"Bring the rope." "Get on your feet, Keyes." "You gotta give him one thing, Sergeant." "He's a gambler." "No gamble." "We got nothing to lose." "Put it on him." "Come on, gambler." "If I can't trust you on a horse, you're gonna have to walk." "Start getting used to that rope around your neck." "Get that rope off of him." "Put him back on his horse." "Corporal!" "Let 'em rest." "Down." "Sit down." "Rest." " Sergeant Raines, sir." " Lieutenant Cummins, Fort Dorado." " Where are you headed?" " Escorting a prisoner to General Crook." "Your prisoner looks a little worse for wear, Sergeant." " What happened to you, soldier?" " I fell off my horse." "He tried to make a break for it three times, sir." " I could sure use another man." " I'm sorry, Sergeant." "I can't spare one." "We're still two days from Dorado." "You can reach the general by tomorrow." " Yes, sir." " Good luck." "Move him out, Schrader." "Platoon dismissed!" "Lieutenant Cummins reporting, sir, with 19 hostiles." "Cheyenne, sir." "This far south, in Apache country?" "I ran onto 'em just north of Santa Fe." "Their braves must be dead or on a reservation, I guess." "You guess?" "Well, Lieutenant, that's just what we needed for Christmas." "Some of the men are gonna have to miss the holidays taking this crew to the Cheyenne-Arapaho agency." "You'll be in charge of the detail." " That's all." " Yes, sir." "Have the doctor examine them." "You can set up a quarantine tent outside if it's needed and let the rest sleep in the old barracks." "Yes, sir." "Corporal, move them out over to the barracks." "Right this way." "You people, move over this way." "Right this way." "All right, spread 'em out." "Sit 'em down here on the porch." "All along here." "Sit down." "Sit." "Mail call!" "Mail call!" "Mail call!" "All right, now." "I'm gonna look at you one at a time." "Nothing to be afraid of." "You understand?" "If any of you are sick, we'll try to help you." "Will you stand up here, please?" "Go get him." "Open your shirt, please." "Could you open your shirt?" "Come on, not like that." "What's the matter with you?" " Hey, come back, you!" " Here, doc." "Hey, what's going on?" "Give me that horse." "Whoa!" "Whoa!" "Whoa!" " Give me your hand." " Never mind me, get the kid." "Come back here, Bill." "This way." "You men, get after those mules!" " Come on, move." " Come back." "Give me a hand here, Murphy." " Hey, kid, come here." " Look out." "Stop him, Kaplan." " Son, come on back." " He's a real wildcat, he is." " He's white, sir." " I'm not blind, Sergeant." "Come on, get down from there." " The guardhouse is empty, isn't it?" " Yes, sir." " Then lock him up." " You can't sentence him to there." "I am not sentencing him, John." "But I got to put him someplace while I figure out what to do with him." "I suppose there's no chance of finding his parents?" "None." "He's probably one of those captured by the Cheyenne after the massacre." "Indians raised him as a member of the tribe." "What I mean, sir, is..." "I'd like to take him." "He'll have to be kept under lock and key." "I want him out of the way when we send those others to the reservation next week." "Yes, sir, I understand." "All right." "I'll hold both of you responsible." "Yes, sir." "Well, come on, son." "Come on, you." "You're being given a name." "Do you understand?" "Dearly beloved, none can enter the kingdom of God except he be regenerate and born anew of water and the Holy Ghost." "Who speaks for this child?" "Sergeant." "I do." "Dost thou, in the name of the child, renounce the devil and all his works?" "I do." "The child's name?" "Mark." "I baptize thee Mark in the name of the Trinity." "From this day forward, you will be known as Mark to all men." "Lead, kindly light, amid the encircling gloom" "Lead thou me on" "The night is dark and I am far from home" "Lead thou me on" "Keep thou my feet" "I do not ask to see" "The distant scene" "One step enough for me" "Amen" "You men can put out your candles now." "During the offertory, we'll sing "Silent Night"." "Silent night" "Holy night" "All is calm" "All is bright" "Round yon virgin mother and child" "Holy infant so tender and mild" "Sleep in heavenly peace" "Sleep in heavenly peace" "Silent night" "Holy night" "Shepherds quake at the sight" "Glories stream from heaven afar" "Heavenly hosts sing hallelujah" "Christ the savior is born" "Christ the savior is born" "You look for Cheyenne?" "He can't have gone far." "You check over there, I'll look on this side." " Did you see the boy come out?" " No, sarge." "Hup." "Let's go." "Hup." "Boy..." "Let me see that arm." "That's not too bad." "We'll put something on it." "All right, now sit down there." "I'll get you some water." "Oh, shut up, you rotten, no-good piece of..." "Here, drink some of this." "Don't overdo it." "Slowly." "Got some carbolic in here." "I can promise you it's gonna hurt you more than it will me." "Give me that arm." "That'll keep it from festering, anyway." "That military disaster over there, she's called Rosebud." "You can call her Rosie, if you've a mind to." "Shut up." "Give me that gun." "I said give me that gun before I break it over your backside." "All right." "I shot you." "Now we're even." "Next time you use a Winchester, you just make sure there's a cartridge in the chamber, huh?" "What's your name?" "I'm not gonna ask you again." "Mark." "Mark?" "Mark what?" "Just Mark." "I'm Clint Keyes." "What are you doing out here all by your lonesome?" "Where are your folks?" "Can't leave you out here by yourself, so..." "I'll take you as far as those mountains." "Then I'm heading south, to Mexico." "Do you understand that, boy?" "That's the thirstiest critter I ever saw." "He don't even know he's a camel." "Thirsty?" "Appears to me he answered to that." "I've been looking for a handle for him." "Come here, Thirsty." "Come on." "Camels don't cotton to me too much." "Why don't you call him?" "Here, Thirsty." "Come on, Thirsty." "Seems like he knows who he is when you say it." "All right." "Down." "Come on." "Coosh." "Down." "Coosh." "Down." "Most miserable animal I ever saw." "What I need is a good horse." "Come on over here and get up." "There you go." "OK." "Clamp a jaw on that, huh?" "Up, Rosie." "Up." "Two camels." "Keyes here." "Small boy here also." "A small boy?" "Girl, maybe." " Thirsty!" " Thirsty can't keep up." " He'll have to go it alone." " Thirsty!" "Now, who told you to do that, huh?" "One more time and you're gonna be camel stew." "You're not lovable and you're not ridable." "Maybe you're eatable." "Come on, Thirsty." "Come on." "All right, we'll go a little slower." "First decent place we find, we'll stop." "Come on, bring him along." "OK, Rosie." "Let's do it right for a change." "Rosie, you rotten animal." "Rosebud!" "All right, that does it." "Mark, go get me a stick." "Shut up." "I'm gonna teach this big bag of trouble it can be more painful sitting down than standing up and walking." "Up, Rosie." "Up!" "Come on." " What are you laughing at?" " You look like big Cheyenne chief." "You're gonna look like a wet papoose, 'cause you're next." "All right, now." "Come here." "Come on." " You no catch me." " It ain't gonna hurt you." "Come here." "All right, all right, all right." "You win." "Forget it." "You wanna stay that way, you stay that way." "Bring me my boots and my britches, then." "No!" "You haven't had those buckskins off since they sewed 'em on you." "Stop!" "You ain't any more Cheyenne than I am." "That white skin ain't gonna get you out of taking a bath." "I'm tired of walking downwind of you." "No!" "No!" "Stop!" " All right." "Give me those britches." " No." "No." "You give me those britches or I'm coming in there to get 'em." "Give 'em here." "And here, use that." "That's soap." "Go on, use it." "Nobody ever died from it." "Go on, rub." "It won't hurt." "You see?" "Doesn't hurt a bit, does it?" "You don't know your name or who your folks were, huh?" " Where did you learn to speak English?" " We had other white-eyes." "Other captives?" "You long knife now?" "I was a soldier." "Now you'd call me a deserter." "They were gonna hang me until I bust out of the guardhouse." "I couldn't figure out a way to get a horse out of that fort." "Had what was left of the camel corps outside, so I grabbed that moth-eaten bag of misery, not knowing she was the mother of your friend Thirsty over there." "You take me to Blue Feather?" " Who's that?" " My mother." "Oh, I see." "You take me?" "I can't do that, son." "See, I'm headed for Mexico, in a hurry." "I go, then." "Wait a minute." "You're not going anywhere." "Not with that patrol on my tail, you're not." "Look, Mark, by now they know you're traveling with me." "You know where I am and where I'm headed." "If they grab you, they'll sweat it out of you." "I don't talk." "Well, I don't take chances." "I'll turn you loose when I think it's safe, and not before." "In the meantime, Mark, we gotta trust each other." "You understand?" "Boy with Keyes." "Water two camels last night." "No fresh sign?" "See if you can pick up their trail." "Hold it." "Now turn around and face the water, all of you." "Drop your weapons behind you." "This ain't gonna make it any easier for you, Keyes." "Nobody ever made it easy for me, Raines." "All right, now." "After those horses." "Both of you first." "And, Raines, you stay right in front of me." "Move." "Schrader, get rid of the horses!" "Get out!" "Get out!" "All right, move!" "Move!" "Move!" "That's far enough." "All right, Schrader." "Where's your gun?" "Well, Sergeant, you'd better get moving." "With no horses, it's gonna be a long, dry walk." "Yeah, I know." "Get moving." "We do good, huh, Clint?" "Oh, sure." "Sure." "No horses, no grub." "We really cleaned up." "They'll be back." "You can count on it." "Come on." "See if we can fool 'em." "We'll hide out in these mountains for a couple of days." "Right now, though, we better find us some grub." " That's cattle." " I hear a long time ago." "Thanks for telling me." "What's the matter, Clint?" "You talk to camels." "Tell her to get off my foot." "Move, Rosie." "You..." "That's beef for Fort Dorado, likely." "Bacon." "I smell." "You'd like a little of that, huh?" "Clint, we got nothing to eat." "Cheyenne quiet." "I steal." "You gotta get over the idea that any time you want anything, you can just go steal it." "We'll wait till they quiet down." "Then I'll steal the bacon." " Something wrong, boss?" " They're kinda spooky tonight." "I'm gonna get me some water." "I'm kinda thirsty myself." " Drink." " Much obliged." "Yeah, they look kinda dancey, at that." "It's funny." "There's no wind, no sand." "Nothing to make 'em spook." "We better keep an eye on 'em." "Rosie!" "What are you doing here?" "Come on, Rosie." "Coosh." "Coosh down." "Rosie, get down." "Get up." "They're spooking." "Get your horses, quick." "Get up over there." "Let's go." "Get down." "Pull 'em in, Tom!" "Pull 'em in!" "Come on, get 'em in!" "Oh, you dumb..." "Rosie!" "Easy." " What was that?" " I don't know." "Go, Rosie." "Let's go." "Go!" "Go!" "Go, Rosie!" "Go!" "No, Rosie!" "Rosie!" "Rosie, stop!" "Rosie!" "Rosie, stop!" "Rosie, now you've gone far enough!" "No, Rosie." "No." "Stop that camel!" "Oh, no!" "How many more?" "I know about those." "How many more?" "Not many, Clint." "Well, what are you doing, Rosie?" "Get outta here!" "Go on!" "Get, Rosie!" " She's sorry, Clint." " Yeah, she's sorry." "Before getting mixed up with her I should have stayed in the guardhouse and let 'em hang me, peaceful, like." "That's all, Clint." "Carbolic." "Like you said, it's gonna hurt you more than me." "Won't fester." "Whoa, Rosie." "Whoa." "I gotta get down, kid." "Take this." "Here." "I've sat on campfires that were more comfortable." "Come on, Rosie." "Well, this looks like as good a place as any." "What's that?" "All in a wood there grew a tree" "The finest tree you ever did see" "And the green leaves grew around and around" "And the green leaves grew around" " Let's do it again, Mama." " All right." "One more chorus and then we have to finish our packing." "And on this tree there grew a limb" "The finest limb you ever did see" "The limb was on the tree" "The tree was in the wood" "They don't have camels in New Mexico, do they, Mama?" "No, dear, they don't." " And the green leaves grew..." " Something's eating at our corn." "And the green leaves grew around" "Judas Priest, it is a camel!" " But you said that..." " I know what I said." "Get back inside." "It's only a little camel, Mama." "Let's hope it's big enough to know what a shotgun is." "Git!" "Come on!" "Get out of my corn." "I said git!" "Get out of here!" "Git!" "Git!" "Don't go in the barn!" "Git!" " Nothing to be afraid of, ma'am." " Who are you?" " Howdy." " What do you want?" "Well, we'd just like something to... eat, if you've got it, ma'am." "We'll be leaving here in a few days." "You can take everything then." "Oh, well, we'll be gone long before that." "Are you..." "Is there anyone else here?" "No, just me and my little girl." "We sold everything." "Even the stock." "You can take anything you want." "Just leave us alone." "Please." "There's no need to worry, ma'am." "We're camped nearby." "Here." "We won't make any trouble." "Come on, Mark." "Is he yours?" "I never knew anyone who had a camel before." "They're here!" " These are fresh this morning." " Well, thank you." "My name is Clint Keyes and this is Mark." "Oh, I'm Doris Mclver." "This is my daughter Martha." " Are you with the army, Mr. Keyes?" " Not just now, no, ma'am." " Where's the camel?" " We left it back at camp." "I don't understand." "I didn't know they had camels in the middle of New Mexico." "Jeff Davis brought them over when he was Secretary of War, for the desert troops." " But yours is just a baby." " We have the mother camel too." "A big camel?" "Mama, can I see it, please?" "Yeah." "Mark'd love to show it to her." " Well, I don't know..." " It's all right." "Mark loves to show 'em off." "You said you were leaving." "Maybe there's something I could do to help." "No, thank you." "They're sending a wagon out from town for us tomorrow morning." "We'll take the stagecoach from there." "We're going back to Colorado." "Mountain Creek." "We came out here for my husband's health." "But it was no use." "It was too late." "I'm sorry to hear that, ma'am." "If you'll take these, I'll cut some wood." "Oh, thank you." "Oh, Mr. Keyes." "I notice you're limping." " Are you hurt?" " Oh, I just had a little accident." "I've had some nursing." "Would you like me to look at it?" "No, ma'am." "It'll be fine." "Just fine." " Do you ride it?" " Sure." "Could I ride it?" "Please." "Could I ride the little one?" "Why not?" "You're a girl." "Well, she's the mother." "She's a girl too." "All right." "You ride." "Coosh, Rosie." "Coosh." "Coosh down." "Coosh." "Coosh." " Coosh." "Ready?" " Yeah." "Up, Rosie." "Up." "Come on, Rosie." "Take this requisition to Fort Dorado." "They'll give you cash for your saddles and side arms and replace them horses we're taking there." "Fine." "This man you're after..." "If it ain't a government secret, what did he do?" "Mutinied." "Deserted up in Wyoming." "We caught up with him, took him to General Crook's headquarters." "Busted out of the guardhouse there and attacked a noncommissioned officer." "And you say he was headed for Mexico?" "Heading south." "Figures." "Well, maybe, but if it was me on the run, I'd stay off that open desert." "Hole up in these mountains around here for a while." "You just may be right." "Thanks." "Good luck, Sergeant." "Thank you." "There's more than enough fish if you and the boy'd care to stay for supper." "Well, no, I don't think we ought to." "That's very kind of you." " You mean you don't like fish?" " No, ma'am, it's not that." "It's just that Mark and I aren't exactly dressed." "I have to shave." "Well, there's plenty of time if you want to shave." "Well, the truth is I just lost my razor." "You're welcome to use my husband's if you like." "You're already packed." "I wouldn't want to cause you any trouble." "Oh, no trouble." "Why don't you and Mark sleep in the barn?" "You'll be more comfortable there." "I'm obliged again, ma'am." "Come on, Mark!" "He depends on you a lot, doesn't he?" "Oh, I guess, but mostly he's just trying to use me to get to Blue Feather." "Are you going to take him?" "I can't." "I'm headed to Mexico." "Oh." "I didn't know that." "With the boy?" "No, ma'am." "What are you gonna do with him?" " My problem, I guess." " You just can't leave him." "Well, I know that." "But he doesn't belong in Mexico any more than he belongs in a teepee on a reservation." "What he needs is a home and a family." "It's a mite hard to tell whether a camel loves you or hates you." " Either way, they're ornery as sin." " I love 'em." "I guess you've gotta give 'em credit, though." "Heat doesn't bother 'em, neither does the cold." "The biggest ones can travel 15, 16 miles an hour carrying a ton of weight." "They can outlast any horse." "You certainly know a lot about camels, Mr. Keyes." " Just hearsay." " Oh." " Where are you going?" " Camels." "First you say excuse me." "And then you say thank you to Mrs. Mclver." "Go on, say it." " Uh, Martha..." " I just wanna talk to Mark." " I think you'd better go to bed now, dear." " But it's early." "Martha, we're leaving tomorrow." "It's gonna be a very long, hard day." "I can't figure out what's eating Mark." "Oh, he just feels out of place." "A little jealous, I think." "I don't mean to pry, but is there some reason you can't take him to Mexico with you?" "Yeah, there sure is." "Doris, I'm on the run." " You mean somebody's after you?" " An army patrol." "Well." "What I did I'm not exactly proud of, but I'm not ashamed of it either." "Well, I'm sure what you did you thought was right." "Well, I guess I'd better put these away." "Let me help you." "I don't know exactly how to say this, but you've been honest with me." " I'd like to explain to you about Mark." " What about him?" "Let's not pretend." "You've been hinting all day, trying to get me to say I'd take the boy." "Well, you're right." "I have." "You say what he needs is a home and a family." "A family." "Not half a family." "I'd be less than human if my heart didn't go out to the boy, but I can't listen to my heart." "It's gonna be hard enough for Martha and me." "Teach a little piano and do a little nursing." "But a mother and daughter can always get along." "Oh, you figure I'm just trying to get shut of the boy." "Right now, that's true." " If I had a choice..." " But you don't have a choice." " I know that." " I can't keep him either." "I know that too." "Could I dry the dishes for you or something?" "No, I'll just let 'em soak." "I think you better go out and see how he is." "Clint?" "I tell you what I will do." "I'll take Mark up north with me tomorrow." "I'll do my level best to find him a good family." " That's the most I can promise." " Nobody could ask for more than that." "I want to thank you." "Well..." "I've got a busy day tomorrow." "Doris..." "Doris, uh..." "Doris, I forgot to give this back to you." "Oh." "Why don't you just keep it?" "Well, I can make good use of it." "Thank you." "I must say, it's made quite an improvement." "You." "Without the beard." "Good night, Doris." " Clint?" " Yeah?" "I do wrong, huh, Clint?" "Well, they're good people, Mark." "You eat their food." "A little thank-you's not too much to ask." "It's one of those things you'll have to learn." "But you're not mad at me now?" "No." "No, we're friends, aren't we?" "You good friend, Clint." "I not forget." "Mark?" "I have something to tell you." " You're going to come with us." " Shh." "Mark." "Clint would have taken you if he could, but he thought it was better if you stayed with us for a little while." "You'll love Colorado." "We're gonna ride on the stagecoach." "Mark, let me talk to you." "Please, Mark, listen." "Martha and I both want you to go with us." "You can stay with us as long as you like." "Mark." "Wait." "Please." "Please." "Cheyenne don't cry." "Mark." " Where's Clint Keyes?" " Keyes?" "Schrader, search the house." "Dixon, you take the barn." "I said, "Where's Keyes?"" "I'm gonna find out, ma'am." "That's my job." "Anything?" " Give me the boy." " He's done nothing wrong." "If you won't tell me about Keyes, he'll have to." " Leave him alone!" " Mr. Keyes... isn't here." "He..." "He left last night." " Which way did he go?" " I don't know." "I didn't see him leave." "You might as well tell me the rest of it." "Um... well, he talked about north, I think." "Try south." "Jimmy Wolf!" " Any signs?" " Camel tracks." "This way." "Get after him." "Much obliged for your help, ma'am." "Get up!" "Come on!" "Mark!" "Martha?" "Martha?" "Martha?" "It's time to go." "Mama, I can't find Mark anywhere." "I know, dear, but you've been looking and calling for a long time now and we really have to go now." "That's right, ma'am." "We better hustle." "You're gonna miss your stage." "But we just can't leave Mark, Mama." "I don't wanna leave him any more than you do, Martha." "But he must be miles away from here by now." "He's not." "He's still here." "I know he is." "Martha, he'll find Mr. Keyes." "I'm sure he will." "Now, come on." "Now, up we go." "Get up!" "Mark!" "Mark!" "Goodbye, Mark!" "Goodbye!" "Goodbye, Mark!" "Goodbye!" "Rosie!" "Ho!" "Rosie, if you wanna be the only humpless camel in the world, you just keep that up." "Coosh, coosh." "Coosh." "Coosh." "Steady, now." "Easy." "Whoa." "Whoa, girl." "Up, Rosie, up." "Well, Rosie, this is the end of the line." "All right, Rosie." "Hightail it outta here." "Rosie, it's what you've always wanted." "Now go." "Rosie, don't go getting sentimental on me now." "I haven't got that much time." "Now, get outta here." "All right, Rosie." "Ha!" "Ha!" "Camel." "This way." "Looks like we're driving him down towards the desert." "Come, Thirsty." "This way." "Carbolic?" "Sure bet you didn't expect him to trap himself in no box canyon, huh, sarge?" "Shut up, Dixon." "You just be ready when he flushes him out of there." " What did you see from the rim?" " He is not there." "What do you mean he's not there?" "Where is he?" "We follow empty camel." "We fo..." "Follow empty camel!" "Dixon, go get that camel." "We're heading back." "What do we need that old camel for, sarge?" "Because we haven't got but four horses." "Or would you rather ride double with Keyes?" "Move." "Tell Schrader he can quit looking for Keyes." "Help!" "Rope him, you dumb john!" "Get back!" "Stop!" "I wish I'd have let you ride double with Keyes." "All I was trying to do was find you a family." "That's nothing to get sore about." "I only promised to take you as far as the mountains, remember?" " You left me." " Sure I left you." "I left you with Mrs. Mclver so you could live regular." "Maybe go to school and make something out of yourself." " I'll fix you something to eat." " Not hungry." "All right." "Why didn't you go with 'em, Mark?" "I go to Blue Feather." "You take me now?" "You know I can't do that." "Not with that patrol still on my tail." "I'd lose too many miles." " I got a good idea, Clint." " Yeah." "What kind of idea?" "You take me to Cheyenne." "They hide you." "They my friends." "The Cheyenne hide me?" "Oh, kid, neither one of us could get within spitting distance of that reservation." "Set one foot inside that fort and they'll grab you just like they did at Fort Dorado." "To them you're just a white captive, kidnapped by Indians." "To the Indians, you're nothing but trouble, and they know it." "Now, Mark..." "Ah, Blue Feather..." "Blue Feather won't take you back because she can't." "You gotta understand that." "Son, I..." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry, I know it's tough." "It's not like you're gonna be alone." "I mean, you'll be with me." "I'm not gonna leave you here." "All right, I know I left you at the farm, but I explained about that." "Hey." "We always got along." "We're partners, ain't we?" "We can go on down to Mexico together." "We can make it down there." "No." "You don't want me." "I go to Cheyenne." "Now, wait a minute, kid." "I'm tired of arguing with you." "All right." "You want your Indians?" "I'll show you how to get there." "And I hope you like what you get." "Here's our mountain right here." "You go on the other side of it." "You get over there, you go north, maybe three, four days till you hit the Canadian River, and it's gonna be high this time of year." "When you hit it, you turn east, maybe seven, eight days." "And right here's your reservation, long knives and all." "We got you surrounded, Keyes!" "Rosie." "Hold it, Keyes." "All right, Corporal." "This time I give the party." "Troopers, fall in!" "Dress right!" "Dress!" "Ready!" "Front!" "Parade!" "Dress!" "Whoa!" "Ten-hut!" " Take 'em out, Sergeant." " Forward!" "Welcome back, sir." "How did the maneuvers go?" "Lieutenant, what is that thing doing on my parade ground?" "It's a gallows, sir." "What I want to know, Lieutenant, is why is it there and who authorized its construction?" "A patrol under Sergeant Raines brought in a prisoner." "He has orders from General Crook." "Well, Lieutenant, you bring that sergeant and his patrol to my office." " Yes, sir." " And on the double, Lieutenant." "What are you, Sergeant?" "Some sort of traveling hangman?" "No, sir." "But my orders are to capture the prisoner and execute him." "Signed by General Crook, sir." "Do your orders refer to the usual courtesies extended a commanding officer?" "I didn't know when you'd be back, sir." "Nobody here could tell me." "So you simply took over my command?" "No, sir." "I was just following my orders." " Where is the prisoner?" " I can get him for you, sir." "Sergeant!" "When I need your help, I'll tell you." " I asked you where he is." " He's in the guardhouse, sir." "Have the prisoner brought in here." " You're Corporal Clinton Keyes?" " Yes, sir." "You took part in McKenzie's raid on Dull Knife's village." "Yes, sir." "You were convicted of mutiny and desertion." "That's all it says here, Corporal." "I'd like to know what happened." "There were 173 lodges in Dull Knife's village." "We destroyed them all." "The man next to me started shooting the women, so I hit him with my rifle." "When you say a man, you mean another trooper?" "Yes, sir." "Then what did you do?" "I tried to help the braves with their families." "Against your officers and your fellow troopers." "If you mean did I shoot at them, no, sir." " But you did mutiny." " That's what they called it." "Corporal, you seem to feel that each man has a right to consult his conscience and decide which orders he will obey and which he will disobey." "Take him out." "Sergeant, I want this execution finished as quickly as possible." "There will be no formalities." "No members of my command will participate in any way whatsoever." "You are solely responsible, Sergeant." "You understand?" " Sir, my orders state that..." " Dismissed, Sergeant." "I'm glad you asked for me, but I wanted you to know that I'd have come in any event." " Now, is there anything..." " I know all that, Reverend." "Uh, Reverend, do you remember a boy brought here with some Cheyenne, by the name of Mark?" "Mark?" "Yes, I do." "Is he all right?" "Where is he?" "That's what I don't know." "He should be halfway across the desert if he's heading towards the reservation." " Looking for Blue Feather." " Yeah." " How do you know about the boy?" " I ran onto him north of here." "We were sort of partners for a while until we had a little set-to." "I guess I sort of forgot which one was the man and which one was the boy." " Chaplain, what I wanna ask is a favor." " Anything, if I can." "Well, if the boy makes it to the reservation, the army'll grab him for sure." "They'll need a home for him." "I ran onto this widow woman up in the mountains where we stopped." "She had a little daughter." "They were headed toward Colorado, a place called Mountain Creek." "Her name is Doris Mclver." "Now?" "Just a minute." "One minute, please." "I want you to know that I'll do everything I can to find that boy." "Thank you." "Do you..." "Would you like me to go up there with you?" "It's funny." "I've memorized whole books of words to say at a time like this." "I just can't remember any of them." "I've had to live with this for a long time, Chaplain." "I won't need any words." " Get 'em away from here!" " Hold on!" "Look out!" "On the porch!" "Get out of the way!" "Get Keyes!" " Clint!" " Here, Mark." " Let's go, Mark." " There he is!" "Go, Rosie!" "Let's go after him!" "Gotcha!" "You aren't getting away this time." "Come on." "Giddy up there!" "Come on, Rosie." "Move!" "Let's go!" "That camel's faster than the horses." "We're never gonna catch him this way." "Give me that Springfield." "On the double!" "Missed." "Let's get back to the fort." "Rose, come on, now." "You can outrun 'em." "Come on, don't quit on me now, Rosie." "Come on, Rosie, don't quit." "All right, Rosie, easy." "OK." "OK, girl." "OK, I ain't going anyplace." "It's all right, girl." "I know he's in the guardhouse, John." "I ordered him put there." "If you think you're taking him back to the chapel, you can forget it." "Only temporarily, sir." "Now, I have an idea." "John, you..." "Excuse me, Captain, it's urgent." "I need fresh horses and more men." " Sergeant..." " He outran us, sir." "But he can't keep running." "When he stops..." "Sergeant, there'll be no more horses, no more men." "Your manhunt is over." "Sir, you read General Crook's orders." "General Crook's orders call for the hanging of Corporal Keyes." "The noose was placed around his neck, the trap was sprung, the man was hung." "It is my personal view, Sergeant, that Corporal Keyes has more than paid for his misdeeds, such as they were." "I have no intention of hanging a man twice for the same crime." "Dismissed, Sergeant." "Tell 'em I won't give 'em any trouble." "I came to tell you you're free." "I don't think I understand." "Well, the captain says you've been hung once already anyway." "He's sending that patrol back on to General Crook." "That's mighty good news, Reverend." "Real good news." "Reverend, what about Mark?" "Oh, he's fine." "I brought your things." "Look, if the cavalry doesn't want me, is there any reason why I can't see the boy?" "Well, he's a ward of the army." "I'm supposed to find a home for him." "I told you about that Mrs. Mclver." "The home he really wants is with you." "Only he's afraid that you don't want him." "Well, now, that ain't true." "I offered to take him with me once." "He knows that." "Yes, but was that because you wanted him or because you just had no choice?" "Well, things were different then." "Look, how do you truly feel about the boy now?" "I don't know if anybody will trust me, with my record an' all, but if I could have the boy, Reverend, well, you bet I want him." " We do good, huh, Clint?" " Yeah, you did just great." "Just great." "Well, I guess I better be getting on back." "This arrangement was my decision." "I might have some explaining to do to the captain." " Thank you, Chaplain, for everything." " That's all right." "She's dead." "Ah, well." "She wasn't much to look at." "Pure impossible to get along with, but she saved both our lives more than once." "You know, there near the end I think she even kind of enjoyed hating me." "Well, maybe a little, anyway, huh?" " Clint?" " Yeah?" "When do you take me to see Blue Feather?" "How about next summer?" "We'll go visit her on the reservation, the both of us." "After we go to Mexico?" "Yeah, well, Mexico, uh..." "You know, since I'm a free man, I've been thinking maybe we could, oh, run up maybe to Mountain Creek, Colorado, someplace like that instead." "What do you think?" "All right, come on." "Well, looks like we're back to riding double again." "Come on, Thirsty."