16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
mistaken. He might go back to the Surprise
with an easy mind and sit in peace, admiring
her new rigging, all fresh-rove and set up, all
blacked where blacking was called for; yards
likewise. And he could tell Father Panda.
For days now Tom had been growing more
and more worried, with the Doctor away and
the Reverend coming every night for news of
the Captain, clearly anxious, clearly aware
that something ugly was up, bringing the sick
back, advising him to close with the men bargaining
for the prizes, to get the barky out of
the yard, watered, victualled and ready to
weigh, all shore-leave stopped. And certainly
there was something very odd about the town,
with people running about and behaving
strange. Some who had always been civil and
more than civil had grown rather shy. The
master of the rope-walk for example: all
smiles and a glass of vino on Sunday, re-