The Black Dakotas Page #4

and he wasn't dressed for that,

is on the stagecoach.

I can assure you he wasn't

on it with me this morning,

if that's what you mean.

You were the only passenger?

That's right.

I know it's only

my unsupported word,

if the driver

hadn't been killed...

How many Indians

attacked the stage?

Seven or eight.

Armed with rifles?

Rifles, bows and arrows.

Oh, and I think a couple

of them had pistols.

Yeah. I guess they did.

Jim, the driver,

has a .45 bullet in him.

So does this fella.

Do you carry

a gun, Mr. Paige?

No. Well, that is,

not usually. Sometimes.

- MARSHAL:
Do you have it now?

- No.

You didn't carry it when you

went into the Indian country?

Well, I had it with me, but I

was captured by Black Buffalo,

who took it away from me.

Well, you've had

quite a day, Mr. Paige.

Twice almost killed by Indians.

(CHUCKLES)

I guess maybe I ought to let

you have that drink now.

Thanks, Marshal.

I could use it.

BAKER:
Marshal,

look here.

This label here, seems

to be a name on it.

I can't quite read it.

My eyes are not

what they used to be.

"Tailored by

"Stuyvesant Brothers,"

"Washington, D.C.,"

"for Zachary Paige!"

Did you see him?

See who?

Whoever it was who shot

through that window.

We were just leavin' to come over

and join you boys for a drink.

Naturally, I pulled my gun.

It hasn't been fired though.

Here, take a look.

And the judge is dead.

Looks like the Marshal is, too.

(MARSHAL GROANS)

No, he isn't.

Who was it, Marshal?

Did you see?

(MUMBLING)

(INDISTINCT)

What are you tryin'

to tell us, Marshal?

He's dead.

Yeah, and the murderer's getting

further away every minute.

And I know who she is.

Who she is?

Ruth Lawrence threatened both

the Marshal and the Judge again

just a few minutes ago!

- We all heard her.

- (MEN AGREEING)

And she was carrying a rifle.

She almost shot 'em down.

She told 'em she'd get even.

Well, it's all plain as day.

This is why she'd

come back to town.

Said she wanted to get

'em in her gun sights.

Well, she done it, all right.

We'd better pay a call on her.

And take a rope.

(ALL CLAMORING)

Try to hold 'em here.

And give me a chance to get to

Ruth ahead of these maniacs.

(MEN CHATTERING)

GRIMES:
All right,

get your horses.

Wait! Wait!

You can't take the law

into your own hands.

We gotta. The Marshal's

dead, and so is the Judge.

This time, we gotta

do it ourselves.

We know what to do now.

BOGGS:
Hey, look! Mike's

cut all the saddles loose.

Hello. Mr. Paige?

Yes.

Yeah, my name's Sherwood.

They told me

I'd better look in here.

I'm the undertaker.

Oh. Oh, I see.

Yeah, it's too bad

about these killings.

They were fine men,

Marshal Collins and Judge Baker.

Yes. Yes. Splendid.

Mike.

Ruth, get back on your horse.

We've got to get

out of here in a hurry.

Why? What are you

talking about?

There's a wild mob

coming after you.

After me? What's the

matter with you, Mike?

- They're coming here to hang you.

- Hang me?

- For shooting Judge Baker and the Marshal.

- What?

- Come on, Ruth. We've got to get out of here.

- No.

GIMPY:
Wait a minute.

She didn't shoot those men.

I did.

- You, Gimpy?

- Yeah.

But why?

Because they found out...

Never mind.

I had a good reason.

MIKE:
Was it a good reason why you had

to lay down a trail straight to Ruth?

I didn't. I come

the long way around

just so no one

would follow me here.

Why'd you have to

come here at all?

Because I had to.

Let's just leave it at that.

We'll leave nothing at that.

Ruth made threats,

everybody heard them.

Everybody back there believes

she did the shooting.

Well, I know she didn't.

And that's what you're going to

tell them when they get here.

I ain't going to

tell anybody anything,

and you're both...

(GROANS)

I'm sorry, Ruth.

I had to come here.

Your father had

a meeting planned.

A meeting?

We gotta make a run for it.

There's no reason

for me to run away.

There sure is. Look, Ruthie,

you got to trust me,

just like you would your father.

I can't leave you here now.

Mike, he knows too much

for me to leave him here.

Load him on that horse.

Now, don't worry. We'll

take good care of you.

We got a good place to hide.

Nobody here.

(HORSE WHINNYING

IN DISTANCE)

(HORSES RETREATING)

You hear that?

Somebody's riding away.

After them!

Listen, Mike, if you want to

help Ruthie, you keep quiet.

All right. Take them

on to the cave.

You wanna ride the rest

of the way sitting up?

Be easier on the horse.

Look, Ruth, these men are all

friends of your father's.

You go with them. I'll

see you later tonight.

- But, Gimpy...

- Just keep trustin' me, will ya?

What do you have against doors?

This is a small town.

If nobody knows I'm talkin' to

you in the middle of the night,

nobody's gonna ask questions.

Well, I've been waiting for you.

What are we going to do about

that meeting John Lawrence

planned for tonight?

There ain't gonna be no meeting.

After what happened today,

I have to take you out to War Cloud's

camp tomorrow morning myself.

That's what I come to tell you.

You're lucky I'm here.

I'm lucky I'm not in

jail right now, or dead.

The only reason

I'm here is because

somebody killed the Marshal and

Judge Baker this afternoon.

I know.

I killed them.

You?

Well, somebody had to.

You sure brought a lot

of trouble with you.

What do you mean?

If you hadn't killed

Paige against orders,

they'd never have

found his body.

And I wouldn't have had to kill

the Marshal and the Judge.

Ruthie wouldn't have

been almost lynched.

Well, it was unfortunate

about finding the body.

But I could blame your men for

not burying it deep enough.

Well, what's done is done.

Yeah, can't fight about it now.

You better be ready

early in the morning.

It's a long ride

out to War Cloud's camp.

Frankly, I've had

my fill of Indians.

Yeah, well, so have a lot of us.

But this is one part of the

plan that only you can finish.

Yeah, I guess you're right.

Well, thanks, Gimpy, for keeping

an eye on me this afternoon.

All right. We got to

protect each other.

All the way.

(DRUMS BEATING)

I come from President

Lincoln to talk of peace.

The Sioux want peace.

But he is tired of

lies and promises.

My people put on their war paint

and will await my word

to drive the white man from

the Sioux hunting ground.

Look.

My people are eager

for the war path.

They are not afraid.

The Sioux warriors are

many and well-armed.

But the United States army

is many times larger.

Your army is fighting

a war far away.

You have no soldiers here.

Now is the time we take back the

land you steal from the Sioux.

Yesterday, you tell

me the same lies.

Yesterday, when I was coming

here, you tried to kill me.

You enemy of Sioux.

You talk crooked.

(SPEAKING

NATIVE AMERICAN LANGUAGE)

We will listen.

Yesterday, I was captured on my

way to this Council meeting.

I was carrying a peace treaty.

Black Buffalo destroyed it.

Only the arrival of my

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