Escape from the Dark Page #4

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and to all them that died there.

Alice!

- Alice!

- Quick, run!

Alice.

Alice, what are you doing out

here? Who was that I saw with you?

Uh, iust some boys.

Their... Their father owns the mine.

- Really?

- Yes.

You must invite them

home to tea one day.

Oh, they wouldn't come.

You mean because your father

is only the manager of the mine?

Alice, you must remember that to the

true aristocrat, all men are equal.

Yes, Miss Coutts.

Come on, love, you'll be late.

- Where's me bait, then?

- It's ready.

Dave, they're connecting

up the machiney today,

and tomorrow the ponies will be

brought up and sent to Barnsley.

This is their last day in the pit.

If you want to go down and see them,

I'll make it all right with Sam Carter.

- No, thanks. I'm not bothered.

- Don't you want to say goodbye?

- Not even old Flash?

- They're only ponies.

Poor beasts, they don't know

they're haulin' that to their death.

ye.

Well, what will you do, Bert,

after the ponies have gone?

I've not thought.

Nay, there'll be no place

for me in Emsdale now.

I'll have to trudge and look for a iob.

Aye. And some others,

too, I shouldn't wonder.

ye.

Sam, any work for me

and me mate tomorrow?

Might be, Luke. Depends

how them engineers get on.

You best turn up and see.

Are they bringin' in

machiney to cut coal, Sam?

How many of us will be put out of work?

None, I hope. Now the manager says...

What was that?

Have they just started

up machiney down below?

Aye. But I thought that

came from over the hill.

Go on, Tommy. More coal.

- Isn't Alice coming?

- She should be here.

Aye. She should.

Has Alice gone to bed

already? She's not ill, is she?

I don't think so. She just

seems vey sleepy tonight.

Oh, well, I'll iust say good night.

Dave!

- Sory I'm late.

- That's all right.

Here, you cary on stoking.

I'll see to the engine.

Them engineers haven't got

their machines working up there?

Nay. Up at face. It sounds

farther away than that.

- That's a winding engine.

- Aye, it's a winding engine.

I shouldn't wonder.

I've heard it before.

It comes from the old workings.

And yet, it's been blocked off

since five men were killed there.

Aye, that's true.

Nay, I'd not go near

there for a hundred pounds.

I be afraid of hobgoblins

draggin' me down into old workings.

You're an old woman,

Bert. Hobgoblins, indeed.

Come on, lads.

Go on. Offyou go, Flash.

He always knows when his shift is over.

It's over this time with a vengeance.

That's the end of the ponies.

- Whoa, Flash!

- Dave, don't lose him!

Whoa, Flash, whoa!

They've never been as

late as this before.

You don't think they've

run away, do you?

- Why should they do that?

- You know why.

I'm going to look for them.

That's the last.

Come on, Tom, let's get into the cage.

We'll never get them into the

cage. They're not used to it.

Yes, we will.

Come on, Flash, come

on. Get on. Come on.

Come on, good lad. Come on. Good boy.

Ring the bell, Tom.

Ring the bell again, Tommy.

- Oh, what's the matter with her?

- Supposing she can't work it?

We'll be stuck down here, won't we?

We'll be stuck down here with the ponies

until there's nothing

left of us but skeletons.

- Want some help, then?

- Oh, Bert!

There, Flash. You're gonna like this.

Come on, Flash. Come on.

Come on, Flash, come on. Come on.

Flash! What's the matter?

It's all strange to him.

He's not been up above

ground for 14 years.

He'll like it when he gets used to it.

Yes.

You take him. I'll go

down and get the others.

- Come on, Flash.

- Go on, Flash.

Come on, come on.

Come on, Flash. Come on, boy.

You're all right, Flash.

Look where you're going.

Don't be afraid. We're

not going to hurt you.

It's all right, Flash. It's all

right. Come on, Flash. This way.

- Hello, love.

- Hello, dear.

How did your meeting go in Sheffield?

- Oh, not too bad.

- You look tired, dear.

- Your supper's all ready.

- Fine. I'll just look in on Alice.

Have your supper first.

She's sound asleep.

- Yes, all right.

- Clara.

I heard you, ma'am.

- Tommy.

- ye

- Think you can take his bridle off?

- Sure, I can.

Alice?

Blue was the last one.

We've got them all up.

- Good.

- Stand still, Bluey.

You better go and help

him with that harness.

Right.

- You'll have to manage now. I'm off.

- Thanks, Bert.

Don't tell me where you'll

put them. I haven't seen ya.

If anyone asks, I don't

know where they are.

I should get them away

from here if I was you.

Someone might've heard

the engine. Night.

Night. Come on! We must get

them to the hiding place quickly.

Think they'll follow

us across the moors?

Yes, of course they will.

Come on, Flash. We'll give the lead.

Come on, Flash.

- Is Flash all right, Dave?

- Yes, of course he is.

- Keep up, Tommy, can you?

- Come on, Lion.

Come on, Sandie. Come on.

Emily! Emily!

- What is it? What's happened?

- Alice isn't in...

- Miss Coutts!

- Richard!

- Miss Coutts!

- Mr. Sandman...

- Have you seen my daughter?

Why, no, sir.

It's the ponies, sir. They've gone.

Here you are.

Come on, Flash. Come on,

Flash, it's all right.

What's the matter with Flash?

I don't know. It must be after

being below all those years.

- Evemhing's so strange to him.

- He'll like it when he gets used to it.

Yes.

We did it, didn't we? We saved them.

ye.

Father, you won't take the ponies away,

will you?

Take her home, Miss Coutts.

- What's up?

Nay. Come on, come on, me little lad.

Want something to eat?

Best get to bed then.

Dave?

Go on. Go up to bed.

- They're ready, Mr. Carter.

- Oh, right, Joe.

Now then, get this straw out of the

way. Clean the ramp, quick as you can.

All right, lads. Don't hang about here.

Cary on up to the pit and get below, eh?

That new machiney might take

a bit of getting used to,

but you can work a full shift and

we'll just see how we get on. Right?

Bert, get them ponies loaded

up. Take old Flash up first.

- The others will follow.

- Leave them where they are.

- What? Bert, get them ponies loaded.

- I said leave them. Leave them be.

Listen, lads.

Them ponies have served us well.

Helped us to win coal

and earn our living.

Will you let them be

taken off to be slaughtered

like they was so much raw meat?

Yes?

What is it?

Listen!

When I give an order, I

expect it to be obeyed.

Get those ponies back to

the station, put in the vans.

Them ponies belong in

the pit, SaMe aS US.

- Aye.

- Look.

The ponies have been

replaced by machiney,

which will enable you

to earn more money.

We didn't earn more money

yesterday when we were laid off.

There's dislocation at

first, when we're changing...

- From men to machines!

- Aye!

- Not...

- That's the dislocation!

They're changin' over

from men to machines.

And we'll not have it. We

never asked for machines.

- We don't want 'em.

- ye.

We'll work with the pit

ponies like we always have.

But for machiney, the pit would be

closed and you out on the streets.

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