Island of the Blue Dolphins Chapter Summary & Analysis - Chapter 20 Summary

Chapter 20 Summary

Karana gathers two more canoe loads of abalone, mostly the sweet red ones. She leaves them out to dry and at first lets Rontu protect them from the gulls, but he does not like this and howls the entire time she is gone. She eventually makes a contraption out of abalone shells and poles that reflects the sunlight and scares the birds away. She also catches small fish with a handmade net to store for the winter. Her yard looks as if an entire village was staying there.

After gathering food daily, Karana and Rontu explore more and more of the island from their canoe. They discover a cave that they name Black Cave because it has very little light. One room of the dark cave leads to another where the echoes are very distinct. Karana tells Rontu to stop barking and her words echo back at her. When she...
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