Original subtitles

(gentle instrumental music)

- Aren't you coming with me?

- No, I've got a lot of things I need to do first.

(horse whinnies) (hooves clomp)

- Why is the filly been yarded?

- I was just getting her used to being bridled, that's all.

- No.

- Aw, Mom, I can break her in, I know I can.

Matt said he'd help me.

- Sounds like I'm being roped in for something.

- Michael seems to think he's old enough

to start breaking in horses.

- Ah, fair enough.

- You were going to tell me about this, were you?

- Of course I was.

- Rob and Colin started horse breaking

when they were my age, Mom.

- Yeah, he's old enough to take a few bruises.

- Please, Mom. - Please, Mom.

- All right, but on one condition.

Matt's gotta be there to supervise you

and you do everything he says.

- I will, I promise.

- He'll be fine.

- All right.

(wagon rattles)

- So when do we start?

- Well, I got some water to cart.

Can you wait til this afternoon?

- I can help you.

- Good, give me a hand with these horses.

(train whistle blares) (brakes squeal)

- [James] Morning, Emily.

- Good morning, Mr. Gleason.

- Come to enjoy the thrill and spectacle

of the morning train, have we?

- [Emily] Come to collect a parcel, I hope.

- I hope so, too.

Morning, Henry.

I do hope there's some printing paper

amongst this rot.

- I, well I didn't see it there.

I'll go and have another look. - If this place didn't look

like a war zone, you wouldn't have

so much difficulty finding things.

- [Henry] I won't be long.

- It's always the same.

(quietly dramatic instrumental music)

- [Emily] Anything wrong, Mr. Gleason?

- Hmm, uh, no.

Henry!

(quietly dramatic instrumental music)

(peaceful instrumental music)

- You're still cartin' water.

It's the middle of winter.

- Yeah, well, it takes time to recover from a drought.

- The grass is green, Matt, we've had rain, lots.

- Don't like where the creeks lie.

You've been down there, they're bone dry.

Take a month or more of good rains to set us right.

- A whole month? - Right.

- What's wrong with you? - Oh, nothin'.

Gonna love cartin' water for the rest of my life.

- I can help. - Good, get that

and chuck it in there.

Chuck, Michael.

(dramatic instrumental music)

(pounding)

(quiet instrumental music)

- Good mornin'.

- Mornin'.

- That's a fine bit of work you're doin' there.

Very fine. - Yeah, it's passable.

- It's more than that.

You've got a talent, an eye for it.

- I've got an eye for a lot of things, Mister.

- I'm sure you have.

It's, uh, Mrs. Kathleen O'Neil I'm lookin' for.

- Oh, Mrs. O'Neil doesn't live here anymore.

I bought the property off her a couple months back.

And she's not Mrs. O'Neil anymore either.

She's Mrs. McGregor.

- Matt McGregor?

- You a friend of hers?

- You could say that.

Any idea where I might find her?

- Well, she's livin' at Langara

but you'll most likely find her

at the printery in Patterson's Ridge.

- Then I thank you for your time.

- [George] I didn't expect ya back

for a couple of days, Mister.

- Stable the horse.

I'll be needin' him later.

- Regular fountain of information.

(water pump grinds)

(quietly dramatic instrumental music)

(clock ticks)

- Kathleen, you still here?

Thought you were going home?

- [Kathleen] I am.

- Anything wrong?

- I just thought.

No, it's nothing.

It's time to go home, that's all.

(quietly dramatic instrumental music)

Is everything all right?

You need a hand?

(dramatic instrumental music)

Seamus.

- Kathleen.

It's been a while.

(dramatic instrumental music)

- They told me you were dead.

They told me your ship went down

off the American coast, that no one survived.

- Well I was washed ashore four days later,

more dead than alive.

- Washed ashore?

No letter?

Not a word of communication

from the time you walked out of our lives

until now?

- Well at the time, it was like a godsend.

A way out of my problems.

I, I wanted you to think I was dead.

- Why?

So you could enjoy the look on my face

when you show up out of the blue eight years later

and say, Kathleen, it's been a while?

- I thought I could bury the past,

start a new life for myself.

And I was wrong, Kathleen.

The harder I tried to bury my past,

the more clearly I saw your face,

and Michael's.

How is our son?

- He's fine.

- Well, I've come back to make amends to you and the boy,

put things right. - Oh, put things right.

- Yeah.

- You don't think it's a little late for that, do you?

- It's never too late, Kathleen.

I mean, I'm not the same man I was before I went away.

Americans taught me things about myself,

about... - Seamus, I've remarried.

- So I've heard.

Matt McGregor.

- Yes.

- Well he couldn't love you anymore than I do, Kathleen.

- (groans) Don't, don't do this, Seamus.

- Now what does Michael think about the relationship?

- You don't know what he went through.

And if you think you can just turn up here

because you've let your guilty conscience

get the better of you... - It's more than

just a guilty conscience. - No, Seamus!

However you want to explain it,

I don't want to listen to it.

Now you go back to America or Ireland

or wherever it is you wanna start your new life,

but just leave us out of it.

There's nothing for you here.

(brooding instrumental music)

- Whoa.

Easy.

Whoa, whoa.

Do I buckle it up?

- Yeah, if she'll let ya.

Yeah, that's it.

Good and tight.

(horse whines and snorts)

Yeah, Michael, I think it's about enough for one day.

(dramatic instrumental music)

Michael!

- [Michael] Easy, girl.

- Michael!

- [Michael] Whoa.

Whoa!

- Go, Michael! (laughs)

- [Michael] Yes!

Whoa, easy, girl.

Whoa!

(exciting instrumental music)

Easy, girl!

Whoa!

(Michael grunts)

- Oh, Michael!

(Matt chuckles)

- Ah, well done, Michael.

You might have to work on that, uh,

dismounting technique, but otherwise.

- Michael!

Are you all right?

- I'm fine, Mom. - Actually, he was pretty good

for the most part.

- Oh, Matt McGregor, you just stood there watching

while he... - It wasn't Matt's fault.

- I don't care whose fault it is,

there'll be no more horse breaking lessons.

None!

- I think we might let her cool off a bit

before we try changing her mind.

- [Michael] Mom never changes her mind.

(sweeping instrumental music)

(peaceful instrumental music)

(tense instrumental music)

(peaceful instrumental music)

- Hello.

Again.

- Yeah, hello yourself, Miss, uh?

- Montana Hale.

Mind if I ask what you're doin'?

- I'm just, uh, warmin' up,

gettin' the aches outta my bones.

Yeah.

This old hut could use some of your fine buildin' talent.

- You know, where I come from,

folks usually ask if they wanna camp

on someone else's land.

- And a fine piece of land it is, too.

Unfortunately, it's ownership may be in some dispute.

- Dispute?

- It might help if I were to introduce myself.

I'm Seamus O'Neil.

- Well, if that's supposed to mean something...

- The woman who sold you this property

is my wife.

- Kathleen's husband's dead.

- Aches and pains aside, he's very much alive.

Legally speaking, a wife's goods and chattels

are owned by her husband.

I am sorry, but I doubt that Mrs. O'Neil

had the right to sell you this property

without my consent.

(tense instrumental music)

- Montana!

- [Montana] Kathleen inside?

- Yeah, I think so.

- Kathleen?

Kathleen, there's a man camping on my place

and he says, I know this is gonna sound crazy,

but he says he's your... - It's true.

- It's true?

But how can that be?

- Is something wrong?

- Um.

It's,

well it's Seamus.

He is alive

and he's back in Patterson's Ridge.

- But

that, that's impossible.

- Matt, I've seen him.

- Then he really is here. - At the moment,

I'm not exactly sure what he is, Montana.

- Well, he's already laid claim to my land.

He's gonna stir up a whole hornet's nest of trouble.

For all of us.

- I can't believe this.

- I, I wanted to tell you last night.

Where, where's Michael?

- He's out riding.

- What am I gonna say to him, Matt?

I mean, all these years thinking Seamus was dead.

And there's us.

What happens and what?

(tense instrumental music)

(gentle instrumental music)

- G'day.

- Lad.

- You a friend of Montana's?

- Yeah.

More of an acquaintance I'd say.

- Creek's pretty low, isn't it?

- Yes.

'Bout as low as I've ever seen it.

- You from around here?

- The Ridge was my old stompin' ground.

- Now that you mention it,

I think I have seen you before.

- What's your name, son?

- Michael O'Neil.

Is something wrong?

- No, nothing.

Uh,

what brings you up here, Michael O'Neil?

- This was my family's land.

I still come here sometimes

to think things over.

- What kind of things?

- Mom says I'm too young to break horses

and I know I'm not.

Stuff like that.

- She worries about you, does she?

Mothers tend to do quite a bit of that,

mostly for good reason.

Well, uh, my, uh,

camp is just over the rise.

Will you come visit with me, Michael O'Neil?

So a budding young horse breaker, are we?

- Oh, not really.

I had my first lesson yesterday

and fell flat on my back.

(Seamus chuckles)

Matt, my step-father, he's teaching me.

- Most of the good horse breakers I know

have been bucked off more times

than they've had breakfast.

That's how they learn.

- You should talk to my mom.

He said he used to live around here

but he wouldn't tell me where.

He said he thought I'd make a good horse breaker

even if I did get bucked off.

He said even the good horse breakers get bucked off

more times than they've had breakfast.

Said that's the only way you'll learn.

Makes sense, doesn't it?

- Yeah, well.

It, uh.

- What?

What did I say?

- I, I need to talk to you, Michael.

Come, come up here.

The man you were talking to at Montana's.

- Yeah?

- He's your father.

(dramatic instrumental music)

You all right?

- You told me he was dead.

- Only because that's what I'd been told

by the authorities.

- I prayed for him to be alive.

- Yeah, I know.

- Not just at the time, though.

I never stopped praying.

When he finally came home,

I didn't even remember him.

- Well, Michael, eight years is a long time.

- Sometimes I used to think

that you didn't care if he was dead or alive.

- Oh no, I never wished him any harm,

and I certainly didn't want him to die.

- Did you pray for him?

- In my own way, yes.

Now, and, and I know this is hard for you to understand,

but even before he left, your father and I,

we, well, we knew the time had come

for us to move apart.

- But that was a long time ago.

Now he's come back.

He's come home.

- Oh for Pete's sake, Mr. Elliott, what does it say?

- It seems that the title to the land

is indeed registered to, uh, Mrs. S.P. O'Neil.

The S.P. being the initials

of her presumably deceased first husband.

- And if he isn't deceased?

- Then I would suspect that Kathleen,

Mrs. O'Neil's marriage to Matt McGregor

is in some legal doubt.

- So if Kathleen is still married to O'Neil,

he has rightful claim to my property.

- Well, I, I wouldn't go jumping

to any hard and fast conclusions just yet, Miss Hale.

- Oh, Mr. Elliott, if I don't start

jumping somewhere real soon,

I'm gonna find myself out of pocket

and out in the cold,

which is nothing compared to where poor Matt and Kathleen

will find themselves.

- 25 words, that will be, uh, four pence.

You, um, sure you want me to send this as it reads?

- Every word of it.

- I'll get your change.

- Just set 'em down by the pump, boys.

Oh, Matt!

Matt, would ya believe it?

There's not enough water in the creek to pump.

Well how are we gonna water the horses?

- I don't know, I'm sorry to hear that, George.

- The creek's never dried up before.

Not, not once, not like this.

- Well, hello, Matt.

- We have to talk.

- I'm camped at the old hut by the creek.

I have some business with the bank.

Say, uh, couple hours? - I'll be there, Seamus.

(tense instrumental music)

- I knew there was somethin' about him.

Seamus.

Seamus O'Neil.

I'm right, aren't I, Matt?

- Matt.

- Is there something wrong?

- Wrong, no, uh, no,

no, why should there be anything wrong, Matt?

- Well I want to send an urgent telegram

to my lawyer in Melbourne.

- You do? - Mm.

A pencil and paper would be a great help.

- Right you are, um.

Uh, pencil and, uh,

paper.

- [Matt] Thank you.

- And, uh,

say whatever you have to say, Matt.

Make it as long as you like.

No extra charge.

- You sure about this?

There's no chance either of you could be mistaken?

- No.

I've sent to Melbourne for legal advice on the marriage.

How do we stand in the eyes of the church?

- Oh, Matt, I didn't know you were here.

- Emily. - You should be resting.

- These have to be done. - You're not feeling well?

- Oh, it's nothing really. - I want you to go home

and lie down.

I'll be there soon and I'll, uh,

make you some tea.

- Bye, Matt.

- Take care.

- Well, I would like to give you an immediate answer, Dad,

but, uh, I can't. - Well who can?

- My superiors in Melbourne.

I'll wire them details of the situation,

ask for a ruling.

- If he thinks he can just turn up

after an absence of eight years

and just pick up where he left off.

- There is no point in getting worked up about this

until we get some clarification.

- I'm sorry, Colin, I don't think I can wait that long.

(brooding instrumental music)

- Well have you come to talk

or have you come to fight?

If that's what you want, I understand.

I guess I deserve it.

- What are ya doing here, Seamus?

Hmm?

What do ya want?

Land, money, what is it?

- I wanna make things right.

- If you're here to break up my family,

I'll fight you with everything I have.

- Your family?

I don't think so.

- Kathleen is my wife.

- [Seamus] That's for the law to decide.

- The law can't rule on people's feelings and emotions.

You walked out on their lives

and, and let 'em think you were dead.

- Well if I'd know you'd married Kathleen

before I left America

maybe I wouldn't have come back.

- Did you even try making inquiries?

Just once in all those years?

- Somehow I always thought, I mean,

I, I imagined that she... - What, that'd she wait?

You walk out on the most precious thing in your life

and you expect her to be there when you get back?

- We married for better or worse.

In the eyes of the law, they are still my family.

- And what about in their eyes, Seamus.

Don't they have a say in this?

Or aren't you even interested in theirs.

- Would you condemn a man for tryin'

to right the wrongs he's done to his loved ones?

- You shouldn't have come back, Seamus.

- Maybe not.

But I'm here and I'm stayin'.

- You shouldn't have come back.

(quietly dramatic instrumental music)

- Oh, I was worried about you.

Where were you?

- Uh, I've just been doing some thinking.

Went to town.

I cabled the lawyers.

And I saw Colin. - And?

- Well, there's nothing he can tell us

until he hears from his superiors in Melbourne.

And then I saw Seamus.

He has no intention of leaving.

As far as he's concerned,

you're still legally his family.

- Well I don't care what the law says.

- Well, he wants you back, Kathleen.

You and Michael.

(sighs)

Do you still, uh,

you still feel something for him?

(tender instrumental music)

- No, of course not.

I don't feel anything for him.

I love you.

(tender instrumental music)

- I love you so much.

(peaceful instrumental music)

- Well, young Michael O'Neil.

Back to think out some more problems, are we?

Or would you care to join me for some breakfast?

Then again.

- It's true, isn't it?

- Yes, Michael.

I'm your father.

- Why'd you wait so long?

- I made a mistake. - You let us go

all those years thinking you were dead.

- You have every right to be angry.

I'm not proud of the way I acted.

I just thought, at the time,

it would be best for all of us

if I just disappeared. - But didn't it matter to you

that we'd miss you?

- I did miss you, Michael.

It's true, at first, I,

I felt free.

But then, more and more, all I could think about

was what I'd done,

and how I had to find a way back

and tell you both how sorry I was,

and hope I hadn't left it too late.

Have I, Michael?

Have I left it too late to call you my son again?

(tender instrumental music)

(gentle instrumental music)

- Michael.

Missed you at breakfast.

- Yeah, I got up early, went for a ride.

- Michael!

Is everything all right?

Where did you get to?

- Just down to the creek.

- By yourself?

- With my father.

- Well, I, I don't want you running off

when there's work to be done here.

- I didn't run off.

- You should have at least asked my permission, Michael.

- Kathleen. - You were asleep

when I left. - Then you should've

woken me up. - Well you would've

said no anyway. - You still should've

asked me, all right? - If you think you can stop me

from seeing him, Mom, you're wrong!

He's my father.

- Emily's sick.

Colin found her collapsed on the kitchen floor.

(moaning)

- [Colin] Is she safe?

- Some kind of fever.

- Mrs. Quinn said her boy's the same.

- When did it start?

- She complained of headaches and stomachaches yesterday

but I, I thought it must've been

something she'd eaten.

- I have willow bark in my bag.

If you boil it in some water

and we can get her to drink some,

it will help cool her down.

- Colin, where did you draw this water from?

- The town pump's not working.

Emily got it from the creek.

- It's bad.

- But it's from the creek.

- Everyone draws water from the creek.

(brooding instrumental music)

(Seamus coughs)

- Kathleen. (coughs)

Too much of this clean mountain air.

- You had a visit from Michael this morning.

- Yes, a little awkward at first,

but we're gettin' over that now.

He's a fine-lookin' boy.

- Why are you doing this?

- Well to prove that I love you

and that you can trust me.

- Trust you?

- Yes, and prove that I'm the changed man

I claim to be.

I know it'll take a little time.

- It won't 'cause it will never happen.

- No one can foresee the future.

- Matt and I are husband and wife.

You can't change that.

- All right.

I can accept that for the moment,

providing you allow me to continue to see Michael.

- No, I don't want Michael caught up

in all this. - If it's what the boy wants,

he has a right.

Is it what he wants?

Will you allow it?

Or is this your way of punishing me

for coming back?

- If you say one word to turn him against Matt,

or myself... - I just

want to listen to the sound of his voice.

Watch the way he moves.

Hear him laugh.

Is that too much for a father to ask?

(quiet instrumental music)

Thank you.

- [Rob] Oh, Montana, come to give me a hand?

That's great.

- Uh uh.

I chopped and stacked enough wood

when I was young to last a lifetime.

- Well I guess that makes you an expert then, doesn't it?

- Do you, uh, think it would make any difference

to anything if I told Seamus

he could have his land back?

- You mean would it stop him from doing

what he's doing to Dad and Kathleen?

- Yeah.

- I don't really think it's your land he's after.

- How can you be so calm about all of this?

This man rolls into town,

turning people's lives upside-down,

and all you can do is stack wood.

- [Rob] Well what do you want me to do about it?

Go over there and belt him one?

- Well that would be a mighty fine start.

- What's that gonna prove, huh?

- I'm not gonna let him walk...

- Don't you think I haven't thought about this already?

I'd like to belt him.

It would make me feel good.

For about a minute.

But it wouldn't solve anything, would it?

The truth is it's not my fight.

It's Dad's and Kathleen's.

- And mine.

- You're not thinkin' about goin' over there

and beltin' him yourself, are ya?

- Well, it would make me feel good

for about a minute.

- [Matt] Hi, Shelia.

Whoa.

Ah, Charlie.

- Hi, Matt. - How's it going?

- It's droppin' a good six to eight inches a day.

Inside a week there'll be nothin' left.

- Charlie, uh,

we have reason to believe that this water's bad.

- Tastes all right to me, Matt,

just a bit muddy, that's all.

- Yeah, still, I, I think you should hold off

until we know for sure.

- What do you expect us to do, Matt, go without?

This is all there is.

- Your son's sick with the fever, Mr. Quinn.

This is most likely the cause of it.

- Well unless you can show us

a better place to draw water,

we'll just have to take our chances.

(dramatic instrumental music)

(quiet instrumental music)

- James. - He's not here, Mom.

He went to pick up some things from the station.

I just wanted to say I'm sorry

for the way I behaved this morning.

I shouldn't have spoken to you like that.

I don't wanna make things between you and Dad any worse.

- You love him very much, don't you?

- Yes.

- In spite of all that he did

and the way he walked out of our lives.

- Come on, Mom, he made a mistake.

He admits that.

- I'm not going to stop you from seeing him.

Provided you do all your chores

and help Matt and Rob with the stock,

you can visit him whenever you like.

Michael,

don't put too much weight on your father's shoulders.

You see, some men work well with heavy loads

and others need to be able to move more freely.

- But I don't want him to move away again, Mom, ever.

I want him to stay here with us.

- [Kathleen] Mm.

- There was two feet of water in this last week.

- Even during the bad years,

I've never seen her this dry.

(coughing)

- Are you okay?

- Yeah.

That's just the altitude.

I've been away too long.

- Have you been drinkin' the creek water?

Danni McGregor said it's full of muck.

- Mostly in my tea.

- Mom said it was all right to visit.

That's if I finish my work.

- That's very kind of her.

As long as it's what you want, Michael.

- Yeah.

I brought my bedroll, I can stay the night.

That's if it's okay with you?

- I'd like that, son.

Oh, now that's more like it.

That's real mountain water, that is.

- What's that?

- You remember the whistle I made for you

on your sixth birthday?

- Yeah, I, I think I lost it.

- Well this can make a handy replacement.

(whistle tweets)

Here.

First, you gotta find your mouth with it.

And you put your left paw up here.

And your right paw there.

Go ahead, give it a go.

(whistle tweets)

That's pretty good.

(whistle tweets)

- [Jack] Colin.

- Hi, Jack.

(tense instrumental music)

- He's what?

- It appears that Seamus has applied to the church

to have your marriage to Dad officially annulled

on the grounds that legally you're still married to him.

- Oh, that, that can't be.

- And my superiors have, have requested more details

before they make a final decision.

- You know, I only.

Seamus all but gave me his word

that he'd do nothing!

- But, look, it, it's my duty

to tell them the true facts of the situation.

- The true facts being?

- [Colin] I wish there was another way around this.

- The true facts being, Colin.

- Well in the eyes of the church,

you could very well be living

in a sinful relationship with Dad.

Aw, Kathleen, I,

I, I wish there was something that I could do.

I'm sorry.

(letter rips)

(quiet instrumental music)

- [Rob] How much further, Dad?

(quiet instrumental music)

- There's your answer.

- They must be channeling it somewhere.

- Wait a bit, Rob.

- Why?

- Well, it'll be dark soon.

They'll hear us coming long time

before we hear them.

If they'll stoop to robbing a town of its water,

there's no telling what they'll do.

We'll go home, come back at first light.

(ominous instrumental music)

(whistle tweets)

- That's very good.

You got an ear for it.

A God-given talent for music. (coughs)

- Are you all right?

(coughing)

Drink the water.

Drink some water, Dad, please.

- What did you say?

- I said drink some water.

- No.

You called me Dad.

- Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't think...

- Please, don't apologize.

That's music to my ears.

Somethin' I've traveled halfway around the world to hear.

- Then it's all right.

- It's better than all right.

It's perfect.

Which is more than I can say

for your flute playin'.

- I'm getting better.

Anyway, you made a couple mistakes yourself before.

Look, Mom, remember this?

Like the one Dad made for my birthday.

- It's very nice, Michael.

- Listen to this. - Michael.

- Best give your mother a chance

to catch her breath, son. - I need to talk

to your father alone for a few minutes.

- Would you fetch some more wood for the fire, Michael?

- How could you? - Easy, Kathleen.

What have I done now?

- What have you done?

You've made an application to the church

to have Matt's and my marriage annulled,

that's what you've done!

- I don't deny it.

- Oh, Seamus.

You leave me hopelessly in debt when you walk out on me.

And now you come back and try

to steal Michael... - Kathleen, that's not it

at all. - Well what is it then?

- Whatever I've done, I've not done

to harm you or Matt.

I've done it for Michael,

before it's too late.

- Even if it means destroying

everyone's life in the process?

- If I were to vanish now,

and never be seen again,

the problems would still remain.

You are still my wife.

And Michael's my son.

(tense instrumental music)

- Kathleen!

(quiet instrumental music)

What's all this about?

- I think it's best for both of us

if I leave Langara

and move into town.

- You can't just... - Just until the legality

of our marriage is settled.

- Darling, the legality of our marriage

may never be settled.

What happens if the church decides

you're still married to Seamus?

- Then somehow we have to make them change

that decision.

But until then we have no right

to be living under the same roof

or sleeping in the same bed.

- Oh, darling, can't... - Please.

Don't make it any harder than it already is.

Please.

(melancholic instrumental music)

- [Narrator] Next, on Snowy River, The McGregor Saga.

- My parents still care for one another.

- Are you saying now that you never loved me?

- Seamus, you're twisting my words.

- I'm not gonna let you go! - Now it's all right, Michael.

The boy is here because he wants to be with his father.

- He's here because he's confused.

- I only wanted to set things right.

(groaning)

- Anyone caught meddling with that dam

will be shot on sight.

(groaning)

- Would you just listen to me?

Michael!

(thundering booms)

- Dad, it's Michael, he's been hurt!

(guns bang)

(peaceful instrumental music)