The Great Turkey Walk

Weeks later, along the Smoky Hill Fork, the group spots a sod dugout. A half-starved young woman runs out, raving and begging them to save her from the prairie. She collapses, and Mr. Peece diagnoses her with “[p]rairie madness.” When a swarm of grasshoppers appears, the turkeys devour the insects, protecting the camp and the girl.

The group finds the graves of her family. The next morning, the girl introduces herself as Elizabeth “Lizzie” Hardwick. She is the sole survivor of her entire family and, before the group arrived, was so desperate about her situation that she considered taking her own life. Simon invites her to join them, and she accepts.

Before leaving the soddy, Simon takes a daguerreotype of Lizzie’s parents for safekeeping. As they travel, Lizzie slowly regains her strength. Simon begins developing romantic feelings for her and is extremely protective of her. She reveals that she is 16, a year older than Simon, which makes him feel insecure.

Simon discovers that Mr. Peece took some tools from the soddy, which Lizzie approves of. Later, Lizzie shows the group how to harvest peat for fuel, pointing out to Simon that she needs to be allowed to work and contribute like everyone else in the group.