Читать книгу Men Against the Sea – Book Set. The Greatest Maritime Adventure Novels: The Bounty Trilogy, Lost Island, The Hurricane, Botany Bay, The Far Lands, Tales of the South Seas… онлайн

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It must have been a little past midnight when I was awakened by the boatswain’s voice:—

“Mr. Bligh! Breakers, sir!”

In an instant the captain was on his feet and wide awake. I heard a distant, long-drawn roar; and Bligh’s abrupt command: “Hard alee!”

Three or four others were up by this time, ready for duty.

“Close-haul her!”

The moon was down, but the breakers were visible in the starlight as we clawed off.

“She lays well clear,” remarked the captain. “By God! What a surf! Let it break! We’ll find a way through when daylight comes!”

Many of us in the bottom of the boat were too weak or too indifferent even to raise our heads. Bligh noticed that I stirred.

“The reefs of New Holland, Mr. Ledward! We’ll be sailing calm water soon, and stretching our legs ashore! You’ll be feasting on shellfish to-morrow, my word on it!”

I managed to turn on my side, and fell asleep once more, lulled by a new sound: the crisp slap of wavelets under the launch’s bow as she stood off the land, close-hauled on the starboard tack.