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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“And yours’ll be the first-born, sir!”

Jenny appeared in the doorway, carrying a platter of fish. She smiled at the two men, and beckoned Balhadi in to help set the table. An hour later Smith rose to take his leave.

“Ask Williams to come down to the cove this afternoon,” said Christian. “We shall need all hands to get the boats up out of reach of the sea.”

A heavy swell from the north was bombarding the cliffs as Smith made his way over the ridge. The heat was sultry, though the sky was now completely overcast, and he knew that the wind could not be far off. Williams met him at the cottage door.

“Come in, Alex. Set ye down. What’s that—fish? A monster he must have been, eh? Here, let me hang it up; Puss has smelt it already.”

The blacksmith’s cat, a fine tabby whose sleekness proved her master’s care, was mewing eagerly, and Williams paused to cut off a small piece for her.

“She’s spoiled,” he remarked. “D’ye think she’d look at a rat? But I hate rusty tools and scrawny living things.”