Fort Apache Page #7

- Right over there, sir.

- Good evening, O'Rourke.

- Good evening, sir.

- And Mrs. O'Rourke.

- Good evening.

Oh, sergeant major, you have no idea how

I've been looking forward to tonight.

I'm forever telling the captain...

...that it's the noncommissioned officers'

dance that is the nicest dance.

Don't you think so, Mrs. O'Rourke?

- Well, of course, I...

- And, sergeant major...

...will you please claim me for a dance?

- With the greatest of pleasure, ma'am.

- By the way, I...

- Right over there, sir.

Thank you, Krausmeyr.

Again, on behalf of the officers

of Fort Apache...

...I wish to thank the noncommissioned

officers and their ladies...

...for this grand party.

The food is exquisite.

And the punch, wow.

Good evening, Krausmeyr.

And so, as is customary at Fort Apache...

...the commanding officer,

Colonel Owen Thursday...

...will lead out the wife

of our sergeant major...

...the charming Mrs. Michael O'Rourke.

With your permission...

...Mrs. O'Rourke, may I have the honor?

It will be a pleasure, Colonel Thursday.

And now, Sergeant Major O'Rourke

will lead out the colonel's lady...

...in this case, his lovely daughter,

Miss Philadelphia Thursday.

And now, ladies and gentlemen...

...quickly take your partners

for the grand march.

- My pleasure, miss.

- Thank you.

Get out of my way, Meacham,

or I'll break both your legs.

Of course, with your permission.

Walk him around then rub him down,

will you, son.

Captain York.

- Well?

- Cochise has crossed the river, sir.

He's coming in with all his people,

wants to talk peace.

- He's returned to American soil?

- Yes, sir.

Now, with the colonel's permission...

...I'd like to shake some of this Mexican

adobe dust and get back to the dance.

There'll be no time for that.

The regiment moves out at dawn.

The regiment?

Cochise says he'll meet with you

and me and Meacham.

We'll take a small detail and go unarmed.

I've arranged a rendezvous

this side of the Dragoons.

Sergeant major, you'll stop the dance.

Pass the word to the first sergeants.

Prepare their troops to march at dawn.

Troop commanders will meet

at headquarters at once.

Colonel, if you send out the regiment,

Cochise will think I've tricked him.

Exactly. We have tricked him.

Tricked him into returning to American soil.

I intend to see that he stays here.

Colonel Thursday,

I gave my word to Cochise.

No man is gonna

make a liar out of me, sir.

Your word to a breechclouted savage?

An illiterate, uncivilized murderer

and treaty-breaker?

There's no question of honor, sir,

between an American officer and Cochise.

There is to me, sir.

Captain York...

...you may have commanded

your own regiment in the late war...

...but so long as you command a troop

in mine, you will obey my orders.

You have your instructions, sergeant major.

Ladies and gentlemen...

...officers and noncommissioned officers,

your attention, please.

By order of the commanding officer...

...this night's entertainment will conclude

with the playing of the next dance.

After the dance, all first sergeants...

...quartermasters, saddler sergeants,

farriers, cooks and bakers...

...report to me at headquarters.

Ladies and gentlemen...

...the noncommissioned officers

of Fort Apache...

...offer their deep regrets.

And on their behalf, I wish to thank you

for attending this dance.

Krausmeyr, if you please.

Is it to your taste, Johnny, darling?

Column of fours.

- First troop, fours left.

- Fours left.

Fours left.

Fours left.

Mrs. Collingwood. Excuse me, ma'am.

It's Captain Collingwood's transfer, ma'am.

It just came through.

Oh, run. Run or send someone after.

Call him back.

Yes, Aunt Emily.

- I don't know.

- What is there to know? Go get him.

Sam's no coward. He never was.

Who's talking about cowardice?

Don't be a fool, woman.

Tom, get mounted.

Go bring Captain Collingwood back.

No.

- Keep this for the captain's return.

- Yes, ma'am.

I can't see him.

All I can see is the flags.

Squadron, halt.

Halt!

It's the encampment, sir.

Must be about a mile up.

Three hundred wickiups or more.

Very good.

Bugler, my compliments

to Captain York.

- Have him report to me.

- Yes, sir.

Yes?

Is that approximately where you were

to meet Cochise, captain?

Just about.

My officers will address me as "sir,"

Captain York.

Yes, sir. Will that be all, sir?

It will not.

I propose, York, to deploy the men.

Two troops to the north, one to the east.

- We will then converge on the encampment.

- I wouldn't do that, sir.

I'm not asking your advice, captain.

I'm merely stating.

The Apache, sir,

are neither to the north nor the east.

Nor are they in their encampment.

But if you'd have been watching the dust

swirls to the south like most of us...

...you'd see that

they're right there.

That's Alchesay.

They out number us four to one.

Do we talk or fight?

You seem easily impressed

by numbers, captain.

However,

I'll honor your word to Cochise.

Tell him we've come to talk.

Gentlemen, I have the honor...

...to present the great hereditary war chief

of the Apache nation, Cochise.

Get on with it, captain.

Take over, Beaufort.

Good afternoon.

Gentlemen, this is Alchesay,

head of the White Mountain Apaches...

...Satanta of the Mescaleros...

...and the Chiricahua

medicine man...

...named Jerome in our language,

but in Spanish, Geronimo.

Well, time to get on with it, Beaufort.

- What's he saying?

- That the Apaches are a great race, sir.

They've never been conquered.

But it is not well for a nation

to be always at war.

The young men die.

The women sing sad songs.

And the old ones are hungry

in the winter.

And so I led my people from the hills.

And then came this man.

- What did he say?

- Well, sir...

...a translation would be that

Meacham's a yellow-bellied polecat...

...of dubious antecedents

and conjectural progeny.

Cochise's words,

of course, sir, not mine.

That's a matter of opinion.

He is worse than war.

He not only kill the men...

...but the women, and the children...

...and the old ones.

We look to the great white father

for protection.

He gave us slow death.

We will not return

to your reservation...

...while that man is there...

...or anyone like him.

Send him away

and we will speak of peace.

If you do not send him away...

...there will be war.

And for each one of us

that you kill...

...ten white men will die.

- Are you threatening us?

- Don't, it's an insult.

I'll not sit here and be threatened.

Beaufort.

No preliminary nonsense with him,

no ceremonial phrasing.

Straight from the shoulders.

Do you hear me?

They're recalcitrant swine.

They must feel it.

He's only speaking the truth, sir.

Is there anyone in this regiment

that understands an order?

- What does the colonel wish me to say, sir?

- Tell him I find him without honor.

Tell them they're not talking to me

but to the United States government.

Tell him that government orders them

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