16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
mules, don Curtius singing Greensleeves.
Stephen approached the remaining Englishman,
took off his hat, and said, 'Francis
Geary, a very good day to you, sir.'
'Stephen Maturin! I thought for a moment it
looked like you, but my spectacles are covered
with dust.' He took them off and peered
myopically at his friend. 'What happiness to
see you! What joy to find a Christian in this
barbarous land!'
'You are just come out of the hospital, I find.'
'Yes, indeed. One of my people – I am surgeon
of The Three Graces – has what looks to
me very like the marthambles, and I wished to
isolate him, under proper care, until it declares
itself, rather than infect the whole ship.
It is as deadly as measles or the smallpox to
islanders, and we have many of them aboard.
But no. They would not hear of it. So I went to