The Price of Friendship
It was the smoke curling above the trees that caught the posse’s attention. “Look over there” shouted Adam Cartwright, pointing toward the smoke.
“I see it, Adam,” answered Sheriff Roy Coffee.
“Do you reckon he’s hit another place?” Hoss Cartwright asked his brother.
“I don’t know,” Adam replied grimly. “I hope not.”
“If he has, that four places in the last two weeks,” said Joe Cartwright.
"We’d best go check it out,” the sheriff ordered. “Boys, let’s head toward that
smoke,” he shouted to the dozen or so men sitting on their horses around him.
The posse turned their horses, and headed in the direction of the smoke. The
posse moved slowly through the thick growth of trees and bushes. The men were in
the hill country, where the natural growth was dense. They had been resting on
the crest of a bluff when Adam spotted the smoke. Now they headed down into the
woods below them, carefully guiding their horses around the tall pines. It look
the posse almost an hour to reach the source of the smoke. When they arrived,
they knew they were too late. A small area of land had been cleared of trees and
brush, and what was once a cabin sat on the edge of the clearing. Near the
structure, a corral stood empty. The cabin was burning and obviously had been
for some time. All that was left was the stone chimney and a few pieces of the
frame. The rest of building was now smoking logs and ashes. Flames licked
through the wood. Scattered in front of the burning cabin were a few of its
owner’s possessions. A bible laid open on the ground, it’s pages flickering in
the wind. A wooden keg with its top smashed was a foot or so from the bible. A
small iron chest laid open nearby.
“This is Fred Thompson’s place, isn’t it?”
asked Sheriff Coffee as the men rode up to the cabin.
“Yes,” answered Adam, looking around. “I
don’t see him any place, though.”
“If he’s like the others, he’ll be tied up
in the woods,” said Hoss.
“A couple of you boys put that fire out,”
ordered the sheriff. “The rest of you spread out and start searching the area.
Look for a man tied up. Also look for tracks.”
Three men dismounted and started throwing
dirt on the burning cabin. The rest of the posse scattered back into the woods,
moving slowly.
“Whoever is doing this really likes
destroying things,” remarked Joe as he headed into the woods with his brothers.
“It’s got to be one man,” insisted Adam.
“He’s only hitting the small places. And there’s only been one set of tracks
leading away from each place.”
“Yeah, but those tracks keep petering out,”
said Hoss. “We ain’t never found enough of a trail to follow.”
“Well, whoever it is, he’s looted and
burned four places now,” continued Joe. “I wonder how long he’s going to keep
this up.”
“Just keep your eyes peeled for Thompson,”
said Adam. “He’s the important thing now. We can wonder about who did it
later.”
“Right,” replied Joe in a serious tone.
The Cartwrights hadn’t ridden very far when
Hoss saw the red-shirted arm sticking out of the thick green foliage. “There he
is,” said Hoss, pointing at the splash of red. The Cartwrights quickly guided
their horses toward the patch of red Hoss had spotted. They dismounted and
pushed aside the bushes. A man about 40 laid on the ground. He was wearing a
patched red shirt and brown pants held up by thick suspenders. His hands and
feet were tied with rawhide strips, and a blue bandanna was wrapped around his
mouth. The man’s eyes were closed, as if he were sleeping.
Adam quickly pulled a pocket knife from the front pocket of his pants. He unbent
the knife and sliced the strips from the man’s hands and feet. Hoss untied the
gag from the man’s head, and slowly turned the face toward him. Hoss could see a
small area of blood matting the man’s thick black hair.
“Is he alive?” asked Joe as he stood
watching his brothers.
Hoss felt the man’s neck. “Yeah,” he
answered. “Get me some water, Joe.”
Joe hurried back to the horses and grabbed
a canteen off his saddle. He walked back to his brothers, tossing the canteen to
Hoss when he got there. Hoss was cradling the man’s head and shoulders in his
left arm. He picked up the canteen that had landed at his feet, and pulled the
top off with his teeth. He began trickling water down the man’s face. For a
few seconds, the man had no reaction. Then a low groan escaped from his lips.
Hoss put the canteen back on the ground as the man began moving slowly and
moaning louder.
“Take it easy, Fred,” said Adam as he
crouched near Hoss.
The man moaned again and then his eyes
flickered open. He blinked several times, as if trying to clear his vision.
“Cartwright?” he said in a weak voice.
“Yeah, it’s Adam Cartwright,” answered
Adam.
The man groaned once more and then sat up.
He grabbed his head and squinted in pain. “What happened?” Thompson asked.
“That’s what we were going to ask you,”
said Hoss.
Thompson shook his head. “Don’t know,” he
replied. “I heard a banging on the door and I went outside to look. That’s the
last thing I remember.”
Adam glanced up at Joe. What Thompson had
described was exactly the same thing as the other three men who were attacked
had said.
“What brought you boys up here?” asked
Thompson. “Not that I ain’t grateful, but this isn’t exactly your normal
stomping grounds.”
Joe looked at Adam, who nodded slightly.
“We were riding with the posse and saw the smoke,” Joe said.
“Smoke? What smoke?” asked Thompson.
“From your cabin,” said Hoss as gently as
he could.
“My cabin!” cried Thompson in alarm. He
scrambled to his feet but stopped as his knees began to buckle. Hoss rose and
grabbed his arm.
“Take it easy, Fred,” Hoss said. “You got quite a
lump on your head.”
“Never mind that,” Thompson spat out. “I
got to get to my cabin.” He brushed off Hoss’ hand and started walking
unsteadily through the woods.
The Cartwrights watched him for a minute.
“He’s not going to like what he’ll find,” said Hoss in a grim tone.
“Come on,” said Adam. “Let’s follow him.”
Adam, Hoss and Joe walked back to their
horses and grabbed the reins. They walked the animals slowly through the woods,
following Thompson’s trail. They emerged from the woods a few minutes later.
Adam walked up and put his hand on
Thompson’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Fred,” he said. “It was like this when we got
here.”
“Who’d want to do this to me?” moaned
Thompson.
“I don’t know,” said Adam. “We think the
same man hit three other places. The same thing happened. The owners were tied
up and dragged into the woods. The cabins were looted and burned to the
ground.”
“But why?” Thompson said. “I don’t have
much. Maybe forty dollars and a rifle with some silver scroll my father gave me.
The rest, it couldn’t be worth more than twenty, thirty dollars.”
“I don’t know,” Adam repeated. He looked
over his shoulder toward his brothers. “You’d better signal the rest of the
posse.”
Joe nodded and pulled his gun from his
holster. He fired twice into the air. Hoss
walked up to Thompson. “We’ll help you rebuild it,” Hoss said in a comforting
tone. Thompson shook his head. “No, I ain’t
gonna stay here,” the man answered. “I can’t stay here. Everything I owned was
in that place.” He looked around. “That buzzard even took my horse.”
Hoss looked at Adam. Adam shrugged his
shoulders. “What will you do?” asked Hoss.
“Guess I’ll go to Virginia City,” said
Thompson in a discouraged voice. “Find me a job and make some money. Then I’m
getting out of this territory.”
The sound of horses drew the Cartwrights’
attention. The rest of the posse rode out of the woods from several directions.
“See you found him,” said Roy Coffee as he
rode up. “You all right, Fred?”
“No, I ain’t all right,” answered Thompson
in a low voice.
Coffee looked at Adam in surprise. Adam
quickly told the sheriff everything Fred had said.
“You find any tracks?” asked Joe.
Coffee shook his head. “Same as before,” he
answered. “We found the tracks of one man riding a horse and leading another. We
followed them for awhile but they disappeared. Looks like they were brushed out.
We headed in the same direction, but the ground got hard and rocky. No way to
follow any tracks after that.”
Adam glanced at the sky. “It’s getting
late,” he said, looking at the sun. “We’d better head back to the ranch.” He
turned to Thompson. “You’re welcome to stay with us for a while, if you want.”
“Thanks, Cartwright, but I’d rather not,”
replied Thompson. “I just want to get as far away from this place as possible.”
He turned toward Roy Coffee. “Sheriff, can I ride into town with you?”
“Sure thing,” said Coffee. “You can climb
on behind Andy there. His horse can carry two.”
Thompson nodded his thanks and started
toward a man on a big gray horse. As Thompson mounted, Joe hurried toward the
cabin. He picked the bible off the ground and walked toward the gray horse.
“Here,” said Joe, handing the Bible to
Thompson as the man settled on the back of the horse.
Joe nodded in sympathy.
“I’ll have a posse out here again
tomorrow,” Coffee said as the men started to ride away. “Adam, will you and Hoss
and Joe meet us here?”
Adam nodded grimly. “We’ll be here,” he
said. “We’ll meet you here about ten o’clock. We’ve got some chores to take care
of at the ranch first.”
Coffee nodded. “Ten o’clock, it is,” he
said. “Thank you for the help.” The sheriff turned his horse and followed the
rest of the posse. The Cartwrights stood in
silence for a few moments, watching the riders. Finally, Adam sighed. “Come on,”
he said. “Let’s head for home.”
***************
Ben Cartwright was coming out of the barn
when his sons rode into the yard in front of the ranch house. He yelled a
greeting and hurried toward them.
“Did you have any luck?” Ben asked.
“Yeah, all bad,” answered Hoss. “We didn’t
find a trace of that yahoo who has been causing all the trouble. And Fred
Thompson’s place was robbed and burned.”
“Fred Thompson?” said Ben in alarm. “Is he
all right?
“Well, he’s not hurt,” answered Adam. “But
he lost everything. Like the others, he’s going to pack up and clear out.”
“Why would he go after Thompson?” said Ben with a
frown. “I wouldn’t think he had much worth stealing.”
“He didn’t,” replied Adam. “About forty
dollars and a rifle with some silver on it.”
Ben shook his head. “I don’t understand,”
he said. “Whoever is doing this can’t be getting much. He’s hit two small farms,
a mine which was barely producing, and now a hunter without much money. Why
would he do it?”
“I don’t know, Pa,” said Adam with a sigh.
“I just can’t figure it out.”
The snicker of a horse drew the four men’s
attention. They turned to see a rider coming slowly toward the house. The rider
was a big man, wearing a buckskin shirt trimmed with fringe and dark pants. The
man had a gray beard, and long gray hair which curled over the collar of his
shirt. A black hat with a wide brim was perched firmly on his head. Ben looked
at the man curiously. “Can I help you?” he asked as the rider neared the house.
“Ben Cartwright, I’m surprised at you,” the
man said. “I thought you’d recognize an old friend. I didn’t know you’d gone
soft in the head in your old age.”
Ben stared at the man for a moment with a
puzzled expression. Suddenly, his face cleared. “Josh!” Ben shouted with glee.
“Josh Bodine! Is it really you?”
The man grinned and dismounted. “Yeah, it’s
me, Ben,” he said. “Still alive and kicking.”
Ben rushed forward and grabbed the man’s
hand. “Josh,” he said with a huge smile on his face. “I can’t believe it. It’s
good to see you again.”
“Good to see you, too, Ben,” Josh replied.
He looked around. “You really did a nice job building up this spread. Last time
I saw it, it weren’t more than a few acres with a shack.”
“It’s because of you that the Ponderosa
even exists,” said Ben. “If you hadn’t helped me get started and showed me how
to get through the winter, I would have never made it here.”
“Looks like you learned pretty good,” said
Josh.
“The Ponderosa is the biggest -- and best
– ranch in Nevada,” Ben said proudly. “Thanks to you.”
Josh just nodded.
Ben turned back to his sons who were
watching the two old friends in amazement. “Boys, come over here and say hello
to Josh Bodine, the best mountain man in the West. When I first got out here,
Josh helped me settle this land and showed me how to find good grazing. He also
taught me a lot about hunting and fishing.”
Adam hurried forward. “I remember, “ he
said with a smile. “I’m Adam.”
Josh squinted at him. “Adam?” he said.
“Little Adam? You sure have grown up. Last time I saw you, you were skinny
little kid who always had his nose stuck in a book.”
“Well, I still read a lot,” Adam said with
a grin. “But I also hunt and fish like you taught me.”
Ben gestured toward Hoss. “And this is
Hoss. He was hardly more than a toddler when you left,” said Ben.
Josh looked in amazement at the big man who
walked toward him. “Hoss! This can’t be that chubby kid who was always following
me around,” the mountain man said.
“Yep, it’s me,” said Hoss with a grin. “I
never forgot you, Josh. I played with that toy bear you carved for me for years.
I always told Pa I wanted to be big and strong like you when I grew up.”
Josh looked Hoss up and down. “Looks like
you passed me up and then some,” he said with a laugh.
Joe approached the group almost shyly. He
had heard stories about Josh Bodine all his life, but the man was more like a
legend than a flesh and blood human being to him. Joe found it hard to believe
he really existed.
“And this is my youngest, Joseph,” Ben
said, putting his arm around Joe’s shoulders. “He was born after you left.”
Josh studied Joe carefully. “The runt of
the litter, heh,” Josh said in a dismissing tone. “Didn’t know you’d married
again, Ben.”
Ben felt Joe stiffen. He knew how sensitive
Joe was about being younger and smaller than his brothers. Josh’s comment was
sure to get Joe’s back up.
“Yes, I married again,” Ben said abruptly,
trying to prevent Joe from saying anything his son would regret later. “Joe’s
mother was killed in an accident soon after he was born.”
“Must have been a puny thing,” Josh said,
turning away from Joe.
Ben felt Joe’s shoulders tighten. He
squeezed Joe’s shoulder as a warning. “Josh, what brings you back here?” Ben
asked quickly. Ben could feel the anger building in his youngest son.
“Just passing through, Ben,” Josh answered,
unaware of the dark look on Joe’s face. “Been in California for the last couple
of years, but it’s gotten too crowded there. Why, you can’t ride for more than a
day without running into someone. So I decided to look for someplace where a man
can live on his own. Since I was passing this way, I thought I’d stop and visit
for a spell.”
Ben squeezed Joe’s shoulder again and then
released his son. “Josh, why don’t you come into the house,” Ben said. “Dinner
will be ready soon. And maybe we can find some good whiskey for you to sip in
the meantime.”
“Well, thank you, Ben,” Josh said with a
grin. “I was kinda of hoping you’d ask.” Josh tossed the reins of his horse in
Joe’s direction. “Here, boy, why don’t you put up my horse. I don’t expect a
young ‘un like you is much interested in whiskey.”
Joe stood glowering Bodine. He let the
reins fall to the ground and made no attempt to pick them up.
“Adam, Hoss, why don’t you take Josh in the
house,” Ben said hastily. “I’ll join you in a minute.”
“Sure,” said Hoss, aware of the angry look
on Joe’s face. He felt bad about Josh’s comments, but was sure the man hadn’t
meant to be cruel. “Josh, follow me.”
The mountain man strolled toward the house
with Adam and Hoss, ignoring Joe as he passed him. Ben watched in dismay. Ben
turned to Joe. “Joe, I’m sorry about what Josh said,” Ben said softly. “I’m sure
he didn’t mean them the way they sounded.”
Joe said nothing for a moment, then looked
at Ben. “So that’s Josh Bodine,” he said. “He’s not exactly what I expected. I
thought he’d be at least ten feet tall.”
“I guess we have been building him up over
the years,” admitted Ben. “But, Joe, he is one of my oldest friends. I owe him a
lot. Adam and Hoss and I would have never made it through that first winter here
without him.”
Joe just nodded.
“He’s a rough mountain man,” Ben continued.
“Says and does whatever he wants and doesn’t care what people think about him.
He doesn’t always realize how he’s hurting people. He gave me many a
tongue-lashing when I first came out here.”
A wry smile appeared on Joe’s face. “I
would have loved to have seen that,” Joe said.
Ben grinned. “I’m just glad you weren’t
around to see all the mistakes I made when I got here,” he said. Then Ben turned
serious. “Joe, I would appreciate your forgetting what Josh said.”
Joe looked at his father. “All right,” he
said grudgingly. “For your sake, I’ll try.”
Ben patted Joe on the back. “Thank you,” he
said. “Would you mind putting up Josh’s horse?”
Joe nodded. “Yeah, I’ll take care of the
horse,” Joe said. He grinned suddenly. “Maybe you can find me a sasperilla when
I’m done.”
“Oh, I think we can do a little better than
that,” replied Ben with a smile. “And, Joe, thank you again.”
Joe walked back to the house slowly after
stabling Josh’s horse. He had taken his time caring the for horse, reluctant to
join the men inside the house. As Ben asked, he tried to forget the mountain
man’s earlier comments, but it rankled Joe to be dismissed as a kid. He had just
turned twenty, and considered himself grown. Josh’s comment about his mother
bothered him also. Joe tried to make himself like the man who was obviously
highly thought of by his father and brothers. But he knew it would be difficult.
He had already decided Josh Bodine was someone he didn’t care to be around. Joe
entered the house and saw that Josh was sprawled in Ben’s favorite chair by the
fire. The mountain man had a glass of whiskey in his hand. Ben was standing near
the fireplace, with a glass in his hand also. Adam and Hoss were sitting on the
sofa. They looked over their shoulders as Joe walked in.
“Joe, how about joining us for a whiskey?”
Ben said pointedly as Joe strolled over to the group.
Josh raised his eyebrows in surprise as Joe
walked over to the low table in front of the fireplace. But he said nothing as
Joe poured himself a small drink of whiskey from the bottle on the table.
“Josh was just telling us about
California,” Hoss said as he watched Joe settle himself into the blue chair near
the stairs. He hoped Josh wouldn’t say anything more to upset Joe. He wanted his
younger brother to like the mountain man as much as he did.
“What part of California were you in?” Joe
asked politely, sipping his drink.
“All over,” Josh said. “Saw the ocean more
times than you can imagine. Also saw some trees that were as wide as this house
and over a hundred feet tall.”
“You’re making that up,” said Adam with a
grin.
“No, I ain’t,” Josh said. “They’re big
redwood trees, hundreds of years old.” Then Josh shook his head. “Course, folks
have cut some down,” he added in disgust. “It ain’t right the way some people
just come in and spoil what nature took a hundred years to make.”
“Well, it’s unfortunate that some of the
land has to be cleared,” said Ben. “But I guess that’s the price of progress.”
“Progress!” Josh spat out. “Ain’t progress,
Ben. Just laziness. People don’t care what they do to the land.”
“Where you headed?” said Hoss, trying to
change the subject.
“No place in particular, “ Josh said. “I
was thinking about staying around here for a spell, but don’t think I’ll do that
now.”
“Why not?” asked Adam.
“Seen what’s happened to this part of the
country,” said Josh. “Don’t like it much. Too many people.”
“You’re going to have a hard time finding
someplace without people,” said Joe wryly. “There’s new settlers coming all the
time.”
“I know,” said Josh wearily. “Them
tenderfoots are the worst. They cut down trees and mess up the land. Then, when
they decide they don’t like it or they can’t make it work, they move on. And
leave the spoiled land behind.”
“Do you still do much hunting?” asked Ben.
“When I can,” said Josh. “Not much game
left. Things have been pretty slim for me over the past couple of years. That’s
why I’m trying to find someplace where I can hunt like I did before.”
“Well, I hope you’ll plan on spending a
little time with us,” said Adam.
Josh looked at him and smiled. “I guess I
can spare a few days,” he said.
Dinner was a lively affair for most of the
Cartwrights. Josh kept them laughing with stories of his adventures over the
years. Ben added to the gaiety by telling them stories of his first few years in
Nevada, and all the problems he had. Josh added a few stories of his own about
the early days. Joe sat quietly during
dinner, saying nothing and only occasionally joining in the laughter. He still
didn’t feel good about Josh Bodine. Josh, for his part, ignored Joe completely.
“Josh, I hope you’ll stay with us,” said
Ben as dinner ended.
“Well, I’ll stay tonight since it’s getting
late. But I got a little camp set up in the woods,” said Josh. “Got a few furs
and other things up there. Don’t want to leave it alone too long.” Josh turned
to Adam and Hoss. “You boys want to go hunting with me tomorrow?”
“Joe’s a pretty good hunter, too,” said
Hoss hastily. Josh looked at Joe and just nodded.
“We can’t go hunting anyway,” added Adam.
“We have to ride with the posse tomorrow.”
“Posse?” Josh said in surprise. “What’s
that all about.”
“Somebody has been raiding the small places
in the hills,” said Ben grimly. “Looting the places and then burning them. We’re
trying to help the sheriff catch whoever is doing this.”
“You are?” said Josh. “Wouldn’t think that
would be any of your concern.”
“It is,” said Ben. “These are our
neighbors, Josh. And one of the things you taught me was you help each other out
around here.”
Josh nodded thoughtfully.
“Hey, Josh, why don’t you come with us
tomorrow?” asked Hoss.
“That’s a good idea,” said Adam. “We could
use somebody who really knows how to track. We haven’t had much luck finding a
trail.”
“Maybe Josh would prefer to hunt tomorrow,”
said Joe quietly. He was dismayed at the thought of having Bodine ride with
them.
“Nah, that’s all right,” said Josh. “Ain’t
much hunting around here. I already seen that. I’ll go with you boys and see
what I can do to help.”
“Great!” said Ben with a grin. “I’ll feel
better if you’re along to watch over my sons.”
“Ben, I’ll watch ‘em like a hawk,” promised
Josh.
**********
Joe
was up early the next morning. He wanted to eat breakfast and start work before
the others came down. Mostly, he wanted to avoid having to spend more time with
Josh Bodine. He knew his dislike of the man was unreasonable, but something
about the mountain man rubbed him the wrong way. His father and brothers liked
and admired Josh, and Joe wished he felt the same way. But he didn’t. So he
decided the best course of action was just to avoid the man as much as possible.
He didn’t want to spoil what seemed to be a happy reunion for the others. Joe
was finishing repairing a bridle in the tack room when he heard Hoss calling his
name. “In here,” Joe shouted as fixed the last straps of leather on the bridle.
Hoss came into the tack room a few minutes later.
“There you are, little brother,” Hoss said. “I’ve been looking all over for you.
We’re getting ready to leave.”
“I’ll be with you in a minute,” said Joe. He pulled on the bridle one more time
to make sure the repairs would hold and then hung it on a peg.
“We
missed you at breakfast,” said Hoss as he watched Joe.
“I
had a lot to do,” replied Joe with a shrug. “I wanted to get everything done
before we rode out.”
“You’re not still upset over what Josh said yesterday, are you?” asked Hoss.
When Joe didn’t answer, Hoss continued. “He didn’t mean anything by it, Joe.
That’s just his way.”
Joe
merely nodded.
“Josh is a good man,” Hoss added. “And one of Pa’s oldest friends. I was hoping
you’d like him.”
Joe
brushed his hands on his pants. “We’d better get going,” he said and walked past
Hoss out the door. Hoss sighed and followed his brother.
Two hours later, the posse was searching the hills
for some sign of the man who had burned the four cabins. Sheriff Coffee had been
delighted when Adam introduced Josh to him and explained who he was. He had
heard stories about Josh Bodine over the years, and was happy to have his help.
The other men in the posse also knew of Josh Bodine. They greeted the mountain
man with respect.
The
posse was spread out in the hills, and Joe was riding by himself. He searched
the ground carefully, looking for tracks. So far, he had seen nothing
suspicious. Joe pulled his horse to a stop when he spotted some broken branches
tossed carelessly into the bushes. He dismounted and carefully studied the
ground. The ground was swept clean, as if someone had dragged the branches over
their tracks. Joe followed the marks of the branches, carefully guiding his
horse behind him so the animal wouldn’t walk on the brushing. He followed the
marks for several yards and was about to give up when he saw some hoof prints in
a patch of mud. The branches hadn’t wiped out the prints. More importantly, he
could tell the rider had doubled back and headed off to Joe’s right, into the
woods.
Joe
pulled his gun from his holster and fired two shots into the air. If the man
they were seeking had made the tracks, Joe knew it wasn’t a good idea to go
after him alone. Joe waited patiently and soon the rest of the posse joined
him.
“Did you find something?” asked Hoss as he rode up.
Joe
nodded. “Found some tracks,” he said. “Looks like someone tried to brush them
out, but he missed the ones in the mud. Not only that, but the man doubled
back.” Joe pointed into the woods. “Looks like he rode off in that direction.”
“Let me take a look,” said Josh, dismounting. Josh walked over to Joe and knelt
down, peering closely at the tracks in the mud. After a minute, the mountain man
stood.
“Them ain’t the tracks you want,” he said, shaking his head. “Those are old
tracks, maybe a week or so.”
“They look pretty fresh to me,” said Joe doubtfully.
“I’ve been tracking for more than forty years,” Josh said indignantly. “I think
I can tell fresh tracks when I see them.”
Joe
looked at the tracks again. They still seem pretty fresh to him. “Maybe we ought
to follow them anyway,” he said. “Just to be sure.”
“Waste of time, boy” Josh said. “More than likely just a hunter, maybe the
fellow that got burned out.”
“I
still think we ought to follow them,” Joe insisted.
“Joe, if Josh says those aren’t the tracks we want, then they aren’t,” Adam
said. He was sitting on his horse, a few yards away.
“How can you be sure?” argued Joe. “You haven’t even seen them.”
“Because Josh here is one of the best trackers I know,” said Adam patiently.
“Come on, we’re wasting time. While we’re arguing, that outlaw could be getting
away.”
“I
agree with Adam,” said Roy Coffee from his horse. “Let’s forget these tracks.”
Josh walked back to his horse and mounted. “I’ve been thinking,” he said. “I
think we should try the other side of the ridge. There’s some places there where
a fellow could hole up. We ought to check those out.”
“Good idea,” said Coffee. “Josh, why don’t you lead the way.”
The
men in the posse turned their horses and started away, following Josh through
the trees. Hoss stopped his horse and looked back at Joe. Joe was still staring
off into the woods. “Coming, little brother?” he asked.
Joe
hesitated. He was sure he was right and Josh was wrong about the tracks. But no
one else agreed with him. But he wasn’t confident enough to follow the tracks on
his own. Finally, Joe shrugged his shoulders and mounted his horse. “Yeah, I’m
coming,” he said reluctantly. The posse spent
the rest of the day searching out caves and clearings that Josh showed them.
They found no sign of anyone hiding there. Finally, Roy Coffee called a halt to
the search.
“We’re getting nowhere,” said the sheriff. “I think we’ll have to give it up.”
“We
could go back and check those tracks I found,” said Joe.
“Joe, will you quit about those tracks!” said Adam heatedly. “Josh already told
you that those were too old.”
“But we haven’t found anything else,” Joe argued. “It couldn’t hurt to look
again.”
“Boy, I done told you those weren’t the tracks we want,” Josh said.
“I
agree with Josh,” said the sheriff. “Joe, those tracks don’t mean a thing.”
“You didn’t even see them,” Joe said bitterly.
“No, I didn’t,” replied Coffee, his voice rising in anger. “I didn’t need to. If
Josh Bodine says those aren’t the tracks, that’s good enough for me.” The
sheriff turned back to the rest of the posse. “Thank you for looking,” he said.
“I’ll let you know if we find anything else. But for now, I’m going to call off
the search.”
The
men nodded and started to drift away. Coffee turned back to Bodine. “Josh, I
appreciate your help,” he said.
“Anytime,” the mountain man said.
Coffee nodded and rode away.
Adam turned to Josh. “How about having supper with us?” he asked.
Josh shook his head. “No, I’d better go check on my camp,” he said. He looked at
Joe, who was still glowering. “Besides, I don’t think I’d be too welcome
tonight.”
Hoss shifted uncomfortably in his saddle. “Josh, you’re welcome anytime,” he
said. “Ain’t that right, Joe?”
Joe
looked up at his brother with a startled expression. He knew how much his
brothers and father liked Josh. Joe chewed his lip for a minute, then mumbled,
“Yeah, you’re welcome to come with us.” Joe didn’t wait for the mountain man’s
reply. He turned his horse and rode off.
“Don’t think that boy likes me much,” Josh remarked as he watched Joe ride
away.
“Aw, Joe just gets hot sometimes,” said Hoss. “He’ll get over it.”
“How about it, Josh?” pressed Adam. “Want to join us?”
Josh shook his head. “No, I really do need to check on my camp,” he said. “And I
want to do some hunting tomorrow.” He grinned at Adam. “Want to come with me? As
I recall, you were a pretty good shot.”
Adam sighed. “I wish we could,” he said
regretfully. “But riding with the posse has really put us behind at the ranch.
We have a lot to do tomorrow.”
“Josh, how about joining us for dinner
tomorrow night?” asked Hoss. “I’ll bet I can talk Hop Sing into fixing some
chicken and dumplings.”
“Chicken and dumplings, eh?” said Josh with
a smile. “Why, Hoss, I think I’ll just take you up on that. I really like
chicken and dumplings.”
“Not as much as Hoss does,” said Adam with
a wry smile. “He’ll use any excuse to get Hop Sing to cook that meal.”
“Well, then, you’d better tell your cook to
make a lot,” Josh said. “Because between Hoss and me, there ain’t gonna be much
left for the rest of you.”
The men laughed. “See you tomorrow,” Hoss
said with a wave. He and Adam turned their horses and rode off. Josh watched
them thoughtfully for a minute, then turned his horse and rode in the other
direction.
***********
The dinner table seemed quiet that night.
It really wasn’t any quieter than usual, but without Josh’s booming voice and
amusing stories, the meal seemed awfully tame. Hoss and Adam told Ben about the
posse’s fruitless search while Joe ate in silence. Ben shook his head. “It’s
too bad that Josh couldn’t find any sign of that man,” Ben said. “If Josh
couldn’t find anything, my guess is the fellow has pulled out.”
“We didn’t check out those tracks I found,”
said Joe quietly.
“Joe, will you let up about those tracks,”
said Adam in exasperation.
“What tracks?” asked Ben.
“I found some tracks near Willow Ridge,”
explained Joe. “They showed where someone doubled back and then rode off into
the woods.”
“Why didn’t you follow them?” Ben asked.
“Pa, Josh said those tracks were too old,”
replied Hoss. “He said they had been there more than a week. Fred Thompson’s
place was burned yesterday.”
“I still think we should have followed
them,” Joe said.
“Joe, if Josh said the tracks were too old,
you would have been wasting your time,” said Ben.
“I don’t think those tracks were a week
old,” Joe said.
“Joe, why don’t you just admit you were
wrong,” said Adam.
“Because I’m not wrong,” insisted Joe.
“You’ve had your back up about Josh ever
since he got here,” said Hoss. “You’re still mad about what he said.”
“No, it’s not that,” said Joe.
“Josh is one of the best trackers in the
country,” said Ben. “I find it hard to believe he could be wrong.”
“Pa, he could have made a mistake,” said
Joe. “He’s not a young man any more. Maybe his eyes aren’t as good as they used
to be.”
“He’s not that much older than me,” said
Ben, bristling at the comment.
“Yeah, but your eyes are real good,” said
Joe with a grin. “Too good, sometimes.”
Ben laughed.
“It’s not just the tracks,” Joe continued,
his voice growing serious. “You heard what he said about people messing up the
land.”
“What’s that got to do with anything?”
asked Adam.
“We haven’t been able to figure out why
someone would be burning out those places,” said Joe. “Maybe it’s someone who
has a grudge against those people for spoiling the land.”
“You’re not saying Josh is doing this?”
said Ben in alarm. “Joe, I’ve known him for a long time. Josh isn’t the kind of
man who would do something like this.”
“Little brother, I think you’re letting your hot head get the better of you,” added Hoss.
“You’d better not say something like that without
proof.”
“I don’t have any proof,” admitted Joe.
“Just a feeling.”
“Well, I think you’d better keep your
feelings to yourself,” said Ben in a stern voice. “I won’t have you accusing a
guest of mine based on a feeling.”
“Josh won’t take kindly to your calling him
a thief,” added Adam.
“I’m not calling him a thief,” said Joe,
his voice rising in anger. “But I do think he was acting kind of strange
today.”
“Strange?” said Adam, his voice also
rising. “Why? Just because you didn’t agree with him about the tracks. Don’t you
think that’s a bit of a stretch?”
“Joe, you don’t know those tracks were
fresh,” added Hoss.
“Oh, now you’re getting in on it,” shouted
Joe. “You didn’t even bother to look. You just took the word of the mighty,
can’t-do-anything wrong Josh Bodine.”
“That’s enough!” Ben boomed. He slammed his
hand on the table. “I want you all to be quiet!”
Adam, Hoss and Joe all looked at their
father. When he used that tone of voice, they knew he meant business.
“Now, Joe,” Ben said, his a calmer voice.
“You don’t know for sure that Josh was wrong about those tracks.”
“But….”Joe started
“I said be quiet,” Ben said sternly.
“You’ve had your say. Now it’s my turn. You say you think Josh had something to
do with those raids. But you have no proof. Until you have something more
substantial than a ‘feeling’, you will not say anything to anyone about this. Is
that clear?”
“Yes sir,” Joe said in a low voice. Joe
lowered his eyes and stared at his plate.
“If you are finished eating, you may leave
the table,” Ben continued, his voice displaying his displeasure with his
youngest son.
“Yes sir,” Joe repeated. He wiped his mouth
with his napkin, and threw the cloth on the table. Then he pushed back his chair
and marched out of the room. Ben watched Joe leave the table and climb the
stairs to his bedroom. He shook his head. “Joe really has it in for Josh,
doesn’t he?” Ben said sadly.
“He sure does,” said Adam.
“Aw, you know Joe,” Hoss said in a
conciliatory voice. “He’ll get over it.”
“Joe usually likes everyone,” Ben said. “I
really thought he’d like Josh, too. I don’t understand how he can accuse Josh of
these raids. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t know Josh as well as we do. If he
did, he’d see how outrageous his suggestion is that Josh might be involved.”
“Well, Joe can be stubborn sometimes,” said
Adam. “Josh hurt his feelings. Joe isn’t willing to forgive him.”
“I owe Josh a lot for helping us get started here,” said Ben firmly. “I’m not going to let Joe tarnish our friendship with his wild accusations. His friendship is too important to me.”
**********
The next day, Joe managed to find some work
to do away from his father and brothers. He was still fuming over the argument
last night, feeling that he had been treated unfairly. He decided that taking
his anger out on fixing fences was better…and wiser…than taking it out on his
father. He pounded the nails into the fence harder than usual, and with each
stroke, felt his anger fading. By the time he returned home in the middle of the
afternoon, his temper had cooled considerably. Joe rode back to the house,
prepared to apologize to his family for his outburst. However, he was surprised
to Sheriff Coffee standing in the yard, talking to Ben, Adam and Hoss when he
rode in. Joe pulled his horse to a stop and dismounted, looping the reins around
the hitching post in front of the house. Then he walked over to the men.
“Roy, what are you doing here?” he asked
curiously.
“Hello, Joe,” Sheriff Coffee said. “I was
just telling your Pa that another place got hit by that outlaw today.”
“Another place?” Joe said in surprise.
“Where?”
“Ed Brown’s place,” replied Coffee. Joe
frowned, trying to remember who Ed Brown was.
Coffee saw the frown. “He’s got a small
farm up in the hills,” explained the sheriff. “Been here only about a month or
so. Just started clearing the land.”
“Was it the same way as before?” asked
Hoss.
“Same way,” said Coffee. “Ed was hit on the
head as he came out of his cabin. He woke up in the woods, tied up and gagged.
Took him a couple of hours to get loose. When he got back to the cabin, the
place was burned to the ground.”
Adam shook his head. “I just don’t
understand it,” he said. “Who could be doing this?”
“I don’t know, Adam,” admitted the sheriff.
“Ed just got to town a little while ago and told me about it. It’s too late to
go looking for tracks now. It’d be dark by the time we got out there. I was
hoping you boys would go with me tomorrow.”
“We’ll be there,” said Hoss. “Josh Bodine
is coming to dinner tonight. I’ll ask him to join us.”
“Good, we can use him,” said Coffee. He
didn’t see the look of distaste that crossed Joe’s face.
“Well, I’d better be getting back to town,”
the sheriff said as he walked toward his horse. “I’ll meet you boys up by
Wilson’s Glen tomorrow morning.” Adam and Hoss nodded.
Ben waved as Roy rode off, then turned to
his sons. “You’d better get cleaned up for dinner,” he said. “And Joe, I expect
you to be civil to Josh.”
Joe nodded and walked into the house.
“Pa, you don’t think Josh had anything to
do with this, do you?” asked Hoss in a worried voice.
Ben shook his head. “No, I don’t,” Ben said
firmly.
Joe kept his promise and said nothing to
upset the Cartwright’s guest at dinner. In fact, he said nothing at all during
the meal. He listened to Josh boast of his hunting exploits and tell stories of
his travel. He ate in silence as Adam and Hoss tried to outdo each other with
tales about Josh when they were little. Ben added a few stories of his own. By
the time the meal was over, everyone except Joe was smiling. Josh finally
noticed that Joe wasn’t joining in the merriment. “What’s the matter, boy?” he
asked. “Cat got your tongue?”
“Joe had a hard day,” said Ben quickly,
tossing a meaningful look at his youngest son. Joe just shrugged.
“Josh, we need you to go out with the posse
again tomorrow,” Adam said, changing the subject hastily.
“Oh?” said Josh. He waited for Adam to
continue.
“Another farm in the hills was attacked
today,” said Adam. “We’re going with the posse tomorrow to look for tracks.”
“We could sure use you,” added Hoss.
“Sure, I’ll come for awhile,” said Josh. “I
was planning on leaving tomorrow, but I can spend the morning with you fellas if
you want.”
“It’s too bad about those places in the
hills,” Joe said pointedly. “All those people are leaving. They got wiped out.
And after they all spent time working the land.”
“Serves ‘em right,” Josh said. “Spoiling
the land, like that. They deserve to get burned out.”
“Josh, I’m surprised to hear you say that,”
Ben said. “I mean, you helped me clear the land for the Ponderosa.”
“You’re different, Ben,” replied Josh. “You
only cleared the bottom land, not the hills.”
“But we have a timber operation in the
hills,” said Adam.
“Yep, I’ve heard about it,” said Josh.
“Every time you cut down a tree, you plant another. These yahoo’s, they just cut
down the trees and tear up the hills. They don’t replace nothing.”
“Josh, you wouldn’t do anything about it,
would you?” asked Hoss with a frown.
“Me?” Josh said. He seemed startled that
Hoss would ask such a question. “No, I wouldn’t, Hoss,” Josh said quickly.
Hoss looked at Joe with a I-told-you-so
expression. Joe gazed back as his brother with a steady look in his eye.
“Josh, I’m sorry to hear you’re leaving,”
said Ben, his voice tinged with sadness.
“Got to, Ben,” he said. “I got to find me a
place where I can hunt and trap. Ain’t any place like that around here. Not any
more, leastwise.”
Ben nodded. “You’re right about that,” he
said. “But I was hoping you’d visit with us a bit longer.”
“Been here for long enough, Ben,” answered
Josh. “We’ll have a nice long chat tonight, and tomorrow, I’ll ride out with
your boys. I’ll try and help them, then be on my way.”
“I’m sorry to see you go,” said Ben.
“Me, too,” replied Josh. “It’s been a real
interesting visit.”
**********
Joe stayed in the barn while Ben was saying
his farewells to Josh the next morning. He knew how his father felt about the
mountain man, and he didn’t want to spoil things. He also knew he was happy to
see Josh leaving. Joe brushed his pinto hard,
waiting for his brothers and Josh to leave. He had decided not to go with them
this morning and told Hoss to leave with out him. Joe had other plans.
Joe looked up as he heard the barn door open. Ben
walked in and looked around.
“Joe?” said Ben. “Are you in here?”
“Over here, Pa,” Joe answered from the
stall.
Ben walked over to the stall, and looked
in. He frowned as he saw Joe was brushing his horse. “I thought Hoss said
Cochise had a stone bruise,” he said. “He said you were staying behind to take
care of it.”
“That’s what I told Hoss,” answered Joe, as
he put the brush on the edge of the stall. He picked up a saddle and blanket and
threw them over the pinto. Then he started buckling the girth.
“I don’t understand,” Ben said. “If your
horse has a stone bruise, why are you saddling him?”
Joe turned to Ben. “I told Hoss a little
white lie,” he admitted. “Cochise is fine. I just didn’t want to ride with the
posse today.”
“Because of Josh,” Ben said, not really
asking a question.
Joe nodded.
“Joe, I wish you would get it out of your
head that Josh is somehow mixed up with these attacks,” Ben said.
“Pa, I know how you feel about him,”
answered Joe. “But I know how I feel, too. There’s just too many coincidences.”
“Coincidences?” said Ben.
“The attacks didn’t start until Josh showed
up,” said Joe.
“That’s not true,” said Ben. “He arrived at
the Ponderosa after the Thompson place was attacked.”
“We don’t know when Josh got here,” said
Joe. “He said he had some furs from hunting. He could have been here for weeks
before he came by the house. He deliberately led the posse away from those
tracks I found. And yesterday, when he wasn’t with us, the Brown place was
burned.”
“Joe…” Ben started.
“Pa, I know what you’re going to say,” Joe
interrupted. “Josh Bodine is a fine man. He helped you get started. He’s your
friend, as well as Adam’s and Hoss’. And I don’t have any proof. Well, I’m going
up to Willow Creek and follow those tracks I saw. Maybe that will lead me to
some proof.”
Ben shook his head. “Joe, I think you’re
wrong,” he said. “I’ve known Josh Bodine for a long time. He would never do
something like this.”
“And you haven’t seen him for more than
twenty years,” replied Joe. “Pa, people change. You heard Josh at dinner last
night, what he said about those people getting what they deserve.”
“Yes, and I also heard him say he wouldn’t
do anything like this,” Ben said.
“You don’t expect him to admit it, do you?”
Joe said. “He’s said a couple of times how much he resents people tearing up the
land. You heard Adam say he couldn’t figure out why this fellow is raiding the
small places. I think it’s because he resents the homesteaders taking away his
wilderness. The way Josh resents them.”
Ben hesitated. He didn’t know what to say.
Joe led his horse out of the stall. “I’m
going up to Willow Creek and look around,” he said. “Maybe I’ll find nothing.
But maybe I’ll find something to show you that you’re all wrong about Josh
Bodine.”
Ben watched as Joe led his horse out of the
barn, and mounted in the yard. He was thinking about what Joe said as his son
rode off. Ben frowned. Joe is wrong, he thought. I’m sure Joe is making a
mistake. However, a small seed of doubt had
been planted in Ben. But what if he’s not, Ben thought. He quickly dismissed the
thought. He was convinced he knew Josh Bodine well enough to know he couldn’t be
involved in these raids. Suddenly, another
thought struck Ben. What if Josh and Joe ran into each other up on Willow Ridge?
Ben knew that Josh would react badly if Joe accused him of attacking those small
holdings. The confrontation could get ugly. Ben knew how tough the mountain man
was. He had seen Josh Bodine take on five men single handed and beat them all.
Joe wouldn’t stand a chance against him alone.
*************
Joe rode rapidly to Willow Creek, wanting
to get there while Josh was still with the posse. He felt bad about what he had
said to his father, but only because it distressed Ben. He was sure he was right
about Josh Bodine. He hoped he could find something to tie Josh to the attacks.
If so, he wanted to have a posse with him when they arrested Bodine. He had no
desire to try and take the man in all by himself. Joe quickly found the muddy
patch where he had seen the tracks. He started off into the woods, in the
direction the tracks pointed. The tracks disappeared after a few feet, but Joe
wasn’t surprised. If Bodine was making the tracks, he would try to hide them.
Joe kept riding further into the woods, looking for signs. He was about to admit
defeat when he saw some new tracks. It was apparent no one tried to hide these
markings. Probably the rider thought no one would follow him this deep into the
wilderness. Joe followed the tracks for almost half a mile. He pulled his horse
to a stop when he saw the camp ahead of him. A small shelter, open on three
sides, was built into the hill. A large piece of canvas, supported by two tall
poles, covered the rough lean-to. The remains of a campfire sat a yard or so in
front of the shelter. Joe dismounted and tied his horse to a branch. He pulled
his gun from his holster and looked around cautiously. The camp seemed
deserted. Joe walked slowly toward the shelter, looking around as he walked. No
one seemed to be in the camp. Joe could see two bundles of furs, a canvas sack,
and a rifle inside the shelter. He crept closer, his senses alert for any
sound.
Joe
ducked inside the shelter, and put his gun back in his holster. He picked up the
rifle and looked at it carefully. The rifle has some silver scrolls on the
stock…just like Fred Thompson had described his rifle. Joe put the rifle down
and knelt beside the canvass sack. He pulled it open and started looking through
the things inside. It was filled with camping gear – a plate, cup, coffee pot
-- and what looked like some bags of coffee and beans. Joe dug further into
the sack and pulled out a small leather pouch, the kind with a flap coming over
the top to close it. Joe opened the flap. Inside were some papers and some
money. Joe pulled the papers out and started looking through them. All were
receipts for the sale of a horse to a stable over in Gold Hill. There were five
receipts in all. Joe remember that each of the five places that were ransacked
had horses stolen. He looked at the names on the bills of sale. Each bill of
sale had the named Josh Bodine as the individual who had sold the horse.
Joe smiled in satisfaction. He stuffed the papers
inside his jacket and put the pouch back into the sack. Then he picked up the
rifle. Joe felt he had the proof he needed to have Josh Bodine arrested.
Joe
stood and walked out of the lean-to. He was heading back toward his horse when
he heard the sound of a rifle being cocked. He was starting to pull his gun out
of his holster when the shot rang out. Joe felt a blow to his ribs that spun him
around. He felt a searing pain in the left side of his chest as he hit the
ground. He pushed his right hand against the dirt, trying desperately to get to
his feet, but fell back to the ground as a wave of intense pain radiated through
him. Joe wanted to get into the safety of the bushes, knowing his attacker must
be near. He tried again to move his body. But the pain was too great. He
struggled against the feeling of weakness which was beginning to overwhelm him
but the effort was futile. Finally, he gave up the struggle and let himself sink
into a pool of blackness.
Josh Bodine pushed the branches aside and walked out of the woods. He walked
slowly toward Joe, looking around for anyone else who might be with Joe.
Satisfied that Joe was alone, he walked over to the body on the ground. Joe was
sprawled on his back, and his eyes were closed. Blood was oozing out of a wound
in the area of Joe’s ribs. Josh nudged Joe with his toe and was surprised to
hear a small groan. Must be getting old, he thought. Used to be he could count
on only needing one shot to kill his prey. Josh aimed his rifle at Joe’s head
and levered a bullet into the chamber. I’ll finish this once and for all, and
then head out, he thought.
“Hold it!” a voice cried as Josh aimed his
rifle at Joe’s head. Josh looked up in surprise. Ben Cartwright was standing
about ten yards away, his pistol cocked and aimed directly at Josh.
“Drop it, Josh!” Ben shouted. “Drop it
right now!”
Josh continued to stand over Joe, rifle
aimed downward.
“I don’t think so, Ben,” said Josh evenly.
“Drop the rifle or I’ll shoot,” Ben
shouted.
“We have an interesting situation here,
Ben,” Josh said. “The question is, can you kill me before I pull this trigger.
Because if you don’t, I’m going to blow your son’s head off.”
Ben continued to hesitate. “If I drop my
gun, you’ll kill Joe anyway,” Ben said.
“No, I won’t,” Josh replied. “You drop your
gun, and I won’t shoot. But if you fire, I swear I’ll kill the boy.
Ben looked at Joe, lying on the ground,
bleeding and helpless. “How do I know you won’t kill him anyway?” Ben asked.
“I give you my word, Ben,” Josh said. “You
drop your gun, and I promise I won’t shoot him again. I may be a lot of other
things, but I ain’t a liar. My word is still good. I ain’t sunk so low as to go
back on that.”
Ben continued to hesitate, still unsure
what to do. He was afraid if he dropped his gun, Josh would kill Joe. But he
also knew if he fired and didn’t kill Josh instantly, Josh would also fire his
rifle…right into Joe’s head.
“What we got here is a Mexican stand-off,” Josh said. “Now as far as I’m
concerned, we can stand here all day. But your boy is bleeding pretty bad. While
we’re standing here talking, he could bleed to death.”
Ben
looked closer at Joe. He could see a large patch of dark red spreading over
Joe’s shirt. Ben knew he had no choice. He slowly uncocked his gun and laid it
on the ground. Josh pulled the rifle up and pointed it at Ben. Ben wondered if
Josh were going to kill him. Josh looked as if he was considering the idea for a
minute, then he gestured with the rifle.
“All right, Ben, you can come over here to
your boy,” Josh said.
Ben rushed forward and knelt next to Joe. He pulled Joe’s shirt open and winced at the bullet hole high up on Joe’s side. Ben untied the bandanna from around his neck and quickly covered the wound. He put pressure on the wound, hoping to stop the bleeding. Joe moaned softly as Ben pressed down. Josh watched Ben for a minute as Ben tended to his son. Then Josh turned and walked rapidly to the lean-to. He grabbed the canvass sack and slung it over his shoulder. He stopped briefly to pick up the rifle Joe had dropped and then walked back to Ben.
“All right, Ben, that’s enough,” said Josh. “You’re coming with me. I want to
make sure that posse don’t give me any trouble.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Ben said, not bothering to turn around. “I’m going to
stay and help Joe. You go on and get out of here.”
Josh shook his head. “Sorry, Ben, but I need you,” he said. With a quick motion,
he crashed his rifle into the back of Ben’s head. Ben crumpled to the ground.
Ben
lay unconscious in the saddle, his head resting on the buckskin’s neck and his
arms on either side of the mane. Josh looked at him for a moment, making sure
Ben was still out, then walked back into the woods to get his own horse. He saw
Joe’s pinto tied to a tree. He untied the horse and slapped it on the rear,
sending the animal running down the trail. Then he walked over to his own horse
and led it back to the camp. He picked up the canvass sack and the rifle
decorated with silver, and tied both to the back of his saddle.
**********
The
dark mists swirling around Ben slowly faded away. His head hurt; it hurt more
than he could ever remember. Ben squeezed his eyes, trying to get his vision
into focus. He felt dizzy, and his stomach felt queasy. Ben took several deep
breaths, and gradually, the dizziness began to fade. His eyes began to focus.
Ben was aware that his hands were tied and he was sitting astride a moving
horse. Ben lifted his head and looked around. For a moment, he was confused
about where he was. Then he saw Josh’s big black hat and buckskin shirt on the
horse ahead of him. Suddenly, everything came back to Ben in a rush.
“Josh!” Ben shouted looking around.
“Where’s Joe?”
Josh pulled his horse to a stop and turned
the animal to face Ben.
“So you’re finally awake,” Josh said. “I was afraid I hit you too hard.”
“Where’s Joe?” Ben repeated, his voice in a panic.
“I left him back at the camp,” Josh said.
“Left him?” Ben said incredulously. “You
mean, you just rode away? You left him there to die?”
“I promised I wouldn’t shoot him again,
Ben,” said Josh. “And I kept my word. I never said I wouldn’t leave him.”
Ben began to struggle on the saddle. “Josh,
we have to go back!” Ben shouted. “We have to help Joe.”
“Ben, we can’t go back,” said Josh. “That
posse is getting close. I saw some smoke awhile back, a lot of smoke. The only
thing I can figure is the posse is on my trail.”
“Then, let me go back,” Ben pleaded. “I
promise I won’t send the posse after you. Please, let me go to my son.”
“Sorry, Ben,” Josh said with a shake of his
head. “I can’t do that. I need you in case that posse catches up with me. I need
you to make sure that posse don’t take me back.”
“Please, Josh,” Ben begged. “Please let me
go to my son.”
“Ben, I can’t,” said Josh. “Besides,
there’s no point to it. The boy’s dead by now or will be soon. You’ve been out
over two hours. It would take you another two hours to get back. Four hours? The
way that boy was bleeding, he’ll be dead in four hours. Less than that if some
animal, like a bear or a cougar, smells the blood and gets to him first.”
Ben struggled against the leather ties.
“Please, Josh, please!” he cried. “I let me go back and help my boy! Please.”
“Ben, I need you more than he does,” Josh
said. “Your son is dead.”
Ben slumped in the saddle. He knew Josh was
probably right. Ben’s shoulders began to shake as his grief took hold. His son
was dead. Josh Bodine had killed his son.
“Why, Josh?” Ben said in a choked voice.
“Why did you have to kill Joe? You didn’t harm any of the others.”
“None of the others could identify me,”
Josh answered. “If I didn’t stop that boy of yours, he’d have told the law about
me. I’d spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder. I don’t want to live
like that.”
Ben shook his head. “Josh, it’s all so
pointless,” he said a low voice. “You couldn’t have gotten much, and yet you
ruined so many lives. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Don’t need much,” Josh said. “I just
needed enough to get me some supplies and things to tide me over until I can
find someplace to hunt and live like I used to.”
“But you burned out those people…wiped them
out,” Ben protested.
“Well, that was just sort of an added
benefit,” Josh said. “The first one, that was an accident. Knocked over a lamp
when I was searching the place. But I heard the fella lit out, and I got to
thinking. I could do me some good and get rid of some of those varmints who were
tearing up the land at the same time. So I burned the rest of them out.”
Ben put his head down again as thoughts of
Joe overwhelmed him. “And you shot my son, killed him for a few dollars,” Ben
said in a voice that could be barely heard.
“Didn’t kill him because of the money,”
Josh insisted. “I had to make sure he wouldn’t talk to the law. Good thing it
weren’t Adam or Hoss. Don’t know if I could have it done it if it were one of
your other boys. I got a deep feeling for those boys. Didn’t care much for your
youngest, though.”
Ben’s grief grew. Joe had died because Josh
didn’t like him, Ben thought. It was all so petty. Ben felt tears forming in his
eyes. Josh watched Ben in sympathy for a few
minutes. He didn’t feel especially bad about killing Joe, but he hated the grief
he had caused his old friend. “I’m sorry, Ben,” Josh said softly.
Ben
raised his head. Tears glistened in his eyes. But the look of grief turned
quickly to another expression. Josh shuddered at the look of pure hate on Ben’s
face.
Josh turned his horse and started back down the trail, leading Ben’s horse
behind him. Ben stared at Josh, his eyes burning with hate as he stared into the
mountain man’s back. Then the grief overwhelmed him again. Ben let his head drop
and let his tears flow. Josh led Ben’s horse for another hour or so, leading
Ben further and further away from his son. He finally stopped the horses and
looked back over his shoulder at Ben. “Getting dark,” he announced. “We’ll stop
soon and make camp.” Ben ignored Josh’s comment. He didn’t care any more what
Josh did. All Ben could think about was Joe.
Josh finally stopped the horses near a stream. He walked the animals slowly
through the brush, finally finding a clear patch of ground. He halted the horses
and dismounted. After tying the reins of his horse to a nearby branch, he walked
back to Ben’s horse.
“Ben, I’ll untie you if you promise not to try to get away,” Josh declared. Ben
looked up, the hate burning once again in his eyes. Josh looked away.
“Guess I’ll have to leave you tied up,” Josh mumbled. He untied Ben’s right
foot, being careful to stay far enough away that Ben couldn’t kick him. Then he
untied Ben’s left foot. Moving carefully, he untied Ben’s hands, then quickly
took three steps back from the horse. He kept his rifle aimed directly at Ben.
“All right, Ben, get off,” said Josh.
Ben
flexed his hands and legs, then slowly dismounted. His stiff knees buckled a bit
when his legs hit the ground. Ben hung on to the saddle for a minute, then
straightened. He turned slowly to face Josh.
“Over by that tree,” order Josh, pointing with the rifle. Ben stood still. “Ben,
getting yourself shot ain’t going to accomplish anything,” said Josh. “I ain’t
gonna kill you, but I can put a bullet in your knee if you give any trouble.”
Ben stared at the mountain man for a minute, then walked to the tree.
“Sit down,” Josh ordered when Ben neared the tree. Ben obeyed. “Put your hands
behind you,” Josh said. “I’m going to tie you to that tree.” Ben put his hands
behind him, his eyes never leaving Josh’s face.
Josh took the leather strips in his left hand, carefully keeping the rifle aimed
at Ben. He walked behind the tree, and grabbed Ben’s hands. Working quickly, he
pulled Ben’s hands to either side of the tree, and then tied them together.
Josh stood and took a step back. “Sorry you’re so uncomfortable,” said Josh.
“But it’s your own fault.” Ben said nothing. He continued to stare at Josh, with
the hate glowing in his eyes. Josh quickly walked away.
Josh tied Ben’s horse near his, and unsaddled both
animals. Then he made a fire and began to make dinner. A short time later,
coffee was brewing in a pot by the fire, and a large pot of beans was simmering
over the flames. Josh poured himself a cup of coffee and dished up a plate of
beans. He ate quickly, ignoring Ben as he did. Josh finished his meal, then
poured another cup of coffee. He dished up another plate of beans. Carrying the
cup and plate, he walked over to Ben.
“I’ll feed you,” Josh declared. Ben turned his head away. “Now, Ben, I need you.
I can’t have you getting sick from lack of food and drink. Now either you eat,
or I’ll force this down you.” Ben turned back to look at Josh. He nodded slowly.
Josh smiled. “That’s it,” he said in satisfaction.
Josh began to feed Ben, spooning some beans into his mouth and putting the cup
of coffee to Ben’s lips periodically. Ben ate reluctantly and drank the coffee
forced on him. Finally, he turned his head. Ben couldn’t stomach any more food.
“Well, I guess that’ll keep you alive,” said Josh, putting down the plate which
was still almost half filled with beans. Josh sat back on his heels. “I’m sorry
things turned out this way, Ben,” he said regretfully.
Ben
looked at him in disbelief. “You’re sorry!” he said. “You killed my son, and all
you can say is you’re sorry!”