16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
weaving unnoticed through gangs of seamen
intent upon a great variety of tasks, too weary
to be jocular, and Stephen said, 'If one, then
all; and we have mere chaos.'
He had often said this before, and Martin
only nodded. They watched in silence as the
sheers moved forward to the stump of the
Franklin's mainmast, fitting to it a curious object
made up of yet another spare topmast
and a hand-mast, the two coupled athwartships
by two lower caps and a double upper
cap above the refashioned maintop.
Stephen did not attempt to explain the course
of this particular operation, which he had
never seen before. Until now neither had spoken
of West's death apart from their brief exchange
in the sick-berth, but during a short
pause in the hammering behind them and the
repeated shouts from the Franklin Stephen
said, 'I am of opinion that there was such