It's the law, Pecos!
We want you for the robbery of the Katy Flyer, murder of the engineer.
Now, get your hands on top of your heads...
(FIRES GUN)
You bastard! You bastards!
(GROANS)
Rooster J. Cogburn, please step forward.
Are you Rooster J. Cogburn, Deputy Marshal for the U.S. District Court
for the western district of Arkansas,
having criminal jurisdiction over the Indian Nation?
You know I am.
Rooster, any deputy who shoots and kills
64 suspects in eight years
is breaking the law, not aiding and abetting it.
Now, let's get this straight, Judge. Only 60 of 'em died.
None was shot but in the line of duty
or in defense of my person or fleein' justice.
You have been in the service of this court for almost two lustrums.
You're a strong man, and you're a brave man, Rooster.
And you have, at times, executed your duties faithfully and well.
But all too often you have acted with excessive zeal...
What is a "lustrum," Judge?
Five years. Don't interrupt me while I'm talking. Yes, sir.
Pay attention to me. Yes, sir!
This is not another formal reprimand. Yes, sir!
People with money to invest go where they're
protected by the law, not shot by it!
Is that the kind of law my deputy got yesterday?
I was proud to tell his wife I shot his killers.
It seems you cannot serve the papers of this court and effect arrests
without breaking heads and spraying bullets about.
The West is changing, and you haven't changed with it.
I want your badge.
Well, Judge, out there in the territory,
they don't know about all these newfangled laws.
We know, but they don't. They're still shootin' in the same direction, at me.
Your badge, Cogburn.
You've let yourself go, Rooster.
Look at your belly. You can't even close your coat over it.
You drink too much.
I ain't had a drink since breakfast,
and I only wear this coat in your court.
It was always good enough when you needed what was in it.
You've gone to seed, Rooster. Gone to seed.
Next case.
SOLDIER: Whoa!
Lieutenant, the road's out ahead. Rockslide.
Can we get around it? No, sir.
But, uh, there's a shallow downriver. Get the wagon across.
Column right, ho!
LIEUTENANT: Whoa!
Breed, we can't move nitro over those logs.
It's just deadwood, sir. It's easy to move.
Shipley, Grimm, dismount. Start movin' those logs!
Rawlins, Bryant, get the ropes. Help 'em!
(GUNSHOT)
(HORSES WHINNYING)
The war is over.
The U.S. Cavalry lost again.
Just like I told you.
(WHOOPS)
Give me my money.
Don't you trust me?
Pay up, Hawk. You'll try takin' the gold without me.
Don't tempt me. Any fool can blow nitro.
The last fool that thought that blowed himself up provin' it.
All right, move, fast.
We got four days hard ridin'. That gold shipment won't wait.
Gone to seed, have I?
Gone to seed! A man does his job, defends the code.
What does he get out of it?
Disgrace and abuse!
Judge say you abuse justice.
I abuse justice?
There ain't no justice in the West no more.
Men with sand in their craws being pushed aside by
duded-up Yankee lawyers who won spellin' bees back home!
(MEOWING)
That ain't St. Louis beer.
Kansas City.
Well, I don't like it. Neither does Sterling.
(MEOWS) Too sweet, ain't it, General?
(MEOWS) Well, gimme my jug.
Judge Parker say lock it up.
Who's payin' the rent around here, him or me?
You can't lock up a man's whiskey!
You light that joss stick holder over there.
Give you one minute to get my whiskey. Don't shoot! Don't shoot!
I'll get it for you!
Don't shoot until you've heard what I've come to say.
You have said enough, Judge.
None of it to my credit nor likin'.
(CHUCKLING)
May I sit and take a drink with you and General Sterling Price?
If you don't mind such seedy company.
Rooster,
you were once the best marshal I had, and you could be again.
(LAUGHS) That account is long overdrawn, Judge.
Come now, old friend, let's let bygones be bygones.
I have a most important assignment for you.
You seem to forget, Judge. You hung up my guns, remember?
I am retired,
relieved, and rejoicin'!
I painted her I painted her
Up her belly and down her back
(MUMBLING) In every crack
Chen Lee, turn off the light.
No doubt you've heard of Hawk's latest outrage.
Now, the Army believes that nitro was taken to commit another robbery.
Now, the time's short.
You know the territory, and you know the scout who set up the ambush.
Breed? He run with Hawk now? Mmm. Mmm-hmm.
Well, he's the best scout I ever had. Good friend, too.
He never done a wrong thing till he killed that Wells Fargo agent
and run away with the payroll we were guardin'.
We need a man with grit, Cogburn.
The government'll be mighty grateful if you bring Hawk in.
How grateful?
For the return of the dynamite, $500.
For Hawk, $1,500.
Now, that is information more to my liking.
I thought it would be.
Now, I want him alive. I want him to answer to me, not to you.
Then we'll see about your badge.
Well, I may have to charge you my retirement rates.
That is double salary, double expenses. Can you afford me?
Rates are noted and accepted.
A group of my deputies will act as your posse,
but it's going to take a while to get organized.
Take a while? It'll take a miracle!
Them lily-livered law bookers ain't gonna risk their necks,
or you wouldn't be here. You'll need this.
Do the job and it's yours again, permanently.
Well, it goes against my grain, but...
I'll ride at first light.
(YOWLING)
Drunken cat.
That's right, Judge, in spite of the fact that you locked up our whiskey!
You tell them deputies to meet me at Bagby's, if you can find any.
Well, see who they have to come to when they got a real job to be done?
The old rat killer. Well, I'll be in fine feather tomorrow.
Probably got another lustrum in me.
What is lustrum?
Five years, you Chinaman. That's the worst of you people.
You come over here, we give you all the help we can.
You won't even learn our language.
(SPEAKING CHINESE)
Maybe you're right.
(INDISTINCT SINGING)
Whoa!
DRIVER: You gonna unhook 'em?
Here you are, sweet lady. How you doin', little darlin'?
(CRYING)
(LAUGHING)
(SINGING CONTINUES)
I, in my Savior am happy and blessed
Watching and waiting Looking above
(SOFTLY) Come, come. Quickly, quickly!
Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!
Go as fast as you can.
Wolf. Wolf. Watch. Go. Go.
(WHISPERING)
They're settlers passing through, no doubt.
No, they're not settlers passing through.
Come, child. Come. Come.
Welcome to Fort Ruby.
I am the Reverend George Goodnight,
and this is my daughter, Eula.
We offer you the hospitality of our settlement. We are God's servants here.
We must ask you not to sell ardent spirits
or guns to the Indians.
It is against the civil law and against the laws of God.
This is the law we go by, sister,
so don't waste your preachin' tryin' to convert us.
Please do not strip these people of their dignity with liquor
and your worldly ways.
We beg you.
Here, something for your collection plate.
Now, you leave us be.
We're gonna camp here, rest our horses, take our pleasures as we please
with no more preachin' from God's servants.
EULA: A brand from the burning.
What's that you say?
Our work, sir, is to pluck brands from the burning.
If you wouldn't be plucked yourself, you can at least show us common courtesy.
I do believe you're better at cluckin' than you are at pluckin'.
(COWBOYS LAUGHING)
You're an unpleasant sort of fellow.
I'm the boldest sinner on the Arkansas River, little lady.
I do just as I please, and I make people remember me.
Only evil can come of your presence, sir.
Temptation is the spawn of the devil.
You callin' me devil, mister? You do the devil's work.
I'd shoot a man of the cloth or a lady just that easy, so don't provoke me.
I'm not afraid. I wear God's armor.
I do not fear what man can do to me.
I do not fear a skunk. I simply do not care for his odor.
(COCKS GUNS) I'm warnin' you.
You have ridden the Hoot Owl Trail and tasted the fruits of evil,
but justice will catch up with you to demand payment.
The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.
He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul.
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His namesake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
(FIRES GUN) I will fear no evil
for Thou art with me.
I've had enough of your Sunday school lessons!
Out of my sight, both of you! Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.
My cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord.
She put the fear of God in you, Hawk?
(FIRES GUN)
(LAUGHING)
Rooster, welcome. Bagby.
Good to have you back in the territory.
Huntin' trip? You might say. Big game.
The Hawk. You seen him?
He went through here yesterday.
With a wagonload of heavy cargo. Had nine men with him.
Oh? Which way did they go? Fort Ruby way.
The Winding Stair Mountains. Took the old trail out of Webber's Falls.
Fort Ruby? Last time I heard of that, it was just a memory.
There's still a settlement there, mostly Indians.
Run by a Yankee preacher named Goodnight and
his daughter. I helped build a church there.
Judge Parker's promised me a posse.
Now, when it gets here, if it gets here, you send 'em on after me.
I ain't waitin' for them dandelions.
Why don't you rest and have some of Winona's catfish stew?
Oh, I'd love to, Winona, but the trail's too hot.
I had my druthers, I'd just pull a cork and jaw with you all night. So long.
See you later.
MAN: He wants a drink. Give him a drink.
(MEN TALKING)
Can you drink this? He can have a drink.
Give me that stuff. He's thirsty.
There's gonna be trouble.
You want some? Come on, take a drink. Here, have a drink.
See that? He's thirsty. Oh, you want it?
Want a drink? Here. I want him to drink every last drop.
Come on, make him drink it.
(INDISTINCT) No, Father.
(MEN CHATTERING)
(MEN SHOUTING)
Hey, hitch them horses! Watch that nitro!
(GUN FIRING) Hitch up the wagon!
Jerry, hitch up that wagon!
Marinda, go out, out into the fields.
Jerry, get that wagon hitched! Quick now! Let's go!
Run to the fields! To the fields! Quickly!
Lie down! Hide! Hide! Lie down!
You're all nothing but beasts! Beasts!
Murderers! Murderers! Let go of those reins!
(REVEREND SHOUTING)
HAWK: I warned you!
Oh, my God.
(CRYING) Oh. Oh, no.
(SOBBING)
Move that wagon out!
(URGING HORSES)
Oh, God!
EULA: For Thine is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever and ever, amen.
Our fathers lie together, Wolf.
Two decent men trying to help each other
and understand each other.
And whosoever shall lose his life for My sake
shall find it.
Goodbye, dear friend.
Goodbye, Father.
Miss Eula.
Go ahead, shoot. We're not armed.
It seems to me there's been enough shootin' around here, ma'am.
I'm of a different brand than them that did it.
Rooster J. Cogburn, United States Marshal.
You're too late, lawman.
Too late to stop 'em, but not too late to hang 'em.
What happened here?
Last night a company of gunmen rode in,
ravaged the settlement, killed my father and many of our Indian friends.
I'm sorry. Wolf's family was killed last night.
They'll pay for it, son. I promise you that. They'll pay for it.
For all those that take the sword must perish with the sword.
Huh? Matthew, 26:52.
Oh. Yes, ma'am.
I figure that the leader of this outfit is a lean, mean, blue-eyed villain.
He looked like that. Hmm. That was Hawk, all right.
Do you know him? I'm trackin' him
for the United States government, Washington City.
He stole some guns and nitro from 'em.
Plans to rob a bank here in the territory.
And you will stop him? Well, that's my intent.
I'll find him, arrest him, take him back to Fort Smith for trial and punishment.
Those are my orders. That's one hanging I will attend.
There are nine men with him. How can you best them?
Well, ma'am, I got my Navy Colt sidearm
and a Winchester rifle on my saddle and a packet full of cartridges.
And a prayer on your lips, I hope. You will have need of it.
And the government has promised me a posse.
Which I figure will be long on promise and short on posse.
Well, go with God, Marshal.
God and you and the boy. I'm taking you to Bagby's trading post.
You'll be safe there. Gather your belongings.
We're not going anywhere, sir.
I must stay here and continue my father's work.
I will be both preacher and teacher now.
I admire your sand, sister,
but you should know that this is no place for a woman alone.
I will look after myself, and have done so very well all of my life, thank you.
I won't allow it.
You do not have any say in the matter, sir.
I have a lot to say, sister. I am the federal marshal for this territory,
responsible for the citizens' safety.
Now, you will pack and come along with me quietly,
or I'll arrest you and take you anyway.
To whom do you think you are talking, Marshal?
You is to whom I think I'm talking, sister.
It's true, you are bigger than I am, but physically. That is all.
I think in this situation that is enough.
You mean you are willing to use brute force?
That is exactly what I mean.
Oh.
Yes.
Well, I will go.
But not because of your threats. Saddle our horses, Wolf.
We'll look for grangers to help rebuild the settlement.
You have a lot of brass, Marshal. You'll have need of it before we are through.
She sings a loud tune.
To make sure the good Lord hears me.
Yeah. Well...
Go saddle the horses, son.
Whoa.
They there? Yeah.
You pushed your luck too far last night, Hawk.
Now we got Injuns after us, along with the law.
We gotta risk it. We're going through.
Hold it.
When I signal, follow.
When I throw this stuff, move fast and cover your ride.
All right, Hawk! Bring it on down!
(WHOOPING)
(WHOOPS) I'd say I earned my money today, Mr. Hawk.
You did what I'm payin' you for. That's all.
Rooster.
Yeah, it's me and what's left of Fort Ruby.
I'm leavin' 'em here with you, Bagby. Take care of 'em.
You know Miss Goodnight. Mr. Bagby.
Are you all right? Oh, I'm fine, thank you.
Hello, Winona. Boy?
Them deputies show up yet?
Not a sign of 'em. They ain't comin'.
I'll bet my drunken cat on that.
Well, I ain't waitin' for them.
Oh, Bagby... that is a strong-minded woman.
You be careful or she'll end up ownin' the store and you workin' for her.
Miss Goodnight.
Keep the faith, ma'am. See you at the hangin'.
Wolf, come with me.
(QUIETLY) Protect yourself.
Wolf, on my horse. Yes, ma'am.
Bye-bye. Thank you.
Bagby, I'm purchasing this Winchester, the scabbard and those shells.
Thank you for your hospitality.
But, Miss Goodnight... Good-bye, sir. God bless you.
Marshal Cogburn!
All right, what is it?
We're riding with you.
You're ridin' nowhere with me, sister!
We will not slow you down or get in your way, sir.
That's right, 'cause you ain't goin' with me!
We'll have to ride hard to overtake them.
We ain't goin'!
I ride hard and alone! I eat light and sleep on the ground!
Understood. By my reckoning, we should reach Cheyenne Springs by sundown.
Breed, hurry up!
Hawk don't trust a hired gun at his back.
Just at his side in a fight.
Not then neither.
Breed's not on our side. Breed's a whore!
Hawk paid for his services. He'd sell us out to the law if they paid better.
(GROANS) HAWK: Breed!
Let's get movin'. We're fightin' time.
Marshal Cogburn, just wait a minute, please.
I feel that you are angry with me.
Ma'am, you are an almighty trial. This is a man's work and dangerous.
For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
I will make sure of what my father's murderers reap.
You will make sure of nothing, sister! I will! You understand?
You do your crocheting or fingernail fixin'
or whatever it is that women do,
but you stay out of my way!
Just a minute, Mr. Cogburn, I'm not through.
It came to me at Bagby's that I must help in the pursuit of these men.
I cannot shirk it. You're a peace officer, Mr. Cogburn.
I'm sure that you understand about duty.
"I slept and dreamed that life was beauty
"I woke and found that life was duty"
I don't suppose that you're familiar
with the poems of Ellen Sturgis Hooper?
No, ma'am, and I ain't interested in hearing 'em recited.
And you can forget about your duty!
Your own General Lee thought it was the most
beautiful word in the English language.
What the devil do you know about General Lee?
That he was a Christian gentleman,
and that he was soundly whipped in the field by Yankees!
If they ever give 'em the vote, God help us.
MAN: Hawk, I need some help.
I need some help on this wagon, Hawk.
(MEN TALKING INDISTINCTLY)
Okay, go ahead. Come on! Come on!
All right, take it easy now.
Easy! Keep her up there.
Slow her down. Keep it up.
He's takin' a chance with this nitro.
He's gamblin' for big stakes.
With our backs. I'd rather go down shootin' than with a broke back!
Come on, boys. Take it easy.
DRIVER: Whoa!
The nitro! Hold it up! Support that nitro!
Get a probe. Get in under here. Leroy, get back there!
Get to pryin' here. Hold it, now.
Let's get under it, boys. All right. Easy! Easy!
It ain't nothin'. The wheel just popped.
Wedge it up and put it back on. We'll be out of here in ten minutes.
The axle's broke, Hawk.
All right, fix it! Don't waste the time we saved.
The axle's broke, Hawk!
It'll take till morning to fix it.
Nothin' is gonna keep me away from that gold.
Nothin', you hear? Nothin'!
All right, I'll ride with Breed to Goldstrike.
He'll size up the bank. I'll see Dakota, set the plan.
If this nitro ain't in town by Friday, the game's over.
Hawk! I'm gonna ride along with you.
I gotta get myself to a doc, before I quits on myself.
Ride along but don't hold me back.
Ain't got time for wet-nursin' no cripple.
We won't let you down, boss.
Don't. I ain't a good loser.
Wolf, I got a hunch
we're just a little way from a lot of trouble.
Now, I want you to get up there and take a careful looksee all around.
Meanwhile, I'll try and keep her ladyship occupied.
Yes, sir. Marshal Cogburn,
we are here together, and it is our obligation
to be on good terms with each other.
As long as we limit our remarks about the war between the states,
I don't think there'll be any open hostility.
Sister, why don't you step down.
We'll give these horses' backs a rest, get a little stretch.
(SIGHING)
Why are you called Rooster? I never heard a man called that before.
Well, I guess in the old days, I was cocky, kind of a struttin' bird.
(CHUCKLES) Have not changed much, as I see it.
My tail feathers may droop a little and my wattles show,
but I can still out crow anything in the barnyard.
Ooh, there's no doubt about that.
But can you outdo them, too?
Well, now, sister, if I couldn't, I wouldn't have much to crow about, would I?
Well, it all depends on the barnyard, doesn't it?
Rooster is your Christian name?
My baptized name is Reuben, but I ask you not to repeat that to nobody.
Why not? It's a name of which to be proud.
At one time, Reuben led the foremost tribe of Israel.
Well, it hit rock bottom with me.
I'm bound to ask you this. Is your name written in the Lamb's Book of Life?
Oh, sister, are you licensed to preach?
What kind of a church do you belong to anyway? They let women preach in it?
I'm not an exhorter, Mr. Cogburn.
Service to others is my witness.
I'm a teacher and something of a journeyman nurse.
Ayah. I can pull teeth.
I'm sorry that you don't like me.
Oh, it ain't that I don't like you. It's how you talk.
How would you have me talk?
It's my business to speak of these things. It's my life.
It isn't that. It's the way you talk.
"Ayah, ayah." What is that business?
Oh, it's my Yankee speech itself that you find offensive?
I do. I must try to remedy that.
Paul tells us that we must be all things to all men.
I'll have to learn some vulgar southern expressions.
I'll have to learn to be lazy and slovenly.
Well, I'll tell you something else that Paul said.
Let your women be silent in church.
How come you to know that passage?
Well, Judge Parker's partial to it.
You know, you're not the only one with a Bible.
He's got a big one. Make two or three of yours.
It's not the size that's important, Marshal,
but your knowledge of its contents.
Repent ye, therefore, and be converted.
You have something to say from that Good Book about every occasion, don't you?
Ayah. It was my primer.
In Boston, church children learn their letters from it.
I figured you for a Yankee, but you look more like a prairie bird,
bony and tough.
As the only girl in a family of boys,
I suspect I grew up more forceful
and independent than a woman should be.
(LAUGHING) Amen, sister. Amen!
Marshal, you're prayin'.
That's the first step on the road to salvation.
Well, this ain't no church social nor a revival meeting.
So don't try to convert me, sister, or you'll end up with a empty sack!
Marshal Cogburn, a wagon and riders!
EULA: Ayah, that's the wagon.
I recognize the wagon.
Just the way I figured. But, sister,
you pay heed to every word I say till this thing is over.
Naturally, Marshal.
Let's go.
Wolf, I want you to take these horses and hide 'em.
Then get up beyond that bend, signal when they're comin'. Yes, sir.
Now, when I yell "Posse",
I want you two to shoot up in the air, make a lot of noise.
Don't shoot at 'em. You might hit that nitro, and then we'd all be gone.
You got that straight? Here, let me show you there. This thing's loaded.
All you have to do is pull that back, point it up in the air, squeeze it.
You understand? Yes, yes, I think I understand.
Get up there behind that broken log. Right.
Don't forget that thing's loaded. No, I'll remember.
(RIDERS APPROACHING)
(WHISTLES)
(WHISPERS LOUDLY) Sister, they're comin'.
(COCKS RIFLE)
(WHISPERS) Sister!
Whoa! What's going on here? Some of you fellas get these logs outta the road!
I wouldn't do that!
Rooster J. Cogburn, United States Marshal.
Head of the posse that's got you surrounded.
I'd keep my hand away from them rifles.
Anybody can say he's a marshal. Let's see you. Where's all your men?
Listen, you riffraff, you know who I am and what I'll do!
I'm arrestin' you all and takin' you and the wagon into Fort Smith.
Now, clamp your hands on your heads and get off them horses.
He ain't got nobody with him.
He's bluffin'. He'd better be.
You're all talk! We ain't seen nothin' yet!
We ain't afraid of you, Rooster!
(FIRES RIFLE)
Next one goes into that nitro.
Okay, dismount, boys.
That's more like it.
Damn your murderin' hides! Meet your maker! Posse!
He's got a posse. Let's get outta here.
Y'all right, sister?
Wolf, give me a hand with these logs. Yes, sir.
Marshal, thank God you're safe.
(CHUCKLES) Hey, Wolf, that was a great shot you made.
But I didn't shoot, sir.
(CLEARS THROAT)
You mean to say that you shot across that nitro wagon at that man?
If you'd have hit that nitro, you'd have killed us all.
But I didn't. And if I hadn't shot him, you'd be dead instead of him.
What were you trying to do, talk him to death?
If that could happen, ma'am, you wouldn't have needed that rifle.
Marshal, I'd like to say a few words over the dead.
Good or bad, they're God's own.
They look like they're past carin', but go ahead.
(GROANS)
The Lord have mercy on us for what we did.
I am the resurrection and the life, sayeth the Lord.
He that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.
And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
We brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can take nothing out of it.
Unto Almighty God I commend the souls of these men.
Hurry it up, sister, or we'll be joinin' 'em.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever, amen.
Earth to earth, ashes to ashes...
And dust to dust. And dust to dust.
Get up in the wagon.
My father's murderer was not among them.
There's a federal bank in Goldstrike.
I figure Hawk's there setting up the stealing,
and this bunch will be hightailing it to him.
But I'll get my chance. I'm gonna bait me a rattrap,
and this is the cheese.
Be careful that you do not end up being the cheese.
Sister, your confidence in me is inspiring.
I'm gonna take this wagon to Sulphur Bottom,
wait for 'em to catch up to me there.
Spring my trap on my own ground.
That's not what's worrying me.
You gotta help me protect her, son. Yes, sir, Marshal.
We'll protect her. Good boy.
(EULA CHUCKLING)
Sittin' by the roadside Eatin' goober peas
Goodness, how delicious Eatin' goober peas
How did a blue-blooded Boston lady like you
ever learn to shoot like that?
My first beau taught me. He taught me how to shoot and equitation.
"Equitation"? Ayah. You know, horseback riding.
Oh! Well, I've been doing that for ten lustrums.
"Lustrums"?
Fifty years.
Oh.
Ayah. I see.
Well, to continue, my first beau was a dashing young man.
A bit simpleminded. I think I must have scared him off with my manner.
He taught me how to shoot well, don't you agree?
Fair.
How old are you?
Shall we say it has already struck midnight?
How much do you weigh? My word!
I don't mind scrawny women. My first wife had bones stickin' out all over.
I didn't know you were married. She left me.
Must have been like Jack Spratt and his wife, only in reverse.
They had a good arrangement, the Spratts, I must say.
Do you get paid for everybody you bring into
your church? It doesn't work like that.
I don't get anything. I do well to get my keep.
No fees? No fees.
You haven't got any money of your own? Very little.
I thought that.
I take it you're on the scout for a rich widow.
It's my guess that you can't cook either. Course, that's just my guess.
It appears then that I don't measure up.
(CHUCKLING) That's a mercy.
You got more backbone than femaleness. That's a fact.
(LAUGHING) Yeah, Marshal, I would say that that is a fact.
Well, out in the territory,
we prize a dead shot more than we do a lady's charms.
Then I've come to the right place, haven't I?
You mean the men in the West do not mind
if their women outshoot and outsmart them?
If they're quiet about it.
No, out here, we value a spirited woman
almost as much as we do a spirited horse.
Almost as much, eh?
Yes, ma'am, almost as much.
Not quite, but almost. Ayah.
Hawk.
(PANTING) Hawk, I don't think I can make it.
Leave him. We ain't got time for diggin'. Let the buzzards have him.
EULA: Marshal Cogburn, I'm curious. What is it that you're doing?
Well, I am busy trying to follow the regulations laid down by Uncle Sam.
That gentleman will have his fee sheets just and correct,
or he won't pay.
You're keeping a record of expenditures, is that it?
Well, somethin' like that.
Without a deputy to help me, it's the devil's own work.
Without any schoolin', you're up against it in this country, sister.
Perhaps I can help you.
Oh, well, I'd be obliged.
Oh. Now, now,
now these forms are ruled with places for the entries,
but your handwriting seems to wander into places where it should not go.
Here, I'll rub out your chicken tracks and work them over.
Now, what's this entry? "Important words with Blue, $2.00."
Oh, that's the soldier boy that gave me a tip on Hawk and his gang.
And charged his government money for the information?
Well, not exactly. I can't remember the details of every transaction.
(LAUGHS) "Travel rations for Miss Eula Goodnight
and Indian boy, Wolf, $3.00."
Well, we brought our own food.
They don't know that.
They may be smarter than you think.
From now on, you must have approximate dates that lend substance to your...
Alcohol on an empty stomach has killed more men than outlaws' bullets.
You don't say?
Well, ma'am, my stomach ain't empty. It's full of corn dodgers.
Balls of hot water corn bread made by Chen Lee, my friend.
Must be near to 50 in there.
Why are they called corn dodgers?
Dodging corn whiskey in my innards, I guess.
You'd be better off dodging it too.
A drinking man is half a man.
You cannot give weight to the words of a drunkard.
They are meaningless. Oh, come on, sister.
Don't tell me that you stand in judgment of a man who pulls a cork now and then.
I do. It's a weakness that indicates a decided lack of character.
That shows you know more about the Lord and His Good Book than you do about men.
That's my good fortune.
I know enough about men to have steered clear of them.
I had no hankerin' to have one of my own
and no desire to produce more of the same.
Wolf.
Yes, sir? She's frightening.
Look, uh, I got me a .22 pepperbox here.
Now, this thing shoots five times, sometimes all at once.
It is called a lady's companion,
and that is what I intend it be used for when I leave you two off.
Now, back in Fort Smith, there is a sportin' lady named Big Faye.
She was shot twice with this thing.
But she dresses out at about 290, so,
none of the bullets found their way to any of the vitals.
But, against ordinary people, this gives good service.
Now I want you to protect sister with it.
Thank you, sir. I shall guard Miss Eula with my life.
Well, more than likely, it'll be the other way.
But you take good care of her. She is somethin'.
You wait here for Dakota. I could use a drink myself.
I only drink with friends.
Good shot, Marshal! You are hitting more than you are missing now!
Well, them that I ain't hittin', lad, I ain't aimin' at.
If you're not careful, Hawk's men will hear the noise and be looking for you.
And if they ain't careful, they'll find me. Hooray!
Hey, Wolf, chalk up two of them things!
Hallelujah!
Your equitation teacher do that?
Marshal Cogburn, we're ready to go.
Shooting corn bread in a meadow is not taking us anywhere,
and my father's murderers ride free.
Well, sister, I was just celebrating a little. Celebrating what?
Being alive, sister, being alive.
You're shooting your own food.
Whiskey is making you silly. Why do people wish to be silly?
Why do people wish to be sober?
Life ain't an easy game, sister.
Don't hurt to make a fool of yourself once in a while.
Yes, once in a while, but not more often than not.
Marshal Cogburn, you're in a sorry state.
You're unsteady on your feet, untidy in your person,
rank with the smell of sweat and spirits.
Cleanliness and abstinence are next to godliness, or had you forgotten?
No, I ain't forgotten. I ain't forgot the naggin', schemin' ways of a woman.
You're figurin' to take a bottle out of my hand, put a cake of soap in it,
probably a Bible for a gun in the other.
Well, it ain't gonna work. No bit and harness for me.
I am what I am. That's what I am. I...
Wolf.
(SOFTLY) Give me a hand. Yes, sir.
(GRUNTING)
I'm fine.
I painted her I painted her
(MUMBLING)
I promised her I promised her
A ring and a weddin' after the beddin'
Golden trinkets too
And I left her then And I'm free again
'Cause I never promised her when
I'll tell him.
You made good time. Where'd you leave the wagon?
That's why we come here so soon, Hawk. We lost the wagon.
A posse of marshals ambushed us. They got Nose and Emmett.
Whiskey.
You'd turn tail if a jackrabbit jumped you.
Rooster Cogburn ain't no jackrabbit.
Cogburn?
Cogburn aced you?
Yeah.
Let's go.
You'll never take him, Hawk. Yeah?
Yeah.
I rode scout for him for three years, and I know.
You take my money, you wear my brand. Got it?
Get your butts in the saddle. We're ridin'.
ROOSTER: We'll make an early camp today. This looks like a likely spot.
Is it safe to stop overnight, sir?
We gotta rest these horses. Unhitch 'em.
Anyway, I'm not worried about them roadrunners.
They'll be in Goldstrike lickin' their wounds
and consortin' with lewd women.
They won't start after us until morning.
Man, am I thirsty.
I'm gonna fetch some water.
Drinkin' water, that is.
Washin' water I am a stranger to and will leave to you two to draw.
Marshal Cogburn, I'm sorry if I offended you
with my remarks regarding your personal habits.
I didn't realize that you were of such a sensitive nature.
Ma'am, my hide is tougher than boot leather,
but no man alive likes to be called high-smellin' and low-down.
Ayah, that's true. But when something unpleasant must be said,
it's best to have done with it.
A sharp knife cuts the quickest and hurts the least.
And oft should be left in the scabbard.
You're a flash of lightning, Marshal.
No, I just follow the thunder.
Well, I'll just follow my own advice
and retire to the stream to perform my ablutions.
Her... Her what?
Her, uh... Hey, sister!
You better be careful movin' around out there.
Everything that grows in this country will either
bite you, stab you or stick you.
Will she be all right?
Any varmint that crosses that lady's path has met its match.
You too, Marshal?
She'll never get the best of me. You can bet on that.
Why do women always want to change a man?
Is it the same with Indian women? Yes.
Miss Goodnight would be regarded
as highly as a warrior who performs bravely in battle.
Hmm. Well, no man wants to put his boots under a warrior's bed.
Hey, I heard flappin' noises back in them trees.
As soon as we get this camp set up, let's go huntin'.
Get us a turkey. Surprise Miss Eula with a good meal.
I would like that very much, sir. Good. Good.
This here's where they waylaid us, Hawk.
There was marshals all around.
(SNIFFS)
They can't be far.
That wagon's too heavy to move fast
and too risky to move by night.
Breed, how many?
Tracks are hard to read. Sure as hell ain't no posse.
What?
Do you hear that, you stupid bastards? He galled you!
Now you listen to me, all of you.
I ain't goin' away without that nitro!
I'll kill Rooster for it!
And I'll kill each one of you, you show yellow again.
Here. Drink yourself some guts.
ROOSTER: Hello, the camp!
We must have hiked ten miles trying to get a shot at a turkey.
Bagby's gun pulls left as it fires
and the sight is off a little, but it's a beauty.
Son, we been outclassed.
We got a mixed bag, Miss Eula.
An owl and a possum.
Put them in the pot. We'll have wilderness stew.
You shot 'em, skin 'em.
Marshal Cogburn, did you ever come up against Jesse James or Billy the Kid?
Naw, I never ran into them folks.
Did I ever tell you about the time Lucky Ned Pepper and gang were chasin' me?
No, I'd like to hear about that. Ayah, tell us.
Well, that was something. They chased me until I got tired of it,
then I just whirled my old horse, Bo, around,
took them reins in my teeth and rid right at them villains.
I was shootin' my saddle pistol with one hand
and whirlin' my Winchester with the other.
Never took aim. Just snap shot and got 'em all.
EULA: Marshal, are you sure you're not
stretchin' the blanket a little bit?
I was thinkin' you'd figure that way, so I told it gospel.
Proof is, I'm here and they're dead.
One sad thing that day.
Lost old Bo.
Marshal, would you like more to eat?
No, I don't think so. I'm full. I'll tell you what I could stand.
I'd pay three dollars for a pickled buffalo tongue right now.
I'd have thought you'd had enough pickled tongue for one day.
No, but I've had enough tongue
that's more barbed than pickled, and mighty indigestible.
(LAUGHING) I know. It often is.
Well, sister, how do you stand on the sin of tobacco?
Well, I know of no passage or verse to prove it,
but I'm quite certain that the good Lord smokes a fine cigar.
Hallelujah.
Marshal, is your eye bothering you?
I could soothe it with a poultice.
Oh, no thanks, ma'am. It's past helpin'.
Was it a hunting accident cost you your eye, Marshal?
You might say that. Huntin' Yankees.
I lost it in the war ridin' with Bill Anderson and Captain Quantrill.
Times have sure changed.
Here I am workin' for a damned Yankee.
But you haven't changed, sir. You're still hunting.
Well... I guess I like marshalin'
better than anything I've done since the war.
I like buffalo huntin', but them big shaggies is just about gone now.
Damn shame. I was skinnin' buffalo down at Yellow Horse Creek, Texas.
The pay was great, but I just couldn't stand that open country.
I'll bet there weren't six trees between there and Canada.
Oh, I love the freedom of the open prairie. You love your freedom too, Marshal.
Yeah, yeah. I only lost it once.
But my wife and I are travelin' different roads now.
She didn't like my friends, and she didn't like me when I was myself.
So my drinkin' picked up. She got a bellyful of it and left me.
Now I'm livin' happily ever after with my cat, General Sterling Price,
and my friend, Chen Lee, the Chinaman.
They let a man be.
Be what, Marshal?
Well, be... Be hisself. He don't have to change.
But change is progress, Marshal.
You don't look too old to change. Life is a school.
Well, teacher, don't you start pressin' your dress for my graduation
'cause I intend to stay in my own low class,
indefinitely!
May I have more possum stew, ma'am?
Opossum, Wolf. Opossum. An American marsupial.
Oh. Wolf, maybe you better give me some of that owl meat.
A little of that in a Rooster's gizzard might make me smart.
(LAUGHING) A wise old owl sat on an oak.
The more he heard, the less he spoke.
The less he spoke, the more he heard.
Now wasn't that a wise old bird?
I guess there's some kind of a lesson in that for me, for both of us.
How many miles you think we rode today?
Oh, about 20.
It feels like more than that.
Wait a minute, sister. Maybe I can help.
That feels good.
I'll bet your backside hurts worse than anything.
Yes, well...
(LAUGHS) We can't do anything about that, can we?
I reckon not, sister.
(SIGHING) Better.
The layin' on of the hands.
How do you happen to know about that?
What I know might surprise you, sister.
My friend, nothing about you would surprise me.
Oh, just a minute, sister.
I'll put my lariat around your bed.
Them night crawlers and snakes will respect it.
Is that really true that they won't crawl over a rope?
I ain't gonna say it's true.
I ain't gonna say it ain't. But it's comfortin'.
Thank you, Reuben.
The Good Book says, "Let not the sun go down on thy wrath."
I'm glad that it did not.
Good night, sister.
Good night, Reuben. Wolf, give me a hand.
WOLF: Yes, sir. Good night, ma'am.
Good night, Wolf.
(STRAINING) This Gatling gun's a little heavy.
Set this up for our protection.
In case I was wrong about them cutthroats,
we'll still have the advantage.
A little chilly. Well, I guess we better stand guard tonight
over there across the creek.
Now you take the first watch,
and I'll spell you around midnight.
Thank you. You got that pepperbox? Right here.
Good. Now don't use it unless you have to.
First sign of trouble, you give that coyote howl
and hightail it back here to camp.
Now that big, flat rock on that side,
that's a good place for lookout. Sir?
Yeah? Has there ever been an Indian marshal?
Not that I heard tell of. That's what I'd like to be.
A man like you.
You ain't aimin' your sights very high, son,
but if you'd like to follow my tracks, I...
I'll help you up the trail, and proud to.
Thank you, sir.
Good night, son. Good night, sir.
EULA: Reuben,
have you ever seen an enlarged picture of a drunkard's liver?
Damnation.
Even in their sleep?
Ow!
Good night, Miss Goodnight.
(SOFTLY) Good night, Reuben.
(MUFFLED SCREAMING)
Bring him.
Leroy, take him down there. Go on. Spread out.
(MUFFLED SHOUTING)
What?
Stay down. Stay down.
Where are you? Where are you, Wolf?
HAWK: I got him, Rooster!
That you, Hawk? You know it is!
Uh-huh. Guess you're kind of interested in this wagon.
You let that boy go!
Stay down.
HAWK: I will let him go, when you give me back that wagon.
Breed, you there?
I'm here, Rooster.
You all right? I'm all right.
You're the one with a little trouble.
I want that wagon! You ain't goin' nowhere with it!
Give it to me or I'll kill your Indian boy!
You kill that Indian boy, and I'll blow up this wagon.
And hunt every one of you down and cut you throat to throat.
Oh, all right, I'll trade that damn wagon for the boy
if he ain't harmed!
Leroy, show him the bait.
When they lower their guns, break cover and rush 'em. Shoot to kill.
All right, bring him across. We'll stand aside.
Marshal, it's a trick! They're gonna kill you!
(LEROY GROANING)
(GUNFIRE)
Hold your fire!
Nice work, boy. Here, sister, give Wolf your rifle.
You may have the boy now, but we ain't movin' until we get what's ours!
And neither are you!
Well, now, I got pretty good position here and some mean deputies.
You're a liar, Rooster. You ain't got no posse.
I got your Gatling gun, and I got it set up.
I'll give you two minutes to cut and run
or I'm gonna fill you full of holes like a sieve.
You got the gun, but you ain't got the know-how to use it!
Deputy, show 'em.
(RAPID GUNFIRE)
Ain't that the way it works, Hawk? Now, you hightail it out of here
before I forget my promise to Judge Parker, bring you in alive.
That was good, Rooster!
But the odds will change when the sun comes up!
Spread out.
When he tries to move that wagon in the morning, we'll make our play.
Wolf, did you see their horses? Yes, sir, up there.
Uh-huh. Do you think you could work your way up there and spook 'em?
I can do it, sir. Good man.
You're risking the boy's life.
I am counting a little on your relationship with the Lord, ma'am.
Can you hitch a team? Yes, I can hitch a team.
I'm gonna maneuver myself over there and get their attention.
You hitch up that team and saddle those horses. Yes, yes.
Hawk, you there?
Ready to deal, Rooster!
I'm gonna give you one last chance to give yourself up.
HAWK: Wait till daylight!
We'll see who's ready to give up!
I'll get you a fair trial and a fine hanging.
Might even get you life at the federal house in Detroit.
They'll teach you how to read and write there.
Of course, the rest of it ain't so good.
(URGING HORSES)
Get them horses! Grab 'em!
Good work, Wolf. You bought us some time.
(LAUGHING)
Wolf, give me a hand.
You folks runnin' from something or to something?
ROOSTER: Both.
Are you goin' across?
We aim to use your raft.
Ten cents for a horse and rider. Dollar for a wagon.
Fifty cents extra for heavy cargo.
A show of money is required before passage.
Well, I'm Rooster J. Cogburn, Federal Marshal.
The men I'm stalkin' are hot on my tail, and I'm gonna need help.
I want you to give sanctuary to this woman and boy.
If I'd wanted women and children here, I'd have had my own.
They ain't nothing but trouble.
So don't saddle me with your discards.
You ain't very hospitable.
I ain't got an ounce of good will in me, and that's a fact.
I hate everybody. I'm a cantankerous old man, and I know it.
I like myself better than anyone I've ever met.
That's how come I took this job, to be alone with me.
Watch that nitro. What?
Let me know if you decide to go across.
I can't stay out in this heat any longer.
The sun is frying my brains.
The only way I can get this stuff down
to Sulphur Bottom is downriver.
What am I gonna do with you two?
It's too risky to leave you here.
Maybe I can land you someplace before the shootin' starts.
Old man!
Are you goin' across? No.
We're gonna go downriver. We're loanin' the raft off you.
That ain't loanin'! That's stealin'!
Am I gonna have trouble with you?
Not a teeny-weeny bit of trouble as long as you got that.
I'm securin' this for the law, and the law will pay off.
I ain't got much use for the law.
'Course, it ain't got much use for me neither.
Is there any law says you can't help us unload this thing?
Not if it'll get you out of here any faster. Well, there you are.
Do you know anything about ridin' a raft?
There's rough water downriver.
I know how to ride a horse. Couldn't be much different than that.
You ain't no sailor. I can see that.
Water is like a woman, sly and fickle.
You gotta keep your eye on it every minute.
You a sailor? I was once. Shanghai McCoy's my name.
Been around the Horn. Sailed the seven seas.
Seen everything. Done everything.
That's how I know that people are so miserable. I've seen 'em all.
You're wrong, old man!
We're made in God's image, His goodness and beauty is a part of all of us! Even you!
Amazing! I never took you for a Bible thumper!
Hold it, mister. She is what she is 'cause that's what she wants to be.
That's the way you'll take her, and that's the way I take her.
You're wasting your time preachin' at me. You too, sister.
I'm a ship that can't be salvaged.
With God, all things are possible.
(GRUMBLING)
You're sure shippin' out with a strange crew, Captain.
I'll match their mettle against most.
Well, I'm glad it's your command, not mine.
Women can no more keep their mouths shut than a yellowtail catfish.
Gotta agree with you there.
We'll ride ahead and take 'em at the narrows.
Breed, you and Luke river-trail 'em. Keep 'em in sight.
Join us at the narrows, just ahead of 'em.
McCOY: (SHOUTING) Hold your course!
Keep that rudder amidships when you hit that white water downriver.
Ain't nobody ever shot them rapids on a raft before.
You just take care of my horses, Commodore. I'll be back for 'em.
Don't you crack up my vessel on them rocks! You hear me?
EULA: It's so lovely here.
I wish we could sail right on down to the sea.
Right now, Webber Falls would be more to my liking.
We'll get there tomorrow, with the good Lord's help.
Sir, would you really have killed those men with the Gatling gun?
They believed I would.
In a pinch, a convincing lie is as good as a posse, sometimes better.
Marshal, tell me more about some of the outlaws and how you bested them.
Oh, well... If you gentlemen will excuse me,
I'll go and have a little sleep.
I've had enough of your derring-do for one day.
Yeah.
You ever heard of Abilene Town? No.
Well, I was there once lookin' for a bunco steerer named 21-Jewel Slim.
That Abilene is the worst place I have ever saw.
It is a sink of crime.
Why, I was standin' on Horse Thief Corner,
when Prairie Rose come down the middle of the street,
with nothin' on but her two six-guns.
She was stark naked and painted up one side...
EULA: Wolf,
stop polin' and get some rest.
You've got to spell Marshal Cogburn tonight.
Yes, ma'am.
What color was she painted, Reuben?
Breed, ain't no love lost between you and Hawk or him and me.
If you was willing to quit him now and join up with me,
I think we could take the raft ourselves,
and be rich men instead of dead ones.
You game?
Maybe. What's your plan?
Come on, I'll show you.
We'll lay the rope underneath the water so they can't see it.
When they get up to it, it'll pull tight and stop 'em.
Old Rooster, he's gonna wanna cut that rope
or stretch it up and float the raft underneath.
That's when I get me a good shot at him,
without a chance of blowing the nitro.
You kill the other two.
We'll land the cargo later.
What makes you think this is gonna work?
It'll work, partner.
Now what? Take this tiller, Wolf.
What's holdin' us up? Something's foul here.
BREED: Rooster, cut it loose.
Breed?
Yeah.
You saved my life once.
Now we're even. Grateful to you.
Hawk's waitin' for you downriver.
I can't help you there.
Well, we'll be ready for him.
(HORSE WHINNYING) Someone's comin'.
(COCKS RIFLE) BREED: It's me, Hawk.
What the hell you doin' here?
Where's Luke?
He's dead.
We shot it out with Rooster. Luke lost.
I told you to track him, not take him!
What happened?
Tried to stop the raft with a rope across the river.
Rooster cut it and got away.
We gun fought him, but, uh...
Hell, Hawk, he's just too good for us.
Let me see your gun.
You don't want my gun.
Oh, yes, I do.
You know, Breed here,
he gun fought old Rooster with just one bullet.
You're a liar, Breed.
I owed him one.
(BREED SCREAMING)
I wish this thing had a little more giddyap to it.
I picked these blackberries yesterday, Reuben. Would you like some?
Oh, no. Not for me. I have to be careful.
I can't eat just anything. I get the colic. Hmm?
Of course, my mouth is slickerin' for one thing.
Chen Lee's corn bread, fried in a big ladle of coon meat grease.
Yes. Well, when we get back to Fort Smith,
I'd like to meet Mr. Lee and get his recipe.
Will we get back, Reuben? What are our chances?
The odds are the same, sister. They ain't in our favor.
When you drop us off at Webber's Falls,
and go out after them,
you will be careful, won't you, Reuben?
Wolf and I care about you, very much.
Well, ma'am... I don't know much
about thoroughbreds, horses or women.
Them that I did know, I never liked.
They're too nervous and spooky. They scare me.
But you're one highbred filly that don't.
I don't know what you're talkin' about half the time,
but that don't matter.
Bein' around you pleases me.
Those are about the nicest words I ever heard said to me. Thank you, Reuben.
Well, uh...
Wolf, I'll spell you.
(MAN WHISTLES)
(WHISTLES)
We got you now, Rooster, you old fraud!
Throw your guns in the water, pull that scow ashore and keep your hands high!
And don't try nothin'! You'll be dead by breakfast!
That's a rattlesnake's warnin', Hawk!
You squat assassin!
Your schemin' ain't gonna help you now, Rooster!
ROOSTER: Don't you rely on it, Hawk! Don't you rely on it!
(LAUGHING)
That'll keep their heads down.
(RAPID GUNFIRE)
(LAUGHING)
There's one!
Don't hit the nitro. Shoot wide of 'em.
Force 'em into the bank.
(RAPID GUNFIRE)
MAN: Them rapids will get him now.
No. I will.
The Lord is with us.
So is that current.
If He owes you any favors, lady, now's the time to collect.
Get out of the way, Wolf.
All right, brace yourself.
(SCREAMS)
God help us! If He does, I'll give up drinkin'!
The gun! The gun, Reuben! We've lost the gun!
ROOSTER: Well, now, sister, just what the hell can I do about it?
The rope!
Watch it there, sister!
Hold tight!
Oh, no!
(SIGHS)
You all right, sister?
I don't know. Am I all right?
I don't know. How did we do it?
Your friend must have been on the job.
(LAUGHING) I guess He must have
been on the job.
My God!
(HORSE WHINNYING)
Marshal, look!
It's a showdown.
Well, we did the best we could.
Sister, I ain't never had a fight I didn't finish standin' up.
We'll finish this one, maybe not standin' up.
But we'll finish it the way we planned it.
Come on, Wolf. Get those lines loose.
Have a care with that nitro. Easy does it.
Now, ease them boxes into the water.
Remember, it's nitroglycerin.
Well,
we'll see.
They never made it, Hawk.
Yeah, but the nitro did.
ROOSTER: Now.
Hold your fire!
Marshal Cogburn is injured and dying.
Take the dynamite,
but give us safe passage down the river.
Sure, lady, we'll do that.
We'll just take that load,
and then we'll send you and your hero on your way.
(SOFTLY) Straight to hell. Come on.
Now, Reuben.
Payday! Come and get it, boys!
Payday!
Well, we won the battle,
but I lost my job.
Maybe not.
See, Judge, the Lord could very easily have struck down the Midianites,
and the Amalekites with a wave of His mighty hand, but He didn't do that.
He raised up a Gideon with which to smite them.
An ordinary man, like the Marshal there.
It's in the book of Judges, Judge. I know where it is, madam.
Very ingenious defense, madam. It takes one's breath away.
But I do not believe the Lord has raised up a Gideon here at Fort Smith.
No. If He's raised up anything, I fear it's a Rooster.
A willful, strutting old bird
who hasn't paid any attention to the United States criminal code.
But he has! I killed that criminal trash!
Not Marshal Cogburn! Sit down!
He wanted him hung here, at your convenience...
Oh, back up, sister! But I couldn't do that!
Silence in this court! My father's honor was at stake!
Shut up! He was shot...
Will you take Reuben's word for it or mine?
Reuben?
Well, in view of past experience with Reuben,
I'm afraid I'll have to take yours.
Get back on the rail, sister.
This man may pull a cork now and then,
but he's as straight as a string.
Now you're back on the rail.
He's the best marshal you have, and he's worth more money
than you pay him!
Reuben, you are reinstated, and this court is recessed
and dismissed!
Reinstated.
Yeah. Yeah!
WOLF: Congratulations, Marshal. Oh, well...
(SPEAKING IN CHINESE) Reuben.
ROOSTER: Damn Chinaman.
Tell ya, there is one thing I would like to get straight.
We both know that the Lord brands lyin' a sin.
You think He'll still smile on you after them whoppers you told in there?
And if thy words stray from the truth for the good of God's own,
if thy intent be pure, thou shalt not then be judged sinful.
Beautiful quotation. What book? What chapter?
I will confess, Reuben, it is of my own invention. I just made it up.
Hallelujah and jubilee! That is one quotation I will remember.
And will you remember us too, Reuben?
Longer than I'll remember that quotation, Miss Eula.
We found five families
who will homestead at Fort Ruby and help us resettle it.
Will you see us off tomorrow at the Texas Road? We join the wagon train.
I will consider it a privilege, ma'am.
Well, ma'am, this is where our trails part.
Maybe they'll cross again, Reuben.
Well, that's something I think I'd like to drink to, ma'am.
After that vow you took on the river?
When a soul needs revivin', thou shalt reach for help.
Book and chapter?
Rooster Cogburn, 1880.
Will you join me, ma'am?
Well, maybe I will try just a little sip.
To someday.
Someday.
Goodbye, Marshal.
Goodbye, son.
Goodbye, Reuben.
Watch your drinkin', ma'am.
And if you ever have need of a one-eyed, old peace officer...
Reuben, I have to say it.
Livin' with you has been an adventure
any woman would relish for the rest of time.
I look at you, with your burnt-out face and your big belly
and your bear-like paws and your shining eye,
and I have to say you're a credit to the whole male sex,
and I'm proud to have you for my friend.
I'll be damned if she didn't get the last word in again.
Well...