Ben Character Analysis

“The Indians has mostly cleared out of these parts,” Ben told him. “What wasn’t killed off in the war got took with the sickness. A deal of ’em moved on to Canada. What’s left makes a mighty poor living, game gettin’ so scarce.”

“Where do they live?”

“Round about.” Ben waved vaguely toward the forest. “They make small camps for a while and then move on. The Penobscots stick like burrs, won’t give up. They still hunt and trap. No way to stop ’em. Never got it through their heads they don’t still own this land.”

But even if Matt had had it in his hands, could he have held out against those burly arms? And to keep his gun, could he actually have shot a man—even a criminal?

It was only later, when his rage began to die down, that he felt a prickle of fear. Now he had no protection. And no way to get meat. Sick with anger, he sat staring at his row of notched sticks. It would be a month at least before his father returned. A month of nothing but fish! And what would his father say?

“Attean learn,” he said. “White man come more and more to Indian land. White man not make treaty with pipe. White man make signs on paper, signs Indian not know. Indian put mark on paper to show him friend of white man. Then white man take land. Tell Indian cannot hunt on land. Attean learn to read white man’s signs. Attean not give away hunting grounds.”

“Sign show beaver house belong to people of beaver,” Attean explained. “By and by, when young beaver all grown, people of beaver hunt here. No one hunt but people of beaver.”

“You mean, just from that mark on the tree, another hunter would not shoot here?”

“That our way,” Attean said gravely. “All Indian understand.”

Would a white man understand? Matt wondered. He thought of Ben with his stolen rifle. It wasn’t likely Ben would respect an Indian sign. But he must remember to warn his father.

“The Indians has mostly cleared out of these parts,” Ben told him. “What wasn’t killed off in the war got took with the sickness. A deal of ’em moved on to Canada. What’s left makes a mighty poor living, game gettin’ so scarce.”

“Where do they live?”

“Round about.” Ben waved vaguely toward the forest. “They make small camps for a while and then move on. The Penobscots stick like burrs, won’t give up. They still hunt and trap. No way to stop ’em. Never got it through their heads they don’t still own this land.”

But even if Matt had had it in his hands, could he have held out against those burly arms? And to keep his gun, could he actually have shot a man—even a criminal?

It was only later, when his rage began to die down, that he felt a prickle of fear. Now he had no protection. And no way to get meat. Sick with anger, he sat staring at his row of notched sticks. It would be a month at least before his father returned. A month of nothing but fish! And what would his father say?

“Attean learn,” he said. “White man come more and more to Indian land. White man not make treaty with pipe. White man make signs on paper, signs Indian not know. Indian put mark on paper to show him friend of white man. Then white man take land. Tell Indian cannot hunt on land. Attean learn to read white man’s signs. Attean not give away hunting grounds.”

“Sign show beaver house belong to people of beaver,” Attean explained. “By and by, when young beaver all grown, people of beaver hunt here. No one hunt but people of beaver.”

“You mean, just from that mark on the tree, another hunter would not shoot here?”

“That our way,” Attean said gravely. “All Indian understand.”

Would a white man understand? Matt wondered. He thought of Ben with his stolen rifle. It wasn’t likely Ben would respect an Indian sign. But he must remember to warn his father.