They took turns watching the patient and then trying to get water down him. He stirred when Venta wet a rag and held it to his lips in hopes that he would suck on it. The man did not. They gave up in frustration and went about preparing for nightfall.
In the morning, he opened his eyes and looked at Venta in bewilderment. Then he started to rise.
“No, please don"t try that. You may start the bleeding again. I"ll steady you to see if you are able to drink some water. If you can do that, you can have some broth.”
“How bad?” His voice was raspy from the dryness.
“It would be better if we had some clean bandages, but we don"t have any. The wound could be worse. The bullet went through your shoulder and it doesn"t look like it broke a bone. The head wound was just superficial.”
“The damn b
