68 pages • 2 hours read
Where the Red Fern Grows
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Chapters 16-18Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 16 Summary
The night of Billy’s hunt arrives. Like the other hunters, Billy and his hounds try to get as far downstream as possible, away from where other teams have already hunted. The hounds catch the trail of a raccoon soon enough. Grandpa delights in whooping to them, which he wanted to do sooner but Billy wisely says he doesn’t whoop to them until they’ve found a trial.
Grandpa has a hard time keeping up, losing his hat and glasses in underbrush at one point and later slipping in the river. All are enjoying the hunt, however, including the judge.
In no time, they’ve already treed two raccoons. Building a fire for Grandpa to dry his river-soaked clothes, Old Dan and Little Ann suddenly bawl on the trail of a third. Old Dan eventually bawls treed, but Billy knows it’s not a sure deal until Little Ann joins. The raccoon has pulled a trick having something to do with a fence running along the tree line.
The dawn is rapidly approaching; they don’t have time to go after another raccoon. Finally, when Grandpa thinks they’re about to give up, Little Ann finds the scent and bawls treed at a different tree. Everyone is relieved. The judge says he’s never seen a hound figure out that trick (the raccoon walked along the fence and jumped into the second tree).
The hunters warmly welcome Billy and the crew back to camp. The hounds had run the raccoon through camp at one point. The hunters called it the most beautiful sight they’d ever seen. That day, Billy sleeps in between his hounds, as Grandpa’s snoring keeps him up.
For the championship hunt, Billy chooses to go back to the swamp area where they’d treed their third raccoon to qualify. Billy rightly postulates that there will be lots of raccoons living there, and they won’t be able to run to the river nor to the mountains once his hounds catch wind of them.
Sure enough, they catch the trail almost instantly. They catch the raccoon in the swamp, and a tense fight takes place in the water. Everyone worries the raccoon will drown one or both dogs, but Billy never doubts them.
After they kill the raccoon, Little Ann tenderly licks Old Dan’s wounds, and he does the same for her. The judge says he’s never seen anything like it, though it’s all part of their regular routine, according to Billy. Then, they set off on the hunt once more.
Chapter 17 Summary
A fierce sleeting storm rolls in suddenly. Old Dan’s bawl sounds far away in the strong wind. Afraid they’ll get lost in the storm, the men tell Billy they need to give up. Billy insists that the dogs won’t give up, especially Old Dan, begging them to let him go find them.
Finally, Billy’s father agrees to go with him; the judge and Grandpa follow suit. The storm gets so bad that they can’t hear Old Dan anymore. Knowing they’re about to give up again, Billy sends another silent prayer out. The crack of a breaking branch just at that moment inspires Billy to have Papa shoot off his gun. Sure enough, Little Ann hears the sound and finds them.
They nearly give up again when she leads them into a maze of cane stalks. Billy prays to hear Old Dan’s bawl and finally, “clear as a foghorn on a stormy sea, Old Dan’s voice rang loud and clear. It seemed louder than the roar of the wind or the skeleton-like rustling of the tall swaying cane” (202). They find Old Dan with a treed raccoon, covered in ice and frost.
The groups realizes that Grandpa has fallen behind. Little Ann tracks him down. He’s fallen unconscious after twisting his ankle. They carry Grandpa to where Old Dan is and build a fire, deciding to wait until daybreak to go seek help.
The raccoon is in a hollow tree nearby. Papa chops it down, and three raccoons run out. They kill two, and the third escapes up an embankment. Billy points to where the raccoon ran, and his hounds instantly chase after it, again displaying the intuitive bond between them.
Billy cries, knowing he can’t go after his hounds again in the storm. Grandpa reassures him, and Billy gets to work skinning the hides. He again shows his ingenuity and good judgement (judgement that’s been on point the entire chapter), by warming the skins by the fire and wrapping them around Grandpa’s freezing feet.
Chapter 18 Summary
Day finally breaks and a search party finds them. They say Billy’s hounds ran through camp without them, prompting much concern and the resultant search. Learning of Grandpa’s situation, the other hunters reveal that a good doctor is among the competitors back at camp.
Another hunter from the search party walks up, excitedly talking about Billy’s hounds, although at first Billy thinks he’s found them dead: He says they’re frozen solid from head to tail.
When they reach the dogs, they truly are frozen from head to tail. They’ve had to cross the river, perhaps several times, in pursuit of the raccoon. Once they got it treed, they started trotting around the tree to keep themselves from freezing to death. Their track around the tree has been run to the bare ground. No one has seen such tenacity in hounds before. The hunters quickly build a fire and lovingly rub Billy’s hounds down until their coats are thawed. Then, they kill the raccoon, securing Billy’s win.
They head back to camp and give Billy his winning accolades. Many of the other hunters compliment Old Dan and Little Ann for being some of the best hounds they’ve ever seen. Billy proudly and emotionally accepts his prize money and the golden first place cup. The doctor rushes Grandpa to town to tend to his bad sprain, and Billy and Papa head back home together.
The rest of the family is ecstatic to see them and to hear the winning news. Billy gives the silver cup to the two older sisters and the gold cup to the youngest, as he’d promised. Papa hands the box of money to Mama, who places it reverently on the mantle. She mutters that God has answered her prayers.
Mama has already heard at the store about Grandpa’s injury, but he will return home soon, to everyone’s relief. That night, Billy’s family feasts and celebrates. After the festivities, Billy sees Mama go outside and pray before the doghouse. Then, she speaks to them, and Billy sees even Old Dan wagging his tail. Papa joins her, and they speak for a while out of Billy’s earshot.
Later, Billy hears them talking about himself and Grandpa (his injury will affect him for life). Billy assumes they will ask him to assist his grandfather in running the store during the day.
Chapters 16-18 Analysis
These chapters conclude the building tension leading up to the championship hunt. In them, the special bond between the hounds and Billy is further deepened, and they win the competition. Billy’s biological age and mental age contrast as he interacts with adult hunters and must debate their opinions in the chapters’ multiple life-or-death situations.
Old Dan and Little Ann perform exceptionally in the hunt. Again, they show their talent, tenacity, and skill in outmaneuvering the intelligent raccoons.
Grandpa increasingly reveals his age and vulnerability as the hunt progresses, concluding with a serious injury that almost makes them lose the competition. The dogs seem to know how important it is to get as many raccoons as possible, however, triumphing over the weather, injuries, and all other challenges facing them. More than strategic intelligence, the dogs seem to have emotional intelligence.
Billy’s appeal to a higher power comes up again twice, and both times, God seemingly answers his prayers. Their ultimate win is also an answered prayer for Mama once they return home.
The keen judgement of Billy, combined with the almost metaphysical connection between the hounds and their hunter, are what enable their victory in the end. Papa’s backcountry skills are also key.
After the harrowing storm and the near-death experiences of the hounds and Grandpa, winning the actual competition pales compared to the emotional ties between the characters, specifically Billy to the hounds and to his family.
Bringing home a large sum of money will change things for all of them forever, a fact Billy is not mature enough to comprehend yet. The implications of Old Dan and Little Ann’s influence on Billy and his family’s lives will have far-reaching effects; a point that Billy’s mother recognizes immediately.
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