Summary

This chapter switches to Niska's first person narration as she looks for a good spot to camp in the evening. The first day of travel has been strange for her as she has felt lost two different times she has rounded a bend of the river. She feels unsettled and thinks that Xavier and her are on a different journey than the one they first began. Niska tries to feed Xavier but he still will not eat. He is wasting away before her eyes and she decides to feed him with her story instead as she thinks he is listening.

Her story begins with a statement directed at Xavier, telling him that her mother and her had not always been alone in the bush. Her mother never let another man close to her after her father passed but she still liked their company...