The Frasers and MacKenzies come across a burned down cabin in the woods in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 2
We start the chapter with the Frasers and MacKenzies in the woods. They come across a cabin in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 2, but it’s not a pretty sight.
The cabin has been burned down. The group of adults discusses what may have happened and who these people could have been. Roger is the one who is able to put most of it together based on everything he sees.
This is a chance for Roger to show the journey that he’s about to go on. It’s time for him to find his purpose in the past, and this really is a foreshadow of things to come.
It’s also a foreshadowing of a bigger story. This fire wasn’t an accident. Right now, it looks like just another attack in the backcountry, but it’s something that will come to haunt the Frasers and MacKenzies in the near future. And that’s not just about the report of the fire that we know Brianna and Roger found.
The chapter was partly used in the TV series. At first, it didn’t look like anything important and was more about showing the life of the backcountry. However, it was later clear in Outlander Season 5, Episode 11 that there was a much bigger reason to include this chapter.
Let’s dive into A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 2.
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts with the Frasers and MacKenzies, and a couple of tenants with them, finding the burned-down cabin. They discuss who these people could be, with Roger and Jamie working most of it out.
Roger realizes that they were Dutch. They’re new emigrants, and Jamie notes that the woman has blisters on her hands. These weren’t people used to outdoor labor, but they had come to the Colonies for a new life. Sadly, that life came to an end much sooner than expected.
But why would they have remained in a cabin on fire? Why wouldn’t they have tried to run outside? Brianna notices now that there are mushrooms, and she knows from Girl Guides not to eat mushrooms unless you definitely know they’re safe. A lot of mushrooms are poisonous, and that was the case with these ones.
Jamie, Fergus, and others also find other men. They weren’t with the family. Instead, they helped kill the family, but they died as they ran away. This is where there’s a much bigger conspiracy and story, but I’ll get to that soon.
As the Dutchman and his family are buried in one grave, the two strangers are buried in another. Roger is the one to say words over the graves, but not the Lord’s Prayer. It’s something a little darker that certainly sets the tone for things that had happened.
Of course, Claire can’t help but think of the fire that is still to come. Claire and Jamie’s house is going to burn down. That’s coming up soon, and they need to be ready for that. Can they change that part of history?
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
This chapter certainly has some foreshadowing. The main part is in the story to come. It’s clear that this cabin didn’t burn down accidentally. The people inside were killed, but why? Who wanted them dead? Why would anyone burn down the cabin and just leave?
We’ll get this story throughout the chapters. It links back to the first chapter, which saw Young Ian attacked by a group of strangers.
The other bit of foreshadowing is in Roger being the one to say words over the grave. Jamie encourages Roger to do this, and he agrees to it. It’s clear that Roger is looking for a place in the 18th century, and this is it. We get that glimpse of the journey he’ll go on to become a minister.
Adapting A Breath of Snow and Ashes chapter
The chapter was used in Outlander Season 5. At least, some of it was. It was slightly changed as a way to show the man that Roger is becoming in the 18th century.
The Frasers and MacKenzies find the cabin. There is still one person alive, but she’s burned to a point that she can’t be saved. Roger does the merciful thing and ends her life for her while Jamie says a prayer over her body for her soul. I did wish that it was Roger saying the prayer considering the journey we know he’s about to go on in Outlander Season 6, but seeing Roger mercifully killing someone was also important. We see that he’s getting used to the harsher world of the 1770s.
We didn’t get as much detail about the cabin or what happened here in the series. There wasn’t the inclusion of the two strangers. It is a shame because it was never all that clear that this was connected to Hodgepile and his group. However, it was inferred, which worked for the series.
I do wish there was a slightly clearer connection between the cabin and Hodgepile in the show. Those who hadn’t read the books could have been a little confused by all this. However, for the sake of time, the important parts were included in the story.
What did you spot while reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 2? Let us know in the comments below.
Like Claire and Jamie on Facebook for the latest from the Outlander Book Club and much more.