Michael Moorcock - A Cure for Cancer

'You look like a dream of Jamaica. Did I say I felt cheerless?'

'Well, you are our prisoner. What did happen to Karen von Krupp, by the way?'

'To the best of my knowledge she went into the catering trade. In Pennsylvania somewhere. It was all a bit complicated. We both had problems.'

'I can understand that. I expect she's too embarrassed to look us up.' Mitzi turned her face towards the pale blue sky and sniffed the wind. 'I don't bear her any grudge. Who could?'

'Who?'

'The planes have stopped.'

'You noticed that two nights ago.'

'Did I? Which planes? Do you have a personality problem, Herr Cornelius?'

'From time to time.'

'You would say that.' She laughed.

'I wish there was some bloody sustenance around here.' Jerry looked over the rail at the foaming algae. 'It's hard going, Mitzi, I don't mind telling you.'

'What's your favourite food? Liver?'

'Not since they killed all the buffalo. It's not for me to say.'

'Are you really Jerry Cornelius?'

'Ah.' Jerry took a pace along the rail and gave her a wary wink.

'Aren't you an impostor?'

'Oho.'

'We're going through the new St Croix Canal, you know.'

'And then?'

'Along the Mississippi down to New Orleans.'

'You're very forthcoming.'

'Into the Gulf of Mexico. Through the Panama Canal and into the Pacific until we berth in San Francisco.'

'I get it.'

'Why don't you stop fighting us, Herr Cornelius? You know in your heart that we're right.'

'When does the next jolly boat leave?'

'The Teddy Bear has no jolly boats.'

'I am in a pickle, aren't I?'

'How do you feel?'

'Sleepy.'

'The long voyage will do you good.'

'I wish I could have stopped off in New York.'

'New York's rather hectic.'

'I have quite a lot of urgent business, you know.'

'It won't seem so urgent by the time we get to San Francisco.'

Jerry shook his head. 'I could do with a change of scenery.'

'You won't get it. You'll grow to like this scenery.'

'Christ!'

'Really, Mr Cornelius!' Bishop Beesley came waddling down the deck.

'What the fuck do you know about it?'

That's a nice thing to say!'

Jerry looked at the algae again.

'It's a long way, Mr Cornelius.'

'Yeah.'

'I don't think you'd make it.'

'No.'

Mitzi folded her arms. 'You're not much of a catch.'

'I'm not the catch I'm worrying about. My patients...'

'I've almost lost mine, Mr Cornelius.' Bishop Beesley smacked his lips over a Walnut Whip.

'I wish that was true. I'm going back to bed.'

'You'll have to wake up sooner or later.'

'Says who?' Jerry went down the companionway, opened the door of his neat, white cabin and fell on his bunk.

He was in a spot.

He'd have to try and bide his time. St Paul was his only hope.

Abbott; Abbey; Abell; Abercrombie; Abernethy; Ablett; Abraham; Abram; Absalom; Acheson; Acker; Acklam; Acres; Acton; Adair; Adam; Adcock; Adkins; Adlam; Ad-lard; Adlum; Adney; Adrain; Aga; Agate; Aiken; Alan; Alban; Albert; Aldeh; Alexander; Alfred; Alison; Allard; Allibon; Alsop; Ambler; Ambrose; Amos; Ampleford; Ander-son; Angel; Anstey; Applegarth; Arkle; Armistead; Armstrong; Arrowsmith; Ashe; Aspinal; Attwood; Auger; Austin; Aylmer; Aysh; Babbitt; Bailey; Bairnsfeather; Baker; Bancroft; Bank; Barbary; Barclay; Bardell; Barker; Barlowe; Barnes; Barnett; Bartholomew; Barton; Barwick; Bateman; Batt; Baxter; Beach; Beauchamp; Beavis; Beckett; Bedwell; Belcher; Bell; Bellhanger; Bennett; Berrington; Beverley; Beynon; Biddulph; Bigg; Bingley; Birtwhistle; Bishop; Blackadder; Blackmore; Blackshaw; Blackwell; Blackwood; Blagrave; Blake; Blanchard; Blanchflower; Blandamore; Blen-kinsop; Blennerhassett; Blight; Blood; Bloomer; Blunt; Blythe; Boatswain; Bolinbroke; Bond; Booth; Bouverie; Bowen; Bowie; Brabazon; Bradbourne; Bradbury; Brand; Brannan; Breakspear; Brereton; Brewer; Bridger; Brigham; Bristowe; Broadbent; Brockless; Brown; Bruce; Buchan; Buckmaster; Budd; Burgess; Burnes; Burstall; Burton; Bury; Butler; Buxton; Byford; Byron; Bywood; Caborne; Caesar; Caffin; Caldecott; Calder; Caldwell; Calver; Cambridge; Campbell; Cannan; Capstack; Carter; Gary; Caswell; Catch-pole; Catmur; Catton; Chamberlain; Chandler; Charlton; Charteris; Chatterley; Cheetham; Chenevix; Childe; Chivers; Cholmondeley; Christey; Christian; Christin; Christmas; Christopher; Chrystal; Church; Churchill; Clachar; Clapham; Clarewood: Clarke; Clayton; Cleave; Clement; Clifford; Cock; Coffin; Cole; Coleman; Coleridge; Combe; Constan-tine; Cooke; Copperthwaite; Cordiner; Corfe; Corley; Cornelius...

Aaron; Abel; Abigail; Abraham; Absalom; Ada; Adalbert; Adam; Adela; Adelaide; Adeline; Adolphus; Adrian; Aeneas; Afra; Agatha; Agnes; Alexis; Alice; Almeric; Aloys; Al-phonsus; Amyas; Andrew; Angus; Ann; Anthony; Archibald; Arthur; Audrey; Augustus; Aylmer; Baldwin; Basil; Belle; Benedict; Bernard; Brian; Camilla; Candida; Caspar; Catherine; Chloe; Christabel; Christopher; Clara; Clovis; Constance; Cosmo; Cyriac; Cyrus; Daisy; Daphne; David; Deirdre; Denis; Dinah; Dolores; Dominic; Doreen; Dorothy; Douglas; Duncan; Ebenezer; Edgar; Edwin; Eileen; Elias; Elizabeth; Elric; Emily; Emmanuel; Ena; Enoch; Eric; Ermentrude; Eustace; Ezra; Fabian; Faith; Fanny; Felix; Fergus; Freda; Fulke; Gabriel; Gareth; Gavin; George; Gertrude; Gervase; Gladys; Grizel; Gustavus; Gwyneth; Hadrian; Hamish; Harriet; Heloise; Henry; Herbert; Hercules; Hester; Hezekiah; Hilary; Hope; Hubert; Humphrey; Hyacinth; lan; Ida; Igor; Ingeborg; Ingram; Isabella; Isaiah; Israel; Ivan; Ivy; Jabez; Jack; Jacob; James; Jane; Jasper; Jean; Jedidiah; Jenny; Jeremiah...

JEREMIAH (Yah is high, or heals, or founds) CORNELIUS (probably related to L. cornu, horn. — Dims. Corney, Corny. — Fern. Cornelia)

JEREMIAH CORNELIUS.

His mouth was dry and his eyes were dim.

Environment trouble.

Identity trouble.

Registration number: 1.

Parents: Dead or whereabouts unknown.

Relatives: Dead or whereabouts unknown.

Residence: No fixed address.

Physical characteristics: Mutable.

Associates: Variable.

Psychological situation: Weak. Position: Threatened. Emotional situation: Desperate. Recommendations: Hang on. JEREMIAH CORNELIUS. The ship rolled.

JEREMIAH CORNELIUS.

He was sick. JEREMIAH CORNELIUS.

Inside and out. JEREMIAH CORNELIUS.

Hang on. JEREMIAH CORNELIUS.

Get out.

Jerry opened up his eyes. He had lost all track of time, but there was daylight coming through the porthole. Lying alongside him was Mitzi's soft, warm body. She was pressing his hand to her privates.

'Do you mind?' said Jerry.

'Not if you don't.' He pulled himself together. He still had some strength left, but it couldn't last much longer.

He saw her clothes were strewn across the cabin floor and there was her little handbag.

'Where are we?' he murmured, stroking her parted lips with his dark finger.

'Minneapolis is in sight.'

'In a pig's eye!'

'Oh! I saw it!'

'Okay. What's the time?'

'Eight p. m.'

He twisted in the bunk and wound first his right watch and then his left. 'Did Beesley send you?'

'I came because I have fallen in love with you — or, at any rate, with what you might become...' .

'Does that hurt?'

'Yes.'

'And that?'

'Yes.'

'Well, let's get at it, then.'

It was dark when Jerry peeled back the encrusted sheets. Moonlight now came through the porthole. She murmured sleepily and held out her arms to him.

Jerry gave it to her on the point of the chin and fell forward to lie on top of her, breathing hard. He rested for a moment and then slid over her and fell to the floor, rolled and reached out for a rail, pulled himself up and staggered towards the middle of the cabin and kneeled down to pick up her heavy handbag. He opened it with an effort and closed his fingers over the butt of the vibragun. It was his only link with the cellar in Ladbroke Grove.