Chapter 4 Summary

Family's Departure from the Bush

• Benjamin's disappearance prompted the family to leave the bush and river shores.
• They used a canoe to leave the camp, against the grandmother’s wishes.
• The mother seemed almost ethereal, leaving faint footprints, characterized by emptiness and frailty.
• The father remained stoic but displayed anger through intense physical work with axes and knives.

Life in Transient Camps

• The family pursued the Janagush drink, leading them to transient camps around sawmill towns.
• Men and boys performed tough labor, cutting deadfall trees manually without chainsaws.
• Sparse pay was often spent on alcohol.
• Few children were in these camps due to government intervention, highlighting the invisibility of the family's existence.

Selling Firewood

• The children sold firewood by hauling wagons through muddy roads, interacting with the poor white communities.
• The derogatory term "broke wood breeds" was used by the Janagush at the mills to describe them.

Living Conditions

• Life involved moving from one tent village to another, occasionally finding an abandoned shack.
• They shared warmth and food in a circle of tents.
• Learned survival skills, such as snaring rabbits and stealing chickens.

Settling in Redditt (Winter 1960)

• Redditt offered more work for men, allowing the purchase of a wood stove and a more comfortable winter.
• The father drank less with increased hope and money for food.
• The narrator stopped gathering small branches, indicating improved circumstances.

Spring and Growth

• With spring, there was a focus on gathering food: mushrooms, greens, wild onions.
• A stream provided fish, taught by the grandmother to catch and clean them.
• Smoked and baked fish offered sustenance.
• Grandmother used fish ribs as needles for sewing.

Hope for a New Life

• The family began to hope for a stable life on the town's outskirts.
• Despite the mother’s lingering sadness, she participated more in the family’s evening gatherings.