Summary

In “Voyage One: 1583,” the narrator describes Pentaquod’s decision to flee his tribe of Susquehannock Indians. He feared he would be cast out of his tribe anyway because he did not want to go to war against the northern tribes. Because the northern tribes had done nothing to warrant war, Pentaquod had argued to his elders that the gods would not protect them. Pentaquod learned he would be ejected from the tribe for taking a stand. To keep this from happening, Pentaquod stole a canoe and headed in the direction of the Chesapeake River. Because he enjoyed peace, Pentaquod decided to find a place to settle on the Eastern shore of the bay where the quieter tribes were said to live.

In “The River,” Pentaquod considered living on an island in the bay that seemed to welcome him. He studied...