" Well, you picked a hot day, mister." " I always do." " Fill her up, will ya?" " You bet." "Mighty nice transportation you got here." " I'll sell it to you." " No, thanks." " Gonna do a little hunting'?" " Well, I hope to." "You know a guy around here named Cameron" " Ben Cameron?" "Sure, I know Ben." "If you need a guide, he's your man." "He knows this country like the palm of his hand." "That's what I hear." "How far is his place?" "Oh, about 22 miles straight ahead." "Then you take the left fork." "I don't know whether Ben's taking on any new hunters right now though." "Got himself a new wife." "He stays, uh, pretty close to home these days." "Well, can't say I blame him." "Is she a nice girl?" " Awful nice girl." "Pretty as a picture." "City girl." " Uh-huh." "Kind of a redhead, about, oh- about 5 foot 3?" "Yeah, that's right." "Say, you must know her." "They got married up in San Francisco, right after Ben got back from Korea." "Excuse me." "Well, that does her." "That'll be 9.42." "I have to haul the stuff." "It kind of ups the price a little bit." "Here's 10." "What sort of place does he run?" "Well, it ain't much right now, but Ben'll have her working before he's through." " He runs 25- maybe 30 head of cattle." " Uh-huh." "Straight down the road." "Ben, look out!" "Stay where you are!" "Ben, are you all right?" "Did he gore you?" "Nah, he just stomped on me a little." " Son of a gun is real happy about it, isn't he?" " Let me see." "Look, I'm okay." "It's just a bruise." "It happens all the time on a ranch." " Ben!" " Don't get so excited about it." "I got to brand this fella." "Isn't" " Isn't there some other way you can do that besides burning them?" "Yeah, yeah, sure." "I" " I could tie a letter to his tail that said he was mine." "Meg, you don't have to run out here every time I get mixed up with a cow." "That bull might've hurt you!" "All right, Ben." "Ooh!" "Ben!" "Ben!" "Ben!" "Ben, come in here right now!" "Ben, come right in here!" " Wait-Wait a minute." "Here." "It's simple." " Ben!" "Just shut it off!" "Oh, shut up!" "Just shut up!" "That's all." "I told you not to use it." "I told you I had to clean out the water tank." "If I listened to every stupid story you told me, I'd go crazy!" " Don't get sore at me." "It's your own fault." " Where's my towel?" "You just won't listen!" "I bet you will from now on." " I'll bet you don't know what'll happen from now on." "Oh, get out of here!" "Go on." "Get out!" "All right." "All right." "Look, but that stuff dries fast in this climate." "You don't hurry up, you'll need a whisk broom instead of a towel." " Leave me alone!" " All right." "Honey, what'd you do with that calf medicine I had in the cabinet?" " What calf medicine?" " The only calf medicine I had." "It was right here in a tin can." "You mean that stuff that looked like brown water?" " I threw it away." " You threw it away?" "It cost 11 bucks!" "Well, how did I know it was calf medicine?" "What'd you think I had it there for, a keepsake?" "Eleven bucks thrown away." "Maybe it'll make the rocks grow." "Well, I didn't do it on purpose, and I'm sorry, and that's all I can say." "And if you're so worried about the money" " You've turned down three jobs this month already." "You bet I did." "I'm gonna turn down the next three too." "Sure, sure!" "At a hundred dollars a week." "Meg, I'm not a guide." "I'm a rancher." "Can't you understand that?" "This is a cattle ranch." "I mean, it's not much now, but it can be, if I take care of it." "There isn't any fun in our lives, Ben." "There's nothing but work from the time we get up in the morning... until the time we go to bed at night." "There isn't even a bath!" "Honey." "Honey, there will be." "Butane is a very explosive gas." "This safety valve is supposed to be closed when using... like I've told you maybe 60 times." "You don't close it, she blows up, and you've got a nice mess to clean up." "I don't have any mess to clean up." "You have." "Eh, that's pretty good." "Wha-What was it?" "It was a cake, you big goon." "Or have you forgotten today was your birthday?" "I guess I had." "No." "You never think about anything... except those ugly-looking cows, and you never have." "You can start thinking right now where you're gonna find yourself another filly... because this one's jumping the fence." "Aw, come on." "Now, don't talk like that, Meg." "Hey." "Hey, come on." "Come on." "Come on." "I'm sorry." "Look, what can I do, huh?" "You can get the truck unloaded so you can drive me into town." "And throw in some oats and some hay." "Boy, I sure can pick 'em." "I figured you'd fade in the stretch." "I did think you'd make it around the first turn." "Oh, it isn't that, Ben." "I'm not such a quitter." "Oh, honey, Meg." "What's the matter with us, honey?" "We just shouldn't have gotten married in the first place, Ben." "I like it." "Where would you be if I" " Go ahead." "Finish it." " Oh." "Where would I be if you hadn't gotten me out of California and married me?" "Serving nine more years in the penitentiary for violation of parole." "Meg, forget it." "I've never thrown it at you." "No, but it's always on your mind, isn't it?" "You didn't want to marry me." "You were lonesome, you were out of the army... and you thought it was a good caper to get a girl out of a jam by marrying her." "Well, it was a good caper." "It was no way to start a marriage." "Aw, hey." "Come on." "Meg, come on now." "Forget it." "Look, I'm sorry about that calf medicine." "Look, baby." "Come on." "Let's forget the whole thing." "Ben, we can't forget it!" "If there was a marriage to fight for, I'd stay here the rest of my life, but there isn't." "There isn't even any love, and you just can't live without that." "There was plenty of love with the other guy, I suppose, huh?" " Yes, I loved him." " Yeah." "He got you in a jam and ran out on you." "Left you alone to face a 10-year rap!" "Even after you got out on parole, he didn't show up, right?" " Yes." " If that's love, I'll take mine straight!" "I bet you still love the guy." "Come on." "Say it." "You're still nuts about him, aren't you?" " I think I hate him." " But you're not sure, huh?" "Oh, Ben, you don't understand." "You don't understand anything." "Once you've loved somebody, you never can be sure." "Even when it's changed to hate, you never know whether it's just the other side of love." "It's the way those things are." "Meg." "Meg, are you- are you goin' back to him?" "Oh, I don't even know where he is." "And if I did, I'd never go back to him." "Let's just put it this way, Ben." "One man got me into jail, and another man saved me from going back." "Now it's time I did something on my own, without any help from anyone-just me." " That's why I'm leaving." " Meg, please don't go." " Ben." " Meg, honest- honestly, I'll try." "What do you want?" " Mr. Cameron?" "Ben Cameron?" " Yeah." "My name is Denning." "I've heard a lot about you and" " Excuse me." " My wife." "How do you do, Mrs. Cameron?" "Just, uh, what is it you want, Mr., uh, Denning?" "Well, I wanted to go across the border and do some shooting at Lagos de Zapitan." "Just cross the international bridge at Arivaca." "Hire yourself a guide." "No problem at all." "Well, frankly, I was expecting to come back with a little more than the legal limit." "I don't want to go through customs." "I'd like to go straight through." "And I don't want another guide." "I want you." "Uh-huh." "Well, why me?" "Well, they tell me you're the best, and that's what I want." "Across the international border, it's an easy 20 miles." "The only other route is 50 miles of pure up and down." "I'm not interested." "They tell me your fee is a hundred dollars a week." "I'll give you 200." "When my husband says he isn't interested, Mr. Denning, he isn't interested." "You couldn't buy him for a thousand a week, so stop wasting your time." "Will you let me handle this?" "There's a lot of good guides in this country." "You won't have any trouble finding one at that price." "Well, perhaps I arrived at an awkward moment." "Think it over, Mr. Cameron." " If you should change your mind, just" " I won't." "Oh, uh, by the way, my wife is driving to town." "I'm too busy branding to drive her." "How about giving her a lift?" "Why, certainly." "I'd be glad to." "Maybe I better wait till this evening, Ben, and let you drive me." "Why wait?" "The man's got a nice car, plenty of room in it." "Let me take that." "Good-bye, Mr. Cameron." "Remember, Ben." "This is the way you wanted it." "Yeah." "I'm awful glad to see you, Meg." " You knew I was here?" " Sure." "I've been hunting for you for quite a while." "I missed you, honey." "I've missed you too, Nardo, ever since the day I was arrested." "You were supposed to come back from Los Angeles that morning." "You never did." "I know." "I started, but I just never got there." "I started the night before." "Then I hit a truck on that straightaway going into Bakersfield." "I didn't come to for five weeks." "I don't believe you." "I can show you the records of the Bakersfield General Hospital, if you like- 14 months of'em." "You're too good on things like that, Nardo." "I wouldn't believe them either." " Would you believe that?" " Nardo." "Took me six months before I could even write you a letter." "And when I did, it came back "addressee unknown."" "I didn't know what had happened till I got back to San Francisco." "By then, you'd been in Tehachapi for almost a year." "So I got ahold of a lawyer." "I gave him some dough to work on your parole." "Then I had to get out of town." " Where'd you go?" " Chicago." "But when I did make parole, you weren't there." "I know, honey." "I was in New York when the lawyer's letter came." "I got the news two weeks late." "So I caught the first plane to San Francisco, but... you weren't there." "You weren't anywhere." "Where'd you expect me to be?" "I know, honey." "I don't blame you." "I just don't want you to blame me too much." "After all, we-we did find each other." "You do believe me, don't you?" "I don't know what to believe." "I'm almost afraid to believe anything anymore." "Take me into town, Nardo." "Don't make me cry." "You know how I hate that." "I know, honey." " Here." "Let me take that." " I'd rather." "Meg." "Will you have dinner with me tonight?" "No, I don't think so, Nardo." "I have a lot of thinking to do." "Hello, Mrs. Cameron." "Having a night on the town?" "I'd like a single with a bath." "Ben still working?" "It's 212." "First room up on your right." "I'll bring your baggage up as soon as I register this gentleman." " I'd like a bath too." " Oh." "When you take up the lady's bag, take up a nice jar of bubble bath too, will you?" "Yes, sir." " Sandalwood, if you got it." " Yes, sir." "Thank you." " You remember this song?" " Yes." "And this dress-Where?" "Peacock Room, Palace Hotel, San Francisco." "We decided to become a team." "Ah, you do remember." "And what a team." "Best in the business." " Why weren't we ever honest?" " What do you mean, honest?" "We only took the people who could afford it." "We only took those who thought they could take us." "Nothing dishonest about that." "Remember that wildcatter in Dallas?" "Boy, what a killing." "You bought me a mink coat and a diamond clip." "Yeah." "Oh, those were the days." "I hocked them when we went broke in Paris." "We weren't a very lucky team, were we?" "Well, I don't say we didn't have a couple of hard times once in a while, but" "Listen, honey." "Let's sit down and have a drink." "Okay?" " Right over there." " ~~" " Hiya, Barry." " Well, hello, Ben." "I'm glad you dropped in." "That section of land next to yours is open now, if you want it." "I came to sell you my place." "Still want to buy it?" "You didn't seem to think my price was right." "Well, I changed my mind." " ~~" " One old-fashioned with scotch and a brandy and soda." "Honey, I've got something big this time- bigger than you can imagine." "No, Nardo, I'm all through with that sort of thing." "Just count me out." "But, honey, don't get me wrong." "We've got enough to last us for the rest of our lives- one million dollars." "It's what I've always wanted." "And when I got it, I came for you." "How did you get it?" "Look, sweetheart." "It was knowing about my deals that got you that jail term." "I don't want it to happen again." "Nobody can ever harm you for something you don't know." "But this is all wrapped up." "It's okay, it's safe and it's clean." " And the police are after you." " No, no." "That's the beauty of it." "Nobody's after me." "The police are after a bundle of money, but they don't know who's got it." "No description, no photograph, no nothing." "Just a big bundle of beautiful bills with Ben Franklin's picture on 'em." "That's why you wanted Ben to take you across the border- so you could get away with it, huh?" "Well, Ben or anybody else." "I wanted Ben because I wanted his wife." "But for the money I'm willing to pay, we can hire another guide." " We?" " Who else?" "It was always "we."" "Always will be." "Come on." "Drink your drink." "We'll make a fresh start, honey." " Your dinner's ready, sir." " Oh, thank you." "Well, honeybunch, let's drink up, and tell me what's bothering you, huh?" "It's Ben." "You mean that farmer?" "I thought you were walking out on him anyhow." "Well, I did, but I'm not sure I should have." "You know, if it weren't for Ben, you know where I'd be now." "But why worry about it, honey?" "You don't love the guy." "No, but I like him." "That's pretty important." "What about me?" "I guess I love you, Nardo." "I've tried not to." "I" " I thought I was all over it, but I" "I guess I was wrong." "The minute I saw your face, it all came back to me." "Well, you're like something I've caught... and can't quite cure myself of." "I'll get another guide to take us across." "We'll be out of here before morning." "No, we've got to see Ben first-you and I." "Okay." "I don't relish the prospect... but if that's what you want, that's the way it's going to be." "Let's go now and get it over." " Hi, Fred." " Hi, Ben." " Can I look at that?" " Sure." "212, huh?" "She ain't up there, Ben." "Where is she?" "She left a couple of minutes ago." " With a guy in a sports car?" " Yeah." "That's right, Ben." "Well" " Gives me a chance to do a little drinking, huh?" "Right, Ben." " What'd I do wrong, Officer?" " Nothing, I hope." "Can I see your registration certificate?" "I know I didn't run through a stoplight." "Was I going too fast?" "Can I see your registration certificate?" "Well, if I've broken some traffic law, I'm sorry." "If you won't tell me what I did, just write out the ticket, and let's get it over with." "Well, I'm not police." "I'm border patrol." " Border patrol." "This far from the border?" " That's right, sir." "Nine miles." "We cover back as far as 20 miles." "At 10 miles, we have quite a few spot checks." " May I take a look in the trunk?" " The trunk?" "Sure." "Right back here." "Do you have the key?" "Look, Officer." "It's kind of late, and the lady's married." "I got to get her back home fast." "Can't you sort of forget that you ever saw us?" "This is the only service I know of that's absolutely free." "You have no right to search my car without a warrant." "Now, look, mister." "We're looking for something special." "We're covering the border from Brownsville to Tijuana." "Now get that key and get it fast." "Here." "What's the matter?" "The border patrol won't give you any trouble." "They're always very nice." "Why didn't you want him to look in the trunk?" "He wants me to pull up a little." "Nardo!" "Nardo, what have you done?" "Meg." " Leave me alone!" "Leave me alone!" " Meg, what's wrong with you?" "Meg, what's wrong with you?" "I was only trying to stop you, honey." " I thought you were trying to kill me." " Oh, Meg, sweetheart." "I thought you killed him- I mean, deliberately." "I didn't know the gear was in reverse." " I promise you I didn't!" " Oh, I know." "Come on." " Feel better, honey?" " Yes, thanks." "Looks like we'll have to walk." "The rocks have busted the gas tank." "Lee, it's five minutes to 3:00." "Will you put out a missing person's alarm?" "Look, Ben." " You'll only make a fool out of yourself." "She'll show up." "I've been through this before." "You think you're the only guy whose wife steps out on him?" " That isn't funny, Lee." " Oh, look." "It happens all the time." "Something might've happened to her." "Sheriff, give us a hand here!" " It's Harry Castleton." " I found him on 26." "Guy... ran over me... twice." "Had a" " Had a... redhead... with him... in a... pink sports car." "On" " On purpose." "Go on, Harry." "Talk!" "He can't talk." "He's dead." "Meg!" "Meg!" "Open the door." "Meg!" "He's simply got to take us across now." "We don't dare get another guide." "Meg, open the door!" "And another thing." "You never saw me before in your whole life, okay?" " Okay." " Meg, open the door!" "I should've known you'd be with him." " Get out of here!" " I can't." "My car's bogged down." "You've got a lot more than a car to worry about." "The man you killed has four kids." "That was an accident." "She was there." "She'll tell you." "Get some decent clothes on." "I'm taking you into Arivaca." " What for?" " So you can tell 'em what you know about this mess." "I can't do that, Ben." "She's right, Cameron." "It was only hit-and-run, but she's an accessory." "Her fingerprints are all over that car, and there's a good chance they're on the body too." "You've got to take us across the border into Mexico." "All she has to do is tell the truth." "I told you to get dressed." " I won't go, Ben." "I won't!" " Then you'll go as you are." " No, Ben." "No!" "Please let me go!" " Come on." " No!" "Let me go, Ben!" "Ben, I'm" " Cameron!" " Go on and shoot!" "You haven't the guts." " I don't need guts." "I need you." " You're on your way, baby." " No, I can't go." "You know I can't!" " Shut up!" " Ben, when I get back there, they'll check on me." "They'll find out I've broken my parole, and I'll spend the next nine years in the penitentiary." " Can't you learn to keep your mouth shut?" " So that's the way it is." "The lady generates a little heat." "I wondered why you married him." "Now I know." "Well, what are you gonna do?" "Boy- You two really deserve each other." " You gonna take us or not?" " Ben, you've got to." "How much would you say she was worth?" "Well, I offered you $200 before, and you turned it down." "That was before you killed Harry Castleton." "A thousand." "That may be all your stinking carcass is worth." "Look." "What about hers?" "Well, you would know more about that than I would." "5,000 for the whole deal." "Nah." "I'd say about, uh, 10." "Ben, I'll go to jail if you don't." "Will ya listen?" "She's in it all the way, Cameron." "You wouldn't expect me to put a higher value on your wife than you would yourself." "Don't play around with me, Denning." "I'll turn you both over to the cops." "I believe you would." " All right. 10,000." " Cash on the line?" "I don't know whether I can trust you." "You might decide to turn me over on this side of the border." "You've got the gun." "Yeah." "Just a minute." "Ben, I" " I'm sorry." "Shut up." "I picked a tramp, and I know it." "I wouldn't let a dog spend nine years in jail if I could help it." "Especially for 10,000 bucks." "Oh, look, it's dangerous handling that amount of money." "I'd rather you'd carry it." "I got a feeling I can trust you." " Uh, you can keep her too." " I'm gonna take you up on that." " When do we leave?" " Right now." "You got three minutes to get dressed, pack some grub and join us." "What's in the bag?" "Change of underwear." "You must have problems." "Where do you think you're going?" "I think I'll ride in the truck with you." "You and Meg are riding in here." "I'm driving the rig." "I don't think so." "I'd rather ride alongside of you." "Look, Mac." "Let's understand each other." "From now on, you do exactly what I tell you to do, and you'll do it on the double." "Because when you stop taking orders, I stop moving." "When I stop moving, you're a gone goose." " That make sense?" " Yeah, I think it does." "In the trailer." "When the motor starts, turn the lights off." "And keep 'em off." "Here." "You two get some sleep." "I know I can trust you together." "What's, uh-What's that?" "Hay?" "In case you're interested, your wife's behavior with me tonight has been impeccable." "I'm, uh" " I'm just a farmer, Denning." "I don't know what that word "impeccable" means." "If it means what it sounds like, uh, congratulations." "Any chance of him double-crossing us?" "No." "He isn't as experienced at double-crossing as you and I." "He never made a living at it." "Whatever he says he'll do, you can count on it." "He almost made a square out of you, sweetheart." "A slug in my head right now would send 30,000 volts through yours." "Denning" "Don't jump." "Don't move." "You might get hurt." "Don't lift your head." "You'll get an ugly scratch if you do." "What's the beef, Cameron?" " You ever see a knife like this before?" " No, I don't think I have." "We use 'em to stick turkeys with." "She slides in at the base of the throat, moves straight up into the brain." "It's like peeling a banana." "I've done it a million times." "I hope the novelty's worn off by now." "There are gonna be lots of times on this trip when we won't be able to watch each other... like when we're asleep." "I don't like anybody holding a gun on me while I'm driving." "Okay." "You've made your point." "Or any other time!" "If that ever happens again, Denning" "From now on, we walk." "Most of the time, straight up." "I'm dumping the trailer and truck over the cliff." "You grab a pack." "Get your stuff together." "Don't take any more than you can carry." "I'm awful sensitive about packing stuff that isn't mine." " Cameron" " Yeah?" " Are you sure we can't take this rig any further?" " Yeah." "What if we have to turn back?" "If we have to turn back, your buddy'll have more than transportation to worry about." "We'd still have the truck and trailer." "I'm not leaving any road signs behind me." "By the time she hits the bottom of that canyon, she'll be in so many pieces... they won't be able to spot 'em from an airplane." "If there's any danger of the border police getting on our trail, I think we ought to" "I got news for you, Mac." "They're already on our trail." "But can't we at least hide the truck in case we need it later?" "If we ever get in a spot where you need this truck to pull you out... you'll be a dead duck anyhow." "You get out on the point and watch her splatter." "Better toss over that case too." "You're not gonna have time to change underwear on this trip." "You just take care of your end." "I'll take care of mine." "You never liked it anyway." "Come on." "It'll take four or five hours to get around this cliff." "We don't have enough daylight." "We'll stay here and wait till morning." "What in tarnation you folks doin' way up here?" "Hiya, pop." "Ben Cameron!" " Hiya, Ben." " Hi." "Hiya, Ms. Cameron." "Phew." "What do you figure doin' up here, son?" "Jumpin' my claim?" " No." "I'm just taking this dude hunting." " Huntin'?" "Where's your gun?" "Well, we don't need 'em." " We're" " We're gonna scare the game to death." " Having a little trouble though." " Uh-huh." "What's your problem?" "Well, we could save time if we had a rope." " A rope?" " Yeah, to get these two up there." "Well, time's kind of cheap, but, uh, ropes come pretty dear iffen you ain't got one." " How much?" " How about two dollars?" " I'll give you five." " Good Lord." "For five, I'll carry you up piggyback." "You wait right here!" "There's a rock up there- I used to could hit it first try." "Here, here." "Let me do it." "That's pretty good, boy." "Couldn't have done it much better myself." "I'll do the hauling." "You tie 'em on down here, huh?" "Okay, son." "All right, Denning, you go first." "Hey, pop." "Tie the dude on, will ya?" "Okay." "Sure hope this holds." "Do you, uh, got that five dollars handy?" "Here." "Denning, you just hold on." "I'll pull." "Uh, you just use your feet as much as you can." "Let me down, Cameron!" "Wow!" "Oh, wow!" "Let me down!" "Hey!" "That's-That's nice underwear you've got." "Man, that's a crazy color." "This is what I've been lookin' for all my life." "I'd sure like to know where your claim is, mister." " This even feels good!" " I'll take care of it." " No, no." "Don't mind at all." "Don't mind to help." " Just take it easy, pop." "I'd like to have this job by the week." "Maybe you will." "Say, uh, where is that claim of yours?" "Right over here." "Come on." "I'd like to show it to you." "Take care of this, Meg." "There she be!" "I'm sorry, sweetheart." "You got to play it the way the cards fall." "He'd have told half the state." " Bury him." " You're crazy." "Bury him!" "Here's your wire from Washington, Captain." "Well, that ought to tie it up, especially with this fingerprint report." ""The prints on Harry Castleton's belt belong to a woman named Margaret Fowler." ""She drew a one-to-10-year rap in Tehachapi for a bunco job." "Out on parole after serving one year."" "And her fingerprints match up just fine with Ben Cameron's wife." "You don't think Ben's mixed up in this, do you?" "The dame's messed up in it bad." "That dress was found in their cabin." "As for Ben, why not?" "He sold his place and moved out the night of the murder." "Ben was with me when Harry Castleton was brought in." "So Cameron helps his wife out of a jam." "After her two-timing him with that fancy Dan?" "That's the kind of a guy Ben is." "Yeah, it figures, all right." "If I know Ben, and I think I do, I know just where he's gonna try to cross over." " Which way?" " The right." " Why don't you take the lead?" " If I'm gonna be shot, I want to see it comin'." "Go ahead." "You, uh- You a music lover, Denning?" "No, but I'm a sucker for police broadcasts." "I'll give you two about an hour." " For what?" " To rest." "Then we start out again." "You mean we're gonna travel tonight?" "All night." "Aren't you pushing things a little hard, Cameron?" "Your wife's kind of tired." "You can carry her pack." "We have all day tomorrow for sleeping." "I can walk right alongside of you night and day, Cameron." "I'd just like to know the reason why." "We have to cross the upper end of the Papago Reservation." "If we try it by daylight, we'll be spotted." "We have to make it tonight." "Sounds reasonable." "Just how far are we from the border?" "Too far." "I'm gonna take a look for the best way down." "I'll be back." "I'm sorry about what happened back there with the old man, honey." "I had to do it." "He'd have talked." "You know that, don't you?" " Sure." "He'd have talked." " And that would've been the end of it." "They'd have picked us up in 24 hours." "You'd have gone back to jail." "Me too." "We might never have gotten together again." " So we had to kill him." " Sure." "And the man we ran over- It wasn't an accident, was it?" " We had to kill him too, didn't we?" " Now, look here, sweetheart." "The first thing they teach you in the Marine Corps is to cover yourself." "You come first." "It's got to be that way." "You make it sound like a virtue... as if it were our Christian duty to kill anyone that gets in our way." "Wait a minute." "Where'd you get this "our" business?" "You had nothing to do with it." "We're a team, aren't we?" "It's never been you or me." "It's always been us." "And it always will be us." "Don't think of the past, sweetheart." "Think of the future." "Think of us together... once we get rid of that husband of yours." " What do you mean, get rid of him?" " Wait a minute, honey." "I'm no gun-crazy killer." "I don't go out looking for trouble." "I've got nothing against Cameron." "As far as I can see, I never should have." "But you said "get rid of him."" "I meant when we get across the border." "I'll pay him off, I'll tell him about us... and that's all there'll be to it." "Nardo, get the $10,000." "Put it on his pack so he'll find it when he gets back." " What does that get us?" " It'll get us out of here." "We don't need him anymore." " You mean, we're already across the border?" " No, but we're very close to it." "How close?" " Remember what Ben said about the Papago Reservation?" " Yeah." "Well, we've been there- Ben and I." "It's a long, narrow valley dotted with little Indian farms." "The border's just the other side of it- down there." " How far would you guess?" " Five miles." "Maybe less." "Then we don't need Ben." "We can make it alone." "After you've put the money on the pack." "Let's go, honey." "This is something we waited for for three years." "Listen." "We've never quite been able to get away from San Francisco, have we?" "I don't want to get away from it- not that part of it." "I want to get away from the rest of it." "Honey, we're all through taking the suckers." "We're all through scrounging for money." "From now on, it's gonna be just you... and me." " Get what you need." "Let's get off the road." "Get gun." "Help!" "Help, somebody!" "Help!" " What's the matter with you?" "What are you trying to do to me?" "Don't get scared, son." "I'm not gonna hurt you." "Nice cow." "You pay." "Drop the gun, Denning." "Pick it up." "Give it to me." " Pay the boy for the cow." " How much?" "Five of those bills you got in your pocket." " $500?" " Yeah." "We were hunting out on the reservation by mistake." " You won't tell, huh?" " No." "Here's your gun." "We won't cause you any more trouble." "Let's go back and pick up the gear you left." "Why don't we go on across the border?" "I'll be on my way." "How close to the border you think we are?" "I thought about five miles." "Five miles?" "Why do you look at her?" "Is that what she told you?" "How would she know?" "She's never been here before." "We've got a good two days' hike to cross over." "Why'd you do it, Meg?" "Because something's happened to you, Nardo." "Something terrible." "I thought the first one was an accident." "But now I know it wasn't." " You're a killer." " That still makes us a team." "I do my own killing." "You want a judge to do yours." "Ben, I" " I should have told you this before." " This is" " I know who he is." "She kept your picture." "She was pretty crazy about you." " I guess she still is." " Yeah, sure." "Just hope she doesn't get that crazy about you, Cameron." "Because you'll watch her the rest of your life." "What they've done once, they'll do again." "Let's get going." "Okay, we'll stop here." "We can sleep till noon." "You go down there." "We'll stay here." "Here, I'll take that." "Ben?" " Ben." " Hmm." "Ben, I" "I'm no good, Ben." "I'm no good for anybody." "He still loves me, and I tried to raise the whole countryside so he'd be caught." "Almost did." "I never saw anybody so anxious to get back to the penitentiary." "Why'd you do it?" "He wanted to kill you." "Well, we have a lot in common." "I want to kill him." "I'm cured of him, Ben." "Yeah?" "Maybe." "There's no maybe about it." "When your blood turns cold and you can't bear the thought of him touching you, you're cured." "Let's leave here, Ben." "Let's leave here and go back to home." "It's not that easy." "You're mixed up in two murders." "There'd be too much explaining." "Besides, I want to be around when Denning dies." "Ben" "That's the way it is." "You mean you'd kill him?" "Look." "I've got a rifle wrapped up in this blanket." "Do you know why?" "If I didn't, I'd kill him a hundred times a day." "Not for the money?" "No, not- not just for the money." "If the money's there, I'm not gonna walk away from it." "How's your arm?" "It's swelling a little." "It hurts." "It's bound to." "Go on." "Go and get some sleep." " What's the matter, Meg?" " My arm." "Too painful!" "Honey" " Honey, you have a fever." " Why didn't you tell me, huh?" " I didn't know." "Come on." "We'll find shelter in that cave." "Can you make it?" "Sit down." "Here, let me help." "Let me look at that arm." "How is it?" "It's" " It's not good." " Is it" " Is it infected?" " You should have told me." "Everything's soaked." "Hey, don't get too comfortable." "We're gathering wood." "You gather it." "If he makes a wrong move, shoot him." "I got to have something dry to start it with." "Fat chance." "You got anything that might be dry?" "It's been raining just as hard on me as it has on you." "All right, Denning." "Give it to me." " You're crazy." " I've got to boil some water." "She's got an armful of gangrene." "Give me my 10 grand." "9,500." "You bought a cow, don't forget." "Do you think she'd burn up $ 10,000 on you?" "I can't believe you're a natural-born fool." "You must have trained for it." "Here." "Keep your eye on him." "The wood's drier now." "The next batch oughta do it." "All right, Denning, let's- let's have some more." "No." "I'll never have a better excuse for killing you." "That's what you'll have to do." "Don't move." "Meg, the rifle." "I'm afraid I'll miss." "Meg, you won't miss." "I might hit you." "You won't hit me." "Just... cock the hammer... and aim like I taught you." " Good try." " Thanks." "And thank you." "Here, baby." "Come on." "Good girl." "Here." "You lie down." "I'll have a fire going in a jiffy." "Come on." "One thing I gotta say for us, we sure got money to burn." "By the way, Denning, where'd you get this stuff, huh?" "Oh, a fellow I know left it with me." "He was a little hot, so I held it until he cooled off." "So when he came back, you- you just weren't there, huh?" "That's right." "He, uh, didn't know you very well, did he?" "Oh, he knew me very well." "He was my best friend." "All right, baby, come on." "Turn over, huh?" "Easy." "That's it." "I'm just gonna cut away your sleeve." "Easy." "Easy." "Easy, baby." "Raise up a little." "That's it." "All right, baby, this is gonna be hot now." "Easy." "Easy, honey." "Easy." "That's it." "That's it." "Now, baby, this is gonna hurt." "Now, you just yell as much as you want, huh?" "I know." "I know, baby." "Easy." "That's all, honey." "There." "That's it, baby." "Easy." "Now, easy." "That's it." "That's my girl." "It's all over now, honey." "It's all over, baby." "That's it." "It's all over, baby." "Now the dead flesh is cut away, the pain goes awfully fast." "Thank you." "I'm sorry I had to hurt you, Meg." "What are you so nervous about?" "I'm just gonna go out and get some firewood." "You know, if you were on a desert island with that guy... and there was nothing there but rocks... pretty soon he'd have all the rocks moved to his side of the beach." "How do you feel, huh?" " Lots better." " Sure." "You'll be on your feet by the time this storm peters out." " Ben." " Yeah?" "If" " If I were to go back to jail, would you wait for me?" "Honey, till you're a little old, old lady." "Let's go back to the ranch." "Well, I haven't got a ranch." "I" " I sold it." " Sold it?" " Yeah, to Floyd Barry." " Sold it when?" " Night I came to town to pick you up." "But-You-You loved that scraggly old piece of desert." "Nah, I was getting a bellyful of it." "Besides, I figured it was either you or the ranch... and I" " I reckon I liked you best." "Oh, Ben, I-I'm scared." "Ben, l-let's tell him he can have all the money." "Look, honey, we've witnessed two murders." "He's got to try to kill us." "Money isn't the point anymore." "Except that you think you're going to end up with all of it." "I'm not gonna leave it there for the coyotes." "We're all fouled up, honey." "We gotta have money to stay clear." "Not that kind, Ben." "What-What can you do with it, except run for the rest of your life?" "Me, honey?" "I'd buy you things." "Buy you some new shoes." "I'd buy you 300 pink dresses." "Pardon me." "Maybe I should have knocked." " How's the weather outside?" " Wet." "I think I'll take a light from your fire." "Hey, that'll cost you 25,000." "A little more than I can afford." "Besides, the storm is clearing up anyway." "What's so funny?" "I was just thinking what a fool I am... trying to stay awake to watch you." "You're the one who has to do the watching, not I." "Good night, Cameron." "Too bad you can't join me in pleasant dreams." "Ben, I'm cold." "Is that better?" "Look." "It's still raining in San Felipe." "How far away is that storm?" "About four miles." "San Felipe's 10 miles south of the border." "Yeah." "That puts me in Mexico right now." "Since, uh, yesterday." " Meg, come down here." " Stay there." "You think I won't?" "I think you will." "But she stays there." "Get away from him." "Get away from him." "No, Nardo!" "Don't worry." "I'm not gonna use any ammunition I might need later on." "What do you think your chances are of getting out of here?" "About 60-40... maybe a little less." "A lot less." "You're through, Cameron." " So are you, if you stay with him." " Worry about yourself." "I'll be all right." "I don't have an infected arm." "I don't have my leg covered in rocks." "But I do have a gun, so I'll eat." "I can't miss so long as I keep heading' south." " What do you think?" " Yeah, you stand a pretty good chance." "My chances would be a lot better if you give me some instructions." "I'll do better than give you instructions." "I'll give you a choice." "Down this canyon, about two and a half miles... you come to a road." "It goes to the left." "You follow that road, you'll come to a little..." "Indian village called Santa Isabel." "You go there, you give them $ 10... tell them where we are." "They'll come and help us." "You'd do as much for me, I suppose?" "That's neither here nor there." "The only trouble with Santa Isabel, it's... in the opposite direction to where you want to go." "That's what I figured." "Your other choice is- when you get to the road, you look to the right." "You'll see the Lagos de Zapitan." "They have an airplane charter service there." "In two hours you could- you could be on your way to Mexico City." "I like that better." "Why don't you tell her to come along with me?" "She needs a doctor." "No reason for you both to die here... unless you want it that way." "It makes a crazy kind of sense, Meg." " Better pack your stuff and go with him." " No." " We haven't got a 50-to-1 chance." " I don't care if it's a hundred to nothing." "I'm staying right here." "You'd rather have him dead than me alive?" "That's exactly what I mean." "I should have killed him while I had the rifle on him." "Meg, get a- get a stick or something." "Scoop the dirt from under the rock." "They haven't counted us out yet." "I'm gonna track him down." "I'm gonna track him down and kill him." "Can't let a guy like that go on living." "You'll come to a little Indian village... called Santa Isabel." "You go there, you give them $ 10, they'll come and get us." "Your other choice is- you look to the right." "You'll see the Lagos de Zapitan." "They've got an airplane charter service there." "In two hours you could be on your way to Mexico City." "Some mo- more, Meg." "Under my" " What's the matter, baby?" " Ben, I've got to stop." "I can't go any further." "Oh, come on." "Just-Just a little farther, huh, honey?" "Come on." "Just-Just- Just a little ways more, huh?" "We'll bed down for the night in that- that canyon ahead, huh?" "Come on." "That's a girl." "Stop!" " I see no one." " Pa, look." "The river's full of money!" " What if the police come?" " The police?" "Get into the truck." "Into the truck." "Hurry up." "Hurry up." "Meg." " Meg." "Meg." " Hmm?" "Hmm." " Look up there." " Where?" " What is it?" " Meg... it's a hundred dollar bill." "It's wet." "It came from the stream." "Meg" " Meg... the stream is full of money." "Something's happened to Denning." "Ben!" "You're not after the man now, you're after the money." "Meg, stay back!" "It's Denning, He's" " He's all torn up." "There's a road up there." "Then he wasn't heading for Lagos de Zapitan?" "He was headed for Santa Isabel." "He was going for help." "How do you like that?" "Probably the first decent thing he's done in years... and he gets himself knocked off for it." " I'm sorry, Ben, but I just" " It's all right, honey." "Go on." "Go on." "Cry." "The guy loved you." "Didn't want you to die." "He deserves a few tears." "It's all right, baby." "Come on, Meg." "Let's go." "Come on." "Let's go home, huh, baby?" "Let's go home and face the music, huh?"