Uncle's Bad Day

At Beecher's Hope, John Marston, Uncle and Charles Smith celebrate after completing the barn. They drink, sing and roughhouse until John falls asleep on the floor of the new house. Charles wakes him the next morning because Uncle has vanished. Outside, they find signs of the Skinner Brothers and conclude that the gang has taken him into Tall Trees. John rides out with Charles, though neither knows whether Uncle will survive what the Skinners may have done to him.

The trail leads through Tall Trees, West Elizabeth. John and Charles leave their horses behind when they near the Skinner camp, then move through the woods on foot. They deal with two Skinners and avoid or confront a patrol before spotting a wagon. Its driver is dragging a victim behind it. The pair shadow the wagon to the hideout and silently remove the driver as he tries to dispose of a body.

From a cliff above the camp, John uses binoculars and finds Uncle tied to a spit beside a fire, his back badly burned. A Skinner attacks John, and Charles saves him. John then saves Charles from another attacker, but the struggle alerts the camp. They open fire on the Skinners below, clear a path to Uncle and cut him free. Charles carries Uncle while John covers their retreat through the camp.

They reach their horses under continued attack. Charles places Uncle on his horse, and John rides beside them as they fight their way out of the woods. The three return to Beecher's Hope, where Charles takes Uncle into the house to tend to his burns. John and Charles speak of the Skinner Brothers and agree that the gang will no longer threaten the ranch. Charles goes inside to remain with Uncle.