"HE INHALES SHARPLY" "Do not... move." "~ What do you want?" "~ I want my food back." "Kill me and you'll hang." "I would sooner hang than starve." "Do it, then." "Do it!" "BUGLE SOUNDS REVEILLE" "The hungrier I get, the easier this will get." "GUARDS SHOUT OUTSIDE" "This little polar bear." "~ Do not make me laugh." "~ He goes to his father." ""Father," he says, "am I a polar bear?" ""Are you sure I'm a polar bear?" ""Am I not a grizzly bear or some other type of bear?"" ""No, my son," he says." ""You are a polar bear."" "Do not make me laugh!" "He goes to his mother." ""Mother, are you sure I'm a polar bear?" ""Not a grizzly or some other type?"" ""You are a polar bear, my son," says his mother." "Please do not do this, Tommy." "You know it hurts when I laugh." ""Grandad," he says, "are you sure that I'm a polar bear" ""and not a grizzly or some other type?"" ""You are a polar bear," says Grandad." ""Now what is wrong?"" "And the little polar bear says," ""Cos I am fucking freezing."" "Ow!" "Ow!" "Ow!" "GUARD:" "Step it up, keep the line moving." "~ Yes, boss." "~ Yes, boss." "Move along, move along." "~ Eat your breakfast." "~ Work to do!" "~ Thank you." "~ You are welcome." "If you have not eaten, eat now!" "Come on!" "Have you had any food?" "I can give you some bread." "Thank you." "Where is Tommy?" "Fetching his belongings." "Tommy told me what you said." "What did I say?" "You offered to look after me should Tommy die." "I said only if I absolutely had to." "~ Thank you." "~ He was about to hang, so... ~ Thank you." "~ It's a little white lie for Tommy's peace of mind." "~ Hmm!" "Tommy offered to help me and I wonder if that has changed now." "Help you do what?" "Kill Marston." "I am desperate." "They will hang you for it." "Possibly." "Possibly?" "Marston steals your food, Marston is found dead." "Who else could it be?" "He will not be found dead." "I will bury him." "~ Where?" "~ On the beach." "He still disappears." "They will still hang you." "No." "I will tell them he has escaped." "With no body, who can disprove it?" "They will not need to disprove it." "They will just hang you." "Well, I will take that risk." "But must Tommy take it too?" "Tommy." "I promise you I will never drop you in it." "TOMMY CLEARS THROAT" "Where will we do it?" "~ The latrines?" "~ No." "It has to be away from the camp." "Please, Tommy." "There has to be another way." "~ Where is Tommy Barrett?" "~ MAN:" "In there, sir." "Why are you in the married quarters?" "Er, I was bringing them something, boss." "You have brought it now, so go." "Go." "~ It is true, then?" "~ What, boss?" "You did not hang?" "We got married instead." "What?" "Go." "The vicar married you?" "~ And the governor." "~ You are serious?" "Oh, yes, boss." "And she's not even pregnant, boss." "GUARD:" "Breakfast is over!" "On your feet!" "GUARD:" "Come on, work to do - move it!" "He is our friend." "We cannot watch him starve to death." "GUARD:" "Pick those up!" "Women to the left, men to the right!" "'Dear Lord... '.. there are times that I rage at you 'for what you have done to me and my wife." "'Such pain, Lord." "'Such sorrow." "'Time and time again... '.. as on that scaffold...'" ".. my wife shows that she is the most... .. thoughtful, the most intelligent... .. most God-fearing, most beautiful woman on your Earth..." ".. and there is nothing, Lord, that I cannot endure... .. as long as she is by my side." "Amen." "Amen." "Major Ross here, Vicar." "Hmm." "~ You married them?" "~ Yes." "~ Because you lacked the guts to hang him?" "~ No." "Because Thomas Barrett is the most Christ-like man I have ever met." "A man of courage, principle, integrity." "A leader." "All the more reason to hang him, you fool." "Major Ross." "I need to see the governor." "He has had no sleep." "He is getting some now." "~ Why are you here?" "~ I am his housekeeper." "Really?" "Well when will you be "seeing" the governor?" "When he has had sufficient sleep." "I wish to speak to him on a matter of great urgency." "Perhaps early afternoon, then." "~ On the sound of the drum." "~ Thank you." "But he might have other priorities." "~ May we come in, boss?" "~ Yes, come in." "What is your name?" "Katherine, boss." "Katherine McVitie." "How long are you doing, Katherine?" "14 years, boss." "That is a long time." "Yes, boss." "Will that be all, boss?" "It may not be 14." "Good behaviour could get it down to 12." "Ten, even." "~ Yes, boss." "~ You would need somebody to commend you for that good behaviour." "Someone like me." "I already have a soldier, boss, and I love him dearly." "Loyalty, Katherine McVitie - that too should be commended." "His name?" "Private MacDonald, boss." "All your troubles are over, Kitty." "You wish to see me, sir?" "At ease." "I have heard good things about you, Private MacDonald." "~ Thank you, sir." "~ This is yours, if you want it." "Corporal, sir?" "Yes." "If you want it?" "Want it?" "Sir, it is a dream come true." "I will back-date it to the day we left England so there will be a substantial sum of money waiting for you" "~ when you get home." "~ Thank you, sir." "Thank you so much." "Erm, with whom do you share Katherine McVitie?" "~ No-one, sir." "~ Oh?" "I would like to share her with you." "Huh." "Would that be so difficult?" "Yes, sir." "Why?" "Because I love her, sir." "~ She is a whore." "~ She is not." "They're all whores." "I will give you some food as well." "If she comes tonight, for example, I will be able to give her some rice." "Sorry, sir." "~ You are turning me down?" "~ Yes, sir." "Promotion, money, food, all for an hour or two with a whore" "~ and you are turning it down?" "~ Yes, sir." "Where were you on the list?" "Where were you on that list?" "23rd." "23rd?" "Yes, sir." "You had the 23rd choice of a woman" "~ and yet a beauty like that was still available?" "~ Yes, sir." "~ You are lying." "~ No, sir." "~ She hid herself away." "~ She appeared only when it was your turn to choose." "~ No, sir." "You planned it that way in defiance of my orders." "~ No, sir." "~ For God's sake, man, do not add insult to injury." "Do not treat me like a child." "You defied my orders, yes?" "Only because we love each other, sir." "I could have you court-martialled for that," "Private." "I could have you shot." "We love each other, sir." "I suggest you talk to her about this." "Yes, sir." "Dismissed." "Take it with you." "~ Thank you, sir." "~ Mm-hm." "How can you stand the heat?" "What do you want?" "~ Do you think James Freeman could kill you?" "~ No." "Could Tommy?" "~ No." "~ The two of them together?" "No." "They think they could." "Why is Tommy involved?" "They are friends." "You are stealing his friend's food." "~ Steal someone else's." "~ No." "If Tommy tries to kill you and he fails, he will get hurt." "~ Yes." "~ If he succeeds, he will get hanged." "~ Yes." "~ I want neither to happen." "Is there anything I can do to prevent them?" "~ Perhaps." "~ What?" "Do not play games with me, girl." "~ A wank?" "~ No." "A shag?" "Yes." "And in return you will stop taking Freeman's food?" "Yes." "Where do you suggest?" "Down at the rocks." "No-one will see us there." "No-one will hear us." "Ten o'clock tonight." ""Plucky little Lizzie." That is what they say about you, I think." "~ Is it?" "~ Yes." "~ Plucky little Lizzie." "~ You are hurting me." "Most men would not hit a woman, plucky little Lizzie." "Why is that?" "Is it gallantry?" "No." "It is this - they are scared of other men." "I would hit any woman, because I am scared of no man." "Why would you hit me?" "I know what will happen if I go down to the rocks with you." "Tommy Barrett and James Freeman will be there waiting for me." "~ No." "There will be no-one there, I promise." "~ No?" "~ No." "~ Take off your clothes." "~ No." "I would sooner do that down at the rocks." "~ Show me you mean business." "Do it now." "~ No." "~ Shall I do it for you?" "~ No!" "~ No!" "~ Strip you naked?" "Rape you?" "No convict will intervene, because I am stronger." "No soldier will, because they don't give a damn." "No governor will, because I am the blacksmith and you... .. are scum." "Why should I not do it, plucky, fucky..." "Lizzie?" "Please let go." "SHE GASPS" "GUARD:" "Get a move on." "Pick up the pace!" "~ Do you hear me?" "~ ALL:" "Yes, boss." "THEY PANT" "Freeman, move your arse." "CHOPPING" "How long have I slept?" "Five hours." "What is it?" "~ Tea." "~ Tea?" "Yes." "How can you still have tea?" "I saved it." "Share it with me." "~ No." "~ Please." "~ No." "Major Ross wants to see you." "Oh?" "More bad news?" "I think so." "Oh, Deborah." "Thank you." "You are welcome." "Thank you." "What is it?" "Am I to believe them?" "Barrett and Elizabeth Quinn?" "I have no idea." "What is it they are saying?" "~ That you married them." "~ The vicar married them." "~ Why are you here?" "~ You allowed it?" "~ Yes." "Have you any idea of the enormity of this?" "~ Have you any comprehension?" "~ I will ask the questions, Major!" "Why are you here?" "Our grain." "You have set a precedent." "They will all seek to take advantage of it." "~ They will be queuing up to be married." "~ What is it?" "I've no idea." "Some kind of fungus." "Have we lost it all?" "Half of it." "They will not be queuing up." "To get married, they will have to forsake England and stay here for the rest of their lives." "Very few of them will agree to that." "They are convicts." "They will agree to anything." "I tell you, they will be queuing up for it..." "And I tell you they will not." "How long can we last?" "~ On current rations?" "~ Yes." "Four months." "~ Then we will have to cut them again." "~ Yes." "I will announce it in the morning." "I want soldiers there when I do." "Can you not see the irony in that, Governor?" "~ How many will you need?" "~ All of them." "You want my men to protect you and yet you deprive them of their women." "One woman." "And she had sworn never to go near a soldier." "There will be others." "Full assembly tomorrow morning." "I want all your men there, armed to the teeth." "Now, go, please." "Take that with you." "DOOR SLAMS" "HE GROANS AND STRAINS" "BUGLE SOUNDS" "~ GUARDS:" "Tools down and line up!" "~ Gather your things." "Line up, Freeman." "'Today, it is the letter A.'" "The short "ah"." "Not "ay", which is long, but... .."ah"." "Who can think of a word with "ah" in it?" ""At."" ""At." Good:" "A-T." "~ Na-ah-mih, nam..." "~ No, no." "There is a magic E at the end." "Now." "~ Name?" "~ Good." "Another one with "ah" in it?" "~ "Cat." ~ "Cat," good." "C-A-T, cat." "Another one with the "ah" sound?" ""Sad."" ""Sad," yes." "Sad has the "ah" sound." "You cannot see it, of course." "It is not like the others, but it has the "ah" sound, yes." "I can see it." "You can see it?" "Yes." "In your eyes." "I can see sad in your eyes." "There's..." ""rat" of course, R-A-T." "And "bat"." "B-A-T." "MEN LAUGH AND CHATTER" "GUARD:" "In you go, girls." "All right, love?" "THEY CHATTER" "You could refuse." "I could go back to him and say you refused." "And what then?" "Court martial." "You will be shot." "You'll be dead." "Yes." "You are no good to me dead." "The money, the food, they matter, yes." "But what matters most of all is this... .. you are no good to me dead." "And you dying makes me available." "And he will get me." "He is the one who will get me, because he is the major and he will get me for the entire night." "Not just an hour or two, but the entire night, every night." "Because you will be dead... .. and he will have no need to share." "All the time I am with him," "I will make it clear I am there because I have to be there." "No love." "No pleasure." "Just a contract." "Corporal MacDonald." "I have just delivered some rum to the major." "And two glasses." "I expect he wants her to be nice and relaxed." "Corporal!" "Miss McVitie, sir!" "Go in." "Thank you, Corporal." "May I take it home with me?" "No." "You wish me to undress?" "Why are you here?" "Because you want me here, boss." "No." "Why are you here in New South Wales?" "What did you do?" "Rather than talk, boss, I would sooner undress, get it done and go back to the man I love." "What did you do to end up here?" "~ Nothing, boss." "~ What did they say you did?" "They say I stole a wallet belonging to Lord Campbell of Weymouth." "The eyes are a window into the soul, boss." "So keep looking." "Do you think me capable of such a thing?" "Why would they say you did if you did not?" "His Lordship walked into the room where I was working... .. pulled me on to the bed, would have raped me but for his wife happening on the scene." "I thought, "Thank God."" "But... .. instead of turning on him... .. she turned on me." "Had me arrested." "I swear it is the truth, boss." "They stood me on the scaffold... .. but reprieved me." "Told me I was coming here instead." "I said, "Hang me now..." "".. for I do not wish to leave my family."" "But they would not hang me." "(I would.)" "Rob me while I sleep and I will hang you." "You understand that?" "Yes, boss." "Tommy." "Where is he?" "He is not coming." "Why not?" "He knew, he knew it was a trap." "Did he get angry?" "A bit." "We should not have used you like that." "I am sorry." "What is it?" "~ Nothing." "~ Show me." "~ It is nothing." "~ Show me!" "We have to kill him, James." "Show me." "Did he do that?" "~ Did he?" "!" "~ Yes." "Tommy." "Tommy!" "You said it yourself, kill him in camp, we might as well stick our heads in the noose." "So why are you doing this?" "For God's sake, Tommy, think!" "Good man, Tommy." "You!" "HE CHOKES" "HE GROANS" "HE GROWLS" "MARSTON CHOKES" "Die." "Die, you bastard." "~ Kill him, Tommy." "~ My arm, Tommy, my arm!" "HE GASPS FOR AIR" "GROANING STOPS" "Good man, Tom." "Start digging." "He escaped." "He talked of escape all evening." "And in the morning, he was gone." "Yes?" "Yes." "YES?" "!" "ALL:" "Yes!" "You... fuck!" "THEY GROAN FROM EXERTION" "Here, give me that." "Come on!" "Urgh!" "Keep digging." "Deeper." "Aargh!" "Fuck!" "Fuck!" "Tommy!" "Tommy!" "Urgh!" "Yaaargh!" "HE CHUCKLES" "What is it?" "He said there would be food." "All that I have done for you both and you expect food as well?" "What good is money in England if we die of hunger here?" "Rice." "May I speak frankly, boss?" "Yes." "You treat me like muck because I have traded my body... .. but it was you who asked to trade in the first place..." ".. and that, Major Ross, is a bit hypocritical." "I am sorry." "How often will you want me?" "Erm, I do not know." "Two, three times a week." "~ Two." "~ Two then." "And it will be like tonight?" "Straightforward?" "You will not be asking me to do things," "~ things that a whore might..." "~ It will be like tonight." "Good night." "Good night." "SHARP INTAKE OF BREATH" "What is wrong?" "Homesick." "Come." "Come on." "Come." "Come with me." "Rice." "I was going to chop some pork but... ~ Best to save the pork." "~ Yes." "~ Unless you..." "~ No, let us save it." "I love you so much." "~ Shall we have some pork after all?" "~ Yes!" "You go on and on about killing him away from the camp, keeping it all hush-hush and then you go and do it in front of dozens of witnesses." "I'm sorry." "~ Can we eat it now, please?" "~ No." "They cannot say you killed him because he was stealing your food, because they did not believe he was stealing your food." "They cannot have it both ways, remember that." "I will." "And if they insist on hanging you anyway?" "I will hang alone." "I promise." "Thanks." "Rise and shine, boys!" "~ Get up!" "~ Rise and shine!" "Get your smelly little hands off your smelly little dicks and rise and shine!" "~ Get up!" "Come on, get up." "Right now." "~ Who sleeps here?" "~ Up, move it." "Come on." "~ Get up!" "Who sleeps here?" "!" "Marston, boss." "On your feet." "Where is he?" "He has escaped, boss." "Have you killed him?" "No, boss." "He steals your food." "You take him on and that fails." "You grass on him and that fails too, so you sneak up on him in the middle of the night like the thief you are, and you kill him." "Major Ross takes a shine to your woman and then I see her crying in the waves." "Ooh, you are nothing but a pimp... .."Corporal."" "Corporal!" "We will be hanging him soon enough anyway, so why bother?" "Get your shoes on." "She was crying in the waves?" "Yes, Corporal." "Then you saw her?" "Yes, Corporal." "Come on." "Did she sew it on for you..." "Corporal?" "WOMEN SING" "Anne?" "~ May I?" "~ Yes, ma'am." "Walk with me, Anne." "You could say it to any woman," ""I see sad in your eyes."" "Say it to any woman and you'd be right." "~ Yes." "~ Particularly in a place like this." "Yes." "So why should I take you seriously?" "I am not asking you to." "What do you see now?" "You have lost children." "How many?" "Please do not play games with me, Anne." "I am not playing games with you." "How many children have you lost?" "Four." "~ In what circumstances?" "~ All in childbirth." "You poor thing." "Thank you." "Would you like to speak to them?" "I'm sorry?" "Would you like to speak to your children?" "Oh, Anne!" "How could you exploit me like this?" "I am not exploiting you!" "~ Who has spoken to you?" "~ No-one." "~ Name them." "~ What?" "Name my children." "I cannot." "But I know there are some without names." "How could you?" "!" "How did you do it?" "Do what?" "Kill Marston." "You would have needed help." "Would I?" "Yes, he was huge." "Am I getting a faint whiff of admiration here, Corporal?" "~ No." "~ Ooh, I think I am." "You think I killed a man for taking my food." "You are asking yourself, "Could I kill in such circumstances?" ""Am I man enough?"" "Of course I am man enough." "~ Really?" "~ Yes." "If you could kill a man for taking your food, surely you would kill him even quicker for taking your woman." "Thank you." "You are to take him to the governor." "Major Ross is there as well, of course." "Have you killed the blacksmith?" "No." "Then where is he?" "He has escaped." "~ How do you know that?" "~ He talked of escaping, boss, said he was going to do a 'Jefferson.'" "He talked of escaping to a man who hated him?" "~ Everybody hated him." "~ Why?" "He made these." ""Made"?" "~ Sorry, boss?" "~ You said "made," past tense." "~ Yes, boss." "~ Why past tense?" "Because he has escaped." "You had no food yesterday." "You have some today." "~ Yes, boss." "~ How?" "The blacksmith left it for me, boss." "When a man escapes, he takes as much food with him as he can." "He leaves nothing behind." "But he did, boss." "I vote to hang the cocky little bastard." "~ What makes you think I killed him?" "~ He was stealing your food." "Hmm." "You said he was not." "You said you did not believe a word I said." "Are you now saying you knew I was telling the truth and yet you did nothing about it?" "Little wonder I had to kill him then." "You admit it?" "No, I am saying you do not give a damn about truth and justice so do whatever you wish." "You are free to go." "Remove his chains." "You have something to say, Major?" "No, Governor." "Captain, may I?" "Go, please." "We will hang him when we find the body." "I am not going to hang him and then see the blacksmith walk into camp and prove him innocent." "So much the better." "~ Sorry?" "~ You rule these people by terror." "Hanging the guilty does not instil terror." "Hanging the innocent does." "I see." "General assembly in half an hour, please." "MAJOR ROSS:" "Dismissed." "Dismissed, Corporal." "If I gave you the epaulette back, sir?" "It would make no difference." "INDISTINCT CHATTER" "TRUMPET SOUNDS" "Tools down, line up." "I should have known it back in England." "All they kept asking me there was, "When are you leaving?" ""When are you setting sail?"" "What they meant, I now know this... .. was, "When are you this scum out of our country?"" "Whether we made it here or drowned, they did not care." "Just so long as England was rid of its convicts, its scum." "And now I have to tell these people that England cares, that England will not see us starve, that England will send us a ship." "And I know," "I know with absolute certainty, that England..." ".. does not give a damn." "Company!" "Advance file." "ALL:" "Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name." "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done... ~ Freeman, did you bury him at the beach?" "~ Why?" "Dogs have been scratching around in it." "You had better get down there." "Give us this day our daily bread" "~ and forgive us our trespasses..." "~ Company!" "Order!" "Arms!" "..and lead us not into temptation..." "They are cutting rations again." "For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory." "Forever and ever, Amen." "If any of you have ever worked in a forge, please come and see me." "We need a blacksmith because James Freeman has murdered the one we had." "As yet, we do not know if the blacksmith is dead but when we do know, when we have found his body, we will have to hang James Freeman." "I do not want to do that." "Because, frankly, we drove James Freeman to murder." "The blacksmith was stealing Freeman's food." "We should have hanged the blacksmith." "We did not because he was too valuable to us." "We put him above the law." "I promise you that that will never happen again." "If an officer steals from a convict, the officer will hang." "If a soldier, the soldier will hang." "If a convict, the convict will hang." "Henceforth, everybody here is equal before the law." "You heard that lots of times in England and you never believed it once, and I do not blame you for it." "In England the law was soiled, tarnished, corrupted." "Here in New South Wales, it is bright and shiny." "And I will do my utmost to keep it so." "You all know that a ship has left England and is bringing us fresh supplies." "She will arrive in two to three months... ~ CROWD GROANS ~ .. with enough food to last us for years." "Till then, however, we have to be careful." "Oh, for fuck's sake!" "Accordingly, I hereby cut rations by a quarter." "~ THEY SHOUT IN PROTEST ~ And this cut applies equally to all," "~ officers, soldiers and convicts." "~ Company, halt!" "Arms!" "I know how hard this is for you all." "Two more months of hunger and hardship after you have endured so much already." "But I promise you this, history will judge you kindly for it." "For what we have here is more than just a penal colony." "What we have here, ladies and gentlemen, is the birth of a nation." "Company, unfix bayonets!" "Disperse!" "Disperse!" "You've been told." "Disperse!" "~ Order, out." "~ Back to work!" "Company, to your duties!" "Hello, Katherine." "Hello, boss." "We did not discuss the nights you would come." "We did, boss." "We said two nights." "Ah, but which two?" "I think consecutive nights would be best." "~ You want me tonight?" "!" "~ Sir." "~ Is that a problem?" "Corporal." "~ Yes." "The major wants me tonight." "I'm only thinking of Katherine in this." "It is obvious you would prefer to spend your evenings with this man here, so two consecutive nights would get it over and done with and then you can have five on the run with the corporal." "I do not want wish to come tonight, boss." "Perhaps tomorrow." "Perhaps the night after." "I cannot do it, boss." "Let me think about it." "Hey, hey, hey, hey." "Sh... sh." "Something's been at it." "Jesus." "Hello, Barrett." "Hello, Vicar." "~ Hello, Freeman." "~ Hello." "This is for you." "I cannot read, Reverend." "Well, there is no better book with which to learn." "Please." "Thank you." "Do you remember what my wife said when I was about to hang you?" ""This is a crucifixion."" "She was right." "You were giving your life for the love of another." "Christ-like." "You are the most Christ-like person I have ever met." "I want you to help me build a church and the first service we shall hold in it will be the blessing of your marriage." "I am sorry, Vicar." "When the rations improve, maybe." "Until then, no." "No." "But you will allow me to bless your marriage?" "Yes." "I know you will laugh when I walk away." "I know." "So I will leave you with this." "Jesus Christ was the son... of a carpenter." ""How can the son of a carpenter be the son of God?" they all asked." "And none more so than Christ himself." "But he was." "If a carpenter, why not... a convict?" "Mmm?" "So a little more respect in future, thank you." "HOWLING" "~ Dogs!" "~ What?" "Wild dogs." "They have dug him up." "HOWLING CONTINUES" "What now?" "How far out are we?" "Far enough." "~ Poetic justice." "~ What?" "Sunk by his own chains!" "I should be on my honeymoon now." "THEY LAUGH" "~ Stephen." "~ Yes." "Look into my eyes." "What do you see?" "Nothing." "Nothing?" "Well, beauty." "You have beautiful eyes." "Anne Meredith saw sadness." "HE SNORTS" "She knew about the children." "How?" "She saw it." "In my eyes." "Stay away from her." "She said... .. it might be possible to speak to them." "We WILL speak to them." "Never mind it "might be possible."" "We will speak to them and we will do it in the Kingdom of Heaven." "We will get to the Kingdom of Heaven by leading a good, Christian life on this Earth and by having nothing whatsoever to do with witchcraft and paganism and other such nonsense." "Yes?" "Yes." "A very clever woman, that one." "Be wary of her." "Do you think it is only cleverness?" "Well, yes, of course!" "Do you trust him?" "James Freeman?" "Yes." "With my life." "And with mine?" "If he says anything, the three of us hang." "He will never drop you in it... .. cos he loves you." "He loves me?" "Yes." "He has told you that?" "Yes." "Ow, ow, ow, ow." "My back, my back, my back is still sore." "Oh, well, in that case..." "Ow, ow, my arm!" "My arm!" "Well, in that case... .. you can go jockey." "Sh!"