The Rifleman
"Welcome to the McCain Ranch"
'The High Country'
Episode 122
I was outside working on my rifle and Mark was sharpening a chisel on the emery wheel. I was rapid firing my rifle to see what the problem was. The spring was a little weak, so I thought I better order a new one. It looked like I drew attention to some riders. There were two of them. I remembered seeing 
them before, Micah had thrown them out of town the night before. The one, Ambrose, was a trouble maker. Ambrose asked if they could water their horses. I told them to help themselves. He wanted to trade me some beaver pelts for my rifle. I told him my rifle wasn't for sale. Just then Mark dropped the axe head. As I stooped to pick it up, Ambrose caught me off guard and grabbed my rifle. Ambrose called to Gorwin. He told him to bring the beaver pelts out of his bag, he had just made a trade. Ambrose was too busy watching me that he didn't realize Mark was about to grab my rifle away from him. Thanks to Mark's quick reaction I was able to hit Ambrose and knock him to the ground. "You were thrown out of North Fork last night for your bad manners, now get up and get on your horse and get out of here." They just stood there. I grabbed the rifle from Mark. "Go on!" They both got on their horses and hurried off.
That evening I was out on the porch when Mark came to me with some braiding he was doing for a belt. I told him I had a silver synch that he could use for a buckle. He went back into the house to finish braiding and I headed towards the barn to get the silver synch. I just got to the barn door when Ambrose charged out of the shadows, knocking me to the ground. We struggled with each other. In the scuffle, my rifle went off, killing Gorwin. Mark came running out of the house. Ambrose hastily rode off. Gorwin was dead. I told him I would go into town and tell Micah so he could arrange a proper burial and then I would take Gorwin's horse to his family in 'The High Country'. It was the 
least I could do. Mark wanted to come along. I told him they were strange people, but there shouldn't be any trouble since they live close to the good book. We hitched up the wagon and took Gorwin into town.
When we got to 'The High Country' there were several people gathered around Ambrose. Ambrose told them Gorwin was gunned down. He told them he saw the town fella who did this. Ambrose squintin' in disbelief when he saw Mark and I ride in. "That's him! The one who killed Gorwin!" They weren't interested in anything I had to say. They already heard all of Ambrose's lies. I told them I wouldn't take much stock in what Ambrose said. I told them it was an accident. The man in charge, Jeremiah, said I would have a turn in telling my story. They planned on holding a trial. I told them I didn't come here for a trial but they didn't care. I had no choice, they held several rifles on me. They took me inside and commenced with the trial.
Ambrose testified first. He told them how everyone shoved them around and about them getting thrown into jail because they were mountain boys. I interrupted him. "Is that what you call the truth? Make him tell you about how drunk he got, how he smashed the feed store window, how he insulted half the women in North Fork." Jeremiah told me I'd have a chance to talk later. He told Ambrose to tell them about Gorwin, he didn't want to hear any of that other stuff. He told them they had left town and was heading back for the hills when they found themselves 
passing my place and stopped to water the horses. "Maybe that's where our trouble really started, when he said hill folk were not welcome on his land," said Ambrose. "That's a lie!" I said. Just then one of the men took the butt of his rifle and hit me on the back of my head. I fell to the floor. Mark rushed to me. Jeremiah told Mark to sit down. Ambrose just kept on lying. He told them I agreed to sell my rifle for ten pelts and how I gunned down Gorwin with a smile on my face. He really laid it on thick. "Lair! Lair!" Yelled Mark, as he charged at Ambrose. I grabbed Mark as Ambrose hauled off to hit him. "Easy son, easy," I said. Now it was my turn. I told them how Ambrose wanted to buy my rifle, but I wouldn't sell it, they came back later to steal it. Mrs. Morgan got upset and said her son would never steal. I rephrased my statement. "Ambrose tried to steal it. Her son was with him." I told them nobody shot Gorwin. The rifle had gone off in a scuffle between Ambrose and I and that was how Corwin got shot. Gorwin happened to be standing there when the rifle went off. "It was an accident, pure and simple!" I said. Jeremiah then called Mark over. "Now so far it's your Pa's word against the word of one of our own," said Jeremiah. "I don't know your Pa, if a lie would stick in his throat. But I know it taint natural for a man among us to lie." "So what I'm gonna do boy is take your word for what happened. Maybe we'll be releasin' a man who's guilty. But better one man go free on our miss judgment then one payin' for somethin' he didn't do." "Like Pa said, he started out of the house when this man jumped him; he was trying to get the rifle. It just went off by itself." "You saw all that, boy?" "Well sure I....." Mark paused. "I d
idn't exactly see it. I was in the house. I heard the rifle go off and when I went outside.....Pa was going towards Gorwin's body." He asked Mark where the rifle was. "Pa was holding it!" Said Mark. Mark abruptly broke off, suddenly realizing he was speaking condemning words. Jeremiah found me guilty and sentenced me to five years of working for Mrs. Morgan, Gorwin's mother, to replace the service I took from her when I killed her son. Two of the hill men swarmed over me with wrist and ankle chains, bearing me to the floor as they put me in chains. Jeremiah told Mark he was to stay here and earn his keep by doing chores.
Clare emerged from the shack, carrying a plate of food. She dropped to her knees beside me, offered me the food. I started to eat and when I looked up I was surprised to see Clare with a saw file. I reached for it. But she pulled away. Clare immediately placed the file behind her back and arched herself towards me, her lips only inches away from mine. She laughed and asked me what I would do with a silly old saw file. I told her it would take some doin' but I might be able to cut threw these chains. This time she came closer to me. "I'm certainly obliged to you, miss." "You ain't got it yet," said Clare. I reached for it again. She fiercely started kissing me. Just then we felt the crack of a harness on us. "I ain't good enough for you huh? The town man is?" Asked Ambrose. All the while he kept hitting me. Just then Mark came running out of the house. He jumped on Ambrose. Ambrose threw Mark to the ground. Mrs. Morgan came out and stopped Ambrose. She told Clare to go into the house. He wanted ten minutes alone with me but she refused. She sent him off to bed. She came over to me. "Mister, I don't intend to be worried about you day and night! Now you'll eat, sleep, do the chores Ambrose sets out for ya and you'll put in everyday of your lawful time!" "Now boy, say goodnight to your Pa and then come along." I grabbed 
Mark. "Mark, I want you to try and get out of here if you can." He didn't want to leave without me. "You can see Micah, bring help back son." "I can't leave with out you, they'd do something to you!" Said Mark. I grabbed him tighter. "You do as I tell you!" "Come along boy, it's bedtime," yelled Mrs. Morgan. I told him to go along; I'd talk to him tomorrow. I told him to be careful. After Mark left I noticed that Clare had left the saw file behind. Here was my chance. I started cutting the chains on my legs. I didn't get much sleep that night.
The next day I was chopping wood and Mark was hauling water from the creek. Ambrose had a full days work figured for me. He told Mark to take the water and set it on the porch. Then gather up the wood and put it in the wood bin. Mark came down to gather up the wood. I told him to have everything in tow that we were leaving here at midnight. I told him I had a file and I had one chain link cut about half way through.
"What are you doin' boy!" Said Ambrose. Mark got up and started to walk past Ambrose. Ambrose purposely tripped Mark. Laughing, Ambrose said....."You sure are clumsy boy!" "You touch that boy again and I'll cut your throat out!" He laughed. "That sure makes you riled don't it mister?" "Well it's just a sample unless you say you killed Gorwin," said Ambrose. Mark picked up a block of wood and swings it at Ambrose's leg. Ambrose saw this in time and blocked it with the butt of my rifle. He then grabbed Mark. I yelled to him to let Mark go. But he didn't. He took off his belt and was getting ready to wallop Mark. I yelled to him....."Let that boy go!" As I kept pulling on the chains. Finally the chain broke. I charged at Ambrose and knocked him to the ground. We fought. With all the commotion going on everyone was there. They told me to stop, but I wouldn't. They shot next to me. I told them just what I thought of them and their sham and their so called justice. Ambrose grabbed the rope. He wanted to hang me. Jeremiah stopped him. "Would you say mister that a liar and a coward are one in the same?" Asked Jeremiah. "I'd say if a man is one, he's usually the other." Jeremiah told one of the other men to light some torches and to fetch some tools to take off my irons. This was their way of finding out who was the coward and the lair between Ambrose and me. He told them if I ran, to shoot me. They then made a circle. Ambrose was braggin'. He was raised on torch fightin'. 
He was confident of himself. We fought for a few minutes when Ambrose knocked the torch out of my hand. I struggled and fought until I finally worked my way to getting my torch back. I finally got control and I had Ambrose pinned down. "You think that a lair and a coward are one in the same Ambrose? Well I think he is. You just be a brave man, and keep saying you were telling the truth." I started moving the torch close to Ambrose. He started to scream about how he was lying. Jeremiah told Ambrose to get up. He had the chains put on Ambrose. "The punishment that was to be meeted out to the stranger will be meeted out to you."
Mark and I was all set to go. "Mrs. Morgan, with beef bringing little or nothing on the market, I'd appreciated if you'd take one of our heifers off our hands. She thanked me. I thanked Clare for helping me. We went on our way. It sure was a good feelin' to be headin' home.
piddlin' stuff.....James Coburn played Ambrose McFee in the episode 'The High Country'. He was the vengeful mountaineer and the one who wanted to buy Lucas's rifle. He also was in another episode of "The Rifleman" as Cy Parker a ranch 
hand in 'Young Englishman.'
I think we all know who he is, don't we? He appeared in "The Magnificent Seven" as the knife throwing, quick shooting "Britt" ~ "The Great Escape" - excellent! Did you see him in "Snow Dogs?" 2002 movie - It was a Disney movie. He too was on "The Untouchables." He also directed an episode from "The Rockford Files" - 'Irving the Explainer' and was the Executive Producer for the movie "The Mists of Avalon". He was the voice for Henry J. Waternoose III in Monsters, Inc. He also is know for his role as Derek Flint in "Our Man Flint" and "In Like Flint". Coburn, along with Steve McQueen was a pall bearer at Bruce Lee's funeral. He and Lee were very good friends. He appeared on the cover of Paul McCartney's 1973 album 'Band on the Run'. He loved to play the flute.
Booth Colman played Jeremiah. He was the hillbilly and the judge in Lucas's trail.
He played Zaius in the TV series "Planet of the Apes". I know you have seen Booth many of times. If not on "General Hospital" as Professor Jerrold maybe on "The Young and the Restless" as Doc Burke. He has appeared in many movie and TV shows.
Ellen Corby as Mrs. Morgan in this episode of 'The High Country.' She was in another episode of "The Rifleman" as Mrs. Avery in 'The Spoiler.'
Her real fame came in the highly watched and highly acclaimed "The Walton's" from 1972-1979 as Esther "Grandma" Walton. The role resulted in the prestigious Emmy award for 1973, 74, & 75.She was a regular on "Please Don't Eat the Daisies" as Martha O'Reilly, maid and "Trackdown" as Henrietta Porter. Remember her in "The Glass Bottom Boat" with Doris Day and Rod Taylor? She played in "The Night of the Grizzly" and "Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte." Besides this episode she appeared with Skip Homeier in "The Ghost & Mr. Chicken" and "The Gunfighter." She appeared with Chuck as Abigail in "Support Your Local Gunfighter." Ellen has done so many great things
Jan Stine as Gorwin Morgan in this episode of 'The High Country'. He was the mountain boy who was shot by accident. He was in another episode of "The Rifleman" as Johnny, the son Ma Boyle turned away in 'Woman from Hog Ridge'. He was different from them the rest of the clan.
He was Eddie the ranch hand for one season of "The Virginian." He was in "The Horse Soldiers" and "The Meanest Men in the West." He appeared in "Lawman" ~ "Wanted Dead or Alive" ~ "Black Saddle" and "The Real McCoy's" to name a few.
Valora Noland as Clare. She was the one who helped Lucas. It looks like this was the first thing that Valora ever appeared in. She has played in a couple of the beach movies and several TV shows such Westerns - Detective and Medical shows.
*In the original script it described Clare was to be a girl about nineteen, poorly dressed but having a fresh-scrubbed sex-kitten kind of beauty. I would say they picked the right girl for this part. She sure fit all of the criteria, not sure about being nineteen, but the rest was right on.
*If anybody has any information on any of the stars, and would like to share it, please get in touch with 
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updated 12/23/07