It happens a dozen times
a day, Captain...
these fights between our returning
soldiers and those carpetbaggers.
And every time,
it's a Confederate who winds up in jail.
My advice is not to get into it.
I have no intention of getting into it,
Mr. Carleton.
Come on, break it up.
Silence.
You men get on down
to the Registry Office. Go on.
- Move along.
- There'll be another day.
Why don't you go back
where you came from?
You better stay off the street.
You gentlemen will please disperse.
You ought to put them Rebels in jail.
Whistling Dixie. Come on.
They ought to obey the laws
of the Provisional Government.
Here you are.
$850 cash left from your bank draft.
- Thank you.
- I think you'll find that correct.
And now, Captain...
I'd be much obliged
if you'd let me stand you a drink.
Sounds like a fine idea.
Fill them up again, bartender.
Here come a couple of high and mighty
you-all people. Let's have fun.
Good day, Mr. Carleton,
Capt. Saunders.
Whiskey, please.
Gentlemen, as I was saying,
these here Southerners...
they're a strange breed of cat.
Yes, sir, a mighty strange breed of cat.
We whipped them good and proper...
and made them holler "uncle"
loud and clear.
And now they still want to act
like they was as good as us.
Hey, you.
Did you hear what I said?
Yes, indeed, sir. You speak very clearly.
Your voice carries quite a ways.
Stagecoach coming. Bunch of new
pretties coming in for the dance hall.
Come on, let's get the first look.
Reb, new gals coming in.
Don't you even want to take a look?
No, thank you kindly.
See what I told you?
Just a mighty strange breed of cat.
Thank you, Capt. Saunders.
You sure have mellowed down a lot.
A man said that to you in the old days...
we'd have to put this place
back together.
You were smart not to take offence.
I took offence, Sam.
Just like you said, I've mellowed down.
Thanks for the whiskey, Mr. Carleton.
Good day, gentlemen.
Come on!
Where I come from, no gentleman
lets a gal get her store shoes dusty.
Jump, my pretty.
You're on your own.
You're next, baby.
I thought you was one of them there.
Well, you got to get down anyway.
Come on.
You can't talk like that
to a Southern lady.
Now listen, fella...
Allow me, ma'am.
You'd better sit this dance out, miss.
Stand aside.
Stand back, coming through.
What's the trouble here?
This Reb yelled
that somebody insulted a lady.
- Then he started hitting on us.
- Especially me.
- Nobody insulted no lady.
- Quiet.
Arrest this man, sonny.
I'll go along and proffer charges.
Take a good look
at this uniform, mister...
and don't ever again call me "sonny."
Does a Union officer stand there
and permit them to say I am no lady?
Your pardon, ma'am. Silence!
Have these men insulted you, ma'am?
And beat my husband
when he defended me.
Now listen...
Sergeant, if that man persists,
arrest him.
The rest of you will disperse.
Go on, move along.
Thank you.
Perhaps we'd better carry your husband
to the military medical post.
I think not.
If you could bring him to our room.
Room 110.
Of course, ma'am.
Sergeant, take his feet.
You two, take his shoulders. Careful.
Gently, please.
Thank you.
Excuse me, gentlemen.
Is there anything else
we can do, ma'am?
- No, thank you.
- You may go, men.
Lieutenant, I'll take those things.
Thank you.
Capt. Colt Saunders, 14th Cavalry.
You must be very proud
of Capt. Saunders, ma'am.
At the Point, our instructor told us...
the 14th Confederate Cavalry's charge
at Round Mountain...
will go down in history
with Gen. Blcher's cavalry action...
the evening at Waterloo.
Capt. Saunders never spoke very much
of the war.
You must get him to, ma'am.
His 14th Cavalry was an illustrious unit.
- Thank you again, Lieutenant.
- Your servant, ma'am.
Good day, Lieutenant.
- Mrs. Saunders.
- Yes?
Here, let me help you with those boots.
I just wanted to say, ma'am...
that you mustn't judge
the people of the North...
by those scum, those carpetbaggers.
We're not like that at all.
Those cheap politicians
that scurried down here...
to take advantage of the chaos...
Ma'am, what I mean is, we soldiers...
I'm sure no Southerner
would ever misjudge you, Lieutenant...
or your kind.
Your servant, ma'am.
Good day.
- Lieutenant.
- Ma'am?
I don't believe you'll be needing those.
- Good day, ma'am.
- Good day.
Yes, ma'am?
- I'd like to see Miss LaSalle.
- Miss Ruby LaSalle?
Yes.
I'll get her if you'll wait a minute, ma'am.
Will you sit down, please?
Thank you.
I woke up this morning
and my money belt was gone.
So you made moo-moo talk
with one of the entertainers...
and now your head hurts
and your money's gone. What is it?
- There's a lady to see you in the office.
- Who is it?
I don't know.
When I said "lady," I meant it.
- Keep an eye on the drunk, Tod.
- Right.
- Ma'am, you said...
- Yes, I did, didn't I? Matty.
- You wanted to see me?
- Miss LaSalle...
I have a matter to discuss which
may be embarrassing to both of us.
I hesitate to offend but...
You old hag.
You've got your hair too blonde.
It's better
when it's more on the reddish side.
Lorna, you got my letter.
I was afraid you wouldn't
with the way mails are these days.
Honey, it's like I told you:
This town is knee-deep in money.
The carpetbaggers
are stealing a ranch a day.
I'll shut up. You sit down and tell me
everything that's happened to you.
Nothing different ever happens.
Just the same thing over and over.
The little girl from the well-off family
who teaches school...
just to wile away her time.
I may decide to take up teaching again.
Teaching is genteel.
Carefully selected children, of course.
I bet the gentlemen
knock each other down...
to show how polite they can be
to a real dyed-in-the-wool lady.
You did have a different raising
from most of us. School and all.
I often wonder how come you wound up
arm-in-arm with the likes of me.
Hunger's a very powerful motive...
and you're the nicest person
I ever found to be arm-in-arm with.
Speaking of hunger...
I don't expect it in the immediate future.
Here, put these in your safe, will you?
They weigh a ton.
Gold is heavy,
but I'm still very fond of it.
This poor but proud act of yours
must work.
I'll want a room.
I have to lay low for a few days.
The angry gentleman
who formerly owned the $900?
Yes.
Big, wild character named
Colt Saunders. Do you know him?
Colt Saunders?
Where did you leave him?
Sleeping peacefully, I hope.
You listen to me. He'll take this
town apart, not because of the money.
He owns all the land
from here to Texas.
But because the Saunders
are made that way.
He once chased a rustler all the way
into Mexico for 20 scrawny cows...
when he owned thousands. They're
always willing to get killed or kill...
if they think they're right.
They always think they're right.
Don't you see, Lorna?
When he wakes and finds...
Now you listen to me.
I've got a little room way up in the attic.
We're gonna plant you there
until we decide what to do.
I'll make out a receipt.
Make it out to Capt. Colt Saunders.
You're crazy. I'm telling you, you'd
better crawl up in my attic and hide.
No, I want the nicest room in the place.
Just make out the receipt
to Capt. Colt Saunders.
They've got a saying in Texas:
"The Rio Grande changes its course...
"but the Saunders don't."
- Hello.
- You were unconscious.
That fight was a little fast
for introductions.
- I'm Colt Saunders.
- Miss Lorna Hunter.
Well, now that you're all right...
- My head's spinning.
- Oh, dear.
I always wanted to see what women
carried in one of these knapsacks.
You savage!
You brute!
Quiet down now.
I don't mind giving you a share,
but not all.
- Let me go, you...
- Savage? Brute?
Sodbuster!
All right, angel, where's the money?
Are you going to give it to me,
or do I have to shake it out of you?
You see, $900 is just much too much...
for services so far rendered.
Well, sir, you up and healthy already.
- Yes, sir, I see you healthy.
- You, girl.
Bring me the coldest bottle of wine
in the saloon. The best, hear?
Yes, sir.
- Shall I fetch you a comb, ma'am?
- No.
- Now, let's be civilised about this.
- Civilised?
Return that wallet. Then we'll have
a cool glass of wine...
and talk things over.
I finally begin to see...
the reason for your
insane conduct, Captain.
You believe I have stolen
some money from you.
Let's not say "stolen." A wallet
with $900 gold has been misplaced.
- When you remember where it is...
- Captain, look on the table.
I thought your money might be safer
in the vault downstairs.
Miss Hunter, I don't know how to begin...
Yes, sir, Captain. Thank you.
Who's in my room?
Nobody, ma'am, honest.
The Captain ain't in there.
I suppose I can assume
the same servants...
who were bribed to provide this...
were also bribed to ignore this.
Miss Hunter, Gen. Robert E. Lee
signed a formal statement...
to the effect that I was an officer
and a gentleman.
Now, please have dinner
with me tonight.
Give me a chance to prove
he wasn't guilty of false statements...
when he signed my commission.
It seems to me you go rather far afield
to involve the General.
I anticipated you would appear again...
after your outrageous behaviour
this afternoon.
I have a few things to explain to you.
- Over a glass of wine.
- No, l...
Fine.
- Aren't you forgetting your bribe?
- Special signal.
Dinner in 10 minutes.
You may not wish to have dinner
with me, Captain, after I've had my say.
I'll chance that.
Thank you.
First, I'd better prepare you.
You see, I'm an emancipated woman.
- Indeed.
- Yes.
I was fortunate in attending schools...
with progressive ideas.
- I may shock you.
- I'll be on my guard.
I'm husband hunting
and have eliminated you as a candidate.
As a candidate for what?
For marriage.
I have considered everything
and have crossed you off my list.
Crossed? I didn't even know
I was on any list.
Tell me, how could you eliminate me
as a candidate...
when you don't know
anything about me?
On the contrary.
You brawl in the streets.
You're used to awakening
under such circumstances...
that your money might have been taken
by a female person.
Frankly, you do not qualify, Captain.
So please don't try to continue
our acquaintance beyond this evening.
It's plain we are not suited
to each other.
Good night, Captain.
And thank you for the wine.
It was delicious.
Now see here, honey...
I might've guessed you called women
"honey" on short acquaintance.
- Miss Hunter...
- Good night, Captain.
You've got marriage all figured out...
like ledgers in a set of business books,
haven't you?
You left out the main ingredient: Love.
Oh, no. I intend to show my husband
great affection.
- Affection and respect?
- Of course.
I predict this man will spend
a great deal of time away from home.
No, he won't.
I've by no means
left love out of my calculations.
Love comes in time...
with understanding and respect.
I don't see how anyone can look so right
and think so wrong.
- I don't understand.
- About me.
I don't waste time brawling in the street.
I've got no time to waste.
I just spent the last four years
losing a war.
I've got a ranch to build up
and a family to raise.
I'm looking for a woman who...
A wife.
You're looking for a husband. Wait now.
Miss Hunter,
do you want to get married?
Of all the cold-blooded, unromantic...
Not the least bit
like double entry bookkeeping, is it?
No.
- I'll be back.
- No, serve it.
- Come back later.
- Yes, sir.
No, stay. Captain.
- But the dinner, sir. What'll I do?
- Eat it.
Captain.
I don't know. I just don't know.
- Come on, don't fall.
- Wait a minute.
Ruby, where can I find a minister?
Four doors down.
- Come on, we gotta get married.
- No.
- You don't want get married? You told...
- Oh, yes.
- I want to get married.
- You don't want to marry me, is that it?
No. I mean, yes, I want to marry you.
But not like this, Colt.
I want a white gown, and a veil,
and flowers...
and all the things to remember.
I know. I do know, but...
I've been away from Bar S for five years.
I want to go home.
I'm hungry to see my land again.
So if you could pass up the trimmings,
I'd be grateful.
All right.
You wait right here.
Miss Hunter...
- Ruby, I don't know your last name.
- LaSalle.
How do you do?
Miss Hunter.
Wait for me? Here?
I see what you mean
about these Saunders being violent.
He just...
Ruby, did you hear?
He's going to marry me. Me!
Did you hear?
- Expect me to spout congratulations?
- Why not?
- I expect you to be happy for me.
- Happy that you're riding for a fall?
It's a lot of nonsense.
It's a dream, honey. It never happens.
Because men who aren't afraid of guns,
Indians, or rattlesnakes...
are afraid of a little laughter
behind their back.
And there'll always be some man
with a weak mind and long memory...
who'll remember a girl who worked
at Selma's in Baton Rouge...
or Tess' in Frisco.
And when your man hears that laughter,
you'll wish you were long dead.
I'm telling you, Lorna, hide.
Sneak out of town, anything,
because that's just not gonna work.
I've got to believe it'll work.
I've got to.
I'll be here, honey, when you come
crawling back with your heart broken...
because your noble Captain
found out he made a bad bargain.
It won't be a bad bargain for him.
I've seen the other side of the street.
I'm going to be very hard to discourage.
Every day I'm going see to it
that he's made a very good bargain.
The minister's getting into his clothes.
Let me be the first to congratulate you.
If I knew how to pray, I would.
The mountains are very beautiful.
There are steep valleys in there
that take your breath away.
Places where it seems like if you knew
the right words, you could talk to God.
- That's a fool thing to say.
- No.
- You love the hills.
- Well, I know them.
I should. I once walked
clear through those. It took me 24 days.
- Were you lost?
- No.
My granddaddy,
he raised me, you know.
My mother and father were killed
in the Apache uprising of '39.
When I was 15, the old man and I
rode clean up to Mesa Grande.
That's nine days on good horses.
He gave me a rifle, 30 cartridges,
a sack of salt, and rode off...
leading my horse behind him.
I learned those hills
by walking home through them.
You mean he just turned you loose
in the wilderness?
- It's a wonder you didn't starve.
- I had a rifle, remember?
What's that?
Just Mr. Bass trying to get loose.
- Colt, let him go.
- Let him...
Please.
All right.
He's already down in his hole
telling Mama how he outsmarted us.
Let him. I'm glad.
- Why did you want that?
- I don't know.
- Bar S.
- It looks like an emerald.
That's what my grandma named it the
first time she saw it, right from this hill.
La esmeralda.
That means "emerald" in Spanish.
Of course, no one ever called it that.
It got to be known as Bar Stubborn,
after my granddaddy.
- Colt, hombre. Gracias a Dios.
- Inocencio.
Thank God you are back.
Five years you have been away.
- It's a long time.
- Hey, vaquero.
Mrs. Colt Saunders.
Lorna, my oldest friend,
the gran vaquero of the Bar S...
- Inocencio Antonio Ortega.
- How do you do?
Welcome, seora,
and much happiness.
Thank you.
There, now. You stand right there
or you'll fall over something.
I think I can still
find my way around in here.
There.
The place looks worse
than I figured it would.
That Inocencio
never was much of a housekeeper.
Don't apologise. It'll be fine.
That's Grandmother and Granddad.
A family thing.
One time or another, all the Saunders
get their pictures painted.
This is the chair.
Once we get straightened up around
here and start sending for furniture...
you can throw this out
and get some kind of a chair...
I should say not!
When our portraits are painted, I'm
going to be sitting in this same chair.
Seora...
we have a saying in Spanish...
that a glad heart
is all that one should ask of God...
for that is real happiness.
My heart is glad.
You, too, have a glad heart.
- It shines in your eyes.
- Does it show so much?
The glow of true beauty
in a woman's face...
is kindled only by first love.
First love.
It's true. I've never been in love before.
Have you been here
a long time, Inocencio?
A long time?
I was born here. My father used to ride
with him every day.
Will you help me
not to make too many mistakes?
Sure, seora.
- I will help you in every way I can.
- Thank you.
Amigo...
couldn't anybody find a broom
all the time I was gone?
That bedroom looks like
a family of pack rats wintered in there.
The times were bad, hombre.
There was much to do,
few hands to do it with.
Maybe tomorrow
you can send a rider to Tres Rios...
and get a woman to do the housework.
Maybe you can get Maria back.
- Sure, I get her.
- Bueno.
- Good night, seora.
- Good night, Inocencio.
Years of dust, I'm afraid.
That's a strange expression
you're wearing.
- The mess, I suppose.
- No.
It's a feeling.
As if for the first time in my life,
I felt I belonged.
North, south, east, and west.
You look around just like your
grandfather used to do every morning.
Why not?
A rancher lives by the weather.
Every morning, the sky tells his fortune.
Light clouds over the Sierra Diablo.
Rains should come early this year.
We don't have to worry about the grass.
But the animals, no good.
I don't like to hand you this.
Since I wrote you, the politicos
have come twice searching.
They didn't find the herd of horses
hidden in the hills.
Cattle?
I kept them scattered
as much as possible.
But they found most of them
and took them.
As bad as that?
But more important, Colt...
last night I took the responsibility
of not telling you something.
A man should not be told bad news
on his first night...
with his bride under his family rooftree...
but your brother is here.
Cinch came home?
Is the Bar S Ranch home to Cinch?
I don't know.
But whether it is his home or not,
he rode in here two months ago.
You haven't changed in five years.
Neither have you.
On the contrary, I have learned humility.
Learned it in New Orleans.
In New Orleans, my money ran out.
You started out
with enough to last you quite a while.
I hurried.
You must be going to make a point
about that.
There's nothing in writing
that says I own any part of Bar S.
Grandpa saw to it that the will said...
I could only have
what you saw fit for me to have.
Grandpa had such a high opinion
of your moral stature.
You figure I'm entitled to a share?
Of course I do.
It's a pleasure to do business
with a man of character.
Better than having a contract.
I'd like my share now,
if you could manage it.
Gold preferably.
You've been around a couple of months.
You know the shape the ranch is in.
You could sell. There are buyers.
Each one with a carpetbag
full of Yankee money.
And you know I won't do that.
I had that figured out.
Especially after Inocencio told me
about a woman you brought with you.
I brought a wife.
My use of words wasn't meant to offend.
When do I meet her?
I've got to go over some tally books
with Inocencio. I'll introduce you then.
Fine.
What did you tell your bride about me?
I forgot to mention you.
That was real thoughtful forgetting.
Uncomfortable position, isn't it?
Even sitting down, Grandma looked like
an arrow about to fly from the bow.
She always sat just like that...
before she came with
the speed of lightning to box my ears.
I'm Beauregard Saunders. Everybody
calls me Cinch. Colt's brother.
Colt's brother?
I didn't know he had any family left.
He told me
he'd forgotten to mention me.
I'm the skeleton in the Saunders' closet,
you see.
Nobody ever expected me to return.
When I left, I announced
in ringing tones...
that wild horses couldn't drag me back.
- Here, let me help you.
- Do me a favour.
Don't ever help me do anything
you wouldn't help a two-armed man do.
I'm sorry.
- Do me another favour?
- I'll try.
Don't ask me what battle of the war
I lost my arm in.
The question makes the hairs stand up
on the back of my neck.
All right, I won't.
Sorry. I almost offered you a drink.
Cinch, pour me a drink.
Right down without a gasp.
- Why'd you do that?
- I don't know.
Yes, I do know.
You sounded as if
you were talking down to me.
- And you can't stand that?
- Failing I have.
I did a favour for you, remember?
- Will you do one for me?
- Sure.
Tell me how you got to be
the skeleton in the closet.
I believe the world is round.
- No!
- You mustn't laugh.
Such new-fangled ideas
haven't been accepted at Bar S yet.
You know, you have very good manners.
I have the sure test.
What's that?
Bad-mannered people just blurt it out,
"How'd you lose your arm?"
Well-mannered people burn up
with curiosity, but don't ask.
I am curious.
How did you lose your arm?
Ask Colt.
I stopped by the bunkhouse for you,
but you'd gone.
I see you've already
introduced yourselves.
- Yes, we did.
- And drank a toast to the wedding.
- You married above you, Colt.
- I surely did.
Darling, I've got to pay a call
on a ranch nearby.
I hate to ask you to travel
the minute you get here...
but it'll give you a chance
to see something of Bar S.
- All right?
- Of course, dear.
- Just pack enough for overnight.
- Going to Uncle Hoyt's?
More relatives I haven't heard about?
No, Cinch is all there is.
Vance Hoyt. We've called him uncle
since we were children.
Since Granddad died, Uncle Hoyt's
been unofficial advisor to half of Texas.
He'll advise you to fight.
We'll leave just as soon as you're ready.
Look, play down that talk about fighting,
will you?
I don't want to scare Lorna.
It's my guess we'll both be white
around the gills...
before Lorna's frightened.
You can't be fool enough to think
a few armed ranchers...
can hold off the United States Army.
Catch up a couple of horses
for the buckboard, will you, Cinch?
We can take this one.
I just started to unpack it.
What did you think of him?
I like him.
Of course, I was surprised...
- and a little frightened.
- Frightened?
Colt, what's wrong?
Why didn't you tell me about him?
I should have told you.
I didn't expect he'd...
I should have told you.
We were just kids when it happened.
Just kids horsing around
on the windmill platform...
out on the south range.
Cinch got his arm caught
in the gears of the windmill.
I had to amputate his arm...
and carry him back.
People made quite a fuss about it,
as if I'd been a hero.
How terrible, for both of you.
You know, you're the first person
who ever realised I got hurt that day.
You've got an instinct
that makes you understand.
That's very important.
- Seor Colt.
- Let me hold it, seor.
- Our hearts are happy, seor.
- Gracias.
I took the long way around.
I wanted you to see the horse herd.
Colt, look at that little one.
It's a nice-looking filly, sired by that
flax-manned stallion over there.
She's got his markings.
- Could I go closer?
- No.
The mare would start for the hills.
They're skittish around anyone on foot.
Besides, I don't think she's ever seen
an outfit like that before.
- He's a stubborn little fellow.
- Beautiful filly, huh?
She's darling. All legs.
I'll take this off
and let her go to her mama.
Seora, may I present my five sons?
Luis, Asuncion, Rafael,
Pedro, and Juan.
How do you do?
They have prepared
a little speech of welcome for you.
Address the seora
the way you were instructed.
Seora, welcome to the Bar S.
- Papa, I forget.
- You forget?
You donkey's head. You shame
your father. You behave like a peasant.
Where are your manners, muchacho?
And after all I taught you.
Now you pay attention. Watch.
I do it again for you.
Most gracious lady,
now that you have come here...
the sun will break every morning across
the verdant slopes of the cordilleras.
The grass will grow greener.
The golden grain will tassel earlier.
And the rising moon will paint
the mountains with more silver...
because of your presence here.
And so, seora...
welcome to the Bar S Ranch...
and to a place in our hearts.
Thank you. Thank you, all of you.
All right, muchachos, now go to work.
Goodbye.
It's not much of a place to look at,
but Uncle Hoyt's quite a man.
- Where's Vance?
- Who?
Vance Hoyt.
He ain't here. Who are you?
- I'm Colt Saunders.
- Yes, of the Bar S.
Back from the war at last?
- Are you Mrs. Saunders?
- Yes.
I'm Deputy Commissioner Cable.
When a gentleman's introduced
to my wife...
even when the gentleman
does his own introducing, he stands up.
Beg your pardon, Mrs. Saunders.
Out here in the hills,
we sometimes forget our manners.
One thing about Texas, there'll always
be someone around to remind you.
Commissioner Harrison.
Commissioner, Capt.
And Mrs. Saunders of the Bar S.
Mrs. Saunders.
Won't you sit down, please?
No, thank you.
- Captain, I'm glad you're back.
- Commissioner.
There are some things we've been
hard put to delay until your return.
- Where's Vance Hoyt?
- I don't know.
To be blunt about it, Mr. Hoyt took
the most irrational attitude...
about a tax law that was levied on him
by the Provisional Government.
Mr. Cable, could I have
one of those pamphlets, please?
We were forced to order a writ served.
Hoyt disappeared,
a most annoying situation.
It's not like Uncle Hoyt to disappear
because of a legal paper.
- He was your uncle? I didn't know...
- No, everybody called him that.
Let's hope everything works out fine.
Captain, as to your personal matters
as regard to our Commission...
I've been dealing with your foreman
and your brother, who is...
let's say, a most outspoken young man.
Now that you're back,
I think everything will work out better.
Work out better about what?
Captain...
I suggest you read this carefully.
It's the Tax Act of
the Provisional Government of Texas...
of which I am District Commissioner.
As a soldier, you know that wars
are expensive and must be paid for.
But please don't take the attitude
of so many Texans...
that we're land-grabbers. We're not.
We simply have to carry out
the orders given us.
Now, if you and Mrs. Saunders
will share our hospitality...
I think it's about time for supper.
No, thanks, Commissioner.
- Good day.
- Good day.
That's Uncle Hoyt's buffalo gun.
He claimed this gun settled Texas
and many a Comanche.
Always said he wanted me to have it
after he was gone.
Might as well let him have the old thing
if he wants it.
It ain't much good to anybody anymore.
Thanks.
Captain, Mrs. Saunders.
Captain.
Will you wait in the buckboard, Lorna?
Hard to believe,
way out here in the wilderness.
You have the advantage of me, sir.
I'm sorry, but I could have sworn...
I'm really exceeding my authority
in showing you this...
but take it as a gesture of friendship.
It's the assessment upon which
your next tax payment is based.
I realise the amount is absurd
and unrealistic...
but I'm merely the servant
of the Provisional Government.
$16,000?
As I said, I am aware
that the amount is unrealistic.
You've already taken the Bar S cattle.
As I also said, I am merely the servant
of the Provisional Government.
I guess I can expect to see you,
Commissioner.
You can.
You sure took your time
getting back from Austin.
- Hello, Cable.
- You got a girl over there, I reckon?
Well, I came without killing no horses,
if that's what you mean.
- Say, who was that in the buckboard?
- Capt. And Mrs. Saunders.
Flower of the old South, chivalry.
Saunders of Bar S?
Man, I almost made
the mistake of the century.
I mistook Mrs. Saunders for a gal...
I used skip around with
back in St. Louis.
One of Ruby LaSalle's gals,
Lorna Hunter.
- Man, what a mistake.
- Lorna? That's no mistake, man.
I just heard him call her Lorna.
I wonder if he knows.
I bet he doesn't. Of course not.
Old high-and-mighty Southern gent.
I'd love to tell him.
I'd like to see the look on his face
when he finds out.
Tired horses, ready rifles...
men talking together
where women cannot hear.
This is a hard country for the women.
- Here's a fresh cup of coffee, seora.
- No more, thank you.
If you don't need me...
Nothing else. Thanks, Maria.
You may go.
- Buenas noches, seora.
- Good night, Maria.
Thank you.
What came out of the meeting?
I wonder if it's heredity or environment.
Do only stubborn men come to Texas?
Or does the Texas air
make all men stubborn?
They voted to fight.
Take that off, too.
- I'll get another cup.
- Fine.
You'd better have a touch of this.
Thanks.
You know, the fact that
men die heroes...
doesn't change the fact that
they're dead before their time.
Every man in the room knew the odds.
And they gave the only answer
a Texan knows.
But not one of them stopped to think
that they had a family at home.
Perhaps they had a right
to a part of the decision.
And you're as bad. How about Lorna?
Don't you think there's
a woman's viewpoint to be considered?
I guess I am the only one here
qualified to give the woman's viewpoint.
I'm tired of being talked over
and around.
It's only right, Lorna.
Wait, let me.
And don't hesitate to contradict me
if I make it one shade blacker than it is.
These carpetbag crooks...
intend to grab every big ranch
in this part of Texas, and they will...
if the Provisional Government
stays in power long enough.
One alternative is to fight them...
and hope that an honest government
will come to power in Austin...
in time to save the ranchers.
Colt will admit that this is one chance
in a hundred. Right, Colt?
Worse than that.
One in two hundred, say.
The other alternative is to cut and run.
There's a few cattle left,
but more important...
there's 300 head of horses
hidden in the hills.
Horses will bring in their weight in gold
at the Union Army Depot in Sedalia.
We could drive them there and face the
world with full pockets and no worries.
And let them take Bar S?
What's Bar S?
Some hills and creeks and valleys.
Could be duplicated in California...
Mexico, or someplace else.
That's Bar S.
Colt, was it fairly stated?
Yeah, fair enough.
I think you should decide, Lorna.
First, I want to try
and explain something...
I don't really understand myself.
In the war,
my regiment fought its first action...
on the banks of the Potomac River.
Four years later,
we were still fighting on a riverbank...
I just can't retreat anymore.
For once in your life
use some common sense.
There's nothing in the Bar S background
that means anything to Lorna.
She's entitled to go away
and start a new life...
to start her own traditions
along with her own family.
That's very understanding of you, Cinch.
But something tells me
if I decided we should go away...
the man who went with me would be
a different man than the man I married.
And that frightens me
more than carpetbaggers' scheming.
You're too good for any Saunders.
Good night.
You sit that horse
more like a Texas girl every day.
Thank you, Inocencio.
Tomorrow I'll really race you, honey.
Dust of many riders
along the Mesa Verde.
Let's put the horses away.
I got a loose girth.
What are you sweating for?
It ain't a hot day.
- I ain't as sure as you that this will work.
- Of course it will work.
You insult Saunders' wife,
he draws on you, and I kill him.
- I don't know.
- You don't have to know nothing.
Saunders is trying to get these ranchers
to make a fight.
We can't have that.
Don't worry, I'll be in action
before his gun ever clears leather.
We ain't gonna let you get killed,
are we, Mr. Commissioner?
Look at him.
Sweating, and on a day like this.
- Capt. Saunders.
- Social visit, Commissioner?
In a way, Captain. You might call it that.
You always take a cavalry patrol
when you go calling?
Sergeant, you can have your men
water their horses down at the windmill.
- Throw them some hay from that stack.
- Thank you, sir.
Sergeant, instruct your men
not to cross that creek to the east.
It's a rule I've made.
Captain, our purpose in coming here
was to cross your place...
to see if there were any taxable assets
that we hadn't examined...
like a large herd of horses.
If you leave
once you've watered your stock...
you can get back across
before dark, Commissioner.
Captain, if you don't want us
on the Bar S, we won't force the issue.
We'll ask for a court order.
This Commission always operates
with complete legality.
That's why I brought the Army,
to see to the legality.
Mrs. Saunders.
May I pay my respects, ma'am?
Good day, Mr. Harrison.
Just a minute, Captain.
- Mr. Massey.
- Yes, sir?
Come here a minute, please.
I don't believe you've met
my administrative assistant.
- Mr. Massey, Capt. Saunders.
- Sir.
- I'm mighty happy to meet you, Captain.
- And Mrs. Saunders.
- May I present Mr. Massey?
- How do you do?
Mrs. Saunders and me already met,
back in St. Louis.
- You remember, Lorna.
- No, I don't remember.
But, Lorna, you can't have forgotten.
- I'm sorry. I've never seen you before.
- But...
Mrs. Saunders has twice said
she does not know you, sir.
Do not press the point.
Lorna, you gotta remember me.
There was us fellows, you know,
on Gen. Butler's staff.
And you and Floss and the rest...
from Ruby LaSalle's place.
- Watch the red-headed man.
- Put that gun away.
I aim to see that
everything is lawful-like.
In time, Sergeant.
Amigo, speak to them.
I had the one with the red hair
ready for the buzzards.
During my discussion with Mr. Massey,
no one is to interfere.
And regardless of the outcome,
none of you will shoot Mr. Massey.
Now then, Mr. Massey...
you will go on with
what you were saying.
Colt, stop it.
I was mistaken, Mr. Massey.
I do remember you.
You were one of the rear echelon
heroes who hid on Gen. Butler's staff...
while better men
were getting killed in battle.
Good day, gentlemen.
Don't ever let me find you
south of Mesa Verde.
Pick up your hat.
That poor, trembling,
squeaky-voiced little coward.
Did you see his eyes?
His eyes were almost crossed with fear.
I just couldn't stand there
and see him killed.
I guess I'll have to kill him sometime.
But why?
What's the sense of killing him?
What's the point?
In a way, I'm glad.
I'm glad it's out in the open.
I'll be rounding up strays
for a few weeks.
There's a stage leaving Mesa
around the first. Cinch will put you on it.
I'd go down on my knees
if I thought it would help.
It won't.
Because everything depends...
on how you look at me now.
Look at me!
For services rendered.
The man that threw the first stone
is galloping off to the hills...
wearing garments of righteous wrath
and breathing out sanctimonious fire.
- I'm being biblical.
- Don't.
Not a lot of money.
Not in the grand manner at all.
In two days' time,
I could rustle up a dozen horse herders.
In nine days, we could have
the horse herd at Sedalia.
That would be a lot of money, Lorna.
If you wanna be unnecessarily
reasonable about the matter...
we do have a claim of sorts
on the assets of Bar S.
I'd give the world for
One tender moment
Un momento
Back in your arms
You sing very beautiful, Asuncion.
Luis, it is your turn
to night herd the strays.
Captain, it would delight me
if I might ride the stud...
with the flax mane and tail.
- Sure.
- I would like to ride him to Tres Rios.
The mouth of Lupe would fall open
at the sight.
You go to Tres Rios?
Donkey head,
Lupe's papa would kill you.
Lupe's mama would kill you.
Casanova, Lupe's brothers
would kill you.
- Lupe's lover would kill you.
- Lupe's husband would kill you.
Do you look the ridiculous one,
fleeing from Tres Rios.
Perhaps I appeared ridiculous.
I was in love.
Or I thought I was in love.
- The big lover.
- He was in love.
Leave the little one alone.
If you think you're in love,
it's the same thing as to be in love.
- No, Papa?
- No, it's not the same.
If you were really in love...
this would be to the other
as gold to lead...
as fine wine to muddy water...
as mountain air to the stench of stables.
When true love comes,
a man has more strength.
His eyes are clearer
and he can see farther away.
And instead of time passing fast...
it stands still.
That, muchachos,
is a moment of ecstasy.
That is true love.
All right, muchachos,
we are through hunting horses.
Now we saddle up and ride home.
Both gone.
Maria told me.
Two days ago.
With the horses and many riders.
That south wind always brings
the smell of the sage.
It smells good.
She carries your child with her.
My...
We'll need fresh horses.
Is it not better to wait for the first light
of the sun and kill them all from here?
Why take a chance?
After all,
they're nothing but horse thieves.
Only two horse thieves.
The rest are just out-of-work waddies
Cinch picked up.
- We wouldn't wanna kill them.
- No, not unless we have to.
We won't. It'll work.
We'll wait till the crack of dawn...
when they're still getting the sleep
out of their eyes and saddling up.
Then we move in
and pick up the night herders.
Right now,
we'd better get some sleep ourselves.
Asuncion, you take the first watch?
Wake me in an hour.
- Could I have another cup of coffee?
- Yes, ma'am.
The lady would like
another cup of coffee.
Rafael.
Take the seora back to the Bar S.
- I'm not going back.
- If you have to tie her to the seat.
Why don't you try it, then?
- Give me those.
- No, please, seora.
I must do as I am ordered.
All right.
Nothing's changed, has it?
Five years, and I'm still saying,
"You just can't hit your brother.
"He's your brother,
and he's only got one arm.
"You just can't hit your brother.
He's only got one arm."
Spoken like a Saunders.
If you ever set foot on Bar S again,
I'll kill you.
I'll take that.
You think you can keep me here
against my will?
You're dead right I do.
- If I had a gun...
- You haven't.
But don't worry.
When I order music,
I always pay the piper...
whether I like the tune or not.
That band of horses is worth
about $30,000. They're yours.
As soon as the baby can be turned over
to a nurse, you can leave...
with the horses.
You can't make that much money
in that length of time...
in any occupation you're trained for.
Is it a deal?
It's a deal.
It's the best deal I ever heard of.
Because, you see,
a baby can't help who its father was.
But someday I might look
at the poor little thing...
and remember its name was Saunders.
It would be dreadful to hate a baby.
So we have a bargain.
I sell the baby for the money, right?
Sure.
The baby is here already.
I see I am too late.
I came as soon as
your rider got to my place.
- Got any goose grease?
- Goose grease? The oil of the olive.
Do you want this angel
to smell like a goose?
It doesn't matter. Whichever.
There.
He's a cute little fellow.
Looks just like you.
Un momentito, hombre, just a moment.
A son has been born.
We must make a toast
with a little poetry before we drink.
- Salute to...
- I've been up all night.
I need the drink, not the poetry.
No toast.
The insult is unnecessary, amigo.
A man must do what he must do.
Sure.
And he will act properly, if he's a man.
But not all males are men.
You were greased in that room.
We drank to a male child.
I regret that it took me 30 years
to learn I made a mistake.
She's fine, Colt.
To the happy parents.
How do you feel now, Mrs. Saunders?
That's a mighty fine boy.
You'd better take him, Maria.
Thirty years...
is a lifetime, amigo.
My lifetime.
This is something you're not part of.
I'll say it again:
A man must do what he must do.
I have been thinking about Mexico lately.
After I take the seora
to the stagecoach...
I will go on from there.
I will take my sons with me...
and go to Mexico.
You can find yourself
another gran vaquero.
Hey, Commissioner.
That one-armed Saunders, the one
the brother run out of the country...
just rode up.
Odd, him coming here.
We heard your brother run you off.
Well, Saunders, I must say
I'm surprised at seeing you here.
- You remember Cable, don't you?
- Yes, I do.
I remember my first sight
of Mr. Cable at Bar S...
with his gun slung real low.
Funny thing, all the show-offs
who wanna think they're gun-slingers...
carry their guns like that.
Hello, Cable.
You don't mind going outside, do you?
I wanna talk to your boss.
You can wait on the porch.
Excuse us, Cable.
And now, Mr. Saunders, your business.
Daybreak, and the coyotes are getting
ready to scurry back to their holes.
Your provisional government's
collapsing, huh? And you're running.
Without stealing the biggest plum
on the tree:
- Bar S.
- Your business, Mr. Saunders?
In Texas, it's customary
to offer a man a drink...
when he's ridden 200 miles to see you.
And you'd better learn
Texas manners, Harrison.
If we're going to be partners, that is.
Possession is nine points of the law,
they say.
If you were on Bar S, it would be hard,
maybe even impossible, to put you off.
Especially if you and I were partners.
And if Colt Saunders were dead.
May I offer you a drink?
When you hear three shots,
you'll know it's worked.
Supposing he kills you on sight?
Then I'll be dead, and you can
scuttle away to some saloon...
where you can tell the dance hall girls
what a desperate man you are...
with your gun slung way down,
almost to your knees.
Three quick shots. Good luck.
I sure ain't looking forward to
being partners with that Reb.
Don't.
Both brothers go.
- But afterward, somebody might...
- We'll have to take care of that, too.
Any witnesses could cause trouble
in the future.
There's the woman.
Of course. A clean sweep.
Sure.
Seor Colt.
My brothers and I wish to say farewell.
Of course,
Papa could say it much better.
Our hearts are very sad, Seor Colt...
but we must go.
The seora will be out in a moment,
Seor Colt.
- Seora?
- One moment, Maria.
I wanted to give you this.
It's the bill of sale for the horses.
- I wanted to talk to you, too.
- There's been enough said. Too much.
Well, I've been thinking about you
and the baby...
and how you feel about the baby.
You'll have trouble selling the horses
without that.
I'm not selling the horses.
You'll need them
to keep the ranch alive.
- If you're taking my son...
- I'm not taking the baby.
I want him to have Bar S.
It's more than
I could ever give him, so...
Colt, listen to me.
When you're raising the boy,
will you try to remember something?
Try to remember that
people aren't perfect. They just aren't.
They make mistakes.
And when they do, they suffer.
They pay. Inside themselves, they pay.
So when he makes his mistakes,
and he will...
try to find it in you to forgive him.
- Lorna, wait.
- Seor, a rider comes.
- Get out.
- But the rider is Seor Cinch.
You said you'd kill me
if I set foot on Bar S.
I'm on Bar S and you're wearing a gun.
You got a reason for coming here?
Might be I came back
to get something belonged to me.
- Hello, Lorna.
- Hello, Cinch.
No need to say you're beautiful.
You'll be that when you're 80.
It's that kind of beauty.
Hands high! Everybody.
Remember, amigos,
you're a large family.
There'll be many
to mourn the foolish one...
or two, or three.
Whoever makes the first move.
Now careful, real careful.
Undo those gun belts.
Do it, amigo.
Not you, Colt.
You keep your gun.
Vaquero, back against the wall. ndale!
Now, everybody be real still.
You've been a hero since the day
you carried me in from the south range.
And ever since, I stood in your shadow.
The cripple and his big brother.
- I always thought you were a loco.
- Walk soft, gran vaquero.
Now, hero...
you have until the bottle is empty
to draw.
And then I'll kill you in cold blood...
whether you have
a gun in your hand or not.
Go on, draw, hombre.
That wouldn't fit the hero:
A woman in the line of fire.
Draw!
- I can't.
- Can't.
It must be wonderful to have a woman
care that much whether you live or die.
There's the end of the whiskey.
Draw or I'll kill you!
I can't.
All right.
You win, you old goat.
Don't nobody move a muscle.
All right, all of you, reach.
A little room.
You, too.
Nice and high.
That's it.
Give it a kick.
- The Commissioner says to go ahead.
- He don't want them outside?
No. In here.
- Quick, you cover this side.
- Right.
Come on!
Seora.
You weren't even frightened.
He's fine.
He's gone.
At times,
a Saunders has not lived well...
but they always die well.
Poor Cinch.