The Girl Who Chased Away Sorrow: The Diary of Sarah Nita, a Navajo Girl, New Mexico, 1863

But the cold seeps under our blankets, through the soles of our moccasins, and I see Grandmother stumbling once or twice over clumps of dried grass. High Jumper hurries to help her, and that leaves Sah-nee and her father trying to help Dezbah move forward.

Soon, they fall behind, and though we try to help them along, we are too heavily loaded. The last time I see them, they are two people standing still with a crumpled, dark shape between them. One person bends over, straightens, and moves forward again. I hear my friend’s mourning wail on the wind.

No soldier stops to help. When Sah-nee joins us, she speaks through her tears. “She is dead – all of a sudden We had to leave her.” I hate that my dream came true, and I hate that Dezbah will not sleep beside me tonight. This is the first death, and Grandfather says there will be many more.