Ain't much of a herd so far.
-Well, if it ain't Rufus Brady. -Powder.
Can you all feed another couple of mouths?
Sure we can, Rufus.
Monte.
Powder.
l don't suppose there's any work around here.
l didn't think so.
How'd it go in Charleyville?
l tried working on the railroad, but it ain't for me.
l like horses.
Ain't like it used to be, hey, Rufus?
Ain't never gonna be like it used to be.
Don't have to be. Gonna be better.
-Ain't that Fighting Joe? -That fool.
He ain't gonna be worth a bent nickel he don't slow down.
What's he doing?
Coming down Missionary Ridge.
He'll never make it.
He don't want to.
Must have all caught up with him.
Do you suppose he felt anything?
Mostly, he felt it before he jumped.
Sure is nice of Brennan to send these over.
Hard to bury somebody without it.
Told me he was charging Consolidated for six quarts of wolf poison.
Consolidated's getting off cheap.
-What was his name? -Whose name, Dally?
Fighting Joe Hooker.
l'm gonna carve a marker for his grave. l ought to use his real name.
Yes, sir.
This here bag's got his belongings.
Albert Miller.
What's your first name, Shorty?
Frank.
What's yours, Dally? ln case you go first, l'll make your marker.
lt's Wallace.
My name's Henry. Got a middle name too.
l want them both on my marker.
Henry Lewis Wyman.
What's your real name, Skimpy?
Skimpy!
Why y'all fussing so about your real names?
Nobody got family to visit their graves.
Hey, Monte.
What's your real name?
Don't Monte sound real?
Ain't never sound real to me.
What is it?
Montelius.
What the hell was that for?
To prevent smiling.
Well, you just better make your own marker.
Nobody could spell your name, anyway.
l figured on a small herd, but not as small as we have.
Consolidated won't spend any money on cows.
l gotta let four of you go.
Joe Hooker's dead, so that leaves three.
Sugar.
Shorty.
Joe Joslin.
The three youngest.
That's as fair as l could figure it.
One of you can stay on if you want to ride fence.
Good luck to you, boys.
What are you gonna do, Shorty?
l don't know.
One thing's for sure.
l ain't gonna ride fence.
-Good luck, Shorty. -See you.
-Monte and me have a couple extra-- -Better keep it...
-...the way things been going. -Go on. Take it, Shorty.
lt ain't gonna make no difference to us. We're getting our three squares.
Thanks.
Besides...
...l can always get it back from you in a poker game.
Wish l knew something besides cowboying.
Shorty.
Well, l ain't gonna ride you now.
Bay's all yours now, Monte.
So long.
Why did Brennan have to let them go?
What?
Why did Brennan have to let them go?
Brennan had no choice.
Consolidated sends word, that's the way it's gotta be.
l never thought about it like that.
Well, you think wrong too damn much, Dally.
Well, yes. By God, l do.
Come on, Montelius! Come on!
All right. Now, that's enough.
Break it up! l said, break it up!
Damn it, Hat, that was a good hand.
-Just calm down, Sunfish. -All right.
His was too.
My, oh, my.
Stop hitting me.
My leg. Get off my leg.
Stop it.
-What's going on, boys? -Get off my leg. You're crushing me.
What's this all about?
l plumb forgot.
Well, what do you know?
l ain't felt so good in months.
You know, maybe l was wrong.
No, you weren't wrong, Dally. lt's just ain't nothing been right these days.
-Monte. -Yeah?
Mary and l are gonna get married.
How's that gonna work?
-What do you mean? -You being a cowboy.
l ain't gonna be much longer.
What you gonna be?
A hardware man.
-ln a store? -ln a store.
-So you're gonna live in town? -Look, Monte...
...you have any idea how many cowhands there were 10, 15 years ago?
There's a hell of a lot fewer now. Pretty soon there won't be hardly any.
-Come on. lt ain't that bad. -Yes, it is, Monte.
You can ride down to Texas and up into Canada and back, and that's fine.
But there ain't no one that's gonna pay you for doing it.
Anyway, l figure if folks like us and Cal Brennan and even Shorty...
...are gonna be pushed around by accountants...
...then some of us might as well get in on it and do a little pushing.
Well, it ain't my idea of how to live.
Nobody gets to be a cowboy forever, Monte.
Turn around slow, Brady.
-There's a gun on you, Rufus. -You stay out of this, sonny.
Maybe we should get a doctor.
Ain't no need.
Let's get out of here!
Brady and Powder is wanted for robbing a bank in Charleyville.
-l don't know what to do. -Rufus robbing a bank?
-lt's more Powder's style. -$500 reward out for him.
-He must be getting mean. -l never been in a bank.
Soon as word's out, they'll send for help.
lf he'd told me he was a marshal, then--
When this settles down you can tell it your way.
Climb aboard. You don't have much time.
lf l was you, l'd ride south. lf you make a fortune there, send us some.
-Things look pretty good around Laramie. -lf there ain't no work, try the banks.
l ain't never killed a man before.
Get going.
l'm gonna miss that short-fused son of a bitch.
-Nice store. -Sure is.
-Nice wedding. -Sure is.
-You boys ever been to a wedding? -Nope.
Then how the hell do you know if it's a nice one?
-Seems nice. -lt do.
Ain't you gonna eat, boys?
Sure we are.
Would you like to dance with me, Monte?
-Well, thank you, ma'am. -Mary.
Mary, l don't know how to dance.
Hell, Monte, neither do l. Mary'll show you.
l would like to kiss the bride.
l know how to dance, Mary.
l'd be delighted to dance with you, Hat.
Sorry we're late.
-Mrs. Brennan, Mr. Brennan. -Congratulations, Chet.
-Thank you. -Monte.
Heard you sold the bay.
Yes, sir, to a Wild West show. Didn't earn his keep.
-Chet, how about a drink? -How about a few?
Looks like a two-quart wedding to me.
l've seen you at two-quart weddings. You better dance while you still can.
-l been dancing with you for 40 years. -Sooner or later l'll teach you to lead.
This mean l gotta buy my own tobacco?
You'll be alone in that shack this winter.
The hell l will. l'll have a horse and a mule with me.
So you won't even miss me.
Well, as long as l got that mule with me, l won't even know you're gone.
Lot of miles, Monte.
And some pretty good ones too.
Yeah.
This ain't no place.
No place at all.
-Since when? -Since l got here.
-You all right? -Sure.
Was your mother and father married?
-Probably. l don't really know. -How come we never got married?
You never asked me.
Well, l never thought of it. Cowboys don't get married...
...unless they stop being cowboys.
Chet's gotten married.
Did you ride 20 miles to tell me that?
l came here thinking l should get myself a job and get us married.
What do you think?
l like it.
Marriage is a common ambition in my profession.
-You want to think on it? -No. The idea always appealed to me.
Well, yeah, l guess it might at that.
The way things are going, a cowboy don't make enough to live right.
l don't know what else l could do.
-l don't belong in no hardware store. -l know you don't.
l don't know much about love, Martine.
That's all right. l know enough for both of us.
My, oh, my.
So you gonna be ornery for a Wild West show now, huh?
You know what l'm gonna do for you?
l'm gonna teach you some manners before you leave.
Easy.
Whoa.
This ain't Shorty you're talking to here. This is a master bronc stomper.
Easy.
When we get through, you're gonna want to take a nap...
...sit on the porch and wait for the mares to come calling.
You'll have to do better than that.
Now, let's go back real peaceful-like.
Well, well. l have seen riding in my day, young man...
...and l take my hat off to you.
Now, l hope you don't mind my speaking to you, but you are riding my horse.
-Excuse me, cowboy. -Don't worry.
l'll pay for all of the damages.
-Colonel Wilson's my name. -Monte Walsh.
Well, why don't you come on inside, Mr. Walsh, and have a snort?
Thanks.
Hell of a ride, son. Hell of a ride.
l've been looking for someone to take over for my bronco rider.
He's getting a little moss-grown.
Now, l pay 30 a week, plus all expenses.
You'll have enough put away to get a place of your own in a couple years.
How'd you like to be Texas Jack Butler?
Star cowboy, bronc buster...
...and all around wild man of the West.
Just plain Monte Walsh'll do fine.
But, you see, it won't do. Texas Jack Butler is a long-established name.
lt's a name with history and pedigree. Now, who knows you, Monte?
Maybe here in Antelope Junction they do. But we're just passing through.
Back East's where the people see us...
...and back East, well, people want Texas Jack Butler. Savvy?
So who is this Texas Jack Butler?
The first one was a real nice fellow, born in Joplin, Missouri.
Got runned over by a streetcar in Chicago about 6 years ago.
Couldn't ride a horse worth a damn, but he put on a real good show.
l been Monte Walsh for a long time.
-So l'm Texas Jack Butler. -Fine. Good. lt's a deal.
Now, that's what a new century cowboy ought to look like, Monte.
Times change, men change with them.
Otherwise, you get left behind.
No more small operators. Everything amalgamates.
Business is big, getting bigger. Machines do all the work.
Another 20 years, we'll all be sitting on cushions and eating ice cream.
What's ice cream?
Monte, you ain't keeping up. lt's all about seeing things you never seen.
And making new friends. And sleeping with new women.
And living high up on the hog. And all for a couple hours work a night.
lt's the 20th century.
l ain't spitting on my whole life.
So this fellow...
...offers me a job in one of them Wild West shows.
And it would mean that l could quit cowboying and get married.
l don't want to stop cowboying, Martine.
You told him no.
Yes, l did.
You can't be something different than you are, or you won't be.
lt comes to the same thing.
-l'm sorry, Martine. -l'm glad you didn't take it.
You are?
They trap cougars, put them in a cage and drag them around the country...
...to show them to people with vests and straw hats.
And the people think they're seeing a wild cougar, but they're not.
That's not a wild cougar anymore.
You know, l was just thinking...
...if l go back to the Slash Y, l could maybe start saving my money.
Maybe even ask Cal Brennan for a raise. l don't want to lose you, Martine.
l'll be right here, Monte.
l'm telling you, Monte, maybe they was rustled.
And maybe they just moved away from the herd.
Sure don't look that way to me, Monte.
Over here!
Them's ours, all right.
Afternoon.
-Where'd you get them black cows? -Bought them.
-When? -Week ago.
-Who from? -Three cowboys.
Said their ranch was finished.
-One of them riding a paint horse? -That's right.
-l got a bill of sale. -lt ain't worth nothing.
Them cattle was rustled.
l couldn't sleep if l rustled cattle.
Where's Powder? Out stealing or out selling?
lt ain't like we're rustling from anybody we know.
They all belong to a bunch of fat-bellies back East.
l thought robbing banks was your style, Brady.
We couldn't get work, Monte.
A lot of good boys can't get work. lf l was starving l wouldn't rustle.
Yeah? Well, you ain't. You're getting your three squares a day.
-Ain't no use talking to him. -Brennan's a good man.
-They ain't his! -Makes no difference.
-They belong to the Slash Y. -The Slash Y?
The life you're talking about's dead. Snow buried it.
lt ain't dead! As long as there's one cowboy taking care of one cow.
-You go to hell, Monte. -You shut your mouth.
Get out of here, Shorty.
And put that thing away!
What happened here, Monte?
Shorty got away.
-lt ain't gonna happen. -He'll stake us.
-More than likely, he's gonna turn us in. -Hey, Monte didn't and neither will Chet.
Shorty.
What are you doing here?
Well, things been pretty tough for us, Chet.
Thought you might be able to give us a little cash.
So as you can run? You gonna run your whole life now?
A stake will get me where nobody knows me.
Ain't never happens that way.
Give yourself up, Shorty.
-Just what l figured. -Stay out of this.
Sugar'll tell how the marshal drawed without showing his badge.
We ain't getting nothing.
-l told you to stay out of this! -Unless we take it!
-Hand over what you got. -The hell l will.
You want to widow your woman twice?
Shorty--
Oh, my God, no.
No.
No!
Not going to Chet's funeral?
To me, Chet ain't dead yet.
-l got word from Consolidated-- -l ain't interested.
Well...
...you need to be interested.
Consolidated's giving up on the Slash Y...
...for the time being.
Seems they're fixing to fence in all their land...
...and that's all.
Gonna be a lot of fence.
l'll be telling the boys after the funeral. l figured l'd square with you now.
Thanks.
Will you tell Dally to put ''Chester Rollins'' on his marker...
...and that he was from lllinois. Chet was proud of that.
Yes, sir.
And tell Mary why l'm not there.
-Hey, Monte. -Hello, Sugar.
You'll never guess who come by earlier.
-Shorty. -Yeah.
l'm after him.
Since when you been doing the law's work, Monte?
Since Shorty blew Chet in half with a shotgun.
God, no.
Why?
Chet couldn't say.
What a short-fused bastard.
How long you been working here, Sugar?
-You like it? -lt's a job.
l figure l'll stay through winter. lt's got a good stove.
Last winter, Chet and me was in a line shack for the Cross Bar.
l was punching for the Double Six.
Hey, Monte?
l hate to be the one to tell.
l heard Martine's in a real bad way.
You're too late, mister.
Just before sundown.
She didn't want to hold on any longer.
Pneumonia.
You must be Walsh.
She said you'd be around.
This box is for you.
lt's funny. She held on to it right to the last.
l did everything l could.
Believe me, l did.
l want her to have a proper funeral.
l got some cash.
lt's all fixed up.
Funny thing, that.
Seemed like she was real particular about some things.
Had enough set aside to give herself a real nice one.
Plain, but nice.
Foreign girl, wasn't she?
She was a countess.
Girls like that sure do get some strange notions.
The whole time she was here she held on to that old box.
Ain't you ever coming out?
l knew you'd be coming for me, Monte.
No sense wearing out good horses chasing.
l figured you'd be here when Sugar told you about Martine.
l'm sorry.
You should've told Sugar about Chet.
Sorry about that too?
There's no use talking, l suppose.
No use.
Turn around.
Turn around, damn it!
Get on. Get on!
Get on.
l'm here, Shorty.
l rode down the bay.
You had to sit him high.
Well, that's what it was.
That figures.
Well, l'll vow.
That's Monte Walsh.
Ain't nobody sits a horse like Monte Walsh.
This ought to be good.
lt's a shame everyone's not gifted with proper manners.
Say, l know you. You're Walsh from the Slash Y.
l'm Slocumb.
The accountant.
Range manager now. That's all my land.
Your land.
Well, Consolidated's land.
This fella's a cowboy, Annie. The real thing.
l've never seen a real cowboy before.
Ma'am.
Well, why don't you move your nag out of the road so's l can get by.
Won't be long before no horses will be allowed on these roads.
Would you mind moving out of the road so that l might pass?
Ma'am.
lt's the 20th century, Walsh. Stay out of the way of progress.
l believe l will.
Damn thing stinks worse than goats.
Damn near gave up hope of ever seeing you again.
How long's it been, five years?
More like seven.
Where you been?
Well...
...rode down to Texas and up to Canada and back again.
Trick was seeing if l could get paid for it.
And did you?
Some of the time.
-You wiped out them flies yet, killer? -The battle's changed, Monte.
We've made significant progress in the technology.
Sure seen a lot of fenced-in land around here.
-Consolidated. -Figures.
What are they doing with it?
Nothing, but those accountants don't buy things for nothing.
-What are they doing with you? -Nothing.
They fired me.
Figures.
-What do l owe you? -Those are a nickel now, Monte.
Here.
Might wanna take this along.
Snakebite.
Thanks, Bob.
-Ain't fixing to stay? -Too many fences.
Too many automobiles.
Figured l'd stop by Harmony, pay Chet a visit.
There ain't no Harmony anymore. Just a ghost town now.
lt's only a ghost l care about.
Hey, mister!
Are you a real cowboy?
Yes, l am.
Could you teach me how to rope?
Well, son, l'm fixing to leave...
...but that man there...
...he can teach you to rope.
He's a cowboy too.
Cal.
There's that cowboy.
Monte! Hey, Monte!
My, oh, my.
You could think about helping us out of this mess.
l could.
Well, maybe you could pull us out.
l could.
How about it? We've got to get into town before dark. l can't budge this damn thing!
You know something?
l seem to have forgotten your first name, Mr. Slocumb.
-lt's Robert. -Robert.
You can't have no idea how little l care.
[ENGLlSH]