Canyon Passage Page #6

That's your writing, George?

Yes.

If you gave him his dust, why

didn't you take back the receipt?

I seldom give receipts.

You remember, Johnny,

I never gave you one.

I just put your dust

in the safe

and when you asked for it,

you got it.

It's been my usual custom,

all you boys know that.

But Mclver wanted a receipt.

I merely forgot to ask for it

when I gave him back his dust.

Careless, I'd say.

We're all careless with gold,

it's the cheapest thing in camp.

Is that all, Johnny?

If so, it's not enough.

On the testimony of a man

squinting through his shutter,

you've tried to show

that Camrose is dishonest.

And on the basis

of an unreturned receipt,

you deny he gave Mclver

back his dust.

You've proved nothing.

Tell them, Linnet.

Well, he came into my store

a couple of days ago

and traded me a nugget, and I

noticed it was shaped like a shamrock,

so I put it in a box, set it

up in my store for good luck.

Why, that's Mack's lucky

piece. He always carried it.

Shamrock. That's Mack's.

I know that nugget.

That's it.

Sure, it was Mack's.

Well, there's the case,

Logan.

Twist it if you can.

Camrose could only

have gotten that nugget

at a time

when Mack couldn't resist.

In other words,

when Mack was dead.

I make murder out of that.

Let's vote on it.

Let's vote.

Just a moment.

Just a moment, all of you.

This meeting has no sanction.

If you vote this man guilty, you must

still hold him over to a regular court.

Remember this.

Remember, if you vote this

man dead on that set of facts,

you'll be setting the scene

for another day

when you may be

voting yourself dead.

Vote!

Vote!

Let's vote!

All those who think he's guilty, say so.

Guilty.

Guilty.

Hurray!

Did you know about the nugget? No.

They'll hang him tonight.

They'll just wait

till it's dark.

You've done

all you could, Logan.

Guilty.

Oh!

Dad, do you think

he did it?

Well, he's a weak man.

Let's get along, Lucy.

Logan...

Lucy, Logan did everything

he could.

Don't ask him to do any more.

Don't give us any trouble,

Logan.

It would be disagreeable, but

disagreeable or not, we'd shoot you.

That's plain.

I'm glad you told me.

Don't do it, Logan.

You've done enough,

haven't you?

No man has to go

against reason.

Reason?

Is that what

makes a man hungry?

Is it reason

makes him fight

or sends him in to

Stutchell's to have a drink

or makes him

stand by a friend?

What does make him, then?

Something deeper than reason.

The Indians have broken loose.

They've broken out.

How far did you come?

Well, I guess about 40 miles.

They're about 12 miles behind me here.

They are?

How far away are they?

They got their war paint on? Sure.

How big a party?

George, pull on the door.

Here. Take the black horse

in my barn.

Watch your chance, get up

to the hills and keep going.

Thanks, Logan.

Thanks for your confidence.

Don't flatter yourself.

What are you doing this for?

For Lucy's sake?

You don't want her to see

me strung up, is that it?

Something like that,

I guess.

Everything's on fire

all along the line.

My wife's dead

and my little girl's dead.

How many Indians

did you see?

Big band? Little band?

What made them break out?

I couldn't say for sure.

The ferry man said it was on account

of Honey Bragg killing an Indian girl.

Which way are they heading?

Toward Dance's.

A man ought to be

tougher than that.

That's a fool remark,

Johnny.

We'll have to raise a company.

Sixty men or more.

Count me in.

Me, too.

I'll go.

On that mule?

She can run. Well, you

better stay here just in case.

Come on, let's go.

Just in case

they head this way.

He's gone. He broke out.

Broke out? How?

He busted the lock.

Why didn't you watch him?

I warned you, Logan.

You're making

long guesses again, Johnny.

Whoever's going,

be here in 20 minutes.

Grub enough for three days.

We'll take care

of you later, Logan.

There.

Now you can let it down.

There we are.

Liza, you're just about the best

little helper a man ever had.

Oh.

All right.

How big an outfit

was it, Logan?

Thirty mules. I wonder if

Morrow and Blazier got away.

Hello!

We were jumped, Logan,

Morrow was killed.

How are things here?

Bad.

Mr. Dance is dead

and young Asa, too.

Where's Caroline?

She's gone.

She's up in the brush

hunting a cow.

I found her trail,

but I couldn't follow it.

I'll have coffee for you all

in a little while.

We'll take you up to the ferry,

Mrs. Dance. It'll be safer.

No, I wouldn't...

I wouldn't feel easy under

foot in another woman's house.

Well, what kind of dress

was Caroline wearing?

Gingham.

Blue and white checked.

Did she have a gun?

I...

I don't recollect.

There was firing all around

while the red beasters were here.

My Ben was killed right off.

It was him

I was thinking about,

not anybody else.

Caroline was out

looking for that no horn cow.

She's a breechy creature,

always knocking down the fence

and some kind of grass up in

the canyon that she yearned for.

Who's that? Sing out!

Hey!

I'm coming in.

Stay where you are!

I'm dead beat.

Do you want me hanging from

a tree skinned and dressed?

You got nothing

coming to you.

I'm coming in.

Logan!

Hey!

Come here, quick.

Caroline's.

Caroline.

Caroline.

How are they all?

Mrs. Dance is all right.

Ben?

He's dead, Caroline.

So is Asa.

Caroline.

I want all of you to come back to

Jacksonville. Put up at my place.

I wouldn't want to do that.

You'll be doing it soon.

I don't want to

leave here, Logan.

I can never be

a town woman again.

I could never be a woman

moving around.

I... I'd disappoint you.

It came to me last night.

We're not the same.

And then today, when you

found me, you and Vane,

I was sure.

I want to look out of the

window and see my man plowing.

And in the evening, see

him in the kitchen rocker.

You're thinking of Vane.

I'm thinking I'm not

hurting you too much, Logan.

And as time went by, I'd

be hurting you, is that it?

That's it.

Caroline, crying

helps some people a lot.

Some people it doesn't help.

You folks all right?

Oh, yes.

But what about the Dances?

They were hit pretty bad.

Ben and little Asa were

killed. Oh, and Caroline?

Caroline's all right.

Well, didn't you bring her back with

you? It's dangerous where she is.

She didn't come.

She doesn't like towns.

Well, she'd better get to like

them if she's marrying you.

She's not.

She's marrying Blazier.

Well, what did I tell you?

About what?

About the trouble

that always comes.

And your Crescent pack string was

destroyed over in the Applegate.

The Scottsburg outfit's

gone, too.

Blazier got clear.

You know how you stand,

Logan?

You're broke.

This is what you lent Camrose.

Where is he?

Indians get him?

No, one of the boys.

Never mind which one.

There was a lot of good

in George.

Yeah, he sure

panned out no color.

It's a thin margin, Johnny,

between what could be and what is.

Yeah.

It was thin for you

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