Bonanza (1959–1973): Season 13, Episode 17 - The Saddle Stiff - full transcript

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You hit pretty hard.

Yeah, yeah.

I got throwed, if that's what you mean.

Better leave that kind of work
for them that can hack it.

Gee, I'm sorry you got...

Well, I'm sorry.

Well, it happens.

You studying or watching?

Oh, a little of both.



What I was trying
to say back there was, uh,

you break something at your age,
you won't mend quick.

Wahoo!

Easy ride for a young buck.

- Wahoo!
- Yeah.

If you don't mind, just saddle my horse.

Sure.

Hey, bronco,
I heard you had a spill today.

There's no order here
for a new windmill.

Well, Pa, the crew only
struck water out there yesterday.

Then we needed
the windmill yesterday.

Well, fine,
I'll ride into Virginia City...

Never mind, I'll take care of it.

You know, it could've been
a dry well, too, you know.



- Yeah.
- Yes, but it wasn't.

This Cass Breckinridge,
that North Ranch foreman,

the fella you hired six months ago
when I was in San Francisco...

It was a year ago we hired him, Pa.

Whenever.

I see he's been buying
some land for us.

Well, if you mean the Tumble K, it...

sort of fell into his lap.

The owner died, and the widow
wanted to sell it and move East.

Got it for a good price, $7 an acre.

I thought he was to report here

in person from now on,
not report anymore by mail.

Yeah, well, that's what we thought.

Yeah, Pa, maybe he got tied up
with that land deal or something.

Look, it's not important. I'll go
up and talk to him next week myself.

I'll take care of that.

Mr. Cartwright, I wouldn't...

Hey, Pa, come on, you all right?

You took a pretty good fall there, huh?

You okay?

You're fired.

You come in and get your money.

That figures.

He gets throwed twice in one day,
hurts him where he lives,

he's gotta have somebody to stomp.

Here's your pay.

Any man that's been around horses
as long as you have

ought to have brains enough

to check the cinch
before he mounts up.

You've been riding that chair so long
that you don't know how soft you are,

or how much time
has chopped into you.

It's a good thing
you got the chair, the big outfit,

people to fetch and carry for you,

because you sure couldn't cut it
out there where the work is.

Is that right?

Yeah, that's right!

Ben Cartwright, big name.

But if you had to ride the grub trail
out where nobody knew you,

Ben Brown, not Ben Cartwright,
ride on a piece of crow bait,

no fancy clothes, no fine rig,
nothing but dust in your pockets,

you couldn't get a job.

And if you were lucky enough
to find somebody

to take pity on you,

you wouldn't last
to find the bunkhouse.

Well, that's your opinion.

It's what I know.

I'll bet you my shirt, pants,
boots, and this $21,

that you couldn't get a Ben Brown job

and keep it long enough
to collect a full payday.

Think about that
while you're riding your chair.

"Couldn't cut it where the work is."

Hyah.

Carl?

Carl, you in there?

Mr. Cartwright, good morning.

- Well, good to see...
- Haven't seen you in a long time.

Yeah, I know. It's good to see you.
How've you been?

What are you doing up this way?

Carl, I need a favor from you.

Let's go inside, you get me

a cup of hot coffee,
I'll tell you about it.

Do better than that,
I'll give you a whole breakfast.

Good. I'm hungry enough to eat one.

Fine.

Ah!

Evening.

Well, my guess is
you're just fixing to leave.

Well, not just yet.
My... My horse is hurt.

Uh-huh. You know,
you're on my property.

Well, I know it's Ponderosa property.

Meaning you did see the signs, hmm.

Meaning you did
come through my fence.

I came through one of the gates.

Mmm-hmm. Where you headed?

Up country, north.

Oh, maybe you do a little hunting?

- Take an antelope or two?
- No, no.

Yeah.

You'll be the first saddle stiff
that didn't.

And those antelope
will be wearing cowhides,

and the Ponderosa brand
when they're shot.

Just stand easy.

What's your name?

Brown, Ben Brown.

Have you noticed, Mr. Breckinridge,

that most of these bums
all go by the name of Brown?

Must be the third one
we caught this month.

Yeah, well...

You're poaching or hiding, one.

You got someplace special
to go, Mr. Brown,

or are you just riding?

Riding, until I find work.

Oh, no saddle stiffs on my payroll.

I don't even want
the likes of you riding through.

I let one of you stay
and next thing you know

you'll be swarming all over the place.

No, you're getting out of here,
Mr. Brown.

Same way you came in.

I will, at daylight.

You'll leave now.

Now we'll be back this way
in an hour or two,

and you had better be long gone.

Come on.

There, we're just about there.

What do you want?

Well, my horse is lame.

Hang your gunbelt on the hitch rack.

Uh... See, my horse is lame
and he, uh...

Well, I...
I need some medication

and feed and rest overnight.

All right, mister.

Step inside and we'll talk.

Sit down.

His horse is hurt, like he said.

What's your name?

Well, go on, tell her.

Ben Brown.

Say who we are, Paul.

Hmm? Oh, Paul Walker,
my missus, Sally.

This here is the Rafter W Ranch.

How come you picked our place?

Ma'am, I, uh... I saw the light,

and my horse had gone
just about as far as it could.

I was hoping...

I could stay in your barn
overnight out of the wind.

Well...

We've had supper, but there's
the savings on the stove.

Well, that'd be extra work, ma'am.
I wouldn't want to trouble you.

It shames me I didn't offer sooner.

We never used to have to wait
a minute to offer anybody potluck.

Yeah, till we learned better.
Where you from, Brown?

Uh, south... Uh, Carson City way.

His ain't a Ponderosa horse,
I studied the brand.

You can wash up on the porch.

Sally will fix you a meal.

Thank you.

You holding that rifle
won't help his appetite any.

Hmm?

Oh, no, I... I expect not.

You know, I took him
for a common drifter at first,

but he seems to be better spoken
than most I've met.

You'll let him stay, won't you?

Cold wind blowing, he's near beat out.

Well, there's plenty of room
in the barn. I...

I suppose he's welcome.

You know, I got a feeling
about him, Paul.

He could be the answer to all our...

To your prayers?

You back to praying again, Sally?

Well, I... I never stopped.

Be two or three days
before he's healed and fit to ride.

Well... I could lead him.

He won't like it.

He can walk all right.

Walking will hinder the healing.

The stall's not being used.
You're welcome to stay.

Well, that's, uh...
That's very kind of you.

I... I... I don't...

Some work that needs doing,
I'd be happy to do it.

Told you!

Well, she's been, uh, pushing me
to ask if you're looking for a job.

As a matter of fact, I am.

Well, I, uh...

Guess I do need a...
An all-around hand, uh...

But I'm afraid you'd be trading
your bed roll for a...

A ladder, or just about.

Hard work, short money.

$10 a month and found.

Now, I know it's not enough, but it's...

It's all I can afford to pay.

Good meals. You won't go hungry.

Well, you...
You've hired yourself a hand.

Well, good. I'll call you at sunup.

Well, good, thank you.

Come on, Sally.

- Good night.
- Good night.

Mr. Brown?

Yes?

There's, uh...

There's something I got to say.

It wouldn't be honest
not to tell you this...

But you go to work for me

and you're right
in the middle of a range war.

It'd be just the two of us
against a ranch called the Ponderosa,

and its owner,
a thief named Ben Cartwright.

Cartwright...

I, uh, seem to have heard that name.

Now, look, you can just change
your mind and move on.

No hard feelings.

Well, I, uh...

I need the job.

I think I'll stick around.

Good.

Uhh!

Ow.

Ooh!

Well, I should have told you.

Battleaxe is just plain mean
in the morning.

He hates to go to work.

He told me.

You'd better ride my horse, Mr. Brown.

We got a lot of work to do.

I want another whack at him.
We're just getting acquainted.

No, I can't risk it.

All busted up, you're no good to me.

As soon as we get this section
finished, Mr. Brown,

you can take a rest
if you feel the need to.

Thank you.

What about yourself?

I can't afford to.

As soon as we get this fence built,
we can get to the important work.

Such as?

Gathering up what's left of my herd.

240 head last count.

Most of them are in that brush
and up those draws.

That's funny.

Good grass out in the open.

Well, they didn't hit
that brush on their own.

You might say they were
encouraged some.

You see,
that's government grass out there,

and the grazing rights
are leased to me.

But there's no way
I can stop riders from crossing it.

And they do.

Ponderosa riders.

Two or three at a time,
not going anyplace, just...

Driving my cattle into the brush.

You see them do it?

No. No, they keep a lookout.

By the time I get here,

there's nothing in sight
but jackrabbits.

If I was you, I'd, uh...

I'd tell the law about this.

Oh, I did that.

Had myself a 40 mile ride for nothing.

The sheriff says
I have to have proof, and...

Proof I haven't got.

This war I hired into,

how long's that been going on?

Oh, for me,
about, uh, three months.

Come on, get up.
Get up there. Get along.

Before that, Breckinridge was busy
with old Charlie King at the Tumble K.

Busy? How?

Oh, haystack fires, cut fences, poison.

Old Charlie had 600 head,
had two top hands

before Breckinridge
ran them out of the country.

Then the rustling started.

I got no proof,

but I'd say that Breckinridge
was doing some night riding.

And Old Charlie, he tried to do
the work of three men,

till his heart gave out.

Then Breckinridge
bought the Tumble K.

Bought it for Ben Cartwright.

Dollar an acre, one lousy dollar.

Buildings, chattels, all the livestock
that was left, about 200 head.

A dollar an acre?

Seems to me somebody ought to do
some talking to Ben Cartwright.

After what he did
to Bertha King, not me.

The only place I want to see him
is over the sights of a rifle.

But he stays out of sight.

Breckinridge does
all of his rough work,

him and some hired guns.

The main reason
we got to get that fence finished

is so we can hold my cattle on my land

until I can get the buyer
out here from Unionville.

We'll start at the top
of that north slope

and drive them out of the brush,

then drift them down
to that holding ground.

I packed the lunches.

And you tell me where
and I'll bring you a hot supper.

Well, we should be
at Big Meadow, honey.

Just watch for the dust.

Another biscuit, Mr. Brown?

Mmm, yes, ma'am.

These are the best biscuits
I've ever had.

Thank you.

We need 100 head prime,
or near prime.

It's, kind of, early
for roundup, isn't it?

Not when you got money owing
and no way to pay.

They really did a job.

Should have spent the night
out here with a rifle.

Yeah.

Well, I guess we ought to
clean up the mess

before whatever cattle are left are
cut to ribbons in the wire.

Yeah.

Good morning, Mr. Walker.

Well, you've had
some tough luck, huh?

Cattle tore down your new fence.

No, riders tore it down,
your riders.

Now, that's not nice,
Mr. Walker.

We haven't been
this way for some time.

Well, you got a new hand, huh?

Seems I've seen you
someplace before.

We run you off once, Mr. Ben Brown.

- What do you want?
- I'll get to that.

Right now I'm talking
to your new hand.

You know, you would have been
a lot wiser

if you'd just kept on riding.

I like it here.

You're on my land. Get off!

Mr. Walker, I've come
to make you an offer.

Now, you'll be moving
your family out shortly,

and you'll want
some travelling money.

Now, you leave that herd
right where it is,

and I'll give you... $500 cash.

Oh, generous man,
isn't he, Mr. Brown?

That's about one-sixth
of what my herd is worth.

Well, I'll tell you something,
you take it or you'll regret it.

Get off of my land, Breckinridge.

Paul, please listen to me.

It's just not safe
for you to go in town alone.

Now, don't you worry
about me, honey.

I'll be back early tomorrow.

I should be back by...
By noon tomorrow.

You will see the sheriff, won't you?

Well, all right. It'll...

It'll be a waste of time,
but I'll do it.

All right.

The main reason
I'm going, Mr. Brown,

I want to get an old friend
of mine, Jim Tiller, the...

The Omaha Cattle Company buyer
out here when we finish roundup.

Oh.

Oh, it'll be a help
if you'd clean up that mess

that Breckinridge made
of our fence while I'm gone.

I plan to.

And, while I'm in town, I'll...

I'll try and hire another hand,
if I can find one,

who'll work for $10 a month
and found.

Oh, by the way,
if Breckinridge tries anything, it...

It won't be until after dark.

And I'd thank you to keep
an eye on the house.

Depend on it.

Yeah!

Battleaxe, we've got some work to do.

Easy. Whoa!

Whoa.

Come on.

Come on.

I had to come ask.

Man says you're Ben Brown.

Looks like you took that bet I offered.

I did.

The world's full of surprises.

I didn't tell them
you weren't Ben Brown.

I didn't tell them anything.

I just rolled up my bed and rode out.

Why?

Couldn't you do the work?

Tickled me at first,
working for Cartwright

after Cartwright fired me.

I met some snakes in my time,
but that Breckinridge is the worst.

How long you been working here?

Week tomorrow.

Long enough to know what goes on?

Yeah, I heard what happened
at the Tumble K.

Pretty fancy stealing
goes on in your name.

I expect you'll be changing
to your Cartwright clothes

and slapping Breckinridge
with a paycheck.

Well... sending a man down the road

to do his stealing somewhere else
doesn't do much good.

Sounds like you're fixing
to slap him in the iron hotel.

Well, a fella that hides his tracks
as cute as he does,

that's pretty hard to do.

All I can do is try.

Pretty neat trick if you can do it.

Ought to be kinda interesting to watch.

You know, a fella
that would hire Ben Brown

ought to jump at a chance
to get a real top hand.

I got my shirt, pants, boots,
and $21 riding on what you do.

I'd better stick around
and take care of my interest.

I'll talk to the boss.

I'll put in a word for you.

Yah!

Get out of there.

Yee-haw!

He-he-he-he!

Haw!

Get in there.

Haw.

More coffee, Mr. Walker?

No thanks.

How's everything?

Peaceful and quiet.

Well, I'll go sing 'em to sleep.

Tired, huh?

Yeah, a little.

You're doing better
than I thought you could.

Well, it's still
a long time till payday.

Well, don't you worry none about me.

I just can't wait to see you
riding out of here

bare as a billiard ball.

Never happen.

As long as I got
a feather and a blanket.

That herd getting spooky or is it me?

Mmm, must be you.

Take it easy now.

I'll go get a wagon.

Here, just...

Oh! Oh.

Oh.

Did you see
who stampeded the cattle?

Yeah, one rider.

He was waving a slicker.

I heard others,

but tell that to the sheriff
and he'd say I was... Oh...

I was seeing my own shadow.

One good thing, though.

The cattle won't run far
in the dark, and it'll...

It'll be easy to pick 'em up tomorrow.

You're not riding tomorrow.

I've got to.

Jim Tiller will be out here
in a few days to buy my cattle.

What you've got to do is go to bed.

- I can't.
- Don't you worry.

We'll have the hundred head
waiting on your land

when the buyer gets here.

Yeah, no trouble, Mr. Walker.

Be an easy day.

Well, I'll say one thing,
you volunteer real good.

I didn't hear you backing off.

Couldn't.

That Walker's quite a man.

Tell you how he got that gimp leg?

Nope, never mentioned a word.

When I was over at North Ranch
I heard it in bits and pieces.

Bunkhouse talk.

Walker and Breckinridge
had a fistfight.

Something about poison grass.

Walker got in one punch
and then three of them jumped him.

They gave him a wrecking job
and then ran over him with a wagon.

More than one snake over there,
a whole nest of them.

They'll be waiting for us.

Yeah, I expect they will.

Well, it looks like it's gonna be,
kind of, a noisy day tomorrow.

Yeah, could be.

My horse pulled up lame
when I came in after the wagon.

I'm gonna have
to ride one of Mr. Walker's.

You got any good ones?

Yeah, as a matter of fact, uh,
he's got one real good working horse.

Yeah, guess I forgot
to tell you about old Battleaxe.

He's mean in the morning.
Just hates to go to work.

But you rode him yesterday.

So I did.

That old crow bait took me by surprise.

Whoa!

Giddyup!

Well, I guess you'll have
to ride my horse, Cactus.

Man once told me

some men can cut it when the going
gets rough, some men can't.

Just one more chance.

I'll stick closer to him than his skin.

Well, we can't risk it now.
We got a roundup to make.

Take my horse.

You win this one, Mr. Brown,
but it's still a long time till payday.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa.

Whoa.

Here's 10
we don't have to dig out of the brush.

Cactus, take a look
back there, up on the hill.

That's one of the snakes.

Tate, unless my eyesight's failing me.

They're waiting for us to fix the fence
so they can tear it down again.

Cactus...

Apaches do the same thing.

Try to throw the fear into you.

It works sometimes.

I've seen people run like chickens

trying to hide
from the shadow of a hawk.

Eh, maybe we ought to give them
something to think about.

Yeah? Like what?

Like something noisy.

Like the Fourth of July.

Cactus, you worked the North Ranch.

How many cattle tanks
does this flume supply?

Four.

They got diversion gates
they turn on and off.

Well, if this flume wasn't here,

Mr. Breckinridge would have himself
somewhat of a problem, wouldn't he?

Yeah.

Six or seven hours,
cattle will be out of water,

unless Breckinridge and his crew
want to carry it over in their hats.

Water wagons, rebuilding this flume,

that'll keep them busy
for quite a while.

You mean you're gonna dynamite
your own flume?

Ben Cartwright can afford it.

Ben Brown would sure enjoy it.

Yeah.

You do make a fine mess of kindling.

That'll be harder to put back
together than a busted egg.

Yeah.

Now, just what are you planning
on doing with that?

I'm just looking.

Well, that means all hands,
cook, chuckwagon...

To rebuild.

Well, I got to say one thing
about Walker, he's trying.

That's more than Charlie King did.

Somebody's trying,
but I don't think it's Walker.

Brown.

I guess I should have hit him twice.

Well, you should have shot him.

How many do you make it?

Over hundred.

Yeah.

And 15 or 20 head
down in the lower meadow.

We'll pick them up on the way.

No lookouts on the hills.

You better go on ahead.

I'll trail along behind, just in case.

Yeah, all right.

They did it, Paul.

It was a lucky day for us
when you hired Mr. Brown.

Yes. Yes, it certainly was.

Most of them look good.

Did see a few calls.

Not in that herd you didn't.

When you buy cattle
for a living,

you always see a few calls,
keeps the price lower.

In this case,

we'll call 'em all prime
and I'll give you the top dollar.

It's your doing, Mr. Brown.

You and Cactus got them here. I...

I got to say...

Well, I gotta say thanks.

Well, I'll tell Cactus
what you said, but...

Like Cactus did say, it's an easy day.

- Signed and sealed, huh?
- Yeah.

I, kind of, thought
that Breckinridge would try

one more stampede
before we got them here.

Yeah, so did I.

But the boss is grateful.

Oh, uh, he told me to say that

one of these days
you might even make top hand.

And one of these days
I might even stay

on top of old Battleaxe.

Well, I wouldn't go that far.

- I got an itch.
- Huh?

Breckinridge ain't one to back off.

No. No, he ain't.

Let's take a look around.

Get it done.
They might be back any minute.

Shh.

There's somebody out back.

Somebody out front, too.
Drop the guns.

Three horses out there.

Breckinridge must be in the house.

Don't fret about us.

We're gonna get along just fine.

There's some picking strings
right in front of you.

Mr. Tate, you're gonna
tie up Mr. Yokum.

Tight and now.

You'd better blow out that match,
Mr. Breckinridge,

before you go up in flames.

Tate and Yokum are out in the barn.

They're all dressed up like hogs
ready for the market.

Talking pretty good too
about who set what fire

and who stole whose cattle.

Uhh!

Do you want any help?

I think I got the hang of it.

Oof!

You did real good,
Mr. Cartwright.

Who? What are you talking about?

You heard him.

I'm Ben Cartwright.

I don't believe it.

You will.

You know, there's some men

who just can't cut it out
where the work is.

Some lose their shirt,
pants, and boots.

Well, you still got
a blanket and a feather.

I said some pretty ornery
things about you,

but I never thought I'd see the day

I'd be saying "thank you"
to Ben Cartwright.

Well, you don't
have to say another word.

I just want you to know
that there'll be full payment

to you and to Bertha King
and anybody else that was hurt.

Whenever you're ready.

Time to go.

We'll get this rig back to you
by the end of the week.

Fine.

Thanks, for everything.

Oh...

Oh, uh, I sure would like
to buy that Battleaxe from you.

I got a couple of sons
I'd like him to meet.

Sure.

Well, I, uh... I guess
I don't have to tell you.

You got your old job back,
if you want it.

Well, that's mighty generous
of you, Mr. Cartwright.

Well, I'm glad that's settled, then.

Well, uh, not quite.

Oh?

Ah, I see. You, uh...
You want more money, huh?

No.

I want a different kind of a boss.

I want a boss that's not
so ornery and crazy,

and changes his mind all the time.

I want a gentleman for a boss.

That's the reason
I'm throwing in with Mr. Walker.

Oh, uh, no hard feelings,
Mr. Cartwright.

You old coot.