MDG+Summary

As the story begins, Sanger Rainsford and his faithful companion Whitney are aboard a yacht in the Caribbean in search of a place to hunt for a jaguar when Whitney points out an island known as "Ship-Trap Island". After spotting the island Whitney points out how hunting may be a game for the hunter, but something much more for the hunted. Rainsford laughs at Whitney's idea that there is any problem for the unsuspecting prey. Rainsford has no remorse toward beasts or their pain. After the discussion Rainsford drops his pipe and falls off of the boat trying to catch it. Later, he wakes up washed ashore Ship-Trap Island.

After wandering the island, Rainsford comes upon an estate lodged deep in the jungle owned by General Zaroff and his servant Ivan. General Zaroff is another hunter and has heard of Rainsford and read his book. Over dinner Zaroff tells how he has become so experienced at hunting he no longer enjoys hunting animals and has turned to shipwrecked sailors because he sees them as a more challenging game. Zaroff then explains the rules of the "game" to Rainsford and tells him that he is next to be hunted.

Rainsford runs into the jungle and climbs into a tree where Zaroff easily finds him but then decides to play the game of cat and mouse with him. After being found Rainsford builds a Malaysian man trap which Zaroff trips but avoids death, only having the falling tree hit his shoulder. Then, Rainsford sets a tiger trap that kills one of Zaroff's hunting hounds. Finally, Rainsford makes a pit trap with his knife in hopes of finishing Zaroff for good, but to his disappointment, only kills Ivan. By now the hounds were on Rainsford's trail, so he jumped off a cliff into the ocean to lose them, which makes Zaroff assume that he had killed himself so he returned home. By the time Zaroff gets back to his home, Rainsford is there having swam around the island.

Zaroff attempts to congratulate Rainsford but Rainsford refuses to accept it. Rainsford claims that it's not over, that he is still "a beast at bay" meaning that Zaroff can't just turn the game on and off whenever he wants. Rainsford then challenges the General to a duel. Zaroff agrees and says that the winner will sleep in the master bed and the loser will be fed to the hounds. Return to The Most Dangerous Game home page