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...Drowsiness was overcoming James, so he got a blanket from his gear and lay down next to the fire, now nothing more than a bed of coals. He drifted off to sleep with thoughts of home and family. He dreamed about what the future might hold, and the images were not pleasant...

...Today, Kate could not see the breath taking beauty that the mountains usually held for her. Today, there was something ominous about the blue haze that gave the mountains their name...

...As she watched Lawrence ride away, Kate told herself she didn't want to get involved with him. He was certainly a nice man, but he was looking for a wife. That was something she didn't want to be right now...

...There had been a time when someone berating a black man would have hardly caused him to raise and eyebrow. Now, when the man from the wagons had raised the issue, he had been taken aback by it. James McKane, the son of a planter and slave owner had not only undertaken a journey across the miles, he had undertaken a journey in his heart, as well...

...As they were resting, James looked up and spotted a large eagle circling high above them. "That eagle has an interest in something here on the ground," he said.
     "That eagle keeps circling until he finds a meal down here," Wilford replied. "He'll keep circling and keeping a sharp eye out until he sees something that looks like good eating, and then he'll swoop down and get it."
     "Kinda like I'm doing," James replied...

...Wilford was a hard man in some ways, a product of the mountains and the way of life of a mountain man. Now he kept his head turned away so now one saw the tears...

...Where would he find any help out here? There were few settlements in this area, and besides, a black man traveling with six tied up white men would arouse too many suspicions. There had to be another way.
     Wilford reflected on his options. He knew this land from his days in the mountains. Being a mountain man, he had always relied on the land to provide for him. What did the land have to offer him now?
     The Piautes...

...Kate had paid a high price to claim a part of this land. Now she felt it was her home, and would always be so. She felt like she was a part of the dream her uncle had started, and it filled her with joy...