"Easy." "Easy, girl." "Easy, girl." "Easy." "Hold it, girl." "Hold it." "Well, I want each of you fellas to buy yourself a $1 Ingersoll watch." "You can't break 'em with a hammer and won't lose more than a minute a month." " I know we're late, Mr. Andersen." " You're two hours late!" "Work starts around here at 6:00 a.m." " Goes for everybody." " Yes, sir." "We spent the night in Bozeman." "Town's empty as a bone orchard." "Everybody's lit out for the Ruby River." " What for?" " Gold." "At the Ruby?" "Played out years ago." "No." "This is a new strike." "About 20 miles above there." "Almost to the Beaverhead." "Tell him, Smiley." "Well, the fact is, me and the boys thought we'd like to take a ride up and have ourselves a little look-see." "Got 1,500 head o' steer to get to Belle Fourche before it snows on me." "You're hired on to move 'em." " We'd like to help you out..." " LLike to help me out?" "The others done pulled out." "There's only five of us left." "That busts it." "You work us night and day, and Christmas, too!" " Pay ya every Saturday!" " There's easier money around." "We'll do it this way." "We'll take a ride up there and look around, two or three weeks." "If it don't work, we'll get the others and come right back." "You have my word on that." "Don't he, boys?" "That's right." " Your word?" " Yes, sir." "Well, here's my word." "Get the hell off my spread!" "Now!" "Miserable." "Well, they run clean out from under me." "Whole damn bunch of 'em." "I heard most of it." "LLet me see that." "A fool comes to town with a fistful of gold dust and every jackass in 50 miles around lights out after him." "My day a man'd stay with you on a handshake." "It's a different day, Wil." "Yeah." "Well, I guess I'll go over to the Bigelow place, see what I can turn up." "Maybe Henry..." "Henry Bigelow's 60 years old, Wil." "So am I." "Kinda noisy around here." "It's been like this all week." "Any luck?" "No." "I traveled 30 miles today didn't find a single hand that could throw in with me." " Did you talk to Parker?" " Yeah." "His wife's gonna have a baby." "How about Miller?" "His wife wants to have a baby." "Sucker's only been married three weeks." "Well, if you can't get your cattle to market this year, put it off till next." "What'll I do with this year's bills?" "Pay 'em next year." "Hell, a lot of folks around here do." "No, I won't go on tick." "If your neck was any stiffer you couldn't even bend over to pull your boots on!" "Shut up and pour!" "Did ya ever think of hiring' boys?" "What boys?" "The schoolboys." "Oh, sure, and women." "How about my momma in Cedar City?" "She's only 92." "You ain't got a lot of choices." "There ain't a kid in that school over 15." "They're between hay and grass." "I need men." "How old was you when you went on your first cattle drive?" " What difference does that make?" " How old was you, Wil?" " Well, in my day..." " How old?" "Thirteen." "And my old man's pants fit me." ""This convenient arrangement is designed..." ""...to adjust ladies' long dresses to a walking length." ""It is worn around the waist, has two ends..."" "Good afternoon, gentlemen." "'Afternoon, Miss Ellen." "Have you gentlemen decided you need some additional schooling?" "Well, I guess we could probably use some, but we just come visiting'." "Well, come in." "Please, sit down." "It isn't often we get visitors." "We were reading from the Montgomery Ward Catalogue." "The grammar's quite correct and it's always most interesting." "Elizabeth, would you continue, please?" ""...the longer of which has a nickel clasp..." ""...which holds the bottom of the skirt to any desirable height..." ""...the shorter one, a hook for holding a fan." ""This elevator has been worn in Chicago during the past season a great deal..." ""...and ladies consider it almost indispensable."" "Thank you, Elizabeth." "Now, let us hear how well the boys do." "Put away your catalogues and take out your readers." "Charles Hunnicutt." "Would you read today's assignment for us?" ""Hail to thee, blith..."" "Blith?" "Blithe." ""...blithe spirit, bird thou never wert."" "Weren't?" ""Bird thou never wert."" ""That from heaven or near it Pourest thy..."" "Get away!" " What have you got?" " Nothing." "Homer, take your hand from behind your back!" "And open it!" "Stop it!" "Now stop it!" "Sit down!" "Give it up, Wil." "Can't move heaven and earth." "Well..." "Whatcha thinkin' about?" "You." "Stringy women like you live a long time." "Sisters have seen all their husbands put under." "More than likely you will, too." "And I don't wanna see you end up somebody's fry cook." "I've been your fry cook for 40 years." "A pretty good one, too." "It's gettin' chilly." "Come on in, have a cup o' coffee." "I'll be in." "Damn Anse!" "He put 'em up to this." "I'd better jump straight down their throat and get it over with." "Don't be hard on 'em." "They must've traveled half the night to get here this early." "Good morning, boys." "Good morning, Mr. Andersen." "LLooks like it's gonna be another fine day." "What can I do for ya?" "Anse Petersen says you're lookin' for hands for your drive." "We come to put in for the job." "Well, any of ya ever been on a cattle drive?" "Any of ya ever herded cattle?" "Well, what can you do?" "We can all ride." "Most of us can rope." "Couple of us are pretty good shots." "Well, that's somethin'." "You know, trail driving' is no Sunday school picnic." "You gotta figure you're dealin' with the dumbest orneriest critter on God's green earth." "A cow's nothin' but a lot of trouble tied up in a leather bag." "A horse ain't much better." "Speakin' of a horse..." "Got me a little green broke filly over there." "Name's Crazy Alice." "Now if one of you was to stay aboard her, for, say, a count of 10 I might just keep that in mind come hiring' time." "Thank you." "Steady, girl, steady." "Easy." "Easy." "Here we are." "Who's first?" "Well, I'll try and saddle her while you're makin' up your mind." "Made up your mind?" "I'll go first." "I'll start countin' when you hit the saddle." "Five." "Six." "Seven." "Eight." "Time!" "Get off of her!" "My name's Hunnicutt." "I'm 15." "And everybody calls me Slim." "Easy, girl." "I'm next." "Easy, girl." "Easy." "She's rank." "Keep your mind in the middle." "Bail off, youngster!" "Bail off!" "My name's Homer Weems, Mr. Andersen." "And I hope I ain't rode all the rough off of her." " You all right, boy?" " Yes, sir." "My name's Clyde Potter." "They call me Fats." "Tendin' toward the gut myself." "My name's..." "His name's Bob Wilson." "He gets excited." "I'm Charlie Schwartz." "I'm Jewish." "I've settled it every place in town but here." "Must keep ya pretty busy." "All right, who's next?" "I am." "Good mornin'." "Close the gate." "Did ya see that?" "Here, boy." "I think you can handle her now." "Keep it." "All right, break it up." "Break it up!" "Come on, Slim, get back on the fence." "Hurry it up." "Settle down!" "You all right?" "Yes, sir." "I didn't see you at the school." "I don't go to school." "Got a name?" "Cimarron." "That's half a name." "What's the rest of it?" "There's no more name." "I'm a mistake of nature." "That was a pretty good ride you made." "But I'll have to think you over." "You having difficulty seeing the board?" "Homer, Bob, why don't you take these slates and pads put them underneath the board and raise it up so that everyone can see the lower lines." "There, that's much better." "Thank you, boys." "When you've copied your assignments for the week you may all go home." "I'd like to talk to these boys before class breaks up, if you don't mind." "Do you wish to address the young ladies, as well?" "No, I don't think so." "I've nothing to say to young ladies." "Then we bow to the fact that it's a man's world and leave you to it." "Girls..." "I don't expect to get to Belle Fourche with one single head of beef but I'm cornered so I'm takin' you on." "Now this is the way it's gonna be." "I'm a man and you're boys." "Not cowmen, not by a damned sight." "Nothin' but cowboys, just like the word says." "And I'm gonna remind ya of it every single minute of every day and night." "This is the Double-O." "This is Belle Fourche." "In between is 400 miles of the meanest country in the West." "And the only way we're gonna get through is if you take orders." "Is that clear?" "Yes, sir." "Bring a bedroll a couple of good ropes horse, if you've got one." "You'll get the best food in the territory no rest, and damn little sleep." "And 50 big silver dollars if we make it to Belle Fourche." "Now you'll show up at my place first Monday after school's out, at 5:00 a.m." "And come with grit teeth." "'Cause, gentlemen, that's when school really begins." "Mr. Andersen?" "Yeah?" "All of us?" "Come here." "Anybody, that tall." "They must've rode all over the territory to get that many brand-new hats." "You know you're gonna have to feed these kids till my cook comes." "I don't mind." "I like the sound of boys." "Next one of you pulls a knife in this outfit you're gonna learn better at the buckle end of my belt." "Now, what happened?" "You." "What went on here?" "He said somethin' about his mother." "What'd he say?" "Your mother is a whore." " You understand Spanish, Mr. Andersen?" " I understand." "So does Slim." "Clear out." "Get on your horse and clear out." "All right." "There's plenty of road." "Give me back my gun." "I'm not in the habit of throwin' kerosene on a fire." "It cost me $30." "Send me a bill." "You're gonna get it, mister." "All right, everybody packing' iron unload it." "Throw it over here in this buggy." "And I mean anything that shoots." "Anybody holds out so much as a pea-shooter may find himself hangin' by a tie-rope 70 foot up in a tree." "You ever fire that thing?" "No, sir." "This hardware'll be locked up in the chuck wagon." "You got anything to settle between you, butt heads." "Now get rid of those bedrolls and get mounted and we'll see how much you don't know." "All right, turn him loose." "Bring in the iron, Charlie." "Been smelling' that for 40 years." "Never could get used to it." " You." " Yes, sir." " What's your name?" " Hardy Fimps." "Go rope one." "You'll do." "I've seen 'em fight all day, from dawn to dark." "Sometimes the young one wins, sometimes the old." "Young one's got more muscle." "Old one's got more experience." "That's the old one still standin' there." " Keep his nose out of the water." " Watch out!" "Hang on to that line!" "Steady, steady." "Pull!" "Slow, Weedy!" "Watch out for those horns." "You got him." "Now hold him right there." "Pull his nose back now." "Keep his head back." "All right, take him out!" "Pull!" "Get him outta there!" "You need some help?" "Nah, they're doin' all right." "Mr. Wil Andersen?" "What can I do for you?" "Well, I think there's somethin' that we can do for each other." "My name's Asa Watts." "How are ya?" "This here's Henry Williams and Red Tucker." "They both ride with me." "We heard that you was goin' on a drive, needing' some hands." "You sure heard right." "Well, sir, we're the very best." "You fellas aren't from around here." "No, sir, we're not." "We're from Denton County." "We've been up on the Ruby River panning' for gold like every other damn fool." "These last 22 days, you know, all we got was $2 worth of dust and nothin' more." "Ain't that pitiful?" "Now we're ready to get back to what we know, and that's cows." "What outfits have you worked with?" "Well, sir, we've worked for every big outfit in North Montana." "You name 'em." "No." "You name 'em." "All righty." "There's Oscar West at the Triple-D and George C. Thompson over there at McNeil Dillard Fant at the Santa Rosa." "How long were you with Fant?" "Well, sir, the last eight years." "What a lovely old gentleman he is." "If we weren't three of the damnedest fools you ever saw we'd be there with him now." "And if you were, you'd be in a pine box." "Sir?" "I was pallbearer at his funeral five years ago." "Well, I've been caught at it, haven't I?" "Mr. Andersen, I'm sorry." "I lied to you." "I got all 'em names right out of the Stockman's Association Brand Book." "We're fresh out of jail, the three of us, and I don't know, you tell that to people and they just turn a deaf ear on ya." "Well, I'm afraid I can't use you." "How do you mean you can't use us?" "I won't use you." "Will you be like everybody else and not give us a chance to redeem ourselves?" "I don't hold jail against you, but I hate a liar." "You're a hard man, Mr. Andersen." "It's a hard life." "I got work to do." "Sir, before you get back to your work, I'd like to ask you one more little question." "What are you gonna use for hands on this drive of yours, huh?" "Them little-bitty boys down there?" "Come on, you know better than that." "You know what you'll need to trundle 'em boys across the prairie?" "A baby carriage." "Well, whatever I need I'll get." "I bet you will." "Good luck to you, Mr. Andersen." "Get mounted!" "There's your saddle band." "They've been livin' wild all winter." "We'll finish breaking 'em on the drive." "We'll pick our strings by age." "Who's the oldest?" "I am." "Get yourself a rope." "All right." "And here." "May I have some more, please?" "Sure." "You eat that much at home?" "We've been branding cattle all day." "Can't be that hungry." "They're showin' off." "Good afternoon, mister." "Were you lookin' for me?" "Who are you?" "Name's Nightlinger." "Jebediah Nightlinger." "I was expecting a white man." "Jim Wheeler." "What happened to him?" "Well, he got drunk on Sunday and married on Monday." "I came in his stead." "I told him the fix I was in." "He promised he wouldn't let me down." "He doesn't even wash his hands before he puts 'em in the pot." "I do." "Can you cook?" "Apple pie." "Green apples sliced thin." "LLard, flour, salt, water to bind." "Sugar, cinnamon, a dab of butter." "Three slashes on the crust, one for steam and two because your momma did it that way." "Good afternoon to you, lady." "Am I correct?" "Why, yes, indeed." "Mrs. Andersen." "Ma'am." "You ever been on a trail drive?" "The Oregon, Chisholm Santa Fe, some without names." "I don't know." "I like to travel with a man I'm used to." "You'll get used to me." "What do you want for wages?" "All I can get." "This job pays $100." "A hundred?" "That's the money." "Well, if you should get flooded out, stampeded out, frozen out or scalped by wild red Indians there'll always be substantial food on the plate and coffee on the boil." "But that'll cost you $125." "You're a pretty independent character, aren't ya?" "It's been said of me." "Put your wagon in the barn." "Are all these small boys...?" "No!" "They're my trail hands, God help us." "Well, doesn't anything larger wanna work for you?" "We had a case o' gold fever around here." "They're all that's left." "I'll fix up some sugar tits to take along." "Hey, Dan." "What's sugar tits?" "This one suits me." "Smells of boy in here." "You're staring at me, children!" "I feel your eyes on my back." "Now why is that?" "Well, sir you're the first nigger we ever saw." "Then it must be a treat for you." "Something different for a change." "Are you black all over?" "Except for the white o' my eyes." "Is your, you know, your..." "It is." "Black, too." "See?" "He's the same as us, except for that color." "The same as you?" "The same as you!" "Oh, children." "My father was a brawny Moor." "Six feet six inches tall." "He bound his head in a red velvet cloth." "He wore a curved sword forged from the finest Toledo steel." "He captured a lady bright and dark." "He took her in his arms and wrapped her in a warm quilt and carried her off." "They came to a castle and he battered down the doors with the trunk of an oak tree and killed everybody in it!" "Just so they could rest the night." "LLater while she slept he walked the parapets and became a king." "Is that true?" "If it isn't, it ought to be." "Blow out those lamps!" "You, that lamp!" "Do your work." "Don't be profane and don't listen to profanity." "Wash your feet daily." "Say your prayers nightly." "Yes, sir." "You have to go out in the world and prove yourself." "I guess that's right." "God bless you, son." " Don't be fresh." " I won't." "And don't come to any harm." "Don't worry, I won't." "So long, Gramps." "Sixty days oughta see me back." "I want two things." "What?" "You home again and a string of blue glass beads." "You don't ask for much, Ann." "I don't need much." "Well, if ya run into any trouble, call Anse." "I'll think about ya before I go to bed at night." "You do and you won't sleep." " Are you ready, Mr. Nightlinger?" " llong ready, Mr. Andersen." "LLet's go to Belle Fourche." "Move 'em out!" "Yes, sir!" "Move 'em out, Weedy!" "Start 'em, Charlie!" "Move 'em out, Bob!" "Move 'em, Jim!" "All right, don't move 'em over here." "Keep 'em over this way!" "That's good, Slim." "Right pace, Homer." "Any faster you'd be runnin' tallow off of 'em." "That's money out of my pocket." "We'll try and make Still Meadows tonight." "Still Meadows." "All right, take 'em through." "Take 'em through." "Come on!" "Get with it!" "Head 'em down there!" "Head 'em downhill!" "Get up there, kid." "Get up where you were!" "Get down, Hardy!" "Hey, there's a stray." "You want me to get him?" "Easy, easy!" "Don't stop, go with 'em!" "Go with 'em!" "Go on with the wagon!" "Easy, easy." "Don't stop 'em." "Go with 'em!" "Go with 'em!" "You were sleepin'." "I'm sorry, Mr. Andersen." "I pay a full day's wages, and expect a full day's work." "Drove you hard today, didn't he, children?" " You think it's gonna be like this everyday?" " Yep." "Sundays, too?" "There ain't no Sundays west of Omaha." "Slim, give that to Hardy." "Watch it, it's hot." "I never noticed before but most of the people I know are quiet compared to Mr. Andersen." "He's quiet, it just comes out loud." "That youngster's been following all day." "I know it." "Who is he?" "A burr under my hide." "You just gonna leave him out there?" "Mr. Nightlinger, you take care of the kitchen, I'll take care of the drive." "You know, in the late war between the states I served under an officer just like you." "Is that right?" "As a matter of fact, I shot that military gentleman in the buttocks just outside of Vicksburg." "I'd have hung ya." "They gave me a medal." "In my regiment, Mr. Nightlinger I was known as Old Iron Pants." "You might keep that in mind." "Rise and shine!" "Rise and shine!" "Hey, Hardy, you wake up!" "Homer!" "Get up and go wake up good Slim over there!" "Up, up, up!" "Out of these sacks, into your britches!" "Come on, Jim, get up!" "Get up!" "My God, get up!" "Don't let the sun catch ya sleeping'." "Mr. Nightlinger, what's for breakfast?" "Stewed apples, bacon and biscuits." "Well, forget the apples." "Slap some bacon on a biscuit and let's go!" "We're burnin' daylight!" "Burnin' daylight?" "All I see are stars." "You'll see a lot more of 'em if you don't move it." "Bring 'em on!" "Bring 'em on, Mr. Nightlinger!" "Go on." "Stay with 'em." "Keep 'em upriver." "Stay upriver, Mr. Nightlinger, there's some soft sand down there." "Keep 'em upriver, and let 'em go higher up their heads." "Well, come on." "Keep 'em upstream so they won't have to swim." "Push 'em upstream, that's it." "Good work." "Head 'em upstream more." "Hold 'em up in the canyon till they all get across." "Help!" "Help!" "Come on." "Here's one of your strays." "You all right?" "Better sit on his back and pump him out." "Get his feet up." "Move your gear into camp." "I won't charge you for the days I've been following you." "You're hired on, just like the rest." "You work out, you stay." "If you don't, it's a long walk back." "You!" "You almost got him killed, you know that?" " But I tried to tell you." " The hell you did!" "I tried hard." "If you'd have been out in that water we'd have heard you." "I couldn't get the words out." "You could've if you'd wanted to." "You just didn't want to bad enough." "Before God, I tried." "Tryin' don't get it done!" "The fact is, you almost let your friend choke to death out in that river." " I'd rather die than done that." " Then you're a liar!" "It ain't my fault I stutter." "LListen to me, you whining' little whelp you'll stop stutterin' or get the hell out of here." "You're gonna stop it or go home, do you hear me?" "You son of a bitch." "What did you say?" " You goddamn son of a bitch!" " Say that again." " You goddamn, mean son of a bitch!" " Say it faster!" "You goddamn, mean, dirty son of a bitch!" "I wouldn't make it a habit calling' me that, son." "I did it." "Did ya hear me?" "I did it." "I did it." "Hey, Cimarron." "I ain't had a chance to thank you for hauling' me out." "I sure am obliged." " Well, I figure I owe you for it." " Yeah?" "How much in dollars?" "Well, I can't pay you in dollars." "I ain't got any dollars." "Well, money's what cuts it with me." "Hey, wait a minute." "I picked this up on the trail." "I know it ain't gold, it's just fool's gold, but it's kinda pretty." "You callin' me a fool?" "No, no, I didn't mean it like that." "I got no use for it." "You write that yourself?" "No, no." "It's printed on paper." "I've been tryin' to learn it." "Well, there's nothin' to it." "It's just like arithmetic." "All you gotta do is just count lines and spaces." "That tells you where the notes go." "It ain't hard." "LLooks like fly specks to me." "Some guy named Vivaldi wrote it." "It's kinda pretty." "If that's that ol' Tennessee sour mash, put a little in there." "Good for my rheumatism." "That comes with old age." "Yeah, miserable old age." "I hate it." "I'm not far behind you and I don't like it, either." "My oldest boy would be close to 40 now." "Middle-aged." "If he had lived." "You lost a son?" "Two of 'em." "Went bad on me." "Or I went bad on them." "I don't know." "I can't figure it out." "You got another chance." "They're not mine." "They could be." "So as I went down to Denver with my cousin, LL.D. Grimes then there was a hootchy-kootchy show goin' on." "When the fella wasn't lookin' we snuck in under the tent." "There was this gal up on the stage doin' a harem dance." "First thing I know, she dropped her dress and was naked." " All over?" " From head to toe." "What'd she look like?" "She had a belly button so big, you could've stuck your middle finger in it." "I saw my first one in Benbow, too." "Fifty years ago." "Probably the same girl." "Damned if he ain't almost human today." "He's been sleepin' better." "He's been at the bottle." "You mean there's bug juice in camp?" "I seen him and Mr. Nightlinger swillin' it down last night." "Keeps it in a drawer in the chuck wagon." "Which drawer?" "Come on." "Hurry up." "Give me that." "Come on, let's go." "Hurry up." "Come on, Weedy." "Weedy, come on." "Hurry up." "Everybody else is." " You're wasting time." " Gambling's a sin." " So what?" " This ain't gambling', it's stealin'." " That's a bigger sin." " Not if you don't get caught." " Come on, just take one." " Come on, Weedy, come on." "Holy shit!" "Go on, Weedy, go on." "Hurry up." "Watch out!" "Here he comes." "Innocence is wasted on me." "I don't believe in it." "What are you up to?" "Nothin', Mr. Nightlinger." "Nothin' at all." "Boys are always guilty of something nasty." "What could it be this time, I wonder?" "Nothin', I swear." "Just standin' here talkin'." "If you're lying, remember one thing:" "I could swallow each of you whole, without choking." "All I need to do is butter your heads and pin your ears back." "Hey, come on." "Hurry up." "Get goin'." "Go, go." "Keep goin'." "LLook in with the liniment." "That's where my folks keep it." " Hurry up." " Come on." "Come on, Weedy, don't take your sweet time." " Come on." "Come on." " Hurry up." "Hurry up, Weedy." " Come on." " It's not here." " LLook around here." " LLook over here." "Hurry up." " Would you get goin'?" "We'll watch." " Go on." "I got it." "Don't drop it." " Hot coffee." " Heard ya comin'." "I'm used." "That Fats!" "He can sure sing those cows to sleep." "Fat boy isn't on guard." "He was just here." "That's right." "It's Steve and Cimarron." "There's more than one voice." "What is this?" "Weedy!" "You keep takin' long swigs like that you're gonna miss your turn next time." "Pass it on." "Hey!" "There's two of everybody." "There's two moons." "I'm going to bed as soon as I can stand up." "Just don't wake up OI' Iron Nuts." "Mr. Brass Ass Andersen." "A bastard if there ever was one." "He made you stop stuttering' fast." "He really tromped your tail!" "LListen, Fatso..." "I could have given up stutterin' a long time ago." " Why didn't ya?" " I didn't know anybody wanted me to." "This is the first time I've ever been drunk." "Oh, you gettin' sick, ya farmer?" " I've decided." " What?" "I've decided if OI' Iron Nuts tells me I'm burnin' daylight just one more time I'm gonna let him have it." "Have what?" "It." "What's it?" "I ain't decided yet." "What happened to that bottle?" "It's coming." "You know who you sounded like just then?" "Mr. Nightlinger." "That black son of a bitch cooks better than my ma." "Come on, you, we oughta be goin' before the old man finds out we're gone." "Yeah, come on." "Did ya ever notice how pink Mr. Nightlinger's palms are?" "They're kinda pretty." "Shit." "Shit yourself." "Shall we join 'em, Mr. Nightlinger?" "When did you take your first drink?" "It was on the occasion of my first broken heart." "And my last." "She was an older woman and wise." "Vastly experienced." "She told me she couldn't stand the sight of me for another minute handed me a half-gallon jug of sour mash and fled." "And you polished it off?" "Every drop." "I've been drinking sour mash ever since." "I was 17." "She was almost 22." "Her name was Oceola." "I think these kids are rushing' it a little." "They're in a hurry to grow up." "Well, they won't get it out of a bottle." "They'll know that in the morning." "All down sick at once." "Must've passed a bad waterhole." "Well, this'll settle you." "Come on, son." "Back, wide." "Voila." "Good morning, gentlemen." "Mr. Nightlinger, I'd like some beans and cabbage for supper with a big chunk of fatback in some red pepper sauce." "And make some gravy out of the grease." "I'll be back." "Hurry it up." "We're burnin' daylight." "All right, son, tongue out." "Head back." "Wider." "Where do you think you're goin'?" "Go get him, Dan." "Come back, you." "You ain't nothin' but a small child." "If you was a fish, I'd throw you back." "Hey, boys!" "LLook here!" "LLook what I found." "LLook around and meet the boys." "It looks like he surprised us." "We surprised you, too, though, didn't we, boy?" "You know better than to scream out now, don't ya?" "What's the matter with you, son?" "You're lookin' at me like I had two heads." "You're wonderin' where I came from, ain't ya?" "You know we've been tracking' ya for days?" "What have you got to say to that?" "I can't hear you, son." "I can't hear you, son!" "I won't say nothin'." "You're a quiet boy." "If I had a prize I'd give it to you, boy." "I like quiet boys." "Now, quiet boy I'm gonna let you loose." "But, you point your ears now, son." "You won't run back to Mr. Andersen with them eyes rollin' back in your head tellin' him that these bad men have been followin' us day and night." "You're not gonna say that." "You think you'll raise a commotion and get congratulated for it." "They'll pat your head and tell you what a good boy you've been." "That's not gonna do you any good, son." "You know why?" "Now you listen to me careful, boy." "You know why?" "Because I'm gonna come to you some night when it's real dark." "I'm gonna come to you on tiptoe so you ain't never gonna be able to hear me." "And I'm gonna come to you with a knife freshly sharpened on a stone and I'm gonna cut you a grin down here on your neck." "It's gonna run clear across to there." "Do I make myself clear, boy?" "Do I make myself clear, boy?" "Is it clear to ya now?" "Huh?" "Is it clear to ya?" " Is it clear?" " Yes, it's clear." "Go home!" "No." "No, I ain't gonna." " You gotta stand watch." " I ain't gonna." " It's your turn." " I ain't gonna." "Why not?" "I ain't gonna." " What's the matter, Dan?" " Nothin'." "Just, just leave me alone." "Mr. Andersen, can I speak to you?" "Go ahead." "Well, it's about Dan." "What about him?" "He doesn't want to stand his watch." " Is he sick?" " No, sir." "Well, did he break something?" "No, sir." "To tell you the truth I think he's afraid of the dark." "Come here." "What ails you, boy?" "Nothin'." " You nighthawked last night." " Yes, sir." " Everything went smooth." " Yes, sir." "If you don't stand your watch, somebody goes short of sleep." "Carry your weight, boy." "Yes, sir." "I don't steal off you and you don't off me, not even a pinch of pie." "What the matter with you?" "Your house is your house and my house is my house." "Mr. Nightlinger, you'd better start bein' real careful." "How does it feel to be scared?" "You think I was too rough on the boy, is that it?" "Yeah, that's it." "Well, I can't say I always decide right." "In that case cut yourself a piece of pie." "Move easy." "They're kinda jumpy." "They look funny from up here, don't they?" "My glasses!" "I'll get 'em for ya." " Be careful, Charlie." " Don't worry, I'll be all right." "Come on, come on." "Easy, boy." "Easy, easy." "Come on, boy, come on." "Come on, easy." "Easy, boy." "Easy, boy." "Come on, easy." "Be real careful, Charlie." "Don't worry." "Get off him easy." "Just stop worryin'." "I found 'em!" "Come on up." "Hurry out of there." "Easy, Charlie, don't spook 'em." "They're crowding' me!" "Charlie!" "Sometimes, it's hard to understand the drift of things." "This was a good boy." "He'd have been a good man." "Didn't get his chance." "Death can come for you anyplace anytime." "It's never welcome, but if you've done all you can do and it's your best in a way, I guess, you're ready for him." "Go on back to camp." "All of you." "Go on, son." "What's that?" "LLittle Big Horn." "They didn't even dig him a decent grave." "Well, it's not how you're buried it's how they remember ya." "I guess I better go into Fort Smith and see if there's been any Sioux activity up ahead." "Keep the cattle headed due east." "Tell Mr. Nightlinger he's in charge." "Why not put me in charge?" "Big mouth don't make a big man." "Cimarron, come here!" "Them ladies ain't got their dresses on." "No, they ain't." "They sure are pretty." "Wonder who they are?" "I don't know." "LLet's go find out, huh?" "Girls, come on." "Come on." "Hurry up." "Hurry up, get behind the wagon." "Move, move." " 'Morning, boys." " Ma'am." "'Morning, ma'am." "Fine morning, isn't it?" "You on a drive?" "Yes, ma'am, we're goin' to Belle Fourche." "Where's your headman?" "That's Mr. Andersen." "He's over at Fort Smith." "All right, then." "What's your name?" "They call me Cimarron." "I'm Kate to my friends." "And who's the one with the pretty pink blush?" "This here's Homer." "Hello, Homer." "Ma'am." "How many men you got in your outfit, Cimarron?" "If you're going by age, we've got two that's 15." "My God!" "If you're going by what we can do, there's 11 of us." "No offense." "In this kind of country a poor helpless woman likes to know if there are any men around." "Men who can take care of us as we go along our way." "Well, we're gettin' paid a man's wages." "And you look man enough to earn them too, Cimarron." "Did you want me for anything, Mrs. Collingwood?" "That's Phoebe." "You're putting too much merchandise on display, Phoebe." "You better cover some of that up before you come down with pneumonia." "Isn't this a sweet-lookin' boy?" "Wouldn't you like to come inside, honey?" "You'd be surprised how nice we got everything fixed up." "I think that Homer just saved himself a dollar." "That leaves you." "Well, excuse me for sayin' so, ma'am." "You're old enough to be my momma." "Well, if I were, I'd teach you something." "LLike what?" "LLike manners, for a start." "'Morning, ma'am." "Will you see the boys return to work while I chat with this lady?" "Ma'am." "My name's Nightlinger and I'm in charge of these boys." "I'm Mrs. Collingwood and I'm in charge of these girls." "Well, I just heard from a highly excited youngster that there were some soiled doves swinging through here." "What do you want from me?" "Madam, you know young boys." "They dream of golden skin and unbound hair." "Even if I could lock them up they'd find a way of getting here." "There's very little I can do about that." "I'm sure you'd handle everything most tastefully." "It's a question of waiting for a more appropriate time in their lives." "Perhaps it would be wiser to wait until next year." "Or even the year after." "With any luck I'll be retired by then." "The first time should be in the back of a buggy with a girl they think they're in love with." "All right." "We'll move on." "You're a charming and sensible lady." "What about you?" "Well, I have the inclination the maturity and the wherewithal but unfortunately, I don't have the time." "You got 'em?" "Yeah." "Can you fix it?" "I think so." "Catch us by suppertime?" "Do what I can." "Homer, drop out and help him." " Mr. Andersen..." " I know." "They've been paralleling' us for the better part of an hour." " What do you suppose they want?" " The herd." "Now you just go on about your business like you hadn't seen 'em." "I'll pass the word to the rest." "Think you can do somethin' kinda ticklish?" "Sure." "I want you to fade back and find Mr. Nightlinger." "What'll I tell him?" "Tell him to load his gun and hightail it up here." "Yes, sir." "Mr. Andersen?" "I can't find Weedy." "Well, I sent him back after Mr. Nightlinger a couple of hours ago." "I don't know where the hell they are!" "LLooks like we're gonna have a cold supper." "You want me to go?" "Son, I wish we could all go, but we gotta stay put right here." "Here's some jerky." "Take a piece and pass it on." "As soon as it's dark they'll be comin' in." "They're after the herd." "I don't know who they are or how rough they'll get." "But right now they think we're one man and a bunch of kids." "And that's what we're gonna let 'em think." "I know you're more than that, a lot more but this is no time to try and prove it." "You act like you just came out of Ellen Price's grammar school and you'll be all right." "Now scatter and get us some firewood." " What's the matter with you?" " I should have told you." "Told me what?" "They've been following us for a long time." "I should have told you, but I was scared." " They said they'd kill me." " Who said that?" "The man with the long hair who came looking for work." "Don't worry, Dan." "It's not your fault." "You got plenty of guts." "Now get out there and give 'em a hand gettin' that firewood." "Hello, there." "Remember what I told you." "Well, bless my soul." "If it ain't Mr. Wil Andersen of the Double-O!" "We knew it was gonna take you a long time herding' little boys and cows but ain't no way we thought it was gonna take you this long." "Winter's comin' on, ol' friend and we gotta get these cattle to Belle Fourche." "How far would you say it is?" "I didn't say." "If you was to say." "Four or five days." "Two or three is more like it." "You know, I'm hungry." "And I remember you had a chuck wagon and a nigger." "Where are they?" "They're behind us." "I sent a boy back to find out what was holding him up." "Well, I know the boy." "Bring him on in here." "I don't suppose you mean this stalwart young man here, do ya?" "Are you all right, boy?" "Yes, sir." "Mr. Andersen do I look like the kinda man to you that would beat on an innocent boy?" "You look like the vermin-ridden son of a bitch you are." "Well, my sainted momma didn't think so." "You get over there and sit down." "Go on." "Now!" "And sit down!" "And the rest of you boys, sit down, right now!" "Now ol' friend I'll have the gun." "That's right." "I'll also have the belt, 'cause you ain't gonna need it." "That's good." "Pick it up and bring it over to me." "I don't think you heard what I said!" "I said to bend over, pick up the belt and bring it right here to me, now!" "Pride." "Stubborn pride." "I admire that." "That truly is an admirable quality." "To tell you the truth, I wouldn't have picked it up, either." "Mr. Andersen how much would you say that them cattle are worth apiece?" "$15?" "$16?" "Maybe $17 a head?" "Now, old friend I am ready to be rich." "You, come here!" "Right now!" "Get up!" "You kept our little secret, didn't ya?" " Answer him." " Yes, sir." "You don't listen to him anymore." "You gotta look to me now, you understand that?" " How old are you?" " I just turned 13." "Really?" "By the time I was your age, I had already killed a man." " You done anything like that?" " No, sir." "I'll bet not." " You're the runt of your family, ain't ya?" " Yes, sir." "Where are your glasses?" "You had some glasses." "Where are they?" "Son, there's no glass in there." "You musta broken 'em, huh?" "Say, look at that I can see myself back home now." "And all them carpetbaggers calling me mister." "I'd like 'em back when you're through." "They've been in my family for a long time." "Well, you can have 'em back." "Here." "All right." "We've seen what you can do with a boy." "How are you when they come a little bigger?" "You mean you?" "Yeah." "Why don't you tell your boys to just sit this one out?" "You love to make it happen, don't ya?" "You havin' any of it?" "Well, sir, you're a pretty old man." "Yeah, I'm 30 years older than you are." "Had my back broke once and my hip twice." "And on my worst day I could beat the hell out of you." "I don't think so." "You will." "Get away from him!" "Get away from him!" "You're mine." "All mine." "Now, come on, you get up, you son of a bitch." "You miserable wretch!" "Mount up!" "Stop, you son of a bitch!" "Go to hell!" "Turn around!" "I want you to see this comin'!" "I said, stop!" "You're mine, you old bastard." "LLeave him alone!" "Get back." "Clear back, all of you." "We're leavin'." " What about them kids?" " They're not goin' nowhere." "Take everything but the fire." " What happened here?" " Rustlers." "They've been followin' us since we started out." "Why would they do this to him?" "Mr. Andersen put up a fight." "Ain't there anything we can do for him?" "Yes, there is." "You can be men." "Mr. Nightlinger you're scarin' the boys." "You wanna sit up?" "No." "Could you drink some whisky?" "No." "Is there anything...?" "I want you to see that these boys all get home." "I will." "Summer's over." "Just about." "I'm proud of ya." "All of ya." "Every man wants his children to be better than he was." "You are." "This may seem a lonesome place to leave him." "But he's not alone." "Because many of his kind rest here with him." "The prairie was like a mother to Mr. Andersen." "He belonged to her." "She cared for him while he lived and she's nursing him while he sleeps." "What?" "What are you doing?" "We didn't want to do it this way, but we knew you wouldn't give 'em to us." "So, we're gonna get the herd back and take it on to Belle Fourche." "You're gonna get yourselves killed." "We're gonna finish a job." "Better have a plan." "Turn me loose and we'll make one." "Cut him loose." "Dung heap!" "Come on in!" "What the hell's the matter with them?" "Mount up!" "LLook at that." "Come on." "You've been behind this all the time, ain't ya, nigger?" "Not at first, but I came round to it." "You take your hat off when you talk to me, mister!" "Now you're actin' mighty calm considering' what it is I got in store for you." "What have you got to show me that I haven't seen before?" "Don't you sass me, you black!" "Give me that rope." "This is what?" "You ever seen one of these?" "You ever seen a nigger run?" "Come on!" "Come on!" "Get up!" "Get up!" "Since you mean to hang me I'd like to atone to my Maker." "You got one minute." "Speak your piece." "Where to begin?" "I regret having trifled with married women." "I'm thoroughly ashamed of having cheated at cards." "I deplore my occasional departures from the truth." "Forgive me for taking Your name in vain my Saturday drunkenness, my Sunday sloth." "Above all forgive me for the men I've killed in anger and for those I'm about to." "I think my leg is broken." "Don't let him get up." "Oh, my God, don't let him get up." "I think my leg is broke." "The other one is hung up." "You!" "Son, please cut me loose." "Please!" "I'll make it worth your while." "I promise." "Oh, thank you." "Don't!" "Don't!" "Stop him!" "Stop him!" "Stop him!" "Stop him!" "They're just kids!" "Now what do you want on it?" "His name." "Wil Andersen." "Anything else?" "LLike what?" "Well, it's usual to say something like, "Rest in Peace."" ""Eternal Sleep."" ""In Fond Memory of..."" "Was he a family man?" "Did he have any children?" "Yes." "Well, then I carve:" ""Beloved Husband and Father."" "That'd be fine." "I don't see it." "It's gotta be around here somewhere." "I remember that tree." "There must've been a heavy rain." "Washed it away." "We ain't never gonna find it now." "Come on in." "I think it's close enough." "Well, come on, we're burnin' daylight."