Читать книгу Mr. Midshipman Hornblower онлайн

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"Speak, thou apparition" said he.

Hornblower felt a wave of nausea overcoming him--the after effects of his trip in the shore boat were being accentuated by the incredible stuffiness and smelliness of the 'tweendecks. It was very hard to speak, and the fact that he did not know how to phrase what he wanted to say made it harder still.

"My name is Hornblower" he quavered at length.

"What an infernal piece of bad luck for you" said a second man at the table, with a complete absence of sympathy.

At that moment in the roaring world outside the ship the wind veered sharply, heeling the Justinian a trifle and swinging her round to snub at her cables again. To Hornblower it seemed more as if the world had come loose from its fastenings. He reeled where he stood, and although he was shuddering with cold he felt sweat on his face.

"I suppose you have come" said the whiskered man at the head of the table "to thrust yourself among your betters. Another soft-headed ignoramus come to be a nuisance to those who have to try to teach you your duties. Look at him"--the speaker with a gesture demanded the attention of everyone at the table--"look at him, I say! The King's latest bad bargain. How old are you?"