“This is a lavish little picnic, isn’t it?” Peter said, reaching for another slice of tinned tongue. We opened tins of sardines, luncheon meat, dace, and pineapple. A bottle of whisky had also appeared and was being passed around. We had also brought bags of rice, ikan bilis, and groundnuts, and there were still some eggs from the guest house. We could not cook any of these things, however, because we could not find a stove.
“I’m sorry,” Mamoru said, “but we will have to survive on tinned rations this evening. We shall reach the Seven Maidens before long, and we shall be able to prepare hot food over a fire there.”
“This is perfectly acceptable,” I said.
“I don’t mind it out here, actually. It’s rather wonderful,” Peter said. “Johnny was just saying earlier how exciting it is to be in Neptune’s realm.”
“I did not say that,” Johnny said, looking a little perplexed.
“Perhaps not in those words. But the sentiment was there, you must admit. You did say that it would be wonderful to die at sea, didn’t you? ‘If I had to die somewhere, this is where I would choose,’ you said. And I agree! Wouldn’t it be just splendid to fade into this vast expanse of water, to be nibbled by angelfish and sea nymphs? I should love to swim into the sun and simply dissolve into nothingness. How utterly ravishing that would be.”
I chuckled.
“How ridiculous,” Honey sneered. “You couldn’t possibly do that. What about your funeral? What about last rites? It’s an abdication of responsibility.”
“Responsibility? Whom to?” Peter said, his mouth full of food.
“Everyone,” said Honey. “God, for a start.”
Peter laughed heartily, making no attempt to stop little bits of food from falling from his mouth.
“I knew it,” said Honey. “Not only are you a Bolshevik, you’re a heathen too.”
“I’d like to say you were wrong on both counts,” Peter replied, “but I can’t bring myself to make the effort. It doesn’t matter what you think of me.”
“Do you believe in God, Peter?” I asked.
He looked at me and seemed somewhat surprised by my question. It took him a moment or two to gather himself. “In a place such as this — as perfect as this — who could not believe in God? Who can look upon this and say this is not God’s Earth? Even if I didn’t before, I think I would now.”
I cast a surreptitious sideways glance at Mamoru.
“All this,” Peter said, waving his gangling arms around him, “doesn’t it feel new, innocent, eternal?” I had never heard his voice like this before. It sounded grown-up and sad. “Gone is Babylon, Mother of Harlots and Abomination of the Earth. In its place is this, a place founded on something clear and pure. The new Jerusalem: ‘Its first foundation was Jasper.’ ”
“What’s Jasper?” Johnny asked.
“A kind of mineral, a precious stone,” Peter said. “Didn’t we bring some fresh fruit with us? I feel I’m about to succumb to scurvy. Now, that’s a real drawback to being at sea. I’d even be prepared to suck on a lime. Have we still got some of those delicious bananas from the guest house?”
“Yes, we have no bananas,” I said, “but we do have some chiku and guava. I’ll fetch them.”
Later, when I had retired below deck to write, Mamoru left Honey to steer the boat and brought me another lamp. “It’ll be better for your eyes,” he said, looking at my diary. “What beautiful handwriting you have.”
I blushed.
“Maybe you’ll write something for me one day.”
Up on deck, Peter was singing songs and attempting to teach Johnny the words and melodies. He sang in English, French, and — I think — Italian. I did not recognise any of the songs, although one or two of them reminded me of ones I have heard father play on his gramophone. Peter’s voice assumed a surprising range, from self-conscious baritone to flighty falsetto, always in perfect pitch. Johnny — whom I know for certain to be tone-deaf — could not keep up, his flat, nervous voice stumbling after every few words. This did not seem to deter Peter from running through his seemingly inexhaustible repertoire, however, and they continued to sing the most unusual, awful duets, Peter’s fluent notes floating above Johnny’s irregular monotone.
Mamoru was deep in conversation with Honey. “The waters are smooth and it is a very clear night,” I heard him say. “We’ll slow down a little but keep going through the night. We should encounter no problems.”
