Dead Man's Walk Quotes
"Life hemmed a man in with such a passel of legalities that it was no longer worth pursuing."
"I've made it a practice to stay as far from the Comanche as I can get."
"I expect if we killed three or four the Major would raise our wages."
"She rode a large grey horse named Tom, who lost flesh rapidly once they were beyond the fertile valleys."
"Many Rangers thought Bigfoot's point somewhat picayune."
"She had a tattered capote, acquired some years earlier in Pennsylvania."
"You get a bunch of them buzzing and it's hard to hear."
"I'd go help Matty clean her turtle if I thought she'd give me a poke."
"If a man had to kill himself in a hurry, it was best to know exactly how to proceed."
"Bigfoot paid the turtle no attention at all--Matty Roberts had always been somewhat eccentric, in his view."
"It was the kind of thing that could affect a man's nerves."
"He thought best to cock his gun, though, in case he was taken by surprise."
"It might all simply be the ravings of an old woman who was afraid of having her nose cut off."
"Texas was the sort of place where people could simply name themselves something and then start being whatever they happened to name."
"I wouldn't eat one," Call informed him. "I'd still like to get a saddle on this mare, if you ain't too busy to help."
"I've never seen a whore bold enough to snatch an old turtle right out of the Rio Grande river."
"I doubt he's a major, or even a soldier," Shadrach said. "I expect he just stole a uniform."
"I swear, I think it's mountain goat," Bigfoot said.
"Look, boys, it's mountain goats," he informed the startled Rangers.
"What do they think they're going to do, Sam, fly up that mountain?" Matilda asked.
"These goats ain't likely to fall off the hill."
"Now look, you young fool, who told you to climb?"
"Get mounted, you damn scamp, and go bring my horse back, before he runs himself out of sight," the Major commanded.
"Prairie-dog hole. I hope his leg's not broken," Johnny Carthage said.
"No prairie-dog hole, that horse was shot," Bigfoot said.
"We need to give him a hat," Sam said. "Otherwise the flies will be gettin' on this wound."
"Four or five days--he may die first," Sam said.
"I hope he remembers what I told him about killing himself," Bigfoot said.
"Keep close to me," Gus said. "There might be some more of them sneaking devils around here close."
"I didn't know people had that much blood in them," Gus said.
"We'll have to be watching every minute now," Gus said. "We can't just lope off anymore, looking for pigs to shoot."
"I have never seen no people like them," Call said.
"Lordy, these boys weren't lucky," Long Bill observed.
"Nine's about the right size for a raiding party," Bigfoot said.
"I wouldn't set off with a load of flour and nothing to defend myself with except a fowling piece --not in this country," Blackie Slidell remarked.
"People get to thinking of heaven, when people die," he said.
"As soon as we get to Austin, I want to buy a better gun," he said.
"It might be another cyclone," Blackie yelled.
"There's no wages, this is volunteer soldiering. All we furnish is ammunition and grub."
"This is a freeman's army--only we won't call it an army."
"The reason General Lloyd ain't here is because he got drunk and got lost."
"Dispose of this paper--I can see that you're tall, but I don't know if you're useful."
"I ain't got the time--will you marry me once I get back?"
"A woman that catches snapping turtles for breakfast is a woman to avoid, if you ask me."
"I came near to drowning in the Brazos River, but I didn't lose my gun."
"I wish I could have gone--we would have killed several if we'd worked together."
"I just hope I don't get scalped while I'm alive, like Ezekiel done."
"You couldn't be thinking about girls in general stores, when you were out in Indian country and needed to be alert."
"I aim to be a captain too, unless it means drinking horse piss."
"He says he will take you when he is ready--but not today."
"No sir, I never have and I don't plan to, either."
"I could never reckon no number that high," Call admitted.
"Look at them buffalo! How many are there, do you reckon?"
"This is the southern herd," Captain Falconer commented.
"Buffalo Hump is the killer, Kicking Wolf is the thief."
"There's places off north of here where I'd rather be dead than be afoot."
"Why, you can see a hundred miles, if you stand up in your stirrups."
"It's a big prairie," Bigfoot reminded him. "Those buffalo could be three or four hundred miles north, by now."
"I've rarely met the man who can live on grass."
"You don't expect to see a man shot down like that, just to please an Indian."
"I expect Mr. Bigfoot Wallace made a good point when he said it's horseflesh that usually makes the difference in Indian fighting."
"Traveling alone in this part of the country is generally foolhardy."
"I've heard of it all my life, now I aim to see it."
"We're bound for Santa Fe. But the Indians know we're here, and they're clever horse thieves."
"I want Corporal Call to be well doctored. We can't afford to have him sick."
"I can feel him. I get hot under the ribs when he's around. Don't you ever get hot under the ribs?"
"We're going to have to climb down this damn cliff."
"If I could catch the rascal I'd tie him to a horse's tail and let the horse kick him to death."
"Maybe we can start a backfire, and get it stopped."
"We're going to have to eat anything we can scratch up now."
"You worry too much. You think about the wrong things, too."
"If you don't want to risk it, you ought to quit."
"I ain't worried about bullets, yet. We're afoot, and there ain't many water holes. We'll probably starve before we can find anybody to shoot."
"I'd rather feed you than shoot you, but I will shoot you if you don't obey."
"I guess this town ain't got no jail," Gus said, to Captain Salazar.
"The women will give you lots of posole and you will have all night to rest," Captain Salazar said.
"No, you are off to El Paso," Salazar said. "El Paso is in the south. You will never see Santa Fe, I am afraid."
"Well, that's a pity--I've heard it's a fine town," Bigfoot said.
"They're a small people, ain't they?" Bigfoot said, settling himself in a corner.
"Salazar ain't timid," Call remarked. "He's got all these people scared."
"We're Texas Rangers, we need to be fed!" he yelled. "Your own captain said to give us posole, so go get it."
"It don't matter if you got nine out of ten, if the tenth one killed you," Gus pointed out.
"Dig out and go where?" Gus asked. "We nearly starved getting this far. Besides, we're chained."
"So far we've been a disgrace in every encounter," he told Gus, but Gus was not in the mood for gloomy military critiques.
"He was a thief," Salazar said. "All Indians are thieves. This one stole a ring from the governor's wife."
"I think that was a wasted bullet," Bigfoot said. "I think old Bes was dead."
"They don't mean for us to, but they could get fooled," Bigfoot said.
"That bear done us a fine turn," Bigfoot said.
"I hope we're going away from it," Gus said, several times. "I hope we ain't going toward it."
"I wonder what happened to that Apache boy he left with. If he's loose around here somewhere I'd like to know."
"I wish we were still in these parts in a month or two you'll see some weather that makes this seem like summer," Bigfoot said.
"Hell, it's so cold it took me ten minutes to piss," he said.
"Every one of them might be dead, for all we know--these Mexicans can march us to China and we won't find them, if that's the case."
"All I need is a good doctor--he can fix this leg."
"Then send me back. If I can be put on a horse, I reckon I can ride it to Santa Fe."
"I never expected to die in a goddamn desert. I'm a seaman."
"These wild Texas boys are all mad at me for surrendering. They'll hang me, if they get the chance."
"It'll have to be through the eye hole. I'm all out of eyeballs."
"I'll help you with Woodrow, Matty. He looks poorly to me."
"Don't tell me that, I want him alive --I just want him alive."