1. "Mr Archin Panjabhan"Copy !req
2. "Examinations Failed."Copy !req
3. "Expelled."Copy !req
4. This is my university certificate,Copy !req
5. presented to me in 1949,
the year they tossed me out.Copy !req
6. Penniless, unemployed, discouraged, frustrated…Copy !req
7. …and nearly broken-hearted.Copy !req
8. "…I'll send you to work at Krason Tin Dredging…
Hope you work hard - your Father."Copy !req
9. What I had no way of knowing then was thatCopy !req
10. this piece of paper would be
the most valuable thing I had ownedCopy !req
11. even though it said I only made it through
my second year of engineering school.Copy !req
12. I was the only who knew I'd left all hope
behind me when I left school that day.Copy !req
13. The Tin Mine was to be my last chance…Copy !req
14. …to nourish new hopes,
and start to believe in my future again.Copy !req
15. "The Tin Mine"Copy !req
16. When I was a little kid,Copy !req
17. the Takua Tung district in Southern Thailand
was just a tiny dot on the mapCopy !req
18. that sometimes
the map-makers left it off altogether.Copy !req
19. And the sub-district called Krasom?Copy !req
20. Not even worth a dot.Copy !req
21. What the hell is that?Copy !req
22. Help!Copy !req
23. But that day…Copy !req
24. it's where my father sent meCopy !req
25. to make amends for the errors of my ways.Copy !req
26. It's definitely not
the kind of place you'd go on holiday,Copy !req
27. or in search of new adventures.Copy !req
28. And it's the last place anyone would
go to find themselves.Copy !req
29. "Krasom"Copy !req
30. Can you tell me where the office is?Copy !req
31. Over there.Copy !req
32. Another order?Copy !req
33. Are you using or re-selling them?
Too many orders you've placed.Copy !req
34. Looking for someone?Copy !req
35. Is the manager here?Copy !req
36. Not here.Copy !req
37. What's up?Copy !req
38. I've come to see about a job.Copy !req
39. Nope, no jobs here.Copy !req
40. Hey, I said no jobs!Copy !req
41. Any kind of job, really…Copy !req
42. I said, no jobs! / Stop!Copy !req
43. Hey Kid, don't hang around here.Copy !req
44. There aren't any openings for new workers.Copy !req
45. Take a look.Copy !req
46. A university student like you
could handle working as a laborer?Copy !req
47. Could you handle manual labor?Copy !req
48. Can you?Copy !req
49. Yes, Sir.Copy !req
50. For a miner's standard monthly wage?Copy !req
51. Yes, Sir.Copy !req
52. Will you do it?Copy !req
53. Okay then.Copy !req
54. I like people who like work.Copy !req
55. If you like work,Copy !req
56. I like you.Copy !req
57. You mean… I'm hired?Copy !req
58. As a laborer, ok?Copy !req
59. Office Boy!Copy !req
60. Yes, Sir.Copy !req
61. The place you're staying is next to the cemetery.Copy !req
62. If you're not afraid of ghosts,Copy !req
63. you'll see it could nicely fit for a boss.Copy !req
64. But if you can't handle it,Copy !req
65. you can always move in with me.Copy !req
66. We're both Bangkok boys, after all.Copy !req
67. Hey, I like it already.Copy !req
68. Yeah, well… good luck.Copy !req
69. Oh, by the way…Copy !req
70. the lights shut off at 11.Copy !req
71. Soon enough, a month started to seem like a year.
"FRESHMAN"Copy !req
72. A part of me was determined
to make a go of it thereCopy !req
73. to work hard and learn to be a man.Copy !req
74. But another part of me couldn't wait
to get back to Bangkok.Copy !req
75. Hey, look at Bangkok boy.Copy !req
76. Oh! Sorry! Sorry!Copy !req
77. That rice stank of gasoline.Copy !req
78. I found the dog chewing on this.
Thought it might be yours.Copy !req
79. That was hot.Copy !req
80. This Southern-style soup is so flavorless.Copy !req
81. Oh, I stretched it with more water.Copy !req
82. Hey…Copy !req
83. What are you doing out here in these woods anyway?Copy !req
84. You'd get better food in prison.Copy !req
85. There aren't any movie housesCopy !req
86. and no girls for miles around.Copy !req
87. I came to save up some money.Copy !req
88. Save money for what?Copy !req
89. I'm getting married when I go back.Copy !req
90. Getting married, huh?Copy !req
91. That's good, then.
Keep you from getting in debt later on.Copy !req
92. What's that?Copy !req
93. Oh, your sweetheart.Copy !req
94. Yep, she's a looker. You hang on to that.Copy !req
95. You know, there's an old saying.Copy !req
96. If a man goes away to China…Copy !req
97. …or to sea…Copy !req
98. …or to Java…Copy !req
99. or to Phang-nga,Copy !req
100. his girl will wait 3 years for him.Copy !req
101. But after 3 years…Copy !req
102. if she takes a lover,Copy !req
103. she's not the one to blame.Copy !req
104. Hey you.Copy !req
105. Seen one yet,Copy !req
106. at your house?Copy !req
107. The ghost?Copy !req
108. No, not yet.Copy !req
109. Where you off to this morning?Copy !req
110. The Singaporean Clerk's sending
me to get the mail.Copy !req
111. Take this one. And this one, too.Copy !req
112. Has the Office Boy come back?Copy !req
113. Is the Office Boy back yet?Copy !req
114. Where'd he head off to anyway?Copy !req
115. Gone to town.Copy !req
116. Waiting for a letter from your girl, huh?Copy !req
117. It's 50 km there and back!Copy !req
118. Why didn't he go by car?Copy !req
119. Who's got a free car?Copy !req
120. The mail's no big deal!Copy !req
121. 50 km by bicycle, at his age?Copy !req
122. About your letter…Copy !req
123. there… wasn't one.Copy !req
124. There… wasn't one. Hah!Copy !req
125. No mail!Copy !req
126. It's a pity.Copy !req
127. At that house…Copy !req
128. every eveningCopy !req
129. there will be a girl coming out for a stroll,Copy !req
130. completely naked,Copy !req
131. with her long tongue flappingCopy !req
132. and her hair black and shoulder-length.Copy !req
133. People say…Copy !req
134. she's the ghost of old Choom's wife,
died while still with child.Copy !req
135. One night Aom went out for some coffeeCopy !req
136. and left his wife alone.Copy !req
137. He saw her with his own eyes.Copy !req
138. Jong and Jon saw her too…Copy !req
139. …scared'em half to death.Copy !req
140. Actually…Copy !req
141. I'm not afraid of ghosts.Copy !req
142. It's the sound of her walking that gets me.Copy !req
143. Care to make a bet?Copy !req
144. 10 bottles of hooch to 1. I'll give you the odds…Copy !req
145. She's coming tonight for sure!Copy !req
146. Hair down to her shoulders… no clothes…Copy !req
147. …with a belly ready to burst!Copy !req
148. That's Mrs. Choom!Copy !req
149. She's the old boss's wife.Copy !req
150. She… died while she was pregnant.Copy !req
151. I showed her my respects and told her...Copy !req
152. I'd come from far away…Copy !req
153. looking for a job and a place to stay.Copy !req
154. What'd she say?Copy !req
155. She just nodded her head.Copy !req
156. It's very scary.Copy !req
157. Unbelievable, they believed me!Copy !req
158. I got my first big assignment…Copy !req
159. …the day they gave me an oil drum.Copy !req
160. They told me to turn it into a trashcan.Copy !req
161. I gave it my best shot.Copy !req
162. Ouch!Copy !req
163. Shit!Copy !req
164. What happened?Copy !req
165. Let me see it.Copy !req
166. Hold still!Copy !req
167. It's okay, let me see.Copy !req
168. It hurts!Copy !req
169. I can see it hurts.
You think it'll stop hurting on its own?Copy !req
170. Daydreaming about your girl, were you?Copy !req
171. For me,
the Tin Mine seemed like an entirely new world.Copy !req
172. It wasn't just
the difference between city and country.Copy !req
173. With hundreds km from any highway,
I felt I'd crossed a border into the unknown.Copy !req
174. Who's that?Copy !req
175. How the hell should I know?Copy !req
176. My first real test came when
the dredging engineer was on holiday.Copy !req
177. The boss wanted me to write out
the supply order, in English.Copy !req
178. They'll soon be promoting
you to engineer for sure.Copy !req
179. Construction equipment, accounting, English…Copy !req
180. I'd studied all of that back at school.Copy !req
181. The thing was just
I never made it to graduation day.Copy !req
182. Hey! Hey you!Copy !req
183. That order come yet?Copy !req
184. The Boss is ready to check it over.Copy !req
185. So?Copy !req
186. Where's my order?Copy !req
187. Don't tell me you've
just been wandered around all day.Copy !req
188. Sorry, but the man at
the warehouse said to tell you…Copy !req
189. a "bolt" is male and a "nut" is female.Copy !req
190. You can't just order nuts.Copy !req
191. You've got to order "nuts and bolts".Copy !req
192. Well, what about the 30 nails I ordered?Copy !req
193. Don't tell me
I've got to order hammers to get nails.Copy !req
194. He said, nails have to be ordered by the pound…Copy !req
195. not by the piece.Copy !req
196. Boy, were you just born wrong or what?Copy !req
197. Sorry, sir. I'll make out a new order right away.Copy !req
198. Sir, the light in the steam room is out.Copy !req
199. We just need one frosted light bulb.Copy !req
200. Don't order it by the kilo, ok?Copy !req
201. Yes.Copy !req
202. Pearl light bulb.Copy !req
203. "P…e…a…" is that right?Copy !req
204. I'd really begun to respect my Australian boss.Copy !req
205. He'd opened the Tin Mine's gates for me.Copy !req
206. And I wanted to show him
that he could always count on me.Copy !req
207. Why don't we take the belt offCopy !req
208. when the stream pressure is at its maximum?Copy !req
209. Because… well…Copy !req
210. So cute.Copy !req
211. Here little one, buy yourself a new shirt, ok?Copy !req
212. My boss's name is Mr. Sam.Copy !req
213. He's 56 years old.Copy !req
214. He set a lifestyle that I wanted to always follow.Copy !req
215. He loves to have fun.Copy !req
216. 7 for 20 baht. / That's enough.Copy !req
217. 85 for 20 baht.Copy !req
218. He's open-minded and kind.Copy !req
219. He'll always tell his driver to stop and
offer a lift to anyone he sees on foot.Copy !req
220. Stop! Stop!Copy !req
221. Chai, stop!Copy !req
222. How dare you treat human remains this way?Copy !req
223. Don't just sit there getting drunk.
Show some respect!Copy !req
224. He's the kind of foreigner
Thai people are proud to know.Copy !req
225. Whenever he drinks too much,Copy !req
226. he likes to show us
the souvenir he got from the world war.Copy !req
227. I am Corporal Sam…Copy !req
228. …and this is the anklet I got,
building the bridge on the River Kwai.Copy !req
229. That's no anklet, boss.Copy !req
230. What?Copy !req
231. That's a ball and chain!Copy !req
232. Look, the baby's got one too!Copy !req
233. The Boss's younger brother,
Mr. Tom, works here too.Copy !req
234. He handles the open-air works,
and he's the dredger's chief engineer.Copy !req
235. C'mon, push harder!Copy !req
236. There's one thing the brothers can never agree on.Copy !req
237. The older brother will hire anyone
even though they're as drunk as he is.Copy !req
238. But the younger brother will never
hesitate to fire every last drunk he sees.Copy !req
239. Mr. Sam is a workingman's hero.Copy !req
240. He taught me the meaning of the motto,
"duty unto death".Copy !req
241. Like the day the dredger's engine-roller fell into
the water and shut the Tin Mine down,Copy !req
242. we all had to work three double shifts.Copy !req
243. But Mr. Sam worked for 72 hours straight,
and never took a break.Copy !req
244. We got the dredger up and running again
thanks to this AustralianCopy !req
245. and this one man who we respected even more,Copy !req
246. Mr. John, the foreman of our dredger crew.Copy !req
247. The Chief is here!Copy !req
248. It's your day to get that fucking bike!
Wait till my turn!Copy !req
249. Just the way Mr. John
stood there was a show of powerCopy !req
250. and a demonstration of strict control.Copy !req
251. With every breath he took,
he let you know he was in charge.Copy !req
252. Boy! Black coffee, double bitter!Copy !req
253. Yes, Mr. John.Copy !req
254. Clear water like this,
we should dig a lot of tin today, man!Copy !req
255. Tomorrow, Mr. Henry,
the big boss from PenangCopy !req
256. is coming to check the dredger.Copy !req
257. Whoever comes to work without a shirtCopy !req
258. will not get his time card signed that day!Copy !req
259. No shirt, no time card signed!Copy !req
260. Mr. John spoke so fast and fluently
in so many languages thatCopy !req
261. you'd think a fan's blowing words
out of his mouth.Copy !req
262. He may be a foreignerCopy !req
263. but that doesn't mean he can insult us!Copy !req
264. We are not jungle savages!Copy !req
265. We're here to work!Copy !req
266. Attention!Copy !req
267. Mr. John drinks even more than we do.Copy !req
268. Smokes more, too.Copy !req
269. He packs away much more food.Copy !req
270. It takes him twice as long to take a dump.Copy !req
271. Wow! What a shit I just took!Copy !req
272. Must have been a foot longCopy !req
273. and all in one piece!Copy !req
274. There's just no stopping his crazinessCopy !req
275. especially when he's got his team with him.Copy !req
276. Kong, the mechanic,Copy !req
277. and Weng, the tinsmith.Copy !req
278. I was hoping he'd make me
his team's youngest member.Copy !req
279. Hey, how's it going, Mard? / Just fine, sir.Copy !req
280. You want to go blind? Put your mask on!Copy !req
281. You've got to write "Cotton Waste",
not "Waste Cotton."Copy !req
282. Heaven may have sent John to our Tin Mine…Copy !req
283. but they'd sent Ying
to give John a taste of Hell too.Copy !req
284. Ying, how many pounds exactly is this?Copy !req
285. Getting senile are you, old timer?Copy !req
286. I've never claimed to be expert on
the steaming machine.Copy !req
287. What kind of Mechanic Foreman are you?Copy !req
288. The Foreman's got to be an expert on everything.Copy !req
289. I do know everything…Copy !req
290. I know about Thai boxing too!Copy !req
291. Don't push me, Ying.Copy !req
292. I'll push you more than that, John.Copy !req
293. I may not be the gangster I once was,Copy !req
294. but I can still teach you a thing or two!Copy !req
295. Want to fight me?Copy !req
296. Hey! it's a fight!Copy !req
297. Come watch the fight!Copy !req
298. Shit! Everybody back to work!Copy !req
299. "To Archin, thinking of you always."Copy !req
300. Hey Jieng?Copy !req
301. I'm gonna gaze at the clouds.Copy !req
302. Might see a lucky number up there.Copy !req
303. At the Tin Mine, our home is any dry place
to sleep when it rains.Copy !req
304. I got the runs!Copy !req
305. Our toilet is the nearest bush.Copy !req
306. Our kitchen is the Boiled Rice-Noodle stand.Copy !req
307. Our lounge and living room is the local canteen.Copy !req
308. I'll put this bottle on my tab.Copy !req
309. Sure, up to you.Copy !req
310. It's also our clubhouse.Copy !req
311. Have a drink with us?Copy !req
312. Nah, me and alcohol don't get along well.Copy !req
313. I thought it was you and your wife
that didn't get along!Copy !req
314. The canteen-owner can be tight-fisted,
but he's the president of the club.Copy !req
315. The canteen's also our recreation center.Copy !req
316. And our office of public affairs.Copy !req
317. This newspaper says that…Copy !req
318. the Korean war is the fiercest war yet.Copy !req
319. If they fought it here,Copy !req
320. near our home, and our mine…Copy !req
321. we'd all be filthy rich by now! / And why is that?Copy !req
322. Because they're shooting up everything in sightCopy !req
323. and they're using lead bullets to do it.Copy !req
324. Our mine is a lead mine, right?Copy !req
325. So if we wouldn't get rich, who would?Copy !req
326. Sometimes, the canteen is our courthouse as well.Copy !req
327. This sure as hell is a dinky little mine.Copy !req
328. Mine might be small…Copy !req
329. but the people here aren't!Copy !req
330. What's that?Copy !req
331. This mine ain't so big.Copy !req
332. But the miners here are plenty big enough.Copy !req
333. What's so big about digging
a little hole in the ground?Copy !req
334. You might use a 10-Baht shovel to dig your holes…Copy !req
335. but we use a 10-Million-Baht dredger to dig ours.Copy !req
336. Yeah, that's right!Copy !req
337. But the canteen's most important function…Copy !req
338. is to serve as our casino.Copy !req
339. And the canteen-boss is its owner,Copy !req
340. doorman,Copy !req
341. and dealer of the cards.Copy !req
342. The hottest games here are guessing
the number of seeds inside the durian game,Copy !req
343. Ok, pay up, pay up.Copy !req
344. the "smashing the sardine can" game,Copy !req
345. Will he break it or not?Copy !req
346. Break it! Break it!Copy !req
347. Pay the dealer! Pay the dealer!Copy !req
348. the "guessing the number of lines on
the mangosteen" game,Copy !req
349. Pay the dealer!Copy !req
350. 500 grams for 2 Baht.Copy !req
351. Place a bet.Copy !req
352. 700 grams.Copy !req
353. 700 grams? Ok.Copy !req
354. the "guessing the weight of the milk can" game,Copy !req
355. 500 Grams! 500 Grams!Copy !req
356. and the "guessing the height of the candle" game.Copy !req
357. It's 7.9 cm!Copy !req
358. No, it's 8!Copy !req
359. You looked at it sideway that's why!Copy !req
360. Brother, one shot of whisky.Copy !req
361. Pien's wife's giving birth…Copy !req
362. but the baby's still not out.
Stillborn, you think?Copy !req
363. Okay, let's bet on it.Copy !req
364. Is the baby dead or alive?Copy !req
365. Place your bets!Copy !req
366. Alive! / Dead for sure!Copy !req
367. Hey! Take this.Copy !req
368. The canteen was also like a sanitarium…Copy !req
369. when I needed a cure for my homesickness.Copy !req
370. What?Copy !req
371. Catch the thievesCopy !req
372. tonight at 3 a.m.Copy !req
373. Catch the thieves.Copy !req
374. Me?Copy !req
375. Hurry!Copy !req
376. Make it snappy! Hurry it up!Copy !req
377. Kong? Are you the one stealing our tin?Copy !req
378. Well, I wouldn't put it that way… Hold on.Copy !req
379. Hey, what are you waiting for? Get a move on!Copy !req
380. What are you afraid of?Copy !req
381. Move it!Copy !req
382. Stop right there. That stuff's not going anywhere!Copy !req
383. On behalf of the Boss,
I order everything's back to the dredger!Copy !req
384. Hey, you'd better keep
in mind who's in charge here!Copy !req
385. Oh, you're the senior man here alright…Copy !req
386. But this is an order direct from the Boss.Copy !req
387. Yeah? And what country is he from?Copy !req
388. And which country is yours?Copy !req
389. This is Thai tin.Copy !req
390. And the land you're standing on is Thailand.Copy !req
391. The tin beneath Thailand belongs to Thai people!Copy !req
392. What about the dredger, the other machines?Copy !req
393. They belong to the Boss, don't they?Copy !req
394. And the wages you get paid, who pays them?Copy !req
395. Who hired you to work here?Copy !req
396. What kind of asshole steals from the manCopy !req
397. who puts a roof over their head?Copy !req
398. If you love that foreigner so much,Copy !req
399. try and stop me if you can.Copy !req
400. Go suck your bottle and power your ass.Copy !req
401. Loving that foreigner has made you a baby.Copy !req
402. Stop!Copy !req
403. Don't get in my way
if you're not ready for trouble!Copy !req
404. He made you foreman and you repay him like this?Copy !req
405. Yeah, he hired me! And that's between me and him!Copy !req
406. Maybe we should all talk this over together.Copy !req
407. Mister John?Copy !req
408. Look, we're not taking all
the tin for just us three.Copy !req
409. We'll split it up between all of us.Copy !req
410. There's plenty to go around.Copy !req
411. Joi, Jerm, Hab, Hued, Kong…Copy !req
412. …a little bit for each of us.Copy !req
413. How are they supposed to feed their children?Copy !req
414. You think ten baht a day is enough?Copy !req
415. We're only taking a few baht in tin.Copy !req
416. What's the big deal?Copy !req
417. When the mine shuts down, who'll care about us?Copy !req
418. But the Boss also pays the taxes
for us for mining this land.Copy !req
419. How could you steal them from him?Copy !req
420. And why couldn't we?Copy !req
421. Because it's illegal!Copy !req
422. Illegal?Copy !req
423. You're mixing up our laws with that foreigner's.Copy !req
424. Working men go by the laws of life!Copy !req
425. Move it!Copy !req
426. Boss…Copy !req
427. I'm here to tell you I'm quitting.Copy !req
428. I'm going back to Bangkok to drive a taxi.Copy !req
429. Really?Copy !req
430. Working honestly for you
is making me worry that I'm betraying my country.Copy !req
431. Tell you what, I'm going to give you a raise.Copy !req
432. I'm sorry…Copy !req
433. that I'm using this wayCopy !req
434. to consider giving you a raise.Copy !req
435. Archin.Copy !req
436. Your school must have taught you pretty well.Copy !req
437. Most of the guys...Copy !req
438. only care about the size of their cut.Copy !req
439. Here.Copy !req
440. Hungry? Don't be afraid to eat.Copy !req
441. Fear? Don't be afraid, not even death.Copy !req
442. Poor? Don't be afraid to borrow.Copy !req
443. Once you're dead, you'll be debt-free!Copy !req
444. Universities teach you about a love for country…Copy !req
445. but the Tin Mine
teaches you about a love for life.Copy !req
446. From that day on,
I was proud to be part of the Tin Mine.Copy !req
447. We'd all come from different regions and schools.Copy !req
448. I do every single damn thing!Copy !req
449. We'd all heard different stories as kids.Copy !req
450. The things that lead each of us to this
Tin Mine were all different too.Copy !req
451. If I were a soldier, I'd wear a lieutenant's cap…Copy !req
452. And we live here together more like a family,
than a bunch of workers.Copy !req
453. Smelly ass, drink yourself silly.Copy !req
454. We might disguise how closely related
we are some times…Copy !req
455. but when we really need it,Copy !req
456. one of us is always there to lend a hand.Copy !req
457. "SOPHOMORE"Copy !req
458. I progressed so quickly during my first year
at the Tin MineCopy !req
459. that some of them envied my rapid promotion.Copy !req
460. But they didn't know thatCopy !req
461. the quiet times there had quickly hollowed
my hopeless heart.Copy !req
462. Young guys like you shouldn't work
in a place like this.Copy !req
463. Nowhere to go for the New Year's holiday?Copy !req
464. The sun is too bright today.Copy !req
465. When the sun's this bright,Copy !req
466. there's sure to be a storm by noon.Copy !req
467. Want to bet on it?Copy !req
468. Sure.Copy !req
469. I'll bet you two bottles of whiskey.Copy !req
470. No, there wasn't any cheering
to celebrate the New Year here…Copy !req
471. and I wouldn't be lying on the ground star-gazingCopy !req
472. like I'd done in years past.Copy !req
473. Well, looks like you lose.Copy !req
474. Look at it coming down.Copy !req
475. Hey, you…Copy !req
476. Is New Year's day fun in Bangkok?Copy !req
477. Regardless of what day it was at the Tin Mine,Copy !req
478. we were more concerned with ourselves than nature.Copy !req
479. We didn't have time to watch
the sun rises or sets.Copy !req
480. We only worried about getting to work each day.Copy !req
481. Look's like you've had enoughCopy !req
482. if you're still planning on going to work tomorrowCopy !req
483. Happy New Year!Copy !req
484. For us, the moon itself was meaningless.Copy !req
485. It was only the waning moonCopy !req
486. at the end of each calendar month
that we cared about.Copy !req
487. We didn't waste time looking at
the moon in the night sky.Copy !req
488. We looked for it in the bottom of a glass.Copy !req
489. Days, months, years the life of the Tin Mine
became more a part of my body each day.Copy !req
490. No mail for you today.Copy !req
491. The love letters from Bangkok
grew fewer and fewer.Copy !req
492. Uncle Dang, why this soup is so cold?Copy !req
493. Just eat it! Your stomach will warm it up.Copy !req
494. Cold and flavorless...Copy !req
495. I sleep in a lonely hut at nightCopy !req
496. with the sound of the dredger as my only lullaby.Copy !req
497. I work on ground that's sprinkled with dust from
the tin we've mined from below.Copy !req
498. And the rain that falls down on my head
is mixed with the ashes of that tin as well.Copy !req
499. At last, I felt ready to face any challenge
the mine could hand me.Copy !req
500. And that day the rain had dropped
a new friend down on my head as well.Copy !req
501. This is Kai.Copy !req
502. A teenager with nothing
but his brawn to call his own.Copy !req
503. A guy who doesn't even know
the meaning of sadness.Copy !req
504. Hey, that umbrella's for the camera not for you!Copy !req
505. Hey! I just set the mark with that!Copy !req
506. He's got a smile as big as a pond.Copy !req
507. Hey, Kai!Copy !req
508. Your Dad teaches you that?Copy !req
509. As a surveyor,
every square meter of this forest was my concern.Copy !req
510. We're here to map the terrain,
not for a weekend camping trip.Copy !req
511. Kai!Copy !req
512. Ok, you go back down there
and find the boundary mark.Copy !req
513. Again?Copy !req
514. Please.Copy !req
515. I'm tired.Copy !req
516. This is the last one.Copy !req
517. I'm tired.Copy !req
518. Please!Copy !req
519. So we couldn't pick any scenic spots in the woods.Copy !req
520. I'm tried.Copy !req
521. Haven't taken a break.Copy !req
522. Only just one meal.Copy !req
523. The train horn is blown, I'm going home.Copy !req
524. Hey, finish gathering up the gear before you go!Copy !req
525. Everyday, the locals can
see how democratically we work together.Copy !req
526. Kai carries the gear into the woods…Copy !req
527. …and I carry it back out.Copy !req
528. Kai!Copy !req
529. Give me hand here.Copy !req
530. Quitting time, boss.Copy !req
531. Kai, do you know what time it is?Copy !req
532. I ran my fastest.Copy !req
533. Working with Kai has its challenges,
but it's got its delights as well.Copy !req
534. Here, try some of this grain with coconut.Copy !req
535. Go on, it'll spoil soon.Copy !req
536. Come on, try itCopy !req
537. Good, huh?Copy !req
538. Kai?Copy !req
539. Archin! Look out below!Copy !req
540. Kai, you trying to kill me?Copy !req
541. Kai was my assistant by dayCopy !req
542. and my massage therapist at night.Copy !req
543. I always thought of him as a bit like my son…Copy !req
544. …even if he seemed like my father sometimes.Copy !req
545. More than anything,
we were like brothers together in the mine.Copy !req
546. Kai.Copy !req
547. Yes?Copy !req
548. Pull the marker up!Copy !req
549. Based on yesterday's measurements,
old Kleum's moved his marker 20 feet further in.Copy !req
550. Really? He's trying to cheat us.Copy !req
551. Hey you!Copy !req
552. Get away from there!Copy !req
553. Don't mess with my border markers.Copy !req
554. Boss! / Get lost!Copy !req
555. Get over here.Copy !req
556. Want a taste of my stick?Copy !req
557. You're the one who's moved
the markers into our company's area.Copy !req
558. I don't care about your company.Copy !req
559. Fine, I'll move yours back then.Copy !req
560. Old guy like you will be dead soon,
better save your breath.Copy !req
561. Don't you curse at me, sonny!Copy !req
562. Didn't curse at you, put a curse on you!Copy !req
563. I'll slice you in two pieces!Copy !req
564. Catch me if you can!Copy !req
565. I'll show you what a curse is!Copy !req
566. Catch me!Copy !req
567. Kai!Copy !req
568. Pull it up!Copy !req
569. You pull that up and I'll crack your skull!Copy !req
570. You hit him and I'll shoot you!Copy !req
571. Boss, I'm scared.Copy !req
572. Ok, I'll do it myself.Copy !req
573. You're dead!Copy !req
574. My sacred Buddha amulet has protected me!Copy !req
575. Not even bullets can harm me now!Copy !req
576. His holy power is watching over me.Copy !req
577. He's protected my life.Copy !req
578. He's protected my life. Blessed guardian.Copy !req
579. Let me see that. / Bullets cannot harm me.Copy !req
580. I've never seen an amulet that can stop bullets.Copy !req
581. This is an old and sacred relic.Copy !req
582. Now the amulet is with me.
Kai, go move that marker!Copy !req
583. You tricksters, give me my amulet back.Copy !req
584. I'll give it back once that marker's moved.Copy !req
585. I'll kill you first.Copy !req
586. You still bold enough,
even without your protective charm?Copy !req
587. Ok then, give it a try!Copy !req
588. I'll cut his head clean off!Copy !req
589. Those who wear sacred images should know
that cheating is a sin.Copy !req
590. Sacred amulets won't protect sinful people.Copy !req
591. If I'm so sinful,
why isn't there a bullet inside me right now?Copy !req
592. Because I haven't loaded the gun!Copy !req
593. Alright, move the marker
and give me my amulet back.Copy !req
594. Boss…Copy !req
595. as a reward for my bravery,Copy !req
596. how about letting me ride into town
in the big Boss's car?Copy !req
597. It's not up to me who rides in the Boss's car.Copy !req
598. So why do you get to go?Copy !req
599. Not a chance!Copy !req
600. Archin and I sit in the front.Copy !req
601. The big Boss and his Madam sit in the back.Copy !req
602. How can you go?Copy !req
603. But please, sir!Copy !req
604. No! Not a chance.Copy !req
605. I'll sit between the big Boss and Madam.Copy !req
606. You're not their son.Copy !req
607. Sitting in the middle doesn't mean
that I'm their son.Copy !req
608. What about those two hookers
I saw you sitting between?Copy !req
609. Are you their son?Copy !req
610. You want a ride? Ride in the trunk!Copy !req
611. Shoot! We're doomed!Copy !req
612. Kai, how did you get here?Copy !req
613. Come lend a hand with these durians.Copy !req
614. I took the bus here.Copy !req
615. I…I rode here in the trunk.Copy !req
616. You said you came by bus.Copy !req
617. You been lying to me?Copy !req
618. I was afraid you'd be angry with me.Copy !req
619. Well, why telling me the truth now?Copy !req
620. You not afraid anymore?Copy !req
621. I'm more afraid of walking back.Copy !req
622. Came here in the trunk, go back in the trunk.Copy !req
623. You lied to me, so you rides in the trunkCopy !req
624. along with the durian. Good idea?Copy !req
625. Good idea, sir.Copy !req
626. No, I'm just kidding.Copy !req
627. You can ride up front.Copy !req
628. That's ok, I like it back there.Copy !req
629. Hey Kai!Copy !req
630. Ouch!Copy !req
631. I can treat these bruises at my clinic.Copy !req
632. Gone in two days, guaranteed.Copy !req
633. You go first. Look like you're about to die.Copy !req
634. Hey, where's your bike?Copy !req
635. The tire's blown out… the Clerk told me to walk…Copy !req
636. Son of a… / Here's your mail.Copy !req
637. One, two, three…Copy !req
638. Get home and take a bath!Copy !req
639. Archin, come up and dance with us!Copy !req
640. "Wedding Invitation"Copy !req
641. Burn it.Copy !req
642. No! I'll keep it…Copy !req
643. …just like I've kept those locks of her hair.Copy !req
644. Forget about her.Copy !req
645. Never.Copy !req
646. I want to remember.Copy !req
647. This will be my memento of a woman's wicked ways.Copy !req
648. Wicked ways need no mementos.Copy !req
649. You think I've kept mementosCopy !req
650. of your wicked ways?Copy !req
651. What have I done that's so wicked?Copy !req
652. You've complained about my soupCopy !req
653. and dumped it out 'cause you think it's bad.Copy !req
654. Keeping that letterCopy !req
655. will only make you miserable day after day.Copy !req
656. That night, the reason I'd had no mailCopy !req
657. from Bangkok for months finally became clear.Copy !req
658. That was also the night I stopped thinkingCopy !req
659. that love was the only thing
I had to look forward to.Copy !req
660. I felt as if my future had
just been smashed to bits.Copy !req
661. "The past is a dream…Copy !req
662. the present is starvation…Copy !req
663. …the future is death."Copy !req
664. That boy's gone nuts.Copy !req
665. "The past is a dream…Copy !req
666. …the present is starvation…Copy !req
667. …endure it."Copy !req
668. Together, and without either of us realizing it,Copy !req
669. the relationship between
that old man from the countrysideCopy !req
670. and this poor little university boyCopy !req
671. fused and became an unbreakable bondCopy !req
672. in that hut deep in the woods.Copy !req
673. Days, months, years…Copy !req
674. There was only one way miners watched time go by.Copy !req
675. It's scooped in at the front of the dredgerCopy !req
676. and dumped out through the back.Copy !req
677. "JUNIOR"Copy !req
678. Why aren't you going out with your buddies?Copy !req
679. No money to go.Copy !req
680. No matter how much earth we scooped that day,Copy !req
681. I was thinking only about that letter,
not the work report.Copy !req
682. What's up? You look like you just lost your wife.Copy !req
683. Hey boy! Black coffee, double bitter!Copy !req
684. The unpredictable ups and downs of working
at the mine taught me to be strong and work hard.Copy !req
685. I began to realize that I could do anything if
I applied myselfCopy !req
686. and that maybe I wasn't such a lazy guy after all.Copy !req
687. And there were good times
to help me forget the bad…Copy !req
688. Too lonely to stay at home.Copy !req
689. …and always plenty of liquor
when my throat got dry.Copy !req
690. My glass is empty already.Copy !req
691. And your tab is full again.Copy !req
692. How 'bout free drinks again?Copy !req
693. The debts I took on from all that drinkingCopy !req
694. soon began to feel like a cageCopy !req
695. keeping me there even when if I'd wanted to go.Copy !req
696. You fuckers!Copy !req
697. Whenever you want a free drink,
your eyes look so pitiful.Copy !req
698. When it's time to pay,
they look like the eyes of a thief.Copy !req
699. When I drank,Copy !req
700. it was like a magic spell had come over me,Copy !req
701. making elephants look as tiny as pigs.Copy !req
702. What's the point of being born
if can't have a drink when you want?Copy !req
703. What you oughta say is…Copy !req
704. if you can't get a free drink, why be born at all?Copy !req
705. To learn respect for an old man,Copy !req
706. imagine marrying his old wife!Copy !req
707. Booze is rural folk's main form of entertainment,Copy !req
708. a vitamin for tired bodies,Copy !req
709. a kind of angel's lightCopy !req
710. that brightens their lonely hearts.Copy !req
711. "Someone's calling me…Copy !req
712. …when the wind is blowing…Copy !req
713. …like a fresh breeze."Copy !req
714. "Could that be your sweet voice…Copy !req
715. …showering my heart…Copy !req
716. …with poetry?"Copy !req
717. Hey, hey. The Boss is here.Copy !req
718. What's it?Copy !req
719. My wife's not around.Copy !req
720. Don't worry.Copy !req
721. Keep it…Copy !req
722. for when you're cold.Copy !req
723. I mean, for when you're lonely.Copy !req
724. I mean, "cold"?Copy !req
725. No! "Lonely"!Copy !req
726. Let's drink!Copy !req
727. Cheese? Only pigs eat cheese!Copy !req
728. Which one is the most expensive?Copy !req
729. This one, solid gold from Switzerland.Copy !req
730. Real ox-leather wristband. 4500 baht. Interested?Copy !req
731. Beautiful isn't it, Archin?Copy !req
732. Uh, yeah, beautiful.Copy !req
733. I'll take it. 4500 baht it is.Copy !req
734. And I'm buying it for you.Copy !req
735. The best watchCopy !req
736. for the best watch seller!Copy !req
737. Hey! Stop.Copy !req
738. Archin, give this little boy 100 baht.Copy !req
739. For what?Copy !req
740. He's got no shirt. Give him the 100 baht.Copy !req
741. Keep it.Copy !req
742. I'll keep it for him then.Copy !req
743. Go buy yourself a new shirt.Copy !req
744. Tell me how southerner say "I love you."Copy !req
745. I love you.Copy !req
746. No, I love you.Copy !req
747. No, I love you!Copy !req
748. The slobs in the front office
aren't worth a miner's spit.Copy !req
749. While they're
out buying lottery tickets in Phuket,Copy !req
750. we're working our asses off digging for tin.Copy !req
751. The office is the heart of company!Copy !req
752. Yes, yes.Copy !req
753. Without the office, the money would stop coming.Copy !req
754. At least the front office people
are graduates from Penang.Copy !req
755. John, which school did you graduate from?Copy !req
756. Archin, you finished school…Copy !req
757. …or did school finish with you?Copy !req
758. No arguments! Remember who's the boss here.Copy !req
759. Working hours are over!Copy !req
760. Yes, working hours are over. But this is my land…Copy !req
761. …my house…Copy !req
762. …and your clothes were bought with
the money I paid you.Copy !req
763. And why not take off your pants?Copy !req
764. I paid for them too.Copy !req
765. I'm here to resign.Copy !req
766. Last night, I was very rude to you.Copy !req
767. If you quit, then I'd better quit too.Copy !req
768. I'm supposed to set a good example here,Copy !req
769. not get you boys drunk.Copy !req
770. Hey! Wait.Copy !req
771. I gotta get going.Copy !req
772. To where?Copy !req
773. I want to get my hair cut in town.Copy !req
774. No need!Copy !req
775. Let's drink first.Copy !req
776. No, it'll be dark soon. What if I see a ghost?Copy !req
777. No need to go.Copy !req
778. I'll cut your hair for you.Copy !req
779. They used to call me "Barber number one"!Copy !req
780. Drink!Copy !req
781. Another!Copy !req
782. Oh, shit! Your wife is back!Copy !req
783. Bloody hell! Madam's here!Copy !req
784. Hurry, get out, get out!Copy !req
785. Oh shit!Copy !req
786. The Boss sent this firewood for the temple.Copy !req
787. Hey, Kai.Copy !req
788. Where are you?Copy !req
789. Come on, give me a hand with these woods!Copy !req
790. A bottle of whiskey, please.Copy !req
791. Kai, who's this guy?Copy !req
792. From the local hill tribe.Copy !req
793. Come on in and sit!Copy !req
794. Got any tincture of iodine?
Someone in the village got stabbed.Copy !req
795. What's your name?Copy !req
796. Don't know, and you?Copy !req
797. I'm Kai.Copy !req
798. This is my boss, Archin.Copy !req
799. This old drunkard is Tamah.Copy !req
800. How old are you?Copy !req
801. Don't know!Copy !req
802. Your folks never told you?Copy !req
803. I got none. / Got none?Copy !req
804. How were you born then?Copy !req
805. What about you?Copy !req
806. Moron! What you need is a kick in the ass!Copy !req
807. Hey…Copy !req
808. Toss them out.Copy !req
809. Those went bad ages ago.Copy !req
810. Toss them out, are you nuts?Copy !req
811. What are you, anyway? The public health officer?Copy !req
812. A stab wound would develop tetanus.Copy !req
813. Hey!Copy !req
814. This guy comes in here for help.
He asked for this tincture.Copy !req
815. These hill people are too
scared to go to a hospital.Copy !req
816. I'd be crazy not to sell it to him.Copy !req
817. You eaten?Copy !req
818. I only see you drinking,
what food you talking about?Copy !req
819. I'll bring you back some corn in trade.Copy !req
820. Just bring the sweet ones!Copy !req
821. So rich yet so stingy.Copy !req
822. You're surely going to Hell.Copy !req
823. In business, there's no Heaven or Hell.Copy !req
824. There's only profitCopy !req
825. and loss.Copy !req
826. Hurry up, hurry up. Bring it in.Copy !req
827. You carried them all this way? Wow!Copy !req
828. Sure is some good-looking corn.Copy !req
829. Where did that guy get stabbed?Copy !req
830. In his arm, but it's stopped bleeding now.Copy !req
831. The tincture worked so well!Copy !req
832. After he cleaned his wound with the first one,
he drank all the rest!Copy !req
833. He drank the tincture?Copy !req
834. You are definitely going to Hell now.Copy !req
835. You should be praying to God, not the rain.Copy !req
836. Hoping it'll wash away your sins?Copy !req
837. You know what I'm praying for?Copy !req
838. That they don't send you to prison?Copy !req
839. I'm praying that tinctureCopy !req
840. was harmless as rainwater.Copy !req
841. And that was the moral
of the greedy merchant's story.Copy !req
842. The richest canteen owner in the forest,Copy !req
843. in one desperate moment of remorse,Copy !req
844. suddenly felt all his greediness fall away.Copy !req
845. Could you write a letter for me?Copy !req
846. Sure.Copy !req
847. Who's it to? The Boss?Copy !req
848. No.Copy !req
849. To a woman.Copy !req
850. I want it written in a sophisticated city style.Copy !req
851. This Southern tongue hasn't
got enough syllables to charm a girl.Copy !req
852. Who is she? Does she know you're married?Copy !req
853. Mind your own business, back to work!Copy !req
854. Of course not.Copy !req
855. But she's very pretty. Name's Laied.Copy !req
856. She just moved in near here with her brother.Copy !req
857. Mister.Copy !req
858. Who's out there?Copy !req
859. It's me.Copy !req
860. I got this letter last night.Copy !req
861. It's from Mister John.Copy !req
862. Could you read it for me?Copy !req
863. I can't read.Copy !req
864. Did you know my brother is from Baytong?Copy !req
865. He's actually my cousin.Copy !req
866. Guess what? I'll be 20 years old this year.Copy !req
867. Hey, we've got the same kinds of scars.Copy !req
868. Kai!Copy !req
869. You stay here and watch these things.Copy !req
870. I'll meet you back here later!Copy !req
871. One, two, three!Copy !req
872. One, two, three!Copy !req
873. Shit! The wood is swollen.Copy !req
874. The Boss loves this so much.Copy !req
875. Bloody expensive, too.Copy !req
876. When's he getting back from Phuket?Copy !req
877. Better get back to work before
he sees all of us here.Copy !req
878. That was quite a storm last night.Copy !req
879. Yes.Copy !req
880. I'm glad you made it across
the river in one piece.Copy !req
881. With half of my bachelor's degree completed,Copy !req
882. I'd learned about work from the workersCopy !req
883. and about empathy from the Boss.Copy !req
884. And where I'd once been a just careless kid,Copy !req
885. I was now a very detail-oriented man,Copy !req
886. studying every inch of the maps.Copy !req
887. I'd work till I droppedCopy !req
888. just to prove to myself
that I was giving the mine its money's worth.Copy !req
889. "SENIOR'By the time that year arrived,Copy !req
890. I'd become a total stranger
to my friends and family in Bangkok.Copy !req
891. Any mails for me?Copy !req
892. Nope.Copy !req
893. My face and my life had become so
familiar in that small townCopy !req
894. as if I'd been its native son.Copy !req
895. Looks like rain for the New Year.Copy !req
896. If you stop the next rain from falling,Copy !req
897. don't be sad when you realise
the last rain's fallen already.Copy !req
898. "Happy New Year!"Copy !req
899. Those four years had no bus-rides to work.Copy !req
900. We walked under burning sun and pouring rainCopy !req
901. to the dredger, which inched forward every hourCopy !req
902. and then back to the crumbling hut.Copy !req
903. Sometimes,
the rain would come down for ten days straight.Copy !req
904. Everyone was reaching their breaking point.Copy !req
905. The mountains got so soaked they crumbledCopy !req
906. and the leaves wouldn't lift their heads.Copy !req
907. Stop now!Copy !req
908. Stop! Stop! Stop!Copy !req
909. I'm in no hurry to die!Copy !req
910. Those Southern rains came down so hard thatCopy !req
911. I realized that if we were mining rainwater,Copy !req
912. we'd all be rich by now.Copy !req
913. Finally, we surrendered to the forces of nature.Copy !req
914. We were people of the forest,Copy !req
915. the children of the cold,Copy !req
916. and friends to the constant rain.Copy !req
917. Down in this valley,
with a wall of mountains around us,Copy !req
918. shutting out the light from the sky,Copy !req
919. our destinies became fused togetherCopy !req
920. like separate paths that had merged as one.Copy !req
921. The lifeline of the Tin Mine
had been stretched to its limit…Copy !req
922. and it seemed as if it soon might snap.Copy !req
923. The dredger got stuck for a month,
then two months…Copy !req
924. …then three.Copy !req
925. We lost all hope of finding tin.Copy !req
926. All we were mining was mud.Copy !req
927. When the money in the office ran out,Copy !req
928. we were forced to dig through our waste dump,Copy !req
929. searching for tin scraps to sell as salvage.Copy !req
930. Mr. Sam became best friends
with liquor and loneliness.Copy !req
931. And his brother grew quieter and quieter,
and eventually resigned.Copy !req
932. I later found out it was the map-maker's
negligence that had done us in.Copy !req
933. When what he should have noted
in Western measurementsCopy !req
934. as "0.01 per cubic foot",Copy !req
935. he'd copied as "6.01".Copy !req
936. And when we finally did free
the dredger from the fork,Copy !req
937. the home office decided it was time
we had a new engineer.Copy !req
938. Attention!Copy !req
939. His name was Mr. Norman.Copy !req
940. This is the new engineer they've sent us?Copy !req
941. The insurance company in PenangCopy !req
942. decided they'd only cover us if we hadCopy !req
943. two non-Thai bosses on the books.Copy !req
944. Well, you'll have your work cut out
for you training this guy.Copy !req
945. Maybe I ought to look for another job.Copy !req
946. If I don't quit now,
people down here will spit in my face,Copy !req
947. thinking "John's sold himself out, taking orders…Copy !req
948. from a clown like this."Copy !req
949. Don't worry, I'll survive out there!Copy !req
950. I'm Lert.Copy !req
951. The foreign boss sent me over.Copy !req
952. I'm your new Chief of staff.Copy !req
953. I'm the Chief of the staff here.Copy !req
954. But I'm tendering my resignation today.Copy !req
955. Name's John.Copy !req
956. John…yeah, I've heard about you.Copy !req
957. But what are you quitting for?Copy !req
958. Guy like me can find work anywhere.Copy !req
959. That's the way I feel myself.Copy !req
960. I can fit in anywhere at all.Copy !req
961. Where you planning to stay?Copy !req
962. Might was well use my place.Copy !req
963. I won't be using it anymore.Copy !req
964. If I'm not working here,
I won't be sleeping here either.Copy !req
965. As for me,Copy !req
966. If I haven't worked here,Copy !req
967. I won't sleep here either.Copy !req
968. As for you giving me your place,Copy !req
969. let the insects take it over instead then.Copy !req
970. We haven't got in the boxing ring yet,Copy !req
971. too bad, you are saved by the bell.Copy !req
972. Black coffee,Copy !req
973. double bitter?Copy !req
974. This asshole Lert needs a kick in the teeth.Copy !req
975. But you know,Copy !req
976. if I were a stranger in a new place,Copy !req
977. I'd have done the same thing.Copy !req
978. Anyways, no matter what happens,Copy !req
979. be sure to take care of Laied for me.Copy !req
980. There were days when it seemed like sun
didn't come out at all.Copy !req
981. And my senior year courses proved to be
my most difficult yet.Copy !req
982. After John showed us
his taste for new adventures and quit,Copy !req
983. Huan got caught in the jaws of the dredgerCopy !req
984. and unintentionally donated one
of his legs to the mine.Copy !req
985. And Jieng, that cloud-watching pal of mine,Copy !req
986. dreamed himself right into
the middle of a flash-flood.Copy !req
987. But it was Lert who came to seem
the biggest problem I had to solve.Copy !req
988. You guys need to re-measure out here everyday?Copy !req
989. So it seems.Copy !req
990. Be careful,
the strap on that compass is wearing thin.Copy !req
991. Everything here is old.Copy !req
992. The dredger's starting to sink as well.Copy !req
993. Then we need to start fixing things.Copy !req
994. Whenever you say.Copy !req
995. I'd decided to deal with my wish that John would
return by surveying the area in complete detail.Copy !req
996. I was searching for anything that might prove
that John was a better foreman than Lert.Copy !req
997. Archin, didn't we just measure
this section yesterday?Copy !req
998. Yeah, but I've got to prove Lert's
the wrong man for this job.Copy !req
999. If he's finding less tin each week than John did,Copy !req
1000. I'll make sure everyone else knows it too.Copy !req
1001. I want this area completely clean, got it?Copy !req
1002. Clean it all. Take last night's diggings to
the dredger firstCopy !req
1003. then come to pick me up.Copy !req
1004. 16 barrels, sir.Copy !req
1005. Is that all?Copy !req
1006. Yes.Copy !req
1007. Oh shit!Copy !req
1008. What the hell are you doing?Copy !req
1009. My compass fell in the water.
I'm going in to get it!Copy !req
1010. Get up out of there!Copy !req
1011. You want to get yourself killed?Copy !req
1012. The engine is running
and the drill pipe is right down there.Copy !req
1013. An elephant could get sucked down that hole!Copy !req
1014. Guys, stop the engine!Copy !req
1015. Can't seem to find it.Copy !req
1016. I remember that moment vividlyCopy !req
1017. when Lert dove down to find the weapon
I'd planned to finish him with.Copy !req
1018. Those were the days
when everything seemed baffling to me.Copy !req
1019. Though we were digging smaller amounts
of tin each day,Copy !req
1020. Lert somehow managed
to win over everyone's hearts.Copy !req
1021. You'd better wear this helmet instead.Copy !req
1022. It'll protect your thick skull more than
that stocking cap.Copy !req
1023. Okay, let's exchange it.Copy !req
1024. Even the tough-hearted Kong began
to call our new foreman "Master Lert".Copy !req
1025. How many?Copy !req
1026. 50. / 50?Copy !req
1027. Double yesterday's haul!Copy !req
1028. I can't remember the last time
my blood pressure was this low!Copy !req
1029. Hey, the ladder! The dredging ladder's snapped!Copy !req
1030. Stop the engine, stop the engine!Copy !req
1031. This is bad.Copy !req
1032. It was an accident none of us saw coming.Copy !req
1033. And as we waited for
the reaction from the Penang office,Copy !req
1034. you could hear hopes beating heavy
in every miner's heart.Copy !req
1035. I've received the reply from Penang.Copy !req
1036. Close down the mine.Copy !req
1037. We're out of business.Copy !req
1038. Our Tin Mine was broken down
and sold off for scrap.Copy !req
1039. The dredger-house became as empty as
a giant metal coffin.Copy !req
1040. The office opened just a window or two each dayCopy !req
1041. and eventually only the night watchman remained.Copy !req
1042. We'd all worked together for so many years,Copy !req
1043. only to have to go our separate ways again.Copy !req
1044. We were all wanderers once more.Copy !req
1045. We'll head for another mine in SuratCopy !req
1046. and wait for you there.Copy !req
1047. Ok, but I'm waiting for a certificate
from the Boss.Copy !req
1048. Might take a few days.Copy !req
1049. Archin, even if you killed me,Copy !req
1050. I'd love you just the same.Copy !req
1051. Your work certificate must
be better than the others.Copy !req
1052. I woke up that last morning at the Tin Mine…Copy !req
1053. …knowing I'd never see it again.Copy !req
1054. Can I have double-bitter coffee?Copy !req
1055. I've already packed up the coffee pot.Copy !req
1056. Chew on the coffee grounds then?Copy !req
1057. As a last token of his appreciation, Mr. Sam
bought me a plane ticket back to Bangkok.Copy !req
1058. Hey kid, guess I'll head off first.Copy !req
1059. Wearing only that?Copy !req
1060. I came here wearing only this.Copy !req
1061. Might as well go the way I came.Copy !req
1062. Besides, I'm proud of my uniform.Copy !req
1063. I wear it with honor.Copy !req
1064. So long.Copy !req
1065. Archin.Copy !req
1066. What?Copy !req
1067. Old Dang's right, you know.Copy !req
1068. We should always leave the way we came.Copy !req
1069. Maybe you should do like him.Copy !req
1070. When you showed up here you didn't owe me money.Copy !req
1071. How about clearing the tab before you go?Copy !req
1072. This.Copy !req
1073. Here, take it all.Copy !req
1074. Thanks, kid.Copy !req
1075. I left the Tin Mine with
the same thing in my pocket as I'd come with,Copy !req
1076. not a single baht.Copy !req
1077. Good luck!Copy !req
1078. The Tin Mine had become
a memory of my precious past.Copy !req
1079. It would remain forever as
a part of my inner life.Copy !req
1080. Hey, take a look.Copy !req
1081. Stop here for a minute.Copy !req
1082. I guess this is a good-bye.Copy !req
1083. Archin,Copy !req
1084. how much does it cost to get to Bangkok?Copy !req
1085. You've got plenty of time to think about that.Copy !req
1086. Bangkok's so far away.
I'm not sure we'll ever make it all that way.Copy !req
1087. No longer would there be a "me" here.Copy !req
1088. Even my shadow followed me home to Bangkok.Copy !req
1089. My unfinished future seemed
to have collapsed once againCopy !req
1090. just as I'd seen it do a time or two in the past.Copy !req
1091. In the four years I'd spent in the Tin Mine,Copy !req
1092. freshmen at regular universities would
have graduated by now.Copy !req
1093. But I had no diploma
to carry home from the Tin Mine.Copy !req
1094. Instead, my hand held something that could
never be taken away from meCopy !req
1095. from a school that few would ever know.Copy !req
1096. "In 1953, Archin finally went home to Bangkok
after 3 years and 11 months in the dredger."Copy !req
1097. "In 1954, Archin's first "Tin Mine" short story"Copy !req
1098. "became a favorite with Thai readers."Copy !req
1099. "In 1984, Archin's book of "Tin Mine" stories"Copy !req
1100. "totaled some 142 chapters."Copy !req
1101. "In 1991, Archin was named a National Artist"Copy !req
1102. "by the Ministry of Culture of Thailand."Copy !req
1103. "In 2005, "Tin Mine" was adapted
into a film and caused"Copy !req
1104. "Archin and Kai to get to see each other again."Copy !req
1105. Give me a hand, I've gotten old.Copy !req
1106. You still have to take care of me at this age.Copy !req
1107. Let me take care of you.Copy !req
1108. I'm 77 now.Copy !req
1109. I'm seventy… / 75, two years younger than me.Copy !req
1110. I'm 73!Copy !req
1111. Well, we've met again because
of that book I wrote.Copy !req
1112. That's right.Copy !req
1113. Remember when you used
to help me with the surveying gear?Copy !req
1114. Yes.Copy !req