Chapter 4 I
RECEIVE A WARNINGThe odor of formaldehyde in the forecastle having abated,
permission for the crew to sleep on deck had been withdrawn. But
the weather as we turned south had grown insufferably hot. The reek
of the forecastle sickened me—the odor of fresh paint, hardly dry,
of musty clothing and sweaty bodies.
I asked Singleton, the first mate, for permission to sleep on
deck, and was refused. I went down, obediently enough, to be driven
back with nausea. And so, watching my chance, I waited until the
first mate, on watch, disappeared into the forward cabin to eat the
night lunch always prepared by the cook and left there. Then, with
a blanket and pillow, I crawled into the starboard lifeboat, and
settled myself for the night. The lookout saw me, but gave no
sign.
