Bend of the River Page #3

You were one of

the Missouri border raiders.

I'll take mine

from the top.

You got it

from the top.

That last one came from the

bottom. It's the deuce of spades.

You're a liar!

You're real fast with that

gun, kid, but you're soft.

Someday it'll kill ya.

You sure the kid was right about

that card? Yeah. I knew Grundy.

Is that why

you killed him?

Or was it because

he knew you?

Be careful with those apple

trees. They mustn't get hurt.

Is them apple trees?

Yes!

These are plums.

These are pears. All different.

We'll have the finest fruit

in all the world upriver.

Them ain't apple trees. I seen

an apple tree when I was a kid.

It was as big

as a house.

All aboard that's comin'aboard!

Hurry up!

We're gettin'under way.

Good-bye.

Good-bye, Marjie.

Good-bye.

Good-bye. Decided to

stay in Portland, huh?

For a while. Then I thought

I'd drift on down to California.

Still followin' that star?

Sometimes it's better than having

a man with a star following you.

I'll see ya.

Everybody aboard!

Haul in the gangplank.

Let's go! Hurry it up!

Don't forget, you're coming

up to see me. If I have time.

Well, it looks like we might

have a romance in the making.

Trey's a good boy.

I don't like that man Cole. Why not?

I heard Grundy say he was a

raider on the Missouri border.

Lots of people used to raid.

Some of them decided to change.

That kind can't change.

When an apple's rotten, there's nothing

you can do except throw it away...

or it'll spoil

the whole barrel.

There's a difference

between apples and men.

Stand by to cast off!

Clear your bow lines!

Ease off on

the stern lines!

Easy there!

Clear the bow!

Cast off all lines!

Mind if we come up? Not at

all, if you keep out of the way.

I got enough people up here giving

orders to my crew now! Half astern!

Half astern!

Bye!

Full astern!

Full astern!

Beautiful, aren't they?

Those are the ones you wanted to drive

over in the wagon. We'd have made it.

Oh, sure. Of course, this way is easier.

How far upriver can we

go? Another 40, 50 miles.

Then we come

to the rapids?

No way of getting the boat past,

unless you take it apart and carry it.

- You sure you don't want me to do that too?

- Never you mind!

Someday we'll have a portage past the

rapids, and boats on the upper river.

Keep her in closer to the bank! Why?

It's better goin'. I came this way in a

canoe, and we stayed close to the bank.

This ain't no canoe!

This is it.

This is as far as you can go.

Yeah, / see what you mean.

But the wagons will take us

around the rapids.

In a day or two, you'll see

some of the finest country...

God ever put on

the face of this planet.

It's what I've always

dreamed about, Glyn...

a new country where

we can make things grow.

We'll find a valley

where the earth is rich...

where the mountains shelter us

from the north winds.

We'll use the trees

that nature has given us...

cut a clearing

in the wilderness.

We'll put in roads...

and use the timber to bridge

the streams where we have to.

Hah! Then we'll build our homes, Glyn,;

build them strong to stand

against the winter snows.

There'll be

a meeting house...

a church.

We'll have a school.

Then we'll put down seedlings.

There'll be apples, pears.

/n a few years, we'll bring

fruit to the world...

such as the eyes of man

has never seen.

All of this is good...

but it'll all be for nothing unless we get

enough food to carry us through the winter.

I've been watching the snow clouds

forming over those mountains.

In a few weeks,

we'll be iced in.

It's bad, Glyn, bad.

I'm worried. Any word from Portland?

None at all. Those supplies were

supposed to be here in September.

And here it is,

the middle of October.

Come to the end of the flour.

Another week, no more bacon and beans.

No more nothin'

in two weeks.

I hadn't realized it was that

bad. No use worryin' you men.

You have your work to do. Captain Mello

may be havin' trouble with that steamboat.

Hendricks should've

let us know.

We should ride to Portland

and find out what's the matter.

I'm worried about Laura.

No word. Nothin'.

Let's get started

tomorrow morning.

Come and get it!

Come and get it,

or I'll feed it to the hogs!

I wish I had

a couple of hogs.

Someday we gotta find a way

to get across that mountain.

We could save a week or ten

days on a trip to Portland.

Well, if we can't find a way...

somebody'll have to come and find

us under about ten feet of snow.

This is good country.

Yeah, real good country.

Let's hope we can

keep it this way.

Missouri and Kansas was like this

when I first saw 'em. Good, clean.

It was the men who came to steal

and kill that changed things.

We mustn't let it

happen here.

Where did they come from,

these people?

I don't know,

but I don't like it.

Captain Mello?

Hey, Captain Mello,

you aboard?

Well, hello.

Ain't seen you for months!

That's the trouble. Where you

been? Here, tied to the dock.

Adam, fetch me another bottle

of whiskey. We got company.

I fetched the last bottle we got,

and you done drunk it empty.

Never should've

left the Mississippi.

I tell you, we never

should've left the Mississippi.

Come aboard and I'll

send out for refreshments.

What's happened to this

town? Gold, that's what.

Some fool went in the hills

and got some dust.

This town's gone

plumb crazy since.

What about our supplies? There

they are, stacked up on the dock.

Your horses and cattle

are over yonder.

Why weren't they sent last

month? Tom Hendricks' orders.

You better see him about

it. I will see him about it.

You better get up steam. We need

these things. We're starting right now.

There's no need of

bein' disappointed. Here.

See that price there? That's what flour

was worth when you bought it last spring.

See this? That's how

it's climbed ever since.

But it's our flour. We paid

for it. It was your flour.

You fellas want to make

a dollar apiece?

Uh, five dollars?

I'll give you ten dollars

apiece for one hour's work.

And a bottle of whiskey? And a

bottle of whiskey. It's a deal.

Get 'em to get this stuff

aboard. The horses and cattle too.

Is that all right with you? If that's

the way it's gonna be, deal me in.

Glyn, find out about Laura! All

right, men, get this... All right.

You're a little naked to go callin'

on Hendricks. You ain't wearin' a gun.

Can I get you one?

No, thanks.

What's the chance of a fella buyin' a

thousand dollars' worth of blue chips?

Good to see ya! What brought you

into town? A real tired horse.

Hey, Trey!

Yeah? LetJohn take your hand.

That star of yours

brought you a real pot of gold.

It would have if I got here

first, but I got here late...

so I'm working as Hendricks' pit

boss. It's quite a layout. Hello, Trey.

Good to see you, sir. Heard

about the gold strike? I've heard.

How're the folks? How's

Jeremy? Fine. Jeremy's fine.

And his daughter, uh...

what was her name?

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