Chapters 11 and 12 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 11: Gladys rejoins her children, with the ultimate goal of getting to Madame Chiang's orphanage in a portion of the country still unoccupied by the Japanese, Free China. All the roads are closed, so Gladys is forced to take her hundred children through the mountains on poorly-maintained mule tracks. This journey takes twelve days. The children become very weary and some become sick. The older children must carry the younger children. All are hungry.

At last they come to the Yellow River, beyond which is Free China. However, everything is abandoned except for a couple military posts; apparently Japanese occupation is imminent. Gladys is distraught and feels like giving up, but one of her children reminds her of Moses parting the Red Sea. Why can't they do that to the Yellow River? Gladys' strength is renewed, to the point...