From Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Piggy gave up the attempt to rebuke Ralph. He polished his glass again and went back to his subject.
"We can do without Jack Merridew. There's others besides him on this island. But now we really got a beast, though I can't hardly believe it, we'll need to stay close to the platform; there'll be less need of him and his hunting. So now we can really decide on what's what."
"There's no help, Piggy. Nothing to be done."
For a while they sat in the depressed silence. Then Simon stood up and took the conch from Piggy, who was so astonished that he remained on his feet. Ralph looked up at Simon.
"Simon? What is it this time?"
A half-sound of jeering ran round the circle and Simon shrank from it.
"I thought there might be something to do. Something we—"
Against the pressure of the assembly took his voice away. He sought for help and sympathy and chose Piggy. He turned half toward him, clutching the conch to his brown chest.
"I think we ought to climb the mountain."
The circle shivered with dread. Simon broke off and turned to Piggy who was looking at him with an expression of derisive incomprehension.
"What's the good of climbing up to this here beast when Ralph and the other two couldn't do nothing?"
Simon whispered his answer.
"What else is there to do?"
His speech made, he allowed Piggy to lift the conch out of his hands. Then he retired and sat as far away from the others as possible.
Piggy was speaking now with more assurance and with what, if the circumstances had not been so serious, the others would have recognized as pleasure.
"I said we could all do without a certain person. Now I say we got to decide on what can be done. And I think I could tell you what Ralph's going to say next. The most important thing on the island is the smoke and you can't have no smoke without a fire."
Ralph made a restless movement.
"No go, Piggy. We've got no fire. That thing sits up there—we'll have to stay here."
Piggy lifted the conch as though to add power to his next words.
"We got no fire on the mountain. But what's wrong with a fire down here? A fire could be built on them rocks. On the sand, even. We'd make smoke just the same."
"That's right!"
"Smoke!"
"By the bathing pool!"
The boys began to babble. Only Piggy could have the intellectual daring to suggest moving the fire from the mountain.
"We can do without Jack Merridew. There's others besides him on this island. But now we really got a beast, though I can't hardly believe it, we'll need to stay close to the platform; there'll be less need of him and his hunting. So now we can really decide on what's what."
"There's no help, Piggy. Nothing to be done."
For a while they sat in the depressed silence. Then Simon stood up and took the conch from Piggy, who was so astonished that he remained on his feet. Ralph looked up at Simon.
"Simon? What is it this time?"
A half-sound of jeering ran round the circle and Simon shrank from it.
"I thought there might be something to do. Something we—"
Against the pressure of the assembly took his voice away. He sought for help and sympathy and chose Piggy. He turned half toward him, clutching the conch to his brown chest.
"I think we ought to climb the mountain."
The circle shivered with dread. Simon broke off and turned to Piggy who was looking at him with an expression of derisive incomprehension.
"What's the good of climbing up to this here beast when Ralph and the other two couldn't do nothing?"
Simon whispered his answer.
"What else is there to do?"
His speech made, he allowed Piggy to lift the conch out of his hands. Then he retired and sat as far away from the others as possible.
Piggy was speaking now with more assurance and with what, if the circumstances had not been so serious, the others would have recognized as pleasure.
"I said we could all do without a certain person. Now I say we got to decide on what can be done. And I think I could tell you what Ralph's going to say next. The most important thing on the island is the smoke and you can't have no smoke without a fire."
Ralph made a restless movement.
"No go, Piggy. We've got no fire. That thing sits up there—we'll have to stay here."
Piggy lifted the conch as though to add power to his next words.
"We got no fire on the mountain. But what's wrong with a fire down here? A fire could be built on them rocks. On the sand, even. We'd make smoke just the same."
"That's right!"
"Smoke!"
"By the bathing pool!"
The boys began to babble. Only Piggy could have the intellectual daring to suggest moving the fire from the mountain.
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