Original subtitles

The Arapaho village at the head of it is gone.

They've moved north, following the buffalo.

No sentries on the rim.

No Arapaho kids out tending the ponies.

Just echoes.

But riding up here is kind of like listening to a sermon.

I can almost hear the words.

For whosoever will lose his life shall find it.

For what is a man profited?

What is a man lost?

For whosoever will lose his life shall find it.

For what is a man profited?

He shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul.

Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

This is Hadley Academy.

A Puritan preacher founded it.

A fleet of Yankee clipper ships made the money to build it.

200 years of tradition cling to it like the ivy on those walls.

This is the most sacred spot at Hadley.

The Jeremy Dow Memorial.

Eke Homo.

Behold the man.

I wasn't here for the dedication.

But I beheld the man years later,

flat on his back in a cheap room over a saloon in the Sweetwater country.

Dead drunk.

Name's Jeff Durant. Comes to me somewhere.

Been knocking around here for years.

That's about all I know about him.

Do you get like that often?

Every time I get some money.

Come on, Jeff, wake up. You got company.

Never mind, never mind. Let him sleep it off.

He's a real good worker when he's sober.

Yeah?

Well, I sure could use an extra hand, but I gotta do better than that.

Thanks.

Yeah.

Help!

Help!

Help!

Help!

Help!

Good morning, Kelly.

Morning?

Why, it's 2 o'clock in the afternoon.

Good afternoon, then.

You just missed your greatest chance.

There's a fellow out there from a wagon train beating the bushes looking for a driver.

They're going west?

They're going to California.

Well, why didn't you bring them around?

I did, but we couldn't bring you around.

Oh.

Well, he said you wouldn't do, though.

Uh, Jeff.

All right, all right, now, Kelly, I know what you're going to say.

I'm sorry, but you're seven weeks behind in your rent, and we just can't go any farther.

Look, I'm going to get a job today, Kelly, I promise.

I know, and the minute you get paid, you're going out and spitting it on whiskey before we can get to you.

No, Jeff, I'm afraid that this last one just about did it.

When do you want me to leave?

Any time in the next five minutes?

Here.

That's about all I got left.

Here, you take it.

You ought to be able to get $10 for that.

What's this H stand for here?

That's the school back east.

Oh, you keep it.

No, no, I have no use for it.

You keep it.

You've been very patient with me, Kelly.

Thanks.

Yeah, sure.

Oh, uh, wait a minute.

Here's your mouth organ.

Bye, Kelly.

Yeah, bye, Jeff.

Come on.

Afternoon, Joe.

Jeff.

I bet you're going to hide, aren't you?

Well, you sure got a quick mind to figure out a man just like that.

Yeah.

I need to work, Jubal.

How bad?

It's about as bad as there is.

Bad enough to show up when you're supposed to?

Jubal, I don't even have a bed to sleep in at night.

You got a horse?

Now, you know I sold her.

Sold everything I had, including my skinny knives.

How about it, Jubal? I'll do anything you want.

Well, you expect me to outfit you?

Well, yeah.

Sort of give me an advance.

Huh.

I wouldn't advance you a rib nickel.

When are you pulling out?

Tonight.

Harrigan Stable?

Never mind.

I told you the last time I was through with you.

I'm in it.

Yeah.

Henry?

I'd be happy to take that job.

No, go on, go on.

Ready?

Pretty good.

Not bad yourself.

Can I see her?

Sure.

Where'd you get her?

Germany.

Golly.

Sure enough.

Made in Germany.

Sensor right there.

You know, there's something I ought to tell you.

What?

Well, this box that you're sitting on, that's officially mine.

And I usually sit here about this time in the afternoon.

Every day?

Yeah, when the sun is shining.

Of course, I don't want to be a hog about it.

You can sit there if you wanted.

Thanks.

Wish I had one like that.

How far off is Germany?

Well, it's too far to go for a mouth organ.

What's your name?

Bruce.

What's yours?

Jeff.

You just pulled in?

Yeah, last night.

We may not pull out the way they're talking.

Oh, why not?

Well, it weren't a fix.

My pa got thrown by his horse and busted his leg.

Oh, well, that is a fix.

Guess your pa can't, uh...

Can't drive with a broken leg.

Seems it ain't just the driving.

There's been trouble last year with the Rapo Indians.

You know about the Rapos?

Oh, yes.

Mr. McCullough says they're holy terrors.

Need a fighting man on every wagon, he said.

If we don't find someone to drive,

we gotta pull up here when the next wagon train comes through.

You, uh...

You wouldn't know a thing about driving a prairie schooner, I expect.

Well, I don't know if I can answer that the way you ask it

without it sounding like a brag.

What do you mean?

Well, I just happen to be a professional, that's all.

Wagon driver?

Freighter, wagon driver, whatever you want to call it.

I used to have my own outfit up in Utah before the Mormon trouble.

Three, four span of mules, jerk line.

Didn't make much difference what it was.

I used to drive.

Yeah. Cussed pretty bad?

Ooh...

What?

My ma wouldn't like that.

They say mule skinners cuss something fierce.

That's a funny thing you ask me that, Bruce.

That's one of the reasons why I'm here.

Huh?

Couldn't stand that cussing either.

Yeah, that's one of the reasons why I left Utah.

I just couldn't stand around and listen to those mule skinners cussing.

Would you drive us?

What, you mean just drop my affairs here and take off west and...

Oh, would you please?

Well, I mean a man can't...

Mr. McCullough says there ain't a man in town.

They looked everywhere.

Even in the Calvary.

Pa, this is Jeff.

He's a professional wagon driver.

Well, how do?

How do?

Maybe he'll drive first, Pa.

Would you, Jeff, please?

Oh, well, I...

Bruce, probably told you we're in kind of a bind.

Me crippled up this way.

We'd pay him wages, wouldn't we, Pa?

Of course.

Bruce, why don't you help your dad back to the wagon train?

I'll talk it over for you.

Sure.

Don't say no till you think about it.

Come on, son.

He's a professional, remember?

I, uh...

I saw you earlier today with the hotel.

My name's Flint McCullough.

Oh, uh...

Well, you know, you met me at a bad time.

I'd just gotten back from a week with the buffalo hunters.

Well, never mind the explanations.

Only reason I'd hire you is that there's nobody else left in town.

You come with us, you get a dollar a day and found.

You don't get a drink or a dime to buy one until we get to Sacramento and pay you off.

Suits me fine.

I've been talking to the cavalry CO.

He tells me that, uh...

You hide hunters riled up the Arapaho.

We have a brush with them. You'll be expected to do your share of fighting.

All right by me.

Bruce's mother's kind of a...

Well, she's kind of a particular kind of a woman.

Before I spring you on her, I think we'd better get rid of some of those whiskers and, uh...

Find you some new clothes.

Yes, you're hired.

Come on.

How's that?

Well, there's room for improvement.

You sound a lot better on a genuine German mouth organ, of course.

Yeah, I expected to, wouldn't I?

You ever thought of selling her?

Nope.

Just thought I'd ask.

I got $2.60 saved up.

If you're interested, that is.

Nope, not interested.

You know, you're a hard kind of fellow to deal with.

Where'd you learn that?

My ma taught it to me.

It's a Hadley Pledge.

It's where my pa used to teach.

Huh.

Funny, I'd never have taken him for a school teacher.

Who?

Cleet, your father.

Well, he ain't my pa. I just call him that.

My real father died before I was born.

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

He was a brave man, they said.

There's a statue of him in the school square.

Named it after him.

The Jeremy Dow Memorial Quadrangle.

I saw it once when I was five.

Came all the way up from Ohio just for the dedication.

School dormitory caught fire one night and...

Pa died trying to save the boys inside.

Found his body in the ashes afterwards.

That's what I mean about me not being afraid of the Rapos.

You mean your name is not Millican?

No, it's Dow, and I'm proud of it.

What's the matter?

Bruce Dow.

That's right.

What's your middle name?

Jeremy, after my pa.

How come you know the Hadley Pledge?

Well, I was there once.

Want to play it with me?

No, no, not now.

No, no, not now.

Bruce.

Play Shenandoah or something, will you?

Okay.

Bruce?

Yes, Ma?

Supper's almost ready. Time you washed up.

Hey, this is Jeff Duran.

How do?

How do you do? Can you have supper with us?

I, uh...

We have plenty.

No, no, no, thank you. Not tonight.

We'll see you in the morning, then.

Come along, Bruce.

Come along.

Well?

I got the horse.

I thought I told you I wasn't interested.

Look, I'll do my share of the killing and skinning,

and you don't have to pay me that red nickel if you don't want to.

You know why we're leaving tonight, don't you?

I wasn't going to ask.

Because that cavalry captain down the street

thinks we're leaving tomorrow, fixing to trail us.

Figures a smart hide hunter goes where the buffalo is,

whether it's north or south of the line.

And you know something? He's right.

That notion quieten you down any?

No.

Clean her up. She's yours.

Come on.

Come on.

You go on ahead. I want to stop by here for a minute.

What for?

It's just personal.

We'll keep moving.

I'll catch up to you later.

I'll catch up to you later.

I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do this to you.

Jeremy.

Jeremy.

Jeremy.

I'm sorry, Hester.

Let's... Let's not talk about it now.

Oh, Jim.

What did you do?

What happened?

Oh, Jim, tell me. How can you be...

Jim, tell me.

I don't know where it began, Hester.

What is it? Ten years?

Twelve years?

How old is Brucie?

Ten.

He's a fine boy.

He looks like you.

I said I... I can hardly believe it still.

What?

Oh, I don't know what.

Shh. Hush up. Shh.

You're... You're dead.

There's a monument on the quad.

I know. I know.

How could you?

Hester, I can't explain it. I... I...

Look, maybe I'd better go on.

Oh, no.

Look, I'm going out with a party of hunters.

I knew I couldn't go through with this, Hester.

They'll be looking for me.

Hester, I can't talk about it.

It's done. It can't be fixed up with talk.

Jim, how could you let them do that?

How could you let them put up that monument?

I had to.

I don't believe that.

It would have been like climbing up on a mountaintop and shouting it out to all the world.

Here I am. Look at me. Jeremy Dow. I'm alive.

I didn't run into the flames.

It was a mistake.

A panicky, hysterical schoolboy thought he saw me, but it was wrong.

It was someone else. I was out there in the dark,

trembling in my boots, scared out of my wits,

and listening to those boys in there screaming for help.

And I didn't know what happened next, so...

Well, God, I don't know what happened next.

I didn't think.

And suddenly I found myself outside, out the building, running into the darkness.

And I turned around and I looked back.

I saw a man running into the dormitory and another one coming out with a group of boys.

And then I... I pulled myself together and I started back.

Then I saw I couldn't. It was too late.

They'd know that I'd run out in panic.

So I didn't go back.

Just walked and walked and walked,

trying to decide what to do.

You could have come home.

Esther, I couldn't face you.

I suppose there was a little enough chance even then that what there was was gone by morning.

It was all in the papers.

How that boy identified me as a man who had run into the flames.

How they found my body in the ashes.

How... I was a school hero.

What they sang about in the Hadley Pledge, that was me.

So I started to run and I've been running ever since.

From the Hadley.

From Hadley.

From everything that you and I knew together.

And from yourself.

Oh, I wish that I could.

I loved you so, Jim.

Don't.

When they told me you were dead.

Please, please.

I almost killed myself.

I would have if it hadn't been for one thing.

If I'd known about Bruce,

I think I might have come back in spite of everything.

But not just for me.

I wasn't just thinking of myself.

I couldn't humiliate you like that.

You couldn't humiliate me?

So you let me grieve alone?

And bear your child alone?

And love you and miss you?

And marry a man I didn't love?

And wring your memory from my brain

to make room for him?

And...

And learn to love him?

I wrote like learning the multiplication table.

Stand beside him at the dedication table.

Stand beside him at the dedication ceremony

while the president orated on the heroism of Jeremy Dow.

With a cold, hard, choking lump in my throat

knowing all the time that the learning was wasted.

Please, Esther.

That wasn't just blind panic, Jim,

that wasn't just blind panic, Jim, running away from me, was it?

I thought I was doing the kind thing.

But it was the cowardly thing, wasn't it?

You should have come to me.

I was entitled to that much, Jim.

That was the cowardly thing.

Running from me.

You can go with your hunting party now.

Good night.

Esther.

Good night, Jim.

Breakfast's ready. I'll call Bruce.

No, no, let him sleep.

We may have all day to eat breakfast.

Driver's gone?

Well, no sign of him.

McCullough's been all over town looking for him.

They say he took off last night with a bunch of high schoolers.

I don't know what happened to him.

I don't know what happened to him.

I don't know what happened to him.

I don't know what happened to him.

I don't know what happened to him.

He took off last night with a bunch of hide hunters.

You know, McCullough had a hunch about him.

Reckon he was right.

What kind of a hunch?

Figured he was worthless.

Who knows, I'd say that.

Not from what I saw of him, anyway.

Well, I suppose a man can take a drink now and again and steal him out to something.

But when he goes to staying drunk for two weeks running,

it's bound to leave a splotch on his character.

Two weeks?

Yeah, and then some.

Nice looking fella, too, if he cleaned up a little.

Hard to believe he's just a common drunk.

Who says he's a common drunk?

Well, now, uh, maybe I'm wrong.

Maybe he ain't a common drunk.

Maybe he's uncommon.

Maybe he's a world champion drunk.

Cleet.

But he's a ripped snorter of a drunk.

Believe me, if there was...

Cleet.

Oh.

Didn't mean to sneak up on you like that.

Uh, I'm sorry.

I guess I shouldn't have, uh...

Oh, forget it. I'm used to it.

Yeah, well, if I give up, they told her she was off with a hunting party.

Well, I changed my mind and I rode out to tell her.

Look!

It's the German Malfoy.

Oh, where'd you get that?

I, uh...

I, uh, stopped by late last night.

You gonna tell her to me?

No.

Oh.

I'll give her to you, though.

You mean that? Really?

Yeah.

Oh, thanks, Jeff. Thanks.

I, uh, hope you don't mind.

Don't mind a bit.

When do we get to the antelope?

Tomorrow, maybe.

You gonna let me go hunting with Jeff, Ma?

It's up to your father.

Oh, I expect you'll be in good hands.

Golly.

Golly what?

I'm sure glad you could come with us, Jeff.

What'd I tell you?

How in thunder you catch up with them.

I'm sure glad you could come with me.

You sure?

You sure?

You sure?

You sure?

I'm sure.

Well, let's go.

We'll catch up with them.

Yeah.

Come on.

Come on.

Come on.

Come on.

Come on.

Come on.

You sure?

Yeah.

Come on.

Come on.

Come on.

Come on.

Come on.

Come on.

Come on.

I'm sure you catch up with them.

Well, you don't.

You let them catch up to you.

Huh?

Come on.

I'll show you.

Well, this is as good a place as any.

Come on.

Shh.

Now, careful.

They can see about a mile.

There they are.

Golly.

How do you get them to come close?

I'll show you.

First, you get yourself a switch.

Fish for them?

Yeah, kind of.

What do you use for bait?

I'll show you in a minute.

Never heard tell of fishing for antelope.

It's flagging.

Huh?

That's what the Cheyennes used to call it,

and they ought to know, because they invented it.

See, the antelope got more speed than anything on the high plains,

but he's got more curiosity, too.

And that's what gets him into trouble.

You want to learn a lesson from that, do you see?

More antelope are probably getting themselves killed

by curiosity.

Long before Pandora's box was even thought of.

What's Pandora's box?

I'll tell you about that later.

Now, you just watch.

Here.

Take this.

Now, you just give them a little taste of it at first, see?

There, he saw it.

He stopped chewing to think about it.

Say, I wonder what that was.

Looked like a red bird.

That's a funny thing to be flying around in the bushes like that.

Now, what do you suppose that was?

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

What do you suppose that was?

He's coming closer.

Shall I give him another taste?

Sure.

All right, now, get the rifle ready.

Now, aim just behind the chute.

Don't shoot till I tell you.

What are you doing here?

I was about to ask you the same thing.

We were flagging an antelope until you rode up.

I didn't mean to run him off.

How'd the hunt go?

No good.

We're going back.

What, without your wagon?

Well, we'll pick it up when we're yondered.

Come on, boys, let's go.

Now, what have they been up to?

It's a rapper hole.

Looks like a buffalo gun, did it?

Yeah, it sure tears them up, doesn't it?

Been dead about a day, I guess.

What do you make of that war bridle?

Well, it's the chief's.

Maybe Ironhat.

Shod Horsons.

Yeah, a couple or more.

How far is it to their reservation?

Well, Clear Creek's the line.

That's about a mile.

What do you say we follow those tracks?

All right.

I was afraid of that.

This is what that cavalry captain was talking about.

Let's get back to camp.

A little bit late for that.

What?

Huh?

What'll we do?

Talk.

Where'd your friend go?

What friend?

With Paint Pony.

Man with Paint Pony.

Fur cap.

Skin coat.

Where'd he go?

I don't know.

Not my friend.

You lie.

This isn't my wagon.

I'm not a hunter.

I don't pass on Indian land.

You find man on Paint Pony.

You friend.

I said I don't know it.

You lie.

You find man on Paint Pony.

You friend.

Man with fur hat.

You find him.

Bring him here.

You friend.

Who do you call chief?

Ironhand?

Ironhand want man on Paint Pony.

You bring him here quick.

Look, look, he's going down.

You got him, Brucey.

Good shot.

You heard him.

Golly, he's pretty.

It's a she.

He's got horns.

Well, both buck and doe antelopes got horns.

This one's a lady.

Sure pretty, ain't she?

Yeah.

Seems like a dirty trick, fooling her with the flag.

Kind of wish I hadn't done it.

Well, that's how I felt the first time I killed a deer.

I guess most hunters do.

Does that make it right?

That's a big question.

Look, why don't you go back to the arroyo and play there,

and I'll get on with the skinning.

You'll be all right in a couple of minutes.

How long ago?

About a couple of hours.

We just flagged an antelope when they rode up and scared it off.

They been riding hard?

Yeah, their horses were soaking wet.

And heaving.

One of them on a paint pony with a skin hat?

Yeah, that'd be Jubal.

You know him?

Jubal Ash.

I worked for him once.

I see.

Well, this is no place to be hanging around talking about it.

Hawks, bring the boy.

I'll wrestle him out.

Hawks!

He's gone, Flint.

What are you talking about?

He's down there catching lizards.

I just saw him.

He's not there now.

Bruce!

Bruce!

Brucey!

How hard you look.

There's no sense in going down there, Flint.

There's a lot of fresh moccasin tracks.

Bruce!

His friend.

On paint horse with skin cap.

And they came out here.

Looks like Hawks has got something down there.

What do they want with a 10-year-old boy?

I'm soon going to find out.

You better stay here.

If they harm that boy...

Take it easy, Jeff.

You know what I'll do.

Let's wait and hear what they have to say first.

Let's go.

Let's go.

Why does Iron Hand sing the death song?

His son.

It makes sense to an Indian.

A white man killed his son.

Iron Hand is out of his head with grieving.

I must have told him a dozen times that we didn't know Jubalash.

He wouldn't listen.

He'd go right back to the beginning.

The man on the paint horse with the fur cap and the leather friend's jacket.

Our man.

Our friend.

I'm going to talk to him.

It only makes sense to an Indian.

A white man killed his son.

Iron Hand is out of his head with grieving.

I'm going to talk to him.

It only makes things worse.

Can it be worse?

Yes.

We've got until daylight tomorrow.

If we bring that hide hunter back, he'll turn the boy loose.

How many fighting men you figure they got, Flint?

I don't know. Right now, it doesn't matter.

Why not? We can raise 50 guns.

Maybe that's the kind of talk they'll understand.

The quickest way to kill that boy is to ride up the canyon in force.

It wouldn't matter if we had the 7th Cavalry behind us.

Jubalash's got about a six-hour lead.

Yeah, we'll never catch him now.

But we've got to try.

The horses are tired. It's worth a chance.

Particularly if the rain holds.

Been through here.

I'm afraid that doesn't work.

We can't quit.

There's nothing else we can do.

But please, McCullough.

Please, everybody.

We've got to keep on going. It's our only chance.

There's no trail left to follow, Jeff.

All right, then. Go back.

I'll do it alone.

Jeff, there's no sense in this.

Go away. It's my doing. Now leave me alone.

That's not the way to look at it.

I'll look at it any way I want to.

Now go away and leave me alone. I want to think.

Well, I'm not going to leave you here.

It's a three-hour ride back to camp.

So when you're ready to go, we'll go.

Come on.

The name was Albertson's, as I recall.

Yeah, that's right. Captain Albertson.

He was mad at the whole world in general.

His own soldiers in particular.

You cross him, he'd haul you in and lead off the list.

According to what you'd done, of course.

But he'd make you think he was going to hang you up with a thumb.

Then buck and gag you. Then tie you to a wheel.

Then he'd get down to serious punishment.

No end to it. I've seen new recruits just shaking their boots.

One time I saw one get a white streak down through his hair just listening.

But you know something?

That old captain never done one thing he said he was going to do.

Not one. You know why? Because he was a big bluffer.

All talk and no do.

This Indian is the same way, if you ask me.

Just a big bluffer. He'll never harm that boy.

Just like Albertson. Big bluffer. All talk.

Why don't you be quiet?

Well, what are we going to do? Stand around here until the sun comes up?

If you've got any other ideas, I'd sure be willing to listen.

THE END

© BF-WATCH TV 2021

Well, I'm grateful for that, Hester.

Just...

Just pray with us.

No, he's not going to die.

You'll have him back. I'm going to get him.

How?

You see, I've had time to think.

A man does not have to do the dishonorable thing if...

he has time to think.

What are you talking about, Jim?

I am.

You go on, Hester. Leave me alone.

Oh, Jim.

Please, go now, will you, Hester?

© BF-WATCH TV 2021

© BF-WATCH TV 2021

Borrow? For what?

Well, I'm not exactly borrowing it, Flint.

It's not up to be returned.

What are you planning to do?

I'm going to get the boy back.

Do you know what that means?

I don't want to talk about it, Flint.

Will you give me the jacket?

The boy means that much to you?

Yeah.

© BF-WATCH TV 2021

You'd better take that, too.

I wish I had more.

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They're coming down the canyon.

All right.

© BF-WATCH TV 2021

You're going to need it.

Let's go.

© BF-WATCH TV 2021

Wait here for the boy.

© BF-WATCH TV 2021

Jeff!

Jeff!

No! No, I won't!

Hold on.

Your mother is waiting for you.

What are they going to do?

They're not going to do anything.

Jeff!

Let's see what kind of man you're going to be.

There.

© BF-WATCH TV 2021

© BF-WATCH TV 2021

© BF-WATCH TV 2021

© BF-WATCH TV 2021