16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
trick at the wheel.
'Mr West,' said Stephen, 'do you suppose we
shall eat our dinner today?'
Mr West's expression was difficult to read; the
loss of his nose, frost-bitten south of the Horn,
gave what had been a mild, good-humoured,
rather stupid face an appearance of malignity;
and this was strengthened by a number of
sombre reflexions, more recently acquired.
'Oh yes,' he said absently. 'Unless we are in
close action we always shoot the sun and pipe
to dinner at noon.'
'No, no. I mean our ceremony in the gunroom.'
'Oh, of course,' said West. 'What with Reade
going overboard and the chase stopping us
dead and tearing away like smoke and oakum
just as we were overhauling her, it slipped my
mind. Masthead, there,' he hailed. 'What do