Troopers Fear God! Honour the King!

Nicholls We are destined to be victorious!

Troopers We are destined to be victorious!

TWELVE

Open country. Next day, 12–13 November 1914.

Nicholls sees something.

Bugle call: fall in.

Nicholls (non-verbal, gestural commands) Halt! Enemy spotted!

Stewart What is it, sir?

Nicholls Enemy infantry. Open ground. Let’s prove your uncle right, Captain Stewart.

Stewart Yes, sir! The men are ready.

Nicholls gives further gestural commands. The bugler sounds ‘fall in’.

Sergeant Greig Stand to your horses! Mount up!

Everyone knows the drill. They copy when Nicholls draws his sword and rests the blade on his right shoulder. When Nicholls advances, they walk in line, Joey next to Topthorn, rider’s knee to rider’s knee, in a phalanx.

Nicholls Easy, Joey. Easy now, don’t get excited. We’ll come through this all right, don’t you worry.

Sergeant Greig Advance!

Nicholls’ sword arm extends vertically, ready to sweep down for the charge (sword pointed at enemy).

The horses just begin to move.

Incoming enemy machine-gun fire.

Before they’ve got going, horses and riders begin to fall.

Stewart Where the hell’s all that coming from?!

Nicholls Ambush! Machine gun! Break line! Fall back!

Incoming artillery rounds.

Suddenly, Major Nicholls flies from off Joey’s back.

Joey’s confused.

Chaos.

Nicholls is located in a tree, dead.

THIRTEEN

Behind British lines. Same day.

Ned Warren emerges from the carnage.

Ned Feed the horses. Feed the horses.

Joey and Topthorn are grateful for the feed.

Enter Stewart, and Sergeant Bone with a flask.

Stewart Good lads. Good boys. Rum. Have a shot, Trooper.

Ned drinks, coughs.

That’ll sort you out.

Ned S– sir.

Stewart More (rum)?

Ned Y– yes please, sir.

Stewart There’s a parcel being got up for home. Anything to go in it?

Ned I don’t think zo, zir.

Stewart Trooper Warren? … Trooper Warren?

Ned S– sir.

Stewart Are you all right, trooper? Are you injured?

Ned No, sir. But –

Stewart But what?

Ned … Those machine guns, sir –

Stewart What about them, trooper? What about them?

Ned Nothing, sir.

Stewart Thank you, Sergeant.

Exit Bone.

Stewart That was a bad start for us, trooper, but we’re going to rally and we’ll pull through. We’ll be going again, and again, until the job’s done. It’s dog eat dog, them or us. This is war.

Ned Y– yes, sir.

Stewart You know Joey, I think?

Ned A little, s– sir.

Stewart He needs a rider and you need a mount.

Ned S– s– sir?

Stewart You look after him, d’you hear? D’ye hear me? Trooper Warren?

Ned I can ri– ri– ride Joey?

Stewart Pull yourself together, trooper, for everyone’s sake.

Ned Yes, Captain St– Stewart.

Stewart Acting Major Stewart. Groom your mount. And stop shaking.

Exit Stewart.

When Ned tries to groom him, Joey finds it irritating at first – Ned is clumsy and unfocused.

Artillery fire in the distance makes Ned twitch. He looks round, ashamed. He notices that the horses haven’t reacted badly towards him. He thanks them.