"I don't like you, forbes." "But I need much more provocation" "To destroy a human life." "Even yours." "Thank you." "Honest!" "I tell you, I haven't got it!" "Hand it over or I'll choke it out of you!" "Help!" "Now you did it." "Now we're really in a jam!" "Why'd you hit him so hard?" "What'd you want, joe?" "You said help." "Here's the key to my suite." "I'll take care of this." "Oh, thanks..." "Paladin!" "Go on, joe." "Come on, get up here." "Why do you have to hit people so hard?" "I've had trouble with you from the first day I met you." "Come on, get up there!" "Perhaps you better send for the house physician." "This man seems to have fainted." "Yes, sir." "What started the trouble?" "Guy wanted me to pay for his steer" "That oren hit." "Oren hit?" "I didn't hit it hard." "It was an old steer." "Besides, joe told me to." "This big loudmouth was standing in the bar," "And he wanted to bet me that no one" "Could hit a steer with one punch and knock him down." "I give him a straight right." "He wanted me to pay the damages for the steer." "He was going to choke it out of me." "I noticed." "Lucky thing you came along." "I'm always glad to return a favor." "I owe you one from philadelphia." "What are you doing in the west?" "I wish you hadn't asked me that." "Every time I think of the story," "It just makes me sick." "Makes me sick!" "I spent every cent I had bringing oren out here." "Paladin..." "Did you ever hear of a town called limestone?" "Yes, very tough place." "Yeah, I know it is." "But it's a perfect spot" "For pugilism contests." "I brought oren out here" "To meet the british champion, a fellow called bryan sykes." "He was gonna fight him for the title." "Joe, the british champ is jim mace." "All right, so he was champion of wales or something." "What happened, did sykes back out?" "No, he didn't." "The sheriff came in and he wanted a third of the gate." "It was just pure graft, I tell you it was pure graft." "Well, this promoter webber wouldn't go for it," "Sykes' manager wouldn't and I wouldn't go for it." "So, no fight." "The promoter's name?" "His name was jake webber, he owns a big saloon there." "I think I'll drop mr." "Webber a line." "Perhaps I can do some good for all of us." "You can try it but I don't think it'll do any good." "Well, we'll see." "In the meantime, will you keep oren away from steers?" "Yeah." "Stay away from steers!" "Ohhh!" "Clint forbes is no small-time grafter." "He's self-appointed sheriff of limestone." "He's killed six men." "More or less in the line of duty." "I don't mean to be the seventh." "neither do I." "No, take more than you to stand up to forbes." "Go on back to san francisco." "You're wasting my time." "As you like." "But since I've come this far," "I'll have a drink anyway." "That'll be a dollar." "Out of five." "That one's counterfeit." "Pass it on to somebody else." "No, I'll take another dollar for that one please." "You'll take yourself out of here..." "I'll take another dollar for that one, please." "Thank you, and another drink." "Thank you." "Bye." "Hey, wait a minute!" "You really thinking of putting through this fight deal?" "What kind of a deal did you have in mind?" "Well, I can't pay much." "I only got 50 percent of the purse." "The other half goes to fighters?" "The winner." "Both sykes and gilliam agree winner takes all." "I'll give you 500 bucks, no more." "It's worth more but the interests of a friend" "Are at stake so you make it a thousand," "And you've got a deal." "Well, all right." "But no fight, no pay." "All right." "I can send a wire to sykes today." "Where can I find gilliam?" "Here at the lonestar hotel." "He and his manager came with me from san francisco." "You had this thing all figured out, didn't you?" "Yes, sir." "Hold it, mister." "Have we met?" "Just now." "And it'll be the last time if you're smart." "Is that a personal suggestion?" "That's an official order." "Oh, I see." "You represent the law here." "I am the law here." "What law is there that says a sheriff" "Gets one third of every fight purse?" "The law I passed this morning." "I got up early just to do that." "No one man is the law." "Not here, not anyplace." "It'd be a pleasure to prove that to you, forbes." "There's only one way to prove it." "You may as well try now." "Oh, no." "No, I need a lot more provocation than that" "To destroy a human life." "Even yours." "All right, I'll let you off this time." "Next time it'll be different." "You must figure you're pretty fast with a gun." "Fair." "I don't need to be too fast." "Just careful." "Friend of yours?" "My deputy." "Even if you'd gone for your gun," "It never would have cleared your holster." "I see." "Well, I'm very sorry to disappoint you." "Come on, lean into it!" "Straighten that left out." "Now hit him with the right." "That's only red, joe." "No, it isn't." "That's sykes!" "You remember that." "You're treating him like your mother." "Come on, go." "You worry too much." "Now look, tend to your business" "Or you'll get two extra miles of roadwork." "Sykes is pretty rough, isn't he?" "Oh, you don't know." "I wish I could change" "That arrangement of winner take all." "Well paladin, you got out of town" "But you didn't get out far enough." "This camp isn't in your county," "You don't have any jurisdiction here." "Jurisdiction's what you make it." "I told you either I get my share of the gate," "Or I'll stop the fight." "Just how do you plan to do that?" "I'll show you." "All right, boys." "Take this camp apart!" "Hold it!" "Get their guns, joe." "Forbes, you're wearing a star" "But the next time you try to stop this fight," "I'll put a hole through it." "Get those two tramps out of here." "You stop that!" "I didn't even feel it!" "Just for that, you can lift these weights for half an hour." "I don't need that." "You do as I say!" "I ain't going to do it, willie." "oh, me bunion!" "You're killing me!" "Then don't answer back to your manager." "Now pick up them weights." "Go on, pick 'em up." "All right, you ready?" "Lift!" "Now, one..." "Two..." "Three..." "Fou..." "Hullo!" "How long have you been there?" "Four or five minutes, why?" "We don't like spies round our side of the training camp." "I'm not a spy, I'm your protection." "You're too friendly with gilliam to suit me." "You stay away from here." "Mr. Harvey, my job is to patrol this fight camp," "All of it and I don't take orders from you." "Whoops!" "It slipped." "You're very fast on your feet, mr." "Paladin." "I'm very lucky, mr." "Harvey." "I don't have bunions." "Hello, sheriff." "What'll you have?" "Couple of minutes of your time." "I hear you sold a lot of tickets to the fight." "That's right." "Seems like you're taking a big chance." "Why don't you say what's on your mind?" "You want this fight to go on, don't you?" "Well, so do I." "I had quarrels over whether I get my share." "Right?" "Yeah." "Now listen..." "If we fix it so we know who's gonna win," "There's more to be made on bets than the gate." "Well, naturally I thought of that." "It's kind of risky though." "Your men are in the corner as seconds." "Little whiff of something between rounds would do it." "You're forgetting paladin." "I owe him money." "You let me and my boys in," "And I'll see to it you don't pay him a cent." "That's uh..." "Part of this agreement." "Not one cent for paladin." "I'll be glad when this fight is over." "Start living decently again." "It's a funny hole and corner business," "This box fighting." "The time'll come it'll be widely accepted." "It's an ancient sport." "It's been popular in England over 100 years." "It goes back much further than that." "Homer writes of greek pugilists in "the iliad."" "And it's related of a certain eurydimas" "That when his teeth were battered in," "He swallowed them rather than show he was hurt." "He won the fight." "Wish I could have been his manager," "We'd have cleaned up." "I'm afraid not." "Eurydimas fought purely for the sport," "In the olympic games." "Euryminus?" "Eurydimas." "It's only me." "Don't shoot." "The fight's all set." "The tickets are sold." "You didn't come out here to tell us that." "No, I come here to tell you I settled with forbes." "He made me an offer and I took it." "At what price?" "That's between me and forbes." "Anyhow, him and his boys'll be at the fight." "So don't make any trouble." "That's what I come here to tell you." "What about the purse?" "Don't worry, it's in my safe." "And it takes three separate keys to open it." "Ohhh!" "Webber, I'm sorry." "Excuse me." "Good night." "I'll see you tomorrow." "I'm beginning to wonder about that guy." "So am I." "It's time we did something to protect our investment." "You haven't forgotten a thing since philadelphia." "It looks like everything's coming off on schedule." "All we got to do now is win it." "I don't like it." "It's too easy." "Why the worry?" "Forbes just decided" "He'd rather take a few bucks less that go against you." "You scared him off." "No sir." "He doesn't scare that easy." "Everything set?" "I got bragg, gil, stoney and five others" "Spotted in the crowd." "We'll handle paladin or any other trouble." "Start when you're ready." "All right." "All right!" "All right, quiet everybody!" "You're about to see what you come for." "The bare knuckle fight of the century." "In this corner," "The american challenger," "Oren gilliam!" "Sorry to disappoint everybody," "But there isn't going to be any fight." "Wait a minute!" "Hold it, please!" "Quiet everybody!" "Gilliam's under arrest." "I'm taking him to jail." "The cause?" "I advise everybody" "To hold still and keep their hands in sight." "My men have the place covered with shotguns." "Wait a minute, forbes!" "You can't take this man." "You're going to stand in the way of the law, paladin?" "I told you once before, no one man is the law." "I figured you'd be a stickler about that." "Gilliam's wanted on a federal warrant" "For beating up a u.S. Marshal in topeka." "Here's the paper to prove it." "This true, oren?" "Well yeah, it happened a couple of years ago." "I didn't kill nobody!" "Just busted him up a little." "You gonna fight federal law, paladin?" "No." "I'm confiscating the purse to this fight." "Gimme the keys to your safe." "I can't, I don't know where they are." "All right, I'll drill it open." "Red, get three of our men" "And have 'em carry the safe to my office." "what about our money?" "Paladin..." "You learning' a little respect for the law?" "You gotta do something!" "Do something quick!" "This mob'll tear this place apart." "And me with it." "You guaranteed this fight." "I guranteed it, that's what I said." "And I wish I'd remembered cervantes' line." "" a closed mouth catches no flies."" "What?" "Anyhow, you promised." "A fight, and so you shall have one." "Red, did you bring your equipment?" "Sure." "Do you know what you're getting yourself into?" "You?" "Me!" "Don't just stand there, go tell the people." "Quiet!" "Quiet, please!" "In a few minutes, you'll get the fight you wanted." "I promise you." "Listen, this guy hits with his right," "So keep your left hand up high." "Stay in close and keep pounding on his ribs." "This guy's got a skull just like a cannonball, so don't hurt your hand." "The bartender's gonna help us." "While he works on you," "I'll tell you what you're doing wrong." "This mob has come here to see a fight." "You give 'em a good one." "I promised you a fight to the finish," "Between the british champion and an american challenger." "That's what you'll get." "In this corner, the british champion," "Bryan sykes." "And now..." "The american challenger," "Bare knuckle champion of the barbary coast..." "I got a new title." "Pride of san francisco," "Paladin!" "Undefeated in 20 fights." "My record gets better every day." "If you can fight as good as he lies, it's in the bag." "This fight will be held under the london prize ring rules." "A round ends when a man falls down," "Or is knocked down." "The fight ends when he can't come to scratch" "At the sound of the bell." "No wrastlin', no eye gouging allowed." "Let's go!" "That's the stuff." "Now you got him." "It was a lucky punch." "Oh, lucky!" "What's the matter with you?" "Ain't you a professional?" "Here's this half-witted so-called gentleman fighter," "And you can't beat him?" "How many times I been down?" "Eight." "Time." "Give this to him between rounds." "We got too many bets out." "We can't take any chances." "Yeah, here it is." "Nice payoff for everybody." "] it's a fake." "It's cut-up newspaper!" "Get your shotgun!" "We're going back and blow that place apart!" "It's gone on long enough." "Finish him off now." "Ahhh!" "Look, that's enough." "I'm throwing in the sponge." "No!" "Take a smell of this." "let me see that." "Chloroform!" "Chloroform?" "Yes, chloroform." "] come on, paladin!" "Let him have it." "Watch his right." "wait a minute, hold it!" "Quiet, everybody!" "Don't move, you're all under arrest!" "I'd advise everybody to hold still," "And keep their hands in sight." "My men have the place covered with shotguns." "Joe!" "Paladin." "You all right?" "Yeah." "Come on." "Listen to this." "The state authorities have finally taken" "The situation in hand in limestone." "After the near recent riot," "Following the bare knuckle fight of the century," "Both sheriff forbes and promoter webber are in jail," "Making charges and counter-charges." "Webber is charging forbes with the theft" "Of the missing fight purse totaling over $4,000." "$4,000." "I'll bet those rats have it hidden somewhere." "How do you usually split your purses?" "Fifty-fifty, why?" "Well, that's the way I split it." "Boy, oh boy." "I wish I could be your manager." "Sorry." "I don't think I was made to keep training rules." "I think I'd rather be a lover than a fighter." "Excuse me." "¶ have gun, will travel, reads the card of a man ¶" "¶ a knight without armor in a savage land ¶" "¶ his fast gun for hire heeds the calling wind ¶" "¶ a soldier of fortune is the man called...¶" "¶ paladin ¶" "¶ paladin, paladin, where do you roam?" "¶"