All the Pretty Horses Page #2

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Pretty doggone good.

Say it again. Say my name again.

Golly!

What am I doing leaving|my hat on the bed? It's not much.

You can't have no more cider.

Sh*t.

I'm drunker than sh*t.

Can you ride or not?

Hell, yeah, I can ride.

I was riding when I fell off.

I'm a regular buckaroo.

Certified damn bronc peeler.

Just leave him lay there.

Get on and quit assing around.|It's fixing to come a good one.

Come on.

I can't be out in this.

- Where do you think you'll go?|- Why can't you?

On account of the lightning.

Damn if you don't look|sober all of a sudden.

- Are you afraid of lightning?|- It runs in the family.

My grandpa, he was killed|in West Virginia in a mine bucket.

It run all the way down the hole|to get him, 180 feet.

A great-uncle on my mother's side...

...was killed off a horse. Horse's|hair wasn't singed, but it killed him.

I got a cousin not|four year older than me.

He was struck by lightning|coming back from his barn.

Melted the fillings in his teeth|and soldered his jaw shut.

He's gone completely dipshit.

I done been struck twice myself.

How come me be deaf in this one ear.

I'm born to death by fire, man.

You'd better get away from all metal.|You don't know what it'd get you.

Your boot spurs, shirt buttons...

What do you intend to do?

Outride it.

You can't outride a thunderstorm.|What the hell is wrong with you?

It's the only chance I got.

I knowed it from the first time that|son of a b*tch had a loose nut.

What the hell are you doing?!

Just sitting here.

If this rain hits hard, there'll be|a river come down like a train.

You thought about that?

You've never been struck by lightning.|You don't know what it's like.

You'll drown sitting there.

That's all right. I ain't never|been drowned before.

Well...

...I'll say no more.

Your horse is gone.

Yeah, I know. I done been on foot|looking around this morning.

Where'd you find that boot?

On the ground.

Well, what do you aim to do?

I don't know.

Let's get your ass up out of there.

Got a spare shirt in my saddlebag.|You put that on.

Appreciate it.

Rawlins will pitch a pure hissy|when he sees you.

I don't give a sh*t.

There's my damn pistol.

- Sh*t.|- Hold on.

Keep riding. Good God almighty.

I ain't leaving until I get my stuff.

- My gun too.|- Listen at that.

Get us all shot for horse-stealing|don't mean a thing.

- It ain't stealing. It's mine.|- Sh*t-for-brains!

Hush. Both of you.

Get over here and sit down.

We're going to stick here...

...till about a hour before daylight.

Now, you got to play this|exactly like we say.

If that don't satisfy,|then you tell us right now.

Yeah. Okay.

All right.

You go on and get some sleep.

And no fire tonight.

Every dumb thing I ever done|in my life...

...a decision I made|before that got me into it.

It was never the dumb thing.

It was always some choice I'd|made first. You understand?

Yeah, I think so.

Meaning what?

Meaning this is it.

This is our last chance. Won't be|no other time, I guarantee it.

- Meaning just leave him?|- Yes, sir.

What if it was you?

I wouldn't leave you, or you me.

You realize the fix he's in?

I realize it. It's the fix|he's put himself in.

I can't do it.

Well, if you can't, you can't.

I guess I knew what you'd say anyways.

Oh, no. Damn it.

That little son of a b*tch.

Hold up, hold up. Let's listen.

You little son of a b*tch.

- Boys, they're coming.|- Cars or horses?

Horses. And there ain't no way y'all|can keep up.

I'll take the road. They'll follow|the dust, since they're hunting me.

Get in the woods.|I'll see y'all down the road.

Let's get off this damn road.

You think they caught him?

I don't know.

I'll say one thing for him anyways.

What's that?

Son of a b*tch wouldn't stand still|for nobody hijacking his horse.

You got your boots on?

- Yeah.|- All right.

You reckon they're friendly?

Shoot, I hope so.

Where are you going?

We're just passing through.

We're looking for work.

Oh, yeah?

We might have some work for you.

He said maybe.

Can we come with you?

Yes, of course.

Good.

Go that way.

Over there?

Did you see that little darling?

Watch it. Bring him over here.

Get in there.

How long you reckon you'd like|to stay here?

About a hundred years.

Now go to sleep.

There's Don Hector Rocha y Villareal.

Owns this whole shebang.

One of the last great ranches|in Mexico.

27,000 acres.

Flies his own plane|to Mexico City every week.

Manuel said this ranch been|in this family 170 years.

You reckon that was his daughter?

Yeah, I guess it was.

Let me go get my boots on.

Looks like there's about 12|or 13 of them.

I make it 16.

Armando said the old man's got|like 400 mustangs up on that mesa.

Damn.

You think you and me can break|all of them in four days?

- Why four days?|- You think we could do it?

You'd be about a wore-out sumbuck,|I'll tell you that.

I'll have a look at them.|Go talk to Armando.

How you doing?

I'm all right.

If we mess this up, bud, it's gonna be|a long ride back to Texas.

Give it some slack.

That's it.

That's it. Whoa, boy.

I'll put a saddle on you right now.

Your jackets.

You tired?

The horse is arriving, get ready.

Don't delay!

Hector de la Rocha y Villareal.

John Grady Cole.

Glad to meet you.

Alfonsa, you look like|an Impressionist painting.

Armando says you know|a lot about horses.

I've been around them some.

Do you know what a criollo is?

Yes, sir. It's a Argentine horse.

You're from Texas?

Yes, sir.

San Angelo.

Why are you here?

I just wanted to see the country,|I reckon. Or we did.

- You and your friend.|- Yes, sir.

But you are the leader.

We don't have no leaders.|No, we're just buddies.

Of course.

I recently purchased a thoroughbred|stallion of excellent blood.

- You gonna raise racehorses?|- No. Quarter horses.

I'm thinking of breeding my stallion|with my mesteo mares.

What's your opinion on that?

Well, I've known it done.

There's been good cow horses|sired out of thoroughbreds.

Of what importance is the mare?

Same as the sire. In my opinion.

Most breeders place more confidence|in the stallion.

Yes, sir, they do.

But I agree with you.

And you rode all the way here|from Texas?

Yes, sir.

- You and your friend?|- Yes, sir.

Just the two of you.

Yes, sir.

Just me and him.

Well, Mr. Cole, would you like|to see some horses?

Yes, sir.

It ain't like you was going away.

No. We'd still be working together.

It's a good opportunity for you.

Hell, I'd do it.

They told me to come bunk in here.

I was going to put my horse|in one of these stalls.

Can I put my horse in this stall?

Well, I guess we can talk later.

That's your mare.

Look at the eye on her.

Bring this one here.

She's not as big as the other one,|but that's your mare.

Do you like this one?

She's a beauty.

Some of them got their hats on.

I figure you just must be ready to cry|yourself to sleep every night.

She's probably used to dating guys got|their own airplanes, let alone cars.

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