The man persisted.

—Señor, you bargain hard. I’ll give you my pouch and my horse for the China boy.

—He’s not for sale.

—But I’m already overpaying you. Look at him, he needs to be fattened up. It is true my horse is old and doesn’t do much anymore, but a man like yourself must need a horse.

Little Chan wrapped his arms around Don José’s neck, not understanding what was happening. But he could tell Don José was scared by the quickening of his stride.

Don José continued to walk and the man chased after him. Why did he persist?

—You see, I had a China boy myself and he died. It was not the best investment I made, he only worked for me for six years. You see, the China boys have a special skill for work, and they’re not lazy or cause trouble like the Haitians. No no, the China boys can go for hours and never say no to anything you ask. You should see what the China boys did in America. Built the railroad by hand practically. And when they’re young like your China boy is, you can train them very well, the man said, waving his hands in the air as if he had told the story many times before.

Don José was shocked. It was too difficult to bear. He kept moving, holding on to little Chan’s legs with all his might. But no matter how quickly Don José walked, the man chased him.

—So I said to myself that better a China boy than a horse for me. In my kind of work, a horse is not as necessary. I will throw in my watch as well. A man like yourself must need a watch. My own father made this watch. He gave it to me as a boy. So you see, I’m not trying to trick you here. A fair price I offer you for this boy who doesn’t have any meat on his bones.

—He’s not for sale. The boy is my son, Don José said, glaring at the man sternly, and for the first time in his life he could imagine killing a man.

That day, Don José understood that little Chan was not safe around people hungry enough to steal him away and sell him for a profit. The people of Juan Dolio were good people, but they also were too hungry to be trusted.

He had heard about the valley of Los Llanos. That the insurrections by the guerrillas were so bloody that the U.S. air-bombed the area and had recently incarcerated 112 men involved in the resistance against the U.S., leaving Los Llanos a valley of women and children.

—That will be a good place for us, Don José told his family at dinner.

—The women of Los Llanos will need some men to do the hard labor. For years, we have lived off the sea. Now we will learn to live off the land. We’ll start our journey tomorrow.