The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin Page #5

Will I? You, sir. Will you please

hand down our packs?

Right there. The lad and I will not

continue the journey.

[Jack] But Griffin...

Don't blubber. As we have no gold...

Here, put this on.

We have no heavy coats

to keep us warm.

There.

Thank you, sir. It would be foolish

for us to continue.

There. Good day.

Are you ready? Press on.

I don't see why

we couldn't have gone on anyhow.

I mean,

even if the map is gone, that's...

Shh. I do not think

those banditos will ride far

with an unwieldy bundle of jackets.

And if they're just feeling around

for hidden coins...

[laughs] They may not

detect the map. Mmm. Come on.

Let's get aboard.

Get that door closed.

No, wait.

Toss it down. That's my bag

right there. Toss it down quickly.

Oh, I have

a very important engagement.

[Griffin] It is.

Oh, see. Look! Look!

[Laughs]

[Griffin] There we go.

[Higgins] Wise plan, then, Griffin.

Oh, splendid.

Oh, I'll take that now, thank you.

[Higgins] Strange, isn't it,

how our paths continue to cross.

Oh, I won't trouble you to help me

into it. Just toss it up gently.

No, sir.

I refuse to give you the coat.

You'll have to shoot me first.

- No! Don't shoot!

- Toss up the coat.

[Laughs]

Oh, I have no doubt

that you are a scoundrel, Higgins.

But you're not the type

who would shoot an unarmed man.

Well, that is purely

a personal opinion on your part.

You're certainly not the kind

to shoot an unarmed man in the back.

Shall we go, Master Jack?

[Stammering] Sir? My back was turned.

Shall I count to three?

- One... two...

- Wait!

No, no, no, Master Jack! Wait!

- Throw, Jack!

- Here!

[Laughs]

Oh, smart boy, Jack.

And if I may once again

quote your friend Bartlett,

"Parting is such sweet sorrow."

[Griffin] Or as he might remind you,

"The path is smooth

that leadeth onto danger."

Oh, and I assure you, sir.

Our paths will cross again.

Our paths... [laughs]

Going from camp to camp

They searched for old Judge Higgins

Who kept himself so cleverly disguised

Their quest would not be through

until they found every clue

And every clue was promptly utilized

Let's ask him.

Excuse me, sir.

Sir?

Uh, we wanted to ask

if perhaps you had seen

a rather large man pass this way.

His name is Higgins. Judge Higgins.

A-ha.

He was wearing a white suit,

through Hang Town, headed this way.

[Speaks Chinese]

Maybe we should go ask some others.

Very well.

You're just wasting your time.

And just what

makes you say that, sir?

- Don't none of them talk English.

- Oh! Hmm.

Y'all want a dish of chow?

Just go in and help yourself.

I always do, every time I pass by.

- Don't they mind?

- Well, now, they ain't never said.

At least not so

I can understand them. [laughs]

[Laughs] Yes. I'm afraid

we must be on our way.

Now, hold on now.

This man you're looking for,

he sure sounds like old Cut Eye

over at Shirt Tail camp.

The only trouble is, he's a dentist.

He ain't no judge.

Well now, uh... Are you sure?

Did you meet him?

Meet him? I was the first one

he ever pulled tooth for

after he come over to Shirt Tail.

He got me all hooched up so I

wouldn't feel nothing. Look here.

Oh.

Skunk pulled every dagbusted tooth

that had any gold in it.

We thank you, sir,

for the information. Good day.

[Shouting]

It's Judge Higgins they're hanging.

I demand to be heard

and I will be heard.

Open your mouth.

- In. Inside.

- Oh!

Wait!

[Griffin] Please! Wait!

Oh, we've come 50 miles. 50 miles!

We must use your dentist

before you hang him.

[Gasps]

[Moans]

Well, it looks to me like a

compound infection of an abscess root.

- [Higgins] Come closer, boy.

- [Moans]

- Open your mouth.

- No! He can't do that.

- He can't?

- The air. It's very bad on the tooth.

- The air.

- Oh. Oh, yes, yes! The air!

[Moaning]

Don't touch him! A thing like that

could be fatal to a boy his age

if he isn't treated immediately.

What are we gonna do?

We gotta do something.

- We can't let that poor boy suffer.

- Please, please.

You must do something

to help this poor lad.

All right, boys.

Old Cut Eye been duly tried

by miners' court.

And found guilty of thievery,

and sentenced to be hung.

- However, this one time,

- [crowd murmuring]

We gonna temper justice with mercy.

- We gonna let you live long enough

- [moaning]

To pull this suffering boy's tooth.

Why, you'll never regret it, sir.

Thank you, sir. Oh, thank you.

[Crowd murmuring]

I was never so happy

to see anyone in my whole life.

Ow! [whispers]

Do you still have the map?

It's where nobody will find it

in 100 years.

Why don't you tell us where it is?

It won't do you any good

after they hang you.

Get me out of this alive...

...and I promise you the map is yours.

You are absolutely ridiculous. How

can we possibly do a thing like that?

- They'd shoot us all.

- Give me your word

- you'll do what you can.

- Oh, come along, Master Jack.

[Higgins] I have it. I have it.

Tell them I can't pull the tooth

till the swelling goes down.

It'll take several days.

You.

Give us the map first,

and I promise we'll do everything

we can to help you.

- You promise?

- I promise.

You said it was where nobody

would find it in 100 years.

That's the first place we'd look.

Not if I had been buried

with my coat on.

[Laughs] That's very good.

[Griffin stammering] But this map

is no earthly good.

The most important part is missing.

The end of the trail.

Shot away by that insolent varmint

who held up the stage.

You gave me your word

to do everything you can.

- We won't do anything.

- Master Jack.

Quite right.

Wait, Bullwhip! He tricked us.

Nevertheless, a gentleman

does not go back on his word.

Get away from that window, sonny.

Gentlemen, gentlemen!

You simply must wait

until another dentist arrives.

But he been convicted.

He gotta be hung!

[Crowd roars]

Have you ever been awakened

in the middle of the night

by an excruciating toothache?

One that throbs and pounds?

Like 1,000 hot knives

jabbing and searing

until you can feel it

down to your toenails?

[Gasps] It could happen tonight.

Yes, it could. Yes, to you.

Or you.

And you. It could happen

to any one of you.

Ah. But how?

How will you feel then, tonight,

when you have hanged the only

available dentist this morning?

For the time being, he's worth more

alive to us than he is dead.

But he gonna be

under guard every minute.

And we gonna get on with the hanging

as soon as another dentist shows up.

Oh, and one thing more.

As head of the miners' committee,

I'm ordering you and that boy

to get his grave dug.

[Miner] Have it ready and waitin'.

Kind of a reminder to him

that we mean business.

Dig her plenty deep, too.

We're gonna get rid of that crook

once and for all.

You know what was nice

about Bullwhip Brannigan?

Towards the end of the book,

after he built his rock palace

and married the Indian princess...

Indian princess?

- Oh!

- He told Tom Wingay,

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