Bonanza (1959–1973): Season 9, Episode 3 - The Conquistadores - full transcript
A group of men representing their poor village in Mexico, tire of trying to help their families by mining played out Nevada mines...
The following program is brought
to you in living color on NBC.
Oro, oro! Gold, gold! Gold!
Blas, gold!
How are my fine south-of-the-border
friends this fine morning?
Found plenty of gold, I hope,
take back to your señoritas?
Thank you most
kindly for your charity.
Don't pay it no mind. Anything
for my Mexican friends.
Thank you. Muchas gracias.
You're most kindly welcome.
Sit down, amigos.
I have been thinking.
We have traveled a long way
from our country to this El Dorado
in search of riches.
Be patient, Blas. It
will come, you will see.
No. No, it will not.
It should be apparent to you,
in this country of
equal opportunity,
some are more equal than others.
Streams which the gringos have
worked over a thousand times
to know that there is no gold,
this we can work, but nothing else.
But every day one hears of rich strikes
where others have searched before.
That's right, Blas. You've
heard of it. We all have.
Perhaps we may be that lucky,
if the Holy Mother wills it so.
Sí, sí, sí, sí.
But it would make no difference.
The gringos would come with their angry
faces and their guns and their papers,
which they would
shove under our noses
to prove that we had
no right to our claims.
You know this, amigos.
What do you propose,
that we return home?
Not immediately.
Soon, but not immediately.
We will search for gold in
the stream a little longer?
No, this stream has
nothing more for us.
But there are many
rich men in Virginia City.
This is where we
should search for gold.
Perhaps we can
persuade one of these
to share his wealth
with four sad mejicanos.
Are you all right, amigo?
I'm not sure yet.
Look, all I've got's
20 dollars and a gun.
Well, we noticed your
fine horse and saddle.
Compadres, have you noticed how wealthy
the wealthy look even in work clothes?
How nice it must be
to work in such clothes.
Fine jackets, soft shirts,
and the saddle, look.
It would feed a village
in Sonora for a week.
How wonderful to be successful
in this land of equal opportunity.
Can I reach in... in my
pocket and get the 20 dollars?
First unbuckle
your fine gun belt.
And since we have
noticed you are left-handed,
use your right hand
and stay alive, please.
Reckon where little Joe is.
He ought to have been back from
Carson City a couple of hours ago.
Well, you know Little Joe.
He can always find something or
someone attractive in Carson City.
- Get out to the corral, help Buford.
- On my way, Pa.
Pa?
Mr. Cartwright?
Yes. What can I do for you?
Forgive me if I do not
identify myself, señor.
Be it sufficient I am a Mexican,
disillusioned and far from home.
- Well, come on inside.
- No, no, no, gracias.
I do not wish to soil your floors
with my filthy Mexican boots.
Señor, a direct answer
to a direct question.
Whom do you love
most in the whole world?
What kind of a question is that?
Who do I love most? What's this about?
Please, to answer my question.
I love my sons most
in this world. Why?
What do you want?
- 100,000 in gold, señor.
- What?
As you now suspect, I
hold your son for ransom.
- My son's in Carson City with friends.
- You know better.
However, to save time,
your son has a... a tiny
white scar on his left thumb.
- Has he not, señor?
- What about it?
Here... is your son's
left thumb, señor.
A rabbit's foot.
Did your stomachs turn to
fists, or sick with warm water?
Did they, señores?
All right, you scared us.
I believe you now accept
the fact that I have your son.
What are your terms?
100,000 in gold for
your son, all in one piece,
two thumbs, two ears,
and so on and so on.
That'd be about... close
to 400 pounds of metal.
Take a good couple of days
to round up that much gold.
400 pounds?
That's a great deal of
weight. And we have far to go.
I am not an unreasonable man.
Let's make it
25,000 by tomorrow.
That'll be easier for
you and easier for me.
It'll be easy for
me to kill you.
And you would exchange the
corpse of your brother for mine.
What a poor business judgment. You
do not wish that. Nor does your father.
I will come for
the gold tomorrow.
If you attempt to follow me or in
any way try to rescue the young man,
he will be killed.
I am serious, señor.
Hasta la vista.
What do we do?
We get the gold.
I imagine you know why
I've sent for you, Perkins.
- I haven't the foggiest idea, sir.
- I think you do.
I've never seen such a mess,
work that'll have to
be done over again.
- I'll get right on it, Mr. Aldrich.
- Don't bother.
Your account was
80 dollars short.
Replace that 80 dollars
this afternoon or get out.
Yes, sir.
I was going to replace it,
sir, and this afternoon too.
I had some expenses,
medical expenses, big ones.
In Anderson's saloon?
That's all, Perkins.
Yes, sir.
Oh, by the way, sir, old man Cartwright
and his son are out here to see you,
and stalwart Sheriff Coffee.
What? Well, send them in.
Mr. Cartwright. Messrs.
Cartwright, Cartwright and Coffee.
- Thank you.
- Ben, I'm sorry to keep you waiting.
- I didn't know you were there.
- Fred, this is an emergency.
I need 25,000 dollars in gold,
not paper, not silver,
gold, and I need it right now.
Gold. Well, Ben...
All right, Perkins, that's all.
Look, Fred, don't hang us up.
This is a matter of life and death.
Are you ready to eat now, amigo?
Like I told you before, if you untie
my hands so I can feed myself.
You are too valuable a prize.
Emiliano will spoon-feed you.
Emiliano.
Se escapó!
Blas, he escaped.
Chuy.
Here is his gun.
Outflank him to the left.
Miguel.
You go to the right.
I will keep talking.
You watch the horses.
Can you hear me, amigo?
Must blood flow for a
few pounds of bright metal
which means so little
to you, so much to us?
I am not an uneducated man.
I am the schoolmaster
in our village in Sonora,
and Chuy, my fat friend,
who is now armed with your weapon
and is outflanking you to your left,
he has the village
general store,
which he calls Saturno
Cruzando el Disco del Sol,
which means Saturn
Crossing the Disk of the Sun.
Imagine a general store
with a name like that.
Is that not lovely? Let
me tell you something.
In our village, which
surely must be...
the poorest in all of Sonora,
men try to make a
living from the lime,
which is what our soil consists
of and in which nothing grows.
Putting the lime in sacks
and carrying them on their
shoulders for 20 kilómetros.
Lime burns the skin
and sears the
eyes and the lungs.
- Is he yours now, Chuy?
- Sí, we have him.
Bring him back.
To shoot you would
be an enormous waste.
Do not make us do this.
We will watch him
better this time.
As I was saying...
about our village
which has nothing.
Somehow they found a few
centavos here, a few pesos there,
to send us four to
the mountains of gold.
Perhaps we will find nothing.
But the chance
was there, the hope.
And what is life without hope...
the only true ecstasy?
There has never been hope
in my village, not in my lifetime.
Do you see, amigo?
When we set out to come north,
with all their hopes on our shoulders,
they called us the
conquistadores.
The conquistadores.
If you think I am going to take
disappointment back to that village...
Mr. Cartwright, you are wrong.
You be sure to tell the people of
your village where you got that gold.
You let me worry about that.
Oh, by the way, did
you wish to eat now?
The true pride of
a rich man's son.
You not starve if you
do not eat for a week.
It could even be
good for your soul.
You better worry
about your own soul.
All right, you got something
you wanna talk about private,
you go ahead, talk.
Well, I thought I had. I
thought it was obvious.
Well, it ain't obvious.
You spell it out.
Cartwright draws
out 25,000 in gold.
In gold, mind you, in a hurry.
Sheriff Coffee's alarmed.
Hoss Cartwright says it's
a matter of life and death.
Just 'cause Little Joe's out of sight,
you... you think he's been kidnapped.
Could be in Denver or Salt Lake.
OK.
Even if I'm wrong, the
point is there's 25,000 in gold
at the Ponderosa right now
and not sitting in
some steel vault.
Once they're in vice,
seems something's goin' on.
Perkins... come first light...
let's you and me
investigate this situation.
All right, this is
as far as we'll go.
You have been cooperative
and courteous, señor.
Muchas gracias.
When you reach the
border, you release my son.
Correct, with a
horse and supplies.
If you keep your end of the
bargain, we'll forget about all of this.
But if you hurt Joseph,
I'll follow you into Mexico,
and I don't care how
hard you try to hide,
I'll find you and I'll kill
you with my bare hands.
Have I made myself clear?
Vividly, señor.
Scruffy Mexican heading south
with something that's plenty heavy.
Well, shall we follow
our Latin gentleman?
No rush.
It's a far piece to the border with one
sorry mule carrying a two-mule load.
We got plenty of time to
get back to Virginia City
and line up some of my friends.
We gotta see that no harm
comes to old Ben Cartwright's boy.
And that sheriff ain't doing
nothing. Don't ask me why.
If it wasn't for some sharp eyes and
ears, none of us'd even know about it.
What do you reckon we
ought to do about it, Bill?
The only thing good citizens
can do when the law don't act.
We gotta find them
kidnappers and rescue Little Joe.
Right, right. He's right.
But Ben Cartwright ain't the sort of
man to sit around and twiddle his thumbs.
Little Joe is being dragged to the
border by a bunch of murdering foreigners.
He's the one we
gotta think about.
Ben'll be so glad to get him back safe,
he'll probably pay us for our trouble.
If them Mexicans have got that gold...
maybe we ought to just pay ourselves.
Let's go get 'em.
Whoa.
We have a drink of water.
Perhaps we should wait
here for Blas to catch up.
No, no, no, we go on.
What's the chances of
getting this jacket off?
You ask the impossible, amigo.
You have once before tried
to escape with your hands tied.
What would happen if
I would release them?
I gotta get this jacket off or I'll
be dead of heat stroke by noon.
Permit me to doubt that.
If you don't deliver me
alive and well to my father,
I guarantee you, there's gonna be a
posse as big as an army on your trail.
Besides, you got my gun.
Sí, I have your gun. Bueno.
Amigo, please, there is nowhere
to go out here, amigo. Please.
It is too hot for a
stupid fight, compadre.
I can't. I can't move.
There's a snake down here.
Well, what can I do? I
cannot see it from here.
- Hand me your gun.
- The gun?
No, I cannot give you the gun.
Either give me that
gun or shoot me.
I don't wanna die out here
swelling with that poison.
- Gracias, amigo.
- Sí.
- When do we take him?
- Not sure.
We gotta pick our spot.
We don't wanna split the
gold with all the others, do we?
They have enough of a start so we won't
overtake 'em and maybe start something.
We'll be right at the border
when they release Little Joe
and be close
enough if they don't.
Yeah.
Howdy, Ben, Hoss.
Glad you're both here.
- What's up, Roy?
- Well, it's that Anderson.
Him and that bunch of hardheads
that hang around his place
rode out of town about
dawn this morning.
What's that got to do with us?
Well, you remember that bank clerk,
Perkins, that helped you load the gold?
He was with 'em.
Now, I just got a sneaking
hunch that that whole gang
is gonna try to cut in
on your ransom money.
I sent a deputy out
to pick up the trail,
told him that we'd meet him at High
Meadow if that was all right with you.
Let's ride.
Hold it.
There's mule tracks, Pa,
and right here is where
Anderson's bunch got on their trail.
Looks like it was two
or three hours ago,
maybe six or seven of 'em.
It'll get dark before
soon. We'd better ride.
Blas should be here.
I hope nothing has gone wrong.
Nothing has gone
wrong. Blas will be here.
- With the gold?
- With the gold.
And then, my friend, I am
sure Blas will release you here
instead of at the border.
If you swear there
will be no pursuit.
Whatever my pa says,
he's a man of his word.
It's still a risk.
He returned me the
weapon after killing the snake.
That is good enough for me.
I hope one day you
will come to our village,
after your gold has made
it prosperous and beautiful.
How clear your
consciences must be...
that you post no watch.
Coffee, Emiliano.
How are you, my friend?
- You're not bound?
- I can explain.
I'd be interested.
Blas, the gold.
Have you the gold?
Dónde está?
- Yes, I have the gold.
- Where is it, Blas?
Can we see it? Is it
with the horses, Blas?
- I have hidden it.
- Hidden it?
Why so?
Because I was followed all day.
Let's mount and ride
now, even in darkness.
Blas, did you see who they were?
Perhaps it was an anxious
father and his other son
staying a few miles behind
us all the way to the border.
And if they are not, why
not ride and get away?
Because we are in
the middle of the desert
and the animals would need
more rest before they could cross it...
and so would I.
Tomorrow morning we will
unearth the gold before we ride out.
You can see it then.
Tonight we post a watch.
Nobody move!
You're surrounded.
We can see you, but
you can't see nothing.
Well, now.
Cartwright.
Put your guns away. There's
not gonna be any shooting.
- They don't wanna hurt anybody.
- That so? Wonder why.
Don't seem likely dirty
greasers being polite.
You. You gonna tell
us where's the gold's at?
Gonna make us
go to a lot of trouble.
Afraid of that.
Yes, sirree, I
was afraid of that.
One of your tricks, señor. Best
thing that ever came out of Mexico.
When it gets dry, the rawhide
shrinks, the neck stretches.
Just enough to take the weight
off your feet, just an inch or two.
You won't get dizzy
from the height or nothing.
Anderson, you're not
gonna torture anybody.
Cartwright, you're
sure acting unfriendly
considering all us risked our
lives coming out here to rescue you.
All right, so I'm rescued.
Now, let's take these men
back to Virginia City to stand trial.
We're gonna get
the gold back first.
The way you act,
I got the funny feeling you're in
with these criminals to rob your pa.
Oh, you want
that gold all right.
But not for my father.
Now, like I said, these
men are going in for trial.
Bone dry and burning up.
You could probably
use a drink, huh?
This water'd keep that
rawhide from shrinking.
It's too bad I can't
spare you some more,
but there ain't enough water out
here for an honest man to keep alive,
let alone criminals.
Now, are you gonna tell
us where you hid that gold?
Tell 'em where it
is. It's not worth it.
To my village... it is.
Look, your village isn't gonna see
that gold anyway if you die out here.
That's the idea, Mr. Cartwright.
You help this little old señor
here to see the... see the light.
They don't wanna kill us.
They just want the gold.
That's right, nobody's
gonna get killed.
Not if you tell us
where you hid the gold.
I will... show you.
Cut him down, Perkins.
He's ready at last.
I almost wish he'd decided to hold
out. It'd have been something to see.
You, you watch the others.
Boke, you keep an
eye on Cartwright.
Come on, señor. Show
us where the gold's at.
You hid it. You fetch it out.
Look at that, will you?
We're rich.
Watch him.
- Go get him.
- We got the gold. We don't need him.
You're exactly right.
When it comes to
that, I don't need you.
Hold it.
Three shots.
- That kidnapper don't have a gun.
- Maybe he tried to run.
Yeah, maybe
somebody tried to run.
I wouldn't be surprised if they were
running with all that gold right now.
- No, they'd never do that.
- Yes, they would.
Charlie...
Now, stop your firing.
Drop your gun.
Now, stand out in the open.
Keep your hands straight up
and I won't blow your head off.
All right, you men, this is
the sheriff talking to you.
Now, drop your guns and
come out on here in the open
if you know what's good for you.
Now, you're all lawbreakers
and you're under arrest,
so don't none of
you try nothing...
- How are you, son?
- Yeah, I'm fine.
Anderson and Perkins took
the other Mexican off somewhere
and we heard some shots.
Roy, let's have a look.
- Keep an eye on 'em, Bob.
- Right.
All right, don't move.
I was trying to help.
I am afraid there is
nothing anyone can do.
It's not... not this... man.
Anderson. Anderson shot me.
I should have known
he'd want all the...
all the gold for himself.
Señor, you'd better
come with me.
Pa, did the... did the Mexican
tell you why he wanted that gold?
Does it matter?
Yeah, I think it does.
Let me have it.
There's no call to take us in
like common thieves, Sheriff.
We was just trying to keep them
kidnappers from getting away.
Oh, sure, that's why you
were shooting at Little Joe.
Now, look, you men,
we know that you was after
that gold and we got proof of that,
and you're all
going back to town
to stand trial for attempted
robbery and attempted murder.
This won't take a minute, Ben.
Then we'll go after Anderson.
In this heat, packing all that
weight, he's not gonna get very far.
Tuckered, ain't you, horse?
He's only about an
hour ahead of us now.
So, we're gaining.
This desert is not
a merciful place.
It does not forgive
a man his mistakes.
In some ways it
is like your courts.
You heard, señor, that yesterday
one of my men saved your son's life?
Yes, I heard.
Did you consider that if you hadn't
kidnapped him in the first place,
it wouldn't have been a
necessity to save him?
Yes, señor.
He's gonna be all right. We'll...
pick him up on the way back.
His water's gone.
Now his horse is
carrying the whole weight.
It's twice as much as any
of our horses are carrying.
Let's ride.
If there's any water in
there, it's 50 feet down.
Well, this is his last chance
at water for at least 20 miles.
Well, he lost a stirrup.
Maybe he lost a horse.
Reckon he must be trying
to lighten his load, huh?
Yeah. Open up the saddlebag.
And every pound
he's still carrying
must be doubling in weight
with every step he takes.
Rich man.
I... I could even buy
that sun up there.
Ain't nothing money can't buy.
Women...
Wine...
Wine... and pretty women.
Lovely.
Time... It's time...
Time to move on, Billy boy.
Time to move on.
Dying... I'm dying...
I'm dying of thirst.
I'll have anything.
Champagne.
Champagne's what we drink,
bu... buckets of it...
in ice.
I'm a... I'm a man of means.
Wine...
Wine...
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
Your very good
health, Billy boy.
Billy boy.
You... You got gold.
You'll get anything... anything.
Wine...
Wine...
Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
If you... If you please.
Filth, like cattle.
Fetch... Fetch me...
another bottle, boy.
Ben, he's... he's
in pretty bad shape,
but I reckon we can get him
back to town to stand trial.
There's only one of those gold
bars in here. Still one missing.
We spread out, we might
have a chance to find it.
It might be around
here somewhere.
I don't know, Joe. This
desert's a big place.
Probably couldn't find it
even if we had an army.
- What do you think, Blas?
- As you say, it's a very big place.
It is permitted to ask, what
happens to us now, señor,
myself and my friends?
Sheriff?
What's the law's attitude
gonna be towards these men?
Well, Ben, kidnapping is
a pretty serious offense.
They could be sent to prison for
quite a stretch, depending on the judge.
Joe?
What do you think?
What's all this talk about
kidnapping? Who got kidnapped?
What do you mean, who got
kidnapped? You were kidnapped.
That's why we're here...
I get it.
You were just showing your
friends from Sonora, Mexico,
some of this beautiful
countryside, is that it?
And as long as there's no law against
sightseeing, I can't put 'em in jail.
I guess you can go back
to your village in Sonora.
Muchas gracias, señor.
Many thanks. Adios.
Adios, amigo.
Adios.
He can't walk, but I think he
can set a saddle now anyhow.
Well, we'll manage.
Here, señor. This
belongs to you.
I thought you
might bring it back.
You knew I had it?
Saw you pick it up.
Señor, you make
me feel one inch tall.
I want you to keep that.
There's some chemicals you can
buy that neutralize the lime in farm soil.
And a deep well,
it's good for irrigation.
You are offering charity.
Accepting charity is a whole
lot less criminal than kidnapping.
There are a couple of values that you
still have to learn about, schoolmaster.
Anyway, I don't consider this
charity. I consider it an investment.
One of these days I'm
gonna ride down to your town.
I'm gonna look for
some fields of good corn.
And if they're the property
of the town at large,
then I'll know that my
money's been well invested.
If not, I'll take it
out of your hide.
- Clear?
- Vividly, señor.
Hasta la vista.
This has been a color production
of the NBC television network.
to you in living color on NBC.
Oro, oro! Gold, gold! Gold!
Blas, gold!
How are my fine south-of-the-border
friends this fine morning?
Found plenty of gold, I hope,
take back to your señoritas?
Thank you most
kindly for your charity.
Don't pay it no mind. Anything
for my Mexican friends.
Thank you. Muchas gracias.
You're most kindly welcome.
Sit down, amigos.
I have been thinking.
We have traveled a long way
from our country to this El Dorado
in search of riches.
Be patient, Blas. It
will come, you will see.
No. No, it will not.
It should be apparent to you,
in this country of
equal opportunity,
some are more equal than others.
Streams which the gringos have
worked over a thousand times
to know that there is no gold,
this we can work, but nothing else.
But every day one hears of rich strikes
where others have searched before.
That's right, Blas. You've
heard of it. We all have.
Perhaps we may be that lucky,
if the Holy Mother wills it so.
Sí, sí, sí, sí.
But it would make no difference.
The gringos would come with their angry
faces and their guns and their papers,
which they would
shove under our noses
to prove that we had
no right to our claims.
You know this, amigos.
What do you propose,
that we return home?
Not immediately.
Soon, but not immediately.
We will search for gold in
the stream a little longer?
No, this stream has
nothing more for us.
But there are many
rich men in Virginia City.
This is where we
should search for gold.
Perhaps we can
persuade one of these
to share his wealth
with four sad mejicanos.
Are you all right, amigo?
I'm not sure yet.
Look, all I've got's
20 dollars and a gun.
Well, we noticed your
fine horse and saddle.
Compadres, have you noticed how wealthy
the wealthy look even in work clothes?
How nice it must be
to work in such clothes.
Fine jackets, soft shirts,
and the saddle, look.
It would feed a village
in Sonora for a week.
How wonderful to be successful
in this land of equal opportunity.
Can I reach in... in my
pocket and get the 20 dollars?
First unbuckle
your fine gun belt.
And since we have
noticed you are left-handed,
use your right hand
and stay alive, please.
Reckon where little Joe is.
He ought to have been back from
Carson City a couple of hours ago.
Well, you know Little Joe.
He can always find something or
someone attractive in Carson City.
- Get out to the corral, help Buford.
- On my way, Pa.
Pa?
Mr. Cartwright?
Yes. What can I do for you?
Forgive me if I do not
identify myself, señor.
Be it sufficient I am a Mexican,
disillusioned and far from home.
- Well, come on inside.
- No, no, no, gracias.
I do not wish to soil your floors
with my filthy Mexican boots.
Señor, a direct answer
to a direct question.
Whom do you love
most in the whole world?
What kind of a question is that?
Who do I love most? What's this about?
Please, to answer my question.
I love my sons most
in this world. Why?
What do you want?
- 100,000 in gold, señor.
- What?
As you now suspect, I
hold your son for ransom.
- My son's in Carson City with friends.
- You know better.
However, to save time,
your son has a... a tiny
white scar on his left thumb.
- Has he not, señor?
- What about it?
Here... is your son's
left thumb, señor.
A rabbit's foot.
Did your stomachs turn to
fists, or sick with warm water?
Did they, señores?
All right, you scared us.
I believe you now accept
the fact that I have your son.
What are your terms?
100,000 in gold for
your son, all in one piece,
two thumbs, two ears,
and so on and so on.
That'd be about... close
to 400 pounds of metal.
Take a good couple of days
to round up that much gold.
400 pounds?
That's a great deal of
weight. And we have far to go.
I am not an unreasonable man.
Let's make it
25,000 by tomorrow.
That'll be easier for
you and easier for me.
It'll be easy for
me to kill you.
And you would exchange the
corpse of your brother for mine.
What a poor business judgment. You
do not wish that. Nor does your father.
I will come for
the gold tomorrow.
If you attempt to follow me or in
any way try to rescue the young man,
he will be killed.
I am serious, señor.
Hasta la vista.
What do we do?
We get the gold.
I imagine you know why
I've sent for you, Perkins.
- I haven't the foggiest idea, sir.
- I think you do.
I've never seen such a mess,
work that'll have to
be done over again.
- I'll get right on it, Mr. Aldrich.
- Don't bother.
Your account was
80 dollars short.
Replace that 80 dollars
this afternoon or get out.
Yes, sir.
I was going to replace it,
sir, and this afternoon too.
I had some expenses,
medical expenses, big ones.
In Anderson's saloon?
That's all, Perkins.
Yes, sir.
Oh, by the way, sir, old man Cartwright
and his son are out here to see you,
and stalwart Sheriff Coffee.
What? Well, send them in.
Mr. Cartwright. Messrs.
Cartwright, Cartwright and Coffee.
- Thank you.
- Ben, I'm sorry to keep you waiting.
- I didn't know you were there.
- Fred, this is an emergency.
I need 25,000 dollars in gold,
not paper, not silver,
gold, and I need it right now.
Gold. Well, Ben...
All right, Perkins, that's all.
Look, Fred, don't hang us up.
This is a matter of life and death.
Are you ready to eat now, amigo?
Like I told you before, if you untie
my hands so I can feed myself.
You are too valuable a prize.
Emiliano will spoon-feed you.
Emiliano.
Se escapó!
Blas, he escaped.
Chuy.
Here is his gun.
Outflank him to the left.
Miguel.
You go to the right.
I will keep talking.
You watch the horses.
Can you hear me, amigo?
Must blood flow for a
few pounds of bright metal
which means so little
to you, so much to us?
I am not an uneducated man.
I am the schoolmaster
in our village in Sonora,
and Chuy, my fat friend,
who is now armed with your weapon
and is outflanking you to your left,
he has the village
general store,
which he calls Saturno
Cruzando el Disco del Sol,
which means Saturn
Crossing the Disk of the Sun.
Imagine a general store
with a name like that.
Is that not lovely? Let
me tell you something.
In our village, which
surely must be...
the poorest in all of Sonora,
men try to make a
living from the lime,
which is what our soil consists
of and in which nothing grows.
Putting the lime in sacks
and carrying them on their
shoulders for 20 kilómetros.
Lime burns the skin
and sears the
eyes and the lungs.
- Is he yours now, Chuy?
- Sí, we have him.
Bring him back.
To shoot you would
be an enormous waste.
Do not make us do this.
We will watch him
better this time.
As I was saying...
about our village
which has nothing.
Somehow they found a few
centavos here, a few pesos there,
to send us four to
the mountains of gold.
Perhaps we will find nothing.
But the chance
was there, the hope.
And what is life without hope...
the only true ecstasy?
There has never been hope
in my village, not in my lifetime.
Do you see, amigo?
When we set out to come north,
with all their hopes on our shoulders,
they called us the
conquistadores.
The conquistadores.
If you think I am going to take
disappointment back to that village...
Mr. Cartwright, you are wrong.
You be sure to tell the people of
your village where you got that gold.
You let me worry about that.
Oh, by the way, did
you wish to eat now?
The true pride of
a rich man's son.
You not starve if you
do not eat for a week.
It could even be
good for your soul.
You better worry
about your own soul.
All right, you got something
you wanna talk about private,
you go ahead, talk.
Well, I thought I had. I
thought it was obvious.
Well, it ain't obvious.
You spell it out.
Cartwright draws
out 25,000 in gold.
In gold, mind you, in a hurry.
Sheriff Coffee's alarmed.
Hoss Cartwright says it's
a matter of life and death.
Just 'cause Little Joe's out of sight,
you... you think he's been kidnapped.
Could be in Denver or Salt Lake.
OK.
Even if I'm wrong, the
point is there's 25,000 in gold
at the Ponderosa right now
and not sitting in
some steel vault.
Once they're in vice,
seems something's goin' on.
Perkins... come first light...
let's you and me
investigate this situation.
All right, this is
as far as we'll go.
You have been cooperative
and courteous, señor.
Muchas gracias.
When you reach the
border, you release my son.
Correct, with a
horse and supplies.
If you keep your end of the
bargain, we'll forget about all of this.
But if you hurt Joseph,
I'll follow you into Mexico,
and I don't care how
hard you try to hide,
I'll find you and I'll kill
you with my bare hands.
Have I made myself clear?
Vividly, señor.
Scruffy Mexican heading south
with something that's plenty heavy.
Well, shall we follow
our Latin gentleman?
No rush.
It's a far piece to the border with one
sorry mule carrying a two-mule load.
We got plenty of time to
get back to Virginia City
and line up some of my friends.
We gotta see that no harm
comes to old Ben Cartwright's boy.
And that sheriff ain't doing
nothing. Don't ask me why.
If it wasn't for some sharp eyes and
ears, none of us'd even know about it.
What do you reckon we
ought to do about it, Bill?
The only thing good citizens
can do when the law don't act.
We gotta find them
kidnappers and rescue Little Joe.
Right, right. He's right.
But Ben Cartwright ain't the sort of
man to sit around and twiddle his thumbs.
Little Joe is being dragged to the
border by a bunch of murdering foreigners.
He's the one we
gotta think about.
Ben'll be so glad to get him back safe,
he'll probably pay us for our trouble.
If them Mexicans have got that gold...
maybe we ought to just pay ourselves.
Let's go get 'em.
Whoa.
We have a drink of water.
Perhaps we should wait
here for Blas to catch up.
No, no, no, we go on.
What's the chances of
getting this jacket off?
You ask the impossible, amigo.
You have once before tried
to escape with your hands tied.
What would happen if
I would release them?
I gotta get this jacket off or I'll
be dead of heat stroke by noon.
Permit me to doubt that.
If you don't deliver me
alive and well to my father,
I guarantee you, there's gonna be a
posse as big as an army on your trail.
Besides, you got my gun.
Sí, I have your gun. Bueno.
Amigo, please, there is nowhere
to go out here, amigo. Please.
It is too hot for a
stupid fight, compadre.
I can't. I can't move.
There's a snake down here.
Well, what can I do? I
cannot see it from here.
- Hand me your gun.
- The gun?
No, I cannot give you the gun.
Either give me that
gun or shoot me.
I don't wanna die out here
swelling with that poison.
- Gracias, amigo.
- Sí.
- When do we take him?
- Not sure.
We gotta pick our spot.
We don't wanna split the
gold with all the others, do we?
They have enough of a start so we won't
overtake 'em and maybe start something.
We'll be right at the border
when they release Little Joe
and be close
enough if they don't.
Yeah.
Howdy, Ben, Hoss.
Glad you're both here.
- What's up, Roy?
- Well, it's that Anderson.
Him and that bunch of hardheads
that hang around his place
rode out of town about
dawn this morning.
What's that got to do with us?
Well, you remember that bank clerk,
Perkins, that helped you load the gold?
He was with 'em.
Now, I just got a sneaking
hunch that that whole gang
is gonna try to cut in
on your ransom money.
I sent a deputy out
to pick up the trail,
told him that we'd meet him at High
Meadow if that was all right with you.
Let's ride.
Hold it.
There's mule tracks, Pa,
and right here is where
Anderson's bunch got on their trail.
Looks like it was two
or three hours ago,
maybe six or seven of 'em.
It'll get dark before
soon. We'd better ride.
Blas should be here.
I hope nothing has gone wrong.
Nothing has gone
wrong. Blas will be here.
- With the gold?
- With the gold.
And then, my friend, I am
sure Blas will release you here
instead of at the border.
If you swear there
will be no pursuit.
Whatever my pa says,
he's a man of his word.
It's still a risk.
He returned me the
weapon after killing the snake.
That is good enough for me.
I hope one day you
will come to our village,
after your gold has made
it prosperous and beautiful.
How clear your
consciences must be...
that you post no watch.
Coffee, Emiliano.
How are you, my friend?
- You're not bound?
- I can explain.
I'd be interested.
Blas, the gold.
Have you the gold?
Dónde está?
- Yes, I have the gold.
- Where is it, Blas?
Can we see it? Is it
with the horses, Blas?
- I have hidden it.
- Hidden it?
Why so?
Because I was followed all day.
Let's mount and ride
now, even in darkness.
Blas, did you see who they were?
Perhaps it was an anxious
father and his other son
staying a few miles behind
us all the way to the border.
And if they are not, why
not ride and get away?
Because we are in
the middle of the desert
and the animals would need
more rest before they could cross it...
and so would I.
Tomorrow morning we will
unearth the gold before we ride out.
You can see it then.
Tonight we post a watch.
Nobody move!
You're surrounded.
We can see you, but
you can't see nothing.
Well, now.
Cartwright.
Put your guns away. There's
not gonna be any shooting.
- They don't wanna hurt anybody.
- That so? Wonder why.
Don't seem likely dirty
greasers being polite.
You. You gonna tell
us where's the gold's at?
Gonna make us
go to a lot of trouble.
Afraid of that.
Yes, sirree, I
was afraid of that.
One of your tricks, señor. Best
thing that ever came out of Mexico.
When it gets dry, the rawhide
shrinks, the neck stretches.
Just enough to take the weight
off your feet, just an inch or two.
You won't get dizzy
from the height or nothing.
Anderson, you're not
gonna torture anybody.
Cartwright, you're
sure acting unfriendly
considering all us risked our
lives coming out here to rescue you.
All right, so I'm rescued.
Now, let's take these men
back to Virginia City to stand trial.
We're gonna get
the gold back first.
The way you act,
I got the funny feeling you're in
with these criminals to rob your pa.
Oh, you want
that gold all right.
But not for my father.
Now, like I said, these
men are going in for trial.
Bone dry and burning up.
You could probably
use a drink, huh?
This water'd keep that
rawhide from shrinking.
It's too bad I can't
spare you some more,
but there ain't enough water out
here for an honest man to keep alive,
let alone criminals.
Now, are you gonna tell
us where you hid that gold?
Tell 'em where it
is. It's not worth it.
To my village... it is.
Look, your village isn't gonna see
that gold anyway if you die out here.
That's the idea, Mr. Cartwright.
You help this little old señor
here to see the... see the light.
They don't wanna kill us.
They just want the gold.
That's right, nobody's
gonna get killed.
Not if you tell us
where you hid the gold.
I will... show you.
Cut him down, Perkins.
He's ready at last.
I almost wish he'd decided to hold
out. It'd have been something to see.
You, you watch the others.
Boke, you keep an
eye on Cartwright.
Come on, señor. Show
us where the gold's at.
You hid it. You fetch it out.
Look at that, will you?
We're rich.
Watch him.
- Go get him.
- We got the gold. We don't need him.
You're exactly right.
When it comes to
that, I don't need you.
Hold it.
Three shots.
- That kidnapper don't have a gun.
- Maybe he tried to run.
Yeah, maybe
somebody tried to run.
I wouldn't be surprised if they were
running with all that gold right now.
- No, they'd never do that.
- Yes, they would.
Charlie...
Now, stop your firing.
Drop your gun.
Now, stand out in the open.
Keep your hands straight up
and I won't blow your head off.
All right, you men, this is
the sheriff talking to you.
Now, drop your guns and
come out on here in the open
if you know what's good for you.
Now, you're all lawbreakers
and you're under arrest,
so don't none of
you try nothing...
- How are you, son?
- Yeah, I'm fine.
Anderson and Perkins took
the other Mexican off somewhere
and we heard some shots.
Roy, let's have a look.
- Keep an eye on 'em, Bob.
- Right.
All right, don't move.
I was trying to help.
I am afraid there is
nothing anyone can do.
It's not... not this... man.
Anderson. Anderson shot me.
I should have known
he'd want all the...
all the gold for himself.
Señor, you'd better
come with me.
Pa, did the... did the Mexican
tell you why he wanted that gold?
Does it matter?
Yeah, I think it does.
Let me have it.
There's no call to take us in
like common thieves, Sheriff.
We was just trying to keep them
kidnappers from getting away.
Oh, sure, that's why you
were shooting at Little Joe.
Now, look, you men,
we know that you was after
that gold and we got proof of that,
and you're all
going back to town
to stand trial for attempted
robbery and attempted murder.
This won't take a minute, Ben.
Then we'll go after Anderson.
In this heat, packing all that
weight, he's not gonna get very far.
Tuckered, ain't you, horse?
He's only about an
hour ahead of us now.
So, we're gaining.
This desert is not
a merciful place.
It does not forgive
a man his mistakes.
In some ways it
is like your courts.
You heard, señor, that yesterday
one of my men saved your son's life?
Yes, I heard.
Did you consider that if you hadn't
kidnapped him in the first place,
it wouldn't have been a
necessity to save him?
Yes, señor.
He's gonna be all right. We'll...
pick him up on the way back.
His water's gone.
Now his horse is
carrying the whole weight.
It's twice as much as any
of our horses are carrying.
Let's ride.
If there's any water in
there, it's 50 feet down.
Well, this is his last chance
at water for at least 20 miles.
Well, he lost a stirrup.
Maybe he lost a horse.
Reckon he must be trying
to lighten his load, huh?
Yeah. Open up the saddlebag.
And every pound
he's still carrying
must be doubling in weight
with every step he takes.
Rich man.
I... I could even buy
that sun up there.
Ain't nothing money can't buy.
Women...
Wine...
Wine... and pretty women.
Lovely.
Time... It's time...
Time to move on, Billy boy.
Time to move on.
Dying... I'm dying...
I'm dying of thirst.
I'll have anything.
Champagne.
Champagne's what we drink,
bu... buckets of it...
in ice.
I'm a... I'm a man of means.
Wine...
Wine...
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
Your very good
health, Billy boy.
Billy boy.
You... You got gold.
You'll get anything... anything.
Wine...
Wine...
Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
If you... If you please.
Filth, like cattle.
Fetch... Fetch me...
another bottle, boy.
Ben, he's... he's
in pretty bad shape,
but I reckon we can get him
back to town to stand trial.
There's only one of those gold
bars in here. Still one missing.
We spread out, we might
have a chance to find it.
It might be around
here somewhere.
I don't know, Joe. This
desert's a big place.
Probably couldn't find it
even if we had an army.
- What do you think, Blas?
- As you say, it's a very big place.
It is permitted to ask, what
happens to us now, señor,
myself and my friends?
Sheriff?
What's the law's attitude
gonna be towards these men?
Well, Ben, kidnapping is
a pretty serious offense.
They could be sent to prison for
quite a stretch, depending on the judge.
Joe?
What do you think?
What's all this talk about
kidnapping? Who got kidnapped?
What do you mean, who got
kidnapped? You were kidnapped.
That's why we're here...
I get it.
You were just showing your
friends from Sonora, Mexico,
some of this beautiful
countryside, is that it?
And as long as there's no law against
sightseeing, I can't put 'em in jail.
I guess you can go back
to your village in Sonora.
Muchas gracias, señor.
Many thanks. Adios.
Adios, amigo.
Adios.
He can't walk, but I think he
can set a saddle now anyhow.
Well, we'll manage.
Here, señor. This
belongs to you.
I thought you
might bring it back.
You knew I had it?
Saw you pick it up.
Señor, you make
me feel one inch tall.
I want you to keep that.
There's some chemicals you can
buy that neutralize the lime in farm soil.
And a deep well,
it's good for irrigation.
You are offering charity.
Accepting charity is a whole
lot less criminal than kidnapping.
There are a couple of values that you
still have to learn about, schoolmaster.
Anyway, I don't consider this
charity. I consider it an investment.
One of these days I'm
gonna ride down to your town.
I'm gonna look for
some fields of good corn.
And if they're the property
of the town at large,
then I'll know that my
money's been well invested.
If not, I'll take it
out of your hide.
- Clear?
- Vividly, señor.
Hasta la vista.
This has been a color production
of the NBC television network.