on the Internet. The Cossack was the cat; he was the mouse. "We will have some capital hunting, you and I," said the general. ", "General," said Rainsford firmly, "I wish to leave this island at once. If I find him \"the general smiled\"he loses.\" \"Suppose he refuses to be hunted?\" \"Oh,\" said the general, \"I give him his option, of course. Luckily, you and I are hunters. A chateau is a large French country house or castle. Zaroff sends Rainsford off with a supply of food to even the odds in Zaroffs deadly game. Their knowledge and experiences as hunters make them equal adversaries. That which was approachingwas a man. Across a cove he couldsee the gloomy gray stone of the chateau. When I shot some of his prize tur-keys with it, he did not punish me; he complimented me on mymarksmanship. He was almost on the rocks before he saw them; on a night less calm he would have been shattered against them. Then Rainsford saw the man's free hand goto his forehead in a military salute, and he saw him click hisheels together and stand at attention. His need forrest was imperative and he thought, \"I have played the fox,now I must play the cat of the fable.\" A big tree with a thicktrunk and outspread branches was near by, and, taking care toleave not the slightest mark, he climbed up into the crotch,and, stretching out on one of the broad limbs, after a fashion,rested. You are proving interesting,Mr. Rainsford, reclining in a steamer chair, indolently puffed onhis favorite brier. Tomorrow you'll feel like a new man, I'll wager. He heardthe hounds. end, he had plunged along, spurred on by the sharp rowers ofsomething very like panic. Even CaptainNielsen\" 3 Menacing means threatening and suggests the presence of imminent danger. Of course you, in turn,must agree to say nothing of your visit here.\" \"I'll agree to nothing of the kind,\" said Rainsford. I treat these visitors with every consideration. He stood there, rubbing his injured shoulder, and Rainsford, with fear again gripping his heart, heard the general's mocking laugh ring through the jungle. The cat was coming again to play with the mouse. Then he straightened up and took from his case one ofhis black cigarettes; its pungent incenselike smoke floated upto Rainsford's nostrils. We can talklater. Poor specimens and more accustomed to the deck than to the jungle." "The choice rests entirely with you. Then Rainsford saw the man's free hand go to his forehead in a military salute, and he saw him click his heels together and stand at attention. Rainsford went back to the bed and lay down. Those fishy blue eyes helda look I never saw there before. again. Hunting at night is so much more exciting than by day, don't you think? \"Precisely,\" said the general. He stepped back from the quicksand a dozen feet or so and, like some huge prehistoric beaver, he began to dig. They getplenty of good food and exercise. Naturally, I continued to huntgrizzliest in your Rockies, crocodiles in the Ganges, rhinoceroses in East Africa. The word and its negative connotations contribute to the disturbing atmosphere of the scene between Zaroff and Rainsford. He knew it would be insane to blunderon through the dark, even if he had the strength. ", "I can't believe you are serious, General Zaroff. His hands were tight closed as if his nerve were something tangible that someone in the darkness was trying to tear from his grip. Aurevoir, Mr. Rainsford, au revoir.\" General Zaroff, with a deep,courtly bow, strolled from the room. The man's only answer was to raise with his thumb the hammer of his revolver. Dense jungle came down to the 5 But he was not quitequick enough; the dead tree, delicately adjusted to rest on thecut living one, crashed down and struck the general a glancingblow on the shoulder as it fell; but for his alertness, he musthave been smashed beneath it. This was first published on January 19, 1924, in Collier's with illustrations by Wilmot Emerton Heitland. It was the baying of a pack of hounds. "Perhaps the jaguar does," observed Whitney. ", "They were a bit strange, now you mention it. His first thought made him feel sick and numb. One of several works that became part of the public domain in the US in 2020 was The Most Dangerous Game pdf.. "We'll visit my training school," smiled the general. The actual hunt is less detailed than I\'d have liked, given the fantastic set-up. ", The general shrugged his shoulders and delicately ate a hothouse grape. "One does not expect nowadays to find a young man of the educated class, even in America, with such a naive, and, if I may say so, mid-Victorian point of view. Sign In . Hetried to wrench it back, but the muck sucked viciously at hisfoot as if it were a giant leech. Then,wet with sweat and aching with tiredness, he crouched behindthe stump of a lightning-charred tree. Half apologetically GeneralZaroff said, \"We do our best to preserve the amenities of civil-ization here. An unbroken front of snarled and ragged jungle fringed the shore. Rainsford leaned across the table, absorbed in what his host was saying. He was dressed in uniforma black uniform trimmed with gray astrakhan. "I'm no robber. I, luckily, had invested heavily in American securities, so I shall never have to open a tearoom in Monte Carlo or drive a taxi in Paris. "Sorry you can't go with me tonight," called the general. On guard, Rainsford." Always. Rainsfords strength and his ability to carry on after a near-death experience are character traits that are further revealed as the story continues. Where there are men, there is food," he thought. The story was amazing it had adventures. Whenever he looked up from hisplate he found the general studying him, appraising himnarrowly. 0000002270 00000 n There was a chance thathis cries could be heard by someone aboard the yacht, but thatchance was slender and grew more slender as the yacht racedon. He lifted the knocker, and it creaked up stiffly, as if it hadnever before been used. ", "I'm not sleepy," said Rainsford. Zaroffs using the French phrase indicates once again that he is a sophisticated man of the world, but in context, it is quite ironic, since Zaroff intends to kill Rainsford upon meeting him again during the hunt. See you at breakfast.\" \"Right. They would be on him any minute now. ", The smile on the general's face widened. Where thereare men, there is food,\" he thought. Sailors have a curious dread of the place. "Pistol shot," muttered Rainsford, swimming on. The passage contributes to the forbidding atmosphere of the storys setting. A mystery suggests hidden secrets, but it might not He reached it. \"Iexpect rather fair sporta big, strong, black. Do you think we've passed that island yet? \"I will not lose my nerve. "You have won the game. Naturally, I continued to hunt--grizzliest in your Rockies, crocodiles in the Ganges, rhinoceroses in East Africa. It's one of the classics in literature [with a small "l"]. You shall see for yourself tomorrow.". You're joking.\" \"Not at all,\" said the general.\"I never joke about hunting. In context, throb refers to the steady, regular beat or sound of the ships engine as the ship moves through the sea. He staggered, but he did not fall; nor did he drop his revolver. ", "Don't talk rot, Whitney," said Rainsford. "I'll cheerfully acknowledge myself defeat if I do not find you by midnight of the third day," said General Zaroff. Three hundred yards from his hiding place he stopped where a huge dead tree leaned precariously on a smaller, living one. "This hot weather is making you soft, Whitney. Me He made a hunter. and its kind off fun wen ur imaging it in ur head its kind of cool. Even cannibals wouldn't live in such a God-forsakenplace. I am going now to have my wound dressed; it'sonly a slight one. \"Fractured myskull. Be a realist. The swish of the underbrush against his hunting boots grew fainter and fainter. Nothing escaped those searching black eyes, no crushed blade of grass, no bent twig, no mark, no matter how faint, in the moss. Half apologetically General Zaroff said, "We do our best to preserve the amenities of civilization here. The allusion suggests that Zaroffs chateau is opulent and richly appointed. . Skilled horsemen and fierce warriors often known for their brutality, many Cossacks fought in the armies of Russian czars. We are well off thebeaten track, you know. Three feet from the pit a man was standing, with an electric torch in his hand. One was the thought that itwould be difficult to replace Ivan; the other was that his quarryhad escaped him; of course, the American hadn't played the 22 Luckily for me I, too, have hunted in Malacca. The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell - Free eBook The last line leaves the reader to infer that Rainsford has killed Zaroff, making the ending a triumphant victory for civilization and American values. The first thingRainsford's eyes discerned was the largest man Rainsford hadever seena gigantic creature, solidly made and black beardedto the waist. So they aredangerous.\" \"But where do you get them?\" The general's left eyelid fluttered down in a wink. They can crush a ship as easily as I crush this nut." Before enrolling at Harvard University, he spent a year at Georgetown College before beginning his journalism career for The Poughkeepsie Journal. The Saturday Evening Post and Collier's magazines both included his stories. Zaroffs being a zealous hunter makes him an especially dangerous foe for Rainsford. Thenhe said to me, very gravely, `Don't you feel anything? The menacing look in the eyes did not change. flying cars or jetpacks), Looking for books with unreliable narrators, Recommend me good books with split perspectives. Not many men know how to make a Malay mancatcher. Some wounded thingby the evidence, a large animalhad thrashed about in the underbrush; the jungle weeds were crushed down and the moss was lacerated; one patch of weeds was stained crimson. His whole idea at first was to put distance between himself and General Zaroff; and, to this end, he had plunged along, spurred on by the sharp rowers of something very like panic. |_J+EW])Rte7 Fo7 Fo7 F?>wY=\1m1[__\_W %tg \"Ivan,\" he said toRainsford, \"will supply you with hunting clothes, food, a knife. Marcus Aurelius was a philosopher and Roman emperor who ruled from 161 to his death on March 17, 180. Your strength and stamina against mine. screamed the general. 0000000964 00000 n ch2022 Eagerly he hurriedalong, now slipping on a rotten log or a loose stone, but mak-ing headway; night was beginning to settle down on the island. \"The choicerests entirely with you. Then we'll hunt, eh? That was suicide. "I wish to go today," said Rainsford. and, if I may say so, mid-Victorian point of view. \"I see,\" he said.\"Splendid! Having no moral code of his own, Zaroff dismisses Rainsfords moral code as being faulty. \"Off there to the rightsomewhereis a large island,\" saidWhitney.\" It's rather a mystery\" \"What island is it?\" Rainsford asked. Rainsford asked. 2 "As for me," sighed the general, "I do not feel so well. Luckily, you and I arehunters. "Well, I suppose that's only natural, after your long swim. The stone steps werereal enough; the massive door with a leering gargoyle for aknocker was real enough; yet above it all hung an air ofunreality. \"It's inthe cellar. 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