Scars

When Sarah is introduced, she is described as having scars along the side of her face that look like bird tracks. These scars symbolize her migratory nature. She moves from place to place with relative ease. It also foreshadows her disappearance at the end of the novel as birds migrate elsewhere.

Fog

Fog develops when Chin and Sarah make their way from the camp to Steilacoom. The fog creeps in and obscures Sarah from Chin while he is worried about the noise she makes and the prospect of Indians locating them. The fog is at its thickest when Chin falls and loses consciousness when he hits his head on the gravestone. The fog symbolizes the confusion of the situation and foreshadows that the mystery of Sarah will not be resolved.

Lake Whe-atchee

Lake Whe-atchee is a lake that Tom tells Chin about the night before his...