Original subtitles

[MEN YELLING AND WHISTLING]

Eh, we're pushing them a little hard, don't you think?

Yeah, we'll keep pushing them hard till we reach some decent graze.

Well, that's about what Mr. Favor would say if he was here.

Of course, uh, it's always the ramrod that's the dirty dog

passing down the orders to his men.

Oh, uh, being trail boss and ramrod, must be a little hard on you, huh?

That's right, Jim,

but until Mr. Favor gets back, you're ramrod.

Now, hold on, you can't do that to me.

It's already done, Jim.

That wagon still following us?

- What's up ahead? - Plenty of good grazing.

There's a plateau up there on the hills.

Grass about a foot high and so green,

that if I was a steer, my mouth would be watering to get to it.

Is the climb too steep for the beeves?

- No. - Well, then, what's wrong?

I think you better come take a look for yourself.

[ROWDY SIGHS]

Mr. Ryan, this is the trail boss.

Got nothing different to say to him than I said to you.

Well, why don't you try saying it anyway?

We've been rounding up buffalo back there and it's taken us weeks.

We ain't got them pinned down good enough to move in for the kill.

Yeah, we got a herd over 3,000 head down the flatlands. Poor grazing.

Well, I'm sorry to hear about that.

We can move them through here tomorrow.

You could,

[SPITS]

But you won't.

Why?

You ought to know as well as I do that them buffalos

are more skittish than even your steers.

Now, you start moving that herd through here,

you're gonna stampede my buffalo.

Might lose half of them, maybe even more.

Yeah, you got a point there. I can't argue with that.

- Hey, Cole. - Yeah, Billy.

You ever been this close to a trail boss before?

COLE: Once or twice.

BILLY: They all as fearful about arguing as this one?

How long is it gonna take to finish with the buffalo?

Few days, maybe a week.

All right. I'll hold them three days, then we're coming through.

RYAN: You'll bring them through when I let you.

Three days, mister.

I wouldn't give them three hours, Rowdy.

I, uh... 1 didn't catch your name.

Yates. The name's Yates.

- How many drovers you got? ROWDY: Twenty-five.

I got 40 hunters up here.

Including those two?

RYAN: They're on a personal payroll. Kind of insurance against trouble.

Look, you're gonna have to leave ten men with that herd all the time.

Now, you make your move before I'm ready,

I'm gonna have 40 of my men against 15 of yours.

That's kind of bad odds.

I ain't 2 betting man, Ryan.

I'm gonna send a couple of men to keep an eye on that herd.

Well, that's all right. You just keep them out of my way, you understand?

Now, look, you start moving that herd up here,

I'm gonna know about it.

You already know about it. Three days.

You and your cows. How you ever got Mr. Favor to agree, I'll never know.

Because I told him if he bring along a few milking cows,

I could make better meals for all his handsome young drovers.

Yeah, they keep dropping calves all over the state of Texas,

- we never will get out of it. - I'll get rid of the calves.

Don't worry about that.

[MOOS]

[CALF MOOS]

Ahem. Mushy.

- Go get a rifle. - Oh, right away, Mr. Wishbone.

What for? I ain't mad at nobody.

[WISHBONE SIGHS]

Rowdy, I still don't like the way them buffalo hunters are acting.

Well, no use going looking for trouble.

Half the time, it comes looking for you.

Yeah.

[WISHBONE SIGHS]

See those calves?

What calves?

Them calves?

Take them out and shoot them.

- Take them out and shoot them? - Right.

- Me? - You.

Mr. Wishbone, don't you want me to go down

and get some water or something?

Well, are you waiting for those calves to turn into cows?

That's a good idea, Mr. Wishbone.

I bet that's what would happen if you kept them.

You can't keep calves on a cattle drive.

It slows the herd down too much.

Anyway, there are gonna be two, three more calves,

maybe tonight.

Now, be sure you take them far enough away

so the shots don't spook the herd.

MUSHY: Hey Soos.

Hey Soos, how do you--?

How do you feel about these calves?

Uh, I am not certain, Senor Mushy.

I will think about it sometime.

Well, look at them scrawny little runts.

May be a kindness, wouldn't it, to put them out of their misery?

If you say so, senor.

- Then take them out and shoot them. - Senor Mushy.

It would be like killing babies.

[CALF MOOS]

[MOOS]

[SIGHS]

Well, this is gonna hurt me more than it's gonna hurt you.

[MOOS]

I'm a liar, I guess.

WOMAN: I wouldn't pull that trigger.

Unless you're gunning for people.

I'm Emma Teall.

Were you really gonna kill them?

Well, sure I was.

I mean, on a cattle drive, you're supposed to.

I mean, they slow the herd down.

Mr. Wishbone told me to, I mean.

Well, I was trying.

Betsy.

We just got our first calves.

Isn't that nice?

Well, now, hold on. I ain't supposed to give them calves to nobody.

I mean, I'm supposed to kill them.

Are you going to?

Yeah, I might.

Well, what are you gonna do with them anyways?

Take them to the wagon,

keep them until we get as many more as we can from drives going through.

That's a pretty small wagon. I mean, when them calves start growing up...

[CHUCKLES]

We won't stay out with them that long.

We'll take them to our ranch.

You got a ranch?

Yeah.

A fallen-down house,

50 acres of fenced-in nothing.

We got a ranch.

Betsy, give me a hand with the calves.

Kind of surprising your menfolk didn't come to help you.

Only folks we had of any kind was Pa.

He died a year ago.

Uh, Miss Emma,

uh, Mr. Wishbone, he was expecting...

I mean-- I mean, the cows was expecting...

Well, anyway, there's gonna be about three more calves around.

Uh, maybe by tonight.

More than likely, he'll let me shoot them.

I mean, uh, just like I shot these calves.

And I can bring them right back to the same place and shoot them.

I'd appreciate that.

You know, you're awfully nice to us.

Betsy, come on.

Come on.

[MOOING]

- Well? - Shot them both, Mr. Wishbone.

You can't keep slowing the herd down

just on account of a couple scrawny little runts.

No, and you can't keep slowing the herd down by not feeding the men either.

Get over to the wagon, put the plates out.

But, Mr. Wishbone, you said maybe there's gonna be three other calves.

Yeah, well?

Well, if I gotta do it, I gotta do it.

If you gotta do it, you gotta do what?

Take them out and shoot them.

Oh, you're getting real bloodthirsty, aren't you?

You don't get over to the wagon and get those plates out,

you're the one liable to get shot.

And here, give me that.

You're not gonna be shooting the plates.

[SNIFFS]

[COWS MOOING]

Uh, where's Wishbone?

- He's missing, so is the breakfast. - Yeah? Mushy?

Down by the stream getting water for coffee--

All right, which one of you jaspers is a smart aleck?

ROWDY: I don't see anybody laughing. What's the joke?

I went out to milk a cow, and there wasn't one of them there.

Could be somebody's trying their hand at a little rustling.

Yeah, well, if they are, we're sitting ducks for it.

Ground's pretty hard. Do you think we can track those cows, Pete?

I think so.

Scarlet, Jay, get some rifles.

- But you haven't had your breakfast. ROWDY: It'll wait.

Where are they going, Mr. Wishbone?

I don't know, but I got the strongest feeling

I'm gonna be able to blame this on you.

[MOOING]

Nobody.

Well, that's that calf wagon that's been following us.

Yeah, these people are a little greedy. They want the cows too.

Scarlet, round up these cows and start them back towards camp.

Give me a hand, will you?

That'll give them something to think about for a while.

[GUNSHOT]

[NEIGHS]

Better be careful with that. You're liable to hit something.

If I'd wanted to, I would have.

Oh, Emma, look, the wagon's ruined.

You did that? Why?

I don't like rustlers, even if they're women.

Those calves are ours. They were given to us.

And the cows?

Were here when we got up this morning.

Sol let them nurse the calves. I didn't see no harm in that.

Uh...

Maybe I made a mistake. I'm sorry.

What good's that?

Well, I'll send some men over and have them fix it.

Meanwhile, I can't leave you two out here alone.

When have women out here ever been anything but alone?

You can come back to camp with us.

We're not gonna move out for a few days.

I'll let you use the supply wagon till this one's fixed up.

That's awfully sweet of you, uh, mister...?

Rowdy Yates, ma'am.

I'm Betsy Teall.

Pleasure.

Thank you, Mr. Yates.

- Hey, Cole. - Hm?

BILLY: See that yellow-haired one? That's the one I was telling you about.

The one I met at a church social in Pottersville last month.

Was doing pretty good until her sister come along.

Looked like she wanted to kill me.

Her sister is still along,

not to mention them drovers.

[HARMONICA PLAYING]

BETSY [SINGING]: I've often times wondered

How girls could love men

I've often times wondered

How men could love them

By law and experience

! very well know

I'll fall...

You know, I've never seen so many clean and shining faces.

They all went down to the stream after they ate, Mr. Wishbone, and shaved.

You think I need a shave?

About as much as 2 hard-boiled egg does.

How sorry am {

! parted with you

Against the next meeting

Our joys will renew

We'll change the green laurel

To the orange and blue

- Let's hear "Doney Gal." - Yeah, good idea.

Hey, sing "Gypsy Davy" for us, huh?

ROWDY: All right, that's all.

The beeves are hungry and restless.

Half of you are gonna ride night guard,

the other half are gonna have to get some sleep while you can.

It's gonna be a rough day tomorrow.

He's so handsome. And he's so strong too.

You know, everybody does what he says.

That's the kind of man that I'd like to have someday when--

No.

- Uh, you girls, uh-- - Betsy, come.

You girls will sleep in the supply wagon.

We'll have your own wagon ready by tomorrow.

That's awful sweet of you, Mr. Yates.

- Good night, Mr. Yates. - Good night.

[SIGHS]

[SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

[LAUGHING]

Hello, Miss Betsy.

BETSY: Hi, Billy.

Miss Emma.

Why, Emma, it's Billy.

It's a real pleasure running into you girls way out here.

Good night.

It's a beautiful moon out tonight.

I kind of thought I'd take Miss Betsy for a little walk and show it to her.

Would you please get out of our way?

I ain't heard from Miss Betsy yet.

Why, Emma, there wouldn't be no harm--

You'll do as I tell you.

Now, you wouldn't wanna interfere with your sister going out

- with her beau, now, would you? EMMA: You--

You get up.

You know, a man could get shot and killed for doing what you just did.

Boy, there ain't nothing for you around here.

I guess you feel pretty safe with all your drovers around.

Some other time though.

Some other time, things just might be a little different.

ROWDY: You stay away from the beeves

and you stay away from the women.

Yeah, I know. The beeves belong to you.

Get moving.

Good night, Miss Betsy. It's been a real pleasure.

Miss Emma.

Come on, honey, get in the wagon.

- Mr. Yates? - Hm?

Should I be grateful to you?

Well, that depends.

It depends on what you came here for.

I came here to make sure you and your sister were all right.

Uh, you'd be surprised how many men

are worried about Betsy's safety, Mr. Yates.

ROWDY: Well, she's a very pretty girl.

And not for you.

And not for any man in this west that's been a graveyard

for so many women's hopes and dreams.

I was 13 when my mother died, and she was old, wore out.

And she wasn't a day older than I am now.

Mr. Yates, I'm sending Betsy back east as soon as I get enough money.

We got folks there, and she'll get an education.

And she'll marry a man who'll be able to look after her

without his having to become a killer or a digger in the earth.

She'll live in 2 warm house when it's winter, and she'll have children,

and there'll be a doctor looking after her

and servants waiting on her.

So you see, Mr. Yates, you don't have to worry about Betsy at all.

Who said I'm worried about just Betsy?

Betsy, she's gonna do all right, you know, no matter where she is.

What you're talking about is what you want, what you like.

- No, I-- - Now, you got five calves from us.

You'll probably pick up some from some other herds.

You'll raise them and sell them.

Put Betsy on a stagecoach going east.

Well, that's fine.

What are you gonna do?

What happens to you?

Um...

I-- 1 didn't thank you for helping us.

Well, I didn't come here to get, uh, thanked.

Then why did you come, Mr. Yates?

Just wanted to talk to you, I guess.

Good night.

Oh.

Good night.

Good morning, Mr. Wishbone.

- Mushy. - Good morning, Miss Emma.

I wonder if we could have a little milk for our coffee.

Why, sure thing.

You know, we was expecting you over here for breakfast this morning.

Oh. Betsy had some things to wash out. She's down at the stream now.

- There you are. - Thank you, Mr. Wishbone.

Oh, I tell you, it's wonderful.

You think a girl is just a plain, ordinary little thing,

and then all of a sudden, she smiles and she's beautiful.

Miss Emma.

- Good morning. - Good morning, Mr. Yates.

Uh, Scarlet, uh, says the wagon is just about ready.

Something about fixing the wheel.

Oh. Heh.

The supply wagon is very nice.

Calves are doing fine.

It's gonna be hard separating them from those cows when you go off.

When I go off?

Oh. Uh, when are you moving the herd out?

Uh, tomorrow morning.

Oh. Then we won't be in your way.

[WATER SPLASHING]

[BETSY LAUGHS]

BILL: Hi, Betsy.

You look pretty good to me.

Maybe you don't realize it, Mr. Wallace,

but I'm kind of mad at you.

Well, you still look good.

You were mean to Emma last night.

Well, that little old sister of yours is fixing to be an old maid.

- Are you? - Heh.

That's what I think too.

- Hey, you ever seen a buffalo hunt? - No.

Well, there's one going up in the hills right now.

You wanna come along with me and watch it?

I'd like to.

But I better not.

Why? You afraid of me?

[LAUGHING]

That's one thing I can't make Emma understand.

I ain't afraid of any of you.

Men are awful easy to handle if you just know how.

And you must have been born knowing how.

[LAUGHS]

[WATER SPLASHING]

[HUMMING]

Oh!

Oh.

Ow.

There I was, walking up the aisle

with Mr. Yates waiting at the altar, and the preacher,

and me in my beautiful wedding dress and veil.

Oh. Heh.

And what do I do?

I drop the pitcher of milk right in front of the admiring congregation.

[CHUCKLES]

Betsy, come on out. Coffee's ready.

Even if I did spill the milk.

Betsy?

There. You got the kiss you asked for.

Now, you go on and hunt them buffalo you were talking about.

It wouldn't be as much fun without you.

You do like I tell you, or I'll get mad at you.

You talk like you was at a church social or something.

- I'm going back. - You're gonna go riding with me.

Weren't you the one who told me you knew just how to handle men?

Oh, Billy, stop it.

[COCKS GUN]

Betsy, it's all right now.

It's all right.

Shh, honey.

[BETSY SOBBING]

- He's dead. - He was after Betsy.

Pete, get the girls back to camp.

Wait a minute. Wait a minute, take this and put it in with our stuff.

As far as anybody's gonna know, one of us shot him.

Huh, Jay, you know where Ryan's men are keeping an eye on the herd?

Well, get him over to them.

They're gonna want more than a dead body.

Whatever they want, they have to come to me to get it.

I wanna keep the girls out of this if possible.

- It'd be easier if we told them. - When do we do things the easy way?

The three days the drovers give us is gonna be up tomorrow morning.

I need more time.

Them buffalo ain't more than about half killed off.

They'll come through unless we stop them.

We'll stop them if we have to.

Only if we have to.

Those cattle are hungry.

Ought to be a way we can let them come through without hurting us.

I'm gonna take a ride, have a talk with that trail boss.

- Want me with you? - No.

You backing out from a fight, Mr. Ryan?

I'm up here after buffalo hides.

That's all I'm after.

[HORSES APPROACHING]

Sorry, Cole, he's dead.

How did that happen?

One of the drovers brought him to us, wouldn't say nothing.

Put him in one of the wagons.

You still going down to the drovers, Mr. Ryan?

Looks like I'm riding with you after all.

Oh, Pete, the calf wagon is all fixed.

I can bring it in whenever you want me to.

Oh, there ain't much hurry about it now.

Yeah, it might be a little too late anyway.

Young one's pretty worked up.

I gave her some medicine. She'll sleep for a while.

And the sister wants to stay with her.

They can't stay in the chuck wagon. We gotta move the herd out.

- The girls are gonna have to-- - Oh, Rowdy, quit pushing it so hard.

I'm doing what Mr. Favor would do.

You're only doing it because you're trying so hard not to.

[HORSE APPROACHING]

Buffalo men riding in, Mr. Yates.

ROWDY: Yeah? How many? - Just two of them.

Want us to ride out there and turn them back, Rowdy?

ROWDY: No, no. Let them come in.

What do you want?

The man who shot my brother.

Your brother got the bullet he deserved.

That all you gonna say?

That's right.

You bring a sheriff in here, and I'll tell him exactly what happened.

A sheriff?

I'm carrying my law with me.

Ride on out of here.

Now, which one of you was it?

Do I have to choose?

Maybe it was you.

I shot your brother, Mr. Wallace.

- She's lying. - Sure, she's lying.

Billy couldn't have been killed by no woman.

Does it hurt your pride

to think a woman can kill just like a man?

Who's she trying to protect?

I'll put my money on you.

You heard me, ride out of here.

Huh.

The odds are a little heavy on your side.

Mr. Yates, you're dead.

The bullet that will kill you ain't caught up with you yet, but it will.

Ryan, I'm bringing that herd through right now.

[SIGHS]

I thought we might be able to work that out,

but there's blood in the way now.

ROWDY: Quince, bring the men in. I wanna talk to them.

Scarlet, how's that calf wagon?

- Ready to roll. - Now, bring it out.

- How long before we move out? ROWDY: About an hour.

I'll ride on ahead and see how the trail is.

ROWDY: Right.

You could've made him believe you.

Or were you afraid he'd think you were hiding behind 2 woman's skirt?

Except I never wear any.

Mr. Yates, I'm not sure I was right shooting Billy Wallace.

Of course you were.

I can't get it out of my mind. I--

I might've been able to stop him without shooting.

I don't know whether I killed Billy Wallace

because he was dragging my sister off,

or because I was jealous.

Jealous because no man would ever want me that much.

You had no other choice.

Men like Billy Wallace, you can find them anywhere.

They see something they want, and they just reach out and grab for it.

Sometimes, I even wish I was that way.

[HORSES APPROACHING]

Oh, the men are coming.

I'll go wake Betsy up.

We'll be ready when the calf wagon gets here.

All right.

ROWDY: Now, we reach the top of that plateau,

there's gonna be no turning back.

They'll be 40 of them against a lot less of us.

We gotta keep some men with the herd at all times.

I don't know what chance we're gonna have, but we're gonna take it.

So any man who wants to pull out, now is the time to speak up.

There'll be no hard feelings.

I guess you don't need to sign a piece of paper before a drover will fight.

All right. Quince will pass out the rifles in the supply wagon.

Everybody make sure you get a fresh horse.

We'll pull out as soon as everybody's ready.

Mr. Wishbone, will you do me a favor?

- What? - I wanna write a letter to my ma,

in case anything happens up in the hills.

Will you mail it for me?

Son, I'm gonna be right there with you,

unless you think I'm too old for that sort of thing.

The day you're too old to fight, Wish, the sun ain't gonna rise.

Ah, you're mighty well told.

Anyway, you go ahead and write your letter if it'll make you feel any better.

Mushy!

Mushy.

Mushy.

Mr. Wishbone, I'm sure gonna miss them calves.

Well, you're a cook's louse, not a cow.

Oh, my, you got me talking as foolish as you.

Can I stay with them until we move out?

Oh, all right.

Mr. Wishbone, where's Mr. Yates?

Well, he's probably down the picket line with Hey Soos.

Oh. I guess he's too busy to bother with... With us.

Will you tell him goodbye for me?

Well, you know, I'm kind of busy myself.

Why don't you just go on down and tell him?

You really think I should?

Why, sure.

Oh.

Well, I'm not that busy I can't watch over your sister.

I came to say goodbye.

Well, uh,

- I wasn't gonna leave, not till-- - Oh, uh,

you got your job to do.

Your life to lead.

A job that's taking you away.

A life that's got no place in it for...

Uh...

It's no good, this country.

Drives its men and it kills its women.

Maybe-- Maybe a hundred years from now,

it'll be a good place to live in.

There'd be a time for...

...something.

You don't even know what I'm talking about.

Well, a hundred years, probably won't be any cattle drives.

We got our lives right now, not a hundred years.

Anyway, you never even said you'd wanna look twice at me,

no matter where or when we were.

I've already looked twice at you.

For what it's worth, I... I could look some more.

For what it's worth.

Oh.

Don't look at me. I'm not near pretty enough.

You ain't pretty at all, but you'll do just fine.

[CHUCKLES]

The ranch is in terrible shape.

The fences need fixing and-- Oh, the barn needs painting.

Oh, well, this darn drive is gonna take three to four months

to get to the railhead.

The barn and that fence will have to wait until then.

Oh, they'll wait.

The fences and the barn, they'll wait.

And I'll wait.

You do that once more, you're gonna have to marry me.

Oh.

Don't say anything to that. Heh.

Anyway, of course, when you start fixing the fences and painting the barn,

I might get to work on you.

[CHUCKLES]

I better not frighten you off.

[BOTH CHUCKLE]

It's gonna be a long time waiting.

I wish there was some way of speeding up time.

Very happy to have met you, Mr. Yates.

I'm very happy to have met you, Miss Emma. Heh.

- Come back soon. - I will.

Oh.

I almost forgot to say goodbye.

Goodbye, Rowdy.

Bye, Emma.

Rowdy, stay behind the horses! There's someone up there with a rifle!

[GUNSHOT]

[ROWDY SIGHS]

I don't know. I did what I could.

1 don't know if it's gonna be good enough.

I don't know if anything is gonna be good enough.

Mr. Rowdy, Emma's asking for you.

[EMMA MOANS]

Row-- Rowdy.

You... You look...

You look so far away.

I was afraid maybe you'd gone away.

No, I'm here, Emma.

People do go away, you know?

[MOANS]

And things.

Where's Betsy?

She's right outside.

Oh. I have to take care of Betsy

and not let her get too near the fire,

because... Because she don't know it burns.

It burns. Oh.

Is Betsy all right?

She's fine.

Oh, the... The barn is a disgrace.

Looks-- Looks terrible.

Don't worry, I'll... I'll paint it.

You'll paint the barn

and fix the fences.

Maybe you'll even marry me.

If you do,

don't let me bring any milk to the church.

I'll spill it.

[MOANS]

BETSY: Oh, no.

[BETSY SOBBING]

Oh, no.

We checked up on that hill. Signs of a man with a rifle.

Horse tracks leading up into the hills.

I'm riding up.

I'll get the drovers together.

This has nothing to do with any drovers.

Pete and I will go with you.

No, you won't.

Well, uh, I'll get your horse for you, Rowdy.

I never told her, Wish.

I think maybe you did.

I'd holler it from the hills now and she'd never know.

Not now.

Well, she knew.

Women do.

They got a way of knowing before you ever have to open your mouth.

Of course, they like to be told, but they don't need to.

BETSY: Oh, no.

Yeah.

[BETSY SOBBING]

Her sister's pretty broken up.

The girl died.

She got in the way.

The bullet was meant for you.

How does it feel to shoot a woman?

I knew it would bring you up here.

And that pleases you.

It pleases me fine.

Why? I'm not a girl.

I'm not gonna turn my back on you.

That's the way you usually kill, isn't it? In the back?

Try me.

- Right. - I'll put a bullet in you

before you get your gun out of your holster.

You might.

But right now I'm not worried about living or dying, and you are.

[GRUNTS]

[HORSES APPROACHING]

His killing days are over.

Uh, I'm sure sorry about that girl.

You better get your men ready

because we're bringing that herd through.

No, no, I ain't gonna need any men.

You go get your herd, bring it through on the west side of the plateau.

We'll both get our job done. That fair enough?

Fair enough.

Betsy, we've got your stuff in the supply wagon.

Pete has some money. We're gonna buy this calf wagon off you

and that will send you back east to your people.

The calf wagon ain't worth that much, Mr. Yates.

I'm setting the price.

Emma, she wanted you to go back east.

I'd like you to let us send you.

Hyah!

Head them up.

Move them out.

[MEN YELLING AND WHISTLING]