16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
royals flashed out at the same moment, filling
at once to the gentle breeze. The Surprises
cheered; from over the water the weary Franklins
did the same; and Jack turned a beaming
face to Stephen, his eyes more startlingly blue
than ever. 'Ain't that capital?' he cried. 'Now
we can have our concert at last.'
'Very capital indeed, upon my soul,' said
Stephen, wondering why they were all so delighted.
Certainly the ships, particularly the
Franklin, were more beautiful by far with their
towering clouds of ordered whiteness reducing
their hulls to low slim elegant forms: and as he
watched the sun lit the Franklin with more than
common force, causing all the staysails to
make strong exactly-curved shadows on the
square courses, topsails and topgallants behind
them. Very fine indeed, and perhaps
there was a just-perceptible increase in their
gentle pace, a very slightly greater lean from