Original subtitles

This is St. Louis.

To many people, it's the gateway to the West.

They crowd in here by train,

by wagon, by steamboat.

They are here to embark on the adventure of their lives.

They're in search of the future...

The golden future of the golden West.

They're tall or short,

they're fat and they're thin,

but the first few weeks they're with us,

they all have one thing in common.

They're all greenhorns.

There's always one that stands out

from all the rest,

one whose face you know you'll remember,

no matter how many you forget.

Here, Aunt Em. Sign here.

MAJOR: I always give them lists

of exactly what they need.

I try to impress on them the importance

of keeping their loads to an absolute minimum.

They all say just about the same thing.

Why, this is wonderful.

Everything is listed.

Come on, we've got lots to do.

Thank you, Major Adams.

Thank you!

Open your doors, St. Louis.

Here comes Samuel T. Evans

to buy out the town.

Oh! I beg your pardon. Excuse me.

Major, good morning. Good morning.

Well, you're up quite early, aren't you?

Yes, so are you.

I guess I was a little nervous, you know,

with getting ready to go,

and all the provisions I have to get.

Just couldn't sleep.

You know, we're going into my country.

Oh, is that a fact? Yes, indeed.

When we cross over the Rockies,

we're going into mountains that aren't kidding.

You know the West, then?

Know it?

I've been writing about it for years.

How long since you been out there?

I've never been there. This is my first trip.

You've been writing ab...

And you've never been out there?

I never could save up the money before until now.

And I wouldn't have been able to go now

if it wasn't for Aunt Em deciding to sell her house

to go into partnership with me.

And you're settling out west?

Major, what we plan on doing

is to publish a weekly newspaper in Sacramento.

We're taking the printing press right along with us.

My grandfather took the printing press

out to Pennsylvania by covered wagon

when that was just a wild country.

Now Aunt Em and I plan on taking it to a new frontier.

A printing press is a pretty heavy thing

to haul in a wagon that distance.

Maybe I'd better have a look at for you.

Oh, no, Major, we don't have to take up your time to do that.

I called in some experts at home,

and they told me what to do with it.

Other experts that have never been west?

Well, I discussed it thoroughly with the experts.

Oh, I guess I'm taking up a lot of your time.

You have a lot to do.

See you later, Major.

Yes, Mister...

Uh, Mr. Evans?

You'd better take a good look

at that list of provisions I gave you,

and buy only the absolute minimum.

Uh, can I help you, sir?

Why, yes, you certainly can.

Bill! Charlie!

Yeah? Get up, you two!

I told you you had to help me police greenhorns today!

Bill, get up! He's mad as a hornet!

I can't do it all myself!

You two take one street, and I'll take the next one.

And don't you let 'em buy a single thing

that's not on my list, you understand that?

Now, hurry up! Yes, sir.

Bill!

This isn't on the Major's list.

The Major's list, if I may say so,

is terribly limited.

This is the ideal outfit

for shooting buffalo.

For shooting or...

knocking 'em dead?

This, of course, is a little more dressy.

Just the thing for those casual card games

with the boys.

And, uh... there you are.

A concealed pocket for that ace up your sleeve.

Heh. Well, I wasn't planning

on living dangerously.

Would you mind removing your hat?

My hat? No, no.

There you are... a poncho!

Wait a minute. Where did I go?

Just the thing in case

you happen to run into a rainstorm on the way home.

This is a poncho?

Yes, a Spanish poncho.

To protect you from the elements.

Well, uh...

what have you got for everyday use?

Yes.

Yes, this is more of what I had in mind.

Yes, it's you.

I feel that it's really you.

Now, would you mind telling me, please...

And tell the truth...

Uh...

do I really look Western?

Oh, yes, sir. Very Western.

Not too Western?

If I may say so, sir,

just Western enough.

But I look so new.

Here, sir.

Why not have a stogie?

Compliments of the house.

Named after the famous Conestoga wagons.

Thank you. I don't care for one.

All right.

Well, if we'll just leave these things

right here for the time being...

The things that you've chosen...

And we'll go back and see about your groceries.

Fine, fine.

All right, sir.

Uh-oh. There's one that got away, Bill.

You figure he's one of ours, Charlie?

He's bound to be, the way our luck's runnin'.

Let's don't take a chance. Let's find a new street.

Yeah, it's too late to do anything for him.

Hey, you reckon that's one of ours on the corner there?

Might be.

Let's see.

And I'll have 300 pounds of flour, please.

Are you a married man, Mr. Evans?

No, I'm not. I've taken the pledge.

Hmm. Then the 300 pounds of flour

is just for you yourself?

No, it happens to be for my aunt and myself.

Anything you say.

After all, there's nothing to be gained

by dwelling on Jasper.

Jasper?

Jasper Littleton... Died of starvation

just the other side of the Missouri border.

He did?

Did this Jasper, uh...

go out west with Major Adams?

No, he went out west with 300 pounds of flour.

Oh.

If that's the case, you'd better give me 500 pounds.

600 is more like it.

All right, 600.

I hate to go against the Major,

but I do outfit people for these trips all the time.

Then why don't you tell me what I'll need?

You couldn't put yourself in better hands, Mr. Evans.

I'll fix you up real good.

Just put that right in the wagon.

Uh, by that...

Oh, thank you. Are you sure I have everything?

You got everything I can think of.

Thank you. Thanks for your help.

Good luck, sir.

I like your outfit.

So I see.

How do you like yours?

I don't know.

Yeah, I know what you mean.

You goin' west?

No, I'm going east.

Well, it takes all kinds.

Would you get a load of that greenhorn?

He's all dressed up in his pretty new clothes.

Would you gentlemen mind letting me pass, please?

Better let him go before he starts bawling.

Now, you shouldn't have done that.

Oh, I'm sor...

You'd better go give him a hand, Leroy.

Gosh, that...

That was great, wasn't it?

I hope I didn't spoil your fun.

No, not at all.

The more, the merrier.

I got some dirt on my new suit, too.

Say, what in tarnation do you think you're doin'?

You tryin' to buy out the whole town?

Major, there's no place along the way

to borrow a cup of sugar.

You think you can get all this stuff

and a printing press in a wagon?

Don't worry, Major. Aunt Em is a wiz on packing.

Listen, young fella...

Goin' west is not a picnic.

It's a serious business.

I doubt if you can get all that stuff in a wagon

and have a team that'll pull it.

You worry too much, Major.

Well, we don't want to let time get away from us.

Thanks for helpin' me.

Where do you think you're goin' now?

I'm gonna go get my wagon.

Listen, buy just one wagon. Not six, not ten.

Just one.

Yeah, just one. That's plenty for anyone.

Greenhorns.

I make my wheels of Osage orange-wood.

Look at that.

That prevents the weight of the wagon

from comin' down and breakin' the hounds

when you hit a bad place in the road.

This thing here?

Now we'll proceed to the brake assembly.

Yeah. Well, Mr. Harrison,

I've got an awful lot to do...

Mr. Harrison, are you busy?

No, he's not! Yes, I am!

I'll come back.

You don't have to come back, miss.

I'm now gonna explain the brake assembly.

Then we'll take a look at the ratchet frame.

Well, hello.

Hello.

I'm sorry I interrupted

your tour of the wagon bottom.

Oh, that's quite all right, miss.

Doesn't make any difference about the bottom.

I'm gonna buy it anyway.

I defy you to find a neater bottom anywhere.

I agree.

I'll take it.

No, you're not.

You're not takin' her

till you fully understand why you're takin' her.

But you've sold me, Mr. Harrison.

Young man, I'm not even half through!

I really must run.

Papa just wanted to know if it was all right

if we could load our wagon this afternoon.

I informed your papa myself...

Are you going out west, too?

I informed your papa myself

that my lecture on proper loading procedure is tonight at 7:00.

I'll tell Papa, Mr. Harrison.

Uh, tell me...

Where do you plan on settling out west?

We're going to Sacramento.

Sacramento?!

What do you know? That's where we're goin', too.

HARRISON: Young man, are you interested

in this wagon?

Good-bye.

Wait a minute!

What's your name?

Six corset covers.

Oh, where are they?

Goodness gracious, what is all that?

A wagon jack here,

a tar bucket...

and a lantern, got some matches.

Oh, Sam, why didn't you leave this at our campsite

with the rest of our things?

Aunt Em, I...

I made 11 trips over there today.

I'll take this over later.

I'm too tired now.

Sam, I, um...

You what, Aunt Em?

I met a lovely young lady today.

Oh, Aunt Em.

Aren't you ever gonna give up bein' a matchmaker?

Of course... When you get married.

No, thanks.

What's the matter? What are you lookin' at?

I'm just looking at your clothes.

You look so different.

Different?

Good different or bad different?

Oh, simply splendid.

And you bought a knife and a gun.

Yeah, and I got a wagon for us, too, today.

And I had a fight.

Oh. No wonder you're so tired.

Oh, I'll... I'll be all right.

I'm just a little tired.

Later on, after a while, I'll...

I'll take you over and show you our wagon.

It's a good-lookin' wagon.

Go west, young man.

Oh, who would ever think it would be this complicated?

This is our ratchet frame.

Isn't it beautiful?

Here's your bill of sale.

I put in those straps we talked about

to hold the press.

It's a lovely wagon, Mr. Harrison. It'll do.

Mr. Harrison, when I was in here the other day,

there was a young woman.

HARRISON: Young woman?

So many young women come in here.

We were under the wagon, remember?

I'm always under a wagon.

Uh, what kind of shoes did she have on?

I don't know what kind of shoes she had on.

She was about so tall,

and she said she was going out west.

Remember?

I just wanted to ask her something.

It wasn't important.

Was she pretty, Sam?

Oh, Aunt Em, it wasn't anything like that.

Forget it.

Come on.

Pike's Peak or bust.

Excuse me.

Is that one of ours?

Samuel T. Evans... Philadelphia, PA.

Yeah, that's one of ours, all right.

It's funny how it gets so you can tell.

He's one of those fellas

that knows all the wrong answers.

Kind of likable, though.

The Major asked me to tell you to make sure

that all of our wagons are loaded on the riverboat by noon.

Off to St. Joe, are you?

Watch your step.

They tell me the Indians are mighty dangerous out there.

I'm not afraid of the Indians.

I'm afraid of Samuel T. Evans of Philadelphia, PA.

Him? You bet.

Put him on a horse, put a gun in his hands,

he's the most dangerous man on the trail.

He's only a greenhorn.

That's it in a nutshell.

He's only a greenhorn. See you, Gillespie.

Now he's on his way.

His wagon is on deck, and his heart is high.

And if his eyes suddenly get misty for a moment

at the thought of things that are dear and familiar

that he may never see again,

he won't admit it.

The river from St. Louis to St. Joe

is a bridge from the past to the future.

Once he gets off that boat,

Samuel T. Evans... Expert on the West...

Is up against reality.

We've set up our camp, and we get right down to business.

There they meet our scout Flint McCullough for the first time,

and they start to learn a little

about what's ahead of them.

FLINT: And here at Fort Laramie...

you'll see more deer than you've ever seen in your life.

This is the land of the Sioux Indian...

The seven council fires.

Sometimes called the Seven Tribes.

Right now we're at peace with the Sioux,

and for us, that's good.

Then come the Rockies. After the Rockies,

you drop down into the burning silence of Nevada.

And then onto the Sierras,

and then to California.

It's not an easy journey.

But it's an exciting one.

The country's wild, and I think that...

Well, you'll like it that way, like I do.

Any questions?

As the Major told each of you when you signed on,

this company will be run on the same principles

as a town government.

At the end of the first two weeks on the trail,

we'll have an election.

We'll elect a mayor and an assistant,

a treasurer, a secretary.

And a judge.

Now, they more or less run the train.

But first things first...

Tomorrow you'll be able to buy your horses

from the Indian traders.

They're not gonna be broken.

You'll have to take care of that by yourselves.

And all I can say is... good luck.

To each of you.

You need any help, Mr. Evans?

No, thank you.

We've come to a perfect understanding.

They don't like me, and I don't like them.

That doesn't sound like an understanding.

That sounds more like an impasse.

They're gonna have to be broken to harness, and they will be.

I expect to come out victorious, though.

You change your mind, just give a holler.

I'll be down the line a ways.

I expect to fight it out right here at this impasse

if it takes me all summer.

Good luck.

Whoa! Whoa, now!

Whoa!

Whoa! Whoa, now!

Now, quiet!

No excitement!

Whoa! Whoa, now!

No!

Whoa, there!

Whoa, now!

Steady, boy!

Steady.

Whoa! Whoa, now!

Now, quiet.

Okay!

Whoa! Whoa, now!

Whoa! Whoa, now!

Whoa!

Whoa, now!

Whoa! Whoa, now!

Whoa, now!

Whoa! Whoa, now!

Whoa! Whoa!

Whoa! Whoa, now!

Whoa! Whoa, now!

Whoa!

There.

Hold still there.

Hold still there.

Hey, Mr. Evans!

What are you fixin' to do...

Put those horses in a circus?

Hey, Evans!

What are you doin'...

Hookin' up a chariot or a wagon?

Why do you hate me?

AUNT EM: When you get through soaking, Sam,

I'll rub you with snake oil.

Aunt Em...

I never realized the human body had 200 bones

until today, when I cracked every one of 'em.

Did you pick any names for the horses, Sam?

Yeah, I sure did.

But none a lady can use.

We're only gonna use four of those horses instead of six.

Where'd you come from?

My name's Jody Pumphret. I'm a nuisance.

Well, hello there, Jody Pumphret.

Who says you're a nuisance? Everyone!

How come you're sittin' in that tub of water?

Well, if you must know, I took six horses today,

and I tried to teach 'em who was the horse

and who was the master.

You lost, didn't you?

No, I...

I won, but I had to pay quite a price.

My father says you're a greenhorn.

Yeah, I'm afraid your father's right.

I am a greenhorn. My horse pulled me

halfway across the state of Missouri today.

His horse bit him.

Bit him? Ha ha!

Did you say it bit him?

Sure, he's sittin' in a bucket of water, too.

That's a terrible place to get bit.

Yes, I agree with you, Jody.

I was just laughing because I realize now

I'm not all alone.

I realize there's more greenhorns than me.

My father says everyone on the train

is a greenhorn but Major Adams.

Well, he's right. We're all greenhorns.

None of us know what to do.

Is that good?

Well, it's very good.

In fact, it's very comforting.

Yes, after I get through with this bath, Jody,

I'm gonna put my body to bed

for a nice, long rest.

WOMAN: Jody? Jody Pumphret?

Here I am, Melanie!

That's my sister.

She's old, but she's nice.

You better come up, mister.

You could drown down there.

MAJOR: Now his troubles won't seem so desperate.

Nor will hers. They'd found each other.

And all the world was turning towards spring.

You have a lovely daughter, Mr. Pumphret.

Thank you. You have a very charming nephew.

His taste in clothes is certainly excellent.

Where do they get all that energy?

I don't know. Sometimes I hate young people.

You know, Sam could've had his pick

of any girl in town.

All Melanie had to do was snap her fingers.

They do make a nice couple.

Is he sober, industrious,

God-fearing, and thrifty?

Oh, yes.

Sam comes from one of the best families in Pennsylvania.

Is Melanie a good housekeeper?

Oh, the best.

Sam deserves the best.

Wait a minute. I haven't made up my mind

to accept your nephew.

You haven't been asked.

They just got together,

and we're already having our first quarrel.

Thank you.

So I said to Mr. McDeever,

"Maybe I am makin' a mistake.

"Maybe I am in line to be city editor.

"Well, I want to publish a newspaper of my own.

"Mr. McDeever, my grandfather did it,

"and I want to do it, too.

"Not a daily like this, but a weekly.

"Yes, sir, I want to publish the news

"and bring a view of the news

to the people that really need a newspaper."

Mr. McDeever just looked at me and he said...

Gosh, I...

I guess I'm talkin' your ear off.

Oh, no. Please go on.

I'm so interested, Sam.

You are?

And I feel honored...

that you should want to tell me.

Melanie...

I gotta go feed the horses.

Oh, Sam.

It's too early to feed the horses.

Sam, it's very late.

Aunt Em, Melanie says I'm about the best dancer

she ever danced with.

And Major Adams says we have to be at the clearing at daybreak.

Melanie says that goin' out west to publish a weekly

is about the most romantic thing she's ever heard of.

Sam, you have to get some sleep.

Melanie says she knew that we were gonna meet again all along.

Oh, Sam, you won't know what you're doing

in the morning.

Aunt Em, it's... it's awful late.

I gotta get some sleep.

I won't know why I'm doin' in the morning.

ADAMS: Now, the first wagon goes right.

The second goes left.

The third, right.

The fourth, left, and so on, down the line.

You start out as though you were gonna make

two separate circles...

until you meet.

When you come together, you will have made one big circle.

Is that clear enough to you?

Now, when you move forward,

you'll come up alongside the wagon in front of you

until your tongue is overlapping

the hind wheels of the wagon in front of you.

Is that clear?

Yes, sir. That's, uh, clear, sir.

Yes, sir.

Let's try it once more.

Pumphret, you are wagon number one.

Which way do you go?

Pumphret goes to the right, sir.

Is your name Pumphret?

No, sir. My name is Evans.

It's hard enough to get through to Pumphret

without outside interference!

It's impossible with it! Now, Pumphret...

Thanks anyhow, Sam.

What's that, Pumphret?

I was just thanking Sam.

If you two don't cut out this nonsense

and settle down,

I'm gonna put you at opposite ends of the train!

Pumphret! I am wagon num...

Wagon number one, and I go right.

I'm wagon number two, and I go to the right.

Pumphret goes right!

You go left!

I'm wagon number left, and I go...

I mean, I'm wagon number two, and I go left, sir!

All right.

Now, let's try it again.

You move forward when I yell to you.

And when I give you this signal,

just start to circle up.

Now, Pumphret right, Evans left.

All right, come on!

Pumphret right. That's right.

Wagon number two...

and I turn left.

I'm wagon number two, and I turn left.

Jennings right! That's right!

Right?

I must be goin' the wrong way. Hyah!

Look at that.

Where does he think he's goin now?

Oh, I don't know.

Go see if you can lead him back where he belongs.

No, no, no!

Not that way!

That way! That way!

Hurry up!

Aah!

Aah!

Aah!

Aah!

Someone sure has to know a lot to get out west, don't he?

Yeah.

Wait, you're gettin' further away from the wagon.

Sam, if anything ever goes wrong in these parts,

we're in real trouble.

Yeah, it is kind of frightening.

Gosh, I feel stupid.

Wished I'd have paid attention to old Mr. Ratchet.

Well, I guess we'll have to ask Major Adams

how to fix this wagon tongue.

I'd rather go home.

Are you afraid of the Major?

Yes, I am.

He sees through to my essential inferiority.

I distinctly remember Mr. Harrison saying

something about the double-tree of the wheel team.

Don't you?

Double-tree of the...

No, I don't remember anything like that.

I wonder if Melanie would remember.

Melanie?

Yes, Melanie's a bright girl.

Don't you agree, Sam?

Sure, she's bright, all right.

Pretty, too, wouldn't you say?

She's one of the prettiest.

I'll be she's had about 100 proposals by now.

That many?

Oh, easily.

Speaking strictly from an unprejudiced point of view,

a girl like Melanie doesn't come along every day, does she?

No, sir. A girl like Melanie

only comes along once in a lifetime.

Well, if that's the way you feel, Sam...

Hey!

Jody, what are you doin' here? Hmm?

You don't know how to put the tongue on the wagon, do you?

Oh, go bother someone else, Jody.

Papa's busy.

It's gonna rain.

Major Adams says it's gonna start at 4:00.

If that's the case, we'd better have somebody

tell us what to do here with this wagon tongue.

If I could only remember about that double-tree.

The double-tree is connected

by the double-tree hammer to the tongue,

and the tongue is connected to the hounds

by the swing pin.

And the hounds are connected

by the front axle by the...

The what? Kingpin!

That's it! That's it!

That's it! Jody, you're wonderful!

I snooped.

Ha ha ha!

Papa's clever little boy!

I want a penny.

If this works, Papa will give you a whole nickel!

I'll give you more than that, too.

You back out there. Come on, let's get to work.

Uhh! Back up, Jody.

That's better.

You men better get your rain gear on.

Say, that's a real good job.

You mean for, uh...

greenhorns?

I mean, it's a good job for anybody.

I couldn't have done a better job myself.

The Major's gonna be real proud of you two.

You really think so? I know so.

That's the most wonderful thing

anyone's ever said to me.

Pumphret, you're gonna be all right. So are you, Evans.

Gosh, I never expected to hear anything like that

comin' from you or the Major after the other day.

Well, the Major's bark is a lot worse than his bite.

You've got a lot to learn.

And we're gonna see that you learn it.

You know, I'm beginning to...

understand these wagons here,

know what they're about,

know the intricate, delicate parts of these wagons.

And I'm beginning to understand why Cousin Harrison

took pride in his ratchet-frame

and his Osage orange-wood.

Well, here she comes.

Five after 4:00.

The Major didn't miss it by much, did he?

How do you feel?

I feel like I'm all nose.

There's no use fretting.

You always catch a cold when it rains.

Melanie said she'd stop by to see you.

Melanie? Oh, Aunt Em...

she shouldn't come in here...

Me feelin' like...

Why?

Why? Because I got a cold,

and I feel like I'm all nose.

Sam, don't you know that a man is never more appealing to a woman

than when he needs taking care of?

Yeah. It might look appealing to his aunt or his mother.

Hello, Melanie.

Is he asleep?

Papa's in bed with a cold, too.

I made some hot milk with lots of pepper in it.

It's the best thing in the world.

That was very thoughtful of you, dear.

I guess you'll have to heat it up again when he awakes.

Oh, I will.

And thank you very much.

You can come up now.

You ought to know how I feel.

Never having been a man,

I'm not at all sure that I should.

Or that I do.

You don't expect me to drink any of that stuff, do you?

What? After Melanie went to all that trouble

to make this lovely milk with pepper in it for you?

I don't want it. It's good for you.

If I'd have thought of it, I'd have made some of it...

I don't want it.

Now, Sam, here. I don't want it.

The idea is to drink it while it's hot.

Aunt Em, honest, I just don't want it.

Aunt Em? What?

What's wrong with me?

Just a cold.

I mean, outside of the obvious.

I mean, you know, like the other night,

I spent most of the evening with Melanie,

and you know what I talked to her about?

The Irish Potato Famine of 1823.

Well, if you want to talk about it, why shouldn't you?

The night before that, I talked about

the grasshopper plague in the Great Plains and the Boer War.

I was more of a bore than the Boers were.

Sometimes, the things you don't say

shine through the things you do.

But I used to be able to say what was on my mind.

Like, "Pass the butter",

"Here's your hat", "Good evening".

Don't have me ask it of her.

Well, Melanie's a girl.

I've known other girls before,

and I talked to 'em like they were people.

Maybe she's the girl, Sam.

Even if she is,

I don't have to be inarticulate.

Maybe you do.

But here I am... a grown man

acting like a 17-year-old lovesick calf.

What's she gonna think of me?

Why don't you ask her?

I'm afraid to.

What if she doesn't feel about me

like I feel about her?

Ohh. And I always thought

you had all the self-confidence in the world.

Well, this frontier life

has taken the starch out of me.

I'm not the man I used to be, Aunt Em.

Besides, I got a cold in my nose.

I knocked, but I guess you didn't hear me.

Oh, hi, Mr. Wooster.

What's the matter with him?

I'm just trying to give him some hot milk with pepper

And I don't want it.

You ever try hot whiskey with pepper?

Will you sit down? Same needs a little comfort.

Sit down.

Hi, Sam. How's the cold?

Oh, the cold is thriving.

But I'm failing rapidly.

I hope you'll be able to drive in the morning.

We're pushing off then.

Tomorrow? That's right.

Well, I...

You get back in bed and cover up!

Don't spill it all over me!

Get back in bed!

And don't forget... wagon number two to the left.

I won't forget.

How can I forget? Those scars!

I'll see you on the trail, partner. Good night.

Okay, partner. Good night.

Oh, I'm getting real fond of that boy.

Mmm! If I'd met him 20 years ago... hi-ho.

Well, we're finally gonna shove off in the morning, huh?

Yeah.

Sam, at last we're really heading west.

Yeah. Here I'm about to embark

on the great adventure of my life,

and I got a cold in my nose.

Well, California, here I come.

I don't want that.

So much pepper! I don't want that!

Now, at last, he has really started west.

Just ahead, Melanie rides toward the same horizon,

the same future.

And his heart quickens each time he thinks of her.

He is not so green as he was two weeks ago,

but not yet as seasoned as he'll be

two weeks from now.

The trail teaches its lessons hard and fast.

Now every disaster is common to all of us.

The trail is harsh and it's cruel.

No matter how well you know it,

the unexpected always waits to strike you down.

And somewhere, midway between St. Joe and Fort Kearney,

comes the greenhorn's blackest moment...

The moment when he must face the consequences

of his own stubbornness.

Sam! What's wrong?

SAM: These horses won't go!

And they're not gonna go

till you throw out half of that stuff in that wagon.

Throw it out?

I'm sorry, sonny, but these horses

cannot pull that heavy a load any further. They're tired.

How much of the stuff shall I throw out?

I would start by throwing out

that confounded printing press of yours!

The printing press? You told me I could take it

if I could find the right wagon.

I also gave you a very specific list

of provisions to buy,

and you more than doubled up on every single item.

Well, can I take the press with me

if I throw away most of the provisions?

Oh, I don't know.

Throw out everything except for what was on that list,

and we'll see.

All right.

MAJOR: Sam Evans isn't the only one.

The trail will be littered for miles

with things that have to be discarded.

And the train that comes through tomorrow and the next day

will only add to the pile.

I'm sorry, Sam.

So am I.

Hyah! Billy!

You live and learn, Aunt Em.

At least we've got Grandpa's printing press left.

And we'll get it to California, too.

You bet we will.

Hyah!

MAJOR: But there is always a challenge to come

over the next hill or around the next bend.

Always some new trial,

some new unexpected adversity.

Aunt Em, is supper ready?

Sam... Melanie's ill.

Hmm? What?

Sam, wait! Let me tell you...

Melanie isn't gonna die, is she?

Melanie isn't gonna die.

Flint! Sam, I've been...

Where's the Pumphret wagon?

Where's the Pumphret wagon?

We had to move it out of the line.

Move it out? Why?

The Major and I had a talk,

and we decided that, since you and I have become friends,

it might be easier for you to hear this from me.

But I don't know how to soften this for you any.

It's happened. You just have to face it.

What's happened? Melanie's sick.

I know. Aunt Em told me.

But how sick can she be?

She's pretty sick.

Oh, she wasn't sick

when you were explaining to us about Fort Kearney...

Sam, you know how cholera is.

One minute, a person is perfectly all right,

and the next minute, they're desperately ill.

Cholera?

That's the way it looks.

Cholera.

Cholera.

And the person that usually gets it...

24 hours later...

Yeah, I know all about cholera, believe me.

I wrote an article on it.

Sam, the wagon has to be taken out of the line.

Why does it have to be taken out...

I've seen cholera on a wagon train before.

It can wipe out half the train in 24 hours.

I know, but can't...

The Major is responsible for the lives of 200 people.

What else can he do? Couldn't he just...

No, I...

I guess there's nothing else he can do.

Are you sure it's cholera?

No. But we've got to have a healthy respect

for the symptoms.

You're not gonna leave her alone out here to die, are you?

No, no.

I'm gonna stay here until we find out what's happened.

If, in a day or two, Melanie's able to travel,

we'll catch up with the train at Fort Kearney.

If not...

I'm gonna stay, too, Flint.

My life is in that wagon.

Melanie...

I've tried so hard to tell you.

I just couldn't find the words.

I've known you all my life, Melanie.

You're the first girl I ever took to a party.

The first girl I ever kissed.

And you'll be my last.

I never knew, Melanie, that I could feel like this.

I thought I knew all the answers.

All my answers.

And then...

Then you appeared.

And you were smiling at me.

You looked into my eyes.

Then I...

I thought about a home.

Melanie...

you are my home.

If anything ever happens to you...

I don't want to live.

Don't leave me, Melanie.

Please don't leave me.

I need you.

You know, Aunt Em...

there's a saying among frontier people.

They say, "There's God out yonder."

Maybe that's a strange way to say it,

but if you've spent most of your life in the wilderness,

like I have,

you know what they mean.

And you know why they say it.

And why they have to believe it.

There's God out yonder?

Oh, I hope so.

I hope so.

MAJOR: Sometimes, from the hand of the Almighty,

a miracle.

Hyah!

Let me have that.

Oh, Melanie?

You forgot your mother's cookbook.

I'm only going to the next wagon.

A bride should never go to her husband

without her mother's cookbook.

Humphrey, I thought I'd ride up with you...

Give the newlyweds a chance to be alone.

I'm glad to have you.

Where's Jody?

Oh, he'll be along

as soon as we get it rolling.

Let's be going, Mrs. Evans.

Mrs. Evans.

I can't even believe it, even when I hear it.

Next stop... Fort Kearney.

I can't believe it's been two weeks since we left St. Joe.

And it's only been six weeks since we left St. Louis.

Gosh, I...

I feel 100 years older.

Well, thanks for the compliment... Mr. Evans.

Well, you did account for a few of these gray hairs.

Come on, get up in front there...

before the Major starts yellin' at us.

You're giving me orders like we've been married two years

instead of two days.

Well, you love it.

Don't you?

Yes, I love it.

How are you feeling, Mrs. Evans?

Like a brand-new woman...

on her way to a brand-new world.

I'm mighty sorry, Major, I gave you so much trouble...

Oh, no more than any of the others, son.

It's all in my job, that's all.

How's Mr. Evans this morning?

Does he still think that going west

is just scaling those mountains

and conquering the desert?

No, he's pretty well aware

of the facts of life by this time.

I knew he'd shape up all right.

I've liked that little fella

ever since I first laid eyes on him.

Oh, you like them all, Major.

Even the worst know-it-alls that come along.

Well, Charlie, I had to learn the hard way myself.

But every year, when we get a new batch

of those Samuel T. Evanses,

it just makes me realize

how much of a greenhorn I still am.

Uh-oh. Come on, Bill.

Hold up, Bill! Hold up!

Whoa. Whoa.

Whoa.

Hold it, boy.

You see? What'd I tell you?

Let's go. Get ready, Charlie.

Oh, Sam, you were wonderful.

Aw, it wasn't nothin'.

After all, I had to help a greenhorn.

Hyah!

Hyah! Ho!