Original subtitles

I don't wanna lose this race to Fort Adobe.

- Sounds like you are losing it. - Because of you.

And because of you, I can be out in front tomorrow night.

A bribe?

Call it what you will.

A bribe.

How much?

The highest price I can offer you.

Your life.

Remember, there's a warrant out for your arrest.

Your brother too, for murder.

In August, when the scorching Colorado sun...

has baked the land bone-dry...

the Ute Indians resort to a snake dance as a plea for rain.

To the white man, this is merely a superstitious ceremony...

colorful but useless.

A fat lot he knows.

All right, same bet.

Same bet.

Fifty dollars, please, Brother Bret.

- Again? - Uh, No, thanks.

Go ahead, what good's money? We're all going to drown anyway.

He's mad because he got his fancy boots all wet.

I am mad because I didn't want to come here in the first place.

Texas was my choice, remember?

I'll bet it's as dry as fluffy cotton.

Why is it that every time the name Texas is mentioned, you two both clam up?

Clam up?

Yes, clam up.

- I've asked you three times already. - Twice.

You're hiding something about Texas. What is it?

You both come from Texas.

Look, we're stuck in a flood, we're out of conversation. Tell me.

Why not?

We might be here for days.

No, I don't know.

Oh, Bret, if you can't trust Dandy Jim, who can you trust?

Oh, look, fellas, have a heart. It's a very big flood.

We can't ever go back to Texas.

Why not?

We're wanted there.

- What for? - Murdering two men.

What?

Tell him about it.

- You tell him. - Well, somebody tell me.

Well...

just before the war ended, Bart and I, like a lot of Johnny Rebs...

joined the Union army as Indian fighters to keep from rotting in a Yankee prison.

Two years of that was plenty and when our hitch was over...

well, Little Bend, Texas, our hometown...

suddenly seemed like the best place on earth to head for.

We hadn't been back in over five years and things had changed.

The Union army was running the place now...

instead of the men who should have been.

The Johnny Rebs had come home to nothing...

but we were home and we had plans.

You know what his mistake was? - No.

Well, he was in the right saloon but the wrong town.

Howdy, you missed the beginning of my story.

That's all right, we heard it in '61 before we left.

- Ha, ha. - Maverick.

- Bart? - Right.

Well, ha, ha. Boys, you remember the Mavericks?

Yeah.

Well. You're back to stay or just passing through?

That depends on how we make out. Thought we'd try raising a herd.

Well, fine. Come in for supplies?

No, to see your pa.

We left some money on deposit with him.

- Well, uh, Pa's dead, boys. - Oh.

I'm sorry to hear that, Jess.

Uh, you say you left some money on deposit?

That's right.

The receipt's five years old, but it's just as clear as the day it was written.

There you are.

Sixteen hundred and fifty dollars.

Hmm.

Sixteen hundred fifty dollars, Jessie.

Well, come on over to the counter, boys.

- Oh, help yourself, Bart. - Oh, thanks, Jess.

There you are, $1650.

That's Confederate money.

Well, Confederate money is what you deposited, boys.

No, Jess, we deposited gold.

Oh. You did? That's funny.

It makes no mention of gold here.

Yeah, but it does in your pa's ledger.

- He wrote it down in front of us. - Ledger?

Oh, one of those great books back there unless I'm mistaken.

Those are my land record books, boys.

I use them every day. I'm in the land-buying business now.

Your receipt would have said "payable in gold" if you deposited gold.

Do you mind if we just take a look at those books?

I'm sure you're mistaken, boys.

I guess we better just take this.

Go.

Bart!

You're in good shape, Brother Bart.

Yeah. Ah.

Well, Jessie, you missed all the fun.

I was busy. I just sent for the Union army lieutenant.

You know, Bret, fun is for kids. We're men now.

We're the ones who are gonna run things one way or another.

Texas belongs to us now, all we're man enough to take.

Yeah, well, uh, I'll settle for $1650.

- You got a receipt? - We had one.

Well, you should have held on to it.

It's your word against mine now, and everybody else's.

Except me.

I saw and heard everything, Jessie.

I was in the back looking over some bolts of material when you gentlemen came in.

I'll be most happy to bear out your account of exactly what happened here.

- Your servant, ma'am. - My lady.

Gentlemen.

Here you are, boys, $1650.

Well, you sure don't hold a grudge for long, Jessie.

We had a misunderstanding, it's over.

Say, how would you boys like to sell that little spread of yours?

Uh-uh.

- For twice this amount? - No, thanks.

- Well, see you around, boys. - Thanks for your help, lieutenant.

Don't thank me, Mr. Maverick. The young lady is...

She's gone.

Maybe she's outside.

- Who is she, lieutenant? - Her name's Laura Miller.

- Miss Laura Miller? - Yeah.

Came here about four years ago with her father.

- Oh... - That's all I know.

Nope, not outside.

Well, that's too bad. I wanted to thank her personally.

That's funny, so did I.

"Eight o'clock tonight."

At "my place."

I need a shave.

High card keeps the date.

Draw.

Queen for a queen.

A king for a queen.

- Good evening, Mr. Maverick. - Miss Miller.

- Won't you come in? - Thank you.

I'm sorry, there's not too much to choose from in Little Bend.

- Thank you, Mr. Maverick. - Bret.

Laura.

Bart.

Heh. Excuse me, I'll put these in water.

What are you doing here? My king was high.

But it was also crimped, Brother Bret. Tsk.

Crimped? I looked at it after you left.

Yes, well, as they say, Brother Bart, all's fair in...

Well, gentlemen...

what can I get for you?

- Another girl. - Uh, for him.

I don't think that's really necessary.

After all, the business proposition I have in mind concerns both of you.

- Business proposition? - I want to hire both of you.

I want you to work for me, as trail bosses on a cattle drive.

- Good night. - Uh, goodbye.

If you walk out that door, Jessie Hayden wins.

Wins what?

He's out to grab all of west Texas.

Your land is included on his map as well as mine.

- His map? - The map I saw at his house.

- The night I went to kill him. - The night you what?

Jessie Hayden murdered my father.

Oh. Nobody actually saw it happen.

He was just found dead out in the range.

Thrown from his horse, people said.

My father could have stopped Jessie so Jessie murdered him.

One night...

about a week after my father died...

I took a gun and I went to Jessie's place...

around back.

The patio doors were open, the light was on.

Jessie wasn't in the room...

but I could hear his voice from somewhere in the house.

I went in to wait for him...

but something on his desk stopped me, the map.

It covered three counties, 5000 square miles.

Your spread was there...

but not with your name on it.

Mine was there too.

But there was only one name...

on the whole map carefully lettered across it:

The Jessie Hayden ranch.

- Did Jessie come back in the room? - Yes.

I was hiding at the patio door when he sat down at his desk.

He had his back to me.

All I had to do was pull the trigger.

I couldn't.

I didn't have the courage.

To shoot a man in the back?

He deserved a bullet no matter how he got it.

You've got to help me on this cattle drive to help yourselves.

What's one got to do with the other?

Money. Money is what I need to stop him.

Money to buy a plan before he can.

Keep him from squeezing all of us out.

I know where I can sell 2000 of my cattle...

for $40 a head, $80,000.

Where can you get 40 a head?

Fort Adobe in the Arizona Territory.

The army is starved for beef.

They've posted the price and the money is there waiting.

And so is the land in between.

That's 500 miles of too many Comanches and not enough water.

That's why I want you two.

When I heard you were coming, I knew you could make the drive...

that you knew the country inside out, that you fought in it for two years.

That's true, isn't it?

I'll give you 10 percent to act as my trail bosses.

Eight thousand dollars.

Just because we know the country?

I haven't found anyone else who does.

In fact, everyone says it can't be done.

I need you and you need me...

or Jessie Hayden beats us both.

Look, we've been away for five years.

We've been working for somebody else and fighting for somebody else.

We'd like to work for ourselves now and fight for ourselves.

That's what you'll be doing.

Those people who said you can't make this drive could be right.

Anyhow, we haven't even set foot on our ranch yet.

I'm sorry, Miss Miller, but, uh, I guess we'll

have to find these things out for ourselves.

Maybe we'll come around to your way of thinking.

There isn't any time.

The army posted that price for exactly 2000 head.

They won't pay a dime for any more than that.

- We've got to get there first. - We still have to think about it.

- Good night, Miss Miller. - Good night, gentlemen.

There it is.

Oh, good night, Miguel.

Good night, Miguel.

Now you can get yourself a new foreman.

I'm not gonna keep the money.

Does that make any difference? I just bushwhacked two men.

- I don't like the way it made me feel. - Who cares how you feel?

I'm trying to make them fight their own fight.

You got an answer for everything as long as it'll help you get back at Jessie Hayden.

Yes.

You're not even a woman anymore.

There's nothing left in you except revenge.

Why not?

Jessie Hayden killed my father, want me to forget that?

Well, I won't. I'll remember it until Hayden's been stopped.

I'll be remembering things too.

- I want my woman back. - I guess you'll have to wait.

Jim.

You're not walking out on me, are you?

I wish I had the guts to.

My head still hurts just talking about the walloping we got.

Wait a minute. How did you know it was the girl? You were unconscious.

Well, we didn't at the time. We went after Jessie.

All we got from Hayden was complete innocence.

Ha, ha. And all we got from the Union army lieutenant was complete sympathy.

So being flat broke, we went to work for Laura.

Yeah, and our first job was to recruit hands from among the Johnny Rebs.

So that's it, boys.

Wont' be easy, but we've been through that part of the country...

and we think we can make it.

Besides three squares a day, you'll get $60 for the drive...

whether it lasts a month or a year.

And a horse and saddle, a blanket, gun, a new pair of boots.

Now, we get to Fort Adobe...

you get to keep the horse, the saddle...

and the blanket and the gun and the boots...

plus any Comanche scalps you pick up along the way.

What if the Comanches pick up the scalps?

Well, then, uh, we keep the caboodle.

I got a speech I wanna make too.

You know who you're gonna work for? Galvanized Yankees, the both of them.

They fought for the Union army.

Easy, Brother Bart, you're too quick to temper.

Now, no good Johnny Reb is gonna sign up...

with Galvanized Yankees, is he? With turncoats?

"Good Johnny Reb"? Is that what you are?

We're talking about you, Maverick.

No, we're talking about Johnny Rebs. What was your outfit, mister?

A man ain't likely to forget his own outfit, mister.

You can't remember it either if you didn't have one.

Touch that gun, I'll blow you out of the saddle.

- Do watch him, boys. - We'll watch him, Jett.

What's the answer? You Galvanized Yankees or not?

You mean did we join the Union army to get out of a stinking Yankee prison?

- The answer's yes. - But we fought Indians, not Rebs.

Well, that's it, boys.

All dressed up in pretty alibis but the answer's still yes.

I ain't so sure I wanna go to work for turncoats.

That's more like it. How about you, Reb?

I was a Galvanized Yankee myself, mister.

It sure beats sitting and rotting in prison.

I was one too. Signed to fight the Indians, just like the Mavericks.

The Mavericks are Texans from way back, mister. I stay.

I say they're Galvanized Yankees and we run them out of town.

Now, who's with me?

Some of us have got guns too, friend.

You'd get off about one shot, mister.

Ain't no need for gunplay.

You got one of three choices, sonny. Guns, fists or turn tail.

You talk big with a crowd on your side.

Brother Bart.

You just shoot the first man who makes a move to help me, or him.

You'll hear from me again, the both of you.

Can a man change his mind, Mr. Maverick?

It looks like he just did.

Well, boys, till Larry Meadow, sunup tomorrow...

be ready to move out the herd.

Watch out!

To your left, a rifle.

It looks like you got him.

He's dead.

The other one's dead too.

We're much obliged for the warning.

What happened here?

What's going on?

- A couple of killers got unlucky. - Yeah? Who are they?

Hired guns, but I think they pulled this one on their own.

They were waiting for us when we came out.

Grudge fight, huh?

We mixed with them this afternoon.

We'd be obliged if somebody'd tell the army boys.

We're on our way to the Miller ranch.

This man saw the whole thing.

What happened to him?

Morning, boys. I see everybody's here.

Brother Bart will give you instructions.

All right, everything's set to move the herd out.

Hank, you ride point.

Rush, you take charge of the right flank. Stu, uh, you take over the left.

And Mike, you ride drag.

Bret. Bart.

The Yank lieutenant, he's coming after you.

- What for? - The shooting last night.

- But that was self-defense. - They shot first.

Not the way Jessie Hayden's telling it. He's sworn you two shot first.

Lieutenant's on his way out now.

You two better get.

You can join the drive at the New Mexico border.

- Any luck? - No, he went on his way last night.

Yeah, I got the same.

Tall man, late 20s, slim, 6-foot-6, joined a small wagon train.

- Heading north-east. - North-east?

I didn't hear that. Maybe one of us could pick up his trail.

What do you want, a cattle drive or the tall man?

Oh, it doesn't matter.

- I'd just assume stick with the c... - Laura.

- Is she going along? - Uh-huh.

- Okay, we'll cut the cards and... - Uh-uh. Toss a coin.

Suit yourself.

Heads, I go with the cattle drive, tails, you do.

Oh, yes, my lucky piece. I thought I'd lost that.

Toss. Heads, you stay, tails, I stay.

Hmm.

You win.

What about the lieutenant and his boys?

Chance they stay with the cattle drive looking for us?

- A good chance. - What are you gonna do?

I'll tag along at a distance and wait for him to pull out.

What if they don't?

With Laura around, that lieutenant might take his duty very seriously.

Mm-hm.

Sorehead. Ha, ha.

Yee-haw!

I couldn't tell if it was love or duty...

but the lieutenant and his platoon...

stayed on for five days...

tagging along about a mile behind the herd.

And I tagged along right behind the lieutenant.

Come on. Come on.

By the sixth day, I was wondering...

if the lieutenant was going to stay on all the way to Fort Adobe.

Then I stopped worrying. He finally turned around...

and he and the platoon headed back for home.

Well... Howdy, Bret, real good to see you.

We thought we was gonna have to turn them back.

Bret, we've been waiting and waiting for you.

Where's Bart?

He'll be a while, he's got some looking to do.

I'll tell you about it later.

Well, now we can really get the cattle drive started.

Yes, ma'am.

Anybody know which way west is?

Hey!

- Morning, ma'am. - Good morning, Bret.

Hyah!

Hey!

The trail I was following had taken me almost 5 0 miles north.

It was eight days...

before I came across any sign at all of the wagon train.

That was a wagon train, all right, no doubt about it.

But if the tall man was with it, this looked like the end of the hunt.

The tall man wasn't here.

Three or four wagons had gotten away.

It looked like he might have been with them.

Unusual boots, Miguel.

Just like the pair I saw once when I was being bushwhacked.

Where's the money, Miguel?

Gold, Miguel. The two pouches you and that other clown took.

Leave him alone, Bret.

- He only did what I told him to do. - They what?

I wanted you with us.

I knew you'd only come along if you needed money.

Bret.

Get your hands off of her.

Oh, you'd be the other one.

- The money. - I wasn't gonna keep it.

I was only trying to...

Here.

- That's quite an apology. - Who said I was sorry?

It almost worked, didn't it?

It did work.

You mean you're gonna stay anyhow?

For 25 percent of the take.

You made a deal for 10 percent.

- It's 25 now. Yes or no? - No.

Yes.

You really go after what you want, don't you?

Look who's talking.

Maverick, we're not finished yet.

- Step around back. - No, Jim.

He had a right to do what he did.

Please, we've got work to do.

He's got it bad, hasn't he?

Rider coming. It's your brother, Maverick.

Just about given you up, Bart.

Yeah. Pull him out for me, will you, Rush?

You bet.

Don't tell me. No tall man?

It worse, it's the cattle drive.

Well, the army still wants cattle.

Yes, but, uh, we're not the only Texans trying to sell it to them.

Somebody else is driving 2000 head to Fort Adobe.

- Who? - Our old pal. Jessie Hayden.

Capital fellow, that Jessie Hayden.

No grass growing under his feet.

Now, the tall man. Scalped?

No. Three or four wagons got away.

I found one of them and he told me the tall man was another...

and he was headed for Fort Adobe, so I went after him.

- It's rising again. - Well, of course it is, there's a flood.

Come on, hey.

I'd like to hear more about that splendid fellow.

Um, Bart left us that night.

Sunup the next morning, we were underway and moving fast.

Ordinarily, we would have given ourselves another week to get to Fort Adobe.

But now, we were counting time by the hour.

The cattle were trail-broken and we pushed them hard.

From what Bart had told us, we were a cinch to beat Jessie Hayden...

if our luck held out.

- Hyah! - Go ahead and take a breather.

Hyah!

We were only two days from Fort Adobe...

when we took our first real break.

Burn yourself, Maverick?

Hello, Laura.

What are you doing here?

I've come a long way. Can't you even offer me a cup of coffee?

Her coffee's not that good.

I asked you what you're doing here.

I wanna talk to Bret, privately.

About what?

About two men who were murdered back in Little Bend...

by two other men.

Don't let the coffee get cold.

No, I'm not alone.

It's been a long, hard drive for me too.

Comanches, no water, hardly ideal conditions.

Cattle drives are hard on all of us.

I don't wanna lose this race to Fort Adobe.

It sounds like you are losing it.

Because of you.

And because of you, I can be out in front tomorrow night.

A bribe?

- Call it what you will. - A bribe.

How much?

The highest price I can offer you, your life.

Remember, there's a warrant out for your arrest.

Your brother too, for murder.

A murder you said you saw us commit.

A murder I swore I saw you commit.

I filled out a deposition before I left.

It's all signed and sealed and in the county attorney's hands.

So you see, even dead, I'm a witness against you.

But you could change your mind and decide you'd acted hasty.

Well, we all make mistakes.

- Is it a deal? - No.

You're taking sides without even knowing what the fight's about.

These carpetbaggers are stealing Texas...

from under your noses and you can't even see it.

Did you ever see a carpetbag in Laura's hand or in mine?

You and Laura can't beat them, I can.

I'm not afraid to fight dirty in a dirty fight.

I'm gonna build a Texas-size ranch because that's the way it's gonna be.

If I don't, some carpetbagger will.

You're fighting on the wrong side.

I'm fighting on my side.

My brother Bart and I own 25 percent of this cattle drive.

That's $20,000.

Delay the drive and I can afford to pay you twice that.

In Confederate money, Jessie?

You're hanging yourself, Bret.

Beats letting strangers do it.

- I've been here a while. - You could have coughed or something.

I'm afraid we haven't heard the last of Mr. Hayden.

What do you think he'll try?

Who knows?

He was desperate to make the offer. He's twice as desperate now.

What would you do if you were in Jessie's place?

You can't beat us and you can't buy us out. What's left?

How can you stop us?

Stampede the herd.

Twenty minutes later...

I had a few volunteers and we were ready to ride out...

to find out if our guess about Hayden had been right.

The guess had been right.

Hayden and a dozen of his men were headed our way.

We made sure they saw us first and rode off.

The problem now was to get Jessie to follow us...

away from the herd.

And Jessie was a very obliging fellow...

because that was exactly what he did.

When we had let Hayden far enough for safety...

we left our horses and took to the rocks.

Jim, I'm gonna try to get them from above. Cover me.

Watch yourself.

Bret, I got Jessie.

Stop shooting, men. Hold your fire.

Hold your fire, boys.

Jessie's dead.

What are you fighting for? What can you win now?

You couldn't sell his cattle even if you could beat us.

You're fighting for nothing.

Better get out while the getting's good.

If you don't, we start shooting again.

Well, do you go or do we shoot?

Go.

Faster!

Hey, Bret, Jessie's still alive.

Is he bad?

Pretty bad.

Get me to a doctor, quick.

- Help me, Maverick. - Why?

I promise to tell the truth about the killing.

You got yourself a deal, Jessie. Get a stretcher made.

Two days later...

the cattle were being herded into the army pins at Fort Adobe.

And Hayden, still holding on, was in the post infirmary.

Well, doctor?

He's dying and we can't get the bullet out.

- Is he still conscious? - Yes.

- I've gotta talk to him now. - It might be better if you didn't.

He's dying, but there's no reason to speed it up.

There's a reason, doctor.

You see, he put a noose around my neck and he's the only man who can take it off.

He signed a deposition accusing me of murder.

He's ready to tell the truth about it now and you've got to be there to hear it.

Jessie. Jessie.

There's a doctor here, a witness. Tell him the truth.

Do you understand what I'm saying, Jessie?

You made a deal, Jessie. Tell him.

Tell him.

Is there something you should say to me?

Hang, Maverick.

He's dead.

So long, boys. Thanks a lot.

You did a good job.

Well, that's it.

You know, Bret, there's no reason why you can't go back to Texas.

With Jessie dead and everybody knowing how I felt about you and Bart...

I don't believe they'd press any murder charge.

You may be right, but I don't feel like taking a chance.

Not with that deposition on file back there.

Maybe when I catch up with Brother Bart...

he'll have the tall man in tow.

Last time I heard, the trail led to Colorado.

Awful lot of country up there. Need any help?

No thanks, Jim.

You'll have your hands full keeping her out of trouble.

No telling what her next get-rich-quick scheme will be.

I hear they need cattle up in Kansas.

Where in Kans...?

Oh, you're impossible.

- Well, goodbye, Bret. - Goodbye, Jim. Good luck.

Your servant, ma'am.

What, um...?

What happens if you find this tall man, you go back to Texas and settle down?

Well, that worries us quite a bit too.

Of course, it would be nice if we were able to go home...

so we do look for him.

Well, if I happen to run into him, I'll, um... I'll try not to notice.