"[Dog Barking]" "** [Piano] [People Chattering]" "[Gunfire]" "[Women Screaming]" "[Gunshot]" "[Woman Screams]" "** [Man Whistling]" "** [Whistling]" "A Ranger." "Now we get a Ranger." "Let's whup him." "[Muttering]" "What's the matter with you two fellas?" "Tar and feather him as a lesson." "Yeah, tar and feather him." "You with us?" "Come on!" "[Clamoring]" "Come on." "Someone mind telling me what happened?" "Jim Flood happened." "Flood figured he was getting cheated at poker by Ike Hanley." "He shot Hanley then shot his brothers." "That's when we needed us a Ranger." "One finally comes along, he ain't even got brains enough to be wearing a gun." " [Man] Take it easy, Beeker." " Take it easy?" "After Flood burns my place down and shoots four men?" "Without a lawman, this town depends on the Rangers." "Ain't never one around when you need 'em." "[Saloon Girl] Hey, the fire's starting up again." " Hey, get those water buckets, men!" " Form a line, men!" "[Clamoring]" "Mind telling me how I get to the town of Buckley?" "It's about 30 mile due north." "Which way did this Flood go?" "Out that way." "Northwest." "But I wouldn't go chasing after him all by my lonesome." "I'm obliged." "Better get out of this town, though, before they decide to hang me." "I guess you fellas are Company "D." That's right." "Captain Bledsoe sent me up from Austin." "I'm supposed to go to work for you." "You Lieutenant Herly?" "Mm-hmm." "What's your name?" "Jones, sir." "Seven Jones." "You any kin to Two Jones?" "Yes, sir." "He was my brother." "You knew him?" "I knew him." "You remember Jones, Lieutenant." "I remember, Sergeant." "I'd have been here earlier, but I've been chasing a fella by the name of Jim Flood." "You were chasing Flood?" "Well, not exactly chasing him." "Mostly just trying to see which way he went." "He sort of wrecked a place called Beeker's Crossing." "What happened?" "He burned down the saloon, shot up the place." "I couldn't pick up his trail." "He's got a long start." "Hennessey, you'll go after Flood in the morning." "I'll figure out which men you can take." "You're not going?" "No, I've got too much work to do here." "You take care of Jones." "Get him settled." "How long you been a Ranger?" "Just since they signed me up at Austin." "Don't you believe in sidearms?" "They said you'd issue me a revolving gun." "Mm." "What about Clancy's old gun?" "It'll be deducted from your first month's pay." "Well, it sure is a honey." "Well, it's a gun, not a baby, Seven." "Yes, sir." "And you don't call sergeants "sir."" "You know how to shoot it?" "Sort of." "Is there someplace where I could try it out?" "About 10,000 square miles of nothing out back a ways." "Come on." "Take a shot at that gong out there." "[Loud Clang]" "That's doing it the hard way." "You some kind of trick shot or something?" "No." "Try the rest of your shot." "Only safe place in the whole valley was that gong." "I'll show you your bunk and where you can put your horse." "Soon as you tend to your horse, maybe Mrs. Karrington will give you some dinner, if she's got any left." "Mrs. Karrington?" "Yeah, that's her house over there." "She's got the deal to feed us Rangers." "I could sure use something to eat." "Put your horse in the first stall there." "Thank you." "I just got a glimpse of him when he went by the house." "Hmm?" "I'll bet he's real nice." "Mm-hmm." "Ma?" "Hmm?" "Do you think..." "Do you think the average person would like me in this dress?" "Mm-hmm." "[Jones Clears Throat]" "They told me I might be able to get something to eat." "The noon meal's already over." "Who sent you?" "That lieutenant?" "No, ma'am." "Sergeant Hennessey." "Oh." "Well, clear a place for yourself at the table." "There's some dishes in the kitchen and beans in the pot." "[Young Woman] It's the door over there." "Hold still." "[Tableware Breaking]" "A cup." "We got plenty of cups." "And two plates." "Well, I think that looks all right." "I think it's beautiful." "[Barks, Pants]" "[Whines]" "Did you find the beans all right?" "Uh-huh." "You didn't get any coffee." "I'll get it for him, Ma." "There you are." "Uh, Mr..." "Jones." "Seven Jones." "I'm Joy Karrington." "Ma, his name is Seven Jones." "Pleased to meet you, ma'am." "Sit down." "Go ahead and eat." "I'll get the hot water started, and you bring the rest of the dishes, will you, dear?" "That's a nice dog." "His name's Apache." "Apache?" "Well, it's no funnier name than you've got." "No, I..." "I guess not." "Just wait till you've heard the rest of it." "You see, my pa wasn't much for fancy when it came to giving out names, so he just named us by the numbers and let it go at that." "Plain number's not much of a name." "That's what my ma said, too, so we always used to add something like, uh, the firstborn was One for the Money Jones, the second was Two for the Show Jones, and right on up to me." "My full name is Seven Ways from Sundown Jones." "[Chuckles] Well." "You're new on the Rangers." "Yes, ma'am." "How'd you come to join?" "Well, mostly it was on account of my older brother, Two Jones." "He got killed working for the Rangers." "Oh, I'm sorry." "That, uh..." "That was a real pretty dress you were trying on." "It's for the Fultons' barn raising tonight." "Are you going?" "Well, I don't know." "I haven't been asked." "Well, the Fultons will be real glad to have you." "Well, maybe." "Oh, I'll get you some pie." "We ain't that hard up for men, Herly." "That's for me to say, Sergeant." "You know as well as me what kind of man Flood is." "I ought to be taking a whole company instead of one new man." "Jones has got to pull his own weight." "You saw how he handled a gun." "Me and him taking on Jim Flood would be downright suicide!" "You're taking Jones, Sergeant, and that's that." "Hennessey." "You don't think I like making that choice, do you?" "But I got men scattered over half of Texas." "I need at least five men down in the south plateau, four men covering the Baker place, and I can't send Duncan or Hollis." "Most of those men are protecting cows." "Is saving a few head of cattle more important than a man's life?" "He joined up, didn't he?" "Let him earn his pay." "He don't seem to know Flood was in on the killing of his brother, but finding out might make him act even more foolish than normal." "I'd say he'd be the last man to send." "Stay, Apache." "You stay here, boy." "Stay." "[Barking]" " [Screeches] - [Barks]" "[Screeches]" " [Joy] Apache!" " [Barking]" "[Screeching]" "Apache." "There." "[Whimpers]" "There's a good dog." "It's all right." "There." "There now." "Well, just maybe he might not be the last man to send." "How come you can't handle a six-shooter?" "Us Joneses never had too much spare cash." "I never could afford one of them revolving guns." "When word gets back in the morning about Flood, you and me's gonna take out after him." "Good." "Say, uh, your brother ever mention anything about working for Herly?" "No." "Two wasn't much for writing." "I'm glad I'm going with you, Sergeant." "Well, maybe along the way I can teach you about using a sidearm." "I'd be obliged to you." "[Chattering]" "Jones?" "You're staying here tonight." "Keep an eye on the office." "Yes, sir." "The first barn raising I've been to in a year." "Lots of girls and lots of whiskey." "Both are fun and both are risky." "[Laughing]" "Hey!" "Wait for me!" "[Ranger #1] Come on, Shorty." "We can't keep the women waiting." "[Ranger #2] Yeah, all the good-looking ones will be picked." "[Ranger #3] You sure smell pretty, Shorty." "[Ranger #4] Yeah, he smells like he climbed out of a jug of that fancy flowery water." "[Rangers Chattering] Let 'em rip!" "[Ranger #4] Come on!" "A gal in one hand and a jug in the other!" "Maybe I should take the duty, Seven." "Wouldn't want you half asleep when we take off." "I'm all right." "Hennessey." "Yeah?" "You said you knew my brother." "How'd he come to get killed?" "Well, I don't know much about it." "Some fracas down in the Big Bend country." "Yeah, I know that." "If you should get sleepy, I'll take over." "Thanks." "[Knocking]" "Oh, hello." "Hello." "You wanna sit down?" "I thought you went to the barn raising." "Oh, oh, we-we did, but, uh..." "Well, Ma wasn't feeling so well, so we, uh..." "We left early." "Oh." "That's too bad." "They said it was you and Hennessey going out after Jim Flood." "That's right." "Sergeant Hennessey and me." "Fr-From the stories I've heard about him," "Flood must be 20 feet tall." "Don't you worry about that." "Well..." "[Sighs]" "It's just that, uh, well, Ma and me, we, uh... we wouldn't want to have anything bad happen to Sergeant Hennessey..." "But why should it be you going with him?" "Why not?" "I'm a Ranger." "Yes, but you're so new." "Yes, I am, but the sergeant's gonna teach me as we go along." "Maybe he'll be able to keep me from getting killed for the first day or two." "Well, it's just..." "Well, Ma sure thinks an awful lot of you, the way you saved the pup today and all and..." "Well, she liked you right away... from the first time she saw you." "Yeah, well, I sure like her too." "She's nice, all right." "Look, uh, it isn't as if it's gonna be my last night on earth." "I wish you good luck." "Well, report is Flood's still heading north." "Likely pick up his trail around Sterling City." "That far up?" "He sure gets a lot of distance out of a horse." "Doing the impossible's just everyday living for Flood." "I'll check us out." "Be right back." "Oh." "Fine morning, Miss Joy." "Yes, sure is fine." "How's your ma this morning?" "Oh, she's much improved today." "Thank you." "She was, uh, saying how it's... too bad we didn't get to know you longer than just one day." "Well, I..." "I'd sure like to be able to write you a letter sometime, if I'm gone that long." "You think it'd be all right?" "Oh, I'd like that." "So would Ma." "Oh, uh, I brought you a little food to take along." "It's always nice to have a little extra food." "Oh, it's a cake." "Oh." "It's a real beautiful cake." "It's about the nicest thing anyone ever did for me." "You take good care of yourself, Seven." "I'll come back to see you." "Morning, Joy." "Cake." "Hey." "[Gunshot]" "That's two times out of four... you hit good and close today." "You're getting the hang of it." "Doesn't look like we're ever gonna catch up with Flood." "Should pull into Sterling late today." "Knowing Flood, you figure he'll still be there?" "Knowing Jim?" "The only thing a man can know about what Jim's gonna do... is that he'll darn sure never know." "Kind of full of surprises, huh?" "Yeah." "Nothing, huh?" "Nope." "** [Piano] Any other suggestions?" "Yeah." "Let's have a drink." "[People Chattering]" "** [Continues]" "Hello, boys." "Evening, miss." "Uh, Lucinda." "How 'bout a drink?" "Couple of whiskeys." "And get whatever you'd like for yourself." "Thank you." "Joe?" "Two whiskeys." "Bet this is the only town in Texas where nobody ever heard of Jim Flood." "They've heard of him, all right." "He's been here and gone." "Left 'em all dizzy with his blasted charm." "There's not many places left to look for him around here." "What do you boys do?" "A little of everything." "Well, I heard you're looking for Jim Flood." "Might be." "What do you want with him?" "That ain't anybody's business but Jim's and ours." "A man like that has a lot of enemies." "Jim can take care of his enemies." "[Lucinda] That's true." "You're, uh, not the law." "Do I look it?" "You don't." "He does, kinda." "'Cept'n he's young." "His honest looks come in handy sometimes." "If you're still doubtful," "I don't suppose a lawman would know the particular place..." "Flood has a burn scar shaped like an "X."" "Yeah, well, um, how do you know about that?" "It was me accidentally branded him one time..." "One time when we was drunk." "Oh." "If, um..." "If I do tell you where he went, will you give him a message for me?" "Fair enough." "He left day before yesterday." "He's headed north towards Big Spring." "Will you tell him that..." "That Lucinda loves him and-and to please come back?" "Or to let me know where he is so I can go to him." "We'll tell him." "I sure wish the best for you, ma'am." "Oh, no, the..." "The drinks are on the house." "Well, thank you." "You won't forget?" "Not a chance." "We're not headed north." "Nope." "How come?" "Flood didn't go south 'cause we come up that way." "He didn't go east 'cause there's nothing out there." "That pretty much leaves west, the way we're traveling, out toward the Llano Estacado." "What about north, like the girl said?" "Flood never in his life told a girl... the right direction he was going." "You really think we can make money off the lake, Mr. Flood?" "Sure." "After we stock it with sturgeon, we can make a million dollars selling caviar." "What's that?" "Well, it's a fancy food." "The crowned heads of Europe swear by it." ""Crowned heads"?" "You know, kings and queens, lords and ladies." "Czars and czarinas." "Them people sure must have a great time of it, mister." "[Laughs] Most of them would like to change places with us right now." "They would?" "You betcha." "Taking life easy is one of the delights of the world." "Guess so." "Gee, that sure is a mighty pretty folding knife." "You like the idea of us stocking the lake with sturgeons?" "Sure do." "I'd like to go partners with you anytime." "Well, just maybe we'll do her one of these days." "I've been living right over there in part of this canyon my whole life, and nobody ever had that idea before." "They're just farmers." "Well, farming's fine if you like it." "Me, I'd rather do something I like and go bust... than succeed at doing something dull." "Yeah." "Makes you feel like, uh..." "That life has a kind of magic in it." "Yeah." "Say, would you, um, take another look at the flats behind us there?" "Sure." "Still don't see nothin'." "Out toward the peaks, way back." "Look high." "Yeah." "There's a speck of dust way out there." "Hmm." "People sure can be a nuisance sometimes." "You in a spot?" "What, me?" "They're gonna be in trouble if they don't quit following me." "You might tell 'em that." "All right." "I'll sure tell 'em." "On stocking the lake." "We just might do her one of these days." " Mr. Flood?" " Yeah?" "You forgot your folding knife." "That's much too nice a knife for a fellow like me to be careless with it." "You better take care of it for me." "Gee, thanks." "So long, Jody." "Good-bye, Mr. Flood." "Seven!" "Flood?" "No doubt about it." "Smoked these ever since he was a kid." "'Bout a day ahead, I'd say." "You seem to know him real good." "Nobody knows Jim Flood real good. [Grunts]" "But when we was young fellas, we did spend some time together." "That so?" "Yeah." "Yeah." "He could always beat us others at anything..." "Cards, women, guns." "Never even seemed to try hard." "How come he wound up an outlaw?" "Well, some people say he just never grew up." "To him, this world was kind of a circus... and Fourth of July celebration all rolled into one." "That's why he was trouble, people say." "And it's also why they usually loved him... at first sight." "You seem to think a fair amount of him too." "Yeah, in a way." "When you see the kind of a fella he is, you gotta forgive him a lot of things." "It's not for us to judge him one way or the other." "Now I want you to remember that." "I'll remember." "One thing I know for sure about him." "Yeah?" "He seems to just loaf along... and rides about a thousand miles a day." "Sooner or later, we'll come up with him." "Hey." "[Gunshot]" "You see a stranger around here lately?" "Not for six or eight months." "You been making these horse tracks and munching that grass there yourself?" "[Blade Scraping]" "He said for you not to follow him no more." "Don't suppose you know which way he went." "Didn't rightly notice, mister." "See what I mean about Flood?" "[Gunshot]" "Stay down." "Oh." "I should've known." "It was going too easy." "Hennessey." "Remember what I told ya." "It ain't up to us to judge Flood." "I'm giving you an order." "You head right back for Texas." "Promise me you won't go after him yourself." "I'm not going anywhere by myself." "You're gonna be all right." "Promise me." "You sure are stubborn." "[Gunshot]" "[Neighing]" "Where's my hat?" "You one of those two fellas been trailing me?" "That's right." "If you're gonna shoot, I'd wish you'd get it over with." "The suspense is awful." "Hold it." "That's the last one." "You want it?" "You're a pretty good shot." "It's a pretty bad hole." "Doesn't look too bad to me." "Oh?" "What are our plans now?" "I'm taking you back to Texas." "I imagine they'll hang you." "Oh." "In the meantime, would you be good enough to toss me my hat?" "Get it yourself." "Looks like you'll have to carry me all the way to Texas." "That won't stop me." "Can't get far." "I tell ya, I'm bleeding to death." "All right." "We'll stay right here till that bleeding stops." "Sit down." "There's a better place close by." "Where?" "Cabin of mine." "Let's go." "[Groans]" "Well, after all, I did get shot." "That cabin of mine is just a short way up ahead." "I'm telling you this because I'm just about to pass out." "You pass out and I'll let you lay here and die." "This is kind of embarrassing." "I got any blood left?" "I don't know." "You cutting me open to see?" "I've got to probe for that bullet." "Way you look right now, you're more likely to stab me to death." "Why don't you shut up." "[Grunts]" "[Grunts]" "[Gasps]" "[Grunts] [Bullet Clatters In Pan]" "That was... real nice of you not to leave me out there to die after all." "Well, I should have after what you did to Hennessey." "Hennessey?" "Sergeant Hennessey, Texas Rangers." "Man you shot back there." "I'm sorry." "You're sorry?" "Who cares how you feel?" "What's your name?" "Jones. you're a nice, likable young fella." "You look real close, you'll see a small scar... right at the top of my forehead." "Comanche put it there when he started to scalp me... 15 years ago." "It was Hennessey who stopped him." "Now let's not bring Hennessey up again." "[Flood Groans]" "Still here." "Mm-hmm." "Couple pieces of beef, and I'll feel good as new." "How 'bout you?" "I'm fine." "There's food aplenty out there in the pantry." "I found it." "Oh." "There's a lean-to out back for the horses." "Feed's out there too." "I found it." "I found that too." "[Chuckles] That's the only piece of artillery in the place." "If you'd asked me where it was, I'd have told you." "I'll bet." "Well, I might as well get a fire started." "I'll go feed the horses." "You know how to cook?" "All the chefs in New Orleans slink away in shame... when my name is mentioned." "Yeah." "Steak and beans for supper." "Well." "Now, this six-gun has what you might call a hair trigger." "Don't put that fork down too heavy." "It might go off." "[Chuckles]" "They're sure teaching you young Rangers to be cautious nowadays." "Let me have your plate." "I noticed some rat poison in the pantry." "Jones!" "Your cutting knife." "[Chuckling] Is it all right if we eat now?" "Yeah." "You're an incessant talker, aren't you?" "I talk when there's something to say." "Tell me something." "Why did they send an inexperienced young fella like you after me?" "It's kind of insulting." "Nothing personal, of course." "I've got you, haven't I?" "Well, in a way, yes." "But the only reason I haven't killed you is because you're a friend of Hennessey's, and you're a likable young fellow." "There's some pickles in the pantry." "I'll get them." "Think pretty high of yourself, don't you?" "Kill me." "Ha." "You see what I mean?" "When you were watching me through the window there, you didn't watch long enough." "Well, from now on, I'll be more careful." "[Clatters]" "I should hope so." "[Chuckling]" "You a gambling man?" "Sometimes." "Want to play a little stud or draw?" "I've got a hunch you ain't honest." "Well." "Let's just say I'm not easy to beat." "[Cards Shuffling]" " What should we play for?" " Fun?" "All right." "Money." "Pennies." "[Chuckles] You sure are a plunger." "Look, I only make $26 a month." "I'll get some beans." "Each bean will be worth one penny." "[Chuckles] Well, I guess it's better than playing solitaire." "[Laughing]" "Call." "Jacks." "Three of them." "Beats two pair." "How much is that altogether?" "Let's see." "Now, that makes, uh, $62." "Better than two months' wages gone in one night." "You're gonna have to wait a while to get paid." "Thing to do is try to win it back." "No." "We're leaving here first thing in the morning." "It's time to get some sleep." "You figured out how to do that?" "Yeah." "You're sleeping in the pantry." "There's room on the floor." "Hmm." "I suspected as much." "Night." " Say, Flood." " Yeah?" "I've been thinking about you not hitting me with that poker." "You miss me on purpose?" "That's a stupid question, Jones." "Yeah, well, the thing is, I, uh..." "Well..." "You trying to thank me, kid?" "No, I'm not." "Don't call me "kid" either." "My name's Seven." "What?" "Seven Ways from Sundown Jones." "Oh." "Well, we all have a cross to bear." "Night." "I wish you weren't so set on going all the way back to Texas." "I kind of like it here." "Well, that's where we're goin'." "You're an easy cuss to get along with." "I sort of hate to hurt you, so I'll go along a ways." "But I'm not going to jail in Buckley." "Let's make that clear, hmm?" "I'll take two." "Twenty cents." "I'll call it." "Three jacks." "Straight." "You sure you're not cheating?" "All right." "I'm gonna teach you something, Seven." "See the back of that card?" "You using a marked deck?" "I still don't feel like going back to Texas." "Just the same, come daylight, you better be ready to ride." "Can't beat you young fellas for optimism." "Seems to me I oughta have a strong vote in what we do just now." "Hennessey said you was full of tricks." "Yeah." "So I took the trouble to unload that six-gun." "[Clicks]" "[Chuckling]" "You know, I'm beginning to think that you and me oughta be partners." "Game's over." "Yeah." "You, uh, owe me $86." "Turn around." "I'm gonna tie you up." "Fine." "Lie down." "Thought maybe I busted your head." "[Chuckles] Speaking of heads, you got the hardest one I ever saw." "Last fellow I walloped like that was out for three hours." "I was out long enough." "You could have shot me." "This rope is kinda tight." "How long you figuring' on keeping me tied up?" "All the way back to Texas." "You sure you wouldn't rather go to California instead of Texas?" "Texas." "The least you can do is let me choose my route." "There's a couple of girls I'd kind of like to see along the way." "This is not exactly a sightseeing trip." "It's a long way." "Least we can do is enjoy it." "Say, Seven, I don't know whether you know it or not, but I think we might be in a little trouble." "What kind of trouble?" "Apaches, I suspect." "We've been traveling on some of their sacred ground." "I know it might seem foolish from your point of view, but I'd suggest that you untie me and give me my gun." "If they are Apaches, you're still gonna stay tied." "I'd suggest strongly that you give me something to shoot with." "You got any other suggestions?" "Yeah." "Come on." "We got some other visitors over here." "How are you gonna fight 'em off from both sides at once?" "I don't know, but it's a lot better than having to fight you too." "I thought Indians always did a lot of hollering." "They do that mainly when they're trying to build up their nerve." "They don't think they got any particular problem here." "You keep watching that side." "[Gunfire]" "[Horse Whinnies]" "Uh-oh." "Looks like they're plannin' on joining the merriment." "Well, we're not waiting for that." "Get on your horse." "I'd argue with you, only it's better than waiting around here all day." "[Gunshot]" "[Gunfire]" "Of all the lousy, rotten luck..." "A single shot." "Where'd you get that rifle?" "[Flood Laughs] Look at them run." "I guess they decided to do something easy like attack an army fort... rather than tangle with you and me." "You know, if you had untied my hands, they might have thought they were surrounded." "[Chuckles] Let's get out of here." "Cigar?" "No, thanks." "You know, I think if I had to face life without cigars, whiskey, women, steak and cards," "I'd much rather they take me out, string me up." "There's an unpleasant thought..." "getting hung." "The word is "hanged."" "Which is what ain't gonna happen to me." "I've been shot 11 times, broke out of more jails than you can count, had a rope around my neck twice, so... don't worry about me." "I won't." "I'm still trying to figure out how they sent just you and Hennessey after me." "Your boss got something against you?" "Heck no." "Herly's just short of men." "Herly?" "That's just like the Rangers." "They're always short of something..." "Men, money or brains." "You know, Jones, you could have a lot more fun if you'd quit the Rangers, join up with me." "I've got a kind of calling." "One of my brothers was killed with the Rangers." "Oh." "That's a darn shame." "Last spring, down the Big Bend country." "Last spring?" "Yep." "April." "Your brother, he, uh..." "He look anything like you?" "I guess so." "Taller maybe." "I kind of liked old Two." "Seems to me I heard something about that scrap." "Way I heard it, that Ranger wouldn't have gotten shot... if another Ranger hadn't ducked out on him." "How do you mean?" "Well, the way I heard it, another lawman... was supposed to be covering for him, but he hid behind a rock, never showed himself." "Seems to me it was the Ranger's fault." "What else do you know about it?" "Nothing." "Nothing at all." "Just picked that story up in El Paso." "In any case, I sure am sorry about your brother." "I'm gonna get some sleep." "[Flood] Well, what'll it be, Sterling or Hobbs?" "I don't want to go into a town where there'll be a lot of fuss." "Just want to pick up some supplies and wire the Rangers." "Then my suggestion would be to head on over towards Sterling." "I thought it would be." "I met your girl Lucinda the other day." "Everyone in town kinda likes you." "Well, I guess it'll have to be Hobbs then." "You think we can get our supplies without a mob coming out to lynch you?" "We might even stop off for a quiet drink or two." "Now that you've wired the Rangers, and before we go shopping, you suppose we could have that quiet drink?" "[Men Chattering] I guess one drink wouldn't hurt." "Ah, howdy, Jim." "[Shouting Greetings]" " Look who's here." " [Chattering]" "And it was your suggestion we go to Sterling, huh?" "It was your decision to come to Hobbs, Jones." "Say, how in blazes did you get tied up?" "Well, let's untie him." "Hold it!" "Jim!" "Who tied you up?" "Meet Seven Jones, Gilda." "Maybe we oughta drop this Jones down a well." "Oh, no, no, Sam." "Don't tangle with him." "He's tougher than he looks." "We ain't gonna let him take you away." "Right?" "[Crowd] Right!" "Whoa now, everybody!" "We don't want to get each other banged up." "I'm sure Mr. Jones wouldn't mind if we all had a sociable drink." "You give me your word you won't try to get away?" "You think my word's any good?" "Yeah, I do." "You got it." "All right." "You sure are a trusting soul." "[Bartender] First drinks are on the house!" "Come on, boys." "Sit down here, Jim." "Make yourself at home, Jones." "You're among friends." "There you are, Jim." "Ah, the good stuff." "Good boy." "Well, fill us in on what you been doing, Jim." "Well, staying sober mostly." "Keepin' out of trouble." "What do we drink to?" "Let's drink to Seven Jones." "The only man I ever hit who didn't stay down." "To Seven Jones." "If Seven here would be willin' to turn his back long enough for us to cut those ropes, between all of us here, we'd give him enough money to retire." "What I've been wondering, Flood, is what is it you ever did for this town." "[Chuckling] He's just him, that's all." "Town comes to life when he's here." "You know, he's..." "he's what every man would like to be but never is." "Nobody will ever tame him." "What's more, he's never gone on a rampage in this town, which is, uh, sort of a help." "** [Piano Stops]" "How are you, Jim?" "Maybe you ladies would like to rejoin us later, hmm?" "Sure." "You fellas got something on your mind?" "Word come that Flood was here." "Flood is worth $6,000, dead or alive." "Word also came that he was tied up." "Or you two bounty hunters would be runnin' like rabbits." "Pay no heed, Dick." "You're a Texas Ranger, young fella, on New Mexico soil." "You know the law?" "No." "But he upholds it anyhow." "We got us duly constituted authority here." "You ain't." "You gotta turn him over to us." "We'll guarantee he won't get away." "I don't like your looks, mister." "Sorry." "Maybe we'll have to shoot you too, kid." "Of course, we'd be willing to make a deal about the reward money." "That's about far enough." "I got a gun aimed right at your belt buckle." "He's bluffing'." "I reckon." "He's defending' Flood, which means he's goin' against the law." "Get him!" "Put it on the bar." "Now finish that quiet drink of yours." "Why don't you just shoot him and let's get on with the party?" "Let's get out of here." "You got any idea about following us, forget it." "I'll untie Flood and give him a gun." "That was an interesting break in the monotony last night." "If you only had the sense to take my advice, we'd still be there." "Little girl who kept eyeing you was kinda pretty." "There's one I like better back in Buckley." "No reason not to like 'em all." "Maybe if I get to stay in Buckley long enough, I'll meet her." "See if I approve." "You'll have plenty of time." "Nope." "You keep forgettin'." "I said I'm not going to jail." "You know, we never did get those supplies." "All we need is some meat and flour and some horseshoe nails." "We can make do." "What about cigars?" "Well, there's a tragedy I can't even stand thinking' about." "Problem is, we're headed toward the Pecos country over towards Devil's River." "Not many towns there I'm on friendly terms with." "I'm glad to hear that." "[Laughs] You know, Jonesy, you looked brave as a lion, holding off them bounty hunters." "Maybe we can get the supplies we need from them." "I'd give my right arm for a cigar." "Ho." "Ho." " [Jones] Afternoon." " What do you want?" "We need some supplies, if you'd let us have 'em." "Like what?" "Hey, that's Jim Flood!" "Sure it is." "I seen him in El Paso." "I'm taking him in." "We don't want any trouble, just some supplies." "That's the man Jake Hanley and his bunch was lookin' for, and he'll pay plenty to lay his hands on him." "I said I'm takin' him in." "Sure, son." "Hanley'd pay half a year's wages for him." "And he's tied up." "Shut up." "This man's the law, and we ain't going against the law." "Now that we've got that settled, what we need is flour and beans... and horseshoe nails if you could spare them." "Get him some, Joe." "[Whinnying]" " [Gunshot]" " Hah!" "Hah!" "Get out of here!" "Hah!" "Hah!" "Hey, look at this!" "Seven, when I pass on to glory, my one wish will be to go with a pocket full of cigars." "Where I'm going, there'll be no problem lighting them." "Hey." "Who is that Jake Hanley they were talking about?" "Hanley?" "Him and his friends are undoubtedly the meanest bunch of gunslingers... in the entire Southwest." "And you, a Ranger, never heard of him?" "What's he got against you?" "All sorts of things too numerous to mention." "Had a dispute with some of his brothers one time, for instance." "They the same Hanleys you shot back at Beeker's Crossing?" "Yeah." "No wonder he's out to get you." "They're just one, big, mean family, and Jake's the last of 'em." "We may as well help ourselves to the stuff we need." "That's the way I like to hear you talk." "You'd make a fair-to-middlin' badman if you ever gave yourself half the chance." "Do you, um, ever think about it?" "About what?" "Bein' an outlaw." "Havin' the sheer pleasure of throwing' in with me." "Together we could pick up the entire Southwest and shake it like a pair of dice, come up with a lucky seven every time." "Nope." "Never thought about it." "Well, think about it." "Ah." "Hey, look at this." "Some bacon." "Those peaks are startin' to look familiar." "We oughta be in Buckley about tomorrow night, I'd say." "If we make it to Buckley." "Huh?" "Look, Seven, if we run into that Hanley bunch, don't try too hard to hold on to me." "[Horse Whinnies]" "Hanley?" "Yeah." "Let him take me, Seven." "Uh-uh." "No use of us both gettin' killed." "Get out of the way." "I'm not standing by and let you get shot." "You're my prisoner." "Don't do it." "Let's not have a big fracas." "I'll just go along with you fellows." "Good." "Nobody's taking him, Hanley." "Better get out of here, kid." "[Whinnying]" "Hey, Jonesy." "Thanks." "[Flood] Buckley, hmm?" "Yep." "You made it, Seven." "Now I'd kinda like to get out of here without hurting' you." "Don't worry about it." "[Dog Barking]" "[Man] It's Flood!" "[Chattering]" "That's Flood." "[Man] He's all by himself." "Get down." "Lieutenant, this here's Jim Flood." "Lieutenant, seems to me we met someplace." "Fogarty, lock him up." "I'll see you later, Seven." "All right, Jones." "Jones." "Yes, sir?" "Write up a report." "I want details on Hennessey and bringing in Flood." "Give it to me in the morning." "Here, I'll take 'em, Seven." "Boy, that sure was somethin', bringin' in Jim Flood." "Yeah." "Seven!" "Hello." "You look tired." "I am a little." "Can I fix you some coffee?" "I'd like that." "Let's see now." "After I left Beeker's Crossing..." "All right, Fred, you've got your story." "That's enough for tonight." "[Chuckles] You shouldn't have thrown that newspaper fella out." "I could have held him spellbound for another hour or so." "But then doubtless, you wanted to have a word with me in private, huh?" "[Door Closes] I got nothing to say to you." "The service here is deplorable." "You save hanging money by letting your prisoners starve?" "Supper will be brought." "If only I had a better memory." "I'm sure I've seen that distinguished face of yours." "Yeah." "Yeah, it's coming to me now a little more clear." "It happened last year." "Had something to do with a loop... or a curve or a twist." "Yeah." "That's it." "A bend." "That's it!" "The Big Bend country." "Seems to me the fella you remind me of was sittin' behind a rock." "You spend much time sittin' behind rocks, Lieutenant?" "[Drawer Slams]" "Talk like that can get you hurt." "In case you hadn't thought of it, Lieutenant, it can also get you hurt." "I doubt if anyone's gonna be fonder of you when they find out... that you deserted a Ranger named Two Jones last year, let him get killed." "Killed by you." "My guess is that you sent Seven after me hoping I'd kill him too." "With Seven Jones out of the way, you could forget the whole Jones family, maybe even forget what a coward you are." "Nobody'd ever believe you, telling a story like that." "No?" "The only way to find out is to tell it." "You're gonna be at the end of a rope one way or the other." "What are you after?" "Sometimes I just get a calling to even things out for a friend." "You're dead set on pushing your luck, aren't you?" "That's right." "I'm gonna let you out of here." "Well, that's sure neighborly of you." "You got a reputation for breaking jail." "You're gonna try a break now." "I don't know." "That doesn't seem quite honest." "Step out of the cell." "Lieutenant, before you shoot, you mind if I have another puff or two?" "Well, I better get started with the dishes." "It was a good meal." "I doubt if even Flood could have done better than that." "Flood." "I'd like to know more about him." "You seem to like him." "He's kind of a hard man to tell about." "I wish you'd try." "Well, seems almost impossible to explain, but..." "I'd trust him more than any man I know... with anything I had, and at the same time, know he might turn on me any minute." "What is it makes you feel that way about him?" "Flood is... whatever man kinda wants to be, I guess." "Wild and free as a bird." "As free as the hawk that tried to kill my puppy?" "Well, I don't think you understand what I..." "Free enough to kill Hennessey?" "[Gunshot]" "[Shouting]" "He's escaped!" "He killed Herly!" "Yahoo!" "See you later, Seven!" "[Men Shouting]" "Get the doctor." "She'll be fine." "Shock's what does it when you're hit like that." "I don't suppose you'd have a cup of hot coffee, would you, Mary?" "Why, certainly." "In the kitchen." "I'll get it for you." "You oughta get some sleep." "[Hoofbeats Approaching]" "[Galloping Hoofbeats]" "Flood!" "Took me a little while to shake the Rangers." "I figured it'd take you about this long." "Gonna do you a big favor." "What's that?" "Gonna give you one last chance to come along with me." "You know, Seven, you and I hit it off like nobody's business." "That's right." "We did." "Well, come on then." "We'll have us a great time." "No." "I've got to stop you, Flood." "You don't think you're gonna put me in that jail again?" "I'm gonna try." "What's bothering you?" "You're awful serious." "You remember firing a shot near this house when you rode out of town?" "Yeah." "Well, you hit a girl." "A girl you never even knew." "You could have killed her." "Oh, I'm sorry." "You still could have killed her." "A man just can't do the things you do." "Look, Seven, we can do things that nobody's ever dreamed of." "Come on." "No." "You know as well as I do that you can't stop me." "I'll do my best." "Why?" "Because of Hennessey, that girl, all the others." "It's not enough just to be sorry, Flood." "For all I know, the man who killed my brother might have been sorry." "But it didn't help." "Yeah." "Well, so long, Seven." "I've got to stop you, Jim." "Turn around." "When I first met you, you were pretty clumsy." "You've been improving." "I never knew you to be so slow." "I didn't expect you to miss like that." "At the last minute there, I remembered you owed me $86." "Couldn't stand to lose that gambling debt." "Yeah." "[Groans]"