The Night of the Firebrand - Recap

Jim is galloping through the forest ahead of a band of angry Iroquois warriors. He finally makes it to Fort Savage and the soldiers close the gates behind him as he rides in. As the Indians ride off, Jim goes to report to the commanding officer, Major Jason. Jason is getting a shave from an enlisted man, Crocker, and seems surprised to see Jim. The agent points out that Jason should have received a letter from President Grant saying he was on his way. The major apologizes, noting that the mail service has been inconsistent since the Iroquois have been attacking. Jim reminds him that the letter was in reference to Jason’s report on Sean O’Reilley, a Canadian revolutionary. When Jason notes that there is no description of O’Reilley, Jim reads him the official description... which matches “Jason”’s description.



As Jim draws his gun to take the revolutionary prisoner, O’Reilley takes the letter and discovers that it’s blank. When he asks Jim what gave him away, the agent points out that he incorrectly addressed Crocker by name instead of rank, and that O’Reilley isn’t wearing a West Point ring. Jim orders O’Reilley and Crocker out, but two men come up behind him. The agent quickly takes out them and Crocker, but O’Reilley notes he and his revolutionaries control the fort and the real Major Jason and his men are his prisoners. Jim tells O’Reilley that they’ll release them, and then turns and finds a woman entering the room. O’Reilley introduces her as Vixen O’Shaugnessy and she knocks Jim out as soon as his back is turned.

When Jim wakes up, he discovers that O’Reilley has strung him up in the middle of the fort atop a pile of dynamite. O’Reilley is ordering his men out of the fort with the stolen dynamite, and explains to Jim that he plans to set off the remaining dynamite. The Iroquois will pillage the fort afterward and take the blame, allowing O’Reilley to avoid blame and negotiate with Grant later when he becomes the leader of Canada. Jim’s horse manages to escape and runs off. Meanwhile, Jim congratulates O’Reilley, who explains that the plan is Vixen’s. He calls her over and explains that she’s really Sheila O’Shaugnessy, the daughter of Senator O’Shaugnessy. Her father believes that she’s been kidnapped, but she decided to leave finishing school and see the world for herself.



Once O’Reilley and Vixen light the fuse and ride off with the others, Jim spots two nearby casks of water. He swings around and manages to kick one of them open. The water flows over the fuse, putting it out, as the troopers cheer. Jim then cuts himself free with his boot knife and frees the soldiers. They set off the dynamite a safe distance from the fort to fool O’Reilley, and Major Jason tells Jim that O’Reilley’s men infiltrated the fort as homeless settlers and then took over when most of the solders were on patrol. Jim whistles for his horse and it comes running, while Major Jason notes that the Iroquois and Black Feet will be meeting in 48 hours to unite and attack the fort. They have to get the munitions back so the soldiers can defend against the Indians. Jim figures that O’Reilley is heading north to meet with Andre Durain and rides off.

O’Reilley finally tells two of his men to ride back to Fort Savage and make sure it was destroyed. He tells Vixen that the explosive didn’t sound as powerful as it should have. She suggests it might have been the wind blowing the wrong way, but O’Reilley suspects Jim’s involvement.



At a bar, Artie is disguised as a mountain man, Bluebeard. When he spots Andre Durain come down from an upstairs room, Artie yells that he’s bored and starts smashing up the place, catching Andre’s attention. Smiling, Andre and his lieutenant Briscoe order everyone else out and join Artie at the bar. He offers him participation in a project to take over Canada, Artie admits that he might be interested as long as he’s the number two man. When Andre points out that Briscoe is his number two and it’s unfortunate, Artie says that it could be unfortunate for Briscoe. After a moment, Andre chuckles and offers a toast to their new project.

O’Reilley’s two men ride toward the fort and Jim spots them. He sets an ambush, swinging down from a tree and knocking them off their horses. After subduing them and stringing them up, Jim tells the men that if they yell for the help, it could attract the attention of the Indians. Otherwise they can quietly try to free themselves, taking a few hours, and then leave the territory.

At the bar, Andre and Briscoe are drinking and watching Artie at the bar. As Briscoe contemplates shooting Artie, Artie spots him in the mirror and gives him a three-count to put down what Artie claims is his empty gun. Briscoe pulls the trigger, revealing that he was bluffing. O’Reilley’s man Clint Hoxie arrives and tells Andre that his boss has knocked off Fort Savage, stolen the weaponry, and killed the fort personnel. Now O’Reilley is at French Meadows. Andre tells Clint to get some rest before he returns and then tells Briscoe to ride to French Meadows with a message. When Briscoe points out the town on a map, Artie throws a knife at the spot on the map. Andre finishes his instructions and tells Briscoe to inform O’Reilley that Andre will meet him at Beaver Creek with two thousand men in two days’ time.



That night, Jim approaches O’Reilley’s camp and lures a guard away with a yo-yo attached to a bush. Once he knocks the man out and disposes of another guard, Vixen gets the drop on him. Jim manages to grab and silence her before she can alert O’Reilley, and then admits that he has to return her to Washington rather than kill her. He knocks her out with a pressure hold, ties a bucket to a horse, fastens the bucket and the horse to a munitions wagon, and pours some smoke powder into the bucket. Jim then takes a stick of dynamite from a second munitions wagon and sets it up with a fuse.

Once he lights the fuse, Jim grabs the unconscious Vixen and puts her in the first wagon. Finally he rides off as the second munitions wagon explodes. O’Reilley and his men pursue and Jim lights the bucket’s contents and drops it behind while it’s still fastened to the horse. At the next fork, Jim releases the horse and it goes one way while he takes the wagon the other. O’Reilley and his men go down the road. However, a wheel on the wagon starts to loosen. Jim pulls over just in time and takes Vixen out of the back as she wakes up. She explains that she is with O’Reilley to relieve the downtrodden. Jim points out that the women and children at Fort Savage would have died at the hands of the Indians and tells her that she’s a fraud.



O’Reilley and his men arrive and Jim threatens to shoot the munitions wagon if they don’t back off. The revolutionary point out that Fort Savage needs the weapons and Jim wouldn’t destroy them. Jim points out that O’Reilley wouldn’t endanger Vixen, but O’Reilley tells his men to take Jim. As they advance on the agent, Jim points out to Vixen that O’Reilley isn’t concerned about her. She stands by her man, insisting his ideas are more important than mortal flesh, and tells Jim to pull the trigger. Before O’Reilley’s men break the standoff, Artie rides up. He tells O’Reilley that he is Jacques Beaumont, Durain’s emissary, and orders Jim to surrender rather than endanger a woman. Jim obliges and O’Reilley prepares to execute him. Artie interrupts and points out that if they put Jim’s body at the Indian massacre, they can implicate Grant and undermine his relationship with Britain. O’Reilley agrees and tells his men to tie Jim up.



The next day, Artie enjoys breakfast with O’Reilley and Vixen and talks about Durain. As Artie leaves to check on Jim, Vixen asks O’Reilley if he was serious about letting her die. The revolutionary chuckles and avoids the question. Meanwhile, Artie talks to Jim, who warns that they need to get the wagon back to the fort. Artie removes a snuffbox from his pocket and then punches Jim, whispering to him to make a break in 10 minutes. When O’Reilley comes over, Artie tells him he caught Jim leering at Vixen. He slips Jim the snuffbox, which contains a hidden knife.

As Jim starts to cut himself free, Vixen comes over and asks if he intended to blow them both up. She admits that it bothers her and Jim tells her that the answer is on his lips. Vixen kisses him while Jim finishes cutting himself free. She realizes that he’s free and he knocks her out with another pressure hold. Meanwhile, Artie knocks out one guard and distracts another so that Jim can dispose of him. They dump Vixen in the back of a munitions wagon and ride off, and O’Reilley and his men ride in pursuit. Jim offers to stay behind and hold the revolutionaries off with dynamite while Artie takes the wagon onto the fort. However, an Iroquois war party spots him and pursues the wagon.

Jim heads partway up a hill and then starts tossing dynamite. Once O’Reilley’s men back up, Jim opens fire and the revolutionaries shoot back. Jim throws two more sticks of dynamite to provide cover as he runs across the road and on ahead. O’Reilley and his men go after him and see Jim’s hat up ahead. The agent has placed his hat on a rock atop a small hillock and left a bundle of burning dynamite behind it, just out of sight. After they “kill” the hat, some of the men advance and are caught in the explosion. Jim throws more dynamite, forcing O’Reilley and his remaining men to retreat.



Artie gets to Fort Savage just ahead of the Iroquois, and the soldiers arm themselves against the attacking Indians.

Jim continue throwing dynamite, holding off his opponents. As Jim reloads, O’Reilley comes up behind him and opens fire. Angry, he runs after Jim and fires until he runs out of bullets. Rather than reload, Jim advances on him. The two men fight it out and O’Reilley falls off the cliff to his death. Jim tells the surviving men to surrender and they quickly do.

Later aboard the Wanderer, the agents escort Vixen back to Washington. Artie reads to her from Lord Byron and they explain that she’s going back to finishing school and studying poetry. Vixen refuses to go back, insisting that she’s tasted life and that there are causes to fight for. Jim knocks her out with another pressure hold in mid-rant.



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