DEATHWATCH
Chapter ONE
1. What do we learn about Madec in the first chapter? List at least five things we now about him from his words, his
actions, what Ben reveals about his dealings with him, or other details revealed in the story.
- dangerous with a gun, cold, intense, proud (wants to mount head of sheep in office), good shot, enjoys hurting
people, liar
2. Identify three main differences between Ben and Madec. Are these differences significant? Would they interfere
with the men being friends in another setting? Why or why not?
Ben
Madec
wouldn’t really want to kill a bighorn obsessed with the idea of killing a bighorn
hunted for food
hunted for accomplishment
needed money
rich
3. Where does the story take place?
(Hint: Edwards Air Force Base is referred to...find out where that is).
http://www.edwards.af.mil/about_edwards/index.html
The story takes place in the Mojave Desert. This arid region of
south-eastern California and portions of Nevada, Arizona and Utah,
occupies more than 25,000 square miles.
In Chapter Three, Madec talks about owning “a corporation in
California”, so it appears that the novel is likely set in Nevada.
http://www.desertusa.com/du_mojave.html
4. What or who startled the big horn sheep and sent them running?
- the old man
Chapter TWO
1. What is the old man doing in the hills?
He has a metal detector – could be a prospector – perhaps simply wants to be by himself
2. What does Madec suggest to Ben they do about the old man? Would most people have reacted to Madec's offer
the way Ben did? Would you?
Madec offers Ben money for college and the promise of a job in exchange for keeping quiet about the old man’s
death.
3. What is Madec's argument for doing things his way? Is it logical? Explain.
The death was accidental. He is a loner who no one cares about, so why start all the legal hassle that would be
involved in investigating his death. It would be better for all involved to simply bury him in the desert.
4. How did the old man get shot twice?
Madec shoots him with Ben’s gun, while Ben is off getting the Jeep to take the old man’s body back to town.
5. Why does Ben decide it is 'worth staining a blanket'?
The blanket will give the old man some dignity in death – a shroud.
Chapter THREE
1. How does Madec explain his idea of a "contingency"?
Madec calls the second shooting of the old man a “contingency”, something that may or may not come in handy later.
2. On page 40 Madec explains why he is a more important person than Ben. Do you agree with his reasons? Does
Ben seem like a "loser"?
Ben is a young kid – 22. Nice, hard-working, want to be a geologist, no parents, not wife, no real girlfriend.
Madec is married, has two kids, owns a corporation in California that employs 600 people – all of them and their
families depend on Madec.
Chapter FOUR
1. Identify examples of Madec's cleverness/intelligence.
He takes the old man’s rope, blanket, boots; he finds and destroys the old man’s camp.
2. How does the incident with the watering can emphasize Madec's cruelty?
He has smashed the bottom of the can but put it back in its hiding place.
3. How does the paragraph about the stars (p.51) reflect Ben's feelings?
The stars had seemed close and friendly; now they are cold, distant, and unconcerned.
4. What does Ben find in the old man's box? How might this be useful?
- a slingshot – to kill food and use as a weapon.
5. Why does Ben leave the other things in the old man's tin box?
So someone else might find them.
Chapter FIVE
1. How does Ben explain the difference between fear and foreboding?
Fear is the paralyzing feeling Ben has when he expects Madec to shoot him. Foreboding is the huge dark, paralyzing
fear of something about to happen.
2. On page 60 Ben wonders if Madec would deliberately shoot him. Would he? Explain.
Absolutely – if he thought he could get away with it! See page 66.
3. Why doesn't Ben go north, away from Madec?
He has no water, no food, no clothes. He could never walk 100 miles in that condition.
4. What are Ben's three choices? (pg. 64) Which sounds the best to you? Why?
1. stay where he is
2. start walking 65 miles east
3. walk 35 miles west
5. On page 65 the author notes, "Mechanics, machines, supplies were not a part of this game. In the final analysis,
even the guns were not a part of it". What does he mean? What will determine the winner of this deadly game?
He means that the two of them are played a mind game. Whoever can outwit the other will win.
Chapter SIX
1. What has Madec done to the catch basin? What does this prove about him?
He has shovelled out the wet sand so that it dries out. This emphasizes his cruelty.
2. Why does Ben think the Jeep is so important?
The Jeep provides water, protection, food, movement, communication, weapons, and comfort.
3. Which way does Ben choose to walk? How far is it to safety?
West – 35 miles
4. Explain the following sentence, "That was all Ben needed to see and for a second he felt a great triumph, for he
knew now where he was going" (p.74).
The ray of light shining through the butte was suggestive of hope for him – he felt he could find sanctuary.
5. When is the saguaro cactus full grown?
After 200 years!
6. Why is Ben happy to see a giant saguaro?
He knows it will contain woodpecker nests which he can use for shoes.
7. In what way is the Gila woodpecker smarter than people?
The woodpecker will use the saguaro for a nest but never kill it.
8. On page 69. the author uses the idea of a chain holding Ben and Madec together. Why is a chain a good symbol of
their situation? What examples have we seen so far of this struggle having "no rules of behaviour, no sportsmanship,
no gentlemanly conduct."
Good example of their situation, as they are chained together. No matter what one of them does, it affects the other.
Examples – making Ben strip, destroying the old man’s water can, ruining the catch basin.
Chapters SEVEN and EIGHT
1. What are the stages of a person dying of thirst?
1. loss of strength, lassitude, desire to sleep
2. dizziness, vomiting, headache, ache all over
3. itching, hallucinations
2. What is Ben's greatest fear?
Ben fears that he will not recognize the hallucination; therefore, he can’t stop them or continue to think logically.
3. How does Ben know he can't survive much longer?
He has begun to itch, a symptom of the final stage.
4. Why does Ben say that he has been "cheated, he had been robbed" (p.99)?
After his struggle to get across the wedge-shaped crack, the ledge ends. He cannot go forward and hasn’t the
strength to return.
5. What does Ben discover at the end of the tunnel? Why is this so important?
Ben finds what looks like a clear, sparkling lake. This would give him a source of drinking water, meaning he won’t
die of thirst!
Chapter NINE
1. What usually happens when people dying of thirst are rescued? Why is this strange?
They begin to cry. Their eyes are bone dry and crying is painful.
2. Describe the lake Ben found.
It is 15 feet in diameter and 2 feet deep, surrounded by bird droppings, murky, stale, with a dusty taste.
3. Why would Ben feel hunger now and not earlier?
A person dying of thirst experiences an odd lack of hunger.
4. Why would the light at the ends of the tunnel be different now?
The light indicates the rising and the setting of the sun.
5. What is the importance of the slingshot?
Ben could kill something for food with the slingshot. Both the food and the water would add to this time alive.
6. Where did Ben get the buckshot?
When Ben discovers the slingshot at the old man’s campsite, he also finds buckshot.
7. How does Ben plan to cook his prey next time?
He plans to put them out on the stone in the sun.
Could YOU eat raw birds? 
Chapters TEN and ELEVEN
1. What are the 'voices' Ben hears and why don't they scare him?
The voices of the desert in the wind. His father had told him that the desert had to talk at night because it was so
quiet during the day.
2. Why didn't Ben ever shave when he went on long trips in the desert?
A beard helped protect his face from the sun.
3. In this chapter Ben again speaks of the "chain" between Madec and him. How can he shorten it? Why must he?
Madec will not let Ben escape; therefore, Ben must get close enough to him to force a fair struggle, face to face. “I
must either go to him or I must pull him to me.”
4. What is Madec's plan? Why is it so much easier for Madec to climb than for Ben?
He is climbing the butte to a ledge which leads up to the top. With Madec on the top of the butte, Ben would be
trapped. Madec has tools, steel pegs, and a rope.
5. How does Ben Know Denny O'Neil is the pilot?
Denny would always keep the helicopter running when he landed in the desert.
6. Describe the man with Denny. Why is Ben sure the man isn't Les Stanton?
He’s wearing a purple shirt, yellow trousers, white shoes, and has no hat. Les would never wear low-cut shoes in the
desert – because of snake/lizard bites.
7 Why is it especially insulting to Ben to think of being killed by Madec?
Ben has always lived I the desert. He finds it outrageous to be killed by a man from the city.
8. When Madec walks back to the jeep, what does Ben notice about him?
Ben could tell that Madec was tired.
Chapter TWELVE
1. List Ben's three possible plans. What is the problem with each one?
1. Walk to the camp, get the Hornet, and shoot Madec.
Madec might see or hear him coming and shoot him first.
2. Hide behind the rock and nail him with the slingshot as he went to the butte in the am.
Madec might take another route.
3. Now that Ben has had water, just take off for home.
No place to hide during the day, no shoes.
2. What is Ben's plan? What do you think of this plan? Could you do it?
He plans to bury himself in the sand.
3. How does Ben use the two tubes from the sling shot?
He puts one in his ear to hear with and the other in his mouth for breathing.
4. What fears does Ben have as he waits in the sand?
If too much tubing is exposed, Madec could see it; if too little, the blowing sand might come down the tube, forcing
Ben to push his head out.
Chapter THIRTEEN
1. How has Madec foiled Ben's plans?
Madec has the bolt for the rifle, the key and rotor for the Jeep with him.
2. How does Ben get Madec to come back from the butte?
Ben sets fire to the tent.
3. Who has the upper hand at the end of Chapter 13?
154 – “Now, Ben thought as he put a buckshot into the leather holder, he’s coming to me. The way I want him to.”
4. Explain how the author uses the idea of a chain to show how Ben's situation changes.
See pages 148, 149, 152.
Chapter FOURTEEN
1. Page 159 describes Madec staring at Ben. How do you interpret Madec's look - "A steady, cold, intelligent
probing?" Why is it not anger, defeat or fear?
Madec has not given up. He is still sure that he can get out of the situation.
2. Before heading back to town why does Ben stop to get the old man’s body? What does this tell you about Ben’s
character?
Ben doesn’t want to leave his body in the desert for the vultures to attack. He’s conscientious – he wants to do the
right thing. He cares about people, even a dead derelict.
3. What ‘jungle’ does Madec live in?
- the business world, and it’s this jungle that has sharpened Madec’s wit and made him shrewd enough to survive in
any situation
4. During the conversation in the jeep, many differences show up between Ben and Madec. List some of these
differences.
Ben – simple, straightforward, honest
Madec – rich, expert liar, survivor, smart, shrewd, cold
5. Would most poor, college age, men accept Madec's offer? Would you? Why doesn't Ben?
Offer - $10,000 if Ben would stop the jeep, bury the old man and say nothing about it.
Chapter FIFTEEN
1. How does the deputy's reaction to Madec and the old man differ?
The deputy treats Madec with respect. He immediately calls him Mr., gently helps him out of the Jeep, and gets a car
for him. His response to the old man’s body is “Ugh!”
2. How does Madec threaten Ben? Do you think Madec is really that powerful?
Take the $10,000 or spend 10 years in jail. Certainly appears to be powerful enough – very strong lawyers.
3. What two circumstances hurt Ben in this chapter?
Neither Sergeant Ham nor Dr. Myers is on duty. Ben has confidence in both of them and they are both friendly
toward Ben. “Dr. Myers had seen it all, life, death, sickness, accidents, you couldn’t shake him.”
On duty, instead, is the young sheriff’s deputy, Strick, who Ben didn’t know very well. “Ham was an old friend, a good
hunting and fishing buddy and a warmer, more understanding man than Strick.” The doctor on call was the “Boy
Genius”, who Ben found “a little cold, maybe, a little haughty, but he seemed to know what he was doing.”
4. Why does Ben receive such rough treatment from the doctor and the nurse?
They have taken care of Madec first and believe that Ben is responsible for Madec’s condition.
5. How does Madec's shooting of the prospector twice, seem to be working to his advantage?
Strick questions Ben about the old prospector’s death. How could the old man have been shot more than once, he
wants to know. “Why did you shoot him so many times, Ben?”
6. How does the multiple shooting incriminate Ben?
It makes Ben seem to be unnecessarily cruel.
Chapters SIXTEEN and SEVENTEEN
1. How did the slingshot disappear?
Madec must have taken it, somehow.
2. What evidence is Ben's best hope of convincing the justice of the peace and the sheriff that he, not Madec, is
telling the truth?
- the presence of quail bones and a lizard skin. Ben can describe the clothing of the men in the helicopter. If he were
actually seven miles away, as Madec claims, he never could have seen their clothes.
3. How do Mr. Madec's lawyers respond to the evidence?
They make light of Ben’s arguments, calling the presence of bones “minor details”, and pointing out the telescopic
sight on the rifle.
4. Who was the man who left the chopper to talk to Madec the day it landed by the butte? Explain why Ben didn't
recognize him.
The man was Les Stanton, the game warden. Ben didn’t recognize him because he wasn’t in his uniform – he was
wearing white shoes and a purple shirt because he had to take someone else’s patrol at the last minute and didn’t
have time to get changed before going out on the call.
5. How do Mr. Madec's lawyers explain Ben's gun wound?
Mr. Barowitz claims that Ben shot himself, being careful not to hurt himself and only for the purpose of trying to
incriminate Madec.
6. The doctor's findings clear Ben. What are the four parts to the doctor's statement?
213 – the larger bullet, the .358, killed the old man
215 – the old man was shot by the Hornet bullets an hour later
216 – the doctor found buckshot, not a bullet, in Madec’s wrist
218 – the doctor found the slingshot in the trash
7. How did the doctor conclude that the .358 killed the prospector rather than the two Hornet bullets?
215 - “When a bullet hits a living man, he bleeds. But after a man dies, the functions of his body stop, his heart stops,
blood stops moving in his veins and arteries. His tissues die, and after he’s been dead for a little while he can no
longer bleed. Two wounds in that old man, made by smaller, lighter weight bullets, caused no bleeding, either
internally or externally. Which proves that he had been dead for some time before they hit him.”
8. Explain the last paragraph on page 219. "Nobody said anything"
Everyone is too embarrassed to look at Ben. They had been willing to believe Madec instead of him.
9. Explain Ben's last statement on page 220. Why wouldn't he want to press charges? Should he?
He was simply trying to finish what he had started – to report the accidental shooting of the old prospector. Should he
have pressed charges against Madec? Absolutely!
10. Is the ending satisfying? Would the ending have been better if Madec were convicted and imprisoned? Why or
why not? Not satisfying in that Ben almost appears to forgive the people who had known him all his life, but were
willing to believe a rich stranger over him. His lawyer even says to him, “It was just so hard for me to believe that any
man could do the things he did to another man.” Yet, they were willing to believe that Ben was capable to what
Madec had accused him of.