This time the word was that number 9, Ewing, had developed blisters and had been warned twice. The word was that things looked bad for Ewing. He passed the word to Baker, and Baker looked surprised. "The black fella?" Baker said. "So black he looks soma blue?" "Yeah, he's black," Pearson said. He pointed to Ewing. Garraty could see tiny jewels of perspiration gleaming in Ewing's natural. With something like horror, Garraty observed that Ewing was wearing sneakers. Hint 3: Do not, repeat, do not wear sneakers. Nothing will give you blisters faster than sneakers on a Long Walk.