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Well, take care of things, boys.

- We'll do it. - Good, Pa.

I'll be back in about ten days,

unless McCall has to have an answer on that timber from back east.

Yeah, well, don't rush. Take it easy. We'll take care of the place.

And, fellas, Harriet Guthrie is doing us a real big favor

taking over from Hop Sing while he's visiting his cousin, so be nice to her.

Pa, we will. You just enjoy yourself in San Francisco.

Oh, listen, I almost forgot. What about the line shacks?

They gotta be ready for the spring roundup.

Well, Pa, I'm gonna ride out there as soon as you manage to leave.

Good.

I got an idea, Pa, that when you get back here,

the Ponderosa is still gonna be here.

Well, what are you waiting for?

That stage isn't gonna be waiting for me all day.

- Have a good trip. - Bye.

Take it easy, Pa.

Hey, Hoss! Candy! Anybody here?

Hey, come here. Give me a hand.

- He's hurt bad. - Who is he?

Kid's name's Buckler. Used to work for us three or four years ago.

I found him at line shack number four.

Go into town. Get the sheriff and the doctor.

Yeah.

Me and a couple of others...

tried to hold up the... Wells Fargo office at Red Hill.

Got jumped by a couple of guards coming in the back door.

Just did get away.

We didn't get a red cent.

Serves you right.

The reason I'm here,

you Cartwrights always treated me fair when I worked for you.

I figured you'd get me some help.

I was gonna make one big haul and come on back for Kelly.

Kelly?

That'd be Kelly Linkrum, Bob Linkrum's daughter.

She used to be your girl, didn't she?

Still is.

Hey, think you can hold something on your stomach?

Thanks. I'll try.

Mrs. Guthrie.

Can we have some hot soup?

- It's on the stove. - Thank you.

Try to get some rest now, Buckler.

I'll get it.

Back up.

Lookee here, boys. There's our good old buddy, Buckler.

You know, he don't look any too happy to see his old friends.

How much you say this one here costs, Carew?

Hey, mighty fancy.

- Hundred maybe, huh? - Hundred?

Your ignorance is showing, Carew. That's chicken feed.

I bet you it's closer to five, maybe six hundred.

What do you say here, big fella? About six hundred?

Hey, I was talking to you, big fella.

Untie my hands for five minutes and you can have it.

You hear what he said, Carew? He said I can have the rifle.

Look, Fat Mouth, I've already got the rifle.

Oh, this big fella, he's... he's mad enough to tear me apart, isn't he?

I'd be seven kinds of fool to untie him right now, wouldn't I?

Then what about me?

Five minutes.

Oh, we got ourselves a couple of rough ones for sure, don't we?

- Hey, Rusher. - Huh?

You go get all the horses, put 'em in the barn, you feed 'em.

Now, why me? That's... That's Webster's job.

Yeah, but I told you to do it.

Webster, he's out in the kitchen watching the cook.

Now, get going.

Cook.

Now, I'm gonna say something to you just once, so you both listen good.

I'm not playing any games here.

But even if I was, we'd be playing according to my rules.

Now, you two be real good, I might let you live.

I might not. Remember, we're playing according to my rules.

That's all the knives.

You got any orders for the cook?

Well, first off, lady, what's your name?

Oh, you're not gonna tell me.

Well, we'll just have to give you a name.

We're gonna call you... Ugly.

Now, we want coffee, Ugly, sandwiches, Ugly, and plenty of both.

If you think for one minute

I'm gonna cook and carry and fetch for thieves and scum...

You were saying?

I'll do what I have to do.

But my name is Harriet Guthrie.

Coffee and sandwiches.

You're tough...

when people can't defend themselves,

ain't you, Dibbs, or whatever your name is?

You know, I hate a fat mouth worse than anything.

Even snakes. I really do.

I ought to shoot you right now.

Hold it!

- Shoot 'em? - No! No, shooting's way too quick.

You let me think of something slow.

Now, you sit down in that chair.

All right, now, you, hero, on your feet. Move on down that fireplace.

I don't want you too close to Fat Mouth here. Go on.

All right, hold it. That's far enough. Now, sit down.

Now, Carew, I seen a window upstairs when we rode in.

Get on up there. Keep a good look out.

When Rusher gets back, I'll have him spell you.

Yeah, but what about...

You're not gonna argue with me too, are you?

No, but what about them two?

Them two here is my own special pets, Carew.

I like them so much, I'm not gonna leave them for anything. Now, go on.

All right, Donnie boy.

Now let's you and me get right down to it, hmm?

Would you leave him alone?

Can't you see he's hurt bad?

Oh, I know he is. Can't you see how I'm crying?

All right, Buckler. Now, where is it?

You were up to 60,000 dollars when the shooting started.

Now, it ain't on you. It ain't on your horse.

Now, where did you hide it?

- I ain't got it. - Well, then, where is it?

I threw it away when I rode out of town.

Hmm.

Now, if I was to tear this rag off of you,

you'd probably scream out real loud, wouldn't you?

It just might kill him too. Then where would you be?

Yeah, I already thought of that myself.

There's two riders coming.

Two riders out front.

- Hey, Dibbs. - Yeah, I know. They see you?

No. I was already on the porch when I heard 'em.

- What about the horses? - They're all inside.

Rusher, get upstairs. Cover the front. Be ready if I call you.

Webster, get that woman back in the kitchen.

Got you. One sniff out of you, it'll be your last.

Now, you two heroes,

Carew here is gonna be standing right by the front door.

Now, one sound, just one sound, you're both gonna get it.

Got the doctor.

What the...?

Shut up, sonny.

- Buckler's boy? - No, sonny.

He's one of mine.

Webster, get some more rawhide thongs...

Now, you, go on, sit back down there before I put you down with a bullet.

You handle yourself pretty good, sonny.

Better get you tied up while Carew here's still in one piece.

Webster, you get his guns. Tie him up.

Webster, get on out in the kitchen. Tell that cook to hurry up with the grub.

- How bad is he, Doc? - Bad enough.

This bullet should come out and come out soon.

And I'm not gonna operate here.

You should have brought him to my office in Virginia City.

Oh, I would have, Doc, yes, I really would,

but we had... we got real busy.

Now, just a minute. I'm not through yet.

Yes, you are, Doc.

My friend and I, we gotta talk right now.

All right, Buckler, you tell me where the money is,

I'm gonna cut you in for half a share.

It comes out of yours, Dibbs, not mine.

Shut up.

All right, Buckler, where is it?

You know where you can go, Dibbs.

Where's the sheriff? I thought you were gonna get him.

He was out of town...

- He's on his way. - The sheriff?

Sonny boy there was supposed to go and get the sheriff?

No, you're lying.

No. Buckler wanted to turn himself in.

Oh, yeah?

Now, why would he wanna do a thing like that?

He's reforming, Dibbs.

Oh, no, no, no, not old Buckler.

No, we been on too many jobs together for him to do that.

Now, you know how I got it figured?

He's hurting real bad,

he knows we're after him, so he hides the money.

Then he gives these folks here a sad story

about how he's seen the error of his ways and all.

Now, why would a man do all that?

He knows he can't get away from us.

He knows that if he gives himself up, if he turns state's evidence,

the most time that he's gonna get is... is three or four years.

Now, a man can do that kind of time just standing on one foot.

Yeah. And when he gets paroled...

There is that nice 60,000 dollars stashed away,

just waiting to be picked up.

Now, isn't that right, Buckler, old buddy, huh?

It don't make any difference, not now.

Oh, really? You heard what the man said, the sheriff's on his way.

No.

Sonny there was right the very first time.

The sheriff is out of town.

Leastways, that's the way that I'm playing it.

Hey, Dibbs, somebody else riding up.

Get back up to that window.

Somebody here wanna tell me who this one is?

What about you, Fat Mouth?

I left my crystal ball outside.

I'll be happy to go out and check.

Rusher.

He seen me, Dibbs. He was going for his gun.

No, we got no use for your services, Doc,

that is not unless you're an undertaker too.

Carew, you go on outside, drag that body in the barn.

Well, well, if looks could kill, huh?

Which one of you wants to be the first dead hero?

You never said nothing about not shooting if somebody seen me.

I didn't say nothing about not sending up flares

to tell everybody we was here either.

You ought to kill him.

Shot like that'll bring every hand on the Ponderosa riding down on us.

No, if anybody had been close enough to hear it, they'd have been here by now.

That's lucky for you.

'Cause if anybody had have rode in here, I'd have shot you dead.

Now, get your gun. Get upstairs. Come on!

Now, I'm right inside your heads.

I'm reading every thought you got.

You wanna get me for that fella outside.

You got no guns. Your hands are tied.

There's four of us for three of you,

but you're still figuring and you're hoping and you're itchy.

You read us pretty good, Dibbs.

Webster, get that cook lady in the kitchen.

I want that food. I want it right now.

We're not gonna have to get you, Dibbs. Your stupidity'll do that for us.

It's getting dark. A lot of people know the doctor's out here.

They're gonna start wondering why he's not back.

Yeah, 'cause whoever heard of a doc

staying out after dark with a sick man, huh?

And what about the sheriff?

How do you know Candy there didn't leave a message for one of his deputies?

Oh, he did.

Now, lookee here, Donnie boy.

You're carrying a bullet in your shoulder.

Now, if it don't come out, all we're gonna lose is a couple of hours.

But you're gonna lose it all. You're gonna lose everything you got.

Yeah... you're wasting your breath, Dibbs.

I ain't worth nothing to you dead.

- You want that money. - And I'm gonna get it too.

Maybe we shoot you. Maybe we find it without you.

How you gonna do that?

Well, Webster's a scout. He could backtrack your trail.

Even if he was, there ain't enough time.

There's still a posse out looking for you.

Yeah, I ain't forgot that.

All the way round in back.

Even found some old sacks to throw over him.

Now, look, Buckler, now, what made you think you could get away with it, huh?

I mean, what'd you even try for?

10,000 or 12,000 dollars, that... that wasn't enough for you?

Well, it sure took you long enough.

- Hey, Rusher! - What do you want?

I want you. Get down here on the double.

Remember that fight you had last year with Buckler?

It was over a woman, wasn't it?

He was carrying a picture of a girl,

and I laughed and asked him what saloon she worked in, and he hit me.

I was right!

You still carry her picture, don't you, Buckler?

None of your business.

What's it say?

It says, "Mr. Donald Buckler,

care of the Rivers Hotel, Fort Lyons, Wyoming."

We ain't been there in over a year.

You mean he's still carrying that letter around with him?

Well, here's the return address.

"Miss Kelly Linkrum...

Ponderosa Ranch, Nevada Territory."

Linkrum.

Sure.

That's the name of the girl that Donnie said was waiting for him

in... in Nevada.

You know, when he hit it big, he was gonna go back for her, remember?

Well, he did hit it big, didn't he, huh?

60,000 dollars of our money.

And she's right here in the Ponderosa ranch.

What'd you do, Buckler, hide that money in her house, huh?

Hey, Dibbs.

Let me at him. I'll make him talk.

No, no. The girl'll do it.

Now, I don't suppose either one of you are gonna tell me where the girl lives?

Now, sonny boy there, all he cares about is getting loose

so he can try to be a hero.

But the cook lady there...

she don't wanna be no hero, now, do you?

- Let her alone, Dibbs. - You bet.

Now, you like these Cartwrights and that sonny fella, don't you?

You wouldn't want anything to happen to them, now, would you?

You wouldn't dare do anything to them.

I won't if you give us a hand.

Do you know where this Kelly Linkrum lives, huh?

Yes, you know where she lives.

You're gonna bring her here.

You're not gonna let her out of here alone, are you?

She'll go for help.

She won't go anywhere she's not supposed to.

She's not back here in half an hour with the girl,

there's gonna be a lot of sudden fatalities around here.

Now, if you got your feet set against going, you're gonna be number one.

I think he means it, Mrs. Guthrie. Better do what he says.

- I'll get my bonnet. - Mm-hm.

Webster, you go on with her. Stay outside, just in case.

All right, back upstairs, Rusher.

Oh, it's dark. Nobody's gonna come.

You go back upstairs.

Now, hold it. Remember, half an hour.

- They can't make it in half an hour. - Well, how long?

45 minutes in daylight. At least an hour now.

All right, one hour.

That's five minutes of eight. That's five minutes of nine.

But if you're not back in time,

there's gonna be an awful lot of empty chairs around the breakfast table.

You just keep that in mind, huh? Come on.

You know something, Donnie boy?

I'm real anxious to see your girlfriend.

I bet we get along just fine.

25 minutes to go.

That man's in pain.

Well, that's the wages of sin, Doc.

That man there, he robbed a Wells Fargo office.

That's against the law.

I should have a look at that wound.

Well, you go right ahead, Doc. Nobody here's gonna stop you.

A whole plate of sandwiches and I got only one. I'm starving.

You wait till the cook gets back.

Yeah, if she gets back.

What do you mean, if?

Mrs. Guthrie knows this country better than you know the inside of your hat.

She could give Webster the slip with no trouble at all.

Be a bad piece of luck for you if she does.

That'd mean you only got 23 minutes to live.

He's getting worse, ain't he, Doc?

Yeah, and he'll continue to unless that bullet's removed.

- Not that you care. - Oh, but I do care, Doc.

You see, I can't have him die until I find out where he hid the money.

He is gonna die, though, ain't he, Doc, if that bullet don't come out of there?

Yeah.

And you can tell about how much time he's got left?

Course I can tell.

- 20 minutes. - Hey, somebody coming!

It's them.

No, it can't be. Not this soon.

Maybe it's another deputy, or the sheriff himself.

There's a back way out, Dibbs. You better take it while you can.

Just one rider.

All right, on your feet. Come on, on your feet!

Find out who it is.

- Who is it? - It's me, Polson.

It's just one of our hands.

All right, I'll open the door. You talk to him.

It's up to you whether he rides away or gets carried away.

Just you.

Evening, Joe. Sorry to bother you.

But we're gonna need fence posts first thing in the morning.

We'll start at the mill. You come all the way out here to bother me with that?

- Well, I have to know, so the hands... - All right, fine, now you know!

Don't come around here asking me stupid questions.

I ought to shoot you right now.

Don't you think I know what you were doing yelling at that cowboy?

You better hope he's too dumb to figure out something was wrong.

Now, get over there.

13 minutes.

Any sign of them, Rusher?

No, no sign.

Now, wait a minute. Anything could have happened.

Maybe no one's home at the girl's house. Maybe...

Maybe they went on a moonlight hayride. What about that, Doc?

- But to shoot innocent people... - Save your breath, Doc.

Dibbs is the kind of man that shoots people in the back.

Or ties 'em up and then shoots 'em.

Just for that, you're gonna be first, sonny.

Dibbs, horses.

It's them.

It's me, Dibbs.

Oh, we did get back in time.

Buckler, this here's your girlfriend, huh? She's not bad.

She's not bad at all.

Donnie, it's you.

- Kelly. - What happened to you?

Hoss, Joe, who are these men?

I came out with Harriet 'cause, well, she said I should come and...

Well, what's going on? What's Donnie Buckler doing here?

Don't you know, Kelly?

Weren't you expecting him to come for you?

Well, no, I sure wasn't.

Why, I hadn't even got a letter from him in over a year.

I didn't even know where he was.

Donnie, how'd you get hurt?

Kelly, Kelly...

Now, you're doing real fine, miss, but you're just wasting your breath.

You knew he was coming back here. You were waiting for him.

- That's why we sent for you. - You leave her out of this, Dibbs.

You let her alone.

You see, Donnie boy here, he won't tell us where he hid the money.

He's real close-mouthed.

But I figure that he's gonna open it up real wide when you tell him to.

Tell him...? I don't know anything about any money.

She's telling the truth, Dibbs.

Sure she is. Everybody here is telling the truth.

Webster, get over here. Tie her up.

Carew, get one of those kitchen knives, the sharpest one they got.

It's a funny thing about pain.

See, some can take a lot.

Others, they just... they cave right on in.

Now, you take me, I can't stand pain.

Mm-mm.

It's gonna be very interesting to see how she holds up.

Women are usually a lot braver than the men, though,

when you come right down to it.

Did you ever see a woman that was scalped by the Indians?

Did you?

The ones that come out of it,

they wear a handkerchief over their heads to cover it up.

Now, I wonder how one of them would cover up knife scars...

all over her face.

Don't touch me.

Now, the rest of it, it's all up to you, Donnie boy.

You just say the word.

Is she worth 60,000 dollars to you?

Nice pretty girl like this, you don't want me to cut her up.

You won't have the money, but you'll still have a nice happy marriage.

You just tell me where you hid that money, Donnie boy.

That's all you have to do.

Donnie, tell him he's got it all wrong.

We never said anything about getting married.

We were friends, but, well, that was a long time ago.

- Are you lying to me? - No.

Donnie'll tell you. It's the truth.

I'm sorry you're hurt, Donnie, but tell him, please.

I never said I'd wait for you and I never promised to marry you.

Please tell him.

You tell me.

We were never anything more than friends, honest.

My pa said he was too wild, didn't want him coming round.

I am gonna be married but not to him. To Harmon Thomas.

We go to all that trouble for nothing?

What do we do now, Dibbs?

You heard her. There's nothing between her and Buckler. Let her go.

You shut up!

She's right, Dibbs.

I didn't know about Thomas.

But everything else is true.

Me and Harmon, well, it's been almost a year now.

This ain't over yet, not by a long shot.

Maybe he ain't gonna marry her, but he don't wanna see her cut up either.

This ain't nothing new to me.

Did I ever tell you about Cynthia, Donnie boy, huh?

I kissed her goodbye when I was 19 and I rode off to war.

I was gonna marry her the very first day that I got back.

11 years ago was the last time I saw her.

She's probably got herself six kids, full of gray hair by now.

But I still like to remember her just like she was.

And that's the way you'd like to think of this little lady, huh, Donnie boy?

That's why you carry her picture and her letter around in your pocket.

Isn't that right, Buckler? Isn't that right, Buckler?

Forget it, Dibbs.

I made a mistake.

You heard her.

Cut her.

Let her go. It's... It's all one to me.

Think I'm lying, don't you?

Give me the letter and... and the picture.

Oh, Buckler, you're no good.

You're no good to nobody, not even yourself.

You got a chance to do something right for a change.

What good is it gonna do you if this girl there gets... gets hurt,

or maybe even killed, huh?

You ain't got her. Mister, you ain't ever gonna have her.

But if you do the right thing, she'll never forget you for it,

and deep down inside she'll always have a good feeling for you.

Oh, you talk good enough to be a preacher, Dibbs.

Now, Buckler, you got a chance to get out from under,

pay off everything and have some left for yourself.

You leave her alone, hear?

You keep her quiet, Carew, any way you have to.

Donnie. Donnie, please.

Donnie. Donnie, please.

Donnie.

Donnie.

Donnie, please.

Stop it!

You win, Dibbs.

Leave her alone.

I'll be glad to. Now, where's the money?

I go with you... and we split.

That's all right with me. Carew, go saddle the horses.

No. I can't find that place in the dark.

Gotta rest. Gotta get stronger before I can sit on a horse.

You wouldn't want me keeling over before I showed you

where the money's hid, now, would you, Dibbs?

First light, then.

Dibbs, I think you better think about that again.

He ain't getting no stronger,

and if that bullet don't come out, he ain't gonna make it to first light.

Why don't you keep out of this, Fat Mouth?

Why don't you ask the doc?

What about it, Doc?

He's telling you the truth.

You take that bullet out, can he ride come daylight?

- Wouldn't be wise. - I don't care if it's wise or not.

Can he do it?

- I expect so. - Then you're gonna operate, Doc.

You're gonna operate here and now.

No table. No decent light. Only a few instruments. How can I?

Doc. The man's life's at stake.

As a doctor, I'm obligated to save his life if I can,

so you can take him out and kill him.

All right. I'll need some lamps and water.

Webster, take the lady out in the kitchen, get some water.

Mrs. Guthrie. Get hot water, boiling hot.

I've helped with more operations than you have.

I need lamps, I said.

Carew, get upstairs, find some lamps.

Out of my way, please. I'll need some room here.

Go ahead, try it.

Any one of you.

Now, go on, Fat Mouth, back in your chair.

Come on.

- Hey, d'you need any help? - Told you to get those lamps.

- But I thought... - Don't think. Just get 'em.

Rusher, get on down here. Get him back in the chair.

Webster, where's that water?

Joe, the stairs!

Slap me, will ya?

Well, I got some oil in the kitchen.

It'll help a little. I'll get it for you.

And then, if nobody minds,

I think I'll just sit down for a while.

That might be a good idea, Mrs. Guthrie.

Come on, Dibbs.

If someone will get me some more boiling water,

I'll get on with the operation.

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