Nights at the Circus Chapter Summary & Analysis - Book 3, Chapter 4 Summary

Book 3, Chapter 4 Summary

The Countess' escaped prisoners come across the detained circus group at the beginning of their travels. Their hearts go out to the band of misfits (which they call a "human zoo"), but they know that they are no match for the armed outlaws. Instead, they decide to search the accident site for survivors and help who they can before a rescue party arrives. They find a disheartening scene. All of the elephants except one are dead in the snow. The last elephant takes his final breaths clearing rubble before collapsing to join his colleagues in death. The train staff has also survived the crash and are all left behind by the outlaws. Unconscious, they lay in the snow unharmed and kept alive by the burning remains of the train.

The ex-prisoners decide that the train staff will not come to any harm before the rescue party arrives, so they begin...
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