Chapter Seventeen and Eighteen Summary

Jake Hollins is a dirty mess and has a bad case of dysentery due to the mess surrounding him. In order to attract Jake's attention without calling attention to himself in case there was a spy in the prison camp, Ford tries to build a fort with twigs. After awhile, Jake finally does pay attention to Ford, which heartens Ford.

One of the prisoners introduces himself as a physician and gives the name and background story of all the other prisoners in the tent. The prisoners really aren't offenders at all but instead are all men who have had the unlucky fortune of running across Zacul in some way and ending up in the camp.

At three in the morning, Tomlinson and Ford are talking. Ford explains how the lake moved and how Ford explained the phenomena...