Have Gun, Will Travel

Start unpiling those rocks, Deke.

And when you've uncovered the dead man,

there'd better be an arrow in his back... For your sake.

- - Well, how do you know...

- Ah. Come here. Come here. - What are you doing?

Come on, come on. Your kings are high.

- It happens. - Ah, max, man.

Mm-hmm.

- Your bet. - I'm still high over here.

Will you please tell that man that I would like to speak to him?

Now?

Now.

While he is still able to stand up.

No good whatever to speak with him now.

Why not?

Just back from two months of perilous jeopardy

without closing an eye.

Very tired now.

So tired he can't even sleep.

Yes, but not too tired to debauch himself.

He unwinds best in front of evil companions.

If he is not too tired to indulge simultaneously in four amusements,

any one of which is enough to ravage the health of an ordinary man,

then he is not too tired to speak to me.

Now you call him.

He will not do what you want.

It takes money to live the way that one does.

He'll talk to me.

I see you are wealthy perhaps.

Only in bread cast upon the water...

and that sometimes comes back soggy.

Interesting. You do good deeds without long face.

I think perhaps he will speak to you.

Thank you.

The pair of kings bets $250.

Mr. Paladin, this is for you.

Here.

- - Play my cards.

And don't cheat her.

A young and very innocent child.

All right, honey, it's your bet.

You're very free with your money.

So are you.

Well, I work hard for it.

You seem to work even harder to spend it.

Which makes me a very busy man.

Now, if I have completely satisfied your curiosity...

My name is Adella Ligget.

I've seen it tacked in my brother's study...

A reminder of Satan's physical presence among us.

My brother is a minister of the gospel.

I am a nurse.

Well, there are some men who consider that an immoral occupation for a woman.

My brother is among them.

Why come to me?

Well, I thought perhaps...

Satan wouldn't shrink from the thought of a female nurse.

Where do you want Satan to take you?

'Goldfield, Nevada, Mourns Passing of Only Doctor Within 100 Miles.'

Are you offering your services?

As long as they need me.

Well, has your offer been accepted?

Listen.

'Doctor desperately needed.

'Mine accident with 30 injured.

'Some may be dying.

Find us a doctor, not a nurse.'

Why?

Why press your services on people who don't want them?

Wait.

I spent four years preparing myself,

and now I find that I am not wanted.

I feel like a woman who had carried a child

and now was not permitted to bring it into the world.

Some of us are denied the joy and privilege of motherhood.

But a woman still needs to comfort,

to care, to protect...

in short, to be a nurse.

All right, Adella.

You give me one day to catch up on my sleep,

and I'll take you anyplace you want to go.

A whole town full of pain,

men dying without a doctor.

You will take me now,

or I'll go alone.

We'll camp here.

Are you tired already?

Well, we've covered 60 miles.

Don't you think the horses have had enough for one day?

Well, it's only another two or three hours' ride, isn't it?

'Distrust yourself. Sleep before you fight.

'Tis not too late tomorrow to be brave.'

The world could come to an end, but a man has to have his sleep.

To a tried man, the world does come to an end each night.

If the good Lord had entrusted men with the task of childbirth,

this planet of ours would be as empty as the moon.

Miss Adella, I am aware that a young woman of your high moral standards

would much prefer to spend the night with a man on horseback.

I can only assure you that were you to rouse the bestial side of my nature,

I am much too tired to do anything at all about it.

Well! I...

We got neighbors.

Oh. Well, we'll go and see them.

What for? They have the same right to be here that we have.

Oh, it isn't their rights I'm interested in. It's their health.

Suppose there's someone among them who needs aid and comfort?

Oh...

We will go and see them.

Come on.

Ma'am.

It's always hot work to plant one of your fellow men, ain't it?

Whew. Feel like the jaws of hell couldn't wait to close over.

They's a good pair of shoes.

Ain't much use to the worms, is it?

Well, don't stand there with your finger in your mouth, boy.

Fetch the lady some water.

Good, fresh snow water.

Pure as the Lord made it.

That's all we've had in our own bellies for goin' on three days now.

Well, we'll be glad to share some of our supplies.

Won't we, Mister Paladin?

God love you, sister.

They're in the saddlebag.

Who was that?

That was Lucifer...

Lucifer Blake.

He's a partner of ours.

Yeah, he got drilled by an Injun arrow right betwixt the shoulder blades.

I never saw a man look so surprised.

This Lucifer's coat?

Yeah.

It happened at high noon.

He, uh... He weren't wearin' no jacket.

Can't you wait to hold your inquest

until after these people have had something to eat?

Oh.

Now it ain't no call to trouble about us, ma'am.

If you just leave us a few scraps of bacon rind

and a handful of flour,

Reamer and me, we... We don't take very much.

Lucifer got killed at noon.

And you're just burying him now.

How come?

Well, now, it, uh... It took quite a spell

for all the life juice to trickle out of him,

and we didn't feel it'd be very Christian of us to prod him along.

And seeing as we had nothing to dig with except my own dirty fingernails

and Reamer's little old busted knife...

and it took us another while to assemble these here rocks.

You ain't a lawman, are you?

No.

Why?

Oh, I mean it's... It's just too bad you ain't,

account of I could give you all his papers and all.

You take 'em with you and make it all kind of official-like...

Not that he had any kinfolk that I know of, poor soul.

Well, there's a town about fifty miles on ahead.

I'll make a report there on the grave,

and they can send somebody after you.

Send somebody back after us?

Whatever for?

I mean, uh...

we ain't done nothing wrong, have we,

outside our own Christian duty

of covering up our brother's blood

so it won't cry out from the ground?

Well, you tell them your story. They'll decide what action to take.

Uh, Mister,

are you accusin' us of what I think you are?

If your conscience is clear, you tell them your story.

Save yourself fifty miles on foot.

Hey, Mister, what gives you the right to stand judgment on us?

Now look, son, it is of no private interest to me

whether or not that man has an arrow in his back.

But I do have some responsibility as a citizen.

Anybody accuses me of murdering my best friend

is gonna have to be a man enough to stand up and answer for it.

For a bereaved man,

you're mighty anxious to start a fight.

Oh, Paladin, can't you see that the boy