Original subtitles

Gunslingers have become famous

for a hundred different reasons.

But Clay Allison was different from all the rest.

I'd met him casually two or three times

but one day, a Wells Fargo freight shipment

consigned to Clay Allison turned up missing

and it became my job to call on him.

Well, Jim, am I glad to see you.

How are you, Clay?

Well, the town seems to be booming, huh?

Every place but here.

And I thought I had to jump on Taggert over there.

Well, did you bring me the check?

What check?

For the stolen goods, I need it to buy new equipment.

You're a little ahead of yourself, aren't you?

Wells Fargo will pay off, but it takes 30 days

from the time the loss is reported.

Thirty days?

Well, this town could be out of business by then.

You didn't read your contract.

You mean it's all in there?

In black and white, plain as the nose on your face.

Well, I guess I've got no cause

to sore at you, but why 30 days?

Well, there's a good reason for that.

What if a man decided to hijack his own equipment?

Now, wait a minute.

You're not suggesting that I'd do a thing like that?

I'm trying to explain it to you.

In 30 days, we can conduct an investigation

and find out whether it's a legitimate loss or not.

Well, all right.

Come on in, I'll buy you a drink.

Joe?

No, thank you.

Now, tell me, Jim,

if you didn't bring me money,

what'd you come here for?

Do you want me to find your equipment

or don't you?

Did you check Taggert's

and if see any of your equipment is over there?

Oh, sure did.

That's first thing I thought of too.

Nah, he brought the whole layout with him.

Well, I got to thinking

that maybe that equipment wasn't stolen

for its actual value,

but more to keep you out of business

so Taggert could have the town to himself.

Clay.

I didn't come all the way down here

to have a shootout.

I came down here to find your equipment

and nothing else.

Who is the sheriff here?

An old fat galoot named Pat Hendrix.

Oh, he spent a couple of days

mooching around the hills up there after the holdup

but he didn't come up with nothing though.

Where is he now?

Probably over Taggert's playing poker.

Come on, I'll introduce you.

All right. I'll call you.

What about you, Ned?

Oh, I'll call.

What have you got?

A full house.

Half of these scissorbills

should be spending their money in my place.

There he is.

Well, hi Clay.

Feel like a little action?

No, thanks.

I just brought Jim Hardie here

of Wells Fargo over to meet Pat.

Jim, there's the Duchess,

Ned Taggert,

Sheriff Hendrix.

Hi.

Pleased to meet you.

I'd like to talk to you, sheriff,

if you can tear yourself away.

It's business.

Sorry to bust it up, gents.

You'll all get your chance later.

What'll it be, Mr. Hardie?

I don't care for a drink, thank you.

How about you, Clay?

Whisky?

Mike, two whiskies.

It seems to me, Mr. Hardie,

your office has taken a lot on itself

sending its own lawman in here.

I'm the sheriff here.

I take pride in my work.

I do the best I can.

That's what Clay was telling me.

And usually the local sheriffs welcome our help.

The company has subtleties to do things which a small town

couldn't ordinarily afford to do.

For instance, we'll put up rewards

that sometimes help nudge people's memories

that's growing a little forgetful.

You have no objections to that do you, Sheriff?

No, sir.

Just as long as it's not a reflection on my work.

Ah, but don't ever mean it to be.

Do you mind telling me what you found out

with the holdup?

Well, it was a one-man job

and he was masked, that much I'm sure of

from what the men on your freight have told me.

The road agent took off

for the hill is just above the river,

that's where I lost the trail,

and believe me, I don't lose one very often.

I see.

And what are you doing about it now?

What do you suggest?

I suppose I'll think about it.

Talk to you later on about it.

Yeah, you do that.

And if I can help, yell.

What do you think?

I don't know.

We don't know where he is,

we don't know what he's doing.

I don't know why you've got your wind up.

We've got everything under control.

You can't keep these things hidden forever.

Hardie's bound to point his finger here.

Well, let him point. He can't prove anything.

Why not play it safe?

We've skimmed the cream off,

why don't we just leave?

What?

Look, honey.

When we first opened here,

you figured this town

was good for a fast $20,000,

well, you've practically doubled your money.

What's going on here?

Two-bit investigator sticks his nose in

and you both get ready to run out.

Me? I'm not ready.

Not as long as there's a dollar

to be made around here.

And if you're worried, Pat,

there's only one thing you can do.

And it wouldn't be the first time,

would it, Sheriff?

It's all right.

Who was it?

Someone who doesn't want me around.

Well, you flushed him, Jim.

At least we know they're in town.

Yeah. But if he had been a little bit

better a shot, I wouldn't be here.

That's something to think about.

Maybe next time he won't miss.

Now what are you up to?

Twenty five hundred dollars,

that's about what the stuff cost me,

you might as well pay me off.

We spent $10,000

to catch $200 thieves to try to teach the others

they couldn't get away with it.

Stick that up behind your bar,

I'm going over and put one at Taggert's saloon.

One thing I learned a long time ago,

there's no more phony proverb

than the one about honor among thieves.

Most of them are interested only in saving their own hides.

I remembered another proverb that I was counting on.

Set a thief to catch a thief.

Those reward posters got results

quicker than I had hoped for.

Hello.

Well, come in.

Come in.

Sit down.

It's an unexpected pleasure,

what can I do for you?

I'm here on business.

That reward money, is it on the level?

Every dollar of it.

If someone gave you the information,

would you let on who it was?

Well, that depends.

How long will it take to get the money?

The moment the guilty party's sentenced,

we'll pay off.

Did you have something to tell me?

Of course you did, or you wouldn't be here.

What is it?

It was Ned and Pat Hendrix.

Oh, Pat's worked with him before.

They hit a boom-town early, Ned goes in,

swings the election, Pat takes over for him.

You'll find the Alison stuff

in a cave near Alto Canyon.

I see.

Why are you telling me this?

You're a man, my friend,

you wouldn't understand.

get it over with quickly as possible.

I need the money to go East.

And if you'd start thinking straight,

you'd see you'd see that I was right.

This Jim Hardie, he won't quit

until the case is closed.

He's got nothing on us.

Maybe not.

Only I ain't risking it.

If you want to stay, all right.

But I've got other ideas.

You still owe me 2,000.

You've been doing all right at poker.

Two thousand, Ned.

And don't try to talk me out of it.

And here's your badge.

I've worn it for you in half a dozen towns.

But this is it,

don't stall, Ned.

And don't try any of your shenanigans.

I want my cut.

The money's in the safe.

I'll get the sheriff.

Yeah, yeah, he's dead.

Never had a chance to use it.

But he drew.

Ned never was as fast as he made out.

What is that what they say?

That when thieves fall out,

only the honest can win?

Then it was them.

Your stuff is in a cave near Alto Canyon.

Did you find the sheriff?

He ain't in his office.

Keep those people out of here.

Let's get on it.

No. You're going to stay here,

this is my job.

Oh, I'm going with you, Jim.

And when we catch up him...

I'm going to bring him back here

and he's going to stand in trial.

I got other ideas.

If you've got an idea on killing him,

you're going to have to go through me to do it.

And remember,

that's your idea.

I had to hand it to Pat Hendrix,

he know how to cover a trail,

even in a country like this.

It was the strangest manhunt I was ever on.

Pat was bound to get to the border,

my job was to bring him back,

in one piece if possible.

Clay Allison,

his pride touched to the quick,

had sworn to kill him.

I don't see why we had to dry cramp.

Could have stood some coffee.

Because this is the way I want it.

I didn't exactly invite you along, you know.

The man has got a right

to a hot meal, ain't he?

If we light a fire,

he'll see it as sure as Sunday.

And we're not too far from Gold Flats

that you can't change your mind.

Are you ordering me back?

Nope.

You're real cagey.

I think you're just spoiling for a fight.

I never ran away from one.

You're a funny fellow.

You always got a chip on your shoulder.

No one, not even you

knows when you're going to explode.

Folks respect me, don't they?

No, they don't respect you,

they're afraid of you, I think.

The same thing, ain't it?

I know of a lot people who are afraid of a bobcat,

but I never knew of anybody that respected one.

Never killed a man yet

that he didn't deserve it.

You know, they've got judges and juries

to decide when a man's right or wrong.

And no one man Clay Alison

can make that decision.

You weren't put here on this earth

to sit in judgment.

So far, you've always been right

because you're fast with a gun.

But one of these days,

there's going to come a man along

who's going to be just a little bit faster.

And he's going to be right

and you're going to be wrong.

There ain't a man alive

that can outshoot me.

Wouldn't bet on that.

Well, good night, friend.

We got a long hard day ahead of us.

When I woke up that morning, both horses were gone.

Clay was free to kill Pat if he caught up with him.

But I had an ace in hole.

I'd taken both canteens,

just in case.

It was going to be murderously hot that day,

there was no waterhole within 50 miles.

Neither Clay nor his horse could take it.

So, I settled back to wait.

Hello, friend.

Thank you for bringing my horse back.

After a good deed like that,

I think you deserve a little breakfast,

or is it time for lunch?

You're a real funny man.

Maybe you'd care for a little water?

Help yourself.

We better give 'em breather.

Why? So Pat can get away?

I'm shoving on.

That's Pat's horse.

But there's no sign of Pat anywhere.

That was real careless of you friend.

I've been waiting for this chance all day.

Throw your gun out, Jim.

Now, get down.

This side.

Pat's on foot,

it won't take me long to catch up with him.

I'll be back for you.

Is it all right if I have some water?

Well, of course.

No hard feelings between us.

We're each doing what we think is right.

Now, the way I see it,

Pat will be just as dead when I kill him

as if you'd had him hung.

Well, find yourself some shade,

make yourself comfortable.

That's what I get for being so trusting.

Now, you get down.

This side.

Now, you find yourself some shade

and get comfortable.

Back up.

I'll leave Pat's horse here

to keep you company.

Giddy up.

Hyah.

Next time, I won't miss.

Throw your guns down.

Now move over to those horses.

Nothing I hate worse than

a double-crossing sheriff,

so don't you get me excited.

Don't you move, Jim.

I don't want to have to kill you to get to that skunk.

Throw out your hardware, Jim.

You robbed me, Pat.

You ruined my business.

Give me a chance, Clay.

Well, I never killed a man,

but what I gave more than a chance.

All right, you and me gonna shoot it out, right here.

Just as we would've done it in town.

Friend Jim Hardie here will be a witness

that I killed you in self-defense.

What do you mean?

You'll see.

Now, get that shovel off Jim's saddle, Pat.

You got some digging to do.

Digging?

CLAY: You're going to dig a grave, mister.

Yours...

or mine.

Get it.

Clay.

You keep out of this, Jim.

You're just a witness.

Go on.

All right.

That's as good a spot's any.

Start digging, Pat.

Now, it takes a while to dig a grave.

Why don't you build a fire, Jim?

We might as well have some coffee

while this jasper sweats.

I didn't know what Clay's scheme was

but I couldn't sit by and watch a man get murdered.

I had to do something.

All right, Pat.

That's deep enough

for either of us.

Come on.

Now, I'll tell you how it's going to be, Pat.

I'm going to put me a gun here

on the edge of this grave.

And then we'll both going to start from right here.

And I'm going to walk over that big rock.

And when I tell you to walk,

you start toward that gun.

You know I can't beat you, Clay.

Now, I'll keep my gun holstered

until you get yours picked up.

Now, that's better than even drawing.

That's self-defense, ain't it, Jim?

I don't know what it is.

It's self-defense,

a loaded gun aimed at me before I even clear leather.

It's self-defense, ain't nothing else but.

All right, step aside, Jim.

Then I knew what to do.

CLAY: Step aside, Jim.

All right, Pat.

Start walking.

Walk.

Now, you get up.

Get over there with him.

I'm going to take you both in.

Now, I come to think of it, Jim.

I won't much mind seeing him hang at that.

Well, that wrapped it up.

Pat Hendrix stood in trail and was found guilty

of shooting Ned Taggert.

Clay got his gambling equipment and made a fortune

and bought himself a fine ranch.

Well, there's one thing to add.

Clay didn't die by steel

or bullet or a rope.

He was driving home one night

after celebrating a little too freely

and fell off of his wagon.

The horses spooked and Clay was run over

by his own wheels

in a cloud of dust.

It was a strange end

for a strange and a proud man.