A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die Page #4

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the gallery connecting with the fort.

Now, there's an alarm system, and it's

your job to see that it never goes off.

The fort with its gallery and

suspension bridge

were all built to command the trail

that passes through a mountain tunnel.

Well, Colonel?

If our little plan worked

Eli is inside by now.

- The Password?

- Confederacy and liberty.

- Take me to Major Ward.

- Yes, sir.

Sir, Santa Fe prison camp has

confirmed that Pembroke has escaped.

- When?

- About ten days ago, sir.

I want you to send two

platoons from B-company.

- I want a 24 hour patrol for

- And you? What else do you want? - I request

permission to remain overnight at the Fort, sir.

- Report back to your unit.

- My buttocks is awful sour, sir.

Don't get smart with me, soldier!

Major, I respectfully request permission

to show the cheeks of my ass.

Show him the quarters, but

make sure he's out by morning.

- I want Lieutenant Babbitt and Ryan report

in this office immediately. - Yes, sir.

There's no danger.

He's only one man.

- Can I make you a drink?

- No, thank you.

I would prefer to be alone.

- Is there a sundial anywhere around?

- A sundial? - Yeah.

All the Confederate forts have a sundial.

Well... maybe up there by that cannon.

There's never been a sundial

here when I've been around.

That damn horse.

After one week in the saddle

I just got about the most

sensitive buttocks in the world.

You're real lucky. Robinson and

Hutton are out on patrol.

There's a couple of free beds.

Otherwise you got to

ride out of here tonight.

You remind me of someone.

IS that so?

I've never seen you before.

What we got to do now is wait for

dawn and the changing of the guards.

Eli, good luck.

EMERGENCY:

Halt! What are you doing here?

I didn't know where latrine was,

and there were no signs, so I...

Stop pointing at me.

It is forbidden to come

near the emergency panel.

All right. Be quick about it.

I can't stay here all night.

- See you in the morning.

- Right, Sergeant.

Well, what the hell was

taken you so long?!

- What is going on here?

- I was gonna pee.

You picked the wrong place.

Well, go on.

- Well? - I can't do it when

someone is around me.

Please, mind moving

a little out of sight.

Come on!

- You haven't done it yet?

- Almost.

That feels better.

Now I can go to sleep.

- Keep a sharp watch.

- Yes, sir.

It's almost dawn. What do we do?

We wait.

- Piggott, load off the dynamite.

- Yeah.

I'm so tired.

- You had a long nab. How was your rest?

- So, so.

I got to go.

Duty watch on Pulpit tonight.

Hey, I'm afraid I can't sleep You mind if I

come and get a breath of fresh air with you?

- Uh...

- Uh, what?

Uh, nothing.

He must have been caught.

I bet the son-of-a-b*tch

is caught.

You got enough ammunition here to

fight off the whole Union Army.

- How did you manage to bring it all in?

- Oh hell, that was all here when we came.

You got to say about the Yankees...

they are really organized.

- Hey, I get dizzy.

- Come on! Just don't look down.

- Lieutenant Wilkins!

- Are you ready to relieve me, sergeant?

- The great mountain air.

- There is usually too much of it.

- It blows you right off the bridge.

- Them tents must be kind of precarious.

- They're replaced twice a week.

- And the men inside of them?

- You like a cigar?

- I prefer my pipe.

- If you can spare a couple for the

lads over there... - Oh, sure.

Thanks.

Thank you, Sergeant.

Mighty fine these things are.

Pull it down a bit.

I said, let go!

There, it's free.

It's caught again.

Hey, not too hard!

It's gonna break.

Easy... and pull!

I told you it's gonna break.!

If it breaks we start all over again.

We're not getting anywhere this way. Pull!

Easy. He has got it. Let go!

What is it?

I thought I was going to be sick.

I'm waving out.

I get me an attack, now I'm

feeling better. Thank you.

It is best that you turn in, you

got a long ride this morning.

It will be dawn in just

a few more minutes.

I know, there's something familiar about you.

I just can't put my finger on it.

Yeah? Well let me know

when you figure it out.

- Say, were you here when the fort was taken?

- Hell, yes.

- And I tell you it was a true miracle.

- How's that?

Well, we had half of Sibleys force

massed down in the valley...

with orders to take the fort at any cost.

You know, what that would mean?

- It would mean we'd been all

wiped out. That's why. - Go on.

There we was, all set to go,

and then a miracle happened.

Pembroke hold up the white flag

and we just walked in here..

They're all the same them Yankees.

They're turning in like a flash.

Not Pembroke.

He's tough as nails.

The truth is that Ward got

his hands on Pembroke's son.

- Then what happened?

- They send Pembroke word to surrender the fort.

Or he would hang the boy.

And Pembroke surrendered.

- Smart trick. But he didn't hang the kid?

- Oh no, Ward is a man of his word.

He doesn't hang him,

he shoots him.

With Pembroke free, I sure

wouldn't be in Wards shoes.

Why? What chance has one man

against a fort full of soldiers.

I wouldn't change places with Ward

for anything in the world.

Being inside this Fort is safer than in a

bank vault. Have you seen the alarm system?

Ward connected it to that suspension

bridge to blow it to hell.

He's smart as hell, that Ward is. They say

he invented the alarm-system out of own head.

Kind of electrical thing but

I don't know how it works.

There's probably nobody that

does but Major Ward.

Anyway, every time I cross that

bridge it scares the pants of me.

You mean that if the alarm is set of,

the bridge is gonna blow up?

It's mined. If someone manages to storm the

Pulpit and the emergency alarm goes off...

the major, and only him,

pulls a handle or something.

And bang, the bridge blows sky high.

- What's so funny?

- That alarm system.

I was taking a leak

right at the alarm box.

If I had peed on it would

never have worked again!

Just think, as for a call of nature, it's

gonna could have cost the South the whole fort.

A good thing I didn't ground it out.

- Do you feel all right?

- Sure.

- What are you doing?

- I've something in my jacket.

A dice.

How much do you wanna bet,

you can't roll a six?

- How did you do that?

- Now you try it.

Hands up!

- What's the matter? - This one is one of

loaded dice that belonged to private Robin.

He took me more than $100

before I got wise to him.

- This uniform must be his.

- I found it.

- Lieutenant Wilkins! - Who's that?

- The sergeant at the watch!

- Over here, lieutenant!

- What is it, Sergeant?

Look inside the jacket. I bet that's Robins

too. This dice was in his pocket.

I swear that I found it.

Mine was completely worn out.

- Lieutenant, give me a break.

- All right, take him to Major Ward.

Listen, we've had it here.

Let's retreat before we are spotted.

Give me the knife.

I suggest your men to relax

while you read this.

Sir!

I am Colonel Morrow, Secret Service

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