02x09 - The Whip

[bunniefuu]

♪ Jim Bowie, Jim Bowie

♪ He was a bold adventuring man ♪

♪ Jim Bowie, Jim Bowie

♪ Battle 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

- Senor Bowie.

- Ah yes, it could be no other.

The esteemed senor Bowie from Louisiana.

- An honor, sir.

- My daughter, Teresa.

- Ah, senorita.

- [Don Hernando] My nephew, Don Jose Torres.

- [Jim] Don Jose, an honor.

- My pleasure, senor Bowie.

- Senor Bowie has come to purchase our cotton,

he will be our guest.

- I will have your room made ready.

- Why thank you, senorita.

- Since I am a widower,

these duties now fall on her shoulders.

- Very nice shoulders,

I mean very capable shoulders, I'm sure.

- Yes, but young ones.

Senor. - Oh, thank you.

- She has only yesterday returned from Mexico City,

where she had some convent schooling.

The management of a hacienda is an abrupt change

from the carefree way of life she has been leading.

- Sir, I must make it clear, that I only want to stay

long enough to complete the transaction.

- First, some wine.

- Senor Bowie. - Thank you.

- Then, - For you.

- a good night's rest.

Then perhaps you two will talk cotton.

[melodic choir music]

- Ah, senor Bowie,

you are an early riser.

I should like you to meet senor Rafael Estaban.

- You work for Don Hernando?

- No, no, these are my men, they do the work.

I am Commandante of the Velasco Prison compound.

- Only a month past,

the government moved many of its convicts into Texas.

As any man knows, time hangs heavy for prisoners,

there is not much to keep a man occupied.

- So to escape boredom and to make the time pass,

they requested that they be allowed to work.

- Well, now I understand

why Don Hernando's cotton is so cheap.

[melodic choir music]

- Morning, senor Bowie. - Good morning, Dona Teresa,

Don Hernando.

- [speaking Spanish] Senor Bowie.

Manuel waits to serve you breakfast on the patio.

- Oh.

- Evidently senor Bowie prefers to inspect the cotton first.

- Well, I didn't mean to disturb you all.

- It meets with your approval?

- It certainly does, the quality is first grade.

- Ah.

- Are those men convicts?

- Yes, they are.

- They are from the compound nearby.

- I don't understand.

- Well, that was quite a lucky stroke of business, senor,

getting their services free.

- Wasn't it?

Good for me and good for them, poor fellows,

they volunteered, even attested their willingness to work.

Jose can show you their statements, if you wish.

- Oh, I'm here to buy cotton,

not to reform the penal system.

- If they work willingly, why is it necessary to guard them?

- Because they are still prisoners, cousin Teresa.

- Teresa!

- [Guard] Hey you, get back!

- Hey, you dare to address the Dona Teresa.

- No, no, leave him alone.

- Teresa.

- But father, I know him, this is Ramon Ybanez.

- Teresa, you have duties in the house.

I beg of you to excuse my daughter's behavior.

- Oh, don't concern yourself about me, senor.

- Will you excuse me, senor? - Jose.

[melodic choir music]

[knocking on door]

Come in.

Dona Teresa!

- Sh!

I hate to interrupt your siesta, senor,

but I had to see you.

- Well, I never could get used

to this sleeping in the afternoon.

- It's just that I have no one else to turn to.

- Well, you came to the right man.

What's it about, it's about that boy, isn't it?

- [Teresa] Ramon, yes,

my father has forbidden me to see him.

- Tell me about him.

- Ramon Julio Antonio Ybanez,

you may have heard of his father,

his name is Henerara Turo Ybanez.

- The general?

- It is a very old and important family,

that is what I told my father.

- But it didn't make any difference to him, huh?

- He says Ramon is a convict, that is all that matters.

- Here,

take this. - Thank you.

His sister, Juanita, she shared my room at the convent,

he used to visit her there many times.

I used to walk with them in the garden.

- With them? - Yes, senor.

- Always under the eyes of the good sisters?

- But of course, senor, we talked of nothing but books

and argued like cats and dogs. - Ah-huh.

- Oh no, senor, nothing of the heart.

That was only a few weeks ago and now he's a convict,

I don't understand what has happened, why they arrested him.

Please, you must help me,

I have to know.

- Well, you'd better get back to your room now.

- Senor. - I'll see what I can do.

- [Teresa] Thank you.

- Now don't forget, I can't promise you anything.

- Senor. - Hm?

[speaking Spanish]

Oh, yeah.

[melancholic choir music]

Sh!

My name is Jim Bowie, Dona Teresa sent me.

What are you doing here, why did they arrest you?

- My father was denounced as a traitor,

an ambitious man who has the ear of the President

accused him falsely, his name is Santa Anna.

- Yeah, I've heard of him, what happened?

- The soldiers came, my family was arrested,

I was sent here, but I did not know this was the estate

of Don Hernando Torres, until I saw Teresa today.

Senor, what did she say of me?

- Only that you are the brother

of her roommate at the convent.

- Tell her I'm most grateful.

- Who took care of your back, Rafael?

- He beat us all until we signed papers

agreeing to work for nothing,

so he can buy his expensive clothes

and his fine wine in the cafes.

- You mean he's paid money for your labor by Don Hernando?

- I do not know, but I overheard the guards,

he spends more money than a man in his position

would have to spend.

- That's kind of hard to believe of a man like Don Hernando.

[moaning]

- That is El Commandante's work too,

with one flick of his whip, he took his eye out.

We're his targets, he practices by the hour.

- Why, he ought to be in charge of mules, not men.

Well, I'd better go now.

- I'm most grateful, senor.

- Most men here try to escape, senor Bowie,

yet you go to much trouble to join this unfortunate scum.

- I just came to have a little talk with this prisoner.

- There's a procedure for such visits.

You must make a written request,

if I approve, you may see the prisoner.

Rules have been broken, senor Bowie,

since you're a friend of Don Hernando,

I cannot punish you, so it must be you,

you'll be flogged for not alerting the guard!

Guard!

I must advise you against violence, senor,

in such an event, I would be in my rights

to have you shot where you stand.

- Please do not tempt them!

- You, bring me my new whip.

It has yet to feel a man's skin quiver under its lash,

a whip needs seasoning

and nothing seems to accomplish this so well

as curing it in sweat and blood.

- Now wait a minute. - No, senor, no!

- Take senor Bowie to his quarters in the hacienda.

[melancholic choir music]

Now then, there is this matter of discipline.

[melodic choir music]

- Good morning, Dona Teresa.

- [speaking Spanish] Senor Bowie.

Well?

Oh, Manuel can be trusted.

- Oh, well I saw him,

he's being held as a political prisoner.

It seems that a man by the name of Santa Anna

spread lies about his father.

- What will happen to Ramon?

- I don't know.

- I will go to him, I do not care what my father says.

- No, that will only make things worse.

Look, I have a friend, a man by the name of Joel Pointset,

he's the American minister to your country.

At the moment he's in Saltillo,

and I've written him a letter stating all the facts

and asking him to intercede on behalf of Ramon's father.

There's a chance, a slim chance,

if this letter gets through to him in time.

- I do not know how to thank you, senor.

- Well, don't try, just tell me who can deliver that,

someone you can trust implicitly,

someone you trust with your life.

- Manuel.

- Well, he'd be missed, wouldn't he?

There'd be questions.

- Since I am now in charge of the hacienda,

I can give him permission to leave,

I can say there was a death in his family,

he was called away.

- That's good.

- I have never lied to my father,

but it is the only way.

- [Jim] I know.

- Teresa.

Please leave us, I wish to speak to senor Bowie in private.

I am aware of your visit to the prison compound last night.

- I'm surprised Don Jose took so long to tell you.

- I have not been well or active,

but I am not a fool, senor,

I know to whom you spoke and the reason for your visit.

- Would you have preferred your daughter went?

- The man is a convict.

My daughter will have nothing to do with him, is that clear?

- Well, that's a matter between you and Teresa,

I aim to help Ramon all I can.

- Despite my feelings in this matter?

- I have certain feelings myself, senor.

- Must I remind you that you are a guest in my house?

- A guest?

And how about your other guests?

How about those men who were flogged,

until they agreed to work your fields for nothing?

How about them, huh?

- That is a lie. - Is it?

Well, you ask them, you ask those men,

but not while Rafael is around

to strip the hides off 'em for their answers.

- If this is true-- - It is true, senor.

- I assure you I had no knowledge, I am innocent.

- Are you also innocent of paying Rafael off,

so that his men would work for you for nothing,

work your fields?

- That is insufferable.

- It's also criminal, if you paid him money.

- Money, yes, Jose gives him money, but for a worthy cause,

the prison chapel in Mexico City,

Jose says Rafael sends it to the priests himself.

- Don Hernando,

I suppose it's difficult for an honorable man like yourself

to suspect another man of dishonor, especially his nephew,

but I can tell you

that Rafael and your nephew are pocketing that money.

- I had no idea.

Jose said Rafael was the proper official to send it to.

- They're liars, both of them, and thieves.

- But I have no way to prove this.

- I think I do.

Tell me, when does Don Jose

make the next donation to this worthy cause?

- Tonight, at the end of each week,

they meet in the warehouse.

- Good, that gives me time to have my breakfast.

Tonight I think I'll meet Rafael, instead of Don Jose.

Sit down, senor, won't you join me?

Would you like some coffee?

[speaking Spanish]

- [Rafael] Take 'em back!

[melancholic choir music]

[footsteps approaching]

Ah, Don Jose.

- Don Jose sent his regrets.

He also sent me.

Now you should be a little more careful

with that lighted cigar of yours.

- [Rafael] What do you want?

- I don't want anything,

but your government might want some answers.

- My government? - Why, yes.

When they discover that you kept the money

that was intended for the prisoners' chapel,

when they discover that you beat the prisoners,

until they agreed to work without pay.

- You can't prove nothing.

- I won't have to prove a thing,

when I tell the authorities the truth,

you'll have to disprove it

and what happens when there's no record of the money

you were supposed to have sent to mexico City for the chapel

and what happens when they question the prisoners,

I mean really question them?

You know something, senor Rafael Estaban,

I think you'll cut a little less dashing figure

in convict's uniform.

- You'll never leave here to make that report.

- [Jim] That whip seems to give you courage.

- Now you too know how it feels, senor?

It cuts as deep as your fake lie.

Very well, the famous Bowie knife against the whip,

we shall see which is the better weapon.

- Yeah, we'll see.

Why, you just lost a piece of your courage.

[speaking Spanish]

- My new whip.

- Why, it looks like you're cut down to size now,

doesn't it?

Well now, let's see how brave you are without your whip.

- Please, please, I'll confess to everything,

see to everything, to the stolen money,

to the flogging, to Jose's part, to everything, I beg you.

- You will confess to nothing.

After I k*ll you, there'll be no proof against me.

- How will you explain to your uncle where the money went?

- I will say that Rafael stole it,

it will be your word against mine, senor.

- We heard everything.

This is Colonel Esperanzo form a garrison at Baha.

- Alright, [speaking Spanish].

- This is a great shock.

He is my brother's son,

but I am in your eternal debt, senor Bowie,

everything I own is at your disposal.

- All I came here for is to buy cotton.

- Then we will conclude the transaction now.

- No, no we won't, things done in haste end badly.

A little wine, a good night's rest

and we'll talk about cotton [speaking Spanish], huh?

[speaking Spanish]

[melancholic choir music]

Wait a minute,

this price is higher than we agreed upon, senor.

- Since I am again paying for my labor,

the cotton costs me more to harvest.

In a way, you are responsible, senor.

- Yeah, yeah,

well, it's a modest price to pay for man's dignity.

- Don Ramon Julio Antonio Ybanez.

- I took the liberty of calling on you, senor.

But first my deep gratitude to senor Bowie,

thanks to your efforts, I have been set free

and justice will be done to my family.

- Well, you'd better thank the American Minister for that.

- I will.

With your permission, Don Hernando,

I should like to pay my respects to Dona Teresa.

- Some things will never change,

a man who has worn convict clothes.

- Don Hernando, I'd like to have a little talk with you

in private, if I may?

- But this man-- - If you please, sir?

- Very well.

- You know, sir, indiscreet talk might suggest

that you've been made a fool of,

not only by that scoundrel, Rafael,

but also by your nephew.

Even baser talk might suggest

that you were implicated yourself,

after all you were the one who gave him money.

Your government might even go so far as to--

- Senor Bowie, you wouldn't, you couldn't.

- Well, I'd rather not, sir, I'd rather not.

What I suggest is a little tolerance all around

for all parties concerned,

if you understand what I mean, sir.

After all, all Ramon wants to do

is take your daughter for a walk in the garden.

- That is what happened with me and my late wife,

a walk in the garden.

I have been persuaded to weigh other considerations.

You may pay your respects to my daughter.

- Thank you, father,

and now I should like to show Ramon our garden.

- Good luck.

Well, Don Hernando, I guess it's about time

I was heading back to New Orleans.

- Strange as it may seem,

for a man who has just blackmailed me,

I am sorry to see you leave.

- Well in that case, sir, if you'll invite me,

I'll be back for the wedding.

[melodic choir music]

♪ Jim Bowie, Jim Bowie

♪ He was a fighter, a fearless and mighty ♪

♪ Adventuring man