Chapter Seven - Shadows and Tall Trees

I followed Jack down the pig-run. We stopped to eat and I realised how filthy we all were. My hair has grown considerably and is full of knots and my teeth could go for a good brushing. Simon came and talked to me, he said he thought that I would get home all right, I don't know how he believes it anymore. We've been stuck on this island forever! Roger found some pig droppings, so I allowed them to hunt, so long as we were going in the right direction. As Jack was leading, I found time to daydream of my old life back in London. We had once lived in Devonport, in a small cottage. This was the last house I had lived in, before I was sent away to school. Mummy had been at home then and Daddy had come home every night. There were wild ponies that came to the fence and it had snowed there. I daydreamed about all my books and for a moment, everything seemed fine. But then the hunt brought me back to the island. The pig had been startled and had run through the creepers. The savages ran after it screaming and yelling. Then the pig was on the track again and he was headed straight for me. I threw my spear and hit him right in the snout! The pig changed direction and ran off into the woods. The hunt followed to a clearing, but the boar was nowhere to be seen. We started talking about the boar. Robert pretended to be the pig while the rest of us jabbed at him. At first I think it was fake pain, but by the end he was screaming in real terror and pain. The game ended before any harm came to him. I have to admit, the game went a bit far. We might have actually hurt him, or even killed him. This is what hunting does to you, it turns you from a civilised human into a savage beast. We then decided to go to the mountain, one boy going to tell Piggy that the rest would be back after dark. I led the way, we went through a pig run that Jack had previously explored. He was getting frustrated from not being in the lead anymore and started to challenge my authority as chief. He was making me so mad! I asked him why he hated me so much, there was no answer. We continued and when we were in sight of the mountain, I made the decision to go across to the platform and climb up tomorrow, but of course Jack thought I was scared. He said that I was scared to go up the mountain, but that he was going. We both ended up climbing the mountain, along with Roger. It makes me so mad when he says things like that! Of course I'm frightened of the beast! Any sane person would be. We climbed the mountain and when we came near the top, Jack went on alone. Roger and I sat on a log and waited for him to return. When he came back he was obviously shaken. He said he saw the beast, up on top of the mountain. I decided that it would be best if we all went up together. When we were near the place of the beast, we started to crawl. When we were about four yards away, I stood and went forwards, then there was a gust of wind and the beast lifted its huge head. I froze for a fraction of a second before running down the slope of the mountain at breakneck speed. The beast was real.