16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
all her sails taken aback and clattering like a
madhouse. The Franklin fired a single gun: an
extraordinary cloud of smoke, and extraordinary
report. But it was drowned by Captain
Aubrey's roar of 'Clew up, clew up, there,' and
emerging from the canvas 'Where away?'
'Larboard quarter, sir,' cried several hands.
'It's Mr Reade.'
'Carry on, Captain Pullings,' said Jack, whipping
off his shirt and diving straight into the
sea. He was a powerful swimmer, the only one
in the ship, and from time to time he heaved
himself high out of the water like a seal to
make sure of his direction. Mr Reade, a midshipman
of fourteen, had never been able to
do much more than keep afloat, and since
losing an arm in a recent battle he had not
bathed at all. Fortunately the remaining arm
was firmly hooked into the bars of a hen-coop
that had been thrown to him from the quarter-