Original subtitles

You be a good boy while I'm away, won't you, Beauty?

Come on, young lady, we've a long way to go.

Good luck with the exam, Vicky.

I've had the best teacher in the district.

Even I can't teach you what a hypotenuse is.

Are you sure you can manage the mail run, Manfred?

I'll do my best.

You really should learn to ride a horse.

Vicky, you know they don't like me.

Black Beauty likes you?

And you promise you'll take him with you and look after him? He must have some

exercise.

I look silly taking a horse for a walk, but oh well.

I somehow think that it'll be you looking after men.

Good luck and safe journey.

All right, Grandpa.

What is a hypotenuse?

Goodbye,

beauty.

He's this correspondence school of yours with a two -day journey every year to

sit your insolvations.

I've heard Manfred can code.

Well, with the mailman, of course he can.

He'll probably invent a wind -powered automatic letter deliverer.

What on earth is the matter, Mr. Burton?

Well, when your stepdaughter said she was going into the city, I just assumed

you'd be doing the mail delivery.

But Manfred is more than capable.

He can't.

Why?

He can't ride a horse.

No, he'll use his bicycle.

But I have a contract to pick up possum skins from Mr. Coates, not to mention

sizable parcels that have to be delivered from time to time.

Beauty will carry the skins and the parcels.

Mrs. Denning.

The royal mail is a grave responsibility.

I can assure you Manfred is highly responsible.

Don't stand, Mrs. Denning. It's the royal mail.

And he's a foreigner.

A German.

What's that got to do with it?

Well, he's not a subject of the king. No oath of allegiance. And there's also

the small matter that we're at war with him.

Surely not.

They're on the other side in Africa fighting the British.

And our own dear brave Australian and New Zealand boys are there shedding

blood for their country.

Are you talking about the Boer War, Mr Burton?

I am.

Then it may surprise you to know that the Boer War has absolutely nothing to

with Germany.

The Boers are Dutch settlers.

But I've seen his letters.

Do you know what's written across the stamps, Mrs Denning?

Please.

Enlighten me.

Dutch land.

It's Deutschland, Mr. Burton.

And I'm tired of this very silly discussion.

Either Manfred delivers the mail, or you close your store and do it yourself.

Good day.

Morning, Constable.

Morning to you, Manfred.

How are things with you?

It seems today it's not good to be a German.

Not the best to be an Irishman around here at the moment either.

Why is that?

There's this pucker English colonel just returned here, stirring up all kinds of

trouble. And just now, it's unlucky to have an accent.

Do you have an accent too?

County clerk, I'm proud of it.

Excuse me.

Oi, stop that now, you little spell -peens.

He's just having fun.

You a bullion.

And you know something?

Show me a bully, and I'll show you a coward.

But he... You're dirty.

But I'm not throwing stones at you for it, am I?

Now get away home before I lock you all up.

Here's today's mail.

Mr. Burton!

These groats have weevils in them.

Yes, but I'm dispatching the mail, Mrs. Charles. Never mind about that. Take a

good look in here.

I can't see any weevils.

Well, what's that then?

Scotch mist?

Yes, but it's a very, very tiny weevil.

Colonel's letter.

Manfred!

Just a moment.

Where is the registered letter?

I don't have a registered letter.

This is a very serious matter.

Look, I don't understand what you're talking about.

The first missing letter in two years.

Excuse me.

Beauty, come on.

No, Beauty, there's no mail for the Pinders today.

What's the matter?

I've got to get on.

Oh, the flag's up.

Ah, there's the letter to Postman.

You're a white horse, Beauty.

Well, he's not so silly to bring you along after all.

He could have slipped that registered letter into his pocket.

You must search him.

Under British law, a man is innocent until proven guilty, Mr. Burton.

But don't you see?

He's German. No.

I don't see.

I've come to pick up the possum skins.

Yeah, Mr. Coates is in the shed.

I'll go find him.

Where are you from?

I'm over from the denning farm.

No, no, I mean, what country?

I'm from Germany.

Oh, Deutschland.

I know where that is. I'm going there when I'm big.

No, no, it's Deutschland.

Deutschland?

Good.

Got a far way to go.

I'm going to Italia and Spania too.

You'll see a lot of things then.

I'll go find Mr. Coates.

Hey,

get back to work.

You're a lazy little sound, sir.

Yeah, so you're doing the mail rounds these days, eh?

That'll put all the dare's moustache in a twist.

A dare?

Kind of a dare, don't you know?

You know, the silly old coot that lives down the road there, just back from

South Africa.

Reckons he won the war single -handed.

Don't think the war was won yet.

You ought to tell him that.

No, don't do that. He's going to be fit when he meets you anyway.

If you don't leave that horse alone and get on with it, you're not getting any

lunch.

Thank the Lord they'll never let them into the army.

First of all, she's late. Then she isn't here.

I take her place.

Sorry to be late.

Who the devil are you?

I'm Manfred Grunwald, at your service.

Well, I don't want you at my service. Where's the girl?

I take over.

You're not British, are you?

I'm German, Mr. Adair.

That's Colonel Adair to you.

And German, my eye.

I know Afrikaans when I hear it.

You're a damn bore.

What have you done with that girl?

She's away to sit... Speak English, will

you? So, Burton has entrusted the royal mail to an enemy civilian.

As you pointed out, Colonel, I'm late.

I'm expecting a very important letter on His Majesty's service.

Do you know what that means, boy?

No, but I know I have nothing for you. Oh, so you're impotent as well, are you?

Well, let me tell you, it has priority, and it should be here by now.

I shall check with Mr. Burton.

You can check with the King of England if you like.

You haven't heard the last of this.

Unfounded bore!

Good morning to you, Colonel.

I understand you have some important official business to discuss with me.

I wanted a word with you, Carmody.

Well, I came as soon as I could.

Did you know that Burton has the enemy delivering the mail?

The enemy? Yes, some damn bore came round yesterday on a philosophy.

You mean Manfred?

I don't think he's the enemy type, Colonel.

Young Manfred's a thinker.

Not a fighter.

And he's a German.

Ah, so he says.

But can you trust him?

Oh, I think so.

You should know.

You're not the sort of chap I expect to see in his emergency police force,

Carmody. Why is that, Colonel?

Well, you're too young, too puny, and you're Irish.

Well, if that's all, I bid you good day, Colonel Adair.

Burton must be out of his mind.

That's something I would not argue about.

Has my letter arrived yet? Yes, I have a letter for you.

This letter has been opened.

I don't understand.

Well, I understand.

Only too well.

You're a damned bore.

And you're after military secrets.

Just give me your word of honor that you didn't tamper with the mail.

So you believe them too?

Your word is good enough for me.

Before God, I did not open the letter.

And you have no idea what happened to the registered letter?

I have never even seen it.

Then we'll just have to find out what did happen.

I'll come with you tomorrow and we'll see what can be done.

I do not want to deliver mail again.

Manfred, you must.

Otherwise they'll take it as an admission of guilt.

Whatever I do, it doesn't matter.

Their minds are hard.

I won't let our community be poisoned by one stupid man.

It's disgraceful.

This is how wars start now.

Not if I have anything to do with it.

My calls are in the same direction today, so it'll be no trouble for me to

part of the way with Manfred.

I'm not convinced that a foreigner should get... Oh, please, will you stop

this nonsense, Mr Burton?

I wasn't born here, and neither were you, were you, Constable?

County Cork. But we're all part of the British Empire.

Look, this is getting us nowhere.

Manfred and I will deliver the mail today.

Perhaps we'll get a clue to the mystery.

Well, you can tell Burton that's the last of them.

Hey, seeing you here, Mrs Denning, do you reckon you could run an eye over me

Clydesdale for me?

Is this a professional consultation, Mr Coates?

No, not really.

What were the neighbours for if they can't give each other a bit of a hand,

You won't mind if I quote that back at you sometime?

Of course not.

Hey, could you come along too? He's a bit spirited.

Mr Clydesdale.

Oh.

There's a whopper, too.

Almost 17 hands.

Hello, my friend.

It's me again.

You're in this together.

Each as bad as the other.

But how?

That is what I am asking you, madam.

I'm sure there must be some explanation. I'm sick of your explanations.

I want the truth.

We had nothing to do with this.

Oh, no.

It was the fairies, was it?

Yes.

Afrikaner fairies, if you ask me.

I shall report this whole matter to Constable Carmody, and I hope he jails

both.

Come on, Beauty, this way.

No, Beauty, that's the wrong direction. This way.

What's the matter with him?

Perhaps he misses Vicky?

That wouldn't make him disobedient.

Maybe he wants us to follow.

I think you're right, Manfred.

But where?

This harness is a disgrace.

Now you do it again.

And you'll keep on doing it until I'm satisfied.

Don't stand there with your mouth open catching flies.

Get on with it.

What can I do for you this time?

I'm not sure.

It was Beauty's idea.

So that's it.

He just wanted the stump.

Ernie! Get out, you thieving little type!

I'll give you stamps, boots and all.

Mr. Coates!

Mostly I understand about the laws of nature, but here's something else I

understand.

This boy has no time to play because he works too hard. Much too hard.

So he takes stamps to dream of being far away.

Look, around here, making a living isn't easy.

And they're dead to this world they swan in and think it's theirs because they

fired a gun.

But they didn't break their backs fighting the land, making it produce.

It's a hard life, son.

And there's no time for dreaming.

So you're going to punish those who do?

I ever catch you with anything that's not yours again, and I'll have the

of you.

You understand?

Now get out of here.

I don't want to see you till tea time.

I used to work twice as hard as him when I was his age.

Never got any time off.

And these last two, they'd be the same as on Colonel Adair's letters?

Yes.

Well then, I think that clears Manfred of any wrongdoing.

Not so fast, Constable.

There's still the registered letter.

I'm all aware of that, sir.

And I feel there's probably some other explanation for it.

Well, if it wasn't Cromwell, who was it? No, you had the first one. That's only

because you and me did it from the day before yesterday.

But you've still got to count it, otherwise it's not fair.

Will you two pipe down?

I find it quite extraordinary.

You're prepared to take the word of an alien against that of a small one. Let

do it. standing citizens.

I intend to make a full report to your superior's council, and to the post

office, and to the Ministry of War in Great Britain.

Yes, and I assure you that I will pursue this matter to the highest authority.

Some other explanation indeed.

And as for you, Mr. Barton... Go away, little boy.

...trusting the majesty's mail to a... to a foreigner.

Where did you get this? It was just under there, stuck under the sack.

Well, at least it was somewhere safe.

How were the exams?

Simple.

I finally got what a hypotenuse is.

Did it take very long?

About 60 miles.

Oh, how was the mail run, Manfred?

I hope you didn't get bored.

It was all right.

Hello, beauty.

You're not going to risk me, are you?

Not this time.

But I only get one word in. You hear me?

Now, get the occasional letter from home.

If you keep your promise not to steal, you can have no stamps.

Gosh, thanks, Constable.

You know, I get letters from home, too, Ernie.

So do I, from... How do you say it?

Deutschland.

Good.

So, you can have our stamps and...

Well, that's to keep him out of trouble, no?

Thanks. Wow.

I'll have the best collection of British and Deutschland stamps around.

I'll even have swaps.

So did Mr. Coates say anything else to you?

Yeah.

We didn't make this country by skiving off with namby -pamby stamps.

Hard work and sweat.

That's what it took.

And then he said I could have a day off every week.

Thank you, Minstrel. You're a real hero.