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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“Fasto!” he called.

A short, dark, sturdy woman stepped out of the shed where their cooking was done. She was of humble birth, silent, docile, and industrious. Williams appreciated to the full her devotion to him, as well as her skill in every native pursuit.

“Dinner ready?” he asked. “Fetch me a pail of water.”

She dashed the water over his head and shoulders, while he scrubbed the grime from his face. Then she brought his dinner of roasted breadfruit, yams, and a dozen terns’ eggs, spreading broad green leaves for a tablecloth beside him on the ground. He squeezed her arm as she leaned over him. “Hard as nails! Sit ye down and eat with me, old girl.” She shook her head. “Oh, damn yer heathen notions! ... Any more eggs? No?”

Ignorant of the native tongue, which he held in contempt, Williams had forced the woman to learn a few words of English. Tears came into her eyes, for she felt that she had been remiss in her wifely duty. Struggling to express herself, she murmured: “Fetch more eggs, supper.”