what noise did rainsford hear sitting on deck?what can you infer form this?

From the text:

An abrupt sound startled him. Off to the right he heard it, and his ears, expert in such matters, could not be mistaken. Again he heard the sound, and again. Somewhere, off in the blackness, someone had fired a gun three times.

From the text, we can infer that Rainsford will attempt to discern exactly where the shots he heard had originated.

text, we can infer that Rainsford will attempt to discern exactly where the shots he heard had originated.

An external conflict occurs when a character fights with an outside force.with what external conflict I rainsford suddenmy confronted