" Pull up!" " I'm Jamie Wagner." " I'm looking for work." " You're looking in funny places." " You ran away from home?" " No, sir." "Climb down." "Food's cooking." "Mister, maybe I'd better be pushing on." " I gotta be somewhere." " There's nowhere here to go to." "I've got to be at the Nash ranch." "It's too far." "You won't make it tonight." " Are they expecting you?" " No, sir." "Nobody eats without tending to the stock." "You'll find hay in the barn." "Set fire to the place and I'll roast you over the ashes." "Roast me?" "That's a pure Indian thing." "He don't scare me much." "Don't worry, I don't eat kids." "Not when I've got a good side of beef." "If you're still scared of me, sleep in the shed." "Warmer in here, though." "I'm sorry, sir." " I answer to Chino." " Yes, sir." "I almost got stomped to death by a bronco once." "I never did learn nothing by it." "I still work at the same fool trade." " You ever work with horses?" " No, sir." "'Attaboy." "Easy." "Back, back." "Back, back." "Back." "Easy." "Good morning." " You're late getting started, kid." " I have to clean up." "I can't pay you nothing." "Just earning my way for last night's bed and board." "Boy, let your horse rest." "I'll lend you a mount and you can ride with me." " I gotta fetch in a mare." " Yes, sir." "This here's Buck." "Mount him." " You afraid of old Buck?" " No, sir." "Then ease up." "Ride him around a bit." " I see you didn't come off." " He's a real gentle horse." "Buck, gentle?" "That horse is pure mustang." "He seems to ride gentle for me." " Boy, what day is this?" " Wednesday." "I forgot about that buyer." "I gotta drive these horses to town." " Can I help?" " Don't need it." " I'd like to ride Buck some more." " Just stay out of the way." "200 dollars, Chino." "Right?" "Buenos Dias, Indio." "Buenos Dias, Señora." "I can read your dirty mind, Indio." "Stop it!" "Ricardo." "If you please, Mr Jensen." "Ricardo." "Thank you." " Howdy, Lemoine." " Jesus, Chino..." " You didn't hear what he said." " No." " Who's this?" " He's a stray." "Name's Jamie." "Lemoine, keep this for me till morning." " Staying in town tonight?" " Yeah, I'm tired and thirsty." "Boy, take the horses to the stable and buy yourself a decent meal." " I'll be at the Eagle Bar." " Don't make no more trouble." "I'll do my best." "I don't come to town often." "The town couldn't take it often and neither could you." " You work for him?" " Sort of." "You stay with Chino, I don't make trouble." "There's a law for a boy who don't take care of himself." "I can take care of myself." "Oh, no, Chino, please, no." "Not here." "I just got through fixing it up." "There are other bars in town." "Hell, Pete, there's nobody here." "Please, take the bottle some other place." "I'll just sit over there and drink it." "Good morning, gentlemen." "Guess I will drink it someplace else." "Damn it, Chino." "You leave now." "This is for damages." " I came in for a bottle." " Oh, yeah." " What happened?" " We're going back to the ranch." "Good thing I was here to help with the horses." "I've taken those horses to town by myself a hundred times." "But you didn't help out too badly." "To get to the Nash ranch, go down this canyon to a fork." "Take the left one." "After a while you'll see some wagon tracks." "They'll take you right there." "You know, I could feed the horses, clean the stables, too." "Give you more time for the important work." "Winter's coming." "You're gonna need a lot of wood." "I could chop kindling." "Boy I think that horse of yours could do with another day's rest." " What do you think?" " Yes, sir." "Whoa Hold that horse down." "You wanna work, put that saddle on Buck." " What's this mare you're after?" " Brood mare carrying a late foal." " I want her back." " You do that with all your mares?" " No, this one's special." " A mustang?" "Pure through." "All iron guts and shaped like a bottle." "Boy, you ought to catch that one!" "That's Black." "I raised him." " What a beautiful horse." " His papers go back to England." "Probably has his mares bunched back there." "Take a look from the ridge." "But take it easy." "They're a little wild and shy of strangers." "The mare's not here!" "I'm going to track her down." " Is it all right?" " Yeah." "It's a he." " Got me a fine stud." " He acts as if you're its mother." "I guess I'm gonna have to be." "She's had a bad accident." "Get your pillow and put it in front of the stove." "Here you are, that's your bed." "Get a fire going and heat up some water." "What do you think of Banner?" "I'm gonna name him Banner." "Flag was his sire and Banner's a good name." "It is a good name." " There you go, my boy." " I got him." "He don't need more Mama than that." "You don't look like the Mama-sort." "I guess not." "It took me three years to pay for Flag." "The blood in this foal is everything I worked for." "It makes up for a lot of hard times and towns where I wasn't welcome." "I'll be his Mama." "But you tell anybody that and I'll cut your ears off." "Gracias." " I'm looking for Morrel." " Catherine Morrel." "Can I help you?" " Or would you like to wait?" " You're his wife?" " No, I'm his sister." " You sure don't sound like him." " Well, Mr..." " Valdez." "Mr Valdez, I'm his half sister." "My mother was English." "You can pick your friends but you can't pick your relatives." " What do you have against my brother?" " Who is here?" " You put up that fence?" " Yes." "Why?" "One of my mares cut herself to pieces on that goddamn wire." "I had to shoot her." "I'm moving over 1000 head of cattle to graze." "I want it enclosed." "The wire cuts me off from the horse range." " That's my fence on my land." " That land is open range." "Not according to the latest survey." "The Morrel land extends 50 miles north of here!" "If you don't like it here, I'll give you a fair price for your horses!" " Is it true about the survey?" " Yes, I'm afraid it is." "Mr Valdez?" "Could I come out and look at your horses?" " What for?" " I'd like to ride while I'm here." "I've heard yours are the best." "I'd like to buy one." "Come out, I'll have one for you." "Good morning, Mr Valdez." "I'm ready." "I can see that." "And I can see you brought a nurse with you." " She's a beautiful horse." " Her name is Paloma." " When can I ride her?" " Well, I have to..." " What the hell is that?" " That's a side saddle." "A side saddle?" "Are you going to put that on the side of the horse?" "No, my right leg goes around that hook and my left one comes up against that." " I can ride beautifully like that." " Not on one of my horses you can't." "But I wear a skirt." "How else can I ride?" "I can loan you a saddle, but the clothes are your trouble." "Thank you, Mr Valdez." "I'll think of a way to do this properly." " Goodbye, Jamie." " Bye, ma'am." "Harris." " She shouldn't say words like that." " What words?" "Well, she said, "legs"." "Legs?" "What's wrong with legs?" "She's got them, ain't she?" "I reckon." "It's just not a word that a high class lady like her should use." " Why not?" " It isn't considered proper." "A man should be awful careful what he says around ladies, too." "How can you teach a lady to ride if you can't say "legs" or "hands"?" "You can say "hands"." "It's the parts they cover up you can't talk about." "I don't pay mind to women." "I've got more important things to think of." " You do?" " Don't you?" "Yes, but I think about women every now and then." "Not me, I ain't never going to get mixed up with womenfolk." "What a man says and what a man does isn't always the same." "Let's go." "We got work to do." "When I get set on this, jerk the gate open." "Chino!" "Me and that damn Black never did get along." " Are you going to bust him?" " You know what that means?" " Show him you can't be thrown." " No, that ain't all of it." "Busting a horse means exactly that." "You bust him." "That takes all the spunk out of a horse." "It breaks him." "And I ain't about to break a Valdez horse." "I guess me and that Black we just don't like each other." "You got scars all over you." "Where'd you get the one on your back?" "If I told you, I suppose you'd believe me." " Yes, I would." " That's a hell of a thing to say." "How you know what I'm gonna tell you?" "If you said it, I'd know it was so." "Only a fool makes up his mind about a thing before he knows what it is." "Bunch of Indians stole my horses once and I stole them back." "While they was chasing me, I came off my horse and got run over." " Why didn't they kill you?" " Hell, boy, they was my friends." " Good morning." " I've worked the kinks out of her." "Well, mount up." "You won't be needing that." "Well, I'll be damned." "You made yourself a pair of pants." "Mr Valdez, would you please help me up?" "Why do you want to ride a horse when you can't even get on one?" "Ease up." "Miss Morrel, you ain't a wood Indian and you ain't a sack of potatoes." "And that ain't no dumb kept hack you're on, that's a Valdez horse!" "You don't want to fight her or have her carry you like a bedroll either!" " I do feel a little strange this way." " You look a little strange." "Pull up." "The first thing you gotta remember is to squeeze the horse with your..." " What do you call that?" " My knee." " And that?" " My leg." " And that?" " What?" "That's my back." " Those parts are all covered." " Of course they're covered." "What would you say if I was to say "leg"?" " Are you all right, Mr Valdez?" " Yes." "But I don't know about the boy." "You squeeze the horse with your knees and you put your weight in your legs." "Try it again." " It does feel more comfortable." " You don't look more comfortable." "Your knees, your knees." "Put some of that weight in your legs." "That's terrible." "You're still bouncing." " I have to bounce some." " You've got a lot of bouncy parts!" "I guess a woman wasn't made for riding horses." "Mr Valdez, you are crude, insensitive and vulgar." "You're not a man at all, you're a horse!" "I'll send Cruz back to pick up Paloma." "Cruz!" "Jamie, you might still be thinking of finding a job on one of the ranches." "But the hiring season's over." "I'd like to keep you on." " I'll pay you 10 dollars a month." " 10 dollars?" " Ain't that enough?" " You'll see, Chino." "I'll be worth it." "Thanks." "You know, Chino, Christmas is only two weeks." "We ought to have a tree." "A real Christmas tree." "A Christmas tree?" "Yeah." "Didn't you have one where you come from?" "Where I come from there weren't enough trees to cut any down." "Apart from that mustache, you even look like a horse." "Sound like one, too, and scrub your back like one." "Yeah?" "Just turn around and get on out." "I don't think so." "Now that I'm here, I think I'll have a cup of tea." " Don't keep no tea here." " Coffee will do." "Don't mind me, Mr Valdez, I've seen horses wallow in water before." "Continue with your bath." "It looks like such fun." "Is that a fact?" "Well, I'm through, so if you'll hand me that towel..." "Of course you're not through." "You didn't finish washing your back." "I think I'll help you." "Boy!" "Jamie!" "You're not frightened of me, are you, Mr Valdez?" "If you call me Mr Valdez once more, I'll yank you in this tub with me." "Oh, well..." "What do I call you?" "Horse?" " What are you doing here?" " I wanted to show you my new saddle." " Is that all?" " No." "I wanted to ask you something." "I'd like to continue riding." "But if I'm as hopeless as you say I am, it's pointless." "No, I didn't say hopeless." "What I said was terrible." "Well, that's all right then, isn't it?" "You can get out of the bath." "I'll make some coffee and we'll talk about it." "That's amazing." "He comes when you whistle." "I raised that horse from a baby." " Do you ever ride him?" " Some horses weren't meant to saddle." "Let her go, Chino!" "Please!" "Then I'll have to catch her again." "Please!" "I'm going to have to work without bringing you along." "I'm sorry, Chino." "Why'd you get so upset?" "I couldn't stand to see her frightened." "I felt as if it were me." "You ain't got any of your brother in you." "If you had, I wouldn't have all this feeling for you." "Nice foal." "Very fine looking." " First one, huh?" " First one born on this range." "Your roots are beginning to take hold." "Yes, it's coming along." "The wild horse man making himself a home." "Soon you'll have curtains in your windows." " You like it here?" " It's got good grass, good water." " Get to the point, Morrel." " All right." "Listen carefully." " You're not to see my sister again." " What's she got to say about this?" "Nothing." "I say it!" "You try to see her again, I'll burn your place down and run you out." "I've got work to do." "Chino, as long as you're on my land, you do as I say!" "Vamonos!" "Come here, girl." "That's a girl." "Come here." "Come here, girl." "Come here, girl." "Come here, girl." "Come here, girl." "Come here, girl." "Good horse." "Boy?" "We've got some packing to do." "We're gonna take a trip." "Black, you take good care of your ladies!" "That's how the Indians bury their dead." "They want to be close to the sun." "Take these horses off to the side." "Hurry, now." " Jamie." " Jamie." "Jamie." "That's Little Bear." "I scalp him every time, but he never gives up trying." "Jamie." "Don't let it bother you." "They don't see yellow hair much." "When they get the pack off the horse, you picket them." "I have work to do." "Me Jamie." " Jamie." " Yeah." "What's your name?" "Oh yeah, it's a good name." "Very nice." "Very nice." "Good." "Want to trade?" "Good knife." "Two blades." "Trade." "Understand?" "Trade." "Yeah?" "Come on in, boy." "I couldn't get to sleep over there." "I thought Indians were quiet." " Take that bunk." " Thanks." "Were these the Indians that ran over you?" "Yeah, the very same ones." "I used to live with them." "I was coming north from Texas." "Searching for a place, like you are." "I came through this rough country and fell in with a band of Cheyenne." "The way they invited me to stay I couldn't do otherwise." " They captured you?" " Nobody knew for certain." "I liked the free way they lived, so I stayed and we became friends." " Why did you leave?" " Soon there won't be many left." "Nor men like me." "Anyway, I wanted a place of my own and I got one now." "I also got a problem." "I'm up here to think things out." "Chino How long are we going to stay?" "We leave first thing in the morning." "Thanks." "Thanks." "Thanks." " Moccasins." " Look like moccasins." "I traded my knife." "The good one I had." "It was this Indian girl that made them." "You came out here to grow up, didn't you?" " And you're growing up." " Yes, sir." " Well, here's your tree." " Gosh!" "Get cleaned up, we're going into town." "What are they doing?" "Acting out something that happened a long time ago." "The statues are Joseph and the Virgin Mary looking for shelter." "The Christ child is about to be born." "Go over and make yourself some friends." "We don't have much time." " Your brother came to see me." " I know, Chino." " He warned me to stay away from you." " I don't care." "I've been thinking." "And I've made up my mind." "We ought to get married." "Oh, Chino." "I'll take the other door." "I'll talk to the priest and take care of everything." "See you in church the morning after Christmas." "All right, everybody to jail." "Boy, you go back to the ranch." "You won't see Chino for a while." "Chino!" "Sheriff let me out for Christmas." "I'll be damned." "That's the prettiest Christmas tree I've ever seen." "I got something for you." "I made it myself." "That's a fine piece of work, Jamie." "I've got something for you, too." "This is ten times better than my last knife." "This turned out to be a good Christmas." "I bet it's even better than Morrel's." "Even though he's got money and a big house and everything." "This house ain't big, but it's solid." "I built it myself, too." "And now that I'm going to get married." "Married?" "Yes." "I'm going to marry Catherine, Jamie." "About time I raised a family as well as horses." " That means you'll live at Morrel's." " Why would I do that?" " You're not going to bring her here?" " A woman goes where her man is." "I know the place needs fixing up." "All I gotta do is add a room or two off the bedroom." "And I'll get one of them big Franklin stoves so she can do some baking as well as cooking." "A couple of hide rugs on the floor." "I'll need a new bed." "So she won't have to boil her clothes, she can use this trough here." "I'll get her a new washing board and one of them clothes wringers." "I'd better put Macho in the stable." " Where's Chino?" " I'm waiting for him." "Go home." "You are not to marry him." "You can't tell me what to do." "If you insist, I will kill him." "It's your choice." "But you remember, in the future, my life is my own." "Padre?" "You have to forgive me, father." "Enough." "If I see you on my land after today, I won't stop the whip   until you're dead." "Let's go!" "I'll get the sheriff!" "I'll get the doctor!" "Just help me get to the wagon." "Little Bear!" "Little Bear!" "Chino's hurt!" "Chino!" " Chino." " What's wrong?" " I thought you were dead." " I don't die that easy." "Jamie, you did the right thing, bringing me here." "You go back to the ranch and take care of things." "I'll be there." "Chino!" "I picked up your hat in town today." "Chino, what are you going to do?" "I'm going to have a cup of coffee, and tomorrow we got work to do." "They say, in town, if you stay here, they'll run you out or even kill you." "No, they won't kill me." "I've left a lot of places but only when I wanted to." " She shouldn't have done that." " Don't say anything more about it." "It's all over." " What is it?" " Something's wrong." "That's the first one, Indian!" "Your stud horse is next!" "Why, Chino, why?" "Go back and get your stuff packed." "There's the stud." "Let's go get it." "Venga!" "Take him." "He's shooting his horses." "No, he's spooking them." "If he doesn't keep them, nobody does." "Morrel, I'm leaving!" "Just say the word, and he's a dead man." "Put your guns down." "It's over." "Jamie, you can have Buck, but keep in mind he's a Valdez horse." "I want to go with you." "No." "We go different ways." "You've got your own life." "Goodbye, Chino."