On a cruise, Mr Botibol decides to participate in the pool betting on how far the ship will travel, spending the last of his savings. He chooses the lowest field due to the poor weather, but unexpectedly good conditions allow the ship to speed up. He wonders - could he make the ship slow down somehow?
Examples:
- Batman Gambit: Botibol's plan to slow down the ship. He falls off the ship into the sea, making sure someone will notice him, so the ship will have to stop to rescue him.
- Composite Character: Roald Dahl wrote another story, "Botibol", featuring a man with the same unusual name. The two stories are unconnected. However, when that story was adapted for Tales of the Unexpected as "Mr Botibol's First Love", the character was also played by Jack Weston, suggesting they decided to treat them both as the same character
- Spanner in the Works: Unfortunately the passenger Mr Botibol chooses as his witness has dementia and fails to respond when he falls off the ship, presumably leaving him to drown.
- The Gambling Addict: Mr Botibol, who spends his last thousand dollars gambling.
