"Gid' up, now, you!" "Come on!" "Gid' up there, gid' up!" "Gid' up, now." "You got somebody important coming in, Lieutenant?" "I wouldn't know." "It must be an important fellow to get all this." "I wouldn't know!" "You wouldn't know, now, would you?" "Hey, do you know..." "Hey, watch that jug." "People around here don't know nothing." "Evenin'." "Well, what's your big secret?" "You got a dead body coming?" "You might call it that." "Yeah?" "Who is it?" "Oh..." "Prisoner coming in on the train is Captain James T. West." "That name mean anything to you?" "Nope." "He's a renegade, deserted the army." "And, uh, the army catched him and killed him, huh?" "No, he ain't dead yet." "But he's sure going to be... right after they hang him." "Move!" "You know what they're going to do to you, mister?" "Hey, how about them boots, huh?" "You ain't going to be needing them no more." "Open." "Follow me." "Sir, this is the man we call Jim West." "Good morning, President Grant." "It's good to see you, West." "I'm sorry we had to rough you up a little." "It's all right, sir." "It was an effective cover." "Good... because we need you again." "You're the finest underground intelligence officer we have, and I'm going to lay it right on the line with you, boy." "This nation's in a pot of trouble." "Inflation eating the South alive." "Washington..." "Washington crawling with carpetbaggers, jackals just gathering for the kill." "And now now new trouble." "Colonel Shear will brief you." "Southwest Territory, Santa Fe." "Sangre de Cristos." "The Adelanto Valley." "It's a good 2,500 miles." "We're going to get you there right away." "How?" "Well, we brought you back to Washington disguised as a deserter headed for the gallows." "So I leave in a pine box?" "Nothing like that, Jim." "We're taking you out of the capital in the grand manner to which you have become accustomed." "The train." "Right." "You're posing as the dandiest dude that ever crossed the Mississippi in his private railroad car." "You're going to give me the train?" "Now, let's say it's a long-term government loan, but as far as the outside world is concerned, it's the sole property of Jim West, big spender from the East." "You know, Colonel, I like the sound of that." "About six months ago, a series of guerrilla raids broke out in this area here." "Now, this is new territory we can hardly hold by a thread." "The guerrillas are organized, methodical, ruthless." "But you can't send the army in." "That's true, Jim." "Now, that would precipitate a war, but an undercover man might be able to get in there." "A fancy dude with, um..." "a private car?" "That's right, Jim." "Now, there's a certain pattern to these raids, starting here, then here, then here, like the spokes on a wheel." "And the hub of that wheel is a town called Quemada." "Quemada?" "Who's leading the guerrillas?" "A vicious, sadistic, very clever predatory beast named Juan Manolo." "Don't leave anyone alive!" "Let nobody live in this town!" "Yeah, that's right, burn their houses!" "They will remember Manolo!" "Yes, they will, yes, they will!" "Hey, how about them boots?" "You still got them boots, huh?" "Funny, Artie, oh, real funny." "Well, I got a little bit carried away." "I got word to put myself, the wagon and your horse on a freight, get out here, and you'd brief me." "Now, what is it this time?" "Not it- he." "Juan Manolo." "Ever hear of him?" "Yeah, the name gets bandied about at funerals and such." "How about a town called Quemada?" "That's where they usually hold the funerals." "Manolo sent word to the settlers to leave in a week." "They didn't, so he sent his men in, burned them out, hit and run." "They got the message." "They're leaving." "What's his hurry?" "He's moving guns and supplies out to his men the day after tomorrow." "He's planning a revolution." "Now there are enough arms in Quemada to start a war, a big war, and we could lose most of our western territories." "What's the job?" "You find the supplies, I find him and bring him back to Washington before the day after tomorrow." "And if you can't?" "Then I'll have to kill him." "In Quemada?" "I think I'll turn this one down." "Artie, you can't turn this one down." "You're under orders, just like me." "Thank you, James." "Artie..." "I wouldn't hit that one." "Oh..." "Oh, that's beautiful." "And this?" "Oh, not bad, not bad at all, but a gun barrel would have been better." "The gun barrel's in that one." "I'll never learn." "We'll go in town separately." "Fine." "Oh, uh... thanks." "Well, James..." "Quemada's a bad place, James." "Watch yourself, huh?" "You, too, Artemus." "Bye, Henry, Henrietta." "There is a band of color which begins at your shoulders and progressively repeats itself layer after layer." "It is infinitely varied and infinitely beautiful." "Take what you will from the shelves." "The prices of the merchandise are marked." "Perhaps there is something I want to buy." "Information." "Let us go in." "My office is more comfortable." "Something?" "You're the biggest Chinese I've ever seen." "We are a remarkably versatile race." "A terrible weakness." "Would you care for a pipe?" "Oh, no, no, no thank you." "It is filled with joy." "A comfort in the face of disaster." "What happened here?" "Someone seems to have paid us a visit." "A Juan Manolo, perhaps?" "Perhaps." "And now, Mister..." "West." "James West." "I have a proposition for Mr. Manolo which I think might interest him." "Should it interest him, there would be a generous percentage for you." "That is, if you take me to him." "It is said that the owner of the Casa Estrella, our local palais de chance, is a friend of Mr. Manolo's." "She might be able to arrange a meeting if you were very... persuasive." "She?" "Miss Lydia Monteran." "You know her." "I've had the pleasure." "Fortunately, the Casa Estrella was also undamaged in the recent raid." "Fortunately." "Should the meeting be arranged, please give this to Mr. Manolo with my compliments." "Why don't you take me to him?" "Unfortunately, Mr. West, I am a coward as well as a philosopher." "I will be satisfied with a generous percentage." "Miss Monteran is considered extremely beautiful... although, I must confess that, to the Oriental eye, all Occidental women tend to look alike." "I shall be at the Casa Estrella, Mei Mei." "My... housekeeper." "Of course." "¿Con permiso, señor." "Mr. West, do you by any chance have a coin for this poor man?" "Gracias, señor." "Mr. Wing." "Come in, come in, sir." "We're not expecting any patrons today, Mr. Wing, but the salon is always open to you." "Thank you, Paul, thank you." "I would first appreciate a word with the lady of the house." "Be seated, gentlemen." "I will see what I can do." "Gambling is a passion with me, any kind... of gambling." "Quite an establishment." "Watch the feather." "I am told that every stone in this building was brought here by freight wagon from Mexico." "It used to stand in the plaza in Mexico City." "This way, gentlemen." "About that little game, Paul?" "I will arrange it, Mr. Wing." "Watch the feather." "This way, please." "Oh, Mr. Wing, how pleasant to see you again." "Miss Monteran." "I understand you know my friend, Mr. James West." "He has a favor to ask of you." "Your servant, Miss Monteran." "Poor Mr. Wing." "I'm afraid we're not open for business today, but perhaps..." "Paul is arranging a little game, gracious lady." "If you will excuse me." "You're looking well, Jim." "And you as magnificent as ever." "You may go, Bedford." "I've missed you." "Oh, and I missed you... at the station in New Orleans." "I waited on that hard bench for hours all alone." "That is, until the police came." "And I'd hoped you'd forgotten about that." "No, I haven't forgotten about that." "$22,512- that's what that little affair in New Orleans cost me." "But it wasn't your money." "But it was... till you made me give it back." "This a business call?" "Mm-hmm." "That's what I thought." "What do you want this time?" "I want to meet Juan Manolo." "I never heard of him." "You sure?" "You can have this money if I meet him." "You know what I think?" "I think you'd better leave my house." "Your house?" "Some people think it's Juan Manolo's house." "I'm going to count to three." "Is that thing loaded?" "One..." "Give me that." "Two..." "You wouldn't shoot me." "Just you try me." "Three." "Colonel Shear, what are you doing here?" "President Grant is worried about you." "Things are worse- ten times bigger than we thought they were." "The President is offering you a chance to quit now if you want to." "Sorry, Colonel, I'm staying." "I'm getting closer to the jackal." "Besides, there's a girl involved." "She used to be a friend." "The odds are against you, West." "That's your choice, you're on your own." "One thing more- we never met here." "Any luck?" "They're too frightened to talk." "I can't say that I blame them." "You find out anything?" "No, I've been through the remains of every... burned-out barn and warehouse in the area." "Nothing." "Freight wagons keep coming in and... going out." "Come in where and go out where?" "Come in the main road and go out the... cemetery." "In the main road and go out the cemetery?" "Right." "I'll meet you in an hour." "Where?" "At the cemetery." "It's out behind Lydia's place." "Oh, boy." "Bring an extra horse in case we have to make a run for it." "Yeah, right." "Jim?" "Jim?" "Jim?" "Jim?" "What are you doing?" "Trying to find out why freight wagons are lighter after they pass through the cemetery." "A lot of wagons are lighter after they pass through a cemetery." "Yeah, I know, Artie, but freight wagons shouldn't be." "Well, how do you know these are?" "Wheel tracks." "They're deeper coming in than going out." "Oh..." "Oh." "You like this kind of work?" "What are you looking for?" "What are you looking for now?" "This." "There's oil on these hinges." "See anyone you know?" "Yeah, the one with the blue eyes looks familiar." "Cozy little place, isn't it?" "Bring the lamp." "Whiskey, whiskey everywhere, huh?" "Mm-hmm." "Gunpowder." "Gunpowder, grenades." "Every barrel is loaded with them." "Artie, later." "Watch the feather." "Watch the feather." "Watch the feather." "Watch the feather." "Mm-mm." "This one's all mine." "Fine." "I'll see you at the wagon." "What are you doing here?" "Where is he?" "You know, all I have to do is pull that cord..." "And Juan Manolo appears or maybe he doesn't appear." "Maybe he's here already." "If he were, you wouldn't live very long." "Now, will you get out of here?" "No." "I warned you." "Lydia, you surprise me." "I knew you'd do a lot for money, but I'd thought you'd draw the line at murder." "What do you mean, murder?" "These innocent people, the town you helped destroy." "I don't know what you're talking about." "You're a liar." "Is there a Juan Manolo?" "Yes." "Are you his partner?" "No." "Tell me why his supplies are in your cellar with your name on them." "I don't know what you're talking about." "There's nothing in my cellar but wine." "Tell me that when you see his hidden munitions." "Are you going to walk or do I drag you?" "See, I told you, nothing but wine." "Jim!" "Jim!" "What..." "Must be convenient to live right above your own arsenal." "Oh!" "Now, tell me you didn't know about this." "No, señor." "She didn't." "¿No entiende, amigo?" "You don't understand, huh?" "This is a private wine cellar." "Private stock." "Perhaps you would like a sample of this wine, hmm?" "It's nice, rich red wine." "You know, you have a friend in this pueblo." "A most uncooperative man..." "and very dead one." "Perhaps you will be more cooperative and tell us just what it is you want here." "What are you going to do with the girl?" "When you talk, I will decide!" "When you decide, I'll talk." "You like some more wine, huh, huh?" "!" "Search him!" "Ahh... something." "Eh?" "You have something else, huh?" "That's a good exchange, gringo- weapons for wine." "Something else, huh?" "What do you have?" "Something else?" "What is it..." "What is this, huh?" "Oh..." "look at what the gringo have." "All right, loosen his tongue!" "I regret this incident." "It was a pleasant diversion from this serious business of war, you know?" "Uh, move the queen three blocks that way." "Good..." "For that is what it is going to be, American, war." "Not a revolution." "This territory was taken by the Americans by force, and I propose to take it back the same way." "And when I am finished, I have plans." "What plans?" "What plans?" "Big ones!" "Oh, when I get through, the whole world will know my name." "I will have the world in the palm of my hand!" "I will be number one!" "You stand at attention when I get up!" "Good." "You come with me, and you two remain with our guest." "It will take me some time to decide what is to be done with him." "Let the girl stay where she is." "She can wait..." "until I decide what is to be done with him." "It might be, uh, poetic justice to have a double execution." "Huh?" "Oh, you might as well give up the game, señor." "I have you checkmated in 14 moves." "Jim?" "Lydia, I'm sorry for this." "Oh, forget it." "How do we get out of here?" "Where are the guards?" "One's on the other side of the room, the other one's on the steps." "Keep watching them." "Tell me if they move." "Uh-huh." "Are the guards in the same place?" "Mm-hmm." "Come here." "What's that?" "It's a smoke bomb." "Just stay right there." "Downstairs, move!" "Artie, the handcuffs are in the cell." "I underestimated you, Mr. West." "So you did." "I have men up there!" "If you hurt me, it will take you a week to die." "Yeah, sure, sure, sure." "Can you handle him?" "Yeah, I'm fine now." "Maybe I ought to throw him in the pit, huh?" "With some of his little friends." "He'd probably poison them." "Hey, do you have to do that?" "By some unhappy coincidence, every time I run into you I lose something." "Last time it was money, now it's the only house I ever owned." "Get him out of here." "Right." "Put him on a horse." "Move!" "Artie, take care of her." "Right." "I got to get him out of here before his friends come looking." "They will, and when they do..." "Whoa... ho-ho." "See you on the train." "Let's move." "In your country, this is how you treat an officer?" "You wanted the world?" "Here." "Good evening, Mr. West." "Take these off." "In good time." "I want to...!" "In good time." "I've been expecting you, Mr. Manolo." "Fascinating." "How?" "The cards." "The one you gave me, the one you sent him." "There was only one man important enough to send for him when he was... busy." "Ah." "Perhaps an introduction is in order." "Mr. James West," "General Andreas de la Torres Cassinello, an ex-employee of mine." "What do you mean?" "I fear you have been very stupid, General- very stupid, indeed- and you are no longer useful now that our little masquerade has ended." "And see that the engine crew is well taken care of." "It is true, I am Juan Manolo." "Or Huan Man-Lo, to use the Mandarin pronunciation." "I fear the general has fallen from the train." "All right, sit down!" "You better do it, Kelly." "Mr. West, I must confess, I am impressed with your ability." "For this reason I am reluctant to remove you before we conclude the conversation which you intended to have with me originally." "I came to Quemada to make a deal with you." "I still want to make that deal." "What did you intend to get from me?" "Partnership." "Oho." "Not an equal partnership." "I just want 25%." "And what did you intend to give for this share?" "May I?" "Make no sudden movement of any kind." "This is just a sample." "I know where there's $250,000 more, and I'm prepared to turn it over to you on one condition." "You're hardly in a position to make conditions." "I can make a condition about this." "If you want the money, you do business on my terms or not at all, and I won't talk in front of them." "We talk, we talk privately- or you can go ahead and kill me." "I find you very amusing, Mr. West." "Wait on the platform." "When Mr. West's friend, Mr. Gordon, arrives, kill him." "And the girl." "It's all right, Joseph, I am armed." "This is quite a useful base of operations." "I will enjoy it after you are gone." "A week after we sign our partnership," "I'll deliver $250,000 to you." "If you kill me, you won't get it." "Now, you've lost your general." "You need a front man, a second in command." "That's the job I want." "I'm a trained cavalry officer with ten years of top experience." "Mr. West, I admire you very much." "You are a true gambler." "Perhaps I should wait a little and see if you can deliver what you say you can." "What about Gordon and the girl?" "Sorry, they have already caused me a great deal of difficulty, and they must pay for that." "As must you, if you... fail in your commitment." "Quite an ingenious arrangement." "And do you play?" "I enjoy it." "Do you bet when you play?" "Always." "A terrible, terrible weakness." "You are very good indeed, unless that was an accident." "I'll make a bet with you." "Have you anything left to risk?" "I own the title to this car." "I'll sign it over to you if I lose." "If I win, you don't kill Gordon and the girl." "Why do I need the title to this car?" "I could simply take it." "You might be able to take it, but you couldn't use it." "Not on any railroad line in the United States." "Without the title, they won't let you on the track." "I will say this for you, Mr. West- you have considerable style." "Shall we say a short game?" "13 points." "My car against Gordon and the girl." "Trouble." "How do you know?" "The light at the end of the car- it isn't lit, and it should be." "It's a signal." "Something wrong, Mr. West?" "No." "Don't bother, Mr. West." "I concede." "I may miss." "You may." "But I won't." "Ahora... sabe usted la verdad de mi, señor." "Why, Manolo?" "Why?" "Our revolution must spring unexpectedly." "Who would suspect a Chinese merchant of being a leader of armies." "Like I said before, one would suspect such a big Chinese." "So you did... so you did." "What about the girl?" "What does she know about this?" "Nothing." "She was permitted to operate the gambling palace, no more." "And... so I die, and an invasion dies with me." "For you, West, you get nothing." "You're a fool!" "Well, let's say I'm buying a stake in the future for a lot of people." "You're a hero, señor." "But who will know that?" "What's it matter?" "¶ Ta-dum. ¶" "Well..." "Artie, is this the best you can do?" "That's the best $1.98 gown made in Chicago." "Lydia." "Hmm?" "Come here." "You know what?" "You're perfect." "Takes talent." "Some people have it, some people don't." "Champagne?" "Oh, yes, indeed." "Why didn't you tell me you'd owned one of these?" "Uh, we don't, it belongs to a friend." "Oh?" "What's your friend's name?" "Sam." "Sam?" "Sam." "Mmm, I'd like to meet Sam." "He must be very rich." "He is, but he's got a lot of expenses." "Mm, poor Sam."