Chapter 9 Summary

A few days later, Matt asks Attean to show him how the rabbit was killed without a gun or even a hole in its body. Willingly, Attean takes Matt into the forest, and using roots for a snare, he shows Matt how to set it by using two saplings a few feet apart with fish as bait. Matt makes some snares for himself and sets them. A few days later, he catches a partridge. Attean shows some small approval, but he still continues to bring Matt some food item each day for his lesson.

The Indian boy begins to learn the alphabet and even to spell some simple words in spite of himself. He still feels that reading and writing are the white man's tools and that they are unnecessary. The lessons continue with the one highlight generally being the continued reading of...