16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
poor foot, and on these occasions he sometimes
heard Dutourd, whose quarters were
close at hand, talking to his neighbour the bosun
or to the visiting Grainger or Vidal: quite
frequently to more, most of them forecastlemen
during their watch below. Stephen did
not listen particularly but he did notice that
when Dutourd was speaking to one or two his
voice was that of ordinary human conversation
– rather better in fact, since he was unusually
good company – but that when several
were present he tended to address them in a
booming tone and to go on and on. They did
not seem to dislike it, though there was little
new to be said about equality, the brotherhood
of man, the innate goodness and wisdom
of human nature unoppressed; but then,
he reflected, Dutourd's hearers, Knipperdollings
for the most part, were accustomed to
much longer discourses at home.