Even though Tom Lea never mentioned the huge cockfights in New Orleans again, both Chicken George and Tom had enough cockfighting in the immediate vicinity to keep them busy.

In 1836, Chicken George hears just as much national news as ever on his cockfighting travels. For example, bitterness toward white men seemed to grow and grow. Chicken George even hears about the Seminole Indians down in Florida killing United States soldiers with no mercy. Furthermore, Chicken George gets word of the Alamo, where hundreds of Mexican people massacred white man after white man, including important lawmen, such as Davey Crockett. Finally, Chicken George hears news of President Van Buren forcing the lion’s share of Indians west of the Mississippi River. The slaves on the Lea plantation all agree that the Indians must wish they hadn't been so friendly with the white people when they first came over.

In 1837, Matilda and Chicken George have their sixth son and extend their family even more with their first daughter. No one is more excited about this new baby girl than Kizzy. This first little girl is going to be Kizzy’s namesake, and no one is more proud than her grandmother as she shouts, “I ain’t done lived in vain!” Sure enough, that little baby girl isn’t but a day old when Chicken George sets her on his knee and gathers his other children close around him to tell the story of Kunta Kinte.

It’s about this time when Chicken George surprises Matilda one day by asking about the money they have saved. Matilda admits that it’s only a little over one hundred dollars because Chicken George is quite a spendthrift with gifts and clothes. In fact, Matilda tells George that they’d have around four thousand if he had been wiser with his money.

Chicken George begins talking seriously with Matilda about the possibility of them buying their entire family into freedom. These thoughts come to George while he is all alone with the chickens so much. Tom Lea has told him that it won’t be long before he makes a fortune with his cockfighting and he and his wife can settle in a big white house with six columns and stop this cockfighting business. Even though Matilda doesn’t believe Tom Lea would ever give up cockfighting, she is quietly thrilled at the prospect of freedom.

One night, Matilda and George sit down to figure it all out. With Matilda’s gift of reading and math, they compute that it will take $6,800 for the family, without counting Sister Sarah, Uncle Pompey, and Miss Malizy (who are considered family as well). Matilda’s and George’s plans go even farther. They plan to move up north and teach the children to read and write and learn trades. Matilda feels such a warmth of affection for George as he considers all of this and ends up comparing herself to Ruth from the Bible. Matilda's wishes come true when George wakes up to full reality: “We ain’t getting’ nowhere! . . . All we ever doin’ is gittin’ massa somewhere!”