"That's your island." "Queimada and it is one of the hundred islands of the Lesser Antilles." " Here, have a look." " Thank you." "It has an are of about 2 1/2 acres of land." "and a population of 200.000 people." "There's only about 5,000 whites here." "The population's mostly black or mulatto." "The blacks, of course, are slaves except for a handful... whose owners freed them for one reason or another." "Queimada means "burnt"." "In fact, the Portuguese had to burn the whole island on 1520, to put down the resistance of the Indians, when they took it." "And since the indian natives were all killed, they brought in slaves from Africa, all long the following years." "That large, flat, white rock you see offshore is called "Cemitério Branco dos Negros,"" "because the bodies of slaves who died during the trip over were thrown there." "They say they lost nearly 25% of them." "That exceptional whiteness there seems, in fact, to derive from the dust... of their bones, which have penetrated into and merged with the rocks." "The main resource of the island is the sugarcane, but it is very important its commercial harbour, sited on a natural Bay, protected from the winds." "Its docks are enough deep for all kind of ships." "This geographical situation turns Queimada into... the main commercial centre of tens of other islands on the surroundings." "By the way, there are the headquarters of Banco Espirito Santo, the residence of the portuguese Governor, and a fortress with a garrison of a thousand of soldiers, and the most famous brothel of the Lesser Antilles." "No, wait!" "I want to control the number of cases before you unload!" "Did you like Europe, darling?" "Wouldn't you like come back again?" "Sir William, let me give you a humble advice?" "Be careful of the three "M"." ""Mosquitos, Mulatas, Morte"." "(Mosquitoes, female mulatto and death)" "O.K. I won't forget it." "Thank you." "Your papers!" " English, huh?" " Yes." "Go." " Your bag, sir?" " Your bag?" "Out of the way!" " Your bag, sir?" " Yes." "All right." "Take them." " Can I get ready the expenses account?" " OK, as you wish." "Mr. Walker ?" " Did you have a pleasant trip, sir?" " Yes." "The gray dolphins followed us all the way" "The gray dolphin, you know, has always been a friend of the mariner" "And the sailor, of course, has always been the friend of the gray dolphin." "Too late, Santiago was caught 10 days ago with all his men." "He's locked up in the fortress." "I must talk to him." "Portugese, aren't you?" "Caught him!" "Arrest him!" "English, here's Santiago." "They are not christians and they believe in reincarnation." "But the reincarnation requires a whole human body." "Then first we strangle him with the garotte, according with the law, and then we chop his head off." "Do you understand?" "Therefore they will be afraid of the death." "Then they will carry it around the island as an example." "At last, the corpses are returned to the families." " And are they recovering the corpses?" " Once in a while" "Hey, englishman!" "Your Consul had arrived." " That's efficiency!" " Mr. William Walker ?" " I am very sorry to disturb you." " It comes with your job." "Leave things as they are." "Let us go." "I knew about your husband." "I knew about your husband." "I never met him, but it is because of him that I have come to Queimada." "I am not Portuguese." "I am a friend." "Do you understand?" "I would like to meet one of his friends." "One of his real friends." "I ask nothing else." "I don't want to know anything more." "Wait!" "Let me meet one." "One only." "Just one." "Why not me?" "Teddy, why are you dying your hair?" "And how are you smoothing it?" "My mother used to do it since I was a little boy." "Mr. William, the truth is that I don't feel as mulatto." "I feel myself as white as my father was and my grandfather." "Really?" "Good." "Do you like it?" "Anyway here a white man is useless." "And even less a faked white man, who intends to look like him." "What is needed here is someone who has nothing to lose but his chains." "Someone with the will and courage of losing it." "What is needed here obviously doesn't exist!" "Observe." "You, there!" "Who gave you that money?" "Give it back to me!" "Come on!" "Immediately!" "You see?" " When your ship will set sail?" " Shortly, in five or six days." "Five or six days!" "What can I do during five or six days when your are dying of boredom?" "English!" "Sir!" "I am wondering if it was rum, not water!" "Now." "Are we ready, gentlemen?" "You are always saying that you like Europe." "Get laid then with the lady." "Why?" "The only important thing is the white pigment." "Enough!" "Stop it!" "Pedro !" "Enough!" "Stop it." "You, silly." "Give me your knife." "Give me it at once." "Don't go, Mr. Walker." "Without you, nothing will ever be done." "It's finished here." "I wasn't aware that anything had started." " And Santiago?" " Santiago's dead." "Stinking, lying, black ape!" " You filthy thief, you did steal my bags, didn't you?" " Yes, sir." "Did you steal them, when the police arrested me?" " Yes." " Well, where are they now?" "I don't know." "I don't know anymore." " But you did steal them, didn't you?" " Yes." " It is true, isn't it?" " Yes." "No, it's not true." "You did not steal them." "You gave them to my friend, that's all." " Nobody stole them." "Do you understand?" " Yes." " So, you did not steal them?" " No, sir." "Then why did you say you did?" "Because I said you did?" "Yes." "Because anything a white man says is right, isn't it?" "Yes, sir." "If I were to say that your mother was a whore... would that be true?" "Is it true?" "My mother is dead." " But you knew her, didn't you?" " Yes." "What was she?" "Say what she was!" "Go on!" "What was she?" "Go on, say what she was!" " Say it!" " A whore, sir." "Well, I was mistaken." "I thought you were someone else." " What's your name?" " José Dolores." "Here you are, José." "Forget about it." "It was just a bad joke." "English man!" "I wasn't wrong then." "Well, now I believe we have something to talk about." "Are they all here?" "There are 100 million in gold reales." "All we have to do is to take them." "Fifty for you, and fifty for me." "Do you agree?" "Now, it's very simple." "There's an outside gate, then a large door... an inside gate and then the safe." "Now, you enter, you take the gold, you load it onto the cart... and you cross the island to the village of which I told you." "Now, that is the ship." "Look." "So, I shall sail her to the other side of the island, then we'll go away." "Go where?" "Well, I to England." "You, wherever you like." " Even Africa?" " Yes, even to Africa." "But why?" "No matter, you have time to think of it." "Now, is the rest understood?" "Yes." "We walk in and take the gold." "But what about the Portuguese?" "At that moment, on Sunday, they'll have something else to do." "All right, I'll leave this map with you." "I think we know where the village is." " Would you like to taste some rum, sir?" " All right." "Well, but you must try my whiskey." "To the Holy Spirit and its bank." " We drink to England, englishman." " To Africa!" " To the world!" " To the world!" "Why you bring rum instead of water today?" "Don't worry, old man, today's a holiday." "That gold cost a lot." "Stop there." "What are you doing here?" "Where are you going?" "Stop there!" "What do you got in here?" "Answer me, negro!" " Come on, speak up." "What is it?" " Bananas, sir." "What else?" "Bananas, uh?" "And what's this?" "A case of bananas?" "Did you see it?" "Well, Portuguese die, too." "Better hurry up." "I'll see to the ship." "But you be quick, English man." "Here's the plantation roughly, and here's the path." "And it's this village here." "It's a village of ex-slaves, I believe." "Yes, I know, a village of bandits." "Their leader, Santiago, came from just around there." "Well, in any case, it's a very wealthy village," "Because they bought all my goods and they paid for them in gold reales." "Are there many blacks as rich as that on the island?" "No." "Just how many were there?" "Roughly, I'd.." "Not more than four or five." "Why?" "Because that gold has been stolen from the Bank of Queimada, sir." " You don't say." " Yes." " Were all they black people?" " Yes." "It's very odd that black people have so courage and ability." "Never it happened before." "Soon or later it could happen, couldn't it?" "English man!" "There are soldiers." "Yes, I have seen them." " And the boat?" "It's over there, behind the soldiers." "And us?" "I brought weapons." "But then, we're rather few, aren't we?" "Perhaps there's some people up there who'd be willing to help us." "I don't suppose they like the Portuguese any more than we do." "No, no one will risk being killed for a dislike, englishman." "Least of all for our money." "Who knows?" "Well, you ask them anyway." "Maybe they'll help." "I am sorry, friends, but the Portuguese are coming." "I am sorry it happens here... but we can't let the soldiers take us." "Don't you agree?" "Maybe most of you will be better off if you went away." "Up to the sierra." "Better to hide the old ones... the women and the babies." "But if there are... any of you who are not old..." "not a baby, and are really men... someone who in life, at least once... have thought of killing his Portuguese master... then now is the time to act." "Portuguese can be killed." "I will prove it to you." "Can you use rifles?" "First, I'll show you how to load it." "Come close to me." "Look." "A measure of powder." "Then the hemp." "A measure of lead." "Again, the hemp." "Like this." "Now... the rifle is ready." "Tomorrow, englishman." "I like it here, it's nice." "Wait until the feast is over." "As soon as they realize those soldiers aren't coming back... they'll send many others." "Be a bloody massacre." "What can we do about it?" "Is that why we stole the gold?" "To die up here or to be rich and live as free men?" "What do you say, José?" "Why did we steal the gold?" "Like you said, to be rich and free." "And now?" "And after that?" "Aw!" "You're beginning to like it, aren't you?" "No, rum is better" "Let's go." "All right, I'll call the others." "If we go, they will all die." "Yes, probably." "Good by, englishman." "You will go alone." "I am sorry." "I'll stay here." "Gentlemen, let me ask you a question." "My metaphor might seem a trifle impertinent but I think it's very much to the point." "Which do you prefer, or should I say, which do you find more convenient?" "A wife or one of these mulatto girls?" "No, no, please don't misunderstand." "I'm speaking strictly in terms of economics." "What is the cost of the product?" "What does the product yield?" "The product, in this case, being love, purely physical love." "Since sentiments, obviously, play no part in economics." "Now, a wife must be provided with with food, with dresses, with medical attention." "You're obliged to keep her a whole lifetime, even when she's grown old and perhaps a trifle unproductive." "Then, of course, if you have the bad luck to survive her, you have to pay for the funeral" "No, don't laugh at it." "It's true, gentlemen." "It seems amusing, but actually those are the facts." "Now, with a prostitute, it's quite a different matter and cheaper, isn't it?" "You see there's no need to lodge her or to feed her not to dress her, not to bury her, certainly." "She's yours only when you need her." "and you pay her by the hour." "Which, gentlemen, is more important and more convenient?" "A slave, or a paid worker?" "Which do you find more convenient?" "Portugese domination with its laws, its vetoes, its taxes, its commercial monopolies or independence?" "With your own government and your own army... and the freedom to trade with anyone you like... on terms that are dictated only by the prices on the international market." "Not only for the freedom of trade, Sir William." "For many of us, there are idealistic motives which are even more important." "We are now a nation, a small nation." "Born here and forged with toil, with difficulty during three centuries." "A nation, which originated from Portugal but now is not a part of Portugal anymore." "And that no longer wants to be a Portuguese colony." "That's all quite correct, my dear Teddy." "We all agree on the idealistic motives." "But it's the example of the whore that that doesn't convince me as yet, Sir William." "There's another supposition" "What will happen if once the Negro ceases to be a slave, and instead of wanting to be a worker, wants to be the boss?" "That's exactly what will happen if we go on arguing about it." "Four months ago, José Dolores was on the Sierra Madre with a few dozen men." "Then he reached Sierra Trinidad with several hundreds." "Now there are thousands." "They don't need to resist you but they are coming to attack, spreading through the lowlands." "It is my view that... if you don't take immediate action, if you don't weave yourselves into this revolt, you'll be swept away." "Then your ex-slaves, instead of becoming your workers... will not become your bosses, Mr. Prada... but your executioners." "Now, what are my interests in the matter?" "And who am I?" "Very simply, I represent Her Britannic Majesty." "An English agent, if you prefer." "But actually, England wants the same thing that you want the freedom of trade." "and therefore an end to portuguese and spanish domination in all Latin America." "But what England does not want, however, and what I think you yourselves do not want... are these revolutions carried to their extreme consequences." "Men like José Dolores and Toussaint L'Ouverture... are perhaps necessary to ignite a situation, but then after that, they become very dangerous as in Haiti, for example." "So, gentlemen, as you can see..." "I think our interests coincide, at least for the moment... and they also coincide with progress and civilization." "And for those who believe in it, it's important." "And you?" "Do you believe in it, Sir William?" "Yes, Mr. Prada, I do." "It's time." "I don't know how I'll be able to go through with it, Sir William." "It always seems that way the first time, but you'll see, it's actually rather simple." "It's only a moment." "A very simple moment, and then it's over." " Everyone can do it!" " Find another person, Sir William." " Too late." " I am afraid of doing it." "I don't dare." "Listen to me carefully, Teddy." "You are what you are just a frivolous man." "A weak, a shallow and a very poor enthusiast." "But it doesn't matter." "What you must do, go do it, because I order you it." "Yes, sir." "For them today's celebration is like our Epiphany." "One in a year slaves are allowed to do what they want." "It is their day of freedom." "As you can see, dear Consul, they enjoy our christian holiday, with the celebration of their african tribal rites, using our own symbols... in a last and desperate purpose of preserving their old traditions." "We are aware and we tolerate all these things, because this way, almost not becoming aware of it, they'll be able to assimilate our own civilization." "What about Jose Dolores ?" "The portuguese fleet will arrive in a few day." "There's a nonsense to be worried about Jose Dolores." "It isn't worth it." "Long live Queimada." "Death to all the oppressors!" "Come on!" "Forward, follow me!" "Show yourself!" "Long live Queimada!" "Long live Queimada!" "Long live freedom!" "Long live freedom!" "Freedom!" "Englishman!" "Englishman!" "When did you get back?" "Me?" "I never left." "I've been here all the time." " Here?" "And the boat?" " Never existed." " And the gold?" " Back in the bank." "Sure, and I'm still a porter." "It's all the same as before, eh?" "If I had told you to start a revolution, you wouldn't have understood me." "But to rob a bank, yes, that was possible." "First, you learned to kill in order to defend yourself." "And later you had to kill to defend others." " And the rest came by itself." " And you?" "What do you get?" "Nothing." "The salary from the British Admiralty." "A rather modest one." " And you?" "What do you get?" " Nothing." "I am just a happy man." "Well.." "Me too as you or almost." " And England, what is her part in this?" " Portugal is England's enemy." "And if the English ships were not in the port of Queimada... the Portuguese would already have returned." " And how many English ships are there?" " Don't be too ambitious, José." "No, I just asked." "Ramon, Pedro, Andres, that's enough now." "Let us go to Queimada." "It might be better if you camped here, José." "It would be better." "But they have fought and suffered, and they have won, Englishman." " They have a right to amuse themselves." " They'll have plenty of time for that." "There are other things that come first." "Gentlemen, I would like to present General José Dolores." "Mr. Prada." "Augusto Anguillar." "Fernando Cabrera." "Teddy, you certainly remember José Dolores." "Mr. Teddy Sanchez." "He directed the rebellion here in the capital." "It was he who killed the governor... and he is now the President of the new provisional government, whose first act it was, to abolish slavery." "General, you have our admiration." "Your help has been invaluable." "In the name of the government I invite you to discuss with us... the proposals for a new constitution of Queimada." "That was the chair of the governor." " May God bless you, José Dolores." " Thank you, my friend." "Well, gentlemen, you wanted to talk with me?" "Here I am." "Well, come forward." "Come on, gentlemen." "We will talk." "But, I warn you, speak plainly." "Your government is provisional." "Well, my encampment is, too." "My people won't be delayed." "No." "No." "No, no, and no." "For a month you've been answering "no", general." "Why don't you try suggesting something." "Bastards!" "I must talk to you about a very urgent matter concerning both our countries." "All our sugar is rotting in storehouses and on the quays." "And so?" "But only a commercial agreement between us can change this situation." "And so?" "The temporary government no longer exists." "With whom can I negotiate?" "Who will sign this agreement?" "I was advised to ask you." " Who advised it?" " I did." "I told him." "And not even England can wait forever." "But not only England buys the sugar." "No, and not only Queimada sells it." "Not to mention the fact that in Europe, they are already extracting it from sugar beet." "Did you know that, General?" "And what if Queimada were not to sell any more sugar?" "How would these people live?" "You can't delay your decision." "Competition is getting stronger every day." "Are you familiar with the latest raw sugar market quotation?" "Ten and 11 raw sugars, which up to a month ago..." "The refined down by a half, more or less." "Number 12, current category, opened without firmness." "Refined, polarized at 96 degrees, and lot 60 aren't even quoted at the opening." "That's enough." "Get out!" " But, General..." " Leave me alone." "I'm particularly good at convincing my people... and you, sir, have all the necessary qualities of a responsible head of state." "Go away!" "And stay away!" "Ramón, clear all them out!" "Who'll govern your island, José?" "Who'll run your industries?" "Who'll handle your commerce?" "Who'll cure the sick?" "Teach in your schools?" "This man?" "This man?" "Or the other?" "Civilization is not a simple matter, José." "You cannot learn its secrets overnight." "Today civilization belongs to the white man... and you must learn to use the white civilization." "Without it, you cannot go forward." "But to go where, englishman?" "Is better that you, too, go away." "There's José!" "José is back!" "You can tell the whites I am going." "Say that my men will lay down their arms and return to the plantations." "England will rejoice, Englishman." "Not only England, José." "Have I become so dangerous?" "Yes." "Dangerous even for your own people and for Queimada, because there are not miracles in the history, but right times and cadences." "Everything has a logic." "If you try to force it, you'll end drifted of the course... and you need to start again." "Why are you are intending to convince me, when I've made my own decision?" "But you can tell the white men." "Tell your friends...." " They're not my friends, José.." " Well, no matter." "You tell the white people to be careful." "Very careful." "They may know how to sell sugar... but we are the ones who cut the cane!" "Your bag, sir?" " A general doesn't carry baggage." " But he will for a friend." "All right, one bag for everyone." "what are you going to do with yourself?" "And you?" "I don't suppose you ever heard of a place called Indochina." "Well, they're sending me there." " Then, to Indochina." " To those who cut the cane." "Right." "Or there'd be no sugar for your tea." "And since no one in the world wants to drink their tea without sugar, for the world's leading sugar companies... business continued to prosper" "This is the London Stock Exchange." "10 years have passed." "The quotations of shares in the sugar companies continue to rise." "The companies are merging... and with the increase of their economic strength... grow ever more powerful." "Thus, they are now able to take personal... charge of law and order on their plantations beyond the sea." "Naturally, their first concern... is to procure for this job the most efficient experts available." "We'll try here." " He was like another man." " Sir William ?" "Sir William Walker." "First, he left the navy." "and then, let's see..." "On May 21, 1841 he was expelled from this club.." "What?" "Expelled?" "Yes, expelled, sir." "He seemed not able of obeying the gentlemen's rules." "Did he leave an address, perhaps?" "Yes. 21, White Dock Street." "Most unsavory district, I must say." "Sir William belongs to an uncommon kind of men." "A real gentleman, fascinating, magnanimous." "When he'll be back?" "His trunk is still here, after more than three years." "My husband did set sail for a Mediterranean cruise long time ago." "He may be now sailing the Atlantic, His last letter came from Gibraltar." "A very long cruise indeed... and I suffer seasickness." "This is serious inconvenient for a long cruise, of course." " What is the ship's name?" " "Adiós"." ""Adiós"?" "Yes." " See there the "Adiós"." "Nice ship, isn't?" " Really." "Look at the steersman." "He knows his job: he's a real sailor." " Where's it bounding for?" " Plymouth, England." "They've arrive just this morning, after a very difficult crosswind." "Right." "Where's is he now?" " I don't know, maybe he's now drinking." " If only it were so." "Would you like to continue?" "I believe you've understood at last, haven't you?" "Yes, I think so." "Now go on board, Carlos." "Get the ship ready and you'll have enough time later for being drunk." "Understood?" "Never be placed between is an old principle, gentlemen." "Sir William ?" "Pleasure." "Permit ne?" "Henry Thompson." " This is my colleague Jack." " Nice to know you, sir.." "During the last three months, we've been half way around Europe trying to find you." "That's rather flattering." "There are those who need you." "Well, I can assure you that I don't need them." "What a pity." "There's a great deal of money in this for you, sir." "Really?" " What do you want?" " We don't know, exactly." "But it seems that it has something to do with the Antilles and sugarcane." "Sugarcane." "Mr. President." "General." "Mr. Shelton." "Well, we've known each other for a long time, haven't we?" "Roughly 10 years." "No, no, it's exactly 10 years, isn't it?" "Ten years ago, I worked for the British Admiralty." "I now work for the Antilles Royal Sugar Company... which our ex-counsel so ably represents today." "We've both since changed our employers." "However, the Admiralty has given me its approval." "And so, I'm now here, in the capacity of military advisor, invited by the government of Queimada paid for the Antilles Royal Sugar Co." "and authorized by Her Majesty's government." "Let's hope that my advice is worthy of so much trust." "General Prada has informed me of the events of the last years." "I now would like to summarize the most important facts." "May 13, 1845..." "José Dolores agrees to dissolve the rebel army." "Queimada is proclaimed a republic..." "Jose Dolores renounces to participate in any government... and Mr. Teddy Sanchez is elected its first president.." "January 22, 1846." "The British government and the government of Queimada, sign a Treaty of Alliance.." "establishing the anchor right... for the supplying of the British Fleet." "Have your read this document, Sir William ?" "No, but all these treaties always resemble each other." "After so many years on duty, I know them by heart." "March 7, 1847... the Republic of Queimada cedes to the Antilles Royal Sugar Company... the right of exploitation of the sugar plantation for 99 years." "Renewable right." "Why don't you mention the commitments of the Royal Sugar Co. towards Queimada?" "Because, that is not the most important aspect of the problem." "And is it not important that my company has already built a hospital and 50 miles of road?" "No, Mr. Shelton, but what is important is that the Royal Sugar Company... controls, in practice, the entire economy of Queimada, whilst the government of Queimada, in practice, no longer controls anything." "You're forgetting, Sir William you were asked here to put down a revolt... and not to concern yourself with our government's policies." "Well, without these policies, there wouldn't be any revolution, Mr. President." "On February 23, 1848... the sugarcane workers of Consolaçao enter the city... set it afire and sack the stores." "The army has to intervene." "32 dead and 100 wounded." "Other uprisings break out in various parts of the island." "José Dolores takes over the revolution... and organizes a new army that wins some victories." "Three months later, England intervenes." "There's no intervention at all." "Just technical support and instructors." "We have asked for this help, according with Article 32 of the Treaty." "All right, this is a no so important problem." "On the contrary, it is very important." "We are very jealous of our independence." "I wanted to say, Mr. President, that not even with this support, you have succeeded in putting down the revolt." "That was why we've been half way around Europe trying to find you." " Now, what do you want me to do?" " To deal with José Dolores." " Or to help us get rid of him." " Our government wants to negotiate." "And not because it is the only solution, but because it is the best." "No one can do this better than you." "You've already done it once." " Ten years ago." " The situation is the same." "Yes, but the problem is different." "Ten years is a long time." " It can be a very long time." " Even so, it's still only 10 years." "Do you want to judge the French Revolution for its length." "José Dolores is not Robespierre, Sir William." "As a matter of fact, the History goes on." "No, I only want to explain, general, that, very often, between one historical period and another... 10 years certainly might be enough to reveal... the contradictions of a whole century." "And so often we have to realize that our judgments... and our interpretations," "and even our hopes may have been wrong." "Wrong, that's all." "Does that mean our interests no longer coincide?" "Yes, our interests do." "Royal Sugar pays me well enough." "And our ideas?" "My ideas at the moment are concerned with how to get something done... not with why to do it." "All right, on what basis do I negotiate?" "Equal rights for all citizens, better wages, and a general amnesty." "Is that a good basis for discussion?" "No, but I don't think that you can offer more... unless you give up the government and the plantations of Queimada." "I believe that you will succeed." "And that you believe it, too." "Well, we must wait to see what José Dolores believes, Mr. President." "Ready!" "Aim!" "You, there." "Wait!" "Put your weapons down!" "What's your order sir?" " That one." "Bring him here." " This one?" "No, no, the fourth one." " This one?" " No, no !" "One, two, three, four, this one." "Yes, sir." "Put your hands down." "Well, at least you won't die today." "Does that make you happy?" "You don't remember me, do you?" "Well, that was a long time ago." "Hold your fire!" "Don't be a fool!" "Hold your fire, we need him alive." "Now, José Dolores says... that if what we have in our country is civilization of white men... then we are better uncivilized." "Because it is better to know where to go and not know how... than it is to know how to go and not know where." " And then?" " And then, José Dolores says... that if a man works for another, even if he's called a worker, he remains a slave." "And it will always be the same." "Since there are those who own the plantations... and those who own the machete to cut cane for the owners." "And then?" "And then, José Dolores says... that we must cut heads instead of cane." " There's a tidy program." " Yes." "Very well, then, tell José that we must meet and discuss this question, wherever and whatever time he wishes." " Do you understand?" " Yes." "Listen." "Tell him that I shall be pleased to see him in any case." "Wait!" "Give this to José Dolores." "Tell him it's from me." "Go away, servant!" "Why are you here?" "Why aren't you in the Sierra Madre with the others?" "Why?" "Halt!" "Captain!" "Captain!" "Now we must realize that if we are to succeed in eliminating José Dolores, it's not because we're better or braver than he is." "It's simply because we have more arms and more men than he has." "And we must also realize that the soldier either fights to earn his pay... or because his country forces him to do so." "But the guerrilla, on the other hand, fights for an idea." "And therefore he's able to produce 20, 30, 50 times as much." " Is that clear?" " No, Sir William, I don't agree." "No?" "Well, I think it's a rather simple calculation." "What does a guerrilla have to lose, except his life?" "Whereas you, General, have a lot to lose." "Wife, children, house, career, savings... personal pleasures and private aspirations... and it's nothing to be ashamed of, that's simply the way of it." "Now, according to your information," "José Dolores has less than some hundreds of men, few arms... very little ammunition and no equipment." "But you have thousands of soldiers and modern arms and equipment." "And yet, in six years, you've not been able to defeat him." "Why?" "Because their bases are here... on the Sierra Madre." "And on the Sierra Madre, there's no possibility of survival." "There's not a tree, not a blade of grass... and the only animals are vipers and scorpions." "In all these centuries the man never had arrived so high." "But in the last six years it is here that the guerrillas have made their headquarters." "You see, up here... there are a handful of small villages, on the peaks of the Sierra." "Now, these people are destitute with subhuman living standards... and they haven't anything to lose, either." "The guerrillas are their only hope." "One, two... and three. these villagers are the roots...  on which the guerrillas survive." "And these roots must be cut." "They came out from the fire, naked... covered with flames... like devils, not human beings." "This is where they've crossed the river." "Now they're here... in the marshes in the Sierra Trinidad." "There are five villages in the Sierra." "Five." "Tomorrow we start again." "You well know that it is not we who are responsible for this tragedy." "It is José Dolores who wanted this war." "But the government promises you that the war will end soon." "Peace will come." "And order will again be established." "And you will be able to go back... to your houses and to your work." "Have faith a little longer." "We will do everything possible... to alleviate your suffering." "I beg you, my dear friends, listen to me." "Believe me." "Trust us." "And now, bread will be distributed to you... offered personally by President Sanchez." "Stay in your places!" "Bread!" "Bread!" "Bread!" "Bread!" " It's dangerous!" " No!" "Don't shoot." "Don't shoot!" "General, I want you to take back the effective command of our army." "From now on, you will consult personally with me on every decision concerning the war... and any possibility of peace." "And Sir William Walker?" " He'll go back to England." " But the Royal Sugar Company, Mr. President." "The Royal Sugar was supposed to help our independence, General..." " and not the other way around." " There's always José Dolores." "Who knows?" "If there hadn't been a Royal Sugar, would there have been a José Dolores?" "Who knows, General?" "Come in." "Hello, Teddy" "You wanted to talk to me?" "Sir William Walker, in the name of the Government of Queimada..." "Mr. Teddy Sanchez, in the name of the people of Queimada..." "I declare you under arrest." "I think we've said all there is to say." "Citizens of Queimada the special military tribunal has decreed... that Ex-President Teddy Sanchez... is guilty of high treason." "Citizens, it is your duty to declare your allegiance to the new government... to our heroic army, and to the soldiers of England... our generous ally." "Citizens of Queimada the bandits of José Dolores will be annihilated." "Peace will return to our beloved country." "Signed, General Alfonso Prada, head of the provisional government." "Go forward!" "Charge!" "Aim!" "Fire!" "Keep your hands up!" "How many have you counted, Mayor?" "Sixteen, with this one." "I don't think there are anymore." "Must have been their rear guard." "Let's go down and have a look." "So there are no more plantations, they're all burnt to the ground." " They'll rise again." " In 10 years, Sir William." "Well, you have another 89 years to exploit them." "Renewable." " Doesn't your contract specify that?" " Yes." "Your contract specifies that you are to defend our interests." "Instead, you're destroying them." "Well, that's the logic of profit, isn't it, my dear Shelton?" "One builds to make money." "And to go on making it or to make more, sometimes it's necessary to destroy." "Yes, I think perhaps it's inevitable." "Then why didn't you say so before?" " Well, why didn't I say what?" " Where is it going to end?" "As I told you... with the end of José Dolores." "At this price, it's no longer profitable." "It isn't you who pays, or even Royal Sugar." "Do you remember him?" "Tinchin, one of the old ones." " But there is no José Dolores." " And you're sorry?" "No." "I wouldn't want to find him like this." "Well, you might have thought of that before, Ramon." "No, I say, as long as José Dolores lives, I have work, and good pay." "Is it not the same for you, englishman?" "No, on the contrary, I work for an overall sum." " I must report to London." " Do that, Mr. Shelton." " I'll tell them how things are." " Yes, I hope so." "I'll have to inform them that the island has been completely burnt... and José Dolores has once again broken through the encirclement." "Tell them that, Mr. Shelton." "And tell them also that you make me sick.." "Sir William!" "Do you know why this island is called Queimada?" "Because it was already burnt once, and do you know why?" "Because even then, it was the only way to conquer the resistance of the people." "And after that, the Portuguese exploited the island in peace, for nearly 300 years." "Yes, but I was merely trying..." "You know that fire can't cross the sea because it goes out." "But certain news, certain ideas travel by ships' crews." "Have you any idea how many islands there are on which Royal Sugar has concessions?" "You should know." "And have you the vaguest notion of what would happen to our employers... if the example of José Dolores reached those islands?" "Sir?" "Mr. Shelton, I..." "I don't know, I'm not just quite sure what I'm doing here." "Money is important, but then my salary is small... compared to yours." "Therefore, it's less important." "I'm also not sure just why I do what I'm doing." "Perhaps it's only for the pleasure of it." "Or perhaps I'm unable to do anything else." "Perhaps I've nothing else to do, but whenever I try to do something..." "I try to do it well." "And to see it clearly and through to the end." "Do you understand?" "Bugler!" "Bugler's here, Sir William." "Bugler, sound your cease-fire." "There, that's José Dolores." "At the bottom where the soldiers are running." " Do you see him?" "." " Yes." " A fine specimen, isn't he?" "You know, it's an exemplary story." "In the beginning he was nothing." "A porter, a water carrier." "And England makes him a revolutionary leader... and when he no longer serves her, he's put aside." "And when he rebels again... more or less in the name of those same ideals which England's taught him..." "England decides to eliminate him." "Don't you think that's a small masterpiece?" " And you're the author, Sir William." " No, only the instrument." "No, it is not true that fire destroys everything." "A little life always remains." "Just an ant, a blade of grass..." "So how come the white invaders win?" "How come they win in the end?" "Someone of us will always remain." "Still others will be born later." "And others will begin to understand." "In the end, you also will understand." "And the whites, in the end, will be maddened by you." "Madder than a white beast becomes when he finds he's closed in... and the mad beast will run for the last time, pursued and hunted all over the island." "till he falls into one of the great fires... that he himself has made." "And the groans from this dying beast... will become our first cry of freedom." "One that will be heard far, far beyond this island." "Come on, get ready, we're going back." "It was necessary a war, Jose, for seeing us again." "Thanks to heaven that you and I remained alive." "You know, it's inevitable that someone has to lose." "In this case, it was inevitably you." "Otherwise, how could I have won?" "I see that you've lost everything, including your power of speech." "Tie him up!" "I see you don't drink anymore, do you?" "Are you sure you're not thirsty?" "I'd think your throat would be dry from all that talking all day." "I see no reason for you to walk." "You can remain silent even on horseback." "Soldier, give the prisoner your horse!" "We must go, General." "What are you waiting for?" "Go and get him!" "Now, listen to me, you negro!" "Listen to me." "It wasn't I that invented this war." "And furthermore, in this case, I didn't even start it." "I arrived here and you were already butchering one another" "Thank you." "But, anyway, sooner or later, they are going to kill me." "Maybe not, General." "Maybe they will let you live." "If they let me live it means it is convenient for them." "And if it's convenient for them, it is convenient for me to die." "Why?" "Because the hunter lets the hawk live... only when he wants a decoy or to hunt in his place." "He's kept alive, but in a cage." "But then, after a while, maybe they will free you." "It's not possible, little soldier." "It doesn't work like that." "If a man gives you freedom, it is not freedom." "Freedom is something you... you alone, must take." "Do you understand?" "Well, you will one day, because you've already started to think about it." "Well, all that remains now is to settle what to do with him." "Well, let's see... we certainly can't use the garote." "It's too reminiscent of Portugal." "Either we shoot him, as we did Teddy Sanchez... or we hang him as you do in England." "All things considered, hanging is better." "It's more solemn." " More definite." " Right." "Right." "But you see the man that fights for an idea is a hero." "And a hero who is killed becomes a martyr... and a martyr immediately becomes a myth." "A myth is more dangerous than a man because you can't kill a myth." "Don't you agree, Shelton?" "I mean, think of his ghost running through the Antilles." "Think of the legends and the songs." " Better songs than armies." " Better silence than songs." "And that is?" "A hero that betrays is soon forgotten." "Well, we'll have to see if he's willing to betray." "Well, now let's see, against whom did José Dolores rebel?" "Against Teddy Sanchez." "And you, General, have eliminated Teddy Sanchez." "Now that..." "I think that gives you a position in common." "See, there's the beginning of a rationale which I think José Dolores... could make public without too much shame." " Do you think he will do it?" " Would you do it in his place?" "Me?" "For God's sake, Sir William." "I would do anything to stay alive." "But, I don't think that José Dolores..." "You can't tell what a man will do to stay alive." "Until you put him to the test, you'll really never know." "Yes, as long as he leaves Queimada." "And the Antilles, General." "And the Antilles, Mr. Shelton." "Will you see to it?" "I finished, General." "This is your duty." "These are our proposals..." "He started to laugh." "There'll be another martyr, Sir William." "But you, you were waiting for me?" "I was going to bed." "I used every argument possible and I offered him a great deal of money... and his freedom, of course." " Sir William?" " I am going to bed." "Do you see, Paco?" "This is how they do it in England." "I'll take you outside the camp and you can take my horse." "I'll see to it that they don't find out until it's too late." "All right, come on." "But José..." "You lose nothing, José." "You renounce nothing." "I ask nothing from you." "Only that you try not to be caught again." "Now, come on, you haven't much time." "My God, man, go!" "Your time's running out." "Come on, you're free!" "José, you're free." "Free." "Don't you understand?" "Why?" "What good does it do?" "What meaning does it have, José?" "Is it a challenge, perhaps?" "Is it a revenge of some sort?" "But what kind of revenge is it, if you're dead?" "I don't know, José!" "It just seems madness." "Why?" "Englishman!" "Remember what you said?" "Civilization belongs to whites." "But what civilization?" "And till when?" "Your bag, sir?" "Your bag?"