Chapter 9 Summary

Emily Spellgood tells Charlie about her school in Baltimore and her father's two churches, in Baltimore and Guampu, Honduras. She asks Charlie if she can be his girlfriend. He says yes, but it has to remain a secret. Charlie visits the ship's bridge, where Captain Smalls tells him that life in Honduras is easy. On the Mosquito Coast, you need hardly any clothes and can just reach out and grab food to eat. The captain warns that the jungle is no place for Charlie, however. It is just like a zoo, he says. Except, the animals are on the outside, and the people are in the cages. The captain shows Charlie his sonar.

When Charlie returns to the deck, Fox is obviously jealous. He challenges Charlie to climb the kingpost, a huge beam secured by cables that juts over the sea. Charlie reluctantly...