THE PATRIOT

                         SUSAN

          ... I'll talk to you, I'll say

          anything you want, just tell me what

          you want me to say, I'll say

          anything, I promise, please, Papa,

          just stay...

Martin envelopes the sobbing wisp of a girl, holding her,

covering her with kisses, letting her cry, fighting his

own tears...

He reins back the horse, stopping in front of the

others...

He pleadingly looks to Charlotte who steps up to the

horse... to take Susan...

Martin gives Susan a final embrace.

                         MARTIN

          I'll come back... I promise...

Martin hands the still crying Susan down to Charlotte...

Martin, in agony, averts his eyes, yanks his reins, and

spurs his horse...

As he rides away the children take off after him, running.

Susan seeing the others running after Martin, struggles

out of Charlotte's arms, and runs after them as well...

Martin rides, now joined by Gabriel, faster and faster,

leaving a trail of dust...

The children slow, then stop, one after another, watching

as they ride away.

EXT.  PATRIOT ENCAMPMENT - ACWORTH - EVENING

Grim.  The most rudimentary of the encampments we've seen.

Rain pours.  Some of Martin's men huddle under lean-to's

and quickly rigged tents that offer only partial

protection from the cold rain.

Occam and Scott do their best to keep a wet-wood fire

going.  Rev. Oliver tries to cook.

Martin and Gabriel ride up and dismount.  Martin joins

Rev. Oliver who is sorting through Rollins' possessions.

                         MARTIN

          How many came back?

                         REV. OLIVER

          About a hundred and twenty.  Less

          than a third.

Martin looks around.

                         MARTIN

          DeLancey?

Rev. Oliver shrugs and offers his palms to heaven.

                         MARTIN

                  (sarcastically)

          Trust the French.

Just then DeLancey walks out of the woods carrying a

couple buckets of water, having overheard Rev. Oliver and

Martin.

                         DELANCEY

          Yes, trust the French.

They look at DeLancey, questioning with their eyes why

he's still here.  He smiles.

                         DELANCEY

          I would not desert.  Where else do I

          get the opportunity to kill English?

          Perhaps even a few wounded ones when

          you are not looking.

Thin smile.  Martin takes a place at a campfire next to

Gabriel.  They are out of earshot of the other men.

Gabriel is thoughtful, miles away.  After a long moment,

he speaks.

                         GABRIEL

          I'm sorry, father.

                         MARTIN

          For what?

                         GABRIEL

          I thought that you were hiding

          behind your family when you were

          simply standing in front of us,

          protecting us.  I was foolish to

          think you were afraid.

                         MARTIN

          I was afraid, I still am.

                         GABRIEL

          Of...?

                         MARTIN

          Afraid that you'd turn out like

          me...

                         GABRIEL

          There are much worse things than

          that father.

Gabriel smiles, Martin doesn't.

                         MARTIN

          When I went to war, it changed me.

          And I didn't want that to happen to

          you.

Gabriel looks across the campsite, seeing DeLancey on the

far side.

                         GABRIEL

          Fort Charles?

Martin nods.

                         MARTIN

          When we took Fort Charles we took

          prisoners.  What we did to them, we

          told ourselves was just and proper,

          revenge for what they had done to

          the families along the Black River.

                  (beat)

          That's what I was afraid of.  I

          didn't want you to ever tell

          yourself something like that.

Gabriel nods, understanding Martin for the first time in

his life.

                         GABRIEL

          You needn't worry, father.  You've

          taught me well.

Martin and Gabriel sit in silence and share slight nods of

understanding.

EXT.  PEMBROKE - DAY

Anne and her parents ride into town on their wagon,

finding the streets strangely empty.

They sense someone behind them and turn to see HALF-A-

DOZEN GREEN DRAGOONS and a mounted Tavington.  They're

initially frightened but Tavington speaks gently,

politely.

                         TAVINGTON

          Everyone has been requested to

          gather at the church.

                         ANNE

          Everyone?

                         TAVINGTON

          I wish to address the whole village.

Tavington deferentially motions for the Howards to follow

his men.  Uneasy, Mr. Howard snaps the reins and follows.

EXT.  PEMBROKE VILLAGE SQUARE - DAY

Tavington and Wilkins, on horseback, watch as Green

Dragoons directs villagers into the church.

One of the Dragoons walks out of the general store with a

bowl of gumdrops.  As he starts giving them to a few of

the children their parents waver, unsure of the gesture,

but they reluctantly allow the children to take the candy.

The townspeople are uneasy but they follow the orders of

the Dragoons, who, though carry muskets, are polite and

unthreatening.

                         DRAGOON

          Into the church, please.

                         ANOTHER DRAGOON

          Colonel Tavington wishes to address

          all of you.

Anne and her parents join the others.

Tavington sees the last of the townspeople enter the

church.  He nods to the Dragoons near the door.

The Dragoons CLOSE THE DOORS, chaining them shut.  The

DOOR IS POUNDED ON from the inside.

                         VOICE

          Open this door!

                         MR. HOWARD (O.S.)

          By what right are we made prisoners?

TAVINGTON nods to several rough-looking Dragoons who

disappear into the blacksmith shop.  They reappear a

moment later with FLAMING TORCHES and approach the church.

Several other Dragoons see what's about to happen and are

appalled.  Wilkins rides over to Tavington.

                         WILKINS

          Sir?

                         TAVINGTON

          Yes, Major.

The Dragoons with the torches stop around the church,

waiting for the final go-ahead from Tavington.  The

POUNDING AND CALLING from inside the church grows louder.

                         WILKINS

          Sir, there is no honor in this.

                         TAVINGTON

          The honor is found in the end, not

          the means.  This will be forgotten.

                  (to Dragoons)

          Proceed.

The troubled Dragoons turn to Wilkins who struggles with

himself.  Tavington calmly watches Wilkins' distress.

Finally, Wilkins accepts it.  Weakly steadying his horse,

he takes his place next to Tavington.

The other Dragoons follow his lead and watch as the rough

Dragoons light the church on fire, heaving their torches

onto the roof, through the windows and under the raised

foundation.

SCREAMS are heard from inside.  The DOOR THUDS with the

shoulders of men trying to escape.  The CHAINS HOLD.

Tavington watches, stone-faced, as the church goes up in

FLAMES...

A WINDOW SHATTERS, with a chair heaved from inside...

SOME MEN TRY TO CLIMB OUT, but waiting Dragoons FIRE THEIR

MUSKETS POINT BLANK... KILLING THREE MEN, driving the

others back...

The SCREAMS FROM INSIDE THE CHURCH grow louder...

The FLAMES AND SMOKE RISE...

EXT.  WOODS - PEMBROKE OUTSKIRTS - DAY

SILENCE.  A dark forest of old growth trees.  No

underbrush.  Martin and a couple dozen of his men,

including Gabriel, Rev. Oliver, and DeLancey ride warily

on a carpet of pine needles toward a thin column of smoke,

visible over the treetops in the distance.

With hand signals, Martin directs his men to fan out.

They do so, weaving through the dark forest, weapons

ready.

EXT.  PEMBROKE - DAY

Martin and his men slowly ride into Pembroke.  The remains

of the church smolder.  The town is deserted, no one, dead

or alive, is visible.

Unsure what they have found, Martin and his men spread out

and dismount, warily checking out the buildings, looking

for some sign of life.

Rev. Oliver and a few other men head for the charred

remains of the church.

Side-stepping some still-hot, charred beams, Rev. Oliver

looks through the rubble...

Then he sees the bodies...

THE CAMERA CATCHES ONLY A FLEETING GLIMPSE of...

Dozens of charred, blackened bodies, intertwined with the

remains of the church...

Rev. Oliver staggers from the rubble...

One-by-one Martin and his men walk over and look into the

remains of the church...

Martin see several charred hands extended through a

shattered window, as if grasping for escape... one of the

hands is tiny, A CHILD'S HAND...

GABRIEL, on the other side of the square, sees Anne's

packhorses and looks around, growing increasingly frantic.

                         GABRIEL

          Anne... Anne...

MARTIN, in the church, sees something among the charred

bodies.  He reaches down and grasps the North Star amulet

he gave to Anne on the night of her marriage.

GABRIEL, hurries toward the remains of the church...

                         GABRIEL

          Anne...?

Martin walks out and intercepts him.

                         MARTIN

          Don't go in there.

                         GABRIEL

          Is it her?  Is Anne in there?

                         MARTIN

          Don't go in there.

Gabriel sees the blackened amulet in Martin's hand.  He

reels.  Martin grabs him, keeping him from falling.

Martin holds Gabriel as he weeps.

EXT.  PEMBROKE - LATE AFTERNOON

CLOSE SHOT:  Martin's weapon's belt on the ground but the

tomahawk does not hang from it's loop.

Martin and his men tend to the dead.  Some dig in the

small graveyard adjacent to the remains of the church.

Others carry out the grim task of pulling the charred

bodies out of the rubble.  DeLancey hurries over to

Martin.

                         DELANCEY

          Colonel, your son is gone.

Martin takes only an instant to process that, then he

grabs his Pennsylvania rifle and weapons belt and strides

toward his horse, speaking back over his shoulder.

                         MARTIN

          How many went with him?

                         DELANCEY

          The Reverend, Scott, a few others...

Martin mounts up and rides off.  DeLancey, Brother Joseph

and a dozen of Martin's roughest men quickly mount up and

ride after him.

EXT.  OPEN ROLLING HILLS - LATE AFTERNOON

Tavington and a dozen Green Dragoons ride.

MUSKET FIRE...

The Dragoons turn, seeing Gabriel and half-a-dozen

Patriots riding down hard on them...

The Dragoons pull their carbines and fire...

Gabriel and the Patriots take the shots, Rev. Oliver

falls, shot through the heart by Wilkins...

The horses of both sides bolt and scatter...