chapter nine A View to a death over the island the buildup of clouds continued a steady current of heated air Rose all day from the mountain and was thrust to 10,000 ft revolving masses of gas piled up the static until the air was ready to explode by early evening the sun had gone and with a brassy glare had taken a place of clear daylight even the air that pushed in from the sea was hot and held no refreshment colors drained from water and trees and pink surfaces of rock and the white and brown clouds brooded nothing prospered but the Flies who blackened their lord and made the spilt guts look like a heap of glistening coal even when the vessel broke in Simon's nose and the blood gushed out they left him alone preferring the pig's High flavor with the running of the blood Simon man's fit passed into the weariness of sleep he lay in the mat of creepers while the evening Advanced and the cannon continued to play at last he woke and saw dimly the dark Earth close by his cheek still he did not move but lay there his face sideways on the earth his eyes looking dly before him then he turned over drew his feet under him and laid hold of the creepers to pull himself up when the creeper shook the Flies exploded from the guts with a vicious note and clamped back on again Simon got to his feet the light was unearthly the Lord of the Flies hung on his stick like a black ball Simon spoke aloud to the clearing what else is there to do nothing reped Simon turned away from the open space and crawled through the creepers till he was in The Dusk of the forest he walked drearily between the trunks his face empty of expression and the blood was dry around his mouth and Chin only sometimes as he lifted the ropes of Creeper aside and chose his direction from the trend of the land he mouthed the words that did not reach the air presently the creepers Fon the trees less frequently and there was a scatter of pearly light from the sky down through the trees this was the backbone of the island the slightly higher land that lay beneath the mountain where the forest was no longer Deep Jungle here there were wide spaces interspersed with thickets and huge trees and the trend of the ground led him up as the forest opened he pushed on staggering sometimes with his weariness but never stopping the usual brightness was gone from his eyes and he walked with a sort of glum determination like an old man a buffet of wind made him stagger and he saw that he was out in the open on Rock under a brassy Sky he found his legs were weak and his tongue gave him pain all the time when the wind reached the mountain Mountain Top he could see something happen a flicker of blue stuff against Brown clouds he pushed himself forward and the wind came again stronger now cuffing the forest heads till they ducked and roared Simon saw a hump thing suddenly sit up on the top and look down at him he hit his face and toiled on the Flies had found the figure too the lifelike movement would scare them off for a moment so that they made a dark cloud around the head then as the blue material of the parachute collapsed the corpulent figure would bow forward sighing and the Flies settle once more Simon felt his knee Smack The Rock he crawled forward and soon he understood the tangle of line showed him the mechanics of this parody he examined the white nasal Bones the teeth the colors of corruption he saw how pitilessly the layers of rubber and canvas held together the poor body that should be rotting away then the wind blew again and the figure lifted bowed and breathed fouly at him Simon knelt on all fours and was sick till his stomach was empty then he took the lines in his hands he freed them from the rocks and the figure from the wind's indignity at last he turned away and looked down at the beaches the fire by the platform appeared to be out or at least making no smoke further along the beach Beyond The Little River and near the great slab of rock a thin trickle of smoke was climbing into the sky Simon forgetful of the Flies shaded his eyes with both hands and peered at the smoke even at that distance it was possible to see that most of the boys perhaps all of the boys were there so they had shifted Camp then away from the Beast as Simon thought this he turned to the poor broken thing that sat stinking by his side the Beast was harmless and horrible and the News must reach the others as soon as possible he started down the mountain and his legs gave beneath him even with great care the best he could do was a stagger bathing said Ralph that's the only thing to do piggy was inspecting the looming Sky through his glass I don't like them clouds remember how it rained just after we landed going for rain again Ralph dived into the pool a couple of little ons were playing at the edge trying to extract comfort from the wetness warmer than blood piggy took off his glasses stepped primly into the water and then put them on again Ralph came to the surface and squirted a jet of water at him mind my specks said piggy if I get water on the glass I got to get out and clean them Ralph squirted again and missed he laughed at piggy expecting him to retire meekly as usual and in pain silence instead piggy beat the water with his hands stop it he shouted do you hear furiously he drove the water into Ralph's face all right all right said Ralph keep your hair on piggy stopped beating the water I got a pain in my head I wish the air was cooler I wish the rain would come I wish we could go home piggy lay back against the sloping sand side of the pool his stomach protruded and the water dried on it Ralph squinted up at the sky one could guess at the movement of the Sun by the progress of the Light patch among the clouds he knelt in the water and looked around where's everybody piggy sat up perhaps they lying in the shelter where's Sam and Eric and Bill piggy pointed beyond the platform that's where they've gone Jack's party let them go said Ralph uneasily I don't care just for some meat and for hunting said Ralph wisely and for pretending to be a tribe and putting on wool paint piggy stirred the sand under the water and did not look at Ralph perhaps we ought to go too Ralph looked at him quickly and piggy blushed I mean to make sure nothing happens Ralph squirted water again long before Ralph and piggy came up with Jack's lot they could hear the party there was a stretch of grass in a place where the Palms left the wide band of turf between the forest and the shore just one step down from the edge of the turf was a white blown sand of above high water warm dry trotten below that again was a rock that stretched away toward the Lagoon Beyond was a short stretch of sand and then the edge of the water a fire burned on the Rock and fat dripped from The Roasting pig meat into the invisible Flames all the boys of the island except piggy Ralph Simon and the two tending the pig were grouped on the turf they were laughing singing lying squatting or standing on the ground holding food in their hands but to judge by the greasy faces the meat eating was almost done and some held coconut shells in their hands who wen't drinking from them before the party had started a great log had been dragged into the center of the lawn and Jack painted in garlanded sat there like an idol there were piles of meat on green leaves near him and fruit and coconut shells full of drink Piggy and Ralph came to the edge of the grassy platform and the boys as they noticed them fell silent one by one till only the boy next to Jack was talking then the silence intruded even there and Jack turned where he sat for a time he looked at them and the crackle of the fire was the loudest noise of the droning of the reef Ralph looked away and Sam thinking that Ralph had turned to him accusingly put down his nod bone with a nervous giggle Ralph took an uncertain step pointed to a palm tree and whispered something inaudible to Piggy and they both giggled like Sam lifting his feet high out of the sand Ralph started to stroll past piggy tried to whistle at this moment the boys who were cooking at the fire suddenly hauled off a great chunk of meat and ran with it toward the grass they bumped piggy who was burnt and yelled and danced immediately Ralph and the crowd of boys were United and relieved by a storm of laughter piggy once more was a center of social derision so that everyone felt cheerful and normal Jack stood up and waved to spear take them some meat the boys with the spit gave Ralph and piggy each a succulent chunk they took the gift dribbling so they stood and ate beneath a sky of thunderous brass that rang with a storm coming Jack waved to spear again has everybody eaten as much as they want there was still food left sizzling on the wooden spits heaped on the green platters betrayed by a stomach piggy threw a picked bone down on on the beach and stooped for more Jack spoke again impatiently has everybody eaten as much as they want his tone conveyed a warning given out of the pride of ownership and the boys ate faster while there was still time seeing there was no immediate likelihood of a pause Jack Rose from the log that was his throne and sauntered to the edge of the grass he looked down from behind his paint at Ralph and piggy they moved a little further off toward the sand and Ralph watched the fire as he ate he noticed without understanding how the Flames were visible now against the dull light evening was come not with calm Beauty but with a threat of violence Jack spoke give me a drink Henry brought him a shell and he drank watching Piggy and Ralph over the jagged Rim Power lay in the brown swell of his forearms Authority sat on his shoulder and chattered in his ear like an ape I'll sit down the boys ranged themselves in rows on the grass before him but Ralph and piggy stayed a foot lower standing on the soft sand Jack ignored them for a moment turned his mask down to the seated boys and pointed at them with a spear who's going to join my tribe Ralph made a sudden movement that became a stumble some of the boys turned toward him I gave you food said Jack and my hunters will protect you from the Beast who will join my tribe I'm Chief said Ralph because you chose me and we were going to keep the fire going now you run after food you ran yourself shouted Jack look at that bone in your hands Ralph went Crimson I said you were Hunters that was your job Jack ignored him again who'll join my tribe and have fun I'm Chief said Ralph tremulously and what about the fire and I've Got The Conch you haven't got it with you said Jack sneering you left it behind see clever and the con doesn't count at this end of the island all at once the thunder struck instead of the dull boom there was a point of impact in the explosion the C counts here too said Ralph and all over the island what are you going to do about it then Ralph examined in the ranks of boys there was no help in them and he looked away confused and sweating piggy whispered the fire resc you who'll join my tribe I will me I will I'll blow the Conch said Ralph breathlessly and call an assembly we sh hear it piggy touched Ralph's wrist Come Away there's going to be trouble and we've had our meat there was a blink of bright light Beyond forest and the Thunder exploded again so that a little in started to whine big drops of rain fell among them making individual sounds when they struck going to be a storm said Ralph and you'll have rain like when we dropped here who's clever now well your shelters what are you going to do about that the hunters were looking uneasily at the sky flinching from The Stroke of the drops a wave of restlessness set the boy swaying and moving aimlessly the licking light became brighter and the blows of the Thunder were only just bearable the littl on began to run about screaming Jack leapt on to the sand do all Dance come on Dance he ran stumbling through the thick sand to the open space of rock beyond the fire between the flashes of lightning the air was dark and terrible and the boys followed him clamorously Roger became the pig grunting and charging at Jack who Sid stepped the hunters took their Spears the cooks took spits and the rest clubs of firewood a circling movement developed in a chant while Roger mind the terror of the pig the littens ran and jumped on the outside of the circle Piggy and Ralph under the thread of the sky found themselves eager to take a place in this demented but partly secure Society they were glad to touch the brown backs of the fence that hen in the terror and made it governable killed the Beast cut his throat spit his blood the movement became regular while the chant lost its first superficial excitement and began to beat like a steady pulse Roger ceased to be a pig and became a hunter so that the center of the Ring yawned emptily some of the littens started a ring on their own and the complimentary circles went round and round as though repetition would achieve safety of itself there was a throb and stamp of a single organism the dark sky was shattered by a blue White Scar an instant later the noise was on them like the blow of a gigantic whip the chant Rose at tone in agony kill the Beast cut his throat spill his blood now out of the terror Rose another desire thick urgent blind kill the Beast cut his throat spill his blood again the blue White Scar Jagged above them and the sulfurous explosion beat down the little and screamed and blundered about f from the edge of the forest and one of them broke the Ring of Biggins in his terar him him the circle became a heso a thing was crawling out of the forest it came Darkly uncertainly the shrill screaming that Rose before the Beast was like a pain the Beast stumbled in the Horseshoe kill the Beast cut his throat spill his blood the blue White Scar was constant the noise unendurable Simon was crying out something about a dead man on a hill kill the Beast cut his throat spill his blood do him in the sticks fell and the mouth of the new Circle crunched and screamed the Beast was on its knees in the center its arms folded over its face it was crying out against the Abominable noise something about a body on the hill the Beast struggled forward broke the ring and fell over the Steep edge of the rock to the Sand by the water at once the crowd surged after it poured down the rock leapt onto the beach screamed struck bit tore there were no words and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws then the clouds opened and let down the rain like a waterfall the water bounded from The Mountaintop tore leaves and branches from the trees poured like a cold shower over the struggling Heap on the sand presently the Heap broke up and figures staggered away only the Beast lay still a few yards from the sea even in the rain they could see how small a Beast it was and already its blood was staining the sand now a great wind blew the rain sideways cascading the water from the forest trees on the Mountaintop the parachute filled and moved the figure slid Rose to its feet spun swayed down through the vastness of wet air and trod with ungainly feet the tops of the high trees falling still falling it sank toward the beach and the boys rushed screaming into the darkness the the parachute took the figure forward furrowing the Lagoon and bumped it over the reef and out to sea toward midnight the rain ceased and the clouds drifted away so that the sky was scattered once more with the incredible lamp of stars then the breeze died too and there was no noise save for the drip and trickle of water that ran out of the cffs and Spilled down Leaf by Leaf to the brown Earth of the island the air was cool and moist and clear and presently even the sound of the water was still the Beast lay huddled on the pale Beach and the stains spread inch by inch the edge of the Lagoon became a streak of phosphorescence which Advanced minutely as a great wave of the tide flowed the Clear Water mirrored the clear sky and the angular bright constellations the line of phosphorescence bulged about the sand grains and little Pebbles it held them each in a dimple of tension then suddenly except them with an inaudible syllable and moved on along the shoreward edge of the shallows the advancing clearness was full of strange moonbean bodied creatures with fiery eyes here and there a larger Pebble clung to its own air and was covered with a coat of pearls the tide swelled in over the rain pitted sand and smoothed everything with a layer of silver now it touched the first of the stains that seeped from the broken body and the creatures made a moving patch of light light as they gathered at the edge the water Rose farther and dressed Simon's coarse hair with brightness the line of his cheeks silvered and the turn of his shoulder became sculptured marble the strange attendant creatures with their fiery eyes and trailing Vapors busied themselves around his head the body lifted a fraction of an inch from the sand and a bubble of air escaped from the mouth with a wet plop then it turned gently in the water Somewhere over the darkened curve of the world the sun and moon were pulling and the film of water on the Earth planet was held bulging slightly on one side while the solid core turned the Great Wave of the tide moved farther along the island and the water lifted softly surrounded by a fringe of inquisitive bright creatures itself a silver shape beneath the steadfast constellations Simon's dead body moved out toward the Open [Music] [Music] Sea