Sam is trudging through the snow. Is this the first Samwell chapter? I think it is! Anyway, the camp was attacked by wights and Others (hence the three horn blasts from the prologue and Mance and Jon finding all the dead horses). Sam managed to send a message. Then he released all the birds, which ought to be a message in itself. But if no-one makes it back they won't know it was wights and Others.
He can't walk any more so Small Paul carries him. Paul lets slip that Chet was going to let him have Mormont's crow, but no-one seems to notice. And Paul gets killed by an Other anyway. Craven Sam manages to muster up the courage to attack the Other with the the glass dagger Jon gave him. Not so craven after all is our Sam. He ought to be pretty handy if any Nazgul turn up, too.
It turns out that dragonglass kills Others. Which is pretty handy. Also it's quite surprising that no-one knew that. Shouldn't it be part of the stories? Hopefully Sam makes it back to the wall because that could turn out to be very useful intelligence.
