Summary

This chapter is in Niska's first person narration as she awakens on the morning of their second day of paddling the river. Niska builds the fire bigger, brews some tea and begins talking to Xavier even though his eyes are closed and he might not hear her. Niska directly addresses Xavier at the beginning of her story, telling him to listen carefully as she tells him that the Frenchman kept coming back to see her and that he must realize that in the world of hardship she lived in, she had to grasp any moments of happiness offered. She and the Frenchman eventually learned some of each other’s language but their main language was physical touch. When Niska would visit her mother, she noticed the change around Niska and made her drink bitter tea so that she would not become pregnant. Her...