Ambush at Tomahawk Gap (1953)

This is it.
It's ten minutes to nine.
- Yes, sir, right on the dot.
You know I've been waiting for...
- Shut up!
Ten minutes to ten
you'll all be out of Twin Forks,
drunk or sober.
Don't come back.
I make myself clear?
Five years in jail
and we're getting shoved around.
You gonna let him get away with it?
Ain't you had enough, Kid?
You gotta stay outta trouble.
Leave me alone!
How are we gonna get rid of him?
Maybe you figure on doing it.
Maybe I could, McCord.
- You're not thinking of losing me, are ya?
That brother of yours
is gonna rot in jail like I did.
I'm bringing him back
if I have to drag him by his heels.
He'll kill ya.
- He'll have to.
Cut it out!
Well, what about some service?!
We're getting out of here. Kid,
buy us up some horses and guns.
With what? They let you out of jail
with ten lousy dollars.
What can you get for that?
- Throw your watch in. It's worth something.
What do you want?
- Whisky.
- Everybody?
Yeah, everybody.
Don't go with this, Kid, please.
Get yourself a job on the range.
You're really crazy in the head,
ain't ya, Doc? Me quit now?
Why don't you
leave me and Egan alone?
I've been waiting to do that
for five years.
I ain't giving you that hour.
Get your horse,
anything else you want...
You're getting out of town now.
I should've killed him.
Nice friends you got.
Well, counting the spilled whisky,
you owe me $7 damage.
I got a Mexican saddle
I paid $90 for in El Paso.
I need a horse and a rifle.
Hell, don't get much call
for such a fancy rig as this.
It'd just sit here.
How about one of you?
What's that, mister?
- Wanna buy a saddle?
I paid $90 for it.
Well, I don't know.
All I've got's a mule
and a Sharps carbine
with a busted primer, and $3.
I'll give you them for it.
I'm a poor man, mister.
I'm just prospecting now.
You tell him, Burt.
I lost everything
about a year and a half ago.
The Apaches fired my ranch,
stole everything
and run off with all my cattle.
- Alright, Marlowe.
I got a right to yell,
ain't I, after Fort Sumter?
Lincoln ordered the soldiers out of
this territory and Apaches ran wild.
He ain't interested in your troubles.
- Let him tell me!
The whole place is infested
with Apaches.
A man ain't safe 20 miles out of town.
- I heard your offer.
Yeah?
I have a horse and a gun
I would trade,
and a saddle good enough
to ride anywhere.
I never had a saddle like this.
A man deserves a saddle like this
once before he dies.
What about that $7?
Here's 10
and I'll take a bottle of whisky.
Alright, let's see that horse.
Well, one good thing,
we lost McCord.
Think so? What happened there is
only the beginning of your trouble.
You got so much advice,
take some yourself.
Nothing much can happen to me, but
you could get into something decent.
I ain't figured your brother waiting
in Sonora with all that money.
You been sure for a long time,
ain't ya?
How do you know he didn't run?
- I know Frank.
Just like I know
he won't let McCord get him.
I can just see Frank letting McCord
take him back to clear his name.
"Would you tell the sheriff I had
nothing to do with robbing the coach
and stealing $10,000? Honest,
I was just minding my own business."
Minding his own business!
If you're worrying about Apaches,
head toward Fort Yuma.
It's still open.
About 70 miles southwest.
You know anything about watches?
- What?
I made a deal on three horses and
guns. Some fellas that rode out.
A real gold watch and $30.
I made a fine swapl You should've
seen them horsesl
Where did you get this saddle?
It ain't stolen,
if that's what's bothering you.
You know Frank Egan?
- He owed me $60 in a poker game
up in Tomahawk Gap five years ago.
Somebody shot and killed him
when they caught him cheating.
Five years ago?
- 3rd of August, 1859
How do you happen to be
so sure of the date?
Only time I ever had a royal flush
and everybody setting in,
and they catch a man cheating.
I'd have cleaned up! You wouldn't
forget it either, brother.
Everybody took something
to square what Egan owed.
I took his saddle,
somebody took his guns.
- You!
I'm telling you the same thing I
told your friends - don't come back.
Way they was riding them horses,
they won't last three hours.
Where were they heading?
- Torget Springs.
Do they know what they're doing?
- They wanted a short cut to Sonora.
They'll have to take on Apaches.
- Come on!
Maybe they'll kill each other off,
save somebody the trouble.
How did it work?
- Like a charm.
We give 'em maybe a day's start.
Come on.
I got a way to get us out of here.
Let 'em think they killed us.
They want our scalps and our guns.
Wait until they come down
and get their hands on us.
- You're crazy!
How many bullets have you got?
What are we afraid of?
It ain't crazy at all. I'm for it.
- Who cares?
- I'm for it.
Me, too.
- You don't like it, climb them rocks!
Keep your hand off that gun!
If you think I helped you out of this
cos I wanted you live, you're crazy.
Frank Egan's dead.
You're lying.
- Take a look at the saddle on my horse.
I got it from a man who saw him die.
Go look at it.
Satisfied?
- If Frank's dead, there's
no money. There ain't no money!
You didn't come to tell us that.
- No.
Frank got shot in Tomahawk Gap the
day we went to prison. He was broke.
A man don't die broke when he's got
$10,000 to spend in Tomahawk Gap.
He never got to the money.
- So, that's your idea?
You know where the money is,
don't you?
If it's still there, we're getting it.
- With me.
It's ours. You got no call on it.
- Tell that to the posse.
Why didn't you tell them I was just
a stranger you'd met up in the pass?
Figured having you,
they wouldn't look for Frank.
- Sure.
And I spend all them years
in prison paying for it.
I was making $30 a month
riding fence. That's 360 a year.
5 years makes $1800.
That's what Frank Egan owes me
for serving his time.
Now he's dead
and I'm getting my $1800.
What if we say no?
- You ain't gonna say no.
You're leading me to my money
and I ain't particular who does it.
Alright.
There's enough money for all of us.
I know the country. We've got 60
miles of desert and mountains
on horses that ain't good enough to travel 20.
- Which way we heading?
Southwest.
We came from here, that's Twin Forks.
This is Torget Springs.
We head 60 miles southwest
across these mountains.
We travel at night, hole up by day.
Walk our horse every three hours.
If we're lucky, we oughtta make it
in two nights, maybe three,
if we don't run into more Apaches.
Get your guns.
It's a girl!
No, Kid!
Kill her! Go on, kill her!
She tried to kill us!
Why kill her?
Who said we're gonna kill her?
Maybe there's more of them. See if
you can make her talk.
You talk.
Abla! Abla!
What are you talking to a no-good
Apache for?! She won't talk!
She's no Apache.
- We can't leave her here.
She'll bring her whole village.
We're taking her with us.
I don't care what you do. Let's go.
Is it bad?
Just give me a little time here.
Just a little time.
Sure. You'll be alright. We ain't leaving.
Who says we ain't gonna leave him?
- I'm alright. I'll be alright.
It's 60 miles to Tomahawk Gap.
I don't want you slowing us up.
I'll take care of him.
What's the matter? We've been in
this together from the beginning!
Make up your minds!
- I said I'd take care of him.
He won't cause trouble.
Remember, the fiirst time you
slow us up, you get dumped.
- Come on, Kid.
We gotta go now!
Big man now.
Me and Egan.
Money, ain't getting money.
Can't shove me around.
Ain't nobody gonna shove me around!
Nobody. Nobody. No more.
Easy there now. Easy.
You ain't gonna leave me!
- No, easy.
Get some rest. That's all you need.
- The money...
You've gotta help me. I didn't know
his arm was gonna get that bad.
What do you want of me?
We're gonna dump him, that's what we'll do.
He ain't even got a horse any more.
- He's got mine.
You've gotta help me with him,
please.
Just take a look at him, will ya?
Taking my money...
Keep it all...
Taking what's mine. Ain't nobody
here telling me what to do!
What do you think?
We ain't got nothing to work with.
There's nothing we can do.
Get the money... Get the money...
Big man...
Natoe.
Natoe?
- Natoe.
Tobacco. Tobacco?
Give us a tobacco.
Keep your hand off that gunl
- Get awayl
There'll be no shooting.
There's Apaches all over.
They can spot a gunshot for 20 miles.
- I heard ya!
Easy, boy. She ain't gonna hurt ya.
She's helping ya.
She's gonna make you well.
Oh, no.
That ain't no wound
for a man to fret on, is it?
Aw, I wouldn't hurt you.
I guess we are like animals
Killing one another...
We never learn,
we just go on killing one another.
You don't understand me, do ya?
That boy...
If I could only help him...
If he'd only listen to me...
If I could only get him
away from Egan.
I know I never made nothing
of my life,
but that's not saying
I couldn't help him.
You understand? Do ya?
Aw, that's nice.
Jatahey.
It's there, just ahead of us!
It's there! We made it!
We made it! It's there!
Biggest bar...
Same crummy joint!
Same rotten piano.
Even then it couldn't play
a good tune!
The girl wasn't bad, though!
Girl wasn't bad!
Let's get the money.
Leave that stinkin' kid alone!
It ain't gonna take no doctor
to know what we gotta do now.
Do it then. Stop telling us!
He's got a stake in this, too.
We ain't letting him die.
What are you gonna do?
- Lay back.
You ain't cutting my arm!
He'll spit in your face when he's
better. He'll spit in your face!
Maybe so,
but I'm taking that bullet out now.
Are we gonna get that money
or ain't we?
Go ahead.
Let me out of here.
Let me out of here!
Where is he?!
Help me.
Egan!
Egan!
Egan!
You and the girl hold him
when he gets bad.
Here.
Come on, let's get it over with.
Take my money.
Wanna see me die, don't you?
Egan... Where's Egan?!
I don't know nothing
about this kind of stuff.
Here, you know how to handle this.
Better start giving him some now.
Eight hours in this slop hole.
Eight hours...
Yeah, but it was a mighty nice place
the last time I was here!
That shiny bar,
all that liquor behind it,
all them pretty whisky bottles.
And that funny-looking bartender!
Be no more of this,
no more running from the law.
I'm gonna get me a little ranch,
few head of cattle.
Maybe the kid
would even come and stay with me.
Kid.
Baheya.
Baheya.
Water.
Water.
Water. Water.
Water.
A Navajo.
Bless my soul.
What's a Navajo girl doing here?
Hey!
Well, now, some folks to talk to!
I ain't seen nobody in Tomahawk Gap
for some time, no, sir!
I ain't talked to nobody in years.
Three of ya, huh?
What about it?
- Nothing, nothing at all.
My name is Travis, Jonas P.
Say, what you doing with that
Navajo girl. This is Apache country.
What you doing here?
- That's my graveyard down there.
I take care of the graveyard...
tend it, see it looks proper.
Ain't no Apache running me
off my job either, no, sir!
You ain't said who you was, mister.
- Just passing through.
Well, that's nice.
Hey, what do you mean
you tend a graveyard?
I see there's four of you and the girl.
- What about the graveyard?
Well, that's my job.
That graveyard's been my duty
even since before the Indians
killed seven of my kin
and chased everybody
out of this town but me!
Well, somebody speak up.
What's the matter with the boy?
- Never mind him.
You've been here alone all this time?
- I wouldn't say that.
Them soldiers form Fort Yuma
ride by ever so often.
I live up there in the rocks about...
- What about Indians?
I can smell an Indian a mile away.
They don't get a chance to watch me.
No, sir.
I said there was to be no shooting.
Who is this?
- Just a crazy old coot,
takes care of the graveyard.
You getting that money?
- Right now.
- What money?
Give me my gun!
- Take it easy!
When we move,
stay close to the buildings.
You said you was just passing!
I'm going with you. Nobody's leaving
you, boy. We'll be right back.
I've never seen men like you before.
Say, this is my townl I'm supposed
to be telling you what to do!
Where are you taking me?!
What's this all about?!
Give me my gun!
- You wanna live to a ripe old age,
you better quit talking.
What you men doing here?!
Tell 'em to leave my graves alone!
Leave my graves alone!
That ain't it. Wait a minute.
It looked like this,
but you gotta look for a grave
marked with a name of Martha Carrot.
I'll never forget that name.
I had a gal once
by the name of Martha.
You keep out of herel
You ain't go no business here!
Here it is, just like I told ya!
Martha Carrot! Right in here!
Stop that thieving!
I gotta keep this place nice
cos someday folks is gonna come back
and make this a big city!
They're gonna call this the
Travis Cemetery in honour of me
cos I was the only one that stayed
to take care of it! Leave it alone!
You keep out of herel
Stop that digging, I tell ya!
He'd have blowed your head off.
It's here! We've got it!
We've got it!
Here, try this.
Shoot it off.
- No.
If Indians hear it's too bad.
I said shoot it off.
Give me his coat.
Get it offl Here!
Come on, take it offl Here.
It couldn't have just disappeared.
It was tied up tight! We seen it!
You got the money ain't ya!
You take care of the graves and found it.
That's why you don't want us around.
Where did you put it?! Put what?
Why would I go digging up graves?
I don't know anything
about any money!
Why you come bothering me like
this?! I didn't do nothing to you!
Well, somebody took it.
We buried it here. Why's the box
still here but no money?
You oughtta know. You had it.
Frank gave it to you.
What do you mean? You saw
what happened. We all saw it.
Frank took the money when we got it
off the stage, didn't he?
He made us spilt up when they caught
up to us at the crossroads.
He said when we reached town,
we'd meet him at the saloon.
'Frank got there first.
He had the box, remember? '
'Just like he told us to do,
we quietly slipped into town.'
'One by one,
we reached the back of that saloon.'
'We were right behind him,
but we were hemmed in, remember? '
Cover both ends of town!
We'll cut them off!
'Town was filled with a posse. Frank
said to hide the box and money.'
'They'd hang us if they caught us.
Frank had this graveyard idea.'
'He said, "Nobody will think of
looking for it in a graveyard."'
'We agreed to meet right here.'
Spread out and search the alleys!
'Frank was right about the
graveyard. It was the safest place.'
'While the posse had the main street
blocked and the alleys covered,
we all came in here
and picked this grave.'
'Right here is where we buried it -
you and me and Doc and Frank.'
'Wait a minute, wait a minute.
Frank wasn't there.'
'Frank wasn't with us,
not when we buried the box.'
'He never showed
until we almost filled the grave.'
'He came in behind us later,
a lot time later.'
'I remember him standing there
just watching.'
'Then we scattered
to meet in the pass.'
'That's the last we saw of him.'
There never was any money in it.
That's it. He took it out
before he gave it to the kid.
Yeah. Frank had a couple of minutes
alone when we hit town,
before we met back at the saloon.
That's why he didn't show at the
graveyard till later. He hid it.
Yeah, but where?
Where do you think he hid it?
I don't know.
- Well...
we left him back at the saloon.
He wouldn't have crossed the street
with the posse at both ends of town.
He'd have picked a spot
some place between
the saloon
and the end of the street.
Yeah. What do you think?
We're wasting time.
Let's get started.
There's nothing nothing here. What
do we do? Rip up the whole town?
If the kid's right, we've only got
five places to search.
We better get Doc out here. What's
he doing? Babying that kid again?
I ain't done nobody any harm.
You didn't have to tie me up!
Looks a lot better.
You want your share, get out there.
Here.
Nothing! Nothing!
- Pick it up.
Who are you telling me?
Nobody's telling you anything.
You want the money, don't you?
Nothing.
Nothing under this neither.
It ain't here.
It just ain't in the town.
Keep looking.
- What for?
Maybe the kid didn't remember right.
He has to be right.
Frank had never got out of town with it.
- How do you know?
He never spent it.
He died here.
- I don't care. It ain't here.
I ain't looking! I'm getting out.
I'm taking the kid and getting out!
I ain't afraid of nothing!
Let him go.
- No.
It ain't here. We're getting out.
- What's the matter?
It ain't here! The money ain't in town!
When we leave, we leave together.
With them Indians around,
every man's a gun, even him.
Even him? We should never have come
in the first place!
Fill this.
Fill it!
So you figured it had to be buried
from there to there.
It was dark, wasn't it?!
He could've taken a chance
and crossed the street.
How long do you think we can stay
before them Indians come?
Drop it! Drop your gun!
Drop those guns, both of you.
- That's smart.
Those shots could bring Indians down.
- Drop 'em!
Get over there.
Move!
Where did he come from?
- I don't know who you are, mister,
but you can't be no crazier than
these rascals. Digging up my graves!
Shut up!
Maybe my saddle didn't turn out
as good as you figured.
Saddle's fine.
I've been trailing you since you
left Twin Forks, me and my partner.
He'll be back this evening. I sent
him up to Fort Yuma for some help.
What help?
- Gotta make sure the
government gets that army payroll.
You might've left with the money.
He ain't got any money.
- He ain't got a very good memory either.
Tore up the town pretty good
finding it.
Now, where is it?
There ain't no money!
Search usl
There ain't a stick of money!
He ain't lying. We haven't found it.
That doesn't mean we're not going to.
Stay back!
You can stand there just
so long with that gun pointed at us.
I can stand a long time.
Maybe you got it, maybe you ain't.
You're stuck either way.
The army will be here soon. If
you're lying, they'll make you talk.
Little more of that jail you've just
been in will make you talk alright.
You can't put us back in jail.
- Why not?
Because we served...
Get back!
Stand back against the bar!
Move!
Turn around. Turn around!
Look out, mister!
Tie him up.
What about his troops?
- They won't be here until night.
We've got time.
What's the matter?
What are you trying to tell me?
You stay. Stay here.
Look at those mountains over there.
Indian signals.
We came this far. We're finding it.
It may be under the next board!
Don't you understand?!
It may be under the next board!
Maybe I can get the army here
before your man does.
You said he couldn't get here
until night, didn't ya?
What are you thinking?
- The army sends a patrol.
They go on search every couple
of days for Apaches.
They get as close to here
as four or five miles.
There's a busted mirror over by the
bar. Careful. The girl's watching.
Get a hold of it. Hold it up
to the window. Let the sun hit it.
Huh?
Go on back. Go on. Go on back.
Back, go back.
Go on! Get off the street!
- Leave her alone!
He ain't gonna lay a hand on you
no more, you understand?
You're gonna take care of her?
How can you with one arm?
Indians!
Get to the saloon.
I'm getting that horse.
What do we do now?
- A scouting party.
He'll bring the rest. Come on!
Egan's dead.
Where's your horse?
I said, where's your horse?!
- Behind the stables. Get it, Doc.
McCord, that rifle... That's
Marlowe's rifle. How did you get it?
One of the Apaches had it.
- He never got to Fort Yuma.
You ain't leaving us tied up here!
The Apaches are coming back!
We won't have a chance.
- We'll drop those rifles outside as we go.
We haven't got horses
to take you with us.
We ain't leaving the girl.
She goes along with me.
What about us?
He's got a place up on the rocks.
He'll make out alright.
You get the horse?
Here's some bullets.
You ain't taking the Indian girl,
are ya?
She double-crossed ya.
She double-crossed ya, I tell ya!
Take me! Who do you
think brung them Apaches?
Are you coming, Kid?
You ain't blaming her.
- She was using that piece of mirror.
She was using that, I tell ya!
You're a liar!
- I ain't! I seen her do it!
You can't take her.
You gotta take me!
Come on, Kid, we're going.
Ain't ya taking me? I'm telling the truth!
You do hate us.
Yeah,
I seen that flash from the window.
You've been waiting all this time
to go back to them out there.
Well, go on. GO ON BACK TO THEM!
I thought we was taking the girl.
They never got away.
- It's only been minutes.
- They haven't got a chance.
They got Doc.
They got Doc!
What's she still doing here?
- Where else should she be?
She's no Apache.
She was a prisoner of them Indians
when you picked her up.
Another thing I didn't tell ya...
Travis and I gave the signal.
We was trying to reach
the troops out there.
The girl didn't have nothing
to do with it.
If we kill enough of them, they'll
go back for more of their tribe.
They ain't going back.
You don't know Indians
if you think you can scare 'em.
Why are they so quiet?
They're diggin' up my graves!
They're diggin' up my graves!
Stay awayl They're just
getting ready to come back.
I gotta protect my graves!
I know what them Indians do
to graves! I know! I know!
I'll get 'em out of my graveyard!
Rascals!
I'm gonna get ya!
They're not scaring off.
Got any smokes?
Why did you come back?
Why did you?
One more bullet.
We've got about an hour
before sundown.
They've been using that gully
at the end of the street
and dragging their wounded
back there each time.
Hey.
That keg of gunpowder we found...
It's just up the street
in front of one of the stores.
If they're in that gully taking care
of their wounded, waiting for dark,
they're in one little group. We drop
that keg of gunpowder into the gully.
What about setting it off?
We ain't got no fuse, nothing.
She can shoot this straight into it.
That's all we need.
I'll get the gunpowder to the gully.
When I start running back, let the
arrow go with a fire torch on it.
When those Indians follow me, that
gunpowder will be under their feet.
They won't know what hit them.
Got any matches?
- Yeah.
One bullet
ain't gonna cover you much.
Just keep your eyes open.
You... me...
Sonora.
Baheya.