Original subtitles

Whoo-ee. Look at that old wolf dog.

Look at him. Here, dog. Here, doggie.

- Ain't he somethin'? - Yeah, he's somethin' all right.

Somethin' to steer clear of.

- You don't know dogs like I do. - Is that right?

There ain't never been a dog wouldn't take to me.

I had me a wolf dog once. Best dog a man could ever own.

Here you go, wolf dog.

Built for travel, a wolf dog.

- Hey, amigo. - Hmm?

This old wolf dog belong to you?

- No. - Ah.

We got us a dog.

Come on, old wolf dog.

That dog belongs to hisself.

Be a world of charm if only everybody belonged to themselves.

Still, all in all, Dooley, you could have been a mite more friendly.

Well, what'll it be, mister?

I want a bottle.

I'm leaving this and my gun barrel for security until the banks open.

Miss Kitty, please.

Miss Kitty, this gentleman would like to leave his saddlebags and his gun...

As security for a bottle of whiskey

till I can do some fur trading business in the mornin'.

We'll trust you. That won't be necessary.

- I said it won't be necessary. - I don't hold no truck with credit.

Let him have a bottle, Sam.

Excepting some women, of course,

there just ain't nothin' prettier than a full bottle.

Obliged, mister.

Do you have a hardnose named Matt Dillon

still marshaling around this town?

All and every part.

Find him. Tell him Ben C. Slocum is looking for him.

Now, I'd say this here is one of the peacefulest nights

that I've ever saw in Dodge.

Course, that don't perspire your business none, I'd say.

Oh, you'd say, you'd say. With a mouthful of melon you'd say.

Now, here. That's my move, and you got one way out of that.

If you concentrate, you might be able to find it.

Why, that there's gonna be easier than scrambling eggs in a hat.

What?

- What? - What? What?

What you said. Scrambling eggs in a hat.

- Well, of course. - On a fire?

Well, how else is there?

Well, now, wouldn't that... wouldn't that burn the hat?

Well, no, it ain't gonna burn the hat if it's did right.

All you gotta do is hold the hat off from the fire enough

so you ain't gonna burn it,

and close enough to the fire so it'll cook the eggs.

- Don't you see? - Your move. Go on and move.

- Louie. - Howdy, Louie.

- The marshal about? - No, he's out checking the street.

- Why? - Oh.

Would you tell him, Doc, down at the Long Branch

there's a fella by the name of Ben C. Slocum looking for him?

- Ben C. Slocum. - Right.

- Name is Ben C. Slocum. - Fine, Louie. I'll tell him.

- He'll get the message. - Good.

All right, there you here. Let me see you jump out of that.

- Where'd you move? Right there? - Yeah, right there.

Hmm.

You know, it's just pure old amazing how you can change

from peacock proud when you think you got me checker whupped

to a grumpy old scutter when you know I've got you whomped.

You ain't got me whomped. I'll move.

Well, just wait till you make that next move.

Get your hand out of there and shut up. I'll move here.

Hello, Matt.

- Things quiet, are they, Matthew? - Oh, quiet enough.

Well, they're just about to explode here.

Oh, Matt, Louie was here. A fella down at the Long Branch wants to see you.

- Yeah, fella named Clancy Yoakum. - Ben C. Slocum.

- Ben C. Slocum? - Clancy Yoakum.

It was Ben C. Slocum. Shut up.

Well, I don't know any Clancy Yoakum, but I sure know a Ben C. Slocum.

Is he a troublemaker, Matthew?

Well, depends on how you look at it.

Howdy. Name's John Riker.

Good.

You put that lightning down real fine. Play cards as well?

Got us a little old game of draw over there.

Like for you to join us if you want.

- Can't. - Oh, I trust you.

Just put up an IOU agin what you got in them saddlebags.

Can't. Can't do it. Too many odds.

Odds? It's draw poker. Ain't no odds.

It all depends upon who's doing the dealing.

What do you mean?

Well, you got more up your sleeve than your arm.

- What you getting at? - Cards.

You pull out that handkerchief and shake that sleeve.

You calling me a cheater, mister?

Mmm... Mm-hm.

You should have thought twice before saying something like that.

Now, get out of here.

Yeah.

Yeah, I done thought about it more than twice.

But you didn't.

Riker.

Oh, my God!

- Howdy, Matt. - Howdy, Ben.

I reckon I owe you.

Ben, how'd all this get started?

Mr. Slocum here called him a cheat.

- Was he cheating? - He asked me and I told him.

Just pull out that handkerchief from his left sleeve.

He was cheating all right.

You know, Ben, one of these times you're liable to be wrong.

Maybe, but not about fellas like him.

Festus, get him over to Percy's.

All right, get a hold of him there.

All right, boys, take back your losings.

The house is buying.

Wasn't Mr. Slocum's fault none, Marshal. The truth's the truth.

That man Riker had his gun out and Mr. Slocum here weren't even armed.

That's right, Matt.

But, like you said, Matt, trouble always follows.

I just come by to say how are you? It's been such a long time.

I'd like to stick around if you've no objections.

Got no objections, Ben. Louie, take him over to Hank's.

Yes, sir, Marshal.

You come right along, Mr. Slocum.

Miss.

- See you come first light. - All right, Ben.

You known him long, Matt?

We go back quite a ways, Kitty.

What I wanna know is, do you know who it was you shot?

- Yeah, I know, Doc. - Who?

- Well, he's one of the Riker boys. - Riker?

Yeah, there's a whole family of 'em. Been here a few months.

I'll tell you something, they're gonna come riding into Dodge

and they're gonna ask you a lot of questions.

I'm gonna save them that trouble, Doc,

because I'm gonna take the boy's body out there.

Well, why you wanna do a fool thing like that?

'Cause I don't want them in the same town with Ben C. Slocum.

Yonder goes a man, Dooley, leastways he was once.

Let's go see what's left of him.

Yip! Yah!

Yip! Yip, yip, yip, yip, yip! Yipee! Ya-ooh!

Howdy, Marshal Matthew Dillon.

Howdy, Ben C. Slocum. Dooley.

- He hasn't changed, has he? - No.

I watched him down Little High Mountain Meadow this morning

catch a rabbit.

He must have run off two pounds catching one.

Hard notion, a life like that.

- His notion, though. - Yeah, it seems to be all right.

Ben, what brings you out this way this morning?

Why is it every time I come into a town,

sooner or later I'm looking down the front of a gunsight?

You don't like all these people much, do you?

Well, I can't understand why they're doing what they are doing to this land.

- It's called civilization. - Mmm. Why has it got to be like that?

Why can't it be like when you and me was meat hunting together?

We used to winter with the same Sioux that we fought, come a time later.

Now they're all gone. Why is that, Matt?

- Well, times change. - It's people that change 'em.

- Same thing, Ben. - Mmm.

You're heading right now into some troublesome, worser changin' times.

- What do you mean? - Them Riker boys.

It's my fault what you got back in there.

- Ben, you didn't kill him. - As good as. Now, I am riding with you.

No, no. I don't want you to do that, Ben.

You saved my life, Matt. I owe you.

Even if I didn't take to you, I... I'd still owe you.

That's Injun. You forgot?

No, I haven't forgot, Ben.

But it's like I said, see, that was then.

This is now.

Now, Ben, I want you to keep out of my way on this.

I want your word.

You got it.

Good. I'll see you back in town. We'll turn over a few logs.

Huh!

Yeah, I give you my word... that I owe you.

- Mark? - Yeah, Pa?

Let Paul give you a hand with that meat.

- We're gonna eat this meat, Pa. - Do like I say, Mark.

He just whops the sideways out of it just to be whopping on it.

Do you hear me?

Come on, take your licks.

Come on.

Talk at him. Talk at him.

Now, just... just easy to it. Easy.

Ain't gonna be long, he's gonna have it all in the dirt.

Well, you can cook stew.

It eases him.

Eases him.

The Good Lord always has a way of balancing things, son.

Now, you take your brother Paul there. He was born short-brained.

But he can whup you at rassling and he's two years greener.

Well, if you call kicking and gouging and scratching rassling.

Well, it's the devil's tool, son.

If the Good Lord wants you to fight the devil,

he gives you the devil's tools to work with.

I learned him myself, at the Lord's calling.

I learned all you boys myself at the Lord's calling.

Are you sure old Tom Fuller didn't see you take that beef?

Oh, Pa.

That's right. That's right.

God helps them who helps themselves. Says it plain.

And old Tom's got aplenty.

You get going with supper, you hear?

How'd she turn, boys? Batch sound?

Whispering whiskey, Pa. There ain't a fight in the whole barrel.

Best batch we ever done, Pa. Taste it.

Level as a table.

Why, this ought to sell onto $3 a jug, Pa.

Yeah, there ain't a man red or white won't be tailored for winter

with the bloom of that in him.

Go on, Pa, try another sip. Go on.

Level. Your ma sure'd be proud of you boys.

Amen, Papa. Amen.

When brother John get back with supplies,

we'll head out for Jetmore and Spearville and all over!

You boys get to jugging. Get to jugging.

Hey, Pa, go on, go on. Try one more sample before we leave.

Level. Level.

Pa. Come out here, Pa.

Quick.

Oh, howdy, Marshal.

Almost time for supper. This home would be most honored.

Well, thank you, Mr. Riker, but I'll have to be getting back to town.

I... I brought your son back.

Brought him?

John?

John?

John?

How'd it happen, Marshal?

A man accused your boy of cheating in a card game.

Your boy took offense.

- And he was shot? - That's right.

Who done it?

I'm sorry to have to tell you, Mr. Riker, that I did.

But your boy didn't give me any choice. He was gonna kill an unarmed man.

And he was cheating?

He was caught red-handed.

- I see. - Do you, Pa?

This 'un said he killed John.

You boys come over here and... take your brother John

and carry him in the shade.

You hear me? You hear me?

I'm sorry it had to happen this way, Mr. Riker.

Obliged, Marshal.

Good day to you.

We had him, Papa. We could have killed him.

An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

It says it plain.

But it weren't the time or place.

But we'll find that time and place

and there... we'll kill him.

Why not shoot him now?

'Cause there's somebody up on that hill and he wants us to know it.

Pure. Pure. Get a heathen to heaven, I do believe.

Pa. Pa.

I done told you once.

- I ain't gonna tell you again. - Rider coming, Pa.

Rikers.

Took you quite a while to fall in around behind the marshal, didn't it?

- You'd be the one on the hill? - I'd be.

Well, I gotta ask you the meaning of your interest, friend.

I ain't your friend. I'm Ben C. Slocum. And I killed your boy.

It was the marshal put the lead in him, but I was the cause of the killing.

You just leave that horse stay right there, son.

And you rode out here to tell us what?

Marshal Dillon saved my life and I owe him,

and I don't aim to see him haylofted, roofed or dry-gulched,

and that's what you aim, ain't it?

Ain't it?

And justly so.

Many are the cause of death and suffering in the house of the Lord.

Hallelujah to the high.

Hallelujah to the high, Pa.

- Amen. - That's from the Good Book, Slocum.

Amen. You turn around or I'll kill you.

That's Shoshone, Riker.

- There's five of us. - Well, there won't be.

Now, I ain't aiming to tell you again.

- We'll turn around, boys. - Oh, Pa.

Pa, come on.

Yah! Yah! Yah!

Come here.

I feed you, don't I?

Hey, Dooley. Dooley, get up.

Get up, Dooley. It's all in your head.

Dooley.

We got some trailing to do, Dooley, and some shooting at the end of it.

It was a week ago Thursday. That's when it was.

And that there just proves what kind of stuffing you got in your brainpan...

It just proves that memorable dates are not that hard to forget.

Memorable my foot.

Well, I can count on the fingers of my two hands

the times I've seen you buy a round of drinks.

Well, if that ain't a pretty thing for you to be saying.

All right, I'll take it back. I'll take it back.

Count on the fingers of my one hand.

Well, that's better.

I knew you couldn't read, but by thunder you can't count either.

All right, Mr. Smart Alecky.

You're grinning like a possum eating persimmon.

I'll tell you, there's a heap more knowledgeableness in my head

- than you will ever know. - It's empty.

- All right, Doc, just one more time. - Oh, stop that. That wagon, it's empty.

Nobody's driving that team.

Oh. Yeah.

Whoa. Whoa, whoa. Whoa, whoa.

If that ain't the limit.

Well, that's Noah Riker and one of his boys, ain't it, Doc?

Matthew.

How are they, Doc?

Well, I'd like to have half the luck either one of 'em have got.

That one there got a bullet high in his left shoulder,

but it went right through.

What about Noah?

Well, Matt, I know an awful lot of folks benefit from reading the Good Book,

but, right there, that's the most good it ever did Noah.

The bullet slowed down just enough to keep from killing him.

Now, you'd have to call that luck or else guidance from the Almighty one.

Well, knowing the ways of this old yahoo, a fella'd have to call it luck.

- Where am I? - You're in Dodge City.

Where are my boys?

One of 'em's right over there, Mr. Riker.

But we don't know where the others are.

Now, I wanna know what happened out there.

He dead? Is he dead?

No, he's all right.

Where's my Bible? My Bible?

Well, it's right here. A bullet ripped it up some.

It saved your life though.

My blossoming faith.

Bullet's still in you. Gonna have to take that out.

- I ain't got no money. - I didn't ask you for any.

Saved my life. Saved all our lives.

Mr. Riker, what happened out there?

Well, I don't see how I could forget it.

We was riding along, rapture of a new day,

Mark playing the mouth organ,

my thoughts a world away with our John,

all our thoughts a world away with our John.

And then from some salt cedars

comes a man with a dog riding hard and shooting something fearsome.

- A dog?

What happened then?

Well... I don't know.

I... I guess I got hit.

And Paul too.

I don't remember any more.

All right, Mr. Riker. Thank you.

Noah, you go ahead and rest there and then we'll...

we'll get to that bullet.

I ain't got no money.

I know. You said that.

Sounds like Ben Slocum, don't it, Matthew?

Well, it does, yeah, except the facts don't add up to Ben.

He wouldn't shoot anybody without warning like that, in the first place,

and, in the second place, he could have killed 'em all if he'd wanted to.

- Yeah, but somebody shot 'em. - Well, Matt, he did mention a dog.

Well, I don't have any doubt that it might have been Ben out there,

but the circumstances had to have been different.

Well, I'll tell you this. If you're going out there, I'm going with you.

- No, Festus. I want you to stay here. - Matthew, you'd have...

Matt, there's something else here.

You can't believe a thing that this Riker says,

a man that quotes the beauty of the Lord's work

for his own special deviltry.

You don't know whether you're going after Ben Slocum out there or who.

You don't know what you're gonna run into when you get out there, do you?

No, I don't.

There ain't no doubt about it, Doc, he does protect his own.

He's a hunter.

We took to streams and cold rock and still he come on. Hunter.

He won't scare much.

I told you boys you was wasting lead and powder.

Well, it's that... it's that dog of his.

Well, no matter, now.

We got him fetching right up that little basin.

Good a place as we're gonna find, the way he's staying after us.

Amen, brother. Amen.

He gonna get fetched now. Come too far, old Mr. Hunter has.

What if he flanks us?

You got yourself a point, brother.

What if you was to go up on that hill yonder?

Peter, you get yonder a way. I'm gonna hunker down here.

Well, go on, get, boy.

The rocks are barer than a skinned mule.

There's tracks right up the middle, though.

Now, if they was Shoshone, Dooley,

why, I would... head over in that direction, the one over there,

and t'other over yonder.

Huh, Dooley?

Don't make no difference.

We'll just wear 'em out, make 'em nervous.

Then we'll show 'em how... how clear a Shoshone can think, huh?

There. Oh, Kitty, just put that there. It'll be fine.

Mr. Riker, here you are.

- Hey, Doc, I ain't... - Yeah, I know, you ain't got any money.

Paul.

Paul.

Thank you, dear Lord, for providing this curing food and bounty. Amen.

Now, if'n that marshal of yours is following my boys,

which I hope he ain't, I can't swear on his life.

- What do you mean, Mr. Riker? - My boys are scrapping boys.

And they're carrying the torch of the Lord in the time of blood.

I learned 'em myself, at the Lord's calling.

Let me tell you something, Mr. Riker.

If your boys have done anything wrong, Matt Dillon'll bring 'em in here,

one way or another, you can count on that.

- Is Matt really in trouble, Doc? - Well, I'd say so.

You can't raise kids to be hellcats without having 'em fight like hellcats.

Mark! Luke! It's him who killed brother John!

- Any shooting been going on? - Some, up yonder.

I never could figure out why them sod stompers

think that just shooting a little lead in the air'll keep a man from coming on.

- Ben, how'd all this get started? - Well, I'll tell you.

I knew they was aiming to back-shoot you,

so I stopped 'em in the road and I ask 'em,

and the old man, he started quoting some scripture on me

and then he pulled out his gun and started.

Why, he's slyer than a lynx cat, that old man.

- You know I don't lie, Matt. - No, I know you don't lie, Ben.

But I also know you promised to keep out of this.

I promised you that I owed you.

I figured that we'd just outwait 'em and Injun in on 'em later.

Where are they at now?

- There. - Uh-huh.

Well, that looks to be a good deal over 300 yards.

I... I don't think they're gonna be hitting much from that distance.

I don't think they'll be shooting much from up there to down here.

Well, now, wait a minute. Depends on how you look at that.

You keep your eye out there, see if you can spot any smoke.

Maybe I can draw a shot or two out of 'em.

All right, up there. This is Matt Dillon, US marshal.

You old dog, you.

That be like that time with Black Feet Injuns up on the Cheyenne park,

you know, keyed up soldier boys, that time.

Jerky?

- Thank you. - Just like old times, huh?

Now, what you doing back here?

I don't like the feel of it, brother. I don't, now.

Nothing's moved down there close to an hour.

I know, I know.

Now, if we was to sneak to 'em,

and to hole up, ain't nothing can swing in on us.

OK, brother.

Matt. Matt, you're right.

There's one of them sidewinders

coming down that ridge of rocks to the west there.

Yeah. That's his brother coming down over here.

Yeah.

About an hour, them rackers'll wear themselves out.

You don't chew, if I recall?

Ben, there isn't much you don't recall.

It helps a body think.

And I'm thinking, Matt, you know, a body could get himself get killed out there.

It's possible.

And it won't make much difference to me.

I just bum around here with my dog Dooley, here and there and such.

But you got responsibilities.

Now, I could go out there and take care of things myself.

Ben, I appreciate that, but I'm gonna be with you all the way on this.

You know, there's one other thing, Ben.

If and when we get out of this alive,

I'm gonna have to take you back to Dodge to stand trial for assault.

Trial? Assault? I told you that old man pulled first.

I know, and I believe you too.

But he's accused you of attempted murder

and you're gonna have to stand trial by a people's jury.

That's the law.

Law. People. Juries. You're gonna drive me crazy with that law.

Dooley, he's gonna drive us crazy with that law of his.

I'll tell you what, Matt. There's one thing don't change.

That gun of yours. You just take care of that.

That don't change.

You know, Ben, you're right about that.

Matt, what'll it be like if that jury don't stand to favor me?

Well, Ben, then you'd have to go to jail.

I'm thinking I... I don't favor going back to Dodge.

I don't think there's any jail that I could stand the living size of.

I know, Ben.

Now, remember, Ben, alive if you can.

Alive if you can.

Dooley.

You got one of 'em, old fella. Go. Go get him. Go get him.

Drop that fool thing, Dooley. Go help Matt.

All right, you, hold it right there.

Get up.

Throw the gun down.

All right, now turn around and come down here.

- Where's your brother? - I wouldn't be knowing that, Marshal.

Dooley. Dooley.

I got him!

We got our'n, brother Mark! We got our'n!

Do like Pa says and dot his eyes.

Matthew Dillon.

You...

That's the lot of 'em.

Oh, you're hit.

Well, Dooley, thanks for the help.

Yeah, you sure are. Gone clean through the other side.

The bone's all right, though.

But you're gonna do a consideration of bleeding.

You could make porridge out of this here rag,

but it's the best thing I've got.

I'm obliged to you.

Ben, I don't think I can make it back to Dodge unless...

That's the first thing I thought.

If you wanted to take off right now, I probably couldn't stop you.

Second thing I thought.

And if you do come back, I can't promise you anything.

- That's the third thing I thought. - What's the answer?

The fourth thing I thought, I'd be a fool if I did go back.

But in all our times, this is the first time that you owe me.

I already done swore on your Bible, Judge.

Evidently the marshal has his reasons, Mr. Riker.

In order for this inquiry to continue, would you please do as he asks?

All right, Noah. Go on, take it.

Now, I want you to tell the judge here exactly how it was

that Slocum started that fight on the Dodge road.

Uh-uh. No, you hold onto that.

Was standing in the road, he was... barring our going to town.

That's not what I asked you. I asked you how he started the fight.

Four of my boys cut down in the springtime of their years.

Noah, who was it that started the shooting?

I already done told you that, Marshal.

I want you to tell us again.

Do I gotta sit here and be...

Just answer the marshal's questions, Mr. Riker.

Lived my whole life according to the words in this here book, I have.

That's right, Noah.

Going home.

Going home to pray and read the book.

Taking my boy Paul. Going home.

The case against Mr. Slocum is dismissed.

Oh. Well, what does that mean, Matt?

Well, Ben, that means you're a free man.

- What'd I tell you? - Well, thank you kindly.

I'm much obliged for all your help.

- You know what I am fixing to do? - What's that?

I'm fixing to go way off and build me a fire, shoot me an elk,

cook a steak and think over some deep thoughts.

About what?

If'n you knew all along that old Noah wouldn't blame me for the killing

if'n his own hand was on his own Bible.

What do you figure?

Means we're even.

Sounds about right, Ben.

Well, best way to unwind proceedings, go have some drinks.

There ain't no better way to get unwinded.

Well, come along. The first one is on me.

Dooley! Come here.

- There he goes. - Let's go, boy.

- The second round's on me. - I'll buy the next one.

What are we waiting for? Let's get started.