Chapter 9, Deep Cold and Chapter 10, My First Boat Summary and Analysis

In Chapter 9, Sidney is still at Batza River. Temperatures are below -60 degrees Fahrenheit, and in that temperature, groundwater breaking through the surface can be hazardous. Once, a soldier Dad accompanied through sub-freezing temperature froze his feet walking through less than an eighth inch of water and lost both legs from frostbite, and the children are not allowed out when it is below -60 degrees. One of the family's important possessions is a thermometer that is accurate to -98 degrees.

One day, after being confined inside through a particularly cold spell, Sidney goes out to collect animals from his traps when the temperature is -58. He finds a growling wolverine in one of the traps. Both afraid and awed, Sidney manages to kill it for its valuable...