Legend of Lobo, The (1962)

[bunniefuu]

♪ Around the lonely campfire

♪ when the wolves

begin to call ♪

♪ The riders tell the story

♪ of the bravest wolf of all ♪

♪ The king of all the hunters

♪ born to lead the rest

♪ his name became a legend

♪ across the great southwest

♪ lobo ♪ lobo

♪ lobo ♪ lobo

♪ your name will survive

♪ for no man

could bring you in ♪

♪ Dead or alive

♪ lobo ♪ lobo

♪ lobo ♪ lobo

♪ your name will survive

♪ for no man

could bring you in ♪

♪ Dead or alive

like everything else,

a good legend's got

to have a good beginning.

The right bloodline,

you might say.

This one began

even before lobo's time...

With a wolf famous

in his own right.

He was a big, rangy fella.

He used to roam a wide piece of the territory...

Back when it was still empty

and mighty fine to look at.

Around the neighborhood,

he was known as the fierce one.

In the local Spanish, El feroz.

The vaqueros had a great deal

of respect for him too.

Fact is, it amounted

to a kind of a superstition.

Some of 'em claimin'

he was a spirit wolf.

Well, this El feroz

was lobo's father.

So for breed and blood,

lobo came from a good line.

It was in the spring of '89

he was born,

a litter of five pups,

two brothers and a couple of sisters.

That's about

the usual family for wolves.

Now, these young 'uns are off to a good start on a number of counts.

For one thing,

they were lucky just havin' El feroz for their dad.

It's a common thing in nature for the male animal to k*ll his offspring,

if he can get to 'em.

But the wolf's different.

He's about the best parent there is,

because he's gentle

with his young.

The wolf's loyal too.

Somethin' most folks don't realize is that wolves mate for life.

It's for all time.

The male and the female both being

devoted to each other and the family.

For a real fine

domestic arrangement,

there's probably not another one

like it anywhere in nature.

At six weeks of age,

lobo wasn't much of a legend,

not yet anyway.

He was bright-eyed

and full of mischief,

but he looked exactly

like his brothers and sisters.

And at this stage of the game,

nobody would have bet on him as a future king of the range.

About the only thing

different maybe,

he was a little more curious

than the rest of the litter.

He sort of liked

to follow his nose,

find out what is goin' on

around the neighborhood.

But bein' a little new at this,

he sometimes followed it too far.

Well, if you're gonna leave your common

sense at home when you go travelin',

you're bound to land in trouble.

Still, the school of hard knocks isn't a bad place to start an education,

and lobo caught on fast.

The truth was, all of his life,

he'd be one to learn from experience...

And, what's more important,

store it up and remember it.

By now it was plain that

the pups were growin' fast...

And about ready

for good red meat.

So El feroz checked over his boneyard to see what was left.

The bone he finally dug up

was the last one.

Pretty slim pickin's

for a hungry family.

About all it was good for

was a tug-of-w*r.

There wasn't enough nourishment in this old soup bone to feed a canary.

El feroz knew it was time

to go huntin' again.

♪ He'll feed

his hungry young ones ♪

♪ El feroz searched for game ♪

♪ But there was not

a scent of prey ♪

♪ Throughout his wild domain

♪ across the endless

wastelands ♪

♪ His lonely trail had led

♪ and then at last

he spied them ♪

Pronghorn antelope,

his favorite prey.

♪ His family would be fed

An antelope's faster than

a jackrabbit on the takeoff,

but he can't keep it up forever.

The wolf, on the other hand,

is a stayer.

He can hold the pace for hours

on end when he wants to.

He can even outlast

a good strong horse.

So this is how it was.

El feroz was countin' on

one of the herd fallin' behind.

Sure enough,

a big pronghorn buck pulled up winded and heavin',

too tired to go another step.

Now the chase was over.

The rest would be easy,

except that El feroz wasn't in a hurry to move in for the k*ll.

He began to work this antelope

like a good cuttin' horse,

headin' it back in the direction

they had come.

This was an old, old trick.

If a wolf chased his prey miles away from where he wanted it...

Say, a half day's journey

from a hungry family...

He didn't end things too soon.

Instead, he'd send it along home

under its own power.

Back at the den,

these little young 'uns were bein' as patient as they could,

exceptin' it wasn't natural for pups to

be very patient when they were hungry.

They growled a little,

grumbled a little,

chewed on things and generally

felt sorry for themselves.

If they'd only known it,

they really had somethin' to complain about.

A cougar was pokin' around

in their vicinity.

And if he found 'em,

it could mean trouble.

Real bad trouble.

When one of these big cats was circulatin',

nothin' was safe.

Stealthy, tricky,

he'd sneak up soft and silent,

never betrayin' his presence,

never givin' a warning either.

Seemed like right about now,

the wolves had been dealt a losing hand.

Then at the last minute,

a wild card turned up.

There was somethin' about

cougars that just naturally...

Brought out hatred

in cowpunchers.

Of course,

the big cats were death on horses and other livestock,

but the resentment

seemed more than that almost.

It was kind of unreasoning,

and it generally took the form of a r*fle b*llet.

Now, this went for wolves too.

And right at this moment,

little lobo couldn't know how close he was...

To gettin' a lead slug

of his own.

About that time, El feroz

came home with part of his k*ll.

Right off, he knew

somethin' was wrong.

It didn't take him long

to unravel the mystery.

He could have figured it out

by the scent alone...

And catchin' sight of the riders

only confirmed his conclusions.

Humans had been here,

and they'd probably be back.

It was time to pull up stakes

and move on.

When the whereabouts of a wolf's den isn't secret anymore,

he'll find himself a new one,

'cause the one thing

he's got to have is privacy.

Of course, when that day comes,

father just acts as guide.

It's mother who does

all the totin' and carryin'.

All right, dear. Get a move on.

Let's get goin'.

Since there was only room

for one passenger at a time,

each of the pups

had to wait his turn,

but lobo wasn't

in the mood for waitin'.

Like a stray on the tail end of the herd,

he came taggin' along behind,

doin' his best to keep up.

It was gettin' plainer every minute that he wasn't any mountain goat.

But if he wanted it this way,

his mother seemed willing to let him work it out.

He wasn't a quitter.

No, sir.

He stayed with it, and in the end,

he came out on top.

Now, once on the trail,

the parents moved along at a steady lope.

It was a little tough

on the pups,

bein' short coupled with

short legs tryin' to keep up.

Now, there was no time

for the sights,

no time to fool around

with strangers.

Bein' the curious one,

lobo stopped to say howdy.

The tortoise wasn't much

on hospitality.

He just wanted to mind

his own business.

Trouble was, he was gettin'

a lot of unwanted help.

Finally figurin'

to sidetrack his escort,

the old slowpoke

veered off the trail.

The sashayin' was over,

but the pup was a little late gettin' the point.

By now lobo had forgotten all about his parents.

It was sort of mutual.

Being concerned with house hunting,

they had their minds on other things too.

The pup, meanwhile, had

taken up with a new sidekick,

another funny-looking critter

in a suit of armor.

Seemed like everybody

around here wore it.

Maybe this is what made 'em

all so standoffish.

Well, in a matter

of bein' friendly,

lobo decided it was up to him

to make the first move.

Now, an armadillo's

got tender ears,

about the only thing on him

that's unprotected.

Hurt his ears and you've

hurt his feelings, for sure.

All this time the family had been coverin' more and more ground,

gettin' farther

and farther away,

and still they

hadn't missed lobo.

So at a rather young age,

he was left playin' lone wolf...

And findin' it a bit tedious.

He was hot, tired and thirsty.

To make matters worse,

his feet hurt.

It kind of dawned on him

along about this point...

That he was

travelin' in circles.

He was lost, just about

as lost as they come.

Purely by accident,

he stumbled onto a catch basin of rainwater.

Just enough left for a quick drink and a soothing cooling bath...

For his achin' feet.

His wet tracks would have been

easy to follow...

If anybody'd come along in time,

but that wasn't likely.

The family was a couple of canyons away

before they hauled up to count noses.

Now, wolves don't excite easy.

The fact that a pup

was missin' didn't mean much.

They figured he was still

bringin' up the rear as usual,

and he'd be along

in his own good time.

In makin' his rounds,

El feroz had had his eye for quite a spell...

On a deserted badger hole.

With a little fixin',

it'd do just fine for a den,

so he took possession.

[Animal snarling,

feroz growling]

It appeared the place

wasn't vacant, after all.

Tenant was livin' here,

and he wasn't figurin' to move.

Badger's a tough critter

to handle, even for a wolf,

and this one wasn't

gonna budge for anybody.

He might be small,

but he was fast on his feet...

And dead game.

Fact is, it turned out

to be quite a dance.

Heel-and-toe and do-si-do

all around the hall.

Finally, El feroz

decided to call it quits.

He wasn't gettin' anywhere

in this game.

Besides, he had a lost pup

to worry about,

and it was time

he went lookin' for him.

The first move was

to try to pick up his trail.

It would still be fresh enough to follow if the parents could find it,

but that was the big "if."

They tried callin' to him

the old pack rallyin' cry,

hopin' he'd hear it

and know enough to answer it.

There wasn't even an echo,

nothin' but silence.

One thing was certain.

They'd better catch up with him soon,

'cause lobo

was courtin' disaster.

A rattler has a built-in warning system

for those who know what it means.

But bein' a greenhorn,

lobo didn't get the message.

Sensing he was in danger,

he began to call for help.

Lucky for him,

his parents were within earshot.

It didn't take long to size up

the situation.

They knew exactly what to do.

Draw the snake's attention

to themselves.

If they could just

keep the rattler busy,

the pup might

slip out of the danger zone.

Trouble with this plan,

the way out was squeezed a little narrow.

Besides, would the pup know

when to come?

From the sidelines, El feroz

could see it was a standoff,

and he decided

it needed a quick ending.

Once the rattler was rooted out,

his play was over.

Now lobo could

rejoin his family,

sore-footed and

tuckered out maybe,

but glad to be back

where he belonged.

As the weeks went by,

lobo branched out more and more on his own,

traipsing around

exploring the countryside.

One fine mornin',

he was amblin' along...

Not doin' much of anything,

when he came upon a sight

that stopped him in his tracks.

A young antelope

was feelin' his oats.

He didn't seem to mind

where he was goin'...

Just so long as

he got there in a jiffy.

He was a kind of

a crazy little cuss,

rambunctious

and full of the old vinegar.

To watch him

knock this pup around,

you'd think he'd never heard

of wolves eatin' antelopes.

Well, like as not at his age,

he hadn't.

These two weren't old enough to know

they were supposed to be enemies,

so an unusual friendship

developed,

one of those things that

sometimes happens in nature.

In the weeks that followed,

they sort of grew up together.

And when they were three months old,

they were still goin' around as pals.

Often as not, their trail

led to their favorite hangout,

a little creek runnin'

through the neighborhood.

It was a real inviting spot for a couple of dry country young 'uns.

And they didn't need to be told

what a swimmin' hole was for.

Naturally, the pup

favored the dog paddle.

The other fella's style

wasn't as neat maybe,

but it got him where

he was goin' just the same.

While all this was goin' on,

they were being spied on

by a non-too-friendly raccoon.

She kind of took the attitude that water belonged to water critters...

And not to landlubbers

like these.

The raccoon had a family

to worry about, too,

and that tended to make her

leery of strangers.

Nups are like that though.

The kids couldn't see anything

wrong with the visitors.

If it was to be a swimmin' party,

they'd join in right now.

Three of 'em would anyway.

The fourth one... well,

it took him a little longer to make the plunge.

Whenever you get a passel

of small fry together,

it's about the same in nature

as with humans.

After a while,

their animal energy is apt to bust out in a squabble.

So the party ended,

and wolf and antelope moved on.

Something else had ended too:

Their unusual friendship.

It's just not natural for enemies to prolong an acquaintance.

And as it had

to be in such things,

these two came to the fork

in the trail.

By the time

he was six months old,

lobo was ready to run

with the family pack.

He was bigger now, heavier,

more like his dad in every way.

Every way except one,

he wasn't much help yet with the hunting.

To El feroz, meantime,

it seemed the hungrier his family got,

the scarcer the game got.

More and more civilization

was pushing into the parts,

k*lling off his prey

or crowdin' it out.

♪ It seemed to old El feroz ♪

♪ The trail herd that he saw

♪ was some new breed

of buffalo ♪

♪ Movin' through the draw

♪ again there would be plenty

♪ the wolves

would have their fill ♪

♪ And so he brought his family ♪

♪ To join him in the k*ll

Makin' a k*ll wasn't

exactly easy though.

It was a tricky business,

even downright dangerous.

If the timing was off,

a wolf could get himself kicked senseless.

And if the set-to was a challenge for El feroz,

the old master,

it was somethin'

more than that for his pups.

Just when lobo thought

he had the thing down pat,

he found himself with a bull by the tail and afraid to let go.

What in blazes do ya do now?

About that time the calf had sense enough to join the rest of 'em.

And now it had protection

that was gonna be hard to beat.

El feroz kept dancin' around,

keepin' his eye on the calf.

For one thing,

it was nearer his size,

and he was figurin' there might be a

way to slicker the guards out of position.

Of course, he wasn't

foolin' anybody really.

The steers were wise to him

and quick to match his move.

There'd be another chance.

Put wolves and cattle together and sooner or later there will be a killin'.

When the buffalo were wiped out,

it left cattle as the wolves'

only hope for survival.

So El feroz took what seemed

his rightful share,

but the cattlemen

weren't sharin' with anybody.

And from the very beginning,

it was open warfare.

Along about that point,

the cowboys got lucky.

The mother was knocked down.

She got right up and went on,

but she wasn't in any shape

for a long grindin' chase now.

El feroz lagged back

from time to time,

encouragin' her,

hopin' she'd catch up.

But he had the young ones to think of, too,

and he had to go on.

The female was gettin'

near the end of her rope.

A wounded animal knows

when it's reached its limit.

And typical-like, she went off

to find a resting place.

Maybe the riders

would miss the turnoff...

And give her

a much needed breathing spell.

But that's not the way

it was to be.

♪ Lobo, lobo

♪ remember this day

♪ man's b*ll*ts have taken

♪ your mother

♪ away

♪ lobo, lobo

♪ there's no lookin' back

♪ now you must abandon her

♪ run with the pack

Never again would lobo

forget the smell of gunpowder.

He got to know r*fles by sight,

and he wouldn't let man nor horse come within a thousand yards of him.

Yet all the time,

he and the family pack kept takin' more and more cattle.

Before long,

the cattlemen's battle seemed to be a losin' one.

The enemy was almost too smart.

Maybe it was a w*r

calling for more than g*ns.

To catch a wolf in those days,

the cowman had to learn to think like one.

The trick was to make him

outsmart himself.

A wolf's an intelligent critter.

Fact is,

there's not many to match him when it comes to figurin' things out.

So if a trap was gonna fool him,

it had to be rigged up with some extra special trimmings.

A little dogie was about

the most delectable come-on.

There was something about young veal that was well-nigh irresistible.

Once the decoy was staked out,

the next thing was to plant the trap where the wolf would have to pass.

The trap could be

most any standard make.

It had to be strong though,

like, say, a well-made number 4.

Not big as a bear trap maybe,

but big enough...

And smooth workin'

with a fast action.

Well, these preparations

had been pretty thorough.

You might say they had

a touch of genius about 'em,

'cause next morning it looked like nature herself was in on the deal,

playin' it on

the cattlemen's side.

El feroz came on in the lead.

He was still headin' up

the family pack.

And quick as a wink,

he spotted the calf.

Naturally, he was tempted,

and why not?

A free meal like this.

But before he made any move hasty-like,

he sniffed around a bit just checkin' on things.

This all seemed

a little too good to be true.

Might be that was

what was wrong with it.

Maybe he'd better back off

and size things up again.

Like an unexpected g*nsh*t,

the trap sent the young wolves a-scatterin'.

They ducked out of sight

quick, all except lobo.

He sensed something

wasn't right.

There wasn't much he could do for El feroz

except lend him the comfort of his company.

Still, there's a kind

of nobleness in the wolf.

In the unexplained way

of the breed, he stayed by,

prepared to keep watch

to the end.

Then the riders came back.

Lobo knew he'd have to leave.

He had no choice.

For all wild animals,

there comes the moment when they must go their own road.

And for lobo

that moment was now.

♪ The time had come for lobo

♪ to make his way alone

♪ and loneliness and hunger

♪ were things he'd never known ♪

♪ All through

the long, long winter ♪

♪ Beneath the frozen sky

♪ lobo learned

he must be strong ♪

♪ He must be wise or die

by the next spring, lobo had

been a loner about long enough.

It was time to start

lookin' for a mate,

and his wanderings took him far from his old haunts into new territory.

One fine morning he met up with some wolves he'd never seen before.

He was of a mind to join 'em.

According to pack law, he might

be accepted and he might not.

It sort of depended

on whether they wanted him.

As it worked out,

they were kind of hankering for a new face too.

Right off,

lobo was made welcome.

In the midst

of all the jubilation,

he caught sight of

a dark beauty on the sidelines,

and he knew

his searching was over.

The black female

seemed charmed with lobo too.

Before long,

an old-fashioned courtship was underway.

Takin' himself a mate wasn't gonna be quite this simple though.

There was a kind

of a catch to it.

The one who really had the say

was the pack leader,

surly old brute who right away

took a dislikin'...

To the young fella

from out of the hills.

The pack leader could see

he wasn't winnin'.

And when you're not winnin',

you might as well do your losin' the easiest way possible.

No sense gettin' yourself

k*lled just for show.

He just tucked his tail between his legs and gave up,

simple as that.

And so the lobo legend

began to get a little bigger.

From that time on, lobo

ran at the head of the pack...

With his mate at his heels...

And a following of the biggest,

strongest wolves in the vicinity.

When the mating season came on,

the pack split up for a while,

each pair of wolves

goin' off by itself.

Some of 'em had dens

left over from last year.

But lobo and his mate,

bein' new at this,

had to set up housekeeping

somewhere brand new.

One day in their scouting,

they made a mighty interesting discovery.

Across the canyon was

an old Indian cliff dwelling.

Looked like it would

just about fill the bill.

Only drawback was,

there didn't seem to be any way of gettin' over to it.

Well, where there's a will,

there's generally a way.

And it turned out,

there was a sort of a crossing.

It was one of those

"as the crow flies" things,

and a wolf wantin' to use it was gonna have

to be mighty eager to get on the other side.

This didn't seem

to bother lobo though.

After lookin' it over good,

he undertook to give it a try.

The wolf's a surefooted critter with strong nerves and a steady eye,

and lobo had all

the confidence of the breed.

His mate, meanwhile, hung back.

She wasn't near

so sure of herself.

Bein' the female,

maybe she wasn't so foolhardy.

Finally, after lobo

had showed it could be done,

she got up nerve enough

to follow him.

Once underway, it wasn't so bad.

Fact is, in time,

these wolves would come to use this bridge practically every day.

It came to be a part

of the lobo legend.

The cliff dwelling, when they

got to it, looked real inviting.

The scent of man was long gone.

Besides, to these two,

it wasn't a house but a cave...

With all the proper

advantages of same.

Dry floor,

sheltering walls and a good roof against the rain.

This was it, their new den.

The both of 'em were

pleased with their find...

And, what's more important,

with each other.

These two had mated for life,

and right about now

the life ahead looked good.

The next few weeks were pleasant ones,

and the days passed quickly.

Then the time came when lobo's mate didn't hunt with him anymore.

One morning when he got home from makin' his rounds,

he found out why.

Sure was a handsome litter.

Lobo was as proud

as a new daddy could be.

♪ As leader of the wolf pack

♪ his fame began to spread

♪ for many

hundred miles around ♪

♪ A price was on his head

♪ by every law of nature

♪ the cattle were his prey

♪ but to the angry cattlemen

♪ it didn't work that way

♪ lobo ♪ lobo

♪ lobo ♪ lobo

♪ since man has appeared

♪ he's put you outside the law ♪

♪ Hunted and feared

♪ lobo ♪ lobo

♪ lobo ♪ lobo

♪ since man has appeared

♪ he's put you outside the law ♪

♪ Hunted and feared

a thousand dollars,

a darn sight more than most human outlaws were worth.

Lobo was a legend for sure,

the most notorious name

in the whole southwest.

One day a professional hunter from Texas rode into the territory,

hopin' to take the famous wolf

that nobody else could catch.

Bounty hunting

was his full-time trade,

and he came equipped for it.

He had a k*ller wolfhound so mean it had to be kept muzzled.

This was his hole card.

But first, a wolf

had to be brought to bay.

And for this job,

he had a pack of the finest trackin' hounds ever gathered together.

If anybody could bring in lobo,

looked like this was the man.

It didn't take the hunter long

to see he'd been outsmarted.

This lobo was a lot wiser

than he'd figured.

The truth was, he had a kind

of a begrudging admiration...

For a wolf that could think up

a strategy like this.

Well, if the dogs couldn't bring this fella in,

there were other tricks to be tried.

In lookin' over the situation,

he'd noticed somethin' important,

a clue about lobo's habits that

just might prove his downfall.

To anybody

who could read the signs,

the giveaway was printed

on the ground beside the log.

The wolf tracks here

told their own story.

It was plain as anything...

The wolves always

came off the log at this spot.

This was the place for a trap.

The hunter took a lot of care

in settin' this one.

He picked an extra strong trap

with a hair-trigger action.

Used a special trick to keep

the dirt from cloggin' it.

Now it was

just a matter of time.

It so happened lobo didn't

make his usual rounds that day.

He'd stayed home with the family

sort of takin' things easy.

His pups were about

three months old now,

gettin' more active

every minute.

One of 'em was lobo's

particular pride and joy,

the dark little female who was

a dead ringer for her mother.

With a family to raise,

lobo was apt to be watchin' his step pretty carefully.

The only thing was,

this time the man who was out to get him...

Was the best in the business.

When the hunter came back,

the trap was gone.

Just as he figured,

lobo had come passin' by...

And had stepped down

right where he thought he would.

The fact that he wasn't in sight

was no cause for worry.

He couldn't have got far 'cause the trap was chained to a heavy drag.

It was leavin' a well-marked trail that would be no trouble at all to follow.

It was a wolf, all right,

but the wrong one,

lobo's mate,

not the old outlaw himself.

Well, since exterminatin'

was his business,

he might as well exterminate her

on general principles.

Then a better idea hit him.

If it was lobo he wanted,

maybe here was a golden opportunity.

Taken alive, this female was

a sure way of gettin' at lobo.

When his mate didn't come home,

lobo began to get restless.

He sensed somethin' was wrong.

It wasn't like her to stay away

from her pups like this.

He set out to find her, just as

the hunter reckoned he would.

At the other end of the bridge,

lobo picked up the trail.

His nose told him

his mate had been in trouble.

Mixed with her scent was

another one, hated and bitter,

a taint in the air

he wouldn't ever forget.

♪ The scent of man told lobo ♪

♪ That he must find his mate ♪

♪ But the bounty man

was usin' her ♪

♪ To lure him to his fate

♪ the trail was plain

to follow ♪

♪ He traveled hard and fast

♪ but he would have

searched forever ♪

♪ To find his mate at last

♪ lobo ♪ lobo

♪ lobo ♪ lobo

♪ there's danger below

♪ but true to your loyal code ♪

♪ There you must go

♪ lobo

♪ lobo

♪ there's danger below

♪ but true to your loyal code ♪

♪ There you must go

lobo knew the chance

he was takin',

the odds against him.

He came on, steppin' soft,

followin' the fence

for protection.

His mate was somewhere near.

His keen nose said so.

Then he found her.

She was alive.

Now his problem

was how to get to her.

♪ According to the legend

♪ a rally call he cried

♪ it echoed off the rimrock ♪

♪ And carried far and wide

♪ soon ghostly shapes

and shadows ♪

♪ Appeared out of the night

♪ in answer to

their leader's call ♪

♪ The wolves had come to fight ♪

♪ Lobo ♪ lobo

♪ lobo ♪ lobo

♪ you've gathered your pack

♪ and now you must

lead them all ♪

♪ To the attack

♪ lobo ♪ lobo

♪ lobo ♪ lobo

♪ you've gathered your pack

♪ and now you must

lead them all ♪

♪ To the attack

♪ lobo, lobo

♪ your battle is won

♪ but now you must travel on ♪

♪ Now you must run

♪ to your ancestral kingdom

♪ man has come to stay

♪ so, lobo, you must

lead your pack ♪

♪ And family far away

♪ beyond the distant mountains

♪ you know that there will be

♪ a place where man

won't follow ♪

♪ A land where you'll be free

♪ lobo ♪ lobo

♪ lobo ♪ lobo

♪ your name will survive

♪ for no man

could bring you in ♪

♪ Dead or alive

♪ lobo ♪ lobo

♪ lobo ♪ lobo

♪ although you are gone

♪ your legend of bravery

♪ lives on and on