Arizona Trail
The hot desert sun shone down
relentlessly on the men riding across the barren land. Each of the three men
rode slowly. They were riding unfamiliar horses and each of them was leading
another. Ben Cartwright halted the roan he was riding. He pointed to the rocks
to his right, making sure his sons, Hoss and Joe, knew the waterhole was just
ahead. The men behind him nodded their understanding.
Ben guided his horse carefully across
the sandy ground toward the waterhole. He had paid a lot of money for the
stallion he was riding, and he didn’t want anything to happen to it. Ben chucked
his horse forward, up a narrow trail. The animal got a whiff of the water and
started to walk faster. Ben held the animal carefully in check as they moved
forward. He knew the horse was eager to get to the water, as was the stallion
Ben was leading, but he also wanted to make sure the animals didn’t injure
themselves in their rush to get a drink. Ben’s horse finally reached the
waterhole and Ben let him drink his fill. The stallion he was leading also
rushed forward and began to drink. A moment later, Hoss and Joe joined their
father. Both were riding newly purchased horses, and leading another. They also
let their animals drink deeply from the water.
“Pretty desolate country,” Joe
commented as he sat patiently, waiting for his horse to finish drinking.
Ben looked around. The land around
them was sandy and flat. Rocks of all sizes dotted the landscape. A few scraggly
bushes struggled to grow in the arid soil. The country around them was not
inviting. It looked hard and unyielding.
“This trail is not exactly the
easiest one,” Ben agreed. “But it’s the fastest way to get from Arizona to
Nevada.”
“I still think we should have hired
some hands to bring these horses home,” Joe grumbled. “We only stopped in Tucson
to change stages, not buy horses. We should be riding home in a stage, not on
horseback.”
Ben sighed. Joe had been complaining
about the ride since they left Tucson. “Joe, I told you before,” Ben said
patiently. “These horses were such a good bargain, I couldn’t pass them up. The
rancher I met in the hotel needed money fast. They’re fine animals. They will
improve our stock a lot.”
“I don’t disagree,” Joe said. “I just
hate riding them back to the Ponderosa.”
“Joe, who were we going to get to
bring them back?” Hoss asked reasonably. “We don’t know anyone in Tucson well
enough to trust them with these horses.”
Joe shrugged. “We could have found
somebody,” he said. “I’d just rather be on that stage.”
“You’re wanting to be on that stage
couldn’t have anything to do with that pretty little gal I saw you talking with,
could it?” asked Hoss wryly. “I thought I heard her say she was taking the stage
to Carson City.”
“Yeah, but the stage to Carson stops
in Virginia City first,” Joe said. He grinned at his brother. “You have to
admit, she was a lot prettier to look at than you,” said Joe.
“That ain’t saying much, little
brother,” Hoss replied with a grin. “Besides, I thought you were sweet on Peggy
Matthews.”
“Peggy is a nice girl,” admitted Joe.
His grin widened. “I’m just keeping my options open,” Joe added.
Ben shook his head as he listened. He
wondered if Joe was ever going to get serious about anyone. He seemed to flit
from one girl to another, like a bee looking for honey. “Joseph, someday you’re
going to find a girl who’s going to tame that wild streak of yours,” Ben said.
“Probably,” said Joe with a smile.
“But until then, I’m going to have as much fun as possible. You know what they
say, live today because you never know what tomorrow might bring. I’d hate to
have missed something along the way.”
Hoss roared with laughter as Ben
shook his head again in exasperation.
“Fill up those canteens,” Ben said to
Hoss. “I want to make sure we have plenty of water.” Hoss nodded and dismounted.
He pulled two canteens from his saddle, then reached up and took two from Joe.
He knelt next to the waterhole, and began filling the canteens.
“Pa, how far do you figure to ride
today?” Hoss asked as he worked. He reached down to cup some water into his
mouth.
“It’s about 30 miles to Fort Howard,”
replied Ben, looking off into the distance. “I figure we can make it there by
nightfall.”
“That’s pushing it kind of hard,
isn’t it?” Joe said as he reached down to take two of the dripping canteens from
Hoss. He took a drink from one, and passed the other to his father. Ben also
took a drink.
“Maybe,” answered Ben as he wiped his
mouth. “But I’d prefer not to camp in open country. The Apaches around here
aren’t exactly friendly.”
Hoss stood and looped the straps of
the canteens around his saddle. “You think we’ll have some trouble?” he asked.
Ben shook his head. “No, not really,”
he replied. “But it doesn’t take much to set them off.” He watched as Hoss
remounted his horse. “Let’s go, boys,” Ben urged his sons. “I want to try to
make Fort Howard by tonight.”
*******************
The Cartwrights were about a mile
from the waterhole when they heard the first sounds of gunfire. The noise was
distant and muted. Ben frowned and pulled his horse to a stop. Joe and Hoss
quickly rode up beside him. The three men listened in silence. The gunfire
sounded like a string of firecrackers popping in the distance. Whoever was
shooting was engaged in a fierce battle.
“What do you think, Pa?” Hoss asked.
“I don’t know,” Ben said, his frown
deepening. “Could be Apaches, could be outlaws, could be anyone.”
“Do you think we should take a look?”
Joe asked. “Somebody might need some help.”
The whoop of an Indian war cry
stopped Ben from answering. He looked over his shoulder and saw a band of about
twenty Indians riding toward them. The Indians were a good distance behind them,
but they were gaining ground fast.
“Let’s ride!” Ben yelled to his sons.
He didn’t stop to see if they heard him. Ben kicked his horse hard, and sent the
animal into a gallop. He yanked hard on the rope of the horse he was leading,
and that animal began running also. Ben turned his head slightly. He could see
Joe and Hoss had urged their horses into a gallop, also. All of the horses were
running across the sand at top speed.
Ben had no particular destination in
mind. He simply wanted to outrun the Indians or find a place where they could
find cover for a fight. It didn’t take him long to realize that the sound of
gunfire was getting louder. They were riding right into the middle of a battle.
Ben saw the flash of gunfire and the
sun glinting off rifle barrels in some rocks ahead of him. The rocks formed a
large semi-circle in front of a ravine. The ground behind the ravine was flat
for a hundred yards or so, then seemed to drop off into canyon. .A band of
Indians were riding back and forth in front of the rocks, firing toward the
boulders as they passed. Without hesitation, Ben guided his horse toward the
rocks. He didn’t know who was hiding behind them, but they were firing at the
Apaches. Ben figured they must be on the same side.
Ben dropped the rope of the horse he
was leading. The animal continued to run along side. Ben pulled his gun from his
holster and began firing in the direction of the Apaches in front of him. He
heard shots coming from his left, and knew Joe and Hoss were doing the same.
The Indians near the rocks had their
attention on the ravine. The shots from behind them startled the Apaches. Two
fell from their horses as Cartwright bullets found their mark. The Indians
slowed and milled around in confusion. Another brave slumped forward as a bullet
hit him in the shoulder. One of the Apaches raised his arm and yelled, then led
his horse away from the rocks. The other Indians followed.
Ben urged his horse on, hoping to
reach the safety of the rocks and ravine before the Indians turned to attack
again. As his horse neared the rocks, Ben pulled him to a stop abruptly. The
horse skidded for a step or two, then stopped.
Ben looked around quickly, and was
relieved to see Hoss and Joe stopping behind him. Both men looked uninjured.
“Grab the canteens and rifles!” Ben
yelled. He followed his own orders and dismounted.
“Lead your horses into the ravine!” a
voice shouted from the rocks. Ben hesitated, looking toward the steep drop
ahead. He could see several horses standing in the ravine. Ben grabbed the reins
of his horse and led the animal forward. Hoss and Joe did the same.
The ravine was about seven feet deep.
The sides were steep and sandy. Ben hesitated again as he stood on the lip.
However, the shriek of a war cry quickly decided him. Ben started down the
ravine, leading his unwilling horse.
The ravine was a perfect corral for
the horses once they were in it. It was only about twenty feet long. The sides
were steep, and the horses seemed to have no desire to try to climb out. The
animals already in the ravine eyed the new arrivals nervously, but they stood
still. Ben, Hoss and Joe led the horses with saddles into the ravine. The other
horses were still standing about ten feet behind the ravine.
“Pa…” Hoss started to say as he
looked back at the horses they had left behind.
“Forget them,” Ben ordered quickly.
“They’re not worth getting killed for.”
Ben glanced at the other horses
around them. He saw they were wearing military saddles and blankets. Ben turned
to look at the rocks. Five men wearing the blue uniforms of Army cavalry were
crouched behind the rocks. One man waved his arm, gesturing to the Cartwrights
to join them.
The Apaches were riding toward the
rocks again. Ben quickly dropped the reins from his hand. He looked over his
shoulder to check on Hoss and Joe. Both of his sons had already grabbed rifles
and canteens, and were working their way down the ravine. Ben followed them.
The ravine sloped gently upward when
it reached the ground behind the rocks. Ben, Hoss and Joe climbed the slope
quickly and dove behind the boulders. The soldiers were already firing at the
Indians in front of them. The Cartwrights started doing the same.
Half a dozen Apaches fell off their
horses as they charged the rocks. The shooting from the ravine was deadly
accurate. The Indians quickly turned their horses and rode out of range. They
stopped a hundred yards or so away. Thirty or so Apaches pulled their horses
together, trying to decide what to do next.
“Sergeant William Bailey, at your
service, sir,” a voice next to Ben said cheerfully. Ben turned to look at the
man. Bailey was in his forties, a big man with broad shoulders and chest. Ben
could see some locks of sandy hair drooping out from the cap the sergeant had
pushed back on his head.
“Ben Cartwright,” Ben said, sticking
out his hand to the sergeant. “These are my sons, Joe and Hoss.” Joe and Hoss
both looked at the soldier and nodded.
“Glad to meet you,” said Bailey with
a smile. “You don’t know how glad we are to meet you.”
Ben looked out from rocks. Bodies,
some Indian and some wearing blue uniforms, were scattered across the ground. He
turned back to look at the other soldiers scattered among the rocks. All wore
the uniforms of Army privates.
“What set them off, Sergeant?” Ben
asked curiously.
Bailey’s face grew serious. “Our
young lieutenant decided to turn a routine patrol into a prison detail,” Bailey
said. “He tried to capture two braves who were herding some cattle across the
desert. One of them got away, and he came back with his friends. They rescued
the brave, and now they’re after us.”
Ben craned his neck to look over the
sergeant’s shoulder. Again he saw the men behind the rocks were wearing
private’s uniforms.
“He’s out there,” said Bailey,
gesturing with his rifle. “The Apaches got four of us before we could get to
these rocks.”
“Sarge, why are they so bent on
getting the rest of you?” Hoss asked. “If they got their brave back, they should
be happy.”
“Beating up a prisoner?” Joe said in
disgust. “That doesn’t sound like the Army’s way of doing things.”
Bailey glanced over his shoulder
before answering. “This ain’t exactly the best group of soldiers the Army has
to offer,” said Bailey. “In fact, everyone in this unit was assigned because
he’s been in trouble. The Colonel figured he would save some headaches by
putting them all in the one place.”
“Including you?” Hoss asked in
surprise.
“I got drunk one night and tore up a
bar,” Bailey admitted. “Sent three men to the doctor’s office. The Colonel
assigned me here as punishment.”
Hoss grinned. “Three men, eh?” he
said.
Bailey grinned and nodded.
“What happened with the brave?” Ben
asked with a frown.
Bailey’s face grew sober again. “We
left him with the patrol while the lieutenant and I scouted the trail,”
explained Bailey. “I didn’t want to do it, but the lieutenant insisted I come
with him. He was pretty green, just got out here. I think he was afraid he’d get
lost. I was already in enough trouble, and I didn’t want to get into more for
not following orders. When we got back, the brave was tied to a tree. He was
bleeding and bruised.
Carney over there insisted he had
tried to escape.”
“You don’t believe him?” Joe asked.
“Carney likes beating up on people,”
Bailey said. “He’s done it before.”
Joe looked past Bailey at the other
four soldiers. His face showed his disgust with the men.
“They’re not very good soldiers, but
they can fight when they have to,” said Bailey as he noted the look on Joe’s
face. “One thing they can all do is shoot straight.”
Suddenly, the air was split with the
shout of a war cry. Everyone’s attention was turned back to the ground in front
of them. What looked like a solid wall of Indians was riding toward the rocks.
The Apaches had formed themselves into several rows of riders, and they were
riding straight toward the ravine.
“We’re going to find out how straight
they can shoot,” Hoss said as he aimed his rifle.
“Hold your fire until they’re
closer!” Bailey shouted to the men behind him.
“Don’t shoot until you’re sure you can hit something!”
The Apaches rode fast and straight.
The men behind the rocks aimed carefully, each picking out a target. One of the
soldiers suddenly fired. A brave fell from his horse. The other men behind the
rocks started to shoot.
But suddenly, their carefully chosen
targets weren’t there. At the sound of the first shot, the Apaches turned their
horses, some to the right, some to the left. The movement caught the men in the
ravine by surprise. Their shots sped into empty air.
Quickly, the Apaches reformed and
charged again. The men behind the rocks began firing quickly, trying to hit
anything. Several horses and braves hit the ground, but many more Apaches surged
forward. The shots from behind the rocks came faster, as the Indians came
closer. One brave jumped off his horse and dove into the rocks. He landed on top
of Bailey.
Bailey struggled with the man, trying
to keep the knife the brave had in his hand away from him. The sergeant was
losing the battle. The Apache had landed on Bailey’s back, and Bailey couldn’t
turn himself enough to fight the man off.
Joe jumped to his feet, and ran to
the pair rolling in the dirt. Joe quickly turned his rifle around. He used the
butt to club the Indian on the head. The brave suddenly went limp. Bailey pushed
the man off him, and grabbed the knife from the brave. He stuck the knife in his
belt, then picked up the Indian. With a mighty heave, he threw the man from
behind the rocks and onto the ground in front of him.
“Thanks!” Bailey said breathlessly to
Joe. “I thought he had me.”
Joe nodded and ran back to his place
in the rocks. As he neared the boulders, Joe suddenly flopped to the ground.
Bailey turned his attention to the Indians who were charging again. He picked up
his rifle and started firing.
“They won’t try that again,” Bailey
said with satisfaction. He watched as the Indians turned their horses. The
Apaches simply stood, watching the rocks in front of them.
“Looks like they’re going to stay put
for a bit,” Ben said. “Maybe we discouraged them.”
“I wouldn’t count on that,” Bailey
replied. He turned and yelled over his shoulder. “You men all right?”
Four voices answered back. Bailey
nodded again in satisfaction.
Ben looked to Hoss. “Are you all
right?” he asked his son. Hoss nodded. Ben looked past Hoss. Joe was laying on
the ground, his back toward his father. “Joe? Are you all right?” Ben shouted.
Ben expected his youngest son to turn
and answer him. But Joe laid still on the ground. “Joe!” Ben said in alarm. Hoss
also suddenly realized his brother hadn’t answered. Both Ben and Hoss rushed
over to Joe.
Joe’s left arm was extended and his
head was pillowed on it. He was laying on his side, his back toward the other
men. His hat was pushed back on his head. As Ben reached his son, he gently
turned Joe onto his back.
Joe’s eyes were closed, and his mouth
was slack. A circle of red was quickly spreading over Joe’s shirt and jacket.
Ben quickly pulled his son’s shirt and jacket open. He gasped as he saw the
bullet wound in Joe’s shoulder.
The bullet had struck Joe in the
right shoulder, just under his collarbone. Blood was oozing out of the wound.
Ben probed the wound gently with his fingers. Joe groaned.
“Is he hit?” Bailey asked, coming up
behind Ben.
Ben nodded. “The bullet is still in
there,” he said in a grim voice. “I can’t tell how deep.”
Bailey bent down to look over Ben’s
shoulder. “It don’t look too bad,” Bailey said. “I’ve seen worse. But we’ve got
to get that bullet out quick. Otherwise, that wound will fester.” Bailey stood
and looked around. “Take him down toward the bottom of the ravine,” Bailey
ordered. “That will give us some room, and keep him out of the line of fire.”
Ben nodded again. He reached down to
pick up his son, but Hoss shouldered him aside. “I’ve got him, Pa,” Hoss said.
Ben looked up at Hoss. “We’ll both
carry him,” Ben said firmly. Hoss nodded.
Ben moved to the other side of his
injured son. He carefully slid his arm under Joe’s injured shoulder, then
reached down and slid his other arm under Joe’s knees. He saw Hoss was doing the
same. With a nod, both men lifted Joe off the ground. Joe’s head flopped to the
side, and his legs dangled in the air.
Bailey took a step back as Ben and
Hoss carried Joe carefully down the ravine. He watched as the two older
Cartwrights stepped cautiously down the hill. When he was sure they could manage
all right, Bailey turned back to the rocks. “You men keep your eyes peeled,” he
ordered. “Holler if it looks like them Indians are going to do anything.” One
of the men waved at Bailey.
Bailey turned and walked slowly to
the bottom of the ravine.
Ben and Hoss had put Joe gently on
the ground. Joe was beginning to regain consciousness. His head moved slowly
from side to side. He moaned in pain as he began to wake.
“Easy, Joe, easy,” Ben said in a
soothing voice.
Joe’s eyes fluttered opened. He
winced in pain, and gritted his teeth. Then his eyes opened wider. He looked at
Ben, a question in his eyes.
“You’ve got a bullet in your
shoulder,” Ben explained. “It doesn’t look too bad, but we need to dig it out.”
Joe nodded, then winced again as a
wave of pain radiated through his body.
“I’ve taken out a couple of bullets
in my time,” Bailey said to Joe. “You trust me to dig this one out of you?”
Joe glanced over to Ben, who nodded
slightly. Joe turned back to Bailey. “Go head,” he said. Joe winced and grunted
again. He took a deep breath.
“It couldn’t hurt any worse than
this,” Joe said in a choked voice.
Bailey turned toward the top of the
hill. “Carney, bring me that bottle of ‘snake bite’ medicine you always carry,”
Bailey shouted.
“Don’t give me that,” Bailey shouted
back at him. “I know you got a bottle. Now bring it down here.”
Carney sighed. He reached inside his
shirt and pulled out a small bottle, shaped like a flask. He pulled the top off
the bottle, and quickly brought it to his mouth. Carney took a long drink. He
wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then pushed the cork back into the
top of the bottle. Then he started slowly down the hill.
“Here,” Carney said, thrusting the
bottle into Bailey’s hand. “I only keep it for emergencies.”
“Good,” replied Bailey evenly.
“’Cause this is an emergency. Now go back down to those horses. There’s some
bandages in my saddlebag. Go get them and bring them over here.”
“Aw, Sarge,” Carney started to whine.
“Just do as I say,” barked Bailey.
The soldier reluctantly got to his feet. He walked to the bottom of the ravine.
Then, crouching low, he started toward the horses.
Bailey watched the soldier for a
minute, making sure his orders were being followed. Then he turned back to Joe.
“You want a slug of this?” he asked.
Joe shook his head. “No,” he said.
“Just get that bullet out.” Bailey nodded.
“Better hold him,” Bailey advised.
“This is going to hurt.”
Ben nodded grimly. He moved to Joe’s
left and firmly put his hands on Joe’s uninjured shoulder. Hoss moved to hold
Joe’s legs.
Bailey unbuttoned Joe’s shirt. He
pulled open Joe’s shirt then eased both the shirt and jacket off Joe’s shoulder.
He tried to be gentle, but Joe groaned in pain as the sergeant worked. Bailey
finally got Joe’s arm out his sleeve. He pulled the cloth away from Joe and
folded it under back of Joe’s arm.
Bailey looked Joe straight in the
eyes. “Ready?” he asked. Joe took a deep breath, closed his eyes and nodded.
The next thing Joe felt was a
burning, searing pain in his shoulder. His mouth opened as he let out a groan.
His body tried to move instinctively away from the pain, but Ben and Hoss held
him firm. Joe turned his head and gritted his teeth as his body became rigid.
The pain seemed to be getting worse. Joe felt as if a hot poker were boring deep
into his body. He groaned and grunted as the pain increased. He wondered how
much longer he could stand it. Then suddenly, the pain eased.
“Got it!” Bailey said triumphantly,
holding a small piece of lead in his blood-stained hand. He quickly threw it
aside. Bailey picked the whiskey bottle up off the ground where he had laid it.
He began pouring the whiskey onto Joe’s shoulder.
Joe groaned again as he felt another
white hot pain in his shoulder. The burning seemed endless this time. Joe tried
to move, to do anything to ease the pain. But his body was firmly pressed to the
ground by strong hands.
“Easy, Joe, take it easy,” Ben said
once again, trying to soothe his son. His face was creased with pain also as he
watched his son’s agony. He knew Bailey was doing what had to be done, but it
didn’t make it any easier for him to watch. “It’s all over now,” Ben said. “Just
try to relax.”
Bailey turned to look down the
ravine. “Carney, where are you?” he shouted. “I need those bandages.”
Carney seemed to be studying
something at the end of the ravine. At Bailey’s shout, he quickly turned and
started back down the ravine, crouching low as he moved past the horses.
“Here,” Carney said, thrusting some
white cloth into Bailey’s hands. Bailey nodded and turned back to Joe.
Joe was pale and his face was covered
with sweat. His breathing was rapid, and came in ragged bursts. He grunted and
winced in pain.
“You can let him go,” Bailey said to
Ben. Ben nodded and removed his hands from Joe’ shoulder. He gently stroked
Joe’s arm as Bailey began to bandage the injured shoulder.
Carney watched Bailey work. “Hey,
Sarge,” he said as Bailey tied the bandages around Joe’s shoulder, then looped
the cloth around Joe’s chest.
“Not now,” Bailey growled at the
soldier.
“But Sarge…” Carney said again.
“I said not now!” barked Bailey
again. “Get back up there and keep an eye on those Indians.”
Carney’s face went hard. “Fine,” he
said in disgust. He turned and quickly climbed back up the hill.
Hoss looked at the sergeant with a
questioning expression. “Don’t you think you ought to have listened to him?”
Hoss asked.
Bailey looked up at Hoss. “He’s the
one that beat up that Indian,” Bailey said. “If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t
be in this mess. I’m not interested in anything he has to say.”
Hoss started to say something, but
Joe groaned softly, pulling Hoss’ attention back to his brother. Joe’s breathing
had slowed, but his face still reflected the pain he was feeling. “You’re going
to be fine, little brother,” Hoss said in a reassuring voice. Joe nodded his
head slightly.
Bailey sat back on his heels and
studied his handiwork. “He should be all right with some rest,” he said. “That
bullet wasn’t too deep. It hurts, and he lost some blood, but with some rest, he
should be fine.”
Ben looked at the sergeant. “Thank
you,” he said softly.
Bailey shrugged. “He got that bullet
because he was helping me,” said Bailey. “I figured I owed him.” Bailey glanced
up the hill. “I’d better get back up there. You two stay with him. I’ll call you
if we need you.” Bailey stood and climbed back up the hill.
Ben gently stroked Joe’s head. “Hoss,
go get one of the canteens,” said Ben, his eyes never leaving Joe’s face. Hoss
nodded, and he began to climb the hill also. Ben continued to stroke Joe’s head.
“Everything is all right now, Joseph,” he said softly. “You just rest.
Everything is fine.” Ben shook his head as he listened to his own words. They
were stuck in a ravine, facing a band of angry Apaches. His youngest son had a
bullet hole in his shoulder. There seemed to be no way out of the ravine, and he
didn’t know how long their ammunition and water would last. Ben laughed grimly.
Sure, he thought, everything is just fine.
**********
The Indians seemed more interested in
keeping the men trapped in the ravine than staging a serious attack. They
half-heartedly charged the ravine several times during the remainder of the day,
but each charge was brief. The Apaches seemed more interested in finding out
how close they could get to the rocks before the men in the ravine started
shooting than they were on inflicting any serious damage. Each charge was fast
and quick, with the Indians retreating almost as soon as the gunfire erupted
from the rocks. Neither side inflicted any damage.
Ben had insisted Hoss stay with Joe
at the bottom of the ravine during the rest of the day. He knew the odds were
very slim that a stray bullet would find its way to the bottom of the ravine. He
had one son with a bullet wound; he wasn’t about to risk anything happening to
his other son. Ben had convinced Hoss that someone had to look after Joe, and
Hoss was best suited for the task. That was partially true. But Ben also wanted
to keep his older son safe.
At the first sound of fighting after
Bailey had removed the bullet from Joe, Ben climbed to the top of the ravine to
join the soldiers. He had fired his rifle a few times, more to discourage the
charging Apaches than anything else. He doubted if he had hit anything during
the latest series of charges. The Indians seemed to know how close they could
come and still stay out of the range of the murderous gunfire from behind the
rocks.
“What do you think they’re waiting
for?” Ben asked Bailey at one point. He couldn’t understand the Apaches’
apparent tactic of simply keeping them pinned behind the rocks.
Bailey shrugged in reply. “Who
knows?” he said. “Maybe they’re waiting for reinforcements. Or maybe they’re
simply waiting for Cochise to tell them it’s all right to leave.” Bailey shook
his head. “Maybe they just want to see how long it will be before we run out of
ammunition.” Bailey had cautioned his men to fire sparingly, to save their
ammunition for what might be the real battle. But it was not humanly possible
for anyone of them not to shoot when the Apache came charging across the ground,
screaming and shooting at them. All of the men still had a good supply of
bullets, but the supply was beginning to dwindle.
The long pauses between the attacks
gave Ben a chance to study the other soldiers hiding behind the rocks. He wasn’t
sure he liked what he saw.
Carney, the soldier who had given the
whiskey to Bailey, was a short man with a mean looking face. He had pointedly
ignored Bailey after Bailey had rebuffed him in the ravine, acting like a child
who was pouting after some sort of parental punishment. He seemed to enjoy
killing; his face broke into an evil grin every time he began shooting at the
Apaches.
The other men looked equally as
unpleasant. One was tall and thin, and his face seemed to be set in a permanent
scowl. Bailey had called him Hoffman. Another was about average height, at least
he looked that way as he crouched behind the rocks. He had long, dark hair and
sported a thin mustache. His name was Williams, and he seemed more interested in
keeping behind the protection of the rocks than firing at the Apache. The last
man seemed a bit younger than the rest. He was thin and blonde, and he seemed to
find the battle exciting. Ben had heard Bailey shout at him several times,
calling the young man Peterson. Peterson was the one who most often started the
shooting. He would fire wildly at the first sign of an Apache charge, rarely
hitting anything, but he would shout with excitement as he fired.
Ben shook his head as he studied the
men next to him. Bailey hadn’t lied when he called them misfits. Ben didn’t like
the idea of his life and the lives of his sons being dependent on these
soldiers.
The hot Arizona sun blazed down from
a cloudless sky during the day. Ben had checked on Joe periodically during the
day, usually after one the charges when the Apaches seemed content to leave the
men pinned behind the rocks. Joe had slept the day away, exhausted by the pain
wound and the loss of blood. Hoss had assured his father repeatedly that Joe was
doing as well as could be expected under the circumstances, but that didn’t stop
Ben from worrying. He wanted desperately to get Joe to a doctor. He wouldn’t
feel confident about his youngest son’s condition until he did.
The sun was low in the afternoon sky
as Ben climbed down the ravine yet again to check on Joe. He was pleased to see
that Joe was awake. Hoss was holding Joe’s head up as Joe drank from a canteen.
Ben crouched next to his son as Joe handed the canteen back to Hoss. Hoss eased
Joe’s head back to the ground. He had pulled Joe’s shirt back on his brother’s
shoulder, but removed his jacket. The jacket was folded under Joe’s head as a
pillow. The angle of the sun gave long shadows to the rocks above them, and the
shadows gave Joe a bit of shade.
“How are you feeling?” asked Ben with
a smile as he knelt next to Joe.
“I’m all right,” Joe answered. He
shifted slightly on the hard ground. “Wish we could have found someplace softer
to hole up in,” he complained.
Ben’s smile widened. If Joe was
complaining, he was feeling better. “I’ll take that into consideration next time
we’re being chased by a band of angry Apaches,” Ben said wryly. He put his hand
on Joe’s forehead. Joe’ head felt warm, but his fever seemed very mild. Ben
noted he was covered with a thin layer of sweat, but no more than to be expected
after laying most of the day in the hot Arizona sun. A small blotch of blood
was visible on the bandage on Joe’s shoulder, but the blood looked rusty and
dried.
“It didn’t seem to keep you from
sleeping the last couple of hours,” Hoss teased his brother mildly.
“That’s because I didn’t have to
listen to your snoring,” Joe said to Hoss with a weak smile. Then he sobered and
turned to his father. “What’s going on?” he asked. “Are those Apaches still out
there?”
“Yes,” admitted Ben. “They don’t seem
to be planning to leave. But all they’re doing is keeping us pinned down.”
“What are they planning?” asked Hoss
with a frown.
“I wish I knew,” Ben said, shaking
his head. “They seem to be waiting for something, but I don’t know what.”
Hoss’ frown deepened. “Maybe I should
go back up by the rocks,” he suggested.
“No, “ Ben said quickly. “You stay
here with Joe. We’ll call if we need you.”
He wanted to keep both his sons as
safe as possible. “Right now, all you’d be is another target.”
“Yeah, and one that’s hard to miss,”
added Joe wryly.
Ben smiled, then patted Joe lightly
on the shoulder. “You take it easy and rest,” he said to his youngest son.
“We’ll figure a way out of this soon,” he promised. He looked up at Hoss and
nodded encouragingly. Then Ben turned and climbed back up the hill.
“How’s he doing?” Bailey asked Ben as
he settled into the rocks next to the sergeant.
“He seems to be doing all right,” Ben
said. “The bleeding has stopped, and he only has a low fever. But I’ll feel
better when we can get a doctor at the fort to look at him.”
“I think we’d all feel better if we
could get back to the fort,” said Bailey ironically.
“Hey, Sarge, I’m getting hungry,”
shouted Williams from behind his rock.
“Well, what do you want me to do,
cook you a steak dinner?” Bailey shouted back. “I’m sure those Apaches wouldn’t
mind if we told them to call this off because you’re hungry.” Williams scowled
at the sergeant and turned back to watch the ground in front of the rocks.
Bailey turned to Ben. “I sure wish I
had my old patrol,” he said quietly with a shake of head. “I’m not sure what
these yahoos are going to do.”
Ben nodded. He also wished he had
more confidence in the men around him. “I wish we had a battalion,” Ben said
wryly. He took a deep breath. “Any chance they might send a patrol from the fort
looking for you?” he asked hopefully.
Bailey shook his head. “We’re not due
back for four or five days,” said the sergeant. “It’ll be a week before they
start looking for us.”
“Then I guess we’re stuck with these
men,” said Ben.
“Yeah,” said Bailey. “We’re stuck
with ‘em all right. I’m not sure who’s more dangerous – those Apaches or those
so-called soldiers behind these rocks.”
Ben frowned and turned back to watch
the ground in front of him. “Let’s hope we don’t have to find out,” he muttered.
******************
At dusk, the men behind the rocks saw
what the Apaches were waiting for. A group of fifteen Indians, led by a
well-muscled brave, rode in from the West. The Indians who had been attacking
the rocks welcomed the new arrivals.
“That’s Many Horses, one of
Cochise’s young war chiefs,” Bailey muttered as he watched the scene. He turned
to Ben and smiled ironically. “I think we might really be in trouble now.” Ben
nodded grimly.
The men behind the rocks watched the
Apaches carefully. The greeting shouts from the braves ended quickly. Many
Horses yelled and gestured at the braves, seeming unhappy that they hadn’t yet
finished with the men in the ravine. One brave seemed to be trying to explain
something to Many Horses, but he brushed the man aside. Many Horses began
shouting orders.
“Oh, oh,” Bailey said. He turned to
Ben. “I think you’d better get your son up here. We’re going to need every gun
we’ve got.”
Ben agreed. He turned and shouted
down the ravine. “Hoss, get up here with your rifle,” Ben yelled. “We’re going
to need you.” He turned back to watch the Apaches again.
The Apaches were forming themselves
to charge when Ben saw Hoss crouching next to him from the corner of his eye.
Another movement behind Hoss drew Ben’s attention. He turned his head. Joe was
struggling to the top of the ravine. His shirt was buttoned about half-way and
his arm rested in the shirt as if in a sling. Joe had a pistol in his left hand.
“Joe, what do you think you’re
doing?” Ben yelled as his youngest son crouched next to Hoss.
Joe winced as he positioned himself
behind a boulder, and leaned back against a smaller rock. He turned to Ben. “I’m
not about to lay down there waiting for those Apaches to take my scalp,” he said
grimly. “I can still pull a trigger.”
“Joe…” Ben started to say with
concern.
“Here they come!” yelled one of the
soldiers from Ben’s right. He quickly turned back to the open ground in front of
the rocks. About forty Apaches were charging at the rocks, riding at full speed
across the ground. Several were shouting war cries as they rode.
“Hold your fire until they’re
closer,” Bailey ordered. “Make sure they’re in range before you shoot.”
The Apaches charged until they were
about ten feet from the rocks then slowed as they pulled rifles up to their
shoulders. Peterson led the shooting from behind the rocks once again. His first
shot knocked a young brave from his horse.
The rest of men opened fire as soon
as Peterson shot his rifle. Once again, their shooting was deadly. Several
Apaches fell to the ground, and others slumped against the horses. Bullets
whizzed into the rocks as the Indians fired but the Cartwrights and the soldiers
were well-hidden. The Apaches suffered heavy casualties while their bullets
landed harmlessly.
Many Horses, the young war chief, was
in the middle of the charging Apaches. He seemed startled at the turn of events.
He began to pull his horse to a stop and shouting orders. He suddenly winced and
grabbed his arm as a bullet grazed his shoulder. Many Horses needed no more
evidence of the fool-heartiness of charging the rocks. He shouted another order
and turned his horse away. As he rode off, the rest of the Apaches followed him.
“Guess we showed him!” whooped
Peterson from the far end of the rocks.
“Yeah, we showed him,” Bailey said
grimly. He watched as the Apaches pulled their horses together yet again in the
distance. A minute later, two braves rode off, galloping their horses to the
west. “We showed them that they need more help”, continued Bailey. “We’ll
probably have the whole Apache nation down on us by morning.”
Ben quickly glanced over his shoulder
to his sons. Hoss turned his head and grinned at his father. Ben looked passed
him to Joe. Joe waved his arm weakly. Ben let out a sigh of relief. Both of his
sons had apparently survived the attack without further injury.
The men crouched behind the rocks
watched as the Apaches began dismounting. It looked as if they were making camp.
Ben glanced up at the sky. The sun was rapidly disappearing and the sky
darkening.
“They probably won’t do anything
until morning,” Ben said sitting up. “The Apache don’t like to fight at night.
They’re afraid if they’re killed, their spirit will get lost in the dark.”
Bailey nodded his agreement. “We’ve
got 9 or 10 hours,” he said. “We’d better use it as best we can.” Bailey turned
to the men on his right. “Williams, see if you can find some wood around here to
make a fire.”
“A fire?” Williams said hesitantly.
“Won’t that give us away?”
“I think those Apaches know we’re
here,” Bailey said, his voice dripping with irony. “Now move!” Williams
scampered down the ravine.
“Hoffman, get over to those horses,”
Bailey said, continuing to bark orders. “Check on them, make sure they’re all
right.” Hoffman also scampered down the ravine. “And bring some coffee and food
out of those saddlebags,” Bailey shouted after him. Bailey turned to Ben and
grinned. “I’d just as soon get killed with a full belly,” Bailey said.
A hour later, the sky was fully dark.
Night had come quickly, as it does in the desert. The men behind the rocks could
see several fires in the distance from the Apache camp. They had their own small
fire blazing behind the rocks. The Cartwrights and the soldiers had eaten
heartily, finishing off some smoked ham and several cans of peaches. There
didn’t seem much point in saving the food for later. Now, they were huddled
around the fire, drinking what they hoped was not going to be their last cups of
coffee.
“Are we just going to sit here and
let those Indians come get us?” Peterson complained as he sipped his coffee.
“I’m open to any ideas,” Bailey said
evenly.
“I checked the horses,” said Hoffman.
“They’re thirsty but they’re still in good shape. We could make a run for it in
the dark.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s a good idea,”
Bailey replied with disgust. “Riding a horse at full speed across the desert in
the dark. With forty or so Apaches chasing you. If your horse didn’t fall and
kill you, those Apaches would.”
“We might be able to outrun them,”
said Hoffman. “It’s worth a try.”
Ben glanced over his shoulder to
where Joe was resting against the rocks. “I don’t think my son can sit a horse
much less ride one at a full gallop,” Ben said.
“That’s his tough luck,” said
Hoffman. Both Ben and Hoss looked startled at the man’s words. They looked at
each other in alarm.
“We’re not leaving anyone behind,”
Bailey said firmly. “Besides, we’d never outrun those Indians.”
“You said they won’t fight at night,”
Hoffman pressed.
“They don’t like to fight at night,”
Bailey corrected the soldier. “That doesn’t mean they won’t do it.”
“How about if just one of us goes?”
said Williams. “If you gave me cover, I could ride to the fort for help.”
“You?” said Carney with a snort.
“You’d probably keep right on riding, you little coward.”
Williams flushed and said nothing.
His lack of response indicated that he was thinking just what Carney suggested.
“What if we offer to give them
Carney?” Williams suggested in a nasty voice. “I mean, he’s the one they really
want. He’s the one that beat that Indian kid. Maybe if we give ‘em Carney,
they’d let the rest of us go.”
“Now wait a minute!” Carney said
angrily. “It weren’t just me. Hoffman and Peterson, they held him.”
Hoss and Ben looked at each other
again, their faces showing a growing sense of alarm. They were trapped with a
group of men who seemed to have no honor, no sense of right and wrong.
“As much as I’d like to, we can’t
give them Carney,” Bailey said. “Besides, that probably wouldn’t satisfy them.”
“It was only an Indian,” Carney
muttered. Ben, Hoss, and the sergeant looked at the man with disgust.
“What we need is a way to sneak out
of here,” continued Bailey. He looked around at the men sitting near the fire.
“Any ideas?”
For a moment, no one said anything.
Finally, Carney spoke up. “There’s a trail leading down into the canyon,” Carney
said. “I saw it this afternoon when I got those bandages.”
“A trail?” said Ben. “Are you sure?”
Carney nodded. “I saw it,” he
insisted. “Right near the end of the ravine. It looks pretty steep, like a goat
trail or something. But it leads right through them rocks and down into the
canyon.”
“Carney, why didn’t you say something
sooner?” Bailey said in exasperation.
“I tried, Sarge,” Carney replied with
a sneer. “I tried to tell you but you told me to shut up.”
Bailey looked at Ben. “If there
really is a trail, we might just get out of here,” he said. “You think your boy
could do some walking?”
Ben looked over to where Joe was
resting against the rocks. Joe was sleeping, his arm still resting in his shirt.
Ben turned back to the sergeant.
“We’ll help him walk,” Ben said. He
looked around him at the other men.
“I sure don’t want to stay here,” Ben added.
“Carney, come with me and show me
that trail,” Bailey ordered the soldier. As Bailey and Carney started to leave
the camp, Ben turned to Hoss. “Go with them,” he said. “Make sure we can get Joe
down that trail.” Hoss nodded and quickly ran after the other two men.
Ben moved over next to Joe. He laid
his hand on Joe’s forehead, feeling for fever. He was satisfied that Joe’s fever
was still very low. Joe stirred as he felt the touch of a hand.
“What’s going on?” Joe asked, still
groggy from sleep.
Joe sat up, now wide awake. “A way
out?” he said. “How?”
“There may be a trail down the
canyon,” replied Ben. “Hoss and Sergeant Bailey are checking it out now.” Ben
looked straight into his son’s eyes. “Do you think you can walk?” he asked
again.
Joe grinned. “To get away from those
Apaches, I’d run barefoot through the desert,” Joe said.
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,”
Ben said with an answering grin.
Joe grew serious. “Pa, I don’t want
you and Hoss to get in trouble because of me,” he said. “If you get a chance to
get away, don’t worry about me.”
Ben patted his son lightly on the
arm. “Joe, we’re in this together,” Ben said. “All of us. We’re not going
anywhere without you.”
Ben heard Hoss and the other men
climbing back up the ravine. He patted Joe on the arm again and quickly moved
back to the fire.
“Well?” he asked anxiously.
Bailey grinned. “It’s there,” he
said. “The prettiest little trail you ever saw.”
“I told you so,” muttered Carney.
Ben looked at Hoss. “Do you think Joe
can get down it?” he asked with concern.
Hoss frowned. “It’s pretty steep,
Pa,” answered Hoss. “It’s a tough climb for a man with two good arms. I don’t
think Joe can make it.”
“I’m not staying here and dying
because of him!” Williams shouted, pointing at Joe. Joe glared back at the man.
“Now take it easy,” Bailey said in a
soothing voice. “Nobody is staying. There’s a ledge. I figure we can tie a rope
around the boy and let him down. It’ll be kind of tricky in the dark, but it can
be done.” Bailey turned to Ben. “We’ll get him down.” Ben nodded gratefully to
the sergeant.
“What if those Indians follow us?”
asked Williams.
“They won’t know we’re gone until
daylight,” said Bailey. “That gives us about five hours head start. I don’t
think the Apaches will be very interested in trying to catch us. Besides, we’ll
have to leave the horses. Apaches love horses. It will probably satisfy them to
take our mounts.”
“How far is it to the fort?” Ben
asked. “I mean, on foot.”
“I figure about two days walk,”
Bailey said.
“Two days!” exclaimed Ben. He glanced
over his shoulder at Joe. “I don’t know if he can make it.”
“It’ll be pretty rough on him,”
agreed Bailey. “But it’s better than him staying here and getting his scalp
lifted.”
“I’ll help him, Pa,” Hoss said. “I’ll
get him there.”
Ben nodded at Hoss, but he looked
again at Joe with concern.
“Now here’s what we’re going to do,”
Bailey said turning back to the soldiers. “You men, gather up all the ammunition
and your canteens. The only thing you’re going to carry is your side arm and
your water. You’re going to need both hands to climb down the trail, so don’t
carry your rifle. Leave everything else behind.”
“My canteen is almost empty,”
complained Peterson.
Bailey looked at the man. “What the
heck were you thinking?” he shouted at him.
“I got thirsty,” Peterson whined.
“We’ve got an extra canteen,” Hoss
said. “It’s only about half full. I gave most of the water to Joe. The other
three we have are almost full. He can have what’s left in the extra one. It’s
down near the bottom of the ravine.”
Bailey nodded. “Go get it,” the
sergeant said to Peterson. “You don’t deserve it, but go get it.” He watched as
Peterson scrambled down the ravine. Bailey turned to Hoss. “Thanks,” he said.
Hoss just shrugged.
Bailey turned back to the rest of the
men. “Now listen up,” he said. “Each of you is going to carry his own water, and
be responsible for it. You drink it all at once, and you’ll go thirsty. So I
suggest you drink only when you have to. It’s going to take us two days of
walking to get to the fort. So ration your water.” The soldiers around the fire
nodded.
“Williams, build up that fire nice
and bright,” Bailey continued. “I want those Apaches to think we’re still here.”
Williams nodded and started adding some sticks to the fire. “The rest of you,
gather your ammunition and water. We’re leaving in ten minutes.” The soldiers
started scrambling toward various rocks.
Ben walked over to Joe. “You heard?”
he asked his son. Joe nodded. “Don’t worry,” said Ben as lightly as he could.
“We’ll get you to the fort.”
“I’ll make it, Pa,” Joe said grimly.
He sat up and started struggling to his feet. Ben helped him up. Joe winced as
his injured shoulder moved. “I’d better get my canteen,” Joe said as he tried to
smile. The effort was a weak one. The truth was that Joe’s stomach was clutched
with fear as he thought of the ordeal ahead. He took a deep breath. “I’ll make
it,” he said again firmly, both to reassure himself and his father.
The men were crouched down, and kept
the horses between them and the Apaches as they crawled through the ravine. The
animals watched the men curiously as they moved through the ravine, but none
gave them away.
Hoss stopped by one horse and reached
up to pull a rope off the saddle. He looked at it closely. The rope was thick
and looped many times. It looked long enough and strong enough for the job he
had in mind. Hoss moved quickly to catch up with the other men.
A full-moon shone down on the land
below. It was bright enough to give the men in the ravine enough light to see
by. They only hoped it didn’t give the Apaches enough light to see them.
The men were crouched at the end of
the ravine. Each could see the opening in the rocks that revealed the trail. But
each of them could also see the yards of open ground between the ravine and the
trail, lit by the bright moon overhead. They waited nervously.
Bailey led one horse to the end of
the ravine. He held the horse steady, hoping to block the view of any Apaches.
Then he turned and nodded to Carney.
Carney scrambled up the side of the
ravine. Crouching low, he ran across the open ground and to the rocks near the
top of the canyon. He stopped briefly at the rocks, then disappeared.
Bailey nodded again and Williams
followed Carney. As Williams disappeared behind the rocks, Hoffman ran across
the ground. Then Peterson followed. Hoss followed Peterson.
Ben and Joe were crouched in the
ravine, waiting for Bailey’s signal. Bailey nodded, and Joe started forward. He
made it up the side of the ravine, and started forward. He crouched as he
walked, and his gait was slow and measured. Ben watched his son carefully, ready
to help him if he faltered. But Joe made it to the rocks. Ben breathed a sigh of
relief.
Ben glanced up at Bailey, then
climbed up the ravine. He quickly crossed the open ground and disappeared behind
the rocks.
Hoss and Joe were waiting for him
behind the rocks. Hoss was already looping the rope around Joe. Ben glanced
down. He saw the soldiers climbing slowly down a steep, rocky trail. The men
needed both hands to steady themselves as they climbed. Hoss was right, Ben
thought. Joe could never make that climb.
Bailey came up behind Ben. “Looks
like we made it,” the sergeant said with a triumphant smile.
Ben nodded. “Where the ledge?” he
asked. Bailey pointed to his right.
A spit of rock jutted out from the
lip of the canyon. The ledge was narrow but wide enough for a man to stand on
it. It was about twenty feet above the rocky ground.
Joe licked his lips nervously as he
saw the ledge. He turned to Ben. “Pa, I think I can make it down the trail,” he
said quickly.
Ben looked at the trail again, then
shook his head. “Joe, you’ll never make it,” he said. “You’ll fall and break
your neck.”
Joe glanced at the ledge again and
swallowed hard. “Maybe if you held the rope as while I climbed…” Joe started to
say.
Ben quickly shook his head. “Joe, it
would never work,” Ben explained. “There’s too many twists in the trail, too
many rocks.”
Joe looked at the ledge once more. He
took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment.
Ben knew Joe had a fear of heights,
and the ledge was high off the ground. But there was no other way to get him
down.
“Joe, you can do this,” Ben said
firmly. “The rope is strong. And I’m going to waiting for you at the bottom.”
“Don’t worry, little brother,” Hoss
said reassuringly. “I won’t let you fall.”
“You’d better not,” muttered Joe. He
glanced worriedly at the ledge again. “All right,” Joe said. “Let’s get this
over with.”
Ben quickly started to climb down the
trail, wanting to keep his promise of waiting for Joe at the bottom. His
attention was glued to the trail as he climbed. The dirt was loose, and Ben
needed to hold firm to the rocks as he let himself down. It took him several
minutes to reach the bottom.
As soon as he reached the flat
ground, Ben looked up to the ledge. He could see three figures in the dark
standing on the ledge. Ben moved quickly to stand underneath it.
Ben held his breath as he watched one
figure grab the rope with his only visible arm. The two other figures seemed to
be bracing themselves. Then the first figure crouched and eased himself off the
ledge.
It took only a few minutes for Hoss
and Bailey to lower Joe to the ground, but to Ben, it seemed an eternity. He
could imagine the terror Joe must be feeling. He watched with his heart in his
throat as his son dangled in the air over the rocky ground. Slowly, Joe was
lowered closer and closer to bottom. Ben rushed forward.
Joe was about four feet over Ben’s
head when Ben reached the ground under the ledge. He could hear Joe’s rapid and
ragged breathing. Ben reached up, ready to grab his son as soon as he was close
enough. In only a minute, Joe’s legs were in reach. Ben waited until he could
reach Joe’s waist. Then he grabbed his son tightly and lowered him to the
ground. A few seconds later, the rope went slack.
Joe turned and buried his face in his
father’s shoulder. Ben could feel him trembling, and he could hear his son’s
loud gasps for air. Ben held him tight. “It’s all right,” Ben murmured as he
held Joe. “You’re safe now.”
Ben held Joe until his son got
himself under control. Joe slowly raised his head. Ben could see Joe’s face was
covered with sweat. Joe swallowed hard and stared almost blankly into Ben’s
eyes. Ben smiled and nodded encouragingly at his son. Joe blinked several times
and swallowed hard again.
Ben heard rather than saw Hoss and
Bailey come up to him. Ben kept his eyes firmly on Joe, making sure his son was
all right. Joe finally nodded and stepped back from his father.
“Joe, are you all right?” Hoss asked
his brother with concern. Even in the dark, he could tell Joe was pale and
shaken.
Joe nodded. “Yeah, I’m all right,” he
answered in a shaky voice.
“That must have been some trip,”
Bailey commented with a grin.
“I don’t know,” Joe answered. “I had
my eyes closed the whole way.”
Ben, Hoss, and Bailey laughed as Joe
gave them shaky grin.
Bailey looked around. He saw the four
soldiers sitting on the ground about ten yards away. None of them had made a
move to help Ben or Joe.
Bailey sighed. “We’d better get
moving,” he said. “The farther we get away from here, the safer we’ll be.” He
looked at Joe. “Son, I’d be proud to have you in my unit anytime,” Bailey said.
“You’re twice the man any of those soldiers claim to be.”
“Thanks,” Joe said. “But let’s think
of another way for me to prove it.”
Bailey grinned, and walked forward to
join his men.
***************
The hot sun shone down on the men who
were walking slowly across the barren land. Bailey led the way, walking steadily
through the sand. Carney, Williams, Hoffman and Peterson followed him in a
ragged line. Ben came next, with Joe leaning heavily on him as Ben helped his
son walk. Hoss brought up the rear.
The men had started hiking at a brisk
pace during the night. The relief and adrenaline they felt at their escape had
buoyed all of them. They had started walking out of the canyon and toward the
fort with enthusiasm. But as the hours passed, their enthusiasm quickly flagged.
All began to tire, and Joe tired quicker than the rest.
After three hours of walking through
the night, Bailey had called a halt and ordered a twenty minute rest. Joe had
made it on his own for the first part of the trek. But he had struggled to get
to his feet when Bailey ordered the men to start walking again. Hoss quickly
helped his brother to his feet, and put his strong arm around Joe’s waist. Joe
leaned gratefully against his brother as he began to walk. Hoss gently pushed
Joe forward and kept his arm around him to support him.
Bailey had noted Joe’s difficulty
without comment. But he slowed the pace considerably. The other soldiers either
didn’t see or ignored Joe.
The second rest break came after only
two hours. The sun was beginning to rise as Bailey called a halt again. By now,
Joe was leaning heavily on Hoss, his pace slower. Ben had watched his sons with
concern, but Hoss waved him away when he tried to help.
The second break had lasted almost
half an hour. Joe had fallen asleep almost as soon as he had laid down on the
ground. Ben had felt Joe’s forehead and was alarmed that his son’s fever seemed
to be higher. Joe’s breathing was fast and heavy, also. Ben desperately wished
he could do something to help his son. But there was little he could do.
The soldiers had grumbled and
complained when Bailey ordered them to start walking again. Ben had ignored them
as he gently woke Joe. Joe barely opened his eyes. Both Ben and Hoss had to help
him to his feet. This time, Ben slipped Joe’s arm around his shoulders. Joe
leaned against his father heavily. But he began walking.
Now the sun was high in the sky, and
the heat was building rapidly. Joe’s pace was becoming slower with each step.
Ben kept urging his son forward, but it was becoming harder and harder for Joe
to walk. Ben pulled Joe’s hat down firmly on his son’s head, trying to give him
some protection from the sun. But there was no way to protect him from the heat.
Bailey looked back at the men behind
him. He could see Ben and Joe were falling farther and farther behind. Bailey
looked around him and studied the land. Ahead, a cluster of tall rocks, looking
almost like monuments, stood out against the cloudless sky. Bailey could see a
small alcove in the rocks, bathed in shadows. He headed for the shadows.
Bailey called a halt as he reached
the shade. The soldiers behind him walked quickly toward the relative cool of
the shadows. Ben, Joe and Hoss joined them a minute later.
Ben eased Joe to the ground. Joe was
covered with sweat, and his eyes were almost closed. Ben quickly pulled one of
the canteens off his shoulder and pulled the top off the container. He lifted
Joe’s head and put the canteen to Joe’s lips. Joe drank deeply, as he had during
the previous two breaks. The canteen was emptying fast.
Ben put the canteen aside and eased
Joe’s head back down to the ground.
The wound in Joe’s shoulder was
inflamed and swollen. Ben winced as he studied the wound.
“We’re going to have to open that up
again, let it drain,” Bailey said as he stood over Ben and Joe.
Ben nodded, hating the thought of
causing more pain to his son.
“Want me to do it?” Bailey asked.
Ben took a deep breath. “No,” he
said. “I’ll do it.”
Bailey handed Ben the knife. Hoss
came over and knelt next to Joe. He looked at his brother’s shoulder, then
quickly at the knife in Ben’s hand.
“Pa,” he said with a frown. “I don’t
know how much more he can take.”
“I know,” Ben said. “But we have no
choice. Hold him, Hoss.”
Hoss nodded and put his large hands
on Joe’s chest and shoulder. Ben doused the knife with water from the canteen.
He wished they had the whiskey bottle. Not only would that clean the knife
better, but Ben hated to waste the water.
Ben pulled Joe’ shirt open and pulled
the bandage back. With a swift cut, he opened the swollen wound.
Joe screamed in pain as the knife cut
into him, then went limp.
Ben made another quick cut, and the
wound started oozing pus and blood. Joe laid unmoving on the dirt.
Ben poured some more of the precious
water on the wound, hoping to clean it out a bit more. Then he pulled the
bandage back over the wound.
“Good job,” Bailey said, nodding with
approval. He stood and looked around. “We’ll spend a couple of hours here,”
Bailey said. “No sense traveling in the heat of the day. And your son can use
the rest.” Ben nodded gratefully.
Bailey suddenly turned and walked
over to the soldiers sitting on the ground. Peterson was about to pour water
from his canteen over his head when Bailey snatched it out of his hand.
“Peterson, are you crazy or just plain stupid?” the sergeant asked angrily.
“I’m hot,” complained Peterson.
“Well, you’re going to be worse off
if you keep wasting water like that,” Bailey said. He shook the canteen and
frowned. “How much have you had to drink?” he asked.
Peterson shrugged. “I don’t know,”
the soldier replied sullenly. “When I get thirsty, I drink.”
“You keep this up, and you’ll be out
of water by nightfall,” Bailey warned. “And we have another day before we get to
the fort.”
“Aw, sarge, you worry too much,”
Peterson said.
Bailey turned to the rest of the men
sprawled on the ground. “Listen to me, all of you,” he said. “We have a lot of
ground to cross and there’s no water between here and the fort. You have to save
your water. If you use it up, you’re going to die out here.” The men glared back
at Bailey. No one said anything.
Ben and Hoss watched the scene with
concern. They had both drank from the canteens sparingly, giving Joe more than
his share of their water. Only the one contents of one canteen was dwindling.
Between them, they had two other, almost full canteens. Ben wondered what would
happen when one of the soldiers ran out of water. He had no doubt that the
soldiers would kill to get more water if they had to. Ben looked at Hoss, his
face betraying his worry and fear.
Bailey walked away from the men and
sat by Ben and Hoss. “When we get back to the fort, I swear I’m going to have
them all thrown out of the troop,” Bailey muttered as he eased himself onto the
ground. He looked over at Joe. “He’s having a pretty rough time,” Bailey
commented.
Ben looked at his son. Joe was still
laying unmoving on the ground, exhausted by the pain and the walking. “I don’t
know how much longer he can walk,” Ben admitted. He turned back to Bailey. “How
much farther to the fort?” he asked.
Bailey hesitated before he answered.
“We’re not even halfway there yet,” he said finally. He looked at Ben. “Maybe we
should have stayed in that ravine.”
Ben shook his head. “No, if we had
stayed, we’d all be dead by now,” said Ben.
“I wish we could have found another
way,” Bailey said apologetically. “I’m sorry.”
“There was no other way,” replied
Ben. He looked at Joe again and took a deep breath. “There was no other way,”
Ben said again softly.
****************
Four hours later, Bailey ordered his
men to their feet. The shade in which they had been resting was rapidly
disappearing as the sun rose high into the sky. The heat was coming in waves
across the desert. Bailey knew there was no sense staying by the rocks any
longer. They would be just as hot staying where they were as they would be if
they were walking. And staying wouldn’t get them any closer to the fort.
Joe had drifted in and out of
consciousness during the past four hours. When he was awake, he felt a throbbing
pain in his shoulder. Joe had tried not to fade back into a dreamless sleep. But
the pain, the heat and his exhaustion made it difficult for him to stay awake.
He was vaguely aware of someone giving him water almost every time he woke up.
He hadn’t heard Hoss throwing aside a now empty canteen. He only knew that
trying to stay awake took more energy than it was worth. He finally stopped
fighting and let himself slip back into that dark world where he couldn’t feel
the pain and heat.
Now he felt someone gently shaking
him awake once more.
“Joe, “ Ben said with concern. “We
have to get moving. Do you think you can walk?”
Joe looked up at his father through
half opened eyes. He wanted to get up; in fact, he knew he had to get up. But he
felt so tired. The thought of getting to his feet seemed a task more daunting
than climbing a mountain.
“Joe,” Ben said again, his voice more
urgent. “Joe, we have to get moving.”
Joe nodded and somehow managed to sit
up. It seemed to take all his energy to accomplish that alone. His shoulders
slumped forward.
Ben grabbed Joe’s uninjured arm and
started pulling his son to his feet. Hoss grabbed Joe around the waist and
pulled up. Between the two of them, Ben and Hoss managed to get Joe to his feet.
Bailey had watched the Cartwrights
with growing concern. Now he walked slowly to the trio. “Can he walk?” Bailey
asked.
Ben slipped Joe’s arm over his
shoulders. “He can walk,” answered Ben. “I don’t know how far, but he can walk.”
Joe looked up at the sergeant with
dull eyes. “I can make it,” he said in a weak voice.
Bailey studied the men in front of
him, then nodded. He turned abruptly and walked away.
Hoss picked the two remaining
canteens up off the ground and slipped the straps over his shoulder. Then he put
his arm around Joe’s waist. Joe winced slightly as Hoss’ massive shoulder bumped
his arm.
Ben and Hoss started walking slowly,
dragging Joe between them. Joe shuffled his feet; he was being pulled more than
actually walking. His head lolled to one side, and his legs were rubbery. Joe
held on to his father as tightly as he could.
Bailey and the four soldiers were
walking across the desert ahead of Ben and Hoss. Their pace was slow, but even
still, the Cartwrights quickly lagged behind. Ben knew they had a long way to go
to get to the fort. He wondered if they could get there.
Somehow, Ben and Hoss managed to drag
Joe across the barren ground for another two hours. All three were becoming
exhausted. The soldiers ahead of them kept walking. None of them turned to help.
The ragged band was approaching
another cluster of rocks.. Ben saw the rocks and began searching them with his
eyes, looking for a shady spot. He was looking ahead so intensely that he didn’t
notice Joe was falling until he felt his son’s arm pulled away from him.
“Bailey!” Ben shouted in alarm. Joe
had fallen away from Ben, and only Hoss’ desperate snatch has prevent Joe from
crashing to the ground. Hoss laid his brother gently on the ground.
“Bailey!” Ben shouted again. He knelt
next to Joe and gently slapped his son on the cheek, trying to rouse him.
Ben looked up as a shadow crossed
Joe’s face. Bailey stood over them, his face full of concern. The other soldiers
stood a few feet away, watching impassively.
Bailey knelt on the ground next to
Ben. He watched as Hoss handed his father a canteen, and Ben poured a small
trickle of water on Joe’s face. Joe didn’t react.
“He’s had it,” said Carney as he
watched Ben unsuccessfully trying to wake Joe. “Let’s leave him and get moving.”
“Shut up, Carney,” barked Bailey.
“He’s slowing us down,” complained
Hoffman. “We’d be better offer without him.”
Bailey glared at Hoffman until the
soldier looked away uncomfortably.
“Carney’s right,” Bailey said
reluctantly as he turned back to Ben. “He’s not going to make it any further.”
Ben looked up at the sergeant and
then around him, as if seeking some unexpected help. Then he looked down at Joe.
“I’ll stay with him,” Ben said.
“No!” Hoss protested. “You can’t stay
here. Joe can’t stay here.”
Ben looked at Hoss. “He can’t go any
further, Hoss,” Ben said softly.
“I’ll carry him,” Hoss said in a firm
voice.
Ben looked at Bailey. “How far is it
to the fort?” Ben asked.
“If we travel all night, we should
get there by noon tomorrow,” Bailey said.
Ben looked at Hoss. “There’s no way
you can carry him for that long,” Ben said. “You’d kill him and yourself.” Hoss
started to protest again, but said nothing as he realized Ben was right. His
face showed his worry and concern.
Ben looked over to the rocks on his
right. “Help me carry him over there,” Ben said to Bailey and Hoss. “We’ll find
someplace to hole up until you can get back with some help.”
Ben, Hoss and Bailey carried Joe to
the outcropping of rocks. Once more, the other soldiers stood watching, making
no effort to help. Ben saw a small patch of ground among the rocks, a ring of
clear earth about ten feet in diameter. Ben nodded toward the clear ground, and
the trio moved Joe into the rocks.
As they laid Joe on the ground, Ben
knelt beside his son. Joe was sweating profusely, and his breathing was rapid.
Ben tried to make Joe comfortable, but there was little he could do.
“Pa, I’m staying with you,” Hoss
declared.
Ben looked up at Hoss. “No,” he said
firmly. “You’re going on to the fort.”
Hoss shook his head. “I’m not leaving
you and Joe out here alone,” he said. “In this heat, with Apaches all around,
you got about as much chance as a mouse at a cat convention.”
Ben shook his head again. “You’re
staying here isn’t going to help,” he said. “I need to you to get to the fort,
to get some help back here.”
“Bailey can bring back the help,”
Hoss said.
“And what if something happens to
him?” Ben said. “Do you think one of those soldiers would bother to bring help?
Or could find their way back here, even if they wanted to?”
Hoss hesitated, torn between the
logic of what Ben said and his strong desire to stay.
“Your Pa’s right,” said Bailey
softly. “There’s a lot of ground between here and the fort. No telling what can
happen. There’s a better chance of help getting back here if we both go.”
Hoss knelt on the ground next to Joe.
He stroked his brother’s head gently.
“Joe,” he said softly. “I’m going to
get you some help. You hang on, you hear. I’m coming back for you. I promise I’m
going to bring help back fast. You do what I say, and hang on.” Ben nodded as
he listened to Hoss.
Hoss stood and put his hand on Ben’s
shoulder. He started to stay something, but seemed at a loss for words. He
squeezed Ben’s shoulder.
Ben reached up and patted Hoss on the
arm.
Hoss slipped one of the canteens off
his shoulder and handed it to Ben. He started to hand the second one to his
father also, but Ben stopped him. “You’ll need that,” Ben said. “You’ve got to
get to the fort and bring back some help. We’re counting on you, son.”
Hoss nodded and pulled the canteen
strap up over his shoulder. He gave one last glance back at his unconscious
brother on the ground. Then he turned. “C’mon,” he said to Bailey. “We got a lot
of ground to cover.”
Bailey nodded. The two big men walked
out of the rocks.
Ben turned his attention to his
youngest son. He knew the heat and sun were as much a danger to Joe as the wound
in his shoulder. Ben saw a small bit of a shadow near one of the rocks. He
looked up at the sun, trying to calculate it’s path. He looked back at the
shadow once more. It wasn’t much now, but Ben thought it would grow as the sun
descended.
At least, he hoped so.
Ben slipped the strap of the canteen
over his shoulder. Then he slipped his arms under Joe’s shoulder. Thankful that
his son was feeling nothing, Ben dragged Joe a foot or so across the ground
toward the shadow. Ben sat on the ground, resting his back against the rocks. He
pulled Joe up and toward him, letting Joe’s head rest on his right shoulder. Ben
slipped his arm behind Joe’s back and pulled his son closer. Ben closed his eyes
for a moment and sent a heartfelt plea for help to heaven. He opened his eyes
and looked at Joe. With his left hand, he gentle pushed a lock of hair back off
Joe’s forehead, a gesture he had done many times. Ben wondered briefly if he
would have to chance to do this again. With a quick shake of his head, Ben
dismissed the thought. He’d get Joe through this, he vowed.
Ben glanced up at the sun in the
cloudless sky once more. Then he settled back against the rocks to wait.
**************
Almost two hours passed before Joe
began to stir. The shadows from the rocks had lengthened as the sun moved in the
sky. Ben had periodically wiped Joe’s face with a damp cloth, and had managed to
force a bit of water into his son. Now, for the first time in hours, as Ben
wiped Joe’s face, his son began to wake.
Joe moaned softly as Ben wiped his
face. Ben quickly brought the canteen to Joe’s lips, and trickled a bit of water
into his son’s mouth. Joe swallowed eagerly, then moaned again. Ben saw Joe
wince as he tried to shift his body. Joe’s head moved slowly, and then his eyes
opened.
For a moment, Joe’s eyes had a
glazed look. Then he seemed to focus. He glanced at the rocks around him, then
looked up into his father’s face.
“Welcome back,” Ben said quietly.
Joe nodded. His eyes searched the
land around him again. Once more, he looked up at Ben. “Where are we?” he said
in a weak voice. “Where’s Hoss?”
Ben ignored the first question; he
had no real answer to it. “Hoss went on to the fort to get some help,” Ben
explained. “He’ll be back soon,” he continued optimistically.
Joe nodded, then licked his lips. Ben
quickly brought the canteen to Joe’s mouth and let his son drink. When Ben
pulled the canteen away, Joe nodded his thanks. He closed his eyes as he winced
at the pain in his shoulder.
After a minute, Joe’s eyes fluttered
open again. “Guess I didn’t make it,” Joe said in a sad voice.
“You did fine,” Ben reassured him.
“You made it farther than any of us thought you would.”
“Yeah, but not to the fort,” replied
Joe. He looked up at Ben. “And you’re stuck here with me.”
Ben gave him a small grin. “I’ll tell
you a secret, Joe,” said Ben. “I was getting pretty tired myself. I’d just as
soon stay here with you than hike through that hot sand.”
Joe knew his father wasn’t being
entirely truthful, but he didn’t argue. He looked out at the barren land, dotted
with rocks. “Sure wish we had taken that stage,” Joe said wistfully.
“Next time, I promise you, we will,”
answered Ben.
“If there is a next time,” said Joe.
“There will be,” Ben said quickly,
hoping it was true. “Hoss will be back soon with some help, and you’ll be home
chasing those pretty girls before you know it.”
Joe didn’t say anything for a minute.
He seemed to be lost in thought. “It would have been nice if I had found someone
special,” said Joe softly.
“You’ll get your chance,” Ben said.
“I promise you, Joe, you’ll have plenty of time to search for someone.”
“Maybe,” Joe said, his voice fading.
His eyes began to close. In a moment, he was asleep again.
“You’ll get your chance,” Ben
repeated softly. “I promise you, Joe, you’ll get your chance.”
**********
The hot desert wind had turned into a
cool evening breeze as the sun disappeared behind the mountains. Two figures sat
next to a small fire in the rocks, one trying to keep warm, and one in an
uncaring sleep. Ben had left Joe only long enough to gather some sticks and
straw for the fire. He had kept the fire small partly to avoid attracting
attention from any passing Apaches but mostly because he didn’t want to leave
Joe alone any longer than necessary while searching for fuel.
Joe had awaken for brief periods
during the afternoon, but he seemed to be conscious only long enough to drink
some water and ask where he was in a confused voice. It worried Ben that he had
repeatedly answered Joe’s question, but Joe never seemed to understand him.
But that was only one of Ben’s worries. The canteen seemed to be alarmingly light