Joe was roused from sleep early the next morning by the sound of a low whine beside him, he opened his eyes cautiously, hand reaching for his gun. Turning towards the sound he was surprised to see a small black and white dog watching him. As Joe raised himself into a sitting position the dog crept closer. It was an old animal, Joe saw, with white hair around its muzzle and peppering the black fur on its neck. "Hey there, boy." Joe said softly, holding out his hand towards the animal. "Where did you come from?"
Drinking his coffee, Ben watched as Joe fed half of his breakfast to the dog. The animal took the food eagerly but waited until it was offered, making no attempt to grab. He sat neatly, his warm brown eyes never leaving Joe's face as he ate. "He's certainly taken to you." Ben remarked, as finishing his food, Joe gave the dog the last few scraps off his plate.
"This must be his home." Joe observed, reining in Cochise and sliding to the ground. "I'll take a look inside."
Ben said a few words over Arthur Rogers grave as they laid him to rest near to his cabin. It was late afternoon; the shadows lengthening as evening drew near. "I think we'd better stay here for the night." Ben said. "Make an early start in the morning."
He turned once more to the papers before him, they appeared to be some kind of journal written by Rogers, reading through it Joe had already discovered that Arthur Rogers had been working his claim for nearly ten years, though he had found very little silver in the mine. Then a few months previously he had apparently just given up, according to the journal he had been intending to return home to San Francisco shortly, having decided the big strike was never going to come.
Outside the night air was still and cool, the full moon casting an insipid light over the landscape. Joe stood by the door for a moment, letting his eyes adjust to the moonlight. Crossing to the well, he attached the bucket. He was drawing up the water when he became aware of the sound of quiet voices in the distance. They appeared to be coming from the direction of the mine. Warily Joe crept nearer, as he drew close he could see the flicker of lamplight from just inside. Flattening himself against the rocks next to the entrance, Joe inched closer, he could just make out the words of the men in the mine, there were two voices, speaking softly. What Joe overheard made his heart sink, the men were discussing stolen goods hidden in the mine. It appeared one of the men was Rogers' nephew and, knowing his Uncle had given up working his claim, had stashed the proceeds of a stagecoach robbery there until the posse had given up their search. Joe eased carefully away, he had to get back to the cabin, get to his gun, which he had left on the table.
Ben stirred as his son sat down, opening his eyes, he saw Joe's warning look. Slowly he turned his head on the pillow, gaze alighting on the armed man by the table. "What's happened?" He asked anxiously, his voice hoarse and croaky.
Another man joined Billy and Sam, the small cabin feeling cramped with so many occupants. Billy was obviously the leader of the group, the one who made the decisions.
"I worked in Virginia City couple of years ago." Billy said, sitting down at the table. "I heard all about Ben Cartwright and the Ponderosa, he's worth a powerful amount of money."
"You one of the Cartwrights?" The stranger asked as Adam drew near.
"We don't have that kind of
money lying around the place." Adam said coldly, handing the paper over for
Hoss to read.
"None." The man conceded with a grin. "But one thing is certain, if I don't get back safely with the money then they'll be dead men."
****
It was decided that one of the hands be sent to town with a letter from Adam asking for cash from the bank.
"That way you two are here where I can keep an eye on you." Sam told them as he stood by Ben's desk watching Adam write the letter. "And you won't get any funny ideas like talking to the Sheriff. Now." He continued as Adam finished writing and handed him the paper. "I'll be right beside you while you tell your ranch hand what to do, so don't try giving him any messages, understand?"
****
Joe wrung out the cloth, then gently bathed his father's face with the cool water, Ben's temperature was still alarmingly high and he had spent most of the day drifting in and out of feverish sleep, when he was awake he spoke little, every word painful. Joe's thoughts turned to his brothers, by now Sam should have arrived at the Ponderosa. He could only hope that Adam and Hoss understood his message, it had been difficult to think of a way to let his brothers know where they were with Billy standing over him watching as he wrote but he had done his best.
****
It was silent in the ranch house as the three men waited for the money to arrive. Sam was impatient, wanting to get away from the Ponderosa before evening. He needed a head start before nightfall, knowing that the Cartwrights would be on his tail at first light the next morning.
Adam was pondering the note from Joe, he had seen his brother's message immediately and had realised what it meant. Joe had inscribed the J in Joe and C in Cartwright slightly more heavily than the rest of the letters. Trying to visualise the route his father and brother would have taken, Adam was pretty sure that Joe meant the letters to signify Jacobs Creek, they should have passed near the tiny township the day before yesterday. But did Joe mean they were being held in Jacobs Creek? Adam thought not, the place was so small any stranger would be immediately noticed, which meant they must be somewhere nearby, but in what direction?
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a horse riding into the yard, the ranch hand returning with the money.
"Let's go." Sam told him, relieved that the wait was almost over. He motioned Adam to the door where he collected the cash. "Right." Sam took the money from Adam. "I'll be leaving now, but before I go I'd better make sure I'm not followed for a while. You." He said, turning to Hoss. "Find me some rope, I need to tie you two up."
****
It was Hop Sing, returning from a visit to one of his cousins, who found the two brothers, bound and gagged. With an exclamation of horror he hurriedly untied them. "What happen?" He asked Adam as he removed the gag from his mouth
"I think I put it in here." Hoss reached into his pocket and withdrew the paper, handing it to his older brother.
Adam studied the letter for a moment. "Let's get saddled up." He told Hoss. "We've got no time to lose, once they have the money Pa and Joe are no use to them any more."
"But where do we start?" Hoss was perplexed. "It's almost full dark out, we won't be able to pick up a trail."
"We don't need to." Adam told him. "Our little brother has told us where they are." Rapidly he explained about Jacobs Creek. "And look here." He pointed to Joe's name on the letter. "There's a mark under the e in Joe, I'm guessing that means east, we're going to start looking to the east of Jacobs Creek."
"Well I'll be." Hoss was impressed. "Clever little cuss ain't he?"
"He has his moments." Adam agreed dryly. "Now let's get going. We can be there by dawn."
****
The eerie light of the full moon gave some illumination to the trail, making the journey to Jacobs Creek easier than Adam had feared. The brothers were constantly alert for any sign of their afternoon visitor, but they saw no sign of anyone. The faint glimmer of dawn was just beginning to lighten the sky as Adam and Hoss neared the few huddled buildings that comprised the little township.
****
"Hey, Jake." Billy called, standing up and stretching. "Come in here will you?"
Obeying the summons Jake vacated his seat outside and came into the cabin. "Shouldn't Sam be back by now?" He asked irritably.
"No need to worry yet." Billy told him. "Could have taken the Cartwrights awhile to get the money together. Just watch those two." He indicated Joe and Ben. "I need to get some sleep." Yawning widely, he left the cabin, heading for the lean to where he had laid his bed roll on a soft mattress of hay.
Jake settled down in the chair that Billy had vacated, he toyed idly with his gun, watching Joe and Ben.
Joe scarcely glanced up at this changing of the guard, his attention was all for his father. Ben's condition remained unchanged, his fever still raging. He had slept most of the night, not even rousing as Joe gently bathed his face with cool water. Becoming aware of Jake's gaze on him, Joe looked up. "He needs a doctor." He said, an edge of desperation to his voice. " I think he's getting worse."
"Soon as Sam gets back with the money we'll be riding out, kid." Jake told him. "So just hope your old man lasts till then."
****
"Not much of a place is it?" Hoss asked rhetorically as he and Adam rode into Jacobs Creek
"Let's just hope they have a telegraph office." His elder brother replied, looking about him. Catching sight of a general store with the storekeeper just opening up for the day the two Cartwrights rode over to make enquiries. They were in luck, Jacobs Creek did indeed boast a telegraph office and the storekeeper was happy to point it out to them, but Adam's questions about strangers in the area elicited a negative response, Adam and Hoss were the only strangers the man had seen in a month.
After sending a telegraph off to Sheriff Coffee in Virginia City the two brothers headed east out of the town.
****
"I need to get some fresh water." Joe said, reaching for the bucket beside him and standing up.
Jake nodded, getting up from his seat and waving Joe toward the door. Behind Joe, Perro jumped down from the bed and followed.
Watching Jake carefully as he moved towards the door, Joe prepared to make his move, he knew what he was doing was foolhardy but had decided that for his father's sake he had to take the chance. Drawing close to Jake, he saw the man glance towards Perro, seeing that Jake's attention was momentarily distracted Joe immediately swung the bucket hard at the gun in Jake's hand.
Jake cursed as the gun dropped from his grasp, Joe dived for the weapon, his outstretched fingers reaching it just ahead of Jakes'.
"Sit down." Joe told the man coldly, gun trained on him. Hands in the air, Jake obeyed. Roughly pulling Jake's bandanna from around his neck, Joe gagged the man, then tied him securely to the chair with a length of rope he found in the corner of the cabin. Gun at the ready he headed out of the door, looking for Billy.
****
"Any sign of a trail?" Adam asked, as Hoss rode back from where he had been scouting ahead.
"There's the remains of a fire over there." Hoss told him, pointing off to the right. "Probably a couple days old, there's a trail leading off from it, looks like two horses."
"Lead the way." Adam said, turning his horse to follow Hoss. "It just might be them."
****
Back flattened against the wall of the cabin, Joe eased his way towards the lean-to, peering round the corner of the building he saw Billy stretched out on his bedroll, snoring softly. Joe was just about to kick the man awake when he was stopped by a rough voice from behind him.
"Drop it boy, right now."
Joe's heart sank as he recognised Sam's voice, the sound woke Billy who, seeing Joe, took in the situation at a glance and drew his own weapon. Reluctantly Joe dropped the gun.
"Thanks, Sam." Billy said, coming out from the lean-to. "Did you get the money?"
"I got it." Sam told him shortly. "My horse went lame on me about a mile back and I've had to walk in, then I find Cartwright here drawing on you. What happened to Jake?"
"Let's go find out." Billy pushed the muzzle of his gun into Joe's back. "Go on, into the cabin."
The three walked inside, Sam exclaiming in annoyance as he saw Jake. Crossing the room to untie the man he tripped over Perro who had followed them all inside, annoyed he kicked the small animal viciously, eliciting a sharp yelp.
"Looks like you're the one that needs tying up, Cartwright." Billy said, watching as Sam undid Jake's bonds. He reached out and took the ropes from Sam, then pulled Joe's hands behind his back and proceeded to tie him.
"No please, you can't." Joe was aghast. "My Pa, I need to look after my Pa."
"Well I guess you should have thought of that before you tried that little stunt." Billy said, pushing Joe down onto the chair and binding him to it.
Glancing over at Ben as Billy pulled the ropes tightly around him, Joe felt a sharp stab of despair, his attempt to escape had led nowhere and he was desperately afraid for his father's life.
****
With Joe securely tied. Billy turned to Sam. "Well." He demanded. "Let's have the money."
Sam reached into his pocket and extracted the bundle of notes that Adam had given him the previous afternoon. Thumbing through the cash, Billy outlined his plan. Time was of the essence as they knew that the Cartwrights would have picked up Sam's trail at first light.
"Let's go get the stuff from the mine and divide it up." Billy ordered the other two. "Then get the horses ready to ride out. Sam, you take one of the Cartwright horses to replace yours, now let's move."
"And them?" Jake indicated Ben and Joe.
"They're safe enough here." Billy told him. "The old man's too ill to bother us, and the kid's securely tied."
"I still think we ought to kill them." Jake protested.
"And I say there'll be no killing." Billy said firmly. "Now let's go."
As the three left the cabin Perro squeezed in front of them, once again almost tripping Sam. Angrily the man drew his gun and shot towards the little animal, the dog gave a yelp of fright and ran off leaving Sam roaring with laughter.
"You idiot!" Billy yelled at him. "That shot will be heard for miles and the Cartwrights could be pretty close by now."
"Stupid animal deserved it." Sam mumbled, but he picked up his pace and the three hurried into the mine.
****
"A cabin." Hoss exclaimed as the two brothers rode into the clearing, following the sound of the shot, "And look." He pointed at the four horses standing outside the building. "Buck and Cochise."
"Two other horses." Adam observed. "But I don't see the one our visitor was riding."
Dismounting quickly, he motioned for Hoss to do the same, then guns drawn, the two brothers made their way swiftly across the clearing to the cabin, alert for any sign of life.
Reaching the building safely, Adam and Hoss flattened themselves against the rough cabin wall and edged their way along to the entrance.
"Ready?" Adam whispered as the two reached the doorway, receiving a confirmatory nod from Hoss, he kicked hard at the door, which flew open. The brothers had expected to be met by gunfire so were surprised when nothing happened.
Holding his gun in front of him, Adam carefully moved into the cabin, seeing his brother immediately, eyes widening in shock as he made out the figure of his father in the narrow bed against the far wall.
"Joe!" exclaimed Hoss, coming in behind him and rushing across to untie his younger brother.
"They're still here!" Joe gasped the warning as Hoss removed the gag from his mouth. "Just over at the mine, be careful."
Quickly Hoss untied Joe's bonds then moved back to stand at the cabin entrance, gun at the ready.
Standing up, Joe went to join Adam who was examining Ben. "How long has he been like this Joe?" He asked his brother urgently, as Joe reached his side.
"It started the day before yesterday." Joe told him, fear and distress evident in his voice, "Then he just got worse and worse, I couldn't get the fever down. He's really bad isn't he?"
"We need to get him to a doctor as soon as we can." Adam told him. "But first we need to deal with the men who were holding you here."
Rapidly Joe filled his brother's in on the events of the past two days, and the three planned what to do next.
****
"That's done then." Billy packed the last of the packages into his saddlebags and turned to go. "Let's get out of here."
Sam and Jake took hold of their own saddlebags and started to follow Billy along the tunnel.
"I say we split up as soon as we leave." Jake said, panting a little as he hurried along. "They may still be looking for us for the stagecoach robbery, we won't attract so much attention alone."
"What are we going to do about the Cartwrights?" Billy asked, glancing back at him.
"Leave 'em here." Jake replied harshly. "Ain't no use to us anymore. I know you don't like killin'." He added, seeing Billy begin to protest. "But Sam and I reckon it's the best thing to do, ain't exactly killin' them." He laughed. "They might get found before they starve to death."
By now the three had emerged from the mine and were heading toward their horses when they were stopped by the sight of Joe Cartwright standing at the cabin door, gun in hand
"Put your hands up." The order came from behind them. Sam recognised Adam Cartwright's voice. "And no-one need get hurt."
"I reckon you'd better do as he says." Hoss called from the shelter of the rocks to the left of the men. "There's three guns on you, probably pick you off before you can even draw."
Reluctantly the three men raised their hands in the air and Adam came up behind them to take their guns.
"Bring the ropes over, Joe." He called to his younger brother. "We'll get these three dealt with, then go find a doctor."
****
Putting his gun away, Joe walked across to the three men, reaching out he grabbed Billy's arms and tied the man tightly then proceeded to do the same with Jake. Then as Sam lowered his arms, he suddenly reached inside his shirt with one hand and grabbed Joe with the other, bringing a lethal looking knife up to Joe's neck
"Don't shoot!" Sam yelled. "Or I'll slit the kid's throat." He watched as Adam lowered his gun. "Now I'm going over there." He told them. "And the kid and I will get on a horse and leave. Make any attempt to stop me and your brother is dead. Understand?"
Adam nodded tersely and he and Hoss watched as Sam walked backwards with Joe to the waiting horses.
With his attention on the two older Cartwright brothers Sam never noticed the little dog come trotting out of the cabin and head towards him. As he took a step closer to the horses Perro ran beneath his feet and Sam went sailing over backwards, arms flailing as he fought to keep his balance. As Joe felt the man's grasp on him loosen he twisted quickly away from the lethal blade and turned to see Sam fall awkwardly onto the dusty ground.
****
Sheriff Coffee and his men had ridden hard all day after receiving Adam's telegraph. Reaching Jacobs Creek by late afternoon they easily picked up Adam and Hoss' trail.
They had been following the tracks for less than thirty minutes when they met Hoss riding fast towards them.
"Doc Martin." He exclaimed in relief, reining in Chubb and catching sight of the doctor amongst the riders. "I sure am glad to see you."
"Roy asked me to come." Doctor Martin told him. "He thought there might be injuries."
"No injuries." Hoss said. "But Pa's real ill."
"Lead the way then Hoss." The doctor said. "Let's take a look at him."
****
"He's going to be all right, boys. The doctor told the three Cartwright brothers as he came out of the cabin into the dusk. He saw relief flood all three faces. " He's conscious now and eager to see you all. It was the high temperature that was making him so ill, caused by his bad throat. Now that the medicine has taken effect and his temperature has fallen a little he'll soon be feeling his old self again."
"And when can we take him home?" Joe asked, anxious to get away from this place.
"If you can get hold of a wagon and take the journey slow and steady there's no reason you shouldn't leave here tomorrow." The doctor told him, "Now I suggest you go in and see your father."
****
"Good to see you, boys." Ben managed to get out as his three sons approached the bed, his voice was still very croaky and his throat was sore, but he was feeling much better.
"Good to see you, Pa." Adam smiled down at him. "You had us a mite concerned there."
"It's a good thing Sheriff Coffee asked the Doc to come along." Hoss said, his tone thankful. "I was sure glad to see him."
"Not half as glad as I was to see you two." Joe grinned at his brothers, then sat down on the side of the bed and gave his father a tremulous smile. "I'm so glad you're feeling better, Pa." He said. "I was so worried about you."
Ben smiled and reached out to touch his son's hand reassuringly. "I'll be fine, Joe." He whispered hoarsely. "Though I'll be glad to get away from here."
"Doc says you can go home tomorrow." Joe told him eagerly; his glance fell on Perro who was lying on the floor, half under the bed. "And we can take the dog home with us can't we?" He asked.
"I think we'd better." Adam put in before Ben had a chance to answer, "After all not only did he help you get away from Sam, little brother, but I think he'll be a positive asset to the Ponderosa."
"An asset?" Queried Hoss as all three Cartwrights turned to stare quizzically at Adam.
"A very great asset, brother." Adam said kneeling down and picking the little dog up in his arms. "You see this little fella is going to bring us in a whole heap of money."
"And how do you make that out?" Joe was puzzled.
"Well, when Doc Martin was examining Pa I took a look around the cabin." Adam told them, absently caressing Perro's ears. "And I found a will, seems Mr Rogers left all his money to his dog, he doesn't appear to have cared very much for his only relative, our friend Billy. And whoever takes the animal in and cares for him gets to administer the money any way they wish."
"But Mr Rogers didn't have any money, Adam." Joe protested, looking up at his brother. "He'd just decided to give up working this claim and head back to San Francisco, there's no silver here."
"That's where you're wrong, Little Joe." Adam said triumphantly, enjoying the look of interest on his family's faces. "I took a look in that mine and unless I'm very much mistaken, and I'm not, there's silver there all right, and a pretty rich strike!"
"Dadburnit!" Hoss exclaimed. "You mean that little dog is rich?"
"Very rich." Adam confirmed, setting the animal down on the bed where he licked Joe's hand then curled up beside Ben. "Very rich indeed."
****
And so it was that when the Cartwrights set out for home the next morning, Perro went with them, travelling in style in the wagon with Ben.
Watching the little dog sleep Ben smiled, he would have taken the dog home to the ranch in any case. Even before he fell ill he had decided that they couldn't leave the animal behind at the cabin, and now there was even more cause to take him with them. Not for the money though, money wasn't that important to Ben, but his sons were, and Perro had almost certainly saved Joe's life, even if it was by accident. For that Ben would make certain that the dog lived out the rest of his life as happily as he possibly could, in his new home, the Ponderosa.
THE END
© Kathleen Pitts 2000
