The Prisoner of Shark Island Page #5

Rankin, man two boats.

I want that man back.

Alive! You understand?

Yes, sir. Boat crew number one!

Number two!

- Man your boats!

- Number one!

Pull, you mangy rats!

- Starboard a little more.

- There he is, boys! Pull him in!

Pull, you lazy rats!

On your way!

You're all right now, Sam.

Come along. That's a boy.

He's all right now.

He's all right.

Now, get him right

over here in this bunk. It's all right.

There you are, Sam.

That's a boy.

- Oh, darling, you're so cold.

- Easy now.

Go easy with him.

Don't get him excited. Good.

- Oh, my darling, you're wounded.

- He's all right now.

- You're an angel, Peggy.

- Everything's arranged for.

You're gonna have a new trial.

And Martha's waiting.

- Where's Martha?

- In Key West.

She hasn't...

forgotten me?

Oh, my sweet,

not for one little minute.

Igad, I'll soon stop this!

- You stay here with Sam.

- Dad! Dad!

- No!

Oh, they can't take you back.

They can't!

Hiya, Judas.

And then the prince leaned down...

and kissed the sleeping beauty

on both eyes-

smack, smack.

- And what do you suppose happened?

- What?

- The sleeping beauty waked up.

- Mama!

Where's Daddy?

Daddy... couldn't come, darling.

He wanted to, but-

Oh, sweet dear, darling,

it doesn't mean forever.

He'll come yet.

He will, I promise you.

Where's Grandpa?

Grandpa's gone away.

He's gone a long, long way away.

Forever?

Forever.

How long has it been, Marse Sam?

I don't know.

Three, maybe-

maybe four days, I guess.

Marse Sam...

can I have a little

bit more of that water?

I ain't even heard no bugle calls.

Ain't even seen nobody.

No food, no nothin'.

I guess everybody just

done run on off and left us.

Reckon it'd do any good

to holler again?

No, I hollered till I'm hoarse.

What you suppose happened?

I don't know, Buck. Maybe-

Maybe just as you say-

That they have gone off

and left us to die maybe.

Tell the captain of that ship

I've got to have those supplies.

Tell him I got a thousand hospital cases here

and only one doctor.

Tell the commandant again,

I'm sorry, but I refuse to put in.

Tell him he's a filthy yellow coward

with my compliments.

Tell him I've waited

five bloody days...

for him to make up his lily-livered soul

to be a man and deliver me my medicine.

And now, if I don't see some action

out there inside of five minutes...

I'm gonna turn a cannon on his bloody tub

and blow it to kingdom come...

government ship

or no government ship!

That'll make you sleep a little.

You're gonna be all right, son.

Good morning, Clark.

Are you all right, sir?

Just tired.

Very tired.

It's a hard job, son.

Always a hard job

when you don't know what to do...

and got no one to do it with you.

If it hadn't been for you

and a couple of others who've stuck by me-

Well, l- I don't wanna

catch it myself, sir.

Hmm. That's something

I can't promise you...

because I don't know.

I don't know

what causes yellow fever.

I don't know how to cure it.

And I don't know how it spreads...

where it comes from...

or where it goes.

I'm going to see the commandant.

White doctor- He got it.

- Hey, soldier.

- Yes, sir?

My compliments-

My compliments to the commandant,

and tell him-

- Yes, sir?

- I can't come.

Tell him I've got to go

to my quarters.

Tell him-

- White boss sick!

- He's got it too!

- White boss sick!

- He's got it too!

Soldier!

Soldier, come here.

Help me.

- Come here, you fools.

- No, sir, white boss. No, sir.

You swine! I tell you,

you've gotta help me up!

Doctor? Doctor?

Doctor!

Doctor.

- Well?

- Says he can't do it, sir.

- Said he's scared.

- Scared?

If ever I get my hands

on that muck's throat-

Imagine the hound,

loading my supplies on rafts...

and just shovin' 'em

toward the shore through that surf.

Look at 'em!

Scared to land 'em.

Scared to touch 'em.

Scared to tend 'em when they're sick.

Holy mother!

How long do they expect to live?

Forever?

Beg pardon, sir.

If the commandant pleases,

there's a doctor among the prisoners.

- Dr. Mudd.

- Mudd?

- Yes, sir.

- Dr. Mudd?

Come on.

Open up.

Doctor, I'm here on a curious mission.

I want your help.

- My help?

- I need it desperately.

Doctor, this island is a pesthole.

It's teeming with yellow fever.

The worst epidemic

we've had in years.

I've got 3,000 men here-

soldiers and prisoners.

And those that aren't dead

are dying or crazy with terror...

and we're all trapped here together.

What's all this to me?

That's what you must

decide for yourself, sir.

And the good Dr. MacIntyre?

The good Dr. MacIntyre is down bad.

You're quite right.

You couldn't possibly be

in a better position...

to tell me and my men

to go straight to the devil.

And no one would understand it

better than I would.

In your place, I'd do it myself.

But in spite of that

and in spite of the fact...

that I can promise you no reward...

that I can offer you nothing

but exposure to death...

I want your help.

Once before, I was a doctor.

I'm still a doctor.

Thank you, Dr. Mudd.

Buck. Buck.

We're-We're going up in the open.

Will you give me a hand,

sir, please?

It was the last straw when they heard

about Dr. MacIntyre's dying.

They all quit. They're in the mess hall now

barricaded, guards and all.

We've got to do something, sir.

Those patients are all alone, deserted.

- Have I any authority, sir?

- You give the orders.

- I'll take the responsibility, Doctor.

- All right, sir. Thank you.

You wait here.

You come with me.

- Aren't you afraid?

- Doctor, I'm scared to death.

Yeah, so am I.

- Steady!

- Don't come no closer, white man!

Stay where you is.

Us men ain't gonna

come out there for nobody.

I'm not gonna ask you to come out.

But you're gonna listen to me.

I'm just gonna tell you

what you're gonna get.

You're gonna get hanged, all of ya!

You're soldiers, and you mutinied!

You deserted your posts!

You shot at your officers!

You can't get away with it.

And here's what

they're gonna do to you.

They're gonna take you

before the judge.

Gonna take you out in the courtyard

and build a scaffold.

And you're gonna have to build it

yourselves too- your own scaffold.

And when you get that done,

you're gonna do some digging.

You're gonna dig your own graves.

And then the law is gonna hang you.

They're gonna put a rope around your necks

and they're gonna choke you...

choke you till your eyeballs pop out

and your tongue swells up!

- You ought not talk like that.

- No.

That ain't no Yankee talkin'

just to hear hisself talk.

That's a Southern man,

and he mean it. Yes, sir.

But for those here that wanna be saved,

that wanna live, I got a proposition.

Us don't wanna go near

them yellow fever men.

- Do you wanna hear it or not?

- Yes.

All right. Then nobody

go near those yellow fever men

but this orderly and me.

But I need help outside!

I need workers, colored boys, water boys.

Boys that are willing

to do what I say.

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