The Drum (1938) - full transcript
During the British Raj, Captain Carruthers works under cover to track smuggled shipments of arms on the restless Northwest Frontier of India. He fears a full-scale rebellion is brewing. To forestall this, the British governor signs a treaty with the friendly, peace-loving ruler of Tokot, a key kingdom in the region, which is described as four days' march northward from Peshawar. Meanwhile, the king's son, Prince Azim, befriends Carruthers and a British drummer boy, Bill Holder, who teaches him how to play the instrument.
♪♪[Bells Tolling]
♪♪[Men Chattering]♪♪
♪♪[Chattering Continues]♪♪
[Whistle Blows ]
[ Men Shouting ]
[ Gunshots Continue]
[ Shouting Continues ]
[ Gunshots Continue]
[ Shouting Continues ]
[Whistle Blows ]
Good Lord. A machine gun!
[Gunfire Continues ]
Here, send this.
Mobile column held up.
Enemy using machine guns.
Machine guns?
They not only had machine guns, Excellency,
but they knew how to use them.
When our reinforcements came up,
they put them out of action like experts...
and then vanished over the hills.
Captain Catheters
had reported some time ago...
that there were machine guns
in the mountains...
Where is he now?
Somewhere on the Doro Pass.
- [Chanting In Native Language ]
-♪♪[Drums]
♪♪ [ Rhythmic Clapping ]
♪♪ [ Chanting Continues ]
Hajjis, you come from Mecca?
Yes, my son.
You have acquired great merit.
Would you not acquire more merit
by giving food to a poor man?
It's written, my son —
work, and you'll have your reward.
Get away.
They stole my mule —
bad men from Jandal.
They stole my mule.
I have nothing. I am hungry.
[Policeman] You're a rogue and a vagabond.
Ask for work in the village. Don't beg.
But it's written again —
He who feeds the hungry
acquires merit.
Here, my son.
He who is compassionate
and merciful will reward you.
Get away.
Haji, if you give a loaf of bread
to every beggar, you will starve yourself.
♪♪ [ Chanting Continues ]
[ Camel Growling ]
[ Man Mutters ]
Peshawar.
I want to go to Peshawar.
- Eight annas.
- Eight annas?
- Eight annas?
- [ Men Shouting ]
- [Man] Be plenty jolly quick.
- One, two, three
There are numerous travelers,
and time is short.
Six, seven —
seven, eight.
- Eight annas. I'd rather have walked.
-[ Man] Come on now.
Jaipur.
[ Speaks Native Language ]
♪♪ [ Man Humming ] ♪♪
♪♪ [ Humming Continues ] ♪♪
You seem cheerful, my friend.
It is cheerful to get away
from chattering wives.
You're going north?
Yes. Sanders told me to look for you here
and take your orders.
Watch for caravans on the Doro Pass.
Guns?
Machine guns.
[ Whistles ]
And caravans with ammunition.
I have to go to Peshawar
to report to the governor.
You'll get your further orders
in the usual way.
[ Groans ]
Eight annas.
I really should have walked it.
Any other news?
Tomorrow the young lady is leaving.
There's more than one young lady
in Peshawar.
His Excellency's niece — Miss Brook.
Here's a card for you, sir.
♪♪ [ Bugle: Reveille]
So the bandmaster
comes up to me and says...
“Boy Holder, you're the only man
in the drums I can trust...
to play in the dance orchestra.
So I'd like you to come along tonight
to His Excellency the governor's palace...
and give the officers
and their ladies a treat.”
Hey, Kincher!
And seeing as how His Excellency the governor
represents His Majesty the king...
it's the same, you might say,
as if I'd been asked to Buckingham Palace.
Boy Holder!
- Are you smoking?
- No, sir.
Do you remember what I said that I'd do
to you if I caught you smoking again?
Bend over.
[ Blows Landing ]
Don't you try any of your own syncopation,
or I'll flay the hide off you.
Yes, sir.
Better stuff this under your kilt, Holder!
- Boy Holder.
- Yes, sir?
Now remember — one bar for a foxtrot,
two bars for a waltz.
One tap more,
and I flay the hide off you.
Yes, sir.
[ Softly ]
Yes, sir.
[ Chattering, Laughing ]
I'm afraid you're going to leave a good many
broken hearts behind you, Marjorie.
I think they'll soon recover, Uncle.
Sir, he's here.
I've shown him into your study.
Oh, good.
You'll have to do duty for me
for half an hour.
All right.
- Shall I start the band?
- Will you?
- May I?
- I'm claiming this one.
♪♪ [Jazz]
Sorry.
- So it's war.
- Unless we're quick.
From China to Afghanistan, there's
a movement to get all the little kingdoms...
into one great confederacy against us.
A few fanatical priests
dreaming of a holy war.
A few fanatical priests don't drill machine gun
teams, sir, or train mountain batteries.
- Who then?
- I don't know yet.
But it seems to me that we should establish
our influence here in Tokot...
dead in the center
of all these frontier states.
Well, it won't be easy, Carruthers.
The khan's an old man. These others,
whoever they are, may scare him off.
Yes. Prince Azim.
The old khan adores him.
He'll do anything to see
that he succeeds to the throne.
I see.
I think he'd be glad
of a treaty of protection with us.
Perhaps you're right. I'll try and get in touch
with the viceroy as soon as possible.
Yes, sir.
- Meanwhile, you'd better run along and play.
- [ Applause ]
- Play, sir?
- Yes, sir.
Oh, thank you, sir.
♪♪ [Jazz]
Hello, people.
Marjorie, your uncle told me
to come and play.
What kind of games do you like?
Patience. I'm rather good at that.
Oh. Hello, Escott.
Hello, Carruthers.
Good hunting?
Yes, fine, thanks.
-Well, um.
- What Going?
- Uh, yes. Yes.
-Oh, I'm sorry.
So the mighty hunter returns.
What brought you back?
No more bears left in India?
Only me. Care to dance?
Bears do dance, you know.
Do they? I thought they hugged.
They do both. Try it?
Dare I?
Take a chance.
All right.
Why did you go away so suddenly?
I had to.
Well, couldn't you have written?
No, I couldn't.
I don't understand all this.
My India — the frontier.
Marjorie...
could you give your life to the frontier
with me thrown in?
No, my darling.
But I could give my life to you
with the frontier thrown in.
Gosh, that's torn it.
[ Clears Throat ]
-That's a pretty warm good-bye.
-No, sir.
- No, Uncle.
-No, Uncle.
-You see, I'm staying on.
- Well, I warned you.
He's a gadabout. He's no sort of husband
for a nice, domesticated girl.
And she's not a domesticated girl either.
She's
- Spoiled, vain, arrogant and selfish. He knows.
- Rambunctious. Yes, I know.
- Well, here's luck, Carruthers.
- Oh, thank you, sir.
- My best wishes, my dear.
- Thank you, darling.
But you'd better get married
to him right away...
because in a few weeks he'll have
to go off without you.
-To Tokot, sir?
- I think so. You're to head a mission there.
The English troops are in the pass,
Your Highness.
- They are here, Wafadar?
-Yes, Prince Azim.
Can| go and greet them, Father?
Yes, my son.
You go and greet Captain Carruthers
in my name.
Thank you, Father.
This is a day of rejoicing for Tokot,
Your Highness.
It is, Wafadar.
England has offered us friendship.
♪♪ [ Drumming ]
- It's blink in” hot.
- You said what?
It's blink in” hot in Tokot.
A poet like you, mate,
shouldn't ought to be playing the drums.
You ought to be banging
a blooming harp.
[ Chattering ]
There it is. That's Tokot.
Attractive, eh?
- Yes. Well, you wait until you smell it.
-[Laughs]
[ Men Shouting In Native Language ]
[ Shouting Continues ]
Listen.
The sacred drum of Tokot.
The old khan wants everyone to know
we're welcome guests.
- [ Gunshots ]
- Welcome, eh? Take cover!
- [ Men Shouting ]
- [ Gunshots Continue]
Take cover!
[ Gunshots Continue]
[ Gunshots Stop ]
[ Shouting In Native Language ]
But please don't judge the warmth
of his welcome by the size of his messenger.
I'd measure it
by the breadth of his smile...
if we hadn't been shot at, Prince Azim.
The dogs shall pay for it.
[ Shouting In Native Language ]
Take them away and shoot them.
[ Men Shouting ]
[ Continues In Native Language]
I see justice is swift in Tokot.
Are you satisfied, Captain Carruthers?
- Orderly.
-[ Man] Yes, sir.
[ Gunshots ]
Id like to have a chat with you.
Get down.
- And this one.
- Very good, sir.
Don't you think it'd be better
to find a fellow with a strong arm...
to give those men
five strokes of the whip?
But they are dead.
Are they?
Shot. You heard them.
Why did you tell those men
to fire on us?
Did you want to kill us?
No.
I only wanted to see if the English
are easily frightened.
-Hmm.
-[Laughs]
Is it what they taught you —
that the English were easily frightened?
[Laughs]
- Well, who told you then?
- Everybody in Tokot says so.
What else do they say?
That we shall fight with the English...
and that we shall have a fine, big war.
Yes. You'd like a fine, big war,
wouldn't you?
Of course.
But first we'll give five strokes
of the whip to these men.
Oh, no.
Oh, yes. And a couple for you.
Oh, no, Captain Carruthers.
Well, I'll have to tell your father
about this little trick of yours.
- Tell my father?
- Yes.
Don't tell him, please.
Always? That will be very hard.
Yes, I expect it will.
But, um, promise to try, will you?
To tell the truth?
All right, I promise.
- That's fine.
- But nobody in Tokot ever does.
Oh, well, you'll teach them.
Come on.
[ Man Shouts Command ]
By the left, quick march!
♪♪ [ Drums, Bagpipes ]
The English march down the hill.
Your brother the khan waits for them
humbly at his gate.
To whom shall we turn for the leader?
To me, good Mullah.
You are bound hand and foot
by the infidel.
Not yet.
The voice of God cries, “Burn! Kill!”
And you play with these toys and maps.
I can go into war tonight with men!
I can send you all into battle,
invulnerable against bullets!
For four years I fought with the Turks
at Gallipoli and Arabia.
Every day I heard priests make that promise.
- Yet men died by bullets.
- That is true.
Victories are not gained by an ignorant
rabble lead by a fanatic mullah.
They are won by an army
marching to one man's order...
fighting to one man's plan.
For months I have traveled through Hamara,
Motera, Khorasan, Yadak, Chiltistan.
They are one with us.
More and more guns are coming in
over the Doro Pass.
And men to teach the use of them.
Through all these months,
what have you done, old Mullah?
You see visions, old Mullah.
Can you see into the future?
I have but to look into a bowl
of clear water.
Look into my map
and see my dreams spring to life.
I see blotches and lines.
And I see a wave — a wave of men.
Lean, hard, hungry, free men
from the hills...
swooping down on the fat, soft,
comfortable slaves of the plains...
their white throats ripe for the knife.
A story as old as time.
I see a river — the River Jhelum.
The Jhelum,
where the old Mughal Empire thrived.
I see the mosques and domes rise again.
The palaces of Shah Jahan.
[ Men Shouting, Cheering ]
[ Drums, Bagpipes ]
[ Shouting, Cheering Continue ]
♪♪ [ Continues ]
The khan, your brother —
making friends with the English.
The day the English leave Tokot...
I will make my arrangements
with my brother, the khan.
And Azim, his son?
My arrangements will include him too.
[ Soldier]
That's a fun one to do, isn't it?
[ Laughter, Cheering ]
There's room here for one.
Hey there, what do you think
you're doing?
- I play the drum.
- Not my drum, you don't.
That drum was given me by
the commander in chief of the British Army.
- The commander?
-In blinking chief.
Bought out of his own savings
and handed to me with his own hands.
So drop it unless you want trouble.
Say “please” when you speak to me.
"Ark at him.
I can see I got to put my foot down.
Come on, stick 'em up.
I cannot allow you to strike me.
I am a prince.
Come on, stick 'em up.
Oh.
Wafadar, Ra jab, leave this to me.
Here. Take this.
Well, if you put it like that.
And you will teach me
to play the drum?
- “Please.”
- Please!
Oh, you're a sport. Come on.
Now, you see, you hold them like this.
His Highness Mohammed Khan.
[ Carruthers ]
Good. Show him in.
- Hello, Carruthers.
- Hello, Mohammed. Sit down.
What's the news?
- Better than I expected.
- Good.
The khan has sent me to tell you
that he is ready to sign the treaty...
in spite of the opposition.
The opposition of his brother
Prince Ghul?
I haven't said that, Carruthers.
Are you afraid?
No, my friend, but I'm careful...
and I will advise you also to be careful.
Ghul is a madman
who dreams high dreams.
♪♪ [ Drumming ]
Good afternoon, Captain Carruthers.
Oh, Prince Azim.
What are you doing here?
You know... Bill Holder.
Uh, yes.
I think I have had the pleasure.
Captain Carruthers.
How do you do?
I asked Bill to compose me
a personal signal on the drum...
just as the general of a regiment has.
Well, go on, Holder.
I shall always use it on parade
or whenever I am in danger.
[ Ragged Breathing ]
What's the matter, Bill?
Oh, Cor blimey, I've never had
such a close shave in my life.
My government will establish an agency
in Tokot with the British Resident...
and it will protect your country
against its enemies.
On the other hand, as understood...
you will suppress the passage of arms
through your state.
And there will be a subsidy
for me and my son?
A large one for yourself
and a small one for Prince Azim.
Oh, because he is small.
Yes, I see.
But he will not always be small...
and so, Captain Carruthers,
the subsidy will grow with him, yes?
Inch by inch, Your Highness.
And now I must say good-bye.
We leave for Peshawar today.
- Good-bye, Captain Morris.
- Bye, Your Highness.
- Go ahead. Make sure.
- ♪♪ [ Drumming Continues ]
That's jolly good.
Well, so long, chum.
I think you look grand.
I suppose it would be all right,
you being an ally of ours, only
- Don't you want me to?
- Sure, I do.
I was only thinking of regulations.
You know anything that's mine is yours.
Same here, Bill.
You're a toff,
if you know what I mean.
And you're the blinking same, Bill,
not'arf you ain't.
[Both Laugh]
[ Bugle: Reveille]
♪♪ [ Bugle Continues ]
[ Soldier Shouts Command ]
[ Soldiers Shouting ]
♪♪ [ Drums, Bagpipes ]
Well, good-bye, young fella.
- [ Horse Whinnies ]
- Take care of yourself.
- Good-bye, Prince Azim.
- Good-bye.
♪♪ [ Drums, Bagpipes Continue]
Remember, the boy is in your hands.
Make no mistake.
♪♪ [ Man Chants In Native Language ]
[ Shouting ]
The khan is a traitor?!
[ Shouting ]
♪♪ [ Sitar]
♪♪ [ Man Singing In Native Language ]
[ Whispering ]
Quiet, or we'll be caught.
Your father is dead, and Ghul
and his riders are after us to kill us.
- There, there, my prince.
-[Azim Cries ]
You must be a big man now.
But where, Wafadar?
To Peshawar.
Wait till our day comes.
[ Azim Cries ]
[ Crowd Chattering ]
How much?
One Anna.
That?
- Two annas.
-Two annas?
Uh-huh.
I don't want it.
Shame on you for making trouble
for me like this.
Do you think bread is plucked from trees?
Money gathered like moss?
- Come here, I say.
- Oh, my ear, Wafadar.
I'm sorry, Your Highness.
I am sorry too.
And remember, be careful.
Don't worry, Wafadar.
I'll be careful.
[ Drums, Bagpipes ]
Bill! Bill!
Where? Outside the barracks?
7:00? All right. I'll be there.
I'll serve tea myself.
Mm-mmm. Make you fatter.
-Oh.
- [ Laughs ]
[ Laughing Continues ]
Good heavens. You must have been
married for two months, at least.
Come and have your tea.
Thank you, my dear.
I've got news for you, Tony.
-Yes, sir?
- There's been trouble at Tokot.
The old khan's been assassinated.
And the boy?
Disappeared, probably the same way.
Oh, poor little devil.
The new khan, Ghul, has sent an envoy...
and has promised to carry out
the treaty you signed with his brother.
Do you believe that, sir?
I have no good reason to disbelieve it.
So you're to go up there as resident.
Partly as a reward for your good work, but
chiefly because you're the best man for the job.
Thank you. But, Marjorie —
But you'll be the only
Englishwoman up there.
Well, that's not the first time
it's happened in India.
No, I don't like it.
There may be danger.
How shall I face other women
if run away from it?
I'm very proud of you, my dear.
You could have knocked me flat.
Both me heart and me drum
missed a beat when I saw you.
- But you were pleased, Bill.
- You bet I was.
What are you doing here
in that rig-out?
I have sad news, Bill.
- My father has been killed.
- Killed?
Yes. By my uncle.
I am sorry, Azim. But why are you here?
I thought if your father died —
- He makes shoes, and I run the errands.
- And you take it like that.
It's the will of Allah.
You're a blinking marvel, Azim.
You found more in religion
than I ever did.
Wish it could help me.
Something the matter, Bill?
Oh, I'm having trouble
with the drum major.
The army's all right,
but he's a thundering drawback.
But about you.
You can't go on running errands.
You're a prince.
- Perhaps you can help me, Bill.
- I will if| can.
I want to be a drummer boy
in a Pathan regiment.
Oh. What is the matter, Bill?
But you told me I was all right.
As a prince, yes, but as a drummer
you're a nonstarter.
- No good, Bill?
-You're an amateur, Azim.
He lives in the first posh house
down the road.
I can't.
As long as I am alive,
I am a danger to my uncle.
I've got to hide.
♪♪ [ Bugle: Reveille]
And I've got to go. Look out for me
anytime you like, and I'll look out for you.
So long, cock.
- Azim.
- Let me go! Let me go!
Captain Carruthers.
He's not here.
[Groaning ]
You're hurt.
There is someone out there.
He stabbed me.
What do you want?
That boy is mine.
Yes. I saw him
run into your house, lady.
- I take him away.
- Stay were you are!
Mahmud! Zarullah!
Iodine and some lint.
Let me see.
- It hurts?
- I can't move my arm.
Don't then.
I'll wash it and dress it.
You won't mind if it hurts
just a little more, will you?
-You're the man of Prince Azim.
- Yes.
He's safe.
Shall we call the police?
Then not here.
Why are you staring at me?
Am I the first woman you've seen?
Why then?
You were brave,
and you are good to me.
Poor little boy.
Why did the man try to hurt you?
He is one of my enemies.
- [ Knife Stabs ]
-[Grunts]
[ Footsteps ]
Good evening, Captain Carruthers.
Prince Azim.
This is the son
of the khan of Tokot, darling.
- How do you do?
- How do you do?
You said I was to come to you,
Captain Carruthers, when I was in danger.
I did.
And Mrs. Carruthers saved my life.
Nonsense.
All I did was to bandage his arm...
and remember that little boys
are always hungry.
Well, sit down and tuck in
if you're hungry.
I thank you both
for what you've done.
And now my young master and I must go.
There's room in my compound.
Wouldn't you be safer there?
Knowing you to be our friend, here is
the first place our enemies would look.
Now we shall have to hide
even more carefully than before.
And the man that wounded him
would be after him again.
That man, sahib,
won't try and hurt him again.
Oh, I suppose you are right.
Good-bye, Prince Azim.
Good-bye, Captain Carruthers.
Remember, even though I do have
to go back amongst your enemies...
we're always your friends.
Thank you, Captain Carruthers.
And please forgive my saying it...
but in our mountains,
you are wise or dead.
I beg you to be wise.
Thanks. I'll try to be.
Jo [ Reveille]
[ Clears Throat ]
Now remember,
we're in a friendly country...
and you must treat everybody with respect,
especially the women.
- Do you hear that, Kelly?
-Yes, Sergeant.
And don't forget that the people here
have different habits to us.
They don't take it friendly...
if you show them how a man can be
knocked out by an uppercut.
Get that, Kelly?
Yes, Sergeant.
And in this part of the country...
the ladies have
their lovely features veiled.
Then stand at... ease!
His Highness the khan has sent word
that he will call on His Excellency at 1:00.
Well, tell His Excellency.
- As a matter of fact, I heard.
-[Chuckles ]
- Stay and have a drink?
- Thank you.
Well?
But that won't prevent him
starting his war...
and cutting our throats
when the time comes.
But why should he?
If that was his plan,
why did he accept the treaty...
and agree to the establishment
of the agency?
It's the old story
of the mad dreamers of this world...
who are half empire builders
and half gangsters.
If they succeed,
history books call them great.
- And if they don't?
- Another gangster sinks into oblivion.
The man paid
a great price for his power.
Now he wants to enjoy it, not risk it.
In any case, in a few minutes
you will be able to greet him.
- With my usual diplomatic charm.
-[Chuckles ]
- Have another drink?
- No, thanks. Escott.
[Sergeant]
Fall in! Attention!
Are these troops your escort.
Captain Carruthers...
or an army of occupation?
They are a promise, Your Highness,
that my government will fulfill the treaty...
to protect your country
against its enemies.
Now I understand.
Abdulla!
[ Sergeant Shouts Command ]
- My wife, Your Highness.
- Madame.
In our country, we have many orchards
with beautiful and delicate blossoms.
What a charming speech.
Why can't you say
things like that, Major?
Oh. Well, I never could, you know.
I think he should learn,
don't you, Your Highness?
The chief of which
is a grateful admiration of beauty.
But we might find something in common,
Captain Carruthers.
A polo match.
England against Tokot.
Well, we're not up to your standard,
but we could give you a game.
You know, it was in these valleys
that the game was first played, darling.
Oh, really?
One thing that England
has learned from us, madame.
I've always heard of you as the prince
of polo players, Your Highness.
Gentlemen, I must leave...
before our gracious hostess
undermines me with her compliments.
Madame.
I kiss your feet. I am your slave.
[Sergeant]
Fall in! Attention!
How did you like him, Zarullah?
I didn't.
He accepted our offer of friendship
and the protection of our soldiers...
and yet he wasn't pleased
when he saw them —why?
There's something brewing
over there in the palace.
And with your permission, sir,
I'd like to find out what it is.
- How?
- From inside the palace.
Oh, no, Zarullah. Too dangerous.
If we delay, things may become
too dangerous for all of us.
I made a few useful friends
when we were here before.
Let me go, sir.
All right.
But remember, don't trust anyone.
We've both got to be in at the kill together,
50 take care.
Thank you, sir.
[ Man ]
♪♪ The sun shines bright
♪♪ On Loch Lomond »
♪♪ Where me and my true love
♪♪ Will never meet again s
♪♪ On the bonny, bonny banks
♪♪ Of Loch Lomond s
[All] ♪♪ For you'll take the high road
♪♪ And I'll take the low road
♪♪ And I'll be in Scotland before ye
♪♪ On the bonny, bonny banks
♪♪ Of Loch Lomond s
♪♪ And I'll take the low road
♪♪ For me and my true love
♪♪ Will never meet again s
♪♪ On the bonny, bonny banks
♪♪ Of Loch Lomond.
Mrs. Carruthers, you're the greatest
mess president I've ever seen.
Am 12 Why?
Port — after our first dinner
at the agency.
It's historic.
- I feel I ought to make a speech.
- What, about port?
No, sir. About your wife.
Hear, hear.
Mrs. Carruthers,
I propose your health...
and that of all other women who come up
with their men to faraway outposts...
and bring with them
the grace and sweetness...
of the life they've left behind.
Mrs. Carruthers.
[ Men]
Mrs. Carruthers.
[ Footsteps ]
Halt! Who goes there?
- Friend.
- Advance, friend, and give the password.
Drums.
Pass, friend. All's well.
And while you play polo tomorrow...
another convoy will bring ammunition
through the Doro Pass.
Yes, I see.
- Did you get into the palace?
- No, sahib.
I must make more friends
before I can do that.
There still are many people
who regard Ghul Khan as a usurper...
and wish that Prince Azim and Wafadar
were back in power.
All right, Zarullah. Thank you.
And remember,
I told you to be careful.
And do you think
you can deceive the English?
Of course.
Do you think you can
conquer the English?
[ Chuckling ]
I tell you, the empire is ready
to be carved to pieces.
Don't you want to help yourself?
I refuse to kill and ravage.
I refuse to betray friends.
And I won't allow them
to be slaughtered like cattle.
Listen to me, Mohammed Khan.
You are free — you and your people —
to follow me or not.
But if you attempt
to tell your English friends...
you die before you breathe a word.
You understand?
I shall leave for home after the match.
[ Crowd Chattering ]
I have to see you.
Yes? When?
Midnight, I'll be at the water gate
outside the residency.
[ Chattering Continues ]
That I realized
polo originated in India.
Oh, yes. It's an Indian invention,
an English sport and an American profession.
[ Chuckling ]
[ Men]
Ooh!
Take it, two!
-[ Men ] Ohh!
- Oh, good shot.
Now, two!
You may not like the Ghul,
but you've got to watch him.
- [ Shouting, Cheering ]
- [ Marjorie ] Good shot!
[ Shouting Continues ]
Well, my good friend,
you rode like the wind today.
I couldn't take my eyes from your face
while you passed your English friend.
My English friend?
Come with me, Mohammed Khan.
I'm going to tell you all my plan.
You see, while you were playing polo, and
you were talking to your friend Carruthers...
my last caravan
was creeping into Tokot.
Look what they brought.
Colonel Gregoff.
At your service, Highness.
What did you bring
in your last caravan?
Six machine guns, 400 rifles
and ammunition, Your Highness.
Machine guns to entertain
your friends, the English.
And a piece of rope for you, you dog!
Hello, darling.
Darling, I may have to ask you
to leave here tonight.
But I may have to ask Mohammed Khan
to take you to Chiltistan.
- And if I refuse to leave you?
- Now, don't make it any more difficult for me.
It all depends on
what Mohammed Khan has to say.
But if I ask you to go,
I'm afraid you must.
No.
The best thing you can do to help me s to go.
Now get dressed, will you? Ayah.
My jodhpurs.
You were expecting Mohammed Khan,
I believe.
Your Highness.
We arranged that I should come instead.
Are you so bitterly disappointed
that you will not offer me your hospitality?
[ Door Opens ]
[Ghul]
No, no. Please be seated.
Madame. What a peaceful scene.
An English island in our alien snows —
the fire and the whiskey.
His Highness has honored us
instead of Mohammed Khan...
as he so kindly put it.
It was bitterly cold waiting for midnight
and the water gate to open.
Um, a whiskey and soda?
Thank you.
I wonder if Mohammed Khan
would have had one.
But still, why not?
With his English education
and sympathies.
Our religion forbids it,
but that wouldn't disturb Mohammed Khan —
that is, if he were in good health.
- Why, isn't he well?
- No.
What's happened to him?
Perhaps that long gallop knee-to-knee
with His Excellency.
Um, perhaps Dr. Murphy could go to him.
Dr. Murphy? An unbeliever.
When we are ill or in pain...
we write a few prayers on a piece
of parchment and burn it in a fire.
Sometimes it does not succeed.
Unfortunately, we die.
But to your very good health.
- [ Drum Pounding ]
- What's that?
The signal!
The great feast begins.
For five days and nights,
the fires will burn.
And the great feast ends.
To make this last night memorable
in the annals of this great festival...
it is my purpose
to hold a banquet in my palace...
which will be graced by your presence,
Captain Carruthers.
[ Chanting In Native Language]
♪♪ [ Group: Quiet Chanting ]
♪♪ [ Continues]
♪♪ [ Continues]
♪♪ [ Crowd Responds]
[ Machine Gun Fire]
[ Gunfire Continues ]
- Yes, Your Highness.
- Very good indeed.
Thank you, Your Highness.
- Abdul Fakir.
- Your Highness.
Take the sandbags away
and the targets...
[ Shouting In Native Language ]
- Gregoff.
- Yes, Your Highness?
What do you think
about a machine gun there?
Very good, Your Highness.
- [ Running Footsteps ]
-[ Man Shouts ]
Put it here.
And now get the sandbags.
[ Native Language]
You see those benches, Abdul?
Yes, Your Highness.
But you don't see what I see.
Those benches filled
with British troops, Abdul.
The troops of His Excellency,
Captain Carruthers.
♪♪ A penny for your thoughts
♪♪ You don't explain &
♪♪ The hint of despair in your sighs
♪♪ A penny for your thoughts
♪♪ There's something wrong
♪♪ Your attitude isn't the same
♪♪ There must be someone new
♪♪ For in your thoughts
♪♪ You mention a different name
♪♪ That's such a cruel thing to do
♪♪ Oh, I've heard them say
♪♪ Confession is good for the soul
[ Glass Shattering ]
Put out the lights!
Stand still.
Tony, not you.
But, darling, of course me.
Zarullah.
Zarullah.
♪♪ [ Chanting ]
♪♪ [ Chanting ]
[ Crowd Chattering ]
Ra jab!
I bring good news, Your Highness.
- From Tokot.
- From Tokot?
Sit down.
Now speak.
The tribes are gathering at Tokot
for the feast of Muharram.
They're massing for war.
Against whom?
The English.
Is this good news?
Yes, it is good news, Your Highness.
The signal for the rising will be
the massacre of the people of the residency.
- Captain Carruthers?
- Yes.
- And his wife?
- All of them.
- And why?
- But they must be killed.
Yes, and the usurper, Ghul,
who murdered your father, will be slain.
Your Highness will be put
on your rightful throne.
We've got nothing to do but wait.
Until my friends are killed?
- [ Ra jab] They are only infidel.
- [ Wafadar] And it is the will of Allah.
They are my friends!
When will the signal be given?
[Ra jab]
On the fifth day of the feast.
Silence!
Wait here, both of you.
Bill, I must see the governor.
-Who?
- His Excellency, the governor.
Here, what's the matter with you?
Sunstroke?
You're balmy.
Show me the way to the governor.
I must see the governor.
I might show you the way to
if I'm lucky, to Sergeant Cox.
Thanks, Bill.
But if you're fooling me, I'm for it.
- And you say this is the Prince of Tokot?
-Yes, Sergeant.
I must see the governor.
Show me the way.
Well, I can take you
as high as Captain Carvill...
but if you're fooling me,
I'm for it, you know.
Come on. Let's go.
Mr. Vice, the king.
Gentlemen, the king emperor.
[ Together]
The king emperor.
[ Murmuring ]
< [ Bagpipes ]
Well, I can tell the colonel...
but if you're fooling me, I'm for it.
Well, I can try it,
but if the beggar's fooling me, I'm for it.
Pipe Major, the king emperor.
The king emperor.
[ Speaking Gaelic]
- All right, Captain.
-Yes, sir.
- Now then.
- The murderer who rules Tokot.
- Who are you talking about?
- The khan, my uncle who killed my father.
Very well. Go on.
He is going to kill the British Resident.
To kill the British Resident —
nothing less than that.
Well, why should he?
To show the peoples of the mountains...
that the English
are not to be feared anymore.
He has invited all the rulers to Tokot
to see for themselves.
- He sent word?
- Yes.
- Very secretly, I suppose.
- Very secretly.
Did he send word to you too?
- No.
- Then how do you know?
The people of Tokot are loyal to me.
One of my servants came with the news.
And if we send troops to Tokot...
they will, of course, acclaim you
as rightful heir to the throne.
If I wanted that...
I would have only
to wait until they are killed.
I came because I want you to save them.
But that would be against your interests,
so why should you do that?
Captain Carruthers is my friend...
and Mrs. Carruthers
was very kind to me.
Don't you believe me?
Do you think I'm a liar?
Mrs. Carruthers saved my life.
I can't allow her to be killed.
Mrs. Carruthers is very dear to me too...
but you must understand
that I can't just take your word.
-You'd be for it?
- Eh?
He heard me use the expression, sir.
Oh. I'd be for it, my lad.
We all should.
Up and down the line from the viceroy
to your friend, the drummer boy.
No!
I'll send Colonel Adair with you,
and we'll send for you if we need you.
Then send somebody to Tokot to find me.
Hey! Stop! Come back! Come back!
-You came on horseback?
- Yes, Your Highness.
I shall take your horse
and leave at once.
You too.
Get horses from our friends and follow me.
-You're not going to Tokot?
- Did you tell the government people?
Yes, I did...
but they didn't believe me.
- [ Ra jab] All the better.
- [ Wafadar] And it is the will of Allah.
- But don't throw away your own life.
- Your uncle's got many spies.
[ Ra jab] Yes, and he's a cruel man,
and he'll get you and kill you.
[ Wafadar] That's as sure as the sun
will rise tomorrow.
We can't allow you to go.
Not allow me?
When my father was killed,
why did you save my life?
- Well, because —
- Well, because...
you're our rightful lord and ruler.
If I am your rightful lord and ruler...
[ Herrick]
I want to speak to the duty officer.
[ Man ]I don't care who you're after,
you can't come in here.
[ Chuckling ]
Herrick. It's all right, Corporal.
I must get in touch
with the governor at once.
- What, bad news?
- Bad news, very bad news from Tokot.
Government House.
On the fifth day of the great feast...
Captain Carruthers is invited to a banquet
at the palace of Ghul Khan.
The end of the feast
will be a signal for the massacre...
and the massacre will be a signal
for the uprising of all the mountain states.
How soon can a mobile column
reach Tokot?
Four battalions, mountain battery.
And the fifth day of the great feast
is only four days off.
- When can you start?
- Daybreak, Your Excellency.
♪♪ [ Flutes: March]
♪♪ [ Fades]
Eh?
I managed to refuse the invitation
for the whole of the detachment...
and I hope that the 250 that remain
will look after the 50 that go.
Well, it's a wise precaution.
Of course, if you'd refused
his invitation entirely —
- No, I couldn't do that.
- No, that would be an insult.
Besides, it would give him more food
for his propaganda.
Huh. Why, he'd be saying next...
that the English are too terrified
even to eat.
[ Laughs]
Ah, you know, Carruthers.
In the game of international politics...
it's the scoundrel
who holds all the trumps.
- Anyhow, you look after Marjorie, will you?
- Of course.
Thanks. That's all I wanted
to see you about.
You're invited to an evening party
by the Khan of Tokot...
and you're responsible for the good name
of the British army.
- Have you got that, Kelly?
-Yes, Sergeant.
Another thing —
You won't get any alcoholic liquors.
You'll get water, which is good for you.
And tea — tea, green and otherwise.
So the first man who says,
“Mine's a double Bass, miss”...
- Do you follow me, Kelly?
-Yes, Sergeant.
We shall be the guests
of a Mohammedan prince...
and any nosy parkering...
round the harem doors...
will be met with severe...
and painful punishment.
- Got that, Kelly?
-Yes, Sergeant.
And finally...
whatever entertainments
are given to you...
you've got to be pleased.
Whether it's snakes
or stomach waggling...
I want to see a look of rapture
on your faces!
Know what a look of rapture is, Kelly?
Like what Gunner Wilson had
when he strained himself with the howitzer.
- [ Men Laughing ]
- Silence!
Parade! Shun!
Thanks.
I think you ought to stay here.
Mmm.
Well, it would be the end
of an awfully good tie if we were.
- How's that?
- Ah, that's fine.
No wonder they're gonna
make you a colonel.
If you think this is a trap,
why walk into it with your eyes open?
- Do you remember Sir Louis Cavagnari?
- Yes.
He was British Resident in Kabul.
Yes. When was that?
- About 60 years ago.
- Well, a bit before my time.
He was massacred
with all his escort, wasn't he?
He walked into a trap with his eyes open,
and so did Gordon.
Yes, but he got out
of a good many tight corners...
before he was cut down at Khartoum.
Exactly, and as a result of that,
Kitchener conquered the Sudan...
and we've had peace there
for two generations.
A not-unusual preliminary
to our establishing law and order...
is the murder
of one of our representatives.
As one of our representatives,
I find you a most exhilarating companion.
- Do you know any other funny stories?
- Well, I know a happier example.
- Do you remember the Chitral campaign in 1857?
- Yes.
Sir George Robertson, the British Resident,
was besieged for months...
but he held the residency
until the British relief force arrived...
and that's why I want you to remain here.
Yes.
Are you ready?
Let's go.
I say...
are you properly equipped
for a ceremonial dinner?
4« [ Men Singing In Native Language ]
Okay.
Wait downstairs for me, will you?
I must see my wife.
Right.
23 Singing Continues |
Don't, darling.
In a few hours, the feast will be over,
and everything will be quiet again.
But are you quite sure
everything will be all right at the palace?
Of course.
When I accepted the invitation...
I made it a condition that the road from
the palace should be kept open until I return.
And you still don't know what happened
to Mohammed Khan?
No, but the khan promised
I should see him.
You'll see. Everything will be fine.
Yes. I'll see.
All right?
Carry on, Sergeant!
[ Sergeant Shouting Orders ]
- You know your most important order?
- Yes, sir. The bugle call.
As soon as I hear the bugle, I'm to lead
the sortie into the courtyard of the palace.
- Well, keep your eyes open.
- Yes, sir. Have a good time, sir.
- All right. Thanks.
- Form fours!
Right! By the left, quick march!
[ Bagpipes ]
Eyes right!
♪♪ [ Stringed Instrument, Percussion]
[ Speaks Native Language ]
♪♪ [ Continues]
[ Belches ]
Thank you, Umra Beg.
[ Belches ]
But you must never do that
in front of our English friends.
- They consider it a most barbarous habit.
- Not at all, Your Highness.
We know that in the East, it's considered
a gracious tribute to your host...
a compliment which marks the end
of a perfect entertainment.
Not of the entertainment,
merely of the dinner.
The entertainment is yet to come.
I Faster
Everything's under control, Doctor.
Is it?
Come here.
- There's not a servant in the house.
- What, they've bolted?
It must have been one of them
who put the wireless out of order.
- What?
- Yes. There'll be an attack tonight all right.
- Does Marjorie know?
- Not yet.
♪♪ [ More Instruments Join In,
Pace Quickens ]
as something unspeakably
vulgar and barbaric?
Probably because Your Highness feels
that women should never dance with men.
Only for men.
You think that if they dance together,
the man, uh...
loses a great deal of his dignity.
And the woman
something of her chastity.
We believe in equality of rights.
Equality of rights?
Have you ever heard of the lamb persuading
the tiger to live in peace with him...
and respect his equality of rights?
Has the musket equal rights
with the machine gun?
- [ Drum Pounding Rhythm ]
- ♪♪ [Stops ]
No, no. no, gentlemen.
Keep your seats.
That was only
the first stroke of the drum.
As you know...
♪♪ [ Man Singing ]
[ Shouting, Cheering ]
[ Shouting, Cheering Continue, Faint]
And maybe I was a wee bit
more limber on me toes...
when I won the first prize
at the Highland games...
but I think we can still show these people
something that'll astonish them.
-Come on!
- [ Men Cheering ]
[ Bagpipes Tuning Up]
♪♪ [ Upbeat]
[ Cheering Continues ]
What is that?
Bagpipes, Your Highness.
Entertaining the entertainers.
See what civilization has done
for your dancing and your music?
♪♪ I Bagpipes Continue
[ Whoops ]
[Grunting ]
[ Drum Pounding Continues ]
- Oh, will they never stop their drumming?
- There, there. Very soon.
That was the second signal.
One more, and the feast is over,
and the sacred drum is silent.
So silent that you'll ask for more.
I never want to hear another drum again.
[ Drum Pounding Continues ]
[ Soldiers Whooping ]
Azim.
The signal.
Machine gun.
- Bugler, alarm.
- Yes. Now!
Jo [ Reveille]
[ Officer Shouts ]
♪♪ Bugle Continues -
- Shouting
[ Soldiers Shouting ]
[ Machine Gun Fire Continues ]
[ Clamoring ]
Here!
Share that among ya!
Mohammed Khan.
- [ Incoherent Mumbling ]
- I promised you should see him.
[Sobs]
[ Weeping ]
Don't cry, Mrs. Carruthers.
I would gladly have given my life
if could have got here in time...
to warn Captain Carruthers.
You risked your life to come here,
Prince Azim.
You're very brave...
and good to me.
You helped me
when you didn't know who I was.
Now I want to help you.
So don't cry.
I will save your husband.
Believe me, I will save him.
For a wooden cage I have.
I will put you in the cage...
and it will be carried
through all the mountain states...
so that the people may know
how the English are to be feared.
You're a mad dreamer,
but you'll wake up one of these days.
Before I do,
you will write an order, Carruthers —
an order to evacuate the residency.
- I promise your troops safe conduct.
- “Safe conduct.”
You swine, you shot at them
when they were your guests.
Write the order, Carruthers,
if you wish to speak again.
Call your executioner, do whatever
your hellish brain can conceive...
but you won't harm anybody
over there because —
[ Explosions ]
Your Highness?
Don't whisper in my ear.
Speak up!
A report has just come in that
the British troops have crossed the border.
Give the order! Sound the alarm!
Quick! Quick, quick!
[ Explosions ]
I swear by all that I believe —
If those troops ever come up here...
I'll have your head thrown
in front of their horses” hooves.
[ Gunfire, Explosions ]
[ Soldier Shouting ]
[ Man Chattering ]
[ Man Shouting ]
[ Soldiers Shouting ]
[ Explosions ]
Fire!
- [ Shouting Continues ]
- [ Gunfire Continues ]
[ Bomb Whistles ]
What orders, Your Highness?
Abdul, you must go at once...
through the north gate
over the high pass.
In two days we are in Turk is tan.
Soon I will be back here
stronger than ever.
Take this box. Guard it well.
If we have money,
we have power, everything.
Always I win. Now go.
Very well.
Mustapha.
Take your men and go to the tower.
Cut off the heads
of the two prisoners now.
[ All Shouting ]
[ Gunshot ]
[ Gunshot ]
[ Shouting In Native Language ]
The British troops are leaving Tokot...
but I am very happy to know...
that my best friends
are remaining just a little longer.
Prince Azim.
Your Highness, would you do me the honor
of inspecting the troops before they leave?
It will be a pleasure, Your Excellency.
After you, Mrs. Carruthers.
[ Crowd Cheering ]
[ Cheering Continues ]
♪♪ [ Salute For Guard ]
- ♪♪ [Bugles, Drums Stop]
- [Cheering Continues]
♪♪[Men Chattering]♪♪
♪♪[Chattering Continues]♪♪
[Whistle Blows ]
[ Men Shouting ]
[ Gunshots Continue]
[ Shouting Continues ]
[ Gunshots Continue]
[ Shouting Continues ]
[Whistle Blows ]
Good Lord. A machine gun!
[Gunfire Continues ]
Here, send this.
Mobile column held up.
Enemy using machine guns.
Machine guns?
They not only had machine guns, Excellency,
but they knew how to use them.
When our reinforcements came up,
they put them out of action like experts...
and then vanished over the hills.
Captain Catheters
had reported some time ago...
that there were machine guns
in the mountains...
Where is he now?
Somewhere on the Doro Pass.
- [Chanting In Native Language ]
-♪♪[Drums]
♪♪ [ Rhythmic Clapping ]
♪♪ [ Chanting Continues ]
Hajjis, you come from Mecca?
Yes, my son.
You have acquired great merit.
Would you not acquire more merit
by giving food to a poor man?
It's written, my son —
work, and you'll have your reward.
Get away.
They stole my mule —
bad men from Jandal.
They stole my mule.
I have nothing. I am hungry.
[Policeman] You're a rogue and a vagabond.
Ask for work in the village. Don't beg.
But it's written again —
He who feeds the hungry
acquires merit.
Here, my son.
He who is compassionate
and merciful will reward you.
Get away.
Haji, if you give a loaf of bread
to every beggar, you will starve yourself.
♪♪ [ Chanting Continues ]
[ Camel Growling ]
[ Man Mutters ]
Peshawar.
I want to go to Peshawar.
- Eight annas.
- Eight annas?
- Eight annas?
- [ Men Shouting ]
- [Man] Be plenty jolly quick.
- One, two, three
There are numerous travelers,
and time is short.
Six, seven —
seven, eight.
- Eight annas. I'd rather have walked.
-[ Man] Come on now.
Jaipur.
[ Speaks Native Language ]
♪♪ [ Man Humming ] ♪♪
♪♪ [ Humming Continues ] ♪♪
You seem cheerful, my friend.
It is cheerful to get away
from chattering wives.
You're going north?
Yes. Sanders told me to look for you here
and take your orders.
Watch for caravans on the Doro Pass.
Guns?
Machine guns.
[ Whistles ]
And caravans with ammunition.
I have to go to Peshawar
to report to the governor.
You'll get your further orders
in the usual way.
[ Groans ]
Eight annas.
I really should have walked it.
Any other news?
Tomorrow the young lady is leaving.
There's more than one young lady
in Peshawar.
His Excellency's niece — Miss Brook.
Here's a card for you, sir.
♪♪ [ Bugle: Reveille]
So the bandmaster
comes up to me and says...
“Boy Holder, you're the only man
in the drums I can trust...
to play in the dance orchestra.
So I'd like you to come along tonight
to His Excellency the governor's palace...
and give the officers
and their ladies a treat.”
Hey, Kincher!
And seeing as how His Excellency the governor
represents His Majesty the king...
it's the same, you might say,
as if I'd been asked to Buckingham Palace.
Boy Holder!
- Are you smoking?
- No, sir.
Do you remember what I said that I'd do
to you if I caught you smoking again?
Bend over.
[ Blows Landing ]
Don't you try any of your own syncopation,
or I'll flay the hide off you.
Yes, sir.
Better stuff this under your kilt, Holder!
- Boy Holder.
- Yes, sir?
Now remember — one bar for a foxtrot,
two bars for a waltz.
One tap more,
and I flay the hide off you.
Yes, sir.
[ Softly ]
Yes, sir.
[ Chattering, Laughing ]
I'm afraid you're going to leave a good many
broken hearts behind you, Marjorie.
I think they'll soon recover, Uncle.
Sir, he's here.
I've shown him into your study.
Oh, good.
You'll have to do duty for me
for half an hour.
All right.
- Shall I start the band?
- Will you?
- May I?
- I'm claiming this one.
♪♪ [Jazz]
Sorry.
- So it's war.
- Unless we're quick.
From China to Afghanistan, there's
a movement to get all the little kingdoms...
into one great confederacy against us.
A few fanatical priests
dreaming of a holy war.
A few fanatical priests don't drill machine gun
teams, sir, or train mountain batteries.
- Who then?
- I don't know yet.
But it seems to me that we should establish
our influence here in Tokot...
dead in the center
of all these frontier states.
Well, it won't be easy, Carruthers.
The khan's an old man. These others,
whoever they are, may scare him off.
Yes. Prince Azim.
The old khan adores him.
He'll do anything to see
that he succeeds to the throne.
I see.
I think he'd be glad
of a treaty of protection with us.
Perhaps you're right. I'll try and get in touch
with the viceroy as soon as possible.
Yes, sir.
- Meanwhile, you'd better run along and play.
- [ Applause ]
- Play, sir?
- Yes, sir.
Oh, thank you, sir.
♪♪ [Jazz]
Hello, people.
Marjorie, your uncle told me
to come and play.
What kind of games do you like?
Patience. I'm rather good at that.
Oh. Hello, Escott.
Hello, Carruthers.
Good hunting?
Yes, fine, thanks.
-Well, um.
- What Going?
- Uh, yes. Yes.
-Oh, I'm sorry.
So the mighty hunter returns.
What brought you back?
No more bears left in India?
Only me. Care to dance?
Bears do dance, you know.
Do they? I thought they hugged.
They do both. Try it?
Dare I?
Take a chance.
All right.
Why did you go away so suddenly?
I had to.
Well, couldn't you have written?
No, I couldn't.
I don't understand all this.
My India — the frontier.
Marjorie...
could you give your life to the frontier
with me thrown in?
No, my darling.
But I could give my life to you
with the frontier thrown in.
Gosh, that's torn it.
[ Clears Throat ]
-That's a pretty warm good-bye.
-No, sir.
- No, Uncle.
-No, Uncle.
-You see, I'm staying on.
- Well, I warned you.
He's a gadabout. He's no sort of husband
for a nice, domesticated girl.
And she's not a domesticated girl either.
She's
- Spoiled, vain, arrogant and selfish. He knows.
- Rambunctious. Yes, I know.
- Well, here's luck, Carruthers.
- Oh, thank you, sir.
- My best wishes, my dear.
- Thank you, darling.
But you'd better get married
to him right away...
because in a few weeks he'll have
to go off without you.
-To Tokot, sir?
- I think so. You're to head a mission there.
The English troops are in the pass,
Your Highness.
- They are here, Wafadar?
-Yes, Prince Azim.
Can| go and greet them, Father?
Yes, my son.
You go and greet Captain Carruthers
in my name.
Thank you, Father.
This is a day of rejoicing for Tokot,
Your Highness.
It is, Wafadar.
England has offered us friendship.
♪♪ [ Drumming ]
- It's blink in” hot.
- You said what?
It's blink in” hot in Tokot.
A poet like you, mate,
shouldn't ought to be playing the drums.
You ought to be banging
a blooming harp.
[ Chattering ]
There it is. That's Tokot.
Attractive, eh?
- Yes. Well, you wait until you smell it.
-[Laughs]
[ Men Shouting In Native Language ]
[ Shouting Continues ]
Listen.
The sacred drum of Tokot.
The old khan wants everyone to know
we're welcome guests.
- [ Gunshots ]
- Welcome, eh? Take cover!
- [ Men Shouting ]
- [ Gunshots Continue]
Take cover!
[ Gunshots Continue]
[ Gunshots Stop ]
[ Shouting In Native Language ]
But please don't judge the warmth
of his welcome by the size of his messenger.
I'd measure it
by the breadth of his smile...
if we hadn't been shot at, Prince Azim.
The dogs shall pay for it.
[ Shouting In Native Language ]
Take them away and shoot them.
[ Men Shouting ]
[ Continues In Native Language]
I see justice is swift in Tokot.
Are you satisfied, Captain Carruthers?
- Orderly.
-[ Man] Yes, sir.
[ Gunshots ]
Id like to have a chat with you.
Get down.
- And this one.
- Very good, sir.
Don't you think it'd be better
to find a fellow with a strong arm...
to give those men
five strokes of the whip?
But they are dead.
Are they?
Shot. You heard them.
Why did you tell those men
to fire on us?
Did you want to kill us?
No.
I only wanted to see if the English
are easily frightened.
-Hmm.
-[Laughs]
Is it what they taught you —
that the English were easily frightened?
[Laughs]
- Well, who told you then?
- Everybody in Tokot says so.
What else do they say?
That we shall fight with the English...
and that we shall have a fine, big war.
Yes. You'd like a fine, big war,
wouldn't you?
Of course.
But first we'll give five strokes
of the whip to these men.
Oh, no.
Oh, yes. And a couple for you.
Oh, no, Captain Carruthers.
Well, I'll have to tell your father
about this little trick of yours.
- Tell my father?
- Yes.
Don't tell him, please.
Always? That will be very hard.
Yes, I expect it will.
But, um, promise to try, will you?
To tell the truth?
All right, I promise.
- That's fine.
- But nobody in Tokot ever does.
Oh, well, you'll teach them.
Come on.
[ Man Shouts Command ]
By the left, quick march!
♪♪ [ Drums, Bagpipes ]
The English march down the hill.
Your brother the khan waits for them
humbly at his gate.
To whom shall we turn for the leader?
To me, good Mullah.
You are bound hand and foot
by the infidel.
Not yet.
The voice of God cries, “Burn! Kill!”
And you play with these toys and maps.
I can go into war tonight with men!
I can send you all into battle,
invulnerable against bullets!
For four years I fought with the Turks
at Gallipoli and Arabia.
Every day I heard priests make that promise.
- Yet men died by bullets.
- That is true.
Victories are not gained by an ignorant
rabble lead by a fanatic mullah.
They are won by an army
marching to one man's order...
fighting to one man's plan.
For months I have traveled through Hamara,
Motera, Khorasan, Yadak, Chiltistan.
They are one with us.
More and more guns are coming in
over the Doro Pass.
And men to teach the use of them.
Through all these months,
what have you done, old Mullah?
You see visions, old Mullah.
Can you see into the future?
I have but to look into a bowl
of clear water.
Look into my map
and see my dreams spring to life.
I see blotches and lines.
And I see a wave — a wave of men.
Lean, hard, hungry, free men
from the hills...
swooping down on the fat, soft,
comfortable slaves of the plains...
their white throats ripe for the knife.
A story as old as time.
I see a river — the River Jhelum.
The Jhelum,
where the old Mughal Empire thrived.
I see the mosques and domes rise again.
The palaces of Shah Jahan.
[ Men Shouting, Cheering ]
[ Drums, Bagpipes ]
[ Shouting, Cheering Continue ]
♪♪ [ Continues ]
The khan, your brother —
making friends with the English.
The day the English leave Tokot...
I will make my arrangements
with my brother, the khan.
And Azim, his son?
My arrangements will include him too.
[ Soldier]
That's a fun one to do, isn't it?
[ Laughter, Cheering ]
There's room here for one.
Hey there, what do you think
you're doing?
- I play the drum.
- Not my drum, you don't.
That drum was given me by
the commander in chief of the British Army.
- The commander?
-In blinking chief.
Bought out of his own savings
and handed to me with his own hands.
So drop it unless you want trouble.
Say “please” when you speak to me.
"Ark at him.
I can see I got to put my foot down.
Come on, stick 'em up.
I cannot allow you to strike me.
I am a prince.
Come on, stick 'em up.
Oh.
Wafadar, Ra jab, leave this to me.
Here. Take this.
Well, if you put it like that.
And you will teach me
to play the drum?
- “Please.”
- Please!
Oh, you're a sport. Come on.
Now, you see, you hold them like this.
His Highness Mohammed Khan.
[ Carruthers ]
Good. Show him in.
- Hello, Carruthers.
- Hello, Mohammed. Sit down.
What's the news?
- Better than I expected.
- Good.
The khan has sent me to tell you
that he is ready to sign the treaty...
in spite of the opposition.
The opposition of his brother
Prince Ghul?
I haven't said that, Carruthers.
Are you afraid?
No, my friend, but I'm careful...
and I will advise you also to be careful.
Ghul is a madman
who dreams high dreams.
♪♪ [ Drumming ]
Good afternoon, Captain Carruthers.
Oh, Prince Azim.
What are you doing here?
You know... Bill Holder.
Uh, yes.
I think I have had the pleasure.
Captain Carruthers.
How do you do?
I asked Bill to compose me
a personal signal on the drum...
just as the general of a regiment has.
Well, go on, Holder.
I shall always use it on parade
or whenever I am in danger.
[ Ragged Breathing ]
What's the matter, Bill?
Oh, Cor blimey, I've never had
such a close shave in my life.
My government will establish an agency
in Tokot with the British Resident...
and it will protect your country
against its enemies.
On the other hand, as understood...
you will suppress the passage of arms
through your state.
And there will be a subsidy
for me and my son?
A large one for yourself
and a small one for Prince Azim.
Oh, because he is small.
Yes, I see.
But he will not always be small...
and so, Captain Carruthers,
the subsidy will grow with him, yes?
Inch by inch, Your Highness.
And now I must say good-bye.
We leave for Peshawar today.
- Good-bye, Captain Morris.
- Bye, Your Highness.
- Go ahead. Make sure.
- ♪♪ [ Drumming Continues ]
That's jolly good.
Well, so long, chum.
I think you look grand.
I suppose it would be all right,
you being an ally of ours, only
- Don't you want me to?
- Sure, I do.
I was only thinking of regulations.
You know anything that's mine is yours.
Same here, Bill.
You're a toff,
if you know what I mean.
And you're the blinking same, Bill,
not'arf you ain't.
[Both Laugh]
[ Bugle: Reveille]
♪♪ [ Bugle Continues ]
[ Soldier Shouts Command ]
[ Soldiers Shouting ]
♪♪ [ Drums, Bagpipes ]
Well, good-bye, young fella.
- [ Horse Whinnies ]
- Take care of yourself.
- Good-bye, Prince Azim.
- Good-bye.
♪♪ [ Drums, Bagpipes Continue]
Remember, the boy is in your hands.
Make no mistake.
♪♪ [ Man Chants In Native Language ]
[ Shouting ]
The khan is a traitor?!
[ Shouting ]
♪♪ [ Sitar]
♪♪ [ Man Singing In Native Language ]
[ Whispering ]
Quiet, or we'll be caught.
Your father is dead, and Ghul
and his riders are after us to kill us.
- There, there, my prince.
-[Azim Cries ]
You must be a big man now.
But where, Wafadar?
To Peshawar.
Wait till our day comes.
[ Azim Cries ]
[ Crowd Chattering ]
How much?
One Anna.
That?
- Two annas.
-Two annas?
Uh-huh.
I don't want it.
Shame on you for making trouble
for me like this.
Do you think bread is plucked from trees?
Money gathered like moss?
- Come here, I say.
- Oh, my ear, Wafadar.
I'm sorry, Your Highness.
I am sorry too.
And remember, be careful.
Don't worry, Wafadar.
I'll be careful.
[ Drums, Bagpipes ]
Bill! Bill!
Where? Outside the barracks?
7:00? All right. I'll be there.
I'll serve tea myself.
Mm-mmm. Make you fatter.
-Oh.
- [ Laughs ]
[ Laughing Continues ]
Good heavens. You must have been
married for two months, at least.
Come and have your tea.
Thank you, my dear.
I've got news for you, Tony.
-Yes, sir?
- There's been trouble at Tokot.
The old khan's been assassinated.
And the boy?
Disappeared, probably the same way.
Oh, poor little devil.
The new khan, Ghul, has sent an envoy...
and has promised to carry out
the treaty you signed with his brother.
Do you believe that, sir?
I have no good reason to disbelieve it.
So you're to go up there as resident.
Partly as a reward for your good work, but
chiefly because you're the best man for the job.
Thank you. But, Marjorie —
But you'll be the only
Englishwoman up there.
Well, that's not the first time
it's happened in India.
No, I don't like it.
There may be danger.
How shall I face other women
if run away from it?
I'm very proud of you, my dear.
You could have knocked me flat.
Both me heart and me drum
missed a beat when I saw you.
- But you were pleased, Bill.
- You bet I was.
What are you doing here
in that rig-out?
I have sad news, Bill.
- My father has been killed.
- Killed?
Yes. By my uncle.
I am sorry, Azim. But why are you here?
I thought if your father died —
- He makes shoes, and I run the errands.
- And you take it like that.
It's the will of Allah.
You're a blinking marvel, Azim.
You found more in religion
than I ever did.
Wish it could help me.
Something the matter, Bill?
Oh, I'm having trouble
with the drum major.
The army's all right,
but he's a thundering drawback.
But about you.
You can't go on running errands.
You're a prince.
- Perhaps you can help me, Bill.
- I will if| can.
I want to be a drummer boy
in a Pathan regiment.
Oh. What is the matter, Bill?
But you told me I was all right.
As a prince, yes, but as a drummer
you're a nonstarter.
- No good, Bill?
-You're an amateur, Azim.
He lives in the first posh house
down the road.
I can't.
As long as I am alive,
I am a danger to my uncle.
I've got to hide.
♪♪ [ Bugle: Reveille]
And I've got to go. Look out for me
anytime you like, and I'll look out for you.
So long, cock.
- Azim.
- Let me go! Let me go!
Captain Carruthers.
He's not here.
[Groaning ]
You're hurt.
There is someone out there.
He stabbed me.
What do you want?
That boy is mine.
Yes. I saw him
run into your house, lady.
- I take him away.
- Stay were you are!
Mahmud! Zarullah!
Iodine and some lint.
Let me see.
- It hurts?
- I can't move my arm.
Don't then.
I'll wash it and dress it.
You won't mind if it hurts
just a little more, will you?
-You're the man of Prince Azim.
- Yes.
He's safe.
Shall we call the police?
Then not here.
Why are you staring at me?
Am I the first woman you've seen?
Why then?
You were brave,
and you are good to me.
Poor little boy.
Why did the man try to hurt you?
He is one of my enemies.
- [ Knife Stabs ]
-[Grunts]
[ Footsteps ]
Good evening, Captain Carruthers.
Prince Azim.
This is the son
of the khan of Tokot, darling.
- How do you do?
- How do you do?
You said I was to come to you,
Captain Carruthers, when I was in danger.
I did.
And Mrs. Carruthers saved my life.
Nonsense.
All I did was to bandage his arm...
and remember that little boys
are always hungry.
Well, sit down and tuck in
if you're hungry.
I thank you both
for what you've done.
And now my young master and I must go.
There's room in my compound.
Wouldn't you be safer there?
Knowing you to be our friend, here is
the first place our enemies would look.
Now we shall have to hide
even more carefully than before.
And the man that wounded him
would be after him again.
That man, sahib,
won't try and hurt him again.
Oh, I suppose you are right.
Good-bye, Prince Azim.
Good-bye, Captain Carruthers.
Remember, even though I do have
to go back amongst your enemies...
we're always your friends.
Thank you, Captain Carruthers.
And please forgive my saying it...
but in our mountains,
you are wise or dead.
I beg you to be wise.
Thanks. I'll try to be.
Jo [ Reveille]
[ Clears Throat ]
Now remember,
we're in a friendly country...
and you must treat everybody with respect,
especially the women.
- Do you hear that, Kelly?
-Yes, Sergeant.
And don't forget that the people here
have different habits to us.
They don't take it friendly...
if you show them how a man can be
knocked out by an uppercut.
Get that, Kelly?
Yes, Sergeant.
And in this part of the country...
the ladies have
their lovely features veiled.
Then stand at... ease!
His Highness the khan has sent word
that he will call on His Excellency at 1:00.
Well, tell His Excellency.
- As a matter of fact, I heard.
-[Chuckles ]
- Stay and have a drink?
- Thank you.
Well?
But that won't prevent him
starting his war...
and cutting our throats
when the time comes.
But why should he?
If that was his plan,
why did he accept the treaty...
and agree to the establishment
of the agency?
It's the old story
of the mad dreamers of this world...
who are half empire builders
and half gangsters.
If they succeed,
history books call them great.
- And if they don't?
- Another gangster sinks into oblivion.
The man paid
a great price for his power.
Now he wants to enjoy it, not risk it.
In any case, in a few minutes
you will be able to greet him.
- With my usual diplomatic charm.
-[Chuckles ]
- Have another drink?
- No, thanks. Escott.
[Sergeant]
Fall in! Attention!
Are these troops your escort.
Captain Carruthers...
or an army of occupation?
They are a promise, Your Highness,
that my government will fulfill the treaty...
to protect your country
against its enemies.
Now I understand.
Abdulla!
[ Sergeant Shouts Command ]
- My wife, Your Highness.
- Madame.
In our country, we have many orchards
with beautiful and delicate blossoms.
What a charming speech.
Why can't you say
things like that, Major?
Oh. Well, I never could, you know.
I think he should learn,
don't you, Your Highness?
The chief of which
is a grateful admiration of beauty.
But we might find something in common,
Captain Carruthers.
A polo match.
England against Tokot.
Well, we're not up to your standard,
but we could give you a game.
You know, it was in these valleys
that the game was first played, darling.
Oh, really?
One thing that England
has learned from us, madame.
I've always heard of you as the prince
of polo players, Your Highness.
Gentlemen, I must leave...
before our gracious hostess
undermines me with her compliments.
Madame.
I kiss your feet. I am your slave.
[Sergeant]
Fall in! Attention!
How did you like him, Zarullah?
I didn't.
He accepted our offer of friendship
and the protection of our soldiers...
and yet he wasn't pleased
when he saw them —why?
There's something brewing
over there in the palace.
And with your permission, sir,
I'd like to find out what it is.
- How?
- From inside the palace.
Oh, no, Zarullah. Too dangerous.
If we delay, things may become
too dangerous for all of us.
I made a few useful friends
when we were here before.
Let me go, sir.
All right.
But remember, don't trust anyone.
We've both got to be in at the kill together,
50 take care.
Thank you, sir.
[ Man ]
♪♪ The sun shines bright
♪♪ On Loch Lomond »
♪♪ Where me and my true love
♪♪ Will never meet again s
♪♪ On the bonny, bonny banks
♪♪ Of Loch Lomond s
[All] ♪♪ For you'll take the high road
♪♪ And I'll take the low road
♪♪ And I'll be in Scotland before ye
♪♪ On the bonny, bonny banks
♪♪ Of Loch Lomond s
♪♪ And I'll take the low road
♪♪ For me and my true love
♪♪ Will never meet again s
♪♪ On the bonny, bonny banks
♪♪ Of Loch Lomond.
Mrs. Carruthers, you're the greatest
mess president I've ever seen.
Am 12 Why?
Port — after our first dinner
at the agency.
It's historic.
- I feel I ought to make a speech.
- What, about port?
No, sir. About your wife.
Hear, hear.
Mrs. Carruthers,
I propose your health...
and that of all other women who come up
with their men to faraway outposts...
and bring with them
the grace and sweetness...
of the life they've left behind.
Mrs. Carruthers.
[ Men]
Mrs. Carruthers.
[ Footsteps ]
Halt! Who goes there?
- Friend.
- Advance, friend, and give the password.
Drums.
Pass, friend. All's well.
And while you play polo tomorrow...
another convoy will bring ammunition
through the Doro Pass.
Yes, I see.
- Did you get into the palace?
- No, sahib.
I must make more friends
before I can do that.
There still are many people
who regard Ghul Khan as a usurper...
and wish that Prince Azim and Wafadar
were back in power.
All right, Zarullah. Thank you.
And remember,
I told you to be careful.
And do you think
you can deceive the English?
Of course.
Do you think you can
conquer the English?
[ Chuckling ]
I tell you, the empire is ready
to be carved to pieces.
Don't you want to help yourself?
I refuse to kill and ravage.
I refuse to betray friends.
And I won't allow them
to be slaughtered like cattle.
Listen to me, Mohammed Khan.
You are free — you and your people —
to follow me or not.
But if you attempt
to tell your English friends...
you die before you breathe a word.
You understand?
I shall leave for home after the match.
[ Crowd Chattering ]
I have to see you.
Yes? When?
Midnight, I'll be at the water gate
outside the residency.
[ Chattering Continues ]
That I realized
polo originated in India.
Oh, yes. It's an Indian invention,
an English sport and an American profession.
[ Chuckling ]
[ Men]
Ooh!
Take it, two!
-[ Men ] Ohh!
- Oh, good shot.
Now, two!
You may not like the Ghul,
but you've got to watch him.
- [ Shouting, Cheering ]
- [ Marjorie ] Good shot!
[ Shouting Continues ]
Well, my good friend,
you rode like the wind today.
I couldn't take my eyes from your face
while you passed your English friend.
My English friend?
Come with me, Mohammed Khan.
I'm going to tell you all my plan.
You see, while you were playing polo, and
you were talking to your friend Carruthers...
my last caravan
was creeping into Tokot.
Look what they brought.
Colonel Gregoff.
At your service, Highness.
What did you bring
in your last caravan?
Six machine guns, 400 rifles
and ammunition, Your Highness.
Machine guns to entertain
your friends, the English.
And a piece of rope for you, you dog!
Hello, darling.
Darling, I may have to ask you
to leave here tonight.
But I may have to ask Mohammed Khan
to take you to Chiltistan.
- And if I refuse to leave you?
- Now, don't make it any more difficult for me.
It all depends on
what Mohammed Khan has to say.
But if I ask you to go,
I'm afraid you must.
No.
The best thing you can do to help me s to go.
Now get dressed, will you? Ayah.
My jodhpurs.
You were expecting Mohammed Khan,
I believe.
Your Highness.
We arranged that I should come instead.
Are you so bitterly disappointed
that you will not offer me your hospitality?
[ Door Opens ]
[Ghul]
No, no. Please be seated.
Madame. What a peaceful scene.
An English island in our alien snows —
the fire and the whiskey.
His Highness has honored us
instead of Mohammed Khan...
as he so kindly put it.
It was bitterly cold waiting for midnight
and the water gate to open.
Um, a whiskey and soda?
Thank you.
I wonder if Mohammed Khan
would have had one.
But still, why not?
With his English education
and sympathies.
Our religion forbids it,
but that wouldn't disturb Mohammed Khan —
that is, if he were in good health.
- Why, isn't he well?
- No.
What's happened to him?
Perhaps that long gallop knee-to-knee
with His Excellency.
Um, perhaps Dr. Murphy could go to him.
Dr. Murphy? An unbeliever.
When we are ill or in pain...
we write a few prayers on a piece
of parchment and burn it in a fire.
Sometimes it does not succeed.
Unfortunately, we die.
But to your very good health.
- [ Drum Pounding ]
- What's that?
The signal!
The great feast begins.
For five days and nights,
the fires will burn.
And the great feast ends.
To make this last night memorable
in the annals of this great festival...
it is my purpose
to hold a banquet in my palace...
which will be graced by your presence,
Captain Carruthers.
[ Chanting In Native Language]
♪♪ [ Group: Quiet Chanting ]
♪♪ [ Continues]
♪♪ [ Continues]
♪♪ [ Crowd Responds]
[ Machine Gun Fire]
[ Gunfire Continues ]
- Yes, Your Highness.
- Very good indeed.
Thank you, Your Highness.
- Abdul Fakir.
- Your Highness.
Take the sandbags away
and the targets...
[ Shouting In Native Language ]
- Gregoff.
- Yes, Your Highness?
What do you think
about a machine gun there?
Very good, Your Highness.
- [ Running Footsteps ]
-[ Man Shouts ]
Put it here.
And now get the sandbags.
[ Native Language]
You see those benches, Abdul?
Yes, Your Highness.
But you don't see what I see.
Those benches filled
with British troops, Abdul.
The troops of His Excellency,
Captain Carruthers.
♪♪ A penny for your thoughts
♪♪ You don't explain &
♪♪ The hint of despair in your sighs
♪♪ A penny for your thoughts
♪♪ There's something wrong
♪♪ Your attitude isn't the same
♪♪ There must be someone new
♪♪ For in your thoughts
♪♪ You mention a different name
♪♪ That's such a cruel thing to do
♪♪ Oh, I've heard them say
♪♪ Confession is good for the soul
[ Glass Shattering ]
Put out the lights!
Stand still.
Tony, not you.
But, darling, of course me.
Zarullah.
Zarullah.
♪♪ [ Chanting ]
♪♪ [ Chanting ]
[ Crowd Chattering ]
Ra jab!
I bring good news, Your Highness.
- From Tokot.
- From Tokot?
Sit down.
Now speak.
The tribes are gathering at Tokot
for the feast of Muharram.
They're massing for war.
Against whom?
The English.
Is this good news?
Yes, it is good news, Your Highness.
The signal for the rising will be
the massacre of the people of the residency.
- Captain Carruthers?
- Yes.
- And his wife?
- All of them.
- And why?
- But they must be killed.
Yes, and the usurper, Ghul,
who murdered your father, will be slain.
Your Highness will be put
on your rightful throne.
We've got nothing to do but wait.
Until my friends are killed?
- [ Ra jab] They are only infidel.
- [ Wafadar] And it is the will of Allah.
They are my friends!
When will the signal be given?
[Ra jab]
On the fifth day of the feast.
Silence!
Wait here, both of you.
Bill, I must see the governor.
-Who?
- His Excellency, the governor.
Here, what's the matter with you?
Sunstroke?
You're balmy.
Show me the way to the governor.
I must see the governor.
I might show you the way to
if I'm lucky, to Sergeant Cox.
Thanks, Bill.
But if you're fooling me, I'm for it.
- And you say this is the Prince of Tokot?
-Yes, Sergeant.
I must see the governor.
Show me the way.
Well, I can take you
as high as Captain Carvill...
but if you're fooling me,
I'm for it, you know.
Come on. Let's go.
Mr. Vice, the king.
Gentlemen, the king emperor.
[ Together]
The king emperor.
[ Murmuring ]
< [ Bagpipes ]
Well, I can tell the colonel...
but if you're fooling me, I'm for it.
Well, I can try it,
but if the beggar's fooling me, I'm for it.
Pipe Major, the king emperor.
The king emperor.
[ Speaking Gaelic]
- All right, Captain.
-Yes, sir.
- Now then.
- The murderer who rules Tokot.
- Who are you talking about?
- The khan, my uncle who killed my father.
Very well. Go on.
He is going to kill the British Resident.
To kill the British Resident —
nothing less than that.
Well, why should he?
To show the peoples of the mountains...
that the English
are not to be feared anymore.
He has invited all the rulers to Tokot
to see for themselves.
- He sent word?
- Yes.
- Very secretly, I suppose.
- Very secretly.
Did he send word to you too?
- No.
- Then how do you know?
The people of Tokot are loyal to me.
One of my servants came with the news.
And if we send troops to Tokot...
they will, of course, acclaim you
as rightful heir to the throne.
If I wanted that...
I would have only
to wait until they are killed.
I came because I want you to save them.
But that would be against your interests,
so why should you do that?
Captain Carruthers is my friend...
and Mrs. Carruthers
was very kind to me.
Don't you believe me?
Do you think I'm a liar?
Mrs. Carruthers saved my life.
I can't allow her to be killed.
Mrs. Carruthers is very dear to me too...
but you must understand
that I can't just take your word.
-You'd be for it?
- Eh?
He heard me use the expression, sir.
Oh. I'd be for it, my lad.
We all should.
Up and down the line from the viceroy
to your friend, the drummer boy.
No!
I'll send Colonel Adair with you,
and we'll send for you if we need you.
Then send somebody to Tokot to find me.
Hey! Stop! Come back! Come back!
-You came on horseback?
- Yes, Your Highness.
I shall take your horse
and leave at once.
You too.
Get horses from our friends and follow me.
-You're not going to Tokot?
- Did you tell the government people?
Yes, I did...
but they didn't believe me.
- [ Ra jab] All the better.
- [ Wafadar] And it is the will of Allah.
- But don't throw away your own life.
- Your uncle's got many spies.
[ Ra jab] Yes, and he's a cruel man,
and he'll get you and kill you.
[ Wafadar] That's as sure as the sun
will rise tomorrow.
We can't allow you to go.
Not allow me?
When my father was killed,
why did you save my life?
- Well, because —
- Well, because...
you're our rightful lord and ruler.
If I am your rightful lord and ruler...
[ Herrick]
I want to speak to the duty officer.
[ Man ]I don't care who you're after,
you can't come in here.
[ Chuckling ]
Herrick. It's all right, Corporal.
I must get in touch
with the governor at once.
- What, bad news?
- Bad news, very bad news from Tokot.
Government House.
On the fifth day of the great feast...
Captain Carruthers is invited to a banquet
at the palace of Ghul Khan.
The end of the feast
will be a signal for the massacre...
and the massacre will be a signal
for the uprising of all the mountain states.
How soon can a mobile column
reach Tokot?
Four battalions, mountain battery.
And the fifth day of the great feast
is only four days off.
- When can you start?
- Daybreak, Your Excellency.
♪♪ [ Flutes: March]
♪♪ [ Fades]
Eh?
I managed to refuse the invitation
for the whole of the detachment...
and I hope that the 250 that remain
will look after the 50 that go.
Well, it's a wise precaution.
Of course, if you'd refused
his invitation entirely —
- No, I couldn't do that.
- No, that would be an insult.
Besides, it would give him more food
for his propaganda.
Huh. Why, he'd be saying next...
that the English are too terrified
even to eat.
[ Laughs]
Ah, you know, Carruthers.
In the game of international politics...
it's the scoundrel
who holds all the trumps.
- Anyhow, you look after Marjorie, will you?
- Of course.
Thanks. That's all I wanted
to see you about.
You're invited to an evening party
by the Khan of Tokot...
and you're responsible for the good name
of the British army.
- Have you got that, Kelly?
-Yes, Sergeant.
Another thing —
You won't get any alcoholic liquors.
You'll get water, which is good for you.
And tea — tea, green and otherwise.
So the first man who says,
“Mine's a double Bass, miss”...
- Do you follow me, Kelly?
-Yes, Sergeant.
We shall be the guests
of a Mohammedan prince...
and any nosy parkering...
round the harem doors...
will be met with severe...
and painful punishment.
- Got that, Kelly?
-Yes, Sergeant.
And finally...
whatever entertainments
are given to you...
you've got to be pleased.
Whether it's snakes
or stomach waggling...
I want to see a look of rapture
on your faces!
Know what a look of rapture is, Kelly?
Like what Gunner Wilson had
when he strained himself with the howitzer.
- [ Men Laughing ]
- Silence!
Parade! Shun!
Thanks.
I think you ought to stay here.
Mmm.
Well, it would be the end
of an awfully good tie if we were.
- How's that?
- Ah, that's fine.
No wonder they're gonna
make you a colonel.
If you think this is a trap,
why walk into it with your eyes open?
- Do you remember Sir Louis Cavagnari?
- Yes.
He was British Resident in Kabul.
Yes. When was that?
- About 60 years ago.
- Well, a bit before my time.
He was massacred
with all his escort, wasn't he?
He walked into a trap with his eyes open,
and so did Gordon.
Yes, but he got out
of a good many tight corners...
before he was cut down at Khartoum.
Exactly, and as a result of that,
Kitchener conquered the Sudan...
and we've had peace there
for two generations.
A not-unusual preliminary
to our establishing law and order...
is the murder
of one of our representatives.
As one of our representatives,
I find you a most exhilarating companion.
- Do you know any other funny stories?
- Well, I know a happier example.
- Do you remember the Chitral campaign in 1857?
- Yes.
Sir George Robertson, the British Resident,
was besieged for months...
but he held the residency
until the British relief force arrived...
and that's why I want you to remain here.
Yes.
Are you ready?
Let's go.
I say...
are you properly equipped
for a ceremonial dinner?
4« [ Men Singing In Native Language ]
Okay.
Wait downstairs for me, will you?
I must see my wife.
Right.
23 Singing Continues |
Don't, darling.
In a few hours, the feast will be over,
and everything will be quiet again.
But are you quite sure
everything will be all right at the palace?
Of course.
When I accepted the invitation...
I made it a condition that the road from
the palace should be kept open until I return.
And you still don't know what happened
to Mohammed Khan?
No, but the khan promised
I should see him.
You'll see. Everything will be fine.
Yes. I'll see.
All right?
Carry on, Sergeant!
[ Sergeant Shouting Orders ]
- You know your most important order?
- Yes, sir. The bugle call.
As soon as I hear the bugle, I'm to lead
the sortie into the courtyard of the palace.
- Well, keep your eyes open.
- Yes, sir. Have a good time, sir.
- All right. Thanks.
- Form fours!
Right! By the left, quick march!
[ Bagpipes ]
Eyes right!
♪♪ [ Stringed Instrument, Percussion]
[ Speaks Native Language ]
♪♪ [ Continues]
[ Belches ]
Thank you, Umra Beg.
[ Belches ]
But you must never do that
in front of our English friends.
- They consider it a most barbarous habit.
- Not at all, Your Highness.
We know that in the East, it's considered
a gracious tribute to your host...
a compliment which marks the end
of a perfect entertainment.
Not of the entertainment,
merely of the dinner.
The entertainment is yet to come.
I Faster
Everything's under control, Doctor.
Is it?
Come here.
- There's not a servant in the house.
- What, they've bolted?
It must have been one of them
who put the wireless out of order.
- What?
- Yes. There'll be an attack tonight all right.
- Does Marjorie know?
- Not yet.
♪♪ [ More Instruments Join In,
Pace Quickens ]
as something unspeakably
vulgar and barbaric?
Probably because Your Highness feels
that women should never dance with men.
Only for men.
You think that if they dance together,
the man, uh...
loses a great deal of his dignity.
And the woman
something of her chastity.
We believe in equality of rights.
Equality of rights?
Have you ever heard of the lamb persuading
the tiger to live in peace with him...
and respect his equality of rights?
Has the musket equal rights
with the machine gun?
- [ Drum Pounding Rhythm ]
- ♪♪ [Stops ]
No, no. no, gentlemen.
Keep your seats.
That was only
the first stroke of the drum.
As you know...
♪♪ [ Man Singing ]
[ Shouting, Cheering ]
[ Shouting, Cheering Continue, Faint]
And maybe I was a wee bit
more limber on me toes...
when I won the first prize
at the Highland games...
but I think we can still show these people
something that'll astonish them.
-Come on!
- [ Men Cheering ]
[ Bagpipes Tuning Up]
♪♪ [ Upbeat]
[ Cheering Continues ]
What is that?
Bagpipes, Your Highness.
Entertaining the entertainers.
See what civilization has done
for your dancing and your music?
♪♪ I Bagpipes Continue
[ Whoops ]
[Grunting ]
[ Drum Pounding Continues ]
- Oh, will they never stop their drumming?
- There, there. Very soon.
That was the second signal.
One more, and the feast is over,
and the sacred drum is silent.
So silent that you'll ask for more.
I never want to hear another drum again.
[ Drum Pounding Continues ]
[ Soldiers Whooping ]
Azim.
The signal.
Machine gun.
- Bugler, alarm.
- Yes. Now!
Jo [ Reveille]
[ Officer Shouts ]
♪♪ Bugle Continues -
- Shouting
[ Soldiers Shouting ]
[ Machine Gun Fire Continues ]
[ Clamoring ]
Here!
Share that among ya!
Mohammed Khan.
- [ Incoherent Mumbling ]
- I promised you should see him.
[Sobs]
[ Weeping ]
Don't cry, Mrs. Carruthers.
I would gladly have given my life
if could have got here in time...
to warn Captain Carruthers.
You risked your life to come here,
Prince Azim.
You're very brave...
and good to me.
You helped me
when you didn't know who I was.
Now I want to help you.
So don't cry.
I will save your husband.
Believe me, I will save him.
For a wooden cage I have.
I will put you in the cage...
and it will be carried
through all the mountain states...
so that the people may know
how the English are to be feared.
You're a mad dreamer,
but you'll wake up one of these days.
Before I do,
you will write an order, Carruthers —
an order to evacuate the residency.
- I promise your troops safe conduct.
- “Safe conduct.”
You swine, you shot at them
when they were your guests.
Write the order, Carruthers,
if you wish to speak again.
Call your executioner, do whatever
your hellish brain can conceive...
but you won't harm anybody
over there because —
[ Explosions ]
Your Highness?
Don't whisper in my ear.
Speak up!
A report has just come in that
the British troops have crossed the border.
Give the order! Sound the alarm!
Quick! Quick, quick!
[ Explosions ]
I swear by all that I believe —
If those troops ever come up here...
I'll have your head thrown
in front of their horses” hooves.
[ Gunfire, Explosions ]
[ Soldier Shouting ]
[ Man Chattering ]
[ Man Shouting ]
[ Soldiers Shouting ]
[ Explosions ]
Fire!
- [ Shouting Continues ]
- [ Gunfire Continues ]
[ Bomb Whistles ]
What orders, Your Highness?
Abdul, you must go at once...
through the north gate
over the high pass.
In two days we are in Turk is tan.
Soon I will be back here
stronger than ever.
Take this box. Guard it well.
If we have money,
we have power, everything.
Always I win. Now go.
Very well.
Mustapha.
Take your men and go to the tower.
Cut off the heads
of the two prisoners now.
[ All Shouting ]
[ Gunshot ]
[ Gunshot ]
[ Shouting In Native Language ]
The British troops are leaving Tokot...
but I am very happy to know...
that my best friends
are remaining just a little longer.
Prince Azim.
Your Highness, would you do me the honor
of inspecting the troops before they leave?
It will be a pleasure, Your Excellency.
After you, Mrs. Carruthers.
[ Crowd Cheering ]
[ Cheering Continues ]
♪♪ [ Salute For Guard ]
- ♪♪ [Bugles, Drums Stop]
- [Cheering Continues]