- While tramping through the woods, Matt and Attean find a fox caught in an iron trap, "White man's trap" (13.4), Attean says.
- An Indian was hired to set the trap though, judging by how well it's hidden, and Attean won't free the fox because they're on Turtle Clan hunting land.
- Matt thinks he's crazy, but Attean won't budge. He tells him the fox will bite off his own leg in time, and he'll escape if nobody else comes along.
- Matt says the traps are cruel, and Attean agrees. He tells Matt that his grandfather doesn't allow their clan to use them.
- Attean talks about how there used to be tons of animals, but after the white men came the numbers began to drop because the white people kill the animals just for the skins, instead of for the meat. And they hire Indians to do it for them.
- Matt's confused and angry. He's angry at Attean's hate for white men—it drives him nuts—and he wishes Attean would just go away.
- On the other hand though, he can't help wanting Attean's respect. He even daydreams about wild scenarios in which he gets to be the hero for once, saving Attean's life.
- Matt realizes his dreams are crazy, and he knows that Attean wouldn't come if it weren't for his grandfather.
- He also feels like he's being ungrateful, since Attean is teaching him so many survival techniques that he desperately needs.
- Even though Attean has zero desire to learn English and reading, Matt can tell his vocabulary is growing and he's getting better at it—Attean even imitates Matt's idioms sometimes.
- Matt has also started trying to use some of Indian words himself. It seems like overall things aren't going as badly as he'd feared.