Zulu Dawn Page #12

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229.The Zulus are now uncomfortably close. BOY SOLDIER stands

transfixed.

BOY SOLDIER:

Master.

STOREY (Realizing the close proximity of the enemy)

Oh, bugger that. (He throws the,markers to the ground and

seizing

BOY SOLDIER'S hand runs back towards their own lines).

230.Still fifty yards away, STOREY & BOY SOLDIER drop to the

ground as their

own Companies fire a series of volleys in their direction.

As the Zulus begin to drop, STOREY & BOY SOLDIER seize the

opportunity

and return to their feet, again running forward.

As another volley is fired, STOREY & BOY SOLDIER again drop to

the

ground.

STOREY:

Somebody's not watching our bloody markers. (Getting to his

feet)

Come on, Sunshine.

STOREY attempts to help BOY SOLDIER to his feet. The boy's body

is

limp, sprawled and bleeding. He has been shot in the head.

STOREY:

Oh no. (Bitterly) Come all this bloody way to get shot by a

bullet

from Birmingham. (Shouting to his own lines) Shoot straight, you

bastards!

STOREY takes the boy's hat and runs quickly forward as the

ZULUS advance

over the inert body.

231.The ZULU LEFT HORN is close at hand. RUSSELL works with his

Bombardier and artillery men to set up the rockets, but they

are losing the race

with time.

RUSSELL:

Fire one. Fire two.

RUSSELL, recognising the uselessness of his rockets at this

point of the

battle, draws his sword. He orders his bombardier and small

troop of

artillerymen to line up and face the Zulu. RUSSELL fights

bravely, as do

his troop. It is a few dozen men against hundreds. They are

inundated by

the ZULU tide, which is not checked. Several ZULU fall, but

RUSSELL and

his troop are simply overcome and vanish as the LEFT HORN

continues on its

way hence, threatening to cut Dumford's column off from the

camp.

232.PULLEINE, on horseback, spots the onslaught through his

binoculars from

the camp. VEREKER rides to meet him.

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PULLEINE:

Reinforcement only. And ride to Stuart Smith. Let his guns cover

Durnford for a fall back.

VEREKER:

Yes Sir. (Shouting) Sikali, follow me.

233.VEREKER and his SIKALI troop leave the camp. PULLEINE

watches

before returning to his binoculars.

234.STUART SMITH commands the airning and firing of his seven

and twelve

pounders. VEREKER rides up from the background.

VEREKER:

You give me some covering fire for Dumford on the right flank.

STUART SMITH:

Sir. Whole section RIGHT'

One of the big guns is brought about to fire at the line to the

south which

attacks DURNFORD.

STUART SMITH:

Fire!

235.CLOSE ON DURNFORD. He watches in appreciation as the

big shells start to land amongst his attackers causing havoc.

DURNFORD:

Fire! (Recognising the hopelessness of the situation) Retreat!

236.The companies wheel about to race back to the relative

security of a nearby

donga.

There is sudden turmoil as a group of ZULUS hurtle over the

lower edge of

the donga. A fierce hand-to-hand, assegai against bayonet

battle ensues as

warrior after warrior rises from cover to come over the edge.

DURNFORD:

rides to make sure that firing against the rear line of ZULUS

is maintained to

prevent it too from coming forward, to secure the temporary

breech.

237.SOLDIERS of CAVAYE'S COMPANY have withdrawn to the camp

periphery and now fire in line with MOSTYN'S COMPANY, volley

after

steady volley.

COGHILL and MELVILL shout orders to the ranks.

COGHILL:

Choose your targets men. That's right Watch those markers.

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MELVILL:

Keep steady. You're the best shots of the Twenty-Fourth. You

bunch of heathens, do it

238.CAVAYE'S COMPANY LINES

SOT. WILLIAMS walks calmly behind the front line.

SGT. WILLtAMS

Present, Arms. Watch yer markers. Watch yer markers. Adjust yer

sights.

STOREY fires in the line. He searches through his pouches for

rounds.

STOREY:

I'm running out of bleedin' ammunition. (Calling over his

shoulder)

Buglen'

BUGLER:

What?

STOREY:

More ammunition. Scamper!

BUGLER:

I've bin twice already.

STOREY:

You can go three times. It won 't do you any 'arm. Go on! Run

both ways.

The BUGLER runs towards the ammunition wagon, two hundred yards

to

the rear. The line fire in volley, working the levers of their

breech-loaders.

COGHILL (Steadying his horse along the line)

Keep shooting.

STOREY (To the soldier next to him)

Soft 'eaded buggers these. (Referring to the ammunition)

Flatten out

against the bone. Smash 'em out

STOREY'S MATE

But bullets run out.. and those bloody spears don 't

239.AMMUNITION WAGON.

BLOOMFIELD is labouring to open another tightly bound and

screwed down

ammunition box while BUGLERS wait in a queue, restive.

BLOOMFIELD has to stand over the box and exert great pressure

on the

screwdriver to force the oxidised screws out of their sockets.

56

BOY-PULLEN stands at the front of the queue. He is handing out

one box of

ammunition at a time to each soldier.

A NATAL NATIVE reaches the head of the queue. As BOY-PULLEN goes

to hand him some ammunition, BLOOMFIELD looks up and strides

forward.

BLOOMFIELD:

Pullen! You will not issue ammuntion from this wagon to any but

authorised Companies. This lot can have their own. (He snatches

the box back from the NATAL NATIVE).

The NATAL NATIVE doesn't understand English but he understands

what

BLOOMFIELD means. He voices his objection in Zulu.

BLOOMFIELD:

Get to your own wagon.

The BUGLER sent by STOREY is waiting impatiently.

BUGLER (Running to the front of the queue)

'ow long we gotta wait, Quartermaster?

BLOOMFIELD:

Get back in line, boy. Wait your turn.

BUGLER:

But Sir

BLOOMFIELD:

Move.

BLOOMFIELD returns to prizing open the boxes. BUGLER goes to

return

to the end of the queue but turns back to plead with

BOY-PULLEN.

BUGLER:

Pullen?

BOY-PULLEN

Look it am 't my fault. All the tops are screwed down.

REDCOAT AT FRONT OF QUEUE

Come on. I'm waiting.

BOY-PULLEN gives the REDCOAT one box and then hurriedly hands

the

other to STOREY'S BUGLER.

240.FRONTLINE.

SGT. WILLIAMS

Present, Arms.

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STOREY is beginning to panic. The ammunition situation is now

becoming

desperate.

STOREY:

Hurry up with that bloody amo

Increasing numbers are not firing. They glance back with

impatience

towards the ammunition wagons, space4 five hundred yards apart,

where

queues of BUGLERS and REDCOATS wait for rounds that are

distributed

too slowly.

241.EXT. ZULULAND. EAST OF ISANDHLWANA. DAY.

CHELMSFORD and his COLUMN move slowly and steadily from their

Camp towards the West. MILNE approaches on horseback to meet

them.

MILNE:

My Lord, I watched the camp for twenty minutes. The haze

obscures

much. The tents have not been stuck. The only thing I could

distinguish is the wagons have been moved on mass into the

camp.

CHELMSFORD:

Thank you Mr. Milne. Inform Colonel Crealock, would you?

MILNE:

Sir.

242.CAMERA PANS away from CHELMSFORD'S COLUMN as we see an

OFFICER'S POV through binoculars. Angle changes as we see a

rider enter

the camp and approach LT. HARFORD.

243.CHELMSFORD'S HQ.

CREALOCK steps into a wagon. He turns to address MILNE who

stands

outside.

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