QUESTIONS TO TALK ABOUT

COMPREHENSION AND RECALL

1. Why has Sam left college? (to join the rebellion against English rule)

2. What's the big dispute, or issue, between Sam and his father? (Sam sides with the colonists who want independence from England; his father is loyal to British rule.)

3. Why does Sam steal his father's musket? (Sam needs a weapon to use against the British forces.)

4. Why does Tim try to return the musket to his father? (Tim's afraid that the British soldiers will kill his dad unless he gives them the family's weapon.)

5. What does Mr. Heron want Tim to do? (carry a mysterious letter to Fairfield)

HIGHER LEVEL THINKING SKILLS

6. The citizens of Redding don't all agree about the colonist-British dispute. What are some of the conflicting ideas among the residents of Redding?

7. What does Tim admire about his brother? What does he dislike? (His achievements and escapades at college; his courage in fighting for his beliefs. He dislikes Sam's tendency to argue and fight with his father; his refusal to compromise.)

LITERARY ELEMENTS

8. Point of View: From whose point of view is this story told? (from Tim's point of view). Explain to students that this is called the first-person point of view. Ask: In the first-person point of view, whose feelings and thoughts do readers get to know best? (the narrator's [Tim's])

9. External conflict: What conflict in the outside world are the citizens of Redding facing? (the conflict between opposing armies). With whom is Tim in conflict? (his brother, his father)

PERSONAL RESPONSE

10. Tim's father has a violent temper. How does Tim cope with it? What do you think of Tim's way of coping with it?

11. Do you think Tim would really have shot his brother if Sam hadn't managed to get the gun back? Explain.

QUESTIONS TO TALK ABOUT

COMPREHENSION AND RECALL

1. Why does Betsy struggle to get the message Tim is carrying? (She thinks it contains information that will put Sam in danger.)

2. What does the message really say? (“If this message is received, we will know that the messenger is reliable.”)

3. Why do Tim and his father journey to Verplancks Point? (They drive their cattle there to sell.)

4. What calamity happens as Tim and his father head home? (Mr. Meeker is captured and taken away by cow-boys.)

HIGHER LEVEL THINKING SKILLS

5. Why does Tim try to avoid Mr. Heron? (Tim is embarrassed about his failure as a messenger.)

6. What is Tim's attitude toward lying? (He thinks it's sinful.) Why, in spite of his attitude, does Tim begin to lie to his father? (He wants some glory for himself; he wants to see Sam; he's getting confused about what's right and what's wrong in a setting of war and danger.)

7. On the journey home, how does Tim avoid capture by the cow-boys? (He lies: he pretends that he thinks the cow-boys are members of a Committee of Safety that is out to capture these thieves. The cow-boys, alarmed, ride away.)

LITERARY ELEMENTS

8. Suspense: What uncertainty or anxious feeling do you have as you finish reading Chapter 9? (What will the cow-boys do to Tim's father?) Why does this suspense make you want to read on? (to find out what has happened to Mr. Meeker and what Tim will do next.)

9. Internal conflict: What contrasting ideas and values does Tim struggle with inside his mind? (Should I be loyal to my parents or to my brother? Should I side with the Revolution or be loyal to King George? Should I always tell the truth, or are there times when it's okay to lie?)

PERSONAL RESPONSE

10. Have you ever been in a highly dangerous situation? What actions did you take right away? Looking back, do you think these actions were effective? Explain.

11. Mr. Meeker says he doesn't care who—the British or the Revolutionaries—the beef-cattle finally end up with: he simply needs the money to support his family. What do you think of Mr. Meeker's viewpoint?

QUESTIONS TO TALK ABOUT

COMPREHENSION AND RECALL

1. Why do the British troops arrest Captain Betts, Mr. Rogers, and Jerry Sanford? (They are suspected of being sympathizers with the Rebels.)

2. What awful event does Tim witness at Captain Starr's house? (the British troops' massacre of the people inside)

3. Why is Sam allowed to come back to Redding? (His commanding officer needs Sam's home-town knowledge of Redding.)

4. What has happened to Tim's father? (He has died of cholera on a British prison ship.)

5. Who arrests Sam? (his fellow Colonial soldiers). What is he accused of? (stealing cattle)

6. What finally happens to Sam? (He is executed by a colonial firing squad.)

HIGHER LEVEL THINKING SKILLS

7. Tim says that he “grows up” after his father's disappearance. In what ways does Tim show that he's grown up? (takes on responsibility for running the farm and tavern; makes decisions on his own; dares to confront General Putnam to plead for Sam's life; bravely witnesses Sam's execution.)

8. Tim remembers these words his father often said: “In war the dead pay the debts of the living.” How do you think these words apply to Tim? (Possible responses: The dead colonial soldiers have paid with their lives what Tim's family owes for living in a democracy. The dead soldiers have paid the price for their neighbors' inability to settle a conflict peaceably.)

LITERARY ELEMENTS

9. Irony: Irony is the contrast between what one would expect to happen and what actually happens. What's ironic about Mr. Meeker dying on a British prison ship? (Mr. Meeker sympathized with the British. You wouldn't expect him to die in the hands of his allies!) What's ironic about Sam's execution? (Sam was executed by his fellow-soldiers. If Sam had to die, you'd expect that he'd be killed by his enemies.)

PERSONAL RESPONSE

10. How would you describe Tim's feelings in the Epilogue? Do you think his feelings are natural, or strange? Explain.

11. Suppose you could write a “happy ending” to this story. What would happen in your happy ending? What would the story tide be? Would your ending be realistic and historically accurate? Explain.