"Mornin', son." "Mornin'." "We're a little off our course." "There's a played-out mine somewheres around here." "Know of it?" "There's a lot of old mines around here." "This one is bein' worked by a fellow name of Sand." "Samuel Sand." "He's my father." "You don't say, boy?" "Well, son, your pappy and me, we hunted buffalo together in the army." "We thought it only decent to stop by and say howdy." "About three miles on, the second canyon, you pick up the trail going west." "You'll see the buildings plain." "You have a first name, boy?" "Max." "Much obliged, Max." "Hyah!" "Hyah!" "Hyah!" "Hyah!" "Now you keep out of this, squaw!" "Now, where is the gold?" "!" "You tell me, where is the gold?" "!" "Take it easy, easy." "Come on, Sam." "Sam... it ain't no use holding' out." "There ain't no gold, Jesse." "When you gonna get that in your stupid head?" "Now, look!" "You're working a so-called dead mine but you brought it back to life." "Now, you found something you're sittin' on real cute-like, right?" "!" "Would I be living like this?" "You understand, we don't want all of it, just half." "Of nothing'!" "Oh, you've been spreadin' gold dust around Owl Creek like snow!" "That were a day's work, that's all." "You paid your store bill with a solid gold nugget." "I've been working two years-- one nugget, $38." "Wouldn't even pay for the shovels I wore out." "Look, we didn't ride all the way out here to argue." "You're going to tell us where it is, Sam, or you're going to tell us with your dyin' breath!" "Now, where is it?" "!" "Whoa, boy, easy..." "Well, ain't that right handsome beadwork?" "You fashion it yourself, squaw?" "Yeah, it's been 1 5 years since I skinned an injun, squaw man!" "But I ain't forgot the way." "Please..." "leave her be." "I tell you, there ain't any gold." "I swear it, none." "I'm not afraid." "Max... they're both dead." "No, there's nothing you can do now." "Max!" "Max, stay out of there." "For God's sake, stay out!" "Max, come on into town with me." "They don't even look like people anymore." "Their suffering's over." "I don't want anybody to ever see them lookin' like that... ever." "Go away." "Leave me alone, please." "Gid'up." "My..." "God!" "Max, you poor child." "Now, you come live with us." "Now I mean it." "I can't." "We've got acres of land and a lifetime of work." "I've got to find those three men." "And if you do?" "Revenge isn't God's way." "Oh, save your preaching', Ben." "But you're only a boy." "They're hard and vicious men." "Get 'em, Max." "You go get 'em." "Elvira..." "Well, why not?" "If he doesn't, who will?" "The law!" "The law-- what law?" "Max... at least wait a day, rest up." "Maybe I can catch 'em with that gray horse before they sell it." "Here... here, Max." "Miss McCandles, I got a rifle, a horse and eight dollars." "It'll hold." "Well, then, good luck." "Don't forget the way back." "I'll remember you both for your kindness." "Larry!" "Who the hell are you?" "My name is Max." "Max Sand." "Just a kid." "Indian." "Half-breed." "You alone?" "Spit it out-- quick!" "I was following three men who killed my mother and father and I thought you were the ones." "Are we the ones?" "No." "How long have you been tracking these killers?" "Three, four days." "When did you eat last?" "Couple of days ago!" "Pick up the horses... and join us." "Hey, kid." "Why don't you go home, huh?" "I mean, while you still have a chance." "Don't have a home." "Hey, how can you guys be so friendly?" "After what I tried to do?" "Well, everybody in this world is foolish in his own way." "Besides, we were all kids once ourselves." "Weren't we now?" "Don't move, mister!" "Now turn around..." "with your hands up." "Now, all I want is some food and a horse." "I haven't seen one of them old guns in years." "Keep away." "It won't work, you know." "I said stay back!" "Well, the barrel's all rusted up, and the hammer's broke." "And besides, they haven't made ammunition for one of them things in ten years." "You want to trade?" "I could use something to eat." "You've been through about 25 pounds of food in three days." "You think you're ever going to get filled up?" "Oh, I'm sorry." "I didn't think." "I know it's a long ways to haul food." "Well, finish it up, if you can." "I can." "I didn't expect you to be so generous." "Think I was going to throw you to the coyotes?" "You had every right." "I meant to kill you if I had to." "You an old hand at killing?" "I killed my share of deer and... rabbits." "Ever hold a gun on a man?" "No." "You're setting out to kill three of them, huh?" "Bang, bang, bang." "You figure you're going to make it 'cause you got right on your side?" "It helps." "They bury a sheriff about once a week out here." "Well, I just figure it's a matter of me killing them before they kill me." "Now, you want to show me some of this fancy gun work?" "Turn around and face the sun." "Hit that." "Go on home, boy." "Take the shortcut." "The sun was in my eyes, and I wasn't expecting it." "You expect a man's going to hold still for you with the sun at your back, then give you a warning so you can stand there and shoot at him?" "I can hit a rabbit at 80 yards with a rifle." "A rabbit don't shoot back." "How do you think you're going to swing a rifle in a barroom?" "I never been in a barroom." "Look, just to find them, you're going to have to comb out every saloon, gambling hall, hog farm and whorehouse between here and Mexico." "What do you think you're after, three preachers?" "You going to gun them down at 80 yards when they're coming out of a church social?" "You're hunting three men who steal because they're too damn lazy to work and they kill because they love to." "Then they hide out like rats in the garbage." "So if you're going to get them, you're going to have to eat, drink and wallow in that garbage right with them till you get so you think like them and smell like them." "I'll do what I have to do." "It ain't that easy, kid." "Finding them is one thing, killing them is another." "I'll figure out ways." "Ah." "Well, I've been selling guns and ammunition to men like that for 1 5 years and they got more ways to cripple and kill a man than you ever dreamed about." "They'll shoot you in the back, they'll ambush you-- they'll cut your throat while you're laying asleep." "All you got going on your side is some blind Indian revenge." "I'm half-white." "And you're all helpless." "Now, you get so you can do that with either hand-- and you're half-drunk or half-awake, or inside of a dark room off the back of a running horse-- you might stand a chance." "A small chance." "Would you teach me?" "I sell guns, I don't teach killing." "Then I'll learn myself." "You won't live that long." "Well, thank you for the food and advice, Mr. Cord." "I guess I'll be on my way." "Where to?" "How?" "What with?" "You know, if I did teach you something, that's only half of it." "While you're looking for them three men you gotta live, don't you?" "You gotta eat." "You need clothes, food, horses, saddles, guns, ammunition, money." "How are you gonna get that?" "!" "Tracking beaver on Sundays?" "I'll tell you how you get it." "You'll wind up stealing and killing." "You'll turn yourself into the same kind of animal you're trying to track down." "Can't you see that?" "I don't see nothin'... except my father laying on a blood-covered floor all burnt and cut with the top of his head blown to pieces." "And my mother..." "split up the middle and every square inch of her skin ripped off." "Well..." "God help us." "Pick up that brass." "Them cartridges cost a cent and a half apiece." "Sit down." "Little poker suit you?" "Well, not too much." "You know how to play cards, don't you?" "No." "I guess I can teach you." "Have a drink." "Well, I..." "You don't drink either?" "No." "Where you're going, you'd best study up on it." "Now, the lowest hand you can get is a pair-- that's two of a kind." "Then two pair and three of a kind, then a straight." "Three of what kind?" "Three of anything-- three nines, three tens, three jacks." "Which ones are the tens?" "Don't you know how to read?" "Well, I never went to school." "Know how to write?" "Well, if I know how to write, I'd know how to read." "Anything you can do?" "Reach." "That's an awful waste of good whiskey." "Where you were goin', you wouldn't need whiskey." "All right." "A ten has got ten spots on it." "You can count that far on your toes." "Max..." "Listen, you take it easy around here." "It's just a quiet town." "I know people, I do business with them." "Well, all right." "But listen, Mr. Cord, if you happen to see..." "Yeah, I know, if I see anything suspicious like a horse with an "SS" brand, I'll come get you." "Here's a buck-- go buy yourself some candy." "Yes, sir, can I help you today?" "Can of peaches." "A big can, please." "Best Eastern peaches in the West." "Would you open it for me?" "No charge." "Hey, you got a book that teaches you readin' and writin'?" "McGuffey's Primer, right under the stairs." "Hey, uh..." "Of course, you can't pick one out until you can read, and you can't read until you can pick one out, can you?" "It's this here one." "Or, as McGuffey would say, "this one here."" "That's 25 cents for the peaches and ten cents for the book." "Funny, isn't it?" "Ideas don't weigh much, but peaches do and the freight company charges by the weight." "You know, six books, it's... oh, it isn't very important." "Most people are hungrier in their stomachs than they are in their minds anyway." "Well, there's your first decision:" "Now, that sign on the top says "Silver City."" "That's over in Colorado." "And the second one-- the one over there-- that's "Donner, "California." "The one on the bottom, see, that says "Sonora."" "That's down south in Old Mexico." "l-l sure can't tell you which way to go, but you want to catch 'em, you best go where the money is." "If they got it, they're going to head for where they can spend it." "If they ain't got it, they'll go where they can steal it." "Mr. Cord, I... I just don't know how I'm ever going to be able to pay you back for all this." "No need to." "I tell you what, you get tired of chasing them, you look me up, and we'll talk about it, all right?" "Well, no use drawing this out." "Good luck, Max." "Bang, bang." "Yeah..." "Very nicely done." "You know, handlin' one of these things is only half of it." "The other part's learning human nature." "That's going to take you the rest of your life, so you damn well better not trust anybody till you do." "Now, you want to plan your moves, pick your place to fight, don't make any threats... and don't you ever walk away from one, you hear?" "Good-bye, Max." "Bye, Mr. Cord." "Don't even trust a friend." "Hyah, hyah." "Hyah, hyah." "Hyah, hyah, hyah." "Hyah." "Come on, Struther, you've washed your little, thin body enough." "Look how white I am." "Struther, please hurry up." "Hey, the dames are comin'!" "Hey!" "Hey, the dames are coming!" "Struther, you'd better hurry up and get out of there." "They're comin' up here." "Hank!" "Red!" "Cat got your tongue?" "Well, come on." "Gee, you're cute." "Wal-Walter." "Walter?" "How are you, Walter?" "Howdy... ma'am." "Hey, look at me!" "Want to come downstairs and have a drink?" "Hey!" "Shut up." "What's the matter with me?" "Whoo!" "Hey, don't be backin' off like that." "Hey, hey, one of you..." "Well... well..." "Hey, I'm in the tub." "Hello, cowboy." "Welcome to town." "Try the next room." "White women more popular." "Well, they saved me for you." "Navajo?" "Kiowa." "I am Kiowa, too." "Well, yes or no?" "Five dollars for some questions." "I'm lookin' for three men, they ride together." "And one of them-- the name is Jesse-- got a scar on his neck, carries a knife." "May be riding a gray horse." "You ever seen any people like that?" "Lots of men come through here, lots of men with scars." "Buy yourself some moccasins." "Why do you ask for them?" "They tortured and killed a woman..." "Kiowa, like you." "One man has a... scar here." "He works downstairs dealing cards in the bar." "Oh, but he might not be the same man." "Where does he keep his horse?" "In the stable across the street." "But, please, don't tell anyone I told you." "Hey, mister?" "Yeah?" "That gray for sale?" "I don't think so." "Belongs to Jack Langley over at the Palace Bar." "I don't think he'll sell him, though." "I'll open for 20." "I'll have to call you." "I'll call at 20." "Call." "No more bets." "Jesse." "Any cards, boys?" "You!" "Dealin' cards." "Jesse who?" ""Jesse Coward."" ""Jesse Murderer."" ""Woman killer."" "Now, wait a minute, my name is Jack Langley." "When you killed my mother and father... it was Jesse." "Look, I'm Jack Langley." "Where did all this killin' take place, boy?" "Hey, Hudson, what's my name?" "Jack Langley." "How long l worked here?" "Year, year and a half." "Anything else?" "Stand up!" "Now look, I'm not armed." "My father wasn't armed when you tied him to a post and blew the top of his head off." "Now, kid, settle... I know what I'm doin'!" "He's ridin' my father's horse." "I'm ridin' my own horse." "With an "SS" brand." "Look, I bought that horse." "I have a bill of sale for it in my room." "Fair enough." "Let's see it." "Now look, son... if Langley here did what you said, I'll sit on him and let you kill him." "But if he's got a bill of sale upstairs, you could have the wrong man." "It's happened before." "Let's look." "Come on, both of you." "You fight like your mother, boy." "Should have taken you to a sailmaker to get stitched up." "That McGuffey reader inside your shirt kept that knife away from your stomach." "Kid, the minute you get off that table, you'll move on." "How can he move on?" "How can he ride a horse with all them stitches in him?" "That's up to him." "Kid, you killed a man-- as you tell it, for good reason." "Now, you did what you had to, and that's what I'm doin'." "If we don't drive you out, there'll be more killin'." "You got any friends?" "No." "There's an Indian dance hall girl been askin' about you." "Maybe she can help." "Where...?" "How did you get...?" "You come back to us in trouble... and in pain." "You are welcome." "How long?" "Many days." "You talk in fever of the death of your father, and Tabinaka, my brother's daughter." "You stay here with your own people." "Neesa-- she became shame of Kiowa." "But she bring you home." "That's good." "Maybe both of you make each other well." "You stay here." "Oh, no!" "You get right back in there." "It's hot water, and it's good for you." ""See..." ""See the frog... on a log." ""Rab sees the frog." "The frog..."" "Three weeks, you sit here, you never laugh, you never smile." ""Can the frog see Rab?" "Rab can't..."" "You learned to read not to make you wise, but to help you find men to kill." ""The frog can see the dog." "Rab ran at..."" "Do you think that I became a dance hall girl because I was bad?" "It was because I was full of hatred and foolish." ""See the lamp." "It..."" "If there was a medicine that would change the way I was, I would take it." "Do you know of one?" "Neesa, it ain't got nothing to do with you." "Honestly, nothing." "If I could find a medicine, I'd take it myself." "Really?" "For true." "See... the..." "lamp?" "It... is... out." "It ain't gonna work, Neesa." "Why?" "'Cause I'm gonna have to go soon." "When?" "One morning I'll be gone." "Make yourself at home." "You..." "looking' for anything in particular?" "Names, that's all." "I'm no thief." "Yeah." "What kind of names?" "Friends of Jesse Coe's." "Are you a friend of Jesse Coe's?" "I'm the one that killed him." "My name is Angie" "Mrs. Coe." "You might call me "the widow Coe."" "I don't know what to say." "I do." "Thank you." "Tell me about the men he rode with." "You know, you look young." "But any man that could take Jesse Coe with a knife had to be some man." "You know where they are." "Do you know their names?" "Well, I think... one of 'em's name is..." "Bowdre" "Bill Bowdre." "He wanted Jesse to go on a bank job with him down in Louisiana." "And it's really too bad he didn't go." "Why?" "'Cause they got caught, put in prison." "There was one other one." "I don't know his name." "That's all I can tell you." "Mm..." ""Western... gang... robs..."" ""Bank... of..." "New Orleans."" ""Two..."" ""ap..."" "Hey, Cap..." "what's that word?" "The word is "apprehended."" "Well... what does it mean?" "Well, it means like caught." "Say anything here about where they were taken?" "No." "Fella gets caught robbing a bank down here, and they throw him right into the state prison camp." "Much obliged." "Corbin?" "Yeah." "How do you want yours?" "Just money." "Sand?" "How do you want it?" "I want all of it, in that bag." "Max..." "Shut up!" "The big money's in the vault." "Get back!" "Stay there." "There's only one this time, Warden." "Two years-- he robbed a bank." ""Two years, hard labor."" "That's the only kind we got here." "Startin' with me, everything in this place is mean and miserable-- the heat, the mosquitoes, the food, the life." "There's nothing to do all day but work, and nothing to do at night but sleep." "We don't have any walls or fences." "The swamp is our wall-- miles and miles of it, filled with dirty water, quicksand, moccasins and malaria." "Any questions?" "No." "No, sir." "No, sir." "Just one more thing." "Don't ever make me mad." "Big Foot?" "Yes, sir, Warden?" "Get him out of here." "Put him in Miller's bunk." "Yes, sir, Warden." "Let's go." "Right over there." "Don't be lookin' at this gun, boy." "They want you to go for it." "Case you're wonderin', I'm a prisoner, just like yourself." "I'm a trustee." "In there." "You don't get to keep anything, boy." "Get a blanket, your clothes." "You get a bath and shave once a week." "One razor for the whole barracks." "You take your time." "This is your bunk." "Belonged to a fella named Miller." "He died." "The only way to get out of here, is it?" "Oh, they try it all the time, boy, through the swamps." "Dogs are out after two of them right now." "They tried to rob a bank in New Orleans." "Bowdre." "Bowdre and Strayhorn." "They friends of yours?" "No..." "I read in the paper." "Did they make it?" "Nobody's made it since I been here, boy." "Let's get over to the blacksmith's shop-- put these leg irons on you." "Something bothering' you, boy?" "Yeah." "Let's go!" "Big Foot!" "Get 'em all out here so they can watch this." "Let's go." "Big Foot!" "Now you listen to this:" "Strayhorn died in the swamp." "Bowdre here is going to wish he did, too." "When he serves his time, he's going to serve every day of Strayhorn's." "You think about that... hard." "That ain't done here!" "A man lies where he falls!" "He'll drown!" "The warden's watching you, boy." "Back to the mess hall!" "Let's move, let's move!" "You get right back on in there, boy, and keep the fires goin' till mornin'." "Yeah, well... when do..." "when do I sleep?" "Just don't let the fires go out." "He's really giving it to me, ain't he?" "Well, boy, you made yourself a lot of enemies around here." "For what it's worth to you... you made yourself a lot of friends, too." "Thanks for what you did for me." "Ah, you would have done the same thing for me." "I don't know." "Maybe I can do something for you someday." "Maybe you can... someday." "Haven't I seen you somewhere before?" "Hey, you!" "Back to work, no more talkin'." "I don't know, maybe." "You ever been in Santa Fe, Max?" "Um... no." "Bowdre..." "What happened?" "What went wrong out there?" "We got lost." "Maybe it was Juarez." "Juarez?" "Nah, I don't think so." "Didn't you have a plan or nothin'?" "Sure, we planned to move fast and not get caught." "What was it like out there?" "In the swamp?" "Yeah." "It was just what the warden said it was:" "miles and miles of swamp, quicksand, razorbacks, poison snakes, mosquitoes, everything that kills." "No food, water you couldn't drink." "You just went around in circles." "Ho-ho, I've had all the swamp I want." "Yeah..." "I'm goin'." "How?" "I don't know yet." "But what if I find a way?" "I've had it." "You count me out." "I can't-- you're the only man here I'd risk it with." "Nice evening, ain't it?" "For people with guns and whips." "Well, now take it easy, fella." "I just do my job." "Yeah, and how you love it." "I love livin', same as you." "Trouble with this place is you can't even pick your friends." "This is something new." "Where we going?" "Didn't they tell you?" "Tell me what?" "We're going to clear this ground here for new rice paddies." "That's why everyone's so happy." "is that good?" "is that good?" "They got women there, pal, women." "Lo and behold." "Lo and behold!" "Pick out one for yourself." "Give her a great big smile." "Smile?" "For what?" "Don't you know?" "During the planting season, the warden rents us out to these planters." "Course, he keeps the money but we get the women." "Yeah?" "How?" "One Saturday night a month while we're working here, he lets them come into the barracks." "You mean... they let the women come to the barracks?" "Yeah." "I didn't believe it myself at first." "And we can talk to them?" "Talk to them?" "Stop dreaming about women." "Think about a boat." "A boat." "All I can see, feel or think about is woman." "Yeah?" "Well, with a boat, there's no struggling in the swamps, there's no snakes, there's no quicksand." "Walking or in a boat, you still have to know which way to go." "I thought about that, I thought about that-- and the water and the food and a gun." "But right now, let's start with a boat." "Come on, let's go!" "Get to work!" "Work!" "Let's go!" "Come with me." "Come on, let's go!" "Hurry up!" "Hurry up, don't take all day!" "What do you suppose is taking them so long to get here?" "Maybe the warden changed his mind." "He did and I'll kill him with my bare hands!" "How you doing, Max?" "They are coming, ain't they?" "Let's douse the lights down there." "They'll be here now that the candles are out." "Are you young or old?" "I'm young." "So am I." "What's your name?" "Max." "Mine's Pilar." "What'd you do to wind up in here?" "Oh, nothing much." "Did you kill somebody?" "No." "I'm glad I didn't get one that killed." "Nah, I just tried to steal some money." "For a woman?" "No." "You talk different." "You're not from here, are you?" "No, I'm from... I'm from the West." "Oh." "It's dry there." "And clean." "You were born here, huh?" "Ooh... born here standing knee-deep in water all my life, and I'll likely die here." "Hey, I was thinking, you're a prisoner here, the same as me." "Yeah, but one day they'll let you go." "Well... if you hate it so much, why don't you do something about it?" "Do something?" "What?" "Get out." "Escape." "Escape?" "How?" "In a boat... with me." "You interested, Pilar?" "Bowdre." "I think she's going to help us." "She's showing me a boat." "I don't see any boat." "Right over there behind those bushes." "See?" "What does she want for it?" "To go with us." "No. I like women more than anything but not when I'm running." "Oh, yeah." "I mean, you got lost, didn't you?" "Listen, she was born and raised here." "She knows every inch of these swamps." "We've got to have her." "Yeah... well, how you gonna arrange everything?" "And we need a gun." "I know, I know." "You boys better get your talking done with." "You ain't gonna have much more time for it." "They're sending 20 men out to another camp next week." "You're on the list, Max." "Here they come!" "Here they come!" "Hey, here they come!" "Here they come!" "Here they come!" "Here they come!" "Pilar?" "Listen, Pilar, I have to talk to you." "Let's go outside." "Come on." "Listen, Pilar, they're taking me out of here next week." "They're taking me to a new place." "Maybe they'll take you to a better place, one that's easier to get out of." "It's going to have stone walls and we ain't never going to see each other again." "If we're going to get out of here, it's got to be before that." "I don't know." "Getting a boat by myself-- that's not easy." "It's the only way." "If we're going to be together, we've got to have a boat." "What happens to me then?" "I'll take care of you, Pilar." "You bring me the boat, show me the way out of here... I'll make you free... and I'll start you off in life real good." "Just treat me nice, Max." "That's all I want." "You'll be there?" "Certain?" "I'll try." "Trying ain't good enough-- you've got to be there." "Two hours after the sun goes down, you meet me down there at the edge of the swamp." "Bring the boat down there right by that stand of cypress." "Understand?" "Let's go back inside, Max, I'm scared." "Pilar... if you're not there... and they catch me, you know what they're going to do to me?" "I'll be there." "Max?" "You'll treat me nice, won't you?" "Yes." "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten," "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, 1 1 ... 1 3, 1 4, 1 5, 1 6, 1 7, 1 8, 1 9, 20." "You sure this is the place?" "Yeah." "That dirty, filthy, lying Cajun..." "There ain't no boat." "There ain't no boat anywheres around!" "Shh-- shut up!" "The minute Big Foot comes to, they'll be after us." "We should have killed him!" "Shh." "Get in." "Oh!" "Max!" "Something hit me." "Let's go!" "Joe." "We don't get him back, you'll serve out his time." "Yes, sir, Warden." "If he kills one of my men with your gun... I'll hang you." "Yes, sir." "Mr. Warden, I'll get him." "Pilar?" "Pilar, which way?" "Go right." "I got to look at it." "Hold that." "Bread?" "It's good poultice." "Right!" "Bottle." "Could have used swamp water for that." "Pilar." "How do you feel?" "I don't know." "I'm so sleepy." "You just got a fever, that's all." "Max..." "We're not going to get out of here, are we?" "We're going to get out of here, Pilar." "You just tell me if we're heading right." "I'm not sure." "Take a guess." "Best one you can." "Keep that way." "What's wrong with her?" "Snakebite." "You can't go by her-- she's out of her mind." "We're lost." "We're all right." "We ain't lost." "We're heading west." "How do you know?" "I can tell." "The sun." "The sun!" "What do you think you are, a lousy Indian or something?" "That's right, I'm half lousy Indian, and my mother was an Indian." "Max." "Max Sand." "I... I swear I didn't kill them." "I had nothing to do with it." "I was outside minding the horses." "It was that crazy Jesse Coe." "But... but he paid for it." "Somebody got him." "Me!" "Who was with Coe while you were outside?" "Fitch" " Tom Fitch." "Two guys I just fell in with." "I didn't know what they were like." "Where's Fitch?" "California gold fields, the last I heard." "Look..." "I didn't want to do it." "I couldn't help it." "They made me do it with them." "You scared, Bowdre?" "Yes, I am." "Like my mother was." "Give me a chance." "Max, don't shoot!" "That's all I ask, give me a chance." "Like you blew the top of my father's head off?" "You're crazy, you're crazy!" "I..." "That's why you wanted to escape." "So you could kill him." "What do you plan for me?" "!" "What do you suppose they were shooting?" "I don't know, but they used up five bullets." "They only got one left." "Well, anyhow, if we can't travel in this, they can't either." "They got a boat, man." "Don't you realize that?" "Pilar..." "Pilar..." "There's nothing I can do to help you, unless we get out of this swamp as quick as we can." "I don't know where we are." "Cool air from dry land makes fog." "You could be out by tomorrow morning." "I'll find a doctor, or somebody, to help you." "You can't stop-- you'll get caught." "Leave me." "I couldn't do that, Pilar." "I want you to." "You're a dirty, low animal." "You lied to me." "You used me to kill." "You're worse than the man you killed." "You don't care about me-- you don't care about anybody." "You'd kill me, too, if you had to." "No." "No?" "!" "You have!" "You're not going to die, Pilar." "l-l promise." "You'd promise anything." "I won't let you." "What do you think you are" " God?" "Go away." "Pilar..." "Go away!" "I don't want to die in sin, looking at your face." "I'm sorry." "I'm so sorry." "You've been asking around for a man by the name of Tom Fitch?" "Yeah... he's my brother." "I heard of him." "You did, huh?" "A couple of months ago, give or take a week." "He road through here, up to no good." "Headed north." "How'd he look?" "Mean as you, the kind somebody's always looking for." "I hope you'll keep on looking." "You do, huh?" "Yeah, because then you'll be moving on out of town as soon as your horse gets shod." "You will, won't you?" "Most likely." "Most definitely." "Three kings." "Tom Fitch." "Heard about a Joe Fitch, worked in the mine." "300 feet down, still there." "Then there was a Carrot Fitch." "Red hair." "Now, that was back in Fort Wayne." "Nope, Tom Fitch doesn't ring a bell." "Any particular reason why you're tracking him?" "Yeah, he's my brother." "Got a message from home." "You'll probably run into him one of these days." "I hope so." "I'll put the horses in the corral." "You got some coffee?" "Yeah." "Why are you staring at that, huh?" "Why?" "You've seen it before." "Pretty fancy." "Made from the dress of an Indian squaw." "Named Sand?" "Yeah..." "Yeah!" "Who would've thought..." "that a wet-nosed kid would've made a big thing out of it?" "It's the Indian in him." "One of the best men with a knife I ever saw was Jesse Coe, and this kid killed him with a knife." "Then he tracks Curly Bill Bowdre all the way to Louisiana, gets himself thrown in prison just to gun him down, and then he escaped." "You really got a bad case of the shakes, Fitch." "The shakes!" "Aw, shakes." "The kid's creepy." "He ain't human." "He doesn't kill people; he..." "he executes them." "Yeah, he executes them." "Hard job, ain't it, killing time?" "I'm working." "You just can't see it." "Give me a drink." "Hell of a way to begin a day, ain't it?" "Well, I ain't crying about it-- why should you?" "If ever you could, it would add 20 years to your life-- yeah, maybe somebody else's." "Morning, Buck." "Morning." "I thought I told you to get out of town." "Well, I... I didn't know there was any hurry." "Mr. Fitch, this here is a hair-trigger .45" "I'm holding." "The slightest jar, and it goes off, by itself." "Makes a hole as big as a cannonball." "Now, turn around and put your hands on the bar." "Put the cuffs on him." "Now, look-- our job's to keep our ears open and our mouths shut." "Well, now that we're here, how are we going to find Fitch?" "He'll find us." "Yeah, he was spreading bills all over town." "I was the first one to notice something was wrong." "The sheriff nailed him right up there... right here." "Hey, can we have three whiskeys?" "Yes, sir." "He wasn't a bad guy, though." "A little hard but kind of interesting." "What was his name?" "Er..." "Fitch-- Tom or Joe Fitch-- something like that." "I don't remember." "There you are." "Six bits." "Hey, Fitch." "Fitch." "Hey, Fitch, it's Beckwith!" "Are you in there?" "Fitch!" "I'm here." "Well, get ready." "We're getting you out of there." "Hey, that's not Fitch!" "Hyah!" "Hyah!" "Hyah, hyah!" "Who the hell are you?" "Tom..." "Tom Fitch." "Try again!" "Now who are you?" "!" "Tom Fitch!" "Give him some more!" "Hyah!" "Hyah!" "Hyah!" "Hyah!" "Hyah!" "What is going on here?" "!" "Answer me!" "What's going on here?" "!" "Are you trying to kill this man?" "Let go of that rope!" "Stop before I find out what this is all about!" "That is a priest!" "Nobody pulls a gun on a priest!" "Who says so?" "Me!" "Cipriano says so." "By the Blessed Virgin, I mean it!" "I believe you." "Let's get out of here." "You've never been in the church before, hmm?" "No." "And... what do you think of it?" "Oh, I don't know." "It's kind of strange." "Did you ever see Him before?" "Yeah, once." "He was on the end of a little silver chain." "He's the Son of God." "He came to Earth to teach men love by example." "Well, he must have missed somebody." "That looks worse than hanging." "You didn't come to supper." "I didn't work this afternoon." "You know, Padre... this room is worse than some jails I've been in." "In a way, we're both prisoners here-- myself by choice and you by circumstance." "Son, you will be..." "Padre, will you quit calling me "son"?" "My father's dead." "I know, Max." "But you'll be here for some weeks." "Use them profitably." "Arguing with you?" "You might read." "I brought you a book." "It's called the Bible." "Men have been reading it for many centuries." "What's it about?" "Oh, everything important." "There's only one thing important to me." "Finding and killing a man, huh?" "Primitive, hopeless revenge." "I'll settle for that." "Why... when there is another half of you waiting to be discovered?" "You also inherited a refined tradition of religion, philosophy and conscience." "I don't understand them words." "The difference between right and wrong and knowing when not to do wrong." "If the civilized half of you ever wakes up, Max, and with God's help, you could become a whole man someday." "With God's help, my leg will heal faster than you can say "Amen," and I'll be out of here!" "Good night." "Padre?" "Come in, come in, Max." "I'm..." "I'm leaving now and I... want to bring back your Bible." "You've had it a long time." "Why don't you keep it, hmm?" "Well, I..." "I remember the things that matter to me." "An eye for an eye." "Which way are you heading?" "I'm going north." "You look well, healthy, rested, alive, eh?" "Quite different from when I first found you." "Sit down a moment." "Well, Padre, I..." "I want to thank you for what you did for me, and maybe someday I'll be able to pay you back for it." "Max, please, sit down a moment." "I would like to show you something." "Take a look at that." "Surely a picture can't hurt you." "That beautiful couple-- that young man and woman-- came all the way from an ancient European civilization to find a new and promising life in the American West." "On the way, a band of Indians raided their wagons." "They killed and scalped both of them, after indulging in some cursing and pleasures." "Padre..." "Two... two of the children were swung by their heels and had their heads crushed." "The third child was saved and grew up alone, wanting only vengeance." "Believe me, Max, it took more courage to refrain from the obvious temptation than to give in to it." "We're different men, Padre." "No." "That was my family, Max." "I'm... the only one who survived." "Don't do any more." "Stop while you can." "Save yourself, Max." "Don't... don't say what you will or won't do." "Just remember:" "when you ride out of here," "God goes with you." "I'll keep it in mind." "Hey!" "Ah!" "Whoa, wait a minute!" "Hold it!" "Hey, that's the guy that was using your name." "You told me he was dead." "Well, we left him for dead." "Hey, you!" "Tough guy!" "I could use somebody like you." "Doing what?" "Do you care?" "Yeah, I do." "Who are you?" "Smith..." "Nevada Smith." "You look broke." "I am." "Suit yourself, but if you're interested in making a lot of money fast, follow me." "Here, you can put your horse in the corral." "Take mine, too, and then come in." "Oh, no, wait!" "Wait a minute!" "Rudabough, Shotgun, upstairs." "Cipriano, behind the door." "The rest of you, find your spots." "We'll soon find out who he is." "You go in there." "Take that room." "Good." "Come on in!" "Come on!" "Here, sit down." "Sit down here." "Say..." "Smith, tell me... why did you use my name?" "I heard of you around." "When they picked me up, I grabbed the first name that came into my mind." "Under my own name, I'm wanted." "But now, I didn't know you were around these parts." "You're wanted?" "You..." "What are you wanted for?" "Wanted for what?" "Trying to make a living the easy way-- same as you." "Me?" "Did you ever see me before?" "Not as I recall." "Any family living?" "Well, now, why do you want to know?" "Wait a minute, now." "Don't get hot under the collar, Smith." "Sometimes when you're running, a family can help, you know." "The last time I remember, I had a mother, a father, two sisters, and one's married." "Now, what kind of setup you got here, Fitch?" "We'll get to that." "Tell me, have you ever heard of a Max Sand?" "Sand..." "Sand..." "Yeah, I seen some wanted posters on him." "Never run across him, though." "Why?" "I killed his mother and father." "So?" "So he's out to get me." "Part Indian." "If there's anything I can't stomach, is a half-breed." "Of course, I can understand how it happens." "There's nothing in the world like an Indian squaw." "You agree, huh?" "One of my best kinds of fun." "Me, too." "Hold it." "Here." "Why don't you use some good tobacco?" "What do you think of that pouch, huh?" "Never seen anything like it." "Where'd you get it?" "Gift." "Sort of a gift." "Well, now, look, Fitch, let's get down to it." "You said you could use a man like me." "For what?" "We're going to knock off a gold shipment." "I'll give you the details tomorrow." "Until then, why don't you just kind of... relax and get to know the boys, huh?" "Okay." "Use one of the rooms upstairs." "See you around." "Max!" "Hmm?" "Uh, nothing... nothing, I was just talking to the... uh..." "They take a quarter of a million dollars worth of gold a month out of there." "It's too big to hit and too well guarded." "They don't know it, but they're digging up our future right now." "Once a month they take a bullion wagon down the road, three miles to the railroad." "Two men on the wagon and 1 2 guards." "We're going to have a dozen men of our own waiting." "Well, if you take it, you ain't gonna be able to go very fast with a wagon full of gold." "We don't." "Right there we put it in our saddlebags and head out in 1 2 different directions, each man on his own." "Equal split?" "Naw!" "All you can grab." "There won't be much time, but we'll be able to load up enough to last you a few years." "A few of us are liable to get knocked off." "Scare you?" "No. I ain't planning on being one of them." "And there'll be more for the rest of us." "Hey, I like you." "I like him!" "Now, he's got a sense of humor!" "Haw!" "Black widow, jack of hearts, queen of hearts, deuce of hearts, another black queen..." "Give me that bottle!" "Now, we're not running any Sunday school." "But nobody... nobody takes another drink from now until we're finished!" "I don't want any jumpy riders or nervous triggers." "This isn't going to be any cowhand Saturday night spree, a-howlin' and shooting up the town." "We're going to move in fast, hit hard and run!" "Every man for himself!" "Do we shoot to kill?" "is there any other way?" "!" "Nah." "They move the shipment out at 8:00." "We'll be up at 5:00." "Any questions?" "Good night." "Good night." "What are you thinking about?" "I'm thinking about how I'm going to spend that gold." "Shoot straight." "I intend to." "Max!" "Hey, Max!" "They'll be coming down this road and heading for that pocket." "Now, here's the road, and here's the pocket." "Rudabough, you take three men and spread out on this side." "Keep your horses out of sight." "Beckwith, you take three men and set up a roadblock up here." "And a good one-- nothing gets by." "That means the wagon." "Cipriano, you and two men on this side and I'll go up the road and make sure they don't turn back." "Alone?" "Yes, alone!" "Well, you don't have to get nasty... I'm giving the orders!" "And when they come up to you, shoot fast, aim to kill." "Get the drivers first." "Now, the one chance we have is to do this quick before any help can ride up." "And with the first shot, we all close in from four sides." "Now, any questions?" "Now, don't make any mistakes, Max Sand." "Because if they don't get you, I will." "Ben, Henry, go." "Come on." "Look at this, man!" "Hyah!" "Hyah!" "Hyah!" "Come on!" "Max!" "Max!" "Max Sand!" "That's me!" "Max..." "Max..." "I'm out of ammunition!" "Then get out of there!" "All right." "l'm coming." "I'm coming!" "I'm coming, Max." "Here..." "Now, why my hand?" "Why not me?" "!" "Huh?" "!" "'Cause I want to see you beg!" "Beg, you...!" "Beg!" "Beg for what?" "!" "Beg!" "Beg like my mother and father begged!" "Your mother?" "Here!" "Here, maybe you'll want this, huh?" "Come on..." "Come on, get it over with!" "Get it over with!" "For God's sake, get it over with!" "You waited years for this, so get it over with!" "Come on!" "Over..." "Finish me..." "Finish..." "Finish me!" "You haven't got the guts!" "You're yellow!" "Finish me!" "You're just not worth killing." "Finish me." "Finish me!" "You're yellow!" "You haven't got the guts!" "You're yellow!" "You're yellow!" "You haven't got the guts!" "You haven't got the guts!" "You're yellow!" "You're yellow!"