Original subtitles

Well, now, even if your father is a colonel, now,

that doesn't mean you have to be cruel to civilians.

Some civilians can be dangerous.

Well, now, what if I joined the army and got tanked?

Great.

Take a look over there. Excuse me.

You can't do this. You can't shoot me. What the devil are they doing?

They got a man tied up over there.

Here, let me see.

You put Ennard and Corti in prison, we kill you.

Abundant!

They're gonna shoot him.

No, no, don't! Stop!

We better lower our boat and fish him out.

No sign of it? Four days,

four whole days hanging around this town waiting for that boat to come in.

What are you complaining about, Lieutenant? You're still on the payroll, aren't you?

Sheriff, there's 2,000 pounds of gunpowder waiting for me at Chakotah Landing.

Waiting to be loaded on that boat and hauled to Fort Jackson.

What if it rains?

Powder gets ruined.

Rights.

Say, that's a pretty one.

Keep your mind on your work, Lieutenant.

Good morning, Margaret.

And the same to you, Sheriff.

Well, this town does have possibilities.

But as far as she's concerned, why not?

She's engaged to Sam Bates.

Who's Sam Bates?

My deputy.

The boat, it's here.

It'll wait.

All right, boys, come on up now.

Oh, no! We fished him out of the river.

After you've been shot. Well, executed, rather.

About seven of them. Look like Mexicans.

Cortier.

That's who did it!

Cortier!

Take care of them, boys.

Come on, I'll show you who did it.

One Cortier.

General One Cortier.

Stand up.

I said stand up!

Take your hands off me, senor!

Let me go! Sheriff, he's your prisoner!

I'll be all right.

I'll be all right now.

I'm in your debt, senor.

Allow me to introduce myself.

I'm General Cortilla.

General, a murderer, thieves and bandits.

Sam Cartman brought him in.

Why does he strike me, senor?

Because your men killed his deputy. I saw it.

You saw it?

Yes, with a firing squad.

I'll spring the trap myself when they hang you.

I apologize, senor, but you shall never have the pleasure.

There's no bullet or rope that is meant for one Cortilla.

You have not told me your name, senor.

I'm Captain Gray Holden of the Riverboat Enterprise.

I shall remember it.

Why?

Perhaps one day I shall want to ride on the river.

I shall choose no one else's boat but yours, senor.

I suppose you'll want to book the deluxe cabin, hm?

If you ever ride down the river, mister, it'll be in a pinewood box.

I'll read a statement from all of you.

It's exactly what happened when you saw my deputy murdered.

Where's your stuff?

We want Cartier, Dave! Bring him up! Hang him! Go on home, all of you!

No man's ever been taken from this jail!

No one's going to be now.

He's a murdering bandit. That's all he is.

Well, the law will take care of him. We ain't waiting for no law. That's a fact.

We're taking him, Dave. Come on. Give him to us, Dave.

I've got three men inside with guns.

You wouldn't shoot us down.

Dave!

Open up! Break that door down! Pass that log forward! Break the door down!

What do we do now?

Here, give me that.

Listen, Sheriff, those fellas might do it.

When I get out of here, I'll burn them and this whole city down!

Look, I can get through the back way and into the corral.

If you just hold them off. Just give me time to get away.

On your wife? I'm not a law man. Well, I'm deputizing.

Hold them, right here and now.

You're looking for law.

All right, so now we're deputies. Now what do we do?

You just go out and hold them off. Store them, that's all.

Lieutenant Winthrop, you'll come with me.

I'm your deputy.

Hey, you people out there, get away from that door. Well, let's go.

Get moving.

Give him their bat.

He's off.

Now, now, boys. Now, this isn't the way to do this.

Stick to your river, Captain.

Yeah, now, now, boys.

Oh, listen, Mark.

Yeah.

Let him through. Don't burn him out.

Grab him! Get him!

I don't think we were cut out to be deputies. You know,

it's getting pretty hot around here.

Get back to the river and cool off.

Tell Carnegie to get up ahead of steam fast.

We're pulling out of here as soon as we can.

What is it?

What's happening?

Oh, just a little excitement in town, that's all.

Would you like a cup of coffee?

What is this?

Safest place I could think of.

For what?

For protecting my prisoner.

Captain, he's going to be with you for the next seven days. What?

You move out, pick up your cargo at Chakotah Landing, deliver it,

and bring the prisoner back here for trial.

Folks will calm down by then.

Okay, now, now, just a minute. Now, the Enterprise isn't a jail.

You're my deputy.

Oh, yeah, sure, that was back in town.

No, you're working for the law.

Unless you want to be responsible for a lynching.

Just lock him in a cabin, keep him under guard.

Isn't anyone going to introduce me to the lady?

Look, how did I get elected to be this man's keeper?

Why don't you go along and guard your own prisoner?

My job is to protect this town.

Cotillo's gang knows I've got them.

They may just decide to come for them.

Boy, you've got an answer for everything, haven't you, Lieutenant?

All right, General, consider yourself my prisoner. All right.

Is it the other way around?

You see, Captain, I told you maybe I should

want to ride upon your boat, and here I am.

This is fated, yes?

Was it fated you should ride in chains?

I've been in chains before. Yeah, I can imagine. No, not these chains.

I'm speaking of other chains.

Change you couldn't possibly have seen. No one could.

Yeah.

You're breaking my heart, General.

At one time, it was not generale.

I started as low as one could get.

Pay on.

Pay on.

Well, you've worked your way up, haven't you?

As a young man, I joined the army.

I became a soldier, corporal, and then finally, el sargenti.

Sergeant, and then general.

Oh, not that army.

No? What went wrong?

Nothing went wrong. You see these medals?

Oh, yeah, yeah. Where'd you buy those?

I earned them. They are for real.

As a soldier, Juan Cortilla did many brave things.

But no matter, no matter how much I tried, there was one,

there was one thing I could not do.

What's that?

I could never be more than El Sargent.

Why?

Because my father was never more than a peon.

This was my chain, senor.

A chain I could not break.

I see.

Well, I can understand your deserting the army and making your own army,

even though I would shoot one of my own men for mutiny.

And I suppose from what you tell me, you've got every right to be bitter.

Then you do understand, eh?

You are simpatico.

Then you will set me free?

You will put me on shore, eh?

You will come to no harm. I promise you, you will not be punished.

But for looting and pillaging and killing, you've got to answer to the law.

And you will not do me this favor?

I like to accommodate my passengers, but in this instance, no, Sergeant Cotillo.

No!

No! I love you such!

I am an ally, Cortina! I am an ally!

I am an ally!

My mother married an army man.

I'm already involved with an army man.

Oh?

My father.

Well, they've been married for 25 years, and they're still happy.

Lieutenant, I know you exactly one day, and you're already proposing marriage.

It's army tactics.

If you think you can take an objective, don't wait for reinforcements.

They must have changed the manual while I was away at school.

When we get to Fort Jackson, I'm going to report to your father,

salute him and say, Colonel Bridges, sir, may I marry your daughter?

The answer is going to be no.

You see, if she's going to marry anybody, she's going to marry me.

Captain!

If you can dream, I can too.

How's your prisoner? She's very noisy, very noisy.

We should make Chakotah Landing by tomorrow, shouldn't we?

Yeah, that's right. Tomorrow, one more day before

Jackson, and three days back, Taylorsville.

It should be a peaceful trip, nothing happened.

You see who's out there?

Who are they?

Gautier's men. You suppose they know who we got on board? Well, they must know.

That's why they're following us.

What do you think's on their mind?

I've been doing any thinking I'd have got off of Taylor's bill.

Do you know that's what I like about this business?

You meet such interesting people along the river.

Like, uh, Cortia.

He's very interesting, all right. So's a snake.

Never know when he's gonna strike. Oh, I'm not worried about him.

It's them out there I'm worried about.

Maybe you'd like me to row ashore and tell him we're deputies. Oh,

that'd scare him. Hey, Bill, how would you like to lose him?

How?

Keep on going tonight. Hit Chakotah by morning. That'd scare me.

Of course, if we tie up here, those kleptos are liable to board us.

I don't see where we got much choice.

On the other hand... On the other hand,

why would you love to hit a snag or run aground?

You said it, not me.

Tell you what, Bill.

I'll flip you four.

Hells we keep on going, heads we don't stop.

My coin.

Lieutenant, who'll be at Skoda Landing? What do you mean? Well,

who'll be there for the party?

Well, a company of soldiers at U.S. Army property. That's good.

They're like a pack of hungry wolves, just waiting.

No, no, don't you worry, Miss Lucy.

Nothing's gonna happen.

What happened? We struck a sandbar, Captain. Sandbar? Well?

Carney, what are you doing here? Get back to your

engine room. Get ahead of steam. Back us off, man.

Back us off.

Aye. Sandbar, wasn't it? I'm backing it off now. Joshua, bring out the guns.

They're liable to hit us at any minute here. Aye, sir. Follow me, men.

You all right? What are you doing down here?

Get it back up to our cabin and keep it there. I can

handle a rifle, Captain. Get back topside. Move.

I don't think it's dove in. All right, Mr. Blake, get up topside, get in the cabin,

and back with everything you got. All right, men, surround the boat.

Take posts all around the deck. Shoot anybody that

tries to get on board. Take it on to the deck.

Boiler deck. Ready up here.

Ready down here too.

Pour it on, Mr. Blake, and tray. Pour the room.

All right, pour steam, Kearney. What do you think

I'm trying to do down here? Blow bubbles?

Yeah, we're free!

Patsy, come on, stop engines!

Stop the engines, Carney!

Well, we made it. There was no boarding party. Mr. Blake, we're lucky.

Got them! What?

Come quick, something's happened to the prisoner.

This must have snapped off when we hit that sandbar. What happened in here?

He's gone?

Corti is gone.

All right, boys, everybody on shore.

I want to get this cargo load up as soon as possible.

I don't want to be here any longer than I have to be.

Come on, on the barrels. Get them on board. Good morning, Captain.

Welcome to Chicota Landing!

What happened to the men who wore those uniforms? Do not worry, Capitán.

There's nothing more that can happen to them.

Butcher!

No, señores.

This is a carnicero. Butcher in your language.

Do not tempt him.

What is this, a big joke or something?

Calm down, Connie.

Senorita will stand beside me. What do you mean? Matter be!

The orders of the lady will be my hostage. What do you mean, hostage?

You will question nothing, Capitán.

You will do as you are told.

Now, do you know what makes Gumpother explode? What?

This!

What's that supposed to prove?

It proves, Capitan, that if we load all this gunpowder on the bow of your boat,

and we ram it against something hard, like a town landing, there will be no town.

You mean like Taylorsville? You are one smart fellow, Capitan.

Now you and your men will load up the gunpowder on the bow of your boat.

Not on your life.

Please, lords!

Aponte!

No, no, just a minute, just wait a minute. Pass, pass.

We'll load the powder.

You will see that one Cortilla can show mercy.

But only once!

Yeah.

Hello.

Now I will take your arm, señorita.

When I first saw you, I decided then and there

that your destiny would be linked with mine.

It is a fact.

Yeah, sure, your mother's grandfather.

General, wait! Aldo!

You like the watch, huh?

What is it?

Took my watch.

Come to my cabin.

He will try to kill you, senor.

I only need the help of those other two men to do it.

He had the help of the other two men.

And if I had not come along in time, the catfish would be eating you.

I tell you, senor, the butcher is going to try to kill you.

You won't let him. I'm too valuable.

Valuable?

Sure, you need me to run the boat.

That is not the only reason I need you, Capitan.

A riverboat captain has many uses.

He's in command of a boat, and he's also in command of human destinies.

He brings a boat and a harbor together,

and he can do the same for a man and a woman.

What do you mean?

He can perform marriages, senor.

And he will perform a marriage here tonight.

But for this, I need your help.

Marriage with who?

Between Generale Juan Cortilla and la senorita Lucy Bridges.

A beautiful woman and a man of destiny.

After I have punished Aylesville, Señor, I have plans.

I will return to Sonora with my men and carve out an empire.

I will be a king, a presidente, an emperor.

And I will have by my side Guardia!

I will begin with him, and every time he refuses, I will kill another man.

I'm very glad to begin with him, because I saw him look and speak, how shall I say,

intimately at La Senorita.

Don't let him bluff you, Captain.

It's only a shoulder wound.

The next time I will put a bullet through his head.

Right here.

No, no, I don't think you're bluffing.

And, uh, you want to perform in the marriage ceremony?

Yeah, I'll perform in the marriage.

Well...

General, one more question.

When the boat hits the wharf at Taylorsville, what about my crew?

Not for myself.

I'm worried about the men.

Will they be on board?

No.

But not out of compassion.

I do not want them on the boat.

I would not trust them to do what I want done.

I will put all of you ashore. Now, Captain, back to your post.

It is I, Juan Cortelia.

The wedding will be tonight, senorita.

It will be like we are making history.

How much further to that sandbar are we heading? Just a few miles.

Boiler deck!

Carney, you cut down on your steam. We're going to tie up for the night.

Incidentally, how many pieces of deadwood you got down there? Deadwood.

Two.

All right, you clobber him when I give you the signal. What's happening?

We gotta cut down on the odds. Now, you head for shore.

I'm gonna make a break before I draw some of Cortia's men with me. Gray,

that'll be suicide. We either gotta fish or cut bait. Now,

he's gonna kill us before he ties the wheel down and

heads for Taylorsville with this floating powder keg.

You just spin that in and head for shore. I'll take care of Cortia.

What's that? What's going on? The boat is going to the shore.

I get no orders to head ashore? You have disobeyed me.

I told you, senor, it's possible for one cortillo to show mercy only once.

I didn't have time to wait for orders. Look, there's sandbars ahead.

Well, we can't see where we're going. We can't navigate at night.

It was dark last night, senor. You navigated very well.

Yeah, we didn't have gunpowder aboard then.

We hit that sandbar we hit last night. We'll go up like a puff of smoke.

Look, it's for everybody's safety. Yours, mine.

Señoritas?

We have to tie up tonight.

Don't sleep ahead. We do not tie up.

La señorita!

No! Señorita!

Se escapando!

The boat! Get to shore!

Quick, get him out of the store! Sure. Yes, sir.

What's he saying?

He's telling us to go in the cargo hold. He wants us all in one place. All right.

Well, it's been two hours. Maybe they won't catch her.

Oh, what are you talking about? A little girl like that alone out in the woods?

Of course they can't. What are we going to do now, Captain?

Well, I'll tell you.

I don't know.

But whatever we do, boys, we've got to do it fast.

I'm for Russia.

What, tools against guns?

Well, the tools are better than nothing against guns.

Maybe that's all we can do now.

All right, boys, come on.

Get up! Come!

Yeah.

Wait for me, boys.

All right, all right.

They have not yet found the senorita, senor.

Well, she had a good head start.

Si.

She will get farther than you.

I've been thinking, senor.

You wanted me to tie up on the shore, and I refused.

And the senorita jumps, and here I am, tied up on the shore.

Perhaps it was a plan between you.

Plan?

To get me to tie up.

Well, if she jumped, she could only jump for one reason,

because she didn't want to marry you.

Ah, here we go.

There was no plan. I do not trust you, senor, not at all.

When I do not trust a man, I am cautious.

I kill him quick.

What did you say?

There are two captains on this boat.

I only need one, or I will kill you.

Now, wait a minute.

I'm giving you what you wish, senor. A chance to reach the shore.

What do you think you're doing here?

Let me see how you can crawl, eh? Get him! I want him!

Bring him back to me! I got on shore.

I've got to get back on the boat.

What are you thinking, Carney?

I'm thinking we shouldn't wait any longer. Well, we got to.

We got to wait for the captain. We got to.

Maybe something happened to the captain.

It's been too long now.

Now, tell the truth, Mr. Blake. You're just as worried about the skipper as I am.

Well, it's a fact.

I am worried.

All right.

Everybody, grab something.

Now, when I open that door, everybody rush and grab their guns. Now,

some of us are gonna get hurt, but...

Yeah?

This is Holden.

Now listen carefully.

It's the captain.

Where are you?

I'm in the wheelhouse. Now listen to me.

There's only about half of them left on board.

We're going to get them right now.

Well, we're ready down here.

All right, now good. Now don't rush them until you hear me fire.

You got weapons?

I've got a gun.

When you rush them, grab what you can.

Is that clear?

All right, then let's get going before any of them get back in the boat.

Good luck.

Come on, this gap by the door.

Joshua, don't stand there alone, Dad!

Where's Cortier?

Here I am, Captain.

Don't move, senor.

You're finished beating Cortier. Put the gun down.

No.

It is you who are finished, senor.

I will blow up the boat.

I am Juan Cortilla, a generale.

It is I who punish!

I! If it is the end, I will take it all with me.

We will all go down in thunder and in flame.

Down!

I will not end up chained like a dog!

Good evening, gentlemen.

Welcome aboard the Enterprise.

Mr. Blake?

Yeah, sure.

Oh, you got my prisoner, Captain?

Why, indeed we have, Sheriff. Indeed we have. Mr. Carney!

Fine work, Captain.

Folks here in town have calmed down. Even built me a new jail. New jail?

Is the new jail the same size as the old jail?

To the inch. Well then, Sheriff Matson, you have yourself a housing problem.

Bring him out!

Hey, hey, hey.