Chapter 8, Shatoosh Summary

Wardak, the man who bought Guluband, returns to join in the feasting. Shabanu can hardly tolerate his presence, but she does. The men sit around the fire and talk of camels and Arabs while music plays. After a while, the men encourage Dadi to dance, which is traditional. He pretends to protest, also tradition. Finally, he and another man dance with swords. Shabanu makes tea all the time during the feasting, and is glad to be busy afterward with cleaning up. They will start the journey home the next morning.

She is numb and is without feeling. She even tries to feel something, but reflects, "I am as empty as clay cups after the dancing." In the morning, Dadi wakes Shabanu with a present: a puppy. She is uninterested. The journey is uneventful. They do not talk. Little by little, the...