Yellowneck

In the wilds of Florida, in 1863, an alcoholic Confederate colonel meets up with four other Confederate Army deserters, who have been fighting in the Civil War: Todd, a sergeant who deeply feels the futility of war; The Kid, who considers Todd a hero; Plunkett, a common thief who stole the soldiers' payroll; and the Cockney, an English mercenary who is after Plunkett's treasure. At this pre-arranged place, they rendezvous with a Seminole Indian who has agreed to guide them through the jungle to the coast. There, a British blockade-runner boat has been engaged to carry them to Cuba. When their guide, whom they call "Yellowcat," fails to arrive, they see buzzards circling and upon further investigation, find Yellowcat's dead body. Realizing they must now make their own way to the sea, the deserters decide to choose a leader. Although the Colonel seems the logical choice, he considers his comrades beneath him and hands the command over to Todd. As the group travels through the jungle, hungry and on the lookout for Seminoles, the Cockney tries unsuccessfully to steal Plunkett's gold. While leading them across a river, Todd eludes a dangerous alligator, prompting The Kid, who followed Todd into this dishonorable situation, to think of him as a brave hero. In response, Todd tells him how he has grown sick of death and killing. After discovering the Cockney's fear of snakes, Plunkett sadistically torments him with one of the reptiles, until the Colonel orders him to stop. Thirsty and hot, the group plods along until they find another river. They heedlessly jump in, then are startled by the sight of Seminole corpses floating in it. The Colonel, inspired by a "code of common decency," wants to bury the bodies, but the others, realizing that the Indians have recently died and their killers are possibly nearby, want to hurry on. They abandon the Colonel, leaving him to do the chore alone. When the Kid convinces the others that it is wrong to leave the Colonel alone and the dead unburied, they return to help him. Later, after an Indian arrow hits the Colonel, he becomes delirious and the group argues about whether to take him along or let him die. They become separated during a storm. When it finally ends, the Cockney, thinking Plunkett is dead, tries to rob him, but Plunkett awakens and stops him. The group reunite, except for Todd, who remains missing, and the others fear he has been killed by Seminoles. While they wait for Todd, the Colonel deliriously rants about past battles, causing the others to laugh. Just as Todd arrives, Seminoles attack them. After a lengthy battle, the Indians give up and leave. When the group prepares to move on, Todd insists on taking the Colonel with them. As they gather around the campfire that night, the Colonel continues to relive his past, and they listen as he proudly recounts being assigned to his first major campaign and the frustration he later felt when his order to retreat from an insurmountable battle was deemed an act of cowardice even though it saved his men. After watching him die, the group bury him, and Plunkett announces that, from now on, he will look after only himself. When the group reach a river of salty water, they follow it, hoping it will lead to the sea. Todd angers Plunkett when he admits that he lost his compass and has been using the sun as his guide. When they encounter a nest of rattlesnakes, they pass carefully, but the Cockney stiffens in fright, then trips and is fatally bitten by the snakes. Cockney's death disturbs Plunkett, who becomes increasingly jittery. Again, Todd carefully leads them across water in which an alligator lurks and when they reach the other side, Plunkett, now insane with fear, begs him to slow down. When Plunkett offers Todd gold to slow down, he searches his belongings and discovers that the gold is missing. Realizing that the Cockney must have stolen it, Plunkett tries to run back across the river to the corpse, but is overtaken by the alligator. Todd and the Kid move on briskly, although the Kid can barely keep up. After declaring that he is sick of running, Todd confides that he has been running from many things throughout his life. Stating that "you cannot run away from yourself," Todd explains, "you get so tired, you want to die." When he accidentally steps into quicksand, the Kid is unable to pull him out, and as he disappears into the earth, Todd orders the Kid to leave. After he is gone, the Kid moves on, desperate and frightened, haunted by all he has witnessed. He almost goes insane, until he remembers Todd's advice, that you cannot run away from yourself. When he finally reaches the seashore, he discovers that the ship is not there.