The trade...

The story commences with the trade. Cody(Randolph Scott) goes right into a Comanche camp and makes a trade for the woman. Nancy Lowe.

A few observations. First without disparaging the Comanche too much why wouldn't they just take his little blanket of goods? 10 of them and one of him? They play fair and offer him a choice of one of 2 horses but through gestures Cody let's them know he wants a woman in trade.

Arriving in camp he realizes he cannot make the deal without a sweetener, his Winchester rifle. Again they could have just taken his things and killed him if they wished. But they make the trade.

The issue with me is that Nancy Lowe is no ordinary woman. Even before they found out about the reward money. She was hot. A really attractive woman. Why would the Comanche be willing to trade her for so little?

Nancy asks him about the risk he was taking but does not understand until later he was risking his life for these trades hoping the woman he trades for was his wife who had been taken by Comanche.

Sorry for being to long winded but I think there is a lot just in the early part of this film.