"Your gun won't help now, pappy." "For as birds are caught in a snare," "So are the sons of men snared..." "In an evil time." "You!" "Step over here a minute!" "Gimme a hand up." "Don't worry about it." "I just used that to attract your attention." "I'm here now." "You'd better keep your weight off that broken leg." "Are you a doctor?" "No." "How'd you know it was broke?" "Gimme a hand up." "All right." "Let's try it again." "What are you trying to do?" "See how much pain you can take?" "No, I ain't afraid of a little pain." "No?" "Well..." "You just hold on now." "Easy, now." "There we go." "Of all the fool things that can happen to a man." "I reckon falling' off his own horse is the dumbest." "Let me have a look." "Never mind." "Leave it be." "Just get a good, straight stick" "And I'll tie it up as good as it needs." "All right." "Never mind, just let me have it." "I'll tie it up myself." "I've fixed so many of 'em." "Ah, confound it." "You know anything about setting bones?" "I know enough about it to get you to a doctor." "I don't want no doctor." "You fix it." "Go on." "Ain't much different than fixing it for a horse." "Except a horse would be smarter than to make it worse." "You be gentle there." "Take it gentle now." "You clumsy ox!" "This is gonna hurt a little." "Think you can stand it?" "There ain't no man big enough" "To do a thing that old pappy can't stand." "Then you are pappy french." "What's it to you?" "We'll talk about that later." "Let's just get you fixed up here." "Easy now." "Well, now." "That's a pretty good job" "You done on that leg." "I reckon that'll get me where I want to go." "Where's that?" "I didn't ask your business, did I?" "I don't think you're gonna get very far on foot." "I don't intend to be on foot." "I aim to borrow your horse." "You have no objection, have you?" "No!" "How could I?" "If you did..." "Was this what you were looking for?" "Are you a card!" "I like you." "You got a sense of humor." "Hey, if you don't mind me askin'," "What is your particular line of endeavor?" "If you hire out, how would you like to hire out to me?" "For what purpose?" "Get me where I wanna go, and I'll cut you in." "You'll cut me in on what?" "You don't wanna go askin' a lot of fool questions" "From a man that's about to hire you." "You'll have no complaint about the wages." "That depends on where they come from." "Out of a satchel." "A satchel with $50,000 in it." "Is that good enough for you?" "What would you say if I'd cut you in for 10% of that?" "It would still depend on whose money it was." "It would be your money after I'd give it to you!" "Why do you want to ask so many fool questions for?" "I'd like to know what my prospects are before I drop my present job." "What job is that?" "Recovering some money that was robbed from a bank in merced last week." "Oh, is that so?" "Mm-hmm." "$50,000 to be exact." "Ain't that a coincidence?" "Shake, partner." "Are you gonna lead me to it?" "That's a nice resting spot." "There's not much cover here." "In case anyone's looking for you." "Who'd be looking for me, 'cept you?" "I guess you'd know better about that than I would." "Maybe we'd better move on a little farther before we stop." "Easy, now." "Ah!" "I'll be the first to own up to it." "I'm not the man I used to be." "No." "I'm slowing' down." "Pappy, a broken leg like that would slow anyone down." "There was a time when I could ride until the horse dropped under me." "There wasn't a lawman or woman either" "That could keep pappy french nailed down to one spot." "And here I am, brought to my knees" "By the dumbest creature in all creation." "A horse." "Pappy, whatever made you go sour on common, everyday justice?" "Was it the lack of meeting up with it?" "A couple of fellas with tin badges" "Trying to make a reputation for themselves" "With an election coming up." "Folks had been missing horses." "The law was kind of anxious to balance it out with a hanging." "That's always an awkward time for strangers." "I wasn't a complete stranger." "Not to the missing horses, anyhow." "By morning, passion for justice had cooled off a bit." "And they let me off with nothing worse than a coat of tar." "But me and the law." "We've never been quite the same to each other since." "I guess I've had enough of it." "A man's a fool to stay beyond his time." "Surely you've never thought of yourself as passing that stage." "I've had 40 years of it." "Not a slice nor scar nor bullet hole." "Never spent a day behind the bars." "Pappy french since that time was never the man" "To let another man get the best of him." "That's a very impressive statement, pappy." "What have you got to show for it?" "Forty-two dollars." "And some small silver." "That comes to about a dollar a year, don't it?" "A little over." "You know of any chinese cooley that'd work for that?" "And here I had $50,000 just waiting for me to pick it up." "The chance to live out my years in comfort and respect." "And I have to go and break my fool leg." "That's it." "You get old, and your own body betrays you." "And your friends just abandoned you." "Aw, I never had no friends." "What about your partners in the robbery?" "That ain't the same as friends." "You ran off and left them." "Didn't you, pappy?" "You took the money, ran off and left them" "To shoot it out with the deputies." "That's their look on it." "They're young." "They can make themselves another stake." "For me, it's my last chance." "Besides, they probably all got killed." "Don't bet too heavily on that." "Why?" "Where are they?" "Two of them were shot down, one gave up." "And the other two?" "I imagine they'd be very interested" "In knowing what their leader did with all that money." "Which two was it?" "Was that young punk morley with the two-hair moustache one of 'em?" "He always did want to carve himself" "A reputation out of my hide." "He got away." "Let's get out of here." "This place is too exposed." "Too open." "That young punk morley would shoot us" "In the back as quick as look at us." "I don't think he'd do that, pappy." "At least not until he finds out what you did with that money." "Why didn't you hang on to it?" "The deputies were chasing me 'til dark" "And I figured if they caught me," "They wouldn't catch me with the goods." "Besides, I might have been able to buy them off." "A man's honest as long as it pays him to be." "There never was a man who didn't have his price." "Let's go." "There's no telling how close your friends may be." "I told you he'd be heading this way." "Pappy's too old a dog to change his tricks." "I was aiming at the other fella." "Pappy needs help to lead us to that money." "Afterwards." "You just remember one thing." "That old man's mine." "I want that old snake to see it coming." "Slow." "Paladin, you're a hard man to do business with." "I think I'll have to offer you half that money." "The money is going back to the bank, pappy." "Every cent of it." "I've seen bandits in my time," "But you top 'em all." "You wouldn't recognize an honest man" "If you fell over him in broad daylight, pappy." "Suppose I change my mind?" "Go on." "Take me back in." "Let 'em put me in jail." "At least I'll get some rest." "The man that hired you ain't never gonna see that money again." "Where are you going?" "I'm not making any money sitting there looking at you." "So I figured I might as well go into town" "And get myself a good night's sleep in a hotel bed." "What about me?" "I'll send some people out to find you first thing in the morning." "I'll tell them to bring both a shovel and a stretcher." "They can use either one depending on who finds you first." "Them, or your friends." "Paladin..." "Paladin!" "All right, you win." "I'll take you there in the morning." "I still think you want it all for yourself, though." "There's always that possibility." "Ain't you got no pity on an old man?" "Which old man, pappy?" "The old man that owns the bank?" "I haven't any pity for him at all." "I won't give him one cent more than he lost." "Yes, I've heard a lot of them talk big" "Before they had temptation laid in front of them." "The sung a different tune then, you bet." "Good night, pappy." "Ain't we gonna share a standing watch?" "Are you expecting company?" "That kid morley can track like an indian." "I ain't so clean that he couldn't smell me a good ways off." "Wake me when you get tired." "I don't think your friends will bother us any" "Until we have the money." "Do you expect me to stand watch without a gun?" "Oh, no." "Now don't go shooting up any ghosts." "That's the quickest way to invite visitors." "Oh, I've camped out a few times in my life." "I reckon I know a ghost from a coyote." "What's to keep me from shooting you in the back?" "He thinks I need him too bad." "I don't need any man's charity." "Leaving me to stand watch with an empty gun." "Well, I think I know where cartridges can be had." "Ain't nobody gonna find me if I sit still." "Morley?" "You out there?" "Morley?" "Ain't you gonna come and help old pappy?" "Don't come near me!" "Don't come near me." "I'll shoot!" "I'll shoot!" "I guess we can get some sleep now." "Ten to one they'll be up shivering all night." "Morley!" "We're gonna have to keep moving." "It wouldn't be that quiet out there if there weren't other men around." "We got 'em rattled now." "He's firing at shadows." "Come on." "By morning, they'll both be too tired to give us much fuss." "Wake me up in three hours." "why don't you..." "Shh!" "Would you let me keep ten thousand" "And a day's head start to the border?" "You'd never make it." "I still think you want it all for yourself." "Under this one?" "How did you ever lift it up?" "My leg wasn't busted then." "Can't you hurry it up a little?" "They're liable to be here any minute." "Just keep your eyes open." "All right." "Let's start dividing'." "I mean to stick by my original bargain." "You'll get your ten percent." "I know what you're thinking, but you're wrong." "It's loaded." "Aren't you taking an awful chance calling your friends that way?" "If they'd kill for money," "Don't you think they'd be darn fools not to let me live for money?" "I guess you know them better than I do." "Don't you think it'd be a bad bargain" "For me to go along with you and maybe get the rope?" "When all I got to do is to split this money with my friends?" "Now load up them saddlebags." "And don't look so injured." "I intend to pay you for your horse." "Think $500 is about right?" "It would be if I intended to sell him." "You'll sell him all right." "Now start filling up them bags." "Hey, morley!" "Come on up!" "It's payday!" "Share and share alike!" "What are you trying to do?" "Spoil a forty-year record?" "Let me see this." "It's a good thing that was on an angle." "Stay down before you really get hurt." "They aim to kill me." "I offered to split the money with them" "And they shoot at me just like I was a dog." "Some people don't have any finer feelings." "That's the truth." "Pappy, this is not a very convenient place to hide." "How is your leg?" "What's my leg got to do with it?" "We've got to move." "Not enough cover here." "You're still gonna try to keep me alive" "After what I was fixin' to do to you?" "They'd have found us even without your help." "Come on." "Don't you know when to cut your losses?" "Without me you got a chance." "Pappy, we get out of this thing together" "Or we won't get out at all." "You're including me?" "I'm including you." "If you'd like to cover me," "I might be able to crawl around behind." "I'll cover you." "throw out that money, pappy!" "It ain't gonna do you no good where you're going." "It'll take more of a man than you'll ever be" "To take a thing away from old pappy!" "Out of ammunition, pappy?" "] I got more bullets than I know what to do with." "That is, all except one!" "I know what to do with that one." "Go ahead and shoot!" "What are you waiting for?" "I want to see you sweat, pappy!" "I've waited a long time for this." "Makes me feel good to see you sweat." "You never thought old morley could make you sweat, did you?" "I guess I'm getting too old for this game." "Time to rest." "A man ought to know when it's time to quit." "Paladin, would you laugh" "If I asked you to say some words over me?" "Not that I'm asking him..." "For any favors." "You understand?" "I'd just like to hear" "How you might say it." ""I returned and saw under the sun" ""that the race is not to the swift," ""or the battle to the strong." ""neither yet bred to the wise" ""nor yet riches to men of understanding..."" ""nor yet favor to men of skill."" ""but time and chance happeneth to them all." ""for man also knoweth not his time..." ""as fishes that are taken in an evil net," ""as birds that are caught in a snare." ""so are the sons of men..." ""snared in an evil time when it falleth suddenly upon them."" "¶ 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 ¶"