Gadfly needed to rest. The captain said he would need a written permission for that. Serenica obliged. She had to keep a close eye on the boatswain, since he showed some signs of being delirious.
"I saw things down under," he said as he was lying in his hammock. "Things you wouldn't believe."
"Things that belong to the dead?"
Serenica was holding his wrist, feeling his heartbeat to make sure his circulation was functioning correctly.
"Aye," Gadfly said and fell asleep.
Serenica shook her head and went to her little cabin.
As she was arranging the papers she had written about the condition of the crew, spilling ink every time the ship thrusted and rocked in the throes of the storm, she heard a knock.
She opened the door for the Admiral.
"Shouldn't you be keeping up with the rigging or something?" she asked.
He sat in the available chair, folding his legs like he often did, dug out his pipe and started smoking.
Serenica had no tobacco left. She would have loved to join him.
