Kung Fu (1972–1975): Season 2, Episode 9 - The Salamander - full transcript
Caine saves a man's mind by demonstrating that ugliness -- and reality and illusion -- can be in the eye of the beholder.
l am a friend.
lnside...
...the shirt.
What?
The shirt. lnside.
My wife.
l want...
...her to have it.
Yes.
Where is your wife?
Fort Nomie.
-Sir, we heard your shots.
-l'm glad you were out looking for us.
Yes, sir. The men,
are they all dead, sir?
-Yeah, all of them and the surveyor too.
-We'd better get you back to the fort.
l led my men out here,
and l'll lead them back.
Now, you go about
your duties, understand?!
Yes, sir.
We found it on him, sir.
Just say the word. l'd love
to put him out of his misery.
l am ready.
Had you good cause
to risk this danger?
My purpose was to prove
my agility and my courage.
l had hoped such qualities
were already yours.
l sought to test them.
For yourself or them?
ls it not better to see yourself truly...
...than care about how others see you?
Yes, master.
lf l look truly, will l see truly?
lt can be done.
Mrs. Piper. Mrs. Piper.
l don't see anybody
but the lieutenant.
-You think they're all...?
-Yeah.
We were ambushed by bandoleros up in
Crow's Canyon, with results as follows:
Twelve dead,
including the civilian, Piper.
Oh, my God.
Prisoners taken: one.
-Reede.
-Sir?
Take the lieutenant
and dress his wound.
Sir, request permission to carry out
my responsibility to my men.
l'll see to your men.
Yes, sir.
We could've been
with them in that wagon.
Yeah.
And for what?
-Let us at him. We'll fix him.
-How brave we are all of a sudden.
Too bad you weren't
when the guns were firing.
That's a funny thing
about them shallow wounds.
They got a way of hurting
even more than the deep ones.
Particularly one like this.
You got powder burns besides.
Had to have been
at extremely close quarters, sir.
No, you don't have to say
''yea'' or ''nay'' to me. l can tell.
l've been around enough wounds.
l can read them like they was printing.
Yes, sir. l can tell.
You're just like
your father before you...
...an Army man,
a fighter through and through.
Yeah, it's gonna be all right.
First platoon ready for muster, sir.
Very well.
Wagner, Eugene. Corporal.
Here, sir.
-Faulkenberg, Charles. Private.
-Here, sir.
-Ferraze, Joseph. Private.
-Here, sir.
-Callahan....
-l'm glad nobody's sounding off for me.
-Durand, Thomas. Private.
-Here, sir.
-Whalan, Edward. Private.
-Here, sir.
-O'Neil, John. Private.
-Here, sir.
-Raleigh, Henry. Private.
-Here, sir.
-Schwab, Joseph. Private.
-Here, sir.
-Morgan, George. Private.
-Here, sir.
Piper, James. Civilian.
Here, sir.
-Sergeant.
-Honor guard, prepare.
Fire.
Fire.
Prepare.
Fire.
Order.
Arms.
No tribute can repay
the sacrifice of these men.
The honor we do them here
is of no meaning to them.
But if we hold high their courage
as a standard to be met...
...l believe their departure from
our ranks will have been nobly marked.
That is the least we can do.
-Mrs. Piper.
-Lieutenant.
l'd like a few words
with you, lieutenant.
Yes, of course, ma'am.
Please.
l trust your leg isn't too serious.
No, ma'am. lt's just a scratch.
Thank you.
l don't suppose you
have a wife, lieutenant.
No, ma'am.
Jim and l were married
for 1 7 years.
Mrs. Piper, l wish there was something
l could say that would comfort you.
At night, when we'd be having
our dinner, Jim would always...
...tell me what he did that day.
lt was his life, but we shared it,
every moment of it.
Yes, ma'am.
l want to hear how Jim died.
l didn't see Jim get hit.
But your platoon was supposed to be
right there with him, protecting him.
The platoon was there,
ma'am, all around him.
When the firing began,
l was knocked to the ground...
...and the main action swept by me...
...and l tried to get back to Jim
and the men, but l couldn't.
l had my own battle going on.
l didn't understand.
-l'm sorry l bothered you, lieutenant.
-lt's no bother.
l guess there's no one
who can tell me about Jim.
That's Jim's watch.
Oh, l'm sorry, l forgot.
l meant to give this to you.
He always kept it inside his shirt.
He wouldn't keep it in his pocket.
-l'm surprised you knew this.
-l didn't, ma'am.
-But you found it.
-No.
A bandolero found it, ma'am.
The prisoner we brought back.
l want to speak to that man,
lieutenant.
Mrs. Piper.
Please.
He asked that l bring this to you.
-My husband spoke to you?
-As best he could.
He's lying, ma'am.
Jim was already dead, and this thief
was looking for what he could find.
That is not so.
Where did my husband
have this? ln a pocket?
No. Here. lnside.
You can't let these people
fool you, Mrs. Piper.
Lying is a way of life to them.
-Would it serve me to lie?
-You know it would.
The penalty for robbing
the dead is execution.
ls it not the same
for any bandolero?
-l'm not gonna argue with you.
-Did you...?
-Did you kill my husband?
-No.
Why would l kill him?
He had done me no harm.
He was a surveyor.
He didn't even carry a gun.
l am grateful the watch
has come to you as he wished.
ls there anything else
my husband told you?
lt was hard for him to speak.
-There was so little time.
-Oh, my God.
He knew he was to die,
yet he did not complain.
That would be like him.
Jim was never anyone
to think of himself.
He thought of you.
Thank you.
l'll go now.
Paulding.
Why don't you believe
that man, lieutenant?
Mrs. Piper, l just can't see Jim
asking any man...
...who was part of that slaughter
to do him a favor.
-But that man is kind, lieutenant.
-He's a killer. That's how he stays alive.
You're a kind man, lieutenant...
...and isn't that how you stay alive?
l don't understand
your reasoning, Hamel.
What's today got to do with us?
-Captain has to find replacements, right?
-Right.
-Where is he gonna find them?
-The division. Where else?
The division's below strength already.
You figure it out.
The captain's gonna put us
back in the ranks.
Yeah.
He has to.
That means we're gonna end up just
like those guys in the wagon today...
...massacred.
Maybe you are.
Brave men who are gone...
...and the brave man who came back.
What is it, Bill?
What are you feeling? Guilt? Remorse
that you survived and the others didn't?
That's a natural reaction.
lt's commendable, but it hurts.
You'll get over it.
Captain...
...l would give anything to claim l was
like those men who died there today...
...truly brave...
...but l can't say that.
l heard the same kind of talk from
your father after his first engagement...
...only l happen to have been fighting
right beside him and saw what he did.
You are like him, son,
in more ways than you know.
No, sir. No, l'm not.
l always hoped l would be...
...but l'm beginning to realize it takes
more than having the same name...
...and going to the same academy
and wearing the same uniform.
More important things
are a soldier's heart, which you have...
...and the opportunity
to prove yourself.
You did that today.
You certainly did.
ln fact, you virtually
made your career today.
The Army gives
preferential treatment...
...to any young officer who distinguishes
himself in his first test of fire.
Sir, l lost a whole platoon of men.
Despite being wounded,
you took a prisoner...
...and you held your ground
until your dead could be brought out.
You want to end up
in a command like this...
...facing retirement,
still nothing better than a captain?
No.
Oh, you'd come to accept it, Bill...
...but only because you finally realized...
...there's nothing
you can do to change it.
Yes, sir. Twelve men are dead,
and l'm to be rewarded...
...and that's what l have to accept?
That's right.
Now, if they hang that flag
upside down, you still salute.
That's what makes an army.
You stop faulting your luck, son.
Glory in it.
Ride it for all it's worth.
Maybe you can match your father
and make colonel before you're 35.
Nothing would honor
his memory more.
What is your name?
l am Caine.
l didn't believe any of those things
you told the lady...
...but l let you get away with it
because l knew she wanted to believe it.
She loved her husband very much.
Yes.
So l guess, in a way, you helped her.
-Did you kill her husband?
-No.
You can admit it. lt's not going
to make it any worse for you.
Or maybe you don't remember how many
people you killed out there today.
lt was all so sudden...
...so violent.
All those rifles firing at once.
Then the screams.
Maybe you didn't really know
what happened. You just did it.
You must have killed more than
your share just to have survived.
-l was not there.
-You were there. l saw you, remember?
Tell me.
How do you kill a man?
You are a soldier,
and you ask me?
ln training, we only played at killing.
Today was my first time
against a real enemy.
l cannot tell you
what you want to know.
You do nothing to save yourself.
Do you realize that in the morning
you'll be hauled before a firing squad?
Who will give the order
to shoot? You?
Perhaps then you will
have the knowledge you seek.
Grasshopper.
-Yes, master.
-Have you injured yourself?
My knee hurts from hitting the stone,
but it is nothing serious.
l am glad. Did you not think
to look where you were going?
l placed the sash over my eyes.
l chose not to see.
Do you prefer darkness to light?
l wanted to know darkness.
Why, grasshopper?
l wanted to be like you.
lt is nothing to place one foot
in front of the other...
...but to walk without seeing
is most special.
l never thought it special,
only unavoidable.
ls it not better to enjoy
the gift of light that is yours...
...than to seek a darkness
you are spared?
Don't make a sound.
-Get the Chinaman out.
-What are you messing with him for?
You wanna take a chance on him
sounding the alarm? Come on, move.
Come on.
The lieutenant's out there.
Lieutenant?
-Hey, a mule could carry more.
-But a mule can't jump a wall either.
Let's go.
Keep moving, Chinaman, or when we get
clear, l'll leave you for the bandoleros.
All right, men, back to your posts.
-Ready to move out any time you are, sir.
-Very good, sergeant.
-Good morning, sir.
-Lieutenant.
They're probably headed for the border.
You shouldn't have much trouble
picking up their trail.
Do you recall what l said
about the Army's concern...
...with positive achievement?
Yes, sir.
One of the significant things
you did was to take a prisoner.
Now that man's escaped, it tends
to tip the scales the other way.
-You understand what l'm saying?
-Yes, sir. l understand.
Get him back, son.
Yes, sir. l will.
l hope you find him, sir.
Ten-hut!
Hey, go easy on that, will you?
That's gotta last us.
We'll get more.
l'd like to know where.
You know, maybe we were crazy.
At least that cell was out of the sun.
-Why don't you head back, then.
-l'm thinking about it.
Well, l'm too young for a pine box.
We ought to be
spotting them soon, sir.
They had all night
to cover some territory.
A lot to cover.
You know, sometimes, sir, when you
look at this big country of ours...
...it seems like there's no end to it.
You know, sir, it takes
several years just to be surveyed.
How long have you been
stationed out here?
Let's see. About--
Going on three years, sir.
You must be about ready
to put in for a transfer.
No, sir. Not until this job is done...
...and we make this territory
safe for the settlers to move in.
-You like this duty, then?
-Yes, sir. l like it.
l like the feeling of knowing that
what l'm doing-- Well, it's important.
What about the killing?
l never really thought much
about it, sir.
Canter!
Get down. There's a patrol coming.
Get on your feet. Keep walking.
Go. Don't look back, just walk.
-Yes, sir. Three it is.
-Go in there and scout that clearing.
The lieutenant's shying off.
Just give him time.
You feared for your lives,
and so you ran away...
...and now you will
take the lives of others?
Just be ready to hand me
that ammunition.
You wait till they're all together.
l'll give the word.
You come up against some bandoleros,
sir, it wouldn't do to be out here alone.
Sir, l can spare one of the men.
That won't be necessary, sergeant.
Yes, sir. Well, lieutenant,
can l tell the captain...
...that you'll be back
sometime around nightfall?
That man was one
of the butchers of my patrol.
l'll be back when l have him.
Do not be afraid, little friend.
l do not wish to harm him,
only to play.
He thinks you are as others
and would have him for your supper.
l could never do that.
-What is keeping his hand in the jar?
-Let us see.
lf it is so easy, then what
was it that held him?
Put your hand in the jar.
Remove it.
This time...
...take out the fruit.
l cannot do it, master.
How, then, can you remove it?
By dropping the fruit.
That is a very foolish monkey.
The gardens are filled with fruit...
...yet he chose to hold on
to the one in the jar.
l am pleased you are
wiser than the monkey.
l am much wiser, master.
l would hope you remain so...
...and will know when to let go of those
things which do not serve you...
...but force you to serve them.
My father never shrank from his duty.
Why do l?
What is your duty?
lt's to be a soldier.
Perhaps you are not
suited to be a soldier.
But l wanna be-- l am a soldier.
But l can't kill you.
Are you unable...
-...or unwilling?
-l'm afraid.
l'm a coward without
the courage to kill an enemy.
Who is a man, like yourself.
You really didn't take part
in that battle?
No.
When am l gonna
learn the secret...
...to see the man...
...to point the gun...
...and to squeeze the trigger?
Why must you learn such a secret?
Because until l do,
l'll remain a coward.
To endanger yourself
to save another's life...
...is this the act of a coward?
lt's not enough for a soldier.
lt is enough for a man.
l'll say goodbye here.
What will you tell your captain?
l'll tell him...
...what happened.
-Will you be a soldier still?
-No.
No, l'll look for a different way
to be of use.
Something l'm more suited to.
You will find it.
lnside...
...the shirt.
What?
The shirt. lnside.
My wife.
l want...
...her to have it.
Yes.
Where is your wife?
Fort Nomie.
-Sir, we heard your shots.
-l'm glad you were out looking for us.
Yes, sir. The men,
are they all dead, sir?
-Yeah, all of them and the surveyor too.
-We'd better get you back to the fort.
l led my men out here,
and l'll lead them back.
Now, you go about
your duties, understand?!
Yes, sir.
We found it on him, sir.
Just say the word. l'd love
to put him out of his misery.
l am ready.
Had you good cause
to risk this danger?
My purpose was to prove
my agility and my courage.
l had hoped such qualities
were already yours.
l sought to test them.
For yourself or them?
ls it not better to see yourself truly...
...than care about how others see you?
Yes, master.
lf l look truly, will l see truly?
lt can be done.
Mrs. Piper. Mrs. Piper.
l don't see anybody
but the lieutenant.
-You think they're all...?
-Yeah.
We were ambushed by bandoleros up in
Crow's Canyon, with results as follows:
Twelve dead,
including the civilian, Piper.
Oh, my God.
Prisoners taken: one.
-Reede.
-Sir?
Take the lieutenant
and dress his wound.
Sir, request permission to carry out
my responsibility to my men.
l'll see to your men.
Yes, sir.
We could've been
with them in that wagon.
Yeah.
And for what?
-Let us at him. We'll fix him.
-How brave we are all of a sudden.
Too bad you weren't
when the guns were firing.
That's a funny thing
about them shallow wounds.
They got a way of hurting
even more than the deep ones.
Particularly one like this.
You got powder burns besides.
Had to have been
at extremely close quarters, sir.
No, you don't have to say
''yea'' or ''nay'' to me. l can tell.
l've been around enough wounds.
l can read them like they was printing.
Yes, sir. l can tell.
You're just like
your father before you...
...an Army man,
a fighter through and through.
Yeah, it's gonna be all right.
First platoon ready for muster, sir.
Very well.
Wagner, Eugene. Corporal.
Here, sir.
-Faulkenberg, Charles. Private.
-Here, sir.
-Ferraze, Joseph. Private.
-Here, sir.
-Callahan....
-l'm glad nobody's sounding off for me.
-Durand, Thomas. Private.
-Here, sir.
-Whalan, Edward. Private.
-Here, sir.
-O'Neil, John. Private.
-Here, sir.
-Raleigh, Henry. Private.
-Here, sir.
-Schwab, Joseph. Private.
-Here, sir.
-Morgan, George. Private.
-Here, sir.
Piper, James. Civilian.
Here, sir.
-Sergeant.
-Honor guard, prepare.
Fire.
Fire.
Prepare.
Fire.
Order.
Arms.
No tribute can repay
the sacrifice of these men.
The honor we do them here
is of no meaning to them.
But if we hold high their courage
as a standard to be met...
...l believe their departure from
our ranks will have been nobly marked.
That is the least we can do.
-Mrs. Piper.
-Lieutenant.
l'd like a few words
with you, lieutenant.
Yes, of course, ma'am.
Please.
l trust your leg isn't too serious.
No, ma'am. lt's just a scratch.
Thank you.
l don't suppose you
have a wife, lieutenant.
No, ma'am.
Jim and l were married
for 1 7 years.
Mrs. Piper, l wish there was something
l could say that would comfort you.
At night, when we'd be having
our dinner, Jim would always...
...tell me what he did that day.
lt was his life, but we shared it,
every moment of it.
Yes, ma'am.
l want to hear how Jim died.
l didn't see Jim get hit.
But your platoon was supposed to be
right there with him, protecting him.
The platoon was there,
ma'am, all around him.
When the firing began,
l was knocked to the ground...
...and the main action swept by me...
...and l tried to get back to Jim
and the men, but l couldn't.
l had my own battle going on.
l didn't understand.
-l'm sorry l bothered you, lieutenant.
-lt's no bother.
l guess there's no one
who can tell me about Jim.
That's Jim's watch.
Oh, l'm sorry, l forgot.
l meant to give this to you.
He always kept it inside his shirt.
He wouldn't keep it in his pocket.
-l'm surprised you knew this.
-l didn't, ma'am.
-But you found it.
-No.
A bandolero found it, ma'am.
The prisoner we brought back.
l want to speak to that man,
lieutenant.
Mrs. Piper.
Please.
He asked that l bring this to you.
-My husband spoke to you?
-As best he could.
He's lying, ma'am.
Jim was already dead, and this thief
was looking for what he could find.
That is not so.
Where did my husband
have this? ln a pocket?
No. Here. lnside.
You can't let these people
fool you, Mrs. Piper.
Lying is a way of life to them.
-Would it serve me to lie?
-You know it would.
The penalty for robbing
the dead is execution.
ls it not the same
for any bandolero?
-l'm not gonna argue with you.
-Did you...?
-Did you kill my husband?
-No.
Why would l kill him?
He had done me no harm.
He was a surveyor.
He didn't even carry a gun.
l am grateful the watch
has come to you as he wished.
ls there anything else
my husband told you?
lt was hard for him to speak.
-There was so little time.
-Oh, my God.
He knew he was to die,
yet he did not complain.
That would be like him.
Jim was never anyone
to think of himself.
He thought of you.
Thank you.
l'll go now.
Paulding.
Why don't you believe
that man, lieutenant?
Mrs. Piper, l just can't see Jim
asking any man...
...who was part of that slaughter
to do him a favor.
-But that man is kind, lieutenant.
-He's a killer. That's how he stays alive.
You're a kind man, lieutenant...
...and isn't that how you stay alive?
l don't understand
your reasoning, Hamel.
What's today got to do with us?
-Captain has to find replacements, right?
-Right.
-Where is he gonna find them?
-The division. Where else?
The division's below strength already.
You figure it out.
The captain's gonna put us
back in the ranks.
Yeah.
He has to.
That means we're gonna end up just
like those guys in the wagon today...
...massacred.
Maybe you are.
Brave men who are gone...
...and the brave man who came back.
What is it, Bill?
What are you feeling? Guilt? Remorse
that you survived and the others didn't?
That's a natural reaction.
lt's commendable, but it hurts.
You'll get over it.
Captain...
...l would give anything to claim l was
like those men who died there today...
...truly brave...
...but l can't say that.
l heard the same kind of talk from
your father after his first engagement...
...only l happen to have been fighting
right beside him and saw what he did.
You are like him, son,
in more ways than you know.
No, sir. No, l'm not.
l always hoped l would be...
...but l'm beginning to realize it takes
more than having the same name...
...and going to the same academy
and wearing the same uniform.
More important things
are a soldier's heart, which you have...
...and the opportunity
to prove yourself.
You did that today.
You certainly did.
ln fact, you virtually
made your career today.
The Army gives
preferential treatment...
...to any young officer who distinguishes
himself in his first test of fire.
Sir, l lost a whole platoon of men.
Despite being wounded,
you took a prisoner...
...and you held your ground
until your dead could be brought out.
You want to end up
in a command like this...
...facing retirement,
still nothing better than a captain?
No.
Oh, you'd come to accept it, Bill...
...but only because you finally realized...
...there's nothing
you can do to change it.
Yes, sir. Twelve men are dead,
and l'm to be rewarded...
...and that's what l have to accept?
That's right.
Now, if they hang that flag
upside down, you still salute.
That's what makes an army.
You stop faulting your luck, son.
Glory in it.
Ride it for all it's worth.
Maybe you can match your father
and make colonel before you're 35.
Nothing would honor
his memory more.
What is your name?
l am Caine.
l didn't believe any of those things
you told the lady...
...but l let you get away with it
because l knew she wanted to believe it.
She loved her husband very much.
Yes.
So l guess, in a way, you helped her.
-Did you kill her husband?
-No.
You can admit it. lt's not going
to make it any worse for you.
Or maybe you don't remember how many
people you killed out there today.
lt was all so sudden...
...so violent.
All those rifles firing at once.
Then the screams.
Maybe you didn't really know
what happened. You just did it.
You must have killed more than
your share just to have survived.
-l was not there.
-You were there. l saw you, remember?
Tell me.
How do you kill a man?
You are a soldier,
and you ask me?
ln training, we only played at killing.
Today was my first time
against a real enemy.
l cannot tell you
what you want to know.
You do nothing to save yourself.
Do you realize that in the morning
you'll be hauled before a firing squad?
Who will give the order
to shoot? You?
Perhaps then you will
have the knowledge you seek.
Grasshopper.
-Yes, master.
-Have you injured yourself?
My knee hurts from hitting the stone,
but it is nothing serious.
l am glad. Did you not think
to look where you were going?
l placed the sash over my eyes.
l chose not to see.
Do you prefer darkness to light?
l wanted to know darkness.
Why, grasshopper?
l wanted to be like you.
lt is nothing to place one foot
in front of the other...
...but to walk without seeing
is most special.
l never thought it special,
only unavoidable.
ls it not better to enjoy
the gift of light that is yours...
...than to seek a darkness
you are spared?
Don't make a sound.
-Get the Chinaman out.
-What are you messing with him for?
You wanna take a chance on him
sounding the alarm? Come on, move.
Come on.
The lieutenant's out there.
Lieutenant?
-Hey, a mule could carry more.
-But a mule can't jump a wall either.
Let's go.
Keep moving, Chinaman, or when we get
clear, l'll leave you for the bandoleros.
All right, men, back to your posts.
-Ready to move out any time you are, sir.
-Very good, sergeant.
-Good morning, sir.
-Lieutenant.
They're probably headed for the border.
You shouldn't have much trouble
picking up their trail.
Do you recall what l said
about the Army's concern...
...with positive achievement?
Yes, sir.
One of the significant things
you did was to take a prisoner.
Now that man's escaped, it tends
to tip the scales the other way.
-You understand what l'm saying?
-Yes, sir. l understand.
Get him back, son.
Yes, sir. l will.
l hope you find him, sir.
Ten-hut!
Hey, go easy on that, will you?
That's gotta last us.
We'll get more.
l'd like to know where.
You know, maybe we were crazy.
At least that cell was out of the sun.
-Why don't you head back, then.
-l'm thinking about it.
Well, l'm too young for a pine box.
We ought to be
spotting them soon, sir.
They had all night
to cover some territory.
A lot to cover.
You know, sometimes, sir, when you
look at this big country of ours...
...it seems like there's no end to it.
You know, sir, it takes
several years just to be surveyed.
How long have you been
stationed out here?
Let's see. About--
Going on three years, sir.
You must be about ready
to put in for a transfer.
No, sir. Not until this job is done...
...and we make this territory
safe for the settlers to move in.
-You like this duty, then?
-Yes, sir. l like it.
l like the feeling of knowing that
what l'm doing-- Well, it's important.
What about the killing?
l never really thought much
about it, sir.
Canter!
Get down. There's a patrol coming.
Get on your feet. Keep walking.
Go. Don't look back, just walk.
-Yes, sir. Three it is.
-Go in there and scout that clearing.
The lieutenant's shying off.
Just give him time.
You feared for your lives,
and so you ran away...
...and now you will
take the lives of others?
Just be ready to hand me
that ammunition.
You wait till they're all together.
l'll give the word.
You come up against some bandoleros,
sir, it wouldn't do to be out here alone.
Sir, l can spare one of the men.
That won't be necessary, sergeant.
Yes, sir. Well, lieutenant,
can l tell the captain...
...that you'll be back
sometime around nightfall?
That man was one
of the butchers of my patrol.
l'll be back when l have him.
Do not be afraid, little friend.
l do not wish to harm him,
only to play.
He thinks you are as others
and would have him for your supper.
l could never do that.
-What is keeping his hand in the jar?
-Let us see.
lf it is so easy, then what
was it that held him?
Put your hand in the jar.
Remove it.
This time...
...take out the fruit.
l cannot do it, master.
How, then, can you remove it?
By dropping the fruit.
That is a very foolish monkey.
The gardens are filled with fruit...
...yet he chose to hold on
to the one in the jar.
l am pleased you are
wiser than the monkey.
l am much wiser, master.
l would hope you remain so...
...and will know when to let go of those
things which do not serve you...
...but force you to serve them.
My father never shrank from his duty.
Why do l?
What is your duty?
lt's to be a soldier.
Perhaps you are not
suited to be a soldier.
But l wanna be-- l am a soldier.
But l can't kill you.
Are you unable...
-...or unwilling?
-l'm afraid.
l'm a coward without
the courage to kill an enemy.
Who is a man, like yourself.
You really didn't take part
in that battle?
No.
When am l gonna
learn the secret...
...to see the man...
...to point the gun...
...and to squeeze the trigger?
Why must you learn such a secret?
Because until l do,
l'll remain a coward.
To endanger yourself
to save another's life...
...is this the act of a coward?
lt's not enough for a soldier.
lt is enough for a man.
l'll say goodbye here.
What will you tell your captain?
l'll tell him...
...what happened.
-Will you be a soldier still?
-No.
No, l'll look for a different way
to be of use.
Something l'm more suited to.
You will find it.