Brian Fox [Fox - The Wild Bunch

Suddenly a new West had emerged
Suddenly it was sundown for nine men
Suddenly their day was over
Suddenly the sky was bathed in blood

Warner Bros.-Seven Arts presents
A Phil Feldman Production

starring
William Holden, Robert Ryan, Ernest Borgnine,
Edmond OBrien, Warren Oates

Released through Warner-Path
Panavision, Technicolor

The Wild Bunch

They roamed like a wolf pack, hunting gold, and they slaughtered wantonly whoever came between them and their prey. Men called them The Wild Bunch.

Pike Bishop led them. Clever and ruthless, loyal to his band of marauders and demanding in return the loyalty of men like Dutch, who enjoyed living, loving and killing; the Gorch brothers, who cared only for each other; and Angel, the fiery young Mexican who rode with them for his own ends.

Deke Thornton had ridden with them once. Now he had sworn to destroy The Wild Bunch to save his own neck, and Thornton was a man who kept his word. He and his bounty-hunters trailed The Wild Bunch out of Texas into Mexicovultures hunting wolves. It was the beginning of the end for Pike and his gang, and when the end came they wrote their epitaphs in the blood of friend and foe alike.

Cast of the Film

William Holden, Pike
Ernest Borgnine, Dutch
Robert Ryan, Thornton
Edmond OBrien, Sykes
Warren Oates, Lyle Gorch
Jaime Snchez, Angel
Ben Johnson, Tector Gorch
Emilio Fernndez, Mapache
Strother Martin, Coffer
L. Q. Jones, T.C.
Albert Dekker, Harrigan
Bo Hopkins, Crazy Lee
Bud Taylor, Wainscoat
Jorge Russek, Zamorra
Alfonso Arau, Herrera
Chano Urueta, Don Jos
Sonia Amelio, Teresa
Aurora Clavel, Aurora
Elsa Crdenas, Elsa

First published in the United States by
Universal Publishing & Distributing Corporation, 1969

Published in Great Britain by
Universal-Tandem Publishing Company Ltd, 1969

Copyright 1969 by Warner Bros.-Seven Arts, Inc.

All rights reserved

Made and printed in Great Britain by
The Garden City Press Ltd., Letchworth, Herts.

CHAPTER ONE

The day of the San Rafael massacre was hot as the hinges of hell. The border country had baked under the brutal, malevolent rays of the desert sun for weeks. Massacre Day dawned tired upon short tempers, yet uneventfully, as most summer days start in any border town. People roused early in airless rooms, ate their morning meals and went about their chores, cursing quietly to themselves about its going to be another hot one.

Mayor Wainscoat was particularly unhappy. His unhappiness stemmed from the usual sourcehis wife. Mary was forty-five, stout, tight-mouthed. Every time he looked at her he wondered why he had ever married her. And why he never wearied of the wonder.

She was dressed this morning in white and adorned with a long blue ribbon that looped across one shoulder and down to tie at her waist on the other side. On the wide blue strip were letters in giltWCTU.

The ribbon was a reminder and an insult. That the Reverend Bibbs had brought his revival tent into San Rafael at all was bad enough. But the mayors wife had then browbeaten her husband into giving the temperance ladies a permit to hold a parade.

He had not been told what they intended but he had the sneaking suspicion that they might march on the Lone Star, the leading saloon in town.

That would be too bad. Bill Jordan wouldnt like it a little. Bill owned the Lone Star and was considered one of San Rafaels leading citizens. But the Mayor could do nothingif he wanted to continue to live with his wife in any degree of truce.

He pushed back from the table. He almost cautioned her about the parade but shrugged and said nothing. Any word on the subject would surely lead to argument.

He walked resignedly down the street to the city hall, deliberately turning his mind to happier thoughts, the future of San Rafael. The town was the seventh oldest in that part of the country. It had been founded in seventeen hundred and three and its buildings still showed a lot of the old Mexican influence. Most were adobe mudlumber was scarce in this arid landand the business section ran around the original dusty central plaza. The coming of the railroad had awakened the drowsy little pueblo community and now it was increasing in population. With any luck the townies would soon number over three thousand.

Many people were on the street at this early hour, getting their shopping done before the heavy heat set down. He noted some strangers. Three men in army uniform lounged on one side of the square, three on the opposite.

Their presence was not surprising in this year of nineteen-thirteen. The confusing troubles below the line had brought in a lot of American troops to guard the border and watch the activities of the Mexican revolutionaries. The mayor regarded Mexican soldiers of all factions as no better than bandits. He was glad to see American uniforms.

He turned in at the city hall, passed his own office and walked back along the dim corridor to the marshals quarters in the jail section.

Simpkins was already at his desk, his shirt stained with sweat even at this hour. Fray, the deputy, was indolently cleaning his gun. Both officers looked up as the mayor came in.

The marshal lifted a single finger by way of greeting. He had been marshal for a long time. The job was easy, unexciting. Aside from an occasional drunken cowboy, there was little disturbance in his bailiwick.

Morning, Mayor. Something on your mind?

Wainscoat sat down, using a handkerchief on his forehead.

Could be a little trouble.

The marshal picked up a letter opener, began to clean his nails. He was not impressed.

This weathers enough to spark some, all right.

Yeah, but that evangelist who put his tent up on Third Street last nightyou know?

Sure. What of it?

Theyre going to have a temperance meeting there this morning.

I know. My wifes going. Guess every woman in town will go. I dont know what that Christer has but its something that sends the females. Let them meet. Let them jaw. Id rather they jawed in his tent than have to hear it when I get home.

Theyre going to have a parade, too. Eleven oclock. The mayor blew his nose noisily. Mary bulldozed me into giving a permitotherwise Id have you stop it.

So let them parade. In this heat maybe theyll march off some of the lard. What you worried about?

Well, Wainscoat shifted restlessly in the chair. Ive got a dirty hunch theyre set to march down on the Lone Star.

Its a nice hike in the sun.

Yesif they just march, okay. Jordan can put up with it even if they go in and make speeches. But what if they do like that Carry Nation woman did up in Kansas? What if they wreck the place?

Fray cawed a laugh.

Old Bill wouldnt like thatand a saloon man controls a lot of votes, dont he? You want us to close him up for the day?