Original subtitles

The following program

is brought to you in living color on NBC.

Howdy.

You get a little rest now, Minnie.

And I'll be right back.

Poor Gus.

For 30 years he's been bringing in

worthless samples for assaying.

Yeah, you'd think he'd give up.

No, not Gus.

You know, I've got an idea how we can have some fun.

With Gus?

What do you got in mind?

Well, Gus always leaves his samples

and heads straight for the saloon, right?

Yeah.

So why don't we fix it so the assayer hunts Gus

to tell him that he's finally made that rich strike?

Well, you think the assayer will go along with it?

Sure, he will.

Besides, we haven't played a good old trick on Gus

for a long time.

It just might work.

When he comes out, you follow him over to the saloon.

I can't wait till I see the look on the old coot's face.

My throat's a little dry, Minnie.

I'll be right back.

Give me a glass of whiskey.

Hey, Gus, how you doing?

Howdy, Joe, Hoss.

Hey, I said give me a whiskey!

When'd you get in town, Gus?

Oh, Minnie and I just rode in.

Another one.

And move a little faster next time.

Then when I buy this place,

I might decide to keep you on the payroll.

Hey, what'd you do, hit it big, Gus?

Eh, can't never tell.

Hey, Gus, how come you ain't stopped by the house

to say hello lately?

Uh, ain't been out that way for a long time now.

What do you mean you haven't been out that way?

I saw you by the north fork of Little Beaver

just the other day.

No, Y-you need glasses, Joe.

I don't know who you saw, but it wasn't me.

Gus, I-I saw you day before yesterday.

I was up on Sawtooth Ridge, and I saw you down in the meadow.

You need glasses, too, Hoss.

'Cause I wasn't there either.

I told you I ain't been out that way.

Gus! Gus!

I got great news!

That ore will run $3,400 a ton.

You hear that, boys?!

I finally hit it!

Bartender, get me a drink!

Get everybody a drink!

And we all hope it's worth a million dollars to you, Gus.

Hold on! Hold on! Hold on!

Now, I know some of you people think this is a joke,

but if it is, it's on you.

Gus' ore is jewelry stuff.

The richest I ever saw.

Rich! I'm rich!

Hey!

Where did you find it, Gus?

What are you saying, Slade?

You heard me-- I never saw richer gold ore

in my whole life.

Where's the strike?

I'm rich! What do you know about that?

Where'd you find it, Gus? Oh, I ain't tellin'.

Where's the strike? I ain't tellin'.

Cartwrights said they saw you on the Ponderosa.

Oh, no, I ain't... Gus, is that where it is?

Is it on the Ponderosa? Oh...!

You two saw him on the Ponderosa.

Now, we all heard you say that.

Everybody at the bar, let's have a drink!

Hey...!

Let's get out of here.

Come on, boys, everybody up to the bar!

Come on!

Drinks are on

Come on, drinks are on me!

Hoss, how many people you figure heard you tell Gus

you'd seen him on the Ponderosa?

Everybody in the saloon, I reckon, Pa.

Now, it wasn't Hoss' fault.

I shot my mouth off, too.

Oh, it isn't anybody's fault.

Everybody'll hear about it sooner or later.

San Francisco is probably buzzing with the news right now.

Pa, you don't... you don't suppose

old Gus really struck gold on the Ponderosa, do you?

No, I do not.

Never found any gold on this ranch.

Virginia City, the other side of the city, not this side.

Suppose he did make the strike on our property.

What would we do, mine it?

The only way you can make any real money in mining gold is

by going into it in a big way.

You bring in monitors, bring in hydraulics,

wash down the mountains, get rid of all the trees, sink shafts

until you've eked all the gold there is out of the ground,

and then maybe you've made a lot of money,

but you've also ruined a ranch called the Ponderosa.

I happen to like the Ponderosa the way it is.

When it comes to that, so do we.

Gus didn't, uh, file any claim, did he?

No, and the fact he didn't file a claim's gonna

make a lot of people think his strike was

on somebody else's land, namely ours.

Exactly, that's what keeps worrying me.

Once people get the gold fever,

they lose all respect for other people's property rights.

If they think that gold was found on the Ponderosa,

they'll overrun this place like ants.

I think we'd better get into town and talk to Gus

and just put a stop to all this talk

about gold being found on the Ponderosa.

The whole thing's ridiculous.

The way they're telling it around town,

Jim Slade, the assayer, came in.

He said Gus' samples were jewelry stuff.

Yes, the richest gold ore he'd ever seen.

Thank you, Perkins, that's all.

I got here as soon as I could,

but I see you already know about it.

You think I got where I am

by depending entirely on you for my information?

No, sir, I-I'm sure you didn't.

That's the first time you've been right in six months.

The assayer report, did you get the details?

Yes, sir-- the yield is $3,400 a ton.

Nuggets, dust, or quartz?

Gold-bearing quartz, sir.

Very good.

If it were nuggets or dust, it could be just a little pocket,

worth only a few thousands,

but if the samples are gold-bearing quartz,

old Gus could have found himself

a whole mountain of it worth millions.

Rumor has the strike on the Cartwright property,

the Ponderosa.

If it is, it won't do us any good.

Oh, stop acting like a woman.

But, C.J., if it's on the Cartwright land,

it belongs to the Cartwrights.

Don't try to think, Henshaw.

Now, go get that old prospector, and bring him over here.

Go on.

Yes, sir.

Perkins.

Sure is good to have you back

in my store again, there.

How come we don't see enough of you around town anymore, either?

What's the matter with you?

Why don't you come in once in a while, huh?

Say, uh...

Mr., uh, Mr., uh...

say, Gus, I never did know your last name.

Schultz, I think.

Near as I can remember.

Got a few more things wrote down here that I'm gonna need.

Anything you say, Mr. Schultz, you just name it.

You feelin' all right this morning, Wooley?

Feel fine, sir.

Feel fine.

Yourself?

Yeah.

I'll need salt pork,

bacon, tea, beans,

and, uh, yeah, this shovel here.

Eh, certainly can.

Getting all this stuff together,

you must be figuring to head out towards your mine.

That's what you figure, is it?

Now...

Put your money away, sir.

Your credit's good anywhere in town.

More so in here.

Yeah?

Well, that's a change.

Last time I came in here,

you tried to sweep me out with the trash.

Oh, now, let's not be like that, Mr. Schultz.

You take people too serious.

Why, uh, we're all friends around here.

Is that so?

Strange, ain't it?

I've been in and around this town for years.

Been elbowed away from every bar and eatin' place.

Been the butt of every unkind joke

anybody could dream up.

Now, all of a sudden,

everybody wants to buy me drinks, call me friend.

Why do you reckon that is?

Well, I'm sure people didn't mean you no harm, Gus.

That's an easy thing to say if you ain't the one

gettin' laughed at and shoved around.

Uh, when are you figurin' on going out to the mine, Gus?

Now, what's that to you?

Unless you're figurin' on following me

to find out where it is.

We ain't, Gus,

but you know there's a lot of people in this town

just waiting to try it.

Now, what you need is a bodyguard.

Oh, you applyin' for the job?

We figure we might keep you out of any trouble you might get in.

In return for knowing where the mine is, I guess.

Or a thousand a month, maybe?

No, thank you.

Wooley, I'll need one of them there picks.

Yes, sir, yes, sir.

Guess owning a mine ain't so easy as it sounds, eh, Gus?

Takes a lot of sweat, costs a lot of money to work it right.

Well, I didn't find that mine

by sittin' in the shade and whittling.

Need special equipment

to get the gold out of there, won't you?

'Course I will.

Think I'm gonna dig it out with my teeth?

A thousand dollars will go a long ways

towards buyin' that equipment, won't it?

A long way.

What you gettin' at, Wooley?

Well, I'm a plain-speakin' man, Gus.

I reckon a thousand dollars would buy a good interest

in that mine of yours.

Maybe, uh, 20%?

Like maybe half of one percent.

Oh, come on now, Gus.

I'm making you a serious offer.

Uh-huh, and I'm makin' you one, too.

Now, what do I owe you?

No, no, uh...

I'll just put it on your bill.

Well, service is Iookin' up around here.

Maybe I'll call back again.

Oh, I'll pick up all this stuff later.

Well, it'll be ready, Mr. Schultz.

It'll be ready.

Oh, Gus! Oh, Gus!

Whoa.

There you are, Gus.

Mr. Schultz.

Mr. Schultz?

Uh, Mr. Schultz, I've been looking all over for you.

Mr. Shasta would like to talk to you.

You hear that, Wooley?

Mr. Shasta's a big important man.

Owns maybe a dozen of the richest mines in these parts.

Big house, servants, fine horses.

Way I hear it, he's got money he ain't even counted yet.

Maybe you'd like to raise your offer

and bid against Mr. Shasta.

Nobody can do that.

When does he want to see me?

Uh, now, if it's convenient, uh, Mr. Schultz.

Right now will be just fine.

Come on, Minnie, we're gonna go a-callin' on Mr. Shasta.

We're ready.

Will this be satisfactory, sir?

Not for me.

But it should impress a man

who has been used to a steady diet

of sowbelly and jackrabbit stew.

Yes, sir.

Get that, will you, please?

Oh, good afternoon, sir. Uh-huh.

Oh.

Mr. Schultz, this is Mr. Shasta.

Howdy, Mr. Shasta.

Mr. Schultz, good of you to come and see me.

I was just about to have a little snack here.

Care to join me? Oh, sure.

Here, let me help you.

You see anything else here...

Oh, one of them there, that's good. All right.

Now, would you care for a drink? Oh, sure. Yeah.

You prefer brandy, bourbon or champagne?

Whatever you're havin'.

No, no, you name it.

Well, I've seen champagne

in them little buckets a few times,

but I-I never tasted it.

All right, then champagne it is.

None finer anywhere.

Tastes pretty, but don't have much jolt to it.

No, it doesn't.

Here, let me pour something else for you here.

Napoleon brandy.

I'm sure this will be much more to your taste.

There, try that.

That's good drinkin' liquor, yeah.

Here, have some more. Oh, thank you.

That's fine, that's fine.

Let's sit down and have a little chat.

All right, don't mind if I do.

Oh, here, over here in my chair.

Oh, oh, sure.

Mr. Schultz,

be comfortable.

Yeah, yeah.

You're a very lucky man, Mr. Schultz.

Yeah, I guess I am at that.

But I wish you'd call me Gus.

Every time you say Mr. Schultz,

I think you're talkin' to my father.

All right then, Gus.

Gus, it's a known fact

that you've made a very rich gold strike.

Now, you've been a miner long enough to know

that it takes a lot of time, effort and money to get

that gold out of the ground in commercial quantities.

Been thinkin' about that.

It's not a job for one man,

or two or even ten.

It's a job calling for manpower, machinery and know-how.

Well, I wasn't figurin' on doin' it all by myself.

Pretty good grub you got here.

Thank you, Gus.

Now, Gus, I operate a number of mines,

big ones.

I can set up an organization to handle your claim,

bring in men, machines,

drill shafts, build a stamping mill.

I can process more ore in one week

than you could in a whole year.

Cost a passel of money, wouldn't it?

Money's no problem, Gus.

I'm offering you a partnership in Shasta & Company.

Here.

$5,000 earnest money

to show you my good faith.

Come on, take it, Gus.

It's yours. You...

You ain't givin' this to me, are you?

It's an advance against your share of the profits.

All you have to do

is sign a simple agreement.

Mr. Henshaw'll show you where.

You just sign right here.

Well, I don't know, Mr. Shasta.

Just sign, sit back,

without doing anything else,

you collect 25% of all the gold

we take out of your claim.

Just sitting there, Gus, you're a wealthy man.

Do you like this home?

Oh, yeah.

I never been in a home like this before.

In six months you can have one just like it.

You won't have to work another day of your life.

Well, I, uh,

I-I got to think about it.

Gus, I'm offering you a fortune.

There's not another company in the country

that would make you a deal as good as this.

But I-I can't sign no agreement.

A d... I-I'll make it $10,000.

No, no, here, here.

I-I got to go.

I got some things to take care of.

Just a minute.

Gus, I-I wish you'd make me a promise,

that you'll give me a chance to meet or better

any offer that might come your way.

Oh, sure, sure, Mr. Shasta.

And thanks for the grub and the liquor and, uh...

That's all right, Gus.

I'm sure we can work out something.

Oh, yeah, yeah.

He's dealing with somebody else.

No, Henshaw.

Well, why did he turn you down?

If it was any plainer, it'd bite you right on the nose.

He didn't want to turn me down.

He wanted that money so bad, he was drooling.

But he couldn't make a deal

because he doesn't own the claim.

Now it's obvious that the strike is on the Ponderosa.

Well, that's the rumor, but I, well...

The rumor has become fact.

Now I know what I have to do.

♪♪

Yeah, just as we figured.

They're gettin' the fever.

As soon as Gus makes his move, they'll pile in on him.

So, when I found the strike, I says to Minnie,

"Minnie, you're gonna have the best oats there is

the rest of your life."

Hello, boys, hello, Gus.

Oh, Mr. Cartwright. Well, congratulations.

I hear you found yourself a gold mine.

Well, I, uh, I've been lucky at last.

You sure have.

Like to join us for a moment,

for a little bit of conversation?

Won't take a minute. Excuse us, boys.

Come on over, Gus. Sure, Mr. Cartwright.

Here, sit yourself down.

Howdy, Gus.

Howdy, Joe, Hoss.

Gus, you, uh, you sure stirred up a fuss in this town.

Oh, yes, I did.

Where'd you find it?

Well, you-you got no right to ask a man

where he found gold, Mr. Cartwright.

'Tain't nobody's business where my strike's at.

Well, you're absolutely right, Gus, of course.

It isn't any of my business.

Except if it's on the Ponderosa,

it is my business.

Well, I never said the strike was on your place.

Yeah, but, Gus, you didn't say it wasn't, neither.

Gus?

Gus, how about you making

a little sort of public announcement

to the effect that it isn't on the Ponderosa?

No, I ain't makin' no public announcement about nothin'.

Now, Gus... And nobody can make me, either.

Of course... Now, look,

start tellin' folks where it ain't,

and before long everybody's gonna know right where it's at.

I got to go. You're not going to lose anything.

You're not gonna lose any...

Well, that sure didn't help very much, did it?

Let's get on home

before somebody stakes a claim on our living room.

There you are, Minnie, real oats.

You sure got 'em comin'.

Hmm, looks like we got company comin', Minnie.

Afternoon, Gus.

Nice day for a ride.

You're a shrewd one, Gus.

I know now I underestimated

your ability as a businessman.

I'm ready to talk now.

I don't reckon we got anything

to talk about, Mr. Shasta.

I'm going to sweeten the pot, Gus.

$15,000 in cash

and a 30% share of all the gold

we take out of your mine.

Now, that applies no matter where your strike is.

All you have to do is show it to me,

and I'll take care of the rest of it.

There you are.

$15,000, cash.

I'm sure sorry.

I just can't do it.

Is that your last word?

Yeah. That's it.

Well, I'm sorry you feel that way about it, Gus,

extremely sorry.

Come on, giddyap!

Giddyap!

Gentlemen,

our friend Mr. Schultz needs a little persuading.

♪ Yes, sir, Minnie ♪

♪ You're gonna have a good life. ♪

Lot of oats.

Yes, sir.

♪ Oh, Minnie ♪

♪ You're gonna have a good life. ♪

Ain't, uh,

ain't you fellows kind of a long way from town?

You should've told Mr. Shasta what he wanted to know, Gus.

Been a lot easier on you.

And like I told you,

you should have hired a couple of bodyguards,

'cause now you're gonna need them.

What do you mean he didn't tell you where his strike is?

You were sent out there to get information for me.

Now, why didn't you?

Well, he kind of collapsed before he got to that, sir.

If you'd let us handle it our way,

we could have got your information.

If I'd let you handle it your way,

the man would be dead by now.

And I never would get the information.

We did the best we could, Mr. Shasta.

And we did like you said.

We never even touched his face.

Well, do we get our money?

This money is for keeping your mouth shut.

Now get out of here.

Well, what have you got to say for yourself?

Strangers everywhere,

and more coming every hour.

The hotels are full.

The only two words you hear on the street

are "gold" and "Ponderosa."

Ponderosa? Hmm.

Well, the Ponderosa's very big.

A man could waste a whole lifetime searching

unless he knew just where to look.

The rainbow Chasers know this,

so they stay in Virginia City

waiting for Gus to stake his claim.

Yes, sir, but when he does stake his claim,

then the rush will start,

and the Cartwrights will move in to protect their property.

You worry too much.

In a situation like this,

a man doesn't fight the inevitable.

He makes it work for him.

Henshaw, if you owned a ranch as lovely as the Ponderosa,

and you saw complete destruction coming,

wouldn't you be willing to talk terms with a man

who could do something about it?

Well, wouldn't you?

Yes, sir, I... I certainly would.

So will Ben Cartwright.

Well, Mr. Shasta. Mr. Cartwright.

Come in, come in. Thank you.

Uh, you know Mr. Henshaw? Yes.

Mr. Cartwright. Of course, of course.

And may I have your hat? Yes, sir.

Thank you. Well, this is an unexpected pleasure.

Thank you. Why don't you come this way, please?

It's quite a while since I've been out here.

Yes, it has been quite a while. It's a long ride.

I might add a very dusty one, too.

Last time I was here I seem to recall your pouring me

a glass of excellent brandy

that did cut the dust from the throat.

Well, let me refresh your taste.

Thank you. Just a drop.

I still think this is the most

beautiful ranch house I've ever seen.

Well, thank you very much.

Lots of excitement in town.

People pouring in from everywhere.

So I understand. Thank you.

I guess the, uh, the merchants are doing a landslide business.

Yes, they wish they did that kind of business every day.

Well, good luck...

and good health.

Thank you.

To you.

Mmm.

Excellent brandy.

Even better than I remembered!

Yes, indeed. Very fine.

Thank you. Won't you sit down?

Uh, thank you. It's been a long ride.

I'll stand.

Cartwright?

Are you aware that you are sitting on a powder keg?

Oh, really?

What are you getting at?

You're a rancher.

You deal in cattle, lumber and land.

Now...

gold has been discovered on the Ponderosa.

Now, hold on just a moment there.

There has been the report of a gold strike.

But, uh, there's no proof that it was on the Ponderosa.

Well, I have reason to believe that it is.

And wherever gold is discovered,

trouble usually follows.

Well, even if it were, as a private ranch,

it's closed to prospecting.

Nobody can or ever will stake a claim on this property.

That's a commendable attitude.

A man should protect what's his own.

But I'm a mining man.

I've seen this happen before.

And regardless of whether it's a private ranch

or whether it's illegal to stake a claim on it,

people will pour in by the thousands.

They will trample you right into the dirt.

You're in serious trouble, Cartwright.

Well, if I'm in that kind of trouble,

I guess I should get the law into this.

I guess I could, uh, apply to the army for troop support.

Well, it depends on how soon

they get here and in what numbers.

And besides, when they do,

the soldiers will probably desert

to hunt gold on their own. It's happened before.

Mr. Shasta?

I believe you have a plan.

Yes.

To get there first

with the most.

You need me, Cartwright.

I think we should form a partnership

for our mutual profit.

Together we make a deal with Gus Schultz.

You give me the exclusive mineral rights to all the land

between Sawtooth and Little Beaver.

Now, in return, I move in men

and the most modern equipment.

I do all the work.

And we split every dollar

of profit evenly.

Well, this presupposes, of course,

that the gold was discovered on this ranch.

What about the, uh,

the thousands of prospectors?

What about them?

Just a temporary nuisance.

In the face of a big, well-organized operation,

they won't stay long.

But they would overrun the place.

Probably, just like they did in California.

And right here when the Comstock Lode was found.

If the, if the gold were discovered here,

Mr. Shasta,

how would you go about mining it?

By the most efficient methods.

I see.

Would that include the, the use of, uh,

hydraulic machinery?

Yes, if that's the most efficient method.

Mm-hmm. Isn't that the machinery that you used, uh,

at the Wentworth ranch when you took that over by Gold Hill?

That's right.

Yeah, Yes, that was very efficient.

That machinery managed to turn a thousand acres

of beautiful prime land into a sea of mud,

boulders and rocks.

Now, gentlemen, I'm afraid I...

I don't intend to let you do that to the Ponderosa.

Now, don't be hasty, Cartwright.

Well, I've made you what I consider to be

a very fair proposition

from which you could profit tremendously. Mm-hmm.

And if we work together,

I'm sure we can even improve on that.

Aha, well.

How would you go about improving

the Ponderosa, though, Mr. Shasta?

Once you turned it into a wasteland.

No, I'm afraid I can't let you do that.

This is a beautiful ranch.

It's the only legacy I have for my sons.

I can see you've closed your mind.

Well, I can understand your point of view.

I need scarcely remind you, though,

that I'm not easily discouraged.

Thank you for the excellent brandy.

Thank you, Mr. Cartwright.

Henshaw.

Gentlemen?

Bye. Good day.

Good day.

Hey, I just saw Shasta leave.

What did he want?

Well, Mr. Shasta wants to go into the mining business

with us as partners, right here on the Ponderosa.

Isn't that nice?

So, we'd better go find Gus.

Bring him out here now.

Why? He wouldn't talk to us before.

Well, he has to talk to us now.

He's no match for a man like Shasta.

Go find him, hog-tie him,

but bring him here.

Yes, sir.

Hey, Gus?

Hey, Gus!

♪♪

Well, there's nothing we can do, boys.

So, why don't you just go on about your business?

Joe.

What's this all about, Roy?

Old Gus' mule come into town with Gus draped over her back.

Been beat up pretty bad.

He's inside.

Well, go on... men!

Oh, Joe.

How's Gus?

Not good.

Is there any chance I can talk to him just for a minute?

He won't make much sense until tomorrow, Joe.

All he keeps mumbling is that he never meant

to make the Cartwrights so much trouble.

I told him three months ago that his heart

wouldn't stand much more.

And this beating just about did him in.

Look, I'll go back to the ranch and tell Pa.

We'll come in town tomorrow and stay at the hotel.

Let us know as soon as he can talk.

Iwill, Joe.

Thanks, Doc.

Well, Gus, you sure have

this town stirred up.

Sign up now and get a $50 grubstake!

Shasta Mining Company will pay the man

who locates Gus Schultz's strike

a $5,000 finder's fee!

And in addition... in addition,

will give that man 25% of all profits

taken from any mining done there.

Now, in the interest of fair play,

no one starts the hunt until Mr. Shasta gives the word.

That way everyone has an even chance.

How's it going, Henshaw?

Uh, 212 men so far, Mr. Shasta.

We should have 300 before the day is over.

Very good, very good.

I'll be at home.

Yes, sir.

Sign up now,

and get your $50 grubstake, everybody!

Shasta Mining Company will pay the man

a $5,000 finder's fee.

And in addition, will give that man 25%

of all profits taken from any mining done there.

Sign up now and get a $50 grubstake!

All right, sign up everybody! Look at that.

Get your grubstake!

Shasta Mining Company will give that man 25%

of all profits coming from any operational back plan!

Sign up now and get a $50 grubstake!

Excuse me, Mr. Henshaw.

Where's Mr. Shasta?

He's not here, Mr. Cartwright.

He's at home.

He is, is he?

Sign up now and get a $50 grubstake!

Shasta Mining Company will pay the man who locates

Gus Schultz's strike a $5,000 finder's fee!

All right.

Now, you stay at the hotel and wait for word from the doctor.

I'm gonna see Mr. Shasta at his house.

Hyah! Hyah!

I'm sorry, sir, I'll have to announce you.

It's all right, I think he'll see me.

Well, come in, Cartwright.

Mr. Shasta, I'd like you to call your men off.

Would you care for some brandy?

I said I'd like you to call your men off.

You gave me some very fine brandy when I visited...

Mr. Shasta, I just came from your office where Mr. Henshaw

is recruiting prospectors.

Yes, I was agreeably surprised.

Henshaw tells me we'll have over 300 men by nightfall.

Where do you think they're going to be doing their prospecting?

Between Sawtooth and Little Beaver.

Any fool with half a brain in his head

knows that's Ponderosa country.

Now, wait a minute, Cartwright.

You can't prove that. I don't have to prove it.

Everybody knows it. I've been doing a little research here.

This should interest you. I'm not interested in your research.

Just tell Mr. Henshaw to stop recruiting those prospectors.

Now, Sawtooth and Little Beaver,

that's wild, rough country up there.

Yes, it is. Now, these townships are yours.

Descriptions and deeds are duly recorded. That's right.

Now, on a map a boundary is a line drawn on paper.

But on the ground out there in that tangle of forests

and canyons and cliffs, where is the boundary?

Right where it's always been, Mr. Shasta.

The line runs from the tip of the lake over to Mount Blue.

I own everything south of that.

So the descriptions say.

But where exactly is that line?

I just told you, right where it's always been, right there.

Now, if that boundary was ever completely surveyed--

Which I doubt-- it was a long time ago.

There are no fences out there.

Where are the witness trees, the cornerstones?

Who can say exactly where the Ponderosa ends

and the public lands begin?

I can.

Now, I take the negative view.

You may own part of that land, Cartwright, but not all of it.

Mr. Shasta, let's get one thing straight right now.

The first man... sets foot

on any part of that land, south of that line...

I take you to court.

Wait a minute, Cartwright.

I expect you to.

Mining and litigation go hand in hand,

that's been the history of it.

Every mine in the Virginia City area has been in litigation

ever since the first shovel of earth was turned.

It's always been that way.

Same thing exists today.

I have an excellent legal staff, Cartwright.

You're going to have to fight this battle on my terms.

Unless, of course, you want to reconsider

the offer you turned down when I visited your ranch.

Ben, you certainly have a right

to expect the law to protect your property--

Providing, of course, it is your property.

And from what you tell me, there could be some doubt about that.

Now, Roy, I told you,

Shasta is trying to tie the Ponderosa up in litigation

while he plunders it.

We know that, but the point is

that the boundary is not marked,

and running prospectors off

of what they believe to be public land

could lead to an all-out shootin' war.

Well, how do I stop them from going on that land?

Pa, we found Bill in the Recorder's Office.

Oh, Bill. Hello, Ben.

Glad to see you. Thank you for coming.

Listen, I need a job done very quickly.

How long do you think it'll take you

to survey the north boundary of the Ponderosa?

Well...

if I can hire a full crew and don't run into bad weather...

50, 60 days.

That long?

Oh, easy.

Well, you'd better do it.

And start work right now.

You're hired as of this minute.

Right, Ben.

60 days.

Well, how do I keep them off the Ponderosa

for that length of time?

Hey, Bob, Bob!

What's all the rush about?

Old Gus is gone.

Oh, Doc...

I was just going to the hotel, looking for you.

Gus is gone.

I know it. Do you know where he went?

No, I was called out on an emergency,

and when I came back, he was gone.

Whole town seems to know it.

They know it because I told 'em.

I wanted all the help I could get.

His heart's so weak, he could die,

if I don't get him back into bed.

Doc, those men don't care about Gus,

they just want to find out where he staked his claim.

Well, all I want is to try and save his life.

Well, if he went back where I saw him,

he'd be out at Sawtooth, by Little Beaver.

Well, you boys go after him and find him, quick.

I'm going to stay in town

and see if I can get the army in on this,

and talk some sense into those gold-hungry buzzards.

We'd stand a better chance if we all split up.

We might.

Then again, you might know something we don't...

try to get rid of us,

and go after that $5,000 finder's fee all for yourself.

Not to mention 25% of the mine.

Now, look, we've been working together for months...

and you think I'd do a thing like that?

We worked together...

for small change.

This is big money.

There's no sign of him on the flat.

Leaves the meadow and Little Beaver.

Too bad old Gus just didn't come right out and tell you

that he'd found gold on the Ponderosa.

Yeah, and it would've saved everybody a lot of trouble.

I'll tell you what--

You two split off and I'll take the meadow.

All right. If you don't find him,

you'll know where we'll be at.

♪♪

Joe and the sheriff are hunting old Gus, too.

Yeah, Joe saw him prospecting around here.

He's got a better idea of where he is than we have.

This'll make things easier for us.

Roy, take a look.

Yeah.

♪ Dreamed ♪ saw the biggest strike... ♪

♪ That ever been found ♪

♪ Dreamed... ♪

Howdy, Gus.

You all right, Gus?

No, I ain't all right...

but I don't care.

Look at me.

Been nothin' all my life.

Then, couple months ago...

Doc says I'm gonna die,

real soon.

I lived like nothin'...

and now I was gonna die like nothin'.

I never thought you were nothing, Gus.

Bless your heart, boy, I know that.

But I wanted more.

Just once, before I died...

I wanted the respect of everybody.

People to look up to me...

...think I was a man worth knowing.

And I made it.

Didn't I, Little Joe?

Yeah, you made it, Gus.

Been a big man since my strike.

Everybody...

talking about old Gus.

Buying me drinks.

Why...

people even started calling me

Mr. Schultz.

So, this is where your strike is.

Yes, sir, you found her.

This is where she is, all right.

Gus, what's the matter?

My arm...

it's gone dead.

I can't feel anything.

Hey, couple of you men help the sheriff get a travois made.

We gotta get him to the doctor.

Fallon!

Hey! You come back here!

Figured Pike and Fallon'd run.

Them two beat me... bad...

trying to find out where my strike was.

And it's here...

right here...

behind that rock yonder.

Gotta be...

the biggest joke...

that ever was...

But I was a big man...

Mr. Schultz.

You were a big man, Gus.

I found it!

I found the mine!

I found the gold!

I found... I found Gus' mine!

I want the $5,000!

Now, you get me the money, I'll tell you where it is.

No, I'll show you where it is.

I want more than your word, I want proof.

You give me the money, I'll give you plenty of proof.

Stop!

It ain't his money, it's mine.

Now, I'm the one who found Gus' strike, not him.

Was Fallon with you?

I was there first, and I want that money.

I'll tell you who gets the money--

The man who staked the claim.

Now, which one of you is that?

Come on, speak up.

No, you don't!

All right, that'll be enough!

I think it's about time I had something to say about this!

Now, that strike is on Ponderosa country--

Nobody stakes a claim, do you understand?

Absolutely nobody!

Don't listen to him!

That is public land out there!

I don't know all of you fellas.

My name's Ben Cartwright.

Those of you who do know, I'm a man of my word.

And my word is that nobody sets foot on the Ponderosa.

Nobody!

Fallon, Pike, you two are under arrest.

Old Gus made a dying statement

that you're the ones that beat him up.

Shasta paid us to do it.

He wanted the gold mine.

There's your gold mine, Shasta.

All two sacks of it.

Gus bought the ore.

We found the receipt in his pocket.

See, there never was a gold mine.

Just a lonely old man who spent his whole life

looking for the big strike that never happened.

Now, you thought Gus was pretty funny, didn't you?

You used to laugh at him, make him the butt of all your jokes.

But one day, the doctor told Gus he was gonna die.

But before he went, he wanted that one big moment of glory.

Well, Gus got it.

And this time, the laugh's on you.

Come on, Shasta.

The gold rush was over,

gone like a soap bubble in the sun.

The Ponderosa was just as it had always been,

and we went home.

This has been a color production

of the NBC Television Network.