I lay close to Uncle Eb imagining much evil of that vision but made no outcry.
Snugged in between my two companions I felt reasonably secure and soon fell asleep.

The sun, streaming in at the open door, roused me in the morning.

At the beginning of each day of our journey I woke to find Uncle Eb cooking at the fire.

He was lying beside me, this morning, his eyes open.
'Fraid I'm hard sick,' he said as I kissed him.
'What's the matter ?' I enquired.
He struggled to a sitting posture, groaning so it went to my heart.
'Rheumatiz,' he answered presently.
He got to his feet, little by little, and every move he made gave him great pain.

With one hand on his cane and the other on my shoulder he made his way slowly to the broken gate.