16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
them, and the carronade ran wild on the rolling
deck, out of control.
Jack called down: 'Chasers' crew away. Run
them out.' He landed on the deck with a
thump, ran through the eager, attentive, wellarmed
groups to the bows, where his own
brass Beelzebub was reaching far out of the
port. 'Foretopsail,' he said, and they heaved
the gun round. He and Bonden pointed it with
grunts and half-words, the whole crew working
as one man. Glaring along the sights Jack
pulled the laniard, arched for the gun's recoil
beneath him and through the bellowing crash
he roared, 'T'other.'
The smoke raced away before them, and
barely was it clear before the other chaser
fired. Both shots fulfilled their only function,
piercing the foretopsail they were aimed at,
dismaying the Alastors – few ships could fire
so clean – and encouraging the Franklins,