Journey's End Page #5

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Yes, I should like that very much.

I'll show you places

that nobody knows about,

where the forest gets much darker

and thicker, cooler.

You know, where I live in Sussex,

there's a Roman road called Stane Street

and it runs straight as a line,

all the way from the coast to London.

And near my house,

the old road runs over Bignor Hill.

The new road's been cut

around the base of the hill.

The old road hasn't been used

for donkey's years,

and it's all overgrown

with grass and bushes and trees

growing right in the middle of it.

Oh, I just took all of that off

because I didn't wanna run the risk

of losing it.

All right, we'd better get ready.

Yes.

OSBORNE:
I'm not gonna wear my belt.

I'll just take my revolver.

I feel so much better

with this in my hand, don't you?

Mmm, something to hold on to.

Loaded all right?

Yes.

I do hate leaving it

with a nice glow on top.

Three minutes. We'd better go.

Listen, Raleigh.

I'm so glad it's you and me together.

So am I.

We'll put up a good show.

Yes, we will.

MASON:
Good luck, sir.

OSBORNE:
All right.

(SIGHS)

Good luck, Mr Raleigh, sir.

Thank you, Mason.

JENKINS:
Good luck, sir.

OSBORNE:
Thank you. Thank you, Jenkins.

SOLDIER:
All the best, sir.

OSBORNE:
Thank you.

SOLDIER 2:
You show 'em, sir.

OSBORNE:
Thank you.

ANDREWS:
Come back safe, sir.

OSBORNE:
Thank you, Andrews. And sound.

Hello, lads.

SOLDIER 3:
Best of luck, sir.

OSBORNE:
Thanks.

RALEIGH:
Thank you.

SOLDIER 4:
Come back safe, sir.

SOLDIER 5:
Good luck, sir.

OSBORNE:
Thank you.

SOLDIER 6:
Stay safe, sir.

OSBORNE:
Thank you.

SOLDIER 7:
Give 'em hell, sir.

OSBORNE:
Do my best.

At least the weather held.

Boys.

SOLDIER 8:
Stay safe, sir.

OSBORNE:
Thank you.

Good luck, sir.

Eyes to the right.

Better than pissing yourself over there,

sir, if you'll pardon the French.

Right.

(ALL URINATING)

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

Time to go.

Right.

Bring us back a helmet, Mr Raleigh.

With a German inside.

(CHUCKLES)

Show 'em what C Company are made of.

Do you proud, sir.

Stay low.

Eyes forward. Don't look back.

And bumps-a-daisy, sir.

Precisely.

Down, get down.

I'll save you some chocolate.

Very kind of you, sir.

Just keep your head down.

(VOMITS)

OSBORNE:
All right.

Look at me.

(BREATHING HEAVILY)

(BLOWS)

(PANTING)

All right, chaps.

Right! Come on!

(OSBORNE SHOUTING ORDERS)

Keep going! Keep going!

Keep your heads!

(GROANS)

OSBORNE:
Stay together!

Come on! Catch up!

(GUNFIRE)

Here you are, sir.

(GROANS)

OSBORNE:
Keep your heads!

Keep your heads!

Come on! Get in there!

Come on! Come on!

Pull him out!

(INDISTINCT SHOUTING AND GUNFIRE)

Get him up!

(GROANS)

(BLOWS WHISTLE)

OSBORNE:
Watson!

Raleigh, go!

Come on!

(MEN SHOUTING)

Come on!

SERGEANT MAJOR:
They're coming, sir.

Here they come.

Be ready!

SERGEANT MAJOR:
Get ready, lads!

STANHOPE:
Get ready! Let's go!

(GERMAN SOLDIER GROANING)

Watson, sir!

Watson!

Evans, sir.

Stevens!

That's three.

(EXPLOSION)

Go! Go, go! Go, go!

Anyone else?

Not yet, sir.

Come on. Come on.

Sergeant Major! Anyone?

SERGEANT MAJOR:

I can't see. Smoke's too thick, sir!

COLONEL:
Sit him down.

GERMAN SOLDIER:
Nein!

COLONEL:
Stop that!

Give him back his other things.

(DISTANT EXPLOSIONS)

(FOOTSTEPS APPROACH)

COLONEL:
We've got everything we wanted.

20th Wrttembergisches.

The regiment came

into the line last night.

They're packing them in here now.

The brigadier will be pleased.

How nice that the brigadier

will be pleased.

How many made it back?

How many did you expect to make it back?

Four men, one officer

made it safely back.

COLONEL:
Raleigh. You've

done very well, Raleigh.

You deserve a Military Cross for this.

Carry on.

Must you sit on his bed?

(POCKETWATCH TICKING)

(FRENCH MUSIC ON GRAMOPHONE)

HIBBERT:
And then I picked

up a couple of tarts

and took them out to dinner.

Here we go.

Must have drank enough bubbly

to sink a battleship.

STANHOPE:
Float.

It's "float a battleship".

Float a battleship, and then I took them

for a spin out to Maidenhead.

TROTTER:
Where'd you steal the car?

Danced for a bit at Skindles.

Drank a lot of port and muck and dammit

if I didn't lose my way on the way back

and get us stranded from anywhere.

And the two little tarts started cursing

so I said, "Shut up

"or I'll chuck you out in the road

and leave you there."

Drove off doing 60. I didn't have

any trouble from them after that.

Good little girls.

You're the kind of man, Hibbert,

who makes girls hard to please.

(COUGHS)

Don't you think

you've had enough Champagne?

You wouldn't know good Champagne

if it was spat in your face.

MASON:
There you go, lads.

Tuck into that.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

Will you join us, sir?

Here you are.

Thank you.

You did well, sir.

Fought hard, sir.

So did you.

Did you see how much that lad struggled?

No.

Don't know what hit him, poor sod.

(EVANS) Your foot.

(LAUGHTER)

Tastes all right, doesn't it?

What's in it?

Horse.

(LAUGHS) I'm joking.

(LAUGHTER)

Jumped right down the hole,

grabbed him. I slipped up.

Yeah, he did and then I...

Grabbed him.

Kicked him up the rear end a few times.

HIBBERT:
I wouldn't mind

taking her for a spin.

I'd prefer a picture of Southport Pier.

You don't understand anything about art.

Mason! Whisky!

TROTTER:
Think that's wise, skipper?

Hmm?

Well, on top of the Champagne?

HIBBERT:
I think it's very wise.

I have to tell you, sir, after this one,

there's no more whisky left.

We brought six.

Five have gone, sir.

TROTTER:
Tea, please, Mason. Please.

Right you are, sir.

I'd better go and relieve young Raleigh.

He hasn't had any supper.

I think he prefers it up there

with the men.

What, he said that?

Not in so many words.

Oh, he's just the sort of lad I'd have

liked, if we could have had kids.

Plucky.

Oh, shut up!

Did I ever tell you

about the girl I met in Soho?

STANHOPE:
Go to bed.

What?

I said, "Go to bed."

A nice way to end a jolly evening.

Clear out.

I'm not sure I'm the one

who needs to go to bed.

STANHOPE:
Clear out of here.

What do you mean?

Get out of here!

I have every right to be in this room.

Clear out of my sight!

Get out!

Get out of my sight.

(MUSIC STOPS)

STANHOPE:
Little worm.

Gets on my nerves.

Doesn't his repulsive little mind

make you sick?

Must be nice to be you, Trotter.

You never get sick to death of anything.

If only you knew.

No, you're always the same.

No imagination.

TROTTER:
Tell Mason he can have my tea.

You realise you're my second in command

now, don't you?

I won't let you down, skipper.

Mason.

Sir.

Clear this filth.

MASON:
Very good, sir.

And bring Mr Raleigh's dinner.

MASON:
Bert.

Here you go, son.

And lay a place for Mr Raleigh.

Good lad.

Captain Stanhope wants to see you.

Go on. I'll take that.

Good luck.

STANHOPE:
Turner, cup!

Dinner was at 8:
00.

We've kept it warm.

RALEIGH:
Thank you.

But I had something to eat out there.

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