Ride Lonesome

Brigade closes in on Billy John as he is being taken toward Santa Cruz. One of Billy's associates, hiding in the rocks nearby, fires a warning shot at Brigade's feet. Billy then sends word to Charlie to tell his brother Frank what has happened.

Brigade and Billy reach a swing station and are greeted by Sam Boone and Whit. Carrie Lane emerges with a rifle and orders the men to leave. A stagecoach nearby crashes into the corral and is massacred by Mescalero Indians.

The dead are buried and Brigade and the others hole up at the station, awaiting an Indian attack. Boone explains that he and Whit planned to capture Billy to earn amnesty, while Brigade pursues a different objective. Tensions rise as the group debates their next moves.

The next morning, Brigade prepares to take Carrie to the next swing station, hoping to keep her safe. A band of Indians approaches and a spokesman signals that they want to talk. Brigade meets the chief, who offers to trade a horse for Carrie; she screams when she recognizes the horse as belonging to her husband, prompting the Indians to ride off.

The group moves on but spots more Indians and takes cover in a nearby adobe shack. They exchange fire, and Carrie kills the Indian chief, causing the remaining Indians to withdraw. The sheltering group survives the assault for now.

That night, Boone tells Whit that he thinks Brigade is making things easy for Frank to catch up, though he doesn’t understand why. The uneasy alliance strains as trust becomes a bargaining chip between them.

The next morning, Billy menaces Brigade with a stolen rifle, but Boone claims the weapon isn’t loaded and uses the moment to trap Billy into dropping it. When Boone retrieves the rifle, he demonstrates the trick by pulling the trigger, showing that Billy has been outmaneuvered.

Frank and his gang arrive at the shack about half a day behind the others, puzzled by Brigade’s lack of pursuit. They realize Brigade wants them to catch up so he can exact revenge for a past wrong.

Less than a day before reaching Santa Cruz, the group passes a hanging tree that unsettles Brigade. Whit repeats the amnesty plan while Billy warns that Frank will kill everyone when he arrives. Boone warns Whit to shoot Billy if he tries to go free, and Brigade privately confides that his real target is Frank.

Brigade overhears the story of his wife's murder by Frank while he was sheriff of Santa Cruz, a revelation that deepens his vendetta. Boone offers to cover Brigade in the forthcoming confrontation. The emotional weight tightens as the plan to trap Frank intensifies.

Brigade orders Billy to mount his horse, slips a noose around Billy's neck, and leads him toward the hanging tree. Boone and Whit stand by, ready to back Brigade if the plan unfolds as intended.

Frank and his gang arrive and open fire, triggering chaos as Billy’s horse bolts with him still on the noose. The hanging moment spirals into violence, and Billy swings from the tree as gunfire erupts around them.

Brigade confronts Frank, guns him down, and shoots the rope to drop Billy from the tree, freeing him. Boone and Whit chase off the remaining gang, ending the immediate threat and clearing Brigade’s path forward.

With the gang dispersed, Brigade hands Billy over to Boone and warns him to keep his promise about going straight. The group rides toward Santa Cruz as Brigade sets the hanging tree on fire, leaving a blazing sign-off to a long pursuit's end.