"Young Ramon Santil cannot make up his mind whether to be stricken with anger or with grief." "Poor boy." "Not a half hour ago, the Magistrado demanded the full tax due on the ranch of Santil." "Demanded it before his father's funeral?" "But he must know he cannot pay." "His Excellency must do his duty." "But at such a time!" "Poor Don Luis." "Is it true, Don Diego, that gambling killed him?" "He lost everything?" "Everything but his land." "Who knows what kills a man, Sergeant?" "And his son." "Don Diego, you knew him in the university in Spain." "Is he also a little wild?" "A little." "He was thrown out of the university for gambling." "Next to your father's, the rancho Santil is the largest in the whole district." "Without money, how can a boy like that run such a rancho?" "MAN:" "Remove your horse, Senor!" "Excuse me, Don Diego." "eagle feather?" "Senor, this is a funeral procession." "You should remove your horse." "Go ahead, go ahead." "You should also remove your hat." "will removing my hat bring the dead to life?" "No." "But at least it shows a little respect." "Why should I show respect for someone I do not know?" "It seems we have a philosopher in our midst, Sergeant." "We do?" "Oh." "What is a philosopher, Don Diego?" "Someone hardly anyone can understand." "Oh." "What is your name, Senor?" "carlos Urista." "I am Garcia, Comandante of the pueblo garrison." "Every stranger coming into the pueblo must report to me." "Why?" "well, because it is customary." "Besides, if you come from..." "Or even if..." "Do you know why, Don Diego?" "Uh, Sergeant, I suggest you get on to the cemetery." "Senor Urista can make his report after the funeral." "I have a feeling he will be with us for some time." "At least, Senor, I must know where you are staying." "Is there more than one tavern in this pueblo?" "No." "Then I will be there." "Ah." "Now, this feather," "I took this from Rojas' hand the day he was murdered." "This one came from the Magistrado's messenger." "Yes." "I'm sure it contains a message." "But if so, why would Senor Urista wear it in plain sight?" "Perhaps he just likes feathers." "I saw you come in." "Diego, will you talk to Ramon?" "I tried to after the funeral." "He was very rude." "He seems to think you are offering him some kind of charity." "There is no disgrace in accepting help from friends." "And no one holds the misfortune of his father against him." "His pride proves he's made of good stuff, but he has never had to face responsibilities." "It might help you too, Diego, if you would set him an example and take a greater part in the affairs of the pueblo, to serve the community." "A famous poet once said that, "They also serve, who only stand and wait."" "I sent my only son away to military school expecting they would send me back a fighter." "I got a poet!" "Diego, my friend, for the Iast time, I want no help." "I thank you, I thank your father, but I don't need it." "I sold my cattle." "I cleaned them out." "Who bought them?" "Senor Urista." "He's a business man from Monterey, I think." "You sold him your entire herd, and yet you know nothing about him?" "What's the difference?" "His money is good." "11 ,000 pesos, enough to meet the Magistrado's tax demands." "If we loaned you money you could've kept the herd." "Now you have to start all over again." "It will take time." "I have time." "I'm lucky." "Let me buy you dinner." "You have 11 ,000 pesos, so it cannot be charity." "please, ciara, have one drink with me." "The innkeeper will not mind." "I will pay for it." "He minds that you have not paid what you already owe him!" "Ah, Don Diego!" "Sergeant." "Good to see you." "Urista." "Well, Senor Urista." "I see you've been busy today." "You've met Senor Barca." "His Excellency introduced them." "You're a friend of the magistrate?" "I'm hardly a friend." "I presented my credentials this afternoon." "My business will keep me in this pueblo for some time." "Oh." "Are you in the cattle business?" "My business is none of your business." "Senor, I win again." "If you will excuse me, I have an appointment." "Of course." "Senores." "May I offer you gentlemen some excellent brandy?" "No, thank you." "How can a man who has lost so much money still be so cheerful?" "What is money for, Sergeant?" "If you will not join me in a drink, perhaps you'll join in a game of bruja?" "well, I have a dependable life that satisfies all my needs." "Why should I risk it gambling?" "I would be delighted..." "Diego, here's my chance to make up all the losses." "It is your chance to lose everything." "I'll lose it anyway." "Without the herd, with no income," "I can't hold the rancho past the next tax assessment." "I won't live off the pity of my father's friends." "Look at the way he handles cards, he's a professional." "You forget, my friend," "I've had some slight acquaintance with gambling myself." "See you later." "Another bottle." "CIara, later, when you finish work, then will you sit with me for a little while?" "I will not sit with you now, I will not when I'm finished, not tomorrow or the day after." "For the last time, I will not sit with you at all!" "I will finish what I was saying later." "You are finished before you have started, Sergeant." "Well, you're making progress." "I remember when she would not even speak with you." "I've been following your advice." "At any rate, I've been taking exercises, but I do not seem to get any thinner." "What about those other things I told you?" "What other..." "Oh, you mean about not to eat so much?" "Or to drink so much." "Oh, I do not drink so much." "Only a little now and then to aid my digestion." "What a digestion." "He's had two dinners already tonight!" "I am a big man!" "My father was a big man!" "My mother was a big man!" "We are all big..." "I mean..." "I get hungry." "well, perhaps you better stop the exercises." "They give you an appetite." "Would you excuse me one moment?" "I see you have considerable skill with cards, Senor." "It must take practice." "skill is something one is born with." "Oh, uh, I imagine you played well when you were a child." "I do not know about your skill, Ramon, but someone once told me that brandy and cards do not mix." "Oh, would you tell me something?" "I do not really understand this game." "Is the object of this game to get several cards that are the same?" "please." "We must concentrate." "Oh, I imagine it takes quite a bit of concentration to play this." "Did you know something else?" "That the Arabs brought cards to us?" "Arabs don't have any bearing on this game." "Well, actually, I should not have said Arabs, I should have said Gypsies." "The Gypsies brought cards from Egypt." "They used them to tell fortunes before they were a game." "I do not care who invented the game, I only play it." "Well, I was not speaking of the game, I'm speaking of the cards themselves." "Do you know something?" "Very few people realize that "Gypsies"" "is a corruption of the word "Egyptian."" "well, it's obvious these cards have nothing to do with your fortune, Ramon." "Talking all the time!" "Who can concentrate?" "Perhaps Senor Urista would like to continue this game tomorrow?" "Your friend suggests you are no match for an expert." "Under such circumstances, of course, I will be glad to call off the game." "I am perfectly capable of playing." "also, he is no Ionger my friend." "Diego, would you please go!" "AII right." "Senor." "please deal." "I double my bet." "Don Diego, take some wine with us." "Thank you." "You're buying wine?" "With Don Diego as my guest, they dare not refuse me credit." "I shall buy the wine." "Ah, gracias, Don Diego." "CIara!" "Wine for Don Diego." "Ah..." "What a woman." "You know, Don Diego, I am still a young man." "It is the time of Iife that I should get married and settle down, but no woman will take me seriously." "It's not fair, Don Diego." "Maybe I am a little bit overweight..." "Ha!" "You know what they say, a fat man has a good sense of humor." "With a stomach like yours, you need a sense of humor." "You are addressing your Comandante!" "AII right, Sergeant." "Sergeant?" "Don Diego, it's no use." "To my own men I'm only a little sergeant." "A big, fat sergeant." "well, Sergeant, perhaps the mistake in your thinking is you think of yourself as a sergeant." "You must think of yourself as the Comandante." "A man is what he thinks." "That is philosophy, Don Diego?" "I am what I think?" "I think I am the Comandante!" "I'm Comandante of the pueblo" "I am because I think so" "Every inch a handsome soldier" "Trim of hip and broad of shoulder" "How do you know?" "Because I think so" "Ho-ho!" "Because he thinks so" "I am the man who'll capture Zorro" "I am because I think so" "Though the Fox is very wily" "I'll pursue him, oh, so slyly" "How do you know?" "Because I think so" "Ho-ho!" "Because he thinks so" "Now, in battle I have won so many medals" "That my chest can't hold another single one, I fear" "The only kind of medal that you'll ever get will be" "For terrific speed in running to the rear" "I am the man the ladies love so" "I am because I think so" "Senoritas can't resist me" "They're my slaves once they have kissed me" "Now, is that so?" "Because he thinks so?" "No, no" "Not till he shrinks so" "ALL:" "No, no Not till he shrinks so!" "No!" "Wait, please." "Give me a chance to get even." "You have some more money?" "You have everything, 1 1 ,000 pesos!" "I would Iike to oblige you, but if you have nothing more to wager..." "I have something else." "CIara, bring pen and paper quick." "Ramon, go home." "You learned a lesson." "Accept it, go home." "I accept nothing." "quickly." "You have some additional security to offer." "I do." "The deed to the rancho SantiI." "I'II bet it against everything I have lost." "Against 1 1 ,000 pesos?" "But your home alone is worth that!" "One." "Four kings." "Two, three, four, six of swords." "And the five." "Good evening, Senores." "It has been most pleasant." "May I ask, Senor, what you intend doing with the rancho SantiI?" "Yes, you may ask, but I am not prepared yet to answer." "Forgive me, Senor, but you do not have the look of a ranchero." "And you do not have the look of a Comandante." "Sergeant." "Poor Don Ramon." "What will he do now?" "There is not much you can do when you bury your father and your future on the same day." "MAGISTRATE:" "It is true, the spring on the SantiI rancho controls the water of all your lands." "My cattle have been sickened!" "And mine." "Urista has poisoned the water." "Senor Urista has decided to erect a tannery for leather on his land." "The mission tannery has always served us." "It's an excuse to pollute the water." "My sympathy is with you, but the Iaw is the Iaw." "There is nothing I can do." "The question is, Your excellency, what can we do?" "unfortunately, nothing." "Senor Urista tells me he must continue to dump the residue from his tannery into his spring." "His!" "The water belongs to all of us!" "That is true." "My father never considered it to be his property." "unfortunately, Senor, your father is dead, and Senor Urista, it wouId seem, is a businessman." "He tells me he is in the market to buy land." "You mean, by denying us water, he hopes to force us to sell our land?" "Ramon, you fool, you spineless fool!" "Look what you have done to all of us." "Ramon may have hurt us, but remember, gentlemen, he lost everything he owns, a considerable punishment." "Since the king's magistrate does not intend to defend us against Urista, there is no point in this discussion." "Senores, please, please understand my position." "I represent the Iaw." "The law states explicitly that Urista owns the land, the land controls the water and the Iaw controls us all." "Diego." "Thank you." "Thank you for trying to help me." "Drive on." "Yes." "I'm afraid only Zorro can solve this problem." "I have another assignment for you, but we must not be seen together." "Meet me at the east corner of the cuartel in three minutes." "I will be there." "Zorro!" "Don't move, Senor." "Zorro!" "What do you want?" "please, do not let us disturb you." "We are going to play a little game." "Game?" "Senor Urista's an expert at cards, he's giving us a lesson." "Get a chair, please." "Yes, Senor Zorro." "Be seated, please." "Might..." "Thank you, Sergeant." "Who are you?" "A fellow gambler." "shuffle the cards." "Sergeant." "There is a reward of 5,000 pesos for his capture." "And the promotion." "What?" "For me, promotion to permanent Comandante." "Do something." "That is enough." "I am not sure what impression this little bullet will make of that huge stomach of yours, but I'm willing to find out." "And now I suggest you play one hand with Don Ramon." "For what stakes?" "The deed to the rancho SantiI and the 1 1 ,000 pesos you cheated him out of." "Against what do I stake such a prize?" "Your life, Senor." "You mean if I win, I..." "precisely." "You die." "A valuable prize makes the game more exciting, no?" "Now, I will cut." "One moment, Senor." "Your fingers are too agile." "I will deal." "Where are the rest of the men?" "BugIer, sound assembly!" "You want to give him warning, idiot?" "Now, move out." "I want that tavern surrounded." "I warn you, if Zorro escapes, I'II have the neck of every man!" "Yes, Senor Magistrado." "follow me!" "Cards, Senores?" "No." "Four." "Send half your men around behind the tavern." "Cover every exit." "And keep them in the shadows." "Go!" "Lancers, follow me." "AII right, Senores." "What cards have you?" "Pairs." "Fives and threes." "What cards do you hold, Senor?" "You win, Senor." "As I promised, Senor Urista has given us a lesson." "I think, perhaps, he has given himself one too." "You can use the money, but what can an outlaw do with the rancho SantiI?" "Perhaps you and I can make a deal." "I would be glad to make a deal with you." "If, in two hours, you are within five miles of the pueblo de Los Angeles," "I will kill you!" "Since you are leaving, you won't need the cattle." "We'II buy them back." "They're all placed, excellency." "Good." "Break down that door." "You have your land and your cattle back." "Now I make a deal with you." "You will work the rancho SantiI for one year." "If I find that you have gambled, it will be the Iast card you turn, is that clear?" "It is clear." "Thank you, Senor Zorro." "And you, Sergeant, stay away from wine." "Ha!" "I warned you to stay away from wine." "Lancers, up the stairs!" "After him!" "There he is!" "Take him alive!" "I want him stopped!" "Forget him!" "Get Zorro!" "Get Zorro!" "After him!" "Zorro, the building is surrounded." "You can save trouble by giving yourself up." "After him." "Get a ladder, quickly." "I advise you to go back." "It's dangerous up here." "Hurry up!" "Don't let him get away." "Idiots!" "He's getting away!" "There he goes!" "He's trying to get out at the rear." "follow me!" "You, up the ladder." "Hurry, hurry." "Stop him!" "If he escapes, you'II pay for it." "Every one of you will pay!" "ExceIIency!" "Did you see that?" "I was nearly run down." "It's not safe in this pueblo." "I have no time." "I do not wish to tell you your business." "But something should be done about it." "Something will be done!" "Sergeant, speak to me." "Are you all right?" "See if this will revive him." "Water?" "would you drown me, woman?" "What is all this commotion about?" "This used to be such a quiet town." "Don Diego, thank heavens you were not here." "Oh, it was terrible, Don Diego." "I had Zorro trapped when my idiot soldiers interfered." "It is not easy being Comandante." "I know, Sergeant." "You must have your troubles, but..." "What a mess." "Ah!" "However..." "Excuse me." "We do have a bottle of brandy here." "Don Ramon, join me in a drink?" "No, thank you." "I have a Iot to do." "Good night." "Good night." "Senor Urista, will you have a drink?" "Thank you, no." "I am just leaving town." "well, I do not think you will refuse me, Sergeant." "No, Don Diego." "Someone warned me to stay away from wine." "But brandy is not wine, is it?"