37 pages • 1 hour read
I Survived the Hindenburg Disaster, 1937
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Chapters 12-17Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Content Warning: This section of the guide contains depictions of graphic violence, serious illness, and death.
Chapter 12 Summary
Late at night, Hugo hides within the airship’s interior as it prepares for landing. He has just realized that Mr. Singer is the spy Colonel Kohl is hunting. Hearing voices approach, Hugo grows fearful. Mr. Singer spots him, gives him a pleading look, hides an envelope, and attempts to escape up a ladder.
Remembering a clever baboon that outwitted a hippo by creating a distraction, Hugo decides to help. He stands up with his dog, Panya, just as Colonel Kohl appears with other officers. Kohl shines a flashlight in Hugo’s eyes, aims a pistol at him, and demands to know why he is in a restricted area.
Chapter 13 Summary
Colonel Kohl interrogates Hugo, who claims he was retrieving his dog, Panya, for his sick sister. As Panya growls, Kohl threatens the dog and Hugo notes that Panya only growls when he senses danger.
Hugo denies seeing anyone. Kohl leans in, sniffs Hugo, and claims he can smell fear, but is ultimately fooled by the story. Disappointed, Kohl has a crew member escort Hugo back to his cabin. Hugo gives Panya to a delighted Gertie and tells his parents Mr. Singer helped him, withholding the dangerous details. With the landing imminent, Hugo believes the worst is over.
