The Last of the Mohicans Page #14

run diagonally past pyramidal stacks of cannon ball,

smoldering beams and shrapnel, wounded men. Just then a mortar

is fired and explodes, killing the gun crew. On the ramparts

Mohawks and Colonial Militia, sniping at the French. Women

huddle in corners next to the sick and dying.

UNDER RAMPARTS:
MILITIA

AD LIBS:

(shouts over roar)

Uncas! Nathaniel...

HAWKEYE:

waves. One wounded man, IAN, intercepts Uncas.

IAN:

Thought you and Nathaniel weren't

joinin'-up.

UNCAS:

(on the run)

Didn't!

HAWKEYE:

Dropped in to see how you boys is

doin'.

COLONEL MUNRO:

running from his quarters is shocked to see them.

ALICE:

(hysterical)

Papa, Papa!!

MUNRO:

(enraged)

Why are you here?!

Cora is stunned. Alice is decimated by her father's anger.

Munro sees and whips off his coat to cover them and takes

Alice under his arm. Bombardment resumes. Alice clings while

they race for the cover of his quarters:]

MUNRO:

(to Heyward; re:
Alice

& Cora)

Why did you allow them to come?...

And where the bloody hell are my

reinforcements!!

They race into the yellow lantern light of Munro's quarters

and slam and bolt the heavy door. Heyward's confused...

CUT TO:

INT. MUNRO'S QUARTERS - NIGHT

MUNRO:

(embracing his

daughters; softer)

Told you to stay away from this hell

hole! Why did you disobey me?

CORA:

When? How?

MUNRO:

My letter...

CORA:

There was none!

MUNRO:

What?

CORA:

There was no letter.

MUNRO:

I sent three men to Webb!

HEYWARD:

One called Magua arrived.

CORA:

He delivered no such message.

Munro's stunned.

MUNRO:

Does Webb not even know we are

besieged?

HEYWARD:

Sir. Webb has no idea. And he

certainly does not know to send

reinforcements!

Munro has nowhere for his rage to go. Meanwhile, Alice clings

to her father. At 45-55, the British Army has been his life.

He blindly believes in its institutions, though officers

like Webb would disdain his Scots origins.

FROM UNDER HIS FURY:

MUNRO:

(flat)

What happened to you?

HEYWARD:

(suddenly tired)

Ambush... on the George Road. This

Magua led us into it.

(pause)

...eighteen killed. It's these men

who saved us. They guided us here...

MUNRO:

Thank you. How can I reward you?

No answer. Then...

HAWKEYE:

Help ourselves to a few horns from

your powder stores.

MUNRO:

What else?

UNCAS:

Some food.

MUNRO:

(to Uncas)

I'm indebted to you. And get your

side sewn up, young man.

MUNRO:

sees his exhausted and bloodstained surgeon in the doorway

that leads to the next rooms.

MUNRO:

(bellows)

Mr. Phelps!

PHELPS' face lights up when he sees Cora Munro.

PHELPS:

Miss Cora! How are you?

CORA:

(smiles)

Fine, Mr. Phelps. Have you cat gut

and a suturing needle?

(for Uncas)

And we could use some rum, clothes,

and a place to wash...

Cora tries to remove Alice from her father, but she clings

to him. Munro holds her tighter. Then he whispers something

to her. She nods her head. And Cora takes her.

They exit.

MUNRO:

is moved beyond words by his daughters' presence. There's a

break, a pause...

MUNRO:

(to Heyward over table

map)

What a place for them...

HEYWARD:

Might I enquire after the situation,

sir, given that I've seen of the

French engineering from the ridge

above?

MUNRO:

(perfunctory)

Logistics are his guns are bigger

than mine and he has more of them.

They keep our heads down while his

sappers make thirty yards of trench

a day. His thirteen inch mortars

have a two hundred yard range, so

when they're close enough, they'll

move them in, lob explosive rounds

over our walls and pound us to dust.

They look to be three hundred yards

out. Bloody murderers. You have

three days.

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