Sign of the Beaver

Chapter 1   The year was 1768 and a young 13-year-old boy named Matt was in the state of Maine with his father. Matt and his father had traveled to Maine that summer from their home in Massachusetts. Matt and his father came to build a new log cabin home in Maine. As the summer began Matt’s father returned back to Massachusetts to get the rest of the family. Matt’s father left him his watch and rifle and then headed back to Massachusetts. Matt would be alone until his family returned.

Chapter 1- Vocabulary Fetch- to go after and bring back Puncheon- a split log with the face smoothed Daubed- to put something on something with quick, small motions Blunderbuss- an old-fashioned kind of gun with a wide opening at the end Ruefully- showing or feeling regret for something

Chapter 2- Vocabulary Chinking- filling the weak spots Coaxed- to influence or persuade Blazed- to lead in some direction Proprietors- the owner Stock- regularly used Hemlock- an evergreen tree that’s poisonous with small white flowers

Chapter 2   After a few days Matt started to like being alone. Everyday Matt would work on the crops, keep the fire going, and hunt for food. He had some flour and molasses left over from when his father was there. Sometimes when he was walking through the woods he would think of the Indians. His father had told him most of the Indians were on a moose hunt in Canada.

Hemlock Tree

Chapter 3- Vocabulary Pewter- dull gray metal that was used to make eating utensils Singlehandedly- done by one person Expedition-a journey Begrudging- to think that someone does not deserve something Hunch- a belief or idea about something Burly- strong and heavily built Rage- strong feeling of anger

Chapter 3   One night while he was cooking his rabbit soup dinner Matt heard a man coming through the woods. It was not an Indian but a large man wearing a blue army jacket. The man had left the town nearby to live in the woods and become a trapper. His name was Ben. The man asked if he could stay the night in the cabin. After Matt made dinner the man fell asleep by the fire. In the morning the man was gone and he had stolen Matt’s gun.

Chapter 4- Vocabulary Deprived- not having the things needed for a good life Nippy- somewhat cold Shambles- a plase in which there is great disorder Wits- to know things Salvage- the act of saving something that is in danger of being destroyed

Chapter 4   Matt was very upset the man had stolen his gun. Now he would just be able to go fishing for food. The days went by faster and Matt could see the pumpkins getting bigger and the corn getting taller. After returning from fishing one afternoon Matt noticed something had gone into his log cabin and made a large mess. A bear had gone into his cabin and eaten all the flour and molasses.

Chapter 5- Vocabulary Endure- to continue to exist even through possible suffering Persuaded- to cause someone to believe something Bellowing- to shout in a deep voice Boggy- swampy Daze- to stun or bewilder Probe- a careful examination of something

Chapter 5   Matt was sad that the bear had eaten all his flour and molasses. He started to think about a bee hive he had seen a few weeks ago. He thought about trying to take some honey from the hive. The next day Matt went to the tree with the hive and climbed it. At first the bee’s didn’t notice him but as he reached into the hive they attacked. Matt ran from the tree as the bees swarmed. He jumped into the lake to hide. Soon he felt a man pick him up. Matt was covered in bee stings. Matt could see 2 Indians helping remove the stingers.

Chapter 6   The following morning when Matt woke up he was in his own bed. He was in a lot of pain from the bee stings. Soon the same Indian arrived and brought him some food and medicine. The next day the old man Indian asked Matt if he could teach his grandson to read. The Indian told matt he would pay him in food if he taught his grandson Attean how to read. The Indians needed to be able to read so they could read the write man’s treaties.

Chapter 7   The next morning Matt woke up worrying if he would be able to teach Attean how to read. He remembered back to how his mother taught him his A,B,C’s. Attean arrived later that day and brought Matt a rabbit to eat. Matt started to teach Attean his letters. Attean got frustrated during the lesson and left the cabin.

Chapter 8   The following day Attean returned. Matt decided he would try a different approach to teaching Attean to read. Instead of teaching him letter’s Matt took out his book Robinson Crusoe. He started reading the story to Attean.

Chapter 9   Attean got better each day. He could now identify the letters and was starting to write short words. One day Matt noticed the rabbits Attean brought him didn’t have an arrow or bullet hole. He asked Attean how he caught them. That afternoon Attean brought Matt into the woods and showed him how to make a rabbit snare. Over the next week Matt practiced using roots and sticks to make his own snares. At the end of the week Matt caught a partridge in one of his snares. Matt was very happy and looked forward to reading more stories of Robinson Crusoe to Attean.

Chapter 10   The next day Matt and Attean went fishing. Attean brought Matt to a part of the creek he had never been before. The water was shallow. Instead of using a fishing pole Attean made a spear and walked into the water. He threw the spear and caught a fish. Matt then showed Attean how he fishes with a pole and hook. Matt quickly caught a big fish, but the fish ate his hook. Attean realized what happened and showed Matt how to make a hook from a sapling branch. Before going back to the cabin they started a fire and cooked the fish by the fire

Chapter 11   The next day Matt counted the notches in his sticks. He figured his parents had been gone for 50 days and should be back soon. Later that day Attean showed up with an old ragged dog. He told Matt his name was just “dog” and that he was useless since he could not smell anymore. A porcupine had pricked his nose with his quills. Mat, Attean, and his dog went for a walk deep into the woods. On the walk they came across a beaver dam. Attean showed Matt a sign on a tree which marked his tribes area it was “the sign of the beaver”. On the way home Attean showed Matt how to mark the path they traveled with rocks and sticks so not to get lost.

Chapter 12 The following morning Matt decided he needed a bow and arrow. He was jealous of Attean’s bow. Matt worked all day trying to make one and some arrows but it didn’t shoot very good   Attean arrived and laughed at Matt’s bow. Attean showed him how to get a good piece of birch wood and then to cover in bears fat to give it a good shine. Attean also helped Matt make some stronger arrows. Within a few days Matt was shooting his bow very well. Bear fat

Chapter 13   Now when Matt walked through the woods he would look for Indian signs. Sometimes he would find the Sign of the Beaver. One morning while Matt and Attean were walking through the woods they came across a fox sitting on the ground. He didn’t move as they approached him. Attean looked upset as he came closer to the fox. The fox was stuck in one of the white man’s metal traps. He also told Matt they were not on beaver land but a local tribe known as the turtle clan. Attean decided to leave the fox but told Matt the fox would bite his leg free and escape. That night Matt was still upset about the fox but he was also glad he was learning so many survival skills from Attean. Matt now knew more about which plants he could eat, how to make tools, and which animals to avoid.

Chapter 14   That afternoon Matt finished the entire story of Robinson Crusoe. Attean was just as disappointed as Matt that the story was over. Each night Attean would return home and tell his tribe the stories he had heard from Matt. The only other book Matt had was his bible. He took the bible out and began reading Attean the story of Noah’s Ark. When he was done Attean told Matt they had a similar story in their culture. The Indian story was about a man who let three ducks go after a large flood. When one of the ducks returned with mud on his feet the man knew the waters were going away. Attean told Matt this man was a super warrior known as Penobscot and he had created all Indians and animals.

Chapter 15   The next day Matt and Attean had one of their greatest adventures. After a quick reading lesson Matt shot a rabbit with his bow and arrow and then they headed out for a walk. On the walk they heard some rustling of leaves around them. Then a baby bear walked in front of them. Attean told Matt to be quiet because the mother would be close by. Then a large bear stood in front of them on her hind feet growling at Matt and Attean. Without thinking Matt threw the rabbit at the bear to distract it. As the bear was distracted Attean shot multiple arrows at the bear and then jumped up and stabbed the bear. Attean spoke to the bear as it lay still on the ground. He told Matt he apologized to the the bear for killing it. It was not their intention on that day to kill a mother bear. They were both happy they had survived but felt bad about killing the bear.

Chapter 16 The next day Matt was startled when he heard someone coming through the woods. He looked and saw an Indian dressed in paint and wearing an Indian dress. As they got closer he noticed it was Attean. Attean told him he was invited to come to a celebration in honor of them killing the bear. Matt was excited to have some of the bear meat. After a long walk through the woods and a short canoe ride Matt and Attean arrived at the village. The Indians were all dressed up and began dancing. Matt joined in on the dancing and then it was time to eat. Matt started with a bear stew. It was delicious and soon Matt was full and wanted to fall asleep. Attean took Matt to a nearby wigwam and Matt quickly fell asleep inside.

Chapter 17 The next morning Matt awoke to a lively Indian village. He noticed most of the men were gone. Attean told Matt the men had gone on a deer hunt but he didn’t go because he does not have a gun yet. The Indians had started to use the white man’s gun to hunt. On the walk back Attean told Matt that his grandfather was happy Matt came but his grandmother did not like any white people. She did not like white people because they had killed Attean’s parents for no reason. Attean’s grandfather felt Indians and white people needed to learn how to live together. Matt felt horrible. He had never thought about where Attean’s parents were. He also hoped Attean’s grandfather and his father would have an opportunity to meet.

Chapter 18 Matt knew the summer had passed and the autumn season had started. He wondered about his family and hoped nothing bad had happened to them. Attean didn’t come by as much anymore. Most days Matt would walk deep into the woods by himself looking for food. This afternoon Matt heard a dog howling in the distance. He ran closer to the sound and found Attean’s dog caught in a steel trap. Matt couldn’t get the trap open and ran to Attean’s village to get help. When he arrived he noticed Attean was not there. Matt told Attean’s grandmother what had happened and Attean’s sister left with Matt to go help. When they got there they were able to get the steel trap off the dog’s leg. When they got back to the village Attean was very happy Matt had helped the dog.

Chapter 19 A few days later Attean’s grandmother invited Matt to the village. She was happy Matt had done so much to help Attean’s dog. When Matt arrived they served him hot stew and cornbread. Then Matt went and played a game with the children. For the game the children flipped over painted discs and whoever got the most right side up would win. Matt lost and the Indian boy insisted he give him his shirt for losing. After that game Matt joined in with some older boys who were playing a game with sticks and a small ball. The boys were on teams and had to get the ball into the goal by only using their sticks. Matt scored a goal and was very happy. When they were leaving Attean gave Matt his shirt back and told him it was just a joke. Matt hoped they would invite him back again soon.

Chapter 20 Over the next few days Matt waited for Attean but he did not come. He didn’t come again for another week. When Attean arrived he told Matt that his tribe would be leaving soon to go on the long hunt for caribou and moose. Attean would also need to go away for a few days to try and find his spirit. If Attean found his spirit he would become an Indian hunter and go on all of the hunts with the rest of the men in his tribe.

  Chapter 21 A few mornings later Attean arrived with his grandfather. Attean looked older. He had a shaved head, and was carrying a new gun. Matt could tell Attean had found his spirit. Attean told Matt he would not be returning for anymore reading lesson’s because the whole Indian tribe would be going on the big moose hunt. Attean’s grandfather Saknis asked Matt to come with them on the hunt but Matt told him he had to stay and wait for his family.

  Chapter 22 The next day Attean returned back to see Matt. He asked Matt if he had changed his mind about coming on the hunt, but Matt told him he had not. Attean and his grandfather understood, and told Matt he was a good son. Attean also brought Matt some presents for the winter. He brought Matt deer moccasins, maple syrup, and sugar. In return Matt gave Attean his pocket watch and showed him how to wind it up and tell time. Attean also told Matt he would be leaving his dog with him since he would not be strong enough to make the trip. The boys shook hands before Attean headed off into the woods for the last time.

Chapter 23   Everyday Matt filled his days with work preparing for the long winter and his families arrival. Matt had plenty of corn, pumpkins, berries, and white flour. Most of the meat Matt got was from the fish he caught in the creek. The water was starting to freeze and Matt would soon need to cut a hole in the ice. One afternoon Matt caught an otter by using a technique Attean had showed him. He cleaned the otter skin and made a fur hat. He had also made gloves out of rabbit skins. At night Matt would whittle things for the house. He made things such as bowls, spoons, forks, and dolls for his sister.

Chapter 24   The next day the first big snow storm came. Matt was stuck in his house and it took him all day to shovel out of the snow. After shoveling out of the snow he tried his new snow shoes on. The shoes worked great and he easily traveled over the snow. He still checked his snares and went fishing.

Chapter 25   The next day it appeared as if another snow storm was moving in. As Matt prepared to bring firewood into the cabin he heard the dog barking. Matt looked into the woods and saw a man pulling a sled. It was his father. He ran out to him and then he saw his young sister and mother. They were happy to see each other and went into the cabin. Matt’s father told him they had all gotten sick with typhus and the young baby had died. After unpacking the blankets, food, and new rifle the family settled in by the fire. As they sat there Matt’s parents told him how proud they were of him and that 3 more families would be coming in the spring to start a new town.

The End KLS Reading 2014