In hind sight so would I, but if'n Clint had done that he would have drawn the Mexicans upon him forever, hunting him down. With 4 bags each they were separated !
Did ya know they had to blow up the Bridge Twice, because the camera was not rolling the First time !
And Eli Wallace was lucky to escape with his actual life, as on the train scene with him holding the Corporal on the tracks, the directors never figured in the train's stairs that very nearly missed him.