The Barren Grounds

The sun begins to set when the group reaches the lake and sees how few provisions the man has. If they hadn’t come to rescue the summer birds, Ochek says that the man would soon have moved on to devastate more places until there was no land left.

Ochek, Arik, Morgan, and Eli swim across the lake, staying low so the man won’t spot them. When they reach the shore of the island, they duck behind a canoe. Arik goes to look inside the cabin, and she says the birds are in a sack hanging from the ceiling, The crane, Tahtakiw, is perched at the foot of the bed directly under this sack. The man is sleeping.

Ochek tells them the plan and then they execute it: Eli pushes the canoe into the water and stays with it, ready for escape; Arik stands out in the open and waits; Ochek and Morgan go to the cabin window. At the signal, Eli points the canoe toward Misewa and Arik starts making sounds to get Tahtakiw’s attention. Tahtakiw wakes up and goes to the window, where Ochek grabs his beak and Morgan ties it shut.