Red River

What's wrong, Campbell? We have 3 hours yet before we stop.

Dunson here says he's leaving the train.

- Is that right Dunson, you leaving? - I am.

You can't do that. You signed on.

- You agreed to… - I signed nothing. If I had, I'd stay.

If you'll remember, I joined your train after you left St. Louis.

Wait a minute Dunson, you know this is Indian country. You might be walking into trouble.

For 2 days past, and this day, we've seen smoke and sign.

Yeah, we know that.

They're around somewhere, I can feel ‘em.

Are far as you’re concerned, the Comanches are welcome to you. But not to your bull and your cows.

We need the beginnings of herds in California.

You're right about one thing. The beginning of herds.

But I'm starting my own herd.

I watched the land south of here since we left the Salt Fork.

It's good land. Good grass for beef. I'm going south where it is.

Now look Dunson, you're too good a gun for me to let you leave the train now.

Then I'm too good a gun for you to argue with.

If I was you, Colonel, I'd ponder on letting him be.

He's a mighty set man when his mind's made up. Even you can't change it.

Now, he’d be heading south. Mind he don't stomp on you on the way out.

- Are you leaving too? - Colonel, me and Dunson,

well, it's me and Dunson.

- Tell him I wish him luck. - Good luck to you, Colonel.

- I decided last night. - I decided too. I want to go with you.

- You know I'll send for you… - I know you've work to do Tom,

but I want to be part of it. I love you. I want to be with you.

- Not now. - I'm asking you Tom, please take me with you.

I'm strong, I can stand anything you can.

- It's too much for a woman. - Too much for a woman?

Put your arms around me, Tom.

Hold me. Feel me in your arms.

Do I feel weak, Tom? I don't, do I?

You'll need me. You'll need a woman.

You need what a woman can give you, to do what you have to do.

Listen to me, Tom. Listen with your head and your heart too.

The sun only shines half the time, Tom. The other half is night.

- I've made up my mind. - Oh, change your mind Tom. Just once in your life, change your mind.

I'll send for you.

Will you come?

Of course I'll come, but you're wrong.

My Mother's.

Oh go, please. If you're going to go, please go now.

I want to be with you so much, my knees feel like…

like they've knives in ‘em.

Bye.

Team! Gid’up!

What river do you reckon that is?

The Red River, I think.

If it is, that's Texas on the other side.

How about calling it a day, huh?

All right, wheel your wagon…

That's too big for a signal smoke, ain't it?

Yeah.

It's just about where the wagon train would be.

Why do Indians always want to be burning up good wagons?

Take us hours to get back there.

Yeah, we should have took her along.

They'll most likely be sendin’ some out after us.

If they do…

This is as good a place as any.

Swing the wagon around. We'll keep the river to our back.

Tom, we could have been wrong about that smoke, or she mighta got away.

Oh, I wish it…

There they are.

I hope they ain't too many of ‘em.

Gimme your rifle!

Tom!

- You all right, Tom? - Yeah.

I got 2 more of ‘em. Near as I can figure, there's only 1 of ‘em left.

They got the 2 cows, but…

Aw, Tom…

That's too bad. We shoulda took…

That's him.

Answer him.

Answer him.

Let's get out of here.

Yeah, and give them buzzards a chance.

Shooting and screaming and people dying

and burning the wagons and shooting and screaming and burning.

- People dying and wagons burning… - Where'd you come from?

It was all burning. Only Indians around.

- Just all burning and smoking… - How'd you get away?

- They were burning everything. - He's plumb out of his head.

It was plain, I could see it. They was burning the wagons. People were screaming…

- I wouldn't do that again. - Put that gun down.

I said, don't do that again.

All right, sonny. I was just asking where you came…

Don't ever trust anybody ‘til you know ‘em.

I won't, after this.

Thanks for telling me.

All right. Now, how'd you get away?

I was following my cow. She got away in the brush.

Miles it seemed like.

Up a long hill she went.

Then I heard ‘em.

And then I saw ‘em.

- And I wish I hadn't. - Yeah.

Well, it looks like we'll have to take ya along.

Are you going to use it?

But don't ever try to take it away from me again.

He'll do.

Tie 'em up short.

Get up on the seat.

Let's go.

- We're in Texas! - It feels good to me!

This is it. This is where we start growing good beef.

Sure looks good, Tom. Worth coming 2,000 miles fer.

Everything a man could want. Good water and grass. Plenty of it.

- Who this belong to? - To me!

Someday that’ll all be covered with good beef.

I'll put a mark, a brand on 'em, to show they're mine too.

What kind of a mark?

I've been thinking about that.

It'll be 2 lines, like this.

Like the banks of a river.

It'll be the Red River brand.

We'll start now. Get a fire goin’, Matt, heat the iron.

There's the first one.

First Red River D.

You gonna to put that on my cow too?

- Why not? - She's mine.

I see a "D" for Dunson, but my name's Matthew.

- We'll talk about that later. - I don't see any "M" on that brand.

I'll put an "M" on it, when you earn it.

That's fair enough, I'll earn it.

Never liked seein’ strangers.

Guess it's 'cause no stranger ever good news’d me.

Hello.

- Saw the smoke of your fire. - Yes?

- Where do you travel? - Nowhere.

Remain here on Don Diego's land. You are welcome for a night, a week…

- Are you Diego? - No Señor, I am only…

- Where is he? - At his home across the river.

600 kilometers south.

- How fer is that? - About 400 miles.

That's too much land for one man. Why, it ain't decent.

Here's all this land aching to be used and never has been. I tell ya it ain’t decent.

Well señor, it is for Don Diego to do as he chooses. This land is Don Diego's.

What is that river you were talking about?

The Rio Grande, but I told you that…

Tell Don Diego, tell him that all the land north of that river’s mine.

Tell him to stay off of it.

- But the land is his. - Where did he get it?

Many years ago by grant and patent, inscribed by the King of all Spain.

You mean he took it away from whoever was here before.

- Indians maybe. - Maybe so.

Well I'm takin’ it away from him.

Others have thought as you, señor. Others have tried.

And you've always been good enough to stop ‘em?

Amigo, it is my work.

Pretty unhealthy job.

Get away, Matt.

I'm sorry for you señor.

How about you, you want some of it?

It is not my land señor. I will wait until Don Diego tells me what to do.

All right. Go tell him what happened. Tell him what I said.

Take your friend's horse. We'll bury him. Move!

Matt, I told you to get away. You mighta got hurt.

He went for his gun first, but you kinda seemed to know…

Next time, do what I say.

- How'd you know when he was gonna draw? - By watchin’ his eyes.

- Remember that. - I will.

Get a shovel and my Bible.

I'll read over him.

“We brought nothing into this world, and it's certain we carry nothing out.”

“The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away.”

“Blessed be the name of the Lord. Amen.”

Turn 'em loose.

They're gonna get away.

Wherever they go, they'll be on my land.

My land, we're here ‘n we're gonna to stay here.

Give me 10 years ‘n I'll have that brand on the gates of the greatest ranch in Texas.

The big house will be down by the river, and the corrals and the barns behind it.

It'll be a good place to live in.

10 years and I'll have the “Red River D” on more cattle than you've looked at anywhere.

I'll have that brand on enough beef to… to feed the whole country.

Good beef, for hungry people.

Beef to make ‘em strong, make ‘em grow.

It takes work, and it takes sweat.

And it takes time, lots of time.

Takes years.

Well, we've had our 10 years and more.

- About 14. - Near’r to 15, and we've got the cattle.

Thousands of heads of good beef.

And there as they stand there isn't a head worth a plug 3¢ piece.

3¢ piece? Why that's more silver money than I ever seen since the war.

That's right. It all happened while you were away, Matt.

More cattle than a man could gather elsewhere in 2 lifetimes.

And I'm broke. Unless we can move ‘em, I'm broke.

Figure that's why you rounded ‘em up.

I'm not going to take it haunch-backed like the rest around here.

- If there's no market for cattle in Texas, - And there ain't.

then I'll take ‘em where there is a market,

if it means driving ‘em 1,000 miles.

- Missouri? - Yeah.

That's what I figured.

Seems you 2 been doing a lot of figurin’.

While you were at it, did you figure out the best way to get ‘em there?

Which trail to take? Yeah. San Saba, then Meridian, then along the Brazos…