Terra queimada Page #3

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No.

No. No, no, and no.

For a month you've been answering "no".

Why don't you try

suggesting something, General?

Bastards!

Excuse me, General, but I must talk to you...

about a very urgent matter

concerning both our countries.

All of Queimada's sugar is rotting

in storehouses and on the quays.

And so?

But only a commercial agreement

between us can change this situation.

And so?

The temporary government no longer exists.

With whom can I negotiate?

Who will sign this agreement?

I was advised to ask you.

Who advised it?

I did.

I told him.

And not even England can wait forever.

But not only England buys the sugar.

No, and not only Queimada sells it.

Not to mention the fact that in Europe,

they're already extracting it from sugar beet.

Did you know that, General?

And what if Queimada

were not to sell any more sugar?

How would these people live?

You can't delay your decision, General.

Competition is getting stronger every day.

Are you familiar with the latest

raw sugar market quotation?

Ten and 11 raw sugars,

which up to a month ago...

were quoted at seven and five-eighths

to eight cents a pound...

at the last opening, had no price.

The refined, up eight and a quarter,

three quarters, down by a half, more or less.

Number 12, current category,

opened without firmness.

Refined, polarized at 96 degrees, and

lot 60 aren't even quoted at the opening.

That's enough. Get out!

But, General...

Leave me alone.

Everything seems quite clear.

I'm particularly good

at convincing my people...

and you, sir, have all the necessary qualities

of a responsible head of state.

Go away! And stay away!

Ramn, clear the whites out!

All of them!

Who'll govern your island, Jos?

Who'll run your industries?

Who'll handle your commerce?

Who'll cure the sick?

Teach in your schools?

This man?

Or that man?

Or the other?

Civilization is not a simple matter, Jos.

You cannot learn its secrets overnight.

Today civilization

belongs to the white man...

and you must learn to use it.

Without it, you cannot go forward.

But to go where, Ingls?

Is better that you, too, go away.

There's Jos!

I need 10 more men at the south barricade.

Pedro, you go with them. Hurry!

Fifteen armed men with me to the main gate.

You can tell the whites I am going.

Say that my men will lay down their arms...

and return to the plantations.

England will rejoice, Ingls.

Not only England, Jos.

Have I become so dangerous?

Yes.

Even for your own people, Jos.

Well, I'm not now.

But you can tell the white men.

Tell your friends.

They're not my friends, Jos.

Well, no matter.

You tell them, "Be careful".

Very careful.

They may know how to sell sugar

but we are the ones who cut the cane!

No, thank you.

No, no.

Your bag, senhor?

A general doesn't carry baggage.

But he will for a friend.

All right, Jos. Come on.

Jos, what are you going

to do with yourself?

And you?

I don't suppose you ever heard

of a place called Indochina.

Well, they're sending me there.

Then, to Indochina.

To those who cut the cane.

Right. Or there'd be no sugar for your tea.

And since no one in the world

wants to drink their tea without sugar...

business continued to prosper

for the world's leading sugar companies.

This is the London Stock Exchange.

10 years have passed.

The quotations of shares

in the sugar companies continue to rise.

The companies are merging, and with

the increase of their economic strength...

grow ever more powerful.

Thus, they are now able to take personal

charge of law and order on their plantations.

Naturally, their first concern

is to procure for this job...

the most efficient experts available.

"Empire Club".

We'll try here.

He was like another man.

Sir William?

Sir William Walker.

First, he left the navy.

And then, let's see...

Here we are.

On May 7, 1841,

he was expelled from this club.

What? Expelled?

Yes.

He broke our rules.

I told you, he was another man.

How very unfortunate.

Did he leave an address, perhaps?

Yes. 21 White Dock Street.

Most unsavory district, I must say.

Would you like to continue?

Sir William Walker?

Permit me. Henry Thompson.

This is Jack Martin.

- Nice to know you, sir.

- Pleasure.

You're a hard man to trace, Sir William.

We've been half way around Europe

just trying to find you.

That's rather flattering.

There are those who need you.

Well, I can assure you

that I don't need them.

What a pity.

There's a great deal of money in this

for you, sir.

What do you want?

We don't know, exactly.

But it seems that it has something to do

with the Antilles and sugarcane.

Sugarcane.

Mr. President.

Mr. Shelton.

Well, we've known each other

for a long time, haven't we?

Roughly 10 years.

No, no, it's exactly 10 years, isn't it?

Ten years ago,

I worked for the British Admiralty.

I now work

for the Antilles Royal Sugar Company...

which our ex-counsel

so ably represents today.

We've both since changed our employers.

However, the Admiralty

has given me its approval.

And so, I'm now here...

in the capacity of military advisor...

invited by the government of Queimada...

and paid for

by the Antilles Royal Sugar Company...

and authorized by

Her Majesty's government.

Let's hope that my advice

is worthy of so much trust.

General Prada has informed me

of the events of the last 10 years.

I now would like to summarize

the most important facts.

May 13, 1845...

Jos Dolores agrees to dissolve

the rebel army.

Queimada is proclaimed a republic...

and Mr. Teddy Sanchez is its first president.

March 7, 1847...

the Republic of Queimada cedes

to the Antilles Royal Sugar Company...

the right of exploitation of the sugar

plantation for 99 years, renewable.

Why don't you mention the commitments...

of the Royal Sugar Company

towards Queimada?

Because, Mr. President, that is not the

most important aspect of the problem.

And is it not important...

that my company has already

built a hospital and 50 miles of road?

No, Mr. Shelton, but what is important

is that the Royal Sugar Company...

controls, in practice,

the entire economy of Queimada...

whilst the government of Queimada,

in practice, no longer controls anything.

You're forgetting, Sir William...

you were asked here to put down a revolt...

and not to concern yourself

with our government's policies.

Yes, well, without these policies...

there wouldn't be any revolution,

Mr. President.

On February 23, 1848...

the sugarcane cutters enter the city,

set it afire...

and sack the stores.

The army has to intervene.

32 dead and 100 wounded.

Other uprisings break out

in various parts of the island.

Jos Dolores takes over the revolution...

and organizes a new army

that wins some victories.

Three months later, England intervenes.

Now, what do you want me to do?

To deal with Jos Dolores.

Or to help us get rid of him.

Our government wants to negotiate,

Sir William.

And not because it is the only solution,

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