The Searchers Page #3

Aaron closes the seat of the barrel chair.

AARON:

Time for bed...

He picks up one of the lamps and starts away toward their

bedroom door. Martha looks at Ethan again. His

expression is bitter.

AARON:

Night, Ethan...Come 'long, Martha.

She turns obediently and follows Aaron. Ethan looks after

them and waits as Aaron opens the bedroom door. Martha

goes into it and Aaron follows and closes the door.

Ethan crosses to the lamp on the mantel, blows it out.

Only the firelight strikes his face as he stares broodingly

at the closed bedroom door.

DISSOLVE TO:

15OMITTED

16EXT. YARD OF THE EDWARDS' HOUSE - FAINT DAWN LIGHT

Debbie's dog is barking excitedly as six horsemen slowly

ride toward the house and dismount. A lamp goes on inside.

The six horsemen are:

CAPTAIN, THE REVEREND SAM CLAYTON, a big man with frosty blue

eyes, graying hair, a bristly full mustache and the air of

grave and resolute authority. He is a minister of the

Gospel with a .44 on his hip.

LARS JORGENSEN, the Edwards' neighbor, is a harried little

man, Scandinavian. As we shall find out soon, he has a

brisk and buxom wife and a rather astonishing brood of

children.

BRAD JORGENSEN is one of these: sandy-haired, brash,

amiable, impulsive. He is in his early twenties.

CHARLIE MacCORRY, slightly older than Brad, is Sergeant of

Company A of the Rangers. (He is also Company A.) Charlie

is a taciturn, gently-spoken, competent man, clearly

patterned by his association with Captain, the Rev. Sam.

MOSE HARPER is an old scout -- a walking bone-rack, yet

capable of tireless feats of endurance. Some think him

"tetched" yet he has managed to endure to his age during a

time and in a region where few men lived to see their

grandchildren. He wears a ragged dark overcoat in all

weather, a narrow-brimmed hat with a feather in its band.

ED NESBY is a rancher and homesteader in his mid-thirties;

resolute, honest, self-effacing; nothing picturesque or

dramatic about him; just a solid citizen and a realist.

16-AINT. EDWARDS' HOME - CLOSE SHOT - MARTHA

She is at the window of her bedroom, wrapper clutched with

one hand, lamp upraised in the other as she stares into the

dawn to see who these callers are. We hear the heavy foot-

falls of the approaching men, then a loud knock thrice

repeated -- an ominous sound.

17OMITTED

17-AINT. THE EDWARDS' - ANGLE AT DOOR

SAM'S VOICE

Aaron! Open up!...Sam Clayton!

The door is opened by Aaron -- holding a lamp and a gun. He

is only partly dressed -- pants, boots, undershirt. The bar

of light slashes across the faces of Sam and some of the men

behind him.

AARON:

Reverend...Come in!

18INT. THE EDWARDS' HOUSE - FULL SHOT

CLAYTON:

Sorry to get you out of bed so early...

(as Martha enters,

tightening her

wrapper)

Mornin', Sister Edwards.

MARTHA:

What is it, Reverend?

CLAYTON:

Lars Jorgensen claims someone bust

into his corral last night and run

off his best cows...

AARON:

You mean those pure breds he just

bought?

Jorgensen enters -- an angry little man -- closely followed

by Mose Harper, who is grinning foolishly.

JORGENSEN:

Next time I raise pigs, by golly!

You never hear of anyone running

off pigs, I bet you.

MOSE:

Injuns has 'em...Caddoes or Kiowas...

Kiowas or Caddoes.

CLAYTON:

(irritably)

Caddoes!

Mose spots Martha and at once whips off his hat and makes

her an exaggerated cavalier's bow.

MOSE:

Respects to a charmin' lady, ma'am.

...Respects, respects...

Ed Nesby enters.

NESBY:

Mornin'...

MARTHA:

Coffee's made if you...

CLAYTON:

Coffee'd be fine, sister...

She heads for the stove.

MOSE:

(an old man's

whimper)

My bones is cold...

His eyes brighten as he looks toward the fire and spots a

rocking chair. He shuffles toward it, plants himself and

begins rocking and half-crooning to himself.

JORGENSEN:

Or bumble bees, by golly... I show

them dirty rustlers!

MOSE:

(crooning)

Lookit me, old Mose Harper, rockin'

in a rockin' chair...I'm a-goin' to

set 'n rock, 'n rock, 'n rock, 'n

rock...

The front door opens to admit Martin, fully dressed and

armed, with Charlie MacCorry.

CLAYTON:

Over here, Martin...Aaron...

Martin ranges himself next to Aaron and both face Clayton.

CLAYTON:

Raise your right hands.

Martha sets out cups on the table, begins pouring the coffee.

During the swearing-in, Ethan will enter the room from the

inner door -- unnoticed by the other men, but not by Martha.

And as the scene plays, the audience must always be

conscious of the by-play of glances between Martha and

Ethan as they face the prospect of being left in this house

together.

CLAYTON:

You are hereby volunteer privates in

Company A of the Texas Rangers and will

faithfully discharge the duties of same

without recompense or monetary

compensation -- meaning no pay!...Amen

and get your shirt on, will you, Aaron.

AARON:

(stubbornly)

Ain't goin' volunteerin' after

rustlers without my morning coffee,

Reverend...Drink your own!

CLAYTON:

(sternly -- as he

reaches for his cup)

From now on, call me 'Captain'!

But Ethan advances and calmly appropriates the cup Clayton

is reaching for...

ETHAN:

(mockingly)

Captain the Reverend Samuel Johnson

Clayton!...Mighty impressive.

Clayton marks his surprise.

CLAYTON:

(dourly)

Well...the prodigal brother...

When'd you get back?

Ethan sips his coffee and doesn't answer.

CLAYTON:

Haven't seen you since the surrender.

(a pause)

Come to think of it, I didn't see you

at the surrender.

ETHAN:

I don't believe in surrenderin'...I

still got my sabre, Reverend...never

turned it into any ploughshare

neither!

JORGENSEN:

Is no time for kaffee-klatch while a

man's beef is been run off.

MOSE:

Injuns, Ethan...

(taps his nose)

Caddoes or Kiowas...Mose Harper,

drinkin' coffee in a rockin' chair.

...ay-eh!

Martha has left the room briefly to fetch Aaron's shirt

and vest and stands behind him. Aaron drains his cup.

AARON:

Ethan, countin' on you to look after

things while I'm gone.

Ethan -- cup to his lips -- looks over its rim at Martha

as Aaron starts to put on his shirt. Their eyes meet

briefly, then she looks away. Ethan sloshes the dregs of

his cup into the fire -- some of it spattering Mose.

ETHAN:

You ain't goin'...

CLAYTON:

He sure is goin'...He's sworn in.

ETHAN:

(angrily)

Well, swear him out again!...I'll go

with you.

Martha stands submissively, with her head bent, eyes

averted as Ethan crosses the room to get his coat, guns,

etc. Aaron follows him.

AARON:

Now, Ethan, I ain't sure...

ETHAN:

Don't argue!...And stay close...

Maybe they're rustlers...and maybe

this dodderin' old idiot ain't so

far wrong...

MOSE:

Thankin' ye, Ethan...thankin' ye.

Kind words...

CLAYTON:

(grudgingly)

All right...I'll swear you in...

ETHAN:

You can forget that...

(as Sam stares)

Wouldn't be legal anyway.

CLAYTON:

Why?

(a pause -- then

shrewdly)

You wanted for a crime, Ethan?

Martha waits -- intent.

ETHAN:

You askin' as a Reverend or a

Captain, Sam?

CLAYTON:

I'm askin' as a Ranger of the

sovereign state of Texas.

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