"They'll never stop talking about you, rook." "A man so sure of his draw and his trick shooting," "He had to hang his opposition." "Paladin, I brought you a telegram." "Portland, from john euker pierce." "Poker game with man with gold mine." "Pot now $6,000." "Please join." "Back my bets."" "$6,000?" "Pot 42,000." ""somebody else's railroad and his gold mine." ""my promissory notes for 15,000." "No sleep ten days." "Desperate."" "Fortune awaits." "Can't stay awake much longer."" "He play poker for two weeks?" "Hey boy, how does it happen that all the telegrams came together?" "Uh, storm knock down lines." "All messages wait till fixed." "Pack the bags and take a message to john euker pierce" "In portland, oregon." ""since you've been awake for ten days," ""five days longer won't be any harm to you." "Am riding full speed to back your bets."" "Hello." "Can I have a drink of that water?" "No." "What are you doing around here?" "I'm trying to get a drink of that water." "You know what I mean when I ask you what you're doing out here." "I'm on my way to portland." "I'm two days behind schedule." "I haven't had time to do any hunting." "I'd like a drink of water," "And I'd be happy to pay you for one of those steaks." "They're not for sale." "Well, how would I get one?" "You wear your gun tied down like you use it once in a while." "Pretty good with it?" "How's that?" "That's very impressive." "I'd say so." "And I say you don't get no water and no beefsteak." "Now, this is my price for drawing my gun." "You put your money where your big mouth is." "You'd make a bet after seeing my draw?" "You haven't seen mine." "I'd still be happy to buy one of those steaks." "Your money's no good." "Here's your rustler, rook." "Hey!" "Big bunch of bullies!" "I had me a full house, monk!" "Story of my life!" "Hi, monk." "Where's the other one?" "Shot him." "Well, he shoved a skinning knife at me." "Monk, I told you to find another herd to follow." "Wait a minute, rook!" "You know I ain't never laid tongue to no beef you could use." "No, but we caught you taking the Sunday suit off of one of our steers." "Well, that cattle I skinned..." "Just natural fell over." "Right after you give him a rap behind the horns with a hatchet." "Look, he was plumb tuckered out." "Them cattle got stampeded." "Yeah, and I think I know who stampeded it." "If he stole cattle, take him to a sheriff." "Sheriff?" "Who is he?" "Why don't he mind his own business?" "Now, rook," "I want you to come and see what I got." "I want you to come to my camp" "And just see what a measly mean nothing I got." "I got me a horse" "And a travois and 11 hides" "That I took off of poor critters that just fell down dead." "And that's all." "Lace, take this maggot far enough up the hill that I can't smell him." "Tie him up until I decide what to do with him." "Dadgum you." "When I get loose, I'm gonna get you good." "I'm gonna get you good." "Wait, will you." "Give me some slack so I can get on my horse." "Whoa!" "Can't get on with my arms tied down, fool." "Give me some slack!" "All right, fool." "Let me go by myself!" "Cut off the rope!" ""take him to the sheriff."" "Mister, on a trail," "A trail boss is sheriff, judge, jury, and hangman, too." "Your job ought to be easy..." "If you can find the right man to hang." "Ow!" "That hurts!" "Get back there where I put ya." "We'll learn you to kill cattle." "don't pull it so tight, lace!" "Quit fighting' at me, will ya!" "Quit it!" "Ow!" "That hurts!" "Don't pull it so tight, lace!" "I want to get me some sleep tonight." "You ain't gonna slip out of this." "You had no call to kill that old man." "He didn't have no call to throw that knife at mabry." "Old rook'd like to hang you" "Just for thinkin' about what you was gonna do." "Why are you fellas always picking on me?" "This'll hold you till morning." "You'll be here..." "Now, what did you do that for?" "I thought it was a little kinder than letting him try to shoot." "They'll kill me for sure now." "Things was going real good till you come along." "This is good?" "They let me follow the herd," "Taking the hides off of the sick'uns." "Rook roughs me up once in a while," "But he don't mean no real harm." "I'm sorry to have interfered in your affairs" "Just when they were going so well." "Do you want me to tie you up again before I go?" "Go?" "You can't leave me now." "They'll think I hit lace." "They'll really kill me for sure." "Hold on." "We're going the same direction anyway." "Well, come on." "Well, how much farther?" "Just a little piece." "Out yonder is where old mabry jumped on us." "Poor old uncle." "Look at him just laying there." "That the man that mabry killed?" "Yep." "Sure is." "He's my uncle." "Help me bury him." "Monk, in about an hour, rook and that whole crew" "Is gonna be all over this place looking for you." "Well, I can't help that." "It's sentimental, kind of." "He's the onlyest man I ever knew that's meaner than me," "And you gotta respect a man like that." "It'll only take us a few minutes with both of us digging." "You can't just leave him here to the buzzards." "Well, lord," "I reckon you've got him now." "I'd like to recommend him to you, but..." "I suppose I've got enough against me on your books now" "Without storying to you anymore." "If you ain't got him, forget it." "On the other hand, if he is with you," "Just don't believe a thing he says." "We can make it to camp easy by dark." "Wait a minute." "You euchred me into burying your uncle," "But that is all the time I have for you or your relatives or..." "Hold on a minute." "It's on your way." "You gotta eat." "Just stop by, fill up, and we'll just go our separate ways." "Rook and them's still after me." "Well, hurry up." "It's all right, mr." "Pala-dine." "We meet any of your friends," "You can just pretend I ain't with you." "Better put some more tallow in there." "I reckon you're a better hand with a gun than you are with a skillet." "Hold the tallow." "I don't mind chewing the steaks." "I don't want to chew the gravy." "You're a good one, ain't you?" "Where you from anyhow?" "San francisco." "You see that trick gun belt of old rook's?" "I saw it." "Can you outdraw that?" "Don't know." "If I had me a gun like yours, I'd fix old rook." "You'd get yourself shot." "How much you hire out for?" "What for, to kill rook?" "And lace and mabry." "They just like to hurt people." "Find another herd." "Sooner or later I'd hook on," "And there'd be old rook or lace or mabry." "Eleven hides is worth $33." "I'll give you all of them." "That's all I got." "I'm sorry." "Well..." "All I know is following trail herds." "I'm sorry, but I'm not gonna kill rook for you." "Well, what are you gonna do about me?" "You got me into this." "The least thing you can do is help me out." "I'm gonna get you off this range." "I'm gonna do that much for you, and that's all." "At that point, our paths separate." "And find yourself another career," "Like sweeping out barbershops." "Monk, you can go on alone from here." "I gotta get some sleep." "No sirree." "I'm staying with you." "Come on." "All right." "Come on." "What do you want?" "Just fixing' to get some firewood." "I didn't wanna wake you." "Well, go and do it." "Lace." "Look, he came back to get it." "And he's got a gun just like he knew what he was doing." "Don't shoot him." "Maybe we can have some fun with him." "Come on out, cookie." "I got something for you, too." "don't you ever bathe?" "I been busy." "You're gonna let cookie get away, and he's gonna tell rook." "I'm starting to see rook's point of view." "You just killed two men." "I was gonna arrest them for killing my uncle." "They was fixin' to escape." "You dig a hole and bury yourself for a few days" "Before rook finds you and buries you for good." "Where are you going?" "I'm going to portland." "Wait just a minute, mr." "Pala-dine." "I don't know how you live your life," "But I gotta claw mine out of the sand and rocks" "With my fingernails." "It's just like rook always says," ""out here, a man is his own sheriff and jury and hangman."" "I'm gonna give you a head start, and that's all." "And that's all, you understand?" "This is the end." "Now, you walk on the downwind side of me." "Go on!" "Well..." "Much obliged, mr." "Pala-dine." "You've been a real help to me." "I'd like to pay you, but all I got's them skins." "Well, so long." "Good luck to ya." "Well, hello, monk." "Rook, I can tell you." "I reckon I'll let you live just long enough" "To tell me how you busted away from lace." "You seen lace?" "You bet I've seen him." "I fired him." "Any man that can't handle a sage rat like you just don't belong." "What are you gonna do now?" "I'm gonna take you back to camp and have a little party." "I don't like being made a fool of." "Rook, I'm gonna tell you right out what I done." "I shot lace and mabry." "You what?" "I walked right smack dab into that camp and shot both of 'em" "With the gunfighter's gun." "He'll tell ya." "They killed my uncle, rook." "I had to do something or fellers would be saying I was yellow." "He let you use his gun?" "Well, I took borrow of it." "Catch up with him and ask him." "He'll tell you." "Kew." "Ride alongside of him." "But he stinks." "I know he stinks." "Ride alongside of him anyway." "You can wash later." "Don't touch it, mister." "Keep your guns on him." "Well, monk, what did you tell him?" "I told the truth." "What else is there?" "Anything that monk says you can figure is a boldfaced lie." "I told the truth." "I said I shot lace and mabry with your gun." "I don't believe it." "For once, he's telling the truth." "He done it?" "But you gave him your gun." "What does that make you?" "What's that law word, a "successory" before something?" "An "accessory" before the fact," "If I had given him my gun or rented it to him." "He stole it." "What about that, monk?" "That's real." "I stole it." "I still don't believe it." "You underestimate little monk." "Yeah?" "Well, right now I'm gonna hang you to a low limb" "With just your toes off of the ground." "Then I'm gonna sit in the shade and watch you." "And after a while, I'm gonna do the same to you." "Rook, I had nothing to do with it." "If you're innocent and I hang you," "I guess the joke's on me." "Leave 'em be." "I ought to shoot you..." "Or drown you." "But I'd rather see you hang!" "Get another rope." "I'm gonna hang 'em both at the same time." "You said monk didn't have the courage." "Rook, I had a right to..." "Shut up." "What's the matter with you, rook?" "Haven't you got the courage to face me in a gunfight?" "You had your chance." "You're so proud of that trick gun of yours..." "You haven't got the nerve to face me in a gunfight." "You've got to hang the opposition." "That's just what I'll say, rook." "You ain't gonna say anything." "Before you do anything," "Take a look at that card under my gun belt." "I'll say you better take a look at it." "This fella's a big city gunman." "You're gonna be famous, rook." "You're gonna be famous." "You're the big man." "You're the big mouth that couldn't face me in a gunfight." "You had to gang up on me." "Paladin, I can take you." "Take that rope off of him." "Give him his gun." "Rook, I've heard about holsters like that, those trick rigs." "Swivel holsters." "I hear they don't always work." "That one's been wet." "Been in the water." "Been in the mud." "You think it's gonna work?" "Go on." "You touch that gun butt, and you're dead." "Do you ever worry about if it's gonna work or not?" "You gonna come out a little bit hard, fire a bit high?" "Can you afford to find out if it's gonna work, rook?" "I can't afford not to." "Now, anybody else?" "Wait a minute!" "Gonna take him with you?" "We didn't have much use for him when he was alive." "Dead, we ain't got no use for him." "Mr. Pala-dine." "I gotta hand it to you." "I think you're even meaner than my uncle fred was." "Well, I guess there ain't nothing for us to do" "But mount up and ride out for portland, huh?" "Us?" "You know..." "You smell worse when you're wet." "This is the parting of the ways." "This is the last thing I'm gonna do for you." "But in the interest of suffering humanity," "I'm gonna give you a bath." "Not on your old tintype, you ain't!" "Now, you scrub yourself!" "How would a feller figure to get to san francisco, you suppose?" "¶ "have gun, will travel" reads the card of a man ¶" "¶ a knight without armor in a savage land ¶" "¶ his fast gun-for-hire heeds the calling wind ¶" "¶ a soldier of fortune is the man called ¶" "¶ paladin ¶" "¶ paladin, paladin where do you roam ¶"