Page:The Cannery Boat.pdf/85

Rh The workers marched in step, arm in arm.

“Halt!” shouted Sessito and stood still. “Halt, comrades! I protest against our being arrested without any explanation. We want to know the reason.”

“That’s right!” shouted the rest. Senzomoto glanced at Watari. In cases like these Watari was usually ready to fly out at the faintest provocation. This time he was perfectly quiet. He stood still as if chained to the floor.

The police surrounded little Sessito. The workers shouldered their way in between the police.

“Are you going to tell us, devil take you, what we’ve been arrested for?”

“You’ll find out at the police-station.”

“Always the same answer! We’re not going to be locked up in those dirty, stinking cells again!”

Somebody shouted from the rear:

“It’s an abuse of government.”

One of the police started to beat Sessito.

A clump of human bodies swayed to and fro. The workers fought their way into the centre of the group. A general scrimmage ensued.

“You—swine, you” came the half-choked voice of Sessito.

“You think—you can put down our movement—like this—you dogs—you think you can do that” The disorder increased.

Watari, who had stood motionless up to now, suddenly threw the full weight of his bulky body into the tussle. Senzomoto felt something like relief.

“Unless you tell us the reason, we shan’t admit