CHAPTER 10
The next day an incident served to confirm Billy Budd in his
incredulity as to the Dansker's strange summing-up of the case
submitted. The ship at noon, going large before the wind, was
rolling on her course, and he, below at dinner and engaged in some
sportful talk with the members of his mess, chanced in a sudden
lurch to spill the entire contents of his soup-pan upon the new
scrubbed deck. Claggart, the Master-at-arms, official rattan in
hand, happened to be passing along the battery in a bay of which the
mess was lodged, and the greasy liquid streamed just across his
path. Stepping over it, he was proceeding on his way without
comment, since the matter was nothing to take notice of under the
circumstances, when he happened to observe who it was that had done
the spilling. His countenance changed. Pausing, he was about to
ejaculate something hasty at the sailor, but checked himself, and
pointing down to the streaming soup, playfully tapped him from
behind with his rattan, saying in a low musical voice peculiar to
him at times, "Handsomely done, my lad! And handsome is as handsome
did it too!" And with that passed on. Not noted by Billy, as not
coming within his view, was the involuntary smile, or rather
grimace, that accompanied Claggart's equivocal words. Aridly it drew
down the thin corners of his shapely mouth. But everybody taking his
remark as meant for humourous, and at which therefore as coming from a
superior they were bound to laugh "with counterfeited glee," acted
accordingly; and Billy tickled, it may be, by the allusion to his
being the handsome sailor, merrily joined in; then addressing his
messmates exclaimed, "There now, who says that Jimmy Legs is down on
me!" "And who said he was, Beauty?" demanded one Donald with some
surprise. Whereat the Foretopman looked a little foolish, recalling
that it was only one person, Board-her-in-the-smoke, who had suggested
what to him was the smoky idea that this Master-at-arms was in any
peculiar way hostile to him. Meantime that functionary, resuming his
path, must have momentarily worn some expression less guarded than
that of the bitter smile, and usurping the face from the heart, some
distorting expression perhaps; for a drummer-boy heedlessly frolicking
along from the opposite direction and chancing to come into light
collision with his person was strangely disconcerted by his aspect.
Nor was the impression lessened when the official, impulsively
giving him a sharp cut with the rattan, vehemently exclaimed, "Look
where you go!"