The next few weeks were a haze. After leaving Sherri with their last dollar, the Railwalkers took what they could and saddled up for Nevada. The nights on the prairie seemed endless. They rationed their coffee and sugar and butter for as long as they could, but eventually, all they had to drink was river water. At the split of a pair of twin mountain ridges, they diverted off the Rio Grande and headed northwest between the two. From there, the paths were treacherous, and the Railwalkers often went on foot to spare the horses extra burden. As their food ran low, they took to hunting; mostly small game, thanks to Rory’s traps, until Sitting Bear returned to camp with a massive buck that lasted them for a solid week. The hides they were left with were skinned and tanned, and soon piled on the
