Chapters 3, 4, and 5 Summary

Robey rides the black horse south, following his mother's instructions. He will travel south, then take a mountain pass east, and then follow the valley north. Other people offer conflicting strategies; he listens, but disregards them. On the road he encounters his first war dead—a field littered with old corpses and detritus of war. Robey is affected but the horse is not. Robey travels nearly around the clock, sleeping on back of the horse. The horse is wily and usually steps off the road into hiding whenever it detects anything approaching. On one occasion, Robey attempts to keep the horse walking when a stranger rides by—and then tries to shoot Robey and steal the horse. Fortunately the horse knows how to respond and gallops away, saving Robey. Later, Robey sees a large group of black slaves tied...