Original subtitles

[ theme music playing ]

Whoa! Whoa!

That trail don't lead nowhere!

The signs say-- Can't read the markers!

It's murder! Murder!

You can't read the markers!

You can't read the markers!

Easy, old man. Easy.

You'd better put that jug away.

We ain't even started yet.

Well, what are we waitin' for?

A few more passengers.

Ah, good morning, ma'am. Morning.

You Miss Stewart?Mm-hmm.

How soon do we leave?

We're waitin' for a Mr. Marshall,

a Mr. Wiley, and a Sheriff Ryker.

Sheriff, huh?

Anything wrong, ma'am?

No. No, nothing.

And this is all your baggage?

I travel light.

Shotgun's got some coffee inside.

Oh, no. No, thanks.

Mr. Wiley or Mr. Marshall?

Marshall. What time do we get to Jackson City?

About 10:00, says the schedule.

What do you say?About the same.

I hope you're right. I don't like coming late.

That one stays with me.

Welcome, friend.

Is he going with us?

He paid his fare.

Rest easy, old man.

Nice to have company.

Have a drink? It makes the trip go faster.

Good morning.

Name's Ryker. Sorry I'm late.

You ain't the last, Sheriff.

The desk clerk woke me right on time.

I guess I didn't take him serious.

Yeah, well... what's bothering you?

I don't know, Mac.

Things just don't feel right, you know?

Well, you're gettin' old, Shotgun.

Time to step aside and leave things to us young folks.

Get the money box.Okay.

Hey, driver!

Anybody want to buy a horse?

I'll let him go cheap.

McCormick, if we're all here,

why don't we get on our way?

Wait a minute. This may not be

the kind of big business you're used to,

but I got me a horse for sale.

Why don't you turn him loose?

Let him run in the hills.

That wouldn't work. A stable-bred horse like that

wouldn't live out the week up there.

Are we gonna stay here all day

talkin' about a fool horse?

Hold on, Mr. Marshall. Tell you what, Mr. Wiley-- climb on in back.

First relay station we get to, I'll drop him off.

Maybe somebody will get some use out of him.

You mean, just let him go for nothin', huh?

No, sir. Not on your life.

No takers?

Shotgun, let's go!

Let's go, folks.

[ gunshot ]

They're shootin'! Head for the high ground!

Send out the flankers!

[ gunshot ]

[ dog barking ]

What a trip this is gonna be.

Hyah!

Whoa, whoa!

Sheriff Ryker-- he's one of the passengers.

We will be ready.

[ speaks Spanish ]

Paymaster, paymaster's assistant,

the booking agent at Fort Myers.

They're all gonna say, "How come you're runnin' late, McCormick?"

Never the horses, never the passengers. Always me.

Something troubling you, Shotgun?

What ails you, son?

We're carrying a lot of money.

We always carry a lot of money.

What is it, Shotgun?

What's in the air?

[ mumbling ] Went to Fort Turner to get help.

I didn't desert.

Got back, they was all dead.

I ain't no deserter! I ain't no deserter!

Old coot. Hey, old coot!

I beg your pardon, sir.

I didn't hear what you said.

That's 'cause I haven't said anything yet.

What?

Anybody ever tell you you got a drinking problem?

Why don't you leave him alone?

What entertainment have you got to offer?

Any of you, for that matter.

You keep it up, Wiley, we'll think of something.

I thought this was gonna be a fun trip.

Where you goin'?

Jackson City.

You live there?

I'm gonna try.

You make it sound difficult.

It can be.

Like back there in Two-Hill Junction, for instance.

Is that sheriff a friend of yours?

Oh, no. I delivered a prisoner to him.

Well, that'll make him very happy.

He gets very lonesome when his jail is empty.

[ chuckles ]

Sounds like you've had some dealings with him.

Yes.

Yes, I did.

This man--he got his wallet stolen in the saloon.

I was the closest one to him.

Guess--just guess who got pulled in for that.

Did they find the wallet on you?

Oh, no, no. But that didn't matter.

The man was important, and I wasn't.

Well, the sheriff had to pin it on somebody.

You don't believe me, do you?

No, I just can't understand it.

They have some pretty good lawmen around here.

Some honest judges.

And a few smart attorneys.

But I've yet to meet anyone behind bars

who thought they deserved it.

What do you suppose all the guilty people are doing?

Wearing stars, most likely.

Hyah!

Whoa!

Rock-fall.

What happened?

Is everybody all right?

What's the delay? What happened?

We're in a rut.

That's what happened.

Did we have an accident?

No, they always stop like that.

How long will it take you to get that cleared away?

Me?

Mister, it'll take ten men

and a team of eight mules

a day and a night to get a road through there.

Are you serious?

I've got to be in Jackson City tonight.

RYKER: I got a couple of friends

waitin' there, too, McCormick.

Well...an eagle or a hawk might fly you over.

We sure ain't goin' through.

Mr. McCormick...

what do you plan to do?

Go back to Twin-Hill Junction,

bed down, and head to Jackson City

by way of Fort Lewis.

That's 200 miles out of the way.

He gets paid by the hour.

Wrong. I get paid by the trip.

If you folks will just try to makes yourselves comfortable and be patient,

Shotgun and I will try to get the stage back

in some kind of running condition.

Think you can handle it?

He sure don't get paid for his humor, does he?

How's it comin'?

It's comin'. But I don't like it.

A rock-fall ain't my idea of a good time, either.

Rock-fall?

You've been driving this trail for six years.

You ever see rock-fall like that?

All right, let's get it out.

Come on! Come on!

Come on, go!

Anything broke? Anything else?

No.

You all ready to go back to the Junction,

or would you rather rest a while?

We don't have to go back to the Junction.

It's like this, Daniels.

Let me see if I can explain it to you.

See all those big stones across the road?

That's what we call a rock-fall. The road's blocked.

We can't go forward. We gotta turn around and start all over again.

You understand that?

No, we don't. We just go around it.

Daniels, it's 200 miles around it!

You know a way around that, Mr. Daniels?

Ain't much of a way.

An old miner's trail-- goes up into the hills

and comes out again.

A sort of double loop goes up into the--

the old Strawberry Gully mines.

I rode it once, mule-back.

It comes out about five miles up the road.

A mule path ain't a stage road.

It's big enough for a stage.

There are a lot of bumps,

and the goin' will be a mite slow.

A man would have to be careful.

But it ain't no 200 miles.

If there are no objections, I'm for trying it.

Well, that's it. Let's go, folks.

You don't look happy.

I'm not a passenger.

It's not my business whether I'm happy or not.

What's bothering you?

[ sighs ]

If we're going, let's get to it.

Mount up.

In a little while, we'd better get Daniels up here

to show us the way.

Hyah!

Hyah!

Hyah!

Blasted road.

Blasted company.

Supposed to run a service stage

up and down this route, checkin' it.

They run a service stage, all right--

runnin' imported French brandy

from the vice president in Abilene

to the vice president in Fort Lewis.

[ coughs ]

Well, it's here.

Either here or up there.

Or up there.

Yeah.

There it is!

Whoa! Whoa!

We goin' down this?

Well, I done it.

About 2,000 gallons ago, you done it.

But then again, maybe they just filled you up with extra vapors

and sent you sailing over that gully, right?

We're here. We might as well try it.

Quiet!

What?Quiet.

Something...Something what?

I don't know.

Come on, Shotgun. You're scaring the kiddies.

He's scarin' me.

This stage line's got a personnel problem.

Hyah! Hyah!

It was quite a coincidence,

our being here together.

I just couldn't believe it when I saw your name

on that passenger list.

We've met before?

I think you knew my father.

His name was Wiley.

Sheriff, you being a man of the law,

maybe you'd like a good story

with a nice philosophical puzzle at the end of it.

No guarantee I can come up with the answer to yours.

That's all right.

There was this farmer.

He owned a nice strip of land

right up in the Harleystown country.

Been workin' it about 20 years.

Along came this other man.

Took a look at that land and the farmer,

and he said for all to hear,

"That man ain't fit to work that land."

Isn't that an interesting concept, Sheriff?

"That man ain't fit to work that land."

Did you ever hear that before?

Did you ever hear that strange idea embodied in the law?

Men put into the law

what they feel should be there.

Yeah, I guess they do.

Anyway, you said you didn't guarantee the answer, didn't you?

Whoa. Whoa!

What is it?

What does he want?

What do you want, mister?!

[ horse neighs ]

There's a small army out there.

Looks like takin' that shortcut

wasn't too good an idea after all.

You thinkin' of using that?

If I have to.Put it away.

If it's money they want, we'd better give it to them.

Sheriff, what if it's female companionship they want?

I mean, things get pretty lonesome up in those hills.

Don't you worry about that, Mr. Wiley.

None of us are gonna leave this stage.

Why don't they say what they want?

I just made a quick decision.

They can have the money.

It's not the money they want.

Get going.What?

Drive.Hyah!

Hyah! Hyah!

[ McCormick shouting ]

We're in for it now!

We ain't never gonna get to Jackson City!

Hyah! Hyah!

Hyah!

Hyah!

Benson's cabin!What?!

Benson's cabin! It's straight ahead! Down there!

Benson's been prospecting these hills for years!

Then lead the way, Daniels!

Come on! Hyah!

Hyah!

Hyah! Hyah!

Hyah! Hyah!

Hyah!

Whoa! Whoa.

Come on, everybody inside!

DANIELS: Where's Benson?

Benson! You got company!

Everybody in!

Benson!

Benson, open up!

Open up!It's me--Daniels!

Open up!

Kick the door in! They're coming!

Everybody in!Let's go!

Everybody inside! Come on, come on!

Everybody in. We'd better unhitch the horses.

Benson?

Benson?

Marshall, you cover the window there.

Daniels, close the door.

Help me drag this thing over.

That barn burned down a couple of years ago.

But the house is in good shape.

And there's a good well outside.

You just stay away from that well.

That's all we need-- him to breathe into it

and contaminate all of us.

Oh, good old Benson.

RYKER: Plenty of canned goods here.

McCormick, barricade the front door.

All the way.

Whatever they had in mind,

there ain't nobody out there now.

That crazy trail down here might've discouraged them.

Sure discouraged me.

On the other hand, maybe they just got scared off

when they heard Mr. Marshall was with us.

He's got such a way with undesirables.

All right, Wiley.

Save it!

Look again.

They're still with us.

All right, cover the windows.

Okay, Mac, I'll take over for a while.

I knew it'd be like this.

I had a bad feeling.

As long as it's like this, we're all right.

Why don't they come?

They'll come soon enough, Mr. Marshall.

Why don't they come, Ryker?

I don't know.

Anything from your window?

Quiet as a church on Monday.

What are they waitin' for, Shotgun?

I don't know.

Well, you ought to. They're your amigos.

You got a bad mouth, mister.

They're Mexicans, aren't they?

You're getting a little overexcited, Mr. Marshall.

Yeah, you are gettin' a trifle excited there, Mr. Marshall.

Here we are, sittin' around in a nice, homey little cabin.

There you are, worrying about a bunch of nice Mexicans

havin' a little campout up un the ridge.

It's not like they're gonna hurt anybody up there.

Everybody knows they just like to sing and dance.

What's in that bag you're always carrying?

That is not your business.

It might be... if that's what they're after.

I wouldn't mind knowing what you're carrying.

Section 4 of the ticket contract

states that any passenger with over $100 in his possession--

$10,000 in negotiable bonds,

and I intend to keep it.

If it was the money they wanted, they would've taken it

right back there on the road.

They want us to sweat.

When they're ready, they'll tell us what they want.

DANIELS: Let go. Go away!

Go away! I gotta get some sleep.

Long trail in the morning.

Mr. Daniels, wake up.

Sleeping Beauty in the flesh.

Mr. Daniels!

Is there another way out of here?

The path.

The path up the ravine.

Any other way?

On the other side of the hill...

there's a cliff.

A cliff. Any way up that cliff?

Benson could do it.

He's a miner.

He's got the tools. He'd climb it all right.

What about one of us?

We ain't no miners.

We ain't Benson.

[ whistling ]

[ rustling ]What was that?

Beethoven's 7th Symphony.

I heard something out there.

Heh! Mr. Marshall, you're a nervous man, aren't you?

Shh!

Somebody's out there.

[ thud ]

[ horse running away ]

McCormick.

They want to see one of us. Who?

Not you.

They don't want to see Mr. Marshall,

'cause they're scared of him.

They don't want to see me,

'cause I'm a friend of Mr. Marshall's.

They don't want to see her...

at least not for the moment.

I guess business before pleasure--

that's what they must be figurin' on.

Who do they want, Wiley?

They want to see him.

I'll be back.

I'm Sheriff Ryker.

Buenas noches.

Buenas noches, Juan Pablo.

You're a long way from home.

We both are.

Sit down. Please.

Have you eaten?

Felipe...

[ speaks Spanish ]

You are surprised.

To find you here, like this?

I'm surprised, all right.

Since when does Juan Pablo

strap guns to his waist...

and ride the highway at night?

I am a farmer.

In the morning, my fields will be untilled.

My fruit will be late for the harvest.

Many of them will die unpicked on the tree.

I do not profit by my being here.

Roberto over there-- he's a dairyman.

His herd is tended by his ten-year-old son.

He does not profit by his being here.

Well, why are you here, Juan?

You will honor Juan Pablo.

I am honored.

It's good.

My wife is a better cook, as you know.

But the best cook is hunger.

And a man has many hungers.

What is Juan Pablo's hunger?

Justice.

The Juan Pablo I know doesn't look for justice with guns.

That is why I sent for you, my friend.

I must depend upon your conscience...

or my guns.

Stop doing that, Wiley.

Ryker's been gone for a long time.

Maybe they're signing him up.

He's been gone too long. For all we know,

he may have a knife in his back.

That would slow him down a bit, wouldn't it?

I don't like your jokes, Mr. Wiley.

I tell you the one about the two Mexicans

in the tortilla factory?

Shotgun!

What's the matter with you?

Here comes Ryker.

Lock the door.

What do they want, and who are they?

They're Mexicans.

They're Mexicans, and, uh...

they're a long way from home.

So are we. Get to the point.

They've come a long way for a reason.

And they're not bandits.

Sure had me fooled.

They come from a town

two miles across the border called Pueblo de la Blanca.

I know the town.

I don't, I've never heard of it.

Who cares where they come from? What do they want?

Nothing you can give them, Mr. Marshall.

I know the town, too, but it don't mean nothin' to me.

What does it mean to you, Wiley?

I never heard of the place.

How about a girl?

I meet a lot of girls.

Named Angela Morales?

Angela who?

Then you won't mind telling that to the men out there.

I don't have to tell anybody anything.

Who's Angela Morales?

A member of the village.

She's the granddaughter of the leader.

What'd Wiley do to her?

How does he know what I did to her?

They say he attacked her.

Well, that settles that.

That settles nothing.

What's your story, Wiley?

She was the village tramp.

Who are you to call anybody a tramp?!

What name do they use for you...Miss Stewart?

There goes that big mouth again.

No, no, no. It's all right, Shotgun.

He's fighting for his life.

What do those men want, Sheriff?

They want us to hand him over.

And if we don't?

He who stands with a murderer...

Murderer?

How'd we get to talkin' about that?

The girl's dead. She was left to die in a ditch

outside the village.

Why are we wasting time?

They know how to deal with scum like Wiley.

And they're honest men out there.

Did you do it, Wiley?

You asking me as a lawman, Ryker?

All right, you got your charge.

Go bring it in a court of law.

Or don't you operate that way

once you get the mob against you?

You people are really something.

I didn't come near that girl.

Somebody could come in here and tell you

that I set fire to a town in China yesterday morning,

and you'd believe it.

You'd believe it, 'cause that you're out.

You hate me anyway, so that makes it all the more easy to swallow.

And you call me scum.

You chicken-hearted-- You hypocrites!

I'm putting you under arrest, Wiley.

That means you'll stand trial in Jackson City.

MARSHALL: And how do you expect us to get to Jackson City?

Just fly over there through that mob out there?

I expect to go with them to Jackson.

Why?

You don't owe Wiley anything.

It won't work, Sheriff.

They'll kill all of us just to get to him.

You know it, and we all know it.

It don't feel right--

our lives for his.

What do you tell the manager

or the company, driver?

One passenger delivered to lynch mob

for expedition of passage?

Are you all gonna get together and talk about how--

how I fell down a gully gathering dandelions?

Leaving her to die in that ditch--

that was just the same as killing her.

Handing him over to them

is just the same as killing him.

If you're gonna kill him, kill him straight.

Kill him, Shotgun. Go on and shoot him.

He's a murderer, and you don't have any doubts about it.

Go on, shoot him! Shoot him right in the head!

And get us all off the hook!

Is it easier if I turn my back, Poncho?

Don't push your luck, Wiley.

What about you, Mr. McCormick?

I'm a stage driver, Sheriff.

Killin' ain't my business.

You go ahead.

You might even be doing him a big favor.

You can't do that, Mr. Marshall.

You think Wiley would defend you if you were in his spot?

I know he wouldn't.

Then why do you take up for him?

Because I think everybody deserves a chance.

Even him.

Father.Hmm?

How much time?

Till Ryker returns.

And then what?

We see what he says.

The sheriff-- he's a good friend, isn't he?

Your friend.

Manuelo, you're a good son, but I'm an old man.

Speaking in circles makes me weary.

I just wondered--

if it comes to it--

how you will feel killing your own friend.

It hasn't come to that yet.

It will.

He's under arrest.

I'll turn him over to the law in Jackson City.

No!

You're coming with us.

We do not believe in Jackson City!

You believe in justice, Juan Pablo.

I guarantee that you'll have it.

What does that mean? He killed her.

Will you guarantee that you'll kill him in Jackson City?

No.

Then where is your justice? He killed her.

Suppose a man came up to me, Juan Pablo,

and said Manuelo attacked a girl and caused her death.

Would I allow this man to kill Manuelo without a trial?

It is I who came to you-- not some man.

You compare my son to him?

In one thing only-- they're both men.

To be called a man is an honor one must earn.

No, to be called a man is a grace one is born with.

Now, a man may not fulfill this grace.

He may deny it in himself,

but we may not deny it, Juan Pablo--you and I.

We may not deny it.

I represent the law, Juan Pablo.

Everything I stand for,

everything I believe in,

is at stake right here, right now.

I can't let you have him.

You do what you must.

We do what we must.

There's a woman with us.

I know. Are you gonna let her go?

Shall we honor your woman

more than you honored ours?

Haven't I always honored you, Juan Pablo?

And your people?

You are now with him.

Here he comes.

Would you mind, Mr. Marshall?

What'd they say, Ryker?

Shotgun, what kind of arms do we have?

Just the guns and ammunition from the stage.

And whatever Benson left here.

And a few personal type weapons.

Ryker, what did those people say?

Mr. Daniels, how's the water here?

Well, I don't drink much of it.

But it's spring-fed right to the pump.

The spring's in the rocks back of the cabin.

How many buckets do we have? Three.

All right, one of 'em won't hurt.

Are we planning a second Siege of Vicksburg?

I'm worried about what they're planning.

Sheriff?

Sheriff?

Would they really kill Wiley?

Not like he killed that horse, Mary.

This would be slow and painful.

Then, for the love of heaven, let him go.

Go where?

Anywhere. Just turn him loose.

He's a stable-bred type.

He wouldn't live out there for one week.

How long would he live here?

How long would any of us live here?

What do you mean? We should turn Wiley loose

to save or necks and wash our hands of all responsibility?

You're so worried about responsibility and justice.

At least out there, he'd have a fighting chance.

That's more than he'd get from your precious courts.

Want to get that back door, Shotgun?

I was doin' some deep thinkin'.

And the more I think,

the less I feel I want to die for him.

It's easy to risk your life for someone you care for, Mr. Daniels.

To defend someone you hate--

that's the real test.

You want to shove that desk against the front door?

Ryker, them ideas you been talkin'--

that's just plain blather.

McCormick, I was kind of countin' on you.

I do my duty. That's what I'm paid for.

What is the matter with you people?

Does it always have to be Ryker's way?

Is he the only one who has a voice in this thing?

He's the only one that's wearin' a badge.

That badge? Look at it.

There is nothing magic about that badge.

It's a piece of tin in the shape of a star.

Does that make him any more right than we are?

All right.

There's no magic badge now, McCormick.

Am I any less right?

What do you say, Shotgun?

Shotgun's what they call me.

My name is Sanchez Dominguez.

Am I supposed to shoot at my own people for his sake?

For us, Sanchez. You're one of us.

Sure.

When you're in trouble.

When you need some fool to stick his neck out.

Then, all of a sudden, I came over with pilgrims.

When it's all over, Ryker...

do I go back to being a Mexican?

You can go back to being a man.

And how will you feel

if that girl pays for your principles?

I hope they kill me first, Mr. Marshall.

You're a real big hero, Sheriff--

you and them.

Fightin' for justice and all.

But wait till your Mexican friends turn the screw.

These heroes of yours will come at me like a pack of wolves.

And you leadin' them.

They're still up on the ridge.

Don't they ever get tired?

Food's on.

I'm sure you've got a lot of virtues--

if you'll pardon the expression--

but settin' a table for your guests isn't one of 'em.

Guess your talent lies in other fields, huh?

You're a jackal, Wiley.

You got the smell of death on you.

That's a prejudiced point of view.

Look, I've seen all kinds.

Liars, cheaters, grifters...

murderers. You're all of 'em!

Take it easy, McCormick.

Look, Sheriff...

you ask us to lay our lives on the line

for that thing of law you're always talkin' about.

Well, that's a pretty big swallow,

and I'm tryin' hard to get it down.

But to lay my life on the line for a--

for a man who would laugh at my death! Why?!

Because he belongs to death, McCormick. You don't.

His need to tear everything and everyone down to his own level--

it's so big, it's bigger than his fear of death.

Isn't that so, Wiley?

That's an interesting point of view.

I'll have to think about that.

Quiet!

Mac, the horses!

[ gunshots ]

Shotgun!

I gotta cover him!

You can't help him dead!

[ gunshots continue ]

Oh, no!

Take him into the bedroom!

Here.

[ gasps ]

I thought my magic badge would protect me.

You should never have gone out there!

Don't talk, Shotgun.

Am I gonna be all right?

Got some fixin' to--

Get the girl.

I hurt so bad.Don't talk.

How is he?

He's bad.

McCormick would like your help, madam.

I hurt so bad.

I had a bad feeling all day.

You're a brave man, Shotgun.

Ryker.

Ryker's the brave one.

Ohh.

Oh, Mac.

Am I gonna be all right?

Ohh.

How did they get in there?

Maybe the devil sent 'em.

To find out where we did wrong.

Ah...

Heh. We got us a little of everything in this cabin, haven't we?

The law, high finance, and now religious philosophy.

I think we're wastin' our time.

We ought to open ourselves a university.

Shotgun is dead.

High price to pay for a horse.

Would you call it justice?

I hope they kill him.

Señor Ryker!

What was it worth?

Any luck?

No, nobody knows a thing.

You ask them why the stage is late,

they say the stage is always late.

Bartender?

Whiskey.

Sorry. Out of whiskey.

It's vintage wine-- 20 minutes old.

How come no whiskey?

New shipment's coming in on the stage.

And the stage is almost two days late.

Always is.

See?

Trampas, I just had a horrible thought.

What if Ryker isn't on that stage?

He knows we delivered our cattle here.

He said to wait for him.

He said--

Now, there's a knowledgeable young lady.

Maybe she can tell us why the stage is late.

What stage?

Pardon me, miss.

But I'm a stranger in town, and--

well, I'm lonely and despondent.

Would you permit me the honor of buying you a drink?

Oh, well...no.

But, uh...he can.

It'd be my pleasure.

We're almost out of water.

Isn't somebody gonna get some?

Why don't you?

Hey! The pump's not working!

MARSHALL: Well, can't one of you fix it?

Nothing to fix. They must've found the spring.

Meaning what?

Meaning there's no more water!

No more water?

Why didn't you tell us this?

Why didn't you say they could do this?

That spring's hidden up in the rocks.

It'd take a man 100 years to find it.

They found it.

How much water do we have inside?

What difference does it make?

If we had a spring come up through the floor,

what good would it do?

We'd still be here.

We'll be here until we're dead, or...

until Wiley's dead.

What time is it?

Quarter past Wednesday.

Not much use in waitin' around here much longer.

Why don't we get our horses and head home?

Guess you're right. We can leave a message for Ryker at the saloon.

[ croaking ]

Excuse me, gentlemen. What kind of frogs are those?

These are racing frogs.

Trampas, maybe we can throw a couple of saddles on them.

No, you can't!

Mind if we watch?

Help yourself.

Looks like they're built for runnin'.

Whoa.

He's a late starter, isn't he?

Yeah.

[ whistles ]

Kind of like Randy. A slowpoke.

There he goes.Ha ha ha!

Daniels.

Daniels, I've been trying to figure out

how those Mexicans got down to the horses.

If they came down the ravine, we would've seen 'em.

What are you gettin' at?

There's only one way they could've gotten down here.

There must be a pass through the cliff.

Maybe one man--

Forget it. They'd have that guarded.

And even if a man was to get to the top of the cliff,

he'd likely be spotted.

And then he'd have a tough time

findin' his way through this country.

You're not thinkin' to go, are you, Sheriff?

She's right, Sheriff.

You go, and the rest of these kind folks

are gonna make sure that I'm the main course

of a Mexican barbeque.

I was not thinking of you.

Oh?

Well, looks like you made a conquest, Sheriff.

MARY: Send Wiley.

He's the one to go.

If he makes it, he'll bring help.

If not...

well, it'll be the end anyway.

Let's just be reasonable about this thing.

I mean, say I do make it.

If I'm guilty of hurtin' that poor Mexican girl-- which I'm not--

but if I'm guilty,

I'm sure not gonna head for any sheriff's office, right?

If I'm not guilty, why would I risk my neck?

You're just talkin' 'cause you're scared.

You are scared to death.

There is that vague possibility.

I'll go.

No, Daniels.

I still got another trip left in me.

Yeah, right up to the pearly gates.

Besides, it's a tough job, old man.

There's no reason why you should go.

Yes, there is.

It's been my life.

I got to go.

Sheriff?

Thanks.

There's one of them.

It's the leader-- Juan Pablo.

Looks like--

Looks like he wants to talk.

You're not gonna go out there.

Why not?

Maybe we'll be lucky. Maybe they'll kill him.

Maybe they'll take him and string him up instead of his friend,

let him go.

No. No, don't go.

Be careful!

What do you want, Juan Pablo?

Wiley.

In Jackson City. A trial.

No! Like an animal!

Like a worm!

It was not a man who threw Angela into the ditch!

We're not animals, Juan. We're people.

If you take him, if you kill him that way...

we all die.

You can't win.

But we can lose, Juan.

If we let you take him, we lose!

It's like we never lived.

What'd he want?

You.

How's the water, Mr. McCormick?

About a pine apiece.

Enough to last until Mr. Daniels gets to Jackson City.

You're delirious. What makes you think

the old drunk got past that line of Mexicans?

He wasn't a drunk when he left here, Mr. Marshall.

He was a pretty big man.

Even if he did make that cliff,

he still has ten miles of--

He was a scout, Mary.

In another life, maybe.

If he was ever any good as a scout,

it was washed away with all that booze.

Some things don't get washed away, McCormick.

Maybe so.

Maybe not.

All right, come on, Lightning.

Let's show your stuff. Put 'em down.

On your mark, get set, go!

Lightning. Lightning?

Run, Lightning! Hop!

Get over there, Lightning!

Heck.

That's nine cents you owe me.

And five cents you owe him.

Yo.

That Lightning. Here. Here.

Whoa!

Sheriff! Sheriff!

Hey! You over there!

Excuse us.

You'd better go get your frog.

Sheriff's not in his office. Anyone seen him? I gotta find him!

He was in the saloon a little while ago. Anything we can do?

Take a look back there in the wagon.

I gotta find the sheriff.

Hold on. What's the trouble?

He's dead, that's what. Dead as a doornail.

Take a look in the wagon!

Who's dead? Slow down.An old fella.

I found him back near the road with a bullet in his back.

I gotta find the sheriff. He ain't never around when you need him.

Go ahead. We'll take care of your wagon.

Sheriff! Sheriff!

Trampas.

Now, slow and easy. Give me the details.

Come on, I'll show you!

Sheriff, found this gun on the dead man.

It belonged to Sheriff Emmett Ryker of Medicine Bow.

You sure that's his gun?

I gave it to him.

Ryker's a friend of ours. He was due in on the stage.

It's two days overdue.

It's not like him to let another man wear his gun.

A dead man, at that.

Where'd you find that body?

Right in the shadow of Indian Rock, slumped against a tree.

Come on.

Heh!

Here.

A trail sign.

An old scout trick.

Fresh burnt gunpowder. Can't be over a day old.

Take a whiff.

What does it mean?

That sign he made-- double crossbar--

means somebody's in trouble.

That somebody might be Ryker. Hmm.

There's another one on that log.

One usually leads to another.

The old trailblazer knew what he was doin', all right.

I wish I did.

Keep lookin'. We'll probably find out.

The men await your orders, Father.

Yes, it's time.

Two men dead already, and our work has yet to begin.

I wish there was some other way.

Why are we here?For justice.

"For justice to live, they must die."

Those are your words, Father.

When good men-- men like Sheriff Ryker-- must die,

the word "justice" turns sour on the tongue.

Your own granddaughter didn't even know

the meaning of the word.

Have you forgotten?

Get your guns, Manuelo.

We'll ride out together.

Anything?It won't be long.

Manuelo!

Manuelo, the men are waiting!

iManuelo, andiamos!

Go! We'll meet you at the head of the trail.

Buenos días, señor.

Who are you?

A friend of Sheriff Ryker's.

Where's my son?

Where's Ryker?

[ cocks gun ]

They're gonna charge us. They'll come swooping down like a bunch of Apaches!

I counted 14 so far, and there's more, lots more.

Why don't you foreclose on 'em, Marshall?

Tell them they're unfit tenants.

Shut up, Wiley. Get back where you belong, Marshall.

There's two of 'em.

Hold it.I can get 'em.

Hold your fire!

Emmett, you all right?

[ chuckles ] I'm a little late for our appointment.

But I'm mighty glad to see you.

You know this gentleman?

We're old friends.

I wish it would stay that way.

It seems you win after all, Sheriff.

The life of my son is more precious to me

than the man you are protecting.

Trampas is keepin' him company.

You are free to leave-- all of you.

Even your murderer.

My men will not harm you.

Juan, I promised you justice.

Will you help me keep my word?

Your justice and mine, my friend, are world apart.

Go with us to Jackson City.

You'll make your testimony to the court there.

If Wiley's guilty, you can be sure he'll be punished.

No one else--just Wiley.

Very well.

I accept.

Wiley--he's running away out back!

Wiley! Wiley, come back!

Come back here!

Wiley!

Would an innocent man run, Sheriff Ryker?

We'll never know, will we?

I'll take you back to your son.

Well, he's dead.

And what was it all for?

For us. We did what we had to do.

And the men that died?

They did what they had to do, Mary.

A man lives by what he believes in.

Right or wrong, that's all that makes him a man.

That's all we've got.

That's all we'll ever have.