Chapter 4, The Tuans are Coming. Summary and Analysis

The author explains that, when the long houses of the Sawi begin to decay, the village decides where it will move next. When the present houses showed signs of rot, the men of Haenam establish an alliance with the men of Kamur to build a village together on the northern end of the Kronkel, the main river in Sawi territory. They call this particular stretch of the Kronkel the kidari, or freeway, because a long stretch is visible from the village.

At this new location, Kani waits for his friends to return, that he might share his new plan of treachery with them. Just as they return from a pig hunting trip, though, a strange sound fills the air. The entire village flees into the woods. Kani and other brave warriors hide just...