"No return, no return" "No return, no return" "There is a river" "Called the River of No Return" "Sometimes it's peaceful" "And sometimes wild and free" "Love is a traveler" "On the River of No Return" "Swept on for ever" "To be lost in the stormy sea" "Wailaree !" "I can hear the river call" "No return, no return" "Where the roaring' waters fall" "Wailaree !" "I can hear my lover call" "Come to me" "No return, no return" "I lost my love on the river" "And for ever my heart will yearn" "No return, no return" "Gone, gone for ever" "Down the River of No Return" "No return, no return" "Wailaree !" "Wailaree !" "She'll never return to me" "No return, no return, no return" " Your Bible, padre." "Don't lose it now." " Thank you." "I expected to find a small trading post, and instead..." "Sodom and Gomorrah." "All because someone has found gold in this earth." " You looking for it too, padre ?" " I came here as a missionary to the Indians." "I think the white man will need me more." " Good evening, padre." " Good evening." "Who's in charge of all this ?" "The padre'd say the devil." "What about this trading post ?" "The devil got that too ?" "No, I still got this." "I'm looking for a boy." "About nine ?" "He was to be delivered here by a man named Martin." " You seen him ?" " They were here." "Were or are ?" "I understand the man took off for the hills almost as soon as they pulled in." "What about the boy ?" "He's probably walking' around here, lost." "Well, if he comes in, would you hold onto him for me ?" " What's his name ?" " The name is Mark Calder." " How old did you say ?" " Nine." "What's your name ?" "I'm not lost." "One silver dollar" "Bright silver dollar" "Changing hands" "Changing hands" "Endlessly rollin'" "Wasted and stolen" "Changing hands" "Changing hands" "Spent for a beer he's drinking" "Won by a gambler's lust" "Pierced by an outlaw's bullet" "And lost in the blood-red dust" "One silver dollar" "One silver dollar" "Changing hands" "Changing hands" "Love is a shining dollar" "Bright as a church bell's chime" "Gambled and spent" "And wasted" "And lost in the dust of time" "One silver dollar" "One silver dollar" "Changing hearts" "Changing lives" "Changing hands" "Take these beers down the street to the barber." " You know where it is ?" " Yes, sir." "Bring back the money - cash." "And don't spill the beer, boy." "It's liquid gold." "Hey !" "Would you like to shoot at something taller ?" " Like what, for instance ?" " Like me." "Do you wanna get yourself a gun ?" "I don't think I need one." " What's that tag on your coat ?" " The man who brought me here put it on." "I'm lookin' for my dad." " What's your dad look like ?" " I don't know." "I was just a kid last time I saw him." "Would it be all right if he looked like me ?" "Yes, sir." "It would." "I'm your dad." "How do I know that ?" "The man who brought you here was named Martin." "I paid him a hundred dollars." "You came from Illinois." "Anybody coulda found that out." "Who's this ?" "My mother !" "All right, son." "Let's get outta here." " I have to say goodbye to Kay." " Kay ?" "Who's Kay ?" "She's the lady who sings in the saloon." " You have to do that ?" " Yes, sir." "I have to." "All right." "We'll do that first." "Kay !" "I found him !" "This is him !" "You've got your nerve." "Leaving this kid running around a crummy place like this." " What kind of a father are you, anyway ?" " The worst." "Well, it's nice you admit it." "It's nice you helped him out." "I'd like to, uh... give you a little money." "No, thanks." "I've got a little." "Well, thanks, then." "Come on, boy." "I hope I see you again sometime." " It's a pleasure meeting a gentleman." " Thank you." " Hey, you're forgetting your things." " Oh !" "Thanks again." " Goodbye, Mark." " Goodbye, Kay." "I've looked around the country and I've seen it all" "And what I want, I'm ready to name" "It's big and strong and handsome and it's six feet tall" "I'm gonna file my claim" "I struck a real bonanza" "And he's rough and rash" "But what he's got I'm ready to tame" "He's worth a fancy fortune but it's not in cash" "I'm gonna file my claim" "I got the fever" "Ooh, the fever" "But not for gold in the ground" "I want the title to something vital" "That I can throw my fences around" "A gal should never hustle with a pick and pan" "To dig for gold, that isn't her game" "I'll find the man who's found it" "Then I'll get that man" "Who's gonna help me file my claim ?" "I gotta file my claim" "Ooooh !" "Lookin' for nuggets ?" "Mmm, mush !" "A-B-C-D" "Who's gonna file me under "love" ?" "There ain't a man, not a single man" "There ain't a man alive who wouldn't trade his gold" "For what it takes to stay in the game" "So have your fun and spend it 'fore you get too old" "Who's gonna help me file my claim ?" "Who's gonna help me" "Help, help me" "Who's gonna help me file my claim" "Tonight ?" "What are you do... ?" "All right." "Where were you all day ?" "There's an old sayin', honey: "Stick to your peanut stand if you're never selling nothin'."" " Is that your excuse ?" " That's it." "Some day I'll take you out of this crummy grime." "I'm ready." "No more saloons or tent shows for you." "For me, either." "I'm gonna take you to all the capitals of all the countries in the world." "What have you been drinking ?" "Diamonds in your hair, rubies on your fingers." " Bells on my toes." " Pearls." "And gowns made for queens." "Except you'll look better in 'em." "How you gonna do it ?" "With your deck o' cards ?" "I've just done it." " You hear what I said ?" "I've just done it." " Just done what ?" "I've just won a gold claim, right in the heart of the richest strike." "Harry !" "From whom ?" "What's it matter ?" "All my life, I've been chiseling in penny-ante games." "This time I got lucky !" "This is the big one, honey." "This is it !" " Harry, what are you going to do ?" " What do you mean, "me" ?" "You and me." "We're going to Council City and file a claim before anything can happen to it, or us." " What could happen ?" " Who knows ?" "Who cares ?" "The man could get mad, say I did something." "Did you ?" "I told you, honey." "I got lucky, that's all." "Just lucky." "Now, look." "We gotta get outta here." "I ransacked the town and there isn't a horse to be had for the crown jewels." "But I got another idea." "We can buy a raft and go to Council City on the river." " You got any money ?" " Well, I have a little." "All right." "Come on !" "Come up with it." "10, 20..." "All you want is my money." "Is it ?" "We'll plant the field and hunt and fish." "How does that sound ?" " Just you and me ?" " That's all." " Fine." "Sounds fine." " We'll make out all right." "I'll teach you to fish and trap." "You'll be as good as the best of'em." " And teach me to shoot ?" " Yeah, and shoot too." " What are they doin' ?" " They're just comin' to look around the town." " They don't like what they see." " Will they make a war ?" "No, they're just hunting." "When they make a war, they paint their faces." "Then you know they're hunting you." "Mark !" "Come on, boy." "Giddap !" "Giddap !" "Hey." "Oh." "You can't just go through everything in the world, boy." "Sometimes you have to back up and go around." " I just had it going good." " You had it going very good, but we don't wanna break our plough or hurt our horse, now do we ?" "Come on." "We'll go in the house and have some coffee." " Why did you name me Mark ?" " Simple." "I'm Matthew." "Mark follows Matthew." "It's the Bible." " I follow you." " Right." " And that's how you thought of it ?" " It wasn't me, it was your mother." "Come on, let's quit dreaming." "When we sell our first wheat, you got a present coming." "What do you want most ?" " A rifle for my own." " You're getting it." "Will we be rich, like the men finding gold ?" "No, but we'll beat those that don't find any." "I was away from you a long time, Mark." "That's when I thought about it." "I thought if a man doesn't know what he's doing or where he's going, the best thing for him to do is just back up and start all over again." "I thought I'd start with the ground and work up." "So I sent for you, and this is it." "Never saw a guy with so many questions." "You got any more ?" "You never told me where you were." "Well, I'll tell you one thing." "Come on out here with me and I'll show you." " I can hit anything you can see." " OK." "That tree." " Now, how could I miss a tree ?" " The branch." " Which one ?" " The one on the top, to the left." "You got eyes like a grasshopper." "Man, oh, man." "All right, your turn." "Now, this time you're gonna fire it." "Check it." "Hold it like I told you, tight up against your shoulder." "Lay your cheek right alongside of it." " What's important ?" " To hit the target." " When ?" " The first shot." " Why ?" " Because I might not get another." "All right." "Take your time and aim." "Flex the elbow." "Relax !" " What are you aiming at ?" " The branch on the right side." "All right..." "Wait a minute." "Maybe we better save that bullet." " What'll we do if they come with paint on ?" " We'll fight 'em." "We cleared this land." "It's ours, so we're gonna stay on it, or under it." "Come on." "You're not afraid of anything, are you ?" "Not with you." "Matt, look !" " Can you make 'em out ?" " Looks like a couple of men." "Here, go get some rope." "Hold it !" "Hold it there." "Hold it right there." "Let me get over here." "Get the horse." "Whoa !" "All right, Mark." "Take him out." "Giddap !" "Take him over to the right." "More !" "Here !" "Get ready to get off." "Ooh !" " My things !" " Let it go." " Believe it or not, this is our honeymoon." " The idea is to live through it." " Calder's my name." "Matt Calder." " Weston." "Harry Weston." "I sure thank you." " Hi !" " It's so good to see you again." " You two know each other ?" " We're old friends." "Come up to the cabin and dry off." " Son, run along and build up a fire." " All right." "Come on, I'll go with you." " Let's go." " I'm with you." "Let's go." " What is this ?" "What you got here, Calder ?" " A farm." "Everybody is lookin' for gold and you're diggin' a farm ?" "That's it." " Maybe you know what you're doing." " Well, I know that they don't." " Don't I know you from somewhere ?" " That might depend on what you do." " I'm a gambler." " Then you don't know me from anywhere." " I always say "What's the difference ?"" " That's what I always say." " He fixed the sweep on the raft." " Yeah, he's a man in a hurry." "It's a matter of life and death." "He's gotta get to Council City." " On that raft ?" " He says so." "Well, don't bring his troubles to me." "She's beautiful, isn't she ?" "There's an old saying, Mark:" ""It's only skin-deep."" " What is ?" " Beauty." "How deep should it be ?" "Well, ask her, son." "She looks like an expert." " Hi." " Hi, friend." "Pretty elegant, aren't they ?" "Gotta take care of them." "They're all I got left." " Why did you get married ?" " I fell in love." " How do you know when you fall in love ?" " I dunno." "Can't eat or sleep." " Like an ache in the stomach ?" " Same thing... only in the heart." " You'll find out when you get older." " How old are you ?" "That's no question to ask a lady !" "Not that I'm a lady." "Why aren't you ?" "See me in about ten years." "I'll try and tell you." "I said you were beautiful, and he said beauty was skin-deep." " Who did ?" " Matt, my dad." "He said it was an old saying." "It's an old saying by an old crow." " When did you lose your mother ?" " It was while dad was away." "That's why he sent for me." " Are you going to look for gold ?" " I could stand a little." " What would you do with it ?" " Do with it ?" "Buy fancy gowns, live in the swell hotels in the big city." "Go to the opera." " What's that ?" " That's music." "Very high-toned and fancy." "Not like mine." "I like yours." "Would you sing one ?" "I might have one for you, if I can remember it." "It was a long time ago." "When Mr South Wind sighs in the pine" "Old Mr Winter whimpers and whines" "Down in the meadow" "Under the snow" "April is teaching' green things to grow" "When Mr West Wind howls in the glade" "Old Mr Summer" "Nods in the shade" "Down in the meadow" "Under the brook" "Catfish are waitin' for the hook" "Old Lady Blackbird flirts with the scarecrow" "Scarecrow is wavin' at the moon" "Old Mr Moon makes hearts everywhere go" "Bump, bump" "With the magic of June" "All right, come and get it." "When Mr East Wind" "Shouts overhead" "Then all the leaves" "Turn yellow and red" "Down in the meadow" "Corn stalks are high" "Pumpkins are ripe and ready for pie" "I look at you and I can't see you becomin' a farmer." "Anything else I might believe." " I'll try and struggle along without you." " Some more coffee ?" "What do they do with the gold after they find it ?" " They make money out of it." " Why do they use gold ?" " Because it's hard to get." " Why don't they use something easy to get ?" "If something's easy to get, people don't care about it." "They don't value it." "If it's hard to get, then you've got something." "Like a mink ?" "A mink is hard to catch." "Now you've got it." "That's the idea exactly." " How about a skunk ?" " How about another dish ?" "Calder, how long do you think it'll take us to get from here to Council City ?" " You don't know this country." " No, but I got a map here." "All right." "You're right here." "Now, you had some trouble getting here, and some luck too." " There's Council City down there." " That's not far." "A good green log might not make those rapids between here and Council City." " We made the last one." " I know." "I was there." "The river drops from here." "The rapids get worse." "You cut through a gorge of solid wall for 15 miles." "The wall goes straight up." "The other way is overland, but you haven't got a gun, haven't got a horse." " So you say it can't be done." " You asked me how far it was, that's how far." "That's enough." "Calder, I got a gold claim to file in Council City." "I gotta get there." "You can't imagine me being a farmer." "I can't imagine you a prospector." "Won it in a stud game." "All my life, I won the little pots and lost the big ones." " This time I got lucky." " Lucky ?" "With the boob I was playing, cheating' would have just gotten in the way." " Then what's your hurry ?" " Maybe the man thinks like you do." "That it wasn't just luck." " What can he do about it now ?" " Maybe try to get to Council City, too." "Might get there first, which'd be bad for one of us." "How much do you want for your horse and gun ?" "Money ?" "What would I do ?" "Plough that field with a silver dollar, then throw it in some Indian's face ?" "I gotta get there." "How much d'you want ?" "Why don't you wait till I get that field seeded, and I'll take you ?" " I can't wait." " Well, I can't go." "It isn't there, Calder." "Go on outside." "Go on, you got a kid out there." "Harry, what are you doing ?" "I'm taking the gun, Calder, and I'm borrowing the horse." "Get it." "Get it and no one will get hurt." "Mark, go ahead." "Do what he says." " No." " Do it." "This'll only take a few days, then we'll be back." " Take the boy with you." " Boy ?" "What for ?" "Indians, Weston." "You've got the rifle." "Take the boy with it." "I can't do that, Calder." "I'm in a hurry." "This can mean a fortune to me." " It can mean his life." " Get some food in a bag." "Let the boy get it." "Saddle the horse." "Harry, we don't have to do this." "It's just a few days." " It doesn't matter that much." " Yes, it does." "Four or five days might not make any difference to a farmer, but they do to me." "I'm not stealin' anything." "I'm just borrowing' it." "You'll get paid plenty for the faith." "A fistful of money in the hand's as good as a fistful of wheat in the ground." "Matt !" "Matt !" "Look out, Mark, the gun !" "Matt !" "Matt !" " Come on, let's get outta here." " You've killed my dad !" " He'll be all right." "Get some water." " Come on !" " We can't leave him like this." "He's hurt." " He didn't have to be." "He didn't have to get us off the raft either." " I think I'll wait here for you, Harry." " What do you mean, "wait" ?" "I mean what I said." "I can't leave them like this." "I can't leave the boy." "You'll get to Council City twice as fast without me, won't you ?" "Yeah." "Yeah, I guess so." "Then you can have the claim filed and be back here all the sooner." "You go ahead, Harry." "I'll wait here." "You won't take long, will you ?" "Not with you here." "You know that." "Stop worrying." "He'll be all right." "It'd take more than the wooden end of a rifle to kill him." "He's got a head like a boulder." "Hey, wait a minute." "What do you think you're doing ?" " Have they gone ?" " The man's gone." "She's staying." "She didn't wanna leave us." " Why not ?" " Because you were hurt." " She told him she had to stay..." " He left you here to take care of me ?" "Look, maybe I don't like what he did or the way he did it, but he'll be back, and you'll be taken care of." "That's nice." "Everybody's gonna take care of me." "So are they." "Well, we'll have to get outta here." "We'll take the raft." "Come on, son." " How can we take the raft ?" "You said..." " That doesn't count." "We got no choice now." "You better get your junk." " Come on, Kay." " Let's go." "Just a minute." "Hold this." "Mark !" "Mark, hurry up !" "Matt !" "Look !" "It's all right, son." "At least we're not in it." "We'll build it up again." "Wouldn't they have done it anyway ?" " Against a rifle ?" " Wouldn't they ?" "Not so easy." "All right, hang on." "If things keep on this way, I'll be using up a good camisole." "Next time, don't try to be so brave." "When you get hurt, yell." " It just stung, then I forgot it." " Listen to him !" "Keep still a second while I tie it." " I don't need this." " Keep still." "Well, I'm gonna see what I can do with this in the river." "The country's crawling with Indians, and you're going fishing ?" "There are lots of ways to die." "Starving to death is not one of my favorites." "He does that for good luck." "He'll need it to fish that way." "I oughta go out and hunt myself." "There should be some berries around here." " Where ?" " Oh, up along there." "I'll pick them." "You stay put." "Now, stay put." "What do you think you're doing ?" "Berries." "I'm gathering berries." "Not bad." "I didn't think you were the type." "Even my type gets hungry." " Wanna show me your fish ?" " I left 'em in the river." "Take some." "Go on, take some." " Give some to the boy, huh ?" " Glad you reminded me." "I never would have thought of it !" "Catfish are waitin' for the hook" "Old Lady Blackbird flirts with the scarecrow" "Scarecrow's wavin' at the moon" "Old Mr Moon makes hearts everywhere go" "Bump, bump" "With the magic of June" "When Mr North Wind" "Blows on the breeze" "Old Father Christmas" "Trims over trees" "Down in the meadow" "Snow softly gleams" "Earth goes to sleep" "And smiles in her dreams" "Kinda small fish, aren't they ?" "There's an old saying:" ""A small fish is better than an empty dish."" "Say, you got quite a stock of those old sayings." "Where did you ever learn a song like that ?" "I didn't go straight from the cradle to a gold camp." "Why did you ever go there at all ?" "I had to live." "At least, I thought so." "I had to get money to get out." "When I met Harry, he wanted the same thing." "Then he won the claim." "It was our big chance." "A chance for both of us to get away." " Where ?" " Out of the lives we were both living." "To someplace where people live like human beings." "That's in heaven." "We weren't thinking of going quite that far with it." "Well, you're both on the short cut." "You're going after him, aren't you ?" "Yeah, that's it." "But you said no one could go down the river." "You said it'd be suicide if he tried it." "He's not trying." "I am." "There's a difference." "You're not gonna give him a chance, are you ?" "Sure, I'll give him a chance." "Same chance he gave me... and him." "Next time you try that, I'll forget that you're a woman." "I doubt that !" "Just take my word for it." "Fool." " Do you know what you're doing ?" " I think I do." "Do you know how long we'd last out here without that raft ?" "Without the rifle ?" "The whole country alive with Indians ?" "Just how many kinds of fool are you ?" "I'm not your kind." "What are you ?" "Weston's kind ?" "You love that rat so much, you'd risk all our lives just to keep me from getting him ?" "You couldn't understand." "I just don't see it." "Treating you the way he did." "I'll tell you." "I'll tell you how he didn't treat me." "He didn't treat me like a tramp." "He treated me like a woman." "So he made a mistake." "If you had lived like he has all of his life, on crumbs and bones, maybe you'd do a crazy thing if you had a chance to make a fortune." "Maybe you'd do a foolish thing yourself." "I wouldn't leave a kid to die... or a woman, even if she was a tramp." "I suppose you never made a mistake." "You're too perfect." "You never made any." "None that I didn't pay for, like he will." "All right." "You know so much about him." "But he knows about you, too." "He knows all about you." "If he made a mistake with you, at least it wasn't murder." " What do you mean ?" " You know what I mean." "He knew who you were." "He knew where you came from and what you did." "He knew you killed a man and went to prison for it." "And why you went to prison:" "because you shot him in the back." "Go get the stuff on the raft." "Come here, boy." "I shoulda told you myself." " You did what she said ?" " Yeah." "Look." "Look, the man was no good." "He was trying to kill a friend of mine so I shot him." "They sent me to prison for it." "That's where I was when I was away from you." "I could have told you much easier when you were older." " You shot him in the back ?" " Yeah, I shot him, in the back or in the front." "What does it matter how you kill a snake ?" "What does it matter which way he's facing ?" "We'd better get moving." "You wanna help her with the stuff ?" "The Indians call it the River of No Return." "From here on, you'll find out why." "One thing about this." "The longer you last, the less you care." "Kay !" "You stay out here and keep watch." "If you see or hear anything, whistle." "I can't light a fire yet." "They may be around here." " Indians." " I know." "They can smell smoke as far as they can see it." " I'll be all right." " Hey, you look fine." "You too." "Now, get out of those clothes and climb into these blankets." "Here." "I'll wait outside." "Dry yourself with one blanket and wrap yourself in the other." " See anything ?" " No." " Is she going to die ?" " No, she's a strong girl." "She won't die so easy." "But she's awfully sick, isn't she ?" "Well, she's cold, exhausted, hungry." " Will we stay here long ?" " No." "We're hungry, too." "You better see if you can scrape up some wood." "Maybe some pine nuts." "We'll have to take a chance on a fire." "And be careful." "All right." "It's very fancy for the Northwest." "The Emporium, Kansas City." "Lie down." "Come on !" "Come on." "All right." "Sit up." "I think you'll live." "I'm sorry I opened my big mouth in front of the boy." "You hurt me and I wanted to hurt you back." "Well, that's the way it works." "If it wasn't for me, you'd be halfway to Council City by now." "If it wasn't for Weston, I'd be asleep in the bunk in my cabin." "Can't you get some sleep ?" "Just so he does." "That's what matters." " I don't know what happened to me there." " You're just hungry." "Sometimes men have eaten worms and grubs and roots." " You read that in a book." " I ate a worm once, but I was very young then." "Last week in tent city, I ate a sirloin steak." "I was a lot younger then, myself." "He's asleep now." "We'll let him sleep." "It wouldn't be anything if we had a rifle." "He'd just hunt something and kill it." "He's a fine shot." "Why did he kill a man ?" "Sometimes you can't help it." "Sometimes it's to save your own life." "He said it was to save his friend's." "That can be the same as your own." "Then why'd they send him to prison ?" "It's hard to say." "Because he shot him in the back ?" "Kay !" "Look, there's two of them !" "Wake him !" "Wake him up !" "Look." "Get the rope." "You got him !" "You got him !" " Isn't it almost done ?" " Almost." " Now, where did she go ?" " Her name's Kay." " I know." " You always say "you" or "her" or "she"." " Why do you hate her ?" " Now, what makes you think I hate her ?" " You treat her bad." " I treat her like what she is to me: nothing." "Then it's only because you hate him." "The man who stole from us." " Well, don't you ?" " No." "After what he did to us ?" "She said he didn't know any better." "She said that sometimes you do wrong things that seem all right when you do them." "Like what ?" "Like what you did." "Are you going to kill him ?" "Mark, look." "There's a law." "You can't steal a man's horse." "In this land, that's like stealing his life." "I didn't make the law." "All men make them to live by." "What he did to us might have taken our lives." "Still might." "Now, are you gonna tell me where she went ?" "Where Kay went ?" "She's takin' a bath in the waterfall." "Finish it." "I'd be alive again if I hadn't starved to death." "I see you're still alive." " How was the water ?" " Freezing, but I'm becoming hardened." "I guess it's from seeing life in the raw, and running around with strong, silent types like you guys." "Yeah." "I'll go get the stuff off the raft." "I'll help you." " See how I've changed ?" " How would I know ?" "You oughta take a dip in the falls yourself." "Might wash some of the starch out of you, or rust." " Or whatever it is." " Or whatever it is." "You're not such a mean person, in spite of yourself." "Some other time and some other place, we might have even have gotten along." "Now, what's all this ?" "What kind of an act is this ?" "I'm a performer." "Didn't you know ?" "Songs and dances." " I think I know you pretty well." " I think I know you, too." "Hm ?" "What am I like ?" "Really not so bad." "Not so tough and grim as you seem." "I think you do a little acting yourself." "You could be nice if you half-tried." "You don't have to hate me just because you hate him." "I don't hate you." "You'd do anything to save him, wouldn't you ?" "You'd even be... friends." "I could be that without him." "Why ?" "Why not ?" "Leave me alone !" "Let go !" "Matt !" "He sure wanted that meat." " Yeah, we're in a hungry world." " Ain't we." " You all right ?" " I think so, but you're not." " Take your shirt off." " Oh, I'll live." "My name's Benson." "This is Dave Colby." "You're a fine shot." "I'm as hungry as that cat." "We ain't eaten for two days." "Well, go ahead and eat." "You earned a piece of it." "We smelled your food." "Had to make sure it wasn't Indians." "Left our horses down by the water." "You prospecting' for gold ?" "Not any more, mister." "We're prospecting' for a man." "You didn't say who you was." "Calder." " This here your wife ?" " No." "You headed for Council City ?" "Yeah, on the river." "We got a raft." "Ain't that kinda foolish, with all these Indians ?" " It isn't too bright without them." " Yeah." "Now I know where I seen you." "Same place you left your table manners ?" "Same place I left a gold claim to a card shark named Weston." "Wasn't you and him kind of thick ?" "I can't quite place you." "But then, all the faces look the same." "I heard you and him pulled out of there, on a raft." "Do you know somethin' about this ?" "Yeah, that's my trouble." "I know a little about everything." " What are you doin' with this guy ?" " I want to get away for a while." "Fresh air and relaxation." "Did you dump Weston ?" "Or did he dump you ?" "All right, honey." "I'm lookin' for him, too." "Only you try to make Council City on that raft and you won't get away for a while." "You'll get away for ever." " You come with us, and you got a chance." " Oh, we'll get there." "You get your belly full of food, and you're a lover." "Did you hear what I said... honey ?" "She heard ya." "Well, ain't she got a right to take her best chance the way she sees it ?" "With us, she's got one." " You wanna ask me ?" " Go ahead, honey." "It's your party." "All right." "I'd rather have no chance... with him." "You heard her." "You and your partner did me a favor, Colby." "Now I'll do one for you." "Just take your meat and get out." "All right, get up." "Get up !" "You wanna do what I say ?" "Do what he says." "Get your horses and ride them up to that point." "Wait for your friend there." "Do it." "No, leave his rifle." "Just take yours." "Do it, Sam." "Thanks for the meat." "Drop your cartridge belt." "Get the stuff aboard." "Take that rifle, son." "All right, come on." "What's all this for ?" "As soon as he gets to that point, you can run after him." " Are you gonna count ?" " I can subtract two men from two horses and have two horses left for myself, if you like it better that way." " You got the knife, Calder." " I got it from you." "All right." "Now you can get out." "I hope this river don't kill you, Calder." "I hope it leaves you for me." "Too crowded around here." "I'm not asleep." "Here." "Drink this." "Make you feel better." "Careful, that's the last of it." "Is that all it's the last of ?" "Drink it." "I'll split it with you." "I get everybody into trouble." "You mean Colby ?" "You couldn't help that." "You'll never be able to help that." "Besides, it isn't you." "It's the gold." "It made a thief of Weston, a pig out of Colby and a fool of you." "One thing about you, though." "You get somebody in trouble, you get right in it with 'em." "Only trouble should get you somewhere." " It never gets me anything." " Sure it does." "It gets you more of the same." "Not some people." " You mean Weston ?" " Yes." "He's going to get someplace, no matter what it takes." " Is that why you married him ?" " What do you care ?" "You lose your ring ?" "You know everything, don't you ?" "Like the kid says." "It's nothing to me." "No." "We're not married." "We were gonna be married in Council City." "We're never gonna get there, are we ?" "Like you said, who gets anywhere ?" "The boy's asleep." "You can tell me now." "I would have said we'd never get here." "Finish it." "You're a strange man." "Sometimes not like a man at all." " Like an animal ?" " No, I didn't mean that." "I didn't mean it either, back there." "You know, you're sort of on the strange side yourself." "You'd have been surer of getting to Council City with Colby." "Why didn't you go with him ?" "You have to ask ?" "A man like that ?" "Well, what's a man like Weston ?" "How would you know ?" "How would you know anything about him ?" "What he wanted all of his life, or what he's been ?" "You only know the one thing he did to you." "The one crazy thing, because he was desperate." " About a hunk of gold." " About his life !" "You can't even see the difference between him and that man back there." "Are they waiting for us ?" "The fish have a better chance." "Or him." "Why can't they get along without us ?" "They just wanna make sure of it." " Did you see 'em ?" " I saw the one with the man's horse." " What man ?" " Colby." "Those birds." " They're buzzards ?" " Yeah." "Look !" "Can they come down ?" "As soon as they find the right place." "They'll know where it is." "Hand me that rifle, son." "Look out !" "Matt !" "Over there !" "Give me the rifle." "It's all gone !" "Get the rope !" "Well, there it is." "That's Council City." " What do you want when we get there ?" " A cup of coffee." "A whole cup for myself." "You've got it." "What do you want ?" " You're still going after him, aren't you ?" " You know that." " Nothing I could say would change it." " Nothing." "Then I want one thing." "Let me find him first and talk to him." "Let me see him alone and explain." "That isn't much, is it ?" "It might be all he needs." "Just a few minutes, a little time." "All right, Kay." "You've got it." " You never believed we would make it." " Not very often." "I knew you would." "I knew that if a man hated as much as you did, he could do anything." " Or loved as much." " Loved what ?" "Him." "It was for him." "Not for a horse or a gun or the man who took them." "That's just how it began." "I guess that must be the best thing there is." " What ?" " To be loved that much." "Look !" "Here's our horse !" " Well, it looks like he's here." " I was hoping he wasn't." " I was hoping he'd gone back to your place." " No chance." " But why did he stay here ?" " Because he knew I'd never make it." "Matt Calder !" "I thought you was down there on your farm..." "with a tomahawk in your head." "No, I like to keep my head." "It's about the only thing I've got left." "That's a fine animal." "Who belongs to it ?" "Fella named Weston." " Where can I find him ?" " Across the street at the Black Nugget." "Say, you look like you could stand a shot yourself." "No, but we could use some coffee." "You got any ?" "Got everything but pâté de foie gras." "Come on in." " He's at the Black Nugget." " Yes." " Don't be too long." " No." "Tell him I'm here." "He can run but he can't hide." "He won't run." "Just talk to him." "Give yourself a chance to find out." "I'm giving you the chance." "Where's she going ?" "She'll be back." "Come on." "Let's get that coffee." "Kay !" "Honey !" "Why didn't you start back, Harry ?" "I thought I was doing pretty good just to make it to here." "Have a seat." "How'd you get here ?" " Calder ?" " Yes." " All right." "Where is he ?" " He's at the store having coffee." " He's waiting." " For me ?" "For us." "He let me see you alone first." "First ?" "Before what ?" "You oughta know by now." " Would you like something ?" " No." "Nothing, Jack." "Well, what's there to talk about ?" "He could have you hanged for what you did." "He could kill you and nobody would blame him." "I might." "I told him why you did it, what it was that made both of us the way we were." "I think he believed me at last." "Now it's up to you." "You have to tell him, too." " Tell him what ?" " The truth, Harry." "That you were desperate." "That you didn't mean to harm him or the boy." "What makes you think he'll listen to me ?" "Because of the kind of man he is, and because of the boy." "Or because of you ?" "Look, honey." "I got the claim filed." "We can get rich and get outta here for ever." "Unless you were thinking you two could hang me and have the claim together ?" "I didn't mean that, honey." "I mean that all my life I've been nothing." "A drifter, a cheater, a tinhorn." "All my life, I waited for the one big chance a man gets, and this is mine." "I'm not gonna lose it or risk it or go back to being what I was before, or get strung up just because some dirt farmer wants his horse back." "That's what I mean." "All right, Kay, I'll talk to him." " What's that for ?" " In case he's hard of hearing." "All right, Kay." "Any way you want it." "Too bad about your place, Matt." "Bad for me, good for you, Ben." "It all depends on whose ox gets gold." " What'll you need ?" " Just about everything my credit'll stand." " Take what you want." " Thanks." "They're all kinda crazy, ain't they ?" " What's that, Ben ?" " The times." "White men chasing' gold." "Indians chasing' white men." "Army chasing' the Indians." "If you like that rifle, keep it." "What are you chasin', Matt ?" "Don't try to buy him, Harry." "Don't offer him anything." "Just tell him the truth." "Are you listening to me, Harry ?" "Harry, no !" "I..." "I..." "I had to !" "It's all right, Mark." "It's all right." "You saw it !" "You know." "There was no other way, Mark." "It was him or your dad." " Where's she goin' ?" " I don't know." " Is she goin' away now ?" " I don't know." "Mm-mm-hm" "If you listen, you can hear it call" "Wailaree" "There is a river" "Called the River of No Return" "Sometimes it's peaceful" "And sometimes wild and free" "Love is a traveler" "On the River of No Return" "Swept on for ever" "To be lost in the stormy sea" "Wailaree" "I can hear the river call" "No return, no return" "No return, no return" "Wailaree" "I can hear my lover call" "Come to me" "No return, no return" "I lost my love on the river" "And for ever my heart will yearn" "Gone, gone for ever" "Down the River of No Return" "Wailaree" "Wailaree" "He'll never return to me" "No return, no return" "Never" "Hey, what's goin' on here ?" "Are you crazy, Matt ?" "Put me down." "Matt !" " Where are you taking me ?" " Home." "There is a river" "Called the River of No Return" "Sometimes it's peaceful" "And sometimes wild and free" "Love is a traveler" "On the River of No Return" "Swept on for ever" "Down the River of No Return"