"MAN:" "Char!" "Char!" "MAN:" "Char!" "What?" "It's six o'clock." "What's the rush?" "I have an appointment, an urgent one, in half an hour." "Would you mind getting dressed?" "Are you always as charming as this?" "I have an urgent appointment to keep." "Would you mind getting dressed?" "Ha!" "Who in God's name are you?" "And who might I ask are you?" "I..." "I'm terribly sorry." "I..." "I thought you were my wife." "I can assure you that I am not." "And seeing this is how you behave, I am not at all sorry." "Sir, will you kindly explain yourself?" "I'm Captain Rory Mc Bryde, late of His Majesty's navy." "I don't think we've met." "I'm terribly sorry, Captain Mc Bryde." "I had been led to believe that my wife may be with you." "I'm Martin Cameron, landowner." "I'm sorry we've met under these circumstances." "So am I, dammit." "I'm not used to this sort of humiliation." "Would you kindly take your leave?" "Indeed, sir." "Uh, madam." "I'm most truly sorry." "For seven generations, the Frasers have been seafarers, Mrs Shortland." "The only one to break the tradition has been my brother, uh, Duncan." "I'm ashamed to confess, Mrs Shortland, but I've chosen to settle here in the colony." "Why be ashamed of that?" "I think Sydney's a wonderful town." "Don't you think so, Captain?" "I shall be very sorry to leave it." "The colony has a vigour which I find pleasing, but Eliza is missing the mists of her native Scotland and our young son, who is, um, staying with her mother." "And is this your last voyage?" "It is." "It is." "I've sailed many ships over many seas but the rigours of command are proving too much." "Age and ill health are catching up with me." "I ll health?" "Nothing too serious I hope, Captain." "Serious enough." "Gout, tropical fever, cramps of the stomach, arms and legs, and on occasions, my bunions are crippling." "Y et, Eliza's been a godsend." "These long voyages would've been unbearable if it hadn't been for her tender ministrations." "Ah, Fraser!" "Mrs Fraser, Mrs Shortland." "I wonder if I could have a word with you." "Oh..." "Excuse me." "Ladies." "Now, what is it Mc Bryde?" "I need your help." "I want to get out of this hellhole." "Can you take me as guest on your voyage to London?" "I'm damned if I will!" "You squander your money gambling, you philander among the colony's womenfolk, you've had your captain's certificate revoked for throwing an official into the bay..." "I berth my ships where I like, not where some petty official tells me." "You're reckless and irresponsible." "Damned if I'll have you on my ship." "Besides, he came to no harm." "Didn't even catch a cold." "Come on, as a fellow sea captain, you owe it to me." "I owe you nothing, Mc Bryde." "It's all your own fault." "You can't expect me to be sorry for you." "I served under you for three years as first mate." "Three years of faithful service." "The worst three years I ever spent at sea." "Pig-headed, stubborn, careless - I don't know how you became a master." "Oh, enough of this, Fraser." "As a fellow sea captain and a friend, will you help me get to London?" "Fair breeze, M r Brown." "Indeed, sir." "Legend has you as a man of action, Captain." "But I remember you discussing the work of Wordsworth with admirable sensibility." "Ah, yes, Wordsworth." ""When oft upon my couch I lie..."" ""In vacant or in pensive mood."" ""They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude."" "He is paying you too much attention, Eliza." "Brown's noticing." "The crew are noticing." "And I am noticing." "You're imagining it, James." "I'm not imagining it." "You know what the man's like." "You're placing your reputation in jeopardy." "Nonsense." "We have a common interest in poetry." "Shush, shush, poetry." "The only poetry Mc Bryde's ever read are those lurid penny ballads sold in the backstreets of Portsmouth." "Sit down and eat your meal, James." "You're beginning to make me angry." "And a very good evening to you both." "I say, something smells wonderful." "What is it?" "Turnips." "Ah, it's a long time since you ate turnips, Fraser." "Lamb, I'll warrant, or pork." "Pork." "Ah, see?" "I was right." "Lamb and pork are the only two meats we have on board." "So what else could you be but right?" "James, will you please try to be civil?" "Otherwise I shall take my food and eat in my cabin." "No, I don't agree with you." "I don't agree with you in the slightest." "But Fraser, the great circle system has revolutionised the whole of maritime practice." "I can't for the life of me understand why you aren't using it." "I've been using the Euclidean system for the last 35 years." "I have no intention of changing now." "But the great circle method was introduced over seven years ago." "It's far more accurate and..." "And what?" ".. and..." "And... what?" ".. safe." "I had been wondering just how long it would take you to get to that." "What?" "You know damn well what I'm talking about." "Alright, now you've brought it up I may as well be honest - if you'd been using the great circle system you would never have run your last ship aground." "Mc Bryde!" "We have been sailing now for only five days." "As far as I'm concerned, it's five days too long." "As of this moment you are no longer travelling to London aboard this ship." "I'm about to tell Brown to change course and steer for the penal colony at Moreton Bay where you can wait for another ship whose captain is ignorant or stupid or both takes you the rest of the way." "But James..." "You'll be quiet or I'll put you off too." "SOLDIER:" "Move on, you dogs." "Go on." "Move it, now." "Move it." "Come on, now." "Go on." "Go on." "Go on." "Welcome, scum." "Come on." "Pick up your chains." "Go on, you." "Go on." "What is your name, convict?" "Uh, Graham, sir." "John Graham." "Have him flogged, Sergeant, then deliver him to my quarters." "What is your name, convict?" "David Bracefell, sir." "Have him flogged, Sergeant, then deliver him to my quarters." "I am Captain Fyans." "Her Majesty has seen fit to appoint me commandant of Moreton Bay." "Within a day you will hate me." "Within a week you will wish me dead." "I do not like my work." "I'm gentle by nature - gentle and refined." "But I'm also conscientious." "And as society expects me to exact its price on you for your sins... .. I will exact it." "Let them witness the floggings, Sergeant." "The convict Graham and the convict Bracefell are to be punished." "They will each receive 10 lashes from M r Figg." "Argh." "Bad?" "Is it bad?" "The pain - is it bad?" "Bad?" "Of course it's... .. it's bad." "Buck up." "What?" "Buck up." "Only two to go." "Good." "Last one." "Good." "Argh." "Now it's my turn." "Good." "I see you've been here before, Graham." "Uh, yes, sir." "Uh, years ago." "M uch bigger now, of course." "Really gone ahead." "Hmm." "David Bracefell, deserted ship, Port Jackson." "Why did you do that, Bracefell?" "Your record shows that you've already passed your mate's certificate and had excellent prospects for an early command." "I fell in love with a young girl in Sydney, sir." "Oh, and you couldn't bear to leave her." "No, sir." "How very noble." "Bracefell, I'm appointing you my personal orderly." "The last prisoner to fill that position proved unsatisfactory." "I'm sure we'll have no trouble with you." "Sergeant, show convict Bracefell to his quarters." "Graham, I ' m looking for a reliable man to let me know what the prisoners are discussing amongst themselves." "I feel it makes me understand them a little better." "Do you follow me?" "Of course, sir." "Of course." "If you discharge your duties satisfactorily, your sentence will be reduced considerably." "Thank you, sir." "Thank you." "You may find yourself flogged now and again for no apparent reason." "But don't take any offence." "It's... it's just a little trick of mine to keep your fellow prisoners from suspecting you." "You follow me?" "Yes, sir." "Thank you, sir." "Come in." "Captain, there's a brigantine approaching the quay." "A brigantine?" "How intriguing." "So, you're leaving the ship, Captain?" "Yes, I've heard so much about Moreton Bay" "I thought I should stop off and see it, take the next boat." "If you'll accept me as a guest." "Of course." "But we never know when the next ship's coming." "You may be here for some time." "If the hospitality this evening is any indication of what I might expect in the future then a long stay would be no hardship." "Well said." "Wine, Captain?" "Thank you." "And this is your last voyage, Captain Fraser?" "That is correct, Captain Fyans." "A toast to it." "Wine, Graham." "Safe voyage." "By God, Fraser, watch the reefs north of here." "We had a ship through here four years ago that ran straight into them." "The captain was an idiot who couldn't read his charts properly." "Nevertheless, it pays to be careful." "If you don't mind, Captain Fyans," "I think I shall retire." "Eliza." "I think I'll finish my meal, James." "I've arranged for you and Mrs Fraser to have adjoining rooms." "The married quarters are taken up by my officers and their wives." "That will be fine." "Eliza has begun to complain about my snoring, so perhaps it's just as well." "No, no, no." "Don't get up." "I'll ask a guard to direct me." "Did I say something out of place?" "Ahh." "Hey, give it over." "Anything that's going, half of it's mine, right?" "That's the rule." "What rule?" "My rule." "What happened to you?" "Oh, well, what's it look like?" "I was beaten up." "What, by the soldiers?" "No, by the prisoners." "Oh?" "What did they do that for?" "Oh, how should I know?" "He was bashed because he's Fyans's new spy." "Fyans's spy?" "Hah." "That's absolute and utter rubbish." "Nah!" "Every time Fyans..." ".. gets a new batch of prisoners in, he gets somebody to spy for him and somebody to warm his bed for him." "And you don't look much like Fyans's bed boy." "Bed boy?" "Um..." "Is, um..." "Is Captain Fyans a... a bit funny?" "Oh, he's a regular scream." "My God, what a faux pas, as the French would say." "Your husband was the captain who hit the reef?" "!" "What a faux pas, Mc Bryde." "I don't blame you for getting off the ship." "My dear lady, I do hope you get to London safely." "I don't find it all that amusing, Captain." "My husband and some of the crew nearly lost their lives in that shipwreck." "You're right." "You're right." "My remarks were in very poor taste." "Graham, wine!" "A toast!" "To Mrs Fraser - if not the first, then certainly the most beautiful lady ever to grace the shores of Moreton Bay." "No, no." "Not enough." "The most beautiful lady to grace the shores of this colony." "I'll drink to that!" "Come on, Mc Bryde, why so sad?" "The most beautiful woman to grace the shores of this colony and tomorrow she sails." "She sails." "Rory, you're embarrassing me." "I think we all appreciate you have a fine carrot there, Bracefell." "Would you mind putting it on a plate?" "The sergeant will show you to your quarters." "If you want anything, don't hesitate to call the guard." "Goodnight, Mc Bryde." "Goodnight." "Goodnight, dear lady." "Goodnight, Captain." "The moon and the stars - nature compensates for man's bestiality." "Eliza..." "Move on, Sergeant." "We'll be with you shortly." "Eliza, do you realise we may never meet again?" "Yes, I do." "Are you sad?" "Yes, Rory, I am." "Very, very sad." "I have my faults, and one of them, no doubt, is to tamper with the affections of women." "But in God's name, Eliza, you're not one of them." "Rory, the sergeant's waiting." "Well, damn the sergeant." "In all these weeks we've not so much as kissed." "Let me come to you tonight, please." "Rory." "This world owes us one night's happiness." "Please, please, we'll be noticed." "Oh, you must say yes." "You must." "Yes." "Yes." "Wait an hour or so until everyone's asleep." "And for God's sake, don't stand loitering in the corridor." "James is just next door." "My love." "Lead on, Sergeant." "Goodnight, Captain." "Thank you, Sergeant." "I can't seem to get it off, sir." "My fault, Bracefell." "I played a little trick on you." "I flexed my toes." "Try now." "Not a very amusing trick, I'm afraid, but one is driven to any kind of diversion in this hellhole." "Yes, sir." "Uh, will there be anything else, sir?" "Yes, there will, Bracefell." "I like my bed warmed." "I can't stand cold sheets." "Oh, um..." "Uh, how do I do that, sir?" "How?" "Get into the bed, of course." "How do you think?" "In it?" "In it!" "Good God, man, don't you understand English?" "Take your clothes off, get into bed and call me when it's warm." "Uh, I'd rather not, sir." "My God!" "I'm not going to have trouble with you too, am I?" "Do you know what happened to my last orderly?" "He had the skin flayed off his back." "I'm not a naturally vindictive man, Bracefell." "Don't force me to be unpleasant." "Now, for the last time, take off your clothes and get in that bed and tell me when it's warm." "Do you know, Bracefell, you remind me terribly much of myself at your age." "Spirit." "Yes, I had spirit." "And love." "Yes, I was in love." "Oh, it's a cruel world, Bracefell." "It's a cruel world, as you'll soon find out." "How's the bed?" "Warm?" "Yes, sir." "Can I get out now?" "Stay where you are, Bracefell, dear boy." "I want to check you're not telling me a lie." "Bracefell?" "Come on, my little chicken, don't be shy." "Speaking of chickens, the cook says there's some lovely cold lamb in the kitchen if you'd care for something with your cocoa." "Sergeant, my orderly has made off." "Scour the compound." "He must be here somewhere." "Yes, sir." "SOLDIER 1:" "He's not in there." "SOLDIER 2:" "Bloody wild goose chase." "Rory!" "Thank God." "Shh, don't say anything." "There seems to be some sort of disturbance in the compound." "Shh!" "Don't talk." "I'll listen and see if James is still snoring." "FY ANS:" "Any sign of him, Sergeant?" "Not down there, sir." "Take your men past the main gate." "R ight, sir." "Rory, this is wrong." "It shouldn't be like this." "SOLDIER:" "Come on, over this way!" "Oh, dammit, I shouldn't have drunk so much." "I never in a million years dreamt that it could be like this." "Never." "Do you make all your conquests feel like I do?" "Hmm?" "You're not nearly as broad across the shoulders as I'd imagined." "Do you pad them?" "Hmm?" "Rory?" "Don't be offended." "You're still very beautiful." "Rory, please don't be offended." "Please, Mrs Fraser, don't." "Please." "They'll hang me." "Please." "Even if you do escape the compound, there's nothing but bush for hundreds of miles." "I'll have a better chance out there than I will in here." "Oh, my God." "I have made love to a man I don't even know and that man is in fear of his life." "May the Lord save us from further misfortune." "Quick!" "Eliza, it's me, Rory." "Eliza." "Oh, Eliza." "Eliza, my love." "Rory." "You don't know how long I've waited for this moment." "Me too." "It's just that..." "I'm so very, very tired." "It may take years but, by God, we'll meet again." "By God, we will." "This night will give me strength." "I'm so tired." "Then let my passion awake you." "Rory?" "What's the matter, Rory?" "Too much drink, that's all that's the matter." "Oh, well, never mind." "Let's just hug each other." "H ug each other?" "!" "MY..." "My dear, Eliza," "I'm the greatest lover in the colony." "Oh, damn that drink." "Damn, damn." "Damn!" "Damn." "Damn them." "Damn." "Damn!" "FRASER:" "Eliza!" "Damn!" "Who is it?" "It's me." "James." "Come in, James." "The door's not locked." "What on earth is going on out there?" "I don't know." "Perhaps the soldiers patrol like this every night." "Damn keen, that's all I can say." "Woke me up." "They are noisy." "Yes." "Eliza, this is going to be hard for me to say, but... .. I'm sorry." "Hmm?" "No, no, no, no." "I've..." "I've been behaving very badly towards you lately." "But now that the cause has been removed," "I..." "I think things will be different." "What cause, James?" "Well, that damned, insolent, conceited, know-it-all, swaggering, loudmouthed boor, Mc Bryde." "You must admit, he's an utterly tiresome wretch, Eliza." "You must admit that." "Well, he... does have his weaknesses." "Eliza... .. things will be normal again." "I feel they're normal already." "Oh, Eliza, it's been too long since we embraced!" "No, James, not tonight." "I'm... so very tired." "What do you mean you can't find him?" "He can't have escaped!" "We've looked everywhere, sir." "My God, what have I been given in place of soldiers?" "Barrow-boys?" "!" "I want every soldier out of bed and thrown into the search, or by God, I ' ll have those stripes off your arm if you don't catch him by morning." "Sir!" "R ight!" "Bennett, Mc Pherson, Law, get over here on the double!" "It's not often I feel like this, but when I do, you reject me." "I know, James, dear." "But I'm very tired and so are you." "But..." "We've got a hectic day." "Eliza!" "James." "Damned inconsiderate of her." "Hmm!" "Mc BRYDE:" "I'll fix him!" "I'll fix that old fool one day!" "I must say, Eliza, you didn't exactly stand up for me." "Oh, well, I had to say something, Rory." "Well, at least he's gone." "Oh, Eliza!" "Oh!" "Rory!" "No, no!" "Ooh, you must go." "It's too dangerous!" "You must go!" "You must!" "But Eliza!" "This is our last night together!" "It certainly is!" "And it's ended right now." "Oh!" "And now..." "what am I going to do about you?" "Soldier!" "Psst!" "Who goes there?" "Anyone there?" "Oh!" "It's you, Mrs Fraser." "Yes." "I couldn't sleep." "I decided to take a walk, but there's such a commotion." "Bad night for a walk, missus." "Convict's escaped." "Oh, my goodness!" "Really?" "!" "Oh!" "Could I see inside your sentry box?" "I've always wanted to see inside a sentry box." "It's beautiful!" "Aye." "SOLDIER:" "He's got to be around here somewhere." "I don't know." "This, uh, convict who's escaped, is he dangerous?" "Not to one of His Majesty's army, ma'am." "I must confess, I feel very safe standing next to you, soldier." "Thank you." "What is your name?" "Bruce, ma'am." "Bruce." "Bruce Mclver." "Oh, what a charming name!" "What a charming face." "Oh." "Do you mind me speaking so frankly?" "No, ma'am." "Not at all." "Uh..." "Bruce, do you know what I would like more than anything else in the world?" "Ma'am?" "I would like you to kiss me." "Now?" "While I'm on duty?" "Yes!" "I've wanted it from the moment I first saw you." "Didn't you notice me looking at you?" "Actually I..." "I did." "Kiss me!" "Bruce!" "Oh!" "Oh, Bruce!" "You are a real man!" "Thank you!" "Thank... thank you, ma'am." "Oh, just one thing, soldier." "Don't mention this to anyone." "My husband is a violent and insanely jealous man." "Mclver!" "Oh, it's you, Sergeant." "Has anyone been this way?" "No, sir." "No-one." "There's been no-one come past this way, sir." "Absolutely no-one!" "Captain, Mrs Fraser, I'm obliged to wish you a prosperous future." "I hope we meet again." "Thank you, Captain." "Perhaps we will." "Hmm." "What of the young orderly, Captain?" "Bracefell?" "Will you send your men after him?" "Perhaps, Mrs Fraser, but my feeling is he'll be back as soon as the pangs of hunger start to bite." "There's nothing out there but hell swamps of heat, pestilence, reptiles and murderous savages." "It's a cursed land we're in." "What else can you expect of a country that hangs upside down on the nether end of creation?" "Even the Dutch wouldn't take it." "But what will happen to him if he returns, Captain?" "He'll be made sorry for his misdeeds, Mrs Fraser." "Very sorry." "Thank you for your hospitality, Captain Fyans." "Not at all." "Better luck with the reef this time." "Yes, well, I'm an experienced sailor, Fyans." "I learn by my mistakes." "About 150 miles north of Moreton Bay, Captain." "Look, I say we put ashore." "We're near out of fresh water, the boat's leaking and we're being burnt by the sun!" "There are cannibals on that shore, Darge." "Cannibals." "Do you think I'm mad?" "Would I put ashore amongst cannibals?" "The natives are not cannibals." "I know!" "You want us beheaded and roasted on a spit, Darge?" "Is that what you want?" "You don't put ashore soon, Captain, you'll have cannibals in your boat." "That's no way to speak to your captain." "I'm telling you, Brown, a few more days like this, we'll be drawing lots." "Stop that!" "What do you mean, "drawing lots"?" "Don't listen to them, Mrs Fraser." "But what do you mean?" "Draw lots?" "It's an old seafaring custom among shipwrecked sailors with no food, ma'am." "They draw lots." "Him what loses gets ate." "Stop that, Youlden!" "Stop it!" "Do you think we're demonic heathens?" "Stop it!" "With all due respect, Captain, we're making little headway against this breeze." "It might be wise to put ashore till the wind changes." "We can look for water, caulk the hole." "We're starting to ship a lot of water, Captain." "Oh." "Very well." "We'll put ashore at the nearest freshwater stream." "No-one is to leave the beach, do you understand?" "No-one!" "Brown will take charge of the musket." "Then we'll put to sea again when the wind changes to the south." "We've waited three days for the wind to change, Captain." "It could blow up the coast for a year!" "We are not travelling overland, Darge." "I've told you that twice." "We have a gun, sir." "We could stick close to the shore, shoot game." "The boat's leaking like a sieve." "We are not going overland!" "There are savages in that jungle." "Savages!" "And we have one musket!" "Well, we haven't seen any savages, sir." "And I'm getting bloody tired of sitting here on this beach." "We're staying till the wind changes, Youlden." "I'll thank you not to speak to your captain so insolently." "Well, damn you!" "I'm tired of eating ship's rations when we could be going to Moreton Bay." "Where are these damn savages he keeps talking about?" "Where are they?" "No bloodshed, Bob." "We'll hang if there's bloodshed." "We'll hang anyway." "Not if there's none but us to tell what happened." "There'll be no killing." "Once we get the gun, they can come with us if they want." "I won't object to Mrs Fraser coming." "Shut up!" "There'll be no killing!" "James?" "James?" "Brown may need a rest." "Oh, yes." "Brown!" "Oh!" "Aargh!" "Eliza." "Eliza!" "Quick!" "Oh!" "Oh, Eliza." "You go on." "James, don't be silly." "Go on!" "James, don't be silly." "No, leave." "Leave me." "Come on, James." "Quick." "Oh!" "Oh, they'll hang, Eliza." "Every manjack of them." "The mutinous curs." "Whoo!" "Cannibals!" "I knew it!" "I knew it, Eliza." "Oh, my God!" "Keep calm, James." "It's quite alright." "Keep calm." "Oh, Eliza." "Oh, huh!" "Eliza!" "Eliza!" "Eliza!" "If... if they should kill me..." "James!" ".. I would like you to..." "Don't be ridiculous!" "They only want your coat." "Get off me or I'll bloody..." "Stop that, you savage!" "Stop it!" "It's quite alright, James." "He only wants my dress." "Stand back, you damned heathen!" "My wife is not to be subjected to those sort of... .. indignities!" "Eliza, stay with me!" "Eliza!" "What sort of bloody country is this?" "There are no animals anywhere..." "Ohhh!" "Yes." "What?" "It's just too absurd." "Oh, splendid, yes." "Very good, very good." "Oh." "Oooh!" "What?" "How dare you, sir?" "I'm a British sea captain." "I'm damned if I'll be ordered about by a savage." "it's alright now." "it's alright." "Come on." "Come on." "It's alright." "Slaves." "That's all we are, Eliza - slaves." "Working all day and separated from each other at night-time." "Still, we're alive." "And we have food." "You call this food?" "You must try and eat, James." "We're going to need all the strength we've got." "You all agree, then?" "Bobby?" "Take it, Bobby." "Take it." "No..." "Not me." "No." "We all took our chances, Bobby." "You're a dead man." "James, you must do something." "I think Euenmundi's trying to marry me." "Marry you?" "That savage?" "No!" "James!" "James!" "Look, I'm married." "I'm married already." "Don't you understand?" "I'm Captain Fraser's wife!" "No!" "Stop it, sir!" "Stop it!" "In the King's name, stop it!" "David!" "Haven't these damn savages got any respect for marriage, Bracefell, hmm?" "Oh, yes, sir, they have." "A lot." "The trouble is nobody realised that you and Mrs Fraser were married." "What did they think I was?" "Her brother?" "Her father." "I'm not waiting around to have my throat cut in my sleep by the likes of you, Jimmy Youlden." "And how did you escape the massacre, Darge?" "I was ahead of the rest of the party when the blacks attacked, sir." "Oh, bad show." "We'll have to teach those damn savages a lesson one day." "Is this your gun, Darge?" "Yes, sir." "Yes." "And Captain Fraser, Brown, the rest of the crew, they were all armed when the massacre occurred?" "Yes, sir." "They were, sir." "They were simply overwhelmed by sheer numbers, sir." "You're a liar, Darge." "This is Captain Fraser's personal weapon." "I've seen it in his cabin." "Are you sure of that, McBryde?" "It has a horsehead motif carved in the stock." "I think we'll have the truth, Mr Darge, or, by heaven, I'll have it beaten out of you word by word." "But they may very well still be alive, the Frasers and Brown." "Let me lead an expedition out there." "It'll bring fame and honour to Moreton Bay if they're rescued." "It would bring more fame and honour to their rescuer." "Perhaps." "But I'm not interested in personal glory." "Nor I." "But duty demands that I lead this expedition myself." "Come in." "What's going on?" "Lieutenant Otter has discovered his wife in Captain McBryde's room, sir." "He's quite upset." "McBryde!" "When are we going to get rid of that man?" "You are a guest here, sir!" "How dare you!" "If you feel some wrong has been done you, stop shouting about it and ask for satisfaction." "I'll be only too willing to oblige." "Orderly!" "Fetch me my duelling pistols." "We'll have this out right here and now." "NO!" "Harold!" "Well, you might shriek, my good lady." "I'm one of the most feared duellists in the colony." "But if there's one thing I can't stand, it's snivelling husbands." "Harold, no!" "No... 12 paces apart." "Fire at the drop of this handkerchief." "Can he shoot?" "Uh, well, he's the best shot in the regiment, sir." "Dammit, Otter!" "I can't have your blood on my hands." "The list is too long already." "Apologise, and we'll call the whole thing off." "Pride prevents you, eh?" "Oh, well." "Dammit, I like a man with pride." "Graham will collect the pistols and we'll go back to bed." "McBryde!" "Still determined, eh?" "Very well." "Put those pistols away!" "I insist that you let events take their course, sir." "it's a matter of honour." "Any further trouble from you, McBryde, and I'll clap you in irons until the ship arrives." "Otter, back to your quarters immediately." "Bracefell?" "Bracefell, you've got to get us out of here." "Bracefell, listen to me!" "You must take Eliza and I back to Moreton Bay." "We can't stand this life much longer." "Even if the crew get back to Moreton Bay, they'll never tell Fyans we're alive." "Bracefell, you are our only hope." "I'm not going any nearer Moreton Bay than this, Captain." "If Fyans's men caught me, they'd flog me until I'd die." "We'll... we'll speak for you, lad." "If... if you do this for us, we'll speak for you." "You... may even get a pardon." "David?" "David?" "Eliza?" "I'd like to talk to you." "I..." "I..." "It's alright, Eliza." "When I feel I've learned enough from the natives to get us there," "I'll take you both to within sight of Moreton Bay." "Thank you, David." "I thought you probably would." "Is... is that why you came?" "Partly." "The nights are getting colder." "These hides are warm, aren't they?" "You wouldn't take my advice, would you?" "Oh, no." "I could have sailed you up in a rigged whaleboat and avoided all this." "Get those boots up out of the mud, you idiot!" "You've ruined one pair already." "Oh, no." "You had to go overland." "I know why too." "I know damn well why!" "You thought that if I sailed up, it might look like I were the leader of the expedition." "We're paying for it, aren't we?" "A useless effort!" "Lieutenant!" "Scrub and muck." "We're paying for it now." "I'm sorry, sir." "Something came over me." "McBRYDE:" "We've done our duty, we've made our point." "For God's sake, let's at least have the sense to turn back before these damned leeches drain our last drop of blood." "The Captain and Eliza are dead." "There can be no doubt of it." "I'm sorry, but someone's got to see... they're dead." "MAN:" "Get some fresh water." "John!" "Oh, my God!" "Spare me, sir!" "I've nothing against black people!" "Nothing!" "John, it's me..." "Davey Bracefell." "Bracefell?" "By Christ, Davey!" "You scared the wits out of me!" "Quiet, John!" "What's happened to you?" "Never mind about that." "Just listen." "Tell Fyans he can hunt for as long as he likes - he won't find me." "But if he's willing to grant me a pardon," "I can supply him with something he'd be pleased to have." "We're not out here chasing you, Davey." "We're looking for Captain Fraser and Eliza." "Their ship was wrecked and..." "Yeah." "Yes, I know that." "And I know where they are." "They're alive?" "Yeah." "They're alive." "They're living with the blacks, same as me." "Tell Fyans that if he'll guarantee me a pardon and swear to it in front of three other men, then I'll fetch Fraser and Eliza for him." "You'll bring them here?" "I can have them here by tomorrow." "I've learned the language of the blacks, how to hunt, travel." "So tell Fyans what I've told you and come back here with his decision before dark." "Oh, and John, make sure you come by yourself." "Because if he tries to trap me," "I'll be off into the bush and I won't be back." "Alright, Davey, lad." "I'll do that." "I'll do that." "Oh, blast." "Another heart." "Why didn't you tell me about this before?" "There's nothing in your records about an escape." "Well, thankfully, that was crossed from my record when I returned." "How long were you away?" "Six months, sir." "How'd you stay alive?" "I lived with the blacks, sir." "I learned their language and how to hunt and travel." "With the savages?" "That's remarkable." "And what's this got to do with our return to Moreton Bay?" "Well, I thought perhaps it might be worthwhile staying here for a day or so, uh... .. while I went out and tried to make contact with the blacks to find out if they've heard or seen anything." "Worthwhile?" "Of course it would be worthwhile!" "And I'll be damn pleased, Graham, if you find out anything." "Damn pleased." "Thank you, sir." "That's worth more to me than a pardon." "I'll tell you what, Graham." "If you locate the Frasers, I'll give you a pardon." "A pardon?" "My God." "Locate the Frasers and you shall have your freedom." "Thank you, sir." "Thank you." "Uh... you remember the convict David Bracefell, sir?" "Yes, I do." "Perhaps I can find out something of him." "If you locate Bracefell as well as the Frasers, you can have 1 O guineas to go with your freedom, Graham." "And that's a promise." "I'll do my very best, sir." "BRACEFELL:" "Well?" "Ah, there you are." "Well, Davey, my lad, your troubles are over." "If you can bring Fraser and Eliza back here, you'll get your freedom on the spot." "Did he swear to it in front of the others?" "He did, he did." "Why are you carrying that load on your back?" "I'm coming with you." "Fyans thought I should bring food and clothes for the Frasers." "Alright." "If we hurry, we should get to them before daybreak." "Captain?" "Captain Fraser?" "it's alright, sir." "It's alright, it's me..." "Bracefell." "The rest of the rescue party had given up but I convinced them to allow me to strike into the bush alone." "I found Bracefell at the edge of the natives' camp." "Thank God for your fortitude, Graham." "Oh, well, you've been an ill-used man, sir." "I'm glad to help you." ""Ill-used"?" "What do you mean "ill-used"?" "Oh, nothing, sir." "Nothing." "David..." "after we get back to Sydney... .. would you still want me?" "But Eliza..." "In two days time, you'll be free." "You'll be a pardoned man." "GRAHAM:" "I shouldn't have spoken, sir." "I'm sorry." "Tell me, Graham, what are you referring to?" "I'd rather not say, sir." "The man's degenerate." "What man?" "Openly and loudly boasting of a liaison with your wife." "Eliza, leaving your husband would be enough to ruin you, but... taking up with a pardoned convict..." "I can't live with him any longer, David." "We could go to New Zealand." "No-one would know." "Do you still want me?" "Oh, yes, dammit, I do!" "We'll go to New Zealand." "McBryde... openly boasting?" "He's with the rescue party." "Drunk most of the time, and telling disgusting..." "God, I thought you meant Bracefell." "Bracefell?" "McBryde?" "Openly boasting." "They'll pay." "Both of them." "If only I had a pistol..." "There it is." "Hands above your head, Bracefell." "You're coming down with us." "James, David's to be pardoned!" "Pardoned?" "Ha!" "Move on ahead, you blaggard, or I'll shoot you on the spot!" "Graham!" "GRAHAM:" "Put me down!" "ALL:" "Hooray!" "Bracefell!" "Sergeant, manacle that man." "Captain Fyans, what is the meaning of this?" "The meaning of what, dear lady?" "David Bracefell was offered a pardon!" "Why has he been taken away?" "Pardon?" "I offered him no pardon, damn the man." "it's John Graham here who has the pardon." "John Graham?" "But it was Bracefell who saved us!" "Bracefell?" "What do you mean, my good lady?" "Take no notice of her, Captain." "She's infatuated with the wretch." "They took advantage of my helplessness to conduct an open and illicit affair up there in the wilderness." "An affair with a convict?" "Eliza!" "What's happened to your standards?" "And what of yours, sir?" "it's not enough for you to seduce the wife of a man who offers to help you?" "No!" "You spread it around in drunken detail!" "Captain Fyans, you promised David Bracefell a pardon." "I may be an adulterer but I'm not a gossip." "Retract your statement immediately." "You are mistaken." "Please try to calm down." "I will retract nothing!" "You're a liar, an adulterer and a blaggard!" "Retract that statement or I'll have satisfaction." "You'll have satisfaction in any case!" "What's going on here?" "Very well, then." "Pistols at 20 paces?" "Nonsense, I'll have none of this!" "No duelling under my command!" "We're not under your command, Captain!" "This is something that must be settled once and for all!" "Sunrise!" "Sunrise." "Halt, or I'll fire!" "Run!" "Run!" "Run!" "My information is that they're both reasonable shots, sir." "I can't risk Fraser being killed." "God, I'll get a knighthood if I get him back to Moreton Bay." "There's only one way, Graham." "We must dispatch McBryde before morning." "It must look accidental." "But how?" "Sir, the convict Bracefell has escaped!" "Shall I wake the troop for pursuit?" "You will indeed, Sergeant." "And I..." "Captain." "Just a minute, Sergeant." "Don't do anything for a minute." "Just step outside." "What's your point, Graham?" "Bracefell is a small fish, sir." "Perhaps we can use his disappearance to advantage." "You're absolutely right." "Any woman who fraternises with the convicts is not worth risking our lives over." "I couldn't agree more, but we'll have to go through with it." "Pride demands it." "Mmm." "Yes, of course." "Of course." "Mind you, there's a chance we'll both miss." "Mmm." "I think there's every chance we'll both miss." "In fact, we'll make sure we both miss." "By yards!" "Done." "I knew we'd come to terms." "Have another drink." "Oh, my God, sir!" "Aboriginals!" "We're being overrun!" "What's your hurry, young Jimmy?" "They found the woman who went down with the 'Stirling Castle'." "The Captain's wife?" "Where?" "Are you staying long in Sydney, Eliza?" "No, I'm desperate." "I can't wait to see John, my son." "He'll be seven on Thursday." "Where's he living?" "Parramatta, with my brother and sister-in-law." "He came out from England when they heard news of the wreck." "Ladies and gentlemen, your money back if the giant is any shorter than 9ft and 1.5 inches!" "There's no giant in there!" "The roof's too low!" "He is sitting down." "He is sitting down." "Now, ladies and gentlemen, I implore you not to miss out." "He's no shorter than 9ft and..." "I've no wish to be personal, Eliza, but are you short of, uh, finance?" "SPRUIKER:" "The tallest man ever seen..." "Yes, Rory, I am." "John!" "Oh!" "Mmm!" "As James's brother, I am legally entrusted with the boy's care." "But if I am not sure that you can provide for him adequately then I cannot let you have him." "We're only thinking of the welfare of the boy, Eliza." "Believe me, I know how you must feel, but the boy's interests must be paramount." "When this unfortunate attention that you're receiving at the hands of the press has abated, then perhaps you will marry again and establish yourself as secure." "Until that time, the boy remains with us." "And if I were not to marry again... .. what sum of money would you consider necessary for me to "adequately provide" for my boy?" "Money?" "Where would you have access to money, Eliza?" "Ladies and gentlemen!" "Sixpence!" "Sixpence is all you need to hear the widow of the late Captain James Fraser tell from her own lips the story of the most incredible, the most celebrated shipwreck of our time." "I could do nothing, as day after day, I watched the savages consume the crew, one after another." "Did they boil them first, miss?" "Yes, I'm afraid so." "First, my poor husband, Captain Fraser..." "Did they scream when they was put in the water, miss?" "Terribly." "Questions at the end, please." "Let Mrs Fraser continue." "Then Brown, then the crew." "I thought at first that I was to be last." "But no." "An even worse fate was in store for me." "The tribe began preparing for some sort of ceremony, the purpose of which I did not at first comprehend." "Until, with a sickening jolt," "I realised that I was to be forcibly married... .. to the cannibal chief." "After a ceremony lasting three days and three nights," "I was borne to the chieftain's tent, there to await him." "Through a chink in the wall, I saw him striding towards me - huge, black, powerful and menacing!" "And in his eyes, I saw a fire... .. that would brook no resistance." "Was he naked, miss?" "Questions at the end, please!" "Although there was nothing but the vast reaches of the forest around me," "I took my courage in my hands and fled." "Alas, e'er I had gone 50 paces, he saw me and gave chase." "Nearer and nearer he drew, and just as I had begun to give up all hope of rescue, out from the reaches of the forest stepped... .. Captain Rory McBryde!" "What arrant nonsense, madam!" "This is disgraceful!" "You are imposing on the public in a most indefensible manner!" "Who are you, sir?" "Rory McBryde was nothing but a dissolute rake without the courage of a fieldmouse!" "The only cannibalism during the whole incident was perpetrated by members of the crew on each other!" "How dare you impose on the public in this way?" "!" "How dare you?" "!" "Who are you, sir?" "By what right do you dispute with Mrs Fraser the events which took place on Great Sandy Island last year?" "I have lived in that area." "You have?" "Were you present when those events took place?" "Oh, my God." "What is your name, sir?" "My name is Green." "Alexander Green." "I first heard of the story when I was shipwrecked amongst the Aboriginals of Moreton Bay." "Shipwrecked?" "Moreton Bay?" "Yes, I spent some weeks in that area before being rescued by an American whaling ship." "Liar!" "I know who you are." "You're the convicted felon David Bracefell." "You have the wrong man, I assure you." "My name is Green." "Eliza." "Eliza, why are you telling this ridiculous story?" "David!" "David!" "Oh, Eliza!" "Go on, man!" "Show him what you're made of." "Hit him!" "Get into him there!" "Not me!" "McBRYDE:" "He's no more a sea captain than I'm the Lord Chancellor." "He's an escaped convict from Moreton Bay." "Constable, arrest this man Green, or Bracefell or whatever he calls himself, and we shall test the truth of these allegations at the next sitting of the court." "Thank you, Your Worship." "The scoundrel has gained some sort of influence over poor Captain Fraser's widow." "I felt I should bring his deception to the court's attention." "I'm glad you did, Captain McBryde." "I've been trying to trace you for some time." "Martin Cameron, landowner and magistrate." "I trust you remember me." "Of course." "Good." "Then you will appreciate we have a small matter of honour to settle." "I'll send my seconds around this afternoon that you may choose place and weapons." "I trust you will be able to make yourself available by dawn tomorrow morning." "Johnny!" "Stop!" "DRIVER:" "To hell with you!" "Arggh!" "SOLDIER 2:" "Look out!" "Yah!" "Yah!" "Get up!" "Get up!" "Get up!" "Get up!" "Stop." "Stop the coach." "Arggh!" "Arggh!" "Arggh!" "Ooh!" "Ow!" "Stop." "Stop the coach." "Arggh!" "Oh!" "Aaaaarggh!" "Unfurl the topsail and catch that westerly, Mr Roberts." "Set course for Auckland." "Mitchell, escort Mrs Fraser and her son to the far-end cabin, will you?" "Oh, uh, your brother has moved in there, sir." "My brother?" "Well, yes, sir." "He came on board an hour ago." "I'd better see him, then." "Come on, Johnny." "McBRYDE:" "Ah, Eliza." "Rory!" "Alexander, I've decided to accompany you after all." "I hope you don't mind another passenger." "Would you mind leaving us, Mitchell?" "I'd like to talk to my brother." "What's this about, McBryde?" "I've come to apologise." "I've been in love myself." "Rory, why are you here?" "To wish you godspeed and happiness." "I, uh, do have a little proposition, as a matter of fact, to put to you." "I don't know if you're aware of this, Eliza, but the story of your rescue is the sensation of London." "Oh!" "The newspapers are full of it." "If we set up our sideshow in Hyde Park, we could all make a fortune." "You can't be serious." "I've never been more serious in my whole life." "Now, I've worked out an itinerary." "Just two months in London, and then a short tour of the north." "I absolutely promise you the whole engagement will not last longer than three months." "But there's more." "I estimate the profits will be..."