LOST IN THE BARRENS

'''Lost in the Barrens''' is the third of Farley Mowat novels, published in 1956.

Contents

Plot summary

Book Details

Plot summary

The book tells of the plight of two boys in their late teens: one white boy who has recently lost his parents, and one Indian boy from the Crees tribe of the same age. The boys embark on a mission to relieve the starvation of a neighbouring Indian village, the Chipewyans, but due to a series of unfortunate events become trapped above the tree line in Canada's Barren Lands during winter.
The characters emerge again in Mowat's Curse of the Viking Grave.
The parents of Jamie had died in a car crash thus, he lived with his trapper uncle, Angus. Angus had supported Jamie's boarding school fees for a long time until the Fur Trade market had lowered. Angus could no longer support Jamie's school. Thus, Jamie left the boarding school to spend time with his uncle. Jamie makes friends with the Cree Tribe's leader's son, Awasin. Then the Cree Tribe's leader thought a trader was cheating on him, so he asked Angus and Jamie to go with him. Then, it was decided that Jamie would stay with Awasin for the canoe could not hold 3 people and other things. Jamie was excited because he thought he would be able to explore with Awasin. Unfortunately, Jamie's dream was partly crushed for they had too much work to be exploring. Then, when Jamie's dreams were about to perish, Chipeweyans come to the Crees for help. The Chipeweyans were starving because the deer did not come at its usual time in the year. Awasin, with a mother who was suspicious, agreed to go with them back to the Chipeweyan's camp. Jamie decides he wants to go too, so the two and the Chipeweyans who came (including Denikazi, their leader), canoes back to the Chipeweyan camp. There, Denikazi misunderstood for he thought Jamie and Awasin were going with them on the hunt for the deer. This is how Jamie and Awasin starts their journey for the deer hunt out in the barrens. Soon, they go up to the North farther and farther, but they do not find any 'deer'(in the book, deer means caribou). So, Denikazi orders Jamie and Awasin to stay with two young Chipeweyans at a certain point until they come back. He includes that they should run, and forget about the camp when they see any Eskimos. In this book, the Chipeweyans and the Crees are deadly afraid of the Eskimos. The past, as the Crees know it, they went and hunted as far north as they wanted to for deer, for the Crees had guns and Eskimos didn't. Then, Eskimos got guns and fought back. Anyway, while staying with the 2 young Chipeweyan hunters, Jamie decides he wants to take the chance and explore. He trickes Awasin into it, and later Awasin gives in. They go up to see the 'stone house' that one of the 2 Chipeweyans told them about. There, they try to find it but unexpectedly meets a whirlpool and barely survives. There were not much but enough in the Canoe for them to survive. They can't use the canoe to go back, for it was broken. When the 2 young Chipeweyans found out that Awasin and Jamie were gone, they go on a search for them. Their search is abruptly stopped when they saw a glance of an Eskimo. As for Jamie and Awasin, they decide to go in the way of Denikazi and the group so they can join them to the journey back. A problem occurs, for one of Denikazi's men saw an Eskimo and fled quietly back, missing Jamie and Awasin. Soon, Jamie and Awasin realize that they missed Denikazi and his men, and decides that they need to build a shelter and hunt for food. (If you're wondering, they did see the Stone house and found out that it was a grave of a Viking.) At first, they hunt some does (caribous), trap ground squirrels, fish for fish, and later hunts bucks (caribous) that are migrating. They find a hidden valley, where there is wood for them to build a cabin and make fire. There are also bucks that are not migrating and spending the winter there. When one morning, the weather is a bit nice, they start their sudden journey back for they didn't want to miss this chance of going back. They soon gets in trouble by snow blindness. (at this point, they found 2 dogs, Fang and Ayuskeemo, of the Eskimos that got lost) They realize that they can't make it, and tries to go back when luckily they find an igloo. It was an igloo of an Eskimo. (by this point, their 'pet fawn' that they met while killing some does gets killed by wolves and wolverines.) The dogs get in a fight, and Jamie and the Eskimo, Peetyuk, work together to stop the fight. Then they become friends and after a visit to the Eskimos, the three make it to the Cree camp. (Angus came back from his journey)This long journey not only was an entertaining adventure, but a factor to grow the everlasting friendship between Jamie and Awasin.
This story is about friendship and survival, and trust.
The story takes place in Northern Manitoba/Northwest Territories, where the temperature is very cold.

Book Details

★ Also published as ''Two Against the North''

★ First published in 1956

★ ISBN 0-553-27525-9