The Puma

For a few days now the herd of the Cartwright family got bothered by a predator. The youngest son of Ponderosa ranch owner Ben Cartwright, Little Joe, found as carcass of a cow.

He said to himself, “Pa won’t like this.”

The young Cartwright mounted on his horse Cochise and went back home.

Ben was busy in his office when Little Joe came in.

“Pa, the herd is being attacked again. I found a carcass of a cow”, said Little Joe.

The rancher looked at him worried.

“Adam, Hoss, we are going to find out who or what butchers our cows”, he said to his 2 eldest sons.

The Cartwrights went outside and mounted on their horses. Quickly they left the yard and the 4 rode to the herd.

“Pa, here is the carcass”, said Little Joe.

Ben dismounted and examined the carcass.

“It’s killed by a predator. Boys, we go to search through a part of the ranch on our own. Be careful for goodness sake”, said the rancher.

Little Joe already had found a track of as puma but didn’t say that to his brothers and father.

“Pa, I go into that direction”, said Little Joe.

He pointed in the direction of the track. His brothers went to search in another direction.

Little Joe followed the trace of the predator and hoped that he was lucky. But that wasn’t so. He rode for a few hours but didn’t find a predator. Finally the young Cartwright dismounted and he rested. Cochise too needed some rest.

“He has to be somewhere here, Cooch. But where?”, Little Joe asked his horse.

Of course Cochise didn’t give an answer. Little Joe had hardly asked the question or a wild puma flew just by his head. Of course little Joe was frightened to death but he was that also of the shot which to hear close by him. The puma fell down dead at his feet. The young Cartwright needed some time to realize what had happened. Then his eldest brother Adam appeared.

“I saw that puma in your area. He had just made another victim because I found that carcass. I followed his trail and so I ended up by you”, Adam explained.

“You saved my life. Thanks”, Little Joe said relieved.

“Where do you have older brothers for?”, asked Adam.

Little Joe mounted on and together they rode back home where Ben and Hoss came too after a while. The rancher was very glad that the puma was dead and his son alive.