~ ~ ~
CHARACTERS
ISAIAH WARD - An African American cowboy from a ranch just over the Arizona border. Shanghaied in San Francisco. Never without his pair of Colts, and a far sharper reader of men and paper than anyone expects.
ELISH VANDERHOOP - An Aquinnah Wampanoag harpooner out of New Bedford who has sworn never to kill another whale.
SAWADA GENZŌ - A rōnin living as a hired sword in Yokohama, shamed for outliving his master.
OSTAP KRAVETS - A proud, boastful Cossack horseman, lately of Russian America, who recruits men for the expedition.
NG SHUI-LIN - Pirate captain of the lorcha Ping On.
CORNELIUS HATCH - A British big-game hunter and the public face of the expedition.
LADY ADELAIDE ROOKE - A widowed English aristocrat and naturalist, and the true force behind the expedition.
SUPPORTING
THE CRIMP - A San Francisco crimp in once-fashionable clothes.
RUFFIAN - A British bully on the Yokohama waterfront.
BOOKIE - A racecourse cheat, with two heavyset GUARDS.
MATE - First mate of the merchant ship to Yokohama.
CREWMEMBER 1 - A sailor on the merchant ship who leads the singing.
CREWMEMBER 2 - Another sailor on the merchant ship.
FADE IN:
EXTREME CLOSE-UP on ISAIAH WARD, a dark-skinned man, sweat on his face. In the background we hear the creaking of boards and the lapping of waves.
Isaiah's eyes open; they're still a little bloodshot. He glances around, confused, and then suddenly his arm flies to his hip.
MEDIUM SHOT: Isaiah in a hammock. He's wearing the clothes of a cowboy, but his gunbelt and spurs are gone. His hat isn't on his head; it lies on the floor beneath the hammock. Isaiah's hand has reached to his hip, where he always keeps his gun slung, and it's dancing nervously over the spot where it would normally be.
Sluggishly, Isaiah sits up, looking around the room. It's dark and cramped. He winces as he rubs his eyes. He swings his feet off the edge of the hammock and goes to stand up, but instead is dumped on the floor with a loud bang.
Isaiah pulls himself to his feet and walks to a door, unsteady, like he's not sure of his footing. He pushes it open and is met by blinding light.
It takes a second for his eyes to adjust, and then we can see the deck of a merchant ship. All along it are crew members pulling lines, storing goods, and generally getting the ship underway. In the distance, land gets smaller and smaller.
Isaiah steps out onto the deck and is confronted by THE CRIMP, a man in tattered clothing that seems to have once been quite fashionable.
THE CRIMP
Welcome back to the land of the living!
ISAIAH
Where... Where...
THE CRIMP
Well, it seems you had quite the bar tab back in San Francisco. You see, I took the liberty of finding you an excellent vessel to work on to help pay off all those debts.
ISAIAH
(shaking off any grogginess)
Why, you—
Isaiah lunges for the Crimp, who easily moves out of the way, grabbing the unsteady Isaiah by the arm. The Crimp produces a piece of paper from his pocket.
THE CRIMP
Now, let's be sensible about this. If you sign this contract, it guarantees that in Yokohama you'll be set free and able to choose whatever activity suits you. Maybe even work your way back to that bar I dragged you out of.
Isaiah takes the paper from the Crimp and stares at it, squinting. The Crimp smiles; he doesn't think Isaiah can read the densely worded contract.
Isaiah fusses around in his coat, finally pulling out a thin pair of spectacles. He puts them on and scans the paper.
ISAIAH
This says that I'd be indebted to you for 5 voyages.
The Crimp grabs the paper from Isaiah and fishes for another one in his pocket.
THE CRIMP
Oh, I'm so sorry, there must have been a mix-up. Wrong contract and all that. I know I have the right one somewhere here.
He produces a new contract.
ISAIAH
(examining the contract)
There was a pair of pistols I had on me. Colts.
THE CRIMP
Held for safekeeping – of course – you'll get them back at the end of the voyage.
ISAIAH
(stern)
I'll have them back now.
THE CRIMP
You'll have to take that up with the captain. He's not too thrilled with sailors getting into shooting scrapes.
ISAIAH
(reluctantly)
Give me a day to read this over.
Isaiah puts the contract and his spectacles in his pocket, nodding to the Crimp. The Crimp scurries off.
Isaiah, who has been looking proud and standing tall the whole time, waits for the Crimp to leave, then runs to the railing to throw up into the ocean.
Nearby, ELISH VANDERHOOP watches from the side, winding a rope: a big, strong Native American man with medium-dark skin, a smooth face, and long, dark, silky hair pulled back into a ponytail.
ELISH
Where did you learn to read?
Isaiah turns to Elish and sizes him up for a minute, then turns to throw up again. He speaks in between vomits.
ISAIAH
What, did that Crimp shanghai you with his fake contract too?
ELISH
(mournful)
No, I chose my path here. This arm—
He grasps his right bicep with his open left hand.
ELISH (CONT'D)
—has been the end of enough whales for a lifetime.
ISAIAH
You're a harpooner?
ELISH
I was. My people are Wampanoag, from Aquinnah, on the island you call Martha's Vineyard. But throwing that harpoon has taken me around the world three times now.
Isaiah pauses for a moment.
ISAIAH
It was my grandmother...
Elish looks at him inquisitively.
ISAIAH (CONT'D)
It was my grandmother who taught me to read. She was a house slave in Kentucky; her masters wanted to make sure she could manage the household. Read, write, all of it. She taught me. "Surest way to control your own destiny," she would say.
ELISH
And what is that destiny you have made?
ISAIAH
I'm a cowboy for a ranch just over the Arizona border. Or at least I was, until that last drive to San Francisco. Figured I had it set up pretty well at the end of that, but a man like me can't just walk into a bar in San Francisco and celebrate his hard-earned coin.
Isaiah thinks for a minute.
ISAIAH (CONT'D)
The place we're going, Yoka-something, you been there before?
ELISH
(nodding)
Yokohama.
ISAIAH
How am I going to do there?
ELISH
You'll be no more an oddity than the tattooed Tongans, the cutthroat pirates, or the barbarous Tartars. Yokohama is a free port that attracts all sorts of people.
ISAIAH
And if I want to leave?
ELISH
You'll find work on a ship. Now, if you want to survive this voyage, stand up and help me with this rope.
The crew is gathered around. One man plays a small guitar, and they sing "What Will We Do with a Drunken Sailor." Isaiah sits uneasily with the song. He seems to be the butt of the joke, but he sings along with the crew.
CREW
(singing)
What will we do with a drunken sailor? What will we do with a drunken sailor? What will we do with a drunken sailor? Early in the morning
CREWMEMBER 1
(looking at Isaiah)
Come on, boy, now you give us a song.
Isaiah seems nervous at first.
ISAIAH
Well, there is a song my grandfather taught me, from when he was picking tobacco. It goes like this.
Isaiah starts singing "Roll, Jordan, Roll," and the crew joins in.
As the song comes to an end, Isaiah gets quiet.
CREWMEMBER 2
(shouting)
Blow Ye Winds in the Morning!
The crew picks up the new song, and Isaiah follows along as best he can. They're rowdy: men who have just set sail with signing bonuses still in their pockets.
ON ELISH, who leaves the group as the song begins, slinking away into the dark.
CLOSE ON lines pulling and sails rising. We turn to see Isaiah and Elish on a heavy line. The two are working like a well-oiled machine, having found their rhythm in the weeks at sea.
Beyond the boat, Yokohama Harbour is in view. The old Japanese fishing village still stands beside the modern foreign port. The harbour is crowded with ships. Even from the water it seems chaotic.
SUPER: YOKOHAMA, 1870
MATE
(shouting)
Secure the lines!
Isaiah and Elish tie off a line to a cleat and pull it tight.
The crew is disembarking. The Crimp stands by the gangway holding a belt with two shiny Colt 1860 Army revolvers, a powder flask, and a tin of percussion caps.
Isaiah and Elish approach the man. Isaiah grabs the belt from his hand and starts to put it around his waist.
THE CRIMP
I don't suppose I could interest you in a contract for another sailing?
ISAIAH
(buckling his belt)
We're done here.
(very serious)
If I see you again...
He places his hand on the handle of one of the guns. The Crimp nods, and Isaiah and Elish leave the ship.
Elish and Isaiah walk through the crowded streets.
ELISH
If you're looking for work, there are some merchant houses up on the high street that will take a strong arm and a strong mind.
ISAIAH
I just want to get out of this place.
ELISH
In that case, most of the boats here are going to be looking for–
Elish is interrupted by shouts from nearby. Isaiah takes off towards the shouting, and Elish follows.
They turn a street corner where a crowd has assembled. In the middle, a RUFFIAN, big and British-sounding, is confronting SAWADA GENZŌ, in traditional samurai attire.
RUFFIAN
That's right, fancy man in a dress. Your master took the happy despatch, and you hadn't the stomach for it.
SAWADA
(in Japanese, subtitled)
Bite your tongue, ketō, or I will take it from your mouth.
RUFFIAN
What's that? I don't speak your Jing-Jang-Jung language.
The Ruffian pulls a large knife from his belt and holds it in front of him menacingly.
All of a sudden the Ruffian charges at Sawada, who in one motion pulls his short sword from its sheath and strikes the man, moving out of the way of the wild knife swing. Then he wipes the blood off the blade and returns it to the sheath. The whole fight is over in 15 seconds, and the Ruffian is dead on the ground.
The crowd is silent for a second, but then one of the MEN IN THE CROWD reaches into his belt for what looks like it could be a gun.
Before the man's hand has even reached the handle, Isaiah has clocked the action, gotten one of his Colts out of the holster, and has it trained on the man.
ISAIAH
Now, let's all calm down here. I may be new to these parts, but it seems to me that this here...
(looks over Sawada for a second)
...man is just defending himself and his master's honor. No shame in that, no reason to get all bent out of shape.
The man in the crowd gives up reaching for his gun and fades back into the group.
Isaiah addresses the crowd, his pistol still drawn but now turned away so as not to threaten.
ISAIAH (CONT'D)
Now, let's all go about our days, alright.
As the crowd disperses, Sawada quickly approaches Isaiah and Elish.
SAWADA
Arigatō.
ELISH
(to Isaiah)
He's saying thank you.
ISAIAH
Well, however you say "you're welcome," you're welcome.
SAWADA
You're American? Looking for work?
ISAIAH
I suppose so. Anything to get me out of here.
SAWADA
Yes, it's good work. Come, follow me, quickly.
Sawada turns and runs off. From the opposite direction, we hear the shouts of the POLICE pushing towards Isaiah and Elish.
ELISH
The constables will not approve of this death.
ISAIAH
Damn. Well, may as well see what the man in the dress has to offer.
OSTAP KRAVETS, dressed as a Cossack in a long cherkeska coat with rows of cartridge loops across the chest and a tall fur papakha hat, holds the reins of a horse. He's arguing loudly with a BOOKIE, a smaller man flanked by two heavyset GUARDS.
OSTAP
The horse you sold me, you told me it was a winner. This horse is nothing! It cowers when it should charge, it runs from victory.
BOOKIE
It's your horse and your problem. Now get out of my way before I have to make you.
Ostap reaches for the hilt of the shashka hanging edge-up from a sling at his side, but before he can draw it he's interrupted.
SAWADA (O.S.)
Ostap!
Ostap turns to see Sawada, Elish, and Isaiah approaching, then turns back to the bookie.
OSTAP
(menacingly)
This time you get away, but the next time you try to pull something...
He makes a throat-slitting motion. The bookie and his guards leave as Sawada and the group approach.
SAWADA
Ostap, my friend, what have you done?
OSTAP
Damn cheat sold me a bad horse, then took my bet that I'd ride her to a win. Fleeced me for my signing money.
Isaiah takes a look at the horse and then turns to Ostap.
ISAIAH
You mind?
He reaches out his hand, asking for the reins. Ostap hands them over. Isaiah starts paying attention to the horse, seemingly oblivious to the conversation.
SAWADA
Ostap, these are Americans. They wish to find work, and quickly. Will your captain take us on?
OSTAP
You too? I thought you wanted to stay in Yokohama.
SAWADA
I must go.
Ostap looks over Elish and Isaiah.
OSTAP
(to Elish)
Harpooner, right? I've seen your type around before. We could use someone with your skills.
ELISH
I'll not harpoon another whale.
OSTAP
It's not whales we're going after, it's...
(ominously, in Russian)
Chudovishcha.
(pausing, turning to Isaiah)
And you, what's your trade?
Isaiah hasn't taken his eyes off the horse.
ISAIAH
What was wrong with the horse?
OSTAP
When I told her to sprint to the end, she slowed. What is it to you? She's a bad horse.
Isaiah adjusts the saddle and tightens a strap, then climbs onto the horse. He rides her down the length of the track and, coming back, gives a little kick. The horse sprints the last section of track, past Ostap, Elish, and Sawada.
Sawada laughs a little and gives Ostap a look.
Isaiah returns to the group with the horse and climbs down.
ISAIAH
Seems like a pretty good horse to me.
OSTAP
(shaking his finger at Isaiah)
I have work for you, but watch your neck, cowboy, or you may find you're strung up by it.
Isaiah takes the threat almost like a body blow, reacting to it physically, then opening his mouth but closing it again.
Ostap stares Isaiah in the eyes for a beat, waiting for a reaction that doesn't come.
OSTAP (CONT'D)
Come now, the boat leaves soon.
(turning to Sawada)
And you, my friend, must tell me what trouble you've managed to get into now.
Ostap leads Isaiah, Elish, and Sawada through the crowd.
OSTAP
The boat is called the Ping On. She's captained by Ng Shui-lin, a pirate who operates in these parts. But the man who'll be paying us is a Cornelius Hatch, big British fellow. I think he's been in Africa for a while now. He's pretty scarce on information about what we're going after, but it's some sort of hunting trip for sure.
They stop at the foot of a gangplank.
OSTAP (CONT'D)
Here she is.
They board the boat, a lorcha: a fairly traditional Western-style, two-masted hull, but its sails are rigged like a Chinese junk.
On the deck, the crew is making the ship ready to sail.
NG SHUI-LIN, a small Chinese/Vietnamese woman, sits in front of a large ledger with a brush and ink block. Behind her stands CORNELIUS HATCH, dressed like a cartoon of a British game hunter in Africa, minus the pith helmet.
SHUI-LIN
Ostap, I see you brought more friends.
OSTAP
(removes his papakha and bows; gestures to Sawada)
My good friend Sawada Genzō, a rōnin warrior and master swordsman.
(gestures to Elish)
My new friend, Elish Vanderhoop, a master harpooner.
CORNELIUS
(interrupting, looking straight at Elish)
Have you ever brought down a sperm whale?
ELISH
Thirty-seven of these whales I've killed in my time. I remember each and every one of them, for they are a gentle animal with a deep spirit.
(pauses)
I will not kill a whale for you.
CORNELIUS
(laughing)
It's not whales we're after on this hunting trip.
Cornelius looks over Isaiah, then back to Ostap to make the introduction.
OSTAP
My new friend, Isaiah Ward, an American cowboy.
Cornelius's eyes seem fixed on Isaiah's Colts.
CORNELIUS
You know how to use those?
Isaiah nods.
CORNELIUS (CONT'D)
Ever ridden a bull?
Isaiah nods.
CORNELIUS (CONT'D)
Well then, friends of Ostap, welcome aboard the Ping On.
Cornelius nods to Shui-lin, who marks three lines in her ledger.
Cornelius counts out gold sovereigns into the hands of Sawada, Elish, and Isaiah.
CORNELIUS (CONT'D)
Five sovereigns signing bonus now, twenty more on return to port, and another fifty if we're successful.
Sawada, Elish, and Isaiah pocket their coins.
Cornelius hands a small stack of sovereigns to Ostap.
CORNELIUS (CONT'D)
And the usual fee.
Ostap takes the coins and smiles. Isaiah gives him a hard look.
CORNELIUS (CONT'D)
(to Shui-lin)
I think, Captain, it may be time to set sail.
Shui-lin nods, packs up her ledger, and stands. She starts shouting to the crew in a mix of Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Mandarin. The crew quickly makes the ship ready, and it pulls out of port.
Isaiah watches in amazement as the sails open to their full size, the lines are cast off, and Yokohama starts to drift away. From the rail he sees constables on the dock talking with the man from the crowd, the one who reached for his gun during the fight. The man points up at Isaiah. The constables look up at Isaiah, who waves to them as the ship pulls away from the dock.
Isaiah turns back to the deck and catches a quick glimpse of LADY ADELAIDE ROOKE peeking her head out of a doorway to the passage below. She's wearing practical trousers and a shirt rather than a traditional Victorian dress, and her hair is done up to keep it off her neck. She seems to notice Isaiah's gaze and ducks back inside.
ISAIAH
(to Elish)
Who do you think that was?
Elish just shrugs and wanders off.
The deck is bathed in moonlight; they're at sea. Isaiah sits on the deck asleep, his hat pulled over his face.
The door to the passage below opens and Adelaide steps out. She's carrying a sextant in her hand, but we can't make out what it is in the darkness. She starts to make her way furtively to the side of the ship.
ISAIAH
(without appearing to wake up)
Don't get out much, do you?
Adelaide is startled and turns to the cowboy, hiding the sextant behind her back. Isaiah, for his part, tips his hat up, showing his face.
ADELAIDE
What makes you say that?
ISAIAH
A week at sea, and this is the first I've seen you on deck.
ADELAIDE
Maybe you just didn't notice me?
ISAIAH
Not likely. I'm pretty good at noticing things.
ADELAIDE
Well, so what if I've stayed below deck? I prefer to be below deck anyway.
ISAIAH
I doubt it.
ADELAIDE
(irritated)
Well then, what do you think?
ISAIAH
I think you're hiding. I think you want everyone on this boat to think they've signed up for some hunting expedition with that tree stump Cornelius Hatch. But I think this is your expedition, one that you want kept secret.
ADELAIDE
And why would I be leading some secret expedition in the Pacific?
ISAIAH
I don't know. And I'll tell you, Lady...?
Isaiah pauses, looking at Adelaide.
ADELAIDE
Lady Adelaide Rooke.
ISAIAH
Well, Lady Rooke—
ADELAIDE
Lady Adelaide.
Isaiah squints at her, not quite following, but he lets it go.
ISAIAH
Lady Adelaide. I'll tell you, I don't much like jobs where I don't get to look my employer square in the eye and sum them up. I got the measure of your man Cornelius, alright, but you I can't quite figure out.
ADELAIDE
I'm not so sure of that, Isaiah Ward. You've figured out this was my expedition, that I was a lady, that I'd prefer to keep my presence and involvement quiet. Are you so sure you haven't summed me up?
ISAIAH
Those were easy. Cornelius could never be the one in charge here. You see, a man like that, he goes where he's told, hires local guides to bring him to the big game, and then takes the credit for the kill. You may not be wearing the trappings of an English lady, but I'm no fool. Anyone who looks like me knows how to spot a fine lady a mile away, so we can step to the other side of the road. What would an English lady be doing on a pirate vessel unless it was her expedition to begin with?
ADELAIDE
Very observant. Now let me try.
(she pauses for a second, looking at Isaiah)
First, the easy parts. You're American, black, and a cowhand. It's a role you must have been born into, something you've been at your whole life. Your father would have done the work before you, probably as a freedman. You're clearly observant, but it's a side effect of your fear as much as your curiosity. Your father would have told you of the fugitive slave patrols, and you live your life in fear of people like them enslaving you. That's why you wear those guns on your belt. You're also smart. I can tell from the spectacles in your coat pocket that you can read, and that you're far-sighted. How am I doing so far?
ISAIAH
Impressive. Now let me try.
(pausing for a minute)
You're a scientist, or your husband is, although he's not here. You've got a keen eye for observation, practiced beyond just your local gossip circle. It's your money funding this, not some charter from the Royal Society, and we're sailing on a pirate ship, so this isn't sanctioned. Perhaps your husband doesn't know about it, or doesn't approve of his fortune being used this way. Still, in your mind this isn't a hunting trip; it's a scientific exploration.
ADELAIDE
Right on most accounts. My—late—husband was a scientist, a middling one and a worse gambler. You're wrong that I'm using any fortune to pay for this expedition. I've staked all I have on it: my reputation, and all the wealth left to me by the late Mr. Rooke. The Royal Society don't believe that a woman can be part of scientific advancement. I mean to prove them wrong. Now, on your part. Your choice of traveling companions tells me that you were shanghaied in California, a fact that wounds your pride more than anything else, all those years with your pistols by your side and when you finally needed them they were no good to you. I can tell from Ostap's cold respect towards you that you're a brilliant horseman, and that Sawada seems to hold you in high regard means you're a formidable fighter. Elish for his part stays with you because you're fair and kind. Those three things make you a good person, but they're also why you boarded the first ship you found in Yokohama. You needed to escape and I'm guessing it's not from some gambling debt but rather from a run-in with the local authorities. You stuck your neck out for someone when you shouldn't have. Am I right?
ISAIAH
(nodding through a grimace)
Right on all accounts. Now to the meat of the matter. Why are we here? Behind your back, you're not doing the best job of hiding something. I think it's some kind of star-measuring contraption. You don't trust Shui-lin. Why would you? After all, she's a pirate. But you need her. She knows these waters, maybe she's even been to wherever it is we're going. Now, what I want you to tell me is where it is we're going, and what you expect to find there that would need a harpooner, a swordsman, a Cossack, and a cowboy on your crew.
Adelaide smiles and produces the sextant from behind her back.
ADELAIDE
It's called a sextant, a marvelous piece of machinery that uses the stars to find our position. Would you like to try?
Isaiah stands and approaches Adelaide. She hands the sextant to him. He holds it up to his eye.
ADELAIDE (CONT'D)
Now find the North Star. It's—
ISAIAH
(interrupting)
I can find the North Star, Lady Adelaide. Any self-respecting cowboy and certainly any black man knows what it is.
ADELAIDE
Very well. Hold it upright by the handle, like so, and look through the eyeglass at the horizon.
ISAIAH
I can barely make it out.
ADELAIDE
The moon's bright enough. That faint line where the sea turns darker than the sky. See the little glass in front of you? Half of it is clear, half of it is a mirror. Now slide this arm down, slowly, until the star appears in the mirrored half.
Isaiah eases the index arm along the arc, frowning in concentration.
ISAIAH
Got it. It's jumping all over.
ADELAIDE
That's the ship. Move with her, not against her. Bring the star down until it sits right on the horizon.
Isaiah works at it. Adelaide leans in and sets his fingers on the clamp and the small tangent screw beside it.
ADELAIDE (CONT'D)
Clamp the arm. This screw is for the fine work. Now rock it, gently, side to side. The star will swing in a little arc. Where the bottom of that arc just touches the horizon...
ISAIAH
There.
ADELAIDE
Hold it right there.
She takes the sextant back and tilts the arc toward the moonlight, reading the fine scale.
ADELAIDE (CONT'D)
Twenty-four degrees and a little over. The height of the North Star above the horizon, near enough, with a correction from the tables.
(handing it back)
Now you know how far north we are.
ISAIAH
But not why. What are you looking for, Lady Adelaide?
Adelaide takes a long pause. She's tried to keep the purpose of the expedition a secret, but she's started to trust Isaiah.
ADELAIDE
In 1848, HMS Daedalus reported a sea serpent in the South Atlantic. Sixty feet of it above the waterline, and who knows how much below. The Society's men dismissed it. Since then, British merchant vessels have reported similar sightings in these waters. They steered clear for fear that it could pull down their rigging and drag them under. The local crews won't go near this part of the ocean. Bad superstitions, and the Society chalked it up to just that: superstitions, nothing of real scientific value. I'm not so convinced.
ISAIAH
So we're trying to harpoon a sea monster?
ADELAIDE
Maybe, but I feel it may be something older. Are you aware of Charles Darwin's work?
(quick pause)
Darwin writes of "living fossils," ancient forms that endure in confined places, where competition is less severe. What is more confined than an island no one will sail to? Maybe whatever this sea serpent is will be some sort of living fossil.
ISAIAH
And then what, we hunt it?
ADELAIDE
No, we study it! Observe it, and yes, we take a specimen back to England.
ISAIAH
Specimen... And then what? You get fame and wealth, and all of England flocks to this island to gather more specimens?
ADELAIDE
Maybe. Imagine what we'll learn.
ISAIAH
Imagine what will happen to the island.
(pauses)
Well, Lady Adelaide, it's past time for me to turn in. It was good to finally get to know you.
Isaiah gets up and moves to a door to the hold.
Ostap, sword drawn, swings and slashes on a less crowded part of the deck. Sawada sits nearby, watching and carefully oiling his swords.
CORNELIUS (O.S.)
Careful with that, or you'll hurt yourself.
Ostap stops and looks disapprovingly at Cornelius as he approaches.
OSTAP
I've held a shashka in my hand since the day I could walk. Maybe it's you, Mr. Hatch, who should be careful.
CORNELIUS
I've been all over the world and faced the sharp end of swords, sabres, and assegais. I still wouldn't trade a one of them for my four-bore. When you've got a bull elephant staring you down, an English gun is the only thing worth having.
OSTAP
I've ridden against your men with guns. Their bravery tends to leave with that first shot. Mine is firmly grasped in my fist.
He makes a show of tightly gripping the sword.
Elish and Isaiah approach the group.
ISAIAH
For what it matters, you two, as I hear it we're all going to be hoping for Elish and his harpoon on this adventure.
Elish looks at Isaiah disapprovingly.
CORNELIUS
(giving a chuckle)
Let's see.
Cornelius grabs a harpoon from a rack on the deck. It's visibly heavy, even in his strong hands. He tests the heft of it, then throws it to Elish, tip pointed to the sky.
Elish catches the harpoon easily. In his strong arms it seems almost light. He spins it once around, catching the balance of it, then turns it backhanded and raises his arm for a throw. His eyes are set like stone. He holds that position for a second, then lowers the harpoon and relaxes his pose.
ELISH
The balance will need adjusting.
(studying the tip of the harpoon)
The iron is good.
OSTAP
And what do you say now, Mr. Hatch? Do you still prefer your English gun?
Isaiah gives a little laugh.
OSTAP (CONT'D)
And what are you laughing about, cowboy? Those little toys you carry on your belt, what good do you think those will do you?
ISAIAH
(grinning)
These toys?
Isaiah performs an impressive display, pulling the guns from their holsters, spinning them around, and reholstering them. It's lightning quick and acrobatic.
ISAIAH (CONT'D)
I'll keep my toys. They've done OK for me so far.
Ostap glares at Isaiah. Sawada stands, sheathing his swords, and pats Ostap on the back.
SAWADA
Come, friend, let them play with their guns.
Sawada and Ostap exit.
Cornelius approaches Isaiah.
CORNELIUS
Impressive. You know, I've always been amazed by the skill of your people. Their ability to read the bush, and their prowess with spears.
ISAIAH
My people?
CORNELIUS
The Africans. What part does your family come from?
ISAIAH
My people are from Kentucky. I'm not sure if you know, Mr. Hatch, but we didn't exactly plan on moving.
Isaiah storms off. Elish watches him go, then adjusts a rope on the harpoon and starts to follow.
As Elish passes Cornelius, he tosses the harpoon to him. It seems to leave Elish's hand as light as a feather, but when Cornelius catches it, it's heavy and awkward.
ELISH
Good day, Mr. Hatch.
Elish exits.
Cornelius feels the weight of the harpoon in his hand, rocking it back and forth. He nods and puts it back in the rack.
Shui-lin watches him from a higher deck. Feeling her eyes on him, Cornelius looks up at the pirate captain.
CORNELIUS
What are you looking at?
SHUI-LIN
The crew you signed.
Cornelius brushes off her statement.
SHUI-LIN (CONT'D)
There's a storm coming, a bad one. Best if you all stay below, especially our other guest.
Cornelius nods and leaves. Shui-lin looks to the horizon, where a dark cloud is perched in the distance.
The Ping On is tossed back and forth by heavy waves. Isaiah, still not as comfortable on a boat as he is in the saddle, tries to keep his balance by holding onto whatever he can.
A particularly big lurch throws Isaiah to the floor, and we hear the creaking and groaning of the ship. Isaiah tries to pull himself to his feet but can't find his footing.
The whole ship heels hard as she comes about, timbers groaning.
A cabin door bursts open. It's Lady Adelaide, using the door frame to steady herself as she makes for the stairs.
ISAIAH
What are you doing?
ADELAIDE
(shouting over the storm)
Shui-lin turned us around. She's trying to double-cross me!
Adelaide heads for the stairs and starts to climb up to the deck. Isaiah pulls himself to his feet and climbs after her.
On deck, a storm is absolutely ravaging the ship. Isaiah sees the battened sails half-lowered and flogging, bamboo battens splintering, and lines flying in the wind. He looks to the back of the boat and sees Shui-lin at the helm with a crewmember beside her, both throwing their weight against a massive tiller. Adelaide is making her way to the helm, looking like she's on a mission.
ISAIAH
(shouting over the storm)
Stop!
Adelaide turns to look at him, but then just keeps going.
Isaiah reluctantly follows her, holding on to whatever he can to avoid being knocked over.
As they climb toward the helm, a wave hits the ship, heeling it over and splashing water across the deck. Adelaide is swept off her feet and tumbles toward the side of the boat. Isaiah lunges and grabs her outstretched hand, catching hold of a railing with the other, and pulls her back up.
ISAIAH
This is crazy! What are you trying to prove?
ADELAIDE
We're almost there. The island should be just on the other side of this storm. We have to push through.
Adelaide shakes off Isaiah's grasp and makes her way to the tiller.
ADELAIDE (CONT'D)
Captain Shui-lin, I demand you bring us through that storm!
SHUI-LIN
No, it's impossible.
ADELAIDE
When I hired you, you promised me a ship that could handle these waters and a crew that knew them. Now I tell you, we need to go through that storm.
SHUI-LIN
No ship can survive a storm like that. You English are crazy. You think your money can buy you safe passage. The ocean will decide.
ADELAIDE
Fine, then I'll do it myself.
Adelaide bodily pushes Shui-lin away from the tiller and throws her own weight against it. Shui-lin's crewmate is quick to act, pulling a knife from his belt, but before he can do anything, Isaiah slaps it out of his hand.
ISAIAH
No need for that. We're all on the same boat.
(turning to Adelaide)
This is crazy. The captain is right. Even if your mysterious island is on the other side of the storm, we won't live to see it.
Adelaide has fire in her eyes. She's dead set on making it through the storm, and she won't listen to reason.
ADELAIDE
And what do you know of crazy, Mr. Ward? Have you been told your whole life to quiet down and let your betters talk for you? Have you been told that your ideas don't have merit, not because of what they are but because of who you are? Have you been told to keep to your station, look pretty, and be quiet?!
ISAIAH
(looking at Adelaide mournfully)
Yes.
(beat)
Well, except the pretty part.
Adelaide's eyes soften, and she gives a little smile at the second line.
ISAIAH (CONT'D)
Let's let the captain have her ship back. We can wait out the storm, or go around.
Adelaide seems to be regaining her composure. She looks into the dark storm ahead of her, then back to Isaiah. She turns to look at Shui-lin, who is holding onto a railing near the tiller.
Adelaide seems ready to give the tiller back to Shui-lin when, all of a sudden, the boat slams into something, stopping it hard. Isaiah is thrown from his feet and slams his head into a railing, knocking him out.
CUT TO BLACK.