Part 7 - Chapters 13 and 14 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 13 - As William continues his experiments (at one point trying to get usable gas out of animal feces using his mother's best cooking pot, something that makes his mother very unhappy), there are several further challenges to the happiness of both his family and the community. There is still not enough money to send William to school, forcing him to continue studying at the library. His mother contracts malaria and nearly dies, but saves herself by remembering how much her family needs her. Gilbert's father, Chief Wimbe, dies and the community grieves deeply. Dry weather again sweeps the area, threatening famine and leading the community's fear of magic to return, that fear focusing on William's windmill, which some believe is blowing the rain clouds away. William and Gilbert convince them that that's not the...