on this island, mostly using sailors as his prey.  Even they were getting boring, however, so he was very excited when Rainsford showed up.  Rainsford was not interested in playing his game as a fellow hunter, so he became prey.

At this point in the story, Rainsford is alone in the forest trying to evade capture and death by Zaroff.  He is also trying not to lose his nerve.  Rainsford is a talented hunter himself, having been to many countries and written several books.  He sees something that gives him an idea, “a huge dead tree leaned precariously on a smaller, living one.”  This gives him the idea to make a Malay mancatcher.  He thinks that if he can capture or kill Zaroff, he can save himself.  He gets to work and sets the trap.

Rainsford waits, and Zaroff comes.  His foot touches the trigger, a “protruding bough” and he leaps back because he senses danger.

But he was not quite quick enough; the dead tree, delicately adjusted to rest on the cut living one, crashed down and struck the general a glancing blow on the shoulder as it fell; but for his alertness, he must have been smashed beneath it.

The general escapes, just in time.  He is impressed, and congratulates Rainsford.  He does not know exactly where he is, but he knows that he is nearby watching.  Then he leaves.  The trap has earned Rainsford some peace for the rest of the day, while Zaroff leaves to get his wound dressed.

Zaroff’s reaction to the trap is interesting.  He is almost happy, because he feels he has met a worthy ally.  He salutes Rainsford.  He also demonstrates his own cunning, because he has been to Malacca and seen the trap before.  It shows that as clever as Rainsford is, Zaroff is not going to be easy to evade.  It also shows that Zaroff is more than just a killer.  He really does enjoy sport for sport’s sake.

A Malay mancatcher is a type of booby trap which is, according to General Zaroff, both immediately recognizable and fairly difficult to rig up. It involves the cutting of a dead tree so that the cut bough can then become a weapon poised to crush any intruders who do not know about the trap. The dead tree is balanced carefully on a living tree which has been specially cut. If a particular "trigger" bough is touched by the step of the intruder, the dead tree will come crashing down. In instances where the trap works properly and fulfills its function, the falling tree would hit the intruder, crushing them and either killing them or holding them in place, making it difficult for them to continue in their pursuit.

In this story, Rainsford goes to great effort to rig up a Malay mancatcher in an attempt to capture and possibly kill his pursuer, General Zaroff. However, Zaroff is able to sidestep the trap just in time, only taking an injury to his shoulder. He also quite clearly recognizes the trap for what it is and calls out to congratulate Rainsford on its construction. He says that not very many men are able to construct a Malay mancatcher but that he, like Rainsford, has hunted in Malacca, where the trap originates, so he is familiar with the construction.

Readers don't get too much detail about the Malay mancatcher. In fact, it isn't described in any kind of detail prior to the trap going off. We are told that Rainsford saw a huge dead tree, and he quickly set to work with all of his energy. We have no idea what he is building, and Rainsford hides a few hundred feet away after completing his project. General Zaroff eventually comes into the area, and he is very intent on stalking Rainsford. He is so intent, in fact, that he doesn't see the trap's trigger mechanism.

So intent was the Cossack on his stalking that he was upon the thing Rainsford had made before he saw it. His foot touched the protruding bough that was the trigger.

Unfortunately for Rainsford, Zaroff has a danger sense as good as Spider Man's "spidey sense." Zaroff jumps back just as the delicately balanced dead tree falls down from the living tree. Basically, a Malay mancatcher is a trap that is designed to smash a person underneath a large, falling dead tree.

But he was not quite quick enough; the dead tree, delicately adjusted to rest on the cut living one, crashed down and struck the general a glancing blow on the shoulder as it fell; but for his alertness, he must have been smashed beneath it.

The general receives a glancing blow, and he then calls out a congratulations to Rainsford.

"Rainsford," called the general, "if you are within sound of my voice, as I suppose you are, let me congratulate you. Not many men know how to make a Malay mancatcher. Luckily for me I, too, have hunted in Malacca."