Billy Budd

“The following day an incident served to verify Billy Budd in his incredulity as to the Dansker’s unusual summing- up of the case submitted. The ship at midday, going giant earlier than the wind, was rolling on her course, and he, beneath at dinner and engaged in some sportful speak with the members of his mess, chanced in a sudden lurch to spill all the contents of his soup-pan upon the brand new scrubbed deck. Claggart, the Grasp-at-arms, official rattan in hand, occurred to be passing alongside the battery in a bay of which the mess was lodged, and the greasy liquid streamed simply throughout his path. Stepping over it, he was continuing on his manner with out remark, for the reason that matter was nothing to take discover of beneath the circumstances, when he occurred to look at who it was that had performed the spilling.”