01x24 - Bayou Tontine

[bunniefuu]

[knife thuds]

♪ Jim Bowie, Jim Bowie

♪ He was a bold adventuring man ♪

♪ Jim Bowie, Jim Bowie

♪ Battled for right with a powerful hand ♪

♪ His blade was tempered and so was he ♪

♪ Indestructible steel was he

♪ Jim Bowie, Jim Bowie

♪ He was a fighter, a fearless and mighty ♪

♪ Adventuring man

[singers humming]

[hooves clopping]

- Howdy, miss.

Oh, you needn't be afraid of me.

- You mistake modesty for fear, monsieur.

I am not afraid of you.

I, who am about to die, commend my soul to thee,

[speaks in foreign language].

- Uh, miss, I'll let you in a little secret.

I hardly ever k*ll girls as pretty as you.

- Then why have you been pursuing me?

- Oh, I wouldn't say I've been pursuing you

just 'cause I brought your horse back,

but if it's anything I--

[g*nsh*t booms]

[singers vocalizing]

He was gone, and in that underbrush,

it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Well, I soon gave up and went back to the girl,

but she was gone, too.

Everything was gone, girl, horse, spectacles, and wig.

Sure was a puzzler.

Why was a pretty blonde girl so in terror of her life

that she disguised herself as an old lady?

Well, I wasn't gonna look for the answers.

I was on a timber-buying trip,

and this time, I was determined to mind my own business.

Can I help you carry your load, sir?

- [John] No, thanks.

- Why don't you ever get your mind

off your feathered friends, Mr. Audubon?

- Ah, Jim Bowie. [Jim laughs]

I am glad to see you.

- John, how are you?

[both chuckling]

- I should know that man in the cape,

but I cannot place him.

- Oh, if he were a bird,

you'd remember every feather in his wing.

- Hmm, naturally, the wing feathers obviously--

- No, no wing feathers today, John.

We're here to buy timber, remember?

- Oh [laughs].

- I'll see you in the tavern in a few minutes.

[hooves clopping]

[wheels squeaking]

- Monsieur, I beg your pardon,

but perhaps you would be interested

in having a photograph of yourself made.

- A what made?

- A photograph, monsieur, the latest rage in France,

where I was an associate of Monsieur Niepce, its inventor.

Voila, I submit a remarkable blending of art and science,

an exact likeness of le Duc de Polignac.

- Well, I never met the duke, so I can't say

whether it looks like him or not.

Sure is a nice picture.

- And here is la Marquise de Magraner,

as lovely as though she were here in person, n'est-ce pas?

- Yeah, you engrave all these pictures yourself?

- Oh, no, no, not engrave, made by the camera, this box.

A moment, I will show you how it works.

First the photographic plate.

Please, monsieur, those are nothing, not worth looking at.

- Now this your wife and daughter?

- Oh, no, no, monsieur, my wife and I,

unfortunately, we have no children.

The picture of the girl simply fills the third space,

a mere sample [speaks in foreign language]?

- A very pretty one, pretty even when she's frightened.

- Frightened? - Yeah, I saw this girl

this morning on the road.

She thought I was trying to k*ll her.

- Impossible, the girl is a model I used in Paris.

We have very little of the daylight left,

monsieur, for your picture.

Please you will stand right over there.

- All right.

Here? - Hm, voila.

- Uh, does it hurt?

- It will not even hurt you in the pocketbook.

- Well, well, if I'm standing here, uh,

how am I gonna get my head in it?

- You won't, monsieur.

I will get my head in, as you say.

- All right, go ahead, I'm ready, I'm willing.

- Ah, there you are.

I thought we were going to have some ale.

- Oh, John, come here a minute.

- Eh? - Say, can this thing,

er, er, monsieur?

- Oui? - Can this thing

take a picture of two people at the same time?

- [Photographer] Certainly, monsieur, as many people,

as many photographs as you like.

- Good, John, come stand next to me.

Get our portrait taken, present for your Lucy and my mom.

- Ah, I have heard of this machine.

A camera, is it not?

Thing like this could put us painters out of business.

- Yeah. - Please, gentlemen.

You will have to stand quite still.

Steady now.

- Emile Broussard.

- Please, monsieur, my true name is not known here.

I have been forced to use an alias.

- But you are Emile Broussard.

- Who are you?

- John James Audubon, monsieur.

I was an art student in Paris

and you bought a painting of mine.

- Sure, I have bought many paintings.

- And then you came back with your brother

and bought another one.

That's who he was, Etienne Broussard.

- Who, the man in the cape?

- Yes, in the inn, Etienne and Emile,

the Broussard brothers.

- My brother is here in St. Jovite?

- [John] You didn't know?

- They came in on the stage a few minutes ago.

- They?

- There was a young man with him.

- He was ill, and your brother practically carried him in.

- Etienne's son Gabriel.

So Etienne has come himself this time.

- Er, hey! - Oh, you have

forgotten your machine, monsieur.

- Yeah, how 'bout our picture? - Eh.

- Well, um...

- Yes sir, gentlemen. - Two ales.

- Yes, sir. - Hello, Cicero.

[crowd chattering]

Your friend seemed kinda scared.

Did you notice his face?

- Yes, we should look into this, Jim.

- Not me, you can.

I'm here to buy timber.

- But I should help him, if I can and if he needs me.

- Why, just because he bought

a couple of your paintings once?

- Ah, he did more than that, both of them.

The Broussards were the most generous patrons

of the arts in Paris.

They bought our worthless pictures.

They fed us when we were hungry.

They praised us when we were discouraged.

- They were that wealthy, huh?

- Oh, extremely, so why is Emile here

in this backwoods village, a street vendor

with a camera machine?

- I wonder if--

[door thuds]

- They are not here, either of them.

I gave a detailed description of him to the innkeeper,

of his son, as well.

I have his word they never arrived here.

- You must've been mistaken, John.

- It was Etienne Broussard.

- Somebody told a lie.

- Well, how 'bout the lie you told me

about that pretty girl?

- So perhaps she was right.

Perhaps you did try to k*ll her?

- What's this?

- Is it not enough to drive us from our beloved France,

to find us in New Olreans and try to m*rder us there?

Must we even be hounded in this remote spot?

Is there no mercy? [sobs]

- Don't let's, er, get mixed up in this, John.

- No [sighs], but we better get him out of here,

up to your room.

- My room, now wait a minute!

Oh. [Emile sobbing]

Hold those.

My room's number two, around to the left.

[man speaks in foreign language]

- Hamil.

[speaks in foreign language]

- Well, speak, man, what is the news?

- Er, she's still alive.

- Ah! - I took a shot at her today

but I missed.

How's Gabriel, any better?

- He is worse.

- What if he dies before she does?

- He must not.

Go, go and k*ll her.

- But what if he does?

- We will not report his death.

I will not let the tontine go to Emile's child.

Now go! [singers vocalizing]

- He's been out for hours.

What kind of sedative did you give him?

- One I use on injured birds.

- Birds, are you sure

that's all right? - He's bigger than a bird.

It can't hurt him!

- Well, I hope.

- Oh, you see, he's coming to.

- Well.

- Madame?

- I, I am searching for my husband.

I was told that he had been brought to this room.

- I told you not to come to the village.

My wife, monsieur.

- Please sit here, madame.

- Never before have you been so late in returning home.

I, I was worried.

- Yeah, you must be worried, miss,

going around disguised as your own mother.

- It is no use, Papa, he knows I'm me.

I went swimming and he saw me.

- Er, without her wig.

- My daughter, Odile [sighs].

- Monsieur Broussard, you have nothing to fear.

You know Mr. Audubon.

My name's Bowie.

- My apologies, Monsieur Bowie, but I'm so full of anguish,

I suspect everyone.

- Suspect them of what?

- Of trying to m*rder Odile,

of being one of Etienne's paid murderers.

That is why we hide in this wilderness,

why my daughter must pose as my wife who is long dead.

- But for what reason would your own brother

want his niece m*rder*d?

- Did you ever hear of a tontine?

- No, what's a tontine?

- It's an invention of the devil.

- It is indeed, but it did not seem so when I was wealthy.

Then it merely seemed a sporting gamble

by 10 well-to-do men to ensure their newborn infants

a chance at future riches.

- You see, Papa, Uncle Etienne, and each of the other papas

placed a large sum of money in a pool.

- And the last surviving child gets all the money, eh?

- Exactly, we each put in one million francs.

Since then, the total sum at interest in a Swiss bank

has more than doubled.

It now amounts to more than 20 million francs.

- Hmm, how many of the children are still living?

- Only two, Odile and Gabriel.

All the others were k*lled by the plagues

and wars which beset Europe.

Those were the years that cost Etienne and me our fortune.

- So your camera machine is not just part of your disguise.

- Loss of wealth changes every man.

At least I could turn my hobby into my profession.

Not so with brother Etienne.

He became an insane monster.

He must regain his fortune.

It became an obsession.

If his son could win the tontine, he would be wealthy again,

only my Odile stood in the way,

and so he has tried to k*ll her.

- We've been running ever since.

- Why did you want to see him this afternoon,

your brother, I mean?

- You tried to see him, why?

- To end this running.

I will divide the tontine, I will let him have all of it,

if he will only leave us in peace.

Now he's disappeared.

The innkeeper swears he is not here.

- Maybe he was paid to swear.

- John, are you sure it was his brother?

- May I never paint another bird if it wasn't.

- [snaps] Then I will find him.

- No, no, Papa, he will k*ll you on sight.

He is mad.

Why can't you let one of these gentlemen approach him?

- You're certain you want to give all that money away?

- Oh, yes, all of it, gladly.

Couldn't you go to him, monsieur?

- Miss, I, I'm sorry, this isn't my affair, you know?

I got problems of my own.

- I will act for you. - What?

- Jim, if you will just see Monsieur Broussard

and mademoiselle safely to where they live,

I, John James Audubon, who seldom has 20 cents,

will proceed to give away 20 million francs.

[Odile gasps happily]

- And just how do you think you're gonna find him?

- That is my problem.

- Why don't you ask Cicero?

Maybe this will help.

[singers vocalizing]

- Uh, I don't know the name, Mr. Audubon,

but I took that big man with the cape

up to room number seven.

- Thank you, Cicero.

♪ Oh

- Yes? - I wonder, sir,

if I might ask you a few questions, I--

[g*n thuds] ♪ Ooh

♪ Ooh

- John. - Hmm.

- John, come to, come to. [John muttering]

- I am to.

- What happened?

- I forgot to duck. [hisses]

- Mm, here. - How'd you find me?

- Oh, Cicero told me, cost you another gold piece.

- Well, and the Broussards, are they safe?

- Yeah, saw 'em locked in their cabin.

They're safer than you've been, apparently.

[both chuckling] - Papa, Papa?

Papa, Papa?

Papa, Papa?

Take me home, please take me home, Papa.

Please take...

- Etienne's son, Gabriel.

- Fine father, leaves his boy here to die alone.

- Now the girl gets the tontine.

I hope it doesn't bring her bad luck.

Oh, wait, Etienne doesn't know his son is dead.

As far as he's concerned,

the tontine is still within his reach.

- That's right, if he can k*ll Odile in time,

which is probably what he's trying to do right now.

- I must prohibit, I must go to him at once.

- Now don't be foolhardy, John.

- Emile was my benefactor.

Ah, but you wouldn't understand it anymore.

You're a businessman now.

- Yeah, yeah. - You're not interested

in people, you're interested in buying timber

and you're interested in money--

- Look, do you wanna get yourself k*lled?

- No, but I don't want that girl k*lled either.

[singers vocalizing]

- All right, come on, I'll go with you.

[hooves clopping]

Monsieur Broussard, Monsieur Broussard, you all right?

[Emile groans]

Where's your daughter?

- She got away.

I told her to take the Cajun canoe

and make her way down to the bayou

to St. Jovite and find you.

- Any more canoes here?

- There were two, unless Etienne took the other.

- How long since she left?

- Only a short while, I think.

But perhaps I've been unconscious for some time.

I do not know.

- The bayou twists and turns before it reaches St. Jovite.

- I'll cut straight across.

You follow the bayou road.

- Go, I will be all right.

There are two of them, please.

[singers vocalizing]

[g*nsh*t booms]

[Odile screaming and sobbing]

- Well, now, look at this.

Well, you watch him.

I'll get the other one and round up the horses.

- Please, I must get back to my son.

- Your solicitude for him comes a little late.

We saw him die.

[singers vocalizing]

- Now our journey begins, and in two months,

Odile will be one of the richest young ladies in France.

- And we will be in our own home again,

thanks to these two gentlemen.

- Monsieur, one more favor, my poor brother Etienne.

Please call on him at the prison and tell him

that there will be money for him when he comes out.

- I will.

- And you will not forget to visit us, monsieurs.

- Bye, bon voyage!

[singers vocalizing]

[sighs] John, every time I meet a pretty girl,

either she rides away or I ride away.

- [laughs] Well, Jim, let me get back to finding my falcons.

No more adventures for me.

- No, nor for me.

I'm here to buy timber.

- Help, help, help, help! [screaming]

[screams]

♪ Jim Bowie, Jim Bowie

♪ He was a fighter, a fearless and mighty ♪

♪ Adventuring man