The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Say, buddy, will you stake a fellow…?

Hey, mister, will you stake a fellow American to a meal?

- State lottery, senor? - Beat it. I ain't buying no lottery tickets.

- Four thousand pesos, it's a big prize. - Get away from me, you little beggar.

The whole ticket is only 4 pesos. It's a sure winner.

I ain't got 4 pesos.

Buy a quarter of a ticket for 1 peso silver.

If you don't get away from me, I'm gonna throw this water right in your face.

Then one-tenth of a ticket, senor, for 40…

Senor, buy one-twentieth. One-twentieth costs you only 20 centavos.

Look, senor, add the figures up. You get 13.

What better number could you buy? It's a sure winner.

- Yeah, well, how soon's the drawing? - Only three weeks off.

Give me a twentieth so I don't have to look at your ugly face.

Es un numero excelente, senor. Gracias.

Come again next time.

I always have the winners, all the lucky numbers. Good luck.

Thirteen? Heh, heh.

Excuse me.

Cigarette?

Thanks.

- Ah, it's hot. - Yeah.

What a town, Tampico.

You said it, brother. If I could get a job that'd bring enough to buy passage…

…I'd shake its dust off my feet soon enough.

Yeah.

If I was a native, I'd get me a can of shoe polish and I'd be in business.

They'd never let a gringo.

You can sit on a bench till you're three-quarters starved.

You can beg from another gringo, you can even commit burglary.

You try shining shoes in the street…

…or peddling lemonade out of a bucket and your hash is settled.

Never get another job from an American.

Yeah, and the natives would hound and pester you to death.

- Some town to be broke in. - What town isn't?

Hey, um, can you stake a fellow American to a meal?

Hey, mister.

Will you stake a fellow American to a meal?

Such impudence never came my way. Earlier this afternoon I gave you money.

Having my shoes polished, I gave you more.

Now you put the bite on me again.

Do me a favor. Go occasionally to somebody else.

- This is beginning to get tiresome. - Excuse me. I never knowed it was you.

I never looked at your face, just your hands and the money you gave.

Beg pardon. I promise I'll never put the bite on you again.

This is the last you get from me.

Just to make sure you don't forget your promise, here's another peso.

- Thanks, mister, thanks. - But from now on…

…you have to make your way through life without my assistance.

[BAND PLAYING SPANISH MUSIC NEARBY]

Hey, buddy, will you stake a fellow American to a meal?

I won't give you a red cent.

But if you wanna make some money, I'll give you a job.

- What's the catch? - No catch.

I got a job if you want. It's hard work, but good pay.

- You ever rig a camp? - Sure.

The ferry's making off, one of my men hasn't shown up.

I don't know what's happened. He's probably drunk.

- What's the pay? - Eight bucks American a day.

Well, don't just stand there. Make up your mind, the ferry doesn't wait.

- I'm your man. - Come on.

- Hello there. - Hello yourself.

McCORMICK: Okay, you guys, get aboard.

Take it your way.

What's the matter with you two? Can't you take it?

Well, it's 130 in the shade, and there ain't any shade up there on that derrick.

Just figure you're a couple of millionaires in your own private steam bath.

And the sooner we're through…

…the sooner we'll be back in town drinking cold beer.

We finish within two weeks, I'm giving you fellas a bonus.

Yeah, it's coming to us working 16, 18 hours a day like we do.

Don't go crying. What do you want? I'm paying top salaries and a bonus.

How about our pay? And when do we get it?

- I ain't seen a buck out of you yet. - You'll get your dough, all right…

…don't worry about that, when we get back to Tampico.

What could you do with money out here anyway, except gamble and lose it?

You'll be paid as we step off the ferry.

An agent was to be here with the dough. Don't know what could've happened.

Nothing to worry about. I'll go and pick up the money.

You men stay here.

Any objection to a couple of us coming with you?

Don't you trust me? You think I'd run out on you?

I don't think you'd do that.

But I ain't got a cent, not even enough to buy me a glass of beer.

Say, you two guys meet me over at the Cantina Madrid.

It's a quarter of 2 now and I'll be over there no later than 3:00.

Pat McCormick, si. He come in from time to time.

I no see him lately.

Pat McCormick? What about Pat McCormick?

- Supposed to meet us here. - Does he owe you money?

Yeah.

Say, how long you guys been around Tampico, anyway?

What's that got to do with it?

Only foreigners and half-baked Americans fall for McCormick's tricks.

How do you mean?

I mean he hires dumb guys like you to work for him.

When it comes time to pay off, he takes a powder.

How much we got left of that 10 he gave us, Dobbsie?

- Two-fifty. - That's not even enough for one bed.

I know a joint that's full of rats, scorpions and cockroaches.

The cots are only 50 centavos a night.

Jobs that were a dime a dozen ain't to be had at all.

Streets are full of guys…

…pushing each other for a meal.

Gold in Mexico? Sure there is. Not 10 days from here by rail.

There's a mountain waiting for the right guy to come along and discover her treasure.

The question is: Are you the right guy?

Real bonanzas are few and far between. They take a lot of finding.

Answer me this, will you? Why is gold worth 20 bucks an ounce?

I don't know. Because it's scarce.

A thousand men go searching for gold.

After six months one of them's lucky. One out of the thousand.

His find represents not only his own labor but that of 999 others to boot.

That's, uh, 6000 months, 500 years…

…scrambling over mountain, going hungry and thirsty.

The gold is worth what it is because of the human labor that went into finding it.

Never thought of it like that. - There's no other explanation.

Gold ain't good for nothing except for making jewelry and gold teeth.

Gold's a devilish sort of thing.

You start out, you tell yourself you'll be satisfied with 25,000 worth of it.

So help me Lord and cross my heart. Fine resolution.

After months of sweating, growing short on provisions and finding nothing…

…you finally come down to 15,000, then 10.

Finally you say, "Lord, let me just find $5000 worth.

I'll never ask for anything more the rest of my life."

Five thousand dollars is a lot of money.

In this joint it seems like a lot.

If you was to make a real strike, you couldn't be dragged away.

Not even death would keep you from trying to add 10,000 more.

Ten, you'd wanna get 25. Twenty-five, you'd wanna get 50.

Fifty, 100. Like roulette.

One more turn, you know? Always one more.

It wouldn't be that way with me. I swear, it wouldn't.

I'd take only what I set out to get.

Even if there was half-a-million dollars' worth lying around waiting to be picked up.

I've dug in Alaska and Canada and Colorado.

I was in the British Honduras, I made my fare back home…

…and almost enough to cure me of the fever I'd caught.

Dug in California and Australia. All over the world practically.

Yeah. I know what gold does to men's souls.

You talk as though you struck it rich sometime, pop.

How about it?

Then what are you doing in here, a down-and-outer?

That's gold. That's what it makes us.

Never knew a prospector yet that died rich.

Make one fortune, he's sure to blow it trying to find another.

I'm no exception to the rule.

Ah, sure, I'm a gnawed old bone now, but don't you guys think the spirit's gone.

I'm set to shoulder a pickaxe anytime anybody's willing to share expenses.

I'd rather go myself. Going alone is best.

But you gotta have a stomach for loneliness. Some guys go nutty with it.

Going with a partner is dangerous. Murder is always lurking about.

Partners accusing each other of all sorts of crimes.

As long as there's no find, the noble brotherhood will last.

But when the piles of gold begin to grow, that's when the trouble starts.

Now, I wouldn't mind a little of that kind of trouble.

I think I'll go to sleep and dream about piles of gold…

…getting bigger and bigger and bigger.

Do you believe what that old man who was doing all the talking at the Oso Negro…

…said the other night…

…about gold changing a man's soul so's he ain't the same kind of a guy…

…that he was before finding it?

Guess that all depends on the man.

That's exactly what I say.

Gold don't carry any curse with it.

It all depends on whether or not the guy who finds it is the right guy.

The way I see it…

…gold can be as much of a blessing as a curse.

Hey, uh, Dobbsie? - Yeah.

Look who's coming out of the Hotel Bristol.

Is that Pat McCormick or am I seeing things?

It's him.

Let's get him. - Let's get him hard.

Why don't you and me go and buy me shopping things?

For instance, I could use a new pair of shoes.

Hello, fellas, how are you? Glad to see you.

- Mr. Dobbs and Mr. Curtin, Senorita… - Lopez.

Lopez. I want you fellas to come and have a drink with me.

I have business with these gentlemen.

You go back up to the hotel and wait, huh? I won't be long.

Okay.

Let's have that drink. Where you been? I've been looking all over for you.

Three shots of rye.

Make mine brandy, Three Star.

Two brandies. McCORMICK: Rye is good enough for me.

I suppose you're wondering about that money that's coming to you.

The fact is I haven't been paid off on that contract yet myself.

If I had the money, you'd get it first thing. I'll put you both on my next contract.

It'll come through Monday, we set out Friday.

Here's to mud in your eye.

We want what's coming to us and we want it right now.

- Didn't I get through telling you…? Better come across.

Well, boys, I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll give you 25 percent.

I guess I can make it 30 percent. The balance, the middle of next week?

Right here and now.

Every cent or you won't walk out of here. You'll be carried out.

Let's don't stop being friends. How about another drink?

Two more brandies. Put the bottle on the bar.

If you got ideas about getting us liquored…

Oh, no, I'm just inviting you to have a friendly drink with me.