Zorro (1957) s01e29 Episode Script

Quintana Makes a Choice

[Thunderclap.]
Out of the night when the full moon is bright Comes a horseman known as Zorro This bold renegade carves a "Z" with his blade A "Z" that stands for Zorro Zorro! The Fox so cunning and free Zorro! Who makes the sign of the "Z"! Zorro! Zorro! Zorro! Zorro! Zorro! [rooster crowing.]
[Rooster crowing.]
[Growl.]
[Growl.]
[Man.]
Who's there? Sergeant! Sergeant García, there's a bear in the plaza! - Corporal, did you say a bear there? - !Sí, sí! Oh, hello.
What are you doing here? Oh, of course.
I keep forgetting.
- Open the gates.
Let me get a shot.
- Do not open the gates until I say so.
But there's a bear out there.
He'll get away! [Growling.]
- Where is he now? - He is over by the well.
Always I have wanted a bearskin rug.
Corporal, open the gate.
Open the gate! Stupid! Do not close the gates with me outside.
Suppose I should miss? - If you'd rather have me do it - Oh, no.
I will shoot him, but you and you get muskets and come with me, just in case he should move when I fire.
[Growl.]
Open the gates.
[Growl.]
[Gun clicks, doesn't fire.]
- [Gun clicks.]
- [Growl.]
Shoot him, somebody! Quick! [Clicking.]
[Clicking.]
- [Clicking.]
- [Growl.]
- [Clicking.]
- [Growl.]
[García.]
Open the gate! Open the gate! Twice I tried to shoot him, but the stupid musket would not fire.
Neither would mine.
Something must be wrong.
This is always true.
If something was not wrong, things would not seem right.
Corporal.
Corporal, I have seen one musket fail to fire.
I have even seen two muskets fail to fire, but never in my whole life have I seen everybody's muskets fail to fire at the same time.
Never did I hear so many quiet noises.
Corporal, do you think our gunpowder could have been wet? - It's not wet, Sergeant.
- Then why did they all fail to fire? It's very peculiar, but it's not wet.
Peculiar? In what way? It does not look like gunpowder.
It does not smell like gunpowder.
It does not act like gunpowder.
See if it tastes like gunpowder.
Well? - I'm not sure.
- Try again.
Try again.
Well, does it taste like gunpowder? I don't know, Sergeant.
I don't think I ever tasted gunpowder.
Of course the muskets would not fire.
This is charcoal.
How could it be charcoal? I just opened a new keg of gunpowder.
You must have opened a keg of charcoal by mistake, stupid.
- Do we have kegs of charcoal? - Kegs of charcoal? Of c! No.
How could a keg of gunpowder turn out to be a keg of charcoal? - I know.
- You do? When I was a little boy we had a barrel of cider, but we let it stand too long.
It turned to vinegar.
- What's that got to do with it? - Maybe the gunpowder stood too long - and it turned to charcoal.
- Oh! and such a big bear, Don Diego.
The others were frightened and wanted to run to the cuartel, but I said to them, "Do not be afraid.
I, Sergeant Demetrio Lopez García, will protect you!" If you could have seen the way I chased that bear, you would hardly believe it.
Well, just listening to you tell it, Sergeant, I hardly believe it.
I always wanted a bearskin rug for my floor, so I started out.
If only I could have gotten my hands on him! - Why didn't you shoot him? - Shoot a hole in my rug? I see what you mean.
Sergeant you have a problem? Oh, no, Don Diego.
I Don Diego, do you think it's true that gunpowder turns to charcoal if it stands too long? Of course not! Whoever told you such a thing? Nobody.
Nobody at all.
Oh! That's what happened this morning when the muskets would not fire.
You were using charcoal instead of gunpowder? It is not true that the muskets would not fire.
And besides how did you find out about it? Bernardo was there, remember? Don Diego I do not know what to do.
Sergeant, just what is the trouble? Our gunpowder is not gunpowder at all, just charcoal ground up to look like gunpowder.
You mean someone stole the gunpowder from the cuartel and substituted charcoal? - Shh! I made the men promise to keep it a secret.
It would not do for enemies of the king to find out we are without gunpowder.
That was very wise.
Sometimes it is not easy to be an acting comandante, Don Diego.
I know what you mean, Sergeant.
Oh, tell me who has access to the gunpowder? Well, there were only four of us.
Capitán Toledano, Corporal Reyes and myself.
- That is only three.
Who is the fourth? - That is what I do not know.
He is the one who took the gunpowder.
Sergeant, it might be a good idea to question everyone in the cuartel, find out if anyone's seen anything suspicious or has any idea when and how the switch was made.
You are right, Don Diego.
I will return to the cuartel immediately and begin the questioning.
Gracias, Don Diego.
Corporal Reyes, come in, please.
Sit down.
Corporal where were you last night between the hours of 7:00 and 10:00pm? - I was with you.
- No alibis.
Answer the question.
We went to the bakeshop, and I talked to the baker while you sneaked up Shh! You have to tell everything you know? - But you asked me.
- So I did.
But couldn't you just lie a little, like a gentleman? - Did you learn anything, Sergeant? - I have learned a great deal.
I have learned that Private Mendoza lost 14 pesos in a game of bruja, Private Morales talks in his sleep, and poor Private Sotello, he gets no sleep at all, listening to what Private Morales has to say.
- What does this have to do with it? - Baboso, don't you know anything? These little things, taken by themselves, may not seem important, but put them all together, then you get the whole picture.
It's good to have the whole picture, no? Corporal, I do not know what to do.
We are almost defenseless without gunpowder.
Capitán Toledano told me that there are enemies of the king just waiting to attack us at any moment.
It is a big responsibility to have on one's shoulders.
I thought it would be very pleasant to be a comandante, but Maybe you will learn who took the gunpowder.
No.
You are the last soldier on the post to be questioned.
Have you asked the questions of the Senora Toledano? Of course not! She is the comandante's wife.
You said you were to ask the questions of every person in the cuartel, and she is a person.
She is a person, that is true.
I think I will go now.
- Yes? - I am sorry, senora, but as acting comandante, I must question everybody in the cuartel, even including you please? - What is it you wish to know? - Do you know anything about well, something that you have maybe seen sometime, if you happened to notice it? I mean, just anything you can think of offhand.
I do not understand the question.
Like what? Well, for example Do you know how to play? No.
Do you ever talk in? - Just anything.
- I can think of nothing.
I have been thinking hard about how the gunpowder got out of the cuartel.
The only things that have gone out of the gates at all are those big boxes that you had brought in, then sent out again.
I told you, those were my husband's effects.
There is not enough room for them in my small quarters.
I sent them to the inn to have them stored.
Oh, I understand that, senora, it is just that nothing else has left the cuartel.
You dare to question the wife of the comandante, accuse me of being an enemy of the king? Oh, no.
I did not mean that.
If you are all through with the questioning, Sergeant, I shall go over to the inn to make sure my husband's effects are properly stored.
I do not care.
The sergeant will soon be convinced that those boxes contain gunpowder.
We can't take chances.
If anything happens to this batch - Have you heard from the Eagle? - Sí.
He knows that the other shipment got back to the presidios.
- Is he angry about it? - Did you expect him to be happy? Plans were all made to attack these presidios within a few days.
Now they again have gunpowder, it is a different matter.
It means delaying operations from Monterey to San Diego.
That's all we needed, that sergeant asking questions, stupid questions.
At least I have never failed in my job, and the Eagle knows it.
I will get rid of this fat sergeant for you.
Do you have to kill him? - There's no other way.
- That is my specialty, taking care of people who get in the way of the Eagle.
There is only one little problem that I can see.
Yes? This one may not fit into a shallow grave.
[Liquid gurgling.]
[Rustling.]
[Clattering.]
[Gun cocks.]
Make no move, senor, except to raise your hands over your head.
I warn you, my husband has taught me to be an expert with a pistol.
So, this is El Zorro, caught like a mouse in a trap.
You, like the sergeant, are a little too curious for your own good.
Do you think this is the only place where gunpowder can be hidden? You think you can pull the same trick twice in a row? Permit me to reach into my pocket.
I have the clipped feather of an eagle which I'd like to show you.
- I believe your attitude will change.
- You are not really Zorro? At least allow me to offer my identification.
If this is a trick, senor, I warn you, you will soon join the fat sergeant.
I do not know how or why you became involved in this, but it is a treacherous plot, hardly befitting the wife of a comandante.
You should be helping us, not fighting against us.
Everything we do we do for the good of California.
Murder, treason, spreading misery in every way possible? This is for the good of California? The people are lazy, lethargic, contented.
They are like sheep.
Our only hope for California is for a strong man to take over.
If you believe this, then you let someone make a fool of you.
Now if you value your life, explain that remark about the fat sergeant.
What remark? You do not deny the sergeant is fat? - What have you done wi? - [Man.]
What's going on down there? Listen, I could bind and gag you to prevent you from calling out.
If I do not do this, will you promise to keep silent until I am away from here? Your word of honor? Very well.
I accept the word of a Spanish lady.
Help! It's Zorro.
He's going out the window in the wine cellar! Help me! Make no sound, Corporal.
This is Zorro.
- Zorro? - Where is Sergeant García? - He's not here.
- Where is he? It is a matter of life and death.
He left with Quintana and Fuentes.
They were going to help him get back the gunpowder.
- How long ago? - Maybe an hour, maybe a half-hour.
I do not know.
All right, Corporal, put your face against the wall.
Do not turn around until you have counted to 100, or I will cut off your ears.
Uno Dos Tres Cuatro Whoa.
Is this the place? Is this where we get the gunpowder? - This is the place, Sergeant.
- Is it hidden somewhere in the rocks? It will be here soon.
Take up a position where you can watch the road.
Probably back here somewhere.
Oh, then someone is bringing it here? Is that it, senores? - That is it.
- Ah.
This should do it, Sergeant.
Sit down here and have your rifle ready.
Do not take your eyes off the road.
- How long must I not look away? - Just you keep watching.
Let us know when you see a wagon approaching.
A wagon filled with kegs of gunpowder? That's right.
Do you think this is far enough from the road? It is all right.
We will report that the last time we saw him, he was heading into the hills in pursuit of Zorro.
Will people believe that Zorro would shoot him in the back? They can believe what they want to believe.
He is a big man.
One shot may not do it.
Be ready to act quickly if necessary.
Sí.
[Gunshot.]
Zorro? Sergeant, it is a trap! They brought you here to kill you! No, Senor Zorro.
You do not understand.
These men are my friends.
They brought me here to get the stolen gunpowder.
[Gunshot.]
Don't move around so much! You're too big a target! Stay where you are! I've got his powder! [Gunshot.]
Enrique, I'm Sergeant, what I do not understand is this.
With three of you there, why did you permit Zorro to get away? We did not mean to do it, Don Diego.
Would you believe it, I was this close to catching him.
- What happened? - I honestly do not know.
I was closing my hands on him, and the next thing I knew I was back in the plaza on a wagon, and Corporal Reyes was pouring water over my head.
Do you know what that rascal told me? He tried to tell me that my good friends Quintana and poor Fuentes were trying to shoot me in the back.
He should have known I wouldn't believe anything like that!
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