sunset, and ned and munny riding in open country. open country under a hot sun and munny and ned riding their horses at a walk and the saddles creaking and birds chirping in the five foot high grass. it is late morning in northern kansas and they have been riding since dawn, mostly in silence, but ned has something on his mind and he glances at munny and frowns and then finally he blurts his question. the three of them riding across open country. the kid looks like he still has a thorn up his ass and the only sound is the creaking of saddles. a little later. rain. ned and munny riding side by side through the downpour and the kid twenty yards ahead, barely visible. munny looks like shit and ned looks at him with concern, deliberates, then reaches into his saddle bag and pulls out a bottle of whiskey and offers it. open country at sundown seen from a low hill, and you can barely make out a lone rider approaching in the extreme distance.