/p>\n In the darkness the only sounds were those of coughing, of gravel and rocks and stones slithering down walls; of dull thuds as the rocks struck against bodies; of sharp cracks as they struck against other larger rocks.<\/p>\n Then there was the sound of wood splintering, cracking, snapping and along with that the fall of more rocks, of slurry sliding and boulders rolling. Afterwards there was the coughing, the dripping of water and a groan of pain. Eventually there was just the sound of dripping water and the odd slither of debris to eat into the silence.<\/p>\n \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.<\/p>\n \u201cHi, Pete!\u201d Hoss Cartwright waved a hand at the stagecoach driver who was ambling towards him.<\/p>\n Pete grinned, hawked and spat tobacco juice in a stream onto the road. A stone bounced an inch as the spit struck it centre on. He raised a gloved hand in greeting and continued on his way. Hoss continued on towards the saloon, a contented smile on his face.<\/p>\n It was good to visit town on a day like this particular day. There had been light rain during the early morning, and everything smelt fresh and clean. The sun was shining now from a blue sky, bathing everything in warmth so that a sense of well being seemed to wrap itself around all whom Hoss met along his journey.<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s high pitched gurgle of a laugh could be heard even over all the laughter that was going on in the saloon. Hoss pushed open the door to survey the rather ambitious attempts of Timothy O\u2019Brien dancing the Irish version of the sailors horn pipe. This entailed, in Timothy\u2019s version, a considerable amount of falling over and taking a nip of whiskey from a hip flask in order to get him back onto his feet.<\/p>\n \u201cAwl ma pins are a-skew.\u201d he slurred which caused another uproar of laughter as he was hauled to his feet and steadied up .<\/p>\n Hoss joined in with the general laughter as he walked to where his Father and brother were standing. He was greeted with a broad smile from Ben who slapped his son on the shoulder, \u201cYes, sir.\u201d Hoss grinned, and turned to watch Timothy for a second or two. It was pleasant sharing this time in the saloon with Pa and Joe, amongst friends, and hearing the sound of laughter everywhere.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s have a drink then,\u201d Joe suggested with a grin \u201cAnd as you are the last to arrive,Hoss, you can have the privilege of paying. What do you say, Pa?\u201d and he winked conspiratorially over at his father who raised his eye brows and shook his head<\/p>\n \u201cNo, boys, it\u2019s time to get back to the ranch. Don\u2019t forget we\u2019ve guests coming tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAw, yeah, I\u2019d forgot.\u201d Hoss sighed, \u201cPity Adam ain\u2019t here with us though.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe should be back by tonight or tomorrow morning. I did tell him to take his time, there was no need for him to rush home.\u201d Ben picked up his hat, and left the saloon.<\/p>\n Hoss cast a sorrowful eye at the glasses on the counter and followed his father, with Joe trailing behind him, still chuckling over Timothy\u2019s antics. Together they walked to where the horses were nodding over the water trough outside the General Store.<\/p>\n \u201cPa sure is all fired up to git back home, ain\u2019t he?\u201d Hoss grumbled, his sense of well being dissolving each step that distanced him from a cool glass of beer.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know what he\u2019s like when we have guests,\u201d Joe reminded him, untethering Cochise. He stroked the horse fondly and was about to place his foot in the stirrup when he heard his name being called. He gave a grin when he saw Tom Riley striding towards them \u201cHi, Tom, how\u2019re you doin\u2019?\u201d he glanced over Tom\u2019s shoulder and raised his eyebrows \u201cWhere\u2019s Dave?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s at the mine\u201d came the rather curt reply.<\/p>\n \u201cThe mine? What mine\u2019s this?\u201d Joe asked, for David Riley was one of his oldest friends and yet had never mentioned anything about a mine to him.<\/p>\n \u201cOur grandpa died last week and left his mine to us.\u201d Tom grinned and shrugged \u201cHe never got more\u2019n coupla pokes of gold flake and dust from it, but it allust seemed to be enough to keep him in what he needed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean, he actually had a mine up in them hills?\u201d Hoss\u2019 blue eyes widened in amazement \u201cI thought he was jest an old hermit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe was to all intents and purposes. He hated comin\u2019 into town, even for his staples, but no one lives forever, and he\u2019d been dead almost a month when we found him.\u201d He frowned at the memory \u201cNot a pretty sight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShucks no, I guess it weren\u2019t.\u201d Hoss grimaced, forcing himself not to dwell on the picture that came to mind.<\/p>\n \u201cAnyhows he must have come into town some time or other and made out his Will & Testament and left the mine to us. He allust said that there was a good seam of gold thar but he\u2019d not had the right touch to find it.\u201d Tom frowned, \u201cDave\u2019s pretty keen to get it working like a proper mine and he\u2019s going to ask your brother Adam if he could come up with some ideas on making it safe. Seeing how he\u2019s an engineer and knows about things like that, seemed the best idea. Pa said your brother thought up a real good system for the Gould & Curry mines last year.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAw, Adam can turn his hand to jest about anything. We\u2019ll tell him Dave wants to see him when he gets back.\u201d Hoss nudged Joe with his elbow and nodded over to where their Father was sitting astride Buck and looking impatiently at them \u201cGotta go, Tom, things to do,\u201d and the big man turned swiftly and mounted his horse .<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t forget to tell Adam about the mine, Hoss, Joe?\u201d Tom yelled as they cantered past him. He took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair and frowned. Being a sensible level headed fellow he had already decided that he would rather die than step foot inside the hole in the ground that had become their legacy from their late departed, but not lamented, grandfather.<\/p>\n \u201cFancy that, Hoss,\u201d Joe frowned peevishly \u201cDave getting a mine left him and him not telling me.\u201d \u201cNo idea. I didn\u2019t even know the old man owned a mine, he just came into town every so often with his donkey and I thought he was a hermit. Remember the time Matty Gardner got killed? It was old man Riley that found the body. I always avoided him after that, not that it was his fault, Matty dying I mean, but \u2026.. he just made me feel kinda uncomfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wonder where that mine is though. Tom didn\u2019t look so pleased about the idea, did he?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTom doesn\u2019t like the dark.\u201d Joe muttered \u201cIt\u2019s a good idea getting Adam to have a look over it though, he\u2019ll be able to tell Dave how to make it safe, what kind of prop shafts to put in and all that kind of thing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor a percentage\u2026.\u201d Hoss guffawed.<\/p>\n Ben turned in the saddle and glowered at them \u201cAre the pair of you going to twitter about all day?\u201d he yelled.<\/p>\n Joe and Hoss shared a grin between them, and put spurs to their horses. Chubb and Cochise stretched out their legs to eat up the distance between them and their Father so that it wasn\u2019t long before the three of them were riding abreast towards home.<\/p>\n Hop Sing had already set out the table for their guests and gave the three of them a black look, \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026 \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026. \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026. \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n Ben stretched and flexed his arms and yawned \u201cI\u2019d forgotten how much Mrs Jessop can talk.\u201d he groaned and released his breath with a sigh<\/p>\n \u201cYou can say that agin.\u201d Hoss mumbled as he tugged his string tie loose. He sat down on the big wooden table in front of the fire and loosened his collar \u201cHey, Pa, did you know the Riley\u2019s grandpa at all?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot very well. He tended to keep himself very much to himself. Why do you ask?\u201d Ben reached out for his pipe and tobacco pouch, and began to make up his smoke for the evening.<\/p>\n \u201cHe died, and left his mine to Tom and Dave.\u201d Joe said, flopping down into the big blue chair and yawning hugely \u201cWhat do you know about his mine, Pa? Do you think Dave has any chance of striking it rich?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a gamble,\u201d Ben said slowly and narrowed his eyes as his mind took a trip back in time \u201cI can recall when we first got here\u2026 the Grosch brothers were panning in the Washoe ..\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat was way back before the Big Bonanza in \u201959, weren\u2019t it, Pa?\u201d Hoss eased his feet out of his boots with a sigh of relief and wriggled his toes in ecstacy in front of the dying fire.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right, a long time back. If Henry Comstock had not bluffed those two men into selling their mine to him, and then him selling it out before he realised just how rich that vein was, things sure would be far quieter around here.\u201d Ben smiled and stuck the pipe stem between his teeth.<\/p>\n \u201cBut what about Riley? It was him who brought Matty Gardners body into town, wasn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, one of his rare acts of humane kindness.\u201d Ben blew out a perfect smoke ring and settled back against his chair and thought back to the time when Matt Gardner had been killed and sighed. \u201cHe was just a loner, chose to live like a hermit.\u201d He took another puff and smiled slowly \u201cThe only person he trusted was another old timer like him, Chuck Norris. But Chuck just drifted really and had no particular roots, although he was always very loyal, as a friend, to Riley. I\u2019m surprised Riley didn\u2019t leave the mine to him, rather than his grandsons whom he hardly knew.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about his mine though, Pa? Do you know where it is?\u201d Hoss asked eagerly<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I don\u2019t. In fact, I don\u2019t know that many who do because it isn\u2019t so much a mine as miles and miles of subterranean tunnels that lead who knows where. He was never into proper mining, he just loved living out there. All I know is that it is in a beautiful area, a man could lose himself there but be content. Tim O\u2019Brien, and Chuck Norris of course, and perhaps a few other oldsters, could no doubt locate it, if they really were in a mind to do so.\u201d Ben frowned \u201cI can\u2019t see David or Tom making much success of it, it\u2019s going to cost a fortune to get it into proper working order for a start.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDave wants to ask Adam to help him install that system he designed for the Gould & Curry mines.\u201d\u00a0 Joe wrapped his arms around his knees and hugged them close to his chest, \u201cReckon that college education does our brother pretty well, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSpeaking of whom,\u201d Ben glanced at the clock \u201cI doubt if he\u2019ll be back tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, you did tell him not to rush home, so long as he\u2019s got that contract fixed up.\u201d Joe grinned, he unwrapped himself and stood up, stretched to the ceiling and yawned, . \u201cAnyway, I think I\u2019ll go to bed now. I hope Dave lets me know where this mine of his is, it sounds a great place to explore!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA man can get lost there, in those tunnels.\u201d Ben said very softly \u201cI recall O\u2019Brien telling me once that a whole tribe of Pauite got themselves lost wandering those tunnels. I recall asking Chief Winnemucca about it but he didn\u2019t want to discuss it,\u201d he yawned again and laid down his pipe \u201cI think I\u2019ll go up too\u2026.Hoss, don\u2019t lock the door, in case Adam does come back tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n Chapter 2<\/p>\n \u201cAnyone?\u201d<\/p>\n The word was a drawn out cry of agony, followed by the rasping breath of a man taken to the limits of human endurance. The word hung in the air and remained unanswered.<\/p>\n \u201cAnyone there? Anyone at all? \u201c He coughed harshly and the sounds bounced from the walls in whispers of an echo and were caught up in the groan of despair that parted from his lips.<\/p>\n \u201cDavy?\u201d there was the sound of a match striking and the flare of a flame that in the darkness seemed little more than the gleam from a glow worm. Anxious eyes darted from left to right to locate the voice \u201cDavy? Where are you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d Dave Riley whispered \u201cI can\u2019t see.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCan you see the match? I\u2019ve a candle – hold on – I\u2019ll light it.\u201d Rocks and stones slithered as the man fumbled in his pocket and eventually produced a candle which he lit and held above his head \u201cDavy \u2013 can you see the candle?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s so dark!\u201d Dave Riley groaned \u201cDark\u2026\u2026\u2026and\u2026..coooold!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHang on there, boy, hang on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you know where Cartwright is?\u201d Riley\u2019s voice sounded as though each word was being squeezed through a bellows, punctuated by a groan or gulp of pain.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was behind you .\u201d the older man muttered, moving the candle as far in one direction as he could go and then back to another direction. He set it down on a flat rock near his hand and began to look carefully at the way the rock fall affected him, and the amount of damage that had been done to the shaft itself.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Riley sighed \u201cChuck, I don\u2019t think I\u2019m going to make it. This wasn\u2019t s\u2019posed to happen. I promised Tom,\u201d His words stopped in a sob, a quivering sob that indicated that he was fast losing control and that perhaps his own words were prophetic in the likelihood of his survival being very remote.<\/p>\n Chuck Norris moved carefully. The candle was a mere pin prick of light in the thick blanket of darkness that enshrouded them. It was barely enough to show him what was right in front of him. Any hope of seeing beyond that was impossible. He had other candles, he always carried plenty of candles and matches, but in this situation more candles meant less air and less hope of light later.<\/p>\n \u201cChuck?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Davy boy?\u201d the older man paused in his efforts to inch forwards to where Riley\u2019s voice seemed to be coming from, \u201cYes, son?\u201d he whispered<\/p>\n \u201cI \u2013 I can\u2019t breathe\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDavy, Davy, don\u2019t skeer yerself. Jest relax, boy. Jest relax and wait fer me to come to yer.\u201d Adam Cartwright forced his eyes open and stared into blackness. He stared and stared and wondered why it was so dark. He closed his eyes and the darkness remained. There was something slippery and warm slithering across his face. It went at angles across his left cheek and over the bridge of his nose and dripped onto his hand upon which his right cheek was rested. He knew he should move but his body was languid, tired, and weary. It felt as though the weight of the world was stretched out upon him, like another sleeping body.<\/p>\n He opened his eyes again and took a deep breath. Pain seared across his back and his chest and then down his spine right to his toes, he clenched his teeth and curled his fingers into fists and groaned. The pain forced the groan out of his lungs and out of his mouth and into the cavern.<\/p>\n \u201cCartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n The young man\u2019s nerves tingled at the sound of the voice. He paused, closed his eyes and tried to think of what to say in reply.<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d the word came from his mouth in the form of a grunt.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s me, Chuck Norris\u201d<\/p>\n Adam frowned, and tried to remember who Chuck Norris was when there were so many names whirling about his head now. He took a breath and began to cough. It would help to be able to remember where he was and why he was there.<\/p>\n \u201cCartwright? Where are you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCan you see anything?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam sighed, a release of breath that contained within it a slight edge of caustic cynicism.<\/p>\n \u201cNothing!\u201d he replied slowly.<\/p>\n \u201cCan you move?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTry.\u201d<\/p>\n He unclenched one fist and reached out in front of him. Then above. By easing one shoulder and then another, small rocks and stones slithered away. He brought up one leg and then the other. There was intense pain but he could not locate its origins. At least, he knew he was free of anything that could prevent him from moving. Very carefully he inched forwards, wiping, instinctively, his sleeve across his face to remove the slithering something that was crawling across it.<\/p>\n \u201cCan you see the light of the candle?\u201d Norris asked<\/p>\n Adam turned his head to look in the direction of the voice and saw the tiny flicker of light and what seemed a pale blob beyond it. He crawled towards the flame and stopped when a barrier of wood and rock prevented him from moving any further. His hands explored the height of the obstacle and Norris, holding the candle away from him, was able to see the other mans eyes looking, not at him, but at the flame, merely a few hands length from him.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure sorry about this, Cartwright,\u201d he said slowly.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I\u2019ve bin fearing to happen for years now. All the old trusses and props Riley and I put in years back, rotten then and more rotten now. I told Davy to wait until \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSlow down,Norris.\u201d Adam whispered \u201cSlow down.\u201d He pulled his bandana from a pocket of his jacket and wiped where the blood was now trickling down his face from the gash in his skull. It seemed strange but somehow he seemed unable to think clearly, everything seemed enshrouded in a fog. He looked at the candle \u201cWhat am I doing here? I mean, how did I get to be here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCan\u2019t you remember?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWould I ask if I could?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou were riding along and we saw you and Davy told you about the mine and how he wanted you to have a look at it and construct some safety measures for him and Tom and me to work in, and you said \u2018No time like the present if that\u2019s where you\u2019re headed\u2019 and so we all rode up here and I guess that\u2019s it really.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam closed his eyes and tried to recall riding up to wherever this particular mine happened to be, he sighed, no doubt the memory would come back in time. He touched the rocks and ran his hand over the timbers.<\/p>\n \u201cAre we above water level?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCouldn\u2019t you tell we were walking downhill?\u201d Chuck mumbled.<\/p>\n \u201cWoods wet\u2026rotten\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh.huh!\u201d Chuck leaned back against the rock and closed his eyes, the effort to talk when he was in such pain was making him feel ill. He remembered Davy and rallied in order to prop himself up and call over to Adam \u201cCartwright, you got to find Davy. He\u2019s in a bad way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow about yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI guess my legs busted. Can\u2019t feel it now, it\u2019s numb. There\u2019s a pile of rubble on it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGive me the candle and I\u2019ll see if I can find Davy\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWait.\u201d Chuck carefully withdrew another candle and lit it, and passed it over to Adam who took it with caution before slowly creeping back into the darkness.<\/p>\n \u201cDavy?\u201d he called and held the candle slightly higher but its flame was so weak in the depth of the darkness that it revealed nothing.<\/p>\n He inched along slowly, grateful that he had been wearing his heavy coat and had not been tempted to discard it. He had to stop every so often to mop up the blood from the gash in his head, before he proceeded inch by inch to search for the other man.<\/p>\n Something soft rolled under his booted foot and he paused. Lowering the candle he discovered that he had actually trodden upon Davy\u2019s outstretched hand and he hastily moved back before leaning forward to take hold of the limp fingers. By fumblingly groping up the arm he finally succeeded in locating Davy\u2019s body. He put the candle in a secure niche and ran his hands over the other man, stopping only when the debris and rubble prevented him going any further. Now he touched the vein in the boys throat, and then the pulse in his wrist.<\/p>\n \u201cDavy, it\u2019s me, Adam Cartwright.\u201d he whispered and gave the younger man a slight shake. There was no response and after a few minutes, having rechecked for vital signs, Adam had to acknowledge the fact that for Davy, there would be no more pain in this world. He knelt by the lads side for quite some time, holding the limp wrist in his hand and wondering what, if anything, he could do \u2013 but how could he restore life to a dead man?<\/p>\n \u201cHow is he?\u201d Chuck yelled from his own rock bound prison \u201cIs the lad alright?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFar from it, I\u2019m afraid.\u201d Adam replied sombrely and he picked up the candle and returned, crab like, towards where the other candle flickered.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s dead then?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPoor lad. He had such hopes of making this mine profitable too.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam said nothing, but set down the candle beside the one Chuck had and began to very carefully move away the rocks. One by one he picked them out, and shifted them aside. Every so often there would be the slither of dust and shale, reminding him that it was precariously loose and if too hastily disturbed could become his own grave.<\/p>\n Fifteen minutes of saying nothing. Of dust and grit drifting into his eyes and nostrils and down his throat. Fifteen minutes of wondering whether or not he would ever be able to shift it all before whatever was left collapsed about him. Fifteen minutes and the candles burning lower and lower and his hands tearing and bleeding and slipping on the rocks where his blood dripped onto them.<\/p>\n \u201cGive up, son, give up.\u201d Chuck whispered eventually \u201cYou\u2019re doing a good job, but there jest ain\u2019t no point to it. \u201c<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t want to die here too, do you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWal, I guess not,\u201d Chuck said very slowly \u201cBut I gotta busted leg, so I ain\u2019t gonna be anything but a nuisance to ya anyway. You\u2019ll have to drag me along and that ain\u2019t gonna be any good fer ya\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re alive, and I don\u2019t intend to leave you here to die, old man!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI ain\u2019t gonner live, boy.\u201d Chuck sighed and reached out a hand and took hold of Adam\u2019s in a weak grasp \u201cLook\u2019ee, lad, don\u2019t wear yerself out no more. You\u2019ll be plain wore out and then \u2026\u201d he began to cough, a racking, harsh cough that made him groan with pain and the younger man\u2019s face contort with sympathy for him. \u201cLook, here\u2019s my store of candles and matches.\u201d he pushed them through the gap in the boulders \u201cUse \u2018em sparingly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you think anyone will be coming by at any time soon?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShucks no. This ain\u2019t no real mine, lad, it\u2019s just a labyrinth of tunnels made hundreds of years ago by nature. Riley and I just shored up parts that we used over the years, that\u2019s all. Hardly anyone comes here because there jest ain\u2019t no call to visit.\u201d his voice gave way to more harsh coughing as he gripped Adams wrist tightly and tried to focas on the vague features that could be barely seen through the candlelight \u201cLook, this tunnel goes downwards, below the water level\u2026no point in even trying to get out the way we came in that\u2019s well and truly blocked off and if\u2019n you try you\u2019ll only bring more down onto yourself. There\u2019s an exit turning somewhere\u2026when you find it \u2026if you find it\u2026keep going and keep to the left turns. Always take the left turns \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLook, Riley and I spent nigh on 20 years exploring these here tunnels, some lead to dead ends, and some to underwater caverns and some jest ain\u2019t worth botherin\u2019 about\u2026just keep taking the left turns and you\u2019ll come out. It\u2019ll be tricky in parts but you should be able to do it. I jest hope them tunnels are still alright, and not blocked off at all, bin a few years since we bothered with \u2018em\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cListen, Chuck, what about\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThet\u2019s enough now. Best you git going \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut what about\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGo on, lad, git going now.\u201d<\/p>\n Chapter 3<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Paw\u2026look up thar? D\u2019ya see what I dun see?\u201d<\/p>\n The man driving the battered wagon glanced up to look at what his daughter was pointing and raised his eye brows. He was well into his sixties with sparse hair, hollow cheeks and a chest that looked like a decompressed pair of bellows. He wore red homespun and denim pants and a filthy old hat that looked like the mule dined on it for breakfast everyday. He pushed the relic of a hat to the back of his balding head and blew out his cheeks<\/p>\n \u201cThat is some horse flesh, Eliza\u201d he muttered in admiration.<\/p>\n \u201cAin\u2019t nivver seen nuthin\u2019 so beautiful,\u201d she breathed and gazed up at her father with wide brown eyes that looked like melted chocolate. Her mouth opened into a grin, showing off her rather caramel coloured teeth \u201cShall we go ketch it, Paw?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s saddled and bridled up. Could be the owner is hanging around about somewheres\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, wal, if\u2019n he is there ain\u2019t no harm dun, is thar? We jest bin looking at the horse, is all!\u201d she glanced at the old man and smiled as he drew the two sorry looking mules to a halt and clambered down from the wagons seat.<\/p>\n \u201cStealin\u2019 a hoss is a hangin\u2019 \u2018fence!\u201d he muttered<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019d we know he belonged to anyone, seein\u2019 how he\u2019s jest grazin\u2019\u201d she smiled, and slowly began to climb the slope towards where Sport was grazing. \u201cHere, pretty, come on..come and see what \u2018Liza got fer yer!\u201d<\/p>\n Sport raised his head and surveyed the couple with curious eyes. He had wandered off from where his master had left him, grazing here and there, nibbling a bit of this and that, but always heading for home and a warm stable and the company of his stable companions. The night had come and gone and he had wandered further afield. Now, as the dawn sky streaked overhead, he allowed himself to be enticed by the young woman who held out the tussock of grass towards him.<\/p>\n \u201cSee, Paw, what a soft mouth he has?\u201d she stroked the horse gently and looked at her father who was walking around the horse looking rather anxious \u201cNow, Paw, what you lookin\u2019 like thet fer? Anyone would think yer\u2019d lost summat instead of findin\u2019 it!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRecognise the brand here, Liza? Thet\u2019s the Ponderosa brand that is. Reckon this here hoss would be safer left here, fer us anyhows!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAw, Paw\u2026.you ain\u2019t afraid of them Cartwrights,is yer? Reckon we could hide the saddle and bridle huh? And the rifles new as can be, we\u2019d be fools to jest leave \u2018em\u201d<\/p>\n Old man Ramsay looked at the horse thoughtfully and without saying a word began to unbuckle the girth straps and take away the bridle. Stealthily he rummaged in the saddle bags, finding therein several things he rather liked the look off, and stuck into his pockets He was about to cast the rest into the back of the wagon when Liza grabbed them from him and pulled out a book. She held it gently in her hands and opened it and looked at the words that seemed to dance across the page. She smiled and slipped the little book of verse into her pocket. Now she helped her father to haul the tarpaulin over the stolen items, and a rope was cast over the tarpaulin to hold it down and prevent any prying eyes from seeing what lay beneath it.<\/p>\n Satisfied with this task, Ramsay grabbed the horses mane and led Sport along to the back of the wagon. A rough rope was found and slung into a noose around Sports head.<\/p>\n \u201cKin I ride him, Paw?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, you cain\u2019t\u2026.yew git yerself back up her.\u201d he growled and having fastened the rope to the back of the wagon he trundled the whole baggage of them down to the rivers edge \u201cSeein\u2019 we gotta go into town, we had best hide that brand best ways we can.\u201d Ramsay muttered and began to make a glorious mud pie which he sloshed over the back end of the horse, making it look like it had been enjoying a mud bath before being taken into town.<\/p>\n \u201cYou sure that\u2019s gonner be good enough? Folks might think it odd seein\u2019 a hoss that handsome looking so muddied up!\u201d Liza pouted<\/p>\n \u201cIf\u2019n a Cartwright rode it, mebbe, not us Ramsays, though!\u201d the old man spat a stream of tobacco juice into the water and then remounted onto the wagon.<\/p>\n \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026 \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026..<\/p>\n \u201cHi, Tom.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHi, Hoss \u2013 Joe\u201d Tom Riley said sullenly, and turned to pull out the Ponderosa mail from its assigned box. \u201cHow\u2019s things with you all?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFine, jest fine.\u201d Hoss said, thumbing through the letters with a frown on his round face.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t look so happy, Tom, what\u2019s wrong? Davy not back with the biggest gold nugget this side of the sierras yet?\u201d Joe grinned.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, not yet.\u201d Tom frowned and leaned on the counter, which prompted Joe and then Hoss to do a little leaning themselves \u201cFact is, I don\u2019t like the idea of him being up there at all. Chuck Norris, my grandpa\u2019s old partner, went with him to show him around, but I don\u2019t like it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you expecting him back?\u201d Joe asked, taking a letter addressed to himself ftrom Hoss and sniffing at the envelope before slipping it into his pocket<\/p>\n \u201cOh, he could be back anytime. Said not to worry about him as he was going to be gone at least a week. I jest hope he ain\u2019t gonna try and get me going up there. I hate the dark!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChuck Norris is a reliable man, though, Tom. He\u2019ll take good care of Davy\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, but you know what Davy\u2019s like, never met anyone like him for finding trouble, except perhaps you, Joe.\u201d Tom grinned and excused himself as Mrs Hackett required some attention.<\/p>\n The two brothers strolled out of the mail office and along the sidewalk, both deep in thought. Joe\u2019s mind was as much occupied with Davy and the mine as it was on the letter he had slipped into his jacket pocket.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going in to see Sam\u201d Joe muttered, and slapped his brother amicably on the shoulder \u201cI\u2019ll see you later for a cold beer if you like, Hoss\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSuits me!\u201d Hoss said smugly and watched his little brother stroll into the Bucket of Blood. He looked twice at the horse tethered to the back of a battered old wagon that was hitched to the saloons rail. He pushed his hat to the back of his head and screwed up his eyes to take an even better look and was about to cross the road to look closer when he felt a prod in the back<\/p>\n \u201cWhat yu lookin\u2019 at, big feller?\u201d<\/p>\n He turned to survey the girl who was now standing at his side, her hands on her slim hips and her eyes dark and sparkling,<\/p>\n \u201cThat horse that\u2019s tethered to that wagon, that\u2019s what I\u2019m looking at!\u201d Hoss replied shortly.<\/p>\n \u201cSo? Why the interest?\u201d she raised her eyebrows and took off her hat, sending cascades of golden red hair tumbling down her back and looking so like a bush of spun gold that Hoss went red and blushed.<\/p>\n \u201cIt kinda reminded me of a horse I know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWal, that hoss is my Paws. We\u2019ve had it fer years. Paw won it in a card game down in Sacremento. He spends more money paying fer that hoss\u2019 grub than he does mine,\u201d she pouted, pretty red lips that were full and well shaped as a cupids bow. Hoss gulped and took off his hat,<\/p>\n \u201cAin\u2019t seen you around here before, have I, miss?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJest rode in this morning,\u201d she said smartly and thrust out her hand \u201cName\u2019s Liza Ramsay.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss Cartwright!\u201d and he took the proffered hand very gently in his own and shook it, and smiled \u201cI was about to go in for a cup of coffee and some cake. Would you like to join me?\u201d he murmered coyly, as her brown eyes smouldered up into his.<\/p>\n \u201cGuess I\u2019d better not, Paw would be wonderin\u2019 whar I wuz.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWill you be coming into town agin, at all?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cP\u2019raps,\u201d Liza frowned and looked up into Hoss\u2019 face, and smiled. She liked what she saw, an honest open face \u201cBest git back to Paw then. See you agin, Hoss!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss nodded and swallowed in a thick gulp, and watched her walk away. By the time he had his hat on and had turned to survey the horse and the wagon, the horse had disappeared although the wagon was still there, and a wiry man wearing a battered hat was clambering up onto the seat. Liza was crossing the road to join him. Hoss frowned and watched as the odd couple trundled out of town, the girls flaming gold hair now hidden again beneath her hat.<\/p>\n He shook his head and decided he had been seeing things, or imagining things and perhaps it would be best not to mention that to Joe either. He turned and continued on his way to Cass\u2019 Store.<\/p>\n \u201cYou kin quit that racket\u201d old man Ramsay snarled as they rode at a quicker speed than normal from town. He glared at his daughter and wished he had a free hand to give her a sharp clip around the ear. Carrying on so over a horse they hadn\u2019t even had in their possession longer than a few hours. \u201cI had no choice but git rid of it, there were Cartwrights everywhere I went and I don\u2019t want to feel a noose around my neck jest yet a while!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI saw a Cartwright too.\u201d she blubbed \u201cHe was staring right at the hoss, didn\u2019t even cotton on to it either.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe will, if\u2019n he thinks hard enough about it.\u201d Ramsay growled<\/p>\n \u201cWhy\u2019d ya have to sell it though, Paw? I woulda given my eye teeth to have kept that hoss!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, no doubt you would\u2019ve, but we need money to buy victuals with don\u2019t we? Or are yer fergitting your ma and sisters thet easy, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n Liza said nothing to that, but wiped her nose on her sleeve and sniffed and thought of the ribbon and candies she had got in exchange for the little book of verse at Cass\u2019 store.<\/p>\n Chapter 4<\/p>\n \u201cCartwright? You still there?\u201d the mans voice was a mere whisper now and Adam, kneeling close by, had to lean forward to hear him.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m still here,\u201d he said very quietly<\/p>\n \u201cYoung idjit, you should have gone by now, gone outa here .\u201d Chuck sighed and closed his eyes<\/p>\n \u201cHow longs it bin now?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAbout an hour,\u201d Adam replied, having checked the time by holding the candle close to his time keeper \u201cChuck, I\u2019ve nearly got one area of this removed. It shouldn\u2019t take me much longer to be rid of enough to get you out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI told you, boy, not to bother. Jest go now while you have the chance.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust another hour, Chuck\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you mad? There ain\u2019t another hour left for me. Listen -.\u201d the rasping voice became quiet and Adam strained his ears.<\/p>\n Apart from the dripping of water down the walls, and the occasional eerie echo of some far off sound, there was only silence. Then he heard another sound. It was like a slow cracking splintering sound the like of which one would hear when ice on a pond was beginning to thaw and crack. Adam raised his head and listened intently, much like a hound waiting for the hunt to begin and listening for his quarry. The sound was stealthy at first, but was increasing in volume as the seconds ticked by. He struggled to his feet, stood as erect as he could and raised the candle flame higher. \u201cHear it?\u201d Chuck whispered<\/p>\n \u201cI hear it.\u201d Adam whispered in return and he got down on his knees and reached for another boulder. Chuck\u2019s fingers curled around his wrist,<\/p>\n \u201cThanks for trying, boy. I appreciate it, like I said before, there ain\u2019t no point. Jest git outa here and remember what I said, only take the left turns. All the best. Go now, before the whole lot comes down on top of you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t leave you here, Chuck, not now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s a man to do?\u201d Chuck groaned \u201cYou Cartwrights have to argue all the time, prove yerselves right, jest go, can\u2019t a man die in peace?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam leaned back on his heels and stared at the man\u2019s face. The candle flame flickered as the man\u2019s final breath was exhaled and the death rattle sounded in his throat. There was a spasm as the fingers tightened their grip around his wrist and then opened to release him. Very gently he leaned forward and closed the blank eyes and placed Chucks arms across his chest. He had been right after all, he had been dying and had died to prove it.<\/p>\n Gravel sifted down onto his back and he knew that the spiders web was spreading faster now than was safe for him to stay any longer. It really was time to go!.<\/p>\n *********<\/p>\n \u201cWell,\u201d Ben frowned as he read the cablegram and then looked at his sons \u201cSeem\u2019s Adam’s done alright for us, he got the contract and everythings signed and sealed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnything about when he\u2019s due to get home?\u201d Joe asked, biting into an apple and looking up from perusing his own letter.<\/p>\n \u201cHe just says that he\u2019ll see us back home soon. Could be anytime now!\u201d Ben smiled as he refolded the letter and slipped it into the desk drawer \u201cHow\u2019d you get on in town?\u201d he glanced at them both and Joe grinned and shrugged<\/p>\n \u201cMet an odd fella in the saloon, wanted to sell me a horse.\u201d Joe chuckled \u201cWhen I told him my name he went kinda pale and said I probably wouldn\u2019t be interested in what he had and went and sold it to old Hogan. I ask you, Hogan of all people? He\u2019ll probably have it hung drawn and quartered by tomorrow morning and living off horse steaks for the rest of the week.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I reckon I saw the horse\u201d Hoss murmered, strolling up with a large chunk of Hop Sings apple pie in his hand \u201cIt was a dead ringer for Sport!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally?\u201d Joe raised his eye brows \u201cWell, Hogan paid a decent price for it anyway, perhaps he\u2019ll decide not to have it for breakfast and dinner for the next month after all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPurty little girl came and said it was her Pa\u2019s.\u201d Hoss bit into the apple pie before it had a chance to crumble and fall onto the floor. Joe thought it was like watching slurry slip into a quarry mouth!<\/p>\n \u201cAh-huh? A purty little gal, huh? How purty, Hoss?\u201d Joe teased<\/p>\n \u201cReal purty\u201d Hoss chomped at another bit of pie \u201cBig brown eyes and the brightest red hair I ever did see. Looked half starved to me. Said her Pa fed the horse better than he ever got round to feeding her. I reckon that weren\u2019t far off the truth either.\u201d He perched onto the edge of the big coffee table that stretched out before the fire and with another chomp, the apple pie was gone. He rather daintily licked his fingers \u201cWho\u2019s your letter from, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, a little filly I met when we were in \u2018Frisco last.\u201d Joe sighed and slipped the note back into the envelope \u201cWanted to know when we would be visiting there next\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh-huh!\u201d Hoss grinned and winked over at his father, then he stood up and stretched, \u201cI got me a present for big brother for when he gets back home!\u201d Hoss walked over to the bureau where he had tossed his hat and jacket, and from under these he produced a small book of verse. \u201cThought he\u2019d be sure to like this book. Sally said she had only jest got hold of it herself\u201d<\/p>\n Ben looked at the book and smiled thoughtfully, he nodded at Hoss, thinking that it was a kindly gesture on the part of the young man. Joe looked at it and took it from Hoss and shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cNah, he\u2019s already got this one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe can\u2019t have \u2026 it\u2019s brand new!\u201d Hoss looked pained, and reached out for the book.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, Hoss, I saw him reading it before he left here. He only got it himself the day before, said it was a first edition and that one day it would it worth some money.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you sure, Little Joe? You ain\u2019t joshing, are ya?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs if I would.\u201d Joe chuckled<\/p>\n \u201cLet me see that,\u201d Ben said and took the book from Joe and opened it \u201cJoe\u2019s right, Hoss. Adam was reading this. Someone else must have a similar taste in verse.\u201d he smiled at Hoss and returned it to him \u201cIt was a kind thought, Hoss, why not keep it for yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShucks, I ain\u2019t got the time to read stuff like this!\u201d Hoss protested, he took the book and held it against his chest, \u201cAw, I jest wanted to git Adam summat he\u2019d enjoy.\u201d Hoss sighed and put the book down and strolled out to the kitchen. If he timed it right he might just be able to grab another slice of pie before Hop Sing got back into the kitchen!<\/p>\n Chapter 5<\/p>\n The candle had melted to stubs and the hot wax dripped onto his fingers. The creaking, cracking sounds above were beginning to gain momentum. For all the hours he had been in that mine Adam had succeeded in keeping a control on his nerves but this race against time, against the whole roof caving in on him before he found the way out and into the next tunnel was straining his nerves to the utmost. The gash in his head was still bleeding and he had bound the bandana around it.\u00a0 Hopefully it would prevent the flow of blood from streaming into his eyes. His hands were raw, blisters were torn open and bleeding and the hot wax only added to the problems. He was exhausted now. His throat was so dry and sore from lack of any water that his tongue seemed to have fused in his mouth. His lips were cracked and bleeding.<\/p>\n The flame of the candle, so feeble in the darkness, shivered and Adam watched it and thought \u2018Somehow this means something!\u201d He watched it tremble again and realised that it was moving due to a draught of air. A draught of air meant that there was an opening out of the shaft.<\/p>\n It had been the darkness that had been the most unnerving thing to combat throughout those hours. To strain his eyes against a wall of pitch black and to be able to see so little by the light of the candle, never knowing what his foot may have stumbled against that could cause another rock fall. He knelt down and the flame danced on the candle. If he were not careful it was in danger of gutting out altogether as he inched his way forwards.<\/p>\n A gap, the width of a mans body and carved out of the rock. Its smoothness proof that it was not by human hands, but by the more forceful action of water that had at one time surged through and smoothed out its contours. He felt the shape of it with his hands and then, getting down onto his belly he wriggled his way through the aperture.<\/p>\n The darkness was still there but so was the feeling of immense space all around him. It was like walking from someones vestibule and into a ball room. He could sense the vastness and it was daunting. He cringed back against the rock and felt water cool to the touch of his fingers.<\/p>\n \u201cWater.\u201d his exhausted brain told him and he groped along the rock until he found a scooped hollow, filled by the natural flow of water . It was heaven sent and he did not neglect to give thanks as he filled his hands and let the water trickle into his parched mouth. It was so cold and clean that he gagged at first. It made him cough, but it was life giving, life restoring and he drank carefully. He forced himself to remember that having gone without for so long, to gorge on it now could have had disastrous effects.<\/p>\n The blisters of his hands stung, raw now and he took time to tear off a strip from his shirt to wrap around both of them. The coldness of the water as it had touched his innards made him shiver just as the cold air in the vast cavern reminded him that he needed to move on before he came too cold to do anything. He ran his tongue around his lips and tasted blood along with grit and dust.<\/p>\n The water cleansed them but the bleeding continued for a while, he wasn’t really sure when it ceased to be a nuisance. He slithered down onto his haunches, with his back against the rocks and thought about what had happened. If he had stayed in San Francisco just another day, if he had taken another route into town. If only, if only. The candle had gutted now. The darkness about him was horrifically intense. He closed his eyes and opened them several times and realised that open or closed made no difference at all.<\/p>\n He had water near at hand, and some candles. He was exhausted and in pain, in terrible pain, and he was cold, he could feel the extremities of his body becoming numb and yet it screamed for sleep, and as he sat there in the vast cavern with the water dripping down the walls by his side, his body began to close down and relax into the stupor of the utterly weary.<\/p>\n \u201cI must sleep.\u201d he told himself and took a deep breath. He could feel his body slipping away when there came a shuddering earth moving crash that jolted the floor of the cavern upon which he sat and within seconds clouds of dust and grit were rolling towards him.<\/p>\n With little time to think he turned and moved as fast as he could on all fours until he managed to get his feet and scramble upright. He had to run, to out run the dust and the grit and the rubble. He had to run as a blind man, for there was nothing for him to see all around him but the intensity of the darkness.<\/p>\n He ran, he staggered, he fell. He rolled several yards bumping against rocks and boulders and riccocheting from them until he fell, pain shot through his knee as he crashed down upon rocks and then he sprawled out among the debris unaware of anything and totally unconscious.<\/p>\n Dave Riley had dreamed of wealth and glory, but now he lay where his dreams should have been realised. The place for his dreams fulfillment had merely become his grave. Years if traversing the mines had not helped Norris, whose body lay smashed beneath the rocks that had been there since time immemorial. Alone and broken Adam Cartwright’s breathing became shallower with every passing moment.<\/p>\n Chapter 6<\/p>\n Ben Cartwright stretched and yawned and scratched his head. It was good to be alive on a day so fresh and sunny. He opened the bedroom window wider and leaned against the cill to observe the view beyond. In the stillness of the early mornings dawn there was true beauty and he wondered, rather sleepily, if there was a poem about that in the little book of verse Hoss had hoped to give Adam.<\/p>\n Co-incidences, he smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Pa, hurry up, Hoss is ravenous and if you don\u2019t hurry you\u2019ll get no breakfast,\u201d Joe chortled as he ran past his fathers bedroom and rapped on the door.<\/p>\n Ben stretched again and smiled. He half turned and paused a moment to observe the rider coming into the yard. He shook his head bemusedly. What was old Hogan doing here so early? Rumour had it that he never rolled out of bed until mid day.<\/p>\n By the time he had reached downstairs Hogan was knocking on the door and Hoss was throwing it open with a grin on his face. The smile faded somewhat when he saw Hogan for the wretched man always brought the unwelcome aroma of goats with him, and the smell lingered.<\/p>\n \u201cPhew!\u201d Hoss muttered, and stepped backwards, \u201cEr\u2026come in, Mr Hogan..would you like some coffee?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNope,\u201d the old man scowled and looked directly at Ben \u201cI jest wanted you to come and see what I bought yesterday. I want you to see it fer yerself before you go gitting any wrong ideas, thassall.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss and Joe and Ben exchanged looks, each and every one of them assuming the old man had gone a little crazier than usual. They followed him out into the yard and stopped at the sight of Sport nodding at them over the hitching rail.<\/p>\n \u201cThat IS Sport,\u201d Hoss said firmly \u201cDadburn it, I should have known\u2026\u201d and the three of them rushed to the horses side to check the brand mark on its flank. \u201cThis is the horse you bought from that old squatter, ain\u2019t it, Hogan?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBought it fair and square.\u201d Hogan said glaring at Ben as though it were all his fault .<\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s the Bill of Sale?\u201d Ben asked \u201cAnd who did you get it from?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI ain\u2019t got no Bill of Sale. The old guy I bought it from promised me that he was selling in good faith because his family were starving and they needed the money. It was a transaction between two men, not businesses.\u201d He glowered at Ben again, \u201cI paid in good faith for this horse, and then I saw the brand mark when I washed off all that thar mud. Then I realised why I thought the crittur looked so familiar. Reckoned I\u2019d best bring it on into here fer you to sort out.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe ran his hands over Sports legs and then down his flanks and looked at his father and nodded, \u201cThe guy who was selling Sport yesterday, he was the one who didn\u2019t want to sell to me, once he knew who I was a Cartwright!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWait,\u201d Ben put up a hand and then passed his hand across his face as though struck by some terrible thought \u201cWait.” for a moment there was silence, as they waited for him to speak and he tried to think down a route that he really didn’t want to go down “There\u2019s something wrong. If Sports here, then where\u2019s Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you think someone\u2019s ambushed him for the horse?\u201d Hoss whispered \u201cI mean, why bring Sport into Virginia City of all places if they had done that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat book, Hoss. The one you bought yesterday. Did Sally say where she had got it from?\u201d Joe looked at his brother earnestly, his hazel eyes dark with anxiety.<\/p>\n \u201cSaid a young woman had brought it to the shop and wanted to exchange it for some furbelows.\u201d Hoss shrugged and then his eyes widened \u201cHeck, Pa that little gal with the red hair,\u201d he clicked his fingers and turned to Joe \u201cRamsay, that\u2019s what they were called.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYep, Ramsay, that\u2019s his name alright,\u201d Hogan said \u201cBut what about me? What about my money?\u201d \u201cWhat\u2019s more important than -,\u201d Hogans voice ended in a whine and he shrugged and shook his head and turned to his horse \u201cC\u2019mon, Desdemona, I guess we jest ain\u2019t wanted round here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.<\/p>\n Roy Coffee pulled down his gun belt and was buckling it round his waist even as Ben was telling him about Hogan, the horse and the Ramsays. He picked up his hat and then looked seriously at Ben,<\/p>\n \u201cSo you\u2019ve got Hoss and Joe scouting around?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOn the road back from \u2018Frisco.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAin\u2019t that a bit of a stupid idea, Ben? Wouldn\u2019t it have been better to have waited to see what these Ramsay folk have to say? If\u2019n they found Sport then they\u2019ll give you a better idea of jest where Adam can be found.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat if they bushwhacked him and hid the body? They\u2019re not likely to tell us where he is, are they?\u201d Ben\u2019s voice tightened with suppressed impatience at what he felt was Roy\u2019s dithering about, as usual.<\/p>\n \u201cCan\u2019t see why not, most folks round here are mighty obligin\u2019 when the laws poking around, Ben\u201d Roy raised a placating hand as he realised his friend was about to blow a short fuse \u201cAlright, alright. I see it your way too, but let\u2019s jest go and find out for ourselves shall we? Then we\u2019ll have to send out a posse to find your two boys ,\u201d he grumbled under his breath as he swept out of the sherriffs office.<\/p>\n Chapter 7<\/p>\n Adam paused and held the candle higher. His gratitude to Chuck Norris and this provision of candles was manifold! He had taken two left turnings so far and still the vast tendrils of the labyrinth continued onwards. Now he had found himself walking down, lower and lower. It was obvious that some hours earlier he had walked beneath the water table . The air in the cavern was cold as water trickled like minor waterfalls down the sides of the rock, spilling onto the floor over which he had to walk, to cascade over the rim to the depths below . As he walked he stayed as close to the rockface as possible, occasionally pausing to lean against it for support, fighting off pain, letting his knee rest momentarily before he proceeded to walk on.<\/p>\n Perhaps another hour has passed before he stopped to drink. He soaked the bandana and wiped his face and neck. Then he picked up the candle and began to walk forward. He had gone about a dozen steps when he realised that the light from the candle was reflected back at him. Gingerly he took another step forward, his free hand outstretched. His fingers touched wet rock. Total dejection welled up inside him and he set down the candle and began to feel the rock with both hands. Up, down, round to the left\u2026round to the right. He stood on tip toe. His way was seemingly blocked. He was totally perplexed now for he had obeyed Chucks directions to take only left turnings.<\/p>\n He placed his hands upon the surface of the rock and leaned upon it as though somehow he could move it by that simple action alone. He bowed his head and closed his eyes, and found a measure of relief in doing so for the strain of attempting to see through the dense darkness, to focus on the pin prick of light form the candle seemed to be sucking them from their sockets. Of course nothing happened, the rock never moved, water still streamed down the walls, soaked his clothing, his skin.<\/p>\n He took a deep breath and sat down and buried his face in his hands. How much longer could he go on for he asked himself. This just seemed never ending . He was so tired, so hungry, so \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.scared? He shook his head, no, he was not scared. Not yet anyway. He still had his strength and he could still use his legs. He moved to pick up the candle. As his fingers touched it, it fell from the rock and rolled away from him. He reached out to snatch it up but it just continued to roll out of reach.<\/p>\n He pulled out another candle and lit the wick and lowered the flame to the ground. There was no sign of the other candle now. He stretched out his fingers and there the rock, unmoving and unyielding. So where had the candle gone if not beside the rock. It was just a simple thing, but suddenly it seemed overwhelmingly momentous. He was on all fours now groping along the ground in the direction of the lost candle, it had rolled away from him and gone, but where? Upon his knees he shuffled along groping along the rock strewn ground until he touched \u2013 nothing. The more he groped the emptier the space he was finding.<\/p>\n Panic hit him in the throat for a moment, he leaned forward and realised the gap was wide, the nothingness beyond stretched beyond the massive rock that had prevented him moving onwards. He sat for a moment with his head down, deep in thought, his mind on what was ahead of him. Taking a deep breath he blew out the candle. Using his hands he groped around the rocks, found the aperture and carefully eased his body into it. For a fraction of a moment he realised there was no ground beneath his feet and that he had to let go or swing himself back up into the tunnel. And then it was too late to consider the matter for his hands were already too torn and tired and he could feel his fingers slipping away from the rock.<\/p>\n Chapter 8<\/p>\n Arthur Ramsay and his wife stared up at the sheriff and Ben Cartwright and listened to what they were saying. A dirty faced, runny nosed boy of six clung to his mothers skirts and a little girl of four, bare legged and equally dirty faced, stared up at them from behind her fathers legs. Liza, her flaming red hair, bundled into braids and tied with the new ribbons from the store, listened from the doorway.<\/p>\n \u201cI tell ya the horse was grazin\u2019. Ain\u2019t thet so, Liza?\u201d<\/p>\n She glanced up warily at the sound of her name and approached the two men cautiously. She scowled up at them and nodded,<\/p>\n \u201cCould you show us where you found the horse?\u201d Ben asked<\/p>\n She glanced at her father and shrugged and Ben looked in exasperation at Roy who nodded and looked at Ramsay.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m \u2018fraid I have to arrest you, Ramsay.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? Are you crazy?\u201d the old man started backwards, his red rimmed rheumy eyes opened so wide that he looked the one who warranted the term \u2018crazy\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cDoin\u2019 my job, mister, thet\u2019s all.\u201d Roy frowned \u201cNow, there\u2019s an easy way of doing this, and there\u2019s a hard way. I\u2019m sure you kin guess the best way I like it to be?\u201d<\/p>\n Ramsay spat and wiped his hands on the back of his pants and nodded,<\/p>\n \u201cAlright. Look, it\u2019s true what I told yer, we found the horse jest grazing. Its saddle and stuff is in the wagon, we ain\u2019t touched it.\u201d he frowned and looked at Ben \u201cWe didn\u2019t steal the crittur. There jest wasn\u2019t no body about to ..\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026.care for it\u201d Liza said quickly. \u201cThere jest weren\u2019t a body in sight, I swear!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben and Roy exchanged looks once more and then Roy nodded and gestured to Ramsays horse \u201cBest come along with us and show us!\u201d he said in his quiet polite manner.<\/p>\n Arthur Ramsay did not even look back at his snivelling wife and equally snivelling and squalling children. Liza glowered at them and swiftly ran indoors. Fear made her shake now, they had not even looked to see if the owner needed help. She had to confront the fact that a man could have died because of their greed.<\/p>\n \u2026\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s that up there, Hoss?\u201d Joe pointed to a black blob on the horizon and squinted.<\/p>\n Hoss took off his hat and shielded his eyes and scanned the horizon, then he scratched his head<\/p>\n \u201cLooks like an old wagon and a couple of mules left out to graze.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps the owner may have seen Adam,\u201d Joe suggested, and spurred his horse forwards and up the hill towards the wagon.<\/p>\n The two mules continued to crop at the grass and totally ignored the riders as they galloped towards them. Both men dismounted and walked up to the wagon and peered inside \u201cMiners equipment\u201d Hoss muttered.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat for? Where\u2019s the mine?\u201d Joe said, looking at the equipment in puzzlement.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, ain\u2019t this where old man Riley had his place? You know, where Dave came?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, of course.\u201d Joe grinned and his eyes twinkled for a moment \u201cHey, won\u2019t he be surprised to see us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHold on thar, Joe, we ain\u2019t come here courtesy callin\u2019, we came to find Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, so far as I can make out,\u201d Joe said, staring down at the ground \u201cthis is where Sports prints have led us. No harm in asking Dave and Chuck if they seen big brother, is there?\u201d and he grinned and dismounted, tethering Cochise onto the back of the wagon.<\/p>\n The two brothers walked along the ridge of the hill and down towards where the mine workings appeared. It was obvious to anyone with half an eyeful of knowledge about mining that serious work had long ceased. There was a sluice, and other apparatus indicating that at times some work was done, but any indication of it being an up and coming thriving business was far less apparent. \u201cPhew\u2026.that\u2019s what I call dark!\u201d Joe muttered<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lantern down ther,\u201d Hoss pointed to an oil lamp and picked it up and lit it .<\/p>\n \u201cDo you reckon Dave\u2019s here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have thought so,\u201d Hoss held the lantern higher and pointed to where another lantern stood nearby. \u201cIt seems kinda odd, don\u2019t\u2019cha think?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat does?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s quiet. No sign of any fire, or camping equipment. You know how Dave likes his food?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh yeah, I hadn\u2019t thought about that,\u201d Joe frowned and held up the other lamp and looked around\u201cHoss, there\u2019s a heck of a lot of dust and stuff flying about.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt don\u2019t look none too safe if you ask me!\u201d<\/p>\n They walked a few feet into the mine and paused to look around. Hoss brought the lamp down to the ground and surveyed the dust there, then he stood up and shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s been a recent fall here. If Dave and Norris are here, or have been here, the dust has already covered any of their tracks.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat was two days ago.\u201d Joe said quietly \u201cHey, what\u2019s that -.\u201d he pointed to something white that was pinned between two rocks and hurridly prised it free \u201cHoss, look at this!\u201d<\/p>\n Noting the sound of fear in his brother\u2019s voice Hoss took the paper and looked at it anxiously, then he took a deep breath and shook his head,\u201cIt\u2019s Adam’s hand writing, he\u2019s been here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.. \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.<\/p>\n He had landed on his feet quite safely but it was now impossible to get back up and it was equally obvious that since Riley and Norris had last been there and negotiated that particular tunnel, there had been a shift in the rock formation which had effectively sealed most of it up. He did a side step, groped in his pocket for the matches and a candle and lit the wick He could see how the narrow tunnel took a bend but flattened out, but to negotiate the bend meant that he would have to wriggle on his belly a little more and that the tunnel beyond him, as far as he could see was only the width and breadth of his body. He was, more or less, equivalent to a cork in a bottle, and with very little room in which to move.<\/p>\n He manouvred his arms and decided that the best way to tackle the tunnel was to move in a swimming motion, which would mean the candle always being ahead of him, providing him with some light and some direction. If he raised his head too suddenly, too high, he cracked it on some projecting rock; sometimes the passage way was so narrow that his cheek was grazing against the rocks surface that made up the floor of the tunnel, and the makeshift bandages around his hands were were torn so much as to be useless, his fingers were skinned raw. Several times the lack of air made him feel as though he were going to pass out and he considered the sense of having the candle alight, for the flame was eating away at what oxygen existed. He inched forwards, squeezed himself pass several more rocks, left more skin on the sharp stones that grazed against him as he pushed himself along. Then, suddenly, his hands touched water.<\/p>\n This was water as in the amount one would swim in. The narrow chamber had led him to a vast underwater cavern and beyond it he could see light. He lay there, his face a bloodied mask, his lips cracked and his eyes streaming, as he stared, and stared, at the sight of a one inch slip of light far beyond the expanse of water.<\/p>\n He measured the distance with his eyes and then sunk his head into his arms, the candle fell from his fingers and the flame phizzed out in the water.<\/p>\n ************<\/p>\n Ben took the paper from Joe and smoothed it out<\/p>\n \u201cAugust 9th\u2026Riley\u2019s site \u2026.<\/p>\n No of shaft props required<\/p>\n Amt of shoring timber<\/p>\n Amt of tracking<\/p>\n Essentials other items – which<\/p>\n \u201cSomething happened as he was writing this out.\u201d Ben said in a voice barely audible. He looked at Roy and his sons \u201cThey must still be in there .\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the 11th now,\u201d Roy said quietly and he put a hand gently on Ben’s arm \u201cI\u2019ll ride back to town and get some men organised to come on out here.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe and Hoss kept their eyes on their fathers face,watching the stern, handsome features of the man settle in lines of anxiety and concern for their elder brother. Neither of them dared to say what they were too frightened to even hint at \u2013 Joe swallowed a lump in his throat and eventually turned away and surveyed the hills around him. Who would have thought it, that someone would have been crazy enough to mine there.<\/p>\n What on earth had possessed Adam to step into such a mess, him being a trained engineer too. He should have known better; he should have noticed that everything was a mess and that it was just a death trap. He wiped his nose on his sleeve just as he would have done years ago, when a little boy.<\/p>\n Lost in such thoughts he jumped when Hoss\u2019 fingers curled over his shoulder, \u201cYou thinkin\u2019 what I\u2019m thinkin\u2019, little brother?\u201d Hoss muttered.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m thinking that Adam was darn stupid to have stepped foot inside that place.\u201d Joe growled, sniffing frantically, and struggling to keep the tears from dripping from his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going in now. I can\u2019t jest hang around here waiting for those men to come.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll come too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Joe.\u201d Hoss turned and looked at his little brother, \u201cShucks, Joe, if anything were to happen to you in there – .\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d Bens strident voice broke into their conversation and they both turned anxiously to look at their father who had already discarded his vest and hat and was rolling up his sleeves \u201cWhat are you two talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was jest saying to Joe that, Pa, what you plannin\u2019 on doin\u2019?\u201d Hoss\u2019 voice queried in some puzzlement.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to see what I can do in there. I can\u2019t hang around for Roy to get back from town, there\u2019s already been enough time wasted. Joe, ride back to the ranch and get some of the men here. Get Hop Sing to set up a chuck wagon of sort. This is going to be a long haul!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, but – ,\u201d Joe gestured feebly and seeing the stern look from his father, he turned back to where he had left Cochise. He then leapt into the saddle and galloped frantically away.<\/p>\n Ben watched him go and shook his head \u201cLet\u2019s just hope he doesn\u2019t break his neck along the way.\u201d he growled.<\/p>\n Chapter 9<\/p>\n Adam Cartwright had never felt so alone. He sat there, with his head burrowed in the crook of his folded arms, and once again surveyed the water. That light so far away was … well, it was just so far away and he doubted that he had the strength left in his body to reach it. Weak, so weak. He wanted to just keep his head resting upon his arms with his eyes shut and drfit into the calmness of death. His body was warmer now, the pain was constant either sharp enough to cause him to groan, or tingling, always tingling at the tips of his fingers and around his mouth and face.<\/p>\n \u201cI am alone!\u201d he said quietly to himself and burrowed further into the warmth of his arms \u201cI am alone!\u201d he repeated and drifted back into that dark sleep that hovered between rest and unconsciousness.<\/p>\n Time ticked away the minutes before he opened his eyes again \u2026.and he forced himself to sit up and look at the water. He couldn\u2019t go back, not back to the tunnel. He reached out a hand and touched the water and sent ripples trickling back towards the light.<\/p>\n He scooped up some water and tasted it, drank it, and then bathed his face with it. It was the colour of ink, but beyond, on the horizon, was that steady consistent small patch of light. He had by now lost all sense of direction, all he had to work on was this body of water and the fact that it had an outlet, obviously beneath the hill. Could it be that this water flowed into the river that wended its way through the Ponderosa? He could feel that there was a current too, that this body of water was not still nor stagnant and yet its movement was slow. What he could not know was what dangers lay hidden beneath the surface.<\/p>\n He relit the candle, grateful for the matches being still dry and impatient for the damp wick to sizzle into life. Then he slowly turned his body in order to get out his watch and check the time by the candle flame. He shook the time piece and then pushed it back into his pocket, the useless thing had stopped working, its hands remained at 2.00 and who was to know whether that meant before or after noon. He looked again at the speck of light on the horizon and knew that he would have to swim towards it soon before the darkness came, before it grew cold once more. Nothing could now be worse than to be swimming into the dark. He struggled out of his coat and bundled it up and with his belt secured it to his back, much like a soldiers back pack. Then, without a backward glance, he slid into the water.<\/p>\n It was like swimming in ink. Ice cold ink. At first he swam slowly, gauging his own strength and the force of the current, letting it take him with it, making sure that he was still in control. All the time he kept his eyes on that small square of light and the spangles of silver that danced upon the ripples of the inky black water.<\/p>\n \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026 \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.<\/p>\n \u201cThe men are here, pa.\u201d Joe said quietly. Gently, but forcibly, he pushed a mug of hot coffee into the older mans hands.<\/p>\n Ben merely nodded, and straightened his back. He was dirty, dischevelled, and his unbuttoned shirt was stained with sweat and mud and dust. Joe tapped his brother on the arm and pushed a mug of coffee into Hoss\u2019 hands, forcing him to stop work and, like his father, Hoss stood up, straightened his back and looked dirt stained and worried.<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s it going?\u201d Roy’s voice echoed eerily in the cavern, where dust filtered everywhere and clung to everything, and lamps and lanterns hung on every conceivable nail in order to provide sufficient light. \u201cAnything yet?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a big one!\u201d Hoss said quietly \u201cThankfully there\u2019s no water seepage, otherwise there would have been even more trouble. No, we just keep moving rock and timber from one place to another, and yet keep finding more. It\u2019s as though the whole mine shaft just collapsed in on itself.\u201d<\/p>\n Tom Riley, so afraid of the dark and confined spaces, pushed his way ahead of Roy and stared in horror at the wall of rock and debris that still faced them.<\/p>\n \u201cIs there any chance of them coming out of this alive?\u201d he asked<\/p>\n No one spoke an answer to that question. Other men were coming in now, men who worked in mines and had experienced mine falls and knew how to handle fallen debris. They took their places and without a word began to work with deadly caution, but with sufficient speed to encourage Joe, Hoss and Ben to get busy once again.<\/p>\n Hop Sing watched as the men worked in shifts. It was, as Hoss had said, a big one. This was not going to be a salvage or rescue operation that was going to end in a few hours, but looked as though it was set to go on well into the night.<\/p>\n With a dismal feeling in his heart the cook prepared food for the hungry and hot drinks for the cold and disheartened. By the time the stars and moon came out to shine, they shone down upon a very sombre and disconsolate group of over a hundred men.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe, Hoss, I want you both to go home now. Get some rest and come back tomorrow morning. You\u2019ve worked yourselves to a standstill.\u201d Ben looked at his two sons with red rimmed eyes for the dust and grit got everywhere and it was impossible to avoid rubbing ones eyes to free them from the stuff. Joe and Hoss looked at one another<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you intend to do, Pa? Sleep under the chuck wagon?\u201d Hoss asked<\/p>\n Ben said nothing to that, but turned his back on them and stared at the mine which now had so many lanterns adorning it that it looked like a continuation of the stars in heaven. Joe and Hoss could see, the way the older mans chest was heaving up and down, that Ben was exhausted and emotionally wracked.<\/p>\n \u201cGo home, Pa.\u201d Hoss said quietly \u201cIf we come across anything, we\u2019ll send for you rightaway.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shook his head and was about to speak when there came a yell and Zeke Hanratty came running towards the mouth of the mine, waving a lantern which was the signal that something, or someone, had been found at last. The three Cartwrights ran with Hop Sing close behind them towards where a group of men were carrying a body, draped with a blanket.<\/p>\n The name of the dead person rippled towards them and they slowed their running to a disconsolate walk. Tom Riley approached the body which was gently laid upon the ground, and after lifting a corner of the blanket, nodded and walked away. Joe, his gentle heart torn with anxiety over his own brother, and having been a close friend to Dave Riley since childhood, walked hurriedly over to Tom and without a word the two young men walked away from the crowds to where they could talk in the darkness of the night.<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you think they\u2019ll find Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow do I know, son?\u201d the words were uttered as a long drawn out sigh.<\/p>\n Hoss sighed and bowed his head. He still hankered after the times when, if he asked Pa\u2019s opinion or advice about anything, it was as though something magic happened because Pa was always right. If Ben had said \u201cYeah, of course they\u2019ll find Adam and he\u2019ll be just fine\u201d then Hoss would have felt his spirit uplifted and confidence return, but the answer Ben gave left him in despair.<\/p>\n Two hours later and the whisper rippled around the crowd that another body had been found. In silence they waited. The three Cartwrights stood together and waited for the worse kind of news. Hanratty walked towards them, swinging his lantern by his side,<\/p>\n \u201cIt was Chuck Norris, Mr Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo sign of any one else?\u201d Ben asked<\/p>\n \u201cOnly this,\u201d and Zeke produced a very battered, misshapen and dust covered black hat. \u201cNothing else, sir. We looked but that\u2019s all we found.\u201d<\/p>\n Chapter 9<\/p>\n Adam swam through the square of light that had got brighter and brighter as he drew nearer to it. Without breaking the rhythm of his strokes he swam out beyond the rock and boulders that had incarcerated him for the past two and a half days and then he paused and looked around him. High in the sky a silver moon shone down and in the water, just a few yards ahead of him, the moons sister reflection rippled in the shallow waves that his swimming created.<\/p>\n With a strange determined passion Adam swam towards the reflection and when he reached its centre he stopped, and with a loud whoop he raised both arms high in the air and whooped again and again. Then he flopped onto his back in the water and allowed the gentle currents to carry him just a little further before he turned and began to swim towards the shore.<\/p>\n His hands touched the earth and his feet trod down grass and he smelt clean fresh air scented with the late summers flowers. Oh joy of joys and to be alive!<\/p>\n He untied the belt and pulled free his jacket before he fell, exhausted, into the long grasses as though to all appearances, dead, with his arms flung out and his eyes closed. The moon drifted along in the sky, sometimes hiding her face behind the clouds and bathing the still body with darkness, to peek again and sprinkle upon it her silver beams. The stars played hide and seek and slowly retreated before the awesome arrival of the early morning sun that sent out gentle warmth upon the young man lying now as though in pleasant slumber.<\/p>\n He stirred and raised an arm to shield his eyes from the sun, and for some moments lay there in contented peace. He wanted to move but his body cried out for peace and stillness, and so he remained at the waters edge, soaking up the sun and blanking out from his mind the misery and pain of the previous few days.<\/p>\n \u2026.. \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026. \u2026\u2026\u2026.<\/p>\n Ben Cartwright watched as the men dissembled and began to journey back to their homes and work places. He had thanked them all personally, shaken their hands, accepted their condolences and said his good byes. He wearily picked up his hat and jacket and looked up at his sons, \u201cLet\u2019s go home.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss said, putting an arm across Joe\u2019s shoulders \u201cYou never know, Adam may be there.\u201d \u201cPa, I\u2019ve bin thinking, that hillside is jest about honeycombed with tunnels, ain\u2019t it? What if Adam found a way out, huh? See \u2013 it\u2019s like this \u2013 those tunnels don\u2019t jest go round and round, do they? I mean ta say, they ain\u2019t some kind of maze, they gotta end someplace, ain\u2019t they?\u201d he glanced at Joe for support, but his youngest brother was too miserable himself to even think about honeycombed hills \u201cI reckon Adams got outta there, makes no sense otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat makes no sense?\u201d Ben asked<\/p>\n \u201cWell, if\u2019n they can find Dave and Chuck and Adams hat, why didn\u2019t anyone find him? Stands to reason,he has to be somewhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, exactly!\u201d Joe snapped angrily \u201cSomewhere in those honeycombed tunnels you keep prattling on about, aw, Hoss, just shuddup will ya!\u201d and Joe walked more quickly to his horse, hoping to out distance his overly optimistic brother.<\/p>\n Hoss shook his head and frowned, it all made complete sense to him, although the fact that Adams body could be lying incumbent anywhere in the tunnels also made complete sense to his brother seemed irrelevant to him. He walked to his horse, scratching his head and pondering about the possibility of Adams whereabouts.<\/p>\n \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026..<\/p>\n Getting his legs to move had been a problem. After all the bumps and bruising, the scraping and sliding, he felt as stiff as a ram rod. He was also weak from his head wound and loss of blood. And he was extremely hungry.<\/p>\n He stretched and gasped as pain trickled up and down his body. But resolute now he turned towards a familiar spot and began to walk towards it. After ten minutes his strides became faltering foot steps, and within minutes he was staggering like a drunkard along the track that led to home. Chapter 11<\/p>\n The three men were sunk in lethargy and each one of them seemed lost deep inside their own thoughts. Hoss stood by the fire and poked at it savagely, still trying to work out why there had been no sign of his brothers body and always coming up with the same answer, that he was safe somewhere and possibly needing their help.<\/p>\n Joseph sat hunched over in the big blue chair while he kept chewing his thumbs and spitting nail into the grate, his mind going over and over the hours spent in that mine and then the horror that hit his gut when they brought out Dave . In his minds eye he tried to imagine being shut in there for days on end and what would he do, and what, in consequence, could Adam have done?<\/p>\n Ben stared at the flames of the fire and thought also of the hours spent in hauling out the rocks and boulders, the timber and other rubble from that mine shaft, of the hopes that he had kept close to mind. He shuddered inwardly at the memory of the times when the men yelled \u201cStop, don\u2019t move\u201d because of the threat that more of the rock fall was about to take place. It had not, thankfully, but the fear he had felt at the thought of it happening, and the realisation that Adam had experienced it, alone, tormented his already distressed mind.<\/p>\n That was the worse thing a father could bear. The thought that his son had suffered and perhaps during the suffering had longed for the help of his family and received none. He got to his feet, he felt stiff and clumsy from lack of sleep and from hauling boulders and rocks for hours on end. Hoss and Joe stopped what they were doing and looked at him.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019re you plannin\u2019 on doin\u2019, Pa?\u201d Hoss asked, holding the poker at a rather dangerous angle towards Joe\u2019s head.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m coming with you.\u201d Joe said, fending off the poker and jumping to his feet \u201cYou\u2019re going back, to find Adam, arn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf he were there, dead or alive, we would have found him.\u201d Ben said simply, walking towards the bureau and picking up his hat \u201cBecause he wasn\u2019t means that he got out, that he\u2019s somewhere out there on his own and may be in need of our help.\u201d<\/p>\n “Ain’t that jest what I said?” Hoss cried, a momentary hope bringing joy into his words. There was little point in arguing or making further comment. Hop Sing was summoned to The thuds on the door struck over loud in the silent room, and with a glare of annoyance Ben threw open the door \u201cHogan!\u201d he exclaimed impatiently.<\/p>\n \u201cS\u2019right!\u201d Hogan replied, pulling off his hat and clapping it against his chest as though it would act as some kind of buckler to fend off any angry word.<\/p>\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t quite the right time, Hogan. I\u2019ve -.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve brung you someone.\u201d Hogan said simply, indicating his wagon \u201cThought to bring him right home as fast as I could.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss was already running towards the tailgate of the wagon, his face alight with smiles, which faded when he saw his brother sprawled out upon Hogans sacks of groceries.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam?\u201d he whispered .<\/p>\n Joe skidded to a halt, looked at Hoss and then looked down at Adam and grimaced, then he looked at Ben who was walking hurridly towards them, for some reason, the power to run had seeped from his limbs.<\/p>\n \u201cI dun told one of yer men to go fetch Dr Paul,\u201d Hogan said quietly, twisting his hat round and round in his hands.<\/p>\n \u201cYou did the right thing. Thanks, Mr Hogan.\u201d Hoss muttered, as he pulled out the pins to release the tailgate and to reach towards his brother.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll come by another time, to see how he is,\u201d Hogan said, as he watched the three men bear their precious burden back into the house.<\/p>\n He was not offended when the door closed on him without any reply, and thick skinned and ignorant though he was, his heart was soft enough to compel him to pray for the family that he left behind as his wagon disappeared out of the Ponderosa yard.<\/p>\n It was Hoss who placed his brother gently down upon the settee and Ben who sent Hop Sing hurrying away to see to bandages and warm water with which to bathe the bloodied face. Now they crowded around him, seeing for themselves the wet clothes, the ripped skin of his hands and the dirt and blood stained features. Ben took one hand in his own while his dark eyes devoured the sight of his beloved first born,<\/p>\n \u201cAdam? Can you hear me, son?\u201d<\/p>\n The silence and stillness of the body made each one of them fear the worse but it was Joe who whispered the words \u201cIs he dead, pa?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss shook his head, a shiver ran down his spine \u201cHe ain\u2019t, is he, pa? He cain\u2019t be -.\u201d<\/p>\n They stared down at the blood stained face, and gently Ben raised the torn, bleeding hand and held it close to his chest, willing his son to feel the love that was contained in the vessel that beat thunderously loud in his own ear drums.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s cold. Hoss, get a quilt\u201d he said brusquely.<\/p>\n Hoss pulled out a quilt from the cupboard near the door and brought it to his brother, carefully and gently covering him with it. Joe stoked up the fire, both moved as quietly as possible. Hop Sing now appeared with towels and hot water and with a look of fierce determination on his face began to gently clean the young mans face and around his wounds.<\/p>\n \u201cMister Adam he get bettah quick \u2026 I put good herbs in water \u2026 make wounds bettah quick\u201d he muttered, and very carefully took hold of Adams hand and began to clean it.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy doesn\u2019t he wake up?\u201d Joe asked impatiently.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause he\u2019s exhausted,\u201d Ben said, resting a gentle hand on his youngest sons shoulder. He turned away and put a hand to his face and closed his eyes, \u201cWhy didn\u2019t I know that he needed help. I should have been there,\u201d he groaned.<\/p>\n \u201cYou couldn\u2019t help it, Pa.\u201d Hoss said, placing his huge hands over those of his fathers \u201cYou told Adam to take a few days off. You weren\u2019t to know he\u2019d come back early.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd no one knew the location of that mine, if you could call it a mine.\u201d Joe added .<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t blame yourself, Pa.\u201d Hoss murmured softly.<\/p>\n Ben looked at them both and wondered how long it would be before they too, would feel this responsibility of blood. This love of father and son, this bond that makes a man subject to the greatest burdens of all, of wanting to protect, cherish, and always be there, and never forgiving oneself when one is not!<\/p>\n Adam stirred slightly and opened his eyes. For a second or two his eyes stayed focused on the ceiling above his head, as though expecting to see once again the thousand threads of that web that cracked and splintered and brought down death. Then he turned his head and saw Hop Sing who smiled at him with the beauty of devotion and care ,<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing? Am I home?\u201d he whispered in the hoarse voice of one who had long ago exceeded his strength.<\/p>\n \u201cYou home, Mistah Adam\u2026you velly much at home and safe \u2026\u201d Hop Sing said, with his sloe dark eyes moist with tears.<\/p>\n Adam closed his eyes again, and sighed a deep sigh and drifted away into sleep, content in knowing that at last he was safe and no longer alone!<\/p>\n The End<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Reviewer: Laurie Anonymous THANKS Krystyna, I enjoyed reading this again. Nice to see your past stories from Bonanza World . THANKS again!<\/p>\n Author’s Response: Thank you so much, Laurie. Yes, I thought it was just possible that there were some readers here who had never read these past stories from BW. Thanks for letting me know that the story hadn’t come through properly on the first posting. I always appreciate hearing from you and knowing you enjoy them, Laurie, thanks again. Krystyna<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u201cFinished with your errands, Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cProbably too busy. Do you know where this mine is exactly, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWhy you so late? Supper almost ready and guests come velly soon! You no time to get clean up now,\u201d he scolded and shuffled back into the kitchen chattering to himself in his native tongue.<\/p>\n
\nHe pushed against a beam of wood. Just an hour or so earlier it had been part of a support truss that had been put in place years before and had, like so much of the timber there, slowly been eaten away by termites, wood eating bugs, water and mould. His fingers slipped against the slime of rotten wood and with a sickly creaking cracking rippling sound the beam of wood tottered under the weight of rocks and slipped several more degrees bringing yet another downpour of dust and rocks and rotten wood upon the men lying in the old mine shaft.<\/p>\n
\nAbove him, on the roof or ceiling of the crumbling mine shaft, or tunnel, he saw myriads of tiny feather like cracks. They looked like the spun threads of a spiders web, but as he raised the candle flame higher he could see that the cracks were moving. More and more threads were fanning out across the ceiling. He had been so intent on his task of clearing rubble away from Chuck that he had not heard a sound. Only a man on the threshold of death and with the acutest of hearing, had heard.<\/p>\n
\nBen did a half turn to glance back at him, for he had started back to the house as soon as he had realised the connection between Sport and the book and his missing son, \u201cNot now, Hogan, but I shall see you about it later. At this precise moment of time I have more important things to think about.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nThis had to be the only way he could go, unless he back tracked and took a right hand turning. The opening was very low down, and he would have to lower himself somehow into it. Adam paused to think about the unforeseen dangers .<\/p>\n
\nThey walked to the mine entrance and peered inside,<\/p>\n
\nBen flashed an angry glance at his second son, and scowled but Hoss was determined to be positive.<\/p>\n
\nAfter another ten minutes he had fallen onto his knees and then sprawled out full length in the roadway. He was oblivious to the sounds that came his way, of hands roughly turning him over and feeling his body and then lifting him and carrying him away from the road.<\/p>\n
\nHad he been afraid? Had he been badly hurt and in great pain? How could anyone so loved suffer so much without them feeling some instinctive awareness and going to their aid. And was Hoss right? Could Hoss be right? If he were, then Adam would still need their help.<\/p>\n
\nJoe opened his mouth but Ben held up a hand “No what if’s, Joseph. We’re going to find your brother dead or alive, even if – if it kills me in doing so.”<\/p>\n
\nprepare food for them, something to sustain them during the hours of searching that they knew were to come. As they reached for their gun belts, their jackets and hats there came the sound of wheels and a horse entering the yard and each of them felt an exasperation, frustration, at the thought of their search being delayed. It was as though suddenly minutes wasted were as precious as hours.<\/p>\n
\nDate: 10 Aug 2012 09:26 pm Title: ALONE<\/p>\n