16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
a long period, and at present it was the study
and comparison of these case-histories that
made up the great part of their professional
duty.
At one of these meetings Stephen said, 'Once
again we have not exceeded five knots at any
time in the day, in spite of all this whistling
and scratching of backstays. And it makes a
great while since fresh water has been allowed
for washing anything but the invalids' clothes,
in spite of our prayers for rain. Yet providing
we do not die of thirst, I comfort myself with
the thought that even this languid pace brings
us nearly a hundred miles closer to my cocaleaves
– a hundred miles closer to wallowing
in some clear tepid stream, washing the ingrained
salt from my person and chewing
coca-leaves as I do so, joy.'
Martin tapped a sheaf of papers together
and after a moment he said, 'I have no notion