Fire Down Below by William Golding

Author:William Golding [William Golding]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780571267446
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Published: 2012-04-14T16:00:00+00:00

(13)

When at last I tried my repeater I found it was already a quarter to ten! I took the instrument out from under my pillow and examined it with some incredulity, but sure enough, the hands confirmed the message of the chimes. I came to the conclusion that I had indeed slept but could not think how or when. Nor did I feel the benefit of sleep. I was fully clothed and reproached myself for this decline in my own standards. Once a man will turn into his bunk “all standing”, as it were, there is no knowing where the thing will end! It is the next way to decline into Continental standards or lack of them. However, the omission was not to be repaired. I stood out of my bunk into the seaboots which were ready and made my way, first to the necessity, then to the passenger saloon. Early though it was in the forenoon, little Pike was there with a glass of brandy in his hand. Indeed, it soon became evident that as far as he was concerned the time was not early but late. I learnt later that he had been dismissed from his cabin by his unloving wife—though it seems far more likely that he had dismissed himself—and he had roused Bates to provide him with liquor at what was really an unsuitable hour. He was elevated indeed and careless of the booming wind and sea. He offered to “buy me a drink” which I declined with point, asking him at once how his family did.

“Family, Mus’Talbot? I ’ate families.”

He peered at me, blinking the while.

“She ’ates me.”

“I think, Mr Pike, you are not yourself and should not say things you will come to regret.”

But Mr Pike had looked away and appeared to brood. Then as if he had come to a satisfactory conclusion he turned back to me, helped by a movement of the ship.

“Well, thass awri, innit? I ’ate ’er. I ’ate ’er. Sodder. Pardon my French.”

“I think that—”

“I don’ ’ate them. But they ’ate me, because she says—she says—”

I lost my temper and went blind. I say that advisedly. Then I saw, but it was red. I saw red. It was literally red. My mouth opened and I shouted at him. I heaped on him every contumely, every insult my tongue could find, and when I had done I could not remember what I had said. It left me weak though, for the time being. I could hardly cope with the ship’s movement though I was sitting. Pike was leaning his elbows on the table and sniggering and laughing weakly. He pointed at me with his right forefinger, his elbow still resting on the table. His hand was slack as though it supported a heavy pistol but was only just able to do so. What with the motion of the ship and his drunkenness, let alone his silly, weak laughter, his finger circled like—like the hounds of a foremast broken in the step! I got my breath back.

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