Chapter 6: I Meet One of My Own Kind and Have a Terrible Time Getting Away

Sam finishes his home inside the tree on the fifth notch of June. With summer starting, he sets up traps to catch animals for his meals; he also eats cattail roots, which he boils to taste like potatoes. One morning Sam is playing with a raccoon while working, when the raccoon suddenly hides. The boy is surprised when an old woman greets him and forces him to help her pick strawberries. Sam agrees reluctantly, as it is his own supply of fruit that he is picking and giving to the woman. When she asks where he lives, he says "here" which makes her think he means the town of Delhi. She forces him to accompany him back to town, and along the way they spot a duck hawk ' or falcon ' which prompts Sam to decide to get such a bird for himself. Once in Delhi, he decides to visit the library.

Notes:
The old woman refers to the mountain as being haunted by little men who play ninepins. This is a reference to "Rip Van Winkle" by Washington Irving, which Sam immediately recognizes. Note that Sam does not learn the old lady's name; with the exception of Miss Turner, he does not attempt to learn people's names, the better to save his own anonymity. However, as his stay in the woods becomes less assured due to news coverage and an increasing stream of visitors ' welcome and otherwise ' he learns more and more names. In this case, he later learns the old woman's name is Mrs. Thomas Fielder.

Chapter 7: The King's Provider

Miss Turner is glad to see Sam and helps him research hawks and falcons. Before he leaves, she gives him a haircut. He does not return to his tree home that night, instead keeping an eye out for the falcon he had seen earlier. When he spots it, he traces it back to its nest by some cliffs near a stream. He settles there for the night and the next morning climbs the cliff ledge until he reached the nest. There he finds three baby falcons, and as he gets closer is attacked by the mother falcon. Scared for his life, he grabs the biggest of the nestlings, knowing it is female, and heads down the ledge; the mother falcon stops attacking him to tend to the remaining two infants. Sam decides during his escape to name the bird Frightful, based on the difficulties in getting her. Reaching the stream, he falls asleep; waking he finds himself already very attached to the bird, and sets for his tree home.

Notes:
Sam's desire to have a falcon springs from several things. First, there is the practical need for a hunting animal he can control. Second, there is a romanticized notion of the falcon as "the king's provider" as stated by the chapter title. Third, there is a need for companionship, perhaps even a desire to be a parental figure to another being. Certainly, the bond between Sam and Frightful is the most powerful in the book, and Sam's nurturing of the hawk, then fear of its finally leaving him, mirrors his own situation with his parents.

Chapter 8: What I Did About the First Man Who Was After Me

As Sam reaches the meadow where his tree home is located, he senses something amiss and finds a forester in his camp area. At first he is scared about being caught, then realizes he need not return to his tree. Instead, he checks a trap, finds a rabbit caught there, and then chooses a place where he could watch his tree from a distance. He feeds Frightful parts of the rabbit, who would eat until she fell asleep, then awaken to eat some more. Sam realizes the forester is a fire warden who probably noticed the smoke from his camp; he resolves to be more careful in the future so he won't be spotted. Sam makes a temporary bough bed for himself and Frightful, and sleeps there for the night.

Notes:
The parental aspect of caring for Frightful is made clear in this chapter, as Sam takes pleasure in watching the bird feed and sleep. The fire warden is later revealed in a newspaper account to be named Jim Handy.