The Last Wagon Page #3

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I won't stop it. Sure,

you're on his side.

You're nothing but an Indian yourself.

You haven't got any feelings.

You haven't even cried.

You don't care if our father's dead.

Come on, Val.

That gal's kinda

quick-sprung, ain't she?

Now, Jenny, if you'll just

take the slack out of that rope.

No, we don't!

Say, uh, while he's nursin' that rope...

if you'll just take that gun and

hold it against these spokes...

you can, uh, sort of blow me loose.

You do and he'll kill us all.

I got nothing against you folks.

Do you think he can survive with

that wheel chained to his back?

I don't care whether he does

or not. He's nothing to us.

He is to me, and to Jenny.

I think he is to each of you.

And I think we'd all

best face the truth.

We're more alone now than

we've ever been in our lives.

If we can get Mr. Todd to

lead us, maybe we'll survive.

- If he doesn't, we won't.

- Lead us? Him?

- We'll find our own way. We'll get our

father's maps. - They're burned black.

All we gotta do is follow this

rim road west a hundred miles.

You do that and the Apaches

will see you from 50 miles off.

We can always turn back the way we came

- back over the water crossing.

Can you? Take a look.

You got just one way outta here-

through the canyon of death.

So, uh, if you'll just shoot me loose-

We're not turnin' this killer loose!

Stand clear, all of you!

Tell her to stop or I'll kill you.

I mean it.

Well, sonny, I tell you what I think.

You might shoot a man...

if you was scared enough.

But you ain't quite

scared enough right now.

Not yet.

Go ahead, Jenny.

Giddap!

Well, now...

since you're in charge here, any

of them water barrels still whole?

'Cause there just ain't no water

where we're goin'. None at all.

How about food? Any left unburnt?

- I don't know.

- If you were anything but a savage...

you'd know our first thoughts

and duties were to our dead.

Your first duty is to yourself,

presumin' you want to live.

Our first duty's to our

folks. We're gonna bury 'em.

- I don't think you ought to.

- I don't care what you think.

Are you suggesting we leave our

people to the coyotes and the wolves?

They're dead, ain't they?

You're a beast!

- Billy.

- Yes?

- One of them horses yours?

- The bay.

Go get him, will ya?

You and your brother

helped me, and I feel bound.

These here people are gonna die soon.

If you want, you and Billy

can start west with me.

Maybe I can walk us through the canyon.

- We heard that was taboo to whites.

- That's why we'll take it.

We might get through

- you and me and the boy.

What of the others?

Fools just gotta get theirselves killed.

They'll dig them graves.

The first party of Apache

comes by will read the signs...

and know somebody

lived through the fight.

And Apache are all mighty good trackers.

They won't live long.

Mr. Todd...

may I go with you?

All right.

You show a sight more promise

than these others. You can come.

Mr. Todd knows Indians.

And he knows the country. Can't

you see he's your only chance?

I don't want 'em along.

I understand what you meant now about...

not buryin' our dead.

But you see-

well, me and my mother and

sister were awful close.

Well, death's a path we're all on, son.

The Indians say a warrior dies well...

if he gives his life for his loved ones.

Let's say your folks got a

chance now to do that for you.

I'd like to come along with ya too.

Sure.

All right. I'll go along too.

But let's all get this straight-

I don't take orders from nobody.

I keep the gun. And

his bracelets stay on.

Startin' now, we turn into scavengers.

Look for water barrels.

Maybe the Apaches left

more than this one.

We're gonna need every

drop of water we can get.

And you're gonna have to piece

together the makings of a wagon.

Well, lookit here.

I got me a keepsake.

That reminds me. Look for

something to kill with.

Somethin' like this.

And don't mind robbin' the dead.

They're beyond carin'.

About 300 Apache back at the

water. Comin' from all over-

White Mountains-

Mescaleros- a lot of tribes.

Seems some whites led a

sneak attack on Camp Grant.

Slaughtered 110 Apache

women and children.

They're gathering to make the whites pay up

- 10 to one.

Your folks was first blood.

So for the next two days they'll be

gatherin', working up to bust loose.

Means we got two days and nights to

travel as far and as fast as we can.

No stoppin' for nothin'.

Now, if anything happens to me...

you just-

Now, come on. You better take a look.

There she lies-

as far into the west as your

eyes can see, and then some.

Canyon of death.

The Indians say you can hear

cries in the night down there...

that you'll hear all your life.

Usually it's only the wind.

Now, if anything happens to

me, you just keep due west.

It'll be eight or 10 days till

water, if you live to see it.

And I ain't sayin' any of us will.

I am saying it's our only chance.

We hide out here till dark.

You drive us two days and

nights to get away from Apaches.

Now you tell us we

roost here all day. Why?

Dust. Five miles of it.

Cross it now, and every Apache for

So starting now, we hide

out by day, travel by dark.

This way.

Giddap. Come on, giddap. Hyah!

Hyah!

Seems safe.

Now, you've done real good.

You see, you can do

without no food nor sleep...

and only a few slurps

of water, can't you?

We were thinkin' of

our folks back there.

I, uh - I know it sounds kind

of foolish to most whites...

but, uh, Indians don't suffer when

somebody gets killed - not like you.

You see, uh, Indians

believe the brave dead...

go to the High Ground,

and that's a good place.

Game's never short, and

winter's never too hard.

Plenty of water. Plenty of grass.

A savage like you wouldn't know what

goes on in the hearts of human beings.

No, maybe not.

But not long back, the three

people closest to me was killed-

my wife and my two boys.

One about so size.

The other about so.

It's good I can keep thinking

they went to the High Ground.

Maybe you could think somethin'

like an Indian if you'd try.

I hate Indians.

It was very kind of

you to say what you did.

Well, I figured it would

ease the high-sprung

one if she could think

that way. It does me.

I think Indians is better

off believin' the way they do.

All right, gather round now.

I know y'all need rest, but

before you do we got the chores.

If we're finding food, we're doing

it by daylight in these woods.

- I'll find some plants my people

use for food. - Good.

There. You see? Give

me an Indian every time.

I suppose your people

know about plants with

secret buckets of water

hanging on them too.

Pigweed's got plenty of water in it.

Pigweeds! I'd rather starve than eat stuff

like that. I don't have an Indian stomach.

Now, listen-

I ain't aimin' to finish up

a skeleton along this trail.

Anybody makes too much trouble, I'll stick

a knife in 'em and leave 'em along the way.

So start walkin' soft.

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