The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Page #6

When he's dug deep enough...

they tell him to put the shovel down,

smoke a cigarette and say his prayers.

In another five minutes he's being covered

over with the earth he dug out.

Yeah, you gotta hand it to them all right.

[Trumpet playing solemn song]

I meant what I said about going along

with you. Those are my burros.

I'm ready to start

if you'll let me go with you to your camp.

CURTIN:
Thanks anyway,

but I prefer going it by myself.

Good luck.

[Adventurous instrumental music]

I went way around, stayed on hard ground

which wouldn't show the tracks.

Every time I hit a high point and looked

I'd see he was still following me.

I guess it's only a matter of time

till he shows up here.

- I move we tell him straight off to beat it.

- Now, no, that'd be foolish.

He'd sit for an hour playing the innocent

and then report us to the officials.

Once they come, we can't stay

or take our goods with us if we left.

There's nothing else to do

but kill him the minute he appears.

No crime to visit these mountains.

He may be a guy that likes to wander.

You can't shoot him for that.

If you were to shoot him

it might come out.

We don't have to shoot him necessarily.

We can push him off a rock

and claim it was an accident.

Just who's gonna do the pushing, you?

We'll toss for it.

DOBBS:
You're sure

he was trailing you, are you?

CURTIN:
Absolutely.

DOBBS:
How come?

Because there he is.

Come over by the fire.

I know quite well,

you fellas, I'm not wanted here.

Even after what you told me...

I couldn't resist the desire

to sit and jaw with an American.

Why don't you go where Americans

want to talk to you?

Durango isn't too far off.

They got one

of them American clubs there.

I'm not after that.

I've got other things on my mind,

more important.

So do we. Don't make any mistakes.

Our biggest worry is your presence here.

We got no use for you.

We don't even want you

for a cook or a dishwasher.

No vacancies, understand?

In case I don't make myself clear,

you'll be doing yourself a favor...

packing up and getting out

tomorrow morning.

Go back where you came from.

Take our blessings with you.

Thanks.

Go ahead. Help yourself. We're no misers.

We don't let guys starve to death.

Tonight, you're our guest.

But tomorrow morning...

Iook out, no trespassing around here,

you know?

"Beware of the dogs." Get it?

I got myself five foxes and a lion

while you were away at the village.

CURTIN:
How are the hides?

DOBBS:
Pretty good.

CURTIN:
Where'd you hit them?

DOBBS:
Right through their eyes.

Excuse me for butting in, but there's

no game here worth going after.

It wouldn't take a week for a hunter...

to clean up all around

for five miles in each direction.

Yes, there's no good hunting here.

That's why we made up our mind

to leave...

so that we could look

for something better.

Yes, stranger, you're dead right.

Awful poor ground.

It took us some time to find it out.

Poor ground, you say?

Depends on what you're looking for.

For game, yes.

Mighty good ground for something else.

HOWARD:
What might that be?

Gold.

Gold?

[Howard laughing]

That's a good one.

I told you in the village,

there's no gold around here.

If there was one single ounce of it,

I'd have seen it, believe me.

If you haven't found any gold here,

you're not as smart as you appear to be.

Well, maybe, you're right.

Who knows?

We never thought about gold.

Gives me an idea.

Guess I'll sleep on it.

I'll hit the hay.

CURTIN:
Yeah. Me, too.

See you in the morning, mister.

I can't figure this bird out.

Is he wise to us or not?

Whether he is or not,

he looks fairly harmless to me.

- Looks can be mighty deceiving.

- No denying that.

I'm keeping my boots on this night.

Might take it in his head

to murder us in our sleep.

- Anything can happen. I'll tell you what.

- Well, then?

You guys go to sleep

and I'll be watchdog for a few hours.

Then you both can take your turns.

- Okay. Got your gun handy?

- Yeah. Right here.

[Burros braying]

COD Y:
Good morning, friend.

Where'd you get the water

to make coffee?

- I took it out of the olla.

- You did, did you?

We didn't carry that water here

for you to make coffee.

- I didn't know water was so hard to get.

- You know it now.

COD Y:
I'll fill it up for you.

CURTIN:
What's up?

I caught this guy stealing our water.

The next time I'll let it out of you

through little round holes.

I thought I was among civilized men

who wouldn't begrudge me fresh water.

Who's not civilized?

I could easily do the same for you.

It's not settled yet who'd come out on top.

This time I took it.

Thanks for your kind attention.

If I was you, stranger,

I'd pack up and go while the going's good.

I mean to stay right here.

The brush and the mountains are free,

aren't they?

Sure. That's right,

whoever's first on the spot.

That holds for hunters,

but not for gold miners.

Unless they have happened

to have registered their claim.

Who says we have a claim to register?

Whatever you say or don't say,

tomorrow I start to dig for gold here.

I know you guys

can bump me off any minute...

but that's a risk worth running

considering the stakes.

Let's lay all our cards on the table.

As I see it, you guys have to do

one of three things:

kill me, run me off

or take me in with you as a partner.

Let's consider the first.

Another guy may come along tomorrow.

Maybe a dozen other guys.

If you start killing them...

how far are you prepared to go?

Ask yourselves that.

Also, don't forget,

the one actually to do the bumping off...

would forever be in the power

of the other two.

The only safe way would be

for all of you to drag out your cannons...

and bang away at the same instant

like a firing squad.

We wouldn't stop at anything

to protect our interests.

I claim killing me isn't it.

But, of course, that's for you to decide.

As for choice number two...

you run me off,

I might very well inform on you.

We'd get you if you did that.

We'd get you

if we had to go all the way to China.

25/o of the value

of your find is the reward I'd get.

And that would be mighty tempting.

It's a strong argument

in favor of number one.

COD Y:
I don't deny it.

But let's see

what number three has to offer.

If you take me in as a partner,

you don't stand to lose anything.

I'll not ask a share in what you've made

so far, only in the profits to come.

What do you say?

Mind, stranger, letting us talk this over

among ourselves?

COD Y:
Not at all. Go ahead.

I have to look after my burros anyway.

- What do you think?

- Sending him away is out of the question.

Either we bump him off

or make him a partner.

F.C. Dobbs ain't a guy

that likes being taken advantage of.

DOBBS:
Do the mug in, I say.

He told us how, didn't he?

All of us hold out our cannons

and let him have it.

What do we gain by bumping him off?

If he was asking to share in what we made

it'd be different.

I don't mind being taken advantage of...

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes