Above the drip, drip of water from the trees the
washof the rising river could be heard.
Theyd be there for the ironing-up any time. A flash
of lightning lifted a patch of downland from the pit ofdarkness. But at this moment
helost his grip on the table and toppled over backwards. Red picked up the axe and
laid it on the table. Once a whiddler always a whiddler,and YOUVE got brains.
McGovern negligently pushed Robins back to the wall. It told Cabell that today orat
latest tomorrow everything must be decided.
Lice and fleas crawled overhis body, which was
covered with red lumps from their bites.
A burst of laughter from Davy distracted Cabells
attention. They heard him plod round the humpy,return. He picked up the pistols,
cocked them, and laid them downwith the butts towards him. Come, boys, McGovern
rallied them, friendly, persuasive.
Oh, how helonged for that life again, the security,
the accustomed face ofit! This gives the impression thatCabell acted with a
conscious and ruthless foresight.
A villainous-looking old brute this, with achin
like a trowel and a mouth turned in over bare gums.
The light in the humpy wavered as somebody rushed
past it to thedoor. Its better than trying tofeed yourself in this hole, one of the
drinkers interjected.
Irritated by the griphe kept on them, their skinny
heads tossed up and down. Is that as much to say youve changed
yourmind?
A dogflew out at him, but he sent it limping away
with one swift kick.
The air of the room became stagnant again andthe
slush-lamp burned without a quiver.
Time, time, he said in a rather melancholyvoice. It
roared down, crashing together the trees it had torn from thescrub. He jerked his
thumb over his shoulder at a manwho stood near the door watching the flooded river.
Then a stab offlame, the report of a gun.
He crammed his beard between histeeth and let it
slide out again. A voicemoaned in the gullies, far away, then close at hand.