In the middle of the night Deakins awoke with a slight groan, he had been resisting the discomfort in his abdomen, due to his embarrassment at having to pee in front of his current comrades in arms. He despised being stuck in their precarious situation, he had believed the words of Butler and Parker, that getting his son back would be easy and now he was stuck in a cabin with them fearing capture. Peeing in a bucket in the corner wasn't so bad as an idea, they had a chamberpot under the bed at home like many others and he often used a bucket if caught short in his forge but here… well it was the sound in the small cabin that put him off using the bucket more than anything. At home any nocturnal use of the pot would mean only his wife would be witness to seeing him if she woke. Of course, neither of the other two outlaws had baulked at using a bucket themselves. Deakins presumed that was probably because they were used to being around each other a lot and being cowboys, they most likely didn't have the same worries about being overheard doing what came naturally. However, Deakins though considering himself a gruff tough blacksmith of a man, just wasn't built of the same stern stuff really. In fact, he was a coward who was embarrassed easily by stronger men.

The uncomfortable feeling he now was experiencing though wasn't to just pee, it was to do with the other waste removal exercise the body needed at times and Deakins just couldn't bring himself to do that inside the cabin either, not with the other men there. He hated this situation and though he was currently the only one awake, taking his own two-hour watch after relieving Butler an hour ago, he couldn't bring himself to relieve himself inside, where he might be seen.

Deakins peered out anxiously into the darkness through the crack in the window, that was caused by a damaged outside shutter. It was a darkish night with moonlight often disappearing behind clouds, so it didn't always allow him to see much. He thought for a while longer what to do and eventually the pain was so bad, he figured what could it hurt for him to slip outside, in the dark, for a few minutes? After all, it was just going take a few minutes to slip outside and around to the other side of the cabin, where he could relieve himself of both the waste and pain.

Decision made, Deakins stood up and rubbed his belly with one hand and with the other hand holding his gun he stepped silently one step towards the door. He waited to see if it woke either of the other men up. The cabin luckily had a no creaking floor boards as neither of his comrades stirred at all, so he crept over to the door. He unlocked and cracked the door open a little with his gun, ready to shoot anything that moved. He listened intently to the night sounds for a minute, to see if he could hear any sounds of movement from anyone around.

Deciding finally that the coast was clear, Deakins crept out of the cabin shutting the door just as silently behind him. Warily, he searched the dark with his eyes while he stepped around to the side of the cabin, his back always to the building for safety. He rounded the cabin and found a spot he felt was safe and where he could defend himself should anything or anyone come out of the bushes. He didn't expect anyone coming up the mountain yet and so he placed his gun down beside him, quickly shed his britches and squatted to do his business.

A long sigh was released as the discomfort in his abdomen was finally eased, however he quickly became alerted to a sound to the left of him and inwardly swore. He picked up his gun and anxiously searched the darkness while trying with one hand to desperately right his clothing, never mind that that he hadn't had any time to wipe himself off with a leaf or anything. He was vastly relieved when a few seconds later a small critter came out of the bushes and upon seeing the human shot off in the other direction.

Deakins' heart hammered in his chest and he listened for another 30 seconds of quiet, before he went back to shedding his lower clothing again and cleaning himself up as best he could with leaves and grass. Hands and body finally clean he righted his clothing and taking up his gun he crept back around to the front of the cabin to go back inside. He was almost at the door when he heard the click of a gun being cocked from behind him. A hand then covered his mouth, as the cold steel of a barrel was pushed into the back of his neck.

"Move at all and you won't see another day!" said a whispered voice, in his right ear.

Though he had just relieved himself of all waste bodily fluids, Deakins felt the urge to again pee himself. He had never found himself so vulnerable and though brave with a gun in hand in broad daylight, when confronted in his own environment back home, here he was to all intents and purposes a coward. So, he followed all the whispered instructions and manhandling from the man who had captured him. He was carefully guided away from the cabin by the cowboy, who had also relieved him of his gun. When they were far enough away in the bushes the young cowboy ordered Deakins to tie a gag around his own mouth. He then tied Deakins' hands together with a strip of leather tie.

"Do as I say, and you will live, well at least until the judge decides otherwise. Try to get away from me and I shoot you right in the head. We don't like kidnapping in Nevada, especially when it involves a kid," he whispered into Deakins ear. He then urged Deakins to walk ahead of him, training both guns on him as they went back the way he had come up the mountainside.

Adam was down the mountain at their temporary camp. He was currently watching out for the man who had supposedly gone to pee, just after Adam had taken over from him on watch. Ben and the others currently still slept around the camp, each of them trying to get some rest ahead of their plan to raid the cabin.

A softly agreed upon bird call came from out of the darkness. Adam returned it with his own, even though he trained his gun in the direction it came from, just in case. To his astonishment, instead of one man appearing out of the semi darkness, two emerged, and one of them had his arms clearly tied behind him while the man's mouth was gagged.

Deakins was escorted nearer. "Look what I found sneaking around in the dark?" grinned, William the young ranch hand.

"Where the hell did you find him?" hissed Adam. "I thought you had been captured yourself you have been so long. Either that or you had eaten too many beans lately," said Adam quietly, as Deakins was shoved unceremoniously to the ground and ordered to stay there.

"Well I figured since it was all quiet up there, when I finished doing my business, I would go take a look see and Adam there was enough light to see the trail by and plenty of cover too. I reckoned I would see how near I could get to the cabin, sort of suss it out for later, so to speak. I got real near too, this idiot looked like he was supposed to be on lookout watch. Adam, I swear I was just scoping out to see if I could get near enough to release their horses or something. I know I shouldn't have been up there alone, but I was just planning on coming back down when I heard something near the entrance to the cabin and who do I see creeping out to sh… uh go do something we all do usually in the outhouse? Him," said William, the youngest ranch hand that they had with them, who had luckily stopped himself from uttering the curse word around Adam. He was more afraid of Ben Cartwright hearing it than Adam, who wasn't quite so concerned about cuss words being used by the men who worked for them.

"Why the hell did you risk going up there alone for, you young fool? Pa would not be impressed. The plan we all agreed to was to not try anything until nearly first light. We are stopping them from coming down the mountainside via the main trail and unless they know this area really well the other paths are more dangerous in the dark," Adam scolded.

"Sorry, Adam. I know that was the plan, but I was really careful, I promise, and this darn fool was no trouble at all. Didn't even put up a fight. I don't know him though. Do you know who he is?"

"Who, who is?" asked a deeper voice, as the previously sleeping older man sat up with a yawn.

"Uh, hey morning, Mr Cartwright. I got me one of the men we've been looking for. He was sneaking out to relieve himself and I got him just as he was sneaking back to the cabin. I never heard a sound from them inside, so I snuck him back down here."

"Adam, did you authorise this?" Ben asked sternly.

"Don't look at me, Pa. I never authorised any ventures away from the camp, except for him to go pee. I thought he was going off to do what he said, after I relieved him of his watch a while ago and he came back down with this man at gunpoint."

"Adam didn't know anything about me going anywhere, Mr Cartwright. And I swear I never planned to do it at first, but after I was done with my business I noticed that there was a bit more moonlight lighting the pathway going way up behind the rocks on that side and so…" he trailed off suddenly, almost feeling the heat of the scornful look coming at him from his employer, even though the light was still too dark to see Ben's face clearly. "Sorry, Mr. Cartwright. It won't happen again."

"It had better not, young man. We agreed you could come with us if you obeyed everyone, so you could gain some experience, not for you to try and be a bloody hero! Go get some sleep, we'll discuss this more later," ordered Ben.

"Yes sir, Mr Cartwright," William said. He immediately went to settle down with his things and wrapped a blanket over his shoulders before closing his eyes, wishing he hadn't been scolded like he was a silly young boy.

Ben, meanwhile, got up and walked over to see who their captured man was. Unfortunately for Ben he couldn't see much of the face, as there wasn't a fire and currently the moonlight was less due to another cloud passing across it. Ben backed away and drew his gun focusing it on the man while he talked quietly with Adam, who maintained his own vigilance on the bushes up ahead.

Nothing else happened for the next few hours. Adam was told to rest for an hour while Ben took over the watch for a while. Seth had woken up earlier than the others and he was helping Ben by sitting watching Deakins, while Ben kept the main watch and the others slept.

When the sky started changing to brighter colours, preparing for the dawn, Ben roused Adam and the others. "Wake up son, wake up sheriff, wake up William. Joseph wake the others up. It's time we got ready," he said quietly, shaking each named person by the shoulder in turn. "It's time to see if anyone up there has noticed their comrade in arms is missing yet."

Joe did as he was asked, waking each one of the other men up, while whispering that they had a captive and to keep their heads about them.

Adam sat up and yawned, scrubbing his face with his hands roughly to wake himself up. He grabbed a canteen from his saddle bags to take a long drink of water then he poured a splash of it into his hand, and rubbed his face over, which woke him up far better than just rubbing the sleep from his eyes with a hand. He used his neckerchief to dry his face off and then looked around at the other men who were with them, not that he could see all that much beyond shadows. He looked at Ben and then got up and shuffled over to look closer at the now exhausted and still snoozing captive man. "I don't think I recognise him, Pa but judging by what young Raymond said, I believe that he could be the boy's so-called true father."

"I agree with your assessment, son. William, you will stay here and keep a watchful eye on our prisoner while Adam and I and the others go see if anyone else is stupid enough to be trying to leave that cabin before dawn. If anyone tries to come down the mountain, besides any of us, shoot to injure not kill."

"Yes sir, you got it, Mr. Cartwright," promised the younger man, eager to make up for his actions from earlier, that might have gotten him in deep water with his boss.

"Just hold on a minute here, Ben," said the sheriff firmly. With this he got the others to all look at him. "Right. Now let me make this clear, I am in charge right now. This is a legal matter. We want justice, not revenge and I don't want to lose any of you either, so we do this my way which is just the way we planned last night. Ben, you and Adam stay together, you take the left trail because you know this land better than anyone else. Seth and I will take the most obvious path. Joe you take a man or two up the steepest trail and you others spread out in the bushes up just the way I detailed last night. Let's see that if we can surround them, or at least cut off all their escape routes just in case they try and think this early morning light is a great time to get away, thinking we are all still sleeping. Usual signals to be used before anyone takes any action unless it's to defend yourselves. Is that all understood?"

"Understood, sheriff," they all chorused.

William got up and moved into a position where he could watch both Deakins and provide cover for the men who were going up the mountainside. He was sticking himself now. If he hadn't had been so reckless earlier, he would have been going up the mountain right now with the others. He watched first Adam and Ben disappeared into the brush, to the left, to start making their way up the lesser known and trickier trail and then a few moments later the sheriff signalled for Seth to follow him and then the others left camp and started making their way up the mountainside, in all directions to cut off any escape route.

They all moved slowly up the mountainside, one at a time, bush to bush, rock to rock while covering for each other and signalling that it was ok before the next man overlapped them. They were far out of sight and hearing of the camp, when Deakins woke up. He was reminded that he wasn't alone and was not in the cabin. He was currently captured and gagged and when he tried to move William looked away from the trail and said, "Don't even think of trying anything. I got orders to shoot."

Both Ben and Adam Cartwright knew the area around this mountainside very well, from their many hunting trips. So, it allowed them to move much quicker and quieter than any of the others would have been able to. They were able to make good time up the trail and Ben soon stopped and signalled with a hand that they take up a position now. From their hiding spot they were able to make out the shape of the cabin itself. They weren't quite close enough to hear anything being said inside yet though.

Neither man could see into the cabin, as the only shuttered window was closed up and it was at an angle to them. The door to the cabin was further around the side and so they settled down as ordered by the sheriff, to wait for the others to get to their own positions. Anyone coming up the main trail had to be careful as that would be more head on to the cabin door and that meant they could be seen and would be more vulnerable. Both men had their guns drawn and trained on the cabin in anticipation of any usage, if it was warranted earlier than planned.

Meanwhile back inside the cabin….

Parker woke up with a start, something was bothering him so much that it waded into his sleep. He gazed around the place letting his eyes get used to the meagre light in the cabin that was coming only from the small crack in the shutter. He frowned, he couldn't see Deakins at all, but he saw the shape of his partner Butler, who was still across from him on a pallet and he was snoring.

"Butler wake up!" he hissed urgently. His partner didn't respond, so he grabbed the first thing he could feel, which was a boot, and he tossed it at him. "Butler!"

"Ow!" he yelped when it hit him in the face. "What the fuck is going on?" said the now angry awoken man. He turned over on the pallet to face his partner and said with a growl, "What?"

"Deakins isn't here. He also never woke either of us to take over from his watch," said Parker. He drew his gun from the holster he had laid beside him and crawled over to the door, which was shut and when he tried the lock it was not locked. "Fuck! The stupid fool left of his own accord or we would already be dead or captured. Surely he can't be so stupid as to think he could get away alone out here?"

"When I get my hands on him. l'll….," growled Butler and he sat up fully, throwing his legs over the pallet as he did so. "What time is it?"

Parker pulled out a fob watch, shook it and put it to his ear to check it was still ticking. He then tried to get enough light on the face of it to tell the time. "I think it says it's half past 3. Should be nearly dawn I reckon." He locked the door with the wooden bar across it and then crawled over to carefully look out the window via the crack in the outside wooden shutter. "Yep, looks like its dawning out there. What we gonna do? We planned to go before now. You reckon he's just gone to relieve himself out there? Tried to run? Or do ya reckon he's been captured?"

"I don't know, but I do know this, I ain't going to jail because of him and that damn boy. No siree."

"Who do ya reckon is down there then, the Cartwright's? The sheriff? And how the hell did they know how to find us so quick? I thought we would have had more time to get away."

"Probably, Hoss bloody Cartwright…. that's how! Bastard always was the best tracker anyone had ever seen outside of an injun. Seems we clearly didn't cover out tracks as well as we thought," he frowned, "or someone left something giving them clues where we were heading."

"What! You reckon that Deakins fella wanted us to get caught? He don't know this area like we do."

"Nah, not him, probably the boy. For all we know Hoss done taught them boys some of his tricks. I knew I shoulda had ya trussed him up like a pig."

Outside the cabin….

Adam and Ben heard voices now coming from inside and they guessed that meant that whoever was inside was awake and most probably aware that they were also a man down. They remained hidden where they were for a few minutes but then Ben suggested by way of hand movements that they move to a slightly better position. They needed to focus on the cabin door to stop the men from coming out and getting on their horses until they had every other man in place. Adam acknowledged the hand command and they crept together, as quietly as they could, around in the brush until they found somewhere to better keep watch on the door.

After a little while, they spotted the sheriff and Seth moving into their positions surrounding the cabin, also trying to keep out of sight. Adam and Ben signalled with soft bird calls, in the code agreed upon, and replies came back from the sheriff. Joe and his partner moved into their position and they also called to the sheriff who acknowledged them. Everyone was now ready to engage with the kidnappers within the cabin, so Adam began counting down to zero with his fingers so Ben and the the sheriff could see. Ben nodded at the finger 1 and then….

"Hey, you inside the cabin, come out with your hands up. We have you completely surrounded. You won't make it down the mountain alive, so come on out before we fill the place with bullet holes!" yelled the sheriff.

"Fuck! That sounds like Sheriff Coffee," growled Butler.

"So, what do we do, Butler?" asked Parker, anxiously checking his gun was fully loaded.

"You take the window, break it and use that big log to push the shutter open, then shoot at them with every gun you got at anything that moves. I'm gonna make a hole in the back corner there with something. If I can get outside, I'll shoot anyone I see and get behind them. I ain't going to jail!"

"Can't we just give ourselves up and take our chances when we get to town? Come on Butler, we have friends there that can bust us out of jail. Out here we ain't got no chance if they're really surrounding us."

Butler glared at him, "We don't know they have enough men to surround us properly and that lazy good for nothing Deakins ain't just wandered off and fell down the mountainside in the dark. No, we shoot our way out and that's final."

Parker didn't like it, but he knew his partner to be ruthless, so he did as he was told before he got shot.

When the shutter was pushed open and the first shot was fired from the cabin it hit no one, but it signalled the intentions of those inside. They aimed to fight their way out of the situation and so the sheriff ordered everyone to return fire. After 10 or so minutes of shooting back at them a lucky shot got through into the cabin and winged Parker on the upper arm, making him cry out loud. "Ah fuck!" he cursed. He dropped the gun he was holding in his other hand and slid down to hold his arm.

Butler by then had managed to create a hole big enough to crawl out of in the back corner, he was just about to stick his head and gun outside when Parker yelled that he had been hit. He cursed and scrambled to get to his feet. Then went to yank Parker back to a bed pallet, where he tore off a strip of a spare shirt, from one of their bags and he began to bound it around Parker's upper arm where the bullet had hit. "There done. It ain't gonna kill ya. I stemmed the bleeding. Now get back over there and give me some cover fire. I am going out the back."

"You aren't going anywhere but jail," said a voice from the back, where Joseph Cartwright laid on the ground, with a rifle aimed at both men. "Put your guns down slowly and kick them over there," he said pointing away to the other corner with a gesture of the gun. "Try anything else and I promise you won't walk out of here on two legs."

Butler glared and his hand went to go for his gun, that he had placed on the bed while he tied of the bandage. A shot rang out and he howled when a bullet hit his hand.

"The next one is in your knee," said Joe. "Lucky for you boys the sheriff wants you alive, or by now you'd both be dead. Now do me and yourselves a favour and do as you were told with them guns and do it slowly. I got an itchy trigger finger and no worries about using every bullet I got in this here gun making it so you can't hurt anyone else in my family."

Butler scowled, "Alright, alright," he hissed, as he wrapped his now bleeding hand with his kerchief. Parker took each gun they both had on them and lowered them to the floor slowly, then he kicked them until they were at the other corner of the cabin.

"Alright, hands up and walk to the door and open it."

Both men did as they were told walking to the door. Parker opened it slowly, still having the use of both of his hands. "Don't shoot! We are coming out unarmed!" he yelled first. He was praying they would believe him and that the younger man behind them wasn't going to shoot them in the back, as he walked out ahead of Butler.

"Five steps forward and then get on your knees and put your hands on your heads," ordered the sheriff.

Both men did as they were told and stepped forward and dropped to their knees, but Parker could only place one hand on his head. Though his hands were ok, raising the damaged upper arm made him yelp. "Don't shoot! I can't put them both up, I'm shot."

"My god its Parker and Butler!" exclaimed Ben.

"Huh…. Hoss will be right mad at that Pa. Remember you got rid of them because of him, seems this is clearly part of them getting their revenge," said Adam. "Lucky you sent him home with the boy, Pa. He would have wanted to rip their throats out." He and Ben trained their guns on the men, having only left their places of safety, just the same as the sheriff, after Joe had come out from behind the cabin.

The sheriff and Seth approached the two men warily, "You are under arrest, gentleman for kidnapping and assaulting Mrs. Caroline Cartwright."

He brought out a set of metal cuffs. He cuffed Parker first. "You gonna bleed out on me?" he asked the winged man.

"No, sheriff it hurts a lot, but I'll live."

The sheriff nodded and he helped Parker up and lightly pushed the man towards Seth. "Take him to his horse, tie him to the reins and stirrups, then wait for us," he ordered. Then he turned to Butler, "You are gonna be tied up one handed to your body, since I can't use a set of cuffs on ya. Once that's done, we'll put a bandage on your hand and put it up in a sling. Don't make us kill you here and now by trying anything stupid."

The sheriff ordered Adam to watch Butler carefully while he tied the man's good hand to his body securely. He then took the strips of cloth Ben had made, by tearing them from his own handkerchief, and tied one around the one Butler had wrapped around his hand. Butler stupidly attempted to try and overpower the sheriff with his body weight but was quickly cuffed on the back of his head by a growling Ben. He immediately keeled forward onto the ground. "Ow! Fuck!" he cursed.

"Stupid darn fool!" said Ben, as he moved back out of the way.

"You were told to not try anything," scolded the sheriff, glaring down at him laying on the ground holding his bloody bandaged hand to his chest and wincing. It now hurt more as he had landed on it.

"Now, listen here! You can do this the easy way or the hard way, Butler," the sheriff told him. "Either you let me take care of that hand properly and have a fairly comfortable ride back to town or we can knock you out and then tie you to the saddle like a dead boar. What's it gonna be?"

"Alright, alright..." he growled and sat himself up. "Get on with it then. I am bleeding out here and thanks to Cartwright my heads about exploding too."

"Serves you right," said Ben and Adam at the same time.

Butler shot them both a glare, but this time he didn't try anything stupid when the sheriff helped him up. He remained calm and let the sheriff put on a makeshift bandage and put his arm up in a sling, to help stem the bleeding from the injured hand. When the sling was in place Butler looked directly into the sheriff's eyes. "You ain't gonna hang me you know."

"We'll see," replied the sheriff and he nodded for Adam to take him away.

Adam grabbed Butler's good arm upper arm and pushed him in front of him roughly. "I hope that damn hand hurts like a bitch, Butler! You are lucky you know, because you deserve so much more than a fair trial and a just hanging. I will personally see to it that you get what is coming to you for hurting my family."

"Huh, you think you got me right proper don't ya, Cartwright? Well we'll see. I got good friends back in town and they don't like you or your stinking brother or father either."

Adam cuffed him on the back of his right ear so hard that it made Butler stumble forwards. "Ow…. what the fuck!" yelled the man, annoyed at having his head hit again. "I'll get you for that Cartwright. I swear."

"Shut up and keep moving, Butler. I'm going to put you on your horse and in a minute and take you down to where ours are and then we are riding back to town. I can't wait to see you in jail behind bars where you belong. And then when you've seen the judge in a few days I'll take great pleasure watching you hang from a rope."

"And I can't wait for my friends to shoot ya, gut ya and take ya woman right in front of ya. Ya lousy rich bastard. All you rich fellas are the same. Thinking ya are too good for the likes of us."

"No, we just believe in law and order. We pay good money to our men for the hard work that's done, and you didn't keep to your end of the deal, which is why my father got rid of you and Parker. So, you can stop blaming my brother for that!" Adam told him and pushed him forward again.

They reached the horses less than a 30 seconds later. Ben had followed them, and he stood holding onto the horse's reins while Butler was lifted and tossed unceremoniously up into his saddle by Adam. Adam tied Butlers better arm to the reins and his feet to the stirrups. He then took the lead rein from his father and started leading the horse towards the main path that led down the mountainside. Seth was following behind, with a much calmer and subdued Parker on his horse. The spare horse used by Deakins was collected by Ben and he followed behind Seth.

At the back of the group, Ben walked the horse with his gun trained ready to shoot if there was any more trouble. The sheriff had Joe check the cabin out with him and they grabbed all the guns and the saddle bags before they too headed back down the main trail to the camp.

Adam at the lead, walked down the trail, he called out ahead warning the men they had spread out to disperse and go back to camp, as the men they had been after were captured. Men came out of bushes and from behind rocks to do as they had been told. They all made their way down the trail, pleased that they hadn't had to kill anyone today.

When all of them had returned to the camp the sheriff took charge again. "Ben, Adam, Joseph, why don't you all go on home and see your families? Seth, William and the others and I can take these men back into town."

"No, I'm going with you, sheriff. I don't trust them. Butler and Parker said they have friends in town, and I want to see them locked up in jail first. Pa, you needn't come to town too. Why don't you and Joe head back to check on Hoss and Caroline?"

"Alright, Adam. I guess you got the right to see em jailed," agreed the sheriff.

Ben nodded, "Alright, son. Joe and I'll go see see Hoss and Caroline. He eyed the 3 trussed up men. "I'll see you gentlemen when the judge comes into town."

Butler spat at Ben, "Fuck you, Cartwright!"

Adam furious at that, dropped the reins he held and tried to yank Butler down off his horse.

"Adam!" yelled both Ben and the sheriff. They both jumped in to separate the two antagonists, but Adam managed to get in a punch to the face of Butler before he was hauled away by his father.

The sheriff shook his head as Butler cursed up a storm. His hand was still tied to the reins and the other in the sling still bleeding, but that didn't stop his mouth from running, even though there was now swelling at his top lip and both lips were bleeding. "Still hit like a girl don't ya, Cartwright!" he snarled.

Adam fought to get away from his father again who held him back strongly. "No, son. Don't let him make you act like what you are not."

"Hey now! You you just stop your running off at the mouth, Butler or I'll have you gagged all the way back to town," growled the sheriff, shaking Butler by the leg. "I am warning you, Butler. Give me or anyone else any more grief and I'll gag you I promise you, mouth bleeding or not. You are right lucky these men don't shoot you on sight. Now you'll get a fair trial in town and get to have your say but until then shut that darn foul mouth of yours."

Butler glared at all of them, but he knew for now he better shut up. To be honest his jaw ached like a bitch now anyway, as Adam had hurt him more than he had let on. He licked at the blood on his lip and grimaced but didn't say anything more.

The sheriff signalled for everyone else to mount up. "Alright gentlemen mount up and let's go back to town. Ben, you be sure to give Ms Caroline my best. Oh, and tell Jerry when he gets back to town with the doc, I'll bring him some of that fancy brandy he likes."

"I will, Roy. And thank you. Thank all of you."

"You're welcome, Mr. Cartwright," they all responded.

Ben patted Joseph on his back, "Come on son, let's go see your brother and them boys. Adam, when you get back from town, son, you come on over too. I'll send someone to check on Emma and the children."

"Thanks, Pa. I will."

"Alright, gentlemen time to go," said the sheriff.

They all rode out together onto the main the trail, across the prairie, then Ben and Joe split off from them to head for Hoss' homestead.

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