The Interlopers by Saki

Collection 3: Narrator and Voice

Part 1

Imagine you are in a dark forest on a winter night, hunting an enemy_who

just happens to be your neighbor. Now suppose that your neighbor is hunting

you, too. What makes people who should be friends become fierce enemies?

Who is the loser in this story’s deadly fight? The answer may shock you.

LITERARY FOCUS: OMNISCIENT NARRATOR

A story’s omniscient narrator knows everything that happens, and why. This

type of narrator is not a character in the story but an outside observer who

can tell you what each character is thinking and feeling.

• As you read “The Interlopers,” pay special attention to the information

the narrator gives you about the two characters’ pasts.

• The narrator of “The Interlopers” makes us think that events are leading

one way_up until the story’s very end. Prepare to be surprised.

READING SKILLS: MONITORING YOUR READING

Some of the words and sentences in “The Interlopers” may seem difficult.

The following tips will help you understand this classic story.

• Look for context clues that can help you figure out the meaning of

unfamiliar words.

•Break down long sentences into shorter ones.

• Look for the subject and verb in confusing sentences.

• Stop to summarize important passages or scenes.

• Re-read tough passages. Some passages are hard to understand the first

time.

•Try to visualize, or picture, the events that are happening.

The Interlopers

by Saki

Literary Skills

Recognize an

omniscient

narrator (or

point of view).

Reading

Skills

Monitor your

reading.

Vocabulary

Skills

Understand and

use context

clues.

HRS9C03_078_105d 4/7/03 7:38 PM Page 80 impos03 108:hrhrs9:hrhrs9ch03:hrs9ch03%0:

The Interlopers 81

precipitous (pr≤·sip√¥·t¥s) adj.: very steep.

The wooded slope was precipitous—a vertical

cliff—and hard to climb.

acquiesced (ak≈w≤·est√) v. (used with in): accept-

ed; agreed; consented.

They never acquiesced in the judgment of the

court; instead, they bitterly opposed it.

marauders (m¥·rôd√·¥rz) n.: people who roam

around in search of loot, or goods to steal.

The man kept a sharp lookout for marauders

who might be prowling through the woods.

exasperation (eg·zas≈p¥r·†√◊¥n) n.: great

annoyance.

His exasperation at being captured was so great

that he cursed aloud.

pious (p¢√¥s) adj.: showing religious devotion.

Although not religious, his words were pious.

retorted (ri·tôr√tid) v.: replied in a sharp or witty

way.

Feeling insulted, he retorted angrily.

condolences (k¥n·d£√l¥ns·iz) n.: expressions of

sympathy.

When he heard about his enemy’s death, he sent

condolences to the widow.

languor (la«√g¥r) n.: weakness; weariness.

After hours of hard work, he felt a great

languor, and this exhaustion lasted all day.

reconciliation (rek≈¥n·sil≈≤·†√◊¥n) n.: friendly end

to a quarrel.

The fight could end in one of two ways—

reconciliation or death.

succor (suk√¥r) n.: help given to someone in

distress; relief.

Unable to free themselves, they waited for

rescuers to give them succor.

PREVIEW SELECTION VOCABULARY

Preview the following words from “The Interlopers.” Study the words before you begin the story.

Type of

Context Clue

Example

Definition

or restatement

Example

Antonym

Cause and effect

Tito’s languor, his complete weariness,

came when the danger was over.

Tito’s languor was like the feeling you

get after defeat in a basketball game.

His cousin was full of pep, but Tito had

a feeling of languor.

Because of his languor, Tito slept all day.

CONTEXT CLUES: SOLVING

WORD MYSTERIES

Successful readers are like detec-

tives looking for clues. When

good readers see an unfamiliar

word, they look at the context—

the words and sentences around

the word_for clues to its mean-

ing. Look at these examples to

learn more.

HRS9C03_078_105d 8/26/03 12:00 PM Page 81 impos06 108:hrhrs9r1:hrhrs9ch03:hrs9ch03%0:

In a forest of mixed growth somewhere on the eastern spurs of

the Carpathians,

a man stood one winter night watching and

listening, as though he waited for some beast of the woods to

come within the range of his vision and, later, of his rifle. But

the game for whose presence he kept so keen an outlook was

none that figured in the sportsman’s calendar as lawful and

proper for the chase; Ulrich von Gradwitz patrolled the dark

forest in quest of a human enemy.

The forest lands of Gradwitz were of wide extent and well

stocked with game; the narrow strip of precipitous woodland

that lay on its outskirt was not remarkable for the game it har-

bored or the shooting it afforded, but it was the most jealously

guarded of all its owner’s territorial possessions. A famous law-

suit, in the days of his grandfather, had wrested it from the ille-

gal possession of a neighboring family of petty landowners; the

dispossessed party had never acquiesced in the judgment of the

courts, and a long series of poaching affrays

and similar scan-

Collection 3: Narrator and Voice

Part 1

The Interlopers

Saki

Which character are you

introduced to in the first

paragraph? What is he look-

ing for in the forest?

Michael Busselle/Getty Images.

1. Carpathians (kär·p†√‚≤·¥nz): mountain range that starts in Slovakia

and extends through Poland, Ukraine, and Romania.

2. poaching affrays (¥·fr†z√): noisy quarrels or brawls about poaching,

which means “fishing or hunting illegally on private property.”

precipitous (pr≤·sip√¥·t¥s)

adj.: very steep.

acquiesced (ak≈w≤·est√) v.

(used with in): accepted;

agreed; consented.

Acquiesce has the same Latin

origin as quiet. Someone

who acquiesces agrees

quietly and without

excitement.

HRS9C03_078_105d 4/11/03 2:03 PM Page 82 impos06 108:hrhrs9:hrhrs9ch03:hrs9ch03%0:

dals had embittered the relationships between the families for

three generations. The neighbor feud had grown into a personal

one since Ulrich had come to be head of his family; if there was

a man in the world whom he detested and wished ill to, it was

Georg Znaeym, the inheritor of the quarrel and the tireless game

snatcher and raider of the disputed border forest. The feud

might, perhaps, have died down or been compromised if the

personal ill will of the two men had not stood in the way; as

boys they had thirsted for one another’s blood, as men each

prayed that misfortune might fall on the other, and this wind-

scourged winter night Ulrich had banded together his foresters

to watch the dark forest, not in quest of four-footed quarry, but

to keep a lookout for the prowling thieves whom he suspected of

being afoot from across the land boundary. The roebuck,

which

usually kept in the sheltered hollows during a storm wind, were

running like driven things tonight, and there was movement and

unrest among the creatures that were wont to sleep through the

dark hours. Assuredly there was a disturbing element in the for-

est, and Ulrich could guess the quarter from whence it came.

He strayed away by himself from the watchers whom he had

placed in ambush on the crest of the hill and wandered far down

the steep slopes amid the wild tangle of undergrowth, peering

through the tree trunks and listening through the whistling and

skirling

of the wind and the restless beating of the branches for

sight or sound of the marauders. If only on this wild night, in

this dark, lone spot, he might come across Georg Znaeym, man

to man, with none to witness

—that was the wish that was upper-

most in his thoughts. And as he stepped round the trunk of a

huge beech he came face to face with the man he sought.

The two enemies stood glaring at one another for a long

silent moment. Each had a rifle in his hand, each had hate in his

heart and murder uppermost in his mind. The chance had come

The Interlopers 83

3. roebuck (r£√buk≈) n.: male (or males) of the roe deer, small deer that

live in Europe and Asia.

4. skirling (sk∞rl√i«) v. used as n.: shrill, piercing sound.

Re-read lines 19-31.

Underline what you learn

about why the two men con-

tinue the fight between the

neighboring families. Whom

is Ulrich feuding with?

marauders (m¥·rôd√·¥rz) n.:

people who roam around in

search of loot, or goods to

steal.

In lines 44-45, underline the

compound word_a word

that is made up of two

words. What does this com-

pound word mean?

In lines 48-49, circle the sen-

tence in which the omnis-

cient narrator tells you what

each character is thinking

and feeling.

HRS9C03_078_105d 4/19/03 11:04 AM Page 83 impos05 108:hrhrs9:hrhrs9ch03:hrs9ch03%0:

to give full play to the passions of a lifetime. But a man who has

been brought up under the code of a restraining civilization

cannot easily nerve himself to shoot down his neighbor in cold

blood and without a word spoken, except for an offense against

his hearth and honor. And before the moment of hesitation had

given way to action, a deed of Nature’s own violence over-

whelmed them both. A fierce shriek of the storm had been

answered by a splitting crash over their heads, and ere they

could leap aside, a mass of falling beech tree had thundered

down on them. Ulrich von Gradwitz found himself stretched on

the ground, one arm numb beneath him and the other held

almost as helplessly in a tight tangle of forked branches, while

both legs were pinned beneath the fallen mass. His heavy shoot-

ing boots had saved his feet from being crushed to pieces, but if

his fractures were not as serious as they might have been, at least

it was evident that he could not move from his present position

till someone came to release him. The descending twigs had

slashed the skin of his face, and he had to wink away some drops

of blood from his eyelashes before he could take in a general

view of the disaster. At his side, so near that under ordinary cir-

cumstances he could almost have touched him, lay Georg

Znaeym, alive and struggling, but obviously as helplessly pin-

ioned

down as himself. All round them lay a thick-strewn

wreckage of splintered branches and broken twigs.

Relief at being alive and exasperation at his captive plight

brought a strange medley of pious thank offerings and sharp

curses to Ulrich’s lips. Georg, who was nearly blinded with the

blood which trickled across his eyes, stopped his struggling for a

moment to listen, and then gave a short, snarling laugh.

“So you’re not killed, as you ought to be, but you’re caught,

anyway,” he cried, “caught fast. Ho, what a jest, Ulrich von

Gradwitz snared in his stolen forest. There’s real justice for you!”

And he laughed again, mockingly and savagely.

Collection 3: Narrator and Voice

Part 1

5. pinioned (pin√y¥nd) v. used as adj.: pinned, as if chained or tied up.

Circle the important event

that happens to the two

enemies (lines 56-59).

Draw lines to break down

the long sentence in lines

69-72 into shorter units of

thought. Then, paraphrase

the sentence.

exasperation

(eg·zas≈p¥r·†√◊¥n) n.: great

annoyance.

pious (p¢√¥s) adj.: showing

religious devotion.

HRS9C03_078_105d 4/11/03 2:03 PM Page 84 impos06 108:hrhrs9:hrhrs9ch03:hrs9ch03%0:

“I’m caught in my own forest land,” retorted Ulrich.

“When my men come to release us, you will wish, perhaps, that

you were in a better plight than caught poaching on a neighbor’s

land, shame on you.”

Georg was silent for a moment; then he answered quietly:

“Are you sure that your men will find much to release? I

have men, too, in the forest tonight, close behind me, and they

will be here first and do the releasing. When they drag me out

from under these branches, it won’t need much clumsiness on

their part to roll this mass of trunk right over on the top of you.

Your men will find you dead under a fallen beech tree. For

form’s sake I shall send my condolences to your family.”

“It is a useful hint,” said Ulrich fiercely. “My men had

orders to follow in ten minutes’ time, seven of which must have

gone by already, and when they get me out

—I will remember

the hint. Only as you will have met your death poaching on my

lands, I don’t think I can decently send any message of condo-

lence to your family.”

“Good,” snarled Georg, “good. We fight this quarrel out to

the death, you and I and our foresters, with no cursed inter-

lopers to come between us. Death and damnation to you, Ulrich

von Gradwitz.”

“The same to you, Georg Znaeym, forest thief, game

snatcher.”

Both men spoke with the bitterness of possible defeat

before them, for each knew that it might be long before his men

would seek him out or find him; it was a bare matter of chance

which party would arrive first on the scene.

Both had now given up the useless struggle to free them-

selves from the mass of wood that held them down; Ulrich lim-

ited his endeavors to an effort to bring his one partially free arm

near enough to his outer coat pocket to draw out his wine flask.

Even when he had accomplished that operation, it was long

before he could manage the unscrewing of the stopper or get

100

110

The Interlopers 85

retorted (ri·tôr√tid) v.: replied

in a sharp or witty way.

condolences (k¥n·d£√l¥ns·iz)

n.: expressions of sympathy.

Condolence comes from two

Latin words: com-, a prefix

meaning “with,” and dolere,

meaning “to grieve.”

Re-read lines 82-94. What do

the enemies threaten to do

to each other once they are

rescued?

In line 113, circle the word

that restates the meaning of

endeavors.

HRS9C03_078_105d 4/11/03 2:03 PM Page 85 impos06 108:hrhrs9:hrhrs9ch03:hrs9ch03%0:

any of the liquid down his throat. But what a heaven-sent draft

it seemed! It was an open winter

, and little snow had fallen as

yet, hence the captives suffered less from the cold than might

have been the case at that season of the year; nevertheless, the

wine was warming and reviving to the wounded man, and he

looked across with something like a throb of pity to where his

enemy lay, just keeping the groans of pain and weariness from

crossing his lips.

“Could you reach this flask if I threw it over to you?” asked

Ulrich suddenly. “There is good wine in it, and one may as well

be as comfortable as one can. Let us drink, even if tonight one of

us dies.”

“No, I can scarcely see anything; there is so much blood

caked round my eyes,” said Georg; “and in any case I don’t drink

wine with an enemy.”

Ulrich was silent for a few minutes and lay listening to the

weary screeching of the wind. An idea was slowly forming and

growing in his brain, an idea that gained strength every time that

he looked across at the man who was fighting so grimly against

pain and exhaustion. In the pain and languor that Ulrich himself

was feeling, the old fierce hatred seemed to be dying down.

“Neighbor,” he said presently, “do as you please if your men

come first. It was a fair compact. But as for me, I’ve changed my

mind. If my men are the first to come, you shall be the first to be

helped, as though you were my guest. We have quarreled like

devils all our lives over this stupid strip of forest, where the trees

can’t even stand upright in a breath of wind. Lying here tonight,

thinking, I’ve come to think we’ve been rather fools; there are

better things in life than getting the better of a boundary dis-

pute. Neighbor, if you will help me to bury the old quarrel, I

—I

will ask you to be my friend.”

Georg Znaeym was silent for so long that Ulrich thought

perhaps he had fainted with the pain of his injuries. Then he

spoke slowly and in jerks.

120

130

140

150

Collection 3: Narrator and Voice

Part 1

6. draft n.: drink.

7. open winter: mild winter.

Re-read the long sentence in

lines 118-124. Then, summa-

rize the sentence.

Read the boxed passage

aloud several times. Focus on

conveying the different atti-

tudes of Ulrich and Georg.

languor (la«√g¥r) n.: weak-

ness; weariness.

In lines 132-137, the narra-

tor reveals an important

change in Ulrich’s attitude.

Circle the important change

the narrator tells you about.

HRS9C03_078_105d 4/11/03 2:03 PM Page 86 impos06 108:hrhrs9:hrhrs9ch03:hrs9ch03%0:

“How the whole region would stare and gabble if we rode

into the market square together. No one living can remember

seeing a Znaeym and a von Gradwitz talking to one another in

friendship. And what peace there would be among the forester

folk if we ended our feud tonight. And if we choose to make

peace among our people, there is none other to interfere, no

interlopers from outside....You would come and keep the

Sylvester night

beneath my roof, and I would come and feast on

some high day at your castle....I would never fire a shot on

your land, save when you invited me as a guest; and you should

come and shoot with me down in the marshes where the wild-

fowl are. In all the countryside there are none that could hinder

if we willed to make peace. I never thought to have wanted to do

other than hate you all my life, but I think I have changed my

mind about things too, this last half-hour. And you offered me

your wine flask....Ulrich von Gradwitz, I will be your friend.”

For a space both men were silent, turning over in their

minds the wonderful changes that this dramatic reconciliation

would bring about. In the cold, gloomy forest, with the wind

tearing in fitful gusts through the naked branches and whistling

round the tree trunks, they lay and waited for the help that

would now bring release and succor to both parties. And each

prayed a private prayer that his men might be the first to arrive,

so that he might be the first to show honorable attention to the

enemy that had become a friend.

160

170

The Interlopers 87

8. Sylvester night: feast day honoring Saint Sylvester (Pope Sylvester I,

d. 335), observed on December 31.

Pause at line 175. Earlier in

the story (lines 83-100), why

did each man hope that his

friends would be the first to

arrive? What has changed?

reconciliation

(rek≈¥n·sil≈≤·†√◊¥n) n.: friendly

end to a quarrel.

succor (suk√¥r) n.: help given

to someone in distress; relief.

Dudley Dana/Nonstock.

Notes

HRS9C03_078_105d 4/11/03 2:03 PM Page 87 impos06 108:hrhrs9:hrhrs9ch03:hrs9ch03%0:

Presently, as the wind dropped for a moment, Ulrich broke

the silence.

“Let’s shout for help,” he said; “in this lull our voices may

carry a little way.”

“They won’t carry far through the trees and undergrowth,”

said Georg, “but we can try. Together, then.”

The two raised their voices in a prolonged hunting call.

“Together again,” said Ulrich a few minutes later, after lis-

tening in vain for an answering halloo.

“I heard something that time, I think,” said Ulrich.

“I heard nothing but the pestilential

wind,” said Georg

hoarsely.

There was silence again for some minutes, and then Ulrich

gave a joyful cry.

“I can see figures coming through the wood. They are fol-

lowing in the way I came down the hillside.”

Both men raised their voices in as loud a shout as they

could muster.

“They hear us! They’ve stopped. Now they see us. They’re

running down the hill toward us,” cried Ulrich.

“How many of them are there?” asked Georg.

“I can’t see distinctly,” said Ulrich; “nine or ten.”

“Then they are yours,” said Georg; “I had only seven out

with me.”

“They are making all the speed they can, brave lads,” said

Ulrich gladly.

“Are they your men?” asked Georg. “Are they your men?” he

repeated impatiently, as Ulrich did not answer.

“No,” said Ulrich with a laugh, the idiotic chattering laugh

of a man unstrung with hideous fear.

“Who are they?” asked Georg quickly, straining his eyes to

see what the other would gladly not have seen.

“Wolves.”

180

190

200

Collection 3: Narrator and Voice

Part 1

9. pestilential (pes≈t¥·len√◊¥l) adj.: Strictly speaking, pestilential means

“deadly; causing disease; harmful.” Here, Georg uses the word to

mean “cursed.”

Pause at line 203. The narra-

tor doesn’t reveal who is

coming toward the men.

What effect does this lack of

information create?

Read to the end of the story.

Underline the one word that

reveals the story’s surprise

ending.

Why is it fitting that the two

men, who were hunting each

other in the forest that win-

ter night, are discovered

by wolves rather than by

rescuers?

HRS9C03_078_105d 4/11/03 2:03 PM Page 88 impos06 108:hrhrs9:hrhrs9ch03:hrs9ch03%0:

The Interlopers 89

The Interlopers

Narrator Questionnaire

This story is told by an omniscient narrator, who

knows all the story’s secrets. Fill out this chart to examine the way point of view

affects the plot and characters of “The Interlopers.”

1. Does the narrator reveal the thoughts and feelings of the two men? Explain.

2. How would the story be different if it were told from the point of view of one of the

men?

3. How might the story be different if it were told from the point of view of the wolves?

HRS9C03_078_105d 8/26/03 12:00 PM Page 89 impos06 108:hrhrs9r1:hrhrs9ch03:hrs9ch03%0:

Complete the sample test item below. Then, read the explanation at right.

The Interlopers

Skills Review

Collection 3: Narrator and Voice

Part 1

Explanation of the Correct Answer

The correct answer is D.

A and C are not correct, because the

story is told from the omniscient point

of view, not the point of view of just

one character. B is not correct; Saki is

the author.

Sample Test Question

Who is the story’s narrator?

A Georg Znaeym

B Saki

C Ulrich von Gradwitz

D an unnamed, all-knowing storyteller

3. The two men decide to become

friends because_

A their men have ordered them to

B they hate the neighbors

C they have become tired of being

enemies

D they hope to save themselves by

working together

4. The narrator creates suspense by

waiting until the end to_

F reveal what is approaching the

men

G tell which man dies first

H explain what the men were fight-

ing about

J warn readers against hunting at

night

1. Which passage reveals that the narra-

tor is omniscient?

A “Both men spoke with the bitter-

ness of possible defeat, for each

knew that it might be long before

his men would seek him out.”

B “The forest lands of Gradwitz

were of wide extent and well

stocked with game.”

C “The two raised their voices in a

prolonged hunting call.”

D “‘No,’ said Ulrich with a laugh,

the idiotic chattering laugh of a

man unstrung with hideous fear.”

2. The narrator tells us the two men—

F are hunting wolves

G don’t go hunting at night

H want to kill each other

J go to hunting parties together

DIRECTIONS: Circle the letter of each correct response.

Literary Skills

Analyze use of

the omniscient

narrator (or

point of view).

HRS9C03_078_105d 4/11/03 2:03 PM Page 90 impos06 108:hrhrs9:hrhrs9ch03:hrs9ch03%0:

The Interlopers 91

Skills Review

1. The hunter examined his quarry

after it had been shot.

A rifle C enemy

B land D hunted animal

2. No one could stop the bitter feud

between the two neighbors.

F ongoing argument

G broken fence

H agreement

J flooded lands

3. They heard the loud sound when

the tree thundered down on them.

A fell from the sky

B was split by lightning

C fell with a roaring noise

D yelled

4. He felt no pain in his right arm,

which was now numb.

F bandaged H painful

G without J foolish

feeling

Context Clues

DIRECTIONS: Read the passage, using context clues to identify the meaning

of the boldface word. Then, circle the letter of the definition of that word.

The Interlopers

Vocabulary in Context

DIRECTIONS: Complete the paragraph below by writing the correct word

from the box in each blank. Not all words from the box will be used.

precipitous

acquiesced

marauders

exasperation

pious

retorted

condolences

languor

reconciliation

succor

Wo r d B o x

The two enemies stared at each other. The gray-haired one

laughed. “What are you laughing at?” the brown-haired one asked in

(1) . “I am laughing at two helpless men caught in

a trap,” the other (2) in anger. “Shall we become

friends? No, (3) is not in my plans. I will never

make up with you. And don’t give me any (4)

words about what religion has taught us. We will always be enemies. Our

widows can send each other (5) if they wish.”

Vocabulary

Skills

Analyze context

clues to identify

word meaning.

Use words in

context.

HRS9C03_078_105d 4/11/03 2:03 PM Page 91 impos06 108:hrhrs9:hrhrs9ch03:hrs9ch03%0:

42 The Holt Reader: Teacher’s Manual

The Interlopers 81

precipitous (pr≤·sip√¥·t¥s) adj.: very steep.

The wooded slope was precipitous—a vertical

cliff—and hard to climb.

acquiesced (ak≈w≤·est√) v. (used with in): accept-

ed; agreed; consented.

They never acquiesced in the judgment of the

court; instead, they bitterly opposed it.

marauders (m¥·rôd√·¥rz) n.: people who roam

around in search of loot, or goods to steal.

The man kept a sharp lookout for marauders

who might be prowling through the woods.

exasperation (eg·zas≈p¥r·†√◊¥n) n.: great

annoyance.

His exasperation at being captured was so great

that he cursed aloud.

pious (p¢√¥s) adj.: showing religious devotion.

Although not religious, his words were pious.

retorted (ri·tôr√tid) v.: replied in a sharp or witty

way.

Feeling insulted, he retorted angrily.

condolences (k¥n·d£√l¥ns·iz) n.: expressions of

sympathy.

When he heard about his enemy’s death, he sent

condolences to the widow.

languor (la«√g¥r) n.: weakness; weariness.

After hours of hard work, he felt a great

languor, and this exhaustion lasted all day.

reconciliation (rek≈¥n·sil≈≤·†√◊¥n) n.: friendly end

to a quarrel.

The fight could end in one of two ways—

reconciliation or death.

succor (suk√¥r) n.: help given to someone in

distress; relief.

Unable to free themselves, they waited for

rescuers to give them succor.

PREVIEW SELECTION VOCABULARY

Preview the following words from “The Interlopers.” Study the words before you begin the story

Type of

Context Clue

Example

Definition

or restatement

Example

Antonym

Cause and effect

Tito’s languor, his complete weariness,

came when the danger was over.

Tito’s languor was like the feeling you

get after defeat in a basketball game.

His cousin was full of pep, but Tito had

a feeling of languor.

Because of his languor, Tito slept all day.

CONTEXT CLUES: SOLVING

WORD MYSTERIES

Successful readers are like detec-

tives looking for clues. When

good readers see an unfamiliar

word, they look at the context—

the words and sentences around

the word_for clues to its mean-

ing. Look at these examples to

learn more.

Collection 3: Narrator and Voice

Part 1

Imagine you are in a dark forest on a winter night, hunting an enemy

_who

just happens to be your neighbor. Now suppose that your neighbor is hunting

you, too. What makes people who should be friends become fierce enemies?

Who is the loser in this story’s deadly fight? The answer may shock you.

LITERARY FOCUS: OMNISCIENT NARRATOR

A story’s omniscient narrator knows everything that happens, and why

. This

type of narrator is not a character in the story but an outside observer who

can tell you what each character is thinking and feeling.

• As you read “The Interlopers,” pay special attention to the information

the narrator gives you about the two characters’ pasts.

• The narrator of “The Interlopers” makes us think that events are leading

one way_up until the story’s very end. Prepare to be surprised.

READING SKILLS: MONITORING YOUR READING

Some of the words and sentences in “The Interlopers” may seem dif

ficult.

The following tips will help you understand this classic story

• Look for context clues that can help you figure out the meaning of

unfamiliar words.

•Break down long sentences into shorter ones.

• Look for the subject and verb in confusing sentences.

• Stop to summarize important passages or scenes.

• Re-read tough passages. Some passages are hard to understand the first

time.

•Try to visualize, or picture, the events that are happening.

The Interlopers

by Saki

Literary Skills

Recognize an

omniscient

narrator (or

point of view).

Reading

Skills

Monitor your

reading.

Vocabulary

Skills

Understand and

use context

clues.

Collection 3

Student pages 80–81

HRT9_pp_001_054 10/3/03 3:22 PM Page 42 impos03 108:hrhrt9r1:hrt9ch:layouts:

Student Pages with Answers 43

dals had embittered the relationships between the families for

three generations. The neighbor feud had grown into a personal

one since Ulrich had come to be head of his family; if there was

a man in the world whom he detested and wished ill to, it was

Georg Znaeym, the inheritor of the quarrel and the tireless game

snatcher and raider of the disputed border forest. The feud

might, perhaps, have died down or been compromised if the

personal ill will of the two men had not stood in the way; as

boys they had thirsted for one another’s blood, as men each

prayed that misfortune might fall on the other, and this wind-

scourged winter night Ulrich had banded together his foresters

to watch the dark forest, not in quest of four-footed quarry, but

to keep a lookout for the prowling thieves whom he suspected of

being afoot from across the land boundary. The roebuck,

which

usually kept in the sheltered hollows during a storm wind, were

running like driven things tonight, and there was movement and

unrest among the creatures that were wont to sleep through the

dark hours. Assuredly there was a disturbing element in the for-

est, and Ulrich could guess the quarter from whence it came.

He strayed away by himself from the watchers whom he had

placed in ambush on the crest of the hill and wandered far down

the steep slopes amid the wild tangle of undergrowth, peering

through the tree trunks and listening through the whistling and

skirling

of the wind and the restless beating of the branches for

sight or sound of the marauders. If only on this wild night, in

this dark, lone spot, he might come across Georg Znaeym, man

to man, with none to witness

—that was the wish that was upper-

most in his thoughts. And as he stepped round the trunk of a

huge beech he came face to face with the man he sought.

The two enemies stood glaring at one another for a long

silent moment. Each had a rifle in his hand, each had hate in his

heart and murder uppermost in his mind. The chance had come

The Interlopers 83

3. roebuck (r£√buk≈) n.: male (or males) of the roe deer, small deer that

live in Europe and Asia.

4. skirling (sk∞rl√i«) v. used as n.: shrill, piercing sound.

Re-read lines 19-31.

Underline what you learn

about why the two men con-

tinue the fight between the

neighboring families. Whom

is Ulrich feuding with?

Georg Znaeym

marauders (m¥·rôd√·¥rz) n.:

people who roam around in

search of loot, or goods to

steal.

In lines 44-45, underline the

compound word_a word

that is made up of two

words. What does this com-

pound word mean?

highest; most

important

In lines 48-49, circle the sen-

tence in which the omnis-

cient narrator tells you what

each character is thinking

and feeling.

In a forest of mixed growth somewhere on the eastern spurs of

the Carpathians,

a man stood one winter night watching and

listening, as though he waited for some beast of the woods to

come within the range of his vision and, later, of his rifle. But

the game for whose presence he kept so keen an outlook was

none that figured in the sportsman’s calendar as lawful and

proper for the chase; Ulrich von Gradwitz patrolled the dark

forest in quest of a human enemy.

The forest lands of Gradwitz were of wide extent and well

stocked with game; the narrow strip of precipitous woodland

that lay on its outskirt was not remarkable for the game it har-

bored or the shooting it afforded, but it was the most jealously

guarded of all its owner’s territorial possessions. A famous law-

suit, in the days of his grandfather, had wrested it from the ille-

gal possession of a neighboring family of petty landowners; the

dispossessed party had never acquiesced in the judgment of the

courts, and a long series of poaching affrays

and similar scan-

Collection 3: Narrator and Voice

Part 1

The Interlopers

Saki

Which character are you

introduced to in the first

paragraph? What is he look-

ing for in the forest?

Ulrich von Gradwitz;

he is hunting a human

enemy.

Michael Busselle/Getty Images.

1. Carpathians (kär·p†√‚≤·¥nz): mountain range that starts in Slovakia

and extends through Poland, Ukraine, and Romania.

2. poaching affrays (¥·fr†z√): noisy quarrels or brawls about poaching,

which means “fishing or hunting illegally on private property.”

precipitous (pr≤·sip√¥·t¥s)

adj.: very steep.

acquiesced (ak≈w≤·est√) v.

(used with in): accepted;

agreed; consented.

Acquiesce has the same Latin

origin as quiet. Someone

who acquiesces agrees

quietly and without

excitement.

Collection 3

Student pages 82–83

44 The Holt Reader: Teacher’s Manual

“I’m caught in my own forest land,” retorted Ulrich.

“When my men come to release us, you will wish, perhaps, that

you were in a better plight than caught poaching on a neighbor’s

land, shame on you.”

Georg was silent for a moment; then he answered quietly:

“A re you sure that your men will find much to release? I

have men, too, in the forest tonight, close behind me, and they

will be here first and do the releasing. When they drag me out

from under these branches, it won’t need much clumsiness on

their part to roll this mass of trunk right over on the top of you.

Your men will find you dead under a fallen beech tree. For

form’s sake I shall send my condolences to your family.”

“It is a useful hint,” said Ulrich fiercely. “My men had

orders to follow in ten minutes’ time, seven of which must have

gone by already, and when they get me out

—I will remember

the hint. Only as you will have met your death poaching on my

lands, I don’t think I can decently send any message of condo-

lence to your family.”

“Good,” snarled Georg, “good. We fight this quarrel out to

the death, you and I and our foresters, with no cursed inter-

lopers to come between us. Death and damnation to you, Ulrich

von Gradwitz.”

“The same to you, Georg Znaeym, forest thief, game

snatcher.”

Both men spoke with the bitterness of possible defeat

before them, for each knew that it might be long before his men

would seek him out or find him; it was a bare matter of chance

which party would arrive first on the scene.

Both had now given up the useless struggle to free them-

selves from the mass of wood that held them down; Ulrich lim-

ited his endeavors to an effort to bring his one partially free arm

near enough to his outer coat pocket to draw out his wine flask.

Even when he had accomplished that operation, it was long

before he could manage the unscrewing of the stopper or get

100

110

The Interlopers 85

retorted (ri·tôr√tid) v.: replied

in a sharp or witty way.

condolences (k¥n·d£√l¥ns·iz)

n.: expressions of sympathy.

Condolence comes from two

Latin words: com-, a prefix

meaning “with,” and dolere,

meaning “to grieve.”

Re-read lines 82-94. What do

the enemies threaten to do

to each other once they are

rescued?

In line 113, circle the word

that restates the meaning of

endeavors.

Each threatens to have

the other killed.

to give full play to the passions of a lifetime. But a man who has

been brought up under the code of a restraining civilization

cannot easily nerve himself to shoot down his neighbor in cold

blood and without a word spoken, except for an offense against

his hearth and honor. And before the moment of hesitation had

given way to action, a deed of Nature’s own violence over-

whelmed them both. A fierce shriek of the storm had been

answered by a splitting crash over their heads, and ere they

could leap aside, a mass of falling beech tree had thundered

down on them. Ulrich von Gradwitz found himself stretched on

the ground, one arm numb beneath him and the other held

almost as helplessly in a tight tangle of forked branches, while

both legs were pinned beneath the fallen mass. His heavy shoot-

ing boots had saved his feet from being crushed to pieces, but if

his fractures were not as serious as they might have been, at least

it was evident that he could not move from his present position

till someone came to release him. The descending twigs had

slashed the skin of his face, and he had to wink away some drops

of blood from his eyelashes before he could take in a general

view of the disaster. At his side, so near that under ordinary cir-

cumstances he could almost have touched him, lay Georg

Znaeym, alive and struggling, but obviously as helplessly pin-

ioned

down as himself. All round them lay a thick-strewn

wreckage of splintered branches and broken twigs.

Relief at being alive and exasperation at his captive plight

brought a strange medley of pious thank offerings and sharp

curses to Ulrich’s lips. Georg, who was nearly blinded with the

blood which trickled across his eyes, stopped his struggling for a

moment to listen, and then gave a short, snarling laugh.

“So you’re not killed, as you ought to be, but you’re caught,

anyway,” he cried, “caught fast. Ho, what a jest, Ulrich von

Gradwitz snared in his stolen forest. There’s real justice for you!”

And he laughed again, mockingly and savagely.

Collection 3: Narrator and Voice

Part 1

5. pinioned (pin√y¥nd) v. used as adj.: pinned, as if chained or tied up.

Circle the important event

that happens to the two

enemies (lines 56-59).

Draw lines to break down

the long sentence in lines

69-72 into shorter units of

thought. Then, paraphrase

the sentence.

At Ulrich’s side, so

near that Ulrich . . .

could almost have

touched him, lay

Georg Znaeym. Georg

was alive and strug-

gling. But Georg was

as helplessly pinned

down as Ulrich was.

exasperation

(eg·zas≈p¥r·†√◊¥n) n.: great

annoyance.

pious (p¢√¥s) adj.: showing

religious devotion.

Collection 3

Student pages 84–85

Student Pages with Answers 45

“How the whole region would stare and gabble if we rode

into the market square together. No one living can remember

seeing a Znaeym and a von Gradwitz talking to one another in

friendship. And what peace there would be among the forester

folk if we ended our feud tonight. And if we choose to make

peace among our people, there is none other to interfere, no

interlopers from outside....You would come and keep the

Sylvester night

beneath my roof, and I would come and feast on

some high day at your castle....I would never fire a shot on

your land, save when you invited me as a guest; and you should

come and shoot with me down in the marshes where the wild-

fowl are. In all the countryside there are none that could hinder

if we willed to make peace. I never thought to have wanted to do

other than hate you all my life, but I think I have changed my

mind about things too, this last half-hour. And you offered me

your wine flask....Ulrich von Gradwitz, I will be your friend.”

For a space both men were silent, turning over in their

minds the wonderful changes that this dramatic reconciliation

would bring about. In the cold, gloomy forest, with the wind

tearing in fitful gusts through the naked branches and whistling

round the tree trunks, they lay and waited for the help that

would now bring release and succor to both parties. And each

prayed a private prayer that his men might be the first to arrive,

so that he might be the first to show honorable attention to the

enemy that had become a friend.

160

170

The Interlopers 87

8. Sylvester night: feast day honoring Saint Sylvester (Pope Sylvester I,

d. 335), observed on December 31.

Pause at line 175. Earlier in

the story (lines 83-100), why

did each man hope that his

friends would be the first to

arrive? What has changed?

reconciliation

(rek≈¥n·sil≈≤·†√◊¥n) n.: friendly

end to a quarrel.

succor (suk√¥r) n.: help given

to someone in distress; relief.

Dudley Dana/Nonstock.

Notes

Earlier, Ulrich and

Georg each wanted his

men to arrive first so

the other man, the

enemy, would be

killed. Now, Ulrich and

Georg each wants his

men to arrive first so

his former enemy may

be rescued as a show

of friendship.

any of the liquid down his throat. But what a heaven-sent draft

it seemed! It was an open winter

, and little snow had fallen as

yet, hence the captives suffered less from the cold than might

have been the case at that season of the year; nevertheless, the

wine was warming and reviving to the wounded man, and he

looked across with something like a throb of pity to where his

enemy lay, just keeping the groans of pain and weariness from

crossing his lips.

“Could you reach this flask if I threw it over to you?” asked

Ulrich suddenly. “There is good wine in it, and one may as well

be as comfortable as one can. Let us drink, even if tonight one of

us dies.”

“No, I can scarcely see anything; there is so much blood

caked round my eyes,” said Georg; “and in any case I don’t drink

wine with an enemy.”

Ulrich was silent for a few minutes and lay listening to the

weary screeching of the wind. An idea was slowly forming and

growing in his brain, an idea that gained strength every time that

he looked across at the man who was fighting so grimly against

pain and exhaustion. In the pain and languor that Ulrich himself

was feeling, the old fierce hatred seemed to be dying down.

“Neighbor,” he said presently, “do as you please if your men

come first. It was a fair compact. But as for me, I’ve changed my

mind. If my men are the first to come, you shall be the first to be

helped, as though you were my guest. We have quarreled like

devils all our lives over this stupid strip of forest, where the trees

can’t even stand upright in a breath of wind. Lying here tonight,

thinking, I’ve come to think we’ve been rather fools; there are

better things in life than getting the better of a boundary dis-

pute. Neighbor, if you will help me to bury the old quarrel, I

—I

will ask you to be my friend.”

Georg Znaeym was silent for so long that Ulrich thought

perhaps he had fainted with the pain of his injuries. Then he

spoke slowly and in jerks.

120

130

140

150

Collection 3: Narrator and Voice

Part 1

6. draft n.: drink.

7. open winter: mild winter.

Re-read the long sentence in

lines 118-124. Then, summa-

rize the sentence.

Read the boxed passage

aloud several times. Focus on

conveying the different atti-

tudes of Ulrich and Georg.

languor (la«√g¥r) n.: weak-

ness; weariness.

In lines 132-137, the narra-

tor reveals an important

change in Ulrich’s attitude.

Circle the important change

the narrator tells you about.

The winter was mild,

so the trapped men

were warmer than

usual in winter. The

wine warmed Ulrich

and made him feel

better. He began to

pity Georg, who was

trying not to groan

with pain.

Collection 3

Student pages 86–87

46 The Holt Reader: Teacher’s Manual

The Interlopers 89

The Interlopers

Narrator Questionnaire

This story is told by an omniscient narrator, who

knows all the story’s secrets. Fill out this chart to examine the way point of view

affects the plot and characters of “The Interlopers.”

1. Does the narrator reveal the thoughts and feelings of the two men? Explain.

2. How would the story be different if it were told from the point of view of

one of the

men?

3. How might the story be different if it were told from the point of view of the wolves?

Yes, the narrator describes how the two men hated each other since

childhood and now want to kill each other; how the two men r

eact

when trapped under the tree; how their feelings change when they fear

that they may both die; how they both react to the wolves.

The reader might be more sympathetic to the man fr

om whose point of

view the story was told; the reader might not car

e that the wolves

attacked the other man.

The reader might be sympathetic to the wolves instead of to the two

men. The story might not have the surprise ending it has.

Presently, as the wind dropped for a moment, Ulrich broke

the silence.

“Let’s shout for help,” he said; “in this lull our voices may

carry a little way.”

“They won’t carry far through the trees and undergrowth,”

said Georg, “but we can try. Together, then.”

The two raised their voices in a prolonged hunting call.

“Together again,” said Ulrich a few minutes later, after lis-

tening in vain for an answering halloo.

“I heard something that time, I think,” said Ulrich.

“I heard nothing but the pestilential

wind,” said Georg

hoarsely.

There was silence again for some minutes, and then Ulrich

gave a joyful cry.

“I can see figures coming through the wood. They are fol-

lowing in the way I came down the hillside.”

Both men raised their voices in as loud a shout as they

could muster.

“They hear us! They’ve stopped. Now they see us. They’re

running down the hill toward us,” cried Ulrich.

“How many of them are there?” asked Georg.

“I can’t see distinctly,” said Ulrich; “nine or ten.”

“Then they are yours,” said Georg; “I had only seven out

with me.”

“They are making all the speed they can, brave lads,” said

Ulrich gladly.

“A re they your men?” asked Georg. “Are they your men?” he

repeated impatiently, as Ulrich did not answer.

“No,” said Ulrich with a laugh, the idiotic chattering laugh

of a man unstrung with hideous fear.

“Who are they?” asked Georg quickly, straining his eyes to

see what the other would gladly not have seen.

“Wolves.”

180

190

200

Collection 3: Narrator and Voice

Part 1

9. pestilential (pes≈t¥·len√◊¥l) adj.: Strictly speaking, pestilential means

“deadly; causing disease; harmful.” Here, Georg uses the word to

mean “cursed.”

Pause at line 203. The narra-

tor doesn’t reveal who is

coming toward the men.

What effect does this lack of

information create?

Read to the end of the story.

Underline the one word that

reveals the story’s surprise

ending.

Why is it fitting that the two

men, who were hunting each

other in the forest that win-

ter night, are discovered

by wolves rather than by

rescuers?

The men were acting

more like wolves than

humans, out hunting

their enemies at night.

It creates suspense.

Collection 3

Student pages 88–89

HRT9_pp_001_054 10/3/03 3:23 PM Page 46 impos03 108:hrhrt9r1:hrt9ch:layouts:

Student Pages with Answers 47

The Interlopers 91

Skills Review

1. The hunter examined his quarry

after it had been shot.

A rifle C enemy

B land D hunted animal

2. No one could stop the bitter feud

between the two neighbors.

F ongoing argument

G broken fence

H agreement

J flooded lands

3. They heard the loud sound when

the tree thundered down on them.

A fell from the sky

B was split by lightning

C fell with a roaring noise

D yelled

4. He felt no pain in his right arm,

which was now numb.

F bandaged H painful

G without J foolish

feeling

Context Clues

DIRECTIONS: Read the passage, using context clues to identify the meaning

of the boldface word. Then, circle the letter of the definition of that word.

The Interlopers

Vocabulary in Context

DIRECTIONS: Complete the paragraph below by writing the correct word

from the box in each blank. Not all words from the box will be used.

precipitous

acquiesced

marauders

exasperation

pious

retorted

condolences

languor

reconciliation

succor

Wo r d B o x

The two enemies stared at each other. The gray-haired one

laughed. “What are you laughing at?” the brown-haired one asked in

(1) . “I am laughing at two helpless men caught in

a trap,” the other (2) in anger. “Shall we become

friends? No, (3) is not in my plans. I will never

make up with you. And don’t give me any (4)

words about what religion has taught us. We will always be enemies. Our

widows can send each other (5) if they wish.”

Vocabulary

Skills

Analyze context

clues to identify

word meaning.

Use words in

context.

exasperation

reconciliation

pious

condolences

retorted

Complete the sample test item below. Then, read the explanation at right.

The Interlopers

Skills Review

Collection 3: Narrator and Voice

Part 1

Explanation of the Correct Answer

The correct answer is D.

A and C are not correct, because the

story is told from the omniscient point

of view, not the point of view of just

one character. B is not correct; Saki is

the author.

Sample Test Question

Who is the story’s narrator?

A Georg Znaeym

B Saki

C Ulrich von Gradwitz

D an unnamed, all-knowing storyteller

3. The two men decide to become

friends because_

A their men have ordered them to

B they hate the neighbors

C they have become tired of being

enemies

D they hope to save themselves by

working together

4. The narrator creates suspense by

waiting until the end to_

F reveal what is approaching the

men

G tell which man dies first

H explain what the men were fight-

ing about

J warn readers against hunting at

night

1. Which passage reveals that the narra-

tor is omniscient?

A “Both men spoke with the bitter-

ness of possible defeat, for each

knew that it might be long before

his men would seek him out.”

B “The forest lands of Gradwitz

were of wide extent and well

stocked with game.”

C “The two raised their voices in a

prolonged hunting call.”

D “‘No,’ said Ulrich with a laugh,

the idiotic chattering laugh of a

man unstrung with hideous fear.”

2. The narrator tells us the two men—

F are hunting wolves

G don’t go hunting at night

H want to kill each other

J go to hunting parties together

DIRECTIONS: Circle the letter of each correct response.

Literary Skills

Analyze use of

the omniscient

narrator (or

point of view).

Collection 3

Student pages 90–91

Graphic Organizers 209

Name Date

Selection Title

Narrator Chart

The point of view of the narrator determines what you learn as you read a story. A third-

person-omniscient narrator knows and tells all. The third-person-limited or first-person

narrator tells only what one character knows. If the narrator is biased or unreliable, you

may not be able to believe what you read. In the chart below, fill in the point of view of the

narrator who tells the story you have just read. Then tell what you have learned from the

narrator. (You may not learn anything about an omniscient narrator.) Finally, decide if what

you learned is reliable.

Is the information reliable?_____________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Point of View:

The Narrator:

Other Characters:

Events:

What I Learned About