Man on a Tightrope Page #5

haven't you, my friend?

For three years,

I've been thinking

about nothing else.

I told the police in Plzen

that I'm not political,

and that's the truth.

But when they try to force

their politics on my circus,

on my show,

then I must fight them.

If I'm

not able to fight them,

I must escape from them.

And I'll make that attempt,

whatever the cost.

Cernik, I've always given you

credit for being a good

circus man.

And all circus men are fools,

otherwise we wouldn't be

in the business.

But, you know, you're

the biggest fool of us all.

Don't you realize that

your plan is now impossible?

They've cut down every tree.

They've demolished every house

for the depth of a mile

all along the border.

They've mined every field.

They've put up three rows

of barbed wire fences,

one of them electrified.

I learned

all that yesterday on

my way back from Plzen.

I'm not gonna

try to filter across.

I'm going

the direct route,

right down the road.

And all at once.

It's impossible.

The very fact

that it's impossible

could work to our advantage.

When are you gonna try it?

Tomorrow? Friday?

Today.

Today? Are you ready?

No. But with

you in possession of

the secret and Kalka,

I couldn't run

the risk of any delay.

I know I couldn't trust you

any further than I could see.

We'll make the dash

this afternoon.

Yeah, I got to do

it in broad daylight.

That's the one thing

they'd never expect.

Life won't seem

nearly as interesting with

you in your grave, Cernik.

(CLICKING TONGUE) Ah!

Everything's changing.

You know that

wonderful rope act

I used to do?

Oh! That one.

No, no. The one I

used to do personally.

Oh.

You know what they've done?

They made me take it out.

No. Why?

Yeah.

They said it was western.

Oh, shh!

What's worse, American.

Shh.

Oh, I know. I know.

No. No, thanks.

Well, I'll be sorry

to lose you, Cernik.

Well, who knows?

A miracle might happen

and a few of you

might get through alive.

Wait a minute.

You and I better

have a fight.

A fight?

Yes. You hit me. I hit you.

We roll on the floor,

knock over furniture,

break things,

make an uproar.

But why?

The spies in

the circus will report

to the police that

you and I have had

another of our

little disagreements.

Otherwise,

you'll be suspected, too.

What are you smiling at?

Are you sure you're

in condition for a fight?

Never mind that.

Never mind that.

The police will

be alerted for trouble,

but not the real trouble.

Come on.

Come on, Barovik.

Don't just stand there

laughing out of your

ugly mouth.

Why, you couldn't even

get through a mock fight.

We'll see about that.

Come on.

With pleasure.

Wait a minute, Barovik.

First I have to ask

you a question.

For as long as we've

known each other...

Out of breath already.

...which is quite

a number of years,

you've been hoping

and praying I'd fall off

that tightrope

and break my neck.

That's correct.

Now you know

enough about me to have

me arrested and tortured

and hanged,

thrown in the lion pit.

That's correct, too.

Then why'd you come here

and go through

all this rigmarole of

making a business deal?

Why didn't you just

turn me in to the police

and take all of my

circus for nothing?

You mean to say you couldn't

answer that question yourself?

No.

You'd do exactly

the same thing if you

put yourself in my place.

I don't want to

put myself in your place,

Barovik. Answer the question.

Why are you

suddenly acting

like a decent person?

Cernik, it's true.

I have no more love

for you than you have for me.

We would both cheerfully

rob each other or cut

each other's throats.

But we are

together on one thing.

We're both circus men.

First, last, and always.

We hate the government,

and we hate the police.

Mmm-hmm.

And when it

comes to a question of

the circus against the law,

you know which side I'm on.

Mmm, that's right.

I see that.

That makes sense.

Well, you ready?

Hmm? Oh, yeah. Fight.

All right. Hit me.

No. You gotta start.

No, no, no. Please.

Please. You hit me.

It was your suggestion.

No, but just hit me, please.

As a matter of fact,

I sprained my hand

last week.

(GRUNTS IN PAIN)

I'm terribly sorry.

Then push me. Push me.

Yeah.

(LAUGHING)

Wait a minute.

Not my window.

I just said

break the furniture.

Oh, you didn't need to

do that. Not on my face.

Cernik, open the door.

Cernik. Cernik!

Open the door!

Cernik!

Cernik, open the door!

Cernik, open the door!

Cernik!

Take that, Cernik!

The great Barovik.

The greatest rope act

of all time!

(EXCLAIMS)

So you didn't

like my rope act, eh?

(YELLING)

No! That's a present.

My 25th jubilee.

Cernik. Cernik.

Open the door.

Cernik. Cernik!

Cernik.

Cernik. Open it.

Open it. Cernik.

Cernik, Cernik.

Open the door.

Karel.

(CRASHING STOPS)

You think that's enough?

I think that

should be about enough.

Little statue all right?

Yeah, it's intact.

And I think you'd better...

A little more. Yeah, yeah.

Give me some of that.

Sure. Help yourself.

How's that look? Yeah?

That looks pretty good.

You better take

your coat off.

Be more convincing.

Yeah, yeah.

What about your

collar and your tie?

Yeah. Thanks.

And I'll send

the trucks to Mikulov.

Mikulov.

Yeah.

All right.

I'll pick them up there.

Good.

Wait a minute.

Here we are.

Yeah. Yeah.

That's a good touch.

Yeah. Yeah, that's good.

That's good. Thanks.

Yeah.

Good luck, Cernik.

Same to you. Same to you.

Yeah.

Don't forget your revolver.

My revolver.

Here it is. Here.

Would you kindly

return my matches?

Oh!

I forgot all about them.

Thanks.

Sorry.

It's perfectly all right.

But, you know,

I feel much better.

Do you?

Much. Let's go.

KAREL:
Get out. Get out.

If you ever come around

my circus again, Barovik,

I'll feed you to the wolves!

You haven't heard the

last of this, Cernik!

Not by a long shot!

Leave him alone.

Don't lay a hand on him.

Let him go.

They won't

trouble us again.

Karel, are you hurt?

Of course I'm hurt.

Jaromir, Konradin.

TEREZA:
Are you all right?

Yeah. Vosdek.

Excuse me, please. We move.

As fast as possible.

We haven't got enough

gas to get to Yudice.

We got enough to

get to the frontier.

Now?

Now.

But you're sentencing

every one of us to death.

We're dead now.

This is our last chance

to be alive again.

Now get to work.

What about the others?

Should we assemble and

tell them?

No, no.

If we get across

and any are foolish enough

to want to come back,

they're free to do so.

They'll all get killed.

That's liberation, too.

Vosdek. Go on. Go on.

Yes, sir.

Vosdek, the tent wagons

move out two hours ahead

of the rest of the circus.

I want you to go with them,

take charge of them.

I have other

work for Krofta.

We'll meet in Mikulov.

Yes, sir.

I'm going with you, Joe.

No, you're not.

I'm scared, Joe.

I'm scared you'll

try to make

your escape before the

rest of us catch up

with you.

In daylight? No, Terez.

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