The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Page #9

What's so funny?

I was thinking what a bonehead play

that old jackass made...

when he put all his goods in our keeping.

CURTIN:
What do you mean?

Figured he'd let us do his sweating

for him, did he?

- We'll show him.

- What are you getting at?

DOBBS:
Can't you see? It's all ours.

We don't go back to Durango at all.

Not at all.

I don't follow you.

DOBBS:
Don't be such a sap.

Where did you ever grow up?

All right, to make it clear

to a dumbhead like you...

we take all his goods and go straight

up north and leave the jackass flat.

CURTIN:
You aren't serious? You don't

really mean what you are saying.

Fred C. Dobbs don't say nothing

he don't mean.

As long as I'm here and can do anything,

you won't touch the old man's goods.

I know exactly what you mean.

You want to take it all for yourself

and cut me out.

No, I'm on the level with the old man,

like I'd be with you if you weren't here.

Get off your soapbox. You only sound

foolish out here in this wilderness.

I know you for what you are.

For a long time I've had my suspicions

about you and now I know I've been right.

CURTIN:
What suspicions?

DOBBS:
Not putting anything over on me.

I see right through you.

For a long time you've wanted

to bump me off at the first opportunity...

and bury me out here

in the bush like a dog...

so you could take not only the old man's

goods but mine in the bargain.

When you get to Durango safely

you'll have a big laugh...

thinking how dumb

the old man and I were.

You make another move towards me

and I'll pull the trigger.

Now, get your hands up.

Come on, get them up.

Was I right, or was I?

You and your Sunday school talk

about protecting people's goods.

You. Go on, stand up,

and take it like a man.

Come on, get up.

[Gun fires]

CURTIN:
Let go of it.

CURTIN:
The cards are dealt the other way.

DOBBS:
Yeah.

CURTIN:
Now listen to me...

Look, you're all wrong.

Not for a moment did I ever intend

to rob you or do you any harm.

Just like I said...

I'd fight for you and yours

like I'd fight for the old man's.

If you really mean that

give me back my gun.

My pal.

CURTIN:
Wouldn't it be better

to separate tomorrow or even tonight?

DOBBS:
That would suit you fine.

CURTIN:
Why me more than you?

So you could fall on me from behind,

sneak up and shoot me in the back.

All right, I'll go first.

And wait for me on the trail

to ambush me?

Why wouldn't I do it now

if I meant to kill you?

I'll tell you why, because you're yellow.

You don't have the nerve to pull the

trigger while I'm looking you in the eye.

If you think like that, there's nothing

to do but to tie you up every night.

[Laughing]

I'll tell you what. I'll make you a little bet.

Three times 35 is 105.

I'll bet $105,000

you go to sleep before I do.

[Sinister instrumental music]

[Dobbs laughing]

[Solemn instrumental music]

[Tense instrumental music]

Get up there at the head of the train.

[Suspenseful instrumental music]

DOBBS:
Get up!

The cards are dealt the other way now,

and for the last time. No more shuffling.

CURTIN:
What cards...

DOBBS:
I'll finish this right now.

I won't take orders from you

like I had to do today.

CURTIN:
You're going to murder me?

DOBBS:
No, not murder. Your mistake.

I'm doing it to save my life that you'd take

from me when I wasn't looking at you.

CURTIN:
The old man'll catch up with you.

DOBBS:
Will he?

I got an answer for that one, too.

Know what I'll tell him?

I'll tell him you tied me to a tree and

made your getaway taking all our goods.

He'll be looking for you and not me.

Up. March. Today I had to march

to your music, now you march to mine.

- Where?

- To your funeral.

Come on, keep going.

Get up. Sleepy?

You'll be asleep soon enough.

Sound asleep.

[Gun firing]

[Panting]

Maybe I didn't kill him.

Maybe he just staggered and fell down

without being hit.

[Suspenseful instrumental music]

You keep it, it's yours anyhow.

No, they won't find him.

I'll dig a hole for him

first thing in the morning.

This fire...

don't give much heat.

Conscience.

What a thing.

If you believe you've got a conscience,

it'll pester you to death.

But if you don't believe you've got one...

what can it do to you?

Makes me sick all this talking and fussing

about nonsense.

[Suspenseful

instrumental music intensifies]

[Leaves rustling]

[Twig cracking]

[Men talking in Spanish]

[Somber instrumental music]

[Suspenseful instrumental music]

Maybe I'd better leave him like he is.

Ain't very likely anybody will find him.

In a week, the buzzards and the ants

will have done away with him anyway.

[Animal roaring]

I don't know what's getting into me.

Was that really a tiger?

[Suspenseful

instrumental music continues]

No.

What if his eyes are open, looking at me?

Best thing to do

is to get to the railroad in a hurry.

[Solemn instrumental music]

DOBBS:
Burro.

It's better not to have buried him.

I did right, yeah.

What I should have done, maybe,

was bury his clothes...

and leave him to the ants

and the buzzards.

Buzzards!

If somebody saw them circling,

they'd know something was dead.

Buzzards ain't spotted him yet.

Lucky for me.

[Suspenseful instrumental music]

[Suspenseful

instrumental music intensifies]

Curtin!

Curtin!

Curtin!

Where are you?

[Tense instrumental music]

I better get a hold of myself.

I mustn't lose my head.

There's one thing certain, he ain't here.

I got it. The tiger.

Yeah, that's it. The tiger must have

dragged him off to his lair, that's what.

Yeah, pretty soon, not even the bones

will be left to tell the story.

[Laughing cynically]

Done as if by order.

[Dramatic instrumental music]

[Children shouting]

[Rooster crowing]

[Cheerful instrumental music]

[Speaking Spanish]

[Piglet squealing]

[Speaking Spanish]

CURTIN:
I came to

in the middle of the night.

My gun was on the ground beside me.

He must have left it there

to make it look like suicide.

I figured he'd come back in the morning

to see if I still had a flicker of life.

I thought about waiting for him

and letting him have it...

but there was a good chance

in my condition I might miss...

so I decided to crawl away

like a poisoned dog.

HOWARD:
Easy, you're talking too much.

CURTIN:
Don't you worry about me.

I'll pull out of this if only to get that guy.

It appears our fine Mr. Dobbs has made off

with our goods and is on his way north.

CURTIN:
Yeah.

HOWARD:
We can't blame him too much.

What do you mean?

I mean, he's not a real killer, as killers go.

I think he's as honest

as the next fella, or almost.

The mistake was leaving you two

in the depths of the wilderness...

with more than $100,000 between you.

That's a big temptation, partner,

believe me.

He shot me down in cold blood.

After I was down he shot me

a second time just to make sure.

If I was young and out there with one

of you, I'd have been tempted, too.

Maybe I wouldn't have fallen,

but I reckon I would've been tempted.

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