16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
rial custom, as much part of natural life as
dried peas on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday,
and they had already washed their best
shirts in readiness while on Saturday evening
or early on Sunday they had combed out their
pigtails and replaited them, each man for his
tie-mate, before or after cornering the ship's
barber for their shave. Now, apart from fitting
the poor bewildered blacks into their purser's
slops, brushing and tidying them as well as
they could and comforting them by calling
out, 'It's all right, mate: never fret,' and patting
them on the back or shoulders, they were
quite ready.
So was their Captain. He was about to pull
on his ceremonial breeches when, through the
open door, Killick cried, 'No you don't. Oh no
you don't, sir. Not until I have looked at those
there wounds and that there eye. It was the
Doctor's orders, sir, which you cannot deny it.