midday
By the third day of their trek southward along the Great River , the soles of Redbird 's moccasins had worn through . She stumbled over ruts dug in the wide trail by pale eyes ' wagon wheels . The sun had baked the packed dirt of the trail till it was hard as stone . When the long knives let them stop to rest at midday , she took from her blanket roll White Bear 's knife . With the knife she cut strips away from her doeskin dress and bound them around her feet . She cut up Eagle Feather 's shirt and wrapped his moccasins so they would last longer . A long knife with a thick blond mustache was standing over her with his hand out .