Island of the Blue Dolphins Chapter Summary & Analysis - Chapter 13 Summary

Chapter 13 Summary

Karana does not sleep the night before she goes to the sea elephants because she is thinking again of the law that forbids women to make weapons. She heads toward the cliff anyway. She describes the sea elephants in great detail, from their sizes down to their whiskers. She chooses the smallest of the six adult males and she can tell from his position in the water that he has no herd of his own.

Karana makes her way toward him, fearing that because she is a woman that her bow will break. She begins to describe the sea elephant's skin. The animal begins to move toward the shore and Karana is afraid he has heard her. She finds that he is heading toward the herd of the oldest bull, when the elder animal quickly overtakes the young male. The two bulls fight for a while and the cows scatter....
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