on the challenge of the native americans, to settle for good and all who holds sway.
by the ancient laws of combat, we offer our bodies to the ghosts of those warriors who have gone before us. valor is avid for glory, and glory is in our wounds.
whoever fights untouched in battle has skill, but the warrior who returns wounded has been touched by god.
it was god gave me guidance. will you be able to look on the death blow like a gladiator, and not look away? no honorable man turns an eye from his death.
there is another matter.
no native american warrior will dishonor himself with the blood of the halt and maimed.
so we would like to know whether squire jack mulraney of the dead rabbits can smile out of both sides of his face.
you need a weapon? use a knife. he puts the struggling boy's hand on the hilt of the knife that the butcher sunk into his father's chest.
it makes a deeper cut. and, his hand guiding the boy's, he rams his knife deep into vallon's heart.
say a benediction, priest.
hold this close to mind, boy, should you ever think of going up against the native americans. bill the butcher rises and all around him, as if on some mysterious signal, the fighting subsides. a dead rabbit sees the fallen vallon, takes a battered brass horn from his belt and sounds three notes, quick and sharp. as the notes fade away, the fighting stops completely.
ears and noses will be trophies of the day.
tomorrow your cortege will cross paradise square, into territory protected by the native americans. you will be permitted undisputed passage both ways. that is our tribute. after that, any rabbits wishing to join the native americans and willing to swear blood loyalty will be welcomed. all others will be dispatched. he starts out of the silent room, but stops when he sees mank eastman looking at him with easy interest. bill the butcher stares him down, but monk's gaze never wavers.
i'll expect you first.
you saw us fight today. you know we can pay any price.
we'll see. independence is a slippery thing. but being a rival .  well, that's dead dangerous. bill brushes past monk and leaves, followed by the natives. now the rabbits file out, with monk among them.
easy, crusher. what's this all about?
make another arrangement, looks like. for advertising. better go along. i'll see to all this.
take the little malefactor. the cops yank the wildly flailing amsterdam to his feet and drag him off to their wagon. bill the butcher approaches cornelius.
give the boy what he paid for.
you come into the five points and you stole from me.
you stole vallon. he was my kill. my example, of my power. you took him and made him yours.
thank you. just listen good. the native americans holds the five points. we have prevailed. what you do outside the points is your deciding. outside is your city. inside the points is mine. anyone who says different, or does different, or thinks different.  .  theylll draw my unwelcame attention. you understand?
you just stay out of my place.
it's good work.
you wouldn't be talking to me otherwise.
we work for no one.
maybe you tammany boys should do your own lifting and carrying and muscle work. might build you up.
then get cops to do it.
appearance means nothing.
if you can talk plain, maybe we can do business.
i know. scotchy's a good man.
i can't do that. no matter what he steals, i still get more from him than any two others. as do you.
charles mcgloin will do.
evening, sir. are you prepared to be celebrated? are you ready to be famous?
just a moment of your time. my men will assist you.
what's it so quiet for? i don't need quiet.
there's for your beauty and your song.
thank you, sir.
do i? are you missing a finger?
do you have a name?
that's a new york name. shall we drink to it?
priest vallon's son? of course i'll drink to that. your father was a worthy man.
what do you want, boyo?
you got the sand to draw a blade in front of me? you will make good sport. come ahead and give it here, you son of a bitch.
what do you say? loin or shank? rib or chop?
come on, let me hear you! you're all talking at once, i can't hear you! i don't hear the choicest cut! the best, the vital! the heart. i think i must have the heart!
come on, look at it! you fancy yourself a gladiator, act a gladiator! watch the death blow when it comes to you. go to hell with open eyes!
you got nothing to do with this, monk.
the hell.
eastman!
monk eastman!
i'll have you then!
you sent me word.
i keep my hands clean.
better be on your mark to talk like that to me. it was you stopped me at the pagoda. i would have cut monk inside out.
it touches my heart how you always. have our best interests in mind.
what?
you're saying i can't do everything you need? you don't think the natives has been doing good and right? you think there's something more he can do that i .
then you should have let me have him at sparrow's.
he needs to be killed.
it's boss tweedls offer.
the only way we could tolerate being near each other would be stretched out dead.
i'll see you again, you bog irish bastard.
you're right enough this time, monk. go ahead. go on with your work. i'll finish my business.
you damn craven, do it!
your eyes was open for that alright. and you still got one to see this.
if i was you i'd use that to open in a new location. consider st. louis.
the war club.
i promise you, amsterdam. i promise you.
i'm not good enough for your table, so i eat where i can. it's good, what is it?
is that like pigeon? i killed a pigeon once but it didn't taste nothing like this.
he insulted me. he aggravated me. i couldn't stand for that, for no one.
you think i should be afraid of you. you act like lightning strikes when you talk.
i never was afraid of you, so don't think i was or act like i was, you ain't earned it.
where'd you earn the right to ask that question? you raised some dust in the streets a while back, but no more. you got power but you ain't got muscle and you ain't got a notion what it means to be a warrior.
you don't know nothing about that! it was my doing! it says in the book, "if thy eye offend thee, pluck it out." i followed that law with my own knife and hand. the first i ever fought priest vallon, he bested me. and when he came to bring me to death, i looked away and he watched me and he let me go. the shame was worse than the killing. i would have cut out both eyes if i could still have fought, but cutting just the one gave me heart. when i killed priest vallon, that restored me. now i sent monk eastman over i got glory. i got all there is, and small thanks to you, squire.
howls these manners?
i'm always hungry.
a dozen at least of my natives.
i want at them. all of them, and amsterdam especial. now.
to hell with any of that.
i don't got to advance anywhere further.
what's this?
they know me by any name, you son of a bitch!
i'll have him stretched on a spit!
you got no more to say about this now.
i'll do my work. but this is a shame, a public shame. it demands my attention. fine, then! fine and welcome! day after elections, we'll meet with seconds on neutral ground to work out time and terms. it will be done and done.
you know this hand. last time it was this close, it was on your throat.
i'll cut their hands off. after the fight.
i won't say nothin' in front of him. who knows what business he's here on?
beside them? what are you talking.  ?
i can't stand with the militia against the people. i could never work the points no more if i did.
murder me? no one's going to murder me.
i don't believe it, and i don't believe it's you telling me. you got no reason to care about any danger to me.
you protect me? get out of here and go to hell.
maybe i'd believe you more if i knew who was talking to you.
that means nothing to me. none of this means nothing to me because i am tammany. without me and my natives they're nothing but a bunch of old horses at a trough.
i relish the thought.  just the thought.  of cutting you up and opening you wide. so if just thinking about it gives me such pleasure, imagine how i'm going to enjoy doing it.
amsterdam! don't be like your father. don't make it too easy.
we move now and we can drive them out! we press them and they'll break!
tweed put me in charge of this! i say we move, and by the crucified christ we will move! native americans, come with me! any militia that wants to live upright instead of die hunkered down, come with us!
we'll show you gladiators' greatness! come on!
was it tweed or your friend put you to this?
you'd lie to save your friend.
me the same. pity us both.
hold your fire! in there! hey in there! i want to talk to amsterdam!
you and me.
your friend made different friends lately.
it don't matter to me. i got enemies outside, enemies in here. the militia can move on me anytime. you could drop me before i get to the door.
you'd lay aside what's between us?
if you do, i'll remind you.
i'm considering where's my better chance.
well, it seems like between us we got two mobs that might make a gang.
not william tweed's.
they got to come in if we're going to fight them.
we're finished, all of us.
we got the same now, a full share of nothing. there's nothing to settle. there's nothing left.