the roulette wheel spun counter clockwise in a whirl of dark colours , the red sectors indistinguishable from the black , the numbers painted in each segment unrecognisable , until , little-by-little , friction slowed the motion of the rotating pan , and the tiny ball of fate , which had clung so steadfastly to the sides of the wheel , like a speedway rider desperately attempting to maintain his position on the track , slipped ever further down the side of the sloping wall , coming to rest first in one pan , before finally skipping into the neighbouring pocket .