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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“Ye was needed, Alex,” said McCoy, in a weak voice. “He’d ha’ done for the three of us.... Ye’ll not let on ye’ve seen us?” he added. “We can booze quiet now Matt’s asleep.”

“I was sent to look for ye,” said Smith. “Mr. Christian’s decided to burn the ship. Ye can stay, or go to see her fired, as ye’ve a mind; but he wanted ye to know.”

“Burn and be damned to her, now,” said Mills.

“He reckons what timbers there is left in her will be more trouble to get out than they’re worth.”

“I could ha’ told him that three days back,” said Martin. “See here, Alex! We’ve a good sup o’ brandy left. Ye’d best stay and have a share.”

He held out a bottle while Smith stood irresolutely, looking from one to another of them. Of a sudden he threw himself on the ground beside them. “So I will, Isaac!” he said, as he seized the bottle. “We’re hogs for drinkin’ it on the sly, but away with that!”

Dusk deepened into night. Quintal was snoring loudly, and Martin had now reached the maudlin stage of drunkenness. His thoughts had turned to home and he blubbered half to himself, half to his companions, cursing Christian the while, and the hard fate that had left them stranded forever on a rock in mid-ocean. Smith and McCoy, having vainly tried to quiet him, at length gave it up and paid no further heed to him. Mills drank in silence; when deep in his cups he became more and more dour and taciturn. Prudence was asleep with her head in his lap.