Breakheart Pass

---

1

Esther. Jane-Marie.

Up and dressed.

Come on out now, ladies.

- Train ain't due for a damn week.

- Where's Esther?

She's busy. She's got an all-nighter.

Myrtle.

All right, fall in.

Dress up, Madigan. Dress up.

Murphy, dress 'em up. Come along.

- How long you gonna be?

- 20 minutes, half an hour.

Howdy do, ma'am?

You could have a lot of fun

out of me, darlin', if you tried.

One thing about me, darlin',

I won't go to hell for not tryin'.

Message from Fort Humboldt

for the governor.

I'll take it.

It's an army transport train.

No civilians on board.

Well, this is an odd place to settle.

OK, you heard him,

gentlemen. Line it up.

- Major Claremont.

- Sergeant, get me Captain Oakland.

Fall out the troops for exercise,

but keep them out of those tents.

Yes, sir.

Now you listen to me.

You will remain hard by this train.

You ever see an Indian washing?

They're dirty, and they're ignorant.

Major Claremont.

- How long will this take?

- As long as necessary, Governor.

This train runs on steam.

That requires water.

Let's get it done as

quickly as possible.

Of course.

All right, fall in.

There will be no skylarking...

Bellew said you want to see me.

Get your cipher book.

See what you can make of this.

- It's for the governor.

- It's from the fort.

Maybe it'll tell us what's going on.

Pissant politicians running an army train.

Yes, sir.

Havin' any problems?

No. We're just making sure we're

not gonna have any, Lieutenant.

- Newell, come with me a minute.

- For what, Captain?

Major gave me a message from

the fort to be deciphered.

Looks like you've got

room for one more.

No civilians, except by special

permission from Washington.

I'm a deputy US marshal.

Indian agent for the territory.

The governor can tell ya.

My orders are to accept no

unauthorised persons on this train.

Dr Molyneux and the Reverend

Peabody are posted to Fort Humboldt.

The young lady is a daughter

of the commandant at the fort.

Why do you want to go to Humboldt?

Levi Calhoun. He's in custody

up there. I wanna bring him back.

- If ever a man deserved to hang...

- And hang he will.

The sooner I can get up there,

the sooner he takes the drop.

We can have him sent to

you under armed escort.

You said that ain't army business.

That way or no way.

Good day, Marshal.

Major Claremont.

Locomotive's ready, sir.

- Very well, Sergeant. Carry on.

- Major.

I can't find Lieutenant

Newell or Captain Oakland.

Corporal said Humboldt's

only two days up the line.

Something funny's goin' on.

Get the hell off here, son.

Wonder why we ain't movin' yet.

You sign up yesterday? Hurry up

and wait. Hurry up and wait.

Right, I need eight

volunteers right now.

You, you, you two. You.

You, Murphy. You too, Rafferty.

Here's what I want you to do.

Go up and scour this town.

Captain Oakland and Lieutenant Newell

are missin'. See if you can find 'em.

Murphy and I will

take the small tent.

Have you found them?

- Not yet.

- Next time bring a nursemaid.

- The train cannot be held any longer.

- You expect me to leave my officers?

I'm very sorry. You know

the urgency of our mission.

Just a goddamn minute.

Just once too often, friend.

Put the gun away, friend.

What's your problem?

Slippery Fingers here

took $120 off of me.

- Maybe he's a good poker player.

- Too good to be true.

Looks like a pretty fair hand to me.

What's your name?

John Deakin.

Stand up.

I said stand up.

- No gun?

- I'm not a man of violence.

What's known as playing

it close to the chest.

That's not good

enough, Marshal. Outside.

I'm not a man of violence.

- That's enough.

- Not for me it's not.

Marshal, look at this.

"Wanted for theft, gambling

debts, arson and murder."

"John Murray, alias John

Deakin, alias Hayes."

"Former lecturer at the

University of Iowa."

A lecturer in what, Mr Deakin?

- Medicine.

- You don't expect us to believe that?

Here. Listen to this.

"Convicted of embezzlement."

"Trapped in Lake's Crossing, where he

escaped under cover of a fire that he set."

The whole town burned down.

Seven people killed.

Seven people. My God,

Richard, that's awful.

He blew up a wagonload

of explosives in Sharps.

It's still not army business.

Those explosives was on the way

to the presidio in San Francisco.

That makes it army business.

I'm pretty sure Mr Deakin here's

gonna be my ticket to Humboldt.

So the governor here got hold of

some of his friends in Washington,

had me appointed Indian

agent for the territory.

More ways to pacify Indians

than shooting holes in 'em.

But you did that, too.

In the line of duty, of course.

Even back in Ohio,

we knew about Nathan Pearce.

- Notorious, was I?

- No. Famous is more like it.

"Famous" is a better word, Marshal.

I must admire your spunk, young lady.

It's not an easy life out here.

How come you're making this trip if no

civilians are supposed to be aboard?

I have friends in high places.

Miss Scoville's joining her father,

at his urgent request.

Gentlemen, I have a

hard day tomorrow.

At my age, sleep is a necessity.

- "A hard day tomorrow"?

- I have to check the medical supplies.

We're cut off from the world now.

May I please just know

what in the hell is going on?

Governor, these are all

intelligent people.

I think they have a right to know.

Dr Molyneux here is a specialist.

Your troops are not merely relief. They're

replacements for soldiers who've died.

- Died?

- God save us. The Indians.

Not Indians. Fort Humboldt is in

the grip of a diphtheria epidemic.

Oh, Richard. My father.

We're in daily contact with the fort,

Marica, and your father's fine.

Why wasn't I told?

Because we might have lost the rest of

your command, not only two officers.

- They must have found out.

- Governor, how dare you expose a lady,

- all of us, to this dreadful pestilence?

- We have provisions for a month.

We'll remain aboard until Dr

Molyneux pronounces Humboldt clean.

He's got as good a chance as

any of catching the diphtheria.

I've already had

the disease. I'm immune.

- Where'd you catch it?

- In Mexico. Why?

Just curious.

How many troops are

available for duty?

- Gentlemen.

- Doctor.

25 out of a garrison of 76.

The others are too sick

for duty, or dead.

- White Hand must like that.

- White Hand?

Paiute chief. He needs watchin'.

25 men. That's not even

enough for patrols.

If you'll excuse me.

Marica. Are you all right?

Yes, of course.

It's been a long day.

Are you going to leave

him like this all night?

I reckon we could turn

him loose in the morning.

By then we'll be in snow country,

and he'll have no place to go.

You sure got a mighty poor

choice for your pity, ma'am.

Then you make a mighty poor

example of a lawman, Mr Pearce.

A man is innocent

until proved guilty.

But you've tried,

convicted and condemned.

Show me the law that says you can

treat a man like a wild animal.

You frightened me.

I'm sorry.

I didn't mean to.

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote