Original subtitles

Whoa, whoa.

Aah!

-[horse neighs] -Go, get!

Giddy up! Go!

Whoa.

Fire...

Martha!

-Fire... -Martha!

Martha!

Fire!

You're all right.

They started the fire!

I know. You're all right now.

Jim! They killed Jim!

I know, Martha. I'm sorry.

My baby... she's still in the house!

Oh, God!

[crying]

[screams]

-My baby! -No! No!

My baby! Let me get my baby!

No! Martha, no!

My baby! Let me get my baby!

Let me go! Let me get my baby!

Martha, no!

Let me go! My baby's in there! Let me go!

-No! -Let me go!

It's all right.

Bless you.

How can we ever thank you?

That won't be necessary, ma'am.

I don't--

Victoria?

David?

David Wyncop!

-[laughs] -Oh, David! Oh!

♪♪ [theme]

How is she?

Well, it will take a little time.

They got a place to stay for the night?

She has a sister in town. I'll take her there.

I can't get over it, David--

meeting you like this after all these years.

[chuckles] Neither can I.

Time has touched you lightly.

And you.

You're still the most beautiful woman I ever saw.

Thank you.

Tell me, David, what have you been doing all these years?

Oh, nothin' very much.

Driftin' mostly since the war.

Drifting? But you had so many plans.

They went astray, Victoria.

Somewhere marchin' in the mud with the Confederate Army...

they went astray.

I'm sorry, David.

Excuse me.

I wanna thank you for saving little Becky.

It was a brave thing to do, and we're all mighty grateful.

No thanks necessary. Glad to be able to do it.

This is David Wyncop.

Oh, I thought so.

I'm Will Briggs, head of the ranchers' committee.

Oh, yeah. Glad to meet you, Mr. Briggs.

You made good time. Must've ridden pretty steady.

I did.

Now you know why we got in touch with you.

O'Toole's men have been hittin' us pretty hard

ever since our men left on the trail drive.

You got in touch with him?

Well, don't you remember?

The committee voted to hire a professional gunman.

-I know, but-- -Well, we did.

Him and his men.

Wired 'em three days ago.

Oh.

I--I didn't realize.

Well, I'm sure you have things to talk over.

Well, when are your men coming?

There'll be 25 top gunmen here by this time tomorrow.

Good. That'll pare down the odds.

Uh, same money we mentioned in the wire?

Six dollars a day, food and ammunition for the men.

Ten dollars a day for me.

Fine. I'll go and tell the committee.

Oh, Mr. Briggs...

One little point we didn't settle in the telegrams--

I must be in full charge, no questions asked.

Okay.

Sure.

What's the matter, Victoria? Something wrong?

Somehow the role of a gunman doesn't fit my memory of you.

[chuckles] Well, we prefer to think of ourselves as protectors.

Hired guns don't make distinctions, David. They just kill.

Weren't you one of those who voted to hire us?

No, I voted against it. I hoped there would be another choice.

Soldiers are hired guns, Victoria.

They're hired to fight for people.

Isn't that what you want us to do?

It's not the same thing.

Soldiers fight for what they believe in.

Hmm. I believe in those ashes out there.

I'm here to see there won't be any more of 'em.

For the moment, that's all the philosophy either you or I can afford.

Mother, I expected you home from the church meeting hours ago!

I've been so worried!

I know. I'm sorry.

Your clothes! What happened?

Juan O'Toole's marauders attacked Jim Dunn's place tonight,

and they set fire to it.

Was anybody hurt? How's the baby?

All right. Martha, too.

And Jim?

[sighs]

They hung him.

Hung him?!

Jim's place tonight...

Crawford's two days ago...

and the Bowen place last week.

It doesn't seem real.

When O'Toole was raiding near Warren Springs and killing all those people,

I thought "how awful," but I was grateful we lived here.

I never thought he'd dare attack so close to a big city like Stockton.

Well, the valley's too rich.

O'Toole would never bypass it.

Mother, you look so exhausted. Why don't you go to bed. I'll take him in his stall.

No, it's all right. It'll only take a few minutes.

Come on, Tony.

Come on, boy.

[bang]

[horse neighs]

Mother, Tachiano kicked over his grain barrel again.

Oh. Well, we'll get it out of the way.

You know, I'm glad now the committee voted to hire those gunmen.

At least if there's another attack, we'll have some protection.

They'll be here in a few days, 25 of them,

and a few will be posted at each ranch.

I know you were against hiring them.

Oh, maybe it's a good idea. Audra, I don't know. I just don't know.

But at least I do know the man in charge-- David Wyncop.

He arrived tonight.

David Wyncop? I've heard you mention him.

Wasn't he an old beau?

Yes.

Yes, he was.

David?

Victoria.

Forgive my starin', Victoria,

but I was way back when...

when I took you to the governor's lawn party.

I had the same feeling.

David, this is my daughter Audra.

Pleased, Miss Audra.

I'm sorry the boys aren't here.

They're on the trail drive.

Mother told me what you did at the fire last night.

How can we ever thank you?

Bein' asked to lunch in such lovely company is more than ample thanks.

I know you two must have so much to talk about.

I hope I won't be interrupting.

Unfortunately the interruption took place 30 years ago,

and it wasn't nearly as pretty as you are.

As I recall, it was a leaky old whaler named Seagull,

and you signed on to make your fortune in ambergris.

Ambergris?

They get it from whales, use it to make perfumes.

And did you find any?

Well, as your mother says, the Seagull was leaky.

She took on a cargo of water in the North Atlantic,

and that was the end of that.

-Sherry or whiskey, David? -Whiskey.

Ambergris and whalers--

You must've been one of mother's most dashing suitors.

Oh, he was, and he never did anything in the usual way.

The first time I saw him,

he was defending two Chinese miners against a bunch of drifters.

And gettin' the beatin' of my life...

till the sheriff came along and arrested me for incitin' a riot.

Lost causes were my specialty.

That's one of the things I liked best about you.

Major?

Horn? I was expectin' you.

This is my assistant Mr. Horn.

This is Mrs. Barkley and her daughter Audra.

Any of the boys here yet?

Yeah, I rode down with Jack and Tolly. They're right outside.

Found a place for 'em?

Yeah, plenty of room in the bunkhouse.

How about the ranch hands?

Well, there's only an old man. I moved him into the barn.

Good. Tell Jack and Tolly to come in.

What did he mean, "moved him into the barn"?

Well, I--I hope you don't mind, Victoria.

Your ranch is the best location. I have to take it over as headquarters.

I should've mentioned it, but I didn't have an opportunity.

Emergencies don't leave much time for the little courtesies.

[footsteps approaching]

Howdy, Major.

Hello, Jack.

Tolly, how's the scalp business?

It's tolerable, Major, tolerable.

These are two of my best men.

This is Mrs. Barkley and her daughter Audra.

We have some plannin' to do, Victoria.

Where can we talk privately?

You may use the library. It's straight ahead and to the right.

Thank you.

Come on, boys.

It's Comanche.

[chuckles]

I never thought they'd be like that.

I don't think anyone did.

[gunshots]

Hey, that's some nice shootin'!

Ah, it's not bad.

Jack, there's a dress shop.

Didn't you wanna get that little Mexican gal of yours a present?

Oh, yeah.

All right, let's go.

Come on.

Good morning, gentlemen.

Is there something I can do for you?

Yeah, I wanna buy a dress, somethin' fancy.

For what sort of occasion?

[chuckles] Wing ding.

Well, I have some new bolts of satin that just came in from the East.

Satin?

The colors are lovely.

Okay, let's see 'em.

Is the young lady dark or fair?

Dark, lots of fire.

Oh, I see.

Well, this blue flatters almost any complexion.

Ah, ain't bright enough.

I want somethin' that'll make the whole saloon sit up and take notice.

Hey, Jack, look at this. It's pretty.

That little gal would look good in yellow, huh?

Yeah, that's it.

Hey, can't you just see her in this, man?

All that black hair flyin' and those red lips.

I'm sorry, that dress was made for someone else... a special order.

How much?

I can't. It's impossible. A customer wants to wear it tonight.

So make her another one.

It's not for sale, I tell you.

How much?

Please...she's only 18.

It's for her engagement party.

Does she got dark hair?

Good, it'll look a lot better on my gal then.

Wasn't that Elsie Gordon's engagement dress?

I didn't want to sell it to them, but they made me!

Made you?

I don't know what to say to Elsie.

I'll tell the sheriff.

No, Victoria, please... I'd rather let it go.

I'm all alone here, you know, and...

they're so rough.

I understand.

Oh!

What are you doin'?!

Oh, I'm sorry! It was an accident!

Here, let me clean it up for you!

Give me that!

Now don't make no more accidents!

Yes, sir! I mean, no, sir!

Hey, barber, what is this stuff?

It's an astringent, straight from Paris.

Very expensive.

-Oops! -Hey!

Oh, it's just a little nick! I'll clean it up!

Nothing to worry about! There you are!

[sniffs]

Smells like whiskey to me.

What do you use it for?

You put it on after you shave.

Yeah?

Ahh! Ah, that stuff's really somethin', isn't it?

There you are!

Come on, Tolly, let's go.

Uh, that'll be 50 cents.

-Fifty cents? -Uh-huh.

That's about enough for two shaves.

Don't you think so, Tolly?

Well, it is a little bit steep, but he does deserve somethin'.

Yeah, especially after he cut me up the way he did.

Uh, it was an accident! I told him that!

Well, as long as he's chargin' me for two shaves,

how about givin' him one?

That seems like a fair idea to me.

Hand me that razor over there, Jack.

Wait a minute, fellas, please. You see, it's getting late and I've got to close up.

I want you to come over here and sit down and make yourself comfortable.

You don't understand. You see, I'm a very important man in this town,

and there's a big meeting tonight,

and I don't want you to do anything that you're gonna be sorry for.

So please, fellas, don't do this!

Please, fellas, don't do this!

[coughs]

Don't! Don't! Don't! Wait!

Aah!

No, please! No, no, no! No, no!

Aah!

No, no, no!

[crying]

[choking]

[crying]

[laughs]

Now that's a 50-cent shave!

And we ain't even gonna charge you a cent.

[laughs]

Good afternoon, Victoria.

Hello, David.

I saw you leave the house,

so I took the liberty of following.

You shouldn't go out alone.

O'Toole's men could be anywhere.

Well, it never occurred to me. I suppose they could.

They're watchin' us right now.

Look.

Oh, yes, mirror signals.

O'Toole uses his own code. It's very effective.

Over there.

He's got a man in every strategic ridge.

They're ain't a movement in this valley escapes him.

It's difficult to think of familiar places as dangerous.

You headin' some place? Want me to escort you?

No, no, I just came up here to think, to, uh--

to try and see things more clearly.

Well, what do you want to see more clearly?

You.

I don't know if you're the man I remember or...

just a stranger with a gun.

You don't seem to have much faith in either.

It's hard to have faith in something you're afraid of.

David, your men have terrorized this whole town.

What do you mean, "terrorize"?

As far as I know, there's been some horseplay,

but no real trouble.

Well, what do you call shooting up a town,

buying a dress that doesn't belong to you, pushing people off the street?

Now look, Victoria, these men ain't disciplined soldiers.

You can't expect 'em to act like it.

You handle 'em lightly or not at all.

Handle them lightly?!

While they strip people of their dignity and flout the law?

Don't you mean give them special privileges?

[chuckles]

What you call special privileges is just them lettin' off steam.

I ain't makin' excuses.

They're ruthless men.

They live violently and die that way.

But you can't fight marauders with a band of angels...

not and get the job done.

Is that what you've become, David?

A man who gets the job done...

no matter what else happens on the way?

Thing's might've been different.

Audra and those sons you raised...

might've been mine.

Wish thing's were different, Victoria.

If you can't believe anything else, you can believe that.

♪♪

Where you goin', honey?

Home.

Awful early, ain't it?

Why don't you let us buy you a drink?

Gotta cook supper for my little girl. She's waiting.

Well, now, a pretty little gal like you ought to be dancin', not cookin'.

Yeah, we'll buy you supper, honey.

No, I can't! My kid's waitin', I tell ya!

-Let her wait! -Yeah!

Oh! Leave me alone!

Hey! What's goin' on here?

Turn the lady loose.

You stay out of this, pop.

Turn her loose or I'll call the sheriff!

[groans]

[woman screams]

[grunts]

[groans]

[gasps]

[laughs]

Now... how 'bout that drink?

I don't care what the charges are, Sheriff. They've got to be dropped!

Dropped? After smashing that window?

To say nothing of the beating Carson took!

The ranchers' committee will take care of all the damages, Frank...

and the doctor bills, too.

It won't cost him a penny.

What about the girl?

You going to pay her for being scared half to death?

Oh, come on, Sheriff!

The girl was hardly touched.

As a saloon hostess, I'm sure she's received rougher treatment.

Maybe so, but she's still entitled to protection.

I imagine she'll find $20 or so adequate protection.

Wyncop's right, Frank.

Saloon job doesn't pay much.

The girl would welcome the money and forget the whole thing.

Well, maybe she would, but I wouldn't.

I'm paid to protect this town,

not collect bribes.

Our men are paid to protect the ranchers. They can't do it from jail!

They sure can't.

If our families are killed because of it,

it'll be on your head, Frank.

All right. Pay the damages and I'll let 'em go.

But I never knew right to come out of wrong.

Excuse me.

Wanna pass some time?

Why not? What've you got in mind?

Come on.

What's your name, old man?

Jeff.

After Jeff Davis?

No, sir. Just after me.

Where you from, Jeff?

I was born in Kentucky.

Kentucky? You hear that, fellas?

He's from Kentucky.

Well now, anybody from Kentucky

ought to be able to play a harmonica real good.

No, sir. Don't play anythin'.

Don't play anythin'? Well, you spoofin' me.

Now, everybody from Kentucky plays somethin'.

I don't play anythin'.

I can't hardly believe that.

I tell you what, Tolly's got a harmonica.

Why don't you try and play it?

Mrs. Barkley's waitin' for her horse to be saddled.

Give him the harmonica, Tolly.

Play.

♪♪

Faster.

[plays faster]

Faster!

[plays faster]

Dance!

[horse neighs]

Dance!

[horse neighs]

[horse neighs]

[gunshot]

Let him go!

Thanks, Mrs. Barkley.

We was just funnin', ma'am.

You're the poorest excuse for a human being I've ever seen.

You figure you're gonna like them marauders any better...

ma'am?

Is there a difference?

Tachiano, you're the most beautiful colt in the whole valley.

And you're gonna win a blue ribbon this year at the county fair, too.

Mother, look at him. He's standing here just like a lamb and he isn't even tied.

You'd never know he was unbroken.

By the time Nick gets home, I'll be able to show him halter class.

-Won't he be surprised? -Mm-hmm.

What is it?

Oh, this morning,

I caught some of David's men bullying poor old Jeff.

Why doesn't Mr. Wyncop do something about it?

Apparently he still doesn't think it's necessary.

Or doesn't care.

Somehow we've just got to get word to your brothers.

But how?

They must be 100 miles from here.

I don't know.

But we sure do need them.

They're signaling again.

I almost wish they'd attack and get it over with.

I just sent a wire to the boys to send the herd on with the skeleton crew

and get back here as quickly as possible.

A wire? But I thought they were on the trail with the herd.

They are, but they'll stop in Brownsville for supplies.

Well, when will they get there?

In a couple of days.

Brownsville...

I hope they hurry.

[mooing]

[hooting and hollering]

Get him!

[sighs]

Can't wait to get to Brownsville and cut some of this dust off.

I figured you'd be pretty used to it.

You've got enough dust in all those law books of yours.

-Oh, is that so? -Mm-hmm.

Well, then, brother Nick, maybe you'd like to negotiate the contract for this herd.

Oh, no, no, no. I find my spelling pretty dusty, too.

That's what I thought.

[horse approaching]

Well, well... we'd just about given you up.

You must've scouted clear to Nevada.

I'm so dry, I could spit cotton.

What happened to your canteen?

The horse got the last of it this mornin'.

You know, there's not a drop of water between here and Brownsville?

Well, now, there are three streams. They can't all be dry.

Ahh.

They are.

That's nearly 40 miles to Brownsville.

Without water, that herd can't make it.

I met an old prospector. He said there's a big waterhole 20 miles east of here.

Twenty miles east? Do you know it, Nick?

Yeah, I've heard of it. Not much grazing along the way.

That's why most drives don't use it.

Well, we could cut through the pass there,

forget Brownsville.

That'd run us pretty short on supplies.

Well, it's better to be short on supplies than have a dry herd.

We'll forget Brownsville.

All right, it's settled.

Forget Brownsville?

Too bad about that little dancer waitin' for him there, isn't it?

Well, she'll just have to make do till next time I come through, is all.

That's cattle business.

[horse neighs]

[hooting and hollering]

[neighs]

[horses approaching]

Hang on! Don't let her rest!

[neighs]

You look like you've been in a fight. What happened?

We was scoutin' them riders like you said.

Bunch of O'Toole's men jumped us.

They killed Tolly before we could get away.

You should've been on the lookout.

We was. That's how come they got Tolly.

He was ridin' on up ahead, and all of a sudden,

there was about ten of 'em all around him.

They come at us so fast, we didn't hardly have time to draw.

Well, better get that hand taken care of.

[neighs]

What do you think you're doing?

Let that horse go!

I said let him go!

Tachiano is a gift from my brothers, and you've no right to touch him!

Easy, boy, easy.

That's a good boy. Good boy, yeah.

Wait a minute, Audra.

Where you taking him?

Back to his stall, where he belongs.

I'm sorry. We're breaking the best stock for remount.

He's the prize of the lot.

Remount! He's never even had a blanket on his back!

Maybe not, but he'll be broken by sunset.

But you can't do that! This horse is blooded stock!

He has to be broken slowly or you'll ruin his spirit!

I don't care about spirit. I only care about speed.

I'm not gonna let you do it!

I'm afraid you got no choice about that.

Go ahead.

[hooting and hollering]

[neighs]

VICTORIA: There are plenty of good horses on this ranch

without taking Audra's.

I need fresh horses, Victoria, fast horses,

so my men can move quickly if O'Toole strikes.

One horse is not going to stop O'Toole!

Let me be the judge of that.

Audra has raised that horse since it was a colt.

She and Nick nursed it through the colic.

Why, she's been working for months with it,

training it, working it free so she can exhibit it at fairs.

-Don't you understand? -No, I don't understand.

I think you're lettin' sentiment interfere with your judgment.

Well, I happen to believe that sentiment is part of that judgment,

and once you believed it, too!

From the moment I got here, you've disagreed with everything I've done.

Which is more important to you?

A few minor sacrifices or the destruction of everything you've built up?

Are you sure you and your men aren't trying to destroy everything I've built up?!

Maybe not in the same way, but just as completely!

I've found you can be sure of very few things in this life, Victoria.

But if O'Toole comes ridin' down from those hills, he brings death with him.

You can be sure of that.

Well...

no more lost causes, huh, David?

I learned in prison camp that causes, lost or otherwise,

are for fools.

Well, it seems I've been putting my faith in something

that doesn't exist anymore, an empty image.

I'm sorry you feel that way.

Nevertheless, I'll get the job done.

Oh, I'm sure you will, David. I'm sure you will.

But don't expect me to admire you for it.

I liked you better as a fool.

Victoria...

since that horse seems to mean so much to you and Audra,

you can have it back.

Well, what did they say?

The wire came back. They didn't stop at Brownsville.

They must've taken a different route.

Yo!

You have only three men watching my ranch.

Now can't I get more protection than that?

I have patrols out day and night.

If there's trouble, you'll get more protection.

There are mirror flashes within half a mile of my place!

O'Toole is gettin' closer! I tell you--

Wyncop, we caught one of O'Toole's men comin' out of the saloon.

Jack recognized him off a poster.

Where is he?

Down at the corral.

All right, get him down.

Looks like he gave you some trouble.

Yeah, at first.

-Who is he? -One of O'Toole's men.

Horn and Jack caught him comin' out of the saloon.

I'll send Jeff for the sheriff.

Not yet. I want to question him first.

If I can find where O'Toole's camp is,

may be able to surprise him before he strikes again.

Why can't the sheriff question him?

'Cause I prefer to do it myself.

I'm on my way to Sonora, I tell ya. I don't know nothin'.

Don't ya?

What's your name?

Brady.

Your real name.

That's it... Brady... Bill.

How's your name Brady if the name on the belt buckle says "JD"?

That's Jim's. Martha gave it to him.

You got that buckle when you helped string Jim Dunn up

-and burn his cabin down, didn't ya?! -No!

-Didn't ya?! -No! No!

You're lyin'!

No, I bought it. I bought it.

-Where's Juan O'Toole? -I don't know what you're talkin' about!

-Where is he?! -Please...

Please, I don't know. They just split up and--

I was just passin' through, takin' a shortcut to Sonora.

All right...

we'll drag it out of you.

Mount up.

No. No, please.

Please, I can't tell ya.

Please, I can't tell ya.

You got no right to do this.

Please. You got no right.

David...

I suggest you and Audra go into the house.

Well, surely you're not going through with this torture.

It's the only way to get the information.

Will, are you going to let this happen?

Go ahead, Horn.

[yells]

All right, cut him loose and bring him here.

He's dead, Major.

Oh...

You wanted to talk to me, Victoria?

Yes, David, I do.

I know it's late, but I have something to say to you, something important.

As you know, I've never believed in vigilante justice.

We don't believe in it either, but we gotta have protection.

I know, and I'm just as afraid of O'Toole as the rest of you,

but I'm more afraid of what is happening to us.

What are you driving at, Victoria?

These past weeks, we've seen our neighbors bullied, our laws defied...

we've even seen a man murdered.

Now hold on, Victoria. Murder's a pretty hard word.

Is it? What else would you call it?

Well, after all, he was guilty.

Perhaps, but it wasn't up to us to decide.

And a few weeks ago, we wouldn't have let it happen.

No matter who he was or what he did, we would not have let it happen!

Don't you see? We've been so anxious to save ourselves...

that we've given up everything that we've ever believed in.

Now, I can't answer for the rest of you,

but as far as I'm concerned, I can't go on.

I'd rather face the enemy out there in those hills

than the one here inside of us.

This is my share of the money.

I want you and your men

off my ranch by tomorrow morning.

[chuckles]

Victoria, don't be a fool!

You've seen the signals. O'Toole's men are everywhere.

When they see my men leavin', you won't have a chance.

Perhaps not, but I prefer that way of dying.

What about your daughter? You want her to die, too?

I don't think we're going to die, Major Wyncop.

But if I'm wrong, I prefer mother's way.

Then you're both fools.

BRIGGS: Just a minute, Wyncop.

We're all with you, Victoria.

You got enough money in there to pay them off?

You bet I have.

The minute we pull out, O'Toole's man up on that ridge

is gonna start flashin' that mirror!

We'll take our chances.

I don't think you have a chance.

But I'll try to get you some more time.

As soon as it's light, I'll try to knock out that mirror.

I thought you didn't believe in lost causes.

I don't...

but I believe in earnin' my pay.

All right, mister. Drop the mirror.

Uh...

I was just--

Hello, Major.

Tolly?

Take it easy, Major. This was all Horn's idea.

He told me to stay up here and just keep signalin'.

Where's O'Toole's men?

We killed 'em the other day

when we went on that scoutin' party.

Mount up.

We're goin' back to the ranch.

Sure, Major, sure.

We're about ready, Major. Where you been?

Talkin' to Tolly.

Tolly?

He sent you this.

Well, now, we'd have told you, Major,

but you've been actin' kinda funny on this job.

Tell me now.

O'Toole's men left days ago.

Things was gettin' too hot,

so they figured to split up and lay low for a while.

How'd you find out?

Beat it out of that fella we found up on the ridge.

That's why those signals was beginnin' to stop.

So you thought you'd keep 'em goin',

so the money would keep comin' in.

Well, like I said, you've been actin' funny on this job.

That's right, Major, ever since you seen that Mrs. Barkley.

Keep Mrs. Barkley's name out of this.

Yeah, anyway, we figured you wouldn't go along with it.

You were right.

Don't try it, Horn. You, either.

Give me those gun belts.

And then you can give me that money I gave ya.

What for?

It belongs to the ranchers.

[grunting]

[groans]

[horse neighs]

[groans]

[horse neighs]

[groans]

[grunting]

[groans]

[grunts]

[drops axe]

I'm sorry we didn't leave on time, Victoria...

but I discovered I still believe in lost causes.

David, the boys will be home in a few days.

I wish you'd stay over and meet them.

I think I'd better be on my way.

I'm glad we met again, Victoria.

So am I.

And thank you for everything.

No, I'm the one that should be grateful.

Bye, Audra.

Where will you be going?

Going? [chuckles]

To look for ambergris.

Do you think he'll find it?

The ambergris?

Yes...

Yes, this time, I think he will.

♪♪ [theme]