CCSS
R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, R.7, W.3, SL.1, L.5, L.6
The Most Dangerous Game
What happens when the hunter becomes the hunted?
Art by Asaf Hanuka
SCENE 1
N1: A ship sails at night. Two sailors stand on the deck.
Sailor 1 (shivering ): I feel evil in the air.
Sailor 2: We must be near Ship-Trap Island.
N2: The captain arrives.
Captain: I need you two on lookout.
Sailors 1 and 2: Aye, aye!
N1: They leave. Rainsford and Whitney appear.
Rainsford: The crew seems nervous.
Whitney: They fear that strange island over there.
Rainsford: Why?
Whitney: Many ships have sunk here. The crews were never found.
N2: Whitney looks out at the dark sky.
Whitney: I’m excited to get to Brazil so our hunt can begin.
Rainsford: Hunting! The greatest sport in the world.
Whitney: For the hunter. Not for the jaguar.
Rainsford: Who cares how the jaguar feels?
Whitney: The jaguar does.
Rainsford: The jaguar doesn’t have feelings.
Whitney: All animals fear pain and death.
Rainsford: Nonsense. In this world, there are hunters and the hunted. Luckily, we are hunters.
SCENE 2
N1: Later, Rainsford stands on deck alone.
N2: He hears a sound in the distance.
SFX: Pop!
Rainsford: Was that a gunshot?
N1: Two more shots are fired.
SFX: Pop! Pop!
N2: Rainsford leans over the rail, trying to see.
N1: Suddenly, he falls.
Rainsford: Heeeeeeellllllppp!
SFX: Splash!
N2: The ship sails away.
Rainsford (to himself ): I’m lost! Stay calm. Think.
N1: He hears a scream of terror, then another shot.
SFX: Aaaaaiiiiiiieeeeee! Pop!
Rainsford: Where there are guns, there are men.
N2: Rainsford swims toward the sounds.
N1: Finally, he reaches the shore, drags himself onto the rocks, and falls asleep.
SCENE 3
N2: Rainsford wakes up hours later.
Rainsford: I need food.
N1: He sees a mansion high on a cliff.
Rainsford: Someone lives here!
N2: Rainsford makes his way to a tall iron gate and up wide stone steps.
N1: He knocks on the door.
SFX: Knock, knock, knock.
N2: The door creaks open.
N1: Standing there is a giant man pointing a gun at Rainsford’s chest.
Rainsford: Please! I fell off a ship. My name is Rainsford.
N2: A man with bright white hair and a sharp face appears.
Zaroff: Welcome, Mr. Rainsford. I am General Zaroff. This is Ivan.
N1: Zaroff nods at Ivan.
Zaroff: Ivan will get you some clothes. Then you will join me for dinner.
SCENE 4
N2: Rainsford and Zaroff sit in a grand dining room.
N1: The heads of many animals hang on the wall.
N2: Rainsford points to a large buffalo head.
Rainsford: To me, a buffalo is the most dangerous game.
Zaroff: You are wrong. On my island, I hunt more dangerous game.
Rainsford: Tigers?
Zaroff: No. Too easy.
Rainsford: Then what?
Zaroff: A new animal. It is brave and uses reason.
Rainsford: No animal can use reason.
Zaroff: One can.
N1: Rainsford gasps.
Rainsford: You . . . hunt men? That’s murder!
Zaroff: I’m a hunter, not a murderer.
Rainsford: Where do you get them?
Zaroff: Sometimes a storm will cause a shipwreck.
N2: Zaroff pushes a button and points out the window.
Zaroff: Sometimes I cause a shipwreck.
N1: A row of lights appears on the water.
Zaroff: Those lights send ships crashing into the rocks.
Rainsford: This is madness! You hunt your fellow man!
Zaroff: Only the weak! And I feed and train them first. My training school is in the basement.
N2: Zaroff smiles, showing his pointed teeth.
Zaroff: It’s a sport, you see. I suggest to one of them that we go hunting.
Rainsford: And then?
Zaroff: He gets food, a hunting knife, and a three-hour head start. If he stays alive for three days, he wins his freedom.
Rainsford: And if you find him?
Zaroff: He loses. And I haven’t lost yet.
N1: Zaroff chuckles.
Zaroff: One almost won. I had to send my dogs after him.
N2: Through the window, Rainsford sees the dogs’ green eyes glowing in the night.
Rainsford: Will you excuse me? I’m not feeling well.
Zaroff: Of course.
N1: Rainsford rushes off.
N2: He lies awake all night, hearing gunshots far off.
SFX: Pop! Pop! Pop!
Art by Asaf Hanuka
Welcome To Trap Island
It’s a mysterious place where boats sink and sailors are never found. If you got trapped here, how would you escape?
SCENE 5
N1: The next day, the two men are at breakfast.
Zaroff: Sailors are too easy to hunt. I need a challenge.
Rainsford: General, I want to leave this island at once.
N2: Zaroff’s eyes suddenly grow bright.
Zaroff: No. Tonight, we will hunt. You and I!
Rainsford: Never.
Zaroff: It’s your choice. You can be the hunter or the hunted.
Rainsford: You mean . . . you will hunt me?
Zaroff: Yes! I will finally have a worthy foe. It will be your brain against mine.
Rainsford: And if I stay alive for three days?
Zaroff: You win. I will take you to freedom.
Rainsford: How can I trust you?
Zaroff: Sir! I always keep my word.
N1: Zaroff stands up.
Zaroff: Ivan will give you hunting clothes, food, and a knife.
N2: Zaroff starts to leave, then turns around.
Zaroff: You’d best get started, Mr. Rainsford. Ta-ta!
SCENE 6
N1: Rainsford hacks his way through the jungle for hours.
SFX: Slash. Slash.
Rainsford: I should confuse Zaroff.
N2: Rainsford walks in loops.
N1: As night falls, he climbs into a tree and hides.
N2: When morning comes, Rainsford hears something coming through the bushes.
Zaroff: His tracks are here, but where is he?
N1: Zaroff looks around. His eyes start to travel up the tree.
N2: Rainsford holds his breath. His heart pounds.
Zaroff (smiling ): Ah well, I will find him later.
N1: Zaroff leaves.
Rainsford (to himself ): He saw me. He’s playing with me!
N2: Rainsford slides down from the tree.
Rainsford: Now I know the true terror of being the jaguar!
Art by Asaf Hanuka
Evil Eyes
Zaroff’s hunting dogs are trained to track his game. If you hear them coming—watch out!
SCENE 7
N1: Rainsford runs across the island. Insects bite him.
SFX: Bzzzzz. Bzzzzz. Bzzzzz.
N2: His foot sinks deep into the ground.
Rainsford: Ahhh! Noooooo! It must be quicksand!
N1: He hears the sound of dogs in the distance.
SFX: Woof, woof, woof.
N2: Rainsford tears himself loose.
Rainsford: I must run, but where?
N1: The dogs are getting close.
SFX: Woof! Woof! Woof!
Rainsford: Beyond the trees—is that the sea?
N2: Now the dogs can smell him. They are ferocious.
SFX: WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!
N1: Rainsford sprints to the edge of the high cliff—
N2: —and leaps into the water below.
N1: Zaroff and the dogs appear at the cliff’s edge.
Zaroff: Oh, Rainsford. You chose death.
SCENE 8
N2: General Zaroff finishes his dinner and goes to his bedroom.
N1: He switches on the light and jumps back.
Zaroff: Rainsford! How did you get here?
Rainsford: I swam.
Zaroff: I congratulate you. You have won the game.
Rainsford: No, Zaroff. I am still a hunted beast.
Zaroff: Oh, I see! Tonight, only one of us will sleep in this warm bed.
Rainsford: That’s right.
N2: Rainsford bares his teeth and leaps toward Zaroff.
Rainsford: Raaaaaaarh!
Zaroff: Noooooo!
N1: That night, Rainsford never slept better.
ACTIVITY:
Making an Inference
Art by Asaf Hanuka
Winner Takes The Bed
Is that why Rainsford is smiling?
You’ve just read “The Most Dangerous Game.” Now it’s time to try this activity.
Tip: An inference is something that isn’t stated but can be figured out from clues in the text.
What to do: Imagine that you are Rainsford. You meet up with Whitney, and he has some questions about your time on Ship-Trap Island. Make inferences to answer each question with at least one complete sentence.
What did you think of Zaroff when you first met him?
How did you feel when you heard that Zaroff hunted humans?
Why do you think Zaroff let you live the first time he spotted you during the hunt?
Why did you attack Zaroff in the end?
