Chapter 5
John rode home that night. He was happy to go home and see his beautiful wife after a long time. He was a little more than halfway home when he came up upon another horse. It wasn't just any horse; it was Elizabeth's. "Liz?" he called. Hearing nothing, he decided to search the area. Soon, he found her. Quickly, he ran to her, tears in his eyes. "Elizabeth? Darling, can you hear me? It's me, your love." He said, trying to rouse her. The night had turned cold. And soon, it began to snow. John looked around. He whistled and the two horses came to him. (He was half Cherokee). As soon as it began to snow, he took off his coat and wrapped it around her. Then, he carried her to his horse and mounted her on him (John's horse) . Soon, a worried John and an unconscious Elizabeth were on their way home
John Shaw soon ran into a frozen pond. He was too worried and too exhausted to realize he was walking over it when suddenly, he heard ice cracking. That's when he realized that he was over the pond. He 'tied' Liz to the horse and whipped both of them so that they reached the other side before the ice cracked. Unfortunately, the weight and galloping of the horses caused the ice to break and John went down just as he began to run. He was drowning for a second, but then he found an opening. He went up for air, and he got some, but went back under. His body was shivering uncontrollably. His lungs felt as if they were being crushed. John's fingers began to turn blue. After a while, he finally managed to get out. John dragged himself over to where the horses were. It was a miracle he had found them. However, he didn't know that hypothermia was settling into his body. He had stopped shivering, which was a bad sign that heat cannot be provided for the skin. (But back then, it was nearly impossible to tell) John knew he had to get home, but the heavy snow wasn't helping.