"(mooing)" "(neighing)" "You take this bunch on in." "I'll look over that hill over there, see if I can find any more." "You'll be along after that?" "Well, if I don't find any," "I'm liable to be sitting by the fire by the time you get those in the corral." "Take it easy." "Right." "(neighing)" "You'll never get that thing off." "Why don't you quit?" "We can try, can't we?" "Much good as it'll do." "Tyler, he's slowing us down." "I'm telling you, Bolton's picked up our tracks by now." "You ain't going to leave me, Sutton?" "TYLER:" "We're not leaving you." "SUTTON:" "If you hadn't killed that guard," "Bolton wouldn't have found out about us for another day." "I never meant to kill him." "I was just paying him back for something he done to me." "Over to this friend's place where you're taking us, maybe he'll have a chisel or somethin'." "Sure." "We'll just walk in and tell her you always go around wearing chains." "A girl?" "Well... (footsteps approaching)" "(theme song playing)" "* *" "I always knew you were good for something, brother, but, uh, I never figured it would be making houses out of cards." "Uh-uh!" "I ain't got but three more cards left." "I'm going to make it this time, for sure." "Gee, I'm proud of you, brother." "You... you have to breathe so dad-gum hard when you're talkin'?" "You're gonna blow down my house of cards here." "Oh, okay." "But, see, when I mean I'm proud of you..." "I mean, I'm really proud of you!" "Ooh." "Dad-gummit, Little Joe!" "Oh, hiya, Pa." "How are you?" "Ooh, it's nippy out there." "Yeah, yeah." "So, did you collect them strays?" "Huh?" "Yeah, yeah, I, uh..." "I got a couple of 'em, and I..." "I checked 'em right off on the tote sheet." "Good." "Ooh." "Adam get back, too?" "No, no, but he said he'd be right along." "Good." "Sit down, Pa." "Glad to see you." "You boys were ridin' the line out by the Oakes' ranch, weren't you, Little Joe?" "Maybe Adam just decided to go by and pay Miss Nedda a visit, Pa." "You know, I wish one of you boys would spark to Miss Nedda." "She's a fine girl." "She's a handsome one, too." "Hey, Pa." "Huh?" "What about Little Joe?" "Don't you think he would make a nice husband for Miss Nedda?" "You could arrange it, too, couldn't you, Pa?" "That's not a bad idea." "Hey, look, you're kidding." "I don't want to get married, Pa" " I..." "Well, she's a pretty girl, isn't she?" "Well, yeah, but..." "She's pretty, ain't she?" "Well, I think she's one of the prettiest girls I've ever seen." "Of course, she is." "And she's got the makin's of one of the finest little horse ranches in this country, ain't she, Pa?" "She certainly has." "It's all paid for and clear, Little Joe." "Yeah, well, I don't care." "I just..." "I just don't feel like getting married." "Well, not for a couple days, anyway." "(laughs) You know, Hoss," "I think he's going to change his mind." "I'm sure he will, Pa." "And when he does, we're going to all be real... proud of him." "(groans)" "Yeah... must be Adam." "Sounds like more than one to me, Pa." "Detail, halt." "Soldiers." "MAN:" "Ten-hut!" "Well, that's strange." "(horse whuffles)" "(knock at door)" "Mr. Cartwright?" "Yes, that's right." "Detail, dismount." "Stand to your horses." "Captain James Bolton." "Provisional barracks, Fort Dayton." "Hello, Captain." "Please, come in." "Uh, these are my sons," "Hoss and Little Joe." "How are you, Captain?" "Well, Captain, I suppose you must have your hands pretty full these days, what with the Indian uprisings and all." "Oh, please, sit down." "Fort Dayton is a casuals post." "What's that?" "A place for troops deemed not fit for line duty." "Well, the least we could do is get your men some coffee." "It's pretty cold out there today." "Uh, Hoss, see that Hop Sing gets some coffee out to the men." "Hold that." "My men are on duty." "Well, I ain't on duty, Captain." "You want some coffee?" "No." "I'm trailing three deserters that escaped from my stockade." "Well, Captain, do you think they headed up this way?" "Their trail led to your land." "Well, as I was riding the fence all morning," "I didn't see anything." "How about you, Hoss?" "Nope." "Hmm." "No sign of tracks, campfire, trampled-down brush?" "I didn't see anything." "Well, that's odd." "Captain, I don't see why that should be so odd." "We have a pretty big piece of land here." "Three men could very easily lose themselves on it." "Perhaps." "Who else is in the house with you now?" "Hop Sing, our cook." "Uh, Captain?" "Now, surely, you don't think that those three men are hiding in this house." "It's not within my province to think one way or the other, Mr. Cartwright." "Then, let me set you straight, Captain." "Those men are not here." "Then, you'll have no objection to my men searching the area." "Captain!" "I just told you." "Those men are not in this house." "Let me state the situation very precisely for you, Mr. Cartwright." "We know that those three men came to this general area." "It is also quite obvious they cannot evade detection without some outside help." "Now, anyone aiding them in any way will be charged with and tried for obstructing military justice." "Hoss... will you be good enough to show the captain out?" "You betcha, Pa." "MAN:" "Captain." "We've got a man out here, Captain." "Adam!" "He's my son-- let him go." "Let him go." "Release him." "Adam, what happened?" "I don't know, Pa." "Just west of where me and Joe split up, I heard this noise." "Turned around, and somebody jumped me." "Did you see their faces?" "Come on, let's get him into the house." "Joe, get the liniment." "Okay, Pa." "Well, it's not as bad as I thought at first." "The men that assaulted you... could you tell if there were three of them?" "Well, there were at least two of them." "I, uh... somewhere in the back of my mind," "I heard 'em talking about whether to kill me or not." "There could've been a third." "Uh, take it easy, Pa." "Pa, it looks to me like it's right now time for some settlin' up to be done." "Oh, we'll do the settling' up." "Move over." "Now, Hoss..." "I want you to bandage Adam up and get him up to bed." "Well, Pa, I-I kind of figured on ridin' with you." "Well, Little Joe knows exactly where Adam and he were rounding up those strays." "Now, here." "Any time you say, Pa." "Yeah." "If these are the men I'm after, they belong to me." "I think there's something we'd better straighten out, Captain." "This is my land you're on, and that's my son who's been ambushed." "Now, if you want to ride along, fine, but you ride where I say, and you ride behind me." "Otherwise, take your men and get off the Ponderosa." "And if they are the men I'm after?" "Joseph." "Uh..." "let's take a breather." "Sutton, are you sure you know where you're taking us?" "Well, if you want to strike out on your own, go ahead." "I'm not stopping you, am I?" "The ranch is over that way, I think." "Yeah, I..." "I'm sure of it." "How... how do you know they're going to take us in?" "I told you, I worked there when I was drifting west a couple of years back." "Yeah, I'd have stayed on, maybe, except the old man running it booted me off 'cause his daughter took to me." "I always promised Nedda I'd be coming back for her." "Just a little sooner than I figured, that's all." "(screaming)" "Shut up!" "(groaning loudly)" "Ain't nothin' to hear us but hoot owls and crawlies." "I don't like it, neither." "You ain't ever known anything better." "Come here!" "Cut it out, both of you!" "That's an order." ""That's an order."" "You hear him, Mertz?" "Only you ain't an officer no more, Tyler, so maybe you ought to forget about issuing orders." "You know, I still don't figure you out." "Mertz here was facing the gallows." "Me, I still had five years left to serve." "Hey, this cave, it's a pretty good place to hole up." "(sighs) And you had about six months to do, and you would have been free." "So, why risk your neck breaking out?" "My reasons don't concern you." "Maybe." "Maybe not." "Look, uh, you two hole up here." "I'll go see if it's clear at the girl's place." "I'll just go with you if you don't mind." "All right, but not him." "Nedda will scare off, she sees him parading' up in them chains." "You're going to leave me?" "Yeah, yeah." "He's right." "You, uh... you lie low here till we get some, uh, other clothes and something to pry those chains off with." "You-you-you coming back for sure?" "You-you give me your Bible word?" "You have my word." "Well, if you're coming, let's get moving." "There's no sign of them up there, Pa." "They must have headed off in that direction." "Yeah, probably kept to the creek bed, the other side." "Turning dry now, but the bank should still be soft enough to leave prints." "Yeah." "(horse whinnying)" "(distant hoofbeats)" "(horse whuffles)" "(whistling)" "(horse neighs)" "Yeah, somebody came through here, Pa." "Not too long ago." "Hold it." "There they are again." "Spread out." "Search any spot that's big enough to hide any of them." "If that's all right with you, Mr. Cartwright." "(chains rattling)" "(groans)" "(cocking gun)" "Put up your gun, Captain." "All right, now." "Where're those other two men that were with you?" "I charge and hereby arrest this man for known and specific crimes against the articles of war." "Captain..." "He's a military prisoner now." "We'll get your answers for you." "Corporal, take the prisoner in charge." "Yes, sir." "You better get those answers, Captain." "(chains rattling)" "All right, Mertz, where're the other two?" "You put a blotch on my record, Mertz, and I intend to erase it." "Where are they?" "I don't know." "We split off." "That's the truth, mister." "I swear it." "Just get the answers, Captain." "Maybe you're right." "If he knew where the others were, he'd be pouring it out." "'Cause he's scum, and scum always breaks." "Isn't that right, Mertz?" "Or have you forgotten what it's like in the hotbox?" "Some day... some day somebody's gonna get you... butcher!" "Well, it won't be you, Mertz." "I can assure you of that." "No." "No!" "No!" "No, I'd rather die than go into that hotbox!" "No!" "(gunshot) No!" "Prisoner was attempting to escape." "You're a witness to that." "I'm also a witness to the fact that you deliberately tried to murder him." "Bolton, I'm gonna see to it that my good friend," "Colonel Metcalf at Fort Dayton, gets to know exactly what kind of officer he has in his command." "(chains rattling)" "* *" "Nice ranch." "Yeah." "Wait'll you see the gal who lives on it." "We-we better get cleaned up first." "Scare her to death walk in this way." "Scare her?" "I guess you didn't listen good when I told you about her." "We were real friendly, Nedda and me." "It ain't her I'm worried about." "It's her pa." "Stable's over here." "Don't close the door so we can hear if anyone's comin'." "Hey, there's what we want." "(colt moaning) Here." "Put this on." "Help you look human again." "Good-looking colt." "His mother must have died." "He needs care." "This is a fine time to be fussin' over horses." "I sometimes prefer them to people." "And what's that supposed to mean?" "Nothing." "Just a thought." "I'd sure like to see Butcher Bolton's face right now!" "(laughs)" "He's probably chasing us halfway across the Sierra." "Uh-uh." "I doubt it." "Bolton's a sadist, but he was one of the best Indian trackers in the army." "Well, we're not Indians." "Besides, after we hole up here for a coupla days, they'll probably quit looking for us." "Not Bolton." "All right, not Bolton, maybe, but the brass." "They'll figure it's not worth the effort." "You're an officer-- you know how they think." "(water splashing)" "I was an officer." "About this, uh, girl of yours." "You've been gone for two years-- how do you know she, uh, hasn't married or something?" "I know." "Like to make a little bet on it?" "You already have-- your life." "Yours, too." "And don't you ever forget it." "(door squealing)" "(gasps)" "Wha" "Jimmy!" "Jimmy." "What are you doing..." "SUTTON:" "I told ya I'd be coming back." "NEDDA:" "I thought you'd forgotten me." "SUTTON:" "Nedda, you think I could ever forget you?" "Oh, uh, Tyler, come here." "Uh, this is my partner." "I've been telling him all about you." "Now he-- now he can see everything I said was true." "Tyler, ain't she a beauty?" "Sutton, you, uh-- you never even got close." "It's a-- it's a pleasure to meet you, miss, uh" "Tyler's my name." "Uh, Paul-Paul Tyler." "Miss?" "Her name's Nedda." "Call her Nedda." "How do you do?" "Are you in the army with Jimmy?" "Uh, no, no not-not exactly." "Well, you see, Nedda, I-I left the army some time back." "Tyler and me've been doing a little prospecting." "Oh." "Well, why-why didn't you just come right up on to the house?" "What're you doing out here?" "Oh, well, we're covered with trail dirt." "We wanted to wash up a bit before we barged in on you." "Well, now is that fair?" "You get all prettied up and, well, just look at me." "Oh, honey, you're wonderful." "Just beautiful." "I'm gonna take a walk outside." "Uh, wait a minute, Tyler, uh." "Uh, your Pa's up in the house, I guess, huh?" "Oh." "Jimmy, Pa died over a year ago." "Oh." "That's a real shame." "I'm..." "I'm sure sorry, honey." "Uh, who's taking care of the place?" "Oh, I have a hired hand, Charlie." "He-he's in town for the week." "That-that's awful, you being alone like this, honey." "Oh, it sure is good to see you again." "Why didn't you write to me?" "Oh, I couldn't." "I-I was moving around a lot." "You know how it is." "Yes, I know how it is, but... well, do you?" "Oh, Jimmy, after a while I..." "I gave up hopin' and then-- and then I just stopped dreaming'." "I didn't stop." "That's the only thing that kept me goin'." "Nedda, I'm gonna make up all that lost time to you." "Jimmy, I don't think you can." "I just don't think you can." "Let me try." "(bugle blowing)" "MAN:" "Hut, two, three, four." "Hut, two, three, four." "Ben, I've known you for a long time, but I can't accept these charges you make against Captain Bolton-- not without proof." "Well, what more proof do you want?" "Well, at the moment, it's your word against his." "That's right." "What did he tell you?" "That Mertz was trying to escape?" "That's what he says in his report." "Well, have you spoken to Mertz?" "Have you heard his side of the story?" "I would have done so, of course." "Unfortunately, Private Mertz is dead." "(bugle blowing)" "Dead?" "He attacked a guard in the stockade last night." "During the ensuing struggle, he was killed." "And you believe that?" "You really believe that?" "Colonel, how many men have died in Captain Bolton's stockade?" "Captain Bolton is an officer with a distinguished record, Ben, commended several times for bravery in action." "Perhaps you noticed his hand." "He was captured and tortured by the Sioux." "The Sioux are savages." "Captain Bolton, I presume, is a civilized, responsible person." "(knocking on door)" "Come in." "(bugle blowing)" "MAN:" "Adams?" "Yo." "Boyd." "Right." "The Colonel sent for me?" "You know Mr. Cartwright?" "Yes, sir, I do." "Captain Bolton," "Mr. Cartwright has made certain charges against you." "I thought you should be here to defend yourself." "I'm aware of Mr. Cartwright's charges." "I'm sure the colonel knows my behavior has been and always will be strictly according to army regulations." "Colonel, I've never heard of any army regulations that cover the killing of prisoners." "Mr. Cartwright, maybe you don't know whom you're defending." "Private Mertz killed a fellow soldier in a brawl over a card game." "As for Sutton, he attempted an armed robbery of an army payroll." "Ben, this is a casuals post." "I don't know whether you realize that it's made up of outcasts and misfits." "They're still men, and as such, they're entitled to certain minimum standards of treatment." "Ben, I respect your opinion and your judgment, but this is the army, and I have to stand behind Captain Bolton." "(bugle blowing)" "Yes." "Yes." "I understand." "Good day, Colonel." "Good day, Ben." "Thank you, sir." "Captain, I chose my words carefully in front of Mr. Cartwright, but your conduct has been brought into question." "If there's the slightest indication of any transgression of regulations on your part," "I'll see that you're investigated, and, if the facts so warrant, court-martialed." "Is that understood?" "Yes, sir." "That's all." "With the Colonel's permission, I beg leave to return to the Ponderosa with a detail of men." "Well, that's private land." "We can't search it without permission of the owner, or an order from a civilian court." "I have already obtained the required court order from the federal district court of this territory." "Request granted." "But if I were you, Captain," "I'd remember that warning I gave you." "I'd remember it very carefully." "Sir." "(distant bugle plays)" "That was great, honey." "Nothing like a good meal to make a man feel like he belongs." "Thank you." "Well, you haven't touched your food." "Oh, I'm..." "I'm sorry." "I guess I've spent too much time eating army chow." "Army chow?" "Well, he was in the army, too, before we started prospecting." "(knocking)" "Who's that?" "Well, I don't know who it could be at this hour." "Nedda, honey, would you do me a big favor?" "Uh, don't say anything about Tyler and me being here." "Well, why not?" "Well, uh, we just hit a big silver strike maybe, and, uh, it's best nobody knows about it." "Not yet." "Oh." "You understand?" "All right." "(knocking)" "Well, morning, Hoss." "Good morning, ma'am." "You sure do look nice in your new dress and all." "Thank you." "(clears throat)" "Ma'am, I-I don't want to worry you none, but Pa thought you ought to know about it." "There's-There's some army prisoners loose." "Army prisoners?" "HOSS:" "Yes'm." "There was three of 'em, but there ain't but two now." "One of 'em's already been caught." "Oh." "Oh, uh... well, thank you very much, Hoss." "Ma'am?" "Hmm?" "Everything's all right here, ain't it?" "I mean, there ain't been nobody around here?" "NEDDA:" "No, no." "I..." "I'd-I'd ask you in for coffee, but my stove-- it... well, it-it's not working right." "Well, ma'am, I'll be happy to fix it." "No, Hoss." "Uh, it's not broken." "It-It's just hard to handle." "But thank you very much, Hoss." "HOSS:" "Ma'am, you right sure everything's all right?" "Yes, Hoss." "'Morning." "Uh, is-is he gone?" "Mm." "You can never be sure about people, honey." "Uh, we heard about them army prisoners, too." "It might have been one of them." "It might have been." "Just exactly where have you been prospecting?" "Well, uh, up north a piece." "Ain't that right, Tyler?" "Sutton." "Yeah." "Yeah, I guess it is, if you say so." "Sure, it's right." "What's got into you?" "Jimmy?" "Is it you they're looking for?" "Is it?" "Well, I guess it is." "But I was framed." "Honey, you know me." "I was wild, but I never did anything dishonest." "And I tried to serve out my time." "But..." "But you don't know what that-that stockade was like." "Beatings, starvation." "There was a captain got his fun by kicking us around." "You know what happened to him?" "He was in a sweat box for three weeks." "When they brought him out, he was almost dead." "Tell her!" "Tell her!" "Yeah, yeah, that part's true..." "Well, why didn't you tell me all this last night?" "I was going to, but..." "I was afraid." "Of me?" "You were afraid of me?" "That-That's what Butch..." "Captain Bolton does to you." "He makes you feel like an animal all the time, and... and you're scared." "Nedda... if you love me..." "Nedda, if you love me, you'll help us." "Oh." "What can I do?" "Hide us out." "Oh, Sutton." "Why do you have to drag her into this?" "Why don't we just..." "Why don't we just get out while we can?" "To where?" "They got Mertz." "That means Bolton thinks we're heading out of here." "We're gonna stay here." "It's our only chance!" "NEDDA:" "You can stay here." "Both of you." "I want you to." "I knew I could count on you." "Thank you, Miss Nedda." "Oh, I-I don't know, Pa." "She-She seemed all right." "It was... just that she was kind of nervous-like or something." "You mean, by her not letting you in the place?" "Well, that and it was just a feeling I got." "I don't know how to explain it." "If I didn't know Miss Nedda better," "I'd-I'd think she was trying to get rid of me or something." "Well, if things didn't seem right, why didn't you have a good look around the place?" "I kicked myself all the way home for not doing just that, little brother." "I think we'd all better take a good look around that place." "Suits me fine." "I'm getting tired of being an invalid." "Adam, I..." "I'd rather you stayed home." "Oh, Pa." "No." "Look, with Captain Bolton and those deserters still in the area, can't leave the house unguarded." "All right, I'll hold the fort." "(laughter)" "The colt will be needing this." "You and that Tyler-- you sure do a lot of worrying about that colt." "I'll see you later." "Oh, where are you going?" "Scout around the area." "Hey, that's army talk." "I guess it rubs off on you, whether you like it or not." "(horse groaning)" "Here." "Brought him some milk." "He needs it." "Is it warm?" "I think it's just right." "Come on, little fella." "Come on, drink some milk." "Come on, drink a little bit, huh?" "Poor substitute for your mama, huh?" "Where did you learn all about horses?" "I grew up with them." "My father used to breed trotters back in Maryland." "Well, you don't see many of those out this way." "I love to watch them, the way they move." "You ought to see them being trained." "Oh, they-they fight you, make it tough, but... once you have their trust, you can depend on them." "I wish you could say as much for people." "You've been hurt pretty bad, haven't you?" "Pa, there's... something a little funny about this." "I don't believe she left here without locking up." "Do you?" "I don't know." "You fellas take a look out back." "I'm going to look in the stable." "All right, Pa." "You know," "I get a funny feeling about you." "Like you don't care whether you... get away or not." "Oh, you're wrong, Nedda." "That's something I care about very much." "Bolton's never gonna get me back in a..." "Did they do that to you?" "Why, that's terrible." "That's just terrible." "I'm sorry you had to see that." "Well, I'm not." "Nedda..." "Nedda, don't worry about me." "I'm..." "I'm not worth it." "I haven't known you very long, but I think you are." "No." "Put it down, son." "Ben, please." "I'm sorry, Nedda." "I mean it there, son." "Put it down." "Come on." "Put it down." "And you drop that gun." "Now, mister." "I got the drop, and I ain't gonna miss from here." "No, this is Ben Cartwright." "Don't, Jimmy." "Get out of the way, Nedda." "Great work, pal." "What's great about it?" "I..." "I might have killed him." "Will he be all right?" "I hope so." "I hit him hard." "Too hard." "Ben Cartwright, huh?" "The way he was talking, he knows who we are, doesn't he?" "I'm afraid he does." "Nothing to be afraid of." "His hard luck, not ours." "Nedda, get away from him." "No." "Get away from him." "No, Jimmy!" "It's him or us!" "Put it down, Sutton." "You..." "You decided to start giving orders again, Lieutenant?" "I have no choice." "You try killing him, and you're dead." "What's got into you?" "You-You itching to have Bolton beat you to death?" "All right." "All right!" "But we gotta get out of here before he comes to!" "Where are you gonna go?" "Do you have another..." "friend?" "All right, stay here." "What's the matter, Sutton?" "You forget something." "Nedda, I can't leave you." "Not with all the plans I made for us." "You and me, honey-- we're gonna make a great pair." "Are we, Jimmy?" "Drop 'em, boys." "Drop 'em!" "All right, get up!" "Over here." "Move!" "Move over there!" "Come on, get over there!" "You all right, Pa?" "Yeah." "I guess so." "That was quite a wallop, you men." "What are you after?" "Give us a break." "You can help us get out of the territory." "But give us a break, that's all." "Mister, you turn us back there, and they're gonna kill us!" "Yes, I saw the scars they got in the stockade." "Please, Ben, can't you help them?" "Nedda, it's..." "it's an army matter." "It's out of my hands." "Well, what if one of them was your son" " Hoss or Little Joe?" "Please, you've got to help them." "Well, if they were my sons, I..." "I think I'd ask them to give themselves up." "To the mercies of a Captain Bolton?" "Give me your name tags." "What do you want them for?" "So I can convince the colonel that I've really seen you, and that you are ready to give yourselves up." "To Captain Bolton?" "BEN:" "I'll speak to the Colonel." "I'm sure he'll be as fair as he possibly can be." "You ain't gonna do it, mister." "Do we have any choice?" "One thing, Mr. Cartwright, if Bolton comes for us, no matter what it takes, I'm not going back." "Take care of them." "Halt!" "Dismount." "I'm taking you into custody." "On what grounds, Captain?" "For aiding and abetting the escape of an army prisoner." "Search him." "You're stepping over that line, Bolton." "I'll be the judge of that." "Where are they?" "Which direction was he coming from?" "From the west, sir." "Take your men in that direction and bring him along." "Yes, sir!" "Lead out!" "Ho!" "Come on, little fella." "Come on, come on, try." "Come on, up." "Come on, come on." "(horse whinnies)" "He's going to make it." "It's funny what a thin line separates things." "Yesterday, I wouldn't have given him much of a chance." "Sometimes it can be the same way with a man." "Yesterday, I might not have thought you were worth saving." "Well, what..." "What makes you think I am now?" "Well, you, uh, saved Ben Cartwright's life." "You know, we're gonna be here for quite a while." "Why don't you set yourself somewhere?" "I'm just stretching my legs." "Well, I think you got all the kinks out, sit down." "All right, all right, friend, don't, uh, don't get angry." "You think quite a bit of that colt, don't you?" "Why not?" "He needed my help and, in a way, I needed him." "Yeah." "Mr. Tyler, you don't have to answer this unless you want to." "What'd you do that got you into all this trouble?" "I was... convicted of cowardice." "Oh, don't look so surprised, it's true." "The actual charge read:" ""Dereliction of duty, refusal to obey a command and... cowardice in battle."" "It was in the border campaign against the Apaches." "My first command." "The regiment was pinned down." "I was ordered to take my platoon and make a flank attack in the open." "27 men against 400 Apaches." "I refused." "Maybe it was because I was afraid." "All I know is that I couldn't bring myself to lead 27 men to their deaths." "How come they want you to do that in the first place?" "That's the terrible part." "I didn't know at the time that it was meant to be a diversionary attack." "The real attack was coming from the other flank." "Well, they..." "They were thrown back and half the regiment wiped out." "Maybe my life and the lives of my men could've made the difference." "But now I..." "I'll never know." "It wasn't cowardice, Paul." "How could you obey an idiotic order and commit suicide with all your men?" "HOSS:" "You're wrong, Miss Nedda." "It wasn't an idiotic order." "The army generally knows what it's doing." "Well, what were they doing when they put scars on him?" "Ma'am, you can't judge the whole army by a man like Captain Bolton." "But, friend, that's the man we got to go back to." "Pa told you he'd take care of that, didn't he?" "Look, your Pa's a good man and maybe he's got good intentions, but he's never come up against anyone like Bolton before." "I tell you, he's gonna kill us!" "Oh, no, he ain't." "Look, there's only one way to beat this." "And that's if you fix it so we don't have to go back." "Mister, we can't do that." "Can't you?" "This morning when I scouted the terrain, I left a buggy and a couple of horses up in the gully." "All you have to do is turn your back for a couple of seconds and me and Tyler and the girl will disappear." "Save your breath." "Look, look, you think a lot of Nedda, don't you?" "Don't you want her to be happy?" "Well, all right, what do you think she's gonna feel like when she's watching them taking me away to be killed?" "!" "She's been waiting for me all these years." "Tell them, Nedda!" "Tell them to let us go!" "I can't, Jimmy, I just can't." "But why not?" "Hey..." "What's been going on in this stable besides taking care of sick colts?" "!" "Okay, hold it!" "You take one step my way and I'll put a bullet in him." "You do that, mister, and all the bullets in that gun ain't gonna keep me from squeezing the life out of you." "Don't you worry none, friend," "I'll do it." "I got nothing to lose now." "Throw your gun on the floor." "Come on!" "The other one." "All right, you, over there with him." "Move!" "So long, Lieutenant, you had your chance." "And you... you can have what's left of him after Captain Bolton gets through with him." "Ho!" "(knocking on door)" "Halt!" "No!" "Don't!" "BOLTON:" "Corporal, you're a witness." "He was armed and dangerous." "You too, Mr. Cartwright." "Hoss, tell him that, that Paul's going to give himself up and that he doesn't have a gun." "I'll tell him, Miss Nedda." "But Captain Bolton ain't gonna wait long." "Well, just give us a minute." "Yes'm." "Come on, Little Joe." "Come on." "Where you going?" "The back door, we can still make it to the gully." "No, Nedda, Nedda," "Bolton would shoot you down just as fast as he would me." "I don't care!" "I don't want him to kill you." "No, honey, I can't risk your life." "Paul, I love you." "Me?" "You love me?" "Yes." "Oh, yes." "I want to be with you." "Then I can't run." "I can't run." "He ain't got a gun, Captain." "Get out of the way!" "BOLTON:" "Corporal!" "This is army business." "I'm taking that prisoner." "Don't forget he hasn't got a gun." "Take them aside, Corporal." "Tyler!" "All right, Captain." "Drop your gun, Tyler." "Captain!" "I said drop your gun!" "All right!" "Cartwright, you're gonna be sorry you interfered with the army." "(gunshots)" "He's dead." "You'd better get started back to the Fort, Corporal." "We'll bring the captain in." "Tyler." "How long?" "I don't know." "Well, I'll be here." "Let's go, Corporal."