ON BOARD THE TRAIN, THE COLONIAL - THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA
Mr. Higgins is passed out on the passenger bunk. One arm dangles over the edge while the other rests over his belly. His vest is unbuttoned and his shirt is crumpled and untucked. He is snoring, his mouth is open. Wild Bill stands over him, an amused yet worried expression underneath his prodigious mustache. The train is still and dark.
WILD BILL:
“Ed! Wake up Eddie ol’ boy. Time to get up.”
Mr. Higgins does not respond. In the dim light that filters under the door to the hallway, Wild Bill picks up Mr. Higgins’s bag that holds the recorder and examines the contents, pulling out an accordion folding camera and turning it over in his hands. Shaking his head in amazement he puts it back and hefts the bag onto his shoulder.
WILD BILL:
“Come on Eddie, you couldn’t have be that squashed.”
He leans down and shakes the naturalist. Mr. Higgins snorts, splutters, and rolls over to one side away from the cowboy. Wild Bill lifts his foot, and pokes at the back of the sleeping man with one pointy cowboy boot. He keeps at it until Mr. Higgins swats him away and wakes up.
MR. HIGGINS:
“What time is it?”
WILD BILL:
“Don’t matter. It’s time to get out of here.”
MR. HIGGINS:
“Excuse me?”
WILD BILL:
“You aint feel that?”
MR. HIGGINS:
“Feel what?“
WILD BILL:
“We’s stopped, and a train stopped in the middle of the night can only mean one thing.”
Mr. Higgins is fully awake now. He sits up, his hand fumbling for his spectacles. Upon finding them he blinks in the dim light and moves to turn on the light. Wild Bill quickly stops him. Mr. Higgins shrinks back in his seat, blinking furiously.
MR. HIGGINS:
“What does it mean?”
WILD BILL:
“Bandits.”
1:18 AM
In which Wild Bill and Mr. Higgins begin an unexpected adventure part, 1: