Topics: Insurance

The Most Dangerous Game - Part 4 :

by Richard Connell


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 five years old he gave me a little gun, specially made in Moscow for me, to shoot sparrows with. When I shot some of his prize 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 ten. My whole life has been one prolonged hunt. I went into the army--it was expected of noblemen's sons--and for a time commanded a 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 have 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 Czar to stay there. Many noble Russians lost everything. 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. Naturally, I continued to hunt--grizzliest in your Rockies, crocodiles in the Ganges, rhinoceroses 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 sighed. "They were no match at 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 businessmen 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, General Zaroff."

"So," continued 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 you perhaps 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 quarry. Always. There is no greater bore than perfection."

The general lit a fresh cigarette.

"No animal had a chance with me any more. That is no boast; it is a mathematical certainty. The animal had nothing but his legs and 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," the general went on.

"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 traits in them, hills, swamps--"

"But the animal, General Zaroff?"

"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 quarry with which I can match my wits."

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 grisly joke."

"Why should I not be serious? I am speaking of hunting."

"Hunting? Great Guns, General Zaroff, what you speak of is murder."

Recipe:

Breakfast Potatoes:

Recipe By : TASTE OF HOME - FEB/MARCH 1996
Serving Size : 2 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Breakfast

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 Medium potatoes -- peeled and sliced
1/4 Cup sliced onion
1/4 Teaspoon salt
1/8 Teaspoon pepper
1/4 Teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 Cup Cheddar cheese -- shredded

Coat a 9" microwave safe plate with nonstick cooking spray.
Arrange potato and onion slices on plate; sprinkle with
seasonings. Cover and microwave on high for 5 minutes.
Sprinkle with cheese. cover and microwave on high for 4-5
minutes or until potatoes are tender.

------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Indian Cucumber Salad
Categories: Diabetic, Salads, Vegetables
Yield: 4 sweet ones

3 md Size cucumbers; 1 ts Ground cumin;
1 c Plain low-fat yogurt; 1 ts Dried mint leaves;
1 tb Fresh lemon juice

Peel cucumber, cut in half, discard seeds and slice thinly. Mix
remaining ingredients together, add cucumbers and stir together.
Food Exchange per serving: 1 VEGETABLE EXCHANGE; CAL: 37; CHO: 1mg;
CAR: 6g; PRO: 3g; SOD: 46mg; FAT: 0g;

Souce: Light & Easy Diabetes Cuisine by Betty Marks.
Brought to you and yours via Nancy O'Brion and her Meal-Master
------------------------------------------------------------
EGG AND SAUSAGE STRATA

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Brunch

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
12 White bread slices -- cubed
1 1/2 pounds Pork sausage
1/3 cup Onion -- chopped
1/4 cup Green pepper -- chopped
1 Jars Pimiento; chopped -- drain
6 Eggs
3 cups Milk
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Oregano
Recipe by: Sue Klapper
Line a greased 9 x 13 pan with bread cubes; set aside.
In a skillet, brown sausage with the onion and green pepper; drain. Stir in
pimientos; sprinkle over bread.
In a bowl, beat eggs, milk, Worcestershire sauc,e mustard, salt, pepper and
oregano. Pour over sausage mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake,
covered, at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center
comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Pronounciation: Sp St Sk

Grammar :Wish

Wishes and regrets
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Introduction
You can use this structure when you would like things to be different from the way they actually are.
Use the verb wish to refer to how you would like things to be in the present or to talk about how you would like things to be in the future.
It can also be used to talk about the way things were in the past, but obviously the past can't be changed.
The general concept is sometimes known as 'wishful thinking' and often coincides with the use in Spanish of 'ojalá'.
Wishes about the present (and the future)
If you want to talk about your present situation, you can use the structure wish + past simple or continuous. For example:
I haven't got any money. I wish I had some money.
I don't earn much money. I wish I earned a lot of money.
We're all living in a small flat. I wish we weren't living in a small flat. I wish we were living in a big flat.

The same form can be used to talk about someone else's situation. However, there is another structure that you use to talk about actions that take place in the present, but you want them to change in the future. This structure is used to talk about another person, and generally about things you don't like. The structure is wish + would/could + infinitive. For example:
Your friend is always borrowing money from you because he never seems to have his bank card with him. You could say to him:
I wish you wouldn't keep borrowing money from me.
I wish you would remember to go to the bank from time to time.
Perhaps the same friend does lots of things that irritate you. Maybe he phones you early in the morning when you're still in bed. He might arrange to meet you and then turn up late. You could say to him:
I wish you wouldn't phone me so early in the morning.
I wish you would wait until later.
I wish you would tell me when you're going to be late.
Wishes about the future (and the present)
When you talk about the future, you use the same structure as you use to talk about present states. Some examples:
I have to go to the dentist tomorrow. I wish I didn't have to go to the dentist tomorrow.
I'll have to do some extra work over the weekend. I wish I didn't have to do any extra work over the weekend.
My brother is coming to stay with me next week. I wish my brother wasn't coming next week.
The future in these cases can't be changed (in theory), and so the situation is seen as unreal and has to be referred to using past tenses.
Wishes about the past: regrets
When you think about a situation in the past, naturally you can't do anything to change it. Therefore this is a way of expressing regret. The structure you use is wish + past perfect. For example:
You were too slow getting ready to go out. I wish you hadn't been so slow getting ready.
Now we've missed the train. I wish we hadn't missed the train.
I promised our friends we'd arrive on time. I wish I hadn't promised we'd arrive on time, because now they'll be waiting for us.

Notes
As mentioned above, the structure wish + would can't be used to talk about yourself. It is used to refer to actions, and you should be able to stop any action you're doing.
Therefore when you talk about yourself, you're talking about states you have no control over (I'm poor, I wish I was rich) or other people's actions that you have no control over either (I haven't got any money. I wish you'd give me some).
If your wish might come true, you should use a different type of verb. For example:
I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow.
I'd like to go to the Caribbean for my holiday next year.
I hope you get well soon.
You don't need to repeat all the verbs all the time:
My flat is cold. I wish it wasn't.
You smoke. I wish you wouldn't.
She told him! I wish she hadn't.

Idioms 11:

to keep out
to keep away
to find fault with
to be up to
ill at ease
to do over
to look into
to take hold
to get through
from now on
to keep track of
to be carried away