Middle of Nowhere Page #3

And you didn't have to.

Yeah, I know.

Are you sorry for me?

Let's say I made a mistake.

Why are you so afraid

of being human?

The only thing I'm afraid of

is not getting the job done

that I'm paid to do.

Perhaps

I could pay you too.

I've already

been hired.

So I guess we better

get back to camp.

It was a wild

and turbulent crossing.

And the waves

of the Atlantic Ocean

were rising mountains high

while our little ship

was being tossed about like a...

Like a leaf

on a waterfall.

But did MacKay get scared?

Did MacKay tremble?

He most certainly did.

And after riding many miles

in an iron horse,

here I am.

Home at last.

And now I'm going to tell you

something you really

want to know.

On my way back here,

I stopped in at your village.

And you'll be glad to learn

everything is going along fine.

I've had some plows shipped out

from the east.

They put 200 more acres

onto cultivation.

It'll be about a week before

your replacements come in.

And then you can go back

to your village.

Mr. MacKay.

Yes, lad?

When you were in our village,

did you see my wife?

Ah. I did, indeed.

What's more, I saw your son.

A son.

I am glad.

Ah. Of course you are.

You want to laugh and dance

and sing, don't you?

You've a right to.

He's a beautiful baby.

There are white men camping

in mountains tonight.

But I was not followed in.

No one's ever been able

to do that.

It is the two drovers,

and others.

Another man and woman.

Also two riders

who remain apart.

I don't like

the sound of it.

We'll have to do something

about it, lads, won't we?

Come on, Banning,

we haven't got all day.

We should be ready to move out

the instant they do.

Don't worry,

we'll be ready.

Ready for what?

You men are a long ways

from Endicott, aren't you?

So are you.

There ain't a bar

in sight.

I'm not leading you

to MacKay's gold.

Of course you ain't. You're just

showing that trail boss

a pass through

the mountains.

That's right.

So why worry about us?

I'm not worried about you.

I've got my story all ready.

I found you following me.

You tried to jump me.

And I had to kill

the pair of you.

I don't think

that's a very good idea.

Do you, Jim?

I sure don't.

That's too bad.

Turner? You got a gun?

In my saddlebag.

Get it.

I'll go on ahead.

You cover me.

Well, what if they're Indians?

I don't know

what it is yet.

Might be just Turner

getting breakfast.

Somebody was a pretty good shot.

Three holes, not an inch apart.

Whoever it was

couldn't have gone very far.

Well, they might as well be

on the other side of the moon.

It'll only take them a few

seconds to disappear in this.

Yeah, this'll only take

a few seconds

for someone to get lost,

you mean.

It just doesn't

seem real.

Oh, it's real enough,

all right.

What do we do now?

We get out of these mountains

as fast as we can, if we can.

Backtracking on this rocky

ground ain't gonna be no joy.

Sun might be some help if we

knew which way Turner took us.

But we don't.

Well, sitting around ain't gonna

change things. Let's go.

No, another dead end.

We're not getting anyplace,

boss.

All that means

is we keep on trying.

Come on, mount up.

What do you mean,

"Keep on trying"?

We can do that forever.

Oh, no. I forgot.

We don't have any more water.

How long is it before

you die of thirst?

You're not gonna die

of thirst.

Well, what am I gonna die of?

Look, we got in here.

So there must be a way out.

We'll find it.

Same way those other people did?

The ones who came in here

and never came out?

Now, look, I don't know

or care about them.

Well, I do.

I know what happened.

The same thing

that's gonna happen to us.

They just kept going round and

round the way we've been doing.

And every rock

looked like every other rock,

and they kept saying they'd find

a way out and they never did.

Hey, boss.

One thing's sure,

he'll know a way out of here.

What good

will that do us?

It'll do us a lot of good

if we can keep him in sight.

Come on, mount up.

Suppose he tries

to lead us into a trap?

He don't have to.

We're already in one.

Easy, Jim.

There ain't any more

where that come from.

All that did

was make me thirsty.

I'm getting sick of these rocks.

Maybe you better start

to love them.

They're likely to be

the last thing you'll ever see.

If only we hadn't lost

them drovers.

They're likely

in the same spot as we are.

Well, what are we supposed

to do? Stand right here and die?

It's been done.

Tyree.

What's he hanging around for?

What are you whispering for?

He can't hear you.

I don't want him to go away.

Well, why?

That ain't...

I got me an Indian.

Now, that makes my day...

That ain't smart.

That's all I was gonna say.

I have done as you said.

Fine.

And now let's take a look

at what flows down to us

from the benevolent mountain,

huh?

You know,

at first sight

a foolish man might think

this was pebble. Ha!

But we know better,

don't we, my lad?

And there's no end

to the gold in mountains.

At least not yet.

We're out of the rocks.

We still keep following him?

Yeah. He could've led us deeper

into them if he'd wanted to.

Maybe he's found a quicker way

to get rid of us.

Yeah.

Let's keep following him.

That could be a mistake,

boss.

Yeah,

but what's one more?

Yeah.

Guaranteed there's a madness

in each and every one of you.

You came up here

to seek for gold.

We came up here looking

for water and for grazing land.

There's plenty of water and

grazing land in the mountains.

But not in the direction

you were going.

We hired a guide.

Where is he?

He was killed by your people.

You're wrong.

He was killed by that man

and his partner.

But he deserved it.

He was not leading you

to green pastures.

We hired him

in good faith.

Faith, means, um...

It's a matter of belief,

is it not?

Why should I believe you?

Either you do

or you don't.

That's a matter of faith

for you to decide.

You wouldn't be the first

to come up to these mountains

and never be heard of again.

Our drovers will be up

looking for us.

No chance would they have

of finding this place.

What do you think we're so

interested in your gold for?

We got 3,000 head of cattle

on our hands.

Well, I've heard you say that,

but I've never seen it.

And this girl.

Why is she with you?

Looking

for her father.

Oh.

What's your name?

Barbara Fraser.

Was your father one of the men

that came up to look

for MacKay's gold?

Story she told us,

he's a geologist

and a mining engineer.

His wife died, he drank up

everything back east,

so he came west.

Last place he was heard from

was the Dead Mountains.

And who did the hearing?

She got a letter from him.

A letter?

Interesting.

Where did your father

get his education?

Edinburgh.

Oh, the girl's clever.

She knows everything about

the man she's talking of.

Everything except one thing.

And what's that?

He didn't have a daughter.

He's lying.

Mr. Favor,

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