16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
'I will mention it if you wish,' said Stephen,
'but I should observe that in general the Captain
looks upon these as little private affairs,
quite unbuttoned and informal.'
'Then perhaps I must be content to listen from
afar,' said Dutourd, taking no apparent offence.
'Yet it would be benevolent in you to
speak of it, if a suitable occasion should offer.'
He broke off to ask what was going on
aboard the Franklin. Stephen told him that
they were rigging out the foretopgallant studdingsail
booms. 'Les bouts-dehors des bonnettes
du petit perroquet,' he added, seeing
Dutourd's look of blank ignorance, an ignorance
equal to his own until yesterday, when
he had helped Reade to write the terms in his
journal. From this they moved on to a consideration
of sails in general; and after a while,
when Stephen was already impatient to be
gone, Dutourd, looking him full in the face,