i heard that too and it's a damned lie

about an hour 25 in rooster le bouef and mattie are three astride
riding into mcalester to collect bounties on ned pepper's dead gangmembers
slung across horses behind them

texacan le bouef is bad rapping roosters' old civil war outfit
quantrill's (sp?) raiders first saying they - quantrill's raiders- weren't
even realy soldiers just outlaws using warring as an excuse to run wild

rooster bemused keeps eyes front and replies 'i heard the same thing'

then le bouef says he heard quantrill's boys raped & killed women and children
in the lawrenceville raid

in a flash rooster's bemusement is gone and he cocks his head toward le bouef then states flatly 'i heard that too and it's a damned lie'

man oh man that is one badass line reading by the duke

here's a guy rooster cogburn saddle worn and seen twice over every which way but loose the good bad and ugly and it don't bother him none say what you will

but only to a line that he rooster cogburn wont let get crossed

and right there le boeuf has crossed it

duke - love him or otherwise - displays in one line of dialogue what great
acting is : it is the ability to deliver authenticity no more no less

and buddy it don't get more authentic than wayne's reading of that line

imho right there - with one line - john wayne earned his oscar