16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
commanders and redistribute the crews and in
the second because he wished to deceive a
remote sail on the western horizon, a potential
quarry. He intended this distant ship to suppose
that an unhurried convoy slowly heading
east by south, often peaceably gossiping
alongside, would carry straight on to Callao,
and he did not intend to make the signal to
part company until the stranger's topgallants
were out of sight even from the main jackcrosstrees.
Long before this time however Dr Maturin
had to attend to his duties as the frigate's surgeon.
Having regained the Surprise he stood
for a while at the taffrail, looking aft along the
line of ships: the Alastor, thinly manned but
unharmed in masts and rigging and now almost
clean; the whaler, in much the same
case; and the Franklin, her wounded bowsprit
now repaired with spars from the four-master: