Meek's Cutoff

1

[Water Running]

[Bird Chirping]

[Man Talking, Faint]

[Chirping]

[Scraping]

[Scraping Continues]

[Blows]

[Crickets Chirping]

"In the sweat of thy face

shalt thou eat bread...

till thou return

unto the ground,

for out of it

was thou taken,

for dust thou art,

and unto dust

shalt thou return.

And Adam called

his wife's name Eve,

because she was

the mother of all living.

Wish we had eggs.

Unto Adam, also

and unto his wife...

did the Lord God

make coats of skins

and clothed them.

And the Lord God said,

'Behold,

I don't remember what eggs are.

The man is become

as one of us,

to know good and evil,

and now, lest he

put forth his hand

and also take,

and take also

of the tree of life,

and eat, and live forever.'

Therefore, the Lord God

sent him forth from

the Garden of Eden,

to till the ground

from whence

that he was taken.

So he drove out the man

and he placed him at the

east of the Garden of Eden,

cherubim and a flaming sword

which turned every way,

to keep the way

of the tree of life."

[Grunts]

Ohh.

[Exhales]

Step up.

William!

William.

William. William.

[Man] He managed

to hightail it in there

just as fast as he could.

Figured he'd wait out

the storm.

But when he got inside,

it turned out there was

a big ol' grizzly bear

sleeping in there!

Joe faced himself

a dilemma.

Sure death outside...

and sure death inside.

- Well, what did he do?

- OI' Joe, he took

the quicker route.

He pulled out his gun,

he took a shot at the bear,

but it just made him mad!

She come at him,

claws a-swipin'

and teeth a-snappin',

and somehow

somehowJoe managed

to get himself...

up on the back side

of the bear,

and he rolled

around the cave

like a buckin' bull!

And she took his scalp

clean off...

on the roof of the cave

that day.

But you know what?

He ate her in the end.

[Laughs]

And ever since then...

he's worn his hair long.

You know why?

No.

In deference

to the squeamish.

It was quite a fight, son.

It was quite a fight.

But there's no bears here!

Hell's full of bears, Jimmy.

But there's no bears here.

[Men Conversing, Faint]

What are they

talking about?

Were you told?

Your husband didn't say?

Not this time.

They're talking about

whether to hang Stephen Meek.

[Man]

Gately argued that Meek...

has taken us off track

on purpose,

that he was hired...

to get rid

ofAmerican immigrants.

So the more of us come,

the more likely

the territory goes American.

It has a logic.

I suppose.

A broken one.

Mr. White wasn't swayed either.

He argued for more patience.

"We're at

the man's mercy now,"

he said.

"Meek's just

made a mistake is all.

He's just in over his head."

And then what?

We were just

getting into it again

when Meek himself showed up.

He'd been hiding above us

up there in the rocks

the whole time.

So that's where he was.

He strutted into the circle

with his gun in his hand.

"Well, you've found me," he said.

"Now go ahead with the killin'."

Everybody got real quiet.

It shut everybody up.

Frank Gately

is happy enough to hang a man

so long as he's not around.

And?

Well, Meek got to talkin'.

Of course he did.

He says that we are

in Paiute country now.

He says that the Paiutes

are a fearsome tribe,

that they're nothing

like the Flatheads

on the main stem.

If we trust him

to do his job,

well, then he welcomed

anyone to gainsay him.

Nothing

about our route.

Nothing about it.

"Seen the elephant,"

my eye.

Two weeks, he said,

and we'd be in the pass.

It's been over five

and we haven't even

seen a mountain yet.

[Exhales]

What was the verdict?

We give

a few more days.

We never should have

left the main stem.

[Crickets Chirping]

Good morning,

Emily.

Morning.

Workin' like n*ggers

once again.

[Grinding]

Maybe we're back

on known ground.

Oh, he was

guessing.

Everyone has

some luck sometimes.

[Wagon Wheels

Squeaking]

[Meek]

Hyah.

[Squeaking Continues]

[Man]

Come on.

[Emily's Husband]

Made 10 miles today.

I'd say this is

the best shelter we've had

since morning.

The wind's not gonna

be kind tonight.

[Man #1]

It's early yet.

[Emily's Husband]

We won't push too hard.

[Man #1]

I say we keep on.

The going is easy

in these parts,

and we should make

the most of this ground

while we can.

[Man #2]

Seems to be more shelter

up ahead.

[Meek]

Well, I'd be careful now.

This country'll

play tricks on you.

That piece you see out there

might be [Swallows Water]

A whole lot farther

than you think.

Guarantee it.

How far

would you say?

I wouldn't say.

I just know it'll be

farther than I think.

The thinness of the air

makes everything look

closer than it is.

There could be water

though?

Yeah.

Possible, I reckon.

I say we keep on.

I think

I would agree.

All right.

Keep moving.

[Wheels Squeaking]

Hyah.

[Man]

Hyah.

Hyah.

[Horse Blustering]

[Snorts]

Come ho.

Hah.

Well, we'll have

to water the animals

from our own supply tonight.

Can't go without

after a day like this.

Should've taken on more

at the river.

[Hammering]

[Squeaking]

You need to eat.

You've been working

all day.

I'm fine for now.

Please.

Evenin'.

Good evening,

Mrs. Tetherow.

Mr. White.

Uh, Glory, I brought

some bread to share.

That's much appreciated,

Emily.

It's my pleasure.

I-I-I have stew too,

if you'd like it.

I know you would.

No.

No, this is enough.

Thank you.

Jimmy.

[Meek]

It's like my feet

have gloves,

like I can

I can handle the ground

that I'm walking on.

I feel the sand.

I feel the dirt.

I feel the gravel.

I never slip. I never

I don't I never stumble.

I can follow

a trail in the dark

and never stray off the path.

I live with this world.

I'm not just in it,

is what I'm sayin'.

But to answer your question,

Gately, the beaver,

they're played out.

That's the truth.

That market's done and gone.

There's no fortune

to be had there anymore.

Your man Astor got it all.

[Man] We should have

made the trip earlier.

Waited too long.

No, you know, there

there are plenty of fortunes

to be had.

I mean, the beaver, that's a

That's just the first gift

of this land. You mark my words.

Will the territory

go American? That's

what I want to know.

Well, in my...

in my opinion, I-

Well, you know, it depends.

It depends on the fight...

in the Americans,

and in the English,

and in the Indians.

I'm led to believe

there's 250 Americans

in Oregon country.

There's seven more argonauts

comin' in a few weeks.

Maybe that'll tip the scales.

Where would you

settle?

[Exhales]

Willamette Valley.

That's where my brotherJoe

put down stakes.

Civilization

is taking hold there.

They got missionaries

in Champoeg.

Could have found God

in Virginia.

Well, if it's riches

you're after,

there's riches aplenty.

The land you're headed for

is a regular second Eden.

You won't want

for riches someday.

You'll just plunge your hands

into the ground.

[Emily]

Come to bed.

Soon.

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