45 pages • 1 hour read
John ChristopherThe White Mountains
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1967A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 4-5Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 4 Summary: “Beanpole”
One evening a few days later, Will and Henry arrive in the port town of Rumney where, according to Ozymandias’s instructions, they are to look for a ship called the Orion, helmed by Captain Curtis.
Not seeing the ship, Will enters a tavern to buy some food as Henry waits outside. Inside the tavern, a heavyset man named Rowley forcefully tries to recruit Will to the crew of the Black Swan and begins to question him about his background. At that moment, Will recognizes Captain Curtis from Ozymandias’s description and calls out to him. Captain Curtis claims that Will is a member of his crew, and Rowley leaves him alone.
Captain Curtis takes Will and Henry to the Orion. Since only one member of the crew is friendly to their mission, Captain Curtis hides the two boys in his own cabin, where they fall asleep as the ship sets sail. The next morning, Captain Curtis serves them a hearty breakfast, including coffee, which they have never drunk before.
Will and Henry spend most of the next day feeling bored in Captain Curtis’s cabin. At one point, however, they are startled to see six Tripods moving rapidly across the water. 
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