the Ghost and the Darkness - by William Goldman
"THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS"
by
William Goldman
FADE IN ON
A TINY FIGURE OF A MAN hurrying toward camera. The figure gets
larger as he approaches. But as yet we cannot tell who he is or
where we are.
MALE VOICE (over)
This is the most famous true story
of Africa. It happened a hundred
years ago, but even now, when
children ask about it, you do not
tell them at night.
(The FIGURE continues
to grow)
It began with the race to build a
railroad across Africa.
(beat)
But this is not about building a
railroad- it is about Patterson.
And now we can tell that the FIGURE is a YOUNG MAN, A LIEUTENANT
COLONEL. This is PATTERSON. He is gifted and bright and serious,
serious about his life, serious about his career. He has been
successful in everything he's attempted, in part because of his
talents, in part because he is willing to outwork anybody.
AND THIS IS WHERE WE ARE: ENGLAND.
More specifically, in a high-ceilinged corridor of an elegant
building - lovely woodwork all around. Everything is neat,
everything is clean and in order.
MALE VOICE (over)
Patterson was thirty. A brilliant
engineer. A fine man, but do not
become attached to him- there are
many fine men in this story but do
not become attached to any of them.
(beat)
So many of them die.
Patterson stops at a large ornate door, knocks. Waits.
MALE VOICE (over)
And remember this: only the
impossible parts of what follows
really happened...
(Now the door opens
and we-)
CUT TO
Just a wonderfully handsome man standing in the doorway. This is
ROBERT BEAUMONT - 40, with an irresistable smile. We're in his
office and the place reflects the man - clean, cold. There are
maps and charts on the walls. He ushers Patterson inside.
BEAUMONT
(The great smile flashes)
John Henry Patterson, come in. I'm
Robert Beaumont.
(They shake hands)
Firm- I like that, tells me a lot
about you-
(beat)
-now why don't you tell me about me?
To get you started, many people find
me handsome, with a wonderful smile.
I'm sure you agree.
(Surprised, uncomfortable,
Patterson nods)
Winning personality, heaps of charm?
PATTERSON
My wife is the game player in the
family, sir.
BEAUMONT
Games?
(staring dead at Patterson)
Look at me closely, Patterson: I am
a monster. My only pleasure is
tormenting people who work for me,
such as yourself.
(again the smile - only
now it's chilling)
One mistake and I promise you this:
I'll make you hate me.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, as he realizes Beaumont is serious. Beaumont turns
sharply and moves to a large map.
CUT TO
THE MAP. It covers a great deal of East Africa with a very clear
line that ends at Lake Victoria, a distance of some 600 miles.
BEAUMONT
(pointing along the line)
We are building this railroad
across Africa for the glorious
purpose of saving Africa from the
Africans. And, of course, to end
slavery. The Germans and French
are our competition. We are ahead,
and we will stay ahead providing
you do what I hired you to do-
CUT TO
A MORE DETAILED MAP. This one ends at "Tsavo," 130 miles in.
BEAUMONT
-build the bridge over the Tsavo
river. And be finished in four
months time. Can you do that?
PATTERSON
I'm sure you've examined my record.
So you know I've never yet been
late on a bridge.
BEAUMONT
You've never built in Africa.
PATTERSON
But I have in India- every country
presents problems.
BEAUMONT
You'll need your confidence, I
promise you.
PATTERSON
I've got a reason far beyond
confidence: my wife is having our
firstborn in five months and I
promised I'd be with her when the
baby comes.
BEAUMONT
Very moving, Patterson; I'm touched
you confided in me.
(beat)
But I don't really give a shit about
your upcoming litter. I've made you
with this assignment-
(the smile)
-don't make me break you.
PATTERSON
(smiling right back)
You won't have the chance.
(glancing at his watch)
Any further words of encouragement?
(silence)
Then I've a train to catch.
They look at each other a moment in silence - and it's very clear
they do not like each other. Patterson turns, leaves and we
CUT TO
A RAILWAY STATION, IMMEDIATELY AFTER
A train is loading up. A lot of activity, a lot of noise.
Patterson stands in the midst of it, anxiously looking around.
CUT TO
HELENA PATTERSON, hurrying through the crowd. Early 20s, with the
kind of serene beauty of Jean Simmons. She is still slim, has not
begun to show. She spots him, puts a smile on, goes straight into
his arms.
HELENA
I tried to be late, John- it would
have been easier if you'd gone.
PATTERSON
(They are nutty about
each other - he nods)
We're not much good at goodbyes,
Helena.
HELENA
(brightly)
Tell me about Beaumont- does he
understand how brilliant you are,
how lucky he is to have you?
PATTERSON
It was embarrassing- the man showered
me with compliments.
They start to walk hand in hand along the platform toward a
quieter place. Patterson is suddenly very serious-
HELENA
Oh dear-
(beat)
-you're geting that downtrodden look
again-
PATTERSON
-well, it's just...
(beat)
...other men don't abandon their wives
at such a time-
HELENA
(not unkindly)
-oh please- if I'd been against your
taking this, you would have abandoned
me. You've been desperate to see Africa
your whole life.
PATTERSON
What if there are complications?-
HELENA
-not "what if"- there will be, there
always are. Which only means that our
"son" and I- note my confidence- will
have an excuse to come visit.
THE TRAIN WHISTLE sounds.
HELENA
Go, now.
(He kisses her hand)
Such a gentleman.
(Now he holds her)
PATTERSON
I am desperate to see Africa- but I
hate the leaving.
CUT TO
HELENA. She hates it, too.
HELENA
You build bridges, John-
(beat)
-you've got to go where the rivers are.
They hold each other a moment more, then break, then back into
each other's arms a final time, then-
CUT TO
THE TRAIN, and thick clouds of steam-
-Patterson runs into the clouds and disappears.
HOLD FOR A MOMENT.
KEEP HOLDING.
Patterson runs out of the steam and we
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
A DIFFERENT TRAIN, A DIFFERENT COUNTRY, A DIFFERENT WORLD.
This is the train to TSAVO and Patterson is alone on the engine
seat- a wooden bench in front of the engine used by railroad
inspectors and visiting VIPs. Behind it is a white circular piece
of wood used to keep the engine heat from the passengers.
CUT TO
NIGEL STARLING, running as best as he can alongside the train,
trying to pull himself up onto the engine seat.
STARLING is a terribly appealing young man. Clothes do not fit him
well, and he is constantly tugging at this sleeve or that
shirttail, trying to get things right. He wears glasses, tends
nonetheless to squint at the world. He is, above all, a good man,
morally impeccable and very much a product of these Victorian
times.
STARLING
(as Patterson helps
him aboard)
Many thanks.
(squints)
You're Patterson, yes?
(Patterson nods)
Nigel Starling- I'll be assisting you
at Tsavo- but surely Beaumont must
have told you that.
PATTERSON
He just gave me his "monster" speech.
STARLING
That. I know Robert seems dreadful,
but when you truly get to know the man,
well, he's much worse.
(beat)
And I'm one of his defenders.
(Patterson smiles)
Forget him for now- it's your first
ride to Tsavo- I think you'll find it
breathtaking.
(And on that word-)
CUT TO
STARLING coughing like crazy, hands over his face which is caked
with dust- he and Patterson stare out at an absolutely dreary
desert.
PATTERSON
(shouting toward Starling)
"Breathtaking" doesn't begin to do it
justice.
(As Starling starts to
laugh, his mouth opens
and sand flies in, and
his coughing fit returns
and)
CUT TO
THE DESERT. ENDLESS. LATER IN THE DAY.
CUT TO
THE TWO OF THEM, bent over, arms covering their faces as the dust
gets worse- a wind has kicked up.
CUT TO
THE TRAIN, TRYING TO MAKE IT UP A STEEP GRADE. STILL LATER.
Patterson and Starling are walking beside the train now, helping
to push it, trudging through the dust. All the other passengers
spread out behind them, also pushing- the train obviously needs
all the assistance it can get.
CUT TO
INSIDE A RAILROAD CAR, EARLY EVENING.
Patterson and Starling, filthy, sit together. Starling has nodded
off. Patterson has a book open in his lap-
-we can tell there are drawings of African animals- not all that
accurate.
Now Patterson's eyes close and he sleeps.
CUT TO
THE TRAIN POUNDING THROUGH THE NIGHT.
Stokers shovel coal. They are exhausted but they keep at it.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. WAKING IN THE CAR, RUBBING HIS EYES. IT'S DAWN.
He stares out-
-and from his face it's clear something special has happened. And
now, at last-
CUT TO
SOMETHING SPECIAL- and what it is, of course, is Patterson's first
view of the Africa of his imagination.
Because the desert has ended, and now there are grasses and trees
and one more thing-
-bursts of animals. On both sides of the train.
A flock of birds materializes here, a cluster of gazelles doing
there amazing leap there.
Patterson is like a kid in a candy store.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND STARLING, back outside in the engine seat again.
Starling points-
STARLING
Aren't they amazing?
CUT TO
WHAT HE'S POINTING AT: Some giraffes running along, their absurd
shape suddenly graceful as they eat up the ground in incredibly
long strides.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND STARLING, staring out.
PATTERSON
You know the most amazing thing
about them?- they only sleep five
minutes a day.
(Starling glances at him-
clearly, he didn't know that)
CUT TO
A FAMILY OF HYENAS. Close by, loping in their scary way.
STARLING
Don't much like them.
PATTERSON
(nods)
The females are bigger- only animal
here like that- have to be or they
wouldn't survive because the males
eat the young.
CUT TO
STARLING studying Patterson. Clearly, he didn't know that, either.
CUT TO
SOME HIPPOS moving along. Starling turns to Patterson.
STARLING
Anything special about them?
PATTERSON
Just that they fart through their
mouths.
(beat)
Must make kissing something of a
gamble.
STARLING
(laughs)
I've lived in Africa a year and I
don't know what you know. How long
have you been here?
PATTERSON
(looks at his watch)
Almost three hours.
(beat)
But I've been getting ready all my
life.
(Now, from them-)
CUT TO
A BUNCH OF IMPOVERISHED-LOOKING NATIVE WOMEN. They hold children
who wave at the passing train. The children are more impoverished
looking than their mothers.
STARLING
(suddenly touched)
Every time I see something like that,
I know we're right to be here- to
bring Christianity into their lives,
enrich their souls.
PATTERSON
Beaumont says it's to end slavery.
STARLING
(shrugs)
We all have our reasons. Mine is
simply to make them understand
happiness, accept salvation, know the
serenity that comes-
(interrupts himself)
-best I stop. One of the by-products
of my belief is that I can become
amazingly boring. But I know God smiles
on me.
PATTERSON
(They really like each other)
Have you got that in writing?
(Starling, amazingly good
natured, laughs. And now-)
CUT TO
A WHITE CLAW.
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
Hundreds of white claws.
KEEP PULLING BACK TO REVEAL
They aren't claws at all, they're thorns as sharp as claws and
they're on a twenty-foot high thorn tree.
And there are dozens of those trees, packed together. All mixed in
with other trees, low and stunted, and thick underbrush and baked
red rocks-
-now the train begins to slow.
Smoke drifts across.
A bunch of wildebeest scatter off the tracks.
STARLING (over)
Welcome to Tsavo.
(on the word)
CUT TO
TSAVO.
We have arrived at the train station area and what we see is a
place that is still being built. There are tin shacks; a water
tower is under construction-
-men are working everywhere, for that's what Tsavo is: a place for
work.
THE TRAIN goes slower still.
No one stands idly around here.
But no one looks happy either.
ONE MAN is apart from the rest: this is SAMUEL.
An ageless Masai, tall and slender, he has a smile that can light
the world.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND STARLING as they step off the train.
STARLING
(indicating Samuel,
who is approaching)
Samuel is camp liaison- absolutely
indispensable- the only man here
everyone trusts.
PATTERSON
(softly)
Does he speak English?
SAMUEL
(not softly enough)
And very poor French.
STARLING
(introducing)
Samuel- John Patterson.
SAMUEL
(as they shake)
The bridgebuilder-
(gesturing to the
working men)
-we have been getting ready for
you.
PATTERSON
Excellent. Could I see the bridge
site?
(Samuel nods)
STARLING
I've got medical supplies to
deliver. Come along to the hospital
when you're done.
(starting off)
SAMUEL
I will bring him, Nigel.
We should realize by now that Samuel's was the voice we heard at
the very beginning of the picture.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL, starting to walk. They pass the water tower.
Standing on top of it in a precarious position is an extremely
powerful INDIAN. He waves to Samuel who waves back. This is SINGH.
WORKERS study Patterson as he moves by. Not smiling. Up ahead,
some SIKHS are erecting tents. Not smiling.
PATTERSON
Why do the workers look unhappy?
SAMUEL
Because they are here.
(beat)
Because Tsavo is the worst place in
the world.
(He points ahead)
Come, John- to the bridge.
(And on that-)
CUT TO
THE RAILROAD TRACKS as the camera pans along.
CUT TO
THE RIVER in the distance as they walk toward it.
And here is as good a place as any to explain just what the spot
where the movie takes place was like.
There were five hundred men working for Patterson. And they lived
in a spread out area. A bunch of Indian coolies who might have
come from the same town back in their country might choose to live
in one cluster of tents. A group of natives might be in another
cluster.
What we have then, as far as living places are concerned, are
dozens of clusters of tents. (Eventually, as the terror began,
these areas all got surrounded, each with its own thorn fence.)
The places we'll come to know best are, among others, Patterson's
living area, the hospital tent area, the area by the river where
the bridge is to be built, etc., etc.
As they move, Samuel points out various camps.
A SECT OF INDIANS is getting ready for prayer.
ANOTHER SECT OF INDIANS is eating.
A GROUP OF AFRICANS are cleaning their tent area.
Anyway, you get the idea. Just remember that the place covered a
wide expanse, maybe a mile square, maybe more.
Okay, back to the story.
PATTERSON
(as they pass the INDIAN
tent area where prayer is
starting)
It's all wonderfully under control,
Samuel- you've done a splendid job.
SAMUEL
Thank you. The truth is this: you
have to work at it constantly.
PATTERSON
The workers don't get on?
SAMUEL
Get on? They detest each other.
Obviously the Africans hate the
Indians. But the Indians also hate
the other Indians. Some of them
worship cows, while others eat them.
(As they move on)
CUT TO
RAILROAD TRACK.
PAN ALONG TO
MORE RAILROAD TRACK.
KEEP PANNING
And suddenly the track just stops in mid-air as we
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL standing high above the Tsavo River. The
track has come to the edge of the area above the riverbank- where
it just stops-
-and picks up on the far side. All that's missing, in other words,
is the hundred-yard-long bridge that will connect the pieces of
track.
SAMUEL
(to the far side)
Railhead is across there.
CUT TO
THE DISTANCE. Nothing can be made out clearly but there are great
clouds of dust.
SAMUEL
Three thousand men laying track- when
the bridge is done, it all joins up.
Patterson nods, says nothing, but goes to his haunches, staring at
the space where the bridge is to be.
SAMUEL
Did it look like this in your mind?
PATTERSON
(shakes his head)
This is more difficult-
CUT TO
PATTERSON. CLOSE UP. Excited.
PATTERSON
(eyes bright)
-but how wonderful that it's
difficult, it should be difficult-
what better job in all the world
than build a bridge?- make things
connect- bring worlds together- and
get it right!
(Now from Patterson-)
CUT TO
THE HOSPITAL TENT
as Patterson and Samuel walk in. Patterson glances around-
-it's not bad at all. Of course there are some patients, injured
or with fever. But like the rest of the camp we've just seen,
everything is working well, everything is under control. Starling
approaches.
STARLING
Finish your tour?
PATTERSON
(nods)
And anxious to get started.
(indicating the hospital)
What is this, mostly malaria?
STARLING
Yes- but their suffering is only
transitory- once they except God
into their hearts, He will vanquish
all pain.
MAN'S VOICE (over)
That's just vomitous talk, Nigel- the
poor bastards will relapse if you keep
on that way.
(As they turn-)
CUT TO
DOCTOR DAVID HAWTHORNE. A tough, middle-aged cockney. And a heavy
drinker. A man who hasn't been tactful in twenty years.
HAWTHORNE
(to Patterson)
I'm David Hawthorne, this is my
hospital. And my advice to you is,
"don't get sick in front of it."
(beat)
That was meant to be charming,
sorry. I seem to have lost the knack.
STARLING
You never had it.
HAWTHORNE
Nigel and I don't like each other much.
SAMUEL
(breaking the tension)
I am also liaison between these two.
PATTERSON
(to Hawthorne)
Clearly you don't agree about building
the railroad?
HAWTHORNE
This sham? Ridiculous. Who needs it?
It's only being built to control the
ivory trade, make men richer.
PATTERSON
Then why do you stay?
HAWTHORNE
Who else would hire me?
(to Starling)
Beat you to it, didn't I?
(beat)
Oh yes, almost forgot- brought you a
little welcoming gift.
(Now he gestures and we-)
CUT TO
A NERVOUS ORDERLY who approaches them. He has been freshly
bandaged across one shoulder.
HAWTHORNE
This is Karim, one of my orderlies-
attacked by a man-eater earlier
today- first incident of that kind
here.
Patterson says not a word, just studies the wounded man.
STARLING
(incredulous)
A man-eater attacks and you're such
a buffoon you almost forget to mention
it?
HAWTHORNE
Well, he got away, didn't he?
(to Patterson)
Riding a donkey not far from here
when the lion sprang on them- donkey
took the brunt of it- then suddenly
the lion ran off.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Listening. No emotion on his face.
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE. He's kind of enjoying this. Bearing down.
HAWTHORNE
I know it's your first day and of
course you must be tired from the
journey-
(beat)
-but what are you going to do about
it?
PATTERSON
(a long pause, then evenly-)
Karim will have to show me where it
happened. And of course, I'll need
the donkey.
(beat)
With any luck, I'll sort it out tonight.
(And he walks out, leaving
an astonished Starling
staring after him)
CUT TO
PATTERSON'S TENT AREA
Starling has a tent there, too, as do Samuel and Hawthorne. And
there are half a dozen ORDERLIES.
Right now, Patterson is unpacking, moving in and out of his tent.
Starling, sipping tea, sits and watches.
STARLING
I couldn't believe it when you said
"sort it out." As if it were the most
normal thing in the world. "Ho-hum,
what lovely tea, I think I'll bag a
killer beast this evening, nothing
much else going on anyway."
PATTERSON
Well, he put me in a spot, didn't he?
But that's all right- after all, I'm
responsible for everything that happens
here. And it certainly won't do much
for morale if a man-eater's on the prowl.
He goes into his tent with some books now and we go with him.
There is a photo of Helena on a small table. A photo of an ELDERLY
COUPLE, clearly his parents. His clothes are stacked with
precision. He arranges his books precisely too.
Clearly, John Patterson is a man who believes in order.
STARLING
(calling out)
You said "of course" you'd need the
donkey. Why "of course"?
PATTERSON
(taking a rifle,
moving outside)
We know three things about man-eaters.
First, they always return to where
they've attacked before. Second, they're
always old- they can't catch other
animals so they turn to us. And third,
they're always alone- they've been cast
out by their pride because they can't
keep up.
CUT TO
STARLING, sipping his tea and there's no hiding it, he's excited.
But also a bit reluctant.
STARLING
I don't suppose I could watch.
PATTERSON
(delighted)
Might be exciting for you.
STARLING
I've never been all that adventurous.
I wouldn't be in the way?
PATTERSON
I'd love the company. And I've hunted
all my life.
STARLING
(gathering courage)
Well, why not? You seem so calm and
experienced.
(standing, teacup in hand)
Why not, indeed!
(Now from that-)
CUT TO
A SLIGHTLY WOUNDED DONKEY
It's roped loosely to a tree, bells around its neck. When it
moves, they make a sound. Middle of the night. A night wind.
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
We're in a clearing with thick trees all around.
KEEP PULLING BACK TO REVEAL
PATTERSON AND STARLING, seated uncomfortably in a tree on the edge
of the clearing, twelve feet up in the air. Patterson has his
rifle ready. This next is all whispered.
STARLING
(embarrassed)
I hate to be a bother, John, but the
cramp's getting worse.
(Pulls up his trousers-
his leg is knotted)
The pain is actually quite unbearable
now.
PATTERSON
Shhh.
STARLING
I'm sure you mean that to be comforting,
but-
PATTERSON
(interrupting)
-you'll have to deal with it, Nigel.
STARLING
That is precisely my plan- but back in
my tent.
(And he begins to climb down)
CUT TO
PATTERSON, grabbing him.
PATTERSON
They own the night- nobody moves when
there's a man-eater out there.
Starling glumly obeys. Then-
STARLING
John? I know this isn't the time to ask,
but-
PATTERSON
What?
STARLING
Since you'd only been here three hours
when we met, are you sure this is how
you hunt lions?
PATTERSON
Not to terrify you, Nigel, but it's worse
than you think- I've never even seen one.
CUT TO
STARLING, not pleased with this news. He massages his calf, tries
to get comfortable, which is impossible. Patterson just stares at
the night.
CUT TO
JUST BEFORE DAWN
The donkey dozes. So does Starling. Patterson has not so much as
moved.
Now the bushes behind the donkey shake just a little.
And the donkey is suddenly awake and scared-
-and then it all goes crazy- the donkey screams and a lion appears
from the bushes and Patterson fires one shot and the sound
EXPLODES-
-and Starling topples from the tree to the ground, landing shocked
but unhurt-
-he has landed close to the dead lion- he stares at it.
STARLING
(amazed)
...one shot...
PATTERSON
(even more amazed)
So that's what a lion looks like.
(Now from the tree-)
CUT TO
THE HOSPITAL TENT AREA - JUST AFTER DAWN
HOLD for a moment.
SAMUEL (over)
One shot- one-
KEEP HOLDING
Now Samuel comes walking into the shot, really excited-
-it's the first time we've seen his wonderful smile.
SAMUEL
Patterson has made the nights safe
again.
KEEP HOLDING FOR JUST A MOMENT MORE.
As he walks on, behind him come THREE COOLIES carrying the body of
the lion. As dozens of men come running in from all over to see
the dead man-eater-
SAMUEL
(mimes shooting)
BOOM!
(Now as the crowd
continues to grow-)
CUT TO
A ROUGH ENGINEER'S DRAWING OF WHAT WILL BE THE BRIDGE
It has two embankments on either side of the river.
These embankments are big- forty feet wide, fifty feet high.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND STARLING standing on the high ground where the
embankment will start. From here, there is a slope down to the
river itself.
Also present is UNGAN SIGNH, who we saw earlier standing
precariously atop the water tower. Singh, enormously powerful, is
another assistant. Bright, a great worker, another main character
in what is to follow.
Now Patterson starts to walk down the slope towards the river-
it's not that easy to do without falling, but that doesn't bother
him. He talks and gestures as he explains to the other two who
move down with him.
Singh, for all his massive size, moves like a cat. Starling does
not, slipping and sliding.
PATTERSON
(gesturing)
All right, I'd like to start the
embankments today-
(to Singh)
-sufficient supplies on hand?
SINGH
(nods)
More than.
STARLING
With much more on the way-
(loses balance, falls)
-John- we could have had this chat on
flatter ground-
PATTERSON
-true enough- but without the comedy
relief.
(Starling, amazingly good
natured, smiles, gets
back up)
CUT TO
THE RIVER as they scramble down to it.
CUT TO
THE SLOPE they've come down- it's a long way back to the top.
CUT TO
THE THREE MEN. It's a glorious morning.
PATTERSON
How lucky we are.
STARLING
Aren't we full of ourselves today?
(beat)
I think it's because of the lion.
PATTERSON
Possibly.
SINGH
(soft)
You know, I too have killed a lion.
STARLING
How many shots did you need?
CUT TO
SINGH. Almost embarrassed.
SINGH
I used my hands.
He holds his big hands up, palms out. Starling looks at Singh to
see if he means it-
-he means it all right. Now, from Starling's perpetually surprised
face-
CUT TO
SURVEYING EQUIPMENT
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
PATTERSON sighting through it- we are on the far side of the river
now. Singh is there, Starling, too.
Behind them: a field of tall grass.
PATTERSON
All right- thee second embankment
will go there.
(He gestures toward
the river)
STARLING
You do plan to mark it a bit more
precisely than just-
(imitating Patterson)
-"there."
PATTERSON
(smiling)
In your honor, Nigel. And you and
Singh will be in charge of building
them- and you'll also build the
roadbeds and the three foundation
pillars- and you'll be finished in
eight thrilling weeks.
STARLING
(very dubious)
John, it will not be easy.
PATTERSON
Nigel, you'll just have to use your
hands-
(And he smiles, repeating
Singh's gesture, both
palms out)
CUT TO
SINGH. He smiles back, starts to reply. But his words stop, his
smile dies. He just stares and we-
CUT TO
WHAT HE'S STARING AT- the surrounding field of tall grass. Nothing
unusual about it.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. He stares, too.
CUT TO
THE FIELD OF TALL GRASS- suddenly it begins to bend and sway in a
fresh wind.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Silent. As before. Starling follows his glance.
CUT TO
SINGH. Frozen.
CUT TO
THE FIELD. And now the field is making odd patterns- as if
something unseen were moving through.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Quiet. Just the wind.
CUT TO
THE FIELD. Nothing visible. But the odd pattern seems to be making
its way across the field.
CUT TO
SINGH AND STARLING. Quiet. Just the wind.
CUT TO
THE FIELD. The odd pattern seems to stop. Around it, the wind
makes different shapes of the grass.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, as the wind continues to blow. He continues to stare at
the spot where the pattern stopped.
CUT TO
SINGH. As before. Except for one thing: suddenly, he begins to
shiver, as if from cold.
CUT TO
THE BUILDING SEQUENCE
And what we see are a lot of cuts of a lot of activity.
Huge wooden logs are carried in and hammered to each other and
driven deep into the ground- the framework for the embankments.
And Singh carries the heaviest loads and leads the workers- and as
the structure rises, he is the one darting along the top, high in
the air, pulling more logs up, helping here, helping there.
And alongside him is his assistant, ABDULLAH, a little man with
glasses and very bright eyes.
Meanwhile, Starling is leading construction on the embankment that
is on the far side of the river. And he does his best, tries to
help on the top part as it rises- but alas, he is a bit on the
clumsy side and balance is a problem for him. But he stays with
it, does well.
And Patterson, in tremendous spirits, helps when needed, but
mostly he is dealing with other aspects of the bridge- such as the
placements of the three stone foundation pillars-
-he wades into the water, climbs the structures, takes it all in-
and at the start he is still in the uniform he has worn since the
start of the story- but it's clumsy for labor-
-so he changes halfway through to civilian clothes-
-which is all he wears from now on.
And the workers tire in the heat- but Singh keeps them going,
working with the power of three-
-and there are accidents and explosions, injuries and falls- and
Hawthorne appears when needed to help with the wounded-
-it's hard, brutal work-
-but gradually, the wooden structure part is finished- two huge
skeletons facing each other across the Tsavo River- and now work
on the roadbed is going full blast and in the river, the three
foundation pillars are taking shape-
CUT TO
TONS OF RED ROCK- being shoved into the wooden skeleton to
complete the embankments. As this goes on-
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL in the river- the foundation pillar work is
going very quickly.
Patterson stops working, looks across the river-
-movement in the grassy area on the far side.
CUT TO
SEVERAL NANDI TRIBESMEN as they rise out of the grass, gesture to
Samuel who gestures back. The Nandi are a tribe of powerful little
men, primitive, with teeth that have been sharpened to points.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL watching them.
PATTERSON
What are they looking at?
SAMUEL
You- they cannot believe you're
still here.
PATTERSON
Nonsense.
SAMUEL
You don't know what Tsavo means, do
you?
(Patterson doesn't)
It means "slaughter"...
CUT TO
THE NANDI TRIBESMEN, staring at Patterson, shaking their heads.
CUT TO
THE TWO EMBANKMENTS, as more and more red rock is shoved and
pushed into shape.
CUT TO
THE THREE FOUNDATION PILLARS- almost finished.
CUT TO
THE ROADBED. The same.
CUT TO
THE NEAR EMBANKMENT as still more rock is forced in and
CUT TO
THE FAR EMBANKMENT done at last-
CUT TO
-and Singh stands on the top of the near one while across the
river, Patterson pulls Starling to the top of the other.
And they all look at each other- the embankments are both
finished- THE THREE OF THEM are flying-
-and what they do is this: hold their hands out toward each other,
in Singh's gesture. It's kind of become their password.
HOLD. A big moment for them all!
CUT TO
SINGH'S TENT AREA
He sits around a fire and the man is exhausted. His dinner plate
is beside him, untouched. He's too tired to eat.
CUT TO
PATTERSON'S TENT AREA
Starling is there, getting ready for bed. He's wiped out, too.
CUT TO
SINGH, going into his tent, lying down, breathing deep.
CUT TO
STARLING is in his tent, turning out his lamp, half asleep
already.
CUT TO
PATTERSON in his tent, closing his eyes.
CUT TO
SINGH, deep asleep in his tent-
-he shares it with a dozen others and they're all deep asleep.
They lie on the floor of the tent, heads together toward the
center pole, feet toward the edges of the tent.
HOLD ON SINGH. It's very dark. HE AND HIS MEN just lie motionless,
breathing deeply.
KEEP HOLDING.
Now the CAMERA moves up, high into the center of the tent, looking
down at the circle of men.
KEEP HOLDING.
They don't move, not even an inch. The steady breathing is the
only sound.
YES, KEEP HOLDING.
KEEP HOLDING.
Nothing is going on down there. Nothing at all.
KEEP HOLDING.
Not a goddamn thing.
KEEP ON HOLDING. KEEP ON HOLDING.
And now two things happen at the same time- Singh's eyes go wide-
-and he starts to slide out of the tent, as if being pulled by
some giant invisible wire-
CUT TO
SINGH. CLOSE UP. Screaming.
CUT TO
THE OTHER MEN IN THE TENT, waking, staring around and
CUT TO
SINGH as he slides out of the tent into the night and his screams
grow even louder as we
CUT TO
THE OTHER MEN IN THE TENT and it's like a bomb just went off, they
rise, spin, cry out, stare-
CUT TO
THE NIGHT OUTSIDE AND SINGH'S BODY sliding along the ground. It's
pitch black, and he's going head first now, face upwards and he's
going ast tremendous speed and whatever the hell it is that's
making this happen is something we can't make out- because it's so
dark and because it's on the far side of the man, and his body is
in our way and
CUT TO
UP AHEAD, some bushes and
CUT TO
SINGH, his body going faster than before and his cries are
weakening-
-CUT TO
THE NIGHT and his body and there is no sound at all coming from
him now and there is no sound from whatever it is that is making
this happen- all we see, barely, is the limp body of the big man
as it skims along and-
CUT TO
UP AHEAD NOW, a low clump of bushes.
CUT TO
SINGH'S BODY, coming closer and
CUT TO
THE BUSHES and as we get in on them we can tell they are thorn
bushes and now-
CUT TO
SINGH, suddenly rising magically in the night, his body flying
over the bushes and gone!
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND STARLING, early morning, their rifles held in front
of them, racing along, suddenly stopping, staring down and
CUT TO
THE GROUND. At first we can't make out much. Then we can- a spot
of red.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND STARLING, hurrying on again.
CUT TO
THORN TREES, and as they force their way through them-
CUT TO
A LARGE VULTURE, wings spread wide as it floats slowly to earth-
-HOLD-
-as it lands we can see A DOZEN OTHER VULTURES are already there,
surrounding something-
-but we can't make it out. We are in an area of grass and shadow-
-and specks of blood.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, cries out in shock and fury, fires his rifle, races
forward.
CUT TO
THE VULTURES screeching and screaming, taking off, and as we watch
them soar into the morning sky-
HAWTHORNE'S VOICE (over)
What the lion must have done, once
he'd killed Singh, was lick his skin
off so he could drink his blood-
CUT TO
THE HOSPITAL
Hawthorne is examining Singh's body, trying to be professional,
but he's clearly upset- it's awful.
HAWTHORNE
-then he feasted on him, starting
with his feet-
STARLING
(evenb more upset)
-please- you needn't be so graphic-
HAWTHORNE
You intend "sorting this out" tonight?
PATTERSON
I'll try- but this feels so different-
that old lion I killed could never
carry off a man Singh's size.
STARLING
(maybe a little alarmed)
But you said they were always old.
PATTERSON
That's what the books say...
(Now from that-)
CUT TO
FLAMES RISING IN THE DARKENING SKY. NOW-
CUT TO
ABDULLAH in tears. Where are we?
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
This is Singh's funeral pyre.
Singh's body is being burned.
A LOT OF INDIANS are there. We've caught sight of some of them
before- they worked with Singh on the embankment or lived with him
in his tent.
There is a terrible sense of shock.
Patterson stands at the rear. He is terribly moved. Now, unseen by
the others, he holds his hands out in Singh's gesture one final
time.
CUT TO
THE FLAMES; they continue to rise...
CUT TO
SINGH'S TENT
Night. The flaps that were open when Singh was alive are now shut
and tied.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, the middle of the night. He is alone, fifteen feet up
in a tree near Singh's tent. He holds his rifle, ready for
anything. He cannot get comfortable.
CUT TO
THE AREA- nothing, no movement.
CUT TO
SINGH'S TENT. As before.
CUT TO
THE AREA. No sign of movement of any kind. Dead.
CUT TO
THE MOON. Lower in the sky. The night is growing to a lose but
there is still darkness.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Battling fatigue- but now, for a moment, losing- his
eyes, against his will, start to close, and as they do-
CUT TO
TWO HUGE YELLOW EYES. That's all we see, just the eyes and they
are near Patterson's tree and they are staring up at him and-
CUT TO
PATTERSON, startled, grabbing his rifle more tightly, staring down
and-
CUT TO
THE HUGE YELLOW EYES- only they're gone.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, blowing on his hands, looking toward the sky.
CUT TO
THE SUN, RISING, THE NIGHT DONE.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, wrinkled and weary, frustrated and sore, walking back
toward his tent area. Now he stops.
CUT TO
ABDULLAH and a large group of workers- only they're not working.
They smoke, play cards, sit around.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, steaming, going up to Abdullah.
PATTERSON
You were contracted to work-
ABDULLAH
(gesturing around)
-malaria epidemic; very sudden.
PATTERSON
Let me see the sick.
ABDULLAH
(not backing off)
Oh, you're a doctor now, too?
PATTERSON
There is no reason for fear.
ABDULLAH
On that I choose to remain dubious.
(beat)
Two are dead now in two nights.
(And on that news-)
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Rocked. He didn't know. Behind him now, Starling
hurries up, Samuel alongside.
PATTERSON
(to Starling)
Second death? Where?-
STARLING
(gesturing)
-far end of camp- man wandering alone
at night. Hawthorne's examining the
body now.
(beat)
There's even less of him than of Singh.
PATTERSON
(just shakes his head)
But it's crazy- the lion shouldn't be
that hungry this soon.
(getting control- he
looks to Samuel)
Samuel?
SAMUEL
We should construct thorn fences
around every tent area. Fires burning
at night.
PATTERSON
Fine. Get started. And a strict curfew-
no one allowed out at night.
(to Abdullah)
Send half your men to the bridge, the
rest with these two.
(Abdullah nods)
And I'm sorry for my tone earlier. But
I repeat- there is no reason for fear.
I will kill the lion and I will build
the bridge.
ABDULLAH
Of course you will, you are white, you
can do anything...
(They look at each
other. They are not
friends. Now-)
CUT TO
THE THORN BUSHES WE SAW ON OUR ARRIVAL TO TSAVO
ENDLESS NUMBERS OF THEM. There is a machete-like sound as we
CUT TO
A BUNCH OF WORKMEN, led by Samuel, chopping down branches. They do
it with care- these are claws-
CUT TO
-STARLING, in charge of another area, and he's not hanging back,
he's taking less care than the others, hacking away with his
machete, moving in between bushes and
CUT TO
ONE OF THE BUSHES, SNAPPING BACK into Starling, and Starling
taking the blow with his arms- the claws cut his clothing-
-his arms are starting to bleed-
-he is unmindful, continues to wade into the bushes, chopping at
them, cutting them down. He is a good man doing a good thing and
right now, he is possessed.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, leaving his tent area, lost in thought, going toward
the bridge. Up ahead is a grassy area.
CUT TO
THE GRASSY AREA
For a moment, nothing. Then there is the same kind of movement we
saw with Singh. Something is making the grass move-
-only now there is no wind... HOLD.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Did he see it? We'll never know.
CUT TO
STARLING, in charge of a thorn fence that is halfway finished. His
clothes are shredded. A WORKER has finished with a section and
satisfied, moves on-
-but Starling is far from finished. He grabs the thorns with his
bare hands and squeezes them together.
STARLING
Not good enough- look, it's got to
be tighter. Tighter.
CUT TO
THE AREA IN WHICH HE'S BEEN WORKING. FENCES ARE WELL ALONG TOWARD
COMPLETION. IT'S LATE AFTERNOON.
PULL UP
We see more fences around more camp areas.
KEEP PULLING UP
The entire place is filled with fences now, all the individual
areas protected.
The skies are starting to darken- dusk is coming fast.
Fires start up. Dozens of them.
Still darker.
Now workers come racing home to their camps, anxious for safety
before darkness takes over. They zig-zag this way, that way,
dodging past each other sometimes they slam into each other, fall,
get up, run on-
CUT TO
THE SUN. Falling out of the sky.
CUT TO
THE CAMP. The fires rise higher. No one moves... HOLD.
CUT TO
STARLING in the main tent area. He is bathing his bloody hands.
Samuel is with him. Both are exhausted.
Patterson brings them each drinks. They nod thanks, drain them.
They stand there together, lit by the flames of their fire. You
get the sense these three will be friends forever.
STARLING
What a good week.
PATTERSON
You mean nobody died?
STARLING
(shakes his head)
We all worked together. Worthy deeds
were accomplished. I liked the labor.
(beat)
My mother insisted on piano lessons-
broke the dear woman's heart when I
turned out to be tone deaf- but she
still was always at me about being
careful with my hands.
(looks at them)
I like the blood, is that strange?
SAMUEL
Oh yes, I think so.
(Starling smiles, starts
to speak)
PATTERSON
Look out, Samuel, here it comes.
STARLING
Even you two must admit that it is a
glorious thing, what Man can
accomplish. When there is a common
splendid goal, there are no limits.
Think what we will accomplish when we
all have God's warmth in our hearts.
(Samuel's eyes have
closed; he begins to snore.
Patterson can't help
laughing)
CUT TO
STARLING. As good natured as ever.
STARLING
I am immune to your disdain.
(He looks at them now)
When I came here, I had but one small
goal: to convert the entire continent
of Africa.
(shakes his head)
Now I've decided to move on to
something really difficult: I will not
rest until both of you are safely in
the fold.
SAMUEL
I've had four wives, good luck.
STARLING
The struggle is the glory...
(HOLD ON the three friends)
CUT TO
PATTERSON, the next morning, working with Abdullah and some others
at the bridge.
CUT TO
STARLING completing work on the fence from the day before. It's
high and taut and he's done a terrific job.
CUT TO
TSAVO STATION
A BUNCH OF OTHER MEN are working near a large grassy field. One of
the men starts a chant. The others pick it up. It's really pretty.
CUT TO
PATTERSON wading into the river- he stops as the sound of the
chant comes distantly to him on the wind.
CUT TO
THE WORKMEN CHANTING LOUDER. It's turning into a stunner of a day-
glorious blue sky broken up by pale clouds.
CUT TO
STARLING. Pauses briefly, listening to the sound of the men.
CUT TO
THE MEN WORKING AND SINGING. As before.
CUT TO
THE GRASSY FIELD. As before-
-except it isn't. Because if you looked carefully, something
flicked in a 180 degree arc. No telling what it was, it was gone
too quickly.
CUT TO
THE MEN WORKING, SINGING ON.
CUT TO
PATTERSON waist deep in the river, listening to the sound of the
men, of the birds. The sun is higher in the sky.
CUT TO
THE GRASSY FIELD-
-and here it comes again, only the other way this time, flicking
back in another 180 degree arc-
-still hard to tell for sure what it was but maybe it was this: a
tail. Now quickly-
CUT TO
PATTERSON wading out of the river as Samuel comes into view. He
holds an envelope.
SAMUEL
For you.
PATTERSON
(taking it)
Thank you, Samuel.
SAMUEL
(watching as Patterson
opens it)
Good news?
PATTERSON
(glancing at the letter)
I expect so- it's from my wife.
SAMUEL
Do you love her?
PATTERSON
I do, actually; very much.
SAMUEL
(his wonderful smile)
You give me hope, John.
(As he walks away-)
CUT TO
STARLING, probing at the thorn fence, searching out any last
weaknesses.
Behind him now, in the tall grass, something moves.
Starling, intent on his work, notices nothing.
CUT TO
THE SINGING MEN, getting more and more into it.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, by the river, reading the letter.
There is a large tree up the riverbank. It casts a large shadow.
In the shadow now, something moves.
Patterson, intent on his reading, notices nothing.
HELENA (over)
Darling one- the big excitement
yesterday was when some school-
children spotted a whale-
(pause)
-they were looking at me, John-
CUT TO
HELENA, in their bedroom, moving across to the window, staring
out. She now has a considerable stomach.
HELENA
That was an attempt at humor but I
don't feel very funny these days. I
miss you terribly and after our son-
I still have total confidence- well,
after he's born I think travel might
be broadening. As he kicks me at
night I'm quite sure he's telling me
he definitely wants to come to Africa.
(pause)
Thought you might need reminding.
CUT TO
PATTERSON by the river. He smiles, folds the letter. Now-
CUT TO
THE SINGING WORKMEN at Tsavo station- and they sense how good they
sound, and they really concentrate on it, on making that sound
even better-
-there must be twenty of them, working and singing-
-and screaming!
CUT TO
PATTERSON, turning his head sharply and
CUT TO
STARLING, doing the same and
CUT TO
THE SCREAMING WORKMEN and they're running now, running and
shrieking and that's all we see, the workmen-
-some of them run left-
-some run right-
-and now a few of them are starting to cry.
CUT TO
A FAT COOLIE running and running, glancing back, screaming louder,
running on and on and
CUT TO
-a shadow in the grass- no telling what- but it's big and it's
moving and
CUT TO
THE FAT COOLIE and this next goes so fast it could be a dream- or,
more accurately, a nightmare-
SHOCK CUT TO
A GIGANTIC WHITE MANED LION as it leaps onto the Fat Coolie,
brings him to earth, bites his neck in two, kills him, just-like-
that.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL, as they race away from the river and
CUT TO
STARLING, running from the fenced area- he holds a rifle in his
hands.
CUT TO
ANOTER PART OF THE CAMP AND A DIFFERENT BUNCH OF WORKMEN- they
freeze as the screams reach them and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, on the way to his tent area and
CUT TO
DIFFERENT WORKMEN listening in fear and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, racing to his tent, grabbing his rifle and cartridges
and
CUT TO
STARLING, running toward the screaming and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, as he charges ahead, loading his rifle on the fly and
CUT TO
SAMUEL, carrying more ammunition, running behind Patterson,
keeping up and
CUT TO
TSAVO STATION and nothing is visible now- the men are gone and
from this angle, it looks deserted and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, catching Starling, leading him into the TSAVO STATION
area, Samuel just behind them.
CUT TO
A RECTANGULAR SHED, ahead of them. They move to it, slow-
-then they stop-
-a sound is heard- from around the corner- the sound continues-
Patterson glances at Starling- the sound could be this: the
crunching of bones.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, checking his rifle.
CUT TO
STARLING, doing the same. Samuel, holding the extra ammunition,
moves close to Patterson. Now-
CUT TO
PATTERSON as he suddenly steps away from the shed, rounding the
corner and as he does-
CUT TO
THE WHITE LION, with the Fat Coolie- the lion is crunching at his
feet-
-then the lion stares toward the shed as we
CUT TO
PATTERSON, moving out into clearer view, Starling and Samuel right
with him. THE LION is a good distance away.
CUT TO
THE WHITE LION, a low growl coming from him as he takes the
coolie's body by the shoulder, begins backing away with it.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, dropping to his knees for the shot and
CUT TO
STARLING, doing the same and
CUT TO
THE WHITE LION, growling louder and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, taking aim and
CUT TO
SAMUEL, crying out and pointing and suddenly we're into super slow
motion-
-Samuel has pointed back toward the roof of the shed and-
-and this thing is suddenly there-
-this huge dark thing and it seems to suddenly appear from the
flat roof of the shed and
CUT TO
THE SUN, blocked out as this dark thing moves across it, fully
stretched, it seems to go on forever and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, turning around to see and
CUT TO
STARLING, turning too, and we're coming back into regular motion
now as we
CUT TO
This enormous BLACK-MANED LION diving into the three, sending them
all sprawling and
CUT TO
THE WHITE MANED LION roaring and
CUT TO
THE BLACK MANED LION roaring, running to the other and
CUT TO
THE TWO LIONS IN CLOSE UP.
THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS, for that is how they will be referred
to-
-and The Ghost has blood and bits of flesh on its mouth-
-The Darkness has eyes that are crazed-
-they are destruction bringers, these two, they can kill the old
and the young and the fat and the strong-
CUT TO
PATTERSON, lying in pain, dazed, shoulder bleeding, trying to
reach for his rifle and
CUT TO
THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS, the white and the black, as they move
toward the field of tall grass, roaring and
CUT TO
SAMUEL, lying in pain, his leg is bleeding and
CUT TO
PATTERSON'S RIFLE and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, as he reaches it, manages to lift it and the roaring
sounds are deafening now and
CUT TO
THE TWO GIGANTIC MALES, backing into the tall grass-
-they roar one final time-
CUT TO
PATTERSON, gun ready to fire but it's futile and he knows it as we
CUT TO
THE TALL GRASS and they're gone, the grass is full of moving
patterns from the wind- that's all we see- just the grass blowing
this way, that way-
CUT TO
PATTERSON, staggering to his feet, staring at the grassy field.
PATTERSON
(dazed)
Jesus, two of them...
CUT TO
SAMUEL. Dazed too. He points. Patterson registers, turns and
CUT TO
STARLING, LYING DEAD, his throat ripped open. HOLD briefly on the
young man, then-
CUT TO
THE STATION AREA
A train from Mombassa is slowly pulling in. And things are fairly
chaotic- there is the usual activity of what is ordinarily one of
the busier parts in camp-
-but now, something new has been added: Abdullah is there with
several dozen coolies who work under his command. THey are waiting
for the train.
Patterson and Samuel are there too- and at the moment, Abdullah
and Patterson are in the middle of a screamer- first one of them
walking away, then coming back, then the other doing the same.
PATTERSON
(shouting over the noise
of the approaching train)
-oh, sing a different song, Abdullah-
(gesturing toward the men
who stand by the train
tracks)
-there's nothing wrong with your men
so stop telling me there is-
ABDULLAH
(advancing on Patterson now)
-you do not call me a liar- you know
nothing of their health- consider
yourself fortunate I persuaded so
many to stay- consider yourself
fortunate I have decided to stay-
PATTERSON
(losing it)
You think you matter?
(gesturing toward the
train which is close to
stopping now)
-Beaumont is on that train- he
matters-
CUT TO
PATTERSON, moving in on Abdullah now-
PATTERSON
He sees this chaos, he'll replace
you all.
ABDULLAH
He'll replace you, too- that's all
you really care about.
PATTERSON
You think so? Fine.
(finished arguing)
It's best you get out. Go. Tell all
your people to go, run home where
they'll be safe under the covers and
when the bridge is built and the
railroad is done, they can tell their
women that out of all the thousands
who worked here, they were the only
ones to flee-
(And he wheels around,
starts to walk away as we-)
CUT TO
ABDULLAH. Quiet, staring after Patterson.
CUT TO
SAMUEL. Patterson has won. As the two of them exchange a quick
glance-
CUT TO
BEAUMONT standing in the door of a passenger car, handsome as
ever. Somehow his clothes are still pressed.
Patterson moves up. In a splendid mood. Samuel is happy too.
PATTERSON
Pleasant journey?
BEAUMONT
(stepping off the train)
How could it be? I hate Africa.
Now there is the sudden sound of men singing- Patterson looks
around and we
CUT TO
ABDULLAH and his workmen, moving away from the train- they are
singing the same song that the workmen sang just before The Ghost
and The Darkness attacked- it's pretty- but it's also a little
unnerving.
CUT TO
BEAUMONT. Listening a moment.
BEAUMONT
Lovely sound- they seem happy.
PATTERSON
Don't they, though?
BEAUMONT
So work must be going well?
CUT TO
PATTERSON. He and Samuel share another glance.
PATTERSON
(delicately)
Truthfully?
(beat)
There has been the occasional odd
hiccup- but then, as you so wisely
told me, I'd never built in Africa.
BEAUMONT
But overall, you're pleased?
SAMUEL
(moving in)
I have never experienced anything
like it.
CUT TO
BEAUMONT; almost longingly looks back at the train.
BEAUMONT
I almost feel like getting right
back on.
(glances at his watch)
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL. They do not breathe.
CUT TO
BEAUMONT. He really wants to leave and for a moment it looks like
he just might.
BEAUMONT
(a sigh)
I suppose it would be a dereliction
of duty not to at least look around.
Now Abdullah wanders happily by.
PATTERSON
(waving)
Morning, friend, glorious day.
ABDULLAH
As are they all.
CUT TO
BEAUMONT. He takes a step inside the passenger car.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL. Hoping.
CUT TO
BEAUMONT. Reluctantly returning. He has a large box.
BEAUMONT
I do need to see Starling.
PATTERSON
(dully)
Starling?
BEAUMONT
Awhile back he ordered some bibles-
(indicating the box)
-I've brought them.
(looking around)
Is he here?
PATTERSON
(beat)
Yes he is.
BEAUMONT
Well, I need to speak to him.
SAMUEL
(helpfully)
Let me deliver the bibles.
CUT TO
BEAUMONT. His eyes flick from one man to the other. It's over.
BEAUMONT
Excellent show.
(voice low)
Where is Starling?
CUT TO
PATTERSON. The jig is up. He gestures-
PATTERSON
Here he comes now.
(And on that-)
CUT TO
HALF A DOZEN NATIVES CARRYING STARLING'S COFFIN. They start to put
it on the train and as they do-
CUT TO
BEAUMONT. Stunned. And furious! He storms off the train and we-
CUT TO
THE BRIDGE
as Beaumont sees it. Patterson and Samuel are with him.
Little more work has been done than the last time we saw it. A few
men are working slowly.
And now there are guards with rifles patrolling it.
CUT TO
BEAUMONT. A deadly look at them. He storms off.
CUT TO
THE HOSPITAL
as Beaumont sees it- Patterson, Samuel, and Hawthorne stand
quietly.
It's much more crowded than the last time. Still under control,
but barely.
Beaumont is icy now. He gestures sharply toward Hawthrone to join
them.
CUT TO
OUTSIDE THE HOSPITAL
THE FOUR MEN speak low and fast-
BEAUMONT
What in hell is going on?
SAMUEL
The Ghost and The Darkness have come.
BEAUMONT
(snapping)
In English.
PATTERSON
It's what the natives are calling
the lions-
(beat)
-two lions have been causing trouble-
BEAUMONT
-what's the surprise in that, this is
Africa?
PATTERSON
It hasn't been that simple so far.
BEAUMONT
What have they done besides kill
Starling?
(beat)
How many have they killed?
(Patterson nods for
Hawthorne to answer)
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE. Doing his best.
HAWTHORNE
Well, of course, I can't supply a
totally accurate answer because
there are those that are actually
authenticated and there are those
that we once thought were workers
killing each other or deserting
from camp so any number I give is
subject to error-
BEAUMONT
(cutting through)
How many?
HAWTHORNE
Thirty, I should think.
BEAUMONT
(stunned)
Christ!
(whirling on Patterson)
What are you doing about it?
(Now from there-)
CUT TO
SOMETHING VERY ODD:
We are looking at a small railroad car in a deserted area. This is
not near the track but off by itself, in an area surrounded by
thorn trees.
Several workers are erecting a cloth tent to cover it, trying to
disguise the fact that the small railroad car is, indeed, nothing
but a small railroad car.
It is difficult work and they are perspiring heavily.
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
PATTERSON AND BEAUMONT looking at it.
BEAUMONT
This is supposed to be salvation?
(staring at Patterson)
What kind of idiocy are we dealing
with here?
PATTERSON
(keeping control)
I'm calling it my "contraption"-
we're going to surround it with a
boma- a fence, to you- and we're
going to leave a small opening
opposite that door.
CUT TO
THE RAILROAD CAR. There is, in fact, an open front door. Patterson
gestures for Beaumont to follow him inside.
CUT TO
INSIDE THE CAR AS THEY ENTER. It has been divided in half by thick
metal bars from floor to ceiling. The bars are close together,
only a few inches between them.
PATTERSON
In that half will be bait- human
bait- I'll start things off-
(points to the open
doorway)
-a sliding door will fit above that
and a trip wire will run across
the floor.
BEAUMONT
(The smile is back)
Genius- the beast will enter,
tripping the wire, the door will
slide down, trapping him, you, safe
behind the bars, will have him at
your mercy and will shoot him.
Patterson nods. Beaumont explodes.
BEAUMONT
Are you running a high fever, man?
How could you expect something as
lunatic as this to succeed? How
could you even conceive of it?
PATTERSON
I didn't conceive of it for the
lions- I built one in India when
there was trouble with a tiger.
BEAUMONT
(incredulous)
And it worked?
PATTERSON
(He hates to say this)
In point of fact, it didn't.
(hurrying on)
But I'm convinced the theory is
sound.
CUT TO
THE TWO OF THEM. They move outside. The tension between them is
considerable. Beaumont looks at Patterson for too long a moment.
PATTERSON
What?
BEAUMONT
I made a mistake hiring you-
you're simply not up to the job.
(Silence. Then-)
CUT TO
PATTERSON. CLOSE UP.
PATTERSON
You genuinely enjoy trying to
terrify people, don't you? Well,
fine-
(lashing back)
-except there isn't a higher rated
engineer and we both know that. And
since time is so important to you,
how long do you think it would take
to find someone else qualified and
bring him here?
CUT TO
BEAUMONT. Blazing.
BEAUMONT
Let me explain about time- you've
been here three months and already
two months behind. And the Germans
and the French are gearing up. And
I don't care about you and I don't
care about the thirty dead- I care
about my knighthood and if this
railroad finishes on schedule, I'll
get my knighthood and I want it.
(glancing around as
Samuel appears, goes to
the workers)
Professional hunters may be the answer.
PATTERSON
All they'll bring is more chaos and
we've plenty of that already- and if
they come in, word will get out- and
what happens to your knighthood then?
BEAUMONT
I'm going to try and locate Redbeard-
I assume you've heard of him.
PATTERSON
Every man who's ever fired a rifle has
heard of him- by the time you find him,
the lions will be dead.
BEAUMONT
(long pause)
Very well, the job's still yours, I'll
go. But if I have to return, you're
finished. And I will then do everything
I can to destroy your reputation. Am I
not fair?
(The great smile flashes)
Told you you'd hate me.
(And he turns, walks off)
CUT TO
SAMUEL. Moving up to Patterson. Samuel has a bag.
PATTERSON
(staring after Beaumont)
I do hate him.
(takes the bag from
Samuel, pulls out flares)
I want you to distribute one bag of
flares to every tent area-
(takes out a flare)
-tell the men to light them if
there's trouble-
(beat)
-make it two bags.
(HOLD briefly, then-)
CUT TO
PATTERSON. ALONE. THAT NIGHT. IN HIS CONTRAPTION.
A lamp burns alongside him. Across the bars, the door of the
railroad car is open. Flickering shadows. Above the doorway is a
thick wooden slab the size of the door. n the ground, barely
visible, the trip wire.
CUT TO
THE DOORWAY. Outside, something is moving.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, rifle ready, holding his breath.
CUT TO
THE DOORWAY. SIlence. Nothing moves now.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. He rubs his eyes with his hands...
CUT TO
FLICKERING SHADOWS on the wall. It's later that night.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. The man is bleary with fatigue. He sits in a corner of
the car, writing a letter.
PATTERSON'S VOICE (over)
"Dearest...
...peace and tranquility continue to
abound here- the workers report each
day with a smile- except for your
absence, this whole adventunre is
providing me nothing but pleasure..."
CUT TO
THE FLICKERING WALLS OF THE RAILWAY CAR. It's later still.
Patterson, finished writing, stares out at the night.
CUT TO
A FLARE, rising brightly toward the sky.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, seeing the flare. The man is miserable.
CUT TO
A TREE BRANCH. MANY FLOWERS AS WELL AS THE CLAW THORNS.
PATTERSON'S VOICE (over)
Fire.
The branch is destroyed, the flowers blown away.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND THREE INDIAN COOLIES. NOT FAR FROM HIS CONTRAPTION.
THE COOLIES hold rifles. They look like brothers, which they are.
They also look tough. And they are that, too. THREE
STREETFIGHTERS.
PATTERSON
(impressed)
Very good indeed.
MIDDLE COOLIE
(he wears glasses)
We have hunted since childhood.
PATTERSON
All right- you'll spend your nights
inside.
(He indicates the railroad
car. The Coolies nod)
You'll have plenty of ammunition.
You're totally protected, you have
really nothing to fear.
MIDDLE COOLIE
That is correct.
(beat)
Nothing.
Patterson looks at the three men. Obviously, he could not have
chosen better. From them-
CUT TO
THE BRIDGE. DAY.
A lot of men working under Patterson. Progress is slow.
CUT TO
THE BRIDGE. NIGHT.
Some men sit on the part that's been built. Spending the night
there for protection. Now, they all turn and we
CUT TO
ANOTHER FLARE going off in another part of camp.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, in a tree alone, in despair.
CUT TO
THE THREE COOLIES IN THE RAILROAD CAR.
Tough as ever. Ready for anything. But nothing is happening.
Silence.
CUT TO
THE BRIDGE AGAIN AS NIGHT FALLS - MORE CROWDED THAN BEFORE.
STILL MORE MEN are moving into the river. They wade til the water
is up to their necks. Then they reach out, hold hands, start to
sing.
CUT TO
PATTERSON moving high into a tree. He listens to the sound.
Lovely.
CUT TO
MOONLIGHT ON THE WATER. The men stand as before, singing softly.
The river here is calm, no current to speak of. The men are safe-
-or rather they should be.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS swimming softly, his great jaws silently encircling
the neck of the last man in line, pulling him silently away and as
the others start to scream-
CUT TO
PATTERSON, watching another flare rise, helplessly listening.
CUT TO
A CATTLE PEN. THE CATTLE ARE NERVOUS-
-one of them kicks wildly at the wind.
They should be nervous-
-The Ghost walks among them, chooses which one to kill, leaps on
it, brings it to earth as the dust rises.
CUT TO
ANOTHER FLARE IN THE NIGHT.
CUT TO
THE HOSPITAL. DAY. PACKED.
HAWTHORNE seems overwhelmed.
CUT TO
SOMETHING.
And for a moment we don't know what it is. There is a faint light
and now we see what it is we're looking at: a wire.
HOLD ON THE WIRE.
And now a paw walks across it-
-and the instant that happens-
CUT TO
THE THREE COOLIES, the brothers, in the contraption, two of them
asleep, a flickering lamp the only illumination in the railroad
car and
CUT TO
THE DOOR OF THE RAILROAD CAR slamming loudly down and
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
THE DARKNESS, standing alone in one half of the railroad car- it's
incredible, just incredible but Patterson's idea actually worked
and
KEEP PULLING BACK TO REVEAL
The entire of the car- the thick bars separating the two halves.
In one half, the huge lion. In the other, the three armed, tough
coolies.
For a moment, it could be a frozen tableau- both sides are too
startled and surprised to do anything but stare-
-and then all hell just explodes as we
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, and this incredible roar comes from his throat, the
kind of roar that can be heard five miles away in the night but
this one in the enclosed room sounds even louder and more
terrifying and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, throwing his huge body at the bars and
CUT TO
THE BARS and both his front claws are slashing through and
CUT TO
THE THREE TOUGH COOLIES and they retreat against the rear wall of
the car.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, rage building, throwing its body at the bars again
and
CUT TO
THE COOLIES, pressed in fear against the far wall, unable to do
anything but stare and
CUT TO
THE CLAWS, ripping at the air and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, leaping forward, smashing into the bars and
CUT TO
THE CEILING WHERE THE BARS are connected and the sheer power of
his leap has made them jiggle just the least bit and
CUT TO
THE COOLIES, staring up at the ceiling and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, AND HERE HE COMES AGAIN, roaring and his body hits
the bars and
CUT TO
THE CEILING- and the bars shake-
-but they're not giving way.
CUT TO
THE TOUGH COOLIES, as they begin to realize this and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, clawing for them and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, raging and roaring on his side of the bars and
CUT TO
THE FIRST COOLIE, raising his gun and
CUT TO
THE SECOND COOLIE, his gun raised too and
CUT TO
THE THIRD COOLIE and he's ready and
CUT TO
ALL THREE AS THEY FIRE-
-and reload-
-and fire again, and reload, and-
CUT TO
THE RAILROAD CAR- and suddenly the lamp is knocked over-
-and a fire starts, flames grow and it's starting to look like
hell in there-
-only it gets worse as we-
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS at the bars-
-and suddenly it stands up- it seems to fill the car, towering
over everything, it's like a nightmare come to kill you-
CUT TO
THE COOLIES staring up at this giant thing, and of course they're
more terrified now than they've ever been in their lives- but
these are tough men and they ignore the flames, ignore the
deafening roars of the beast and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, standing there, going crazy on his side of the bars,
trying to knock them down but they're holding and
CUT TO
THE TOUGH COOLIES, reloading and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, racing around the enclosed area now and he's trapped
and the flames make him seem like something unalive and his eyes
have never been so bright, his roars as deafening and
CUT TO
THE THREE COOLIES, firing again and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, leaping at the bars again, and they shake, sure they
shake, but they keep on holding and
CUT TO
THE COOLIES, firing, reloading, firing, reloading and as they do,
something's starting to come clear-
-amazing as it may seem, impossible as it may be to conceive,
they're missing.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, whirling on his side, roaring and leaping and
CUT TO
THE COOLIES and sure they fire, but they're still so goddam scared
and
CUT TO
THE DOOR THAT SLID DOWN- it's held in place by some thick wooden
bars-
-and now the Coolies start to hit something- the wooden bars
because they begin to splinter and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, whirling, leaping at the bars and
CUT TO
THE COOLIES firing and then-
CUT TO
THE DOOR as it flops open and just like that-
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS. Out the door and gone. HOLD.
CUT TO
PATTERSON JUST AFTER DAWN IN THE DAMAGED RAILROAD CAR.
Patterson stands where The Darkness was. The three Coolies are
where they spent the night, on the other side of the bars.
This was the lowest point yet for Patterson. Not only had his
notion come so close to working, he could never fully comprehend
how the coolies missed. It never seemed possible- but of course,
it really happened.
PATTERSON
Not once?- you didn't hit it once?-
MIDDLE COOLIE
-I would never make excuses- but a
fire broke out- the light was bad- he
kept moving-
PATTERSON
-well, of course he kept moving- but
he couldn't have been more than ten
feet away from the three of you- surely
you must have wounded the thing-
MIDDLE COOLIE
I assure you we came close many times-
Abdullah is in the doorway near Patterson now- with several dozen
men. And from Abdullah's face, this is clearly going to be a
confrontation.
MIDDLE COOLIE
-the next time we will do better.
(Patterson makes no
reaction; moves outside)
CUT TO
ABDULLAH, simmering, moving straight to Patterson as soon as he's
out.
ABDULLAH
The next time will be as this time-
The Devil has come to Tsavo-
PATTERSON
(not in a mood for this)
-that's ridiculous talk and you can't
seriously believe it-
ABDULLAH
(moving in- tension rising
as others crowd behind him)
-now you're telling me my beliefs?- I
don't think so-
CUT TO
THE BUSH just beyond- something is moving- an animal?- Impossible
to say.
PATTERSON
I wasn't and you know it and don't
push it- just listen- we have a
problem in Tsavo-
ABDULLAH
(cutting in)
-at last you're right- we do- you are
the problem in Tsavo-
PATTERSON
-careful, Abdullah-
Patterson and Abdullah and suddenly it's dangerous.
ABDULLAH
You do not tell me "careful"- you do
not tell me anything- you listen
while I talk-
(Now suddenly a shadow
seems to cross-)
CUT TO
ABDULLAH. CLOSE UP. His eyes widen.
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
AN ENORMOUS PISTOL. Pressed hard against Abdullah's temple.
MAN'S VOICE (over)
-change in plan- you listen while
I talk- because you have a question
that needs answering.
(beat)
Will I pull the trigger?
PULL BACK FURTHER TO REVEAL
REDBEARD.
We are looking at one of those legends- ageless and powerful, with
a tanned face and a thick grey beard. He has seen everything and
is capable of anything.
Just now he seems more than capable of killing Abdullah. Very
calmly, he cocks the pistol.
SAMUEL (over)
It's Redbeard, Abdullah- he'll kill
you.
REDBEARD
(not looking around)
No hints, Samuel.
ABDULLAH
(The name has registered)
You don't know all that has happened
here- the Devil has come to Tsavo.
REDBEARD
You're right. The Devil has come. Look
at me. I am the Devil.
CUT TO
ABDULLAH, staring at Redbeard. Right now Redbeard just could be.
ABDULLAH
(louder)
I am a man of peace.
REDBEARD
Am I to take it you want to live?
ABDULLAH
Most certainly. Absolutely. Yes.
REDBEARD
Excellent decision.
(Now he suddenly reaches
out, shakes Abdullah's hand)
Your name is Abdullah? I'm sure we'll
meet again. Go and enjoy the splendid
morning.
ABDULLAH
(dazed- leaving)
I think it's been a pleasure.
CUT TO
REDBEARD, and now he does another surprising thing: embraces
Samuel.
REDBEARD
(three words)
You got old.
(Now he releases Samuel,
turns to Patterson)
I'm sure you're John Patterson.
(before Patterson can reply)
Stay out of my way.
(And without another word,
he's gone)
CUT TO
THE HOSPITAL
as Redbeard moves through, taking it all in. It's even worse than
when we last saw it- bodies crammed everywhere and always the
sound of pain and sickness.
Patterson stands in the doorway, watching, waiting.
PATTERSON
(as Redbeard approaches)
I didn't have a chance to thank you.
REDBEARD
(preoccupied)
What did I do?
PATTERSON
Got me out of trouble.
REDBEARD
(matter of fact)
Nonsense- Samuel would have done
something.
(starts to move on)
PATTERSON
We need to talk.
REDBEARD
Let me save time- (1) you are the
engineer; (2) you are in charge;
(3) you're sorry I'm here. Right
so far?
(Patterson nods)
Good- because (1) I am not an
engineer, (2) I don't want to be
in charge, and (3) I'm sorrier than
you are that I'm here- I hate Tsavo.
So I will help you by killing the
lions and leaving, and you will help
me by doing what I tell you so I
can leave. See any problems?
PATTERSON
Actually, no.
REDBEARD
All right- let's go into battle.
(suddenly taking
Patterson's hand)
I'm Redbeard.
(as they shake)
PATTERSON
Somehow I guessed.
(As they move outside-)
CUT TO
THE FRONT OF THE HOSPITAL
A BUNCH OF MEN WAIT. Hwathorne, Samuel, Abdullah, and perhaps a
dozen other worker leaders. Redbeard and Patterson move to them.
REDBEARD
Starting now, we attack them.
ABDULLAH
How; we don't know where they are?
REDBEARD
We'll have to make them come to us,
won't we? And since there are two of
them, we're going to set two plans
in motion.
(to Hawthorne)
First: we must move the entire
hospital by tomorrow night.
HAWTHORNE
(appalled)
That's a terrible idea-
REDBEARD
(backtracking)
-is it, I'm sorry, but then, of
course, you're the doctor, you
should know.
HAWTHORNE
Silliest thing I ever heard of- why
in the world should we go through
all that?
REDBEARD
(charming now)
I suppose I could answer you. I
suppose I could explain that the
place is so inviting, what with the
smell of blood and flesh, that they
have to strike. It's even possible
that I tell you I found some fresh
paw marks around back which means
they're already contemplating
feasting here.
(Turning on Hawthorne
now- his voice building)
But I don't want to answer you
because when you question me you are
really saying that I don't have the
least idea what I am doing, that I am
nothing but an incompetent, that I am
a fool.
(big)
Anyone who finds me a fool, please
say so now.
HAWTHORNE
(The words burst out)
I have been desperate for Patterson
to let me move the hospital since the
day he arrived.
REDBEARD
(nice smile)
Then we agree.
(And on that-)
BEGIN THE BUILDING SEQUENCE.
It was a huge effort and they got half of it done that day- but
there was always the sense of impending bloodshed.
What we see first are Patterson and a bunch of shots of a lot of
workers- laying out the dimensions of the new boma that would
surround the place. This was to be by far the biggest wall fence
they had in Tsavo.
And now here comes Abdullah leading a crowd of men, wading into a
huge patch of thorn trees, cutting the thick branches down,
starting to load them for carrying-
-and it's high noon now, and Patterson drenched with sweat, leads
the start of the actual building- taking the thorn branches,
bunching them together, forcing them so there is no room between
them-
-and we can just begin to get the sense of what the fence will be-
except at the moment it's barely a foot high-
-and now Redbeard appears, beckons to Patterson, and
CUT TO
A LONG SHOT OF A FLAT GRASSY PLAIN. AFTERNOON NOW.
Patterson, Redbeard, and Samuel walk quickly.
CUT TO
SAMUEL turning to Redbeard and Patterson.
SAMUEL
Soon.
(Redbeard nods)
PATTERSON
(to Redbeard)
I have to ask- why do you need me?
REDBEARD
I don't really. But understand
something- even though it may take
me two or three days to sort this
out-
(Patterson has to smile
at the phrase)
-when I'm gone, you'll still have
to build the bridge. And I don't
want the men to have lost respect
for you.
PATTERSON
(kind of surprised)
That's very considerate.
REDBEARD
I'm always considerate- my mother
taught me that.
CUT TO
SAMUEL, who just breaks out laughing.
REDBEARD
Why do you laugh?- you don't
believe she taught me?
SAMUEL
I don't believe you had a mother.
(And as Redbeard
laughs too-)
CUT TO
A MASAI VILLAGE as they approach. Redbeard walks ahead.
PATTERSON
You like him, don't you?
SAMUEL
Oh yes. But it takes time.
PATTERSON
You've known him long?
SAMUEL
(He has)
Since his beard was red.
CUT TO
INSIDE THE VILLAGE. AN AGED CHIEF RUNS THINGS.
Redbeard, Patterson and Samuel stand near him. WOMEN and CHILDREN
are there. Some of the children look at Redbeard, mime shooting,
fall down dead. Samuel translates as necessary.
SAMUEL
How many cattle?
REDBEARD
Four should do it.
SAMUEL
They will want a lot of money.
PATTERSON
(to Redbeard)
Have you got it?
REDBEARD
No, but you do-
(beat)
-see, you were needed after all.
(to Samuel)
And fifty warriors at the camp
before dawn.
SAMUEL
(Samuel explains. The
Masai Chief replies.
Translating)
Why so many?
REDBEARD
Because I have two plans to kill
the lions- one involving the cattle,
the other the men.
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND PATTERSON watching as Samuel tells the Chief.
CUT TO
THE MASAI CHIEF. He moves toward Redbeard and Patterson. As he
speaks, Samuel translates quietly. There is a sadness in the
Chief's tone.
SAMUEL
(translating)
The Ghost and the Darkness have
come... and we can do nothing...
but if you anger them... they will
stay in Tsavo... and life will
become more unberable, that I know...
CUT TO
PATTERSON, watching as Redbeard replies.
REDBEARD
(beat)
Two lions are all that have come...
they're only lions, that I know.
(beat)
And I will kill them both tomorrow.
(HOLD BRIEFLY, then-)
CUT TO
SHADOWS AND FIRELIGHT. IT'S NIGHT NOW.
We're not sure for a moment where we are but we can hear metallic
sounds.
Now we hear voices.
REDBEARD VOICE (over)
I'll need you by me in the morning.
SAMUEL VOICE (over)
Whatever you wish.
CUT TO
WHERE WE ARE- IT'S PATTERSON'S TENT AREA. Patterson, Redbeard,
Hawthorne, and Samuel sit around a fire.
THey are cleaning their guns, getting ready.
A WORD ABOUT THEIR WEAPONS. Patterson's is a good rifle and he
cleans it expertly.
Redbeard's surprisingly, is the oldest. And the way his hands move
as he assembles it, he might be bathing a child.
Hawthorne is the least skilled of the three. But his rifle is
clearly the finest. Bigger than the others, with great killing
power.
There is a tremendous tension- Patterson, Hawthorne, and Samuel
show it. Redbeard is as before.
HAWTHORNE
(terribly tense)
You're certain about tomorrow?
(Redbeard is)
But you don't seem excited.
(Redbeard isn't)
PATTERSON
You don't enjoy killing, do you?
(Redbeard doesn't)
HAWTHORNE
Then why do it?
CUT TO
REDBEARD. CLOSE UP. He stares at the fire. Then-
REDBEARD
I have a gift.
CUT TO
THE CAMPFIRE. Silence for a moment except for the sound of the
weapons being reassembled. Redbeard's hands fly. His rifle is back
together. He stands, nods, goes.
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE, watching him.
HAWTHORNE
Strange man.
(to Samuel)
Has he always been this way?
SAMUEL
Much gentler now.
HAWTHORNE
(shakes his head on that)
John?-
(He holds out his
beautiful rifle)
Change guns with me- mine's much
more powerful. I'll be finishing
the hospital tomorrow so I won't
be with you- but if you'll use
this...
(beat)
...then I will.
Patterson, touched, changes weapons.
PATTERSON
Thank you.
(He turns to Samuel)
Why does he need you by him?
SAMUEL
He doesn't. He needs nobody. But
we have hunted many times...
(beat)
...he knows I am afraid of lions...
HOLD ON THE FIRELIGHT UNTIL WE SHARPLY-
CUT TO
THE BRIDGE. BEFORE DAWN.
Misty- hard to see much.
Then GHOSTS appear-
KEEP HOLDING
-they're not ghosts, they're MASAI WARRIORS emerging from the
mists. They are powerful and painted and they carry noisemaking
equipment- tin cans and tom toms and as more and more of them
materialize-
CUT TO
A HUGE THICKET.
Redbeard, Patterson, and Samuel wait as the Warriors approach.
REDBEARD
(whispered)
I spotted one of them-
(gesturing toward
the thicket)
-in there.
CUT TO
THE THICKET again- alive with thorn trees. Dark, filled with long
dark shadows.
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND PATTERSON AND SAMUEL. A lot of tension.
REDBEARD
The best way to ensure the kill
when you're using trackers is for
one to shoot while the other uses
the trackers to force the lion
toward the shooter. Have you ever
led trackers?
PATTERSON
(He hasn't)
I can try.
REDBEARD
(no good)
Samuel says you killed a lion.
PATTERSON
It was probably luck- I'd rather
you did the shooting.
REDBEARD
You'd never force the lion to me-
and nobody ever got a lion with
one shot by luck.
(points- hand out
straight)
Around there's a clearing- you'll
know it from the anthills- get
there and hide and listen to the
sounds- I'll make the lion come
directly to you.
(He gestures for
Patterson to take
off and as he does-)
CUT TO
THE WARRIORS as Redbeard goes to them-
REDBEARD
(as Samuel translates)
-all of you- spread the width of
the clearing- no gaps- go-
(claps his hands once)
CUT TO
THE WARRIORS, spreading apart.
CUT TO
THE SUN. Starting to appear more strongly on the horizon.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, running like hell.
CUT TO
THE WARRIORS, moving quickly, silently.
CUT TO
A THICK CLUSTER 0F THORN TREES.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, ducking his head, blasting through.
CUT TO
THE WARRIORS, starting to cover the entire width of the thicket.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, quickstepping over rocky terrain.
CUT TO
SAMUEL staying close to Redbeard. The fear is there.
CUT TO
REDBEARD, studying the position of the Warriors, who are almost
ready.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, circling now, racing toward a clearing, picking up
speed.
CUT TO
THE WARRIORS, spread out. They look to Redbeard.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. Not yet.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, racing into the clearing, glances around- lots of
anthills.
CUT TO
AN ANTHILL, eight feet high. It casts a long shadow.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Holding Hawthorne's marvelous rifle, he slips silently
into the shadow.
HOLD ON PATTERSON- it's almost as if he weren't there.
CUT SHARPLY TO
REDBEARD. CLOSE UP. Suddenly screaming and
CUT TO
SAMUEL, screaming too and
CUT TO
THE WHOLE LINE OF WARRIORS, suddenly moving forward, all of them
shouting and screaming and pounding on their drums and it is loud.
CUT TO
PATTERSON in the shadow. The noise is faint- but he can hear it.
CUT TO
A DOZEN DRUMMERS, moving forward, banging away.
CUT TO
A DOZEN MORE DRUMMERS, even louder.
CUT TO
REDBEARD, moving forward, his eyes flicking ahead-
CUT TO
THE THICKET AHEAD. Nothing. No movement. No lion.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Just the least bit louder now.
CUT TO
THE WHOLE LINE OF WARRIORS, screaming and pounding and
CUT TO
SAMUEL- the fear worse, dogging Redbeard's steps.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. His eyes flicking ahead.
CUT TO
THE THICKET AHEAD. Nothing. No movement. No lion.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. It's a lot louder now. He's totally still. And he's
ready.
CUT TO
THE DENSEST PART OF THE THICKET we've seen yet.
CUT TO
THE WARRIORS, slashing their way through, drumming and shouting
and
CUT TO
REDBEARD, at their head, eyes, as always, flicking.
CUT TO
THE THICKET AHEAD. Nothing. No movement. No lion.
CUT TO
REDBEARD- starting to suddenly get louder and point-
-because something is there-
CUT BACK TO
THE THICKET AHEAD, and we didn't see it before, only Redbeard saw
it before-
-but now something begins to move and
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND THE WARRIORS and it's all going crazy now, and
they're starting to move faster and
CUT TO
PATTERSON IN THE SHADOW.
The noise has kicked up and all the time it's coming closer and
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND THE WARRIORS and the movement up ahead is more
distinct and the Warriors are almost in a frenzy as we
CUT TO
A FLASH OF THE GHOST IN THE THICKET- eyes bright- it starts to
move away from the sound-
-and toward where Patterson is waiting.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. Faster, screaming louder and
CUT TO
SAMUEL and the fear starting to leave and he screams louder too
and
CUT TO
PATTERSON- he fingers the weapon.
CUT TO
THE GHOST, angrily retreating faster from the sound- and now
instead of going straight back it begins to veer left and
CUT TO
REDBEARD, immediately spotting the shift, gesturingto the Warriors
to get left and
CUT TO
THE WARRIORS, shifting over as Redbeard directed, blocking The
Ghost's intended path and
CUT TO
THE GHOST, shifting, trying to go the other way this time and
CUT TO
REDBEARD; he spots that too, gestures for the Warriors to shift
the other way and
CUT TO
THE WARRIORS, racing to thier new positions, blocking the animal's
path again and
CUT TO
THE GHOST, rattled, upset, and now it starts retreating back in
the original direction- toward Patterson and
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND THE WHOLE LONG LINE OF MEN, and it's as if mass
hysteria has gripped them, because their sound keeps building and
sure, their throats must ache and yes, their arms must tire, but
you couldn't tell that from what they're doing-
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Waiting by the anthill. Waiting. Then, at last-
CUT TO
THE GHOST, backing into view, staring back at the sound, unaware
of Patterson's existence behind him.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Noiselessly he steps away from the anthill into the
sunlight. He raises Hawthorne's gun.
CUT TO
THE GHOST, backing toward Patterson.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, sighting along the glistening barrel.
CUT TO
THE GHOST, starting to turn.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, ready to fire.
CUT TO
THE GHOST IN CLOSE UP, CAUGHT IN THE CROSSHAIRS OF THE RIFLE. And
now its lips go back as it sees Patterson.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, CLOSE UP, and this is it, this is the moment and as he
squeezes the trigger-
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND THE GHOST, and a totally unexpected sound- a dull
snap- Hawthorne's rifle has misfired.
CUT TO
THE GHOST, unharmed and
CUT TO
PATTERSON desperately workingthe rifle, trying to make it function
and
CUT TO
THE GHOST. It stares at Patterson.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, and the goddamn gun won't work and he's a dead man and
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND THE GHOST-
-and for a moment, they might be frozen in some horrible tableau-
-THEN THE GHOST ROARS-
CUT TO
REDBEARD as he hears it, breaking into a wild run-
REDBEARD
Shoot for chrissakes!-
CUT TO
PATTERSON standing his ground as now THE GHOST takes a step toward
him.
CUT TO
REDBEARD, firing, reloading on the move, and up ahead is the
clearing and as he reaches it-
CUT TO
THE GHOST. Its great head turns in the direction of Redbeard and
CUT TO
REDBEARD's position- anthills block him from getting a clear shot
at the animal- he curses, races for a better position and
CUT TO
THE GHOST. One final stare at Patterson-
-then it makes an effortless leap intothe thicket-
-and it's safe and free and gone.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. CLOSE UP. Rocked.
The low point of his life.
CUT TO
SAMUEL, catching up to Redbeard.
SAMUEL
Did you ever see a lion that size?
REDBEARD
Not even close.
(Now he moves to
Patterson)
What happened?
PATTERSON
(a whisper)
...misfire... it jammed...
REDBEARD
Has it ever done that before?
PATTERSON
...don't know...
SAMUEL
It's Hawthorne's.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. Trying for control.
REDBEARD
You exchanged weapons?
(Patterson nods)
You went into battle with an
untried gun?
(Patterson nods)
CUT TO
REDBEARD. CLOSE UP. For a moment it's impossible to tell what he's
going to do. It seems that a Homeric burst of fury is about to
happen.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Drained, he epects it. It's very quiet.
CUT TO
REEDBEARD, studying the younger man. And when he finally speaks,
his voice is surprisingly quiet.
REDBEARD
They have an expression in
prizefighting: "everyone has a plan
until they're hit."
(beat)
You've just been hit...
(beat)
...the getting up is up to you...
(And he turns, moves
off and)
CUT TO
THE NEW HOSPITAL.
Nearly finished. The fence is eight feet high and Hawthorne is
supervising men and material that are being transferred.
CUT TO
REDBEARD, checking security in the New Hospital which is close to
the center of camp. (The Old Hospital was situated on the
outskirts, because they wanted to keep the workers away from the
sick and the wounded.) Late afternoon, now.
Patterson, Samuel and Hawthorne are moving with him. As are TWO
EXPERIENCED ORDERLIES, both armed with powerful rifles. Patterson
is silent here, the effects of the misfire still evident on his
face.
REDBEARD
(to the Orderlies)
Gentlemen, there's no sickness smell
at all here, and little blood. When
we leave, close the gate securely,
don't open it til morning and keep
your fires high. Any questions, ask
them now.
(They understand- now
to Samuel and Hawthorne)
You two will sleep beautifully in
your tents.
(beat)
And stay there.
SAMUEL
And where will you sleep beautifully?
REDBEARD
(smile)
Patterson and I will be in the old
hospital- where the enticing smell
of sickness still lingers-
(beat)
-and by the time we're done, I
promise you, the odor of blood will
be irresistible.
(And on that-)
CUT TO
THE OLD HOSPITAL. STARTING TO GET DARK.
Redbeard and Patterson have buckets which they empty around the
inside perimeter-
-buckets of blood.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD. Darker. They empty still more full buckets
of blood. Redbeard seems pleased.
CUT TO
SAMUEL AND HAWTHORNE, hurrying toward their camp.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, leading Masai cattle into the grounds of
the Old Hospital.
CUT TO
THE ORDERLIES IN THE NEW HOSPITAL, firmly closing and locking the
gate.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, just outside the fence of the Old
Hospital- they carry many large chunks of raw meat, drop them as
they move.
CUT TO
THE SUN. Dying... dying...
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD. They slip inside the deserted Old
Hospital, pull the gate securely shut.
CUT TO
THE CATTLE. They stand in the center of the Old Hospital, calling
to each other.
CUT TO
THE NEW HOSPITAL. Full. Clean. The men are exhausted. Most are
already asleep. The Orderlies sit by a fire, alert for anything.
CUT TO
THE OLD HOSPITAL. Patterson and Redbeard stand across from their
fire, waiting. The cows are quiet.
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE by his fire near his tent with Samuel. Nervously, they
drink tea.
CUT TO
THE MOON. Higher. An hour has passed. Perhaps more.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. Walking the fence perimeter.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. The cows are edgy. He calms the cows.
CUT TO
OUTSIDE THE OLD HOSPITAL. The large chunks of meat are visible in
the moonlight.
CUT TO
THE NEW HOSPITAL. The orderlies are calm.
CUT TO
REDBEARD, still walking the perimeter.
CUT TO
PATTERSON sitting by the fire, staring at the night. Redbeard
moves to him, speaks in a whisper.
REDBEARD
Think about something else.
PATTERSON
Have you ever failed?
REDBEARD
(sad smile)
Only in life...
(He walks away.
Patterson watches.)
CUT TO
THE NEW HOSPITAL. The Orderlies tend the sick. Quietly.
CUT TO
THE NIGHT AND THE MOON. Lovely.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. Stalking the perimeter. No sound. The night is deadly
quiet.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. He stalks the perimeter now too, on the far side from
Redbeard- and suddenly a different and frightening sound- the
ripping of flesh-
CAMERA MOVES UP
Now we can see both Patterson inside and also outside where, in
shadow, The Ghost and The Darkness are devouring a hunk of meat.
Redbeard moves quickly across the perimeter, gestures for
Patterson to switch positions with him.
As he reaches where Patterson was, the eating sound stops.
Silence again.
Patterson reaches the far side of the fence.
Now the eating sound comes again, and again, BOTH LIONS are
outside, directly across from Patterson.
CUT TO
REDBEARD looks across the perimeter at Patterson. Whatever's going
on, it's sure as hell odd.
CUT TO
THE CATTLE- they are very upset suddenly- one of them kicks out
violently against the night- the same gesture the cattle did just
before The Ghost walked through their pen and killed one-
-now a different sound is heard: scratching-
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD tracking the sound-
-the main gate is starting to be pushed in. Inside the gate the
ground is covered with blood stains from where they emptied their
buckets.
CUT TO
THE GATE. More pressure against it- it could give way any moment.
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND PATTERSON and from the look on Redbeard's face, this
is it! Patterson seees this, readies his rifle and we-
CUT TO
THE CATTLE, going nuts and then-
CUT TO
THE GATE. All pressure gone.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD. Patterson is furious.
PATTERSON
Goddammit!
REDBEARD
It's all right. Stay ready.
(indicates the blood)
They know it's there.
Patterson takes a few steps away, stares at the moon.
CUT TO
REDBEARD; he studies Patterson who so clearly craves redemption.
REDBEARD
(going to him)
Meant to ask you- the railroad car
trap. Your idea?
(Patterson nods)
Excellent notion- I used the same
device myself once.
PATTERSON
But of course yours worked.
REDBEARD
In point of fact it didn't- but I'm
convinced the idea is sound.
He goes back to walking the perimeter. Patterson watches him- and
for the first time since the misfire, Patterson's mood begins to
lift.
CUT TO
THE NEW HOSPITAL
and an ORDERLY, blood pouring from his throat as he lies by the
fire and
CUT TO
THE SECOND ORDERLY rounding a corner, seeing the violence; before
he can scream-
CUT TO
THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS suddenly beside him, and their giant
paws slap out so fast we can't follow and
CUT TO
THE SECOND ORDERLY, dropping to the ground, and now we're starting
to spin into madness and these next cuts go like lightning.
CUT TO
A TENT FULL OF SICK MEN with malaria and
CUT TO
A PAW flashing and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, lips pulling back and
CUT TO
A SICK MAN, falling from his bed, blood pouring from his slashed
face and
CUT TO
TWO MORE SICK MEN, trying to rise and
CUT TO
THE GHOST, leaping on them and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, eyes narrow and brilliant and
CUT TO
A SICK COOLIE, and he's terrified and he tries to scream-
-the sound barely escapes him, but even so, it's the first cry
we've heard and
CUT TO
THE ENTIRE CAMP, NIGHT, WITH ALL THE FIRES BURNING- AND
PATTERSON'S TENT AREA IS CLOSE BY-
-but the New Hospital is on the other end, a good distance away.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, rifles ready- but no sound reaches them.
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE, out of his tent, because he's close by and he heard it
and he lights a torch, starts for the gate of the camp as Samuel
does his best to stop him-
-but Hawthorne rips free and we
CUT TO
A SECOND TENT, as it starts to collapse and
CUT TO
THE MEDICINE TENT, as The Ghost and The Darkness enter and
CUT TO
MEDICINE, flying across the tent and
CUT TO
GLASS, shattering and more medicine is destroyed and
CUT TO
A BLIZZARD OF CUTS, of lions' claws and lions' teeth and those
terrible bright blazing eyes and
CUT TO
A TENT POLE, being pulled out of the ground and
CUT TO
THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS and what they are doing is this:
destroying the New Hospital and
CUT TO
MORE TENTS collapsing and
CUT TO
THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS. CLOSE UP. Eyes crazed.
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE ALONE IN THE NIGHT, scared shitless as he runs.
CUT TO
SHADOWS, moving, as Hawthorne's torch lights the surroundings and
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE, heart pounding, looking around and then he gasps as we
CUT TO
THE AREA NEARBY- TWO LARGE EYES are staring at him.
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE, panicked, stumbling, falling, getting up, staring
around-
CUT TO
THE AREA AROUND HIM- the eys are gone-
-and now there are loud shrieks in the night coming from the New
Hospital and the instant they are heard
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND PATTERSON, grabbing torches, throwing the gate open
and they're off as we
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE, running toward the New Hospital just up ahead now.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, tearing through the night.
CUT TO
THE NEW HOSPITAL. (We see all this next through Hawthorne's eyes.)
The tents are all down. The place is devastated.
CUT TO
INSIDE THE FIRST TENT. Filled with the dead and the dying.
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE. Ashen. Moving on.
CUT TO
PAN ALONG THE TENT
Dead. Blood. Pain.
PAN TO THE SECOND TENT
More dead.
More dying.
It's a slaughterhouse.
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE. He's crushed. His body sags. He takes a breath, his
last.
THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS are on him, roaring.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD as the roar reverberates- they glance at
each other-
-then they slow.
Because the New Hospital has come into view.
CUT TO
REDBEARD, CLOSE UP, staring at the disaster.
And this terrible crosses his face. For a moment, you think he's
going to fall. His body seems drained of all its power. He stands
there. Just stands there. Unable to move.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. And he does move. Slowly. Carefully. Into the chaos.
He stares around- the dead and the dying are everywhere.
Hawthorne, his face clawed almost unrecognizably, lies alone.
All that's left now is this: the sound of pain.
HOLD.
Dust rises. It covers everything. Only the sound remains.
Now different sounds take over-
-an incredible babble of human voices.
AND A RAILROAD TRAIN.
Patterson walks through the dust. Samuel, a worried look on his
face, is a few steps behind.
We are at the STATION AREA and it is jammed. A train has pulled
into the station-
-only you almost can't tell it's a train: all you can see are
workers climbing up, and the inside is full so the workers clamber
up onto the roofs of the cars-
-covering the cars-
-everyone is leaving-
-Patterson can only watch.
Abdullah stands on one of the cars-
-the train begins to pull out of the station.
More and more workers chase after it, get pulled on.
Now the station area is empty, the flat car roofs full.
Patterson still watches, eyes vacant.
Abdullah sees him, looks away.
The train gathers speed.
Rounds a corner...
...gone...
Patterson turns from the scene, begins to walk. Samuel stays close
behind him, the worried look still there.
CUT TO
THE OLD HOSPITAL.
A FEW AFRICAN ORDERLIES do the best they can. Patterson watches
only a moment, walks on. Samuel still behind him.
CUT TO
THE CAMP as Patterson walks through. A ghost town now. Only
Africans remain.
CUT TO
THE CONTRAPTION where the coolies missed The Darkness. Patterson
looks at it a moment, walks on.
CUT TO
THE ANTHILL IN THE CLEARING where Patterson misfired. Patterson
looks at it a moment, walks on. And now, at last-
CUT TO
PATTERSON'S TENT AREA. One or two Africans. Samuel darts into his
tent, emerges with something, holds it out to Patterson.
IT'S A NECKLACE OF LION CLAWS.
Patterson makes an almost courtly bow of thanks, puts it on- he
never takes it off again. He walks on alone now until at last-
CUT TO
THE BRIDGE.
It stops abruptly, halfway done; the foundations are in place, a
lot of the scaffolding, but it's useless. Late afternoon.
Desolate.
Redbeard sits alone, high on one of the foundations. He looks as
he did the night before.
Patterson walks to the top of the near embankment. He is unshaven,
wrinkled, he fingers the lion claw necklace.
For a moment, neither says a word. Then-
REDBEARD
(out of the blue)
It would have been a beautiful
bridge, John. I never noticed
before, occupied with other
business, I suppose...
(He's rambling)
...never really pay much attention
to that kind of thing but I've had
the time today, nothing else on,
and this... it's graceful and the
placement couldn't be prettier...
and...
(He goes silent now,
stares off)
PATTERSON
You just got hit.
(Redbeard nods)
The getting up is up to you- but
they're only lions-
(beat)
-and I'm going after them crack
of dawn...
(And on that-)
CUT TO
A LONG SHOT OF A HIGH ROCKY CLIFF-
-we haven't seen anything like it before- it's hundreds of feet
tall- gorgeous early morning light.
As we watch, we realize there are two dots on the side of the
cliff.
As we watch a moment more, we realize the dots are moving.
CAMERA MOVES CLOSER.
THE DOTS are Patterson and Redbeard, working their way along the
rock face. Patterson is much more nimble. It's dangerous, of
course, but neither of them seems to have that uppermost in mind.
They travel lightly- small knapsacks and their weapons.
CUT TO
THE TWO OF THEM as they make it over the cliff face. They stand,
stare out.
CUT TO
WHAT THEY SEE: the world. They move on.
CUT TO
A RAVINE. They are moving along the edge. It's tricky going- if
you fell you wouldn't much like it. They are both concentrating on
their movements, paying no attention to each other as Redbeard
starts to speak. They don't stop moving.
REDBEARD
In my town, when I was little,
there was a brute, a bully who
terrorized the place.
(beat)
But he was not the problem. He
had a brother who was worse than
he. But the brother was not the
problem.
(beat)
One or the other of them was
usually in jail. The problem came
when they were both free togther.
The two became different from
either alone.
(beat)
Alone they were only brutes.
Together they became lethal,
together they killed.
PATTERSON
What happened to them?
REDBEARD
(pause)
I got big.
(They move on)
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD working their way up a steep ravine. It's
hard going. They help each other.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, moving along the edge of the ravine now.
Slow. Silent. Redbeard stops, points-
CUT TO
A TANGLE IN THE BUSHES AND THORNS with one odd thing about it:
there is a clearly defined archway, as if a buffalo or rhino used
it as a regular passage.
CUT TO
THE TWO OF THEM at the archway. They look at each other, without a
word move through it.
CUT TO
THE OTHER SIDE. A small clearing. And at the end of the clearing:
a cave.
CUT TO
THE CAVE MOUTH. Dark.
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND PATTERSON. They each check their guns, move toward
it.
CUT TO
THE CAVE MOUTH. Closer. Suddenly it's getting eerie.
CUT TO
REDBEARD, moving slowly, Patterson right with him.
CUT TO
THE CAVE MOUTH. They're by it- Redbeard squints inside.
CUT TO
WHAT HE SEES: it's dark and dangerous and there is a long low
tunnel you have to half-crawl through.
Without a word, they start inside.
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND PATTERSON, crouched low, moving through the tunnel.
Ahead there is light. They move on.
CUT TO
THE END OF THE TUNNEL- they can see the cave beyond.
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND PATTERSON. They glance down. Nothing much there- just
a copper bracelet, the kind a native might wear.
Now they move past it and as the tunnel ends, they stand up.
CUT TO
INSIDE THE CAVE - IT'S BIG.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, moving deeper into the cave. It's scary-
dark with shafts of light coming from cracks in the rock. It's
dank. It all feels as at any moment, the world could end.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. CLOSE UP. Thunderstruck-
REDBEARD
Dear God-
(And on those words-)
CUT TO
THE FLOOR OF THE CAVE. More copper bracelets. And still more-
-and now bones-
-the floor of the place is littered with human bones-
-eyeless skulls peer up at them from all around.
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
The rest of the cave. We are looking at a carpet of bones.
PATTERSON
Their den?
(Redbeard nods)
Have you ever seen anything like
this?
REDBEARD
Nobody's seen anything like this.
Lions don't have caves like this-
(beat)
-they're doing it for pleasure.
CUT TO
SEVERAL TUNNELS, dark and ominous, leading from the cave-
-and now there is a sound from one of the tunnels-
-something is coming close and coming fast and
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND PATTERSON as Redbeard fires into the tunnel and the
sound explodes-
CUT TO
THE TUNNEL-
-shrieks-
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND PATTERSON. What the hell is it?
CUT TO
THE TUNNEL- and here they come, screeching and angry-
-bats-
-swarms of them- hundreds of them-
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, diving to the ground, lying there amidst
the bangles and the bones and the skulls-
CUT TO
THE BATS. Circling above them. Screeching louder.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, lying very still, eyeless skulls all
around, staring.
CUT TO
THE BATS. For a moment, it seems as if they might attack.
CUT TO
PATTRSON AND REDBEARD. Waiting, waiting. Then-
CUT TO
THE BATS back into the tunnel and
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, scrambling to their feet.
REDBEARD
One of my chief attributes is that
I'm always calm.
And then without warning, from behind them, a roar-
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD spin around, start back toward the entrance
of the cave-
CUT TO
THE LOW ENTRANCE TUNNEL as they scramble half-crawling through it.
CUT TO
OUTSIDE as they make it, stand straight, look around-
CUT TO
THICK BUSH beyond- another roar and sudden movement and
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, entering the thick bush- but carefully,
because they are vulnerable now and an attack could come from
anywhere- there is the sound of water-
-slashes of light hit their eyes, making it hard to see- and
they're totally vulnerable now but it doesn't stop them- the water
sound gets stronger- and as they burst clear-
CUT TO
AN AMAZING PLACE- AN AREA OF FLAT ROCK SPLIT UP AHEAD BY A WIDE
FAST-RUNNING WATERFALL.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD. They look around. Nothing is there. But
the spot is wide open, exposed.
PATTERSON
(The words pour out)
Where could it have gone? How
could it get across the water?
(looks at Redbeard)
They're only lions, yes?
REDBEARD
(shakes his head; he
doesn't know)
Don't they have to be?...
They look around a moment more. Nothing to see-
-they turn, leave, re-enter the thick bush. And now-
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS- who knows where it is but it's there-
-watching Patterson.
HOLD BRIEFLY on The Darkness, then-
CUT TO
PATTERSON'S TENT AREA. JUST BEFORE DAWN-
-outside the fence a dreadful sound- the crunching of bones.
Patterson, Redbeard, and Samuel emerge from tents, listen.
Patterson is on one side of the area, Redbeard and Samuel on the
other.
SAMUEL
(pointing)
Both of them over there.
He is pointing to Patterson's area. Patterson goes to Redbeard.
PATTERSON
Ever have to use a machan?
(Redbeard hasn't)
I did once. In India. We will
tonight.
(Now from that-)
CUT TO
A CLEARING. LATER IN THE DAY.
Patterson leads the few remaining men in constructing an odd
looking structure: four slender poles lashed together, slanting
inward with a plank tied on top, a dozen feet up in the air.
Redbeard and Samuel approach.
PATTERSON
They're used to people in trees,
not in a clearing.
(indicating the plank)
It may be tight.
REDBEARD
Not for me- I'm too bulky and it's
your idea, you go up there.
(to Samuel)
Take the others to the water tower
for the night.
PATTERSON
I'll be bait alone?
REDBEARD
Yes. And I'll be in some distant
tree where I can provide no
assistance whatsoever.
(beat)
Can you control your fear?
PATTERSON
I'll have to.
REDBEARD
I can't control mine- I'd be lost
without the shame factor driving me.
PATTERSON
Was that supposed to make me feel
better?
(Redbeard doesn't
reply. Now-)
CUT TO
A DONKEY BEING LED IN. LATER.
THE MEN start to tie it down, across the clearing from the machan.
Patterson takes a long look at the machan. He tests the support
poles- they're rickety.
CUT TO
DUSK. The sun quickly beginning its quick fall.
CUT TO
THE WATER TOWER IN THE STATION AREA. Samuel is with the remaining
men who clamber up to the platform on top.
CUT TO
THE DONKEY IN THE CLEARING. Quiet.
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
Redbeard, holding a wooden ladder that is propped against the
plank. Patterson climbs his slow way up. It's dangerous.
CUT TO
THE PLANK as Patterson makes it, clambers off the ladder, manages
to sit.
CUT TO
THE VIEW. Nothing is around the machan. He is totally vulnerable.
CUT TO
REDBEARD, taking the ladder down. Patterson tries to get
comfortable. He can't.
REDBEARD
(glancing around)
It's certainly the best chance
they've had to kill you.
PATTERSON
You think they'll come then?
(Redbeard does)
Why?
REDBEARD
(not answering)
Good luck.
PATTERSON
Why?
REDBEARD
(beat)
Because I think they're after you.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. This registers. Finally, he nods. Redbeard starts to
leave.
PATTERSON
How many do you think they've
killed?
REDBEARD
(reluctantly)
The most of any lions... a
hundred...?
(beat)
Probably more.
(Now Redbeard looks
up at the younger man)
Johnny...?
They study each other in the gathering darkness. They've been
through a lot together, these two. They're not what they were when
they first met. An emotional moment clearly is at hand.
REDBEARD
Don't fuck up.
(And he turns, never
looks back, just goes)
CUT TO
PATTERSON. He is alone now.
CUT TO
SHADOWS. Growing longer.
CUT TO
SAMUEL. On top of the water tower. The remaining men are with him.
CUT TO
THE DONKEY. It peers around.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. His fingers move slowly along his rifle barrel-
-there is no noise- but you have the sense that, at any second,
the world could explode.
CUT TO
THE EDGE OF THE CLEARING, a good distance away. A bunch of trees.
Nothing unusual.
MOVE IN CLOSER:
Redbeard, motionless, rifle in hand, is high in the branches.
CUT TO
THE SUN. About to die.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, trying to get comfortable. It's not possible.
CUT TO
THE DONKEY, tethered, but able to move.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, testing the machan- not a good idea- it trembles. He
stops, stares out at the setting sun, the light hitting his skin,
giving it color.
CUT TO
THE SUN and here's the thing about Africa- the sun doesn't just
set, it literally drops out of the sky. Suddenly it's bright and
in a blink it isn't. As it drops-
CUT TO
PATTERSON. CLOSE UP. It's madness that he's up here. And he knows
it. And that shows.
CUT TO
THE SKY. No moon. Just thick cloud.
CUT TO
THE DONKEY. Quiet.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. On his precarious perch. He scans constantly ahead of
him past the donkey.
CUT TO
THE THICK BUSH BEYOND THE DONKEY. Nothing moves-
CUT TO
PATTERSON. He swallows, moistening his throat. He stares down at
the donkey.
CUT TO
THE DONKEY. LATER. MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. DARK.
And now, just the beginning of a mist.
CUT TO
THE SKY. THICKER AND THICKER CLOUDS. LATER STILL. GETTING TOWARD
MORNING.
CUT TO
PATTERSON sitting there twelve feet up as the silence extends,
listening for something, anything-
-but all there is is silence.
CUT TO
THE DONKEY. It lies still and quiet.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, looking around- you get the feeling he'd like to
scream.
CUT TO
THE BUSHES AROUND HIM. The mist is getting stronger.
CUT TO
REDBEARD in his tree, cursing, trying to see through the growing
mist.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, listening, listening-
-and then there is a sound and it's so quiet you can barely hear
it but to Patterson it might as well be thunder-
-from behind the donkey there has come this: the snapping of a
twig.
CUT TO
THE DONKEY, and it's eyes widen-
HOLD ON THE DONKEY.
Because now something happens that hasn't happened before:
suddenly there are no colors, only tones-
-because lions can't see colors, only tones, and that's what's
happening- we are looking at the donkey from the point of view of
the lion-
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
THE EYES OF THE GHOST. Watching the donkey.
And from now on, when we are using PATTERSON'S POINT OF VIEW,
everything is clouded and thick with mist, and sounds are muted.
When we are using THE GHOST'S POINT OF VIEW, everything is totally
clear- and sounds are thunderous.
CUT TO
WHAT PATTERSON SEES: just mist and vaguely, bushes.
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: The donkey. And CAMERA begins to move closer
as The Ghost moves, just the barest few steps closer.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Still no sound- but beyond the donkey there seems to be
some movement in the bushes.
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: The donkey, very, very close-
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Squinting desperately at the area beyond the donkey but
the mist is so thick, he can't make certain of anything.
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: THE DONKEY.
HOLD.
Now there is something else visible, something behind the donkey:
the four legs of the platform.
HOLD.
Now we travel up the platform- the four legs grow closer together.
HOLD AS THE GHOST AT LAST SEES PATTERSON.
CUT TO
THE EYES OF THE GHOST. NARROWING.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Involuntarily, a shiver.
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: PATTERSON, but the angle shifts-
-what's happening of course is this: The Ghost is circling around
the platform in the safety of the bushes and the mist.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, following the whispered sound of the bushes moving. He
half turns the other way quickly, making sure that nothing is
behind him.
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: PATTERSON shifting as the angle continues to
change.
CUT TO
PATTERSON as the realization hits: the beast doesn't care about
the donkey anymore, it's stalking him.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. In the tree. The mist obscures everything.
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: PATTERSON. Still circling, still closer.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, and it's scary now, this thing circling and circling,
always closer, never visible and his throat is dry and you know
he's just dying to blast it with his weapon or scream for it to do
anything but this constantly circling movement. (In truth, the
lion circled him for two hours, always coming closer, never quite
seen.)
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: PATTERSON, always the circling around.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, trying to turn on his shaky plank, trying to never to
let the animal's position out of his sight.
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: PATTERSON. Closer...
CUT TO
PATTERSON, staring, staring at the goddamn mist, about to come
apart now with the tension as it builds and builds and builds and
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: PATTERSON. Closer.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, gripping his weapon tightly as his head keeps on
turning.
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: PATTERSON. Closer.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, suddenly yelling out loud as an owl lands on him-
that's right, a goddamn owl landed on him, thinking he was a tree,
almost knocking him off the plank and
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: PATTERSON, starting to slip off the platform
and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, fighting the owl away, but his balance is going and
he's trying not to fall and
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: PATTERSON, beginning to topple off and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, helpless, balance going, going-
CUT TO
THE GHOST, starting to charge forward and Christ he can move and
as he starts his leap-
CUT TO
REDBEARD, racing from the tree to the edge of the clearing, firing
his rifle, firing again and
CUT TO
THE GHOST, as this incredible roar comes from him, and he spins,
lands, and sure, he's been hit but he's gone, back into the bushes
and the night has him and
CUT TO
SUDDEN DAWN AND PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, running, stopping, staring
at the ground-
CUT TO
THE GROUND. Blood.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, moving quickly forward again-
CUT TO
THE GROUND. More blood and...
CUT TO
THE TWO OF THEM, starting to slow-
CUT TO
STRANGE TERRAIN- huge anthills all over, the tallest we've seen,
some of them fifteen feet high, some even higher.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD. They separate, take different paths
through the anthills.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. Alert. One step at a time.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. The same. One step at at time.
CUT TO
THE GHOST. Crouched high up behind one of the biggest anthills,
staring down at them both.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. He gestures for them to stop. They do. For a moment they
might be statues.
CUT TO
THE ROCKY GROUND. Spots of blood. Redbeard kneels to examine them
and as he does-
CUT TO
THE GHOST, launched in mid-air and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, whirling, falling, firing and as the sound detonates-
CUT TO
THE GHOST, in mid-air, body twisted and-
-and FREEZE.
Freeze on The Ghost silhouetted against the morning sky.
HOLD. THen-
CUT TO
SAMUEL, WALKING INTO THE SHOT-
-we're by the river and this is a repeat of the earlier moment
when the three men brought the old man-eater into camp-
-only now eight men appear, carrying The Ghost- eight is the
actual number of men that it took, and as they lower the dead
animal to the ground-
CUT TO
THE GHOST- and now there's a flash of light as we
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
BEAUMONT, kneeling by the dead animal. He is smiling beautifully,
and there is no questioning the look of triumph on his face.
CUT TO
A PHOTOGRAPHER; loads of bulky equipment. Patterson and Redbeard
stand behind him, watching him. We're in a lovely spot by the
river. Patterson and Redbeard have definitely been drinking.
BEAUMONT
I think another for posterity-
this is an important moment in
my life.
He strikes another pose- the Photographer goes to work.
BEAUMONT
Understand, I had help-
PATTERSON
-not a time for modesty, Bob-
REDBEARD
-undeniably your triumph.
BEAUMONT
Oh surely there's enough credit
for us all- let's not forget, you
did the actual shooting. Of course,
I hired you, I was the general who
put the team together. And generals
are the ones who tend to be
remembered.
PHOTOGRAPHER
Perhaps you might put your head in
its mouth, sir- could be a corker.
BEAUMONT
Clever idea, I like it.
CUT TO
THE MOUTH OF THE GHOST- it is huge-
-Beaumont manages to get it open- puts his head between the
enormous set of teeth- he's nervous, tries to hide it when we
CUT TO
REDBEARD suddenly giving a loud imitation of a lion roaring and
CUT TO
BEAUMONT, surprised and frightened-
-he jerks his head away-
-there is the sound of laughter, Patterson's and Redbeard's-
-Beaumont tries for his smile, can't bring it off, looks around,
humiliated, and as the laughter builds-
CUT TO
THE TENT AREA. NIGHT.
Patterson and Redbeard flank a fire. It's a sweet moment for them,
their first, no fear in the vicinity.
It should be noted that they both are drinking from bottles of
champagne.
It should also be noted that the Patterson we see is a world away
from the young man who went to meet Beaumont. He's unshaven, his
eyes have seen terrible things, he is weary, he has known failure-
he is more at ease with the world.
PATTERSON
(drunk)
I never thought I'd say this, but
I'm glad you came.
REDBEARD
(drunk)
Understood- you realize now you
could never have done it without
me.
PATTERSON
Actually, I could have done it
much more easily without you, but
for whatever reason, I'm glad you
came.
(They toast each other)
Samuel, with his own bottle of champagne has wandered over, joins
them.
SAMUEL
(drunk)
Where do you go next?
REDBEARD
Some Russian princes want to hunt
the Himalayas. You?
SAMUEL
Help finish the railroad.
PATTERSON
I want to meet my son- he must be
what, two months old?
They look at the fire a moment. Then-
SAMUEL
Three years I've worked for the
railroad. Now I don't know why. It
seemed a good idea once.
PATTERSON
I feel the same about the bridge.
This country certainly didn't ask
for it, doesn't need it.
REDBEARD
Too soon to tell.
They look at him.
REDBEARD
My life was shaped because someone
invented gunpowder. Our lives have
crossed because two lions went mad.
But what if in the future the three
of us do something grand for
humanity? Was that worth all the
lives? Too soon to tell.
SAMUEL
(drinks)
Some mysteries should not have
solutions.
REDBEARD
(finishes his bottle,
rises, looks at Patterson)
Hold your son high.
(And he turns, goes
to his tent)
PATTERSON
(beat- quietly)
He has children?
SAMUEL
(beat- quietly)
Once...
(HOLD on the two
in the firelight. Then-)
CUT TO
THE STATION MASTER AT TSAVO STATION, WORKING IN HIS OFFICE. THE
NEXT DAY.
FEMALE VOICE (over)
I'd like to see John Patterson,
please.
(As he looks up-)
CUT TO
HELENA standing there in Tsavo; she looks weary from travel, but
still lovely. She holds their son in her arms. The kid is
adorable.
HELENA
Could you tell him that his wife-
(catches herself, smiles)
-that his family has come to see him.
(On that-)
CUT TO
PATTERSON AT THE BRIDGE- Samuel hurries to him with the news-
Patterson takes off running and
CUT TO
TSAVO STATION and Helena; she holds the sleeping child, walks back
and forth along the shaded front of the building, no sound at all
but her heels.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, running like crazy and up ahead now is the station
area.
CUT TO
HELENA- and now, in the distance, she sees him and she leaves the
building, walks out into the open, smiling and waving excitedly
and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, excitedly waving back and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, moving out of the grassy area behind Helena and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, suddenly screaming "Get back- back-"
CUT TO
HELENA, and she's too far away- his words are lost on the wind-
she smiles again, waves again and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, screaming now, all he has, "GET BACK" and
CUT TO
HELENA, and she still can't make out what he's saying but just the
same, she stops and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, stalking silently, closing on the mother and child.
CUT TO
HELENA, and the baby wakes, smiles and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, starting to run and
CUT TO
PATTERSON and now it shows on his face- he's not going to get
there, he's never going to get there-
CUT TO
HELENA, and at last she knows something is terribly wrong and she
turns-
-but too late, too late as we
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, flying toward her now and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, in agony.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, leaping on them, taking them to the ground and as
Helena cries out helplessly-
CUT TO
PATTERSON, crying out helplessly and
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
PATTERSON IN HIS TENT,
continuing to cry out until he realized the nightmare he just had
is over-
-he staggers to his tent opening, goes outside.
CUT TO
OUTSIDE. It's dawn. Patterson, shaken, tries to rid himself of the
dream. He looks around.
Redbeard's tent is ripped- Patterson runs to it-
CUT TO
INSIDE THE TENT. It's empty. Patterson stares around-
-there is blood on the tent floor and quickly-
CUT TO
THE SUN. RISING.
CUT TO
PATTERSON running wildly, rifle in hand and
CUT TO
SAMUEL, carrying a weapon, hurrying to keep up and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, flying across rough terrain and as he and Samuel splash
across a small river, he gestures for them to split and they do,
widening the area of search and
CUT TO
SAMUEL, veering off and
CUT TO
THORN TREES, as Patterson rips through them, unmindful of the
damage to his clothes or his skin and
CUT TO
MORE THORNS- he plunges wildly ahead and
CUT TO
A LARGE ANTHILL- it seems to be casting an unusual shadow-
Patterson slows, rifle ready, takes a breath, moves around it-
-nothing at all- just his imagination which has been working
overtime and is only getting worse-
Patterson stands there a moment, unsure where to go, what to do-
-and then SAMUEL'S VOICE on the wind- calling to him-
CUT TO
PATTERSON, tracking the sound- Samuel's voice cries out again,
louder-
-Patterson starts to run and run, and as he rounds a bend-
CUT TO
A FIELD OF WHITE GRASS. So lovely.
With one patch in the middle that is blood red.
Something is moving in the blood red area.
Patterson has his rifle ready-
-and then Samuel rises from the blood red patch.
CUT TO
SAMUEL. In shock, in despair, call it what you want- he has seen
something beyond imagination.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, rushing across the field of white grass, rushing to
where Samuel stands in the patch of blood red grass- he looks down
into the grass-
-clearly, Redbeard is there and clearly he is dead. Patterson and
Samuel stare mute at one another-
-and now, from frighteningly near them, comes the triumphant roar
of The Darkness. They don't even react.
CUT TO
FLAMES RISING IN THE LATE AFTERNOON.
We should already have a sense of where we are; we've done this
before.
START PULLING BACK.
Samuel stands there, trying to hold it together.
KEEP PULLING BACK.
Patterson stands there too, trying to hold it together.
KEEP PULLING BACK TO REVEAL
REDBEARD'S FUNERAL PYRE. Flames consume the body.
Just Patterson and Samuel. No one else is there.
The flames lick at the sky...
HOLD...
CUT TO
A LARGE BABOON. ONE LEG IS TIED TO THE END OF THE BRIDGE. GETTING
DARK NOW.
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL, both armed, climbing the crane tower in use
at the bridge, not far from the baboon.
PATTERSON
You're positive lions hate baboons?
(Samuel is)
Pebbles?
(Samuel holds up a bag)
Let's get it over with.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL as they reach the crane tower platform,
fifteen feet from the baboon.
They help each other into position. Almost night.
CUT TO
THE LARGE BABOON, baring its enormous teeth, shrieking out into
the darkness.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL on the platform. Samuel tosses a pebble
toward the baboon and the baboon cries out again, not in pain but
irritation-
CUT TO
THE PLATFORM. PATTERSON AND SAMUEL ARE FLOODED BY MOONLIGHT. IT'S
THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.
They're both tired. Samuel throws another pebble. The baboon cries
out.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, TENSE, ON THE PLATFORM. MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.
He's tossing pebbles now as Samuel dozes. Paterson looks wild;
only nervous energy is keeping him going now.
CUT TO
THE SKY. The moon. Peaceful- then it turns bright yellow and
frightening black clouds gather and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, blinking, coming hard back to reality because the sky
is not yellow nor were there black clouds- he's starting to
hallucinate.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL ON THE PLATFORM.
Samuel is awake now. Patterson stares at the river which is calm.
CUT TO
THE RIVER, raging and black and lethal.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, hallucinating again.
CUT TO
JUST BEFORE DAWN
and The Darkness suddenly is there, creeping across the bridge
toward the shrieking baboon and the instant it appears-
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Firing-
CUT TO
-THE DARKNESS, and it's hit and it roars and goes down and-
CUT TO
-PATTERSON, turning, reaching for Samuel's rifle, grabbing it,
turning back, ready to fire again-
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS- gone.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL, blinking, looking around.
PATTERSON
Where is it?
SAMUEL
(pointing down)
Underneath.
(beat)
Somewhere.
CUT TO
WHERE HE'S POINTING. The superstructure for the bridge- it goes
several levels beneath the level where the railroad will run.
They look at each other- not good news and we find out why when we
CUT TO
EARLY MORNING LIGHT.
Patterson and Samuel climb carefully down from their platform to
the railroad level. They reach the railroad level. PAtterson
releases the baboon which races away.
CUT TO
WHERE THEY ARE. At the end of the bridge where they began
construction. The bridge, two thirds finished, stretches away
before them.
CUT TO
They begin to walk the incomplete bridge... carefully...
..as they go the look down through the crevices of their level,
making sure they miss nothing.
CUT TO
SAMUEL. Terrified. Holding his rifle extremely tightly.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Ready for anything.
CUT TO
THE BRIDGE up ahead of them. There are some holes.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL slowing.
CUT TO
THE HOLES. The nearest one is the largest.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. He goes on tiptoe, trying to see what's in the hole.
CUT TO
THE HOLE. It seems empty.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL. One step forward. Another. They hold their
breaths.
CUT TO
THE HOLE. It seems empty.
CUT TO
A SHOT FROM BELOW BRIDGE LEVEL- The Darkness is there.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, firing.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, going down through another level of scaffolding.
CUT TO
PATTRSON AND SAMUEL, trying to track it.
CUT TO
THE SCAFFOLDING. Nothing is visible.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL- Frozen. They listen-
-nothing but their breathing.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, looking around everywhere.
CUT TO
THE HOLE. Nothing.
CUT TO
THE FIRST LEVEL of scaffolding. Nothing.
CUT TO
THE SECOND LEVEL of scaffolding. Nothing.
CUT TO
SAMUEL, looking this way, that way.
SHOCK CUT TO
THE HOLE AS THE DARKNESS JUST FUCKING FLIES OUT OF IT- Patterson
falls back and fires and The Darkness is hit and goes down but it
gets up and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, turning for Samuel's rifle-
-only Samuel isn't there-
-he's taken off for the trees at the end of the bridge and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS ROARING AND
CUT TO
PATTERSON and he turns, starts running too, running across the
narrow half-completed bridge and it's a bitch to do it without
slipping or falling and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, wounded, sure, but the mother can still run and it
takes off after Patterson and
CUT TO
SAMUEL, making it to the end of the bridge and jumping for the
nearest tree and
CUT TO
PATTERSON running for his life across the bridge and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, closing the gap and ordinarily Patterson would be a
dead man but even though The Darkness hasn't got its ordinary
speed, it's still faster than Patterson and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, and he's never gone this fast in his life and
CUT TO
THE TREE HE'S HEADED FOR, a different one from Samuel's and it's
just up ahead and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, closing and
CUT TO
THE TREE, and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, springing into the air now and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, diving for the lowest branch, grabbing hold with both
hands, swinging his body up as we
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, barely missing as Patterson gets his body onto the
branch and now comes this insane roar and
CUT TO
SAMUEL with his rifle, as he climbs higher into his tree.
CUT TO
PATTERSON in the next tree, climbing higher, until he's fifteen
feet up.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, on the ground, circling the trunk of Patterson's
tree, raging with frustration.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, exhausted but it's okay now, he's safe, and as he looks
across at the next tree not far away where Samuel is-
SAMUEL
(embarrassed)
Afraid of lions.
CUT TO
PATTERSON.
PATTERSON
It's all right, Samuel- we all
get hit-
(Now he shuts up
fast and-)
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, as it does this incredible thing- it starts to climb
the tree after Patterson. Lions are cats and when they want to
climb, up they go and that's what The Darkness is doing now, going
up and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, and it's terrifying- he reaches for the branch above,
climbing higher and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, climbing higher too and the tree is sturdy but there
is a four hundred pound thing rocking it now and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, going still higher but the branches are getting thinner
and the tree is shaking, and he could fall-
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, climbing on, nothing can stop it-
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND THE DARKNESS, together in the tree, and there's no
further Patterson can go and it's harder for The Darkness too, but
slowly it moves in and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, calling out-
PATTERSON
Samuel!
(And he gestures for
the rifle and the
instant he does-)
CUT TO
SAMUEL, and he takes the rifle between his two hands and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, steadily moving in and
CUT TO
SAMUEL, tossing the rifle with great care and Patterson's less
than fifteen feet away and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, hands out to catch it and
CUT TO
THE RIFLE in mid-air and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, both hands ready and
CUT TO
THE RIFLE as it strikes a tree branch, spins away to the ground.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, almost on Patterson now and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, suddenly leaping out of the tree, and yes it's a long
way and sure it's going to damage him but sometimes there aren't a
lot of choices in this world and
CUT TO
SAMUEL, staring as Patterson falls and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, crashing hard to earth, stunned, hurt, ribs broken, leg
broken and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, and it's so big it's hard for it to get room to turn
but it does and
CUT TO
PATTERSON crawling for the rifle, and he's in terrible pain but he
reaches the weapon, grabs for it and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, skittering down the tree and as it reaches the
ground
CUT TO
PATTERSON, forcing himself to his feet and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, a dozen feet away as with a roar it starts its
charge.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, aims, fires and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, hit again and down it goes again but up it comes
again and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, firing the final shot and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, hit again and it has to stop, it just has to-
-but it doesn't.
It roars and roars and moves slowly toward Patterson.
CUT TO
PATTERSON; all bullets gone, no place to hide.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS. Still moving forward.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. He takes a step backward, falls backwards over a
branch, lands hard and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, framed between Patterson's legs. Six feet away, now
four, now-
CUT TO
PATTERSON, helpless on the ground.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, and the eyes glow-
-a branch is on the ground in front of it- it buries its huge
teeth into the branch-
-now a long dying sigh... and it goes to the ground.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Can't breathe.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, dead, its teeth still buried in the tree branch.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. CLOSE UP. And suddenly he just empties and tears pour
down his face and he begins to cry out loud, his body wracked with
sobs. He manages to get to his knees, moves next to the animal-
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND THE DARKNESS. Just the sound of Patterson's tears...
HOLD.
KEEP HOLDING.
CAMERA BEGINS TO RISE-
-WE ARE LOOKING AT THE BRIDGE NOW- AND IT'S FINISHED!
-hundreds of people are watching as the first train goes oer it-
-Samuel is there- lighting up the world with his smile-
-and Patterson's there, too. He stands with Helena, his young son
in his arms.
Everybody smiles, everybody waves, the train goes triumphantly by.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. He looks wonderful again, vibrant and young. Watching
him, you might think he hadn't been through the nightmare as he
stands there, holding the boy tightly.
But with his other hand, he fingers the lion claw necklace...
HOLD ON PATTERSON.
Now slowly dissolve to an African evening. Animals stretch from
one horizon to the other.
SAMUEL VOICE (over)
Here we still wonder about them.
How did they escape for nine months?
And kill 135 men? And stop the
railroad?
(beat)
And were they only lions?
(beat)
If you want to decide for yourself,
you must go to America. They are at
the Field Museum in Chicago, and
even now, after they have been dead
a century, if you dare to lock eyes
with them...
(beat)
...you will be afraid.
In the distance, the animals continue to move.
SAMUEL VOICE (over)
Sleep well.
HOLD ON THE ANIMALS. They seem to go on forever...
FINAL FADE OUT.
THE END
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