Another Hurt, Another Help
Joe peered through the thickening fog. "Adam?" There was not reply. He felt Cochise shift nervously beneath him. "Adam, are you there?" Still no answer. Joe grew worried. "Adam?" This last attempt at calling his oldest brother came out as a squeak.
Joe urged a reluctant Cochise a few steps forward. From the distance came a dying, strangulated wail. Joe's blood turned cold. Even though he had never heard the sound before, he knew what it was – the terrified, high-pitched scream of Adam's horse, Sport.
Oh, goodness, he thought. Please, no, please…no…
Cochise tried to pull back, but Joe's commands were firm. Trying to stop his hand from trembling, Joe patted Cochise's neck.
Then, Joe's ears picked out another sound – hoofbeats. A horse was running towards them. Cochise tried once more to pull back, but, this time, Joe couldn't stop him. Each moment, the hoofbeats were growing louder and louder.
Suddenly, the running hoofbeats became quieter. Cochise no longer pulled back, but took a step forward and whinnied.
As Joe squinted once more, a chestnut horse jogged out of the thick blanket of fog, riderless.
"Sport!" Joe whispered.
Sport's gait slowed to a walked and he came up to Joe and Cochise. Joe held out his hand to grasp Sport's reins.
Joe ran his hand over Sport's foamy neck. It was only then that he realized there was blood mixed with the sweat. On closer inspection, it became apparent that Sport had been brutally whipped.
"Oh, Adam…" Joe whispered. He knew Adam had never used or owned a whip, and would never hurt his horse. This left only one conclusion to come to – Adam was in trouble.
All fear for himself vanished. Joe slapped Sport's rump to send him home and kicked Cochise into a run, heading in the approximate direction from which Sport had come from.
The wind whipped Joe and stung his eyes, but the young cowboy did not slow for even one moment, not even when his Stetson flew off his head.
After about fifteen minutes, Joe suddenly saw the still, black-clad form of his brother. He dismounted and ground-tied Cochise, then ran to Adam.
"Adam!" Joe gasped.
There was a large gash along Adam's cheek. Joe checked his pulse and breathing. Adam was unconscious.
Joe knew it would be impossible to put Adam on Cochise by himself – afterall, he wasn't as strong as Hoss.
Maybe, thought Joe, Pa and Hoss will find us when Sport gets back to the ranch…maybe Sport will lead them to Adam and I.
Joe knew it was a pretty slim chance of Ben and Hoss finding him and Adam way out near the edge of the East pasture in the thick fog, but it was something to hope for – he knew Adam needed medical attention immediately.
The least Joe could do for his brother until help arrived was to make Adam comfortable, even though he was unconscious.
Joe removed his favourite green jacket and laid it across Adam's chest to keep him warm. He took off Adam's gunbelt and put it in one of his saddlebags.
Three o'clock came and went, but the fog still remained thick, and there still was no sign of anyone. Joe began to pray that someone would come along soon and that his brother would be okay.
When four o'clock came, the fog cleared a bit and the sun started to rise from the horizon. By then, Joe was really starting to panic.
Another half hour had just passed when Joe heard the whinny of a horse. At first, he thought it was Cochise, but when he looked over, Cochise's ears were pricked forward.
Joe hoped fervently that it was his Pa and Hoss, but he drew his gun just in case.
A voice came to Joe's ears.
"Li'l Joe! Li'l Joe!" It was Hoss.
"Hoss!" Joe yelled. "Over here!"
A moment later, two horses, appeared.
"Joe!" Hoss dismounted and hurried toward his youngest brother.
Ben had seen Adam on the ground. Ben jogged over and knelt beside his son.
"What happened?" Ben asked, looking up at Joe.
Joe shrugged. "I dunno, Pa. I was looking for Adam when Sport came charging towards me. I guessed Adam was in trouble and sent Sport home, then went in the direction Sport came from. I found Adam like this, so I covered him and waited for someone to come."
"Right, Hoss, do you think we can get him onto Buck?"
Hoss nodded.
Between the two of them, they lifted Adam onto Ben's horse.
"Joe, you get Doc Martin. Hoss and I will get Adam back to the house."
Joe didn't need urging twice. In one deft movement, he swingmounted Cochise and signalled him to run.
"He's going to be alright," Doc Martin announced, closing his black bag. "Adam will come round in a couple of hours."
"What was wrong with him, Uncle Paul?" Hoss asked.
"Someone clubbed him on the head – a very powerful blow. He had been beaten up and there was a bullet lodged in his back – if it were one inch over to the right, it would have been fatal. He's very lucky to be alive," – Doc Martin turned to Joe and placed his hand on the young man's shoulder – "thanks to you, Little Joe. He would have got a chill out there but for your covering him. And it's a good thing I got here when I did."
Ben smiled proudly at his youngest son, who by this stage was blushing.
Adam's eyes flickered open. "Pa?"
Ben quickly glanced up. "How do you feel, son?" he asked.
"Bit sore," Adam admitted after trying to stretch his limbs.
"Well, you were in a pretty bad way when we found you."
"Hey, Pa?"
"Yes, Adam?"
"What exactly happened?"
Ben smoothed back Adam's hair as he recounted everything Joe had told him, and his own and Hoss' part in it.
Adam listened attentively until Ben stopped. "Can I see Joe?"
"Sure." Ben opened the door. Joe was sitting in the hall. Ben motioned for him to come in.
Joe grinned when he saw his older brother. "Hey, Adam. Ya got some pretty bruises, ya know."
"Pa told me what happened."
"He did?"
"Yes. The fact is, Little Joe, I just wanted to thank you for staying with me and…well, you know."
Joe looked at Adam seriously. "You're gonna hafta repay me, ya know – saving lives ain't all fun and games, ya know, and, well, we do need some privileges."
Adam groaned. "I should have been expecting it. What do you want this time?"
"Just get better." Joe's face broke into a grin once more.
"Does he remember anything, Pa?" Hoss asked.
Ben sighed and threaded his thumbs through his beltloops. "Nothing. But Adam said he had ten dollars in his saddlebag, but it isn't there now."
"What do ya think, Pa?" asked Joe. "Theft?"
"I don't know – it certainly looks like it, I'll agree…" Ben frowned. "But why beat him up, then shoot him? Why not one or the other – why both?"
"Sure sounds funny, don't it?" Hoss commented.
Ben placed his hands on his sons' shoulders. "Well, Adam is improving now. That's the main thing, right?"
Joe and Hoss nodded. "Right."
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story or 'Bonanza' - these belong to the writers of the show. I do, however, own the story and it is protected under my name by the Australian Copyright Law dating back to 2007.