Chapter 7

Charles came awake and immediately saw that someone was standing directly over him.

Just in time he managed to stifle the hysterical scream rising to his lips and keep hold of his manly dignity.

He got to his feet and looked the Indian square in the eye.

"You have trespassed on to a private residents campsite. There are no drugs here of any kind," He told him.

"I do not want drugs. I am chief Winnamocha of the badly spelled Shashoni tribe. I come in search of the man they call...Adam of Ponderosa. I need to pay him out for the grave wrong he has committed against my people."

The others had by now come awake and they all got to their feet.

"You come alone chief, where are the rest of your tribe?" John asked.

"Yeah that doesn't make much sense," Laura had to agree.

"I don't know...enough with the questions. This is free Fan Fiction story, you want story that makes sense put your hand in your pocket and buy a book."

John put his hands up. "We mean no disrespect chief. But tell me, who is this Adam you speak of?"

"We take prisoner, he blond man from your party. He was seen talking to Adam of Ponderosa just days ago. We interrogated him mercilessly making him submit to our fittest women over and over again. Different positions, different women, all fit, all demanding. Sometimes two or three of them working on him at the same time. We knew that the shame of mounting young unmarried Shashoni women would never leave him but we had to find truth. We find out that he has been working for Adam of Ponderosa and he has been paid to lead you all out here so that big man called Hoss can slam dunk little man called Joe."

"The blond man you speak of, he was our guide, is he alright?" Laura asked.

"No. Our method has again driven the white man to madness. He sits at campfire with a fixed smile on his face for hours and hours."

"You animals," Perceval snapped shaking uncontrollably "How could you do such a thing. Expecting a decent man to submit to these wild untamed barbarian women. Charles we should run him out of camp, Charles..."

Charles was somewhat distracted.

"Pa?" Laura looked to him.

"Yes, sorry, what were you saying?"

"Charles, I was just saying we should run this man out of camp," Perceval said again.

"Yes good idea, off you go now. Four men against one. You know it makes sense. Off you go now," Charles began to shew him out of camp.

"Now hold on Charles." John intervened. "If Ivan, our tracker was hired by this man Adam of Ponderosa to lead us out here, perhaps this Adam fella is also keeping our boys and Almanzo captive."

Charles face began to colour up.

"Nah, I think it's a wild goose chase John, best to stay as we are. No need to go looking for this Adam Cartwright fella."

"No there was no Cartwright in there Charles. His name is Adam of the Ponderosa." John corrected.

"Oh yes of course how silly of me," Charles said staring off into the distance.

John looked too but could see nothing but trees and grass.

"We'd best hurry Charles if we want to find them younguns, daylights wasting."

"You know John I've been thinking about that. Alice is a fit and healthy young woman and you could always have another child. Me, I could always go back into one of those big ass towns and pick up another stray boy. Maybe we'll all just go on home and forget about this whole sorry mess."

John put a hand to his shoulder. "I know how you're feelin Charles, believe me I do but we have to believe that our boys are out there and still alive an we are going to bring them home safe."

Charles nodded as John caressed his shoulder...then he caressed a little too long and it got weird.

"Now I vote we leave Percival here with the women and we follow Chief Winnamocha back to his camp to learn more from Ivan. It might be dangerous, they may want to interrogate us too but that's a chance we will have to take."

Charles nodded vigorously. "Now you're talking, I'm mean yes, looks like that is our only option."

Laura stepped forward.

"No Pa, where one goes, we all go. We, your women folk are not about to stand by and watch as our menfolk are fouled, dehumanized and humiliated by a bunch of savage Indian women. Pa as long as I'm alive I promise you, not one fit, unmarried Shashoni woman is going to touch a hair on your head."

"Thanks half pint...that's great."

~o~

Meanwhile Adam had his own problems, Hoss had gotten attached.

He sat with Andy on his lap stroking his fine shining hair and crying big tears.

"Now Hoss, we have to give him back. You knew you couldn't keep him when we got into this."

"I know Adam, I know," Hoss continued to sob stroking Andy's hair.

Andy sat very still just feeling glad Instagram hadn't been invented yet.

"I'd feed him every day Adam and change his bed," Hoss sniffed.

"No Hoss, now I have to be firm. He needs to go home tomorrow. It's one thing taking Almanzo, a grown man..."

"I'm starving, "

Adam ignored their captive for a minute and went on,

"It's quite another thing taking two young boys."

"But he wants ta stay Adam, don't ya Andy?"

Two brown eyes looked up at the massive hand stroking his hair.

"Y..yes sir ," he said.

"No Hoss, my decision is final. The boys go back tomorrow. We'll lead them close enough to Walnut Grove that they can journey the rest of the way by themselves. Now that's it Hoss."

Hoss nodded reluctantly. He let go of Andy. Andy was heartily glad to get up and even more glad that they were going home tomorrow. He smiled to himself but as he turned he could see the tears on Hoss's face. The big man really did get attached. He was heart broken.

"Hoss, what about one more game of wild bull?" Andy asked him.

"You wanna play wild bull Andy?" Hoss smiled suddenly through his tears.

Andy shrugged. "Sure, why not."

Hoss didn't need telling twice, he picked Andy up and hoisted him up on his shoulders.

"You tell anyone and you're dead," Andy said as Albert grinned up at him.

"Nah, I won't tell anyone. I kinda wanna play too!"

So both boys ended the night on the shoulders of each of the men wrestling to the death and laughing hysterically as they fell.

Almanzo looked on with arms folded. There was no way he was going to get any supper tonight.