" What on earth is he doing?" " It's called bulldogging, ma'am." "That's Bulldog Burnett." "He works for my outfit." "It's a perfectly silly way to handle cattle, if you ask me." "My name is Charles Ellsworth." "I can tell by your speech that you're from England." "May I ask what has brought you to our fair shore?" " A ship." " Hilary." "We brought some cattle over." "We're from Herefordshire." "If you'll excuse us, please." "Come along, Hilary." "I know a countryman of yours." "John Taylor." "You should meet him." "He has a spread next to ours." "He bested you again, Simons." "Them critters Burnett draws... lay down and roll over when they see him coming." "Being's as how I probably bulldogged their pas... they know what to expect." "You're next, Sagamon." "Right." "Sam." "Look who's here." "Jeff, how are you?" "Hi, Gert." "Jeff, it's been a long time." "More than a year since he caught that horn." "But I ain't through punching cows yet." "Not by a long shot." "Taylor said he took care of things." "He promised a lot of things." "All Jeff got was $40 and a ticket to St. Louis." "Formerly of England, and now from Texas, Mr. John Taylor." "How do you do?" "Mr. Ellsworth tells me you brought these Herefords over." "If Mr. Evans is about, I'd like to talk to him about them." "My husband was killed in an accident aboard ship." "I'm deeply sorry, ma'am." "But it's indeed a blessing to find someone at last who knows Herefords." "They were bid in yesterday." "By a dairy farmer." "What we were paid hardly covered our transportation." "Let's show them Vindicator, Hilary." "It's all right." "Vindicator's really very gentle." "My daughter has a special affection for Vindicator." "She raised him." "Are you going to sell that bull, Mrs. Evans?" "I'm afraid I must." "We need the money." "He'll be auctioned at noon today." "You won't find much market for that muley bull here." "Muley?" "Why, your bull has no horns." "He's a freak in that respect." "Mr. Ellsworth, Vindicator's lack of horns is a product of breeding... and it is not a freak condition." "Please, ladies, I didn't intend to start an argument." "My partner Alex Bowen raises the cattle and ships to me." "I'm in the packing end of the game." "I see." "A butcher." "Hilary, please." "One morning you'll wake up to a train whistle... and there won't be any more cattle drives." "Yes, sir, in a few years it'll all be gone." "Leastwise, the way we knew it." "Don't start faulting what you can't stand up to, Harter... just 'cause you're finished." "I've still got a hoot and a holler left in me." "Sure." "If somebody buys you a bottle." "Now wait a minute, Simons." "Here's a man that broke most of the trails you're riding today." "Man?" "All I see is a deadbeat on crutches." "She's no better." "Watch your wallets, men." "She'll put the bite on you for sure." "Close the gate." " Mabry, get in there and stop them." " Yes, sir." "Can't somebody put a stop to this?" "It's all right, ma'am, I'll protect you." "Don't you worry about that bull." "I'll see that you get a good price." "Here, get off my bull." "Excuse me, ma'am." " Our bull is loose." " Don't worry, ma'am, I'll get him." "Missed the horns, Burnett." "Slipped out from under him." "He tried to dog a muley." "Look out, miss, he's headed this way." "Come on." "Up you go." "You're the one that has to be looked out for." "What kind of a bull is that?" "Thank you, Mr. Burnett." "You all right, Sam?" "Thanks, Gert." "You can't bulldog a bull that doesn't have any horns." "I didn't break anything, just chipped my pride, I guess." "That seems to hurt worse than anything, don't it, Sam?" "I'll kill Burnett." "From now on, Mabry here is top hand." "You'll take orders from him." "You'll notice the hornless condition being an innovation... that should meet with the approval of each and every one... who must move or ship cattle." "Mother, if that butcher bids, I'll die." "Now, really, Hilary you must learn to trust people more." "I had a long talk with Mr. Ellsworth... and he assured me that he'll be bidding for his partner in Texas." "Mr. Bowen is extremely interested in improving his stock." "Now, who will start the bidding?" "$700." "$700 is bid by Mr. Charles Ellsworth." "$800 by Mr. John Taylor." "$900 for the lovely ladies from England." "If she'd had an elephant up there..." "Ellsworth would have bid on that, too." "$1,000." "$1,000 from Taylor of Texas." "$1,100." "Don't go away, Sam, I've got a job for you." "Bowen doesn't want that muley bull." "$1,100 from Mr. Ellsworth on behalf of Mr. Alex Bowen of Texas." " $1,200." " $1,500." "$1,500 from that..." "Have you lost your mind?" "$1,600." "$2,000." "$2,000 is bid." "$2,000 once, $2,000 twice." "Sold to Mr. Charles Ellsworth for $2,000." "God save our gracious queen" "If you will kindly step forward... for your signatures on the bill of sale." "Get that bull on the Dodge City train tonight and get it to Bowen." "I'm not taking that knob head anywhere." "I'm working for Bowen, not you." "You won't be working for anyone if you keep talking." "That suits me just fine." "You get yourself another man." "I quit." "There goes Bulldog Burnett." "Just a cowpoke, miss." "Long on muscle, short on brains." "I'll get a good hand to take Vindicator west." "You can depend on that." "I'm sure I can, Mr. Ellsworth." "Suppose you drop round the hotel this afternoon... and pick up your money." "I'm in Room 22." "I've got a business deal for you." "Same kind of deal you handed Jeff Harter?" "I'll give you $500 for that bull." "It's not mine to sell." "Bowen doesn't want it and neither does Ellsworth." "But I do, and I'm willing to pay for it." "Ellsworth paid $2,000 for it." "I'm buying a bull, not female companionship." "All right, I'll go $1,000." "I'll have Mabry and Simons take the noon train to Dodge... and meet you there tomorrow." "All right, I'll deliver it." "Coming, dear lady." "What in thunder do you want, Burnett?" "You quit." "I want to talk to you about that." "Well, get to it." "I've decided to deliver that bull to Bowen." "All right, fine." "You get it out of town and don't bother me about it anymore." "Now look, Sam, be short, be polite, and then be on your way." "Welcome." "Mr. Burnett is just leaving to put Vindicator on the train." "Have a good trip, Sam." "Then you've changed your opinion about Vindicator?" "Well, no, ma'am." "I just thought I'd enjoy the trip hearing them cattlemen laugh... about that animal all the way to Dodge." "I'm sure Mr. Bowen won't laugh." "That bull is a thing that might tickle him a good deal." "Give my regards to Bowen." "Have a good trip." "And now, my dear Mrs. Evans... shall we conclude our little business?" "This calls for champagne." "Meatpacking Romeo." "When that $2,000 is gone, Martha, you can tap me for more." "I'm going to lay St. Louis at your feet." "I'm afraid there won't be time for that." "You see, Hilary and I are leaving for England tonight." "But you can't be serious." "I can do a lot for you." "I already have." "Mr. Ellsworth, I realise that a woman alone... has to expect some nonsense from the adventurous male... but I sold you a Hereford bull, nothing more." "I buy beef for 10 cents a pound." "I know companionship comes higher." "I'm giving you your money back." "There is no sale." "It's too late for that." "I'm the legal owner of that bull." "You said that Vindicator would be delivered to your partner." "That was the condition of the sale." "You run out on me, and your bull will end up..." " on that table tomorrow night." " He will not." "Vindicator will be used for breeding in Texas." "I shall see to that." "It's getting around train time." "I still have to load that darn bull." " It might take a little doing." " Sure would." "Here's a kind of a mash note." "Don't let Jeff read it." "I always did try and steal his girl." "I'll see you next year." "Mash note?" "Why, Sam was always so woman-shy... it took a team just to drag him into a dance." "$1,000?" "Come on, you big, red, no-horned brute, get up." "Hello, Mr. Burnett." " Here now, there's been a mistake." " A mistake?" "You're not supposed to be..." "You're on the wrong train." " It's going to Dodge City, isn't it?" " Yes, it's going..." "Then we're on the right train, Mr. Burnett." "We're going to the Bowen Ranch with you and Vindicator." "Well, that's just about as crazy an idea... as you walking all the way up here on top of this train." "You just did that, didn't you?" "How are you getting along with Vindicator?" "I'm not getting along with him at all." "He's a useless hunk of gristle, and besides, he's lying on my blankets." "Vindicator is not useless." "He'll certainly improve those scrubby old longhorns of yours." "Why, he's so handsome, the cows will fight to present themselves to him." "Now, what kind of talk is that?" "What kind of a thing is that for a young lady to say?" "The facts of life are no mystery to me, Mr. Burnett." "After all, I am a cattle breeder's daughter." "You ought to be ashamed of yourself." "My father taught me to talk about such things." "Bloodlines and breeding were decent topics in our house." "Nobody said anything about your father." "I was just..." "What's the idea, crashing in here on me like this?" "There's nothing sacred about a cattle car." "This one happens to be my bedroom." "And you have not been invited in here." "Now, come on, you bison belly, I'm gonna teach you how to behave." "Come on, get up." "Don't you dare kick a helpless animal." "And Vindicator doesn't appreciate name-calling, either." "You mean I've hurt his feelings?" "I mean Vindicator's lineage... is traceable back to James I." "Which is a great deal better than you can do, I'm sure." "Why, he's practically royalty." "And you might as well learn how to handle him properly." "Listen to me, if you please." "There you are." "Now you may try it, Mr. Burnett." " God Save the Queen." " Now, hold on." "I have my rights." "I'm not gonna whistle a tune for any royal, James I, muley bull." "Now, you get back up this ladder here." "I'll help you." "I don't need your help, thank you." "The female is no less agile than the male." "That's right, young lady." "Goodbye." "Holy Moses." "Come on, get down off here, before you fall and break your neck." "Careful now." "Mrs. Evans, your berths are ready." "Thank you." "There's Mr. Burnett." "Run along to bed, Hilary." "I want to have a talk with Mr. Burnett." "You're wasting your time, Mother." "He's obstinate, ill-tempered, and quite lacking in education." "Perhaps." "But he does have a rough intelligence... which could be refined, don't you think?" "Don't be long, Mother." "Now, really, Mr. Burnett, I don't bite." " Man overboard." " Hold it, ma'am." "Mr. Burnett, I am sorry." "But I thought you'd fallen over the railing." "No, ma'am." "I might jump, I'd never fall." "Of course." "Now, Mr. Burnett, since we're travelling together..." "I see no point in our avoiding each other." " There are many arrangements..." " Firstly... we're not travelling together." "We're just on the same train." "And if I was you, I'd get off." "I intend to deliver Vindicator personally to Mr. Bowen." "I'm doing that for Ellsworth, and you don't figure in it at all." "Now, my advice to you is to get the first train back to St. Louis... and then get on home, where you belong." "Mr. Burnett, you may bulldog a steer... but you cannot bulldog me." "Vindicator represents generations of selective breeding... and I intend to see he's properly placed." "Now, please, ma'am." "I've had all the breeding I can take for one day." "The thing I'm trying to get over to you is that this trip's dangerous." "There's no telling what might happen to you in Dodge." "Surely our lives will be safe in your hands." "I don't want your lives in my hands." "I've got enough trouble with my own." "The thing for you to do is turn back at Dodge... and trust me to deliver that bull of yours." "Mr. Burnett, you will either act as our guide to the Bowen Ranch... or I will get someone else." "Good night, sir." "Would you get our baggage, please?" " Is there something wrong?" " Why, no, ma'am." "Come on, you stupid..." "You fellows are gonna wreck this whole deal." "You don't know these two women I've got on my neck." "They're bound and determined to come with me the whole way to Bowen's." "They got paid $2,000 for this bull, so they're out of it." "Come on." "You horn in now, they'll call the Sheriff." "You horn in, I'll call him." "You made a deal with Taylor." "Now hold on, both of you." "This whole thing is shady all the way around." "All I want is the bull." "And you'll get it." "I'll meet you over at the saloon." "We'll work something out." "All right." "Come on, Simons." "All right." "But don't make me have to come looking for you, Burnett." "Give me 20 minutes, I'll be there." "Now, come on, you, move." "You muley, red rump roast." "Come on." "All you have to do is whistle, Mr. Burnett." "What are you doing here?" "I thought you might need help." "But I see you've had some." "Why, that's excellent, Mr. Burnett." "You've learned to handle him very well." "Vindicator, you're a fickle-hearted muley bull." "I'm afraid Hilary is jealous, Mr. Burnett." "How soon can we be on our way?" "I've got to get a wagon and all sorts of supplies and horses." "Yes, of course." "But that won't take very long." "I've asked the baggage man to take our things to the hotel." "So we'll wait there for you." "Ma'am, I don't think you ought to be so dead set on this trip." "But I am dead set." "So let's not waste the day in talk." "one of them say it was a shady deal all round." " Mother, you haven't been listening." " Of course I have, dear." "We should go to the Sheriff... and have Mr. Burnett thrown into the hoosegow." " The what?" " The jail, jug, old Bailey." "Why on earth should we do a thing like that?" "Because they plan to kidnap Vindicator... and Mr. Burnett is in cahoots with them." "What is this cahoots?" "It sounds awful." "Conspiracy." "Anyway, he said he'd meet them in the pub." "It has something to do with that Mr. Taylor." "Hilary, Mr. Taylor is an Englishman." "So was Captain Kidd." "Come on." "If we can find them, I'll show you." "Wait a minute, Simons, you go out on that street... and we'll all go to jail." "Give us another drink." "I don't want your whisky." "Come on, Mabry." "I'm not letting those women ride away with that bull." "We're going straight through Taylor's place." "I'll stake that bull out at Sand Creek." "You come in at night and take him, I'll say he strayed off." "You're just gonna stir things up here." "You bet I am." "You two women go over to the wagon." "I've got a little business to attend to here." "I'll be with you directly." "Does that look like a conspiracy to you?" "The thieves have fallen out." "I'm giving the orders here, Simons." "I said, quit it." "Just look at that." "Those ruffians." "Stop this at once." "This is too much." "Drop that gun." "How dare you hit that man." "He was gonna shoot me." "Now, really, Mr. Burnett, you have a predisposition to violence..." " of which I heartily disapprove." " Yes, ma'am." "Now, let's be on our way before you cause more trouble." " Yes, ma'am." " Come along, Hilary." "Excuse me, ma'am, you're on my hat." "I see what you're up against, all right." "Sand Creek, day after tomorrow." "And that bull better be there." "Very well, Mr. Burnett, if you are ready." "That horse is a little hard to handle, ma'am." "If you can't ride, maybe you'd better stay here." "We have ridden on occasion, Mr. Burnett." "Haven't we, Hilary?" "Just one thing, ma'am... if you're dead set on making this trip to Texas... you're going the wrong way." "Thank you, Mr. Burnett." " You are a very capable guide." " I can tell north from south." "Now, if you'll just..." "Where you been, ma'am?" "I was about to go out and look for you." "The only thing I concede is that you had the better horse." "We'll swap off and do it again." "Thank you, Sam." "Hilary, would you like to ride a little while?" "No, thank you, Mother." "I'll just drive along... just drive while you two consort." "Really, Hilary, do you call an innocent canter consorting?" "No, but I call a half-a-day gallop a romp." "What do you think now, Mr. Burnett, of Vindicator's ability to travel?" "He's doing all right." "As well as a longhorn, would you say?" "It's hard to say." "In winter, the cattle have to travel a good bit looking for feed... and in summers, every once in a while there's a drought." "A few wells and catch basins would solve that problem." "Alex Bowen's not gonna change... the countryside to accommodate one bull." "Mr. Bowen cannot stop progress." "One day this whole range... will be occupied by white-faced Hereford cattle." "You'll see it happen." "I hung onto his horns, and that fool steer ran a mile... me flapping like laundry in a high wind." "Finally, he stopped, and looked at me real sorrowful... and then he just flopped down, disgusted." "And you were only 16?" "And from that time on, they took to calling me Bulldog." "From what I saw, things don't seem to have changed very much." "Here, I'll get you some more coffee." " You all right?" " Yes, and you?" "If anyone's interested, Vindicator and I are all right, too." "Must've been a stray shot." "Funny that a stray shot should just happen to hit our coffee pot." "Now, Miss Hilary, don't start dreaming up any more trouble." "I think we'd better all turn in." "Got to be up before daybreak." "Come on." "I'll take care of Vindicator." "Did you fire that shot?" "I was just reminding Burnett to show up at Sand Creek." "I told you once, and I'm telling you again..." "I'll handle this." "Mabry, out here you ain't telling me nothing." "There's your saddle." " Thank you." "Your mother up?" " No." "I just thought I'd help you on your way." "What's gotten into you now?" "Come now." "That shot was a signal from Taylor's men." "You're taking Vindicator to them." "Go on, and good riddance." "You're dead wrong." "I was just gonna get you up." "I just bet you were." "I was and I am." "Time to get up, ma'am." "Come on, roust out." "If you have any decency, you'll go." "Vindicator will be better off with Taylor... and my mother can certainly do without you." " Hilary." "What on earth..." " I know what you're up to." "You've decided to play Mr. Ellsworth's game." "Mr. Burnett is just like him." " He certainly is not like him." " No?" "One was willing to buy a bull he didn't want... the other to sell one he didn't own." "It's just the same." "Only this time, you don't care." "You can't see it because you don't want to." "Sam, is there any truth in this?" "Mother, I know what I heard." "I'm just telling you I got up to get an early start." "What you heard in Dodge doesn't have anything to do with us." "You're calling me a liar." "I'm just saying that you misunderstood something... and imagined more." "I suppose I only imagine... that you're trying to win my mother's affections?" "Hilary, that question is most certainly not to the point." "It's the whole point, Mother." "And Mr. Burnett knows it." "Vindicator is going to be delivered to Alex Bowen." "And the sooner we move, the sooner we'll get there." "Very well, Sam." "Let's move." "All right, hold up." "Give me the axe behind the seat." "Wire." "They'll wire the whole world." "Telegraph wire... barbed wire." "This must be private property." "There's always been free passage across this range." "Taylor may own these sections, he's got no right to wire them." "Do you mean that we're going onto Taylor's ranch?" "We're leaving it." "All right, Martha, bring the wagon through." "Let's make time." "Are you satisfied now, Hilary?" "I am." "They ought to be moving into Bosquo Canyon about now." "Burnett had no intention of stopping at Sand Creek." "We better go tell Taylor." "You're all through telling, Mabry." "There's $3,000 waiting for me in that canyon." "It'll get me all the way to Mexico." "You're getting off right here." "You're crazy, Simons." "Put that gun away." "Start running." " Mother." " Yes?" " May I ride with you for a bit?" " Of course, dear." "Better keep moving along." "Few more miles and we'll be out of this." "Cattle up in there." "What's that noise?" "Horns." "Horns?" "Cattle horns." "I'll be right back, you follow along slow." " Hi, Jamie." " Hi, Sam." " Where are you moving the stock?" " To Dodge." "I'm gonna cash them in and be my own boss." "Bowen know about this?" "Pa might miss the cattle but he won't miss me." "I figure he owes me something for my time." "You all alone?" "No, Felipe's back there pushing the drag." "Don't crowd them too much." " I got some people up ahead here." " Right." "Swing out!" "They're moving!" "Come on." "Turn that wagon around." "Stay where you are." "Get back." "Drop your gun right there." "Now I'll take the money Taylor paid you for the bull." "I haven't got it." "I'll search your corpse if that's the way you want it." "There'll be no need for that." "I'll give you the money." "How much were you paid for Vindicator, Mr. Burnett?" "$1,000." "I'll take all the money." "What else you got in there?" "Stop it." "Do you hear me?" "Stop it!" "No wonder there's nothing out here." "You're all too busy killing each other." "Now, Mr. Simons, I came by my $2,000 honestly... so you will please give them back to me." "And then get out of here." "Look out, Martha, he's still got a gun." "So have I." "No, please." "Let him go." "I don't want any killing." "Come on." "Get up." " You killed him." " He didn't give me any choice." "A man is dead, and this boy is hurt." "All because of your dishonesty." "That's one way to see it, ma'am." "Out." "There's the answer." "Take what's due and skin out." "Mother, can't we stop?" "It isn't much farther, dear... and there'll be people there to look after him." " You'll be home soon." " Home?" "No." "Where's my hat?" "Estaban." "Juan." "Get Jamie inside, he's hurt." "Please, lift him carefully." "Here's Jamie, Alex." "He's hurt." "Aye, it doesn't surprise me." "Felipe comes stumbling in... this afternoon with a hole in his shoulder." "Stampede, he says." "Do you mean you knew your son was in danger and didn't send help?" "Madam, I knew he'd either make it back alive or he would not." "In this part of the world, a helping hand comes too late." "Now, what do you want?" "What do I want?" "Now, you listen to me." "Your son is hurt." "And I want him moved to a warm room." "And then bring me some bandages." "You shut your gob, woman." "Out here it's Alexander Bowen what gives the orders... and you womenfolk listen to what I say." "Is that clear to you?" "You pompous, foul-smelling tyrant." "I want that boy moved where he can be looked after." "Now, you and you there." "Pick him up." "And, Mr. Burnett, you can certainly help." "Don't just stand there." "Do as she says." "He's got a busted arm... a bunch of cracked ribs, I don't know what else." "All we can do under these primitive conditions... is to keep him down and hope." "I'm sorry about the place." "I'll need something for that roof to keep the weather out." "I've taken care of that." "You have?" "I told that Estaban to fix..." "Undisciplined and shiftless, the whole lot of them." "Yes, but we don't know that about Jamie, do we?" "You need this, señora?" "No, not in here." "Up on the roof." "I don't want to catch the rain, I want to keep it out." "And pass the information on to those who ought to know... that cleanliness is next to godliness." "No, we don't know about Jamie at all." "Will they be gone very long?" "Maybe four, five days, maybe more." "There is much work to do." "There certainly is." "That woman has taken over my fort." "Right there." "The entire place stinks of laundry soap." "Madam, if you do not care to get snowed in..." "I suggest that you hitch up your wagon and head for Dodge." "I don't intend to head for anywhere until Jamie recovers." "I'm glad to hear it." "He's feeling better if you care to know." "And furthermore, we can't leave... until you understand how to take care of Vindicator." "Now, tomorrow, I would like to go out and select some cows." " Select?" " Yes, for breeding purposes." "Madam, out here it's the fit that survive... and if that creature of yours cannot select his own cows... he is not fit to live here." "I think it may be a good idea if you take a wee peek... at some of these prospective brides... you're figuring to match up with that Hereford of yours." " That's precisely my intention." " Good." "You come on the morrow... and I'll hunt up a longhorn cow for you... and then you'll see for yourself why I think that bull of yours... will not be the father of a calf." "It won't be exactly the kind of a hunt you'd expect, ma'am." " Here, can I help with this?" " No, thank you, Mr. Burnett." "They're clean." "I'd like to keep them that way." " Beef stew?" " Chicken broth." "Snake broth, gopher broth, anything but chicken broth." "When do I get to eat?" " I can do that." " Do it then." " Sure would like something to chew." " Chew the spoon." "Hey, you're touchy this morning." "Your father's back." "He goes off for a whole week without saying goodbye... then doesn't even stop in to see how you are." "What's between you two?" "You snarl and growl at each other like two wounded animals." "It's always been like that." " But why?" " Hilary, don't get involved." "Don't get involved?" "Jamie Bowen, if you didn't have enough broken bones..." "I'd certainly add to your collection." "I'm surrounded by stubbornness." "Sam, Mother, your father, and now you." "The only one I can talk to around here is Vindicator." "I hate family mysteries." "Why does it have to be that way?" "I don't know!" "If I knew, I'd tell you, but I don't." " I'm sorry." " That's all right." "You're gonna stay around until I'm back on my feet again, aren't you?" "Maybe even a little longer." "Hilary, we're going out to select some cows tomorrow." "Jamie, how are you?" "Fine, Mrs. Evans." "I just had the best chicken broth you ever tasted." "But if you find a loose cow and could slip it past Hilary..." "I'd eat it horns, hooves, hide, everything." "You still think that bull of yours could be her mate?" "Mr. Bowen, Vindicator's first calves... will weigh half again as much as your longhorn calves... and they'll be hardy." "She can rip him to tatters while he's still dancing." " He'll never beget a calf." " You're mistaken." "Madam, I've lived half my life here." "And I tell you, if the longhorns do not kill him... then the wolves and the winters will." "And I suppose you agree with him?" "Sometimes it gets down to 20 below, ma'am." "You can see that beast, Mother." "A cow?" "Good Lord!" "I believe that Vindicator will live long enough... on the open range to reproduce." "And that's all we can expect of him." "Mother, that's cruel." "Yes, it's cruel, and stupid, and savage." "But then we live among savage and stupid people." "And the only way to convince them is on their own terms." "Survival." "That's all they understand." "We could build a shelter." "Keep him alive that way." "I can keep roses alive in a hothouse." "And you've got a hothouse bull, madam." "That's not so." "Vindicator does have stamina and fighting spirit." "He does." "My father bred it into him... and if he has to risk his life to prove it to you, then he will." "She'll not turn him loose after what she's seen here." "Yes, she will." "You forget that my husband died... trying to bring Herefords here and prove this very point." "That woman does not fear a thing, eh, Sam?" "Nothing but dishonesty and dirt." "Do you think your ma has any cold beef in the cupboard?" " Sure, Jamie." " And my ma has tortillas." "Get out of sight!" "And, Conchita, come back later with tortillas." "All right, Vindicator." "Come on." "Jamie, you shouldn't be out here." "I like to see open sky once in a while." "Where you taking Rosy Red?" " Don't call him that." " I'm sorry, Hilary." "I'm taking him out, far out on the range... and I'm going to leave him there." "There's no point in getting yourself all upset over an old bull." "Vindicator isn't old." "Well, I mean, he's an animal not a person." "You are a Bowen, yes, you are." "Insensitive and hateful." "You don't even know what this means to me." "You can't understand it and you never will." "Come on, Vindicator." "You go along now, Vindicator... and don't you come back, do you hear me?" "Go along." "Vindicator, you've got to stand on your own four feet." "I mean it." "You're a British bull with uncommon good sense... and fine ancestors." "We've had some fine times together." "Now you've got to prove yourself." "And prove that Father was right." "Go on." "She turned him loose." "Your lass has got guts, I'll grant you that." "I suppose you'll be going home now, ma'am?" "What for?" "I mean, what's the rush, Sam?" "Mistress Evans could pay us a wee visit for awhile." "Come summer, you'll see the first crossbred Herefords on this range." "Sam, there's no sense in telling her a lie." "This is longhorn country... and it'll stay longhorn country, madam, you cannot change it." "I meant what I said." "If only I could believe that, Mr. Burnett... it might make a difference." "But I made that mistake once, didn't I?" "Martha, what I did was wrong." "I lied to you because I didn't want you and Hilary to turn against me... and I'm sorry." "I think I'd better go to Hilary." "Then you're not still mad at me?" "No, not particularly." "You know, Jamie... there's really nothing to keep us here anymore, is there?" "Vindicator's out there on the range..." " and you're up and around." " No, now, wait a minute." "I've still got cracked ribs and they hurt like the devil." "Here, I'll show you." "See?" "That's painful." "I need attention." "Jamie, you're breaking my ribs." "Yeah." "And I will, too, if that's what it's gonna take to keep you here." "Look, all I've got is the two legs I stand on, Hilary... but there's room in this country to make us a place like Herefordshire." "I don't care what it's like." "I don't ever want to leave you." "I'll take the low road" "I'll be in Scotland afore ye" "Come on!" "Get on, will you?" "I don't need witnesses." "Get out of here!" "Go, will you?" "Don't just stand there, man, slam the door!" "What're you doing?" "What does it look like?" "You look like a bull in a mud wallow." "Look, we got a blizzard on our hands out there." " The glass is still dropping." " That's grand." "She'll not be able to travel in such weather." "Been wondering how to keep her here short of violence." "How do I smell, Sam?" "Do I smell grand now?" " You smell like an old buffalo." " That's not me, that's the robe." "Alex, I'm going out and find Vindicator... and bring him back here until this weather lets up." " Let nature take its course, man." " But I can save him." "Who wants to save him?" "After he's no more here..." "Mistress Evans will see that I was right about this place... and then she may get a wee glimmer... that I can be right about some other things." "Well, it doesn't take any brains to let a bull die in a blizzard." "Aye, but it takes a great deal to turn loose of the past... and that's exactly what I want her to do." "I want her to forget all about Herefords, and think about me." "I made up my mind." "I'm going to wed that woman." " You're going to wed her?" " Aye." "But, Bowen, Mrs. Evans is a lady." "She's an English lady." "She didn't come all the way out here... to marry an old grizzly bear like you." "Yeah, she will, I tell you." "Once that bull is dead and gone, she'll turn her attention to me:" "Alexander Bowen!" "Every laddie has his lassie" "And all the girls they smile at me" "Coming through the rye" "Anything?" "That bull has vanished, señor." "If he's smart like you say... he headed for the Gulf of Mexico last week." "A man cannot find a thing in this snow." "Listen close." "Listen." "You try it." "Keep it up loud." "We'll make another swing." "Sam, tomorrow I'm going with you." "No, you're not well enough." "I've been doing cartwheels for weeks." "Hilary and Mrs. Evans are worried half to death about you." "It's your job to stop their worrying." "Come on, let's get in out of the cold." "Save her victorious" "Happy and glorious" "Long to reign over us" "God save the queen" "Mistress Evans." "I'm serving tea at about 4:00 this afternoon." " I wondered if you'd care to come?" " Tea?" "Why, thank you very much, Mr. Bowen." "It could be a nice change for you." "At 4:00, then." "All right, children." "Stand up now." "We're going to sing America." "One, two, three." "My country, 'tis of thee" "Miss Evans, good day to you." "Up and about, are you?" "Do you feel sprightly enough to run off again?" "I'm through running." "I'm going to find me my own place." "That sounds easy when you say it, but it's not." "Life out here is hard, laddie." "Yeah, well, don't do anything to make it any softer." "What are you referring to?" "Like maybe you could build some sheds for the stock... and lay in some winter feed and repair this godforsaken place?" "You've been listening to that wee lassie." "You bet." "And it's the first sense I've heard in all this part of Texas." "I'm serving tea at 4:00 this afternoon." "You may bring Miss Evans if you care to." "The master will join you presently." "My, aren't we formal." "A Highland officer?" "91st Argyle." "Foot." "You do not recognise me in uniform, do you, Jamie?" "No, you couldn't." "You were only a wee lad then." "It's the first time I've scraped my face since I left my regiment." "Would you care to pour, Mrs. Evans?" "Estaban has made us some scones." "He's quite a good cook." "Estaban, you scoundrel." "I thought you were 100 years older than Sam." "Approve of the change, do you?" "The trouble with appearances, Mr. Bowen... is while beauty is skin deep... meanness runs all the way through." "What's that you're saying?" "She's saying that bagpipes and tea... don't erase the way you've treated Jamie." "I did the best I could, lassie." "And I could not help it if he did not have a mother's tender care." "All these years you've hardly ever spoken to him." "It does not suit my purpose to discuss the past." " You mean my mother?" " Aye." "Now, what could I have said to you, Jamie?" "She was ailing when you were born... and she died." "And all the words in the world cannot bring her back... or your husband." "Mistress Evans... you've captured my entire fort and all of its inhabitants." "You've got them eating out of your wee hand." "Aye, it's true." "Now you've made attachments here yourself, dear lady." "To Jamie and to the schoolchildren..." "I just wish..." "I mean..." "I've been hoping that you could find it in your heart to... make a similar attachment to me." "Given a wee while, of course." "I wouldn't want to rush you." "And I want you to think about making your home here in Texas." "You and your lassie." "She likes it here by the looks of things." "What I'm trying to say... is that could be such a grand life for us all." "It would never be like Herefordshire." "Aye, and it's not like Scotland, either." "But when I first came here, I made up my mind..." "I was going to accept the land as I found it." "That's what you must do because you cannot change it." "And if you're still thinking that I'm responsible... because Hereford cattle cannot adapt themselves to Texas... and that I shattered... that lovely dream you shared with your husband, that's not true." "You cannot live with dreams." "It's time to stop dreaming and live for this day... and the next day." "Time for me to admit that this is longhorn country... and that you're its lord and master." "A man in love is not even lord nor master of himself." "I'd like to change the climate for you, if I could." "What are you looking at, man?" "Is that you, Señor Bowen?" "No, I'm Bonnie Prince ruddy Charlie." "What do you want?" "I lost touch with him." "With who?" "Señor Burnett." "I could hear him whistling, but he was gone..." "I could not find him." "The snow was too heavy." "Is he lost?" "No, señora, maybe he has troubles... but Señor Burnett is not lost." "Fetch the men." "Go on with you." "Saddle my horse." "I'll come, too." "Don't worry, we'll find him." "I have been wondering for years... what you were hiding behind that beard of yours." "I told you before, a man can change." "All right, you've changed." "I'm sure Mrs. Evans approves." "Well, I haven't changed." "That Hereford bull's out here somewhere and I'm gonna find him." "Do you think you be fit to travel?" "Of course I'm fit..." "Quit shoving." "I can walk." "Come over here, Sam." "Hilary, get some coffee." "I don't want you to go out there any more, do you understand?" "You think Vindicator's dead, too?" "Yes, but that doesn't matter now." "No, I'll do this." "There isn't anything worth the risk you're taking, Sam." " There isn't?" " No." "This is longhorn country." "Let's face it and be done with it once and for all." "Well, I'm not done with it." "You planted an idea in me, Mrs. Evans, and the roots went deep." "I think Vindicator is as good or better than any longhorn alive." "And come summer, there's gonna be crossbreed Herefords on this range." "You just wait and see." "Not on this range." "Just because you shaved and took a bath... don't be so high and mighty about everything." "You don't know Hereford stock." "Sam Burnett, I give you my permission... to clear the range of any crossbreed cows you can find." "Take them." "They're yours." "But do not worry us about it anymore." "It's not good for Mistress Evans... to hear you constantly dragging up the past." "Besides, I've asked her to wed me." "And she hasn't exactly said no." "Seems to me like you've broken faith... with everything that brought you here." "I've never been a person to avoid facing facts, Mr. Burnett." "And you should know that." "I was wrong about this country." "And I admit it." "Well, then, your husband was wrong about Herefords, too." "Yes." "All right, yes!" "But there are other things to consider." "There's Hilary and Jamie." "And life must go on." "All right, Alex..." "I'll take the crossbreed Herefords I find... and I'll build a place for them." "Sam, don't." "Can't you see it's over?" "Not for me." "Give him a hand." "He's hell-bent for disaster out there." "There's no stopping him." "Jamie, here's Sam." "You're driving them in, huh?" "Yeah, a lot of them aren't up to it." "Dad says he can't remember a worse winter." "We haven't seen much of you, Sam." "How have you been?" "I'm fine." "Fine." " Building a place." " Yeah, Juan was telling me." "Juan, he comes out every once in a while, lends a hand." " I'd like to see it, Sam." " Not till it's finished." "I'm working on the calving pens now." "Waiting." "I'll be moving along." "Whoa, boy." "It's Vindicator, isn't it?" "A lot of longhorns died, too." "We knew what to expect, Sam." "Now, I want you to tell Bowen." "You tell him that this doesn't mean there won't be calves." "You tell him that." "You tell them both." " Hello, Hilary." " Hello, Sam." " Juan directed me how to get here." " It's not hard to find." "Jamie knows it." "He's been out here lots of times." "Yes." "Jamie and I aren't on very good terms at the moment." "I see." " Could I talk to you for a bit, Sam?" " Sure." "Thank you." "I have some medium-hot coffee in there." "Would you like some?" "Yes, thanks." "Here, I'll let you take the real chair." "Thanks." "I'm just finishing up the calf pens." "I built two corrals up in the canyon." "Do you still think there will be calves?" "Yes, I do." "You see, it's only the end of June." "Vindicator could have lasted longer than anybody expected." "You could see his calves clear into October." "I see." " What did you say this was, Sam?" " Coffee." "I'm sorry about you and Jamie." "You two have a fight?" "That's what I wanted to talk to you about." "You see, everything's become so complicated." "It's just that Jamie asked me to marry him." "I think that's fine." "And I said no." " You don't love him?" " Yes, I do." "Very much." " Well, then..." " But don't you see... if I marry Jamie then Mother will have to marry Mr. Bowen." "No, I'm afraid I don't follow you." "Sam, don't you ever think about Mother?" "Think about her?" "I think about her all the time." "I have this place here and this idea... and that's more than I ever had in my whole life before." "And your mother made this all possible for me." "And it means a lot." "Then, it's not right for you to keep all these things to yourself." "It's not fair." "Mother needs you." "I'm afraid I'm not very good at figuring out problems... especially other people's." "All I know is that I'm tied to this idea here... that your mother gave me, and I'm just bound to go through with it." "But it'll be too late, Sam." "Mother and Mr. Bowen..." "No, your mother'll make her own decision." "And that's as it should be." "But you ought to make yours, too, Hilary." "If you love Jamie, I think you ought to go up and tell him." "And marry him." " Do you think I should?" " I sure do." "Well, thanks for the coffee." " I'm glad I came to see you." " I'm glad you did, too." "Come back, Sam." "It's a grand day." "Get out of there, you beast, you." "It's a grand day, Mistress Evans." " We've got plans to make." " How thoughtful of you." " What I mean to say is that..." " They're lovely." "I mean to say it's urgent that we make haste." "We ought to be thinking about setting a time." "Very well, Alex." "September, then." "Late in September." "You're not still hoping that there'll be some crossbreed calves?" "I suppose so." "I can't seem to help myself." "It's because that lunatic is still out there searching." "He's bound to fail, I tell you." "You see that, don't you?" "Yes, I know." "But until September." " That's not too much to ask, is it?" " No." "He'll certainly give up by then." "I agree." "September it is." "I'm gonna borrow him for a little while." "Don't you worry." "Jamie, there's Sam." "You got a whiteface." "This is what you came here for, Martha." "There's Hereford crossbreeds on this range." "That calf will make a fine wedding present, Sam." "I told you I'd be back when I found a crossbreed." "There's the first one." "You take your hand off that woman, Sam Burnett." "And there'll be more whiteface but I'm gonna need you, Martha." "Did you hear what I said?" "I said take your hand off her." "And you get out of here." " Alex, I..." " I can see for myself, woman." "That's Hereford country and you can raise the bloody things." "Raise them if you can, I say." "That's just what we're going to do." "And before we're finished... you're gonna see crossbreed Hereford all over this range." "You can take that one with you." "That one looks like one of the first dozen, Martha." "I'm glad we kept some longhorns, Sam, for old times' sake." "So am I." "They're getting pretty scarce." "There." "Watch that one now." "Do you still think one of them will come to you?" "No, not really." "Sometimes a bit of him catches my eye." "I like to think he's still out there." "Somewhere." "English" " SDH"