Ride Lonesome Page #2

gonna try us, does it?

- Brigade?

- Yeah.

You were sayin,

a man needs a reason to ride this country.

You were right.

I don't suppose you heard about the poster

they got out on Billy John.

Poster?

Gotten tacked to near every tree 'n stump

'tween here'n Rio Bravo.

Claims the territory'll grant amnesty

to anybody that brings Billy in.

You know you won't believe this.

But me'n Whit went near a week

before we found out what that word

amnesty meant.

A fella sellin' Bibles over in

Santa Cruz told us.

It means the law's willin' to drop

any and all charges it's got against a man.

All he's gotta do is turn the key on Billy.

I know that ain't the reason

you rode 'im down.

But that's why me and Whit's gonna

tag along with you.

We figured that when Billy's brother Frank,

hears that you're ridin' him

in to hang, he's gonna come killin'.

But, if anybody can get Billy

safe to Santa Cruz, it's you.

If I do.

Then there's only one man standin'

between me'n startin' life clean over.

Make doubly sure Whit

keeps that Winchester on Billy John.

We wouldn't wanna lose 'im, would we?

We sure wouldn't.

Brigade! Brigade!

We can't take those animals along.

It'd slow us down.

- But we're responsible...

- They'll eat their way to the next swing stop.

Time comes, you can pick them up there.

Got out that black for you to ride.

The sooner you get on it, the

sooner we'll get clear from here.

Don't look like you and Mrs. Lane

get along too well.

We'll stay on the stage road to Dry Fork.

- Dry Fork?

- Swing south from there.

That's the long way, ain't it?

- Gotta pick up the station man.

- Or what's left of 'im.

Whit's right. If he had been alive,

that fella'd be back by now.

We're goin' to Dry Fork.

Not right away we ain't. Look.

- What do they want?

- They'll get around to it.

- What's he doing?

- He wants to talk.

Stay here.

He's got a horse. Wants to make a trade.

For what?

You.

He said they'd been seein' you here.

He wants to take you for his squaw.

So what we do now?

- Play along with 'em.

- Play along with...

If we don't we're apt to stir up

every buck in the country.

Come on.

- Just do like I tell you.

- Brigade.

Can't abide to see a woman's hair

hangin' from a Mescalero war-lance.

I hope you know what you're doin'.

- He'll offer his trade. I'll turn him down.

- Then?

With any luck they'll ride off.

Out in the hills, try to figure how else

to get you away from us.

I see.

No matter what happens

don't break down in front of 'em.

If you do, they'll take it wrong. Shame 'em.

I don't scare easy, Mr. Brigade.

I hope not.

That tears it.

Looks like you won.

They'll be back if they want her bad enough.

I thought you didn't scare, Mrs. Lane.

That was my husband's horse.

Too bad about the woman. She sure

is takin' it hard.

I tried to tell her it wasn't for certain

her man was dead. She wouldn't listen.

The way they treated 'em on the

coach, I don't hardly blame her.

I can't get over the way them Indians

wanted to trade her for a horse.

If it'd be me, I'd give a whole herd.

She's about the best all over

good-lookin' woman I ever seen.

- She ain't ugly.

- She sure ain't.

You got a reason for stayin'

in this open country?

Seems to me you'd keep a hill close

to your back, considering.

The way I see it, brother Frank

can't be too far back.

Talk had 'im up Val Verde way.

Heard about Billy,

he wouldn't waste any time.

Likely ride out the night.

To do that,

it'd put 'im behind us even sooner.

Dobe Corral's just over that rise.

We're headin' there.

I don't think

Frank's gonna come along before...

I'm not talkin' about Frank.

I'm talking about Mescaleros.

Medicine country.

They figure to jump us up

it'll be somewhere soon.

Maybe them four at Wells Junction

went for more?

- I know they did.

- How can you be sure?

'Cause there they are.

Keep movin'.

You sure Dobe's just over that rise?

Positive.

Ain't we gonna hurry?

Yeah, now!

Move!

Take her out.

Get him!

Sure beats all, don't it?

What a man'll put himself through

to get his hands on a woman.

I can't blame 'im though.

Haul their dead to the crest of the hill.

- Does that hurt you?

- It'll be just fine.

Yes, ma'am. Better get it cleaned up.

There's five horses.

Musta' pulled out early this morning.

What we do now, Frank?

- We keep after them.

- But our animals are nearly dead.

Said we keep after 'em.

This'll keep the chill off.

Well, you can say thanks.

It just don't seem right.

What don't?

Brigade wantin' to stay the night here.

It seems he'd be more in a hurry

to get to Santa Cruz.

- Maybe he figures a Mescalero...

- No, it ain't that. It's somethin' else.

What?

I know it sounds crazy, but I think

he wants Frank to catch up.

- Catch up?

- The way he's been stickin' to open country.

Staying to the flat instead of the ridges.

Seemin' not to care whether

or not he's bein' followed.

But why would he want

to fool a thing like that?

I don't know.

Could be he figures it'd make it just

that much harder on us.

- On us?

- We're ridin' with 'im.

Frank might not hold kindly to that.

He could get us killed.

I never thought about that.

One way or the other, Brigade's

gotta face it out and he knows it.

Maybe we should forget about

the whole thing.

Ride away alive.

We can't do that.

- Lf Frank's goin' to come down here...

- You've been up north of Socorro?

- Some.

- I got a place up there.

- You got a place?

- It ain't much. Not yet, it ain't.

Got my herd to build, wire to

stretch'n such.

Only trouble is,

if I ride back there,

there's them that'll see me hang.

Unless, of course, the territory

was to drop the charge.

Oh, that word.

- Yeah, amnesty.

- Amnesty.

So, we get ole' Billy Boy back to Santa Cruz

and be just that close and never...

Never havin' to look over your shoulder

again and sleep with a gun in your hand.

Going off dead inside

when you see a man wearin' tin on him.

We just come too far, Whit.

Can't turn back now.

We just can't.

Will he be all right?

If I could get 'im on his feet he

would. The leg isn't broken.

- He can't get up?

- Won't.

Got it in his head he's down for good.

Hurts him to stand. Won't even try.

There's nothing you can do?

Stay with 'im. Let him know he's not alone.

I'm sorry about everything.

I know I'm a lot of trouble.

You... You took an awful chance out there.

Seemed like a good idea.

Hi, boy.

I guess I always knew.

- Knew?

- That it would end like this.

My husband didn't want me

to come out here.

Put in for a transfer the day

we took over the swing stop at the junction,

for a town job.

Every month it was supposed to

come through.

It never did.

I tried to tell myself it didn't matter,

that my place was with him.

Then I found myself

watching for coaches and hoping.

He must've noticed.

He asked me

to go on to Bisbee and wait for him.

Said I'd be safe there.

As much as I wanted to, I couldn't do it.

I couldn't leave him alone.

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