Lawrence Of Arabia Page #9

Any questions?

This Arab army on the

right, sir, what's it consist of?

Irregular cavalry,

sir. About 2000.

Where are they now?

Can only know that by

being with them, sir.

Then get with them,

Harry. I want to know.

Pound them, Charley.

Pound them.

God help the men

who lie under that.

They're Turks.

God help them.

Well, he's got the bit

between his teeth all right.

Cocky?

More than cocky, sir.

He's got the bit

between his teeth all right.

I tell you, sir, I think

he'll get to Damascus before we do.

-Unless...

-Unless?

Well, there's a Turkish column

in front of him, out of Mazril.

-What do the Turks have in Mazril?

-A brigade, sir.

I wonder where they are now.

Hut.

No prisoners.

Damascus, Aurens.

Aurens, not this.

Go round. Damascus,

Aurens, Damascus.

No prisoners.

Aurens.

This was Talaal's village.

Talaal!

Talaal!

No prisoners!

No prisoners!

God.

God.

God!

Aurens!

Aurens!

Aurens!

Aurens.

Enough. Enough!

Make them stop!

Aurens.

Aurens.

Aurens.

Major!

Major Lawrence!

Jesus wept.

Jesus wept.

ALl:

Does it surprise you, Mr. Bentley?

Surely you know the Arabs

are a barbarous people.

Barbarous and cruel.

Who but they?

Who but they?

Oh, you rotten man.

Here, let me take

your rotten bloody picture.

For the rotten bloody newspapers.

These were cut last night,

Aurens, in Damascus.

Damascus!

Take them to Sherif Ali.

Tell him.

Remind him.

-Is Allenby in Damascus?

-Near.

Tell Sherif Ali that.

They are not ripe.

General salute!

Present...

arms!

Port arms!

Lawrence is

behind it, sir.

The whole town is

plastered with the Arab flag.

-When?

-A day and a night, sir.

They've been here

a day and a night.

They've occupied the

town, sir. They've done it.

He's set up his own headquarters

in the town hall.

What else beside

the town hall?

Telephone exchange,

post office, powerhouse,

hospitals, fire station.

Everything, sir.

They call themselves

the Arab National Council,

and they're in

the town hall.

Well, they're your

pigeon, Harry.

What do you think

we should we do about it?

Well, get them out of it,

sir, quick time.

How about that, Dryden?

Not unless you want a full-scale

rising on your hands.

-Well, what, then?

-When will Feisal be in Damascus?

By special train

in two days' time.

Two days.

Two days is what you asked me for.

I can't keep him out any longer.

-Isn't it enough?

-Yes.

-Ample, I should think.

-Look, sir, we can't just do nothing.

Why not? It's usually best.

Get us something to drink, Tracey.

Yes, sir.

And, Tracey, all troops to remain

quartered until further orders.

Yes, sir. Does that apply

to technical units, sir?

Technical units particularly.

Yes, sir.

Medicals too, sir?

I'm afraid so, Harry.

Medicals too.

We here

are neither Harith nor Howeitat,

nor any other tribe, but Arabs

of the Arab Council,

acting for Prince Feisal.

He insulted me.

Sherif Ali said that the telephones

are in the care of the Howeitat

and that the telephones have ceased

to work. And this is true, Auda.

They will not work because

they are given no electricity.

The electricity is

in the care of the Harith.

If you answer,

there will be bloodshed.

You speak to me

of bloodshed?

I ask pardon

of Auda Abu Tayi.

Humbly?

Humbly, Harith?

Yes, humbly.

This is a new trick.

Why is there no electricity?

I have been to that

electrical house, Aurens.

There are three large machines.

He means generators!

So.

One of them is burning.

They are of an incredible size,

but helpless.

It is so of all machines.

Let them burn.

What need of telephones?

-The need is absolute.

-Then we need the English engineers.

No. Take English engineers

and you take English government.

Take...

Fire has broken out.

-Where?

-The Jinsibi district.

-It is not a district that matters.

-It will spread!

Then in God's name,

use the fire brigade!

We have tried, but there

is no force in the water.

Then you must carry it.

-The Ruala do not carry water.

-What else are they good for?

We will hear petitions this afternoon.

This afternoon!

-I'm gonna take this up after the war.

-Surely we should do something, sir.

-It's an old man's sport.

-Are you an old man, sir?

Well, all I can say is, sir,

it's a heavy responsibility.

Sorry, sir.

Maybe it's the bulb.

No, sir.

It's the power.

They're leaving, sir.

That's it, then.

Marvellous-looking

beggars, aren't they?

Leave it, Aurens.

Come with me.

-Come where?

-Back.

I know your heart.

What is it?

Is it this?

I tell you, this is nothing.

Is it the blood?

The desert has dried up more

blood than you could think of.

I pray that I may never

see the desert again.

Hear me, God.

You will come. There is

only the desert for you.

What about you, Ali?

No, I shall stay here

and learn politics.

That's a very low occupation.

I had not thought of it

when I met you.

You have tried very hard

to give us Damascus.

It's what I came for.

And then...

it would be something.

Yes.

Much.

-He is your friend?

-Take your hand away.

-You love him.

-No, I fear him.

Then why do you weep?

If I fear him,

who love him,

how must he fear himself,

who hates himself?

Take your hand

away, Howeitat!

Oh...

So you are not yet

entirely politician.

Not yet.

Well, these are new tricks,

and I am an old dog.

And Allah be thanked.

I'll tell thee what, though,

being an Arab will be thornier

than you suppose, Harith.

In all my years as a medical officer,

I've never seen anything like it.

It comes within the jurisdiction

of the Arab Council.

I'm sorry, sir. Under the circumstances,

I think I must take over. Immediately.

Under any circumstances at all,

you must obey your orders.

No, sir, I will not.

Control yourself.

Now, go over to the town hall

and see what they say.

We did what we could

in the civic hospitals.

But you forgot the Turkish

Military Hospital.

Yes.

It has 600 beds. There are about

All of whom are the responsibility

of your precious Arab Council.

What's it like?

This is outrageous!

Outrageous!

Outrageous!

You filthy little wog!

My friend Aurens,

if I may call him that.

"My friend Aurens."

How many men will claim the right

to use that phrase? How proudly.

He longs for the greenness

of his native land.

He pines for the Gothic

cottages of Surrey, is it not?

Already in imagination,

he catches trout

and all the activities

of the English gentleman.

That's me you're describing,

sir, not Colonel Lawrence.

You're promoted colonel.

Yes. What for?

Take the honour, colonel.

Be a little kind.

As a colonel, you'll have a cabin

to yourself on the boat home.

Then, thank you.

Well, then...

Godspeed.

There's nothing further

here for a warrior.

We drive bargains.

Old men's work.

Young men make wars, and the virtues

of war are the virtues of young men.

Courage and hope for the future.

Then old men make the peace.

And the vices of peace

are the vices of old men.

Mistrust and caution.

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