The Ocean: A Novel

I

When the light broke the sailor got up and looked about him. Clear sky, silent heaving masses of water. No other boats. Horizon’s line a blur.

Thank God for that, he said, and sat down.

It was a world from which his eyes shrank, a stupor of blue. He looked down the boat. In the prow a figure was sitting, quite still, the head bobbing about like a cork in water. At his feet a man lay flat on his back. One was in a half kneeling position, being sick over the side of the boat. Another was doubled up in sleep, snoring loudly. The sailor got up again and looked around. Then he went right aft. He saw a man lying face downwards in the bottom of the boat. Under him was the water keg.

Poor Crilley, he said.

He dragged the body off the keg and carried it further amidships. Then he laid it in a more respectable position, took a piece of canvas and covered it. The body was riddled with bullets. He went back to his seat.

Thank God for the light, he muttered to himself. Slowly he began to remember.

He was a short, stockily built man. He was wearing a reefer jacket, a pair of blue dungaree trousers, and a brown shirt open at the neck. He was bareheaded and his thick black hair appeared matted on his head. Periodically he pushed his fingers through the mass, and scratched. They were distracted fingers. His grey eyes were almost hidden under the bushy brows, they were bloodshot and heavy-looking.

I can’t understand, he said, rising to his feet again, staring about him, his eye finally lighting on the heap under the canvas.

Christ! They’ve gone, he said.

This time he slumped down heavily in his seat.

Silence was like mountains, stupid with power.

His hand went to his pocket and he took out his watch. Its smashed face showed five minutes past twelve.

Of course! That’s right. Shortly after midnight.

He remembered now. He had just turned into his bunk when there was a violent explosion aboard the Aurora, and immediately he had been flung out again. The syren was blowing. Grabbing his trousers and a coat he put them on, finally staggered with others through the now darkened fo’c’sle, and so to the welldeck. He slipped and fell, got up again and ran on towards his boat. The ship had listed. There were shouts and cries all about him. Somewhere on the starboard side he heard a loud crash. He knew his boat was not on the weather side. He bumped into a ventilator, finally found the companion ladder, grabbed, climbed, forced his way through a jabbering group shouting names. He began shouting orders then, and he saw the boat swung out. At the same moment the ship gave a great convulsive movement, the fall broke, a block screeched, he cried, Look out there! And then the boat was not there, but he was standing in the same place and many hands were dragging at him. He cried out to them. Keep cool!

Breaking free, he caught the swinging fall and vanished. A burning sensation in his hands and then he reached the boat. It was still upright. When he let go the rope his body went hurtling as the boat heaved, he staggered down half its length. He could see his outstretched hand, but no further than that.

Damn! he said, damn.

Then he made his way to where the fall was dangling. He could not see the Aurora, but he sensed its toppling height, its dark mass, and high up what looked like shadows danced about where the boat had been.

Down you come.

As each man came down he steadied himself, hung on to the rope, grabbed with his free hand the trembling bundle of a body, said, Righto. One after another they came. It began to rain. A heavy head swell was running. He thought always of the boat smashing up against the plates of the Aurora. He thought always of the men coming down. He thought of a man named Crilley.

Crilley!

Coming down.

He grabbed Crilley’s legs, then the man darted away, his body held for a moment the electric throb of a caught fish. Then he was gone. Two more followed him. The rope swung lazily in the wind.

Coming down, he cried at the top of his voice, coming down.

He stood waiting there.

Coming down, he cried, coming down.

The rope still swung. Above there were many cries. The ship seemed quite still now, it was the darkness that lurched drunkenly.

Any more? he cried at the top of his voice, any more?

He moved slowly along the boat, touching bodies. All were shivering. He felt each body, said, Are you all right now?

Sounds came to his ears, mumblings, a groan, somebody being sick. He made his way back, bat-like to where the fall hung. He heard a dull roar, his mind cried, Away, away.

He drew a sheath knife from his pocket and cut the rope. The boat rocked, her nose struck the bulk of the Aurora.

Coming down, he cried, anybody coming down? He listened, he felt the rope. No use, he said, and cut the other rope. The boat danced, it was free. He fell, sprawled, his hands groped, he dragged on an oar. He got up, pointed the oar, pushed hard against the Aurora’s plates.

Away, his mind cried, away, away.

He sensed the sucking power of water under his boat. He pushed with all his strength. Suddenly the boat was ablaze with light. My God! he said.

Down, down, he shouted thickly. Down. Bullets whistled past his head. His body clawed the bottom of the boat.

Crilley, the water, he cried, the water.

O.K., Crilley said.

The light went out, the darkness deepened. The sailor lay flat in the boat. He saw nothing, felt nothing, heard nothing. He lay still. All sound ceased. A wheel had been whirring in his head, and suddenly it had stopped. Silence. He lay waiting. After a few minutes he sat up, looked about, called in a squeaky voice, Crilley. No answer.

Crilley.

No answer.

Cril-ley.

Silence.

My God! he said. Crilley.

Quietness flowed into his mind, thoughts cooled, he sat very still. Rain went down his neck, drops hung on his nose. When he put his hand to his head, feeling his wet and matted hair, he exclaimed, Hell! Where’ve I been? In the water? But how?

He could not remember anything.

Anybody hear me? he called out.

Someone was sick, groaning.

How many are you? Goddam open your mouths, you’re not going to die.

I’m all right.

Who are you?

Benton’s my name.

Who else?

My name’s Stone.

Are you all right?

There’s an old man sick down here, a voice said.

Come here, the sailor said.

A figure came up and was grabbed.

Sit down, the sailor said. By me.

The man sat down.

You’re Stone?

No. Benton.

Good! Here.

He pushed oars into the man’s hands. Row, he said, I don’t care how. Just row. Keep cool, everything will be all right.

Without quite realizing it he was rowing himself.

He remembered all this as he sat aft, looking at the figures in the boat, his eye noting the differing positions of the bodies. As the light grew they stood out more clearly. He counted them. Six. He stood up, stretching his arms, he yawned loudly, looked away towards the horizon. It spelt emptiness.

Now I’ve got things to do, he said.

There was a man lying at his feet and the sailor touched him gently with his foot.

What’s your name? he said.

The man opened his eyes and sat up. Hell, he said, it’s cold.

Later he said, I’m Stone, noting dark stubble on the sailor’s chin.

Good! All right, you can lie down again, the sailor said.

What’s your name? asked the other.

Me? Curtain. Joseph Curtain.

Then he went on to the next man. He was wide awake, lying awkwardly across a seat amidships.

Which is Benton? he said.

I’m Benton.

Are you all right? No bones broken; anything like that?

I’m all right, the man said, slumped back into his former position.

Curtain went for’ard. There was a man sitting in the bow of the boat, bareheaded, it bobbed about in a helpless sort of way with the movements of the boat.

What is your name?

When the head turned the sailor sat down and stared at the man. He was old.

You’re a priest, the sailor said, his tone of voice had changed.

My name is Michaels, Father Michaels. I’ve been trying to remember what happened, he said, his child-like eyes full on Curtain’s face.

We were torpedoed at five minutes past twelve last night, and later the boat was machine-gunned. The other sailor is dead. He’s there, pointing to the heap under the canvas.

The old man shook his head. How terrible – how dreadful, he said.

Are you all right?

I’ve been sick, the priest said, very sick. I feel much better now.

Who is this man?

They both looked at the long, thin figure of a man lying flat on his back.

I can’t tell you, Father Michaels said, I can’t –

Curtain suddenly turned away, heard the old man being violently sick. He bent down and touched the man on the shoulder. He did not respond.

Are you all right? he said. What is your name?

The man opened his eyes. Kay, he said, oh, Kay. Then he closed them again. Curtain put a hand in his pocket and drew out some wet papers and looked through them. He then returned them.

His name’s Gaunt. John Gaunt.

He studied the figure at his feet.

Has this man been sick? looking directly at the old priest.

Then he said, I see. The old man had fallen fast asleep.

Gaunt, Curtain said. Mr. Gaunt’s had a clout on the head.

Taking out a large handkerchief he dipped it in the sea, began wiping blood from the man’s forehead. The eyes opened again.

He looked up at the sailor, bewildered.

Your name’s Gaunt, you’ve had a nasty knock.

Kay, Ka-y, Gaunt said.

Is your name Gaunt?

Kay, the man said.

The sailor turned away and went aft again. There are things to be done, he said, things to be done. He returned carrying a baler with some water in it. He knelt down, put a hand behind Gaunt’s head, said, Here! Drink this. You’ll be all right soon.

He forced water down the man’s throat, but Gaunt did not feel it, nor did he see Curtain bent over him. He saw only the seas that raced towards him, the seas parting, and then he went down. He was spread-eagled on the ocean bed.

Where are you, Kay?

He clawed for a hold, but great holes appeared, the ocean bed was cracking, the fissures were like great veins.

Drink this, Curtain said, watching the drops of water trickle down, You’ll be fine soon.

There was no rest and no hold. The ocean’s bed gave way, and he plunged.

Kay, he said.

Look at me, Gaunt, Curtain said. You’re all right. You’ve had a clout on the head. You’ll be O.K. in a minute. Just lie there quiet, see.

There was a hollow whistling sound blowing about in Gaunt’s mind, so that he could not hear the sailor’s words. Darkness was a wall, towering, and he began to climb.

Where are you, Kay?

Curtain rolled up the man’s coat sleeve, tore a piece from the sleeve of his shirt, tied it around Gaunt’s head.

You’ll be all right, don’t you worry. Lie quite still.

He left him, went down to where Crilley lay, and stood there looking at him.

Poor Crilley, he said, sitting down, watching closely the canvas as though every second he expected to see it moving.

One dead, one asleep, one light in the head. One horribly sick. He glanced at the man still being sick over the side of the boat.

One was sitting up now, staring at him.

That must be the fellow Stone, he thought, got up and went along to him.

You’re Stone, aren’t you?

I’m Stone, the man said.

We are in an awkward position, Curtain said. Have you got a watch?

No! Is that a man lying there?

Yes. A man named Crilley. They got him. We may be picked up soon.

You really think so?

Why not?

More cautiously he added, "Of course we might not. It’s hard to say. I half believe they smashed the ship’s wireless, we ought to have been picked up by now. We’re some hundreds of miles from the land. I think the other two