Slacking off in the Sun

"We useta get gruel - thin grey stuff. 'Orrible, it was. But we get meat 'ere - never had meat afore comin' 'ere, me." He looked at the other boy. From the way he spoke, the two might as well have ben living at opposite sides of the world before coming here to Terpsy.

"I've had better meat n' here." When Button joined the navy, he may as well have won a lottery. He got better food, better clothing, still some work, but also a life of adventure. When De Guarde got to his first ship he thought he had made a mistake for much he lost and little gained.

"So, you wanna know how Mister Leat got his shiner?" He asked, realising how they have strayed from the first story.

Terry looked down at his bare foot and tucked it under him, swinging his other leg carelessly. "T'ain't so bad here as it was where I come fr'm," he said, and brightened a little. "Yeah! Do tell!"

"So remember, he's all a singin' lovely serenades... uh.. love exclamations ter t' lass. But she has got a man already, an' that man jus' happens ter be livin' in t' same place as her as well. So there's a bit o' silence a while, afore he comes down. An' imagine him. He's a big Portuguese man. Real nasty lookin'." He looked at Buttons. He elaborated on the description up to the man's haircolour, still emphasizing though how darkly he had looked around the place when he arrived. And then he turned quiet, to build some of the suspense.

Terry's eyes had gone very round at de Guarde's story, but then he broke off and Terry frowned. "C'mon, don't just leave it 'angin' like that," he said. "You ain't said what 'e did - or what she did, neither. An' wasn't there other folks there from Terpsy to stop 'im?"

"Oh there was other folk, but they was drunk o' their ...their heads. See, there was a pair o' marines hugging each other, couse they couldn't stand proper. There was Tom , who was slurrin' his words. Then there was also Mister Cartwright, as drunk as our Mister Leat. An'.. even Mister Bush, but he was no use neither. " He shook his head, trying to make order in how he would tell the story.

Terry giggled. The whole idea was just too funny. He pulled his leg up again and hugged it gleefully, waiting to hear the rest. Three officers, all as drunk as wheelbarrows - and three Marines no more sober. It was just too perfect! "Go on!"

"So.. Oh, there was another marine. He came a bit later. Not too later really. He was a big sort of thing. Like Branning? You know the man.. He's .. uh.. t' one that don't speak English too good. T' Irishman. So he came there and he was drunk too, jus'.. he was still able ter stand and ter.... sort of think!" He counted the number of men he had mentioned so far, to see if he missed out on anyone. The scene had first to be described before anything else could be told!

"Oh, yeah, I know him. Not Shriver - the other one." Terry grinned. He didn't know all the Marines' names - he had to think for a moment before he could remember which one Branning was, and who the third big Marine might be "So, you's sayin' as everyone was drunk 'cept you? 'Cludin' the officers?"

"Yes, that'one. So.. oh.. did I tell you how t' lass looked?.. She was real pretty... fer a girl. ...Got' a shapely body an' skin real dark..like t' coffee.. an' her hair was black an' long." He nodded satisfied and then looked at button, giving him a scowl. "Aye. Everybody 'cept me was drunk! T' officers, t' marines.. everyone!...Only couse I wos' followin' orders!"

"Real pretty, and with a big fella. Oops." It really must have been something to see the group of them. Terry sighed a little and wondered if he'd ever be allowed ashore before he got to be an Able.

"Oh it was. So this man came down.. after Leat sang his last tune. An'.. he was meaning business. So Mister Cartwright.. t' marine officer, he wants to stop him but stumbles couse he ain't right sober either. Afore he knows it, he's right comical on t' floor, havin' fallen as big as he could." He grins. " Like a big sack o' things, toppled right over! Not dignified. I tell ye. Could look no less an officer if'n he wanted to!" He hesitated. "But.. he's a good chap usually, so... it wasn't his fault. That man pushed him really. An' he was a big bearded strong man, so you have to know."

He shrugged recalling more: "There comes Mister Bush, thinking he could stop the man. But .. afore he does anything, Leat's facin' this big man already. And POW..." His hand came flat against the palm of the other, making a sound as if a fist had struck something, in this case the imitation of a fist striking an eye." Gives him a shiner right there! And THUMP goes our officer, bouncin' of t' wall like he was bloated barrel!"

Terry's eyes couldn't get any wider. He clapped his hand over his mouth, giggling at the thought of the Marine officer sitting on the ground, probably covered in who-knew-what, and the big burly Portuguese man punching Mister Leat's eye. "An' 'e'd only bin singin' a nice song to a lady. 'Ardly worth gettin' a shiner for, that ain't."

"Well he wos' singing it to a married woman! I think t' man took offence, or else he might've not known what he was sayin' an' thought he was sayin' summat bad?" He grinned. "..I mus' tell you.. he meant business and I think he would've pounded Mister Leat into a pulp, if he had half a chance!"

"'E didn't though, did 'e?" Mister Leat hadn't looked as though he'd been pounded to a pulp - and Terry reckoned he knew what that looked like, right enough. "How'd you all stop 'im?"

"I didn'.. nor did Tom. He was lookin' at an officer when t' big marine came! He was jus' enough sober that he sort of knew what he was doin'. An' he went right at t' Portuguese man too!" He nodded and scowled as he remembered how Gunn shoved him out of the way to get to the attacker, quicker. "So him' was who stopped the man. But...oh.. he did summat of a mistake.. couse when he wanted to help Mister Leat up, ..well.. poor officer got kneed right there!"

"The big Marine?" Terry thought. "Oh. You said. The Irish one, right? Not Brannin' or the bad-tempered one." He winced in sympathy when de Guarde carried on to say that Mister Leat had got a knee right there. "Must've 'urt, poor thing, that."

"Aye , it did. Hm.. Oh..Gunn. I think his name's Gunn!" He exclaimed then grinned. "So any'ow.. where was I. He got kneed right there t' poor thing. I tried ter offer him m' neckerchief couse he was feedin' t' fishes' right badly. ..Kind o'. . to help 'im. But he didn' take it. I'm rather glad he didn't. It'd be real nasty and filthy if he did!"

"I'd've understood throwin' up if it'd bin a bit 'igher," Terry said. Though maybe getting kneed there, hard enough, made you throw up as well? He wasn't going to try it though. No thanks. "So... so what 'appened then?" Or maybe that was it -they'd all got back here all right. Well, he hadn't heard that anyone hadn't returned... though he'd only hear rumours, of course, and half the time even rumours were wrong.

"Well that's not t' end o' it jus' yet. " He felt quite proud that he was keeping the boy's attention and that he still wanted to know more. "Oh.. I forgot. You know... 'fore this Gunn helped he wanted t' marines ter join'im. Not Tom, couse he was already with an officer, but two others. Jus'.. when he nudged them, they colapsed like they was made o'.. .um.. o'.. summat real brittle!"

The Marines? Terry frowned and then his face cleared. Oh, of course. The other two Marines de Guarde had mentioned earlier. And of course there had been Marines ashore - out of Terpsy's entire complement, the Marines would get to go ashore most. Probably. Them all being volunteers, not like Terry and most of the sailors, who'd been pressed.

"Like skittles?" he asked, pulling his leg up again and resting his chin on his knee.

"Like... like a deck o' cards if it's put up in a little tower like. They collapsed like that!" He nodded thinking the example was best. "So... it didn' sit well with none of t' others. But Gunn was closest.. so he started beatin' on t' man... which actually wasn't good at all. See.. helping an officer come to his feet like Tom did.. or seein' if they's alright.. like he did.. is ok with t' people.. but... bashin' t' face of their fellow countryman.. ..that don't sit well with t' Portuguese at all! An' t' woman came runnin' downn while Mister Leat was all curled up on t' floor groanin' in pain!"

Cards? You played with cards, didn't you? Terry had never seen anyone do anything else with them, though he was perfectly willing to accept that there were people who did strange things like that. "He's arright," he said, though he hadn't really met the big Irish marine - he hadn't really met any of them, in fact, apart from the three drummers and that was different, of course. "Bet 'e gave the Portugee summat to think about, though. Did 'e get a shiner an' all?"

"Well not much.. couse i don' gamble, see. " He shifted a bit, readjusting his position and hold so that he would keep himself safe from falling onto the deck. "No, I don't think t' marine got a shiner at t' time.. but it real angered t' Portuguese that we was beatin' one of their own. Tom took ter helpin' Cartwright escape, I wos' sort'o.. trying to baby two big marines back 'ome.. and...... an' Gunn kinda.. carried both remainin officers on 'is shoulders. It was funny to see. So we was all tryin' ter escape....and as you saw.. we did manage!"

"I meant the Portugee." Though he was glad the Marine hadn't got a shiner too - one Terpsy getting one was bad enough - and when that one was the Second Lieutenant...! "Bet it was funny to see!" And how none of them had fallen in the water, instead of getting in the boat, he didn't know. Though probably the sailors had been sober, of course.