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Chapter Summaries

Prologue

In the Prologue of this book by Bernice Morgan the reader is introduced to the hardships and uncertainties of survival. Bernice Morgan uses the native hunt to illustrate the uncertainty of having food to eat. Toma, a native child, asks his mother when they will eat. The prologue also illustrates the separate roles that men and women play to help everyone survive. This shows that no one is spared from the hardships. Later in the prologue the reader is introduced to the white man, or widdun's attitude towards the natives. There is a brief narrative to show this: "Gobidin and his wife left the main party to hunt otter. On the second day the two had been paddling their canoe up one of the rivers feeding the fiord, when suddenly five widdun appeared out of the woods, lifted up their sticks and blew fire through the air at their canoe. The fire hit Eeshoo and Gobidin, hit the small boat, spinning it around so that it rocked and began drifting backwards while the widdun stood on the shore laughing and throwing more fire across the water. This shows the fear the natives have for the white man, and the disrespect that the white man has for the natives. Towards the end of the prologue the little Indian boy, Toma, finds a metal stick (a shaft from a rifle) and asks if it is magical. Ejew tells Toma to throw it back into the ocean where he found it because she thought that it was evil. This metal rod surfaces in later parts of the book making it significant.

Chapter 1

In this first chapter Lavinia, Ned, Meg, Jennie, and other main characters are introduced. Lavinia's will to go back home is presented to the reader. Also, we find out that Lavinia will not make is back home to England because she cannot face another five weeks upon a vessel crowded with many other people that cannot wash or take care of themselves properly. We find out that she sees everything on the Cape as being black and dreary. The reader finds out that hazel was ill from the journey to the Cape. We find that Lavinia blames Ned for bringing them to the Cape. There is proof of this on page 16 "It's Ned's wickedness that's brought us to this place and I will never forgive him." The reader discovers that Lavinia is the only person in her family that can read or write. We find out of the good quiet life that the Andrews family had back on Monk Street in Weymouth, in England. It is known that Lavinia misses her old life there where she had a job as a maid in the Ellsworth House. She was the only maid that could read and write so she had a different place than any of the other maids in the house. We find the Lavinia liked her work at the Ellsworth house. We find out that is was Ned's doing that brought them to the Cape. It was kind of a surprise, Ned said that their family could make a good life in the new country, there is opposition to leaving England but in the end the family heads off for a new life in a new "world." Towards the end of the chapter we learn of the hardships of the crossing of the Atlantic such as hazel going into early birth and not being able to keep any food down. The chapter ends with the Andrews family landing on Cape Random after five long weeks in the barge of a ship. Some of Lavinia's expectations were corrected when she saw the people living there; they were not covered in paint and skulls but rather similar to themselves. The last thing that the reader learns in the chapter is that Lavinia will have no part in making preparations for their accommodations while staying on Cape Random.

Chapter 2

It is late February at the beginning of Chapter Two and Hazel's condition is still very bad. Lavinia spends most of the time caring for Hazel. She is praised for this and feels guilty because she takes care of Hazel so she can be alone to write in her journal. Since landing on the Cape Lavinia has had a will to be alone and confined, there is no reason given why. We find out that many alliances have formed since first landing on the Cape, even the children seem to have formed friendships. Lavinia is still off to herself. Ned has become more or less the heart of the community with his stories and plays. Lavinia still watches from a distance while taking care of Hazel. The reader finds out that life on the Cape was not quiet as easy as they had anticipated it. Everyone is always cold and hungry, and, since the pond where they had previously gotten their water had frozen over, they now had to melt snow in the shed every night so they could have water for the next. There is no way to buy food or any supplies on the cape. Everything is shared until it is gone, they all work to get credits so they can buy food and supplies to get by. We find that there is a hard winter and that for over a month that the people on the Cape have lived on Salt Fish, turnip, bread, and tea sweetened with molasses. The realization of starvation takes over Lavinia's mind and as each day passes they move more slowly and get thinner. Toward the end of the Chapter Lavinia develops a liking to Thomas Hutchings, this keeps Hazel somewhat entertained as she waits for death. Even as the situation on the Cape gets worse, everyone still gathers to hear Ned's stories. In the last pages of the Chapter the two families on the Cape are blessed with seal's that have been spotted on the ice pans off of the Cape. Peter Vincent falls into the water between two ice pans while the other men drag five seals onto the shore. Josh, Joe, Thomas, and Ned save Peter. The Chapter ends on a happy note as all of the people on the Cape have a full stomach of food in them. Lavinia finishes off the chapter thinking that "It's not a bad thing to be without husband or sons," she thinks this because she realizes the danger that the men face and the worry that their wives and offspring go through.

Chapter 3

This Chapter starts off with a ship headed for the Cape. It turns out that the ship is owned by Caleb Gosse, an employer of Thomas Hutchings. He owns the wharf on Cape random, the building, and Thomas Hutching's Store. The ship's Captain is Alex Brennan, he tells him how Caleb Gosse is faring and what the cargo on his ship is. He does the people on the Cape a favor and gives them two barrel's of flour and a keg of molasses. This is a blessing for the people of Cape Random. This is not all they get from this visit. Mary Bundle, a chef that was hired for the ship, decides that she will stay on Cape Random because her baby is sick and she does not want it to be taken up the coast. Thomas Hutching's is very opposed to the idea because he says that he already has people starving on the Cape. Alex says that he will