Original subtitles

- He's out there. - How's the cattle?

Skittish.

I'd like a good clean shot at him.

Every rancher around here's been saying that, Mr. Nelson.

I've seen a wolf go renegade before, but this one is...

What? What makes him so different?

I don't know, but it's not just the kill he's after.

Well, let's get out there.

You men, spread out! Flush him out in the open!

Head them off!

Head them off!

- You all right, boss? - Let me alone.

I've fought Indians, Jayhawkers, twisters.

I beat them all.

But that wolf... he's worse than any of them.

I'm going to kill him.

I'm going to kill that thing...

- Doc Adams in town? - No. He went out. What happened?

That loco wolf hit my place last night. Stampeded the herd.

I didn't find old Curly till daybreak, trampled halfway into the ground.

Looks like he's stove up for life.

Got to get him over to the Doc's.

I'm sorry, Mr. Nelson. This man's dead.

Well, that cuts it.

You'd better take him on over to Crump's.

Marshal Dillon in his office?

No, he's went to Deerfield to serve a warrant.

Well, in that case, we'll put up a bounty.

Bring in professionals. They'll come from all over Kansas.

Let them do the hunting.

Wait a minute, Mr. Nelson.

You know what kind of yay-hoos a bounty like that

- will be bringing in here. - You got any better ideas?

Giddyap!

Bounty?

Dodge'll be the target for half the money-hungry scavengers in Kansas.

'Course it will. They'll come swooping in here

like a pack of buzzards after a fresh kill.

- Didn't even draw blood, Guffy! - Yeah, Guf!

If you so much as take off an ear, I win, you know.

Shut your cackling face.

Bet you a bottle you're gonna kill him, Guffy!

When do I get the bottle? You promised.

You'll get your bottle, rum pot.

Ain't even used all the knives yet.

You ain't quitting, are you?

I decided I'm not that thirsty.

Whiskey don't do me no good dead.

Oh, but there's plenty of good things and sweet dreams in this here bottle.

Oh, you'll hear the owl hoot and the angels sing.

- Besides, the game ain't over yet. - Yeah, you can't quit now.

And besides, where we come from, a man would get slab sided

and spraddled out for going back on his word.

Not unless you want to end up with your toes down and your hide up.

- Hey, Guf! Guf! - What?

I bet you can't take off half an ear.

How much you want to bet?

I'll bet you half of my cut of the wolf bounty.

What if we don't get the wolf?

Give him back his ear.

You got yourself a bet, Riney.

- Don't budge, pilgrim. - Hold on there.

You want to take pilgrim's place, do you?

Put the knife down.

You'd better keep your nose out of this, lawdog.

Drop it, blisterhead, or these spurs'll carve you from belly to backbone.

Drop it!

Get out of Dodge.

We come a long way for that bounty money.

And you just lost your chance at it. Now, get moving.

They're the orneriest, bone-picking, sage rats I've ever saw, Matthew.

Say, Festus, why don't you go on and buy Louie a drink.

I think he could probably use one.

Uh, I might even consider joining up with him if I...

Okay.

It'll put out the fire!

Yes, sir, you got a... puts out the fire.

Greatest thing since cash!

Okay, fellas.

How about you, cowboy?

Hey, we got four...

Thank you, cowboy! Hey, one more!

There's two to go, two to go, half price!

Hey, cowboy, over here, thank you very much.

All sold out.

I'll have that wolf's carcass strung up in the middle of town tomorrow

and be drinking good whiskey.

Instead of this gut spoiler.

A man don't make such a kill sitting in a saloon bragging on it.

You can ride other men's dust if you like. I got my own way.

Strychnine.

What are you mouthing about, grizzly hill?

I come across a fresh-killed calf back in the high country.

- So? - There's four coyotes there a-dying,

suffering something fierce.

Some slimy, belly-crawling low life poisoned that meat.

Look at it, Catlin.

Been up in them mountains a long time by the smell of him.

Wild and wooly and full of fleas.

What you doing outside your cave, old man?

- Your jug need fillin'? - Oh, his jug run dry, all right.

Now, he's looking for a dog to kick.

I had to shoot them coyotes out of their misery.

A man slinking around,

putrifying the country, killing to fill his own poke.

He ought to get his hide sheared.

You find yourself a warm corner, old man.

And curl up in it.

Stand up.

Show them what little men you are.

Stand up!

- Ah! - I'm gonna linger

on you a while, snake belly.

Man's the only animal that can get skinned more than once.

And I'm gonna find out how many layers of hide you got.

- All right, let him go. - Man needs killing.

I said let him go.

Yes, sir. Whatever you say.

Luke.

You know him, Matt?

Yeah, I know him, Kitty.

He and I go back a long ways.

He sure has a funny way of saying his hellos.

He's one of a kind.

Newly, you and a couple of the boys get him up to the office, would you?

He's a little old for wolfing, isn't he?

Oh, he's not a wolfer, Kitty.

That man's a breed apart.

He looks like a far-ranging wanderer to me, I'll say that.

He is, Kitty.

He sure is.

Hello, Matt.

Hello, Luke.

Well, you're still tree tall. You ain't bent any.

Yeah, you're still as thorny as I remember you too.

That's 'cause my ma raised us on sour milk.

Luke, how about a cup of coffee?

That'd grow hair on a man's eyeballs.

Just the way I like it.

- You could have used your fists. - Sorry about that, Luke.

But I didn't recognize you till you turned around and then it was too late.

Well, you ain't melted down to no skim-milk badge toter.

I don't take to walls, being closed in. You know that, Matt.

Luke, you could have killed that man.

Oh, I was purely tempted.

But I was just gonna carve my name on his hide and bleed him a mite.

If you'd have carved your Arapaho name on him, he'd have bled to death.

- You arresting me? - Ah. You know better than that.

What brings you to Dodge, Luke?

Free country... or ain't it?

Well, I guess it still is, but it sure costs more every day to live in it.

Huh. Costs me more than most.

- I tell you that. - Yeah, I know.

Well, it's a sorry price to pay, Matt.

Luke, you're welcome to stay in Dodge

as long as you don't stir up any more hornet's nests.

Well, I'm much obliged to you, but I ain't planning on staying.

- Oh? - I heard about the wolf.

But it ain't for the bounty I come. You know that.

- That old lobo got to die, Matt? - Afraid so.

You know he's too proud to be hunted down and skinned

by the likes of them night-crawling wolfers.

I wouldn't ask no other man.

You ride with me, Matt?

My eyes have took on some age.

And I could sure use them young ones of yours.

Luke, I'd like to go with you, but, well, I got a town to look after.

'Sides I got to ride over to Hays in a couple of days, pick up a prisoner.

You got a deputy to look out for your town.

Us riding together wouldn't take no more than two days.

Be like old times, just you and me.

Maybe for the last time.

All right, by golly. I'll go with you.

He's covered a right smart of ground

since he scattered them sheep back there.

He's heading for them rocks up there. He's knows we're following him.

There ain't gonna be no marks on them rocks.

I figure we've gone about as far as we can go.

Luke, you old mosshorn. You can't fool me.

I've seen you track a snake across pine needles.

Yeah.

Well, he'll use them rocks to throw us off and then double back.

Or he'll head for high country.

Which do you think he'll do?

Head for high country.

We'd better get started.

Mighty sweet and clear.

That's mountain water.

The day before I rode into Dodge, I stopped at the river and had me a drink.

It was all muddied up. They'd been running cattle across it.

So darn thick I had to chew on it before I could swallow.

Cattle.

Sod-busting squatters. They ought to run them all out.

Well, like it or not, Luke, there's not much you can do about it.

Like trying to stop a river from running.

Dam a river!

Yonder ways! Lookit!

Run! Run, you old scalawag!

He slickered them! Yes, sir.

Them dirty vultures.

Luke, you stay here.

Why'd you go and do a thing like that for?

We was right near on top of that critter.

- Stinking wolf! - Quit your whining.

- Guf? - A stranger coming.

It's that marshal from Dodge.

- What's he doing out here? - Shut up.

Hi you, Marshal. Fancy seeing you way out here.

I saw what happened over there.

Well, Riney did a little jackknifing, but he'll be okay.

Don't let us hold you up none, Marshal.

Riney's always making big over nothing.

I recall a case of worms he got a while back.

Way he carried on, you'd think he was gut shot.

Looks to me like that leg's broken.

If I were you, I'd get it splinted up and back into Dodge.

Sure thing.

Uh, Marshal, are you looking for that old wolf?

Yeah.

We was trying after him two or three days.

That wolf, boy, he's smoother than hair on a frog.

Thanks for looking in on us, Marshal.

Now, you look out for that old wolf, he's heady.

Now, you do what the marshal said. Get my leg splinted up.

Well, I'm gonna get some wood to tie it up with.

You don't need your horse for that.

Well, I got to get some large size wood for a leg like that!

There ain't no wood like that in these rocks.

Guffy!

You was gonna slink off and leave me to the crows.

- Riney... - Weren't you?!

Riney, that old wolf, I hit him. He's carrying my bullet.

Now, if I don't go out there and fetch him that marshal'll get him sure.

- You're lying. - Riney, I'm telling you the truth.

I got that old wolf. I seen him go down.

Blood.

Still warm. The two must have nicked him.

Wolfers.

They might not have hit him too bad, though, the way he's been traveling.

Maybe just enough to slow him down a little, huh?

Maybe.

He's near burned out.

Not out of mainspring and crafty, but not out of grit.

Cunny ol' cuss. Taking to high ground.

Figuring to put us a foot.

Matt, let him go.

He's a-heading for the high country and most likely he'll stay put.

He'll be back. And they'll be waiting to kill him.

Yeah.

I'll circle him, Matt.

A couple of years ago, you'd have lost us.

You're just too old and plumb run out.

I'm sorry, old friend.

Did you see him, Matt? He was run plumb into the ground, half dead.

Still reached down inside for some fight.

Yeah, I saw.

Well, it's all over, Matt.

Yeah.

Even this old renegade had somebody.

I thank you, Matt.

You'll be riding on to Hays, I reckon.

What are you gonna do?

Well, first I've got to bury this old warrior deep enough so them vultures,

human or otherwise, can't get to him.

Then I...

I'm going to try to find me a place where there ain't no such thing as time.

So long, Luke.

Matt.

Riding together, I put a value on it.

So have I.

When I seen them human locusts swarming over the land,

I took to the wild.

Not you. You's a mule head.

You figured if we give up ground, they'd keep a-pushing and a-taking

till there wasn't no room left for anything to grow.

Well, you was right. They'll keep a-coming.

There ain't no way you can dam a flood that big.

I'm just mighty sorry. I wasn't carrying to fight with you.

We both lost.

They ain't gonna bother you no more,

'cause I'm gonna bury you high where they can't find you.

Where she can come warm the ground over you.

Being lonely can be a mighty fearsome thing.

I had me a woman once.

Kiowa.

Good woman, too. Pretty.

Well, leastwise for a ugly old bear like me she was pretty.

When she passed, I got me a real case of the lonelies.

I just wanted to go up on a mountain top and howl it out.

I know how it feels.

Since then, I've just been running alone.

Ain't that all a tearsome thing.

You always dig holes in the dark, talking to yourself?

What are you burying out here, mountain man?

- Well, looky here. - Don't that beat all.

A wolf.

You digging that hole for a wolf?

You fixing to bury $500, mountain man?

He's a might softheaded, Badger. Don't scold him.

I ain't softheaded.

Figure you could use $500, do you?

I can think of a place or two I could spend some of it.

Waste of energy, digging the way he done.

It's no waste.

It turns out he dug it for hisself.

Soon as we claim that reward money, I'm going to skin that mangy critter.

Ah!

What will we do with him?

Leave him for the coyotes since he's so partial to them.

Let's get to the horses.

By morning we'll be drinking the finest whiskey in Dodge City.

- Catlin, flesh him out! - Yeah!

Hey, here comes Mr. Nelson!

I want to thank these two men for doing something nobody could do.

We pay you this $500, and we give you our thanks.

All right, back off.

I still got one barrel left in this thing and I'll scatter you good.

Now, let him up and get off the street.

He's killed two men.

Marshal Dillon'll take care of that when he gets back. Now, get, all of you.

I mean it. Move out.

Luke, I'm gonna have to take you to jail.

- Who's that? - It's Louie, Festus.

I'm freezing.

All right. All right.

He just hooch plumb up to eyeballs again.

I've never saw the likes of...

What in tarnation are you doing out on a night like this?

I wondered if I could trouble you for a bunk.

Seems the hotel is filled.

All right, Louie. Go on. You know where it is.

Just go on in there.

If that don't put a clod in your shoe.

Just gives me the... Hey, mister.

Festus! Festus!

- Festus! - Luke, turn loose to him.

Festus, give me that gun or I'll snap his neck like a dry twig.

Festus, please.

We'll ride you down, Luke. You can't get away with this.

Hand it to me, butt first.

- Luke... - Hand it!

Now, get them keys and unlock this here cage.

Get in there.

I'm gonna drive them out.

I'm gonna take up where that lobo left off.

Cattleman, squatters, sidebusters. Ride them all out!

I figure the best place to start looking is out near Twin Peaks.

Now remember, he's as loco as that wolf, so keep your eyes open.

Now, if you fellows go riding out yonder without getting yourselves deputized,

- you're breaking the law. - We've got no choice.

If we don't get Brazo now, he'll get away and do more killing.

A hundred dollars for the man who kills him!

Now, mount up.

All right, boys. Hold on.

- Matthew, you got my wire. - I got it.

- Then you know what happened. - Yeah.

Well, Wes Lloyd wasn't just my foreman. He was my good friend.

I know it, Nelson. I'm sorry. But Luke Brazo's my responsibility.

I'll go after him.

Now, you men break it up and go on back to your business. Go on.

Dillon, if you don't bring him in, we will.

Matthew, don't you want me to ride out with you?

No, Festus.

I'll do this alone. You stay here and look after the town.

You bet ya.

Matt.

Well, there ain't much left, old pard.

When we clear these foothills and start breathing free air,

it's gonna come green grass and clear water for you.

Maybe just enough to wet your tonsils.

You plumb tuckered, ain't you?

Well, riding's gonna be a lot easier from here on out.

Even a heady old fox would get a nose blister trying to pick up

them tracks we left.

Most lawmen ain't good for nothing but dehorning drunks.

Matt's still a eagle-eyed hell wind.

Starting now, old partner, we're riding for the sun.

These mountains is getting higher and steeper.

We done run out of trail, pard.

When I roped you and broke you, I took away your freedom.

Now, I'm giving it back to you now.

Go on. Get. You'll be all right.

Just head north.

It won't take long that old smeller of yours

to pick up grass and water.

Go on. Get now.

Get!

Matt, I'm just throwing up smoke!

The next one's business!

You remember them comancheros we had that run in with down on the Brazos?

Yeah, I remember.

I told their head gun shark

I could shoot possum between their eyes in the dead of night.

- He tried me. - Yeah, I buried him.

But that was a long time ago, Luke.

My eyes ain't that bad, Matt.

Now, ride on back to Dodge.

There's two men dead.

They took him away, they wouldn't let me bury him!

- Luke, come back with me. - I can't do it.

They'll put me in a cage.

That, or I'll wind up trimming a tree.

Now, ride on out.

You keep going, you're inviting every jackal in the territory after you.

Give it up, Luke!

Matt, you remember when we were tracking down that wolf?

- Yeah! - He didn't run

and tuck his tail between his legs!

He didn't quit, and neither am I!

- Luke, easy. - Uh...

I vowed that old lobo...

I'd bury him high.

Bury me high, Matt.

Where they can't reach me.

Vow me, Matt.

Vow me.

Sure, Luke.