316 - 363 Summary

The family leaves to go up the river, and Suttree sets out a week later in the blazing southern heat. He finds the family camped under a slate bluff. Reese, the father, has found one pearl in a giant heap of shells. Suttree is regretting this promise he made to Reese, but they decide to outfit Suttree's skiff for mussels. The family has set up a lean-to against the bluff. Suttree and Reese's boy set out downstream.

Suttree tells the boy he was in the workhouse for being in the car, drunk, when his friends tried to rob a drugstore for pills. The boy, Willard, says that Gene has told him Suttree is real smart. They pull up the brail and the boy shows him how to get the mussels off. They go on and get more, and the boat becomes heavy.

Suttree...