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Would you or wouldn't you?


Alpo

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The scenario.

 

You and one other guy are out deep in the wilderness. There is no chance of any help arriving. Whatever happens, you have to do it.

 

There is much money out there, which is why you are there. There is, however, no water. The only water you have is what is in your canteens.

 

Six bad guys have trailed you out into the wilderness, with the intention of taking your money.

 

You are forted up. The bad guys cannot get to you or the money. But there is only one way out, and that's where the bad guys are.

 

The leader of the bad guys and one of his flunkies comes up to speak to you under a white flag. They are standing in the open, 50 feet away, and you have a rifle.

 

The bad guy leader tells you that one of two things will happen. You will give him all the money and your guns, and he and his associates will see you safely back to civilization (so he says). If you do not decide to do that, he will keep you and your friend up there until your tongues swell up and you die of the BOY I SURE AM THIRSTYs.

 

Then he and his flunky turn around to go back to where the other bad guys are.

 

Would you honor their white flag, and the fact that their backs were towards you?

 

Or would you shoot them both graveyard dead?

 

Elmore Leonard story. Under the Friar's Ridge. (oops) Ledge. (Helps to get the title right)

 

 

Me, I wouldn't even have listened to him. When he first stopped 50 feet away facing me, I'da put a bullet in his chest, then shot the flunky 'fore he could get away.

 

But then, I ain't never claimed to be civilized.

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That would've shortened the odds, but still left four bad guys.  Fairly annoyed bad guys, at that.  :huh:

 

I'm just glad it wasn't me!  :)

 

Now I might have to read the book...

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Question - Is it paper money or something like gold? If it's paper money you have a bargaining chip. You tell them that if at any point you and your friend feel like it is hopeless you will burn all of the money. This would also give you the opportunity of trying to cut out part of the bad guys. For instance in the parley you could offer to cut the two guys you're talking to in on the money if they help you get rid of the other bad guys and help you get out of the fix you're in.

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Sounds like the Elmore Leonard plot that the movie Hombre was based upon.

 

"Hey, I got a question...how are you gonna get back down the hill?"

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The leader and a flunky huh.....Shoot the flunky dead and wound the leader. Take the leader hostage and have him yell out to his gang that your going to start cutting "items" off his body unless they surrender their weapons. If they don't surrender at least there is only four of them left and you have the leader's and flunky's weapons. If they do surrender and are disarmed.....kill 'em all. It's not about the money at that point, it's about survival and being civilized has nothing to do with self preservation.

 

 

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They're gonna kill you anyway, might as well take a few out to start cutting the odds.  Of course, if you take out the leader the others might beat feet.  Cypress has a good idea too, as long as the other four flunkies don't have their boss covered for such an eventuality.  

 

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That would've shortened the odds, but still left four bad guys.  Fairly annoyed bad guys, at that.  :huh:

 

I'm just glad it wasn't me!  :)

 

Now I might have to read the book...

It's a short story. Or possibly a novella. It's in the book THE COMPLETE WESTERN STORIES OF ELMORE LEONARD. Big book. Over 1200 pages.

 

$10 at Amazon.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Western-Stories-Elmore-Leonard/dp/0061242926/ref=asc_df_0061242926/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=343227679611&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2978709270636802119&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1015163&hvtargid=pla-492616880128&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=66484626662&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=343227679611&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2978709270636802119&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1015163&hvtargid=pla-492616880128

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I would hear out the leader. Determine which one matches my body size the closest and shoot them both. I would don the coat and hat of either one and take their horse down to where I could yell out to the other 4 approximating the guy’s voice that I was trying to imitate and tell them to get up there quick and help get the money. 
I would hope that they heard the shots and assumed that “we” the leader and the flunky killed “us” when they saw me in the boss’s or flunky’s clothes on their horse. 
I would ride back quickly and me and my Pard would ambush the 4 from cross fire positions. 
 

Or, if they figured out I was an imposter I would ride back and wait for the 4 to come. My Pard and I would take up our cross fire positions and fight. 

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No. Two bad guys 50 feet away. One holding a white flag in AND a Winchester. The other holding nothing but he's wearing a gun.

 

Four other bad guys 150 yards or more down the slope, hidden.

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How much ammo do you have and how hot is it outside?  Is there shelter?  Highly unlikely that the bad guys would see me out safely to civilization.  I would probably take out the two bad guys first, then see what I could do about the other 4.

 

Red Wolf

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I would hear out the leader. Determine which one matches my body size the closest and shoot them both. I would don the coat and hat of either one and take their horse down to where I could yell out to the other 4 approximating the guy’s voice that I was trying to imitate and tell them to get up there quick and help get the money. 
I would hope that they heard the shots and assumed that “we” the leader and the flunky killed “us” when they saw me in the boss’s or flunky’s clothes on their horse. 
I would ride back quickly and me and my Pard would ambush the 4 from cross fire positions. 
 

Or, if they figured out I was an imposter I would ride back and wait for the 4 to come. My Pard and I would take up our cross fire positions and fight. 

Except they’re watching and would kill you

 

 

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Hell, Alpo, shoot everyone you can see.  Have your partner in a situation where he can spot the other four and cover you while you reload.  If you have sufficient ammo hose them down and hope 1. they  get nervous and expose themselves to your gunfire, 2. get antsy and decide to leave and maybe give you a shot or two or reveal their hiding places, 3. become as thirsty and / or hungry as you are and try to leave without getting shot, 4. get tired and go to sleep and let you slip out and cut their throats while your  partner covers you, or any number of other options which don't involve you and your pard giving up or getting killed.  

 

Maybe you could find a friendly wind headed their way and set fire to the whole forest.

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Except they’re watching and would kill you

 

 

No one said the other four can see you. I am assuming they are down the canyon as there is only one way out. 

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No one said the other four can see you. I am assuming they are down the canyon as there is only one way out. 

He said they’re hidden down slope.I assumed they were watching. They’d be pretty stupid not to.

But criminals are pretty stupid. :D

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Forty said "4. get tired and go to sleep and let you slip out and cut their throats while tour  partner covers you"

 

In this particular short story type instance I would let my partner do the throat-cutting. He's an Apache.

 

 

 

 

 

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Silver mine. With the silver already dug and cast into 1000 ounce ingots.

In that case do whatever you can to bear bait them into attacking your stronghold. You have a chance defending a position against superior numbers. If that means you have to kill the ones who came across under the flag of truce in order to get the others mad enough to attack you so be it. To paraphrase Dutch from the Wild Bunch - it's who you gave your word to that counts. 

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Shoot the two in front of you.  In the amount of time it takes for you and your partner to nurse your two canteens, it's a pretty good bet the other four are going to make enough mistakes to become targets as well. 

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The scenario.

 

You and one other guy are out deep in the wilderness. There is no chance of any help arriving. Whatever happens, you have to do it.

 

There is much money out there, which is why you are there. There is, however, no water. The only water you have is what is in your canteens.

 

Six bad guys have trailed you out into the wilderness, with the intention of taking your money.

 

You are forted up. The bad guys cannot get to you or the money. But there is only one way out, and that's where the bad guys are.

 

The leader of the bad guys and one of his flunkies comes up to speak to you under a white flag. They are standing in the open, 50 feet away, and you have a rifle.

 

The bad guy leader tells you that one of two things will happen. You will give him all the money and your guns, and he and his associates will see you safely back to civilization (so he says). If you do not decide to do that, he will keep you and your friend up there until your tongues swell up and you die of the BOY I SURE AM THIRSTYs.

 

Then he and his flunky turn around to go back to where the other bad guys are.

 

Would you honor their white flag, and the fact that their backs were towards you?

 

Or would you shoot them both graveyard dead?

 

Elmore Leonard story. Under the Friar's Ridge. (oops) Ledge. (Helps to get the title right)

 

 

Me, I wouldn't even have listened to him. When he first stopped 50 feet away facing me, I'da put a bullet in his chest, then shot the flunky 'fore he could get away.

 

But then, I ain't never claimed to be civilized.

Dead as soon as they got in range.

Dont come for my Life or Stuff .

Just Sayin. 

Rooster 

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Shoot both of them and while you are at it, shoot your partner too.. Toss his body out and offer the remaining 4 his share of the silver.  Toss that out too.  Shoot them if they make themselves visible.  If not you now have twice the water available. :D

 

Note to self, ALWAYS keep J. Mark in front you and don't turn your back.:rolleyes:

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Regardless of all else.  The first two are Dead Men Walking.  The other four are gonna screw up somehow.  With no leadership, it's 80/20 the leftovers will run.

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Talking about killing is easy.  In the real world killing a man while looking them in the eye isn't so easy and living with having done it is harder.

While I agree with you, taking another's life is defense of you own adds a different dimension to it.

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