16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
gunroom the full day was almost intolerably
bright, a blue day with white clouds sailing on
the warm breeze, a white ripple on the small
cross-seas, no marked roll or pitch. They
paced up and down with their eyes narrowed
until they became used to the brilliance; and
Martin said, 'An odd, somewhat disturbing
thing happened to me this morning. I was
coming back from the Franklin when Johnson
pointed out a bird, a small pale bird that overtook
us, circled the boat and flew on: certainly
a petrel and probably Hahnemann's. Yet although
I watched it with a certain pleasure I
suddenly realized that I did not really care. I
did not mind what it was called.'
'We have never yet seen Hahnemann's petrel.'
'No. That was what made it so disturbing. I
must not compare great things with small, but
one hears of men losing their faith: waking up
one morning and finding that they do not be-