[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.The innovation was tested, and Cugel suggested a variation which also provedsuccessful.Cugel then jumped to feet and started to run from the room, but Salassercaught him and drew him back to the couch."You are as restless as a tonquil! What hasvexed you so?""The wind is rising! Listen how the sail flaps! I must make an inspection.""Why irk yourself?" coaxed Salasser."Let Mama deal with such things.""If she trims the sail, she must leave the wheel.And who is tending the worms?""The worms are resting.Cugel! Where are you going?"Cugel had already run out upon the midship-deck, to find the sail back-winded andfuriously flogging at the sheets.He climbed to the quarter-deck, where he discoveredthat Madame Soldinck, becoming discouraged, had abandoned her post and gone to herquarters.Cugel checked the escalabra.The claw indicated a northerly direction, with the shipducking and yawing and sidling astern.Cugel spun the wheel; the bow fell off; the windcaught the sail with a great clap of sound, so that Cugel feared for the sheets.Irritated bythe jerking, the worms swung up from the water, plunged, broke their cinctures andswam away.Cugel called out: "All hands on deck!" but no-one responded.He lashed the wheeland working in the dark brailed up the sail, suffering several sharp blows from theflailing sheets.87aaTTnnssFFffooDDrrPPmmYYeeYYrrBB22.BBAAClick here to buyClick here to buywwmmwwoowwcc.AAYYBBYYBB r rThe ship now blew directly down-wind, in an easterly direction.Cugel went in searchof his crew, to discover that all had locked themselves in their cabins, from which theysilently ignored his orders.Cugel kicked furiously at the doors, but only bruised his foot.He limped backamidships and made all as secure as possible.The wind howled through the rigging and the ship began to show an inclination tobroach.Cugel once more ran forward and roared orders to his crew.He elicited aresponse only from Madame Soldinck: "Go away, and leave us to die in peace! We are allsick."Cugel gave a final kick to the door and, limping, made his way to the wheel, wherewith great exertion he managed to keep the ship tracking steady before the wind.All night Cugel stood at the wheel while the wind keened and shrieked and the wavesreared ever higher, sometimes to break against the transom in surging white foam.Onone such occasion Cugel looked over his shoulder, to discover a glare of reflected light.Light? From where?The source must be the windows of the aft cabin.Cugel had set no lamps aglow which implied that someone else had done so, in defiance of his explicit orders.Cugel dared not leave the wheel to extinguish the light.Small matter, Cugel toldhimself; tonight he could shine a beacon across the ocean and there would be none tosee.Hours went by and the ship rushed eastward before the gale, with Cugel a barelyanimate hulk at the wheel.After an interminable period the night came to an end and adull purple blush entered the sky.At last the sun rose to reveal an ocean of rolling blackwaves tumbled with white froth.The wind abated.Cugel found that once again the ship would hold its own course.Painfully he straightened his body, stretched his arms, and worked his numb fingers.Hedescended to the aft-cabin, and discovered that someone had arranged two lamps in thestern window.Cugel extinguished the lights and changed from the gown of pale blue silk to his ownclothes.He pulled the three-tiered hat clasped with 'Spatterlight' upon his head,adjusted the tilt to best effect and marched forward.He found Madame Soldinck andher daughters in the galley, sitting at the table over a breakfast of tea and sweet-cakes.None displayed the ravages of seasickness; indeed all seemed well-rested and serene.Madame Soldinck, turning her head, looked Cugel up and down."Well then, what doyou want here?"Cugel spoke with icy formality
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
