GYPSY CURSES

by Jules

Laughter rang out from within the doors of the Bucket O' Blood saloon. Inside, the cause of the laughter was a small dark haired man who stood in the middle of the room, shouting at the rest of the night's patrons.
 

"You people should believe,” he yelled back. "The curse of the gypsy people is real and can be very dangerous if I so desire," he continued.
 

Seated at a round table to the left hand side of the bar was a silver-haired gentleman, approximately 50 years old, a younger gentleman with dark hair and dressed all in black and lastly a giant of a man with a loud laugh to match. They were the three older members of the Cartwright family, Benjamin Cartwright, Adam Cartwright and Hoss Cartwright.
 

"Tell us another one, Anton,” was the response from someone else leaning on the bar.

"You gypsies are nothing but no good liars."

 "You and your kind should be tarred and feathered, then run out of town."
 

"It's true I tell you,” the gypsy now shouted angrily.
 

The night's conversation had begun with Anton coming into the bar and getting just enough alcohol in his system to be argumentative.
 

Anton was proud to be a Gypsy and often showed it with bouts of brazen stories about his people being able to perform miraculous healing on the sick and cast spells or place curses on living things. His people moved around the territory, camping with their caravans and horses wherever ranch owners would let them. Quite often, they were chased from their chosen camping sites, brought on by people's fear of the unknown and general dislike of the nomadic ways of the Gypsy people.

"Prove it, then," came the shout from somebody seated behind Ben and his boys.
 

"Okay, I will. I will prove to you that a curse can be placed upon anybody I so choose, and then you will believe me,” he stated, gesturing loudly with his hands and facial expressions.
 

This statement set the mob off again into wails of laughter and sneering.
 

"I will place a curse of Bad Luck upon the next person to walk through those saloon doors,” Anton began. "The curse will affect his or her whole family, but him or her in particular. That family will rue the day that they laughed at me," he added with contempt.
 

Upon hearing this remark, the crowed now waited with anticipation to see who would be the next person to walk through the two dividing doors. Not that they believed in curses or Bad Luck, but they all wanted to make sure it wasn't any of them due for the bad luck.
 

Ben and his boys had been watching the scenario played out with slight grins at the mention of Bad Luck and curses. They had not added to the conversation, but watched with as much interest as anybody else in the bar at that time.
 

Suddenly, the sound of foot steps walking upon the floor boards of the porch outside the saloon could be heard indicating that someone may be approaching.
 

Next thing people saw was a tan hat, green corduroy jacket and leather boots, come through the doors with a large grin on his face. He stopped abruptly when surveying the looks on the faces of the other patrons, and quickly wondered why he had become the centre of attention.
 

"What?” he simply asked, as he continued to walk in and look for the familiar faces of his father and brothers. He rubbed the tired feeling from his gritty eyes with his left hand and lifted his hat and ran his fingers through his flattened curls, trying to avoid the feeling of unease that was radiating from the room.

"Why did you have to walk in now, Little Joe,” Adam said sighing at the thought of what may be in store.
 

"Nice to see you today too, Adam," Joe answered sarcastically and then proceeded to take a seat at the table beside his father and Hoss.
 

"It would have to be you younger brother," Hoss commented and rolled his eyes in mock disgust. "Lord knows, what trouble you are going to cause now".
 

Joseph Cartwright was now annoyed. He had spent a whole day from very early this morning, mending the fences in the North Pasture as his father had asked, he had made the long ride into town afterwards, looking for a nice cold beer to end the day and talk to his family.
 

He had not seen his family since last night, due to leaving so early this morning. Delays had occurred for most of the day with the fencing, having to ride back to the ranch on two occasions to obtain more tools, nails and wire. Now, with the task completed, all his ungrateful brothers could do was to make snide remarks about him being there.  "Fine,” he said gruffly, "I don't need your company today either, big brothers". "I'm going to find somebody who appreciates me,” and attempted to rise from his chair and walk off.
 

"Not so fast Joe," was the response from his father. "Your brothers didn't mean to talk to you so rudely," Ben said soothingly, giving his two older sons a look of distaste.
 

"Doesn't sound that way, Pa," Joe said and gave the same look of contempt to Hoss and Adam.

His train of thought was soon interrupted with Anton proceeding to stand up on a chair in the middle of the barroom and proclaiming:  "I place the curse on Mr Joseph Cartwright. Bad Luck will follow him and is family wherever they go for seven days from today."
 

Joe hadn't really understood what was said and just stared at the man, his family and the rest of the crowd within the Bucket O' Blood with confusion. Ben now buried his face in his hand and gave a small groan, followed by the words, "Why him; Lord, Oh Why Him? Why us?” he moaned, a little too loudly.
 

Nobody else in the room had heard the words except his sons. Joe was now even more madder than before, first his brothers, now his father. This was a conspiracy.
 

He angrily got up from his chair and pulled his arm away from his father, and walked off in a huff towards the saloon doors and his horse Cochise waiting outside.
 

"Joseph, wait please," Ben said getting up from his own chair and attempting to go after his young son. When he reached the door, Joe was already in the saddle and turning his horse in the direction of the Ponderosa. He didn't want to hear any excuses or reasons, he felt unwanted and unappreciated, and very thirsty for that beer he didn't get.
 

Ben walked back into the bar, a saddened look fell across the features, and his sons Adam and Hoss realised that Joe was angry at his family, and Ben knew that he and they were the cause.
 

They quickly paid the bar tender their tab and proceeded to their own horses outside. The other patrons in the Buck O'Blood Saloon continued to laugh at Anton and his speech and Back Luck that would befall Joseph Cartwright and his family for the next week.
 

*********
 

Little Joe had made it home a good twenty minutes before his father and brothers. He had heard the noise of their horses behind him, but was in no mood to wait for them to catch up. He barrelled into the yard of the homestead with a speed that would have seen his father rake him over hot coals had he seen him.  He jumped off his mount and went about bedding Cochise down for the night with a rub down and fresh supply of hay and oats. He had just finished his chore, when he heard his father and brother approach the barn. He quickly finished what he was doing and went inside the house to avoid an ugly confrontation.
 

Joe entered the house and encountered Hop Sing in the kitchen making coffee for the members of the Cartwright family.
 

Hop Sing had heard Little Joe ride up to the ranch and assumed that the rest of the family would not be far behind. He always made sure that there was a hot pot of coffee at the end of the day when he beloved family came home.
 

Joe just grunted a quick and unfeeling "Hello" to his life long friend and confidante and climbed the stairs to his room. He made sure that the door slammed with a resounding thud, showing his displeasure and annoyance.
 

Joe had taken the reaction and comments of his family at the Bucket O' Blood badly, even though he knew that there was probably something more to the situation. But at the moment, his hands smarted from the numerous cuts and abrasions from the barbed wire, his muscles rebelled at any movement and generally Joe felt more tired than he had felt for a long time. With his thoughts so muddled and his body resisting him somewhat, he did not want to hear the answers or explanations that his family had to offer.
 

He flung his body upon the bedspread, fully clothed, and lay face down, trying to erase the thoughts of the day.

Hop Sing had seen the displeasure etched on Little Joe's face, the tired and almost hurt look in his eyes, along with the door slamming. He was unaware what the problem was, but when it came to Little Joe, Hop Sing only knew that the boy was unhappy over something. This did not sit well with the small Cantonese man, and he was determined to show this to the remainder of the Cartwright clan when they arrived home.
 

Ben, Adam and Hoss had now finished bedding their horses down for the night and entered the homestead to the divine smell of freshly brewed coffee. Their senses were brought alive with the overpowering aroma, but quickly regressed when Hop Sing gave them all a look of venom.
 

"What you do to Lil Joe?" he began to chastise. "Little Joe come in, angry and upset and slamming doors. What you do?" he repeated. "Hop Sing don't like it when Joe upset. You all get your own coffee tonight." Then retreated into his kitchen still muttering to himself about threatening not to cook for the family, and to leave, if Little Joe wasn't happy by the morning.
 

Ben Cartwright and Adam had simply raised their eyebrows at the little man's tirade, but knew that the threats by their resident cook to quit and leave were almost a weekly occurrence. However, they were surprised by the apparent display by Little Joe.
 

*********
 

Ben climbed to stairs to the bedroom of his youngest, full prepared to sort things out before they got out of control. If things were left until the morning, Joe would probably in a fouler mood than he was now and Ben didn't relish that idea in the slightest.
 

Joe's father knocked loudly on the door, signalling that he was entering and then turned the handle to walk into the room.
 

The door remained closed and Ben suddenly noticed that it was not only shut, but had been locked from the inside. Locked ..........

No matter what problems his sons had over the years, locking themselves in their rooms was not a common solution and Ben realized for the first time and his son was indeed very upset over what he heard.
 

Joseph Francis CARTWRIGHT!" he bellowed. "You open this door immediately, do you hear me. I will not condone locking your bedroom door like a five year old. JOSEPH.”
 

Adam and Hoss had been equally surprised as their father that Joe had locked his door. Joe had never locked his door before, did their remarks really hurt him that much ....
 

A slight click could be hear on the other side of the door and the door came slowly ajar.

 

*********
 

Ben was ready for the full onslaught of anger from his youngest son that he had become accustomed to. Joseph had inherited his mother's temper and probably a little bit of  his father's Ben regretted, and was often prone to getting his temper firing at a moment's notice.
 

However, Ben was not prepared for what he did see ........ a very solemn looking Joseph. His mild displeasure quickly evaporated and his heart was feeling a little heavier as he saw the look upon the face of his youngest son.
 

"Come to laugh some more, Pa," Joe said bitterly.
 

Ben winced at the venom in the words but knew that they were only the temporary result of Joe's feelings of resentment and probably from working too hard earlier in the day.
 

"No, son, I didn't come to laugh at you," Ben said gently. "I was hoping you would be willing to hear out the entire story about what happened at the saloon and why you heard the comments we made."
 

Joe looked at his father a little perplexed, he doubted there was much of a reason for the comments he had heard, but he supposed he would listen to the excuses. "Okay, Pa,” he replied, "I will listen, but I want Adam and Hoss to be there too."
 

"If that's the way you want it," Ben spoke. He knew that the uneasiness in the room had dissipated a little, but knew that he could be on dangerously thin ground and decided to make Joe feel more comfortable for the time being.
 

Ben then turned and returned down the staircase and proceeded to sit on his favourite blue leather chair and mentioned to Adam and Hoss to also take a seat, to take part in the ensuing conversation that was about to take place.
 

Little Joe made it down the stairs slowly and apprehensively, with a scowl for each brother clearly written on his face. He then moved to sit in the other single arm chair in the living room as Adam and Hoss were both sitting on the settee.
 

"Joe,” Ben began, "You only came in on half of the conversation at the saloon and any comments we said were unthoughtful and wrong.”
 

"Anton was talking about Gypsy people and casting spells on people," he continued. "People were laughing at him and jeering, causing him to bristle a little and make a speech that made him feel that people would fear his people. Anton proposed that he could place a curse on somebody and he said he would place a curse on the next person that happened to walk into the saloon.”
 

"That's when you walked in little brother," Adam joined in "and that's when you heard mine and Hoss's comment."
 

"I'm sorry, Joe, I didn't really mean to sound the way I did. I simply was scared for my younger sibling when a threat was made against him" Adam commented as he tried to smooth over the atmosphere.
 

"Yeah, Little Joe," Hoss said, "We really didn't mean the things we said; we didn't even really believe what Anton was saying."
 

Joe looked at both of his brothers and then his father trying to gauge whether or not they were speaking the truth. He didn't really believe that they were lying, but knew they were making an effort to make amends.
 

Joe's face suddenly changed from the scowl to one of innocent looking. "I'm sorry too, Pa, and brothers. As usual, my temper just got the better of me after a long tiring day."
 

Ben inwardly sighed in relief at this remark and knew that Joe was often impulsive in his emotions and actions, which were later regretted.
 

"Okay, then," Ben said rising from his chair. "Let's all try to get a good night's sleep. After all, Joe has more fencing to complete tomorrow," he commented as he looked in the direction of his youngest son.
 

This brought a laugh from Adam and Hoss and a exaggerated large groan from Joe as he thought of another day like today. But Ben noticed that Joe now seemed to have the slightest hint of a smile on his face as he proceeded back up stairs to his room.
 

*********
 

Everybody had forgotten about Anton's curse until the next day. Joe had already left reasonably early to complete the fencing task in the North Pasture.
 

Adam and Hoss had been chasing strays all morning and returned to the homestead covered in dust and looking for lunch. Ben had been in town for the entire morning seeing to paying some accounts at the business houses and gathering the list of supplies that Hop Sing had given him before he left.
 

Hoss and Adam went about washing some of the layers of dust off their hands and clothes in the washroom before coming out ready to head to the front door.
 

Both looked up as they heard the steady thud of hooves and wheels which signalled that their father was returning in the wagon from being in town.
 

Normally, Ben was a very experienced wagon driver. He had driven over the same stretch of ground a hundred times or more over the past few years, never missing a best, but today ..............
 

Both Adam and Hoss were preparing to help their father unload the laden wagon with the supplies as it pulled up, when without warning ............
 

As Ben was trying to disembark from the driver's seat, something made the horses move forward a little, making Ben loose his footing and crash to the hard ground.
 

"Oooopfff" was the only sound that Ben could get out as he tried to stand up erect.

He was a little embarrassed at his predicament, was wasn't ready for his two eldest son's rushing over to him and starting to treat him like it was their baby brother that was hurt.
 

Adam and Hoss had stared in disbelief when they saw their father fall from the wagon. They quickly recovered themselves and ran to their father's aid.
 

"Boys, Boys," Ben said trying to stand up. Adam and Hoss grabbed him gently on either arm and helped him to his feet. "I'm all right" Ben added, trying to reassure them.

It wasn't until he tried to pull his arm away from Hoss, insisting his large son that he just had a small fall, when the pain from his injured shoulder hit him full on.
 

Adam and Hoss had started to believe their father was alright until they heard him cry out in obvious discomfort.
 

"Pa,” Hoss said worriedly "Do you want me to go and get Doc Martin?”
 

"No, Hoss, I'll be fine, just jarred my shoulder a little," Ben said to his son gritting his teeth against the pain.
 

"Let's go inside and have a look at it, Pa" Adam said trying not to sound concerned.
 

The supplies were forgotten temporarily as the three of them entered the living room of the homestead.
 

"Hop Sing!" Adam yelled for the Cantonese man "Can you get some hot water and some bandages, please".
 

The little oriental servant came out of his kitchen at the sound of Adam yelling something and gasped at the sight of his Boss being helped over to the settee by his two sons. Hop Sing could see that his shirt was torn at the shoulder and a small amount of blood appeared on the fabric.
 

Upon returning with the requested medical equipment, Hop Sing could see that Ben's shoulder was badly grazed and had started to show signs of a large bruise on the shoulder blade.
 

Adam proceeded to clean the area with the water and then bandaged his father's shoulder tightly, restricting any movement that could cause further irritation of the wound.

Adam and Hoss returned to the cattle after a late lunch, leaving Ben in the capable hands of Hop Sing. The little Chinese man swore that Ben wouldn't do anything strenuous for the rest of the afternoon.
 

**********
 

The two older Cartwright sons returned just before supper that evening to find that Ben's shoulder had indeed been bothering him a little more than he would admit, and their father had retired to his room to rest.
 

Hoss heard the sound of Joe and his horse coming into the yard and heading towards the barn. "You can tell him, big brother," he commented and then made himself scarce, pretending to be washing up for the evening meal.
 

"Thanks," Adam said to his younger brother's broad back as he ascended the stairs. He did not relish the idea of telling Joe about the accident his father had that morning.
 

Ben was very protective of Joseph and openly showed it. But it was also no secret that Joseph would be worried sick once he heard his father had been hurt.
 

Joe entered the living room and placed his gun belt on the credenza and his hat on the peg behind the front door as was the normal practice twice a day.
 

He looked up to find Adam looking at him with a strange look on his face and his father and older brother, no where in sight.
 

"What happened?" he asked, immediately sensing something wasn't right.
 

"Now don't go flying off the handle, Little Joe," Adam tried to say calmly to his younger sibling, who was more observant that Adam would have preferred.

This comment only made Joe more uneasy, and he now stood before his older brother with his hands on his hips with a look of Don't treat me like a little kid and tell me what's going on.
 

"There was a little accident today with Pa and the wagon," Adam tried to say without too much emotion in his voice.
 

"A little accident?" Joe asked suspiciously. He knew that he hadn't seen his father in the house yet, which meant he might be seriously injured.
 

"Pa fell out of the wagon this morning and bruised his shoulder a little" Adam admitted.
 

Too late, Adam thought, as he saw his youngest brother now scurry up the stairs, wondering about his father.
 

Joe stopped short of his father's room and opened the door silently and peeked inside. His father was asleep. His shoulder appeared to be tightly bound. Joe wanted to go in and talk to his father and see if he genuinely was okay, but decided to let his father rest. He re-closed the door without making a sound and descended the stairs.
 

"Is he going to be okay?” Joe asked, still not convinced. He was now looking to his older brother, who over the years, took over the fatherly figure role whenever Ben was absent. Adam fell into his role purely by mistake a lot of the time, but didn't mind one bit. He put an arm around the shoulders of Joe as he reached the bottom landing,

and told him his father was going to be just fine.
 

Later on that night, Ben awoke from a very fitful sleep and to his surprise found his youngest son asleep in the chair beside him. He looked fondly at the his son who looked so much like his mother and so angelic when asleep. He looked much younger than his 17 years. Joe looked like he had been there most of the night.
 

Ben tried to move his slumbering son without waking him, trying to take him back to his own room. His shoulder had stopped aching, but soon reminded Ben of his injury when he tried to lift Joe. He grunted in pain and only succeeded in disturbing Joe from his sleep.
 

Joe had only just opened his eyes at the noise and was greeted by his father standing at his side.
 

"Pa, what are you doing out of bed?" Joe asked, almost scolding his father like a little child who was supposed to be in bed asleep at this hour. He rubbed the sleep from his green eyes and started trying to take his father back to his bed.
 

"I'm not a little baby, Joseph," Ben tried to say. He knew that Joe was only trying to help him like it would be if the roles of injured and nurse were reversed.
 

Ben sat up in bed with his back leaning against the headrest, Joe came and sat beside him and snuggled against his uninjured shoulder. They talked at first, Ben doing most of the talking. The subjects included the ranch, Adam and Hoss and Joe's mother.
 

Ben stopped when he noticed that his audience had once again been lost to the land of nod. Joe felt warm and cosy when in his father's arms. He felt very safe and secure and the sound of Ben's evenly smooth voice had just lulled him to sleep. Ben just smiled at Joe's sleeping face again and closed his own eyes. The both of them remained in this position for the remainder of the night.
 

Adam knocked quietly on the door the next morning and opened it with Hoss standing beside him. They could not believe their eyes at the sight of their younger brother snuggled in their father's embrace sound asleep. He looked

like he was seven again, not seventeen.

"How does he do it?" Hoss asked with honest intentions.
 

"Lots of practice," Adam replied with a hint of sarcasm. "Lots of practice". Inwardly he smiled though, there had been many a night when he found himself and Little Joe in a similar position. He too enjoyed the closeness it offered him and his younger brother. He felt like Joe's protector and wouldn't let anything hurt him.
 

Ben was awake, but felt just fine watching his youngest son sleep. He also was not ashamed to show his love for the boy. He put his fingers to his lips in a "SHUSH" motion to signal the boys that he didn't want Joe disturbed.
 

"He's been here most of the night," Ben told them. "I couldn't move an inch without him berating me to get back to bed and rest".
 

"What ain't that a switch, eh Pa," Hoss replied with a smile. "Like he's the best patient in the world when he's sick or hurt".

"He was genuinely worried about you last night, Pa," Adam said to his father.
 

All looked fondly at the youngest of the family again and sighed. They didn't know what life would be like without his energy and laughter. Adam and Hoss knew that he was the source of his father's joy. They didn't mind, they knew that they were equally loved, but also knew that the relationship with their father and Joseph was one they could only envy from a distance.

Ben managed to manoeuvre enough to let Joe lay down on the bed and then placed a gentle kiss on his temple before covering him with the quilt. "Let him sleep a little while longer," Ben said as he got dressed and left following Adam and Hoss downstairs to the breakfast table.
 

************

The next incident would happen later that same afternoon.
 

Joe awoke to find himself in his father's bed. He vaguely remembered waiting by his father's beside last night and remembered them talking, but after that, nothing.
 

He came out of the room and walked down the stairs and looked and the grandfather clock in shock. 1.00 pm. Not only had he slept through last night, but breakfast and lunch the next day. Boy, he must have been really tired. He quickly went about getting a cup of coffee from the stove and was awaiting the grilling he would get from his

father and brothers about sleeping at that hour of the day.
 

He walked out onto the porch, with cup in hand. Ben was seated in a chair on the porch also and looked up and said a warm hello to his not yet, fully awake son.
 

"Why didn't you wake me, Pa?" Joe asked, worried about the tongue lashing he was about to receive.
 

"Thought you could use a little rest today too son," Ben said simply. "You looked pretty beat last night."
 

"Yeah, I must have been more tired than I thought," Joe said honestly. "Been working with those horses over the last few days and those fences and I think it's beginning to catch up with me."
 

Joe now pulled up a seat beside his father and was trying to gauge if his father's shoulder was mending or not.
 

Ben didn't miss the examination he was receiving from his son's gaze.
 

"It's a lot better this morning, thank you, Doctor Cartwright," Ben told his son. He noticed that his son visibly relaxed at the news and just continued to sip at his morning kick start.

Adam and Hoss had remained around the house today. Both to keep an eye on their father and just to catch up on some chores closer to home.
 

They both had seen that their brother had made an appearance and just scowled at him as they saw him and their father talking idly to each other on the porch.
 

Ben and Joe could see that Hoss and Adam were carrying a large plank of wood from the barn and attempting to load it into a waiting wagon. The log was about three metres long and almost a foot thick. Even with Hoss's effort, the load was very heavy and both men grunted at the exertion.
 

Hoss was on the end farthest away from the house, Adam was closest. They had just been walking out of the barn with their burden, when Hoss's attention was distracted from the task at hand. He suddenly was trying to look back over his shoulder at something and following his brother with the plank of wood.
 

Without warning, with the enormous weight of the log and Hoss's own bulk behind it, Adam felt himself being flung sideways. He tried to plant his feet firm on the ground and prevent the slide, but he was no match for his 300 pound younger brother and a log that probably matched him.
 

Adam suddenly found himself immersed entirely in the cold water of the trough position just outside the barn doors. He had dropped his load and now stood in the trough, soaking wet from head to tail and gasping at the coldness of the water. He had the blackest look of all for his younger brother, who still had not noticed what had happened.
 

Ben and Joe had been talking when they saw Adam suddenly travelling sideways and then dumped unceremoniously in the water trough. Both looked on for a moment just to make sure that he was okay. They saw that Adam was not standing and giving Hoss a very vicious stare.

Hoss, turned at the sound of the splash and the apparent shift in weight as Adam dropped the log at the other end. He looked at the water trough to see a very wet Adam looking at him with his hair plastered to his forehead. Adam was soaked from head to toe all 180 pounds of him and Hoss felt the knives of steel driving at him from his brother.
 

Joe had seen that Adam was okay and was now walking over towards his siblings. The sight of a wet, trembling Adam was too much. Joe began giggling and before long was almost rolling around on the ground laughing. He wiped tears of laughter from his eyes as he sat on the yard ground and continued to look at his brother with a mischievous grin.
 

Adam scowled at Joe and was about to chastise him when he could see that although Ben was still seated on the porch; he too had been laughing fitfully at his oldest son's accident. Adam just glared at his family. Hoss had thought he was in big trouble until he spotted his father laughing at Adam almost as hard at Little Joe. He now joined in with his loud and unmistakable cackle.
 

Adam got out of the water trough and deliberately stomped all the way to the house. He was greeted with a barrage of words from Hop Sing as the little man saw the state of the dripping wet floor Adam left behind him.
 

**********

The next day, all had thought about the curse when they remembered Pa's accident and Adam's dip in the water trough. But nobody said anything aloud. All thought that they  were just being silly and the events that had occurred were just Acts of God.
 

All had an early breakfast ready for a long day out in the pastures. Hoss was outside getting the horses saddled. Joe and Adam were checking the gear from the tack room and Ben was just finishing a few entries in his ledgers, before going outside for the day.

Hoss had been finishing saddling Joe's horse Cochise, when he saw it..............
 

The creature was just about to walk on the railing beside Hoss's hand. Hoss could see the creatures hairy legs, the eight eyes looking at him, and most of all Hoss could see it's size.
 

Hoss thought it was the biggest he had ever saw. He had never seen anything that big before. He was trying to back away from the creature in fear. If he could just move away quickly and quietly, everything would be fine........
 

Then it happened, the spider was close enough to place a hairy leg on Hoss's hand. The spider had no intention of hurting anybody. It had barely noticed what it was walking onto.
 

Hoss was not small by any standards. Everybody looked at him as a mountain of strength when it was needed. But few knew that there were a few things in this world that would bring this giant to his knees in fear. Creepy Crawlies. Hoss's skin flinched at the mere thought of critters that crept and crawled their way about

in the world.
 

Ben, Joe and Adam were buckling on their gun belts and getting their hat's from the pegs when they heard the loudest scream they thought they had ever heard.
 

All stood in stunned disbelief for a moment and tried to work out what had made such a terrible sound. It was soon repeated by a second bellowing. All raced out the door with guns drawn, looking for the Indian war party, the wild beast or whatever had made that noise.
 

The yard was empty, a third scream came from within the barn and all three of them realized that it was Hoss that was screaming. What would make Hoss scream like that. Was somebody attacking Hoss with a rifle, a gun, a lump of wood or a piece of steel.

Ben ran into the barn, waving for Adam and Joe to stay back slightly in case they were needed to come to the rescue.
 

In one corner of the stall where Cochise stood, happily munching at her hay and oats, Ben noticed that Hoss was squished up trying to get away from something. He had tears of fright streaming down his large cheeks. He had his hands in front of his face, trying to defend off what ever was attacking him.
 

Ben was trying desperately to see a person, a grizzly bear or wild animal that could be scaring his large son so badly. He looked to where Hoss's gaze was fixated in fright and noticed something black sitting on the railing.
 

A spider. A hairy spider. It looked to be a large spider, but still no bigger than a man's hand. This couldn't possibly what was scaring Hoss, could it?
 

Ben ushered Adam and Joe out of the door way, when he realised that Hoss was probably already embarrassed enough not to have onlookers as well. Hoss wasn't like Joseph. He couldn't lift Hoss into his arms and comfort him until he calmed down and Hoss didn't have curly hair to caress and make things feel all better.
 

He would have to settle with a gentle talk and assure his son that nothing was going to hurt him. He put his gun back into it's holster and walked over to the corner of the stall that was and sat down in the hay.
 

He put a hand on Hoss's trembling knee to let his son know everything was alright. Hoss couldn't find the words to speak. "Its. .... it's giant, Pa," was all Hoss to manage to stammer out.
 

Ben spoke quietly and gently to his son and tried to assure him that it was just a spider and meant no harm to him. He knew that Hoss was very scared and the best thing was to get him out of the situation.

He stood up and offered a helping hand to Hoss. Hoss reluctantly took the hand of his father but didn't want to take his eyes off the critter for a second. He was still shaking and wiping tears from his eyes as Ben led him out into the light and away from the barn and the contents.
 

Adam and Joe had seen their father come out with a shaking and trembling, and crying Hoss. Both looked at each other with real concern. Hoss cry. Hoss scared. These were things rarely seen. Something had scared their large brother, but they couldn't work it out.
 

Joe was more perplexed than Adam. Hoss was the one he would run to if he was scared of something. Hoss was the one he knew could protect him in a fight, or carry him if he was hurt. Hoss's size and power had been there many times for Joe. Now looking at his brother, it couldn't be the same brother.
 

Adam and Joe had remained outside the house as Ben led Hoss inside and tried to calm him down. Both had known better than to laugh at their brother's situation. Both of them had returned to the barn to try and work out the solution to Hoss's reaction. By this time, the culprit was long gone and there was nothing to indicate what had scared Hoss so much.
 

Ben had spent three hours calming Hoss down. Hoss had told Ben about the spider touching him, and how he felt about creepy crawlies. Ben honestly had no idea that his large son had such a phobia about crawling animals and insects. But he respected his son's privacy. He just spoke to Hoss and told him that there was nothing to be afraid of.
 

Later that afternoon, Adam and Joe had returned to the house and listened intently as their father explained what had happened in the barn to Hoss. They heard the parts about Hoss's phobia and both had expressed they had not known either about Hoss's fears. Both tried to reassure their brother that nothing was going to hurt him.
 

Hoss looked at the faces of his brothers and father and knew they spoke the truth. He felt foolish and stupid at how he had reacted to such a small animal. But his skin broke out in goose bumps again when he thought about the hairy leg that touched his hand.
 

All four Cartwrights were talking calmly later that evening about the events over the last few days. All agreed that the events were strange and wondered what other odd things were about to happen.
 

Hoss was the first to suggest about the curse Anton had been talking about.
 

Ben and Adam were both logical people and the thought of a curse or imaginary threat lurking about the Ponderosa just didn't fit into their theories of reality and fantasies.
 

Both looked at Hoss as he spoke, "Don't forget what else Anton said, Pa and Adam. The curse was placed on Joe and the worst things would befall him." Hoss licked his lips nervously as he said the words and looked at his younger brother.
 

Joseph tried not to be worried by what Hoss said. He was feeling trapped underneath the gazes of his father and brothers. They were all dreading about what other things would befall the family, and Joseph.
 

Adam tried to put some rationality into the picture. "They have only been minor Accidents, Hoss. Just a bad fright and a few bruises so far." He was trying to convince himself as well as the others in the room.
 

"Curses are just superstitious nonsense," Joe said in a rough voice. He escaped the bad mood lurking in the room and excused himself to bed, saying he was still tired from all the work he had been doing.

Adam, Hoss and Ben just watched at Little Joe climbed the stairs.
 

"What are we going to do, Pa?" Hoss asked, a little fear in his voice. The fear was no longer for himself but what might befall his younger brother.
 

"You don't believe that curse thing, do you Hoss?" Adam asked his brother.
 

"How else would explain what has been happening, Adam?" Hoss asked. Adam had no reply to his brother's question.
 

"Well, nothing bad has happened to him yet," Ben tried to say sounding confident. "Maybe nothing else will happen". He knew the words tasted sourly as he said them. Fear began to settle in the pit of his own stomach as he thought of what might happen over the next few days.
 

All had heard the threat of the curse made against Joe. All had had a taste of the results and all knew that Joe had yet to experience anything. All three wanted to lock Joseph up for the next five days until the threat was over. All knew that they would not be able to do so.
 

"We will just have to be vigilant and what out for him," Ben said. "But don't let on to Joseph that we are tailing him. We will go with him everywhere and watch him carefully."
 

"He's not going to like it, Pa," Adam said frankly.
 

"He doesn't have to like it, Adam," Ben replied firmly. "I will not let some silly superstition hurt anybody else in this family."

All were convinced that they would be able to successfully watch over the youngest Cartwright until this was all over. All were convinced that whatever might happen would only be pranks or minor incidents, like they had been over the last two days.
 

If they had any doubts about the curse working now, the chilling events that would happen over the next five days, would led to them believe that there was truly a bad cloud hanging over the Cartwright family. They would also come to realise the lines of Anton's speech. And they would truly fear for the life of Joseph Cartwright.

 

**********

 

All four Cartwrights seemed to wake up in a better frame of mind the next morning.
 

They all made the breakfast table together and enjoyed the usual hearty breakfast.
 

Just to clear the air a little after yesterday, Ben suggested a day off and a little time in town for the day. Joe had jumped at the chance to go into town with his father's permission. It was not very often Ben gave his boys a day off and Little Joe wasn't about to argue.
 

Hoss and Adam had nearly fallen off their chairs at Ben's idea. Like Joe, both of them knew it was rare for Ben to suggest a little fun in town over work that needed to be done on the ranch.
 

When they arrived in town, Joe had been anxious to get to the saloon and find himself a card game. Ben had been a little stern and said that they could have a lunch and a beer at the Bucket O' Blood when they were finished picking up the mail and doing the weekly banking.

This only brought about a scowl on Joe's face and he sulked for the best part of the next hour while he followed his father over to the post office to collect the mail. Much to his dismay, his father spent a good half an hour talking to Mr Wilson about the price of cattle and the price of lumber. All Joe wanted to know the price of  was a glass of cold beer.
 

When Ben had finished picking up the few letters from the post office and said his goodbye's to the postal manager, all four Cartwrights made their way over to Virginia City's first national bank.
 

It wasn't a very busy morning inside the bank. The only customers inside was old Mrs Butterworth and two cowboys who stood on either side of the door. They didn't look like they were very interested in banking any money. They looked as though they barely had enough money on them to eat let alone deposit into a bank account.
 

Both men eyed Benjamin Cartwright and his youngest son Joseph as they entered the bank. Hoss and Adam had remained outside with the horses talking about the tasks that needed to be done back at the ranch tomorrow.
 

Ben had completed his business at the bank and was walking out towards the horses. Little Joe was about five steps behind him. Neither of them noticed the curt nod that came from one cowboy to the other signalling their intentions.
 

Ben had made it outside and walked down the stairs when he heard a muffled cry from behind him. He spun around and to his horror saw that one of the two men had grabbed Joseph and now held him in a choke hold around his neck.
 

The man had one arm around his chest and one around his throat. The pressure was threatening to cut off the young man's breath.
 

Joe was trying to say something, trying to call out for help, trying in vain to get a breath in before he passed out.

Hoss, Adam and Ben had now drawn their guns, and pointed them at the two outlaws.

"Let him go," Ben yelled at the two men. "Let him go now, or my boys and I will shoot you both".

"I don't think so, friend," the man said gruffly. "You see, if you try and shoot me or my friend, then the boy will die. Bert here will snap his neck like a dried up twig".
 

"Drop your guns," the second man holding Joe roared.
 

Onlookers looked at the situation with fright. They dared not move. All could see that the man had Joseph in his clutches and indeed meant to hurt him.
 

"Back off," the first man hissed as he trained his gun on the three Cartwrights before him.
 

The second man holding Joe was now trying to drag his struggling hostage towards a roan horse that was tied onto the hitching rail outside the bank.
 

Ben and his boys started to take a few steps back, but they had not lowered their guns. All wanted to kill these men on the spot, but knew they had to get Joe free first.
 

"Let him go," Hoss said in a snarl repeating his father's words.
 

By this time, the local Sheriff Roy Coffee had heard the commotion and was now standing behind the Cartwrights watching the men as they held onto Joseph Cartwright.

The two men could now see themselves getting backed into a corner. They saw that the Cartwrights had not dropped their weapons as first ordered and now the Sheriff also had joined in to the problem.
 

Joe was looking at his father with desperation in his eyes. He was trying to release the man's grip from around his throat so he could take a breath. The man's arm didn't relax and seemed to increase it's pressure with the looming threats from four guns pointed at him.
 

Adam was trying to work out a way of getting his younger brother out of harms way so that Hoss and his father could take a shot at the two men. With Joe held directly in front on the outlaw, it didn't seem possible at the moment.
 

Ben could see that his son was scared. He could see that the boy's oxygen supply had been restricted. He knew that if he didn't act quickly, Joe could pass out from lack of oxygen. At the moment, Little Joe's face was a pasty white. His green eyes large with fright.
 

"Back off, I said," the man holding Joe hissed for a second time and walked a step closer to the stair, still holding his hostage in a vice like grip.
 

The Cartwrights and the Sheriff had no choice. They didn't want to see Joe hurt any further. They took a few more steps back from the bank building.
 

The first man had made it to the waiting horse and was beginning to unhitch a second one from the railing for his friend. It appeared that they were intending to take Joseph with them as they escaped.
 

"You let us get out of here safely, old man Cartwright," the first man said to Ben. "And your boy will live. He's coming with us and if you want to see him alive again, you will need to dig up lots of cash for his return."

"You can't take him with you," Ben was almost pleading with the men as he thought of the man taking Joe with them. If they took him away, he may not be able to save him.
 

Adam and Hoss now were equally worried about the threat to kidnap their little brother for ransom. Both tried to stare the outlaws down, and continued to hold their guns erect, just in case.
 

Roy Coffee, wanted to shoot, but knew that Ben Cartwright would never forgive him if Joseph was caught in the middle. He knew he had to try and talk these men into letting Little Joe got without hurting him.
 

Bert had made his way down the first step. He was now worried more about his own escape than actually taking his hostage with him. He knew that with using the boy as a shield, he was safe from any stray bullets for the time being.
 

He looked from one Cartwright to the next, to the Sheriff, to his partner and the waiting horses and then to his captive who was continuing to struggle. The efforts were now a lot weaker, due to the strangle hold he had on the young man, but they were still there.
 

Suddenly a thought of how to escape came to the man's head. He knew that his partner and him had planned to take the Cartwright kid for quite a while. They both knew that old man Cartwright would pay plenty to get one of his

boys back. The choice of which one had been easy. The middle boy was just too big to try and carry, the other dark headed one was probably too smart. So without much hesitation, they had chosen Little Joe as their target. He was

smaller, didn't weigh much and probably meant a bigger ransom due to being the youngest.

With his free arm, he now drew his gun from its holster while still holding onto the Cartwright kid.
 

Ben and the other's saw him draw his gun as did his partner and now feared more for the young hostage.
 

Without warning, the man holding Joe rammed the butt of the pistol into Joe's right temple. The boy immediately sagged, and blood started to seep from the wound. Joe's knees had buckled, and he was holding onto consciousness with a thin thread.
 

Ben had let out a cry of anguish when he saw the man hit Joe with the gun. Hoss and Adam seethed with rage.
 

The man now propelled a very groggy Joe at his father and brothers. The boy's booted foot caught on the bottom step and he stumbled. He was now falling rapidly, falling towards them and the hard ground.
 

Ben, Adam and Hoss all dropped their guns accidentally as they had all tried to catch the almost unconscious Joe before he landed in the dirt. Ben and Hoss collectively held onto Little Joe's now limp body.
 

The dizziness from the blow soon swept Joe's senses away and Ben and his son's now noticed with concern that Joe had fainted.
 

The distraction enabled the outlaw to mount the waiting horse and he and his partner now sped off towards the city limits.
 

Ben was too busy trying to arouse Joe to worry about chasing after the men. Hoss and Adam had dropped their guns. The only one now holding any sort of weapon was the Sheriff.

Roy attempted to hit the two outlaws as they rode away, but the cloud of dust kicked up by the horses gait made it difficult to get off a shot.
 

The men rode away and had escaped the law. There would be other opportunities for them later to get their ransom money.
 

***********
 

The unconscious Joe had been gently lowered to the dirt street and Ben now anxiously tried to wake him up. He took off his bandana from around his neck and pressed it up against the still bleeding wound on Joe's temple.
 

Somebody had taken off down the street trying to get the doctor's attention.
 

Hoss now stepped in front of his father and picked up his little brother and started walking towards the doctor's office. Adam, Ben and Roy Coffee closely followed behind.
 

Joe never moved from when he fainted until now and still showed no signs of waking to his family's requests.
 

Adam opened the door to Doctor Paul Martin's office as Hoss made his way through and laid Joe down on the bed as directed.
 

Doctor Paul Martin had been the Cartwright's doctor ever since the family moved to Virginia City and the Ponderosa. Joseph had been one of his first's deliveries in the area. He knew that Ben, Adam and Hoss well enough

to know that they were concerned over Little Joe.

Over the years, Doctor Martin had been there for all the dramas in Little Joe's life. He had seen cuts and scrapes, head wounds, gun shot wounds and fevers that left the boy very thin. He had begun to consider the young man

laying on the bed as a surrogate son of his own. For now, he had to be the strong one for the rest of the Cartwright family.
 

Paul leant over Little Joe and began probing his patient to gauge the total extent of his injuries. He lifted Joe's eyelids and used a small lantern to check the pupil's dilation to the light source. He checked Joe's ears and

gently checked the now very visible bruises on Joe's neck.
 

He dipped a rag in some coolish water and began dabbing with it at the wound on Joe's temple. The wound had stopped bleeding and the dried congealed blood now made a few of Joe's loose curls clump together in a sticky clump beside his ear.
 

The shock of the cool water and the pain from the pressure seemed to bring the young man back from his dark prison.
 

Joe tried to turn his head slightly to avoid the pressure of the cloth on the wound. His head ached terribly and his mouth felt extremely dry. He tried to swallow to alleviate the soreness, but this was quickly replaced by the stronger pain from the bruising around his throat.
 

He let out a small whimper and opened his eyes. He was trying to focus on the room and the light when he saw the worried faces of his father and brothers looking down at him. He gave a wane smile and tried to close his eyes again.
 

"No, Joe!" came in unison from all in the room. The comment was almost yelled at the boy and he reopened his eyes at the shouts.

Ben and the doctor knew that letting Joe go back to sleep after receiving a head injury was very dangerous. They would need to keep Little Joe wake a little longer to make sure the effects of concussion were minimal.
 

"Why are you yelling at me?" Joe tried to ask in a whisper through a hoarse voice His throat burned and was very sore to the touch. He knew that somehow he was hurt, but his family and the doctor were shouting at him.
 

Paul tried to reassure his nervous patient. "You have a nice bump on your head. Little Joe," the doctor explained. "You only just woke up. We need you to stay a little while longer just to make sure you're okay".
 

"I don't like doctoring, Pa," he stated firmly to his father despite his obvious discomfort. "I want to go home".
 

Ben couldn't be mad at his boy, he knew Little Joe was hurt and needed Paul's services. Adam and Hoss also knew he was the worst patient in the world.
 

Ben took Joe's hand in his own and tried to talk soothingly to his youngest as the doctor continued his administrations.
 

"You can go home shortly, Joe," Paul stated, and then added "But only if you promise to rest for a few days. Or else I will give you something to keep you in bed".
 

"I promise," Joe said trying to give his most innocent look. Everybody in the room only rolled their eyes in mock disgust when they saw the performance Little Joe was trying to put on.

Paul had placed a small patch on the wound on Joe's temple. He said there was nothing much he could do for the bruising around Joe's neck. He told the boy to drink plenty of water and keep solid food slightly mushy for the next few days until the soreness eased.
 

The doctor noticed that Joe was getting very sleepy, "Ben, could I see you outside for a few minutes? Hoss, you and Adam try to keep Joe awake a little longer, please. You can take him home in just a few minutes.”
 

Ben Cartwright followed the Doctor out into the corridor, leaving Joe with his more than capable brothers.
 

"Ben, I don't want to worry you unnecessarily, but you and the boy's will need to keep a close eye on Little Joe over the next two days," Paul told his old friend. "The bruises on his neck will fade in a couple of weeks, and the wound on his temple will start to heal nicely. Due to the seriousness of the head wound and it's position, Joe might experience some dizziness over the next week or so. Just keep him in bed a couple of days and get as much of Hop Sing's good food into him as possible. He may have some headaches for a while, I'll give you some powders for them to take home. Just see he rests as much as possible for the first few days. I will come out and check on him in a week."
 

Ben noted the doctor's word well and promised that Joe would rest just as ordered. He told Paul he would get Adam and Hoss to watch over him as well.
 

Both men walked back into the room with their young patient. Both smiled when they saw that the three brother's were sharing a joke and laughing.
 

A little colour had returned to Joe's face and he looked a little more alert. Ben winced a little bit every time he saw the bruises on his son's throat. He dreaded to think what might have been.

”Can I go home now, Doc?" Joe asked impatiently. “I feel fine" he added for emphasis.
 

"Yes you can go home, but you are to ride with your father on the way home," Paul said in a stern voice. "No riding on your own for the next week, Joseph."
 

This statement brought nothing but a pouting lip to Joe's face as he thought of not being about to ride Cochise for a whole week. Ben and Adam helped Joe sit up, and Little Joe swung his legs over the edge of the bed and attempted to step down onto the floor.
 

As soon as his feet reached the floor, Joe let out a loud gasp of pain as his left ankle gave way and threatened to spill Joe into a heap. Adam and Ben had managed to hold him upright just in time.
 

Joe was quickly re-seated on the edge of the bed as Paul tried to examine the offending ankle. He was trying to remove Joe's boot with care, but every effort brought a small yelp of pain from the young man.
 

"I thought you said you felt fine," Adam said to his younger brother as he saw Joe's swollen foot.
 

"It didn't hurt that bad a minute ago," Joe tried to lie. "I thought I had just pulled a muscle or something."
 

"Joe, you wouldn't admit to being trampled by a team of wild buffalo unless you where coerced into it," Hoss replied grimly. His knew that his brother often neglected to advise when he felt poorly or had aches and pains somewhere. Often he had to fall over before anybody knew something was wrong.

All looked at the swollen and blackened ankle. All knew that Joe must have been in considerably pain.
 

Paul continued to observe the ankle and prodded and poke the area with his index finger. Joe had buried his face into Adam's broad chest to hide his tears of pain. His ankle hurt more than he was willing to admit.
 

"Looks like some ligament and tendon damage, Little Joe," Paul diagnosed. "You might be off your feet, longer than you think," he added with a grin, now noting the definite scowl on Joe's face as he heard the verdict.
 

"Ben, when you get home, soak his ankle in some warm water every few hours for the next twenty-four hours. That will help to take the swelling down. Don't let him walk around on it for two or three days. I'll check it again when

I visit in a week," Paul explained. "I'll give you some pain medication to relieve the discomfort, but don't use them unless you have to. They are fairly potent and I wouldn't like to use them too much on someone with a concussion

like Joe."
 

"Okay. Ben," Paul stated as he got up from his crouched position. "You can take him home, but keep an eye on him and let me know if you need anything".
 

"Thank you, Paul," Ben said sincerely as he shook the doctor's outstretched hand.
 

Joe was helped down off the bed once again, but this time he was prevented from putting weight on his foot. He leaned heavily on his brother Adam and his father as they exited out the building and made their way towards the horses outside.
 

Ben had mounted Buck and Adam had helped Joe into the saddle in front of his father. Adam now mounted Sport and Hoss followed behind leading Cochise. All made their way out of Virginia City towards home. All had the fear of

black magic at work against their family on their minds as they rode in silence.

Half way home, Adam signalled to Ben. Ben looked down at his youngest son nestled in his embrace and noted that the boy was deeply asleep. He was worried at first that maybe the concussion was worst than Paul had been able

to pick up. He admonished himself quickly and convinced himself that all Joe needed was a little rest and a little tender care to get over this nasty incident.

 

*************

Joe never awoke when they arrived home. Ben told Adam to take him inside.
 

Adam was about to take Joe up the stairs to his room, when Ben told him to put the sleeping boy on the settee. He reminded Adam that they needed to soak Joe's ankle, just as the doctor had ordered.
 

Adam lay Little Joe down while Hoss got a blanket from the cupboard to cover his younger brother.
 

Hop Sing had seen the boy and drilled the three eldest Cartwright's about his injuries. After he had been told what had happened in town, he went about getting the bowl of tepid water and Epsom salts needed.

 

*************

 

Little Joe awoke the next morning with the sun streaming through his bedroom window. Every muscle in his body seemed to ache ten times worst than it had yesterday. He winced as he managed to manoeuvre himself in a partial sitting position.
 

He was listening intently for any noise downstairs. His father was not seated by his bed as was customary when he was sick or injured. He couldn't hear Hop Sing rustling about in the kitchen downstairs and his brothers could not be heard either.

Joe knew it was later than eight o’clock from the position in the sun coming through his window.
 

He wanted to get a glass of water. His head ached more than the rest of him put together. He placed his hands on either side of his head and tried to massage the pain away.
 

He didn't want to make a fuss for anybody else and determined from his sitting position that he was well enough to go downstairs and get that drink of water for himself.
 

He sat on the edge of the bed momentarily and then pushed himself into a standing position. Big mistake; he had to hold onto the post at the end of his bed just to stay upright. The dizziness was strong.
 

He had briefly forgotten his swollen ankle until it reached the wooden floor. It reminded him with a wave of pain pulsating through the foot all the way up to his hip joint. He had almost had to clamp a hand over his own mouth to stem the scream that was clenched between his teeth from the pain.
 

He waited for the giddiness to pass, still persuading himself that he could make it downstairs on his own. He managed to steady himself again and take the weight off his hurt foot and transfer is to the other.
 

'So far, so good,' he thought to himself as he limped on his uninjured foot to the bedroom door. He gingerly opened it so as to not make any noise. He peeked outside just to make sure that he wasn't being watched. The last thing he wanted was for his father or one of his brothers to spy him out of bed. He just had to make it downstairs and get that drink of water and get back again and nobody would ever know.
 

He shuffled his way over to the landing of the stairs. He knew that going down the stairs was going to be a tedious process on one foot. He again put his hand to his forehead trying to ease the throbbing headache he had gained since waking up. He held onto the railing very tightly as he went to take the first step down. He was not prepared for what was about to happen..........

Joe had thought he was alone in the house. He assumed that his father and brother were outside doing their chores or attending to the many various other projects of the day. He didn't know that is was almost lunch time and that his brother's and father had actually returned to the house to eat.
 

Hoss had been upstairs washing his hands and brushing some of the dirt off his clothes before seating himself at the table. He stepped out of his room to see the back of his brother standing at the top of the stairs. He knew that his brother had been hurt yesterday and he couldn't fathom why Little Joe was out of bed. He was worried about Joe getting around on his injured ankle. He thought that Joe would have called out if he wanted something.
 

"Joe,” Hoss said in a reasonably loud voice.
 

Little Joe had failed to hear anybody behind him, and just about jumped out of his skin when Hoss spoke to him. He had been holding onto the railing of the stairs ready to take the first small step down carefully nursing his injured foot. His reaction to Hoss's words almost made him tumble down the stairs in an untidy heap. Luckily Hoss had seen his brother start to fall and had grabbed him just at the last moment.
 

Ben and Adam had just walked into view of the staircase when they saw Joe on the top of the stairs and they saw him trying to take his first step. Both of them had gasped out loud as they saw his almost lose his balance to being startled from behind.
 

Hoss had managed to grab Joe under his arms and now pulled Joe into a standing position again. He was genuinely worried about his brother's almost bad fall and was surprised to look at Joe and see the angry look on his face.
 

"Hoss, you almost gave me a heart attack," Joe declared hotly.

Hoss tried to mumble a few words of sorry and are you alright before his father was at the top of the stairs ready to scold his youngest son.
 

"What are you doing out of bed, Joseph?" Ben replied in a voice that was more out of fear than anger. "You shouldn't be out of bed".
 

"I woke up and nobody was around, Pa," Joe answered. "All I wanted was drink of water.  I thought I could at least manage that on my own".
 

"You are under strict orders to rest, Joseph," Ben stated. "If you want something, Adam or Hoss or Hop Sing and I are here to help you. You were knocked unconscious yesterday Joseph, the doctor said you might have some dizzy spells from it for the next few days." Ben sounded angry, but was just trying to scare Joe enough to make him follow doctor's orders.
 

"I just wanted a drink of water, Pa," Joe repeated, his hands again going to massage his temples from the intense pain. Ben eyed his son for a moment and recognized that Joe was experiencing pain. His tone softened some what and he spoke more gently.
 

"Are you hurting, Little Joe?" Ben asked quietly. Hoss also looked at this brother's expression with concern.
 

"Just a little headache," Joe replied through eyes squeezed shut trying to block out the pain. The dizziness that his father had been talking about and he had when he stood up from his bed now re-emerged and threatened to overtake him again. Luckily his big brother Hoss was their to support him.
 

"Come on, Joe," Hoss said tenderly as he guided his young brother back to bed. "Let's get you settled again".

Adam had returned from the kitchen with the needed glass of water in his hand and a bowl of Hop Sing's soup for lunch.
 

"I don't want anything to eat, Adam," Joe said with a little annoyance. Actually the annoyance came from his un-abating headache. Adam knew that the tone of Joe's voice was betraying the real pain he was feeling, so he ignored it.
 

"Do you want something for the headache, son"? Ben asked gently.
 

"No thanks, Pa," was the response. He was annoyed with himself at having to rely on his family too much. Independence was strong in Joe Cartwright and any attempt to curb it or control it did not sit well with him.
 

Ben motioned to his elder two sons to leave Joe alone for a while and try and get some rest to ease the headache. Ben didn't particularly want to get into an argument right at this minute.
 

Ben and Adam hadn't been able to take their eyes off the very visible bruises that still marred Joe's neck. They were now even darker than the night before if that was possible.
 

"I'll be back to check on you in an hour, Little Joe,” Ben said to his son on his way out the door. "If you are still not asleep then, maybe you can come down and spent some time on the settee this afternoon."
 

"Oh, Yippee," Joe replied snidely and rolled over on his opposite side, trying to avoid his family and not letting them see the tears of frustration fall down his face.
 

Ben just sighed a little at his son's rebelliousness and closed the door quietly and went back stairs to have lunch with Hoss and Adam.
 

**********

Joe did in fact go to sleep briefly, but the headache prevented him from resting any more than half an hour. So when Ben knocked on the door fully expecting that Joe would have drifted back to sleep despite his protests, he was surprised when an answer came from the other side of the door.
 

With much reluctance on Ben's part, he had to keep his bargain, and Joe was allowed to go downstairs and rest on the settee in the family room. Joe had to lean against his father rather heavily to hold the dizziness at bay as he descended the stairs.. Ben was ready to change his mind, but Joe kept his father true to his word and made it to the couch.
 

Adam and Hoss had returned outside to complete the day's chores. Ben seated himself at his desk, in full view of his youngest and went about completing the books for the ranch. His mind wasn't really on the task, but he knew he would have to look like he was doing something or else Joe would complain about the constant attention he was getting.
 

Joe sat on the settee appearing that he was grossed in one of Adam's books. Actually he was trying to work out how he could get his father to allow him to go into town tonight and grab a beer at the saloon. He kept thinking about it and decided that it was probably best if his father didn't know about it at all.
 

He continued to mull over his plans in his head whilst still holding the book in front of him. He had deduced that if he waited until after Adam and his father went to bed, he should be able to sneak out and be back within an hour or so before anyone noticed he was missing. Hoss wouldn't wake up unnecessarily. He just had to figure out how to

make it look like he was still in bed where he should be if his father should look into his room when he was gone.
 

Ben was unaware of what thoughts invaded Joe's mind and was inwardly praising his son's quiet nature this afternoon. He was proud that Joe had been able to stay most of the afternoon confined to the house without complaining and seemingly engrossed in reading a book.
 

**************

Joe worked his way over the family table for the evening meal. To his relief, the headache the had pounded for most of the day had eased to a somewhat tolerable level. He knew what he had to do now. He wanted to start laying the foundations but knew he couldn't spread it on too thick or he would give himself away.
 

He talked casually as with his father and brothers about their day's events. He ate what he thought would be ample enough to keep his father happy tonight. His stomach was tightening in knots just a little from the little deception he was about to play out.
 

He started to make a face as though in pain at the table. His father turned to him with concern written all over his face. He assured his family that it was just his foot giving him a little more trouble tonight. He said that the swelling had gone down, but the ache in the tendons and ligaments was beginning to increase.
 

"Do you want me to get Doc Martin, son?" Ben asked as he pulled his chair out and bent down to floor level to examine Joe's bandaged ankle. He pressed his fingers very lightly around the bruised area. Joe proceeded to give a little gasp of pain each time his father's hand came into contact with his foot.
 

"No, I be fine, Pa," Joe said and added another small grunt of pain. "Maybe I just need to soak it in warm water again. Maybe that will help a little. My throat feels a little raw tonight, too".
 

"Maybe your little excursion downstairs today was premature," Ben tried to convince Little Joe. "Your body may still need rest after your ordeal".
 

"I think I will soak my foot for half and hour and then head upstairs to bed, if that's all right with you, Pa?" Joe said innocently. "I do feel a little tired," he added extra.
 

Ben thought that Joe's foot must really be troubling him if was offering to go to bed without any arguments. Adam got up from his chair and offered to help his brother over to the settee. Hoss went about asking Hop Sing to get some hot water for Joe's foot.
 

"No, that's okay big brother," Joe said to Adam, as he refused the help. "I can make it on my own."
 

He proceeded walk over to the settee, making sure that his family saw every exaggerated limp and heard every small moan on the way. Should have been an actor he thought to himself as he saw that his efforts were working. His family were giving him lots of attention and had very concerned looks on their faces.
 

Hop Sing came into the living room carrying a large steel basin of water. He had added the Epsom Salts they had used the previous night. He placed the bowl in front of Little Joe.
 

Joe let his father ease off his boots and socks and then place his feet in the water. It actually felt very relaxing. Joe laid back against the back of the chair and let the vapours from the salts and the hot steam invade his senses. He was enjoying every bit of it.
 

Adam, Hoss and Ben left Joe for a few minutes to let the water do it's work. They finished their meal and then sipped at their coffee at the table.
 

All smiled tenderly as they looked over at the sight of Joe sound asleep on the couch. He knew that he would not be able to sneak out until much later that night so he fully intended to go to sleep just to make his efforts a little more genuine.
 

"I think he is more tired than he will admit," Adam said as he looked at his slumbering brother.
 

"Yes I agree," Ben added "But I'm sure that a good night's sleep will do him wonders. That foot seems to be giving him a little more trouble than we first thought.”
 

"Hoss, would you mind?" Ben asked as he indicated that Joe should be put in bed to be more comfortable. The water in the basin was now only lukewarm and wouldn't be helpful anymore.

"Sure, Pa," Hoss answered. He had no problem at all at being their when his little brother was sick or injured. He hoisted Little Joe in his arms and headed for the stairs. Ben followed behind him.
 

Little Joe had felt himself being lifted from the couch. Normally he would have protested most strongly about being carried around like a baby. But tonight, when he was trying to persuade them that he was injured and tired, he just let them mother hen him all they wanted. He smiled to himself as he saw the look on Hoss's face as he peeked a look without being seen.  I really should have been an actor he repeated to himself. Everything was working out just as he had planned.
 

****************
 

As Joe had predicted, about 10:30pm that night, his father had checked up on him as usual before retiring to his own bed. He had been awake for about half a hour prior to this, but now resumed his feigned sleep. He evened out his breathing to a slow rhythmic pattern and keep his face poised in a sleep like mode.
 

He felt his father rearrange the bed clothes over him and then got the curls on his forehead ruffled from Ben. His guilt about sneaking out was threatening to get the better of him for a moment, but only for a brief moment. Joe felt he was well enough to go out for awhile.  He would be gone and back before anyone ever knew.
 

Little Joe proceeded to wait another twenty minutes and then slipped out of bed and began puffing up the pillows in the middle of the bed and covering them with his blankets to assume he was still asleep if anybody watched from the door before he got back.
 

He pulled on his pants and took out a new shirt from the drawer. He placed his green jacket over the top of his shirt and sat down on the chair in the room in order to put on his boots.

It was not the easiest of tasks and he gnashed his teeth together preventing any grunts of pain to escape at the effort.. Once the boot was actually on his foot, it gave him a false sense of security and he thought he would be able to walk around without much of a limp.
 

He silently lifted up the window in his room and climbed out onto the roof very carefully. He re-closed the window just as quietly and very gingerly crawled down the drain pipe attached to the roof and landed with a soft thud on his rear end in the dirt. He stood up and brushed the dust of his pants and walked very slowly, almost hopping over towards the barn and his waiting horse Cochise.
 

Cochise had started to greet her owner with a few noises, but was quickly shushed from Joe as he went about saddling her. Once that was completed, Little Joe led the pinto out of the barn and climbed on, carefully avoiding putting full weight on his ankle as he mounted.
 

*****************
 

Joe thought he had made it away from the Ponderosa homestead unseen. What he failed to notice was two silhouetted figures which followed him from a distance all the way to town.
 

When he reached town, he headed straight for the Bucket O' Blood Saloon and hitched Cochise to the rail out the front. He knew that he couldn't be anymore than an hour. He got of his horse and walked with a slight limp over to the swinging doors and went inside the bar and ordered a beer.
 

A few minutes later, the two men, one of Mexican descent and the other a half caste Indian, walked into the same barroom and took up a table at the rear of the room. From their table, they could clearly see Little Joe and watch his every move.

Joe was appearing to enjoy himself. He had one hand clasped around his mug of beer, and the other around the young saloon girl standing beside him. His cute laughter could be heard by many in the bar that night. Nobody took particular notice of his limping and did not seem to notice the particular attention being paid to Joe by the

two men seated in the back.
 

*****************
 

"Why couldn't we have taken him on the way here?" the Indian man had said to his friend. His name was Curt Rigley. His mother had been full apache, his father, a prisoner in the state prison.
 

"Because, I want this to go right this time," the Mexican answered. "I don't want Ben Cartwright knowing what we are doing until we are ready. We messed up at the bank, but I ain't aiming to make the same mistakes again".
 

The Mexican’s name was Bert Sancho. His father had been Mexican, his mother just another saloon girl in another dirty little town. He went into his pocket and removed a small calico bag with a draw string at the top.
 

"Tell me about this magic powder again, Curt," the Indian asked as he watched the man pull open the draw string on the bag and pour a small amount of white crystals onto his open palm.
 

"It's a powder that your people have been using for a number of years," Bert explained. "In small amounts, it is a very useful drug for many ailments. People use it for arthritis, the fever and even headaches. In larger doses, it becomes like a poison. It causes many of the symptoms it is supposed to be curing. It can cause headache, pain, fever, muscle stiffness, and respiratory distress," the man continued to explain the powder's properties to the Indian man.

"It's made from ground up thorns of cactus and a few other medicinal herbs," Rigley added as he replaced the crystals back into the bag. "I don't want to kill him with it, though. Just give enough to make him get a little sick from it. When the powder has served it's purpose, the young man should be weakened sufficiently enough for us to take him without much of a struggle. Ben Cartwright will pay plenty to get his youngest back. Best of all, I'm going to make it look as though somebody else did it. We'll be able to collect the ransom money and get away scott free while they have got someone else in jail for the kidnapping."
 

"If we keep the boy tied up and blindfolded the entire time, he won't be able to point the finger at us," the outlaw added. "In the end, all Ben Cartwright will get back, is any empty money bag and a very confused son. The drug should affect him enough to keep him quiet and if it starts to wear off, we just give him a bigger dose next time.

He'll be too out of it to know if he's coming or going, let along be able to describe us to the sheriff."
 

The two men now let there evil minds come together to work out the finishing touches to their devious plans for Joe Cartwright.
 

Without warning, the Indian got up from his table and started walking over towards the bar, shouting and waving his hands about as if he were drunk. He yelled at the bartender to give him more to drink, he brought his fists down on the end of the bar with a loud bang and knocked one or two glasses onto the floor.
 

Joe had turned around to see the commotion and had his back turn to Curt Rigley as he watched the apparently drunk Indian make more noise. His beer now sat on the bar unattended.

Everyone in the bar was now focusing there attentions on the antics of Bert Sancho as the bartender and a few of the patrons tried to eject him from the establishment.
 

With the bartender momentarily away from his post and the crowd's attention distracted, Curt Rigley walked up very calmly behind Joe Cartwright and with a hidden flick of his wrist, poured the crystal's into Joe's beer. His actions remained unnoticed and the crystals quickly dissolved into the amber liquid, masking their presence.
 

Rigley sat back down at his table and he saw the Indian thrown out onto the street outside. He watched with a sly smile on his face as he saw Joe Cartwright put the glass back to his lips and consume the contents.  He casually walked out of the bar and mounted his horse outside next to Cochise and rode towards the town. About halfway down the street, the Indian could be seen to ride up along side him and they both rode out together.
 

*************
 

Joe was now headed for home. He had his two beers and was now making his way home at a steady pace astride Cochise. He started to whistle to himself as he