Original subtitles

I need some horseshoe nails.

Well, I have all sizes.

Some new and some old. Select.

How much are they?

12 centavos.

I'm looking for a man named O'Malley.

Fellow about your height, wears black pants and shirt, black boots.

Carries a derringer.

He always wears a loud-colored scarf around his neck.

Has a hole in his chin. Here.

It's worth 50 pesos if anybody's seen him.

They are desolate they cannot help you.

But, 50 pesos, senor? This man must be a very dear friend, no?

No.

Jack-boy!

You be quiet.

Good evening.

The name's O'Malley.

How do you do, Mr. O'Malley?

I'm Mrs. John Breckenridge.

My husband's gone to Calvillo on business.

Sorry to hear that. I was hoping to ask him for a night's hospitality.

Mr. Breckenridge has always welcomed strangers to the plateau.

I'm grateful to Mr. Breckenridge.

Won't anybody take care of the gentleman's horse?

Mr. O'Malley, this is Milton Wing,

Mr. Breckenridge's ranch manager.

Howdy.

This horse's been lathered up some.

Well, I'd say that's because he was run some, wouldn't you?

Guess so.

This is Jose. Rosario.

My daughter. Oh.

She favors you. You're a lucky young lady.

This is Melissa Linda Anthony Breckenridge. We call her Melissa.

Well, how do you do, Melissa?

Oh.

Thank you.

Well, I'd be most grateful to Mr. Breckenridge for my supper.

Are you a cowboy, Mr. O'Malley?

What have I done to give you that idea?

You don't dress like one, so I just wondered.

No, I don't like cows much.

And the only way I really like a horse is when he's hitched

to a nice two-seater buggy with good springs.

I ran into a cowboy this morning up at the pass.

Seemed to be looking for somebody.

Tall man?

Sure was.

I never really met an American cowboy.

You'd be disappointed.

Was he riding a blue roan? That's right.

What makes you think I'd be disappointed?

Well, you see, cowboys aren't very bright.

They're always broke and generally they're drunk.

Did he carry his gun on the left?

Yep... 45 on the left.

You may get the chance to meet one in the flesh real soon.

You know this fellow?

I know of him. We've never met, but we will.

Mrs. Breckenridge, will you do me the honor of dancing?

No.

I dance vary rarely, Mr. O'Malley. And then only with my husband.

He's to be envied.

Then dance with me, Mr. O'Malley. I love to dance.

I'd be delighted.

Do you want to try it again? Sure...

It's time for bed, Melissa.

Oh, no, not yet.

Yes. Gracias, muchachos.

Are you going to sleep in the house, Mr. O'Malley?

You know Mr. Breckenridge has a special room in the toolhouse for guests.

Oh, well. Good night. Good night.

I'll show him.

Never mind, I'll show him myself.

Here's your lamp. Your bed's up there.

Why did you have to come back?

I ran into somebody who told me your married name and where you were.

I started riding that same day.

You're lying. You came here to hide.

There's someone on my trail, sure. There always is.

But I haven't been running away from him, I've just been coming to you.

And now I'm here. And I'm not hiding.

And I'm going to stay.

No, Bren.

You're leaving tomorrow and you're not coming back.

Belle.

I can't leave you now.

I never did leave you, really.

All these years I've remembered you as you were that night.

A pretty girl coming down the steps in a yellow dress.

And another boy asked me to dance.

You began that awful whistle and just watched for a minute.

Then you tore my flowers off and knocked him down.

I know, but that's all in the past. That part of me is over.

It took three men to stop you. You were killing him.

I'm trying to tell you that I've changed. I'm completely different now.

You'll see.

You still got that yellow dress?

I burned it.

I'll get you another one.

Oh, Belle. Belle...

Belle, remember that night?

The music floating down from your uncle's house,

me sitting by my campfire,

thinking of you dancing in the arms of other men

and wanting to kill someone.

And then I looked up, you were standing there.

Standing beside my fire in your yellow dress like a flame.

Oh, Belle.

Belle.

Oh, please, keep away from me.

I'm afraid of you.

Whatever you say, Belle.

Why do you wear your gun in your belt?

Well, I like to know exactly where it is.

In your belt, you can feel it right up there against you all the time.

Papa says a derringer hasn't got any range. He always wears a Colt 45.

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, miss.

Why?

Well, no handgun's accurate beyond 20 feet.

And no holster gun can draw as fast as a derringer.

My papa greases the inside of his holster.

I'm afraid that wouldn't do him any good.

Also, the derringer carries a bigger slug, miss.

You can call me Melissa, if you like.

Well, let's just compromise. I'll call you Missy.

What's the matter?

Oh, it's only Papa.

Good morning, child of my heart.

Rosario, come get Papa's horse.

Good morning, my dear.

Good, I say, because it's one of the last we'll spend on this accursed ranch.

Did you find trail hands?

Just one.

But I'm sure two or three more will join us directly.

Not many people want to work for a living these days.

Oh, John, this is Mr. O'Malley.

How do you do?

Welcome, Mr. O'Malley.

Permit me to offer you the hospitality of these poor acres.

Thank you, Mr. Breckenridge.

We have a saying down here in Mexico, to which I hardly subscribe.

"Everything that's mine is yours. "

It's a fine saying. I'll remember it.

You'll join me in coffee? Thank you.

O'Malley...

I knew some O'Malleys in Virginia. Tidewater?

I'm afraid they'd be lace curtain, my people were all shanty.

After you, sir. Take that chair right over there.

I take you for a man who's handled quite a lot of cattle in his time.

Oh, I've done a little bit of almost everything.

Well, I run about 1,000 head on the place.

I plan to trail the herd up to Texas and sell them there.

Now if you're at liberty, I could...

Mr. O'Malley was trailing south.

North or south doesn't make much difference to me, Mrs. Breckenridge.

There, you see?

I'm sure my wife echoes my sentiments in hoping you'll join us on the trail, sir.

I don't think Mr. O'Malley would be influenced by my wishes.

I hope you won't always think that, ma'am.

I'm sure that's not what she meant.

Touch up your coffee?

Thanks.

I'm willing to pay you a dollar a day, in fact.

Plus a $25 bonus when we deliver the herd in Crazy Horse, Texas.

Crazy Horse?

That's pretty dangerous country you're going through.

And you need two men you haven't got. Fast gun and a trail boss.

I don't know any more about cows than you do,

so if I go as the gun, where's the trail boss?

Well, I haven't got one. I wasn't able to find anybody.

I know one. Good one.

Think you can get him?

He'll probably be here by tomorrow.

Maybe even today.

You think he'll take the job?

He just might.

You see, this fellow and I are kind of bound up with each other.

But with or without him, my terms are gonna be pretty high.

Well, you just name your terms, Mr. O'Malley.

Only two.

First I take a fifth of the herd.

It's outrageous.

Well, I fight better when part of the property's mine.

But that's exorbitant.

You think about it.

All right. All right, you've got your fifth. Good.

Now, wait a minute, you said you had two conditions. What's the second?

Oh, yes, the second.

I want your wife.

You're joking. No.

If I get the herd through for you, I mean to take your wife.

You? You and my wife?

You and Mrs. Breckenridge...

A dirty shirt Irishman and a Fitzleigh from Richmond.

Yes, I'll accept your challenge. Yes, indeed.

And you can go to work. You can go to work at once.

Hold it, O'Malley!

They told me you'd try to circle around to get the sun in my eyes.

You did a little circling yourself.

Insurance.

The sun was in Jimmy Graham's face when you killed him.

I don't remember.

Well, a lot of people do.

I got a warrant for your arrest.

I'm taking you back to Frio County, Texas, to stand trial.

Will you come voluntarily or will I have to take you?

Say, it just happens that I'm just headed for Texas right now.

Crazy Horse. Of course, it isn't Frio County,

but you'd die a lot closer to home than if I had to kill you here.

All right, let's go.

I'm running these cattle up there.

You?

Yeah.

With a drunken owner, no trail boss, a few vaqueros and myself.

What do you want in that outfit you're willing to risk a hanging for?

Why don't you ride over and find out?

Why not?

You know, Sheriff, this is Mexico. Your warrant's no good here.

I'll serve it as soon as we cross the Rio Grande.

Is that the gentleman you were telling me about, Mr. O'Malley?

That's him.

They need a trail boss.

Mmm-hmm.

With just the two of us riding, I can always keep you in sight.

But trailing cattle, it'd be too easy to catch a bullet in the back.

I hope Mr. O'Malley has discussed the possibilities of your joining up with us?

He has. I'm not interested.

Why that's most unsettling. I was counting on it.

You have any idea what you're getting yourself into?

There's nothing on that trail but rustlers and Indians.

And Johnny Rebs who crossed the border to steal what they couldn't win in a fair fight.

I do beg your pardon.

I almost lost a leg at Fredericksburg

in as fair a fight as this world has ever seen.

I'm a Virginian and an officer in the armies of the Confederacy.

I'm from Virginia, too, except I served under Grant.

Oh, I beg your pardon.

Oh, forgive me. My dear, allow me to present Mr...

Stribling. Dana Stribling.

Mr. Stribling, my wife.

Almost forgot her.

I don't see how that could be possible.

Well, bravo, you are really a Virginian.

Why don't I show Mr. Stribling around the place?

Might help him change his mind.

That's a mighty good idea, Mr. O'Malley.

It's right gracious of you.

Ma'am.

You know, I've got a nasty feeling I've seen you before.

You were too drunk to remember.

Bents Fort, Colorado.

So broke you were making up rhymes for whiskey.

One free drink, one free verse.

What's the matter? Cost you a drink?

I'm gonna see that you hang, O'Malley.

Ooh! Hanging's a long-time proposition.

Well, Mr. Breckenridge, to pull the 1,000 head of cattle,

you need two good point riders, four swing riders, and one man on the tail.

You need a man to drive the mules, a trail cook, a wrangler for the horses,

plus four horses in the remuda for each rider.

I got plenty of horses in the remuda.

My wife drove a chuck wagon coming down here

and she's perfectly willing to drive one going back.

And she's an excellent trail cook.

Then she counts for two men.

You've married well.

You ride, miss?

Oh, yes. I can even work cattle on a horse.

Good.

She can ride herd on the remuda. Give us another hand for the cattle.

My daughter's a lady. A Southern lady.

If I'm trail boss, my word goes

when it comes to running the cattle, is that right?

Well, whatever you say.

We're ready to go. Melissa.

We'll see how Milton's doing with the herd.

Fine, Papa.

Mrs. Breckenridge,

it's not often I interfere in somebody else's business,

but this is one of the times I think I should.

O'Malley's a killer,

and as soon as he crosses the border into Texas, I'm gonna see that he hangs.

Until then, my advice to you is to keep your door locked when he's around.

He can't tell one female from another.

And he don't care much, either.

Please, don't cause trouble.

Why did you say those things about Mr. O'Malley?

Because they're true.

I'm not a child, Mr. Stribling. I'm perfectly able to take care of myself.

It won't happen again.

It's a nice night, isn't it?

Miss out on the nights, you miss half your life.

Are you a killer?

Now, why do you ask me that?

What they say.

Well, when you come right down to it, all men in their hearts are killers.

But that's wrong.

Maybe it is. I don't know.

When a man kills, it means God let him,

because God could stop him if he wanted to, couldn't he?

I don't understand.

Well, you asked if I'm a killer,

I'm trying to tell you it's not an easy question to answer,

but I have killed.

But you didn't want to, did you?

No.

Do you like God?

Well, of course, but...

I don't know him really. Do you? Part of him.

Someday I'm going to know all of him.

Oh, not all of him, Missy. That'd be too much for anyone to know.

It would blind you.

Just learn to know rocks and trees and stars and sunlight.

They're all part of God, too.

Learn to know the sea.

I will when we get to California.

Good. Find yourself a nice big boulder with the waves breaking against it.

Look deep. Dream of seahorses and they'll come.

Not many people know of it, not many people care,

but the sea is a place where the seamen shoe the hooves of the wild sea-mare.

Not many people have seen it,

nor caught the faintest gleam of the ice-green cave in the deep green sea

in the heart of the cold sea-stream,

where the sea-mare hides her young sea-colt wrapped in a shy sea-dream.

But practically all of the people known can absolutely say

that the foam on the sea is a sign that you see the mare and her colt at play.

Oh, I like that. Did you make that up?

A drunk made that up,

sitting in a saloon in Bents Fort, Colorado.

Give him a subject, he'd write a verse. "One free drink, one free verse. "

That must've been a part of God, too. God in him.

Of course it was.

God has a special love for drunks and fools and children like you.

I'm not a child.

I'm almost 16 years old. I'm a woman.

Oh, Missy.

Put it away.

When I kill you, it'll be face-to-face with both of us on our feet.

I'd like to believe that.

You can.

And here's something else you can believe, too.

Never talk to me again the way you did tonight.

The truth hurts, doesn't it?

The truth hurts.

I'd like to know the truth about you.

Just being sheriff isn't enough reason to follow a man this far.

What was Jimmy Graham to you?

Hmm?

He was married to my sister.

Your sister?

Mmm.

So that's where the bear sits, in the buckwheat.

Pretty little girl

Mr. Stribling!

You left a calf behind.

Where?

He lost his mother.

Well, we'll have to give him a new one. Come on.

Come over here, miss.

Now, blow your breath three or four times in each side of his nose.

Go ahead.

Keep on petting him. That's right.

Now, stay right where you are so you're the first thing he sees.

Get back on your horse.

See, miss, cattle don't see very well.

The only way this little fellow can tell his mother from any other cow

is by her smell. When he loses that, he's an orphan.

So we give him a new smell to follow. You're his new mama.

Now, walk away slowly, see what he does.

Thanks for saving that calf back there.

Why should you thank me?

Well, that calf could have been mine.

Yours? Sure.

You see, part of my deal with Breckenridge was that I get a fifth of the herd.

A fifth?

Well, I delivered him the best trail boss in the business, didn't I?

That's worth something, isn't it?

Come on now, my fifth. Hey, there! Come on there, boy!

Mr. Stribling, you may make camp wherever you wish.

I'm riding on ahead to Tres Santos.

That's a pretty rough town, Mr. Breckenridge.

I think I can find extra hands there.

This time you can really count on me, Mrs. B.

I swear I'd sooner milk a wildcat.

Come on, Jack-boy. Come on, Jack-boy.

Jack-boy, come on. Come on.

Come on, Jack-boy. Come on. Come on.

Come on. Come on, Jack-boy.

That's a boy.

Your husband get back from town yet?

No. I hope he hasn't run into any trouble.

Maybe I ought to ride in, see how he's making out.

I wish you would.

All right.

Get me some tobacco, will you?

I don't know your brand.

Oh, any kind will do.

Maybe you ought to come along. Pick it out yourself.

Oh, it's not that important.

Take your time. I'll just stick around here and keep an eye on things.

Right, Jackie-boy?

I only suggested you come along.

Now I'm telling you to.

On your way, cowpoke.

That's an order, O'Malley.

What did you say?

Bren, please go with him.

Don't make trouble for us.

Whatever you want, Belle, that's the way it's going to be.

Gentlemen, our cups are running dry of nectar.

Patron, a drink for my friends, and everyone is my friend.

Bartender, drinks all around.

Gentlemen! Gentlemen, gentlemen.

A toast to a great soldier,

a devout Christian.

To the bravest of the brave, General Stonewall Jackson.

You're not fit to speak that name, sir.

At whose side it was my privilege to fight

during the long and tragic years of the war between the states.

Gentlemen, I give you General...

Reach for your gun, sir.

I decline to shed the blood of a fellow Virginian.

You decline every kind of a fight, don't you?

It's right nice seeing you again, Breckenridge.

We had the privilege of fighting alongside him

under Stonewall Jackson at Fredericksburg.

And he ran.

That's not true.

He didn't just run, he deserted us!

That's just not true.

I was wounded at Fredericksburg.

Where were you wounded?

Go ahead and show us where you were wounded, Breckenridge.

Yes, sir. Show us. We would all like to see.

Well, the wound is obvious.

I limp...

Drop your pants and show us your backside.

You've no right to ask me to do that.

Your pants.

Or your gun.

Show us your wound.

Oh, God, is there no mercy?

Show us the wound!

Talking's all right, you can say anything you want,

but no man has the right to make another man do this.

Keep out of this.

What's he to you, sir? Don't ask questions, mister.

Just do what the man says.

Let's get out... Now wait a minute...

You shut up!

Let's go, Mr. Breckenridge. I don't think we're welcome here.

How'd my papa really die?

Like we said,

some buffalo skinners started to make trouble and...

Well, your father waded in to stop it...

You make that up because of Mama?

'Cause she knows.

And so do I.

Know what?

That Mr. Breckenridge was too gentle to ever get into a fight.

Maybe that was the good in him.

Bedtime, Melissa. So early?

It's not early, it's late.

Goodnight, Mr. O'Malley.

Goodnight, Missy.

Well, I'm ashamed of you, Stribling.

Poor Breckenridge isn't even cold yet and already you're thinking of his widow.

You might be right.

Forget it, cowpoke. She's mine.

I'd worry about that if I thought you were gonna live long enough.

Well, when the time comes, you'll see.

Don't count on it.

You'll never get the chance again to ruin a woman's life.

You're still talking about that sister of yours?

You like the truth?

Here it is.

Your sister put more horns on Jimmy Graham

than a porcupine's got quills.

By the time he got himself killed,

he wasn't good for anything except maybe to stuff and hang over the fireplace.

That sister of yours, Stribling, was just a free drink on the house.

And nobody ever went home thirsty.

I mean nobody.

If you two want to kill each other, go ahead.

But at least wait until you cross the border and fulfill your contract.

If you're not going to stick with it, get out now.

By the way, O'Malley,

three days after you killed Jimmy Graham,

my kid sister took a length of rawhide and hung herself.

Now what's wrong?

Just pointing the wagon tongue toward the North star.

Help us get our bearings in the morning.

If that's such a good idea, why haven't we done it before, Mr. Stribling?

Probably because I didn't need an excuse to talk to you before.

Oh.

I just want to tell you not to worry.

I mean to bring that herd through in good shape, you can count on me.

Good.

There's one thing more.

If you'll pardon my saying so,

you know, sometimes

it only makes grief worse when you bottle it up.

Thank you.

If you...

When you're feeling better,

if you need a friend to talk to about your plans for the future,

I mean, your plans and Melissa's,

I'd like to be that friend.

I'll remember that, Mr. Stribling.

Good night.

Good night.

I didn't know there were any women connected with this outfit.

Make any difference?

Not to me, it don't.

Women like that are worth $1,500 a piece delivered to a Dutchman in Veracruz.

That's more than a whole herd's worth.

You're looking for somebody?

Fellow named Breckenridge.

Hired us to go through with this outfit to Crazy Horse, Texas.

We heard he got killed.

So we trailed you from Tres Santos.

Figured you could really use some more hands.

We got a paper he signed. Show him.

Paper doesn't matter. We need men. Have you got names?

Sure. Frank Hobbs.

This is my brother Ed,

that fellow over there calls himself the Julesburg Kid.

All right. Let's get to work.

Hey, kid.

You hard of hearing?

All right, we got a big herd of cows here. All round here.

Now, bunch them up so we can move out of here right away.

Well, now, you ought to move over there, lady.

Let me handle them mules for you.

I'll be right with you just as soon as I tie my horse on behind here.

You're hard of hearing. Well, you know, when I get through with you,

you're gonna like them cattle so much you'll never want to leave them.

Come on, Julesburg Kid, let's go!

Let's go! That's it!

Hold on! Hold on! Hold on, there!

Sit on your horse, that's it. Come here, come here. Don't be that way.

Come here!

Whoa, whoa, whoa!

Stay on your horse, there. Come on, stay on that horse. That's it!

Now you got it! Come on! Let's go again, huh? Come on!

On we go! That's it.

Isn't this fun? Isn't this fun?

Don't you reach for your gun again.

Now work for your dollar.

Hey, hold it, Missy.

You know a funny thing about a horse?

He can see a gopher hole about a mile off, and yet...

Let me show you something.

Look.

And yet he can't even see a bird's nest right under his nose.

There's no reason to be nervous.

I'm going to take you alive. Remember?

What did he mean?

All he meant was you're going to have horses scattered all over the countryside,

unless you get back to work pronto, miss.

All right.

We may be able to use a killer on this drive after all.

I don't think there's any danger in here.

We better stand watch around here, just the same.

We'll spread out among the herd tonight.

Take your bedroll with you. Get as much sleep as you can.

O'Malley and I will ride herd.