Legend of the Lost Page #5

Makes a good frying pan, too.

I'm glad you hit me over the head with it.

I can take it there.

What's the matter?

Why doesn't he join us?

He has been gone all night.

- We ought to go look for him.

- He'll come out of it.

He's probably looking for that bronze door

his father wrote about.

Give me your plate.

I'm worried about him.

Yeah. He's the kind women worry about.

Maybe I've been underestimating him.

- You have.

- Good.

Then he'll get over the shock.

Everybody has to take a few punches.

You flop, and then get up again.

You did.

I've found it! Come on, I need help!

How about some food first?

No.

Come on.

The bronze door.

It's sprung.

Let me give you a hand.

- Lift and pull.

- Yeah.

He's giving a little.

Lies! More lies!

Lies about God! Lies about gold!

You're not used to it.

It will make you feel bad.

I feel nothing.

Where have you been?

Walking around, thinking.

It's a great town for thinking.

No distractions.

The thing between the guide

and the Cairo girl

must have started in the desert.

By the time they reached Timgad,

your father knew the score.

His Bathsheba was changing Solomons.

He'd told her about the bronze door, so

the minute they arrived in Timgad,

he hid the treasure someplace else.

He was afraid they would murder him.

- Maybe.

- Why not?

He was in the way.

That's why he left a record,

in case something happened.

A record?

I figure,

him sitting by himself that night,

a man full of pain,

he turned to the only thing

he knew for comfort,

his Bible.

So I rescued his Holy Book

and I found something.

A turned-down page.

The only dog-eared page in the Book.

Here it is.

"And they shall go

into the holes of the rocks

"and the caves of the earth

for the fear of the Lord

"and on that day a man shall

"cast his idols of gold and silver

"to the moles and to the bats. "

The bats!

That's what it says.

The bats came out of the ground!

Pretty foul down there.

2,000 years of busy bats.

- If you want me to make this trip...

- No.

I've found it.

Some of these are Egyptian and...

Look at this one.

What a ruby.

Do you like it?

It's beautiful.

It must have belonged to a queen.

It belongs to you now.

- To me?

- Yes. I give it to you.

This ruby, mine?

Oh!

Thank you!

You're kinder than anyone has ever been

to me in my life.

What is it Paul?

Do you want to talk to me?

Yes.

Alone.

Please.

All right.

What is it Paul?

Sit down.

You won't run away?

You will stay?

I'm here.

- My heart hurts for you.

- Don't be sorry for me.

Please don't.

Kiss me.

I can't.

Everybody else, why not me?

Do you want to take it all away,

that you gave me?

- I gave you lies.

- No.

You gave me a white dress.

I rode through the desert in a white dress.

Don't take it away from me, Paul.

No. I can't go back now.

Kiss me.

- No.

- Why not?

What do you want, more?

Rubies, emeralds?

I want nothing. In God's name, let me go!

Forgive me.

Here.

Look.

I lived all my life far away from pleasures.

All pleasure.

It is easy for you to say no to them.

You have had them.

I have had nothing.

Here.

There, they are all yours.

What else is it good for?

I made you virtuous.

I'll buy your virtue.

You will be rich,

happy,

radiant.

Take them away! Don't touch me!

Let her go.

She's mine!

Go to him.

Behind my back. Like they did!

- You will kill me like they killed him.

- Shut up.

You'll kill me, I know it. You will kill me!

Come back, you maniac.

He's drunk.

He's crazy and scared.

You'd better stay back in there.

What are you going to do?

I'm going to keep out of sight.

He's pretty handy with a gun.

You stay back there out of range.

I'd better pick up those extra cartridges.

You'd better make yourself comfortable.

It'll be a long night.

Poor Paul.

He was so kind.

How could it happen?

It happens.

But to him.

He believed in God.

I can't recite any Psalms for you, but

I know about people who believe in God.

Our friend didn't.

He put his faith in his father,

a man, a human being.

That's an easy faith to lose.

I know about that, too.

But he was a good man.

He tried to do good.

He dreamed of goodness all his life.

I'm getting a little sick of this poor Paul,

kind man, full of grace.

What does it take to wake you up?

He didn't believe in anything

but being a big shot, with God as a front.

I've seen these do-gooders before, usually

doing the most good for themselves.

Believing in God is different than drooling

over rubies and emeralds.

I guess

it's been a pretty rough night for you.

I heard that big auction scene.

You were all right.

You'd better try and get some rest.

Aren't you going to sleep?

Not yet, but go ahead.

We got a long haul back.

Back...

- Timbuktu.

- Yeah.

Back to Timbuktu.

But you're going to ride all the way in

that white dress.

You awake?

- Good morning.

- Good morning.

Your friend seems to have quieted down.

Maybe too quiet.

I think I'll take a look around.

You'd better hang onto this, just in case.

Be careful.

Hey!

- What's the matter?

- He's gone.

- Where?

- Gone with everything!

Food, canteens, donkeys, everything!

I felt something was phony last night.

I was too dumb to spot it.

Besides, how do you figure an amateur

will take off into the desert alone?

I forgot we were dealing with a maniac.

Here dump that out and fill it with water.

Shows you how serious this situation is.

But he left us to die.

We're not dying yet. I'll run him down.

That's all for this course.

We'll get him.

Soon?

Pretty soon.

When a donkey gets thirsty his

belly shrinks.

The cinch loosens. Pack falls off.

We'll get him.

The only thing our friend will hang on to

is the treasure.

A rich man crawling through the desert.

Idiot!

Idiot!

No canteen.

Packing a donkey without water!

That bumble-brain.

Thank God!

You like peaches?

Could I have a drink first?

Oh, of course.

Take it easy.

Just sip it.

That's it.

That's enough for now.

Come on.

Come on!

Get up.

No.

Go on alone.

I made it happen.

I'm no good.

Everything I touch turns rotten.

You got delusions.

- Let's go.

- No.

No more.

I got enough trouble,

cut out the bellyaching.

Why go on? What for?

I don't want to live.

Too much work, living. Rotten work.

I wanted to die lots of times.

I'm glad it's over.

I said stand up.

You're not going to go to bed

in the desert!

You're going to stand up

and walk like a human being.

Like a woman!

No, just...

It's all right.

Jeannette! Come, Jeannette.

Come, baby.

It's so good to see you.

Dita, Dita.

Our reserves.

I saved it.

Found a pal.

Isn't she pretty?

I must be such a mess.

You were never more beautiful.

- To you?

- Yeah.

To me.

We're like we never were.

Can such a thing happen to us?

To me?

It happened.

You're getting kind of sentimental.

You never kissed me like that before.

I always meant to.

There they are.

Donkeys!

Two donkeys!

- Dead?

- No.

The rich man in his counting house.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes