{"id":62604,"date":"2002-03-03T04:52:17","date_gmt":"2002-03-03T09:52:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=62604"},"modified":"2026-03-03T05:16:03","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T10:16:03","slug":"among-tall-trees-by-vickic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=62604","title":{"rendered":"Among Tall Trees (by VickiC.)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: After Inger’s death Ben, Adam and baby Hoss journey west. Adam makes a new friend and the family find a new home.<\/span>
\nRating: G (16,070 words)<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Among Tall Trees<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He wasn’t sure what had awakened him, somewhere in the darkness there was a noise that didn’t belong.\u00a0 The small boy sat up in his cramped bunk built into the side of the wagon.\u00a0 His dark eyes troubled and his usual serious expression deepened into a frown.\u00a0 It wasn’t his nightmare that had awakened him, although he’d had them often enough in the past month.\u00a0 It sure was cold in the desert at night and he shivered, how could it be so hot in the day and so cold at night, he wondered. He listened again, maybe it was the baby crying, but no, it couldn’t be, his baby brother wasn’t in this wagon but with Mrs Oakes and her baby.\u00a0 He didn’t understand that either.\u00a0 He had argued with Pa that the baby should be with them. They were a family.\u00a0 But Pa had been angry and had told him that they couldn’t take care of a baby now that Mama was dead.\u00a0 It had something to do with Mrs Oakes having a slightly older baby of her own, so she could feed him, so Pa said.\u00a0\u00a0 He didn’t think that was right; after all he could cook beans and bacon; Mama had taught him and she had shown him how to milk the cow and she was going to show him how to make bread.\u00a0 A small tear slid down his cheek.\u00a0 She wouldn\u2019t teach him now.\u00a0 She would never read to him or tell him stories or sing her lovely Swedish songs ever again.<\/p>\n

Unlike other six-year-olds, Adam knew exactly what hardship was. He knew hunger, cold, mind numbing poverty and even death.\u00a0 Death meant that someone you loved was gone forever.\u00a0 He knew his mother had died giving birth to him and that made Pa sad and angry.\u00a0 His little friend, Matthew, had got sick and died too and they had buried him and rolled the wagons over his grave to stop the wolves and coyotes digging up the body.\u00a0 The sudden death of his beloved stepmother, the only mother he had ever known, was perhaps the most devastating of all.\u00a0 He hadn’t done anything to protect her.\u00a0 She had taken up a gun and fought like the men while he cowered in a corner with the baby.\u00a0\u00a0 He should have taken her place, he was a man and men protected their womenfolk.\u00a0 He knew that was why Pa was sad and angry again just like he had been before they met Inger.\u00a0 He sat up in bed and hugged his knees, resting his dark head against the wagon canvas.\u00a0\u00a0 Inger had cooked good things and taught him to play games and to read and to add numbers but most important of all she had made Pa smile.\u00a0 While she was there he\u2019d had two parents who cared about him just like other little boys.\u00a0 Pa had done things with him, beginning to teach him to track and to drive the wagon and they had been a real family, but for so short a time.\u00a0 Another tear slipped down his cheek and he wiped it away with the back of his hand.\u00a0 They weren’t a family anymore.\u00a0 Pa was quiet and often cross and he could only see his baby brother once a day when Mrs Oakes permitted it. \u00a0“Oh Mama, why did you fight, why didn’t you stay with me and Hoss and be safe.”<\/em>\u00a0 He thought.\u00a0 Yes, safe, that’s what he had been, hadn’t he?\u00a0 He was a coward and she had died because of him.<\/p>\n

He was startled from his thoughts by that sound again.\u00a0 It was someone sobbing, not baby cries, not even a child crying, but someone fighting not to cry, trying to be quiet and yet not quite succeeding.\u00a0 Adam knew that sound. Heaven knows he had made it often enough when Pa was mad at him and he was trying hard not to cry, ‘cos that only made Pa more angry or more sad.\u00a0 He crept from his bed and peered out of the wagon into the darkness.\u00a0 It wasn’t as dark as he had expected.\u00a0 There was a half moon and the campfire was still alight.\u00a0 Beside the fire his father sat with his head in his hands, weeping softly.<\/p>\n

Adam’s mouth dropped open. Grown-ups didn’t cry. Pa never cried.\u00a0 He crept down the wagon steps and ventured closer.\u00a0 Yes, Pa was sniffing and trying not to cry, just as he<\/em> did sometimes alone in the dark.\u00a0 The rough sandy ground was cold and scratchy on his bare feet and a chill wind whipped at his night shirt but he couldn’t leave Pa like this.\u00a0 He knew that when he cried for his mother what he really wanted was a hug from Pa; maybe Pa needed a hug too.\u00a0 He reached out a tentative hand then withdrew it before he touched his father.\u00a0 Pa rarely hugged him, that was something mothers did and he didn’t have one of those.\u00a0 Pa always told him to be strong, to be a man about hardships and he had learned to do that as much as he could because it made Pa happy.\u00a0 His Pa had enough worries without Adam adding to them, so he kept his moments of sadness and fear to himself as much as possible.<\/p>\n

Slowly feeling braver he reached out his hand again and this time he slipped it into his father’s big hand and squeezed.\u00a0 “Don’t cry Pa, please don’t cry.”\u00a0 He said softly.<\/p>\n

Ben shot up from his seat startled and embarrassed.\u00a0 “What are you doing out of bed, young man?\u00a0 You get back there right now.”\u00a0 He said sternly, making Adam release the hand and step backwards.<\/p>\n

Adam’s eyes opened wide in surprise at his father’s abrupt action but he wasn’t surprised at the tone, as he had expected, he had simply made Pa mad at him.\u00a0 He ran back to the wagon and climbed inside to curl up on his bed and bury his head in his pillow.\u00a0 He wouldn’t cry; he just wouldn’t.\u00a0 He was a big boy now and he had to be brave.<\/p>\n

Ben bit his lip; the boy had surprised him.\u00a0 He didn’t want his son to think him weak.\u00a0 He had to be strong for all of them.\u00a0 He regretted his hasty words though and walked slowly to the wagon.\u00a0 He climbed inside and squatted down by the bed, his hand hovering over the bump in the blanket and the dark head which was all he could see.\u00a0 He wanted to reach out and hug the little boy; he needed a hug as much as his son but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.\u00a0 “Adam, son, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to shout. You startled me.”<\/p>\n

Adam sat up his small pinched face very serious. “I’m sorry Papa.”\u00a0 He said softly, using the name he hadn’t used since babyhood.\u00a0 Then pulling on some strength that Ben couldn’t see he kept back his tears and touched his father’s hand.\u00a0 “It’ll be all right Pa; tomorrow we get to the mountains don’t we?\u00a0 There’ll be water and trees and it’s not far to California from there is it?\u00a0 We can see the ocean in California, like in Boston can’t we?”<\/p>\n

Ben couldn’t help but smile.\u00a0 His little son had never seen the ocean; they had left Boston when he was a tiny baby.\u00a0 He couldn’t possibly know what it was like except from stories but somehow in his six-year-old mind the ocean meant home and happiness.<\/p>\n

“We’ll have a real cabin of our very own. Mama said we are going to build a farm and that at Christmas we can have a real tree and Santa will know where to visit an’ \u2026\u201d He stopped and his eyes went to his father’s in alarm, he knew Pa hated him to mention his own mother, perhaps now that she had died he wasn\u2019t supposed to mention Mama either.<\/p>\n

Then Ben couldn’t stop himself he pulled the little boy on to his knee and hugged.\u00a0 “Yes son, she did. We are we’re going to build a farm for Mama just like she always dreamed of and you are going to grow up among tall trees like your <\/em>mother’s dream for you.”<\/p>\n

Adam didn’t understand it all but Pa was hugging him and it felt good.\u00a0 “Tell me a story about your ship, Pa.”\u00a0 He whispered sleepily.<\/p>\n

Ben settled down beside his son and began to weave a tale of ships and storms and icebergs, enough to satisfy any small boy’s wish for adventure.\u00a0 Before he was half finished Adam’s eyes had closed and his breathing had become gentle and regular as he slept.\u00a0 Ben covered him with the blanket and stroked a stray lock of hair off the boy’s forehead.\u00a0 “Sleep well son, we’ve a long hard road ahead of us if we’re going to make those dreams come true.”<\/p>\n

They didn\u2019t reach the mountains the next day or the next.\u00a0 Adam seated high up on the wagon seat could see the purple haze of mountains in the distance but they never seemed to get any nearer.\u00a0 He felt himself lucky when he was allowed to ride; mostly they walked on the hot sand.\u00a0 To begin with he had wished for a breeze to cool him but when it came it only brought sandstorms, stinging hands and faces and making him choke.\u00a0 Water and food were rationed and he longed for a cool drink of water but there was none until the noon camp when they would rest through the hottest part of the day, even then the water would be warm and have a bad taste.\u00a0\u00a0 He began to doze on the seat. There was nothing to see except more sand and the occasional lizard.\u00a0 He had caught a few but they either died or escaped.\u00a0 His head was nodding, when out of the corner of his eye he saw something new which made him shudder; the skull of some large animal and then the rest of its bones picked clean by buzzards and other scavengers.<\/p>\n

He gasped.\u00a0 \u201cPa, look!\u201d\u00a0 He pointed at the bleached bones.<\/p>\n

Ben turned to him and nodded.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll see more of those son.\u00a0 That\u2019s why the water is rationed.\u00a0 We must water the stock or they will die and we\u2019ll have nothing to pull the wagons.\u00a0 The people before us must have had too little water and their animals died.\u201d\u00a0 He explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about the people, Pa?\u201d\u00a0 Adam asked anxiously.\u00a0 \u201cDid they die too?\u201d His small face creased with worry.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope not, son.\u00a0 Back at Fort Bridger the trappers tell tall tales of this desert but we know wagons have made it to California and sent reports back to help us.\u201d\u00a0 He smiled at the boy.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll be fine, won\u2019t we?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s chest puffed up with pride. These were the moments he liked best, when Pa treated him like a grown up and confidante.<\/p>\n

For two more days Adam walked or occasionally rode in the wagon until he was so tired that putting one foot in front of the other was as much as he could manage, but he didn\u2019t complain.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t bothered to see Hoss for three days and sometimes he envied him being in the wagon all the time but on other occasions he hated the heat of being under the canvas.\u00a0 Late on the afternoon of the next day he noticed that the air seemed cooler and that he was walking through sagebrush where the ground was rockier and firmer.\u00a0 He lifted his head for the first time in days and grinned.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, the mountains, we\u2019re almost there.\u201d\u00a0 He shouted.<\/p>\n

Ben looked up too; his eyes had been on the oxen who were flagging from the heat and lack of water.\u00a0 \u201cYes son, we\u2019re almost in the mountains.\u201d<\/p>\n

That night they camped beside a trail that had brown grass and a few scattered flowers with the foothills just ahead of them.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam was supposed to go to bed after supper but Pa had gone to a camp meeting and he wanted to hear what was said about the next part of the journey.\u00a0 He crept from his bed and hid himself behind one of the wagons to listen.\u00a0\u00a0 He knew he would be in trouble for eavesdropping and for being out of bed, if he was caught, but he had to know.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell that makes seven wagons heading south down the valley towards the Mormon settlement we heard about and crossing south of the big lake and ten heading for the northern route on Bidwell\u2019s map.\u201d\u00a0 The wagon master unrolled a map from an oilskin cover and laid it out, pointing out each route as he spoke.\u00a0 \u201cWe cross the river here, north of the lake and head up into the pass that\u2019s supposed to be here.\u201d\u00a0 He jabbed a finger at the map.\u00a0 \u201cWe head for Sutter\u2019s Fort from there.\u201d\u00a0 He looked around the group.\u00a0 \u201cThat leaves three of you undecided.\u00a0 You\u2019re gonna have to make up your minds by tomorrow night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben and two other men nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThis settlement to the south of the lake…do we know how big it is?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked.<\/p>\n

The wagon master consulted a piece of paper, \u201cSays here it has a trading post and a safe enclosure, but not much else.\u00a0 It\u2019s called Mormon Station.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another of the men leaned over the map.\u00a0 \u201cPity there\u2019s nothing to the North, a trading post around here…\u201d\u00a0 He pointed at a river crossing.\u00a0 \u201c…would be a good business.\u201d<\/p>\n

The wagon master began folding the map.\u00a0 \u201cWe can\u2019t take more than a day or two moving through the valley we need to clear the pass before the first snows and they could be later this month.\u201d<\/p>\n

The meeting was slowly breaking up and Adam saw his father start to rise.\u00a0 He hurriedly backed away from the wagon that had been his hiding place and race back to his own.\u00a0 He had just snuggled down under his blanket when he heard his father\u2019s tread on the wagon step.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, are you asleep?\u201d\u00a0 Ben called.\u00a0 He had seen a flash of white night-shirt as he rounded the corner from the next wagon in line.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 Adam chuckled at the joke.\u00a0 \u201cWhich way are we going?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, so you\u2019ve been sneaking out of bed, have you young man?\u201d\u00a0 Ben said sternly but with an amused twinkle in his eye.<\/p>\n

Adam sat up in bed and hugged his knees.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re gonna see Sutter\u2019s Fort and the ocean ain\u2019t we Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben frowned and then shook his head and smiled.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s your decision, is it?\u00a0 We go north?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI want to see the ocean and the trees.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, there are trees around here you can see them on the slopes.\u201d\u00a0 Seeing Adam\u2019s disappointed expression, he smiled.\u00a0 \u201cYes, we\u2019ll go north.\u00a0 I\u2019ve heard a lot about Sutter\u2019s Fort.\u00a0 Colonel Sutter has planted lots of fruit trees and has a big ranch there and there is a settlement and maybe a school for you.\u201d\u00a0 He ruffled Adam\u2019s hair.\u00a0 \u201cCan\u2019t have you growing up with no schooling, can we?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can read already, Pa and add big numbers.\u201d\u00a0 Adam said proudly.<\/p>\n

Ben hugged him.\u00a0 \u201cI know you can and you\u2019re gonna be a big help to me on our farm.\u00a0 The land around the fort is supposed to be good for crops.\u201d\u00a0 He tucked the blanket firmly around his son.\u00a0 \u201cNow you get to sleep and no more eavesdropping on grown up conversations, young man.\u201d\u00a0 He said sternly.<\/p>\n

Adam grinned.\u00a0 \u201cYes, sir…I mean, no, sir.\u00a0 I only wanted to know if we\u2019d see the ocean soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben ruffled his hair once more and tucked the blankets more securely as Adam cuddled down under the covers.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t add that his decision had most to do with the fact that the Oakes\u2019s were taking the northern route. He knew that without Mrs Oakes\u2019s kindness his baby son wouldn\u2019t have survived to be the fat, cheerful, contented baby he had held in his arms tonight.\u00a0 Mrs Oakes had assured him that soon Erik could be fed on boiled cow\u2019s milk and with this in mind every extra drop of water for the past weeks had gone to the cow and her calf.\u00a0 He remembered laughing at Inger when she had referred to the tiny calf as the start of the Cartwright herd, but maybe, just maybe that would now come true.\u00a0 Only one more mountain pass to negotiate and they would be in California.<\/p>\n

The next day Adam enjoyed every minute.\u00a0 They passed through a lush green valley watered by two lakes and several creeks and rivers and Adam and the other children raced ahead of the wagons.\u00a0 They waded in the creek, enjoying an excess of water for the first time in weeks, and played hide and seek in the long grasses and by the time the wagons circled for the night they were exhausted.\u00a0 As the wagons stopped, a band of Indians rode up and wanted to trade.\u00a0 Adam watched in fascination as the colorful band brought out baskets and pots to trade for other goods.\u00a0 He was so keen to get near to the band that Ben reluctantly gave up a cooking pot so that the boy could join in the trading and was rewarded with a very proud little boy bearing a huge basket.<\/p>\n

The following day they began their climb into the mountains and another band of Indians was seen on the horizon. This time however, the wagon master warned the wagon drivers to close up and load their guns.\u00a0 Ben stopped the man as he rode by and asked \u201cAren\u2019t they the same tribe?\u201d<\/p>\n

The wagon master shook his head\u00a0 \u201cNo, those yesterday were Washo they are peaceable.\u00a0 They live by the lake they call Big Water in the Sky and are happy to trade with us. \u201cThose…\u201d he pointed at the band now following them\u00a0 \u201cThey are from the mountains, there are several tribes, Shoshone to the west, Paiute to the north and this group are Bannock and probably the most dangerous.\u00a0 They will attack at the slightest sign of aggression or weakness, but mostly they steal horses.\u00a0 Keep the boy by the wagon when we stop.<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.\u00a0 His memories of the Cheyenne attack all too fresh as the Indians moved closer and he could see their lances.<\/p>\n

The evening camp was made in the foothills and the wagons made a defensive circle.\u00a0 The men were assigned guard duties and when Ben tucked Adam into his bunk he made it clear that he was not to leave the wagon no matter what happened.<\/p>\n

Adam slept fitfully.\u00a0 The Indians appeared to be celebrating something, there were drums and shouting and it made sleep difficult. He had lost one parent to Indians\u00a0 and now his Pa was standing guard all alone out there.\u00a0 The nightmares that had plagued him since Inger\u2019s death returned to haunt him again.\u00a0 He knew by listening to the men talking, eavesdropping Pa would call it, that the most likely time for an attack was at dawn.\u00a0 As the first gray light filtered through the opening in the canvas, the noises from the hills stopped and an eerie silence accompanied the dawn.<\/p>\n

The little boy could stand it no longer. He had to be with his father.\u00a0 He pulled on his pants and shirt and grabbed his boots. It took just seconds to slip from the wagon and creep to where his father was standing guard just a few feet from the front of their wagon.<\/p>\n

Ben turned at the sound of soft footsteps and his expression was one of anger.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGet back to the wagon.\u201d\u00a0 He ordered.<\/p>\n

Adam was scared but he wanted to be with his father.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to help.\u201d\u00a0 He whispered his white, pinched face anxious.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t be worrying about you when I may have to fight, Adam.\u201d\u00a0 Ben responded, still angry, but with a little understanding of the fear his son must feel.\u00a0 \u201cNow do as you\u2019re told and get back inside and lie flat on the boards.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Pa…\u201d\u00a0 Adam protested.<\/p>\n

This time Ben took action.\u00a0 He propelled Adam back to the wagon, helping inside with a mighty swat to his rear end.\u00a0 \u201cNow stay there or I\u2019ll give you a spanking.\u201d\u00a0 Ben\u2019s worry turned back to anger again.<\/p>\n

Inside the wagon, Adam did as he was bid and curled up on the boards but his tearful eyes followed his father as Ben went back to his post.\u00a0 The moment he was out of sight, Adam crawled to the opening at the front of the wagon and peered out under the high seat.\u00a0\u00a0 He could see the Indians outlined against the lightening sky to the East.\u00a0 They sat as still as statues.\u00a0 From the North west came the sound of galloping horses\u00a0 and his eyes turned that way.\u00a0 There were maybe forty Indians on horseback grouped together.\u00a0 Still those on the hill made no move.\u00a0 The group approaching slowed to a walk and Adam could see a tall imposing Indian with a lot of feathers on his head-dress and a lance with more feathers dangling from it.\u00a0 He held up the lance and the horses stopped about fifty yards from the encircled wagons.<\/p>\n

\u201cI speak, your chief?\u201d\u00a0 He demanded.<\/p>\n

The wagon master moved cautiously to a position half behind a barricade, and to Adam\u2019s horror, his Pa and Mr Oakes moved alongside with their guns held ready.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am the chief here.\u201d\u00a0 The wagon master said quietly\u00a0 \u201cWe intend no harm to your people.\u00a0 We wish to cross the mountains.\u201d\u00a0 He pointed to the West.<\/p>\n

The Chief nodded.\u00a0 Land belong, my people.\u00a0 We guide you to great water and to valley of the white man.\u201d\u00a0 He waved his lance in the direction of the Indians still outlined on the hill.\u00a0 \u201cBannock kill, we Paiute, we trade, keep peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam watched as the three men lowered their guns and the Chief dismounted.\u00a0 The other Indians followed their Chief\u2019s lead, all but four who remained mounted as if on guard for the others.\u00a0 He kept watch as the men of the train sat down and the Indian Chief began to talk in a mixture of sign language and broken English.<\/p>\n

\u201cI great guide.\u201d\u00a0 The Chief boasted.\u00a0 \u201cI guide white man, Fremont, he give me…\u201d\u00a0 He held out a dollar gold piece.<\/p>\n

Over the next two days the Chief kept his word, he guided the wagons into the mountains and over what seemed like an impossible pass.\u00a0 His braves also showed the men where to hunt for game.\u00a0 Adam rode on the wagon seat and watched every move the Indians made, everything about them fascinated him from their strange speech and clothes to the food they ate.\u00a0 He took to hanging around their camp and it wasn\u2019t long before one of the braves beckoned to him to join them.\u00a0 The Indian showed him his bow and then the tomahawk and allowed the boy to hold it and if Ben hadn\u2019t come along at that moment he would have shown Adam how to throw it.\u00a0 Ben hustled Adam away and delivered a stern lecture on staying away but the fascination was too great.<\/p>\n

The very next day at the noon stop Adam crept away to find the friendly Indian again.\u00a0 By the time a very angry Ben had caught up with him, he had made friends with a boy who was perhaps a year or so older than he was. He was seated by a fire, eating some of their strange chewy meat and trying to ask questions in sign language.<\/p>\n

Adam looked up, his mouth full of food.\u00a0 \u201cPa… this is Young Wolf he\u2019s the Chief\u2019s son.\u201d\u00a0 He said proudly, so intent on his new friend that he didn\u2019t see the warning signs in his father.<\/p>\n

Ben hauled him to his feet and shook him.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t you ever wander off like that again.\u201d\u00a0 He growled.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Pa, I was only…\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd don\u2019t answer back.\u201d\u00a0 He continued in the same gruff tone, marching Adam back to the wagon where he delivered a sound spanking and a lecture on the dangers of running off from the wagons.\u00a0 He was more worried than angry.\u00a0 Adam always wanted answers and sometimes he ignored his father\u2019s warnings to get them and put himself in danger.<\/p>\n

Adam threw himself on his bunk and cried, it wasn\u2019t fair, he had only been trying to make friends and find out how the Indians lived in this wilderness.\u00a0 Why couldn\u2019t Pa understand that?\u00a0 The next day, he sat in uncomfortable and sulky silence next to his father on the wagon seat as they climbed over the pass and descended into a glacial valley.\u00a0 Through the trees the sun glinted on an incredibly blue expanse of water that stretched almost as far as the eye could see.\u00a0 Despite his bad mood Adam couldn\u2019t help but feel an uplift in his spirits at the beautiful scenery.\u00a0\u00a0 He turned nervously to his father.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs…is that…the ocean, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben suppressed a smile and shook his head.\u00a0 It was the first thing the boy had said all morning.\u00a0 \u201cNo, son.\u00a0 It\u2019s a very big lake but not the ocean.\u00a0 We have a ways to go yet before we reach the ocean.\u00a0 There\u2019s another range of mountains to cross before we get to the valley of the Sacramento.\u201d\u00a0 He pointed to snow capped peaks on the other side of the lake.\u00a0 \u201cWhen we reach the ocean you won\u2019t be able to see the land on the other side.\u201d\u00a0 He reached over and ruffled Adam\u2019s hair.\u00a0 This place made him feel good and he didn\u2019t want the strain between them to grow.\u00a0 Adam had a tendency to sulk and he did his best to discourage it; he knew it was one of his own bad characteristics or had been when he was young.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe trees are real tall, Pa.\u00a0 It\u2019s like the places Mama talked about in her land, isn\u2019t it?\u201d\u00a0 Adam continued.\u00a0 He felt better now that he was talking to Pa again, he hated the silences but he was always too proud or too hurt to break them easily.<\/p>\n

Ben shook the reins to hurry the oxen a little.\u00a0 \u201cYes, it\u2019s like Mama\u2019s country.\u201d\u00a0 Ben said softly, remembering the way Inger had talked about her childhood in Sweden.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t we stop here, Pa?\u201d\u00a0 Adam asked his face upturned to his father.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s got grass and water and lots of tall trees just like you said?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t think that would be a good idea son, there are no towns or stores, no people, not much of anything but the Indians and they aren\u2019t all friendly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam settled back in silence to drink in the beauty of the scenery.\u00a0 He didn’t see why they needed all those things Pa had mentioned.\u00a0 He didn’t care for the towns they had visited; they never had any money to spend in stores except for essential items and he and Pa, and now little Hoss, didn’t need other people.\u00a0 He and Pa had come all this way by themselves, why did they need to settle where there were people?<\/p>\n

The wagons descended to a rough trail by the lake and that night they circled in a small area of flat ground by the lake.\u00a0 Long after darkness fell, Ben sat staring into the fire, his thoughts a jumble and his emotions very near the surface.\u00a0 He felt a small hand creep into his and looked up to see Adam barefoot and in his night-shirt.<\/p>\n

“It’ll be all right, Pa.”\u00a0 Adam whispered.<\/p>\n

“Yes son, it will be all right.”\u00a0 Ben whispered back drawing him into a hug.<\/p>\n

After a three day rest, the wagons prepared to move on toward the pass into California.\u00a0 Ben was almost ready to set off when he realised that Adam was missing again.<\/p>\n

“Where is <\/em>that boy?”\u00a0 He complained to no one in particular as he began his search, his temper growing shorter with every step.\u00a0 Obviously one spanking wasn’t enough for him to learn the lesson.\u00a0 Just wait until he got hold of him this time!\u00a0 He scrambled down a bank and saw the youngster below him on the beach.<\/p>\n

Adam was skimming stones across the calm waters of the lake, making them skip three or four times.\u00a0 The intense concentration of the little boy’s face made his father smile, despite his irritation.\u00a0 He moved closer until he was only a few feet from the boy.<\/p>\n

“Adam!”\u00a0 He spoke sharply and the boy’s dark head jerked up guiltily.\u00a0 “How many times have I told you not to wander off?\u00a0 We’re waiting to leave.\u00a0 We can’t stay here any longer.”<\/p>\n

“Why not?”\u00a0 Adam answered with all the innocence of a six-year-old.\u00a0 “It’s got good grass and lots of trees.\u00a0 You said you wanted tall trees and these are the tallest anywhere.”<\/p>\n

Ben looked around him.\u00a0 It was a beautiful spot.\u00a0 “Well because we are going to California,” he said lamely, no other reason coming into his head.<\/p>\n

Adam looked across the lake.\u00a0 “But you said that<\/em> was California and it looks just the same.\u00a0 I want to stay here.”\u00a0 His small face was set in a stubborn frown.\u00a0 He was tired of traveling.\u00a0 He wanted a home that stayed in one place.<\/p>\n

Ben could see a tantrum brewing, so he decided to turn the question around.\u00a0 “Why?”\u00a0 He asked.\u00a0 Adam could always be side-tracked by a grown-up discussion far easier than by an order.<\/p>\n

Adam looked at his father in amazement.\u00a0 “‘Cos it feels like a good place.\u00a0 We could build a house in the meadows and me and Hoss could play here.\u00a0 It would be home like\u2026like Mama wanted,” he finished apprehensively.<\/p>\n

Ben raised an eyebrow.\u00a0 “Wouldn’t you be lonely?”<\/p>\n

Adam’s expression turned to one of scorn.\u00a0 “I got you and Hoss, why would I be lonely?”<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head and looked up at the mountains.\u00a0 At that moment the rising sun from the East lit up the cross of snow on Mount Tallac and sent warm shafts of sunlight into the pines.\u00a0 The sight disturbed him.\u00a0 “C’mon we have to get back to the wagons.”\u00a0 He said sharply, taking Adam’s hand and almost dragging him along despite the boy’s protests.<\/p>\n

They arrived back at the wagons as the wagon master was rounding up the stranglers.\u00a0 “You ready Mr Cartwright?\u00a0 We should be moving on, snows aren’t too far off and I don’t want to be caught in those mountains.”<\/p>\n

Ben looked down at the unhappy boy beside him and then back at the mountains. Some strange force was drawing him into its web. “We’re not going on.”\u00a0 He said softly, surprising himself almost as much as the others.\u00a0 “We’re staying here, this is our home.”<\/p>\n

Adam’s smile resembled a sunrise.\u00a0 He shook loose from his father’s hand and bounded over to where Hoss was being held by one of the women.\u00a0 He carefully took the baby from the woman’s arms.\u00a0 “It’s okay, Mrs Oakes, we’re staying here.\u00a0 We’re home.\u00a0 I’ll take care of my brother now.”\u00a0 He said proudly.<\/p>\n

The woman looked at Ben as if he had gone mad.\u00a0 “You’re crazy,” she said.\u00a0 “You’ll kill them both – and yourself, too.\u00a0 That baby’s too young to be out here and the boy’s scarcely able to take care of himself. ”<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head.\u00a0 “We’ll stay at the trading post in Mormon Station over the winter.\u00a0 We’ll be fine.”\u00a0 He put a hand on Adam’s shoulder, “Like my son says, we’re home.”<\/p>\n

Ben stood with his sons at his side as the wagons moved away.\u00a0 The wagon master had tried hard to dissuade him but he wouldn’t change his mind.\u00a0 At first, as the wagons began to roll, he smiled confidently, but as the last white topped canvas slipped from sight into the mountains, he swallowed hard and tried to keep the smile pasted in place for Adam’s sake.\u00a0 Was he being foolish?\u00a0 Would they die up here miles from the nearest town?<\/p>\n

“We’d better get this wagon moving the trading post is more than a day’s ride away.”\u00a0 He said briskly, hiding his concerns.<\/p>\n

Adam looked up at him with a puzzled expression.\u00a0 “I thought we were staying here?”<\/p>\n

Now Ben’s smile was genuine.\u00a0 “Not right here, son.\u00a0 Not for the winter.\u00a0 We will come back in the spring and build a house but now we must find some temporary shelter before the snows come.”\u00a0 He lifted the baby from Adam’s arms and set him in the soft bed he normally traveled in. It was snugly fitted behind the driver’s seat so that Ben could keep an eye on him while he drove.\u00a0 He then lifted Adam up on to the seat and climbed up beside him.\u00a0 An hour later his bright idea didn’t seem so sensible, in fact, it felt down right crazy.\u00a0 They drove until the sun was high in the sky and then Ben drew the wagon to a halt beside a stream.<\/p>\n

“We’d better water the horses and feed ourselves.”\u00a0 He smiled at Adam.\u00a0 He no longer felt confident just foolish.\u00a0 Suddenly the baby let out a loud wail.\u00a0 Hoss was wet, cold and hungry and he planned to let everyone within a ten mile radius know.\u00a0 Changing and warming him was easy but the wailing continued and now there was no comforting Mrs Oakes to feed him.\u00a0 Adam had milked the cow that morning but an old washed out medicine bottle fitted with a makeshift teat made from a leather glove was no substitute.\u00a0 Ben tried a spoon and succeeded in feeding some milk into the screaming baby but most of it ended up soaking their clothes.\u00a0 Two hours of trying and Ben knew it was useless, he had been through this before, how could he have forgotten the difficulties of weaning a baby.\u00a0 The problem had been hard enough with Adam and then there had been an available wet nurse until he was at least old enough to eat solid food. Hoss was not yet three months old and he needed a woman’s care.\u00a0 He cursed his own foolishness. He should have known the baby would die without a wet nurse.\u00a0 He tried to recall when he had first been alone with Adam and was horrified to remember the boy being at least eighteen months old and walking before Mrs Callaghan had finally departed.<\/p>\n

Finally, Ben rocked his baby son until the little fella dropped off into an exhausted sleep.\u00a0 He laid him into the bed in the wagon and began harnessing the horses again.\u00a0 Adam had watched at first in amusement, then fascination and finally frustration.<\/p>\n

“C’mon Adam we have to get moving.”\u00a0 Ben said sharply.\u00a0 Common sense had at last re-asserted itself and he knew he had made a terrible mistake.<\/p>\n

“But Pa, I ain’t had nuthin’ to eat yet.\u00a0 I’m hungry.”\u00a0 Adam protested, his small face turned toward his father.<\/p>\n

Ben reached into a sack behind the wagon seat and handed the boy a piece of jerky.\u00a0 “Here this will keep you going until we’ve got time to stop again.”<\/p>\n

Adam took the piece of dried beef as if it was poison.\u00a0 “I don’t like that.”\u00a0 He said with disgust.<\/p>\n

Ben’s patience had been worn thin and he snapped back.\u00a0 “You’ll eat it or go hungry.”<\/p>\n

Tears welled in Adam’s eyes but he turned away and licked at the jerky while he got himself under control again.<\/p>\n

Ben hoisted him roughly on to the wagon seat.\u00a0 “We have to get moving and catch up with the others, they must be almost a day ahead of us now, we’ve been heading in the opposite direction.”<\/p>\n

Adam stopped feeling sorry for himself and stared at his father in disbelief.\u00a0 “But we’re staying here ain’t we?”\u00a0 He asked.<\/p>\n

“We can’t.”\u00a0 Ben shot back.\u00a0 “Your brother will die if we stay here.”<\/p>\n

Adam’s small face crumpled.\u00a0 He loved his baby brother and he didn’t want him to die but he wanted to stay here.\u00a0 Mama would have wanted to stay here.\u00a0 In some confused way he knew that they couldn’t stay because she had died and it was all his fault.\u00a0 He hunched himself down as small as he could.\u00a0 Pa was angry and he didn’t really know why, unless it was with him yet again.<\/p>\n

Ben couldn’t believe he had been so stupid, taken in by a pretty view and the call of a long off memory. In an effort to make up for his mistake, he drove like a mad man.\u00a0 The trail was narrow but relatively straight and easy to follow for the first part and by the time darkness fell they had reached the lake again.\u00a0 He knew he ought to camp, neither of them had eaten since dawn and the baby had awakened crying several times during the late afternoon, but he had a fevered determination to make up lost ground coupled with a fear of camping by this beautiful lake.\u00a0 It had got under his skin once and could do so again if he lingered.\u00a0 He continued to drive in the fading light until the wagon began to lurch into unseen ruts and he became aware of small fingers digging into his arm.\u00a0 Adam had been curled up in the corner of the wagon seat, silent and withdrawn but now his fear had driven him to his father’s side.\u00a0 Ben glanced down and saw the pale, worried face.\u00a0 He realised his fear was being transferred to Adam and he attempted a smile.<\/p>\n

“We’d better find a camp spot.” He said quietly.\u00a0 “It might take a while to get some milk into your brother and I guess you could do with some supper too. I know I could.”<\/p>\n

Adam was relieved.\u00a0 He could remember the days before Inger came along when they had been hungry with no roof over their heads.\u00a0 He had always tried not to complain of hunger, or cold or even tiredness because it worried Pa and he had lots of worries already.\u00a0 When Inger had been there those problems seemed to disappear and the deep lines on his father’s forehead had vanished; they were back now and Adam was afraid.\u00a0 He didn’t want to be cold and hungry again and he didn’t want his baby brother to know these things either.\u00a0\u00a0 He helped to find wood for the fire, venturing into the gathering darkness without fear.\u00a0 The pines sighed in the wind seeming to echo his sadness at leaving them.\u00a0 Far below he could still see the lake and it too seemed to be calling him.\u00a0 He\u2019d come back someday, even if he had to wait until he was grown.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa…\u201d\u00a0 He ventured nervously.\u00a0 \u201cCan we come back in the spring?\u201d\u00a0 He dropped the wood he had been carrying in a heap beside his father who was trying to coax some pinecones and dry grass into the beginnings of a fire.<\/p>\n

Ben glanced up at him his expression still one of concern.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know son, maybe in a few years when you and Hoss are older.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stared off into the distance.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t the answer he wanted but he knew better than to argue.\u00a0 He could tell his father was still worried and that worry would turn to anger if he was questioned.\u00a0 Adam had seen that many times on their journey and he had learned to keep his innermost thoughts hidden unless they agreed with his Pa.\u00a0 Later he lay awake under the wagon and listened to the sounds of the night.\u00a0 Pa sure had been mad when he had eventually succeeded in getting baby Hoss to go to sleep.\u00a0 As before the baby had refused to take the milk offered, and the more upset Pa got the more the baby cried.\u00a0 There had been no meat for supper and no bread. Adam had had to content himself with beans and oatmeal and even that had to be made with water because most of the milk had been used in efforts to feed his brother.\u00a0 He snuggled deeper into his blankets and a big tear rolled down his cheek.<\/p>\n

The next day passed in much the same manner with Ben driving the horses far too hard.\u00a0 The trail now was narrow and winding and he had to stop often to check that the tracks of the other wagons were still ahead of them.\u00a0 Adam stayed silent but his baby brother wasn\u2019t so accommodating and for most of the day their journey was accompanied by a pathetic wail from the back of the wagon.\u00a0 By nightfall they were high in the mountains and Adam shivered in his thin coat.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t been able to find his warm winter jacket and he hadn\u2019t dared ask Pa.\u00a0 Now the baby had a fever and was being sick, any hope of feeding him was gone.\u00a0 He simply brought back what little Ben could get into him.<\/p>\n

On the third day they saw glimpses of white canvas in the distance and at each twist in the trail the wagons seemed to be a little nearer.\u00a0 The wail from the wagon had become a pathetic cry now that tore at Adam\u2019s tender heart.\u00a0 This morning he had tried to feed his brother while Pa was cooking the beans.\u00a0 He had been delighted when some of the milk went into Hoss\u2019s mouth then shocked and frightened when the baby started to bring it all back.\u00a0 He knew Pa was more worried than he had ever seen him before.\u00a0 The baby was pale and sickly and his skin was clammy to touch.\u00a0 Adam watched the white canvases growing larger and prayed very hard.<\/p>\n

An hour after the wagons stopped for the night, Ben pulled their wagon alongside the others.\u00a0 He was gray with exhaustion and worry.\u00a0 His friends Simon and Rachel came rushing over their faces showing their concern.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen…What\u2019s happened?\u00a0 We thought you were staying at the lake.\u201d\u00a0 Simon shouted before he was close enough to talk normally.<\/p>\n

Ben climbed wearily down from the wagon and Adam scrambled down to stand beside him, his hand creeping into his father\u2019s seeking comfort.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a fool.\u201d\u00a0 Ben sighed.\u00a0 \u201cThe baby won\u2019t feed and he\u2019s sick.\u201d\u00a0 He looked up at Rachel with tears in his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t manage, Rachel look at him, don\u2019t let him die.\u00a0 I can\u2019t lose him too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rachel climbed into the wagon and lifted up the covers, she hid her concern as she picked up the very sickly baby\u2019 handing him down to Mrs Oakes, who had also come hurrying across to them.<\/p>\n

The two women bent over the baby, checking him out and glancing at each other with worried frowns.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s not had enough liquid.\u201d\u00a0 Rachel said and Mrs Oakes nodded.\u00a0 \u201cHas he been sick too?\u201d\u00a0 She asked.<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.\u00a0 \u201cHe won\u2019t feed from the bottle or a spoon and he can\u2019t keep down what little he does take.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mrs Oakes shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cI told you, you\u2019d kill them boys staying up there.\u201d\u00a0 She said sharply.\u00a0 \u201cCow\u2019s milk ain\u2019t good for babies this small, even if you boiled it proper, it weren\u2019t safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShh…\u201d\u00a0 Rachel warned, seeing Ben\u2019s expression of guilt and worry.\u00a0 \u201cIt won\u2019t do no good to think about that now, we\u2019ve got to get him well again.\u201d\u00a0 She took the baby from Mrs Oakes and cuddled him close as he began to whimper.<\/p>\n

Mrs Oakes had the grace to look a little ashamed.\u00a0 \u201cHere, give him back to me, I\u2019ll see if I can get him to take some milk.\u201d\u00a0 She said gently.<\/p>\n

Ben watched as the women took over; Mrs Oakes hurrying away with the baby and Rachel pulling Adam into a warm embrace and asking him if he was hungry.\u00a0\u00a0 Adam glanced nervously at his father.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to say that he had only had a few beans and a piece of jerky since they had left the train three days ago.\u00a0 \u201cA bit… Auntie Rachel.\u201d\u00a0 He admitted guiltily.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell you and your Pa come with me, there\u2019s stew and dried apple pie.\u201d\u00a0 She smiled releasing him and taking his hand as she led the way to her wagon.\u00a0 Her husband slapped Ben on the back.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take care of the team, you go rest a while.\u00a0 You look half dead.\u201d\u00a0 Simon suggested.<\/p>\n

Adam felt more secure tucked up in his blanket under the wagon that night.\u00a0 His baby brother was still with Mrs Oakes but he had been allowed to peek in at him and he was sleeping quietly now but he still looked very pale.\u00a0 \u201cIs he gonna be all right, Pa?\u201d\u00a0 he whispered, later, as they both tried to sleep.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope so son.\u201d\u00a0 Ben whispered back.\u00a0 He would never forgive himself if he lost his son because of his own foolishness.<\/p>\n

It seemed like weeks to Ben and Adam but in reality it was only a couple of days before Hoss was the perfect contented baby again.\u00a0 The wagons hadn\u2019t stopped and they were now descending into a valley filled with trees.\u00a0 Adam was on the wagon seat beside his father and Hoss was sleeping peacefully in his crib when the first flakes of snow began to fall; softly and gently at first then thicker and with more bite as the wind began to pick up.\u00a0 By the time the wagons stopped for the night, there was a light covering and Adam shivered as he collected the wood for the fire.<\/p>\n

For two more days it snowed and the wagons moved slowly, sometimes the trail was so poor and rugged that they had to walk with Ben guiding the animals by using a halter or even hanging on to the bridle and coaxing the horses forward.\u00a0 Those with oxen faired slightly better but were slower in the narrow confines of the passes.\u00a0 Each evening Ben wrote in his journal and marked the passage of the days until on 1st November they began to see the valley beneath them.<\/p>\n

“See Adam, down there, away in the distance that’s where we are heading.\u00a0 the valley of the Sacramento and Sutter’s Fort.”<\/p>\n

Adam followed his father’s directions and stared hard then turned his pinched face up to his father.\u00a0 “But Pa where’s the ocean?”\u00a0 He asked with a puzzled frown.<\/p>\n

“Oh maybe a hundred miles further on, we’ll see it someday.”\u00a0 Ben replied with a tired smile.<\/p>\n

Adam bit his lip and fought back the tears.\u00a0 They had come so far and what had kept him going was the thought of the tall trees and the ocean that would be their new home and here there were neither.\u00a0 The trees were behind them, here it was mostly aspens and scrub and the only water was a bubbling creek, pretty but no different from the hundreds of other creeks they had crossed.<\/p>\n

“But Pa, this ain’t home.”\u00a0 He almost cried.\u00a0 “Mama said we’d have trees and meadows and a river and you promised the ocean.”\u00a0 Six years of traveling towards a dream and now the dream was no more, it had come crashing down with the sight of a valley like all the other valleys.<\/p>\n

Ben swallowed hard, he too felt a disappointment he couldn’t explain, but he was man enough to accept it, wasn’t he?\u00a0 They had to settle here where there were neighbours and a store, ranchers and good grazing.\u00a0 He drew in a breath.\u00a0 “It will be fine once we have a cabin and you make some friends.”\u00a0 He suggested.<\/p>\n

Adam turned away in a sulk, he felt like stamping his foot and shouting but he knew it would do no good.\u00a0 Tantrums never got him anywhere with his Pa.<\/p>\n

Ben saw the signs he knew so well and tried to jolly Adam into a better mood.\u00a0 “In a couple of weeks we’ll be at the fort, there’s a small town there and we’ll celebrate your birthday by choosing a spot for our home.”<\/p>\n

Adam grunted.\u00a0 “It won\u2019t be home.”\u00a0 He said sullenly.\u00a0 “I won’t have any birthdays, not here.\u00a0 Mama promised\u2026”<\/p>\n

Ben sighed.\u00a0 “Okay, you can stay six forever, I guess Hoss can overtake you and be the oldest.\u00a0 Be kinda funny not having my old partner growing up and helping me but I guess Hoss and I can rub along without you.”<\/p>\n

Adam didn’t lift his head but he looked up from under his dark lashes.\u00a0 “But I’ll still be here.”<\/p>\n

Ben nodded slowly,\u00a0 “True, but when we start the ranch you won’t be much use if you stay six.\u00a0 I was planning on your help building the cabin and putting up fences and maybe breaking horses and herding cattle.\u00a0 But six is too young to do those things, now seven, well that’d be different.\u00a0 I bet a seven year old could do a lot of those things and once he got to ten or twelve, well \u2026he’d be real useful.\u00a0 But as you say you’re gonna stay six, so I guess I’ll just have to wait until Hoss gets to seven, then he’ll be able to tell you what to do.”\u00a0 He glanced slyly at his son.<\/p>\n

Adam sniffed.\u00a0 “Hoss ain’t never gonna tell me what to do, he’s a baby and I’ll always be bigger and older’n him.”\u00a0 He pouted.<\/p>\n

Ben just shook his head and pretended to look straight ahead but he could see his small son struggling with the idea of accepting that this was going to be their new home.<\/p>\n

Adam didn’t speak again until they were camped beside a stream among willows and aspens.\u00a0 He thought a lot about what Pa had said and deep down he knew he had no choice.\u00a0 Everyone grew up sometime, and there was no way he was going to let baby Hoss overtake him.\u00a0 He was the big brother and he was proud of that.\u00a0 He guessed he’d just have to swallow another disappointment and accept that the Sacramento valley was where he was going to do his growing.\u00a0 A tiny germ of an idea stayed locked inside his head though and he was determined that someday when he was old enough or when Pa got itchy feet again, he’d make sure they went back to that lake.<\/p>\n

“Pa\u2026someday we’ll go back won’t we?”\u00a0 He asked.<\/p>\n

Ben was startled and a little bemused.\u00a0 Adam asked a hundred questions a day and they weren’t always connected.\u00a0 He had learned that he could never assume the question related to the last conversation or even to a recent one.\u00a0 His son would mull things over sometimes for days and then come out with a question that bothered him.<\/p>\n

“Back to Boston?” he asked, puzzled.\u00a0 “We’ve taken more than six years to get here, why would we want to go back?”<\/p>\n

“No\u2026Pa.”\u00a0 Adam gave an exasperated sigh, parents were so dumb sometimes,\u00a0 “Back to the lake and the proper trees.”<\/p>\n

Ben smiled.\u00a0 “Oh, well that’s a little more reasonable.\u00a0 Yes I suppose we could go back someday when we’re properly established here, we could go for a visit when you boys are old enough to ride such a long distance.”<\/p>\n

“I’ve already walked it, ridin’s no problem.”\u00a0 He said scornfully.\u00a0 “And when I’m older it will be even easier.”<\/p>\n

Ben grinned.\u00a0 “Oh, so you aren’t going to stay six and miss out on the birthday presents then?”<\/p>\n

“Pa don’t be silly, you can’t stay the same age, you gotta get older, it just happens.”\u00a0 Adam shook his head in disgust at his father’s naivety, making Ben smile at the old worldly wise expression his little son wore.\u00a0 He hoped his son would make friends his own age around the new settlement.\u00a0 Adam had spent most of his life with adults and he was a little too sombre and grown up at times.<\/p>\n

Ben had pulled the wagon to a stop and was climbing down, he felt stiff and every muscle ached.\u00a0 “Yep, you’re right there you can’t help growing old.”\u00a0 He chuckled, holding his back as he stretched to remove the kinks.<\/p>\n

Ten days later they stopped at the first settlement on their route into California.\u00a0 The Johnson ranch comprised several quite large buildings and then smaller cabins set around them.\u00a0 Several families had settled here and made the most of the protection being grouped together could bring.\u00a0 Ben admired the way the settlement was built, giving maximum protection but allowing each family a piece of land and some privacy.\u00a0 The cabins also housed a large number of single men who worked the fields and looked after the stock and were paid by the larger landowners.\u00a0 A couple of the families from the train decided to negotiate to stay here for the winter but the rest including Ben pushed on for Sutter’s Fort.<\/p>\n

On the eve of Adam’s birthday they drove the wagons through a large wooden gate set in white adobe walls and as Ben came to a halt he reached across and hugged Adam.<\/p>\n

“We made it son, we’re here at last.”\u00a0 He said with joy and thanks.<\/p>\n

Adam looked around the enclosure with a disgusted frown.\u00a0 It wasn’t very big, the ground had been churned up with rain and people were walking ankle deep in the dirty mud.\u00a0 Animals and people were all mixed together and the tongue he heard was not English or, at least, not an English he recognised.\u00a0 He could see his father was overjoyed to be here and so he tried to paste on a smile but he couldn\u2019t help a feeling of hopelessness.\u00a0 Had they traveled all this way to live in this squalor.\u00a0 He wished he was back in Illinois with Inger and Uncle Gunnar and the store.\u00a0 The neat little house where he had spent such a short time after Pa and Inger got married had been a palace compared to this.<\/p>\n

“We gonna stay here?”\u00a0 He asked in an incredulous voice.\u00a0 He couldn’t believe Pa meant it.<\/p>\n

“Not right here but we’ll find a place to build a temporary cabin for the winter, then we’ll find ourselves a piece of land in the spring.”<\/p>\n

Simon and Rachel had walked over to them and Simon held up his arms to lift Adam down while Rachel took Hoss from Ben.\u00a0 “It’s pretty rough but apparently we can rent cabins from Sutter, he has some ’bout mile from here that he allows new arrivals to use.” Simon explained.\u00a0 “The Oakes family are taking one so I guessed you would too and we’re gonna do the same.”<\/p>\n

Rachel was watching Adam’s expression as he took in everything that was going on around him and suddenly her face crumpled and she began to sob.\u00a0 Simon immediately put his arm around her and Ben moved closer concerned at what had upset her.<\/p>\n

“What’s wrong, honey.”\u00a0 Simon begged.\u00a0 “We’re here now, it’s all over.”<\/p>\n

Rachel looked up at them her eyes brimming with tears.\u00a0 “Matthew and Inger should be here to share it with us.”\u00a0 She said softly.\u00a0 “I’m crying for our son and my best friend and all the others who went through so much and never got to see California.”\u00a0 She reached out for Adam and hugged him.\u00a0 “These boys will make a new life here and make it all worth it, won’t they?”\u00a0 She struggled for a moment with the loss they had suffered; then smiled.\u00a0 “We have to make it work for them.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Making it work was harder than Ben had imagined.\u00a0 On Adam’s seventh birthday they transferred all their meagre belongings to a rough one roomed cabin, barely twelve feet by ten, it had no glass in the two windows and the door was a poor fit.\u00a0 Shutters kept out the wind and rain but when they were closed it was dark and the lamps had to be lit all the time.\u00a0 The room had a rickety table and a cupboard, two beds made from timber and rope with straw mattresses and two chairs.\u00a0 The fireplace was small with no stove, so cooking was done by a pot on a trivet or hung from a hook in the beam above.\u00a0 Adam hated it.<\/p>\n

That night he sat in front of the fire watching the stew bubble and trying to look at his book in the dim light from the one candle and the fire.\u00a0 “Pa, we ain’t really gonna stay here are we?”\u00a0 He asked, yet again.<\/p>\n

Ben crouched down beside him, “It won’t be so bad when we can build our own cabin.\u00a0 There are other children to play with and Rachel says she is going to try to start a school for the older ones, you’d like that wouldn’t you?”<\/p>\n

Adam nodded slowly.\u00a0 “I guess so, but when the snow’s gone why can’t we go back to that lake?\u00a0 Hoss’ll be real big by then.”<\/p>\n

Ben didn’t answer him directly but turned away and busied himself at the table slicing the bread Rachel had made for them that morning.\u00a0 “Is that what you really want?”\u00a0 He asked.<\/p>\n

Adam leapt from his chair and threw his arms around his father.\u00a0 “Oh yes Pa, a farm near the lake.\u00a0 I can teach Hoss to swim like you taught me and we can help you with the stock and everything.”<\/p>\n

Ben hugged him and stared over his head into the fire.\u00a0 He could hear Liz’s enthusiasm in Adam’s voice and see Inger’s determined expression on his face.\u00a0 His dream…well this sure wasn’t it, but maybe next spring when they had a cabin by the stream and the start of a farm\u2026but somehow he knew that he wasn’t convincing even himself.\u00a0 California didn’t feel the way he had expected it to.\u00a0 “I don’t know son, maybe in a year or two but not in the spring, it\u2019s too soon.\u00a0 Hoss will still be too small.”<\/p>\n

Adam sighed and returned to his place by the hearth to think of ways to change Pa’s mind.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

“You gotta eat this Hoss.”\u00a0 Adam said firmly, spooning oatmeal into his baby brother.\u00a0 “It’s almost spring and we’re gonna go back to the lake.\u00a0 Pa said we could when you was big enough, so you gotta get big real quick.”<\/p>\n

Hoss made no protest but opened his mouth like a baby bird and allowed Adam to spoon in more oatmeal and milk.\u00a0 One chubby hand held a cookie and the other was covered in oatmeal where he had tried to help himself.<\/p>\n

“I’m gonna teach you to walk too, ‘cos then we won’t have to carry you, you’re gettin’ too heavy for me.”<\/p>\n

The two boys were alone in the cabin in the middle of the day.\u00a0 Ben had gone with Simon and Mr Oakes to check out a spot on the river where the three planned to build their cabins.\u00a0 Now that Hoss could take boiled cow’s milk safely and ate a little solid food, he was often left with Adam as his protector, provided they didn’t leave the area that comprised the fort and the small settlement around it.<\/p>\n

Adam had built a sled over the winter and he would wrap Hoss in blankets and tow him around on the small wooden platform as he visited the various neighbours.\u00a0 His favorite spot was the blacksmith’s shop.\u00a0 It was warm and Hoss would fall asleep while Adam watched the Smithy fashion all manner of tools.\u00a0 There were other children around but he found their games silly.\u00a0 He didn’t mind sliding on the mud or playing marbles but games of pretend bored him and most of the boys spent their days fighting imaginary Indians while the girls played house.\u00a0 He got enough of housework in the cabin and imagining Indians attacking brought on his nightmares.\u00a0 He had experienced several since their arrival and he tried not to think about them during the day.<\/p>\n

When Hoss began to refuse more oatmeal, Adam tried to coax him but the baby was stuffed too full and pushed the spoon away.\u00a0 Adam gave him one more drink of milk and then turned to the less pleasant task of changing a diaper.\u00a0 He had become good at looking after babies and cooking and the other boys teased him, so he had no wish to go out and play.\u00a0 He settled Hoss down in his crib and started clearing up the cabin.\u00a0 His father’s gun was resting against the hearth and he was about to reach out and touch it when his conscience kicked in.\u00a0 He had asked Pa many times to teach him how to use it but had been refused.\u00a0 He knew he mustn’t touch it but it was real tempting.\u00a0 The powder and shot were in the cupboard and he knew how to load it, he’d seen Pa do it hundreds of times.\u00a0 How could they live in the mountains if he couldn’t hunt and protect the family?\u00a0 His hand crept closer and his finger tips stroked the walnut stock.<\/p>\n

“ADAM!”<\/p>\n

He turned so quickly that the gun clattered to the floor.\u00a0 He swallowed hard.\u00a0 Pa was standing in the doorway with a thunderous look on his face.<\/p>\n

“Were you touching that gun?”\u00a0 He said sternly.<\/p>\n

Adam shook his head as an instant reaction then seeing his father take a step towards him he changed it to a nod.\u00a0 “I wasn’t gonna do nuthin’ with it, Pa.\u00a0 Just movin\u2019 it to somewhere safer.”<\/p>\n

Ben nodded wisely.\u00a0 “It was perfectly safe by the fireplace unless a boy touched it.\u00a0 You know you are not to handle guns, don’t you?”<\/p>\n

The look made Adam nervous and he stuttered.\u00a0 “Y\u2026yes, s\u2026sir.”<\/p>\n

Ben picked up the gun and replaced it over the fireplace out of Adam’s reach.\u00a0 He supposed it was partly his fault for leaving it where temptation would strike.<\/p>\n

Adam could see his father wasn’t too angry so he tried his plea again.\u00a0 “If you taught me to use it I could go hunting with you when we get to the mountains.”<\/p>\n

Ben tried to remain stern and hide his smile.\u00a0 “You are too small to fire that gun; the recoil would break your shoulder.”\u00a0 He explained.\u00a0 “And we aren’t going back to the mountains.\u00a0 I’ve found a good place for our cabin near the Mill and Captain Sutter has offered me work there until we can get on our feet.\u00a0 Now, we are discussing your disobedience.”<\/p>\n

He stopped speaking as a knock came at the door.\u00a0 “This isn’t finished young man.”\u00a0 He opened the door to a slim Mexican of about twenty-five or so.\u00a0 “Good afternoon, Senor.\u00a0 What can I do for you?”\u00a0 There were many Mexicans around the fort, some worked for Sutter and others tried for work wherever they could find it.<\/p>\n

The Mexican nodded politely.\u00a0 “Good evening, Senor Cartwright, my name is Jose Bettencort, I am looking for work and your son said\u2026”<\/p>\n

Ben glanced at Adam, what had he been saying now.\u00a0 “I’m sorry Senor I do not need any help and I couldn’t afford to pay you in anyway.”<\/p>\n

The Mexican nodded “You will need men to help you in the mountains with your ranch, senor.\u00a0 I know the Sierras, I have trapped and hunted there many times.\u00a0 I do not need much pay, I want to go back and it is always better to have company.”<\/p>\n

Ben nodded slowly and turned to look at his son who shrank away into a corner.\u00a0 “My son is mistaken, I do not intend to return to the mountains.\u00a0 I have selected a spot for a cabin right here on the river.\u00a0 I’m sorry you have been troubled senor.”<\/p>\n

He said a polite goodbye and turned again to Adam, who swallowed hard. Pa looked real mad now.\u00a0 “What on earth do you think you are doing, telling people these stories?\u00a0 I don’t know how many times I’ve told you we aren’t going back and as for telling complete strangers that we can offer them work\u2026”\u00a0 He turned away in exasperation.<\/p>\n

“Jose’s my friend. He ain’t a stranger, Pa.\u00a0 He works in the smithy sometimes and he’s real good with horses and\u2026” his voice faded away as Ben swung around and pointed a finger at him.\u00a0 “It seems you can’t be trusted either in or out of the cabin on your own.\u00a0 You’ll come with me this afternoon, we’ll leave Hoss with Mrs Oakes and you had better behave yourself if you know what’s good for you.”<\/p>\n

“Yes, sir.”\u00a0 Adam whispered.<\/p>\n

All afternoon Adam trailed after his father.\u00a0 The site for the cabin was pretty, there were aspens and willows and a small stream ran through the area that would be the backyard.\u00a0\u00a0 The land Ben had marked out would be enough for a small farm and Simon and Rachel would be their neighbours on the other side of the stream.\u00a0 On one side it abutted Sutter\u2019s Mill and on the other the Oakes family were building their cabin just over a mile away.\u00a0 Adam enjoyed the peace and quiet of the stream but the aspens were small and the nearest tall trees where alongside the mill.\u00a0 It had none of the majestic beauty of the Sierras.\u00a0 While his father measured and surveyed the land, he tried his hand at fishing but after two hours he hadn\u2019t had one bite.\u00a0 The stream was narrow and fast flowing and wouldn\u2019t skim stones properly and it wasn\u2019t deep enough to swim in either.\u00a0 In fact Adam couldn’t think of one good thing about it.\u00a0 He was in a sullen and sulky mood and even if it had been perfect he would have still hated it.<\/p>\n

He glanced up when a group of men approached his father, there were three of them. He recognised Jose and a smaller dark haired man who worked in the timber mill. The third was a stranger and rather rough in appearance.\u00a0 He scrambled to his feet anxious not to miss out on the conversation although he knew his father wouldn\u2019t like him eavesdropping.\u00a0 Jose was speaking when Adam sidled up to his father and stood just behind him.<\/p>\n

\u201cSenor, we wanted to tell you that we are organising a party to go back to the Sierras.\u00a0 I know you say you do not want to go now, but we talk to wagon master and he say you might change your mind if we tell you we go.\u201d\u00a0 The Mexican explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got friends comin\u2019 out on a train this year and they plan to settle in the valley near the Mormon settlement, they\u2019d sure like to know there was another family for neighbours,\u201d the stockier man added.<\/p>\n

Ben looked from one to the other.\u00a0 \u201cI thought I made it clear I was settling here.\u201d\u00a0 He sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re hard workers Mr Cartwright, we jest ain\u2019t business men, we need a leader.\u00a0 We reckons that a trading post on the trail would do real well.\u00a0 You know take the stock from the trains and trade \u2018em for fresh animals then feed up those and trade with the next train.\u00a0 Jose, here, is real good with stock and me I\u2019m a lumberman, I could repair wagons and such. We need a leader Mr Cartwright and everyone who came out here with you says you\u2019re the best man for the job.\u201d\u00a0 The stocky little man was certainly forceful and determined.<\/p>\n

\u201cGentlemen, I\u2019m flattered but the answer is still no.\u00a0 I have two small sons and no wife to take care of them, I can\u2019t take them into the wilderness on a whim.\u201d\u00a0 Ben replied equally forcefully.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you would go, if\u2019n you had a wife.\u201d\u00a0 The man persisted.<\/p>\n

Ben couldn\u2019t help but smile.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re not suggesting that you can supply one are you?\u201d\u00a0 He asked, tongue in cheek.<\/p>\n

The man returned the smile.\u00a0 \u201cNope, I ain\u2019t no matchmaker, but my friend\u2019s wife would be glad to take care of the lads and until she gets here Charlie here is more\u2019n happy to be cook and housekeeper for us all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head, then felt a tug on his sleeve and looked down into his son\u2019s pleading eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam!\u201d\u00a0 Ben said sternly.\u00a0 His son retreated a little but his eyes still pleaded.<\/p>\n

The man knew when he had an ally and he winked at the little boy.\u00a0 \u201cYou give it some thought Mr Cartwright, we reckon we\u2019d make a good team.\u201d\u00a0 He reached over and ruffled Adam\u2019s hair and nodded to the others to follow him back to the fort.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben did give it some thought.\u00a0 He was surprised at how much the idea appealed to him.\u00a0 That lake still called and to have three willing partners in the venture made it almost possible.\u00a0 Had he been alone he would have said yes in a heartbeat.\u00a0 He had successfully hid it from his son, but he wanted to go back as much as Adam did.\u00a0 After he had tucked the boys up in bed he slipped across to talk to Simon and Rachel, maybe he could persuade them to go with him.<\/p>\n

When Ben had finished explaining, Simon shook his head,\u00a0 \u201cSorry, Ben, I like it fine right here.\u00a0 I\u2019m a farmer, timber and trapping aren\u2019t for me, nor is keeping a trading post.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought I\u2019d ask.\u201d Ben\u2019s disappointment was obvious.<\/p>\n

Rachel was a little more perceptive than her husband and decidedly more blunt, \u201cYou\u2019ve decided to go anyway, haven\u2019t you?\u201d\u00a0 She accused. \u201cBen, they\u2019re babies, you can\u2019t be serious about taking them, let Simon and me take them in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cWe stay together, they\u2019re my sons and I\u2019ll take care of them.\u00a0 We\u2019re doing fine here and it won\u2019t be any different in another cabin in the mountains.\u201d\u00a0 He said stubbornly, incensed at the idea that he couldn\u2019t manage.<\/p>\n

Rachel sighed.\u00a0 \u201cHere you have women to help, supplies are plentiful, the winters are mild.\u201d\u00a0 She tried.<\/p>\n

The more Rachel put up obstacles the more stubborn Ben became until both she and Simon knew they were wasting their breath.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam couldn\u2019t believe it when his father told him next morning that they were really going back.\u00a0 He followed him around like a puppy dog, anxious to make sure Pa didn\u2019t change his mind again.\u00a0 Ben met nothing but opposition from his friends, particularly the women who thought he was crazy to take the boys back into the mountains, but the more criticism he met the more stubborn he became.\u00a0 His new partners, Jose Bettencort, Jake Webber and Charlie Henderson were delighted.\u00a0 They would have gone alone but none were natural leaders and they knew their venture needed a man who could command respect.<\/p>\n

It took two weeks to gather supplies and load them on to Ben\u2019s wagon and another, which the group purchased.\u00a0 Wagons were cheap at this end of the journey as the large Conestogas, which carried folk across the country, were too large for routine farm work.\u00a0 Ben debated buying more but his funds were sadly depleted and he needed cash for supplies.<\/p>\n

In late May the group set off, four men a small boy of seven and a baby of eight months.\u00a0 The group standing in the fort and waving them off did not expect to see or hear of them again.\u00a0\u00a0 All agreed it was a mad scheme and taking the children even crazier.<\/p>\n

Adam was so excited that he bounced up and down on the wagon seat until he was told firmly to sit still.\u00a0 In the warm spring weather the trip back over the pass was easier, only at the very summit were there small patches of snow.\u00a0 As they descended into the valley the lake sparkled in the distance and Adam could keep still no longer.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, Pa!\u201d\u00a0 He shouted excitedly, \u201cThere it is.\u201d\u00a0 He turned to Jake Webber who was riding the wagon with them and pointed,\u00a0 \u201cAin\u2019t it beautiful, Mr Webber.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jake nodded the boy\u2019s excitement was infectious,\u00a0 \u201cI reckon we\u2019ll build a real good place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben glanced at the two of them,\u00a0 \u201cWe may well do that, but not on the lake.\u00a0 We will have to go into the valley beyond if we\u2019re going to have a trading post.\u00a0 A lot of the wagons go north of here and we need to catch them as they come from the desert.\u201d<\/p>\n

They finally stopped in the valley between two mountain ranges on a trail that led from the desert north of the sink through to the lake and beyond to the mountain pass into California.\u00a0\u00a0 The land was covered with scrub and grass with a good sized lake and several streams; to the East was the desert, to the North and south more of the valley floor and to the West the beautiful mountains and lake that had so enraptured them on their first visit.<\/p>\n

Almost at once, the men began to plan the layout of their camp.\u00a0 Two cabins would be built; one for the Cartwright family and one for the other men. The trading post would be added to the men\u2019s cabin with an interconnecting door so that it was secure.\u00a0 It was agreed that the children needed to be housed first so work would start on the family cabin.\u00a0 Over the first few days the men took it in turns to stay in camp while the remainder of the party went into the mountains to cut and haul the timber for the first cabin.\u00a0 Adam begged and pleaded to be allowed to go with them but Ben was adamant that he stay in camp.<\/p>\n

The first day wasn\u2019t too bad, the boys had been left with Charlie and he was a fairly lazy and irresponsible individual where the children were concerned.\u00a0 He happily went fishing with Adam and then allowed the youngster to wander off on his own while Hoss had an afternoon nap in the wagon.\u00a0 The second and third days weren\u2019t so good, both Jake and Jose worked hard on clearing the ground for the cabin and then digging a trench to position the first timbers.\u00a0 Neither would allow Adam to move out of sight and he soon lost interest in helping once it was clear that neither would permit him to touch the ax or the scythe.\u00a0 He was bored, and late on the third day he checked that baby Hoss was asleep and Jake was engrossed in the work of finishing off the fourth side of the oblong trench and he slipped quietly away to explore.<\/p>\n

It was hot and he left the dusty area of the house site to walk down among the reeds surrounding the lake.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t far, maybe a few hundred yards and he could still see the wagon quite clearly when he entered the reeds. He didn\u2019t think of it as wandering off, Pa had told him to stay within sight of the camp and he was.\u00a0 What he hadn\u2019t reckoned with was the height of the reeds. They were more than two feet above his head and within a few feet he was swallowed up and from the camp site even his movement made no more impact than the light breeze.\u00a0\u00a0 He was soon hunting down\u00a0 small animals and as he pushed through the reeds he realised he was sinking into the mud.\u00a0 He looked at his boots a little worriedly, he\u2019d have to clean those before Pa saw them but that was his only concern.<\/p>\n

Ben, Jose and Charlie drove into the camp with a load of cut timbers about an hour before dark.\u00a0 They were hot, dirty and tired and wanted nothing more than to clean up, eat and sleep.<\/p>\n

Jake handed each of them hot coffee. \u201cStew comin\u2019 up in about ten minutes,\u201d\u00a0 he announced.<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds good, Jake,\u201d\u00a0 Ben grinned.\u00a0 \u201cI swear those timbers are getting heavier, I\u2019ll be glad to have a day digging trenches.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrenches all done,\u201d\u00a0 Jake responded with a laugh.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll be using an ax again, cuttin\u2019 notches and checking lengths tomorra; then we can start buildin\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0 Young Adam\u2019ll like that, he\u2019s not much on diggin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben glanced around the camp.\u00a0 \u201cWhere is he?\u201d<\/p>\n

Jake followed Ben\u2019s eyes around the camp.\u00a0 \u201cHe was here half an hour ago, just over by the reeds.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 He pointed to where he had last seen the boy.\u00a0 \u201cI told him not to wander off but I guess he was bored.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben sighed.\u00a0 \u201cThis wanderlust of his is becoming a menace.\u201d\u00a0 He set down his coffee cup and started off for the lake.\u00a0 \u201cKeep my supper hot, Jake.\u00a0 I\u2019d better go look for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jake nodded.\u00a0 \u201cWant me to keep his hot too?\u201d\u00a0 He asked with a grin.<\/p>\n

Ben half turned.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019ll be hot enough when I catch up to him.\u201d\u00a0 He replied, his tone suggesting his temper was only just being controlled.<\/p>\n

Adam crept through the reeds, just ahead of him was a plump duck and Adam loved duck.\u00a0 He was determined to catch this one.\u00a0 The duck seemed to have very little fear of him and as it emerged from the reeds on to the lake, Adam made a dive for it.\u00a0 Duck and boy went under the water but Adam had a firm hold on one wing and he held on even when the duck squawked and fluttered in his hands.<\/p>\n

The noise and motion of the reeds alerted Ben and he pushed through the vegetation to get to the spot.\u00a0 When his father reached him Adam was waist deep in mud and water with the duck held firmly to his chest.\u00a0 He looked up at his father with an expression of pride and triumph.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook Pa.\u00a0 I caught him all by myself…\u201d his voice trailed off a little as he saw his father\u2019s angry features.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought I told you not to wander off.\u201d\u00a0 Ben shouted, taking the boy by the arm and half dragging him from the water.\u00a0 Once Adam was standing on firm ground he gave him a shake, making the duck squawk.<\/p>\n

Adam pouted.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t fair. He could still see the wagon.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t wandered off and he had caught a duck which would make good eating.\u00a0 He felt very hard done by.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t,\u201d\u00a0 he answered back defiantly.<\/p>\n

“And don’t answer back, boy.”\u00a0 Ben continued his anger still fresh.<\/p>\n

Adam lips firmed into a line but he held his father’s gaze defiantly, until the intensity of those dark brown eyes made him look down.<\/p>\n

Jake’s shout for supper made both of them look up and Adam found himself being marched forcefully back to the camp.<\/p>\n

“Hey, what ya got there boy?”\u00a0 Jake grinned, taking the duck and holding it up.\u00a0 “That looks mighty fine, we’ll eat like kings tomorra.”\u00a0 He glanced at Ben.\u00a0 “He’s gettin’ to be quite a hunter ain’t he?”<\/p>\n

Ben relaxed his grip on Adam’s shirt and allowed his face to relax a little.\u00a0 “Yes, quite the hunter,” he sighed.\u00a0 “I just wish he’d do it in sight of the camp.”<\/p>\n

Jake winked at Adam as they both realised that for now the storm had passed.\u00a0 Pa had a hot temper but it was usually short lived unless you fuelled it.<\/p>\n

Later after Adam was tucked up in his bedroll, Jake sought out Ben.\u00a0 “Don’tcha’ think maybe you and the boy’d rest easier if he was taught about the dangers out here, stead o’ shoutin’ at him when he wanders off?”\u00a0 He suggested.\u00a0 “It ain’t like the wagon train where you was movin’ off all the time.\u00a0 If’n he’s gonna grow up here he’s gotta learn the ways of the mountains, learn to survive out here.\u00a0 He’s a sensible lad, you can teach him to take care of himself. My guess, he’s done a fair bit of that already.\u00a0 It’s kinda hard on him tellin’ him to look after the babby then tellin’ him he ain’t old enough to look after hisself\u2026 ” He trailed off wondering if he had said too much.<\/p>\n

Ben’s mouth twisted into a wry smile.\u00a0 “You tellin’ me I’m bein’ too protective?”\u00a0 He asked.<\/p>\n

Jake grinned.\u00a0 “I ain’t about to tell<\/em> you nuthin’, but the boy and me we gets on good and I know he can learn what he needs to be on his own out here.\u00a0 After all, his wanderin’s ain’t brought no trouble so far. We get him a pony soon as we can.\u00a0 I seen some wild ones we can tame.\u00a0 I reckon he’ll be providing supper and it won’t be just duck.\u00a0 ‘Nother couple of years and he’ll be able to handle a gun and do a man’s day’s work if’n you teach him.”<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.\u00a0 “You got it all figured.”<\/p>\n

“Nope just him, he works better when you trust him and if he thinks you’re bein’ unfair he fights back, right?\u00a0 He’s a thinker and he don’t do nuthin’ lessen he’s thought it through.”\u00a0 Jake responded.<\/p>\n

Ben sighed.\u00a0 “All right, I’ll try it your way, but I wish he had some other children to play with, he’s a mite too serious and grown-up in some ways.”<\/p>\n

“There’ll be kids on the wagon trains in a month or two and like I said my friends the Shaughnessy’s ‘ll be here by September latest.\u00a0 Last I heard Kate was expectin’ and the babby’d\u00a0 be ‘most a year old by now.\u00a0 His brother’s growin’ too soon we’ll have a whole passel of kids and you’ll wonder why you wished for ’em.”\u00a0 Jake chuckled.<\/p>\n

Jake was right about one thing, the wagons did start to come through and by the end of July large trains were passing the trading post.\u00a0 The cabins were finished and weather proof though still rough and with little furniture but now all the men’s energies went into providing fresh game for the travellers.\u00a0 They took the tired horses, mules and oxen in exchange for fresh animals and whatever else the emigrants would trade, this became their stock for the next train.\u00a0 Adam was usually the first to spot a new dust cloud and would alert the men to the approaching wagons.\u00a0 Jake had caught and tamed a pony for him and he would ride up to the ridge and watch, waving a cloth when he saw the wagons starting up the grade.<\/p>\n

Jake had been right, given the encouragement, the boy had grown in confidence, he had helped notch the beams for the house and smoothed the planks that made up the floor.\u00a0 He had wielded a saw to shape the boards for cupboards and for a counter for the store.\u00a0\u00a0 Ben’s only dark cloud was the growing friendship between his son and the Indian boy known as Young Wolf.\u00a0 Each time new wagons appeared the Indians came down from the mountains to act as guides and Adam would rush to meet them.<\/p>\n

“Stop worryin’ Boss.”\u00a0 Jake told him one day when he had stood and watched the two boys skinning a rabbit.\u00a0 “He’s learnin’ to survive out here. There’ll be time enough for schoolin’ and book learnin’ in the winter.”<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.\u00a0 He knew Jake was right but at the back of his mind a small doubt nagged.\u00a0 Elizabeth would have seen that her son had a good education, how was he to do that out here?<\/p>\n

Towards the end of August, Jose and Charlie took the big wagon and headed west to Sutter\u2019s Fort with one of the passing trains.\u00a0 They needed to stock up with supplies for the coming winter.\u00a0 Ben and Jake had to double their workload to keep the store supplied with meat and to look after the stock and Adam was left pretty much to his own devices.\u00a0 Every week or so another group of wagons would pass through and he would have new companions for a few days but they were soon gone, only Young Wolf stayed around.\u00a0 The Indian boy and his family would appear and disappear without warning, sometimes they were gone for weeks, sometimes just a day or two, but slowly the friendship grew.<\/p>\n

As summer turned to fall; the days grew shorter and colder and the wagons still moving west hurried along now and stopped only briefly at the trading post.\u00a0 Ben and Jake spent time making the two cabins weatherproof and ensuring a good supply of fuel.\u00a0 They had built a lean to shelter for the stock and they enlarged this to provide dry storage for wood and hay.<\/p>\n

Each day, Adam would walk the trail to the West and look for the returning wagon, usually dragging Hoss along on his wooden sled, to which he had added solid wheels so that it creaked and bumped over the rocky ground.\u00a0 Ben didn’t worry so much about him now. He had seen that for the most part Adam could take care of himself and his little brother.\u00a0 He still gave dire warnings of what would happen if they went too far from camp, but he learned that when Young Wolf was with them they were usually perfectly safe.<\/p>\n

It was one such lazy day that the Young Wolf came by to tell them that the tribe was moving north for the winter. The two boys fished in the lake and then Young Wolf showed Adam how to weave the reeds to make mats and baskets.\u00a0 His first attempt wasn’t too good but by the end of the day he could produce a rather loose woven mat.\u00a0 His baskets still wouldn’t hold anything and he was most impressed with Young Wolf’s offering of a basket that held water.\u00a0\u00a0 Hoss had been sleeping beside them while they worked but now he awoke and began to yell to show he was hungry.\u00a0\u00a0 The noise startled some geese that had been resting on the lake and they took off with an even greater amount of fuss.\u00a0 Seeing them Hoss stopped crying and held out his chubby hands toward them.\u00a0 He rolled over and sticking his bottom in the air hauled himself upright, clutching at his brother for support. In his efforts to reach the geese he forgot that he needed Adam to hold his hands and letting go wobbled his first few steps forward before falling on his face into the water.<\/p>\n

Adam and Young Wolf rushed to help him but with a determined look on his face, Hoss repeated the move and stood on his own again a big grin on his face.\u00a0 The boys were so engrossed in watching Hoss take his first toddling steps that they didn’t hear the approaching horses and by the time Young Wolf’s astute hearing picked them up it was too late.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben banged his fist down on the table in anger, for the past hour he had searched the horizon for a sight of the boys but there was none.\u00a0 He had tried to be tolerant of Adam’s friendship with the Indian boy but this was the last straw.\u00a0 It was past time for chores and almost supper time.\u00a0 This late in the season the night air would be cold and Hoss was wearing only a thin shirt and pants.\u00a0 He was too small to be out so late.\u00a0 His anger still hot, Ben saddled his horse and prepared to start searching.\u00a0 Without a word Jake did the same. Even he was worried.\u00a0 He hadn’t said anything to Ben but earlier in the day he had seen a band of Bannock hunting in the trees not far from the cabin.\u00a0 Now he fervently hoped that the boys hadn’t run into them.\u00a0 White children and the son of a Piaute chief would be a prize indeed, not to mention the two ponies the boys were riding.<\/p>\n

As they rode, Jake watched Ben’s face alternate between worry and anger.\u00a0 He rather hoped Adam had met some problem, though nothing too serious. If the boy had just forgotten the time or gone off someplace with Young Wolf then he was going to be in big trouble.\u00a0 Even after all this time Jake knew that Ben didn’t entirely trust the ten-year-old Indian boy.<\/p>\n

As if to realise Ben’s worst fears, they rounded a group of rocks to be met by a Piaute hunting party.\u00a0 The two men stopped and waited, there was no way through the narrow defile unless the Indians moved aside.\u00a0 Ben recognised the tall chief, father of Young Wolf and the one who professed to be a great guide.<\/p>\n

“Where are my sons?”\u00a0 Ben demanded.<\/p>\n

The Chief moved forward,\u00a0 “With my son.”\u00a0 He responded, his voice strong and powerful.\u00a0 “Scout say, Bannock take them.”<\/p>\n

Ben’s mouth dropped open in shock.\u00a0 “Take them!\u00a0 Where!\u00a0 Why!”\u00a0 he spluttered.<\/p>\n

The Chief shrugged,\u00a0 “To their camp to trade or kill.\u00a0 Bannock steal horses.\u00a0 It great honor to take son of Winnemucca,”\u00a0 he nodded at the hunters behind him.\u00a0 “We go, fight.\u00a0 You come.\u00a0 My son die, not be prisoner of Bannock.”<\/p>\n

Jake leaned forward and whispered at Ben,\u00a0 “I think he’s sayin’\u00a0 he’d rather kill the boy then let him be taken by the Bannock.\u00a0 But we ain’t got much choice, we can’t get the boys back on our own.”<\/p>\n

Ben turned to Jake with a pale shocked expression, “You think they’ll kill small children?”<\/p>\n

Jake shook his head,\u00a0 “It ain’t gonna mean much to them, we’re they’re enemies.\u00a0 If they can’t trade ’em then they’ll kill ’em, rather than feed ’em over the winter.”<\/p>\n

“Chief, we have oxen we can trade for the children, maybe a spare horse.”\u00a0 Ben added, thinking of how short that would leave them until Jose and Charlie got back.<\/p>\n

The Chief looked at him with scorn.\u00a0 “We no trade with enemies. We fight.” And with that, he wheeled his horse around and signalled to the others to follow.<\/p>\n

Jake shrugged as Ben looked at him, “I guess we follow, maybe we can get in first and suggest a trade.”\u00a0 He pointed at the nearest Indian. “Apart from the chief they don’t have guns. I doubt the Bannocks do either.\u00a0 That might give us an edge, but we ain’t gonna get time to re-load.”<\/p>\n

They rode hard for maybe two miles before the band of Paiutes slowed and began to move forward more cautiously.\u00a0 Ben couldn’t see why they were moving so slowly but he had the sense to accept that he was in the hands of more experienced fighters.<\/p>\n

They had almost reached the Bannock camp when there was a movement in the brush.\u00a0 As the whole party turned toward the disturbance, Ben drew his gun.<\/p>\n

“Adam!”\u00a0 He spoke in a shocked but low voice.<\/p>\n

A very pale small boy emerged from the scrub, holding on to a very grubby smaller brother.<\/p>\n

Ben dismounted instantly and knelt by his son.\u00a0 “Are you all right?”<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.\u00a0 “Young Wolf, you gotta help him.”\u00a0 In halting sentences Adam explained how the Bannocks had taken them captive and brought them to this encampment.\u00a0 It wasn’t a village, more a collection of tepees for a hunting party.\u00a0 He said that Young Wolf had fought with their captors and made himself such a nuisance that he and Hoss had been able to slip away unseen.<\/p>\n

Ben hugged him tight and then looked up into the eyes of the Chief.\u00a0 He didn’t need to ask what the Piautes planned, he could see the murderous intent in the old man’s eyes.\u00a0 Whether his son was alive or dead the Chief intended to make the Bannocks pay.\u00a0 He knew that as a father he would feel the same if Adam or Hoss had been harmed.\u00a0 He glanced at Jake and the other man nodded.\u00a0 Young Wolf might have given his life to save the Cartwright boys, the least they could do was fight alongside his father.<\/p>\n

“Adam, you take Hoss and you hide over there.”\u00a0 He pointed to some rocks and scrub about two hundred yards away.\u00a0 “You wait until it’s dark, if we don’t come back by then, you follow the stars they way I showed you and find your way back home.\u00a0 Jose and Charlie will be there in a few days.”\u00a0 He said gruffly.<\/p>\n

Adam’s eyes widened,\u00a0 “I won’t go without you.”\u00a0 He said stubbornly.<\/p>\n

Ben bent down to Adam’s level.\u00a0 “You have to, son.\u00a0 I’m relying on you to take care of Hoss.\u00a0 He needs you right now.\u00a0 Try to keep him quiet and stay hidden until dark.\u00a0 We’ll be back before then, I’m sure.”\u00a0 He spoke seriously but gave his son a quick hug, conscious that it might be his last.\u00a0 He wanted to gather them both in his arms and run from the danger, but he knew he couldn’t abandon the young Indian boy who had given so much to return his sons to him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For what seemed like hours, but was in fact less than fifteen minutes, Adam crouched in the brush trying to shield Hoss and keep him quiet.\u00a0 At first Hoss thought it was a game and hid his eyes and played hide-and-seek but then he became bored and struggled to get free.\u00a0 Adam hugged him tight in an effort to keep him hidden. There was the sound of a gun being fired and then shouts and another gun shot echoed across the valley floor.\u00a0\u00a0 The sounds quieted Hoss for a moment.\u00a0 Then more shouting and more gun shots, and the sound of galloping horses.\u00a0 Adam peeped from his hiding place to see a small band of Indians and a few loose horses running from the direction his father had ridden.\u00a0 The urge to go and find his father was great but he wouldn’t leave his little brother and there was no way he could take him.\u00a0 He shut his eyes tight to shut out pictures of the Indian attack in which his stepmother had died.\u00a0 Pa would be all right, Pa wasn’t dead; he couldn’t be\u2026could he?<\/p>\n

“Adam\u2026Adam!\u00a0 Where are you, son?”\u00a0 Ben’s shout echoed around the rocks.<\/p>\n

Slowly and with great trepidation, Adam peered out.\u00a0 Pa was there, safe and well.\u00a0 Jake was beside him and to Adam’s relief and joy, his friend Young Wolf sat astride a white pony, unharmed.\u00a0 He grabbed Hoss and dragged him from their hiding place.<\/p>\n

Ben hugged them both and then gathered Hoss into his arms leaving Adam free to approach his friend.<\/p>\n

“You okay?”\u00a0 Adam asked with concern.<\/p>\n

The Indian boy nodded.\u00a0 “Bannock not hurt me.\u00a0 They\u2026”\u00a0 he struggled with the words in\u00a0 English.\u00a0 “They want my father.”\u00a0 He grinned.\u00a0 “They no want him now.\u00a0 Paiute good warrior.\u00a0 Bannock run back to their lodge.”<\/p>\n

“You saved our lives.”\u00a0 Adam said, seriously.\u00a0 “Thank you.”<\/p>\n

“Your father give oxen to Paiute.\u00a0 We friends.”<\/p>\n

As the Indians rode away, Jake caught Ben looking after them with a thoughtful expression on his face.\u00a0 “What’s the matter, Boss?”<\/p>\n

Ben shrugged.\u00a0 “Oh, nothing.\u00a0 I’m grateful Adam had such a friend\u2026”<\/p>\n

“But you don’t really trust him, do you?”\u00a0 Jake said, perceptively.<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head.\u00a0 “With folks coming out here in bigger numbers, it’s going to be hard for the Indian.\u00a0 I have this strange feeling that some day they will have to fight for their land.\u00a0 I don’t want Adam hurt when they end up on opposite sides.”\u00a0 He said softly.<\/p>\n

Adam remained quiet on the ride home.\u00a0 He sat in front of Jake and every now and again glanced at his father to make sure he was still there.\u00a0 Back at the cabin he was still quiet and after supper he stared into the fire and thought back over the day.<\/p>\n

“Pa, we will stay here, won’t we?\u00a0 I mean them Indians won’t chase us away, will they?”\u00a0 His dark eyes sought his father’s for reassurance.<\/p>\n

Ben had been preparing supper and he set down the plate of hot biscuits on the table and put an arm around his son’s thin shoulders, \u201cNo, son, they won’t chase us away.\u00a0 This is home now.\u00a0 Remember we said we’d build a farm and you’d grow up among tall trees the way your mother wanted.\u00a0 You and Hoss are going to grow up right here.”<\/p>\n

Hoss had been sitting on the floor by the fire and suddenly he turned over on to his tummy and pushed himself up.\u00a0 He tottered for a moment and then toddled over to the table to help himself to a biscuit.<\/p>\n

Ben stared open-mouthed.\u00a0 “When did he learn to do that?”<\/p>\n

Adam giggled.\u00a0 “I forgot to tell you.\u00a0 He did it this afternoon.”\u00a0 He grinned up at his father.\u00a0 “I guess Hoss is growing up already.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

THE END<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

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

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

Summary: After Inger’s death Ben, Adam and baby Hoss journey west. Adam makes a new friend and the family find a new home.
\nRating: G (16,070 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":41001,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1016,30,13],"tags":[1293],"class_list":["post-62604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adam-pa","category-prequels","category-whn","tag-a-journey-remembered","wpcat-1016-id","wpcat-30-id","wpcat-13-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":55,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":982,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=982","url_meta":{"origin":62604,"position":0},"title":"While Holding a Colicky Baby at Night (by DBird)","author":"DBird","date":"July 16, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0The Cartwright family learns that trials and blessings sometimes go hand in hand. Rated:\u00a0K+ (5,715 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/bonanza.jpg?fit=295%2C295&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":36490,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=36490","url_meta":{"origin":62604,"position":1},"title":"Wanderlust and Consequences (by BettyHT)","author":"BettyHT","date":"April 1, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 A NaNoWriMo entry, this story begins when Ben and Adam traveled west and built the Ponderosa and Hoss and Joe joined the family and Inger and Marie are there as well. Then as an adult, Adam traveled to help Hop Sing on a quest, and he finds adventure and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Alternate Universe"","block_context":{"text":"Alternate Universe","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Woman-of-Fire-702.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Woman-of-Fire-702.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Woman-of-Fire-702.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Woman-of-Fire-702.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13121,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13121","url_meta":{"origin":62604,"position":2},"title":"Like Her Own (by Robin)","author":"profrobinw","date":"July 12, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 A look back and understanding how the past influenced the present. Rating:\u00a0 T\u00a0 (7,266 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/bonanza7.jpg?fit=720%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/bonanza7.jpg?fit=720%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/bonanza7.jpg?fit=720%2C477&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/bonanza7.jpg?fit=720%2C477&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6025,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=6025","url_meta":{"origin":62604,"position":3},"title":"Remembering Childhoods (by Patina)","author":"patina","date":"April 28, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a06th story in The Battle of Wills series.\u00a0 It's the morning after the events in New Expectations. Ben's thoughts of the coming baby make him remember Adam's childhood and Hoss' early years. Rating: K+\u00a0 \u00a0Word Count=3240 The Battle of Wills series, links to all the stories within the series included.","rel":"","context":"In "Ben Cartwright"","block_context":{"text":"Ben Cartwright","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1004"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Fathers-Day.jpg?fit=300%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":45151,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=45151","url_meta":{"origin":62604,"position":4},"title":"Pharoah (by VRON)","author":"Preserving Their Legacy Author","date":"March 24, 2000","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: A young Adam on the trail west has his first pet and learns a valuable lesson. Rating:\u00a0 G\u00a0 \u00a0Words:\u00a0 1,375","rel":"","context":"In "Ben \/ Adam"","block_context":{"text":"Ben \/ Adam","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1016"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40505,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=40505","url_meta":{"origin":62604,"position":5},"title":"On the Trail and More (by BettyHT)","author":"BettyHT","date":"August 6, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: Joe asks a question about Christmas that leads Adam to tell a story about coming West, and then there are more stories about Christmas with Marie and Elizabeth. Rating: PG\u00a0 Word Count: 5,126","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Gabrielle.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Gabrielle.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Gabrielle.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Gabrielle.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Gabrielle.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=62604"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62604\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/41001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=62604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=62604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=62604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}