9On the quarter-deck Rodney was humming softly to himself as he walked to and fro. It was swelteringly hot and the ship was moving very slowly, for the breeze was almost indiscernible and most of the time the sails hung limp and empty, while the sea itself was so still that the water seemed to cling against the wooden sides of the Santa Perpetua.
The Sea Hawk about half a mile away was in the same plight. Rodney could see Barlow gazing agitatedly at his top-sails. Barlow always worried unduly when there was a dead calm; it seemed unnatural to him somehow, while a tempest left him unmoved and quite unperturbed as to what might be the result of it.
Rodney, on the other hand, rather enjoyed periods of calm seas and sunlit skies. There was nothing to do except wait until the wind blew again
