"UNDER THE SIGN OF CAPRICORN" "My name is Morgana Dias Dos Santos Bantam." "If you like, you can add "from Saint Salvador de Bahia"." "It's not easy to draw Corto's natal chart." "He was born on 10th July;" "nevertheless Golden Mouth, the great voodoo priestess, told me as follows:" "since astrology has been the same for two thousand years while the polar axis shifted," "I can also make my calculations as if Corto was born a month earlier, in June, in which case he'd be a Gemini." "What's Corto looking for, here?" "A woman?" "A treasure?" "According to his friend Jeremiah Steiner, of the University of Prague, who's always precise, even when he's drunk, between 1916 and 1917 Corto stayed between the Caribbean and North America." "Stayed..." "That's not the proper word:" "actually he kept moving around the islands." "At first Corto went to Paramaribo, then to Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni and he finally came here, in Saint Salvador, Brazil." "In the Sertão, Corto met Golden Mouth." "The "cangaceiros" will never forget Corto." "Then Corto went to the island of Marajo, near the Amazon rainforest." "That isn't strange:" "his zodiac sign animals are the flying-fish, the monkey and the parrot." "Then Corto went to Saint Kitts, in the Antilles, north of Guadeloupe." "If you believe the cards, you can't tell off a Gemini:" "they'll answer with a smile, an ambiguous and sad smile like that of a clown." "Was Corto's smile like that?" "Geminis are truly complicated, above all when they were born in july." "Golden Mouth has to know Corto's secret but she won't speak, she'll stay quiet and keep smoking her cigarette." "Steiner, who stares at his glass of rum, doesn't think men should try to understand the ways of destiny." "Destiny knows its own ways." "And he told me: "To understand Corto, just look at the fortune line he cut on the palm of his own hand with a razor"." "Steiner is right..." "However Corto hates to show others that line." "Get out!" "And never come back!" "Forgive me..." "I apologize..." "You too, gentleman, I beg your pardon." "What's wrong?" "You don't feel well?" "No, I stopped feeling well a long time ago." "And, unfortunately, you can do nothing about it." "I never said I wanted to." "That's a polite way to tell me to go to hell..." "I'll take your advice." "Goodbye commander." "You know, Jeremiah hasn't always been like that." "Professor Jeremiah Steiner was well-known, once." "Professor?" "Yes." "He wrote important things which are still read by scholars." "But he no longer pays, so you have him kicked out." "You're always ready to judge others, Corto Maltese." "I have a lot of respect for Steiner." "I respect those who are thirsty for knowledge..." "You respect those who are thirsty, but prevent them from drinking." "You're complicated, Java." "I'll go have a look at my boat." "Sir..." "Sir!" "Excuse me sir, do you know Madam Java's guesthouse?" "Yes I do." "It'd be easier for you to ask for what you really want." "Java's guesthouse is that big house down there, the one with the porch." " Thank you, sir." " Not at all." "Apologise, or I'll rip your moustache and make you swallow it!" "Never!" "Oh well..." "Then you want to die, Steiner?" "Let go of him." "And you, what do you want?" "Only cowards beat up old men." "Really?" "I'm more wicked than you, Toad Eye." "Why did you do it?" "Should I explain it?" "You're the scientist..." "Alright, you're a frustrated boy scout." "I am." "But I regret it." "See you." "Wait!" "I haven't even thanked you!" "Better late that never." "Now, if you please, I'll go have a look at my boat." "A boat?" "Wait, I'm going with you!" "You have a strange look." "As if you wanted to read people's minds." "Why are you in Paramaribo, Steiner?" "What do you like here?" "The rum..." "I like the rum..." "And then, every place is the same." "I'm tired of moving around." "I'm..." "I'm tired." "What are you doing in the dark, Java?" "I was waiting for you." "I want you to meet someone." "I told him you'll listen to him." "Tristan is the son of Ronald Bantam... whom you know, I think." "We met a long time ago." "Good evening commander." "Tristan needs help." "It's a complicated story." "My father died three months ago, he left me a quota of his Company, the Financial Atlantic's." "My tutor, lawyer Milner from London, wants my quota." "I know nothing about finance," "I'd be glad to get rid of my quota, but..." "Go ahead..." "Strange things happen to me." "I'm not surprised." "Your father was a strange man." "I..." "I dream." "I see things... and hear voices." "Some are louder than others." "The loudest of all is Ogoun Ferraille's voice." "He formally advised me not to sell my quota." "And he asked... ordered me..." "to come here, to Paramaribo." "Ogoun Ferraille?" "You know that gentleman?" "Ogoun Ferraille is not a gentleman, he's a voodoo god, one of the most powerful." "To try and understand things is good, but your tutor isn't wrong," " it's a lot of money..." " Excuse me..." "This woman wants to see you, Tristan." "She says it's important." "See me?" "But..." "I don't know anybody here." "Ogoun Ferraille sent this message for you, through the big voodoo." "Ogoun Ferraille..." "That's impossible!" "What you told me is true, Tristan." "You have been called." "The text says: "You'll be turned into energy." "Your second life starts from now." "Signed:" "Golden Mouth"." "Golden Mouth is a big devil, she speaks through her mind, the brothers of Paramaribo can sense her." "It's a handy system." "Wait!" "I sense danger close by." "It comes from far, from London. it..." "The danger is here!" "I'm sorry, Tristan." "That bullet was meant for me." "No." "Golden Mouth says the danger was for Tristan." "She also says: "Come at once!"" "You too have been called, Corto Maltese." "And it's not the first time." " Is he still alive?" " Not for long." "You're fast, with the dagger." "What else should I do?" "It's over, Toad Eye." "I'm sorry, but it is." "Now tell me, did you come for me or the boy?" "You'd like to know, huh?" "Yes, but if you don't want to tell me it's okay." "Do you want a cigar?" "Is the boy dead?" "No, only wounded." "I no longer need the money I was paid to kill him." "Give it to the old man." "It was nothing personal." "I wanted to be his friend, but he didn't." "Who gave you that money?" "You're cunning..." "Make a guess." "He'll say no more." "He won't, but I will." "That jailbird used to work for lawyer Kerster." "Corto!" "Corto Maltese!" "Your boat is on fire!" "Move away!" "Stop, you cannot pass!" "Steiner!" "Steiner!" " Corto!" " I'm here!" "I'm okay, but the professor almost choked." "I saw him, the man who set the boat on fire." "It was the other one." "I tried to prevent him from doing it, but..." "Which other one?" "Toad Eye's friend." "I tried to stop him, but..." "I'm sorry." "It doesn't matter, Steiner." "I don't know how, but they're making me play a game which meant nothing to me only yesterday." " And now what?" " Now we'll see." " Tristan?" " Who is it?" "Who's spoken?" "It's me, Tristan, your shadow." "Here shadows can speak." "But that's crazy!" "Before being your shadow, I belonged to your father, and to Ogoun Ferraille." "I've come from a distant place..." "Don't run away, Tristan." " Help!" " Don't run away!" " How's the wound?" " Which wound?" "That's nothing." "Now he has to face a different battle, and he's all alone." "Good morning, I'd like to speak with Mr. Kerster." "Lawyer Kerster is very busy." "You can speak with me, and make it brief." "I'll say it again, then." "Good morning." "I'd like to speak with..." "What you did was not very polite." "I'm not very polite." "Alright." "You want Kerster?" "I'm lawyer Kerster." "How can I help you?" "Last night a sailor shot a boy." "He missed him, and died instead." "I know that sailor was a friend of yours." "What makes you think I've got such friends?" "The money you gave him to kill the boy." "He had it in his pocket." "Charming... but do tell me, have you ever thought of writing adventure novels?" "You're an idiot, you killed him!" "What's wrong with you?" "There was no evidence against you." "You were threatening him, I thought I had to do it." "He knew all about the plan." "Now tell me what you know." "If I like what I hear, I'll keep the money he gave you to set my boat on fire, and I'll let you go." "I wasn't paid to set your boat on fire," "I wanted revenge for last night's fight." "It's true, Kerster paid Toad Eye to kill the boy... but there's someone else behind him." "Someone more important." "If he's so important, he must have a name..." "I don't know his name." "Kerster had his own business, we didn't care for it." "Very well, then, we'll go to the police." "Milner." "He wants the boy to die." "Milner?" "He's a gentleman from London, a businessman." "I've said everything I know, Corto Maltese." "I swear." "I believe you, I believe you." "Come on, let's go to the police." "You're a bloody liar!" "But of course I'm a liar..." "Let's go." "My father also left me a few letters, but I still couldn't understand much." "I had these documents checked in London." "Some people seemed interested, but then things got complicated." "I was asked for money, too much money." "Those are strange symbols." "I've seen similar inscriptions on a rock on a South Pacific island." "My father copied these during a journey to Brazil, in the region of Xingu." "In his notes he speaks of a mysterious kingdom, ...whose name is Mu." "Mu..." "The lost continent." " No, no, it's too early." " Excuse me?" "To drink..." "It's too early." "I thought it was never too early for you." "Tristan's father's documents are interesting." "Many have looked for Mu, and Northern Xingu is an original guess..." "I'd like to see where it leads." "Even if I you had to leave Paramaribo, the rum, and Mrs. Java's discreet affection?" "If you want, Mr. Steiner," "I'll gladly show you the rest of the documents." "I'm glad to see you standing, Tristan." "I've just bought Mrs. Java's boat." "I want to sail up to Golden Mouth's." "It's a long way..." "It is..." "And to be honest, now that know you," "I don't think I could make it without your help." "Tristan, you don't need to flatter me." "If I'm accepting it's just because it suits me." "Me too, because it suits me." "Here." "Send it to lawyer Milner." "Yesterday's priestess gave it to me." "She has assured me it's a great devil and those who receive it will die in deep pain." "I don't believe it, but I've nothing to lose." "I'll do as you wish, Corto, but I won't touch this horrible thing with my hands." "It's bad, but I thought you had to know." "I don't understand, Mr. Milner was a good friend of my father's." "But it doesn't look like he's a friend of yours..." "I was thinking of the person we're about to see..." "Golden Mouth?" "The woman who cured me, said she's 200 years old!" "That's odd!" " Did your father ever mention her?" " No." "And I find it hard to understand." "What had he got to do with those... wizards?" "What is it, then?" "Come closer." "Don't tell me you fear a poor old woman..." "Oh, that handsome sailor must be Mr. Corto Maltese." "Corto Maltese, the son of the niña of Gibraltar." "Did you know that Ingres made her portrait?" "Oh, yes... yes..." "She was famous, the gipsy of Gibraltar..." "Then one day she left for Malta with a sailor from Cornwall." "Unbelievable..." "It's like watching the family album with an old aunt." "A very old aunt, then." "Shall I tell you about your great-grandfather?" "The one who fought in Queimada, in Northern Brazil?" "I knew him as well." "Queimada?" "But it was 200 years ago..." "You don't look like your age, Golden Mouth." "And you know why?" "I'm always among happy people." "Look, I've even made Tristan smile." "You resemble your sister a lot, my boy." "My sister?" "But I..." "I don't have..." "The world opens before you, Tristan Bantam." "You're less lonely than you think." "You have a sister." "Oh yes... yes... and new friends." "But also a very powerful enemy." "A sister?" "And she..." "Is she here?" "Here?" "Oh, yes, yes." "Here and elsewhere." "We're close, Morgana and I." "Morgana..." "Follow me, Corto Maltese." "To avoid misunderstanding, Corto Maltese," "I'll tell you my proposal is based on moral principles." "My dear Golden Mouth," "I don't believe in principles." "Oh yes..." "They change with the tide, they're like chameleons." "Then let me think of something more stable." "A thousand golden pounds." "How about that?" "A thousand pounds?" "Oh yes, yes..." "It's a lot of money." "but you're going to ask me a lot, too." "Perhaps." "See, I have a friend in the Sertão, of those we call "cangaceiros"." "He's the head of the revolt against a landowner, colonel Gonçalves, who hired mercenaries to kill the rebel farmers." "My friend needs weapons and money." "And you, Corto Maltese, will go up the river San Francisco, and give him what he needs." "And Tristan?" "Oh, Tristan..." "He should stay here." "Oh yes, yes... it would be wiser." "But after all, life in itself is unwise." "Tristan will come with you." "A thousand pounds... it's a nice sum." "I could really accept." "Oh, yes, yes..." "You always try to be clever, Corto Maltese." "It's your defect." "But you're honest, and that's good enough for me." "Women could be my ruin..." "Oh, yes, yes..." "But you're always on guard, aren't you?" "I try, Golden Mouth." "I try." "Good, then we'll load the boat tomorrow morning." "Do you think I can count on you, Tristan Bantam?" "On me?" "But..." "I don't even know what you want me to do..." "But you saw what I showed you." "Yes, I saw it." " Are you afraid?" " Yes, I was afraid, but I also want to know." "And you will know." "Oh yes, when you're ready..." "But this time you'll leave with Corto Maltese." "You'll be my eyes and my voice." "You're naive." "How you can believe that colonel Gonçalves controls a part of the state without the complicity of his government?" "I haven't said that." "Golden Mouth and Gonçalves look after their own interest, the colonel after his own, and I after my own." "That's all." "I may be an old drunk but I don't get why you got involved in this matter." "But don't say it's for money." " Why should I do it, then?" " I'm very disappointed, Corto." "I thought you were better than that." "Listen, I took you with me because I like you, but if you're here to lecture me, you can get off." "I'm not serious enough to give advice, and I'm too serious to take it." "There you are, at last." "But... it's impossible!" "Why?" "You're not just one, you're also all those who have lived, and all those who'll live in the future." "But then... you... who are you?" "I'm you, a reflection of you projected on the past, or on the future... understand?" " Not really." " You're in the kingdom of Mu, Tristan, or in what remains of it." "Look, Tristan!" " Here, Quetzalcoatl..." " Quetzal... who?" "Hurry up, Tristan!" "Mu will soon disappear in a sea of fire." "Hurry!" "Quetzalcoatl..." "I don't understand." "Good morning, Mr. Maltese." "Good morning, Mr. Steiner." "Good morning Mr. Bantam." "I was choking down in the cabin." "The colonel's gunboat." "What's that boat doing on the San Francisco, captain?" "We'll soon find out." "We're sent by the Office against the exploitation of native manpower." "Professor Steiner has to examine colonel Gonçalves's projects." "I wasn't informed." "Señor Gonçalves is not here, he's in Nice or Monte Carlo." "And then a drunk and a sailor with a pierced ear sound false." "Alright then." "Why don't you believe me?" "You're un unlikely captain as well." " Who shot?" " It came from there." "You too, sailor." "Then, stranger?" "You don't understand?" "I understood, but I want to talk to your chief." "Their chief?" "That scum no longer has a chief, I killed him with my hands." "Tristan!" "No!" "What's wrong, Firm Shot?" "Aren't you happy to see some friends?" "Good morning, Golden Mouth." "How are you?" "I'm well." "Oh... yes... yes..." "But tell me, what happened to Sebastian?" "He was killed." "The Saviour was killed." "How did it happened?" "The colonel captured his wife and child." "Sebastian surrendered to have them released." "but you know the colonel, he had them killed." "What a pity..." "Oh... yes... yes... a real pity." "He had the three of them killed." "Listen, Firm Shot..." "I did what I had to do." "The weapons and the money Golden Mouth sent you, are on the boat." "I'll take the weapons, but I no longer need the money." "Without the Saviour the struggle makes no more sense." "Only he could report the colonel's crimes." "Only he?" "A chief who surrenders for his family problems doesn't seem very competent to me." "Stop it." "Don't say that about the Saviour, or I kill you." "To assault the gunboat took courage." "Why did you do it?" "To kill captain Oliveira and avenge the death of the Saviour." "Well, you've killed the hand, but how about the mind?" "That colonel who oppresses the whole region will keep terrorizing you with his pistoleros." "What should I do?" "Take the Saviour's place." "Who, me?" "But I'm a bandit." "Who would follow me?" "I'm almost as feared as the colonel." "Firm Shot, what shall we do with the prisoners?" "Shoot them." "You can only think of gunpowder, can you?" "What would the Saviour do?" "Act like him, and then spread the word that the Saviour is alive again, and is still fighting against the colonel, and you'll see the people will follow you, sooner or later." "The Saviour knew how to talk to the people, he could explain things." "I..." "I'm a man of action." "You're already arguing... good sign." "And then don't worry." "The politicians and the talkers will soon arrive." "Go away." "Firm Shot the Saviour sets you free." "Hey, Firm Shot... since you didn't kill me I want to tell you something." "Oliveira lied." "The colonel is in his property in Queimada, down there, on the San Francisco." "What are you doing?" "I've told you the truth!" "If it's a trap, I swear I'll kill you after torturing you a thousand times." "Come on!" "Let's fight the evil dragon!" "Well done, Corto." "Thanks to you we have a new political leader." "What?" "Firm Shot was already a leader..." "I only care for my pounds." "I've never met anyone more romantic than you!" "I bet that in autumn you sit on a bench all alone and watch the leaves falling." "Next week I'll leave for Bahia." "I have to go and meet our partner in London." "No need to worry, colonel." "the Saviour is dead, and the rebellion will die too." "The government no longer needs to thrust their nose into our business." "Set a price in any case..." "A thousand escudos on the head of Firm Shot." "Once he's dead, our problems will be over." "You can give me the thousand escudos." "I've brought you my head personally." "Firm Shot!" "It's Firm Shot!" "Firm Shot has killed the colonel!" "To arms!" " The gunboat!" "It's captain Oliveira!" " Good timing." "It's all in your hands, stranger..." "If I'm not back in a hour... you're on your own." "We'll meet again down there." "But..." "They'll slaughter us!" "Maybe you need gunpowder, guys?" "Firm Shot!" "Firm Shot!" "It's over." "Then?" "Are you deaf or what?" "I'm sorry, my friends." "I was too late." "You have lost your new leader." "Yes, you won." "For the time being." "Because a new colonel will soon arrive and will try to impose his law." "No doubt..." "But now for every colonel there will be a hundred Firm Shots." "We've learned our lesson, stranger." "What's your name, young fellow?" "Corisco de São Jorge." "Take the hat of Firm Shot, Corisco de São Jorge, and continue the struggle against evil." "Thanks, stranger." "I won't forget you." "Goodbye, Firm Shot..." "At least we'll have proved that even a dark hero whose friends are also dark, can deserve a bright funeral." "You've done a good job in the Sertão." "Corisco de São Jorge has continued the struggle against the slave traders." "Oh, yes... yes..." "With great success..." "That's what they say, oh yes." "Ah, Corto Maltese..." "Why do you always pretend to take no interest in whatever happens around you?" "Your mother, the niña of Gibraltar, was more open..." "Here are your thousand pounds..." "With a little addition to thank you for the help you gave to Firm Shot." "I don't want it." "If Firm Shot is dead it's also my fault." "Send it to the locals down there." "You're so proud!" "You're doing an unselfish deed, but tomorrow you'll regret not taking the money." "Tomorrow I'll probably cry, but today we'll do as I said." "What's wrong, Corto Maltese?" "What?" "You, who can enter people's heads you don't know?" "You're playing a dangerous game with Tristan." "The most important thing is for the Financial Atlantic's to work." "It's what allows me keep on with our struggle... and my people's." "You're using that boy like a tool." "What will you do when his task is over?" "Tristan is white, he doesn't belong to my people." "You're also white, but we're more alike..." "The boat is ready, Corto." "Mr. Steiner is waiting on the dock." "Great..." "I'm going." "You'll stay here." "This woman has to tell you something even if you don't belong to her." "What's happening?" "What's wrong with him?" "See, Tristan..." "Your father left you a quota of the Financial Atlantic's." "That, however, is part of a wider association... an association..." "Oh, yes..." "yes..." "I'm interested in." "And now you know well, how much I worry for my people." "If I had allowed you to sell your quota, you would have let the scorpion in my house  and you don't want to let it in, do you Tristan Bantam?" "Holy Heaven, no!" "But..." "Oh yes..." "All this passes through you." "You're pursuing another aim." "You're walking on your father's footsteps." "Ronald Bantam was a man we really loved." "Oh yes, yes..." "His death made us all very sad." "But now I need to know..." "When you find yourself on the Threshold, like him will you draw back, Tristan?" "I don't know." "I don't understand, Golden Mouth..." "I feel enormously responsible, but..." "It's terrible." "Oh yes, yes..." "But I don't understand." "Yet it's simple." "You won't have to draw back, you'll have to cross the Threshold." "And then, you won't get back empty-handed." "Now you'll go to Bahia." "Your sister is waiting in your father's house." "Morgana..." "There you'll also find your enemy." "And there you two will play the final game, each with their own purposes, as it's written." "And you... will you be with me?" "No, not this time." "But Corto Maltese will." "I think you've made a friend, Tristan." "We'll get off here to pick up some fruits and to stretch our legs." "Where exactly are we?" "Near Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, in French Guyana." "Help!" "Hey you, down there, on the boat!" "Help!" "Take the rifles!" "Follow me!" "Don't shoot, sailor!" "Don't shoot!" "The Indians are right, Frou-Frou went completely crazy." "He killed two young girls from the tribe." "And you?" "Who are you?" "Call me Cayenne..." "I'm a fugitive." "We waited for two Dutch who had to take us to Paramaribo." "But there was a problem." "Wait..." "They're good people." "They won't hurt anybody, if they aren't provoked as Frou-Frou did." "I tried to defend him, but the elderly condemned him." "They help us, they hide us, they give us food, and want nothing in change." "Their chief said one of you has to know." "Tristan Bantam." "Me?" "But what..." "In the fire I read the messages of those who lived before our moon." "We had three moons, during the night." "Two of them were eaten by the earth." "You're linked to the second moon." "The land you're looking for has four ways in, Tristan." "You'll cross the fourth." "He's referring to Mu!" "The most extraordinary thing is he speaks our language." "Don't trust him, he's a cheater." "He must have studied in a missionary school." "That isn't true." "He's from the Caribbean, but he spoke Russian and Arabic with my two prison mates." "When he reads in the fire, strange things happen to him." "Okay, Cayenne." "He's a strange type." "The Fourth Door is in the labyrinth of the questions and answers, in the silence of the languages." "It's the easiest door even if you don't believe it, Corto Maltese." "How do you know who I am?" "I don't know, but I see..." "I see an island in the South Seas, a fake monk and a scar in your hand on the fortune line that you cut with your father's razor because you didn't like the one you had." "I could also tell you of a train full of gold, and of the dark bowels of a mountain where lays..." "Enough, now, it's enough." "If you tell me everything, I'll lose interest in the future." "Fair enough, Corto Maltese." "The fire has already said what it should." "It said to watch Tristan." "For his own good." "What are you going to do, Cayenne?" "Wait for your Dutch friends?" "They aren't my friends anymore." "Unfortunately there's a problem." "Now I'd strangle them with pleasure." "But to do that, I should go to Paramaribo." "We're going to Bahia." "I could take you on board if you don't strangle us." "I should be crazy!" "And I'm not." "At times I'm almost sorry for that... because my life would be easier." "Easier ...and shorter." "Good-bye, my friends." "Thanks a lot." "There's only one way of escaping from the Cayenne, and that's to turn to the Association." "It's expensive, but they take care of everything and those they take care of, are never caught back." "Yet, there was a problem." "Five of us escaped." "The Dutch waited for us as planned..." "A big guy with eyes like a toad, and another guy with a hook for his hand." "They took our money and killed three of us." "I could run away with Frou-Frou." "Toad Eye is dead, Cayenne..." "and Hook is in jail." "This is bad news." "They worked for a lawyer in Paramaribo, Kerster." "Kerster..." "Then it's him I'll kill." "Sorry mate, but Kerster is also dead." "However, in Bahia there's a chance for you to find one of the heads of the Association, a certain Milner..." "He's behind everything." "Tell me about this Milner, Corto." "I hate to kill someone I don't know." "He paid Toad Eye to kill Tristan." "He hopes he can lay his hands on a quota of a company the boy and his sister own, and apparently, he's the one who helps the prisoners escape." "Well, Tristan, we're on the same boat, then." "It's unbelievable!" "We all seem part of the same club." "A literary club, I'd say..." "There..." "That has to be Morgana's place." "Looks like she's waiting for you." "Tristan!" "What a handsome boy!" " How pale he is!" "Come in." " But..." "Come." "My sister is black?" "Don't talk nonsense, she's beautiful." "Great mother of God!" "They're two drops of water!" "Welcome, Tristan." "Morgana!" "I'm sorry, I..." "I don't..." "Don't apologise, Tristan." "It's so important for us to have you here." "Our father lives back in you." "Ogoun Ferraille will soon be with us again." "Here are commander Corto Maltese and professor Steiner, who's helped me decipher the documents which my our father left us." "Miss Bantam, to me you were a mystery for a long time, an enchanting mystery." "You'll be comfortable here." "My room is nearby." "Those are the documents our father gave me before going back to London." "Mu..." "If you know how to look, you'll find what you're looking for." "He wrote he felt a presence around him for many nights." "I've also felt... things... and I've hade some strange dreams." "See you later, dear Tristan." "I don't understand." "I spent more than a week on every Arcanum." "Time and good will are not enough to read the tarots, Morgana." "It takes natural predisposition." "In the last three weeks the sign of the Scorpio appeared seven times in Three Devils' game, and Cancer and Gemini as well." "Do you know what these three signs are doing together?" "You're a Gemini, your brother is an Aquarius, therefore you two have nothing to do with it." "And then, there should be another Gemini..." "Come on, my child, Geminis can sometimes be together, above all if it's for a short time." "Did you know your father's enemy was in Bahia?" "He's staying at the 'Barra'." "Golden Mouth told me that." "The Financial Atlantic's is giving him a hard time." "I guess he's busy." "Let's go see him, and let's put an end to it!" "Morgana..." "You haven't learnt what I and Golden Mouth have taught you..." "Destiny must follow its natural course." "Sometimes a chain made with flowers is more difficult to break than a chain made of steel." "Who's watching him?" "The Capoeiras of Chamé Chamé, and then..." "Look, they're finally moving." "Quetzalcoatl!" "Your father looked for our world for a long time... and he almost found us with the help of magic." "But look..." "Father!" "He was killed before crossing the Threshold." "My father... has been murdered?" "Yes, and now his murderer is your enemy." "You're here to continue your father's work." "Now I'll give you the means to stay in touch with our world." "That way, we'll live in you." "Tezcatlipoca!" "Brother!" "You have been chosen to establish the link between our dimension and the one of the future." "Follow Tristan Bantam on his way back." "Feathered Snake, brother... to return to his world, Tristan Bantam must be sacrificed." "No!" "Nooo!" "I don't want to die!" "No!" "My God!" "Then Tristan?" "You're still having nightmares?" "I came to Bahia to see your chocolate sister whose existence you ignored." "John Milner!" "Don't say those things about her!" "Ah, Tristan, Tristan..." "You sent a killer for me, you killed my father!" "You're a traitor, a traitor and a murderer!" "That's your point of view." "The truth is I'm a businessman." "If you had been less curious, you'd have let me administer your inheritance, but now that you know all" "I'm forced to kill both you and your sister." "But why?" "You were a friend of my father's!" "Friendship exists until it's over." "I'm a man... whose habits are expensive." "I'm always in need of money." "I can show you my contempt only with a slap, but if Corto Maltese were here, he..." "Corto Maltese?" "The guy who sent me the pinned puppet?" "You know, the offices and the house of London went up in flames after I received it." "I'd like to meet your friend alive." " Satisfied, lawyer?" " Where have you come from?" "The entrance is guarded, how did you get in here?" "I didn't get in, I was already inside." "It's impossible, we searched every corner!" "Where were you hidden?" "You're curious." "That's an indiscreet question." "Spare me your sarcasm, stage hero!" "I don't want to be a hero, to be a throat-cutter is enough for me." "Do you carry any money?" " Yes..." " Great." "Tristan!" "Tell Cayenne our friend Milner is here." "Oh, you're having fun without us..." "That's not nice at all." "I tried to stop the lawyer, Corto." "but his men locked me up with the women." "I see." "These two romantic witches were caught." "Am I wrong, or you're on the way out as diviners?" "Golden Mouth's cards say no one should force destiny." "According to them the jack of spades, sign of the interfering Gemini," " will get rid of the king of diamonds..." " Thanks, I trust you." "If Golden Mouth's cards say that..." "In the meantime we'll play a game." "I'm sure you like playing cards." "Not at all..." "At least not with you." "You're wrong, because the result of the game concerns you." "If you win, I'll give you paper and ink, then you'll sign a confession and I'll let you go." "If you lose, you'll end up in the ocean, in an iron box." "Oh, I forgot, lawyer:" "I'm a cheater." "I'm telling you now, so you don't complain later." "I won't, Corto Maltese." "You've lost, I have a royal flush." "That's amazing!" "But I win with my five aces." "That cannot be!" "There are only four aces in a deck!" "In fact, that's never happened to me before." "Am I too early, Corto Maltese?" "No, perfect timing." "So, I've just won the life of lawyer Milner." "Stop it..." "I've got money." "I can..." "Look at him, Cayenne..." "Tonight I'm thinking of your friends who died because of him, and I want to be generous." "Yes, I'll give you this lawyer." "That's a magnificent present, Corto." "I'll unwrap it on my birthday, on 18th June." "18th June!" "But then, you're the interfering Gemini!" "The jack of spades who had to get rid of the king of diamonds!" "Miss..." "I don't understand what you're saying, but I'll leave with my present before the dawn." "Are you sure you can make it on your own?" "No one's out there." "Listen!" "The wind says it's for Tristan." "The skull of Tezcatlipoca!" "But am I..." "Am I still dreaming?" "No, Tristan." "You've just waken up." "Here." "Here, he came for you." "What had to be done, was done." "Between the world your father built and the one he wanted to save from destruction, there's now a bridge." "The partition was made, my children." "Golden Mouth!" "I owe you everything!" "What are you saying, Morgana?" "I'm so happy to see you." "Meeting your brother must have been wonderful..." "Everything went well, I see." "Good morning, madam." "Corto Maltese saved the Financial Atlantic's..." "Thanks to him Mr. Steiner has started writing again, and Tristan has finally become what he was meant to be." "That's what everybody's saying, however it's strange, because I've remained the same." "That proves you've become very wise, Tristan Bantam." "Good morning, Corto Maltese." "Good morning, Golden Mouth." "Good morning and goodbye." "Here is everything you need, Corto Maltese, but you're as blind as a mole." "Maybe, Golden Mouth, but it's my problem." "Oh, yes... yes..." "Here will always be your home." "Don't get back when you're too old..." "what you're looking for doesn't exist." "And how do you know?" "By personal experience." "Goodbye, dark eyes." "I already miss you, Tristan." "I'll never forget you." "Neither will I." "Ever." "Here professor." "This amulet will bring you good luck." "It's the sign of Solomon!" "It was first seen in Jerusalem in the 15th century." "It's exciting to find it here." "Exciting and mysterious..." "Tell me, Steiner..." "Have I ever told you about the four aces of whalebone?" "The four aces of whalebone?" "Whalebone, yes." "Put together, they lead to..." "Let me guess..." "A treasure, right?" " A treasure?" " And how do you know?" "It's simple." "Two days ago I was in the Café with Cleopatra's mummy, and..." "There you go..." "You're making fun of us." "Excuse me?" "You can all talk with the spirits... but me?" "He's one of my ancestors, a man of fortune." "He was famous over these seas." "I know his reputation." "Ambiguité de Poincy." "Sorry for making you wait." "What did you want to meet me for?" "The four aces of whalebone." "The four aces... it's an old story told by the sailors." "And aren't we old sailors?" "Mine shows the position of the island." "It was given to me by a smuggler in Shanghai just before he died." "The last time I heard of them, the ace of clubs was in St. Petersburg." "Now that you've seen mine, I'd appreciate seeing yours." "It's the ace of diamonds." "After the death of my ancestor, it's never left my family." "Ten feet to the left..." "Is that all?" "That's no big deal." "The ace of hearts could tell us more." "The ace of hearts..." "I've seen it once on an island of the South Seas in the hands of an old friend, a monk I lost contact with." "A monk?" "How strange..." "Maybe he lost it, since now the ace of hearts is here in Paramaribo, in the hands of the most blasphemous of men." "Here?" "And how do you know?" "How did you know I had the ace of diamonds?" "Hey, on the boat!" "I'm Ambiguité de Poincy, and this gentleman here is commander Corto Maltese." "We'd like to see the captain, can we get on?" "But of course, Miss de Poincy." "The captain is on board." "Are you coming, or did you change your mind?" "But what a coincidence, to always find you in my way." "I guess it's my destiny." "I could kill you, or leave you with a little souvenir," "I could cut your nose, for example, or make you blind..." "You're scared, huh?" "But unfortunately you saved my life." "I've done better things." "It still matters to me." "I didn't forget." " My knife." " Your friend is beautiful." "Don't get me started, Corto." "She owns an ace, and therefore she can participate in the hunt." "Don't forget that we should all respect the rules of the C.B." "The C.B.?" "What's that?" "But the Cheerful Brotherhood, idiot!" "You still don't get it?" "Alright, don't get angry." "I've understood." "Will you just stop it?" "You look like two lovers." "Actually you've understood nothing." "In Cayman-Brac, two months ago, all the men of fortune signed a treaty, and since you weren't there, I signed in your place." "Then?" "What do you say, are we partners?" "The ace of clubs shows the position of the island." "On the ace of diamonds is written: "Ten feet to the left", and on the ace of hearts..." ""From the dead tree you'll see the wreck"." "Do you think we'll find the treasure without the ace of spades?" "Frankly, we could also do without your ace of diamonds, Ambiguité." "Ten feet to the left..." "The left of what?" "Don't squeeze your brains." "I'll even walk ten thousand feet, now that I know where the wreck is." "In fact, my map is the most important." "Of course, mine doesn't count... it only shows the position of the island." "Ah, Corto, my friend!" "Do you realise what we could do with all that Spanish gold?" "We'll start a nice shipping company, you and I, like in the good old times!" "Wait a moment, part of that society belongs to me!" "Quiet, girl!" "You're not allowed in my dreams without being invited!" "Are you awake now, or still dreaming?" "You're crazy!" "My cheek!" "He didn't have to be very pretty, not even without that spyglass in his skull." "What do you see?" "The dead tree... but ten feet to the left of the tree there's the sea." "What a pity we don't have the ace of spades." "He reminds me of someone..." "with such high cheekbones..." "He could be an ancestor of yours, Ambiguité..." "You're right." "He seems Barracuda-touches-all." "Who did that to you, granny?" "Come on, tell me..." "Who's that fool?" "Don't touch me!" "Let go of me!" "Let go of me!" "I want to kill him!" "But of course..." "Kill me if you want, so I won't show you the coral ship." "The coral ship?" "What do you mean?" "Leave him alone, Rasputin, he's a madman." "Me mad?" "Ah, poor idiots!" "Followed me and you'll see." " Here it is." " What?" "Now we have to wait." "To wait?" "I'll kill him, to pass the time." "Stop it, Rasputin." "Oh..." "look!" "It's the coral ship..." "But of course!" "The vertical rock is the base of the mainmast." "Then that's the wreck!" "Yes, it rests under two centuries of coral, ten feet from the dead tree." "You can understand, now, why I can't lower my guard... but I must confess I'm tired now." "Terribly tired..." "That's enough!" "Down there is my gold, therefore let's hurry before the tide rises!" "Our gold, Rasputin." "Our gold." "But tell me, how are you going to retreive it?" "Will you scratch the coral away?" "We need dynamite." "There's some on the boat." "Either of you, go get it." "What are you doing?" "Well, don't you see?" "I want to kill this idiot." "But why?" "We know you're a brute, you don't have to prove it." "I hate to wait, you know..." "I need something to do." "I'm sure you can find something better." "I have." "I should have known better." "How about the C.B.?" "The C.B.?" "What's that?" "The Cheerful Brotherhood..." "Have you forgotten?" "I'm on my own." "Here's the dynamite." "By the way, do you know how to use it?" "Have I ever told you about Romana, Rasputin?" "Who's that?" "A gypsy, she read the cards in Barcelona." "She foretold me that when I die all those around me will die as well." "Maybe she was wrong..." "Perhaps..." "But this fuse is bloody short." " What..." " He lit it!" "But you're crazy!" " There's nothing in there." " What do you mean?" "That's impossible!" "It has to be there!" "But where's the gold?" "Where is it?" "You have destroyed it!" "The best ship in the world..." "You have destroyed it!" "Oh, look, he woke up." "You'll never find the gold!" "It's hidden, and I know where it is, but I'll tell you nothing!" "Never!" "Then we don't need you." "They shot me!" "They shot me!" "What are you doing?" "Wait for the second shot!" "Stop, idiot!" "Tell me, do you want to die as well?" "Think about it, if you kill him we'll never find the gold!" "Ambiguité is right, Rasputin." "But you're still alive!" "We'd better catch him without hurting him." "But why is everything so complicated?" "You'll never catch me!" "Come close!" "Come close!" "Come here!" "I'm up here!" "I'm sorry I can kill him only once!" "The three archangels of war are with me!" "Stay away, witch!" "I don't talk to women!" "Above all when they're as ugly as you!" "You won't have anything, freak!" "Nobody will!" "You will all die!" "The firey sky falls on you!" "Do something!" "I can't move!" "Hey, you!" "What's happening up there?" "I don't know, calm down." " Hey, careful with that knife..." " Here we are!" "Look..." "Throw away that crap and help me get up, so I can go and take my... our gold." "But here's your gold!" "It was hidden in the guns." "That crazy man hit us with the most expensive bullets of all times." " Here's your part." "Take it." " But what..." "No!" "That cannot be!" "Corto!" "That isn't true!" "You've made up everything only to fool me!" "Corto!" "That crazy man called me a freak..." "Am I..." "Am I really so ugly?" "Am I?" "Is she dead?" "Yes." "Such a pretty woman... what a pity." "What are you saying?" "We still have the three aces of whalebone." "Then what?" "What prevents us from selling them to the best bidder and relaunch the hunt?" "It wouldn't be fair towards our colleagues." "Our colleagues?" "They'd do the same, what do you think?" "And then think of the fun we may have watching others fight for something which doesn't exist." "I like this option best." "I like you, today." "Are you leaving?" "I thought we were partners!" "Are you joking?" "I'd rather have a scorpion for a partner!" "One day I'll kill you, Corto Maltese." "But of course... and I'll kill you one night." "Are you captain Corto Maltese?" "The owner of a boat anchored to the dock of Molesse?" " Yes, why?" " Follow us please." "There was a young fellow with him, an Englishman." "What happened?" "The boy left for England, and the old man started drinking." "The fine is twenty pounds." "Sign here." "I'm sorry I couldn't say goodbye to Tristan." "I'm sorry too..." "When he left I felt lonely and started drinking again." "Well, there's nothing wrong with that." "You're old enough to drink as much as you want, aren't you?" "That letter came from Brazil, with Tristan's mail." "It's for you." ""Dear friend, I found this card in a box." ""I think it's part of an important game." "I'm sending it to you with my love," ""hoping you can find it useful," ""and also hoping it can help you forgive me" ""if I did something wrong"." "It's from Golden Mouth." "But..." "That's the ace of spades!" "Yes, and look..." ""Guns"?" "But then it was true..." "If the letter had arrived earlier, a lot of things would have been different." "But dreams are dreams, and you dream enough already." "Let's go for a cold beer together." "You can't always drink alone." "Can you?" "# subtitles:" "lyliakar thanks to gm88 for his help :) #"