Most dangerous game by Richard Connell part 6

[Red02102002]

   Rainsford’s bewilderment showed in his face.
   “I wanted the ideal animal to hunt,” explained the general. “So I said: ‘What are the attributes of an ideal quarry?’ 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 are serious, General Zaroff. This is a joke.”
   “Why should I not be serious? I am speaking of hunting.”
   “Hunting? General Zaroff, what you speak of is murder.”
   The general laughed. “I’ll wager you’ll forget your notions when you go huntingwith 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, “again that unpleasant word.”
   “Yes.”
   “Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and, if need be, taken by the strong. The weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure. I am strong. If I wish to hunt, why should I not?”
   “But they are men,” said Rainsford hotly.
   “Precisely,” said the general. “That is why I use them. It gives me pleasure. They can reason. So they are dangerous.”
   “But where do you get them?”
   The general’s left eyelid fluttered down in a wink. “This island is called Ship-Trap,” he answered. “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’s eyes saw only blackness, and then, as the general pressed a button, far out to sea Rainford saw the flash of lights.
   The general chuckle. “They indicated a channel where there’s none: giant rocks with razor edges crouch 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 brought 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 general’s black eyes, but it was there for 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 you suggest. 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?”
   “We’ll visit my training school,” smiled the general. “It’s in the cellar. I have about a dozen pupils down there now.”
   He raised his hand, and Ivan, who served as waiter, brought thick Turkist coffe. Rainsford, with an effort, held his tongue in check.