Teleplay by Robert L McCullough & Philip John Taylor
Story by Robert L McCullough, Philip John Taylor, and Maxwell Pitt
Directed by Ray Austin

[Exterior shot of the countryside as Mendoza rides past a bush and some rocks.  He brings his horse to a halt.]

[Exterior wide shot of the de la Vega hacienda.]

Don Alejandro [off camera]
Diego!  These infernal weeds! [Mendoza shakes his head then rides forward.] This is the third time in one month, son.

[Exterior shot of the de la Vega hacienda courtyard as Don Alejandro kneels on the ground pulling weeds from a flowerbed.  Diego stands nearby with his hands on his hips, watching.  Hoof beats are heard off camera.  Diego turns around as Mendoza rides up to the hacienda gate.  Don Alejandro turns and stands up, waving at Mendoza.]

Diego
Sergeant Mendoza!  What are you doing out here?

Mendoza
On my way to the Carvajal brothers rancho.  It's been two week since they've been here and nobody's seen them.  Alcalde thinks he may have offended them in some way.

Don Alejandro [sarcastically]
De Soto?  Offensive? [He and Diego start laughing.] Impossible!

Mendoza
Now, now, Don Alejandro. [He waves at them.] Hasta luego.

Don Alejandro [turning to Diego]
Diego. . .

[Shot from Don Alejandro and Diego's point of view of Felipe riding his pony toward them.]

Don Alejandro
I don't know, Diego.  Felipe doesn't look too happy.  Maybe he had problems with his señorita, huh?

[Felipe rides through the hacienda gate and dismounts.]

Diego [concerned]
What's the matter?

[Felipe pulls out something from his waistband and hands it to Diego.  It's a little brown bird, dead or nearly dead.]

Diego
Ah. . .  Poor little thing.

Don Alejandro
Felipe, where did you find her?

[Felipe points to his right, then cups his right hand and brings it to his mouth.]

Diego
Oak Creek.  You stopped there for water?

[Felipe points at Diego, nodding.]

Diego
I'm sorry, Felipe. [He puts his right hand on Felipe's left shoulder. ] What a shame.

[He pats Felipe's shoulder.]

[Exterior shot of a fenced yard as Mendoza ties his horse to a post.  He then walks across the yard.]

Mendoza
Francisco.  Esteban?

[He continues to walk toward the house.]

[Interior shot of the house as Mendoza enters.  He looks around then turns and walks over to his right to where a set of bunk beds are.  He pulls back a blanket off the top bunk and the gray face of a dead man is underneath it.  Mendoza makes the sign of the cross.  He then crouches down to the bottom bunk to where another gray faced man lies.]

Mendoza
Padre Nuestro, que estás en el cielo. . .  (Translation: Our Father, who art in heaven. . .)

[The man rises up and grabs Mendoza by the front of his uniform.]

Mendoza [very frightened]
Aah!  Aah!  Aah!

Man [gasping for breath]
Help me.  Help me.  Water. . .  Water. . .

Mendoza [nodding]
Water.  Si.  It's okay.

Man [shaking his head]
No, no. . .  You don't understand.

Mendoza
I will get you water.  Shh. . .  Shh. . .

[He moves away from the bunk.]

Man
Help me.

[He then gasps for breath then collapses back onto the bunk, obviously dead.  Mendoza keeps backing away, putting his right hand over his heart.]

*****COMMERCIAL BREAK*****

[Exterior shot of the tavern as people walk and drive wagons past it.]

[Interior shot of the tavern as de Soto sits at a table.  Mendoza stands to his left and Victoria stands to his right.  Diego and Don Alejandro sit at a table to Victoria's left.]

de Soto [standing up]
Dead?  You're certain of that?

Mendoza
It was awful, Alcalde.  You could see the pain in their eyes.

Victoria
Oh, those poor men.

Diego
Sounds like a grisly death.

de Soto
The sons of Don Carvajal. . .

[He sits back down.]

Mendoza
Their eyes were swollen.  Their face was white like ash. . . [Victoria closes her eyes and shudders.] It. . .  It was just terrible, Alcalde.  Just terrible.

de Soto [putting his right hand to his head]
How do you think this is going to make me look, hmm?

Don Alejandro [a bit angrily as Diego shakes his head]
You?  That's hardly the point, Alcalde.

[De Soto pulls off his red checkered napkin, looking distraught.]

de Soto
The sons of Don Carlos Carvajal, chief minister of the Colonial Office. . .dead. . .in my jurisdiction.  Well, that's it.  My career is over.  When Madrid hears about this, I'll never get a promotion out of here.

[He pushes his half-eaten plate of food away then folds his hands and resting his head on them for a second.  He then looks up at Mendoza.]

de Soto
How did they die?

Mendoza
Well, uh. . .  Perhaps it was evil spirits.  Uh, there's an Indian burial ground right next to the, uh. . .

de Soto [scoldingly]
Sergeant!  Do you think the chief minister of the Colonial Office is going to accept ‘evil spirits'?

Mendoza
Well, uh. . .  Maybe not?

Victoria
What if it was the plague?  They could have brought a disease over from Europe.  Oh, my, within a week we could all be dead.

Diego [standing up]
Oh, Victoria, the plague hasn't been seen in Europe for nearly six decades.  Besides, if they had been that ill, they never would have been able to make the trip from Spain.

de Soto
Then how did they die?

Diego
Well, it could have been any number of things.

de Soto [sarcastically]
Thank you, Diego. [He starts to stand up.] Sergeant, we need answers and we need them now.

[He walks past Mendoza to his right.  Mendoza then reaches down toward de Soto's abandoned plate.]

de Soto [off camera]
Sergeant!

[Mendoza turns and follows after de Soto.  Diego looks over at Victoria who looks up at him worriedly.]

[Exterior shot of the Carvajal rancho as Don Alejandro rides into the yard.]

Don Alejandro
Diego?

[He rides up to a water trough where a brown horse is drinking the water in it.  Diego walks out of the house.]

Diego
Nothing. [He walks over to Don Alejandro who horse is now also drinking from the trough.] Not a thing that would have proved fatal to the Carvajal brothers.

Don Alejandro
So strange.  Such a mystery.

[Diego mounts the brown horse.]

Diego
Mystery and death. . .  A bad combination.

[He and Don Alejandro turn their horses away from the trough and ride out of the yard.]

[Exterior shot of de Soto's office as a lancer stands outside.]

[Interior shot of de Soto's office as de Soto sits at desk while Mendoza stands to his right and hands him an envelope.]

de Soto [reluctantly taking the envelope]
Uhh. . .  Yes.  It's addressed to Francisco and Esteban Carvajal.

Mendoza
Si, mi Alcalde.  It's from the boys' father, the Minister Carvajal himself.  Should we send it back?

de Soto
Well, uh, perhaps there's a return address inside.

[He starts to open up the letter.]

Mendoza
We shouldn't open it, Alcalde.

[De Soto stares up at Mendoza then unfolds the letter and starts reading it.]

de Soto [indignantly]
What is this?  What.  Is.  This?  Apparently, the chief minister was sending his two sons here to monitor me and to report back on rumors of a very popular local folk hero named. . .Zorro.

Mendoza [smiling]
Isn't that Zorro something?  Even in Madrid they know about him.

de Soto [still looking at the letter]
They know nothing.

[He tosses the letter aside then hits his hands on the desktop.  He then stands up.]

de Soto
They worry about a local folk hero [He punches a book at the top of a pile of books on his desk.] and they put me under a spyglass?  And you know why, Sergeant?

Mendoza [shrugging]
Well, maybe. . .  Uh. . .

de Soto
Because of Zorro, that's why.  Incredible.  A common criminal.  I wonder what the chief minister would sa. . . [He pauses and looks thoughtfully at Mendoza.] I wonder , I wonder if the chief minister would change his opinion about my troubles if he knew the man responsible for the death of his two sons is none other than that local folk hero himself.

Mendoza [incredulously]
You think Zorro killed them?

[He shakes his head.]

de Soto
I know he did, Sergeant.  And all I have to do. . .is prove it.

[He starts chuckling evilly as Mendoza looks at him worriedly.]

[Exterior shot of the countryside as Diego and Don Alejandro ride their horses along a road.  They slow down then ride through the gate of their hacienda.  Diego and Don Alejandro dismount as one of the male servants comes up and takes the reins of their horses.]

[Interior shot of the de la Vega library as Felipe clutches his stomach as he sinks down to the floor.  Diego and Don Alejandro walk into the hacienda and Diego looks over to his right.]

Diego
Felipe, what's wrong?

[He and Don Alejandro both rush to their right. Diego crouches down in front of Felipe.  Felipe waves his hand down the front of his stomach.]

Don Alejandro [coming up and crouching down beside Diego]
Can't follow.  What's he saying?

Diego
I don't know. [to Felipe] Try again.  Slower.

[Felipe presses his hands to his stomach then looks up pleadingly at Diego.]

Diego
Stomach pains.

[Felipe nods then points downward with his right index finger.]

Diego
Poison?

[Felipe nods then puts his hand to his chest then waves it away.]

Diego
This happened to you after you went to Don Sebastian's hacienda?

[Felipe nods.]

Diego [turning to Don Alejandro]
Father, get some water.  We need to flush the poison from his system.

[Don Alejandro stands up and leaves.  Diego turns back to Felipe who looks up pleadingly again at Diego.]

Diego
Whatever it is, I'm sure it will pass.

[He helps Felipe stand up then helps him walk over to a settee opposite them.]

Diego [as Felipe doubles over]
I know, I know.  It feels terrible.

Don Alejandro [off camera]
Diego.

[Diego turns as Felipe collapses onto the settee.]

Don Alejandro [coming up and holding out a glass of water]
Let's hope he can keep it down.

[Diego takes the glass and hands it to Felipe who takes a sip of it.  A horse whinnies loudly off camera.]

Don Alejandro [looking out the window behind the settee]
What on earth is going on out there?

[He turns and leaves.  Diego looks out the window.]

[Exterior shot of the hacienda courtyard where Diego and Don Alejandro's horses are whinnying loudly and prancing about nervously.  The servant struggles to keep a hold on their reins.]

Servant
Help! Help!

[Don Alejandro comes a doorway then stops.]

Don Alejandro
Juanito!

[He rushes over toward the horses.]

Don Alejandro
Juanito!  Let them go!  Let them go!

[He pulls Juanito away from the horses.]

[Interior shot of the library as Diego looks out the window and shakes his head.]

[Exterior shot of the courtyard as the horses run through the gate and out into the countryside.]

Don Alejandro [off camera]
Let them loose? or roam?  (It actually sounds like he says ‘Let them roose.')

[Interior shot of the library as Diego turns away from the window.]

Diego
Good horses gone bad.   Severe stomach problems. [He turns to Felipe.] On your way back from Don Sebastian's hacienda, you stopped for water at Oak Creek where you found the dying sparrow.

[Felipe nods.]

Diego
Oak Creek runs close to the Carvajal brothers's rancho where our horses drank.

[Felipe puts his hand to his chest and looks worried.]

Diego [chuckling]
No, Felipe, you're not going to die.

[Felipe brings his left hand up to his left temple.]

Diego
Or go loco like the horses.  Luckily, you only drank enough to give yourself some severe stomach cramps.  [He sits down on the settee next to Felipe.] But I've got to get a sample of that water before it kills someone else.

{Exterior shot of the Carvajal brothers's house as de Soto pulls his head out from under a blanket covering a doorway.]

de Soto
Zorro was here.  I ‘ve just got to prove it. [He walks over to his right.] There must be some way to do that.  I must.  I've got to get out of this miserable pueblo. [He looks around the yard.] Wait a minute.

[He pulls out a dagger then laughs evilly as he approaches a wooden door.  He slashes as the door three times then turns around and looks at his dagger then laughs evilly again.  He walks away from the door which now has a ‘Z' carved into it.  De Soto puts his dagger into his boot then goes over to his horse.  Hoof beats are heard off camera.  De Soto ducks behind some netting.]

[Shot from de Soto's point of view through the netting of Zorro riding toward the rancho.]

[Exterior shot of the Carvajal brothers's house.]

de Soto [looking upward]
Gracias!

[He then duck down.  Zorro rides up to the fence then goes through the gate and comes to a halt.  He dismounts as de Soto spies on him.  Zorro goes over to the water trough and dips a small clear glass vial into the water.  He holds it up then swirls the water around inside the vial as de Soto aims a pistol at him.  De Soto fires and the bullet hits the vial, shattering it.  Zorro, still hold the neck of the vial, turns to his left and sees de Soto.]

de Soto [tossing the pistol aside]
Well. . .  The great folk hero [He walks toward Zorro as he pulls another pistol out of his waistband.] has returned to the scene of his crime and his own execution.

Zorro [looking at what's left of the vial]
Taking a sample of tainted water is hardly a crime, Alcalde.

[He tosses the piece of glass aside.]

de Soto
Noo. . .  But murder certainly is.  You see, Zorro, you've come back here to destroy any evidence linking you to the murder of the Carvajal brothers.

Zorro
You really do have an active imagination, Alcalde.

de Soto [sarcastically]
Ah, thank you.  And now Madrid will promote me out of this miserable Colonial post.  Because when you confronted me, [He cocks his pistol.] I did only what I had to do.

[He aims the pistol at Zorro.  Zorro stares back at him calmly.]

*****COMMERCIAL BREAK*****

[Exterior shot of the Carvajal brothers's rancho as de Soto points his pistol at Zorro.]

de Soto
Oh, yes, Zorro.  If you're a God-fearing man, [Zorro nods at Toronado, who is standing next to a wooden bucket.] this would be an excellent time to pray.

[Toronado kicks the bucket into the air and it hit de Soto's right arm just as he fires the pistol.]

de Soto
Aah!

[The pistol falls to the ground.]

Zorro
Yes, well. . .  Now that my prayers have been answered, I still need a sample of that water.

[He takes a step forward.  De Soto also moves forward.]

de Soto [kicking a bucket aside]
There's the bucket!

[He then draws out his sword, slashing it from left to right.  Zorro takes a step back.]

de Soto [as he lunges forward]
Go ahead and get it!

[He slashes his sword at Zorro, who steps out of the way of the swinging blade.]

Zorro [calmly]
Haven't we been through this before, Alcalde?

de Soto
Oh, yes, but since last we met, I visited Pedro Diamante in Mexico City to sharpen my fighting technique.

Zorro [a bit sarcastically as he turns his back to de Soto]
Ooh, private lessons with Pedro Diamante?  What a lavish waste of money.

[He unsheathes his saber and turns to face de Soto.  Zorro takes the offensive and drives de Soto backward.  Then de Soto drives Zorro back a few steps.]

de Soto [pulling back]
Ha!  I'll show you [He reaches down his left leg.] what a lavish waste of money it was.

[He holds up a dagger in his left hand.]

Zorro [sarcastically]
Please.  Allow me to show you.

[He places the tip of his saber on the ground and crosses his right leg in front of his left leg then nods at Toronado.  Toronado whinnies then kicks another bucket into the air, hitting de Soto in the head.]

de Soto [as he falls to the ground]
Argh!

Zorro [shaking his head]
So much for good money after bad.

[He sheathes his saber then walk over to Toronado and gets up into the saddle.  He leads Toronado over to where some clay pitchers hand from a pole.  Zorro takes one of them then leads Toronado over to the water trough.  He uses the pitcher to scoop out some of the water.  Zorro and Toronado then turn and ride away.]

[Exterior night shot of the de la Vega hacienda as crickets chirp.]

[Interior shot of the secret cave as Diego sits at the laboratory table.  Felipe walks into the cave.  Diego looks up then turns around.]

Diego
Felipe!  You're feeling better? [Felipe nods as he walks toward Diego.] Wonderful. [Diego holds up a silver utensil of some sort and a clay jar.] Look at this.  I think I'm on the right track here.  Lead sulfate. . .  A by-product of the smelting process used in the lead mines just north of here.  This is what poisoned you and killed the Carvajal brothers.  It was in the water at their rancho.  Now, how it got into the water, I'm not certain.  But several years ago, the mine operators sold large quantities of lead sulfate to the local farmers to use as weed killer.

[Felipe points to his head then holds up his thumb.]

Diego
Yes, but the lead sulfate did more than kill the weeds.  It also killed the crops.

[He sighs.  Felipe taps Diego on the arm then moves his hands in a circle then hold his arms straight out in front of himself, then pulls his hands back to his chest then wiggles the fingers on his right hand as he holds it above his left hand.]

Diego
Yes, the farmers did return the weed killer and got their money back.  But the mine operators quickly covered their losses by selling the entire shipment of lead sulfate to Luis Ramone.

[Felipe makes a ‘Z' in the air with his right index finger.]

Diego
Exactly.  It's time Zorro paid a visit to the one man who knew everything Luis Ramone was up to.

[Diego stands up and walks over to the clothes rack holding Zorro's black clothing.  Felipe follows.]

[Exterior night shot of the pueblo as Zorro runs across the cuartel's roof and up onto the roof of de Soto's office.]

[Interior night shot of Mendoza's bedroom as Mendoza is in his bed, sleeping.  Zorro walks up to Mendoza and puts his gloved left hand over Mendoza's nose and mouth.  Mendoza snorts and sputters as he wakes up.  Zorro takes his hand away as Mendoza sits up.]

Mendoza
Zorro?  What are. . .?

Zorro
I need some information.

Mendoza
This is a military barracks.  Do you know what would happen if I sound the alarm?

Zorro
You will die.

[He steps closer to the bed, pulling his saber halfway out of its scabbard.]

Mendoza [nervously]
Let's be very, very quiet.

Zorro
Sergeant, I want you to cast your mind back to the time when our former alcalde, Luis Ramone, bought large quantities of chemicals from the owners of the lead mines just north of here.

Mendoza
Ah, si, si.  I remember because I had to drive the wagon all the way to San Luis Obispo.  I had to collect some barrels, full of some kind of powder that could stop anything from growing..

Zorro
What did Luis Ramone want with the powder?

Mendoza
Well, he wanted to buy some land in the Cahuenga Pass.  Well, the people didn't want to sell.  They wanted to grow some crops.

Zorro
That must have angered him.

Mendoza
Oh, made him very mad, till the very veins in his neck stood out. [He chuckles.] He was going to spread this powder and make it impossible for anything to grow on that land.

Zorro
And the land would drop in value until he could buy it for a song.  He never did it.  Why not?

Mendoza
Well, he was afraid. . .  He was afraid you would find out and you would undermine his ambitions with the governor.

Zorro [smiling]
For once he was right.

Mendoza
So he told me to bury the barrels at old Oak Creek.  But that was about five years ago, Zorro.  Why are you so interested now?

Zorro
Those barrels contained lead sulfate, the very thing that killed the Carvajal brothers.

Mendoza
It did?  But how?

Zorro
Last winter's heavy rains ended a four year drought.  The buried lead sulfate must have seeped in the underground springs feeding Oak Creek and the well on the Carvajal rancho.

Mendoza
Well, that. . .  That means. . .  I killed them.

Zorro
Oh, no, Sergeant.  It was Luis Ramone's ignorance of the delicate balance of nature that killed them.  Help others avoid the same fate.

Mendoza
How?  I will do anything.

Zorro
Get me a garrison wagon full of explosives.

Mendoza
Zorro, the Alcalde will shoot you on sight.

Zorro
Then I have nothing to worry about.  You'll be driving the wagon.

[He pats Mendoza's right shoulder.]

Mendoza [pointing to himself]
Uh. . .

[Exterior night shot of the pueblo as a horse whinnies loudly.]

[Interior shot of de Soto's bedroom as de Soto wakes up then gets out of bed.  A wagon and a horse can be heard off camera.  De Soto yawns as he walks around the end of his bed.  A thump is heard.]

de Soto
Aah!

[He hops over to a window and looks outside.]

[Exterior night shot of the pueblo as Zorro rides Toronado alongside the wagon driven by Mendoza as they head out of town.]

de Soto [off camera]
Zorro?  And he's kidnapping Mendoza!

[Interior shot of de Soto's bedroom as he turns away from the window and puts his left hand over his mouth then takes his hand away.]

de Soto
Lancers!

[He walks forward, pulling off his nightshirt.]

[Exterior day shot of the countryside as Zorro rides Toronado alongside the wagon driven by Mendoza.]

Mendoza [bringing the wagon to a halt]
Whoa!

[Zorro brings Toronado to a halt then dismounts.  He puts Toronado's reins on the railing of the wagon as Mendoza looks around and nods.]

Mendoza
This looks like it. [He climbs down from the wagon.] It's over. . . [He points to his right.] Over there.

[Shot from Mendoza and Zorro's point of view of a low rock wall and a couple of trees.]

Mendoza [off camera]
That's where I buried the barrels with powder.

[Exterior shot of the countryside as Zorro and Mendoza stand by the wagon.]

Mendoza
But there used to be big trees over there, with branches and leaves, and there was tall grass all around.  I don't understand.

Zorro
Ignorance has dire consequences.

Mendoza
What do we do now, Zorro?

Zorro
For this piece of land?  Nothing.  But if we can change the course of the underground streams running past this point, all of the lands to the south of us will be safe once more.

[He pats Mendoza's right shoulder as Mendoza smiles.  They walk forward.]

[Exterior shot of the countryside as de Soto and six lancers ride along a road.  They come to a halt.]

Sepulveda [to de Soto's left]
Maybe Zorro's planning to ambush us with our own explosives?

de Soto
That's preposterous, Sepulveda.  Ambush. . . [He chuckles.] Well, Private, why don't you ride ahead to verify the trail, hmm?

Sepulveda
Si, mi Alcalde.

[He rides forward.]

de Soto
Lancers!

[The other five lancers ride past de Soto who then urges his horse forward.]

[Exterior shot of the countryside where Zorro and Mendoza walk away from the wagon and Toronado.]

Mendoza
Zorro, wait.  Please.  I'm part of the one who caused the problem around here.  I should be the one to eliminate that problem.

Zorro [chuckling as he hands Mendoza a small box]
Be my guest, Sergeant.

[De Soto comes out from behind a bush.]

de Soto
Too late for that, Zorro!

Mendoza [as he jumps in front of Zorro]
Oh, no, Alcalde!  Not now!  Not now!

de Soto [waving his arm]
Get out of the way, Sergeant!

Mendoza [shielding Zorro who tries to move Mendoza out his way]
No!  I can't do that!

de Soto
Ah, Zorro probably has a knife in Mendoza's back.  I can't let Zorro escape. [He turns to two lancers at his right.] Shoot them both.

Zorro [quietly to Mendoza]
Time for me to go, Sergeant.  Just be sure to light those fuses, hmm?

[He pats Mendoza on the right shoulder then moves off to his right.]

de Soto [as he dramatically points his sword forward and ending up on one knee]
Fire!

[Three dust sprays up from the ground as Zorro runs over to where Toronado is waiting by the wagon.  De Soto stands up and turns to his right.]

de Soto
Reload!

[Zorro is now on Toronado's back and starts riding to his right.]

de Soto
Don't let him get away!

[Mendoza is crouched down as Zorro rides toward de Soto, cracking his whip at the lancers.  De Soto turns to look at Mendoza.]

de Soto
Sergeant! [He runs toward Mendoza.] What are you doing?

[Closeup shot of a burning fuse.]

[Exterior shot of the countryside as Mendoza looks up at de Soto.]

Mendoza
It's too late!  [He stands up and starts running to his right.] Run for cover!  Run for cover!

[He runs past de Soto as Zorro rides off to his left.]

de Soto
Run for cover, men!

[A loud explosion causes a large cloud of dust.  A second explosion does the same.]

de Soto [as he, Mendoza, and the other lancers run toward some bushes]
Run!

[Dirt and rocks fall from the sky as de Soto, Mendoza, and the other lancers fall face first to the ground.  Three more explosions go off, sending more dust clouds skyward.  De Soto, Mendoza, and the other lancers slowly get to their feet.  Zorro rides up to them and salutes.]

Zorro
Good work, Sergeant.

[Mendoza salutes back at Zorro as de Soto turns to him.]

de Soto [angrily]
You're going to be court-martialed for this, Sergeant.

Zorro
You'd court-martial the man for making the entire region safe for future Spanish settlement?

de Soto
What are you talking about?

Zorro
Ah, Sergeant Mendoza is responsible for eliminating the deadly poison that killed the Carvajal brothers.

de Soto [incredulously]
What?

Zorro
No doubt Madrid will look with favor upon his commanding officer.  Congratulation, Alcalde!  You should be proud of your astute leadership.

de Soto
Yes.  Yes.  Thank you.  Thank you.

[He turns to Mendoza who starts brushing the dust from de Soto's jacket.  Zorro turns Toronado around and rides away.]

de Soto [to Mendoza]
Stop it!

[Zorro rides Toronado across the countryside.]

*****COMMERCIAL BREAK*****

[Exterior shot of the de la Vega courtyard as Don Alejandro lifts a handful of pink flowers.  A servant (Juanito?) works in the garden to Don Alejandro's right.  Diego comes riding up to the hacienda gate.]

Don Alejandro [as he carries the flowers over to a little table]
Grrrr. . .   Diego.

[Juanito runs up to Diego's horse and takes its reins as Diego dismounts.  Diego walks over to Don Alejandro.]

Don Alejandro
Where have you been, Diego?  Juanito and I, really, we could have used some help.

Diego
Well, there was a bit of a celebration over at the tavern for Alcalde de Soto.  You know, he actually received a commendation from Madrid for doing away with the contamination caused by our former alcalde.

Don Alejandro
That's incredible.  Ha!  The only one who deserves a commendation from what I heard is Zorro.

Diego
Well, I'm sure all that's a bit of an exaggeration, Father.  Besides, uh, cleaning up our land and water is really only one step.  Now we have to work on future problems by learning to dispose of things safely.

Don Alejandro
If that's true, Diego, then you just tell me how to dispose of all these infernal weeds.

[He sweeps his left arm over his garden then turns back to Diego.]

Diego
Well, perhaps it's just a matter of perception, Father.

Don Alejandro
Perception? [Then through clenched teeth] They're weeds, Diego.

Diego
Well, um, look at it this way.  The weeds are probably there for a reason.  Um, my guess is that they're just plants whose virtues we have yet to discover.

[He hold up a rose bud to his nose and sniffs it as Don Alejandro looks at him angrily.]

Diego
Hmm. . .

[He smiles at Don Alejandro.]

*****END OF EPISODE*****