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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“Aye, sir,” put in Purcell, “give us but half the full amount. It’ll be poor stuff without the bread.”

Bligh turned away impatiently. “Damn it, no!” he replied. “You’re grown queasy as young ladies on the island here! Wait till you taste the stew, if you must complain.”

Our meal was soon pronounced done, and each man received a full pint and a half. The sauce seemed to me even better than that we had eaten at dinner, and once the men tasted it all murmuring ceased.

At sunset, when it fell dead calm, we observed several columns of smoke at a distance of two or three miles on the main. Bligh ordered some of the people to pass the night in the boat, and a watch was kept on shore.

“We must be on our guard,” he said; “though I believe there is small danger of the Indians visiting us to-night. Our fire made no smoke, and they cannot have seen the boat.”

As darkness came on, Bligh went down to the beach, where Cole was on watch, and remained for a long time seated on the sand chatting with him, while the rest of us retired to our sleeping places.