"De Ia Vega, I find your attitude difficult to understand." "I don't see why." "I was only thinking of Senorita Verdugo's safety." "My safety?" "With my father kidnapped, do you think I worry about myself?" "Now, you yourself insisted that the men who kidnapped him show proof he was still alive." "Very well." "The kidnappers' note said they will give her proof if she will go meet with them today." "Now, what more do you want?" "They could've sent proof here to the hacienda." "There's no legitimate reason why she has to meet them away from here." "I say it out of my respect and admiration for your father." "We must do what the note says." "It would be most iII-advised, senorita." "Stop it, stop it!" "How can you two stand there arguing when my father's life is in danger?" "ANNA MARIA:" "What is it, Domingo?" "Senorita, senores, your pardon, please." "What are you doing here?" "Don Diego, Don AIejandro has arrived from Los angeles." "My father?" "Here in Monterey?" "He's at the inn." "He wants to see you." "Did he tell you why?" "No, senor." "But he did say he might send in the army to search for the bandidos." "Senorita, he must not do that, not with Don Gregorio a captive." "You must stop him." "Of course, but promise me you will not leave." "Anna Maria, promise him nothing." "I'm just so confused." "I do not know what to do." "But, Diego, please hurry before it is too late." "AII right." "Make no decisions until I return." " Sergeant?" " Si, Don Diego." "I have my orders." "surely nothing can be as important as securing Don Gregorio's release." "And every moment we delay increases his peril." " But what about Don Diego?" " What will he do when he returns?" "He is incapable of taking action." "Very well." "If you will not go, I will." "I admire your father too much to abandon him." "No, we shall both go." "I can wait no Ionger." "Senorita, you cannot do this." "Capitan Estrada gave us strict orders to protect you at all times." "I am sorry, sergeant, but my mind is made up." "I will do what the kidnappers demand." "GARCIA:" "Very well, but corporal Reyes and I must accompany you." "AII right." "Have a horse saddled for me, and hurry." "I must know if my father is still alive." "Don Gregorio kidnapped." "I knew there had been trouble, but this, my son?" "Why have you not called up the army?" "I did not think it wouId be a good idea." "Those men are ruthless." "No doubt." "But one cannot surrender to lawlessness, no matter what the cost." " well, Anna Maria" " Nonsense." "The worst thing she could possibly do is to surrender to them." "Let us go report this to the governor." "Come." "No, at Ieast talk with Anna Maria." "It will not take us long to ride out to the hacienda." "Very well." "I'II talk to her." "DOMINGO:" "I'm sorry, senores, but they all went away." "I can't understand it." "She promised me she wouldn't leave." " unless Romero talked her into it." " Who?" "Father, why don't you wait here in case they return?" "Bernardo and I will go and see if we can find some indication of where they went." "Very well." "Do you think they have gone to pay the ransom?" "No, I don't think so." "merely to ascertain whether or not Senor Verdugo is still alive." "would you show my father in, please?" "well, there's one thing we can be sure of." "If the money's inside, someone will come back here to get it." "Yes." "I think the next move is Zorro's." "hello?" "This is the place." "I wonder where they are." "Is anybody here?" "Here, senores." "AII of us." "You have brought a great deal of company, senorita." " Where is my father?" " In a moment." "Lay down your arms." "quickly!" "Bring him out." "ANNA MARIA:" "Father." " My child." "My child, you should not have come." "Oh, I was afraid you might have been killed." "Oh, Father." " That is enough." " You dare to lay your filthy hands on her?" "You do not Iike it, patrün?" "GREGORIO:" "You will hang for this, I promise you." "I am frightened, senor." "Take the girl." "GREGORIO:" "You swine!" "A gallant soldier." "But you were not so gallant, senor." "You will regret this, peün." "Now, patrün, to business." "You will return to your hacienda, get all of the money the pueblos sent you for supplies and return with it." "Never." "As you wish." "But since the daughter seems unwilling to ransom her father, perhaps the father will be more willing to ransom the daughter." "If you do not return with the money, I promise you, senor, you will never see her again." "You wouldn't dare." "I would dare anything for 45,000 pesos." "Don't risk it, senor." "The senorita means a great deal to me." "Let me go with Senor Verdugo." "I promise he will return with the money." "Very well." "Why not?" "These soldiers will also remain behind, just to make sure you both return, and return alone." "Don't worry, my dear." "I'II get the money." "But if you harm her..." "Senor, you have my word, provided you return with the money by sundown." "If you are not back by then, who can say what might happen?" "But remember this:" "I have no love for the Verdugos, for the father or the daughter." "Keep that in mind if you want to see her alive again." " alejandro." "ALEJANDRO:" "Gregorio." "My old friend." "Diego told me you had been kidnapped, but now you are free." "No, I am more a prisoner than ever." "The kidnappers released me, it is true, but they are holding my daughter." "Now, if you will forgive me, alejandro." "Romero and I have so little time." "Your face is familiar, senor." "Romero Serrano of Santa Cruz at your service, senor." "Don Gregorio, may I speak with you alone?" "You must excuse us, senor, but our time is running out." "You can speak freely, alejandro." "Romero, help me." "This is heavy." "You must forgive my frankness, but how well do you know Senor Serrano?" "Why, Romero has invested in my project." "He's been a great help to me." "Don Romero, your father and I were friends." "He told me a great deal about you." "My father was an old man and sometimes spoke nonsense." "Gregorio, Don Romero left Spain just ahead of the king's guard." "Don Lorenzo once told me he had spent a small fortune keeping his son out of prison." "And is it not true, senor, that you have gambled away the inheritance your father left you?" "I knew nothing of this." "Senor, if you were not such an old man..." "I would not be surprised if he is involved in the entire plot." "You must not pay the ransom, Gregorio." "Are you trying to have Anna Maria killed?" "Are you not strangely eager to pay the ransom without a fight?" "You must not give them the money." "Give them the army instead." "Surround them with Iancers." "Let them know they will hang if they touch a hair of her head." "Gregorio, we can surround them and send them word that if your daughter is harmed each and every one of them will be vulture bait before nightfall." "You are right." "A father worried about his child can easily mistake black for white." "I will ride immediately to Capitan Estrada." "Look out!" "Give me the money!" "Why, you conniving fool." "You spawn of the gutter." "I'II take the money." "Why, you old fool, do you think I won't kill you?" "I don't think you will." "Zorro!" "I yield, I yield." "You have the sword, but I have the girl." " If anything happens to her" " If anything happens to me," "pablo has orders to kill her." "Yeah, if you would see her alive again, Senor Zorro, you will give me the money and let me and the old man go back to the ruins." "They still do not come." " I hope they do not." "In that case, you may not live long enough to hope for anything else." "You cannot talk to a lady like that." "What do you intend to do about it?" "Nothing, I just thought maybe I would ask you to stop." "Here they come!" " They are almost here with the money." " Good." "Then they will let us go." "Even now, you can measure your life in minutes." "So, Don Romero, we have finally succeeded." "The money." "Rags?" "Empty?" "old man, you" "Zorro." "No one moves." " Zorro." " I knew you would come." "Drop your guns or your leader dies." "Don't try anything, he'II kill me." "What happened to Verdugo?" "Don't ask foolish questions." " Romero." "Your father's all right, senorita." "release those soldiers." "Do what he says." "Wait a minute." "Ah." "You did not get the money." "You want us to surrender meekly so Zorro will not shoot you." "Zorro, you have misjudged your strengths." "You have one bullet." "If you shoot him, we will shoot you." "If you shoot one of us, there will still be three of us left." " You fool, he'II kill me." " Let him." "True, senor, I only have one bullet." "But have you decided which of you will take it?" "No, don't shoot." "You have the musket." "Shoot him." "Hurry, shoot." "I can't, Romero's in the way." "He is not now." "Once more, corporal." "Zorro." "Sergeant!" "release the girl." "You cannot escape." "Stay where you are." "Get away from the horses." "She gets the knife if you try to stop me." "I will kill her." "release the girl first, then I will get away from the horses." "I will not release her." "Step aside." "I will count to three." "One, two, three." "So you will cut our throats, you will kill the witnesses, you will abuse the senorita." "Cut our throats, will you?" " Abuse the senorita, will you?" " Sergeant Garcia." " Shake my shoulder, will you?" " Sergeant, Iet him go." " Huh?" " Let him go." " Who?" " Him." "Oh, him." " You nearly killed him." " I did?" "I did." "Oh, corporal." "Gracias, Senor Zorro." "If it had not been for you..." "But, senorita, Sergeant Garcia saved your life, not I." "If it had not been for you, I am sure we all would have died." "I merely distracted pablo." "It was the sergeant who grabbed the knife." "He is the one who deserves your thanks." "Adiüs, senorita." "Your father awaits you at the hacienda." "He is right, senorita." "It was I who disarmed this pablo." "He is gone." "Oh, no, he is Iying right there on the ground." "Sergeant, I owe you a great deal." " It was nothing, senorita." " I want to thank you for it." "Very well." "If you insist, I..." "Thank you, sergeant." "You are welcome, senorita." "Diego, I have so much to apologize for." "I suspected you, I called you rude." "I'm sure you must have hated me." "Never that, Anna Maria." "You are from Los angeles, Diego, and I understand Zorro has appeared there often." "Have you ever met him?" "well, we-- We haven't been formally introduced." "But you may see him again when you return to Los angeles." "If you do see him, will you give him this, please?" "AII right, if I see him." " And promise me one thing." " Yes?" "Maybe I should not even say it." "You are a man of honor." "You will not open it and read it, will you?" "It is very personal." "AII right, I promise." "Thank you." "You are a true friend." " Adiüs, Diego." " Vaya con dios." "Get me my sword." "You don't think I'd let Don Diego read this, do you?"