Original subtitles

Come on.

Hey! Could you spare some water?

Howdy. Hey, you got a little trouble there, son?

Yeah. He threw a shoe a ways back.

How long would it take you to fix him up? Well, I can get right on it.

Say half an hour. Say 15 minutes, I'll give you an extra dollar.

I work as fast as I can, boy, and I charge everybody the same.

Half an hour. All right.

It's just I wanted to make Rawlins by nightfall.

How far is it? Twenty miles.

He ain't in no shape to go that far.

I guess you're right.

All right. Take care of him.

Sure thing. Oh, uh, is there a place I can wash up?

Yeah, out back. Thank you.

Bart. Draw me a beer, will ya?

I'm so thirsty I... Oh.

Hello, gentlemen. Well, look who's here, Lafe.

One of Shiloh's finest. Oh, not the finest.

The best-lookin' maybe, but not the finest.

Oh, you like to make jokes, don't ya?

With your kind, Callan, it helps.

- Helps what? - Helps me.

Either I laugh at you or I fight you. And I got orders not to fight.

Oh, is that a fact? Mm-hmm.

You boys ready for another one?

Better give us another shot.

So you got orders not to fight, huh?

Just with your outfit.

My boss doesn't want us to slug it out with our neighbors.

No, he wouldn't.

He figures he can win them water rights in court. Well, my boss says he can't.

That's fine. Let them slug it out... in court.

Well, let's have us a little toast, Lafe.

Here's to the Shiloh outfit. Yeah.

Every lily-livered one of 'em.

Ah! Give us another shot, Bart.

Oh, and bring our friend here another beer.

Unless maybe he'd rather have a glass of milk.

Give me a beer, bartender.

Well, what do you know?

We must have us another Shiloh hand in here.

Yes, sir, a new one. Who are you, boy? I'm a thirsty man.

A real thirsty man, like I was thirsty out on the trail when you almost rode me down.

Oh, was that you?

Well, now, you see, we were scared.

I mean, you might have been a big, bad highwayman.

I wanted some water. That's all.

Well, next time, carry a full canteen.

Thanks for the advice. Now I'll give you some.

Next time you're in a hurry, if you should ever see me in your way,

don't you try to go over me, mister.

You go around.

Here we go!

Whoa, friend! Whoa!

That's enough.

Ooh. Hey, come on. I'll buy you a beer.

That's a good idea. Bart?

Well. Oh, uh, they call me Trampas.

Denny Todd. I'm glad to know you, Denny.

Who are they? They work for the Kimbro outfit.

The kind that are hard to live with.

Yeah. I'm sorry I got you into the fight.

Mmm! I'm not.

I was lookin' for any excuse I could find to go against Mr. Grainger's orders.

- Grainger? - Yeah, he's my boss.

Hmm.

I used to know a man named Grainger once.

Clay Grainger. That's a good name.

Well, it sure is. Where'd you know Mr. Grainger from?

Your boss is Clay Grainger?

Yeah. He owns Shiloh.

Now, maybe this... maybe this isn't the same one.

I used to know this man in Texas.

That's where he's from... East Texas.

East Texas? Yeah.

Is his wife's name Holly? Oh, sure is.

Man, I ain't seen the Graingers in 15 years!

- And they're here? Right here? - Right here. I take it you know 'em well?

Well? Oh, like family.

I lived with 'em for a spell... from the time I was 11 till I was 13.

Well, I'll be. They'll be sure glad to see you. Wanna ride out with me?

Do I!

Uh, we'd better get out of here before they wanna buy us another beer.

Thanks, Bart. Ooh, boy.

Mr. Grainger? Oh, hello, Trampas.

- Come in. - Uh, I think I got a surprise for you.

- Oh? - Yeah.

I met this fella in town, and, uh, well, he said he knew you.

And we got into a... Uh, well, anyway, I-I brought him along with me.

Who is he?

Um...

Well, maybe I need a haircut. You used to say

I looked like a grizzly when it got too long.

Denny.

Denny Todd! Well, where...

Where have you been? How did you get here?

Trampas, go get Mrs. Grainger. Tell her to come here right away.

Well, what... Well, sit down. Sit down.

Let me... Let me have a look at you. Oh!

Oh, it's good to see you again.

You haven't changed at all.

Well, you sure have. You used to be a scrawny little fella.

- And look at you now. - Yeah, now, I'm a shaggy big fella.

Oh, and, Trampas, would you stoke my fire, please?

Here comes Holly. Just sit there.

Clay, what is it that you want... You know this fella?

Right away.

D-Denny! Oh!

Denny! Denny. Oh.

It's so good seein' you two again.

Oh, it's been years and years.

Oh, you've... you've grown so tall and so strong.

And he still hates to cut his hair. Oh!

His... His hair is...

His hair is just fine. Well, how long can you stay, Denny?

Well, I don't know. I promised to meet this friend up in Rawlins.

Well, can't that wait a day or two?

Well, I... I know.

I'll fix your favorite supper. Do you remember what it was?

He remembers!

Boiled beef. My friend can wait.

I'll do it. Now, Clay.

You take him upstairs and show him where to rest and-and where to wash up.

And-And tell Elizabeth to come right down and help me.

It won't take me very long.

Oh!

Oh!

You mean he just left when he was 13?

Well, there had been some trouble in town.

Some boys had taken some things from Bill Fuchs's general store,

and somebody told the sheriff that little Denny was one of them.

Was he? No, we didn't think so.

Well, Clay and I told Denny that we would stand behind him.

But he was so terribly frightened that he ran away.

That's too bad. Yes, it was.

He wasn't with us nearly long enough.

Where did he come from?

Well, that was the strangest thing of all.

He just appeared one day.

Of course, down there, our ranch was so near the Mexican border,

that we felt that he had crossed over.

Anyway, he was in the yard trying to steal a chicken.

And Clay caught him. He was gonna tan his britches.

But then he saw how hungry he was, and he was on the verge of starving.

So we decided to take care of him.

Of course, we only thought it'd be a week or two.

Instead of that, it turned out to be almost three years.

So you took him in?

Yes. And we tried to get him to tell us about his people.

But he never would. And then Clay decided that maybe...

he had lost his mother and father in that terrible epidemic,

like we lost our twins.

I decided that providence had sent him.

Anyway, he was here, and we grew to love him.

I'm anxious to meet him.

Well, you're going to just as soon as...

What's the matter? Oh, my pie!

Well?

Oh. Yeah.

This, uh... I...

Just couldn't be helped. That's all.

Just couldn't be helped?

Had to step in there and start swingin' at Kimbro's men?

Well, they... I couldn't let 'em beat up on a man like that.

Why'd he start the fight in the first place? He got a hot temper or something?

No. No, not exactly. He's... Oh, you'll like him. Wait till you meet him.

I'm gonna meet him right now. The Graingers invited me to supper.

Oh, good. Good. Now, look, Trampas. I hope your new friend...

hasn't said anything to Mr. Grainger about this fight in town.

Yeah. He'd be pretty unhappy about it.

Uh-huh. Yeah, he would. He wants those water rights settled in court,

not in a barroom or out on the range. Uh-huh.

You say "uh-huh" and you nod, but this isn't anything I want you to shrug off.

Now, I mean it, Trampas. You better learn to control yourself...

Hey, hey, hey! What's all the yellin' about? Oh, we're not yellin'.

This here's the foreman. This is Denny.

Oh. You're the one Mrs. Grainger sent me down to fetch.

Supper's almost ready. I'll get my hat.

You know, from the way Trampas described you, I'd have expected somebody different.

- Uh, no, Denny. - You saying something to me?

I just don't like bein' yelled at or seein' my friends yelled out.

Denny, he's the foreman.

You keep in mind what I said.

I... You bet.

Uh, Denny, look. Thanks for tryin' to help,

but, uh, Denny, no, not with him.

See, he's my best friend. Best friend I got.

And sometimes, we just yell at each other. Doesn't mean anything.

I yell at him, he yells at me. All right, all right.

I just don't like seein' a man throw his weight around. Oh, yeah.

Well, listen. You, uh... You go have a good supper.

I'll play you some poker when you get back. All right.

All right? I'll see you later.

You bet.

Mm-mmm. You don't bake as good as before.

You bake 10 times better.

More coffee, Mr. Todd? Yes, please.

But that "Mr. Todd"... Well, you're a "Mr." now.

Fifteen years ago, you were 13 then.

- What is it, 28? - Mm-hmm. Guess so.

I still haven't figured out my exact birthday.

Well, we used to celebrate the 15th of March,

'cause that was the day you came to our place.

Yeah, that's right. I remember the first time too.

Mr. Grainger and I were out clearing a field.

It got to be suppertime. We came back in,

and there sittin' on the table was this big white cake all loaded down with candles.

I didn't know what it was. I didn't have the faintest idea what it meant even.

Then I looked at the two of you, and... you were both smilin'.

And I knew it meant somethin' nice.

Somethin' awful nice and good.

You know, back there in Texas,

Denny was a real help on that ranch.

Sometimes, the only help.

How many hands do we have now?

Sixteen last week.

Think we could use another one?

We can always use a good hand.

I can vouch for this one.

Whatever you say.

Now-Now, wait a minute. I'm gonna have to take time to think that over.

Wait till you see it. You'll fall in love with this place.

I'll take you out tomorrow and show it to you.

I can do that. I mean...

What I mean is, well, if you're busy, Uncle Clay...

Well, that's very kind of you, Elizabeth.

You mean everything we've seen so far is Shiloh Ranch? Every bit of it.

It sure is a lot bigger than what

Mr. Grainger had in East Texas, I'll tell ya.

Denny, where did you go when you left that place in Texas?

Oh, I signed on to a cattle drive goin' to Kansas.

A cattle drive? At 13?

Yeah. Back in those days, cattleman couldn't afford to pay a man's wages.

Most of the drovers were about 14, 15.

That's where the name "cowboy" came from, you know.

I never knew that. Yeah.

What did you do in Kansas? I did a lot of things.

Didn't you miss... having... Miss the Graingers?

More than I ever missed anybody in my whole life.

See, Mr. Grainger was more than just a friend to me.

He was like a father.

I reckon I still feel the same way about him.

What's over that way?

Beyond that hill is the road to Medicine Bow.

We'll be taking that tonight. Tonight?

There's a dance in town.

- You do dance, don't you? - Not very well.

Good. I'll teach you.

♪ We're gonna dance the night away ♪

♪ The party's just begun ♪

♪ Listen to the music play and everybody's havin' fun ♪

♪ But I can't wait until it's done ♪

♪ I'll take you home and hold you tight ♪

♪ Whisper words to you ♪

♪ Would you be so kind take this heart of mine ♪

♪ With a love that's, oh, so true so true ♪

♪ A love that's, oh, so true ♪

♪ With a love that's, oh, so true ♪♪

♪♪

Here.

Thank you. Elizabeth?

No, thanks. I still want to dance.

And you're elected. My pleasure, ma'am.

May I have this dance? You'll have to ask Trampas.

He's my escort tonight. Oh. Well...

Uh, sorry, George. She's mine for the whole evening.

And better yet, I'm hers. Oh, now, come on, Trampas.

You... You can't dance 'em all.

No. But the ones we don't dance, we sit out together.

Sorry, George. Maybe next month, George.

Yes, George.

Are you having a good time? Oh, I am. I really am.

Maybe you'll change your mind about going up north.

I already sent a telegram. I told him I was gonna stay here for a while.

Oh, Denny, I'm so glad.

You can be our guest as long as you want. Oh, no, no.

I'm not gonna be a guest. If I stay, I aim to work. Well, fine. Fine.

Oh, there's Ada.

Well, hello, Kimbro. I didn't see you here, Grainger.

That's not a very friendly greeting.

I don't feel especially friendly towards you.

Some of your hands ganged up on two of my men in a saloon brawl yesterday.

Oh? Well, that's no way to settle our differences.

But I find it a little hard to believe that my men would "gang up" on two of yours.

Afraid I have to believe my own foreman, Mr. Callan.

- He was one of the men they jumped. - Callan's a liar.

What? Who are you, boy?

Oh, this is Denny Todd, a friend of ours. Ed Kimbro.

What do you know about this, Denny?

That's where I met Trampas yesterday... in the saloon.

Callan was in there with another man. I took a swing at Callan.

Trampas just stepped in to help me.

So it was just you and Trampas against two of them?

Yes, sir.

That hardly sounds like ganging up to me, Kimbro.

You believe your men, Grainger. I'll believe mine.

I'm sorry if I caused you any trouble. No, that's all right.

Don't worry about it. It couldn't be helped, I suppose.

Well, let's not let it ruin our evening.

Pretty fancy step, huh, George?

Hey, what's wrong with you? Trampas.

He's a hog. That's what he is.

Well, maybe he'll sit one out.

Sure, he'll sit one out, with her.

Wish I could...

He's gonna sit one out. Come here.

♪♪

Aren't you tired yet, girl? Not a bit.

Uncle Clay, it's your turn next. No, no, no, no, no.

You take Denny here. I'm worn out just standing around.

Trampas? Now, look, George. I said no.

No, I just wanted to apologize for, uh, tryin' to horn in.

Oh. That's decent of you, George.

Yeah. And I saved a couple of chairs for you if you'd like to, uh,

rest a bit. That's very nice of you.

Oh, you did that, did you, George? Yes. They're right over there.

Oh, no. Mr. Grainger, don't sit there!

Oh, Clay!

Are you hurt, Mr. Grainger?

No. Just-Just my dignity. I'm sorry, Mr. Grainger. I'm sure sorry.

It was a joke.

A joke? Yes, I...

Well, I didn't think you'd sit here, Mr. Grainger.

I meant it for Trampas. Oh, you did?

All right. Let's... Let's break this up. I'm embarrassed enough already.

No harm done, so we'll just forget it.

Maybe we'd better dance. I think it's safer out there than it is here.

I'll settle with you later.

I'm glad he wasn't hurt. Denny?

Denny. Huh?

Shall we?

Uh, no. Go ahead. I'm-I'm gonna get some fresh air.

I'll see you later.

The belle of the ball. I do all the asking.

Looks like that's about to change.

Miss Grainger? I'd be delighted.

You leavin'? Huh? No.

I'll go back in after a while.

I just feel kind of... Well, you know.

Yeah. Mr. Grainger could've been hurt.

He could've been hurt real bad. Yeah, I know.

It's, uh... Well, I'm sure sorry about the way it worked out.

Sorry ain't good enough.

Hey! Hey! That's enough!

That's enough!

He's hurt. He's hurt bad.

He could've hurt Mr. Grainger.

Well, he didn't mean to. We'd better get him to a doctor.

You get him to a doctor. For all I care, he can bleed to death.

Go on! Go on in there!

Well, you think we can ship that many next month?

No trouble at all. Fine. Fine.

Oh, say, where'd you assign Denny?

I put him with Trampas riding ketch.

Oh. Good. Speaking of Trampas,

I understand he and Denny had a little run-in with Kimbro's man Callan.

Yes, I, uh, heard about that. Well, that's dangerous.

From what I hear about Callan, he's ramrodded

other outfits in a pretty rough way.

Been known to bring in gunmen.

Well, I don't think Kimbro would go along with that.

Do you? Well, you don't know for sure.

He's bound to lose those water rights.

After the hearing, he's gonna be in a pretty nasty mood.

That's all the more reason why our men shouldn't tangle with his.

There's no sense in gettin' him even more riled up.

I talked to Trampas about it. He understands.

Well, I guess it was Denny actually started it.

He's got quite a temper. Last night at the dance...

Yes, I talked to Denny about that.

He's just spirited. That's all that's the matter with him.

I wouldn't give a dime for a man who wasn't.

Yes, sir.

Well, how'd it go today, Denny?

Oh, fine. Fine. Yeah, that Trampas is a top hand.

Well, he says the same thing about you.

I guess you've worked a lot of ranches, huh?

Oh, some here and there. I've done a little bit of everything.

Oh, well, experience is good.

So is travel, I guess.

But puttin' down roots, staying in one place...

where you got friends, somebody you really care about,

that can be pretty good too. Yes, sir.

Well, you know, it's a funny thing,

how when somebody does go away... somebody you care about...

Leaves a big empty feeling.

You go about your chores as usual,

but you keep looking around for the person that was there helping you.

You know, after you left, Holly wasn't the same for quite some time.

I'd watch her baking.

She didn't care whether her pie turned out or whether the bread was light.

It was pretty bad for her for quite a while.

I'm sorry, Mr. Grainger. I'm truly sorry.

Well, that was in the past.

I just want you to consider the present, Denny.

We're glad you're here, and we want you to stay...

just as long as you want to stay.

That may be for some time.

This is about the nicest place I've ever seen.

Well, you haven't seen half the ranch yet.

Say, we're riding up to the north range tomorrow to look for markers.

Why don't you come along? I'd like to.

Fine. Well, good night, son.

Good night, sir.

Now, this is the very limit of the north range.

Right now, there's a little dispute as to whether or not...

that water hole is on our property.

And that's Kimbro's land over there, huh? That's right.

The last owner didn't mind if we used this water hole, and we didn't mind when he did.

Kimbro doesn't feel that way.

Well, let's see if we can find that marker.

Over here!

Well, that's it.

I thought it was out here.

We got company.

You're on Kimbro land, Mr. Grainger.

Not according to that marker.

How does Mr. Kimbro know you didn't move that marker?

He knows because I say I didn't, mister.

That new hand you got there... We met before.

I figured you'd remember that.

The way people talk about you, it doesn't figure...

you'd hire a man to do your fighting for you.

You running scared, Mr. Grainger?

I hire men to punch cattle. That's all.

And the day I run from the likes of you is the day I retire.

Now, you get back to Kimbro and tell him to call off his pups.

We'll settle this marker question in court. Now get out of here!

You don't order me around.

You better do what the man says, Callan,

unless you figure four-to-three odds are good enough.

Another time. But don't you worry. I'll tell Mr. Kimbro.

I'll tell him plenty.

We should've forced their hand right here and now.

Oh, I want to avoid as much fighting as possible.

I know that kind.

You don't face 'em down, they'll sneak up from behind you.

Callan wouldn't do anything like that without orders.

And I just don't think Kimbro is that sort.

That's true.

Well, I'm gonna take Denny up into the hills, show him our pastures.

You comin' along? No, I've got a lot of work to do back at the ranch.

All right. We'll see you back there then. Come on, Denny.

It's the only thing we can do.

I don't know, Callan. I-I just don't know.

I do! Grainger's added more men.

That young tough was with him today.

Yeah, but to hire out-and-out gunmen...

They're not. The three of 'em have worked for me before.

I just happen to know they're in Cheyenne now, and they're out of a job.

Look, they don't mind punchin' cattle. But the point is,

if there's trouble, they know how to handle it.

I just don't like the idea...

of havin' those kind of people on my ranch.

Maybe later if there should be trouble...

Then it'll be too late. It'll take 'em two days to get here.

Look, if you'd seen Grainger on your land...

throwing his weight around...

I say we need force.

Maybe.

But... Well, if you should send for them,

they could stay in town, couldn't they?

Medicine Bow, and... Well, what I'm tryin' to say is...

then they would be nearby in case we should need them.

I guess they could. Of course, you'd have to pay 'em anyway.

I'd expect to do that.

It's just that I can't tolerate the idea...

of having hired guns on my ranch.

Unless it should be absolutely necessary.

All right.

I'll ride into Medicine Bow later, and I'll send a telegram.

They'll be here in two days.

Now, this trail's a little tricky here.

There's the shortcut. How is that pony of yours?

Oh, he's sure-footed.

All right, I'll go first. We'll just take it slow.

Right.

Look out!

You all right?

Yeah.

All right. I'll go round up the horses.

All right.

Clay is resting now. He'll be all right though.

Good. Denny.

He told me how you saved him from that slide.

I'm very grateful.

I'm just sorry he was hurt at all.

Excuse me. I want to heat up some soup for him.

Well, what do you say we take a ride to that rockslide area?

What for?

To see if we can find some tracks up on top of that cliff.

Huh. Are you sayin' you think somebody started that slide?

That's right. I warned Mr. Grainger.

If you got enemies, you face 'em down, or they'll sneak up on ya.

Now hold on. That's a dangerous trail up there. Rockslides are common.

You don't want to come along, I'll go alone.

Suit yourself.

Hurry it up, pop. Just a minute.

You ain't the only one in a hurry, mister. All right, all right.

Take this down.

If you was in such a hurry, why didn't you write out the message yourself?

Don't get smart with me, pop.

All right, all right. Smart is something you wouldn't understand.

Go on. I'll write it down for you.

Where to? To Cheyenne.

To a Clint Wharton, Cheyenne Hotel.

And the message? Um...

Bring Sam and Jack to Medicine Bow.

Meet you in saloon at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.

Signed, Callan.

You got that?

I got it. How much?

That's, uh, 65 cents.

Here.

What's this? I think it's time you and me had a little talk, Mr. Callan.

Well, you don't need the gun. I just wanna make sure you stay calm.

Last thing I'd want is for you to go for your gun.

That would be trouble, and I sure don't want to make trouble.

Well, what's botherin' ya?

Your sending for hired guns.

Well, now, I just went into town for a couple of drinks.

You always do your drinkin' in the telegraph office?

Uh, they're not hired guns. They're just a few friends.

You're lyin'.

I used to work for men like you, Callan.

I'd get a telegram. I'd show up. There'd be shootin', and I'd leave.

You've been a hired gun?

I've been a lot of things.

Well, now, uh, maybe we should talk.

We got nothin' to talk about...

as long as you call off those men.

Well, we're just protecting ourselves.

Mm-hmm. So you sent for three gunnies just to protect yourselves?

You won't send 'em back, well,

I'll handle them when the time comes.

But you...

At-At least give me an even chance.

Why risk it? You might get lucky and outdraw me.

Then who'd protect Mr. Grainger?

All right, give me two. Two hot ones. Yeah, right.

All right, two. Mm-hmm.

One. Two.

You know, Trampas, they felt awful cold.

Oh? Mm-hmm.

What's that supposed to mean?

Huh? Oh. Well, that's supposed to mean...

you're not supposed to know what that's supposed to mean.

That's what that's supposed to mean.

I see. You wouldn't be a bluffer now, would you, Trampas?

It'll cost you to find out.

All right. I'm takin' one.

Just one? Yeah.

Keepin' four?

It's to make you think I'm drawing to a straight and raise the pot.

No. It can't be done. Mm-mmm.

Well, this here's my last dollar till payday.

I'm callin'.

- Three nines. - Mmm. Three ladies.

See? I'm alive again.

Tell you what. Play another hand. Come on.

No, I'm sorry. It's almost suppertime. You're not hungry, are ya?

Well, there's the man. Would you like to play a little game of chance here?

- Cash poker? - No, thanks.

Lot of excitement in town today.

Kimbro's foreman got himself shot.

Oh? Callan?

Right outside of town.

Well, who did it?

They don't know.

He, uh, had his gun in his holster, and he hadn't been robbed.

Well, I'll be.

'Course, that kind makes a lot of enemies.

Still, it is quite a surprise, isn't it?

No, I don't think so. It's like Trampas said.

A man like that's bound to get into trouble.

Hmm. Well, I'm gonna go eat.

See ya after supper.

Denny? Hmm?

What are you thinking?

I ain't. Come on now.

Everybody thinks all the time.

Not me. After every picnic, I always turn off my thinker.

All right, then be stubborn.

All right. I was thinkin' about how full I was.

Is that what you wanted to hear? Not exactly.

Well, that's what I was thinkin'.

Man once told me it ain't good to lie around this full.

What do you suggest?

Good long walk.

All right. Then that's what we'll do...

as soon as I finish packing the basket.

Ooh, no. That'd be too long to wait. Just take a few minutes.

And then we won't have to...

Come back here with that. You want it, you're gonna have to catch me.

Come on. Give it to me.

Come on, Liz! Denny!

Come on. Give it to me. Come on. Come on.

Denny, please!

Well, Mr. Todd, is that enough exercise?

Yeah.

Well, I'd say so.

Enough so's I got to lie here for a minute.

Boy. I got to get used to having things so easy.

Is it that hard to get used to?

No, ma'am, not hard at all.

You are happy here at Shiloh, aren't you?

Yeah. I have been.

Denny.

When you first went to live with Aunt Holly and Uncle Clay,

you were 11?

Yeah, I suppose.

What kind of a life had you led before?

I'm sorry. That's none of my business.

No. That's all right.

Uh, when I was younger, I couldn't talk about it.

Without gettin' scared, I mean.

Even with the Graingers, without gettin' scared.

See, I-I had bad dreams.

Dreams? About what?

Well, guns and noise...

Yellin', shoutin', killin'.

See, I remember coming west with my folks.

Now, I don't know where they were comin' from,

where we all were goin'.

I just remember ridin' in the back of the wagon...

and bein' rocked to sleep.

Everything was good.

Felt safe and comfortable.

And then I heard 'em for the first time, I guess.

The guns and the yellin' and the shoutin'.

There was Apaches.

They killed everybody...

except three of us kids.

Took us as slaves.

I was the only boy. I was luckier.

After a few years...

Five maybe...

I began to feel Indian.

I began to... understand their ways.

Got to know them.

Then more guns and more yelling and more killing.

It was Mexican banditos this time.

They killed most of the Indians I got to know.

Took me into Mexico and sold me to a shopkeeper.

He used to work me pretty hard.

He beat me a lot.

One day, he was comin' for me...

to beat me for somethin'.

There was a shotgun on the counter.

Then I was the one doin' the yellin'...

and holdin' the gun.

And then I ran away.

I didn't kill him.

But with that gun in my hand, I wasn't afraid no more.

Just like I ain't afraid now to talk about it.

It's a shame you had to leave my aunt and uncle.

You weren't afraid with them, were you?

No. No.

But somethin' had gone wrong,

and I had to go.

It's gettin' into the afternoon.

So? Uncle Clay told you to take the whole day off.

I know. I know.

But I got some things I want to get in town before the store closes, so...

We can just swing around and drive in now.

No. No. I'd better ride in.

The truth is, I figured I'd get me a drink or two at the saloon.

Oh.

Like a typical man. All they think about is their stomachs.

Food and liquor.

You got a point there. Come on.

Evenin'. Evenin'.

Whiskey. Whiskey it is.

- Is that clock right? - Yeah, give or take a minute.

Have another? Why not?

Get busy, barkeep. Give us a bottle of whiskey and three glasses.

Comin' up.

I don't see him anywhere. Callan been in here today?

Callan? Well, you know him, don't ya?

Well, yeah, but... He's dead.

What? Somebody shot him a couple days ago.

You happen to know the name of Callan's boss?

Yeah. Kimbro.

But it won't... We'll take us a ride out and see this Kimbro.

Callan not bein' here, he should be real anxious to see us.

Like I was sayin',

you got no call to go out and see Kimbro.

Well, it's not for you to say, mister.

Just wanted to save you another ride.

Well, what makes you so sure this Kimbro can't use some more cowhands?

I don't know if he's lookin' for hands or not.

But I know he ain't about to hire any fast guns.

We don't like that kind of talk.

No offense.

Just there was talk about fast guns comin' into town.

If that's you, there ain't no jobs here anymore.

Hey, don't drink it all, boys. You save me a little.

What's the play?

Man here says we got no jobs in this town.

What's it to him?

You wouldn't be thinkin' of going to Kimbro yourself, would you?

Kimbro's no concern of mine.

I just think it'd be a good idea if you all rode out of town.

And if we don't?

Think it's such a good idea, I mean.

Then I guess we'll discuss it.

Come on, now, mister.

You don't really think you can take the three of us.

If I didn't, I wouldn't try.

There must be somethin' awful important in this for you.

It'd have to be for a man to try to take on three...

You ain't gonna hurt these people.

Mister, he can't hurt nobody now.

No, he can't.

I'm sorry, Clay. I have to hold him.

Well, why? The bartender said he didn't draw first.

He also said the boy prodded those three into the fight.

Yeah, once he knew Callan had hired 'em to fight me.

Is that a crime? That's downright bravery!

Look, Clay. Kimbro's already been here.

He's demanded a coroner's inquest tomorrow morning, and he's got it.

Until then, I have to hold the boy. Because Kimbro says so?

Now, you know better than that.

Kimbro does have a valid point though.

How come your young friend just happened to be in the saloon when those three rode in?

I gave him the day off. He wanted a drink. That's all.

Well, maybe.

Kimbro's trying to link this business tonight with the Callan shooting.

Oh, that's ridiculous. Well, maybe it is, maybe it isn't.

All I know for sure is there's gonna be a hearing tomorrow morning at 10:00.

And until then, he stays here.

- Can I talk to him? - Yeah, sure.

Hello, Denny.

You... You didn't have to come all the way in here.

Don't be silly. I'm only sorry I can't get you out tonight.

But they're having an inquest in the morning. Oh, yeah.

I know. I don't mind. It was a fair fight. I know it was, son.

And I know why you challenged 'em, and I'm grateful.

But you shouldn't risk your neck like that.

Maybe not. But they were here to fight you.

Yeah, and they could've just as easily have killed you,

which is an idea I find hard to stomach.

Holly and I wouldn't like to have to get along without you.

Fifteen years.

Just one thing.

I don't want people saying bad things about you.

Like what?

Oh, I don't know. The sheriff told me what Kimbro said.

Now, maybe they'll think you hire guns the way he did.

Oh, no, not after the hearing tomorrow morning.

It's gonna straighten everything out.

You take my word for it. Yes, sir.

Good night, Denny. Good night, sir.

- Evening. - Evening.

Good evening. Can I offer you a cup of coffee?

I just wanted to talk to Mr. Grainger for a minute.

Well, come in. Sit down. I'm free now.

I'll take these out to the kitchen, Clay. Excuse me.

Well, I'm glad you came by. You heard what happened in town?

Yes, sir. That's what I wanted to talk to you about.

Well, I'll want you to go in with me tomorrow.

They're trying to tie that shoot-out in with the murder of Callan.

You can testify that Denny was nowhere near town when Callan was killed.

Well, I'm afraid I can't do that, Mr. Grainger.

What?

I don't know where Denny was when Callan was killed.

Well, he was here. He brought me here after the rockslide.

Yes, sir.

But then he insisted on going back out...

to where the rockslide happened to check for tracks.

He was certain that Callan had deliberately caused that slide.

- What? - I told him I didn't think so.

But he rode out anyway alone. I don't know when he got back.

Well, but surely... I-I mean...

Well, he couldn't have found tracks. That slide was an accident.

I'm sure it was.

But I'm wondering if that mattered to Denny. Callan threatened you, you know.

That might have been enough to make him...

Enough to kill him? Well, that's impossible!

Is it? You remember the night of the dance in town?

That chair fell down? Yes.

Well, that was an accident too... your being in it.

But Denny took off after that boy who was responsible...

like he was trying to hurt you personally.

He told me he'd had a fight with the boy.

Did he tell you he might've killed him if I hadn't broken it up?

- No. - I talked to the bartender in town.

I don't think Denny was in that saloon by chance.

I think he was waiting there. I think he knew Callan had sent for those gunmen.

And I think he found that out the day he killed Callan.

Oh, no.

I know how hard it is for you to face... I said no!

You're saying that Denny is a killer, that he killed Callan in cold blood!

Well, you don't know. You just don't know!

That boy's like a son to me.

We love him.

Yes, sir, I know that. I know you love him.

And he must love you very much.

But is it right?

If he's killed someone because he loves you so much, is that right?

Well, when they heard that Callan was dead, they seemed kind of upset.

Then this fella Denny Todd here, he told 'em...

if they was gunfighters come to work for Callan, that they should go on home.

How did Mr. Todd know they were gunfighters?

He said he'd heard some talk they was sent for.

Go on. Well, I mean, that kind of surprised me.

I hear most of the talk around town, and I ain't heard nothin' about that.

But I guess Todd was right, though, I mean about them bein' gunfighters.

The way they moved away from the bar, you knew there was gonna be a shootin'.

And then a third one come in, and they talked a little.

And, well, that's when it happened.

One called Sam, he went for his gun.

And Todd killed two of 'em, wounded the third one pretty bad.

There's something strange going on here.

Something very strange.

I'm having a dispute over some water rights with Mr. Grainger.

And all of a sudden, this young Todd pops into town from no place at all.

First day in town, he picks a fight with my foreman, Mr. Callan.

A few days later, Mr. Callan is dead.

Mr. Kimbro, we are concerned here only with the shooting that took place last night.

But it all ties in. Don't you understand?

Yes, I admit I made a mistake lettin' Callan

talk me into sending for those three gunmen.

But, well, I was afraid there might be some trouble,

and I just wanted to have them here just in case.

But what happens? First night they're in town,

they get in a fight with Grainger's young killer here.

And now two of them are dead.

Oh, sure, you can say it was a fair fight...

Three against one... And let him go.

But what about Mr. Callan? Huh? Was that a fair fight?

He's found dead with his gun still in his holster.

Is there any doubt that the same man that took on those three gunmen...

is the man that gunned down Callan?

Oh, no. Not in my mind there isn't.

No, sir, I don't know where my hands are at all times.

But on the day in question, you testified...

that Mr. Todd brought Mr. Grainger to Shiloh after a rockslide.

Yes, sir.

Well, did Mr. Todd stay at Shiloh after that,

or did he leave?

- I don't know. - You don't know?

I know that Mr. Todd asked me to go back to the area of the slide...

to look for tracks, see if the slide was an accident.

I refused. But I did not see Mr. Todd leave the ranch,

and I don't know for a fact that he did.

Mr. Coroner, you have asked if I sent for Denny Todd,

if I asked him to come here and help...

because I feared trouble from Mr. Kimbro.

Well, I appreciate that question, because I can say here...

that had I been able to send for Denny Todd,

I would have done so long ago.

But not to come as a gunfighter or a protector,

but just to come and be with us...

because he was someone we loved very much.

Denny was our friend, and we welcomed him.

He came to us by accident a long time ago.

And now, after all these years,

he came to us again,

and we welcomed him as before.

Now, Mr. Kimbro has asked you to believe...

that I brought him here to settle a dispute I had with him.

That couldn't be further from the truth.

You people know me.

You know that when I do have a dispute,

I settle it in court.

I don't hire a gunfighter.

But the question here is, is Denny Todd a gunfighter?

And the only answer I can give you is...

Denny Todd is our guest, a long-awaited guest.

And the only reason for this hearing is that he shot three men...

who came here to do me harm.

I think I might do the same,

or try, for Denny.

In view of the testimony we have heard here,

I, as county coroner, do hereby state...

that in my opinion,

the shooting last night of Clinton Wharton,

Samuel Jacks and the wounding of John Ashe...

was justifiable.

This hearing is closed.

Thank you. If you hadn't been here to speak for me...

Never mind that now. I know how you feel.

Grainger! You must be pretty proud of yourself.

You got him off, didn't you? Huh?

It was that folksy little speech of yours.

"You people all know me, and I all know you."

Well, he's guilty, Grainger! I know it, and you know it!

That's about enough, Kimbro.

No, it isn't enough! Here's another thing.

You kind of handle yourself pretty good in court, don't you? Hmm?

I don't know whether it's the way you use your words or the way you use your wallet.

It seems to me you could hire a judge just as easy...

as you could hire a gunman.

And there's another thing.

Up till now, all the killing's been in your favor.

Well, I intend to change all that, even it up.

Yes, sir... first time you or any of your people...

set foot on my property.

Well, I can't say as I blame him for being worked up.

But we can't worry about him. Let's go on home.

Mr. Grainger? Oh. Hello, Denny.

Uh,

I think I'll be leavin' you for a while.

Leaving? Yeah.

Well, there's no need to do that, is there?

Well, yes, sir, there is. I still got that friend to see up in Rawlins.

Oh?

Besides that, that water rights hearing is coming up pretty soon.

I figured if I wasn't around, well, maybe...

Maybe Mr. Kimbro will cool down some.

- But you will be back? - I'd like to see anybody try and stop me.

Well.

All right, Denny. But you take care there in Rawlins.

We want you back safe. I will, sir.

I'll say good-bye to Mrs. Grainger and Elizabeth on my way out.

- You do that. - Good-bye, sir.

Bye-bye, Denny.

Afternoon. Afternoon.

Just thought I'd come out and let you know Denny pulled out.

For where? To go to Rawlins.

He figures his being gone might help to cool things down with Kimbro...

at least until after the hearings.

Well, that's fine, as long as he goes straight to Rawlins.

I thought we settled all that last night.

Not quite.

The coroner let Denny go today. He didn't think any of it was true.

The coroner let Denny off because there was no proof he was guilty.

That doesn't prove he was innocent. I think he killed Callan.

Why didn't you say that on the stand?

Because I wasn't asked that on the stand.

I was asked about what I knew, not my opinion.

You did it for me, didn't you?

Yes, sir.

Well, what are you trying to say now?

Denny's not leaving because of what happened last night.

He's leaving because of what's about to happen.

And he knows he can't get away with that. What?

Mr. Grainger, he's attacked everyone who's threatened you.

Today, after the hearing, Kimbro threatened you.

Well, maybe I'd better get over to Kimbro's.

Well, I'll go with you.

No, I'll go alone. Could be dangerous for you.

I said I'd go alone.

What are you doin' here?

I came for you, Denny.

How'd you...

How'd I know you were here?

I was hoping you wouldn't be.

I had to be. Why?

Before I could leave, I had to come here. Why?

You wouldn't understand. What would I understand?

That you had to come because you had to kill that man inside?

He wants to hurt you.

But he can't hurt me, Denny. You've been terribly wrong.

Terribly, terribly wrong!

You killed Callan, didn't you? I killed those men in the saloon.

Yeah, but first, you had to kill Callan,

because you thought you had to help me.

I was never able to help you before.

But you thought you could now. So you killed.

Yeah. They want to hurt you.

Now, I know that. Oh, Denny.

Denny, you can't just... Just kill a man,

take a human life, no matter what the reason.

You've gotta come with me. We gotta talk to the sheriff.

No. Look, there's no other way, Denny.

If there was, believe me, I...

We'll try to explain how you felt, what you thought.

We'll do everything we can.

You would turn me in?

Well, what you did was wrong.

But I did it for you.

I-I did it for you.

I know, Denny. But you're all mixed up.

I didn't want you to do what you did.

That wasn't the way. But I did it!

And now you wanna take me to the sheriff!

It has to be done.

No! No, you want them to lock me up!

I did all of that for you, and...

You're just like the rest of them, aren't you?

You know better than that.

No! No, I don't! I don't know nothin'!

All I know is you're the only man that ever meant anything to me!

- And now you wanna turn me in! - It's for your own good.

Oh, no. No. You're not gonna take me in.

No, Denny, don't! Don't!

Denny, son, put the gun down!

Oh! Denny!

Denny.

It doesn't hurt. Oh, it does.

It does. No.

It's all right.

I'm sorry.

You said I did wrong. It was all I could do.

I know. I understand.

Because I love you, it's all I could do.

Nothing's gonna hurt you now.

That's right, son.

Nothing's going to hurt either of us.