The Lives of a Bengal Lancer Page #5

yourself, I think, sir.

He's your son, you know.

Better effect than

if it came from me.

And when you talk,

I happen to know there's

quite a strong friendship

between the boy

and McGregor.

Yeah. Yes, yes, of course.

Of course, yes.

Well, all right.

They're here.

Well, all right.

Come in.

Oh, yes, yes, of course,

it's you. Yes, I-I...

G- Good evening, gentlemen.

Good evening, sir.

Good evening, sir.

Yes, I, uh,

I- I-I sent for you.

I- I want to talk

to you about something. Uh...

Uh, sit down.

S- sit down, both of you.

No, no, no,

don't go, Hamilton.

It, um, it's about,

uh, um...

Are your quarters

comfortable?

Yes, sir.

Just like

Salisbury Plain, sir.

Yes, yes.

There are three of you

together, I understand.

I- I-I mean, my s-

Uh, Mr. Stone is quartered

with you, isn't he?

Yes, sir.

Yes.

Well, I, uh,

I- I-I want to talk to you

about something.

Uh,

Uh, oh,

Uh, oh, t-try some

of my tobacco, McGregor.

I- I-It's my own mixture.

You know- you know,

that fellow in Jermyn Street.

Lot of perique in it.

Hm.

Too strong for me, maybe.

No. No, not for you,

McGregor.

I- I-it might be for Forsythe.

Of the Blues.

Late of the Blues, sir.

Huh? Oh, yes, yes,

late of the Blues.

Uh, I-I-I knew

your father, Forsythe.

Oh, did you really?

Yes.

Snake charmer, wasn't he?

What? Brigadier General,

a- a snake charmer?

Well, I thought...

Well, you see,

his son plays one of those...

Oh, that's odd.

I- I-I never heard of it.

Uh...

Oh, oh, probably,

it's just as well.

Probably.

Yes, probably, sir.

Yes. Yes, I-I-I knew him.

Uh...

Y- your father must be

very proud of you, Forsythe.

T- t-the army a-a-and all that

sort of thing, I mean.

Oh, he took all that

for granted, sir.

Yes. Yes. Uh...

Uh-uh, you-you ought to make

a good officer, Forsythe.

Oh, you've got a lot

to learn yet, of course.

Oh, yes, sir.

Yes.

W- w-where is your father now?

Cheltenham.

Retired.

Retired?

Yeah.

Well, we-we come to it.

We all come to it.

Not much to look

forward to then.

Not much, unless, uh...

Well, uh, we've had

a hard day.

Now, you-you'd better

get yourself some sleep.

Good night, gentlemen.

Good night, sir.

Good night, sir.

Good night, sir.

Yeah, good night, Hamilton.

That fellow in Jermyn Street.

Pour lumps of sugar.

Not much to

look forward to.

So he wanted

to talk to us.

Well,

whatever it was,

he couldn't get it

off his chest, could he?

Say, do you suppose...

Ah, is the light

beginning to break?

I got it.

The old man doesn't know

what to do about his kid,

and wants us

to help him,

but just

couldn't get it out.

That's brilliant, Mac.

That's positively brilliant.

That's it, all right.

I never thought

he cared that much.

I never thought

he was that human.

Yet the way

he went after that pig

when he thought

his boy was in for it.

Yeah, game old cock.

Those tusks got him a lot

worse than he lets on, too.

Boy's pretty

bitter and ugly.

Largely the old

man's fault, of course.

Partly the old man's,

partly our system's.

But mostly the boy's.

Let's wake him up.

Well, no, Mac. I leave that

to you. He's your ward.

Well, the old man talked

to you, too, didn't he?

That girI.

Ah, youth, youth!

I trust you won't find

the journey

too uncomfortable,

Mr. Stone.

Halt! Who goes there?

Guard, turn out.

Barrett sahib.

As he turned around, we fired

and brought him down, sir.

Thank you, McGregor.

Your version, Forsythe?

Mr. Stone

was not in his tent.

That's all we can say, sir.

You've both tried

to shield him.

All the facts are obvious.

He couldn't

have been seized

in the middle of the camp

without some outcry.

Just slipped out

against orders.

Anyway, he can tell

where they've taken him, sir.

Hamzulla, ask him where Mohammed Khan

has taken my son.

I think I can

make him talk, sir.

Well, try.

Guards doubled

as ordered, sir.

Thank you, Norton.

Barrett?

Bad?

The eyes, and the usuaI...

Mogala.

Thank you,

McGregor.

I learned that

one from you, sir.

Hamzulla Khan,

take him away

and see that he

is well guarded.

Trial of that Afridi,

10:
00 a. m. Tomorrow.

Services for Barrett,

at noon.

That's all, gentlemen.

But, sir.

I thought that-

You thought what,

Mr. McGregor?

That you were going

after your son, sir.

This incident will not change

our plans in any respect.

But-But knowing where

he's taking your son

makes all

the difference, sir.

We can be at Mogala

almost as soon as he is.

This regiment

can ride, sir.

I'm aware

my regiment can ride.

I'm also aware that

I am not going to do

precisely what Mohammed Khan

has planned that I should do.

He took my son

to goad me into pursuing him

to draw the lancers

from their position.

He's mistaken his man.

But this-

In our present position,

the regiment holds

Mohammed Khan checkmate.

The regiment stays here.

Then let me go.

I can take

a small detachment-

Mr. McGregor, I cannot

weaken the strength

of the regiment

in this emergency.

And I can't permit you

or any other officer

to risk their lives

for Mr. Stone.

But he's your son, and

we can save him, can't we?

That will be all,

Mr. McGregor.

Then take a look at that.

That's what Mohammed Khan

does to his prisoners.

That's quite unnecessary,

Mr. McGregor.

I know what may

happen to my son

through his own

disobedience and folly.

I'd just begun to think

I was wrong about you,

but I wasn't.

You haven't a human bone

in your body.

There's not a drop

of blood in your veins.

You're nothing but a-

McGregor.

So you'll sit here

with your regiment

while they kill

your son by inches.

Well, I won't!

I'm going after him whether

you like it or not.

Mr. McGregor!

Pending charges

of insubordination

you will please consider

yourself under arrest.

Mr. Forsythe, you will be

responsible for the prisoner.

You fooI.

Can't you see-

So you-

Mac!

Come along.

Well, I must say

you spoke your mind,

old colonial, if

there's any virtue in that.

"Regiment, duty,

you're improperly dressed. "

That's all

he cares about.

So they'll say,

"Very good, CoI. Stone,"

and pin another medal on him.

Or else he's...

Haven't you said enough,

McGregor?

The coloneI's right

and you know it.

You're only making it

harder for him.

If you take my advice,

you'll go over and apologize.

Not me. Apologize

after what he did?

Oh, for heaven's sake, man,

get some sense.

Do you suppose it was

an easy thing for him to do?

His own son?

Why wasn't it?

He doesn't care

about him.

He'd do the same thing

to any of us.

But to sit here and let them

pull his own son to pieces

because of a few

cases of ammunition-

Are you blind, man?

You think he doesn't care?

Well, I know he does.

Well, I suppose

if it were your son,

you'd sit here, too,

like a dummy.

You would not-

No, I should probably

have ordered the regiment out.

That's because I'm not

the man the colonel is.

Nor the soldier.

Well, if that's what

you call being a man

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