One hour before sundown, Little Joe came back from a long ride home. He stepped from his horse Cochise and walked to the door of the house, when suddenly a man behind the stables shot Little Joe in his back. Little Joe falls on the ground next to the door. The man had an other man with him. It were two bandits who worked for a general.
The Man next to him said:"When he's death you must pay for this!''
"Shut up and help me to take him inside the house!'',screamed the bandit, who shot at Little Joe, loudly.
Inside the house, Little Joe lay on the sofa and cried out from pain.
A little while later, one bandit heared a horse coming and said to the other Bandit:"Let him be quiet! I hear someone coming on the property!''
The Bandit took a kissen and hold it on his mouth to make Little Joe quiet down. The Man who came on the Ponderosa ranch was Ben Cartwright the Vader of Little Joe.
Ben saw Cochise lose and said to himself:"Why can't Little Joe bring Cochise for ones to the stables!''
Ben took his horse Buck and Cochise, wanting to bring them inside to the Stable, but suddenly, Ben saw a gun pointing at him.
The Bandit who shot Little Joe in his back said:"Get in the house, now and no tricks. If you want that the boy inside the house won't be killed. Do you understand?''
Ben didn't give an answer and walked inside the House while holding his hands over his head. Ben saw right on the sofa Little Joe with pain and ran to him.
He felt that Little Joe has been shot in his back and asked angry:"You stupid idiots! He could've been killed! Who did this to my son?''
On that moment came a man inside the house. He was a General, but everyone called him the Boss. The Boss asked:"Why must you always act like bandits? Who is that?''
"I'm the man who own the is my son Little Joe and I'm Ben Cartwright.'',said Ben angrily.
The Boss said calm and easy:,,Alright we talk next, but first we must go upstairs and stay there atleast until I call you two."
Ben was angry and called Hop Sing. Hop Sing told him that he said that they must go, but they didn't listen. He also saw how Little Joe has been shot from one of the men.
Ben was now angrier and screamed loud:"You're not acting like bandits, you are bandits! First you shot my son in his back and now he must walk?! Forget it!''
The Boss looked surprised at Ben and wanted to know how it happend and why. Ben called Hop Sing again to him and said that he should explain to the Boss and tell him who it has done.
Hop Sing said to them:"Filst Doctol come fol Little Joe befole he gonna die flom pain. The Bullet is in Little Joe's back and makes an infection. It must go out now!''
"No need for a Doctor. You two, take him upstairs to his room! I take care of him with Hop Sing and one of my Man! I'm gonna operate him now right here!'',said The Boss.
The two men did what the Boss said and brought Little Joe upstairs to his room. The Boss walked upstairs behind Little Joe with Whisky to get Little Joe drunk, but Little Joe didn't want to drink and the Boss operate him like that, without any painkiller. In the living room, Ben sits nervously, wanting to look at Little Joe and see if he's alright.
But an hour later, he heared Little Joe cry and screaming for pain and calling loudly from upstairs:"PA, where are you?! Paaaaaaaa!''
Ben couldn't hear it anymore and said suddenly:"He's gonna kill him! I must to Little Joe, let me upstairs to see him of he's alright, please!''
,,Easy , Hop Sing and one from my Team are there. When something has happened, Hop Sing should come to you and explain it! So go to the living room and sit down or we must hurt you, too!'',tells the bandit who tries to hold Ben calm.
Eight hours later, the Boss came out Little Joe's room and walked down to Ben.
Ben sprang up and wanted to go upstairs to Little Joe, but the Boss stopped Ben and said to him:"Hop Sing takes care of him, you must go to bed for tomorrow. Then we are going to fight on the Ponderosa!''
"I'm only with you when every single bandit is in the bunkhouse for sleep and stays out of the house. And you'll take care of my horses or I will do it myself!'',said Ben to the Boss.
The Boss understood that and agreed to Ben's demands. He told his men to go to sleep in the bunkhouse and that they shouldn't come inside the house. It was finally night, Ben came out his room and wanted to go to Little Joe. Ben took Little Joe's clothes from the chair and begun to change Little Joe in it.
Little Joe was a little awake and said confused:"Pa? Pa is that you? It hurts so much, ah!''
"Sorry Joseph, I'm almost done! I will get a Doctor for you and Sheriff Coffee. And who knows, maybe you'll be right next in the Saloon with your friends so be quiet and make sure that no one can hear you! I'm going in Virginia city for help!'',told Ben to little Joe.
Ben carried Little Joe downstairs to the living room and lowered him slowly and carefully on a chair. Then, they saw in the House a... girl? Ben asked her who she was and she said her name was Madeline and her husband was one from the Team of the Boss. Madeline saw Ben carrying Little Joe to a chair and came to help Ben with Little Joe's unhelpful limps.
Ben said to Madeline:"Let Little Joe under NO circumstances outside of the house and don't tell him I'm going to Virginia city to get help when he asks!''
"Alright , I'll try to keep him inside the house. But how do you want to go to Virginia city without a horse?'',asked Madeline.
Ben didn't look surprised and said:"I'm going to walk the whole way then. I will do whatever it takes to get help for my son!''
Ben walked outside to the stable and saw a man standing by the horses. He took care of them and cleaned the stable, too. Ben looked surprised and wanted to help. Ben talked to the man and asked what his name was.
The man said:"I'm Amigo. But what are you doing here? You are supposed to sleep in your bed.''
"I'm looking at my horses and see if they get good care from you, but I see you do. But I wanted them give a ride too! Can you do that? They always get a ride to Virginia city. Could you go with both horses?''asked Ben.
By Madaline and Little Joe went everything bad, Little Joe wanted to go to Ben and tried to push Madeline away, but he was to weak to put up a really good fight. Little Joe stopped a minute and wanted to know who she was.
Madeline said:"I'm the wife of the man who saved your life. His name is Amigo an-''
Madeline wasn't finished talking or Little Joe was outside the house, running towards Ben. Madeline tried to stop him, but she couldn't do it. Amigo heared someone coming and took his gun to fire a shot. Ben pushed the gun out of Amigo's hand and in the sky, unabling him to accidentally kill someone. Then, Ben heard the man who wanted to kill Little Joe.
He said:" , when you don't come out of the stable with your hands in the sky, your son will have an extra hole!''
Little Joe screamed and cried from pain. Ben saw that the bandit pushed the gun barrel in Little Joe's bullet wound and wanted to stop him, but two other bandits held him by his arms, unabling him until he couldn't go to Little Joe anymore. He couldn't bare to see what the man did to Little Joe in his weakened state and turned around to the other side. A little while later, he didn't hear Little Joe's screaming and crying for pain anymore and decided to look at him, only to see how he layed on the ground, knocked out.
Ben was mad and screamed loudly:"You're killing him! You reopened his bullet wound!''
Suddenly the Boss heared an angry man screaming loudly and wanted to know what was wrong and why Little Joe lay on the ground. Ben explained everything to the Boss, in the hopes of getting some mercy. As Ben was finished with the explanation he picked Little Joe up until he was upstairs again and back to Little Joe's room for rest. Not far away from the Ponderosa ranch stood Adam and Hoss on a hill, watching the many men walking around but no sight of Little Joe or Ben.
Adam asked Hoss confused:"Are that your friends?''
"No, but I have a feeling that Pa and Little Joe are in trouble!'',said Hoss.
Adam was thinking and asked Hoss in curiosity:"Why do you think that?''
"'Cause Pa and Little Joe don't let their horse eat that much!'',answered Hoss quickly ,but quiet while Adam and Hoss rode away from the Ponderosa ranch to Virginia city for help.
First they were going to the Sheriff's office about asking for help who says:"Alright eleven men are going with you and I'm gonna come with you,too!''
Adam and Hoss agreed and went to the Saloon with Sheriff Coffee for help.
They were almost sure that not many were able to help, or willingly for that matter, but they were nicely surprised when everyone wanted to help them and said:"We're going with you!''
But in the Saloon were twelve men. Adam explained that they need as much helpers/vollunteers as they could get. Sheriff Coffee agreed and send twelve men, and himself to the Ponderosa ranch.
One hour later, a bandit saw Adam, Hoss and his Team and said to the Boss:"Alarm! Men are coming for the Cartwrights!''
Ben heard what they said and knew that it were his other sons. Ben ran as fast as he could downstairs to meet his other sons and his Team of vollunteers half-way.
Ben said angry:"Sheriff Coffee, I want to press charges for breaking and entering in our house unwelcomed and for trying to kill Little Joe several times! And where is the damn Doctor?! Little Joe is badly wounded and when he doesn't get a Doctor soon, I don't know what could happen!"
"Who wanted to kill Little Joe? He's just a kid with a good heart!'',told Hoss to Ben and Adam in horror.
Sheriff coffee and the twelve men went back to Virginia city with eight bandits, but they didn't find the Boss on the Ponderosa ranch. Ben, Adam and Hoss went inside of the house where Ben told the whole story to Adam and Hoss and that Little Joe is in critical danger and that he didn't know if he was gonna make it and that they must prey for him.
Suddenly Hop Sing screamed:" ! ! Little Joe is asked for you!''
Ben, Adam and Hoss ran as fast as they could to Little Joe and saw that he had a high Fever. The Fever was 43 Grades Calcius and the nightmares were B-A-D. Little Joe said the whole time his father and brother's names, but also Cochise's name and Hop Sing's name. Ben told Hoss to get a Doctor and get him to them house as fast as they could go.
"Yes,sir!'',said Hoss and runned to his horse, got in the sattle in record timing and rode with speed to Virginia City, this time for a doctor.
Adam told Ben that he missed Little Joes laugh and that he wished that he got better already. Half an hour later, Hoss came with the Doctor by the Ponderosa ranch. The Doctor saw that Hop Sing and Adam really were in big hurry, but he didn't saw Ben or Little Joe anywhere. Hoss let the Doctor see where and who his patient was and how it happened. Ben saw the Doctor coming and went outside Little Joe's room, knowing that he was now in good hands. Hop sing helped the Doctor with Little Joe. Giving him cold water or scalpes when the Doctor asked Hop Sing.