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if you have not read these books: why not?
She was abreast of the point; she came smoothly to the wind, and her single carronade began to speak. Seventeen feeble puffs of smoke, and seventeen little bangs like damp squibs over the miles of deep blue sea; when the last faint yelp had died away, the flagship began her deep, full-throated reply, and at the same time another hoist ran up on shore. "Captain repair to flag, if you please, sir," said the midshipman.
"Barge away, Mr. Babbington," said the Captain, and walked into his cabin. Neither their landfall nor the presence of the flag was unexpected, and his full-dress uniform was laid out on his cot, scrubbed and brushed to remove the stains of salt water, iced seaweed, antarctic lichen and tropical mould until it was threadbare in some places and strangely felted in others; yet the faded, shrunken blue gold-laced coat was still honest broadcloth, and as he put it on he broke into a sweat. He sat down and loosened his neckcloth. "I shall get used to it presently, no doubt," he said, and then, hearing the voice of his steward raised in blasphemous, whining fury, "Killick, Killick there: what's amiss?"
"Which it's your scraper, sir, your number one scraper. The wombat's got at it."
"Then take it away from him, for God's sake."
"I duresn't, sir," said Killick. "For fear of tearing the lace."
"Now, sir," cried the Captain, striding into the great cabin, a tall, imposing figure. "Now, sir," -- addressing the wombat, one of the numerous body of marsupials brought into the ship by her surgeon, a natural philosopher -- "give it up directly, d'ye hear me, there?"
The wombat stared him straight in the eye, drew a length of gold lace from its mouth, and then deliberately sucked it in again.
"Pass the word for Dr Maturin," said the Captain, looking angrily at the wombat: and a moment later, "Come now, Stephen, this is coming it pretty high: your brute is eating my hat."
"So he is, too," said Dr Maturin. "But do not be so perturbed, Jack; it will do him no harm, at all. His digestive processes -- "
At this point the wombat dropped the hat, shuffled rapidly across the deck and swarmed up into Dr Maturin's arms, peering at close range into his face with a look of deep affection.
"Well, I can keep it under my arm, together with my reports," said the Captain, picking up a bundle of papers and carefully fitting them around his gold-laced hat to conceal the tear. "What now, Mr Holles?"
"Barge alongside, if you please, sir."
"Barge away, Mr. Babbington," said the Captain, and walked into his cabin. Neither their landfall nor the presence of the flag was unexpected, and his full-dress uniform was laid out on his cot, scrubbed and brushed to remove the stains of salt water, iced seaweed, antarctic lichen and tropical mould until it was threadbare in some places and strangely felted in others; yet the faded, shrunken blue gold-laced coat was still honest broadcloth, and as he put it on he broke into a sweat. He sat down and loosened his neckcloth. "I shall get used to it presently, no doubt," he said, and then, hearing the voice of his steward raised in blasphemous, whining fury, "Killick, Killick there: what's amiss?"
"Which it's your scraper, sir, your number one scraper. The wombat's got at it."
"Then take it away from him, for God's sake."
"I duresn't, sir," said Killick. "For fear of tearing the lace."
"Now, sir," cried the Captain, striding into the great cabin, a tall, imposing figure. "Now, sir," -- addressing the wombat, one of the numerous body of marsupials brought into the ship by her surgeon, a natural philosopher -- "give it up directly, d'ye hear me, there?"
The wombat stared him straight in the eye, drew a length of gold lace from its mouth, and then deliberately sucked it in again.
"Pass the word for Dr Maturin," said the Captain, looking angrily at the wombat: and a moment later, "Come now, Stephen, this is coming it pretty high: your brute is eating my hat."
"So he is, too," said Dr Maturin. "But do not be so perturbed, Jack; it will do him no harm, at all. His digestive processes -- "
At this point the wombat dropped the hat, shuffled rapidly across the deck and swarmed up into Dr Maturin's arms, peering at close range into his face with a look of deep affection.
"Well, I can keep it under my arm, together with my reports," said the Captain, picking up a bundle of papers and carefully fitting them around his gold-laced hat to conceal the tear. "What now, Mr Holles?"
"Barge alongside, if you please, sir."
The Fortune of War, Patrick O'Brian (ch. 1, p.2-3)
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