Question Home

Position:Home>Books & Authors> Incredible Journey by: Sheila Burnford?


Question: Incredible Journey by: Sheila Burnford!?
What was the theme of the Incredible Journey!? Who were the Ojibways!? What did the Ojibways think the Bull Terrier was!? What was the legend of the Siamese cat crooked tail!?Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
The theme could be finding the way back home as well as the friendship and teamwork necessary to take such a journey and accomplish it successfully!.

The Ojibways were a native tribe of Indians!. I believe they were the first people the trio came upon in their journey!. At first the children were afraid of the terrier, I think because they thought he was a spirit!. The old woman recognized, and told the others, that Bodger (the older bull terrier) was a dog from their legends!. He was "the White Dog of the Ojibways" or "the virtuous White Dog of Omen" to the Ojibways "whose appearance heralds either disaster or good fortune!." They believed the Spirits had sent him to test the hospitality of the Ojibways!. The proof, to them, that he was this spirit dog was in the fact that no mortal dog would befriend a cat and let him rub against him!.

From chapter 6 (about the cat's tail):
"!.!.!.And at last they learned how these nobly born Siamese acquired the kink at the end of their tails and bequeathed it to all their descendants!.
"And as they listened, they looked down in wonder, for there on the rag rug lay one of these, stretched out flat on his royal back, his illustrious tail twitching idly, and his jeweled eyes on their daughter's hand as she turned the pages that spoke of his ancestors -- the guardian cats of the Siamese princesses!. Each princess, when she came down to bathe in the palace lake, would slip her rings for safekeeping on the tail of her attendant cat!. So zealous in their charge were these proud cats that they bent the last joint sideways for safer custody, and in time the faithful tails became crooked forever, and their childrens' and their childrens' children!.!.!."Www@QuestionHome@Com