The Searchers Page #7

CLAYTON:

...and to Your keeping we commend

the souls of Aaron...Martha...and

Benjamin Edwards...

Mrs. Jorgensen and Laurie -- impelled by the same feminine

sympathy and interest -- turn to look at Ethan and Martin.

The PANNING CAMERA picks them up...Ethan standing dry-eyed,

looking at the grave of Martha; Martin -- with bruised lip --

looking out across the plain.

Clayton now opens his small, well-worn Bible to a marked page.

CLAYTON:

Man that is born of woman is of

few days and full of trouble...

Ethan looks at him, angrily, impatiently.

CLAYTON:

He cometh forth like a...

ETHAN:

(harshly)

Amen!...Put an 'amen' to it!

CLAYTON:

...like a flower and is cut down...

Amen!

ETHAN ET AL.

Amen!

Ethan turns on his heel and walks -- CAMERA PANNING -- to

where Ed Nesby has been holding the horses. Brad is already

mounting. Mose is there too and Charlie MacCorry. Silhou-

etted against the dawn light are the rifles in each man's

saddle scabbard. Clayton is right behind Ethan.

CLAYTON:

Charlie--you and Brad ride point!

...Don't get too far ahead...

The young riders spur out.

59EXT. NEAR HILLOCK - MED. CLOSE SHOT - ETHAN AND MRS. JORGENSEN

Ethan is about to mount when Mrs. Jorgensen comes up and

catches his arm.

MRS. JORGENSEN

Ethan...

(he turns impatiently)

Those girls mean as much to me as

though they were my own...Maybe you

don't know my Brad's been sittin' up

with Lucy...and my Laurie's real

fond of Martin...

Ethan glances back at where Martin and Laurie are standing.

60ANOTHER ANGLE - FAVORING LAURIE AND MARTIN

The girl is looking at Martin full of compassion, tries to

console him by taking his arm and squeezing it as he stares

blindly at the graves and Jorgensen stolidly beginning the

work of shovelling them full.

61EXT. NEAR HILLOCK - ETHAN AND MRS. JORGENSEN AS BEFORE

Ethan looks back at her -- stone-faced.

ETHAN:

(impatiently)

I'd be obliged if you'd get to the

point, ma'am.

MRS. JORGENSEN

I am...I am...It's just that I know

Martha'd want you to think of her boys

as well as her girls...And if the girls

are...dead...Ethan, don't let the boys

waste their lives in vengeance!

Ethan shrugs his arm free and mounts.

MRS. JORGENSEN

Promise me, Ethan!

He ignores her and turns angrily to where Martin is.

ETHAN:

(harshly)

Come on, if you're comin'...

He digs spurs and rides out with the others. Martin comes

over, with Laurie a step behind. His face is set, his

eyes almost unseeing.

MRS. JORGENSEN

(a heartbroken murmur)

Oh, Martin...Martin...

MARTIN:

We'll find them, Mrs. Jorgensen...

We'll find them...

He swings into his saddle. Laurie impulsively runs to his

side, steps onto the toe of his stirruped boot and pulls her-

self up to his level to kiss him hard and full upon the mouth.

He looks at her dully, as though hardly conscious of it. And

she is back beside her mother. Martin rides away after the

others.

MRS. JORGENSEN

(slowly)

I almost hope they don't find them!

Laurie looks at her mother and understands.

CUT TO:

61-AEXT. OPEN COUNTRY - THE SEARCHERS - EARLY MORNING LIGHT

The SEARCH THEME begins as we see the riders in turn.

A series of portraits of the men.

62CLOSE SHOT - BRAD AND CHARLIE - riding point, they come

to a pause, surveying the terrain ahead. Charlie, with

an arm signal, indicates he will take the left. Brad

nods and he rides out to the right.

63THE MAIN BODY OF THE MEN, Clayton passing first, expres-

sion resolute, competent...Then Ed Nesby and old Mose,

squinting at the ground as they ride, all but sniffing

like an old hound dog.

63AMARTIN - Next to last in file. Finally:

63BETHAN - His face a study of relentless purpose.

WIPE TO:

64-OMITTED.

67

68EXT. OPEN COUNTRY - FULL SHOT - BRAD AND CHARLIE - AFTERNOON

The two men are at a cairn of rocks -- their horses nearby.

In the near distance, Clayton is leading the men of the

search party at a fast clip toward the cairn. Charlie is

standing, Brad tearing the rock cairn apart. In Charlie's

hands is a Comanche head-dress of polished buffalo horn

and feathers. Brad doesn't even look up as the men ride in

and dismount, but continues his grim work of uncovering the

buried Indian.

CLAYTON:

Another one, eh?

CHARLIE:

This 'un come a long way 'fore he

died.

CLAYTON:

Well, that's seven we can score up

to your brother, Ethan.

NESBY:

I don't like it.

CLAYTON:

What don't you like?

NESBY:

Injun's on a raid generly hides their

dead so you won't know how many

they've lost...If they don't care

about us knowin', it only spells

one thing...they ain't afraid of us

followin' -- or of us catchin' up

with 'em either.

ETHAN:

You can back out any time, Nesby.

NESBY:

Didn't say that...

(angrily indicating

Brad)

What's he doin' that for...

CHARLIE:

He wants to be sure...

Brad shifts another rock and looks grimly upon the face (o.s.)

of the dead Comanche. Then he spits at it and stands.

BRAD:

(grim)

Let's get along...

ETHAN:

(to Brad)

Why don't you finish the job?

With that he strides to the cairn, whipping a knife out. he

crouches over the body (o.s.) and with his own back con-

cealing what he is doing, he bends to his bloody task.

Sam Clayton crosses to stand behind him.

CLAYTON:

(gravely)

What good does that do?

ETHAN:

By what you preach...none!

He stands now and he faces Sam.

But by what the Comanche believe --

now he can't enter the spirit land,

but has got to wander forever be-

tween the winds...because I took

his mangy scalp!

He flings the scalp down and grinds it into the dirt with his

heel...He wipes clean the blade of his knife as he crosses

back to his horse. The men mount (those who have dismounted)

and they ride off.

DISSOLVE TO:

69OMITTED

70EXT. NIGHT CAMP - RAVINE - CLOSE SHOT - BRAD AND MARTIN

Brad is looking out into the night -- strain and tension in

every line. Beyond them we may see some of the other men --

sitting or sprawled on the ground near a sheltered fire.

BRAD:

(a whisper)

If only she's alive...I'll make it

up to her... No matter what's hap-

pened...I'll make her forget...She's

just got to be alive...

Ethan crosses behind them carrying his blanket roll. He looks

at them sourly.

ETHAN:

Get some rest!

They move off, heading for their blankets. The CAMERA HOLDS

on Ethan as he rolls up his blanket and turns on his side.

He fishes a miniature out of his pocket and gravely studies

it by the light of the flickering little fire.

70-ACLOSE SHOT - THE MINIATURE - NIGHT

It is a picture of Martha. The CAMERA PULLS BACK to show

Ethan studying it gravely, then putting it away and lying

back to stare broodingly into the night.

DISSOLVE TO:

71EXT. RIDGE TOP - CLOSE SHOT - ETHAN, BRAD, MOSE, SAM -

SUNSET:

The four faces are just over the ridge, peering at some-

thing far distant, far below.

MOSE:

Could be a buffler...

BRAD:

It's horses, I tell ya...

ETHAN:

It's them all right...

He starts to squirm down the ridge, the others

following.

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