The Doctor, Polly and Ben arrive in 1746, in the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden, and are captured by a group of Highlanders shortly before they themselves are captured by redcoats.
THE HIGHLANDERS by ELWYN JONES and GERRY DAVIS first broadcast - 17th December 1966 running time - 24mins 38secs [SCENE_BREAK] 1. EXT. A HILL (On Culloden Moor, the Scottish Highland clans, loyal to Prince Charles Edward, battle with the English and German regiments loyal to the English monarch, King George. Unable to endure the superior fire power, the Highlanders have broken ranks and started to flee the battlefield. JAMIE McCRIMMON, ALEXANDER McLAREN and his sister, KIRSTY, carry the injured Laird, COLIN McLAREN, across the moor. They are confronted on a hill top by a Redcoat. Alexander dodges a bayonet lunge from the Englishman and after a brief scuffle he gains the upper hand, stabbing the Redcoat in the stomach.) [SCENE_BREAK] 2. EXT. A SMALL WOODED HOLLOW (The TARDIS materialises in the middle of a clump of brambles and ferns. BEN and POLLY emerge, followed by THE DOCTOR.) POLLY: It's so cool. (BEN parts the brambles.) BEN: Hey, Polly. POLLY: What? (Shivering) Ooh. BEN: Where does this remind you of? POLLY: Oh, it's cold and damp. BEN: No, where does it remind you of? (POLLY catches herself in some brambles.) POLLY: Ouch! Prickles! What? BEN: Where else could it be? We're home, Duchess! POLLY: Oh, you never give up hope, do you? We'll ask the Doctor. Hey, Doctor. THE DOCTOR: Listen. (There is the sound of an explosion in the distance.) BEN: It sounds like the cup final. (There is the piercing whistle of a projectile.) POLLY: Look out! (BEN and POLLY throw themselves to the ground as the projectile lands nearby.) THE DOCTOR: What are you doing down there? BEN: What was it? (BEN moves to have a closer look at the projectile.) BEN: It looks like an old-time cannon ball. Aah! It's hot. THE DOCTOR: Allow me. (He examines the cannon ball.) THE DOCTOR: Yes, a ten pounder. That does it! (THE DOCTOR begins to move off towards the TARDIS.) POLLY: But Doctor we can't leave, this looks like England. BEN: Yeah, I'm going to look over that hill. (BEN heads up hill.) POLLY: Doctor, you don't want us to think you're afraid, do you? THE DOCTOR: Why not? POLLY: Look we can't let Ben go up there on his own. We don't know what he's gonna find. Come on. (POLLY follows BEN up the hill. THE DOCTOR shrugs and heads off after them.) [SCENE_BREAK] 3. INT. A COTTAGE (In a cottage nearby KIRSTY is tending her father, the wounded Laird, who is lying on a bed in the corner.) COLIN: Ahh, Kirsty. Ahh. KIRSTY: He badly needs a doctor. ALEXANDER: Aye, and food. COLIN: Water... water... water... water... JAMIE: There's a wee drop left yet. (COLIN gulps the water that JAMIE hands him.) COLIN: The battle. The battle! ALEXANDER: It's done! The clans are broken. Shot to pieces by the English guns. Never had the chance to get to within claymore's length of them. (COLIN slumps back on his bed.) COLIN: Ah, the slaughter. (JAMIE blows a note on the pipes.) ALEXANDER: Whist! Do you have to bring the redcoats upon us? JAMIE: Well they'll be here soon enough, have no fear. COLIN: The Prince? JAMIE: Do not fuss yourself. He was the first to leave the field. ALEXANDER: What's that you say about the Prince? COLIN: Ah stay, the pair of you. Why didn't you leave me to die on the field? ALEXANDER: You're the Laird himself. COLIN: The Laird of what? All the men of our clan are lying in the mud of the Culloden Moor. Oh, I should be with them. Oh Kirsty, my Kirsty. (He begins to sob.) ALEXANDER: We may not be long joining them. The English troops are butchering all their wounded and hanging all their prisoners. JAMIE: They cannot hang us all, can they? ALEXANDER: They'll never hang me, piper. You may be sure of that. (looking out of the cabin) Whist! KIRSTY: The English? ALEXANDER: There is but three of them. JAMIE: They're not soldiers. COLIN: Our people? ALEXANDER: Well, I'll find out. Jamie, at the rear. You gang that way. Wait my signal! [SCENE_BREAK] 4. EXT. A HILL NEAR THE COTTAGE (THE DOCTOR, BEN and POLLY are walking down the brow of a hill. The sound of battle can be heard in the distance.) BEN: Hey, look! (BEN indicates a cannon up ahead of them.) BEN: This must be where that cannon ball came from. THE DOCTOR: It's unlikely. BEN: What do you mean it's unlikely? THE DOCTOR: It's been spiked. BEN: Been what? THE DOCTOR: Been spiked. (BEN looks down the barrel.) BEN: Well how did you know? (THE DOCTOR ignores his question, stepping forward to pick up a tam-o'-shanter.) THE DOCTOR: I would like a hat like this. (He puts it on, posing excitedly.) THE DOCTOR: How do I look? (POLLY takes the beret and inspects it.) POLLY: It's got words on it - "With Charles our brave and merciful Prince Royal, we'll greatly fall or nobly save our country." THE DOCTOR: Bah! Romantic piffle! (He pulls the hat from her hands and throws it to the ground. ALEXANDER steps up from behind THE DOCTOR and holds a claymore to his throat. JAMIE is there instantly, his dirk at BEN's chest.) ALEXANDER: You'll pick it up! JAMIE: Ah, careful, like. (THE DOCTOR cautiously bends down and picks up the beret. ALEXANDER takes it from him and points his claymore in the direction of the cottage.) ALEXANDER: This way with you. Quick! (They set off down the hill.) [SCENE_BREAK] 5. INT. THE COTTAGE (KIRSTY attends to COLIN.) COLIN: We're gonna have to walk to the caves. KIRSTY: Father, you're in no fit state to travel. (ALEXANDER, JAMIE and their captives enter the cottage.) ALEXANDER: Kirsty! Get away with you. COLIN: Who are they? ALEXANDER: I know not. They're no Scot. They threw down the Prince's cockade. POLLY: Cockade? BEN: What Prince? (THE DOCTOR smiles as he suspicions are confirmed.) THE DOCTOR: Prince Charles Edward. Bonnie Prince Charlie. ALEXANDER: You have the tongue. Aye, I thought so. English the three of them. Camp followers to the Duke of Cumberland. Come to steal from the dead. (JAMIE raises his dirk to THE DOCTOR's throat, but COLIN intervenes.) COLIN: Abide a moment! Do you wish to pray before you die? THE DOCTOR: Die! POLLY: Die for what? BEN: Well, you can't kill us in cold blood! JAMIE: Well, our bloods warm enough! Your English troopers gave no quarter to men, women and bairns. POLLY: Doctor, tell them who we are. KIRSTY: Doctor? (KIRSTY grabs ALEXANDER's arm in excitement at the prospect of a doctor, but he pushes her away.) ALEXANDER: Get away, will you woman! KIRSTY: We have need of a doctor. ALEXANDER: The Laird. COLIN: Get me a doctor. Get me a doctor. KIRSTY: Look, kill them after. Let them help the Laird first. ALEXANDER: We're not going to trust the Laird with these Sassenach, woman. KIRSTY: But if they can help him at all... ALEXANDER: Kirsty, get away, will you. THE DOCTOR: Just think of the women. (BEN notices a pistol beside the Laird. Leaping forward, he grabs it and takes aim.) BEN: Right, back both of you! Or your Laird won't need a doctor. THE DOCTOR: Well done, Ben. And now gentlemen... ALEXANDER: I'm warning you! THE DOCTOR: Your swords, I think. Ben, cock the pistol! KIRSTY: But why? (KIRSTY desperately appeals to the two Scots.) KIRSTY: Give them up! THE DOCTOR: Polly, take the swords. (Reluctantly the two Highlanders let POLLY remove their swords.) THE DOCTOR: That's the style. Now back against the wall, both of you. Go on! That's better. (He moves over to examine COLIN.) THE DOCTOR: Now, I'm going to have a look at the wound. Come along, come along. Let me see. Yes. We're going to need some clean water to bathe the wound. (He looks up from the wounded man at KIRSTY.) THE DOCTOR: Ah. KIRSTY: I'll not leave him. THE DOCTOR: We're not going to harm him. Polly! POLLY: Yes. THE DOCTOR: You go with her. POLLY: Oh, all right. (THE DOCTOR hands them a leather bucket.) THE DOCTOR: Off you go then. POLLY: Will you show me where the stream is? ALEXANDER: Here, Kirsty. Take the Laird's spyglass with you. And watch out for these Sassenach dragoons. (The two girls leave.) THE DOCTOR: You can put it away now, Ben. BEN: Put it away? But... THE DOCTOR: Will you both give us your word that you'll not molest us? We're only trying to save your Laird from bleeding to death. (ALEXANDER and JAMIE exchange looks.) ALEXANDER: Aye. JAMIE: You have our word. THE DOCTOR: Put it away, Ben. BEN: What, are you going to trust these blokes? THE DOCTOR: A Highlanders word is his bond! At least don't point it at me! (BEN shrugs and carelessly tosses the pistol onto a table. It goes off.) BEN: It just went off! (ALEXANDER turns to him angrily.) ALEXANDER: You fool! JAMIE: You'll have every English soldier within miles! BEN: Well, what's wrong with that? THE DOCTOR: What's... You should have paid more attention to your history books, Ben. BEN: Eh? (JAMIE is looking out of a window.) JAMIE: Redcoats! There's about six of them. (ALEXANDER joins JAMIE at the window.) ALEXANDER: They'll slaughter us! [SCENE_BREAK] 6. EXT. HILL NEAR THE COTTAGE (The English soldiers are at the top of a hill, gazing down the glen at the cottage. Their commanding officer, LIEUTENANT ALGERNON FFINCH, sits astride a white horse.) SOLDIER: Sir! A rebel's been sighted, sir. SERGEANT: Then there's only the cottage where the shooting seemed to come from. ALGERNON: Good. Only one? SERGEANT: Only one seen, sire. There could be more. ALGERNON: There better be. We haven't seen many, have we? SERGEANT: No. Well, the troopers were ahead of us, sir. ALGERNON: And done a good job. Now, I wish they'd left us some pickings. SERGEANT: Ah, perhaps when they got away they took their possessions with them. ALGERNON: Let's hope so. Take a man around the rear, Sergeant. We'll outflank them. SERGEANT: Sir! ALGERNON: Tell them to shoot first and take no risks. Remember these rebels will be desperate by now. SERGEANT: Yes, sir! ALGERNON: Advance in battle order. [SCENE_BREAK] 7. INT. THE COTTAGE (The Highlanders are considering their options.) JAMIE: We'll be caught like rats in a trap. Can we not run for it? ALEXANDER: And leave the Laird to their mercy? There is but one chance. It is but a very slim one. I will try and draw them away from this cottage. THE DOCTOR: Wait! Wait! (But it is too late, ALEXANDER has already left, sword at the ready.) [SCENE_BREAK] 8. EXT. THE COTTAGE ALEXANDER: Creag an tuire! (ALEXANDER raises his sword and charges towards the English troops, but is quickly gunned down.) [SCENE_BREAK] 9. INT. THE COTTAGE (The English troops, with the SERGEANT at the lead, burst into the cottage.) SERGEANT: Surrender in the King's name! BEN: Blimey, it's good to hear a London voice again. SERGEANT: Silence, you rebel dog! BEN: Rebel? What are you talking about? I'm no rebel! Me and the Doctor here, have just arrived. SERGEANT: Deserter, then. You'll hang just the same. (THE DOCTOR interjects, with a thick German accent.) THE DOCTOR: I'm glad you've come, Sergeant. I was waiting for an escort. SERGEANT: Who the devil... THE DOCTOR: Civil tongue, Sergeant! You are in charge of these men? ALGERNON: No! (The Lieutenant, ALGERNON FFINCH, enters asserting his authority.) ALGERNON: I am. THE DOCTOR: A gentleman, at last. Doctor von Wer, at your service. SERGEANT: Doctor who? THE DOCTOR: (Mutters under his breath.) That's what I said. ALGERNON: One of those confounded froggies that came over with the Pretender. BEN: We ain't French. Are we? THE DOCTOR: German, from Hanover. Where your good King George comes from. And I speak English a good deal better than he does. SERGEANT: Hear that, sir. Treason! Shall we hang them now? (The Lieutenant points to the bed.) ALGERNON: Wait a moment. Who is that? JAMIE: Colin McLaren, the Laird, and I'm his piper. SERGEANT: Ah, they're a poor lot, sir. We'll get no pickings here. Let's hang them and have done. BEN: Well a right shower you are! What have we done? Nothing! And what have you got against these two? They lost a battle, right? Well, doesn't that make them prisoners of war? ALGERNON: Rebels are not treated as prisoners of war. Right, Sergeant, prepare to hang them. SERGEANT: Sir! Take him out. (The soldiers grab THE DOCTOR.) THE DOCTOR: Didn't I tell you I was... (The SERGEANT turns to BEN.) SERGEANT: And you. BEN: But we haven't done anything! SERGEANT: And you. (JAMIE points to COLIN, the Laird.) JAMIE: But he can't walk! SERGEANT: Drag him! [SCENE_BREAK] 10. EXT. A SUPPLY WAGON BEHIND BRITISH LINES (SOLICITOR GREY, sitting on the high seat of the wagon, peers through his spy glass at the battle. Lowering the spy glass he calls to his secretary, PERKINS, who is preparing lunch.) GREY: Perkins. Perkins! PERKINS: Yes, sir. GREY: Not a very inspiring battle, would you say, Perkins? PERKINS: Don't really know, sir. I've never seen one before. GREY: This one was over in a brief hour. Never have I seen such brave fellows so poorly led. And now, Cumberland's troops are butchering the wounded. It's such a waste of manpower. A little wine, Perkins? PERKINS: Oh yes, sir. (He begins to poor a glass of wine for GREY.) PERKINS: Quite ready for it, I am, sir. This sharp northern air, sir, gives one quite an appetite. (Two soldiers drag a wounded Highlander past. GREY sits down on an upturned crate, holding his wine up to examine it.) GREY: Ah, all these fine sturdy Highlanders. Used to hard work and little food. Think what a price they'd fetch in Jamaica or Barbados, Perkins. PERKINS: A pretty penny, no doubt, sir. No doubt at all. GREY: Indeed. And I'll have them, Perkins. I did not give up a thriving legal practise just for the honour of serving King George as his Commissioner of Prisons. (PERKINS hands GREY a plate of meat, cheese, onions and bread.) PERKINS: I thought there was more behind it, sir. GREY: With Mr. Trask and his ship at our service, we may expect to clear some measure of profit out of this rebellion, eh Perkins? PERKINS: Yes, sir. GREY: Depending, of course, on how many of the wretched rebels we can deliver from his Majesty's over zealous soldiers. (He takes a mouthful of wine, gags and spits it into PERKINS face.) GREY: The wine was corked. If you wish to remain in my service, you will have to be more careful. Won't you Perkins? PERKINS: Yes, sir. My apologies, sir. It won't happen again, sir. GREY: I think we best be about our business. Otherwise there'll be nothing but corpses left on the battlefield. And corpses are of little use to us, eh Perkins? PERKINS: Yes, sir. Wagon, sir? GREY: No, I think not. I've had enough for one day. Come, Perkins, we'll walk. PERKINS: Yes, sir. (GREY begins to move off. PERKINS raises the wine to the light, unable to see anything wrong with it. He takes a swig from the bottle.) GREY: Perkins PERKINS: Yes, sir? GREY: Perkins! [SCENE_BREAK] 11. EXT. NEAR THE COTTAGE (POLLY and KIRSTY are making their way back from a stream with some water.) KIRSTY: Down! (KIRSTY pushes POLLY to the ground.) POLLY: Oh, you've spilt the water! (They look at the activity outside the cottage.) POLLY: Who are those men? KIRSTY: Don't pretend you can't recognise English Redcoats when you see them. Even at this distance. POLLY: English? Well, that's all right then, we're safe. (She begins to get up.) KIRSTY: Do you want to get us both killed? Tortured? Look, they're going to hang our men. (POLLY looks through the spy glass.) POLLY: You're right. It's horrible. They've got to be stopped. KIRSTY: How? POLLY: Well, there must be something we can do! KIRSTY: We can but mourn. (KIRSTY begins to cry.) POLLY: Crying's no good. Have you still got breath to run. Come on. We're going to create a diversion. [SCENE_BREAK] 12. EXT. THE COTTAGE (The Redcoats are busy preparing the ropes for the hanging. A stone falls just short of them.) ALGERNON: What was that? (The SERGEANT points up the hill.) SERGEANT: Look, sir, over there, on that hill. (POLLY and KIRSTY are on the hill.) ALGERNON: Looks like a wench. Stab me, there's another one. SERGEANT: Yeah, puts me in mind of what Sergeant King of the Dragoons said, sir. ALGERNON: What? SERGEANT: Well, the Dragoons have got orders to stop every woman. Not that they need them, mind. ALGERNON: Get to the point, Sergeant. SERGEANT: Well, they've heard that the Prince is trying to escape disguised as a woman. Shall I go after them, sir? ALGERNON: No, I'll go. You two men, come with me. (ALGERNON walks off leaving an exasperated and frustrated SERGEANT.) SERGEANT: Yeah, but I... [SCENE_BREAK] 13. EXT. THE HILL (POLLY looks down at ALGERNON FFINCH and the two Redcoats as they approach.) POLLY: This is our chance. The officer's coming after us. They can't hang them with the officer away. Let's go. KIRSTY: It'll do no good. POLLY: Besides which, you must know this place better than they do. KIRSTY: There's a high track. POLLY: And we're younger than they are. They'll never catch us. Come on. (KIRSTY picks up the water bottle.) KIRSTY: But, look... POLLY: Leave that. (The two women run off up the hill.) [SCENE_BREAK] 14. EXT. THE COTTAGE (The SERGEANT looks at the Lieutenant and the two soldiers as they make their way up the hill. THE DOCTOR leans over and taunts him.) THE DOCTOR: What a great devotion to duty, your Lieutenant shows, Sergeant. SERGEANT: Devotion to duty. (He spits on the ground.) SERGEANT: Devotion to thirty thousand pound reward, that's all. THE DOCTOR: You think he will catch them? SERGEANT: That young whelp? Couldn't catch his own grandmother. (The troops start to laugh, but stop when the SERGEANT gives them a fierce glare.) THE DOCTOR: Disrespect to your superior officer, Sergeant? I could report you. SERGEANT: You could, but you won't. THE DOCTOR: Ah, but at a price, Sergeant. SERGEANT: You won't, cause you won't be here when he gets back. (He turns back to the soldiers.) SERGEANT: All right you scum, proceed with the hanging. BEN: Well, you can't hang us with the officer away. SERGEANT: Why do you think he went away? Got a delicate stomach, he has. Always leaves the dirty stuff to me. Right! Get them up! (The Soldiers move into position and begin to pull the ropes taut.) BEN: Yeah. SERGEANT: Take the strain! Stand by! (A drum rolls, as THE DOCTOR, BEN, JAMIE and COLIN stand on their tiptoes, ropes around their necks. Suddenly GREY strides around the corner of the cottage, followed by PERKINS.) GREY: Halt! SERGEANT: What do you want? GREY: One moment! SERGEANT: Who the devil are you? GREY: Perkins. PERKINS: Solicitor Grey, Lincolns Inn Fields. His Majesty's Commissioner for the disposal of rebel prisoners. (The SERGEANT takes the commission from PERKINS. He holds it upside down, obviously unable to read. GREY looks at BEN.) GREY: There's a fine sturdy young man. (He turns to the soldiers.) GREY: Take the nooses off them. Set that young man down. PERKINS: Sit him down. SERGEANT: I don't care who you are, you've got no charge over my men! GREY: Can you not read, Sergeant. I have charge over all rebel prisoners. PERKINS: Of course he has! Appointed by the Chief Justice of England. All prisoners. SERGEANT: Not these! (GREY turns to PERKINS.) GREY: Perkins. (PERKINS fumbles in his pocket.) GREY: The other pocket, I think. (PERKINS removes some silver coins from his other pocket, while GREY turns his attention back to the SERGEANT.) GREY: I admit your prior claim, Sergeant, but I think you are a reasonable man. (PERKINS counts out the coins.) GREY: Continue, Perkins. (PERKINS looks doubtful.) GREY: Continue, I said! Of course, I regret any inconvenience encountered by yourself and these fine fellows of yours. SERGEANT: All right, you heard what the Commissioner said. Nooses off. Get him down. (The Redcoats remove the noose from BEN's neck and release him.) BEN: Oh, thanks, sir. GREY: A trifle, I assure you. Strong ruffians like you, and this other young rebel here, are needed in his Majesty's service. THE DOCTOR: Ah, yes. (GREY looks at COLIN and THE DOCTOR.) GREY: You can dispatch this one, Sergeant, and this strange looking scoundrel. THE DOCTOR: Article Seventeen, Aliens Act, 1730. GREY: What? THE DOCTOR: You are gentlemen of the law? PERKINS: How dare you speak to Mr. Grey like that! GREY: I am a lawyer, yes. THE DOCTOR: Then you are doubtless familiar with Article Seventeen. You cannot hang a citizen of a foreign power, without first informing his ambassador. (PERKINS raises his tatty grey wig and scratches his scalp in puzzlement.) PERKINS: Article Seventeen, Aliens Act? (GREY turns to the SERGEANT.) GREY: Who is this extraordinary rogue? SERGEANT: He says he's a frog doctor, sir. THE DOCTOR: German. And I know more about the English law than you do, it seems. SERGEANT: I'm the only law what matters to you right now, matey. And if this gentleman don't want you, you hang. GREY: No, wait. You show a touching faith in his Majesty's justice, sir. A doctor, eh? We need doctors where you're going. Send him along with the other prisoners, to Inverness. JAMIE: The Laird goes too, or you can hang me with him. I'll not go with ye. COLIN: No, go Jamie, go. SERGEANT: We'll see about that! GREY: Sergeant! What do you think, Doctor, can this man be healed of his wound? THE DOCTOR: With proper care, yes! (GREY laughs.) GREY: Whether he'll get that where he is going is very doubtful. But I'll leave him in your care. Take him away, Sergeant. SERGEANT: Sir! You men escort these gentlemen and these prisoners to Inverness. I'll wait here for the Lieutenant. Come on out. Get him down. THE DOCTOR: What will happen to us? GREY: First you go to Inverness, and then perhaps a sea voyage. SERGEANT: Do you good, rogue. Come on. (The Redcoats lead the four prisoners off.) GREY: Just in time, Perkins. Just in time. [SCENE_BREAK] 15. A CAVE (POLLY and KIRSTY are in front of a small cave mouth.) KIRSTY: This is the cave. They'll not find us here. (KIRSTY enters, followed by POLLY.) POLLY: You don't live here, do you? KIRSTY: Oh no. The family use it as a... as a hide out after a... a cattle raid. POLLY: A cattle raid? You mean you rob people? KIRSTY: No! We only take from those who steal from us. POLLY: Oh, it's dark. KIRSTY: Ah, there we are. POLLY: That's a funny kind of match. KIRSTY: What? POLLY: Match. Oh, it doesn't matter. (KIRSTY walks over to a small chest.) KIRSTY: Now, we keep a supply of food here. (She opens it and takes out a biscuit, distressed that this is all the food.) KIRSTY: Oh, there's only one wheat biscuit. (POLLY looks suspiciously at the unappetising biscuit.) POLLY: When was it left here? KIRSTY: Well about three months ago. (KIRSTY offers the biscuit to POLLY.) POLLY: Oh, it's a dog biscuit. KIRSTY: Biscuits are not baked for dogs. But please do begin. POLLY: Oh, um, no. No, you start. I don't want to lose all my fillings. (KIRSTY gives POLLY a puzzled look.) POLLY: Teeth. Doesn't matter. You start. I'm not hungry, really. (POLLY begins to pace the cave.) POLLY: Got to make a plan. We saw them being marched away. Now, where would they be taking them? KIRSTY: Inverness gaol. (KIRSTY breaks down in tears.) POLLY: Oh look, don't start crying again. If they've taken them to gaol, then we've got to get them out. Have you got any money? KIRSTY: But, what would we need money... POLLY: Well, for food, of course. That biscuit isn't going to last very long. And for bribing guards with. What have we got we can sell. (She removes her bracelet.) POLLY: This won't fetch much, but at least its a start. KIRSTY: Why should you help us? You're English! POLLY: They've got my friends too, remember? Yes, and I must get some proper clothes. KIRSTY: Aye, why do you wear the short skirts of a bairn? You're a grown woman. POLLY: Well, it would take too long to explain. (Suddenly she notices a ring on KIRSTY's finger.) POLLY: Hey, that ring, it's gold! (KIRSTY covers the ring with her other hand and turns away.) POLLY: Look, you've got to trust me. KIRSTY: It doesn't belong to me. It's my father's. POLLY: Well, let me just look at it. Come on, now. I just want to look at it, that's all. (KIRSTY turns around and reluctantly holds out her hand.) POLLY: It's beautiful. Mmm, we should get a lot for that. (KIRSTY snatches her hand back.) KIRSTY: We're not going to sell it! POLLY: Not even to save your father's life? KIRSTY: He wouldn't thank me. POLLY: Ah, you're hopeless. Why not, for goodness sake? KIRSTY: He entrusted it to me before the battle. He would kill me if he... if I ever parted with it. POLLY: I don't understand you people. (She holds out her hand.) POLLY: Come on, give it to me. KIRSTY: No. (KIRSTY scrambles away.) POLLY: Look, give it to me! It's... (KIRSTY grabs her knife and holds it up to POLLY.) POLLY: Please yourself! You're just a stupid peasant. I'm off to help my friends. You can stay here and guard your precious ring. (KIRSTY is suddenly anxious at the thought of POLLY leaving.) KIRSTY: Look, mind your step. It'll be dark soon. POLLY: Watch out for yourself. KIRSTY: You'll get lost. [SCENE_BREAK] 16. EXT. THE MOOR (NIGHT) (Polly walks across the darkened moor in what she hopes is the direction of the cottage. Unnerved by the eerie sounds of the night, she considers back tracking to the cave. She begins to panic, sure that she is being stalked. Suddenly the ground gives way...) POLLY: Ahh! (...and she tumbles into a pit. Realising that she has fallen into an animal trap about ten feet deep, she attempts to scramble out. Looking up at the edge of the pit, she sees a hand clutching a dagger.) POLLY: Ahh!
The Highlanders - part 1