01x17 - Trail Drive

[bunniefuu]

It's no use, Johnson.
We can't shake him.

Our best bet's
to nail him right here.

He ain't got us yet and as long
as there's horse flesh under me,

he ain't going to.

[ g*nshots ]

Don't look
too bad.

Put some grease
on these cuts.

He'll be all right.

Hi, Slim.

Bill.

Change your mind about
coming along, Slim?

We're driving
north come winter.

No. I'm gonna be sorry
to miss this drive

but we just rode out
to wish you luck.

You mean
you're gonna argue

with two years drought
in a row?

It can't last forever.

Maybe not, but unless
the rains do come,

you won't find it
very easy around here.

He's right, Slim.
This range won't carry your herd

through another
dry winter.

Those steers
are practically eating

the fence posts
right now.

You know what my contract
is with the stage line.

Calls for keeping
the station open

and supplying
the company with beef.

Now with you and your
boys pulling out,

they're gonna be dependin'
on me even more.

Not many would
worry about that,

what with their
own ranch at stake.

Well,
see you next spring.

So long, Bill.
Take care of yourself.

Head 'em straight.

Right.
All the way, Jess, thanks.

It's still isn't
too late, Slim.

Ramrodding
that herd together

shouldn't take
too long.

We'd only be a few days
behind 'em on the trail.

As long as
I'm paying the bills,

I'll do
the deciding, Jess.

All right,
you do that.

But while you're at it,
figure out what to tell
the storekeep.

I got to go to town
for supplies,

and he hasn't been
paid in over a month.

I took the turnbuckle
to the blacksmith
like you told me,

but he said
he couldn't fix it

unless
we paid cash.

Well, that figures.

Town sure is dead.

Yeah, it's on its last
legs, all right, Andy.

[ horse neighing ]

Jess,
that man looks scared.

Yeah. Well, maybe
he's in trouble, Andy.

Let's hope it don't
catch up with him.

Do you want me
to help you with the rest?

No, that's it.

But we eat more than that
in a couple of days.

Well, times
are tough, partner.

You just have to cinch
your belt up another notch.

Let's head for home.

MAN: Ha!

Howdy, kids.
Either one of you
gents see the man

that rode
in on that horse?

Yeah, he went across
to the loan checks.

Much obliged.

Get inside, Andy.

But why?
Did I do something wrong?

Just get inside.

Johnson!

Come on out of there.

Johnson!

JOHNSON:
Leave me alone, Ballard.

I don't want
no trouble with you.

Then walk out of there
or I'm coming in after you.

You got 5 seconds
to make up your mind.

Stay here.

All right.
How'd it happen?

My name is
Hake Ballard.

I'm bringing a trail herd
through from North Platte.

This cowpoke Johnson
hired on for the drive.

Only he and his partner
got kind of greedy

and run off


Where's
his partner now?

Dead. About 12 miles
south of here.

They must have known
I'd catch up with them.

They were all set to
ambush me when I rode in.

You got any witnesses
to that?

None alive.

Plenty tracks
out there that'll prove
what I'm telling you.

Any of you folks see
what happened here

on the street?

Yeah,
I saw what happened.

Ballard called this man
out of the saloon.

Gave him more than
a fair chance.

And this fella
came out sh**ting,

Ballard drew on him.

He fired three
times, I think.

You don't know
exactly?

No, it was
too fast to tell.

Faster than
I've ever seen.

Yeah.
Three shots.

Well, there doesn't seem
to be any doubt

about your sh**ting
in self-defense.

Stop by the office before
you leave, Mr. Ballard.

I'll need you to sign
a few statements.

I'll be glad to.

Jim, you and Fritz
give me a hand
with Johnson here.

The rest of you, get on
about your business.

I owe you
some thanks.

I'd offer
to buy you a drink

but I've been
on the trail 12 days

and grub
sounds a lot better.

Well, there's
no thanks needed.

I just told the truth.

My name is Jess Harper,
Mr. Ballard.

My friends
call me Hake.

If you haven't
had your breakfast

I'd be glad to buy you
some steak and eggs.

That's the best offer
I had today

but I got a friend
with me though.

Bring him along.

Andy, come here.

Andy, I want you
to meet Hake Ballard.

Hake,
this is Andy Sherman.

I work
for his brother.

Howdy, son.

Sure know how to handle
that g*n, Mr. Ballard.

Well, a man has got
to be a little bit lucky

now and then.

You know
a good place to eat?

Yeah, Mimi's got
pretty good food.

That is if your
luck's still holding.

What are you
waiting on?

Come on.

So with beef worth not more
than $3 or $4 on the range,

I decided to take
them someplace

where they were
worth more.

Where to,
Calgary?

No. I'm bringing them over
the old Cherokee trail,

the Sweetwater
mining district.

Prime beef is worth $20
a head at Flint City.

That's twice what they're
paying in Calgary.

Yeah, but that's over


A long month's drive,
bad country all the way.

Yeah,
I know that too.

That's why I'm paying
top wages for trail hands.

If you change
your mind, Jess,

my herd is just
south of Laramie.

Sure be glad to
have you come along.

No, I reckon not.
Thanks anyway.

We better be
getting back, Andy.

Much obliged
for the meal.

- Good luck to you.
- Thank you, Jess.

Nice to have met you,
Mr. Ballard.

So long, sonny.

See you around.

All right.

You like him,
don't you, Jess?

Ballard?

Sure, I like him.

You don't find men
like him around anymore.

What do you mean?

Oh, a man that's got
steel for a backbone,

a man who's willing
to take a chance

when the chips
are down.

You want to make that
drive, don't you, Jess?

Yeah,
I want to make it.

There's not
gonna be a drive.

So stop talking about it
and get in the wagon.

What's the matter
with Andy?

Chiggers?

I don't know, Jonesy.

Probably
something I said.

- Slim back yet?
- Nope.

I told him supper
would be a little bit late.

Don't matter.

Jess,

there is something wrong,
isn't there?

Nothing that
a good trail drive

couldn't cure,
Jonesy.

How did everything
go in town?

Well as can be expected.

Storekeep says you can't
buy on tick anymore though.

Well,
I was expecting that.

I reckon it's time for you
to say "I told you so."

I got it coming.

Ah, so does everybody
else sooner or later.

I met a man in Laramie
though, Slim.

Name of Ballard.

He's taking a herd
through to Flint City.

Huh,
don't envy him much.

Only way
you can get there

is over the old
Cherokee trail.

And if a man wants
to get himself k*lled,

that's the way to do it.

Well, maybe he thinks
it's worth the risk.

Well,
Pa made it once.

You were with him,
weren't you?

Yeah, but that was
a long time ago,

when you could do it
without having to fight

everything in creation.

And don't you start
getting any big ideas.

Your luck is not
so good right now.

Why do you say that?

Slim, this is
the worst time of year.

The tiseras will
start blowing up

from the north
in about 3 or 4 weeks.

The Indians call it
the death wind.

Oh, it blows
that sand so thick,

it just grates
the hide off of you.

I don't think
he can make it.

Well, Ballard's a man
that knows what he's doing.

And a man's got to take
a chance sometime, Slim.

Ballard k*lled
a man in town.

He sure is fast
with a g*n.

Faster than
Jess even.

Well, that doesn't
prove anything, Andy.

And you're both wrong
if you think he did anything
he shouldn't have done.

Well, it doesn't
matter anyway.

We're not driving
with him.

See what I see?

Yeah,
morning stage.

Looks more like
trouble to me.

Why are you
always looking

on the bright side
of things, Jonesy?

Don't you get ever get tired
of trying to cheer me up?

Look, Mose is driving
the four-up today.

Now he generally takes that
far turn like a road racer.

He wouldn't be
rolling in so slow

unless he was in trouble

or one of the company
people on board.

Well,
how are you, Slim?

Mr. Frazer,
I didn't expect you.

Come on in,
have some coffee.

All right.

Well, Slim, there's just
no easy way of doing this,

that's why I wanted to
talk to you myself.

We're gonna have to
suspend the stage line

into Laramie
until next spring.

We have a contract,
Jim.

This mean
you're gonna break it?

We'll do everything
we possibly can to honor it,

but with business drying up
everywhere the way it is,

well, you just can't
expect the company

to go on
losing money.

I wish I'd known
about this sooner.

I could have
marketed my herd

and made that drive
into Calgary.

Yeah. I heard in town
why you didn't.

You know, Slim, sometimes
being a company man

is one of the rottenest
jobs in the world

and I've got an ache inside
right now to prove it.

It's not your fault,
Jim.

Everybody
has got a boss.

Yeah.

My back is crawling
with vice presidents.

Well, tell me something,
why couldn't you still make
that drive to Calgary?

It's too late.

When people buy beef,
they don't want to have to dig

into a snow drift
to get it.

I guess
you're right.

Well, now
if there's anything

personally
that I can do,

you let me know,
you hear?

We still got
our health.
We'll get along.

Take it away.

Well, according to Mose,
that's the last stage

we'll see
for some time.

Nice
while it lasted.

Know anybody that wants
to buy a relay station?

Cheap?

- It happened, huh?
- Yeah.

Roof caved in,
stovepipe and all.

Now don't start saying
the funeral services yet.

Where did you say this man
Ballard had his herd?

We just might have
something to talk about.

Well,
that's more like it.

[ herd mooing ]

Come on,
move them on.

Get off that buck.

Hey-ha.

Let's go!

Ha!

Ha!

Ha!

Go, go!

What are you
stopping for, Jonesy?

If I ain't wrong
and I usually ain't,

there's something strange
going on back there.

See for yourself.

[ shouting ]

There's nothing strange
about it, Jonesy.

Fella's just seeing
that Conestoga

don't get stuck,
that's all.

Yeah, but he's had a guard
around that wagon

ever since
we joined up with him.

And I hear tell
he won't let anybody near it.

Jonesy, you just worry
about the cooking.

Leave the trail
drive up to us, okay?

Listen here,
Mr. Tall Boots,

I was poundin' this trail
long before you was born

and don't you
ever forget it.

No mistaking the track
of that big wagon.

Three or four days old
I guess.

It's them,
all right.

Too bad they're
making such good time.

I just hope they don't run
into any trouble

before we catch up
with them.

We've come too far to be
cheated out of giving them

what they got
coming to them.

[ horse approaching ]

- Jonesy.
- Slim.

My,
this dough is cold.

Oh, there's some hot coffee
over there if you want.

Good,
I can use some.

Looks like everyone
caved in early tonight.

Yeah, except us
working men.

You know,
about right now,

I bet you
Andy is sitting down

to a good hot supper
at Aunt Hilda's.

Lots of dumplings,

blueberry biscuits that
would melt in your mouth.

When are you gonna start
putting some of that

imagination in your
cooking, Jonesy?

As soon as you give me
something besides beef steak

to do it with.

Yeah,
you got a point.

Jess come in yet?

No. The last I saw, he was
with Ballard's men.

He's been spending
a lot of time with them.

Ah, he probably
got himself tied

into a poker game
or something.

Poker hasn't got
anything to do with it.

The way
he's spending his time,

you'd think it was Ballard
he was working for.

Well, on a drive
this size, Jonesy,

you can't expect Jess
to settle down too quick.

He's been cooped up
on the ranch so long with us

that it's only natural he'd
want to circulate around

and meet new faces.

Yeah, maybe so,
but I got a feeling

there's something else.

Slim.

Ballard wants to see you up
on the point right away.

It sounds
like trouble.

What kind of trouble?

Well, he didn't say,
Jonesy.

He just said
he wanted to see Slim.

Oh, it froze.

Pretty cold out here.

Think we can
chance a fire?

You know better
than that, Martin.

Some of them Blackfeet
could still be around.

I can remember
the time

when you wanted
to stir them up,

just so you'd know
where they were.

Then you'd go crawl out
there and pick them off.

Yeah, but there's too much
at stake on this drive

for anything like that.

Besides, I've got a new
partner now to think about.

[ horses approaching ]

Jess said
there was trouble.

Not yet, Slim,
but it's coming.

Ran into a bunch
of hostiles.

They took off
after they saw us

but they'll be back
before sun-up.

Well, that doesn't give us
much time, does it?

I put some trade goods
in your lead wagon.

I better get them.

I threw those trade goods
out first day on the trail.

You threw 'em out?
Why?

No use carrying anything
that slows us down, Slim.

Those Blackfeet out there
take a notion to fight,

this will do us
a lot more good

than a 60-pound
sack of trade goods.

Well, more than likely
he's right, Slim.

He knows this country
a lot better than we do.

Hold them here.

Let's see
what they want, Slim.

You wish
to cross our land

with your herd?

We're taking the trail
to Flint City.

I am Quanta,

chief of the Blackfeet.

I hear you say
what you're going to do.

But I do not
hear you asking.

There's no need of
trouble between us.

We come
as friends.

A friend does not come
empty-handed,

nor bearing arms.

But that has always
been the same.

That is why
we have closed the trail

to the whites.

Well, it may be
closed now,

but we're gonna
open it up.

Only if you pay us

for the right
to pass.

That depends
on what you want.

You have many steer.

Give us twice ten.

Then you may go through
our land in peace.

No.

Well, now
wait a minute, Ballard.

I know
what I'm doing, Slim.

You give him


and you'll be stopped
by every Red Stick

from here
to Flint City.

Every one claiming
he's a chief

entitled to


Now we're through
talking.

Move.

I won't be
saying it again.

There's one Blackfoot
that means business.

So do I,
Slim.

We're gonna
start the herd now

before he has
a chance to get set.

I hope you do know
what you're doing.

Somebody's gonna have
to take care of him

sooner or later.

It'll keep, Martin.

Right now I'm thinking
about the Conestoga.

I want you to make sure
that wagon gets through

no matter what,
do you understand?

Don't stop
for anything, Jonesy.

Get as much speed as you can
and keep rolling.

Don't worry, I won't let
any Red Sticks get me.
Where's Jess?

Back in
the other side.

All right, let's get moving,
run them into the canyon.

Bring them on fast.

[ whistling ]

Come on.

Hey. Hey!

Come on.

Come on.

Hey.

Yo.

[ g*nshots ]

Come on,
come on, cattle.

Bring them up here.

[ cattle mooing ]

I thought I told you
to stay back
with the others.

I know.
The herd's
all quieted down.

I got to wondering
why you'd be
riding out this way.

Ballard didn't seem to mind
losing two of his men.

I don't know, maybe they
weren't any good but...

thought the least
I could do

was give them
a decent burial.

That was a mighty
fine thing to do, Slim.

Kind of gives me
a funny feeling though,

looking
at those graves.

Why?

One of them
could be mine.

How do you mean?

I mean, you've been right
about Ballard all along.

He poisons everything
he gets his hands on.

What changed
your mind?

- This?
- Yeah, partly.

And a little
while ago,

one of the hands
tried to quit.

He made the mistake
of meeting Ballard

in the Conestoga and
they had an argument.

Ballard
k*lled him.

Any of the others
know about this?

Yeah, a few of the men,
but they're all too scared
to do anything about it.

Well, I guess the best thing
for us to do

is walk soft
for a while.

Once we get into Flint City
there will be plenty of time--

[ g*nshots ]

You all right?

Yeah,
just grazed me.

Hardly broke the skin.

Well, our luck's
beginning to change then.

Those Red Sticks
only sh**t to k*ll.

There's not an Indian
within miles of here.

With Quanta dead,
they're too busy

trying to find a new chief
to waste time on us.

Yeah, you're right.

And that shot came
from a long way off

judging from the sound.

Sharps probably.

Not many of them
around either.

I don't see
any movement out there.

Whoever did
it's long gone.

Let's get back
to the herd.

The next thing I knew,
this old chuck wagon

was bouncing
up and down.

Why, for a minute
there I couldn't tell

whether I was
underneath the steers

or whether I was riding
on their shoulders.

I tell you
it was just--

Jonesy!

You don't have to yell,
I'm right here.

Give me a towel,
quick.

I got soap in my eyes.

[ horses approaching ]

What are you doing,
Sherman?

Answering a question
that's been bothering me.

Nice smooth action
for a Sharps.

And four shots missing.

What's the matter, Martin,
you forget to reload?

What are you
talking about?

Mister, I asked
you a question.

And I just
answered mine.

What's wrong
with you, Sherman?

I think you know.

Well, you better explain
what you're talking about.

Ballard, a bunch of men
are heading into camp.
Tohonos, I think.

Everybody get set,
it's a raid.

Now hold it.

They're Tohonos,
renegades.

You just gonna
let them ride in?

We don't know
who they are

or what they want.

Well,
I know who they are

and I'm giving
the orders, Sherman.

Touch that g*n, Ballard,
I'll blow your head off.

- Ballard?
- Shut up.

Howdy, Ballard.

Looks like somebody else
figured you out, too.

All right,
put your g*n away.

All of you get over here
and join the rest of them.

Come on, move.

Now you all be
nice and quiet,

unless you want to get
what they are in for.

I'm Slim Sherman.

Half the herd you saw
out there is mine.

You're lucky
you still got it.

Luckier still,
you don't have a b*llet hole

in your head.

That's this g*n puller's
favorite trick.

Isn't it,
Ballard?

I should have k*lled you


Like you did
Dave Devalon?

Well, that's one mistake you
won't have long to regret.

My name is
Jake Tyler.

I ramrod the Devalon spread
down in Colorado territory.

The Double D.

That's right.

Our brand is
on most of the herd

that Ballard claims
is his own.

The rest of the steers
belong to the men with me.

Or the man he's k*lled
along the way.

I hope
you can prove that.

I can and will.

But you unload those
irons first, Ballard.

Now.

Ballard put a b*llet
in my back two months ago.

That's why
I've been so long

in catching up
with him.

My boss Dave Devalon

lost a lot of his regular crew
because of the drought,

so he hired him on.

Where's Devalon now?

We don't rightly know.

Ballard probably k*lled him
at the same time

he was dry gulchin' me.

Then he took off
with our herd.

That's a lie.
Devalon lost
most of the herd to me

in a poker game.
When he wouldn't
pay off,

I took
what belonged to me.

But if I had taken
a shot at you,

you still wouldn't be
here to tell about it.

You go right on
talking, Ballard.

I want to hear
you and Martin do it

while you're dancing
at the end of a rope.

Wait a minute,
Tyler.

There's not gonna
be a lynching here.

You gonna try
and stop me?

Tyler, you think you got
a pretty good reason

for k*lling Ballard.

Well,
I feel the same...

and more than likely,
so do most of the men here.

But lynching's
another story.

You know that.

Maybe so.

If anything,
it's too good for him.

If we k*ll him now,

we're gonna have to
answer for it.

Now stop and think.

That's liable to make him
a little smarter than we are.

How do you
figure that?

From what I've heard,
every k*lling he's done,

he's managed to do
in self-defense.

Yeah.

If we did get him in court,
he'd wiggle out all right.

I say let's give him
a horse and a canteen.

It's fair size
country out here.

Let's let him fight it,
instead of us.

Herd's ready
to roll anytime.

All right.

Push off.

The least you could do is
let us have the Conestoga.

Without a wagon,
we don't stand a chance.

What with the weather
turning like this--

You're worrying about
a roof over your head,

you're lucky to have
the skin on your back.

If we make out,
Sherman,

one of these days
I'll be looking you up.

Yeah, you do that.

What's going on?

I'll tell you
what's going on.

I never should have listened
to you in the first place.

But this time
we're gonna get Ballard

and finish
what we started.

I thought
we settled that.

You mean,
you settled.

If I'd have known
what was in that wagon,

I never
would have let Ballard

ride out
of this camp alive.

Do you know
what's in there?

Well, no.

Nobody's been near
that four wheeler.

We figured
whatever was in there

was Ballard's
personal business.

Then it's time
you learned something.

Take a look.

You want to ask
who it is?

He's had a gag in his mouth
for a couple of months

so he may have a little
trouble telling you.

But that's Dave Devalon
of the Double D.

Or what's left of him.

He's been chained
all this time?

As far as we know.

It's a miracle
he's still alive.

Doesn't add up.

Why should Ballard
go to all this trouble?

Well, near as we can
piece it together

from the few things
he's said to us,

Ballard tried to get him
to sign over

the title to the herd.

But knowing Devalon,
he must have refused.

Oh, so he just
hauled him along,

hoping
he'd change his mind.

That's about
the way it is.

Leaving out
what they put him through.

Now you see why I want
to go after Ballard.

Seein's easy.

The hard part
is gonna come.

You tell your boss
in there,

when he starts
coming around.

What are you
getting at?

It'll be kind of hard
to explain to a man

who's gone through
what Devalon has,

how his foreman pulled
some of his best men off

the trail drive


Well, the rest of you
can handle it.

It's downhill to
Flint City all the way.

Sure, as long as
the tisera holds off.

But once that wind
starts to bite,

we're gonna need
all the men we have

and then some.

Well,
you heard the man.

Let's get started.

That herd can't get to
the market by themselves.

[ wind howling ]

Hope you like sand
in your stew.

Why not?
I was raised on it.

Have you seen Jess?

I haven't seen him yet.

He better hurry along
before this is all gone.

Yeah, he sure wouldn't
want to miss this.

How is your boss?

He's feeling
a lot better.

He liked your stew,
Jonesy,

and asked me
to thank you for it.

Well, tell him
he's more than welcome.

You see, some people
are just naturally appreciative.

I'll have
some coffee.

Sure thing.

Looks like we can expect
trouble in Flint City.

What kind of
trouble?

Hake Ballard.

He's pretty likely to be
there waiting for us.

That's impossible.

Not with fresh horses,
it ain't.

That's just
what he's got,

along with fresh food,
water, and ammunition.

The boss just told me
that Ballard stashed horses

and supplies off the trail
a few days back,

just in case.

Smart man.

And mean.

If I was you, I'd pass
the word along to your crew

to start sh**ting
if they lay eyes on him.

I'll do the same
with my men.

And, Sherman,

don't try a standup
fight with him.

You wouldn't
have a prayer.

Ah, this
blamed wind.

I tell you, if I ever get
through this trail drive,

I'm gonna--

Well, I don't care what
it is but I'm sure gonna.

When was the last time
you saw Jess?

I saw him when
we first made camp.

Then he went over to see
how that sick fellow was.

After that...

Come to think of it,

I didn't see him
after that.

Do you think
he might have--

Yeah,
I think maybe.

That means he's got
a head start to Flint City.

Maybe
I can catch him.

Light?

Yeah.

Ballard!

Howdy, Jess.

Sherman send you
to do his dirty work?

Coming was my own idea.

I ain't got no quarrel
with you, Jess.

Well, you got
one now, Ballard.

Draw!

No, Jess.

I'm waiting
for Sherman.

You want to sh**t me,

you'll have to
sh**t me in the back.

- Hit?
- No.

You dropped
your hat.

Thanks, partner.

Listen
to that rain.

It sounds like
it's never gonna stop.

That's the music
I've been waiting to hear.

That means plenty of
grass for next season

and booming business
for everybody.

Except us.

What's the use
of a relay station

unless you got a stage
line going through?

Well, didn't Jonesy
tell you?

Tell me what?

The Overland company,

they're putting the stage
line back on into Laramie,

starting next week.

- You mean it?
- Sure do.

Yeah, that's
the truth, Andy.

I read the letter myself,
no mistakes.

Well,
what do you know?

Aha!

Jonesy,
why didn't you tell me
about the stage line?

It must have
slipped my mind.

Slim, I told you.

Well, I told Jess.

Yeah, well, I told...

Yeah.
I might have known.

Jonesy will fix it.