War Horse Page #3

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England is at war with Germany.

Theyre going to

ring the bells at six oclock,

and then never ring them again

until the war is over.

Look smart, Joey lad, its the Tavistock Fair!

What has he done with him?

First name, middle name, last.

Last name first.

First name, middle name, last.

Take my word for it,

finest horse in the parish.

Goes like a racer,

strong, decent, very fine.

No curbs, no splints,

good feet and teeth.

Hes as sound as a bell, sir.

And how much are you charging, sir,

for this strong, decent,

and very fine animal?!

Forty.

Ill give you twenty and not a penny more.

Twenty is no good to me, Captain.

Thirty five and hes yours.

I dont even know how he rides.

Oh, he rides... Splendidly.

Youll be astonished.

I promise you that.

Finest horse in all of Devon.

Finest horse I ever seen.

Thank you.

You cant!

You cant, hes mine!

- I trained him!

- Albert.

You cant have him.

Hes my horse, sir.

Im afraid its too late, lad.

Ive just paid thirty guineas for him.

Please, Ill get you money.

I will, Ill get you money.

Ill... Ill work for it!

Ill work for it.

He wont obey anyone else.

He wont be any good in the war, neither.

He shies at every sound!

Im sorry.

Well, if Joeys going,

Im going, too. Im volunteering.

- I see. Whats your name, lad?

- Albert, sir.

- And how old are you, Albert?

- Nineteen, sir.

- Is that the truth?

- No sir. But,

but I look nineteen and Im

bigger than most nineteen-yearolds, sir!

And Im strong, sir! And

I... Im not afraid of anything.

I dont doubt your qualifications, Albert,

but the law is very clear

about the proper age for soldiering,

and your fathers done

what he had to do. You know that.

Thirty guineas isnt nearly enough to purchase

a horse as fine as your Joey, I know that.

But its all Ive got.

Will you lease him to me, Albert,

to be my own mount?

I promise you, man to man, that Ill

look after him as closely as youve done,

Ill respect him and all the

care that youve taken with him.

And if I can, Ill return him to your care.

Now say goodbye.

Its all right, boy...

All right, turn it in, eh?

Thats enough. Hes a horse, not a dog.

Now, on your way.

Come on.

Do you want to lose the farm, Rose?

Its the way you did it.

But were at war.

Arent we just.

Joey...

Here now, Ive told you,

sling your hook!

Let him be, Perkins.

This isnt the end.

This isnt the end, my brother...

I, Albert Narracott, solemnly

swear we will be together again.

Wherever you are, I will find you.

And I will bring you home!

Whoa. Steady, steady.

Steady now, come on.

Walk on!

Walk on now, come on!

Whoa whoa, Easy. Easy.

Easy.

Whoa whoa whoa whoa,

Stay steady.

Whoa whoa whoa, Joey! Stop

muckin about, you hear?

You're in the army now, son.

Good boy, good boy. Steady.

Steady, steady...

Come on. Come here. Easy.

Relax.

Easy easy, back up.

Joey, meet Topthorn.

Topthorn, this is Joey.

Sort out whos in charge

between the two of you, you hear?

If you want to fight,

you get it over with,

Cause once were over there, youre

gonna need everything youve got for Fritz!

Gently, Perkins.

I dont want to sour him.

Therell be nothing

gentle about the war, sir.

And therell be nothing gentle

about this one either!

I understand that, Sergeant,

But I want him fit and shining.

Hes my horse.

Sir.

Easy, boy.

Scares the living daylights out of me.

Who?

Perkins.

Glad hes on our side.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

Still not a patch on my Topthorn.

I wouldnt be so sure.

I think hes got potential.

Hes certainly got the bit

between his teeth.

I actually think my Blenheim is

faster than the pair of them.

Clear off!

All right, gentlemen, listen here.

Everything tells us the same story,

from Waterloo to Omdurman, from Picketts

Charge to the Battle of Mars La Tours...

The first attack can and

should be the decisive one.

- Perkins...

- Yes, sir!

No excuses, no mistakes

Every horse groomed and

fit for presentation!

I want a full practice charge tomorrow.

Sir.

Thought you two had bottled out.

As if.

All right, then, lets see what you

two jokers are made of, shall we?

This is what

quiet confidence looks like.

Ill wait for you two

at the Duke of York.

Over to you, Captain Nicholls.

Draw... swords!

Give... point!

Charge!

Come on, Joey.

I know youve got it.

Come on, boy! Come on!

Come on, boy!

Whoa. Whoa.

Nice of you to turn up.

Hes got speed... Ill give him that.

But has he got stamina?

He has everything.

What are you up to?

Im writing a letter.

With a picture in it?

Its to the boy who owned Joey.

I want to show him

how wonderful hes looking.

Before we take him away across

the Channel to face a million Germans guns.

Yes. Before that...

...travelling with the

Dragoon Guards and the Royals.

Transport detachment,

theyll need to be at the docks at 5 am.

Check all kit. Battle orders:

No polishing...

...buttons, helmet buckles,

stirrup irons... let em all go dull.

I want nothing to flash in

the sun and give us away.

Of course.

- Charlie...

- Jamie.

Charlie.

What do you think of the new cap?

Silk lining. I quite like it.

Im not sure its going to make

a lot of difference to the Germans.

Oh, I dont know about that.

Just working out which of

two chaps to shoot... and you thought...

Good Lord, one of them really is

wearing a very stylish cap indeed!

You might shoot the

other one instead.

Or, alternatively, think...

I fancy that cap

...and kill you first of all.

Hadnt thought of that.

France -1914

Quievrechain

That is our target...

the German 11th Division...

...at the moment bivouacked three

miles to the east of the Menin Road.

We have been watching them...

...and they have pitched tents for

the night and lit cooking fires.

Knock them out...

...and we could slide in

behind the German lines...

...and come at them from

the South at Geluveld.

Excellent.

- Numbers?

- About six hundred. Infantry.

Twice our size...

In regiments of horse and men,

the advantage is ours.

And we have surprise on our side.

But the sooner we move, the better,

We have no assurance theyll

still be there tomorrow morning.

Right. Good. So, today it is.

Charlie, tell the men.

- Salisbury formation?

- Salisbury formation.

Well charge through them

and secure the ground behind.

The grass to the left is taller

than we are, its perfect cover.

Excellent work, Sergeant Major.

Time spent on reconnaissance

is rarely wasted.

Thank you, Singh.

Jamie!

They have no idea were coming.

Not having scruples, are you, Jim?

No. I understand

the surprise is everything.

But if it must be done,

lets do it quickly.

Are you alright, Charlie?

Never been better.

Literally, never better.

Prepare to mount!

Mount!

Thank you, Standley.

Hey, Joey.

My bonny boy.

Youre all right,

arent you, Joey?

Hey?

Gentleman.

It is an honour to ride beside you.

Make the Kaiser rue the day

he dared to cross swords with us.

Let every man make himself,

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