The River

After dinner, Brent and then Wynn turn in and go to sleep. Jack stays awake, as does JD, who is beginning to get drunk. The two don’t talk much, but Jack notices that JD keeps looking at Maia in the tent, and Jack decides to keep watch over Maia for as long as it takes. However, Jack dozes off and awakens to the sounds of muffled cries. At first, he’s disoriented and thinks it’s an animal, but then he notices JD’s feet sticking out of Maia’s tent. When Jack realizes what’s happening, he immediately responds. He rushes to the tent, pulls JD out of it, and smashes him across the head with the butt of his rifle. He then hastily scrambles to get Maia to safety, pack up the gear, wake Wynn, and get them all into the Texan’s boat because it has a motor and can get Maia to safety quicker. When Jack wakes Wynn, he whispers and covers Wynn’s mouth when his friend tries to talk. Jack directs Wynn using hand gestures to avoid waking Brent. When they arrive at the canoe with their gear, Wynn realizes that Jack’s stealing the boat and protests.