"I have many girls." "Come." "Come." "I show you." "Look." "Nice?" "I'll take this one." "Look." "What's wrong with her?" "Bound feet." "Very special." "Yes?" "I'll take her." "Sale." "I must be out of my mind to be out here in the middle of nowhere with these little bitches." "That's right." "Eat up." "I need you girls nice and healthy." "Stop staring at me like that." "Maybe what you need is a lesson, huh?" "That's what these girls need, a lesson." "Just hold her there." "I got it." "Bring it in, Billy." "Come on, let's go." "Keep it steady." "There you go." "I'm looking for a Tom Harte." "I'm his uncle." "Harte's got a family?" "Who would have figured?" "Tom, boy." "Young Tom." "Jack, this is my uncle, Print." "Print Ritter." "What brings you out this far?" "I thought maybe you'd gone under." "No, sir." "I ain't gone under yet." "No, sir." "But your mother did." "She passed away two weeks ago." "Her hired man found her in the vegetable garden." "Is he taking care of the place now?" "Yes, sir." "I need to say something straight out." "She wrote a will." "She left it all to me." "Now, I don't know why she done it, or what was crossed between you two, but she done it." "The land, the livestock, everything." "It ain't a fortune, but it's legit." "Is that it?" "That's it." "Well, she did write this letter to you a while back." "Your name, Tom, is on there." "I don't feel good about this at all." "That's why I come out here." "I want to talk." "You see, your mother made me the executor to her will." "She left everything to me, except there was a codicil." "You could buy the old Fairburn place, you know the two sections that run down from the Steens to the Malheur, from her estate, if you've a mind to." "I can buy it?" "Yeah." "Market price." "The will's on file over the Burns." "Son of a bitch." "That's mother's milk." "Yeah." "More like hind tit." "You know, son, I don't like this any more than you do but I got this idea, might be good for both of us." "I got this idea to take horses back to Wyoming." "Listen to this, you're gonna like this." "Listen to this." ""Wanted," ""hot or cold-blooded horses." ""Sound and disease-free." ""Three to eight years of age." ""Purchase price commiserate with the quality of stock." ""Contact William Moncrieffe, Sheridan, Wyoming." ""Agent for Her Majesty's War Office, British Empire."" "What do you say?" "Like that idea?" "Why don't we take some of your ma's money and buy a big string of horses?" "Might be a handy way to increase our capital." "And I'm thinking tough, high-desert mustangs." "They can go unshod and ought to be fairly broke by the time we get to Sheridan." "On shares?" "I figure a 25-75 split on profits after expenses and loan repayment." " Loan repayment?" " To the bank." "I'd have to put the ranch up as collateral." "Well, what the shit kind of deal is that?" "You take the family ranch to borrow money to buy horses?" "Well, that's..." "That's one way of looking at it." "What's the other?" "Well, you can stay here, cutting the nuts off another man's cows for chuck and wages till you're all stove up and walking around like a crab, like all the other bachelor cowhands from here to the Dalles." "No disrespect meant." "Truth is, you're as loose as ashes in the wind." "How many horses you say we can handle?" "Three to five hundred head, give or take." "Well..." "Good to see you're still riding old Bob Tate." "You bet." "So, you ready, buckaroo?" "Let's do it." "Keep going." "The other way." "Go the other way!" "Just hold on." "Hold up." "Just hold them up to the right." "You heard him." "Move them to the left." "Come on." "Let's do it!" "Let's move them out." "Move it!" "Move it!" "Let's move them out." "Hold them!" "Move them out east." "Let's go." "Get them to a run." "Nothing like a 10-mile romp to knock the edge off them." "Figured out who's gonna be the caporal of this mob, Mr Ritter?" "I'd say that stout grey, that flea-bitten mare right there." "You're gonna have your hands full, Mr Ritter." "You sure you don't want a couple of us to go along?" "No, boys, we can handle it." "That ought to about do it, Vick." "Appreciate the help." "Thank you." "See you next spring." "Plan on it." "Come on, boys." "Come on now, boys." "Gonna walk them all the way to Wyoming, Nephew." "Walk them in the morning." "Graze them at night, all night, and let them rest." "We don't want to come in with a bunch of skin and bones." "No, sir." "When the Indians first laid eyes on them, they called them "god dogs."" ""God dogs"?" "Yeah, it was the Spanish in them." "Been on the loose for a long time." "Yeah, we ought to think about coming up here and spending next summer." "Yeah." "Let's get your herd delivered first." "It's a damn sight more yours than it is mine." "Well, I don't feel that way." "Don't think your ma would either." ""Tom." ""As you seem to have had little interest in the homestead," ""I see no reason to burden you with its ownership." ""You are free to pursue your own opportunities." ""Your mother."" "Not very generous." "She never got over my running off to buckaroo." "Yeah." "Losing your pa made her a hard woman." "Still," "I sent money home after every season." "You know, sometimes I look up there, I see those lights," "I think maybe the Old Man is not too happy with the way things are down here." "Yeah." "It's funny," "I always got the feeling it meant he was pleased." "Yeah." "It's a great life when it ain't raining or snowing." "Come on, boys." "Come on, boys." "Come on, boys." "Let's go." "Come on." "Nephew, let's go." "Get going." "Wyoming's waiting on us." "Let's do it." "They say Wyoming's hell on women and horses." "We're going to find out soon enough, at least one aspect of it." "Where is he taking us?" "Our families sold us into service." "He must be very rich to need five servants." "This is not a rich man's cart." "Maybe he plans to kill us." "Why would he buy us just to kill us?" "He does not plan to kill us." "But I think we may wish he did." "You girls shut up." "I'm sick of listening to that cackling." " You feel like going in for supplies?" " Sure." "Go easy on the whisky." "It don't always suit your temperament." "And don't dawdle." "I don't want to be having to worry about coming to fetch you." "Thank you." "Ma'am." "Howdy." "Hi, can I help you?" "I need supplies." "Flour, bacon, four sacks of Arbuckles, some cut tobacco, and four boxes of therapeutic papers." "Anything else?" "You sell whisky?" "No, sir." "Up the hill at the saloon." "They'll take care of you." "Hi." "Howdy." "Get a shot of whisky and three bottles to take away?" "I thought I told you yesterday, no panhandling in here." "It's a free country." "I got a right to earn a living." "Not in here." "Let's go." "I'd like to hear him play the fiddle." "And who the hell are you?" "Just a fellow that enjoys fiddle playing." "I'll kick the both of youse out then." "Let's go." "Want a drink?" "Don't mind if I do." "It's on him." " Thank you." " Welcome." "Much obliged." "I hired a new man." "What for?" "I thought you might like some music." "And that's his purpose?" "That and to help out with the nighthawking and pull that pack horse around." " Does he have a name?" " Yes, sir." "Henry Gilpin." "But you can call me Heck." "All right, Hank." "We'll see what you can do." "Thank you, sir." "I appreciate it." "Thank you." "Nature's call." "Man guaranteed me those therapeutic papers wouldn't have any splinters in them." "Let you judge that." "Hey, I was thinking we ought to stay off the main trail as long as possible." "Probably be better forage anyway." "Okay with me long as the river crossings ain't bad." "How's it going?" "Find any wood chips or splinters?" "I tell you, it beats corncobs and sage grass any day." "Yes, sir." "Morning." "Y'all off to church?" "No, indeed." "Captain Billy Fender." "Gentlemen, as you can see, I have purchased, at a great expense mind you, five exotic virgins from the Celestial Empire." "I'm headed out to the mining camps, where those men out there will pay good money to deflower one of these little lotus blossoms." "You seem to be travelling in the same direction." "You gents mind if I tag along?" "God only knows I can use the company." "Conversation's been a bit thin." "Pick that up!" "Put some more wood on that fire." "Got a couple of extra rabbits, if you'd care to join us." "Don't mind if I do." "Drink up, gents." "Gentlemen," "I don't mind confiding in you, but I have a little problem on my hands here." "I was supposed to deliver virgins, but since I left San Francisco I deflowered one," "which cuts back on her enhanced value considerably." "You know, it must be an acquired taste." "I..." "I don't understand it." "I like to have a gal that knows what the hell she's doing." "But some men will pay a big price to get that first slice of the cake." "I'll tell you what, gents." "If you're interested," "I'll let you have a stab at the almost virgin for a buck apiece." "How does that sound?" "I'll pass." "Hey." "Get me another bottle out of my bag." "Not you, her." "Her." "I tell you they are as dumb as dirt." "Give me that." "Get out of here." "Jesus, what's wrong with her feet?" "Her feet?" "I'll tell you." "In China, when they're little girls, they take their feet and they break their toes." "And they bind them up underneath real tight." "You know why they do that?" "'Cause it gives them a stronger sex desire." "Yeah, those guys at the mines will pay premium for that one." "How about another one, gents?" "This is the last one for me." "Okay." "Here have another one." "There." "I'll take just a touch." "Oh, that's plenty." "That's plenty." "Last one." "Oh, God, he will be drunk again." "This man has abused us." "Now there are three more men." "We are ruined." "Maybe they are not like him." " Can you play that fiddle?" " I do." " Why don't you play me a little tune?" " Well, not tonight, Captain." "Come on, you know what, play me a nice Irish jig that I can dance to." "You know, I love to dance." "I tell you, I used to be a good..." "I used to be a good dancer in my day." "Not tonight." "I think I'll pass." "He who sins when drunk shall be punished when sober." "Amen." "Amen." "Are they dead?" "Hey." "Gilpin." "Print." "My money belt's gone." "Oh, shit!" "My money belt's gone." "Shit!" "Where's our money and horses?" "Easy, boy." "They sure as shit didn't take them." "That little weasel doctored the bug juice and swapped stock on us." "What idiots." "All of us." "What idiots, all of us." "Idiots." "At least we're still heeled." "You wait here." "What're you doing?" "I'll tell you what I'm doing, I'm going after that jackass." "I'll get our money back." "Yeah, well, make sure you get back." "Ladies, it's about time we was introduced." "Hey, now." "Okay." "All right." "Here's the deal." "Now, you're gonna be Number One." "All right?" "Could you say "One"?" "One." "You're One." "One." "One." "One." "Very good." "You're Two." " Say "Two."" " Two." "No, no, she's Two, you're One." "One." "Two." "Say "Two."" "Two." "Say "Two." Say "Two."" " Two." " Two." "Good." "Very good." "Now you, you're Three." " Three." " Three." " Three." " Very good." "And she's going to be Number Four." "Number four, number four." "She doesn't want four." "It's bad luck, means death." "Four." "You're Four." "I don't want to die." "She doesn't want to be Four?" "I don't want to die." "She can be Number Five." "It's okay, don't be scared." "When Tom brings your sister back, she'll be Four." "All right?" "So, that's what?" "Get it right or I'm gonna paint numbers on your back." "One." " Two." " Two." "Three." "Four." " And little Number Five." " Five." "Give me a smile." "Little Number Five?" "Five." "Five." "Good." "Good." "Dance now, son of a bitch." "Good." "Number Five." "Yum, yum." " Ye Fung." " Ye Fung." " Ye Fung." " Ye Fung!" " Ye Fung!" " Ye Fung!" "He did it." "Bring her here." "Put her by the fire." "Was he sober?" "What's that?" "Captain Fender, was he sober?" "He said, "If you sin when you're drunk, you'll have to pay when you're sober."" "He was sober enough." "You ain't been introduced." "Ladies." "Ladies, this here's Tom." "Everybody say "Tom."" "Tom." "Tom." "Tom." "Tom." "Tom." "Very, very good." "Tom, this is" "Number One," "Two," "Three," "Four." "That's little Number Five." "Now, there you go." "Everybody knows everybody." "Thank you." "So what do they call you?" "Ladies, who am I?" "Honkle Pren." "Honkle Pren." ""Honkle Pren."" "Uncle Pren, huh?" "Yeah." "So I went and got horses and our money, and I had to stretch a fellow, while you started a finishing school for Chinese girls." "You all right, son?" "Yeah, I'm all right." "I left my rope back there, though." "Listen, man like that ain't worth the food he eats much less the price of a decent rope." "I think these masters will be kind." "The young one killed our last master." "To save Ye Fung." "I was not saved." "But you are alive." "No, I am a ghost." "Take that back." "It's bad luck." "My luck cannot get worse." "You will curse us all." "I entered the 18th hell a long time ago." "We are already cursed." "Stop it." "She only has us." "We only have each other." "Hey, darling." "A little magic here now, a little magic." "See?" "See?" "This is the way you eat it, see?" "You open it up." "Like that." "See?" "You eat it." "See, like this." "It's called a peanut." "Okay, you eat it." "They're sure gonna be a hell of a drag on our trail time." "Nephew, if they was five ladies from Canyon City, telling us what to do, with all the gaggling and prattling going on, we'd be ready to slit our throats." "Even so, I'll feel better when we find a safe place to leave them." "Get back to the task at hand." "Yeah." "If you don't eat, you will get sick." "If you get sick, they will leave us behind." "Please eat, Ye Fung." "Don't make them leave us behind." "I don't want to." "Eat." "Let's go." "Now, miss, you grab this horn, see, and one, two, three." "There you go." "Put your leg over." "That's it." "Good." "It's easy." "Easy, all right." "Okay." "Hold on." "Hold on." "There you go." "You'll be fine." "Come on." "Come on." "Come on." "Come on." "Another short man in the West." "Come on." "Come on, now." "Come on." "You're doing fine." "Easy." "There you go." "There you go." "That's okay." "You're doing great." "Come on." "Come on." "Come on." "Look at Number Five." "She's got it licked." "Come on." "Come on." "Come on." "Attagirl." "Come on." "Yeah." "Attagirl." "You're doing great." "How'd you like it?" "Really?" "You liked that, didn't you?" "Come on down." "Told you you could do it." "Now grab hold." "Found your balance all right." "Good." "Yeah." "Told you you could do it." "What?" "Huh?" "Yeah?" "You betcha." "I agree with everything you say." "That's right." "Go!" "Go!" "Go!" "Whoa!" "Don't watch, turn your heads." "Turn your heads." "Mai Ling, turn your head." "What happened?" "Come on." "Come on." "Giddyup." "Giddyup." "Busted foreleg on that big sorrel." "Afternoon." "To you as well." "Whoa." "Are you boys local or just passing through?" "Heading north." "Up from old Mexico?" "No, from Navarra." "Navarra, Spain." "We're Basque." "A friend or enemy?" "A friend, I think." "Yes, a friend." "What's your name?" "Valentin Ugalde." "Print Ritter." "Now, how's it out east of here?" "You been there?" "We're heading north." "Some Paiutes jumped the reservation." "Thanks for the heads up." "Now, let me ask you something." "Can I buy one of them sheep off you?" "We're about played out on rabbit these days." "You buy the lamb, I'll cook it for you tonight." "A new menu tonight." " Yeah?" " Lamb." "Sounds good to me." "Man says there's Paiute trouble to the east." "Recommend we change course." "We go south there's nothing but blowed out country all the way to Ogden." "Let's head north." "You're the boss." "Sure does smell good." "There." "They overcook and ruin the lamb." "Am I doing this right?" "Yes." "Girls." "Try that." "No?" "No, we don't eat that, but thanks." "No?" "All right." "That stuff stinks." "We've been using the wrong bait." " Try this here." " Oh, yeah." " You know what, give me one." " Here we go." "I got it." "Give me that one." " Give it here." " Oh, so good." "It's okay." "Try that." "Go on." "Yeah." "First peanuts, and now this." " Here you go, ladies." " Try some of Mr Ritter's biscuits." "All right, come on." "Thank you." "I tell you, Nephew, we were fishing with the wrong bait." "Go in there, Hank." "And now, One, Two, Three, Four." "Where's Number Two?" "Gilpin, cut one of them biscuits in half, put some more jam on it for Number Two." " Yes, sir." " Yeah." "Where is Number Two?" "Where's she at?" "She don't look good." "Hell, man, she's on fire." "Is she dying?" "Hank, what do you make of this?" "What's that?" "Let's see." "That's a tick." "Probably tick fever." "That ain't good." "No, it's as bad as milk fever is in young ones." "Let me go get these girls and we'll check them for ticks, too." " What else can I do?" " You're doing it." "You got any pull with the Almighty, you might wanna speak up for her." "We're not properly equipped or suited to take care of these girls, I tell you." "Let's pay our respects." "Mai Ling." "We wish you a good journey." "Come on." "Goodbye, Mai Ling, little sister." "You have anything you want to say?" "Said it last night." "Okay." "The second time I've done this." "It don't get any easier." "We're all travellers in this world." "From the sweet grass to the packing house." "Birth till death." "We travel between the eternities." "Nephew." "Whoa." "Whoa." "Howdy." "Horse took a wrong step in a creek a ways back and snapped his cannon bone." "Whoa!" "Got a cheque here." "Think you could cash it?" "How long's a man got to stay in prison to come out with $17.45?" "Awful nosy, ain't you?" "Hitch that team up, and let's go!" " Hey." " You heard him." "Hey there." "Come here, darling." "Have a seat on my lap." "Glad to see your business has been good to you since I've been away." "Your timing couldn't be any better." " Really?" " Really." "Remember Billy Fender?" "Captain Billy Fender?" "That's the one." "That's the kind of a shit-house rat you always want to stay upwind of." "I don't pay people for taking baths." "I sent him to pick up and deliver back to me a load of Chinese girls I bought from an associate in San Francisco." "Well, he's way overdue." "Knowing him, he's probably drunk on his ass and hobbling all your girls." "I got a proposition for you." "Yep?" "I'll pay you to go find him and bring those girls back to me." "No." "Maybe later." "Right now all I want is a bottle and some trim." "I got some new gals I can turn you loose with." "What about Nola?" "Is she still around, Nola?" "Why don't you try some of the new talent?" "I kind of had my mind set on Nola for some time now." "Coming through." "Hello, Nola." "It's been a while." "Where have you been, Ed?" "Oh, I think you know where I've been." "I figured you must have moved on to other business." "Yeah, right." "Working for the government." "Three cents a day making little rocks out of big rocks." "Been thinking a lot about you." "Not much else to do." "Does Kate know you're here?" "Oh, yeah." "She sent me up especially for you." "You got orders to wear me out." "Come on, boy." "Come on, boy." "Come on." "Come on, boy." "Problem?" "Not sure." "Whoa." "Move off to their right." "Keep your distance." "Watch me." " Hank, let's hold up here." " Yes, sir." "No, don't do that." "Just watch me." "All right." "Hold up there, mister." "Hold up, mister." "Don't I know you?" "What's your name?" "My name is my own business." "I suggest you tend to yours." "Will you give me the road, sir?" "Hold on!" "I know who you are." "I go by several names." "I doubt any of them are your concern." "If you refuse to let me pass, you'll soon learn a few of them." "Well, would one be Jack Ketch?" "If that's who you think I am, then you know better than to block my path." "Hold on there, mister!" "Don't let him get away!" "Kill him." "And you kill his horse." "Big Bob." "I got him." "I got him dead centre." "Right through the heart." "I got him." "Stay back, Heck." "Don't go there, stay back." "I got him." "Yes, sir." "What the hell was that?" "We killed two men!" "About as close as you'll ever get to seeing the Grim Reaper." "Bullshit." "Make sense to me, Uncle." " Boys, I'm talking death." " Horseshit." "We just killed two men and all their livestock!" "I told you to stay back!" "That there is most likely the infamous Smallpox Bob." "I'm sure of it." "Probably killed more red men than any one man in the Northwest." " Hell, I ain't never heard of him." " I have." "He trades blankets and hides with the tribes, mostly infected with smallpox." "Smallpox, typhoid, tuberculosis." "He was death travelling the country, but no more." "Well, if there was ever an evil bastard worth killing, I reckon he's the one." "No more evil than the ones that hire him." "Boys, I tell you, we gotta tend to this mess." "That's the second rope I've lost to some worthless son of a bitch." "I'd say both were for a good cause." "You really think that fellow killed that many Indians, Mr Ritter?" "Of course I do, Hank." "That's why I killed him." "What do you think they will do with us?" "It's not just up to our protectors." "If we are to live, we must have courage." "I didn't see you help Ye Fung when that man attacked her." "Look, she is coming." "There." "Right up there." "It's only the moon." "You think she will save us?" "Ghee Moon, enough." "That's enough." "She comes over the fields of our village." "We must be close to home." "You are right." "She will follow us." "And lead us home." "She is barely visible." "But the moon is like us." "Sometimes she has to hide." "But she stands strong." "So we must be good to one another." "We must be brave." "Gilpin." "Hey." "Wake up, it's your shift." "Oh, Lord, I thought I just dozed off." "Yeah." "About four hours ago." "Wouldn't mind getting a full night's sleep sometime soon." "Well, you can when we get to Cariboo." "Are we really going in there?" "Yeah." "That's what my uncle said." " Wake me up in four hours." " Okay." "Damn it." "Herd is pretty settled." "I'll stay out here and watch things." "I want you to take the girls into this town and see if you can find some civil authority to take them." "Take Heck with you." " I thought you'd be the one to do that." " Well, you thought wrong." "Well, why here?" "Why now?" "Well, you're the one that's so hot to get rid of them." " According to who?" " You." "Now just go and get it done." "Why did they argue?" "Wait." "Heck, get everybody in the wagon." "We're going into town." "I got to be honest, Tom." "I'm not so sure about this." "I think they might..." "Well, you know what?" "I don't have a vote." "You don't have a vote." "That's becoming evident." "Just get them in the wagon." " All right, ladies." "Let's go." " Tom." "We're going into town." "Let's go, girls, come on." "I still ain't seen Billy Fender and that load of Chinese girls I bought." " I'm still offering to pay you to find them." " No." "I got business of my own in mind." "All you know how to do is what got you sent up for." "It's small fry that gets sent up." "I'm looking to get big." " You could be my banker." " Lf I'm your bank, you're working for me." "You're a good businesswoman." "You know how to get a return on your investment." "$500 will get me started just fine." "Howdy." " Whoa." " Good day to you, sir." " You be needing a room?" " Yes, sir." "Two rooms for one night." "It's $4, up front." "Is there a mayor in this town?" "Not hardly." " What about a town council?" " Nope." " Do you have a sheriff?" " No, sir, not anymore." "Mister, this town is as rough as cob." "It's hard on lawmen." "Hard enough to put two of them in the ground over the last three years." "Well, who's in charge?" "Well, the town sort of works on a live-and-let-live basis with a touch of every man for himself thrown in." "Ain't the kind of place where you check your firearms when you get to town." "One minute." "Biggest operator is Miss Kate Becker." "Big Rump Kate." "She runs the Southern Cross Saloon." "Who are them girls, anyway?" "They're with me." "Well, these rooms are for sleeping, not for cooching." "Good." "Because these girls are tired and they need their sleep." "Well, that room down at the end has got cots for six men, so I guess you ought to have enough space." "You know where a fellow can get a bath?" " You speak English?" " Yes." " My name's Tom Harte." "What's your name?" " Lung Hay." "My name is Lung Hay." "Long Hay." "Dragon." "Lung." "Dragon." "Well, Mr Lung Hay, through a series of circumstances, fate has placed four Chinese girls in the hands of me and my uncle." "They got room for our horses over at the livery." " Good." " Who's this?" " He's our new interpreter, Mr Lung Hay." " Lung Hay." "Lord knows we need it." "All right." "Tell them that I'm sorry about everything that's happened to them." "But we'll try and find a safe place for them." "No harm will come to them." "They say they want to stay with you." "Please to be good as to not leave them." "No, no." "No, they can't live on the trail with us." "Ask him why." "This is an old story." "There's no place safe for them." "Nowhere." "They will be like meat before hungry dogs." "They'll be devoured." "Not to make you angry, but it would be more of a kindness to cut their throats than to leave them here." "But they can't stay with us." "We've got to get our horses through the passes before winter." "This whole land is not safe." "You tell him that." "Could you watch them while we go get some supper and maybe feed them some of your food?" " Yes, I can do." " Thank you, sir." "Goodbye, Old Paint, I'm leaving Cheyenne" "Goodbye, Old Paint, I'm leaving Cheyenne" "Leaving Cheyenne" "On to Montana" "Goodbye, Old Paint leaving Cheyenne" "Goodbye, Old Paint leaving Cheyenne" "My little girls." "Adiós," "One, Three, Four and Five." "It seems like we're drifting from our purpose of delivering those horses to Sheridan." "But I'm not as hard-hearted about those girls as you might think." "I'm not gonna just chuck them at the first opportunity." "Nobility, no boundaries." " Evening, gents." " Evening, ma'am." "I'm Kate Becker." "Big Rump Kate." "How's your supper?" "You doing all right?" "We are, thank you." "Nothing like a bath, some clean britches, a little whisky and a steak to make a man feel almost human again." "Well, that ain't all a man need to feel human." "How about finishing off the evening with some high-dollar sporting gals?" "Well, I reckon a fellow can only handle so much humanity at one time, ma'am." "Hey, Rose." "I call her my English Rose." "Newest gal to work the line." "Come here, sweetie." "Rose, we got a stout lad here that needs the knots worked out of him." "I think I speak for both of us when I say I think we'll pass." "Well, maybe you prefer getting some trim from those Celestials you brung into town." "You boys thinking about getting into the skin trade?" "Well, let me set you straight." "The gold I mine from this burg, I don't get from digging." "There ain't a shot of whisky, a hand of poker, or any fellow that wants to dip his wick that I don't get a cut of." "We're just passing through." "You know about a Billy Fender?" "Captain Billy Fender?" "Those girls were bought and paid for, and you know it." "I don't give a damn about Billy Fender." "But they're mine!" "Well, it's a stupid sack of shit who believes he can waltz into this country with a wagon full of women and thinks he ain't in for trouble." "You kiss your mama with that mouth?" "What do you take for your troubles?" "We came here to eat and have a little bit of whisky." "That's it." "Come on, mister." "Everything has a price." "Not everything." "Come on, Rose." "What's going on?" "Come on, damn it!" "Hold her still!" "Come on, darling." "You know you want it." "Come on!" "Stay down!" "Get over here." "Get over here." "Stay back." "You girls get together." "Stay back." "You like to spoil women?" "Do you?" "Come on." " Will you take me with you?" " Go on." "Come on." "Come on." "Boys." "You ready to donate your nuts?" "Get your hands away from those pistols." "Do it now!" "What about my property?" "That's the price of being a capitalist, lady." "Now back off!" "Heck." "Let's go, Heck." "Just remember, it's money that greases the wheels, mister." "Hey, Dink." "That you, Ed?" "Didn't recognise me or just figured you'd never see me again?" "Ed, I had nothing to do with you being sent up." "You got to believe me." "Why wouldn't I believe you, Dink?" "Where I've been, they don't pay too good." "Thought maybe you could help out an old friend." "None of us prospered much, Ed." "Think you could offer me a cup of coffee?" "Yeah, sure, Ed." "Come on in." "Right now I need you to go after my property." "All right, I'll go after those little girls of yours." "Soon as my boys are ready." " Want me to go round up Dink Yeatman?" " No." "I took care of that little snitch for good." "You killed him?" "You think that Yeatman snitched on you?" "You're a damn fool." "What do you think you're talking about, Kate?" "It wasn't Yeatman." "It was Nola." "I just need to get this cleaned up, ma'am." "I know it's sore but it'll feel a lot worse if an infection takes hold." "It hurts worse than it looks." "Take this hand, and hold it right on that." "Be right back." "Yeah." "So I guess old boy took a pretty good whack on his brain pan." "This here's Mr Lung Hay." "Yeah." "Mr Lung Hay, that's some gash you got there." " You any good at stitching hide, nephew?" " Yeah." "Probably close it up." "Probably put a whip stitch on it." "Yeah." "I don't know." "I don't know." "These Chinamen seem to set a lot of stock on their head's appearance." "Well, what do you recommend?" "Well, when I sew a pocket back on my shirt," " I use a tight little chain stitch." " Yeah?" "See, I want a pretty job on what I wear." " That'd work." " Yeah." "It's your lucky day." "You're fortunate to have two barbarians that are experts at repairing top notches." "Got several of these vicious-looking beauties from a saddler in Klamath." "They're superb at stitching rawhide and not bad on scalp work either." "Use this." "Yes." "Sorry again." " Here." " Good." "Sock it in there." "Mr Lung Hay, you look to be a tough old bird, but you might want a little whisky before we start." "Are you sure?" "Okay." "Hell, I'll drink it." "All right." "Okay, let her rip, doc." "Yeah." "Yeah." "Easy." "Got a hell of a grip there, Chinaman." "That's good, Nephew." "Good." "That's good." "Yeah." "That's not bad." "Not bad at all." "Axle grease." "Normally I use lard." "This will keep the flies off and keep it clean, too." "See?" "There you go." "Good job." "Yeah." "Good." "Yeah." "Yeah." "Yeah." "Ma'am," "I'm Prentice Ritter." "The seamstress is my nephew, Tom Harte." "Tough little wart he's working on is Mr Lung Hay." "And these ladies are One, Three, Four and Five." "Little Number Two died a ways back." "Why don't you get some more sleep?" "We'll talk later." "All right?" " Thank you." " Yes, ma'am." "How's he doing?" " He gonna survive?" " Yeah." "He won't bleed out." "Good job, Nephew." "It's all right." "It's all right, little girl." "It's all right." "It's all right." "It's all right." "It's over." "It's over." "That's it." "It's all right." "It's all right." "Do you reckon we're gonna get bogged down here by this storm, Mr Ritter?" "No, sir." "Summer storm." "Here today, gone tomorrow." "You don't get this in August back in Virginia, do you?" "No, sir, we don't." "It'll be gone by tomorrow afternoon." "You can count on it." "This looks to be a good spot to stop for a few days." "The horses could use the rest and so can we." "We got more than a few sore-footed cavvies, so let's picket them in the river mud for a day and cool them hooves out." "How's that woman and the Chinaman holding up?" "Tom did a fine job on the old boy's head." "The woman's all right." "Nose is much better." "This deal gets more interesting by the day, I tell you." "This deal's getting less profitable by the day." "Never use money to measure wealth, son." "Let's get these sore-footed ones into the water." "You know back there in John Day, when I said" "I didn't know what went on between you and your ma, I meant it." "'Cause I know my sister could be a difficult woman." "Comes from being German and Huguenot, I suppose." "Huguenot?" "That does make for the kind of people that could up and leave the Cumberland, my people, to come across this country." "Sure enough makes for a starchy person to have to live with." "Yeah." "No doubt, no doubt." "It was always hard for her, you know, to reveal her feelings." "Now your pa, he was a regular hand." "Best thing that happened to my sister." "No matter how knotted up she might get, she couldn't put a dent in him." "He was always, you know, a cheerful fellow." "Yeah." "Well, for all her hard praying, she was fairly convinced she made it all the way out here of her own steam." "Ain't nobody made it out here without some divine luck attached." "You know, she never forgave me for leaving the ranch." "Look at me, son." "That was a man-sized thing you done back there with that shit bird, Fender." "And it was appropriate for what he'd done." "You understand?" "You didn't blink." "That's good, see?" "That's good." "Now, we didn't go looking to save no" "Orientals and a broken-nosed whore." "It just happened." "Sometimes you just gotta roll with what's thrown at you, eh?" "Yeah." "Yeah." "You know," "I'd like to see more of your father in you sometimes." "I really would." "Yeah." "Not bad." "Give it a shot." "You must have come early and got all the good rocks." "You bet." "Oh, a new champion." "There we go." "A little salt." "Yeah." "Yeah, that's nice." "Yes, ma'am." "My name is Nola." "Nola Johns." "Welcome." "We eat simple." "Mainly cowboy chuck." "Sit." "Yeah." "There's some biscuits, beans and fresh antelope shank, Miss Johns." "Thank you." "I made a place for you and the girls to sleep." "Anything else you need, just ask." "Yeah, and we'll try and..." "We'll try and keep the snoring down." " That's good." "Thank you." " Yeah." "You ever been to Richmond or anywhere back East?" "I've never been east of the Mississippi." "Well, it's a little too neat back there for me." "I was fortunate enough to get a good education and all it did was make me itch to travel." "I cashed out, packed up and headed out West." "Nothing like a couple of hot meals and some sleep to put a shine on things." " Relax, ruminate and reflect." " Wild, woolly and hard to curry." "Yeah." "So what kept you out here, Mr Ritter?" "I spent most of my life on the hurricane deck of a cow pony." "I've had my share of dust up my nose, busted bones, my heart stomped on more than once." "And most of that time I was never worth more than $100." "Most of the time spent out here, I'd say life's pretty grand." "So what about women?" "Women." "The habits and ambitions of women are more a mystery to me than Egyptian hieroglyphics." "And I ain't found the Rosetta Stone yet." "So you're saying you led a monk's life, huh?" "There's been a few." "One I even set up house with down in Salida." "Black-haired, green-eyed beauty." "We was bedded but not churched, you might say." "We had us a nice family for a while." "She even got me baptised." "Yeah, but the truth is" "I never had women figured out and that's a cold, hard fact." "Yeah." "The deal is there ain't enough of them out here to go around, anyways." "He's always been a pushover for the ladies." "Oh, no." "Nephew," "God ain't made a man that could stand up to the power that lays between a woman's thighs." "You see, the hold that little cooter has on a man's life is unbreakable." "It can bring a strong man to his knees." "Read your history." "Now, look at the kings and kingdoms that have fallen to that little split tail." " Am I right, Heck?" " You are, indeed." "I can only assume you're referring to the English King Henry." "Didn't exactly bring him to his knees, but he did tell the Pope to kiss his ass, and he started his own church for want of his favourite gal." "Six wives." "What a horrible punishment." "Well, I'll stick to horses." "Amen." "Well, don't let my lack of success put you off." "There's a lot to be said for the friendship of a woman." " Lung Hay." " Yeah." " Come on over here." " Yes." "How's the head feeling?" "Much better now, thank you." " Care for a little whisky, Mr Lung Hay?" " Thank you." "I prefer coffee." "Yeah, well, pour it." "Yeah." "Male independence is all well and fine, but too much, no, sir." "Without marriage and women we'd all have been drunk, shot ourselves to death, or died of the clap." "Hear, hear." "Looks like it's bath time." "Yes, sir." "Freeze your balls off, boys." "Freeze your balls off." "They camped here." "Herd went off that way." "I suppose we ought to go that way, too." " Morning." " Morning." " What are you boys up to?" " Fly fishing." "Told you he could play the fiddle." "Sure can." "You bet." "Miss Johns, may I?" "I'll give it a try." "You're positively weightless, Miss Johns." "You're as light as my biscuits." "Thank you, Miss Johns." "Everybody, Number One, come on, let's go." "Come on." "Chinese say a deaf husband and a blind wife will make a good marriage." "Watch out, make sure you don't bump into something out there in the dark." "There's some safe and sobering advice." "Well, the best thing I ever found in my life," "I bumped into in the dark." "Yeah." "Time to turn in, you fellows take care of the horses." "Yeah." "Make sure you put them hobbies on the lead mares." " Yes, sir." " Good night, Lung Hay." "Yes, sir." "You ever been married?" "Many years." "Still have wife in China." "And what brought you over here to America?" "What is that?" "Gold mountain." "All Chinese hear California was gold mountain." "I come here to be a rich man." "I leave my young wife with my parents." "Now she's old, parents are dead, and I'm not rich." "Do you ever think about going back?" "Too late, too late." "Why'd you do it, Mr Ritter?" "Why'd you take those girls in?" "Well, what was I supposed to do?" "Give them a canteen and a tin of crackers and say "Git"?" "Most men in your situation wouldn't even have done that." "Miss Johns, I am a thoroughly failed Christian person." "But I wasn't about to leave them out yonder in the middle of the prairie." "No, sir." "And I didn't have no carnal designs on them, neither, if that's what you was thinking." "I never had that thought about you, Mr Ritter." "And it's Mrs Johns." "How'd you wind up in the employ of Miss Big Rump?" "One dance with a girl and you want to know all about her, Mr Ritter." "Cal got a job freighting supplies for a mining camp until he drove off the switchback." "They had to take his legs off." "I clerked for a dry goods store and he just sat in the boarding house all day." "They came to the store the first day of May to tell me he had shot himself." "I didn't have any family to turn to." "It's a rough trade, Mr Ritter." "Easy enough for you men but rough when you're on the receiving end." "I was in Rock Springs, this man split my scalp with a bottle and dumped me out the back door." "It was the middle of November." "When they found me the next morning, my hair was frozen to the ground." "They had to cut it off." "Know what a whore with no hair is worth in this world, Mr Ritter?" "Hair grows out, life goes on." "But time is against you." "Yeah, there's nothing more unforgiving than time." "You start out in the parlour houses." "Soon you're in the rooming house at the end of town." "Next are the cribs down the line." "And then it's the hog ranch." "It's the last rung." "I'm more than halfway down that ladder toward the hog ranch" " and that's the truth of it." " Yeah." "Guess you're down on men." "Not all." "I once had a miner pay me just so he could watch while I hung clothes on the line." "Never touched me." "He was a young man, too." "You still think you want to go dancing with me, Mr Ritter?" "Who you getting all spruced up for?" "Us?" "None of your business." "Hey." "I've never seen you smoking before." "Night like this calls for a smoke." "Yeah." "This feels good." "You got to try it." "Yeah." " Pretty good." " It's really good." "Never could swim." "I was always afraid of water, but this is all right." "Nice." "You really think women are so puzzling?" "I heard you talking the other night." "Oh, you mean the Rosetta Stone?" "Yeah, well..." "I had some bad luck." "What was it you really wanted from a woman?" "See, this could be a two or three-smoke night." "I mean, same as most fellows, I suppose." "Now what did you call it?" "A bright, brief moment." "How about a partner, a companion." "Someone to keep your feet warm at night." "Like a..." "A heart as true as a rancher's wife." "You're quite the romantic, Mr Ritter." "No." "Romance is for pikers." "I ain't talking about infatuation." "I'm talking about something way beyond romance." "Bone deep." "You feel it just between the two of you." "Now, if you stub your right toe, the left toe feels it." "Ain't no he or she, or you or me." "You're both just one." "You sound like an expert on the subject." "I don't know what the hell I'm talking about." "I'm just carrying on." "But I do know it does belong just to the lucky few." "But not for most folks, huh?" "Nope." "Nope." "That's why there's so many hard-edged and fearful people out there." "It's like living your life without salt." "You don't seem to lack any salt in your diet." "You know, all hard-edged and scared." "I get spooked same as everyone." " Really?" " Yeah." "When?" "I get rousted out of my sleep sometimes for nature's call." "I find there's something frightening about that hour of the night." "'Cause there ain't no fooling yourself about what you've done or what you haven't done with your life." "So what do you do?" "I try like hell to get back to sleep." "So have you given up on women?" "What was that?" "Have you given up on women?" "No, ma'am." "But I figure I got about as much chance of finding that gal as becoming King of Siam." "I have a hard time seeing you as the King of Siam, Mr Ritter." "You think you could call me Print?" "Now, everybody calls me Mr Ritter." "Well, I like to think that when I say it, it has a different ring to it." "Yeah." "You have a unique sense of humour, Mrs Johns." " Shall we go?" " Yeah." "Yup." "Easy, now." "Here you go." "You know something," "I'd pay $40 just to watch you hang laundry all day long." "No, I really would." "I would." "You're a good woman." "You really are." "A bit of fall in the air." "All the more reason to push on." "Before we get caught in those passes." "Might be a handful this morning." "Well, we'll wheel them once, send them on." " Okay?" " Yep." "Yep, yep, yep." "Yeah." "Like to try that fly fishing someday." "Really would." "All right?" "No!" "Good Lord." "Poor girl." "From the sweet grass to the packing house." "Birth till death." "We travel between the eternities." "There you go." " We got some company, Mr Ritter." " Well, yeah." "Could be Piegan but I'm fairly certain they're Crow." "You converse in Crow?" " Hell, no." "Can you?" " Yes, sir." "I can muddle my way through pretty good." "Well, let's muddle on and see what these lads want." "He says that we're crossing their land and that we must pay." "What's the tariff?" "He says it's gonna cost us two horses to cross their ancient hunting grounds." "Tell them they can have one horse, their pick." "They say two." "I say bullshit." "Tell them I'm an old man and that I'm sick and dying." "Tell them I don't give a shit if I die today or tomorrow." "One horse." "Why would these good looking women be with these ugly white men?" "Two horses." "Tell them to go pick out the other one." "Come on, boys." "Hey." "It might not be anything at all but it just feels like we're being dogged." "Well, maybe." "You push on ahead." "Pick out a good camp spot." "I'll give you as much distance as I can, stretch the herd out." "Then I'll bring up the drag pretty quick." "All right." "Hello, Nola." "Print." "Stay in the dark, find a spot." "Where's Gilpin?" "He's found his spot." "The rest are in the wagon off to the east." " Where are you going to set?" " Well," "I'm gonna sit right here like a big piece of cheese waiting for the rats to come in." "And that's your plan?" "Well, can't shoot it out with these fellows." "Gonna have to face them and listen to what they have to say." "And then what?" "Well, find your spot and play it by ear." "There, there, there, there." "All right." "Yeah." "Evening." "Saw your campfire." "Thought you might share some coffee." "I'm fresh out of coffee." "But come on in, make yourself at home." "Too late for supper?" "Supper's over." "You know, done." "Where's the rest of your party?" "That ain't none of your concern." "I think you might be travelling with an old friend of mine." "Oh, I doubt that." "Well, maybe you should check with her." "We go back a ways." "You got shit in your ears, mister?" "I told you it ain't none of your concern." "You don't run a very friendly camp, do you, mister?" "Well, you've been cutting my sign all day and now you come riding in at night with a hard lot." "What do you expect?" "Well, I thought maybe we'd do some horse business." "I ain't in the horse business, more a sideline with me." " What business you in?" " Blanket business." "What blankets?" "Well, I sell blankets, mostly to Injuns and any others in need of smallpox or, you know, typhoid." "Whatever." "I ain't afraid of no blankets, mister." "Well, as nosy as you are, I figured you must have heard of the name Smallpox Bob." "My friends call me Chickenpox Bob." "I'll burn you down right where you stand." "Nobody talks to me that way and lives." "I didn't ride in on the turnip wagon, mister." "Well, tonight's your night." "Now, I'll tell you what, I'll give you a good price on this blanket." "Tonight's your night, I'll give you that." "Have you ever seen a white man's face with the pox?" "The pox!" "The pox!" "Hell, giddyup." "The pox!" "I'll meet up with you again!" "I'll be waiting." "Hey." "Let's get out of here." "We gotta put some distance between us and them fellows." "Hold your nose, boys." "Going by the hog ranch." "Ladies." "Morning, folks." "I'm Bill Miller, Sheriff out of Sheridan." "These men are my deputies." "Who's the jigger boss here?" "You men care for coffee?" "No, thank you." "Ain't got time." " You the honcho here?" " Yeah, I am." "This is my party." "Well, that's a good looking bunch of horses you got there." " Yep." " You got papers on them, I suppose." "You bet." "You got a badge, I suppose." "Well, no need to get puffed up." "I should be eating ham and eggs at the Blue Goose back in Sheridan." "Instead I'm out here sleeping on the ground, eating jerky, looking for a horse thief and a killer." "Yeah." "I'm after a pretty rough lot run by a fellow named Big Ears Bywater." "I guess you can't be on the other side of the law and not have some ridiculous name attached to your reputation." "Why do they call him that?" "Well, they say he can hear a horse at 20 miles." "Well, he paid me a visit the other night." "Well, now, can you tell me which way he was headed?" "No, sir." "He came into my camp, then he went out." "Well, Big Ears ain't a name he responds well to." "And don't let that name fool you, any of you." "That man's a killer and he's a horse thief." "My plan is to catch up with him right quick." "With any luck, I'll be wearing his ears on my watch chain." "Y'all steer clear of anybody you don't know." "Folks in Carbon County don't take to yamping livestock." "Don't daily long here, Mr Ritter." "You'll sleep better." "Ladies." "Must be 500 head." "We can't do nothing with a herd that size." "No, except take them into Canada." "I ain't driving no herd through 800 miles in which I can get shot or jailed." "We ain't gonna do nothing." "Let them fools do the work." "We'll dog them all the way to market." "Number One." "I want to tell you something." "Now, birds fly to water in the evening and away from water in the morning." "To water in the evening and away from water in the morning." "Remember that." "Now, this here is for you." "That is you." "Number One, meet Number One." "It's yours." "You take it." "Here, put it under your chin." "Twinkle, twinkle, little star." "In a week-and-a-half she'll be better than you are, Heck." "I don't doubt it, Mr Ritter." "I think we got a child prodigy on our hands." "Ma'am, thought you might like a cup of coffee." "You seemed quiet at supper." "I heard you talking to Tom, that we were just a few days from Sheridan." "Yes, ma'am." "Well, do you have any plans of what you're gonna do once you get there?" "Not yet." "I have a few days to think about it." "How about you?" "You made any plans?" "Well, I was gonna wait for you." "I thought you might mention something." "Truthfully, it didn't occur to me." "Well, obviously." "Was that an error on my part, ma'am?" "Of course not." "Why don't you take your coffee and go find somewhere to have a smoke, Mr Ritter?" "I didn't mean to offend you." "Good night, Mr Ritter." "We gotta redirect and cut north." "I thought you said it was too late to hit the Lander Cutoff." "It is." "But I don't want to lose the herd to a horse thief." "If it's too late to hit Lander's, then how are you planning on heading?" "Well, we gotta drive them straight north to the Big Horns and then take them over the Whale's Back." "Oh, and I want them in Moncrieffe's pens and paid for." "All right?" "Same as me." "What's a Whale's Back?" "It's a tricky piece of real estate that we gotta navigate." "I know it's dicey but it'll save us time and maybe the herd." "Well, how about we forget that part?" "I got 25% of the vote around here." "I'm for making a stand and killing that son of a bitch now." "Well, you can start by washing the dishes." "And after that, don't take on more than you can handle." "Okay?" "Well, in case you hadn't noticed," "I've been handling things just fine for the last 800 miles." "Listen to me." "I know Ed Bywaters." "Remember I told you about that man that split my head open?" "My hair frozen to the ground." "Ed Bywaters." "Damn." "Good thing you didn't tell me how steep it was." "Well, it don't matter." "One way or another, we're going up this hill and over the top." "That's it." "They want us to climb up there?" "It's too high." "It looks steep." "It's too high." "It's too high." "Figure on freighting that wagon over the pass?" "No, sir." "No, sir." "We keep the mules and leave everything else behind." "Now, what I want you to do is put Number Three on a horse." "Her name's Sun Fu." "I know what her name is." "Just let her ride alone." "Mrs Johns can double up with Ging Wing Ring, Number One." "I'll take the little girl with me." "What about Lung Hay?" "I doubt he's too handy on a horse." " I reckon the same goes for Ms Johns." " Yeah." "Unhitch the mules." "I'll lead the way." "Keep the herd together." "We can't stop at all." "Now, let's do it." "Let's go." "This is it." "That's it, boys." "Steady." "Come on!" "Come on." "Okay." "Yeah." "Hold on." "Hold on." " Mr Moncrieffe?" " I am." "My name's Ritter, Prentice Ritter." "I wired you in April about bringing horses from Oregon." "Oh, aye, the man from Oregon." "Welcome, welcome." "We've been waiting for your arrival with some anticipation, Mr Ritter." "I'm not sure I understand that, sir." "Well, Sheriff Miller wired me from Cody a few days ago asking about you." "He said he met you up there on the buffalo range." "Oh, yeah, back there on..." "Yeah, he did." "He was in a sweat to catch some horse thieves, see." "I rode ahead to tell you that we're coming in." "Who's your trail hand here?" "Well, this here is Ging something or other." "I call her Number Five." "And would you mind if I leave her with you and go back to the herd?" "No, no, no." "She can keep Miss Foster company in the kitchen for a wee while." "I'll lend you some lads to go out with you, help you bring them in." "Where would you like me to put these cavvies?" "Put them over in the south pasture corrals over there." "Keep them separated for a week." " All right?" "Good." " Yes, sir." " Howdy." " My nephew, Tom Harte." " You put on a good show, Mr Harte." " Thank you." " Congratulations." " Yes, sir." "Thank you." "I'll settle up with Moncrieffe." "Well, I thought I'd be a part of that." "Well, no need for that." "I've got your interests covered." " Come on in." " Yes, sir." "Now, I can write you a cheque to the Stockman and Merchants Bank in Denver, if you like, but I find most people these days prefer cash." "What would you prefer, Mr Ritter?" "Maybe we should work up the figure first." "All right, by all means." "Does that grab your fancy?" " Wasn't expecting that much." " Aye, well..." "You know, between the British Army needing horses for the Boer War and your army needing them for that Spanish-American dustup, the price of horseflesh has gone through the roof." "Makes me sound like a war profiteer." "Can you live with that?" "More than live with that, Malcolm." "You bet I can." " Cash?" " Yes, sir." "A couple of times back there I didn't think this transaction was gonna happen." "No, I'm sure you didn't." " Well, you're good and safe now." " Thank you." "Now, that's a good deal of money." "Got any plans?" "Right now, a hot bath and clean clothes." "I meant, you got any plans for your wealth?" "Not sure." "Been thinking of getting some land, you know." "Right now I'm kind of wore out so I'm gonna take my people into the town for some hot water, soap and some shopping." "I'm afraid I'm gonna have to be a wee bit remiss in my duties as a host tomorrow." "Me and the lads have to take a herd over to the Wallop Ranch." "We'll be back by nightfall." "Now, you'll be all right here on your own?" "Miss Foster, my housekeeper, is gonna be here, so..." "Yes, sir." "Do you need any help or..." "Oh, no, no, thank you." "We'll be back by suppertime." "It's a great pleasure to have a table full of people here." "A very rare occasion for us to hear this." "Thank you for coming." "Ging Wa." "Ging Wa." "Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to propose a toast to your successful venture." "Thank you." "Honkle Pren." "Well, look here." "Off to bed now." "Bedtime." "Yeah." " Come on, baby." " That's it." "There you go." "Which pocket?" "Come on." "Which one?" "Come on." "How about that one?" "You got it?" "Yeah?" "Okay, sweet dreams, now." "Good night." "I want to thank you, Mr Ritter, for everything you've done for us." "You've been so kind to me and the girls." "You've been so generous." "Well, you're so very welcome." "You really are." "So, what are your plans now?" "Well, I thought I'd step outside for a smoke." "That's not what I meant." "Yeah, well..." "I had a long talk with Lung Hay." "I proposed that you and he take the girls to San Francisco." "He says there's a place that will look after them in a more permanent way." "And you volunteered my services?" "Yes, ma'am." "Well, that's very..." "That's very kind of you." "Thank you." "If Ging Wa is fit to travel, then I shall make plans immediately." "Now, hold on now, lady." "Hold on." "There's no need to rush off." "Well, there's no need to delay, either." "I can be ready tomorrow if necessary." "Yeah." "Every time I talk to you these days, you seem to have a sudden urge for tobacco." "I won't smoke." "Yeah." "I've been thinking of going into Sheridan to find out about real estate, then mosey around some, you know." "Yeah, and..." "You know," "I never told many people this before." "My one attempt at having a family and settling down turned out badly." "Now, I'm neither brave enough nor strong enough to go that way again." "No, no." "And you see, at one time I had..." "We had a sweet baby child, a beautiful child," "and she..." "Excuse me." "She never reached seven years." "It was a horse-related accident, my fault, you see." "And even today it's hard to talk about." "And I haven't got it right since." "Yeah." "Well..." "Well, I think I'll" "go have that smoke." "Excuse me." "How you doing?" "Where are you off to?" "I'm gonna get me a smoke before I turn in." "What about you?" "I figured I'd take off early in the morning, go after some of those strays that missed the pen." "Get some money on their hooves." "Speaking of money..." "What's this?" "We weren't supposed to get this much for the horses." "Son, I couldn't borrow enough back home to buy the herd so I sold out." " You sold out?" " I did in order to make this financial deal possible." "Well, who gave you authority?" "Excuse me?" "In case you've forgotten, your mother did." "Yeah, she willed you the ranch." "She didn't tell you to sell it." "Look, I didn't take this deal just to sell some horses." "I wanted to straighten out some family wrongs." "Give you a new start, explore possibilities." "Now, I've still got eyes." "I've been seeing the way you been moving around that Number Three gal, which is all right." "So, that's your share of the proceeds and then some." "That should square it between you and your ma." "What about you and me?" "More than square." "Old Bob Tate's gonna be good as new." "Yeah, take me into Sheridan and buy me some land." "Hello, Nola." "Girls!" "Print!" "Print!" "It's Nola!" "What?" "He's in the barn!" "Go around back!" "You see this?" "Honkle Pren." "Honkle Pren." "Don't hurt the children." "I told you we'd meet again, old man." "I know what I'm gonna do with Nola and her little friends there." "The question is, what am I gonna do with an old goat like you?" "How about it, old goat?" "What was that?" " Are you a praying man, shit bird?" " Yeah." "Our Father, Who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name." "Yeah, well, you just keep going." "You'll be a praying man by the time I leave my mark on you." "First thing I'm gonna do with you," "I'm gonna nail your credentials to this log here." "Then I'm gonna push you over backwards." "Let's see what kind of savvy you got then, huh?" "When I'm through with you, you're gonna wish the Mandan squaws had got a hold of you, Mr Blanket Man." " You about through?" " Yeah." "All right, 'cause you just booked yourself a ticket to hell." "You're gonna leave this world a toothless, desperate old man." "You will not hurt these children." "No, sir." " Honkle Pren." " Honkle Pren." "Everyone all right?" "No one's hurt?" "Good job." "It's all right." "Tom." " Where's Heck?" " Dead." "Thanks, son." "Cut his ears off and send them to that marshal in Sheridan." "Yeah." "You all right?" "Yeah." "Yes, sir." "Whoa!" "Whoa!" "Here you go." "Number One, bye." "Well, buckaroo." "Ging Wa." "Last one, buckaroo." "Thought I had this all worked out." "I reckon I got something to say to you." "I know you can't understand my words but you can hear me." "I want to know how to get in touch with you some day." "I want to know that things turned out, that you had a good life." "Thank you." "Most men are afraid of failure in this world." "It seems like some are afraid of success." "Goodbye, Mr Ritter." "This is for Mr Ritter." "Let's go." "Dear Mr Ritter," "I hope this letter finds you well." "I'm embarrassed it's been so long since last I wrote to you." "Spring must almost be over at Siam Bend." "You have no idea how it touched me to learn the name you've given to that point on the river." "I seem so preoccupied with time these days." "You told me, right there on the river, that nothing was more unforgiving than time." "Honey, you would not recognise me as time can be ruthless, especially to women." "You, on the other hand, I'm sure, are as stout and straight as a ridge pole." "Ghee Moon and Ging Wa have grown into wonderful young ladies." "I see them often and they always ask of you." "Promise me that you will not laugh at an old woman when I tell you I still dream of the time I sat and splashed my feet in the water with you." "There are so many things one wishes they might change about their lives." "I want to say that it is you and you alone who will abide in me in my final hour." "Thank you, Mr Ritter, for giving me back my life even if I could not share it with you." "With warmest thoughts, Nola Johns." "We're all travellers in this world." "From the sweet grass to the packing house." "Birth till death." "We travel between the eternities."