Peter stiffened….
Shep pounced quickly on something moving through the leaves, but even her speed was slow compared to that of the snake, which doubled its length in the distance it put between itself and the dog.
Peter, the young boy whom readers met in Mountain Born, is growing up. A teen-ager now, he struggles to earn his father's trust as he handles the sugaring up in the sugar bush and faces the threat of rattlesnakes on the hill. Old Benj is there to help, but Peter must often work alone, and as he does, he learns for himself that a job well done brings its own rewards.