ThirteenWith the horses and two pack-mules readied, saddlebags and canteen full, Simms took a final meal of eggs and potatoes from the cook, who wished him well, but with the detachment of someone who knows no further meeting would ever take place. Simms then strolled to the tent where he'd slept for the previous two nights, and bade farewell to the men with whom he'd shared his canvas home. Both looked grim, said little, but Simms promised them he would see them again. Neither responded and Simms only smiled.
He left the camp at a slow walk, three soldiers trailing behind him, their blue shirts already soaked with perspiration. None spoke. They set their faces northwest, their mood heavy, resigned.
They continued in silence to higher ground, leaving the dull, flat plain sucked dry by th
