Breaker Morant Page #5

But a bet is a bet,

and 50 is a hell of a lot of money.

Mind you, l'd had a few drinks.

Quite a few drinks.

Anyway, there's the fence. Cast iron.

Seven foot high.

Spikes on the top.

It was so dark, l couldn't even see it,

-so we put some candles on the top.

-And you cleared it.

-You've heard it before?

-We all have.

Yes, I cleared it and I won the bet.

I paid off all my debts in...

Where the hell was it?

-Canada.

-Canada. Thank you very much.

And I got the...

-He ought to be on the other side.

-Why is that?

He's a big enough bore, ain't he?

There's a group of Boers coming in.

They've got white flags.

That's an old one.

We get close and they blow our heads off.

Not this lot. They look really shabby.

In that case, another few three feet,

go back out in the veldt and snipe at them.

Sergeant Major Drummond.

Take more troopers.

-Corporal Sharp, take his post.

-Right, sir.

They're part of the group

that killed Simon Hunt.

How can you be sure?

Kelly's commandos. The rest disbanded

or moved into Portuguese territory.

Execute them.

-Aren't we supposed to...

-This is guerilla war, not a debutante's ball.

-There are no rules here.

-Blast that man.

George, tell Handcock

to get a squad together

after the old man's left, will you? Go on.

You got to get

a firing squad together, Peter.

For?

It's wrong, mate, and you know it is.

Don't argue this with me, mate.

I just follow orders.

Hey, look at this.

I got these from that lot.

Dumdums.

Ever seen what they can do?

Put a neat little hole here

and at the back, boom. All gone, nothing.

Don't talk to me

about what's right or wrong.

-Morning, Lieutenant.

-Morning, Mr. Hesse.

-Who are these men?

-Boer prisoners, sir.

I'd rather you didn't speak to them.

You moving on today, sir?

As soon as I get some water for my men,

I'll proceed for Leydsdorp.

Leydsdorp?

-Boer guerilla country, sir.

-Yes.

But they do not bother a harmless old man

who is spreading the word of God.

But the white flag.

They came in under a white flag.

Do you remember the order

from Pretoria High Command?

If they show a white flag, we don't see it.

I didn't see it.

Harry, you never gave a damn for orders

if you didn't agree with them.

-You're doing this to avenge Captain Hunt.

-You're probably right, lad.

It won't bring him back,

but it's the next best thing.

Mr. Hesse, sir. You spoke to the prisoners?

I gave you strict instructions not to, sir.

I'm sorry, Lieutenant Morant.

They called me to pray for them.

The Boers are religious men.

I could not refuse.

Ready!

Fire!

I propose to settle

once and for all, sir,

the matter of whether or not

orders were issued to shoot prisoners.

Do you, Major Thomas?

Major Bolton has proved

there were no standing orders

and Captain Hunt is dead.

A formal request that Lord Kitchener

attend this court-martial.

Lord Kitchener?

He can tell us himself whether or not

such orders were issued.

You are impertinent, Major Thomas.

Are you suggesting that

the most senior soldier in the British Army,

a man venerated throughout the world,

would be capable of issuing an order

of such barbarity?

I don't know, sir.

But I do know

that orders

that one would consider barbarous

have already been issued in this war.

Before I was asked to defend these men

I spent some months

burning Boer farmhouses,

destroying their crops,

herding their women and children

into stinking refugee camps

where thousands of them

have died already from disease.

Now, these orders were issued, sir,

and soldiers like myself and these men here

have had to carry them out,

however damned reluctantly!

There is no precedent for this request.

There is no obligation whatever

for Lord Kitchener to attend this courtroom.

"The accused is allowed full liberty

to cross-examine any witness against him

"and to call any witnesses

"or make any statement in his defense."

May I join you?

Well, our little case seems to be attracting

quite a lot of interest.

Yes. Been requests

from some of those correspondent fellows

to attend the court.

All turned down, of course.

Of course.

I've been wondering if you realize

how anxious your own government is

for a conviction.

-What do you mean?

-Well, you've just become a commonwealth.

Your prime minister,

Mr. Barton, wants to dissipate

any lingering impressions

of a frontier colony. Frontier behavior.

You can be quite sure their conviction

will meet with Australian approval.

-Of course Morant and his friends are guilty.

-Are they?

Why not arrest the firing squad?

They did the actual killing.

But they were following Morant's orders.

That's right.

Just as Morant was following orders.

You do realize

that when High Command denies

that the orders were issued,

your whole case will collapse.

Perhaps your request that Lord Kitchener

attend this court

-is not in your clients' best interest.

-I had thought of that.

-Then you will withdraw the request?

-No.

It seems quite simple to me.

I don't know how it's come to this.

-You said our fellow there, that Irishman...

-Captain Taylor, sir.

-Anglo-Irish.

-Taylor, yes,

assured you the case against

the Australians was overwhelming.

Now he seems to spend most of his time

giving evidence on their behalf.

Certain proprieties have to be observed, sir.

And Taylor fought with Morant,

it creates a bond.

I don't think he's the problem.

Major Thomas is putting up

an unexpectedly good defense.

Two of the court members are showing

sympathy for the Australians.

I daresay it's too late

to transfer them to India?

I did mention at one time, sir,

the complexities of charging soldiers with

murder while they're actually in the field.

Good God, Johnny, l'm not trying to prove

some academic point.

I'm trying to put an end to this useless war.

The Boer leaders must see

in this court-martial

the demonstration of our impartial justice.

If these three Australians have to be

sacrificed to help bring about

a peace conference,

-it's a small price to pay.

-I quite agree, sir.

Though I doubt the Australians

share our enthusiasm.

You go to Pietersburg, Johnny.

You deal with the order

to shoot the prisoners.

What do I say?

I think you know what to say.

-Shall be the truth...

-Shall be the truth...

-...the whole truth...

-...the whole truth...

-...and nothing but the truth.

-...and nothing but the truth.

Thank you, sir. If you'd like to take

the witness chair, please.

Colonel Hamilton, last July,

Captain Hunt took two polo ponies

to Lord Kitchener's headquarters in Pretoria.

At which time, you had a conversation

with him regarding war prisoners.

Do you recall that conversation?

I have no recollection whatever.

I have never spoken to Captain Hunt

with reference to his duties

in the Northern Transvaal.

-You're a liar!

-Order!

-You are under oath, sir.

-I am aware of that.

Major Thomas, I trust you'll agree

that closes the issue of the alleged orders

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