The Beast of Hollow Mountain

In southern Mexico at the turn of the century, legends tell of cattle disappearing near Hollow Mountain and a swamp that will claim the foolhardy. Jimmy Ryan, Felipe, and their worker Manuel enter the area to track the missing cattle, splitting up to search. Felipe nearly drowns in quicksand but is rescued by Jimmy; the trio later spots a drowned cow in the swamp.

Back in town, Jimmy passes by a cantina where Panchito waits for his father Pancho. Firecrackers are thrown, Pancho is dragged along, and Jimmy stops the incident. Afterward, Sarita berates Pancho for drinking; Jimmy escorts her home, and Don Pedro greets him and they discuss the cattle disappearances while Enrique eyes Jimmy with disdain.

The next morning, Jimmy and Felipe read a note from Manuel saying the crew fears the Hollow Mountain curse and has quit. Jimmy and Felipe hire Pancho and Panchito to replace them and keep the shipment on track; Sarita cautions about the situation, and Panchito explains that he and Pancho came to ask for the job.

While Sarita and others worry about tensions, Enrique confronts Jimmy about the shipment. Sarita follows Jimmy to the nearby mountain to apologize; after a quiet moment, Enrique spots them and a street fight ensues, which Jimmy wins. A shipment price letter later confirms the deal.

The next day, Don Pedro scolds Jimmy for starting a street fight and warns that Enrique will do anything to push them off the land if they stay to ranch. Jimmy and Felipe refuse to bend, and Don Pedro wishes them luck as he leaves. Enrique’s plan to undermine them intensifies.

The trio discovers a cottage near the swamp where a previous occupant vanished. They find another drowned cow in the swamp, reinforcing the danger of Hollow Mountain. Pancho expresses a desire to explore the swamp, but Jimmy forbids it for safety.

Jimmy and Felipe go to town to secure a bank loan needed for the shipment, but are met with resistance. Unbeknownst to them, two men hired by Enrique apply to work on the ranch and will wait to sabotage the shipment for a double payment after the job is done.

A boy delivers a letter from Sarita asking Jimmy to meet her at the town graveyard. They speak there about not letting hostilities ruin their lives, and Sarita expresses a desire for peace, urging Jimmy to consider leaving the country to avoid bloodshed.

Panchito chooses to go after his father Pancho and rides toward the swamp, insisting on joining the search. Margarita distracts Sarita from this plan by hinting at the truth about the dangers, but Panchito refuses to listen and leaves.

Pancho ventures into the swamp and encounters the Beast of Hollow Mountain, who kills him and leaves Pancho's hat as a sign of his fate. Jimmy, upon learning of Pancho's death, hesitates to tell Panchito the truth. The trio grieves, and Jimmy resolves to protect Panchito.

With festival and Sarita's wedding approaching, Margarita informs Sarita that Panchito left for the swamp, prompting Sarita to prepare. Enrique and his men prepare to stampede the cattle away from the stockyards to benefit him, while Don Pedro worries about keeping Jimmy safe.

The stampede is triggered and cattle race toward the village, disrupting the festival. Jimmy and Felipe race to stop the beasts; Don Pedro admonishes Enrique for breaking his promise; Margarita learns that Jimmy and Sarita have traveled after Panchito, prompting more urgency.

The Beast breaks into the cottage where Sarita and Panchito are hiding; Jimmy arrives to distract it with gunfire, sending it chasing him toward a tar pit. Sarita and Panchito escape with the help of Felipe and Don Pedro's cowboys who distract the Beast.

In a dramatic finale, Jimmy lassos a branch and swings to draw the Beast into a tar pit, where it sinks and drowns. Enrique dies earlier in the chase when the Beast overpowers him, and the town breathes a collective sigh of relief as they realize Hollow Mountain threat is over.