- 14/09/2024
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00:00Good evening, this is Orson Welles.
00:06Tonight the English star, Mr. Lawrence Olivier, fresh from Hollywood where he's been making
00:10Wuthering Heights and just over from the Ethel Barrymore Theatre where he's been rehearsing
00:14with Catherine Cornell in Gusry McLintock's new production, No Time for Comedy, joins
00:19us at Campbell Playhouse as John Jest in Beau Jest.
00:25With him is your favorite villain, Mr. Noah Birrie, who will bedevil Mr. Olivier and me
00:29and the bloodthirsty person of his original Sergeant Lejeune, which Noah Birrie made famous
00:34in the silent picture version of P.C. Wren's celebrated romance about the Foreign Legion.
00:42At ease.
00:48At ease.
00:53Lieutenant Marchand.
00:57Yes, sir.
01:01Give your men thirty minutes' rest and prepare to advance in open order to relieve forces
01:08in the left.
01:09Yes, sir.
01:10To your command.
01:12Hatterson.
01:13Yes, sir.
01:14Hatterson, you have seen war in the desert?
01:17Does anything here strike you as strange?
01:19No, sir, if you want to know the truth...
01:22Yes.
01:23...I don't like it, sir.
01:24Now something about that fort...
01:25...seems strange not to hear a sound out of them.
01:28Think they'd be cheering the relief force.
01:30They may not have seen us.
01:32The Sun is behind us.
01:35Dormitor.
01:36Yes, sir.
01:37Sound a regimental call.
01:38Yes, sir.
01:40no answer do you think it's an Arab trap I don't think so sir that's not the way
01:51the Arabs work courage and cruelty I've seen in them but nothing like this I
01:55didn't let me have your glasses there you are sir see anything sir yeah legs
02:02flying men at their places along the wall rifles level extreme sir not an
02:10Arab in sight yes when the bugle sounded not one of them moved did you notice
02:15that how about the lookout platform sir from that
02:19yes sir once more the call
02:24you're right you don't you take a look thank you sir he's that man at the
02:28corner of the wall over on the right yes sir he's got a bullet hole in the middle
02:32of his forehead he has a trickle of blood down his face still he stands
02:35there propped up against the wall with the others staring down the muzzle of
02:39his rifle those men are dead gentlemen I'm going to ask for a volunteer to ride
02:46alone into Fort Zinderneuf step forward it's a hard thing to ask major a fort
02:52full of dead men any volunteers major just some of them I'll go sir good get
03:00in as best you can once you are in sound the call
03:04brave man have you a watch with you yes major that is all I haven't heard from
03:12you within 15 minutes I will order a charge yes sir and good luck thank you
03:17sir that was the last time they heard him speak they saw him ride towards the
03:30fort picking his way among the dead Arabs they saw him stop under the wall
03:34of Fort Zinderneuf they saw him look up at the dead faces of the men on the wall
03:38they saw him climb up on his horse's saddle and hoist himself up then he
03:43disappeared a little before the 15 minutes were over they saw a small dark
03:48cloud in the blue sky over the fort at first it seemed like dust as it grew
03:53heavier and started to swirl they saw that it was smoke just before the fort
03:59burst into flames they thought they heard the sound of a bugle playing a
04:02strange call
04:14that man the trumpeter was my brother there were three of us and I am the
04:20only one alive my name is John Jest here is our story it begins in England at
04:27Brandon Abbas in Herefordshire here we were brought up by our aunt Lady Brandon
04:32her dead sister's three boys Michael Digby John and her own daughter a little
04:37girl called Isabel Michael was the captain our hero and leader Lady
04:42Brandon's favorite nephew as a child because of his looks she called him Beau
04:47Beaujez and the name stayed with him Digby was the lieutenant he was Bo's
04:53twin smaller and a quarter of an hour younger I was a year younger their
04:59mascot and their obedient slave there was a game we used to play in the
05:05lily pond at Brandon Abbas it was called naval engagements it was played with two
05:09toy boats each crowded with lead soldiers and bearing three brass cannon
05:13loaded with buckshot is your ship ready lieutenant ready captain light the
05:19fuses ready go hey only one of my guns are firing must be improper fusing no
05:30battle fetch him in John you better tuck your trousers up John mind you don't
05:34lose men overboard what happened stop making faces and come here be quiet
05:42Isabel don't look at it let me see John how does it feel John
05:47just like being shot I'm going to be sick what are you gonna do with your
05:52knife so going to cauterize the wound captain and prevent it turning septic
05:55no naval surgery without anesthetics cut out the cannonball first I have to
06:00sterilize the knife now John will you be gagged or chew on a bullet I don't want
06:04to be disturbed by your beastly yells I shan't yell captain sit on his head
06:08Digby no hold his hoof then Isabel hide your eyes and keep still almost hold him
06:17still Digby here it comes how do you feel now John I feel all right I'm going
06:25to confer a new name on you for bravery stand up Digby and salute John Jess
06:30because you didn't cry when wounded in battle and didn't yell during a major
06:33operation of naval surgery without anesthetics I now give you the rank and
06:37title for the rest of your life of Stoutfella oh thank you captain I say
06:41captain do you think we could manage your Vikings funeral right you are
06:44lieutenant Stoutfella you have also earned high honor of a full-dressed
06:47Vikings funeral we can use my book and one of my soldiers John you may choose
06:51the one you want to be I'd like to be one of the new blue ones if it's all
06:55right captain a hand me one dig I now solemnly name this valorous soldier the
07:00Viking Earl John Jess now put him on a matchbox filled with explosives dig you
07:04sit here John stand up everyone else hats off ready Digby lighter now shove
07:13her way out there she goes I can still see the Viking in the center that's
07:18what I call a funeral I'd give something to have one like that when my turn comes
07:22what's more I'll write it down in my will none of you dirty little dogs will
07:25get anything from me unless you see it properly done I'll give you one bow
07:28whenever you like so will I you dig if you die first shake on it shake blow
07:32your bugle Digby
07:43Oh
08:01most of the other great moments of my childhood were connected with a
08:04fabulous and historic jewel owned by Lady Brandon the blue water sapphire it
08:09had been in the family for several generations often people came to see the
08:13sapphire princes diplomats jewel merchants from every corner of the globe
08:17I remember the last time I saw it we were home for the Christmas holiday I
08:21was 18 then Bo and Digby were at Oxford and I was in my last year at school on
08:27Christmas Eve we persuaded Lady Brandon to get out the blue water for us to look
08:30at just the family Bo Digby myself and Isabel well there it is children
08:38Dolly beauty isn't she remember the Indian Maharaja who fainted dead away
08:43when he saw it and it took 20 minutes to revise it no wonder it still makes me
08:48dizzy I thought we'd never get rid of him he kept coming back to see it again
08:51three or four times wasn't it aunt I don't mind the Maharaja look at the blue
08:54water seems to get bigger and bigger makes you want to dive into it head
08:58first just disappear inside it I say what's happened to the light don't
09:03wonder about anybody knock things over the lights will go on again in a minute
09:07they always do it's something to do with the new power station this is the
09:10third time it happened this week why doesn't somebody get a candle it's pitch
09:13black oh yeah I hope they stay on auntie look look it's gone whoever did this
09:23please put it back it's not fun you suppose it fell on floor it was under
09:28the glass cover whoever took the blue water please put it back at once John
09:32why do you accuse me you were nearest the day Oh John nobody accused you put
09:36the beastly thing back me I didn't take it oh why don't you put it back whoever
09:39did take it let's not keep on pretending we shall all go to bed now this room
09:45will be locked but the key to it will be left in the little brass box in the hall
09:49only you four will know where it is the thief would have a chance during the
09:54night to replace the sapphire without revealing his identity if the blue water
09:59is not here in the morning the police will be called in no one will be spared
10:05no matter who it is the next morning we found that you all have not been
10:10returned only Digby and Isabel and myself were at breakfast
10:15Bo didn't appear Lady Brandon sent down word that no one was to leave the house
10:19she hadn't sent for the police yet but we expected she would any minute it was
10:24a strange morning wondering about the house each of us keeping to himself
10:27waiting for something to happen around noon I went into the library Johnny yes
10:34Isabel will you tell me something certainly what it's a silly question
10:39terribly silly I oh I know it's silly well Johnny did you take the blue water
10:47why no I didn't oh I shouldn't have asked it Johnny I wanted to hear you say
10:54yourself Isabel you're crying forgive me for asking
11:00Isabel what's the matter with you? Isabel do stop crying. I can't help it. I can't help it.
11:07Johnny I love you darling darling I wish I knew what to say darling
11:20Isabel someday we'll get married won't we? yes. when I scrape together a little
11:26money and prove somehow that I'm worthy please kiss me Isabel
11:33excuse me could I talk to John alone? I have something rather important to say to him. yes of course.
11:37bye John. bye darling. what are you being so melodramatic about? Bo's gone. how do you know?
11:43he left this note by the time you get this I shall be well on the way to where
11:48I'm going please tell Anne there's no further need to badger any of you about
11:51the blue water if Scotland Yard is put on the trail tell him you knew I
11:55contracted large deaths at Oxford I must have been led astray by evil
11:58companions you and John of course keep an eye on John I bet you both have a
12:03yours Bo. it can't be true. of course it isn't true. I can't believe it not a Bo.
12:07things like an open book he's taking the blade. but who's he shielding? perhaps he
12:11doesn't know. look if Bo didn't do it then maybe I did it. you didn't did you?
12:15neither did you or Isabel. of course not it's ridiculous. exactly. John we can't let
12:22him do it. it'll break Lady Brandon's heart. you know how she adores him. what do we do?
12:26nothing for the moment. I'll say nothing. I'll speak to you later I've got an idea.
12:33that evening I found a note on my pillow in Digby's writing. here John I can no
12:38longer let the innocent suffer for my guilty sin. by the time you get this I
12:42shall be well on my way to where I am going. will you please tell Anne that
12:48Bo's noble and beautiful gesture was a lot of nonsense and that I'm the real
12:51thief. tell her that by the time she gets this...
13:00I faced my room for three hours then I started to pack. as the dawn came up I
13:06tiptoed out through the kitchen door. through the dim morning I walked to the
13:10station and boarded the first train.
13:16my darling beautiful sweetheart. when you read this letter you will be the
13:23first to agree that I cannot possibly do anything except what I am doing. although
13:28it may mean for a time at least being away from you my dearly beloved. just
13:35when we have found this miracle our love, Isabel dear, has brought you here.
13:46I want to die!
13:48always!
13:50must wait!
13:52may I speak with the officer in charge please?
13:54must!
13:56yes, what do you want?
13:58are you the recruiting officer sir? I am.
14:00could you tell me sir if any Englishmen...
14:02what is this? what happens in England?
14:04does the British Empire suddenly export all our most excellent young men to
14:07Paris to enlist in the French foreign legion? then there have been others. two
14:10others this week. well where can I catch up with them? where can I find them? you
14:13mean if you are accepted in the legion? you've got to accept me. what do I do?
14:17well folks the physical examination for that for you that will be easy but you
14:22know what you're doing? of course. listen to me young man. in the beginning of
14:26valentine enlist for five years. his pay is one sous a day. the discipline is hard.
14:31harder than that of any army in Europe. if a man deserts from a legion he is
14:36shut. think it over young man. think it over.
14:42they accepted me. I signed a paper and I was a soldier of France. name John Smith
14:48foreign legion 103762. a week later I was in Iran in Africa. then on to an
14:56inland town some 20 of us on foot.
15:06Oh
15:22we were herded into a long shed like building. our heads were shaved. uniforms
15:27and kit issued to us. I picked up my things and went to the barrack room to
15:30which I'd been assigned. two men were sitting side by side on a bench. their
15:34hands in their pockets. fights in their mouths. well well enter the third robber.
15:39Bo! Digby! how wonderful to see you. I was afraid I mightn't catch up with you.
15:44my poor dear idiotic mad boobie. what the devil you think you're doing here? fleeing
15:49from justice Bo. what about you? same thing. you Dig? who me? well tell you the
15:54truth I'm fleeing from justice. did you bring the sapphire with you John? no no I didn't
15:59bring it with me. did you bring it Bo? yes. you too Digby?
16:03I'll never travel without my sapphire. I suppose one of us three has got it. two of us. what are you
16:08going to do with it now? carry it. it's part of me. it's an old kangaroo custom. I carry about the
16:13young and their money things that sort of drag you know in front. accessible. I
16:16keep it on me night and day. that'll kill the man before he can rob it. there we go.
16:20he's on a lineup for inspection. inspection? I just arrived. that's not too soon for you John.
16:27color sergeant John. charming man. from now on you're a commanding officer.
16:32right dress. steady. front. a new company of jailbird huh? why couldn't you go to the prison
16:49instead of coming here to waste my time? and I'll make you wish you hadn't come near the
16:53legion. I'll make you wish you were never born. let's see what we have here. you. what's your
17:00name? Swanson. say sir when you speak to me. how about you? who are you? my name is Hank. Hank
17:07Locker. come from Chillicothe. any more silence. insolence from you I'll tie your wrist to your
17:13ankles in the small of your back. okay sir. and what's your name? Smith. oh another English boy
17:21eh? let's see your hands. I thought so. soft as pancakes. never done a stroke of work in your
17:28life eh? well I'll harden those for you. I'll manicure you before I die. sir. silence. open
17:35your mouth again and I'll close it with my boot. now then. you all may look like scum but before
17:42I'm through with you you'll be soldiers. yeah yeah. I'll make soldiers out of you if I have to
17:48I'll kill you. beginning tomorrow we'll drill and march. you hear me? drill and march.
18:01for the following weeks we marched almost without ceasing day after day. I can still feel the
18:06movement of my bare oiled feet in my leather shoes. we wore no stockings in the legion. our
18:11second month we marched 500 miles 30 miles a day with rifles under a heavy pack. faster.
18:18faster drummer. you're a soldier now. under my command. and under my command you'll march. hey
18:28you. Schwartz. yes sergeant. keep that cap on your greasy head. about to sweat sir. well what would
18:35you rather do? sweat or crow? hey you. Dupree. where do you think you're going? fall out of line
18:43once more and you will carry an extra 20 pounds of sand in your pack. now go on. get back into
18:49place. run. copper. yes sergeant. when we make camp tonight see that our friend Dupree gets
18:57his rest. but first give him 25 lashes then let him do sentry duty till midnight. and after that
19:04private Dupree you can have your rest. Dupree. how many. halt. about. face. now then pigs. flying
19:25before you here you see a gentleman who wanted his rest now. and I'll show you how we wake him
19:33up in the legion. Dupree. get up. get up. perhaps a boot in the ribs will help. sergeant. yes
19:43Englishman. now what is it? my brother and I will carry him if he comes. in the legion every man for
19:48himself. he doesn't want to march. he can stay here. now don't you worry about Dupree. he won't
19:55alone here for long. the vultures will keep him company. all right. detail. about. face. forward.
20:07double time. march. you are listening to the Campbell Playhouse presentation of Bojet
20:24starring Orson Welles with Laurence Olivier and Noah Beery. this is the Columbia broadcasting
20:29system. in the legion there were many conflicting reports as to what particular job we were being
20:46trained for. some said a border demonstration. peaceful penetration with the bayonets. others
20:51talked of a far-flung uprising of all the Arab nations from the Atlantic Ocean to the Persian
20:55Gulf. meantime we drilled and drilled. marched and marched. then one day came bad news. we were
21:02to be separated. Digby remained as trumpeter with a regiment in Jagadir. Bo and I with the second
21:07company were detailed to the worst section in the North African service. Fort Zindaner. 400
21:12miles away. it was May when we set out with the legion now adjutant in command. it took us three
21:18weeks to reach it. and the pilot beside me as we marched was the American Hank. hey. hey son.
21:26yeah? I want to tip you boys off to something. oh? you being one of them Britishers well I figure
21:32well you mean okay anyways. oh thank you. just want to tell you there's a lot of conspiracies
21:39around this company. now that we're getting away from civilization things may start popping. you
21:45don't say. yeah. mostly they all have to do with you boys. how do you mean? well none of my business
21:51of course. boys got it figured out you three brothers are a gang of international thieves.
21:57what? hold your horses son. just telling you what they're saying. seems they heard you fellas talking
22:04about some diamonds you got hidden away. heard how one of you carries it like a kangaroo in a
22:09pouch on his stomach. I mean to get it. even if they have to knife you for it. in case you don't
22:15know one of the guys that has his eye on that diamond of yours is our new adjutant. Monsieur Lejeune.
22:21at Fort Zindernach we drilled all day in the sun. Lejeune thought of that. as for the night all we
22:34could do was to pretend that they were cooler than the day. the second month desert fever took us.
22:38cockroach fever men call it because it crawls through the brain. comes over a man suddenly
22:44and he goes stark raving mad with the heat. already three of the men have had to be put in
22:47solitary confinement. and the bed next to my brother slept a German named Schwartz. one night
22:52about two hours after lights out my brother woke suddenly. there was a hand on his shoulder. hey
22:58hey there. hello Schwartz. what do you want? aren't you asleep? I want to talk with you. are you
23:07enjoying Lejeune at Zindernach? oh quite quite. you would like a change? I like change. would you
23:15like perhaps to see again the civilized world? you and your brother and that precious diamond
23:20of yours? I don't know what you're talking about. tell me have you ever seen a pig die? no. you
23:28feeling ill? you're not funny. soon you will see a big pig die. a sacred pig. an adjutant
23:37pig. so? and are you the butcher Schwartz? that depends. so many wish the privilege. would you?
23:45are you with us? mutiny? no. the killer swine. I have no experience as a pork butcher. then
23:53after you conclude that you wish to join the animals that are to be slaughtered this pig
23:59or butcher you must decide soon. you think about it. tomorrow we must know. understand? yes. remember
24:08you must decide pig or butcher. was noon of the next day before my brother could talk to me. he
24:16waited for me outside the canteen. can I hear us here? no go ahead Beau. be quick. let's figure
24:21this out John. a mutiny here at Zindernach. what would that mean? suppose they succeeded. they'd have
24:26to escape across several hundred miles of desert. right. problems. starvation first. the heat of the
24:30desert and maybe getting killed by Turek robbers. just mutilated. right and left the over-anxious
24:35vultures. here's something else. keep thinking of what your American friend said about the blue
24:39water. what's the main reason Schwartz and his gang want us along? I'll tell you. so that after we've
24:45helped them with a mutiny they can do away with us in the desert and get this diamond they think
24:48we've got. I haven't thought of that. once more there are those anxious vultures. once more. now something else.
24:55suppose Jean another diamond lover is smarter than the mutineers think. suppose he has his spies.
25:01suppose he knows of this plot. then what? then the mutineers play right into his hands. exactly. that's
25:06what he's waiting for. he has everyone of us shot down. helps himself to the blue water and gets a
25:09medal at the bargain. leaves us once more to the... we keep on ending up with those unpleasant birds. yes well
25:15what do we do? nothing. wait. just wait. I'll tell Schwartz now that we're not interested but watch him
25:22day and night. beginning tonight you and I better take turns sleeping. first you sleep then I'll sleep
25:27then you sleep then I'll sleep you see. for two days and two nights nothing happened. it was hotter than ever.
25:39every morning as I looked into the men's eyes I saw the desert fever rising. burning more
25:44brightly. the third night I couldn't sleep. I lay in bed thinking of our years at Brandon Abbott.
25:50thinking of Isabel. I wondered if I'd ever get back to her and England. fever-ridden men sleep pitifully.
25:58I lay awake listening to them. just before the dawn I became aware of a man standing at the end of
26:02the room. he had me covered with his revolver. get up quick. one sound out of you and I'll shoot. go on
26:10get up and come here. march. ahead of me. go to my room. now I see it. come on let's see it. see what?
26:29the diamond. did you hear me? that is no diamond little. no? I know better than that. I'll tie you up in the
26:37desert. you and your brother with your hands in the small of your back. your mouth full of salt and
26:41sand. then we'll see if you've got a diamond. but that'll keep. right now there's work to be done.
26:48you want to live? on the whole I think so. on the whole you do do you? all right then. now listen to me. I
26:55know all about this mutiny as I know everything else done and said and thought in this port. and
27:02I know who's in it. Schwartz. Bollardere. Boldani. Vogue. and I'm going to attend to it now. tonight. you
27:11hear? now answer me. I hear you. I'll say so then. now you'll go back with me to that barrack room. first
27:19look up your brother. get your rifles. yours and his. I'll stand at the door and cover you. you go from
27:24bed to bed and take every rifle. if any man speaks don't answer him. if any man moves shoot him as a
27:31mutineering dog should be shot. you understand? I understand. like a sound or a false move you'll be
27:38the first that dies. all right. if you want to live move.
27:53in the first glimmer of dawn I did as he told me. I woke my brother. there were no sentries posted
27:58that night. nobody to challenge us. we went from room to room disarming the men as they slept. we
28:03carried their rifles upstairs stacked them all on the flat roof and all the time Lejeune had us
28:07covered. all right. put those rifles down here. now down in number three there are eight men there. get
28:18their guns. bring them up here. that's a lot. and then I have got a little surprise from mr. Schwartz
28:23and his friends when they get up this morning. what are you waiting for? go on down. what's the
28:35matter with you? can't you hear what I tell you? what are you staring at? all right. if that's what
28:43you want I... shut up you fool. listen. do you hear it? the Arabs. you get back those rifles. yes sir.
28:54wait. down to the barracks room. Dugler. Dugler. tell the alarm. every man to battle position.
29:24towards noon the Arabs retired. they fell back as suddenly as they'd come. the attack was over.
29:34but all afternoon the Arabs kept up a desert fire. every now and then a man was hit. undercover.
29:43haven't you got any sense? corporal. take that man downstairs. give him first aid. be back in five
29:50minutes. you hear? yes sir. Schwartz. Schwartz. yes sir. come up here. up on the wall. yes sir. look out there toward the
30:01oasis. tell me. what do you see? they're climbing the trees sir. they're shooting down at us from
30:09the trees. exactly mr. Schwartz. they are shooting at us from the trees. now we don't have to get
30:17those Arabs down from those trees. won't we mr. Schwartz? yes adjutant. all right mr. Schwartz. now you
30:25climb up to that high lookout platform. and from there you'll get a good shot at those Arabs.
30:30until they get you. up. get up there I tell you. go on or I'll shoot you myself. that's it. go on up. and while you're up
30:41there maybe you can think up some more plots. go on. get up there.
30:45too bad. brave soldier. just died for the Republic. and one mutineer less.
31:13now then mutineer number two. Bollardere. yes sir. you're next. get up on that platform mr. Bollardere. go on. climb.
31:25corporal. call the roll.
31:44yes sir. Bollardere. Bollardere. Bollardere. Bollardere. Lafarge. Schwartz. Jacobi. yes. De Meyer. out of 98 that morning there were 46
32:11of us left. that was the first day. the nearest relief post was Jagadeer. it'll be three days
32:17before help could come from there. in the morning the Arabs would attack again. they knew our real
32:22numbers. they'd scale the walls and cut us to pieces in a minute. that night one smaller
32:27Joan put us to work. here. come up here. help me with this. yes sir. I don't trust those others.
32:32pick him up with the shoulders and the legs. but he's dead sir. sure. they get heavy when they're
32:38stiff don't they? come on. up the stairs with him. what's up? on to the parapet. what you going to do?
32:45what do you think? got them to work you idiot. no good when they're alive. perhaps now that
32:52they're dead they'll be of some use. yeah. there. pop him up against the wall. push him against the
33:00parapet. that's it. that's enough. straight up. eyes front. put his cap on his head. now give him a rifle.
33:09that's right. sight it. well friend Schwartz. now you look quite a useful soldier for a change.
33:19come on you two. get another one. yes sir. bring him up here. fill the next embrasure with him.
33:27rifle in his hand. cap on his head. 38 of them. one in each embrasure. tomorrow when the Arabs
33:35attack they'll think we've got a real garrison here. it worked. the next morning the Arabs attacked
33:47again but they kept their distance. all day that fire poured into the fort and inside a
33:51handful of desperate men ran from parapet to parapet shooting over the dead men's shoulders.
33:55whenever a man fell the Joan would pick him up and put him back in his place on the parapet. he
34:00seemed to take a ghoulish delight in arranging them and sighting their rifles and putting their
34:03caps on straight. once or twice he lit cigarettes for the dead men. cigarettes gradually burnt till
34:08they were spent in the dead men's mouths. but it worked. at the end of the day they withdrew beyond
34:14the sandhills. and now my many friends before we go to sleep we're going to have a little celebration.
34:21yeah just the few of us. we'll celebrate what a good time we're having. mm-hmm. we'll let the
34:28Arabs hear us. we'll let them see how little we need to worry. how gay we are. yeah we're going
34:35to laugh. laugh I tell you. now do you hear me? laugh. that's it. now come on you. now from left to
34:57right. in the middle of a silent quadrangle of dead men standing guard we celebrated for hours
35:15until we lay back exhausted on the stone roof of the fort. late that night Bo dragged himself
35:21nearly. got a cigarette John? just two. here. looks like the last lap Johnny. last cigarette. last nothing. the
35:28leaf is halfway here by now. hope so. John if I die and you don't why don't you do something for me? of
35:33course Bo. there are two letters in my pocket and a small package and a money belt around my waist.
35:36one letter is a sort of public letter the other is for lady Brandon. package is for her too only
35:43the package isn't really important. the letter is important though. whatever you do swear you'll
35:48give her that letter. Bo don't talk like that. you're not going to die. maybe I'll die. maybe we'll
35:53both die. maybe neither of us will. no no Johnny just feel it my bones. Johnny will you swear? of
35:58course I will. good. well goodbye dear old Johnny. I wish to heaven I hadn't dragged you into this
36:08but I think you'll come out all right. give my love to Dig will you and Isabel. I hope someday you
36:15two will be very happy. in the morning the fight had started. the fighting started again. the same
36:24tactics again. running along the wall shooting dead men's guns. by noon there were only seven
36:28of us left. two hours later there were only four. each took one bullet. we ran like men possessed.
36:35shooting running shooting running. we never looked at each other. it was late in the afternoon when I
36:41saw that Bo had fallen. he lay there under the north wall motionless and I couldn't get to him.
36:46after that I can remember nothing until it was night. then suddenly my brain cleared and I saw
36:56Lejeune bending over Bo's body fumbling at his belt. get away from there Lejeune. leave my brother's body alone. give me that letter.
37:11give me that package. stand back. stand back are you English twine. give them to me Lejeune. I'll move and I'll shoot. give me those letters and that package.
37:20I said give me that. the shot went wild but my bayonet went straight through his heart. he fell dead on his back. I sank down on the
37:34stone. then for the first time I realized that Bo was not yet dead. it was because of him that Lejeune's
37:40shot went wild. he had reached out and seized Lejeune's foot jerking him off balance as he
37:45pulled the trigger. stout fellow John. got the letters? you'll deliver them yourself Bo. no. we two are the only
37:51survivors. the relief will be here soon. listen Johnny I'm for it all right. I'm bled white. listen I never stole
37:59anything in my life. tell the guy I said so. Johnny do get the letter home. Bo wait. look I'll get some bread. no no Johnny now listen.
38:07those letters. one's a confession. no need for you and Dig to carry on the game now. you must get the confession
38:13published. I've nothing to confess Bo. don't be an ass Johnny. it's the living we have to think about. leave the
38:20confession where it'll be found. I'll haunt you. I'll gnaw your neck and go boo in the dark. no don't go. come here Johnny.
38:29Johnny. I'm going blind. where are you? I promise. confession.
38:42John. John wake up. listen. you've got to listen. wake up. try hard. where am I? where's Bo? this is Digby.
39:12Digby do you hear? you're in the fort of Dindinath. Bo's dead. and you've killed the sheriff. good thing too. but the legion won't look at it that way.
39:21we've got to escape quickly. Digby how did you get here? a relief squadron from Jagged Deer. we heard they'd been attacked. we came up to the
39:28walls and saw the dead men looking out. they wanted the man to go into the fort alone. I volunteered. they're outside there now. if I don't get the
39:36call in 15 minutes they'll charge. we've only got five minutes left. where's Bo? where's Bo? on his bed downstairs. come John. we have something we've got to do.
39:48you know what he'd have wanted. a Vikings funeral. yeah that's right. we promised that day at Brandon Abbey. now quick help me. I piled wood around him and
39:59sprinkled oil on the wood and all over the barracks. it's all ready. there's just one more detail. get up John quick. what are you doing? remember a Vikings funeral
40:08needs a dog. don't you remember a dog at the feet of the captain? well there's a dog. legion. Dig have you gone mad too? hurry we haven't time to lose. help me. he wanted a full
40:20Vikings funeral. he'll get it. we dragged the body of legion downstairs to the barrack room and laid it at Bo's feet. Digman knelt down and struck a match. as he threw the match
40:32to a bed we raced back up the stairs. moment later the flames leaped high into the air.
41:02as we left the burning fort we heard the cavalry coming up behind us. in the confusion of the fire we escaped heading west toward the coast. five weeks later I saw the sea. Digby was dead. shot by a stray bullet from a marauding Arab.
41:31almost a year went by before I reached England. I fulfilled my promise to Bo. a public letter was a sort of confession saying that he alone had stolen the blue water sapphire. that was nonsense of course. his lie had long outlived its purpose. the other note, the one to lady Brandon she read aloud to us. to Isabel and me. as she read I seemed to hear the voice of Bo himself. Bo smiling and talking to us across all those miles from that land of the dead. from Zindamere.
42:01dear auntie, when you get this I shall be dead. you've read it through. perhaps you'll forgive me for doing what I thought was best. you see, I thought I was doing something that might in some measure pay you for your great goodness to me and my brothers. my dear aunt, I knew you'd sold the blue water to the Maharaja in order to keep the estate going for our sake and for the sake of the tenants. I also knew you were frightened that the sale would become known for technically you had no right to sell the jewel which was left to you in trust.
42:28I knew you'd had a duplicate made and I kept thinking how splendid it would be if we had a jewel robbery and the blue water substitute was stolen. you could put Scotland Yard on the trail of the burglar and as long as he didn't catch him and recover the sapphire everything would be splendid. and everything would have turned out fine too if those incredible brothers of mine hadn't gone and bolted to a possibility that occurred to me.
42:53well, I hope my idea did work in part anyway and that your secret has been kept. how can we ever repay all that you did for us? my love to you and to the others too. and all the happiness in the world to John and Isabel. your nephew, Borges.
43:23© BF-WATCH TV 2021
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