The Boys 227 Vie...

Orien has ransomed Yul from Damall for three beryl signets, each emblazoned with the falcon that signi- fies the house of Sutherland. Voigt's third novel of this loosely connected series implies that Damall bought a small island with two of the beryls and began a dynasty of his own, where he raises boys from childhood and, at maturity, sells them back to the slave market. By the time of The Wings of a Falcon, the sixth Damall is a sadistic tyrant who amuses himself by whipping the boys and hearing them scream. The protagonist of this novel arrives at the Damall's Island without even his name, knowing only "that this man would know how to hurt him." His only power is to keep his fear secret. The boy squares his shoulders and decides to be as "strong as stone."11 But he is afraid of the water and of the day when, like all the other boys, he would be dropped from a boat to swim back to shore if he could, or to drown if he could not. Attracted by the determination of this young boy, Griff, another of the Damall's boys, secretly teaches him to swim. The boy becomes a favorite of the others because he laughs and does everything the best: he runs the fastest, swims the farthest, and is handiest with the boats. He becomes the Damall's favorite. Nikol, jealous, tries to cross him whenever he can; he steals the dagger that the Damall has given him. On the other hand, Griff becomes his friend, bathing his wounds and teaching him what he knows of the island's history. The boy, sensing the danger of Nikol's jealousy, tries to protect Griff by keeping their friendship a secret. When the Damall names this nameless boy to be the seventh Damall, making his heart swell with pride and hope, he does not tell even Griff; when the Damall changes his mind and promises to name Nikol, the boy hardens again: "His heart was a stone fist" (33).

The Boys 227 vie...

The man was a cheat who robbed the boys' mother of marriage, his merchant seaman pals of their money, and his sons of a meaningful and decisive dénouement. Like many such questers, like the readers who have shared the feelings of frustration purposely enacted by this brilliantly glacial and meandering search, James and Sammy Tillerman are ironically left where they started, empty-handed and in darkness. 041b061a72