Chapter 4 Summary

Trofin Zhdanko was a Cossack in the town of Yakula in Eastern Siberia. He killed the governor and was imprisoned and taken to a prison in Vologda, where Tsar Peter Romanov came to see him. The Tsar had known him for a long time and trusted him and said he needed his help. They talked over beer and the Tsar wanted to know about the groups in Siberia, particularly the Chjkchis. Trofin found his friend, a woman named Maria, to whom he had entrusted something of value that he sent from Siberia. He had promised this to the Tsar. The Tsar opened the package to reveal two sea otter fur pelts.

Peter wanted Trofin to go to Okhotsk with a team of carpenters to build a big ship. Trofin had to learn to read and to learn how things worked on the docks...