Chapter 8 Summary

Towards afternoon, Orien apologizes to Birle for drawing her into this fate. Without his signet ring, Orien cannot even prove who he is. The ring, like all their possessions, was lost in the boat wreck. Birle confesses that she often shirked her work around the inn, until Nan found it easier just to do the chores herself.

Birle remarks that if this were a story told around the fire, the legendary trickster Jackaroo would come and rescue them both. Instead, they just grow weaker from hunger and thirst. Orien tells a story of Jackaroo rescuing a prince from his wicked stepmother. Birle tells of the Jackaroo rescuing a woman and her helpless babe, punishing the robbers who killed her family and burned her home. They continue to pass the time by telling each other stories and singing songs until at last they fall...