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BUFFALO RIDER - A Rugged Loner And His Bison - WILD WEST WILDERNESS ADVENTURE
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00:00:15In the early 1800s, the American prairies swarmed with game.
00:00:21Vast herds of deer and elk grazed on the gently rolling land.
00:00:29Flashing across the western plains, the sharp-eyed pronghorn antelope ranged far and wide.
00:00:38The grasslands bristled with the ever-watchful prairie dogs, and other small game were too
00:00:45numerous to count.
00:00:50The moose, the largest member of the deer family, ranged across the northern portion
00:00:56of America, favoring a cooler climate and a different diet than the plains animals.
00:01:05More dangerous wildlife, like the black bear and the unpredictable grizzlies, roamed the
00:01:11mountain areas.
00:01:13Yes, America teamed with a variety of game in the early 1800s.
00:01:19The rangelands provided food and spacious surroundings for the herds to multiply.
00:01:25But all of these animals were greatly outnumbered by the millions upon millions of buffaloes.
00:01:45We hunted for the hindquarters and the tongues mostly, till the price of their hides went up.
00:01:53Then, when the railroad started coming through, why, the buffalo herds would choke up the tracks, and them
00:02:02passengers would snatch up their rifles and shoot them, just to see them go down.
00:02:10Then, in 1871, a new hide tanning process was developed, and it doomed the American bison.
00:02:19The soft buffalo leather could be toughened up so that hides were good for shoes, boots, saddles,
00:02:26almost anything cowhide had been used for.
00:02:29So, the price of hides went up to a dollar, and soon the prairies were filled with a different
00:02:35breed of animal, the buffalo hunter.
00:02:42A good hunter could earn $50 a day killing and skinning buffalo.
00:03:07I saw them buffalo dead on the ground so thick you could walk ten miles on their carcasses.
00:03:15And when there weren't no more buffalo, people went around picking up bones to sell to the railroads.
00:03:24They made fertilizer and fine china out of them bones.
00:03:30The Indians and the early white hunters took their chances hunting buffalo.
00:03:36Arrows, spears, and early rifles were short-range weapons, so they'd have to ride right into the herds,
00:03:42or sneak up close.
00:03:45It was mighty dangerous business.
00:03:47They usually killed only what they needed, and used all of what they killed.
00:03:54But the shooters of the 80s didn't have a lick of sport or spunk in them.
00:03:59They killed for money, and buffalo hides were as good as cash.
00:04:04The tools of their trade were the Sharps Big 50 or the .45-70.
00:04:10These rifles fired a single shot and had a range of 650 yards.
00:04:16The Indians call them the rifle that shoots today and kills tomorrow.
00:04:26Each hunter hired his own skinners.
00:04:28The going rate was $40 a month, or 25 cents a hide, and all the buffalo a man could eat.
00:04:38The hunters and skinners worked on the plains for months at a time, following the herds and living off the
00:04:45land.
00:04:46It was a hard life.
00:04:48The hunters were tough, greedy, and they were mean.
00:04:57When you're out here with me, Pilgrim, you don't make a sound.
00:05:00Not one.
00:05:01Each one of them hides is worth $2.
00:05:03I ain't gonna let you mess up one of them for me.
00:05:06Now get your dinner out of here.
00:05:38Ted Claiborne has worked as a skinner for five years.
00:05:42He's not very smart, but he can skin a big bull in 30 minutes.
00:05:47And the only hole in the hide will be the one made by the hunter's bullet.
00:05:51Ralph Pierce learned to use a knife in St. Louis.
00:05:54He has a killer's instinct.
00:05:57He doesn't know much about surviving on the prairie.
00:06:00It's his first season with Frank Nesbitt.
00:06:17Frank Nesbitt grew up with a rifle in his hands.
00:06:20He'd kill anything for a price.
00:06:30He loves the killing.
00:06:32For seven years, he's been slaughtering buffalo and boasts that he once dropped 200 from a single stand.
00:06:40Most hunters give up when the herd spooks, but not Nesbitt.
00:06:43He'll follow a herd for days, killing buffalo after buffalo, leaving a trail of carcasses that stretch for miles.
00:07:00When the shooting stops, the skinners come up and begin their lowly work.
00:07:05They take only the hides, leaving the meat to rot.
00:07:08The only thing that matters is those smelly hides.
00:07:15After a big kill, they might work all night because a hide left on the prairie would be destroyed by
00:07:22wolves before daylight.
00:07:24In this way, all but a few hundred buffalo out of about 40 million were killed in America between 1871
00:07:33and 1885.
00:07:39No one could stop the slaughter, and only a few saw the danger of total extinction.
00:07:47One of these men was Jake Jones.
00:07:49He accomplished the impossible by conquering the great buffalo Samson and became a legend in the American West.
00:07:58They called him Buffalo Jones.
00:08:01He never heard.
00:08:02He made a happy watch for a large part of the derniere city.
00:09:23The story of Jake Jones begins in the fall of 1881.
00:09:28He wasn't known then as Buffalo Jones, and my grandfather, who told me this story, never
00:09:35could find out much about him.
00:09:39We do know he'd worked down through Texas in the late 70s, where he witnessed the slaughter
00:09:44of the last of the southern herds.
00:09:47Jake sickened of the killing and headed north.
00:09:50For years he lived alone in the woods of Utah and Wyoming, until that fall of 1881.
00:10:00Yes, Jake Jones was a real mystery in a lot of ways.
00:10:05And he was as decent a man as ever walked the plains.
00:10:09A man of few words, but one whose word could be counted on.
00:10:15He made friends with the animals and had respect for all men.
00:10:24One day, Jake chanced on a baby buffalo being attacked by coyotes.
00:10:29He figured the rest of the herd had been killed off by the hunters who were still around, wiping
00:10:33out the last of the buffalo.
00:10:36Now, Jake wasn't one to shoot the coyotes.
00:10:39It was his thinking they were just doing what was natural.
00:10:43And besides, the more buffalo that were killed off, the hungrier the coyotes and wolves got.
00:10:50So Jake tried to chase the coyotes off.
00:10:55They were reluctant to pass up an easy meal and kept nipping at the buffalo's legs.
00:11:05When Jake got off his horse, the buffalo gave a powerful kick and the coyotes gave up.
00:11:13The buffalo was exhausted.
00:11:19It was a wild, young bull, but weak from loss of birth.
00:11:31Jake managed to throw him down and proceeded to tie him up so he could treat his wounds.
00:11:37He was hurt and confused, too tired to fight.
00:11:45Well, Jake knew if he turned him loose now, the coyotes and wolves would be right back after
00:11:50him again.
00:11:52He wasn't sure what to do with this buffalo, but he'd have to care for him until he was
00:11:58fully healed.
00:12:06Fall passed into the winter of 1882.
00:12:09Jake and his new friend found shelter together.
00:12:13It was a long winter, but the rest helped the buffalo recover from his wounds.
00:12:21By spring, he was two years old and fully healed.
00:12:35He wasn't even half grown, but he seemed to know that Jake had saved him.
00:12:42That young bull was still wild and it wasn't easy making friends, but Jake worked at it.
00:12:48He built a corral and in the back of his mind, he had an idea.
00:12:56If he could tame this animal, he might be able to break him to ride.
00:13:02Of course, that buffalo would have to grow a little bigger and get a lot friendlier.
00:13:09Well, he sure did grow.
00:13:13Jake's buffalo was almost six feet tall at the hump and he weighed about 2,000 pounds.
00:13:20He had lots of strength and didn't seem to be afraid of anything.
00:13:25So Jake named him Samson, out of the Bible.
00:13:32Well, Jake figured it was time.
00:13:36Samson didn't like the looks of that saddle and Jake didn't like the look in Samson's eye.
00:13:43Yes, sir, it was going to be a long day.
00:13:50The tree anchored the front end, but the hind end kept moving around.
00:13:56For a while, it looked like Jake would be carrying that saddle more than Samson would.
00:14:05They went round and round that tree.
00:14:15Jake easing in and Samson easing out.
00:14:24There were times when Jake was ready to give up.
00:14:28No one had ever saddled a buffalo before.
00:14:30And Jake was beginning to understand why.
00:14:37Finally, he caught Samson off guard.
00:14:41The saddle was on his back and Jake carefully adjusted the riggings.
00:14:46Easy boy.
00:14:55Getting the saddle on was one thing.
00:14:58Getting in it was going to be something else.
00:15:09Jake would have to be careful.
00:15:11Samson wouldn't try to hurt him intentionally, but those horns were sharp.
00:15:24They went around that tree again.
00:15:28By now, Samson knew what Jake had in mind.
00:15:34Then, Jake slipped into the saddle.
00:15:38It was just too easy.
00:15:41Samson broke from the tree and they were off.
00:15:52It was a struggle.
00:15:54Samson was stubborn as a mule and about ten times as strong.
00:15:58Besides that, how do you steer a buffalo?
00:16:08When Samson was ready to move, there wasn't much he could do to stop him.
00:16:13And then he'd show his stubbornness and not want to move at all.
00:16:29Sometimes Jake would break a switch off a nearby tree.
00:16:33He could eventually get Samson to move.
00:16:36The question was, which way?
00:16:47More than likely, he'd plow straight into a bush or run right through a tree trying to scrape Jake off
00:16:53his back.
00:16:59Finally, they broke out into the open sage and Jake gave him his head.
00:17:26Sampson was still making up his own mind about which way he wanted to go.
00:17:30But gradually, Jake was gaining control.
00:17:35That buffalo cut through the sagebrush like a buzz saw through oak.
00:17:40Even at a dead run, Samson could keep his feet on rocky ground that would stop a horse.
00:17:52After weeks of work together, Jake's patience and persistence paid off.
00:17:58They were now a teen.
00:18:03There is a young man.
00:18:06There is a young man.
00:18:08Few people have known.
00:18:12There is a young man.
00:18:13He writes a wild buffalo.
00:18:16Buffalo Jones.
00:18:26He writes a wild buffalo.
00:18:29Buffalo Jones.
00:18:29home. There lives the legend of Buffalo Jones. His love for the Buffalo gave him his name.
00:18:48His courage to stand and fight for what was right. Gave him his fame.
00:19:01Still talk about him. His stories well known. Life and religion of Buffalo Jones.
00:19:18Jake's first trip on Sampson was to the town of Cedarvale about a week's ride.
00:19:23He needed supplies before the winter snow set in, and he thought the trip would be a good test.
00:19:29What Jake didn't know was that on this trip, he'd never reach Cedarville.
00:19:37On their first day out, they ran into a grizzly. Now Jake knew that bears were fine people if you
00:19:44left them alone.
00:19:45The question was, how would Samson react?
00:19:52Let me see.
00:20:06Let's go.
00:20:07Let's go.
00:20:09Let's go.
00:20:14Let's go.
00:20:19No horse could have enjoyed chasing off that bear the way Samson did.
00:20:25Jake's buffalo wasn't afraid of anything.
00:20:32In those days, the Indians were having a real hard time.
00:20:35The buffalo had been everything to them, and it didn't take long for the Indians to realize
00:20:40that the herds were almost gone.
00:20:42To an Indian, Jake's buffalo was big magic.
00:20:48This buffalo was a prize worth killing for.
00:21:03The Indian was a poor shot and sort of slow at reloading his rifle.
00:21:17Jake was so mad he almost killed him.
00:21:20He figured a broken jaw was enough punishment.
00:21:24This wouldn't be the last time that someone would try to kill him to get Samson.
00:21:37Boy, howdy.
00:21:39Talk about a tenderfoot.
00:21:41Anybody in a hundred miles knows you fresh out of St. Louis.
00:21:44Look at how you walk.
00:21:46You look like a duck.
00:21:47I may be from the city, but that don't mean I don't know a thing or two.
00:21:51You don't know how to walk on this side hill.
00:21:53Point your toes, boy.
00:21:54Point your toes.
00:21:55Well, I wouldn't have to point my toes if Ted hadn't lost them horses.
00:21:58I can't live out here without a horse.
00:22:00All man needs out here to live is a rifle.
00:22:04And what's the matter with Ted?
00:22:11There's a man riding the buffalo over that ride.
00:22:13Speak louder.
00:22:14I swear, you deep.
00:22:15He says there's a...
00:22:16There is a man riding the buffalo just over that ride.
00:22:18You're crazy, Ted.
00:22:19Ain't nobody rides those critters.
00:22:21Well, if you're so old, I'm sure, Frank.
00:22:23You just go on and look for yourself.
00:22:34Ain't that a sight.
00:22:36You ever see anything like that before?
00:22:38Uh-uh.
00:22:39Never did.
00:22:40It is passing strange.
00:22:42However, boy, I think we have found ourselves a pack animal.
00:22:48I'll get him right through the guy.
00:22:51Oh, he's gone back behind those trees, Frank.
00:22:53You think you're going to have to wait until he gets in the clear?
00:22:56I'll drop both.
00:22:57That hide's worth two dollars.
00:22:58You jackass.
00:22:59We need that animal.
00:23:18Well, howdy, neighbor.
00:23:21I never did see a man on a buffalo before.
00:23:26Well, we was just funnin'.
00:23:28Ted here.
00:23:29Ted thought you was some kind of mirage.
00:23:32Indeed, I thought so myself till I got a closer look at you through my field glasses here.
00:23:38I thought maybe you needed some help.
00:23:40No!
00:23:40No.
00:23:41We were just funnin'.
00:23:44How come you didn't be up on that buffalo?
00:23:50Uh-huh.
00:23:52Well.
00:23:56I guess, uh, time we made a few tracks of our own, boy.
00:24:19Come on, Frank.
00:24:20Adios.
00:24:33I had my knife in his ribs before he ever got off his shot.
00:24:36Ralph, you do tire me out.
00:24:40He ain't getting away.
00:24:44Frank?
00:24:46No.
00:24:48He ain't getting away.
00:24:53Frank, he's going on those trees.
00:24:55He's going to get away.
00:24:57He ain't getting away.
00:25:06Damn nation.
00:25:07Frank, you only winged him.
00:25:10Well, I hadn't counted on that.
00:25:15What do you think you're doing?
00:25:18I'm going after him.
00:25:19Come on, jag-ass.
00:25:20You don't know nothing.
00:25:22Listen, to lead that buffalo's god hill out, run this poor tired out creature.
00:25:27Damn.
00:25:29But I'll tell you one thing.
00:25:32If I ever see him again, I'll slit him from throat to toe.
00:25:36Well, nobody gets a drop on Frank Nesbitt.
00:25:52No one knows how long Sampson wandered around the prairie.
00:25:56But I think Sampson knew he had to find help for Jake.
00:26:00And that's what led him up into the hills and straight into the path of Sam Robinson.
00:26:13Sam couldn't believe his eyes.
00:26:15He'd seen lots of wild buffalo, even shot a few of them himself.
00:26:19But he never expected to find a buffalo with a wounded man on his back.
00:26:25How bad are you?
00:26:28Sam eased forward with his rifle ready.
00:26:32The buffalo seemed tame.
00:26:41He could see the wound in Jake's side and realized he was in pretty bad shape.
00:26:48Sam decided to try and lead that buffalo back to his cabin.
00:26:58Can you hang on?
00:27:19Sam, for heaven's sake, what have you got there?
00:27:26Oh, that don't beat all.
00:27:28Send you out for some venison and you come back leaving a buffalo.
00:27:33What?
00:27:36Wow, he's hurt.
00:27:39Get him off of that beast and into the cabin before he bleeds to death.
00:27:49Oh, Sam, you'll be careful.
00:27:53He'll be all right.
00:27:55Oh, he's hurt.
00:27:56There.
00:27:58Okay, come on.
00:28:00Oh, here we go.
00:28:01There.
00:28:02Get his shoulder right there and we'll get him in the cabin.
00:28:05Bleeding the bed.
00:28:06There we go.
00:28:08Go.
00:28:09Sam, we'll get you.
00:28:13Get a little food in.
00:28:15I'm going to think you don't like my cooking if you don't eat this.
00:28:18Come on now.
00:28:20Good.
00:28:22That's good for you.
00:28:24Sit here.
00:28:27That's it.
00:28:31How's my buffalo?
00:28:33How's Sam's it?
00:28:34Oh, he's just fine.
00:28:36You're the one who needs looking after.
00:28:38He's getting all kinds of hay out there in the back corral.
00:28:50In Cedarville, Frank Nesbitt couldn't stop talking about the man who rode a buffalo.
00:28:56He told the story over and over again.
00:28:59Mister, I ain't never heard anything like that before.
00:29:02Well, I'll tell you what we've seen three days south of here.
00:29:05There's a man riding a buffalo out there.
00:29:08That's true.
00:29:09We've seen it, didn't we, Ted?
00:29:11That's right.
00:29:11I saw him first, too.
00:29:12I want to buy you a drink.
00:29:13Shut him up, bartender.
00:29:16Three days south here, there's a man riding around on the prairie on a buffalo.
00:29:21Soon the word was spread around that there was a man who rode the plains on a buffalo.
00:29:26It wasn't long before Jake became known as Buffalo Jones.
00:29:32As his legend grew, some people swore they'd seen him down Texas Way years ago,
00:29:38and others that he'd saved the buffalo up near Montana in 79.
00:29:43Jake, let me help you here.
00:29:45You shouldn't be up here.
00:29:46I'm fine.
00:29:47Well, now, don't get tired out.
00:29:49I'm getting fairly strong now.
00:29:51Well, I know you're better, but be careful.
00:29:53Jake's wound healed very slowly.
00:29:55Better get out and see your friend.
00:29:57But Samson never left and seemed to know that Jake was in good hands.
00:30:01He's been cutting a lot of grass for him.
00:30:03The Robinsons were fine people.
00:30:05They lived off Sam's hunting and trapping and what little gold they could pan from the river.
00:30:11Maybe someday they'd make a rich strike.
00:30:14But for now, they were happy.
00:30:22It didn't take Jake long to make friends with a raccoon named Bandit.
00:30:27The Bandit had been visiting the Robinsons on and off for years,
00:30:31always bringing a little mischief along with it.
00:30:33It takes those critters, don't it?
00:30:38Winter came on early that year,
00:30:41and the Robinsons said it was the coldest winter they could remember.
00:30:46Temperatures dropped to 50 below,
00:30:48and the entire countryside was locked in a freezing grip of ice and snow.
00:31:00No one would forget this winter.
00:31:02It was so cold that even the river had frozen completely.
00:31:14Jake, I swear you worry more about that buffalo and that raccoon
00:31:17than you would about your own kid.
00:31:19Well, it's pretty cold out there, Ms. Robinson.
00:31:23How about this?
00:31:24Do you like Mr. Tito?
00:31:26He does!
00:31:32I think I'll invite him every night.
00:31:39Here, you better have some apple pie.
00:31:42Here.
00:31:45Now, Jake, I don't know about the buffalo.
00:31:48I hope it doesn't get too cold.
00:31:52Bandit was doing fine with Jake and the Robinsons looking after him,
00:31:56but lots of other animals didn't survive that winter,
00:32:00and those that did grew coats of fur thicker than ever before.
00:32:05Food was scarce everywhere.
00:32:10It was late that winter when Bandit had the adventure of his life.
00:32:15Sam and Jake had gone hunting
00:32:17when Bandit wandered down to the river for an afternoon stroll.
00:32:34Sometimes a cougar can be bluffed
00:32:36by a ferocious-sounding raccoon.
00:32:39Bandit was putting on his best bluff.
00:32:42What?
00:32:54Oh, here I see.
00:32:57I think not yet.
00:33:00Do you not have to move right now?
00:33:02Do you have to move right now?
00:33:02Do you have to?
00:33:05No?
00:33:06No.
00:33:13He managed to bluff that cougar time after time, but finally the bluff was over.
00:33:27This time that cougar meant business.
00:33:34And its bluff had finally worn out.
00:33:55Cougar had banned it by the strut of his mouth, and he would try to drown him in the
00:33:59river.
00:34:13The water wasn't deep enough.
00:34:15The cougar backed up, looking for a deeper spot.
00:34:22Suddenly, he's in too deep.
00:34:43That freezing water was too much.
00:34:46The cougar had had enough, and so had Bandit.
00:35:04But Bandit's day wasn't over.
00:35:06The ice had thawed upstream, creating a flash flood.
00:35:24Logs, branches, and huge pieces of ice came crashing downstream.
00:35:30And there went Bandit sailing by on a chunk of ice.
00:35:39He scampered from one piece of ice to another and finally made it to shore.
00:35:51Jake found Bandit downstream and brought him back so his wounds could heal.
00:35:57But for quite a while, he gave that river a wide berth.
00:36:09Finally, sun warmed the countryside, and the feeling of new life was everywhere.
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00:37:02It turned out Bandit wasn't a male after all, and she surprised everyone when she gave birth to twins.
00:37:10Now maybe she had something to worry about that would keep her out of mischief.
00:37:20Whenever Mom turned her back, they'd be in trouble.
00:37:49It's turned into quite a predicament. Mom can't decide which one to help first.
00:37:57He's hanging on, but his brother has taken his first swim.
00:38:11Mom isn't too happy, but she's going to be a lot less happy in a minute.
00:38:28Now where'd he go?
00:38:42Come here, you little rascal. Where you been?
00:39:00That spring, the hunters were plagued by bad luck.
00:39:04My grandfather, though, told me they'd brought it on themselves.
00:39:09Days went by without seeing a single buffalo, and they fought constantly among themselves over the direction they should take
00:39:17to find the herds.
00:39:18I think we ought to be heading further to the west.
00:39:21Well, go on and head west, then. You don't have to stay with me. I ain't your daddy.
00:39:26Ah, Frank, I swear we've been walking for days and there ain't no buffalo around here.
00:39:31I do get tired of listening to you bellyache.
00:39:34Well, my feet hurt.
00:39:35Why don't you go to Denver, check into a hotel for a week or two.
00:39:40Oh, you ain't done nothing but complain since this morning.
00:39:45Hey, Frank, ain't this where we were in 79?
00:39:48Yeah.
00:39:50There's plenty of buffalo there.
00:39:54The buffalo were just about gone.
00:39:57Nesbitt could still track down a herd once in a while.
00:40:01They weren't the big herds like he used to find.
00:40:03And since most of them had been shot at before, they were spooky.
00:40:08And the hunters had a hard time getting close enough to shoot.
00:40:12The price had gone up to $2 a high.
00:40:16In desperation, and to satisfy his greed, Nesbitt decided to let Ted shoot.
00:40:58Ted, you ain't no help.
00:41:02You gut shot that cow, she's going to go a mile and a half or five miles before she falls.
00:41:07And I ain't chasing her, Frank.
00:41:08She's nearly half a mile away.
00:41:09I will do the shooting from here on.
00:41:11You can skin.
00:41:13And you can learn.
00:41:24Sam left early one morning to do some hunting.
00:41:27It was a beautiful day and he wandered further afield than he'd ever gone before.
00:41:32Sam left early one morning to do some hunting.
00:42:04Sam's been gone too long.
00:42:06Yeah, I know, ma'am.
00:42:13Something's happened.
00:42:16Well, I'm going out to look for him.
00:42:22I'm going out to look for him.
00:42:23Be careful.
00:42:32Jake was following Sam's tracks, but he wasn't the only one.
00:42:39Jake didn't know it, but Sam was fighting for his life.
00:42:56A second grizzly was looking on to share Sam for lunch.
00:43:00By now, Sam was hurt and playing dead.
00:43:22Oh, my God.
00:43:23This is the only one.
00:43:25Oh, my God.
00:43:26I'm going out of here.
00:43:28Oh, my God.
00:43:29Oh, my God.
00:43:30Oh, my God.
00:43:31This is bad.
00:43:32You are right.
00:43:33Let's go.
00:44:06Right on fighting.
00:44:16It was over an hour before the bears realized lunch had left.
00:44:25What happened?
00:44:26What happened?
00:44:27A couple grizzlies coming, but I think he'll be okay.
00:44:30Over here, Judge.
00:44:34Oh, Sam.
00:44:39Let's have a look here.
00:44:40Oh, it ain't too bad.
00:44:41Now you stay still.
00:44:44I owed you, Sam.
00:44:46Oh, it was Sam.
00:44:49Oh, it's not too bad, Ma.
00:44:51Sam's wounds weren't serious, and that evening Jake decided to tell the Robinsons that he was leaving.
00:44:57Maybe I'll run into those hunters and mess up their fun.
00:45:00You stay away from those mean fellers.
00:45:02You know what happened the last time.
00:45:04Well, I guess it's personal against those three.
00:45:07I figure all the buffaloes should be wiped out.
00:45:09There's millions of them.
00:45:11No, there ain't.
00:45:16Not anymore.
00:45:20Well, you know you're welcome to stay, Jake.
00:45:23Plenty of good friends here.
00:45:26And my family's due from St. Joe any day.
00:45:31I haven't seen my brother since, well, since Sam and I left.
00:45:37He's got the reddest hair I ever did see.
00:45:42Used to be my jealous of it.
00:45:47Always wanted red hair.
00:45:49Myself.
00:46:25By now, the hunters were desperate.
00:46:27They had more hides than they could carry.
00:46:30And Frank Nesbitt wasn't about to leave without taking every one of them with him.
00:46:35No matter what he had to do.
00:46:37Boys, it's been a long, hard winter.
00:46:40But I believe those nice people down in that wagon are gonna solve all our problems.
00:46:46We'll get them right from here.
00:46:48You jackass, that's 750 yards down there.
00:46:51Oh, Frank.
00:46:52Now, if you miss, we lose those mules and everything.
00:46:56After the camp, spread out and wait for my signal.
00:47:01We best hunker down.
00:47:03I don't want them to turn around and spot us outlined against this sky, either.
00:47:29The next morning, the Robinson's relatives were camped by a small stream.
00:47:48That's the wood.
00:47:50That's the wood.
00:47:51That's the wood.
00:48:01That's the wood.
00:48:09that's the wood though.
00:48:15That's the wood.
00:48:25That's the wood.
00:48:33Oh, my God.
00:48:57Oh, my God.
00:48:58Oh, my God.
00:49:27Oh, my God.
00:49:29Oh, my God.
00:49:32Oh, my God.
00:49:43Oh, my God.
00:49:52Oh, my God.
00:50:24Oh, my God.
00:50:27Oh, my God.
00:50:27Ted helped himself to a pistol and a watch, and he was the one who left the evidence that would
00:50:34eventually incriminate all of them.
00:50:47Well, all right.
00:50:49Let's get out of here.
00:50:51Oh, my God.
00:50:53Oh, my God.
00:50:55Oh, my God.
00:51:40Jake had been on the trail for four days when he spotted the wagon.
00:52:12Oh, my God.
00:52:15By the body, he found a scarf he had seen before.
00:52:44It was a baby boy about eight weeks old.
00:52:47I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't.
00:53:12Jake bundled the baby in blankets and leather, sort of papoose style.
00:53:20You'll be okay, yeah, quiet down now, quiet down.
00:53:28That's it, yeah, that's better.
00:53:54He did what he could.
00:53:56Jake realized that this was the family the Robinsons had been expecting.
00:54:11He made the little fellow as comfortable as he could.
00:54:14Jake knew Samson wasn't the smoothest ride.
00:55:02It was a good four-day trip back to the Robinsons' cabin, and the baby might not survive that long
00:55:09without food.
00:55:11So Jake decided to trust in Samson's endurance and sureness of foot.
00:55:16He would take the shorter route over the mountains.
00:55:19It was dangerous, and it was rugged, but he had to risk it to save the baby's life.
00:55:41On this night, there would not be much sleep for Jake and the baby.
00:55:47Or for Nesbitt and his partners.
00:55:50It was just as easy as skinning a rabbit.
00:55:54Oh, you didn't have to kill her. Killing women ain't no good.
00:55:58Ah, shut up.
00:56:01My knife is just as good on people as it is on them buffaloes.
00:56:05And it don't matter none, man or woman.
00:56:08Well, I sure wish it was better on them buffaloes.
00:56:11You wreck more hides than you skin. Ain't that right, Frank?
00:56:17What's that?
00:56:19I said, ain't that right.
00:56:22Well, ain't what right?
00:56:23That old man can't hear nothing no more.
00:56:25It's that gun going off in his ears all day long.
00:56:28That old man is the finest hunter there is.
00:56:33That's right, isn't it, Frank?
00:56:35How's that?
00:56:38Leastways.
00:56:39He ain't no coward.
00:56:42Only cowards kill women.
00:56:44Me the coward.
00:56:47He's a coward.
00:56:50It don't take nothing to shoot a bunch of dumb buffalo from behind a clump of grass.
00:56:58I'll tell you, those buffaloes are so dumb, if you drop the lead cow, the rest of them just stand
00:57:02there in a bunch until you get them all.
00:57:05Cows, calves, bulls, every last one of them.
00:57:09What do you got there?
00:57:11Give me that.
00:57:12That's mine.
00:57:13Don't give that back to me.
00:57:14Look at that.
00:57:15I found it, Frank.
00:57:16Make him give that back to me.
00:57:17He took a watch off that guy.
00:57:18Give it back to him.
00:57:19He found it.
00:57:21Give it to him.
00:57:22What else did you find, huh?
00:57:23Give me him.
00:57:27Hold her, boys.
00:57:28That's enough.
00:57:29Just stop it right there.
00:57:32Come up from there, you nitwit.
00:57:44Go ahead, Tim.
00:57:50Go after him, Jack.
00:57:51Get him.
00:58:04You can hold it right there, Phil.
00:58:06Drop it.
00:58:07Now!
00:58:25You can get out now
00:58:31Get my nose
00:58:37It's broke all right now get
00:58:45One much share you owe me I'll tell you what you get
00:58:48You get your life or a 45 70 through your belly and out your backbone
00:59:07Ralph left he was through with Nesbitt but he hoped to run into Ted some day he'd make
00:59:15sure the odds were more even next morning Jake reached the snow line cold rain started
00:59:25to fall it was the first time Samson had been in the high country and he was taking it easy
00:59:31Picking his way
01:00:02I'm
01:00:03I'm
01:00:16I'm
01:00:17I'm
01:00:30I'm
01:00:31I'm
01:00:31I'm
01:00:31I'm
01:00:32I'm
01:00:46I'm
01:00:47I'm
01:00:49I'm
01:00:50I'm
01:01:16When he'd made it over the worst of the mountains,
01:01:19Jake stopped on the lower slope.
01:01:23The baby cried continuously.
01:01:26He had to feed him soon or he would die.
01:01:30The little fellow had been at least two days without food.
01:01:43Perhaps he could find some sort of game and make a broth.
01:01:52Jake checked his pistol and reloaded with dry powder.
01:02:08Samson knew that while Jake was gone the baby was his responsibility.
01:02:14Not many wild animals would come close to a buffalo.
01:02:45I don't know.
01:03:00In a rush?
01:03:07Are you a wreck?
01:03:07No, no.
01:03:09I can't do it.
01:03:09I'm sorry.
01:03:09I can't do it.
01:03:10I can't do it.
01:03:12I can't do it.
01:03:15I can't do it.
01:03:41The cougar had tackled more than he could handle, and he headed for higher ground.
01:03:47But he did leave his mark on Jake.
01:04:01The fire had died down.
01:04:05Jake hadn't returned and Samson was nervous.
01:04:12He had a right to be.
01:04:14One of his old enemies decided to take advantage of the situation.
01:04:31When that wolf couldn't distract Samson by going around to the front, he tried a sneak attack
01:04:38from behind, but Samson was too quick for him.
01:04:52It was late in the afternoon and Jake was beginning to worry.
01:04:56He had to find something to feed the baby.
01:05:23Well, porcupine wasn't much for dinner, but it was the best he could do.
01:05:29It might make a pretty good dinner at that.
01:05:57Jake boiled some meat to make a broth.
01:06:00When it cooled, he tried to get the baby to drink.
01:06:10He couldn't tell how much the little fella drank, but it seemed to quiet him down.
01:06:27At night, he fell asleep in Jake's arms.
01:06:56He did not want to talk to him.
01:06:59He did not.
01:07:09BIRDS CHIRP
01:07:51It was a long night without sleep, and the next morning the baby was tired.
01:07:57Jake tried to get some more food inside him, but he was now too weak to eat.
01:08:16By midday they reached the river, the last obstacle to cross before reaching the Robinsons'
01:08:29cabin.
01:08:36The little fellow was still all right.
01:08:39Jake decided they would all go together in an attempt to get across.
01:08:45He would carry the baby in his arms.
01:08:50With the melting snow, the gentle stream had become a raging torrent.
01:08:55Jake looked for the best place to cross.
01:08:57It wouldn't be easy.
01:09:00He wondered if Samson's strength could match the current.
01:09:31He would carry the baby in his arms.
01:09:52Now, sir, Jake kept the baby's head above water as best he could.
01:09:56It was all that he and Samson could do to get back to the same side they'd started from.
01:10:07Jake knew he had to find a way across that river and fast.
01:10:19There was only one other way.
01:10:22He would try swimming the baby across.
01:10:25Samson would come across later.
01:10:55Samson would come across.
01:11:06It was a cold, tiring ordeal for Jake, but the boy was safely across.
01:11:19That wasn't bad coming across here, was it?
01:11:31Now it was back for Samson.
01:11:33It was a very pleasant feeling.
01:12:06Sampson had tried that river before and he wasn't anxious to go again.
01:12:13Begrudgingly, he started the cross.
01:12:33With Jake's help, Sampson made it.
01:12:36He even brought part of his lunch with him.
01:12:57Fortunately, from here it was just a short ride to the cabin.
01:13:05Jake's back!
01:13:10Nettie!
01:13:14The difficult journey was over.
01:13:16But now, Jake's hardest task was finding the words to tell the Robinsons about their relatives.
01:13:27Mrs. Robinson, I'm sorry.
01:13:34Oh, no.
01:13:37I found your kin.
01:13:40They're dead.
01:13:47I brung the baby back.
01:13:49You need some food awful bad.
01:13:52It was Sampson who did it. I couldn't have made it without him.
01:13:57They named him Jess.
01:14:00After our father.
01:14:05Sam, get some water.
01:14:08Jake, the sugar in the cabin. Get it and mix it with warm water.
01:14:27Jake, how can you be sure that these are the men that you're looking for?
01:14:31No, Sam. I know it was them buffalo hunters.
01:14:34Same ones I had to run in with last fall.
01:14:38This belonged to one of them. I found that right by the wagon.
01:14:41They won't get away with this.
01:14:43Are you gonna find them?
01:14:46I'll be leaving in the morning.
01:14:48I'll track them.
01:14:50And I'll find them.
01:14:54Look away over yonder mountain.
01:15:27Before sunrise, Jake was on his way back to the wagon,
01:15:30where he hoped to pick up the trail of the killers.
01:15:39He had been on the track for hours.
01:15:41His mind filled with thoughts of the three men who had tried to kill him
01:15:45and later murdered the baby's parents.
01:15:49He had found their camp and knew that the hunters had split up.
01:15:54It was some time before he noticed Samson was acting strangely.
01:15:59He sensed something.
01:16:01Jake wasn't sure, but he thought it meant wolves.
01:16:04They'd be ready.
01:16:06He removed the saddlebags to give old Samson his best fighting chance.
01:16:10And this time, he wouldn't be tied to a tree.
01:16:25Get him, Samson. Get him.
01:16:28Get him.
01:16:31Get him, Samson. Get him.
01:16:54Get him, Samson.
01:17:00The wolves were trying to drag away the saddlebags.
01:17:03The scavengers were hungry and would take anything they could get.
01:17:13This time, Samson would teach that wolf a lesson.
01:17:17Get him, Samson.
01:17:25Ready, Samson!
01:17:35It was over.
01:17:36The wolves had had enough.
01:17:39They wouldn't drive Samson again.
01:17:44Good boy, Simpson. Good boy. Good boy, Simpson.
01:17:59Jake was sure he was on the right trail, but the rocky ground made tracking difficult.
01:18:08All the signs pointed north.
01:18:11So he turned Sampson and headed for Cedarville.
01:18:21What he didn't know was that at that very minute, Frank Nesbitt and Ted had just arrived in town.
01:18:41Let's go.
01:19:10It was near the water hole.
01:19:11That Jake found fresh signs, and he knew two of the killers were just ahead.
01:19:19He spurred Sampson on.
01:19:48Do you have a mind if I join you?
01:19:49No.
01:19:52Belly up to the bar, boys.
01:19:54Drinks are on Ted with his watch.
01:19:56Is that all right, bartender?
01:19:57Oh, Frank, I found that watch.
01:19:58Never mind about your watch, Ted.
01:20:00We'll get you another.
01:20:02I said I could keep that watch.
01:20:04Did you think you could keep it till you died?
01:20:06Come on now, have a drink with me.
01:20:09You know, there is people who say there ain't no more buffaloes left,
01:20:12but Ted and me got 22 just about a half a day from here.
01:20:15Took me a half an hour, 45 minutes.
01:20:18Shoot him, ain't that right, Ted?
01:20:19That's right, Frank.
01:20:21I sure would like my watch back.
01:20:24Your watch is gone now, so quit your belly aching.
01:20:28Oh, yeah.
01:20:29I don't like that.
01:20:31Go on.
01:20:32Go on.
01:20:33Go on.
01:20:50Go on.
01:20:52Where's the fellas that rode in on them horses?
01:20:54Oh, the two hunters?
01:20:55Oh, they're down in the saloon.
01:21:12Hey, get that thing out of here.
01:21:15No!
01:21:17Hey, get out of here.
01:21:18Get out of here.
01:21:28Get out of here.
01:21:30Hey, look out, sir.
01:21:35Get out of here.
01:21:37Get out of here.
01:21:39Get out of here.
01:21:41Get out of here.
01:22:05The people of Cedarville would never forget Buffalo Jones, nor would they forget Samson,
01:22:13the buffalo that tore up the Crystal Palace saloon.
01:22:22Jake told the sheriff about what had happened to the baby's parents.
01:22:27The sheriff offered to send out a posse, but Jake felt it was his job.
01:22:35The way my grandfather remembered it, Jake insisted on cracking down the last of the
01:22:40killers.
01:22:42He headed back toward the mountains hoping to pick up his trail.
01:23:13Still, he was an intelligent engineer.
01:23:15The tracks indicated one man on a mule.
01:23:19This might be the man Jake was looking for.
01:23:27He decided to circle around the mountain.
01:23:31With a little luck, their paths might cross.
01:24:01Ralph hadn't had much luck since splitting up with Nesbitt.
01:24:05He was heading back to the bright lights of St. Louis.
01:24:18The man would have to come down that draw if Jake had figured right.
01:24:26He'd wait here.
01:24:39Jake could hear the mule coming.
01:24:42And he felt Samson tense up.
01:24:58Samson was on the move before Jake could spur him on.
01:25:14Samson was on the move before Jake could spur him on.
01:25:26He was on the move before Jake could also get off again.
01:25:27He had sea- Legs with his other geeks.
01:25:27By the way, Jake looked at he was on the move before Jake even broke his oxen.
01:25:28He was on the move before Jake could have done there.
01:25:28He was on the move before Jake could tell you the rink.
01:25:29And then he went on to leave the stairs before Jake could put the ship in the house.
01:25:34And there was a pair of stairs at the top of the top of the double and above the top.
01:25:34And there was a pair of stairs at the top of the mountain.
01:26:07The buffalo herds were almost gone, but one buffalo, Samson,
01:26:13had done his best to even the score with the hunters.
01:26:29Buffalo Jones stopped once more with the Robinsons before heading west.
01:26:33He said his goodbyes and wished the baby well.
01:26:38Well, I guess you know by now who my grandfather was.
01:26:44Yep, that's him right there.
01:26:48Born in 1882 and rescued by the man who from that year on became known as Buffalo Jones.
01:27:01There is a young man few people have known.
01:27:12He rides the wild buffalo, Buffalo Jones.
01:27:23Rolling the prairies, he's made it his home.
01:27:34There lives the legend of Buffalo Jones.
01:27:44His love for the buffalo gave him his name.
01:27:53His courage to stand and fight for what was right gave him his pain.
01:28:05They still talk about him in stories well known.
01:28:16Life and religion of Buffalo Jones.
01:28:36Life and religion of Buffalo Jones.
01:28:37There is a young man who does this world that he seems to be living in his life.
01:28:40He agreed to read the songs of Buffalo Jones.
01:28:40He agreed to read the songs of Buffalo Jones as Toh.
01:28:43desarrollo of the geography of Cleveland, Philadelphia, Queens, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
01:28:43And he agreed to read the songs of Buffalo Jones.
01:28:45The land of Loch Nesson, Philadelphia, Governor Hill, Pennsylvania, the Missouri, and the Missouri.