The Searchers Page #9

One Comanche rides a few yards into the water, brandishing

his rifle, taunting the white men. A moment later he is

joined by a second brave.

ETHAN:

(grimly)

Real sassy.

He and Mose slowly bring their rifles to bear -- and then

the two shots crack out almost simultaneously. And within

split seconds both Comanches fall. The others race away.

Sam comes charging over to Ethan and Mose.

CLAYTON:

(angrily)

I didn't give any order to fire!

ETHAN:

That's all right, Captain...I don't

need any formal invitation to kill

a Comanch...

CLAYTON:

(grimly)

You got one now!

And he drops behind a rock as, with a wild whooping, the

Comanche forces swing from their places of hiding and hit

the river. The men open fire, all but Martin, who has

frozen, staring wild-eyed at the oncoming Comanches.

77EXT. RIVER'S EDGE - PROFILE SHOT - THE DEFENDERS

Brad, Charlie, Clayton, Nesby are snapping shot after shot.

Only Martin seems out of it. Ethan shoots him a glance.

ETHAN:

Slack your shoulders...Slack 'em...

Your hands'll take care of themselves...

Some of the tension leaves Martin. Somehow his gun is in

position and he is firing as fast and well as the others.

77-AEXT. THE RIVER - FULL SHOT - INDIAN CHARGE

The Comanches are coming in, crouched low over their ponies'

necks, whooping and firing. Men and horses go down, counted

off by the expert marksmanship of the Texans. But they

keep coming.

77-BEXT. RIVER'S EDGE - PROFILE SHOT - PAST MARTIN, ETHAN, MOSE

They drop their rifles now and pull out revolvers for close-

range work. One Comanche breaks through from the side, his

buffalo lance ready for the thrust. Ethan whirls and fires.

The Comanche horse charges through the defense line and

out and there is a muffled scream of pain from Ed Nesby.

77-CEXT. THE RIVER - WIDE ANGLE - THE INDIANS

The charge breaks and Comanches wheel left and right, racing

back across the river. With magnificent horsemanship, one

brave rides to an unhorsed warrior crouched in the shallows

and swings him up behind. Two others, riding together,

head for one of the two dead Comanches Ethan and Mose had

downed on their first shots. Swinging simultaneously from

their saddles, they grab the dead man and carry him off.

77-DEXT. THE RIVER'S EDGE - ANGLING PAST MOSE AND ETHAN

MOSE:

(cackling)

There goes yer scalp, Ethan!...

Ethan snuggles his rifle to his shoulder as two other racing

Comanches prepare to pick up the other dead Indian. Most

of the Comanches have regained the far bank now and are

racing away. The firing from the Texans has stopped.

ETHAN:

I still got one out there.

78-OMITTED

81

82EXT. RIVER'S EDGE - CLOSE SHOT - BEHIND ETHAN

The angle is along his rifle barrel as it beads on one of the

racing Comanches trying to pick up the dead Indian.

Clayton's big hand grasps the rifle barrel.

CLAYTON'S VOICE

(quietly)

No, Ethan.

83EXT. RIVER'S EDGE - CLOSE SHOT - THE TWO

Ethan looks up into Clayton's face.

CLAYTON:

Let them bury their dead...

Ethan pulls the gun free and looks out across the river.

84EXT. THE RIVER - LONG SHOT - PAST THEM

The Comanches have done their work, are riding away -- and

over the saddle of one lies the limp form of the dead Indian.

Ethan looks back at Sam.

ETHAN:

That tears it, Reverend...From now

on, you keep out...

(mad now -- facing

the others)

All of you!...I don't want you with

me...I don't need you...for what I

got to do!

CHARLIE:

(quietly)

No need to shout, mister.

The CAMERA SWINGS to pick up the figure of Nesby outstretched

on the ground, writhing in pain; with Charlie kneeling beside

him. The men cross to stand around the fallen man.

CHARLIE:

Reckon we got to go back -- Ed's

shoulder is smashed -- bad!

NESBY:

I can make it...just get me on a

horse...

CLAYTON:

No good, Ed...And Ethan's right...

This is a job for a company of

Rangers...or it's a job for one or

two men...Right now we're too many...

an' not enough...

BRAD:

(facing Ethan)

Only one way you can stop me lookin'

for Lucy, mister...An' that's kill

me...

MARTIN:

That's how I feel, Uncle Ethan...

(correcting the

slip)

Ethan, sir.

Ethan glares at them, but has to accept it.

ETHAN:

All right...but I'm givin' the

orders...You take 'em or we split

up here and now...

MARTIN:

(quickly)

Why, sure, Ethan...There's just the

one thing we're after...finding

Deborah and Lucy...

ETHAN:

(grimly -- turning

away)

If they're still alive...

He heads away, for his horse. Brad and Martin look at each

other as the full import of Ethan's footnote strikes home.

Then they head for their own horses.

85-OMITTED

86

86-AEXT. THE RIVER - FULL SHOT

Ethan, Martin, and Brad mount. Clayton crosses to them.

CLAYTON:

You boys got enough shells?

They nod.

MARTIN:

Yeah...

CLAYTON:

Vaya con dios.

The three re-enter the river and slowly start across, with

Clayton gravely looking after them. The three riders

continue across the river...and the Search Theme resumes.

DISSOLVE TO:

87EXT. WIDE ANGLE - DESERT COUNTRY - BLAZING NOON

A region of buttes and giant rock formations; treeless, arid

and seemingly reaching out to infinity. Far off we see a

cloud of dust -- miles and miles off. Only the dust,

nothing else. From behind CAMERA ride the three men -- Ethan,

Brad, and Martin -- dust-powdered, eyes bloodshot. The

three are watching that distant cloud of dust. They force

their weary horses onward.

WIPE TO:

88EXT. DESERT COUNTRY - WIDE ANGLE - LATE AFTERNOON

The ANGLE is past some spectacular butte or citadel of rock

into another long reach of valley -- different from the

first view of it, yet alike in its suggestion of endlessness.

But now there is no cloud of dust far away -- nothing to

suggest the passage of anything but time itself.

Ethan, Martin, and Brad ride into the fringe of the butte's

shadow and scan the terrain ahead.

BRAD:

(shrill)

They got to stop sometime...if

they're human at all, they got

to stop!

ETHAN:

Naw...a human man rides a horse till

it dies...then he goes on afoot...A

Comanche comes along...gets that

horse up...and rides it twenty more

miles...Then he eats it.

Ethan turns to catch Martin thirstily drinking from his

canteen.

ETHAN:

(angrily)

Easy on that!

MARTIN:

Sorry...We don't even know if Debbie

'n Lucy are with this bunch...Maybe

they split up...

ETHAN:

They're with 'em -- if they're still

alive.

Brad wheels on him.

BRAD:

You've said that enough!...Maybe

Lucy's dead...maybe they're both

dead...but if I hear it from you

again, I'll fight ya, Mr. Edwards!

ETHAN:

(an aside)

That'll be the day!...Let's ride.

WIPE TO:

89OMITTED

89-AEXT. VALLEY AND CANYON WALL - WIDE ANGLE - THE RIDERS -

LATE AFTERNOON:

(NOTE:
This is the gap in the rocks near the "Medicine

Country" at Monument.)

The three riders come to where the trail they have been

following forks...the main horseprint track leading ahead,

a lesser track heading for a narrow gap between two buttes.

MARTIN:

Four of 'em cut out here...Why?

Ethan thinks he knows why. His face is bleak. But he tries

to be casual.

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