Answer: F Definition 1
Step-by-step explanation:
This is based on the book, "A Long Walk to Water " by Linda Sue Park. The book focuses on Salva Dut and Nya. With Salva Dut the book follows his journey in the Sudan during the Sudanese civil war and how he had to lead a large group to safety as they looked for food and avoided conflict.
Nya was a fictitious character whose story was included to show that water shortage was still an issue in Sudan. In paragraph 19, Salva encounters a situation that causes him to hesitate at first before then reacting. The best meaning here therefore is that he paused first and then reacted.