Survivors (1975) s03e02 Episode Script
LDS1194A - A Little Learning
(HORSE HOOVES CLOPPING) Whoa, boy.
Whoa, whoa.
(HUMMING) Well, where have you been? Why are you so late? I sent for you weeks ago.
I'm sorry, I can't quite Oh, I forgot my teeth.
What on earth have I done with them? Here.
Here they are.
I hate wearing them.
-They're not mine.
They don't fit.
-GREG: Well, they do help.
Not me, they don't.
Well, why are you so late? -We didn't know we were expected.
-But I sent the message weeks ago, "Send me some help, Millar and McIntosh.
" -Well, what are they doing to you? -Who? -Well, Millar and McIntosh.
-They're not doing anything.
I sent them the message.
When did they give it to you? I'm afraid they didn't, we never met them.
What is the problem? Perhaps we can help.
Oh, you can talk, can you? I thought perhaps you were having trouble with your teeth, too.
(LAUGHS) No, there's nothing wrong with my teeth.
Quite sure? Sounds funny to me.
-She's Norwegian.
-Oh, I see.
From Norway.
I'm not stupid, you know, I know where Norwegian is.
But I don't want to know about your problems.
What are you going to do about mine? Oh, you want a new set of teeth.
That is a marvellous idea.
The next time I'm attacked I'll just bite them, eh? -Dogs? -You're as bad as each other.
Who's attacking you? I have been raided twice.
Lucky to escape with my life, or worse.
-And who by? -Indians.
Indians? You mean, they were "Indian" Indians? All the best people died, I always said so.
Only the loonies survived.
Red Indians.
(CHUCKLES) You have been raided by Red Indians? -Do I have to say it again? -Well, it's just that Red Indians would be a little out of their reservation, wouldn't they? Well, you hardly expect to find them around here.
Well, you wouldn't expect to find her around here, would you? Red Indians.
Whooping down all over the place.
I'm lucky to escape with my life, or worse.
-Well, what did they do? -They didn't.
I locked myself in a cupboard.
-Oh, I'm not stupid, you know.
-Well, what did they want? Cabbages.
-What? -Cabbages! I see.
It was a Red Indian cabbage-raiding party.
Sounds very nasty.
Where did they come from? Oh, Marbury way.
MILLAR: Hey, you've done really well, considering.
How long have you been here? It's only about a year, isn't it? It's less, probably.
No, you've got every reason to be proud of yourselves.
Not many settlements have managed as well as you.
And if you can think of anything else you might like, you know where to find us.
Oh, and if you could rustle up some heavy horses, big demand for them.
Anything that can be ridden, pull a plough, a cart There's a waiting list for things like that.
Aye.
Well, we need seed.
Oh, it'll soon be time to get your planting done.
What about potatoes? Any seed potatoes? Now, they are in short supply.
So, we'll save you some.
And as he said, if you can come up with a horse or two, we'll do a deal.
Anyway, we're off.
A couple of places to call.
Uh, you two have nae tell anybody about this place? Of course not.
What do you think we are? No, strictest confidence.
-Privacy respected.
-That's us.
You're too good a customer.
No one knows you're here and no one knows we're here.
No one knows anything, really, do they? No one like that.
Or a girl.
Oh, they wouldn't get into Marbury this way without me noticing.
They'd be coming from the east.
Southeast, perhaps.
This should be the right road, then.
But they might have been diverted, had to swing round.
There's about 40 roads going into town.
(SIGHS) -Come far? -Far enough, Mr Oliver.
Must want to see him a lot.
He's on his way back.
I haven't seen him for ages.
He was at Nettleton.
But a man there said he'd been seen here at Marbury.
It seemed worth a try.
-Husband? -Sort of.
(LAUGHING) What'd he do, run away? Daft, running away from a lovely girl like you.
I sometimes think it would be nice to have a woman around.
Nice creatures.
Soft.
Feminine.
Pretty smile.
Oh, yes, I can see her now.
Standing by my side, looking up at me and saying Well, what are you going to do, then? Well, I'll ride over there and have a look.
I can't promise it's going to make any difference.
Well, you know, it's bad enough having all these other immigrants, let alone Red Indians.
And Swedes.
-I'll come with you.
-No, you'd better stay here.
I'm sure Mrs Butterworth will entertain you.
Well, I suppose I'd better let you into the house, though I don't know what on earth I'm going to do with you.
Foreigners.
(SPEAKING NORWEGIAN) (DOOR OPENING) Psst! (SOFTLY) Aren't you going to ask them? -No.
-If you don't, I will.
If you do so, I'll kill you.
What's the matter? You're not happy with the deal? Or we can spare some more if you like, on credit.
Favour for a favour, that sort of thing.
(GIRL SCREAMING) Everything's all right.
-Ask him.
-What's going on? You're not torturing someone, are you? That didn't sound at all nice.
Everything's fine.
(SCREAMING CONTINUES) They're all just playing.
All right, then, we'll be off.
Eh, are yous gonna pass the old woman's cottage? -Can do.
-Aye, well, I might want to come to, eh, borrow a couple of chickens.
Fine.
Hey, Tommy.
You're on.
They'd be your best bet, Millar and McIntosh.
Move about a bit, trading.
They'd have heard of your bloke if he was around.
-Where would I find them? -Oh, now you're asking me.
Could be anywhere.
They have a warehouse, though, just outside Marbury.
Nice blokes.
Whoa, boy.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
What do you want? I've got nothing for you.
Well, we might have something for you.
Vegetables, got some good knives, a couple of axes, it's good stuff.
(CLUCKING) -And I've been raided again.
-Oh, no, that's terrible.
-What did they get? -All my cabbages.
Oh, dear.
Oh, dear.
Look, have a couple of ours.
Oh, no, I don't want charity.
Oh, come on, Mrs B, we'll ask a favour of you one day.
Well, as a matter of fact, her bloke's doing me a favour.
-Oh, yes? -Yes, he's gone off after them Indians.
Well, that's good.
It's not right, you being attacked.
Look, hang on, I'll get some cabbages for you.
Leave those here.
Get back to the Eagle and say the old woman's sent someone after him.
He probably needs taking down a peg or two.
Here you are.
Probably not as good as yours.
Oh, you're so right, they aren't.
I grow real cabbages, not puny things like that.
-Thanks all the same.
-No trouble.
Well, if there's nothing else you want, we'll be off.
(CLICKING TONGUE) See you soon.
Come on, boy.
Hey, wait a minute, you dropped these.
Did we? Oh, thanks.
Hey, you sure you wouldn't like them? We can spare a couple.
What, rubbish like this? No, I have beautiful chickens, not sparrows.
You know best.
Hey, what's your bloke's name? He's called Greg.
And he's not my bloke.
PHILIP: (SOFTLY) You've got to do something about it.
You can't just send someone to clap a hand over her mouth every time she cries out.
She's in pain.
She needs medical attention.
And where do you think she's gonna get that, eh? There is none.
She'll just have to get better on her own.
How? She's gone deaf, blind Libbie's only 13, and she's got that stuff on her fingers.
Aye.
It's on her toes as well.
-Some of the others have started.
-Who? Bob Dolough, complaining of pins and needles.
Some of the others are chumming about saying they've got ants in their pants.
You've got to do something about it.
It's worrying everyone.
Aye.
But we'll wait a bit longer, it might just go.
We might all just die.
-Eagle, someone's coming up to the camp.
-Who's on guard? -Bernie.
-Right, get him.
-Look, there he is.
-It's an intruder.
(BOY WHOOPING) -Is he practising his war cry? -What do you want? Well, I want to see the grown-ups.
Are they all out working? Well, what time do they get back? Look, I'm not going to do you any harm.
You just tell me where the grown-ups are.
-They're the ones I want to see.
-(WHOOPING) You know, there's an old lady down there who claims that she was attacked by Red Indians.
I presume this is the right reservation? Well, do the grown-ups know that you attack defenceless old ladies who are terrified of you? It's not a particularly brave thing to do.
(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING) -I found him for you, Eagle.
-Aye.
Well, put him in the box.
Eagle, I don't know how he did it.
I was watching all the time, honest, I was.
Aye, well, he's here now, ain't he? He's not the Invisible Man.
When I give you a job to do, you do it.
Hey! -There's no need for that.
-You! You speak when you're spoken to.
If you do that again, I'll break it across your backside.
What did you say? Look, if he was your guard, he was in the wrong position.
I could see him miles away.
And the tin cans are an old trick.
Whoever set it up should have made it less obvious.
Look, mister, I told you to speak when you're spoken to.
(KIDS LAUGHING) Okay, kids, a game's a game.
Attacking defenceless old ladies is one (ALL CHEERING) You know, if I was you I'd wait until the adults get back before you do something that you might regret.
There's nae adults here.
I'm in charge.
Oh, do stop worrying.
He can look after himself, you know.
He's not a kid, is he? He'd been to Norway to see what things were like there.
And now he's supposed to be making his way back to us cross-country.
I keep getting garbled messages.
Mind you, as we're doing the same thing in the opposite direction, I suppose there's a chance we might slip by each other.
Miss completely.
-Ships in the night? -Yes.
So, when I heard he was gonna be here at Marbury I Where are your friends now? Well, they're at Nettleton.
Pretty dangerous thing to do, trekking cross-country.
What do they think about that? I didn't bother to ask, I knew what they were likely to say.
So, I just left a note and rode off.
-Well, they'll be worried.
-Yes.
I said I'd be back before they left.
They'll wait for me.
You've not seen him, then? No, I think we can safely say we've never seen him.
What was his name again? -Greg.
-Greg? No.
No Gregs, I'm afraid.
Oh, well.
That's that.
-Wild goose chase.
-What are you gonna do? Go back tomorrow, if you can put me up tonight.
Oh, sure.
Sure.
But don't rush off.
You never know.
We might remember something.
No better? Fingers? One fell off.
It just fell off.
I touched it so gently, it fell on the bed.
And Libbie didn't even seem to notice.
Eagle, we've got to get help.
We've probably got some awful disease.
Things are just getting worse and worse.
They're all twitching, jumping, talking nonsense.
Connor's gone deaf, too.
Look, if we get grownups to come here, they'll ruin everything.
We'll be back where we started.
Bossed about, treated like babies.
I'd rather die here.
But none of us want to die.
They know something's wrong.
They're frightened.
There's nothing else they can think about.
Can't you ask that bloke? He might know something.
What was the name of that film you saw? About Africa? I'm not interested in films.
If you don't do something, everyone's going to turn on you.
Look, why don't you just listen and answer my questions, eh? I'm trying to give them other things to think about.
Now, one of my teachers at school said that kings in the old days used to stop the nobles from fighting at him, by pushing them off into the seas to fight.
That's what I've been doing with these raids.
And that's why I want to know about that film you saw.
The one about the African tribe and them explorers that they tortured.
-Why didn't you tell her? -I rather fancy her, that's why.
-Come on, her bloke's around.
-Well, he was, but he might not be now.
No, I don't mean the kids will have hurt him.
He might just have pushed off.
Well, she said he was buzzing round like a blue-tailed fly.
Well, now she's buzzing off like a blue-tailed fly, isn't she? I'll send her to see the old woman.
That'll keep her here for a bit.
If she finds him, fine.
If not, I'll ask her back here.
-You could do me a favour.
-What? Well, drop a few hints that he was rather keen on that Norwegian bird and vice versa.
-Come on.
-I would, if I was him.
He doesn't know when he's onto a good thing.
EAGLE: Then they tied him to a pole, packed mud all over him, and then they baked him over a fire.
(KIDS LAUGHING) -But that's not what we're going to do.
-ALL: Oh.
No, you see, in the film, they took all his clothes off, and made him run through the jungle.
Some warriors chased him, and they had weapons, but he didnae.
But it wouldn't be fair to take his clothes off.
(ALL EXCLAIMING) No, we're gonna take his boots and his socks.
He'll run barefoot.
Get Bernie out of the box.
You know, you've watched too many films.
EAGLE: Just telly, big man.
Yeah, well, it's a pity you couldn't get BBC 2.
Pity you're just like everybody else, eh? We are not kids, you know.
We can look after ourselves.
ALL: Yeah.
-GREG: I never said you couldn't.
-Look, you came here to take us back.
Lock us up in them settlements.
Treat us like kids, eh? Make us work for you.
Slave labour, like it was in them Dickens' days.
But we're our own masters here, you know.
This is our territory.
This is my team.
I'm the Eagle! (KIDS CHEERING) Where's the gun? You let him in, you get the gun.
If you kill him, you stay.
If he escapes, you're out.
Have the rest of yous got your things? KIDS: Yes.
Annie, come here.
Now, I want you to pretend that that tree's the big man here.
Now, what you going to do to him? Pull it out, big man.
I'll give you two minutes' start, big man.
-I'll count to 100.
-Yeah, well, shouldn't it be 120? I count slowly.
One, two, -three, four, five, six, seven -KIDS: Five, six, seven It just slipped my mind.
Only remembered this morning.
There was this blonde girl.
Oh, she was beautiful.
She talked about her bloke.
That's right, isn't it? She seemed very concerned about him.
I got the impression they were together, if you know what I mean.
-Where's the cottage? -Oh, it's a fair distance.
We'll take you part of the way.
A little trip to make to get rid of some axes.
I'm sorry it slipped my mind.
-Doesn't matter.
-Of course it matters.
You're a lovely girl.
You've come a long way to see your friend.
I'm sorry.
Listen, we'll be back this evening.
If you don't find him, will you promise to come back here? Well, it's safe here, you've got to admit that.
Look, we'll do all we can to help.
We both think you're a really nice girl.
If you ever needed a home, you and the kids, you'd always be welcome.
As a matter of fact, we've got a pile of stuff there you can take back with you.
We're fond of kids.
World wouldn't be the same without them.
(ALL SHOUTING) BOY 1: Get him! BOY 2: Come on! (DOGS BARKING) Get him! (PANTING) BOY 1: Come on! BOY 2: Get him! BOY 3: Come on! BOY 4: Come on! Get him! BOY 5: Come on, lads! BOY 1: Get him! BOY 2: Get him! (SHOUTING CONTINUES) Get him! Get him! Come on! Get him! He's over here! He went that way! (EXHALES) Now, we split up here.
Just keep straight on till you get to the river, over the bridge and then follow the signs to Hepple.
-See you later on, I hope.
-Thanks.
-She won't be back.
-She will.
-Because of you? -No.
I don't think her bloke's still there.
Anyway, the way he's gallivanting about, he doesn't deserve a bird like that.
Oh, and you do? Well, I certainly deserve something more attractive than you.
BOY: Get him! Get him! Come on! KIDS: Get him! Get him! BOY 1: Come on! Catch him! BOY 2: Get him! Get him! (SIGHS) GREG: How many? EAGLE: Thirteen.
GREG: When did it all start? EAGLE: A month or so ago.
It might have been before, some of these were away.
-On a raid? -Aye.
They just seemed to be itching.
Complaining of pins and needles and things crawling all over their hands and legs.
-I thought it would go away.
-GREG: And what do the others think? EAGLE: They allow me to do that.
I take the decisions.
(GROANING) -What do you think it is? -GREG: I've really no idea.
-Is this all that happens? -EAGLE: No.
Some are deaf.
There's one in here I think you should see.
Do you know what it is? Well, I know what I think it is.
Could you send one of your team down to the cottage to get hold of the old lady and the girl that's with her? -But what is it? -I'd like them to have a look first.
There were some notebooks in my saddlebags, you haven't burned them or thrown them away, have you? -No.
-Well, I'd like those.
At least they'll tell us where the nearest doctor is.
Now, did she ever cut herself? Can you remember that? At any time? I don't know, 'cause she was indoors most of the time.
She cooked a lot.
She used a knife then, I suppose.
Peeling and scraping.
She might have cut herself doing that.
She never complained about anything? -Did she have all the other symptoms? -I think so.
Look, I can't really remember, she might have said something.
But I've probably told her not to be so stupid.
Half the time I've got to tell them all not to be such babies.
You don't have to blame yourself.
What's wrong with her? She's got gangrene.
On her fingers and toes.
-Do you know what it is? -Sort of.
Well, it's sometimes called "mortification".
And what that means is that that part of the body is dead because the blood isn't getting through.
And you think she might have got that from a wee cut? I know next to nothing about medicine, Eagle.
Mrs Butterworth knows more than me.
She was a nurse once.
-So what can you do about it? -Nothing.
Surgery is the only answer, major surgery.
It's reached what they call an irreversible stage.
I'm sorry, Eagle.
There's a Dr Adams near Lincoln.
That's a hundred miles away.
I doubt if he'd be able to do anything for Libbie.
He might for the others.
What do you mean? They're all gonna be like Libbie? Well, they might.
We just don't know.
Will she? It won't be easy for her.
Can we really do nothing for her? There is one thing you can do.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR) Anyone at home? Greg? Agnes? Mrs Butterworth? -Shall we go back to the cottage? -No, we'd better stay here.
They'll fit us in somewhere.
-I'd rather be in my own bed.
-Well, we all would.
-But I think we should stay here.
-(SIGHS) (SIGHS) You go and get some sleep.
I'll sit up with her.
I'm fine.
Philip tells me you sit up with her every night.
It's my job.
They're my team.
You can't do anything here that I can't.
Go on.
Did you mean all that stuff? About her? (GASPS) Libbie's dead, Eagle.
I'm sorry.
She died in her sleep.
Dead? In her sleep.
It's a good thing.
I hope, if I'm ever in that condition, the same thing happens to me.
Aye.
Rabbits with myxomatosis.
-What? -Oh, nothing.
Well Thanks.
-For what? -You know for what! You were very fond of her, weren't you? She was my sister.
And bring back every piece of medical equipment that you can find.
Medical equipment? Well, anything that the kids haven't got and you think they might need.
Well, they need drugs.
-There might be something at Ainsworth.
-And what was there, a hospital? No, civil defence place.
-What are you going to do? -Research.
Do you think we could have got it from the rabbits? Well, I haven't heard of myxomatosis being passed on to humans.
But I suppose it's possible.
But I don't think that this is myxomatosis.
-You don't think we're all ill? -Yeah, I think you are.
You're well-organised here.
Well, look, didn't you notice anything strange about any of the people at the settlements you raided? They were only raids.
We never took anything of value.
They were just to cheer us up, make us forget about this illness, stop worrying.
There was always some who wanted to be looked after by adults.
-Mums and dads.
-But not you? I come from Glasgow.
Every week there's a new excuse for violence.
Broken homes, too much money, too little money, lack of clean facilities, lack of parental authority, the damp, the disease, the urine, the rats.
-And who said that? -Oh, they all say that.
We were just bored.
Only one guy talked about the boredom.
"The unending tedium", he called it.
Doing nothing and taking all day to do it.
But they're all quotes, aren't they? Out of a newspaper.
Aye, that was with the word games.
We read the rest in a book ourselves.
Laughed about it.
Pretended to be them soft newspapermen and do-gooders.
But we didnae want them to be soft.
Or to make excuses for us.
Well, you didn't want them to be hard, did you? We wanted to be treated like adults.
Big men like you.
Weren't you treated like adults after the Death? You must be joking.
Things got worse.
I ran away four times! I got beaten, chained up, locked in a cellar for two weeks.
I began to look on Glasgow as the good old days.
Well, you just found the wrong settlement.
We found the right settlement.
Here.
It's ours.
We're free.
It works! -Someone's been here.
-How do you know? I can feel it.
Atmosphere.
-Perhaps it was the Red Indians.
-Ah! Don't be daft.
And someone was here last night.
Might still be here.
-Slept here.
-Goldilocks.
Ah! No.
Whoever was here had dark hair, not very long.
Just ordinary stuff.
Vegetables, rabbit, deer, sheep.
Oh, aye, and corn sometimes, when we made a trade.
-Who with? -Two blokes, Millar and McIntosh.
-We exchange things.
-Where are they from? Marbury.
It's not far away.
Oh, no, they're all right.
They only take advantages.
But not as bad as some of the others.
They have nae grassed on us yet.
We'd bury the lot of them if they did.
And you haven't found any pills or, you know, stuff like that? -Taken it as a dare? -No chance.
We make our own rules here.
Nobody smokes anything.
Leaves, plants, them funny mushrooms.
And boys and lasses sleep in separate rooms.
There are rules, you know.
We made them up.
-Nobody told us to do anything.
-Okay, okay.
Well, whatever this is, don't you think it might have been a good idea if someone had told you not to do something or other? (THUNDER RUMBLING) So, it's obviously not cuts, grazes or burns.
The symptoms cover everything, Greg.
Deafness, blindness, gangrene, hallucinations.
Well, I didn't hallucinate (COUGHS) about somebody being in my house.
Someone was there, all right.
It will be one of the great unsolved mysteries of our time, Mrs Butterworth.
-What? -AGNES: What? -What did you just say? -About what? About Mrs B.
I just said it would be one of the great unsolved mysteries of our time.
-Well, that's it.
-What? Oh, don't start that again.
GREG: No, no, give me some mysteries.
Well, who was in my house? Real, famous mysteries.
What do you mean, ghosts, hauntings, murders? Mistletoe boughs, headless horses No, no, no, I mean true, famous true stories.
AGNES: Well, about what? People, places, animals, cars, pigs, sheep -That's it! -Sheep? Do you mean they got this illness from sheep? No, not sheep.
Ships.
But we're a hundred miles from the sea.
There aren't any ships.
The Marie Celeste, the phantom ship.
Everything on board as it should be, but there was no crew.
Well, this isn't a phantom ship.
But what made it a phantom ship was what they had to eat.
-What? -What? GREG: Oh, come on, food! (SNIFFING) How long have you been making this bread? -Couple of months.
-And does everybody eat it? No, some didnae like it and some have been away.
Well, would Libbie have had anything to do with this? She made it.
It was one of her jobs.
All right, have you got any musical instruments? -What for? -(CHUCKLES) Have you got any? Aye.
Guitar, small drums Okay, well, you get those and tin cans and things.
And then I want everyone that has signs of this disease outside.
-What are you going to do? -A war dance.
(MIMICKING INDIAN WAR CRY) I think he's got it.
ALL: # We all live in a yellow submarine # Yellow submarine Yellow submarine # We all live in a yellow submarine # Yellow submarine Yellow submarine # We all live in a yellow submarine # Yellow submarine Yellow submarine # We all live in a yellow submarine # Yellow submarine Yellow submarine # We all live in a yellow submarine # Yellow submarine # Yellow submarine # We all live in a yellow submarine # Yellow submarine # It's in the bread, made from rye.
You know, one of the suggestions about the Marie Celeste was they all went mad from eating this stuff and jumped overboard.
-Well, how does it work? -I have no idea.
I just know there's a sort of a fungus which grows on the rye when it's stored wet.
And that leads to all the things that your team have got.
Why the dancing? Well, I'm afraid that's another unsolved mystery.
Just remember reading a suggestion once that The Pied Piper of Hamelin was playing to children suffering from this same disease.
He used to call it St Anthony's Fire.
Oh, how fascinating.
But he wasn't stealing the children away.
He was actually helping them.
Because music and the rhythm seemed to have help ease and soothe the convulsed limbs.
But there were a lot of outbreaks in the middle ages.
EAGLE: Why not now? Well, people eat less rye bread for a start.
And there are stricter rules and regulations about food.
Well, there were.
We haven't got any now.
There's no Ministry of Agriculture or Department of Health to look after us.
But about 20 years ago, in France, a whole village went mad from eating this stuff, even with strict rules and regulations.
-Did you grow the rye yourselves? -No.
-How did you get it? -Through the traders.
-She won't be back.
-Oh, yes, she will.
Today.
I can feel it in my bones.
She's on her way.
Let me deal with them, Eagle.
I'll bring them back.
You know what you gotta do here? Aye.
Get the rye and burn it.
-See anything? -No.
-Where's the kid? -He's gone back.
Look, do we have to go through with this? Well, he's coming for us, isn't he? Well, can't we explain we've done nothing? I mean, how were we to know? We take everything on trust.
-It might have been us.
-Shut up and keep watching.
Well, you sold it to them.
I wasn't even there.
Well, whose idea was it? Get rid of the rye on the kids.
If they can't afford the best, give them second best.
It was all they could afford, wasn't it? We couldn't let the little blighters starve, could we? Shut up! Where's the water? Millar? McIntosh? GREG: Where have they all gone? AGNES: (SIGHING) I don't know.
They all met here after they burnt the rye.
Eagle wouldn't let us listen but he sounded very angry.
MRS BUTTERWORTH: I think they went after the traders.
GREG: No, we'd have met.
And he didn't say where they were going? -AGNES: No, he took everyone.
-Perhaps they're moving camp.
No, it's got something to do with those two.
We've done nothing.
Trading, that's all.
This lot west of Marbury had the rye.
And we bought it, we gave them what the kids gave us.
Straight up, no profit.
We thought we were helping them.
How were we supposed to know it had fungus or whatever it is? Why don't you go after the lot that sold it to us? Yeah, well, we will, once we've dealt with you.
Dealt with? -Oh, those kids will kill us.
-No one's getting killed.
And you've got no idea where they went? I think I know where they went.
-Where? -The outpost.
What's that? They said if ever there was an invasion, there's this place they call "the outpost".
They keep guns and things.
And food for emergencies.
Is that true? Well, is it? -Well, what is this place? -It's a civil defence centre.
Stuffed with food rations for emergencies, nuclear war.
-Are there any guns there? -No.
Well, what are you looking so worried about? Hey? There Oh, my God.
Now what? What? They're mined.
The army mined them to stop people breaking in during the Death.
We told the kids not to go there.
Honest.
-You gotta believe us.
-GREG: You stupid Okay, everybody, it's all right.
Yous can get up.
One dead and 14 with symptoms.
Now, you'll work six months for the one that's dead and month for each of my team that's bad.
-What's the alternative? -There isn't one.
And when yous have done that, you can go.
And whilst you're here, yous can keep up your trading as long as one of you is always at camp.
I'll go and get rid of the rest of the rye.
-I'll wait for you here.
-No, I think you'd better get back.
-Back to Whitecross? -Yeah.
You haven't sold this rye to anyone else? Have you got any other deals up your sleeves? -No, nothing.
-Are you sure? No one's calling on you? Taking stuff away? -No one.
-GREG: Okay.
Quick, quick.
Come and see what I found in the field over there.
BOY 1: What is it? Come on, let's get it, then.
-Come on! -Come on.
Oh.
(KIDS LAUGHING) (CHEERING) -Couldn't we catch it? -We could use it to pull logs.
Work for us.
We could ride it.
Can't we keep it as a pet? I don't know.
It's probably been in a zoo or a circus all of its life.
Chained up, nae freedom.
Now it can go where it wants.
I mean, yous wouldnae like it if yous were to be cooped up again, would yous? KIDS: No.
BERNIE: It's true.
Anyway, why don't we just feed it on, eh? -Please.
-We've hardly got enough for ourselves.
And it would probably tread on all our crops.
They go mad sometimes, you know.
Go musth or something, they call it.
We're far better off as we are.
-ALL: Yes.
-I bet somebody shoots it.
Ah, somebody probably will.
-Look.
-What is that, another again? BOY: No, it's a rider.
Have you got the binoculars? No, they're not here.
Why, what's wrong? Oh, it's nothing.
Just looks like someone.
Whoa, whoa.
(HUMMING) Well, where have you been? Why are you so late? I sent for you weeks ago.
I'm sorry, I can't quite Oh, I forgot my teeth.
What on earth have I done with them? Here.
Here they are.
I hate wearing them.
-They're not mine.
They don't fit.
-GREG: Well, they do help.
Not me, they don't.
Well, why are you so late? -We didn't know we were expected.
-But I sent the message weeks ago, "Send me some help, Millar and McIntosh.
" -Well, what are they doing to you? -Who? -Well, Millar and McIntosh.
-They're not doing anything.
I sent them the message.
When did they give it to you? I'm afraid they didn't, we never met them.
What is the problem? Perhaps we can help.
Oh, you can talk, can you? I thought perhaps you were having trouble with your teeth, too.
(LAUGHS) No, there's nothing wrong with my teeth.
Quite sure? Sounds funny to me.
-She's Norwegian.
-Oh, I see.
From Norway.
I'm not stupid, you know, I know where Norwegian is.
But I don't want to know about your problems.
What are you going to do about mine? Oh, you want a new set of teeth.
That is a marvellous idea.
The next time I'm attacked I'll just bite them, eh? -Dogs? -You're as bad as each other.
Who's attacking you? I have been raided twice.
Lucky to escape with my life, or worse.
-And who by? -Indians.
Indians? You mean, they were "Indian" Indians? All the best people died, I always said so.
Only the loonies survived.
Red Indians.
(CHUCKLES) You have been raided by Red Indians? -Do I have to say it again? -Well, it's just that Red Indians would be a little out of their reservation, wouldn't they? Well, you hardly expect to find them around here.
Well, you wouldn't expect to find her around here, would you? Red Indians.
Whooping down all over the place.
I'm lucky to escape with my life, or worse.
-Well, what did they do? -They didn't.
I locked myself in a cupboard.
-Oh, I'm not stupid, you know.
-Well, what did they want? Cabbages.
-What? -Cabbages! I see.
It was a Red Indian cabbage-raiding party.
Sounds very nasty.
Where did they come from? Oh, Marbury way.
MILLAR: Hey, you've done really well, considering.
How long have you been here? It's only about a year, isn't it? It's less, probably.
No, you've got every reason to be proud of yourselves.
Not many settlements have managed as well as you.
And if you can think of anything else you might like, you know where to find us.
Oh, and if you could rustle up some heavy horses, big demand for them.
Anything that can be ridden, pull a plough, a cart There's a waiting list for things like that.
Aye.
Well, we need seed.
Oh, it'll soon be time to get your planting done.
What about potatoes? Any seed potatoes? Now, they are in short supply.
So, we'll save you some.
And as he said, if you can come up with a horse or two, we'll do a deal.
Anyway, we're off.
A couple of places to call.
Uh, you two have nae tell anybody about this place? Of course not.
What do you think we are? No, strictest confidence.
-Privacy respected.
-That's us.
You're too good a customer.
No one knows you're here and no one knows we're here.
No one knows anything, really, do they? No one like that.
Or a girl.
Oh, they wouldn't get into Marbury this way without me noticing.
They'd be coming from the east.
Southeast, perhaps.
This should be the right road, then.
But they might have been diverted, had to swing round.
There's about 40 roads going into town.
(SIGHS) -Come far? -Far enough, Mr Oliver.
Must want to see him a lot.
He's on his way back.
I haven't seen him for ages.
He was at Nettleton.
But a man there said he'd been seen here at Marbury.
It seemed worth a try.
-Husband? -Sort of.
(LAUGHING) What'd he do, run away? Daft, running away from a lovely girl like you.
I sometimes think it would be nice to have a woman around.
Nice creatures.
Soft.
Feminine.
Pretty smile.
Oh, yes, I can see her now.
Standing by my side, looking up at me and saying Well, what are you going to do, then? Well, I'll ride over there and have a look.
I can't promise it's going to make any difference.
Well, you know, it's bad enough having all these other immigrants, let alone Red Indians.
And Swedes.
-I'll come with you.
-No, you'd better stay here.
I'm sure Mrs Butterworth will entertain you.
Well, I suppose I'd better let you into the house, though I don't know what on earth I'm going to do with you.
Foreigners.
(SPEAKING NORWEGIAN) (DOOR OPENING) Psst! (SOFTLY) Aren't you going to ask them? -No.
-If you don't, I will.
If you do so, I'll kill you.
What's the matter? You're not happy with the deal? Or we can spare some more if you like, on credit.
Favour for a favour, that sort of thing.
(GIRL SCREAMING) Everything's all right.
-Ask him.
-What's going on? You're not torturing someone, are you? That didn't sound at all nice.
Everything's fine.
(SCREAMING CONTINUES) They're all just playing.
All right, then, we'll be off.
Eh, are yous gonna pass the old woman's cottage? -Can do.
-Aye, well, I might want to come to, eh, borrow a couple of chickens.
Fine.
Hey, Tommy.
You're on.
They'd be your best bet, Millar and McIntosh.
Move about a bit, trading.
They'd have heard of your bloke if he was around.
-Where would I find them? -Oh, now you're asking me.
Could be anywhere.
They have a warehouse, though, just outside Marbury.
Nice blokes.
Whoa, boy.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
What do you want? I've got nothing for you.
Well, we might have something for you.
Vegetables, got some good knives, a couple of axes, it's good stuff.
(CLUCKING) -And I've been raided again.
-Oh, no, that's terrible.
-What did they get? -All my cabbages.
Oh, dear.
Oh, dear.
Look, have a couple of ours.
Oh, no, I don't want charity.
Oh, come on, Mrs B, we'll ask a favour of you one day.
Well, as a matter of fact, her bloke's doing me a favour.
-Oh, yes? -Yes, he's gone off after them Indians.
Well, that's good.
It's not right, you being attacked.
Look, hang on, I'll get some cabbages for you.
Leave those here.
Get back to the Eagle and say the old woman's sent someone after him.
He probably needs taking down a peg or two.
Here you are.
Probably not as good as yours.
Oh, you're so right, they aren't.
I grow real cabbages, not puny things like that.
-Thanks all the same.
-No trouble.
Well, if there's nothing else you want, we'll be off.
(CLICKING TONGUE) See you soon.
Come on, boy.
Hey, wait a minute, you dropped these.
Did we? Oh, thanks.
Hey, you sure you wouldn't like them? We can spare a couple.
What, rubbish like this? No, I have beautiful chickens, not sparrows.
You know best.
Hey, what's your bloke's name? He's called Greg.
And he's not my bloke.
PHILIP: (SOFTLY) You've got to do something about it.
You can't just send someone to clap a hand over her mouth every time she cries out.
She's in pain.
She needs medical attention.
And where do you think she's gonna get that, eh? There is none.
She'll just have to get better on her own.
How? She's gone deaf, blind Libbie's only 13, and she's got that stuff on her fingers.
Aye.
It's on her toes as well.
-Some of the others have started.
-Who? Bob Dolough, complaining of pins and needles.
Some of the others are chumming about saying they've got ants in their pants.
You've got to do something about it.
It's worrying everyone.
Aye.
But we'll wait a bit longer, it might just go.
We might all just die.
-Eagle, someone's coming up to the camp.
-Who's on guard? -Bernie.
-Right, get him.
-Look, there he is.
-It's an intruder.
(BOY WHOOPING) -Is he practising his war cry? -What do you want? Well, I want to see the grown-ups.
Are they all out working? Well, what time do they get back? Look, I'm not going to do you any harm.
You just tell me where the grown-ups are.
-They're the ones I want to see.
-(WHOOPING) You know, there's an old lady down there who claims that she was attacked by Red Indians.
I presume this is the right reservation? Well, do the grown-ups know that you attack defenceless old ladies who are terrified of you? It's not a particularly brave thing to do.
(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING) -I found him for you, Eagle.
-Aye.
Well, put him in the box.
Eagle, I don't know how he did it.
I was watching all the time, honest, I was.
Aye, well, he's here now, ain't he? He's not the Invisible Man.
When I give you a job to do, you do it.
Hey! -There's no need for that.
-You! You speak when you're spoken to.
If you do that again, I'll break it across your backside.
What did you say? Look, if he was your guard, he was in the wrong position.
I could see him miles away.
And the tin cans are an old trick.
Whoever set it up should have made it less obvious.
Look, mister, I told you to speak when you're spoken to.
(KIDS LAUGHING) Okay, kids, a game's a game.
Attacking defenceless old ladies is one (ALL CHEERING) You know, if I was you I'd wait until the adults get back before you do something that you might regret.
There's nae adults here.
I'm in charge.
Oh, do stop worrying.
He can look after himself, you know.
He's not a kid, is he? He'd been to Norway to see what things were like there.
And now he's supposed to be making his way back to us cross-country.
I keep getting garbled messages.
Mind you, as we're doing the same thing in the opposite direction, I suppose there's a chance we might slip by each other.
Miss completely.
-Ships in the night? -Yes.
So, when I heard he was gonna be here at Marbury I Where are your friends now? Well, they're at Nettleton.
Pretty dangerous thing to do, trekking cross-country.
What do they think about that? I didn't bother to ask, I knew what they were likely to say.
So, I just left a note and rode off.
-Well, they'll be worried.
-Yes.
I said I'd be back before they left.
They'll wait for me.
You've not seen him, then? No, I think we can safely say we've never seen him.
What was his name again? -Greg.
-Greg? No.
No Gregs, I'm afraid.
Oh, well.
That's that.
-Wild goose chase.
-What are you gonna do? Go back tomorrow, if you can put me up tonight.
Oh, sure.
Sure.
But don't rush off.
You never know.
We might remember something.
No better? Fingers? One fell off.
It just fell off.
I touched it so gently, it fell on the bed.
And Libbie didn't even seem to notice.
Eagle, we've got to get help.
We've probably got some awful disease.
Things are just getting worse and worse.
They're all twitching, jumping, talking nonsense.
Connor's gone deaf, too.
Look, if we get grownups to come here, they'll ruin everything.
We'll be back where we started.
Bossed about, treated like babies.
I'd rather die here.
But none of us want to die.
They know something's wrong.
They're frightened.
There's nothing else they can think about.
Can't you ask that bloke? He might know something.
What was the name of that film you saw? About Africa? I'm not interested in films.
If you don't do something, everyone's going to turn on you.
Look, why don't you just listen and answer my questions, eh? I'm trying to give them other things to think about.
Now, one of my teachers at school said that kings in the old days used to stop the nobles from fighting at him, by pushing them off into the seas to fight.
That's what I've been doing with these raids.
And that's why I want to know about that film you saw.
The one about the African tribe and them explorers that they tortured.
-Why didn't you tell her? -I rather fancy her, that's why.
-Come on, her bloke's around.
-Well, he was, but he might not be now.
No, I don't mean the kids will have hurt him.
He might just have pushed off.
Well, she said he was buzzing round like a blue-tailed fly.
Well, now she's buzzing off like a blue-tailed fly, isn't she? I'll send her to see the old woman.
That'll keep her here for a bit.
If she finds him, fine.
If not, I'll ask her back here.
-You could do me a favour.
-What? Well, drop a few hints that he was rather keen on that Norwegian bird and vice versa.
-Come on.
-I would, if I was him.
He doesn't know when he's onto a good thing.
EAGLE: Then they tied him to a pole, packed mud all over him, and then they baked him over a fire.
(KIDS LAUGHING) -But that's not what we're going to do.
-ALL: Oh.
No, you see, in the film, they took all his clothes off, and made him run through the jungle.
Some warriors chased him, and they had weapons, but he didnae.
But it wouldn't be fair to take his clothes off.
(ALL EXCLAIMING) No, we're gonna take his boots and his socks.
He'll run barefoot.
Get Bernie out of the box.
You know, you've watched too many films.
EAGLE: Just telly, big man.
Yeah, well, it's a pity you couldn't get BBC 2.
Pity you're just like everybody else, eh? We are not kids, you know.
We can look after ourselves.
ALL: Yeah.
-GREG: I never said you couldn't.
-Look, you came here to take us back.
Lock us up in them settlements.
Treat us like kids, eh? Make us work for you.
Slave labour, like it was in them Dickens' days.
But we're our own masters here, you know.
This is our territory.
This is my team.
I'm the Eagle! (KIDS CHEERING) Where's the gun? You let him in, you get the gun.
If you kill him, you stay.
If he escapes, you're out.
Have the rest of yous got your things? KIDS: Yes.
Annie, come here.
Now, I want you to pretend that that tree's the big man here.
Now, what you going to do to him? Pull it out, big man.
I'll give you two minutes' start, big man.
-I'll count to 100.
-Yeah, well, shouldn't it be 120? I count slowly.
One, two, -three, four, five, six, seven -KIDS: Five, six, seven It just slipped my mind.
Only remembered this morning.
There was this blonde girl.
Oh, she was beautiful.
She talked about her bloke.
That's right, isn't it? She seemed very concerned about him.
I got the impression they were together, if you know what I mean.
-Where's the cottage? -Oh, it's a fair distance.
We'll take you part of the way.
A little trip to make to get rid of some axes.
I'm sorry it slipped my mind.
-Doesn't matter.
-Of course it matters.
You're a lovely girl.
You've come a long way to see your friend.
I'm sorry.
Listen, we'll be back this evening.
If you don't find him, will you promise to come back here? Well, it's safe here, you've got to admit that.
Look, we'll do all we can to help.
We both think you're a really nice girl.
If you ever needed a home, you and the kids, you'd always be welcome.
As a matter of fact, we've got a pile of stuff there you can take back with you.
We're fond of kids.
World wouldn't be the same without them.
(ALL SHOUTING) BOY 1: Get him! BOY 2: Come on! (DOGS BARKING) Get him! (PANTING) BOY 1: Come on! BOY 2: Get him! BOY 3: Come on! BOY 4: Come on! Get him! BOY 5: Come on, lads! BOY 1: Get him! BOY 2: Get him! (SHOUTING CONTINUES) Get him! Get him! Come on! Get him! He's over here! He went that way! (EXHALES) Now, we split up here.
Just keep straight on till you get to the river, over the bridge and then follow the signs to Hepple.
-See you later on, I hope.
-Thanks.
-She won't be back.
-She will.
-Because of you? -No.
I don't think her bloke's still there.
Anyway, the way he's gallivanting about, he doesn't deserve a bird like that.
Oh, and you do? Well, I certainly deserve something more attractive than you.
BOY: Get him! Get him! Come on! KIDS: Get him! Get him! BOY 1: Come on! Catch him! BOY 2: Get him! Get him! (SIGHS) GREG: How many? EAGLE: Thirteen.
GREG: When did it all start? EAGLE: A month or so ago.
It might have been before, some of these were away.
-On a raid? -Aye.
They just seemed to be itching.
Complaining of pins and needles and things crawling all over their hands and legs.
-I thought it would go away.
-GREG: And what do the others think? EAGLE: They allow me to do that.
I take the decisions.
(GROANING) -What do you think it is? -GREG: I've really no idea.
-Is this all that happens? -EAGLE: No.
Some are deaf.
There's one in here I think you should see.
Do you know what it is? Well, I know what I think it is.
Could you send one of your team down to the cottage to get hold of the old lady and the girl that's with her? -But what is it? -I'd like them to have a look first.
There were some notebooks in my saddlebags, you haven't burned them or thrown them away, have you? -No.
-Well, I'd like those.
At least they'll tell us where the nearest doctor is.
Now, did she ever cut herself? Can you remember that? At any time? I don't know, 'cause she was indoors most of the time.
She cooked a lot.
She used a knife then, I suppose.
Peeling and scraping.
She might have cut herself doing that.
She never complained about anything? -Did she have all the other symptoms? -I think so.
Look, I can't really remember, she might have said something.
But I've probably told her not to be so stupid.
Half the time I've got to tell them all not to be such babies.
You don't have to blame yourself.
What's wrong with her? She's got gangrene.
On her fingers and toes.
-Do you know what it is? -Sort of.
Well, it's sometimes called "mortification".
And what that means is that that part of the body is dead because the blood isn't getting through.
And you think she might have got that from a wee cut? I know next to nothing about medicine, Eagle.
Mrs Butterworth knows more than me.
She was a nurse once.
-So what can you do about it? -Nothing.
Surgery is the only answer, major surgery.
It's reached what they call an irreversible stage.
I'm sorry, Eagle.
There's a Dr Adams near Lincoln.
That's a hundred miles away.
I doubt if he'd be able to do anything for Libbie.
He might for the others.
What do you mean? They're all gonna be like Libbie? Well, they might.
We just don't know.
Will she? It won't be easy for her.
Can we really do nothing for her? There is one thing you can do.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR) Anyone at home? Greg? Agnes? Mrs Butterworth? -Shall we go back to the cottage? -No, we'd better stay here.
They'll fit us in somewhere.
-I'd rather be in my own bed.
-Well, we all would.
-But I think we should stay here.
-(SIGHS) (SIGHS) You go and get some sleep.
I'll sit up with her.
I'm fine.
Philip tells me you sit up with her every night.
It's my job.
They're my team.
You can't do anything here that I can't.
Go on.
Did you mean all that stuff? About her? (GASPS) Libbie's dead, Eagle.
I'm sorry.
She died in her sleep.
Dead? In her sleep.
It's a good thing.
I hope, if I'm ever in that condition, the same thing happens to me.
Aye.
Rabbits with myxomatosis.
-What? -Oh, nothing.
Well Thanks.
-For what? -You know for what! You were very fond of her, weren't you? She was my sister.
And bring back every piece of medical equipment that you can find.
Medical equipment? Well, anything that the kids haven't got and you think they might need.
Well, they need drugs.
-There might be something at Ainsworth.
-And what was there, a hospital? No, civil defence place.
-What are you going to do? -Research.
Do you think we could have got it from the rabbits? Well, I haven't heard of myxomatosis being passed on to humans.
But I suppose it's possible.
But I don't think that this is myxomatosis.
-You don't think we're all ill? -Yeah, I think you are.
You're well-organised here.
Well, look, didn't you notice anything strange about any of the people at the settlements you raided? They were only raids.
We never took anything of value.
They were just to cheer us up, make us forget about this illness, stop worrying.
There was always some who wanted to be looked after by adults.
-Mums and dads.
-But not you? I come from Glasgow.
Every week there's a new excuse for violence.
Broken homes, too much money, too little money, lack of clean facilities, lack of parental authority, the damp, the disease, the urine, the rats.
-And who said that? -Oh, they all say that.
We were just bored.
Only one guy talked about the boredom.
"The unending tedium", he called it.
Doing nothing and taking all day to do it.
But they're all quotes, aren't they? Out of a newspaper.
Aye, that was with the word games.
We read the rest in a book ourselves.
Laughed about it.
Pretended to be them soft newspapermen and do-gooders.
But we didnae want them to be soft.
Or to make excuses for us.
Well, you didn't want them to be hard, did you? We wanted to be treated like adults.
Big men like you.
Weren't you treated like adults after the Death? You must be joking.
Things got worse.
I ran away four times! I got beaten, chained up, locked in a cellar for two weeks.
I began to look on Glasgow as the good old days.
Well, you just found the wrong settlement.
We found the right settlement.
Here.
It's ours.
We're free.
It works! -Someone's been here.
-How do you know? I can feel it.
Atmosphere.
-Perhaps it was the Red Indians.
-Ah! Don't be daft.
And someone was here last night.
Might still be here.
-Slept here.
-Goldilocks.
Ah! No.
Whoever was here had dark hair, not very long.
Just ordinary stuff.
Vegetables, rabbit, deer, sheep.
Oh, aye, and corn sometimes, when we made a trade.
-Who with? -Two blokes, Millar and McIntosh.
-We exchange things.
-Where are they from? Marbury.
It's not far away.
Oh, no, they're all right.
They only take advantages.
But not as bad as some of the others.
They have nae grassed on us yet.
We'd bury the lot of them if they did.
And you haven't found any pills or, you know, stuff like that? -Taken it as a dare? -No chance.
We make our own rules here.
Nobody smokes anything.
Leaves, plants, them funny mushrooms.
And boys and lasses sleep in separate rooms.
There are rules, you know.
We made them up.
-Nobody told us to do anything.
-Okay, okay.
Well, whatever this is, don't you think it might have been a good idea if someone had told you not to do something or other? (THUNDER RUMBLING) So, it's obviously not cuts, grazes or burns.
The symptoms cover everything, Greg.
Deafness, blindness, gangrene, hallucinations.
Well, I didn't hallucinate (COUGHS) about somebody being in my house.
Someone was there, all right.
It will be one of the great unsolved mysteries of our time, Mrs Butterworth.
-What? -AGNES: What? -What did you just say? -About what? About Mrs B.
I just said it would be one of the great unsolved mysteries of our time.
-Well, that's it.
-What? Oh, don't start that again.
GREG: No, no, give me some mysteries.
Well, who was in my house? Real, famous mysteries.
What do you mean, ghosts, hauntings, murders? Mistletoe boughs, headless horses No, no, no, I mean true, famous true stories.
AGNES: Well, about what? People, places, animals, cars, pigs, sheep -That's it! -Sheep? Do you mean they got this illness from sheep? No, not sheep.
Ships.
But we're a hundred miles from the sea.
There aren't any ships.
The Marie Celeste, the phantom ship.
Everything on board as it should be, but there was no crew.
Well, this isn't a phantom ship.
But what made it a phantom ship was what they had to eat.
-What? -What? GREG: Oh, come on, food! (SNIFFING) How long have you been making this bread? -Couple of months.
-And does everybody eat it? No, some didnae like it and some have been away.
Well, would Libbie have had anything to do with this? She made it.
It was one of her jobs.
All right, have you got any musical instruments? -What for? -(CHUCKLES) Have you got any? Aye.
Guitar, small drums Okay, well, you get those and tin cans and things.
And then I want everyone that has signs of this disease outside.
-What are you going to do? -A war dance.
(MIMICKING INDIAN WAR CRY) I think he's got it.
ALL: # We all live in a yellow submarine # Yellow submarine Yellow submarine # We all live in a yellow submarine # Yellow submarine Yellow submarine # We all live in a yellow submarine # Yellow submarine Yellow submarine # We all live in a yellow submarine # Yellow submarine Yellow submarine # We all live in a yellow submarine # Yellow submarine # Yellow submarine # We all live in a yellow submarine # Yellow submarine # It's in the bread, made from rye.
You know, one of the suggestions about the Marie Celeste was they all went mad from eating this stuff and jumped overboard.
-Well, how does it work? -I have no idea.
I just know there's a sort of a fungus which grows on the rye when it's stored wet.
And that leads to all the things that your team have got.
Why the dancing? Well, I'm afraid that's another unsolved mystery.
Just remember reading a suggestion once that The Pied Piper of Hamelin was playing to children suffering from this same disease.
He used to call it St Anthony's Fire.
Oh, how fascinating.
But he wasn't stealing the children away.
He was actually helping them.
Because music and the rhythm seemed to have help ease and soothe the convulsed limbs.
But there were a lot of outbreaks in the middle ages.
EAGLE: Why not now? Well, people eat less rye bread for a start.
And there are stricter rules and regulations about food.
Well, there were.
We haven't got any now.
There's no Ministry of Agriculture or Department of Health to look after us.
But about 20 years ago, in France, a whole village went mad from eating this stuff, even with strict rules and regulations.
-Did you grow the rye yourselves? -No.
-How did you get it? -Through the traders.
-She won't be back.
-Oh, yes, she will.
Today.
I can feel it in my bones.
She's on her way.
Let me deal with them, Eagle.
I'll bring them back.
You know what you gotta do here? Aye.
Get the rye and burn it.
-See anything? -No.
-Where's the kid? -He's gone back.
Look, do we have to go through with this? Well, he's coming for us, isn't he? Well, can't we explain we've done nothing? I mean, how were we to know? We take everything on trust.
-It might have been us.
-Shut up and keep watching.
Well, you sold it to them.
I wasn't even there.
Well, whose idea was it? Get rid of the rye on the kids.
If they can't afford the best, give them second best.
It was all they could afford, wasn't it? We couldn't let the little blighters starve, could we? Shut up! Where's the water? Millar? McIntosh? GREG: Where have they all gone? AGNES: (SIGHING) I don't know.
They all met here after they burnt the rye.
Eagle wouldn't let us listen but he sounded very angry.
MRS BUTTERWORTH: I think they went after the traders.
GREG: No, we'd have met.
And he didn't say where they were going? -AGNES: No, he took everyone.
-Perhaps they're moving camp.
No, it's got something to do with those two.
We've done nothing.
Trading, that's all.
This lot west of Marbury had the rye.
And we bought it, we gave them what the kids gave us.
Straight up, no profit.
We thought we were helping them.
How were we supposed to know it had fungus or whatever it is? Why don't you go after the lot that sold it to us? Yeah, well, we will, once we've dealt with you.
Dealt with? -Oh, those kids will kill us.
-No one's getting killed.
And you've got no idea where they went? I think I know where they went.
-Where? -The outpost.
What's that? They said if ever there was an invasion, there's this place they call "the outpost".
They keep guns and things.
And food for emergencies.
Is that true? Well, is it? -Well, what is this place? -It's a civil defence centre.
Stuffed with food rations for emergencies, nuclear war.
-Are there any guns there? -No.
Well, what are you looking so worried about? Hey? There Oh, my God.
Now what? What? They're mined.
The army mined them to stop people breaking in during the Death.
We told the kids not to go there.
Honest.
-You gotta believe us.
-GREG: You stupid Okay, everybody, it's all right.
Yous can get up.
One dead and 14 with symptoms.
Now, you'll work six months for the one that's dead and month for each of my team that's bad.
-What's the alternative? -There isn't one.
And when yous have done that, you can go.
And whilst you're here, yous can keep up your trading as long as one of you is always at camp.
I'll go and get rid of the rest of the rye.
-I'll wait for you here.
-No, I think you'd better get back.
-Back to Whitecross? -Yeah.
You haven't sold this rye to anyone else? Have you got any other deals up your sleeves? -No, nothing.
-Are you sure? No one's calling on you? Taking stuff away? -No one.
-GREG: Okay.
Quick, quick.
Come and see what I found in the field over there.
BOY 1: What is it? Come on, let's get it, then.
-Come on! -Come on.
Oh.
(KIDS LAUGHING) (CHEERING) -Couldn't we catch it? -We could use it to pull logs.
Work for us.
We could ride it.
Can't we keep it as a pet? I don't know.
It's probably been in a zoo or a circus all of its life.
Chained up, nae freedom.
Now it can go where it wants.
I mean, yous wouldnae like it if yous were to be cooped up again, would yous? KIDS: No.
BERNIE: It's true.
Anyway, why don't we just feed it on, eh? -Please.
-We've hardly got enough for ourselves.
And it would probably tread on all our crops.
They go mad sometimes, you know.
Go musth or something, they call it.
We're far better off as we are.
-ALL: Yes.
-I bet somebody shoots it.
Ah, somebody probably will.
-Look.
-What is that, another again? BOY: No, it's a rider.
Have you got the binoculars? No, they're not here.
Why, what's wrong? Oh, it's nothing.
Just looks like someone.