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from the short story by
ROALD DAHL
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In the afternoon,
the rat man came to the petrol station.
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He sidled up the driveway
with a soft, stealthy gait.
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His feet made no noise at all
on the gravel.
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He had an army knapsack
slung over one shoulder.
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He wore an old-fashioned corduroy jacket
with large pockets.
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Corduroy trousers were tied around
the knees with lengths of white string.
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- Hello?
- Yes?
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Rodent operative.
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00:00:59,250 --> 00:01:02,000
His small, dark eyes
moved swiftly over the premises.
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00:01:02,083 --> 00:01:03,291
- The rat man?
- That's me.
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00:01:03,375 --> 00:01:05,291
He was lean, leathery, a sharp face,
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00:01:05,375 --> 00:01:06,875
two long, sulfur-yellow teeth
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00:01:06,958 --> 00:01:09,375
protruding from the upper jaw
over the lower lip.
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00:01:09,458 --> 00:01:12,416
His ears were round and thin,
set near the back of his head.
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00:01:12,500 --> 00:01:13,875
The eyes were almost black,
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but when they looked at you,
there was a flash of yellow in them.
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00:01:17,250 --> 00:01:19,958
- You've come quick.
- Special orders from the Health Office.
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00:01:20,041 --> 00:01:22,041
And now
you're going to catch all the rats?
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00:01:22,125 --> 00:01:23,041
- Yeah.
- How?
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00:01:23,125 --> 00:01:23,958
Yes. How?
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00:01:24,041 --> 00:01:27,250
Depends what rats, where they is.
Different methods for different rats.
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- Trap them, I suppose.
- What?
24
00:01:28,708 --> 00:01:29,625
- Trap 'em.
- Trap 'em?
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The rat man snorted.
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00:01:30,791 --> 00:01:32,750
Won't catch 'em that way.
Rats ain't rabbits.
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He held his face up high,
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sniffing the air with a nose that
twitched perceptibly from side to side.
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Rats is clever. You wanna catch 'em,
you gotta know 'em.
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You gotta know rats on this job.
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You know what they do? They watch you.
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Whole time you're preparin'
how to exterminate 'em,
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00:01:52,333 --> 00:01:53,416
they're watchin' you.
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00:01:53,500 --> 00:01:55,291
This ain't a sewer job, is it?
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No, it's not a sewer job.
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- Tricky things, sewer jobs.
- I shouldn't think so.
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You shouldn't, should you?
I'd like to see you do a sewer job.
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00:02:02,750 --> 00:02:05,416
Just exactly how'd you set about it,
I'd like to know.
39
00:02:05,500 --> 00:02:06,666
Poison them, I suppose.
40
00:02:06,750 --> 00:02:08,916
And where exactly
would you put the poison?
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00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:09,833
Down the sewer?
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The rat man sparkled, triumphant.
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Yeah, I knew it. "Down the sewer."
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Know what'd happen?
Get washed away completely.
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All your poison. Sewer's like a river.
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All right. Well, what would you do,
Mr. Rat Man? On a sewer job?
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00:02:20,958 --> 00:02:22,750
The rat man advanced a step closer.
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00:02:22,833 --> 00:02:25,000
His voice became secretive
and confidential,
49
00:02:25,083 --> 00:02:27,750
the voice of a man
divulging professional secrets.
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00:02:27,833 --> 00:02:30,916
You works on the understandin'
a rat is a gnawin' animal, see?
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00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:33,458
Anythin' you give 'em, they gnaws on it.
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So you got a sewer job on your hands.
What d'you do?
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00:02:36,666 --> 00:02:39,500
His voice had the soft,
throaty sound of a croaking frog,
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00:02:39,583 --> 00:02:42,666
and he seemed to speak all his words
with a wet-lipped relish,
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as if they tasted good on the tongue.
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00:02:44,791 --> 00:02:45,875
You go down the sewer
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and you take along
some ordinary brown paper bags
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filled with plaster of paris powder.
Nothin' else.
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00:02:51,250 --> 00:02:53,583
Then you suspend 'em
from the roof of the sewer
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00:02:53,666 --> 00:02:56,041
so they hangs down
not quite touchin' the water.
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00:02:56,125 --> 00:02:58,125
Just high enough so a rat can reach 'em.
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Claud was listening, rapt.
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00:02:59,708 --> 00:03:03,916
Old rat comes swimmin' along the sewer,
sees the bag. He stops.
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00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:06,583
Takes a sniff at it.
It don't smell so bad.
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- What's he do?
- He gnaws it.
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That's it! He starts gnawin' at the bag,
and the bag breaks,
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00:03:11,291 --> 00:03:14,708
and the old rat
gets a mouthful of powder for his pains.
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00:03:14,791 --> 00:03:15,625
Well?
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00:03:15,708 --> 00:03:17,000
Well, that does him.
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00:03:17,708 --> 00:03:19,125
- That kills him?
- Stone dead.
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00:03:19,208 --> 00:03:21,458
- Plaster of paris...
- It swells when you wet it.
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Gets into the rat's tubes
and swells right up
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00:03:23,833 --> 00:03:26,375
and kills him
quicker than anythin' in the world.
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00:03:26,458 --> 00:03:28,166
That's where you got to know rats.
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His face glowed with a shifty pride.
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He rubbed his stringy fingers together,
holding the hands up close to his face.
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00:03:35,875 --> 00:03:38,250
Now, where's them rats?
78
00:03:38,333 --> 00:03:40,791
The word "rats" came out
with a rich, fruity sound
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00:03:40,875 --> 00:03:43,000
as if he were gargling with melted butter.
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00:03:43,083 --> 00:03:44,666
In the hayrick across the road.
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00:03:44,750 --> 00:03:47,125
- Not inside?
- Only in the hayrick. Nowhere else.
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00:03:47,208 --> 00:03:51,625
I'll wager they're inside too,
gettin' in your food, spreadin' disease.
83
00:03:51,708 --> 00:03:54,958
- Got any sickness here?
- He looked pointedly at me, then at Claud.
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00:03:55,041 --> 00:03:56,541
- Everyone's well.
- Quite sure?
85
00:03:56,625 --> 00:03:58,250
- Quite sure.
- You never know.
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00:03:58,333 --> 00:04:01,083
He'd taken upon himself
the mantle of a public health officer,
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00:04:01,166 --> 00:04:03,916
disappointed we were not suffering
from bubonic plague.
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00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:07,500
Nevertheless, the rats are in the hayrick.
How will you remove them?
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00:04:07,583 --> 00:04:09,833
The rat man grinned a crafty, toothy grin.
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00:04:09,916 --> 00:04:12,333
He reached into his knapsack
and withdrew a large tin,
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00:04:12,416 --> 00:04:14,833
weighing it up and down
in his hands as he spoke.
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Poison. Special poison. Deadly poison.
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00:04:17,375 --> 00:04:21,041
They'd put you inside if they caught you
with even a spoonful of this.
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00:04:21,125 --> 00:04:23,333
There's enough here to kill a million men.
95
00:04:23,416 --> 00:04:24,750
- Want to see?
- Yes, please.
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He took a penny and prized open the lid.
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There it is.
98
00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:31,583
He spoke almost lovingly of the stuff
and held it forward for Claud.
99
00:04:31,666 --> 00:04:33,208
Corn or barley, is it?
100
00:04:33,291 --> 00:04:35,666
Oats. Oats soaked in deadly poison.
101
00:04:35,750 --> 00:04:39,416
You take just one grain in your mouth
and you're a goner in three minutes.
102
00:04:39,500 --> 00:04:41,541
Never out of me sight, this tin.
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He caressed the tin and shook it...
104
00:04:44,041 --> 00:04:47,083
...so the oat grains rustled softly inside.
105
00:04:47,166 --> 00:04:50,458
But your rats don't get this today.
They wouldn't have it, anyway.
106
00:04:50,541 --> 00:04:54,833
That's where you got to know rats.
Rats is suspicious. Terrible suspicious.
107
00:04:54,916 --> 00:04:57,458
So today they get
some nice, clean, tasty oats
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00:04:57,541 --> 00:04:59,375
as will do 'em no harm in the world.
109
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Fatten 'em up, that's all.
And tomorrow, the same again.
110
00:05:02,291 --> 00:05:04,625
And the day after that,
and the day after that.
111
00:05:04,708 --> 00:05:07,375
And it'll taste so good,
all the rats in the district
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00:05:07,458 --> 00:05:09,166
will be comin' along soon enough.
113
00:05:09,250 --> 00:05:10,083
Very clever.
114
00:05:10,166 --> 00:05:13,041
You got to be clever on this job,
cleverer than a rat.
115
00:05:13,125 --> 00:05:14,583
And that's saying something.
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00:05:14,666 --> 00:05:16,791
"You've almost got to be a rat yourself."
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It slipped out before I could stop myself.
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I couldn't help it,
I was looking at him at the time.
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The effect it had on him was surprising.
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00:05:23,333 --> 00:05:24,351
- That's it!
- ...he cried.
121
00:05:24,375 --> 00:05:26,500
Now you got it, you really said somethin'.
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00:05:26,583 --> 00:05:29,541
A good ratter's gotta be
more like a rat than anythin' else.
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00:05:29,625 --> 00:05:31,166
Cleverer even than a rat,
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00:05:31,250 --> 00:05:33,958
and that is not an easy thing to be,
let me tell you.
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00:05:34,916 --> 00:05:36,291
Well, let's get on with it.
126
00:05:36,375 --> 00:05:39,583
Lady Leonora Benson's
asking for me urgent up at the manor.
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She's got rats too?
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00:05:40,833 --> 00:05:42,666
Everybody's got rats.
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The rat man ambled off down the driveway.
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The way he walked was so like a rat,
it made you wonder.
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That slow, almost delicate, ambling walk
with a lot of give at the knees
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and no sound at all
from his footsteps on the gravel.
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He hopped over the gate,
and walked quickly 'round the hayrick,
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scattering handfuls of oats
onto the ground.
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00:06:00,500 --> 00:06:03,083
The next day he returned
and repeated the procedure.
136
00:06:03,166 --> 00:06:06,083
The day after that he came again,
and the day after that,
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and finally, on the fourth day,
he put down the poisoned oats.
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00:06:09,583 --> 00:06:12,958
But he didn't scatter these.
Instead, he placed them in little piles
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00:06:13,041 --> 00:06:14,875
at each corner of the hayrick.
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00:06:17,375 --> 00:06:19,041
- You got a dog?
- Yes.
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Well, if you want him to die a horrible,
twisting death, let him in that gate.
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The next day he came to collect the dead.
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Get me an old sack.
I'm gonna need one to put 'em in.
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He was puffed up and important now,
the black eyes gleaming with pride.
145
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He was about to display
the results of his catch to the audience.
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Claud fetched a sack
and we walked across the road.
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00:06:37,916 --> 00:06:39,625
The rat man prowled around the hayrick,
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bending over to inspect
one of his piles of poison.
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- Something wrong here.
- ...he muttered.
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00:06:44,541 --> 00:06:46,000
His voice was soft and angry.
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00:06:46,083 --> 00:06:49,500
He ambled over to another pile
and got down to examine it closely.
152
00:06:49,583 --> 00:06:52,041
- Something wrong here.
- What's the matter?
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00:06:52,125 --> 00:06:55,208
He didn't answer, but it was clear
the rats hadn't touched his bait.
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00:06:55,291 --> 00:06:57,416
"These are very clever rats here," I said.
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The rat man was annoyed
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00:06:58,750 --> 00:07:02,208
and showed it on his face and nose
and by the way the two yellow teeth
157
00:07:02,291 --> 00:07:04,208
were pressing into his lower lip.
158
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- Don't give me that crap.
- ...he said, looking at me.
159
00:07:06,875 --> 00:07:09,708
Nothing's wrong with these rats,
somebody's feedin' 'em.
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00:07:09,791 --> 00:07:12,541
They got somethin' juicy
to eat somewhere, plenty of it.
161
00:07:12,625 --> 00:07:16,708
No rats in the world will turn down oats
unless their bellies is full to burstin'.
162
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The rat man turned away, sullen.
163
00:07:18,500 --> 00:07:22,000
He knelt down again scooping up
the poisoned oats with a small shovel,
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tipping it carefully back into a tin.
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When he had finished, all three of us
walked back across the road.
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00:07:29,125 --> 00:07:31,125
The rat man stood by the petrol-pump,
167
00:07:31,208 --> 00:07:32,916
a rather sorry, humble rat man now
168
00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:35,666
whose face was beginning
to take on a brooding aspect.
169
00:07:35,750 --> 00:07:38,083
He had withdrawn into himself
over his failure,
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00:07:38,166 --> 00:07:39,541
the eyes veiled and wicked,
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00:07:39,625 --> 00:07:42,875
the little tongue darting out
to one side of the two yellow teeth.
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He looked up at me,
a surreptitious glance,
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then over at Claud.
174
00:07:46,208 --> 00:07:48,208
His nose-end twitched, sniffing the air.
175
00:07:48,291 --> 00:07:51,291
He raised himself up and down
on his toes, swaying gently,
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00:07:51,375 --> 00:07:53,916
and in a soft voice,
soft and secretive, he said...
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00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:55,333
You want to see something?
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He was trying to retrieve his reputation.
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00:07:57,791 --> 00:07:59,875
- What?
- You want to see something amazing?
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He put his right hand
into the poacher's pocket of his jacket
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00:08:03,083 --> 00:08:06,625
and brought out a large, live rat
clasped tight between his fingers.
182
00:08:06,708 --> 00:08:07,625
Good God!
183
00:08:07,708 --> 00:08:09,250
That's it. You see?
184
00:08:09,333 --> 00:08:12,000
He was crouching slightly
and craning his neck forward
185
00:08:12,083 --> 00:08:15,000
and leering at us and holding
this enormous brown rat,
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00:08:15,083 --> 00:08:18,083
one finger and thumb making
a tight circle around its neck,
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00:08:18,166 --> 00:08:20,500
clamping its head
so it couldn't turn and bite.
188
00:08:20,583 --> 00:08:22,416
Do you go around
with rats in your pockets?
189
00:08:22,500 --> 00:08:24,458
Always a rat or two about me somewhere.
190
00:08:24,541 --> 00:08:28,083
He put his free hand into the other pocket
and produced a small, white...
191
00:08:28,166 --> 00:08:30,708
- Is that a ferret?
- The rat man snickered, hissing.
192
00:08:30,791 --> 00:08:33,500
The ferret seemed to know him
and stayed still.
193
00:08:33,583 --> 00:08:35,875
Nothing will kill a rat
quicker than a ferret.
194
00:08:35,958 --> 00:08:38,208
He held the two animals
close in front of him
195
00:08:38,291 --> 00:08:41,541
so the ferret's nose
came within six inches of the rat's face.
196
00:08:41,625 --> 00:08:44,208
The pink beady eyes of the ferret
stared at the rat.
197
00:08:44,291 --> 00:08:47,000
The rat struggled,
trying to edge away from the killer.
198
00:08:47,083 --> 00:08:48,208
- Now.
- ...he said.
199
00:08:48,291 --> 00:08:49,291
Watch.
200
00:08:51,125 --> 00:08:53,000
His khaki shirt
was open at the neck,
201
00:08:53,083 --> 00:08:55,500
and he lifted the rat
and slipped it down inside,
202
00:08:55,583 --> 00:08:56,708
next to his skin.
203
00:08:56,791 --> 00:08:59,708
His belt prevented the rat
from going lower than his waist.
204
00:08:59,791 --> 00:09:01,375
He slipped the ferret in next.
205
00:09:01,458 --> 00:09:04,333
Immediately, there was
a great commotion inside the shirt.
206
00:09:04,416 --> 00:09:08,000
It appeared the rat was running around
his body, chased by the ferret.
207
00:09:08,083 --> 00:09:11,833
Six or seven times they went around,
the small bulge chasing the larger one,
208
00:09:11,916 --> 00:09:15,000
gaining on it slightly each circuit,
drawing closer and closer
209
00:09:15,083 --> 00:09:17,708
until at last the two bulges
seemed to come together,
210
00:09:17,791 --> 00:09:20,500
and there was a scuffle
and a series of shrill shrieks.
211
00:09:20,583 --> 00:09:23,750
Throughout this performance,
the rat man stood absolutely still,
212
00:09:23,833 --> 00:09:26,041
legs apart, arms hanging loosely,
213
00:09:26,125 --> 00:09:29,166
dark eyes resting calmly
on Claud's frozen face.
214
00:09:30,041 --> 00:09:33,750
Finally, he took his hand
and reached down into his shirt
215
00:09:33,833 --> 00:09:35,500
and pulled out the ferret.
216
00:09:35,583 --> 00:09:37,958
With the other, he took out the dead rat.
217
00:09:38,041 --> 00:09:41,250
There were traces of blood
around the white muzzle of the ferret.
218
00:09:42,500 --> 00:09:44,791
"Not sure I liked that very much," I said.
219
00:09:44,875 --> 00:09:47,791
You never seen nothin' like it before,
I'll bet you that.
220
00:09:47,875 --> 00:09:49,166
Can't say I have.
221
00:09:49,250 --> 00:09:51,916
You'll get a nasty nip
in the guts one of these days.
222
00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:55,833
...Claud told him, but was intrigued,
and the rat man was becoming cocky again.
223
00:09:55,916 --> 00:09:58,041
You want to see something
far more amazing?
224
00:09:58,125 --> 00:10:01,208
Something you'd never believe unless
you're seeing it with your own eyes?
225
00:10:01,291 --> 00:10:03,833
I glanced at Claud
more than slightly apprehensive.
226
00:10:05,875 --> 00:10:06,875
Yes.
227
00:10:07,458 --> 00:10:09,583
The rat man slipped
the dead rat into one pocket
228
00:10:09,666 --> 00:10:10,916
{\an8}and the ferret into the other.
229
00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:15,000
{\an8}Then he reached into his knapsack
and produced a second live rat.
230
00:10:15,083 --> 00:10:15,916
{\an8}Holy Christ!
231
00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:18,291
Always got one or two rats
about me somewhere.
232
00:10:18,375 --> 00:10:20,041
You got to know rats on this job,
233
00:10:20,125 --> 00:10:22,708
and if you wanna know 'em
you gotta have 'em around.
234
00:10:22,791 --> 00:10:26,375
This is a sewer rat, this one.
An old sewer rat, clever as buggery.
235
00:10:26,458 --> 00:10:30,000
See him watchin' me all the time,
wonderin' what I'm gonna do next?
236
00:10:30,083 --> 00:10:31,416
- See him?
- Most unpleasant.
237
00:10:31,500 --> 00:10:32,750
"What will you do?"
238
00:10:32,833 --> 00:10:36,166
I had a feeling I'd like
this demonstration less than the last one.
239
00:10:36,250 --> 00:10:39,333
- Fetch me a piece of string.
- Claud fetched a piece of string.
240
00:10:39,416 --> 00:10:41,791
The rat man
looped it around the rat's hind leg.
241
00:10:41,875 --> 00:10:44,666
The rat struggled,
but the rat man held it tight.
242
00:10:44,750 --> 00:10:46,291
Now, you got a table inside?
243
00:10:46,375 --> 00:10:48,333
"We don't want the rat inside," I said.
244
00:10:48,416 --> 00:10:50,791
Well, I need a table.
Or somethin' flat, anyway.
245
00:10:50,875 --> 00:10:54,125
We walked over to the petrol-pump
and he put the sewer rat on top.
246
00:10:54,208 --> 00:10:57,708
He attached the string to a post
so the rat was now tethered.
247
00:10:57,791 --> 00:11:00,250
At first, it crouched,
unmoving and suspicious,
248
00:11:00,333 --> 00:11:02,583
a big-bodied gray rat
with bright black eyes
249
00:11:02,666 --> 00:11:06,166
and a scaly tail that lay in a long curl
on the metal surface.
250
00:11:06,250 --> 00:11:08,750
It was looking away,
but watching him sideways
251
00:11:08,833 --> 00:11:10,416
to see what he was going to do.
252
00:11:10,500 --> 00:11:14,166
The rat man stepped back a few paces,
and immediately the rat relaxed.
253
00:11:14,250 --> 00:11:15,625
It sat up on its haunches
254
00:11:15,708 --> 00:11:17,958
and began to lick
the gray fur on its chest.
255
00:11:18,041 --> 00:11:20,583
Then it scratched its muzzle
with both front paws.
256
00:11:20,666 --> 00:11:23,875
It seemed quite unconcerned
about the other men standing nearby.
257
00:11:23,958 --> 00:11:26,333
- How about a little bet?
- ...the rat man said.
258
00:11:26,416 --> 00:11:27,875
"No, thank you." I said.
259
00:11:27,958 --> 00:11:31,375
- It's more fun if you bet.
- What do you want to bet on?
260
00:11:31,458 --> 00:11:34,250
I can kill that rat
without using my hands.
261
00:11:34,333 --> 00:11:36,458
I'll put 'em in my pockets
and not use 'em.
262
00:11:36,541 --> 00:11:39,250
It was apparent the rat man
was out to earn some money.
263
00:11:39,333 --> 00:11:42,625
I looked at the rat that was to be killed
and began to feel sick,
264
00:11:42,708 --> 00:11:44,625
not because it was going to be killed,
265
00:11:44,708 --> 00:11:47,166
but because it was to be killed
in a special way,
266
00:11:47,250 --> 00:11:49,333
with a considerable degree of enthusiasm.
267
00:11:51,750 --> 00:11:54,000
- No arms?
- No arms, no legs, no hands neither.
268
00:11:54,083 --> 00:11:55,708
- You'll sit on it.
- No squashing.
269
00:11:55,791 --> 00:11:57,583
- Let's see it.
- Bet me a quid first.
270
00:11:57,666 --> 00:11:59,500
Don't be bloody daft. Why should we?
271
00:11:59,583 --> 00:12:01,208
- What'll you bet?
- Zero. Nothing.
272
00:12:01,291 --> 00:12:03,166
All right. Then it's a no-go.
273
00:12:03,250 --> 00:12:05,625
- He made as if to untie the string.
- I'll bet a shilling.
274
00:12:05,708 --> 00:12:07,666
The sick sensation in my stomach
was increasing.
275
00:12:07,750 --> 00:12:10,375
But there was an awful magnetism
about this business.
276
00:12:10,458 --> 00:12:12,875
I found myself
unable to walk away or even move.
277
00:12:12,958 --> 00:12:13,958
- You too?
- No.
278
00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:15,708
Want me to do this for a shilling?
279
00:12:15,791 --> 00:12:17,750
- I don't want you to do it.
- Where's the money?
280
00:12:17,833 --> 00:12:19,625
Claud put a shilling on the petrol-pump.
281
00:12:19,708 --> 00:12:22,500
The rat man laid two sixpences
beside Claud's money.
282
00:12:22,583 --> 00:12:23,416
Bet's on.
283
00:12:23,500 --> 00:12:24,750
Claud and I stepped back.
284
00:12:24,833 --> 00:12:27,458
The rat man stepped forward,
put his hands in his pockets
285
00:12:27,541 --> 00:12:29,916
and inclined his body
from the waist toward the rat.
286
00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:31,583
The rat was crouching, alarmed.
287
00:12:31,666 --> 00:12:34,250
It seemed it was preparing
to spring at the rat man,
288
00:12:34,333 --> 00:12:36,041
but then it began to reverse away,
289
00:12:36,125 --> 00:12:38,500
dragging its body backwards
with crouching steps
290
00:12:38,583 --> 00:12:40,708
until the string tautened on its hind leg.
291
00:12:40,791 --> 00:12:42,916
The rat man
leaned further towards the rat,
292
00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:45,583
following it back and forth
with his eyes. Suddenly...
293
00:12:45,666 --> 00:12:48,291
- It panicked.
- ...it panicked and leapt into the air.
294
00:12:51,166 --> 00:12:54,875
The string pulled it up with a jerk
that must've nearly dislocated its leg.
295
00:12:54,958 --> 00:12:56,458
It crouched again at the edge,
296
00:12:56,541 --> 00:12:59,416
as far away as the string would allow,
whiskers quivering,
297
00:12:59,500 --> 00:13:01,291
the long gray body rigid with fear.
298
00:13:01,375 --> 00:13:04,750
At this point, the rat man again
began to move his face very slowly,
299
00:13:04,833 --> 00:13:05,958
closer and closer.
300
00:13:06,041 --> 00:13:09,166
I wanted to cry out for him to stop,
but I couldn't speak.
301
00:13:09,250 --> 00:13:12,750
Something extremely unpleasant
was about to happen, I was sure of that.
302
00:13:12,833 --> 00:13:16,291
Something sinister and cruel,
but I had to see it now.
303
00:13:16,375 --> 00:13:19,666
Not more than the length of a man's hand
was separating the two.
304
00:13:19,750 --> 00:13:22,458
The rat pressed its body flat,
tense and terrified.
305
00:13:22,541 --> 00:13:23,916
The rat man was also tense,
306
00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:27,500
but with a dangerous active tensity
that was like a tight-wound spring.
307
00:13:27,583 --> 00:13:30,125
The shadow of a smile
flickered around the skin of his mouth.
308
00:13:30,208 --> 00:13:32,041
Then, suddenly, he struck,
309
00:13:32,125 --> 00:13:33,166
as a snake strikes,
310
00:13:33,250 --> 00:13:36,000
darting his head forward
with a swift knife-like stroke...
311
00:13:36,083 --> 00:13:38,184
...that originated in the muscles
of the lower body...
312
00:13:38,208 --> 00:13:40,750
...and I had a glimpse
of the mouth opening wide...
313
00:13:40,833 --> 00:13:41,875
...two yellow teeth...
314
00:13:41,958 --> 00:13:45,208
...the whole face contorted
by the effort of mouth-opening.
315
00:13:45,958 --> 00:13:47,875
More than that, I did not care to see.
316
00:13:47,958 --> 00:13:50,291
I closed my eyes,
and when I opened them again,
317
00:13:50,375 --> 00:13:51,416
the rat was dead,
318
00:13:51,500 --> 00:13:54,041
the rat man
was slipping the money into his pocket
319
00:13:54,125 --> 00:13:55,750
and spitting to clear his mouth.
320
00:13:57,750 --> 00:13:59,875
And that's what
they makes licorice out of.
321
00:13:59,958 --> 00:14:03,875
Rat's blood's what the big factories
and chocolate-makers use to make licorice.
322
00:14:03,958 --> 00:14:06,083
Nothin' wrong with a drop of rat's blood.
323
00:14:08,791 --> 00:14:10,541
You are absolutely disgusting.
324
00:14:10,625 --> 00:14:13,083
But that's it, you see.
You eaten it many a time.
325
00:14:13,166 --> 00:14:16,250
Penny sticks and licorice bootlaces
all made from rat's blood.
326
00:14:16,333 --> 00:14:18,458
We don't want to hear
another word, thanks.
327
00:14:18,541 --> 00:14:21,291
Boiled up in great cauldrons,
bubblin' and steamin'
328
00:14:21,375 --> 00:14:23,416
and men stirrin' it with long poles.
329
00:14:23,500 --> 00:14:25,958
One of the big secrets
of the chocolate factories,
330
00:14:26,041 --> 00:14:29,875
and no one knows about it,
except the ratters supplyin' the stuff.
331
00:14:29,958 --> 00:14:32,875
Suddenly he noticed his audience
was no longer with him.
332
00:14:32,958 --> 00:14:36,083
Our faces were hostile
and sick-looking and crimson with anger.
333
00:14:36,666 --> 00:14:39,458
He stopped and turned away
without another word.
334
00:14:39,541 --> 00:14:44,125
We watched as he sloped onto the road
with a slow, delicate, ambling walk.
335
00:14:44,208 --> 00:14:47,083
His footsteps didn't make a sound,
not even on the gravel.
336
00:15:00,375 --> 00:15:01,375
Strange.
337
00:15:02,083 --> 00:15:04,041
The rats never ate the poisoned oats.
338
00:15:05,375 --> 00:15:09,291
There must be
something nutritious in the hayrick.
29059
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