If anyone wanted to eat in the morning it would have to be hardtack and pemmican. The rabbit was small and the meat disappeared the first day. There would be no more game meat for the rest of their trek to the west. By dawn of the second day, all four were full of coffee which was brewing before anyone besides Ross was up and around, a few pieces of pemmican mixed with a little water to make it more palatable and hardtack and they were in the saddle and on their way. They left their first camp slowly in the dark, letting the horses pick their way toward the far horizon with the light of dawn slowly ascending over the mountains behind them. Every morning it was the same for three days.
The morning of the fourth day began with a few differences. As the dawn began to spring upon them Ross, R
