"Now Pa, you're still not frettin' about lil' Joe are ya? It's been a week now and I'm sure he's fine," Hoss said to his father as the three Cartwrights sat around a camp fire. They had just spent a week full of hard riding and stressful moments to reach their goal of free pasture land a few miles out of Sacramento where their buyer, an old friend of Ben's, Jimmy Walker, would meet them in the morning to buy their cattle.
"I'm worried 'bout all kinds of things Hoss, not just Joe," Ben replied as he looked at all the hustle and bustle around him. The cowhands were moving in well choreographed dances, some cleaning up dishes, some chopping wood, some tending to horses, some securing the tents one last time before they went to sleep, and still others preparing for their watch shift. This week had proven to Ben why the men in him company had been with him for long and why he trusted them impeccably.
The week had started off peacefully enough, but by the first night they were facing a mama lion and her cubs. The cats managed to kill off five calves over two nights before they were able to stop them. There was the rock slid that had nearly caused a stampede.
If it hadn't been for one of Ben's foremen, Hank, and his quick thinking they would still be gathering the cows. Even still, Hank took a bad knock and though, thankfully, it wasn't serious it was enough to knock him out of commission for the rest of the trip. They left him at a way station a few days ago where the manager promised to make sure he got to Carson City.
Then there was the rain, which had followed them for the rest of the trip and had finally let up. But the biggest problem had been the cattle dieses that had been spreading throughout the Virginia City Ranches. So far seven cows had fallen to it and three more looked like they were sick. Ben had isolated them and now all he could do was wait.
He explained this to his sons finishing with, "This whole drive has been one of the worst one's in all my experience."
"Well, tomorrow it'll all be over and we can go home," Adam said, taking a sip from his coffee. The truth was, Adam had been ready to go home since the third day into the trip and it wasn't just because it was a miserable time. Ever since Joe and he had parted he'd been having strange dreams and uneasy feelings. Not one to believe in such things, he still couldn't help but feel they were premonition of danger and he was beginning to fear for his little brother. All he really wanted to do right now was wrap the boy in his arms and see for himself that Joe was just fine.
He looked over his mug's rim to Hoss. The big man read the worry in his face like only he could and gave that reassuring smile that worked of so well. "Both of you are frettin' over nothin'. Joe's fine, and the cattle drive weren't no worse then it's ever been. Jist seems so is all. You'll see. Tomorrow's Saturday, Mr. Walker will insist that we go to dinner, and we'll give the men their wages and let them go have a night. Then by mid week we'll be home."
"I hope so Hoss," Ben said as he started into the fire, "I really do."
