Dances with Wolves Page #2

Lieutenant Dunbar is not watching the enemy. He's looking at

some horses picketed in the trees behind the union lines.

There's a nice bay. There's a big roan.

PEPPER:

They're 'sposed to be beat up just

like us but everybody knows that

Tucker's men are tough as cobs. I

sure don't wanna die out there with

them cows.

Dunbar is still watching the horses. He's holding on a small,

well-muscled buckskin standing a little apart from the others.

CISCO.

Now he moves away from the wall, heading for the horses.

The sergeant squeezes off a shot. Squinting across the field,

he sees a rifle with a hat on the tip of its bayonet waving

at him disrespectfully. The sergeant rolls on his side to

reload. He keeps on talking to the lieutenant, but the

lieutenant is gone.

PEPPER:

Some of the boys are sayin' that if

we ain't gonna fight we could just

settle the whole business with a

little high stakes poker. Wouldn't

that be a sight... a bunch of fellas

sittin' in the middle of this field

drawin' cards...

The sergeant's chatter is interrupted by a sound... the sound

of hoofbeats rushing in behind him. Men on either side are

scattering, but there's no time for the sergeant. He turns

to the sound and cringes against the wall as the buckskinned

belly of a horse soars over his head.

Dunbar and his horse hit the ground with a thud and dig for

the confederate line.

EXT. CONFEDERATE LINE - DAY

Some of the confederate riflemen can see the wild rider headed

for their lines. A sharpshooter (RAY) calls over his shoulder.

RAY:

Tucker!

A man in a slouch hat crowned by a jaunty feather looks up

from an impromptu meeting. TUCKER.

EXT. CIVIL WAR HILL - DAY

Like the others, General Tide is absorbed with the spectacle

of a single horseman riding into the teeth of the enemy. He

holds out his hand and an AIDE slips a pocket telescope into

his palm. The general sights through his telescope.

AIDE:

What is it sir?

Tide lowers the telescope, glances at the aide and peers

back down at the field.

TIDE:

Looks like a suicide.

EXT. BATTLEFIELD - DAY

Dunbar can see the confederate riflemen now. They're rising

up behind the wall to aim and fire.

Fifty yards from the enemy line he's still unhit. He wheels

the buckskin into a sharp left turn and they streak parallel

to the confederate flank. The buckskin is charging hard, his

heels throwing out clumps of dirt.

The firing is tremendous. The lieutenant's hat is torn away.

A slug lifts off one of the officer's epaulettes, but still

no bullet finds him.

EXT. UNION WALL - DAY

The entire union line is standing, strangely quiet in their

disbelief.

EXT. BATTLEFIELD - DAY

The lieutenant passes the last of the riflemen and pulls the

buckskin up at the far end of the field. The little horse is

pitching and rearing, ready for another run.

The lieutenant bows his head in exhaustion, but a sound coming

across the field brings his head up quickly. A great cheer

is rolling along the union line.

EXT. HILL - DAY

General Tide is furiously spurring his horse as he tears

down the hill. His aides are trying desperately to keep up.

EXT. CONFEDERATE WALL - DAY

There's action along the confederate line. The men Dunbar

passed are desperately trying to reload. Those at the end

are jeering, taunting the lieutenant to take another pass.

Tucker is moving along the line. The battle ground has

suddenly taken on a festival atmosphere and Tucker doesn't

like it.

CONFEDERATE:

Come on you son of a b*tch -- you

won't make it a second time...

EXT. BATTLEFIELD - DAY

DUNBAR:

Alright by me.

Dunbar gazes down along his leg. Blood is pumping from his

wound.

DUNBAR:

Forgive me Father.

Again he digs his heels into the buckskin's flanks and they

fly down the line. The confederates are trying to reload. A

few are able to get off a hasty shot, but they're all too

late.

EXT. BATTLEFIELD - DAY

Dunbar swerves in a little closer to the wall as he approaches

the other half of the confederate ranks. They're standing

ready, like a firing squad.

Tucker has just reached the side of Ray the sharpshooter.

The lieutenant shuts; his eyes, lets the reins flop on the

buckskin's neck and spreads his arms as they thunder toward

the line of riflemen.

Ray's finger squeezes the trigger, his keen eye sights down

the barrel of his gun. THUD... a rifle ball buries itself in

Ray's forehead.

EXT. BATTLEFIELD - DAY

The union trooper who fired the fatal shot gets up from a

kneeling position and scrambles after some of his comrades.

EXT. UNION WALL - DAY

With his aides coming behind, General Tide leaps his horse

over the wall at a dead run.

The entire Union line pours after him, screaming a thunderous

battlecry in unison. Pepper is one of the last to scurry

over the wall.

EXT. BATTLEFIELD - DAY

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