16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
to yesterday at sunset; and we know just about
where the Alastor must be. She means to sail
back to the coast and wait off the Chinchas
for a Liverpool ship now docking at Callao for
the homeward run. Listen!'
The companion overhead lit with three
flashes of extreme brilliance; thunder cracked
and bellowed at masthead height; and then
came the all-pervading sound of enormous
rain, not exactly a roar, but of such a volume
that Jack had to lean over the table and raise
his powerful voice to tell Stephen that 'now he
could sponge his patients, aye, and wash
them and their clothes too – there would be
enough for the whole ship's company – the
first ten minutes would carry off all the filth
and then they would whip off the tarpaulins
and fill the boats and scuttlebutts.'
The rain had no great effect on the swell,
rolling strong from the north-west, but it flat-