Original subtitles

Country like this not being used.

Folks here use it, Pa.

Not like we would maybe.

They do a lot of hunting and trapping.

Place is full of game.

It's a waste.

And those people got no right to fence

free government grazing land.

Huh, maybe not.

They've driven out every other herd

that's tried to move in.

Not 10,000 head with 40 drovers,

they haven't.

We pull that fence down,

we'll be starting something

that sure won't be easy to stop.

Old man Duncan will back off when he sees

we mean business.

No.

I spent 3 days talking to him.

Take my word, him and his people may seem

peaceful enough,

but they'll fight to keep this land.

I fought for everything I've got.

Are you afraid to do the same to keep it?

You need an answer to that?

Tim, there's nothing behind us but dust bowls

and dried up waterholes.

If we don't move in here now,

there'll be 25 years of hard work

drained into that parched earth back there.

[ horses neighing ]

Easy, easy, easy, easy, easy.

Ho, boy. Ho. Ho.

Don't lose that spirit.

You're gonna make a fine mount one of these days.

You get your rest while you can,

the ranch is a long way off.

I'll be back as soon as I can.

There's one of them now.

Wouldn't hurt to serve a little notice.

Drop a shot into that tree close by.

Looks like just a kid.

It's good, he'll scare better.

Ah, Pa, there ain't no call

to start shooting at--

All right, I'll do it myself.

Uh, he's a long way off.

With your eyesight you're just as likely

to hit him as miss him.

I'll do it.

[ gunshot ]

[ horse neighing ]

Easy, boy, easy, easy.

Easy now, gentle.

I think I know just the rider for you.

Hi, Slim. Boy!

You sure got a nice bunch.

Yeah, I got a special one, too.

Open the corral, Mike.

Come on.

Okay, get in. Come on, get in.

Easy, boy, easy, easy, easy.

Ho, ho, ho.

Come on, get in.

Oh, Slim, I'm so glad you're back.

We missed you.

Good to be back, Daisy.

I've chased so many broncs,

I'll be doing it in my sleep for a while.

How is the high country?

Quiet. Didn't see a soul.

Where's Jess?

Oh, one of the drivers took sick.

Jess is driving the stage for him to Fallbrook.

He'll be back tomorrow.

Are you sure he didn't run away,

so he wouldn't have to help me break these broomtails?

Jess, run away from work?

I never heard of such a thing.

I picked him up yesterday on my way home.

I thought he might be about the right size for Mike.

A wild horse?

Oh, the others are wild enough,

but he doesn't seem to be.

No, he must have run away from an Indian herd.

There's no brand, no shoes, no saddle markings.

Yeah.

Has Mike behaved himself while I was gone?

Well, he's a long way from perfection, thank heaven.

But I will say he's trying.

Has he tried hard enough to deserve a surprise?

Like having his own horse?

Slim, you mean it?

Which one of that bunch do you like, Mike?

That one. He's the best one I ever saw.

What do you think, Daisy?

Please, Aunt Daisy.

I'll be so darn good,

you won't even know it's me, honest.

I don't care if you're a little recognizable.

Then it's all right?

He's mine for keeps?

I guess so.

What are you gonna name him, Mike?

Giant.

This is the best horse in the world, Slim.

That could have been a mistake, you know?

Why, climbing aboard like that, he might have thrown you.

Oh, I'd have climbed right back on him if he did.

Come on, get down.

Hold his bridle, Mike.

Let's see if this saddle fits him.

It ought to be small enough.

Ho, boy, ho.

I mean, the right size.

[ neighing ]

I had a feeling this was going too easy.

You can break him, though, can't you?

Sure.

Another week or two, you'll think that saddle

was born part of him.

We'll start tomorrow.

Can't we start now?

Daisy's going to have supper ready.

We'll do it first thing in the morning.

Before my chores?

Before your chores.

[ thunder rumbling ]

[ horse neighing ]

Slim! Slim! Giant is gone!

Somebody must have stole him!

Stay in one place, Mike.

I'm looking for tracks.

He was let out, all right.

And whoever it was couldn't have been very big

by the size of those boot marks.

He took the west road, too.

Well, you're gonna go after him, though,

aren't you, Slim?

I want him back awful bad.

He got a pretty good head start on us, Mike.

Well, you'll try, won't ya?

Giant, well, he's sort of small.

And I bet you he couldn't go half as fast as your horse.

You could catch up to him.

That makes sense, doesn't it, Slim?

We'll get him, Mike.

You figure Jess will be home today?

He'll be here on the morning stage.

I'll pack you some food in case you need it.

Go on, hey! What are you waiting for?

Horse thief!

Horse thief?

Oh, you're not going to deny it, are you?

I chased you for 35 miles on one of my horses

stolen from my barn, and you call me a horse thief?

That was my horse.

I've raised him since he was foal.

I caught him along with 5 other wild horses

2 days ago.

You call him wild?

When you shot at me, he ran off.

Then you stole him.

When I what?

When you shot at me.

I saw you and your friend run off.

And I followed by those tracks

straight to your ranch.

You know, you almost had me starting to believe you.

Now you add some wild story about me shooting at you.

Well, you're making up lies as fast as you can talk.

You're not one of those cattlemen then,

planning to ride a herd

through the high country meadows?

What herd?

Mister, you play as dumb as you like,

but you're not fooling me.

I'm not trying to fool anybody.

I just intend to take that horse back to my ranch.

[ gunshot ]

Go ahead, cow pusher.

Give me cause to drop you right where you stand.

Dev, am I glad to see you.

Sure, you are. Get his iron.

Now wait a minute.

I'd soon put a hole in you as look at you.

You just keep talking, it'll be excuse enough.

Dev, you can't.

All night we've been looking for you,

worried out sick.

You've been with him like some--

You keep your dirty mouth shut!

I'm only saying what everybody else will say.

You acting such with one of them cowmen.

Well, I never set eyes on her until a few minutes ago.

I warned you.

I got no feelings for him, and I got less for you.

You shoot him, and Pa will have you whopped

and strung to the nearest tree.

Jason will disown you as his daughter

when he hears what you've been doing.

All I've been doing is getting my horse back

from this horse thief.

Now put that gun down.

I got my horse

and that's all I'm interested in.

Well, that ain't all Jason will be interested in.

Maybe he'll believe your story, maybe he won't.

But he'll sure want to see this here cow pusher.

I don't know who you got me mixed up with, mister.

I own a relay station outside of Laramie.

They don't care where you come from, mister.

It's where you're going that counts.

We'll let Jason decide what to do with him.

You go on over there and get your horse.

[ cows mooing ]

[ whistling ]

It's about time you took a little break.

I never figured I was raising myself a son

who could out-work me.

Yeah, my tail bone was starting to take root

in the saddle.

It was a case of either climbing down

or staying up there forever.

Well, couple of more days you ought to be ready

to move into the high country.

Any sign of Jason Duncan or his people?

Oh, Reb's watching out there and nothing yet.

Well, you can bet they know we're here.

Maybe not. We're still far

enough down in the valley.

For sure, they've seen the fence has been torn out.

Be blind if they haven't.

Pa, like I've been trying to tell you,

I got to know some of them up there.

They aren't bad people.

Oh, I never figured that they were.

They're just in the way, that's all.

You got regrets?

None to speak of.

[ horse neighing ]

Anything wrong, Reb?

Yeah, I spotted some of those high country people

making off with about half a dozen of our strays.

What did you do?

Well, there are four or five of them.

I didn't figure to start a war without your say-so, Mel.

Where did you see them?

Where you tore that fence down.

Cookie, they'll be early chow tonight.

Get six or seven of the boys.

Directly after supper, we'll take a little ride.

All right, Mel.

You want to come along?

Why not?

You won't tell Ma I fell into the tree,

will you, elder Duncan?

There won't be any needing that.

Thanks. She'd hide me good if you did.

Like I said, there won't be any needing

my telling since you'll be.

Do I have to?

You do 'cause you did wrong.

You have to set that wrong right.

But she's got a powerful switching arm, elder.

Sometimes hiding makes a boy better for it.

For sure it makes him think twice next time

he heads to do something he knows he shouldn't.

[ horses approaching ]

Besides, next time you might not be so lucky.

It could be I'd have to use these cutting tools.

Bone fractures can be mighty bad.

Dev and Clay's found Willow,

and they got an outlander, too.

You head on home, boy.

But I want to see.

Now you do as I said.

Yes, sir.

Pa.

I'm glad you're back safe, Willow.

Well, I would have told you,

but I knew you'd think going after a horse

wasn't a seemly thing for me to do.

I found her out in the lodge pole meadow,

with this here cattleman.

Well, he stole my horse.

We wasn't doing anything wrong.

I'm not strictly a cattleman.

If I was gonna steal a horse for myself,

I wouldn't steal a little horse.

Shut your mouth till you're told to speak.

As he said, stranger, hold your peace,

your chance will come later.

A body can only guess what them two was doing.

I guess I know my daughter considerably

better than you.

As a daughter maybe...

not as a woman.

I slapped you once, Dev Bardeen,

and I can do it again!

Don't you be, miss, prim with me.

That's all I want to hear from you, Dev.

Now the accusations have been made

and they've been denied.

I'll think on the matter.

How about you?

Maybe that horse does belong to your daughter,

but I didn't know it.

It didn't have a brand on it,

just running around loose.

Thought I'd take it to a boy

that would give it a good home.

You're not a cattleman?

I told him, I run a relay station

outside of Laramie.

I raise a few steers, yeah.

A natural thing to deny under the circumstances.

What circumstances?

You know as well as I do that our fences

have been torn down, that thousands of head of cattle

have been rounded up for a drive onto our land.

It's the first I heard about it.

There's a lot of grasslands up here.

There ought to be plenty of room for all kinds of cattle.

We settled this land away from those

who live differently from us.

It's clean, quiet and peaceful,

like our people when they're left alone.

Like him you mean?

We do not mean to be overrun by brawling,

ungodly men who fight and drink

and would despoil our women,

even as you have been here accused.

What he said is a lie, and you know it.

It is not a lie that the game we hunt would be

driven off by your cattle,

that the meadows would be trampled into a stubble,

that the very air we breathe would be

filled with the noise and the smell of your herds.

They're not my cattle and I don't know whose they are.

And I don't believe you.

We'll talk about it and decide what's to be done later.

What's there to decide?

If you are lying and those cattle are driven

onto our land, you must meet the consequences.

[ horse approaching ]

Jason.

What happened?

Strays and the herd, found them up by boulder creek.

Did you see the rest of the herd?

Oh, there's thousands of them, more are coming.

Soon they'll just be pouring into the upper meadows.

I hope for your sake they turn back

while there's still time.

Take him up to the cabin behind the meeting place.

I say hang him now.

You do as I tell you. See no harm comes to him.

Jason, what do we do with them cattle we found?

They're ours.

It's payment for the fence that's been destroyed.

Pen them up.

Select three and slaughter them. Tonight we'll eat beef.

You do that and you're really gonna be

starting something.

We started nothing.

This trouble's been brought to us.

We didn't go looking for it.

It's the same thing.

All you can do is reach for a gun.

You're just as wrong as those drovers are,

trying to bull their way in here.

The opening shot will not be fired

by any of us.

But if the cattlemen do attack,

you'll be their first casualty.

Take him.

Jess!

Hey, you weren't gonna shoot me

with that old blunderbuss, were you?

Well, for a minute I thought you were

that horse thief come back.

What are you doing all dressed up?

Isn't it past your bedtime?

Well, I couldn't sleep.

Slim said he'd be back long before now.

Well, I reckon that thunderstorm we had this

afternoon slowed him down some.

One thing's for sure, it wiped out all his tracks.

What are we gonna do, Jess?

Well, first thing we're gonna get some shut-eye.

Then I want to get me a fresh horse in the morning,

start looking again.

But suppose he--

Now you just quit supposing.

If he's in any part of this country I'll find him.

I still think it's my fault,

me wanting that horse so bad and all.

Well, it's nothing of the kind.

You know, Slim wouldn't let anything happen

to his horses anyway.

That's what I've been thinking about.

What if he caught up with that horse thief?

And what could have happened when he did?

Boy, when it comes to looking on the dark side

of things you sure take the cake.

Now don't you know Slim can take care of himself?

He's been doing it for years.

I bet you think I'm acting pretty dumb,

but I still can't help worrying about him.

No, I don't think anything of the kind.

You get on into bed, huh,

before that worrier of yours is all worn out by morning.

Okay.

Are you angry with me, Willow?

Would it matter if I am?

I have only one daughter.

Then don't wait for the drovers to come here.

Go and talk to them, you could make them see--

No amount of talk will make them see.

For years I've gone out and met them,

always it's the same.

Force is the only thing they understand.

Some of our people are gonna die

if there's a fight.

Death comes to all of us.

To die for a cause gives purpose for having lived.

But there's so much land here.

And it's ours, and it will not be taken from us.

[ gunshot and screaming ]

Don't move, any of you!

You're Mel Bishop.

Where is my cattle your people took?

I suppose you know what's done to rustlers.

They were on our land, we took them.

Mister, you're in for a sad awakening.

I checked with the land office in Laramie,

all this land is open.

You got no legal title to it.

We're here, that's enough.

But now we're here.

Then I suggest you get off while you still can.

[ gunshot ]

[ screaming ]

[ gunshots ]

[ woman screaming ]

[ Willow shrieking ]

Willow, get down!

Hold your fire!

[ Willow screams ]

[ crying ]

[ crying ]

Willow.

MEL: Duncan, do you hear me?

I hear you.

Well, the next time you see us it'll be behind

10,000 head of cattle.

If you got any brains, you'll be somewhere else.

My people will be here long after your cattle

have been driven back and your drovers killed.

You have my word for it.

Well, that ties it.

We'll move the herd in at dawn tomorrow.

Mel, you might want to wait a bit.

Tim has been hit.

Here.

Help me get him out of here.

I'll take him, Mel.

Thank you.

Jason, they pulled out.

Well, they'll be back.

You just got a little taste of what's gonna happen.

Bishop's learned his lesson.

He knows we mean to stay.

Have you ever seen cattle on the move?

Why, 1,000 head could flatten this place in 20 minutes,

and Bishop's got 10 times that many.

And they won't be walking in,

they'll be stampeded.

Then we'll drive them back.

You can't do that, don't you understand?

Why, there won't be a hunk of wood left

in this village as big as a matchstick.

I'm grateful to you for saving my daughter,

but when I want your advice, I'll ask for it.

Mr. Duncan, if you don't make some kind of a deal

with Mel Bishop, you're gonna be responsible

for a lot of people dying, believe me.

There'll be no deal, Mr. Sherman.

Then you just bought yourself a war, mister.

All this wouldn't have been needed, except for him.

When he jumped me, we lost our one chance

to end it quick.

I don't have the stomach for bushwhackers,

especially your kind.

Murder is one thing, defending our land's another.

One shot would have saved a lot of lives.

Bishop's men would have scattered like quail.

There'll be no murder, nor ambush,

as long as I'm leader here.

Well, then maybe it's time we got ourselves

a new leader.

That may be, but it'll take a better man

than you to replace me.

Now get out there with the others

and help with the work.

You honestly believe you're gonna settle

anything handling it this way?

The remains to be seen.

The only remains will be what's left of this place

after it's over.

We have no wish to fight,

but if there's no other way, we'll do it.

And we'll do it well.

Your daughter, the other women and children here,

what about their lives?

They're not your concern.

There's your horse.

For what you did last night, you're free to go.

I advise you to go now.

This is none of your affair.

Mr. Sherman, please take this with my thanks.

Thanks, Willow.

My son's got a slug in his chest, and you tell me

I shouldn't go after those hill people.

You went up to the high country looking for trouble.

I went looking for grasslands.

With a gun in your hand?

Tim tried to reason with them first.

I sent him to talk to Duncan. He wouldn't listen to him.

Well, I came here to talk to you.

Now you're not gonna listen to me.

I know you, Sherman. You're a rancher just like me.

You know what it means when feed lands burn out

and waterholes go dry.

You find others or you go under.

So you just bull your way into a new territory

not caring who gets hurt.

Well, this time it was different.

You're the one that got hurt.

You talk like you're siding against your own.

Not a case of siding against anybody.

Well, mister, it is with me.

The Bishop family took me in when my own family

left me for dead.

They sent me to school.

When Tim was old enough, there was never a fight

that we didn't ride in together.

He means more than all of your high country

people rolled into one.

You're all set for starting a range war

that might wipe them out and you, too, huh?

Right now I'm all for cleaning up this camp

with your hide.

[ metal scattering ]

Ease off, boys. Hold it! Hold it!

Reb! That's enough.

I heard all I need to hear from you.

Get on your horse and clear out of here.

You're as polite as old man Duncan.

Between the two of you, you're gonna

tie this whole mess into a knot that nobody can undo.

[ Tim moaning ]

He looks pretty bad, Bishop.

If you don't get him to a doctor pretty quick, he's gonna--

You mind your own business!

We sent to Laramie for the doctor last night.

Well, he'd be awful lucky to get here by sundown.

You might not even see him till tomorrow.

So we'll see him tomorrow.

That might be too late.

For the last time, get out of this camp!

There might be a man that can help him.

I saw Duncan with a surgical kit.

Now he wouldn't have those instruments

unless he knew how to use them.

You think I'd let him touch my boy?

Well, you better, or you might be

digging his grave by sundown.

You must really think I'm jackass stupid

suggesting something like that.

Well, if you don't take this one chance

to save your boy's life, I'll know you are.

Now have this wagon unloaded,

bind that bottom with bedrolls.

What makes you so sure old man Duncan

will even try to help?

I'm not sure, but there's one way

to find out, and that's to try.

Reb, get the bedrolls.

All right, Mel.

[ moaning ]

Easy, boy, easy.

How long I've been out?

An hour, maybe two.

You got to do something for me.

I'll be glad to if it'll just keep you quiet.

I know the slugs are deep.

It won't be easy getting it out.

We'll get it out.

Don't you worry about that.

It's Jason I'm thinking about it.

What would happen if--

Nothing's gonna happen.

We're all gonna be right there with you.

Old Jason will bring you through just fine

if he knows what's good for him.

That's what I mean.

You got to keep Pa and the others from doing

anything crazy if this-- this don't work out.

I'm telling you, Tim, it's gonna work out.

Reb...

Yes, Tim?

Just for once, do what I ask you to,

without me having to hit you over the head

with a chair or something.

All right, if it's gonna make you feel

any better, you got my word on it.

Your men stays here and so do the guns.

Did you make him my offer?

I did.

And?

He doesn't want any part of your herd,

and he will help your boy.

Maybe.

I didn't think you'd understand.

All right.

All you men stay here.

Keep your guns in your holsters.

Best not to move him. I'll look at him in the wagon.

I'm still willing to give you any part of my herd.

I'll pay you anything you want.

Can he save my boy's life?

He's gonna try, Mr. Bishop.

I'll need the usual things, hot water,

compresses, plenty of clean cloth.

They're bringing them, Father.

From what I hear, Bishop is willing to give

old Jason more than half his cattle.

Could have made any bargain he wanted.Got the whole herd maybe.

Well, he plays a Good Samaritan,

we're still where we were before.

If that kid dies, you know what Bishop will do?

His crew will take this place apart.

He's only got a handful of men out there now.

Try anything and Jason will only

put you down again.

Not if the rest of you back me up, he won't.

All of a sudden grazing land and cattle become

mighty unimportant.

I guess, a man always knows what's really important to him.

He just lets other things get in the way sometimes.

[ Tim groaning ]

Give me the probe.

First man who makes a move,

he gets it right here.

Now real easy, start handing them guns over,

left hand.

You all just relax a while.

Some of my friends are gonna stay

to keep you company.

He's conscious and feeling. Hold him.

If he moves anymore, the probe will kill him.

Hold his legs.

Here.

[ groans ]

[ sighs ]

Well, he's still breathing, all right.

Bind him, Willow. He's out of our hands.

Well?

Bullet's out, Mr. Bishop. Your son is still alive.

He's young and strong, but his survival is

in other hands than mine now.

Perhaps, prayer might help.

Thank you.

I suppose you know you could have bargained

for whatever you wanted.

There was never a thought of a bargain,

nothing's changed.

The high country is ours.

It's gonna stay that way as long as

any of us here can fight.

You're still both a couple of hardheads,

aren't you?

How many thousands of acres of grasslands

are there up here in the high country?

Nobody ever counted them.

Well, I've been riding through here for years,

and I still haven't seen them all.

So?

So with the right kind of fences,

Bishop's entire herd could graze down

on the lower meadows without even

beginning to interfere with you up here.

And nobody is arguing that, mister.

We all know they could graze in the lower meadows,

and they will, as our herd not his.

Put those guns away. Now!

I'm speaking for our people now, old man.

You're through.

You got nobody with you, not anymore.

Do you think I'm gonna turn my herd over to you?

Well, I think you will if you want to stay alive.

Why don't you just go up there and try and take it?

Buck that trail crew of yours?

Not likely.

Now you're gonna send one of your men down

with a message.

Either the cattle are brought up here

before tomorrow night, or we'll be burying you

and your friends up on the hill.

For a man who's gonna do all that killing,

Bardeen, you talk too much.

You take one more step and you're gonna run

into a lot more than just talk.

Well, I-- Well, maybe it's time we find out.

I'm warning you.

You've been warning me

ever since I first laid eyes on you, Bardeen.

You're a back shooter.

You don't have the guts to pull that trigger

when somebody is facing you.

You stay where you are!

They'll be punished for what he tried to do.

Forgive us.

There's nothing to forgive the way it worked out.

Now do you think you two can stop fighting

and learn how to live together?

I think we can.

Looks like Mike's gonna wear that horse's hide

plum out for his own arm.

Well, from personal experience, Jess,

I think Giant's gonna outlast him.

I was about his age when I got my first pony.

Both my arms were numb from the shoulder down.

My arm's not tired. Not yet anyway.

Yeah, well, come suppertime,

you won't even be able to lift a fork.

You know, I heard a fellow starved to death

that way once.

Well, I think we might starve a little, too.

You haven't caught a thing yet.

Why don't you just get your pole

and show us how it's done?

I will just as soon as I finish Giant's other side.

You know he's sure pretty. He really is.

I don't know how that girl ever gave him up.

Oh, I don't think she misses him, Mike.

She's got other things on her mind.

More fighting?

Yeah, that's just about right.

Well, I thought you said that, well, the cattlemen

and the mountain people, well they divided

up the grasslands.

Yeah, well, he did.

But he also said that old Jason's daughter

and Tim Bishop were gonna get married.

Well, then what's the fighting gonna be about?

What's the fighting gonna be about?

Shucks, a man don't even know

what real fighting is till he gets married.

Jess, you got a bite.

No, I don't.

It must have got away.

Maybe you'd just better concentrate

on catching supper, huh?

Mike will find out about marriage soon enough.

Yeah, I reckon you're right.