Escape from the Dark

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Hey, Luke. Quick, come out of there.

It'll like come down on

us as it will on thee.

All right, then.

Fetch in some more pit

props and we'll shore it up.

Go in.

Whoa.

Get.

Hey you, Flash, what are you

doing with me bait box, eh?

Hey, do you think there's

something in there for you?

Go on with you.

All right. Here, now.

Ahh...

Go on.

Go on with ya.

Go on. Come here, Flash.

Beg pardon, sir.

They can't pull more

than mo tubs at a time.

Nay, sir. Each one of them

things weighs nearly half a ton.

Come on, Flash. Come on.

Come in. Come on.

Have you ever seen a

mane and tail hauler?

No, sir, I never have. I've heard

of them, but I've not seen one.

It's a machine that can handle,

oh, up to a hundred tubs at a time.

Brings empty ones in and

takes the full ones out.

- Oh, aye.

- Why are those men idle?

Oh, they're just waiting for

empty tubs to arrive, sir.

They've got a new pony

and he's a bit slow.

Not like old Flash here. You

won't find his team kept waiting.

He's making you sweat, Ginger!

Mind your leg, Mr. Amiss.

You'll have my leg

off one of these days.

Come on, come on. Come on, come on.

Come on. There. Easy, Flash.

- Come on.

Get up. Get up.

Come on! Come on!

You obstinate, mule-headed...

- Hey, Ginger, none of that!

- He tried to kick me!

So he will ifyou ty

to turn him around now.

- End of his shift.

- Thought I'd get empty tubs up

- for the morning.

- Not with old Flash, you won't.

You may as well turn him loose.

He knows when his shift's over

and he knows where he's going.

Nosey.

- Get!

Here comes Flash.

Hello, Flash. Look what I've brought ya.

There.

Eh, Flash, you're a beauty.

Best of all, you are.

He's no better than Lion, is he Bert?

Nay, Lion's a good 'un.

But he's only a young 'un.

He's not as knowin' as

Flash is, but he'll learn.

Tommy? Dave.

Don't be too long. Your

mother'll have your tea ready.

- Bert.

- Aye?

Best get the boys out of

sight. The gaffer's coming.

- Oh.

- Who's gaffer?

The new manager. Hey, now come

on. Let's have you out of here.

Get in behind this board.

Do as your father says.

- He's not our father.

- Your stepfather then.

- He's not our father.

- Get behind there and argue after.

Keep yourself hidden. Down there.

- Bert?

- ye.

- Just a minute.

- Coming, sir.

Now then, this is Bert Cawsden.

He looks after the ponies.

- Bert, Mr. Sandman.

- Afternoon, Cawsden.

Afternoon, sir.

Oh, yes. How long's

this one been down here?

- Fourteen years,

sir. - Uh-huh.

And he'd be three or four

years old when he came down?

- Aye.

- He must be past his best now then.

Flash? He's the best worker of them all.

Mm-hm.

All right, thank you.

All right, Mr. Carter.

- Cary on, Bert. Time's money.

- Right, sir.

- Which way now, Carter?

- West. Turn left.

Flash, past his time?

He's no' but a London

fella. He doesn't know much.

- I'll, uh, just get some tobacco.

- Right. Cheerio.

See you tomorrow.

- Hello, love.

- Hello, lass.

- Have you seen the boys?

- ye.

They're givin' Bert a

hand with the ponies.

Oh, no, not again. Will

they be home for their tea?

How should I know?

They never speak to me.

One for you and one for you.

Go on, lads, off with you.

- Thanks, Bert.

- Thanks, Bert.

Carter.

Sir?

- Who are those boys?

- Boys, sir?

- Yes, mo boys came out of the pit.

- Oh, them boys, aye.

That's Dave and Tommy Sadler. They

help the horsekeeper with the ponies.

- Too young to be on the payroll.

- Well, they just...

Bert gives them a penny now

and then. They like to do it.

Apart from anything else, there's

safety regulations to be considered.

- They've no business to be going down.

- No business?

Their father died down there.

Dave! Now that's good

food you've got there.

Be thanMul for it and don't

gobble it up as if it were nothing.

And where do you think you're going?

- I'm gonna take Danny out for a run.

- A bit late, isn't it?

We always used to take

Danny out last thing.

Yes, but your...

Not alone.

Can we go?

Oh, go! Go, why don't ya?

Come on, Tom. Danny, come on.

I'll have some more tea.

He's back, he's back!

Is he, dear? That's nice.

- Hello, my dear.

- Oh, Father,

- I thought you'd never get back!

Clara and I unpacked all the

pictures. We've done well, haven't we?

Vey well. I see you've

put the curtains up.

- Mother and Clara did that.

- Well done, Clara.

Thank you, sir.

Mother's putting the best china

away. Wouldn't let me help.

- She said I might drop it.

- Did she?

- Hello, dear.

- Hello.

- You're back.

- Yes.

Clara, you can serve dinner

now, the master's home.

All right, ma'am.

That girl! I wish she'd call me madam.

Ma'am is so vulgar.

I've been brought here by Lord Harrogate

to make his colliey pay. I'll do it.

If I don't, he'll close down

the pit and I'll lose my job,

as well as the miners' livelihood.

What exactly is the problem, dear?

Alice, do drink your soup quietly.

The real problem is we

can't get the coal out

in sufficient quantities.

And, therefore, it's too expensive

at that price, we can't sell it.

That's why they had

to stop the nightshift.

- What will you have to do, Father?

- Well, for a start,

I shall get rid of those pit ponies.

Come on, Tommy, I'll

race you to the top!

It's not fair! You started off first!

Don't wory, I'll wait

for you when I get there.

Oh, no you won't. I'll beat

you yet. See if I don't.

- Bye, Daddy.

- Goodbye, my dear. Have a nice day.

Alice, where are you going?

Just going to fly my kite, Mother!

Don't go too far!

I don't like her going

up on the moors alone.

It's a bit lonely for her here.

I don't want her playing with any

of those rough miners' children.

I shall be glad when the governess

arrives to keep her out of mischief.

- Well, goodbye, dear.

- Hm.

- I do hope His Lordship is agreeable.

- Yes, so do I.

Uh, Mr. Sandman to see Lord Harrogate.

His Lordship is expecting you, sir.

Now then, Sandman, what

do you propose to do

about this colliey of mine?

Well, one of the problems is...

Uh, no, thank you... is that

Emsdale is a small colliey,

and the seam is a long

way from the surFace.

Yes, yes, I know all about that.

But the point is that

it doesn't make a profit.

Now Kirkdale's colliey makes a profit,

but my colliey does not make a profit.

In fact, my colliey

keeps... keeps losing money.

Now, as my new manager, tell me,

what do you propose to do about that?

I'd like to explore the possibility

of using machiney in the pits, My Lord.

Machiney?

Are you suggesting we might use

machiney instead of miners, perhaps?

Um... Well, no, My Lord.

But it might be possible to bring

the coal from the face to the shaft

by means of machiney instead of ponies.

Hm, yes, yes, at least, I am

prepared to explore that idea.

Hm. Look into that for

me, will you, Sandman?

And find out all about the costs,

and, uh, show me things, you

know, like plans and so on,

- you know, that sort of thing.

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