Chapter 4, A Painful Journey Summary

The women are feeling very old because their joints are achy and their muscles are very sore. Sa' begins to cry, but Ch'idzigyaak feels so numb that she doesn't even respond to Sa''s cries. However, Sa' finally gets up and starts to gather firewood. Ch'idzigyaak wants to die. She hopes that she will die before she has to get up out of the snow and force her limbs to move. She is surprised, therefore, when the urge to urinate gets her up and moving at a moment's notice.

Sa' suggests that they keep moving to get closer to the destination, and she feels disappointed when Ch'idzigyaak agrees with her. She has been hoping that Ch'idzigyaak would ask to stay, and she would be happy to oblige the older woman. But they tie the ropes back around their...