# XIII explained — The Time Traders

> Chapter companion for The Time Traders by Andre Norton.

## What happens

Ross, separated from Ashe and McNeil after the village fire, struggles through the wilderness and reunites with McNeil, who reveals Ashe is injured and delirious. They plan to reach the river for submarine contact. Later, Ross is captured and imprisoned, but Ashe and McNeil tunnel into his cell during an attack, revealing they are inside a glacier and have been collaborating with the enemy while using hidden gadgets.

## Themes in this chapter

### Survival and Resilience

Ross endures extreme cold, hunger, and injury while navigating hostile terrain and evading capture.

### Loyalty and Betrayal

Ashe and McNeil risk their safety to rescue Ross, demonstrating loyalty amid the chaos of the alien attack.

## Character check-ins

### Ross Murdock

Weary and injured, Ross escapes the village, reunites with McNeil, and later is captured and imprisoned, then rescued by Ashe and McNeil.

### McNeil

Haggard and bearded, McNeil finds Ross, shares grain, and reports Ashe's worsening condition; later helps tunnel into Ross's cell.

### Ashe

Injured and delirious, Ashe is carried by Ross and McNeil; later he leads the tunneling rescue and reveals they are inside a glacier.

### Assha

Assha tunnels into Ross's cell and initially attacks him before recognizing him.

## Key lines

> He started climbing again, finding the pass at last. Beyond, the ground fell away again, and Ross went forward into the full darkness of the night with a vast surge of thankfulness.

Ross resumed climbing, eventually locating the pass, and as the terrain descended beyond it, he moved into the night with immense relief.

_Ross's relief at escaping the immediate danger and finding a path forward._

> A hand lay warm and hard over his mouth, and above it his eyes met McNeil's.

A firm, warm hand covered Ross's mouth, and he saw McNeil's eyes above it.

_McNeil's cautious approach to waking Ross without alerting enemies._

> Ashe is out of his head some of the time. That hole in his shoulder is worse than we thought it was, and there's always the threat of infection.

Ashe is intermittently delirious, and his shoulder wound is more serious than initially believed, with constant risk of infection.

_McNeil updates Ross on Ashe's deteriorating condition._

> Glacier! So we're inside a glacier! That explains it.

Ashe exclaims that they are trapped within a glacier, which clarifies their situation.

_Ashe's realization of their location after Ross mentions the glacier._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_time_traders_se/chapters/xiii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_time_traders_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_time_traders_se/chapters