Part 2: Chapters 30-33 Summary

Jake and Lorena reach the Nueces River before the herd. It's been a hard day for Lorena. Jake gets a mesquite thorn in his thumb and tries to get it out, but misses some. To kill the pain, he drinks steadily, and by the time Lorena finds the river, he is so drunk that he can't even help her to set up camp. She keeps hoping they'll come across a town that has a doctor, but so far it has been nothing but miles of dust and mesquite thickets. Lorena sets Jake up against a tree and goes down to the river to wash. She stands in the water chest deep, letting it wash the miles of dust away, and then sits on the grass to dry. Jake decides he wants a poke, but is too sick to finish...