 Fort Laramie, starring Raymond Burr as Captain Lee Quince, specially transcribed tales of the dark and tragic ground of the wild frontier, the saga of fighting men who rode the rim of empire, and the dramatic story of Lee Quince, Captain of Cavalry. Looks like they're about ready to pull out, Captain. Yeah. Walk back with me, Sergeant. I never did see such a mangy collection of stock. It's not a cavalry outfit, Gorse. It sure ain't. Most of these wagon trains heading west get through one way or another, but I sure don't know how. I talked with Mr. Brown a couple of times. He seems like a good man. He is. But I wonder how much luck a Missouri farmer's going to have taking a couple of hundred women and children through Indian countries. He'll make out, Captain. I hope so. Hello, Sergeant Gorse. I beg your pardon, Miss. I was afraid we'd leave without seeing you again. Oh, well, I... And I wanted to thank you for last night. Yeah, sure, Miss. Goodbye, Sergeant. And thank you. Still water runs deep, Gorse. How's that, Captain? Never mind. All I did was give her a little old knife. I borrowed it to Suttler. Never mind, never mind, Sergeant. It's all it was, Captain. Just give her a little old present. Sure, Sergeant. Do a breath till we hit the river. You're late getting started, Mr. Brown. Oh, hello, Captain Quinn. Only about an hour. You're wasting daylight. Yeah, we're pulling out now, Captain. Any of your men going to ride along with us? No, but you won't have any trouble. I like they say, Captain. Oregon or bust. You guarantee no trouble, Captain? Out here, we don't guarantee anything, Mr. Brown. But you should at least get through to Salt Lake without trouble. Yeah, I hope you're right. It's mighty lonely out there once you're out of sight of the fort. Yeah, I know. Well, thank the Major for his hospitality, will you? No thanks, necessary. Now, good luck. Thanks. See you in Oregon sometime, Captain. What are you staring at? Nothing, Captain. Just a train heading out. You've seen a few hundred of them before, Sergeant. Yes, sir. What's her name? Who? The girl. Emily? Emily McCutcheon. Going to Oregon with her paw. She was put up real good. You're all cavalry goers. Yes, sir. Long way to Oregon. I hope they make it. So do I. Yeah, come on. I missed coffee this morning. Let's find some. There's a rider coming in. Yeah. Looks like a white man. Dressing bucksky. Hunter, maybe. It's Will Granby. He's a squall man, eh? Yeah, lives with the Arapaho. Captain? How are you, old horse? Mm, tolerable. Well, it's good to see you. You haven't been in in two or three years. Nope. You come for supplies? Come to Parley. Got a proposition. All right, come on in, Will. Hmm, bludge. Uh, Sergeant Gorse, would you have Mr. Granby's horse tabled? Yes, sir. Come on. Come on. Sit down, Will. Hmm, bludge. All right, now what is it? What's your proposition? I figured maybe to hire out to you. You want a job? Cavalry always needs scouts. Maybe. You saying you want the job? Why not? I know this country better than the hairs on my head. Better than any man except old gay Bridger. There's some few places I've been even gay being. You're a mountain man, Will. You lived wild and free all your life. Why do you want to tie yourself down now? Yeah. It ain't like the old times no more, Captain. Ain't pleasurable now. It's hard. Maybe it's a doing you cavalry fellas. Or maybe it's our own fault. Maybe we've trapped too much. Took too much buffalo, I don't know. But, uh, I got to be a young squall. Pretty least you ever seen. I figured if I was to work, her and me would eat regular at least. Right now we have peace. We don't need any more scouts. I figure you do, Captain. Tell me, Will. Am I hired? I haven't got the authority to hire you. That'll have to come from the major. No, I'd rather deal with you. I know you. I can't hire you, but if you've got information I'll make you a promise. At least I'll feed you and send you back with meat. Yeah, meat I could carry wouldn't last long. And we'll go see the major. Wait, I'd rather tell you, but you've got to promise me one thing. What's that? It'll be settled peaceful. They're my people. Well, I'll do all I can. All right. There's going to be trouble. Tribes are getting restless, all of them. You wrap a hole in them. Government promised them if they'd go to the agencies they'd get food, meat. And that promise ain't been kept. Yeah, I know. Supply train comes through now and then, but it's not enough, I know that. They wrap a hole or starve them, Captain. Eating bark and roots. Game on agencies played out. If they can't get food from the government or from the land, then they got to go looking for it wherever they can. They got to eat. Will have they left the agency? Or camped at Silver Spring. That's on the Oregon Trail. They got to eat, Captain. They went looking for Buffalo, but there ain't no Buffalo. So they'll get food where they can from the wagon trains. Well, we got to talk to the Major. You promised. I said I'd do all I could and I will. There's not much time for talking. There's a wagon train headed for Silver Springs right now. Yeah, I know. I saw it. All right, come on. We'll see the Major. How do we know this man's telling the truth? I've known him for a long time, Major. He doesn't lie. Could be a trap. If it is a trap, then there's trouble for sure. I don't trust a man who lives with Indians. Marries him. No, no, look here. Major, there's a wagon train on the trail to Silver Springs right now. They got to be warned. I can still ride out with the detachment to turn them back. Captain Quince, our orders are to keep the trail open to Oregon and to keep the Indians on the agencies. If anything, we'll send a company to escort the train through and run those Arapaho back where they belong. Couldn't do that without fighting, Major. That's one of the functions of the cavalry. In this case, there's no cause for it. They'll have broken their treaty, Captain. The way they see it, we're the ones who broke the treaty by not keeping our promise about food. All I know is they're off the agency and then have to go back. If we go out and force, there's bound to be trouble. If I take a small detachment, maybe I can talk to them. This is a hostile action, Captain. It's got to be met as such. Major, the Arapaho are starving. They got to eat. Mr. Granby, I'm sorry that they're starving, but I can't do anything about it. At least not until the supplies come through to me. My orders are to keep the Arapaho on the agency and I can do something about that. If you're in their hungry, they only want food. Captain Quince, you'll take Company B and escort the wagon train until you meet the Arapaho. You'll send the wagon train on and escort the Indians to the agency and use whatever measures are necessary. That's all, Captain. Yes, sir. One thing, sir. What is it? Have I your permission to hire Will Granby as a scout? I don't see why it's necessary, but if you want him, take him. Thank you, sir. What man is that? Oh, he's all right, Will. He's an officer. He's got his orders. He goes by the book. He understands the situation all right, but he can't admit it. Listen, can you be ready to move out in an hour? I can't ride with you, Captain. They're my people. Will, I said I'd do what I could. I need your help. Ride with me. You know what you're asking? You know what it might mean for me if there's trouble? There won't be trouble if I can prevent it. I'm afraid you can't, Captain. But I'll go with you. We should see him just over this hill, Captain. Have the Arapahoe didn't see him first. You figure they'd attack? I don't know, Sergeant, but I'll feel easier when we spot that wagon train. I was right, Captain. There they are. All right, Sergeant. Let's ride out. Company! I told you to stop here, Mr. Brown, for the night. Oh, why? We figured the camp at Silver Springs is just over the pass there, not more than two or three miles. We can make it easy before dark. This'll make an all-right camp as water and wood. If there's trouble, Captain, I want to know. It may be nothing, Mr. Brown, but I want to find out. Get a camp here and stay here till I give you the word to go on. It's Indian sainted. There is trouble. Maybe, maybe not. But there's no use worrying all your folks. You'll be safe here. I'm leaving most of my men to guard you. Well, why can't you escort us over the pass to Silver Springs? Because if there were to be trouble, it would happen there in the pass, with the wagon trains all strung out and hard to defend. All right, Captain, whatever you say. I'll come back or send word back to Lieutenant Cybridge as soon as I know it's safe for you to cross. Sergeant Gorse! Yes, sir? You and two men will accompany Mr. Granby and myself. Pick them and fall out. Lieutenant Cybridge is in charge here till I get back. I don't see a doggone thing, Captain. Well, keep it sharp eye. Move the troopers further out the flank. Yes, sir. If you need to hear somewhere, I can feel it. Well, they must have seen the train, Will. Yeah, they have, but they also saw the soldiers. They might be making tracks already. They disappear pretty fast. I don't think they've had that much time. They'll probably stand for a fight. And, Captain, what are you going to do? Will, a few miles back, did you... Did you notice anything? On the trail? Sure, a buffalo sign. Right. The first I've seen this close to Laramie in a year. Big herd, too. Across the trail going south. It'd make a lot of Arapahoe meat. Yeah, it might work. Worth a try. Great. See anything, Will? Yeah, one of the scouts. Leave it to me. Not a scene enough. I need a scene off. All right. He'll take a scene. This is the first Indian village I've ever been in. It wasn't full of barking dogs. They had to eat them. You notice how it is, Captain? Yeah, I see. I'd say they're not very happy to see us. No. I'm... I'm sorry, Will, to turn them against you. All right. Can't be helped. Yeah, this is it. All right, Daddy, too. Why do you bring white soldiers to fight your people? They don't come to fight great-father. This Captain Quinn, she comes as a friend. White soldier is not a friend of Arapahoe. White soldiers break promise. They do not give meat. I think I can get you meat, great-father. I think I can take your hunters to Buffalo. A big herd. You think? You do not know? Arapahoe have ride from agency in north hunt Buffalo all through wide valley. No, Buffalo. Great-father, on my way here from Fort Laramie, I saw much Buffalo sign. You hunted only the north side of the river. You haven't been south of the plat I have. There are Buffalo there. To hunt take many days. Wagon train is here now. If you attack that wagon train, it'll mean much fighting. Many dead among the Arapahoe. Great mourning among the Arapahoe. There will be mourning for the white soldiers too. The army will keep on sending soldiers rifles until the Arapahoe is no more. You know I speak the truth. My people are hungry. Then ride back towards the fort with me. I'll show you Buffalo sign and you can track from there. Take many days. It's the only way you can be sure to find Buffalo and food. If you find Buffalo in two days, great-father does not attack wagon train. Two days isn't very long. Two days. If we do find Buffalo, I want your promise to go peacefully back to the agency. If you find... All right. Your hunters will come with me. But meantime, you must let the wagon train go through in peace. This one may be not next one. It is agreed then, great-father. Why not? Captain, two days ain't very long. We gotta be awful lucky. We don't have much choice. You know what will happen if we don't find Buffalo? Yeah. There'll be just the five of us out there with great-feathers' hunters. Like I say, we don't have much choice. We gotta guess where the Buffalo will be. We don't have time to backtrack them. Sergeant Gorse! Yes, sir? I'm sending you back to the wagon train with a message for Mr. Cybert's. Private Jenkins' horse is fresher, Captain. I haven't been on no Buffalo hunt in a long time. All right, Sergeant. Jenkins, Jenkins, you'll go back to the wagon train and tell Mr. Cybert to escort the train past Silver Springs, then return here in Bevwack. If I should not return, he's to get clear if he can and report to the fort for reinforcements. Move out. Well, we got 48 hours, Will. Let's find those Buffalo. See anything, Will? Nothing, Captain. Not on that side. Well, then this way either. You can see a long way. I don't like to look of them back there. Grayfeather's getting anxious. I know. I just don't understand it, Will. It's not a sign. I've been thinking, Captain. We're too far south. Buffalo, we're headed south. Maybe not as fast as far as we thought. Maybe they veered east. No, I've been thinking. It's been hot and dry for these last few days. No wind. Buffalo don't travel much in the heat. They just stand and graze and suffer with thirst. But there's wind now. Well, some from the southwest. Well, if there's up north of here, it'll bring them a smell of water from the Laramie River. Yeah. Yeah, the river's still high. Yeah, and they'd probably be craving for water about now and they'd stick their notches into the wind and make a run for it like they do. You might be right, Will. So if we cut back northeast to the Laramie, we'll find them. They might be there. There's only one trouble. What? Look who's coming. Uh-huh. Captain, it is as Greyfeather spoke. You promised Buffalo two days. Now two days are gone. There is no Buffalo. Your promise is like all promises of white soldiers. We've been looking a long time, Greyfeather, but now we know where the Buffalo are. Captain, give much talk. We want Buffalo, not talk. Greyfeather, my soldiers are at Silver Springs. If we do not return there, it will mean war for the Arapahoe. Maybe you return, but he not. It is not yet evening of the second day. There is little time. Maybe, but enough. We're going to the waters of the Laramie and find your Buffalo. On this next rise we ought to be able to see. And ride, Will. What if they ain't there, Captain? Well, if not, maybe we can get to the river, find some cover, so stay close. Watch for my signal. Yes, sir. You, uh, you should have gone back to that wagon train, Sergeant. I guess I am much of a garrison soldier. All right, look sharp. Captain. They ain't at the river. There's nothing. Wait, look there. Coming over the hills beyond, running for the river. Look at him. Thousands of him, noses in the wind and running belly bent for breakfast. There go your buffalo grape feather. All you can eat. Well, go on. Get him. He sure was mighty hungry, Captain. Yeah. Well, I guess our luck hailed. I guess it did. Well, let's, let's ride on down to the river. I could do with a drink. Yes, sir. Do you have any trouble? No, sir. No casualties. Either side. You took long enough. The Oregon trail's still open, Major. The Rappahoe are back on the agency. What took the time? Why, uh, why, we, we found some buffalo, stopped to hunt. The Indians took enough meat back to the agency to keep them quiet all summer. I see. Well, that, that was fortunate. It was mostly Will Grandby's doing. He found the buffalo. Oh, well, maybe I was wrong about him, Lee. Maybe he can be useful to us. I think he can. I, uh, brought him back with us. His wife, too. You, uh, you like to meet her? An Rappahoe? She's sure not St. Louis. Sure. All right, Captain. Howdy, Major. This is Will's wife, Major. Lark woman. How do you do? Yeah, lawyer. Mr. Grandby. Yes, sir. If she's to stay around the post, she'll, uh, she'll have to wear something more than that. Huh? Oh, yeah. She's got a shirt somewhere in the baggage. She, Rappahoe women aren't like Cheyenne or the Sue or Crow. They don't wear much except when it's right cold. There are a lot of men in the post, Will. Huh? Oh, yes, sir, Captain. I'll see to it. Oh, and Mr. Grandby. Yes, sir. My compliments on your work with Captain Quince. As of now, you may consider yourself on the Army payroll as Scout. It'll be in tomorrow's special order. Yes, sir. The quartermaster will house you. All right, Major. Come on, child. She's, uh, kind of pretty, isn't she, Lee? Yeah. They make, uh, pretty good wives, too. Clean, quiet, hard-working, nice people. Uh, you wouldn't be trying to soften me up, would you, Lee? Win me over to your way of thinking. I figure a man's got to make up his own mind about things, Major. Captain Quince. Yes, sir? Don't get too smart. Just be thankful I don't ask how you happened to run into Buffalo and turn a serious police duty into a pleasure trip, hunting. My strikers cooking up some buffalo steaks made you dang it. You, uh, like to come over to my quarters and try some? Sure, let's go, Lee. Fort Laramie is produced and directed by Norma McDonald and stars Raymond Burr as Lee Quince, captain of Cavalry, with Vic Perron as Sergeant Gorse. The script was specially written for Fort Laramie by John Dunkel, with sound patterns by Bill James and Ray Kemper, musical supervision by Amarigo Moreno. Featured in the cast were Jack Moyles, Ralph Moody, Edgar Berrier, Frank Cady, and Eleanor Tannen. Company tension. Dismiss. Next week, another transcribed story of the Northwest Frontier and the troopers who fought under Lee Quince, captain of Cavalry. If people were money, life would be simple and deep. We could enter them in books, in nice, regular columns. One for credit, another for loss. And as long as we kept the credit column higher, the losses wouldn't matter. Money spent can be re-earned, but people are not money. 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