~CHAPTER 20~

Roy didn't even think this was possible. What was happening? It wasn't just a matter of whether or not they could reach the Cartwrights and this gang in time. Now he didn't even know where they had gone, or which way they were headed. A quick look around the perimeter himself had just confirmed what the men had already told him. There weren't even any traces you would expect in and around the area of a campsite, let alone any discernible ones leading away in any direction. The helplessness washing over Roy was all-consuming. He was supposed to protect the people in his town, his family. The Cartwrights were more than that, though. Ben felt like more than just a friend, and the boys came as close to sons as he'd ever known; and now he was powerless to help them. He didn't know if they were even alive anymore, any of them.

"Sheriff Coffee?" all the men in the posse were just as uneasy as he. They wanted to be told something to do, not just stand around while the Cartwrights were obviously in danger. Roy looked at them. What was he supposed to do? He had nowhere to go. Any direction was as good as another at that point. He didn't have enough men to go in all directions, but the longer they took to think about it, the farther the devils were getting ahead of them.

"Gimme a minute. I have to think." The men tried to wait patiently as Roy stood silently in front of the cave. He had ordered another more thorough search of the interior already, revealing nothing more to help them. Roy gazed up at the gray and dreary sky. Although he couldn't see the sun, he knew it was full dawn. But even the light of day could not help them now.

Running a hand over his dampened face, he was unaware of the men suddenly becoming quiet as a silent visitor walked into camp and stood boldly in their midst.

"Sheriff!" one of the men called to him urgently as they all gripped their rifles tighter and uneasily laid hands on the butts of their pistols. Roy looked up and beheld a tall Indian standing right in front of him, a Paiute by the looks of him.

"Lawman of the white men?" he spoke to Roy rather quickly and suddenly.

"Yes," Roy answered, stark shock displayed on his face.

"My name Wavoka, of the Paiute." By this time several other Indians, fully armed but adorning no war paint just as their leader, had come into the circle, taking no notice of the opened mouths of the thunderstruck men around them. "Come," their leader spoke again. "I lead you to men." The Indian started turning as if fully expecting the others to follow.

"Wait," Roy called. Wavoka turned, annoyed by the delay. "Wavoka... yes, Adam told me about you. You were the one who found their cattle?"

"I am."

"They were taken. The Cartwrights... How do you know that? How do you know where they are?" The plain shock of seeing so many Indians and apparently on their side was overwhelming and couldn't stand without an explanation.

"The dark one. Adam Cartwright."

"Adam?"

Wavoka continued before Roy could say anything more. "Adam Cartwright know someone follow them, know Wavoka of Paiute is honorable. He ask Wavoka to watch them as well. He say, if anything happen, tell lawman of white men. They are taken. Wavoka show you where they are. Come now. Paiute follow them." The Indian's words, although clipped as Indian speech often is, couldn't have been received by more thankful ears. Roy chuckled in disbelief at the very idea and surprising revelation of their unexpected benefactor. Ingenious... the insurance policy, if you will, of the boys had paid off. Who better to keep a caring though undetectable watch over them for a change than the silent and unassuming Indian, always roaming the hills and seeing more than anyone gave them credit for.

"Thank goodness for them boys," Roy breathed, his eyes becoming damp over the sheer relief their precaution had given him. "Wavoka, you saved my neck. I'll thank you proper later... once we get our friends back."

Wavoka's black eyes showed no more emotion than they had since he arrived. At first, he did not understand why Adam had insisted that if something did happen to them that they go to this white man. White men in his eyes were unreliable and dishonorable. Very few were contrary to that general belief, Ben Cartwright and his sons being among them. Wavoka realized that Adam didn't want to endanger his Paiute friends for their sakes, which is why he asked him only to observe the camp of these men, and not to intervene directly. Wavoka wondered about the trust he had placed in this white lawman they call "Roy". The more Wavoka observed him, though, the more he reminded him of Ben Cartwright. As he nodded to Roy, who just might've earned the respect of a Paiute, he understood the trust Adam had placed in him.

"Come."

The first thing he was aware of was the constant jarring and wracking his whole body was subject to. His mind was a haze... he tried to move his hand to run across his face... to hold his head and calm the pounding behind his eyes, but he couldn't. He couldn't move anything actually. The pressure in his head was all consuming... he felt as if he'd been standing on his head all night. What was wrong with him? He tried grasping some remembrance of why he now felt the way he did, but everything annoyingly eluded him. He moaned as the jarring became suddenly acute, the sound of his own weak voice sounding very distant. The movement stopped suddenly, but it didn't do him any good. Welcome unconsciousness took him.

When he woke again, the same pains and discomforts washed over him, but this time he at least made an attempt to hold onto lucidity. The next thing he could distinguish was sound... the sound of horses' hooves, randomly shifting between a trot and a walk. The realization struck him that he must be on a horse because the rhythm of the horse's gait matched the jolts to his body and in particular his stomach. He tried moving his hands again, and this time realized with sudden horror that they were tied to something, as were his legs for he couldn't move them either. The feeling of taught rope around his wrists and ankles sifted through to his befuddled mind.

As if everything suddenly snapped into place, he figured out that he was tied stomach down over a saddle, which accounted for the uneasiness and the very present threat of being sick. He tried to push the feeling down for he also found he was tightly gagged as well. But what happened? Where was he? Who had done this to him? The cave! They had been exploring the cave, when... he gasped behind the cloth in his mouth. Where were his brothers... where was his father? He slowly managed to pry his eyelids open, finding what felt like a dried substance encrusting the corner of his right eye. His vision was blurry and the world spun before him, accented by the short chops of his horse's trot. He shut his eyes quickly again, nausea rising up in his throat. He remained still, hoping the feeling would soon pass. Slowly managing to turn his head to look up past his horse, he re-opened his eyes into slits and the blurred colors slightly came into view through the dimness around him. The motion of several horses all around him came in and out of focus. Ahead of him... there was another figure... over another horse... Hoss! He'd know his big brother's shape anywhere. It did him little good to see his big brother trussed up just like himself. Even though the sight added another worry, it also brought a feeling of comfort somewhat. At least he was still alive, and they were together. But where was Joe? After an almighty effort to turn his head back in the opposite direction, his heart quickened when he couldn't see any sign of Joe behind him either. With the blow to his head greatly slowing his thought processes and forgetting the gag in his mouth, he tried calling his little brother's name.

Clint looked down at the dark-haired Cartwright next to him when he heard a muffled grunt come from the man's down-turned head. Hollering up to the head of the line, he called, "Hey, Boss. This one's comin' around again. Reckon, we otta stop?"

"No. We stop when we get there." Clint made no other effort on behalf of the man whose discomfort was so evident.

Voices... the voices seemed just as distant as his groan had. Why was that? They were right next to him. Didn't matter... he had to find Joe. Hoss was alright... where was... Suddenly finding no more energy within himself to stay conscious any longer, his head dropped to the side of the saddle once again, his cheek bumping against the rough leather as the group plodded on, and the sleep that had eluded him for the past few days now claimed him with a vengeance.

About a half hour later the group arrived at the site of an abandoned homestead, fairly open from the front, but set back amid dense trees behind. Where a field of crops had been was now nothing more than a thick area of high grasses that blew in the wind. Off to the side of the field stood the charred remains of what used to be a house, black and deteriorated from many a long year subjected to the weather. Obviously the result of some sort of Indian attack long ago, the broken shafts of telltale arrows still pierced some of the decayed beams. The only thing still left standing was a weathered barn, nestled back between some pines. The entire place had a ghostly and eerie feel to it that made one shiver just to see it. The company came to a halt in front of the barn.

"Hurry up. Get them off and inside," McWhorter called. Hank dismounted and went to undo the first Cartwright's knots when the door to the barn slowly opened to reveal Travis. Glancing at the Boss standing out in front, the lad quickly skirted around him and over to Hank.

"Good, you're back. I thought you had trouble. What took so long?"

"Them," Hank motioned to their prisoners. "Kept having to stop. Clint got a little too carried away in knockin' 'em."

"Did the Boss do anything about it?"

"I thought he would at first, but he just let it go. Help me with this, will yuh?"

He felt hands grope at the ropes around him. As they pulled in one collective effort, he felt himself fall and the cold hard earth slam into him, the men obviously not feeling the need to catch him. He could hear rough laughs above him as he found he still couldn't move. Every muscle ached with a burning sensation from being subjected to such a position for so long. The hands were on him again re-tying his own behind him before he was yanked upwards, eliciting a wasted groan to which no one paid attention. He looked up through blurred vision around him for his brothers, but in particular, for some reason, Joe. There they were! Both of them were being carried ahead of him... and both appeared unconscious. He let his head drop again. At least they were all being taken to the same place apparently; that was the most important thing, but how could it have happened? He failed them, and his Pa. Suddenly the clean, chilled air of the outdoors was squelched by a stifling mustiness, and the ground became smooth as if they had stepped into a building.

"Adam!" He heard his name... a familiar voice. He dragged his head up once more, the edge of unawareness beginning to creep in again. He couldn't get his eyes to focus... They were now in a big building. Someone... Could it be? Pa? His view was cut off as he was pulled the rest of the way into a small room and dropped unceremoniously to the floor.

"Adam!" Ben yelled again in an effort to get through to his son. It'd been so long since he'd seen them. Ben was speechless as he saw each one of his boys brought into the barn. What had happened? What was wrong with them? What had McWhorter done to them? He had given his word! All of his worst fears were being realized. The men started filing back out of the tack room where they had taken his sons, the last being McWhorter himself. He looked over at Ben and grinned before slowly shutting the door to the small room that Ben occupied.

Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for all of the reviews! I'm ecstatic that you're all into the story this much. Well, at least the boys are with Ben now even though they don't really know it, and good ol' Wavoka came through again. Stay tuned for further developments! :)