[theme music] [neighing] that's the second one today. what do you think? we'd better get to some high ground. - if there's a way up there-- - we'll find it. i like a barber for my haircuts. [dramatic music]

maybe not more than a half an hour back. - injuns? - no, white men. their horses wore shod. [music continues] [music continues] buenos dias, amigos. que tal. buenos dias, senor. what you do here, huh? i might ask you the same question, amigo. the indians. i saw their signals.

it's no secret. i scout this country. 'he draws it up on little pieces of paper.' when we get to a settlement, we put them all together and we got a map. 'sabe.' you...uh, alone? si, i like very much to be alone. so...you go, yes? you own this part of the country? no, senor. it is too big for me. of you come out? easy, perado. it's alright. i'm sorry, mister, but with those shoshones kicking up we didn't wanna take any chances. we look like shoshones? no, not close up, but down there.. oh, i've seen indians pull tricks before. let 'em by, perado. my name's manson. who are you? you must be new in these parts, mr. manson.

so, you're cheyenne bodie. as long as we're getting acquainted why don't you ask the rest of your friends to join the party? ha ha ha. alright, boys, come on out. this is stew davis. stew, this is cheyenne. i heard...i didn't catch this other gentleman's name. the name is smith, mister. smitty smith. - you can call me mr. smith. - don't get smart. you gotta excuse stew, mr. smith. he don't cotton none to yankees. yankee? me? i'm a texan. that makes you one of the human race, i reckon. sorry, mr. smith. quite a crowd. yeah, ain't it. you see, we were on our way to mexico.

me and my friends were aiming to supply the cash get some cattle, and that's it. manson, there's another one! if you're not familiar with the country i wouldn't advise travelling south. or any direction, as long as the shoshones are out there. oh, you know this country, huh? it's my business. maybe you can get us through past those injuns. maybe. but not right now. fort kermus is waiting on smitty's drawings. ferman pass is a little out of our way. yeah and uh, i'm almost outta pencil. we'd pay you to scout us through. we're already being paid. you ain't a bit friendly, are you? when i've got time for it, i'm real friendly. - right now, i've got a-- - 'manson.'

maybe, we better take a look. what do you make of it, cheyenne? 'looks like the stage from valance point to kermus.' yeah, but what's all that dust kicking up behind? yeah, that's not just the wind doing that. 'it's clearing up a little more. i can make it out.' those smoke signals weren't foolin'. you mean the shoshones? shoshones, bah. bunch of farmers. do not sell them short, plank. oh, i might show off a little in front of their squaws. them squaws is gonna be mighty proud of them tonight. 'they're attacking the stage.'

it don't look too good, does it? you think, we ought to lend them a hand? i don't figure we got any choice. alright, boys, let's go down there. mount up.

[barking] [all shouting] [barking] [all shouting] [gunshot] [gunshots] [gunshot] [horses galloping]

[neighing] [gunshots] [speaking foreign language] [all shouting] [gunshot] [gunshot] [dog bark] [gunshot] [gunshot]

smitty, see about the driver. what about that bunch that got away? see, they gonna bring back some more. - too late to worry of 'em now. - cheyenne. you alright, driver? - get the woman out. - woman? woman! he's right, there is a woman in here. [woman crying] anything busted any place, ma'am? - i-i.. - it's alright now, miss. you hurt, ma'am? this way. come on. easy. easy, ma'am. [continues crying] was anybody else with you, ma'am? no, just the guards. they were killed.

it'll clear up. [barking] cheyenne. - take off your hardware. - you too, smith. you have ears, senor. 'go on.' plank, bust it open. [gunshot] [metal clanking]

you know, i've been roped into lots of deals in my life but there ain't none to equal this. you know, it was real nice of us to help manson rob that stagecoach. what else could we do? i was tellin' the fellas.. ...somebody give me their hand on that busted wheel. me and my passengers would be on our way. might be a couple of big, fat drawbacks to that. yeah, that's what i thought. nobody leaves this rock till i tell them to. and when do you think that'll be? just as soon as those smoke signals die out. and that's where you come in. perado. you figure it five days to the border? si, five. maybe, six. it will be never.

sure is a nice fella. - you alright, miss? - yes. i'm sorry i went to pieces. but those indians.. those vicious savages.. savages, miss. that doesn't give them the right to murder innocent people. they're only fighting for what's theirs. the shoshones used to live in the high country. rivers, plenty of game, good soil. we pushed them right down into the desert. and now, we're taking even that away from them. how can you defend them after what they just did?

my mother and father were killed by indians. yet the cheyenne raised me like one of their own. i-i haven't even thanked you for what you did for me. how'd you happen to be traveling alone in shoshone territory? i was on my way to fort kermus. - my-my fiance's there. - he's expecting you? yes, i wrote to him. he knew i was to be on this stage. is there any way i can let him know that i'm safe? won't need to. i figure you'd pick the kind of man that'd come lookin' for you. what you thinkin'?

what time were you due there, driver? about an hour ago. you folks ain't polite. talkin' so we can't hear you. joe's talkin' about the patrol that's gonna come lookin' for that stagecoach. i figured on that. well, what makes you think it's safe to travel at night? well ain't these indians got a superstition that the great spirit can't find them if they get knocked over at night? i wouldn't count on it. all war cloud has to do is tell them it's more practical to fight at night, and they fight at night. a man that knows the indians as you do can come in mighty handy. you can get us through. i don't like the job.

i seen men like you before. you got what they call honor. well, honor can get you real dead. killing me won't get you to mexico. no, killing you wouldn't do any good. so i'm gonna put the lady's life in your hands. 'now, you wouldn't want anything to happen to her. would you?' no, i don't think you would. not a man with honor. so you'll lead us out of here tonight. and when we get to the border? you can turn around and head back. now, you're a map maker. show us how you aim to save the lady. (cheyenne) 'this is the rock we're on.' 'fort kermus lies 18 miles to the north, up this valley'

war cloud's fighters are all the way between these two points. 'and here's the pass heading west.' you gotta go through it to get to mexico. if you can get through at all. of course, the sensible thing to do would be to head north. make a run for the fort. the shoshones won't get too close to civilization. - that's the way. - shut up! that'd be real smart of me, now, wouldn't it? walkin' right into the law. well take your pick of routes. they are all scouted out for you. we are still heading for mexico. manson? - you're forgetting one thing. - what's that? those shoshones that got away when we attacked. by now they're close to their main lodge. (cheyenne) 'they'll be back with the rest'' - before the night? - maybe. them injuns ain't dumb.

i'm worried. i don't think manson's gonna let us go when we gonna get him to the pass.

[slow music] i suppose you're thirsty.

why you looking at me like that? - 'cause you're pretty, ma'am. - 'manson?' the patrol. - there's four of 'em. - give me that thing. lieutenant, shoshones, sir. if that patrol picks up our trails

think twice about wiping 'em out. ain't there any way we can warn him? well, we can try. been more than indians here. look at these tracks. white men. how many? well, it looks like enough to give them savages a good mixing into. then, joan might be safe. looks like they headed for that rock. that'd be a good place to hole up. come on. perado, planks, stew. that blue-bellied patrol comes up here, start shootin'. (manson) 'take your places.' (cheyenne) 'mansoso' you wanna get to the mexican border, don't you? you'll see to that. look, cheyenne, there's a rope waiting for me and my bunch. we don't care how we keep our necks out of it. i meant what i said about you being responsible for that girl's life.. i'll make you a deal.

lead you to the border? how do you know i won't lead you into a trap? the first sign of it and that girl gets killed. and so do you and your men. you need me. i give you my word that if you don't kill those men i'll see that you get to the border. you made a deal, cheyenne. no shooting unless i give the word. [dramatic music] get down, buddy. get down.

here they come. best yankee bait in the world's a yankee girl. joan. (male #1) you two men stay here and keep your eyes open. oh, brad. brad. i don't understand. how did you-- she was unconscious when we found her. the indians left her for dead. there's been more than just three of you here. they saved my life, brad. you might at least thank them. i'm sorry. i'm grateful.

drop your guns, blue-bellies. manson. just behave yourself, lieutenant and nobody will get hurt. brad, i had to. they would have killed you. [gunshot] blue-belly asked for that. don't nobody else try it. better do as he says, lieutenant. come on, sergeant. let's go. there must be something we can do. do what he wants?

i'll tell you, lieutenant. just as long as manson's got all the guns. i'm real content to sit quiet. well, i'm not. there's no use getting riled up, lieutenant. that isn't gonna solve anything. due to leave the fort? tomorrow morning probably. well, won't they miss you before then? no...i.iasn't to be back until late tonight. well, that won't do us any good. mansns will have us moved out by then. - where's ms. carter? - up thehe. what do you intend doing with her? - ask cheyenne, he know-- - lieutenants asasng you. don't try anything, yankee. another fool move like that you won't get a chance to leave this rock.

when we reach the bordrd? he can't afford to leave anybody behind that knows where he went. lieutenant. [all shouting] back sooner than i expected. you think they know we're up here? you tracked us. you figure that's all of 'em? - hard telling. - we gotta get outta herernow. now? you can think of more ways to get a man buried. shut up!

well, why ask me? you'll do what you want to anyway. [gunshot] back to the top. as soon as those injuns pull out, we'll l y it again. use your head, manson. indians don't pull out. not t r good. they're all round this rock. [drums rolling] that means they're calli'' their friends, don't it? you think they'll hit us tonight? as long as those drums are beaten

i thought you'd like something to eat, ms. carter. i don't think so. i'm not hungry. it surely makes me feel bad, ma'am. to bring you juststow belly and beans. if only we just had some greens. doesn't matter. i-if you'd only try some. no, i'm really not hungry. this h he's the second time i got humiliated by sow belly and beans. it just ain't lucky for me, i gueses w-whwh was the other time? it was the time i put my dinner on a skillet lid.. ...and took it to general lee with my own hahas. - where was this? - it was just before gettysburg.

as the horses parted, there was general lee sitting atop his gray horse. i-i don't remember how come that skillet lid got into my hand. but there was me at lee's stirrup, offering it up. 'and he took the skillet lid in hisisand and..' '...a-and he sat looking at it like..' '...like he didn't know whwh it was.' and i says, "i'm surely sorry we ain't got no greens, sir." and he looks at me square in the eye, and he says and one thing frets me often. you know, i-i never gave him no knife to eat them beans. come on, spot. he likes you. he don't u ually cotton to yankees.

i wonder how long the drums will beat. why don't you go down and ask them? si. hey, you make a joke with perado, huh? [laughing] that'll be alright. if i hadn't insisted upon coming ououhere none of this would've happened. don't say that. two years is a long time. you begin to forget how much you love someone until you see them again. i've been waiting to hear you say that. [drums rolling] anything yet? no, nothing but noise.

they must think we got an army holed up, , re. this here's gonna be quite a gathering. [drums rolling continues] just yesterday, i thought this was the most beautiful country i'd ever seen. not to me. never. time does a lot. after you and the lieutenant are married you'll forget this ever happened. i never thought i'd envy a soldier. there must be a girl somewhere

maybe. [drums rolling] they'll be pouring in on us in a little while. those drum beats are building up to a stop. i wish them things would stop studying on me. that's w wt i hate about them buzzards. - they anticipate too much. - yeah. [drums rolling continues] i wish there was some way we-we could get you out of here.

here they come. - i want our guns. - get back over there. thought you u d a little more sense, manson. giving you a gun makes sense? look, the enemy's out there. not you and me. we'll be fighting to save our skins. i'm going after the guns. go ahead, shoot. every man you lose now means that much less c cnce own hide. stew. - yeah? - give them their guns back. [dramatic music] what do you think? we can probably hold them off if we have enough ammunition. this rock is like a fortress. we won't have to defend the back side at all.

out attataing the trail, but he'll try to scale the north side too. well, we'd better cover the trail. that's what, war cloud, would like. all you need is your two b bt marksmen down there. the rest of us will defend the north side. plank, perado. cover the trail. [all screaming] when they start coming up, we'll pour it on em'. you heard him. get goin'. i wish there was someplace to go. lieutenant, you'd better stay with the lady. [all shouting]

[gunshots] never thought i'd be fighting alongside a yankee. can't hardly believe it. consider yourself lucky. [shouting] [gunshots] dramatic music]

holy smokes. they're bringing up ladders. the indians, they're coming up the back way. [dramatic music] ah-h-h-h.

hold your fire. they're pulling back. - call your men off the trail. - plank, perado. next time they try, they'll storm the top. we gotta get out. - we got nowhere to go. - maybe not. but we can get her out of this alive. i'll ride down the trail with some men to draw em' off. you and lieutenant get out then. ride toward fort kermus, and maybe you'll meet the patrol. maybe i leave, huh? we'll all die,e,nyway. i'd like to think the senorita live. shut up, perado. skiley, knows the way to the fort. he can ride with her. - no, brad. - when do we start? we'll wait for the second attack. when they're off their horses, we'll start out. [indistinct chattering] they're off their horses. let's go.

drop the gun. now we go, si? get started. [all shouting] skiley, when we break through that west end what'll happen to you? nothing that wouldn't have happened, anyway. what you aiming to do with that confederate flag? i'm fixing to plant this in a piece of ground. i'm aiming to stay in this country. here, hold this. thought we was going to mexico. [shouting] will you please keep an eye on spotty, ma'am? alright.

[dog barking] [dramatic music] [dramatic music continues] t now, ma'am.

[all shouting] [barking] there's no way out. except the way we came in. let's go.

[bugle music] [dramatic music] [bugle music] lieutenant, look. let's get out of here.

[bugle music continues] [barking]

will you be staying at the fort long enough for ououwedding? well, i'm afraid not. smitty, and i will turn in our drawings. and take off on a new assignment. but we'll see you again? well, it's hard telling. the west i ia pretty big place. does an awful lot of traveling.

( whistles a tune ) ( gunshots )