16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
terror. He could do nothing.
Still another barefoot friar, looking casually
into his cell, expressed some astonishment that
Stephen should not yet have joined don Eduardo
and his company. They were there in the
courtyard, the pack llamas already loaded
and the sun rising over Anacochani.
So it was: yet the western sky was still dark
violet at the lower rim and as he looked at it
Stephen remembered the words he had intended
to write to Diana before he put his letter
to the candle: 'in this still cold air the stars
do not twinkle, but hang there like a covey of
planets', for there they were, clear beads of
unwinking gold. He could not relish them
however; his dream still oppressed him, and
he had to force a smile when Eduardo told
him he had reserved a piece of bread for their
breakfast instead of dried potatoes, a piece of
wheaten bread.