Can a Swindler Change His Spots?
Nigel West Dickens
- Mission giver
- Nigel West Dickens
- Location
- Plainview
- Starts at
- Plainview
- Ends at
- Cueva Seca
- Unlocked by
- Complete the previous mission
Player notes
John Marston finds Nigel West Dickens preparing another medicine show in Plainview. Dickens asks John to help sell his elixir, and John stands beside the wagon as the salesman works the gathered townsfolk. The performance is interrupted when two riders arrive and accuse Dickens of being a fraud. Their challenge turns the crowd against him, leaving Dickens with little time to continue his pitch.
Dickens scrambles onto his wagon and drives out of Plainview, with John riding shotgun to keep the pursuers away. Riders from the hostile crowd chase the wagon across the countryside, firing at Dickens while he urges his horses onward. John returns fire as the escape continues and more attackers join the pursuit in wagons, some carrying explosives.
The road to Cueva Seca is blocked by two wagons and the men waiting behind them. John clears the obstruction so Dickens can force a way through. With the pursuit broken, Dickens reaches Cueva Seca alive, still in possession of his elixir and his wagon.
Gallery
06Screenshots from Can a Swindler Change His Spots?, mirrored from Red Dead Wiki.
Trivia
- โThe title of this mission is a reference to the Bible verse from Jeremiah 13:23, "Can an Ethiopian change his skin or a leopard its spots?" (NIV), which means that it is hard for someone to break a habit.
- โThis is one of very few times we see John Marston smoke.
- โAt the end of the mission, if the player waits for a while before leaving, Mr. West Dickens begins to urinate on the ground. Even if knocked over he continues to urinate.
- โA majority of the scammed townsfolk are members of the Williamson Gang, including people such as Kent Gallaway and Melvin Spinney.
- โGlitch: In rare cases, when the player gets on the Mr. West Dickens's wagon, he runs away from John and never gets on the wagon. The player can chase him, but if he dies, the mission is over.
- โThe people in the crowd are Emerson Lang, Lloyd Duffy, Pablo Navarrete, Chan Chut, Willie Oats, and two unknown people.
Mission data from Red Dead Wiki, CC BY-SA. Not affiliated with Rockstar Games.
Last verified September 14, 2026