The Virginian Page #4

Listen, Molly...

I don't aim to stay here!

Not if you'd be my wife and partner.

What I aim to do, I'm pushing farther

West to Utah or Nevada.

To do out there just what Judge Henry

done here in Wyoming.

Make more United States

out of raw prairie land!

I like you, and I admire you

more than any man I've ever known.

But I'm not sure of myself yet.

This country's so new and strange.

I feel like an alien.

An outsider.

I don't know how to explain it,

but I feel that I'm different!

Women are funny, Molly.

I don't understand them.

Oh, yes you do!

But I'm glad you think you don't!

What is it?

Sounds like calf bawling.

I'll find out what the trouble is!

Come on, horse!

I'll be right back, Molly!

Hello, Steve!

I didn't know you were coming up

this end of the range.

Oh, just kinda drifting around.

I've just been putting a monogram

on a couple of strays.

Yes, so I noticed.

Steve, there's no use talking

around things.

You've been putting Trampas' brand

on somebody else's calves.

Aw, what's a few calves to a man

who's got thousands?

I'm sick of nurse-maiding someone

else's cows around for...

no more than enough to keep you in

smoking tobacco.

Don't talk that way, Steve.

You and I done a lot of loco things

together.

But some things are not only loco,

they are plumb wrong!

You take life too seriously!

This whole country's taking things

more seriously!

I ain't trying to lecture you or play

Sunday on what's right or wrong...

The ranchers are sick of having

their herds trimmed out!

There will soon be posses out with

ropes on theirs addles.

Times are changing. They can't get away

with this sort of thing much longer.

Well, I'm carrying a nice limber rope

to make it easy for them.

If they catch me!

You hard-headed fool!

What are you going to do?

Turn me in?

Nobody's talking about that.

I couldn't be sore at you no matter

what you did.

But listen,

you and I have been friends too long to

find ourselves on opposite sides.

Don't put me in any hole like that.

Aw, shucks!

How do I know what I'm going to do?

This country's getting too civilized,

too solemn.

I've got a notion, I'll be moseying out.

Gold fields or somewhere.

There's no need for you to leave.

You can stay on here as long

as you want.

I know.

You mangy old buzzard!

There they go, Steve!

Right on time!

The only thing I don't like about this

stealing business is the hard work!

Hard work, but easy pickings!

You lazy son-of-a-gun!

You got it all straight, haven't you?

Leave at least 100 head of the sorry

critters on the bank.

In case anybody's trailing us, they'll

think we got scared and left them.

We'll swim the rest down the river.

Don't let a hoof touch the shore until

they hit the rocks at Boulder Creek.

- They won't leave any tracks. Savvy?

- Alright!

I think you're crazy for leaving

any of them!

You got to pay a little for safety!

Throw away one, grab two!

Always play percentages.

Never try to be a hog!

Percentages, Steve.

I learned that dealing faro.

Remember that!

Alright, Trampas.

Come on. boy!

That a huckleberry!

We got a pretty good bunch!

I don't think we'll find

hide or hair of them!

Well, you find any more, Nebrasky?

About 100 head so far.

This country's just full of stolen

cattle, and ain't a cow thief in sight!

Looks like they got leery and dumped

the whole herd.

Yeah, and they'll get them out of the

country! We never will know who they are!

No one can find then in them blind

canyons!

Reckon we're licked boys!

Lucky to get any cattle back.

Yeah, you found all of your cattle

except 200 head of your best beef!

We will never find the rest of them?

You know you ain't found nothing

but scrubs!

They must have gone someplace!

Them cows can't fly!

And a durn good thing they can't!

Boys, we're plain out-smarted!

They swum them cows downstream.

And I bet you...

...that we will pick up those tracks on

the other side of Lava Gap.

- Boulder Creek?

- Through the rocks, sure.

They picked a tough route to Jackson

Hole. We may find then before nightfall.

I'll pick up the rest of the bunch,

and we'll get started.

By gosh, I believe he's right!

You can bet he's right!

And what's more...

The guy that's bossing this spread ain't

no common cow thief.

He's cuter than a mountain goat

in Springtime!

He ain't no smarter than that

Virginia boy!

That boy's so smart,

he'd dry snow and sell it for sugar!

Come on, boys!

I'll leave a couple boys down here

with the cattle.

Okay, Fred. Let's go!

Not bad for 3 days' work!

200 head worth more than $75 apiece.

Better than herding cows for a living!

Where do you think we are now?

In some swell New York hotel?

We soon will be about 2 months from now!

Let that fire be! Do you want to

let someone know we're here?

When I want a fire, I'm going to have it!

If anyone's following us,

they are 40 miles back!

Yeah, hunting cow tracks

under the water!

Well, I'm going to go see how Greasy's

doing night-herding them critters.

What's the matter, Jim?

It's alright for Trampas to talk, I'll

be glad when we get rid of them cows!

What if they do catch you?

You can only die one time!

What do you want?

Live to be 100?

What's life anyway?

A few Winters waiting for Spring.

A few Summers wishing they'd last.

Two bottles of whiskey and a half-dozen

girls you can remember.

Then you're 6 by 3 feet under the ground

and that's all!

Might as well be now as later!

Greasy, they will settle down. I'll

send one of the other boys to help you!

Look!

Looks like a posse!

- We better warn them!

- No, you go your way and I'll go mine!

Now that he's found them,

what's biting him anyway?

I don't know, but he's sure

bothered about something!

Boys, we're going to split into

3 parties and close in on them.

Foster, take your boys

down by the creek.

You boys come with me.

The moon's too bright.

I don't like that either.

If they couldn't set us by sunlight,

they ain't gonna get us by moonlight!

I wish I was in Jackson Hole right now!

For God's sake!

Can't you get that frown off your face?

Think of something cheerful!

Your girl or a cold bottle of beer!

Play on that harmonica I loaned you!

Get them up, boys!

Get their guns, Honey!

- Boys, where's your calling card?

- We left them in the deck!

Thanks for the ditty, Pedro!

It was real entertaining!

I knew something like this

was going to happen.

Where's Trampas and the rest?

You got us all wrong. Only us 3 on a

little hunting trip.

Well, then you must have been drinking

your coffee with a cup in each hand!

Tie them up, boys.

I'm going to take a look around.

Found another one, boys!

Howdy, boys!

Never expected to find you here!

Found the cattle down in the ravine.

Whoever was night-herding them ducked.

Tie him up?

Real nice of you boys

to build this fire for us!

Smelled it right across Wyoming!

- I told you!

- Told who?

You also was a rotten liar, Steve!

You got 4 of us.

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