# XVIII: The Rat Hunt explained — The Blue Lagoon

> Chapter companion for The Blue Lagoon by H. de Vere Stacpoole.

## What happens

Mr. Button entertains the children with sea shanties and stories after a feast, but his week-long drinking binge leads to delirium tremens, causing him to hallucinate rats and a horse, which the children treat as a game.

## Themes in this chapter

### Isolation and Survival

Paddy's drinking and hallucinations highlight the psychological toll of isolation on the island.

### Innocence and Loss

The children treat Paddy's delirium as a game, unaware of the seriousness of his condition.

## Character check-ins

### Dick

Leads the game of chasing Paddy, cooks for him, and finds him hallucinating.

### Emmeline

Participates in the rat chase and hears Paddy's singing at night.

### Paddy Button

Suffers from delirium tremens after a week of heavy drinking, hallucinating rats and a horse.

## Key lines

> Oh, be the Holy Poker, there’s red rats comin’ out of the sand!

Paddy exclaims in terror that red rats are emerging from the sand.

_First sign of his hallucination during the rat hunt._

> I’m a flyin’ fish sailor come back from Hong Kong, Yeo ho! blow the man down.

Paddy sings a traditional sea shanty about a sailor returning from Hong Kong.

_Shows his jovial mood before the drinking binge._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_blue_lagoon_se/chapters/part-iii-xviii-the-rat-hunt
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_blue_lagoon_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_blue_lagoon_se/chapters