karana lived on the island alone for years.
karana lived on the island alone for years.
how long did karana live on the island alone?
years
more time passes and rontu dies. karana soon finds a young dog that looks like rontu and takes him in naming him rontu-aru (meaning "son of rontu"). one day, karana sees the sails of a ship. it moors just off-shore, but then leaves. two years later in the spring, the boat returns. karana dresses in her finest attire, a dress of cormorant feathers, and waits on the shore for the boat. her rescuers make a dress for her, as they believe her dress of cormorant feathers is not appropriate for the mainland. she does not like the dress, but karana realizes that it is part of her new life. the ship takes karana and rontu-aru to the mission in santa barbara, california. there, she finds out that the ship that had taken her people away had later sunk before it could return from the mainland for her.
island of the blue dolphins
one summer, the aleuts return and karana takes refuge in the cave. she observes the aleuts closely and realizes that a girl named tutok takes care of the domestic duties including getting water from the pool near karana's cave. fearful of being discovered, karana goes out only at night, yet the curious girl stalks karana and the two meet. karana and tutok exchange gifts, and she realizes how lonely she has been. karana wishes that tutok would not leave, yet the next day when karana makes food for her she does not come. karana goes searching and sees the ship departing. sadly, she returns to her house and starts rebuilding.
island of the blue dolphins