This is when Robert is at the valley that the coyote lead him to.
There is many meanings to this part of the novel. One of them is that you have to travel far distance to reach peace. "This was why they"d come the distance. A rendezvous with water"(p.27).
The valley is also showing Roberts life as of the moment, peaceful and happy. The grass green and the sun golden, these signify peace and happiness and harmony with Robert. "His face was a mirror to the sun"(p.28) This quote means that he was blind to everything he was seeing, not knowing what future had in store for him. This was kind of his last rest for him before going into the war. The calmness before a storm.
This is also another important part of the novel because it shows how Robert is one with animals and how animals trust him and are not scared of his presence. This also shows his love for animals which is a very important aspect of this novel. The author shows the animals trust for Robert when the coyote barked at Robert to tell him that the valley was vacant and safe, showing this by saying that the coyote barked and then began to wag its tail, then barked three times and turned around and trotted off. This is of importance because later in the novel he is in the army and taking care of horses and he convoys 130 horses and this shows how all animals have trust in him, because the coyote had known that Robert was there the whole time and possibly the whole run. .