16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
seemed a deep and dreamless sleep. Yet
some parts of his mind must have been active,
since he knew perfectly well that the launch
had gone about four times and that the wind
had diminished to a moderate breeze. He
made his way out of the cuddy into the light of
the moon, a true clock if one knew her age
and her exact place among the stars for the
beginning of each watch. Suddenly, as he
stood there swaying to the quieter sea and
wishing he could stretch over the lee rail and
dash water into his face, it occurred to him
that his eye scarcely hurt at all: there was still
a certain irritation, but the deep pain was not
there. 'By God,' he said, 'perhaps I shall be
able to swim again in a week or two.'
'You are a good relief, sir,' said Bonden,
yielding the tiller; and he gave an exact account
of the courses steered – two reaches as
near south-east by east as possible and two