Scene 3.16 - Sweating Bullets
EST: EXT. Mine - Afternoon.
FX: PYROTECHNICS -EXT. Mine entrance.
(The hot, glaring sunlight hits the 144 jars of nitroglycerin, stacked neatly in a pyramid a mere two feet inside the cave entrance. The bottles are boiling-hot as the glass pyramid gives some prismatic-magnifying-lens effect on the bottles in the interior. A bead of sweat from the top jar drops and strikes a jar on the bottom, causing it to break. The bottles atop the bottom jar crash down. The cave entrance explodes. A large slab of the mountain falls into the crevice, causing a thunderous cave-in. Thousands of bats flee throught a narrow break between the hill and the monolith that now seals the cave entrance.)
CUT TO:
INT. Cave
TEX RANGER
It's caving-in!
POCACHICALOT
Come on, lets go!
(The group rushes to the well exit, COMMONWEALTH trips. Her travel-pack of Dr. Abernathy's powder explodes as another secondary cave-in, much closer, hits. TEX RANGER, helping her up, gets a face-full of the aromatherapy powder as it strikes barren rock.)
COMMONWEALTH
My travel pack!
TEX RANGER
Forget it, let's go!
RUSTY
My heels!
MARSHALL LAW
I'll carry you!
(The thunderous rumbling stops. As the group arrives at the site of the well, the air becomes thickened with dust. As they arrive, their worst fears are confirmed.)
TEX RANGER
Oh no!
MARSHALL LAW
Dag Nabbit! Now the dern well's gone and done caved itself in!
RUSTY
You mean we’s trapped in here?
SUMMER RAIN
Rest easy. No need to worry. We shall go to the Black Caves. There is another way.
POCACHICALOT
Summer!
DOC BONEBRAKE
Another way? How can that be? The U.S. Geological Survey Maps only show-
POCACHICALOT
Maps? Do you think Injun scouts doing slave work for white man would tell treacherous pale-face the location of the secret entrance of their sacred burial grounds? Pale-face Bonebrake, you, a man of knowledge and learning; you know we ignorant, heathen Injuns don't tell you squat. Our people have seen plenty what honky fork-toungue does with Injun gift horse. You don't just look in horse's mouth, you pull-out all its teeth and make it pull plow. Then you grind it up into glue and charge outrageous price to squaws for craft supplies. (Holds up AUTUMN BREEZE'S mobile, limply hung from the bamboo stick.) Two cents!
MARSHALL LAW
Come on, Chief. What you say is true enough. We know our forefathers cheated your forefathers -- but that was a long time ago.
POCACHICALOT
Was it so long ago? Even today, the stories I hear from your black-white man, Whiskey Barr, they amaze me. To think what your people have done to the black-white man makes me wonder if white man is being merciful to us poor Injuns by just killing us off like... vermin ... or the very beast you all seem so eager to hunt.
TEX RANGER
Not if'n we got people like you and Summer to remind us that we're all in this together.
SUMMER RAIN
Poca, we can trust them. Shouldn't you tell them why-
POCACHICALOT
No! We will show these white men our secret entrance and soldiers will kill our sacred guardians and men like this doctor will dig up the bones of our ancestors. No. It is better we die than to betray our people.
SUMMER RAIN
But this doctor, he isn't like the others. He could help us.
MARSHALL LAW
If'n there's somethin' you're not tellin' us, Chief, we'd sure all like to know.
POCACHICALOT
I will blindfold you white folk. We will lead you from the cave, but you must swear to secrecy that you will not tell anyone of it's existence or ever speak of it again. As far as white man is concerned, this cave is completely sealed.
SUMMER RAIN
Poca! This will not stand! They are good people. Surely they will understand.
POCACHICALOT
They cannot understand. They are not of our tribe.
SUMMER RAIN
Well, then MAKE them part of our tribe! You're the big chief. If you say they are part of our tribe, then they're part of our tribe!
(POCACHICALOT looks around. The other natives are smiling and hopeful.)
POCACHICALOT
Hmmmm. Very well. Do you all swear to abandon the pale-face way of exploiting the Caught-cha-lyin'-ta-me people and choose to join us as brothers and sisters of the tribe? Will you abandon the glory of personal gain to join us as one people? If you wish to join my tribe, say I do.
NON-TRIBE MEMBERS
I do.
POCACHICALOT
Very well. You are now a part of the tribe. Now, I will tell you a story as I lead you from this cave to an even larger one.
TEX RANGER
(Looks like his head was dipped in flour. Adjusts his hat.) Common, my head is shore feeling funny.
COMMONWEALTH
(She pulls out another travel pack.) Here, this will help. It will clear your sinuses and getcha thinkin' straight.
(The women chant and sing as he tells the story, not in Sign.)
POCACHICALOT
The sacred cave, In-A Gadda-Da-Vida, was the source of life. Our tribesmen left the cave when the world was very young and men did not have names for things. One night, the creator spoke in a dream to our first tribal chief, Chief Maykalahtahnoys. In the dream he was given dominion over three caves. The first was In-a-gadda-da-vi-da, the cave of the creator. The creator forbade our people from entering, and told them that anyone who went inside the cave would fall sick and die. This cave you have seen, and you know that the creator's promise has been kept, for all who have entered have paid a terrible price.
(POCACHICALOT kisses SUMMER RAIN.)
POCACHICALOT (Cont’d)
The other cave your people call the Madman's Mine, where we saw the flying mice with fangs. In this sacred cave, our Creator commanded us to procreate. Men and women of our tribe go as couples during the moonlight hours to honor the creator, hoping to make strong braves and delicate squaws. Even Pocachicalot was conceived there. Then white man came along. He violated our creator's edict and robbed the cave of precious stone, and water. Once the white man got what he wanted, he abandoned the caves, leaving a shell of our formerly-sacred place.
MARSHALL LAW
(Fascinated:) Why that's incredible, Poke, I see why you might be so guarded 'gainst us white folk.
DOC BONEBRAKE
You said there was a third cave system, could that be the Black Caves adjacent to the Madman's Mine?
POCACHICALOT
Yes, Doctor of Many Fragrances. You white men know of a few, winding trails leading to the Black Caves, and think that is all there is. But our people are not foolish. The Black Caves run deep and are our most sacred caves of all. It is where our squaws go to give birth to our children and where our ancestors are buried. I will show you the way into the Black Caves, and then the way out to the land above. I am trusting that none of you will betray this, our tribe's greatest secret.
(Ad libs assure POCACHICALOT that the secret is safe.)
POCACHICALOT (Cont'd)
Very well. We must scale this rock and slide down into the crevice behind it. Then we shall be in our most sacred chamber. And I must warn you, you may not believe your eyes, for it may be surprising for you to see.
MARSHALL LAW
I've seen a fallen Confederate camp, nine state fairs and a monkey that smokes a cigar. I doubt it kin surprise me a-tall.
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