Jeremiah Johnson (1972)

Stefan Gierasch: Del Gue

Photos 

Quotes 

• Del Gue : I ain't never seen 'em, but my common sense tells me the Andes is foothills, and the Alps is for children to climb! Keep good care of your hair! These here is God's finest scupturings! And there ain't no laws for the brave ones! And there ain't no asylums for the crazy ones! And there ain't no churches, except for this right here! And there ain't no priests excepting the birds. By God, I are a mountain man, and I'll live 'til an arrow or a bullet finds me. And then I'll leave my bones on this great map of the magnificent...

• [Jeremiah and Del are parting company] 

  Jeremiah Johnson : You'll do well, Del; providing you don't get into trouble with all that hair.

  Del Gue : Ain't this somethin'? I told my pap and mam I was going to be a mountain man; acted like they was gut-shot. "Make your life go here, son. Here's where the people is. Them mountains is for Indians and wild men." "Mother Gue", I says "the Rocky Mountains is the marrow of the world," and by God, I was right. Keep your nose in the wind and your eye along the skyline.

• Jeremiah Johnson : Where you headed?

  Del Gue : Same place you are, Jeremiah: hell, in the end.

• Jeremiah Johnson : [Jeremiah and Caleb find Del Gue buried to his neck in sand]  Are you all right?

  Del Gue : Sure, sure, I got a fine horse under me!

  [sneezes] 

  Del Gue : Got one of them feathers in my nose.

  Jeremiah Johnson : You keep sneezing, it'll come out all right. Haven't seen anyone pass by recent, have you?

  Del Gue : Nobody's gone in front of me. Can't say what's happened behind me, though.

  Jeremiah Johnson : The Injuns put you here?

  Del Gue : T'weren't Mormons. A Chief, name of Mad Wolf. Nice fella, don't talk a hell of a lot. Say, you wouldn't have an extra hat on you, would you? Shade's getting' scarce in these parts.

  Jeremiah Johnson : What'd you shave your head for?

  Del Gue : Mad Wolf figures like every other Injun I know. Says this scalp isn't fit for no decent man's lodgepole. Ain't the first time I've protected my head in such a way. Name's Del Gue, with an "e".

• Del Gue : [to Jeremiah]  You turn down this gift, and they'll slit you, me, Caleb and the horses from crotch to eyeball with a dull deer antler!

• Del Gue : Ain't that Hatchet Jack's rifle?

  Jeremiah Johnson : Yep. Found him froze to a tree.

  Del Gue : Damn! He was a wild one, old Hatchet Jack. He was livin' two year in a cave up on the Musselshell with a female panther. She never did get used to him.

• Del Gue : [Del and Jeremiah have run into a Flathead scouting party]  He wants to know if you are the great warrior who avenges the crazy women that lives in the Wolf Tail Valley. She's big medicine and you are too, if you be that man.

  Jeremiah Johnson : [the Indian begins talking in a very loud voice]  Say, why's he yellin'?

  Del Gue : Scared of ya.

• Del Gue : Amongst lnjuns... a tribe's greatness is figured on how mighty its enemies be.

• [Jeremiah is being forced by the Flathead chief to marry an Indian girl] 

  Jeremiah Johnson : Del Gue, I don't think this is a good idea.

  Del Gue : He may be a Christian and talk white; but he's still an Indian and his rules is his rules. Now, when this is over you can talk her to Fort Hawley and trade her, but you will get married my friend. Besides, maybe she ain't half bad.

• Jeremiah Johnson : Ain't that hair I see on your head?

  Del Gue : It sure is. I decided that when I depart from this life I'd like to leave something. At least to be remembered on some man's lodge pole.

  Jeremiah Johnson : Sound wisdom.

• [Jeremiah and Del are parting company] 

  Jeremiah Johnson : You'll do well, Del, you'll do well; if you don't get into too much trouble with all that hair.

  Del Gue : Ain't this somethin'? I told my pap and mam I was coming to mountains to trap and be a mountain man; acted like they was gut-shot. Says "Son, make your life go here, here's where the peoples is. Them mountains is for animals and savages." I says, "Mother Gue, the Rocky Mountains is the marrow of the world", and by God, I was right.

  Jeremiah Johnson : Yes, you were.

• Del Gue : Which way you headed, Jeremiah?

  Jeremiah Johnson : Canada, maybe. I hear there is land there a man has never seen.

  Del Gue : Well, keep your nose in the wind, and your eyes along the skyline.

  Jeremiah Johnson : I will do that, Del Gue.

• Del Gue : Jeremiah, maybe you best go down to a town, get outta these mountains.

  Jeremiah Johnson : I've been to a town Del.

• [Jeremiah has just killed a Crow warrior who has been stalking him] 

  Del Gue : Is it always like this? One at a time?

  Jeremiah Johnson : Yep.

  Del Gue : Lucky they were Crow. Apache would have sent fifty at once.

• Del Gue : [Jeremiah and Del have killed the Indians that stole Del's horse and gear]  Don't you want any of these?

  Jeremiah Johnson : What?

  Del Gue : Scalps!

  Jeremiah Johnson : [Shaken by the incident]  No.

  Del Gue : Well, Mother Gue never raised such a foolish child!

  [Pulls his knife and begins scalping the Indians] 

• Del Gue : If you value your hair, you will git married!