Fury at Furnace Creek Page #3

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Come in.

Mr. Cameron?

Come on in.

- Sit down.

- Thanks.

- You're a stranger in town, ain't you?

- Just got in this morning.

And into mischief right away.

Mr. Leverett don't like gun smoke.

There's been too much of it hereabouts.

This fellow was figuring to kill a man.

- You lookin' for a job?

- Maybe.

- Fast on the draw?

- Fast enough.

- Draw, Mr. Cameron.

- It's kinda risky business, Mr. Shanks.

Just a friendly test of speed.

When I bring my gun out, Mr. Shanks,

I bring it out shooting-

Just an old habit of mine.

However, if you don't mind, I don't.

- Forget it. You're hired.

- To do what?

To keep the peace for Mr. Leverett.

250 a month.

I blow a fella's hand away,

and you offer me a job. How come?

When a man can knock the knuckles

off a moving hand at 10 paces...

I want him on Mr. Leverett's side.

I see. I'm to be sort of a bodyguard,

is that it?

That's it.

All right.

I'll give it a try.

Fine.

You're on the payroll starting now.

Uh, Mr. Cameron, you play dominoes?

- I'm a whiz at it.

- Well, we must have us a game.

Can you tell me the way

to Fort Furnace Creek?

Yes. You go south along the valley

seven or eight miles...

and then turn west

when you hit the old wagon road.

Thanks.

- Someone who belonged to you?

- My pa.

Bill Baxter.

I've heard that name.

Maybe you saw him fight.

Yeah, that's right. Dodge City. He went 48 rounds

bare knuckles with a fella named, uh-

- Cassidy. Corporal Cassidy.

- Yeah.

I'll never forget that day.

They stood me on a cracker barrel

so I could see.

The corporal was built of boilerplate,

Pa said...

- and every time Pa walloped him,

he clanged like a dinner bell!

It was a good fight- the kind my old man liked.

Did you know him?

- No. I wish I had.

- Oh, you'd have been crazy about him. Everybody was.

- I'm Molly.

- Tex Cameron.

- You got somebody buried here too?

- No, not here.

- I just rode out to see the fort.

- Oh. I thought maybe you had.

I guess I'd better be getting back to town.

- Mind if I walk back to your buckboard with you?

- Please do.

- Come out here often?

- That's why I moved out here from Kansas City-

so I could visit Pa's grave.

From the looks of that fort,

that garrison didn't have much of a chance.

I hope it's never rebuilt.

I hope it's left just the way it is always...

with the broken arrows

and the guns they never got to fire.

- That sounds like a strange hope.

- Not at all.

I never want to forget

what happened there...

and that there's somebody still living

who shouldn't be.

- I don't follow you.

- It took more than one man to dig Pa's grave.

Oh, I've thought about it

a thousand times...

and about that General Blackwell

and why he sold out his own men.

- How do you know he did?

- Somebody must have paid him to send that order.

- Anyone special in mind?

- Who profited? Ask yourself that.

- You forget I'm a stranger here.

- You'll learn. Oh, I'm sorry.

I keep forgetting, this doesn't mean anything

to strangers. Let's talk about something else.

- All right. Let's talk about you. What else do you do around here?

- I work at the Shack in town.

- The Shack?

- Pop Murphy's place.

Mulligan stew and apple pie-

That's us.

- Homemade?

- I make the pie.

Pop won't let anybody touch that mulligan.

That's his specialty.

Well, looks like you got

a new customer.

- Now that you know all about me, what about you? What do you do?

- Oh, nothing in particular.

You might say I'm sort of a jack-of-all-trades.

I guess I've tried about everything.

Go on.

Well, before I came out here,

I worked on a riverboat on the Mississippi.

The river's beautiful,

especially at night...

but it's not as beautiful as this.

There's something lonely and quiet

about the desert country.

I like it.

- Are you gonna stay in Furnace?

- For a while.

Good. I mean, Pop will be delighted

to get a new customer.

I liked it better the first time.

- So this is where I eat the best food in town, huh?

- Nothing less.

- I'll run the team down to the stable for you.

- Well, thanks.

Come on. Oops.

Hiya, Pop. I brought you a new customer.

Meet Mr. Cameron. This is Pop.

- Howdy, Pop.

- Always glad to meet a new customer.

It's funny.

Ever since Molly came to work for me...

more young fellas get to hankerin'

for my mulligan.

Oh-ho, that's what I like about you, Pop:

Right to the point.

See you later, Pop.

- Bye, Molly.

- Bye.

- Sparkin'?

- Don't be foolish, Pop. I just met him an hour ago.

- An hour is an awful long time when

sittin' on a hot stove. - Oh, ho-ho!

- Every seat's taken? The stage is never full going out of here.

- It is tonight.

- Well, let me see the list.

- Sorry, Captain. No seats.

- But look. L-

- I said, no seats!

I'll buy that horse.

- He's already sold.

- I'll give you 40.

- I just told you, he's al-

- Fifty.

You must be hard of hearin'.

- Good morning, Cap'n.

- Good morning.

Wonderful weather.

Makes a man glad to be alive.

I was just going down to buy

a new bridle for my horse.

Great little horse, that. Not much to look at,

but he can go all day long.

- You wouldn't like to sell him, would you?

- I hadn't thought of it.

- I'd take good care of him. I used to be

in the cavalry, you know. - Yes, I- I know.

- If it's a question of money-

- Sorry, Cap'n, but I'm afraid...

your money isn't any good

around here today.

Look, Mr. Cameron. You can help me.

Nobody need know. You could say I stole the horse.

I know what I could say.

The point is, why should I?

I guess there's no reason except that...

I'll be killed if you don't.

I don't sign any blank checks,

Captain, for anybody.

But I'll make you a deal. Tell me why

you're in trouble, and maybe I'll help you.

- It wouldn't interest you.

- Suit yourself, Cap'n. I'll see you around.

Why do you want to know?

It doesn't concern you.

Why it concerns me is my business.

Your business is saving your life.

If that's what you want,

write it down in black and white.

I'll see that you get out of town

in one piece.

- Oh, I couldn't do that. L-

- Why not? Who are you protecting?

- It isn't that. It's just that I-

- Figure it all out, Captain.

You couldn't possibly be

in a worse fix than you are.

All right. I'll tell you. L-

Whoa.

- Hello, Mr. Leverett. We're glad to have you back.

- Glad to be back. Hi, Artego.

- How's everything?

- Fine. Everything's fine.

Good. Hello, joe.

Well, what happened to your hand, Bird?

A little accident, Mr. Leverett.

Nothing important.

- That's too bad.

- I've got those reports ready for you.

- So that's Leverett.

- Yeah.

- Well, Cap'n, what about-

- I'll have to think it over first.

I'll let you know later.

- Thanks, Artego.

- Yes, sir.

I've got all these mine reports filed

according to date right here on your desk.

- Production records look pretty good.

- Never mind about that.

- That isn't what I came back for.

- Is there anything wrong?

The Sixth Cavalry

has been ordered back here.

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