Summary

In the autumn when Jozef is twelve, when they have returned to Pastvina for the season, a woman comes to the house with a boy Jozef's age. She is a distant cousin of Ondrej who has fallen on hard times, and asks if Ondrej will take her son for a while. His name is Marian Pes, but he will quickly gain the nickname "Zlee." He is reticent and withdrawn, and immediately draws the ire of Borka's two sons, who make fun of him for his street-urchin appearance. One day Zlee snaps and punches the older of the two, and then steals his coat; the event seems to help Zlee grow from his reticence, and he is ready to take on 'the mountain' with Jozef and Ondrej.

Zlee fits well into their life on the mountain. Jozef notes that he seems more like...