"Clayton Emery - Robin & Marian - Floating Bread and Quicksilver" - читать интересную книгу автора (Emery Clayton)

chins to confound the wind. Amidst the fisherfolk
slumped two new widows, teary but resigned, as if
they'd expected this day. Children clung to their
skirts and stared at an empty dory.
As the fishing family and their guests straggled
down the shingle, Sidony muttered. "It's their own
fault. `If two relatives go out in a boat, one will
drown.' And sneaking out in the middle of the
night."
"Sneaking out?" Marian listened close, for the local
accent was guttural and garbled. The last phrase
resembled "sneegin' gout".
"Aye. Gettin' a jump on the herrin'. You're not
supposed to go ahead of the rest, t'ain't fair. You
wait, pass your boat through the rope circle, get the
blessing of the deacon. It's custom goes back
forever. And they sailed under a full moon, too!"
The party squeezed in to examine the dory, floated
in on the tide and hauled up from the surf, but there
was little to see. The boat was a dozen feet long
with a tombstone stern and flat bottom,
broad-beamed and high-walled to ride blue water.
Around the mast was a lateen sail of coarse
yellowed linen. Nets were folded in heaps across the
waist. A large rock in the bow served as anchor. The
oars were missing while a worn boot had been left
behind. Many villagers echoed Sidony's admonitions
about tempting fate and taking advantage.
Robin Hood's keen eyes were busy. Peering, he
handed Marian his bow and clambered over the
gunwale, careful to tread on ribs and not the bottom
planks. Still someone warned, "Not supposed to
step in a boat ashore. S'bad luck." Robin rubbed his
hand along the ribs, swirled his hand in the bilge
slopping in the bottom. It might have been tinged
red, but his calloused hand came away clean.
A toothless elder sighed and let go the gunwale,
then did the others, as if letting go the lost
fishermen. "Enough grievin'. Tide's makin'. Time to
get the fish in." Instinctively people scanned the
wind and waves and sky, turned to breakfast and
ready their own boats lined along the strand.
Robin and Marian lingered, as did their hosts. The
outlaw scanned the dory from stem to stern as if
he'd buy it. He used his Irish knife to poke the outer
hull, felt the sea moss and barnacles. Then he stood
back stroking his beard. Marian knew that sign: his
curiousity was piqued.
They walked with Peter's family back to the cottage
for chowder and ale. Sidony muttered, "Knew it