Original subtitles

Ho, boy!

Ho!

Ho! Easy now, boy.

You were aiming right at me. No. No, ma'am.

We wasn't aimin' at that little bird in your bonnet.

Though it was mighty temptin'.

We was goin' for the church steeple.

The cross? No! No, ma'am. The bells.

A bottle of Taos Lightin' for the first team...

that plays "Yankee Doodle" on 'em with hot lead.

Where you goin', ma'am? To the general store.

Would you mind just slippin' over,

and I'll run you on around there.

Whoa.

Well, now, aren't you boys ashamed of yourselves?

Now get your hats off and show this lovely lady here...

how regretful you are at almost killin' her.

Come on, Purty. Get your hat off.

Aw, look at that, ma'am.

Why a preacher himself would weep...

to see the sight of such pure repentance.

That's Weasel Willis Burr there. Met him and his boys the other night.

And a pleasure it was to out-swig such distinguished gentlemen.

That fella beside him is Purty.

There's Buck and Boom-Boom.

Them's the other team of sharpshooters I was telling you about.

They chased buffaloes.

Don't tell anybody what they chase nowadays though, huh?

Oh, and I almost forgot.

The other team of sharpshooters... that's myself and my sidekick.

I'm Benjamin Franklin Strattan. You just call me Ben.

Now, my sidekick... hidin' himself in the doorway... that's James Joseph Horn.

Come on out, James Joseph.

Show your manners.

Oh, you pray for him, ma'am.

Fallen under the evil influence of Satan himself.

That's me.

♪ Rock about my Sarah Jane ♪

♪ Yankees build boats for to shoot them rebels ♪

♪ My musket's loaded and I'm gonna hold her level ♪

♪ Oh, Sarah Jane ♪

♪ There's nothin' to do but to sit down and sing ♪

♪ And rock about my Sarah Jane ♪

♪ Rock about my Sarah Jane ♪

♪ Oh, rock about my Sarah Jane ♪

That's Holly. Somebody's with her.

♪ Sarah Jane ♪

♪ Rock about my Sarah Jane ♪♪

Oh, Clay, dear. Wasn't expecting you till this afternoon.

Well, I guess I didn't dawdle over the dress goods as much as usual.

And Ben... Mr. Strattan... Drives a mite faster than I do.

Mr. Strattan, I want you to meet my husband,

Mr. Clay Grainger.

Clay, this is Mr. Benjamin Strattan.

How are you? Glad to make your acquaintance.

If everything that Holly here... Uh, I mean Mrs. Grainger...

Says about you is gospel, sir, well, then you must be quite a man.

This hard case back here is my sidekick, James Joseph Horn.

Say hello to the boss now. How you doin'?

How are you?

Honey, we almost had a runaway in Medicine Bow,

and Mr. Strattan came to my rescue.

I see.

Thank you, dear.

You remember that the almanac said that we might be in for an early winter,

so I thought you might like to hire...

a couple of extra hands for the drive down from the high country.

So you hired 'em?

I said we would ask you. That's all.

Well, fact is, gentlemen...

Mr. Grainger, if you don't have a job for us, we understand, and no hard feelings.

If I was in your boots, I'd be a might leery myself,

puttin' on a couple of trail bums like us.

No, no, no. It's not that at all.

It's just... Yeah, I guess we do look...

something like what the cats might've drug in.

You put us in a saddle... we get the job done. And I mean any job.

Well, uh, what I'm trying to tell you is...

that, uh, my foreman does most of the hiring.

What do you say, ramrod?

Give you both a week's trial.

If it works out, I can use you till first snow.

Which way to the bunkhouse? Now, wait a minute, Ben.

Uh, you sure you wanna take this job?

Well, I don't know. How about you, J.J.?

Oh, I don't know.

Think we should give 'em a week's trial? Oh, by jingoes, why not?

And if they shape up, we'll just stay on till first snow.

Whoa, ho, ho, ho.

Hey, don't strike matches like that. You're gonna wake him up.

- Ow! - Quiet now, will ya?

You're gonna wake him up. Well, dang it, he's already up.

Not him. Him.

Now shh.

Oh, yeah, you did it. Oh, yeah.

Boy, he's wide awake, and he's hardly had two winks in the last week.

What is it?

Why, it's a transparent gossamer-winged butterfly.

Beauty.

Oh. What's that mean? That means you can scarcely see it.

These bugs are very rare. They're scarce as hens' teeth.

You see them little-bitty wings fluttering?

You know, you really have to open up your eyes to see it right.

I see it fine. Where?

Just open your eyes, Charlie. See? Right there.

Yeah, I still don't see it. What's the matter with you, Charlie?

You don't see nothin' that don't have a tail and four legs...

and got a pair of horns on it.

- What do you do with the little critter? - We race him.

Race? Yeah. Against my critter.

You joshin' us? How can you race...

You just let the little critter out, and the first one flies out the door wins.

Do you know that the king of Siam...

Butterfly racing is his second-favorite sport.

- We been racing for most of a month now. - Yeah, that's right.

And you're ahead 13 to 12, and I want to tell you today is my lucky day.

- We'll just see about that. - Yeah, we'll see about that, won't we?

Psst. Come here. He-He don't know it, but he can't win.

I fed his bug. It's gonna fly like a lead-bellied buffalo.

But how do you tell the difference between 'em?

Well, you see right there?

He's got the notch in the wing... That right wing... mine has.

Are you ready, J.J.?

I'm ready, Big Ben. All right, on the count of three.

One...

Two...

Three.

Hey! There he's going. He's going right for the door.

Aw, come on, Gimpy. Aw... Aw, come on, Gimpy.

He landed on your hat. Go! Go! Look out. He's comin' round.

Where'd he go? Come on, Gimpy!

Go, Gimpy! Gimpy, let's fly!

Where? Where? Where?

It's goin' out the door! The door!

Glory hallelujah! Did you see that? Right out the door.

You won again? Now, I'm really gettin' sick and tired of that.

And just by a hair too.

I don't know how that bug could fly like that on a full belly.

Butterfly race.

Butterfly race? Mm-hmm.

Well, it, uh, looks more like...

a couple of Brahman bulls got loose in here.

Butterfly race.

Well, I guess I don't have to ask who started it.

Well, don't look at me, friend.

I can't help it if a couple of the boys...

fell head over heels for a butterfly.

Hey! Who took my guitar?

Oh, was that yours, cowboy?

I moved it over there, bunk and all.

What the heck is goin' on? Just a minute.

You know, it's bad enough you makin' fools out of the crew the first day on the job.

But to come in here rollin' like a Kansas twister, full of brag and bluster,

movin' somebody else's gear around... Oh, now hold on, Tramp.

No harm intended. You're gonna be a lot happier over there, cowboy.

I got your best interests at heart.

This old boy here, why, he just snores up a storm.

Have you met my pappy here... James Joseph Horn? There he is.

And it's the hard life that he's led...

that makes him look such a wreck.

Oh, come on. Speak up, pappy.

Yeah, I taught that boy everything he knows.

Oh, yes, yes. And some things I shouldn't know.

You, uh, want your bunk over here?

Well, let's get this place cleaned up. I don't wanna wait all night for chow.

Don't stretch your luck, friend.

Next time might not be so funny.

Just keep a-smilin', Tramp, and you'll live a lot longer.

Well, I guess you told him.

Hey, you know, you really worked that butterfly business good.

Oh, no. Not me, Ben. You're the best.

No, no. I mean it.

Why, you had me even seein' them little things after a while too.

Mr. Grainger!

- Morning. - Looking for me?

Yeah. I just came from Del Wardlow's.

He wants me to call a special meeting of the cattlemen's association.

Seems losses are getting out of hand.

Somebody's helpin' themselves to a lot of choice beef.

That somebody must have a sizable herd stashed away,

and there's not too many places around here...

where you can keep a mixed-brand herd out of sight.

Could be using a running iron, changing brands, but I doubt it.

Wardlow's brand's the Box W.

Middleton's lost several head, and his brand's the Double Cross.

See what you mean. It'd be pretty hard to change those two to a single brand.

Holly said she saw some ex-buffalo hunters in town...

with those two new hands of ours.

One of 'em was Willis Burr. Did you ever hear of him?

I've heard of him... Plenty, and none of it good.

He and his men were responsible for slaughtering half the buffalo in Wyoming.

Shot 'em down as fast as they could load, stripped the skins...

and then left the carcasses to rot in the sun.

In a few years' time, the Arapaho Indians...

were starving for meat, thanks to Burr.

Yeah. They had a different name for him.

"The Butcher." Started me to thinking.

Suppose they're disposing of that stolen beef fast?

No need to change brands. No hiding a growing herd.

Something to think about.

Keep an eye out for 'em, huh?

I will.

Whoa. Whoa.

Ho! Whoa. Whoa. Ho, there. Easy, boy.

Ho.

Here they come. Easy. Don't want old high pockets to smell anything fishy.

Ho.

Where's our horses? Oh, they're back at the stables, takin' a siesta.

Change off twice a day around here.

New mounts are all ready. Oh.

Well, now, I'd say that was downright, uh, sweet of you boys.

Foreman wants you down by Bear Creek, Ben.

Anything for the little old ramrod.

Well, he seems a bit skittish, don't he?

He'll settle down. Oh, he'll settle down? Yeah.

You got a good hold on 'im?

You bet. You hold on to him, now,

'cause these big, dumb animals scare me sometimes.

Let him go. Hyah!

Stay with that fella! Stay with him, Ben.

Kinda skittish, huh?

Hold on to him, Ben! Hold on!

What did you fellas put him on Loco for?

Nobody's ever been able to sit on him for more than a blink.

- Aw, just a little joke. - You got him, Ben!

Hang on, Strattan. You're gettin' him.

Yahoo!

Hang in there, Ben! Keep his head down.

Yahoo!

Ain't a man alive can ride like my boy Ben.

- Yahoo! - You got him, Ben! You got him.

He's tiring. That's the way.

Some joke.

Ho, ho.

- That's pretty fair ridin' for a kid. - - Thank you, pappy.

You fellas better be careful of this wild animal here.

I think you got a sick horse on your hands.

You let him cool down a little bit... a couple of hours this evening...

- he'll be broke for the range. - I appreciate that.

You got any more owl heads like him?

Oh, half dozen. Maybe more.

Well, it seems a shame to let all that good horseflesh go to waste...

- just because it's gamy. - You think you can break 'em?

I know we can. If you think I'm good, you ought to see him.

Right, pappy? Right as rain, son.

'Course, we have to do that in our spare time. Cost you a little bonus.

- How does three bucks a head strike you? - Right between the eyes.

You're all right, ramrod. Salt of the earth.

We need a wagon up at the main house right away.

- Will you take care of it, Jim? - Sure.

The surrey will be fine. Mr. Grainger's in a hurry.

Cattlemen's meeting in Medicine Bow.

Shake a leg, pappy.

Well, there's a few dozen strays down by Bear Creek just pinin' for you boys.

Have at it.

I'll get him put away.

Uh, Strattan, maybe you can give me a little help.

Well, that cattlemen's meeting...

Range losses are ridin' high in this part of the territory,

and we're not even into winter yet.

That means somebody's doin' the midnight waltz with some of your strays, huh?

Well, they haven't really hit us yet.

Not yet.

But those ranchers the other side of town are beginning to get their dander up.

And you need my help?

I understand that you tied one on the other night...

with a bunch of ex-buffalo hunters in town...

just before you came to work for us.

That's right.

Do you have any idea what they're doing around here?

Why don't you come right out and say it, ramrod?

You wanna know if I'm workin' with 'em, don't you...

If I'm here to run off some of your strays.

Why don't you come out and say it straight?

Well, that's not what I said.

Since you brought it up, fine, I'm askin'.

Well, I'm tellin' you.

If I decide to rustle beef, you can bet your brand...

I ain't gonna divvy it up with no sweet-smelling buffalo hunters. No, sir.

That put your mind at ease, ramrod?

I should have known better than to ask.

If I knew anything about them fellas, I'd tell ya, but I don't.

Except I don't trust 'em no more than I can fly.

And the good Lord cut my wings when I was five for smoking corn silk in the outhouse.

Thanks.

Whoa.

Well, thank you, son.

I'm supposed to chair the meeting, so I better be on time for a change.

Now, don't stay too late after.

Just a couple of beers' worth.

Good-bye, Uncle Clay. Bye-bye.

Be careful, dear.

Well, Mr. Horn, how do you like working at Shiloh by now?

It's fine, ma'am.

Well, I, uh... I guess I better get back.

Jim... I wonder if you could do a chore for us.

We're in the midst of baking, and our woodbox is almost empty.

Yes, I, uh... I guess the ramrod won't mind.

Good.

I'll, uh... I'll put all the kindling to one side for you.

Thank you.

Elizabeth, you finish the icing, and I'll see to the table.

All right.

This is a mighty fine house you got here.

Thank you.

Yeah, Ben and me, we've... we've worked ranches over half of creation.

I mean to tell you, Shiloh puts most of 'em to shame.

I guess you must like drifting from place to place.

Yeah. It's the only way to live.

Do you think you'll ever see all there is to see?

Well, I don't guess anybody really ever does that.

Well, I guess...

Can I give you a hand?

Looks like your arm's about ready to fall off.

Thank you.

- Am I, uh, doin' this right? - Oh, it's perfect.

Aunt Holly says that when people start drifting, they never stop.

That's fine. Thank you.

Oh, it's perfect.

Your aunt's wrong about Ben and me.

It ain't all like that first mornin', when she saw us...

a-hootin' and a-hollerin', and the devil take tomorrow.

We sock away our wages every chance we get.

We're fixin' to buy us a piece of a valley one day soon and have our own place.

We're fixin' to breed the best gallopin' horseflesh you ever saw.

That's wonderful.

Elizabeth, if that cake tastes as good as it looks,

you're gonna have to do all the baking from now on.

Jim helped me whip up the icing.

Won't you sit down and have a piece?

Well, ma'am, the ramrod'll think I'm lollygagging.

Well, at least you can take a piece with you.

After all, you had a hand in the icing.

Well, maybe just a little-bitty piece.

Well, after we get 'em branded,

we might turn 'em loose in that basin up there.

Hey! Hold it up there!

They took off in a hurry. Wonder who they were.

Whoa. Whoa.

Now, there's nothin' to be scared of.

Why, that's just a little old blanket.

Why, that's just smooth and soft as silk.

Thought you boys would quit come sundown.

Well, there's more than one way to tamin' a horse now.

Ben... he likes breakin' 'em hard and fast. He's a twister.

Well, that's all right with some horses.

But there's others, like this fella here...

Well, they gotta be coaxed and gentled into that saddle.

What makes you feel that way about him?

I don't know. I got a feeling about him, I guess.

I like the way he takes to my words.

I seen some horses that'll blind buck and pile-drive...

if you so much as say hello to 'em, but not this fella here.

No, sirree.

Why, he's just gonna stand there...

and take the touch of this blanket without so much as battin' an eye.

See what I mean?

Where'd you learn so much about horses? From Ben.

First time I saw him, I was working in a livery stable.

He came round to break a string of mustangs for the stable owner.

And never in my life have I seen a man could stick to a horse like Ben.

High rollers, sun fishers, weavers...

You name it, he'd break it pretty as you please.

When did you team up with him?

Right then.

I was just about 13.

See, my ma, she, uh...

She went off with this fella and...

Left me with the stable owner as sort of a chore boy.

Oh, my ma was real pretty. And lively too.

She just couldn't stay put.

'Course, she never had a place nice as Shiloh to stay put in.

Usually some dark old backroom.

Well, anyway, when Ben left town, I went after him.

He tried to shoo me away,

but I begged him to teach me to be a horse-fighter.

Didn't want to spend the rest of my life cleanin' out stalls.

I guess he took pity on me, 'cause he let me ride with him.

I must have got in his way something fierce in those days.

You tell me how many places are looking for a hand with a tag-along kid.

Ben just stuck right with me and let me ride with him...

till I could be a real help to him.

Yeah, Ben and me... We've had us some good times.

By the way, I owe you some money.

Comes to nine dollars. For what?

- Breakin' three horses. - Well, there's only two.

This one's not ready yet, but I'm gettin' him there.

All right.

Comes to six dollars.

And three more when he comes around to your way of thinking.

I could, uh, add it to your wages...

and pay you on payday.

Uh, well, no, sir. If you don't mind, I'll take it right now.

Just feast your eyes, son.

Foreman just give it to me. That's our bonus for bustin' those two wild ones.

Well, ain't you gonna jump for joy?

I done all my jumpin' or buckin'...

or spine-bendin' for one night.

Do you mean to tell me you let that little old hunk of horse...

take all the ginger outta you?

You're gettin' old, son. Yeah.

I'm gettin' old.

Hey, I'm just joshin' you, Ben.

Oh, I know that. Don't you pay no mind to me.

And that other pair we was fightin'...

That'll mean six more dollars closer to that piece of land.

I mean... I mean, we're ridin' high.

Oh, boy, it'd be something, wouldn't it,

if we saved up enough to get us a real big hunk of land?

You mean like Shiloh?

Well, not that big.

I know we could never save that much. Yeah, that's right.

Why, we could sock it away between now and the end of time...

and we wouldn't have that kind of money.

I know that.

'Course, if you like it here,

well, you could ask the ramrod to put you on permanent.

- Oh, come on, Ben. - It's all right by me.

Don't talk like that. You and me is a team.

The only way I'd ever want to stay on here is if you wanted to.

Well, don't you hang around by the neck waiting for me to want to.

Because I'm a trail bum, and I'm happy to be one.

Well, doggone it, so am I.

You...

Will you tell me what the devil we're jawin' about?

I mean, if somebody ever cooped me up in one place...

for more than a season, I just couldn't ever stand it.

Be like bein' in a pine box.

Might as well be dead.

You got trouble, James Joseph?

This one looks like he got himself horn-hooked.

Want me to give you a hand? Aw, the next thing you know,

you'll be tryin' to put my boots on for me. Get outta here!

Suit yourself.

Hah!

Hold up there, Jim!

Let him go.

No four-legged outlaw's gonna sass me. I'll run him back.

Let him cool down first. He's on the prod.

Look, I don't care. Well, I do!

I don't want to see one of my best riders get busted up.

Well, you and Ben were gonna give us a week's trial. How are we doin'?

- Not too bad. - Think you'll stay on for a while?

Well, uh, till the first snow, if you need us. And then what?

- We'll hit the trail, like always. - Well, that sounds like you.

You ever think about your future, Jim?

I don't mean just next month or next week,

but a year from now, maybe two.

Now, look, ramrod, we got ourselves a nest egg.

We're savin' up to buy a horse farm. We ain't just a couple of trail bums.

What I meant was, I might not want...

to do without you and Ben when winter comes.

I better haze that critter back before he gets lost.

♪♪

♪ So don't look for me in December ♪

♪ I'm not comin' back at all ♪

♪ Well, I'm leavin' the mines in Virginia ♪

♪ For the gold in the mountains that calls ♪

♪ So don't look for me in the springtime ♪

♪ I'm not comin' back at all ♪♪

Hey, kid's all alone.

Oh, he ain't no kid.

He's a big boy now.

Where's your keeper, boy?

Mm-hmm. There he is.

Mr. Strattan himself.

Hey, why don't we sew a pair of wings on 'em and race 'em?

Yeah, first one back out the door wins a booby prize.

One-way trip to the North Pole on a dogsled.

Mister, you're all mouth.

Well, that's better than bein' all wet, ain't it?

- Stand up, mister. - Oh, I was just joshin' you, boy.

Hey... Now, hold it. That's enough.

Hey, Jim, now, if you're gonna stay on here steady,

you're gonna have to learn to take a little ribbing.

- We're just one big, happy family. - Who asked you to butt in?

I think you did.

You bein' top hand don't mean beans to me.

Now get out of my way. Hold on now, Jim.

I think I outweigh you a little.

Now, Jim, it was me they was ridin', not you.

That's right, pappy.

You can't fight your kid's battles for him all his life.

Why, sure. I'm old enough to fight my own battles now.

Why I even shaved yesterday.

You're trying to make a fool out of me too, huh?

Well, what the devil is eatin' you?

You really mean to start a two-against-the-house

fandango like Santa Fe in there?

- I'm sorry. - Yeah, you look it...

Like I was sorry about the other one.

No, sir. Once a year's enough for that kind of nonsense.

- Still lickin' my wounds. - Let's get outta here. Now.

I can see that you're not in the mood to chew the fat about old times.

I just wanna shake the dust of this cow patch, Ben.

That all right with you? Sure.

Don't let a little fracas like that... That ain't why.

I don't give two hoots for that bunch in there one way or the other.

It's just that... Well, you know how it is.

A man gets restless stuck in one place. It's time to move on.

Never thought that I'd be hearin' you be the first one to want to leave.

Well, let's ask for our time right now.

Oh, well, one of the first rules of life...

is that you don't quit a job before chow time or sack time.

Well, then tonight is our last night.

Is that what you want?

That's the way I want it.

Hey, old John!

John Douglas!

Hold on there. Hold on there, Glory, girl.

She's so spooked at what's snappin' at her tail,

she didn't even recognize you, Charlie.

- Snappin' at her tail? - Yeah, winter comin', son. Winter...

Teeth bared like a hungry wolf.

Gold must be thinnin' out.

You never let the snow drive you outta them rocks for at least another month.

- What brings you down so early? - Oh, I can smell it.

Yeah, I can see it...

Ready to pounce on any fool that can't read the warning.

Oh, I don't mean just an early winter, son.

But a big blow. A real Injun summer blizzard.

Well, you got all your beef up there, ain't you?

Yeah, I'm on my way now to map the herds.

We figure to start movin' 'em down in a week or so. Oh, no.

Move 'em now, son, and move 'em faster...

than Moses moved the Israelites.

'Cause it's comin', I'm tellin' you. Signs all say so.

Why, the air up there in that canyon...

heavier than a fat man's coffin.

Birds... Birds on the wing a month 'fore their time.

Why even old Glory here is kickin' up her heels...

like she couldn't wait to fly along with 'em.

Now, you got a week... that is, if you're lucky, son.

Only a day or so if you're not.

And every last one of them mountain passes will be snowed in.

I appreciate the advice, John. I'll sure pass it along.

Good. See you in the spring, son. Come on, Glory.

Good morning. Come on in.

We'd like to see the ramrod, miss.

I understand he's here with your uncle.

He's in the study working on the ledger.

No, we'll just wait out here if you don't mind, miss.

- There's a fresh pot of coffee. - We're kind of in a hurry, Elizabeth.

You mind gettin' him?

Yeah, I'll tell him.

You're sure now? Look, how many times I gotta tell you?

All right, all right.

Ben, Jim, what can I do for you?

Well, we're gonna head on out, so I thought we'd come by and pick up our time...

and the bonus for them last two mustangs.

Head on out? Well, why?

Truth is, old Jim wants to hit the trail.

Howdy.

Charlie said he just ran into John Douglas.

Swears there's a big storm brewin'. Might hit any day now.

Well, he could be wrong about that.

Well, all I know is, he comes trottin' out of those hills...

just before the first big snow hits.

He hasn't been wrong once as far as I can remember.

Well, I'm not gonna risk three herds of Shiloh beef...

against that kind of record. Want me to round up the hands?

We'll split 'em up in teams. Mr. Grainger will have one, I'll take one,

and you'll have one. All right.

Strattan, I'll square with you.

Sometimes takes us up to three weeks...

to get all our cattle out of the high country.

This time, we may have to do it in less than a week.

Could sure use a man with your skill and experience.

Need you both.

Wish you'd stay on till after the drive.

That's up to pappy here.

Yeah. Well, all right.

But just till you get your cows home safe. Hear?

Fair enough.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Come on.

Yeah, ramrod sure believes in gettin' his money's worth, don't he?

Yeah. Speak of the devil.

Ben, we're about an hour from sundown.

You wanna ride on ahead and pick us out a bed ground?

I thought you was fixin' to run 'em all night. Good. Let's go, pappy.

I'll need Jim here.

Trampas's crew could use an extra hand up on those rocks.

Gotta chase down those strays while they can still see where they're going.

- I'll meet you at the bed ground, Ben. - Let's go.

Hey! Keep away from that drop.

Trampas!

Ramrod says you need a hand.

Half a dozen'd be more like it, but you'll do.

Just try and flank 'em. Keep 'em away from that ravine.

Trampas, over here! Charlie's in a bad way!

Hurry up! Over here! Come on!

One of them on-the-prod critters spooked his horse.

He threw 'im down there.

He's right there on that ledge.

Let's get this rope down to him.

I tried that. He can't grab hold.

He must've busted his shoulder or somethin'.

There's only one thing to do.

Here. You lower me down... I'll do it.

What? Well, as you say, I'm a fair piece lighter than you anyway.

Shouldn't a-eat that pie last night.

We got about an hour left of sun.

If you slip with this rope... I wanna do it.

How do you know he can even... Go get a couple of boys.

And some more rope. We'll have to man two ropes to bring 'em up. Go on.

Charlie! You hold on now, you hear?

Hold on, Charlie. We're throwing a rope down there.

Good throw.

Get Jim down there now.

Take it easy, Jim.

Go easy. Steady, Jim. You all right?

Keep it taut!

You take it easy, Charlie!

Good work, Jim.

You're almost there, Charlie.

Watch your footing. Hold on, Charlie. Almost got you.

Watch your shoulder. Here we go.

Come on.

Careful.

Well...

You almost became our first angel with spurs on.

How do you feel? Oh, not too bad... now.

- I'm sorry I yapped at you down there. - That's all right.

Kid popped my shoulder back in as pretty as you please.

Hurt like the dickens. Sure feels better now.

Well, you think you can ride?

Just give me a boost up, and I'll be on my way.

Thanks to ol' Jim here.

You boys tuck him in at night camp.

Harper, see how that shoulder is in the morning.

Jim and I are gonna comb the rest of these woods,

see if we haven't left any orphans out in the cold.

You got rope burn?

Oh, just a mite. Maybe you ought to go back to camp.

No, it's okay. Well, all right.

Trampas?

The other night when I tried to pick that fight with you,

I... I know what you done for me, and, uh...

Well, anyway, I appreciate it.

Well, I, uh... I used to be a pretty feisty yahoo myself.

So I know how it feels to be so hoppin' mad inside...

you wanna take a swing at the whole cockeyed world.

Last time I tried, it was about, oh, eight years ago...

in a saloon full of cavalry troopers.

Took me about two fat eyes and a mouthful of knuckles...

to decide it wasn't too much fun when... when the world swung back.

Well, how's the old mountain goat?

You rescuin' any more stumble-footed cowboys?

Well, how'd you find out?

Ramrod pin any medals on you yet?

I didn't do nothin' more than a worm on an end of a hook.

That somehow reminds me of chow tonight.

You better get yourself a plate of that wriggly stuff...

before they throw it out to the birds.

Well, I, uh... I ate over at Trampas's camp.

Look, I'll do that for you. You... You must be tuckered out.

You go ahead and turn in. Oh, we got first guard.

Well, I'll do that alone. You go ahead and get some sleep.

Hey.

You can't work all night. Why don't you turn in?

Well, we got the horse guard anyhow.

Oh, no. Uh, Harper and Jean will do it tonight.

You two hit the sack. For some reason, I don't feel tired.

Now, don't rub it in just 'cause you got a few years on us.

You'll be sound asleep as soon as your head hits that blanket.

I'll see you then. Good night, Jim.

Hey, Ben.

You comin'? I'll be over there later.

Boy, I don't know about you,

but these last few days have sure tired me out.

What do you mean? These boys do all the work for us.

You've done a pretty fair job of raising that boy.

Yeah, well, you've done a pretty fair job of gettin' him to work for you.

You got the touch, ramrod. You know what makes the boy tick.

Say, uh, Ben, I wanted to thank you.

For the last couple of days, you've worked as hard as any two men on this drive.

Yep, yep, yep.

Cussin' you pretty good under my breath all the time too.

Well, what I meant was you've sure earned the right to stay on at Shiloh...

as long as you want.

Jim told me about your nest egg...

and that horse ranch you have in mind.

The land around Medicine Bow is as good as you'll find over the next hill...

or the hill after that.

Why hit the trail again? Could be you've found a home right here.

Well, I don't want no home, ramrod.

I had that one time there... Pretty wife, baby.

Then some jackass declared war,

and I kissed my wife, winked at the baby...

and went off to become a hero.

And then when I got back, there weren't no baby, no wife, no nothin'.

Some of them said it was a band of maraudin'

army deserters that burned 'em out.

Others said it was Kiowas.

Some said they was dead for sure. Others didn't really know.

I'm sorry.

Oh, yeah, yeah.

You know, ramrod, that boy... he's all I got.

Now, I'm man enough to know that sometime it's gonna come to an end.

But not now, not here.

I need that boy.

That boy needs me for another year, maybe two.

Then he can go his own way.

He won't walk in nobody's shadow because he's gonna be a man.

And as for needin' a home, ramrod,

a man finds his own home in himself.

See, Jim's gonna find that out too.

You know, ramrod, the time is gonna come...

Maybe a little sooner than you'll like...

But Jim and I are gonna hit the trail again together...

because that's the only place you breathe free,

where you're really alive.

No tomorrows. No yesterdays.

Just today.

That's good enough for any man.

Hey, come on. Come on, pappy.

Shake your stumps. Ben, what the devil are you doing that...

Come on now. We're gonna go out and have a high old time.

Are you crazy? Get away. Let me sleep.

Now come on, James Joseph.

We ain't busted loose in a month of Sundays.

Well, we could be in Medicine Bow and back before them knot-heads roll over.

Oh, Ben.

You ain't gonna give me all that hogwash about duty, are you?

That'll be the day.

No, doggone, I just can't hardly keep my eyes open. That's all.

What do you say?

I'm game for whatever you got in mind, son.

Always have been. Always will be, right?

Right as red-eye on the Fourth of July.

Come on.

♪♪

♪♪

All right, everybody out of their coffins!

Old Beelzebub is here, the old devil himself...

Benjamin Franklin Satan III!

Ah, it's good to see you. Better known as the barmaid's joy,

comforter of lonely old widows...

and scourge of the cancan.

Ooh-wee! Ooh-wee! Ha-ha!

Whee! Ha!

Come on, all you...

Come on, all you ghosts and goblins!

Come on now. Up and at 'em!

Time to do the fandango on the gravestones...

of all the drummers and undertakers and preachers and shopkeepers!

The best you got for the best that there is.

Sweetheart, darlin' you. Mmm!

Ah, yah, yah, yah!

Terry, put that in tumblers, will you, please?

I got to light a burnin' fire in my stomach here... Ooh, yeah.

To wash away the taste of that cowboy swill.

Hey, come on! Drinks on me! Everybody get up!

Hey!

And the finest sidekick any man could ever wanna have...

The only 19-year-old granddaddy in captivity, James Joseph himself.

Yes. Take a bow. That's enough. Don't wanna spoil him.

Had a hard enough time getting him to eat his hash this morning.

Sweetheart.

Ahh.

Ah!

Willie, my boy.

Are you hiding over there, maybe... you and your Sunday school class, huh?

Just look at 'em. Now, you know they've been up to somethin'.

What is it, Willie, now that you and your boys have put all the buffalo to rest?

I know. You're here in Medicine Bow...

for the mineral water for your rheumatiz, right?

No, huh? I know. Maybe it's a little hanky-panky up in the hills.

A little moonlight roundup to ease the cares of old age.

And you, my Hibernian miser,

I can hear your heart going pitty-pat worryin' about...

who's gonna pay for all that lovely watered-down red-eye. Ooh! Look at that!

Whee!

There's enough in here...

to float us all to heaven on a river of whiskey.

There. That ought to hold you for a couple of weeks.

Say, that's enough to hire a preacher and make an honest woman out of me.

And who wants to make an honest woman out of you?

Mmm! Whoo!

All right, come on now, everybody, drink up here!

There's more over here where this come from.

Here. No, Ben. No.

Come on now. No.

Come on, Ben. Let's get out of here.

Hey, Millie, cut another filly from the herd, will ya?

Unless he's lost his taste for that too.

Nah, I didn't mean that last, Jim.

That wind was blowin' up cold 'fore we ever got here.

Now, it could mean the start of that storm.

Mm-hmm.

You wanna go, you go ahead. Nobody's stoppin' you.

Ben...

I'll go when I'm goldurn ready.

Hey, Jim, I want you to meet Dorie.

This is sweet Dorie from Pike. Well, hello, Jim.

Well, where you going, honey? She ain't gonna bite you.

Well, I, uh... I never thought I'd see the day...

when an old bear like Ben Strattan would let a kid...

lead him around by the nose.

Now, you just forget the kid,

'cause we got a real sweet deal workin'...

I... I think might be to your liking.

Got a deal, huh? Uh-huh.

Sweet deal.

Well, I gotta get back now.

Went into town and tied one on.

So what do you think of that?

Just don't say one word against Ben, hear? Not one word.

He's got a right to cut loose when he wants to.

Shiloh don't own a man 24 hours a day body and soul.

Just so's we do our work by day,

it's nobody's business what we do at night.

We're sidekicks and always will be.

Ben and me,

Where he goes, I go.

That's the way it's gotta be.

And we don't need you, ramrod. You need us.

Just as soon as we put in our month of sweat,

we'll grab that pay and hit the trail.

No regrets.

Hey. What do you know, cowpoke?

Hmm.

Oh, what... You're just in Millie's room.

It's all right now.

Everything's gonna be all right.

No, no. No, no. Don't do that.

Just lie back and have happy dreams.

Millie will see that nobody touches you again.

Ooh.

- Hold it. - Where is it?

Oh, honey, I'd never take any money from you.

Boy, I ought to be hung for meanness.

Nobody's gonna hang you while Millie's around.

I'm afraid I wouldn't be any good to you, little lady.

I got a date with some sweet-smellin' buffalo hunters.

Where's their camp? Oh, Ben, you can't do that.

Please, Mil, where is it? I don't know exactly.

But... Well, sometimes I... I heard them jabberin'...

about some Indian burial mountains... maybe.

Yeah. Oh, honey.

There are better things in life than that.

Yeah, I know, but man is a foolish animal.

Takes him forever to learn that. And by then, it's too late.

Ben.

You get some sleep, Florence Nightingale.

All right, get off that horse.

Come on! Move!

You got to be made of India rubber, boy.

When we said bye-bye last night,

you looked more like one of them carcasses we got hangin' from the rack over there.

Now, what can we do for you, uh, Mr. Strattan?

A side of beef?

Or, uh, a jug of Medicine Bow mineral water for your miseries?

Well, I want my nest egg back.

Oh.

You hear that, boys? He wants his nest egg back.

You can't lick us, boy.

So why not join us?

Just look around. Did you ever see a sweeter set-up?

Nobody'd ever find us here.

And it's a lot slicker and safer than tryin' to move 'em out on the hoof.

The only trouble is time's runnin' out on us.

Purty just come back. He says it's already

beginning to snow up there in the mountains.

Now, what we need is a quick killin' to beat that storm.

And you, you just might be the rouser to show us the way.

Now, it'd be easy as pie for you to cut half a hundred strays off fringe...

of one of them Shiloh herds up there.

And you just drive 'em on down here, and my butcher boys will go to work.

And by nightfall,

we'll have the wagon loaded with hides and carcasses,

and we'll be on our way, with the snow to cover our trail.

So... how's that sound, Mr. Strattan?

One chance for you to get your nest egg back...

and a lot more besides.

Buck.

His gun.

Ho!

Jim, a bunch of them critters ran off into the woods.

Give us a hand. Right!

Hah!

Ceece.

He's over by the tongue of the wagon.

Why'd you do it, Ben... Just to tick me off?

Even if you wanna go out and drink all night,

at least you could've come back first thing this morning.

We needed you, Ben.

They had a job to do. You had a duty to come back.

That's right... a duty.

Well, don't just sit there noddin' your head. Say hogwash or somethin'.

No. No. You go ahead and you tell me off good, 'cause I deserve it.

Don't just keep agreeing with...

No, you're, uh...

You're right... every word of it.

Well, the truth is that I wish that, uh...

Well, I wish I did come home with you last night.

But I didn't, and, uh...

I gotta ride out of here, Jim.

Only this time, I ain't comin' back. I want you to come with me.

Now, if we don't hit the trail now,

and I mean right now, we're gonna be snowed in here for the winter.

And a winter in a place like Shiloh, why, it would just drive me batty.

- Ben, we never tried. - Well, I want you to go ahead now.

You get back to the ranch, and you pack our things now.

I'll settle up with the foreman, and then

there's one other little score I gotta settle,

and, uh... and I'll meet you down at Medicine Bow, huh?

We'll... head for the sunnier climes, huh?

I can't go with you, Ben.

I gotta stay here and finish this job. I can't leave it half done.

I'm needed here. And I gave 'em my word.

And my word means as much as my life. Isn't that what you taught me?

But look, soon as them cattle are safe down in the valley,

why, I'll quit and I'll come after you.

I'll meet you there... Somewhere, anywhere you want.

I wish you'd change your mind and stay on here with me.

We could work side by side just like we always have.

Let's go, men. Cows are getting lonely again.

Been talkin' your ear off.

I... I guess your stew's cold.

Oh.

Oh, that don't matter.

You go ahead and finish up. I'll be with the cows.

Pleased you came back, Ben.

Thank you.

Hyah! Hah! I spotted him about a half a mile up the hill.

That saddle tramp done it all right.

He cut out the nicest little herd for us you ever did see.

Yeah, he drove 'em right... right out of that snow into our ever-lovin' arms.

But there's a chill in the air. That storm's gonna be right on us.

Don't worry. About the time we put the cleavers to 'em, we'll be long gone.

Now you hurry on back there and help him funnel 'em through the draw...

so's we can brain 'em one by one.

Let's go, boys! Get ready. Hah!

You look long enough, you'll find 'em.

Why, Strattan... the easy money or just pure spite?

For Jim.

For Jim? How do you think he's gonna feel when he...

His high-steppin' mama up and left him cold when he was 14.

He never had a father. He deserves more out of life.

All right, but this is no way to do it. Save your breath, ramrod.

Ain't nobody gonna stop me nohow. I'm gonna

use your Shiloh cows to get my nest egg back.

- I owe him that much before I ride out. - Shiloh cows? What do you mean?

How else am I gonna fight them butchers down there in that draw?

They nailed my hide to the wall pretty good the other night.

Now it's my turn. I'm gonna stampede them cows down there.

Ought to even up the odds a little bit.

You're a fool to try something like that.

And I'm an even bigger fool to wanna try to help you.

What's going on up there?

It's a stampede!

- Hah! Get on! - Hah! Hah!

Hey! Save the wagon!

Hah!

Move!

Hah! Hah! Hah!

Hyah!

Hoo-hoo.

Well, I never seen nothin' like that in all my born days.

What's that called? Why, I don't know.

But Aunt Holly spent the best part of the morning making it.

Now, look, I can't eat nothin' so grand and mysterious as this...

unless I know what it's called.

I call that the Strattan Surprise.

And that is made with green apples,

johnnycake crumbs, lemon rind,

a splash of our best Kentucky sour mash...

with a heart of brown sugar and honey...

and crushed pecans hidden underneath that crust.

Holly Grainger,

you sure know how to spoil a man.

Why, it's just a crime and a shame what I've been missin' all these years.

His Majesty, the cowboy.

Clay! Dear.

Elizabeth. You're back sooner than we thought.

Well, I told you your husband was gonna catch us one of these days.

Virginian said you'd be out of commission for, uh... for maybe a week.

Looks to me like you've settled down for the winter. Yeah.

- How is that leg? - Oh, it's fine. Fine.

Never mind about that. How's that drive going?

Ah, I brought my last few down just now.

The Virginian and Trampas are bringing their stragglers along,

not more than a half an hour out.

What about them ones I lost in the stampede?

They showed up later down by the creek.

We may have lost a few.

Well, you take them out of my pay.

Oh, no. We ought to pay you.

Got word the sheriff picked up Burr and one of his boys last night.

Anyway, the Virginian said he hadn't had so much fun since the circus came to town.

Well, if you ladies would be kind enough to turn your backs,

I'm gonna shake a leg. But the doctor said...

You don't want them other cowpokes to see me like this, do you?

Here. I'll never hear the end of it.

Here. Let me give you a hand. Oh!

No, that's fine. That's fine. Just as long as I can use it to get to my horse.

Why aren't you up there in bed?

No need for you to go back to work yet. Enjoy some rest.

Well, I'm ridin' out, ramrod.

Well, didn't Mr. Grainger tell you? He did, and I appreciate it.

But I can't.

Well, we want you to stay on, Ben.

Top hand like you is worth his weight in gold. Yeah.

Or whiskey, huh?

No. I'm a... trail bum, and I like it that way.

Hey, Ben!

Hang on a second. I'll be right there soon as I take care of my horse.

You bet, pappy!

Be darned if I haven't spawned a red-white-and-blue responsible citizen.

Devil will never forgive me.

Listen. Uh, you give this to him, will ya?

Not right now, but someday when he needs it.

You know, like when he has his girl and starts his own family.

You wouldn't ride out of here without him, now, would you?

Well, he's... got a home here now.

Even I know that. Aw, Ben.

No, he don't need me no more. He can stand alone, and...

it's just that, uh...

It's just that that time come a little sooner than I expected.

Aren't you even gonna say good-bye?

No, I can't.

Not to Jim. Not straight-out cold.

Jim!

Maybe not good-bye, but you owe him something.

How's your leg, Ben? The foreman here told us about it.

Just fine. Fine. How are you?

I couldn't be better.

Yeah, I know you. You come back bone-tired after a long day there,

and you're gonna sleep for a couple of weeks,

and suddenly you're all finished and you're full of ginger,

and you turn cartwheels going into chow.

How'd you guess?

Hey, did you tell him about that yearling I rescued?

Oh, I was just fixin' to.

You know that tricky way you taught me how to side-wind a horse...

down a steep ravine?

Well, I saw this yearling, and...

Will you look at me... bragging like I was a little kid.

I was just doing my job, Ben.

Yeah.

You know, speaking about jobs,

uh, a real prime one come up for me down San Antone way.

Uh... Uh, head buster on a horse ranch, you know.

But, uh, there's just one problem there.

They don't have no, uh, spot for a young hand like yourself.

Leastwise, not now they don't.

So, uh, I was figurin'...

that maybe you could stay on here at Shiloh for a little bit.

And I can get on down there and get something lined up.

Then I'd... I'd send for you.

Yeah. Sure.

If it's all right with the foreman.

We'll be needing you, Jim.

Well...

Well, you're not gonna go now.

Well, I told 'em I'd get down there as soon as I could.

And I give 'em my word, and...

Well, don't you look so worried now.

I'm gonna get my three squares every day.

I'll wash behind my ears. I promise.

Ben, uh, you take care now, hear?

Yeah.

Well, you do the same thing, huh? I'll be seeing you.

Come on.

Ben.

- Good luck. - Same to you, ramrod.

Hyah!