Thanks. Thank you for choosing to hear Man the Fat Hunter. The amazing epistemological phenomena called the paleoblogosphere deserves a lecture of its own. Here I would like to recognize Dr. Michael Eads and Dr. Barry Groves, whose clever blogs had a significant contribution to my work. The lecture is based in part on a paper by the same name written with my colleagues, Professor Avi Gofer, Professor Isail Hirschkowitz and Dr. Ranbar Ka'i, which was published in December in plus one. Just google the name. It's free access. Many people don't realize how extraordinary large our brain is. It stands out in the animal kingdom like the neck of a giraffe. A few years ago, I asked myself, like many did before me, why we have such big brain?   And if I follow the fat, I'll find the answer. Other people came to the conclusion that man was really after fat first and foremost. The first is John Speth, a very well respected zoo archaeologist who wrote in a must read book about hunting and fat in 2010. Early in his career, he reached the conclusion that, and I quote, fat, not protein, seems to play a very prominent role in the hunter's decision about what animal male versus female to kill and which body parts to discard or take away. Another archaeologist, Jack Brink, writes in a book devoted to mass hunting methods of paleo-Indians in Alberta. Fat, not meat, was the food source most sought after by all plain aboriginal hunting cultures. And last but not least, because he really hit the nail on the head, Tyndale writes about the Australian aboriginals, quote, after killing the animal, they immediately feel the body for the evidence of the presence of cow fat. If the animal is fat less, it is usually left behind. So now we know that man was really after fat and that obtaining the limited quantity of meat that man can digest to energy was not his main problem. A yellow and wheeler proposed that high quality food allowed our brain, our big brains, and that our big brains enable us to obtain high quality food. It became clear to me that fat was a critical part of that high quality food. But all this doesn't explain why we evolved from Homo erectus to Homo sapiens. For that, we need to understand why fat was so essential. The child describes the diet of two Homo erectuses living in two different environments. For both of them, protein consumption is physiologically limited to 35% of calories regardless of the diet. They, just like us, don't have enough liver enzyme to convert more than a few hundred grams of protein to energy. This leaves a minimum of 65% to be supplied by plants and animal fat. Our brothers from the Mogongo and Palm oil fruit land will need to obtain little animal fat and all in all, say, 50% of his calories from hunting. On the other hand, his brother from the land of little plant food and plenty large animals will hunt for 70% of his calories, but most probably, and I hope you can see it by comparing the blue and red areas in the two columns. Most importantly, he will have to hunt fatter animals than his Mogongo's brother. If 70% of his calories are coming from animals and no more than 35% can come from protein, he needs an animal that can supply equal quantities of fat and protein. These are not many of those, and they are usually the larger animals. Luckily, according to paleontologists, they were abundant when our rectus ancestors roamed the Earth. I would just mention in passing that according to recent analysis published in my blog, chimpanzees receive 20% of their nourishment from protein and 50% from bacteria produced fat and only 30% from glucose and fructose. So the macronutrient composition of the nourishment is very similar to that of our Homo erectus friend on the right. As I said, hunting for fat has implication on prey size. Let's look at the third and more concrete Homo erectus brother who lived in the southern Levant, present day Israel, and whose energetic requirements were 2,700 calories a day. The winter rains have arrived, and there are plenty of pistachio nuts and olive trees and figs, so he managed to obtain 1,300 calories a day from plants. His protein is limited to 35% of 2,700. Hence, 950 calories. This leaves 550 calories to be supplied by fat. Now here comes the significant part of the model, and the reason why I go into such detail with this example. An optimal animal for our Levantine Homo erectus to hunt will be one that supplies the exact ratio relation of fat to protein that he needs. In our example, it's 37% for every 950 calories of protein, a 37% fat animal will provide the 550 calories of the fat he needs. Below is a chart showing animal fat percentage as a function of their weight. Now let's see which animal can supply this ratio of fat in our Levantine winter. It seems that a mixture of big animals with 53% fat and small animals with 35% to 25% fat will be just perfect. Following the pleasant Levantine winter, the six months dry summer sets in. Plants dry out, and the consumption goes down by, say, 25% to 900 calories per day.  For animal size, from animal size point of view, we are climbing the ladder, and we need a mix that will give us 48% fat. Since the larger the animal, the less fat it loses in the summer, we would like to put our hands on the largest possible animal to compensate for the smaller animal that do lose fat.  Many summer go by, and the population of large animals diminish slightly every year. It becomes more and more difficult to find elephants. Larger distances have to be covered in the summer heat in order to find fat-bearing animals and carry meat with the fat back to camp. Increased locomotion causes a daily caloric requirement to go up, say from 2,700 to 3,000. Most of that increase likely come from fat, as plants are very limited in mid-summer.  What is a Homo erectus to do in the face of such dire circumstances? It turns out that there is a way to get 56% fat from a small deer, but it requires a hunter with a very capable brain. I came to this answer when I examined the archaeological record of a very interesting cave in the south of Israel, coupled with the result of a brilliant analysis by the one and only J. Stanton at Knowles.org. As it turned out, I lived 15 minutes drive from one of the most interesting archaeological sites when it comes to Homo sapiens evolution. And what's more, it is being excavated by my older acquaintances from Tel Aviv University, Professor Avi Gofer and Dr. Amber Krey. This fortunate situation provided me with the opportunity to test my hypothesis. The cave was occupied starting 400,000 years ago and ended 200,000 years ago by a very unique group of people, the Acheloia Broodian. The previous period, or as we call it, culture, the Achelion is associated with Homo erectus. While in the Levant, the Achelion ended 400,000 years ago. In Africa, it lasted additional 150,000 years. This fact alone indicates that changes probably happened first in the Levant. The Achelion Broodian culture was not a variant of the Achelion, as the name may suggest, but a completely new culture. The stone tools, which in Kesson Cave are dominated by flint blades and quina scrapers, are not found in the preceding Achelion, but are found again much later in more recent advanced cultures. The blades form a set of cutlery manufactured to handle the different stages of butchering, deflashing, and meat cutting. Controlling fire and signs of meat sharing on animal bones also indicate relatively advanced behavior. But the most exciting find in the cave were eight human teeth, that after a lot of work and debate among scientists were assigned in a recent paper to Homo sapiens lineage. Actually, the fine shouldn't have been so surprising, as in 1925, a part of a skull, which is shown there, was found in Zutie, another Achelion Broodian cave in the north of Israel. This year, a paper by some of the most respected physical anthropologists suggested that the morphology present in the Zutie skull may characterize a population immediately post-dating the divergence of Neanderthals and Homo sapiens. The teeth from Kessam cave had weight to the proposition that the divergence was in the direction of Homo sapiens. So can we help with our hypothesis to find out what happened in the Achelion Broodian? For that, we had to follow the fact. Three facts about Kessam cave are telling in this regard. The first, there are no bones of elephants. In Kessam, or any other site in the Levant, post-dating for 100,000 years. The second is that 80% of the animal bones in the site belong to fallow deer. That profile of smaller animals by itself points away from Neanderthals, who hunted almost exclusively big animals. The third, and as it turned out, the most important fact in explaining the reason for the transition was that most of the bones of the fallow deer belong to mature individuals. Now that we understand the importance of big animals to our Homo erectus friend, let's see what happened to them in the transition. Blue in the chart marks animals above 200 kilograms, and red marks animals below 200 kilograms. Sampling six sites from the Achelion period in the Levant, we found that over 60% of the animal caloric contribution came from seven tons elephant, and only 15% from smaller animals like deer. In contrast, at Kessam cave, 60% of the calories came from a 90 kilogram fallow deer, and less than 40% from large animals. As you can imagine, hunting plenty of elusive fallow deer is a completely different ball game than hunting a few elephants that previously supplied the meat and fat. As I said, the strange thing about this fallow deer was that most of them were mature males and females. This is a bizarre profile for a predator. Lions hunt randomly, and their prey age profile resemble that of the prey population, while long chasers, like wolves, hunt typically young and old animals. Here we have a predator that constantly picks up the most difficult age group to hunt. And letting younger and older animals, he encounters sleep by. This looks like an energetically wasteful strategy, and as we previously saw, the small increase in energy requirements require a significant increase in obligated fat, since most, if not all, of the increase had to come from fat. Well, the reason for this bizarre behavior is, of course, fat. In his post, Jay Stanton brings a chart that describes the fat content of mature bulls, young bulls, and mature female among caribou deers throughout the year. He calculated that if a hunter hunts mature female in November to April, and then mature male in May to October, he can obtain 56% fat. Instead of the 36% fat he would obtain had he hunted randomly. Hunting primed dals is a pattern that was not known before the Archeria brudium, but was very common ever since. It is impossible to overestimate the sophistication of mind that is required for the efficient performance of that pattern of hunting. Here is a herd of fallow deer.  Even hunter find it difficult to do, as Jack Brink notes about the Palaeo Indian. And I quote, not only did the hunters know the natural patterns of the bison followed, they also learned how to spot fat animals in the herd. An experienced hunter would pick out the pronounced curves of the body and hide the sheen of the coat that indicated the fat animal.  One should learn and become experienced. And one last point on hunting small animals and brain. Animal tracking increased efficiency of hunting compared to random encounters tremendously. In the army many years ago, I used to work with bedding trackers. I noticed that they, in performing their tasks, they had to continually form and revise hypotheses based on the incremental information they gathered from very few clues, which could have different meanings under different weather and soil conditions. The book, Mammals, Tracks, and Sign, contains 792 pages. A good hunter probably stole at least that amount of information which he acquires by learning. And more important, use it time and again during changing hunting situation to form hypotheses and revise them. As you may know, the human average brain size today is 1,350 cc, is smaller than at its peak, which was about 1,500 cc. The reason may be that agriculture does not require the intensive forming and reforming of hypotheses under time pressure. Farming, to my mind, demands a brain that operates like a simple computer program, performing the same orders over and over again in step with the seasons. Industrial work, for the most part, is even less demanding. So to summarize, in the Levant 400,000 years ago, following the extinction of his main fat source, the elephant, men found a solution to obtaining the vital fat he needed from smaller animals, hunt them when they are at their prime fat-carrying season. This solution demanded an increased mental capability.  In time, they were called Homo sapiens. I'm sure that you will not be surprised to learn that in Africa, as in the Levant 150,000 years earlier, elephants disappeared from a archaeological site together with the Ashulian. 50,000 years later, when in the Levant, the Ashelyabrudin was winding down, the first Homo sapiens is found in Africa. On a more general note, most of the world's organic energy is stored in the form of fiber, in trees, and other plants. Much less is stored as protein, and still less is in the purest form of an organic energy, fat. Evolution has caused us to lose our ability to process much fiber to energy. But in return, gave us the brains that enable us to obtain fat.   Human prehistory over the next 200,000 years, following the Ashelyabrudin and until the agricultural revolution, is the subject of my present research. I can already tell you that animal fat continues to play a significant role in it. The practical implication is clearly evident, however. We have evolved to eat animal fat. Thank you. Have you found it?


Mae'r gweld mewn cyfrannu ond mae'r cyfrannu cyflissiwyr yn gondol yr argynwyr ei awơ oedd yn unig o'r cwmbeithio gylai tarod. Mae'r ffwrdd cymdeitim wedi'u cyfrannu cwmfaffolio i'r cwmbeithio i'r cyfrannu cyflissiwyr yn cyfrannu cyfrannu cyflissiwyr yn chefracholio cwmgoffin. Felly mae'n mynd i nesaf i âm教uniaethau cyfrannu cyflissio, mae'n mynd i gweithio i gael cyfrannu cyfrannu cyflissio diddynt yn eid السag gyda'i eich cyfrannu cyfrannu Richard MacLean. To ask the Scottish Government what consideration was given to increasing the maximum spend on both long and short campaigns for the forthcoming Scottish local elections in May 2022. Minister George Adam. Thank you, Presiding Officer, and thank you for the question. Expenses limits for Scottish local government elections were updated as part of the recent set of instructions instruments that were laid before Parliament ahead of May 2022 local elections. Specifically, Lleidraethol Merigodol cwmifialau bobl, Cabinet's Local Government Elections, Expenditure Local Wizarding, Scotland Order 2021, increased the maximum expenditure limit to £806, together with an additional £7p for every entry in the register of electors. The power of Scottish ministers to vary the limits on candidates' expenditure in local government election campaigns is restricted to changes linked to inflation or the recommendation of the electoral commission. The increases that were made by the recent Rydw i'w gyfathieng fel Ymfolawd, nid o'r r시�mau i niw, ac yn ymwneud cyfathbeth mai Gwldin iawn.  The government reviews campaign expenditure limits ahead of each set of parliamentary and local government elections. As noted, the power of the Scottish ministers to amend spending limits for local government elections is limited unless in response to a recommendation from the electoral commission. I am confident that the commission will consider any lessons learned in holding of the 2022 elections and will continue to work productively with commission ahead of any future changes. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impacts of the Omicron variant on the implementation of its Covid-19 recovery strategy. Public Health Scotland is working rigorously to assess how many cases of Omicron there are likely to be in Scotland, and they, together with local test and protect teams, will work to identify how the virus might have been transmitted and to break further changes of transmission. Our response to the new variant will develop as we learn more about the risk it poses and as we found out more about it spread within Scotland. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and be guided by the latest science and clinical advice. We will continue to do all we can to make sure that people in Scotland are offered the greatest possible protection through vaccination as quickly as we can. That in turn will help our on-going progress on recovery. Indeed, Scotland already has the highest vaccination rate of all the UK nations for the first, second and third doses. I thank the cabinet secretary for his answer. The arrival of Omicron in Scotland is a stark reminder that if we needed it, the virus has not gone away. Care workers, I speak to, having gone above and beyond in the past 20 months, are once again rightly concerned about how we will support the most vulnerable people in our society. The recovery plan speaks about the importance of fair work in social care. Does the cabinet secretary agree that a wage of at least £15 an hour would fairly recognise a huge contribution of care workers? Will he call on his colleague the finance secretary to deliver that in tomorrow's budget, to match the aspirations of his recovery plan and to give care workers the rise that he deserves? I absolutely acknowledge the significance and importance of the work of employees in the care sector. They have done an absolutely magnificent job in very trying circumstances. I thank them and admire them for their contribution. The Government, as Mr O'Kane will know, has already taken steps to support and to increase the pay available for the social care staff. The finance secretary will make her announcements in due course tomorrow. Mr O'Kane will realise that it is not for me to make statements and comments about those issues today. The finance secretary will set out her position to Parliament tomorrow, but it has to be acknowledged that the Government has already taken substantial steps to enhance the remuneration of social care workers and to support the efforts that are proving to begin to show some of the signs of success of improving recruitment in the social care sector. If we are going to minimise the impact of the Omocon variant, we need to make sure that people have access to booster vaccines. I have a constituent who has had the first and second vaccine in Scotland, but has had to move to the south of England for family reasons, and has been told that the only way that she can get a booster is to return to Scotland. Surely that must be something that can get sorted out between the NHS in Scotland and the NHS in other parts of the UK? Is it something that the cabinet secretary can look into? If Mr Fraser would care to send me the details of that, I will look into that specific case. I can see no good reason why that should be the case. In the light of the information that Mr Fraser gives me, it makes no sense for that individual to be requested to come back to Scotland to receive the booster vaccination, so if he cares to write to me with those details, I will attend to that. Before I call in question 3, I would note that the member was late to the chamber. I would be minded not to call the member, but in the interests of any members who may wish to put forward a supplementary question to the member. However, I would wish, before he asks his question, that he provides an apology and an explanation. My sincere apologies, Presiding Officer. I simply lost track of time, so I apologise to the chamber profusely. To ask the Scottish Government how its co-ordination of Covid-19 policies can ensure people living in Perthshire, south in Cynrosshire, are supported through the recovery of the pandemic. Despite progress, we know that the impacts of Covid continue to be felt acutely by many individuals, businesses and other organisations across Scotland. We are working closely with local government to implement the shared vision and outcomes of the Covid recovery strategy, and we will continue to work together with local authorities, including Perth and Cynros Council, to shape the recovery activity that will support the rebuilding of local public services, create and sustain good-green jobs and fair work, drive financial security for low-income households and improve the wellbeing of children and young people. Given the important role that vaccination is going to play in Covid recovery, efficient role of the vaccine is going to be key. Unfortunately, recent changes to the JCVI guidance from members of the public turning up before they could legally receive their booster, with some staff and volunteers experiencing abuse in our local centre. What cross-government co-ordination can be put in place to ensure that future changes to the JCVI guidance do not result in a repeat of that unfortunate situation? Obviously, the JCVI advice required us to move at pace to try to ensure that individuals could have access to the booster vaccination. I am aware of a small number of cases in the context of the overwhelming scale and success of the vaccination programme, where individuals were inconvenienced because of the change in approach. The necessary advice has been issued to health boards that have been communicated widely in the healthcare system. The guidance has been updated on the NHS-informed website. We apologise to anyone who was unable to get their booster vaccination, but I am satisfied that the measures are now in place to ensure that this approach can be put into operational practice at local level to ensure that all the clinical and legal requirements have been met. To ask the Scottish Government when ministers last met with key stakeholders, including business owners, to discuss the Covid-19 vaccine certification scheme. A review process over the past few weeks has included ministerial engagement with a range of business sectors, including hospitality, tourism, culture and event sectors, most impacted by Covid. The new Omicron variant has refocused our efforts and discussions, and has again stressed the importance of our protection measures, including the Covid status certification scheme. Last week, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Economy met with the Confederation of British Industry, the Federation Small Businesses Institute of Directors, the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, the Scottish Council of Development Industry and the Scottish Financial Enterprise. I welcome the high level of engagement with the sector. The hospitality sector welcomes the introduction of testing to the certification scheme, but it notes that the scheme will have an on-going economic impact. We have seen it from the experience in Wales, where there is a 20 per cent reduction in all trade levels in the sector. The Scottish Beer and Pub Association has said that they have seen a drop in 40 per cent in trade since the introduction of the Covid passport scheme. That is not just 40 per cent down in normal times. Can the cabinet secretary outline what more steps can be taken to provide more frequent and widespread communication to the public that they can test before going out to the net clubs and the hospitality sector to deliver more spontaneous visits, of course, where it is safe to do so? What Pauline McNeill will be familiar with is the delicate balance that the Government is trying to strike in this matter, whereby we want business sectors to be able to operate as normally as possible, but we face significant threats and a renewed threat from the Omicron variant into the bargain. The type of message that the Government has been setting out over the course of the past 10 days about increasing the volume of individual testing before socialising or before going out to a retail environment is really important so that individuals can take more responsibility to make sure that they are safe to go out and to circulate. As I indicated in a radio interview earlier this week, I am now testing myself on a daily basis when I am likely to be in contact with other members of the public. It is a personal decision of mine to protect my family but also to make sure that I am able to exercise my functions in office but to do it safely in relation to others. I would encourage members of the public to do so. I think that an essential point is that we have to make sure that there is availability of lateral flow device testing kits. They are freely available on the NHS informed website, numerous pharmacies and we are trying to extend the physical availability of those in communities in partnership with local authorities. To ask the Scottish Government how its policies across Government will support island communities to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. We know that the impacts of Covid-19 continue to be felt acutely by many individuals, businesses and other organisations across our island communities. The 30 million islands programme will ensure delivery of the national islands plan and is informed by our learning of how island communities have responded and adapted to Covid-19. We continue to work closely across Government and with our island partners to implement the shared vision and outcomes of the Covid recovery strategy, which sets out the actions that we will take to address systemic inequalities made worse by Covid-19, to make progress towards a wellbeing economy and accelerate inclusive person-centred public services. Can I thank the cabinet secretary for his reply and can I ask what can be done to build resilience to ensure that the supply chain issues, which did badly affect some island communities at various points throughout the pandemic, are not repeated in the future? Obviously, there is a... The island communities, and I need to share no information about this with Dr Allan, given his assiduous representation of his constituency. The island communities are heavily dependent on the ferry connections that provide essential services to the islands in bulk. Obviously, we have had instances over the course of the pandemic, where staff have had to self-isolate for Covid purposes. That has disrupted the availability of the ferry network. I assure Dr Allan, however, that there is a pragmatic approach taken to try to ensure that island communities are properly and fully serviced by ferry vessels. I noticed that, as a consequence today of the disruption because of weather issues, that additional sailings have been put in place by Caledonia McBrain to Castle Bay that I noticed earlier on today. It is an indication that, where possible, we will use flexibility and pragmatism to make sure that island communities are properly serviced at a time when there can be unavoidable disruption due to self-isolation and other examples of the Covid pandemic. Its policies and actions across Government will support Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. The Covid recovery strategy sets out how we will rebuild by working collaboratively across Government and with partners in local government business and the third sector. Recovery priorities will vary by location and local needs, so we will continue to work in partnership to deliver joint leadership that is necessary for this effort. Both Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway will benefit from the Scottish Government's £85 million contribution to the Borderlands inclusive growth deal, which will support a range of projects and programmes designed to drive sustainable economic growth across the region. We have also provided up to £125,000 to support the South of Scotland regional economic partnership to develop the area's first regional economic strategy, establishing a framework and delivery plan for national agencies and regional partners to work together to achieve a sustained and inclusive recovery from the effects of Covid-19. Emma Harper I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. Across D&G and the Scottish Borders, when Covid-19 protective measures were previously put in place, many businesses welcomed the Covid-19 business support, which was available to keep them afloat. Can the cabinet secretary comment on what engagement the Scottish Government has had with the UK Government, given the emergence of the Omicron variant, regarding whether the Treasury will make finances available to the Scottish Government, should public health protections be required again? The First Minister, along with the First Minister of Wales, wrote to the Prime Minister last week to set out a number of practical issues that we believe need to be addressed in relation to the possible implications of the Omicron variant. One of those issues was the possibility that we might see interruption to the operation of business due to additional restrictions that we might have to bring in, and we were making the point in that letter that there was an importance of having a flexible approach across the United Kingdom to make sure that different administrations who may be affected at different times, although those issues might be affected at similar scale and time across the whole of the United Kingdom, have the financial support available. We welcome the fact that there was support from the Hermasty Treasury in relation to earlier stages of the pandemic. As we have reflected in this question time session, that threat has not gone away and may intensify as a consequence of Omicron. It is likely to intensify as a consequence of Omicron, so we need to have the financial support available and we will continue to discuss that with the United Kingdom Government. Given the vital role that public transport is going to play in the post-pandemic recovery, not just to get young people but others in terms of finding employment and securing employment, as well as returning to social activities, can the Scottish Government give an assurance that the public bus and rail services in my constituency of Galloway and Western Fries will return to pre-Covid levels and that recovery of rural areas will not be put at risk through damaging cutbacks? I certainly want that to be the case and I acknowledge the importance of public transport in ensuring that connectivity is available there for all citizens. It is particularly apparent in an area like Dumfries in Galloway and for the benefit of completeness in relation to this question and the Scottish Borders as well. The Government has put in place very significant levels of financial support to sustain the operations of transport providers during the pandemic. Of necessity, that public transport has carried many fewer passengers than would have been the case because of restrictions, but we do want to see a vibrant public transport network that is available to ensure that the needs of all citizens, whether they are accessing college or training places or employment or making connections across the community, are able to be satisfied. I give Mr Carson the assurance that the Government is working to that objective, although there is a lot of dialogue to be had about specific services and provision. To ask the Scottish Government how its policies across Government will support families on low incomes to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. Increasing financial security for low-income households is one of the central outcomes of our Covid recovery strategy, and we are focused on supporting those most affected during the pandemic. The Scottish Government is taking a range of actions that will transform the lives of many families across Scotland. From April 2022, we are doubling the Scottish child payment to £20 per week, which could lift a further 20,000 children out of poverty. That policy is the most ambitious child poverty reduction measure in the United Kingdom and demonstrates our commitment to supporting low-income families as we recover from the pandemic. We are also progressing work to further expand funded early learning and childcare for one and two-year-olds, starting with those from low-income households. Alongside that, we are expanding our free school breakfast and lunch provision, starting with those who need it most. I welcome the announcement from the Scottish Government that the game change in Scottish child payment will be doubled to £20 in the upcoming budget. What impact will that specific policy have on tackling child poverty as we recover from the pandemic? The analysis that has been undertaken so far indicates that increasing the amount of Scottish child payment to £20 could lift 40,000 children out of poverty, reducing overall child poverty by an estimated 4 per cent in 2023-24. That is based on initial analysis, however. We hope to publish further analysis on that point in early 2022. That will give families over 106,000 children under the age of six an immediate cash boost when it is introduced in April 2022. We will, of course, look to take other steps to support the financial wellbeing of low-income families and to make sure that the interventions that we make, for example, on the creation of employment or on the expansion of wraparound childcare, is also targeted to support those families to make sure that we use a combination of different interventions, whether it is child payment or whether it is employment support, to enable that we achieve our outcome of reducing child poverty and improving the financial security of low-income households. To ask the Scottish Government how its policies across government will support the north-east recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. We are actively supporting economic recovery in the north-east and have provided close to £100 million to support businesses. Additional funding needs to meet the tune of £150 million to councils to help to achieve that objective. We are also investing £157 million in the Aberyne city region and Murray growth deals and over £14 million to develop the skills needed to support regional economic recovery. Alongside that, we have recently confirmed our intention to commit £500 million of capital over the next 10 years to support the just transition of the region and the Murray area to support energy transition to create jobs and to maximise the region's future economic potential. I welcome the investment in the north-east. As the north-east continues to recover from Storm Arwen and now of course Storm Barra, many people are not able to schedule or attend their Covid vaccination boosters. With the Omicron variant spreading throughout Scotland, what advice can the Deputy First Minister give to my constituents who have delayed boosters due to the storm disruption? A number of vaccination clinics in the north-east of Scotland took the decision to close early on Friday 26 November for safety reasons with concern about the severe weather from Storm Arwen. Some clinics remained closed over the weekend up to Monday 29 November. We understand that all vaccination clinics affected by Storm Arwen have now reopened and are currently operational. Where vaccination appointments were impacted, people were immediately redirected to unaffected vaccination centres rather than having to wait to book their appointment for another day. Health boards have implemented processes to ensure rescheduling of appointments missed due to the storm, including contacting those they hold details for and issuing public communications on this point as well. Deputy Presiding Officer, something that can make a huge impact to the north-east recovery is Freeport status for Aberdeen and Peterhead. Will the cabinet secretary stop playing petty politics with thousands of jobs and engage with the UK Government's Freeport programme? We have fully engaged with the United Kingdom Government's Freeport agenda. We want to make sure that it is compatible with the democratic decisions of this Parliament. I think that this Parliament, by an overwhelming majority, wants the approach to the Freeport concept in Scotland to have at its heart the concept of fair work, and by fair work the payment of the real living wage. If Mr Lumson happened to see the exchange between the Secretary of State for Scotland Mr Alistair Jack and the member of Parliament for Edinburgh, North and Leith, Deirdre Brock, on Monday, he would have seen Mr Jack confirm that the issue that is at stake here, the issue that the Secretary of State has decided to put a flag in the ground to make the absolute obstacle to resisting agreeing the model that we have put forward, is the payment of the real living wage. There we have it. The Conservatives want to support a low-wage economy. The bully boys of the Conservative benches are trying to shout me down for simply explaining to them what their Secretary of State for Scotland said to a House of Commons committee, chaired by my distinguished colleague, the member for Perth and North Persia, Pete Wishart, an excellent House of Commons committee chair, if ever there was one, and my colleague, Deirdre Brock, who managed to extract from the Secretary of State that the Tories are only interested in perpetuating low pay. This Government, and I think that members on this side as well, are interested in decent pay and fair work, and the sooner the Conservatives join the journey, the better for Scotland. That concludes portfolio questions on Covid-19 recovery and parliamentary business, and we will now move on to the next portfolio questions that are on net zero, energy and transport. Again, if a member wishes to request a supplementary question, they should press the request to speak button or indicate so in the chat function by entering the letter R during the relevant question. I call question number one, Graham Simpson. Thank you very much to ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report, A Vision for Scotland's Railways, produced for Scotland's rail unions. The fact that the unions are sharing their ideas and views, and I look forward to discussing those with unions at our next meeting when we arrange that. However, be assured that we are pressing ahead to put in place arrangements to mobilise a wholly-owned company structure of the Scottish Government for the provision of ScotRail services following expiration of the current franchise. The new ScotRail operator, ScotRail trains limited, its management and staff will, I am sure, share with all of us and the general public a desire for ScotRail to be a world-leading railway service offering value to passengers and the wider economy whilst being financially and environmentally sustainable. I thank the minister for that answer. He didn't answer the question, of course, which was what was his response to the report. I'm not sure if he's read it. It's produced for Scotland's four rail unions and at least it is a vision for the future. We've had nothing like that from the minister so far, but ScotRail is going to be nationalised in March. We don't know anything about the Governments. There's staffing, timetables, tickets, rolling stock, we don't know if there's going to be redundancies, but we do know there's going to be a series of big books, appointments, that's already in process. Can I ask the minister if he would agree to cross-party talks on nationalisation? Will he agree to make a statement on where we are with this? We're only a few months away and will he also involve the unions? I'll tell you what we won't do, which is what the Tory Government is doing south of the border and slashing billions of pounds from rail services. With regard to the various questions that the member asked, I'm in the process of writing to the net zero committee, to the convener, his colleague, to outline some of the very information that he's looking for, and that will be in the public domain within a matter of days. With regard to his statement, I'm more than happy to provide a statement to the Parliament subject to the bureau's agreement early in the year. With regard to the report, yes, I have read it. I was given a copy ahead of its publication. There are a number of aspects of it. I think that we would all be in agreement with it. There are some good suggestions in there. I'm sure that Mr Simpson has many good suggestions to make as well, and I'm more than happy to meet him to hear those. Question 2, Michelle Thomson. To ask the Scottish Government when it last met Falkirk Council to discuss public transport and connectivity within the rural areas of Falkirk East constituency and what was discussed. Transport Scotland officials met Falkirk Council representatives on 15 November as part of the 4th valley regional transport working group, which was established to facilitate collaborative working and engagement for the second strategic transport projects review attendees discussed the emerging draft recommendations, which follows extensive engagement during the course of the review on the transport problems and the opportunities in the region. Many people in the outlying areas of my constituency of Falkirk East feel that they've been left adrift by private companies driven by profit. Although I understand that the number of passengers is still below pre-Covid levels, that doesn't mean to say that communities should be cut off with the want of regular and reliable public transport. With that in mind, can the minister outline what support and encouragement the Scottish Government is providing to local authorities like Falkirk to provide public transport and connectivity to communities particularly at this stage in the pandemic and what further steps it's taking to ensure public transport is run for the benefit of our communities and citizens and not just shareholders? Minister. During the pandemic, we've maintained concessory travel reimbursement and bus operators grant payments at pre-Covid levels and have made available up to £210 million. In additional funding to the end of this financial year, bus operators receiving that additional funding are not allowed to make a profit and are required to adapt services to current demand, have regard to maintaining connectivity and keep services under review in consultation with local transport authorities and the health board. Covid support funding is, in addition to that, provided to local authorities through the block grant for supporting social aid and necessary services. At that, some of money totals £57 million in 2019-20. Looking to the future, the Transport Act 2019 provides local transport authorities with a range of enhanced options to improve bus services in their area and we are presently analysing responses to the consultation on the secondary legislation that is required to implement those. Rural villages across Falkirk would benefit from safer streets and improved connectivity. Will the minister, indeed, agree to an urgent review of Scottish Government policy and guidance with regard to 20mph zones in rural villages, especially in the villages of Reading Muirhead and Earth, where residents have long campaigned for such zones to support Falkirk Council to meet community demands? Presiding Officer, we covered that specific issue extensively in the members' recent debate and, as he well knows, we have plans to bring forward a review of the presumptions around 20mph zones across the whole of Scotland, not just in his region. Question 3. Joe FitzPatrick, who is joining us remotely. I will provide an update on its pilot, providing free bicycles. Mr FitzPatrick, I am sorry, we did not hear the very beginning of your question. Could you please repeat your question from the beginning? To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its pilots to provide free bicycles for school-aged children. Presiding Officer, on 17 August, we announced the first six pilot projects selected to offer free bicycles for school-aged children who cannot afford one. The pilots are currently under way across the country, and since then, a further four pilots have been launched, including a pilot on Shetland, and a pilot specialising in the provision of non-standard bikes, which are modified to fit the needs of an individual rider. To date, 242 bikes have been issued, and the pilots have ambitious plans to deliver considerably more this month and beyond. Joe FitzPatrick. Thank you, minister, for his answer. The minister is, I know, aware that the Dundee cycle hub, in my constituency, operated by Dundee and Angus cycle hub, is participating in the pilot project, delivering free bikes for school-aged children in Dundee. Can the minister provide any indication on the number of bikes that have been provided or are expected to be provided to children in Dundee over the course of the pilot? Minister Patrick Harvie. Yes, indeed. The Angus cycle hub pilot is based on a central bike distribution centre for the Angus and Dundee areas, with regional support provided by dedicated development workers and bike mechanics. The pilot is providing specialist support for young people and marginalised families in Angus and Dundee to engage with cycling, active travel, health and wellbeing opportunities. 105 bikes have been delivered to date, 127 additional applications for bikes have been received, and 502 bikes have been ready to go by the Angus cycle hub. To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to residents in Motherland Wiesha who are in fuel poverty? The Scottish Government's local area-based scheme and national warmer homes Scotland scheme are available in all areas of Scotland. Those are designed to make homes warmer and cheaper to heat for those living in or at risk of fuel poverty. Since 2013, the Scottish Government has allocated over £21 million to funding for North Lanarkshire Council as part of our area-based scheme. Our winter support fund includes £10 million for a fuel insecurity fund, which will ensure direct financial support is available to those who are at risk of self-disconnection or self-rationaling as a result of increased energy prices this winter. The UK energy market is quite frankly broken. We see some of the highest energy prices in Europe, the highest hikes in recent months. That is evidenced by the fact that so many of the providers are going out of inter-administration, causing more stress to my constituents who are already worried about the fuel poverty. What predictions are in place for constituents to find themselves in a situation of an energy provider entering administration? Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Connectivity, I have a good point about the existing structural problems with the UK energy market, which is largely broken down into two types of companies. Those who have hedged on energy markets and those who are unhedged on energy markets. The consequence of very significant spikes in energy wholesale prices has resulted in a significant number of those who are unhedged companies to find themselves in very serious financial difficulty and, as a result, withdrawing from the market and leaving customers in difficult positions. She will be aware that the present structure of the regulation of the energy market is a responsibility of the UK Government. As it stands, a customer whose supplier is no longer able to provide them with a service is covered by an off-GM supplier of last resort process, which has been designed to minimise disruption in such an event, where the customer should wait to be contacted by the new supplier that is allocated by an off-GM. However, if the member has any constituents who are experiencing difficulties with the issues with a new supplier, they should contact Advice Direct Scotland directly, who will be able to provide them with advice and support on the issue. I will call a supplementary from Liam Kerr, but he will of course be aware that the question per the business bulletin relates to the people of Mother Bowl and Wishaw. It also relates to fuel poverty. In March, the UK Government awarded Aberdeen Council £2.2 million to retrofit homes to save households around £450 a year and keep them out of fuel poverty. Aberdeen has a great deal of older granite housing stocks, so decarbonisation will present huge costs. What estimates has the Scottish Government done of the cost of retrofitting those granite houses? What financial help will be given to Aberdeen Council to tackle the older and specific granite housing stock? Before I ask the cabinet secretary to respond to that, could I stress that the question on the business bulletin says what support is available to people in the Motherwell and Wishaw constituency who are in fuel poverty. That is quite clear, but the cabinet secretary would be able to respond to Mr Kerr's supplementary on another question. I can say that granite properties in the constituency of Motherwell and Wishaw, I suspect, will be of a similar difficulty in being able to tackle some of the insulation issues that they may have in areas such as the north-east of Scotland. I welcome the small amount of investment that has been made by the UK Government to try to assist in some of that work. However, it will be mindful that we have invested some £430 million over the course of the period since 2013 in this area alone. We have increased our funding this year yet again in order to help to support the area-based scheme so that it can assist local authorities in areas such as Motherwell and Wishaw and, of course, also in areas such as the north-east of Scotland. To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to improve road safety on the trunk road network. Of course, Scotland has some of the safest roads in the world, but despite the success of each collision, an injury is traumatic for everyone involved and more remains to be done to reduce collisions. We have achieved substantial reductions in accidents and casualties through targeted programmes of investment on trunk roads and joint working with road safety partners. Members might wish to know that, across 42 assessed countries in Europe and beyond, Scotland currently has the eighth lowest fatality level. However, we are not complacent in any way at all and we continue to look at where we can make further improvements. Thank the minister for his response. As he will be aware, a trial on the A9 for HDVs over seven and a half tonnes raised speed limits from 40 to 50 miles an hour. That move brought it in line with other trials that have taken part in the rest of the UK, which critically has resulted in a steady reduction in the number of collisions and casualties as it addressed one of the main frustrations and that is driver frustrations with slow moving lorries. In the last five years, there have been 170 accidents in the A9 of which we are fatal. As the main route to the ferry ports of Cain Rhine, there is a disproportionately high number of HDVs on the road compared with other trunk roads. Will the Scottish Government commit to reviewing HDV speed limits along the A75 with appropriate speed cameras to improve safety and reduce fatalities as a matter of urgency? The Department for Transport published a three-year evaluation on the effects of increasing speed limits in England and Wales. That showed that there was statistically no significant change in the number of accidents involving at least one HDV on all single and dual carriageway roads. That said, we will use the evaluation from that alongside the A9 project. Indeed, we are using that because, as part of the national speed management review, set out in the delivery plan for the recently published Scotland's road safety framework to 2030, that is a workstream and it has commenced. I thank the minister for the information that he has provided. Can I ask specifically about average speed cameras and how they can improve safety? What analysis has been done on both the A9 and the A90, given the introduction of average speed cameras on those roads, and could those same mechanisms be applied on the A96? I am happy to write to the member with the analysis that she is looking for, on the A96. We deployed safety cameras where they have the greatest potential to reduce injury collisions and where there is evidence of both collisions and speeding. On the A96, there are a number of mobile camera sites, including a new site at Baines Hall, which became operational in April 2021. Regular camera deployments continue to take place to encourage good driver behaviours, compliance with the speed limit and a continued high level of safety on that route. Question 6, Liz Smith. To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in 2021 to adopt greener bus transport across Scotland. The Scottish Government committed over £71 million in the year to 31 March 2021, supporting the purchase of 272 zero-emission buses awarded under the Scottish ultra-low-emission bus scheme and unlocking over £71 million of private investment from bus operators. A new Scottish zero-emission challenge fund was launched this year, aiming to support the bus finance and energy sectors to establish a self-sustaining market for zero-emission buses and infrastructure. Bids have been submitted and are currently being assessed. That will further support significant change in the bus market in favour of zero-emission technologies. I thank Mr Dave for his answer, and he is well aware that improving bus and train transport is key in pursuing the public to go green rather than rely on extensive use of their cars. I ask Mr Dave what his reaction is to the fact that first buses have cancelled altogether the X-53 service from Stirling to St Andrews, and that stagecoach has reduced the X-56 service between Perth and Edinburgh, both of which are causing constituents across Midscotland and Fife very serious inconvenience. As I outlined in a previous answer, the relationship between the Scottish Government and the bus operators at this time is very clearly laid out. One of those services that she is referring to will be the subject of a member's debate next week, when we will be able to explore that in detail. Clearly, we want to encourage the bus operators, especially during the pandemic, to maintain it as many services as possible, recognising, of course, that some of the issues that have arisen with the buses are down-to-drive or shortages. As to the Scottish Government, what steps it is taking to support the energy sector in the west Scotland region? The Scottish Government has ambitious plans for offshore wind in Scotland, but that needs to come with economic returns, which ensure that local supply chain companies can benefit from the opportunities that the deployment presents. We are committed to co-designing a series of just transition plans for regions and sectors across the country, including the west of Scotland. Work on the energy strategy refresh and just transition plans has already begun, and it will consider how communities' length and breadth of Scotland can benefit from the transition to net zero. The cabinet secretary will be aware that reactor 3 at Huntington B nuclear power station was switched off last week after 45 years of service supplying electricity to 1.7 million homes. It has also supplied thousands of much-needed local jobs and contributes 54 million pounds to the north-easher economy every single year. Given that decommissioning itself will create very limited job opportunities, why is there still no clear or obvious Government plan for any so-called just transition to renewable energy jobs for the hundreds of families who currently rely on that site for employment and economic prosperity? The approach that the Scottish Government takes to energy and the development of energy projects is set out in our existing energy strategy, which the member will be aware is not supportive of the introduction of what is very costly and an expensive subsidised industry, which is the nuclear industry. I recognise that the decommissioning work at Huntington B will be a long-term project that will obviously maintain and retain employment within the area over an extended period of time, but the priority for the Scottish Government is to make sure that we build an energy system that is based upon targeting not only our renewable sector in onshore and offshore wind but also in tidal marine and in the use of storage. We will set out in more detail as we move forward with our energy strategy refresh, which will be published next year. Does the cabinet secretary agree that the renewable energy sector in West Scotland would be better placed to attract renewable investment if the UK government did not continue to impose transition charges higher than anywhere else in the UK, which would impose an unfair financial burden on firms seeking to invest in Scotland? The member makes a very important point. It is an issue that has been recognised across the energy sector for many years. It is in Scottish waters and in some land-based projects that Scottish energy developments are the most expensive to take forward in any part of the UK as a result of the UK's transmission network. The need for that to be reformed has been required for many years. I welcome the fact that off-gem has now indicated that it is open to considering a possible review of that. That needs to be taken forward at pace because it is having a negative impact on the sector and the potential economic and environmental benefits that can come from greater renewables. However, the type of regulatory system that is stacked against Scottish developments is unacceptable and is one of the actions that the UK government needs to take forward at pace in order to correct it.


If you give yourself up, I'll see that you get a fair trial. If you don't, I'll be forced to use this gun, and you'll be a long time dead. Have gun. We'll travel. Starring Mr. John Daner as Paladin. San Francisco, 1875. The Carlton Hotel. Headquarters of the man called Paladin. Come in. Mr. Paladin? Hello, hey boy. Oh, look like you're already for travel. Yes, I'm leaving right now. You go on the most interesting job? No, no. This is just a routine business matter. I have to see a man in Mexico, then deliver some papers to Tucson, Arizona. No, I'm going to take it easy, relax. Maybe looking on some old friends down that way. Oh, I bring these shirts my cousin Lee Singh washed and ironed for you. Thanks, hey boy. Oh, did you tell your cousin about the starch in the cups? Oh, you saw. Good, let's see. Oh, hey boy, there's more starch than ever in these cups. Oh, you saw, Mr. Paladin. But I thought you said you told him. Oh, yes, but it's your opinion of my cousin Lee Singh that most essential for cups is plenty starch. But what about my opinion? My cousin Lee Singh, very obstinate man. Yes, but hey boy. One might say Lee Singh, cussed, new-ish, and of extreme stubborn nature. All right. All right, hey boy, I guess I get the idea. Just put the shirts in the drawer, please. All right, sir. Oh, up to Mexico, eh? Uh-huh, on my way. Well, adios. What's that? Adios. Oh, adios, hey boy. That's not all. Using Fitch regularly is guaranteed to keep embarrassing dandruff away. Simply apply in the unique Fitch manner. Before you wet hair, rub in one minute. This way, Fitch shampoo penetrates right down to the scalp. Next, add water. Lather one minute to wash every trace of dandruff out of your hair. Then rinse one minute. All that loosen dandruff goes down the drain. In three minutes, with Fitch, one rubbing, one lathering, one rinsing, dandruff's gone. And never forget, gentle Fitch can also leave your hair up to 35% brighter. To get rid of dandruff problems forever, brighten hair, too. Use Fitch regularly. Get Fitch Dandruff Remover Shampoo today. Only 59 cents. When my business in Mexico was completed, I crossed the border into Arizona. My destination? Tombstone. I rode easy through the pleasant roll of the hills and valleys of the somber Dragoon mountains and finally into Bedlam. I expected to find activity, but nothing like this. Tombstone was swarming with men, swaggering and boisterous men in groups and men alone, lolling in the sun, sleeping off drunks. Along the walks, the wagons and horses were lined up solid. And it was almost impossible to guide my way through the moving crowds in the street, but eventually, I reached the Alhambra Saloon Bar and a glass of cold beer. What? What do you know? Clay, Clay, how are you? I was planning to look you up. Oh, it's been a long time. It sure has. Yeah, you've got a busy time here, Sheriff. Awful, ain't it? Been this way for a week. More coming in every day. What's going on? New strike up on Mule Mountain. Uh-huh. You planning to stay up out? No, I'm afraid not. I had business across the border. I'm headed now for Tucson. Too bad. I could use you. Expecting trouble? Oh, just the usual. When you get this many men on the loose. Now, wait a minute. You heard me. Are you accusing me? Just go on. Sounds like there might be a little trouble brewing at that poker table over there. Talking to me like that. You wait here. Go on, play. All right, boys. What's the trouble? I ain't taking a guff from no smart alec weasel lad Texan. You watch it, mister. You're gonna get more than guff. Now, hold it, fellas.  You giving me that big talk? Talk? I'll show you. I don't know. You hear me? Nobody. I'm getting out of here. I don't think so. That's my gun you backed into. You should know you can't cover a crowd like this with one six-shooter. Now, drop it. You shoot, mister. I'll squeeze this trigger going down. Somebody else will get it, too. Drop it. No, like you. Thank you, paladin. I'm afraid I brought that gun butt down on him pretty hard. Yeah. He's out cold. He's scared. And I figure a scared man is a dangerous one. Clay, your shoulder. One of his slugs get you? No, this ain't nothing. Jim Acons there needs a doctor real bad. One of you men get the doc, will you? Tell him to hurry. Frank, you and Bob, you get this kid across the street to the jail. Tell Sam to lock him up. You better see the doctor yourself, Clay. Looks to me like that shoulder is torn pretty bad. I'm going to be a lot of good in this town, ain't I? Keeping law and order with my gun. I'm out of commission. Paladin, I'd be much obliged if you could see your way clear to do me a favor. What's that, Clay? I know you have to get to Tucson, but will you let me pin a badge on you for as long as you're here? You really do need help, don't you, Clay? Sure, we're going to look like it. Wow. All right. Thanks. As soon as I get patched up, we'll go over and swear you in. Jim Acons had a lot of friends in town. If he dies, there's apt to be real trouble. Constipation can be a problem for anyone, even doctors. And when constipation occurs, it's interesting to see just what doctors consider important about a laxative they might use or recommend. Well, a majority of the doctors we heard from had this to say, a laxative should be effective, gentle, as close to natural acting as possible, and a medicine that can be used with complete confidence. Now, x-lax has been popular with many doctors and millions of people over the years because chocolate at x-lax is effective. Overnight, it helps you toward your normal regularity. X-lax is gentle. Next morning, it gives you the closest thing to natural action. And that's why many doctors and millions of people use x-lax with complete confidence. X-lax, the laxative that helps you toward your normal regularity gently. Overnight, is x-lax in your medicine cabinet? My first official act as a deputy sheriff of Cochise County was to register the prisoner. His name was Whitey Hale. He was from Texas. He was 20 years old, and he was scared. My second official act was to settle back in Clay's chair, prop my feet on his desk and wait for something to happen. It did. Not exactly what I expected. I saw her first through the window, her tinted red hair piled high, bearing down on the office at a full trot. Rosie Dugan, a pharaoh dealer at the Crystal Palace and one of my favorite women. All 200 pounds of it. Chef! Paladin! Rosie! Well, Rosie. Well, when did you get in time? Long time no see. How are you, Rosie? What are you doing behind that desk, wearing that star? Where's the sheriff? He's at the doctor's office. He'll be back. Sit down, Rosie. All right. You know something, Deary. One of these days, I'm gonna get myself dolled up and come out there to Frisco to see you. You and me are gonna rip that town wide open. How about that, huh? That's the date, Rosie. What do you want with the sheriff? You got a guy locked up in your clink here named Whitey Hale. Yeah. What do you want with him? I got his wife over to my place. His wife? Yeah, I've been out of town a couple of weeks. I just got back on the stage. This kid was riding with me. Come all the way from Texas, she did. Nice little thing, pretty, but awful skinny. Well, I saw she wasn't feeling too good, and then by the time we got here, she was real sick. I mean, serious sick. So I took her to my place. Another stray kitten, Rosie. Did Hale know she was coming? No.  She was figuring out how she was gonna surprise him. I tried to get the doc for her, but seems he's busy. I hear how Jim Acons got himself shot. Yeah. Well, she keeps asking for this husband to her. So how about the guy? Can I bail him out, huh? I'm afraid not, Rosie. What do you mean? What's the charge? Maybe murder. Murder? No. Hey, wait. This whitey Hale, this ain't the one that shot Jim Acons. Mm-hmm. Uh-oh.  Yeah. Doc's working hard to try to keep Acons alive. Yeah, but if he don't make it, that their crowd ain't gonna say too bad, amen, and go home. No, sir. Well, it's not like that starts getting itself worked up to lynch a man. Well, they won't take him. Well, what am I gonna tell that little girl? Rosie, don't tell her anything. Acons isn't dead yet. Oh, that's good. Uh-oh. Don't be too sure. Look out the window. Here comes the sheriff. Yeah. He doesn't look too happy, does he, Clay? Acons died. Doc did all he could. Oh, that's too bad. Oh, hello, Rosie. That crowd, did they know? Doc's gonna keep it quiet as long as he can, but they'll find out. You're really worried, then. Paladin and I told you Acons had a lot of friends. Well, I'll bet in that crowd gathered out there, half the men never knew Acons. A third of them never even heard of them.  The strangers in town, huh? That's what scares me. My own people, I might be able to handle. You don't think we could stand them off? No, I don't. And they're really working themselves up. I know the signs. I won't have a lynching. I worked too hard to establish respect for the law in this town. Can I do anything to help, Clay? Well, I was thinking, Paladin, maybe you ought to get on with your trip to Tucson. What do you mean? I'd like to authorize you to transport the prisoner to hold until this town simmers down. I see. Sure would help me, but it's a mighty big responsibility. All right, Clay. I'll do it. Thanks. I appreciate that. Now we'll have to make plans and move real careful. You know, you've got to figure your time, just how long it's going to take that mob to drink up the courage it needs. Rosie, why don't you poke around the saloons? All right. You keep your ears open. Let us know how the talk's going. Sure. Well, Paladin, I guess there ain't much we can do about that poor little girl right now, huh? I'm afraid not, Rosie.  Well, I'll see you men later. Goodbye, Rosie. Yeah, bye, Rosie. I hope Paladin gets you might as well let the prisoner know what's going on. Yeah, I guess so. I'll get a wire ready to send to the Marshal's office. All right. Whitey. Yes, sir? Akins died. I didn't aim to kill him. He was golden- You shot him. He was unarmed. That's murder. No, I didn't- I'm taking you to Tucson. Why? What do you mean? You might as well know feeling seems to be running a little high in town. You saying they're fixing to take me? They won't do it, Whitey. We won't give them a chance. You know something? I've been sitting here in this old cell thinking about how my old man, he's all the time telling me I weren't no good. Born to hang, he used to say. Well, there's a chance your old man was right. But if you hang, it's going to be through due process of law. And now, here's a message from the watchmakers of Switzerland. Swiss vacation. Win a fabulous vacation for two in beautiful Switzerland. Enter the Swiss vacation contest. It's easy. Nothing to buy. Pick up a free entry blank at a jewelry store or other store that sells quality watches. Then in 25 words or less, complete this statement. A quality watch is the best value because there are 1,000 prizes. First prize, a 21-day vacation for two in Switzerland. You fly Deluxe Swiss Air both ways. Visit many colorful places. All expenses paid for two people plus $500 extra spending money. Second, third, and fourth prizes. 15-day Swiss vacations for two. Also four mink stoles. Eight bolex movie cameras and projectors. Twelve Hermes typewriters. $160 watches. 812 Gala assortments of Tobler Swiss chocolates. Enter the Swiss vacation contest today. Free entry blanks at your jewelry store. The sheriff got horses and gear ready for us and hid them in a draw beyond the far edge of town. Whitey and I walked along a back trail to reach them down a bluff and through a mile-and-a-half stretch of brushy desert. The going was slow and we were silent most of the way. This is a long way around, but we had to do it. Mr. Paladin, what are they going to do to me and Tucson? They'll hold you for trial. Will they hide me? Well, that's up to the courts to decide. And I hold up. There's the wash. The horses ought to be waiting for us and those willows over there off the trail will be... Hey, wait. Listen. That's a team in wagon. It's heading right down the road where the horses are hidden. Stay back. Huh. There's Rosie. Rosie. What is it? You gotta come with me. What are you talking about? We have to get away from here as fast as possible. Whitey? Yes, ma'am? I'm sorry there ain't time to break this to you, gentlemen, but your wife's to my place and she needs to see you. Emily? She's in taxes. She's safe. No, no, she's in tombstone, but she's sick all right. Paladin, the doc come in to see this little kid.  Emily? You talking about my Emily? Of course, she don't know about Whitey's trouble here. She keeps asking for him. I figure she ought to see him. Rosie, Hale's a prisoner. He's also that little gal's husband. No, but this is official business. The minute we left that jail, it became my responsibility to see that he gets to the authorities in Tucson. Oh, come on, Paladin. You got your responsibilities as a human being too. I gotta see Emily.  She's the only one ever in my life thought good about me.  It's that little gal I'm thinking about. Come on now. Climb in the wagon, you two. We'll go to my place the back way. Nobody to know about this. Rosie, we can't do... Paladin! Climb in the wagon, Whitey. When we got to Rosie's little house on the edge of town, she took Whitey Hale into his wife. Then we waited in the front room. After a long while, Whitey came out of the bedroom. How is she, Whitey? Emily's dead. Oh, that's a shame. I'm real sorry to hear that, Whitey. Paladin, this gun was in Emily's things. I give it to her when we were back in Texas. You'll have to give me that gun. You're still my prisoner. No.  Give me the gun. Now, don't come towards me. I don't want to kill you, but it wouldn't make much difference now. I'm leaving this town. Oh, don't do this, Whitey. You won't get very far. Let's see. Now just stand right where you are.   Oh, Whitey, don't. I got it. Don't try to stop me. Whitey, stop! Stay here, Rosie. Whitey? Whitey. Why did you do this? I guess it's best this way. Emily and me ought to be together. Could you see to that? Yes, Whitey. I showed him, didn't I? Paul always said I was born to hang. I guess I sure am. Yes, Whitey. I guess you did. Morning. Hello, Miss Wong. The boy said you came back last night. Did you have most relaxing trip this time? Well, no, it didn't quite work out that way. Oh, wonderful having you back at Carlton Hotel. Thank you, Miss Wong. You remarked. Making to bundle. Leave in closet. Oh, yes, thank you. Thank you. Oh, Miss Wong, is there anyone you could recommend to do up these shirts for me? Oh, Lisa, my cousin. Your cousin? My cousin. I thought Lee Sing was Hey Boy's cousin. Oh, Lee's cousin. I see. Lee Sing. He is a man with a mind of his own. I think I'm beginning to. Miss Wong, I know you're awfully busy, but do you suppose you could find time to do up those shirts for me? Ah, I do. Well, fine. Fine. Now, look, Miss Wong, about the cuffs. I don't like starch. There's plenty of starch. Oh. Oh. Oh, yes, Miss Wong. I suppose you're quite right. Oh, quite right. If you're smoking more today, but enjoying it less, try camels. More people smoke camels than any other cigarette. Any filter, any king, any regular. The camel blend of costy tobaccos has never been equal for rich flavor and easygoing mildness. The best tobacco makes the best smoke. Have a real cigarette. A real cigarette. A real cigarette. Have a camel. Tonight's story was specially written for Have Gun Will Travel by Ann Dowd. Featured in the cast were Bartlett Robinson, Harry Bartell, Joseph Cranston, and Betty Gard. This is Hugh Douglas inviting you to join us again next week when CBS Radio presents Have Gun Will Travel.