16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
out when he saw this sudden spurt of red to
windward and a glow under the cloud, and he
was hailing the quarterdeck when he heard
something like stones or even grapeshot hitting
the topsail and then there was a great
crash and he was down. He lay on the gangway
staring through the scuppers with the rain
soaking him through and through before he
understood what had happened, and he saw
that red spurt show twice: not like a gun, but
more lasting and crimson: perhaps a battery,
a ragged salvo. Then a cross-sea and a leelurch
tossed him into the waist until old Plaice
and Bonden fished him out.
The groaning from a man against the side
grew almost to a scream. 'Oh, oh, oh. Forgive
me, mates; I can't bear it. Oh, oh, oh, oh...'
'Mr Martin, pray see what you can do,' said
Stephen. 'Sarah, my dear, give me the silkthread
needle.'