01x16 - Slaves of the Eagle

[bunniefuu]

(THUNDERCLAP)

♪ Out of the night when
the full moon is bright

♪ Comes a horseman
known as Zorro

♪ This bold renegade
carves a "Z" with his blade

♪ A "Z" that stands for Zorro

♪ Zorro!

♪ The Fox so cunning and free

♪ Zorro!

♪ Who makes the sign of the "Z"!

♪ Zorro!

♪ The Fox so cunning and free

♪ Zorro!

♪ Who makes the sign of the "Z"!

♪ Zorro, Zorro, Zorro

♪ Zorro, Zorro ♪

You are the new tax
collector from Monterey?

Put up your pistols.
You'll get nothing from me.

You are the new tax collector?

Si. This is Jose
Morales. I am his nephew.

I'm on the king's business. Turn
your horses and let me proceed.

Oh, it's not as easy as that.

You heard. Turn your horses.

Now, calm yourself, old man.

MORALES: I'm warning you...

I said calm yourself.

Go on!

Stubborn fool.

All right. Let me
have your papers.

Come along. Your
commission from the king.

There is hardly enough meat on your
bones to make a meal for the buzzards.

Now don't make me waste a sh*t.

Give it to him, uncle. They
will sh**t us and take it anyway.

Come with me, nephew.

Wait a minute.

Go to the mission beyond the
pass and wait until you hear from us.

You, young man,
bring me the papers.

Your nephew will stay with us.

If you say one thing to the priest or
anyone else about what's happened,

you will never see
your nephew again.

Alive.

Go on, uncle. Get away while
you can. Don't worry about me.

You'd better do what we ask, or
we may find it simpler to k*ll you.

Both of you.

The old fool will say nothing.

After all, I'm his
favorite nephew.

That shows he really is a fool.

All right, tax collector. Your
license to plunder the poor.

A big tax, Senor. It will
not make you popular.

But then, perhaps tax collectors
do not expect to be very popular, eh?

I'm ready to begin.
Roll the drum.

Good. En garde.

Advance. Advance again.

Again. Fine. Now,

give me the same thing,
only this time, riposte.

Excellent! En garde.

Advance. Advance again.

All right, we try point
work. Extend and lunge.

Again. You're not reaching,
you're not lunging fully.

All the way this time.
Really go for me.

Ah! Excellent.

(LAUGHS) You'll soon be
fencing with the best of them.

Now we'll try the horse again.

(WHISTLES)

How can you help me as
Zorro unless you ride like Zorro?

Do it like this.

Now you try it.

(DIEGO LAUGHING)

You made only one
mistake, my friend.

You landed the wrong
way round. Now try it again.

Buenos dias, Senor.

Hello, Maria.

Shall I give your servant
a chair in the kitchen?

No, I think he prefers to stand.

He's been sitting on
and off all afternoon.

Si, Senor.

GARCIA: Come with me.

What's that?

They are arresting someone.

I'm sorry, but you'll
have to come with me.

It's my brother!

(CROWD MURMURING)

Leave him alone.
Take your hands off him.

I cannot. I am arresting him.

Do as I say! Let him go!

Wait a minute. You must not
bully the acting Comandante.

Don Diego, make them let him go.

What is this about, Eusebio?

He would not pay his tax. The
Magistrado said to put him in jail.

Would not pay it?
I could not pay it.

See? He could not pay
it. So he has to let him go.

Now look, Maria, I can do
nothing unless you quiet down.

The sergeant is
merely doing his duty.

Oh, thank you, Don Diego.

Now will you behave?

Si, Don Diego.

Very well. Take
him away, Sergeant.

Come with me, please.

You see, Maria, there have always been
taxes and people who cannot pay them.

Si, but he's my brother.

I know. I shall
see what I can do.

Oh, gracias, Don Diego. Gracias.

This is the last one
I put into my jail.

Until you let somebody
out, you can't put more in.

Do you wish me to tell the
Magistrado you refused to obey orders?

Oh, no, Senor, I do not refuse.

It is just that I thought...
Well, the jail is so crowded.

(SIGHS) It sounds so good the way I
think it and so bad the way you say it.

Hmm...

All these people
cannot pay their tax?

Si, Don Diego.

Never before was
there such a tax like this.

Eusebio, how much is your tax?

65 pesos.

65 pesos?

What do they want me to do?

Sell the few cattle I have and the
house I have built with my own hands

and go to work again
for another man?

Shall I let my wife and children
go without food to pay this tax?

But Eusebio, if
you needed money,

why did you not come
to my father or to me?

There comes a time when a
man must stand on his own feet...

or he is not a man.

Sergeant Garcia, get that young
man out of here or I'll put him in a cell.

He is inciting unrest.

No, Senor, this
is not a young...

I mean, this is Don Diego, son
of Don Alejandro de la Vega.

Ah!

One moment, Senor.

Is it your contention I caused
the unrest among the prisoners?

Si.

Like accusing the owl
of causing darkness

because he appears
after sundown.

If you have no more business
here, I suggest you leave at once.

But I do have business here.

I've come to pay the tax for
Eusebio Crespo. 65 pesos.

Oh, the devil take it. I'd
better pay for everyone.

It is not as easy
as that, de la Vega.

What is wrong?

You levy the tax to raise money,
I come with money to pay it.

What more do you want than that?

It is too late.

The prisoners are being punished
for refusing to pay the king's tax.

It is no punishment if wealthy
young men like you pay it for them.

Still, money is money

and I have yet to see a tax
collector who can refuse it.

You see it now.

I am sorry, Don Diego. I was ready to
unlock the doors and let them all out.

Sergeant, who actually gave the
order to put those men in prison?

The Magistrado.

The tax collector, he just
says, "This man does not pay."

So the Magistrado
will release them?

Si.

Why am I standing
here talking to you?

I don't know, Don Diego. Why?

Twenty-one, 22.

Then it is agreed?

Twenty-two men.

Si. And if there are more?

Then I will take them
all at the same price.

May I have a word with you?

You're upset. Is
something wrong?

It is about the men
who are imprisoned.

Oh, yes. The men who
refuse to pay their lawful taxes.

Oh, this is Senor
Vasquez from Sonora.

Your servant, sir.

Senor de la Vega, one of
our most respected citizens.

I spoke with the collector and offered
to pay the tax for every man in prison.

Oh, how very kind of you,
Don Diego. And yet what a pity.

Just five minutes too late.

What do you mean,
five minutes too late?

You understand, the men
who refuse to pay their taxes

represent a loss to the king.

It is the duty of his servants to
recompense him in any way they can.

Just what are you trying to say?

Merely that Senor Vasquez
is a labor contractor.

The men in jail have been
sold to him as indentured peons.

Tomorrow they leave for the mines
at Sonora. This you cannot change.

Senor...

Wait a minute!

Suppose there are one or two
who are not such good workers.

If you could keep
them for two years!

I would be lucky
if they live for one.

Even healthy ones don't
last too long in the mines.

All right. 50 pesos for Maraga
and Carrillo and 65 for the rest.

Very well.

(MAN SINGING)

What is that?

Sergeant Garcia!
Sergeant Garcia!

Si.

Make them stop
that infernal racket.

Of course, Senor.

ALL: ♪ Zorro the swift... ♪

Listen to me. Listen to me.

This is very disturbing to
our good, kind tax collector,

so no more singing.

ALL: ♪ Zorro the
swift Zorro the brave

♪ Zorro will ride,
his amigos to save

What can I do? I have asked
them, but they do not stop.

MAN: ♪ His anger will
blaze like the brush fire

♪ When Zorro is told... ♪

I think I do not pay you now.
Suppose Zorro helps them to escape.

Then I have no
money and no peons.

When will you pay?

Si. When?

Tomorrow, all of you will come
with us until we are through the pass.

If Zorro has not interfered
by then, then I will pay you.

(SINGING CONTINUES)

Those poor fellows actually
think Zorro will save them.

So I hear.

Do you want to hear
something wicked?

Go ahead.

I hope he does, too.

Oh, not you, too?

But do you not realize that Zorro
fights only against evil and tyranny.

He cannot fight against the
legal acts of his own government.

Whether we like it or not,

it is legal to sell the labor
of men who are in prison

and send them to the mines.

Good night, Senor Tax Collector.

Tell me something, Bernardo.

Why did the viceroy appoint a
man like that as tax collector?

And why did he impose
such an unjust tax?

Wait a minute. Can we
be sure it is the viceroy?

That man is very close to our
treacherous friend, the Magistrado.

Suppose that he...

That's right, Bernardo.

This evil brood that uses
the eagle's feather as a sign.

Suppose he is one
of them. Wait for me.

Senor.

I have nothing to say to you.

I'd like to discuss
the de la Vega tax.

I do not see there is
anything to discuss.

You mind looking up the
tax we paid a few months ago.

It is completely irrelevant,
but I will look it up.

There you are.

Ah. Notice this item.

Our tax is about double
that of the Sotelos.

And here we are paying tax on the
same cattle you already taxed us on.

You pay once, it is due again.

But this is exorbitant.

Are you sure there's no mistake?

I don't know, de la Vega.
I could be wrong, perhaps.

I'm sure you're wrong.

My apologies, Senor.

I see now there is a
mistake. The tax is paid.

And we owe nothing at all?

Si.

I notice you're looking
at my eagle's feather.

An old Indian gave it to me,
told me to carry it for good luck.

Apparently, he was right.

Never before have I gained a
concession from a tax collector.

Good night, Senor.

You have your wish,
Bernardo. Zorro will ride tonight.

Hasn't that dirty dog
of a Zorro shown up?

Not a sign of him.

This will serve him right.

What will?

Nothing. Nothing in the world.

Just tell me one thing.

Why do sergeants always
have to act so peculiar?

I'm not acting peculiar.
This comes natural to me.

You men, go to bed.

Thank you.

Not you, Corporal.

I have to stand guard alone?

Si. Our jails, our
barracks full of people.

I would not want somebody standing
guard who might fire at every shadow.

Well, that would be very
dangerous. Somebody could get hurt.

Exactly. Now, if you saw a dark
shadow flitting about the cuartel,

you would not sh**t
him, would you?

No, Sergeant. I
would not fire a sh*t.

That is all I wanted to
know. Good night, Corporal.

Sergeant, where are you going?

Just for a walk.

At this time of night?

The night air might
do me some good.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

Look.

Zorro!

Lancers, turn out!
Lancers, turn out!

Lancers, turn out!

Hold your fire!

Sergeant Garcia, what are you
doing in those ridiculous clothes?

How did you know it was me,
Excellency? I'm wearing a mask.

I said, what are you doing?

I was merely
testing my defenses.

I said to myself, the
only way I can find out

if I am properly protected against Zorro
is to see what happens if Zorro appears.

So I volunteered to play the part
of Zorro and here I am, as you see.

Sergeant, you are an idiot.

Si.

From this moment on, until
the prisoners leave at dawn,

every man in this
garrison shall be on duty.

And as for you, Sergeant, I
shall recommend to the governor

that you be transferred to a
position of less responsibility

in the Mojave Desert!

Si, Excellency.
Lancers, fall in!

What could I do? A dozen
Zorros would be helpless

after the commotion
our fat friend created.

What is the matter? I'm trying to
tell you there's nothing I can do.

Well, maybe there is
something I can do. Tomorrow.

With a little help.

I shall never believe
in Zorro again.

Look. There they are.

Seven armed men.

The odds are too
great even for Zorro.

This is it, my friend. This is
the day you shall help me.

Yes. As Zorro.

What is this?

We go no further.

The agreement was you
would go through the pass.

We go no further. And
we want our money.

Count it if you do not trust me.

I do not trust you.

(g*nsh*t)

You pay a small
price for 20 men.

Zorro is worth twice
as much, dead or alive.

After him!

On your way.

There he is.

No!

Thank you, Senores.

Never has Zorro had
such capable allies.

(CHEERING)

Don't just sit there laughing.
Get us out of these things.

I gave you over 1,200 pesos.
How do I get my money back?

Go find Zorro. He took it.

I think I have a better way.

At 120 pesos per year,

I shall have to keep you for
ten years... If you live that long.

Guards, get the prisoners on
their feet. We are moving on.

You can't do this to us.

This was not the agreement.

Get up, Senor Tax Collector.

Bernardo, that was great. I could
have never done it without you.

You know, at first I thought it
was just a plot against the m*llitary,

but now we know
it is bigger than that.

It is a plot against the people.

And this eagle feather...

Why does it spell death for one
man and lower taxes for another?

Someone has set up a
deliberate campaign to spread

misery and suffering.

And it is up to us to
find out who and why.

NARRATOR: Next week, a
beautiful Senorita is marked for death

by the warning of
the eagle's feather.

The Magistrado's hired k*ller.

When I cut that feather, I thought
I was signing his death warrant.

It was Magdalena's.

NARRATOR: Zorro risks all

to save the life of the woman
whose treachery would destroy him.

Be with us next week when
the Walt Disney Studio presents

a perilous adventure
in the life of Zorro!