16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
dow or a baby in spirits, but we were the only
one with birds. Monsieur Duvallier had a
school-friend who engraved them and he
wanted to compete with him, so when he
found me drawing a turkey-buzzard and then
setting it up, he offered me a place.'
'The horse-leech's calling did not please you?'
'Well, sir, he had a daughter.'
'Ah.' Stephen made himself a ball of leaves
and said, 'No doubt you were well acquainted
with the birds of your country?'
'I read what I could find to read – Bartram,
Pennant and Barton – but it did not amount to
much; yet still and all,' – smiling – 'I reckon I
had an egg and some feathers of every bird
that nested within twenty miles of New Orleans
or Charleston; and drawings of them.'
'That must have interested Mr Martin.'
Fabien's smile left him. 'They did at first, sir,'