"Thomas, a big fella, about 6'4", riding that Appaloosa stud out there, he came in here a little while ago?" "He in the washroom." "He shaves." "He cleans up." "Thanks." "Hi, Cole." "That's a voice I'd know anywhere." "J.P. Harrah." "Wait till I get some of this soap out of my eyes." "I heard you were made sheriff..." "What's the idea of the gun?" "Just till I find out which side you're on, Cole." "What do you mean?" "I heard you were working for Bart Jason." "Nothing's set yet." "He offered me good money, but I haven't found out what I have to do to earn it." " Would you like to hear?" " Yeah, go ahead." "Cole, that's about close enough to that gun." "I just wanted to see if you'd slowed down any." " Not that much." " What were you saying about Jason?" "Well, he showed up here around the end of the war with a pocketful of money." "Nobody seems to be able to find out where he got it from, but everybody else around here was broke." "You know how it was then." "Yeah, all over Texas." "Well, having money, he started to grow." "Now he can't grow any bigger until he gets more water." "There's only one place to get it." "Trouble is, somebody was there ahead of him, about 20 years ahead." "Man named Kevin MacDonald got here when there was nothing but Indians and coyotes." "Mr Macdonald's got four boys and a girl, and they've all worked real hard." "They hung together through all the rough times, and now that things are beginning to look up, MacDonald's in no mind to sell." "So he's holding and Jason's pushing, and I'm standing right in the middle." " It's not the way it was told to me." " That's the way it is, Cole." "I guess you're supposed to take care of me." "Well, not that I couldn't do it, Harrah, but I don't think I'd like that." "I'm glad to hear you say that." "Not that I couldn't handle you, but I don't think I'd like that, either." "Suppose I tell Jason that I had a long talk with you and you scared me off." " Good enough?" " Good enough." "Well, you can put that thing down now." "Something familiar about that gun." "I just had it fixed up the way you had yours." "You got lucky with it." "I thought I'd try it." "Cole Thornton, you decent?" "You better be, 'cause I'm coming in." "It's good to see you." "You know, when they told me you were here, I didn't believe them." "I thought you'd forgotten all about me." "I thought that..." "Hi, J.P." " What's so funny?" " This whole thing." "Do you know what she's laughing about?" "I gather you knew him before you knew me." "Before you?" "I knew her when she was a kid!" " Didn't you know that, J. P?" " No." "You never mentioned that." "Up until now, I thought you had good taste." "And up until now, I thought she had good taste." "I'm awful glad you two are friends." "We may not be when we think this thing over." "If you hurt him, I'm through with both of you." "You know something, Cole, I think we better get ourselves a new girl." " Yeah." " Better not." " Why not?" " I'm girl enough for both of you." " Say, can I buy you a drink?" " Well, I'd like that very much, but I promised J.P. I'd do something for him." "Didn't I?" " Yes, you did." " Course, if you want to do my errands..." "No." "You do your own work, Cole." "Will you buy us that drink a couple of hours from now?" "Yeah." "Sure will." "Where is this Bart Jason's place?" "Well, you take the main road north out of town, and after you cross the creek," " you come to a big rock." " Big rock." "That's right." "That's MacDonald's boundary." " MacDonald's?" " Yeah." "You ride east from there about three miles, and you get to Bart Jason's ranch." "Maudie, remember, I'm coming back." " I left some things..." " I'll take care of it." "Thanks." " You mad at me, J. P?" " You know better than that, Maudie." "You must like that man." "Want me to tell you about him?" " You don't have to tell me about Cole." " I know I don't." "That's why I want to." "I met Cole right after my husband was killed." " I did tell you that." " Yeah, you told me." "Well, there I was, stranded, a gambler's widow, not a chip to my name." "Cole was awful good to me." "Gave me a stake." "Helped me get on my feet." "Never would take a..." "I don't know, J.P., with Cole and me, I guess it's a..." "I'll always think of him as a..." " He's a top hand." " I guess so." "Yeah, well, Cole always was pretty lucky." " Have you known him a long time?" " Yeah, I've known him a long time." "Since before the war." "We've travelled some together." "Sure, I know what that means." "It means either you saved his life or he saved yours, or both." "And neither one of you will talk about it." " Men." " Would you like it set to music, Maudie, with a full orchestra?" " I'll see you, Maudie." " Hey, don't forget to come back." "Well, I'm certainly not gonna leave you alone with him." "You're not a friend." "Hell!" "MacDonald!" "Captain MacDonald." "Howdy, Roy." "Something wrong?" "Doc Miller sent me out, said to tell you Bart Jason hired himself a gun hand," "Cole Thornton, and Thornton rode out there about an hour ago." "Doc wanted you to know." " Said tell you to be careful." " Thanks, Roy." "Tell Doc I'm much obliged to both of you." "Matt, you and Saul stay with me." "We'll take these horses back to the ranch." "Joey, get out to the west part and tell Jared to get back" " to the ranch as soon as he can." " Okay, Pa." " Luke!" " Yes, Pa?" "Get up there on that rock." "If you see anybody coming, fire a shot in the air." "That will give us a little warning." " All right, Pa." " Wait a minute!" "I ain't finished yet!" "As soon as you fire that shot, you jump on your horse and hightail it, you hear?" "I hear you, Pa." "All right, let's go!" " Where can I find Mr Jason?" " He's up at the main house." "Mr Jason, you got a visitor." " Cole Thornton?" " That's right." "I'm Bart Jason." "Been expecting you." "Get off your horse and make yourself comfortable." "I won't be here long enough for that." "Here's what's left of your expense money." "Sorry about the rest of it, but that's the chance you take." "I've decided against working for you." "Before you even talked about it?" "No, you wouldn't do that." "You must have talked to somebody." "I did." "The sheriff." "His story's a little different from yours." "Well, perhaps the law doesn't quite see it my way." "Since when did hired guns get choosy?" " You're paid to take..." " I'm paid to risk my neck, and I'll decide where and when I'll do it." "This isn't it." "You know, Thornton, I got an idea you just don't want to go up against Sheriff J.P. Harrah." "You know, you're just about right." " You think he's that good?" " I tell you he's that good." "And, Mr Jason, I see you don't wear a gun, so I guess you always hire it done." "So I'll give you a little piece of advice." "If this bunch is all you've got, don't tangle with Harrah, 'cause they don't look tough enough to me to stomp a stringy jackrabbit." "Well, Thornton, if that's the way you think, I don't want you." "Well, that's good enough..." "Hey, fancy vest!" "Go ahead and pull that rifle if you want to, but you better speak to your boss before you use it, 'cause he'll be dead before I hit the ground." "Don't be a damn fool, Joe." "Get over there and stand with the others where he can see you." "I'll remember what you said, Mr Thornton." "You do that." "Don't shoot no more, mister." "Please?" "I won't." "Let me have a look at it." "It's bad, isn't it?" "It isn't good." "My insides feel like they're on fire." "Maybe I can make you more comfortable..." "No, don't touch me!" "Please, don't." "What's your name, son?" "MacDonald, Luke MacDonald." "I can't stand it." " Kevin MacDonald's boy?" " One of them." "I'm gonna have to get you home." "No." "No, don't move me." "Please, don't move me." "It's no use." "I know it ain't no use." "My pa told me." "Just don't touch me." "Well..." " There were two shots, Pa." " I heard them." " Well, Luke oughta be back by now." " I know that." "Oh, no." " Are we going, Pa?" " Where?" "Pa, Luke could be in bad trouble." "If he is, we won't be any help to him now." "He went there to warn us." "He's warned us." "We're better off here where there's some cover." "Saul, find a good place inside that shed." "Jose and Miguel, go with him." "Danny, Felipe, come here." "Over behind that wall." "You gals, get in the house." " Matt, we'll wait inside." " All right, Pa." "Matt, get over to that window." "Don't do anything till I say." "MacDonald!" "Kevin MacDonald!" "Come out and get your boy." " He's dead, ain't he?" " He's dead." "Jose, Miguel, get him down from there." " What happened?" " Luke." "He's been killed." "Well, I'm waiting to hear what happened." "Well, I'll tell you what happened." "You left a boy out there to do a man's job." "He went to sleep." "When I came by, he woke up, jumped up and started firing his gun." "All I saw was somebody shooting at me from the rocks." " Cole Thornton?" " Yes, ma'am." "I don't believe you." "Well, I don't care much, miss, whether you do or not." "Pa's handling this." "Just wait." "Get in the house, girl." "You said he was asleep." "How do you know he was asleep?" "He told me that." "He told me his name." "That's how I knew where to bring him, and he said you told him what happens to a man that's gut-shot, how he hasn't got much of a chance." "Did you tell him that?" "Yeah." "I told him that." "Well, then you're partly to blame." "You'll find two bullets in him." "One of them's mine." "He was hurting worse than he could stand, had a handgun that I didn't see." "Any more questions you want to ask?" "No." "I guess you're telling the truth." "I guess if you weren't, you would never have brought him here." "I'm much obliged to you for that." "It don't help much." "I reckon you won't shoot any more little boys, mister." "Next time you shoot somebody, don't go near them till you're sure they're dead." "I don't know why you're still alive." "I don't know how I missed you from that range." "You didn't miss." "Now get out of here." "J.P., open that window, will you?" "There, that's better." "The smell of that chloroform was putting me to sleep." "Better hold him, Maudie." "Don't let him move too sudden." "All right." "He'll be waking up now." "It's all right, Cole." "It's Maudie." "It's all right." " All right, Maudie." " Okay." " Who are you?" " The name's Miller." "Some people call me a doctor, and some other things, but I'm the only one in town." "Did you get the bullet out?" "Nope." "Well, then why this bandage?" "Let's get to it." " I can't." " Why not?" "Because I'm not good enough." "That bullet's right up against your spine." "If I go hacking around in there to get it," "I'll only finish what somebody else started." "So, what happens?" "Well, you'll heal all right, but when you get to a big town, find a doctor who knows more than I do, one of them newfangled squirts." "They'll fix you up in no time, but don't wait too long to do it." "Any chance of getting some coffee or a shot of whisky around here?" " Linda?" " Linda, bring both of them." " Doctor, can he be moved?" " Sure, in a couple of hours, but don't go bouncing him around." "He can stay here." "I'll make him comfortable." "Well, I've got a fine bed over at my place." "It's narrow and it's hard and it's uncomfortable, but he won't get bounced around." "Señor Bull." "He comes." "Bull always announce his arrival that way?" "Same way, different tune." "You better let him in." "What's that you're blowing, Bull, advance or retreat?" "Nary one." "Couldn't let one of General Hood's Texas Cavalry boys go away" " without playing goodbye." " Who's going away?" "Cole's lighting out." "He's leaving tonight." "You got any objections, Doc, I don't want to hear them." "I'm glad to get you off my hands." "Where you going?" "Sonora." "Folks down there got a silver mine, a little trouble." "Think I might be of help." "Well, I brung along a little redeye, in case the sheriff runs out." "Somehow I reckon he has." "Been here a long time." "Nobody's offered me a drink." " Well, why didn't you speak up, Bull?" " I thought you'd never ask." "Maudie, get him a glass, will you?" "Well, what do we drink to first?" "Maudie." "I guess I should have told you." "Cole, sometimes you..." "I was hoping to see you alone before you left." " It's better this way, Maudie." " Come back, will you?" " I will, when..." " When you can forget Luke MacDonald, and when you can look at the other MacDonalds and not feel you owe them?" "Pretty wise for a kid, Maudie." "I think you must be the only person who thinks of me as a kid, Cole." " I reckon I really don't." " Please don't." "I'll see you, Maudie." "Hey!" " That the way you make your living?" " By golly, Cole, it sure is good to see you." "What sheriff would hire you for a deputy?" " You're looking at him." "Hiya, Cole." " Dodd Draper." "The last time I saw you two, you were 10 jumps ahead of a posse, raising dust for Mexico." "Hey, heard you got shot." "Yeah, but that was six or seven months ago." "How about supper?" "I'll buy you a beer, too." " We'd like to, but we're working men." " How about that cantina up the street?" " Good place to eat?" " Good as any." "You sticking around?" " Day or two." " Well, we'll see you later, Cole." "Señor, your dinner will be ready in one minute." "Fix something to eat." " Plenty of it." " Right away." " Something to drink, also." " Coming up." "Five and a one." " Charlie Hagan." " Yeah?" "You want something from me?" "You don't remember me, do you?" "No." "You remember this hat?" "Well, why in the hell would I remember a hat?" "You killed the man that was wearing it." "Ladies." "Just who was this fella I killed, a friend of yours?" " Yeah, I guess you could say that." " When did I do this, boy?" "Two years ago come September." "You and three others." "Natchez, Under-the-Hill, on the Mississippi." "There was a gambler name of Johnny Diamond, and he was kind of an old man." "Shouldn't have taken four of you." " Do you remember, Charlie?" " Yeah, I remember." " He was a cardsharp." "He was cheating." " No." "No, he was good." "He didn't have to cheat." "It really shouldn't have taken four of you, Charlie." "No, it shouldn't have." "Well, I'm sure glad you remember, Mr Hagan." " The other three did." " The other three?" "Yeah." "I caught up with them." "You're the last." "Now I think you better stand up." "Stand up, Charlie." "I'm curious to see how he does this." "He doesn't have a gun, and like he said, it shouldn't have taken four of you." "Stand up, Charlie." "You, with the hat." "You killed Charlie 'cause he killed your friend, right?" "That's right." "Well, it happens Charlie was a good friend of mine." "So let's see if you can do that trick twice!" "I'd let it drop, friend." " Me?" " You." "Hope you don't mind." "Always seems to take more than one, doesn't it?" "That's because they're no good." " Pick up your gun." " What?" "You want to try again now?" "Pick up your gun." " Against him or you?" " Me first." " Why should you go first?" " Pick it up." " Now just a second..." " Tell me about it later." " I'll tell you now..." " Shut up!" "Go on." "You were plenty willing when you had a kid..." "Hold it." "Hold it." "Don't get mad, mister." "Before you start anything, I can't afford to lose another man." "You promise to take Milt's place?" "You got a lot of faith in me, don't you, Nelse?" "Faith can move mountains, Milt, but it can't beat a faster draw." "There's only three men I know with his kind of speed." "One's dead, the other's me, and the third is Cole Thornton." " There's a fourth." " Which one are you?" "I'm Thornton." "Aren't you glad you didn't try, Milt?" "Pick up your guns, both of you, real easy." "Like he said, real easy." "And take him out of here." "Thornton, I'd like to talk to you." " I'm Nelse McLeod." " I thought so." "Pretty far off your range, aren't you?" " A little." "Can I buy you a drink?" " Why not?" "You, too." "Glasses." " You working now, Thornton?" " No." " Is it all right if music play now, señor?" " Yeah, sure." "You say you're not working." " What do you say if I try to hire you on?" " First, I'd ask about the money." " Money's good." " And then I'd ask about the job." "Well, good evening." "Thanks for the drink, gentlemen." " Just a minute, son." " I am not your son." "My name is Alan Bourdillion Traherne." " Lord almighty." " Yeah." "Well, that's why most people call me Mississippi." " Mississippi?" " I was born on the river in a flat boat." "You're pretty good with that knife." " Can you use a gun?" " Well, if I could, I'd be using one." "Good evening." "Just a minute, Mississippi." "Would you mind telling me why you have such a great passion for my company?" "Will you just relax for a couple of minutes?" "You were telling me about the job." "There's a little range war up in the El Dorado country." "El Dorado?" "Mind telling me who hired you?" "Fella named Bart Jason." " Do you know him?" " We met." "He offered me the job a few months back." "I didn't take it." "You know who you're going up against?" "Yeah." "The sheriff, J.P. Harrah." "Understand he used to be pretty good with a gun." "Not just pretty good, McLeod." " He's the..." " The fourth man" " you were telling me about." " That's right." "Well, he used to be." "He's not any more." " Well, what happened?" " What usually happens to a man, a woman." "Seems like he tangled with some wandering petticoat." "He's been drunk ever since." "You figure to move in before he sobers up or before they get a new sheriff." " And you're not coming in?" " No." "I suppose you have your reasons." "It's probably just as well." "Two like us in the same bunch, sooner or later we'd have to find out which one of us is faster." "Yeah." "I guess you're right." "So long, Thornton." "I thought we were going." "Mississippi, just listen." "McLeod, would you like to walk out that door first, ahead of us?" " Nope." "I don't believe I would." " I didn't think so." " Pedro, Milt, can you hear me?" " We hear you." "I'm coming out." "Where are you?" "Over here!" "Come on out." "Further, into the light." "Hurry." "Now, drop your guns." "Come over here." "Inside." " That all right, Thornton?" " Good enough." "Mississippi, get their guns." "If it's all right with you, McLeod, we'll drop them at the sheriff's office and your boys can pick them up on their way out of town." " Sounds reasonable." " Much obliged." "Call it professional courtesy." "Want to get something to eat, Mississippi?" "Mr Thornton, I would've walked right out here, right into those two fellas, if you hadn't stopped me." " I asked you if you were hungry." " I'm trying to thank you." "I'm hungry." "That shivaree you put on in there interrupted my supper." "Wore out our welcome." "Now we'll have to find someplace else to eat." " Now?" " Now." " What?" " She wants to know if you want something else?" "Just coffee." " Not very hungry?" " No, not so much." " Little green around the gills." " Yeah." "I just finished something tonight I've been two years doing." "What do you figure on doing next, go back to the river?" "I haven't thought much about what I'm gonna do next." "The river won't be the same without old..." "Well, if you're gonna stay around here, I've got two pieces of advice for you." "Get rid of that hat." "Learn how to use a gun." "I don't figure on getting rid of that hat." " No?" " No." "Johnny Diamond, he's the friend I..." "The man that raised me." "All he left behind was a gold watch and his hat." "Had to sell that gold watch a year or so back, so I guess I'll just hang onto that hat." "What about learning to use a gun?" "Johnny didn't believe in guns." " He always thought..." " He's dead." "Think about that, unless you can learn to stay out of trouble." "That's one thing even old Johnny couldn't teach me to do." "Well, I'll be moving along." "Good luck to you." "You don't suppose I could ride along with you?" " No." " Well, that's plain enough." "Well, I hope everything works out all right." " What works out?" " Whatever it is you're going to do." "Pay for the meal, will you?" "So long." "Hold it, Cochise." "Steady, boy." "Won't take a minute." "Cole!" "Cole Thornton!" "Where are you?" "Close enough to blow your hat off if I hadn't recognised it." " What are you doing here?" " Looking for you." "Know better than to follow a man that way?" "I'm sorry." "I didn't know there was another way." " Well, you almost got shot." " Hey, you fall off your horse?" " Yeah." " You hurt?" "No." "Well, there's something the matter with you." "Look, I got a bullet in my back." "Sometimes it presses against something, and I get a screaming pain, and then there's nothing." "It goes numb, and I can't use this hand." " How long does that last?" " Just for a while." "Why are you following me?" "Well, I got to thinking about what you're gonna do." "And just what am I gonna do?" "You're going to that town El Dorado and help your friend against" " McLeod and his bunch." " How do you know he's my friend?" "That look on your face when you heard he turned into a drunk." "Well, this thing's wearing off." "Give me a hand up on my horse." "You sure your friend's worth helping?" "You just spent two years chasing some fellas that killed a friend of yours." "You think your friend was worth two years?" " I guess I asked a fool question." " You did." "Give them a breather." "Slow them down." "I was wondering, just how good is this McLeod?" "I don't know firsthand, but they say he's one of the best." "I figure he'd be pretty mad, you turning him down and showing up on the other side." " I hope he is." " How come?" "Fella in his business hasn't got a right to get mad." "He gets mad, he's not so good, so the madder he gets, the better I like it." "Sure wish I was there to see that." "Why do you want to keep sticking your nose in this?" "Maybe I could help." "You saved my life two times." "But I'm gonna be too busy to keep doing that." " You can't even use a gun." " You could teach me." "I need somebody to teach me." "Johnny Diamond always told me to get the best." "Well, he was right there, but you're not going to El Dorado." " I'm not?" " No, you're not." ""Gaily bedight, a gallant knight" ""In sunshine and in shadow Had journeyed long..."" " What's that all about?" " Just a poem." "One of Johnny Diamond's favourites." "Let's see." ""Gaily bedight, a gallant knight" ""In sunshine and in shadow Had journeyed long, singing a song" ""In search of El Dorado" ""Over the mountains of the moon Down the valley of the shadow" ""Ride, boldly ride"" "Always liked that poem, too." " Makes me want to..." " Ride, boldly ride?" " Well, it don't work out that way." " I'm learning that." "Oh, hell." "Hold it, Cochise." " Step down off that horse." " You always giving people orders?" "You wanted to learn to shoot." "Right out there." "Hold it, Mississippi." "That's no way to use a handgun." "You got to draw and fire, and you better be quicker than somebody else who's doing the same thing." "Like this." "I see." "How's that?" "Were you aiming at that cholla?" "No." "The place you were shooting at." "Afraid it's useless." "Well, we'll be passing through Cuervo." "I'll have a talk with the Swede." " Who's the Swede?" " An old friend of mine." "A gunsmith." "This is the place." " Why, Cole Thornton!" " Swede, good to see you." "And what brings you around here?" "Well, I'm looking for a gun for a fella that can't shoot." " Mississippi." "Swede Larsen." " Hi." "How are you?" " Can you help us out?" " Yah." "I think I got just the gun you're looking for." "Well, good." " How wide will that shot spread?" " Well, now..." "I mean, how big a pattern?" "I don't know, but the fella who used it before, he couldn't see too good." "He just shoot where he hear somebody talk." " What happened to him?" " He has a fight in a saloon." "The piano player, he make so much noise, he couldn't hear the other man, so he just shoot the piano player, and they hung him." " Looks pretty good to me." " Shoots good, too." "How about ammunition?" "Four or five boxes ought to be enough." "Good." "Well, Mississippi, looks like what you need." "Yeah, sure is." "Pay the man." "Swede." "Cole, you come back soon." "A likely spot to try that new gun." "Try that cactus." "You can't miss with that." "It's all right." "How far is it from here to El Dorado?" "We'll be in there around midnight." "Well, where are we headed for?" " To see a girl." " To see a girl?" "Yes, a girl!" "Don't you think I can know a girl?" " Always make you mad, don't I?" " Mostly." "Hold it." "This." "Yeah, this is it." "Cole." "Cole!" "Maudie, keep it quiet." "I've got to talk to you." "I'll let you in." "Keep your eyes open." "You sure pick the darnedest times to..." "Who's your friend?" "My name is Alan Bourdillion Traherne, ma'am..." "Just call him Mississippi for now." "Hi, Mississippi." "Stay out here and watch." " Couldn't I..." " No." "Cole, I'm so glad to see you." "I got so many things to tell you." "And, Maudie, there's a lot of things I ought to say to you, but first I've got to have some answers." " Are there any strangers in town?" " No." " No." "I'd have known if there were." " Well, this one you'd have noticed." "He's a dark, thin-faced man with a scar here and a marled eye." " Nelse McLeod." " Nelse, I've heard of him." "Should've had four or five riders with him." " He's not here yet." " Well, good." "At least we beat them in." "Now, about J.P." " Want the whole story?" " Just don't make it too long." "After you left, I didn't see much of him." "He'd drop in for a drink once in a while." "I guess he was lonely." "Then one day, a girl came into town, just stepped off the stage and, well, you know what kind..." "Yeah." "She probably had big, sad eyes and a long sad story." " That's his type." " Yeah." "She was no good." "I tried to tell him, so did others." "Bull told him." "He knocked Bull down." "So J.P. Had to find out the hard way." "She ran off with a drummer." "He's..." "He's not been sober since." "It's been about two months." "Well, that, he's gonna have to get over in a hurry." "Is he over at the jail?" "He's still sheriff, though I don't know why." "Well, we'll mosey over..." "Have you got a room for Mississippi and me?" "Sure." " Hey, have you eaten anything lately?" " No." "I'll have something ready for you when you get back." "I'm glad you're here." " Don't tell anybody you saw us." " I won't." " Well, I found one thing out." " What's that?" "You know a girl." "Hold it!" "That's as far as you can come now," "unless you got some business here." "I sure have got business here, Bull." " Cole Thornton." " Cole Thornton!" "If it hadn't been so dark, I might've spotted you, and might have anyhow if I hadn't been trying to figure out what that other fella there has got on top of his head." " It's called a hat." " Well, I'll have to take your word for it." "He's a friend of mine." "They call him Mississippi." " Glad to know you." " Bull." "Glad you're here, Cole." "Our friend the sheriff ain't so good." "I just talked to Maudie." "He's back there sleeping." "Being as how you've known him longer than I have, you know enough to be careful how you wake him up, because he's a bad one when he's drinking." "He ain't put that stopper back in that bottle in a coon's age." "Yeah, I know." "You got someplace where you can put these horses under cover?" " Sure." " Give him a hand, Mississippi." "Bull, I'd just as soon everybody didn't know we were back in town yet." " What's up, something in the wind?" " Jason starting some more trouble." "I ain't surprised." "I got an itch on the back of my neck like I used to get when a Comanche was around and I couldn't see him." "Hey!" "Damn you, Bull." "Damn." "What the hell are you doing here?" "I'm looking at a tin star with a drunk pinned on it." "Cole Thornton." "How about that?" "How about that?" "It's good old Cole." "Help me up out of here, Cole." "Come on, just pull me right on up." "Cole!" "He won't feel it." "Well, I owe him one." "Either one of you know a fast way to sober a man up?" "Bunch of howling Indians out for hair will do it quicker than anything I know." "Johnny Diamond had a recipe." "Let's see." "Cayenne pepper, mustard, the hot kind, ipecac, asafetida, and oil of cloves, or was it..." "No, it was croton oil." "Croton oil?" "I'll be a suck-egg mule!" "You know what that mixture'll do to a fella?" "Guaranteed to kill or cure." "Bull, you know where you could get that stuff this time of night?" "Greener's store would have it." " May have to wake him up." " Go on with him, Mississippi." "Make sure he doesn't forget anything." "Look out, Cole!" "Well, aren't you gonna get that stuff?" " Well..." " He's all right!" "Just get it before he wakes up again." "Sure." "Let's see." "We got ipecac and mustard and cayenne." "That leaves us asafetida." "Are you sure that Johnny Diamond wasn't an embalmer?" " Here's your gunpowder." " Gunpowder?" "Yeah, Mississippi remembered it on the way to the store." " Well, put it in, Bull." " All of it?" "All of it." "I hope you don't blow him up." "Yeah, it looks done." "Well, let's get it into him." "Bull, you sit on his legs." " Cole, pin down his arms." " Don't worry about us." "Just get a hold of his nose." "If he can't breathe, he'll have to swallow." "Give him an extra one for me." "All down." "Let's get out of here!" "Lock him in!" " Bull?" " Yeah!" " We're coming in." " Come ahead!" " Howdy, Cole, Mississippi." " How's our friend?" "Nary a peep." "Not even a move." "Not one twitch in the last two hours." "You reckon he'll be all right, Cole?" "Better ask Mississippi." "It's his concoction." "I don't know how all right he'll be, but he won't be drinking anything for a little while, I can tell you that." "How come?" "It does something to a man's stomach so it naturally won't hold any liquor." " You sure of that?" " Well, sure I'm sure, given he's human." "Well, he's human, all right." "He's got to be." "No other critter on earth would make such a fool of itself." "Hey, Bull." "Come open this door." "He's still drunk." "Open it yourself!" "It ain't even locked!" "My friends, my dear good friends." "You dirty, lousy, rotten, sheep-herding..." "What did you do to me?" "What did you give me?" "I'm all crawling inside." "Just hang on, Sheriff." "It'll fetch you around." " Who are you?" " We met last night." "Last night?" "When was that?" " All right." "Come on, Bull." "Where is it?" " Top drawer of your desk." " Nobody going to try and stop me?" " Nobody." "Well, that's a good thing." "You dirty..." "Cole, take a look." "Come on!" "Go on, giddap!" "All right, Bull, you better wake up." "Bart Jason just brought his outfit into town." " Could be to meet McLeod." " Yeah, could be." " Are you going to tell the sheriff?" " No, let him sleep." "Here comes some more of them." "You gals go on down to the store and do your shopping." "We'll meet you back here, and stay together now." "Go on with them, Joey." "Dusty out there." "Who are those people that just come in?" "The MacDonalds." "They come to town every Saturday afternoon." "This is one Saturday I wish they hadn't." "Bull, wouldn't it be a good idea if you hung around where the MacDonalds are?" " Yeah, I guess I'd better." " Kinda watch out for them." "We'll keep an eye on our friend across the street." "If there's any trouble down my way and I need you, I'll toot my bugle, and you come running." ""Toot my bugle."" "Hello, J.P." "Hi." "Can you see a little clearer from here?" "Hey, Cole." " How long you been here?" " I got in last night." "Did we have a fight or something?" "Or something." "Yeah." "Well, what are you doing here, Cole?" "Why are you here?" "I'm waiting for a fella." "Name's Nelse McLeod." " Nelse McLeod with the..." " That one." " Want some coffee?" " No, I don't want coffee." "I met him down near the border." "Said he wanted me to work with him on a job." "Range war." "But he said it'd be easy." "All we had to worry about was a drunken sheriff." "Sure you don't want some coffee?" "Nelse McLeod, and he's working for Jason?" " That's what he said." " Well?" "I turned the job down." "Well, then why are you here, Cole?" "I owe the MacDonalds." "Is that enough?" "Yeah, that's..." "That's plenty, Cole." "Cole, I got to have a drink." " You won't find anything around here." " Why?" "I told Bull to throw it away." "Now would you like a cup of coffee?" "No, I don't want any coffee, Cole." "I want a drink!" " Can't you see it?" "I've got to have it." " Well, go get one." " Where's my hat?" " Is this yours?" "Who are you?" "We met last night and again this morning." "Now, is this your hat?" "No, it's not my hat, but it'll do." " Let me have some whisky." " Just hold your horses, Sheriff." "Good evening, Sheriff." "Here you are." "I don't want a drink." "I want the whole bottle." "Well, I'll have to fill one up for you." " Isn't that..." " That's McLeod, all right." " Well, well, I'm glad to see you." " Jason." "I've been waiting for you." "I brought some boys with me here." " Hi." " Hello." "Hi." "Nelse, it's a good time to introduce you to the man I wanted you to meet." "Sheriff." "This is Nelse McLeod." "McLeod, this is J.P. Harrah, the sheriff of El Dorado." "He's the man who's responsible for keeping order in this town." "Here you are, Sheriff." "He's just getting his evening bottle." "Don't you think you better get out of the middle of the street?" "Cole." "Cole, they laughed at me." "Right in front of McLeod, they just laughed at me." "They've been laughing at you for a couple of months." "You just haven't been sober enough to hear it." "They'll laugh no more." "I'll show them." " What's that?" " Bull!" " Needs help!" " What is it?" "Wait a minute." "Now, wait for..." " Wait for me!" " Why?" "Cole, over here!" "The men that done it took off down this way!" "Just a minute!" "Jared, I asked you not to come." "I asked you." "Seems like you're always around, Thornton, when one of my boys get hurt." " How is he?" " He's alive." "Joey's gone for the doctor." "Who did it?" "Matt, you were with Jared." "What happened?" "It was three of Jason's men." "They came up behind us." "One of them took my gun." "Then they started calling Jared names." "When he turned around, one of them grabbed his arm." "The other one shot him." " And then they ran away." " What did they look like?" "I know what they looked like." "One of them was tall, one of them was short, and one of them had a bad leg." " Let's go find them." " Just a minute." " You're not gonna go find anybody." " Well, look who's here." "You're a little late, ain't you?" "Yeah, what did you do?" "Stop off for a drink?" "All right, I'm late." "I may be too late." "But that's no reason for the rest of you to get gunned down." " Why do you say that?" " Because you're outclassed." "Sheriff's right." "Jason's had you beat ever since Nelse McLeod and those four gunmen rode in." "Nelse McLeod?" "Jason's been waiting for him." "You go up against him now, you'll be doing just what Jason wants you to do." " What do you expect us to do?" " Why don't you ask the sheriff?" "The sheriff?" "You think I'm going to wait on him?" "Just give me an hour, MacDonald." "You can wait that long to die." " You backing him up, Thornton?" " No!" "He's not." "Let's say I'm on your side, and this is no job for amateurs." "They run down this street and turned left." "Too many for one man to take after." "If I was you, I wouldn't be too all fired and in a hurry to go up that street." "Them fellows acted just like they wanted somebody to follow them." "I've seen Indians act like that." "Well, I'm going down this side." "What are you doing here?" "I'm going down the other side." "Well, remember, I didn't ask you." "Come on, Bull, you follow me." "Not too close, though." "No, please don't turn around." "It'd be better if no one sees me talking to you." "Mississippi." "Just a minute!" "Go ahead." " Is it that you look for three men?" " That's right." "One walks with a leg which is not good, another is very tall?" "They're the ones." "They ran over there to the old church." "They have not come out yet." " I've watched." " Thank you." "No, you do not need to thank me." "I do not like Bart Jason or his men." "Thanks, again." " What kept you?" " I talked to a girl." "She said she saw..." " A girl?" " Well, don't you think I can know a girl?" "She said she saw the men we want run up that street to the old church." " Said they were still there." " They're still there?" " Yes, sir." " Well, we can find out in a hurry." "J.P.!" "Girl said they were up at that church." "What are you going to do, Sheriff?" "Get a little closer." "The girl was right." "They're still up there." "Sure are." "Hit me in the bugle." "Look." "Got a dent in it." "Alongside that big bell in that tower." "I'll show you." "Ain't that pretty?" "Bull, you go on shooting." "I'm gonna try to move up a little closer." "Well, just give me another gun, and I'll play Marching Through Georgia." "All right, start playing." "Come on up, Bull!" "We'll cover you!" "Look, Bull, we're going to shake them up a little." "You keep them occupied while we move in." "Ready?" "Let's make some music." "All right, Mississippi." "You watch that roof and watch it good." "Sheriff, you..." "You all right?" "No, you ain't." "I'm getting out of here." "All right, Mississippi, I'm going to hit that door." "Now, you get around that..." "Watch that other door!" "They're up high!" " One of them got away, Cole!" " You ought to know." "You missed him." " Mississippi!" " Over here!" "Where'd you come from?" " I heard a noise!" " Did you get him?" " Who?" " The fella that ran out of the church." " Well, yes and no." " Yes and no?" "What do you mean?" "Did you or didn't you?" "I hit the sign, and the sign hit him." " That's great." " He was limping when he left." "He was limping when he got here." "One of us must have done some damage." "There's some blood here." " Well, anyway, he got away." " Not very far." " Where did he go?" " That saloon up the street." "Jason's place." " Well, Sheriff..." " If you ask me one more time what I'm going to do next, so help me, Cole," "I'm just going to flat quit and leave the whole thing in your hands." "Here." "Give me that." "We'll be here all winter." "Well, I guess I'm gonna have to go in after him." "You know who'll be in there, don't you?" " Well, there's two men I got to get." " Two men?" "There's the man that shot the MacDonald kid and the man that sent him out to do it." " Bart Jason." " That's right." "I was wondering when you'd get around to that." "Look, Cole, I may be a drunk," "I may not be able to load my own gun, but I don't need you to tell me how to do my job." "I just hope you're good enough." "So do I." "Bull, look here, I'm going to go around the back, and you walk along that side of the street." "And if they got somebody posted outside, you walk right on up to the jailhouse and just wave to me, will you?" " You're going to need this." " Yeah, but..." "Watch it, the way your hand's shaking, don't let it get near the trigger." " Now don't you get on me, Bull." " I ain't started yet." "This is really going to be something to see." "Just who the hell are you?" "Now, wait a minute, J.P., he's a little green." "The fella you're after's got a bad leg." "Sure, Cole." "The back door's through there." "If you go in real quiet-like, they may not even know you're there." "Now, give me time to get around up front." "We'll watch you." " You being fair?" " What do you mean?" "Letting him go in there." "Well, I'd hate to be the one to try and stop him." "They laughed at him, Mississippi." "That'll make the difference." "All right." "Let's get on with it." "If you have to use that thing, make sure which way it's pointed." " What do you want here, Sheriff?" " I want two things." "First of all, I want to get the man that just came in here." "Nobody came in here." "You just stay away from that gun, Elmer." "Move up the other end of the bar." "No." "I wouldn't do it, McLeod." "The rest of you, don't plan anything." "So, you decided to take a hand, after all." "Never figured it any other way." "Mississippi, keep that gun pointed right at this table, both barrels." "Go ahead, J.P." "You, you said that nobody came in here." "That's right." "Nobody came in." "Then how come there's a trail of blood leading right up to that table?" "Joe, you're playing a lot of sour notes on that piano." " I know I am." " You don't look very happy." "I'm certainly not." "Wouldn't you like to move away from that piano, Joe?" " You're darn right I would." " Well, then, move!" "Now, you said..." "I told you, Elmer!" "Get away from that gun." "Now, get up the other end of the bar." "You were saying that nobody walked in here." "You get up." "Get up." " Nobody came in here, laughing boy?" " Well, I..." "Let me hear you laugh." "Come on, let me hear you laugh!" "Now you, Jason..." "Get out of my way." "You thought it was pretty funny, too, didn't you?" "Why aren't you laughing now?" "It's the same drunken sheriff, the same hat, the same outfit." "Why don't you laugh?" "Let me hear you laugh!" "I don't know who you think you are, Jason." "J.P.!" "All right, Cole." "You're a lucky man, Jason, 'cause I wanted to kill you bad." "Now, come on." "You're under arrest." "You just going to sit there, McLeod?" "Well, there really isn't very much I can do right now, is there, Jason?" "I'll give you $1,000 the day you get me out of jail." "$1,000." "Let me tell you something, McLeod." "You make one move toward that jail, and you're going to have a hard time collecting that money, because your boss is going to be the first man shot." "So, you and your boys get out of town by morning, you understand?" " You ready, Cole?" " Whenever you are." " Let's go." " Cover us." "Get out of the way." "All right, Mississippi." "What are you looking at?" "There's somebody out there with a gun." " Everybody in town's got a gun." " Yeah." "Not pointing at us, though." "Where was this fella?" " In that livery stable across the street." " It's too soon for one of the McLeods." "I think I'll take a look." " Well, I don't know..." " I'll be careful." "Then go around the back way." "Soon as you're out the door, turn to your right." "If you're not back in five minutes, I'll come after you." "Yeah." " Listen, Sheriff..." " You listen, Jason, if you want anything more than bread and water until the U.S. Marshal gets here, you be absolutely quiet." " Well, we got away with it." " Yeah." "You were pretty good in there, like old times." "Man, don't tell me how good I was." "I just got away with it because I had a hangover." "I was too mad to be scared and just too sick to worry about it." " You know that." " I've been there." "Well, next time's not going to be so easy, is it?" "Next time, they'll be ready for you." "Say, who figured out that stuff you people poured into me?" "Mississippi." "Where is he?" "Where is Mississippi?" "Who is Mississippi?" "Well, that's the kid, the fella that was around with us all night." " Well, where is he?" " That's what I was asking Bull." "Across the street at the stable." "Saw somebody pointing a gun after us." "He ought to know better than that." " You want me to go after him?" " Bull, you certainly ought to know better." "The first time in two months I've felt like doing nothing for you, now you don't want me to do it." "Was there something wrong with that, or is it just my hangover?" "You made better sense when you was drinking." "There must be some whisky around here someplace." " Hey, you're a girl." " Of course I'm a girl!" "Well, hold..." "Just hold still now, miss." "Hold still!" "You're going to lose your clothes if you keep that up." "All right." "All right, I'll quit." " You sure?" " I told you, didn't I?" "All right." "How did you know I was hid here?" "Well, I saw your gun barrel sticking out that window." " Who you after, anyway?" " Bart Jason." "But you all were so close around him, I couldn't get a clear shot." "Are you gonna keep sitting on my stomach?" "Well, I'm comfortable." "Can I..." "Hey!" "Now, I told you not to do that." "Don't do it and hold still." " What's your name?" " Joey." " Joey?" " Josephine MacDonald." "MacDonald." "Come on." "Well, if you really are a MacDonald," "I guess you got a right to be wanting to shoot Jason." "Hey, I know who you are." "You're one of the ones who took him to the jail." "Aren't you?" " Yes, ma'am." "I'm one of them." " I recognise the hat." " Why do you wear that silly thing?" " Well, never mind." "Why?" "It was given me by an old Cherokee Indian medicine man who told me that as long as I wore it, people wouldn't ask me fool questions." "That wasn't a fool question." "Well, then, I'll ask you one." "Why do you wear your hair like some wild mustang that needs a currycomb and a brush?" "I don't think that..." "Now, don't do that again, 'cause I can hit a little harder than you." "Damn you." "Look, if you are who you say you are, I'm on your side." "I was wrong." "I ought not to be hitting you at all." "I ought to be thanking you for helping us." "Yeah, well..." "Could I have my rifle back?" "No, not just yet." "Not till we find out who you really are." "I told you who I am." "Yeah, well, you just say so." "Come on." "We'll go find out, huh?" "Bull, what did Mississippi say?" "He was going to the stable over across the street." "Well, I guess I better go find out." "Hey, in the jail!" "Mississippi." " Come on." "Open the door." " Hold your horses." "I found this girl in that stable across the street pointing a gun." " Hello, Joey." " Sheriff." " Hello, Mr Thornton." " Joey." "So may I have my gun?" " Sure." " Thanks." "Thank you." "Just who were you aiming to shoot, Joey?" "Jason." "Didn't the last time you shot a man teach you anything at all, Joey?" "It did." "But there ain't any mistake about Jason." "We didn't have much hope you were gonna get him, Sheriff." "So Pa and the others are waiting for him in different places out on the street." "To be honest, we didn't think you were good enough to get him." "Sober enough." " Well, we were wrong." " Yeah." "Joey, you better round up your family and tell them to go on back home and stay there till this thing's over." "You can also tell them that we got the men that shot your brother." " How is your brother?" " The doc says he's got a good chance." "I'm glad." "You going to be able to hold Mr Jason, Sheriff?" "He'll stand trial, Joey." " Will he get what he deserves?" " That, I don't know." "I'm not the judge." "I'm just the sheriff around here." "Yeah." "Would it be all right if I could see him, talk to him?" "Why, sure, Joey." "Just let me have that gun." "Never mind." " Guess I'll be going." " You want me to go with you?" " Why?" " Well, I don't know." "They haven't gotten around to shooting women yet." "I reckon you all are doing what you think is right, and for what you're doing, thanks, all of you." " She would have shot that fella." " She shot me." "She..." "She's something." "Cole." "McLeod and four of his men just left from across the street." "You don't figure he's pulling out, do you?" "Fella in his line of work can't pull out once he takes a job." "Well, I hear he's part Indian." "Could be he just might want us to think he's leaving." "Could be." "I got that itchy feeling on the back of my neck that says Indian trouble's coming." " What time you reckon it is?" " Around 11:00, 12:00." "Sheriff said as how he wanted to be woke up." "What for?" "Well, before he tried to drink the town dry, we used to make a patrol about this time of night." "Well, don't wake him up." "He's been through enough for one night." "Mississippi, you and I will have a look around." "If you're gonna do that, here's a couple of badges." "Now, raise your right hand." "I forgot the words, but you'd better say, "I do."" " I do." " I do." "Now you're deputies." "Bull, you suppose these will do any good if somebody takes a shot at us?" "Give them a good mark to shoot at." "You better come lock this door after us." "Take a look-see in at Jason's, and I'll take this side." " What was that?" " I don't know, but I don't like it." "Look out!" "Get him inside!" "Close the door." " You hit bad?" " No, he just nicked me." "I don't think he got the bone." "Ain't nobody gonna tell me what happened out there?" "Bull, I told you to stay back out of sight." "How's a body gonna see anything from around the corner?" " I got to cut this pant leg." " Well, go ahead and cut it!" "You got a knife?" "Hey, I suppose I've asked this before, but just who is he?" "Tell him your name, Mississippi." "Alan Bourdillion Traherne." "Well, no wonder he carries a knife." "You're gonna need a doctor to fix this." "Bull, you suppose you could slip out the back door and get Doc Miller over here without getting yourself shot?" "If I thought I was gonna get shot, I wouldn't go." "I'll be back as soon as I can." "Here." "You can use this till the doctor gets here." "Cole, how did this mess get started?" "Well, a bunch of men on horseback came flying around the bend and..." "What was the idea, diving under those horses?" "Diving under those horses?" "Yeah!" "A man can't shoot good when his horse is jumping, and a horse will not step on a man." " He won't?" " He will?" "Alan Bourdillion Ter-who?" " Terhane." " No, Traherne." " Traherne." " Traherne." "Yeah." "Well, there's nothing in there." "Sheriff, you've got nothing to worry about." "Lift your leg up a little, please." "Thornton, did you ever get that bullet out of your back?" "No, I never did." "I told you at the time you needed somebody better than me to get it out." "I've got the man right here who can do it." " Dr Donovan, can you spare a minute?" " Yes, Doctor." "Hold your finger right here." "No, no." "Here." "That's it." "This fella's got a bullet in him." "It went in the left side about here and moved toward the spine." " About here?" " A little higher." "Yes." "I feel it." " This may hurt." " It did." "That's very odd." " Tell me, does it hurt here?" " No." " Doctor?" " Just a minute, Sheriff." " What do you think, Charles?" " Well, it's a challenge, isn't it?" "I reckon he's got a more interesting misery than you got, Sheriff." "Look, Doctor, I don't want to take up your time, but mine's still bleeding." "You've got nothing to worry about, Sheriff." "It's a good, clean wound." " Tell me, it's giving you trouble, isn't it?" " Well, I wouldn't say..." "Why don't you tell him the truth?" "I can guess." "There's a sudden spasm of pain in this area, followed by paralysis of one side," " probably the right." " Well, it doesn't last very long." "But it lasts a little longer each time." "Doesn't it?" "What are you trying to tell him, Doctor?" "That if he doesn't get that bullet out of there, one of these times he'll have an attack and it just won't pass off." "McLeod may settle the whole problem for us, but if I'm here after this is all over, I'll come and see you, Doc." "I promise." "You do that." "Now, Doctors, if you please, could one of you step over here so that I could rest my finger?" "Surely, Sheriff." "Cole." "J.P., why don't you settle down?" "I just can't help it, Cole." "I've got the shakes so bad..." "You've had them before." "Yeah, but not with a hole in my leg and a bunch of unfriendly people hanging around outside just waiting for somebody to pop..." "What do you want to do, quit?" "The only thing I can figure out is, just don't use the door, don't go outside." " You mean hole up." " Well, sure!" "They're not going to come in here after us." "When do you expect the United States marshal?" "Oh, man!" "I don't remember the last time he was here." "He was here." "You gave him a big welcome, flung a bottle at him." " An empty bottle." " Yeah." "He wasn't that far gone." " When's the marshal due?" " Four or five days." " Well, you got enough food?" " Plenty of coffee and water." "Bull, you suppose you could slip out that back door and bring us some food?" " Without getting shot?" " I wish you would." "Don't know what he wants me to do, get shot or get food." " Want me to go with you?" " Yeah, and if I get shot, you can bring back the food." "And I'm also gonna bring back a big bar of soap." "This place will never be Delmonico's, but the food would taste better if a fella I know would use that bar of soap." " Bull, why don't you just get?" " I'm going." "I suppose I could use a little bath." "I'd appreciate it." " Morning, Joey." " Morning, Bull." "I brought some..." " Good morning, Sheriff." " Joey, I'm taking a bath." "Don't mind me, Sheriff." "I was raised with four brothers." "Well, I'm not your brother." "Doc Miller sent you over these crutches and some clean clothes." "He also sent you a bar of soap, and I brought along an extra one, just in..." " I see you already have some." " I've got a lot of friends, Joey." "Yeah, well, I guess I'll be going." " Good morning." " Josephine." "Joey, what are you doing still in town?" "We came to take my brother Jared home this morning." "He's a lot better." "Well, when you get back to the ranch, you do what I..." "I remember what you said." ""Stay close and watch out."" "Right!" " You look a lot better without that hat." " Well, thank you, ma'am." "Wait a minute." "Don't close that door." "Morning, Joey." " Good morning, Maudie." " Hi, Mississippi, Bull." "Morning, Cole." "Good morning, good morning, good morning!" "I'd have more privacy in the middle of the El Paso railroad station." "Hello, J.P. How are you?" "I'm thinking of selling tickets, Maudie." "I'd get rich." "Got here just in time." "Here's a bar of soap for you." " Just what I need." " Hey, what happened to your leg?" "Maudie!" "Maudie, will you get out of here?" "All right, J.P." " What happened to him?" " He'll be all right." " Good." " Got nicked in the leg last night." "I thought you all..." "Maudie, I think you ought to have better sense than coming around here after what happened last night." "I ought to have better sense to come here?" "I brought you some food." "I think I'll take it back." "No!" "No!" "Now, just a minute, ma'am..." "Cole, sometimes you make me so mad..." " Maudie, Maudie!" " What?" "What he's trying to tell you in his own sweet way is that it's not safe for you to come here any more." "Somebody sees you come in here, they tell McLeod, then McLeod tries to use you to get to us." "Well, I never thought of it that way." " Well, that's..." " There's something else." "She ought not go out the front door." "With McLeod and his..." "Well..." "All right." "Let her come through this way." "I'll close my eyes." "Come on." "Ma'am, you might just as well leave that basket." " Sure, Mississippi." " Thank you." "Come on, Maudie." "Hey, you, in the jail." " Who is it?" " It's me, Polly." "I got a note for you." "Don't see nobody with her." "Come on in, Polly." " Hi, Sheriff." " Hi." "Maudie asked me to bring this to you." "I'm scared, Sheriff." "Those men waiting around." " All the girls are so scared." " I know, I know, Polly." " What's she say, Cole?" " Just what I was afraid of." "There's some of McLeod's men hanging around her place." "She says for us to watch out for ourselves, because she overheard enough to know that they've got something planned." "Well, I guess you better go on down there, Cole." "Yeah." "Mississippi, you want to ride, boldly ride again?" "Might be some trouble." ""Over the mountains of the moon" ""down the valley of the shadow," here we come." "Come ahead, Cole." "Look out." "The window." "Get their attention." "Go ahead, now." "Steady down!" " A man came in here." " Out the back way." " He goes through that door." " Running fast." "Cole!" " Don't these fellas look familiar?" " Our friends from the border." "Milt and Pedro." " Where's McLeod?" " I don't know." "These are the people who wait for people outside of doors." "Kind of makes you wonder about that door, doesn't it?" "You're learning, Mississippi." "Any particular reason why you want us to go out that way?" "No, no, no, no, señor." "The man, he went out that door." " Pedro's telling the truth." " See..." "You better be because you're both going out that door." " You first, Milt." " No!" " Come on, Milt." " No, no, please." "Not that way." "I'm tired of being taken for a fool." "Move!" " Come on!" "Move!" " Please..." " On your way." " Don't." " I lied." "There's somebody out there." " I know!" " Wait!" "I'll go." "I'll go." " You sure will." "Don't shoot!" "It's Milt!" "Don't shoot!" " All right, Pedro." "It's your turn." " No, no, no!" " Go on!" " No, no, señor, please, please..." " Move!" " Please!" "Please!" "I..." "Go on, Pedro..." "Cole, are you all right?" "What is it, Cole?" "Well, Thornton, this is better than I expected." "Pick him up and take him out of here." "Joe, give him a hand." "Can you see anything?" "There's hardly anybody moving on the street." "They run into trouble, sure enough." "They should have been here or sent somebody an hour ago." " Who is it?" " Mississippi." "Come on, open up." " Where's Cole?" " McLeod's got him." "Well, right after that, this fella come up from behind me and give me a headache." "I think it was Jim Purvis, Jason's foreman." "From there on in, Maudie's gonna have to tell you what happened..." "But was Cole all right?" "Yeah, he was all right when I saw him last, except his side seemed numb." " Did they take him away?" " Yeah, they carried him out." "While they were gone, we got Mississippi into my room, but when they came back, they didn't seem to want him bad enough to try to take him because they had Cole already." "Yeah." " Well, it's not too good, is it?" " Sure ain't." "I wouldn't look so happy if I were you, because if anything does happen to Cole..." "Get back!" "Stay back." "Sheriff!" "Sheriff, can you hear me?" " It's Nelse McLeod." " Yes, I hear you!" "Your friend Thornton's got something wrong with him, but it wasn't our doing." "We got four or five guns on him from across the street, so don't try and move him." "Bull, watch Jason." "Mississippi!" "We've got enough guns on your boss to get the job done." "I expected that." "All right, McLeod, what's your deal?" "You send out Jason alive and you get your friend." "All right, Bull." "Let him out." "Sheriff, you can't do it." "You free Jason, McLeod can do anything he wants to." "What chance you got then?" "Just open the door, Bull." "That's far enough, Jason." "Come on, Bull, you come where you can watch him all the way out the door." "All right, Jason." "Come on." "Mississippi, get back here by this window." "Don't open it." "Just stand ready." "Slowly, now." "Go on." "Right through the door now." "Close it behind you." "I can't close it with his feet there." "Move them." "That's right." "Slowly." "All right, get him out of here." "Get something in front of that door." " Are you all right, Cole?" " I guess so." "Well, J.P., you made a great bargain." "You sold out the whole MacDonald family." " For what?" " Go ahead." "Tell me about it, Cole." "Tell me about how if it was you, you'd have done it different." "Well, you're gonna have to face them." "It's my fault, but they'll blame you." "Yeah." "In the jail!" "Thornton, I'm sorry it had to end this way." "I'll always wonder which one of us was best." " Can you feel that?" " No." " Or that?" " It's almost like it was last night, Doc." "Come on." "Last night, your whole side was dead." "Now it's just your arm." "It never lasted all night before." "You may have waited too long." "Can't you operate on him, Doctor, and get that bullet out?" "I could but he'd be laid up, and he says he has too much to do right now." "How he's gonna do it, I don't know." "Bull, you gonna stand there and look out that window all day?" "Yep." "McLeod let us leave town too easy." "Joey MacDonald and Saul MacDonald's wife's coming." "Could be bringing trouble." "Mississippi, you slip out that back door." "See if anybody's following them." "Bull, you watch them, too." "Bull, Mr Thornton." "Sheriff, we want to talk to you." " What's wrong, Joey?" " Lots of things." "It's my husband, Saul." "Jason's men took him." " Took him?" " Yes." "They've got him." "Joey, you were supposed to tell your family to watch out." "Cattle got to be watered, Mr Thornton." "A young Mexican boy was with Saul." "They sent the boy back with a message." "Said we could have Saul back alive if Pa was to turn his water rights over to Jason." " And he's going to do it?" " He ain't got any choice." "You know they're never gonna give Saul back, don't you, Sheriff?" "I'm afraid that Jason doesn't want Saul or your father around to testify as to how he got the deed to that water." "You've got to do something, Sheriff." "You've just got to." "There ain't nobody trailing that I can see." "When is your father supposed to do all this?" " Tonight." " 8:00." "They're bringing Saul to Jason's saloon." "Pa's supposed to bring the deed." "They said they'd kill Saul if anybody tried anything." "That's just what you said about Jason, wasn't it, Sheriff?" "That you'd kill him, and then you didn't." " No, he didn't." " Well, what're you gonna do now?" "Well, they've got McLeod and a bunch of gun hands, and they've got your brother." "You just take a look around here." "We've got two cripples, a green kid and a noisy old..." " Indian fighter." "...Indian fighter." "Now, how in the hell do I know what I'm going to do?" "Joey, you go back and tell your pa we're gonna do whatever we can, but that it's up to him whether he gives up or not." "I guess this whole thing is my fault." "If I hadn't shot you, none of this would have happened." " You will try, though?" " Yes, ma'am." "We'll try." "I reckon we'll be going." "Well, Sheriff, just what are we gonna do?" "I don't know, Bull." "Like I told the lady, I just don't know." " Can you hit anything that way?" " If I can get close enough." "Load it, will you?" "How you gonna get close enough?" "Ride right up in front of Jason's in a wagon." " You got a wagon, don't you?" " Got a great big one." "Are you crazy?" "Have you lost your mind?" " He's making sense." " They won't think I'm any good." "I got away with it, he can." "Last time you took the front door and I took the back." "This time, we'll do her the other way around." "Well, maybe we'd better get going before we think about it too much." "I suppose the best time to get there'd be just before they expect MacDonald." "8:00, Joey said." "Well, Bull, I guess you better hook up a couple of wagons." "Well, come on, Mississippi, before they think up something else." "Yeah." "Give me the gun." " Can you see it from there?" " Can't see a thing." "How you gonna get down from there?" "Well, that's easy." "I'm gonna fall down." "J.P., how we gonna time this thing?" "You know they're sure to have somebody out in back watching." "You trying to tell me how to run my job, Cole?" "No, but I'm a little interested." "I don't know how long I can keep them busy out in front." "We'll be just as quiet as we can be." "If we get the job done before you start shooting," "Bull will blow on his horn." "What if they start shooting before he toots that bugle?" "Well, in that case, partner, you're on your own." "Wait a minute." "I got an idea." " Can I ride into town with you?" " It isn't gonna be pretty to see." "I'd like to be around." " Will you get off when I say so?" " I'll get off." "Come ahead." "Give me something to lean on." ""And when his strength Failed him at length" ""He met a pilgrim shadow 'Shadow,' said he, 'where can it be" ""'This land called El Dorado?"'" " I'll see you, Cole." " I hope so." " Bull!" " I'm coming!" "What are you doing with that bow and arrow outfit?" "Like Cole said, we got to be quiet about this." "Can you hit the side of a barn with that thing?" "Ain't going to try to hit a barn, just a man." ""'Over the mountains of the moon Down the valley of the shadow" ""'Ride, boldly ride,' the shade replied 'If you search for El Dorado"'" "Well, Maudie, this is as far as you go." "All right." " Aren't you gonna say anything?" " Would it do me any good to say it?" " Say what?" " That this is crazy." "No, I'm not gonna say anything." "I'm just gonna go out and buy you a pine box." " About 6'6" ought to be just about..." " Maudie." "The MacDonalds." "Hold them back." "Tell them to give us five minutes." "Hurry." "Bye, Cole." "Well, they've got a lookout there, all right." "Got to get rid of him." "You reckon you could hit him from here with that bow and arrow, Bull?" "Can't miss." "Any chance of him yelling out when he gets hit?" " Plenty." " Yeah, well, hold it." "I got an idea." "Hold that, and take good care of that." "What in tarnation are you doing?" "See you rater." "What are you trying to say?" " You can't go in there." " Oh, no?" "So solly." "Come on." "Go on in, Bull." "Joe never was much good on that piano, was he?" "No, and you shooting them strings out didn't help none, neither." "McLeod!" "Cole Thornton's coming." "Jack, you and a couple of boys stay with the kid." "Didn't expect to see you here, Mr Thornton." "Hello, McLeod." " I said..." " My show, Jason." "Hi, Thornton." "There's a little question unanswered between us." " Which one of us is best?" " That's right." "I don't think we're gonna find out the answer to that question." " No?" " No." "Your gun hand's no good." "You just give me time to get on off of this wagon and we'll find out." " Why should I give you any time?" " Call it professional courtesy." "Don't even listen to him." "Why should you give him time?" "Curiosity, Jason." "All right, Bull." "Get that one close to the MacDonald boy." "When you hit him, blow that bugle." "But my better judgement tells me that I..." "Freeze it right there, Johnny!" " Where's Saul?" " In there!" "He's all right." "Joey, I told you to stay out of this." " But, Pa..." " This is one time I'm glad she didn't." " I'm much obliged, Joey." " I owed you something." "Cole?" "McLeod?" "You didn't give me any chance at all, did you?" "No, I didn't." "You're too good to give a chance to." "Yeah." "I let a one-armed man take me." "J.P., look." "Now that I don't need this thing, it's working pretty good." "That's always the way, isn't it?" "Hey, Bull." "What's going on out there?" "Town's fit to bust out." "Be a big time tonight." "Every son feels like hollering." " How's your leg, Cole?" " Ask the doc." "It's not too bad." "You know these wounds were made by buckshot, don't you?" "I thought they were." " Who was using a shotgun?" " Well, there was a certain young man..." "I was using a shotgun, Doc." " You?" "I thought you were on their side?" " He was." "I told you I was no good with a gun." "Trouble is, Doc, Cole was in front of the gun." "The safe place is behind Mississippi when he shoots that thing." "You too, Bull?" "I think I'll take a little walk." " See that gal?" " What gal?" "The one that thinks you look better without that hat." "Why don't you tell her why you're wearing it?" "You don't have to." "I've already told her." "She's madder than a wet hen." "Says you let her make such a fool out of herself." "A host of friends, I have a host of friends." " I'm sorry about that leg." " Forget it." "Yeah." "I'll see you." "Mr Thornton, that'll be a little sore for a few days, but it'll be all right." " Yeah!" " I hope you have time to let me fix your back." "Well, just as soon as this leg heals, Doc." "I'll be ready." " Hey, Cole." "Where's Maudie?" " I was wondering about that, too." "I left her down the street just before this ruckus started." "She'll probably be around pretty soon." "Well, I wouldn't count on that too much." " I just talked to her down at her place." " Well?" "Well, if you was running for president, I figure you wouldn't get her vote." "Well, what did I do?" "Well, she said she was plumb through waiting on a man whilst he's running around being a target for anybody that had a notion to shoot a gun." "Said she just couldn't take it no more." " She said that?" " Yeah, she said that, and she had a few frills and dressing." "The main idea was the door was closed." "Well!" "Well, Cole, what are you gonna do?" "What can I do?" "Can't argue with a closed door." "Glad to hear you say that." "Better just drop the whole thing." "Well, what can I do?" "Some other fool would go down there, try to talk her out of it." "You get in a lot of trouble with women like that." "You remember what happened to me." "You're trying to say that I'm in the same mess you were?" "Why, no, I didn't say that, Cole." "You think I'm gonna make a fool out of myself, like you did?" "Cole, you told me yourself, you cannot stand to be tied down in one place." "How do you know I haven't had enough of running around, selling my gun arm all over the place?" "You said yourself sitting right here on this..." " Don't put words in my mouth!" " I'm not putting words in your mouth." "And if I'm gonna have somebody tell me about women, it isn't gonna be you!" " Where is Maudie?" " Down at her place." " That's my crutch." " Where's the other one?" "Right over there." "It's right under your nose." "I can't make up my own mind." " You got it under the wrong arm, Cole." " Well, how would you know?" "You been using it first under one arm and then the other." "Fine friend." "Trying to keep a fella from doing what he wants to do." "I reckon the way to get him to do something is to tell him not to do it." "Not if he didn't want to do it in the first place." " You reckon he'll stay here?" " That could be." "Be a good thing to have him here, 'cause you'll likely wait a bit, find a new gal, make a fool of yourself all over again." "Most likely." "If you leave me, Bull, I could be driven to it." "Well, I ain't said I was going to leave you." "You as much as said it." "Now, stop putting words in my mouth." "I just can't do anything right according to you." "Bull, I need you." " You what?" " I need you, Bull." "Well, now, if you start being nice to me, I'll quit you for sure." "The shock would be too much." "I'd sooner have you hung-over and nasty." "Speaking of that, how about a little drink, Bull?" "Darn, it took you a long time to think of that one." " That was good work, Sheriff." " Thank you, Fred." "Sheriff, it looks like you're gonna keep your job." "Yeah, it'll be a nice quiet town after you leave, Cole." "How do you know I'm leaving?" "Well, we just don't need your kind"