THE PATRIOT

                         BILLINGS

          Cheerful news to greet the morn.

                         MARTIN

          His victories at Charleston and

          Camden were perfect, strategically,

          tactically, logistically.  But he

          has a weakness.

They all turn to Martin.

                         MARTIN

          Lord Cornwallis is brilliant.  His

          weakness is that he knows it.

                         GABRIEL

          Father?

                         MARTIN

          Pride is his weakness.

The men consider that.

                         DELANCEY

          Personally, I'd would prefer

          stupidity.

                         MARTIN

          Pride will do.

BEGIN MONTAGE:  Series of shots as follows:

-- A VOLLEY OF MUSKET FIRE erupts from some thick

   underbrush, cutting down half of a squadron of Redcoats

   on the march.  The surviving Redcoats FIRE BACK into

   the trees at unseen targets to little effect.

-- Martin rides with about fifty men.

-- A British supply convoy makes its way through the

   woods.  Suddenly, Martin's men appear, rising up from

   the ground as if by magic, having been camouflaged by

   leaves and brush.  They OPEN FIRE on the convoy escort,

   which holds for a moment, then flees.

-- Martin rides with about seventy-five men.

-- Cornwallis finishes reading a dispatch and furiously

   flings it across the room.

-- Martin rides with about one hundred men.

-- A Redcoat nails a wanted poster to a post.  It reads:

   "Reward Offered:  For the capture or death of the rebel

   known as 'The Swamp Fox'".

-- Snow's Island.  Martin and his men do an inventory of a

   large haul of stolen British supply wagons.  The booty

   includes dozens of BRASS MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, some of

   which Martin's men BLARE in celebration.

-- A column of wounded Redcoats limps into a village, past

   the watchful eyes of some townsmen, among whom are

   DRAKE AND CHRISTOPHER.  The two Americans exchange a

   look.

-- Martin rides with about one-hundred-fifty men.  Among

   them, now, are Drake and Christopher.

-- The wanted poster is torn off the post.  PULL BACK to

   reveal Martin, crumpling it up and throwing it onto the

   ground.

-- Martin, Gabriel, and some of the other men watch as the

   flaming supports of a BURNING WOODEN BRIDGE collapse

   into a river.

-- A seething Cornwallis stands at the same spot, looking

   at the charred, now cooled, remains of the bridge.

   Cornwallis angrily mounts up and rides off.  His

   contrite staff officers mount up and follow.

-- Snow's Island.  Martin sits with his muddy feet on

   Cornwallis' campaign desk, reading Cornwallis' journal,

   with Cornwallis' Great Danes at his side.

EXT.  CAMDEN PLANTATION - NIGHT

A gorgeous plantation built on the edge of a river.  A

ball is beginning on the terraced lawn.  Beyond, on the

banks of the river, Cornwallis' army is encamped.  Two

ships are docked.  One, the YORK, is being unloaded.  The

other, the BRISTOL, waits.

At the house, a line of OPULENT CARRIAGES discharges well-

dressed passengers.  Ladies in their finery.  Patrician

husbands.  Redcoat and Green Dragoon officers in

magnificent dress uniforms.

INT.  CORNWALLIS' PERSONAL QUARTERS - EVENING

A valet scurries.  A distressed, half-dressed Cornwallis

looks at his reflection in a full-length mirror.

Tavington watches, hiding his amusement.  A SECOND VALET

hurries in with an elaborate dress coat.

                         VALET #2

          Finished, sir!  I took it in at the

          back... added wider epaulets... a

          court sash here... cross braiding to

          the waist... lion buttons... looped

          gold braid on the cuffs...

Cornwallis examines the coat.

                         CORNWALLIS

          A horse blanket.

                         TAVINGTON

          It's really quite nice, sir.

                         CORNWALLIS

          It's a nice horse blanket.

                  (sneering)

          Where did you get that braiding?

The nervous Valet grips the coat and stumbles over his

answer.  The other valet begins powdering Cornwallis' wig.

                         CORNWALLIS

          Colonel Tavington, why am I here?

                         TAVINGTON

          For the ball, sir?  I believe you

          find them amusing.

                         CORNWALLIS

          Why, after six weeks, am I still

          here to attend a ball in South

          Carolina.  By now, I should be

          attending balls in North Carolina.

                         TAVINGTON

          Our supply line, sir?

                         CORNWALLIS

          Excellent guess, Colonel.

Tavington bristles.

                         CORNWALLIS

          First my personal baggage, then half

          the bridges and ferries between here

          and Charleston burned, a dozen

          convoys attacked.  Colonel, if you

          can't secure our supply line against

          militia, how do you expect to do so

          against Colonial regulars or the

          French when they come?

                         TAVINGTON

          Sir, they're not like regulars, we

          can't find them and we don't know

          when or where they're going to

          strike.

                         CORNWALLIS

          How impolite.  And who leads these

          clever, secretive fellows?

                         TAVINGTON

          We don't know, sir.  He's called,

          the Commander by some, the Swamp Fox

          by others.

                         CORNWALLIS

          Colonel, I'm a civilized man but I'm

          finding to difficult to remain

          civil.  Secure my supply line.

                         TAVINGTON

          Yes, sir.

Cornwallis gazes at his half-dressed reflection.

                         CORNWALLIS

          Somewhere in the wilderness a well-

          dressed Colonial stands, looking at

          his magnificent reflection in the

          still waters of a rustic pond,

          thumbing his nose at me.

                  (sighs)

          Give me that horse blanket.

EXT.  CAMDEN PLANTATION HOUSE - NIGHT

CORNWALLIS steps to a CURTAIN-EDGED DOORWAY, attended by

his staff officers.  He looks out at the ball, lit by

hundreds of candles, torches and lanterns which bath the

scene in soft, golden light.

Among the guests is a patrician, his face unseen, standing

casually within earshot, looking the other direction,

wearing a distinctive pair of boots.

Two of Cornwallis' subordinate officers walk by with

lovely Colonial women on their arms.  Both of the officers

wear dress uniforms that put Cornwallis' slap-dash

creation to shame.  Cornwallis deflates, then sees the

ships being unloaded.

                         CORNWALLIS

          Major Halbert, our supply ships are

          docked.  Why am I wearing these

          rags?

Cornwallis shoots a glare to Halbert.

                         MAJOR HALBERT

          I, uh, understand and it has the

          loveliest creations for you from the

          finest Charleston tailors.

                         CORNWALLIS

          The finest Charleston tailors, how

          encouraging.

Cornwallis notices the BRAIDING ON THE CURTAIN next to

him.  To his horror, it matches the braiding on his dress

coat, and worse, a two-foot portion of the curtain's

braiding is missing.  Cornwallis grimaces and skitters

away from the curtain in as dignified a manner as he can

muster.

As he goes he comes face-to-face with the patrician who

turns, revealing Martin.  They have an instant of eye

contact before Cornwallis moves on.  Cornwallis senses

something familiar about Martin's boots and looks back

curiously, then continues off.

MARTIN steps over to a low balustrade and looks out at the

docks, seeing the York tied up on the right side of the

dock.  He lifts a lantern and places it on the right side

of column.

EXT.  CAMDEN RIVER - NIGHT

SPYGLASS IMAGE of Martin placing the lantern.  The

spyglass is lowered and we see Billings in a small rowboat

with several of Martin's men including Gabriel, DeLancey,

Rev. Oliver, all dressed in Redcoat uniforms.  Billings

points to the ship on the right, the York.  They row in

that direction.

Some sentries on the ship glance at them, see their

uniforms, then move on.

The rowboat pulls up alongside the ship, now unseen in the

shadows below the curve of the hull.  Gabriel takes a leg

up from Rev. Oliver and pulls himself into an open cannon

port.  DeLancey hands him a gunpowder cask.  Gabriel

disappears inside the ship.

EXT.  CAMDEN PLANTATION HOUSE - NIGHT

Cornwallis speaks with some staff officers and loyalist

civilians, among whom are Simms and the spectacular MRS.

TALBOT, and her toady of a husband, MR. TALBOT.

                         MRS. TALBOT

          No!  The beasts took your dogs, as

          well?

                         CORNWALLIS

          Fine animals, a gift from His

          Majesty.  Dead now, for all I know.

                         MRS. TALBOT

          Is there no decency?

Cornwallis sadly shakes his head.

                         SIMMS

          And the rebels still bedevil your

          supply line?

Cornwallis puffs up a bit.

                         CORNWALLIS

          A minor irritation... merely

          militia.  I have already...

A MASSIVE EXPLOSION LIGHTS UP THE NIGHT as the York erupts

in a huge FIREBALL.  British officers, including

Tavington, RUSH OVER.

                         MAJOR HALBERT

          Good God!

Simms turns to an astonished Cornwallis.

                         SIMMS

          A minor irritation?

Cornwallis looks out at the fireball with silent fury.

EXT.  CAMDEN RIVER - NIGHT

Martin's men row away from the burning ship.  A SECONDARY

EXPLOSION bursts from the York in the background.

EXT.  CAMDEN PLANTATION HOUSE - NIGHT

More British officers and Loyalist civilians crowd the

balustrade, watching the York.  Yes ANOTHER EXPLOSION on

the York sends up a FIREBALL which arches over the docks

and disappears into the open hatch of the Bristol.  An

instant later, the BRISTOL EXPLODES.

CORNWALLIS sees that and nearly explodes himself.  He

turns to Tavington and barks:

                         CORNWALLIS

          Colonel Tavington, to horse.  See if

          you can run down these insolent

          bastards!

                         TAVINGTON

          Yes, sir.

Tavington hurries off the balcony, passing an oblivious

Loyalist women who steps out from the house, sees the

fireball and smiles gleefully.

                         LOYALIST WOMAN

          Oh, fireworks!  Lovely!

Martin, with a thin smile, walks unnoticed past a seething

Cornwallis and disappears into the shadows.

EXT.  PEMBROKE - DAY

Martin and his brigade ride into Pembroke.  Townspeople

greet them.  Gabriel scans the crowd as he dismounts,

looking for someone.

EXT.  ANNE'S HOUSE - EVENING

CLOSE SHOT:  A hand knocks on a door.  PULL BACK as Mr.

Howard, Anne's father, on his crutches, opens the door and

finds Gabriel standing there with a bouquet.  Anne, behind

her father, looks up from cooking, embarrassed and pleased

to see Gabriel.

                         MR. HOWARD

          Gabriel.

                         GABRIEL

          Mr. Howard.  I've come to call on

          Anne.

Mr. Howard looks Gabriel up and down, keeping him on the

spit for a moment.  Then he nods for Gabriel to enter.

INT.  KITCHEN - HOWARD HOUSE - NIGHT

Gabriel holds his hands out for Anne's mother to wind her

yarn while Anne sits nearby, searching for conversation

under the watchful gazes of her parents.

                         ANNE

          Is it getting warmer?

                         GABRIEL

          Yes.  I think it is.  I think it

          will be an early spring this year...

          unless it's late.

Silence.  Anne self-consciously pours tea for her parents

and her guest.  She serves her parents first, then

Gabriel.

                         GABRIEL

          Thank you, Anne.

He takes a sip.  Savors it and nods appreciatively.

                         GABRIEL

          It's very good.

                         ANNE

          I'm pleased that you like it.

He smiles, revealing a mouth full of black teeth.

INT.  ANNE'S BEDROOM - HOWARD HOUSE - NIGHT

Gabriel lies stiffly on one side of Anne's bed while her

mother carefully sews him into a body-sized "bundling

bag," a courtship ritual of the period.

With Anne looking on, embarrassed, her mother finishes the

last few stitches, completely enclosing Gabriel, with only

his head sticking out of the heavy, canvas bag.

Anne's mother gathers up her sewing kit and joins her

husband who looks on sternly from the doorway.

                         ANNE

          You needn't worry, father.

                         MR. HOWARD

          I know.

                         MRS. HOWARD

          Dear, come.

Anne's parents leave them alone, taking their candle,

plunging the room into near darkness.

Gabriel stiffly lies back on the bed.  Anne stiffly lies

next to him.  Silence.  They look at the ceiling.  They

both choke back titters of laughter.  Then the dam breaks.

They laugh together at the craziness of the ritual.

INT.  ANNE'S PARENT'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Dark.  Anne's parents lie in bed listening.  Through the

wall they can her the MURMURED JABBERING of Gabriel and

Anne talking and laughing a mile a minute in the adjacent

bedroom.  They exchange a look.  Mr. Howard is worried.

                         MRS. HOWARD

          Don't worry.  I sew better than my

          mother did.

Less than reassured, Mr. Howard eases down into his bed

with his wife.

EXT.  PEMBROKE VILLAGE SQUARE - DAY

Martin's men water their horses and take supplies from the

townspeople while Martin, with the two Great Danes at his

side, talks with Mr. Howard.

                         MR. HOWARD

          ... four baskets of apples, salt

          pork, sweet potatoes, jerky, hard

          tack, salt and powder, gun and

          baking.

                         MARTIN

          We can't pay for this...

                         MR. HOWARD

          You pay me what you can, when you

          can.

Martin thanks him with a handshake.  They see, on the

other side of the square, Gabriel and Anne talking

intimately, apart from everyone.  Howard smiles and gives

a little rough laugh.

                         MR. HOWARD

          He reminds me of you before you got

          old and ugly.

                         MARTIN

          No, he takes after his mother...

Howard is taken aback by the gentleness of Martin's words.

                         MARTIN

          ... the younger ones barely remember

          her but Gabriel spent more time with

          Elizabeth... she taught him well,

          guided him, she was his North Star

          and mine...

                  (beat)

          ... Gabriel's already a better man

          than I could ever hope to be...

                         MR. HOWARD

          You ever told him that?

Martin looks at Howard as if he were crazy.  Then he

shakes himself out of it and adopts a coarse, joking tone.

                         MARTIN

          What do you mean, old and ugly?

                         MR. HOWARD

          You got me beat on both accounts.

                         MARTIN

          The hell I do.