The Hunting of the Man
- Prendick has a freak out moment—quite reasonable given the circumstances. He desperately tries to find a weapon and tears the side rail off a chair. A nail comes with the rail, so now he's got a makeshift nail-bat.
- He hears a noise outside and flings open the door, catching Montgomery in the act of trying to lock him in. He swings the nail-bat at Montgomery but misses. Doesn't matter though because Prendick does what he does best. He runs.
- Once in the forest, he stops and takes stock of his predicament. He's facing two vivisectors with guns and a forest full of beast creatures; not to mention he doesn't know the lay of the land or have any food or water. You've heard the expression, "up a creek without a paddle"? Well, Prendick's up the creek without even a boat at this point.
- He decides that, if necessary, he'll walk into the ocean and commit suicide (not much of a strategist either).
- He notices a black face watching him from the trees. It turns out to be an ape-like man. This creature comes down from the tree, having recognized Prendick from the boat.
- The creature, whom Prendick soon refers to as Ape Man, takes a keen interest in counting Prendick's fingers. Prendick is already relieved—this fellow can talk. In beast society, human-like hands are especially valued since most of the beast people have deformed hands. Since Prendick is a natural human, he gets a free pass on this one.
- Prendick asks for something to eat, and Ape Man beckons him to follow. He takes him to what he calls the "huts" located in a deep ravine.