Northwest Passage Page #9

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Press it up,

press it up here.

Listen up.

Forward.

March.

Steady, men.

Take care.

Steady.

Take care, men.

Rangers...

halt.

Left face.

Quarter arms.

The first thing

we've got to do

is get this fort in shape

for amherst and his men

when they arrive

with the food.

Farrington's men

will clean up the grounds.

Rogers' men will look

for roots and fish.

Lots of roots here.

Good to eat, too.

Marriner, take some men

and burn this litter.

Fall out

and get to work.

You heard the order,

men.

Get to work.

Major, in the name of god,

let them rest.

Let them die!

We've lived on your promises

long enough!

We can't stand

anymore!

They're right, major.

We won't do it.

Get up.

Get up

and start your fires.

Fires and warm shelter,

that's something, isn't it?

Get up.

Stand on your feet

and do what's to be done.

You're going

to act like rangers.

They'll be here

with the food.

I've never promised

you anything

that you didn't get.

Until they get here,

you've got to make

this place fit to live in.

Why? Because you're not fit

to go on any farther,

and when that happens,

you've got to stop

and live here where you are.

You know, you could be

a lot worse off.

Towne...

towne's an educated man.

Wasn't there somebody

in the bible

who went without

any food for 40 days?

40 days?

I think there was

someone in the bible

who fasted for 40 days.

Uh, moses, i think.

There. Do you hear

what towne says?

Moses went without

the slightest taste

of food for 40 days.

He didn't have

any good cooked roots.

He didn't have

a single bite,

did he, towne?

No, not a thing.

No food, no water.

There. Do you hear that?

No food and no water.

Look at the water

we've got.

Good, clean, fresh water.

What do you suppose moses

would have given

for a mug of it,

let alone buckets-full

like we've got?

Instead of lying here,

doing nothing, giving up,

we should be giving thanks

for what we've got.

Men...

i'm not much

of a hand at prayer,

but maybe i can remember

a few bible verses

that i've

always believe in

and that have helped me.

"The voice of him

that cryeth

in the wilderness..."

"prepare ye

the way of the lord,

"make straight

in the desert

a highway for our god.

"Behold,

i will do a new thing,

"shall ye not know it.

"I will make a way

in the wilderness

and rivers

in the desert..."

"and a highway

shall be there

"and a way...

"and wayfaring men,

though fools,

shall not go astray

therein."

[Drums and fifes play]

Rangers...

form ranks.

Form ranks!

Rangers, attention!

I remember when that gun

used to be spotless.

You're getting careless,

aren't you?

You know that's

against regulations.

Keep that

under your shirt.

Shoulders back,

shoulders back.

Eyes, front.

Your daughter ought to

be quite a lady by now.

How many children

have you?

Five, sir.

Be glad to get home,

won't you?

How's the arm?

Better, sir.

Shoulders back,

eyes front.

Shoulders back.

Get that gun up.

Shoulders back,

eyes front.

Eyes front.

Marriner, you look

better than when you left.

Steady, men. Steady, men.

Back in the ranks.

Eyes front.

Batallion, halt!

[Major rogers]

Steady.

Sir, i have the honor

to report the abanochis

are destroyed.

Rangers, present...

gentlemen, may i

have the honor?

Detachment,

present arms.

Hip, hip, hooray!

[Crowd cheers]

Company...

halt!

Left...

face!

Company...

halt!

Left face!

Present your firelocks.

Shoulder your firelocks.

Here are

your warrants

and orders, major.

I suggest you

read them yourself

to your rangers.

Rangers... at ease.

Pay attention to orders.

"Know all men

by these presents

"that i, george ii,

by grace of god,

"king of great britain

and ireland,

do hereby authorize

and entrust..."

"my devoted liege...

"major robert rogers,

whose stout arm

and brave heart..."

[laughter]

"Whose stout arm

and brave...

"heart,

by his unswerving devotion

to duty and..."

i'll tell you where we're

going in plain language

so you'll know where we are

when we get there.

You think you're going

on a duck hunt

like that st. Francis

expedition?

Oh, no.

It's all signed,

sealed, and delivered.

We're taking a walk first

for our appetites,

about 1,000 miles

to a little fort

called detroit,

but that's just

the jumping-off place.

Why, you rangers haven't

seen any indians yet.

You're going to see

the plains indians.

You're going

to see the red men

of the shining mountains

and those men along

the mighty river oregon...

red men white men

have never seen before.

Because we're

going to end up

by the great

western ocean itself.

You're going to find a way

across this continent,

a northwest passage.

You'll see hardwood groves

like cathedrals,

corn stalks

as tall as elms,

rivers packed

with salmon trout,

and grass so high

the cows stand

knee-deep in it

and give nothing

but cream.

Just think

of all the lands

and the peoples

you're going to see,

and all

at the king's expense.

Just think of it.

A trip any man would give

his soul to make,

and you're going

to get it all free.

Oh, i forgot to tell you,

you won't have any boats

to row.

All you have to do

is just walk along

through ottawas,

chipewyans, wyandots,

miamis, sauks,

shawnees, sioux.

Well, i'll sort them

all out to you

when we get to them.

Rangers, attention!

Left step, march.

Forward, march.

[Band plays]

Ain't you going?

I've been.

All your life, langdon,

are you going to be sorry

you didn't go?

No. I've made

my choice,

but before i'm done,

his face

will look down

from

the art galleries

of the world

on the history

he's made...

the history

he's going to make.

Eyes left!

Too bad

your sweetheart

won't let you

out of her sight.

She's not holding

me back.

Yes, she is.

She wants you

to stay at home.

Isn't that right?

No. I don't want him

to stay at home.

We're going to london.

London?

Yes. I want him

to be a great painter.

There you are. I told you

she was ambitious.

You'll never end up

an amateur mapmaker

who gets himself shot

every time he looks

at an indian.

This passage you hope

to find, major.

Is there such a thing?

There's bound to be.

Before i'm done,

i'll load a canoe

with the goods

of japan and end

by coming down

the hudson river

to new york.

I'll see you at sundown,

harvard.

Is there, langdon?

Is there

a northwest passage?

Who knows?

It's every man's dream

to find a short route

to his heart's desire.

If the major

dreams long enough,

he'll find it.

Will we hear

from him?

Hear from him?

Every time we look

across a river,

we'll hear his voice,

calling us

through the wind.

But he'll be within us,

elizabeth,

no matter where we are

or he may be...

for that man

will never die.

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