TheAlamo

From the company that brought you Jaws XV

The Alamo II ~ a film buff feast!

Once upon a time in the West, a wagon train of prospectors left Fort Sixways to look for gold.  They followed in the wake of the Magnificent XV, led by Marshall Brain and Doc Keast.  This band of brothers had been brought together from all corners of the world and were known, far and wide, as the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.  All week long, they had been studying the stars to discover how the West might be won.

It was high noon when the prospectors arrived at the outskirts of Bath City.  Guided by their Aston scouts, they had travelled quickly across the great empty plains of Severn, catching glimpses of distant settlements and encountering other prospectors heading west, following the lure of gold’n blue.  Now, hungry and thirsty, they made the slow and uncertain descent from the foothills of the Cotswold Rockies and looked forward to the recreation offered at their destination.

The prospectors had paid a fistful of dollars for their right of entry to the recreation and expected sweetwater and rich grassland.  Instead, they found a wreck: windswept, undeveloped and exposed to the elements.  The natives had tried to hard to make it welcoming and they seemed friendly towards the incomers, offering them firewater in exchange for gold and smoking the occasional pipe of peace.  They had never seen such vast numbers of prospectors seeking their fortune in the goldrush.

The tranquillity could not last.  It was calm before a storm.  The local vigilantes were determined to drive away the prospectors and prepared for a showdown with the Magnificent XV.  These locals were battle-hardened honchos, fresh from success against a gang of neighbouring sheep-farmers.  Despite some recent casualties, they were determined to show the new-comers who was boss.  Anxious crowds gathered around the corral for a gunfight that certainly would not be OK.

The shooting match was a tense affair.  The Magnificent XV found themselves under pressure as the local sheriff struggled to keep control.  Time and again, they showed true grit as they prevented the vigilantes from indulging in a bonanza of hits.

There were casualties on both sides.  Amongst the incomers these included Andre Little Big Man, Dale (Wells Fargo) Rasmussen and a man called Horse. Fortunately, another drifter from the high plains of the veldt remained unhurt, despite being forced into temporary retirement.

On one occasion, Powell’s last stand prevented a lone ranger from breaching the incomer’s defences.  From the sidewalk, Billy (the Kid) McGinty kept yelling encouragement, while the helpless onlookers hoped to see the cavalry, led by Captain Marvel, come to the rescue.

As the minutes ticked by, the tension became unbearable.  Could the Magnificent XV hold out against the attacks for long enough to salvage some bounty?  It was not to be.  Someone “drew” too quickly and Deadeye Malone was given another shot at the target.  He did not miss and the gallant warriors were forced, reluctantly, to concede defeat.

As the prospectors left on the last train from Gun Hill, they vowed that Destiny would ride again.  They hoped that Doc Keast and Marshall Brain would not be too hard on their men or hang anyone high.  But there would be repercussions: probably the lads would have to bite the bullet.  Their hides would doubtless be raw and their feet tender to-morrow after doing extra circuits on blazing saddles.

No, thought the prospectors (for we are they), there is still gold in them thar hills. Back now to Fort Sixways to patch up our wounded, clean our weapons and practise our target shooting.  We may have lost a battle, but there is still a war to win.  Our rivals have their own adversaries to overcome.  It is time to re-group and re-arm in order to meet the challenge that has been thrown down by the eastern marauders:

Saracens are coming!