""general's son listed as deserter." ""general joshua carver, u.S. Army, retired, and his wife, geraldine," ""have just learned that their only son, cpl." "Henry carver," ""disappeared while on routine field duty" ""with the 7th cavalry in montana, two days ago." ""cpl." "Carver's name has been posted at ft." "Lincoln as a deserter." ""gen." "Carver insisted there must've been foul play."" "The-the clerk said that you were mr." "Paladin?" "I'm mrs." "Carver." "Well, mrs." "Carver, how do you do?" "How do you do?" "Won't you sit down?" "Thank you." "I was very sorry to read about your son meeting with foul play." "My son, henry, is a deserter." "Oh?" "He didn't want to go into the army." "He wanted to become a doctor, go east and study." "But the general insisted." "My son is not a coward." "He deserted for a different reason." "I know where he is." "I have a letter here from henry." "But the general does not know about this." "That's why I'm here." "Some of it is personal, but I'll read you the only part that matters." ""it's only a routine patrol against the indians," ""so I feel justified in doing what I'm going to do." ""you remember becky gray?" ""her father is forcing her to marry sam dolan." ""he's twice her age and he's no good." ""becky begged me to do something about it," ""and I'm going to."" "A time-honored dilemma." "As old as romeo and juliet." "Romeo wasn't a corporal in the cavalry, mr." "Paladin." "Mm, I see your point." ""by the time you get this, we'll be safe and hiding at the bismarck water hole." ""don't tell anyone." ""send someone with some money so we can get to canada." ""I'm depending on you."" "Well, I've marked it here, on the map for you." "I want you to take him alive," "And return him to the seventh cavalry." "Are you sure?" "Mr. Paladin, this is my son." "I want him alive!" "But even more, I want him to grow up to me a man," "Not ashamed, with this on his conscience." "If one of our patrols catches him, he'll be shot as a deserter." "It is a time of indian war." "But if you can find him," "Return him to his unit in the field," "It'll be a voluntary surrender," "And the punishment will be less." "Mrs. Carver, I can try." "Thank you." "You want to be paid now?" "No, I think that any man going into indian country" "Should never be paid in advance." "Oh." "Hold it, mister." "What do you want?" "You, cpl." "Carver." "Who are you?" "Your mother sent me." "With the money?" "No, I didn't bring any money." "Your mother wants me to return you to your outfit." "Turn around." "Get on your horse, ride out." "I'll cover you every second." "Any message for your mother?" "Yeah." "Tell her me and becky'll get to canada on our own." "Now, get moving." "Now, go on!" "Ah!" "Carver, my job is to get you back to your outfit" "Before you're captured and shot, do you understand?" "That's an army patrol out there." "You can fill up your canteens and water your mounts here." "Do like they're doing." "I know I heard some shooting." "Me, too." "Whoever did it must own that horse there." "I was, sergeant." "Just having a little target practice." "Who the devil are you?" "Can't be!" "Paladin!" "Barsky, how are you?" "All the saints in heaven, what a sight." "How long's it been?" "Ten years?" "Twelve years?" "It was two years after the war." "You came through san francisco, remember?" "Remember it?" "I still got the hangover." "I see you still got the moustache, too." "I was with you the week you started growing that, remember?" "That's right, you were." "Oh, sam dolan, meet my old pal, paladin." "Dolan." "Howdy." "Dolan just joined up with us a couple hours back." "Him and his men." "Seemed like the safest thing to do." "You picked the best company." "Ah, see you're still wearing that lucky piece." "Ah!" "I wouldn't be without it." "I've worn that ever since you dug it out of my leg," "And I ain't been hit since." "Good." "Say, what in the blazes are you doing way out here?" "Little business." "I was just heading home." "See any indians?" "No, just a few smoke signals." "Oh, we got 'em around here all right," "But I guess the 2nd and the 7th've driven most of them further north." "Nevertheless, I'm not taking any chances." "I going up there and have a look around." "Good idea." "Mind if I join you?" "No, come on." "My golly, paladin, you're sure looking fine." "Happy and healthy, and relaxed." "Evidently, you aren't married, are ya?" "No, I move around too much." "You ought to see my platoon back at ft." "Lincoln." "Got a wife and four kids and a whole mess of in-laws." "Four?" "!" "Wanna know something, paladin?" "This is my last tour of duty." "After this field trip, I'm going out on pension." "Getting myself a nice, cool saloon," "And drink up all the profits." "Where are you and your men headed now?" "We gotta rejoin the company up on the river." "Far?" "Half day." "How about you, mr." "Dolan?" "It's pretty dangerous country to be traveling it alone." "On a personal matter." "You might be able to help, though." "I'm looking for a boy and a girl." "We traced them to here, I figure they're going to canada." "Sorry, I haven't noticed them." "I was just telling the sergeant, the kid's from his outfit." "Yeah, we was told to watch for a deserter." "Deserter?" "Name's carver." "Corporal." "Understand his old man's some kind of big wig." "I got a bone to pick with him." "If I see him, I'll give him your regards." "Well, I got to make time." "Mind if I tag along with you a little further?" "No, suit yourself." "Best of luck to you, boy." "I wish you'd go along with us." "I'd enjoy your company." "It'd be safer that way." "Oh, I'll be all right." "Barsky, good luck to you." "well, I tried." "Small world, ain't it?" "I'll send you an invitation when I open up that saloon." "I'll be there." "Be looking for you." "Mount up." "All right, carver, come..." "Now, you sit there." "What are you gonna do with us?" "I'm gonna save you, if I can." "Where are the horses?" "In the other canyon." "You might as well have turned me over to dolan and the patrol" "For what you're planning." "Not the same." "Either way, he'll be punished." "No, there's a difference." "And the difference might be life and death." "Sure, barsky's an old, personal friend of mine." "But he's still army." "If he'd gotten hold of your friend here," "The death penalty would've been mandatory." "If your friend surrenders, gives himself up in the field..." "I'm not giving myself up!" "I hope you'll change your mind." "Mr. Paladin," "You're asking us to give up our lives" "To satisfy people who are not concerned with our welfare at all." "At the risk of sounding somewhat stuffy," "Your friend here is in a service," "He does have a kind of a duty." "I didn't ask for the cavalry." "I was forced into it by my father." "If we'd have gotten to canada, we could've lived our lives." "Lived 'em by ourselves." "By yourselves, maybe." "If you think you could've lived with yourselves." "There's something you should know." "We're married, mr." "Paladin." "Ah, there's been a gathering here not far back." "Indians?" "Your alma mater, corporal." "One of your patrols, and larger than barsky's." "They're catching up." "You hear that?" "Hear what?" "That sound." "What is it?" "I don't know." "A kind of trembling." "Rumbling." "Like the sound of distant thunder." "Looks like a clay-back horse." "Cavalry saddle." "Wonder where the rider is." "Maybe he's out foraging?" "Maybe." "Well, he's got seven holes in him." "Wonder what happened to him." "Well, that does it." "Three slugs, all he had in him." "Other wounds seem to be superficial." "It's the best I can do 'til we get a veterinarian." "Captain m." "Kehoe." "Part of your outfit?" "Lieutenant colonel." "And the animal's name is comanche." "The colonel bought him at ft." "Dodge, kansas." "Took him everywhere." "There was a big fight with the comanche indians," "And the horse got hit several times." "He pulled the colonel out, so he named him comanche." "Colonel must've had this horse a long time." "I think I heard him say once he was about nine years old." "Man can get to be awfully fond of a horse that old." "] how was he shot so many times?" "He was ambushed." "Why do you say that?" "Hit on both sides." "Now, these slugs are from those old smooth bore rifles," "The type only indians use now." "Maybe the horse wandered off and got chased by a sioux war party?" "That might be." "Colonel probably went out scouting and got trapped." "That might be." "Well, what do you think?" "I'll know better what to think when and if we find col." "Kehoe." "Hold it, paladin!" "Take your hand off that gun!" "Get his gun, gleed." "Well, it looks like I got my bride back." "And our young friend, the deserter." "You can't do anything now, mr." "Dolan." "We're married." "Are you, now?" "All the more reason to make you a widow." "Thank you, mr." "Paladin, for delivering them up." "We've been watching you a long ways back." "What happened to the cavalry?" "We left 'em this morning." "There was a big noise over those hills." "They went on but I didn't like it, so we came back." "Lucky thing, too." "We had plenty of time to get ready for you." "Lopez, get our horses, bring me my rope." "Gleed, take him over to that big tree." "Come on, move." "Get 'em off the horses." "Except him." "Mr. Dolan, this is senseless!" "Put it around his neck." "Go on, take him home." "Maybe they'll want to bury him there." "I hated to do it." "He saved us." "For what?" "Will he be alright?" "Yeah, yeah, he'll be alright." "Come on." "A rumbling in the ground." "Like the sound of distant thunder." "Or the sound of a thousand horses hooves" "Ridden by a thousand indians." "Seventh cavalry." "Not a living soul." "Men, horses..." "All dead." "Massacred." "Every last one of them." "Nearly 200 men." "I should be down there with them." "That's where I belong." "Hello, I'm lt." "Bradley, chief of scouts for col." "Given and..." "That's gen." "Custer's command down there." "Seventh cavalry." "All of it." "Ambushed." "Massacred by the sioux." "This is the only survivor." "He's comanche, col." "Kehoe's horse." "He has seven wounds, but I think he can travel." "Thank you." "There's another survivor." "Cpl. Henry carver." "I deserted earlier, sir, I wish to turn myself in." "It doesn't mean anything anymore." "It means more now than it ever did." "We couldn't live with ourselves because I couldn't live with myself that way." "The two of us, we tried to start something." "But we couldn't, 'til this is finished." "Maybe someday we'll be able to go on ahead." "But, but not 'til this is done." "Do you understand, becky?" "I think so." "You'll come with us, corporal." ""and when they fell before the thunder," ""it was as when the lordly redwood," ""green with boughs," ""goes down with a great shout upon the hills," ""and leaves a lonesome place against the sky."" "Come on, becky." "I'll take you home." "¶ 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?" "¶"