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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“Mary! Eh, Mary! Is Will asleep?”

McCoy rose from his bed of tapa and crossed the dim-lit room to the door. “Jack? I was only resting. We’re dead beat, Matt and me.”

“Come outside.... Have ’ee seen Fasto?”

“No. What’s up?”

“She went off to fetch eggs; before I had my bath, that was, and not a sign o’ her since. I was cursing her for a lazy slut at supper time, but, by God, I’m afeared for her now! Her lazy! The best wench on the island, pretty or not!”

“I’ve seen naught of her,” said McCoy. “Wait, I’ll ask Mary.”

He went into the house, and Williams heard them whispering together. Presently he returned. “Aye, Mary’s seen her; she passed this way late in the afternoon. Mary gave her a hail, but she never turned her head. She’d her egging basket. Like enough she was making for the Rope.”

The blacksmith stood irresolute for some time before he spoke. “Thank ’ee, Will. I’ll be getting home. If she’s not back by morning, I’ll make a search.”

His heart was heavy and his thoughts sombre as he trudged home through the moonlit bush. Though he lay down on his sheets of clean tapa, smoothed by Fasto’s hands, he could not sleep.