16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
'Sir, sir,' cried Emily, 'she means the Alastor's
big schooner-rigged launch, lying there next
to the Mexico ship.'
'With the barky all sideways, will there ever be
tea?' asked Padeen, with quite extraordinary
fluency for him.
'There will certainly be tea,' said Stephen, and
he stepped forward briskly to the path winding
down the slope.
He was mistaken, however. The Surprise was
in far too much of a hullaballoo for any form
of quiet enjoyment. The word that she might
be heaved down without waiting for her turn
had reached Tom Pullings only after Stephen
set out, and he and the carpenter and the only
valid bosun's mate were already as busy as
bees among the port's stores of copper, cordage,
ship's timber and paint, with Jack's words
'Spend and spare not' in their ears when the