What is life like for Daniel in the caves in The Bronze Bow? Why is he living there?

Daniel is living in the caves at the beginning of The Bronze Bow because he has fled the master to whom he had been sold into indentured service. Amalek had been a hard master, often flogging Daniel. When he could stand it no more, he ran away, and Rosh found him "lying flat on his face, starving, half frozen, his back still raw from the last flogging." Living with Rosh's band in the hills is better for him, especially since Rosh initially showed him kindness. However, Rosh runs the band as a dictator, and his word must be obeyed. Even if Daniel doesn't agree with a decision Rosh makes, he must comply if he wants to be part of the group.
Since he had already been a blacksmith's apprentice when he lived in the village, Daniel performs smithing duties for Rosh's band. The men keep supplies in the caves, such as skins and cloaks for blankets and goatskin bags filled with drinking water. They have a fire at night and take turns keeping watch and keeping the fire going. They usually fall down anywhere around the fire to sleep for the night.
After the band captures Samson, the mute slave, Daniel's life becomes both easier and harder. Samson carries water and firewood and kneads the bellows for Daniel, and because Samson is so strong, things get done more easily and quickly. Yet Daniel feels tied down by Samson because the slave sticks so close to him. The men make fun of Samson, and because Samson is linked so closely to Daniel, he feels more isolated from the other men. When he returns to his childhood home to visit, he realizes how much he really enjoys the freedom and camaraderie of his life on the mountain. Only when Daniel becomes disillusioned with Rosh as a leader does he decide to leave the band and return to the village permanently.