River of No Return Page #2

everything in the world, boy.

Sometimes you have to back up

and go around.

- I just had it going good.

- You had it going very good,

but we don't wanna break our plough

or hurt our horse, now do we?

Come on. We'll go in the house

and have some coffee.

- Why did you name me Mark?

- Simple.

I'm Matthew. Mark follows Matthew.

It's the Bible.

- I follow you.

- Right.

- And that's how you thought of it?

- It wasn't me, it was your mother.

Come on, let's quit dreaming.

When we sell our first wheat, you got

a present coming. What do you want most?

- A rifle for my own.

- You're getting it.

Will we be rich, like the men finding gold?

No, but we'll beat those that don't find any.

I was away from you a long time, Mark.

That's when I thought about it.

I thought if a man doesn't know

what he's doing or where he's going,

the best thing for him to do

is just back up and start all over again.

I thought I'd start

with the ground and work up.

So I sent for you, and this is it.

Never saw a guy with so many questions.

You got any more?

You never told me where you were.

Well, I'll tell you one thing.

Come on out here with me and I'll show you.

- I can hit anything you can see.

- OK. That tree.

- Now, how could I miss a tree?

- The branch.

- Which one?

- The one on the top, to the left.

You got eyes like a grasshopper.

Man, oh, man.

All right, your turn.

Now, this time you're gonna fire it.

Check it.

Hold it like I told you,

tight up againstyour shoulder.

Lay your cheek right alongside of it.

- What's important?

- To hit the target.

- When?

- The first shot.

- Why?

- Because I might not get another.

All right. Take your time and aim.

Flex the elbow. Relax!

- What are you aiming at?

- The branch on the right side.

All right...

Wait a minute.

Maybe we better save that bullet.

- What'll we do if they come with paint on?

- We'll fight 'em. We cleared this land.

It's ours, so we're gonna stay on it,

or under it. Come on.

You're not afraid of anything, are you?

Not with you.

Matt, look!

- Can you make 'em out?

- Looks like a couple of men.

Here, go get some rope.

Hold it! Hold it there.

Hold it right there.

Let me get over here.

Get the horse.

Whoa!

All right, Mark. Take him out. Giddap!

Take him over to the right.

More!

Here!

Get ready to get off.

Ooh!

- My things!

- Let it go.

- Believe it or not, this is our honeymoon.

- The idea is to live through it.

- Calder's my name. Matt Calder.

- Weston. Harry Weston. I sure thank you.

- Hi!

- It's so good to see you again.

- You two know each other?

- We're old friends.

Come up to the cabin and dry off.

- Son, run along and build up a fire.

- All right.

Come on, I'll go with you.

- Let's go.

- I'm with you. Let's go.

- What is this? Whatyou got here, Calder?

- A farm.

Everybody is lookin' for gold

and you're diggin' a farm?

That's it.

- Maybe you know whatyou're doing.

- Well, I knowthat they don't.

- Don't I know you from somewhere?

- That might depend on whatyou do.

- I'm a gambler.

- Then you don't know me from anywhere.

- I always say "What's the difference?"

- That's what I always say.

- He fixed the sweep on the raft.

- Yeah, he's a man in a hurry.

It's a matter of life and death.

He's gotta get to Council City.

- On that raft?

- He says so.

Well, don't bring his troubles to me.

She's beautiful, isn't she?

There's an old saying, Mark:

"It's only skin-deep."

- What is?

- Beauty.

How deep should it be?

Well, ask her, son. She looks like an expert.

- Hi.

- Hi, friend.

Pretty elegant, aren't they?

Gotta take care of them. They're all I got left.

- Why did you get married?

- I fell in love.

- How do you know when you fall in love?

- I dunno. Can't eat or sleep.

- Like an ache in the stomach?

- Same thing... only in the heart.

- You'll find out when you get older.

- How old are you?

That's no question to ask a lady!

Not that I'm a lady.

Why aren'tyou?

See me in about ten years.

I'll try and tell you.

I said you were beautiful,

and he said beauty was skin-deep.

- Who did?

- Matt, my dad. He said it was an old saying.

It's an old saying by an old crow.

- When did you lose your mother?

- It was while dad was away.

That's why he sent for me.

- Are you going to look for gold?

- I could stand a little.

- What would you do with it?

- Do with it?

Buy fancy gowns, live in the swell hotels

in the big city. Go to the opera.

- What's that?

- That's music.

Very high-toned and fancy.

Not like mine.

I like yours.

Would you sing one?

I might have one for you, if I can remember it.

It was a long time ago.

When Mr South Wind sighs in the pine

Old Mr Winter whimpers and whines

Down in the meadow

Under the snow

April is teachin' green things to grow

When Mr West Wind howls in the glade

Old Mr Summer

Nods in the shade

Down in the meadow

Under the brook

Catfish are waitin' for the hook

Old Lady Blackbird flirts with the scarecrow

Scarecrow is wavin' at the moon

Old Mr Moon makes hearts everywhere go

Bump, bump

With the magic of June

All right, come and get it.

When Mr East Wind

Shouts overhead

Then all the leaves

Turn yellow and red

Down in the meadow

Corn stalks are high

Pumpkins are ripe and ready for pie

I look atyou and I can't see you becomin'

a farmer. Anything else I might believe.

- I'll try and struggle along withoutyou.

- Some more coffee?

What do they do with the gold

after they find it?

- They make money out of it.

- Why do they use gold?

- Because it's hard to get.

- Why don't they use something easy to get?

If something's easy to get, people

don't care about it. They don't value it.

If it's hard to get, then you've got something.

Like a mink? A mink is hard to catch.

Now you've got it. That's the idea exactly.

- How about a skunk?

- How about another dish?

Calder, how long do you think

it'll take us to get from here to Council City?

- You don't knowthis country.

- No, but I got a map here.

All right. You're right here.

Now, you had some trouble getting here,

and some lucktoo.

- There's Council City down there.

- That's not far.

A good green log might not make those

rapids between here and Council City.

- We made the last one.

- I know. I was there.

The river drops from here.

The rapids get worse.

You cut through a gorge

of solid wall for 15 miles.

The wall goes straight up.

The other way is overland, butyou

haven't got a gun, haven't got a horse.

- So you say it can't be done.

- You asked me howfar it was, that's howfar.

That's enough.

Calder, I got a gold claim

to file in Council City.

I gotta get there.

You can't imagine me being a farmer.

I can't imagine you a prospector.

Won it in a stud game.

All my life, I won the little pots

and lost the big ones.

- This time I got lucky.

- Lucky?

With the boob I was playing,

cheatin' would have just gotten in the way.

- Then what's your hurry?

- Maybe the man thinks like you do.

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