83 pages • 2 hours read
Elizabeth George SpeareA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Matt is worried because his father is late in bringing their family home. Attean appears, his face painted. He invites Matt to a feast at his family home. Honored, Matt follows Attean for over an hour and well past sunset, until they cross a river by canoe and enter a stockade that protects cabins and wigwams. Smoke rises from a central fire; bear meat, in iron pots, simmers over the fire. Some of Attean’s people wear English coats, while others sport colorful blankets; a few have feathered headbands, but most wear shiny metal bracelets and necklaces, and have painted their faces.
Saknis stands and welcomes Matt; the other members echo this with a shout: “Ta ho.” Children gather around Matt, making a game of touching him. Attean shows Matt to a place to sit; a woman brings him a gourd containing a sweet-spicy drink.
Saknis rises again, briefly puffs on a pipe, then hands it to Attean, who takes a puff and tells the story of the bear encounter. He tells it well, and the people respond with enthusiasm. He points at Matt and makes a throwing gesture; the crowd enjoys hearing about Matt’s part in the encounter.
By Elizabeth George Speare
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