Original subtitles

(dramatic orchestral music)

- [Narrator] Out of the early days

of our Western frontier have come many legends.

Some of these stories are based on fact.

Others, no doubt, were conceived in the minds

of grizzled, old prospectors, too long alone

in the hot, barren waste, consumed by their one dream:

the dream of finding gold.

Each one convinced that he'd one day

hit the biggest bonanza of all.

Many of these stories, as you know, concerned Indians.

They were the large tribes or nations in Arizona,

such as the Apache, the Navajo,

Hopi, Zuni, Papago, and many more.

California's Indians were divided into smaller tribes.

There were a good many of these groups

that were all but extinct when the first Spaniard landed.

Most of them are far more primitive

than their brothers in other territories.

Their culture was that of the Stone Age.

This story deals with the last days of one such tribe.

Already small when Spain first claimed California

as their own, their numbers steadily dwindled

as they waged an unending war against the white man.

They refused to be converted to Christianity

by the padres of the mission.

The white man was their mortal enemy,

to be killed on site.

While their number was decreasing,

the number of their enemy was increasing.

The Anglo, or Yankee, had migrated West

and was embarked upon the feverous search for gold.

The remnants of this tribe had been driven

back into the hills in an area

which was thought to be rich in gold.

Individual prospectors and parties of men

had gone into these hills, never to return.

There came a time when the only remaining members

of this tribe were women.

Their men had been all killed in

their ceaseless battle with the white men,

or had died of pestilence.

Ironically, the leader of these women was, herself, white.

She had been captured as a baby,

and the only reason she had been spared

was the fact that her hair was the color of yellow gold.

To the superstitious minds of these primitive people,

this was a symbol.

She had been sent to them by the Sun God,

and they treated her as a goddess,

as she grew to young womanhood.

Since she had known nothing but the ways of these Indians,

their enemy became her enemy, and she fought

and killed her own people.

This is the story of one party of white men

and one white woman who, in their search for gold,

encountered these amazons of the West.

- You could fill bags with it.

Why, there's spots in that creek where the nuggets

just reflect the sun at ya.

Why, doggone it man, you must be the richest man

in this whole territory.

Where you got all the bags of gold hid?

- I had them bags of gold, mister,

but don't you think for one blame minute

them ornery redskins was gonna let me take 'em out.

Lucky to be standin' right here, plum lucky.

Just got out with my hide.

Never got out with the price of a drink.

- When you plan on goin' back?

Ain't right you gonna let all that gold just go to waste.

- As soon as I get me a grub steak

and a party of men what's men that ain't afraid

to take on the Injuns, I'm goin' back.

(laughter)

Just you believe that, mister.

- Why doggone it, man, ain't we been believin' you

for the past five years now?

(laughter)

- Hey man, come on back and get your drink.

(saloon piano music)

(laughter)

(saloon piano music)

- What was going on down there?

- Oh, that's the boys.

They have quite a time with Pan.

- Pan?

- Pan Taggart, that's pan, pan for panhandler.

Uh, I don't know what his name is.

- What about this story he's telling about the gold?

- I, uh, I don't reckon you've been around here

very long, have you, Mister, uh.

- Potter, Melvin Potter.

The wife and I just got in yesterday afternoon.

We're staying at the Harley boarding house.

- Oh, well that explains everything.

Yeah, Pan, he's been telling that story around for years.

Why, I'm surprised he hasn't already told you the story.

Uh, you know, strangers are his best customers.

- He sure tells it like it was the truth.

- He's been telling that story so long

I think he believes it now.

- Yeah, I guess it could be that way.

- Now, what'll you have?

- Oh, uh, nothing, thank you.

I'm not a drinking man.

The fact is, the wife doesn't allow it.

I was going to ask you if you knew of

some little business a man might get into.

You get to hear about everything that goes on in town.

- Well if you've got the right kind of money,

I happen to know that you can pick this place right up.

You put some music out there,

and you get some nice, shapely, uh, entertainers,

and then you cut that red eye in half with,

uh, you know, cheap alcohol.

Of course, with me as a partner, you know,

sort of look, keep an eye on things around here for you,

mister, you'd be ridin' high on the hog.

- Well, uh, how much will it take?

- 5,000.

- Oh no, no, no, no, you're talking way over my head.

I haven't got that kind of money.

- Well, mister, you go out there and see old Pan,

and for a few dollars, he'll make you rich.

- So, how much will it take to outfit you for three months?

- Well, dang well depends on how many you got in the party.

Now, to get in and out of Gold Creek,

that's the name I gave it, you know,

you gotta have upwards to six or seven guns --

- Well, what would we need with all of those guns?

There'd only be two or three of us.

- Blast it, old man, I'm talkin' men,

six or seven us what can handle guns.

- Well isn't that cutting the gold a little thin?

- Oh, it'd take a small army to cut that kind of gold thin.

You've never seen such gold in all your born days.

- Oh alright, alright, now plan on six or seven.

How much for three months?

- Well, let's say by the time you figure horses,

guns,

grub,

ammunition,

uh, a little liquor,

you got tab of say, 1,000 dollars.

Still might be able to take that down a bit,

if ya can.

If you was to round up a party

with shared expenses.

- Yeah, yeah, that might be the way.

I'd hate to pay the whole bill to make somebody else rich.

- Who is Pan Taggart?

- He's that prospector I told ya about,

the one that knows about the gold.

- I sent you out to try and talk a deal

with the owner of the saloon,

and you come back without talking to him,

and have the gall to tell me you wasted your time

talking to a stupid, old fool?

- But, but, Ruby --

- I want that saloon.

Do you understand?

For once in my life, I want to be somebody.

I want to run that place and be the queen of the beehive.

And have all the people come to me for favors.

I want to make money,

big money!

- Ruby, Ruby, you've just said it,

that's exactly what's been on my mind, big money.

- Well then go out and buy the saloon!

- Ruby, honey, forget about that saloon for a minute.

That's not what I'm talking about.

Besides, if you were to be the queen

around a place like that, honey,

I just couldn't stand it.

All those men pawing at you.

- Oh.

- Ruby, honey, listen to me.

Hear me out just this once.

Now we both want big money,

but I'm telling you again, I just haven't got

the wherewithal to buy a place like that.

- Before you married me, you sold out

a freighting business in Illinois.

What did you do with the money?

- Well, I ...

I sold out the place because I couldn't make a go of it.

Now if you've got a place that isn't doing very well,

you're not going to get very much for it, are you?

Now, Ruby, listen, this Taggart swears up and down

that the gold is there.

And I believe him.

- Why?

- Well, if it wasn't there, say he made up this whole story

just to mooch a bottle and some food,

he wouldn't be willing to risk his life, now would he?

Much less three months of hard work and a long trip.

Oh no, no, no, he can get a bottle and food

a lot easier than that.

- Where is this gold supposed to be?

- At a place he calls Gold Creek.

It's deep in Indian Territory.

Now, honey, it's no picnic to get there,

but we can be rich, real stinking rich.

And we won't have to sweat it out in

that lousy saloon for the next 15 years.

Listen, Ruby, all we have to do is bag it up,

bags of gold.

- Look, Mike, it's just a matter of time

before some joker will drift in from Texas and spot us.

When that happens, we're either

on the run or rottin' in jail.

- Now listen, Wade, you know I ain't never

had no stomach for battlin' Injuns.

- Whoever says we're gonna have to get

to where we have to battle 'em, huh?

- You mean we just walk in and --

- No, I mean we're gettin' 300 a piece, cash.

We're gettin' grub and plenty of ammunition.

When we decide to cut our own trail,

you tell me who's gonna stop us.

- Well, 300 ain't much of a stake.

Not unless you're plannin' on goin' in

for that gold by yourself, Condin.

- Well, I'm not, but I figure friend Potter

for the rest of a real good stake.

Probably the only fool I know who believed Pan Taggart.

(Mike laughs)

- Oh, how do, Mr. Potter?

Uh, this is a friend of mine, Mike Horton.

He's, uh, he's in on the deal.

- Howdy.

- Well, good.

Well, uh, those other two men you told me about,

uh, they don't want to come in.

Looks like we'll have to spend

some more time getting the party up to full force.

- Potter, I gave you two days.

They're up; either we go now, or

it's gonna cost you 2,000 dollars for me and Horton.

- I just haven't got that kind of money, Condin.

- Alright, it's up to five.

Either we go now or we don't go.

- Uh, maybe we should just forget the whole thing.

But, well, Taggart's sure not going to like

going in short-handed.

- Well, you just Taggart that Condin and me

make up the four men.

- Yeah, it could be,

could be.

(suspenseful orchestral music)

- [Melvin Voiceover] As we gained the top of the pass,

I couldn't help but take a last look at the town.

There was a feeling of security down there.

While ahead of us, ah, but Ruby,

but Ruby was different.

All she wanted to know was whether I was coming or not.

When I told her that it might be a long time

before we saw the town again,

she looked off a moment.

Then said, "We'll see it again, I hope."

- [Melvin] Hey, Pan.

- Whoa, Tony.

- Pan!

When do you plan on stopping for the night?

Ruby and I aren't up to this type of travel.

We're beginning to hurt.

- You city people ain't quite up to Pan Taggart, are ya?

Well, reckon I should take it fairly easy on you,

'cause when we hit Injun country,

you're gonna need all the fizz you can muster.

There's water a couple miles ahead.

We'll make camp when we hit it.

(owl hooting)

- Are we gonna take over this outfit tonight?

- We've only been a day out, too risky.

Besides, I have to look into something.

- I've been seeing you gettin' cozy with Potter's wife.

You ain't plannin' on anything with her, are you?

- Look Mike, you let me decide what's best.

- Then you better do some fast deciding,

'cause I ain't gettin' my scalp lifted for nobody.

- Alright, alright, we'll do it tomorrow night.

Be a lot safer all around.

- But it's got to be tomorrow night.

- Yeah.

- [Melvin Voiceover] We'd only been a few days

on the trail, but it was long enough

to overhang the party with the smell of trouble.

From the way Taggart was watching the trail,

I figured he was expecting trouble any time.

And from watching Condin and Horton,

I had a feeling something was brewing there also.

I didn't like their little secret pow-wows.

I got to worrying that if it all exploded at once,

nobody would ever get to see Gold Creek.

(intense drum and horn music)

(birds chirping)

What is it, Taggart?

We aren't getting any of this quick, are we?

- No, don't reckon so.

I just caught a twinkle of somethin' back in the hills.

- [Melvin] What do you think it was?

- [Pan] Sun hittin' a bit of 'mica, most likely.

- Could also be the sun hittin' on a rifle barrel, huh?

- Could be.

Move out.

(suspenseful violin music)

- I can't understand why it's so cold.

We were roasting all day.

- Well, we've climbed about a couple of thousand feet

since yesterday, Ruby.

A higher altitude makes it colder.

- Oh, shut up.

I don't need an explanation from you.

(crickets chirping and wind blowing)

And that's another thing, you'd better

keep a closer watch on your investment.

A couple a more days and he won't

know what direction he's going in.

(Ruby yawns)

Well, I think I'll go to sleep.

(wind blowing)

Night.

- How do we know Taggart ain't puttin' on

this Indian scare just to keep us in line?

- As far as he knows, he's got nothin' to worry about us.

And I caught him givin' the hill

some pretty sharp looks when he thought

no one was lookin' at him.

- Then that's all the more reason for us

to get it over with now, before somebody moves down on us.

- It was something that Potter's wife said.

Makes you doubtful who's got the money.

- What difference does it make who's got the money?

We get everything, don't we?

- Could be in town, you know.

- Who with, a bartender?

- Horton, you've heard of a banker.

- Oh yeah, yeah.

Well it's a chance we'll have to take, that's all.

'Cause I ain't goin' another step into no Injun country

at just a chance of more money.

- Alright, what about Ruby Potter?

- Same as the rest.

- What?

- You don't think we're gonna take her along, do you?

- Well I don't see shootin' a woman, Mike.

- Well if it'll spoil your breakfast, Condin,

leave it to me, 'cause I got an idea

that money-grabbin' witch is plannin' on

comin' outta this alone.

- Alright.

- Let's get it over with quick.

(slow, mysterious violin music)

(wind blowing)

(horse whinnies)

- We saw your fire and thought you might

be able to spare us a little grub.

- Doesn't the United States Army

feed its calgary men anymore?

- Well, we got separated from our outfit

in an Injun ambush a day or so ago.

- The nearest garrison is Fort Apache, I'd say.

It's about 100 miles away, isn't it?

- Well, how'd you get here so quick?

- We were on a scoutin' mission,

yeah, about two days out when it happened.

- Taggart, we, uh, we got some company.

Seems like they wanna bite of grub.

- You two been trailin' us during the day?

- Why no, we just spotted your fire

about a half an hour ago.

Why, you havin' Injun trouble?

- Not that we know of.

What can you tell us?

- We got ambushed by a strong party at Anvil Rock.

Reckon Curt and me here is the only two that got away.

We've been runnin' from 'em ever since.

Sure could use some grub.

- [Pan] Well, come on, I'll poke up the fire.

Yeah, I don't like the looks of this.

For two men that have been on the run for a few days,

they and their horses look pretty doggone good.

- But, but they're calgary men.

- [Pan] Yes, and no.

- [Melvin] What do you mean?

- [Pan] Their gears aren't at regulation,

but part of what they're wearing's been picked up elsewhere.

- Deserters?

Well, we better go tell Condin.

- Oh now, don't go flyin' off the handle.

How do we know they ain't in together?

It seems to me Condin and Horton

accepted these two pretty easy.

- How will we find out?

- Well ...

tomorrow mornin', we'll tell Condin and Horton

that we're aimin' on askin' the calvarymen

to stick with us to Gold Creek.

That'll smoke 'em out in the open.

- [Melvin] How so?

- Well, if they're in cahoots, they'll agree.

If they ain't, they won't wanna share grub and gold.

- [Melvin] Yeah, yeah.

(birds chirping)

- [Wade] Anything keeping you two from riding?

- We figure on goin' your way.

- [Mike] It's the wrong direction for Fort Apache.

- We didn't know.

- [Mike] You know now.

- We ain't exactly in no hurry

to get back to Fort Apache.

- [Mike] You're court marshaled for desertin'?

(intense orchestral music)

- Harsh words.

- Here's some more to go with 'em:

you ain't ridin' our way, because we don't need you.

- Now let's get all our cards up on the table.

That drunken, old fool you've got leading you

talks a lot when he's drunk and asleep.

Now we know what you're out after and we want in.

- You ain't gotta chance in hell.

- After what we overheard you two plannin' last night,

I think you'd better count us in.

- I think you've pressed your luck far enough, soldier boys.

Now let's start ridin', nice and easy.

- Horton and me seem to think there might be

somethin' to what them two were sayin' about the Injuns,

so we decided we'd do a bit of scoutin' around.

- That's a good idea.

- We'll catch up later.

Here they come.

(suspenseful orchestral music)

- Like a couple of prairie dogs,

just waitin' to be picked off.

Here's where General Horton

passes sentence on a couple of deserters.

(intense orchestral music)

(suspenseful drumming)

- Mike?

Horton?

Give me a sign if you're still alive.

(intense drumming)

- They've run out on us.

- Well, I ain't puttin' a thing past them two.

We'll know by --

(horses trotting)

What happened?

- Where the devil have you been?

- [Ruby] Oh shut up!

- [Pan] Who got him?

- I dunno, the arrow just came outta nowhere.

- Apache!

Well, what happened, Condin?

Well what happened?

- I don't know.

An arrow came outta nowhere.

I didn't see a thing before,

I didn't see a thing after.

- Well, that's the Apaches' idea of fair play.

- So you don't know if there was one or 100.

- There was only one, else Condin wouldn't be here.

- I knew we should've hung onto those two Army men.

What chance have we got now?

- Stop your whining, Potter.

Still with us.

- How do you know?

- There they are.

(intense orchestral music)

Seems like they heard Taggart here

talkin' in his sleep about the gold.

- You're dang well makin' that up, Condin.

'Cause I got a notion you're in cahoots with them two.

- Condin.

- Better to save your fightin' for the Indians.

You can't gun us down.

You need us now.

- He's right, Condin, he's right.

We've got to take them on.

- From here on in, I call all the bets, Potter.

So don't tell me what to do!

- Could be the party doesn't need you, Condin.

- You been tryin' to run this show ever since we left!

Maybe I oughta let you find Gold Creek.

- Stop it, if we're ever gonna reach that gold,

we're going to need all the guns and wits we can muster.

Any of you wanna argue against that?

(slow, mysterious orchestral music)

- Whose side are you on, Mrs. Potter?

- Why the side that offers the most.

Would you care to make a bid?

- I might.

Do I have to write it out or bring it in person?

- Try the personal approach.

(slow suspenseful orchestral music)

- You cheap grave robber.

- This money belongs to me.

He didn't earn it.

- Do you know of a harder way to earn it, Potter?

- Well it's not any good to him now anyway.

And what are you acting so righteous about?

You were coming here to get this money yourself.

- What have you been up to?

- Nothing that concerns you.

- What'd he do?

- Taken his money back from Horton.

Seems like your husband doesn't like

people gettin' killed before they earn their pay.

(drumming)

(dramatic orchestral music)

- What in the devil?

- They got Curt!

- Ain't no one Injun's gonna attack a party like this.

Wanna have your scalp lifted by a bunch of braves?

- Taggart's right, if it's run, we run.

- You run anyway.

- If anybody's getting ideas on goin' back,

they're goin' back without me.

I'm movin' ahead, fast as I can.

I reckon we've reached it.

Well, checked all my bearings,

unlessin' I'm plum mistaken, we've come to the gold.

Let's get unpacked.

(foreboding orchestral music)

- I think your friend Taggart had a few too many

to drink along the way.

- What do you mean, Ruby?

- Well, I'll explain it to you.

Have you found any gold yet?

- No, none.

- [Ruby] Exactly.

- [Melvin] That's right, where is all this gold

he was talking about?

- And where is he?

Out in the bush, bed drunk?

(foreboding orchestral music)

- I knew it!

I knew it!

I knew I could find the gold here!

Gold, gold!

Here it is, gold, gold!

(Pan moans)

(dramatic orchestral music)

(gunshots)

- Hold it, hold your fire.

Let's move his body to the brush.

(dramatic orchestral music)

- Ruby, you stay, here.

We'll go search the brush, come on.

- Well, did you find something?

- Nothing, dead or alive.

- There must be somebody out there.

It doesn't make any sense.

- Oh, don't be waitin' around for an Injun

to make sense, especially when he's out to kill ya.

- Ol' coot tries for 10 years to convince somebody

there's gold up here.

When he finally makes it back, he gets one minute

to feel it between his fingers.

Then he collects himself a tombstone.

- I'm sorry it had to be him.

- I could use a drink.

- I'll join ya, Jones.

(drum and flute music)

Hey, Jones, Jones, wake up.

- What'd you wake me up for?

There ain't nothin' about.

- So what do you make of it?

- Well, one thing's for sure,

they ain't havin' no square dance.

- [Ruby] Will they attack?

- I don't think so.

- How can you be sure?

- I ain't; I'm just goin' on the superstition

that they believe if they're killed at night,

they'll never find their way to the happy hunting ground.

- That's a lot of consolation, Mr. Jones.

- Well, take it or leave it.

I'm goin' back to sleep.

(yawning)

(fast-paced orchestral music)

- Did ya ever see anything like this?

We're rich, Ruby, rich.

- We will be if you'll shut up and keep working.

- Look at this nugget, Ruby.

Look at the size of it.

That'd look good on your finger, wouldn't it?

(dramatic orchestral music)

(Ruby screams)

(gunshots)

(dramatic orchestral music)

(gunshots)

(Ruby screams)

(dramatic orchestral music)

- She's dead.

- Ruby.

Let's get her body out of here.

No use in making targets of ourselves.

Come on, let's go.

(orchestral music)

- Don't you think we oughta put up

some kind of marker?

- What for?

- Well, because it's usually done, I guess.

Grave seems kind of lonesome without

a touch of somebody cared.

- So you do it then.

I'll go look for Jones' gold, eh?

- Are you planning on getting out tonight?

- I'm planning on getting out as quick as I can.

- How quick is that?

- As quick as I can round up

all the sacks of gold, Mr. Potter.

(mischievous orchestral music)

What are you doin' there, watchin' me?

- I wasn't watching you.

I just came over to have a little talk.

- Well you talk.

- Well, it looks like we're the only two left.

We've got all the gold and the gear.

- So?

- You've got to admit, we're a long way from out of here.

I think we're going to need each other

to get out of here with our scalp.

- Well maybe so, and maybe not.

- Just getting here cost us two men

in the face of a party of seven.

- That's when we were coming in;

now we're going out.

- I have a strong feeling those Injuns

aren't going to let anybody out of here that easy.

Not where there's gold, they're not.

- What use have they got for this gold, huh?

- Well, it might be sort of a god

or a spirit or an omen to them.

- Oh, you're a superstitious fool, Potter,

and a coward besides!

- Condin, you know we'll never make it out of here

if we try and go it alone.

- Yeah.

- Now look, Condin, you promise me

that I go out of here with ya,

and I'll pay you 1,000.

Make it 1,500.

2,000.

Condin, you're not leaving me out here to die.

I'm getting out with my gold,

I'm getting out, do you hear me, Condin?

- Potter, Potter, Mr. Potter,

hold on now and relax.

Easy, Potter, sit yourself down.

We're gonna travel right and we're gonna travel fast.

But we're still gonna need some handy guns

and four good eyes, eh?

- You know what I'm going to do when we hit town?

- Huh, I know what you're about to say.

- I'm going to buy that saloon.

- Yeah, thought you weren't drinkin' that much, eh?

- Oh no, no, no, I'm going to buy it because of Ruby.

She wanted to buy that place real bad

before we came out for the gold.

Yeah, I can just sit around and imagine Ruby

all dressed up in a silk dress,

walking over to my table and sitting by me,

and I can see all those men just staring at her

with envy in their eyes.

Yeah, yeah, I'm going to buy that saloon.

(gunshot)

- Ha ha.

I'm gonna go to your saloon, Mr. Potter,

I'm gonna have that drink,

for old times' sake, huh?

(Condin laughs)

- Condin, Condin!

(gunshots)

(birds tweeting)

(drumming)

(suspenseful orchestral music and drumming)

(drumming)

(distant howling)

(drumming)

(howling)

(drumming)

(howling)

(drumming)

(rattling)

(drumming)

(intense orchestral music)

- [Narrator] This is the revenge of the virgins.

Once again, the trespassers have paid the penalty,

and the legend continues.

Beware the savages of the golden horde.

(orchestral music)