The Mosquito Coast Page #4

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across the Jeronimo state line...

...I won't stop you! Any takers?

"And Pharaoh said...

"And Pharaoh said:

"'Who is the Lord

that I should obey his voice...

"'... and let you, Israel, go?

"'I know not the Lord...

"'... neither will I let Israel go!"'

Exodus 5.

Now, get off my land.

What Father had promised that first day

in Jeronimo...

... was now there for everyone to see.

It was all as he predicted...

... but more orderly and happier

than we had imagined.

He called this notch in thejungle

"a superior civilization."

"Just the way America might have been,"

he said.

When Mom and Dad come down,

on a count of three, we'll say:

"Happy Thanksgiving," okay?

One, two, three.

Happy Thanksgiving!

- Dad, you look nice.

- You look spackoid!

You look nice!

- You look funny.

- No, he doesn't! He looks nice!

- You look great, Mom!

- You look wonderful.

Have a seat, madam.

- This chicken looks great.

- This is the life!

You've made a wonderful meal.

Our first Thanksgiving in the new world.

- Let's eat!

- This looks really good.

- Can I have some white meat, Dad?

- After your mother. Right, honey?

White, please. Thank you.

The green beans look good.

Everything looks good.

Good-bye, honey.

Good-bye, Dad.

- 'Bye, everybody!

- 'Bye, Dad! See ya!

Are you ready? Come on!

The sandwiches!

They're in the basket!

Come on.

Mr. Haddy, one time,

he told us about this neat cave...

Let me lead the way. I know this jungle

like the back of my hand.

Okay, I'll help you.

Swing!

"Silent night

"Holy night

"All is calm

"All is bright..."

We have to buy our food here

at the camp store. See those nuts?

Gather them and we'll put 'em over here

and we'll use it as a bank.

Okay. Each one is $1.00 U.S.

- I want to buy some food.

- Do you have any money?

Leon got none.

Start diggin'!

I'll be the schoolteacher!

- Let's ask Dad to help when he gets back.

- No.

Dad wouldn't understand.

Don't tell Dad or anyone about Acre.

Why?

'Cause it's our secret.

No one else can know.

Your father can do magic.

It's not magic. It's science.

Science is worse!

You don't know that. My father could have

made a fortune being an inventor.

How come he ain't rich, then?

Because he wanted to come here

and build a town in the jungle, spackoid.

And he said there's gonna be

a nuclear war in America.

You're all wrong.

Father told everyone

he was making a monster.

"I'm Dr. Frankenstein," he used to say.

He called one set of pipes its "lungs"

and another its "poop shaft."

And two tanks, "a pair of kidneys."

He always spoke of the plant as "he."

"He needs a gizzard today."

Or, "This will fit straight onto his liver."

Or, "How's this for his gullet?"

Here, Mama, here!

I want you by my side. There's history

being made here this morning!

Expedition photographers?

Jerry, you got the camera?

Francis, you're in position?

I want you to light Fat Boy.

You're the youngest. You'll live longest

to remember this moment.

Drainy? Mr. Maywit...

We're taking a picture.

Everybody in, Drainy? All righty, smile.

You're waking up.

This is no miracle.

This is thermodynamics.

I hope we don't have

to rescue him, Mother.

It's all right. Allie knows what he's doing.

What that Father got there?

Haven't you ever seen a snowball before?

Ice from fire!

Francis!

That cold water, Father!

Bucky!

And air conditioning!

Cool down your house!

Get a decent night's sleep!

Increase productivity!

Ice is civilization!

That's why I'm here! That's why I came!

Okay, wait!

How many do you want?

Fat Boy looked like a miracle

to the local Zambus.

And a kind of ice market was established.

Everything for free.

But Father was restless.

It was all too easy now...

... and everyone was taking his ice

for granted.

Then Francis told him

about an Indian tribe...

... a half a day's march into the mountains.

People who had never seen missionaries

or anyone else...

... and they had certainly never seen ice.

These were the pure people

he had talked of in Hatfield.

Friendly savages who would see his ice...

... as ajewel, and be amazed.

Keep goin'.

Don't give up on me, boys.

Watch out!

Put it down if you have to! Put it down!

Okay, Charlie. Come up here.

Hold it up here. Hold it.

Come on up!

Hold it! Hold it, Francis.

Okay, get out of the way.

Don't get your legs underneath it.

Come on, Jerry!

Just over this ridge. It's all downhill.

What's the matter with you guys?

- We'll have to go home in the dark.

- Home?

We're not going anywhere

until we deliver this ice!

All right, we'll camp here. Put it down.

So, where are we gonna sleep?

Right over there.

Across the street. At the Holiday Inn!

You two kids can lounge by the pool

while I fix us up with a couple of rooms.

You want a king-size bed, don't you?

I know I do.

I sure hope there's a color TV.

Want a roll of quarters, Jerry,

for the jukebox? Play a few tunes?

I'm so sick of this whining from you!

Pull yourself together! Be a man!

Come on, Jerry. It's all right.

There goes Charlie to get a Fudgesicle.

Careful crossing the road.

I'm looking for some wood

to build a lean-to.

Hear that? Charlie's gonna show us

how to build a camp!

Charlie know how.

Put out the fire. You're melting my ice.

What are you looking at?

This is the first time since creation

that ice has ever melted here.

Think about that.

Come on!

Charlie, give me the bag.

I brought for you, present.

Present. Move slowly.

We're the first white men they've seen.

Don't do anything to scare 'em.

Present.

Wonderful, mysterious present.

Come here. Come, look. Look.

Look.

Wait till you see this.

Have a little patience.

I don't believe this.

This was ice.

Go away.

Have you got any idea how hard it is

to drag ice up from the river?

Go away.

We go, Father.

Don't blame me.

Have you ever seen ice?

Have you ever touched it?

Dad. There's a white man.

There's a white man in there.

Watch me. Watch my back.

Nice place you got here. Nice.

Living close to nature. I like that.

I like that.

My dad's an inventor,

and he invented this...

...this big ice machine and it makes ice.

Yeah, big pieces. Keeps it cool.

Ice can be used for a number of things.

Cool your water.

No, it'll keep your food from rotting.

Makes a great painkiller.

- It's really cooling.

- Keep you cool on a hot summer day.

Ice is civilization.

That's why he came

and that's why he's here.

Wonderful being here.

Thank you very much.

We'll be back. Come on, guys.

We'll bring you some ice!

- Gracias.

- We'll be back.

- Gracias.

- More ice!

Thank you.

'Bye.

Don't stop. Don't stop.

What were they doing?

Captured. Three guys, prisoners.

I offered to help spring 'em

but they got their own plan.

I told 'em to follow our trail to Jeronimo.

They thought we were missionaries.

What is it, Dad?

- I'm so glad you're back.

- Spellgood?

Ma Kennywick and the others

went with him.

- What happened?

- There wasn't anything I could do.

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