January 13, 1882, through July 4, 1882 Summary

On January 13, 1882, the group is preparing to leave El Paso. On January 14, Sarah's younger brother Harlan asks questions about their mother and the possibility that she might marry again someday. He then arrives with Captain Elliot for dinner, announcing that the Captain has come courting. Mama says that she is too recently widowed to entertain callers and thinks that the Captain is with the Confederate Army. Captain Elliot talks gently with her and it's two days before they see him again.

On January 20, the wagon train passes a group of Indians, mostly women and children. On January 21, Captain Elliot discovers that some of his soldiers has slaughtered the entire Indian village, including newborns. Sarah says that one of the soldiers arrested for the crime had been hanging around "making eyes" at Sarah, and that she'd known he was no...