In your own opinion on when gerunds are used as the subject of a sentence they take the singular verb form of the verb, but when they are linked by and they take the plural form?

climax

after following, but not really , the young hunter on his search for the heron, sylvia slips out of bed alone in the middle of the night to find the heron for herself. perched at the top of a gigantic pine tree, sylvia spots the heron, and its nest, in a dead hemlock tree across the way. the following morning she returns home to find her grandmother and the hunter waiting for her at the door. in the moment when she plans to tell the hunter where to find the heron, she suddenly decides to protect the heron and remain silent; even the promise of much needed money does not sway her.

explanation:

what novel are you talking about?

adding more details about the struggle rainsford experiences as he swims to the shore