Rawhide (1959–1965): Season 6, Episode 1 - Incident of the Red Wind - full transcript

With the herd dying of thirst, Favor must decide whose advice to follow -- Rowdy's advice to head west or that of Lou Bowdark, the new hand, to cross the San Marcos, a treacherous desert. Going east is considered out of the question. There is no sign of water either way, but Rowdy likes the gentle looking trail to the west. What initially decides the issue for Favor is the strong conviction expressed by Bowdark, the mustang hunter who has lived alone in the area for many years and has just joined the drive. What they do not know is that many years earlier Bowdark was trail boss of another herd which traveled through the San Marcos and ended up as a massive cattle graveyard. Bowdark finally owned up to it, but becomes unglued and insists that the disaster was caused by his gutless drovers, and now recklessly wants a second chance to vindicate his misjudgment.

MAN: Hyah.

Hyah.

Hyah.

Hyah.

[MAN YELLING]

[MAN WHISTLING]

All right, young fella.

Scarlet.

How come you're shooting that
beef? Why aren't you driving him?

SCARLET: No
more drive left in him.

Yeah, well. All right
then. He'll ride. Mushy!



[COWS MOOING]

He's just the first, Mr. Favor.
We can't carry them all.

They'll pick up all right once we
find that river and get them watered.

Keep them moving!
Keep them moving!

Keep moving. Keep them moving.

Keep them moving!

[MAN YELLING]

We'll bed them down here.

Thought we was going
clear on to the river.

According to the map,
we're swimming in it right now.

Well, Wish, you're not gonna
hold them here very long.

Until Rowdy and Quince get
back with a trail out of here,

ain't nothing else
to do. Come on.

[PANTING]



[SIGHS]

Easy boy. You just
stand right there.

Easy boy.

Nice horse. Yeah, nice fella.

[HORSE NEIGHS]

You dirty hammerhead.

[HORSE NEIGHS]

[HORSE SNORTS]

[GUNFIRE]

I don't know who you are, but I
could get kind of tired of you real easy.

- Then keep your string off my horses.
- It's a wild horse.

Tame or wild, nobody
mustangs here but me.

Look, I ain't no
mustanger. I'm a drover.

You'll have to do
better than that.

That's as good
as it gets, mister.

All right. I'll tell you what.

You start running. I'll give
you a long count of ten.

That's fair enough.

Look, I told you I
ain't no mustanger.

I'm not running either.
I'm a little too tired for that.

- So you're a drover, huh?
- That's right.

All right.

One thing.

What's a drover doing
up here catching horses?

I was scouting for water. My
horse broke down about a mile back.

You telling me there's a herd
coming across the San Marcos?

- Not if I can help it, there isn't.
- What do you mean?

I mean nothing could get
across that San Marcos.

You went all the way through?

Well, no, I went as far as
until my horse broke down.

- You're going back and tell them that?
- That's right.

You'll be telling them wrong.

- What do you mean?
- I know this country.

Listen. You...

You figure they could use
another drover down there?

- Why?
- Well, I...

I wouldn't mind
talking to the man.

You're talking to him.
I'm ramrod of the outfit.

- Rowdy Yates.
- Lou Bowdark.

- Are you, uh, a cattleman, Bowdark?
- The best you ever saw.

Heh. Oh.

All right. You're on the books.

The only thing is, they pay
off at the end of the drive.

So if you quit before
then, it's your loss.

I'll stick.

I got a notion my horse
catching days are finished.

Well...

Uh, not quite.

[HORSE NEIGHING]

I got a horse you can
have. Saddle-broke.

Back there. You can
prove who's boss later.

[SIGHS]

All right.

[COW MOOING]

Mr. Wishbone.

Mr. Wishbone, I'd sure
like to have a cup of coffee.

Oh, you would?

Well, I'll tell you what to do.

- What?
- You'll do without.

That coffee's for the drovers.

We're on half-water
rations, you know that.

I know it. But my
throat don't know it.

Every time this wind comes
up, it dries up something awful.

Well, it'll die down.
It always does.

Not this time, not until
the big wind comes.

Isn't he the
cheerful little bird?

Just when did you get
to be such a prophet?

I know el viento rojo.

- El who?
- El viento rojo. This. The red wind.

When the red wind
came into my village,

all the children would
hide from the devil.

The devil?

[HEY SOOS SPEAKS IN SPANISH]

My grandmother, she said when
the red wind came to my village,

it was because the devil
had come out from el infierno

and he leave the
big brass doors open.

When the devil hunts the
world, the red wind blows.

When the devil hunts
the world? For what?

For the soul of a man.

The red wind never stops until
the devil has a soul to take with him.

Mr. Wishbone.

Who are you?

- Lou Bowdark.
- He's signing on with us.

- About your grandmother...
- Any chow left?

Yeah. Sure.

It'll just take about
five minutes. Mushy?

MUSHY: Yes, sir, Mr. Wishbone.

Ah, well, the boss has been
kind of anxious to see you.

Oh, where is he?

Uh, he's up yonder,
doing a little map changing.

[GRUNTS]

Mushy, what are you doing?

I'm just stirring up
the fire, Mr. Wishbone.

So the stew will
get nice and hot.

The stew.

Well, you keep stirring up that fire
like that and you'll get sparks around

enough to make
this whole camp hot.

Well, I guess I best
go see the man.

Uh, before you go, what about
the water? Did you find any?

Oh, sure, I found a beautiful lake
on the other side of the San Marcos.

Have you ever been
kissed by a dusty old man?

No. I wouldn't go puckering
up, Wish, I'll tell you.

Wonder what he meant by that.

Hey, ramrod.

Yeah.

What are you gonna tell him?

Exactly what I think.

Cattle can't make four
miles a day across this desert.

They'll drop before
they're halfway across.

Maybe he'd like to
know what I think.

Well, I suppose he'll
ask you if he's interested.

Listen.

You tell him there's a man
here who knows the San Marcos.

You tell him I've lived there mostly
for seven years, seven long years.

You tell him I can
get that herd across.

[SCOFFS]

Something funny about that?

You just don't know the boss
here. He likes to run his own herd.

Ah. Good to see
you finally got back.

[HORSES NEIGHING]

Fire! Fire!

Wishbone. Mushy.

How is he?

How do I know? Come
on, get his shoulder.

Mushy, grab his legs.

[WISH GRUNTS]

How did it happen?

Cooking spark caught onto
the horses, busted into a run

- before anyone could
stop them. FAVOR: Wish?

- Mushy...
- Boss gonna need a cup of coffee.

- Sorry to see you down, boss.
- Ah.

I'll live. A few
scratches is all.

Heh, few scratches.

Broken head. Stove-in ribs.
And the knee bone all out of kilter.

- If he was a horse, I'd shoot him.
- Don't you wish.

How was it? What did
you find to the east?

Well, it looks like your
map's right, Mr. Favor.

Yeah, pretty rough going, huh?

No going at all. It's all high
rock country. Forty miles of it.

Oh...

Well, that let's... Argh.

We're gonna have to do
something about that knee.

Mushy, go and get
that cooking wine for me.

Yeah, first things first. We'll
have to get this trail settled.

Oh, where is that new man?

Bowdark.

Rowdy tells me you
know the San Marcos.

You can get that herd
through, Mr. Favor,

providing you run the herd
instead of the other way around.

It's all lizards and
pan-fried sunshine out there.

You gotta see it to believe
how rough it could be.

Rough or smooth, we've got 3000
head that are gonna die of thirst

if they don't get to water fast.

If we can't go east, we gotta go
through the San Marcos, no choice.

Well, there's the other trail.

What trail is that?

One that runs west of here.
I saw it from up on the ridge.

All we got to do is circle around
these hills and head right out into it,

- looks smooth and easy.
- Smooth and easy and bone dry.

I know the trail
he's talking about.

- There's no water.
ROWDY: No, it will be there.

Did you see any?

No. But there's a river
marked on your map.

Heh, well, there's a river
marked right on the map here too.

Elms and cottonwoods right
out there, it's gotta have water.

I'm asking you,
did you see water?

No. But there is a chance it
will be there, a very good chance.

That's a chance we
can't afford to take.

We'll head for the
San Marcos at first light.

All right. Just one thing.

I remember there was a herd
that was lost out around this place

about a few years back.

My guess is, they ran the
same problem we're running into.

I'm for heading west.

You don't get...

Get a herd this size to market
on guesses and hunches.

We'll stick to the facts we've got
and they all point to the San Marcos.

It'll be up to you to stomp out
those lizards and blow out this wind.

Herd's all yours.
It's up to you.

That's all I could
find, Mr. Wishbone.

Gone sour or something.
Smells like whiskey.

Here, draw on that a bit.

Rowdy, Bowdark, we're
gonna need some help.

Pull on this leg while
I see what I can do.

Let's see it. Argh. Here.

[GRUNTING]

[COWS MOOING]

How is he?

Still sleeping hard.

You know, I was just thinking.
We could hitch up that team,

get him and that wagon halfway
into town before he ever woke up.

He wants to stay, so he stays.

He said you were trail boss.
That puts you in charge, don't it?

Look, you don't tell a man
like Gil Favor to go back to town

when his herd is on the line.

Well, how do you feel
about the San Marcos?

About like I would if I had to
wrestle a grizzly bear barehanded.

Then why don't you send him back
to town and take the trail you want?

I know. I know.

It's a dirty trick and it's
none of my business,

but I got a feeling you're
right about that west trail.

And I'll tell you another thing,
we'd be taking it if that Bowdark

hadn't seen fit to
open his big fat mouth.

Yeah, well, that's his right and
after all, the boss asked him,

and he knows this
country out here.

Well, there's something
about that man.

A cold-eyed man
with a pussy-cat smile,

I'll tell you something,
I don't like him.

That's one thing about you,
Wish. You don't like anybody.

You wanna be a trail boss?

- What are you saying that for?
- Do you?

Sure. Wouldn't mind having a
herd of my own one of these days.

You know what's gonna
happen if you lose this one?

- Do you have to talk about it?
- Yes, I do.

Now, you know
cattlemen as well as I do.

You get this herd through and you
can just about name your own price.

But you lose it and
that's all she wrote.

I don't say that's right,
but that's the way it is.

All right, so that's the way it is.
What do you want me to do about it?

Send him back and
take the trail you want.

Look, I can't send him back
now, especially when I'm not sure.

I'm sorry to hear that.

I thought you were sure
enough to back your judgment.

What do you want me to
do? What do you want me do?

Risk 3000 head of cattle
that don't even belong to me?

That's what a trail boss
does every day, all days,

seven days a week.

[COWS MOOING]

Move them out.

[MAN WHISTLING]

[MAN YELLING]

Quince, once we get on the flat,
don't let the wind turn the point.

They start turning, we'll
never get them back in line.

Well, that sure
ain't gonna be easy.

Who said it had to be easy?

[HORSE SNORTS]

- What's wrong?
- Uh, something shy on grease.

- Rowdy.
- Huh?

Who you got on point?

Um, I got Quince up there.

You best put Scarlet up there.

Sort of figured on
leaving him on flank.

Oh, no, no, put Scarlet up there.
You need your ramrod working loose.

Now that I'm finally boss of this outfit,
you'd think that it would be up to me.

- Huh?
- He stays on flank.

Like I always say, a squeaking
axle only needs a little grease,

sometimes a little patience.

You just lay off Rowdy and
give him time to shake down.

Yeah. Let's get this
pile of junk moving.

No sooner said than done.

Let them string out.
Don't let them bunch.

Stretch them, don't
let them turn off.

[COW MOOS]

All right, quit your pawing,
I'll get you out of there.

Quince, let him go,
we got a herd to push.

This will just take a minute.

[COW MOOS]

[GRUNTS]

Keep them coming.

- How are you feeling?
- Ah.

Well, next time, I'll let the
buzzards finish it. It sure beats this.

How much time we make
this morning, Rowdy?

Uh, maybe two miles,
maybe less than that.

Well, we're gonna have
to do better than that.

Yes, we get rougher
the further it goes.

Hey, that's me you're poking
at, you long drink of water.

- Hold it.
- Keep him here.

You were right, Bowdark.
You are a good hand.

Yeah.

There's more.

- What?
- Catch.

- What's this?
- A dollar for a day's work.

[CHUCKLES]

I'll take my pay at
the end of the drive.

Maybe you don't understand,
this is end of the drive for you.

- Are you trying to tell me I'm fired?
- Now you're getting it.

- It won't take. You're not firing me.
- What's that?

I'm taking this herd over the San
Marcos and nobody's gonna stop me.

Just a minute here...

Hey, Rowdy! Rowdy! The
boss wants you, both of you.

Rowdy, whatever the boss
says, don't pay him too much mind.

He's hurting kind of bad.

What's that all about?

I said he was fired.
He said he wasn't.

Fired? You firing a
man here? For what?

When Quince went
down, he rode right by him,

- didn't pay any attention to him.
- Oh, for crying...

Well, maybe that's what
you ought to have done.

The swing riders would
have picked up him up.

They might have and
they might not have either.

As long as I'm running this drive,
the men are gonna come first.

Maybe you should just
worry about driving the beef.

The men are supposed to be able
to take care of themselves by now.

And you, Bowdark, you only
get two mistakes on this drive,

your first and your last.
You've had your first.

Next time, you're finished.

- Next time?
- That's right.

There ain't gonna be
no next time for me.

I can't make it any plainer. I
want that man fired right now.

You need every man
you got and twice that.

I don't care how good he
is, Bowdark means trouble.

It's your job to stop
trouble before it starts.

[SIGHS]

ROWDY: All right,
let's move out.

[COWS MOOING]

What's the matter?

Oh, Quince,

say, you think this small trail area
might lead us out of this nightmare?

You tired of San Marcos already?

Wouldn't hurt to have
a way out, just in case.

Well, it's kind of
hard to tell from this.

If you could get up
there on that point,

you could probably
see something.

Well, I understand Mr. Favor's
dead set on staying on this trail.

Yeah.

Look, Quince, you take
over for awhile, I'll be back.

But, boss, he won't
like you taking off,

- especially if something was to happen.
- He's ain't the boss.

Not right now anyway.

You just keep
saying that, Rowdy.

[GROANS]

[WIND WHISTLING]

[MAN YELLING AND WHISTLING]

Don't let them bust out.

[COWS MOOING]

Hey Soos, you all right?

[SPEAKS IN SPANISH]

What about the rest of
the crew, anybody hurt?

No, no one hurt.
No one dead, yet.

What do you mean "yet"?

The red wind still blows, señor.

You still think the
devil's hunting a soul?

[SPEAKS IN SPANISH]

Send him around,
I'm ready to deal.

Oh, señor. Señor Favor
wants to see you right away.

You wanted me?

You have a good ride?

What did we lose?

Bowdark!

- You get any tally?
- Maybe 30. No more.

Thirty head, a mile of trail.

That's what I was talking about,
numbers, things you can count.

Besides what that run
took out of a thirsty herd.

Thirty head.

It could have been ten
times that, if it wasn't for him.

No credit to me.

I just happened to be in
the right place. That's all.

- Is that your way of saying I wasn't?
- Drop it.

Wait a minute.
You two are acting

as if this stampede was
my fault or something.

You're supposed to
be in charge, ain't you?

That's what you said, yeah.

You wanna make
that plainer, boy?

I think it's plain enough.

Anytime the job's too
much for you, say so.

What job are you
talking about, Mr. Favor?

Job you're supposed
to be doing, trail bossing.

What makes you think I'm trail
boss? Just because you said so?

You're still running this outfit, only
difference is I'm taking the blame

when something goes wrong
like that storm being my fault.

Nobody is blaming
you for a sandstorm.

- Well, what is it then?
- For not being here.

Where was you?

I was out scouting the
trail west on the ridge.

The valley there leads down to that trail
I was talking about. Out of this desert.

Oh, yeah, that nice easy trail
where you can't see no water.

I still think there's a
chance we can find it.

Chance?

There's over 3000 head of
cattle out there at $40 a head.

You willing to take
the responsibility?

You willing to take the chance to
bet that kind of money you're right?

I'll tell you what, you were
bellyaching about not being in charge.

All right. I'll make you a deal.

I'll take the supply wagon
back to town right now.

You take the herd your way.

You just say the word, anytime.

All right, the talking's over.
No cut-offs. No trails west.

You're taking this herd
through the San Marcos.

Well, this herd has only got
about one day left in them.

I don't think they can
make it across that 20 miles.

Bowdark, you're a
cattleman, I've seen that.

You know this trail.

Do you think you can take
them through the San Marcos?

I know I can.

How about you?

Now, if you're so
determined to lose this herd,

you go ahead and let
him lose it for you, huh?

Nice fella.

Just a little shy
on guts, that's all.

He is not.

- Rowdy.
- I'm busy, Wish.

Yeah, I'll just stay here
and keep you company.

That's what I mean, I don't
exactly feel like company right now.

That's what I know, that's
why I'll stay right here

and shoo them off of you.

Why, I sure don't blame
you for being upset.

I stood there and
heard every word of it.

It was just all I could
do to not say something.

Finally did though
right there at the end.

When was that?

Well, after you left, when that
Bowdark said that you'd run out of guts.

Just because a fella quits
when the going gets tough,

don't mean he's
a quitter. No, sir.

What are you doing?
Saddling or unsaddling?

- Saddling.
- Oh.

Where was I?

Something about
me being a quitter.

Oh, yeah, uh, that and
what it takes to be a trail boss.

Well, it's just like
being a general.

You know, any old slew-footed
soldier can go out and risk his life.

A general has gotta think
about everything else he's risking

when he says, "Go this
way," or "Go that way."

Well, it takes a pretty good man
to make up his mind and stick to it.

That's why can't everybody
be a general or a trail boss.

Yep, you're right about that.

That's when I first
got the whole picture.

Oh, when I first began to
realize I wasn't that special.

[SCOFFS]

- Where are you going?
- Out there.

I never did see the
whole of that desert.

- You mean you're quitting?
- Nope.

You know, Wish, there's a little
clock inside of me the bongs every time

it's time to move out.

It's hitting pretty
hard right now.

Yeah.

[SIGHS]

Rowdy!

Rowdy!

- Something wrong?
- No.

I just thought I'd ride
along a ways with you.

Always did like
the desert at night.

I'm not going back if that's
what you've got in your mind.

Whatever gave you the
idea I'd even try such a thing?

Wish.

So that's what we're driving to.

No, that's what
we were driving to.

[COWS MOOING]

[PEOPLE CHATTERING]

Side of meat and
yesterday's stew?

- For breakfast?
- Well, I don't know.

Could be worse.

You could have had some of
Mushy's dandy hotcakes, you know.

Vermin on the inside
and dead on the outside.

Just gum it, Toothless,
makes you slim and sassy.

Oh, that's very funny, by the time I get
through gumming the juice out of this,

I'd be skinny enough
to see through.

You wait till I get my
hands on that Wishbone.

Well, just start grabbing,
Toothless. Here they come now.

Well, what do you know?

[CHATTERING]

Good to see you.

I figure we can hit this
spot by noon tomorrow.

Well, what happened, cowboy?
You get scared of the dark?

Mr. Favor, I need
four hours of your time.

Right now, this drive
can't spare four minutes,

- let alone four hours.
- There won't be any drive

if you don't come
with me right now.

Meaning?

Three thousand head
at $40 dollars per head.

You're willing to put that
up against four hours?

It's up to you.

The time for talk
is done, cowboy.

Wrong, Bowdark. It's just started
because you're gonna come along too.

- Now, I'm not going any place...
- Hey Soos.

Get my gear and
saddle up four horses.

You can't ride.

The man says he needs four
hours, the only way I can give it to him.

All right, waste your time.
Me, I got a herd to push.

Bowdark, you're coming with us,

either standing up or lying
down. You take your choice.

It's a waste of time, I
tell you. A waste of time.

It don't mean a thing,
I tell you. Not a thing.

Not a thing.

Not a thing?

That don't mean a thing?

It happens all the time,
could happen to anybody.

That doesn't prove anything.

[HORSE SNORTING]

All right, Bowdark,
let's hear it.

- Every bit of it.
- There's nothing to tell.

You say that once
more, I'm gonna kill you.

I never got up this far.

Seven years, he's
been out in this country,

mustanging wild horses.

I guess this is the reason why.

Never did hear what
happened to this herd.

Mostly rumors, wild talk, nobody
was ever sure where it got lost

because the man who was
running it never came back.

It wasn't my fault.

They wouldn't
listen, no one would.

I told them we could
get over this stretch easy.

All they had to do was
bend their backs a little.

But they turned dog on me.

Said we couldn't beat the San
Marcos and the red wind too.

They quit on me.
Two, three at a time.

By the time we got out here,
there was two men left and no water.

The cows went down first,
then those men turned on me.

Said I tried to drive a
herd where it couldn't go.

They blamed this on me.

I told them I was right.

I told them I'd shove that
lie right down their throats.

But you couldn't until
you found another herd.

Favor, it can be done, all
you have to do is keep pushing.

All we have to do is turn west

and get out this
graveyard while we still can.

There's no chance,
there never was.

It can be done.

And it will be done.

[BOWDARK GRUNTS]

No, Rowdy, let him be.

[GRUNTS]

[MAN WHISTLING]

[COWS MOOING]

Now, what's the matter now?

Ain't every day you
bet a herd and win.

I was just thinking,
red wind's died down.

I suppose you want to be
taking credit for that too, huh?

[CHUCKLES]

Get them up! Move them out!