Outlander Book Club: Drums of Autumn Chapter 16 breakdown
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts with Claire waking up, realizing that the Tuscarora men have left them. Jamie is still asleep and Claire tries hard not to wake him. It’s not often she gets to see him sleep because of how light he sleeps.
When both are up, they make their way through the backcountry. They’re surrounded by mountains and beauty, and Claire wonders if this is why Jamie looks happier right now. It could also be that they’ve run into one of the local tribes.
Remember that Jamie has heard the bad stories about the “savages.” He’s heard about scalping and killing. I’ve always found it a shame that Jamie doesn’t consider their points of view before meeting them. He knows what the English say about the Scots but knows it isn’t all true, so why wouldn’t he consider that some things are embellished about the Native Americans?
They stop at an area that Claire just considers beautiful. However, she can tell that Jamie is looking at land to create a homestead. He’s looking at places to be homes for tenants and at places to build their own home and land for livestock. This is where he wants to settle.
It’s also in this chapter that he tells Claire why he can’t take over River Run. It isn’t just about her not wanting to own slaves. He can’t do it either. Being an indentured servant isn’t exactly the same, but it’s close enough. He was still owned, even if it was for a short time.
So, he wants to make a home. And what better place than where there are strawberries? He tells Claire about the first Fraser, La Fresiliere. In other words: Mr. Strawberry.
However, there is a sad part of the chapter. Claire finally admits that she has seen Jamie’s grave in the future. He is buried in Scotland, and she fears that if he goes back for tenants that he will die there.
Jamie shares that the people he wants as tenants are in the colonies already. He doesn’t know exactly where, but he doesn’t have to go back to Scotland. He is also a realist. He’s going to die someday, but he will always be with Claire.