16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
rendezvous far too soon. The China ships intended
to pass south of Diego Ramírez with
the full moon, and in her present stage she
was only three days old: that would mean a
great deal of beating to and fro in the most
inhospitable seas known to man, with no more
than a passable likelihood of success after all.
Quite apart from the unpredictable winds, foul
weather or fair, state of the sea and so on,
merchantmen on such a voyage never attempted
any great accuracy of movement.
'We shall have to stand off and on until well
past the full,' said Jack at supper – fish soup, a
dish of sweetbreads, Peruvian cheese, two
bottles of Coquimbo claret – 'The full of the
moon, of course.'
'An uninviting prospect,' said Stephen. 'Last
night I was unable to control my 'cello because
of the erratic jerking of the floor, and
this evening most of my soup is spread on my