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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This day, the eleventh of June, seemed the longest of my life. They had eaten the last of the dolphin the night before, and at sunrise a quarter of a pint of water and our usual allowance of bread were issued. I drank the water, but could not eat the bread. The captain made a grimace in spite of himself as he raised his morsel of bread to his mouth, but he munched it heroically, nevertheless, and contrived to keep it down. The boatswain had administered a spoonful of wine to Lebogue, and was coming to do the like for Nelson and me. Stepping over the after thwart with the bottle in his hand, he came face to face with Bligh, while an expression of horror came into his eyes.

“Sir,” he said solicitously, “ye look worse’n any man in the launch. Ye’d best have a drop o’ this.”

Bligh smiled at the old fellow’s simplicity, and said: “I’ll pay you a handsomer compliment, Mr. Cole: you have lasted better than many of the younger men.... No, no wine for me. There are those who need it more.”

Cole touched his forelock and turned to serve me, shaking his head.