Swamp Water Page #6

---

of it and get free of them Dorsons for good.

All right. Come on, it's one or the other.

See? Ain't no Dorsons there.

I can't do it, Ben. I can't do it.

It's too late to back down now. Ain't nobody

gonna harm you for telling the truth.

Ben Ragan, what are you a-doing here?

Jesse's got something to tell you, Sheriff Jeb.

Then it's purely up to you what I do.

Well, go on, Jesse. Don't be ascared.

Tell them who killed Shep Collins.

What I said in court wasn't true.

Julie.

Julie, you inside?

Go away. You ain't got no right here.

- I gotta see you.

- I don't never want to see you no more.

But you don't understand.

I'm going in the swamp to get your father.

You're getting him so they can hang him.

No, Julie. It ain't what you think.

He's a-coming out for good.

I done fixed everything.

I made Jesse Wick tell the truth.

They wouldn't believe my father,

they ain't gonna believe no Jesse Wick.

That's why I'm bringing your father out.

Sheriff Jeb's got Jesse Wick's affidavit.

He can't go back on that.

Tomorrow he'll have Tom's.

Let me talk to you, Julie. Let me see you.

Julie.

You sure he can come out?

And no one'll hurt him?

I'm plumb sure, Julie.

Bright and early in the morning

they're gonna pick you up

and take you right in Sheriff Jeb's boat

down to meet your daddy.

And I ain't gonna say a word to Tom

about you waiting there, Julie.

We're gonna surprise him.

Show him how pretty you growed up to be.

We can live on our farm again - like folks.

That's just the way it's gonna be, Julie.

All Tom's troubles is over,

past and gone and forgotten.

You know what he said to me once? Living

in the swamp was like living on another star.

Now it'll be like coming back

into the world again.

- Ben. Oh, Ben.

- Julie.

Not now, you fool.

- Howdy, Ben.

- Howdy.

Sure glad to see you. For the first time

in years I've been real lonesome.

I've been missing this old hound here.

- Get in this canoe, Tom.

- How come?

I've come to take you out of the swamp.

I got a confession from Jesse Wick.

Sheriff Jeb said that you can come out free.

All you have to do is face them Dorsons

and everything'll be like it was before.

- You ain't one to joke, are you?

- It's the God's truth. You're free.

You and Julie is gonna live again like folks.

- You mean I can just up and go out of here?

- Sure I do.

Sheriff Jeb and Marty are gonna be waiting

at the gator hole at the edge of the swamp.

There's a trick in that.

All they want to do is get their hands on me.

You must be crazy, Tom.

My own father'll be there.

And Hardy and Fred Ulm and John Dekle

and Marty McCord, like I told you.

I never figured you wouldn't believe me.

- They talked you into it, Ben.

- No, they ain't, Tom.

They done talked you into it.

All they want to do is catch me.

- They was always agin me and they still is.

- I'm telling you the truth. I ain't agin you.

If I was, I'd have brought them in here,

wouldn't I? I wouldn't be taking you out.

Maybe so, but if you're wrong, I'm the one

that has to pay for it. You know that.

I told you who'd be waiting there.

If their word ain't no good,

the word of the Holy Bible ain't, I reckon.

It's like being dead all these years.

Now you're a-telling me

to come back to life again.

I gotta be alone a minute, Ben.

Trouble.

You stay here, you old fool.

Won't be no more hiding now.

Afore long you'll be eating your own corn

and roasting your own shoats.

Yeah, and Julie'll roast it for me.

Do you know, Ben, can she cook?

Sure she can. Right good.

Say, Ben, tell me, how does she look?

Is she pretty?

Well, Tom, I wouldn't exactly say

she took after you.

Well, no. I don't reckon she got no whiskers.

You take Keefer.

I want that squealing shoat of a Ragan.

Around that turn,

we'll be in sight of the cross.

- Only couple more minutes.

- They'll all be waiting to tell me I'm free.

That's right. The whole lot of them.

- Did you get 'em?

- I ain't sure.

Shove over to the other bank.

Come up around behind them.

- You was lying.

- No, I wasn't.

You set 'em on me. I should've cut your throat

the first time you came at me, like I wanted to.

- Why, you're crazy, Tom.

- I was crazy to trust you.

I'd be crazy to trust anyone. I thought there

was good people in the world, but they ain't.

We can't stay and talk.

Them Dorsons is coming.

You know who it is?

That proves you sicked 'em on me.

It couldn't be nobody else.

Jesse must've told 'em.

- You mean you told 'em.

- They hate me as bad as they do you.

I'm your friend, Tom, I swear it.

I wouldn't do nothing like this to you.

- We'll find out.

- What do you mean? How?

We'll prove it. Show yourself to 'em.

Show yourself to 'em, and if they don't shoot,

I'll know you're on their side.

Trying to get me killed?

I'm trying to find out if there's anyone

in the world that can speak the honest truth.

You needn't be afraid. They ain't gonna shoot

at you. Because you're in cahoots with 'em.

Now, go on. Show yourself.

Go on. Show yourself.

All right, Tom.

If that's what you think, I'll show you.

- Are you hurt, bud?

- I don't reckon so.

I'm sorry, Ben.

We gotta get them cooters. This way, Ben.

When they shoot again,

make out like you was hit, then follow me.

Got him, Tim. We can rush Keefer.

No, Ben. Around.

Leave something here. Drop yourjacket.

That's a bog hole. It'll suck you right under.

Look. There ahead, yonder.

Tim, hurry.

I'm sinking. Get me out of here. Hurry.

Here. Hold the rifle butt. Hang onto that gun.

Tim. I'm sinking in this mud. Hurry. Hurry.

Stay out there, Tim. Pull. Go on, pull.

You ain't pulling, Tim. Tim, darn it.

- Don't let me die in this mud.

- I'm pulling you.

Don't you understand?

Don't let me die in Okefenokee.

Pull me out.

Tim. Tim.

Bud.

All right, Ben.

He ain't gonna do nothing. Get up.

Get up.

It's too bad about Bud, Tim,

but maybe it's better that way.

- Reckon he won't have to hang, anyway.

- No.

Don't sound so good to you, does it, Tim?

Didn't sound good to me when the judge said

I had to hang for a murder you and Bud done.

And all this time you been living free in

the outside world, along with all the people.

I never done no murder, Tim,

but you sent me in here to live.

700 miles of swamp and wilderness.

And not a human being.

But I lived.

Maybe you'll be able to live too.

Cos that's where you're heading

right now, Tim.

If you can learn to live

with cottonmouths and gators and panthers

and places where there ain't

a bit of ground to stand on,

I reckon you're welcome to your life.

Now get going.

Get going.

And if you ever find your way out, Sheriff

Jeb'll be waiting with a rope to hang you.

Come on, Trouble.

Our boat's up beyond a-ways, Tom.

I've been thinking, Ben, maybe

you'd better take me back to my island.

What for, Tom?

You're coming with me to your Julie.

I ain't sure I can live out there again,

and this is my home.

Maybe I'd better make sure

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes