the most dangerous game by Richard Connell off there to the right somewhere is a large island said Whitney it's rather a mystery what island is it Rainsford asked the old charts call it ship trap island Whitney replied a suggestive name isn't it they always have a curious dread of the place I don't know why some superstition can't see it remarked Rainsford trying to peer through the dank tropical night that was palpable as it pressed its thick warm blackness and upon the yacht you've good eyes said Whitney with a laugh I've seen you pick off a moose moving in the brown fall bush at 400 yards but even you can't see for miles or so through a moonless Caribbean night nor four yards admitted Rainsford ah it's like moist black velvet and it'll be light enough in Rio promised Whitney we should make it in a few days I hope the Jaguar guns have come from Purdy's we should have some good hunting up the Amazon great sport hunting the best sport in the world agreed Rainsford for the hunter amended Whitney not for the Jaguar don't talk rot Whitney said Rainsford you're a big-game hunter not a philosopher who cares how a Jaguar feels perhaps the Jaguar does observed Whitney but they have no understanding even so I rather think they understand one thing fear the fear of pain and the fear of death nonsense laughs transferred this hot weather is making you soft Whitney be a realist the world is made up of two classes the hunters and the hunty luckily you and I are hunters you think we've passed that island yet I can't tell in the dark I hope so why a strange furred the place has a reputation a bad one cannibals suggested Rainsford hardly even cannibals wouldn't live in such a godforsaken place but it's gotten into sailor lore somehow didn't you notice that the crew's nerves seemed a bit jumpy today they were a bit strange now you mention it even captain Nielson yes even that tough-minded old Swede go up to the devil himself and ask him for a light those fishy blue eyes held a look I never saw their before all I could get out of him was this place has an evil name among seafaring men sir then he said to me very gravely don't you feel anything as if the air about us was actually poisonous now you mustn't laugh when I tell you this I did feel something like a sudden chill there was no breeze sea was as flat as a plate-glass window we were drawing near the island then what I felt was a mental chill a sort of sudden dread pure imaginations at Rainsford one superstitious sailor can taint the whole ship's company with fear maybe but sometimes I think sailors have an extra sense that tells them when they're in danger sometimes I think evil is a tangible thing with wavelengths just as sound and light have an evil place can so to speak broadcast vibrations of evil anyhow I'm glad we're getting out of this zone well I think I'll turn in now Rainsford I'm not sleepy said Rainsford I'm going to smoke another pipe up on the afterdeck good night then Rainsford see you at breakfast right good night Whitney there was no sound in the night as Rainsford sat there but the muffled throb of the engine that drove the yacht swiftly through the darkness and the swish and ripple of the wash of the propeller Rainsford reclining in a steamer chair indolently puffed on his favorite briar the sensuous drowsiness of the night was on him it's so dark he thought that I could sleep without closing my eyes the night would be my eyelids an abrupt sound startled him off to the right he heard it and his ears expert in such matters could not be mistaken again he heard the sound and again somewhere often the blackness someone had fired a gun three times Rainsford sprang up and moved quickly to the rail mystified he strained his eyes in the direction from which the reports had come but it was like trying to see through a blanket he leaped up on the rail and balanced himself there to get greater elevation his pipe striking a rope was not from his mouth he lunged for it a short hoarse cry came from his lips as he realized he had reached too far and had lost his balance the cry was pinched off short as the blood warm waters of the Caribbean Sea doused over his head he struggled up to the surface and tried to cry out but the wash from the speeding yacht slapped him in the face and the saltwater in his open mouth made him gag and strangle desperately he struck out with strong strokes after the receding lights of the yacht but he stopped before he had swum fifty feet a certain cool headedness had come to him it was out the first time he had been in a tight place there was a chance that his cries could be heard by someone aboard the yacht but that chance was slender and grew more slender as the yacht raced on he wrestled himself out of his clothes then shouted with all his power the lights of the yacht became faint and ever vanishing fireflies then they were blotted out entirely by the night Rainsford remembered the shots they had come from the right and dogged ly he swam in that direction swimming with slow deliberate strokes conserving his strength for a seemingly endless time he fought the sea he began to count his strokes he could do possibly a hundred more and then Rainsford heard a sound it came out of the darkness a high screaming sound the sound of an animal in an extremity of anguish and terror he did not recognize the animal that made the sound he did not try to with fresh vitality he swam toward the sound he heard it again then it was cut short by another noise crisp staccato pistol shot muttered Rainsford swimming on ten minutes of determined effort bought another sound to his ears the most welcome he had ever heard the muttering and growling of the sea breaking on a rocky shore he was almost on the rocks before he saw them on a night less calm he would have been shattered against them with his remaining strength he dragged himself from the swirling waters jagged crags appeared to jut up into the opaqueness he forced himself upward hand-over-hand gasping his hands raw he reached a flat place at the top dense jungle came down to the very edge of the cliffs what perils that tangle of trees and underbrush might hold for him did not concern reigns for just then all he knew was that he was safe from his enemy the sea and that utter weariness was on him he flung himself down at the jungle edge and tumbled headlong into the deepest sleep of his life when he opened his eyes he knew from the position of the Sun that it was late in the afternoon sleep had given him new vigor a sharp hunger was picking at him he looked about him almost cheerfully where there are pistol shots there are men where there are men there is food he thought but what kind of men he wondered in so forbidding a place an unbroken front of snarled and ragged jungle fringed the shore he saw no sign of a trail through the closely-knit web of weeds and trees it was easier to go along the shore and Rainsford floundered along by the water not far from where he landed he stopped some wounded thing by the evidence a large animal had thrashed about in the underbrush the jungle weeds were crushed down and the moss was lacerated one patch of weeds was stained crimson a small glittering object not far away caught Rainsford zai and he picked it up it was an empty cartridge a 22 he remarked that's odd must have been a fairly large animal to the hunter had is nerve with him to tackle it with a light gun it's clear that the brute put up a fight suppose the first three shots I heard was when the hunter flushed his query and wounded it the last shot was when he trailed it here and finished it he examined the ground closely and found what he had hoped to find the print of hunting boots they pointed along the cliff in the direction he had been going each early he hurried along now slipping on a rotten log or a loose stone but making headway night was beginning to settle down on the island bleak darkness was blacking out the sea and jungle and Rainsford decided the lights he came upon them as he turned a crook in the coastline and his first thought was that he had come upon a village where there were many lights but as he forged along he saw to his great astonishment that all the lights were in one enormous building a lofty structure with pointed towers plunging upward into the gloom his eyes made at the shadowy outlines of a palatial chateau it was set on a high bluff and on three sides of it cliffs dived down to where the sea licked greedy lips in the shadows mirages thought Rainsford but it was no Mirage he found when he Oh the tall spiked iron gate the stone steps were real enough the massive door with a leering gargoyle for a knocker was real enough yet above it all hung an air of unreality he lifted the knocker and it crept up stiffly as if it had never before been used he let it fall and it startled him with its booming loudness he thought he heard steps within the door remained closed again Rainsford lifted the heavy knocker and let it fall the door opened then opened as suddenly as if it were on a spring and Rainsford stood blinking in the river of a glaring gold light that poured out the first thing rains for his eyes discerned was the largest man Rainsford had ever seen a gigantic creature solidly made and black-bearded to the waist in his hand the man held a long barreled revolver and he was pointing it straight at Rainsford heart out of the snarl of beard to small eyes regarded Rainsford don't be alarmed said Rainsford with a smile which he hoped was disarming I'm no robber I fell off a yacht my name is Sanger Rainsford of New York City the menacing look in the eyes did not change the revolver pointing as rigidly as if the giant were a statue he gave no sign that he understood rains for its words or that he had even heard them he was dressed in uniform a black uniform trimmed with grey Astrakhan I'm Sanger Rainsford of New York Rainsford began again I fell off a yacht I am hungry the man's only answer was to raise with his thumb the hammer of his revolver 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 another man was coming down the broad marble steps an erect slender man in evening clothes he advanced to Rainsford and held out his hand in a cultivated voice marked by a slight accent that gave it added precision and deliberateness he said it is a very great pleasure and honor to welcome mr. Sanger Rainsford the celebrated hunter to my home automatically Rainsford shook the man's hand I read your book about hunting snow leopards in Tibet you see explained the man I am general Zaroff Rainsford first impression was the man was singularly handsome his second was that there was an original almost bizarre quality about the generals face he was a tall man past middle age for his hair was vivid white but his thick eyebrows and pointed military mustache were as black as the night from which Rainsford had come his eyes too were black and very bright he had high cheekbones a sharp cut nose a spare dark face the face of a man used to giving orders the face of an aristocrat turning to the Giant in uniform the general made a sign the giant put away his pistol saluted withdrew Ivan is an incredibly strong fellow remarked the general but he has the misfortune to be deaf and dumb a simple fellow but I'm afraid like all his race a bit of a Savage is he Russian he is a Kazakh said the general and his smile showed red lips and pointed teeth so am i come he said we shouldn't be chatting here we can talk later now you want clothes food rest you shall have them this is a most restful spot Ivan had reappeared and the general spoke to him with lips that moved but gave forth no sound follow Ivan if you please mr. Rainsford said the general I was about to have my dinner when you came I'll wait for you you'll find that my clothes will fit you I think it was - a huge beam ceiling bedroom with a canopy bed big enough for six men that Rainsford followed the silent giant Ivan laid out an evening suit and Rainsford as he put it on notice that it came from a London tailor who ordinarily cut and sewed for none below the rank of Duke the dining room to which Ivan conducted him was in many ways remarkable there was a medieval magnificence about it it suggested a baronial Hall of feudal times with its oaken panels its high ceiling its vast refectory tables where to score men could sit down to eat about the hall were mounted heads of many animals lions tigers elephants moose bears larger or more perfect specimens Rainford had never seen at the great table the general was sitting alone you'll have a cocktail mr. Rainsford he suggested the cocktail was surpassingly good and Rainsford noted the table appointments were of the finest the linen the crystal the silver the china they were eating borscht the rich red soup with whipped cream so dear to Russian palates half apologetically generals are up said we do our best to preserve the amenities of civilization here please forgive any lapses we are well off the beaten track you know do you think the champagne has suffered from its long ocean trip not in the least declared Rainsford he was fighting the general a most thoughtful and affable host a true cosmopolite but there was one small trait of the generals that made Rainsford uncomfortable whenever he looked up from his plate he found the general studying him appraising him narrowly perhaps said generals are off you were surprised that I recognized your name you see I read all books on hunting published in English French and Russian I have but one passion in my life mr. Rainsford and it is the hunt you have some wonderful heads here said Rainsford as he ate particularly well-cooked filet mignon that cape buffalo is the largest I ever saw know that fellow yes he was a monster did he charge you curled me against a tree said the general fractured my skull but I got the brute I've always thought said Rainsford that the cape buffalo is the most dangerous of all big game for a moment the general did not reply he was smiling his curious red lips smile then he said slowly no you are wrong sir the cape buffalo is not the most dangerous big game he sipped his wine here in my preserve on this island he said in the same slow tone I hunt more dangerous game Rainsford expressed his surprise is there big game on this island the general nodded the guests really oh it isn't here naturally of course I have to stock the island what have you imported general Rainsford asked tigers the general smiled no he said hunting Tigers ceased to interest me some years ago I exhausted their possibilities you see no thrill left in Tigers no no real danger I live for danger mr. Rainsford the general took from his pocket a gold cigarette case and offered his guests a long black cigarette with a silver tip it was perfumed and gave off a smell like incense we will have some capital hunting you and I said the general I shall be most glad to have your society but what game began Rainsford I'll tell you said the general you will be amused I know I think I'm a same in all modesty that I have done a rare thing I have invented a new sensation may I pour you another glass of port Thank You general the general filled both glasses and said God makes some men poets some he makes kings some beggars me he made a hunter my hand was made for the trigger my father said he was a very rich man with a quarter of a million acres in the Crimea and he was an ardent sportsman when I was only 5 years old he gave me a little gun specially made in Moscow for me to shoot sparrows with when I shot some of his prized turkeys with it he did not punish me he complimented me on my marksmanship I killed my first bear in the Caucasus when I was 10 my whole life has been one prolonged hunt I went into the army it was expected of noble men sons and for a time commanded division of Cossack cavalry but my real interest was always the hunt I have hunted every kind of game in every land it would be impossible for me to tell you how many animals I've killed the general puffed at his cigarette after the debacle in Russia I left the country for it was imprudent for an officer of the Tsar to stay there many noble Russians lost everything i luckily had invested heavily in americans Curie's so I shall never have to open a tea room in Monte Carlo or drive a taxi in Paris naturally I continued to hunt Grizzlies in your Rockies crocodiles in the Ganges rhinoceros is in East Africa it was in Africa that the cape buffalo hit me and laid me up for six months as soon as I recovered I started for the Amazon to hunt Jaguars for I had heard they were unusually cunning they weren't the Cossack side they were no imagine all for a hunter with his wits about him and a high-powered rifle I was bitterly disappointed I was lying in my tent with a splitting headache one night when a terrible thought pushed its way into my mind hunting was beginning to bore me and hunting remember had been my life I have heard that in America business men often go to pieces when they give up the business that has been their life yes that's so said Rainsford the general smiled I had no wish to go to pieces he said I must do something now mine is an analytical mind mr. Rainsford doubtless that is why I enjoy the problems of the chase no doubt generals are off so continue the general I asked myself why the hunt no longer fascinated me you are much younger than I am mr. Rainsford and have not hunted as much but perhaps you can guess the answer what was it simply this hunting had ceased to be what you call a sporting proposition it had become too easy I always got my query always there is no greater bore than perfection the general lit a fresh cigarette no animal had a chance with me anymore that is no boast it is a mathematical certainty the animal had nothing but his legs in his instinct instinct is no match for reason when I thought of this it was a tragic moment for me I can tell you Rainsford leaned across the table absorbed in what his host was saying it came to me as an inspiration what I must do that one and that was the general smiled the quiet smile of one who has faced an obstacle and surmounted it with success I had to invent a new animal to hunt he said a new animal you're joking not at all said the general I never joke about hunting I needed a new animal I found one so I bought this island built this house and here I do my hunting the island is perfect for my purposes there are jungles with a maze of trails in them hills swamps but the animal generals are off Oh said the general it supplies me with the most exciting hunting in the world no other hunting compares with it for an instant every day I hunt and I never grow bored now for I have a query with which I can match my wits Rainsford builder myths showed on his face I wanted the ideal animal to hunt explain the general so I said what are the attributes of an ideal query and the answer was of course it must have courage cunning and above all it must be able to reason but no animal can reason objected Rainsford my dear fellow said the general there is one that can but you can't mean gasped Rainsford and why not I can't believe you're serious generals are off this is a grisly joke why should I not be serious I'm speaking of hunting hunting great guns generals are off when you speak of his murder the general laughed with entire good-nature he regarded Rainsford quizzically I refuse to believe that so modern and civilized a young man as you seemed to be harbours romantic ideas about the value of human life surely your experiences in the war did not make me condone cold-blooded murder finished Rainsford stiffly laughter shook the general how extraordinarily droll you are he said when 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 it's like finding a snuff box in a limousine ah well doubtless you had Puritan ancestors so many Americans appear to have had I'll wager you'll forget your notions when you go hunting with me you've a genuine new thrill in store for you mr. Rainsford thank you I'm a hunter not a murderer dear me said the general quite unruffled again that unpleasant word but I think I can show you that your scruples are quite ill-founded yes life is for the strong to be lived by the strong and if needs be taken by the strong the weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure I am strong why should I not use my gift if I wish to hunt why should I not I hunt the scum of the earth sailors from ships lassard's blacks Chinese whites mongrels a thoroughbred horse or hound is worth more than a score of them but they are men said Rainsford hotly precisely said the general that is why I use them gives me pleasure they can reason after a fashion so they are dangerous but where do you get them the generals lift eyelid fluttered down in a wink this island is called ship trap he answered sometimes an angry god of the high seas sends them to me sometimes when Providence is not so kind I help Providence a bit come to the window with me Rainsford went to the window and looked out toward the sea watch out there exclaimed the general pointing into the night Rainsford XY's saw only blackness and then as the general pressed a button far out sea Rainsford saw the flash of lights the general chuckled they indicate a channel he said where there's none giant rocks with razor edges crouched like a sea monster with wide-open jaws they can crush a ship as easily as I crush this nut he dropped a walnut on the hardwood floor and bought his heel grinding down on it oh yes he said casually as if in answer to a question I have electricity we try to be civilized here civilized and you shoot down men a trace of anger was in the generals black eyes but it was therefore but a second and he said in his most pleasant manner dear me what a righteous young man you are I assure you I do not do the thing that you suggest that would be barbarous I treat these visitors with every consideration they get plenty of good food and exercise they get into splendid physical condition you shall see for yourself tomorrow what do you mean well visit my training school smile too general it's in the cellar I have about a dozen pupils down there now they're from the Spanish bark send the car that had the bad luck to go on the rocks out there a very inferior lot I regret to say poor specimens and more accustomed to the deck than to the jungle he raised his hand and Ivan who served as a waiter brought thick Turkish coffee Rainsford with an effort held his tongue in check it's a game you see pursued the general blandly I suggest to one of them that we go hunting I give him a supply of food in an excellent hunting knife I gave him three hours start I am to follow armed only with a pistol of the smallest caliber and range if my query eludes me for three whole days he wins the game 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 he need not play that game if he doesn't wish to if he does not wish to hunt I turn him over to Ivan Ivan once had the honor of serving as official now der to the great white czar and he has his own ideas of sport invariably mr. Rainsford invariably they choose the hunt and if they win the smile on the generals face widened to date I have not lost he said then he added hastily I don't wish you to think me a braggart mr. Rainsford many of them afford only the most elementary sort of problem occasionally I strike it harder one almost did win I eventually had to use the dogs the dogs this way please I'll show you the general steered Rainsford to a window the lights from the windows sent a flickering illumination that made grotesque patterns on the courtyard below and Rainsford could see moving about there a dozen or so huge black shapes as they turned toward him their eyes glittered greenly a rather good lot I think observed the general they are let out at 7:00 every night if anyone should try to get into my house or out of it something extremely regrettable would occur to him he hummed a snatch of song from the Foley bearshare and now said the general I want to show you my new collection of heads will you come with me to the library I hope said Rainsford that you will excuse me tonight generals are off I'm really not feeling well ah indeed the general inquired solicitously well I suppose that's only natural after your long swim you need a good restful night's sleep tomorrow you'll feel like a new man I'll wager then we'll hunt eh I've one rather promising prospect Rainsford was hurrying from the room sorry you can't go with me tonight called the general I expect rather fair sport a big strong black he looks resourceful well good night mr. Rainsford I hope you have a good night's rest that was good and the pajamas of the softest silk and he was tired in every fiber of his being but nevertheless Rainsford could not quiet his brain with the opiate of sleep he lay eyes wide open once he thought he heard stealthy steps in the corridor outside his room he sought to throw open the door it would not open he went to the window and looked out his room was high up in one of the towers the lights of the chateau were out now and it was dark and silent but there was a fragment of sallow moon and by its Wan light he could see dimly the courtyard there weaving in and out of the pattern of shadow were black noiseless forms the hounds heard him at the window and looked up expectantly with their green eyes Rainsford went back to the bed and lay down by many methods he tried to put himself to sleep he had achieved a doze when just as morning began to come he heard far off in the jungle the faint report of a pistol general Zaroff did not appear until luncheon he was dressed faultlessly in the tweeds of a country squire he was solicitous about the state of Rainsford 'he's health as for me sighed the general I do not feel so well I am worried mr. Rainsford last night I detected traces of my old complaint to rains for its questioning glance the general said ennui boredom then taking a second helping of crepe Suzette the general explained the hunting was not good last night the fellow lost his head he made a straight trail that offered no problems at all that's the trouble with these sailors they have dull brains to begin with and they do not know how to get about in the woods they do excessively stupid and obvious things it's most annoying well you have another glass of Chablis mr. Rainsford general said Rainsford firmly i wish to leave this island at once the general raised his thickets of eyebrows he seemed hurt but My dear fellow the general protested you've only just come you've had no hunting I wish to go today said Rainsford he saw the dead black eyes of the on him studying him generals are off face suddenly brightened he filled brains Ford's glass with venerable Shibley from a dusty bottle tonight said the general we will hunt you and I Rainsford shook his head no general he said I will not hunt the general shrugged his shoulders and delicately ate a hothouse grape as you wish my friend he said the choice rests entirely with you but may I not venture to suggest that you will find my idea of sport more diverting than Ivan's he nodded toward the corner to where the giant stood scowling his thick arms crossed on his hogshead of chest you don't mean cried Rainsford my dear fellow said the general have I not told you I always mean what I say about hunting this is really an inspiration I drink to a foeman worthy of my Steel at last the general raised his class but Rainsford sat staring at him you'll find this game worth playing the general said enthusiastically your brain against mine your wood craft against mine your strength and stamina against mine outdoor chess and the stake is not without value a and if I win began Rainsford huskily i'll cheerfully acknowledge myself defeat if I do not find you by midnight of the third day said generals are off my sloop will place you on the mainland near a town the general read what Rainsford was thinking oh you can trust me said the Cossack I will give you my word as a gentleman and a sportsman of course you in turn must agree to say nothing of your visit here I'll agree to nothing of the kind said Rainsford Oh said the general in that case but why discuss that now three days hence we can discuss it over a bottle of Veuve Clicquot unless the general sipped his wine then a businesslike air animated him Ivan he said to Rainsford will supply you with hunting clothes food a knife I suggest you wear moccasins they leave a poorer trail I suggest to that you avoid the big swamp in the southeast corner of the island we call it death swamp there's quicksand there one foolish fella tried it the deplorable part of it was that Lazarus followed him you can imagine my feelings mr. Rainsford I loved Lazarus he was the finest town in my pack well I must beg you to excuse me now I always take a siesta after lunch you'll hardly have time for a nap I fear you'll want to start no doubt I shall not follow until dusk hunting at night is so much more exciting than by day don't you think or of wha mr. Rainsford horev wha generals are off with a deep courtly bow strolled from the room from another door came Ivan under one arm he carried kaki hunting clothes a haversack of food a leather sheath containing a long bladed hunting knife his right hand rested on a cocked revolver thrust in the crimson sash about his waist Rainsford had fought his way through the bush for two hours I must keep my nerve I must keep my nerve he said through tight teeth he had not been entirely clear-headed when the chateau gates snapped shut behind him 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 now he had got a grip on himself had stopped and was taking stock of himself in the situation he saw that straight flight was futile inevitably it would bring him face to face with the sea he was in a picture with a frame of water and his operations clearly must take place within that frame I'll give him a trail to follow muttered Rainsford and he struck off from the rude path he had been following into the trackless wilderness he executed a series of intricate loops he doubled on his trail again and again recalling all the lore of the fox hunt and all the dodges of the fox night found him leg weary with hands and face lashed by the branches on a thickly wooded Ridge he knew it would be insane to blunder on through the dark even if he had the strength his need for rest was imperative and he thought I have played the Fox now I must play the cat of the fable a big tree with a thick trunk and outspread branches was nearby and taking care not to leave the slightest mark he climbed up into the crotch and stretching out on one of the broad limbs after a fashion rested rest brought him new confidence and almost a feeling of security even so zealous a hunter's general Zaroff could not trace him there he told himself only the devil himself could follow that complicated trail through the jungle after dark but perhaps the general was a devil an apprehensive knight crawled slowly by like a wounded snake and sleep did not visit Rainsford although the silence of a dead world was on the jungle toward morning when a dingy gray was varnishing the sky the cry of some startled bird focused Rainsford 'he's attention in that direction something was coming through the bush coming slowly carefully coming by the same winding way Rainsford had come he flattened himself down on the limb and through a screen of leaves almost as thickest hapis tree he watched that which was approaching was a man it was general Zaroff he made his way along with his eyes fixed in utmost concentration on the ground before him he paused almost beneath the tree dropped to his knees and studied the ground Rainsford zim pulse was to hurl himself down like a panther but he saw that the generals right hand held something metallic a small automatic pistol the hunter shook his head several times as if he were puzzled then he straightened up and took from his case one of his black cigarettes its pungent incense like smoke floated up to Rainsford nostrils Rainsford held his breath the generals eyes had left the ground and were travelling inch by inch up the tree Rainsford froze there every muscle tensed for a spring but the sharp eyes of the hunter stopped before they reached the limb where Rainsford lay a smile spread over his brown face very deliberately he blew a smoke-ring into the air then he turned his back on the tree and walked carelessly away back along the trail he had come the swish of the underbrush against his hunting boots grew fainter and fainter the Penta Bayer burst hotly from rains words lungs his first thought made him feel sick and numb the general could follow a trail through the woods at night he could follow an extremely difficult trail he must have uncanny powers only by the merest chance had the cassock failed to see his query Rainsford second thought was even more terrible it sent a shudder of cold horror through his whole being why had the general smiled why had he turned back Rainsford did not want to believe what his reason told him was true but the truth was as evident as the Sun that had now pushed through the morning mists the general was playing with him the general was saving him for another day's sport the Cossack was the cat he was the mouse then it was that Rainsford knew the full meaning of terror I will not lose my nerve I will not he slid down from the tree and struck off again into the woods his face was set you forced the machinery of his mind to function 300 yards from his hiding place he stopped where huge dead tree leaned precariously on a smaller living one throwing off his sack of food Rainsford took his knife from its sheath and began to work with all his energy the job was finished at last and he threw himself down behind a fallen log a hundred feet away he did not have to wait long the cat was coming again to play with the mouse following the trail with the sureness of a bloodhound came generals are off nothing escaped those searching black eyes no crushed blade of grass no bent twig no mark no matter how faint in the moss so intent was the Cossack on his stalking that he was upon the thing Rainsford had made before he saw it his foot touched the protruding bough that was the trigger even as he touched it the general sensed his danger and leaped back with the agility of an ape but he was not quite quick enough the dead tree delicately adjusted to rest on the cut living one crashed down and struck the general a glancing blow on the shoulder as it fell but for his alertness he must have been smashed beneath it he staggered but he did not fall nor did he drop his revolver he stood there rubbing his injured shoulder and Rainsford with fear again gripping his heart heard the generals mocking laugh ring through the jungle Rainsford called the general if you are within the sound of my voice as I suppose you are let me congratulate you not many men know how to make a male a man catcher luckily for me I too have hunted in Malacca you are proving interesting mr. Rainsford I'm gonna go now to have my wound dressed it's only a slight one but I shall be back I shall be back when the general nursing his bruised shoulder had gone Rainsford took up his flight again it was flight now a desperate hopeless flight that carried him on for some hours dusk came then darkness and still he pressed on the ground grew softer under his moccasins the vegetation grew ranker denser insects bit him savagely then as he stepped forward his foot sank into the use he tried to wrench it back but the muck sucked viciously at his foot as if it were a giant leech with a violent effort he'd tore his feet loose he knew where he was now death swamp and it's quicksand his hands were tight closed as if his nerve were something tangible that someone in the darkness was trying to tear from his grip the softness of the earth had given him an idea he stepped back from the quicksand a dozen feet or so and like some huge prehistoric beaver he began to dig Rainsford had dug himself in in France when a seconds delay meant death that had been a placid pastime compared to his digging now the pit grew deeper when it was above his shoulders he climbed out and from some hard saplings cut stakes and sharpened them to a fine point these stakes he planted in the bottom of the pit with the points sticking up with flying fingers he wove a rough carpet of weeds and branches and with it he covered the mouth of the pit then wet with sweat and aching with tiredness he crouched behind the stump of a lightning charred tree he knew his pursuer was coming he heard the patting sound of feet on the soft earth and the night breeze brought him the perfume of the general cigarette it seemed to Rainsford that the general was coming with unusual swiftness he was not feeling his way along foot by foot Rainsford crouching there could not see the general nor could he see the pit he lived a year in a minute then he felt an impulse to cry aloud with joy for he heard the sharp crackle of the breaking branches as the cover of the pit gave way he heard the sharp scream of pain as the pointed stakes found their mark he leaped up from his place of concealment then he cowered back three feet from the pit a man was standing with an electric torch in his hand you've done well Rainsford the voice of the general called your Burmese tiger pit has claimed one of my best dogs again you score I think mr. Rainsford I'll see what you can do against my whole pack I'm going home for a rest now thank you for a most amusing evening at daybreak Rainsford lying near the swamp was awakened by a sound that made him know that he had new things to learn about fear it was a distant sound faint and wavering but he knew it it was the baying of a pack of hounds Rainsford knew he could do one of two things he could stay where he was and wait that was suicide he could flee that was postponing the inevitable for a moment he stood there thinking an idea that held a wild chance came to him and tightening his belt he headed away from the swamp the baying of the hounds drew nearer then still nearer nearer ever nearer on a ridge Rainsford climbed a tree down a watercourse not a quarter of a mile away he could see the bush moving straining his eyes he saw the lean figure of general Zaroff just ahead of him Rainsford made out another figure whose wide shoulders surged through the tall jungle weeds it was the giant Ivan and he seemed pulled forward by some unseen force Rainsford knew that Ivan must be holding the pack in leash they would be on him any minute now his mind worked frantically he thought of a native trick he had learned in Uganda he slid down the tree he caught hold of a springy young sapling and to it he fastened his hunting knife with the blade pointing down the trail with a bit of wild grapevine he tied back the sapling then he ran for his life the hounds raised their voices as they hit the fresh scent Rainsford knew now how an animal at bay feels he had to stop to get his breath the baying of the hounds stopped abruptly and Rainsford heart stopped - they must have reached the knife he's shinned excitedly up a tree and looked back his pursuers had stopped but the hope that was in Rainsford x' brain when he climbed died for he saw in the shallow valley the general Zaroff was still on his feet but ivan was not the knife driven by the recoil of the springing tree had not wholly failed Rainsford had hardly tumbled to the ground when the pack took up the cry again nerve nerve nerve he panted as he dashed along a blue gap showed between the trees dead ahead ever nearer drew the hounds Rainsford forced himself on toward that gap he reached it it was the shore of the sea across a cove he could see the gloomy gray stone of the chateau 20 feet below him the sea rumbled and hissed Rainsford hesitated he heard the hounds then he leaped far out into the sea when the general in his pack reached the place by the sea the cassock stopped for some minutes he stood regarding the blue-green expanse of water he shrugged his shoulders then he sat down took a drink of brandy from a silver flask lit a cigarette and hummed a bit from Madame Butterfly general Zaroff had an exceedingly good dinner in his great paneled dining hall that evening with it he had a bottle of paul raja and half a bottle of shaumbra tim to slight annoyances kept him from perfect enjoyment one was the thought that it would be difficult to replace ivan the other was that his query had escaped him of course the american hadn't played the game so thought the general as he tasted his after-dinner liqueur in his library he read to soothe himself from the works of marcus aurelius at 10 he went up to his bedroom he was deliciously tired he said to himself as he locked himself in there was a little moonlight so before turning on his light he went to the window and looked down at the courtyard he could see the great hounds and he called better luck another time to them then he switched on the light a man who had been hiding in the curtains of the bed was standing there Rainsford screamed the general how in God's name did you get here swam said Rainsford I found it quicker than walking through the jungle the general sucked in his breath and smiled I congratulate you he said you have won the game brains fur did not smile I am still a beast at bay he said in a low hoarse voice get ready generals are off the general made one of his deepest vows I see he said splendid one of us is to furnish a repast for the hounds the other will sleep in this very excellent bed on guard Rainsford he had never slept in a better bed Rainsford decided