What are you standing there for? Move the stuff over.
Ladies and gentlemen! Honored public. It gives me great pleasure...
to present the miraculous Philip!
This giant swordswallower will devour one of a full meter of length.
Silas.
Oh, dear, where's the sword?
Hurry up.
Finally!
Today you swallow it, too. Pay attention. Or do you want to go first?
No, I do not want to, Philip.
Stop it.
If this weren't in public, I'd turn you black and blue.
He's got spasms. He's frightened of your whistle.
I'll get him for this.
I'll get him for this!
I'll kill you.
Why does Silas always do something...
I'll get you!
Stop right there!
Silas!
I know you're in there.
Can you hear me? I'll get you.
Silas! I'll destroy your feet.
You won't be able to walk and you'll crawl like a worm!
I'll push a sword and a dagger into your mouth at the same time in the show.
I'll beat you to death.
Where are you? Come on out.
You little bastard!
I'll get you.
Hey, there. What do you think you're doing there?
What do you think?
I know your kind. You want to steal, right?
- I'm hungry. - Why's this my problem?
I haven't eaten since the day before yesterday.
- And now you want something from me? - Yes.
Why should I take care of other people?
I can't live just on water. I've tried that already.
Come on.
- It's nice here. - This is my real home.
The other people from the river think I live like an animal.
- I'm other people? - It depends.
I'm just hungry.
First tell me your name.
Silas. And what's your name?
Bartolin.
- And who's your dad? - I haven't got a father.
Sometimes you have no mother, too, right?
Our rope dancer might be her.
Where are you from?
Nowhere. I ran away.
They wanted me to swallow a sword.
Oh, a traveling circus — I see.
Would you like to swallow swords?
Nonsense.
Have you eaten anything?
- Yes. - Now there's nothing left for me.
- I've had nothing for two days. - This is my fault?
You'll have to work for this. You'll help me with the horses.
I love horses.
Come, muck out the stable.
You put all the manure into the wheelbarrow.
That's all?
Of course, that's everything.
It's too much.
Too much?
Here's how.
It doesn't appeal to me.
When I was young...
nobody asked me... whether I liked it.
I'm thirsty.
Has the gentleman ever had a pot of home-brew beer?
First work, then you can drink.
No, now.
Stay with me as a groom. You want to be... not a sword-swallower...
and you love horses. So stay.
What will I get?
Not for money, boy, since you're much too young. How old are you?
I don't know. But I am not the manure boy.
You get the room and my bed. Agreed?
Give me a horse.
A horse as wages.
Work for two years and you get this nag.
I mean a real horse, Bartolin.
And for the winter I give you a few lumps.
I've already picked the one I want.
- What? - Come.
That stallion there.
He's my best horse. He's worth a fortune.
I know.
Feel free to have nothing...
unless you can break him and ride him around the pasture.
But if you fall off, you work for nothing for me for two years.
How often can I try?
Once.
Agreed.
There we go.
What have you done with my horse?
He's mine now.
Yours?
Why are you looking at me with that huge grin?
You've had your ride, now get to work.
Get the manure from the barn.
No. It's my horse.
We had a fair bet.
Like Hell we did.
It is my horse.
- I could have broken my neck. - That wouldn't be a catastrophe.
We had a fair bet.
Shut up.
It is my horse.
Get down, I say.
Or I'll break all your bones.
Get down. I'll stab you, I tell you.
Stop right there.
My horse. My steed.
Horse thief.
- Well... Yes or no? - Yes or no to what?
Did you steal that from Bartolin? I know that horse.
I don't steal. Never.
I won him from Bartolin.
Won? With those muscles?
Who are you?
Oh, I'm Emanuel. Never heard of me, right?
Bartolin's most valuable horse.
And you got it off him for a bet.
- Are you hungry? - You bet.
Come home with me, my wife Theresa'll make some food for you.
Good white bread and fresh sheep cheese.
Maybe you'll get a big mug of beer.
Freshly brewed, right from our cellar.
Come here, Theresa.
You've been lucky, we have our own horses.
Or did you really steal it?
No, I won it fairly, honest.
Sell it me — I'll pay you 100 silver pieces.
- That's little enough for a life. - Did you kill Bartolin?
No, it almost cost me my life.
And I'm worth more than 100 pieces of silver.
200 silver pieces.
Thank you.
Drink up.
It's good beer.
Maybe it's actually too strong for you.
But a guy who owns a horse should also drink beer.
Let's rest the horses and overnight here.
Get a fire started.
I'll see if I can find something in the weirs.
Blackie, Blackie...
Where am I? What happened?
Where's my horse?
Philip!
You — will you sell me some milk?
I'm with a circus.
- You like the circus, right? - The circus? What's that?
You don't know what a circus is?
You can't do this. This is our milk, let go!
I've got no money, I can't pay for it.
But my people are hungry.
Don't even try it, girl. Knives are my profession.
So before I hurt you, girl,...
Run, girl, run!
Silas!
Miserable brat.
Stop right there!
I'll kill you. I swear.
Bum! What have you done with Maria?
Who's Maria!
She just left you here alone with the milk, then?
- I didn't touch her! - You belong to the circus. Maria says...
Philip the sword-swallower did it — he does it all the time.
Stealing milk from poor people, huh? And from my blind girl on top of that.
What are you crying about? Answer me!
Mother put that boy in the cage, but he's innocent.
He was there at just the right time.
- Who is he? - Who cares?
Let him out.
Come on, come on.
- Don't even try it! - Grab him!
- You've got the wrong guy. - You're a thieving bastard.
Philip did it, the sword-swallower. I told you that already.
You treat your daughter badly.
You circus viper, I'll pickle and smoke you like a fish.
I wasn't interested in sword-swallowing — but I can throw knives.
Don't move.
Why do you live here?
We have no land of our own.
We didn't at the circus, either.
We only have fish and a sick cow.
Circus — you're a circus-child?
What could Maria do in a circus?
Not a lot. Act as a sibyl, maybe.
Yes, as a blind fortune teller.
She could tell good fortunes and make people feel good.
But the dwarves really bring the money in.
That's not a bad idea.
- You wouldn't hand her over to Philip? - No, of course not.
You can sleep with us tonight.
We're not angry anymore. We can see you're a friend.
I'd rather sleep outside. I'll be back for breakfast tomorrow.
Maria...
I thought I was your friend.
You want to bring me to the circus.
No, never.
You've sold my parents on the idea. And they'll do it!
Don't be mad at me, I really don't want that.
You're as mean as anyone.
They're all mean to me.
How did you find me? The glass balls, right?
At night I see more than other people do with their eyes. I smelled you.
You smell different from us.
I can see you — in the light of the moon.
The moon? I can't hear it — where is it?
You couldn't hear it. It's in the sky...
like the sun, but only at night. And it shines.
Do you know what the moon is?
Do you know what the sun is?
It makes me hot, and that's fine. Sometimes it tickles me on my skin.
The moon's the brother of the Earth.
Sometimes it's thin, and then it turns thick.
It just gives a little light, but I can see all right.
Where are you going to go?
First I'll find my horse.
The most beautiful black stallion you've ever seen before... heard.
- Farmer Emanuel stole it from me. - Emanuel is a bad man.
You really wanted to stab me to death?
Tomorrow morning you'd better be gone.
Otherwise my parents will shanghai you as a cabin boy.
So, you bastard! I'll take you to the port to sell you to a ship.
You little shit! You ruined my net!
If I catch you, you're going to get it!
Bastard!
What a poor area this is.
Hey, what do you think you're doing?
I want a lift. Is your horse strong enough?
- Hyah! Where are your accomplices? - What accomplices?
Haven't you thrown boxes off my cart? So your friends can steal them?
Off, Thief. You're a road pirate!
More and more children are bandits like you. Get off.
This'll teach you to hijack wagons!
Asshole. Next time you'll regret this!
Why are they all so mean?
Twenty robbers wanted the clothes in my boxes, and everything else.
And I have good merchandise.
Things are just getting worse in your area — I won't be coming here anymore.
Just outside the village a guy threatened me with a knife.
When it gets dark, I'll get Blackie...
Yes, a child, but as fast and nimble as a cat.
Take it easy. Are you the kid Emanuel put into that old boat?
You really want to get your horse back? I can help you.
Do you know where he is?
- Yeah. - Where, then?
Emanuel put in the stable. He has the windows boarded up.
Aren't you really a runaway from the circus?
Yeah.
Was it a great big circus?
No, it was just a little circus. We went from village to village.
We had to stay in small towns because Philip keeps stealing.
Even though it was just bread.
My name is Silas.
Godik, call me Godik... I'm lame.
There are two Godiks in the village, but I've got this leg.
You won't get your horse back all that easily.
They guard him like him was made of silver.
The horse dealer will buy him. Emanuel doesn't need that horse for anything.
He's too thin, not strong enough to work — he's just fast.
The horse dealer will buy him for racing in the city.
Come on.
I have everything with me that you ordered.
They're about to get the cows. Don't let them see you.
I have a hideout at the river. Come on.
Alarm, alarm! The robber gang! The robber gang!
They've stolen my pig. Alarm! Alarm!
Strange... I thought you were the thieves.
Whatever. My hideout's over there. You see it?
Thanks!
Oh, Silas... my boy.
Look, look, our bird is back in her nest.
Philip, don't hurt him.
No. We need him as he is...
as a sword-swallower.