Original subtitles

[ theme music playing ]

♪♪

[ horses approach ]

TRAMPAS: Afternoon, gentlemen.

My name's Trampas. This is Randy.

We ride for the Shiloh outfit. Are you Mr. Justin?

That's right.

I'm glad to meet you. This is Tom Suchette.

He has a ranch just on the other side of the ridge.

It's a pleasure meeting you all.

Well, we, uh, saw your fire--

figured we'd take the chance to get acquainted with our new neighbor.

It's a hot day for burnin' a maverick, ain't it, Justin?

TRAMPAS: Tom.What do you mean by that?

Now, Mr. Justin, you probably didn't know it,

but nobody's supposed to touch them slick ears until fall roundup.

TRAMPAS: According to Stockmen's Association rules,

any critter runnin' wild belongs to--

I don't care what your association says. This calf is mine.

Well, maybe.

But he could belong to one of the Shiloh crop we missed last spring.

You accusin' me of runnin' off your beef?!

No, I'm-- I'm not accusing you of anything. All I meant was--

Stop beatin' around the bush, Trampas.

Next thing you know, he'll be cuttin' into my herd.

Now, either you set him straight, or I'll do it myself.

Tom, will you simmer down?

You're on my land. Get off.

TRAMPAS: Uh, Mr. Justin...

Now, that calf looks like...

the one that we chased outta the brush this morning.

Now, he probably got into your place through a break in the fence.

We can understand how you might figure he was yours, but--

He ismine. He's got my brand. And that's the end of it.

Justin, you'd better not.Shut up.

I told you to get off my land.

Well, this isn't exactly the neighborly way to handle a misunderstanding.

Understand me-- I burn my mark on anything I find on this ranch.

Well, thanks just the same,

but I'm already spoken for.

You lettin' him buffalo you like that?

He points that iron at me and I'll blast him right where he stands.

We don't handle everything that way at Shiloh, Tom.

This is a Shiloh matter.

Maybe Mr. Justin needs a little time to cool off.

We'll talk to him later.

Next time, I might not talk at all.

Next time I might just showhim what happens to hot-eyed strangers

who think they're bigger than the association.

You ain't very smart, Justin.

They're gonna come floppin' down on you

like a big-tailed jay on a spring worm.

And I'll tell you, I don't want to be around when they come.

Then ride out.

Maybe I'll just do that.

My wife will give you your time.

Next thing you know, you'll be running the whole shebang

lyin' flat on your back in bed.

That's not a bad idea.

Hey, I thought you were supposed to be breakin' in Randy up on the North line.

Well, uh, we had a little trouble up North

with that, uh, new neighbor of ours.

Caught him trying to put his iron on a stray calf.

We decided to set him straight on the Association rules,

and he decided to brand me next.

As a little gesture of friendship?

TRAMPAS: Well, I don't know.

The way he looked, kinda... wild,I, uh--

decided to see how you wanted me to handle him.

Well...

Well... [ sighs ]

Guess it's about time I paid a formal call on our new neighbors--

chewed a few things over with the man of the house.

Want me to go along?

To tell you the truth, Trampas, I'd feel an awful lot safer without you.

Oh?

Yeah, I don't like the idea of taking along a red blanket

when I go courtin' a bull.

Ben, you will try to be back in time for supper?

I have your favorite--I can't promise.

I gotta finish that sluiceway--

get some water to those beeves in the south pasture.

Mr. Justin?You're the range boss at Shiloh, aren't you?

Some of your cattle--If you're here to make trouble over that maverick,

I'm ready to oblige.

Some of your cattle just broke through a hole in your fence.

VIRGINIAN: They may be headed for an alkaline water hole.

What do you mean? What happened?

Some of your fool men cut my fence?

My men had nothing to do with it.

The fencepost may have rotted out at the base.

I'd be happy to help you round 'em up.

I don't need your help!

Now, you stay off my land and let us alone!

Are you one of those men who accused my husband of stealing that calf?

Ma'am, my men never accused your husband of stealing a calf.

Our Stockmen's Association's got certain rules and regulations.

If a man brands a maverick before roundup, he could be blackballed.

That means he can't ship his beef out of the Association railhead in Cheyenne.

I wouldn't wanna see that happen to your husband.

Oh...

Oh, won't you step down?

Thank you.

I'm ashamed of my bad manners.

A gentleman's not supposed to...

talk to a lady from the back of a horse, anyway.

[ chuckles ]

I'm, uh, the foreman of Shiloh Ranch.

We're your closest neighbors.

I'm pleased to meet you. I'm Mary Justin.

Sure wish there was some way your husband would let me help him round up those strays.

Oh, I'd just forget about it this time.

My husband likes to do things by himself,

without anybody's help.

It's hard to explain unless you know him.

Oh, uh-- Will!

Come on out! I want you to meet someone.

I'm sorry. I'm not being very neighborly, am I?

Won't you come in? There's a pot of coffee on the stove.

No, thanks, ma'am. I have to be getting back.

Uh-- Will, this is the foreman over at Shiloh.

My son, Will.

Howdy, Will. Hello, sir.

You're pa's chasin' down some cattle he lost through a break in your south fence.

VIRGINIAN: You'd better ride out and help him.

I-- I-- I can't. Uh, I--

Sorry.

He... didn't mean to be rude.

Uh, we only have two horses,

and his father uses them both.

Besides, Will can't ride.

I guess you think I might seem a little young to be his mother.

Actually, I'm his step-mother.

Ben's first wife died almost two years ago.

I-- I do what I can,

but I'm afraid the boy still misses her.

I don't know whyI'm telling a stranger all this.

Uh... if your husband wouldn't take offense,

could be we could find a horse over at Shiloh

that'd be just right for breakin' in a greenhorn.

Well... we'll see.

I'll tell Ben.

It's kind of you to suggest it.

Anything we can do.

Thank you for stopping by.

I hope you'll bring Will by to visit us.

It's been a pleasure, ma'am.

Goodbye.

MARY: That you, Ben?

I know what a hard job it was rounding up those strays.

I'll heat up the veal and dumplings. That oughta perk you up.

I don't want anything.

Ben, you can't go--I lost two head.

I'm sorry.Lost two and ran the beef off half a dozen more.

Well... it couldn't be helped.

Couldn't it?

Pa home? Mm-hmm.

Did he lose any?

Two head.

But, I-- I wouldn't talk to him about it now.

He's feeling kinda low.

Oh.

[ sighs ] Can I do anything else for you?

You know-- you know how bone tired he is.

It's the first time I can remember he forgot to take care of his horse.

Maybe-- I'll take him down to the barn and bed him down for the night.

Thank you, Will.

Evenin', Pa.

Ben--

[ glass shatters ]

I just don't know what's the matter with me.

Oh, it's all right. It's all right.

I just don't know.

Sometimes I feel that...

it's like the sky's just closin' in on me, and there's no place left to go...

and nowhere to run.

I know, I know.

Oh, Mary...

I've just got to make it here. I've just gotto.

And I can't depend on anybody.

How 'bout the ones you love?

I don't mean that. You know what I mean-- like back East,

when my partners ran out on me and left me facing that bankruptcy.

I can't trust anybody again.

I'm gonna have to work...

and sweat until I make it with my own two hands.

And this...

This is being weak... and sick!

[ bottle shatters ]

Ben, your hand!

Let me get something--No, it's all right. It's all right.

You know, Mary...

we're gonna get out from under that debt at the bank,

and then we're gonna buy us some Aberdeen Angus,

and we're gonna upbreed every head we own.

I do this for you, you know.

And for Will.

Someday, that boy's gonna know he's got a father that's worth something in this world.

I'll get something for your hand.

[ crickets chirp ]

You know, I read in a book once someplace that man can be his own king out here.

As long as he owns his own spread, runs his own beef,

he can walk with the nobility of kings.

Mary, that's the way it's gonna be for you and me someday.

If I could just get this bandage tied before you bleed to death.

Put your finger there.

Oh, doggone-- I forgot all about the horse!

Will's taking care of him. He's out in the barn now.

Will doesn't know any--He knows a lot more than you think.

He picked it up just watching you.

I'd better give him a hand anyhow--

Now, you just stay right here. He's fine.

Ben, you need somebody to take that load off your shoulders

now that you got rid of Sanders.

I intend to hire somebody else.What's wrong with your son?

He'd do as good a job as any of these free-bootin' hired hands,

and a lot better than some.

When he found out about Sanders this afternoon,

all he could talk about was how you wouldn't have to hire anybody else

because he could do the job for you if you just gave him a chance.

Well, he's just a boy.

Maybe it's time you started treating him like a man.

What's that supposed to mean?

You ought to teach him how to ride.

You know I can't spare the time and I can't afford to buy another horse.

That Shiloh foreman this afternoon--

he said they'd be glad to break Will in on one of their horses--

save you the trouble.

You been talkin' about me and my son to some stranger?

I don't see the harm.

It'd be so good for Will.

He's not cut out for workin' cattle.

And he's always been a sickly kid.

Well, at least give him a chance.

Let me take him over--Stop gettin' at me about him!

I oughta know what's best for my own son.

Oh, Mary, I'm sorry.

What is it, Ben?

What's driving you-- eating at you-- making you be like this?

What is it you have to prove to yourself?I don't know.

Ben, you just have to take the time to be a father to that boy.

Just let him work with you every once in awhile.

Go places together. That's all.

That's all he wants.I know, I know.

Mary, I'll try.

But it's just that I don't like anybody around.

I don't like anybody watching me.

I can't explain it, it's just that...

I don't know.

I don't think you even know what you're doing sometimes--

to other people; to yourself.

Don't. I'll take care of that.

I'll get a broom.

Will--

I'll check it for you.

Oh good morning, Mrs. Justin.

I'll be with you in just a minute.

Oh, I-- I'm in no hurry, Mr. Harper. Please take your time.

Ma'am.

Hello.

How are ya, Will?Fine, sir.

We thought you both might drop by last week

and take a look at that horse corral of ours.

Oh, we've-- we've been busy.

Well, there's always tomorrow.

Uh, by the way--

would you be sure and tell your husband

about that Cattlemen's meeting tonight?

Oh, he's over in the bank now.

I'll tell him when he comes by to pick us up.

Good.

In that case, we'd better get your order filled.

I guess I know the merchandise as well as Mr. Harper.

He's out back lookin' for somethin' for me.

I'll overlook the fact, sir, that you're two weeks late with your payment.

I was mendin' my fences. I understand.

However, I think we should be more prompt

in meeting your obligations under this note--

just to protect your credit.

Henry!

I was about to ride out to Shiloh to see you about that horse ranch.

Well, I'll save you the trouble.

You know, the Virginian's been after me

to buy another pair of those Angus bulls--

Well, I'll need a draft to cover it. But there's no hurry.

Oh, do you know the Judge?

Mr. Justin, Judge Garth of Shiloh.

Mr. Justin. Oh, this is a pleasure.

By the way, you know we have a Stockmen's meeting at Shiloh tonight.

Well, I won't be there. I've got work to do.

Well, I'm sure that one night won't--

Not until I'm sure my fences are tight.

I don't want anybody accusin' me again of rustlin' somebody else's stock.

What?

Two of your men did the week before last.

And don't tell me they didn't, because they did,

and it's happened to small ranchers out here before.

You brand a man a rustler,

and then you get your Association to scare him out.

You're not gonna scare me out, Mr. Garth. I want to stay right here.

I might not be able to triple my herd in the first year

like you big boysdid in the old days--

Look here, Justin.

Judge Garth didn't have an easy time--Just a minute, Howard.

Mr. Justin isn't interested in tales about the old days.

He's entitled to his opinion.

Sorry you can't make it tonight.

I'll wait in your office, Howard.

Thinks he's Lord of the sky blue water, don't he?

Justin, when you get to know the Judge,

you'll realize just what kind of a fool you've been.

Just a minute.

I haven't finished my business with you.

I want a bank draft.

I'm gonna order me a couple of those prize Aberdeen Angus bulls.

Don't be ridiculous, Justin.

They cost $400 each!

400?You barely have that much in your account.

You won't have anything left for an emergency.

Yeah?

Well, you send that draft to the commission merchant--

for every cent I've got.

I'm gonna buy me one of those bulls.

Now...

there's somethin' to set your eyes to dancin'.

[ laughs ] A little toobright.

I'm afraid it'd keep me awake all night just hanging there in the closet.

[ laughs ]

Make a nice work shirt for a cowboy, though.

Here, let's see.

At least, if it didn't scare his horse.

[ laughs ]

How's that for style?

Well, sir, I--[ door closes ]

Morning, Mr. Justin.

This it?Yes.

I looked at the goods like you told me to, Ben,

but I didn't see anything that strikes my fancy.

Well, we'd better load up, then.

Thank you for helping us.

You've been very kind.

WILL: Pa!

Pa.

Mary said to tell you, a rider just stopped--

I don't wanna have to remind you again.

She's your mother now. Call her that.

Yes, sir.

A message from the Station Master at Medicine Bow.

He said your freight's arrived.

My freight?

Well, what'd you order, Pa?

You'll find out when I get back.

You tell your ma I'll be back late this afternoon.

Could I come with you? I could hitch up the wagon,

and carry back whatever it is for you.

That wagon's too small.

And that sway-backed dray just couldn't handle the load.

You know, son, I was saving it as a surprise for you, too.

But if you really wanna go-- No, Pa.

It's okay, Pa.

I want you to go.

We'll take the wagon.

Yes, sir.

JUSTIN: Well, what do you think of him, Will?

He's-- he's beautiful.

Someday...

his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren are gonna belong to you.

Just you wait and see.

Now, if you'll just sign this invoice,

the cargo is all yours.

Mr. Justin?

Mr. Justin. Oh.

You have to sign for the cargo.

Here we have the...

breed registration...

and the vet certificate that the animal's healthy.

No tick fever, no hoof-and-mouth.

Now, where's your wagon?

JUSTIN: My wagon's not big enough to haul that bull.

I'll need somebody to do it for me.

Yo, Gilly!

STATION MASTER: You have a customer.

He drives part-time for Doan's and he'll take care of you.

Thank you.

Señor?

How much to haul that bull over to my place

on the other side of French Creek?

GILLY: El toro negro?

Aye, chihuahua! Magnifico!

[ exclaims in Spanish ]

Ah, I don't charge for a beautiful animal like that, no.

Oh, but it's going to cost you $2

for you to keep me away from my siesta.

You know, the sun is very hot--All right, all right.

I get the wagon! [ exclaims in Spanish, laughs ]

Will, you drive our wagon back.

I'll ride with the bullwacker--

make sure nothin' happens to the King here.

It's almost a month I am here.

I still don't got a job.

That's why I ride the wood.

Señor, I'm a good vaquero.

I'm the best vaquero you can find no place.

You try me out just once. Please, señor.

Maybe you need a hand--

I want you to turn in around that first bend way down there.

I got a sick wife and 13 little ones

who are waiting for me back in Sabinas.

Well, a man deserves a chance.

I'll take you on until the first snow.

$30 and found.

Ah, muchas gracias, señor. Muchas gracias.

You know, the place isn't very much right now,

but it's gonna be one of the biggest in these parts.

It's good to dream.

Make a man want to stay alive.

Mary!

Will, I wanna show your ma the bull.

Take Gill back to the barn and show him the spare room.

Gill?Yeah, our new vaquero.

The room's in the back of the barn.

But, Pa...It's got a bunk.

You can move in tomorrow with your horse--

start work anytime you're ready.

Si.Tomorrow?Tomorrow.

Oh-- this is Mrs. Justin.

Mary, this is our new hand by the name of Gilly.

Mucho gusto, señora. It is my pleasure.

Pleased to meet you.

Come on, boy, show Gilly the--

My son... forgot his manners.

I think you can find the room.

The barn's on the other side of the house.

Si, gracias.

Excuse me.

Con tu permiso, señora,I'll go.

Ben, you know Will wanted so much--

Doesn't it matter what Iwant anymore?

I'm sorry.

I know you wanted to show me your surprise.

Oh, never mind.

I just bought my first black bull, that's all.

Well, that's-- that's wonderful.

Mary...

you don'tmean it, so why did you say it?

Of course I mean it!

We've both dreamed so much of this moment.

I-- I just thought that-- well--

we were going to wait until--I'm tired of waitin'.

I know that, um,

those Aberdeen Angus cost a great deal.

$400. Every cent we had left.

Now, let's see you smile about that.

Ben, how are we going to--?

A man has to gamble sometimes, Mary.

He takes chances. That's the way fortunes are made out here in the West.

I can't expect any woman to understand that.

Ben, talk to Will.

Explain to him why.

Will, he-- he didn't mean to...

If it means that much...

to learn to ride, to show him you can do it,

then I...

I'll take you to Shiloh next time we go to town for supplies.

Well, it's your choice, Will.

Gee, I like 'em all, sir.

[ chuckles ]

That sorrel looks nice.

Yeah. Well...

[ laughs ]

I just can't make up my mind.

Well, you take your time. It's not easy choosing your first horse.

Yeah, I know what you mean.

Judge? Maybe...

Maybe you'd pick one out for me, huh?

'Cause you know a lot more about horses.

Albie, rope the buckskin!

What happened to you two? I was worried.

Oh, it just took a little longer than we thought.

The store was crowded,

and you know a woman when she starts looking around at things.

Well, the sun's about to go in. You shouldn't stay out so late.

I was afraid something might've happened to you along the way.

I'm sorry we worried you.

Well, you're both here.

I'll help you unload the wagon

as soon as I get rid of this.

Ho!

Back up. Back.

Back. Back up.

Yes, you really should be pleased with this young man, Mrs. Justin.

Only four times up on that buckskin,

and already he's rarin' to go chasin' cattle for his father.

Do you think he's ready?

Well, I don't know. You were ridin' with him before lunch, Jen--

what, uh-- what do you think?

You remember that day when you caught me talkin' to my horse, Uncle Henry,

And you said it was the first sign of a real cowboy?

Well, I caught Will talkin' to his horse today-- not once, but twice.

Now, what did the buckskin answer back?

Well, sir, he said, "Stop fidgetin' around up there, boy,

Remember the Judge taught you to sit straight."

Ha! Well, now, a horse as smart as that

deserves some special consideration, and it just so happens...

Ah, go show it to him, Jen, will you?

Oh...

A new saddle.

From all of us at Shiloh.

Thank you.

It's just-- it's beautiful.

But I can't.

My pa would never let me accept a gift like this.

Well, then we'll let you earn it.

Next month when you ride in the roundup,

I'll expect you to chase at least one Shiloh cow

out of the rush for every Circle J you find.

Fair enough?

Can I try it out?

Don't take too long.

Jennifer, would you care to ride along with me?

I'd have felt like the last of the wallflowers if you hadn't asked that.

Let's sit down.

Well, his father'll be proud when he sees how that boy sits a horse.

Thanks to you, Judge.

It's fun teachin' a boy as eager to learn as Will.

[ door closes ]

There it is, Judge.

I marked the clauses you wanted to see.Oh, thank you.

If you'll excuse me, Mrs. Justin,

I've got some preliminary skirmishing to do with this contract.

I'll be back to say goodbye. All right.

Excuse me.

We-- we missed you at lunch.

I wish I coulda been here,

but when you're ridin' herd on a ranch as big as this,

you never know what's gonna pull you away.

[ laughs ] Now you sound like my husband.

Well, I should be going.

How'd Will like his new saddle?

Oh, love at first sight!

I remember how I felt the first time I ever owned one.

I was telling the Judge

how much these trips to Shiloh have meant to Will.

Truth is... they mean something to me, too.

Can you understand... how I feel?

I love my husband...

and yet I feel so alone-- lost.

I can laugh with you.

I can't laugh with him anymore.

Mary, maybe--He wasn't always that way.

When I first knew him...

he was so gentle.

I was a nurse in a hospital in Washington,

and they brought him into my ward on the stretcher.

He'd been drinking heavily ever since his wife died a year before.

I imagined it was me who brought him back from the dead.

He had a dream about... finding a new life in the West.

I fell in love with his dream...

and then with the man.

He's not the same anymore.

He's... bitter.

And it's my fault.

I'm afraid to look him in the eye anymore--

afraid of what I'll find there.

That's why I never told him about these trips to Shiloh.

I thought you had.

I told myself I was doing it for Will...

but now I know it wasn't just for him.

I had to get away myself...

to be with someone who-- who could--

make me feel like a woman again.

And that's wrong. I know it's wrong of me to want that.

I never should've...

Mary, it wasn't wrong to feel that way,

it was wrong not to tell your husband.

I know.Don't wait any longer.

Tell him as soon as you get home.

That you wanted to surprise him how fast your son could learn to ride a horse.

That was the reason you came over here--

the onlyreason.

I don't want that.

Do you have a few minutes before you leave?

There's something--I let you talk me into goin' to this thing tonight.

Now what more do you want?

Nothing. We'll talk about it tomorrow.

Ah, Mary, I'm sorry.

I don't mean to bite your head off like that.

It's just that I don't like people like that bunch over at Shiloh.

And I can't help the way I feel. I understand.

But I'll tell you what-- I'll do right by you.

I'll keep a tight rein on my temper,

I'll go around and shake hands with everybody,

and smile at everybody.

I'll be whatever you want me to be.

I just want you to be yourself--

the man I knew back at that hospital.

[ knock on door ]

Mr. Justin. Glad you could make it.

Meeting's gonna start in a few moments.

Come on in and let me introduce you to some of the others.

Well, I'm not much for talkin' at these affairs.

Well, most of these old boys are tongue-tied anyway.

Pour a little oil in 'em,

and pretty soon they're jawin' away like a coyote with a mouthful of feathers.

If you ask me, I say there's a little bronc in every horse.

Now, just the other mornin'--

Mr. Procter, Mr. Turner, this is Mr. Justin.

He just bought the old Yarnall place up north.

Just call me Andy. It's a pleasure to know you, Mr. Justin.

Make it Ben.

Well, how you doin', Ben?

Old Yarnall had a hard wrastle with that piece of scrub land,

but I hear you're clawin' right into it.

Yeah, we're makin' out all right.

Wonder where the Judge got to. We can get this thing underway.

Now wouldn't you know it?

Soon as we vote the Virginian ramrod for this year's drive,

he starts gettin' bossy.

[ chuckles ]

Well, if it ain't the old bunch-quitter himself.

You know, gettin' this boy to one of our meetings

is like draggin' a cow thief to a hangin'.

Well, you oughta know, Tom.

I notice you rear back every time you see a coil of rope.

[ chuckles ] Oh-ho!

Hey, you know, I don't let just anybody talk to me that way.

Well, gentlemen, we got a lot to discuss before I let you tap the keg.

[ all laugh ]

Mr. Justin, I'm glad to see you.

You know, we're taking the northern route to the railroad this year,

so your herd'll be joining up last.

All right. Whatever you gentlemen have planned is all right with me.

Say, I'm sorry you couldn't be with us this afternoon,

but I enjoyed having your wife and boy.

You've got a charming family.

Well, now, Judge, I'm afraid you let the cat out of the bag.

They were saving it as a surprise for when Mr. Justin saw Will.

What's this all about?

Well, it's a surprise that has to do with your son Will.

Yeah, well, keep talkin'.

I'm afraid I can't say any more.

Your wife wants to be the one to tell you.

Seems like you know more about what my wife wants than I do.

You tell him, boy.Now, Mr. Justin--

This afternoon isn't the first time my wife's been out here, is it?

Well, no, sir, but--

What's the matter, Mr. Justin--

you havin' trouble keepin' your woman on a tight enough rein?

Shut up, Tom.

I don't blame you for being upset--

I'm through listening to you.

Wait a minute--

Ben!

Are you all right?

Tell me!

I worried all night when you didn't come back.

I was just gonna hitch up the wagon and ride out to Shiloh to--

I'm all right.

I just rode up into the hills to be by myself for awhile.

Did anything happen at Shiloh?

I came back...

and I'm here, and I'm ready to go to work, and what more do you want?

I'll, um--

I'll fix your breakfast.I don't want any.

You feed that new hand.

Give him a couple of axes and send him up on the north hill.

I'm gonna cut some more timber for that sluiceway.

You-- you can't go off without anything in your stomach.

Ben.

Ben.

We have to talk.

I'm truly sorry for any pain I've caused you by--

by my trips to Shiloh.

The last thing I ever want to do in the world is hurt you.

I mean that.

I thought I had a good reason for lying to you...

but I guess lies, even for good reasons, never seem to turn out right.

Anyway, I should have told you to your face what I intended to do about Will.

That's the way it should be between a husband and a wife.

That's the way it willbe from now on.

Forgive me... please.

[ horse approaches ]

Pa.

Judge Garth really made me tow the mark.

I'm sure now I'll be able to do my share to help you.

Now you won't need an extra man for the roundup.

You and Will can work together.

Pa?

What's the matter?

I'm goin' someplace, and I don't want anyone followin' me.

Pa, wait!

There's nothing you can do, Will.

[ all laugh ]

Howdy.

I want a double whiskey.

[ clears throat ] I'll have a couple bottles to take with me.

What?

Can't you hear? I'll take a couple bottles with me.

And give me another double.

Well!

TOM: If it ain't my old pal Justin! [ chuckles ]

TOM: The lone wolf himself.

How you doin', Ben?

And how's them horns of yours? Are they still growin'?

Didn't you boys hear about it?

It seems like them four-legged critters we chase day and night

ain't the only ones with horns. [ chuckles ]

Someone out at Shiloh hung a pair of horns on old Ben here.

[ Tom laughs ]

Now, go ahead. Turn tail-- run!

Just like you did with the Virginian.

[ chuckles ]

Here-- here!

Can't you see he's finished?!

All right, this's not your fight, so sit down.

He ain't finished till I say he is.

Oof!

I said sit down before somebody gets hurt!

I don't need your help. You stay away from me.

And you stay away from my wife or I'll kill you.

[ horse approaches ]

Ben, your face!Out of my way.

No, Ben! No! No!

No matter what happened, it isn't worth killing for-- or being killed!

You wouldn't understand.

No, that's right!

I wouldn'tunderstand.

I'm not a man carrying his bitterness and hate like a loaded rifle.

I'm not a man who's so resentful of the way his life is

that he can only let himself live in the future!

I just can't live your way.

I can't go on watching you hate every moment of your life,

and hateeverybody else because they have more than you,

and hate Will because he dared to learn how to ride

so that he could work with you like a son should...

and hate me because I wanna smile and enjoy the day--

thisday, here and now!

Then you enjoy it with him-- that man from Shiloh. That's what you want, isn't it?

No... that's not true.

Yes, it is!

You wish you were married to him!

Ben, don't!

Ben!

[ sighs ]

WILL [ singing ]: ♪ If I ever make my way off the train ♪

♪ And the Indians don't find me ♪

[ stutters ] ♪ I'll make my way straight back again ♪

♪ To the gal I left behind me ♪

♪ That sweet little gal, that true little gal ♪

♪ That pretty little gal--

Whoa!

Whoo!

Jennifer! Whoo!

[ laughs ]

Get up there, boy! [ mumbles, slurs ]

Whoa, whoa, you're an obedient horse.

[ laughs ] Hi

Whoo! I just came along to say goodbye

and sing you a little song. [ chuckles ]

Here... just try a sip of this, Will.

No... don't let him do it...

no... well, if I could just hide the bottles...

I don't wanna be like that anymore. I'll do anything...

Just lie back quietly, Will.

[ sighs ]

Oh, oh, I gotta go to Cheyenne--

No-- and I'm not comin' back.

Here, try some of this hot coffee, Will. It might help.

Is there anything more I can do, Uncle Henry?

No, dear, thank you. Why don't you go back to bed?

Mmm.

I can't stay, Judge. I just remembered-- Mary.

She'll be worried about me. I forgot to tell her I was gone.

Oh...

Your father'll be worried about you, too, Will.

No, he won't.

He don't care two cents about me.

I don't mean nothin' to him. Nothin'-- nothin' at all.

That's not true, Will.

Why don't you let me send someone to tell 'em both you're all right?

Oh, what do you know about how he feels?

All he cares about... is strikin' it rich somewhere.

Or, if he can't do that, then grabbin' a bottle and drinkin' himself blind.

That's all he cares about.

I know something about your father's life, Will.

I got to thinking about it after he bought that bull.

There's another thing-- that prize bull.

That bull is his hope for the future.

Maybe it helps him forget the past.

Your father's had more than one setback.

It hurts when a man feels he's a failure.

I know. It's happened to me.

You, Judge?

When I was mustered out after the war, I had that rusty sword they let me keep,

$300 in my wallet, and...

a handful of dreams.

I wound up in Texas, put every cent into beef,

and I worked hard for two years and headed north for Kansas.

And we got as far as the Staked Plains when it hit.

It was a simple squall-- thunder, rain.

The lightning started 'em running.

Tried to stop 'em, but... we just couldn't.

I can still hear that bellowing

as a thousand longhorns went crashing down a 30-foot bluff.

The whole thing left me with a feeling of-- maybe--

I was no good.

That the stampede must have been my fault--

that I should've been able to stop those cattle.

I tortured myself for a long time after that.

A long time.

But not so long you didn't fight your way back.

I'll bet you had a new herd inside year or two.

Oh, I tried to start again--Sure.

Because you could stand up to what happened to you.

[ sighs ] My father can't do that and he never could.

Why don't you give him a chance, Will?

[ knock on door ]

Where is he?

Put down the gun and we'll talk.

I hunted high and low, and finally it dawned on me where he'd be.

And sure enough, there's that horse outside. Now, where is he?

Mr. Justin.

I want my son. What have you done with him?

He's in this room.

Wait.

He's in a bad way. He drank some of the whiskey he took from you.

Right now, he's a sick boy.

Well, you just give him to me and I'll take care of him.

I don't think he should ride any more tonight.

Why don't you let him spend the night here

and you pick him up in the morning?

Yeah, sure. You'd like that, wouldn't you, Judge?

I know what you're doin'. You're tryin' to buy a man's son

with horses and fancy saddles.

Ben, the Judge never--You stay outta this!

I want my son and I want him now.

Will, your father wants to talk to you.

Come on, we're goin' home.

I'm stayin' here.

You obey me. I'm your father.

No! JUDGE: Will.

You listen to your father.

It's your duty. If he wants you to go home with him, you do as he says.

It's for the best.

He's my son.

You ever interfere again, it'll go even harder on him.

I wish he hadn't found him.

He won't hurt him.

This is something that has to be settled between father and son.

He won't hurt him.

So, you wanna drink like your pa, huh?

Well, Son, I'm gonna teach you how to be a man.

I'm gonna teach you how to stand on your own two feet like a man,

so's you won't have to get your courage and your dreams out of a bottle.

Now, you watch me, boy.

This is the way a real drinker hits the bottle.

Now, you stand up.

I said stand up!

I'm gonna do to you, boy,

what my father would've done to me had he a speck of care for me.

I'm gonna make sure that you don't whimper like a pup

and run to a bottle like this for a crutch

every time you figure the world has you whipped.

Pa...

Are you ready, boy?

I just-- just wanted to be near you.

to work with you and to help you--

Don't you understand?

I couldn't let you near me!

I didn't want you to see me the way I really am!

I'm a nobody, boy.

I'm the kind of a man that quits and runs as soon as one little thing goes wrong!

I'm a failure at everything I've ever touched!

No... you're not that way.

Don't you look at me like that.

I don't want your sympathy.

Turn around! I don't wanna see your face. Turn around.

Oh...

Go on... get outta here.

I can't even whip you. I can't even do that.

Go on, get out and leave me be.

Mary! The barn!

Are you burned?

Just look at that bull.

Those flames didn't even touch him.

He's alive and he's free.

You know, that bull is gonna be king of hundreds on this land-- maybe thousands, even.

[ cow moos ]

Pa!

Pa, there's one down by the stream.

Looks a bit sick and straggly.

It's the third one I've found like that.

I think they musta taken on too much alkaline water.

Well, leave him be there, then.

Can I help you here?

No, it'll be dark in an hour.

Why don't you get some supper and turn in?

No, I'll ride back with you.

I'm gonna stay here tonight. I've got my bed wool and some grub.

I'll stay with you.

You go back and keep your ma company.

I-- no!

Go on, do as I tell ya!

Gilly, we'll call it a day after we pen 'em up in that draw.

The drive's comin' trough late tomorrow and I want those beeves ready.

Bueno, señorJustin.

$6,800 on the hoof at the Cheyenne railhead or I miss my guess.

I'll make the next payment on the loan,

put all the rest back in Aberdeen Angus,

and next year's market herd will bring twice as much.

Hello!

Hip-hip! Yaah!

Jimmy, start movin' that beef into the main herd the other side of the wash.

Right away.

Gonna have to move 'em faster than this, ramrod.

We're movin' fast enough.

You better light a fire under Justin.

Justin.

We're about ready to move your cattle into position,

take 'em out through the north pass.

Where're they at?

They're penned up in that draw down there.

Move 'em out that way.

Gilly! Move 'em out!

Hold on a minute.

What's wrong with that steer?

[ wheezes ]

This animal's infected. That's Aftosa.

Can't you tell a simple case of range fever?

I know what I see, Justin, because I've seen it before. That's Aftosa.

And it spreads like wildfire.

It couldn't have come this far north.

Had an outbreak in Colorado in '79.He's right.

Yeah, talk was it came across the border and up outta Texas,

on a coil of hemp that belonged to some trail hand.

That vaqueroof yours-- Gilly-- there's your carrier.

You talk like a fool, Suchette.

Looks like Aftosa. Hard to tell, though.

Symptoms are a lot like Spanish Fever. I don't know.

Well, Iknow, and we've got too much at stake to take any chances.

Suchette's right.

I say shoot Justin's herd-- now--

and bury 'em good and deep.

That's one way to stop from contaminatin' our whole herd.

That's the onlyway.

You wanna kill my cattle, you better plan on killin' me first, Suchette.

If that's the way you want it.

Suchette...

Are you willin' to bet a man's life that those cattle are infected?

I'm willin' to do just that.

We either shoot his little cow-pen herd

or we turn that gallopin' plague loose

to infect thousands of cattle out there on the trail.

Now, you listen to me.

No amount of beef on the hoof is worth a man's life, no matter how you add it up.

We'll send Randy into town after Doc Linnell.

He can be back by nightfall-- tell us whether or not it's Aftosa.

I don't need no vet to tell me!Well, I do.

Randy, can you make it to town and back by nightfall?I'll do my best.

Better stop by and tell the Judge what's happening on the way.

Right.

By the way, Suchette, 'bout time you took a little responsibility.

Why don't you ride back and tell the rest of the men

to hold the herd south of the pass.

What's gonna happen, Pa?

Nothin'.

Nothin's gonna happen.

Ben...

isn't there something I can do for you?

Maybe get you a--No... nothin'.

I know how the waiting must be.

Just... go on home.

He looks so... lost.

I don't think he knows what's happening to him.

I mean, how can a man understand something like that?

Nobody can.

Do you think it is Aftosa?

[ horses approach ]

It's Aftosa. That means your whole herd's infected.

Nothing we can do to save them. They have to be destroyed--

buried under quicklime so they won't infect that trail herd.

We're gonna need as many men with rifles as we--Suchette.

They're mycattle. I'll destroy them.

Gilly, get me a box of shells out of the wagon.

Justin, uh--It's my job.

And I won't need any help.

[ gun fires ]

[ gun fires ]

[ gun fires ]

[ gun fires ]

[ gun fires ]

[ gun fires ]

[ gun fires ]

[ gun fires ]

[ gun fires ]

[ gun fires ]

[ gun fires ]

[ gun fires ]

[ gun fires ]

[ gun fires ]

Looks like there's one more.

The black bull's still standin', Pa.

You want me--? No.

He's mine.

Somebody's got to dig 'em under.

You've done your job. Let us finish it.

Well, they're gone, Mary-- all of them.

There's nothin' left for us here now.

Ben...

Yet, somehow I just can't turn my back anymore.

I can't just leave it end here.

Mary, if we can hang on somehow,

through the winter,

we might be able to find a way to, uh--

We will-- yes!

Why don't you two go back down, turn in for the night?

We'll take care of what has to be done here.

All right.

I'll catch up with you in the morning.

You'll need every hand you can find to get to Cheyenne on time.

TOM: Hey, Justin.

You're gonna have to build you a whole new herd.

When the time comes,

I got a few head that maybe you can use.

That's... a very decent offer.

Justin, I think you'll find that every one of those men down there with a shovel

will come up with a few head to get you started again.

I'm sure the Judge will.

Well...

There's nothing a man can say, except... thank you.

Come on, son. Let's go home.

[ theme music playing ]