Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World Page #2

Your knowledge is beyond question.

However, a week in the Brazilian rainforest

looking for a new mast simply will not do.

The Acheron will be halfway to China.

Mr Lamb, as always, will do his best. Which

is all I can hope to expect from any man.

Is them his brains?

No, that's just dried blood.

Those are his brains.

Physician, he is.

Ain't one of your common surgeons.

- Can I have the coin, please?

- Sir.

He wouldn't look at you

for under ten guineas on land.

And he knows his birds and beasts.

You show him a beetle

and he'll tell you what it's thinking.

Back to work, you loafers!

Eckhart, use your pipe.

Let's get on with it, gentlemen.

You're not a pennyweight of use

gawpin' here!

Still hasn't said a word, sir.

Lord Blakeney. Feeling better?

Much better, thank you, sir.

Well, good. Good.

The doctor told me

you were fond of reading, so I...

It has all of his major battles

and some fine illustrations.

Thank you, sir.

Did you ever meet Lord Nelson, sir?

I had the honour of serving with him.

At the Nile. A great victory.

You can find it in here, actually.

Page 135, if Im not mistaken.

Yes.

May I beg you to tell me

what kind of man he is?

You should read the book.

I will, sir. Thank you.

Here we go again.

Scrape-scrape, screech-screech.

Never a tune you could dance to,

not if you were drunk as Davy's sow.

How about this?

Or are you in the mood

for something more aggressive?

Salute.

Hats off.

What's all this about?

- What's this?

- It's the phantom, sir.

Excuse me. That's what the men call it.

It's the Acheron, sir.

You see, Will here, he seen her being built.

In Boston, sir. During the peace.

But she's Yankee-built, sir.

He was getting married, and his wife's

second cousin works in the yards,

so Will here saw the ship out of water.

Sir, I saw there was something right strange

about her, so I asked Joe...

So he described it to me

and I knocked you up a model, sir.

- And this framing is accurate?

- Exactly accurate, sir.

- Thank you, lads.

- Thank you, sir.

Killick, an extra ration of rum for these men.

Thank you very much, sir.

- Which I was saving for Salutin' Day.

- We'll drink wine.

Oh, drink wine on Salutin' Day...

Bluff above the water and sharp below.

Gives the hull a finer entry and a long run

as she goes aft. That's why she's so fast.

Heavier, but fast despite it.

That's the future.

What a fascinating modern age we live in.

Planking and framing like that

would make her hull 2ft thick. Solid oak.

That's why we couldn't dent her. She's

probably capable of making 12 to 14 knots.

Now we know. Thank God for Warley

and his wife's second cousin.

She could be doing up to 280 miles a day.

Even if we did catch up with her...

I mean, to take her...

She's out of our class.

She's a 44-gun ship.

She's still vulnerable at the stern,

like the rest of us.

Hello, darling! How much for a kiss?

Quanto cost-o kiss-o?

- Name?

- My name is Maria.

Give us arrows. I give axe. Quick, mate.

Thank you, mate.

Gangway for the mail, please.

- Here we are. Very important mail. Letters.

- Era um navio francs.

- What's he saying?

- Estava indo pela costa?

Sim, estava. Indo pela costa ao sul.

A large man-of-war, French, stopped here

on the 10th, then headed south.

- Muito grande.

- Obrigado, senhor.

Somewhere here.

A full three weeks ahead.

Damn.

All right, Tom, let's get all this squared away.

Aye, sir. Mr Hollar!

Let us complete our business here.

Hands, prepare to weigh anchor!

Put that woman down, Slade! This is a ship

of His Majesty's Navy, not a floating bordello!

All hands, get these provisions stowed.

Well done.

Gentlemen...

- To wives and to sweethearts.

- To wives and sweethearts.

May they never meet.

Mr Howard, the bottle.

The bottle stands by you, sir.

Sir?

Excuse me, sir, but Mr Blakeney said that

you served under Lord Nelson at the Nile.

Indeed. I was a young lieutenant,

not much older than you are now.

And Mr Pullings... Mr Pullings

was a snivelling midshipman,

still yearning for hearth and home.

Did you meet him, sir?

Can you tell me what he's like?

I have had the honour

of dining with him twice.

He spoke to me on both occasions.

A master tactician

and a man of singular vision.

He always said in battle... "Never mind

the manoeuvres, just go straight at 'em. "

Some would say not a great seaman,

but a great leader.

He's England's only hope

if old Boney intends to invade.

Sir, might we press you for an anecdote?

The first time that he spoke to me...

I shall never forget his words.

I remember it like it was yesterday.

He leaned across the table,

he looked me straight in the eye,

and he said "Aubrey...

may I trouble you for the salt?"

Ive always tried to say it

exactly as he did ever since.

The second time...

The second time he told me a story...

about how someone offered him

a boat cloak on a cold night.

And he said no, he didn't need it.

That he was quite warm.

His zeal for king and country kept him warm.

I know it sounds absurd,

and were it from another man,

you'd cry out "Oh, what pitiful stuff'

and dismiss it as mere enthusiasm.

But with Nelson...

you felt your heart glow.

- Wouldn't you say, Mr Pullings?

- You did indeed, sir.

Well then, he would seem to be the exception

to the rule that authority corrupts.

- To Lord Nelson.

- To Lord Nelson.

To Lord Nelson.

Do you see those two weevils, Doctor?

I do.

Which would you choose?

Neither. There's no difference between them.

They're the same species of curculio.

If you had to choose.

If you were forced to make a choice.

If there was no other...

Well then, if you're going to push me...

I would choose the right-hand weevil.

It has significant advantage

in both length and breadth.

There, I have you!

You're completely dished.

Do you not know that in the service one must

always choose the lesser of two weevils?

He who would pun would pick a pocket.

Really! Weevils!

- To the lesser of two weevils.

- To the lesser of two weevils!

Yay, Joe!

Go on, Joe!

The Lord taketh...

and the Lord giveth away.

You hear that? He said something!

Doctor! He spoke, Doctor!

Well done indeed, Stephen.

Adieu to you Spanish ladies

Farewell and adieu to you ladies of Spain

For we've received orders

to sail for old England

We hope in a short time

to see you again

What a wonderfully true voice

Mr Hollom possesses.

Indeed.

Come, all you bold young thoughtless men

A warning take by me

And never leave your happy homes

to sail the raging sea

On deck there! Sail ho!

Looks like a frigate!

How did it get there?

- We must turn and fight.

- But he has the weather gauge again.

He must've been watching us

from some inlet.

My God. What can we do?

He has us by the hip.

Run like smoke and oakum.

- We'll have to bend every sail.

- We'll put up our handkerchiefs if we have to!

We must survive this day.

Let's get about it. Mr Allen, gentlemen.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes