Donachie, D [john Pearce 01] By the Mast Divided by David Donachie

Author:David Donachie
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9780749013462
Publisher: Allison & Busby
Published: 2012-06-05T04:00:00+00:00

Martin got Charlie Taverner with the boiling water at an unguarded moment, just as he and Rufus were collecting from the cook their chosen piece of meat, as well as their rations to make a pudding called duff. Aiming for Charlie’s head, his lack of height allied to haste meant he got him on the legs, and although it hurt like the devil when the water penetrated Taverner’s ducks, it did not scald him as it was supposed to. Martin was gone before Charlie got out his first cursing screech, the mess kid with the dinner inside dropped to roll on the deck, the boy emerging from behind the cook’s coppers grinning like a monkey. That grin faded as Martin saw Pearce and O’Hagan standing in front of him, Ben Walker just behind them.

He dodged well left, to get outside Pearce, who had to dive across the planking to grab his ankle. Once he got a grip on that he hauled the boy in, fending off the scrabbling, scratching hands that Martin used in an attempt to get free. Holding him close, he just avoided a bite that would have removed his nose, and with his free hand he began to slap the boy on the face, side to side, not too hard, but enough to stop him struggling.

‘I want to talk to you,’ Pearce said.

‘Fuck off,’ Martin spat.

‘Belay that.’

The bark was from Sam Devenow; Pearce knew that before he looked. ‘Take your hands off young Martin, you green-livered swab.’

‘Young Dent tried to kill me, Devenow,’ said Pearce, wondering how something so true could sound so feeble.

Devenow snorted, then started to move towards Pearce. ‘Then the pity is he ain’t succeeded!’

From the look in his eye Pearce knew that he was going to have to fight. Was it about grog or was it about Martin Dent? It didn’t matter now – all he could be sure of was that slight tremble shaking his body that always came when danger threatened.

‘It was him that caused that burial this morning,’ called Charlie Taverner, emerging from the galley, to stand close to Pearce, with Rufus, looking very fearful, just behind him. ‘And he has just this second tried to maim me.’

Devenow stopped and glared at Charlie. ‘Who asked you to butt your nose in?’

‘It’s my business, too,’ called Ben.

‘Then I’ll deal with you,’ Devenow growled, looking past Pearce, ‘once I have dealt with this bugger here.’

Pearce knew that to wait would be fatal – he reckoned he had no chance anyway, but that would be ten times worse if he did not get in the first blow. He threw Martin Dent at Devenow’s feet, which took the sailor’s eye off him for a second, grabbed the second mess kid out of Rufus’s hand and slung it at Devenow’s head. The man was too quick or too wise, he ducked under and it flew past, the contents, flour, suet and raisins, going everywhere.

‘You just shot your bolt, mate,’ he said, rolling up his shirtsleeves to expose thick matted forearms.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.