Summary

The lioness drives the narrative in section nine of Ducks, Newburyport. As she continues her trek to find the cubs, the lioness describes the dread that exhausts her until her tail droops in the mud. While travelling under the cover of darkness one night, the lioness is lured from her mission by the cries of rival animals. When she investigates the source of commotion, the lioness discovers that a variety of animals once contained in nearby barns have fled. Many neglect to run from the shooters surrounding them and perish within minutes of escaping captivity. After witnessing the undignified deaths of tigers who breathe their last sighs out in the open, the lioness runs for twelve miles to separate herself from the bloodbath.

A short while later, the lioness herself fails to evade rifle shots and cannot help but submit to the lethargy that...