Chapter 13 Summary

The first Saturday in September, George Burton rides up to Hawk Hill. He wants to inquire about his dog Lobo, and to learn if there is any truth to the rumor that the great Blackfoot chief who rescued Ben plans revenge on a cheating white trapper. Morning chores are finished and the badger is resting on the mound of freshly dug dirt from the new well.

Seeing the man just 30 yards away, the badger dives for the well, just as Burton snaps off a rifle shot. The shot barely nicks the badger. Furious, she snarls and bares her teeth, running to take refuge under the porch. Burton fires another shot, killing the animal. Ben flies out of the house, throwing himself on the ground next to the badger and screaming "no" repeatedly.

Ben's father follows him out of the house. Burton realizes he...