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♪♪

Went through that ravine.

- Let's call it off. - What do you mean call it off?

Now, when we got a chance to get him?

He's in the next county by now. Let's get on home.

Come on, how many more calves do you want to lose to that wolf?

You sure don't give up easy, do ya?

Come on, let's go.

Thanks.

After we rest here for awhile we'll head back.

Whether you like it or not.

We're not gonna get home till tomorrow morning as it is.

Sure wish I could've gotten him in my sights just once.

He doesn't sound too far off.

Well, where you going?

Just gonna have a look-see. Take it easy.

Hyah.

Come on.

♪♪

Joe, I, Joe, I didn't mean it.

I didn't see you.

You got him, Adam.

Yeah, I got him.

♪♪

I'm all right, Adam.

Sure you are.

I don't know what got into me yesterday.

I saw that wolf and just let go.

Never stopped to think if you were around anywhere.

We got to get you to Doc Hickman.

Virginia City Road, Joe.

And there's a rig coming... Come on, boy.

Whoa, boy.

Whoa.

Take a look over there.

Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?

Yes, the mountains of Wicklow on a morning in May.

Oh, you and your Ireland.

Don't you ever think about anything else?

Look.

He looks like he's carrying someone.

Must be hurt.

Come on. boy.

Good afternoon.

I need help, my brother's been hurt.

Certainly, certainly.

- Help me with him. - Give him down here to me.

- Watch that left shoulder. - Easy now, easy.

That's it.

Tie my horse to the back, will ya?

I wonder if you could get us to the Ponderosa?

- By all means. - What happened?

Had an accident.

What kind of an accident?

He got a bullet in him.

He looks like he's been in a terrible fight.

- Yeah, wolf. - A wolf?

We're strangers here. This Ponderosa,

- could you tell me how... - Just start driving, will ya?

- I'll give you directions as we go. - Fine.

Please...

Hey, where you been? What happened to him?

- He's hurt. - What happened?

Well, I shot him. I'll explain it to you later.

Mr. Riordan and his daughter helped us along the road.

- Let's get him in the house? - Shot him?

- Come on. - Where's Pa?

He's in Placerville. He left this morning.

Should we help them, Daddy?

We can ask.

I tried to get that bullet out, but it's lodged under the bone.

When'd this happen, Adam?

Late yesterday afternoon at Montpelier Gorge.

You brought him all the way in from Montpelier like this?

Yeah.

Mr. Cartwright, we were wondering if we could be

of any help?

Yes, perhaps you can.

We've got to get this bullet out.

So Miss Riordan, you might boil some water, please.

Hoss, go into town and get Doc Hickman.

Tell him that apart from being clawed by that wolf,

that bullets in deep, way down deep.

- Get him here fast. - I sure will, Adam.

Gonna have to get that bullet with something.

- Uh, watch him, will ya? - Certainly.

I put the water on to boil.

I collected these. I don't know which one

- would be best for you. - Put 'em down.

♪♪

♪♪

Go ahead. Taste it.

It might be too weak.

It's very good.

Hop Sing couldn't have done better.

Who's Hop Sing?

He's our cook. He's...

been out on the range with the hands

for the last three days.

Now go ahead and drink it.

It'll make you feel a lot better.

And, uh, I made some sandwiches.

I'll go get them.

Where is Hoss with that doctor?

They'll get here.

I hope so.

Why didn't I stop Joe?

I should have laid down the law.

Mm, sometimes that's pretty hard to do.

The truth is, I wanted that wolf killed just as much as he did.

And I used just about as much common sense as he did.

I should have known he'd have been around somewhere.

A man can only do what he thinks is right at the time.

Yeah.

Sure. Excuse me.

Aren't you going to have one of these sandwiches?

Well, no thanks. I better go up and stay with Joe.

I'm sorry. I haven't even thanked you

for what you did for us today.

Oh, we didn't go out of our way at all, Mr. Cartwright.

Sheila and I are out here on a holiday.

We rented that rig.

We were on our way to Virginia City when we met you.

And we'd better get going. It's late.

Oh, yes, my dear, you're right.

Well, no. Please stay here.

It's dark, it's a very long ride.

We have plenty of room. Please stay.

Maybe we should. It is late.

Well, very well, Mr. Cartwright. We accept... with thanks.

Good.

He's taking it hard, isn't he?

Ah, the way he's blaming himself.

I shudder to think what'll happen

if his brother should die.

Mr. Cartwright?

I, uh, brought you some coffee.

I thought you might like some.

Thanks.

Sit down.

Why don't you tell me about yourself?

All I know is that you're out here on a holiday

and that your father is very obviously Irish.

That would be hard to cover up, wouldn't it?

He came over here steerage from Ireland when he was very young.

Reminds me of a professor I had back in college.

Very wonderful man.

Well, Daddy's hardly the professor type.

He worked 20 years digging coal in the Pennsylvania mines.

When he retired four years ago, he was president of the company.

Where did you go to college... Back East?

Mm-hmm.

What did you study?

Architecture.

Architecture? And you came here to live on a ranch?

Yeah.

Sometimes I wonder why.

What brings you out here?

Oh, I read a lot about it, heard a lot.

The periodicals are very enthusiastic about the West.

Oh, yes, the, um...

giant mountains, vast deserts, dazzling sunsets.

A matchless paradise under the canopy of stars.

I believe that's the way the phrases go, isn't it?

Doctor.

The doctor didn't come?

No, but he'll be here.

Where's the doctor?

Adam, he hadn't been in his office since early this morning.

Well, where is he? Did you see him?

No, but I left a message for him at the Fleming ranch.

Miss Fleming's going to have a baby.

He'll get the message, Adam, and he'll be here. Don't worry.

I telegraphed Pa what happened to Little Joe.

Maybe you should send for another doctor.

There isn't another doctor.

There's all the mountains, deserts, sunsets

any visitor could possibly want,

but there's only one doctor in a hundred miles.

Periodicals didn't write that

for the gullible traveler to read, did they?

How's Little Joe?

He'll be all right.

You'd better eat something.

I'll fix you some coffee.

Thank you, ma'am.

Let me go up and see about Little Joe first.

I wish I could do something to bring you comfort.

All that keeps coming to my mind is a phrase by Thoreau.

"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation."

Think about that, Adam.

You'll find you're not alone.

Adam?

Who's with Joe?

Young lady.

Thought you told me you were gonna try

to get some sleep after I relieved you.

Well, I tried, but I couldn't.

I was just reading something by Mr. Thoreau.

"The mass of men

"lead lives of quiet desperation.

"What one trusts to be truths

"turn into compromises.

"And what is called... "resignation...

is confirmed desperation."

Yeah.

A pretty... pretty sour pill to have to take, ain't it?

But I guess it's the truth.

Reckon that's why me and books

just always were in a different world.

Yeah, books are another world to me now, too.

I know they are, Adam.

And I... I can appreciate what they mean to you.

But...

This out here has always been my world.

Smell of fresh pine,

silver trout jumping in a mountain stream.

Old mama bear and her cubs out hunting in the woods.

Bacon sizzling in a frying pan.

Adam...

Little Joe's gonna be all right.

Don't you worry.

You ain't got nothing to blame yourself for.

I hope so.

Go on upstairs and get some sleep.

I'll call you when the doc gets here.

All right.

Whoa.

Finally.

Dr. Hickman?

Morning, Adam. Hoss.

Doc.

Sorry it took so long.

Yes. Let's go.

The message I got said he was also bitten by a wolf.

That's right.

Did you clean the wound out as soon as you could?

As best I could on the trail.

Any sign of rabies in that, uh, wolf?

- No. - Oh.

Easy now. Easy does it, easy does it.

Oh, you got the bullet out, all right.

And those wolf fangs didn't help any.

I know all that.

How is he?

Oh, I guess I'm out.

I asked you how he was.

He's a pretty sick boy.

It's unfortunate I wasn't in town.

Unfortunate?

Hoss, you'll have to go into Virginia City

to get this medicine.

Yes, sir, Doc. I'll ride fast.

Keep cold compresses on him.

When that medicine gets here, just follow the instructions.

I'll try and get back tonight.

Tonight?

You mean, you're not staying? You're walking out?

You're gonna leave him here all day?

Mrs. Fleming is going to have a baby in a few hours...

I don't know when... and it's going to be a breech birth.

Now, you know what that means.

Well, tell me, just how sick is my brother?

All right, I'll tell you, Adam.

He's pretty bad off, real bad off.

I'm counting on his constitution

and that medicine to save him.

Maybe a little help from God.

And there's nothing you can do?

Uh, nothing at the moment.

But I'll tell you this.

If I'm not there when Maggie Fleming's time comes,

both she and her baby are goners.

Now, you tell me... What should I do?

Please, Adam, try not to be upset.

Don't be ridiculous. I'm not upset.

After all, we still have those lovely sunsets.

Vince?

Yeah, morning, Hoss.

Morning, Vince.

Vince, I got a prescription here from Doc.

He wants it filled in a hurry.

Hmm. I don't know.

I don't know.

Hey. Um...

These, uh... chemicals...

I'm all out of 'em, Hoss.

Vince, Little Joe's sick.

I got to have that stuff.

Well, I'm sorry, Hoss.

I have this stuff on order.

I expected it in from Genoa yesterday, but it didn't arrive.

Vince, I got to have that stuff!

My little brother's sick.

Now, easy, Hoss.

I... I'll get over to the telegraph office

and check out the wholesaler in Genoa.

Maybe it's on today's stage.

Wait here.

Hey, sorry. You fellows will have to wait.

No hurry.

Too bad about your brother.

What happened to him?

He got wolf bit.

Could be this brother of yours was up

to the Montpelier Gorge section.

Know where that is?

Oh, yeah, sure, I do.

As a matter of fact, that's where he was.

Him and my other brother, Adam.

Name's Cartwright.

You fellows from Montpelier?

Cartwright, huh?

Yeah, yeah... we were trying to build up a little spread there.

Been at it for three years now.

Well, y-you'll make it.

That's real good country up there.

We found that wolf.

He was dead.

Also found a horse running around loose up there.

He has the same brand we spotted on your critter

when you rode in.

Come here.

Know that pinto over there?

Yeah, that's my little brother's horse.

Thank you fellas for bringing him in.

I'll be happy to give you a reward.

We wanted to bring him in.

We had to find out who panicked a herd of wild horses

we'd just rounded up.

Busted through our fences, scattered through our land,

and stampeded our cattle.

Yeah, I reckon that would have happened

when Adam fired at that wolf.

I'm sorry, it was, it was an accident.

Seems reckless and inconsiderate to us.

Yeah, I, I reckon you have got a grievance at that.

How much you figure it'll cost to fix it up?

Well, since it was a Cartwright done the damage,

$1,000.

That's quite a bit.

You'd better talk to my brother Adam out at the Ponderosa.

He'll, he'll know how much damage he done.

Hoss, that, uh, that medicine is still in Genoa.

Where in Genoa?

Simon Watson's... The wholesaler's.

Give me that.

Look, Hoss, that's a long ride.

It's 21 miles to Genoa and 21 miles back.

I got no choice, Vince.

Mister, you're going out to the Ponderosa; do me a favor.

Will you give this message to my brother Adam?

Tell him that I had to go to Genoa to get the medicine

for Little Joe and tell him I'll ride fast.

Thank you.

Guess we'll just deliver that message.

Any change?

None... the fever is still very high.

How is Adam?

Upset, worried sick, blaming himself for what happened.

But it wasn't his fault; it was an accident.

Some men are willing to shoulder responsibility

when others would shrug it off.

Adam's a sensitive man.

He feels a deep personal guilt

for what happened to his brother.

I know,

I've seen the pain and agony on his face.

Why does he stay here?

Why?

Sure, it's his home.

I know, but I have the feeling that maybe,

because he is sensitive, that he should be somewhere else...

Back East maybe.

Adam Cartwright here?

Yes.

Adam, they're for you.

Where'd you find the pinto?

You Adam Cartwright?

That's right.

My name is Doud.

Me and my friends here got

a little spread going up Montpelier Gorge,

where we found your sick brother's horse.

You were doing some wild shooting up there

a couple days ago.

Where'd you hear this?

We met your other brother in town, he told us.

By the way, he said to tell you he's going to ride up to Genoa

and get some of that medicine you needed.

Yeah, thank you for the message.

Well, what can I do for you?

You can pay me for some damage you done.

That shooting of yours panicked

some wild horses we had penned up.

Ruined our land and stampeded some valuable cattle.

How much?

$3,000.

$3,000 for what?

Do I have to itemize?

For $3,000 you do.

How many cattle did you lose?

150 head.

They're scattered all over the district.

Do you want to round 'em up?

Well, now, 150 head of cattle at four dollars a head...

That's only $600.

$15 a head.

Where, Chicago, Kansas City?

I say they're worth $15 a head to us.

Now, that's more than $2,000 right there.

And the buildings that got trampled...

Say, $500, $600.

I think $3,000 is real conservative, Cartwright.

Well, I think you're about $2,400 over.

That's all right for you to say.

You're a rich man.

All we've got to show is three years of wasted effort

trying to build up a spread that you destroyed.

Well, I'm sorry.

But it'll have to wait.

Wait for what?

Until I can get over to your place

and take a look at the damage for myself.

Ain't gonna be no waiting, Cartwright.

We want that $3,000 right now.

Well, I'm afraid that's the way it's going to have to be.

And I'll give you about ten seconds to get off my place.

All right, Cartwright, we'll go.

But you'll pay.

Oh, Adam, you mustn't let those men upset you.

The East is full of the likes of them...

People looking for an easy dollar.

Please, Mr. Riordan, I'm in no mood.

I'm sorry, son, I meant no harm.

The trouble is, if you're Irish

how can you not interfere with other people's affairs?

I'm sorry about your father.

I'm sure he understands

with one thing piling on top of the other...

Them having to go all the way to another town

for some more medicine, and those terrible men.

Adam, how do you stand this horrible country?

You're a man that belongs in the East.

Yeah, sometimes I wonder, but I thought you liked it here.

I hate it.

I've hated it from the moment I saw it.

There's a little town right outside of Denver.

Our coach pulled up there one night.

Do you know what we saw?

A man hanging from a tree,

his tongue hanging out.

He had stolen four head of cattle.

That's what they said to us.

Why did you come?

Because of my father.

Oh, I see, he wanted to come out here.

No, I insisted that he come out here.

Well, then, I don't understand.

My father's going to die soon.

20 years of swallowing coal dust in the Pennsylvania mines.

The doctor said that

if he would have a change,

he might live a little longer,

so we wanted to come

to a clean, invigorating climate.

Does he know?

Yes, he knows he's ill.

He calls it the "Pennsylvania chest."

How could I tell him the truth, Adam?

What if gets better?

I'll stay here permanently.

Even though you feel the way you do?

He's my father.

We never know about people, do we?

We have a lot in common, don't we?

Yeah, yeah.

Watch it now.

I don't want any slipups.

Get off your horse.

What's this all about?

Get his gun.

Be careful with that medicine, mister.

My little brother needs that bad.

Sure, he does, Hoss, sure he does.

We need our damage money bad.

You tell your brother Adam that.

Mister, a man's life depends on that. You give it to me.

You can have it... for $3,000.

You give me that medicine.

Are you stupid? What did you hit him for?

Now we got to wait that much longer.

Oh, I didn't hit him very hard.

Any way... Now his brother's gonna find out

the price of medicine has gone up in Nevada.

Oh, Sheila asked me to bring this up to you.

It's nice and cold.

The fever hasn't gone down?

It's higher.

Oh.

Probably means something inside him is fighting hard.

Is there never a bad side to a thing with you?

Oh, I try not to ignore facts.

But there's also such a thing as faith.

When that medicine gets here,

Little Joe's life will be in the hands of God and science...

Two staunch allies.

You always have the ready-made words

for every occasion, don't you, Mr. Riordan?

Has my father been upsetting you?

Well, I'm afraid I didn't need much stimulus.

Adam?

Adam?

Adam, get him off me.

Adam!

Adam! I'm shot! I'm shot. I'm shot.

- It's all right, Joe. - Adam, help me.

Joe, he won't get you here. You're all right.

Oh, please!

- It's all right, boy. - Please.

It's not right.

All this waiting, all this suffering.

No doctor, no medicine.

What chance does he have, Adam?

Oh, I'm shot. I'm shot.

Adam, come down, hurry.

Someone rode to the barn... couldn't see who it was.

Adam... they took Little Joe's medicine.

They hijacked me and got it.

- You hurt? - Not that bad.

A little bit of a headache.

Who took the medicine?

Doud and those two fellas from Montpelier.

They want $3,000.

You mean, they're holding Little Joe's medicine for ransom?

Adam, how can they do a thing like that?

How?

You tried to tell me, but I wouldn't listen.

Because out here it's... it's a jungle...

for animals, savages.

Where one tries to destroy the other.

Adam, ease up a bit.

Ease up? Yeah, I'll ease up.

When this is all over, I'm going away someplace

where a man can live like a decent human being.

But first I've got something to do.

Come on, we're gonna find 'em.

No, Adam, you mustn't do that.

Why not? What else is there to do?

Please, Adam, don't let them reduce you to their level.

Not you, Adam.

Let him go.

Adam and Hoss have to get Little Joe's medicine.

That's what they have to do.

They're not going out there to kill.

Take care of Little Joe.

How about it, Cartwright?

Get down.

- You want a rifle, Mr. Riordan? - Yes, Hoss, but I'm

- not too good at using it. - You'll learn.

Post yourself over that window and stay down.

$3,000, Cartwright.

We want it now.

Get upstairs and take care of Little Joe.

Now get ready to run.

Now.

What's the matter, Cartwright...

ain't your brother worth it?

Adam. Adam.

They mean to get that money.

Well, there's nowhere near that amount in the house.

But they'd never believe me.

Cartwright... we want that money now.

You want to let your brother die?

I'm going out the side door, cover me.

You dirty blaggard.

Why don't you show the whites of your eyes,

the way you're supposed to.

Looks like they ain't gonna buy it.

We'll have to split up. I'll go around back.

Get up on the porch roof

through the bedroom window.

Right.

One word and I'll splinter your backbone.

Now drop your gun.

Move fast.

Here's one of them. The other one's dead.

Where's that medicine?

Doud's got it.

I ought to bash your skull in.

Give me that.

Drop those guns.

I want the money, Cartwright.

No talk, just the money.

Get it up or you know what happens to this fella.

Be reasonable, Doud.

I'll give you every cent we got in the house.

$3,000.

We have lots of silverware, lots of other things.

- Just a moment, Adam. - Shut up, you.

Turn around.

- Adam. - Hold it.

Where's the medicine?

In my pocket.

Mr. Riordan.

If this doesn't save my brother's life,

I'm going to kill you.

Hoss, lock him up in the bunkhouse.

- Get going. - Come on.

Come on.

Come on.

Mr. Riordan, I don't know when I've seen such presence of mind

and courage.

'Twas neither, Adam.

You see, I'm dying anyway so...

I had nothing to lose.

Sheila brought me out here in the hopes

that the climate would cure me, but...

sure it isn't going to make a bit of difference.

Well, now you know.

You're not as smart as you thought you were.

Do you know what you are?

An old fraud.

Get back. Move back.

Who are you?

I'm Emmet Riordan, and...

this is my daughter Sheila.

Joseph?

Oh, you must be Ben Cartwright.

Joseph!

He's up here, Pa.

I hope God keeps close tonight.

What time is it?

Almost 6:00. Why don't you go up to bed?

I got to go and relieve Hoss guarding those men.

I just sent Hoss to the sheriff's office with them.

Alone?

Well, they were tied up in the wagon.

It's all right, he can handle it.

Let me get you some coffee.

Adam.

It's Little Joe, he's calling for you.

Hey, brother.

Hey, Pa.

Pa, Adam really clobbered him.

Yeah.

He really clobbered that wolf.

He's not gonna...

he's not gonna touch our cattle anymore.

I think his fever's broken.

Is he gonna be all right?

Well, I'm no doctor, but...

I think he'll be all right.

I think we better go downstairs now.

Would you like to kiss me?

Thank you, kind sir.

You know, for a little while I...

I had a dream cooking up.

It was silly of me, wasn't it?

Imagine Adam Cartwright

being happy at cotillions, social teas,

and Sunday promenades

back in old Philadelphia.

You don't think I could've made the grade?

Not with your heart back here in the Ponderosa.

Where it belongs.

How can you be sure?

I knew this morning...

when Little Joe called you.

So did you.

Sheila!

Daddy's waiting.

Good-bye, Mr. Cartwright.

Bye, Sheila.

We'll remember you and your father.

And don't forget, Mr. Cartwright,

if Adam ever comes East,

make sure he drops in for a visit.

I'll see to it.

There, there you are... Well...

I've never seen such a collection of faces.

As long as a rainy Sunday.

Come on, Sheila, give us a bit of a song.

♪ When first I saw sweet Paddy ♪

♪ 'Twas on the market day ♪

♪ A low-backed car he drove and sat ♪

♪ Upon a truss of hay ♪

♪ Tra, la, la, la, la, la, la ♪

♪ La, la, la, la, la... ♪

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