Original subtitles

♪ Rollin', rollin', rollin' ♪

- Hyah! -♪ Rollin', rollin', rollin' ♪

♪ Keep movin', movin', movin' ♪

♪ Though they're disapprovin' ♪

♪ Keep them dogies movin' ♪

♪ Rawhide ♪

♪ Don't try to understand them ♪

♪ Just rope and throw and brand 'em ♪

♪ Soon we'll be livin' high and wide ♪

♪ My heart's calculatin' ♪

♪ My true love will be waitin' ♪

♪ Be waiting at the end of my ride ♪

♪ Move 'em on, head 'em up, head 'em up, move 'em on ♪

♪ Move 'em on, head 'em up, Rawhide ♪

-(whip cracks) -♪ Cut 'em out, ride 'em in ♪

♪ Ride 'em in, let 'em out, cut 'em out, ride 'em in ♪

-♪ Rawhide...! ♪ -♪ Rollin', rollin', rollin' ♪

♪ Rollin', rollin', rollin' ♪

- Hyah! -♪ Rollin', rollin', rollin'. ♪

(whip cracks twice)

Good morning, mister. That one ain't loaded. This one is.

Oh, I need me a horse, so I'm taking yours.

No stripes, no buttons. What happened to you?

Oh, find yourself a seat on that big chunk of rock over there.

I wouldn't take that horse if I was you. I'd get myself another one.

Well, notice you ain't me.

Now take off your boots.

You haven't overlooked anything, have you?

I try not to.

I find that overlooking is one of the easiest ways of not staying alive.

Now toss them over.

Adios.

[MEN YELLING AND WHISTLING]

QUINCE: I wonder what happened to Rowdy's horse.

SCARLET: I don't know.

If he don't tell me, I ain't about to ask him.

ROWDY: Quince, I need your horse. - I'll ride back and get you one.

ROWDY: Now. Get down.

Scarlet, get him a horse, will you?

I hate to see a man standing around when he's getting paid to work.

[GUN COCKS]

Just use two fingers

to take that gun out of the holster and drop it on the ground there.

Yes, sir.

Be almighty careful how I go about it, no fast moves.

Yes, sir.

[GUN CLATTERS]

You know, you could've been more outspoken to me, mister.

You could've told me that your horse was going lame.

Well, I tried, but, uh, you didn't seem to wanna listen.

Yes, I was in a pretty big hurry.

Have yourself a seat on this chunk of rock over here.

Well, thank you. Don't mind if I do.

You rode him some, walked him mostly.

Little.

Go ahead, take a drink out of that canteen.

You left it there for me, so I figure I owe you one.

Real good. Thanks.

You know, you're the sorriest excuse for a horse thief

I ever even heard about.

A real smart horse thief,

he'd have ridden this horse till he dropped. Kill the horse,

but he'd have gotten some distance between them.

Like you said, not smart.

And about those boots. Leaving them on the trail like that.

That was another one of your bonehead moves.

You could have dumped them in any old canyon,

and I'd still be dancing around up there.

I ask you to do that?

No, sir.

Then wait till I ask you to do that.

Yes, sir.

How come you walked him?

Well, I ain't much for killing unless I'm being shot at.

I never met a horse yet that could pull a trigger.

True.

When was the last time you had a meal?

I stopped counting.

You know anything about cattle, any chance?

What there is to know.

There's a herd that you passed a couple of miles back.

The trail boss there, he might take on another man.

A dollar a day and meals.

It ain't too much, but you could earn a horse out of it.

Lead me to it.

You'll see the dust when it comes by.

You just tell the wrangler

that Rowdy Yates said to bring in this lame horse.

- Well, I greatly appreciate it. - You better save that.

You might change your mind

when whoever is chasing you catches up.

Hold up there.

You look kind of empty to me. This ought to hold you.

Well, if this don't, nothing will.

- Where's the rest of it? - That's all there is.

Wishbone, he's an AWOL noncom, and maybe worse,

yet you give him three times as much as me.

Why?

Because that was his first helping, and you've had three.

And he hasn't had two square meals ahead of this like you have.

That good enough?

Cookies.

Three helpings of Wishbone's stew, heh.

Some people will try almost anything.

No, he'll learn.

Where did he come from?

Mm. Oh, well, we sort of run into each other, in a manner of speaking.

I understand you hired him on.

Yeah, well, there's rough country coming up.

I figured you could use an extra hand.

Yeah, another drover. But from the looks of his outfit,

he's more probably a fugitive from knowing about close-order drill

than he is from knowing about driving cattle.

Yeah, you're probably right.

You better hope I'm wrong,

because I finally come up with a solution to your picking up strays.

If he don't come up a winner, you're gonna come up a loser.

Yup, if he's not a top hand all the way,

his pay's gonna be deducted from your pay.

And when you count up what you got left,

maybe you won't be so eager to save every poor soul what comes along.

- You getting the message? - Yeah, it's sort of sinking in.

Good.

[HORSE TROTTING]

- A little trouble, huh? - Trouble, but more than just a little.

[GRUNTS]

Mushy, I can use a little help.

Sure, Mr. Wishbone, but I keep seeing out there.

Just save your breath and come over here and help.

Too late. Got it. All right, Sam.

Oh, it's all right, Sam. We can handle the rest of it there.

Boy, you sure timed it right.

Got here after all the hard work was done.

Yeah, well, that takes experience. Getting the wagon all fixed up?

Yeah, thanks to Sam.

ROWDY: He's working out all right?

More than you know.

He can not only wrangle cows, he's turning into a cook.

A little more experience, he might be almost as good as I am.

And Hey Soos says he's a top horse wrangler and a blacksmith.

Yeah, Sam's gonna be a handy man to have around.

- So? - Mr. Favor said if he didn't work out,

he was gonna take his pay out of my pay.

Being as he's doing the work of two men,

I guess maybe I'll get paid double, right?

For all you do, Mr. Favor ought to cut your pay about in half.

Now, you can just stay on your horse, because you aren't needed anymore.

How'd you get it on?

Well, Mr. Sam, he did it all by himself, slick as anything.

Oh, him and how many others?

MUSHY: Well, him and himself. He didn't need nobody.

QUINCE: That I don't believe. WISHBONE: It happens to be true.

He just put a little effort into it instead of running for help.

Oh, you know, Turner, some people here may figure

you're a Paul Bunyan in tights, but I ain't so sure.

I got a couple of questions.

Yeah, we, uh, might wanna know

how come a man who can do anything he puts his hands to is on the run.

Who's after you, Sam?

The same people who cut the buttons off your coat?

Your question, Mr. Quince. You answer it.

All right, questions are over. Let's get back to work.

- Rowdy, I still think-- - Now, Quince.

[HEY SOOS PLAYING FOLK MUSIC ON GUITAR]

[SAM HUMMING]

[SINGING IN SPANISH]

Yeah, that was mighty fine.

Well, Mr. Sam can do anything.

He can ride and cook and shoe horses and sing.

Tell me, Sam, how were you at soldiering?

Oh, pretty ordinary.

More than likely less, I'd say.

Oh, I've known soldiers to lose their stripes once or twice,

but I never knew of a sergeant to wear a coat without buttons.

Especially with a pair of field glasses on your trail.

What do you mean by that?

Somebody's been watching you most of the day, Sam.

East of here when we rode in for supper.

Oh, that's what that shiny thing was. I saw it too.

Hold it!

Sir, I--

Disarm the prisoner.

Who's in command here?

Well, I'm sort of the boss here. Name of Favor.

Captain Jesse Coulter, 110th Cavalry.

My identification, sir,

orders, authorizations to make any arrests in the territory.

I apologize for moving in without any warning.

But the prisoner's caused considerable trouble.

I couldn't run the risk of losing him.

"Pursue, find, arrest and return to above named post for immediate trial

Sam Turner, ASN 4241."

You always club your prisoners around like that?

Not always or even seldom. In fact, never before.

Turner is no ordinary prisoner.

He is, among other things, a thief, a deserter,

a fugitive from a general court martial and a firing squad.

All that for one man?

If you don't believe me, I suggest you ask him.

Sam?

Captain don't lie, Mr. Favor.

Take the prisoner, corporal.

- Still not convinced? - Well, you see, Sam's on my payroll.

It's part of my job to look after my men.

Right now he was looking down a lot of gun barrels.

He might just have said what he figured you wanted him to say.

Would a look at the statement of charges satisfy you?

- I could tell you that after I saw it. - Very well.

We will bivouac just beyond those trees there.

The statement's in my saddlebag.

Give us a chance to bring up the horses,

to make camp, I'll be delighted to show it to you.

I'll be there.

You know, you're the lowest, the meanest,

the dirtiest piece of nothing that ever wore a uniform.

You can stink up a whole troop just by walking by.

I never wanted to see but one man die. In all my life, just one man.

But you can bet on it,

the day they put you in front of a firing squad,

I'll be there in the front row with bells on.

COULTER: Ten-hut!

As you were.

- Any pain in the wrists? - No, sir. Not to matter.

- I want to speak to the prisoner, alone. - Yes, sir.

[SIGHS]

Sam, I-

I've got to ask you again, Sam, why? Why did you do it?

If you'd been a raw recruit, the first time under fire, I could understand.

But a veteran like you...

I thought I knew you, Sam.

After all those years with the general, with me,

I'd have taken an oath you'd have been the last man in the world

to break and run in the face of enemy action.

No excuse, sir.

Is that all you've got to say?

Well, sir, I was hoping that maybe the general...

No, Sam.

The general can't help you now. Nobody can.

I was trying to say, sir,

that I hope that General Coulter don't have to know about this.

All bulletins and dispatches cross his desk in Washington.

He already knows the whole rotten mess.

Corporal?

The wrists are too tight. Loosen the lashings.

Yes, sir.

Oh.

Goodlove, Dunbar.

Leave the captain alone, corporal.

That is, I mean, it might be better if you didn't go with him.

Sometimes he just likes to be alone and walk and think.

Maybe he's trying to forget.

Forgot that scum like Sam Turner ever wore the uniform.

Dunbar.

That hit on the head, I'm sorry about that.

But you were standing between me, the guardhouse and daylight.

- And I couldn't figure no other way. - Forget it. It's all right.

Now that I know I'm gonna be on the firing squad.

[LAUGHS]

Far enough.

FAVOR: Captain Coulter?

He stepped away for a minute.

- Be back directly. - Good.

I'd like to talk to Sam while I'm waiting, then.

Hmm.

Go ahead and talk. Just don't get close enough to touch him.

I'll return your weapon when you leave the area.

Very kind of you.

Sam.

Mr. Favor, I didn't think you'd have occasion to be speaking to me again.

Well, now, I ain't heard your side of it yet.

Well, no point in me trying to lie.

What the captain said, that's what happened.

- You're facing a general court. - Big one.

Mainly big enough to be reserved for crimes punishable by death.

Well, you know, I don't go in for doing things in a small way.

COULTER: Mr. Favor.

The coffee's on the fire, if you'll step this way.

As you were.

New Orleans black strap rum. I can recommend it.

FAVOR: Twenty-six separate charges?

All subordinate to the main charge, desertion under fire.

FAVOR: Find it awfully hard to believe, captain.

There were 12 witnesses, Mr. Favor, and Turner didn't deny it.

Make me an awfully bad judge of men.

That's two of us.

Until I learned otherwise,

I thought Sam Turner was the finest soldier I'd ever met.

He was my top sergeant. He served with my father,

General Coulter, before he volunteered for the 110th.

He left a soft job in Washington to serve with me.

Atop sergeant is a commanding officer's right hand and more.

He's the spirit and drive and heart of an outfit.

He's the man that makes it a good outfit or a bad one.

The 110th F Troop was the best.

Was, I said,

until Sam Turner broke and ran.

I don't see how one man could destroy a whole company.

[SIGHS]

You don't know the Buffalo troops, Mr. Favor, or do you?

I've heard they're good.

- I've also heard that their officers... - Are the failures,

the misfits,

the drunks and the dregs. You heard correctly.

Buffalo troops are fine soldiers.

Their officers are the sweepings of the Army.

I fell off my horse dead drunk

at a regimental review.

If my father hadn't been a general,

I would have been asked to resign my commission.

As it was,

I was transferred to the 110th F Troop as a disciplinary measure.

The Buffalo troops are fine soldiers

because the misfit officers drove them unmercifully

so that these officers could make a reputation for themselves

and be sent back to the units that had thrown them away.

That was the way it started,

but the Buffalo troops had never had their own units before,

so they'd never had a chance to show what they could do.

Well, the harsh treatment did two things.

It made soldiers and it created pride.

Boots and buttons gleamed more brightly in the 110th,

salutes were crisper,

weapons cleaner, performance records higher.

Troop F had never had an AWOL or a deserter

until Sam Turner smeared and fouled the record.

Makes it rough all the way around.

Be rougher you try to interfere.

Any disturbance, my men have orders to shoot to kill.

Understand?

All right.

Understood.

GOODLOVE: Al wanna know is when.

Tomorrow night.

Tomorrow night.

I'll forget to tie his hands after he eats.

One guard goes for coffee, the other one falls asleep.

- And we hide in cover. - Four of us.

Sam will head for the picket line, trying for a horse.

And we cut him down.

[TWIG SNAPS]

Somebody's out there! Get him!

FAVOR: Hold it! That's far enough.

- What is it you want? - One of your--

A drover tried to get to the prisoner. We chased him over here.

- A drover? Which one? - Didn't see his face.

Are you sure it was a man, maybe not a stray steer?

A man, unless steers run on two legs.

Do you see him anywhere here?

I don't know, sir.

You'll take your detail back to camp, corporal.

Now,

we'll consider this a steer, Mr. Favor.

Don't let it happen again.

- All right. Come on out of there. MUSHY: They gone?

You're gonna be long gone

unless you come up with a good explanation

for what you was doing.

Hook this stew over to Mr. Sam,

thought he might be hungry.

Hungry? With six guns pointed at him?

I wanted to do something to make him feel better.

Food ain't gonna help him, Mushy. Nothing is.

It's my fault that they caught him.

If I'd only told him about those field glasses sooner.

They hadn't caught him here,

they would've caught him sooner or later.

- They weren't about to stop looking. - I know that.

And if any of you bleeding hearts are thinking about springing him loose,

forget it. He's Army.

He put his hand on the book, took the oath and put on the uniform.

The Army owns him, hank, hair and hide.

Well, I admit I didn't like him at first, not till that corporal knocked him down.

Then, well, I got to thinking.

I never met a man that did more and asked for less.

Well, this may sound funny coming from me,

but I figure he's got a break coming.

- I'll second that loud and clear. - Well, me too.

Captain Coulter has military and civil law on his side.

Now, they're taking Sam back to Fort Clark,

and they'll give him a fair trial there.

MUSHY: No, they won't. I heard them troopers talking.

They got a plan. Sam ain't gonna live to get to the fort,

let alone stand trial.

They really said that?

They said if Sam don't get loose by himself,

well, they're gonna forget to tie his hands.

And four of them are gonna wait

and shoot him down when he makes a run for it.

You know, I was thinking about taking a ride come sunup.

You know, I think somebody ought to go along to keep you out of trouble.

- Like you, huh? - Like me.

- Yeah. - Joe,

tell Rowdy to hold the herd here until we get back.

Right, boss.

We've got two hours till sunup, I guess.

Better sleep them off.

Figure tomorrow is gonna be along, long day.

Ah, good morning.

I really wasn't expecting the group to say goodbye.

It's no farewell party, captain. We're out to go along with you.

You're not a man to leave your herd behind.

I presume you've got a good reason.

Our herd's in good hands.

We're not so sure you can say the same about your prisoner.

- If that's a joke, it isn't funny. - It's no joke.

That Buffalo soldier pride

you was talking about seems to have taken the bit in its teeth.

Some of your men have ideas

about a fatal accident to the prisoner on the way to the fort.

Can you name names?

You believe it, that's obvious. Why? Why should they?

You'd know the whole answer to that better than I would.

The way I see it, they're thinking that if Sam's tried and hung,

whole Army will know about it, and the troop will never live it down.

But if he's killed trying to escape, that would be the end of it.

Soldiers talk a lot, make a lot of empty threats.

Some of them not so empty.

Gun goes off accidentally,

and you've got a man to bury instead of a prisoner to deliver.

It's happened before and could happen again.

- You intend to prevent that? - We intend to try.

- If I say no? FAVOR: Got no reason to say no.

If we're wrong, you can rub our noses in it.

If we're right, you can use our help.

Do I have your word

that this is not just a trick to free the prisoner?

- You've got it. - All right.

What you're doing may be worse than what you're trying to prevent.

Your men are spoiling for a fight.

One move and my men will be glad to help them to it.

We have two open powder kegs. Let's be careful of the matches.

Bean, bacon and coffee, sir.

- I have to check the horses. - Been done, sir.

Oh, good.

- Captain, I'll-- COULTER: As you were. I'm all right.

Sam, you were with Captain Coulter for a long time.

Does that happen often?

- What, sir? - What I'm talking about.

What hit him? Was it maybe headache?

No, no. He don't have no headaches.

Oh, sometimes he goes for a walk when he's a lot on his mind.

All right. Just one more question.

How come you volunteered for duty with the 110th?

I wanted a change,

and I knew the captain was the head of his outfit.

I don't guess there's anything wrong with that.

No, Sam. Not a thing.

Just inspected your camp, Mr. Favor.

You've had experience. You've placed your men well.

FAVOR: Coffee is still hot.

Thank you. I'd enjoy a cup.

Your position is well chosen here too.

FAVOR: You know, captain,

I've been thinking about the statement of charges.

It lists all the items Turner supposedly stole,

bridle, horse, saddle, saddle blanket,

great detail about the items of the theft and other charges.

It doesn't seem to have much about this thing of running from the enemy.

Matter of fact, I don't remember it even said where it took place.

It was a place called Seven Fingers.

It's a tangle of canyons just south and east of Fort Clark.

An Apache war party had burned three freight wagons,

killed the drivers.

So I got a platoon of F Troop

out to the only water in the whole country beyond them.

I deployed men up both the main canyons.

Corporal Dunbar was in charge

of placing the men in the east canyon.

Top Sergeant Sam Turner

was in command of the detail in the west canyon.

Keep your head down, trooper.

Another minute they'll be all dug in, out of sight, sir.

Very good, sergeant.

I've got a squad along the rim there just in case.

Two squads deployed along the other leg of the canyon.

They're not in position yet, but they will be shortly.

I got a look from the rim.

There's nothing moving, not even a dust devil kicked up by the wind.

I wish there was a little cloud of dust.

Then we'd know which way they're coming.

I'm betting they'll come along the other leg.

It's a wider trail, easier on the horses. They're not expecting trouble.

They don't know we're here.

They can surprise you with what they know.

But if they do come this way,

you hold your fire till they get close enough to make every bullet count.

Yes, sir.

Oh, I got a letter from the general yesterday, sir.

I know. I saw it in the mail bag.

He's heard nothing but good about the troop.

He's very proud of you, sir.

[SCOFFS]

That old blister proud of me? Oh, no.

I'm the backward child.

He was a light colonel when he was my age.

On the Bible, sir.

Hold the butter, sergeant, for another time.

I've gotta move out.

- Did you hear anything, sergeant? - No, only the wind, sir.

That's funny.

Not a train within a thousand miles, I could swear I heard a train.

[CHUCKLES]

Keep your eye on the rim. I'll signal you if anything moves.

- You feel all right, sir? - I feel fine.

- I can send a man with you, sir. - I'm all right, I said. Forget it.

How are you doing, soldier?

Just wondering if I could take my furlough now, sergeant.

What? Furlough? What's the matter with you?

Leave this garden spot?

Fresh air, pretty country, waterfall, what more could a man want?

- He drunk or something, sir? - No, he ain't drunk.

- What are you doing here? - You said he wasn't drunk,

so I thought he must be sick or hurt or something.

- I just wanted to help. - No help needed.

Now get back where you belong. Wait, you got your canteen?

Come here.

Bullet creased his skull.

- Uh, I didn't hear no shot. - Not here, not now. In the war.

Little place called Bull Run.

The bullet nicked him deep.

Every once in a while he has a dizzy spell.

Dizzy spells ain't sick. They come and they go quick.

They're nothing things.

Captain doesn't even remember when he has them.

- He's getting better all the time. - Sure, sarge.

Now, this is something we don't talk about,

neither of us to anybody.

- Is that clear? - Sure, sarge, yeah.

Now get back where you belong on the double.

[GRUNTS]

You're almost well now. Can't let anything spoil it.

Not now.

You know, one of these fine days,

you're gonna be wearing stars on your shoulders

just like your daddy, the general.

You know, I promised him I'd look after you.

I ain't about to go back on my word.

You're gonna be all right here. I'm gonna take a look--

[GUNFIRE]

[APACHES YELLING IN DISTANCE]

We'll need some horses and tarps.

All of them gone? The whole squad?

Yes, the whole squad.

Give me that. You ain't fit to touch it.

You ran from the Apache.

I saw you running from clear across the canyon.

[HORSE TROTTING]

What's this?

Turner ran. He ran and left the squad.

Is that right, sergeant?

Yes, sir.

- Is that all you can say? - Yes, sir.

COULTER: He never denied running, not then or later.

FAVOR: Anyone else question him?

COULTER: Two colonels and a major. Then he broke out of the guardhouse.

FAVOR: There's still a couple of little things bothering me.

Like I said, that statement of charges is kind of skimpy in spots.

For instance, one of the things it doesn't say is where you were.

I was on the trail to the rim.

Trail to the rim is the one Dunbar came down.

Well, then he must have seen you and reported to you.

Well, didn't he report to you, captain?

Corporal Dunbar?

Did you see Captain Coulter on the trail to the rim?

No, sir.

Well, with a lot of shooting and all, a man could forget

who he saw and where he saw him.

But you were on the trail to the rim?

Yes.

Then you must've seen the Apaches coming.

Well...

FAVOR: Well, you were well above the canyon floor.

At least you saw Turner break and run, didn't you?

- Well, didn't you, captain? - What are you getting at?

What are you trying to prove?

FAVOR: Well, I had this drover once

that got pitched off his horse into a mess of rocks, bled on his head.

Oh, he come out of it all right, at least most of the time.

Except for once in a while,

he'd sort of blank out, couldn't remember what happened for a while.

What reminded me of it was what happened to you at noon today.

Was that a headache or maybe a dizzy spell?

I had no trouble at noon.

Well, did you ever have a head wound, captain?

Leave the captain alone, Mr. Favor. Understand?

Now, why would he say that

unless we was getting too close to something

that shouldn't be known about, huh?

You didn't answer me, captain. Did you ever have a head wound?

I had a slight wound years ago.

If you think there's something wrong with me, you're very much mistaken.

But you didn't remember seeing Dunbar,

you didn't see the Apaches, you didn't even see Turner break and run.

Just exactly where was you?

- I'm not on trial here. - No.

But if all this forgetting might cost a man his life, maybe you should be.

So how often do you have these spells?

You know what I'm thinking, captain?

I'm thinking that maybe you weren't drunk

when you fell off your horse at that battalion review.

That maybe this is where it started.

Little spells at first but gradually getting bigger,

more frequent.

Not true, Mr. Favor. Not true.

Captain never had no dizzy spells.

Well, then you'll take an oath on that, won't you?

[WISHBONE SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

I tried, general.

I did the best I could. I tried.

[GRUNTS]

You better get down there, sergeant. The captain needs you.

SAM: Get a little bit of water, will you?

You're gonna be all right. You're gonna be all right.

And you'll be back out there on the parade ground,

right where you belong.

You're gonna be all right.

Head them up! Move them out!