62

Jaeger is talking to Rickenbacker when he mentions that, only the previous day, he found a fresh-water well in the mountains, approximately fifteen miles southeast of the town of Mohawk. He offers to lead the convoy scouts to it, and assures everyone that the source is pure and uncontaminated. ‘An’ the best part is that the clansmen don’t know about it, either,’ he says, enthusiastically.

The promise of fresh, clean water lifts the convoy’s flagging spirits and renews their hopes of completing the long exodus to California. You set off at once and soon cover the twenty miles of open road that lead to the derelict town of Mohawk. Once there, you and Jaeger are chosen to go and find the well. A dozen empty, five-gallon water containers are loaded onto the back of a pick-up, enough for sixty gallons of water, the minimum the colony will need in order to reach California alive.

The thought of driving a pick-up truck into the mountains without roads or four-wheel drive fills you with dread. But you know that it is the only way you have of transporting such a weighty load. Once preparations are complete, you climb aboard and head out into the desert towards the Mohawk Mountains.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

If the number you have picked is 0–2, turn to 55.

If the number is 3–9, turn to 238.