EngLits: Billy Budd, Sailor by InterLingua Publishing

Author:InterLingua Publishing
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: InterLingua Educational Publishing
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

When Billy finds himself in the cabin with the Captain and Claggart, he is surprised. He immediately thinks the Captain has always looked upon him kindly and wonders if he is going to make him his coxswain. The Commander asks the door be shut and no one allowed inside. He then orders Claggart to accuse Billy face to face so he can gauge their reactions. With a measured step and calm collected air, Claggart deliberately advances towards him, looks him in the eye, and makes his claim. It takes time for Billy to understand what he is saying and when he does, he turns white, too stunned to speak. Claggart continues his glare.

Captain Vere asks Billy to defend himself, since he is more struck by his reaction. This cry causes Billy to turn dumb and he begins gesturing and gurgling; the shock has brought out his vocal defect, making him tongue-tied. Though Captain Vere is initially ignorant of Billy’s stuttering, he immediately understands it and goes close to the young sailor, lays a soothing hand on his shoulder, and asks him gently to take his time. Contrary to the intended effect of these fatherly words, a more violent effort results. The next instant, quick as the flame from a discharged cannon at night, Billy’s right arm shoots out and Claggart collapses to the deck. The blow took effect fully upon the forehead of the Master-at-arms and that the body falls like a heavy plank. With a couple of gasps, he lies motionless. Captain Vere is shocked, quickly asking Billy to help him and they raise the body to a sitting position. The Captain then orders Billy to retire to a stateroom until he is called again, which he does in silence.

Going to the cabin-door opening on the quarterdeck, Captain Vere asks Albert to call the surgeon, who is a self-poised character. When he enters, the Captain meets him halfway, blocking his view of Claggart and asks him to examine the man. The Surgeon looks at the body and immediately realizes that he is dead from the thick, black blood oozing from his ears and nose. Further examination confirms it.

The Captain stands motionless and the surgeon is disturbed and curious as to what exactly happened. Finally the Captain says that an angel of God has struck Claggart, yet the angel must hang! He briefly explains what happened and asks the surgeon to shift the body to another compartment, hinting at secrecy. Captain Vere then asks him to leave, saying he will call the drum-court, and to tell the lieutenants and the Captain of Marines, Mr. Mordant, to keep the matter to themselves.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.