The Devil's Disciple Page #3

I don't think he'd like that.

Judith.

You not so wicked,

as you think, I am sure.

They say that hate is very close to love.

I am sure you are fonder of Richard

than you are of me, if you only knew it.

Don't say that!

All right my dear. He's a bad man,

and you hate him as he deserves.

Shall we have our tea?

What's the matter, Judith?

You always think the best of everyone.

I am going to change now.

Sergeant!

Nail the proclamation to the church door.

Hey, you!

Come here!

Hold it.

- You better tell to parson to read that.

- Sir.

Martial law. Curfew!

- The army will be before nightfall. Here!

- But, sir ...

Sir, that's the man we hanged, from Springtown!

His body's buried here!

All right, sergeant, carry on.

I'll report that to Major Swindon.

- What is it, Essie.

- They saw the grave. Mr. Richard brought the body.

They'll hang him!

- Is he at the farm?

- I don't know where he is!

I'll find him. You go home. If the soldiers

come tell them that Richard is gone.

You understand? Left the village alltogether.

Go home, Essie.

It was not very far from

Springtown to Websterbridge.

General Burgoyne and his army

had only to pass through the forest.

While they were all civilized, disciplined

and well trained troops, however,

their military thinking was no match to that of

uncivilized, indisciplined and undrilled enemy.

And it had not occured to them,

that the Yanks on occasion

could be mightier than they thought.

What the devil you do in idling there?

We got to get through here by the night.

- Get these men to work!

- Yes, sir!

Get those carts out of the way!

Sergeant, get your's men on their feet.

Swindon!

I hope I didn't deafen you, my dear.

- Sir?

- Major Swindon, are you professioned at all in arithmetics?

- Arithmetics, sir?

If you are, sir, you will be as aware as I am

that it is a fourth obstruction in these many miles.

At this rate we'll be lucky

to reach Albany by Christmas.

You and your men, sir, are

charged with protection of our column.

Picked troops against a few colonial

ruffians and what is the outcome?

Trees fell at our path every night,

snipers in the ...

- Both together now apparently.

- Get the Indians. Come on! Quick! Quick!

More, more, more! More, more, more!

The Indians will get him, sir.

Will they? Will they indeed?

From past observations, sir, they appear

to believe that any scalp is welcome.

Whig or Tory, man, woman or child.

Unfortunately, they seem to pick more often

on those of his Majesty's friends than his enemies,

and the snipers continue to flourish.

- What's there?

- The patrol from Websterbridge, sir.

At last. Find out how many trees

we shall have to continue to move

to get from here to there.

I shall wait in Websterbridge for my artillery.

I presume General Philips can find horses

enough in Springtown even for his

requirements though they are weak.

What soup is this?

- Rattlesnake, sir.

- It's delicious.

Well, Swindon.

Some further disaster, I take it.

- What is it now? Wolfs?

- It's rebellion, sir.

- You don't say so.

The man, Dudgeon, he's been buried in Websterbridge.

Taken from Springtown, as you know, sir, and buried there.

- Against my orders!

- Deplorable!

Your orders apart, however, what chance is that

we are reaching this place before sundown?

And what with the road? Is it clear?

Perfectly clear, sir.

Perfectly clear, isn't it?

You heard that, I think.

The sound that keeps me awake

every night since we left Canada.

They are felling them in the daytime

now, Swindon. In the daytime!

With your permission, sir, I shall make

an example at Websterbridge.

Do what you please in Websterbridge,

man, but get us there. Get us there!

Storekeeper!

Yes. We don't keep much.

You'll be lucky if you keep anything.

- Requisition order: salt, tea, sugar,

tobacco, grain. Where's the storeroom?

- In back here.

- What about payment?

- Just see the paymaster.

He'll pay you!

We have just nothing left.

They can't do this to us, can they? ...

Mr. Hawkins!

Some is legally surprised ...

Eh, Mr. Hawkins?

Just access the paymaster,

and he'll pay you.

Nice fresh paper money.

Legal tender, isn't that so, Mr. Hawkins.

Of course you can't buy anything

with it and you can't eat it,

smoke it and make tea with it but

you have no legal complaint just the same.

Isn't it so, Mr Hawkins?

One case of best imported Indian tea.

And then what they take over: your crutch,

your livestock, your liquer, even your wives -

it's all in the name of the law!

There is only one way

to change the law of that sort -

get rid of the people who make them.

And that's illegal, isn't it, Mr. Hawkins?

Mr. Hawkins has no answer.

Some of our countrymen

think they found one.

There's been some ... fighting

or so they tell me.

Ha! That's no game for pious men,

good citizens, law abiding lawyers, no...

- As you have so strong views, why

don't you stop talking and do something.

- Me?

I've no respect for any sort of law, so

what do I care what kinds enforce them.

Reminds your home, that it? ... Eh,

you've come a long way, gentlemen? ...

Long way is to go back.

- Hey, corporal, how long were you off home?

- One year and four months.

That's much they gain when they enlist ...

Your wife might have lost her looks.

Poor one might even lost his wife.

All right, Corporal, don't take me seriously.

If he did, he'd be insulting his own wife.

Oh, british soldier's wife

knows her duty I'm sure.

Oh, I'm sure.

Ah, now here's the man

you should speak to.

He wears an uniform too, in his own way,

and he has a wife pretty enough to put

him some problems. Hey, minister.

- By the way, Mr. Dudgeon,

I have a message for you.

- Good evening, minister.

- Hello, Paddy.

- What message?

- From Essie.

- Well, deliver it. Why not? I have nothing

to hide from my friends here.

- She wants you.

- Thank you. I should be at home.

I advise you to come now.

Minister, you're not at your pulpit here.

We had a conversation once, Mr. Dudgeon,

when I invited you in to supper.

The matter that brought us together

at that time has a reason again.

It has?

I thought it was ... buried,

and done with.

It might be too late for supper this time.

Will you come?

- Your wife at home?

- Yes.

- How can I refuse!

Gentlemen, I wish you

the fortunes of war -

death or glory.

Take my advice - write to her.

Even the letter is something to take to bed.

Tony, I began to wonder ...

- He is in danger.

- Oh, he's wrong.

It's your husband who is in danger.

- Tony ...

- He's only trying to fright you.

The stew ready?

Take of your coat and hang by the fire to dry.

My wife will excuse your shirtsleeves.

The devil's disciple

under the parson's roof.

Who'd think of looking for me here.

A hot cup of tea will keep out

the cold, Mr. Dudgeon.

- Sit down.

- Thank you.

I observe that Mrs. Anderson

is not quite as pressing ...

Welcome for my husband's sake.

Hm ... I know I am not

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