The Big Trail Page #2

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I bring Abbie over.

Come on, Abbie. I don't want you

to get your shoes all muddy.

That's it.

Come on. Here we go.

Oh, stop laughing,

will you, Abbie?

That's it. Now you wait here.

I bring Mama.

Come on, Mama.

I take you over, Mama.

Come on, Mama.

Come on, Mama. It's...

Here! What are

you trying to do?

But, Mama,

I want to carry you across

so you won't

get your feet wet.

You? I'll cross

my own mud.

All right then, Mama, but let me help you.

That's it, Mama. Come on now.

Okay, step on that board, Mama.

That's it, Mama.

Ohh!

Say, I come right back.

Ohh! Oh, Gus!

Uh, Mrs. Riggs?

Yes, miss. That's me.

Well, I'm Miss Cameron. Captain

Hollister told me to see you.

Friend of

Captain Hollister?

Yes, lam.

Come right on in.

Oh, thank you.

Now don't tear your pretty

dress on them logs.

Oh, it's nice and cool

in here out of the sun.

Now you sit down,

make yourself easy,

and I'll brew

you a cup of tea.

Oh, that's awfully nice of

you, Mrs. Riggs. Thank you.

No! Wha...

Why, what do

you mean by...

Oh, I thought...

Oh! Oh!

It was thisaway, ma'am, I

thought you were someone else.

Wait! It was thisaway. I

thought you were Elise, ma'am.

Elise?

Yes. Just thought

I'd surprise her sort of.

Did you indeed?

Let me tell ya.

If you'll light someplace,

I'll tell ya.

Oh!

Oh.

What is it?

You're as pale as a ghost.

Oh, it's nothing,

Mr. Thorpe. Really. I...

But there must be something wrong.

Oh, nothing.

Just an

unpleasant occurrence.

I'm gonna

explain that play.

There's nothing to explain.

But I'm gonna

tell you anyhow.

It seems to me you're forcing

yourself on this lady.

Is that how

it seems to you?

How else can I take it?

It's nothing to me

how you take it.

But it matters a heap to me,

ma'am, how you understand.

Perhaps not. But if it

concerns Miss Cameron,

I'll demand an explanation.

You will?

Then speak your piece.

Mr. Thorpe, will... Will you

please take me to my brother?

With pleasure. I'll be

looking for you shortly.

Well, I won't be

hard to locate.

Hello, Honey Girl.

Hello.

Thank you so much,

Mr. Thorpe.

It's a great pleasure.

Just think. This wagon will be

your home for the next six months.

And after that,

a cabin in the wilderness.

My mind is made up,

Mr. Thorpe.

We're going

with the settlers.

You know my brother David.

Yes.

Hello, Dave.

How do you do?

Howdy, DOV!

Hello, Zeke.

Howdy, Bill.

Hey, Jack, I been tellin' you

about this here boy Coleman.

He can heave a knife

into a mark so big every time.

I'll bet you

a buffalo hide he can't

heave it into

that post back of ya.

Call the bet! Now here.

Show him, boy.

Bless our wild heart!

Oh, I've seen him do it

a hundred times, eh, Bill?

That's another buffalo hide

you owe me, Jack.

You remember, Bill, that time

up, uh, on the Snake River...

Oh, I sure do.

Say, boy, I want to know

about old Ben Griswell.

I hear the

Indians downed him.

Only it wasn't

Injuns downed him.

No?

Renegade whites done it.

How come?

He'd been wolf in'

all winter.

Yeah?

Must've had $2,000, $3,000

worth of wolf pelts.

Oh, easy that.

He was hacked up

and stuck full of arrows.

Looked like Injun work,

all right.

The wolf pelts was gone.

If ever I find

them hellhounds,

I'll sure make 'em

hunt their holes.

Come on.

Lopez, who's that young buck over

there with no hair on his face?

That's, uh, Breck Coleman.

He very quick with his knife.

Oh, where's he come from?

He come from the plains,

the mountains.

He live with the Indians.

He can throw a knife

through the heart in 20 feet.

He's the best shot

in all this country.

He knows everything.

He'll know too much

for his own good someday.

Yes. All right.

If old Ben had lived, he'd be going

on about 72 now, wouldn't he?

Injuns never done this.

It was renegade whites.

And they've left their mark.

Oh, I'd say I do.

Say, Zeke, who was that

he-grizzly that just went by?

Why, that's Red Flack. He's

bullwhackin' for Wellmore.

He's gonna whack Wellmore's

train clear through to Oregon.

You reckon you'll ever find

out who downed old Ben?

It's just possible that a certain

low-down coyote left his sign there.

Well, hello, Coleman.

Howdy, Wellmore.

I've changed my mind. I'll scout

for that bull train after all.

Well, that's a ray

of sunshine.

Shake hands afore you

change your mind again.

Got a good wagon boss

for the trip?

Red Flack.

A burly ruffian,

but he can maul

the toughest traitor on

the plains into a pulp

without even

working up a sweat.

He can do that, eh?

Flack? Ha!

Why, he likes to do it.

But he can run

a bull train.

Here he comes now.

Well, Wellmore,

all ready to start?

Likely you two

have met before.

Nah.

I reckon not.

Coleman's gonna scout for the train.

You understand, Flack,

that he's to have final say in all

matters dealing with the Indians.

Yes? Well, who's got the final say

about bossin' this bull train?

He understands that

you're the wagon boss.

Yeah. Another thing,

another thing...

Am I supposed to

be wet nurse to them

woodenhead pilgrims

a-crossin' the plains?

The more that goes along,

the better it is

for them and you

in case Indians jump ya.

Well, all right.

All right!

Make it clear to him

that I'm wagon boss.

Oh, he understands

that, Flack.

He seems to be

a right pleasant cuss.

He's a ruffian,

but he's a real wagon boss.

Likely he is.

Must've done a big trade

in wolf pelts this year.

Yes, we had a big trade

with the wolfers.

Flack sell you

any of these?

Flack? No. He didn't do any

wolfing last winter, I guess.

What outfit did you buy

the biggest bunch from?

Fella name of Lopez

come in about a month ago

with close on to

5,000 dollars' worth.

Lopez,eh?

I guess I don't know him.

I signed him up as a

bullwhacker on the train.

You did, eh?

I'll see you next year.

Bring your scalp

along back whole.

All right. Good-bye.

Is that so?

It certainly is.

I don't know whether they're

gonna get through or not...

Windy, I'm gonna scout

for that bull train.

Good.

Oh, Mr. Cameron,

this is Mr. Coleman.

Howdy, Mr. Coleman.

How do you do, sir?

Uh, he can tell you more about

that country where you're going,

and what kind of an outfit you

need than any man around here.

Thanks.

Windy, throw my bags in with

yours and Zeke's, will ya?

All right, I'll do.

Tell Zeke I'm going along.

All right, boy.

Mr. Coleman, would you mind

looking over my outfit?

Certainly not. Uh, we'll go

have a peek at it. Where is it?

Right over there, sir.

Honey Girl, it's time for

your history lesson, dear.

Now, uh, how many stars

in the flag?

Twenty-six.

How many stripes?

Thirty.

Now, you know better than that.

There's 13.

And what do they stand for?

The 13 original colonies.

Now remember that.

Now, who discovered

the Columbia River?

Here's our outfit.

Mr. Coleman, this is my sister Ruth.

Robert Gray.

Honey Girl, it isn't safe to

be sitting in a rocking chair,

when there are

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