Summary

In Chapter 42, Rumpus hears people talking. He can tell the girl is not with them. He dozes for a while. When he wakes, he is uneasy about getting out of the tree, though he is not certain why. As he moves around the forest, he hears more people discussing the traps and the plans to hunt. After dark, Rumpus climbs a beech tree, feeling safer among the high limbs. He hears pounding and shouting, then sees men carrying torches. When they are very close, Rumpus runs. The men begin to shout that they have seen the creature. Rumpus hears gunshots ring out. He goes in the only direction that is not filled with torches. He does not see the hole until he falls in, a rope net closing around him as it lifts into the air. The men begin to shout, “WE'VE GOT...