Five Guns West

Who goes there?

- Tampa. - Houston.

- Jason. - Waco.

- Almore. - Prince F.P.

All right, get out of there.

I heard the Confederate Army was hard up for men.

- I didn't realize how bad. - Quiet down.

Hush up, man, I'm going to be a comrade in arms.

Sergeant, get these men ready.

All right.

"William Parcell Candy. Convicted of...

waylaying, robbing and murdering...

"a party of four persons on the trail of San Antonio.

"Sentenced to be hanged by the neck until dead.

"By the authority vested in me, I declare you pardoned.

"John Morgan Candy. Suspected of complicity...

in the murders committed...

"on the trail to San Antonio by his brother, William Candy.

"Acquitted June 12, 1867.

"On June 14, attempting to free his brother from prison...

"shot and killed two law enforcement officers.

"Convicted of murder. Sentenced to hang by the neck until dead.

"Pardoned.

"J.C. Haggard. While driving a herd of cattle...

to New Orleans, in defiance of the law...

"was challenged by a troop of Confederate Cavalry."

No right to try stop me.

"He ordered his herders to drive the cattle on by force.

"Two soldiers of the troop and five cowboys were killed."

Good boys, too. I hated to lose them.

"Convicted of resisting arrest and causing the deaths of seven men.

"Sentenced to 20 years of hard labor."

Never would've made it. Too old to be penned up.

"Pardoned.

"Hale Clinton. Shot and killed an unarmed...

man in an argument over cards.

"Convicted and sentenced to be hanged by the neck until dead.

"Pardoned.

"Govern Sturgis. Professional highwayman and gunman.

"Held up the stage en route to Houston, and murdered the driver...

"shotgun and three passengers. Convicted of murder.

"Sentenced to be hanged by the neck until dead.

"Pardoned."

Take one step forward, raise your right hands and repeat after me.

"I do solemnly swear..."

I do solemnly swear...

"...that I will abide by the laws, rules and regulations..."

...that I will abide by the laws, rules and regulations...

"...set down by the commands and articles of war."

...set down by the commands..

Do you know a place called Dawn Springs?

A mining town. About four days' ride north of here.

It's abandoned now, except as a midpoint in the stage line.

An agent cares for the relief horses.

A stage'll arrive there about the 18th of...

the month, with a man, Steven Jethro.

18th? That's cutting it pretty close.

That's a hard ride by direct route.

That territory is full of lndians out to make war.

That's why we pardoned men with your special talents.

Jethro was head of Southern lntelligence Bureau...

operating beyond the lines. He's gone over to the enemy.

That stage has to be stopped on its way...

from California to Fort Mahan...

where Jethro's to turn the information he...

has over to the Union commandant.

How do you want him?

Alive, if possible. Dead, if need be.

What else do you know?

We know the stage is on schedule and...

will be escorted by Union cavalry.

Let's see now.

All we have to do is make a hard four-day...

ride in about three days...

get through the state plains full of lndians...

looking for White scalps...

cross over the Union lines, hold up a stage escorted by Yankee troops...

and then bring some traitor all the...

way back here for Southern justice.

That is quite an order, Captain.

You've traded your chances with a hangman...

for the chances of the trail.

Jethro, and what he knows of Southern agents...

and the $30,000 he's carrying, must not be...

allowed to reach the Union authorities.

This $30,000, Captain...

Is that in gold bullion or Confederate script?

It's hard money. Badly needed for the cause.

Jethro was also assigned to provide operating...

funds for the individual agents.

Captain, we're certainly going to try to get to Dawn Springs...

and keep that traitor from reaching Fort Mahan.

Think those killers can do the job?

They're Southern soldiers, now.

Think those patriots can do the job?

If they don't do it for reasons of patriotism...

they've got 30,000 other reasons to do it.

Jethro must be stopped.

You're the trailblazer, which way now?

That way is longer. It's shorter down by the riverbed.

But a better chance of bumping into lndians.

Not much of a chance this far south. Might...

as well pick up miles while we can.

You making up our minds for us?

I'm just making up my own mind. That's the way I'm going.

Anybody doesn't want to come along, don't have to.

Couple more days, we'd have been swinging from a tree like that one.

They've got other trees, elsewhere.

Keep on pulling fool killings, and they'll fit one to your size.

You got no call to holler at me. I did what you said.

Three miles from where I told you I'd be waiting.

So what? We ain't swinging, are we?

Shut up.

You're always telling me "shut up." l...

got things to say sometimes and...

Hale, I figure you can take whichever route you like.

I'm going the short way. I don't want to be late for that gold.

You hear what the captain said about "dead or alive"?

Seems your little brother is going to have some fun.

He ain't never killed legal before.

You seemed to have made yourself leader...

of this little group, Govern.

It's all right with me.

Just don't get any ideas once the gold's in our hands.

It'll be up to you what happens to it.

We'll all get what's coming to us.

You seem to be a lot of talk about somewhere we ain't got yet.

Still plenty of trails up ahead. Plenty of lndians.

Deserters from both sides, and Union Cavalry.

Not to mention the killing things that nature provides.

Four or five days.

- Comanche. - Pretty far south.

The war gives the lndians plenty of time...

to move, and lots of places to go.

Build a new one. We'll make camp here.

Think it's wise to build a fire with the lndians so close?

Figure they're far enough away not to see it.

If they're still around here, they know we're here, anyhow.

I need some wood.

Shorty, get some wood for the fire.

- Don't call me "Shorty." I don't like anyone...

Get some wood.

Look at it burn.

It reminds me...

Some of the flames, red like that girl's hair was.

- Girl? - The girl on the road to San Antonio.

Look, John...

see how it changes color?

Looks like blood now. Like red hair and blood.

Just think it, don't say it.

He's loco.

I'll kill you.

You ought to thank him instead.

Look.

Thanks.

- Morning. - Morning.

Good coffee.

A lot better than that gun oil they make in prison.

You from the Houston calaboose or did...

they pick you up from somewhere else?

All jails have got four walls and bars.

They gonna carry your sentence out soon?

Pretty soon.

Not very talkative, are you?

I don't figure talk about getting my neck...

stretched is breakfast conversation.

Young Candy is loco.

I wouldn't say that too loud.

Billy might decide one of us looks like a rattler.

His brother'll keep him hobbled.

Seems like old times. Coffee in the morning, on the trail.

Miss the cattle bawling, though.

Like the ones you were running to the Yankees?

Son, you got a way of looking for trouble, ain't you?

Not me, old-timer. I'm a peace-loving man.

We can shoot them all right now.

Grab their guns and horses and meet the stage ourselves.

There's three of them. All fast with...

a gun. We can't take them all.

We can get them off alone, one by one.

I want that gold that's laying up north.

There's a lot of country to travel.

And there'll be Union Cavalry to fight.

We'll have time enough to cut down on them, after we get the stage.

I fought the heat and I fought the cold.

That's when the kids died of plague and...

my woman died from an lndian's arrow.

I dug my rangeland out of the rock.

I fought an lndian and a rustler for every acre of it.

Now the states are fighting over something they dreamed up.

I don't much care.

When the war's over and forgot, I'm still...

going to be pushing my cows along.

You sure was scared last night when I killed that snake.

How'd you and your snake rattle sleep, Shorty?

I told you once, I don't like to be called that.

Look at that little fella go.

Candys are a strange lot.

You slug your brother to keep me from hurting him.

I wasn't worried about you hurting him.