The Horse Soldiers Page #6

- Well, it was lucky.

For both of you.

- (man screaming)

Go ahead, Kendall. Have a field day.

What do you mean, field day?

He's fighting to save men's lives.

Men's lives?

Or the reputation of his profession?

You can't be serious, Colonel Marlowe.

- Have it your way, ma'am.

Medicine is the most noble...

- Sure, noble profession, noble oath.

Lanterns held on high. So high

they won't admit they're groping for...

You're unfair and...

- Unfair?

There was a girl not much older

than that boy in there.

I wasn't unfair then, understand?

Because they used a lot of fancy words

that a section hand wouldn't understand.

So I held her down

while two of 'em worked on her.

I trusted doctors then. Believed in 'em.

Because I was in love

and I didn't want to see her die.

A tumour, they said it was.

And it had to come out right away.

So they stuck a leather strap in her mouth

so she could bite off her screams...

...while they cut away to get in there.

And what did they find? Nothing.

Oh, they were sorry.

Sure, they'd made a mistake.

They had something to talk about

before their next experiment.

But what about me?

They left me begging her not to die.

I lost my wife.

I didn't kill either one of them.

I must have been crazy,

or too conventional.

Quite a speech.

I guess I'm feeling my liquor.

(shouted orders)

Whoo.

Thank you, Doctor.

- You're welcome, ma'am.

Thanks, Hank.

Well, we almost fooled you.

- Almost.

You'll never make it, Hank.

They're already closing in on you.

Bedford Forest is sniffing at your heels.

You're headed straight

for that prison at Andersonville.

There's nothing we can do

to help you there. The South is starving.

Jonathan, all I'm doing

is practising medicine.

Old ironhead does all the thinking.

He thinks things pretty good. West Point?

No, section hand.

How are Susan and the kids?

- They're fine.

In Vicksburg.

I expect you'll be seeing them soon.

Nice try, Jonathan. Nice try.

See you in Vicksburg, Hoppy.

Goodbye, Hoppy.

- Goodbye, Doctor.

I want to thank you for all I've learned.

I shall endeavour

to get home alive as many as I can.

You're a good man, Hoppy.

After this thing is all over, if we don't meet

again, be sure and finish medical school.

I shall make a point of it, sir.

Goodbye, Doctor. And good luck.

Thank you, Doctor, for all your help.

Vicksburg. They're headed

southwest to Baton Rouge.

Baton Rouge.

It's Baton Rouge, Major.

Tell General Forest.

(Secord) Yes, you can. I'm on the board of

inquiry. I know exactly what can be done.

Now, he has no right, even as a...

Phil...

- Yes, John?

I'm sorry about what happened

back at Newton Station.

Forget it, John.

You were under a strain.

But since you brought up the subject...

You know, John,

I'm an older man than you are.

What's more, I'm a politician.

We've knocked over Newton Station.

It's a glorious thing on my...

our records.

But now is the time to head north,

back to La Grange...

We're committed, Phil, and that's that.

Stubborn. Stubborn.

Ouch.

Can I have some of that liquor

to swallow, Doc?

You haven't got a good enough excuse.

How'd this happen, Dunker?

I was chopping down one of them

telegraph poles back there in Newton.

The axe ricocheted right onto my leg.

- (laughter)...

Go arrest the axe.

- It ain't nothing.

Nothing, huh? Almost blood poisoning.

You're lucky I saw you limping.

Aw, Doc...

What are you putting on there? Dirt?

Tree moss. Ordinary green mould. It has

some sort of healing agent, I imagine.

You imagine?

- I don't imagine the results, Colonel.

This is an old Cheyenne Indian cure.

Tsk. Cheyenne Indian cure.

Green mould. Tree moss.

You keep this on.

Report any soreness to me.

Lukey.

What for they shoot me, Miss Hannah?

- It's all right.

(Kendall) Get my bag.

She's gone, ma'am.

- Oh, no.

(sobs)

Are you all right, Miss Hannah?

I brought you a little bitty piece of candle.

We'll have some hot water

for you in the morning.

And lookee here. I found

a piece of looking glass for you.

Thank you.

I hope you'll... be able

to get some rest here.

You must know how we feel,

ma'am, about Lukey.

How much we regret...

...how sorry I am...

...that in some way we were the cause of...

Lukey isn't asking for that.

I wish I could let you go.

If I gave you a horse and let you go,

would you promise not to tell anybody

our plans for the next 24 hours?

It's too late.

It's too late for all of that.

No more promises.

No more anything now.

I'm sorry. Truly sorry.

Dunker.

Agh.

That leg was all right yesterday.

- Yes, but this morning it got swolled.

I had to tear my trouser leg.

- Where's the poultice?

It started into itching, sir,

so I just yanked her off.

It was a sign it was

beginning to heal, you fool.

Come in here, or you're in trouble.

Brown, lend a hand.

Over there.

Coffee?

- Thanks.

Report.

That's Salt Springs, all right, sir.

Nary a soldier inside, neither.

Just some old women, a couple of

salt mills and a school for little boys.

The salt mills will need burning.

- Why show ourselves? We've been lucky.

You call that coffee?

We can't pass 'em up.

Salt is as valuable as ammunition.

We'll bivouac here

and hit them in the morning.

All right, you're the boss.

(Dunker, drunk) Hi-ho, down we go

There ain't no such word as 'can't'...

What's going on?

- The doctor's working on Dunker's leg.

(drunken singing)

I left my love My love I left...

Take another pull.

Ah, that's good store liquor, Doc.

Who hit John?

I've got to take it off, Dunker.

- What did you say?

I've got to take your leg off.

You've got to what?

The poison's gone too far.

You'll be dead by morning.

What can come of me after that, Doc?

One leg? What can come of me after that?

I'll rig a sling and leave you

with the closest civilian care.

Civilian care?

Then comes prison next, huh?

Andersonville?

Is that what happens to me, Doc?.

Quite possibly.

- Yeah.

That's a hell of a tough choice

for a fella to have to make.

Ain't it? Well, tell me. Ain't it?

- It's got to come off.

All right.

You just fire away.

But before you start sawing, you give me

some of that chloroform stuff.

You put me out, Doc.

- I'll give you what I got.

Now bite this.

Give me a hand here. Hold him down.

God... God.

JEFFERSON MILITARY ACADEMY

It's obviously the column

that raided Newton Station.

That Vicksburg report was just a faint.

I thought a brigade of cavalry

was due here.

They won't get here till late today, sir.

- What you suggest is most extreme.

My oldest boy here is only 16.

- Damn it, sir.

I beg your pardon, Colonel.

I mean, Reverend...

Look, I've got a boy in my battery that's

I could start lobbing shrapnel and grape

at them critters, catch 'em napping.

Just a show of force, then perhaps we can

hold them off until the cavalry gets here.

Cadet Major Barksdale.

- Sir?

Assemble your battalion.

The entire complement.

Taylor and Fitcher have the mumps.

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