FINAL DRAPE, January 22, 1960 BONANZA SA + 30325.a EX?.PONDEROSA DAY FULL SHOT LITTLE JOE, ADAM They are on horseback and in the process of rounding up a couple of strays, Both of them are wearing sheep jackets buttoned high against the weather. After a moment, they pinch the two strays to a halt between them. ADAM You take those two back, Little Joe. I'll take a lock the other side of the hill, see if thers any more strays. LITTLE JOE You be comin’ aleng after 1 that? ADAM If I don't find any, I'm liable to be back and sitting by the fire before you get those two into the corral. He wheels, and starts riding o.s. Little Joe lcoks after hin, then head the strays out. ‘EXT. GULLY CLOSE SHOT We see a pair of hands linked ty an iron chain, which is stretched taut over a srall boulder. A herd gripping e rock thrusts into FRAME, and snueshes the rock down on the chein. Sparks fly 2rom the chain, but i still holds. CAMERA PULLS BACK 10 REVEAL three men hunched together in the gully. They exe dressed in sciicd and bramble-torn army fatigues. Painted on the back of each sf their Jackets is e lazge "P" fcr prisoner. The three are: SUTTON, a stccky, sallow faced may of about 27; BYLER, a good-looking boy cf about 23; ex MERTZ, who is hulk @im-wittsd and basically harmless unless he is roused. It te whose hands ave chaized. Tyler is the one has been tryizg t¢ release hin. SUTTON Way don't you give wy. You'll never get these thinge c2f- TYLER We cen try —— SUTTON (impatiently) Much gocd as it’li do -- Tyler, he's slowing us dom, Bolton's bound to’ve picked up our tracks by now, MERI, You ein't gonna leave me, Sutton? You wouldn't never do that. TYLER We're not leaving you. SUTTON We ought to, you stupid oat, If you hadn't killed that stockade guerd, Bolton woulda‘t have found cut about vs for another day.O CONTINUED: MERTZ I never meant to kil) ‘4m. Just pay ‘im back some for what he done to me. ‘TYLER It's done now. Stretch your hands. EX?.HILL TRUCKING SHOT ADAM a9 he rides, From a distance comes the SOUND of HAMMERING. He REACTS, then spurs forward. « EX?.GULLY CLOSE SHOT MERTZ He is straining hie arns apart, trying to break the chain. CAMERA PULLS BACK. Sutton looks on with annoyance. surToN We passed you the key, Ought to have know you wouldn't have brains to do nothin’ but lose it. MERTZ Maybe over to your friend's plece you said you wes takin' us. Maybe there'd be @ chisel or somethin’ there. SUTTON Sure. We'll just walk in and tell her you always go round wearin’ chains. TYLER (reacting) Her? -- Sutton, you never said your iriend was @ giz. In anever, Sutton smiles egotistically and with a slight leer, but his expression changes suddenly as a horse is HEARD approaching from 0.8. They fresze. 4 MED.CLOSE SHOT - ADAM He dismounts end moves cautiously into the gully with his gun drawn, Suddenly. Mertz' hands locm into FRAME, as he loops his cuff chains around Adam's neck and drags him to the ground. CAVERA PULLS BACK, ae Sutton lunges in at Adam and svashes & rock aercas the back cf his head. He ie about to hit him ege: wher. Tyler grabs his arn. TYLER You want a dead body for Captain Bolton? Mertz, stria his jacket off. And quick. We've got to move. ANOTHER ANGLE SUTTON AND TYLER SUTTON What're we gonna do with Mertz? TYLER We'll have to hide him out till we can get the chain off.CONTINUED: SUTTON Suppose...Just suppose now, Bolton was to find part of whet he's buntin' (glances meaningfully toward Mert TYLER (understands; gives Sutton 6 scathing look; then:) We broke ozt together. We'll face what ‘ cues together. SUTTON {easy shrug) dust so leig as it don’t include back to Bolton's stockade ~-cause nobedy's gonna put we back in thet stink-hole -- not alive Adem GROANS slightly, end sterts groggily trying to get 4o his feet. Reacting instinctively, Tyler snatches up Adam's fallen gun, and emeshes the butt of it across the oeck o2 Adam's head. Adam drops face down and unconscious. CLOSE SHOT TYLER With a momentary twing of self-revulsion, he stares down at the gun in bie hand; then he guickly e.oves it into his waistband. TYLER All right, let's move. FADE OUT: AQT I FADE IN: EXT. PONDEROSA RANCH HOUSE ~ DAY Establishing. DISSOLVE THROUGH TO: INT RANCH HOUSE FULL SHOT HOSS is seated at the table building an intricate house of cards. He is silently intent on what it is doing. little Joe stands by the fire warming himself. He seems sozewhat bored, as he watches Hoss carefully lay another card on the house. LITTLE JOB (smiles) Always knew you were good for some~ thing, Hoss. Just that I didn't figure At would turn ont to be building houses out of cards, Hoss Shh! I only got four more carde to go. I'm going to make it this time for aura.10 CONTINUED: Little Joe crosses to the table and looks over Hoss' shoulder. A plight, impish smile cones across his face. LITTLE JOB You kmow, I’m proud of you,Hoss. Hoss You have to breathe so hard when you talk? This house'll come down. LITTLE JOB But when I say I'm proud... (hitting the "P") I mean I'm proud. With the stress on the "I" a whoosh of air knocks the house of cards down. HOSS (wailing) Hoy!!! ANOTHER ANGLE 10 INCLUDE BEN es he ENTERS from the rear of the house, slepping wind dust from his het. BEN You round np them streya, Little foe? LIT?LE JOR Jast two of ‘en, Pa. Brought ‘ex iu and checked em off on the tote sheet. BEN (looks about) Where’s Acam then? LITCLE Ee seid he'd be comin’ right alcng. HOSS (to Little Joe} You was over near the line next to the Oakes’ ranch, wasn't you? Mayte he took a@ notion to go sce Mies Nedde. LITLE JOE Not Adam. BEN Wouldn't distress me eny if one of you did spark to Nedda some fine girl, and handsome toc. HOSS (putting cn) What about Little Joe here? He'd make a fine husband for Mies Nedde. He turns aside from Little Joe, and gives Ben 4 big wink-. 10 CONTINUED: HOSS (continuing) You could arrange the whele thing, ae ‘BEN Yeeh, I guess I could at that. (playing elong) Wuet do you figure be best, Hoss —~ to hold the wedding here or in town? LITTLE JOE Wait @ minute! I ain't marrying nobody. BEN Don't you think Nedda's pretty? LITTLE JOR Yeah, she's pretty, but -~ HOSS 4nd she's got the makin's of one of ‘the best horse ranches in this part of the country, Her Pa left it to her free and clear. It's ail in her name, Tittle Joe. LITTLE JOE I don't care: I Just don't plan on gettin’ married -- not yet enyhow. BEN (to Hoes) He'll change his mind. HOSS Sure he will. And we're all going to be proud of him. HE begins LAUGHING, then breaks off, as the SOUND of horses is HEARD from outside. LITPLE JOE That's probably Adam right now. Hoss Sounds like more then one to me. ANOTHER ANGIE BEN as 46 looks cut ea front window. BEN Scldiers...Now that's strange..- As he turns and starts crossing toward the front door, a KNOGK is HEARD. Ben cpens the door, REVEALING Captain JANES BOLTON. He ie @ solidly built man of about forty, whose carriage is square shouldered and rigid, Bverything about him is cold but impeccably correct, hie uniform, his bearing, hie attitude. BOLTON Me Ante onto13 ANOTHER ANGLE SHOOTING OUT PAST Bolton, as he nods crisply to Ben, then turns to look back at three troopers who are waiting in front of the ranch house on their horses. BOLTON (barking it) Detail, dismount. Stand to your horses. He turns back to Ben and strips the riding glove off his right hand. (NOTE: It is obvious from the way he takes the glove off that his left hand is hopelessly stiff ard useless). He offers his bared right hend to Ben, who takes it. BOLTON Captain James Bolton, provisional barracks, Fort Dayton. BEN Well..won't you come in,Captain? BOLTON Thank you. FULL SHOP as he steps inside and Ben closes the front docr behind him. BEN (gesturing) I'd like you to meet my sons. Hoss. Little Joe. Bolton nods quickly to each of them in turn. Bon, almost as if hoping tc ease the Captain's etiff attitude, begins trying te make conversation. BEN I guess you Army peopie've got your hands full these days , what with the Cheyenne uprising. BOLTON Fort Dayton is a Casuais post. HOSS Casuals post -~ what's that? BOLTON A place for troops uct deemed + for line duty. ‘The way he ssys it rather embarrasses the Cartwrights. oy Weil, the least we can do is offer you and your men out there some ooffes. It's pretty cold out today. Little Joe, you hustle Bop Sing out with a hot pot of ccffee. BOLTON (sharply)