"David Eddings - The Dreamers 01 - The Elder gods" - читать интересную книгу автора (Eddings David)

It was about mid-summer of an otherwise unimportant year when the
Seagull encountered one of those summer squalls that seldom last very
long - two days, perhaps, no more than three. This one lingered longer,
however, and the SeagulFs crew endured bad weather for almost a week,
helplessly watching as the howling gale tore away the rigging and ripped
the sail to shreds.
When the gale moved off, the Seagull’s crew labored long and hard to
make her even marginally seaworthy again.
Captain Hook-Beak took it in stride. No ship ever sails on a
perpetually sunny sea, so bad weather was simply something that had to
be endured. Of course, the captain of a ship is seldom required to repair
the rigging or patch the sail. Those chores are the duties of ordinary
seamen, so Captain Hook-Beak retired to his cabin to catch up on his
sleep.
It didn’t quite turn out that way, though. Despite the fact that the
Seagull was many leagues from land, a pesky fly had somehow found its
way into Hook-Beak’s cabin, and the buzzing sound of its wings was just
enough to keep the captain awake. The times when it was not flying were
even worse. He could actually feel its eyes on him, watching his every
move, and that was much worse than the brainless buzzing. Try though he
might, Sorgan Hook-Beak couldn’t sleep.
Nothing at all seemed to be going right this season.


* * *



After her rigging and sail had been repaired, the Seagull got underway again, and
she was running before the wind some distance out from the coast of Maag when Ox
spotted a Trogite merchant vessel hull-down on the horizon. ‘Sail ho, Cap’ n!’ he
roared in a voice that might well have shattered glass a league or so away.

‘Where away?’ Hook-Beak demanded.

‘Two points off the starboard bow, Cap’n!’ Ox shouted.

Hook-Beak relinquished the tiller to Kryda Ham-Hand and hurried forward to join
Ox in the bow. ‘Show me,’ he told his burly first mate.

Ox pointed.

‘Goodly distance,’ Hook-Beak said dubiously.

‘The oarsmen are getting fat anyway, Cap’n,’ Ox replied. ‘A good run might sweat
some of the lard off ‘em, even if we don’t catch that ship.’

‘You’ve got a point there, Ox,’ Sorgan agreed. ‘All right, let’s take a run at that
ship and see if we can catch her. She looks to be Trogite, so it’ll be worth the trouble.’