The Long Song

They won't rise against us.

They lack any ability to organise themselves.

You have a fine son.

A new slave, soon taken.

In just a few days, slavery will be finally abolished.

Right, there's another one here! There, there!

- Where you be going in it? - Fishing.

I've made a plan.

I'm to be married to Robert Goodwin!

This be good medicine.

Soothe the memory of your first child.

- You are my true wife, July. - No, no! No, no!

This field should be finished by now.

Well, send someone to find them and get them to work.

I will need you all to work seven full days a week from now on.

And don't be fool, just cos you have him pickney.

Him be good and him be fair!

Move it!

We be slaves no more!

Maybe it help if you just talk to the workers.

I've talked to them.

I'll make them beg to work for me.

That Christmas, the sugar cane grew sweeter and taller

than ever before seen in Jamaica.

Now it must be cut, boiled,

barrelled and sold...

...or Amity plantation would be finished.

But how all this get done now slaves be free?

Robert Goodwin could think of nothing else

but bringing his harvest home.

Where you going?

I have to work.

Just go back to sleep.

And July did fear her sweet, sweet husband prepare for battle.

- Dublin? - Dublin!

- Come! - Come now!

Come! Come!

- What it say? - Come, read it.

- Massa going to double our rent! - No true!

True! And hear this, start from today!

Him try force us work seven days!

Slavery. Slavery has returned to Amity.

And so did battle commence.

Them coming from the village!

It's quite all right, I'm expecting them.

- Massa, we not... - I know why you've come...

...and I wish to explain that I have taken this measure of

increasing your rents for your own good.

You've all lived too long as slaves to really understand what's

- now in your own best interests. - But, Massa, that not be right!

I have listened!

You must understand that your houses, they belong to me,

therefore I can rent them out to whomever I choose

for whatever price I choose.

That's my right, you see, as a landowner.

So it will now be better for you to work seven days a week,

because then you will be able to pay the new rent.

And anyone who does not pay the rent in full will be evicted.

I am doing this for your own benefit.

I am.

Because whatever benefits the plantation, it benefits you,

- the workers. - But Massa...

Let me finish! Let me finish.

Let's put the past behind us, right?

For once.

And let's come together, seven days a week,

and let's make Amity Plantation once more the pride of Jamaica,

of England, and of her great Empire.

Yes?

Yes?

Yes?!

No.

One small word, 300 years coming.

Well spoken, husband.

No, me see it! Him ride up and he nail it to the tree!

- Me see him walk... - Hush up, hush up, hush up. Hush up! Hush up!

- Hush up mow! - Shhh!

- Massa no hear we. - Him no listen.

Him say we must work as him direct or him will throw us out of we homes!

Not fair! Him can't throw - we out!

- This what him say. - We not pay more rent!

No more rent! Where we going to get the money?

Hush, hush up! Hear me now!

There be lands to the west of here, past the cotton tree,

where no white man go.

No rent be paid, no bakkra come.

And there we could live, free.

Yes!

But the land be bad there - too many stone and rock.

No water. We can't make it work there.

We have we home here! Our garden feed we!

It's here we must stay!

There be only one way to make the Massa listen.

- How? - We stop work and we pay no rent!

Then him gone hear we!

We going to make Massa listen to we, whether he want to listen or not!

Next daybreak, the conch was not blown.

For three long days, the fields lay empty,

the ripe cane rotting in the sun.

And for three long nights,

Robert Goodwin did not sleep.

No.

Sshhhh.

Molly?

Molly!

Molly!

For goodness' sake! Get it away, get it away! Get it away!

No. It's all right, it's all right. It's all right.

- God Almighty! - It be gone, it be gone! No, it be gone!

How many times have I told you to rid this place of them?!

Come, come, come, come.Come.Sit.

Sit down, eat.

Me have bread and boil egg and tea.

- No, no. - Do you want mango?

The men will be here soon..

...and I want to be there to meet them,

so just join me there once you've seen to the child.

And bring the map.

Molly.

You can keep her close to you.

Make her stay inside? All right.

You have cow milk? Fresh?

- Fresh this morning. - All right.

Give it to her if she wakes, all right? Mama soon come.

Elias, come.

Firstly, I want to make this plain -

this day is to serve as a warning

to all the workers on this plantation, understood?

- About time, too. - Right, show the map.

Come on, boy, show the map!

Whoa, easy, whoa! Easy!

Come on, come on! Quickly!

The workers village is there. Do you see it?

Our first task will be to ride in and set fire to their gardens,

- burn their crops to the ground. - We should burn them out?

No, no, no. Do not burn their houses down.

They'll be needed again once the negroes

have agreed to return to work.

Now, these fires should bring the workers out into the fields

to try and save their crops.

That will be our cue to move inside their houses where only the

women and children will remain.

But you can throw their belongings out into the lanes,

kill their animals, trample their crops,

make as much noise as possible.

- And we can use our guns? - Yes, yes, but with care.

I do not want anyone killed. And be in no doubt, gentlemen,

I mean to frighten every last one of those negroes

and make it plain that I will evict anyone

who does not work exactly as I direct!

- Yes? - Yes. - Yes.

May God protect and help us this day as we do thy work.

Ya! Come on!

That be all?

Marguerite!

Marguerite, where are you?

Marguerite!

Marguerite, he hasn't come back. Is he in here with you?

No, him not here.

It's actually quite pleasant in here.

I'm so worried about him.

What if he's been set upon?

What if he's lying somewhere, injured?

What if...?

I don't know what to do.

Would you come up and sit with me?

Me must look after me pickney.

Emily, me little girl.

She must be fed.

You may, you may bring the child.

Me no have to serve you no more.

Please.

The negroes drove him to this action.

What other course could he have taken?

He's tried so hard, he's done everything he could.

Negroes cannot be reasoned with.

If these abolitionists in England had actually lived with slaves,

they would know that freeing them is folly, it's folly!

I've been here before. I know how this happens.

Can't speak of it.

It's not his fault.

This dear little one.

So light-skinned.

You look just like him.

Not like a nigger child at all.

She's adorable. What did you say she was called?

Robert! God, what's happened?!

It's been a great success. We've triumphed.

They finally understand where their duty lies -

- to their master and to God! - Robert, you're safe!

They're to commence taking off four of the cane pieces tomorrow

morning at conch blow. They've assured me of it.

- Well done! - Yes!

Yes, if my father were here today, I believe he would shake my hand.

- Yes, he would! - He would.

- Sit down. - Right.

- Yes. - Yes.

God, you've been hurt!

Will you bring some water quickly, Marguerite?!

No, it's fine.