The whiskey lit a fire in the back of his throat. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and lay on his back. A coded message clittered over the radio speakers. He felt his stomach clench in alarm. The distress call had given the ship’s position: the fishermen were steering a direct course for Kodiak. He held on to the back of a chair. His old fears came flooding back. He was not a strong swimmer.
Source: New Oxford American Dictionary