"The Comanche and the whites have been at war since the early 1800s." "The Texas Rangers were formed as a volunteer troop in order to contain the Comanche." "Northwest Texas 1858" "There's a lot of Indians down there, Captain Scull." "Well, don't be tempted by 'em, Mr. Call." "They're the wrong Indians." "I've never been thwarted in the pursuit of a felonious foe, and I don't intend to be this time." "That's Buffalo Hump and his band, gentlemen." "And the felonious foe I want is that horse-stealing Kicking Wolf." "I wouldn't be foolish enough to take on Buffalo Hump's whole camp with just ten men, Captain." "Captain's never been run off from, and Kicking Wolf's never been caught." "Who would you bet against if you had to wager, Woodrow" "Captain Scull or Kicking Wolf?" "I wouldn't bet against the Captain even if I thought he was wrong, Gus." "He's the Captain." "Hell, I'd bet against him in a minute." "Hey." "Huh?" "It's heading toward night." "Ain't we gonna camp and brew us up some coffee?" "Do you see a campfire?" "You see any coffee, sir?" "No." "And don't you be "sirin" me, you durn yapper." "You two can argue some other time" "Let's go." "I consider you a lucky man, Woodrow." "You'll probably be long married before I am." "You'll never be married, unless you give up on Clara." "She don't mean to marry you, and that's that." "Well, if you knew anything about women, you'd know they change their minds ever day." "You would've made a good Indian, Woodrow." "You got no use for the settled life." "I got no use for idle palaver, if that's what you mean." "I'd rather listen to a hoot owl hoot than listen to you think up insults." "Call is with Big Horse Scull." "And the other one is there, McCrae." "They are chasing Kicking Wolf." "He stole many of their horses." "Call killed your brother." "You kill him." "I gave him to you." "Why are you standing there?" "Augustus!" "Cut him off!" "I'll ride him down, the scamp!" "Bible and sword!" "Aha." "That's him, gentlemen." "That's Buffalo Hump." "Bible and sword." "It's not every day you get to see Buffalo Hump at breakfast" "Not every day you'd want to." "That young cub we were chasing is talking to him." "I expect it's his son, Blue Duck." "He has a Mexican look about him." "Probably a child of a captive." "He just looked right at me." "Let me look." "He almost got me once, the devil." "He's older, but he ain't dead, Woodrow." "SCULL:" "Those torturing fiends down there are the best, most capable opponents I've ever faced." "And I mean to kill them to the last man." "But when it's done, mm... by God, I'll miss them." "You'll miss them, sir?" "I'm a fighting man, Mr. McCrae." "And fighting men need other fighting men to fight." "Well, we're a tempting morsel, sitting up here on top of this hole." "We better make ourselves morsels in motion then." "Why, Miss Tilton, so good to see you." "And you, too, Miss Forsythe." "Mother, this is Miss Maggie Tilton." "Maggie, this is my mother." "Please to meet you, Mrs. Forsythe." "Why, and you, Miss Tilton." "We just got these cups and plates in from Pennsylvania." "I think they're the very thing, but Pa thinks they're too fancy." "What do you think?" "Oh... they're so elegant." "But I have to try not to look too hard at things I can't afford." "How I wish we were sisters." "Oh, Miss Forsythe." "Thank you." "I doubt I've ever received a finer compliment." "Well, I mean it." "We were sisters, you could help me reason with Pa." "When he has a fit and decides I'm trying to drive him to ruin just by ordering pretty crockery." "Why, Staffordshire plates." "I'll have them all." "And the cups, too." "Though they are rather plain." "Mrs. Scull, I haven't yet finished inventorying the shipment." "There's more than 100 pieces." "Are you sure you want them all?" "You must recall I run a mansion, Miss Forsythe." "So box them back up and I'll send a servant for them." "What the negroes don't break," "I can throw at Inish next time he drips tobacco juice on my fine table cloth." "Haven't seen you riding lately, Madam Scull." "Oh, the quirts aren't for my horses." "They're for my negroes." "Good day, Miss Forsythe." "I can't seem to keep track of my thimbles for some reason." "Well, thimbles I can supply." "If it was news of those wild Ranger boys you were hoping for," "I'm bound to disappoint you." "Suppose they're still up on the plains chasing Comanche horse thieves, freezing their ears off." "Yes, it's been sharp weather." "I expect they're cold." "Miss Tilton..." "I'd be pleased if you call me Clara." "I wish Captain Scull would just give up on Kicking Wolf." "I'd like to hightail it back to Austin, see Clara." "I'd like to sneak into Buffalo Hump's camp and kill him." "That's my thinking." "We'll have to fight him sooner or later anyway." "See now, that's the difference between me and you, Woodrow." "I mostly think about love, you mostly think about war." "Yeah." "If he don't stop soon," "I'm gonna dismount right here and die." "I'm so cold and tired, can't tell up from down." "I'm gonna have to quit rangering if I have to spend too much time in a place where I can't tell up from down." "Quit and do what?" "All you know how to do is ride horses and shoot guns." "you quit rangering, you'd starve." "Now, that's a rash statement, Woodrow." "There he is, the rascal." "He ain't a rascal, he's our scout." "Oh, what good's a scout who goes off and doesn't report but every three days?" "Hey, what got him so riled?" "Besides that, he beat me at cards." "You must've swallowed a badger, Gus." "I swear you're surly today." "Shut up." "Where's Captain off to in such a hurry?" "He's going to the place where Kicking Wolf and his warriors butchered most of the stolen horses." "Kicking Wolf only wanted the three stallions." "Any meat left?" "Yes." "Maybe the Captain'll let Deets cook us up a bunch." "Ain't you coming?" "No." "I'm going to see my grandmother." "She's old." "She may want to tell me a few more stories before she dies." "Well, how are we supposed to catch Kicking Wolf without you to track?" "Kicking Wolf is much too quick for Big Horse Scull to catch." "Scull might as well go home." "And let a horse thief get clean away?" "That's not the Captain's habit." "Kicking Wolf is the best horse thief in the world." "Is Big Horse Scull the best Captain in the world?" "Scull Mansion Austin,Texas" "How come you did not go with the Captain, Jake?" "The Captain wanted me to stay here in Austin." "Yeah, take care of the place till he gets back." "But he said I can go next time, so..." "Hey, Felice, what happened to you?" "The missus." "The missus?" "What, did you drop a plate?" "Did you sass Madam Scull?" "I didn't sass her." "I didn't drop no plate." "If you don't hurry with that buttermilk," "Felice, you'll get the quirting of your life." "Don't interfere with her slaves, Spoon." "Madam would like to see you upstairs." "And you're late as it is." "What am I late for?" "If the madam says you're late, you are late." "She wants help with the drapes." "Now go." "Scat, you old possum!" "uh, Butler said you needed help with your drapes." "I suppose he meant..." "I wanted you to undrape me." "Uh, what, ma'am?" ""Come to my parlor,"" "said the spider to the fly." "Well, uh, wh... what, uh, ma'am, uh..." "Don't utter, Jakey." "Such lovely hair." "Ought to win you many female hearts." "Come a little closer so I can see your dimples better." "Well..." "I was just, uh... supposed to trim the mare's feet this afternoon." "I can't allow it." "Not today." "I should really..." "Miss Scull..." "I better..." "What are you doing here?" "Your white friends are gone." "Your son made me come." "He said you might want to torture me for a while." "If you come into my camp." "I would hang you upside-down." "and put a scorpion in your nose." "I don't like Kickapoos." "This man has my protection." "Why did you interfere with him?" "Because he's a stinking Kickapoo." "And he led the Rangers to us." "You should have brought me Call's scalp." "Instead you defy me." "My horse." "I'm tired of ordinary horses." "Most horses are ordinary, Kicking Wolf." "The Buffalo Horse is not ordinary." "He is the most famous horse in the world." "That's a fine tracker." "He may be a fine tracker, but I fail to see that he's ours." "Mostly seems to track for himself." "Well, that's just research, Mr. McCrae." "The man is said to know every creek in between the Rio Grande and the Columbia River Gorge." "Takes a lot of private tracking to build that much knowledge." "I was in Buffalo Hump's camp." "His son Blue Duck took me prisoner for a while." "But Buffalo Hump won't let anyone kill me." "Well, that's new." "Why not?" "I helped his grandmother with her dying." "Kicking Wolf is following you." "Three Birds is with him." "Well, that's original." "First we follow him, then he follows us." "Well, if it's just two of them, let's go kill them." "At least that'll stop the horse stealing for a while." "You can't catch them." "They have better horses than you." "If you try to chase them, they'll lead you so far away, you'll starve before you can find your way back." "Well, I been out there before and I didn't starve." "Here now, men," "I won't send you out chasing a phantom in country this spare." "We'll post a double guard tonight." "Let's move." "That horse might be a witch." "Some sat it can fly." "It is too cold for the whites." "They're weak,and careless with their horses." "Sheer, absolute genius." "Stealing horses is one thing, but stealing Hector-- that's absolute genius!" "It's still just a horse thief stealing' a horse." "We ought to be chasing him instead of standing around talking about it." "Well, we been chasing him for ten years now and we ain't caught him yet." "MCCRAE:" "I'd like to see you go into Buffalo Hump's camp and steal one of his horses." "Well, I don't claim to be a horse thief." "And we can't catch him, 'cause we stop to sleep at night and he don't." "What is a genius, anyway?" "Aw, I guess the Captain's a genius." "You ought to ask him." "A genius is somebody with six toes on one foot." "Well, I mean, at's what I heard, anyway." "A genius ain't got no warts." "MCCRAE:" "Well, in that case, Ikey," "I'm a genius, 'cause I'm rarely troubled with warts." "I hear a genius is desperate smart." "He's right." "I met one, once, up in St. Louis." "And he could spell words backwards, and even say numbers backwards, too." "Well, what's the point of spelling backward" "You spell backwards, you wouldn't have much of a word." "Pig." "I wish we had us a good ol' fat pig." "Quiet, now, Lee." "No one was discussing wine." "No one was discussing much of anything." "Lee's got as much right to talk as you have." "All right, Captain's coming." "We'll soon have our orders." "Firearms... slicker." "Slicker!" "Need to be traveling light." "Sir." "Thank you." "A man should be able to go from Cape Cod to California with no more gear than this." "And if he can't, he deserves to die where he drops, I say." "CALL:" "Sir, the Comanches know where we are." "You'll get scalped, for sure." "Or freeze to death." "With all respect, Captain, why on earth would you strike out on foot?" "The tragedy of man, gentlemen, is not death or epidemic or lust or rage or even scalping, Mr. Call." "No, sir, the tragedy of man is boredom." "Boredom!" "A man can only do a given thing so many times with freshness and spirit, and then, no matter how lively the sport, it becomes a bore." "Now, I love cards and whoring, but even cards and whoring, after awhile, become boresome." "You can top your wife a thousand times, and that becomes tedious too." "Sir, I don't see what this has to do with you just walking off and leaving us." "Well, opportunity, Mr. Call." "Opportunity and adversity are kissing cousins." "So, we'll be leaving you now, gentlemen." "Famous Shoes is going to teach me how to track while he follows my horse." "But, Captain, what about us?" "What could be simpler?" "Go home." "Mr. McCrae, Mr. Call, I'm making you co-commanders." "See these fine gentlemen get home to Austin and see that they get paid right away." "So we're just to go home, then." "Yes." "Home." "If you encounter any rank bandits alone the way, hang them." "Otherwise, report to the Governor and get drunk till I show up." "Well, what do we tell Mrs. Scull?" "Oh, Inez is my problem, not yours." "If I were you, I'd just try to avoid her." "Sir, I'd be worried if I was her and you disappeared." "Well, that shows how little you know of marital affairs, Captain McCrae." "Inez won't be worried, she'll just be mad." "We're Captains now, Woodrow." "Yeah." "I reckon." "If I wasn't awake, I'd think I was asleep." "I'd think I was a dream." "It ain't a dream, you fool." "Now, don't you be bossing me too hard today, Gus." "I need a day or two to adjust to the notion that you're a Captain." "I order you to shut up about it." "Woodrow's a Captain, too." "He going to be a lot harder boss than me, once he gets a hang of the job." "Get the hang of it?" "Surviving's the hang of it, Augustus." "Bill, no more wrestle with an Indian than to try to reason with you!" "Which way you think we ought to go?" "Well, aren't you gonna say something?" "You been yapping' ever since I known you." "Why you suddenly dry up?" "Well, where do you think we ought to go, if you know so much?" "Well, I don't know so much." "I been taking orders the whole time I been a Ranger." "Why would I know any more than you do?" "Because you're a studier, Woodrow." "You been reading in that book about Napoleon for years now." "Me, I'm mainly just a whore." "BILL:" "I don't know what made the Captain decide to make them two in charge." "They'd both argue with a stump, if the stump could talk." "Sure don't seem like the sensible thing to do, Bill." "One of 'em says yes, the other says no." "Well, captains ought to stay with their troops." "Gus and Call decide to leave us... we'll be lost, for sure." "All right..." "I favor trying for the Red River." "If we go west, we end up eating the horses." "Got those extra mules." "I say we eat the mules, if we have to, and make for the Red." "There's settlements along the Red, and plentiful game, too." "Red was my thinking, too." "Oh, is it, now." "The boys are depending on us." "We got to keep our heads and do it right." "No, not today, you don't." "Mind your words, Ben." "Let me pass." "No!" "Not today and not tomorrow and not the next day and the next week and not the next month." "Not ever." "I been coming here every day for nearly three weeks now." "What's wrong with today?" "There's nothing wrong with today." "Just be gone." "I'll be calling the Sheriff on you, if you don't." "And he'll know what to do with a common lark like you." "Yeah, all right then." "All right, there ain't no need to call the Sheriff." "Why, thanks, Felice." "You're the only one that don't hate me around here, it looks like." "I thought I instructed my butler to run you off." "How come you're not gone?" "Ben?" "(dogs barking) I was just resting a minute." "Get off my step." "I don't want you round here anymore" " Ben!" "(dogs barking) You stay away from that yellow wench." "I don't want any little irregularities with my help." "But I thought you liked me." "Like you?" "!" "I've stooped to many follies in my life, but I doubt I'd allow myself to like a common farm boy such as yourself." "MAN (in distance):" "See you first of next week!" "It was your hair, Jakey." "Your thick, lovely hair." "I suppose I found it briefly appealing." "But now it's gone, and that is that." "Mr. Spoon." "You call Woodrow Call..." "Woodrow." "Why won't you call me Jake?" "Look, I got money." "All right?" "I ain't a cheat." "What are you standing over there for?" "I'm ready." "Hey, I'm Ranger, too." "Just like Call." "You're still a whore, ain't you?" "Now get over here." "Can I ask you to take off your boots..." "Jake?" "You been in some mud." "Could you..." "could you just help me?" "Just... (groans)" "something is burning" "Captain, over here!" "Oh, Lord!" "He was just a young 'un." "Keep watching, boys." "They may still be close." "They are close." "There." "See that dust?" "That's our villains." "Killed the granddad and the boy 'cause they couldn't keep up." "They took the women." "We have to take the captives to Buffalo Hump." "If he says you can have the woman, you can do what you want with her." "I want to do it here and now." "Take the horses and go." "I'm going to kill the woman." "You're, uh, you're safe now, ma'am." "We need to go." "There could be 40 more not far away." "Or 400 more." "My John...!" "he won't have me no more!" "I'll run and catch her, Captain, see if I can talk her back." "She's right, you know?" "What do you mean, Bill?" "Comanche's have had her." "Her husband won't want her no more." "It's worse than that, Pete." "Nobody will want her." "Missus!" "Miss!" "I can't go back!" "I can't!" "You got to go back, Miss." "The little girls need you." "It's all right, it's all right, missus." "It's all right now." "Come on." "Let's go back now." "Let's go back now." "I don't know what Ahumado will do when he sees that I have brought him the Buffalo Horse." "You think he will give you some young women as a reward?" "Of course he should give me a woman or two." "Ahumado doesn't do what he should do." "What if he has Goyeto skin you?" "Then I'll be skinned." "We are going to the Yellow Cliffs." "And I don't plan to die." "Hector leaves a damn large track." "Kicking Wolf and Three Birds are walking towards Mexico." "If he is taking the Buffalo Horse to Ahumado, he hopes to go home with some new wives." "I'd say he's taking a big risk if he thinks he can work a simple trade with that crafty Mayan." "Back in Boston, saddle of antelope is considered to be a great delicacy." "Of course, it's a rare delicacy, too, there being very few pronghorns in the region of Boston town." "You walk fast for a white man." "I can walk off and leave most white men." "Do you know this Ahumado, also called "Black Vaquero"?" "No one knows Ahumado." "When he was born, the poison leaf was put under his tongue." "Because of that, he could do nothing but evil." "Evil is correct." "We attacked him in that slaver's den of his." "The Yellow Cliffs one, he shot Hector and got away." "It rankles me still." "Yellow Cliffs Northern Mexico" "You remember that..." "that slick Comanche, the expert horse thief?" "The one who, uh, traded your horses for women?" "Why is that boy yelling so?" "He let the cougar get one of my foals." "I don't raise horses for cougars to eat." "Goyeto's working on him." "The Comanche, he has stolen the Buffalo Horse from Scull." "I think he's bringing him here." "And that ain't the best of it." "The best of it is that Scull's following on foot." "He's got that Kickapoo tracker with him." "He wants his horse back, I reckon." "Is anyone alive in the cages now?" "I ain't checked today, but, uh, I doubt it." "Scull tried to kill me once..." "and failed." "I tried to kill him... and failed." "I didn't expect him to come back." "The Rangers is back." "It's the Rangers." "Yeah, coming in!" "Looky there." "Look, children." "Billy!" "Billy!" "Bill!" "Billy!" "Billy!" "Billy!" "What a sight." "Hey, Jake, come get this horse for me, buddy." "Oh, Pearly." "Pearly, Pearly, Pearly, Pearly." "Oh, Pearly." "Oh, Billy, thank God you're safe." "Oh, my darling." "Oh, I could squeeze you in two." "Where's Captain Scull?" "Was he killed?" "Not that we know of." "H's chasing a horse thief." "Don't be tagging us now, Jake." "Got a urgent business to attend to." "Urgent business?" "Hello, Mr. Forsythe." "24..." "I don't see Clara anywhere." "25..." "She ain't sick, is she?" "I'm trying to count these gloves." "It takes concentration." "Sorry, sir." "27..." "Traveled nearly to the North Pole and back." "28..." "Anxious to see Clara." "29... 30." "She ain't sick, is she?" "My daughter's never been sick a day in her life." "She's as healthy as a horse." "She's out." "Out?" "Out!" "That's the opposite of in, Mr. McCrae!" "She's gone!" "She isn't here!" "31, 32..." "Running errands, I reckon." "33... 35..." "Well, I got to report to the Governor, sir." "36..." "Hope you tell her I called." "37, 38..." "Darn." "Don't you go getting drunk on me, Gus." "The Governor will be wanting us to report." "You go, Woodrow." "I got other things on my mind." "Now, we're both captains." "We should both go." "Well, I swear." "You're not..." "Jake!" "Stable... stable this horse!" "You tell Captain Call he can find me in the saloon if he needs me." "If he wants me to visit that Governor, he better come quick." "Why, you leaving again?" "It's not leaving." "I'll be departing from my right mind." "Kicking Wolf has taken your horse into the Sierra." "Three Birds is still with him, but Three Birds does not want to go into the Sierra." "How can you tell all that from a track?" "I can't." "I know Three Birds." "Three Birds is not crazy." "Only a crazy man would ride into the country of Ahumado." "Well, that qualifies me for the asylum then." "Ahumado is always behind you." "If we go into his country, he'll be behind us." "Maybe I should start walking backwards." "If you couldn't kill Ahumado when you had your Rangers with you, why do you think you can kill him now?" "Lots of things can go wrong with a military unit." "Sometimes a man alone can do better." "I'm a born fighter." "I need opponents to match me." "Perhaps the Black Vaquero will match me, but I doubt it." "I don't want the salt to lose its savor." "Do you understand?" "No." "Well, I guess this means you don't choose to accompany me." "No." "What will you be doing while have my little contest with the Black Vaquero?" "There's a whole in the Earth somewhere to the west." "Turtle brought the Kickapoo people out of that hole and into the sunlight." "I want to find it." "My task is simpler." "I just want my Hector back." "Thank you for your help." "Better table manners is to drink from a glass." "Or from a saucer." "No, no, not a durn saucer." "Saucer might do for sipping coffee if it's too hot to imbibe from the cup." "Does that suit ya?" "And don't call me Captain." "Plain Gus McCrae." "Hello, Bingham." "Hello, Captain." "Got the buggy ready." "Governor wants to see you." "You're as broad as this buggy, Bingham." "A man who sits behind you don't have much of a view." "Nossir." "Get a view of me mostly." "Hey, get up." "I'm surprised you drink like that before you say hello to Clara." "MCCRAE:" "Why would I say hello to her?" "I seen her in a buggy with that horse trader Bob Allen." "He's been trying to steal her from me." "I guess he succeeded." "That wasn't Bob Allen, you fool." "That was her uncle from Galveston." "He's come for a visit." "Her uncle?" "Gus?" "Bye." "What?" "What is your hurry?" "You just got here." "You been gone over a month." "It's the Governor." "I gotta report." "Old Scull left us in the lurch." "At least Woodrow and got made Captains." "It's the Governor, Clara." "Well, if it wasn't the Governor, it would be somebody else." "A Comanche you had to fight or a bandit you got to catch." "Gus..." "Oh." "My Ranger." "You mean Inish has lost himself and over a damn horse?" "It was his war horse, Governor." "He held that horse in high regard." "Yes, and what about his duty to the State of Texas?" "Did he hold that in high regard?" "I guess he thought we could get the boys home safe." "We done it." "We recovered those captives, too." "Yes." "Though I doubt the woman will recover." "They rarely do." "Inish Scull used good judgment in making you Captains." "And I'll second it." "You both got a bright future... if you can keep your hair." "Now, meanwhile, we got thousands of hostile Comanche's to contend with." "And a whole nation to the south of us who don't like us one bit." "And the worst is, he's left us with Inez." "I believe we can hold our own with the Comanche and I expect we can whip back the Mexicans, but the heavens are going to ring when Inez Scull finds out why her husband didn't care to come home." "Ed?" "!" "ED:" "From my reports, they did a fine job, Inez." "Only lost one man, and that from natural causes." "Two if you count Inish." "I decline to be impressed." "They both need barbering." "And this one slouches." "What kind of soldier slouches?" "Excuse me, ma'am, but we ain't soldiers." "We're Texas Rangers." "In rangering, posture ain't the important thing." "Oh." "And what is the important thing?" "Guts, plain guts." "ED:" "All right,ow, McCrae, Mrs. Scull is just upset because the Captain didn't come home with the troops..." "INEZ:" "Oh, shut up, Ed!" "I'm not so ill-bred as to be upset." "I'm angry, and I detest un-barbered louts!" "I imagine these two green ears of corn both put whoring before barbering." "Most men would, Inez." "It's only normal." "Why, Ed, you got more spunk than I thought." "Captain went looking for his horse, ma'am." "No, he left to spite me." "Hector was just an excuse." "He'd just as soon eat a horse as ride one." "(voice breaking):" "Have them go fetch him, Ed." "Inez, they just got back." "They need to rest and so do their horses." "INEZ:" "All right." "but they mustn't wait long or Inish will vanish for good if given the chance." "Whoa, whoa, whoa, all right, all right, all right." "(sobbing) All right." "You will send them?" "Thank you, Ed." "Slouchy as you are," "I might like you to come to tea at my house." "What about Captain Call?" "Too stiff." "Bye." "Well, I do apologize, gentlemen." "I brought you in here to compliment you on your Captaincies, but Inez barged in and spoiled it." "Why come home just to be ate alive by your wife?" "Inish Scull is a Yankee son of a bitch and his wife is a..." "Southern slut." "Inez Scull would try the patience of a saint." "Why, I believe she would even try the patience of Job." "I don't know Job, sir, but she sure tried mine." "Lord" "Kicking Wolf, I assume." "You're the genius that stole my horse." "Which I see, incidentally, you don't have." "Tit for tat." "Bible and sword." "There is a pit down there." "I could put you in it." "But your name is Three Birds." "You should enjoy one of our cages." "That way you can watch your friends, the birds." "These cages are filthy." "I don't want to be in one." "If he doesn't like our cages... take him down." "Let Goyeto work on him." "You are stupid man." "A child could fool you." "Scull is coming." "He is not a child." "Why does he stand there night after night?" "I want runners to go out to all the bands." "To the Antelope Comanche." "To Threes Bears." "We will fight as one band." "We will raid all the way to the ocean." "Why do we need the others?" "We can kill the Texans without any help." "Do you kill Call when you went to kill him?" "Or did he shoot you?" "He was lucky." "He was better than you." "They will get stronger, until they fight better than we fight." "You don't like to hear this." "But it's true." "We must fight the Texans and defeat them,now." "Otherwise they will break us,and the way of the Comanche will disappear." "To do this,we need all the bands." "Go." "In seven days we go to the Great Water." "We kill every Texan we find." "That was mighty tasty." "You're a fine cook, Maggie." "Thank you." "But I grew up in Virginia, where there's more vegetables to choose from." "Well, I can live without too much greenery myself." "Woodrow..." "I got some news." "I'm gonna have a baby." "What?" "I said I'm gonna have a baby." "It's your baby, Woodrow." "My baby?" "Well, it's ours, I mean." "Oh." "Well, Maggie, uh..." "That is news." "I'm just hoping the Governor doesn't send you off after Captain Scull." "Well, probably will." "That Scull's after him hot and heavy." "You certain there's a baby?" "I'm sure, Woodrow." "Well, uh, you know... least got some time to think about it." "Hmm..." "I suppose that fella Bob Allen gave up and went back to Nebraska." "What makes you think so?" "Well, if he ain't, and I catch him making up to you, he's likely to get a whipping." "Gus, I don't know that you could whip Bob, and I'd much rather you didn't try." "And why would you doubt that I could whip him?" "I'm a Texas Ranger." "Well, I reckon you could shoot him." "But if it were fisticuffs you were talking about..." "I doubt you'd stand much a chance." "Bob is stout." "That's one thing I like about him." "Like about him?" "You like about him?" "Don't tell me you two have been spooning while I've been off doing my duty." "Got your goat, didn't I?" "Besides which, we ain't married." "What I do while you're off Rangering is my business, Gussie." "Durn if you're not about as independent as they come." "Gussie?" "You didn't say good night." "I might've wanted a kiss." "Clara, I have had..." "Durn you, Clara!" "I get on my horse backwards, which I'll never live down." "Now I t my hat on backwards, too!" "I won't tell." "(mutters):" "God..." "What was that clatter?" "It was only Gus, Mama." "I was teasing him a little." "About what?" "May I ask?" "I just happened to mention Bob Allen, and it put 'em in a dither." "Well, it should have." "Bob Allen's a decent man in a solid trade." "He'd make any woman a fine husband." "(sighs):" "I know, Ma." "But Gus McCrae is my one true love." "There are two kinds of men in this world, honey." "The marrying kind and men like Gus." "You may have his heart, Clara, but you'll never have the man." "He will wander God's green earth until the day he dies." "If you think you can settle Gus McCrae down, Clara, then you need to think again." "Because you won't." "Whoa." "There goes your rival." "Mind your own business." "Clara thinks he can whip me." "I imagine he can whip you." "He's at least a foot taller and maybe 50 pounds heavier." "Shut up!" "You don't know nothing about it." "Maybe not." "But if I was looking for a fistfight," "I wouldn't challenge Bob Allen." "Be common sense to look for someone smaller." "Common sense be damned!" "I'll whip him before breakfast, then I'll probably whip you." "And maybe Long Bill Coleman, too." "Why Long Bill?" "Because he's always criticizing, the damn schoolmarm, that's why." "That buffalo horse was, uh... that was some horse." "Took more than four days to cook him." "Bible and sword-- well, that is a sight I never expected to see." "Mind cutting me off a slice?" "I've had nothing but varmints these last few days." "Hmm..." "Let's see, uh..." "This one's about your size." "And I'd say you're dead." "If you can't catch enough birds to eat," "I will put you in my pit." "Well, the pigeons seem plentiful." "Squab is always welcome at the Scull table, and it's best eaten rare, of course." "No." "I could hardly ask for more." "The Texans may try to ransom you." "They might." "I'm popular." "Why did you come here?" "To kill you." "Why else?" "Do you still believe you will kill me?" "I do, and I'm rarely mistaken." "Put him over." "That's wasteful, if you ask me." "I didn't ask you." "You're burning ammunition we might need." "The Governor wants to see us pronto." "That durn Governor is becoming a pest." "Yeah." "Well, he's the Governor, and we work for him." "Have you thrown a three-day drunk just 'cause Clara told you she thought her other beau could whip you?" "I threw a three-day drunk for pleasure, mostly." "I like three-day drunks." "Go along, Captain Call." "Need a word with Captain McCrae." "I'll be but a minute." "Aren't you even going to speak to me?" "Hello." "Oh, stop it, Gussie." "How long do I have to be punished for not doing anything wrong?" "Who said you didn't do anything wrong?" "I say it, and you better listen!" "All right, don't yell, now." "This horse is apt to throw me." "This the horse you got on backwards?" "Yep." "Why did you do that, Gus?" "Because..." "I was so in love with you" "I couldn't tell backwards from forwards." "That's better." "Will I see you tonight?" "You bet." "Well, look at these." "All from generals and senators and the like, all telling me I got to find Scull." "You would think the sun might refuse to shine if Inish Scull leaves out a pot." "He's rich, he's famous, and he is the best military man in this part of the country." "And he ain't here." "With the plains, from what I hear, starting to boil." "Well, Ben, what do you want?" "We're busy." "My mistress is wanting an answer, sir." "Request declined." "I did you a favor, Captain." "At least it's a favor if you value your virtue." "I'd as soon take tea with a grizzly bear, sir." "Well, I doubt we've heard the end of it." "Inez is nothing if not persistent." "But to the business at hand." "Now, I want the two of you to take some men and find out what you can about Inish Scull." "I want you to ride fast, and hurry back." "If Inish is captive, we need to know it." "Maybe he can be ransomed." "Our horses are worn out, Governor." "I know." "Now, there is a horse trader hereabouts named Allen." "Now, he brought in some fresh horses just yesterday." "Now, maybe we can acquire a few from him." "I'll go see the man, then." "Well, choose your mounts, gentlemen." "The State will compensate Mr. Allen." "I'd like you to leave as soon as possible." "We'll be gone by daybreak, sir." "Thank you." "Drat that man!" "Ever since he's been made Governor, he's as pigheaded as Inish." "He is good at catching pigeons, but he will need to catch some water when it rains." "I want you to climb up there and give him a bowl." "Ah!" "I am not a good climber." "Then this is your chance to learn." "Scull is a famous man." "Texans will pay a big ransom for him." "Then we will kill him." "What's the matter?" "It's what's always the matter." "You're my only sweetheart, Clara." "What could be the matter?" "You're my sweetheart, too, and now you're leaving again." "I'm a Ranger, honey." "Even though I'm a Captain," "I still ain't my own boss much of the time." "Governor says go look for Inish Scull, that's what I have to do." "I don't want to hear your excuses anymore." "But it's the truth." "It's just the truth you choose to hide behind every time you leave me." "It is not written in the heavens that you have to be a Texas Ranger." "There are plenty of other things you could do that would be more settled." "Like what?" "Well, you could be a barber." "Or maybe even a judge." "Me a durn barber?" "Well, maybe a judge would suit you better." "If I was a judge," "I'd hang half the scoundrels in this town, and that would be that." "All right." "Then I don't know what you could be, but you're my dearest and my deepest, Gussie." "I just can't stand all this leaving." "I..." "I simply can't." "We'll only be gone a week." "A week ain't long." "It is if you're lonely." "A week can be mighty long." "I'm not a woman who does well alone." "Clara..." "I want us to marry." "I want us to marry when I come back." "If you come back." "Damn it, Clara, I'll come back." "I always come back." "I'll be with Woodrow Call." "No one's more cautious on the trail than Woodrow Call." "I wish he would marry Maggie." "We all wish that." "He ought to, and maybe someday he will." "But, right now, it's you I'm worried about." "Well, you don't need to worry about me too much." "Even if I was to marry somebody else," "I still want you to be my friend." "I still want you to know my children." "Marry someone else?" "What kind of talk is that?" "Your children?" "Why can't they be our children?" "All right." "Don't talk no more, Gus." "Hold me." "Hold me tight." "I doubt there'll be trouble." "We'll only be gone a week." "But if there is, you remember that hideout I showed you." "I remember." "Come back safe, Woodrow." "Remember what I said." "If there's trouble, be quick." "MCCRAE:" "We'll need, uh, Long Bill," "Stove Jones and Ikey, I suppose." "Let's leave Ikey." "He's old, and we'll be traveling night and day." "I think we should take Jake." "That worthless pup?" "WOODROW:" "He's got to get a bit of experience sometime." "Well, he'll need to keep up and shut up." "Jake's a blabber." "Well, I heard you blab a bit yourself." "We'll take Deets, Pea Eye, and be off." "What, is there something the matter with you, other than a hangover?" "Hurry back to me, Billy." "Don't get killed." "I won't, unless you don't let go of me, and they shoot me for desertion." "I have to go." "Honey, don't run after me." "You'll jostle the bait." "Careful now, Clara." "MCCRAE:" "Hard to leave my Clara." "She's the finest gal alive." "You don't think she'd go off and do something silly, do you?" "Like what?" "Like marry that damned horse trader from Nebraska." "Well, if she did, I don't know that I'd call it silly." "Maybe he's a better catch than you." "Well, ain't." "And how would you know anyway, Woodrow?" "Where's he going, Captain?" "I don't know, and he don't either." "Thank you." "Well, now I roped the filly that" "I really care about." ""Care about," Bob?" "Well, yeah." "Well, I guess I was roped." "but nobody tightened the loop." "And now..." "I'm not." "I tell you, he's a witch." "I wish you would let me cut out his tongue." "If he still thinks he can kill me, he needs to keep his spirits up." "So, he sings." "You complain again," "I will puncture your eardrums with a thorn." "And you won't be bothered when Scull sings." "The settlers and farmers are all along the Brazos." "The river of Many Forks." "We will go down these forks." "and kill them." "Slow Tree can talk the Prairie Dog Fork." "I will take the Clear Fork." "Slipping Weasel can take the Double Mountain Fork." "We will meet near the town where Scull and Call live." "We will burn it down." "It was in my youth that the Texans practiced their treachery under the lure of the white flag ...my father, my grandfather and the grandfathers of many People trusted the Texans." "Many went in to parley without their weapons only a few were wise,and hid their knives..." "Great chieftains of the mighty Comanche nation." "...while the Texans surrounded the tent." "There is enough room for all peoples to live in harmony." "Now while we are strong is the time of our revenge." "Are the signs good?" "Yes." "Many Texans will die." "to be continued"