16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
ship pitched with such extraordinary violence –
pitched as though she had fallen into a hole –
that he very nearly fell, and the glass left the
wine in the air, a coherent body for a single
moment.
'This will never do,' he said: and then, 'What
in Hell was that crash?' He stood listening for
a moment, and then in reply to a knock on the
door he called, 'Come in.'
'Mr West's duty, sir,' said Norton, the newlyappointed
midshipman, dripping on the chequered
deck-cloth, 'and there is firing on the
larboard bow.'
'Thank you, Mr Norton,' said Jack. 'I shall
come at once.' He quickly stowed his fiddle on
the locker and ran on deck. While he was still
on the ladder there was another heavy crash,
then as he reached the quarterdeck and the
pouring rain, several more far forward.