The Kentucky Cycle

by Robert Schenkkan

  EZEKIEL: Too risky. I was thinkin’ more like some time in the middle of some battle, somewheres. When everything’s crazy and nobody’ll pay you no mind. Even if somebody should ask questions, well, these things happen, don’t they?

  JED: Then what?

  JOLEEN: Lay low and try to work your way back here.

  EZEKIEL: No! No! Don’t desert. You gotta get permission to come home.

  JOLEEN: Yeah, mebbe you gotta get back and let his poor widow know the terrible news.

  EZEKIEL: Somethin’ like that. Then . . .

  PATRICK: Chkkzz arggg . . .

  EZEKIEL: Look to him, will you, Joleen? Then I think—

  He stops suddenly, then gestures to Jed to keep on talking while he sneaks over to the edge of the porch.

  JED: What about the fellows I’ll be ridin’ with? Do I just lose ’em, you think? Or do I need to make ’em part of this or what?

  Ezekiel suddenly reaches over the edge of the porch and hauls in a very frightened Randall.

  EZEKIEL: GOD DAMN IT! How long you been hidin’ under there!? Huh! Answer me, damn it, or I’ll tear your guts out and feed’em to the damn hogs!

  RANDALL: NOOOO!

  Ezekiel slaps him several times.

  EZEKIEL: What’d you hear, huh? You little piss ant! You tell me word for word! WHAT DID YOU HEAR?!

  RANDALL: Nothin’! I didn’t hear nothin’! PLEEEEASE!

  JED: Let’im go, Pa!

  RANDALL: Jed!

  EZEKIEL: WHAT’D YOU HEAR?!!

  JED: LET’IM GO!

  Jed tears Randall away from Ezekiel. Beat.

  EZEKIEL: Get inside, Joleen. Get dinner ready.

  Joleen exits.

  We gonna have to kill’im now.

  RANDALL: JED?!

  Beat. Then Jed starts laughing.

  EZEKIEL: WHAT’S SO GODDAMN FUNNY?!

  JED: The look on your face! Damn, Pa, you sure had me goin’! How about you, Randall, you think he was angry?

  RANDALL (still crying): Yeah.

  JED: What? Did he really scare you? You believe all that?

  RANDALL: Uh-huh.

  JED: We was just pullin’ your leg, boy! Isn’t that right, Pa? We knew you was there that whole time, didn’t we?

  Beat. Ezekiel smiles.

  EZEKIEL: Yeah.

  Ezekiel starts to laugh with Jed. Randall looks from one to the other.

  RANDALL: It was just a joke?

  JED: What? You think my ole pa here was really gonna feed you to them hogs? Shame on you for scarin’ him like that, Pa! You apologize to him right now! You hear me?!

  EZEKIEL: I’m . . . sorry, boy.

  JED: I’m real sorry, and I beg your pardon.

  EZEKIEL: What?! . . . I’m real sorry . . . and . . . I beg your pardon.

  JED: That’s better. We was just foolin’ with you.

  RANDALL: Yeah?

  JED: Well, of course. You think I’d let anybody, anybody, touch a hair on your sweet head? Not on my life! ’Cause you and me, we’s friends, right?

  RANDALL: Yeah.

  JED: ’Course we are. Best friends!

  RANDALL: Best friends?

  JED: Sure! In fact, we can be blood brothers if you like. What do you think about that? Huh? You got a pen knife on you?

  RANDALL: Yeah.

  JED: Let’s see it.

  Randall pulls a knife out of his pocket and shows it to Jed.

  Whooee. Look at that, Pa. Ain’t that a beaut. With a real ivory handle and all. Now what you gotta do, you gotta knick my thumb.

  RANDALL: Cut you?

  JED: Oh, just a little bit, nothin’ to write home about. Right there. Go on.

  Randall cuts him.

  There. Now, I got to nick you . . . (He does so.)

  RANDALL: Ow . . .

  JED: Now, that didn’t hurt none, did it?

  RANDALL: Nooo.

  JED: And we got to squish our thumbs together, see, like this. This is how the Indians did it.

  RANDALL: Yeah?

  JED: Sure! I’m part Cherokee, you know? Now you are too. Now we got the same blood runnin’ in us. Now Pa here is goin’ to give us a blessin’, make it proper.

  EZEKIEL: A what?!

  JED: A “blood brother” blessin’. You know.

  EZEKIEL: Oh. Right. (Beat.) Jesus! Look down on these two sinners . . . and bless’em to thy Holy Name. Let the blood they share . . . purge . . . and . . . and join them together even as your blessed blood did redeem us of our sins and bring us together with God . . . in whose Holy Name we pray.

  JED: Amen.

  RANDALL: Amen.

  EZEKIEL: Amen.

  JED: How you feel?

  RANDALL: I don’t know. . . . Different.

  JED: Well, I spect so. We both changed now, we blood brothers. Now, let’s get your face washed up here. Pa, get me some water, would you?

  Ezekiel brings Jed a damp bandanna. Jed wipes Randall’s face.

  Now, you can’t go around tellin’ everybody about this, you know? What we done here today is special. It’s sacred. It’s just between me and you. It’s goin’ to be our secret, right?

  RANDALL: Sure.

  JED: I mean, we can tell your daddy if you want. . . .

  RANDALL: No! He’d be real mad about this!

  JED: You think? Well, maybe you’re right. I reckon you know best. We’ll just pretend that you went on back to home when your daddy sent you and that you didn’t sneak on back here and hear us or nothin’. All right?

  RANDALL: All right. . . . Can I tell Julia Anne?

  JED: Your sister? Nooo, you can’t tell no women about this. This is secret man stuff. You understand?

  RANDALL: Yes, sir.

  JED: All right now, you look halfways presentable. I think you better scoot on to home and get there ’fore your daddy does.

  RANDALL: All right. (He starts off, then stops.) Jed?

  JED: Yeah?

  RANDALL: Thank you.

  Jed and Ezekiel watch carefully as Randall exits. Beat.

  EZEKIEL: You really think he gonna keep his mouth shut?

  JED: Oh, yeah. Nice prayer, Pa. Real . . . movin’.

  Jed sucks his thumb thoughtfully as Ezekiel crosses up to the porch.

  EZEKIEL: Come on, Pappaw.

  He helps Patrick to stand and crosses with him to the door, then turns to Jed.

  You really like his boy, don’tcha?

  JED: He’s all right.

  EZEKIEL: Ain’t no point gettin’ too fond of Randall, Jed. Make your mind up to it—we gonna kill’em all.

  He and Patrick exit into the house. The lights fade out to a single spot on Jed, who again addresses the audience directly. As characters and scenes are invoked by Jed, they will appear and disappear in isolated pools of light. Jed will walk in and out of the scenes.

  JED: We rode out the next mornin’: Lieutenant Richard Talbert, the house nigger who shaved and dressed him every mornin’, and a handful of sharecroppers. Talbert’s army!

  Richard inspects his troops.

  RICHARD: Men of Kentucky! Today, we ride out of our ancestral homes safe in the natural fortress of these beloved mountains to do battle with a godless enemy who would strip us bare of our most cherished traditions. Well, even as we drove those red savages from these hills, so shall we send these bastard sons of John Brown back to the Babylon that sired them! Death or dishonor! Glory above all! (He starts out.)

  JED: Mr. Talbert! Lieutenant! Sir!

  RICHARD: Yes, Jed!

  JED: Bowlin’ Green is that way, sir!

  Richard hesitates only a fraction and then reverses his direction.

  RICHARD: Thank you, Jed!

  The “army” marches out. Almost immediately w
e hear loud thunder and the sounds of a torrential rain, with gunfire and cannons in the distance. The men enter and huddle miserably.

  JED (aside): Down near the Cumberland river, we got baptized pretty quick.

  The FIRST SHARECROPPER makes a mad dash across the stage and joins Jed’s group.

  SECOND SHARECROPPER: How’s it look?

  FIRST SHARECROPPER: Just up that hill and over that picket fence are more damn Yankees than you can shake a stick at. Must be twice our size.

  RICHARD: Well, that’s all right, we’ve got the element of surprise.

  A loud cannon explosion nearby.

  SECOND SHARECROPPER: They don’t sound too damn surprised to me.

  RICHARD: Hell, any Confederate worth his salt is worth five of them blue bellies!

  FIRST SHARECROPPER: S’pose them Yankees know that?

  In the distance, a UNION COLONEL stands up and yells contemptuously.

  UNION COLONEL: Why don’t you rebels stand up and fight like men?

  RICHARD: Come on, men, let’s show’em what we’re made of!

  JED: Sit down, Lieutenant.

  UNION COLONEL: Well, what are you cowards waitin’ for?!

  RICHARD: You hear that?

  JED: How far is that son of a bitch?

  FIRST SHARECROPPER: Eighty, ninety yards.

  Jed sights his gun and fires.

  UNION COLONEL: Why don’t you rebels stand up and—

  The Union Colonel falls. Jed turns to Richard.

  JED: Why don’t you sit down, Lieutenant, before you get your ass shot off.

  Richard sits. The cannons get louder. We hear the screams of an advancing army in the distance.

  FIRST SHARECROPPER: Jesus Christ, they’re comin’! Look at ’em!

  RICHARD: Steady, men. Steady.

  SECOND SHARECROPPER: There must be hundreds of ’em!

  RICHARD: Steady.

  FIRST SHARECROPPER: To hell with this. Let’s get outta here!

  SECOND SHARECROPPER: Get to the river!

  The cannons are deafening. The men panic and begin to run. Jed grabs Richard’s arm.

  JED: Let’s go, Lieutenant! LET’S GO!

  Richard and Jed stagger off. Richard falls and grabs his ankle, dropping his pistol in the process.

  RICHARD: Oh, Christ!

  Jed leans over him.

  JED: What?!

  RICHARD: It’s my ankle!

  JED: Come on, Mr. Talbert!

  RICHARD: I think it’s broke!

  JED: Let’s go!

  RICHARD: Oh, Jesus, they gonna kill me!

  JED: Nobody’s dead yet—come on!

  RICHARD: I can’t make it! Don’t leave me, Jed, please don’t leave me!

  Jed picks up the pistol and aims it at Richard.

  JED: I ain’t gonna leave you, Richard.

  RICHARD: PLEASE, GOD—DON’T KILL ME, JED!

  Suddenly, a Union soldier runs in behind Richard. Jed shoots the soldier and then holsters the pistol.

  JED: Shit, I ain’t gonna kill you, Richard. Give me your arm—we gotta get out of here.

  Jed picks Richard up and half-carries him off. They join a large crowd of frantic men jostling about on the riverbank.

  FIRST SHARECROPPER: Let me on!

  SECOND SHARECROPPER: You got room!

  FIRST REBEL: Quit pushin’!

  SECOND REBEL: Sweet Jesus! Quit pushin’ back there!

  FIRST SHARECROPPER: Quit pushin’ god damn it!

  JED: What’s the holdup?

  FIRST SHARECROPPER: Ain’t no way cross the river ’cept that boat, and he says he won’t take no more!

  JED (calling out): The lieutenant here’s hurt bad—he needs some help!

  BOATMAN: Ain’t nobody gittin’ on this boat lessen he got orders!

  JED: That’s us!

  BOATMAN: Yeah? Where’s your papers?!

  Jed pulls the gun out.

  JED: His order’s been signed by Colt, by God—now get outta my damn way!

  The Boatman backs out of the way and Jed and Richard push onto the boat along with the crowd and stand pressed against the rail. The boat casts off. The sound of battle fades.

  RICHARD: Thank you, Jed. I ain’t never gonna forget this.

  JED: Yessir.

  RICHARD: I think we’re gonna make it, Jed, I really do.

  JED: Yessir, I think so.

  Jed pushes him into the river.

  RICHARD: Jed! Help me, Jed! FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST! JEEEDDDDDD!

  He disappears. Beat. The other men move off the boat, leaving Jed alone.

  JED (aside): I just gave him a smile colder’n the Cumberland River and watched him sink to the bottom. And I told myself, It’s over now—it’s all over.

  Beat.

  There wasn’t any way back into Kentucky now, with that Union army on the other side of the river, and I wasn’t all that much safer where I was. Missouri seemed as good a place as any, and it looked like at least I’d have company on the way.

  Jed and a small group of men warily approach one another.

  TOMMY NOLAN: Hey.

  JED: Hey.

  TOMMY: You look lost

  JED: No, I know where I am. It’s everybody else I marched out here with I can’t seem to find.

  CARL DAWKINS: Us too.

  TOMMY: I’m Tommy Nolan. That’s Carl Dawkins. Gus Slocum there.

  JED: Jed Rowen.

  GUS: Where you goin’?

  JED: Nowheres in particular. How ’bout you?

  CARL: We fixin’ to join Quantrill—ride along if you like.

  JED: Who’s Quantrill?

  The men laugh and exchange looks.

  GUS: Oh, nobody special—just the greatest guerrilla fighter there ever was! Where you been, country boy? William Clarke Quantrill is God in these parts!

  TOMMY: Wanta come?

  Beat.

  JED: Sure.

  QUANTRILL steps forward. Jed turns front. Aside:

  First time I ever seen Quantrill, he tied two cats together by their tails and hung’em over a clothesline. Laughed himself silly while they clawed each other to death.

  QUANTRILL: That’s the war, boys—two critters joined at the tail and tearin’ each other’s assholes out! (Beat.) We take the war real personal ’round here. An eye for an eye. Ain’t a man ridin’ with me ain’t lost some family to them Federals. My own little brother Charley was butchered in his sleep by Captain Lane’s Kansas Redlegs, and I won’t rest till I killed every damn one of ’em!

  JED (aside): Quantrill fought the war full-time and by his own set of rules: ambush, bushwhack, and the like. But I think his favorite trick was to dress up in a Yankee uniform and walk into a Union camp. . . .

  Two UNION SOLDIERS sit around a campfire. One stands and challenges Quantrill as he walks up.

  FIRST UNION SOLDIER: Who goes there?!

  QUANTRILL: Captain Clarke of the Fourth Missouri! You got room for one more around that fire?

  FIRST UNION SOLDIER: Yessir.

  QUANTRILL: I don’t know what you boys are eatin’, but it sure smells good.

  SECOND UNION SOLDIER: Just beans and what passes for bacon around here.

  QUANTRILL: Mother’s milk! I haven’t eaten in so long my insides are knockin’ together.

  SECOND UNION SOLDIER: Help yourself.

  FIRST UNION SOLDIER: Kinda far from your outfit, aren’t you, Cap’n?

  QUANTRILL: Damn bushwhackers cut us up t’other side of Big Sandy and scattered my command all to hell. I reckon it was that Quantrill fellow.

  SECOND UNION SOLDIER: No shit!

  FIRST UNION SOLDIER: Goddamn guerrillas! Hangin’s too good for ’em!

  QUANTRILL: Amen!

  FIRST
UNION SOLDIER: Buncha damn cowards! Always shootin’ at you from behind some damn tree. Boy, you give me five minutes with that bunch face to face and I’d tear their balls off with my teeth!

  QUANTRILL: Well, Christmas come early, son, looks like you gonna get your chance. He’s standin’ there right behind you.

  Tbe First Union Soldier whips around. Quantrill stands up and pulls his gun.

  I said “right behind you.”

  He calmly shoots both Union Soldiers. Jed walks into the campsite and looks around at the bodies, appalled.

  Gotta problem, Jed?

  JED: No, sir.

  Tbe sound of flames begins to build throughout his speech. Aside:

  I’da left then if there’d been any way out, so I just told myself it was war and to keep my head down and my eyes open. But I couldn’t do that after what we did in Lawrence. Killin’ soldiers was one thing, and if we didn’t take no prisoners, well, hell, neither did they. But Lawrence, Kansas, was just murder, and they weren’t two ways about it.

  General pandemonium breaks out: the sound of women crying, men cursing, glass breaking, horses screaming, etc.

  We just rode into town, shootin’ everythin’ in pants, set the place on fire, took everything that we could carry that warn’t nailed down, and then rode out again.

  Quantrill pushes three civilian prisoners, hands tied behind their backs, downstage center. Tbey kneel. Meanwhile, Jed, Carl, Tommy, Gus, and other Quantrill soldiers cross the stage carrying armfuls of plunder. Jed notices Quantrill and yells to him.

  You want any of this stuff, Colonel?

  Quantrill ignores him and proceeds to execute each prisoner with a shot to the back of the head. As he kills each one he shouts:

  QUANTRILL: THAT’S FOR MY BROTHER CHARLEY! (He fires.) THAT’S FOR MY BROTHER CHARLEY! (He fires.) THAT’S FOR MY BROTHER CHARLEY! (He fires.)

  Quantrill notices Jed watching him in horror. Quantrill gestures toward the loot in Jed’s hands and shakes bis head disapprovingly.

  Lord don’t love a thief, boy.

  Quantrill walks off.

  JED (aside): After Lawrence, we headed east into Kentucky with a whole damn army after us. Maybe Quantrill was tired, or maybe he just didn’t give a damn anymore, but he got careless one night and they killed four of our men and chased the rest of us barefoot into the woods without our horses.

  Quantrill’s men, exhausted, collapse around a campfire. Carl is wounded and moans deliriously. Quantrill drinks heavily from a bottle.