Chapters 15 & 16 Summary

In chapter fifteen, Cotton produces some miniatures of whiskey to celebrate their achievement. Shecker begins dancing—an improvised "Indian" dance. The other boys join him, except Cotton. When they realize Cotton is not dancing, they stop to see what he is doing. Cotton is watching the buffalo, who are simply milling about in the open ground. He realizes they have achieved nothing. The buffalo will simply be rounded up again in the morning and slaughtered. Cotton knows that he needs to coddle them a bit in this moment of disappointment. Cotton tells the boys that they are almost done. It is a couple of miles to the fence at the back of the preserve, beyond which the buffalo can be truly free. He tells them they have done the hard part. They can lead the buffalo to the fence with the truckful...