"I am Sergeant Demetrio Lopez Garcia." "Do I have the honor of addressing Don Juan Ortega, the new Comandante for the pueblo de Los Angeles?" "Si, Sergeant." "Are you my reception committee?" "Si, Capitan." "We decided against calling attention to your arrival due to the danger involved." "That was very wise." "I understand the last Comandante was shot and killed" "the same day he reported for duty." "Si." "We had no sooner said hello than it was time to say goodbye." "I was supposed to meet you at San Pedro Harbor when your ship arrived from Monterey, but..." "But what, Sergeant?" "A thousand pardons, Comandante." "You see, I am one of those unfortunates who suffers from seasickness." "But you were only to meet the ship, not sail aboard it." "I know, Capitan, but the mere sight of the ocean makes me ill." "Even talking about it." "Why should the ocean make you ill?" "It is gentle, like rocking a baby." "Si." "Have you not heard it said," ""Rocked in the cradle of the deep," ""over the gentle ocean waves." Eh?" "All right, Sergeant, let us proceed on our way to Los Angeles, in a direction away from..." "May I say the word "ocean"?" "Please, Comandante." "Rosarita." "Don Diego!" "How nice to see you!" "Nice to see you." "Are you still in Monterey?" "Yes." "Father has a ranch there now." "I doubt if we'll ever move again." "What brings you to Los Angeles?" "I arrived yesterday for a short visit with my uncle." "Did you have a nice trip?" "lt was very interesting." "I traveled by ship as far as Santa Barbara." "Uncle's carriage met me there and brought me to his hacienda." "You know, I would not have believed it possible, but you are even more lovely than I remember." "It still is Senorita?" "Well, what is wrong with the men in Monterey, they must be blind." "Diego!" "Have you forgotten our childhood vows?" "Vows?" "That we would marry when we grew up?" "Of course, we were very young then." "Of course." "Diego, I was wondering..." "My uncle has invited a few friends in for the evening, a few dignitaries, but mostly people I used to know." "Would you care to stop by?" "Rosarita, in the whole wide world, there is nothing I would like better than that." "This evening then, about 8:00?" "About 8:00." "Adios." "Adios." "Your pardon, Father. I, uh..." "Well... I understand." "She is charming, Diego, most charming." "Shall we have some wine?" "Fine, fine." "Two glasses of wine, please." "Who is the young lady?" "Anyone I know or soon will know?" "Rosarita Cortez." "You recall her father, Domingo Cortez." "A fine family, good blood." "You could do much worse." "Aren't you rushing it a little bit, Father?" "I've hardly spoken a dozen words to the young lady in ten years." "{LAUGHS } Gracias." "Salud." "Salud." "What brings you to the pueblo in the heat of the afternoon?" "Oh, I've good news, Diego." "I've received a letter from my friend in Monterey, Father Hernando." "You have heard me speak of him?" "Many times." "He wrote concerning the new Comandante, Don Juan Ortega." "Oh, he's expected to arrive today." "I have been afraid this new one would succeed no better than the others." "Listen, this is what Father Hernando says." ""Don Juan Ortega is a good man." ""Kindly and fair in his dealings with others."" "That is good news." "Clear the way!" "Make way for His Excellency, Don Juan Ortega, our new Comandante of the pueblo de Los Angeles!" "Get out of the way, you stupid fool!" "He was only trying to help, Comandante." "You mind your own business!" "Open the gates!" "Si, Comandante." "Open the gates." "Open the gates!" "Father Hernando says our new Comandante's a kindly man?" "Let's not be too hasty in our judgment." "He may be tired from the trip and not his usual self." "Well?" "Who is it?" "Sergeant Garcia." "May I come in, please?" "Yes." "Come in." "Senor Magistrado, our new Comandante, Don Juan Ortega, is here." "Show him in." "Comandante?" "The Magistrado of the pueblo de Los Angeles," "His Excellency Carlos Galindo." "Sergeant Garcia, don't you think you've played Comandante long enough?" "Perhaps, you'd better wait for me downstairs, Sergeant." "You have your identification papers, Comandante?" "This is all?" "Might I, uh, inquire what happened to the real Ortega?" "He fell overboard shortly after the ship left Santa Barbara." "How unfortunate." "The poor devil, he was wearing a length of chain around his neck at the time." "Went straight to the bottom." "And this unfortunate accident," "was it entered in the ship's log?" "The captain also carries a feather." "Good." "Magistrado, tell me." "Our leader, the one who calls himself the Eagle, have you met him?" "He's a man of mystery." "Not even his most trusted agents know who he is." "Does it not seem strange to you that if we are caught and hanged, he is in the clear?" "Would it make your hanging more pleasant to know his neck is in the noose also?" "It just seems strange to me, that is all." "He pays well, doesn't he?" "You like the money?" "He pays well, I do not deny that." "Then I would suggest, Comandante, you restrain your curiosity and also your criticism." "I am afraid the Eagle would not appreciate them." "Word has come, the Eagle is disappointed with the situation in Los Angeles." "He is not getting enough money, the people are not demoralized and this outlaw, Zorro, is still at large." "I've been cursed with a succession of incompetent Comandantes." "What I need is a strong and able man to whip this pueblo into shape." "Magistrado, that is why I am here." "It will not be easy." "There is not a great deal of money among the peons." "We must find out who has it and devise a scheme to get it away from them." "I have managed to do this before and never found it difficult." "I'm afraid you will find there are problems here peculiar to Los Angeles." "I have no desire to remain in your charming pueblo for any length of time." "The longer I am here, the more chance there is someone will recognize me." "May I suggest, as soon as I am settled in my quarters, we start making definite plans?" "Sergeant Garcia will show you to your quarters." "Unfortunately, I will be busy this evening." "Perhaps we can get together first thing in the morning." "A wonderful reception, Rosarita." "I'm so glad you came, Diego." "All of this would have gone on without me, had it not been for our chance meeting in the plaza." "If we had not chanced to meet, we would have chanced to meet elsewhere." "Ever since I left Monterey l've been looking forward to seeing you again." "Ah, it is wonderful to be young again, is it not?" "Especially on nights that are made for romance." "Are there other kinds of nights?" "I'm sure you have things to talk about and don't welcome the intrusion of an old man." "My apologies, Senorita." "You know, I could establish myself as an unwelcome guest if I completely monopolize you, but..." "Do you mind?" "Not at all." "But it is such a warm evening." "I think I would like something to quench my thirst." "Allow me." "Why are neither of you dancing?" "It was good of your uncle to invite us, Senorita." "But, uh, we do not belong with people like these." "It is nice just to sit here and listen to the music." "You are my uncle's guests in my uncle's home." "If he did not want you, he wouldn't have invited you." "And since you are here, he'd want you to enjoy his hospitality." "Oh, but we are enjoying it, Senorita." "I have been looking for you." "May I have the honor of this dance?" "I'm so sorry, Don Carlos, but here is Diego with the refreshments." "My apologies, Senor." "Would you care to join us?" "I'm sure you remember Franco Barbaroza and his daughter?" "Unfortunately, my work keeps me involved with all classes of people." "I prefer to keep my social life more restricted." "You will excuse us, Senorita." "I think we will get some refreshments also." "It is a great thing to be of proud birth, is it not, Senor?" "It is a noble thing, Diego." "One should not forget it." "Oh, I agree with you most heartily." "The only trouble is all the credit goes to our ancestors." "Real pride belongs to people who can make something of themselves." "is this what you learn from reading books, Diego?" "Also from observing people." "Take a man like Franco Barbaroza." "He started with almost nothing, just a mud hut and some public land." "He started as nothing, and so far as I'm concerned, he will always be nothing." "Just the same, he now owns a splendid herd of cattle and he's built a fine home for his family." "You may not believe this, Don Carlos, but in the last year," "Franco Barbaroza has sold almost as many hides as has my father." "Look across the dance floor." "You may find many people here who boast of nobler blood, but you'll find no one who has acquired more by his own honest efforts." "This I did not know." "Do you or do you not understand?" "l do not." "It has always been told to us that we could live on the king's land, that we could improve it and someday it would belong to us." "This has all been changed." "But why should I be arrested?" "I didn't do anything wrong." "I understand you started with nothing." "A mud hut on the king's land." "So everything you have acquired belongs to the king." "Now all we ask is 5,000 pesos." "This is not fair and I will never pay it!" "You will pay it or you'll soon wish you had." "Well?" "I sentence you to six months at hard labor." "Take him away." "A beautiful woman coming here?" "Well, show her in." "Diego, I'm so glad you're home." "Rosarita." "You must come with me!" "Why?" "l've been to the pueblo." "They've arrested Franco Barbaroza." "Why, what did he do?" "Nothing. lt's some ridiculous charge of poaching on the king's land." "Just a minute." "We don't have time to talk!" "Come, my carriage is at the door." "Later." "Diego, you must do something immediately." "This may be difficult." "The Magistrado's a hard man to convince." "I shall have a talk with him." "Perhaps he will listen to reason." "The man in question was found guilty of trespassing and he refused to pay his fine, so consequently, I was forced to sentence him to six months' hard labor." "No matter what his crime was, he should not be whipped and treated like an animal!" "Senorita Cortez, a lady of your position should not interest herself in such things." "I realize that the punishment of criminals sometimes seems harsh, but how else can we protect society from thieves and murderers who prey on us?" "Begging your pardon, Senor." "But Franco Barbaroza's crime is not one of thievery or murder." "I fail to comprehend that he has committed any crime." "Ah, Don Diego, you know my business better than I?" "You have changed from reading poetry to books of law?" "Every ranchero in California has for years lived on the king's land." "If Franco Barbaroza is guilty, a hundred others are equally guilty." "Exactly." "And they are being arrested as rapidly as we can round them up." "Does our new Comandante agree with this treatment?" "He is here to bring law and order." "Whose law?" "I would suggest, Don Diego, that you refrain from interfering with the administration of justice in this pueblo." "Rosarita, I guess there's not much more we can do." "is that the best you can do?" "Perhaps if I wrote to the governor..." "Write a letter?" "If I were a man, I would do something, and it wouldn't be writing a letter!" "Rosarita, I know how you must feel..." "What happened to you?" "When you were a boy you wouldn't have stood by while a man was tortured." "You're not half the man you were when you were only ten years old!" "No more credit, Sergeant." "Ah, amigos!" "Well, if it isn't the Sergeant himself." "I happened to be passing by when I saw you in here. I said to myself," ""My good friends would never forgive me" ""if I did not stop and have wine with them."" "You are mistaken, Sergeant." "We could have easily forgiven you." "Well, at least we must drink to the success of your new venture here in Los Angeles." "This is excellent, amigos." "Excellent." "It would taste even better if one paid for it himself." "Next time it will be my turn to buy." "I expect to become wealthy quite soon." "Oh?" "How?" "See that notice up there?" "Hey!" "Tonight I will capture Zorro and claim the reward." "You?" "Capture that outlaw?" "Of course, I have a plan that cannot fail." "Tonight, when Zorro comes to the grist mill to rescue Senor Barbaroza, I will be hidden in the enclosure." "When Zorro appears, I will step forth and capture him." "Zorro will try to rescue the prisoner?" "Oh, I am certain of it." "Whenever there is an offense against the people, Zorro rides." "Usually at night when others are asleep." "Leon..." "Leon, possibly the Sergeant would like a little more wine, eh?" "Oh, but certainly." "Gracias, amigos." "Gracias." "Of course what I have just told you must not be repeated." "Far be it for me to discourage you, but I don't think your plan has a chance of succeeding." "Si." "Zorro is no fool." "He will know someone will expect him to make the rescue attempt." "He is not so stupid as to walk into such an obvious trap." "You do not know Zorro." "He will come." "Think of the danger, Sergeant." "Zorro might kill you." "I do not think he would do that." "He has never done it before." "Please, Senor, can't you hold your glass still?" "It is making waves like the..." "Like the you know what." "Like the what?" "Like the..." "You know, the..." "You mean, uh, like the ocean waves?" "Please, Roberto, it is not necessary to call it by name." "You should overcome your fear of the ocean, Sergeant." "You know, Sergeant, uh, there is nothing more wonderful than a wonderful ocean voyage on a ship." "Riding on the beautiful ocean waves." "Please, amigos." "For my own sake, please..." "We will take care of you, Sergeant." "Amigos, what..." "We want to keep the Sergeant here for the night. lt's a joke, you know, eh?" "l don't think I should permit it." "Oh?" "But, being only human, I am always open to persuasion." "l am persuaded." "Good." "Leon!" "Roberto!" "It's all right now. I feel all right." "Let me out now!" "Please!" "We will take over now." "Go get yourself some sleep." "Well, Roberto, get yourself some sleep too." "I will stay here all alone and see that the two-legged mule grinds wheat." "Good night, Leon." "See you in the morning." "We'll take over." "You go back to the barracks, eh?" "Zorro, look out!" "Out of the way, Roberto!" "Gracias, amigo." "Muchas gracias." "Get as far away from here as you can, as fast as you can." "Gracias, amigo." "Zorro!" "Sergeant Garcia!" "Bring on the lancers!" "Bring on the lancers!" "Coming, Comandante!" "Bring on the lancers!" "Let me never again hear of you putting a man to do a mule's work, or it will be the last order you ever give." "Adios, Comandante." "Comandante!" "Oh, there you are." "You wanted something, Comandante?" "No, I did not want a thing." "You have let Senor Barbaroza go to bed." "That is good, Comandante." "I was right." "Zorro was here." "Comandante, that is just what I said would happen."