1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 2 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 3 00:00:14,291 --> 00:00:16,833 from the short story by ROALD DAHL 4 00:00:26,666 --> 00:00:30,916 [bell tolling in the distance] 5 00:00:39,250 --> 00:00:42,458 In the afternoon, the rat man came to the petrol station. 6 00:00:42,541 --> 00:00:45,458 He sidled up the driveway with a soft, stealthy gait. 7 00:00:45,541 --> 00:00:47,875 His feet made no noise at all on the gravel. 8 00:00:47,958 --> 00:00:50,541 He had an army knapsack slung over one shoulder. 9 00:00:50,625 --> 00:00:53,291 He wore an old-fashioned corduroy jacket with large pockets. 10 00:00:53,375 --> 00:00:57,041 Corduroy trousers were tied around the knees with lengths of white string. 11 00:00:57,125 --> 00:00:58,208 -Hello? -Yes? 12 00:00:58,291 --> 00:00:59,166 Rodent operative. 13 00:00:59,250 --> 00:01:02,000 His small, dark eyes moved swiftly over the premises. 14 00:01:02,083 --> 00:01:03,291 -The rat man? -That's me. 15 00:01:03,375 --> 00:01:05,291 He was lean, leathery, a sharp face, 16 00:01:05,375 --> 00:01:06,875 two long, sulfur-yellow teeth 17 00:01:06,958 --> 00:01:09,375 protruding from the upper jaw over the lower lip. 18 00:01:09,458 --> 00:01:12,416 His ears were round and thin, set near the back of his head. 19 00:01:12,500 --> 00:01:13,875 The eyes were almost black, 20 00:01:13,958 --> 00:01:17,166 but when they looked at you, there was a flash of yellow in them. 21 00:01:17,250 --> 00:01:19,958 -You've come quick. -Special orders from the Health Office. 22 00:01:20,041 --> 00:01:22,041 And now you're going to catch all the rats? 23 00:01:22,125 --> 00:01:23,041 -Yeah. -How? 24 00:01:23,125 --> 00:01:23,958 Yes. How? 25 00:01:24,041 --> 00:01:27,250 Depends what rats, where they is. Different methods for different rats. 26 00:01:27,333 --> 00:01:28,625 -Trap them, I suppose. -What? 27 00:01:28,708 --> 00:01:29,625 -Trap 'em. -Trap 'em? 28 00:01:29,708 --> 00:01:30,708 The rat man snorted. 29 00:01:30,791 --> 00:01:32,750 Won't catch 'em that way. Rats ain't rabbits. 30 00:01:32,833 --> 00:01:34,083 He held his face up high, 31 00:01:34,166 --> 00:01:37,791 sniffing the air with a nose that twitched perceptibly from side to side. 32 00:01:37,875 --> 00:01:41,250 Rats is clever. You wanna catch 'em, you gotta know 'em. 33 00:01:41,333 --> 00:01:43,000 You gotta know rats on this job. 34 00:01:47,291 --> 00:01:49,625 You know what they do? They watch you. 35 00:01:49,708 --> 00:01:52,250 Whole time you're preparin' how to exterminate 'em, 36 00:01:52,333 --> 00:01:53,416 they're watchin' you. 37 00:01:53,500 --> 00:01:55,291 This ain't a sewer job, is it? 38 00:01:55,375 --> 00:01:56,958 No, it's not a sewer job. 39 00:01:57,041 --> 00:01:59,500 -Tricky things, sewer jobs. -I shouldn't think so. 40 00:01:59,583 --> 00:02:02,666 You shouldn't, should you? I'd like to see you do a sewer job. 41 00:02:02,750 --> 00:02:05,416 Just exactly how'd you set about it, I'd like to know. 42 00:02:05,500 --> 00:02:06,666 Poison them, I suppose. 43 00:02:06,750 --> 00:02:08,916 And where exactly would you put the poison? 44 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:09,833 Down the sewer? 45 00:02:09,916 --> 00:02:11,416 The rat man sparkled, triumphant. 46 00:02:11,500 --> 00:02:13,208 Yeah, I knew it. "Down the sewer." 47 00:02:13,291 --> 00:02:15,625 Know what'd happen? Get washed away completely. 48 00:02:15,708 --> 00:02:17,625 All your poison. Sewer's like a river. 49 00:02:17,708 --> 00:02:20,875 All right. Well, what would you do, Mr. Rat Man? On a sewer job? 50 00:02:20,958 --> 00:02:22,750 The rat man advanced a step closer. 51 00:02:22,833 --> 00:02:25,000 His voice became secretive and confidential, 52 00:02:25,083 --> 00:02:27,750 the voice of a man divulging professional secrets. 53 00:02:27,833 --> 00:02:30,916 You works on the understandin' a rat is a gnawin' animal, see? 54 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:33,458 Anythin' you give 'em, they gnaws on it. 55 00:02:33,541 --> 00:02:36,583 So you got a sewer job on your hands. What d'you do? 56 00:02:36,666 --> 00:02:39,500 His voice had the soft, throaty sound of a croaking frog, 57 00:02:39,583 --> 00:02:42,666 and he seemed to speak all his words with a wet-lipped relish, 58 00:02:42,750 --> 00:02:44,708 as if they tasted good on the tongue. 59 00:02:44,791 --> 00:02:45,875 You go down the sewer 60 00:02:45,958 --> 00:02:48,416 and you take along some ordinary brown paper bags 61 00:02:48,500 --> 00:02:51,166 filled with plaster of paris powder. Nothin' else. 62 00:02:51,250 --> 00:02:53,583 Then you suspend 'em from the roof of the sewer 63 00:02:53,666 --> 00:02:56,041 so they hangs down not quite touchin' the water. 64 00:02:56,125 --> 00:02:58,125 Just high enough so a rat can reach 'em. 65 00:02:58,208 --> 00:02:59,625 Claud was listening, rapt. 66 00:02:59,708 --> 00:03:03,916 Old rat comes swimmin' along the sewer, sees the bag. He stops. 67 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:06,583 [sniffs] Takes a sniff at it. It don't smell so bad. 68 00:03:06,666 --> 00:03:08,166 -What's he do? -He gnaws it. 69 00:03:08,250 --> 00:03:11,208 That's it! He starts gnawin' at the bag, and the bag breaks, 70 00:03:11,291 --> 00:03:14,708 and the old rat gets a mouthful of powder for his pains. 71 00:03:14,791 --> 00:03:15,625 Well? 72 00:03:15,708 --> 00:03:17,000 Well, that does him. 73 00:03:17,708 --> 00:03:19,125 -That kills him? -Stone dead. 74 00:03:19,208 --> 00:03:21,458 -Plaster of paris… -It swells when you wet it. 75 00:03:21,541 --> 00:03:23,750 Gets into the rat's tubes and swells right up 76 00:03:23,833 --> 00:03:26,375 and kills him quicker than anythin' in the world. 77 00:03:26,458 --> 00:03:28,166 That's where you got to know rats. 78 00:03:28,250 --> 00:03:30,291 His face glowed with a shifty pride. 79 00:03:30,375 --> 00:03:34,291 He rubbed his stringy fingers together, holding the hands up close to his face. 80 00:03:35,875 --> 00:03:38,250 Now, where's them rats? 81 00:03:38,333 --> 00:03:40,791 The word "rats" came out with a rich, fruity sound 82 00:03:40,875 --> 00:03:43,000 as if he were gargling with melted butter. 83 00:03:43,083 --> 00:03:44,666 In the hayrick across the road. 84 00:03:44,750 --> 00:03:47,125 -Not inside? -Only in the hayrick. Nowhere else. 85 00:03:47,208 --> 00:03:51,625 I'll wager they're inside too, gettin' in your food, spreadin' disease. 86 00:03:51,708 --> 00:03:54,958 -Got any sickness here? -He looked pointedly at me, then at Claud. 87 00:03:55,041 --> 00:03:56,541 -Everyone's well. -Quite sure? 88 00:03:56,625 --> 00:03:58,250 -Quite sure. -You never know. 89 00:03:58,333 --> 00:04:01,083 He'd taken upon himself the mantle of a public health officer, 90 00:04:01,166 --> 00:04:03,916 disappointed we were not suffering from bubonic plague. 91 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:07,500 Nevertheless, the rats are in the hayrick. How will you remove them? 92 00:04:07,583 --> 00:04:09,833 The rat man grinned a crafty, toothy grin. 93 00:04:09,916 --> 00:04:12,333 He reached into his knapsack and withdrew a large tin, 94 00:04:12,416 --> 00:04:14,833 weighing it up and down in his hands as he spoke. 95 00:04:14,916 --> 00:04:17,291 Poison. Special poison. Deadly poison. 96 00:04:17,375 --> 00:04:21,041 They'd put you inside if they caught you with even a spoonful of this. 97 00:04:21,125 --> 00:04:23,333 There's enough here to kill a million men. 98 00:04:23,416 --> 00:04:24,750 -Want to see? -Yes, please. 99 00:04:24,833 --> 00:04:27,000 He took a penny and prized open the lid. 100 00:04:27,083 --> 00:04:27,916 There it is. 101 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:31,583 He spoke almost lovingly of the stuff and held it forward for Claud. 102 00:04:31,666 --> 00:04:33,208 [Claud] Corn or barley, is it? 103 00:04:33,291 --> 00:04:35,666 Oats. Oats soaked in deadly poison. 104 00:04:35,750 --> 00:04:39,416 You take just one grain in your mouth and you're a goner in three minutes. 105 00:04:39,500 --> 00:04:41,541 Never out of me sight, this tin. 106 00:04:41,625 --> 00:04:43,958 [editor] He caressed the tin and shook it… 107 00:04:44,041 --> 00:04:47,083 -[rat man mimics rattle] -…so the oat grains rustled softly inside. 108 00:04:47,166 --> 00:04:50,458 But your rats don't get this today. They wouldn't have it, anyway. 109 00:04:50,541 --> 00:04:54,833 That's where you got to know rats. Rats is suspicious. Terrible suspicious. 110 00:04:54,916 --> 00:04:57,458 So today they get some nice, clean, tasty oats 111 00:04:57,541 --> 00:04:59,375 as will do 'em no harm in the world. 112 00:04:59,458 --> 00:05:02,208 Fatten 'em up, that's all. And tomorrow, the same again. 113 00:05:02,291 --> 00:05:04,625 And the day after that, and the day after that. 114 00:05:04,708 --> 00:05:07,375 And it'll taste so good, all the rats in the district 115 00:05:07,458 --> 00:05:09,166 will be comin' along soon enough. 116 00:05:09,250 --> 00:05:10,083 Very clever. 117 00:05:10,166 --> 00:05:13,041 You got to be clever on this job, cleverer than a rat. 118 00:05:13,125 --> 00:05:14,583 And that's saying something. 119 00:05:14,666 --> 00:05:16,791 "You've almost got to be a rat yourself." 120 00:05:16,875 --> 00:05:18,708 It slipped out before I could stop myself. 121 00:05:18,791 --> 00:05:21,416 I couldn't help it, I was looking at him at the time. 122 00:05:21,500 --> 00:05:23,250 The effect it had on him was surprising. 123 00:05:23,333 --> 00:05:24,291 -That's it! -…he cried. 124 00:05:24,375 --> 00:05:26,500 Now you got it, you really said somethin'. 125 00:05:26,583 --> 00:05:29,541 A good ratter's gotta be more like a rat than anythin' else. 126 00:05:29,625 --> 00:05:31,166 Cleverer even than a rat, 127 00:05:31,250 --> 00:05:33,958 and that is not an easy thing to be, let me tell you. 128 00:05:34,916 --> 00:05:36,291 Well, let's get on with it. 129 00:05:36,375 --> 00:05:39,583 Lady Leonora Benson's asking for me urgent up at the manor. 130 00:05:39,666 --> 00:05:40,750 She's got rats too? 131 00:05:40,833 --> 00:05:42,666 Everybody's got rats. 132 00:05:42,750 --> 00:05:45,041 The rat man ambled off down the driveway. 133 00:05:45,125 --> 00:05:47,958 The way he walked was so like a rat, it made you wonder. 134 00:05:48,041 --> 00:05:51,625 That slow, almost delicate, ambling walk with a lot of give at the knees 135 00:05:51,708 --> 00:05:54,625 and no sound at all from his footsteps on the gravel. 136 00:05:54,708 --> 00:05:57,833 He hopped over the gate, and walked quickly 'round the hayrick, 137 00:05:57,916 --> 00:06:00,416 scattering handfuls of oats onto the ground. 138 00:06:00,500 --> 00:06:03,083 The next day he returned and repeated the procedure. 139 00:06:03,166 --> 00:06:06,083 The day after that he came again, and the day after that, 140 00:06:06,166 --> 00:06:09,500 and finally, on the fourth day, he put down the poisoned oats. 141 00:06:09,583 --> 00:06:12,958 But he didn't scatter these. Instead, he placed them in little piles 142 00:06:13,041 --> 00:06:14,875 at each corner of the hayrick. 143 00:06:17,375 --> 00:06:19,041 -You got a dog? -[Claud] Yes. 144 00:06:19,125 --> 00:06:23,000 Well, if you want him to die a horrible, twisting death, let him in that gate. 145 00:06:23,083 --> 00:06:25,166 The next day he came to collect the dead. 146 00:06:25,250 --> 00:06:27,958 Get me an old sack. I'm gonna need one to put 'em in. 147 00:06:28,041 --> 00:06:31,541 He was puffed up and important now, the black eyes gleaming with pride. 148 00:06:31,625 --> 00:06:34,875 He was about to display the results of his catch to the audience. 149 00:06:34,958 --> 00:06:37,833 Claud fetched a sack and we walked across the road. 150 00:06:37,916 --> 00:06:39,625 The rat man prowled around the hayrick, 151 00:06:39,708 --> 00:06:42,500 bending over to inspect one of his piles of poison. 152 00:06:42,583 --> 00:06:44,458 -Something wrong here. -…he muttered. 153 00:06:44,541 --> 00:06:46,000 His voice was soft and angry. 154 00:06:46,083 --> 00:06:49,500 He ambled over to another pile and got down to examine it closely. 155 00:06:49,583 --> 00:06:52,041 -Something wrong here. -[Claud] What's the matter? 156 00:06:52,125 --> 00:06:55,208 He didn't answer, but it was clear the rats hadn't touched his bait. 157 00:06:55,291 --> 00:06:57,416 "These are very clever rats here," I said. 158 00:06:57,500 --> 00:06:58,666 The rat man was annoyed 159 00:06:58,750 --> 00:07:02,208 and showed it on his face and nose and by the way the two yellow teeth 160 00:07:02,291 --> 00:07:04,208 were pressing into his lower lip. 161 00:07:04,291 --> 00:07:06,791 -Don't give me that crap. -…he said, looking at me. 162 00:07:06,875 --> 00:07:09,708 Nothing's wrong with these rats, somebody's feedin' 'em. 163 00:07:09,791 --> 00:07:12,541 They got somethin' juicy to eat somewhere, plenty of it. 164 00:07:12,625 --> 00:07:16,708 No rats in the world will turn down oats unless their bellies is full to burstin'. 165 00:07:16,791 --> 00:07:18,416 The rat man turned away, sullen. 166 00:07:18,500 --> 00:07:22,000 He knelt down again scooping up the poisoned oats with a small shovel, 167 00:07:22,083 --> 00:07:24,250 tipping it carefully back into a tin. 168 00:07:24,333 --> 00:07:27,916 When he had finished, all three of us walked back across the road. 169 00:07:29,125 --> 00:07:31,125 The rat man stood by the petrol-pump, 170 00:07:31,208 --> 00:07:32,916 a rather sorry, humble rat man now 171 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:35,666 whose face was beginning to take on a brooding aspect. 172 00:07:35,750 --> 00:07:38,083 He had withdrawn into himself over his failure, 173 00:07:38,166 --> 00:07:39,541 the eyes veiled and wicked, 174 00:07:39,625 --> 00:07:42,875 the little tongue darting out to one side of the two yellow teeth. 175 00:07:42,958 --> 00:07:45,083 He looked up at me, a surreptitious glance, 176 00:07:45,166 --> 00:07:46,125 then over at Claud. 177 00:07:46,208 --> 00:07:48,208 His nose-end twitched, sniffing the air. 178 00:07:48,291 --> 00:07:51,291 He raised himself up and down on his toes, swaying gently, 179 00:07:51,375 --> 00:07:53,916 and in a soft voice, soft and secretive, he said… 180 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:55,333 You want to see something? 181 00:07:55,416 --> 00:07:57,708 He was trying to retrieve his reputation. 182 00:07:57,791 --> 00:07:59,875 -What? -You want to see something amazing? 183 00:07:59,958 --> 00:08:03,000 He put his right hand into the poacher's pocket of his jacket 184 00:08:03,083 --> 00:08:06,625 and brought out a large, live rat clasped tight between his fingers. 185 00:08:06,708 --> 00:08:07,625 Good God! 186 00:08:07,708 --> 00:08:09,250 [chuckles] That's it. You see? 187 00:08:09,333 --> 00:08:12,000 He was crouching slightly and craning his neck forward 188 00:08:12,083 --> 00:08:15,000 and leering at us and holding this enormous brown rat, 189 00:08:15,083 --> 00:08:18,083 one finger and thumb making a tight circle around its neck, 190 00:08:18,166 --> 00:08:20,500 clamping its head so it couldn't turn and bite. 191 00:08:20,583 --> 00:08:22,416 Do you go around with rats in your pockets? 192 00:08:22,500 --> 00:08:24,458 Always a rat or two about me somewhere. 193 00:08:24,541 --> 00:08:28,083 He put his free hand into the other pocket and produced a small, white… 194 00:08:28,166 --> 00:08:30,708 -Is that a ferret? -The rat man snickered, hissing. 195 00:08:30,791 --> 00:08:33,500 The ferret seemed to know him and stayed still. 196 00:08:33,583 --> 00:08:35,875 Nothing will kill a rat quicker than a ferret. 197 00:08:35,958 --> 00:08:38,208 He held the two animals close in front of him 198 00:08:38,291 --> 00:08:41,541 so the ferret's nose came within six inches of the rat's face. 199 00:08:41,625 --> 00:08:44,208 The pink beady eyes of the ferret stared at the rat. 200 00:08:44,291 --> 00:08:47,000 The rat struggled, trying to edge away from the killer. 201 00:08:47,083 --> 00:08:48,208 -Now. -…he said. 202 00:08:48,291 --> 00:08:49,125 Watch. 203 00:08:51,125 --> 00:08:53,000 [editor] His khaki shirt was open at the neck, 204 00:08:53,083 --> 00:08:55,500 and he lifted the rat and slipped it down inside, 205 00:08:55,583 --> 00:08:56,708 next to his skin. 206 00:08:56,791 --> 00:08:59,708 His belt prevented the rat from going lower than his waist. 207 00:08:59,791 --> 00:09:01,375 He slipped the ferret in next. 208 00:09:01,458 --> 00:09:04,333 Immediately, there was a great commotion inside the shirt. 209 00:09:04,416 --> 00:09:08,000 It appeared the rat was running around his body, chased by the ferret. 210 00:09:08,083 --> 00:09:11,833 Six or seven times they went around, the small bulge chasing the larger one, 211 00:09:11,916 --> 00:09:15,000 gaining on it slightly each circuit, drawing closer and closer 212 00:09:15,083 --> 00:09:17,708 until at last the two bulges seemed to come together, 213 00:09:17,791 --> 00:09:20,500 and there was a scuffle and a series of shrill shrieks. 214 00:09:20,583 --> 00:09:23,750 Throughout this performance, the rat man stood absolutely still, 215 00:09:23,833 --> 00:09:26,041 legs apart, arms hanging loosely, 216 00:09:26,125 --> 00:09:29,166 dark eyes resting calmly on Claud's frozen face. 217 00:09:30,041 --> 00:09:33,750 Finally, he took his hand and reached down into his shirt 218 00:09:33,833 --> 00:09:35,500 and pulled out the ferret. 219 00:09:35,583 --> 00:09:37,958 With the other, he took out the dead rat. 220 00:09:38,041 --> 00:09:41,250 There were traces of blood around the white muzzle of the ferret. 221 00:09:42,500 --> 00:09:44,791 "Not sure I liked that very much," I said. 222 00:09:44,875 --> 00:09:47,791 You never seen nothin' like it before, I'll bet you that. 223 00:09:47,875 --> 00:09:49,166 Can't say I have. 224 00:09:49,250 --> 00:09:51,916 You'll get a nasty nip in the guts one of these days. 225 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:55,833 …Claud told him, but was intrigued, and the rat man was becoming cocky again. 226 00:09:55,916 --> 00:09:58,041 You want to see something far more amazing? 227 00:09:58,125 --> 00:10:01,208 Something you'd never believe unless you're seeing it with your own eyes? 228 00:10:01,291 --> 00:10:03,833 I glanced at Claud more than slightly apprehensive. 229 00:10:05,875 --> 00:10:06,708 Yes. 230 00:10:07,458 --> 00:10:09,583 The rat man slipped the dead rat into one pocket 231 00:10:09,666 --> 00:10:10,916 and the ferret into the other. 232 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:15,000 Then he reached into his knapsack and produced a second live rat. 233 00:10:15,083 --> 00:10:15,916 Holy Christ! 234 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:18,291 Always got one or two rats about me somewhere. 235 00:10:18,375 --> 00:10:20,041 You got to know rats on this job, 236 00:10:20,125 --> 00:10:22,708 and if you wanna know 'em you gotta have 'em around. 237 00:10:22,791 --> 00:10:26,375 This is a sewer rat, this one. An old sewer rat, clever as buggery. 238 00:10:26,458 --> 00:10:30,000 See him watchin' me all the time, wonderin' what I'm gonna do next? 239 00:10:30,083 --> 00:10:31,416 -See him? -Most unpleasant. 240 00:10:31,500 --> 00:10:32,750 "What will you do?" 241 00:10:32,833 --> 00:10:36,166 I had a feeling I'd like this demonstration less than the last one. 242 00:10:36,250 --> 00:10:39,333 -Fetch me a piece of string. -Claud fetched a piece of string. 243 00:10:39,416 --> 00:10:41,791 The rat man looped it around the rat's hind leg. 244 00:10:41,875 --> 00:10:44,666 The rat struggled, but the rat man held it tight. 245 00:10:44,750 --> 00:10:46,291 Now, you got a table inside? 246 00:10:46,375 --> 00:10:48,333 "We don't want the rat inside," I said. 247 00:10:48,416 --> 00:10:50,791 Well, I need a table. Or somethin' flat, anyway. 248 00:10:50,875 --> 00:10:54,125 We walked over to the petrol-pump and he put the sewer rat on top. 249 00:10:54,208 --> 00:10:57,708 He attached the string to a post so the rat was now tethered. 250 00:10:57,791 --> 00:11:00,250 At first, it crouched, unmoving and suspicious, 251 00:11:00,333 --> 00:11:02,583 a big-bodied gray rat with bright black eyes 252 00:11:02,666 --> 00:11:06,166 and a scaly tail that lay in a long curl on the metal surface. 253 00:11:06,250 --> 00:11:08,750 It was looking away, but watching him sideways 254 00:11:08,833 --> 00:11:10,416 to see what he was going to do. 255 00:11:10,500 --> 00:11:14,166 The rat man stepped back a few paces, and immediately the rat relaxed. 256 00:11:14,250 --> 00:11:15,625 It sat up on its haunches 257 00:11:15,708 --> 00:11:17,958 and began to lick the gray fur on its chest. 258 00:11:18,041 --> 00:11:20,583 Then it scratched its muzzle with both front paws. 259 00:11:20,666 --> 00:11:23,875 It seemed quite unconcerned about the other men standing nearby. 260 00:11:23,958 --> 00:11:26,333 -How about a little bet? -[editor] …the rat man said. 261 00:11:26,416 --> 00:11:27,875 "No, thank you." I said. 262 00:11:27,958 --> 00:11:31,375 -[rat man] It's more fun if you bet. -[Claud] What do you want to bet on? 263 00:11:31,458 --> 00:11:34,250 [rat man] I can kill that rat without using my hands. 264 00:11:34,333 --> 00:11:36,458 I'll put 'em in my pockets and not use 'em. 265 00:11:36,541 --> 00:11:39,250 [editor] It was apparent the rat man was out to earn some money. 266 00:11:39,333 --> 00:11:42,625 I looked at the rat that was to be killed and began to feel sick, 267 00:11:42,708 --> 00:11:44,625 not because it was going to be killed, 268 00:11:44,708 --> 00:11:47,166 but because it was to be killed in a special way, 269 00:11:47,250 --> 00:11:49,333 with a considerable degree of enthusiasm. 270 00:11:51,750 --> 00:11:54,000 -No arms? -No arms, no legs, no hands neither. 271 00:11:54,083 --> 00:11:55,708 -You'll sit on it. -No squashing. 272 00:11:55,791 --> 00:11:57,583 -Let's see it. -Bet me a quid first. 273 00:11:57,666 --> 00:11:59,500 Don't be bloody daft. Why should we? 274 00:11:59,583 --> 00:12:01,208 -What'll you bet? -Zero. Nothing. 275 00:12:01,291 --> 00:12:03,166 All right. Then it's a no-go. 276 00:12:03,250 --> 00:12:05,625 -He made as if to untie the string. -I'll bet a shilling. 277 00:12:05,708 --> 00:12:07,666 The sick sensation in my stomach was increasing. 278 00:12:07,750 --> 00:12:10,375 But there was an awful magnetism about this business. 279 00:12:10,458 --> 00:12:12,875 I found myself unable to walk away or even move. 280 00:12:12,958 --> 00:12:13,916 -You too? -No. 281 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:15,708 Want me to do this for a shilling? 282 00:12:15,791 --> 00:12:17,750 -I don't want you to do it. -Where's the money? 283 00:12:17,833 --> 00:12:19,625 Claud put a shilling on the petrol-pump. 284 00:12:19,708 --> 00:12:22,500 The rat man laid two sixpences beside Claud's money. 285 00:12:22,583 --> 00:12:23,416 Bet's on. 286 00:12:23,500 --> 00:12:24,750 Claud and I stepped back. 287 00:12:24,833 --> 00:12:27,458 The rat man stepped forward, put his hands in his pockets 288 00:12:27,541 --> 00:12:29,916 and inclined his body from the waist toward the rat. 289 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:31,583 The rat was crouching, alarmed. 290 00:12:31,666 --> 00:12:34,250 It seemed it was preparing to spring at the rat man, 291 00:12:34,333 --> 00:12:36,041 but then it began to reverse away, 292 00:12:36,125 --> 00:12:38,500 dragging its body backwards with crouching steps 293 00:12:38,583 --> 00:12:40,708 until the string tautened on its hind leg. 294 00:12:40,791 --> 00:12:42,916 The rat man leaned further towards the rat, 295 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:45,583 following it back and forth with his eyes. Suddenly… 296 00:12:45,666 --> 00:12:48,291 -It panicked. -…it panicked and leapt into the air. 297 00:12:51,166 --> 00:12:54,875 The string pulled it up with a jerk that must've nearly dislocated its leg. 298 00:12:54,958 --> 00:12:56,458 It crouched again at the edge, 299 00:12:56,541 --> 00:12:59,416 as far away as the string would allow, whiskers quivering, 300 00:12:59,500 --> 00:13:01,291 the long gray body rigid with fear. 301 00:13:01,375 --> 00:13:04,750 At this point, the rat man again began to move his face very slowly, 302 00:13:04,833 --> 00:13:05,958 closer and closer. 303 00:13:06,041 --> 00:13:09,166 I wanted to cry out for him to stop, but I couldn't speak. 304 00:13:09,250 --> 00:13:12,750 Something extremely unpleasant was about to happen, I was sure of that. 305 00:13:12,833 --> 00:13:16,291 Something sinister and cruel, but I had to see it now. 306 00:13:16,375 --> 00:13:19,666 Not more than the length of a man's hand was separating the two. 307 00:13:19,750 --> 00:13:22,458 The rat pressed its body flat, tense and terrified. 308 00:13:22,541 --> 00:13:23,916 The rat man was also tense, 309 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:27,500 but with a dangerous active tensity that was like a tight-wound spring. 310 00:13:27,583 --> 00:13:30,125 The shadow of a smile flickered around the skin of his mouth. 311 00:13:30,208 --> 00:13:32,041 Then, suddenly, he struck, 312 00:13:32,125 --> 00:13:33,166 as a snake strikes, 313 00:13:33,250 --> 00:13:36,000 darting his head forward with a swift knife-like stroke… 314 00:13:36,083 --> 00:13:38,125 …that originated in the muscles of the lower body… 315 00:13:38,208 --> 00:13:40,750 [editor] …and I had a glimpse of the mouth opening wide… 316 00:13:40,833 --> 00:13:41,875 …two yellow teeth… 317 00:13:41,958 --> 00:13:45,208 [both] …the whole face contorted by the effort of mouth-opening. 318 00:13:45,958 --> 00:13:47,875 More than that, I did not care to see. 319 00:13:47,958 --> 00:13:50,291 I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, 320 00:13:50,375 --> 00:13:51,416 the rat was dead, 321 00:13:51,500 --> 00:13:54,041 the rat man was slipping the money into his pocket 322 00:13:54,125 --> 00:13:55,750 and spitting to clear his mouth. 323 00:13:57,750 --> 00:13:59,875 And that's what they makes licorice out of. 324 00:13:59,958 --> 00:14:03,875 Rat's blood's what the big factories and chocolate-makers use to make licorice. 325 00:14:03,958 --> 00:14:06,083 Nothin' wrong with a drop of rat's blood. 326 00:14:08,791 --> 00:14:10,541 You are absolutely disgusting. 327 00:14:10,625 --> 00:14:13,083 But that's it, you see. You eaten it many a time. 328 00:14:13,166 --> 00:14:16,250 Penny sticks and licorice bootlaces all made from rat's blood. 329 00:14:16,333 --> 00:14:18,458 We don't want to hear another word, thanks. 330 00:14:18,541 --> 00:14:21,291 Boiled up in great cauldrons, bubblin' and steamin' 331 00:14:21,375 --> 00:14:23,416 and men stirrin' it with long poles. 332 00:14:23,500 --> 00:14:25,958 One of the big secrets of the chocolate factories, 333 00:14:26,041 --> 00:14:29,875 and no one knows about it, except the ratters supplyin' the stuff. 334 00:14:29,958 --> 00:14:32,875 Suddenly he noticed his audience was no longer with him. 335 00:14:32,958 --> 00:14:36,083 Our faces were hostile and sick-looking and crimson with anger. 336 00:14:36,666 --> 00:14:39,458 He stopped and turned away without another word. 337 00:14:39,541 --> 00:14:44,125 We watched as he sloped onto the road with a slow, delicate, ambling walk. 338 00:14:44,208 --> 00:14:47,083 His footsteps didn't make a sound, not even on the gravel. 339 00:14:55,958 --> 00:14:57,708 [bell tolling in the distance] 340 00:15:00,375 --> 00:15:01,208 Strange. 341 00:15:02,083 --> 00:15:04,041 The rats never ate the poisoned oats. 342 00:15:05,375 --> 00:15:09,291 There must be something nutritious in the hayrick. 343 00:15:14,541 --> 00:15:16,625 [wind blowing]