The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw Page #9

- Mister, this whole town is.

You tell her I shan't be long.

I want a word with those ranchers.

Come on.

Hank.

- Hank!

- Yeah?

Better hitch up

that hearse of yours again.

This time you got you

a dead sheriff for sure.

I'll be right there.

Kate, ain't no use

your hurrying...

...that fella's been and gone.

- Where?

He said to tell you he'd be back soon

but I got my doubts about that.

- Where did he go?

- Off to try and make peace...

...between them crazy ranchers.

That fella is either the durndest fool

or the bravest man in the world.

I can't make up my mind which.

Come on, keep moving. Giddap.

Giddap! Giddyap!

Giddap! Come on,

giddap there, giddap there.

Hey, why'd the sheriff stop you

from being shot?

I don't know. Pretty handy with a gun.

Could've filled me full of holes.

He had a message. Used a lot of words,

but he got it across.

He says the Lazy S

is heading for trouble.

He ain't the first lawman

who tried to throw his weight around.

He ain't the first lawman

to get killed neither. Nor the last.

- Boys riding into town today?

- We usually do on Saturday.

Ride in a bunch. No stragglers for

the sheriff to pick off one at a time.

- Sure, boss.

- When we hit town, I'll get him.

When he starts, there will be

enough of us to see he don't finish.

Fractured Jaw ain't gonna have

a sheriff for long.

There he is.

Like a sitting duck. Come on.

Whoa.

Hey.

Can you help me? Is the Lazy S

or Box T Ranch hereabouts?

[SPEAKS IN NATIVE AMERICAN

LANGUAGE]

Dear boy, I'm your brother.

Fleet Iron Hat.

Me, brother. Tibbs.

Brother? Brother?

[SPEAKS IN NATIVE AMERICAN

LANGUAGE]

I'll get him right between the eyes.

Drop your guns, I'm the sheriff.

You lousy bunch of coyotes.

Get out, Kate, and fast.

I'm warning you, we're gonna

kill ourselves a sheriff.

If there's any killing to be done

I'll be taking a hand in it.

JONATHAN:

Kate!

Kate, go back!

Stay under cover, you.

Oh, what I'd like to do to you.

I suppose it's no use

me telling you again to go away.

Fifty, 100 men I could have picked.

More, even, and I had to pick you.

I'm a bigger fool than you are.

Least I should have known better.

- What will they do?

- They'll keep us pinned down here.

Then send a couple of men

up that slope...

...to pick us off.

- They wouldn't risk hitting you.

Wanna bet?

Now, that's too much. I'm going down

there to have a word with them.

You must be loco.

Do you think I'm going to sit

and risk your being hit?

Make one move and I'll bend

this gun barrel over your thick skull.

And if you don't believe me,

you just try it.

Hey, Kate, look.

Lazy S.

Great heavens,

they'll murder each other.

I've gotta stop this.

Hey, you!

Listen to me!

- Is everybody in America hostile?

- Whoever wins down there, we lose.

CLAYBORNE:

We'll settle this now, Wilkins.

You've been spoiling for this,

now you're gonna get it.

You and that hired sheriff of yours.

What do you take me for,

a tenderfoot?

Don't you think I know

he's your sheriff?

He ain't with us, Clayborne.

We rode out to get him.

What?

Well, that's what we're here for.

I'm warning you, there'll be trouble

if this random shooting does not stop.

We're gonna kill ourselves

a cheap, tin-star sheriff.

WILKINS:

So are we.

- I suppose it's too late to resign?

- A bit.

Least this way Fractured Jaw

has to foot the bill for your funeral.

That is a point.

Great Scott,

there's the undertaker.

- Who's he looking for?

- You.

If you wanna call off our fight

until we've finished him, I'm agreeable.

- It's a deal.

CLAYBORNE:
I'm in.

Anyone who comes after the sheriff

has me to reckon with first.

- You're magnificent.

- I'm out of my mind.

[HOOVES POUNDING]

- Listen.

- More horses. From up above.

Are we expecting anyone else?

[WHOOPING AND SHOUTING]

I'm gonna have a look.

- Keep down.

- It's all right.

Kate, we don't want you hurt.

You got one minute

to think it over.

You'd be much smarter

to come on down...

...and leave that two-timing

polecat to us.

And the next time it'll be higher,

you miserable bunch of hounds.

- Indians.

- And you gave them guns.

- I'm afraid I did.

- Well, they'll massacre all of us.

I should never have thought so...

...but so far I've been wrong

about everything else.

Somebody said, "A short life,

but a merry one."

Jonathan, look, we gotta

make a run for it.

We ain't got much of a chance,

but it's better than staying here.

No, wait. I mean to have a go

at my so-called brothers.

- You keep me covered.

- No!

- Keep me covered.

- Jonathan. No, Jonathan.

Clear out, all of you.

This is Fleet Iron Hat Tibbs speaking.

And I won't have this.

[SPEAKS IN NATIVE AMERICAN

LANGUAGE]

Exactly... and at once.

What's the meaning of this?

You promised me that those guns

would not be used for war.

Our white brother was in danger.

We came to help.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Once again I have said

the wrong thing.

Your enemies are our enemies.

We'll kill them.

That suggestion is not without

a certain appeal at this moment.

- But I'm afraid not.

- Why? They try to kill you.

I'm not entirely sure,

but there may be a way out.

[WHOOPING AND SHOUTING]

Drop your guns, every man of you,

and put up your hands.

Right. Come on, Dad.

Keep behind me.

Come on, get them up, get them up.

Clayborne, Wilkins, I intend to examine

your American laws...

...to find out what the penalty is for

assault with intent to do bodily harm...

...on the appointed

sheriff of Fractured Jaw.

Dad, have my relatives

escort these men back into town.

- All right, get moving.

- Come on.

Well, I'll be doggoned.

Ah.

- Jonathan.

- Ah, my dear mayor, how are you?

- I wanna talk to you.

- You know well...

...that I discuss nothing at tea.

- I ain't discussing, just talking.

- Now, what I want...

- My dear old boy.

You're a bundle of nerves.

Sit and relax.

- Well.

- That trip to the hills.

All that corn liquor

you've been drinking.

Have a nice cup of tea,

it'll do you good.

Tea. That stuff is only

for old women and sick people.

Well, I disagree. I belong to a nation

of 30 million peoples...

...to them tea drinking

is a most pleasurable habit.

Yeah? Well, maybe you're right.

I'll try anything once.

Looks like good corn liquor, don't it?

- Tastes like swamp water.

- Your manners are quite appalling.

[RINGS]

- You rang, sir?

- Yes, some more hot water...

...Running Deer, please.

- With pleasure, sir.

- Thank you.

- Great jumping Jehoshaphat.

You've even got them talking like you.

Lookie here,

what I came here to say was this:

When I made you sheriff,

I know, I know.

I told you you could appoint

as many deputies as you had a mind to.

But nobody in this town, including

myself, thought for one single minute...

...that you'd go a-hiring

a bunch of...

- Them there...

- What?

- Indians.

- Now, you listen to me, my dear mayor.

In the past 10 days,

there's been no shootings...

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