Sugarfoot Page #4

And leave your arms hanging floppy.

Well, I reckon that's all the advice

I got to give you.

Thank you.

Lay him sudden. In this game you

can't copper no bets.

I... better be going.

Yeah.

Out here, you don't fight to see

what a nice gentleman you can be.

You fight to kill.

I've learnt that.

- The trouble with you is

you was watchin' for what you was

sure he was goin' to do.

Not for what you were sure he

weren't gonna do, so he got you.

I got him, too.

- Yeah, lucky for you.

But he's walking around.

And here you be.

Yeah, walking around.

Him and that there fat fella.

What fat fella?

That pop-eyed dude you

horn-swaggled over La Paz.

Pair thicker than a couple of

mongrel puppies.

'Bout the only thing I've

accomplished here in Arizona is to

make a pair of enemies for myself.

Hello.

- Welcome, Don Miguel.

Sit down!

- Sit down, sit there. Sit, sit.

It's nice to see you so.

You are very lucky, Mr Sugarfoot.

I am as good as new.

I hope there will be no more bullets

for you.

But I think, Mr Sugarfoot, you are

the man that bullets look for.

We have a nice little money

together.

First you have your share of what

La Paz goods sell for.

It's two thousand, three hundred,

eleven dollars.

My share amounted to so much?

- Si.

Also, while you are in your bed,

I think it is bad that your team

and wagons are idle.

So I take freighting contracts for

you.

From this is more or less one

thousand, one hundred and twenty

dollars.

I'm obligated to you for much

kindness.

Bad things come in this territory.

There is much anger,

and can be much suffering.

I don't know what to do.

What bad things go on?

- Well...

Look, all business in Arizona

depends on the army.

To feed the army, to supply the army,

to grow crops for the army.

Now, the government cancelled its

contracts with our ranchers

and the army quartermaster

will not buy.

The army must have grain, it has to

buy grain.

Animals must be fed.

- Sure.

They buy from California

when grain raised in Arizona at

their door must rot!

And the ranchers must starve.

And why? Politics.

Because palms are greased.

That's intolerable. I think I'd be

violent myself.

No, no. Violence is not good.

There is wild talk.

Our ranchers say that this

California grain must not come in.

They say the wagons should be

seized on the way,

and the grain burned with fire.

But that is bad.

There will be killing.

It will be bad for the dead

and for the living.

Who's planned this thing, who's

engineering it?

Engineering... I don't...

For sure I don't know. But in

Prescott there's now a man

by the man of Asa Goodhue.

Mr Goodhue.

Goodhue goes here and there.

He's friends with the quartermaster.

He is a man who brushes himself very

clean and neat outside,

but inside he is creased.

In his smiling you see it.

I've met him.

- Yes, you have met him.

Also goes with him, Jacob Stint.

When do you expect this grain to

arrive from California?

It is said it will be in Yuma or

La Paz, in maybe ten days,

in maybe two weeks.

Is it your belief that Goodhue is

the agent of the California parties?

I think so. I think he offers this

grain at half the price to ruin us.

It means that the ranchers would be

abandoned and he would have no

competition.

Have protests been made

to the General?

Be sure, he's... He's asked...

The orders cancel come

from Washington.

Washington.

- Hmm...

I know what it means to depend on

the land for a living.

Don Miguel...

if our men fight,

I will fight with them.

If only I had

the wisdom of Solomon...

God bless you, Sugarfoot.

You ain't got the sense that God

gave geese!

I'm tired of being coddled, Mary.

I'm well.

You're well?

You go traipsin' around,

bust open that wound,

you'll see how well you be.

Now you're here,

sit down before you fall down.

I got venison stew.

That'll put meat onto your bones.

- Mm...

Hey, Reva, look who's here!

Is this wise?

- It's been days since I've seen you.

I'll wait on you.

Then sit down.

- Sit down now. I'll wait on you both.

Seems I remember you in my tent

Seems that I would awaken

and see you there.

There was need for nursing.

But then you stopped coming.

When the need for nursing was over.

Hmm... the days were very long.

Every day I hoped you would come.

If we let them skunks fetch that

grain from California,

we're nothing but a pack

of pesky coyotes.

Well, I argue against it.

We gain nothing.

But if you boys vote for trouble,

I'll string along.

Might as well be shot dead than

starved dead.

It's like a dare. Like, if a man tells

you to get out of town before dawn.

All right, Johnny. I'll see

Miss Cairn the rest of the way home.

That's what you think. Ain't nobody

gonna molest her on the street no more.

I'm personally responsible

to walk her home every night.

It's all right, Johnny.

- Oh!

It's him, hey?

All right, all right.

You two walk ahead and spark,

but I'll be maudlin' right behind

till you get to your door.

You know what the ranchers were

discussing today?

There'll be trouble.

- There'll be a profit for Goodhue and Stint

if there is trouble.

Goodhue wouldn't hesitate to

interfere with his own shipments

to make the authorities think

the ranchers were guilty.

It's the only use Goodhue would

have for a man like Stint.

Stint's leaving Prescott.

I must follow and somehow prevent

him doing what he plans to do.

You're still weak.

A weak, unsteady man would stand

no chance against Jacob Stint.

He won't be alone if he means to

attack those wagons.

You'll be alone.

- There'll be Fly-Up-The-Creek.

How would you stop the attack?

How can I know that?

Thing like this, one has to act when

the time comes.

I could mind my own business and do

nothing about it.

It would be possible to do that.

Would you advise it?

You're already determined to meddle

in it. You couldn't help yourself.

No advice of mine would stop you.

When I come back I'll

- If you come back it'll always be this way.

Always hoping to

see you just once again.

Just once again until

- Until I don't come back?

Or until I come back to tell you

Jacob Stint's dead?

I'll come back to you.

Stint's pulling his freight.

- Huh?

Yeah, him and three other skunks.

They're saddlin'.

Calculate to travel by night to

circumvent the Injuns.

We'll give them a half hour start.

Well, you keep on a settin'.

I'll sneak some horses out of town.

No use shoutin' that we're movin'

out on Stint's trail.

- Good.

Them wagons will be

on the move soon.

Maybe we guessed wrong.

Maybe Stint formed some other plan

and isn't coming to La Paz.

- No, he's coming. Don't you fret.

We should have stayed behind.

We shouldn't have let them

out of our sight.

I calculate we'll see 'em

plenty soon.

Ain't no other town, ain't no other

grain and ain't no other wagon train.

And if you ain't been took in complete, the

place for us to be is where them wagons is.

Stint's got to come to 'em,

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