Drums Along the Mohawk Page #2

I'm your nearest neighbor.

I've been meaning to call...

me and George

and John here, my boy.

- How do?

- I'm so glad to meet you.

And this is Christian's wife, Mrs. Reall,

and her daughter Martha Ellen.

- How do you do?

- Howdy. And this is my oldest girl, Mary.

- Hello, Mary.

- Hello, Mrs. Martin.

- And Mrs. Demooth.

- My husband is the captain.

How do you do?

- Oh, how do you do?

- And Dr. Petry.

How do, Mrs. Martin?

Oh, pass the lot of 'em.

Um-

Fall in! Outside.

All right, men.

Hup! Hup!

Hup! Hup! Hup!

Hup! Hup!

Hup! Hup!

Don't be afraid of these women, Mrs. Martin.

You'll find they're good neighbors...

once they get over being mad at you

for being so pretty.

- Oh, don't be so silly.

- That bonnet you got on

is giving them a lot of worry.

And they're dying

to shoo us men off...

so they can find out if you and Gil

have got a family on the way.

- Oh, Nicholas Herkimer!

- We weren't gonna tell anybody.

- Lana!

Oh, that's just fine.

- Congratulations, Martin.

- Thank you.

That's just fine. A baby.

You know, I don't believe

in young folks waiting.

- I always say a man needs help on his place...

- Stick out your tongue.

And the only way to get it

is to have children, especially boys.

- Why, Maggie Weaver, how awful.

Militia, fall in!

- Fall in what?

Attention.

Dress to the right.

- That's my husband.

Call the roll.

- Amos Brock.

- Here.

- John Weaver?

- Here!

- George Weaver.

- Here.

- Gilbert Martin.

- Here.

Christian Reall.

Christian Reall!

Christian-

That's me. Here.

- Adam Hartman.

- Here.

- James McNod.

James McNod!

He couldn't come today.

He had to go and buy flour.

Then I've got to fine him.

That's the law.

It don't look to me as though you had any right

to fine a man for not coming if he can't!

I thought that's what

this war was about-

making people pay taxes when

they didn't have no say-so about it.

That's right. That's what

I'm carrying Long Tom for.

Ain't up to me.

Talk to the general.

Oh, I guess we can

let that go this time.

And that's enough of the roll call too.

You can check up later.

Stand at ease, men.

Neighbors...

ever since New York and the 12 colonies

signed the Declaration of Independence...

this revolution

has turned into a real war.

So far we've been lucky

up here in the Mohawk...

but it looks like we are going to be

dragged into it too.

Sure as shootin'.

That's why I got you here-

to get ready, no matter what happens.

I guess we all feel

the same way about it.

This is our home and our land.

And I say it's worth

fighting for...

only we got to do it

by ourselves.

Congress can't help us.

They say Washington needs

all the troops he can get...

and that the frontier

will have to look out for itself.

Maybe them regular soldiers don't like the kind

of liquor we drink up here, huh, General?

Adam!

Maybe not,

but that's what they say.

Now, about the Indians,

from all I hear...

the Tories are making them

a lot of big promises.

We got our agents working too,

but there's no telling which way they'll jump.

Oh, I don't think we'll have

any trouble with the Indians.

- We've always treated them fair.

- That's right.

Maybe so, but just the same...

if you hear the bell ringing

at the fort or the cannon go off...

you drop everything

and come running.

Do you understand?

All of you, come running.

Else I have you flogged so fast

you won't know what.

Now, come on. Show the women

how good you can drill.

- Take them around the field, Captain.

- Attention!

Nice talk, Nicholas.

Carry arms!

Forward left, march!

All right!

By thunder, I'll bet we can lick

the whole world the way we march.

Ezra, help us over here!

Coming right along with you, Gil.

Put it right on top.

Look out now.

Come on! Come on!

Now she's going good.

- How is the core- pretty rotten, Adam?

- Yeah.

- Try to fall it right down in there.

- All right.

Keep working on the edge. That's the idea.

This'll make a nice patch for wheat, Gil.

You got good soil here.

I figure the loam's

close to four feet.

Yes, sir, I bet there isn't any better soil

in the whole valley.

You're just a natural-born farmer,

ain't ya?

So you'd be,

if you'd marry and settle down.

There she goes!

There she goes.

That's gonna be good firewood.

There it goes.

Start heaving, Cleave.

- Push her in, Gil.

- Push her in there.

Yeah, get on out!

- Make it straightaway.

- Heave!

Heave! Heave!

Come on! Come on.

You certainly brought a lot of pretty things

with you, Mrs. Martin.

- Heavenly.

- I told Mother there was no sense in bringing...

a lot of clothes and such things.

I'd rather have the money

spent on furniture.

- I see you've got one of these feathers.

- Yes.

Mother had five of them at home.

She said there are times

in a woman's life...

when something like that

is more important than bread.

- What in the world is it?

- A pheasant's feather.

Looks like it came out

of an angel's wing.

We had a lot of them at home, but they collected

so much dust, we threw them out.

Yes.

This is a nice teapot.

What is it, Wedgwood?

I don't know.

It's just white china, I guess.

- It belonged to my grandmother.

- We always ate off Wedgwood at home.

- Eat?

- Come on out! They've started burning already.

- Great burning. Started it myself.

- Come on.

Let's go see the burning.

Come on.

Throw it on there.

Gil, it's going to be beautiful.

It's Blue Back!

Indians on the warpath.

Coming.

Eight white men...

100 Indians.

Painted. Better hurry.

- Johnny Weaver, get your horse

and tell General Herkimer.

Stop it! Stop it!

- Gil!

- Take this, Gil.

- Thanks, Joe. Adam, watch out for Lana, will you?

- Come on, Lana.

- No.

- You go too. Senecas, they kill.

I can't leave my place,

the crops.

Gil, you've got to. You've got to come.

I won't leave without you.

All right, I'll get the cart.

Indians. I know. Get.

Two, three, four-

Two, three- One-

Four, five, six-

Come on, Christian.

They're all here. Get in your wagon.

- Here!

- Thanks.

Gil, the cow,

aren't we going to take her?

We can't take her.

She'll just slow us up.

Oh, Gil, I can't stand it.

It's like leaving part of ourselves.

Don't look back. Giddyap!

- Come on, Mary.

- Hurry up, Gil!

Come on, Gil!

- Mr. Martin!

- Whoa!

Come on, Mary!

- Wait a minute.

- Where's the rest of your family?

- I don't know. I lost them.

- Give her to me.

Come on. Hurry up!

- All right.

- Giddyap, Susie!

Get!

We got Mary and Martha with us.

Get 'em in, Christian.

Climb right in the wagon here.

Come on, Trudy. You help Mary.

- Trudy, where's Nancy?

- Here she is.

- Where's Martha?

- Here's Martha.

- We're gonna have to throw

some of this furniture out.

- Oh, no, Gil!

We've got to.

- We're ready, Gil.

- I told you not to look back.

Keep up there. Keep up there.

- Come on. Pull ahead there.

Mr. Martin!

- You got her?

- Yeah.

Gil! Gil, what's happened?

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