Follow the River

Two days later, the Shawnee burn alive the two prisoners painted black. Mary is sickened at the sight and returns to the trading post. She is determined to return home to her husband, but she hesitates because of baby Bettie Elenor, who would not survive the trek.

In mid-September, LaPlante and Goulart take Mary, Ghetel, Otter Girl, and some of the Shawnee men on an expedition to get salt. Mary thinks that they will be returning to the salt creek they stopped at before, but instead they go downriver to the Lick of the Giant Bones, between 150 and 200 miles away. As they travel, Mary makes note of the rivers and other landmarks. Four days later, they arrive at the Giant Bones, and the men set Mary and Ghetel to work gathering brine for salt.

For two weeks, while working there, Mary and Ghetel go out into the forest alone to gather acorns, nuts, and wild grapes with which to make cakes. One day, Goulart gives Mary a tomahawk so that she can mark her way to avoid getting lost in the woods. That day, Mary asks Ghetel to escape with her. Ghetel says that she will think about it and decide the next morning. That night, Goulart moves his bedding next to Mary. After he falls asleep, Mary moves her bedding away from him.

The next morning, Mary decides to leave baby Bettie Elenor with Otter Girl because the baby would not survive the return trek. Ghetel agrees to leave with Mary. Some days later, LaPlante notices that his knife is missing. Ghetel has stolen it and hidden it in her blankets. Mary tells LaPlante that it is likely near the cooking pots. To distract Goulart while Ghetel retrieves the knife from its hiding place, Mary approaches him while he is shelling walnuts. She asks him if he will trade his tomahawk for hers because hers is not sharp enough to mark trees but can be used for cracking walnuts. He agrees. Then, Ghetel pretends to find LaPlante’s knife. Mary says goodbye to Bettie Elenor. Mary and Ghetel leave the camp with their blankets and the tomahawk.

They walk to the east bank of the O-y-o River, which they will follow home. They begin to follow the river when there is a thunderstorm, and they get drenched. That night, they huddle together for warmth.

Mary wakes up when she hears a noise. Ghetel has tried to capture a raccoon or a fox to eat but failed. They find some hickory nuts and paw-paw fruit to eat in the woods. They continue walking east along the riverbank, past the Miami River. Mary realizes that the trek home will take at least two months. The next day, they forage again but find nothing more to eat. They continue walking until the mouth of the Buffalo River blocks their way. They walk north for a day to find a place to ford the Buffalo. On the fourth day of their trek, they find one. They rest because they are sick from eating so much paw-paw fruit. That night, Mary hears a bear circling their sleeping spot.

The next morning, Mary makes hickory wood spears so that they can defend themselves. They ford the Buffalo River and climb up the riverbanks to find wild grapes to eat. They attempt to return to the O-y-o but are cut off by a creek. They eventually find a log to cross over the creek and continue down along the Buffalo toward the O-y-o River. On the sixth day, they finally reach the large river again. In two and a half days, they have only gotten about “a hundred yards closer to home” (167).

Will and Johnny are riding to meet the Cherokee to attempt to contact the Shawnee about a ransom for Mary, Bettie, and the boys. They are being led by the half-white, half-Cherokee tracker Gander Jack. They have a pack horse with them laden with wares, including gallons of whiskey, with which they hope to buy the captives’ freedom. They arrive at a Cherokee town in Tennessee. They are greeted by the chief, who speaks to Will and Johnny with Jack acting as interpreter. He is hospitable but warns them that the Shawnee do not like the English because “they’ve been drove from place to place by ‘em” and may not negotiate (171). He tells them that there is a Cherokee man named Snake Stick who is going to visit the Shawnees. Snake Stick lives about five days away. They decide that they will go to meet him.

That night, while sleeping in the Cherokee village, Will is frightened. He thinks about Mary, his shame at fleeing the day of the raid, and how much he loves her.

Mary attempts to spear a large catfish but misses. She and Ghetel haven’t eaten in three days. Ghetel is angry when Mary misses the fish. On the 11th day of their trek, they had to walk up a creek leading into the O-y-o River to find a place to cross. There, they found some tuberous plants to eat. The next day, under similar circumstances, they found some fallen acorns, but the day after, they found nothing to eat.

On the 14th day, they arrive at the outskirts of the Shawnee village where they were held. They are starving. Mary decides to go to the cornfield she saw when they were brought to the village. Mary is checking out the house next to the field to make sure it is abandoned when Ghetel startles her, and Mary almost spears her. The house is abandoned. They gather some of the nearly ripe corn and spend the night in the house. Then, they steal the horse from the farm’s paddock and continue along the river. As they follow a path used by the Shawnee, Mary senses that people are coming. They hide nearby while a hunting party of Shawnee men walks past. Ghetel compliments her for her premonitions. They resolve to ride the horse back-to-back so that they can keep an eye out for people in both directions.

Mary and Ghetel ride the horse for three days. They forage “berries, walnuts, wild grapes and persimmons” to eat (191). They come to a sandy tributary that Mary remembers, and she spears a bullfrog there for them to eat. They struggle through a thicket to find a place upriver where they can ford across. The river bottom is rocky. It cuts their feet, ruins their shoes, and injures the horse. Despite their pain, they continue walking the next day, now barefoot. Mary estimates they are 70 or 80 miles from the confluence of the New River with the O-y-o. They get caught in a fall storm.

The next day, Mary rides the horse while Ghetel walks. There is a strong wind, and they are cold. They come to another tributary they have to cross. They ride upriver and find some arrowroot tubers to eat. They then continue searching for a place to cross the tributary when Ghetel spots a natural bridge made of driftwood. Mary doesn’t think that it will hold the horse, but Ghetel insists it is safe. Ghetel and Mary cross, but the horse falls through the bridge and is badly injured. They are forced to abandon it. Mary is angry with Ghetel, and they argue. Soon, however, Ghetel is comforting Mary.