1. Why does Edward tell Trudy that she talks too much when Trudy mentions that Native Americans, too, must feel cold in the winter?

2. Why doesn't Gertrude allow Edward to take butter to Grandmother Van Alstyne?

3. Why doesn't Teunis Van Alstyne take the Spanish gun with him to war?

4. Why does Edward like the gun so much?

5. What other things might Gertrude have done to protect her family? Do you think she should have brought her children to the brick house of Grandmother Van Alstyne?

6. Find all of the references to blacks and slaves in the story. How do the Van Alstynes view blacks? How is their opinion of blacks similar to their opinion of the Native Americans?