16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
'Then tell them to throw the dead overboard
and to bring buckets and swabs to clean
where the dead men lay.' He called to Bonden
out of the shattered stern-window, 'Barret
Bonden, now. Can you heave up the little keg
till Mr Martin and I can catch a hold on it?'
'I'll try, sir,' said Bonden.
'We shall have to move this man,' said
Stephen, nodding at the figure lying on the
locker. 'In any case he is dead.'
'He was my sailing-master,' said Dutourd.
'Your last shot killed him, his mate and most of
the crew. The other gun burst.'
Stephen nodded. He had seen a raking shot
do terrible damage; and as for a bursting
gun... 'Shall we ease him out of the window? I
must look to these men at once.'
'Very well,' said Dutourd, and as the rigid
corpse slid into the sea so Bonden called, 'On