War, it changes men.
It ain't no secret.
It's nothin' you can hide or keep concealed.
Pits you against those you love,
turns 'em into somethin' ya hate.
And when it does that, the killin' starts.
♪ Oh Susannah ♪
♪ Oh don't you cry for me ♪
♪ From Alabama with a banjo on my knee ♪
♪ Oh, the camptown ladies sing this song ♪
♪ Doo-da, Doo-da ♪
Yanks, Yanks!
Sumbitch.
Cap'n.
Captain! Captain, we got Yanks!
Cap'n, we got Yanks!
Cap'n. Cap'n sir, we got about 20 Federals
comin' up that hillside and they're mighty pissed, sir.
- Thank you, Sergeant Major. - Sir.
Look sharp, men!
Eyes forward now.
We did not come here today to lose.
We came here to run these Johnny-red sap
all the way back to the muddy waters of the Gulf.
Let it not be fear that compels you today.
No, let it be the calm thoughts
of returnin' home to your wives.
Holdin' your sons and your daughters.
All right boys, we got us a bunch of feeble-minded Yanks
just lyin' across from us.
They're outnumbered, cold and scared.
Let it not be the thought of sleepin' in the cold mud,
but in a warm bed, clean sheets instead.
It is your job to take their lives from them this day.
This forest becomes a graveyard for those northern heathens
that would take your God-given right from you.
But most importantly,
remember the fresh feelin' of victory!
Take to mind all that
and we will crush our enemies on this day.
Now,
dyin' time is here.
Let's go!
Come on!
Charge!
Yeah!
One in Virginia, one in South Carolina
One in the Dakotas, I just don't remember which one.
I must... There must've been, I don't even know,
six bottles of whiskey that night.
Oh, yes.
Kentucky, there was one in Kentucky.
I tell you what, you wanna find yourself some trouble,
trouble will find you in Kentucky.
That is just how it is.
I swear, you don't even got to go lookin' for it.
Hmm, you're awful quiet Karl.
Somethin' botherin' you?
You wanna know what I heard all mornin'?
Well, what did ya hear, Karl?
Your goddamn jaw floppin'.
Sound like somebody forgot to grease the wheel.
Just when I thought you couldn't possibly be more useless,
turns out you can't aim for shit either.
You couldn't hit a bear's ass with a bag of banjos.
You can't hunt for shit, you can't talk for shit,
and you ain't got the looks to pucker a pig's butt, boy.
Yet here you are, jackass-eatin' cactus.
An imbecile of immoral repute.
I'm sorry, Karl.
Yeah, I know you are.
Just like you sorry 'bout all them whores
in this town or the other.
Jesus, it's Foggy.
- Foggy! - Dale's over here.
Hell, we ain't been gone but half a day.
Karl.
They must've just left here.
Got two eyes and a brain, ain't I?
What's that brain tellin' you?
We got Blackfoot to thank for this.
And to the victor go the spoils.
Goddamn heathens.
That's why us scallywags gotta stick together, Lonnie.
See, you've got a penchant for havin' your way with whores.
And me, I like takin' things that don't rightly belong to me.
Isn't it odd they didn't take no gold?
What kinda Injuns don't take no gold, Karl?
- Karl? - What is it?
They left a bag of scalps.
Blackfoot don't leave no scalps in bags.
What is it, Lonnie?
You look like you seen a ghost.
Jesus!
Please, please don't kill me.
"Associate yourself with men of good quality
if you esteem your reputation.
For it is far better to be alone than in bad company."
And I do believe George Washington said that
and I do not think he would've approved
of what you done to that whore back at 14 Mile.
Have mercy.
Mercy is somethin' you beg for at the Pearly Gates, son.
No!
Just my job to make sure you there on time.
No!
- Here you are. - Thank you.
By the time I read these damn things,
they're over a month old.
I'm readin' about the past, not the present.
I still send for 'em.
You know what they called me in, uh, St Louis
when I told 'em I was gonna come out here
and start a minin' operation
in the midst all this hostile Indian territory, and...
bandits and road agents roamin' around like elk
and bears, more monsters than animals.
They said I... I had a death wish.
Suicidal was the exact term, I believe.
And now look at me.
I got one of the largest gold operations in the world.
Risk, Mr. Ransom, always take it.
No matter what the cost may be.
Never have been much of a risk taker, Mr. Carrington.
Oh, sure you have.
Who else would come in here drippin'
man's biology all over my saloon's floor?
Anyone else I'd have 'em cut with a straight razor
till they was unrecognizable to God himself.
Men, sir.
- Pardon? - Men's biology.
Plural, as in more than one.
Yes, I know the meaning of plural.
What is your meaning with it?
Four men's biology, to be exact.
Don't drip on my desk, please.
I found 'em out on a trail runnin' away from town,
like most thieves will do in these kinds of situations.
Well, I thought you'd bring back one,
maybe two, but not without wound.
Not wounded, are you?
I reckon I gave enough blood durin' the war.
I do try to avoid lead when and where I can, sir.
More particularly, I'd rather just snatch a man's life from him
before his trigger finger can get to itchin'.
Makes things go a whole lot easier.
Bag looks a bit light for there bein' heads in it.
What's a head weigh, eight pounds?
I brung you their scalps, sir.
And I reckon the correct weight on a human head,
brain included, is roughly about ten pounds.
And I do parlay that figure on good authority.
You're a head hunter, Hollis.
You're supposed to bring back the heads.
See, that's how I'm supposed to know you're an honest man
and not killin' some poor soul for a bit of silver.
How else am I supposed to know who it is you brought back?
Them there scalps belong to the three boys
that done wrote your gold haul, few days back.
Fourth belongs to a kid named Lonnie Bixby.
He was ridin' with them and he's the one responsible
for the cuttin' of Ma Whitman's girl
'bout the same time the gold haul got took.
Now, in total that is 500 dollars a piece
for the three and 1,000 for the Bixby kid.
Now he's worth twice that back east
but I will just settle out on 1,000 for him.
Now listen here.
As far as me being trustworthy and all...
I do believe that that should satisfy
your questionability.
Well, you never do disappoint do you, Hollis?
All right... all right I will pay you for the three,
but you better take up the kid with Ma,
seeing it was her... property that was damaged.
Here you go.
Whoa! Hey, what's this interruption here?
I'm tryin' to conduct some business.
- Goddamn it. - Pardon me, sir, Gentry here,
thought he could pocket from you.
Oh no,
shut the door.
Everybody thinks they can steal from me nowadays.
Explain yourself.
Gots no excuse, sir, but please Mr. Carrington.
I have a wife and child
- and I have to care for them. - Yeah.
- Mr. Gentry, is it? - Yes, sir.
How do you think stealing from me is a service to them?
I suppose it isn't, sir.
Mm-hmm.
You think I'm a forgiving man?
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir, generous and forgivin'.
No man like you, none in the whole gulch.
Well, you're lucky.
You see this tall drink of water standin' over here?
If my men hadn't caught you in the act,
I would be obliged to send him out to collect you
and I might have to pay him
to make an example outta you
and bring your head back in a bag.
Now how would that be for your wife and child?
They would be broke and homeless
and your wife would probably have to take up whorin'.
You wouldn't want that, would you, Mr. Gentry?
Hm?
Man after man runnin' themselves through your poor innocent wife.
Some of them even like children, I hear.
Which is your writin' hand?
My right, sir.
- Hold his left. - No, no, no, no!
Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus, no!
Jesus no!
- Jesus! - All right, all right.
Put him back on the line.
Man can still pan for gold with one hand.
Oh, and by the way, good man,
you ever try stealin' from me again,
the consequences will be unbearable.
Ugh.
Close the door!
God damn, born in a barn.
Yeah.
Well, I do not know whether the nature
of these barbaric affairs has distracted me,
but I certainly forgot my manners.
Have a seat, Mr. Ransom.
My curiosity runs rampant.
Color me intrigued as to why you would stray
from your occupational title?
My hands were cold and my knife was dull.
All right.
Mm.
Brutality calls for creativity in times of duress.
That is one way you can put it, sir.
Like I said, I was just vulnerable to the elements.
- Yeah, there it is. - Job is a job, Mr. Carrington.
I will keep sending men to meet their maker
if you keep the silver flowing.
Although a golden eagle or two
would not go unnoticed by myself.
You see, therein lies the problem.
You do the same job
for my wonderfully annoying competitors
who rest just a stone's throw out that door.
See, I've... I've heard a lot about you, Mr. Ransom.
Many a tale.
More than a man should
for havin' known you for such a short period of time.
Stories about men in my trade are abundant, Mr. Carrington.
Don't go puttin' too much stock in tales
that get told around a fire.
Well normally I wouldn't, but, um, something tells me
that most of what is told about you is truth.
Such as the story during the war
when one brother fought to defend freedom
and the other, slavery, and one brother felt
so betrayed in absolute form
that he killed his brother's negro wife.
We gotta get you outta here, sir.
Come on, sir. Come on.
And then after the war,
that widowed brother hunted his sibling west,
devoted to ferrying his kin's soul to hell himself.
How's that for a story?
Story's a story, sir.
And most of the time the details get muddied.
Like I said,
don't go puttin' too much stock on what you hear.
How much would it cost me to have you and your services all to myself, Mr. Ransom?
You said it yourself, sir.
Now this here town is stretched out
across 14 miles on the richest river the West has ever seen.
Now it just so happens that you two greedy sons of bitches
planted stakes at the very same time.
Now, with all this wealth
comes men that don't wanna earn it.
No, they'd rather just take it.
Now please, tell me something I do not know.
Well then, sir, like you,
I am a businessman.
My business is tracking down the folks that do you wrong.
The only difference between me and you
is that I deal in pound for pound in flesh and blood.
You?
Silver and gold.
Now I give them across that there thoroughfare the very same service.
For if I did not, it would be bad business.
Yes, well, I can respect that.
Much obliged, sir.
Do you wanna take one of these singulars over
so you can settle up with Ma?
I reckon I do not.
She trusts my word.
- Eventually you will too. - Yes, now, off you go.
Sure we'll see each other soon enough
at my own expense.
Give my regards to thy lowly competitors will you?
Hey!
You got bad eyes, mister.
Damn near almost ran a lady over.
Not sure I'd call you a lady
with the way you're flappin' your mouth like that.
Sure looks to me like you could use a bath.
How's that for man eyes?
Well my eyes tell me you could use a doctor.
Lady, my ass.
Well, look what the cat just drug in.
Oh, no new holes in you this time I see.
Out of the fire, into the frying pan, eh?
It's the opposite way as you said.
It's frying pan into the fire.
Jesus, Walter, where does that brain of yours come from?
China?
Devil woman.
Now listen here.
Carrington's got a bag of scalps over there.
I got me that Bixby kid while I was out.
I do believe a thousand was on him here.
Whatcha say to that?
That kid cost me a good penny.
He cut up Betty so bad they had to send her
back to Kansas City.
Poor girl'll be pushin' a broom for the rest of her life
and catchin' stink eye from every swingin' dick in the room.
Pay the man his money, Walter, 1,000 even.
And you take a free room and a fuck for the night
along with that payment, Hollis.
Yup, you lay yourself down,
put that head on a nice pillow and rest those damn eyes.
You're the only reliable man in my life at the moment.
What am I, chopped liver?
No.
You're a gold sniffin' son of a bitch, Walter,
and I love you for it.
Here you are.
How long you in town for?
A few days I reckon.
You ought to try out some of our new sheets from San Francisco.
Goddammit!
Looks like ol' Bill is at it again.
Gimme a bottle of the good stuff, Ma.
You're takin' money off of fools, Bill?
Ain't my fault. None... That them are no good cards.
Can I help you with something?
He's good people, Bill.
Don't you worry none.
I know exactly what he is,
and I'm none too fond of his kind.
We want our money back, you dirty old cheat.
- Is that a fact? - Yeah.
They all callin' me cheats too?
No, no, they're my words.
Everyone here knows no one can win much as you do in here.
Boys, I don't want no troubles in here tonight.
Listen son, I'm sorry for your loss.
But if you can't hack the game, don't play.
Well, I'm obliged.
I'll be havin' my money back... now!
No you won't.
Listen here, you ol' cuss.
Don't be expectin' no thank you from me.
Ma, Walter.
See ya tomorrow, Bill.
Excuse me, sir.
Ma said you might be wantin' some company tonight.
You maybe wantin' a tussle?
It's been slow, I ain't sore yet.
I'm clean, mister, I promise.
You know any songs?
Sure, I know a few.
Sing me somethin'.
Something that rivals your prettiness.
Go on now.
♪ He's gone away ♪
♪ For to stay a little while ♪
♪ But he's comin' back ♪
♪ If he goes 10,000 miles ♪
♪ Oh, who will tie my shoes? ♪
♪ And who will glove my hand? ♪
♪ And who will kiss my ruby lips? ♪
♪ When he is gone ♪
♪ Gone away ♪
♪ Look away ♪
"To where do you rats scurry?" asks the cat.
Now we don't want any trouble.
Best you be movin' on, mister.
Trouble was thrust upon you
the moment you were born, nigger.
That sumbitch done shot me, Cap'n.
I'd expect the same outta any of you
if that was me layin' there with lead in my belly.
We got gold here, Cap'n.
I told you if you came west with me, you'd all be rich men.
And since your God-given right to hold slaves was taken away,
I promised you'd get to kill all that you could weather.
And I have not faltered on that promise.
We headin' south, Cap'n?
East over the Bear Tooth and into Big Sky.
We'll hole up there for a breath.
Looks like one of Carrington's outfits been attacked by bandits.
Where you goin', mister?
Got work to attend to now.
If you ever wanna come back again, please do.
There ain't many men like ya, nice an' all.
Whole shift of panners slaughtered in the night
and a day's load of gold stolen.
- I told 'em who you was, sir. - What'd they say?
They didn't care none; they just shot us up.
Just like they did back in Kansas City.
What'd he look like?
Tell me, what did he look like?
He was Confederate, mister.
- How many? - About a baker's dozen.
They said they were headin' up to Big Sky.
Get this man a doctor.
No wait, wait, wait. I'm still talkin' to him here.
I can tell ya everythin' you need to know
about the man and his posse that done killed your boys.
So the stories are true.
The man outside's got a mark,
a mark that one Everett Ransom would brand on his boys
that served under his regiment during the war.
If I'm not mistaken, you rode a desk during that time.
So I'm goin' to assume you have heard of my dear brother.
Yes I have.
The acts that he has been accused of or have committed,
I thought only a monster was capable of such things.
That feeling is mutual, sir.
Five thousand. I'll give you 5,000 dollars to kill 'em all.
I reckon that they gained some distance on me by now.
If I'm gon' catch 'em and bring you their heads,
I'mma need someone that knows that terrain.
All right, you go to the end of the thoroughfare, make a left, end of the street.
It's the best tracker in town.
And the ground will be stained with the blood of heathens.
Lord have mercy on their souls.
Well then.
Come to apologize for the rudeness, have you?
No, I'm here lookin' for a tracker
and you surely cannot be him.
And what if I am?
Rose.
Get back to making that stew.
There is only one reason headhunter comes knockin' on my door.
May I come in?
Only 'cause you're quick with a knife.
And these bones are old and cold with this here door open.
Next time you decide to help a stranger,
stab the guy in his drawin' hand, will you?
That little bastard is gonna be lookin' to pull on me
every time I turn my back on him in town.
Get your business done.
I need to hire someone to take me up
and over the Bear Tooth up into Big Sky.
It could be day, week...
I cannot promise a day of return.
I can see it in your eyes.
What might that be?
Huntin' a man is not the same as huntin' an animal
and you have no intention of returnin' from said hunt.
If you were goin' after a mountain lion or a buffalo,
or shit, even a grizzly, I would take you.
But as I said last night, I'm just not fond of your kind.
It just don't seem... honorable.
But you see, I...
I have a daughter here to care for
and, uh, it's one thing for me to get mauled by a buffalo
up there in the snow.
But to get shot helpin' a headhunter earn a few coins
up in them there mountains, leaving her on her lonesome.
Well that I just could not abide.
My good wife would drag me to Hades
if I was to do a thing like that.
So, I will not be the man to take you, sir.
I haven't even told you what the pay is yet.
Doesn't make any difference.
No amount of money is gonna get me to take you.
Not even 1,000 dollars?
I will not be the man to take you, mister.
Understood.
I thank you for your time.
You could have tried to be a bit more convincin'.
Your pa had his mind made up.
Still...
you coulda tried harder.
It would've been a waste of breath.
So you're still goin' then?
As I said, I got a job to do.
Just gotta make do is all.
You ain't gonna last but three days out there.
You're either gonna get shot to hell or turn up wolf bait.
A thousand dollars, right?
That is what I told him.
I'll take you then.
Now what in Sam Hell makes you think that I would hire you?
I've been goin' up that pass and into them there mountains
since I was six years young.
Tracked and shot my first grizzly when I was 10
and packed it outta there all by my lonesome.
Ain't got anyone else crazy enough to take you
seein' as how you got a death wish an' all.
No sir,
I'm the only bet you got
and you'd be dumb as a turkey not to take me up on it.
Can you shoot?
Does a dog bark?
Can hit a rabbit runnin' at 50 yards.
Okay,
I'll give ya 500 dollars.
On account that I'm a woman?
My worth ain't the same as a man?
No sir!
A thousand as you say
or off you go to be ripped apart by the wolves.
Hey!
Well all right then.
But where we're goin' we can't take no horses,
so you might wanna unpack all that.
They were on foot through here, but...
maybe they had horses waitin' down there somewhere?
Wouldn't have gone on foot too long
bein' so many men and all.
Hmm.
I reckon not.
Ain't like my brother to use horses.
They was infantry in the war.
Move fast as lightnin'.
Besides, horses are loud.
Your brother.
That makes things interesting then don't it?
God, y'all must have glorious Thanksgivings and Christmases.
What the hell did y'all give each other for presents anyway?
A new scar each year?
Anyhow, horses or not, I bet they ain't got no snow shoes.
They ain't got no snow shoes,
they're gonna be slow as molasses
in some of the areas we'll be crossin'.
- That so? - Yes, sir.
In fact, in might be faster
for us to go up and over this way.
Right and we are only two.
They're a dozen.
They gon' need to stop, hunt, cook.
I'm guessin' we're gainin' half a day on 'em.
Especially with them, uh, what did you call 'em?
Snow shoes.
Right,
them things.
Hey, you see that?
That's gonna be falling down on us soon.
Lucky we caught their trail in the woods,
worked our way through it.
If the snow had fell while we're in the pines,
we'd be havin' a tough time trackin' 'em.
I got a good idea about which route they'll be taking though.
I suppose we'll fill up while we're here.
Yes, sir.
We might as well just make camp.
Here?
In the open?
Well, yeah.
Sun's going down. You wanna be wandering around in the dark?
You afraid of something?
Ain't me who's afraid.
Well I'll let you in on a little something.
No bandits be operating around here
for another 20 miles or so.
Unless they ain't right in the head.
Really, and why would that be?
'Cause any one with half a brain
knows not to go and disrupt Jonathan Carrington's business endeavors,
which means one of two things.
Either your brother is dumber than an ox
or he's got balls bigger than an eagle's eggs.
G'night, sir.
Goodnight.
Why were you so eager to be my guide?
I mean, usually a woman meets a man
and she cooks him dinner, washes his clothes.
Shoot, bares his children.
You?
You couldn't get wait to get out here
and be anythin' but ladylike.
Am I required to dignify that question with a reply?
Is that what a lady is supposed to do?
Will that finally qualify me to be "ladylike"?
A regular firecracker you are.
Attitude from here to San Francisco.
You got a funny habit of reiteratin' everything you say.
- Pardon? - Reiteratin'.
Repeatin'.
As a man thing, y'all are born with limited brain capacity,
so I don't actually expect you to understand
all that much of what I say.
Well, you know what?
You... you women are born with nothin' but...
breasts and attitude.
There ya go, statin' the obvious once again.
Where does all that sass manifest from anyhow?
"Manifest"?
Big word.
Where ya hidin' the dictionary?
Now you really do take me for a dimly lit lantern, now don't ya?
I'm not even sure I'd say the lantern's lit.
Now back to my original question.
Why are you out here?
I woulda thought that be obvious even to you.
I'm set on leavin' 14 Mile, sir.
That ain't the place for me no more.
So, just where you dreamin' of headin'?
It ain't no dream.
I got 919 dollars to go before I can finally leave for good.
This here job gives me what I need...
and Chicago's where that money'll take me.
- Chicago. - Mm-hmm.
Huh. I never woulda figured.
I wanna walk underneath the tall buildin's I hear they be erectin'.
I wanna...
stare across the great lake and see a sunset just beyond it.
I wanna shop on that street they call Michigan Avenue
for a fine dress.
Then that same night, wear that dress
to one of the fine eateries that serves Italian food.
Hell, I even heard they've got a beautiful bronze war memorial.
That'd be somethin' fancy to look at.
You fought in the war?
I did.
Did you do bad things, sir?
That's a real pretty vision you got there, Rose.
I hope you get to see every bit of it.
Well that's some more of that deflection.
What are you hidin'?
I ain't hidin' nothin'.
I can see it, you know?
Just what do you think you can see?
All that hate.
Well, well...
if it ain't my little brother.
What a pity he's got the scent.
He'll be comin' for us with a vengeance, Tommy.
Ain't nothin' we can't handle.
Dirty union cocksucker.
Don't you underestimate him.
He will up and steal your shadow if given the chance.
We'll deal with him when the time is right.
Let's keep movin' through the night.
Snow will cover our tracks and buy us some distance.
Ain't no worries, Cap'n, I'll tell the boys.
This was the Garner family's wagon.
This happened last night.
This wasn't Everett.
No.
Looks like it was a Blackfoot war party.
Tellin' me we gotta worry about Indians out here now?
Whites on horseback draw the Blackfoot's attention.
See, they want the horses.
No horses, less attention.
Could be a Blackfoot party passes you right on by,
got nothin' of value.
Damn.
What'd you find?
You stay on over there now.
Do not tell me where I can stand.
If I want to...
That's Median Garner.
- Here you go. - Thank you.
Dear Lord,
please watch over this little one
as she makes her way home now up to you.
Let her be with her mother and her father.
Make them find the happiness
they could not find here on Earth.
Thank you...
for stealin' them away from the violence that plagues our surroundings.
In your name, Lord, we pray.
You finished now?
You're a mighty insensitive ass, you know that?
We got company.
I know you got that smarts and sass,
but you are entering my territory now.
Stay behind me.
Keep your trap shut. Understood?
What y'all want?
We was, uh, just settin' up camp
down past this creek.
Seen the fire,
just tryna be friendly is all.
Well shit, we always love company out here on the trail.
Come on, get you by the fire.
Get you warm.
Leave whatever troubles you've been carryin' behind ya.
Come on now.
Come on in now.
Have a seat.
Set you down.
Get warm.
How y'all like this weather we're havin'?
What'd y'all say you were doin' out here?
I'm just escortin' the little lady here
up over the Bear Tooth, visit her father.
Couldn't wait 'til Spring?
Mighty nasty this time of year with the Injuns all up in arms.
Girl wanted to be there for Christmas.
She is a stubborn one, she is.
'Bout you fellas?
What business ya have out here in the cold?
We're just lookin' for some folks is all.
Figured they might be around here.
- Got lost, did they? - Yeah.
You could say that.
You serve?
Oh Jesus, boys, now... let's not bring politics into this.
Don't make for civil conversation now, does it?
Always ends in a goddamn shootout in my experience.
It's okay, I do believe we are of the civil sort here.
Right?
Flown the color blue; Union. And proud to be.
Hmm. Fought for all them goddamn niggers' rights then, huh?
Nasty sort of business that was.
What brought ya out here to buffalo country?
Same as everyone else, I suppose.
Went from flyin' the color blue,
seekin' out the color gold.
Wish I had the sack to jump out here when it first hit.
I got stuck back in Yorktown, I did.
Met these two out there, though.
What 'bout y'all?
War boys?
Confederates tried to get their hooks in Yoke over there.
Run a Lieutenant through though, so that didn't last long.
Managed to avoid the noose, he did.
Still tryna figure that one out.
We all started runnin' around together durin' the war.
Makin' kind of a business out of it.
What do you mean?
Well...
Union and Confederate upper management needed things done.
Things of a... a violent nature,
so we helped out when we could.
Union officer needed a town ransacked,
but couldn't have his soldiers be the ones did it.
We did it for him.
Same with the Confederates.
Business is business in wartime, you know what I mean?
I remember this one time, we just got down
in this small town in South Carolina.
Residents were holin' up supplies for the graybacks.
Union officer wanted us to go in,
shake 'em up a bit,
make 'em know not to do it no more.
They were hidin' guns in hay bales,
buryin' ammo, storin' food in barns.
No one of consequence in the whole town.
Women, children, old folks.
This woman come up to me, pretty little thing.
She had a baby in her arms.
Baby just wouldn't stop cryin'.
Kept yellin' and hollerin'.
Maybe it wanted food, hell if I know.
Anyways, woman just kept starin' at me
lookin' deep like she was...
starin' into my soul or somethin'.
Made me awful uncomfortable.
I couldn't tell if she wanted us to take her and the baby away,
or if she wanted us to leave.
My mind just couldn't make no sense of it.
Couldn't wrap my head around it.
Well, a few days earlier, I found this real neat pike
lyin' among a pile of bodies.
I pulled it out and it got me real curious.
See, someone had made it all special.
Instead of one blade like a normal bayonet,
this one had two.
Just seemed like the right thing to do.
Pulled it outta my belt, ran it forward,
pushed it through the little one
and right on into its mama.
Damn pike was the best thing I ever found during the war.
Does funny things to a man, war and such.
How 'bout you, Yankee?
Got any good memories from your service?
I reckon I got a few memories.
Wouldn't call 'em good though.
What do ya think?
Ain't this the finest thing you ever did see?
It's still got the blood stains on it and all.
Hey Yankee, I'm talkin' to you.
What's the matter?
Cold shiver runnin' down your spine, sir?
Fig will you look at this?
I got that old Yankee soldier pissin' his britches.
Son of a bitch!
What you did back there to that little girl
and her family,
ain't no room on God's green earth
for the likes of you.
No, no, please... Please, mister.
You done already taken my manhood, let me keep my life.
Please mister, we was just tryin' to make a livin'...
You ever kill anyone before?
No.
Well, first time for everything I suppose.
This is the way they come. I just...
I can't find the trail.
How do you know they come that way then?
'Cause it's what I do.
Well there's the problem.
What problem?
My brother don't think like you is the problem.
Shit.
You wanna talk about it?
Talk about what?
Killin' a man.
It ain't no easy thing.
I'm fine.
Sure you are.
You just ain't no killer is all.
I killed a man last night, didn't I?
Now that... That is a fact.
But that...
was a seat-of-your-pants moment.
Now, you let your emotions take over
when you heard the story about that woman and her child.
Another situation arises where you can kill
with no emotions involved, I bet every time...
you do not pull that trigger.
You see...
you, you got a conscience.
Ain't no killer in you, girl.
And that ain't such a bad thing.
Trail. Trail!
I told ya they woulda come this way.
Well, what the hell ya waitin' for?
Your brother and that money ain't gettin' any closer
to either one of us just standin' around here.
Lord, I don't shoot her by the end of all this,
it'll be a goddamn miracle.
Sorry.
Beautiful, ain't it?
I used to play back here behind the town.
Love the first snow.
Watch out for that rock right there, mister.
Here we are, town of Big Sky.
- Wait up. - Well hurry on up then.
Stables are empty, houses are empty.
I love it.
This is my favorite street I think.
I do think this weather's gonna lighten up soon.
Looks to be that way.
It'll be nice.
We can go home and start a fire.
Warm ourselves by the fire.
Maybe wash off a bit.
Get some dinner.
Lighten our packs
I don't know, maybe we can get some sleep.
Oh hey, there's still firewood out front.
That's lucky, we don't even have to go chop it yet.
Home sweet home.
Well, come on, mister.
Didn't you wanna get warm?
Tomorrow mornin',
I'll head yonder to the elk flats.
Get us a fat bull for dinner.
Flank steak sounds mighty nice, don't it?
Sounds about damn near perfect.
Same time, you can go about a mile and a quarter down the road,
there's a creek you can wash up at.
Get the stink off ya.
Travel don't do you good, mister.
Are ya gonna stand there, or ya gonna close the door?
Thank you.
Oh, please move Lincoln lover, I do so implore you.
I will gut you like a trout.
Get up.
C'mon.
Easy now.
Now you be civil and drop them hog's legs you hear?
Come on, now.
Some of yer kin wants to pay his respects.
Don't look so surprised to see me.
You know I've always been good
at seein' you comin' from a mile off.
Let's cut through the small talk and get right to business.
That is what we're here to accomplish, am I right?
I spent the mornin' ponderin' our little... predicament here.
You see, I could just keep lettin' you chase me
all across these mountains here
until you grow tired and...
settle down into some sorta normal life.
But then I remember, Hollis.
Hollis Ransom.
Naw, you don't tire.
It was that last... thought
that led me to the conclusion that, uh,
perhaps I oughta just...
chase you down,
put a bullet in ya,
end all this nonsense.
But, at the end of the day, you are still family
and shootin' you just... It don't seem nice now, does it?
You see the pickle you got me in here?
I thought you was gonna cut through the small talk.
All right then, my mind's made up.
World don't need your sadness no more.
Just lay there and die, little brother.
Oh Jesus, get up.
Come on.
Oh, God.
Okay. Oh, I gotta get you... I gotta get you back to town.
Oh, God.
Oh Christ, it's getting infected.
I gotta get you outta this valley, Hollis.
That's... that's the first time you've said my name.
Come on, you gotta help me.
Come on.
Come on. I got you.
Come on, come on.
Don't die on me, ya hear?
Come on.
Okay, come on.
All right. Right here, Hollis. Ready?
One, two, three.
Okay, just hold on one minute, Hollis.
- Okay. - Hey.
You're gonna wanna bite down on this.
Okay, okay.
Here we go.
Okay.
I gotta hurt you one more time, Hollis.
And I'm real sorry about it.
Okay.
Dirty sumbitch doesn't have a scratch on his head
Boss, I'm afraid I got some news
you ain't gon' appreciate very much.
What is it?
I just come on down from where's we was earlier.
Two sets of tracks and a blood trail.
It would appear your dear-old family tie
done cheated the reaper.
Perambulated himself on down into Big Sky.
Where do you reckon they be hidin'?
I've got a dollar says that he's holed up
in the trapper's cabin by the livery.
Well, you boys go finish the job then.
Hey, there.
How you feelin', gunslinger?
Like I've been shot.
Well that's mighty aware of ya.
My brother.
What?
All my hate...
It's for my brother.
Why?
Check your pocket.
One of my slaves, Rufus,
he had a daughter.
She was just a few years younger than me.
Adeline.
I never looked at 'em any different.
Probably on account of my mother,
she was always treatin' him like they were just...
regular white folk.
Used to make Dad so angry.
One day Adeline and I went out to the orchard
to pick some apples.
They was...
damn sweet apples.
Adeline leaned in and kissed me.
We started makin' frequent visits to the orchard.
Kept it secret for quite some time.
Till one day...
that war come callin'.
Oh, Daddy was so proud of Everett when he decided
he was gonna sign up with the Confederates.
Adeline and I went up to that orchard.
I asked what she think we should do.
She said...
"Just run away, head West,
and get clear away from that war and all.
All the hate."
I told her she was right.
We'd leave that night.
So I kissed her.
I went to go put our things together.
I left her in that orchard.
But I did not know my brother Everett was up in that tree.
I come back just before sunset.
I found her hung.
Buried her right there under that tree.
I mounted my horse.
I rode straight through the night...
to the first Union camp I could find.
I signed my papers, I had a gun in my hand ever since.
After the war, I followed Everett out West.
Right here to Montana.
Had to do somethin' to make a livin',
support my efforts in...
tryna find him.
I think I just settled in the occupation,
forgot what it was I was doin' out here.
That is so sad.
I hope you make it to Chicago, Rose.
I hope you get everything you want.
I would not have made it this far if it wasn't for you.
Just so's you know that.
You've taken a fever.
It's gonna be a long night,
but hopefully by morning it'll be broke.
Hmm...
I'm gonna get some more wood for the fire.
You try and get some rest.
Go back to sleep now.
Here kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty.
Well hello there, Miss.
What might you be doin' out here all alone
on a cold dark night such as this?
What's it look like I'm doin'?
Hoo! She got a mouth on her, this one does.
Where's that crusty headhunter you've been leadin' around?
He ain't here.
He got injured and headed back to town.
I stayed to see if I could bag me an elk.
Didn't want the trip to go to waste and all.
- Is that so? - Mm-hmm.
Well, now...
guess that means you wouldn't mind if we...
come in and take a little look around then.
Go on now.
Give us a look see then, will ya?
You boys want me to put some coffee on?
Goddammit!
Where the hell's he at?
Sumbitch has to be in the environ somewhere.
I told you he got injured and headed back to town.
I also told you I went a-huntin'.
That's elk's blood outside is all.
Coffee?
Hellfire! Looks like you done killed yourself a door!
Shut your damn mouth, ya ignorant wretch!
Now I hate to inform you, girly girl...
but I did in fact see the gentleman
with whom you've been gallivantin' get shot today.
What I did not see
was a second blood trail comin' down out them hills
leadin' me to believe that you killed yourself an elk.
So, I'm only gonna pose this question one more time
and I killed girls plenty... plenty prettier than you.
Where's he at?
Cocksucker!
Well that was unexpected.
Who the hell were they?
- Everett's boys. - Goddamn.
First light comes and they ain't back,
Everett's gonna send everything he can muster at this place.
Then we'll be ready.
We won't be doin' anything.
You need to get yourself home, Rose. It's too dangerous.
I will not have another woman's life hangin' over my head.
That is not an option.
Now you listen here, Rose.
No you listen here, Hollis Ransom!
Two will always be better than one.
And when the shooting does start,
I reckon you're gonna need another set of hands.
And lest we not forget, you still owe me 1,000 dollars
and there ain't no way I'm lettin' ya outta my sight unpaid.
Are we clear on all that?
- Fine! - Fine!
The shootin' starts, you best make yourself small.
Are we clear on that?
Yes, mister.
Go on, take the bed.
I'll keep watch.
Ya need rest.
I need my vengeance.
Now go on.
Cap'n, Pickett and Tommy never come back last night.
What do you mean they didn't come back?
I reckon we may've lost two more men.
Wake up the rest of the boys,
tell 'em to shake the lead outta their bones.
We got murderin' to do.
Yes, sir.
Mornin' old timer.
Lookin' for a grizzly bear of a man
with a pretty little Philly taggin' along behind him.
Much obliged.
All right, boys.
Knowin' my brother, he ain't gone far.
Let's turn this shithole inside out and find him.
Come with me.
Shit!
Get your eyes on that eye patch.
Wait. Wait.
How ya doin', old timer?
Where's your Hollis Ransom now?
My brother never could keep a woman alive.
Go on die now, go to sleep.
Everett!
Come on!
This is where we say goodbye, Rose.
Every man here is worth somethin'.
Far more than I was plannin' on paying you.
More than enough to get you to Chicago
and live out that dream of yours.
I can't leave you, you're hurt.
Ain't no negotiatin' on this, Rose.
Now you head back now.
You leave me to do what I gotta do.
Just promise me.
You promise me that you'll go live your life
and you live it how you wanna.
Promise me.
I promise.
I got him real good.
All ya have to do is follow his trail.
Thank you, Rose,
for everything.
Fittin' a place as any I suppose
for God and all his angels to witness.
She never did fight, you know.
She knew it was comin'.
Nothin' she could do about it.
When that noose slipped around her neck
and those tears, those tears just kept fallin'.
And you, you were nowhere to be found.
Her eyes were searchin', hopin' you would come out
from among those apple trees, waitin' for you to save her.
I still remember your face that day.
You were so goddamn happy.
I just couldn't shake the feelin' that some nigger
was gonna steal my little brother away from me.
It didn't have to be like this, brother.
We're supposed to stick together.
We're kin.
Went around her neck just as easily.
Lay with a nigger, die like a nigger.
Goodbye, brother.
Who the hell are you?
My name is Rose Gage
and I'm here to collect my money, sir.
And who is this gentleman?
You know who he is, Mr. Carrington.
There's supposed to be a few more, aren't there?
Well pardon me for not bein' able
to carry 'em all back here for ya.
But if you'd like to take a gander out there in the snow,
I can show you where I hid the others.
Well...
I've learned that at this particular occupation
trust goes a long way.
I will pay you 1,000 dollars for a job well done,
even though it was supposed to be Hollis Ransom
- walkin' through that door. - Five.
Five?
You will give me 5,000 dollars, sir.
I learned everything I could from Hollis Ransom.
Most importantly that hate will devour a man
faster than a grizzly can.
Hollis knew that, but chose to hold it close,
never regrettin' the choices he made.
He gave me a new life
and for that, I wish I could thank him.
Maybe someday I will get to.