1883

Come on.

Easy, boy. Easy.

Hey, don't push from there, get to the back!

Get to the back!

Death is everywhere on the prairie.

In every form you can imagine.

And a few your worst nightmare couldn't muster...

Death hides in the creek beds...

possesses animals...

It hides in tall grass, waiting...

Ow!

With every death,

our father moved camp a little farther away.

As if death was not the result of accidents and disease,

but death was its own disease.

And carelessness was contagious.

But of all the perils awaiting us,

sickness and snakes, bad horses and bandits,

there was one thing above all that sent terror

through both man and beast.

There was one word so feared it was never spoken.

And barely whispered...

River.

You're not moving a wagon across that.

We'll take them east. Use the ferry in Denison.

Denison's the wrong direction.

We gotta head west somewhere, may as well be here.

West Texas is rough.

It's all rough.

How far west we gotta go to get a better crossing?

You're going a ways.

Hundred miles or more.

And where it runs shallow it's boggy.

Real boggy.

We'll head east. Use the ferry.

You do what you want. I'm heading west.

I said east.

I don't give a shit what you said.

I don't work for you.

They won't make it. The country's too rough.

No water.

There's bandits in every canyon,

and there ain't no wall around that reservation, neither.

I ain't asking your permission,

I'm telling you my decision.

And my decision's west.

Denison puts us two weeks behind.

I'll worry about winter when it comes.

I'll drown them if we cross here

and they'll die of thirst if we head west.

They're dying pretty good as it is, Captain.

And we ain't even left Texas yet.

We need to keep winter in our minds, 'cause it's coming...

I don't know where to cross 'em,

but I ain't here and I know it ain't east.

If we head west we're crossing the Brazos.

Ain't no good options, Captain.

Just know that winter is the worst option.

And slow as these folks move,

we're biting off a decent chunk of it already.

We gonna cross here?

To the West.

West, where?

I don't know yet.

Cowboys are headed back to their camp.

Need a few boys to help hold the herd.

Well, pick some.

Been tryin'.

Most of 'em they don't speak English

and the ones that do say they can't ride.

Well, they gotta learn some time.

I don't disagree.

Just not sure keeping our food from running off is the time.

Sure could use y'all.

I can saddle Lightning.

You ain't going by yourself.

You're coming.

No, I'm hunting. We need meat.

I'll catch Poco too.

Take care of your son.

You're gonna ride herd?

Tired of getting my teeth rattled by this wagon.

My choice is to sit on that log,

sit in a saddle, I'm gonna sit in a saddle.

How am I supposed to sneak up on something

with a five yearold?

Teach him to be quiet or find a dumb deer.

I can be quiet.

Well, I guess we're about to find out, ain't we?

Shit.

It's better to double the latigo with him.

Girl... I've forgotten more about horses

than you'll ever know.

Ready?

Let's get after it.

Ain't much of a team player.

Yeah, but he's capable.

I don't like him questioning us.

Not much we can do about it.

He ain't on the payroll.

Yeah.

When there's two leaders there ain't no leader.

Know what I'm mean?

Need to figure that out.

She the one whose husband got run over?

Bandits killed her husband.

These damn horses...

They're just thirsty.

Before you do anything else, you tend to your horses.

I'll take 'em to drink.

Then I'll show you how to hobble 'em so they don't run off...

You need a fire.

It's too hot for fire.

Fire ain't just for warmth.

Keeps bugs away. Snakes won't go near it.

And from way up there...

You can see 'em.

The more fires folks see,

the less chance they come to our camp

seeing what else they can find.

When's the last time they drank?

I don't know.

You got any other family here?

You are married?

No.

I can be a wife for you.

I don't want a wife.

My boys are good boys and I can be a good wife.

I can be a good wife. Stop.

Please don't go. Quit.

I don't want a wife.

I'll help you.

I'll help you with your horses.

I can help you set your camp.

With your boys...

I had a wife, and I ain't looking for another one.

You understand?

I will get you to Oregon.

You have my word.

Then what?

What in Oregon is for me?

I don't know. Maybe you find a husband there.

Maybe you farm the land yourself.

I don't know... I don't know to farm.

I don't know. Maybe you learn.

Maybe you teach me. Maybe you teach me.

I won't be there to teach you.

What happened to her?

She wants to marry me.

Guessing you said no.

Or you said yes and she already regrets it.

No time for jokes, Thomas.

She's having a hard time of it.

Hard times is the only kind out here, Captain.

Laughing through 'em is how you get through 'em.

And I ain't joking,

she's lucky as hell she ain't marrying your sour ass.

See how I did that?

A joke on top of a joke.

Yeah. Real funny.

Ma'am.

Let me show you how to hobble these horses.

See, now they can still walk to water,

they just can't run off on you.

Just place 'em around like this,

in a figure eight.

You know, figure eight?

You know what I mean?

You try this one.

What's your name?

Noemi.

When you get to Portland,

some handsome farmer's gonna spot you in town,

and take one look in them big eyes you got

and he's gonna chase you down the street

with flowers and candy.

You watch.

Don't want to be marrying out of fear.

You'll get by out here just fine.

We'll get you by.

Then... let a man earn your love...

...instead of you trading him for it.

And trust me, that crusty bastard over there?

Happiness runs from him like a scalded dog.

No, ma'am, you don't want no part of the Captain.

No part of the Captain.

What have you got for food?

You don't have any supplies?

They took them.

Who took them?

What the fuck for that?

This is what the fuck.

Get everything that was hers.

Nothing was hers, it was his, and he's a thief

Get everything that was hers.

They're gypsies! Everything

When I speak and you don't do what I say, you get hurt.

That's the pattern here

and it don't stop until you do what I say

or you run out of face.