text: Building a lean-to on the other side of the Breen Cabin to the Keseberg’s you make yourself as comfortable as you can with blankets. Most of the settlers slaughter their remaining cattle and William Eddy takes his rifle with him most days on hunting trips, killing wolves, owls, ducks, squirrels and even a skeletal bear, the last nearly tearing him to pieces. Patrick Breen entertains himself by keeping a diary. Various efforts are made to cross the mountains but they all fail as it is impossible to battle through the snow.
  
  
  Finally Franklin Graves has the idea to make snowshoes to enable people to walk on the snow and with the help of Charles Stanton they begin manufacturing pairs at the start of December, a slow process. Everyone is hungry and cold now and every night you are chilled to the bone. Baylis Williams, one of the Reed’s wagon drivers is particularly suffering and one night he asks if he can have your blanket, promising to give you his to sleep under tomorrow night.
  
  
  What do you do?
  
  
   
  > You refuse
  You refuse to let Williams have your blanket and the next morning he is found to have died in the night of cold. His death sends shock waves through the camp as everyone realises you may all die of cold if no help is fetched. By now twenty pairs of snowshoes have been made and no less than seven volunteers put themselves forward to attempt the perilous journey over the frozen passes to try and get help.
  
  
  This group consists of William Eddy, Franklin Graves, Patrick Dolan (Patrick Breen‘s friend), Jay Fosdick (Grave’s son-in-law), William Foster (the man who accidentally shot William Pike), Donner teamsters Dutch Charley Burger and Antonio, Sarah Fosdick (Jay Fosdick’s wife), Sarah Foster (William Foster’s wife), Mary Graves (Franklin’s adult daughter), Amanda McCutchen (William McCutchen’s wife), Harriet Pike (William Pike’s widow), Lemuel Murphy (who is twelve) and William Murphy (who is ten). The journey will be dangerous and extremely risky but you can either volunteer or sit tight in the camp.
  
  
  What do you do?
  
  
   