Original subtitles

I'm relieving you early. I'll expect the same.

Doctor says you didn't break anything

last night, Randall.

Well, I guess I'm lucky

he just hit me on that hard head of mine.

How are you feeling otherwise?

Pretty good. Doc says I can leave today.

Um, that's what I wanted to talk to you about.

Stolen horses?

$10 a head for the return of the horses.

Standing price for the recovery of stolen Army remounts.

Well, couldn't you send to Fort Keogh for a detachment?

No good. By the time anybody got there from Keogh,

the horses would be sold and scattered.

Well, you see, if I'm gonna go after those horses for you,

it'd take a great deal of time, and, uh...

well, frankly, I only got a couple of dollars left to my name.

Here's $20 from the company fund.

We'll call it an advance.

Here's your authorization in case anybody asks you.

What about this Davis fella?

As far as I'm concerned, good riddance.

However, the Army gives $25 a head for the return of deserters,

if you can bring him in.

Howdy.

Howdy.

Uh, who owns this place?

Town of Long Rope.

Oh, uh, don't get down.

Well, I want to take a look at the horses.

You can look from where you are.

Yeah, I guess I can, at that.

That's, uh, Army brand.

Who do these horses belong to, mister?

Talk to the marshal. Maybe he can give you an answer to that.

Well, who do you and that shotgun work for, mister?

The marshal.

Much obliged.

Say, anybody here?

Back here.

Uh, who's that?

It's you.

Yeah, it's me, all right.

You get me out, and I'll go back with you.

I'll go anywhere, so long as it's away from here. Anywhere.

Where's the marshal?

I don't know. I suppose he's across the street

in the general store.

Uh-huh.

No, I think it'd be too expensive.

Something I can help you with?

Yeah, I'm looking for the marshal.

His office is across the street.

Yeah, I know, but he's not over there.

Well, if you're a stranger in Long Rope,

I own the only hotel.

Yep.

I'm a stranger.

Well, Curt, how about a drink, huh?

Go ahead.

You got business here, son?

Mm-hmm.

Well, the marshal's around someplace.

You can depend on that.

You a new deputy?

No.

That's too bad.

The marshal likes help, a lot of it.

I'll have that gun.

Just hold on.

No firearms to be carried on your person

in the city limits.

Give it over.

Mr. Elkins, you were drinking alcoholic beverage

on unlicensed premises.

That'll be $10 fine.

You can pay in my office tomorrow.

My whiskey and my store, Wynter.

$25 from you, Mr. Paine.

Well, now, you're a new boy.

You must have a name and reason for being here.

Yeah. Name's Randall.

Mr. Randall's been looking for you, Marshal.

At your service.

Understand you own those horses just outside of town.

You come to buy 'em?

No. I want to take 'em back with me.

Well, now, that bears some discussion, doesn't it?

They're Army remounts, and they're stolen.

Marshal: I know that.

Man has to be blind not to see cavalry brands all over 'em.

Want the man in jail, too, the man that stole 'em.

He's got the Army brand, too.

Deserter.

I figured that out.

But don't you worry about it.

He's locked up tight in my jail.

My Army authorization.

We'll discuss terms later, Randall.

Plenty of time for that.

That gives you a rough idea of what we've been living with

for more than a year.

That's the closest anybody's ever come to calling him.

Oh, I'm George Elkins.

How do you do.

Curtis Paine here owns the store.

This is Webb White, our local Rothschild.

How do you do, sir.

It's quite a marshal you got there.

Well, making friends is not the marshal's job.

He's here to keep a clean town and enforce the law.

Oh.

Well, uh...

depends what you mean by law.

You got a point there.

Our law, Curtis. We all wanted him.

You as much as anyone.

You mind if I ask you a question?

Why, sure, go ahead.

Most of us have forgotten how.

Well, if you don't like him,

why don't you get rid of him?

There's a difference of opinion.

Well, I think Asa Wynter is doing a fine job.

And I'm not afraid to say so.

We brought him here to give us a clean town.

The first really clean town in this part of the country.

We put an ad in the Eastern papers,

and we picked Wynter from the answers we got.

Well, he's cleaned up Long Rope.

You can't deny that.

Clean it out is more like it.

He acts like we're working for him.

Listen, why don't you people get together.

If you don't like what the man's doing to your town...

fire him.

Mr. Randall.

This is not your affair.

I suggest you keep out of it.

Oh...

Yep. You're probably right. It isn't.

Webb...

I've got a hunch there goes your precious peace.

Ah, now, that's Consuelo.

I named the place after her.

Sidewinder Saloon.

Yeah, she's three feet long and six rattles.

- Josh: Good lookin'. - Ain't she, though?

Yeah, well, there's something about a snake.

You never get tired of watching her.

Oh, the name's Beasely, mister.

- What can I get ya? - Just make it cold.

Ice costs extra.

Yeah.

Say, uh, the marshal ever come in here?

Oh, he's due in today.

It's tax day.

I own the only licensed place in town.

People wanna take a drink,

they gotta come to the Sidewinder.

Say, uh...

the marshal, uh, he get a cut from you?

There's some things you gotta live with.

Say, uh, remember me?

Yeah, you're the nervy boy in Paine's store.

You, uh, said something about discussing terms.

Plenty of time for that.

Let's do it now.

Well, sit down, my boy.

I know the value of a good horse, boy.

It's legal and proper. No arguments, boy.

But there's a few things like, uh...

cost, fees, fines, et cetera, et cetera.

How much?

Well, Davis' bill, that's 500.

500?

And I caught you carrying a firearm in the city limits.

That'll be $200 fine.

Say, excuse me, but, uh,

who sets these fines and so forth?

The marshal, boy.

The marshal decides.

All right. Now, let's see, 30 head of horses,

feed and care, that's $50 a head.

That's, uh, add it all up, and it totals...

$2,200 even.

Excuse me for saying so, but, uh...

you know, you're not just dealing with me

when it comes to these horses.

You're dealing with the United States Army.

$2,200, or get out, Randall.

Those are the terms I'll discuss.

You’re not gonna be able to keep this quiet.

Maybe the Army will come, and maybe it won't.

If they do come,

those horses will be gone and so will that deserter,

uh, Davis.

Everybody knows about the horses,

and, uh, they've seen Davis.

Everybody has little to say about it

if they know what's good for them,

and they do.

This is my town, and I'll run it.

You see, boy, I ain't no more afraid of your Army

than I am of that poor critter in that cage there.

You know, I, uh, had the funniest feeling a minute ago

that, uh, well, you a little bit scared of that snake.

Not likely.

Wouldn't want to bet on it, would you?

Sure thing. Wouldn't be a fair bet.

Well, it's just a gentlemanly bet, you understand,

but, uh, I bet you can't put your hand on that glass

and let that snake strike from inside and, uh...

keep your hand layin' on there.

Well, don't worry. That glass won't break.

Uh-huh.

Where's the bet?

Well, I'll bet my horse, my saddle, and, uh...

$20 against all those fees and fines, huh?

Uh-huh.

The snake's inside. The glass won't break.

You're pretty sure of yourself, boy.

Nothin' to be ashamed of, you know, to be scared of a snake.

All right.

You've made a bet.

Well, pay up, Marshal.

Well, don't feel bad.

You know, that's an old greenhorn trick.

Only you ain't been around here long enough to know it.

What do you mean?

It's impossible to do.

It's just something about a snake

makes a man pull away, even with the glass there.

Make a fool of me.

Gentlemen, I'm only carrying out my duties as I seem 'em

for the good of the town.

Then you understand, Mr. Wynter.

We simply don't want any trouble with the Army.

We don't want any trouble with anybody.

Well, neither do I, gentlemen.

Neither do I.

Then you'll return the horses to Mr. Randall.

Davis. And I'd like to get my gun back, too.

I'm afraid I can't do any such thing.

Why not?

Well, there's certain items of expense.

Mr. Randall, here, he broke the law.

He didn't know the law.

He's a stranger in town.

Well, ignorance of the law is no excuse.

How about the horses?

As I was saying, gentlemen,

caring 30 head of horses is a lot of bees and honey.

Money, gentlemen.

A lot of money for the town treasury to spend.

Well, we feel it's worth it

to avoid scandal with the Army.

Well, there'll be few answers from this town

unless you want scandal, gentlemen.

Are you telling us

to be a part of a swindle, Mr. Wynter?

Well, we won't do it.

We have a quorum of the town council here.

We demand that you return the horses

and the prisoner to Mr. Randall.

And, uh, my gun.

Well, keep on demanding, gentlemen,

if it makes you feel any better,

but it's not gonna do you any good.

What are you saying?

I'm saying that I run this town

and there's nothing you can do about it.

I'm saying, if you don't like it,

then you can get out.

I move we fire Wynter as marshal. In favor?

All: Aye!

Opposed?

Mister, you're fired.

Well, I'll leave when I'm ready, gentlemen,

but not before.

You satisfied with that?

Are you gonna stand here like a bunch of sheep

or we gonna throw him out?

I say ride him out on a rail.

Everybody off the streets.

I'm declaring a curfew.

Go home.

Go.

I'll let you know when you can come out again.

Keep movin'. Keep everybody off the streets.

Right.

Rounds must be making the curfew stick.

Well, we've gotta figure out some kind of a move.

Maybe we should wait, let things cool off.

Longer you wait, the stronger Wynter gets.

Well, what can we do? We're not gunmen.

Good, then he won't be expecting a fight.

When is it?

Now. Tonight.

- But we're not ready. - Neither is he.

Well, what about guns?

We don't have any. The marshal confiscated all of ours.

And he has three armed deputies.

We can count on 25, 30 men at least.

Family men. Some of them are bound to get hurt.

I don't think so.

Like you said, 25 or 30 men.

Only takes one man and one gun.

Are you thinking of doing this alone?

That's the only way it can be done.

You get all those men together in the dark like that,

and, well, you can't tell one from another.

It'd be like a blind-man rabbit hunt.

They'd be shooting at everything that moves.

What are you gonna do?

Heh. Well, I'd kinda like

to try and get my gun back.

Now, we can handle this. You go get the marshal.

Hey, what's happening?

Well, what's going on out there?

Would you be quiet?

Don't leave me here.

Shut up! You're in the safest place in town

and you don't know it.

Let me outta here and I can help you. I'm on your side.

Hold it, right where you are.

Where's Randall?

Back inside.

You, stay here.

First one that shows himself,

even at a window, kill him.

Come with me.

One sound, and I'll kill you.

No, sir.

Then we understand each other, don't we?

Now, turn around.

I don't like killing, Wynter.

You don't kill me, I'm gonna kill you.

It's that simple.

Which way you going?

I think I'll ride up near the river.

Well, what are your plans when you finish up?

I don't know. I haven't given it much thought.

Well, we were wondering if you'd consider coming back here.

We'd like to offer you the job of marshal.

No, I don't think so.

Well, it'll pay you real good.

$50 a month.

Uh, 60?

Well, after all, Mr. Randall,

Long Rope's more than just a wide spot in the road.

We're just liable to end up being a county seat.

This town's got a real future.

We'd like you to be a part of it.

Well, I'm much obliged to you for asking me, but, uh...

wearing a badge is kinda like being married, isn't it?

Ho.

I don't understand.

What's wrong with being married?

Well, uh,

how long's it been since you been a bachelor?