Band of Angels Page #6

Close the door.

Well, Manty,

what's the word from Hamish?

There's been no word lately.

I'm surprised to see you.

I supposed by now you'd be in

the gallant uniform of the Confederacy.

Cotton is my contribution, Manty.

Our president, Jeff Davis,

says us planters must double our crops.

Cotton is money for the South.

- Here, have a brandy with me.

- No, thank you.

My dear Manty, this reserve of yours

will accomplish nothing.

What has to be will be.

Indeed, it has been too long

delayed already.

Listen, you know what I say is true,

Manty.

You know, the time has come.

Now, we'll take a little ride

and stop by my plantation house.

- I'll call Rau-Ru.

- What good will that do?

He puts his hand on a white man,

he'd be killed.

And so will Hamish Bond

if he challenges me.

Oh, listen, Manty,

you're wasting your life away with him.

You've never really known what life can

be like, have you? Don't you want to know?

Unless, of course, you've been behind

his back with that fancy black fellow of his.

Now, now, now.

Now, look here. Now, in just a second,

I'll take my hand off your mouth.

You won't scream. You don't really

want to scream, do you, Manty?

No, that's not what you want at all.

Stop it. Stop!

He'll be all right. I'll get word to Hamish.

If I see him, I'll kill him.

- You wouldn't.

- Yes, I would.

He did this to me. He created it.

He made me believe I was a person

with pride and dignity.

Now it's destroyed me.

But I'll live to kill him for that.

Go quick, Rau-Ru, before he gets word

to the sheriff.

Nothing but swamps out there

for 30 miles.

- Well, that's a fitting place for him to die.

- Come on. Let's go. Come on.

Hamish.

Yes, I know. I heard.

The doctor says Charles will be all right

after a little rest.

- He's been sleeping.

- When he wakes up, let me know.

I'm quite awake, Hamish.

I put the sheriff and his hounds

onto that Rau-Ru of yours.

I want to see the look on your face

when they bring him in.

They'll never bring him in.

But take a good look at my face anyhow.

Stand over there.

- No. Don't.

- Stand over there.

You're a fool, Hamish.

I could outshoot you on any terms.

Yes, you probably could, under

the shallow meadows in New Orleans...

...with a seconds watching

and the referee counting.

You'd cut a dashing figure there.

You make a picture in your mind

of how grand you'd look killing a man.

But here it's different.

Just the three of us alone.

Your face mussed up by a Negro...

...with the woman you wanted

watching you fight scared.

- Give me a pistol.

- Let's not hurry things.

I've known you a long time.

A man doesn't kill an old friend fast.

It's taken me 15 years.

I guess I can wait a minute longer

and watch you sweat...

...while I tell you

just how I'm going to kill you.

- Give me that pistol.

- I'm not fast, Charles, but I'm sure.

Oh, you'll hit me

but I'll still be taking my time.

You'll try to finish me quick

between the eyes or in the heart...

...and you'll miss.

And then I'll nail you. You know that.

You know when I set my head

on doing a thing, I do it.

Yeah, all the time,

I'll be aiming right at your guts.

A nice big target.

And I'll need it

because I'm not as expert as you.

But I don't have to be...

...because the deepest thing in you

is a coward.

And you can see yourself now

lying on the floor...

...bleeding like a stuck hog.

How does it feel, Charles, to know

just what's going to happen to you?

Give me the pistol.

Look at your hand, it's twitching.

Not much, but enough.

So now I guess we'll start.

Pick it up.

I'll wait for you.

You just take your shot anytime you can.

All the time, I'll be aiming at your insides.

You can cock it while I count to three.

Slow.

One.

Suppose I... Suppose I refuse to shoot?

You won't refuse,

you're not that kind of a coward.

You'd be afraid not to shoot...

...because you're a strutter and a braggart

and Manty's watching you.

- Two.

- No, Hamish. No.

- Oh, so you want to save him?

- No, it's not that, I loathe him.

Well, it's up to him.

If he wants, he can walk out that door

and never come back.

That is, if he's coward enough.

And I think he is.

I did a bad thing to you, Manty.

I guess I knew all the time, way back,

it would turn out like this.

I just let it happen.

No, worse than that, I brought it on.

You know what I'm talking about.

I let him hang around you...

...because I wanted to prove something.

I wanted to prove that I could still

hold onto somebody I loved.

And I guess I had to know

just what you'd do.

- Do you hate me for it, Manty?

- Oh, Hamish.

Hamish.

Sir.

Captain Parton. I commend you

on the progress of your Negro recruiting.

You're managing a difficult job

extremely well.

Thank you, General Butler, sir.

It has long been a task

dear to my heart...

...to further equality among

the brethren of all mankind.

Laudable idea, captain.

And I'll see that they're pressed

into the thick of battle...

...with equal burial rights. Good day.

Fall in line here.

- How many did you bring in?

- Forty.

- All right. What's your name?

- Rau-Ru.

- Got a last name?

- Ponce de Len.

Mr. Bond, I've gotten word

all the planters are in the parish.

Union troops are heading up this way.

We're going to burn our fields

and storehouses tonight.

We won't leave a solitary cane stalk,

or cotton bale for those Yankee thieves.

I'm not gonna set fire to mine.

Maybe you had a point there.

Damn Yankee General Butler's

handed down an order.

Anybody destroys property, he'll hang.

- Butler.

- That's right.

The one that's been

rawhiding New Orleans.

I'll help burn your field, Mr. Stuart,

and you can help me burn mine.

I knew damn well, sir, you would

never take an order from any man.

He just burned out his whole life.

You've been hurt badly.

No, that's an old scar.

Everything is going to be all right,

Manty.

We'll find it somewhere.

But you'll never marry me,

will you, Hamish?

I wonder if you'd marry me.

You know, that's like the night

we took the village.

What village?

Oh, I don't remember the name.

If ever I knew it.

But it was burning. Bodies around.

Sometimes they'd split open a head

and run a hand in...

...the man still trying to crawl.

- Where?

Africa, up in the Rio Pongo.

I was in the n*gger business.

I was in it in a large way, if I may

say so without pompous boasting.

You mean the slave trade?

Yeah.

They called me Captain Strike Down.

There was a time

when I was right proud of that name.

Well, a man has to be proud of something.

But don't get the idea that

it was all white man's wickedness.

My chief partner was Old Gezo...

...a black king who drank rum

out of gold-mounted skulls...

...while the buzzards sat around

waiting for him to start to slaughter.

Yup, Old Gezo and his tribe

left nothing alive once they raided a village.

Well, nothing that is but the good ones,

which I had to pay hard cash for.

And when the unfits were called out

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