Ralph felt a chunk of meat pushed against him and grabbed it.
"But what are you going to do when you catch me?"
Roger sharpened a stick at both ends, Ralph got the answer.
Now there were voices raised on the top of the Castle Rock. Samneric were arguing with someone. Ralph chose the nearby ferns and the grass as a hiding place. He squatted in the long grass and began to tear the meat given by Sam. Meanwhile, he heard the cries of pain from Samneric, cries of panic, angry voices. It was Jack torturing one of the twins. He pulled himself between the ferns, tunneling in. He laid the stick beside him. He did not know how quickly sleep came and hurled him down a dark interior slope. When he awoke in the morning, he could hear the voices of the savages trying to search him out. Ralph picked up his stick and prepared for battle. There was a long breathless silence. Several of the boys were busy rolling rocks down the mountain so that it broke into the thicket where Ralph was hiding. And then Jack put the forest on fire to smoke Ralph out. Terrified, Ralph bolted from his hiding place fighting his way past several of Jack's hunters. They chased him through the forest wielding their Spears menacingly. Weaving through the dense underbrush, Ralph finally escaped to the beach. He collapsed there in terror and exhaustion. Jack's hunters were closely behind him.
When Ralph looked up, he was astonished to see a strange figure looming over him. It was a Naval officer standing on the sand, looking down at Ralph in wary astonishment. The officer looked at him doubtfully for a moment then took his hand away from the butt of the revolver.
Question 1: What does Ralph feel being pushed against him, and how does he react?
Answer: Ralph feels a chunk of meat being pushed against him and grabs it, indicating his hunger and immediate need for sustenance.
Question 2: How does Roger's action with the stick sharpening reveal his intentions towards Ralph?
Answer: Roger sharpening a stick at both ends suggests his sinister intent, implying that he plans to harm or even kill Ralph.
Question 3: What turmoil does Ralph witness among the boys on the Castle Rock, and how does he react?
Answer: Ralph hears cries of pain, panic, and angry voices from Samneric, indicating that Jack is torturing one of them. Ralph reacts by hiding in nearby ferns, torn between fear and concern for his friends.
Question 4: How does Ralph prepare for the impending confrontation with the savages?
Answer: Ralph picks up a stick, symbolizing his readiness for battle against the savages who are trying to search him out.
Question 5: Describe Jack's strategy to capture Ralph and how Ralph responds?
Answer: Jack's hunters roll rocks down the mountain and set the forest on fire to smoke Ralph out. Ralph responds by fleeing from his hiding place, fighting his way past the hunters, and running through the forest to escape.
Question 6: Who does Ralph encounter on the beach, and how does this encounter end?
Answer: Ralph encounters a Naval officer standing on the sand, who looks at him with wary astonishment. The officer eventually takes his hand away from the revolver, indicating a cessation of immediate threat or violence.
