they meet a witness, percival hawkins, who has had his tongue cut out. the boys theorize their father did this to keep him quiet. before they can reach the mine, their cart breaks down, and they lose two horses. left with a single horse, they press forward without the cargo. the mine supervisor turns out to have gone mad, and thomas assaults him when he finds the expected ore to instead be worthless. tensions rise as wyatt accuses thomas of being sent to kill them.