1

Avenging Victorio
A Screenplay by Dave DeWitt based on the novel
published by Rio Grande Books.
©2011 Dave DeWitt

Not for distribution or resale. For reading purposes only.

Contact: daved@fiery-foods.com

2
 “AVENGING VICTORIO”
By Dave DeWitt

FADE IN:

1. INT. OFFICE – DAY (FALL, 1880)

In the “war room” of the 9th Cavalry at the Palace of the

Governors in Santa Fe, three cavalry noncoms, dressed in blue
uniforms without caps, are clustered around a desk with Phelps
Electro-Motor Telegraph machine, which is printing out a message
on a thin tape of paper. Two ANGLO SERGEANTS are standing; the
Hispanic sergeant ROBERTO is seated.

ANGLO SERGEANT 1
Jesus Christ! Look at that.

ANGLO SERGEANT 2
I'd better show it to the general.

ROBERTO
I'll take it to him--

ANGLO SERGEANT 1
Go to hell, Mexican!

ROBERTO
(mutters)
Hijo de puta...

ANGLO SERGEANT 2
Speak English, asshole!

VOICE (O. C.)

Bring me the goddamned telegram, Gonzales!

Roberto tears off the tape of paper out of the telegraph and
stands up, grinning at the two Anglos. He walks out the door,
down a short hall and looks into the adjoining office. Seated is
COL. EDWARD T. HATCH, commander of the 9th Cavalry. He has
graying hair and a mustache and is dressed in a three-piece dark
blue suit with shoulder straps. Roberto hands him the telegram.

ROBERTO
Good news, General.

3
TELEGRAM
18 OCT. 1880 COL. EDWARD T. HATCH COMD'G, DIST.
N.M.T. SANTA FE APACHE. RENEGADE VICTORIO KILLED
FRIDAY BY FORCES OF GEN. JOAQUIN TERRAZAS AT TRES
CASTILLOS, CHIHUAHUA. DISPATCH WITH DETAILS FOLLOWS.
LT. J.F. GUILFOLYE COMD'G. CPY B INDIAN SCOUTS FT.
CUMMINGS.

HATCH
Fetch Captain Loud.

ROBERTO
Yessir.

EXT. PLAZA IN SANTA FE - DAY

CAPT. JOHN LOUD is reviewing troops on the Plaza. Roberto

hurries up to him and talks briefly to him (MOS). Loud dismisses
the troops and turns toward the Palace of the Governors.

INT. HATCH'S OFFICE - DAY

Loud is with Hatch in his office. Hatch gives the telegram to

Loud and makes a futile attempt to suppress his sudden elation.
His right hand slaps the desktop as if smashing a troublesome
insect and he grins broadly. Loud returns the grin.

HATCH
We should inform the staff.

LOUD
You should make the announcement yourself, General. Why don't
you join us in the mess for lunch? I will instruct your staff
officers to be present.

HATCH
What's for lunch, John?

LOUD
Venison chile and beans for you, General. Pork cutlets for the
men who don't eat chile.

HATCH
The sissies, you mean. Yes, I'll join you and the other officers
in the mess promptly at noon.

4
INT. OFFICERS' MESS - DAY

In a small dining room decorated with American flags and Navajo

rugs on the walls, the nine officers are chatting. There is a
SERGEANT standing by the door. Hatch enters the mess.

SERGEANT
Ten-hut!

The officers rise to attention.

HATCH
At ease, gentlemen.

The officers sit silently and are attentive. Hatch moves to a

lectern at the front of the room.

HATCH
Before we eat, I have a brief lecture....

The officers groan good naturedly. Hatch grins.

HATCH
First, the good news. Victorio is dead.

The officers applaud and one exclaims “All right!”

HATCH
But of course, all of you knew that. It's impossible to keep a
secret at here at headquarters. Second, the end of the campaign
against Victorio represents a tremendous victory for the Ninth
and Tenth Cavalries--despite the fact that the Mexicans actually
finished off Victorio's forces. Maybe now the goddamned
newspapers will let up on us. I'm tired of being called a
“political colonel” and a “total incompetent.”

Hatch pauses while a shy, plump, Mexican woman about forty years
old places mugs beside each plate on the tables.

HATCH:
The Ninth has successfully executed my military strategy: to
subdue Victorio and put him out of business. We had to use some
unusual methods to do that. We recruited and deployed Indian
scouts to track down and kill their own kind. We sent our Negro
troopers, known for their incredible endurance, against the tough
Apaches. The result was that Victorio's men fled back to

5
Mexico... for the last time.

The Mexican woman interrupts Hatch by carrying in a tray filled

with bottles of Anheuser-Busch lager beer and distributing the
bottles to the officers. None of the staff make any attempt to
pour their beers into the mugs, and Hatch ignores the presence of
the beer that was set before him.

HATCH
In retrospect, the biggest problem we had was that we could not
prevent the Apaches from getting arms. They were easily
resupplied with guns and ammunition--in fact, the Apaches were
sometimes better armed than our own men. Over four hundred people
died by the hand of Victorio's Apaches, but not in vain. Because
of their efforts and ours, New Mexico Territory is safer than
it's ever been before.

His staff breaks into applause again. Hatch lifts his bottle of
beer and inspects it.

HATCH
Now what is this? You gentlemen know that alcohol is prohibited
at headquarters.

LOUD
We thought that a toast was in order, general. And it's socially
unacceptable to toast victory with coffee.

HATCH
You'll make a good politician, Loud. Carry on.

Loud rises to attention, holding up his bottle of beer.

LOUD
Gentlemen, pour your beers. I propose a toast to our commander
on the occasion of the fortunate demise of Victorio!

The officers cheer and raise their mugs high in a salute to

Hatch, who smiles and then drinks with them. The Mexican woman
serves the food and they begin eating.

LOUD
General, shouldn't we inform Governor Wallace about Victorio?

HATCH
Yes. I'm going to send him a telegram at Crawfordsville this
afternoon. In fact, captain, see to it.

6
LOUD
Yes sir. I was thinking that perhaps the governor might enjoy
hosting a reception at the Adobe Palace to celebrate the return
of peace.

Hatch pauses, a spoonful of red chile near his lips.

HATCH
Now that's an interesting notion. But Governor Wallace won't
return from Indiana until after the election next month. He
won't even be here when President Hayes visits."

MAJOR JAMES LEE, the quartermaster of headquarters, looks up from

his pork cutlet.

LEE
Why not make the reception a Christmas Ball? The wives would
love that. And it could be a publication party, too.

HATCH
Excellent idea, Major. Make it so. Gentlemen, by order of the
commander, the remainder of this afternoon is declared a holiday.

EXT. SANTA FE STREETS - DAY

Hatch leaves the headquarters compound and walks under the portal
of the Adobe Palace on Palace Avenue, which is extremely dusty
from the lack of rain and the heavy horse and wagon traffic.
Several Indians from nearby pueblos are selling pots and
turquoise jewelry which is spread out on their blankets. A man
and his wife, both over-dressed for the territory and looking
like they just got off the stage, are prospective buyers of the
handicrafts. Hatch turns left on Washington Avenue and strolls
the short half-block to the commander's residence. It is a two-
story frame structure with a white picket fence enclosing the
yard and garden. Hatch enters the house. His wife, EVELYN is in
the kitchen peeling roasted green chile.

EVELYN
Ed! What are you doing home so early?"

HATCH
I declared the rest of the day a holiday.

He kisses her on the cheek.

7
EVELYN
What's the occasion?

HATCH
The end of Victorio.

EVELYN
He's dead?

HATCH
Quite dead. The Mexicans caught up with him and his band and
killed nearly all of them.

EVELYN
Thank God. Sit down and tell me all about--”

She is interrupted by a loud knocking on the door. Hatch opens

the door, sees who it is, and steps out on the porch to confront
CHARLES GREENE.

HATCH
(coldly)
Good afternoon, Mr. Greene.

GREENE
Afternoon, general. Your office said I might find you here.

HATCH
You found me. What do you want?

GREENE
An interview.

HATCH
Oh? About what?"
CONTINUED:

GREENE
What else? The death of Chief Victorio. I'd like your reaction,
general.

HATCH
My reaction? I'm pleased, of course.

GREENE
But disappointed that you didn't kill him yourself?

8
HATCH
Not at all. We were not fighting a duel, mind you. It was a
military action.

GREENE
And a frustrating one--

HATCH
(irritated)
Listen, Greene, you wrote that I was incompetent, yet look at the
results: my men chased him out of the territory and now he's
dead. How can you get any more competent than that?

GREENE
I apologize. Now we have the chance to rectify that.

HATCH
Are you saying that if I cooperate with you and give this
interview you will finally tell the complete story of our
strategy?

GREENE
Of course. Would you say, general, that the Apache threat to the
Territory of New Mexico has ended?

HATCH
Yes, definitely.

CUT TO:

INT. HOUSE – DAY

Twenty minutes have passed. Evelyn is cleaning up the kitchen.

Hatch opens the door and walks inside, shaking his head.

HATCH
Damn all the reporters.

EVELYN
I peaked out the window and saw Mr. Greene. I heard what you
told him.

HATCH
All I can do is hope that he writes the truth. I couldn't just
ignore him.

9
EVELYN
Of course not. You were very polite, Ed.

HATCH
I have to play politics. But on a different subject, we're going
to throw a publication party for Lew and his book BEN HUR around
Christmas time. Since he told me that his wife swore she would
never set foot again in this “God-forsaken land,” would you be
the hostess for this gala event?

EVELYN
I'd love to.

CUT TO:

3. EXT. - DAY SAN CARLOS RESERVATION ARIZONA

In the middle of the Sonoran Desert we see an encampment of

wikiups and a assortment of motley-looking and morose Apaches
being guarded by soldiers with rifles. There are some fires
burning, tended by Apache women with children.

INT. - DAY

In one of the wikiups, two Apache men are talking softly. One is
an old man, NANA, and the other is younger, THE DREAMER. Because
of the heat, they are dressed in loincloths and loose-fitting
blouses.

NANA
And when I returned with the ammunition to the place the Mexicans
call Tres Castillos, most of our band was dead, but a few had
escaped.

THE DREAMER
And Victorio?

NANA
He killed himself with his knife.

THE DREAMER
(grunting with pleasure)
Good.

NANA

10
(nodding)
Yes. At least the Mexicans didn't kill him.

THE DREAMER
You have come because you need help.

NANA
We need warriors, but we also need a shaman.

THE DREAMER
That means you have a plan.

NANA
(nodding)
I will tell you.

THE DREAMER
All I have are these....

The Dreamer opens a folded, ratty-looking blanket and reveals two

knives. Both men smile.

THE DREAMER
Do you know the Chiricahua the White Eyes call Chihuahua?

NANA
Yes. He is a Blue Coat scout and therefore our enemy.

THE DREAMER
Don't be so sure of that, Grandfather. He is here now visiting
his wife and children. We should talk with him, tell him of your
plan. He might help us.

NANA
(reluctantly)
If you think so.

EXT. - NIGHT

Under the light of the moon, Nana and The Dreamer are seen riding
quickly away from a farmhouse. Each is carrying a rifle,
canteens, a small pack, and leading another horse.

EXT. - NIGHT

At dawn, Nana and The Dreamer are riding horses at a trot and
leading two others that are unsaddled but carrying small packs on

11
their backs.. As they are riding, The Dreamer hands Nana some
carne seca and Nana starts chewing on it.

NANA
They will come after us.

THE DREAMER
Yes.

NANA
Let's find a place.

They ride off at a faster pace for several minutes until Nana
points slightly to his right.

NANA
There.

They pull up the horses at some very low sand dunes ringed by
mesquite bushes. It is now fully light. Nana looks in the
direction they just came from.

NANA
They are coming.

THE DREAMER.
I am ready.

They dismount and tie up all four horses to mesquite trees. Nana
noticeably has a bad limp with his right leg.

NANA
Begin the prayer.

The Dreamer slowly turned in a 360-degree movement.

THE DREAMER
On this earth
Where we live,
Ussen has the Power.
He gives this Power to us
For locating ammunition.
We now search for that ammunition
Which only Ussen the Great
Can give to us.

NANA

12
(facing the dunes)
Right here at this place
I become a mirage.
Let them not see me
For I am of the sand.

EXT. - DAY

Four soldiers, led by an Apache scout, are riding fast through

the desert when the scout pulls up his horse. They others
follow.

SCOUT
(pointing)
Horses.

CAVALRY SERGEANT
Where are the two renegades?

No one answers him, so they move up slowly toward the tethered

horses. One of the tethered horses snorts. The sound of a quail
calling comes from nowhere and then Nana and The Dreamer explode
out of the sand, firing their rifles. All of the soldiers are
knocked from their horses, but the scout rides away at a gallop.
Nana calmly shoots him in the back.

NANA
Traitor.

Nana and The Dreamer slice the throats of all five of them and
search the bodies, retrieving ammunition which they place into
two saddle bags. Nana retrieves a pocket watch from one of the
soldier's pocket, yanks off the chain and puts the chain into a
saddle bag. The Dreamer leaps onto the back of one of the
soldier's horses and retrieves the two horses that have broken
their tethers and run away. They load the corpses across the
backs of horses and carry them a short distance to a narrow, deep
arroyo. They dump the dead in the arroyo and then rolled heavy
stones over them.

THE DREAMER
Ussen has blessed us. Let us pray for continued invisibility.

EXT. - DAY
Six days have passed and now Nana and the Dreamer are on
seemingly hidden trails that wind up the Blue Mountains through
increasingly dense forest. They see a jaguar and then green

13
parrots with red and yellow heads eating pine cones. Nana leads
The Dreamer to a wide stream. Nana taps a hand over his open
mouth to make a haunting song and they cross the stream.

EXT. - DAY
Hidden among some rocks and watching the approach of Nana and The
Dreamer is the boy ISTEE. He takes out a piece of mirror, turns
around, and sends two flashes up the mountain. The flashes are
received by LOZEN, a woman warrior, wearing a leather coat with
fringe and man's trousers, who immediately begins running up the
mountain.

EXT. - DAY

At the Apache camp in a mountain park in the forest, Lozen runs

up to KAYTENNAE, a young, strongly-built warrior who is playing
the game of hoop-and-pole with another warrior, MANGUS.

LOZEN
Grandfather is coming!

KAYTENNAE
Good. Go and tell Grandfather's wife.

EXT. - DAY
Nana passes Istee's position and makes the quail call. Istee
returns the call, smiling. Nana leads The Dreamer into the camp.

NANA
Here is the stronghold of my people.

The nineteen survivors of the Tres Castillos battle, except for

Istee, gather to watch Nana ride into camp with his captured
horses--and the stranger. Kaytennae moves forward and seizes the
bridle of Nana's mount.

KAYTENNAE
What have you been doing, Grandfather?

NANA
Killing Blue coats.

Kaytennae claps his right hand over his mouth in the Tcihene
gesture which means "what a speech!" Nana dismounts, stiff and
sore from all the days on horseback, but tries not to let his
discomfort show. Nana indicates The Dreamer with a brief nod in
his direction.

14
NANA
Here is the one from San Carlos who can bring the dead to life.
He will join us for a while as our shaman. Someone should build
a wickiup for him.

Nana limps over to one of the horses and opens the saddlebags to
reveal the packets of rifle shells. The small crowd immediately
responds with murmurs of "um, um."

KAYTENNAE
I see you have not lost your Power.

NANA
Victorio and our people are gone because they ran out of
ammunition. That is why they only killed ten Mexicans while the
Mexicans killed so many of us. As long as I live, the Tcihene
will never lack ammunition.

Nana leaves the pack animals and slowly walks over to where his
wife, NAH-DES-TE, wearing a colorful blouse and long skirt older
Apache woman is standing. He embraces her.

NAH-DES-TE
(in a subdued voice)
I am glad to see you again, husband.

Nana releases her and turns to his people.

NANA
Today we shall rest, but tomorrow will be a day for feasting to
welcome our guest. Also, I wish to call a council to consider a
vengeance war against the Mexicans and White Eyes. In my
parfleches the women will find corn we brought all the way from
San Carlos. It is now sprouted and ready to make tizwin to DRINK
with our feast.

After his brief speech, Nana limps off to his wickiup, followed
closely by Nah-des-te. But before they reached their
destination, Nah-des-te ran back to the pack animals and
retrieves the sprouted corn from Nana's parfleches.

NAH-DES-TE
If you want tizwin tomorrow night, I must start it tonight.

EXT. - DAWN

15
Kaytennae carries his rifle, ammunition, and the head and antlers
of a deer. He joins Mangus and the the two boys Istee and
KAYWAYKLA, who is Istee's age. The four of them move to where the
horses are tethered, and together they place bridles and buckskin
saddles on the mounts they had selected for the day's hunt. Istee
and Kaywaykla are obviously excited. The two men carry rifles;
the two boys carry traditional bows made from wild mulberry
saplings and arrows fashioned from desert broom branches and
tipped with flint points.

KAYTENNAE
Let's move out.

As they ride out of camp they hear Nana singing the Morning Song.
Kaytennae is smiling broadly and gives the quail call as they
pass the position of the lookout, who is up in a tree. The
hunting party works its way through tall pine forest and finally
Kaytennae gave the signal for them to dismount and tie the
horses. They are on a forested ridge that overlooks a park
similar to the one the Tcihene are camped in. Below, clearly
visible in the early morning light, is a small herd of deer
feeding on the grass in the park. He checks the slight breeze by
throwing up a small bird's feather, and it blows away from the
deer. Mangus leads the two boys away from the ridge to the right,
where the park narrowed and turned into a canyon. Kaytennae
places the deer head on top of his own and ties it tight with the
flaps of skin on either side. With his rifle hidden by his right
leg, he moves slowly down the slope and into the park in a manner
resembling a grazing deer. He carried a stick in his left hand,
enabling him to stoop over periodically as if feeding on the
grass. The herd ignores him. Kaytennae rises quickly and shoots
the largest buck, which topples immediately. The rest of the
herd, startled by the rifle shot, runs toward the end of the park
and a few seconds later Kaytennae hears the report of Mangus'
rifle. He removes the deer head and follows the trail of the
herd until he finds the rest of his hunting party.

MANGUS
I killed a doe, and the young warriors-to-be killed a buck with
their arrows.

KAYTENNAE
We have been blessed by Ussen.

EXT. - DAY

We see Kaytennae place the severed head of his kill to the east

16
and proceeds with the ritual of butchering the animal.

EXT. - DAY

Mangus instructs the boys on how to butcher and they begin to

help.

ISTEE
Did we do well?

MANGUS
(grinning)
You will be warriors very soon.

EXT. - DAY

Kaytennae turns the carcass of the deer over, skins the other
side, and carefully brushes the body with the skin in the four
directions. He looks down at the carcass.

KAYTENNAE
When you see me again, do not be afraid. May I be lucky with you
all the time.

EXT. - DAY

We see the hunting party, on foot, leading the horses covered

with deer parts attached by woven yucca strings. They are
surrounded by their people as the enter the camp.

CUT TO:

3. EXT. - NIGHT

A horse-drawn carriage approaches the Plaza on San Francisco

Street. Driving the carriage is ANGUS GRANT. His wife, JANICE,
is seated beside him they are dressed up but wear thick coats.
There is snow on the ground and Plaza. Each of the four-sided
lanterns atop tall standards creates its own floating island of
greenish-yellow brilliance and casts an eerie glow over the bare
cottonwoods on the plaza. Outlining the edges of the Plaza are
hundreds of farolitos, little paper sacks with glowing candles
inside them. Guards are patrolling the Plaza and are stationed in
front of the Palace of the Governors.

17
JANICE
Oh Angus, look at the beautiful lights.

ANGUS
Gas is obsolete or soon will be for lighting. Edison's already
developed the bulb. It won't be long before I'll be installing
electric lights in Albuquerque.

JANICE:
(exiting the carriage)
Now be nice.

ANGUS
I'll be right back.

He pulls away as other carriages arrive.

JANICE
(to a guard)
Are you expecting trouble?

GUARD
No ma'am, but we be ready if there is any.

Angus hurries up to the Palace and joins Janice.

JANICE
Imagine, armed soldiers patrolling the Plaza. I feel so safe.

ANGUS
Welcome to the “Land of Enchantment,” as the Bureau of
Immigration now calls this useless territory.

INT. - NIGHT
The chamber of the House of Representatives is decorated with a
large Christmas tree, American flags alternating with two
different kinds of wreaths: some fashioned from chile pods and
others from piñon branches. Long, draped tables are covered with
food of every description, and an orderly behind a temporary bar
dispensed champagne, New Mexico wine, and beer to the guests. In
the adjoining library, the Ninth Cavalry Band of all-black
musicians is alternately playing music from Strauss'Die
Fledermaus and Christmas carols like “Joy to the World. Officers
from district headquarters are saluting the guests as they arrive
and motioning them down the hall to the right, where the
reception line awaits them. In line to greet the guests are

18
Evelyn Hatch, Edward Hatch, GOVERNOR LEW WALLACE,and ARCHBISHOP
JEAN BAPTISTE LAMY.

A SERIES OF SHOTS (CU) REVEALS THE HANDWRITTEN NAME TAGS OF THE

HONORED GUESTS: ADOLPH BANDELIER, BEN WITTICK, BRADFORD PRINCE,
(THE VERY BEAUTIFUL) ELOISA OTERO, FRANZ HUNING, LEHMAN
SPIEGELBERG.

WALLACE
(at a podium, speaking loudly)
Thank you for coming this evening. With us tonight to deliver
the invocation is Archbishop Lamy.

Lamy approaches the podium.

LAMY
Lord, we are gathered here tonight to reflect on another year
during which You have allowed our survival in New Mexico
Territory. We also celebrate the birth of the Saviour, Jesus
Christ, whose day is just a week away. Thank you, O Lord, as we
recite your prayer.

Evelyn whispers in Hatch's ear, and he leaves the chamber as

Wallace begins to address the guests.

INT. - NIGHT

In the governor's office are Loud, LT. JOHN GUILFOYLE, and other
cavalry officers.

HATCH
(to Loud)
You needed to see me?"

Loud hands Hatch a bottle.

LOUD
Your beer, general.

HATCH
Why thank you, John. Welcome to Santa Fe, gentlemen.

Hatch begins to shake hands with the officers, but he's

interrupted by Guilfoyle, a clean-shaven, intense man in his late
twenties.

GUILFOYLE

19
General, we need to speak with you privately sometime tonight.

HATCH
Oh? What about?

GUILFOYLE
Apaches, sir."

HATCH
(rolling his eyes)
What else? All right, lieutenant, give me a chance to taste this
food and socialize for a while and then we'll talk.

INT. - NIGHT

In the chamber, Roberto is acting as a waiter, bringing trays of

beer and wine to the guests. He offers the tray to a group of
sergeants.

SERGEANT 1
Thanks, taco bender.

ROBERTO
(mutters)
Chinga tu madre.

SERGEANT 2
Mexican, I'm reminding you again: speak English.

ROBERTO
My mother's side of the family moved to New Mexico in 1651,
asshole. When did yours get here? Last week?

Wallace is at the bar with the Grants.

WALLACE
No, we are not expecting a band of Apaches to attack. The guards
on the Plaza are on the lookout for Billy the Kid, Mrs. Grant.

JANICE
Good heavens!

WALLACE
(chuckling)
I offered a five hundred dollar reward for his capture and his
response was to put the same bounty on my head. I seriously doubt

20
that he has the money.

ANGUS
Well, the good news is the end of the Apache threat—if you
believe the newspapers.

WALLACE
(in a speech to his constituents)
In this rare instance, I do. With Victorio dead, the Apaches have
no leader. For too long the Apaches preyed upon the peaceful
settles of this territory despite all our attempts to control
them. Kindness makes no impression on them. They remain what
they were when the Spaniards found them--cunning, bloodthirsty,
and untamable. But now, they're also defeated.

Applause from the guests around Wallace.

Hatch is at the buffet with Evelyn and MARY LOUD, a stout and
abrasive woman.

HATCH
(to Evelyn)
My dear, you did a wonderful job of organizing this celebration.

EVELYN
I enjoyed every minute of it--

MARY
(interrupting, sarcastically)
Imagine, oysters, salmon, and fancy desserts. One might assume
that civilization has finally has reached the wilderness.

EVELYN
Now Mary, remember that this year we've seen the railroad arrive,
plus gas lighting. Lew says his office will soon have a
telephone! We must have patience and--

MARY
What I can't understand is this. If Santa Fe is the oldest city
in this country, why is it so primitive? You'd think it would be
old and cultured, like Rome or Paris.

EVELYN
(laughing)
It's not that old, and besides, Mary, Santa Fe has charm and
character. There's a tradition of arts and crafts here, and I
know of at least one transplanted Eastern artist who says the

21
scenery is marvelous and the light for painting is the best in
the world. Maybe someday we'll even have an opera here.

MARY
(nearly choking on an oyster)
What a sense of humor you have, Evelyn. New Mexico isn't even a
state and there aren't twenty people here who could appreciate an
opera.

Shaking his head, Hatch moves away from the women.

INT. - NIGHT

In Wallace's office, Hatch and Guilfoyle, seated, are in

conversation.

HATCH
Now, lieutenant, what's on your mind?

GUILFOYLE
Well, sir, I don't think we've heard the last from Victorio's
band of renegades.

HATCH
(frowning)
How so?

GUILFOYLE
I've learned that not all of Victorio's band were killed at Tres
Castillos. Some of them, including Nana, escaped and ambushed
General Terrazas, who was nearly killed. And, sir, it looks like
it was Nana's band that attacked Perry in Texas.

HATCH
Nana? That's ridiculous.

GUILFOYLE
But sir, my scouts insist that Nana is commanding what's left of
Victorio's band, and that he's even found reinforcements.

HATCH
(haughtily)
I am not concerned with Nana, Lieutenant. That prehistoric
savage is well over eighty years old. In fact, he is palsied,
senile, decrepit, half-blind, and crippled with rheumatism. This
relic ran the squaw camp of Apache hangers-on while Victorio took
on my entire Ninth Cavalry. I doubt that Nana is a threat to the

22
Territory of New Mexico. Let the Mexicans take care of him.

Wallace walks in.

WALLACE
(with a smile)
Am I interrupting?

HATCH
The lieutenant was just leaving.

Wallace, carrying a very thick book, takes a seat behind his own
desk as Guilfoyle leaves.

WALLACE
Ed, I want you to have this but I didn't dare give it to you in
front of all those people. I only have a few extra copies and of
course everyone would want one. I'd rather they bought their own
copies.

Hatch rises and takes the book. The title reads BEN HUR: A TALE
OF CHRIST. Hatch opens it and reads the inscription aloud.

HATCH
To my good friend and ally, Edward Hatch. I hope this book
entertains and inspires you. Lew Wallace. Why Lew, I don't know
what to say except thank you. What a thoughtful gift for
Christmas.

WALLACE
Something to remember me by. The first edition is nearly sold
out.

HATCH
I promise you that I'll read it cover to cover.

WALLACE
(joking)
Perhaps it will lead you out of this wilderness. It certainly did
that for me.

HATCH
You must have heard from the President. Where is your new
posting?

WALLACE
Constantinople. Susan is very pleased.

23
HATCH
Lucky you. All I can hope for is Kansas.

INT. - NIGHT

In the library, the band is taking a break and Guilfoyle is

talking with fellow lieutenants CHARLES GATEWOOD and GEORGE
WASHINGTON SMITH.

GATEWOOD
Well, did he believe you?

GUILFOYLE
Not really. He's still celebrating the death of Victorio and here
I am predicting more trouble. He doesn't think Nana is any kind
of threat at all.

GATEWOOD
General Hatch is an optimist. I have a theory that Nana was the
brains behind Victorio. I was at Hembrillo, remember? The
Apaches played plenty of tricks and made us look like fools.
None of our men ever saw Victorio, although one of my scouts
spotted Nana. He told me he didn't even think Victorio was there
at Hembrillo.

GUILFOYEL
(shaking his head in disagreement)
Then where was he?

GATEWOOD
In Mexico.

SMITH
I hope Nana dares to show his face again in this territory. I've
got a bullet with his name on it right here.

Guilfoyle and Gatewood laugh.

GATEWOOD
I have an idea. In a while, why don't we slip away from this
reception and pay a visit to Teresa's place?

GUILFOYLE
Good idea.

SMITH

24
Who is Teresa?

GATEWOOD
A professional acquaintance.

GUILFOYLE
(grinning)
The entertainment profession.

INT. - NIGHT
In the parlor, Loud is talking with his wife Mary and ELOISA
OTERO. Behind them on the buffet table are oysters on the half
shell resting on beds of ice, platters of sugar-cured ham, baron
of beef, roasted venison and antelope, and leg of mutton with
caper sauce. Three half-eaten roasted turkeys are next to
platters with small dishes filled with relishes and vegetables of
all descriptions, and the desserts flan, Boston cream cakes,
coconut jumbles, and ginger snap pyramids.

ELOISA
I'm stuffed.

MARY
(jealously)
With a figure like yours, the stuffing won't show.

Guilfoyle walks up to them and addresses Loud.

GUILFOYLE
Excuse me captain, but can I have a word with you?

Loud nods and they move off away from the crowd and converse in
lowered voices.

LOUD
What is it, lieutenant.

GUILFOYLE
I warned the colonel that I thought that what's left of
Victorio's band is on the move again, with Nana in charge, but he
didn't believe me.

LOUD
Highly unlikely. That old man couldn't lead a donkey. The Warm
Spings Apaches are history.

25
GUILFOYLE
(throwing up his hands in frustration)
Well, don't say I didn't warn you. And why does everyone call
him “general” when he's only a colonel?

LOUD
(defensively)
That was his brevetted rank in the War. It kinda stuck.

GUILFOYLE
Well it's not militarily correct.

LOUD
Lieutenant, forget it. That's an order.

GUILFOYLE
Yessir.

EXT. - NIGHT
Hatch and Evelyn are leaving the Palace, with the sound of "It
Came Upon a Midnight Clear" fading and the snow falling heavily,
further diffusing the light from the gas lamps.

EVELYN
(snuggling up to Hatch, who puts his arm over the shoulder as
they walk home.
How romantic. You build up the fires and I'll wait for you in
bed,

HATCH
And continue the celebration?

EVELYN
Can you think of anything better on a snowy winter night?"

HATCH
Certainly not, my love.

INT. - NIGHT

In a small bed in a small room lit only by a single candle and

the light of a small fire in the fireplace, Guilfoyle lies with
PATTY. She jumps out of the bed in a frilly nightdress
embroidered with Christmas angels, opens the window and fills
their glasses with snow.

PATTY

26
Well, well, look who's here.

GUILFOYLE
(holding up a bottle half-full of whisky)
Who's that?

PATTY
One of Teresa's best customers, governor Wallace.

GUILFOYLE
(taking the drink from Patty, who gets back in bed with him)
A regular, huh?"

PATTY
(teasing)
I had him last week, but he smells funny. I prefer soldiers--
young ones, like you.

GUILFOYLE
(holding up his glass)
Here's to soldiering! Merry Christmas, darling.

PATTY
(kissing him)
Let's do it again!

CUT TO:

4. EXT. - DAY

In the Tcihene camp, we see the women preparing for the feast.
Nah-Des-te is directing the making of tizwin, corn beer, by
adding the boiled crushed corn sprouts to fermented mescal juice
in several large pottery jars. Lozen and other women are in the
scrub forest further down the mountain collecting juniper
berries, quail's eggs, and mesquite beans. One pretty girl,
JACALI, becomes the center of the camera's attention. She
exchanges glances with Istee, who, along with Kaytennae, are on
guard duty to protect the girls and women.

EXT. - DAY

Nana and other warriors are building a structure by a small pond,

a dome-shaped sweat lodge that is started with a framework of

27
supple oak branches and covered with deer skins. It has a skin
door flap. The Dreamer stands a little way away, watching them.
Alternating with the work, we see Nana turning in four directions
and praying MOS. Then he builds a fire just outside the door of
the lodge and surrounds the blaze with four large rocks. He
gestures for The Dreamer to join him. Together they use sticks
to push the hot rocks into the lodge. Nana and The Dreamer rub
crushed piñon needles over their bodies and tie wild sage
branches around their heads. They strip to loin cloths and enter
the lodge.

INT. - DAY

Inside the lodge, they carefully seal the door so the heat will
not escape. Nana ours water over the stones, creating a little
steam. They sing songs about the sweat bath, the earth, the sky,
and lost lands of the Tcihene and White Mountain people. When
the heat becomes so intense they felt their skins would catch
fire, they hurry out of the lodge and bathe in the pond.

EXT. - DAY

In late afternoon, Tcihene assemble at the main fire. Nana has

changed his clothes and is dressed as elegantly as possible under
the circumstances--in a bright red cotton shirt with a buttoned
corduroy waistcoat, boot-length buckskin moccasins bound above
the calf, a beaded necklace, and a neckerchief tied with a silver
concho. He also wears long silver watch chains that dangle from
his pierced ear lobes.

NAH-DES-TE
You look very handsome, my husband.

Nana looks away from her, smiling. Nah-des-te, assisted by

Jacali, first passes around gourd cups of the corn beer tizwin to
everyone, and then begins to grill the venison steaks, which are
skewered on green branches and held over the hot coals of the
fire. Jacali carefully removes deer stomachs from the hot
stones, places them on thin, flat stones and they are passed
around, first to Nana, then to Kaytennae, and then to Lozen.
Opened with a knife they are seen to be a kind of blood sausage
with mountain onions and wild chile pepper berries. Nana takes a
taste.

NANA

28
We thank Ussen for food so much better than that at San Carlos.

The Dreamer begins a soft laugh and the others follow. Mats of
woven yucca leaves piled high with food are passed around so the
people could help themselves to the other Tcihene delicacies:
roasted and sun-dried mescal mixed with juniper and sumac
berries, mesquite bean pancakes and boiled quail's eggs. When
they were done, the venison steaks are eaten right off the
cooking sticks. The final dish of their feast is a concoction of
dried prickly-pear fruits with piñon nut and yucca pulp pudding,
and Nana smacked his lips in satisfaction as he eats it with a
yucca-blade spoon. Istee and Jacali exchange occasional glances.

NANA
(rising to his feet)
It is time for those of us who are left to decide what to do. We
must call a council and choose whether or not to begin a
vengeance war. To help us with our choice, our guest and new
shaman will perform a ceremony.

He sits down abruptly and The Dreamer rises to his feet. He

wears a white cotton shirt, a two-string medicine thong strung
with turquoise, shells, and beads, and a medicine hat decorated
with the horns and fur of a pronghorn. His left hand is painted
with the sun symbol and holds a small gourd rattle. In his right
hand was a medicine tray with cattail pollen, paints, and a large
pile of herbs upon it. On his knees, Nana leans over and traces a
cross of pollen on The Dreamer's moccasins, and lifts up to him
the four ceremonial gifts which mean that he has been accepted as
the band's shaman: downy eagle feathers, a perfectly cured
buckskin, a large piece of turquoise, and an abalone shell. The
Dreamer leans over and marks Nana's face with cattail pollen, and
Nana does the same to his. The shaman then smokes a cigarette of
wild tobacco, slowly puffing the smoke to the four directions.:
north, east, south, west. When the cigarette is gone, he shakes
a gourd rattle as he speaks.

THE DREAMER
Everything in our world--the animals, the plants, the stars in
the sky, lightning--has a Power behind it which makes it do the
things it does. But we can see only a small part of this Power.
It makes me humble when I remember that Ussen has, in His wisdom,
given Power to the most innocent-appearing things that live in
our world. The ordinary, sharp-spined mescal has the Power to
feed us, to keep us alive. Recently I have discovered another
such sacred plant, one previously unknown even to shamans. Here
is how it happened. I met a Lipan man at San Carlos who told me

29
this story. A few years ago his people had been dying off
because of some disease of the White Eyes and no cure had been
found. So while on a horse raid, this Lipan man decided to pray
to any beautiful plant he saw, hoping that a cure-plant would
reveal itself. Some time later he came upon a place where many
small cactus plants were growing. The plants were covered with
hundreds of beautiful pink flowers, so the Lipan man prayed to
the flowers, telling them how pretty they were, and how he wished
that his people were as plentiful as all the blossoms. Then one
of the cactus plants spoke back to the Lipan man. “Pull me,” it
told him, “Take me home and make a wickiup with the door to the
east. Then eat me, and let those others who have an interest
also eat me.” The Lipan man hurried back to his people and told
the chief what had happened. They decided to feed the cactus
plants to everyone in the tribe, but were afraid that there were
not enough plants to go around. Miraculously, as the people took
the plants, the pile of them never diminished and there was
enough for all. After they ate the plants, their sickness went
away and people recovered.

The Dreamer pauses and slowly gazes upon each of the faces
surrounding him. Then he moves his hand over his medicine tray
and retrieves some small, wrinkled buttons that resembled pieces
of pronghorn sign.

THE DREAMER
It is these small things that have such great Power. They can
cure disease. They can make us so powerful that we never tire,
never are hungry or thirsty, and never feel the White Eyes'
bullets. By eating this plant, its Power is loaned to us for a
time, and we must learn from the visions it gives to us.

The Dreamer places four of the buttons in the outstretched hand

of Nana, who takes them and passes them to the other warriors,
including Lozen, and each takes four buttons.

THE DREAMER
It is called peyotl and it is very bitter. Chew them until they
are soft and then swallow them. Later, some of you may vomit, but
that is normal. Clear your thoughts and listen to me. It will
take some time before you feel the Power of the peyotl. During
that time, Grandfather will conduct a council meeting.

Nana rises and takes the place of The Dreamer as the center of
attention.

NANA and usually by now we would be camped in our ancestral lands

30
at Ojo Caliente. I do not need to tell you that we must take
action or our band will be indeh--dead and gone. I know you are
looking to me for leadership, but before I tell you my thoughts,
I would like to hear from you. What can we do, Tcihene?

There is an uncomfortable silence around the fire for a few

moments before SÁNCHEZ, the one who had lived for a time with the
Mexicans, rises.

SÁNCHEZ
I think we should consider returning with our shaman to San
Carlos. If we do that, maybe the White Eyes will give us back our
land at Ojo Caliente as they have promised.

NANA
(scornfully)
I would sooner have you shoot me dead right here!

Sánchez hangs his head and cannot meet Nana's gaze.

NANA
Talking does not work with the White Eyes. They ill never give us
back Ojo Caliente and like Victorio, we must refuse to return to
San Carlos and die like flies. It is a hateful place, a burning
desert with only cactus, rattlesnakes, scorpions, rocks, and
insects. White Eyes want to turn us into them--thieves and
liars. We will become weak and impotent from their diseases and
vices. I prefer death in battle to slavery and starvation!

Kaytennae stands up and addresses the band. He wears a Mexican's

jacket with a cartridge belt draped from his shoulder and concho
belt.

KAYTENNAE
We know the Blue Coats have marched into Mexico and joined the
Mexicans against us. Maybe we should just hide for a while. I
have heard that further south of here and to the west, the Nednhi
people have a stronghold even better than this one, and that
their nantan Juh welcomes people of all bands to join him. We
could go there until our strength in numbers and weapons
increases. I have heard that Juh's stronghold has plenty of
water and game and it is safe, with only one zigzag path leading
to the top of a tall, flat-topped mountain.

NANA
Perhaps our shaman can tell us of Juh.

31
THE DREAMER
(remains seated)
He is strong and stubborn but a man of his word. I have not been
to his stronghold but I have heard that it cannot be found by the
Mexicans or Blue Coats--much less be taken by force.

We see a series of shots that reveal more warriors getting up to

speak and their gestures reveal disagreements MOS. Istee stares
into the fire and we see a montage of shots--the flames seemed to
have traces which extended far into the darkness, revealing
strange shapes and shadows. Kaytennae, who has also been steadily
drinking tizwin, sees colorsthat are brighter and Nana's red
shirt seems to glow. Lozen stands, and sways slightly. She is
dressed like a warrior in trousers, shirt, and vest. Her long
hair is secured by a headband in the manner of men and her
presence is powerful.

LOZEN
(slurring her words slightly)
All of this talk about hiding or returning to San Carlos is for
cowards! Are we not the Tcihene, the feared Red Paint People who
kill White Eyes and Mexicans? Have not these enemies driven us
from our lands and killed our greatest nantans, including my
brother Victorio? Are we going to run and hide forever? I call
for a war of vengeance! We should return to the north and kill
every enemy we can find!

Her vehemence startles the band, some of whom involuntarily cover

their mouths with their hands. Nana indicates his satisfaction
with a grunt and The Dreamer begins to shake his gourd rattle.
Istee stares at the fire and sees the flames divide into
different colors--blue, green, red, yellow--and the tips of the
flames became arrows complete with feathers shooting out into the
night sky. He was so entranced by the brilliantly colored flames
that at first he barely comprehended the words chanted by The
Dreamer, who held up a large, circular medallion that reflected
the light from the fire. He swung the medallion back and forth
on a silver chain as he spoke.

NANA
(rising)
Many years ago, I was sent to the White Eyes' stronghold that is
called “Washington. I saw such wonders that I was certain I was
in the Underworld--but I wasn't, and there is a lesson here.
Tcihene, you must be brave when you think of the dead. This is
not a dream but a demonstration of one shaman's Power. So stare
into the fire now and remember the great nantans killed by the

32
enemies who invade and steal our land. Do you remember Cochise,
nantan of the Tsokanene Chiricahuas? Do you see that tall man,
his face painted red, black hair streaked with gray, his body
ravaged by the disease of the White Eyes? Now, look there, into
the stars and see his body wedged into a crevice for burial,
rocks sealing his spirit back to the mountain he worshiped.

NANA
I see him!

The image of the Cochise he remembers floats in the the sky. The
others of the band cannot not see his form--only pulsating
patterns and colors in the night sky. The stars began to assume
shapes and move to the rhythm of the gourd rattle.

THE DREAMER
Do you remember the great nantan Mangas Coloradas? Look into the
fire and remember how the Blue Coats shot him while he was tied
up. Remember how they scalped him, and then cut off his head,
and then boiled it down until it was just a skull! Now look into
the sky, Tcihene, and see Mangas Coloradas!

Those who had known the Mimbreño chief--including Nana,

Kaytennae, Lozen, and Nah-des-te--gasp at the horrible apparition
that hovers above them. Weaving back and forth in the night sky
was a giant warrior holding in his hands his own severed head.

MANGAS
(screaming)
Father!"

He falls over on his side, covering his eyes with his hands and
begins moaning. Lozen rushes to his side and attempts, but
Mangas begins to vomit uncontrollably and those close to him
scurry away.

THE DREAMER
Hear me now, Tcihene! Look into the fire and remember your own
great nantan Victorio, how he killed himself with his own knife
rather than allow the Mexicans to kill him. Imagine his face,
his Power. Now, Tcihene, look to the sky and see the return of
Victorio!

Since everyone around the fire had known Victorio, his image is
there among the stars for all to see--proof that The Dreamer has
the Power to bring the dead to life. There were gasps from the
band but no screams; a knife protrudes from his chest, the

33
apparition of Victorio floats above them, rifle in one hand, a
bar of White Eyes' gold in the other.

ISTEE
Father!

LOZEN
Brother, tell me what to do!

Everyone present hearS the ghostly voice of Victorio clearly ring

out across the Blue Mountains.

APPARITION OF VICTORO
Avenge me, my people! Kill all of our enemies! Avenge me!

LOZEN
(wailing)

Nana begins pounding a small drum with his hand in rhythm to The
Dreamer's rattle

THE DREAMER
(chanting)
The great nantan has called for a war of vengeance. Who among us
will join in the war dance? Who among us will avenge Victorio?

The chant was a signal to the men, who, despite the grip of the
peyotl, were able to find their rifles and bullets. Kaytennae,
who was hallucinating intensely, rises to his feet and gestures
to Mangas, Lozen, and Istee. Facing each other in two pairs, the
warriors dance in place to the rhythm of Nana's drum. Then they
dance toward each other, changed sides of the fire, turned
around, and change sides again--a total of four times.

NANA
(praying)
Ussen, help us avenge Victorio and kill all our enemies. Will you
give us the White Eyes nantan named Hatch so that we may shoot
him in the head? Will you let us trap the buffalo soldiers and
enemy scouts and kill them all?

Nana struggles to his feet and fires his revolver four times and
then joins the warriors in the dance. There is no trace of his
limp.

EXT. - DAY

34
At dawn, Istee and The Dreamer are watching Nana make poison. He
takes a bloody, rotted deer's spleen and mixes the putrid mess
with nettles and prickly pear spines in a bowl. Then Nana turns
over some rotting logs, locates some spiders, and crushes them
with his feet.

NANA
(looking at the crushed spiders and then at Istee)
Hatch killed you, spider. On our arrows they will help kill the
Blue Coats.

He carefully adds the crushed spiders to the spleen mixture and

mixes it well.

NANA
If only a pregnant woman would fart in it...it would really be
deadly.

A large owl flies silently over them.

ISTEE
Oh no, we are being visited by the Ghost of the Evil Dead. My
father used to say that is a sign that someone is going to die.

THE DREAMER
He was right. See how the owl is flying north to find the White
Eyes? It is leaving our camp and visiting theirs.

EXT. - DAY

In the middle of camp, Nana is addressing the Tcihene.

NANA
Here is the plan. The women and children will go to Juh's
stronghold. I will lead Lozen, Kaytennae, The Dreamer, and twelve
others of you warriors to go to Mescalero and recruit our
brothers for the vengeance mission. Then you will go to
Victorio's cache and pick up supplies. We will trade the gold and
silver for more weapons, build up our forces, and kill every
White Eye we can find. We will then retreat to Juh's stronghold
and then leave to reclaim out homeland at Ojo Caliente. The
novice Istee will join the warriors on this mission.

Istee's eyes widen and he shakes his head. Lozen comes up to him
and places her hand on his shoulder.

35
NANA
Gather your weapons and say your farewells. We leave now.

EXT. - DAY

The mounted war party with pack horses, led by Nana, moves out of
the camp with the others watching. As Istee passes Jacali they
exchange glances again but no words are said.

CUT TO:

5. EXT. - DAY

Guilfoyle and chief-of-scouts BENNETT are on horseback moving

toward the Mescalero Apache Reservation in the settlement of
Blazer's Mill near the town of Mescalero. With them are some
Apache scouts and a buffalo soldier driving a wagon that carries
another, wounded, buffalo soldier lying in the back. They are in
tall pines but the temperature is very hot. The agency
headquarters at Blazer's Mill looks as if it should have been
back east somewhere. The ten or so log buildings have pitched
roofs and the agency grounds are neatly groomed and surrounded by
white picket fences. On the porch of the main headquarters
building are some Mescalero Apaches apparently in a meeting with
the Indian agent, LLEWELLEN, who ignores his visitors.
He is dressed in a suit and tie.

GUILFOYLE
We have a wounded soldier here.

LLEWELLEN
(irritated)
Take him to the clinic.

Llewellen points to a nearby building, and the wagon driver moves

toward it.

GUILFOYLE
Could I have a minute of your time?

LLEWELLEN
Later.

GUILFOYLE
(sternly)

36
Now!

Guilfoyle dismounts and Llewellen reluctantly leaves his meeting

and gestures for Guilfoyle to follow him to some nearby trees.

LLEWELLEN
What's your problem?

GUILFOYLE
Your attitude. Look, I'm under orders from colonel Hatch to
track down renegades.

LLEWELLEN
This reservation is a sanctuary, lieutenant. Your so-called
renegades surrender here for protection, but they won't if the
U.S. Army keeps hounding them all the time.

GUILFOYLE
Those “so-called” renegades just shot one of my men and you're
going to help us, by God. Now, where's that telegraph so I can
inform the colonel?

INT. - DAY

Guilfoyle and Llewellen are in the headquarters building watching

an orderly use the primitive telegraph key when Bennett enters
and addresses Guilfoyle.

BENNETT
Just like you thought, the leader of the renegades is Nana. Some
of these Mescaleros told my chief scout, Chihuahua. They said
Nana was leading a band of Victorio's men--survivors of the Tres
Castillos battle.

GUILFOYLE
Oh, shit.

BENNETT
It's worse than shit. It seems that about twenty-five Mescaleros
have deserted the agency here and are riding with Nana.

LLEWELLEN
See what I mean? Look at all the trouble you're causing. I
order you to leave this reservation.

GUILFOYLE

37
(stiffly)
I remind you, sir, that you are no longer a major in the Army but
rather a civilian. We've got to ask the colonel what he wants us
to do.

Llewellen turns as if to leave the office but his way is blocked

by Bennett, who draws his knife out of its sheath.

BENNETT
Look here, Mr. Agent, if I hear one more word out of you, I'm
going to stick this up your ass. Now send that goddamn telegram.

GUILFOYLE
Calm down, Bennett.

LLEWELLEN
I don't like to be threatened, lieutenant. I'm reporting this
incident to Washington.

GUILFOYLE
Say hello to to the president for me.

LLEWELLEN
You realize that Nana was on his way here to surrender and your
forces scared him away.

Guilfoyle rolls his eyes and quickly leaves the office, followed
by Bennett. They walk over to the clinic.

EXT. - DAY

Guilfoyle is outside under the trees with Bennett, the Apache

scout CHIHUAHUA, and the buffalo soldier MOSES WILLIAMS.

GUILFOYLE
We have our orders. We're sending packer Burgess in the wagon to
Fort Stanton to get the bullet removed from his leg. The colonel
has directed that we take twenty men from Company L here and move
on to Hembrillo Canyon, where he thinks Victorio had a cache of
weapons. On the way, we're going to try to cross Nana's trail.
Let's move out!

EXT. - DAY

In the tiny settlement of Laguna Springs, on the edge of the

White Sands, Guilfoyle, Bennett, and Chihuahua stare down at two

38
bodies in a corral. The rest of the soldiers are searching the
settlement. The bodies are horribly mutilated, slashed head-to-
toe with knife cuts—and they have been castrated.

GUILFOYLE
My God, I always heard that Apaches never did this sort of thing.

BENNETT
They do now.

GUILFOYLE
Ask Chihuahua what's going on.

Bennett speaks in dialect to Chihuahua.

CHIHUAHUA
Mangas Coloradas.

GUILFOYLE
What does he mean? Mangas has been dead for years.

BENNETT
That's the point, sir. After our troopers killed Mangas in
Arizona, they cut off his head and boiled it down to just a
skull. I heard some doctor wanted to study it. This mutilation
is the Apache's revenge for Mangas.

WILLIAMS (O.S.)
Lieutenant!

Guilfoyle and Bennett run in the direction of the call and enter
the farmhouse.

INT. - DAY

The three of them stare down at the body of a Mexican woman whose
throat has been slashed and her breasts sliced off.

GUILFOYLE
(nearly retching)
Those bastards can't be far off. Let's go.

WILLIAMS
What about buryin' these folks?

GUILFOYLE

39
That's what the Apaches expect us to do—while they get away.
Now, move.

WILLIAMS
Yes, sah!

EXT. - DAY

Guilfoyle's men and the Apache scouts ride hard toward the White
Sands, with the San Andres mountains towering behind them and
partially obscurred by the dark clouds of a thunderstorm. They
pull up at the edge of the sands. Bennett points into the sands.

BENNETT
There they are!

GUILFOYLE
Wait!

Guilfoyle gets Chihuahua's attention and makes a sweeping motion

of his arm to indicate a flanking movement. Chihuahua shouts
something at his fellow scouts and six of ride off toward the
mountains in an attempt to surround the renegades. More of
Nana's men appear from behind the dunes and begin firing at the
troops.

GUILFOYLE
It's a trap. Return fire.

His black troopers quickly lay down a withering series of shots,

but the renegades simply disappear. The wind picks up, blowing
sand everywhere. Then we see about ten of Nana's band riding
through the dunes. The cavalry rides hard after them, joined by
the scouts. The wind increases in intensity and suddenly the rain
begins and soon it's a downpour. Surrounded by dunes and with a
visibility of only a few yards, the troops stop and wait for the
rain to end.

BENNETT
Looks like Nana and nature outfoxed us this time, lieutenant.
Orders, sir?

GUILFOYLE
(rain dripping off his cap)
Let's join up with Williams and the pack mules and head to
Hembrillo Canyon.

40
INT. - DAY

In the Hatch house in Santa Fe, Evelyn is in the kitchen making

dinner but she is hindered by two playful kittens who are having
a wrestling match at her feet. Hatch walks in and kisses her on
the cheek, then looks down at the kittens.

HATCH
Got some help there, I see.

EVELYN
They're into everything. Because they're both so pushy, I decided
to call them Grant and Sherman.

HATCH
My former commanders would be honored, I'm sure.

EVELYN
How was your day?

HATCH
(removing his suit jacket and taking a seat at the kitchen table)
I reviewed the troops.

EVELYN
And they're still there.

HATCH
Yep. And I had a meeting with governor Sheldon.

EVELYN
Oh?

HATCH
I told him about renegade activity down south but he didn't seem
very interested. All he wanted to talk about was statehood. Six
weeks in office and already he's tired of being governor of a
mere territory.

EVELYN
Ed, give him a chance.

HATCH
Oh, I received a letter from Lew Wallace today.

41
EVELYN
(surprised)
You did? Where is it?

HATCH
All the way from Constantinople. Here, I'll read you the best
part. “Then, while I was off touring the Blue Mosque, the sultan
sent over a beautiful golden-haired slave girl--and a note, which
Mrs. Wallace opened, thinking that the slave was intended for her
use. The note said, 'I am sending this lovely creature with my
compliments. I trust she will be welcome assistance in your
daily toilette. She will gladly assist you in your bath.'
Needless to say, Mrs. Wallace promptly returned the gift to the
sultan.”

EVELYN
(laughing)
A funny letter from Lew and you haven't read a chapter of his
book. Shame on you.

HATCH
Wrong. I've read three chapters.

EVELYN
And how many pages is that?

HATCH
Thirteen.

EVELYN
But the book is over five hundred pages long.

HATCH
(shaking his head)
I truly respect Lew Wallace both as friend and author, but his
novel is boring.

EVELYN
That's because it didn't start with battle. Just give it a
chance. It gets better.

EXT. - NIGHT

At dusk, Guilfoyle's Apache scouts lead the troops party through

a narrow passage in the towering rocks and into a small, secluded
canyon. Waiting for them beside an inviting spring is Chihuahua

42
and the two other scouts.

GUILFOYLE
(irritated)
It's about damned time.

Without waiting for orders, Bennett urges his horse forward into
a trot. After he reaches his three scouts, he begins questioning
them in a loud voice. When Guilfoyle pulls up, Bennett turns and
faces him.

BENNETT
Chihuahua says he's been waiting here two hours for us. Nana's
whole band is camped at Hembrillo Canyon, about a half-hour's
ride from here. It's too late today to mount an attack--it'd be
after dark by the time we got there and all the men are tired.
It's best to wait until morning and surround their camp.

GUILFOYLE
Well, shit, I hoped we could end this chase today.

BENNETT
Why don't we make camp here and send Chihuahua to watch Nana's
camp and make sure they don't attack tonight.

GUILFOYLE
(doubtfully)
A night raid? I've never heard of Apaches doing that.

The chief scout pauses and spits tobacco juice on the ground.

BENNETT
With our luck, lieutenant, tonight would be the first time.

EXT. - NIGHT

Guilfoyle's troop is camped beside a small spring. The camp is

split up into three factions. The scouts have built their own
fire away from the black troopers and Guilfoyle and Bennett are
sitting beside their fire, passing a flask back and forth. They
are interrupted by Williams.

WILLIAMS
Sorry, sah, but all de men got de shits. Cramps and shits.

GUILFOYLE

43
Let's have a look. Did you eat something bad?

WILLIAMS
Nah sah, but we drank from the spring.

Guilfoyle and Bennett walk over to the troopers' fire and see
that the men are in severe discomfort. Some are vomiting, others
are running off into the dark.

GUILFOYLE
(to Bennett)
Check the spring. These men are in no condition to fight.

Bennett walks into the darkness while Guilfoyle moves to talk to

individual trooper MOS. Bennett returns, shaking his head.

BENNETT
The spring has a medicine taste, or somethin' like it. Epsom
salts, my mama called it. She used to feed it to us kids to
clean out our innards.

GUILFOYLE
A damned laxative. Just what we need in the middle of an Indian
war.

Bennett suddenly laughed.

BENNETT
I've heard of bein' scared shitless, but this is ridiculous.

GUILFOYLE
Shut up and go ask the scouts if they know anything.

Bennett moves into the darkness again while Guilfoyle takes

another gulp from his flask.

BENNETT
(moving quickly toward Guilfoyle)
We're in serious trouble, lieutenant. All the scouts are gone.

GUILFOYLE
Gone? You mean deserted?

BENNETT
Looks that way. I guess we'll know for sure in the mornin'.

GUILFOYLE

44
Fuckin' Chihuahua. He set us up.

BENNETT
Let's go talk. I've got an idea.

They move off and Bennett starts talking to Guilfoyle MOS.

CUT TO:

6. EXT. – NIGHT

Istee is on guard at the Tchihene camp. He is holding a rife and

looks nervous. We hear the quail call O.C. and a stranger
appears in front of him. Istee points his rifle at him.

ISTEE
Stop and speak.

STRANGER
I am the one the White Eyes call Chihuahua. I wish to speak to
nantan Nana.

ISTEE
Grandfather said you were a scout for the Blue Coats.

CHIHUAHUA
I will explain everything to Nana. Are you the son of Victorio?

ISTEE
Yes. How did you know?"

CHIHUAHUA
You look like him. Will you let me pass?

ISTEE
No.

Istee makes the call of the dove and Sánchez was at his side.

SANCHEZ
We consider you an enemy,

CHIHUAHUA
I have the Blue Coats trapped. Let me tell Nana about it so he
can decide what to do.

45
SANCHEZ
Only if you give us your weapons,

EXT – NIGHT
Istee and Chihuahua approach Nana at the campfire.

ISTEE
Grandfather, we have a visitor.

NANA
Well, where have you been?

CHIHUAHUA
Tricking the Blue Coats, nantan--as you requested. Sit and take
some food. Where are your warriors?

CHIHUAHUA
Out there, beyond the first ridge.

NANA
Bring them here and offer them our hospitality. Even more
reinforcements have arrived. What has happened?

CHIHUAHUA
We guided the Blue Coats to the spring that we put the medicine
water in. The Buffalo Soldiers and their horses drank the water
and got sick. I think we should attack at first light.

NANA
You have done well. Tell me of this White Eye lieutenant.

CHIHUAHUA
He is called Guilfoyle and his men respect him.

NANA
Is he a warrior?

CHIHUAHUA
Yes. His men follow him without question and they are not
cowards. Even sick they will fight to the death.

NANA
Even though we hate them, we must respect our enemy.

CHIHUAHUA

46
We have them trapped.

NANA
We will take care of them in the morning. But first, you must
help me with the Mescaleros.

EXT. – NIGHT

Nana and Chihuahua, holding torches, are moving through a dark

passageway in the rock. They enter a large chamber with stacks
of gold bars.

NANA
For many years Victorio, Cochise, Mangas Coloradas, and I raided
wagons, mail trains, and ranches from San Carlos to the land of
the Comanches, Often we found gold and silver that the White Eyes
had taken from the earth in defiance of Ussen. Victorio did not
want to touch it, but also he did not want to leave it for the
White Eyes to find and use as money. So we cached it here.

CHIHUAHUA
What do you want me to do, Grandfather?

NANA
The Dreamer has a plan to buy our land back with this gold. But
the Mescaleros will not help us because they fear the gold. We
are having a council with them. Support me and the rest of the
Tcihene.

CHIHUAHUA
I will listen, but I cannot promise that I will ride with you and
the gold.

EXT. – NIGHT

The Tcihene and the Mescaleros are around the fire. The leader
of the Mescaleros, COMESCU, is standing in front of his men.

NANA
You called this council, so you begin it.

COMESCU
My warriors wish to help the Tcihene in the fight against the
White Eyes, but they believe it is bad luck to ride with a woman
warrior.

Nana begins to laugh softly and one by one the Tcihene follow his

47
lead except Lozen.

NANA
We are laughing because it is obvious you have never been on a
raid with Victorio's sister. Let me tell you about her. When
she was very young she was not interested in women's work but in
the ways of warriors. She learned to ride horses, to shoot
arrows with great accuracy, to track enemies and to kill them.
One day she was riding in the mountains alone and she met the
Gray Ghost.

The Mescaleros gasp.

NANA
Even though the Gray Ghost left our land and moved west, she had
seen him and afterward no other man interested her. She refused
offers of marriage and chose to ride as a warrior beside her
brother. And this woman became one of our best warriors. She is
an expert roper and shooter. In addition, she has the Power to
locate the enemy. She stands with arms outstretched, palms up,
and prays to Ussen. You will accept her as a warrior, or you may
return to Mescalero with my regrets, but not my hatred.

COMESCU
We did not know all these things you tell us. We accept
Victorio's sister as an honored warrior. But there is another
matter that bothers us, and that is the gold in the cave. As you
know, nantan, we hate the White Eyes' lust for gold, and we hate
the miners who have taken our land to grub it out of the ground.
They lie, steal, cheat, and kill for it. They incur the wrath of
the Mountain Spirits by taking it from the mountains. It is the
essence of the Sun, of Ussen himself, and thus is forbidden to
our people. Leave the gold where Victorio hid it.

Comescu sits down and The Dreamer rises.

THE DREAMER
They call me The Dreamer, the one who summons the dead, and I
speak to you as shaman of the Tcihene. You must believe me when I
tell you that the White Eyes worship a thing called “money.” And
gold is their money. We must ask ourselves what Ussen would wish
for us. For this gold, which has already been stolen from the
earth and cast into bars and coins to stay in the cave forever,
or for it to help us regain the land which is rightfully ours.

Comescu stands.

48
COMESCU
The plan might work, and I will ride with you. But I will not
touch the gold. My warriors can decide for themselves and anyone
who does not wish to join the raid with the Tcihene can return to
Mescalero without fear of disgrace. Agreed?

NANA
Yes. We will attack the Blue Coats at the spring of medicine
water at first light."

EXT. – NIGHT

Nana is speaking to Istee.

NANA
It is time to divide our forces. There will be many chances to
kill the White Eyes on this raid, but it is important to move the
gold and our supplies out of their reach. You and The Dreamer
will lead the mules and the spare horses in the direction of the
Black Mountains, and soon we shall catch up to you. Ride fast
and send scouts ahead to watch for other war parties of Blue
Coats.

EXT. – DAY

Nana and Chihuahua are high above the Blue Coat’s camp.

CHIHUAHUA
There is no camp fire.

NANA
They know we are coming for them.

They ride slowly down the mountain toward the camp. Mangus and
Sanchez ride up.

NANA
How many lookouts?

MANGUS
We saw no lookouts.

NANA
I think it’s a trap.

SANCHEZ

49
Look!

Shots ring out and Sánchez tumbles off his horse.

EXT. – DAY

Nana and his warriors, on foot, work their way up the steep grade
and then, on Nana’s hand signal, take their positions. Nana uses
his mirror to flash a signal.

EXT. – DAY

Lozen and her men, higher up the slope, open fire and we hear a
scream O.C. But they receive return fire and duck back into the
rocks.

EXT. – DAY

Chihuahua shoots a flaming arrow up the slope and it lands in a

pile of stacked-up tumbleweeds, instantly catch them on fire.
There are flames and smoke everywhere. When the smoke clears,
the Tcihene warriors have vanished.

EXT – DAY

Chihuahua and his two fellow scouts creep slowly toward the
tethered horses.
From rocks behind the horses, Buffalo Soldiers jump out firing.
The scouts quickly ride away, but Chihuahua is jumped from behind
and is bludgeoned with a rifle but to his head.

EXT. – DAY

Lozen, Comescu, Mangus and Nana and are holding impromptu battle
council.

NANA
Chihuahua has been captured and the Blue Coats have divided their
forces. We would have to stay here for days to drive this group
out of the rocks and to track down the other group. I say we
move on to other battles.

COMESCU
I agree. Raiding is better than fighting this kind of White Eye
battle.

50
NANA
Here is the plan: Victorio's sister will stay here alone and keep
the Blue Coats pinned down in those rocks for as long as she can.
Then she will vanish and the soldiers will think she has left
with us. When the Blue Coats move from this place, they will
probably go to a fort and resupply. She will track them and
free Chihuahua--if he is still alive. If he is dead, she will
rejoin us.

LOZEN
I will do as you say, Grandfather--and I will bring Chihuahua
back to you."

NANA
I know you will. We will be raiding all around but heading in the
direction of Ojo Caliente.

LOZEN
I will find you,

NANA
Let's go home.

CUT TO:

7. EXT. - DAY

In the rocks above the canyon where the troops were camped,
Guilfolye and Bennett and other troops are firing downhill.

BENNETT
We've got 'em pinned down, sir.

A fusillade of return fire causes everyone to duck behind the

rocks.

GUILFOYLE
(grinning) Are you sure, Bennett?

BENNETT
Well, they're not making much progress up the slope.

Guilfoyle looks across the rocks and spots Williams. He makes a

sweeping motion with his left arm.

WILLIAMS

51
(yelling to his troopers) Move down and keep firin'!

BENNETT
You're going to try to surround 'em.

GUILFOYLE
That's the idea—in theory anyway.

More gunfire from the Apaches below, and one of Williams' men
screams and falls. Guilfoyle and Bennett return the fire. Smoke
begins to surround them.

BENNETT
What in hell?

GUILFOYLE
Tumbleweeds. Somehow they set them on fire.

BENNETT
I can't see anything.

GUILFOYLE
(grimly) Well, Nana's band can't either. Watch your back.

We see through patches of smoke the black troopers moving quickly

down the slope and disappearing into the rocks and scrub brush.

GUILFOYLE
(as the smoke clears) What's going on?

BENNETT
They've stopped shooting.

GUILFOYLE
I noticed that immediately.

He takes a shot. There is no response. He turns to Bennett with

a puzzled look. Bennett shrugs his shoulders.

EXT. - DAY

Guilfoyle and Bennett are searching the bedrolls that we supposed

to simulate sleeping soldiers. Williams approaches them with a
grin on his face.

WILLIAMS
Have we got a su'prise for you, sah!

52
GUILFOYLE
What's that?

WILLIAMS
My men done brought you a present.

Privates WALLYE and JACKSON approach with a tied-up Chihuahua

between them.

GUILFOYLE
Good work, men--

BENNETT
You fuckin' deserter!

Bennett rushes Chihuahua and kicks him in the groin. Chihuahua

starts to collapse but the troopers hold him up.

GUILFOYLE
Stop it, Bennett!

Bennett starts kicking Chihuahua.

GUILFOLYE
Separate those two, sergeant!

Before Williams can do that, Bennett twirls Chihuahua around and

pushes him face-first into a patch of prickly pear cactus.

BENNETT
You'll hang for this, you asshole heathen!

GUILFOYLE
Enough! The Apache will be punished for what he did.

BENNETT
(snarling) Let's just shoot the fucker right now and be done with
it. Who'll ever know?

GUILFOYLE
I'd like nothing better, but you know it's against regulations.
If just one of our men says a word, it'll be you and me on trial
for murder.

BENNETT
Okay, okay, I just lost my temper. Sorry, sir.

GUILFOYLE

53
(smiling) I understand. Just control yourself.

Williams and Walley pull Chihuahua out of the cactus and are
plucking the spines from his face and neck. Chihuahua does not
flinch or make a sound.

GUILFOYLE
How badly is the prisoner wounded, Private?

WALLEY
(proudly) I done shot him twice, sah, but nothin' too serious.

Guilfoyle looks around at his men.

GUILFOYLE
All right, listen up. We need reinforcements and supplies, but
we also need to find Nana. We're going to head to Fort Craig and
also follow the Apaches' trail so long as it's in the same
general direction. Sergeant, give the orders to prepare to mount
up. Bennett, check the maps for the location of the nearest safe
spring.

EXT. – DAY

BENNETT
Looks like I'm going to have to find some new scouts.

GUILFOYLE
I suggest you select the next ones more carefully. Scouts who
don't poison the springs, desert our troops, and then shoot at
us.

BENNETT
What we need are some Navajos, traditional enemies of the Apache.

GUILFOYLE
That's a good idea. When you get to Fort Craig, send a telegram
to General Hatch and ask him to get us some from Fort Wingate.

BENNETT
Me? What about you?

GUILFOYLE
Take the men and head to Fort Craig if you can't track Nana's
band. I'm going to stay here for a while and look around. I'll
catch up later.

BENNETT
(suspiciously) What are you looking for?

54
GUILFOYLE
Something's not right about this. Nana has a new trick and I'm
going to find out what it is.

The troopers move out. Guilfoyle and Walley remain behind with
their tethered horses.

CUT TO:

8. EXT. – NIGHT

Around a small campfire, the Tcihene are finishing dinner of

dried meat and mescal cakes.

KAYTENNAE
Grandfather?

NANO
Yes, son of Victorio?

ISTEE
You promised you would tell us Coyote stories.

The warriors show their agreement by clapping their hands and

whistling.

NANA
I will tell of Coyote, and then we will play the moccasin
gambling game. It is a good time to tell of Coyote's trickery
with women. Early in his life Coyote learned that women were very
dangerous, and here is how it happened. Coyote found a very
pretty woman and tried to have sex with her. He was just about
to put his penis into her when he looked down and saw teeth in
her vagina. He thought about what those teeth could do to his
penis and he was afraid. So he grabbed a stick and a long, thin
rock. Instead of putting his penis inside her, he put the stick
in it and her vagina chewed the stick up into little pieces.
Then he put the rock in there and all the teeth were knocked out
and her vagina became like all women's are now. Then he had sex
with her safely.

Everyone laughs and cheers Nana on. He waves them to silence.

NANA
The woman said, “Now I shall be worth a lot and men will give me

55
many horses and gifts to marry me.” And that is why we men give
horses and gifts when we marry women today. But Coyote was not
content to have just one woman; he wanted all women, even those
forbidden to him by Ussen. Once when he was a married man he was
camped near his mother-in-law, but of course never looked at her.
One day Coyote told his wife he was going hunting and he left the
camp. Not far from the camp he saw a rabbit and chased it, but
it ran into a hollow log. Coyote did everything he could to get
that rabbit, but he could not reach it. Coyote returned to camp
and told his wife to ask her mother to try to get the rabbit,
saying that maybe her arm was longer than his. Coyote's wife
showed her mother the log and then returned home. Coyote made
excuses about leaving camp and pointed to a nearby mountain.
“I'm going to hunt in that direction,” he told his wife. But
Coyote circled back and returned to the log just as his mother-
in-law was crawling into the log. She was about halfway inside,
reaching for the rabbit when Coyote ran up to her as fast as he
could. While she was stuck in the hollow log, he stuck his penis
into her from behind and she didn't know who did it!

Nana is again interrupted by laughter and he waits patiently

until it subsides.

NANA
Coyote's mother-in-law was angry and she looked around for tracks
to see who had tricked her. When she found them she measured
them with a stick and took the stick back to her wickiup. Then
she called for her daughter and told her the story. She gave the
stick to her daughter and told her to measure her husband's feet.
Coyote was stretched out on his bed, singing and pretending to be
innocent. Soon his wife came in and without saying a word began
to measure his feet. He looked up and said, “What are you doing?
What is the matter with you?” His wife said, “While my mother
was trying to catch that rabbit, someone played a trick on her
and had sex with her! She thinks it was you!” Coyote thought
quickly and then said, “You are talking like a witch. Your
mother is lying. Leave me alone and don't bother me with witch
talk.” And so Coyote got away with having sex with his mother-
in-law.

Everyone laughs again.

NANA
That is all. Now it is time for the moccasin game.

Nana chooses five warriors for each side of the fire, and they
donate their moccasins each. Nana makes them close their eyes
while he places a bone in one of them. We see them playing the
guessing game MOS.

56
EXT. – DAY

The Dreamer and Istee are riding across a bleak desert with pack
mules. The mules are weighted down and moving slowly.

ISTEE
Why do our people become scouts for the Blue Coats?

THE DREAMER
Hiring scouts is a White Eye trick. It is difficult to understand
for someone like yourself, who has never lived on a reservation.
Our warriors are penned up like goats, with nothing to do. They
are not allowed to hunt or to raid. Then a Blue Coat officer
will come to them and say, “We will make you a scout, pay you
money, give you a rifle, and allow you to leave the reservation.
All you have to do is help us track down some Navajos or
Comanches, your old enemies.” The warriors say yes, and then they
are trapped--they must do everything the Blue Coats order them to
do or they will be called deserters or traitors and will be shot
or hanged. So then the Blue Coats send these scouts against
their own people.

ISTEE
But how can Chihuahua be our enemy one moment and our friend the
next?

THE DREAMER
(chuckline)He was never our enemy--he just pretended to be. We
never worry about Tcihene or Mescalero scouts, only Navajos and
Jicarillas.
GORDO rides up.

GORDO
A wagon is coming.

THE DREAMER
Are you ready to kill the enemy, young novice?

ISTEE
But novices don't get to fight until their fifth raid.

THE DREAMER
This is not a raid. This is war. Take off all your clothes.

Istee obeys, stripping to just his loin cloth. The Dreamer pulls
some White Eye clothes from a mule's pack and helps Istee dress
in them, taking care to fold his long hair under a floppy hat.
With water from a rawhide canteen, he removes the war paint from

57
Istee's face. Then he takes his knife, slices a vein in the
shoulder of a mule, and catches the spurting blood in a gourd
dipper. He throws the blood over Istee.

THE DREAMER
Now you look like a Mexican who has been knifed and shot by the
Tcihene on the warpath. Here, put this under your shirt.

He hands Istee a revolver.

ISTEE
I am the bait.

THE DREAMER
Yes. Can you now tell the difference between a Mexican and a
White Eye?

ISTEE
Yes.

THE DREAMER
Now you must learn two enemy words. If you see a Mexican in the
wagon, you say “ayuda”; if it is a White Eye, you say “help.”
Say these words several times out loud. We leave now.

Istee mounts his horse.

ISTEE
Ayuda, help. Ayuda, help.

EXT. – DAY

Istee waits beneath a large growth of mesquite bushes. A wagon

pulled by mules approaches and stops nearby. Two White Eyes are
riding up front, a man and a YOUNG GIRL.

ISTEE
(moaning) Help, help.

YOUNG GIRL
Look, Daddy, someone's hurt.

The man moves the wagon and stops directly in front of Istee, who
leaps to his feet and pulls the revolver out of his shirt. The
man reaches down to pick something up and Istee shoots him three
times. The girl begins to scream as her father's body tumbles
out of the wagon. The Dreamer emerges from the mesquite and nods.

THE DREAMER

58
Why didn't you shoot her too?

ISTEE
(embarrassed, looking away) I don't know. Are warriors supposed
to kill little girls?

THE DREAMER
(laughing) Only if they are shooting at me. But Nana would have
killed her. Let's see what's in the wagon.

With the girl sobbing, the two of them search the wagon, finding
trader's goods. They are interrupted by the arrival of the pack
train, and Gordo and Cadete join in the ransacking of the wagon.

ISTEE
Shall we set the wagon on fire?

THE DREAMER
No. If there are Blue Coats around, the fire would lead them to
us. We will use the wagon to move the gold.

ISTEE
And the girl?"

THE DREAMER stares at the girl's shivering form sprawled atop her
father's body.

THE DREAMER
We'll take her too. If we leave her here, she will certainly die.

EXT. – NIGHT

By the light of a small campfire, Istee is sleeping next to the

girl but not touching her.

CUT TO:

9. INT. - DAY

Hatch is cooling his heels in a chair outside of the office of

GOVERNOR SHELDON at the Palace of the Governors. He is
fidgeting, shuffling through papers. An AIDE comes up to him

AIDE
The governor will see you now.

59
HATCH
(grumpily) It's about time.

Hatch follows the aide into Sheldon's office. Sheldon is seated

behind his desk, reading reports.

HATCH
Good morning, governor.

SHELDON
Not too much good about it, colonel.

HATCH
I imagine there must be a reason you've interrupted my morning
and requested my presence here.

SHELDON
Indeed there is. I had a visitor this morning, a newspaperman by
the name of Greene. He brought me this.

NEWSPAPER HEADLINE FROM THE RIO GRANDE REPUBLICAN

Apaches Kill Three; Bodies Mutilated

SHELDON
What I want to know, colonel, is why I had to learn this bad news
from a Las Cruces newspaper rather than from the Army
headquarters less than a block from my office.

HATCH
(officially) I am waiting for Lieutenant Guilfoyle, who is
chasing the Apaches, to report in. After I have all the facts, I
intend to send you a full report.

SHELDON
(raising his voice) But I seem to be the last person to know
these things!

HATCH
And if you had been the first to know, what would you have done
about it?

SHELDON
(looking away) I'm being deluged with reports of Indian
atrocities. Here's one that says the entire Mescalero tribe has
escaped the reservation.

HATCH
(shaking his head) Not true. I had a telegram from Agent
Llewellyn yesterday, and he said that only about twenty or

60
twenty-five Mescaleros had joined Nana.

SHELDON
What about this report that says two towns near Fort Selden were
sacked and twenty-seven of twenty-nine inhabitants killed?

HATCH
No verification as yet. I wired Colonel Parker and he reported
that there were no raids near his fort. Just rumors, I'd say.
As far as we know, Nana's band has killed four soldiers and about
six civilians. We've heard tales that sixty Apaches were seen at
Acoma, that another bunch shot up Socorro and killed six people,
but I don't have enough troops to check them all out. Every
little town in the territory is screaming for protection, but the
Army's job is to catch Nana.

SHELDON
I suppose you know that I'm well acquainted with Mr. Robert
Lincoln, the Secretary of War. Of course, I wouldn't want to
bother him with a minor issue such as this. But if these raids
continue, I'm afraid I must.

HATCH
(smiling)Go ahead--maybe he'll send me some badly needed
reinforcements. Mr. Governor, let me explain the situation.
Nana's band is small and it moves very fast. I have my best
Indian scouts, companies A and B, chasing Nana this very
moment--"

SHELDON
Remember, colonel, I was a brigadier general in the Union Army
and have extensive military experience. How difficult can it be
to find this Nana? And how many more innocent citizens will this
merciless renegade murder and torture before your men catch up to
him?

HATCH
I assume those are rhetorical questions, governor. Don't forget
that the Territory of New Mexico is nearly three times the size
of your home state of New York--and much less civilized.

SHELDON
(smiling weakly) No need to remind me--how well I know. Back in
Washington New Mexico is called 'a large, underfed tick on the
backside of America..' And now I'm the tick's leader. Just help
me get rid of all these complaints.

HATCH
It's my top priority. I'm mobilizing all my troops at this very

61
moment and we're setting a trap for the hostiles. The Ninth
Regiment of Cavalry and the Fifteen and Sixteenth Regiments of
Infantry will soon be in the field and it's only a matter of time
until we kill Nana and his men or drive them back to Mexico.

SHELDON
(relaxing) Thank you, colonel. Sorry I interrupted your work.
Just, please, keep me informed.

HATCH
I'll assign Captain Loud the responsibility of giving you a daily
report.

INT. – DAY

In Hatch's new office at the Exchange Hotel, Hatch is giving Loud

orders.

HATCH
Call a meeting of my general staff. Have Sergeant Gonzales join
us.

LOUD
Yessir.

INT. – HATCH'S HOUSE

Evelyn is knitting. Hatch, across the table from her, throws a

newspaper down.

HATCH
Look at this hogwash.

NEWSPAPER HEADLINE FROM THE DAILY NEW MEXICAN

Hatch Reneges on Promise to End Apache Threat!

EVELYN
(scolding) Now Edward, you're getting all worked up over nothing.
Just relax--dinner will be ready--"

HATCH
Over nothing? This man Greene is out to ruin my reputation and
you say it's nothing?"

EVELYN
(conciliating) I just meant that there's nothing you can do about
it. Freedom of the press and all that.

HATCH

62
There is something I can do about it.

EVELYN
(smiling) You can't court martial a civilian.

HATCH
No, but I can kill an Apache or two.

EVELYN
I thought you had troops to do that.

HATCH
Well, they're not getting it done, so I'm taking the field.

EVELYN
Edward, you are nearly fifty years old. You're in good shape for
a man of your age but I hardly think you're up to chasing Indians
for weeks in the New Mexico sun.

HATCH
Calm down, my dear. The word “field” merely indicates that I am
not going to sit on my backside here in Santa Fe and take abuse
from the newspapers. Today I'm issuing Special Order 96, which
directs various units of the Ninth to move to forts in the
southern part of the territory. I'm moving my headquarters to
Fort Craig.

EVELYN
When?

HATCH
Tomorrow.

EVELYN
I'll pack your bags tonight.

INT. – DAY

In Hatch's office, his staff is assembled along with Roberto.

Hatch is holding a piece of paper.

HATCH
First, an item of note. In his last official act as governor of
this territory, Lew Wallace issued a proclamation. “I agree to
the request of the Santa Fe Railroad to proclaim the name of
Hatch's Station for a town between Rincon and Deming in honor of
Colonel Edward Hatch's exemplary service to the people of New
Mexico."

63
His men applaud politely.

HATCH
To deal with the Apache threat, I am taking to the field and
moving my headquarters to Fort Craig, taking the train tomorrow.
Loud, you are in charge here. Sergeant Gonzales, you will
accompany me as my aide.

ROBERTO
(smiling) Yessir, I'd be honored, sir.

EXT. – DAY

Roberto with the other sergeants, laughing at them MOS. A train

leaves the Lamy station. We see Hatch and Roberto sitting side-
by side, Hatch speaking to Roberto MOS.

CUT TO:

10. MONTAGE OF APACHE SLAUGHTER

Apache band, led by Nana and Kaytennae rides fast into a small
settlement, shooting men, women, children, horses...Kaytennae
firing at an elderly man who is running away....Nana, holding a
baby by its feet, bashing its head into a fence post...Kaytennae,
ransacking a house, surprised by a teenage boy, turns around and
guts him with his knife, grinning all the time...Nana shoots a
little girl holding a puppy...Headline: APACHES KILL NINE IN
GARCIA...Headline: WHERE IS THE CAVALRY?...Nana's band riding out
of a town that is burning....Nana's band meeting up with The
Dreamer, Istee, and the pack mules....

EXT. – DAY

Nana and The Dreamer riding side-by-side. Nana turns and looks
at Istee, riding behind him.

NANA
And Victorio's son?

THE DREAMER
He made his first kill. He is a warrior now.

NANA
Good. (looking at the White Eye girl) And her? Why is she still
alive?

64
THE DREAMER
(joking) She is a wife to all of us.

Nana looks at him askance, then grins.

NANA
If she gets in the way, I will shoot her.

THE DREAMER
As you wish, grandfather. Victorio's son watches out for her.

NANA
We have not seen any Blue Coats....

THE DREAMER
Very strange.

NANA
(grinning again). Be patient, my friend. They may find us in Ojo
Caliente.

THE DREAMER
Soon I must return to San Carlos. My people need me.

NANA
Go with Ussen, but kill more White Eyes first.

THE DREAMER
Agreed, grandfather.

MONTAGE

The Dreamer calmly ambushes two Hispanic farmers hoeing a

field...Istee watches Nana shoot a grandmother then rushes behind
a tree and vomits...Nana notices this...Apaches steal horses from
a corral and herd them away...They pass by a barn and a Hispanic
in the hayloft shoots Gordo, who falls off his horse...The
Apaches burn down the barn with people in it. Istee looks on,
horrified....

EXT. – NIGHT

Istee sits with the girl away from the rest of the band who are
around the campfire. Nana approaches and shoos away the girl.

NANA
You are not having fun.

Istee looks away.

65
NANA
This is war. You are a warrior now. You are Victorio's son, the
son of our greatest warrior.

ISTEE
I know, grandfather.

NANA
Then what is wrong?

ISTEE
(frustrated) Why are we killing women and children? They have
done nothing to us.

NANA
They are living on our land.

ISTEE
(bitterly) I thought the Blue Coats were our enemy, not children.

Silence between them.

NANA
Kill with us or leave us.

ISTEE
(looking down) Yes, grandfather.

CUT TO:

11. EXT. – DAY

Among the rocks, Guilfoyle and Walley are looking at a map, then
Walley notices something to his right.

GUILFOYLE
According to the map, this small peak is called “Soledad”--
solitary. A fitting name don't you--”

WALLEY
(interrupting) Sah, look over there.

GUILFOYLE
What is it?

66
WALLEY
Tracks. Moccasins, not boots.

They follow the tracks to the top of the peak where Walley points
to a dark crevice tucked away under a large rock ledge. Guilfoyle
squeezes his body between the rocks and into a shallow cave with
a wall painting of Indian designs. There is a slanted shaft with
a rope hanging into it. He drops a rock down the shaft and
listens to it him.

GUILFOYLE
(calling out of the cave) Private, I need some torches.

WALLEY
Torches, sah?

GUILFOYLE
I found a cave. Use your knife and cut me some branches from the
bushes. We'll see which ones burn the best.

INT. – DAY

Guilfoyle and Walley are in the cave; Guilfoyle is holding a lit

torch, with several unlit ones in his belt.

GUILFOYLE
This may take some time. Stay on watch until I come back.

WALLEY
Yes, sah.

Guilfoyle throws the torch into the shaft, grabs the rope, and
slides down it, bracing his feet on the sides of the shaft.

INT. – DAY

Guilfoyle is in a larger cavern holding a lit torch. He moves

deeper into it, crossing a small, empty stream bed, and into a
larger cavern.

GUILFOYLE
Good Lord!

He sees a human skeleton with bones of the hands tied behind the
back with a rotting rope. Nearby are Wells Fargo chests, trunks,
and other wooden boxes. Across the room are dozens of other
skeletons chained to wooden posts. He opens one of the chests and
finds gold and silver coins and some loose jewels. He pockets
some of them, and notices a long stack of metal bars covered with

67
buffalo hides chest-high. He takes a single bar about six inches
long and two inches thick and places it in his pocket with the
coins and jewels, a grin on his face.

INT. – DAY

In the shallow cave, Walley helps Guilfoyle out of the shaft.

WALLEY
I was about to go lookin' for you, sah.

GUILFOYLE
No need, private.

WALLEY
Find anythin'?

GUILFOYLE
(shaking his head) Nothing of interest. If the Apaches ever used
this place, they took everything with them. Let's get out of
here.

While Walley goes to fetch the tethered horses, Guilfoyle steps

into the sunlight and pulls the bar out of his pocket. He spits
on it and rubs some of the dirt and soot off it and reveals the
letters LaRUE. We see that the bar is solid gold.

EXT. – DAY

Guilfoyle and Walley ride though the gate of Fort Craig and
dismount on the parade grounds. They are greeted by the fort
commander, Captain JOHN BEAN. They salute him and he returns the
salute.

GUILFOYLE
Second Lieutenant John Guilfoyle and Private Walley reporting,
sir.

BEAN
I'm Captain Bean. Glad you made it safely. Chief-of-Scouts
Bennett is here with the prisoner, who's locked up. Are you
hungry?

INT. – DAY

In the messhall, Guilfoyle, Bennett, and Bean are eating steaks

that they must cut with Bowie knives. They are interrupted by
“Captain” JACK CRAWFORD, A tall, thin man with a handlebar
mustache and long, curly locks that flow from beneath a wide-

68
brimmed hat.

CRAWFORD
Beggin' the captain's pardon....

BEAN
(annoyed) What is it, Crawford?

CRAWFORD
With the captain's permission, Maria and I would like to organize
a little celebration tonight for these noble fighters against the
heathen Apache.

BEAN
(relenting) Sure, sure, fine with me. Lieutenant Guilfoyle, do
you think your men would enjoy some entertainment?

GUILFOYLE
(amused) Yes sir.

BEAN
(grinning) Make it so, Captain Jack.

Crawford leaves and Bean turns to Guilfoyle and Bennett

BEAN
That's Captain Jack Crawford, a poet.

BENNETT
“A poet?

BEAN
He's what you might call a wild west character--used to be a
scout for General Crook and later Buell. Claims he saw action
against the Sioux and the Apache but I never found anyone who saw
him fire a shot. He dresses like his hero, Buffalo Bill Cody,
and even wears his hair and handlebar mustache the same way.
Lately he's been promotin' gold mines in the Black Range to rich
investors from Denver.

Guilfoyle rolls his eyes and laughs.

EXT. – NIGHT

The parade ground, lit by torches, is crowded with soldiers both

white and black. Captain Jack is standing on a table. Seated
beside him gently strumming a guitar, is MARIA.

CRAWFORD

69
Tonight we are assembled to honor the Indian Scouts of Company B,
Ninth Cavalry, led by Lieutenant John Guilfoyle. As you know,
they have spent the last two weeks chasing and fighting the
deadly Apaches, who are led by that crafty old chief, Nana.
Twice these soldiers of Company B have engaged the enemy and
twice they have emerged victorious. But the Apaches have not
given up yet, so there will be more battles to come. The first
poem tonight honors those brave men who must face death on a
daily basis. It's called, “Who the Heroes Were."

Crawford stares at the moon for a few seconds.

CRAWFORD
I've heard men say they were just as cool
In the heat of battle as they would be
In a quiet seat in a Sabbath school,
But they couldn't find a believer in me.
I never flinched, never shirked a call,
But several times in the war swept South,
If I'd been shot through the heart, the ball
Would have had to hit me square in the mouth!

The soldiers chuckle.

CRAWFORD
It's the silliest sort of talk we hear--
And hear from soldiers of solid worth--
That they stood in the front and felt no fear
When the rumbling of battle convulsed the earth.
I hold that our bravest men were those
Who felt alarm at the cannons roar,
Yet never rearward turned their toes,
But stood like men till the fight was o'er.

Crawford bows during during the polite applause.

GUILFOYLE
(whispering to Bennett) I think we've found the perfect
punishment for Chihuahua. Instead of hanging him, we'll tie him
up and have Captain Jack recite poetry to him for hours on end.
Maria gives him a dirty look.

EXT. - DAY

At the train station in Socorro, Hatch and Roberto are packing

saddlebags. Hatch places his copy of BEN HUR into one. Bean and
Guilfoyle and a group of black soldiers ride down the street and
greet him MOS. Hatch makes a brief stop at a saloon and buys two
bottles of whiskey, places them in his saddlebag and rides off

70
with the rest of the soldiers.

INT. – DAY

In the officers' mess, Hatch is holding a staff meeting with

Bean, Guilfoyle, Bennett, and five other officers. There is a
map of New Mexico Territory on an easel. Captain Bean points the
San Mateo range on the map.

BEAN
The last word we have is that Nana's approximately here. Three
days ago, a group of miners from the towns of Winston and
Chloride, along with some Mexican farmers, attempted to track
down Nana. They rode up into Red Canyon and were promptly
attacked by the renegades. The Apaches killed two of the
vigilantes, wounded seven, and took all their horses. They were
damn lucky all of them weren't killed.

HATCH
Amateurs and fools.

Guilfoyle points to the Black Range.

GUILFOYLE
Since the area around Ojo Caliente is his band's homeland, it
makes sense to me that Nana's headed there.

HATCH
Good thinking. We have a small post at Ojo Caliente. I'll send
reinforcements. In two days time, Lieutenant Valois will lead
his men south from Fort Wingate while Lieutenant Smith is moving
his troops north from Fort Cummings. Hopefully, with Guilfoyle
pursuing from the east, we'll trap the renegades in the Black
Range.

CRAWFORD
Or, they'll move west through the Mogollon Range into Arizona.

HATCH
If they do that, they'll be General Willcox's problem. Our duty
is to remove the renegades from the Territory of New Mexico. If
they cross over to Arizona or Mexico, we have done our job. But
still, I'd rather kill or capture them here.

INT. – DAY

Bean and Hatch enter the guard room and exchange salutes with
Williams, who rises from a chair directly on top of a wooden
trapdoor that was built into the hard dirt floor.

71
HATCH
Let's see the traitor.

Williams moved the chair and lifted the trapdoor. A short

stairway provides access to a dimly lit dungeon consisting of six
solitary confinement cells measuring about six feet tall, three
feet wide, and five feet deep. In the cell closest to the
stairs, a bound Chihuahua sits staring silently at Hatch. An
untouched plate of cold beans rests on the floor outside the
cell.

HATCH
The charges against you are mutiny, desertion, treason, and
murder. You will be tried, convicted, and shot.

Chihuahua remains silent. Hatch reaches down, picks up the plate

of beans, and flips it vertically through the bars. The metal
plate strikes Chihuahua on the forehead and the beans splatter on
his face, but the Apache never moves.

HATCH
Don't forget to eat your last meal.

INT. – NIGHT

In the crude barracks, Williams and Walley are talking.

WILLIAMS
To hell with a court martial. We otta just shoot the traitor
like Bennett said.

WALLEY
He d'serves a fair trial."

WILLIAMS
He deserves shit! He's a fuckin' traitor.

WALLEY
But sarge, de army made 'im a slave! Made 'im fight 'gainst his
own people.

WILLIAMS
You mind youh tongue, boy. This be a white man's army and youh
just a no-count niggah.

WALLEY
Well, anyways I'se a free niggah. Dat 'Pache, he still be a
slave.

72
WILLIAMS
Shut youh mouth, private. Dat's an ordah!

Walley give him a dirty look.

INT. – NIGHT

Hatch and Guilfoyle are sitting at a small table, a bottle of

whiskey between them and two shot glasses.

HATCH
I'm going to court martial and hang Chihuahua as quickly as
possible--with Mescalero witnesses present so all the Apaches
will get the message that we will not tolerate renegades or
traitors.

GUILFOYLE
There's one thing I forgot to mention, general.

He reaches into his boot and takes out a small, cloth-wrapped

bundle and places it on the table in front of Hatch, then slowly
unwraps it until the gold bar glistens in the light of the oil
lamp.

HATCH
My God. Where did you get this?

GUILFOYLE
In a cave at that peak in Hembrillo Canyon. I think it was one
of Victorio's caches. There's hundreds more like it stacked like
firewood. A fortune, sir."

HATCH
Who is “LaRue?”?

GUILFOYLE
I have no idea.

HATCH
And what do you propose we do about this treasure, lieutenant?

GUILFOYLE
Who owns the gold? The Army?

Hatch tops off each glass with whiskey.

HATCH
I'm not a lawyer, but I'd say the first person to recover it owns
it. I'm not sure that the U.S. Army has anything to do with it,

73
unless it was stolen to begin with. Does anyone else know about
this gold?

GUILFOYLE
Definitely not.

HATCH
Good. Damn, it's a shame Lew Wallace isn't still governor. He
was treasure-happy, you know. He would have told everyone he was
going to Washington, then he’d have doubled back and personally
recovered the gold. He would have found a way to sell it and
then split the money with us.

GUILFOYLE
But what do we do about it now?"

HATCH
Nothing.

GUILFOYLE
Nothing, sir?

HATCH
That's right. Until we solve this Apache problem, the treasure
will stay right where it is. Tell no one--that's an order.

GUILFOYLE
Yes, sir.

Hatch picks up the gold bar.

HATCH
And I'll take this for safe-keeping.

Guilfoyle has a stunned expression on his face.

CUT TO:

12. EXT. – DAY

Lozen on horseback wades across a shallow spot in the Rio Grande

and follows a well-worn path through the bosque. She spots some
Mexican women washing clothes in the river, dismounts, tethers
her horse behind some brush and she hides behind a large
cottonwood tree and waits.
A noise on the trail alerts Lozen that someone is coming. A
Mexican woman carrying a basket is taking the trail to the river

74
to wash clothes. Lozen waits until the woman passed her, then
silently follows. When the woman reaches the river, she dumps
the clothes out of the basket and onto the ground, then begins to
wash a shirt in the river.
Lozen springs from concealment and runs to the river bank, knife
in hand. The Mexican woman hears her and turns around, but
before she can scream, Lozen is on top of her and quickly slits
her throat. She dragged the dying woman into the brush and
strips off her clothes. Then she fetches the basket and rummages
through it for anything else of use. She finds a small blanket
and ties it over her head in the Mexican style, and hides her
knife under the waistband of a long skirt. In a few minutes, a
disguised Lozen is again atop her horse and wades back across the
river. She ties up the horse and walks the rest of the way to
Fort Craig.
The gate to the camp is wide open. Moving in a purposeful manner
with her head down to avoid eye contact with anyone, Lozen
shuffles into the camp and immediately turns to her left to avoid
some mounted Blue Coats who were leaving. Several dozen more
Blue Coats are marching back and forth in the center of the fort
to the orders of another. The only two Mexican women she sees
are sweeping dirt from doorways, so she finds a broom leaning
against a wall, takes it, and imitates them while she observes
the movements of the enemy and tries to locate Chihuahua.

LOZEN
Makes quail call.

Getting no response, she works her way around the inside

perimeter of the fort, giving the quail call when no one is near
her. She moves past the corral and notes the twenty horses
standing around inside it. She moves on to sweep in front of
another building.

LOZEN
(Makes quail call.)

CHIHUAHUA, O.C.
(Returns quail call.)

Lozen looks down at her feet, realizing the call came from
beneath the ground. Without hesitating, she walks up to the door,
fumbles with the latch until it releases, and enters the
building.

INT. – DAY

A buffalo soldier who sleeping in a chair wakes up and mumbles

something unintelligible to her.

75
LOZEN
Buenas días.

BUFFALO SOLDIER
Mornin'

The guard closes his eyes. Lozen turns her back to the guard
and, sweeping with one hand, she reachs under her skirt with the
other to free her knife. With both hands holding the knife and
broom together, she sweeps her way behind the guard. Lozen
slashes the buffalo soldier's throat twice so his voice will not
work and then stabs him twice in the heart. to kill him. He
makes quite a bit of noise as he falls off his chair and thrashes
about on the floor.
Lozen moves behind the door and waits in case anyone had heard
the noise. But no one opens the door, so she drags the body of
the buffalo soldier into a corner and uses her knife to pry open
the door in the floor. She climbs down the steps and sees
Chihuahua hunched over in a small cage made of metal bars.

CHIHUAHUA
Where have you been?

LOZEN
Can you walk?

CHIHUAHUA
I can walk and ride, but I cannot climb.

LOZEN
How do I get you out of here?

CHIHUAHUA
Around the guard's neck is a metal ring. On the ring is a piece
of metal that will open this door.

LOZEN
How does it work?

CHIHUAHUA
See the hole in the door? You put each metal thing into it just
as a man would put his thing into a woman. Soon you will find
the right one and learn how it is done.

Lozen smiles and one after another, she tries to fit the keys in
the hole. The fourth key works and after she turns it to the
right, the door with bars creaks open. Chihuahua climbs out of
the cage and Lozen helps push him up the steps. Once out of the

76
hole, he limps over to the body of the dead buffalo soldier and
begins to search it.

LOZEN
Now you walk like grandfather.

He straightens up and passes her a box of matches.

CHIHUAHUA
We can start a fire.

LOZEN
I will find a place.

CHIHUAHUA
I will wait here until the fire starts and then run to the
corral.

LOZEN
Choose a good horse for me.

EXT. – DAY

She moves across the grounds as quickly as possible without

attracting attention to herself and opens the door to a building.
There is no one inside so Lozen rummages around to find anything
that can burn. She finds many large pieces of paper with White
Eye writing on them, cuts them into shreds with her knife, and
scatters them about the room. She finds an oil lamp and dumps
the oil onto the papers and then piles several chairs and boxes
on top. Then Lozen lights a match, and throws it down, where it
immediately catches the oil on fire.
The door bursts open and a White Eye with hair longer than hers
sees Lozen and the fire at the same time, screams something
unintelligible, and lunges toward her. She dodges aside, brings
her knife up into his stomach and barely has time to pull it out
before the man falls face-forward onto the floor. Lozen quickly
conceals her knife and calmly walks out the door and toward the
corral. She was about halfway across the grounds when some of
the marching Blue Coats begins to yell and point at the smoke
coming out the door of the building. She forces herself to be
calm and not run as the soldiers rush past her.
She opens the gate to the corral. Chihuahua is not there, but a
large roan mare with a bridle is tied to a post. In no time she
is on the mare's back and rides out the gate, leaving it open so
the other horses will follow, which they do.
Chihuahua is waiting for her just outside the gate and they ride
off at a fast gallop. She leads him south to the place where her
other horse iss tethered, and after recovering it, she turn west.

77
CHIHUAHUA
Where are we going?

LOZEN
Grandfather said to meet him at Juh's stronghold. But I know I
can find him at Warm Springs. We will go there.

That night they camp in the foothills of the San Mateos. By the
light of a small fire, Lozen cleans Chihuahua's wounds with water
and herbs and then binds them with some of the clothing she took
from the Mexican woman.

LOZEN
You will live.

She gives him half of the dried deer meat in her parfleche.
Later, they sleep side by side but neither one touches the other.

CUT TO:

13. INT. – DAY

In the “war room” of 9th Cavalry headquarters, Loud is dictating

a telegram to Hatch to the telegraph operator, who writes it
down.

LOUD

General Pope has met with acting president Arthur and the
secretary of war. Governor Sheldon was there too. We had a
telegram from the general, who said--”

Loud picks up a long telegram.

LOUD

--this is addressed to you, by the way. “Governor Sheldon is

extremely distressed and is calling for your replacement. I told
him that everybody knows that the Apaches are a miserable, brutal
race--cruel, deceitful, and wholly irreclaimable. I also said
that the Army had every confidence in your ability to resolve
this matter of the renegades. But this time I have no Joint
Resolution of the New Mexico legislature praising you, so I must
have some support from you personally. I want you to come to
Washington as soon as possible and speak with Sec. Lincoln so he
can hear your side of this matter.” Here in Santa Fe, Sheldon

78
apparently thinks he is commander of the Military District of New
Mexico. He has convinced the legislature in emergency session to
authorize a paid volunteer force of one thousand men to fight the
“Apache menace.” A later telegram from General Pope said that if
you cannot come to Washington, quote, “I must show secretary
Lincoln that some definite progress is being made. I want you to
prepare a complete report about everything that is happened so
far, plus your recommended action, and forward it to me within
one week."

Loud puts the telegram down and picks up several newspapers.

LOUD
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, general, but a headline in
the Rio Grande Republican reads: IS NANA AVENGING VICTORIO? A
recent editorial in the Silver City Daily Southwest said: "We
are dreaming of a golden age--a future empire--and filthy, dirty,
lousy Indians have us in a state of siege." A recent editorial in
the Silver City Daily Southwest said: "We are dreaming of a
golden age--a future empire--and filthy, dirty, lousy Indians
have us in a state of siege." Greene in the Daily New Mexican
writes, “Every day's dispatches adds to the fearful list of those
killed and captured by the sneaking, murderous redskins. Make
every Apache in New Mexico a good Indian, and then only can we
enjoy a lasting peace." He means, of course, a dead Indian." He
goes on, "The people of New Mexico demand of the United States
government either the removal of General Hatch or that they be
permitted to deal with the Indians as they may find necessary,
even to extermination." And finally, general, the New York Sun,
is taking the side of the Apaches and ran a story claiming that
your troopers had burned alive two members of Nana's band and
used quote "torturous practices" to extract information from
Apache women and children.

Loud sets the papers down.

LOUD
I am awaiting instructions from you. Sheldon is back and holding
a press conference in a few minutes, so I've got to go. Good
luck, general.

INT. – DAY

At the ballroom in the Palace of the Governors, Sheldon is at the

podium taking questions from the packed room.

Greene stands and Sheldon nods at him.

GREENE

79
Sir, have you heard from Colonel Hatch?

SHELDON
No, I have no earthly idea where he is or what he's doing.

Loud stands up among his contingent of officers.

SHELDON
Captain?

LOUD
I have heard from the general. He's at Fort Craig leading a
combined force from Forts Wingate and Cummings as well as his own
scouts. They are moving toward the Warm Springs Apaches homeland
at Ojo Caliente where they will engage Nana's band.

SHELDON
And so far, captain, how many Apaches has the army killed?

LOUD
(looking away) One.

SHELDON
And how many citizens of the territory have been killed?

LOUD
Well, sir, reports are incomplete so we--

GREENE
(interrupting) More than fifty dead! Counting the women and
children.

LOUD
An exaggeration! We think--

SHELDON
Silence! We need action, not army thinking.

A man in a suit stands and Sheldon acknowledges him.

MAN
Johnson, sir. Albuquerque Journal. From what I've heard, the
army should provide Hatch with personal bodyguards to protect him
from mob action in any town in New Mexico, even the one named
after him!

Laughter and applause breaks out the room and Sheldon gestures
open-handed for quiet.

80
SHELDON
As you know, in an emergency session, the territorial legislature
approved my plan to create a volunteer militia to fight the
Apaches since the U.S. Army is incapable of doing that. As
commander of that militia, I am appointing
Major John Shivington, U.S. Army retired. Major Shivington
distinguished himself by defeating Confederate troops at the
Battle of Glorieta Pass and then stayed in New Mexico after he
retired. Major?

A man about 60 in full Army uniform walks to the podium from the
back of the room. As one, Loud and his officers march out of the
room. Silence descends upon the room.

SHIVINGTON
As usual, they retreat.

Laughter and applause ring out.

SHIVINGTON
I have never heard of a commander in the middle stages of a
military operation being recalled to Washington, but in the case
of Colonel Hatch, it is necessary. Until that happens, I will
recruit as many men as I can in Santa Fe, Las Vegas, and
Albuquerque and lead them to defeat the Apache renegades.

Greene stands up.

GREENE
Major?

SHIVINGTON
Yes, Mr. Greene.

GREENE
Do you have any experience fighting Indians.

SHIVINGTON
No, but--

GREENE
Then what makes you think you can do a better job than Colonel
Hatch and the Ninth Cavalry?

The room dissolves into semi-chaos with equal amounts of booing

and applause. Shivington stands with a bewildered look on his
face.

INT. – NIGHT

81
In the telegraph room at Fort Craig, Hatch is tapping out a
message on the telegraph key, a smile on his face.

INT. – NIGHT

In the Department of War Building in Washington, D.C., a clerk is

transcribing a message from the dots and dashes from the
telegraph machine.

TELEGRAM

GEN. JOHN POPE, COMMANDER DIVISION OF THE MISSOURI, WASHINGTON,

D.C. HOSTILES MOVING SOUTH TOWARD MEXICAN BORDER. COL. HATCH
LEFT TODAY FOR FT. CUMMINGS TO INTERCEPT THEM. WILL FORWARD YOUR
MESSAGES FROM CAPT. LOUD TO HIM THERE. [SIGNED] CAPT. JOHN BEAN,
COMMD'G FT. CRAIG.

CUT TO:

14. EXT. – DAY

On a hill with a White Eye settlement below in the valley, The

Dreamer is talking with Istee MOS. The two move away from each
other and Istee walks to where the horses are tethered and
selects one. He leads it over to where the girl is sitting
beneath a tree and gestures for her to stand up. Using gestures,
Istee points first to her, then to the horse, and then points in
a direction away from the settlement. The girl nods and Istee
helps her mount the horse. He gives her a package wrapped in
cloth and a canteen. As the girl rides away, she smiles and gives
Istee a little wave with her right hand.

EXT. – DAY

Nana's war band moves slowly down the hill toward the settlement,
Nana and Kaytennae in the lead. Nana turns around and looks over
his band.

NANA
Where is the girl?

KAYTENNAE
(deadpan) She escaped.

Nana laughs.

82
NANA
Let's kill some White Eyes. Ride fast and shoot anyone who moves.

The first to die is a farmer feeding hay to his milk cow.

Comescu shoots him in the back as he runs for his small house,
then begins firing into the house. The sound of the shots lures
two men with rifles into the streets, but Nana's and The
Dreamer's horses trample them before the can get off a shot.
Kaytennae and Istee begin releasing horses from the corral.
Shots ring out from other houses and Nana's horse is shot out
from under him. Despite his age and bad foot, Nana manages to
land on his feet and immediately charges the house where the
shots originated. He makes it safely through the gunfire to the
side of the house, sticks his rifle around the corner and through
the window, and begins shooting. Screams issue from inside the
house and Nana signals Comescu and another warrior to storm the
front door. Inside they find a dead man with his wife and two
children huddled in the corner. The warriors drag them outside
and shoot each of them in the head while Nana searches the house
and finds eight large boxes of rifle bullets.
Kaytennae and Istee have similar success in two houses where they
find no people but several pistols, rifles, and ammunition. Soon
the shooting ends and Comescu brings a new horse for Nana, is was
passing out ammunition to his warriors.

KAYTENNAE
Ten White Eyes killed, grandfather.

Istee is startled when Nana cries out loudly in triumph.

COMESCU
We captured many horses and found some tobacco. And I took some
mezcal.

NANA
Don't drink any of that until we camp.

Nana limps over to a woodpile, pulls an axe out of a log, and

carries it to the body of a White Eye lying in the dust.
Silently, Nana calmly chops the head off the corpse. Kaytennae
hurls his lance, which sticks in the dirt next to Nana's left
foot. Nana impales the head on the army bayonet that serves as
the point of the lance and sinks the other end into the soft
earth.
The warriors laughs as the head sways in the wind but Istee looks
away nervously.

NANA

83
That avenges Mangas Coloradas.

He lifts his loin cloth and urinates on the headless corpse.

NANA
Burn all the houses.

Comescu quickly makes a fire and soon the warriors are carrying
torches to each of the adobe houses. Istee grabs a torch and
runs into a house, but he hesitates when he sees a strong box
filled with a number of thick sticks. He takes one, exits the
house and shows it to The Dreamer.

THE DREAMER
Good. These are big noise sticks that destroy things. Watch.

The Dreamer goes into the house, returns with the strongbox and
pulls out a stick and fastens a cap and fuse onto it. He
gestures for everyone to move back from the house, lights the
fuse with Istee's torch and throws the stick through the broken
window. He runs back to the band and covers his ears. A few
moments later, the house is blown apart by an enormous explosion.
The warriors laugh and shout with pleasure.

NANA
Can the big noise sticks be moved safely?

THE DREAMER
Only if they are carried like a baby.

Quickly, The Dreamer finds some slabs of wood. With rawhide

thongs, he fashions a rough cradleboard and ties the sticks onto
it. The caps and fuses fit easily into a leather pouch.

THE DREAMER
Who will carry our baby?

NANA
Victorio's son will have the honor.

THE DREAMER
If you drop the baby, you won't live long enough to hear the big
noise.

EXT. – DAY

Nana stops his band at some railroad tracks and points up at the
telegraph wires.

84
NANA
I don't know how the White Eyes do it, but Victorio told me they
send messages along those metal ropes up there. Cut them.

Comescu quickly climbs a pole and cuts the wires with a hatchet.

EXT. – DAY

In the growing dusk, the Tcihene band camps near a towering mesa
with a pueblo settlement on top. Istee is sitting next to The
Dreamer, who is smoking tobacco in a small clay pipe.

ISTEE
(showing a tube to The Dreamer) Look what I found. I call it a
“far-sight” because when you look through it, distant things
appear to be close.

THE DREAMER
This will be useful. The White Eyes call it a “telescope.” We
can use it to count the number of Blue Coats chasing us.

Istee laughs and then turns serious.

ISTEE
Why does grandfather cut up the bodies of the dead White Eyes? I
was taught to avoid the blood and scalp of an enemy, and never to
cut up a dead person because he would have to wander through the
Underworld in that condition.

The Dreamer was is silent for a moment and passes the pipe to
Istee, who glances in Nana's direction.

ISTEE
I am not allowed to smoke.

The Dreamer laughs.

THE DREAMER
You are no longer a boy, no longer a novice. You have become a
warrior and now can smoke, marry, and have children.

Istee takes a few puffs on the pipe.

THE DREAMER
In the early days, before the Mexicans and White Eyes invaded our
lands, scalping and cutting up of enemy bodies was never done for
the very reason you said. But many years ago the Mexican army
paid money for every Chiricahua scalp that was brought in. That

85
is why some--but not all--of our chiefs and warriors began
scalping the enemy.

ISTEE
But grandfather chopped off the head--

THE DREAMER
(sharply) If you will listen patiently, I will tell you the story.
You know of one of our greatest leaders, Mangas Coloradas. After
he was captured by the Blue Coats, they tortured him by burning
his feet with red-hot bayonets before they shot him. Then they
scalped him and buried his body. Two days later, the Blue Coats
dug up his body and cut off his head, which was very large. They
boiled the head in a big black pot until just the skull was left.
His skull was sent as a gift to the White Eye chief in
Washington. Grandfather was taking his revenge for that.

ISTEE
I will never do that! And I don't like the killing of women and
children either.

THE DREAMER
You would do it if you you had enough hatred.

ISTEE
Is hating part of becoming a warrior?

THE DREAMER
No, hating is the result of having our land stolen from us and
being made slaves. Besides, you know that the White Eyes and the
Mexicans are not human beings as are all of our people.

ISTEE
What are they?

THE DREAMER
Devils that you must learn to hate. Pick one, like the Blue Coat
leader Hatch. Hate him enough and you can kill anything.

ISTEE
(reluctantly) I will try to hate Hatch.

Nana suddenly appears beside them.

NANA
Get some rest. We have a very long ride tomorrow.

ISTEE
Another raid, grandfather?

86
NANA
No. We have food and ammunition. Tomorrow, we go home to the
Warm Springs.

Nana leaves. The Dreamer hands Istee a little bundle wrapped in

cloth. Istee unwraps it and sees that it is small, gray pieces
of peyotl.

ISTEE
I don't understand.

THE DREAMER
You will need it to obtain your Power when we return to the Blue
Mountains.

CUT TO:

15. EXT. – DAY

Hatch and Bean are having breakfast in the officers' mess at Ft.
Craig.

HATCH
I need a detail of five troopers with plenty of water to
accompany me and Sergeant Gonzales to Engle.

BEAN
Why Engle?

HATCH
It doesn't make sense to go north to Socorro to catch a train
heading south.

BEAN
(smiling in relief) So you're leaving us?

HATCH
I stayed up late plotting Nana's movements. I think I know where
he's heading and how to trap him. I'm moving field headquarters
to Fort Cummings.

BEAN
Didn't Nana attack some town up near Albuquerque? What makes you
so sure he's not heading north?

HATCH

87
Patterns, captain, patterns of movement. The attack on Garcia,
which is actually closer to Laguna Pueblo than to Albuquerque,
was just a feint. I think the old-timer was trying to get us to
concentrate our forces around Fort Wingate, while he was off
thumbing his nose at us as he rode south to Ojo Caliente. After
I leave, I want you to send a wire to Captain Hunt at Fort
Cummings and tell him to be on the lookout for hostiles in the
area.

BEAN
Well, he's got both Guilfoyle and Smith on patrol down there.
Plus another unit under Taylor's command from Fort Bayard. Also,
remember that Companies B and D of the infantry should be in the
area soon. The tracks up by Raton have been repaired. In fact,
you may be riding on the same train with them.

HATCH
Excellent. Tell Hunt to send out a fourth unit under the command
of Captain Dawson to patrol the border. Dawson will be supported
by B and D companies as soon as they arrive.

BEAN
Yes, sir. Anything else?

HATCH
(pausing) Just forward all telegrams from Washington and Santa Fe
to me. Oh, and send a wire to the depot at Engle and have them
hold that train for me.

EXT. – DAY

Hatch and Roberto are sitting side by side in a moving train car.
Hatch is reading BEN HUR.

ROBERTO
Is it a good book, sir?

HATCH
I'm only reading it because I promised my friend Lew that I
would.

ROBERTO
Oh.

HATCH
It's too long and there's not enough action. The chariot race
was good, though.

The train slows while passing through a small settlement and stop

88
at a primitive depot to let off passengers. A sign with half of a
ristra with broken chile peppers hangs from the sign.

SIGN
HATCH'S STATION

ROBERTO
We've stopped in your town, general.

HATCH
(keeps reading) So?

EXT. – DAY

The train slows and stops at Cooke's Spring. Waiting are CAPTAIN
HUNT with four troopers and an extra horse. Hatch and Roberto
leave the train and receive salutes.

HATCH
(returning the salute) Any good news?

HUNT
Not much. I got the telegram from Bean and deployed my forces as
instructed. Where are companies B and D?

HATCH
Your guess is as good as mine.

EXT. – DAY

Fort Cummings is surrounded by a tent city outside the walls of

the fort. The fort itself is falling apart, a near-ruin with
crumbling adobe walls.

HATCH
Why didn't you tell me the fort was in such bad shape?

HUNT
General, I reported this several times to Captain Loud. He wired
back that there was no money to repair a fort that would just be
abandoned after the Apache threat is contained.

HATCH
Damn. I despise sleeping in a tent.

HUNT
You can share one with Colonel Parks. He's on the next train
from Fort Selden.

89
EXT. – DAY

Guilfoye and Bennett, mounted, are talking with a Navajo Scout.

The Buffalo Soldiers are dismounted and resting, drinking from
canteens. The scout rides away.

BENNETT
Buffalo Grass says he's lost the trail of Nana's band.

GUILFOYLE
(sighing) More luck, all of it bad. Now what?

BENNETT
Our men have been riding hard. They need a rest.

Guilfoyle unfolds his worn map and studies it in silence and then
looks up.

GUILFOYLE
Lake Valley is the closest town, so let's head there.

A few scattered cheers break out from the nearest troopers.

BENNETT
There's a few saloons there, and a lot of silver.

GUILFOYLE
A mining town.

BENNETT
Only the richest silver mine in the west. It's called the Bridal
Chamber. There, they don't have to blast the silver out of the
ground. The vein's so rich that they saw out the horn silver in
big blocks. You can light a match, hold it up to the vein, and
the silver just melts right off. It's so pure it's worth a
dollar an ounce.

GUILFOYLE
That's a lot of money,

BENNETT
No shit. They've already recovered over a million ounces with no
end in sight.

GUILFOYLE
If we have time, I'd like to see that mine.

90
INT. – NIGHT

Hatch is in his tent, drinking alone and reading BEN HUR by the
light of an oil lamp.

WALLEY (OC)
Colonel Parks to see you, sah.

Hatch immediately opens the flap and greets his friend.

HATCH
Dick, good to see you. Come in.

They shake hands and PARKS follows him inside and drops a bedroll
on the ground.

PARKS
I guess we're bunking together. Your fort is falling down, Ed.
And I thought Fort Selden was bad.

HATCH
(smiles) This posting is temporary, as you well know. Old Fort
Cummings will be decommissioned soon. Have a seat. I know it's
hot. Want some whiskey?

PARKS
Please.

Hatch pours him a shot, looks out the tent, flap, secures it, and
then spreads out a map of southern New Mexico Territory on the
small table.

HATCH
I'm thinking about retirement.

PARKS
(disbelieving) Bullshit. What other kind of work do you know
besides soldiering?

HATCH
None, and that's the point. I wouldn't even be thinking about it
unless I thought I was going to become very wealthy.

PARKS
Is that why you asked me here?"

HATCH
Yes. I need help. You're the only army man in New Mexico I
completely trust. I have found an easy way for both of us to

91
become suddenly rich. Are you interested?

PARKS
Is it legal?

HATCH
I believe so.

PARKS
Then I'm very interested.

Hatch reaches into his boot, retrieves the gold bar, and places
it in the middle of the map. Parks responds with a low whistle.

HATCH
I know where lots of those bars are. I need your help to retrieve
them and move them to a safe place.

PARKS
How many bars?

HATCH
Tons of them.

INT. – NIGHT

Hatch and Parks are talking MOS. Parks flips the map over and
traces the outline of the bar with a pencil and then begins to
multiply numbers.

PARKS
Does your sutler's store have a scale?

Hatch takes the bar and starts to leave the tent.

HATCH
I'll be right back.

INT. – NIGHT

Hatch and Parks are sitting at the table with the gold bar
sitting on the back of the map. Parks is again multiplying.

PARKS
The seventeen thousand-odd bars weigh forty-three thousand two
hundred pounds, nearly twenty-two tons. So we'll need at least
thirty wagons.

HATCH

92
Or ten wagons making three trips each. Look, multiply those
forty-three thousand pounds by sixteen.

PARKS
(looking up after multiplying) Six hundred ninety one thousand,
two hundred. Ounces, I presume.

HATCH
Yes. Now multiply that number by a conservative twenty-two
dollars.

PARKS
The total value of the gold is fifteen million, two hundred and
six thousand, four hundred dollars. Give or take a couple of
million. But how do we move it? We're going to have to use the
troops at our disposal to move all that weight.

HATCH
Okay, so we may be technically breaking the law by using army
troops. It's a risk we'll have to take. I have a plan, Dick.
Guilfoyle told me that those bars are so dirty you can't tell
they're gold until you clean them up. Let's invent a military
mission to recover lead for bullets. We'll send wagons from here
and Selden up to Hembrillo Canyon, put the bars in burlap sacks,
load the “lead” and carry it to Rincon, which is only thirty
miles away. We can store it there under guard and send wagons
back and forth to Victorio's peak. I'll commandeer a couple of
freight cars and transport the 'lead' to Santa Fe, where I'll
store it in a secure warehouse.

PARKS
What's our cover story?

HATCH
After we retire from the army, we'll open our own mining company.
We'll spread the rumor we're backed by Lew Wallace--everyone
knows what an interest he had in gold mines. We'll buy up
depleted mines for next to nothing and tell everyone we have new
techniques for gold recovery. Since the name LaRue is already on
the bars, we'd better call our company “LaRue Mining
Corporation.”

He lifts his glass in a toast.

HATCH
To a successful operation.

Parks briefly touches his glass to Hatch's.

93
PARKS
This is going to be fun, general.

HATCH
And profitable, colonel, highly profitable.

CUT TO:

16. EXT. – DAY

Nana's band is riding south, with mountains in the distance ahead

of them. Comescu rides toward them from the direction of the
mountains and all the Apaches rein in their horses.

COMESCU
Blue Coats, waiting for us in Crow Canyon.

NANA
We must divide up.

He points to Kaytennae.

NANA
Take the extra horses, the one who dreams, the son of Victorio,
and six more warriors and take the long way to the warm springs.

He makes a sweeping motion to his right.

KAYTENNAE
And you, grandfather?

NANA
Killing Blue Coats and sheepherders.

ISTEE
Sheepherders?

KAYTENNAE
Navajo scouts.

NANA
(to Istee)
Take care of the baby.

EXT. – DAY

94
MONTAGE

Apache sharpshooters pick off mounted soldiers in a canyon; a

Buffalo Soldier, well positioned, pins down part of Nana's band
with accurate shooting, killing two of his warriors and escapes
and joins the retreating cavalry troops. Nana flashes signals to
the sharpshooters; they retreat, join up with Nana and the band
moves in a direction opposite to the soldiers. They attack a
small ranch and find only a mother with three children, who flee
into the house. Comescu sets the house on fire and the Apaches
shoot everyone as they run out of the house. Nana is carrying the
body of a young boy and spots a meat hook hanging from a wooden
crossbar and impales the boy on it by the back of his head. The
warriors laugh, then release horses from the corral and herd them
away from the ranch.

EXT. – DAY

Kaytennae's band is observing Blue Coats moving in and out of

adobe huts beside the warm springs.

THE DREAMER
We will attack tonight.

KAYTENNAE
But we never fight in darkness.

THE DREAMER
All the more reason to surprise them. These are not normal times.

KAYTENNAE
We should wait for grandfather. He will know what to do.

THE DREAMER
And who will you wait for when he is gone?

KAYTENNAE
(nodding) Do you have a plan?

THE DREAMER
Later tonight the moon will be nearly full, so we will be able to
see the enemy.

ISTEE
Even the black-faced buffalo soldiers?

KAYTENNAE
Aim for the teeth.

95
THE DREAMER
(shaking his head) We will use our old weapons, arrows and
knives. We don't want to wake up the enemy with gunfire.

EXT. – NIGHT

Under a nearly full moon, the Apaches slowly approach the camp.
Two Blue Coat sentries are dispatched with arrows. Kaytennae and
three men enter the largest of the mud buildings. The Dreamer,
Istee, and two other warriors enter another building while the
rest of the band moves into the third building. Istee draws his
knife as the shaman slowly opens the wooden door. The faint
light of the moon passing through a single small window
illuminates five vague shapes asleep on the floor. By pointing,
The Dreamer indicates who Istee should attack, then moves
silently into position over his victim.
Gun shots and screams ring out from next building and startles
them.

THE DREAMER
Now!

The Dreamer stabs his victim and as Istee starts his attack, the
buffalo soldier suddenly sits up, shouting with rage and pain. A
powerful blow catches Istee on the side of his head and the huge
soldier begins to strangle and head-butt him. A fierce struggle
ensues in the semi-darkness. The Dreamer pulls a revolver from
his belt and calmly executes two soldiers with single shots to
the head. Then he turns and sees Istee slump to the floor and
the huge buffalo soldier turns and and faces. The soldier
reaches for a rifle propped against the wall and The Dreamer
shoots him twice to his heart and stomach. The dying soldier then
falls atop Istee's body.

THE DREAMER
(to the others) Go help the others!

The Dreamer checks Istee and finds that he is breathing. He

leaves him lying there and goes outside. Kaytennae and the others
have the large building surrounded and are firing shots through
the two windows. The buffalo soldiers return the fire
sporadically.

THE DREAMER
What happened?

KAYTENNAE
They were not all asleep. One of them saw us when we went inside
and started shooting. Two of our people are wounded.

96
THE DREAMER
Smoke them out.

The warriors build a fire and throw burning pine branches through
the windows. Coughing buffalo soldiers come out shooting but are
slaughtered by gunfire from the Apaches. The Dreamer, carrying a
torch find, finds Istee awake but groggy, his face covered with
blood. The Dreamer helps him out of the building and they
approach the bodies laid out in a row. They stop at one of the
bodies, and The Dreamer points down.

THE DREAMER
Your friend.

ISTEE
(eyes wide) He is as big as a bear.

THE DREAMER
Ussen has smiled upon you.

EXT. – DAY

Istee awakes to find Lozen looking down at him.

ISTEE
(groggily) Where have you been?

LOZEN
Fooling the Blue Coats, nephew. Are you hurting?

ISTEE
My neck and face.

LOZEN
The warm water will cure you. Grandfather is here.

EXT. – DAY

The entire war party assembles beside the pool of warm water fed
by an underground spring that bubbles up in the middle of it.
Nana raises his arms as if to embrace the landscape as far as the
eye can see.

NANA
Ussen gave us this land.
Through our forefathers
It has come to us.
It was our land

97
Before the White Eyes came;
It is still our land.
The Warm Springs soothe us
And protect us from harm.
Thank you Ussen for this warm water
And the land around it.

The Tcihene and Mescalero warriors begin to undress and The

Dreamer moves over beside Istee.

THE DREAMER
Don't foul the warm springs with enemy blood. Wash the blood off
downstream and leave your clothes in the stream so they will be
clean. Then you may enter the pool.

Istee walks a considerable distance from the pool and follows the
shaman's instructions. He returns to the pool naked, found a
spot in the crowded pool, and sinks beneath the soothing water.
Comescu is drinking from a bottle of whiskey, recounting the raid
at the farm house.

COMESCU
(laughing) And then grandfather hangs the little boy on the hook
for the Blue Coats to see.

ISTEE
That is wrong. The boy did nothing to harm us.

Silence descends over the group.

KAYTENNAE
Young warrior, do not speak of grandfather that way.

ISTEE
When will this war be over? Haven't we avenged my father enough?

NANA
There are Blue Coats everywhere. If we stay here, eventually they
will trap us.

KAYTENNAE
Where shall we go next?

THE DREAMER
I know where I must go. It Is time for me to return to San Carlos
and show the bar of gold to the blue coat nantan.

NANA
He is right. It is time for us to move south.

98
ISTEE
Then it is over? No more raids? No more killing of women and
children?

NANA
(sadly) We can never kill all the Blue Coats. That is a job for
Ussen.

ISTEE
Then why doesn't He do it?

THE DREAMER
Maybe He thinks that's our job. Maybe He has more important
things to do. Or just maybe...the White Eye god is more powerful
than Ussen.

ISTEE
(shocked)The White Eyes have a god?"

THE DREAMER
Yes. He is called “Jesus.” He was killed by his enemies but
came back to life three days later--that is how powerful he is.

ISTEE
Do you think that someday Ussen will defeat Jesus and then we can
kill all the White Eyes?"

The Dreamer laughs.

THE DREAMER
You ask good questions, young son of Victorio. When you get to
Juh's stronghold you should ask the Mountain Spirits for your
Power. Maybe they will give you all the answers to the questions
you ask.

EXT. – DAY

At sunrise, the band is mounting their horses. Istee is

struggling with the cradleboard.

NANA
Be gentle with the baby.

ISTEE
(grumbling)
I am tired of this.

NANA

99
(chuckling) Do not worry, you will not have to carry it as far as
Juh's stronghold. We'll leave the baby at our cache in the
Flower Mountains until we need it.

After the warriors are mounted, they all ride off to the south
except for The Dreamer, who turns west in the direction of San
Carlos. Istee pulls up his horse and waves farewell to the
shaman, but The Dreamer is lost in his own thoughts and does not
see him.

CUT TO:

EXT. – DAY

17. EXT. – DAY

Guilfoyle and his troops ride into the dusty, ramshackle mining
town of Lake Valley and a man runs up to them.

MAN
Thank God you're here! The 'Paches attacked two ranches—killed
Perry Owlsey and burned his house down—we're goin' after them—
gonna help you get those murderin' bastards--

GUILFOYLE
Hold on! Who's going after them?

MAN
The miners' militia, that's who.

GUILFOYLE
Where are they now?

MAN
The 'Paches? Damned if I know.

GUILFOYLE
(irritated) No, the miners.

MAN
Over at Cotton's Saloon. I was headin' that way myself.

INT. – DAY

Guilfoyle and Bennett stride into the saloon and interrupt a loud
meeting in progress. Perhaps thirty noisy miners are crowded into

100
the room, all angry and near-drunk. When they spot Guilfoyle's
uniform, a burly man wearing a vest separates himself from the
crowd and walks aggressively toward Guilfoyle and Bennett.

MAN
You army bastards are supposed to protect us and look what's
happened. Instead of fightin', you come drinkin!

GUILFOYLE
And who the hell are you?

MAN
Name's Daly. I'm the super of the Lake Valley Mining Company--
and commander of our volunteer militia. If you'd do your job and
kill those sons a bitches, they wouldn't be raidin' our town.

GUILFOYLE
Well, my men have been chasing and fighting the renegades for two
months now--

DALY
Your niggers can't fight. They can hardly even put their pants
on.

The crowd hoots with delight. Bennett draws his revolver and
points it at Daly, drawing the hammer back.

BENNETT
Permission to kill this asshole, sir?

GUILFOYLE
Nah, then I'd have to file a damn report about it.

An Indian walked into the saloon and thirty men reach for reached
for their guns.

GUILFOYLE
At ease! Can't you see he's Navajo?

MINER
How can you tell?

Bennett walks up to the Navajo scout. They confer in a mixture

of Navajo, Spanish, and English for a few moments and then the
scout leaves bar.

BENNETT
One of Smith's scouts--he located Nana's trail heading into
Gavilan Canyon.

101
DALY
Let's go!" shouted Daly.

GUILFOYLE
Wait a minute. This is a job for the army, not civilians.

DALY
You've had your chance, lieutenant. Now it's our turn and
there's not a damn thing you can do about it.

Guilfoyle and Bennett follow the miners out of the saloon.

EXT. – DAY

The troopers are following the miners, now a disorganized mob

riding as fast as they can for the mountains.

EXT. – DAY

The troopers and the miners pull up at the mouth of Gavilan

Canyon, which is very narrow with steep walls.

GUILFOYLE

(shouting to Daly) It smells like an ambush to me. Let me send

some scouts in there first.

DALY
And let them get away? No wonder you chicken-shit soldiers never
get anything done.

The miners ride single-file into the canyon with the troopers
following. Intense rifle fire rains down upon them seemingly from
all directions. Daly and five other miners are shot off their
horses and more are wounded.

GUILFOYLE
Take cover, take cover!

His orders are too late to save some of his troopers, who tumble
off their horses. Guilfoyle, Bennet, and Williams begin to drag
the wounded men to nearby rocks. As Williams finishes his
rescue, he glances back and sees a young Apache boy rise from
behind a rock and calmly shoots Guilfoyle.

WILLAMS
Fire and retreat!

102
EXT. – DAY

Williams and the troopers are guarding the mouth of the canyon
and the shooting has ended. A patrol of about fifty men under the
command of Lieutenant GEORGE WASHINGTON SMITH arrived at
William's position. Williams quickly explained what had happens.
Williams and Smith confer MOS.

SMITH
Volunteers to go into the canyon? The renegades are probably
gone. I'm sure they must have seen us coming.

A chorus of “Yes sahs” rings out and Smith leads them back into
the canyon slowly and carefully. Except for the wind, there is
silence in the canyon. All that is left are the bodies of the
miners and soldiers. The horses are gone.

WILLIAMS
Sah, over here!

Smith joins Williams, who points to a naked body. It is

Guilfoyle, castrated and mutilated with numerous knife cuts and
his eyes gouged out. Nearby is the body of a black soldier, whose
nose and mustached upper lip are sliced off and hang from a
nearby cholla cactus.

CUT TO:

18. EXT. – NIGHT

The Tcihene and Mescalero warriors finish their dance in front of

a large fire and sit on blankets to listen to Nana address the
war council.

NANA
Last night, I fell asleep and dreamed that I was trapped by the
largest rattlesnake I had ever seen. And the rattlesnake had many
brothers with him, all equally deadly. I wished that I had
Victorio's sister with me so she could use her Power over the
snakes, but I was all alone. I tried to run away from the snake,
but he sprouted four legs and I could not outrun him. You know
that the rattlesnake has four legs, but no one can see them
except people like Victorio's sister, who know the snake. The
legs are made of turquoise and are shaped like balls, and that is
how the snake rolls along with such speed. I could not escape
from the snake, so I had to stand and fight. All I had with me

103
was my knife and I knew that I only had one chance to save my
life from the snake's poisonous mouth. When the snake struck at
me, I pretended I was a snake too and whipped the blade of my
knife in a little circle, cutting off the snake's head. The body
of the snake still tried to attack me, but it could not hurt me
without the head. All the other snakes slithered away and left me
alone. What do you think the dream means?

COMESCU
(drinking from a bottle) Stay away from rattlesnakes?

Laughter rippled through the warriors.

LOZEN
Don't be stupid. Grandfather said the other day there are so
many Blue Coats and so few of us that we can never kill them all.
Ussen sent Grandfather a message: cut off the head of the Blue
Coats and we have a chance to win our land back.

Chihuahua stands up.

CHIHUAHUA
I ask the council to allow me to kill the snake called Hatch.

LOZEN
How will you do that?

CHIHUAHUA
I will think of a way.

NANA
You won't have to. I have a plan.

KAYTENNAE
You are thinking of a small war party?

NANA
Yes. Four warriors, no more. The rest of us will head to the Blue
Mountains. We are almost finished here. Our Mescalero brothers
can go home. At least they still have a home near the White
Mountain, even though it is controlled by the White Eyes.

KAYTENNAE
I will help kill the snake.

CHIHUAHUA
And I.

LOZEN

104
And I.

NANA
And who will cut off the snake's head? Who will finally avenge
Victorio?

He turns and stares directly at Istee.

ISTEE
(defiantly) I will!

COMESCU
(angrily) I am a more experienced fighter than Victorio's son. I
will take his place. He is little more than a novice.

Several shouts support Comescu's stance. Nana looks around and

silence descends over the assembled warriors.

NANA
(to Comescu, gently)

What you say is true. But you are not Victorio's son. The honor
belongs to him.

EXT. – NIGHT

Istee is sitting by himelf a little distant from the rest of the

warriors. His bedroll is unwrapped and next to him. Lozen
approaches him

LOZEN
Are you feeling better, nephew?

ISTEE
(smiling at her) My neck and face no longer hurt, aunt.

LOZEN
(seriously) Are you ready to cut the head off the snake or do you
wish to return to the Blue Mountains?

ISTEE
Both.

LOZEN
You have grown up on this raid. Some day you will be a fine
leader of the Tcihene people.

ISTEE
But I sometimes disagree with grandfather--

105
LOZEN
That is allowed. Grandfather actually admires that. You speak
with your own mouth, not with another's.

ISTEE
I will not kill women and children.

LOZEN
You won't have to. Just one little snake.

EXT. – DAY

The four warriors receive instructions from Nana MOS.

NANA
Don't forget the baby. You will need him.

Istee goes to fetch the cradleboard, returns, and the warriors

mount their horses.

NANA
Ride swiftly and safely. We will wait for you at Juh's
stronghold.

The warriors ride off.

EXT. – DAY

The warriors are under a wooden railroad trestle.

LOZEN
The snake will ride the iron horse and will pass over this
bridge.

ISTEE
When?

LOZEN
In a few suns.

KAYTENNAE
How do you know this?
LOZEN
(smiling a little) My Power tells me.

CHIHUAHUA
Your Power can read minds?

106
LOZEN
(smiling more broadly) My Power is now grandfather, who told me
what to do.

She hands a bundle wrapped to Chihuahua.

LOZEN
Go to the fort and place this where the snake can see it.

She gives him Istee's telescope.

LOZEN
Watch the fort with this. When the snake leaves the fort for the
iron horse station, ride like the wind to where he--

She points to Kaytennae.

LOZEN
--is waiting. He will ride like the wind to us, and we will be
ready with the baby in place. We will meet you at our cache in
the Flower Mountains.

CHIHUAHUA
(grinning) Your Power is as wise as he is old. A good plan.

LOZEN
Go!

Chihuahua and Kaytennae ride off. Lozen watches them, then turns
to Istee.

LOZEN
Let's take care of the baby.

EXT. – DAY

A few days later, Katennae rides up to Lozen and Istee's small

camp overlooking the tracks.

KAYTENNAE
The iron horse approaches. The snake is riding it.

LOZEN
Good. We are ready. Go up there--

She points to the top of the ridge.

LOZEN
--and wait. When you see the iron horse, flash us a signal.

107
KAYTENNAE
Good killing, sister and son of Victorio!

CUT TO:

19. EXT. – DAY

A troops of cavalry rides into the tent city. The mounted leader
salutes a sentry MOS and speaks with him. The sentry points in
the direction of the largest tent. The troop rides over to the
tent and dismounts.

INT. – DAY

Inside the large tent, the operations center of Fort Cummings,

Hatch, Hunt, and Parks are meeting with other officers.
Lieutenant Smith approaches them and salutes.

SMITH
Lieutenant George Washington Smith reporting. Permission to
speak, sirs?

HATCH
Granted.

SMITH
I have good news and bad news.

HUNT
At ease, lieutenant. Give us the bad news first.

SMITH
I regret to report that Lieutenant John Guilfoyle has been
killed. Shot by the Apaches in Gavilan Canyon.

HATCH
Damn! One of my best men.

HUNT
And the good news?

SMITH
My scouts and troopers tracked the renegades past the Florida
Mountains and stopped once we reached west side of the Tres
Hermanos range. The Apaches were still riding south, so they

108
obviously entered Mexico.

HATCH
(grinning) Excellent. Good job, lieutenant. That's the best news
I've heard in months. You and your men are granted a week's
leave.

SMITH
Thank you, sir.

INT. – DAY

In the tent that served as the telegram office, Hatch is speaking

to a corporal.

HATCH
I want to send the same telegram to three different places, to
Washington, Fort Leavenworth, and Santa Fe.

CORPORAL
All lines seem to be up and working, sir.

HATCH
Write this down. "Forces of the Ninth Cavalry and the Thirteenth
and Fifteenth Infantries have defeated the renegade Nana and have
driven him and his men out of the Territory of New Mexico. This
Apache is no longer a threat to the citizens of the United
States. Complete report follows. Colonel Edward Hatch,
commanding Ninth Cavalry, Territory of New Mexico.”

CORPORAL
Yes sir.

HATCH
Send it first to General Pope in Washington, then to headquarters
at Leavenworth, and finally to Governor Sheldon in Santa Fe, care
of Captain Loud. Oh, and if you can, make sure a reporter named
Greene gets a copy at the Daily New Mexican in Santa Fe.

CORPORAL
It will go out immediately.

INT. – DAY

Inside the operations tent, Hatch and Hunt are talking when Smith
walks up to them.

HATCH
I thought you were off-duty.

109
SMITH
(seriously)
You should see this, sirs.

EXT. – DAY

Smith, Hatch, and Hunt, with a guard of five troopers, ride up

the slope overlooking the tent city. Smith calls a halt at the
top of the ridge. They dismount and Smith points to a strange
object. It is a scarecrow of sorts, made of yucca stalks. The
crude figure is propped up against a cholla cactus and is wearing
a woman's calico dress. On the crude head is an officer's cap,
and a gun belt and holster is strapped over the dress.

HATCH
A parting insult, wouldn't you say?

SMITH
It's probably Guilfoyle's holster. His body was naked when we
found it.

HATCH
Destroy that thing and take the belt and holster to the
quartermaster.

INT. – DAY

Hatch and Hunt are eating at the officers' mess.

HATCH
I'm returning to Santa Fe. When is the next train north?

HUNT
In two days, general. Deming to Belen. There you can change
trains for Lamy and Santa Fe. Sorry to see you go.

HATCH
My job is done here. I just got word that I'm being transferred.
Probably back to Leavenworth. I may retire from the army.

HUNT
Good luck to you, general.

EXT. – DAY

At the train depot at Cooke's Spring, the train is stopped.

Hatch, Parks, and Roberto are on the platform, Roberto separated
from the two colonels.

110
HATCH
After you get Fort Selden in order, come up to Santa Fe for a
planning session. We can relax a little now.

PARKS
I'll say. But we have some work ahead of us.

HATCH
But good work, Dick.

HUNT
You take care, general.

The two men shake hands and Hatch and Roberto board the only
passenger car on the train.

INT. – DAY

In the moving train, Hatch and Roberto are sitting side-by-side.

There are only seven other passengers, including a mother with a
young son and daughter. Hatch pulls out BEN HUR and begins
reading.

INT. – DAY

In the train locomotive's cab, the two engineers are looking out
the front windows when an explosion goes off in front of them.

ENGINEER 1
What the hell?

ENGINEER 2
It's the trestle! Stop this thing!

EXT. – DAY

The locomotive plunges into the arroyo and the rest of the train
cars derail and are scattered over the desert. The passenger car
is on its side, dust everywhere. The door opens and Roberto
crawls out and assists Hatch and the other passengers to apparent
safety. Lozen, Istee, and Kaytennae ride up through the dust and
begin shooting their rifles. Istee shoots Hatch and Roberto and
the other passenger soon fall. The only survivors are the mother
and her children.

EXT. – DAY

Loud knocks on the door of the Hatch house in Santa Fe. The door

111
opens revealing Evelyn.

EVELYN
John! So good to see you. Please come in.

John pulls an envelope out of his pocket and hands it to her.

LOUD
I can't stay long. Things are happening fast and furious.

EVELYN
I've heard rumors.

LOUD
From the general, Evelyn. He sent it by courier. I don't think
he trusts the U.S. Mail.

Evelyn begins reading the letter.

EVELYN
Listen to this: “As you probably know, we chased Nana out of the
territory and then President Garfield died shortly afterwards.
Those two events caused a lot of changes. After President Arthur
took over, he ordered a reorganization of the Division of the
Missouri. The most significant change is that the headquarters
of the Ninth is being moved to Fort Riley in Kansas. But Kansas
is no better than New Mexico and I know you love our home in
Santa Fe. I am considering retirement rather than relocation.
I'll be home soon and we can discuss the situation.”

LOUD
I'll be darned.
He is interrupted by a knock on the door.

VOICE O.C.
Captain Loud?

LOUD
Excuse me for a moment.

Loud leaves while Evelyn continues reading the letter. Loud

returns carrying a telegram.

LOUD
I have bad news. Evelyn, I hate being the one to tell you
this....

EVELYN
(gasping, hand over her mouth) Oh, no.

112
EXT. – DAY
On the plaza in front of the Palace of the Governors, a soldier
lowers the flag to half-mast.

CUT TO:

20. EXT. – DAY

By way of a narrow, zigzag trail, Lozen, Kaytennae, Chihuahua,

and Istee arrive at Juh's stronghold in the Blue Mountains. It
is situated on a wide, flat, grassy park that juts out from tall
peaks that rise behind it. On every side of the park are sheer
cliffs. A stream runs through the camp, and over a cliff in a
spectacular waterfall. There is a mixture of many wickiups and
teepees in the camp. Nana and Nah-des-te move forward to greet
them.

NANA
Where have you been? Did you meet the fanged one?

LOZEN
Yes. He now lives in the White Eye's Underworld thanks to
Victorio's son.

NANA
(smiling) Join us for the feast and dancing.

KAYTENNAE
Where is Juh?

NANA
With Geronimo at San Carlos, meeting with The Dreamer. They will
be here soon.

EXT. – DAY

Kaywaykla is showing Istee around the camp.

KAYWAYKLA
You have to see this.

He leads Istee over to a cage woven out of thin branches. Inside

is a large green bird with a red and yellow head and a large
beak. The bird drops the pine cone it was eating, cocks its
head, and looks at Istee.

113
PARROT
Where have you been?

Istee is startled.

PARROT
Call me Pretty Boy, Pretty Boy.

KAYWAYKLA
Go ahead.

ISTEE
Hello, Pretty Boy.

PARROT
Your shit!

Istee and Kaywaykla laugh.

KAYWAYKLA
I taught him to say that. But Grandmother hates this bird.
Because it talks, she says there must be a witch inside it. I
don't believe that.

EXT. – DAY

Juh, a very large Chiricahua arrives on horseback with GERONIMO,

a man even older than Nana. They have a large herd of horses that
move over to the stream to drink. They are greeted by a large,
silent crowd with Nana at the front.

NANA
Where have you been?

JUH
Surrounded by sadness. The Dreamer is indeh. The Blue Coats
hanged him.

NANA
(stoically) Tell us.

GERONIMO
Bring us tizwin and we will tell the story.

EXT. – DAY

Sitting around the fire sipping tizwin, Geronimo looks around at

the warriors.

114
GERONIMO
The Dreamer arrived at San Carlos with the bar of gold and showed
it to the Blue Coat leader known as Colonel Carr. He told Carr
that Grandfather had much more gold he wanted to trade to the
Blue Coats in return for the land at Warm Springs. Carr told him
he would have to ask the Great White Eye Chief in Washington. He
took the bar of gold from The Dreamer and it was never seen
again.

NANA
Our plan did not work.

GERONIMO
No, but The Dreamer had another one. He wanted to give our
people their pride back, so they would rise up and fight the
White Eyes who made them slaves. So he asked for permission from
Carr to hold dances. We were surprised when Carr said yes.

JUH
But The D-D-Dreamer's dances were new.

GERONIMO
Yes. The Dreamer moved from San Carlos to the river known as
Cibecue and hundreds of followers went with him. Before the
dances, he gave the dancers the plant known as peyotl, and they
would see many strange sights--even our chiefs who came back from
the dead.

NANA
We know that plant.

GEROMINO
Some of the dancers drank too much whiskey and attacked the Blue
Coat guards. Carr ordered The Dreamer to stop the dances, but
The Dreamer refused. The Blue Coats came with a very large force
and arrested The Dreamer. The White Mountain people demanded his
release, but Carr refused. The big man and I led an attack
against the Blue Coats, but they hanged The Dreamer before we
could save him. Then we killed most of the Blue Coat force in a
great battle. But we knew that they would soon be back with ten
times as many soldiers, so we took what horses we could and rode
back here.

EXT. – NIGHT

The warriors are dancing the round dance. The men, all beating on
drums, dance closely together and circle the fire while singing
songs.

115
CHIHUAHUA
I've been wandering around,
Wandering around;
When I got home,
Everyone had moved away!

Laughter comes from the crowd watching the dancers. The drumming
dancers stop and women move toward the group of men to select
their partners for the next dance. Jacali moves toward Istee and
links her arm with his. A soft drumming begins.

JACALI
(softly) You have been staring at me all day.

ISTEE
I thought you were staring at me.

JACALI
(giggles) Maybe I was. Do you have anything to pay me for this
dance?

ISTEE
I do, but you will have to wait until the dance is over.

The line of dancers separates into two lines, the men facing the
women. Each line moves four steps toward the other, then four
steps back, over and over. Jacali and Istee touch hands when
they are close. The rhythm of the drumming changes and then
ceases. Istee and Jacali move away from the fire and find a good
spot to watch the rest of the dancing.

ISTEE
Here is your payment for the dance.

He gives her a thin leather belt with delicate silver shells sewn
on it. Jacali's eyes go wide with delight.

JACALI
It is very beautiful. I will wear it every day.

Soon the dancers enter the clearing and a collective sigh rises
from the audience as they circle the fire. Four of the dancers
are dressed like the Mountain Spirts, in yellow buckskin skirts,
knee-high moccasins, and dark leather masks. Their chests,
shoulders, and arms are brightly painted lack, white, and yellow.
The dancers wear carved and painted wooden headdresses that rose
like horns from their skulls, were painted with snake designs,
and decorated with downy eagle feathers. They carry flat sticks

116
painted with zigzag lines.

EXT. – NIGHT

Istee and Jacali are sitting together, holding hands and watching
the dancers when Juh and Nana come up to them. They quickly pull
their hands apart but Nana smiles at them.

NANA
(to Istee) Since your father is gone, I decided to act in his
place. Everyone has seen the way you two look at each other.
Now you dance together and hold hands. I have asked our nantan
here if he thinks a marriage between you would be a good thing.

JUH
(to Jacali) And since your father is gone, I will take his place.
I think a marriage is a good thing. (to Istee) Do you wish to
marry my daughter?

ISTEE
(flustered, taking Jacali's hand again) Yes.

JUH
(to Jacali) Do you wish to marry Victorio's son?

Embarrassed, stares at the ground and nods her head.

JUH
In times like these we cannot indulge in lengthy courtships or
games of flirtation.

NANA
That is right. The son of Victorio has proved himself to be a
good warrior. Let's hope he's as good as a husband.

ISTEE
When is the ceremony?

JUH
When do you want it to be?

ISTEE
After I have spent four days alone with the Mountain Spirits. I
want to see what Power I am granted.

NANA
If any. Tell the big man what presents you have to give.

117
ISTEE
I have two good horses I captured on our raid.

JUH
Good. It is all arranged, then.

JACALI
I am very happy.

ISTEE
I am too. I came only to dance but found a wife.

Jacali laughs.

EXT. – DAY

In a sweat lodge, naked except for loin cloths, Nana, Juh,

Geronimo, and Kaytennae.

NANA
(to Geronimo) What will you do now?

GERONIMO
I will fight no more. There is no way to kill all the Blue Coats
and White Eyes and Mexicans. We must save as many of our people
as we can.

KAYTENNAE
No! You cannot give up. We have more battles to fight.

GERONIMO
You are being foolish. Do you want all of us—and your wife—indeh?

KAYTENNAE
I will hear no more of this, old man. I will never surrender and
will fight to the death! I am taking my people and leaving this
camp.

Kaytennae exits the sweat lodge with dignity.

GERONIMO
He's right about one thing. I am too old.

NANA
(nodding) I am too.

JUH
(looking at Geronimo and then Nana and smiling) Tell me what to

118
do, old grandfathers.

EXT. – DAY

Rain is falling lightly when Istee begins his journey up the

mountain. He wears only a loincloth carries a buckskin pouch. He
trots up the steep trail.

EXT. – DAY

Istee sits beside a tree that has been struck by lightning at the
top of the mountain. The rain has stopped but there are rain
clouds below him. He reaches into his pouch, pulls out pieces of
peyotyl and begins to chew them. He lies down and closes his
yes.

VOICE O.C.
Istee!

Istee opens his eyes and leaps. He looks up and sees a vulture
perched in the tree. The vulture looks at him and cocks his head.

VOICE O.C.
Istee! Istee! Istee!

ISTEE
It speaks to me!

VOICE O.C.
(seemingly from the vulture) Don't be afraid. The other animals
sometimes say bad things about me because I eat dead animals.
But Ussen has forbidden me to kill anything, so I must eat only
what others have killed. But in His wisdom Ussen has allowed me
to fly very high and has given me the Power to see very far and
to find things. What do you desire?

ISTEE
Something good for my people.

VOICE O.C.
Well, I will give you the you Power to foresee the future, but no
one will believe you at first. Only after a few things you have
predicted come true will they finally listen to you.

ISTEE
I accept the Power offered to me. How do I call for it?

VOICE O.C.
Pray first and then close your eyes and sleep...and dream.

119
Istee's mouth moves MOS and he lies down again and closes his
eyes.

MONTAGE

The Tcihene warriors and women are surrendering to the Blue Coats
and then riding on a train... Nana, Geronimo, Lozen, Kaywaykla,
Jacali, and even himself...the train takes them to a camp where
they live in wooden houses and eat White Eye food...Buffalo
soldiers in uniform receive medals from a White Eye in a suit in
front a big white house...Geronimo is at a White Eye rodeo and he
is paraded around and treated like a prized horse... At
Mescalero, he and Jacali live with their children in a wooden
house but they are smiling and happy...Mescalero looks like a
White Eye town, and the Mescaleros and Tcihene wear White Eye
clothing and speak the White Eye language...They ride around in
metal wagons that move without horses to pull them...Snow is
falling and White Eyes are being carried by metal ropes to the
top of the sacred White Mountain and are sliding down on the snow
with pieces of wood attached to their feet...The Mescaleros and
Tcihene, dressed as White Eyes, hold a council and are laughing
and having a good time, as if they have won the war after
all...Then a large building with a sign “INN OF THE MOUNTAIN
GODS” and inside there is gambling going on, but it is not with
moccasin games but rather games played with wheels and pieces of
the White Eyes’ paper and coins....And the Mescaleros and Tcihene
are counting the “money” they have won from the White Eyes and
are laughing about it.

Istee awakens and sees that the vulture is gone.

FADE OUT.

THE END

120