Original subtitles

I'm going to shoot that place to pieces if you don't come out of there. You

understand me, Stokes?

Well, what about it?

Barney Hunter, listen to me.

You let me go.

And I'll give you twice the reward the Army's offering.

$2 ,000.

$5 ,000.

You hear?

$5 ,000. You let me go.

How many people do you have to kill, Stokes, to get $5 ,000?

Just Indians.

I never killed nobody. Just Indians.

That's the truth, I swear.

Now, when you come out, Stokes, keep your hands high where I can see them.

Good job.

All right, Randall, the captain will see you now.

What's the matter with you?

I thought bounty hunters couldn't see beyond the dollar sign on a wanted

You got a rock on your boot or you got something on your mind?

Strictly army business.

You know, here you got a brand new commanding officer here less than a

Emergency fuel ration for the troops and lots of ammunition.

So? Hold on.

Captain Phelps will see you now.

Sit down.

What can I do for you, Mr. Randall?

Well, I got a prisoner here that the Army wants, and they owe me some money.

Well, you should have taken him to Fort Carson.

We don't have the authority nor the means for jailing a wanted man or paying

bounty. Yeah, well, his horse broke a leg. I had to shoot him.

Fort Carson's a long way to be riding double.

Randall caught his man in the Kiowa Reservation, sir.

South Pass was the nearest army post.

If you give me a receipt, I can go ahead and pick up the money myself up Fort

Carson.

Of course, we don't know who your prisoner is or whether, in fact, he is

by the army. I can vouch for that, sir.

I know Stokes by sight.

Everybody on the frontier does.

He's been stealing from the Kiowas. He killed at least three of them. The army

should be real pleased to have him in custody here or Fort Carson.

Lieutenant Pierce.

As my executive officer, it's your responsibility to carry out orders, not

question them.

You're new out here, sir. You don't know what we've been going through.

Five years of killing and getting killed.

Five years of proving to these savages that we're their friends and not their

enemies.

Five long years, Captain.

Just to sign a peace treaty with the Kiowa tribe.

That's enough, Lieutenant.

It just doesn't make sense, sir. We can't mount a punitive expedition

friendly tribe of Indians.

Less than a month after we signed a peace treaty with them.

Lieutenant Pierce.

All those years of work.

And now we get orders to sneak out, ambush them, and wipe them out?

Pierce, there are civilians present.

Yes, sir.

There's no rock on your boot at all.

You've been walking on a mountain.

Am I to be honored with a comment from you too, Mr. Randall?

None of my business, sir. It just seems to me that Indian War right now would

close the frontier.

There'd be a lot of people killed.

No sense to it.

I take it you're not only a bounty hunter, but enough of an expert to

with the president and the chief of staff of the United States Army.

Look, I don't care one way or the other what the Army does. All I want to do is

get a receipt, and I'll get on out of here.

The prisoner's name is Stokes.

Yes, sir. Alan Stokes.

Since he's given the Kiowas so much trouble, he's probably very familiar

the reservation.

Well enough to homestead, I imagine.

Uh -huh.

I'm very sorry, Mr. Randall. I'm afraid you'll have to forget about your bounty

and your receipt.

We'll need Stokes and his knowledge of the reservation in order to position the

detachment effectively.

He'll act as our guide in the campaign.

I'm sorry, too, but horse or no horse, I'm going to take my prisoner and get

of here. Let's go.

Just a moment, Mr. Randall.

You seem to forget that you're on a military post.

Carson!

Yes, sir?

Carson, Lieutenant Pierce is relieved of duty as executive officer.

You will replace him.

Yes, sir.

Where does that leave me, Captain?

Right here at South Pass.

Under arrest.

I've been on the frontier so long, I'm not up on my spit and polish, sir.

Has it become a military crime to discuss an order?

Discuss?

Or question and debate in front of unauthorized civilian personnel?

You're a commissioned officer in the United States Army.

I'm also a human being.

That'll be all. Consider yourself confined under arrest to the camp area.

Yes, sir.

Will that be all, sir?

Well, if it won't disturb you.

Either as an officer or as a human being, you might find in provision

for my wife and child.

They're expected within the week.

Yes, sir.

Carson, see that Mr. Stokes is provided for.

Issue him a horse and arms.

Find him on the detachment roll to the contract civilian guide.

Yes, sir. Wait just one minute. This is my prisoner. I brought him in. I advise

you to leave peacefully, quietly, and alone, Mr. Randall.

Yeah?

And if I don't? Well, I can only assume that you intend to interfere with and

harass a duly authorized military unit in the performance of its ordered

assignment during a state of war.

Make that a little clearer?

Well, if you stay, I'll have no recourse except to order you placed before a

military firing squad.

That's all there is to it, Mr. Randall.

Seems your way, don't it?

Carson, will you show these gentlemen out, please?

And pass the word. We'll be moving against the Kiowas in the morning at

daybreak. Yes, sir.

Mr. Randall?

Yeah.

Here's the key to his cuffs. He ought to have both hands free when he starts

shooting those Indians.

You ought to enjoy this, Stokes.

I'd like to get out of here.

What are you sore about?

I waited for you all day yesterday.

Gentlemen, I'll hear the orders from Washington.

Captain William Phelps has been appointed to the staff at West Point.

Captain Amos Dennison has been appointed to command the cavalry detachment at

Phelps Pass Encampment.

His name is Phelps, not Dennison. Are you sure there's nothing wrong with

orders? There's nothing wrong with these orders.

But these, these orders were prepared by the post adjutant.

Captain Phelps, now listen to this. Captain Amos Dennison has been appointed

the staff at West Point.

Captain William Phelps has been appointed to command the cavalry

South Pass.

Captain Phelps switched appointments and had himself sent to South Pass.

Well, what about his orders to attack the Kiowas?

He had no orders.

The Army isn't at war with the Kiowas.

We're not at war with anybody.

It's a murderous attack without justification.

Could lead to disastrous results, not only for the Kiowas, but for all the

Indians.

Well, why would he deliberately want to go out and start a war with the Indians?

Let me read you something.

Now, this is dated six months ago.

William Phelps, Army captain, on his way to Fort Carson, was the sole survivor

of an Indian massacre in which Phelps' wife and child were killed.

Phelps went completely out of his mind.

Doctors had him under lock and key for over a month.

He's out of his mind, so the Army lets him write his own orders, huh?

Well, he got better.

Or at least he seemed to.

According to the doctors, he was completely recovered.

Certified fit for administrative duty.

Good officer.

Fine record.

I made him post -adjutant.

Listen, a minute ago you mentioned something about his wife and child being

killed. Well, you know, at South Pass, I remember him ordering quarters for the

night for them.

His wife and child are dead, Mr. Randall.

I attended the funeral.

In other words, he forged his way into a command at South Pass so he could get

some sort of revenge against the Indians. Is that it?

From what you tell me, his behavior now is just like it was that first month

after the massacre.

A man like that leading a detachment.

I don't envy you, Colonel.

You'll envy me even less.

You know, gentlemen, I have two undermanned regiments out here.

Not only that, but they're scattered over 5 ,000 square miles of territory.

I'm going to take a whole regiment and just get one fellow.

I haven't a troop, a squad, a single man available right now. I don't know where

I'm good.

Well, I'm sorry to bring all this bad news to the Army, but I'm sure that they

can solve their own problem.

Yeah, well, look, all I need, Colonel, is the paper, and I'll go to the

paymaster and get it. Ronald.

I'm sorry.

What?

Somebody has to stop Captain Phelps.

Somebody has to carry orders to the detachment replacing Phelps.

Somebody that knows that territory.

Somebody who knows where this outlaw Stokes might lead the detachment to set

an ambush.

Congratulations, Josh.

You've just been elected.

Look, Colonel, if I go back here, this Captain Feltz is going to have me shot.

And if he doesn't, I'm going to end up in the middle of an Indian war and get

head blown off.

No, thank you.

Randall, this is a militarily supervised territory over which I have full

command. Now, in the case of extreme emergency, my powers include the right

conscript civilian personnel.

I am conscripting you, Mr. Randall, as of right now.

And if you refuse to take orders, I will have you placed under arrest and court

-martialed for dereliction of duty in the face of danger.

Why be a piker?

Captain Phelps threatened to have me put in front of a firing squad.

That could be the easy way out, Mr. Randall.

With me, you can look forward to spending the rest of your life in a

prison.

I'll have orders prepared replacing Captain Phelps and ordering the

back to South Pass.

If the colonel doesn't get me, the captain will.

If the captain doesn't get me, the Indians will.

Yeah, and if you don't go and the captain isn't stopped, the way I got it

figured, a lot of innocent people, both Indians and whites, are going to get

themselves killed.

Yeah.

Boy, I sure hear people shooting at me.

Well, we best get at it.

You head straight for the South Pass. Find Lieutenant Joe Pierce. Have him

some men of me up to the reservation.

Where?

Yeah, well, I can't guarantee anything, but, uh, have him meet me at the old

blockhouse where I picked up Joe Stokes. He'll know where.

You gonna be able to stop a captain?

I don't know, Jase, but I'm sure gonna try. Go ahead.

By now they must have gotten the captain's message.

Two and a half, maybe three hours.

They'll come right through that canyon.

The whole Kiowa tribe.

You set your men along the tops of these two cliffs.

That's all there is to it.

Like shooting ducks in a gallery.

You like the idea.

Why not?

They're just Indians.

I wish you were one of them.

That's more world, isn't it?

You know, you've got quite a job ahead of you.

Wiping out a whole Indian tribe.

Captain's orders were to place you under arrest if you showed up here again.

I got some orders myself this time.

And I think these are a little bit... He was going for his gun.

From his shirt?

He dead?

No. And you can be thankful he isn't.

Let's get him back to the blockhouse.

Vita!

these, Mr. Randall?

The mission contained in my orders, Mr. Randall,

is of the utmost importance and urgency.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, can or will prevent the successful completion of

that mission.

Not you, Mr. Randall.

Not these obviously false and forged orders.

The plan is set.

The tribe is already on the move.

Within an hour, the Keoa tribe will be wiped out.

And you're a traitor.

Giving aid and comfort to the enemy.

I warned you, Mr. Randall. You saw fit to ignore that warning and try to stop

us.

Lieutenant Carson?

Yes, sir.

My order's been carried out, Lieutenant.

The firing squad is ready.

You really gonna shoot me?

Take him away.

Now, listen to me, Lieutenant.

My life depends on this. This man's crazier than a hoot owl. They had him

up back in Fort Laramie. He hasn't got any authority to attack any Kiowa

Indians, much less have me shot. He belongs in a hospital.

Have you finished, Mr. Randall? I came here with orders from Colonel Bradley

you to relieve him of his command and take his detachment down to the South

Pass.

Well, he sat here right in front of me and burned those orders.

This man is dangerous, Lieutenant.

Suggest you draw your sidearm. Keep him under constant watch.

You have your orders?

Yes, sir.

Listen to me, Lieutenant. I'm telling you the truth.

Sergeant Jones!

Yes, sir.

Take the prisoner.

Yes, sir.

By the trail, two's right.

Arch. Detail. Halt.

Right. Dress.

Front.

Sergeant Jones, hold your fire.

Order. Arm.

Lieutenant Pierce!

I gave you explicit instructions to remain in South Pass.

I trust you have an adequate explanation for this flagrant breach of discipline.

Well, sir, I... I'm afraid it's my fault, Captain.

I don't know this man.

My name is Jason Nichols, courier from Fort Carson with an urgent message for

the Captain.

Lieutenant Pierce is good enough to bring me here, sir.

Your wife and child, sir, have been seriously hurt in an accident.

Colonel Bradley requests that you return to Fort Carson immediately.

My wife and child hurt?

Seriously hurt, sir.

They're in the hospital in Fort Carson.

I was sent to bring you back.

Yes, of course.

My wife and baby.

Lieutenant Pierce, you're the senior officer here. You will assume command.

Proceed with the military mission.

I must return at once to Fort Carson.

Yes, sir.

A wife and child are dead.

I was there. I saw it.

But you ordered Pierce to prepare quarters for them.

Very clever, Mr. Nichols.

What will I tell the colonel, sir? Stop it!

They're safe.

They're both safe.

At the South Pass encampment.

Tell him, Carson.

You too, Pierce.

You dined with us only yesterday. You saw my wife. You saw my baby.

They're well. You know they're well.

Captain Phelps.

I'm sorry, sir.

You're too ill to know what you're doing.

I'm relieving you of command.

Lieutenant Carson, Captain will be confined to his quarters pending further

notice.

Yes, sir.

Captain?

Withdraw the detachment from its battle positions and prepare them to return to

South Pass.

It takes one step to prevent the detachment from wiping out those

Drop those rifles!

Dismiss the detail.

Detail dismissed.

Get to the detachment and pull them back.

Tell the Kiowas it was all a mistake.

Tell them the army will leave their reservation as they came.

In peace.

Yes, sir.

You can present this to the paymaster.

He'll give you your bounty money.

Well, to tell you again how grateful I am to you.

Wait a minute. This isn't right. That's not enough money right there.

What's for $1 ,000? That's the posted bounty.

I'm not authorized to pay any... Listen, Colonel, you force me into this army of

yours, and I expect prevailing rate of pay on each and every day I serve.

You know, I didn't get this playing horseshoes.

Mr. Randall?

Much obliged.

Uh, Randall.

You know, we could use a good scout here on the post.