Steamboat Round the Bend Page #6

Go ahead and kiss her, son.

Hurry up now, Duke.

Here she comes!

Yeah. Darned ol' train. It would

be on time.

Duke 'n' me be down in Baton Rouge

before midnight.

I hate to do this, Duke, but it's

according to the law.

I guess you done all you

could, Rufe.

They ain't takin' you!

Go on, Duke! Get away!

Ain't no sense in that. I don't

wanna get you in trouble.

Or you either, Uncle John. I don't

wanna get you...

in no trouble either, Rufe.

You been mighty good to me.

Oh, that's all right, Duke. I ain't

holdin' no grudge.

Well, guess I kinda lost my

head too.

I wanted to see him get away.

Don't cry, honey. Rufe ain't gonna

hold nothin' against ya.

Don't reckon we'll be needin' these

handcuffs none, Duke.

All aboard!

-Come on, let's get on.

Go ahead, Duke.

Don't you worry, honey.

You know what we gonna do?

You know?

We gonna get on that boat and we

gonna go all up...

and down that river.

And we're gonna hunt and hunt till

we- till we find the New Moses.

We'll find him somewhere.

Hey, brother, you seen anything

of the New Moses?

Yes, sir! He was down in the swamp

baptizin' about a week ago!

Hello, friends! Hey, have you seen

anything of the New Moses?

Brother, he was here two weeks ago...

and I ain't had a drop since!

Uncle John, come here!

Look!

What is it? Huh?

Oh! Say, that does look like a

baptizin'. That might be him.

Pull over here.

Hey! Hey, brothers! Is that

the New Moses?

No, brother, but I am the

New Elijah!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah!

No. Its the wrong prophet.

Folks out there don't look like

they seen...

anybody com in' through here.

Hey, brothers! You seen anything

of the New Moses?

Brother, I ain't even seen the

old Moses!

Fresh thing. Hmph.

-Your joke's old enough

- you ought have seen the old Moses.

Looks like we've missed him

everywhere we've...

gone, Fleety Belle.

Duke ain't got much time

left, Uncle John.

I know that.

I been racking my brain every

night and day...

since the thing happened.

l-I don't know. I just wouldn't

wanna go on...

livin' if they hang that boy.

I ain't goin' to neither.

But they ain't gonna hang Duke.

Im not sayin' we're gonna save

him, but they...

ain't gonna hang him.

I don't know.

Nobody but the Lord knows

about that.

Ain't got but two days left.

Say, wait, I got a no-T-Take

the wheel and hold it.

Let me think a minute. You know

what Im gonna do?

Im goin' right and see the governor.

-Could ya?

-Yes! Well, they say he...

ain't forgot us old soldiers.

You know, I remember

him at Shiloh.

He was certainly dealin' them

Yankees...

a powerful lot of misery there then.

Im just gonna go see him and

tell him that we...

can't find the New Moses...

and this is not Duke's fault.

Let's put her around now.

We'll turn right around and take

her into Baton Rouge.

Oh, what's the idea of his comin'

up here now?

Don't he know we got a race on?

Say, what's he doin'? Wavin'

us in there?

Go back, will ya! Go back, I say!

We're gonna have a race!

Hey! What's the idea wavin'

us in there?

We goin' on up the river!

The river's been cleared for

the race, Doc!

Nobody can get through until

they get away!

Get that floatin' henhouse

out of the way!

Henhouse? What's he doing, calling

this thing a henhouse?

What are you talking about?

Why don't you do as I tell you

and go back?

What do you mean, callin'

this a henhouse?

Henhouse! Can't you understand

English?

I said go back, not up river!

I-Aww.

Now, you captains ain't gonna

start until...

the cannons go off.

Then you can do what you please.

The first boat that reaches Baton

Rouge wins the...

race as well as the prize...

from the governor's own hand.

Here, Clay, hey, what's the idea

of flaggin' me in here?

Sorry, Doc, but you know the

rules of the race.

Im not in the race. Im tryin' to

get to Baton Rouge.

Oh, no, you ain't, either.

I knowed you'd try to back

out of that race.

Scared you'll lose that old

chicken coop.

Chicken coop, nothin'. You still

wanna bet the Pride of Paducah...

against the Claremore Queen?

As I recall, that was the

terms of the bet,...

unless you're crawfishing.

Winner takes both boats.

Is that so? Well, Ill just take

you up on that.

Ill bet you my boat against

yours, whole hog...

or none with me.

Ill go in the race. Itll slow

me up going to...

Baton Rouge, but Ill go in.

What time do we start?

Sergeant Benson shoots off that

cannon in five minutes.

Now, wait. Give me time to load

on some firewood.

Im purt' near out.

Same ol' Pokey-hontas.

Always full of alibis.

You couldn't win if you put

wings on!

She starts when the gun goes off.

That's the rules.

You fellas better hurry and get

on your boats.

Ill lay the course, Mink.

I don't wanna start off by running

over them floatin' waxworks.

Get ready, Cap. Cannon's about

to go 'boom!'

Get ready below!

Hey, come on there, Fleety Belle.

Don't be standin' around.

-Are we really goin' in the race?

-Sure. We got to get...

down the river anyhow.

Ready!

Hey, Doc, better hug close

to shore!

No tellin' when that ol' honey

wagon's gonna sink.

Aw, you shut up, you old...

Uh, hush up.

Hey, Efe! Stand by now! Full head

of steam on all the time!

Come on, honey.

Let me get it, now.

I wanna get a flyin' start. That's

the boat we got...

to beat, this Pride of Paducah.

Hey, Uncle Jeff, throw off your

spring line!

We way ahead! Look here!

Lemme show ya!

They way back there! See 'em

back there?

You can see that Cherokee boat,

they way back there!

But that Pride of Paducah is

right up there!

I believe it's gon' slip by!

Better get some more of that

steam, if you can, in there!

We out in front now, if we can

just hold it.

Yeah, but the Cherokee's catching

up with us.

Holler down to Efe!

-Tell him to pour the wood to 'er.

-Efe, what steam you carryin'?

Im just a-wonderin', Mink, where

we gonna put...

that prize when we win it tomorrow.

Down in the clerk's office?

Uh, in the pilot's house,

I should say.

Well, maybe that would be best.

Uncle John, look! Its the

New Moses!

But-Say, it is the New Moses!

It is!

Pull it over! Pull right over!

Pull her over! Pull her over!

Pull her over! Pull her over!

Away! Away!

Hallelujah! Glory be! Hallelujah!

-Hallelujah!

-Be careful!

Hallelujah! Glory be! Hallelujah!

-Hallelujah!

-Get him on the boat, quick!

-Hallelujah!

-Glory, be! Hallelujah!

Glory, be! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah! Glory be! Glory be!

-Hallelujah!

-Glory be!

Brother, what are you doing here?

-Helpin' to win a race.

-Race? Gambling?

-Devil's work!

-Oh, no, no!

This is a race to save a life.

Its Duke. They're...

gonna hang him in the morning.

-But they can't! I seen it!

-That's what I want...

you to tell the governor!

No, I got souls to save.

No, you got a life to save, and the

Lord don't care which one...

of your jobs you do first.

Keep a-goin', Fleety Belle!

Can I get you a drink of water

or somethin', Mr. Moses?

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