In this chapter, Tommo tries to convince himself that he's doing the right thing by keeping Ursula from going to Africa. He's worried that if she does go, she'll catch a disease there and die. He tries to persuade himself that it's better for him to keep her away from danger than to let her die, but he can't change the fact that she's going to die if she goes to Africa now. He tells himself that if he lets Ursula die, he'll be a time-slipper, and he won't be able to stop her.