The Sons of Katie Elder Page #6

Meet us at the river.

Go get 'em!

You were pretty good today, kid,

pretty handy.

- Where did you learn that stuff?

- Not in college.

We're just trying to make you rich and

respectable. You fight us every step.

l don't want to be rich and respectable.

l want to be like the rest of you.

- ls he sassing you again?

- l don't know what to do with him.

- Ain't you no respect for your Elders?

- That ain't funny. l heard it before.

Katie would have bloodied our

backsides with a birch for talking back.

Which one of you is man enough

to fill in for Ma?

Oh, no. Oh, no, you wouldn't!

No, hey, no!

Come on!

Fellows! l thought l taught you better

than to take a bath with your clothes on.

There's a posse up there.

What do you suppose they're after?

lt can't be us. Unless they think

we stole these horses.

- lt's Ben Latta. They must be after us.

- What are we going to do?

We've done nothing wrong.

We won't act like it.

We'll just pick up these horses and start

out like we were just passing through.

There's four of them.

lt's the Elders all right.

l told you not to fire! l want 'em alive.

- Bud?

- l'm all right.

What's this for?

- Stealing horses is against the law.

- So is shooting 'em.

We got these legal,

and we can prove it.

l don't expect you all

to believe us, but Billy will.

- Then why did you shoot him?

- Billy's shot?

Shot but not dead.

He'll tell us who did it...

...when he tried to bring Tom in.

This doesn't make sense.

lf we were running away and had shot

Billy, why pick up a herd of horses?

- And bring them through Clearwater?

- Throw your guns on the ground.

Do as he says.

More killings won't prove anything.

A couple of you tie them up.

- We've got all them horses.

- Their owner will find them.

l've got a letter from the owner.

- That don't do much for Billy.

- We didn't do it.

Billy was at the Lupin place

when he was shot.

- The Lupin place?

- Yeah. lf they try anything, shoot 'em.

l'm making you a present.

You can have all the good deeds.

What good deeds?

A good deed for Ma.

Ain't that why we're here?

We're here because

you got yourself on a wanted poster.

You make it personal for a man

that's been in a few scrapes himself.

Tell us what happened.

Some bartender got sore

because l was raffling off my eye.

Started banging away at me with a .45.

- l did the only thing l could do.

- lt was self-defence.

Why didn't you stand trial

and clear yourself?

Because it was his town

and l was an outsider.

Look.

- How's Billy?

- l don't know.

- You think we did it, too.

- l don't know what to think.

lf only you'd gone away

after the funeral.

Whiskey. Hate.

Seems like everybody in this town's

made up their mind.

Go on home, Mary. Stay home.

l don't want you around here.

Billy's dead.

Go on.

Did he say who shot him?

He never opened his mouth

to say you didn't.

- Get a rope!

- Let's hang them!

l told you to go home.

- What about that mob?

- They had a feeling for Billy.

- Tell them Billy wouldn't lynch a man.

- Four men.

Three men and a boy. How can you

be so sure they're guilty, Ben?

They're convinced.

The same that would make up a jury.

You arrest them. You don't judge them.

Get the marshal to come here.

Quit telling me how to do my job.

Did you see the way

them people are looking at us?

Yeah, l saw.

And we're getting out of here.

You figure on doing it different?

They come to feed us in the morning,

we'll get the key.

- How's it look?

- Not good, Judge.

- Better set their trial for in the morning.

- Pick a jury out of that mob?

lt wouldn't be justice. lt'd be murder.

We got enough of those, Charlie?

No, we ain't. Them guns ain't

going to stop no mob, and you know it.

- Do you want to let them in?

- Don't you talk to me like that!

Me and Billy Wilson never

lost a prisoner, mobs or no mobs.

He broke 'em up, and without no guns,

neither. l seen him do it.

But then you ain't no Billy Wilson!

- He didn't mean anything.

- Why don't he use his head?

lf he was a patch on Billy's shirt,

he'd get those boys out of town

before it's too late.

Look out there.

Them's friends of yours until now.

But pretty soon you'll be shooting

bullets at 'em. You will.

We'll move 'em.

We'll move them to Laredo

early in the morning.

Tom, somebody's coming!

l guess they changed their mind.

Yell out to one of them deputies.

Tell them you're sick.

Are you out of your mind?

You want to get your neck stretched?

- We're facing it.

- Not a lynch mob.

We're here because you ran in

New Orleans. We're not running again.

- Katie's not losing this one.

- We're the ones who're in trouble!

- l suppose she wasn't.

- She's the same as other mothers.

Her kids didn't turn out the right way.

So what of it?

Nobody's making any decisions for me.

l'll make my own.

You can buy her an angel or a lamb,

pay her off with a slab of marble.

You can make that decision.

But l'll decide this one.

lf we all get killed out of this, nobody's

going to run. Katie wins this one.

You're going to Laredo.

Make one wrong move, you'll get

the same thing you gave Billy.

Come on!

- Got the shackles ready?

- All ready.

- All right, you two over here.

- l don't want to be shackled to him!

Kind of late to be choosy

about your friends.

Get a leg up.

Make sure they're tight.

Raise your right hands.

Do you swear to act as deputy sheriffs

and uphold the laws of Texas?

- Say, ''l do.''

- l do.

Get in that wagon.

Once on the bridge, they're all yours.

- l don't trust them guards.

- The drivers are on our side.

They've got their stories straight.

''We were ambushed by the Elder gang.''

Whoa!

- What are you stopping here for?

- To rest the horses.

- Ned, what's the matter?

- Resting the horses.

- All right...

- Jump!

Put your hands up, Ben.

- You're wearing a badge.

- So was Billy. Drop that rifle.

- One gun won't hold them off very long.

- Ben's got some guns in that rig.

- Think you can cover us?

- Three shots worth.

- Can you keep underwater with me?

- lf l can't, you just hold me under.

Let's go. Come on.

l knew you were

going to mob those boys.

Sure you did, Ben.

But they had it coming.

Hold it.

Tom! Tom!

Use the horses to get back.

All right. Keep in step

or we'll get tangled and go down.

All right, Curley,

this is what you were hired for.

l don't want one of them Elders

to get out of here alive. Move!

All set?

They've got a hold of Ben's guns.

We'll never get them out of there.

- l'd like to blast them out of there.

- There's dynamite in the gun box.

l don't like it.

Too quiet.

Let's get back.

Cover me.

Go!

Look out!

Matt!

- John.

- Let me help you.

No, please, l...

John... l wish...

Maybe Bud...

l... l wish...

Here they come!

l'm hit!

l'm hit. John!

John Elder, throw me a gun.

l'll help you.

- Ben's going to help them.

- Stupid fool!

No, Dad. That's Ben!

Come on.

- Hastings is leaving. Let's go.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes